Authors note: Hey! I hope everybody had a great New Years Eve…

I seem to have a problem with this website right now and I'm not getting any private messages or story-alerts. So if any of you sent me private reviews, then I'm sad to say that they haven't reached me… But hopefully this will resolve itself soon.

I loved the reviews from last chapter and I'd like to send out special thank you's to B.Davis, Brucas3, bgrJourney05 and dalostlorelaigilmore. And a big thank you to eemah who promised to stick with this story to the end :)

This chapter is kind of long but I hope you'll read through it. It's titled after a song by Rilo Kiley.

------------------

CHAPTER 15 – Execution Of All Things

Brooke puts the spoon down into the empty ice-cream bowl. It smells like window-polish and fresh coffee from the kitchen and she happily constitutes that she no longer suffers from any morning-sickness. Less than two weeks ago these two smells blending together still would have made her instantly sick. Now she just finds the smells nice and reassuring. They remind her that she is living in a 'home' were people actually reside. Not just a big empty house…

Karen comes into the living room with the bottle of polish and a rag and Brooke looks up.

"Karen, what did Dan say when you told him that you were pregnant? If you don't mind me asking…"

Karen turns and smiles. "I don't mind at all Brooke." She dries her hands off on the rag. "Let me just get a cup of coffee…" She disappears for a moment before coming over to sit in the armchair across from her. It's Brooke's fifth day on bed rest. Five days spent mostly in horizontal position in front of the TV, but when Karen is home she makes her turn the attention to her schoolbooks instead, accept for the occasional chat in between Karen's work in the kitchen. Like now.

"What Dan said… Well it was a long time ago, but it kind of stuck to me… First he asked me if it was all a bad joke. Then he said that I didn't have to worry, he would pay for the abortion… His third sentence was actually; damn it, I don't even like children." Karen laughs. "I can find it funny now, remembering his facial expression, but then… I remember being really scared and my parents were very strict… so taking to them wasn't really an option."

Brooke smiles too now. "Lucas is happy to have you, I hope he understands that. Most moms wouldn't be as supporting as you are in this situation. He told me how well you took it when he told you…"

"Oh… thanks sweetheart. But then I guess he didn't tell you about my reaction last time he thought you were pregnant? No?…Well, I wasn't as supportive then. My sixteen year old son took me by surprise, in the middle of the night I might add, saying that he impregnated his even younger girlfriend and I slapped him right across the face… How's that for being the good and understanding mother?"

Brooke sees the guilt under Karen's warm smile and even though she is a little surprised, she just takes Karen's hand over the table. "Who wouldn't be shocked? I totally get your reaction. If I was my mom, then I would have spanked myself royally and then grounded me for months." She thinks for a moment. "You know, Lucas never told me you were angry with him back then. I was sure that I was the one you would be pissed at. This time too. I thought you would hate me for sure…"

"I could never hate you Brooke. And I know that neither you nor Luke meant for this to happen. But now that it has, I want you to know that I'm looking forward to being a grandmother…"

"I'm glad to hear that…" A warmth that Brooke really can't explain fills her chest. It's something with the honesty in Karen's eyes.

"Was Lucas a good baby?" she asks, savoring the moment. She wants Karen to stay with her and just keep talking like this. Lucas is off doing something with the guys and this bonding-time with his mother is so important to her. Today she more or less kicked Lucas out of the house to get to spend the Saturday alone with Karen while she cleaned up the house. Not that Brooke can help, but just listening to the sounds of Karen scurrying about makes her feel calm. And it takes her mind of the cell phone that has kept vibrating, hidden in her duffel bag the last days. Karen leans back and sips her coffee.

"Yes, most of the time he was… It was hard the first year, being alone and having to run the café with an infant bouncing of the hip, but he was a good sleeper and mostly happy. And Keith was there to help me when it got too much."

Brooke smiles and shifts on the couch, squeezing one of the cushions in under her arm to make it more comfortable. She used to think that Karen found talking to her so annoying. Back when they first met when Lucas was unconscious she would always get so nervous around his mother. Blurt out stupid comments and babble on without end. Keith had been so much easier, she never had to think about how she acted around him, but Karen hadn't really taken to her right away. Brooke had tried very hard to gain Karen's friendship. But after living here with her last year everything had changed. Brooke had felt like she had a mother for the first time in years and they had spent countless hours in the kitchen, just talking over cups of coffee or hot cocoa. Karen smiles, probably lost in memories.

"I used to read to him every night, you know. Not the usual kids-books but English literature classics. Up until he was two, my voice was the only thing that could make him fall asleep."

"No wonder he ended up a little bit book-wormish…" Brooke says with a crocked smile and Karen laughs. Then there's a knock on the door and Karen gets up to open it.

"I'll be right back Brooke" she says with a smile. "Just keep resting."

And she does. She closes her eyes and leans her head back towards the couch, feeling the sugar-rush from the pint-sized bowl of butter-pecan ice-cream. That's why she doesn't notice the people coming into the room at first. Not until she recognizes the voice saying her name.

"Brooke."

It's her father.

----------------

Playing basketball at the River court always cleared his head and even though he's loosing big time Lucas feels mentally rested. His brother fakes left and goes right, neatly sidestepping him to take his shot. The ball goes straight through the hoop.

"I believe that's game point"

He sits down at the picnic table and downs big gulps from his water bottle. Nathan slumps down beside him, laughing at Skills and Fergie who are just finishing off their game of one-on-one on the other side of the court.

Lately he hasn't had that much time with the guys so shooting hoops the entire Saturday is exactly what he has needed, especially since he hadn't been to practice in the beginning of last week when Brooke was in the hospital. Whitey has of course been okay with it, especially now that he knows Brooke is pregnant, but the championship game is next week and he has to keep his shape up for that.

"Shit Nate, I'm beat…" he says as he leans back on the bench and Nathan smirks.

"Yeah Luke, and still you sucked… You ran like a girl today"

"Shh… don't say anything bad about girls" he hushes back smiling. "There could be pregnant women around, and you know they have big ears so be careful…"

"Tell me about it. Haley freaks out whatever I do these days. Most of the times I don't even know what I've done wrong… This morning she didn't talk to me for two hours and then I finally tracked it down to being because I didn't wake her up in time to watch Dr Phil. I thought I was being considerate to let her sleep in while I was out running…"

Out on court Skills dunks for the last point and Fergie throws his hands out in frustration. "Ah… come on man! Skills looks over to the table. "Hey Luke, how about a game with the winner? First to ten?"

Still laughing about Haley Lucas shakes his head. "Naw Skills… I need to head back soon. I promised Brooke that I'd get her some more ice-cream."

Fergie walks over and pats his shoulder. "She's running you like that already? She's got you whipped Luke…"

Nathan smirks. "That's nothing new. Brooke's got him whipped from the get-go." Then turning back to Lucas he says "But I guess you're worse off then me big brother… I mean, Brooke's temper is bad even when she's not pregnant. I bet you have a handful at home with both her and your mom, right? Talk about a house full of hormones."

"Actually it's not that bad. And my mom is way worse than Brooke."

He understands the surprised look on Nathans face though. He himself has expected Brooke to throw temper-tantrums left and right (he still does) but so far she's been calm as a Sunday-morning. Since coming back home from the hospital, she's been nothing but sweet. (That is if you didn't count the argument about him calling her dad, but that had been his own fault.)

He knows she misses school, cheer-practice and her friends and still she hasn't complained of boredom once during the five days of bed rest. As long as he would just lie down and cuddle for an hour or so after he came back from school she seemed satisfied. He would settle into the bed or couch with her, her head propped against his chest, and he would tell her about his day before they sat down to have dinner with his mom. She, in turn, would ask him questions and tell him about things she'd seen on TV. All in all, it has been a calm and uneventful week, and after all the drama lately, he is grateful for it.

Brooke was actually the one who told him to get out of the house this morning and go do something for himself. She'd said that she thought he deserved it. He suddenly misses her and looks at his watch. If he left now then maybe he could convince her to take a nap with him before dinner.

"I'm out of here guys…" he says standing up and Nathan offers his hand.

"Alright. Talk to you later…"

---------------------

Brooke would recognize her father's voice anywhere and she looks up in disbelief. Her mother and father are standing in the doorway and Karen looks at them as if she doesn't know what to do.

"Dad…" Brooke says silently. "What are you doing here?"

She probably shouldn't be all too surprised with him showing up like this since she's avoided answering his calls for four days, and most parents would of course be worried by that. But for her dad to be worried it would require that he actually cared about her. And she isn't sure if he's ever done that.

It's not that her parents are bad people. They're not drunks or alcoholics or anything like that, and they don't really hate her, they just ignore her. They have for years. She's used to being ignored but there had been so many hard words coming from her father when she called him back five days ago, and those words had made the already big distance between them feel like the Grand Canyon.

Her father stops half way through the room and looks at her.

"You haven't returned any of our calls Brooke. I will have you know that this little trip will cost the company thousands of dollars in lost time… I'm really tired of you pulling stunts like this!"

Brooke sighs. "Stunts like this? …uhm… Do you mean stunts like getting pregnant, ending up in the hospital or not answering my phone after your last call when you called me a slut? Huh? Or wait, slut was the word mom used, right? You just came right out and called me a whore."

None of them step up to hug her. And they don't ask her how she is or how she's been.

She watches her mother in her designer clothes and perfect hair and make-up. She is beautiful, but standing next to Karen her mother almost looks plastic. She wishes that today would be different, that today was the day when Mary Davis would open her arms and pull her in to hold her, but sadly her mother shares nothing of the warmth that always surrounds Karen. Her eyes are empty and Brooke realizes that this must be what Lucas had meant that time when he was mad at her and said that her eyes had lost their shine. Scary thought. She never wants to look like her mother.
Her father gives her a firm look.

"You watch your mouth, young girl!"

"We might as well go into the other room…" she sighs and gets up from the couch. "Karen, could you please call Luke and ask him to get back here?"

Karen nods and she walks off towards Lucas' room with her parents in trail. She doesn't want to have an argument in front of Karen, mostly because she doesn't want Karen to see the side of herself that always comes out when around her mother and father. Karen doesn't know her as the bitchy cold-hearted teenage slut. But that is how her parents see her, and they have no idea how much she's changed the last year and a half.

It hasn't always been this dysfunctional, she thinks. She remembers her parents as much more loving when she was a little kid. They had never been nominated to the parents-of-the-year award, but at least there had been some hugs and kisses then. Her dad would sometimes pick her up and spin her around until she screamed of joy and her mom would read her the occasional goodnight-story. It started to change when she started school and by the time she was nine or ten they were gone on trips most of the time, leaving her to be raised by numerous nannies.

"Will you be okay alone?" Karen asks and she nods and closes the door behind them after giving Karen one last look saying 'I'm sorry'. And her father starts as soon as the door clicks shut.

"Brooke! What the hell were you thinking?! You are seventeen years old and you haven't even finished high school! You are supposed to go to Yale in the fall… What am I going to tell the Dean now? That you just couldn't keep your legs crossed? How could you be so reckless?!"

His eyes are filled with the fierce and burning anger that she inherited from him, but her own eyes looking back at him are cold so far. She knows better then to let her emotions run amok. The only thing she can do to really get to him is to pretend to be emotionless.

"Answer me Brooke!" he ushers. "Is it really so hard for you to behave like a grown-up person for once?!"

His voice is already rising. She sits down on the chair by Lucas' desk.

"I'm eighteen, dad."

"What?"

She watches his confusion with a strange sense of amusement. It always throws him of to have the facts wrong.

"Maybe you missed the memo, but I did turn eighteen little over two months ago. I know you and mom didn't call, but I actually didn't think that you forgot. I just thought that you didn't have the time to pick up the phone…"

Her mom looks shocked, then a bit guilty and Brooke launches off a sarcastic smile towards the both of them. "But don't worry dad, I bought myself a nice gift at your expense."

Her father ignores the last comment and starts to pace around the room, back and forth with his arms crossed over his chest.

"How far along did you say you were? Three and a half months?" he spits at her before turning to his wife without waiting for the answer. "Damn it Mary, I told you that we shouldn't have left her here! She is supposed to be introduced in March…"

Brooke pulls her knees up to her chest and wraps her arms around them, following his pacing with her eyes. She wishes that it was Lucas arms that were wrapped around her. Closing her eyes for a second she pretends he's standing right next to her.

"I've told you and mom a hundred times that I'm not interested in being shown off at some lame social-elite's ball. And I'm not going to Yale. I've already applied to the fashion-program at UNC."

"Hell no! You'll come back with us to California, the baby will be put up for adoption and you can choose between pre-law or pre-med! End of discussion! This pregnancy is a huge mistake but I might be able to see to it that you can study the first semester from home. I am not letting you make a spectacle out of yourself!"

He's actually screaming at her now and even though the relationship between herself and her parents have been bad for years she's still taken aback by his anger. Anger is an emotion and emotions were never displayed by Charles Davis. He and her mother usually just left her alone. Letting her be the spoiled 'bored and ignored' daughter in peace for weeks at the time, until there was some party or work-related happening that required them to show of 'their beautiful little princess'.

"I'm not going anywhere with you…" she hisses. "I'm staying put here in Tree Hill."

Her father locks his eyes with hers in an effort to get her to back down, and the 'Charles and Brooke Davis-stare down' begins.

---------------------

After stopping at the store to get the ice-cream Lucas drives back to the house. He's probably driving way too fast but he's a bit late and there's hardly no traffic this late on a Saturday afternoon. He misses his girl and he laughs to himself as he realizes that he's speeding because he's experiencing a Brooke-craving. His pretty girl craves butter-pecan and he just craves her. It's weird since he sees her all the time nowadays.

There's a huge car parked next to Brooke's in the street but he doesn't think much of it as he walks up the driveway. Maybe Rachel's just stopped by for a bit. And as he walks into the house he's expecting to find Brooke on the couch in front of the TV as usual, but the living room is empty.

There's a weird feeling in the house, as if there is something important going on that he has missed. He walks towards the kitchen but his mom meets him halfway down the hallway and she points at the closed door to his room.

"Brooke's parents are here…" she says in a hushed voice. "I don't think that Brooke wanted to face them alone…"

"What?!" he mouths in shock. "When did they show up? Why didn't you call me?"

"They came maybe forty minutes ago and they've been in there ever since. And I did call you. Your phone's been turned off."

She looks worried and he whispers "Fuck…" when remembering that he had turned it off in the park to save the battery. He takes a deep breathe before turning the doorknob. "Okay, here goes nothing", he thinks.

As he opens the door he sees Brooke curled up in the chair by his desk, with her arms wrapped around her knees. Brooke's father is standing with his back leaning towards the backdoor and he looks at Lucas with a cold face. Her mother is standing on a safe distance from her only daughter, in the middle of the room. This is just the forth time he's seen Brooke's parents but still this seems to be their usual behavior. Being as far away from each other as they possibly can.

"We only want what's best for you Brooke" he hears the older woman say. "I'm still your mother you know…"

Brooke gets up with a fed up look. "Really? Are you sure about that, 'cause I sure haven't noticed that in the last few years." She looks like she can't decide whether to be angry or sad and she doesn't even seem to notice that he has entered the room. "I mean seriously mom, when was the last time you called to see what I was doing, or even to check if I was alive? If Lucas hadn't called dad, then you still probably wouldn't know about this."

"Then why didn't you tell us? We could have handled this discretely and no one would have needed to find out…"

Brooke doesn't look surprised.

"You mean by forcing me to have an abortion? That's just great mom! Do what you always do, shove money in my face and make me and my indiscretions go away, right? Isn't that how you always deal with things concerning me? Like when I was eleven and you found me completely wasted and sleeping it off on the lawn? You sent me to some high-prized cheer-camp for two months and then never talked about it again…"

Mrs. Davis looks down. "What was I supposed to do Brooke? You were a bit young to drink…"

"Mom, you found me at ten o'clock in the morning!! I hadn't been home the entire night! Maybe you should have asked me where I'd been, or even better, why? Hell, you really don't give a shit if I live or die, do you?!" Laughing coldly she continuous, "I still can't believe that you said that Peyton was being a bad influence on me… she and her dad was the closest thing I had to a fucking family when growing up! The only people who have been really bad role-models are the two of you!!"

Brooke's father jumps in with a raised voice that almost makes Lucas flinch. "Don't talk to your mother that way Brooke Penelope Davis! She has been worried out of her mind these last days."

He looks firm and he walks over and puts his arm around his wife. Lucas watches in disbelief. Either of Brooke's parents have obviously not yet tried to hug her or comfort her. They're not really acting worried, just angry and cold and he can't help but wonder from where in the world Brooke had inherited her beautiful heart and compassion. It sure didn't come from their gene-pool. Brooke is now standing alone in front of her united parents and she looks like a little girl.

"Just get it dad! This was my decision to make! You say it's a mistake and maybe it is, but some things you have to learn all on your own, right? And you have certainly taught me that I can't rely on anybody else than myself…"

She seems close to tears and Lucas just wants to take her out of here. She is supposed to be resting in bed, not up arguing with her parents, and the stress of this encounter can't be good for her.

"Brooke…" he says quietly but he's interrupted by her father's harsh voice.

"Stay out of this, boy! I'm talking to my daughter!"

Finally Brooke seems to notice him and she walks over to Lucas, wrapping her arms around him, and he holds her tightly in a silly attempt to protect her.

"No dad! Lucas has a right to talk. You're the one that needs to shut up! We're having this baby and I'm sorry if you and mom doesn't approve. You can disown me, cut of my allowance or whatever you see fit, but this is how it's going to be; Me and Lucas are going to stay here with Karen until we go off to UNC. We're having a child together and I love him. Nothing you say or do will change any of this!"

Mr. Davis lets out a dry laugh. "How would you manage without the money we send you young lady? The amount you spend on shoes every month is higher then the usual rent-cost. Is he going to uphold your precious lifestyle?"

He points at him with a cold look and Lucas meets his eyes without looking away. Brooke sighs tiredly.

"His name is Lucas. And no, he doesn't have to support me. I have grandma's trust fund and I actually make enough money to carry my own finances, thank you very much. Not that this is any of your business but your forgetting that I paid my own way last year when you declared bankruptcy and forgot that you had a child to support."

Finally Lucas notices a change in Brooke's mothers face. She been standing quietly beside her husband but now she looks sad and she pulls away from him and takes a hesitant step towards Brooke who's still cradled in his arms.

"Honey… we're not cutting off your money… and we're not angry, we're just worried. Right Charles?"

She looks up at her husband who's still portraying the same cold expression. "I'm a little shocked and maybe even a bit hurt that you didn't tell us… and you have to understand how it felt hearing from a boy I hardly know, that my daughter was pregnant and in the hospital…"

Brooke leans towards his chest and he can feel her quick pulse.

"Mom, the fact that you hardly know Lucas is not my fault. I've been in love with him for two years. But you never have time for anything concerning me in your schedule… I know I should have told you sooner but you were in freakin' Japan for god's sake! I couldn't even keep track of the time difference, and it's not like you called me either… Honestly, you called me ONCE in three months!"

Brooke's mother stops and Lucas can see her father looking down into the wooden floor.

"Brooke… you decided to stay in Tree Hill when we moved to California. You're eighteen and you wanted to take care of yourself. Your mother and I gave you everything you wanted. We never denied you anything…"

Finally Lucas feels Brooke start to sob into his t-shirt. He doesn't want her to be sad but holding the tears in must be even more painful and he holds her tighter to at least give her a sense of comfort.

"No?" she cries. "Not anything? …Then what about love dad? What about attention and guidance and rules? …What about hugs and kisses and coming to my cheer-competitions or ballet-performances? What about teaching me to ride a bike? Hell, you never even put a band-aid on my scraped knees!"

There are tears in her mothers eyes now and Mrs. Davis (Lucas can't even remember if he ever even heard her first name) reaches out towards Brooke.

"We love you Brooke… and we're sorry if you feel like we've neglected you. Your father and I were never really parent-material. But that doesn't mean we don't care…"

"But how am I supposed to know that mom? Huh? I've just gotten out of the hospital… I was actually injured mom! …And still, you and dad storm in here… and your only concern is the inconvenience of having a knocked up daughter?!"

She's crying so hard that it's hard to understand what she's saying but the concept is clear and Lucas can't take it anymore. He strokes Brooke over the hair as he firmly meets the eyes of her parents. And then he hears his own voice fill the room, which is really strange since he hasn't got a clue what he's going to say.

"Mr. and Mrs. Davis, I want you to listen…"

The out of body-experience from the hospital lingers over him again and as Brooke's father starts to interrupt he just puts up his free hand.

"No. I mean really listen. Brooke is carrying my child. And whatever you say, this baby is not a mistake. I love your daughter and it surprises me, no actually it makes me nauseous, that neither of you see what this argument is doing to her."

His hand goes into Brookes soft curls and he detangles them with slow, calming motions. "If you keep upsetting her like this, then there's a big chance that she'll end up back in the hospital and I won't let that happen! She's supposed to be in bed resting, trying to recover from a severe concussion, two broken ribs and almost miscarrying our child and if you don't change your attitude, then I'll have to ask you to leave my house. To leave it right now…"

The room stays silent for minutes, the only sound coming from Brookes sobs. Then her mother takes a small step. And then one more. She strokes Brooke's cheek softly, wiping away the tears that keep falling from her chin and onto his shirt.

"Brooke…" she says with a broken voice. "Please let me hold you… I'm so sorry honey…"

And surprisingly, this time Brooke lets go of him and steps into her mothers arms instead. It's hesitant, but still she does it, and for the first time Lucas witnesses some kind of affection within the Davis-family. As Brooke cries in her mothers arms even Charles Davis, the hardcore businessman, seems to crumble. Lucas is almost sure that he's going to walk over to Brooke as well but at the last moment he turns and just walks out through the backdoor. The sound of the door closing behind him causes both Brooke and her mother to look up but Mrs. Davis keeps stroking Brooke's back in calming circles.

"Don't cry doll-face…" she says "I'm proud of you Brookie… really proud. And if this is what you want to do, then okay…I will support your decision."

Feeling like an intruder in this fragile moment Lucas walks backwards out into the hallway and closes the door behind him. His own mother is sitting by the table in the kitchen and she looks up as he steps in, the concern evident in her eyes.

"It sounded like they were having an argument in there. Is Brooke okay?"

He nods and pours some coffee for himself before sitting down. "Her dad left, but at least there seems to be a truce between her and her mom right now" he sighs. "A much needed truce for Brooke's sake… I'm just not sure how long it will last…"

--------------------

It's been an hour and he can still hear the low murmuring sound of Brooke and her mother talking in his room. He hopes that it's going well and that Brooke is at least sitting down.

When he looks out the window he can see her parent's car still parked in the street, and even in the darkness he can see Mr. Davis in the front seat smoking a cigarette.

Slowly he gets up from his chair and Karen looks up.

"I'm going out to talk to Brooke's dad" he says simply and she nods.

It's a little chilly and he pulls his hands up into the sleeves of his sweater as he walks across the lawn. And he knocks on the window on the passenger side. Charles Davis rolls it down with a push of a button.

"What do you want?" he says with a tired voice and Lucas points to the door.

"Can I get in?"

"Sure."

Lucas opens the door and climbs into the seat of the big black Lincoln Navigator. It smells new, even with the lingering cigarette smoke still in the air. Charles Davis just keeps looking out the windshield and Lucas clears his throat.

"Are you planning on leaving without saying anything else to Brooke?" he says, matching the dark-haired man's cold poise.

"What is left to say? You two kids seem to have it all figured out" The voice is emotionless but he emphasizes the word kids with a slight disgust. As if he and Brooke were too young to understand anything.

"Maybe we do, maybe we don't… either way, it's no excuse for you to hurt her like this…"

He knows he is over-stepping boundaries but he can't just let Brooke's father do this to her. But Mr. Davis just smirks.

"Lucas, right?" he says with his eyebrow arched in the same way Brooke usually does it when feeling annoyed or bored. "I want to ask you, how well do you really know my daughter?"

Lucas is a little taken aback by the question. Frowning he answers; "I think I know her well enough" and when the man in front of him raises his eyebrow even more, he adds "actually I think I know her better than you do."

Now Mr. Davis laughs but it's not a happy sound.

"Oh, you do, do you? I hope you'll keep believing that when she moves on to something more fun. Or when you find out that the kid she's having turns out to be someone else's… But I can see why she has you wrapped around her perfectly manicured little finger. She's a full-fledged temptress, my daughter. Her mother taught her well…"

Lucas feels the anger grow inside him. Where the hell did the asshole come off saying something like that about his own flesh and blood? Dan, his own father, was the worst type of ass but Brooke's dad sure gave Dan Scott a run for his money.

"Don't talk about Brooke like that…" he hisses and unconsciously balls his fists.

"Don't get me wrong. I love my little girl. But she's not so little anymore, is she? She's been out of control for years, getting wasted, screwing every boy that looked her way and not doing anything else then spending hideous amounts of money. When she was a baby I thought she'd turn out differently but I should have known seeing that she looks the spitting image of my wife…"

Lucas just coughs in total disbelief and his pulse is racing. Turning towards Brooke's father he says;

"You honestly don't know your own daughter at all… She's NOTHING like you describe! Brooke is the most amazing girl I've ever met! She's kind-hearted, smart, ambitious and loving. She looks out for her friends and her loyalty is indescribable. Only in the last year she managed to become Student body President, start up a clothing-line, arrange a wedding for her best friends and win prize for her skills as a cheer-captain… and that's just the most obvious things that anyone can see… I won't even go into the things she's done for me and my family, since you probably wouldn't recognize a loving act if it crawled up your ass!"

He leans in closer to the man in the driver's seat and hisses;

"But one thing I WILL tell you is that if you ever come close to her again, I can't answer to what I will do to you, you hear?!"

Scared that he will punch Brooke's father right in the face, he swings the door open and gets out of the car only to hear him reply;

"You don't scare me little boy"

And he turns.

"You should be scared… I'll have you know that there isn't anything that I wouldn't do to keep Brooke safe!"

Mr. Davis starts to get out of the car as well but then Lucas hears a voice behind him.

"I second that. Get the hell out of here Charles. I think we've had enough of your over-inflated ego for today…"

----------------------

Author's note: The technical issues makes it hard for me to keep up with reviewng my favorite stories. Wishinonastar, I just noticed that you've updated Red Light Until Sunset. I gonna go read that right away! ;)

Please review this chapter, good or bad.

/Lynn