A/N: Here is number two of the promised ones (: Enjoy.

Reviews always welcome.

You'd think the rest of the night would've been kisses and lovey dovey, but you'd be wrong. No, there was arguing, and yelling. While Brooke had cuddled in his arms, Lucas started talking,

"So, you were drinking and the sex, all because of that?"

"Among other things..." Brooke said, apparently the fessing up wasn't completely over.

"What do you mean?" Lucas asked.

"Well... For a little while after, once I truly realized what had happened... I had... 'accidents'." Lucas removed his arms from around her and backed away.

"'Accidents?" His eyes got stern. "What kind of accidents."

"Well, uhm, when I was drunk, sometimes I would," She did a cutting motion over her wrist.

"BROOKE!" He instantly grabbed her wrists, looking for scars, and all he saw of them were very, very faded, you'd never see them if you weren't looking.

"Lucas, it was a hard time for me. You weren't in the picture yet! And I was suffering because of Nathan and Peyton, and that night. I was going through a lot..."

"You never talked to anyone about this before now? Like, a therapist?" He asked. His grip lessened, and his hands slid from her wrists back to her hands. She shook her head no. "But you managed to get past it, to work through it."

"Because of you. I met you." Suddenly Lucas felt his guilt about everything ten times over, and he had a feeling that, even though Brooke would never hold him to it, he'd be paying her back for the rest of his life, and he didn't mind.

"Brooke-"

"No, you listen. Things were going perfectly fine for me. I was dealing in my own way. I was happy and sad about Nate and Peyton's horrible relationship. The parties, the booze, the sex it was all something I was familiar with and I was okay with it. And then you made the basketball team, and you were just another number I wanted for my list, but then we got to know each other and I knew I could be stronger than I had been. And I was hurt about you and Peyton, both times, because it had happened with Nathan, but I knew that I would never go back to that painful place again. And it was because of you. You saved me."

Lucas didn't know anything else to do but kiss her. What else can you do when someone says you saved them? What do you say? He hated when Brooke talked about what he and Peyton did, but the second time wasn't his fault, he didn't know she still loved him, but it happened anyway, further down the line. But this was the real deal, he felt it in his heart, somewhere Peyton and Lindsay could never enter. Brooke was the first girl he loved, they touched each other's souls, they understood each other in ways Peyton and Lindsay could never understand.

The broke apart. Brooke placed a hand on his cheek, their eyes just staring deeply into the others. Hours had slowly passed and before long the sun would be coming up. They walked to his bedroom, and sat on the steps outside his backdoor and watched the sunrise together, hands intertwined, her head resting on his shoulder.

"I think," Brooke said, with a smile, as the sunlight was hitting their faces, "I'm going to call in sick to work today." Lucas smiled back.

"I'm glad you feel that way." Her hand started rubbing his thigh.

"Yeah?" She kinked her eyebrow.

"Well, that too, but I was going to say, I've got Jamie for the day." Brooke's hand stopped, but her smile got bigger.

"Really?!"She jumped up, "I have to shower and get ready!" Lucas stood up and grabbed her hand just as she was running inside, she whipped around. "What?"

"Mind if I join you?" She moved towards him and fell into his arms.

"Oh, Mr. Scott, if you insist." She winked and dragged him inside.