A/N: Thank you all for the awesome reviews. And thanks to my beta: Leeese!


Chapter Thirty

As Lucas drove them to the apartment, Brooke noticed that he was quiet. She knew that he was thinking about Dan and she knew that she had to speak up before it was too late. "Lucas, I know that you're angry with Dan, but he does love you. You should forgive him now while you still have the chance."

"How can I?" Lucas asked her. "He was never there for me. Why should I be there for him during his last hours?"

"Because he deserves a second chance," Brooke replied.

Lucas sighed, knowing that he was right. "Will you come in with me?"

Brooke gave him a smile. "Where else would I be but by your side?" she replied. Lucas smiled gratefully at her reply. She then jumped as she heard her cell-phone ring. She picked it up and put it to her ear. "Hello?"

"This is Agent Hargrove. I need to talk to you and the rest of the Scott family. Do you mind meeting us at the hospital?"

"We're on our way there now," Brooke told him before she hung up. "I hope Agent Hargrove has good news. I would love for this whole thing to be over with."

"I know you do," Lucas said. "I do too." He gave her a comforting smile as he added, "I'm sure he does. Owen is the only one who got away. And I'm sure that the police will able to catch him."

"I hope so," Brooke replied. "No offense, but I'm tired of Dan's men chasing us. It's really wearing me out."

Lucas looked at her concerned. "Are you ok?"

Brooke gave him a comforting smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just want to make sure that you're ok."

Lucas smiled in return. "I have my wife and baby back. I don't need anything else." There was then a short pause before he spoke. "But there is something that I want." Brooke looked at him curious as he glanced down at her purse.

Brooke frowned before realizing why he was staring at her purse. "No, we promised ourselves that we weren't going to open the envelope until the big party," she reminded him. "It wouldn't be fair if you knew before I did."

Lucas knew that she had a point. "It's too bad your parents live in Las Vegas. Otherwise, it would be easy for us to just gather the gang and tell them that we're expecting a son." Brooke gave him a look. "We are. Trust me."

"We'll just have to wait and find out," Brooke replied, ending the conversation.

It wasn't long before they were back at the hospital. Agent Hargrove then told them the news that they had been waiting for. "We have managed to catch Owen. He has been arrested along with the rest of the people who have been involved in Mrs. James-Scott's kidnapping including Carrie. I can promise you that none of them will be bothering you or your family anymore," he told them. "Those men are going to prison for life." Everyone then let out relieved sighs as they realized that their whole ordeal was finally over. Nathan then thanked him and Rachel as Brooke and Haley started crying tears of joy.

As Agent Hargrove started to leave, Brooke suddenly caught up with him. She embraced him in a tight hug before she pulled away. "I can't thank you enough for watching over me or my family over these last nine months. I know it's your job, but it really means a lot to me. If you don't mind, Lucas and I want our son to have your name as his middle name in honor of our protector. That is if we're having a son."

Agent Hargrove gave her a wide smile as he spoke. "Of course you can name your son after me. In fact, I would be honored." Brooke returned the smile as Lucas came over to them. "If you two need anything, just give me a call."

"We would like to invite you and Rachel to our second wedding," Lucas told him. "We understand if you can't make it."

"I wouldn't want to miss it," Agent Hargrove replied. "Have you decided when that will be?"

"No," Lucas admitted. "But I think it will be in the next couple of months." Brooke nodded in agreement. "We want to make sure that we have plenty of time to find a house, pack our stuff, move in and get the nursery ready before the baby comes. We have to have a project free house."

"I just hope it doesn't take until the end of November," Brooke added. "It's already in the middle of June."

"We'll make it work," Lucas assured her. "As long as you don't stress out, the baby will be able to survive until it's time for him to come out."

Agent Hargrove laughed. "You really think that it's going to be a boy, huh?"

Lucas nodded as he smiled as he said, "Yeah, I do. Brooke is the one who is doubtful." Brooke just rolled her eyes as they said good-bye to him. There was silence between them before Lucas spoke. "I guess we should head over to Dan's room." He then took Brooke's hand and they went towards the elevator.

When they got to the floor they wanted, they stepped out into the hallway and walked to the room. Lucas took a deep breath before he followed Brooke in. Dan turned to them surprised. "I didn't think that either of you would show." Lucas didn't have a chance to answer as Dan continued. "And I wouldn't blame either of you if you didn't. Lucas, you have every right to be angry with me. I was never the father that I should have been to you. I do love you. I always have loved you. I just didn't show it like I did with Nathan. That's why I have split my estate between you and Nathan." Lucas was surprised. He wasn't expecting that. "I know that you don't want the money, but I want you to have it. I know that it won't make up for the years that we lost, but I want to prove that I care about you."

Lucas didn't say anything at first. "You already have," he told him. "Thank you for saving my life."

"I wouldn't have let them hurt you," Dan replied before he turned to Brooke. "And I'm so sorry for all the damage that I caused you. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have been forced to rearrange your life and go into hiding."

Brooke nodded in agreement. She gave him a wide smile as she wrapped her arms around her husband. "True, but then I wouldn't have made new friends or met the love of my life."

"You two really love each other, don't you?" Dan asked them.

Lucas and Brooke exchanged smiles before they turned back to Dan. "Yeah, we do," Lucas replied. "It may not have been the normal way, but I wouldn't have changed a thing about it."

"I'm glad that you two found each other," Dan said. Lucas could tell that he was being honest. "I know you two will be very happy with each other. I have no doubt that you are going to be a great father." He then let out a sad sigh. "It's too bad that I won't get to know my grandchildren. Then again, maybe that's a good thing."

Brooke couldn't help but tear up when she heard that. "We will make sure that your grandchild knows the real you; the one who loved his family very much." She looked at Lucas and he nodded in agreement.

Dan smiled at them as he closed his eyes. Lucas and Brooke immediately became concerned when they saw that the slow beeping on the monitor started going faster. They knew that they were losing him. They ran out in the hall and went to get the doctor and the rest of the family. A few minutes later, Dan passed away peacefully in his sleep with his family by his side.

A few days later, the Scott family had Dan's funeral. Besides the Scott family, Brooke's parents, Jake and Peyton were in attendance. Everyone could tell that Jake and Peyton were back together. Brooke was glad that they had talked out their problems.

At the funeral, Nathan noticed that there was someone in the shadows. He grew cautious until he saw who it was. However, he was still concerned about the man with the blonde hair who was watching him. After the funeral, he told Haley that he would be at the car in a few moments. Haley understood and left with Lucas and Brooke.

Nathan waited at the tombstone as the man walked over to him. "What are you doing here, Clay?" he asked.

Clay gave him a look. "Why do you think that I'm here? I'm here to pay my respects to Dan," he replied. He waited for a moment before he added, "And I'm here to discuss business with you."

Nathan raised his eyebrows. "What business? Didn't you hear? I quit the business. I'm not going to put my family in danger like that again. And don't even think about going after Brooke."

"I won't go anywhere near your family if you hand the business over to me," Clay told him.

Nathan frowned. "What are you talking about? Dan wasn't planning to hand the business over to me. He knew that I wouldn't be able to handle being in charge. And he was right. I have a family. I don't want to lose Haley or my son ever again. You of all people should know this. After all, you have Sara." Clay knew that he had a point. "Take my advice, Clay. If you don't want to lose Sara, keep the business shut down."

"You know that would be unwise to do that, Nate," Clay told him. "We have clients who hate when they don't get paid. Then your family will be even in more danger than they were before. They will probably go after all of our families if we don't continue the business."

Nathan shook his head. "No, they won't. Because I gave Agent Hargrove and Agent Johnson the list of Dan's clients. The F.B.I. is working on arresting them now."

Clay looked at him shocked as he exclaimed, "How the hell could you do that? Dan's business was the only source of income that Sara and I had!" Nathan didn't even have a chance to answer. Clay glared angrily at him as he continued. "I thought you were my friend, but you really are a traitor."

"No, I'm just protecting my family," Nathan protested.

Clay just glared at him before he turned and left him. He waited until he got back into his limousine before muttering to himself. "You'll pay for this, Nate. If it's the last thing that I do, you'll pay for this."

At the reception, Lucas and Nathan talked with Dan's lawyer about the will. The lawyer confirmed that Dan had left everything to his sons. Both Scott brothers decided to put the money into trust funds for their children.

After Dan's funeral, Lucas and Brooke started looking for a house. Even though they had fixed the mess that Jake and Julian had made, they still wanted to move out and into a house. While they were searching for a perfect house, Nathan and Haley got ready for their big celebration.

Lucas couldn't help smiling as he admired himself in the mirror. He looked at the time. "Brooke, are you ready yet?" he called over to the bathroom. "We're going to be late."

"I'll be out in a minute," Brooke called back. "I need to finish putting my make-up on."

"I'll grab the envelope and meet you in the car," Lucas called. "I just need to know where you put it." Once they had gotten home, Brooke had hidden the envelope from Lucas so he wouldn't peek at the results until their party.

Brooke poked her head in the bedroom. "Nice try, but I'll get it."

Lucas groaned. "Come on, Brooke. I'm dying to know if I am going to have a son or daughter."

"I know you are," Brooke replied. "But you're just going to have to be patient a little longer." She then walked out of the bathroom. "How do I look?" she asked him as she spun around in her red dress.

Lucas gave her a wide smile as his eyes ran over her. "You look amazing."

"I'm just glad that I was able to find a dress that I could fit into," Brooke replied as she looked down at her baby bump. "I know that once our baby is born, I won't be able to get my figure back."

"Then maybe we shouldn't have kids," Lucas joked.

"I think it's a little late for that," Brooke replied.

"So maybe we shouldn't have any more kids after this one," Lucas suggested. "After all, a baby is a lot of work."

"Are you kidding? I don't want our son or daughter to be an only child," Brooke replied. "I was one, remember? And I hated it. I was always lonely and didn't have any role models except my parents. You are so lucky that you had Nathan."

Lucas sighed. "Yeah, but you didn't have a dad playing favorites." Brooke knew that he had a point. "I'm not going to do that to our children. They are going to be treated equally. They are going to be loved equally. And I'm not going to pressure them in doing anything that they don't want to do."

Brooke gave him a wide smile. "You are the best father ever," she replied as she gave him a kiss. "We should get going. I'll meet you in the car. I have to grab that envelope." She then pushed Lucas out the door before she grabbed the envelope from its hiding place.

Soon, Lucas and Brooke were over at the house. Brooke was amazed at the decorations that were hanging up around the living room and dining room. Their hosts greeted them before going their separate ways. Lucas was talking to Jake while Brooke was talking to Peyton and Haley. Peyton couldn't stop apologizing about the mess in the apartment. Brooke once again put Peyton's mind at ease. "Peyton, it wasn't your fault. Besides, Lucas and I are planning to move out anyway. We just haven't found a place yet."

"At least you still have awhile before the baby gets here," Haley pointed out. "Speaking of the baby, do you know for sure whether you are having my niece or nephew?"

Brooke shook her head. "No, we're going to wait until the right moment at the party to open the envelope. At least, I hope Lucas can hold on until then. He has been really anxious to see if we're going to have a son or not."

"Can we take a peek?" Peyton asked. "We won't tell you or Lucas what it is."

Brooke thought for a moment. "No, I don't want Lucas to think that I'm cheating."

"Then why don't you tell us since everyone is now here?" Haley suggested as she looked around at the party guests. It was true. Everyone was now there. Even Agent Hargrove was there. Lucas and Brooke noticed that Deb was flirting with him and he seemed to flirt at her right back.

Brooke knew that Haley was right. So she grabbed Lucas and Haley got everyone's attention. Nathan then went to stand by his wife before he began to speak. He gave a wide smile to his wife and party guests. "We would like to welcome you all here to help celebrate Haley's return, not to mention her belated birthday. We really appreciate the love and support from our family and friends these past few months. Thank you for that."

"Now I would like to say something," Lucas said as he bent down on one knee. Brooke was surprised, but was eager to hear what he had to say. "Brooke Penelope Davis, we've had one hell of a rollercoaster these past few months. There were times where I wanted to get off the ride. Even though I did once, I realized that it was a mistake. Because I should have gotten off with you. You make my day brighter than the sun. You are the reason I get up every morning. And I want to marry you all over again to show everyone how much I love you. Brooke Penelope Davis, would you marry me again?" Lucas asked.

Brooke gave him a wide smile. "Yes, Lucas Scott, I will marry you again." He returned the smile as everyone clapped and cheered. They shared a passionate kiss before embracing their friends and family. After a few moments, Brooke pulled out the envelope from her purse. She opened it as Lucas read over her shoulder. They turned to their friends and family and paused for dramatic effect. "We're having Jayden Andrew Scott," she happily announced.