One Step At A Time

Chapter 7

About an hour later, the four of them was sitting in Peyton and Nathan's apartment. Haley was sitting on the couch, with her arms crossed, she was pissed, Peyton was sitting on the other end of the couch basically the same way Haley was, also pissed off, both girls didn't want to talk to any one.

Nathan was sitting between the girls, praying that things don't get to out of hand. Lucas was siting in the chair near Peyton, praying he could get this conversation out in the open, so they can all move on and never talk about Brooke Davis again...

" It's getting late, and I do have to work in the morning, so I suggest if we are going to have this talk, someone better start now." Haley said, in an angry tone.

Lucas rolled his eyes, " Look I don't know exactly what you guys know about Brooke, or what she told you, So I think I should start off my telling what happen with us.." He said, looking at the three of them, upset that Peyton wouldn't look at him.. " We met Brooke are senior year of high school, she moved to town with her father, who we never met because he was always out-of-town on business, Haley was on the cheerleading squad, so she met Brooke the first day because Brooke wanted to be a cheerleader, they become fast friends, Brooke and I become friends through Haley,,,,"

" Brooke is a lair she is really good at lying, she can make anyone believe her lame ass stories, We were fucking fools, " Haley said, interrupting her brother.

Peyton looked over at her, confused, " What did she lie about?" Peyton asked, now wanting to hear their story. She wouldn't look at Lucas or even acknowledge him.

"You name it, anything, and I mean anything that Brooke ever said was a lie, you never knew when to believe her, "

"Brooke show up at our door one night, it was late, we were actually sleeping, I got the door, because our dad was out drinking like always, When I opened the door Brooke was standing there, crying uncontrollably, we had only known her for like a month, and she was having a great impact on our lives, becoming one of Hale's best friends, and I was falling for her a little more each day, "

Peyton looked down at the floor not wanting to hear about his feelings for Brooke, even though she gets why he could be in love with her, Brooke was beautiful, and funny, charming, the life of the party kind of girl, she had a big impact on her life and Nathan's. She felt like Brooke was someone she could of depend on, but she was wrong big time.

" Go on man." Nathan said, as he leaned forward, like he was trying to piece something together, " I mean what happen after you open the door, " he asked, but he had a feeling he already knew the answer.

Lucas took a deep breath, " I asked her what was wrong, and pulled her inside the house, Haley had just entered the room, so she turn on the lights and that's when I saw her face." he paused for a moment remembering that night, he was so pissed off. " She was bleeding, she had a cut on her head, a black eye, a busted lip, her clothes was torn, She looked like she was just attacked.."

" So we thought the worst you know, we though she was raped.. So we both started asking all these questions, but she wouldn't talk, so I took her to my room and clean her up a bit, and got her out of the wet clothes..After getting her calm down, I asked her again if she was raped? She shook her head, I thought she was in denial you know..." Haley told them.

"Yeah we know..." Nathan said, clearly getting a little pissed, Peyton just sat there, shocked at what she was hearing, not sure what to believe, her mind going back to the night when Brooke came to her door the same way...

Lucas give Nate a confused look, But decided not to questioned him yet, " She said, she wasn't raped and she wasn't lying, she said she was attacked, I wanted her to describe the guy, so I could go fine him and beat the hell out of him, I can't stand when a guy puts his hands on a women in a hurtful way. Men like that deserve to get the shit beat out of them, by the girl's family and friends. " He said, in serious tone, angry reflecting in his eyes.

" Then why did you hit her?" Peyton blurted out. Causing all six eyes to look at her.

" Excuse me?" Lucas asked, as he stared at her, not believing he heard what he thought he just heard.

"Lucas never hit her Peyton, he has never hit a women, he might have done a lot of crazy things and stuff that I didn't approve of but he never did that.." Haley said, defensively. She stood up looking down at Peyton " That bitch told you that didn't she?"

" Look, before we get into how we know Brooke or anything lets continue with you guys story. " Nathan said, hoping to calm Haley down, He knew where the story was heading, cause apparently it was the exact thing she did to them, Which had him steaming mad, He couldn't believe Peyton hasn't pieced together what was going on. She looked like she was more angry with Lucas, then the fact that Brooke lied to them, to them all.

" Nathan there really isn't nothing more to know, they are lying to protected themselves, " Peyton said, as she looked at Haley.

" What the hell do we have to lie about," Lucas asked pissed off that Peyton was being so cold and that she was judging them, without hearing their side.

" The fact that you fucking stalked her... " Peyton yelled angrily. Her green eyes that were just hours ago looking at him so sweetly, was now giving him a look of hate, bitterness, and fire, A look he never wanted her to look at him again with.

Nathan shook his head, knowing she was going to go off, before actually hearing their side. " Peyt, I think...

" Don't peyt me Nate." she said, cutting him..

" Peyton I think we should let Lucas tell us his side, we know Brooke's side, like dad always told us, there are two sides to every story."

Peyton slap Nathan's shoulder, " Yeah, and I bet you I can tell you exactly what happen, cause we both know he's just going to lie, to make us feel sorry for him, when in reality he is a women beater..." She said, as she looked away, afraid of the hot stare she was getting from Lucas..

" Oh please share with us Peyton." Haley said in a sarcastic tone.

Peyton tilt her head, " He couldn't let her go so he followed her to New York. "

" That's not what happen, yes I did have trouble with our break up, which makes sense, we were together for two years, But..., "

" The break up was really hard on him, " Haley said, cutting him off, wanting to get her point across.

"Most everyone has experienced a painful break-up at one point in their lives, so it is easy to sympathize with someone else who is having difficulty letting go, Haley I get that part, " Peyton said, as she walked over to her window. " But that doesn't give him the right to stalk her."

" How did I stalk her?"

" Let's see.." Peyton said, as she pretended to think about it.. " By continues phoning, or sending flowers, letters, and gifts to her, and an attempt to reconcile with her. When she told you time after time to stop, you about ruined her life, you had her vulnerable, unsafe, and not sure of whom she can trust? Hopeless and powerless to make you leave her alone?"

Lucas laughed, which only annoyed Peyton more, " Let me guess she also said, that I was making her lose control of her life due to the constant pursuit? That she was powerless to change the situation? overly anxious, nervous, and impatient? depressed, overwhelmed, and easily brought to tears, everything make her cry, even the small things?"

Peyton's mouth open like she wanted to say something back, but couldn't speak." Yeah, that's what she said.." Nathan said, looking over at his sister who looked shocked, and like she was finally coming to her senses..

" Yeah I figured, she said the same thing to us.." Lucas said, as he locked eyes with Peyton, a little happy that she was looking at him with a softer glaze.

"What do you mean?" Peyton said, finally calming down a bit...

" Like I said, she told us that night that her ex boyfriend Edward, couldn't get over her, and he wouldn't leave her alone..That he followed her to Tree Hill, and he found her that night, broke into her house, where he try to rape her, she try to fight back, so he started to hit her. Screaming your mine and no one else will ever have you, I'll kill you first, before I ever let

" Another man touch you the way I only should.." Nathan finishing for him..

The four of them went silent, as they all started to click things together, " So she basely did the same thing to you guys, but just gave you guys my name.."

" yeah," Nathan said." She never gave us your last name just your first, everything you said, is what she did to us, about a week after I met her, we felt so bad, that we let her move in with us..."

" So you didn't follow her to New York?" Peyton asked,

" Look I did follow her to New York, because we were in love, She wanted to do this fashion thing, and I wanted to be with her, I never did anything like that to her, I swear, and she didn't break up with me, I did the breaking.. only because I found out she was lying to me, and she was sleeping with someone else."

" She slept with our father." Haley said, knowing Lucas couldn't get himself to say it.

"What?" Nathan and Peyton said at the same time.

Lucas looked down at the floor, as that night went through his head, " We came home for Christmas break, and Dad was drinking in the living room again, and Lucas and I wanted to have an old fashion Christmas, so we decided to go cut down a tree, Brooke didn't want to come, so she stay at home with our dad...I guess she thought we were going to be gone for a while, cause when we came back the house was dark and really quite. "

" I went upstairs to let Brooke know we found a tree, as I got closer to my room where I thought she would be, I heard moaning, which got the best of me, so I followed the sound which lead me to my dads room. I opened the door, there was a small desk lamp on, which glowed off their naked bodies, Brooke was on top of my dad, riding him, as he was sucking on her nipple, whispering over and over, I missed you so much baby,,,She then said, I know I missed you to, God your hands are like magic, I hate that I'm so far away from you..."

" What did you do..." Peyton asked, feeling pretty bad for him.

" I walked away, went for a walk, when I came back, Brooke was acting like nothing happen, she try to kiss me but I just turned my head, We got into a huge fight that night,where I found out that they have been sleeping together the whole tme we was together, and so we broke up...Dad actually, kicked me and Haley out of the house, so he could be with Brooke...He picked her over his own children." Lucas said with a bitter laugh.

" Yeah, we got kicked out of our own home on Christmas Eve, lucky a friend of ours Skillz, his mother wanted us to spend the holiday with her, so we e did. " Haley added, with a wicked laugh

"When we returned to New York, Brooke moved out, and I started drinking, It gotten pretty bad, when I got a phone call from Skillz one night telling me that Brooke and my dad were engaged... Apparently Brooke went back to Tree Hill after we broke up.

" Your dad shot himself..."Peyton said, as she remembered Brooke telling her about being engaged. " That's why she came back to New York three years later..." Brooke said, that the man she was in love with killed himself..

Haley sat down beside Nathan, " Yeah, I was the one that found him." she said, as she started to cry..

Nathan wrapped his arms around her, " It's okay.." he said, as he pulled her closer...

Lucas who was down standing by the window looking out into the night sky..." Brooke was sleeping with someone else, At least that's what a friend of our dad's said, and I guess my dad really loved her, or at least thought he loved her, instead of confronting her, he went home wrote her this long letter about love and life and the stuff he could have given her, he signed it forever yours.. "

Haley wiped her eyes, " Lucas was still in New York, he wasn't himself, after losing Brooke he kind of went crazy, and alcohol became his best friend, I just came back home from visiting Lucas, I was trying to get him to come home with me and get help, but it didn't work.. " she paused, as she remembered that night.. " My husband Chris was on tour and I was actually having one these days where I was missing my mom, she I decided to stop by the house to get a box of stuff we kept in the basement of hers, so I could go through it."

Nathan give her hand a little squeeze encouraging her to go on, Lucas was still starring out the window, and Peyton was standing next to the window, listening to Haley, but watching Lucas, closely..

"As I knocked, I heard a noise. not really sure what I heard, I knocked again, after a good ten minutes, I figured no one was at home, so I turn the knob, just to see if it was unlocked, it was.. I yelled as I entered but still no answer, I was curious, so I walked upstairs, and as I turned to walk into my parents room, or what use to be my parents room,..." She said correcting herself.. " I saw my..." her voice started to crack as she spoke... " my...dad on the floor...I thought he had passed out or something, because he did that a lot over the years... As I got closer..." she closed her eyes, trying to get the picture out of her head... " Blood was...everywhere..."

Nathan hugged her tightly, as she try to continue, but was crying too much to speak, " Ssh.." he whispered, as he kissed the top of her head..

Lucas closed his eyes as Haley's voice trailed off, thinking back to the phone call he got that night, he was drinking, but not to drunk not to understand what had happen. " I didn't go to his funeral..." he said, in a low tone, that neither Haley or Nathan heard. But Peyton did... She walked over to him, tears rolling down her face, as she thought about the pain and sadness they have been through, she touched his arm, causing him to open his eyes, her heart broke as she saw the tears falling for his amazing blue eyes, that was just so blue earlier, now they were cold,and grey like, " I was too drunk to go to my own fathers funeral, " he cried.. " I hated him, for what he did to me, but he was still my father you know, so I loved him, but my pride was too strong..." he cried..

Peyton pulled him into a hug, holding him as tightly as she could, " I'm so sorry Lucas..." she whispered into his ear... Her heart was breaking for him, but she was also feeling something in that moment something she never felt before, a bit of relief, maybe since Lucas has been through so much heartache, he might understand her past, maybe letting him in on her horrible past isn't a bad thing. He just might be what she needs, he could be the answer to her unanswered prayers all these years...She pulled back to look him in the eye, " I'm here for you.." she told him as she rested her forehead on his, He gave her a small smile, and a little nod, both knowing that this night changed something within them.

This night brought four people together, and two couples closer than they ever truly been to another soul...