A Season in Purgatory
Chapter 41

Lucas walked toward the garage with Brooke, hands intertwined as if there were no cares in the world. He'd finally gotten himself ungrounded and was taking advantage of spending time with his girlfriend. He smiled as they walked along. Just the word girlfriend made him happy. He suddenly didn't feel so alone in the world.

Smiling over at him, Brooke wiggled their tangled hands to gain his attention. "What are you brooding about today, handsome?" she asked in a teasing tone. His tendency toward being pensive was one of his most attractive qualities.

"I'm just stressed out," he admitted, squinting down at her in the bright sunshine of the late fall afternoon. "Between work, school and basketball, I'm all out of energy." She snuggled closer to him and grinned. "That's a shame since what I'm thinking about requires LOT'S of energy," she suggestively replied, leaving no doubt as to what she'd like to do with him, if given the chance. "Why don't you skip work and come home with me? My parents won't be home for hours, if at all."

He weighed the offer as the continued on toward the garage. He was overly tempted to skip work and go sit in Brooke's hot tub. "I'd really love to, but I promised Keith that we'd finish up a few cars today. He's really starting to get overbooked lately," Lucas explained, knowing that Brooke had no concept of what an obligation work was. She'd never had a job and as far as Lucas could tell, she had no responsibility around her house.

Staring at her wistful eyes, he nearly reconsidered. "Seriously, Brooke. I need to help Keith out. He can't afford to lose business because he doesn't have reliable help." Keith was finally getting his business to a new level of profitability and Lucas didn't want to be the reason he failed. He was grateful that she didn't protest more, knowing that he had a tendency to cave to her every wish. "Don't you need to go pick up your dress today?" he suggested, trying to distract her mind from being alone all afternoon. That dance was only a few days away and Luke knew Brooke had been avoiding the entire thing.

"I don't care about the stupid dress," she retorted, still upset that her mother had managed to run off both her boyfriend and her father for the biggest social event of her life. Brooke had come to dread the event when she should have been anticipating it. "Besides, my mother went to the store to pay for the stupid thing, so why does it matter if I go and pick it up now?"

He looked down at her fondly, knowing that her defiant words were aimed more at her mother and not the offending white dress. "Because you don't want to leave these little details to the last minute," he smoothly replied, maneuvering her around a slight puddle on the sidewalk. "What does the dress look like anyway?"

"It's your basic plain white sequin number. I'm letting all those other girls wear the fu fu and the ruffles with the Scarlet O'Hara hoop skirts. I've got a sheath dress that is going to knock all the other deb's socks off," she confidently replied. When she'd gone into the designer boutique to dress shop, the store manager had shown Brooke an endless sea of virgin tulle dresses. They were all sickening sweet and reminded Brooke of a ballet gown gone horribly wrong. But after snooping around the store, she'd found the perfect cocktail dress hidden amongst the more expensive dresses.

"That's my girl," he laughed, loving her competitive nature. It had been a few months since he'd seen Brooke this animated. His heart grew warm, seeing her general fighting spirit coming back into play.

She looked down at her beaded wedge shoes for a moment, before looking up to meet his very blue eyes. "I just hate that you can't be there with me. You should be my date that night and my daddy should be presenting me to society," she whined, hating the fact that usurpers had taken her life over. Her step father was trying to take over all the roles her daddy played, including escorting her into the dance. God knows who she'd have to spend the rest of the evening dancing with since Luke wasn't going as her date. Nathan was already claimed by one of the other debs and that left Brooke uneasy about whom her mother would procure as an acceptable date.

"Maybe I can hijack Dan into escorting me," she mused, before looking up and seeing a look of horror on her boyfriend's face. She gently shoved him, trying to lessen the tension that crept in around her earlier comment. "He's not that bad, Luke." It was hard for Brooke to articulate why she liked Dan. Lucas wasn't going to listen to anything she said on the topic anyway, she reasoned, knowing that her boyfriend's hatred of his biological father ran deep. But Nate's father had never been anything but kind to her, and that was a huge factor in Brooke's ability to tolerate the man's pushiness regarding her best friend.

Scowling, Lucas avoided an elderly couple that was window shopping. "I think it's best to add Dan to our list of people to avoid talking about," he said, referencing their talk the night of the wedding regarding Haley and Nathan. "I certainly am sick of having my mother sing Dan's praises every freaking night," he angrily retorted. He'd thought his relationship with his mother was impervious to any outside factors, but Dan was beginning to cause fractures that he wasn't sure would ever heal. Lucas was convinced that Dan had some how managed to brainwash his mother into forgetting the past. But nothing would ever erase or heal the pain that Lucas had regarding his childhood. The only person responsible for that was his absentee father.

Recalling the image of Dan and Karen hugging the day of the wedding, Brooke hesitated at asking Lucas directly about the status of his parent's relationship. "Do you ever wonder what they were like when they were together?" she asked. There was a tenderness she'd seen between the two and her boyfriend seemed incapable of thinking that his parents were ever intimate. "I mean, they were very close when they were our age. Maybe old feelings are resurfacing."

Lucas considered her words for a moment, before laughing at the very idea of his parents as anything but sworn enemies. Sure, his mother was trying to make peace with the man, but there was no way that she'd ever forgive him on that level. "There is no way my mother would ever let that slime ball back into her life."

The sounds of late afternoon fell over the Café, the lunch crowd long gone. Karen took stock of her pastries, knowing that the post school rush was only moments from appearing. A sound at the door drew her attention.

Dan smiled at her and nearly bounded over to the counter, a look akin to glee written on his face. "You look like you ran over someone on the way over here," she commented, knowing that driving like a maniac was a competitive sport for the man.

Dan grabbed the cup of coffee she offered, practically bouncing in his seat. "You remember that contract I was going after?" he asked.

She thought back through all the business discussions they'd had the past few weeks. "The one that provides Crown Victorias for the state troopers?" she asked, knowing that Dan always had some plan for extending his business.

"I got the contract," he exclaimed, happy at the thought of all that money he was guaranteed per year. "This will totally up my yearly sales goals," he declared, happy that he could talk business with Karen. For so many years he'd had no one to share parenting ideas and business talk with. Now, he had both in his long time friend.

Karen reached out across the counter and grabbed his hand, squeezing it in support. "That's great, Danny. I know how much work you put into that bidding process." He'd spent countless hours at her Café writing out the proposal and calculating fees for the bid. Despite the years of silence between them, Karen had found that time and life experience had given them new, more mature common interests. Their mutual interest in business had provided endless hours of conversation during their daily coffee breaks.

He grasped her hand in return, reluctant to let go of her tiny hand. He'd always marveled at how strong her hands were given their small size. And god knows he'd been on the receiving end of her slaps enough to know just how much power they packed. They'd been so full of drama and angst as teens. It was nice to finally have more stability to their...friendship. He thought about that word and looked up at Karen in confusion. "Are we friends?" he abruptly asked, completely unsure of where things stood between them.

Karen dropped his hand, suddenly self conscious about the proximity between them. "I...well...I'm not sure," she admitted, taken back by his question. Luke's anger toward Dan caused her to keep her distance, to marginalize the interaction between them. But realistically, she knew they were friends. They'd fallen back into old patterns, confiding in each other about everything. In the space of mere weeks, she was once again thick as thieves with Dan Scott. Dan had basically taken over the void in her life created by Keith's marriage.

Dan's face fell, her uncertainty at being friends hurting his notion that they'd made progress over the past few months. Uncharacteristically, he stumbled over his words. "But...I just thought that we'd worked through the past," he lamely finished.

Karen wrapped her arms around her waist, as to protect herself. "Forgiving is not forgetting, Dan. It's been a hard 16 years for me." It was difficult for her to let go, to trust him after so many horrific actions. But part of her missed Dan and was happy to have him back in her life. She wanted and needed a father for Lucas. Dan's feedback regarding their son helped her with the male point of view, and she hoped that would help her get back on track with Lucas. Lately, she seemed to lack the dominance she needed to control her headstrong child. Dominance that Dan exuded in abundance.

"I'm not sure I trust you, Dan. And I'm not friends with people that I don't trust." Her words affected him, hurt him. She could tell that he was ready to go on with life, allowing Karen back into his world as easily as he'd banished her years ago.

His throat tightened at her words, knowing that she simply spoke the truth. The last few weeks had been great for him. He had an adult to share the events of the day with, someone whose advice he welcomed and respected. Dan couldn't explain his feelings for the pretty, dark haired woman in front of him. Things were better...right...when she was around. It was as if every feeling he had now had an outlet or a function. After 8 years of being emotionally numb, Dan felt....alive again.

He moved closer to her, taking in her scent and the heat that radiated off her tiny frame. He unwrapped one of the arms still wrapped protectively around her middle. Running his fingers down her bare arm, he spoke to her earnestly. "I'm not the same person I was 16 years ago. I swear to you that I'm not going to hurt you or leave," he explained. "I'm going to work things out with Lucas and I'm not going to walk out again."

Staring into his eyes, Karen could since the sincerity of his words. More importantly, she felt the barriers around herself crumble, wanting to cave into the protection of his promised shelter. He hesitated for a moment, before pulling her into his arms. Sighing, Karen allowed herself to relax into his shoulder, knowing that she'd finally let go of a huge source of the pain she'd carried around for 16 years.

From the sidewalk, Lucas Scott stood frozen, one hand on the door to the Café and the other clenched tightly at his side. His first instinct at seeing his father holding his mother was to rush in and protect her, to pull her away from the monster that had haunted his dreams for most of his life. He paused for a moment, watching as they stood lost in time, oblivious to the fact that they were hugging in the middle of a public space. Lucas realized in shock and horror that his mother was a willing participant in that hug. A rush of bile hit the bottom of his throat, forcing Lucas to walk away from his mother's business. His shoulders slumped as he aimlessly walked the streets, mindless of his destination. He couldn't go home and he couldn't go back to the Café. Finding himself in a less than great part of town, he slumped down on a worn bus stop bench, too tired and depressed to go on. It was going to be a long night.

Sorry for the double post. I totally posted a chapter without formatting it for guidelines. Mea culpa. Thanks for reading and replies, even ones that demand Karen's slow death, are always welcome.

Cyn