Brooke sat on the floor of Lucas's room late one night, about a week later. She had had a particularly rough chemo session that morning, but after spending the whole day sick and resting, she had crawled out of bed with her slumbering boyfriend and now sat on the floor, her legs criss crossed, as she nervously dialed the number she had been dreading.

"Daddy?" she croaked as the familiar, deep voice of her father filled the phone.

"Brooklyn?"

"Yeah, it's me. Listen, I need to talk to you."

"Hold on, your mother wants to talk to you," her father snapped, and she could hear her mother take the phone.

"What are all these bills I'm getting from insurance? The accountant told us they're through the roof," her mother complained. "Did you get knocked up?"

"No, Mom," Brooke said through gritted teeth. "I...I was diagnosed with cancer, Mom."

The line was silent. "Oh."

"Is that...is that really all you have to say?" Brooke asked, and she suddenly felt like the five year old girl she used to be, begging for her parents' attention in a big cold mansion.

"You know, Brooklyn, this is a bit far to go for attention," her mother sneered through the phone. Brooke scoffed in disbelief, not noticing her boyfriend stir and sit up in confusion at what his girlfriend was doing up on the phone at nearly midnight.

"I'm not lying to you, Mom!" Brooke exclaimed, and cursed herself for her voice betraying how upset she felt.

Lucas rubbed his eyes, attempting to understand the conversation that Brooke was having through his sleep induced haze. Brooke's eyes filled with tears as her mother heaved a deep sigh. "Well, looks like we're going to have to up your allowance. Do try and get better, dear."

"Aren't you going to...come home? At least come visit me?" Brooke asked, not attempting to hide the fact that she was crying now.

"Oh dear, we're heading to Prague in a couple of days. It just won't do to stop in Tree Hill," Brooke's mother said remorselessly. Brooke let out a hollow laugh.

"Well, thanks for the extra money then," Brooke said sadly. "Bye, Mom. Love you."

"Goodbye, Brooklyn. And what have I told you about calling me Mom? Please, dear, it's Victoria."

Brooke shut her phone, blinking back her tears furiously.

"Baby?" Lucas asked cautiously. He had never known very much about Brooke's parents, or her relationship with them; other than the fact that they were hardly around.

"She's a cold, heartless, frigid bitch," Brooke muttered to herself, standing up shakily and leaving through the door that lead outside.

"Brooke," Lucas groaned, getting up and following her into the cold night. "It's freezing out here. Come inside."

"I just want to be outside for a little bit," Brooke sniffled, wiping tears off her cheeks. "Please."

"I'll stay with you," Lucas offered, stepping toward her.

"No, I want to be alone, please," she said politely, so politely that it frightened him a little bit.

"Okay," he replied warily. "I'll just be in bed if you need me."

She nodded distantly, and remained on the porch, wrapping her arms around herself. He watched her for a moment, standing there in nothing but his large T-shirt. She was already beginning to lose weight, even after only a week of chemo, and her limbs looked alarmingly thin from this distance. She ran a hand through her dark hair, which, although he would never say it to her, was noticeably thinner than it used to be. He sighed and re-entered his bedroom, giving his stubborn girlfriend the space she needed. He crawled back in bed alone, leaving the right side of the bed unoccupied for the brunette beauty crying on the porch.

Lucas didn't mean to fall asleep. But the minutes lying with his eyes closed waiting for Brooke to come back had turned into hours, and he had slowly drifted into slumber. When his alarm woke him the next morning, he reached his hand out to gently shake Brooke, to see how she was feeling. However, that spot next to the bed was empty. He got up in a hurry, dashing out onto the porch and finding her curled up in a tiny ball on the porch swing, still wearing only his T-shirt. She was asleep, and he wondered how the hell he had let her fall asleep in the freezing cold wearing close to nothing.

He looked out into the street, glaring at a group of middle school boys walking to school who were blatantly checking out his girlfriend's lengthy legs. They quickly looked away and carried on, while he picked up his girlfriend and carried her back into his room. He gently lay her down on the bed and shook her awake.

"Brooke? Baby?"

"Hm?"

"Brooke, babe, you fell asleep outside...your immune system can't handle that. Are you okay?"

"Of course I'm-" Brooke began, but was cut off by a round of intense, heart coughs. She looked up at him innocently and gave him a small shrug. "Whoops?"

"No, Brooke," Lucas groaned, "not whoops. This could be really bad!"

"I'm fine, I was going to stay home today anyway."

"And now I'm staying, too."

"Lucas, I'm fine," Brooke protested. "You have a huge test today in Lit. And a really important practice. Tomorrow is game day."

Lucas sighed and grabbed a t-shirt off the floor. "Yeah, yeah. And we need to talk about you cheering."

"We already talked about this," Brooke said, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm cheering, Luke, like it or not."

"I wish you'd at least consider.."

"No, Lucas," Brooke sighed tiredly, "I will not sit on a cube the whole time."

"You could just sit still and look pretty?"

"No, Lucas!" Brooke exclaimed fiercely, much more fiercely than he expected. "Why is it that that's all anybody ever wants me to do, huh? Stand still and look pretty? I'm fucking more than that! I thought you of all people knew that!"

"Brooke, it isn't about that! It's about you being sick!"

"Oh, I'm so sure," she spat sarcastically before coughing and turning over on her side away from him. "Have a good day at school."

He sighed, dropping a kiss on the top of her head. "Call me or text me if you need me."

"I will," he heard her mumble into the pillow. Lucas grabbed his keys from the desk and left for school as she had requested; or demanded, rather.

"Hey Brooke?" he asked, but received no answer. "I love you."

He waited a moment, grinning as he heard her stubbornly reply, "I love you too, dumbass."

When Lucas arrived at school, an anxious looking Haley was waiting for him. "Where's Brooke?"

"She's at home," Lucas said. "She fell asleep outside last night, and now she's probably got a cold."

"But, she can't do things like that! How could you let her do that, Luke?" Haley exclaimed accusingly. Lucas rolled his eyes.

"You try reasoning with Brooke Davis at midnight and then you'll have your answer, Hales," Lucas sighed. "What do you need her for? Anything I can do?"

"Uh, no. It's girl stuff," Haley explained with a nervous giggle.

"Why don't you ask Peyton?"

"Really, Lucas?" Haley said dryly, shooting him a look. He gave her a blank stare. "You're either Team Brooke or Team Peyton. And I don't know about you, but I'm Team Brooke."

"Don't you think Peyton has been through enough already?" Lucas asked his best friend. She gave him a scathing look.

"And Brooke hasn't?"

"That isn't what I meant!"

"Look, Luke," Haley said softly. "You know that I love you. You're my best friend. But so is Brooke, and if you don't plan on treating her right this time around, then don't bother messing around with her. Because I can't take seeing her that broken up again."

Lucas reeled in disbelief. "And neither can I, Haley. Peyton just needs a friend right now."

"And you don't need to be that friend, Lucas," Haley said angrily. "Let someone else do it. Because right now, it's supposed to be about Brooke. Can't you make it about her for once?"

"It's always about Brooke!" Lucas said spitefully. Haley crossed her arms and glared at him.

"You've got to be kidding me," Haley said wryly. "You really are a piece of work, Lucas. You always want whichever girl you can't have, don't you? When you were with Brooke before, it was all about Peyton. Then Peyton wanted you, and suddenly it was all about Brooke. Now it's back to being about Peyton, because you have Brooke now."

"Woah," Nathan said as he approached his wife and half-brother. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Haley said, huffing as she glared at Lucas.

"Your wife is just flipping out over nothing," Lucas explained coolly.

"Oh boy," Nathan groaned. "Here it goes."

"I am not flipping out over nothing!" Haley yelled. "I'm flipping out because contrary to you, I actually give a shit about Brooke!"

"Excuse me?" a quiet, raspy voice said from behind Haley. Lucas and Haley both stood awkwardly for a moment, taking in the sight of Brooke, in jeans and one of Lucas's t-shirts. Her hair was in a messy bun atop her head, and her face was makeupless.

"What are you doing here, babe?" Lucas managed to croak.

"I had a meeting with my counselor that I forgot about," Brooke said softly. "What was Haley talking about?"

"It was nothing," Haley cut in. Brooke glared at her.

"Don't lie to me, Hales."

"Hey, Brooke, I'll walk you to the office," Nathan said, gently grabbing the brunette's arm. Brooke looked away from Haley and Lucas, looking upset.

"Thanks, Nate," she said, her voice practically a whisper. She linked arms with him as he walked her toward the office. Nathan looked back at his wife and brother angrily, wanting to protect the fragile brunette walking at his side.

"Look what you did," Lucas groaned. "Now Brooke thinks something is going on."

"Well, something is going on, Lucas!" Haley argued. "You can't pretend that it isn't. Obviously you still have some kind of deep-seated feelings for Peyton."

"I love Peyton Sawyer!" Lucas yelled, spreading his arms out like a spectacle. "Is that what you want to hear, Haley?" he asked, his voice lower now. He suddenly noticed the large amount of people staring at him in shock. "Look what you did."

"Hey, it's all on you," Haley seethed before turning to storm off. Lucas stood in the quad, watching the gossip mill turn with this new proclamation from Lucas Scott. He sighed, running a hand over his face. A snarky voice came from behind him.

"Once a bastard, always a bastard," Rachel Gattina said smugly, brushing past him. "Now where's the queen slut of Tree Hill? She and I have some things to discuss."

"Rachel?" Lucas asked, shocked.

"That's my name, don't wear it out," she grinned cockily. "No, but really. Don't say it. I don't like it when cheating assholes call me by first name."

"It isn't like that, Rachel," Lucas sighed. "And Brooke and I are back together now."

"Wow," Rachel blinked. "I always knew she was a dipshit, but this takes the cake."

"Shut up, Rachel," he ground out. "We moved her stuff out of your house, and she's living with me. You know, after you abandoned her."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "I needed to get out of this hellhole for a little while after what happened with Cooper."

Lucas couldn't help but feel a bit of sympathy for her in that moment, watching her eyes cloud over at the mention of Cooper. The second bell rang, indicating that first period had already started, and Luke had yet to actually go to class.

"You're late," Rachel said, looking up toward the main building. Lucas shrugged.

"I'm gonna wait for Brooke."

"Well, then, looks like I'll have company," Rachel said, propping herself up on a nearby bench. "So what's happened in two weeks? Start talking, Scott."