Here we go, approaching the end! Hopefully all of this will be done either today or in the next few days!
"So, Brooke, you ready for our big day tomorrow?" Jake asked as the two lounged in her living room.
"You bet I am," she smirked. "I was born ready."
Jake laughed. "I knew you had to have been the one who taught Chance that!"
"I teach her everything worth knowing," Brooke bragged with a cute shrug. Jake shook his head, amused with her antics.
"So how's the wedding planning coming along?" he asked.
"It's okay," Brooke shrugged. "He wants to drop everything and just get it over with, but I insisted we wait until after my surgery."
Jake nodded in understanding. "So it'll be soon then?"
"Yeah," Brooke smiled. "I never thought I would accept a proposal that didn't involve a ring."
"I never thought that I'd be nearly engaged twice only to have it fall through," Jake laughed. Brooke's face turned sympathetic.
"I'm really sorry about all of that drama, Jake."
Jake shrugged her off. "Brooke, none of that was your fault. It was our crazy blondes that did it, not you."
"That's very true," she agreed. "I am very rarely at fault for anything."
"Now that I'm not so sure about," he teased. He stood as the front door opened, revealing Nathan. "That's my cue to go pick up my daughter from his wife. I'll see you tomorrow, Bookie."
"See you," she smiled, standing up to hug him goodbye. She kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Jake. This really means the world to me."
"Hey, don't mention it," he smiled. "There's no need for thank you's."
She smiled as he walked out of the door before turning to Nathan with a smile. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Hot Shot?"
"I just wanted to spend some time with my best friend," Nathan shrugged, dragging her back down to the couch and flicking on the TV. "I haven't had much time to spend with you, with the baby preparations and everything."
"Which I am so beyond excited about," Brooke squealed. "And did you hear that the transplant seems to be working for Chance?"
"I did," he beamed. "She's a great kid."
"I know," Brooke said proudly. "She's amazing."
"You've done a great thing for her, Brooke," Nathan said seriously. "She's lucky to have you."
"I'm lucky to have her," she smiled. "And so is your little boy. I would have made a horrible godmother before she came along."
"That's not entirely true!" Nathan protested.
"Entirely?" she asked with a kinked eyebrow.
"You did sing Britney Spears to Haley's stomach."
"Which was a fabulous idea!" Brooke defended, swatting at his arm. He laughed, tickling her and pushing her backwards, her giggles filling the room instantly.
"You will not infect my son with your horrible music!" Nathan exclaimed.
"Yes I will!" Brooke continued to cackle. "I will, I will, I will!"
"You will not!"
"Will too!"
"Will not!"
"Will too?" Haley laughed from the doorway. She hobbled in, smiling in amusement at her husband and best friend. "What are you two crazy kids doing?"
Brooke panted and sat up. "Your husband was torturing me!"
"She wants our boy to like Britney Spears!" Nathan said defensively. Haley looked throughtful before grinning.
"Decision in favor of the prosecution."
Both brunettes stared at her, tilting their heads to the right. Haley burst out laughing.
"You two look like a couple of puppies!"
"I'll take that as a compliment," Brooke shrugged, standing and gently pushing Haley onto the couch beside Nathan. "Rest, Tutor Mom! Let me grab you something to drink!"
"Says the girl having a bone marrow transplant tomorrow!" Haley called after her.
"Yeah, yeah, it's whatever!" Brooke shouted back, causing Haley to roll her eyes as Brooke's cavalier behavior.
"You're ridiculous."
"I'm magnificent," Brooke corrected, handing her a Sprite.
"What about me?" Nathan pouted.
"You carry a bowling ball in your man business and I'll get you a drink," Brooke giggled, causing him to crinkle his face in apparent discomfort, much to the amusement of Haley. "Where's Lucas? It's almost dark, he always comes home before dark."
"I think he said he was swinging by his mom's," Haley said, opening her soda. "He needed to grab something from her apparently."
"Yeah, that's what it was," Nathan repeated pointlessly. His phone vibrated and he suddenly stood. "Let's go."
"To where exactly?" Brooke asked, confused.
"Oh, uh, right. To Karen's Café. I'm hungry."
"Okay," Brooke said slowly. "I'm just going to get changed."
"No time for that!" Haley protested, struggling to get on her feet as she ushered Brooke out of the door. "You look great."
Brooke stared down at her white sundress and gold flip flops before shrugging. She looked fine enough. And besides, her friends were acting ridiculous.
When they arrived at the café, Nathan suddenly put a bandana around her eyes.
'What the hell are you doing?" she yelped.
"Just wait," he chastised. "Patience is a virtue."
Brooke mumbled several threats under her breath as he led her clumsily up the staircase, Haley remaining behind. When she got to the top, she heard the door to the stairwell close and she could no longer feel Nathan's hand on her arm.
"Nathan?" she called out. When she received no response, she huffed, tearing the blindfold away. In front of her was a poster that read "Look down". Brooke scrunched her brow, confused, before looked down onto the street. She gasped, seeing the words "Will you marry me?" spelled out in twinkling lights.
"Brooke Davis," Lucas's gentle voice came from behind her. She spun around, one hand to her mouth. He slowly lowered himself onto one knee. "You once asked me how many moments I've had that I could point to and say that's where it all change. Well, that moment was one of them, because you became part of my life, and everything did change. Another one was when you agreed to be my friend. Yet another was when you decided to be nonexclusive with me, and the best one was when you told me you loved me in my driveway. The worst was when I found out you had cancer. But the most amazing, most life changing moment for me was when you agreed to become Brooke Davis Scott. I've lost track of how many embarrassing speeches I've given, but I know that they've all been with you. I love you, Brooke, and I want us to be together forever. Will you marry me?"
Tears were flowing down her face as she leapt into his arms, kissing him fully on the mouth. He slipped a gorgeous ring onto her finger, and she gasped.
"This is-"
"My mom's ring," Lucas finished with a smile. "She wanted you to have it."
"It's so beautiful," she sniffled.
"Like you," he smiled, kissing her again. He suddenly grinned, giving a thumbs up to the corner. She giggled as she saw Jake standing there with a video camera.
"I got it all!" Jake shouted. "Well done, my friend!"
Brooke laughed, wrapping her arms around Lucas's waist and following him downstairs to have a celebratory dinner with their friends. She was surprised to see Chance there, who immediately parked herself on Lucas's lap and started chatting their ears off.
"I told him to do lights instead of candles," she said pointedly. "I told him the wind would blow them out."
"Smart girl," Brooke said, tweaking her nose. She looked over and beamed at Lucas, so glad to have had a real proposal before she would be marrying him in just three weeks. She let out a sigh as she realized that she was getting married at eighteen, but something about it didn't bother her as she met Lucas's deep blue eyes. They would make it, she was sure.
Box Up All The Butterflies
Lucas was pacing back and forth the next morning, causing Haley to finally slam her palm down on the arm of her chair.
"Cut it out!" she exclaimed. "You're making me dizzy!"
"Brooke's going to be just fine," Nathan soothed. "Jake is all ready out."
"Yeah but she isn't," Lucas snapped.
Peyton appeared suddenly, rolling her eyes. "She is, actually. They're just doing some post-op stuff but then we can go see her. They just wheeled her in to Jake's room and told me to come out here and let you all know."
Lucas immediately strode in the direction she had just come, barking questions.
"Did the doctor say anything about how it went? Were there any complications? How did she look?"
"I didn't see her," Peyton said. "He didn't say anything."
"No news is good news," Lucas sighed. He paused. "Right?"
"I'm sure it's all fine!" Haley exclaimed, waddling behind him.
"Really, man, I'm sure she's good," Nathan insisted.
When they reached the room, she was still asleep, her brown hair fanned out around her.
"Hello you four," Dr. Grant greeted. "Brooke's surgery went off without a hitch, as did Jake's. She'll be awake within the hour. She's going to need a week of bed rest, at least, and we'll be monitoring her very closely."
Lucas nodded. "She'll be staying here?"
"Absolutely," Dr. Grant nodded. "And of course, you'll be staying with her?"
Lucas nodded again, and Dr. Grant smiled. "She didn't want to take that ring off of her finger."
Lucas beamed proudly, much to the amusement of his friends. "Where is it?"
"On top of her clothes over there," Dr. Grant said, nodding toward a pile of Brooke's personal belongings. "I'll leave you guys alone now. Congratulations, Lucas."
"Thank you," he replied, walking over and placing the ring gently on Brooke's finger, kissing her hand softly. The friends made a circle around the two beds, Peyton crawling into bed beside Jake and laying her head on his chest.
"You saved her life," Peyton whispered tenderly into his neck, arms wrapped softly around him.
"Hopefully," Jake said cautiously.
"You did," Haley insisted from her chair between the beds. "I'm sure of it."
Lucas, however, wasn't listening. He was transfixed by the glistening ring on Brooke's finger and what it meant. They really had forever now. And he had never felt better about it.