"No, no, no," Nathan said firmly the following Friday night as Brooke exited the bathroom of the apartment. She was wearing a tiny purple dress, lowcut and skintight, with a pair of silver pumps. Her makeup was impeccable and glittery, and her hair was sleek and straight. "Absolutely not, Davis. You are not going out."

"Who made you my father?" Brooke said defensively. "This is the first night in weeks I've felt good, Nate. You told me yourself that I just need to take advantage of my good days."

"Yes, but not to party."

"Come on," Brooke whined. "I won't get into too much trouble, I promise."

"That's so comforting."

Haley entered then with bags of food, dropping them on the counter. "I brought some...woah, Tig, what pole are you gonna be climbing on? I'll make sure to bring my dollar bills."

Brooke glared at her but smiled. "I'm going to a party with Rachel. You two are more than welcome to join us."

"I don't think that's a good idea, sweetie," Haley said gently.

"I want to feel normal," Brooke said, and her voice sounded so vulnerable, as she stood there all dressed up, that Haley and Nathan's resolve began to crumble. "I want to feel beautiful and normal again."

Haley sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Give me twenty minutes to get ready."

Brooke squealed and hugged her friend, bouncing into the kitchen to put away the food Haley had brought. Nathan rolled his eyes and followed his wife into their bedroom, which had really become Brooke's as well. Most nights, the three of them all slept in the same bed. To some, this would be strange, but for them, it seemed normal.

Nate watched as his wife put on a pair of tight jeans and a sparkly top and grinned at the fact that she could look so sexy in something so modest. She turned to him with a worried expression.

"We've got to watch her tonight. She's doing this for the wrong reasons. She's upset about Lucas and I'm scared she's going back to old Brooke."

Nathan sighed. "I still can't believe he walked away from her like that. I can understand why, I just didn't think that he would."

Haley grimaced as she applied her makeup. "I talked to him in homeroom today. He's like a weird pod Lucas. He told me that she deserves someone better who can take care of her, then suggested that I should step aside and let you have her."

Nathan stood, enraged. "What the fuck? Haley, you know that it's not like that between Brooke and I, right?"

Haley smiled tenderly. "Of course it isn't. I love the way that you care for her. You love her like a sister, just like I do."

Nathan calmed at that. "I didn't realize he'd be so jealous that I've been helping her."

Haley shrugged. "People do weird things when they're hurt. He's not the most rational person right now. He's basically lost the girl he loves, and she's sick. He's scared."

Nathan nodded. "I hope they work it out. I think he's learned his lesson at this point. Luke is a good guy. He just needs to make mistakes. He's the kind of person that has to learn the hard way."

Haley agreed and took his hand as they gathered an excited Brooke and got in the car, speeding off to some football player's massive house where the party was.

As soon as Brooke walked in, Haley could see that Brooke was back in her element. Old Brooke's element, that is. She watched as nearly every guy in the room did a double take at her long legs and the ample amount of cleavage that she was displaying. She grinned demurely at several of them, wandering off. Haley sighed and leaned into Nathan.

"I can't wait to just be boring," Haley said. "Why can't we have married friends?"

Nathan chuckled. "Because we're eighteen, Hales."

"We should start spending more time with Jake and Peyton. They've got the whole baby thing going on."

Nathan laughed. "Even more of a ball and chain than marriage."

Haley felt her stomach drop at his words. She was going to have to tell him soon, she knew it. There was no way around it, as she'd start showing any day now. Hearing him talk about having kids like that made her sick. What if he left? What if he didn't want this? What if she was going to ruin his life?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud cheer, and she turned to see Brooke chugging straight out of a tequila bottle as a crowd chanted a count of how many seconds she was at it.

"Jesus fucking Christ," Nathan cursed. "The girl is on chemo and she's chugging tequila."

Haley groaned. "There's nothing we can do. We just have to let her do this."

Nathan kissed her temple and nodded, leading her into the kitchen and pouring them both sodas.

It was hours before they saw Brooke again. Haley had called Peyton to invite her and Jake; since Jake had moved back in with family, they had a sitter. Peyton arrived with Jake and grabbed a beer.

"Where's Brookie Monster?"

Nathan wordlessly pointed to where Brooke was wildly dancing on the makeshift dance floor to "Kids" by MGMT. Her skin was covered in a thin sheen of sweat, and as she twirled and gyrated around, guys circled her like sharks.

"Oh my," Peyton said with a wry smile, taking a sip of her beer.

"PEYTON!" Brooke yelled over the music. "GET OVER HERE. IT'S OUR SONG."

Peyton laughed, handing her beer to Jake with a small kiss. She allowed her drunk best friend to pull her into a dance as they shouted the lyrics to each other. Peyton couldn't help but feel her heart swell. Not only did Brooke look the best she had in a while, but the two of them were singing and dancing together like they were thirteen in Brooke's empty house.

The song began to come to its end, and Peyton attempted to coax Brooke away from the dancing, but was ultimately unsuccessful when Brooke began to dance provactively with a dark haired boy who had to have been at least twenty. Peyton shook her head, slightly amused, and went to notify Nate that he should intiate watch dog mode.

Another hour passed, and it was mutually decided by the four friends that it was time to collect Brooke and go. Peyton offered to take Brooke for the night, allowing Nathan and Haley some much needed alone time, given the fact that Brooke had been staying with them in their one bedroom for a couple of weeks. They accepted the offer and left, leaving Peyton and Jake to hunt down Brooke. They split up, and when neither of them could find Brooke downstairs, Peyton began to feel nervous. She climbed the stairs tentatively.

After walking in on several images that Peyton would never be able to unsee, she reached the last door in the hallway. She could hear the raspy voice of Brooke, mumbling and slurring. Peyton tried the door but it was locked. She began to bang on it, but no one came to the door. She flashed back to junior year, when Brooke had saved her at a college party and called Lucas. Terror flooded her as she used all of her strength to ram her thin frame against the door. No luck.

Just then, Jake came up the stairs to report that he, too, had not found Brooke. He found his girlfriend hysterically ramming her body against a door. "We've got to get in there, Jake, I can hear her."

Jake nodded, gritted his teeth, and used his own body to ram the door, which burst open. They rushed in to find the same dark haired guy struggling to pull Brooke back into bed. She had obviously just struggled her way out from under him, and she stood on one high heel in just a bra and panties, her dress rumpled on the floor, the zipper broken.

"Stop," she was meekly mumbling. "I said no. I said no."

Before Jake even had time to react to the anger that was building inside him, his girlfriend and launched herself at the man, drawing back her right hand and punching him square in the face. Blood began to pour out of his nose.

"She wanted it," the guy yelled. "What the fuck."

"You sick, disgusting son of a bitch!" Peyton screamed, punching him again. "I'll kill you, I swear."

"Peyt," Jake said, grabbing her around the waist as he pulled her off of him. "He's not worth it, babe, come on. Let's get Brooke home safe."

Brooke was whimpering, her arms wrapped around herself. Peyton picked up her dress and helped her into it quickly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and taking her to the car with one last furious glare.

"Thanks P. Sawyer," Brooke muttered. "I can't believe...I'm so sorry...I shouldn't have..."

"It's okay, sweetie," Peyton soothed as Brooke began to cry. "Let's get you home, okay? Then you can tell me what happened."

"Peyt, I really don't feel good," Brooke moaned, leaning over and vomiting next to the car.

"It's gonna be okay, B," Peyton soothed as Brooke wretched. "Do you feel worse than just drunk sick? Do you think there's something else in your system?"

"Everything looks...looks...I can't explain," she slurred. Jake groaned and helped her into the car.

"I think someone gave her LSD," Jake said. Peyton looked at him sharply.

"What?"

"I saw Nikki do it once, this is pretty much what she looked like."

"Oh my God," Peyton breathed. "I don't know what to do. She shouldn't have even been drinking with her meds and her treatment, let alone...oh my God. Oh my fucking God."

Brooke was now lying in the back seat, crying and pulling at her all ready thin hair.

"I'm scared," she whimpered. "I'm scared."

"I know, honey, it's okay," Peyton said, trying to compose herself.

"I want Lucas," Brooke cried.

"Honey, I don't think you mean that."

"I WANT LUCAS!" Brooke began to screech hysterically, hitting herself and anything in her reach. Jake abruptly turned the car, heading in the direction of Lucas's house.

"Jake-"

"Peyt, if this is what it takes to make them see sense, then we're going."

Peyton sighed and leaned back, resigning herself to the fact that there was very little she could do to help her friend. She crossed her fingers that Lucas could help.

Lucas sat up in his bed, reading The Winter of Our Discontent, once again moping his loss of Brooke. He still had most of her things in his room. He hadn't moved them; he wanted to be able to pretend that she was still there. His mother was out with Deb of all people, and he was surprised that she hadn't come home yet, as it was nearing one in the morning. A sudden knock on his door startled him, and he got up to open it, slightly disoriented from hours of reading and a bit of crying as well.

Jake and Peyton stood on his porch, supporting Brooke in between them. She was crying and moaning. Lucas felt his heart drop near his feet.

"What the hell is going on?" Lucas asked, alarmed. He let them in and they dumped Brooke on to the bed.

"We were at a party," Jake began to explain. "She was really drunk, and we went to find her, and some guy was-"

"Some how we think she got drugged," Peyton said, cutting Jake off while stepping on his foot. Lucas didn't need to know about the guy, not yet. Not when they didn't know the story yet.

"I think she was slipped LSD and she's having a bad trip," Jake filled in.

"Damn it," Lucas murmured. "Why did you bring her here?"

"She asked for you," Jake shrugged. "We were on our way to Peyton's and she started screaming that she wanted you."

"Lucas," Brooke cried from the bed. "Lucas I'm scared."

He went to her and tentatively sat beside her. He turned to Jake and Peyton. "Get her some water. And one of you go on my laptop and search for what we're supposed to do. And drugs and chemo."

Jake went into the kitchen while Peyton began to click away on the laptop keys. Brooke reached out and grabbed at Lucas, pulling him down to lay with her. Her eyes were screwed shut and she gripped at him desperately.

"Make it stop," she sobbed. "Make it all stop."

"Sh," Lucas soothed, rubbing her back. He felt her zipper, realizing it was undone and broken. He sat up, Brooke yelping as if burned as he did so. "Peyton, why the fuck is her dress like that?"

Peyton bit her lip. "Um. There was an incident."

"What do you mean," Lucas said, keeping his voice dangerously calm.

"When we found her, she was fighting some guy off of her. I punched him a few times and I think I broke his nose. Brooke was in her bra and underwear and the dress was broken."

Lucas stood, his hands clenching into fists. He paced back and forth a few times before punching the wall in fury. Brooke screamed.

"You're scaring me, I'm scared, make it stop!"

Jake came in with the water, startled by the sound, spilling it on the ground. Peyton groaned, putting her head in her hands. Lucas pulled Brooke up, lifting her dress over her head gently. He noticed bruises on her breasts, on her ribs, on the bones of her hips. She shivered and cried as he stared at them, aghast.

"You two can go home," Lucas said in a low, broken voice. "I'll take care of her."

"I don't know..." Peyton began.

"Trust me, Peyton. I'll take care of her."

Peyton scanned his eyes for a moment before nodding and leading Jake out of Luke's room. Lucas picked up one of his baby blue t-shirts that he happened to know was one of her favorites because of its softness and gently put it over her body. He lifted her into bed, pulling the covers over her as she continued to cry.

"It's okay, you're safe now," Lucas whispered, kissing her forehead as a tear leaked out of his eye and dampened her hair. "You're home."

He waited up with her for hours while she cried and writhed and screamed and kicked until she finally fell asleep. He did not sleep a wink, simply sitting up in bed beside her. The image of her bruised skin was burned into his brain. He knew it didn't take much to bruise her these days, but regardless, the fact that anyone's hands had been on his pretty girl, especially so violently, sickened him. He felt, in that moment, that he could honestly kill anyone who hurt her. And when he remembered the bruises he had left on her wrists, it made him want to die.

But then she snuggled toward him in her sleep, and he was reminded of the fact that despite his mistakes, if she had been with him, none of this would have happened. And so he vowed to keep her safe, to never walk away again. He would never let her wonder where her home was, never again.