Author's Note: Firstly I want to thank you all for your reviews, they keep me writing knowing that you all want to know what will happen. It's even more interesting knowing your theories on how you think the story will turn out. I also liked that I got a constructive review too which I really appreciated so thanks. Secondly, I'm sorry that it has taken me so long to write this chapter which isn't too long. I really struggled and couldn't get it to how I wanted it. I hope you enjoy it all the same!
20th December 2013
Brooke Davis was the happiest she had ever been; she had amazing friends, had just filed for an adoption for a little boy and finally had the person that she had been looking for...Julian Baker; a person who loved Brooke unconditionally and was willing to break down every emotionally barrier that she put up to protect her heart. But what made their relationship even stronger was the fact that Brooke was willing to do the same for Julian. 20th December was a date that Brooke had been looking forward to for the past 10 months and it was finally here. Her wedding day had arrived!
Brooke had planned the wedding all herself with the occasional help from her friends and mother. This was something that Brooke had to do for herself; she even made her own wedding gown. Everything was ready; the church, the reception area, her bridesmaids and the vicar. Everyone was ready. Everyone except Brooke of course! She was determined to help organise the wedding till the last possible minute. She was putting up a good fight too, until Haley sent her to Brooke's dressing room to get ready. Brooke would have argued if Haley hadn't had given birth to two beautiful babies a month ago. Haley was still slightly hormonal and Brooke knew better than to fight with her because she would only come off worse; Haley was feisty when she wanted to be.
Only 20 minutes until Brooke had to be stood at the altar next to the man that she loved and she still wasn't ready. She wished that she had someone to help her but everyone was busy getting themselves ready or helping to keep the wedding running smoothly. She had asked Haley to be her matron of honor but Haley refused because 'the position rightfully belongs to Peyton' and she was right. Brooke missed her best friend terribly but when she had invited her to the wedding, Peyton had made up some excuse about how she was busy with Sawyer. Brooke couldn't help thinking to herself that she when she finally did see Peyton; she would kick her scrawny ass for letting her down.
Lost completely in thought, Brooke hadn't noticed the red haired, skinny woman walk into her dressing room and quietly sneak up on her.
"Surprise," said the ever so familiar voice.
"? Oh my god, you came," said Brooke excitedly, pulling her friend into a tight hug.
"It's remember and of course I came. There's no way that I would miss my best friend's wedding," Peyton replied.
"But you said that you couldn't make it?" repeated Brooke with confusion in her voice whilst letting go of her friend.
"I know and I'm sorry that I lied to you but I wanted to surprise you. I'm the cruelest best friend ever I know but..."
"No. You're the best friend ever," interrupted Brooke, pulling Peyton back into a hug. Both girls had tears in their eyes.
"You best not be crying, this is your wedding day," giggled Peyton. "And why aren't you ready yet? You don't want to leave Julian waiting."
"Don't I?" said Brooke with a twinkle in her eye and a smirk on her face. "The bride is always late and who am I to break tradition."
"That's my girl now let's get you ready, isn't that what a matron of honor is for?"
"You'll be my matron of honor? But honey you won't match the other bridesmaids."
Peyton unbuttoned her long coat to reveal a knee length red dress which was the exact same colour as Brooke's bridesmaids and theme.
"Whoa you've put on some weight girlie. What's Luke feeding you?"
"Brooke I'm not fat...I'm pregnant."
"You're pregnant...Oh god you really do want to make me cry on my wedding day huh?" said Brooke after Peyton had confirmed that she was pregnant with a nod.
"I'm sorry honey, this is kind of the reason why I wasn't going to come. I didn't want to steal your thunder."
"Thanks for caring Momma Scott but I wish you would have just told me. Believe me, you're not going to steal my thunder, I designed my dress remember."
Julian was nervous beyond words. He wanted to marry Brooke Davis more than anything in the world but what if she had changed her mind or wanted to wait a bit longer. He couldn't help but keep tapping his foot and turning around to see if Brooke had finally arrived at the start of the aisle.
"Dude, stop twitching," whispered Nathan to Julian. Julian had asked Nathan to be his best man because he was the closest thing Julian had to a best friend.
"I'm not twitching, I'm just excited," Julian defended himself.
"I know that face man and you are nervous which is normal. But once Brooke is stood next to you, you suddenly won't feel nervous anymore. Don't worry," said Nathan giving Julian a pat on the shoulder.
The traditional wedding music started to play and Julian watched as the bridesmaids descended down the aisle, one at a time; Millie, Bevin, Haley and then finally Peyton. They all looked so beautiful in dresses made by Brooke herself. But what really took Julian's breath away was the sight of Brooke walking towards him, down the aisle. He could hear the people around him admiring Brooke's wedding dress and it really was something to marvel at. The hand-made, one of a kind dress fitted Brooke perfectly, emphasising every curve. It had a diamante bodice and a white elegantly ruffled skirt. Her hair was in a loosely pulled up so that curled pieces of hair fell onto her neck. It was safe to say that no one was going to be stealing Brooke's thunder today because she really was the picture of perfection.
As she took her place at the altar next to Julian, he had to hold back the tears but Nathan was right, all of his nerves were gone. It felt like it was just him and Brooke, no one else in the world. This was going to be the start of the rest of their lives and he couldn't wait to start it.
"Julian can you believe it? She just turned up in my dressing room," recalled Brooke to her new husband as they were greeting their guests at the reception.
"Actually, I knew Peyton was coming," Julian had his cheeky grin on his face because of his cunning.
"You knew? For how long?"
"I rang a couple of months ago and told him the plan," said Peyton, filling Brooke in on the details.
"All this time and you kept it to yourself. That has got to be the biggest secret that you have ever kept husband," Brooke said in amazement at Julian's skills.
"Yeah but she never told me about the baby. I believe congratulations are due?"
"I wanted it to be a secret."
"And I would have killed her if she would have told anyone before she told me," joked Brooke. "How did it happen anyway? Were you and Luke trying for a baby?"
"No not at all. We didn't think that we would be able to have any more children and you know we kind of accepted it. But four months ago I went to the doctors and they told me that I was pregnant again."
"And everything is okay with you and the baby?"
"Yeah, everything is great. I had slight morning sickness at the beginning but this pregnancy is nothing like Sawyer's. The doctor wants me to keep having regular check-ups but so far so good."
"I'm so happy for you Peyton."
"Never mind me. I've heard that you two have filed for adoption?" asked Peyton who had heard the information off Haley.
"We have for a little boy called Jayden. He's perfect Peyton, everything we wanted," Brooke said smiling with her arm around Julian.
Alex watched from the side of the dance floor as couples danced to the slow song playing. But it was one couple in particular who she couldn't help but stare at.
"If you keep staring like that, you're going to scare the guests," stated Millie to Alex.
"I'm...I'm not staring," declared Alex.
"Really? Because from where I was stood, a certain rock star over there was getting looks shot right at her," Millie said pointing to Mia who was dancing with Chase with her arms around his neck.
"I'm sorry; I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm a mess Millie," said Alex as she averted her stare away from the happy couple and sat at a nearby table. "I can't stop thinking about him. I see them together and wonder why I don't have that with him. Why doesn't he love me like he loves her?"
"You've got to stop doing this to yourself!" Millie sat in the chair next to Alex. "It's his fault okay, not yours."
"No, it is my fault. I couldn't just let him go. I had to keep pushing him and eventually I got what I thought I wanted, you know. We finally spent the night together after being apart for months. But I only felt guilty afterwards for going after someone else's boyfriend. I shouldn't have done that to Mia."
"You're right, it was a bad idea but it happened and he agreed to it. You didn't force him to have sex with you."
"That's just it though Millie, I didn't force him and he still made love to me. I used to sleep around you know because sex meant nothing to me. But with Chase, it's more than that; my world no longer feels empty and I'm no longer the disaster that I usually am. I started to sort my life out for him."
"Don't you ever think that! You got your life back on track for you okay, not him. Chase just helped you just like I've helped you and Julian has helped you."
"But look where I've got myself now, I'm more messed up now than what I was when I was on drugs. I can't do this Millie, I won't be able to on my own."
"You won't be on your own, you've got friends and you don't know what Chase will say unless you tell him."
"I can't, he'll hate me. Look how happy he is...I can't ruin that for him." Alex was hurt and confused and ironically the only person who could save her from it all was the person who had caused the pain.
"Hey, where have you been all night?" asked Chase when he noticed that Alex was out in the gardens alone.
"Around," replied Alex.
"Well stop being around and come inside, you owe me a dance." Chase reached out for Alex's hand but she pulled away from him.
"We've got to stop doing this Chase."
"Doing what?"
"Us. We've got to stop whatever we have together. I don't think Mia would agree to it."
"We're friends Alex; she can't tell me who to be friends with."
"Friends. Really is that all we are?"
"What else would we be?"
"I've got to go," said Alex walking away from Chase.
"No Alex, wait." Chase pulled Alex back. "Talk to me."
"Just leave it Chase, please," begged Alex.
"No, I want to know why you're upset."
"Are you really that oblivious?" From the look on Chase's face she knew that he really was unaware of everything. "I didn't realise that friends slept together."
"I thought we were just going to forget about that night?"
"You might be able to but I can't Chase because I've got a constant reminder of that night. It was more than just sex for me Chase. I slept with you because I loved you, I still do. I would give anything to hear you say it back to me."
"Alex, I really do care about you."
"I know you do but do you love me?"
"I will always love you Al. I can't just forget that we used to be together but we broke up 5 months ago and I'm with Mia now. I love you but I'm just not sure that I'm in love with you."
"I just need to know one thing. Did that night a month ago mean anything to you? I have to know that I wasn't just some booty call"
"Of course it meant something Alex but I'm with Mia and I can't jeopardise that."
"I guess this is goodbye then," Alex said as she walked away from Chase leaving him wondering what just happened.
"Hey Millie, have you seen Alex?"Chase asked after he had been looking for Alex so that they could sort things out. He wasn't ready to say goodbye to her yet.
"I'm sorry I think she left. I haven't seen her in a while. Chase, you have to talk to her. She's got a lot going on at the minute, more than you could imagine but you have to talk to her. Ask her why she has been ill recently." Millie suggested, she didn't want to break her promise to Alex but she knew that Chase had to know the truth.
Alex had not actually left the party; she had instead taken to residing in the gardens. She liked the peacefulness that they offered. Chase had gone outside for some fresh air and to clear his head. He knew that he had been a jerk to Alex but he didn't know how to fix it. Whilst walking through the maze of trees he came across a marble bench where Alex was sat.
"Millie said that you had left already. What are you still doing out here?" enquired Chase, taking a seat next to Alex and followed her stare over the nearby glistening lake.
"Thinking," answered Alex.
"It's peaceful out here huh? The lake looks so much prettier in the darkness; the way the moon's light bounces off the water and..."
"I'm sorry Chase but what are you doing out here," Alex interrupted.
"I don't want to leave things like this Al, you mean too much to me."
"Yeah but your girlfriend means more!"
"Millie said that you've been ill recently, are you okay?" Chase tried to avert the conversation away from Mia.
"I'm sorting it."
"Is it like the flu or something? Millie told me to ask you what's making you feel ill, like it's my fault or something."
"It's nothing Chase honestly. Don't worry about me."
"You're not doing drugs again are you?"
"No, it's not like that," said Alex with a raised voice.
"Then what is it?" Chase shouted back at her.
"I'm pregnant okay!" Alex could feel her face going red and her eyes welling up with tears. "I'm pregnant with our baby and I'm scared and confused Chase. I didn't want to tell you, especially not like this. You're happy with Mia, I know that and I get that and now this is going to ruin everything for you."
"You're pregnant? How long have you known?"
"I found out yesterday. The doctor thinks that I'm about 3 or 4 weeks but it's too early to tell yet. Chase,tell me what to do!"
"I...I've got to go and see Mia," Chase stammered as he walked back into the party.
February 2029
"So what happened after he left you at the party?" pushed Brooke.
"He came back to my apartment after and said that he wanted to be with me. He said that he would stand by me whether I decided to keep the baby or not."
"And Mia?"
"I never asked, I didn't want to know if it was a pity thing or not."
"Alex, Chase would never do that. He loves you, you know that right?"
"I don't know anymore Brooke. I used to think that he did but I think he will always love Mia more than me. He just stayed with me because I was pregnant with Avery."
"Alex I don't believe that and you shouldn't either. Chase is a good guy!" Brooke defended her good friend Chase.
"I need time Brooke, I need to decide what's right for Avery and Caleb and not so much for me and Chase."
"I understand honey. Listen how about I ring Chase and he can stay in the spare room at my place and you can go home to the kids?" Brooke suggested.
"Thanks Brooke, you've always been a great friend to me and Chase and I really appreciate it," Alex said as Brooke got up to call Chase.
"Sawyer, your mom said stop leaving your jacket around the house," Lucas said from Sawyer's bedroom doorway. He threw her jacket, which used to be Peyton's, on to her bed. Peyton had given Sawyer the leather jacket, which once belonged to Peyton's mom, after she had caught her trying it on in a mirror 2 years ago. "You've got a closet so use it," Lucas winked and turned around to go back downstairs.
"Dad," Sawyer called out to Lucas and he walked back to her door.
"What's up Curly?"
"I think Ella's had a bad day and I think that she could do with one of your talks." Sawyer turned back to her drawing, a skill that she had inherited from her mother. It was her way of escaping. Sawyer had art, Ella had literature, Annie had basketball but they all used music to escape.
Lucas made his way across the hallway towards Ella's bedroom which was open slightly. Ever since Ella got locked in the bathroom when she was little, she had always left her door open.
"Hey Broody, are you okay?" Lucas asked his second eldest daughter entering her bedroom to find Ella lying on her bed surrounded by school books.
"Why do you call me Broody dad?"
"Because you tend to brood when you're thinking or reading, just like your old man. When I was a teenager, your Aunt Brooke would call me Broody and the name kinda stuck with you as well. The good thing is that you actually suit the broody look, I just look goofy and confused," Lucas laughed to himself.
"I kinda liked it, in fact I think I fell in love with it," said Peyton to Lucas' smiling face as she walked over to Ella's bed and joined her daughter and husband on it. "Bad day honey?"
"What gave it away?"
"Oh maybe the fact that you've barely said one word since you got back from school and have stayed away in your room. Or it could just be because The Cure is playing full blast!" Peyton suggested.
"So are you going to tell us what's up?" Lucas questioned.
"I don't fit in!"
"Baby you're not supposed to. No teenager fits in, not at your age. God you should have seen me when I was 14; I was lost, confused and one big mess!" Peyton stated to her confused daughter.
"I know but most teenagers who don't fit in have friends to fall back on and lately I've realised that the people that I call my friends are not true friends, you know. I wouldn't tell them a secret or trust them with my life because I don't have a Brooke or a Haley," said Ella.
"Ella, Brooke and Haley's are hard to find. Me and your mom got lucky with them two because not many other friends would do what they've done for us," believed Lucas.
"But it's not just the friend thing though. It's everything. I just feel like I don't belong. There's some place out there that would be perfect for me, another life out of Tree Hill."
Peyton reached out to pull Ella into a hug and kissed the top of her tousled head.
"You think that now but give it a few years and you'll find your place El, I'm sure of it. I thought that I had a life somewhere else that was better for me and so did your mom at different points in our lives. But we always ended up right back here in Tree Hill because it's home here even if you can't see that yet," said Lucas to comfort Ella in her time of uncertainty.
"Or as Karen's Cafe would say, 'this is the place where everything's better..." Peyton quoted to Ella, remembering the sign that once used to be on the wall in Karen's Cafe but now had a rightful place hanging above the door in Brooke's shop.
"...and everything's safe," Ella finished and rested her head upon Peyton's shoulder.
Haley finally had a moment of peacefulness. It had been a long day and she needed to relax the only way she knew best; to play music. Nathan had taken Jamie and Quinley to the River Court 2 hours ago and Lydia was in her room so it was a perfect opportunity for Haley to sit at her Piano and get lost in the music. The moment her fingers hit the ivory keys, Haley was overwhelmed with relaxation. She was so lost in the music that she didn't notice Lydia in the room listening to her play. It wasn't until Haley had finished that Lydia spoke up.
"That sounds great mom"
"Oh Lydia, I didn't even realise you were there. I completely zoned out," Haley said.
"I'm exactly the same when I'm playing an instrument, whether it's my guitar, or my flute or the piano, it just kind of takes me away. New song?" Lydia asked sitting next to Haley on the piano chair.
"Just something that I've been working on in my free time."
"Any lyrics?"
"No, just melody I'm afraid. Why have you got any ideas?"
"Mom it's your song I couldn't put my own lyrics to it."
"Why not? If I'm asking you to then it doesn't matter. You're a great musician Lydie, a lot better than me..."
"No I'm not. Look at how many records you've sold and how many tours you've been on."
"But I had been doing it for years. I'm never going to record again so I would happily let you learn my melodies. If I can't teach my songs to my own daughter then what can I teach you?"
"Okay fine but I don't have anything at the minute, I need some inspiration first," Lydia told Haley. Haley looked at her daughter and all she could see was Nathan. Sure, Lydia had her mom's thick long brunette locks and little button nose but it was her striking blue eyes and face shape that seemed to be her most prominent features.
"Well when you know, let me know girlie okay?"
"Okay I will. I actually just came down to read some of my Les Miserables."
"English or French?"
"French," Lydia replied proudly. She had first read Les Miserables 5 years. It was confusing for her then but she continued to read it each year and a year ago she read it in French.
"For homework or fun?" Haley questioned.
"Fun!"
"That's my girl," Haley said smiling, looking up at her daughter who had stood up from the piano chair and resided on the sofa.
"Do you mind continuing playing whilst I sit and read? It helps me concentrate better," Lydia declared.
"Anything for my only daughter!" Haley stated and continued to practice a couple of new and old songs for her daughter who was happily reading through her book. Haley couldn't help but think, this is the life. Everything I could ever want and I've got it all!
Author's Note: Well that's Chapter 3. Like I said, I'm not really happy with this Chapter but hopefully you all enjoyed it. I wanted to give you a bit of a flashback and I also wanted to write more on Brulian's wedding but my head went blank. I have tried to introduce the characters of Lydia and Ella more in this Chapter though I havent gone into too much detail just yet. So leave me reviews and let me know what you think? Was the flashback a good idea?
Next Chapter- Hopefully some Nathan scenes, Lucas & Julian start preparing for the film & a further introduction of characters!