Author's Notes: There's nothing I want more than a) The new The Killers album, Battle Born b) to get a review from The King of Brucas Smut (Toddntan) and to know why his account is closed c) a freakin time machine and d) to travel to this Alternate Universe we all talk so animatedly about and live forever with my beloved Brucas!

ww w. urb and ict ion ar y de fine . php ? te rm = bro oke – thought you guys should check this out, take out spaces. (or go to urbandictionary and type in brooke)

Summary: You all know what this freakin story is about.

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to One Tree Hill, and there isn't enough money in the world to make me. I mean, I could buy the rights to the show. But then again, man would have to step up their game and finally invent a freaking time machine…we're seriously behind on that.

Chapter Three : The Path That Leads to Nowhere

Brooke woke up alone, again and honestly wondered to herself why she thought he would still be here. He never was. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand and saw it was only 6 am. She thought it was way too early for him to already be gone but she figured he didn't want to take any chances. She hurried to get dressed and rushed out of the hotel room as fast as she could.

She rushed past the receptionist desk and into the cold – the wind smacking against her face, making her eyes well up even more. She kept her head down, suddenly finding her shoes very interesting. She made it to her loft in record time and silently prayed Rachel was half-unconscious in some stranger's bed still, but the gods were known for not being on her side before.

Entering her loft, she noticed everything was as she left it. And by as she left it, it meant before they threw the crazy party on a Wednesday. She checked her room, Rachel's and the bathroom. The place was squeaky clean – not a chair out-of-place, not a vase broken, not any leftover clothing…or people. She knew Rachel couldn't have done it since she was nowhere to be found and was probably sleeping off her hangover.

She concluded her model Alyssa must have done it, with the help of the other models of course. Brooke had basically left the young girl shaking in her skirt – ordering her to get all the people out and rest up for her photo shoot tomorrow or she'd be out of a job. She probably felt bad for momentarily getting on Brooke's bad side and did extra work. Brooke mentally gave herself and pat on the back and donned a smug smile at being able to be a scary boss who took no shit. She didn't think she had been that firm with the girl but apparently she had been.

But the thought also scared her for a split second. It made her feel as if she was becoming more and more like her mother. She visibly cringed.

Brooke promised herself she would never become anything like that woman – no matter how old she got or bitter about the things around her. She would never be that bad. And if a few strict words had a model cleaning Brooke's entire loft just to make her happy, then she definitely knew that was a problem.

She sighed walking over to her counter and threw her bag on it. She knew she had a bitchy side, but that wasn't something she wanted to be known for – at least, not like her mother anyway. Everyone knew Victoria – or Bitchtoria as some liked to say – as the Devil's spawn with a stick up her ass, or even the Devil herself. She could probably even make the president shudder in fear… Brooke didn't think it was totally absurd.

She heaved another big sigh as she took out her phone, dialing in the number. She felt something in the back of her mind saying that this was the right thing to do. She knew it was probably way too early to be calling the girl since she just scolded her the night before about her very important photo shoot today and that she does in fact need her rest considering she probably stayed a while to clean the whole apartment, but Brooke decided she would take the chance anyway.

She answered on the fifth ring. "Hello…?"

Brooke could hear the sleepiness in her model's voice but couldn't bring herself to feel bad, not with the news she was about to tell her. "Alyssa, hey…It's Brooke."

"Brooke?" the girl said in alarm and Brooke instantly felt horrible. "I-I was just about to get up for my photo shoot…honest! And I got all the people out from your apartment last night – I even stayed to clean a little and if I missed something I'm terribly sorry– "

Brooke stopped the young model mid-rant. She honestly didn't think she had been that harsh on the girl last night, but something told her it probably had something to do with her confusion about Lucas.

"Alyssa, I'm not calling to hound you." Alyssa had only been working for her for a short amount of time, but she could already tell that the girl was sweet and kind – only two years shy of Brooke's age. Sure she had a wild side – who didn't? But she was probably one of the few models Brooke could have an actual conversation with. And she was very beautiful – which of course Victoria noticed first hand but Brooke actually wanted to know her personality, as she did with all of her models. With work taking over her schedule, she hadn't had time to do that but the few conversations she actually had with her she could tell that she was an okay girl and had a lot to offer.

"I actually just wanted to apologize for last night. I know I was a bit harsh and…you didn't deserve that."

"Oh…" came the bewildered response. Everyone at the company knew of Brooke as nice and although they knew she had a bitchy side, it rarely came out except around her mother or the redhead. But still, the youthful model wasn't expecting her boss to be apologizing to her. "Okay…?"

Sensing her confusion, Brooke decided to proceed with what she initially called for. "Look, I know since you've gotten here you've worked very hard so I thought– "

"Oh no, you aren't firing me are you?" the suddenly awake model cut in and Brooke was too shocked to answer right away. The thought hadn't even crossed her mind. "because I really like working for you Brooke and I've had so much fun here and I promise I'll never go to another party ever again!"

"Alyssa…Alyssa! Calm down," Brooke started and waited for the girl's breathing to return to normal before she continued. "I'm not firing you." She stated firmly, making sure she got her point across. "I just called to apologize for last night and to tell you that I'm giving you the rest of the week off."

"What?"

"You've been working really hard so I think you deserve it." There was a long silence on Alyssa's end and Brooke thought she was probably trying to recover from the shock. "Soooooo… after your photo shoot you can go home and relax and not worry about work until Monday."

"But it's Thursday."

"Oh yeah." Brooke mentally slapped herself. If she gave her the week off now she'd only have a day to relax – minus the weekend because everyone had the weekend off. "Well you can have the rest of the week off and next week." She decided happily.

"Wait… Are you serious?"Alyssa asked in disbelief.

"Yup." Brooke resolved before a thought crossed her mind. "Just don't come to work next Monday all hung over." She joked and reveled in hearing the young girl's laughter.

"Thank you so much Brooke," Alyssa said sincerely, truly liking her boss. "…what does Victoria think about this?" she asked quietly. She knew the older woman had a temper, and god help anyone who was around when she was having one of her moods.

Brooke's eyes narrowed and she soon found herself glaring at a nearby lamp. "She works for me." she replied tightly, signaling that the topic was over.

The young blonde on the other end of the line nodded her head in understanding. "Well thanks again Brooke, I really appreciate it."

"No problem – plus, it looks like you're free for your usual party day." she joked to the model bringing up their conversation from last night and they both laughed as they say their goodbyes.

Brooke felt a sense of satisfaction as she put her phone on the counter before walking to her room. She couldn't bring herself to care how Victoria would react to her letting one of their best models take a few days off. Rachel would be back soon so that solved that problem besides, Brooke knew it was the right thing to do. Alyssa had been just like Rachel – flying here and there in a minimal amount of days, barely having time to rest. She was honestly surprised they both weren't jet lagged as hell on the runways. The brunette didn't care what Victoria had to say about it, there was no way she letting Alyssa come back to work until she got her full vacation.

Feeling accomplished, Brooke peeled away last night's clothing and started the shower.

.

Brooke laughed as she stumbled through Lucas' door. "Alright Boozy, let's get you to bed – come on."

Their night on the town hadn't gone completely as expected. After he called her up to celebrate the fact that someone wanted to publish his book, she thought they'd go out, hit a few clubs, get really drunk and celebrate like they were back in high school. She didn't expect that she would be acting as his fiancé half the night.

But she wasn't really complaining. Though it was nice to see Lucas again after a year of little to no contact, there was a slight pain in her heart when he told her that him and her blonde best friend had broken up. They were Lucas and Peyton…True Love Always.

She figured this was just a minor setback on their road to sickening happiness but the brooder seemed hell-bent on forgetting Peyton tonight – and that scared her. Because if Lucas and Peyton didn't end up together, all that she sacrificed would have been for nothing, and she was hell-bent on not accepting that as an outcome. But that wasn't where the pain inside her stopped.

Acting as his fiancé tonight seemed innocent. Getting free drinks and free carriage rides – no big deal. Except she forgot how much this had been her dream back in high school, how much her and Lucas had talked about their future together. And her heart hurt even more when she looked into his eyes and saw that this was merely a joke to him – not that she had expected him to be even the slightest bit nostalgic over their high school fling, but Brooke Davis was always one for hope. Watching stupid romance movies as a child branded that into her brain and she couldn't help but hope that maybe, just maybe, Lucas was thinking what she was thinking. Maybe he was reminiscing on the days when they would sit in his bedroom and talk about their future – the one they envisioned where Brooke Davis and Lucas Scott had ended up together.

She struggled to keep his weight up as they walked towards his bed. She honestly wasn't expecting Lucas to get this drunk, but she had momentarily forgot that Lucas was a lightweight when it came to alcohol and that she was the one that even introduced him to the meaning of fun.

"Whoa…!" she exclaimed as Lucas fell onto his bed. "Alright…"

Lucas looked as if he was gonna throw up any second, and Brooke couldn't help but feel slightly amused. She'd had the same amount of alcohol as him, yet she could at least walk straight – perhaps even fool a cop if he decided to do the whole walk-in-a-straight-line-without-wobbling test on her.

"The bed is spinning…" Lucas looked around the room, his hazy eyes unable to focus on a single object. He looked up at Brooke. All he could see was Brooke.

"You're gonna be okay," he found her raspy voice soothing, as if he was slowly fading off into a deep sleep and she was singing him a lullaby. "I'm gonna get you in to some jammies, and then I'm gonna take a cab home…" she informed him as she unbuttoned his shirt and suddenly he realized that she wouldn't be staying, and he didn't really want to be alone. He needed some comfort. Peyton pissed him off by saying 'no' to his proposal and he really didn't want to spend the rest of the night thinking about her…or how it seemed like he wasn't that bothered by their break up…or how it seemed that he could never keep a stable relationship and abruptly his thoughts drifted back to Brooke.

"…and you can sleep it off."

He was staring at her now and realized he needed her in particular. She's always been there for him and she looked so pretty tonight – as his thoughts felt the need to keep reminding him the whole night.

He didn't want her to go.

He wanted her to stay, so he told her.

"Or you could stay…" and immediately Brooke recognized his tone as some kind of invitation but she didn't have time to process his words before he pulled her towards him and crashed his lips against hers.

The kiss was familiar, and Brooke felt herself involuntarily kiss back, succumbing to his control – almost as if her lips were moving without her permission. It was like routine, though she had gone so long without kissing him and that it took her very breath away. She briefly wondered how Lucas Scott could make kissing him feel so new and ancient at the same time.

She moaned into the kiss and Lucas thought if he didn't have her right there, at that second, he just might go crazy. But she pulled away before his hands could travel.

"Okay," she turned away briefly to regain her composure and her hand went up to his chest to hold him at bay. "I think that might be the second stupidest thing you've done in the last twenty-four hours." He fell back on the bed, feeling slightly pathetic.

If she was referring to him and Peyton breaking up as the first stupidest thing, he couldn't help but feel that she was hugely mistaken. Kissing her again felt like coming home and he wanted to tell her that but she started talking before he can.

"Luke we're not in high school anymore and I love Peyton, and even if you don't want to admit it right now so do you – okay?"

He felt lost. Did he still love Peyton? His mind was screaming yes, but his heart rang in his ears that he didn't. He didn't know which one to listen to and Brooke's taste still on his lips clouded his judgment.

He sat up. "I feel lost Brooke; I don't know what to do anymore…"

"Alright, do you remember when I started Clothes Over Bros? It was right after we broke up and I was trying to mend my broken heart by focusing on my work." and suddenly he felt like an ass because he knew it was hurting her to bring all this up again, but she was doing it for him. Her hand went up and he catches sight of the ring. It sparkled under the light. He couldn't help but notice how good it looked on her finger.

"…and you need to do the same right now. You need to go out there and become the best person and the best writer that you can be and then you approach Peyton and–" she paused, and he thought he saw tears in her eyes. "…if she comes back to you then you know it's meant to be, okay?"

He nodded although he was not sure whether he wanted to get back with Peyton or not. Being with Brooke felt so good – although he knew it was hurting her, he just wanted to be with her tonight. Just with her.

"I'm gonna go," she said as she slipped the ring off her finger and into his palm It suddenly felt heavy. "and you probably won't see me for a while…" That was when he knew he had to say something, anything to get her to stay.

Brooke looked into his conflicted eyes and felt her heart break. For a moment, she hated her blonde best friend for doing this to him. Why couldn't she have just said yes? Brooke wouldn't be here right now, and everything would've worked out in the end. She had to believe that, because it's the only way she would be able to keep on going.

She caught his gaze and held it, repeating the same thing he said to her just a year ago. "Lucas Scott is gonna change the world some day and he doesn't even know it yet." Because she had faith in him, she always did. She could feel her heart aching in her chest, but she had to do this…she had to help him.

Just as she was about to turn away, Lucas' hand locked on to her wrist, keeping her in place. She didn't turn around and he could visibly see that her breathing had picked up speed.

"Don't go…please."

Brooke silently scoffed to herself. Even after everything she had said, he still wanted her to stay. That thought both warmed her heart and made her mad – she wasn't sure which emotion she should feel.

"Luke…"

"Please Brooke." he was suddenly standing right in front of her. "I don't wanna be alone."

Her eyes moved from his intense blue orbs to his bare chest…then quickly back to them as if she'd been caught drifting into restricted territory. She sighed.

"I can't."

"Why not?" he whined, and for a moment Brooke thought he sounded like Peyton. His hand came up to cup her cheek but she stepped to the side.

"Because I can't." she repeated more firmly. "Didn't you hear anything I just said?"

Her voice shook, and he hung his head in shame. "I feel lost Brooke. I feel lost and alone and I have for a really long time…" he confessed. He gazed into her eyes and recognized her confusion. How could he possibly feel lost and alone if he'd just broken up with Peyton yesterday?

His eyes bored into hers in an intense gaze and Brooke felt as if she understood completely, though she didn't want to. She knew she had to leave now, before he sucked her in completely. She had to get out.

Her eyes were darting around animatedly – searching desperately for an escape.

"Please," he whispered and Brooke felt her knees go weak. "I need you."

He said them – the words she'd been wanting to hear for so long.

He was looking at her. She was looking at him. She'd been silent for far too long and Lucas guessed she might be close to relenting. Her eyes watered and she looked as if she might cry so Lucas brought her into him, holding her close and tight. A bone-crushing hug that failed in comparison to the one they'd shared when he first saw her. Her arms went around his neck, and she held on for dear life.

Warmth filled her body, and she wanted to cry just from all the overwhelming emotions. She felt his skin underneath her hands and she would honestly love nothing more than to stay like this forever.

She was not sure how long they stood like that, but she felt so safe – more safe than she'd ever felt before. She gave him one last squeeze and making sure the tears have completely went away, she begansto pull away.

"Okay, I'll stay."

.

Brooke checked her watch as she was walking the streets of New York. She had fifteen minutes to spare so she decided to head over to the local coffee shop across the street to join Millicent.

For some reason, she felt like taking it easy on everyone today, which is why she decided that she would find her friend and offer to get the coffee this time. She wanted everyone to get a break today – wishing Lucas would one day give her a break.

In the shower, she spent a good twenty minutes crying her eyes out and throwing herself a little pity party. After that whole breakdown, she decided she wanted today to be a good day – and not think about Lucas. She repeated to herself many times in the mirror: Today will be a good day, and you will not think about Lucas.

She was determined to actually make it happen.

Brooke walked into the coffee shop and spotted Millicent right away.

"Millie!"

The dark haired woman in question turned around, surprise etched onto her soft features. "Brooke? What are you doing here, I was just getting your coffee and then I'd bring it to you at the office. It was going to be waiting for you on your desk but this line was pretty long and you are kinda early and–"

"Millie, breathe." Brooke chuckled as the timid woman blushed and stopped her rant. She honestly still couldn't believe that after two years of friendship Millicent still got nervous around her – or anyone for that matter. "What's got you so jumpy today?"

"Sorry, Victoria called me this morning…" she didn't have to say anymore as she saw Brooke slowly digest the information. Her eyes narrowed and she looked like she wanted to kill something…or someone.

Brooke met her friend's concerned gaze and gave an apologetic smile. "Why don't you head to the office and I'll get the coffee?"

Millicent's eyebrows squinted in confusion. "You don't want me to get your coffee? But, I always get your coffee."

"I know but, I'm feeling extra generous today," she said as she shrugged her shoulders. "…and, you deserve the break – plus I can tell those heels are a bitch to walk in."

She glanced at her friend's choice in footwear and could tell from her wobbly ankles to the red soles of her feet that the shoes were killing her.

"Yeah," Millicent forced a smile. "Victoria–"

"You can call her Bitchtoria if you want…" Brooke cut in. Millicent had morals, and rarely cursed unless absolutely needed. In a way, she reminded Brooke of Haley. "You know you want to…" she coaxed and chuckled when Millicent rose an eyebrow at her.

"You just want to hear me curse, don't you?"

Brooke held her pointer finger and her thumb a centimeter apart. "Kinda,"

"Fine!" Millicent sighed dramatically. "Bitchtoria called me this morning and said if I wear flats to work again, she'd have me fired."

Brooke's blood boiled. "Millicent, how many times do I have to tell you – she works for me, not the other way around. She has no power to fire anyone unless I give the ok."

"I know, I know it's just – she can be kind of intimidating…" her assistant trailed off quietly, not wanting Brooke to know just how scary her mother could be.

Brooke turned away for a moment, took a deep breath, counted to ten and then turned back to her friend. "Now, I really have to get the coffee. Scoot!" she playfully pushed her friend out of line. "I'll meet you back at the office in ten."

She watched Millicent walk away – limp rather – and began to order the coffee once she noticed it was her turn. She honestly didn't know what she was going to do with her mother. On some level, she was happy to finally have her around – she was finally paying attention to her. But, was it the wrong kind of attention? Her mother only started to take notice that she actually had a daughter when Brooke started this company.

And also the fact that she didn't respect her friends. Brooke knew her mother always hated Peyton – she figured it was because Peyton was a rebel at a young age and already had a mouth on her, or maybe it was because her childhood friend wasn't exactly rich like the Davis'. Her mother always did hate the lower class. But she couldn't for the life of her understand why her mother had to put down every single person she came across. Millicent was probably the nicest person in the world, yet her mother treated her like crap.

She couldn't fathom why. Why did she always have to walk around like she was so much better than everyone? Why couldn't she at least smile everyone once in a while so people knew she was actually a human being?

Why couldn't she say something else to her daughter instead of how much of a disappointment she was?

"Excuse me, Miss?" a charming voice broke her away from her heavy thoughts. She turned around to the voice and was met with a very handsome stranger. He had dark brown eyes, a perfectly tanned complexion that went nicely with his dark brown hair.

He was the exact opposite of Lucas and since Brooke was determined not to think of him today, she immediately felt attracted to him.

"Yeah?"

"Uh…your order's ready."

She turned around to face the cashier glaring at her holding two cups of coffee, she purposely didn't order Victoria's.

"Oh…" Brooke squeaked and she felt her neck begin to get warm, already knowing the blush was showing up on her cheeks. "Thanks." She muttered and quickly handed the cashier the money before moving out of the way.

"No problem." the stranger replied, showing off an irresistible grin. "You looked like you were concentrating pretty hard there – thought you might put a dent in that pretty little face of yours."

She let out a laugh at his obvious flirting and decided to play along. "You think my face is pretty?"

"Well who wouldn't? A pretty girl like you would attract attention no matter where she goes." He quickly ordered his drink before turning back to Brooke.

"Well I do get attention, but not always because of my looks. I'm Brooke Davis." She stuck a hand out for him to shake and he took it readily.

"Wait…" he started, his eyebrows crumpling together in confusion. "Brooke Davis…as in the Brooke Davis? The fashion designer?"

"That would be me," she replied coyly, kinking her eyebrow as she sipped her coffee. "How do you know I'm a fashion designer? Don't tell me you're one of those overly fashionable straight guys...or do you just like to read chick magazines?"

He laughed at her teasing, paying for his drink before nodding at her to follow him outside. "I have a thirteen year old sister who is very much into fashion and won't shut up about it."

Brooke smirked. "Sounds like my kind of girl."

"Yup, I bet you two would get along, Brooke Davis."

Brooke stopped walking on the sidewalk. "See, that's not fair – you know my name but I don't know yours."

"Liam."

"Liam…?" Brooke put her finger on her chin, as if contemplating what to say. "I hate that name." she tried to say in all seriousness but it faded once she heard his laughter, and she herself began to laugh as well.

"Well maybe I can make you like it a little more over dinner tonight." He replied and smiled when she kinked an eyebrow at his straightforwardness.

"Dinner?" Brooke contemplated the idea. She hadn't been on a date in a while and going out with someone who didn't just want to automatically sleep with her was refreshing. Plus, it's not like she was in some sort of relationship with anyone right now.

Relationship.

Liam nodded and gestured at the two cups of coffee she was holding. "Unless you have some sort of jealous boyfriend that could rip my limbs from my sockets?"

Brooke didn't know what to call her thing with Lucas other than a booty call. But he wasn't her boyfriend, so she was free to date whoever she wanted. But something in the back of her mind told her that it wouldn't be that simple – that Lucas wouldn't be as okay with it as she was thinking but who said he had to know?

"No, no boyfriend."

No boyfriend was good for him, but she still hadn't said yes. He decided to throw in something else that might sway her. "How about dinner, and a movie?"

Brooke shook her head of her thoughts of Lucas and repeated what she to herself this morning. Today will be a good day, and you will not think about Lucas.

Satisfied, she smiled up at the attractive man before her. "Dinner and a movie sounds great."

They quickly exchanged numbers, Brooke promising to text him her address before heading into the Clothes Over Bros building.

.

"Lucas!"

His head jolted up and he took in the angry expression on his editor's face. He was in another one of her "meetings" where all he did was sit in a chair and she wasted an hour screaming her head off about how frustrating he was.

He really wasn't in the mood for her to be yelling at him at something in the morning. He still felt guilty about leaving Brooke alone this morning, as he always did. She looked so peaceful sleeping and he honestly hadn't wanted to disturb her. But he also knew that he wanted to talk to her. Sometimes he just wanted to hear her voice. But he couldn't – and it was his own fault. He was the one that got them into this mess and now he didn't know how to get them out.

"When I called you in for this meeting, it was not so you could fall asleep while I'm talking to you!"

"No, it was just so you could pester me about a second book, right?" Lucas retorted, honestly not in the mood for Lindsey's rants about him not writing. Brooke was clouding his thoughts and he really just wanted to be alone and brood. "Lindsey, it's only been a couple of months–"

"Yeah and even though people aren't expecting a second book right now, they're expecting you to be working on something – I'm expecting you to be working on something." Lindsey sighed and ran her hand through her hair. "People will be expecting something soon."

"Lindsey, my first book just came out four months ago!" he argued, not seeing why him not writing was such a big issue. "People are still talking about it and buying it."

"Yes but when the success of this book dies down, people will be wanting more." she shook her head in frustration at the boy in front of her. "You need to be working on something now so it will be ready when people want it."

Lucas sighed and ran a hand over his tired face. "Fine." he relented. "I was gonna surprise you but I guess I'll just have to tell you now – I am working on something." he lied.

He just really wanted the young editor off his back and if that meant he had to lie, then so be it.

Lindsey sits up in her chair. "What?" her bewildered expression turning into a frown when she noticed his smug smile. "You just listened to me scream my head off for a whole hour about you not writing and this whole time you were actually hiding the fact that you are?" he just simply shrugged his shoulders and the action made Lindsey roll her eyes. "You're an ass you know that?"

"You're hot when you're angry." His smile widened even more when he saw the blush tinting Lindsey's cheeks. He got up from his chair. "Look, to say sorry for putting unneeded stress on you, how about I take you out to dinner tonight?"

Lindsey blushed even more. "Dinner?"

"Yeah," Lucas shrugged his shoulders. "maybe we can even see a movie after."

"Like a date?"

He leaned across her desk, the action causing his muscles to bulge out of his shirt even more, his face centimeters from hers. "Only if you want it to be." he whispered and watched her as the blush deepened and some sort of weird sound came from her throat.

"But…I'm your editor."

"There are no expectations on this little outing, Linds. Just two friends hanging out." he raises an eyebrow in her direction, waiting for her answer.

"Okay." she caved as she reorganized the items on her desk – just to have something to do with her hands. "But I can't tonight. I have a few manuscripts to edit but, I'm free tomorrow."

He leaned back. "Alright. I'll call you." he said smoothly as he headed for the door, winking in her direction before exiting.

.

"You were late."

Brooke looked up from the design she had been working on. She spotted her mother at her doorway and inwardly groans for being so accepting of her malicious attitude. She had just gotten out of a meeting about the upcoming topic for the tenth issue of B. Davis magazine. She honestly couldn't believe it herself that they were so far ahead and the magazine had just come out, but they had planned this for months. The meeting was nothing serious really – just who was gonna be writing what for each section of the magazine. But she still wasn't in the mood to deal with her mother.

Her features donned an expression of confusion. "No I wasn't."

"Yes you were." Her mother walked further into the office and Brooke felt as though she was invading her personal space. "Your timesheet says you clocked in at 7:45."

"Yeah…?"

"You're supposed to be here at 7." her mother reprimanded with an impatient tone.

Brooke slammed her design on her desk and stood up to face her mother. "I'm supposed to be here at 7:30, fifteen minutes won't make a difference." she said back just as fiercely.

"I changed it to 7."

"Without telling me?" Brooke yelled in disbelief.

"You would know if you bothered to check the timesheet!" Victoria yelled, her face turning redder as the minutes go by.

Brooke swallowed and fought to maintain her composure. "Mother," she started off slowly but Victoria interrupted her before she could finish.

"Victoria!" she shouted. "Call me Victoria." and she finished by putting on a clearly fake, displeased smile.

Brooke's eyes rolled in annoyance. "Victoria, those timesheets are dumb. Why do I need to know what time the staff comes in? As long as they're here and doing their jobs – that's all that matters."

"Those timesheets help you learn responsibility – something you seem to have trouble with." She hissed before leaning back to stare at Brooke as the mother and daughter duo got into a stare off of sorts. Victoria's gaze wouldn't waver, and Brooke knew she meant serious business.

Brooke was the first to look away, tired of dealing with her mother in the early hours of the day.

Her mother let out a snort of smugness before narrowing her eyes. "You will be here from now on at 6." she turned on her heel.

"6 AM?! Mother you can not be serious!" Brooke exclaimed, honestly appalled at the idea of getting up at five in the morning.

"Victoria." She corrected again. "And I am serious. Six it is Brooke, I mean it. You need to learn to be responsible." She turned on her heels to walk away again before stopping at the doorway. She threw Brooke a hard glance. "Oh, and that's hideous. Throw it away and start again." her steely gaze settled on Brooke once more before she exited the office. It took Brooke a moment to figure out that she was talking about the design on her desk – the one she'd started last week and was so proud of.

Brooke sighed and stared at the design. Anyone else would probably think it was amazing – maybe her best design yet. It was sure to be a hit with the buyers. She shook her head softly as she ripped the paper from her sketch book, balled it up and threw it in the trash.

"Whatever you say mother." she muttered before she began sketching a new design.

Time to start again.

.

"Luke, it'd be nice to know you are still alive. You don't have to do this you know – but you've already decided so… Anyway, Jamie's second birthday is coming up and it'd be nice if you were there – actually if you miss this I'll kick your ass, then Nathan will – and I'm calling Brooke too! You both can't ignore us forever…

Call me."

Lucas was met with the distressed voice of his best friend drifting through his apartment when he strolled in. As he listened to her message, he couldn't help but feel a big weight of guilt on his shoulders. He knew it wasn't right to keep ignoring Haley; she was just trying to help after all. But he didn't need to be reminded of the fact that he was an ass every two seconds.

He knew what he was doing with Brooke wasn't right – fair to anyone. Not to her, not to himself, and probably not to her redheaded best friend who had to constantly deal with the effects his actions had on the brunette.

His eyes drifted over to his answering machine as it signaled he had another message.

"Luke, it's Nate. I know Haley probably already called you but in case she wasn't firm enough – if you miss this birthday party I'll make sure to give you a new face. You have an obligation to be here, you're family…"

Those words just made Lucas feel even worse about himself. He felt like he was slowly letting everyone around him down. He knew if his mom knew he was ignoring everyone's calls, she would've sailed back from wherever she was in the world and properly paid him a visit herself – of ass-whooping.

She was still his mom. And she believed that you were never too old for a proper spanking.

"…I really don't know why you're being so distant – you know if something's going on you can talk to me or Haley about it. So pick up your damn phone, because I'm tired of seeing my wife worry."

The message ended. Lucas went over to the machine and erased them both. He wouldn't miss Jamie's second, but he just couldn't deal with anybody right now, let alone Haley and Nathan.

He sat down on the couch and reached for the remote to turn on the TV. Mindlessly flipping through the channels, his thoughts drifted to Brooke and what she might be doing right now. He thought about her all the time. She was always occupying his thoughts – it was like he could feel her here with him. He had even almost felt guilty about making a date with his editor, Lindsey.

But then he remembered that him and Brooke weren't in a relationship – and sometimes that pained him more than he cared to admit.

He hadn't even noticed he stopped on the news until he heard his name.

"That's right folks, we're talking about the new novel that just came out a few months An Unkindness of Ravens by Lucas Scott – the novel that's got everyone raving mad and that The New York Times calls a bestseller. It's got drama, love triangles, secrets, lies – all my favorite things." the cheesy news reporter finished off with an equally cheesy grin.

"No way," Lucas murmured in astonishment.

"Let's see what some of the readers think of it…

"Honestly, I can't put it down." one woman said.

"It's my new favorite book. I've already read it three times!" said another.

"I can connect to all the characters – but I'm totally Team Brooke."

"I'm Team Peyton!"

The screen then solely showed the news reporter with a grin that was bigger than his entire face.

"There you have it folks, An Unkindness of Ravens by Lucas Scott is definitely worth the buy. You won't regret it."

Lucas shut the TV off after that. He couldn't believe all these people loved his book. It was one thing to get the checks from the publishing company but another to actually hear the reviews of the readers.

He felt like calling someone to share the good news – Brooke in particular. She'd of course be happy for him but it'd definitely be strange to her since he never calls her except to tell her to come over and do things with him.

His thoughts drifted back to the newscast on his book. Something threw him off guard.

"But I'm totally Team Brooke…" "I'm Team Peyton!"

Lucas mulled over those words. The last thing he wanted was for the Love Triangle of Death to be the focal point of his book. It was mainly about a boy connecting with his estranged brother and their mutual love for basketball. The love triangle was something that happened – and he regretted it on some days – but it wasn't meant to make the fans go crazy on teams.

His relationship with Peyton had been a big part of the book, making most his relationship with Brooke get written out. Lindsey had declared that if there was a main love interest instead of a boy torn between two lovers, that would make people more inclined to read it and put the fans at ease knowing that everyone got a happy ending. Because everyone loves happy endings.

But even though most of his relationship with Brooke was written out, there was still someone on Team Brooke. Maybe even more people wanted the Lucas in the book to be with the Brooke in the book. Lucas thinks that maybe if he'd just fought Lindsey just a little harder on not writing out his relationship with Brooke, then maybe there would be more people on Team Brooke and not Team Peyton.

Before Lucas could even laugh at the thought that he was sitting here moping over everyone not being on Team Brooke, someone else caught his attention.

Peyton.

He hadn't thought about the curly blonde artist in a while. Since she turned down his proposal, he had gotten over her, of course. He knew he didn't love her anymore. And he definitely didn't resent her for turning down his proposal – he realized now that it was for the best. They weren't meant to be, and he hated that he gave all those people reading his book false hope and that he himself had that hope.

Also the fact that if he didn't love Peyton anymore, what the hell was his thing with Brooke about?

At first, it was all about helping him get over the blonde. But sometimes he wondered if he was ever really in love with her.

But then if he wasn't, why did he start this thing with Brooke?

And that's what he was most afraid of. Because then he'd really have to face the truth as to why he just couldn't seem to get enough of Brooke Davis.

He'd have to honestly admit that he was just not ready for that.

.

Brooke was drained from the hellish day she had – and a bunch of that hell came straight from her mother – but that didn't stop her from announcing loudly "I have a date!" as she entered her apartment.

"Would you shut the hell up? I'm still nursing this hangover." The disgruntled reply came as the redhead seated at the counter slouched in exhaust and her head lay flat on the marble counter-top.

Brooke scoffed in disbelief. "Rachel, it's five o' clock." She snorted in amusement when her friend merely groaned in response. "How do you still have a hangover?"

The redhead lifted her head off the counter and Brooke finally noticed her bloodshot eyes and the coffee mug she had in one hand. "I made the stupid decision of having a morning after party with this guy…"

"What kind of morning after party?" Brooke cut in, her voice soft but with a hint of worry to it.

Rachel knew exactly what her friend was thinking by the sound of her voice and she felt slightly guilty for having to let her down. "There were just a few drinks and…" she trailed off, hoping Brooke would drop it but she knew the fashion icon, and she knew she would only continue talking about it – because she cared. Plus the fact that her eyes were crimson red was a dead giveaway.

Grabbing her friend's face fiercely, the fashion icon inspected her eyes. "You did it again, didn't you?"

"Brooke, it was only once– "

"Yeah that's what you said the first time." she hissed, not able to believe how stupid her friend was being. "Rachel," Her tone was borderline bitchy but attempting to be soothing now; she heaved a big sighed. "this isn't healthy for you."

And it almost felt ironic to be the saying the words Rachel had uttered just yesterday. It was funny how much could change in less than twenty-four hours. The way the redhead looked now was a definite change to how she looked yesterday, and Brooke momentarily wondered how long her friend had been craving that.

"It won't happen again."

It was an empty promise – that much they both knew. But at least the model had the decency to make an attempt. Her last relapse had been mere months ago, and Brooke feared that the next one would come much sooner.

She eyed her friend over the counter suspiciously then softly sighed to herself. "How did we get so screwed up?" She questioned the air but Rachel took it as meaning something entirely different.

"Does that mean you actually did go to see him yesterday?"

The fashion icon looked at her friend with teary eyes and Rachel's eye narrowed in concern. "Give me something Rach – give me anything that could possibly keep me away from him, 'cause I honestly don't know how to stop." The tears fell, and Brooke silently cursed herself for being so weak.

"Brooke, he's using you–"

"I know that." The brunette growled in annoyance and brought a shaky hand to wipe away the rapidly falling tears. "On one hand, I know this is screwing me up and I know he couldn't care less – but on the other, I get to spend time with him. Even if it is just sex, I get to be around him and help him at the same time." creamy shoulders lifted in an innocent shrug. "– you have no idea how good that feels Rach."

Seeing her friend fall apart right before her eyes was enough to have the redhead's blood boiling. She knew one day she'd kill Lucas Scott – and she dreaded that day might be today. All that crap Brooke was spinning about wanting to help him was just what it was – crap.

Lucas Scott was over Peyton Sawyer – Rachel knew that. It was obvious. She just didn't know why Brooke couldn't see that. She properly needed a slap in the face, and Rachel would be that slap in the face if it didn't make her sound like such a hypocrite.

Which is why she truthfully didn't think she'd be much of a support system to her friend right about now considering the fact that she was thinking less than happy – or legal – thoughts about the brooder and the fact that she, herself, was in a probably worse situation. So she did the only thing she knew Brooke would do in a situation where she felt uncomfortable.

"So, what's this about a date?"

She changed the subject. It was fitting considering they both were kind of screwing themselves little by little. Their eyes met and Brooke couldn't help but feel more thankful than anything that Rachel knew her so well – that she had the redhead as a friend at a time like this.

"I met this guy at the coffee shop and he asked me out."

Rachel raised an eyebrow in interest. "And you said yes?"

"Why wouldn't I say yes?" the brunette questioned. "He was so hot!"

"Hotter than Lucas…?" the words left the redhead's mouth in a mumble under her breath – making the statement barely audible – but Brooke heard her and despite her efforts to just ignore it, she just had to glare at her longtime friend.

"I'm gonna pretend you didn't say that." With a flick of her wrist, her hair went over her shoulder and the smile was back in place. "So yes – I have a date."

When the redhead merely said nothing, Brooke's hazel orbs narrowed in confusion. This was not Rachel-like behavior. The brunette knew that under normal circumstances, the model would have teased her endlessly about the date and scolded her about going to see Lucas once again. But she figured her roommate probably felt guilty about her own little problem – though she would never admit.

"But, I've decided I'll save our date for tomorrow."

Brooke's words made Rachel's head shoot up in surprise – having been staring at the contents swirling around in her mug.

"What? Why?"

Hazel orbs winked in mischief and comfort. "Nothing beats a hot date like spending time with your bestest friend, getting high on every possible sugary thing in the place, and watching sappy romantic comedies to convince ourselves that the characters are more screwed up than we are."

Rachel blinked, and then let out a laugh. It was such a Brooke thing to say.

"You know it's because I'm the only hot date you'll ever get, Slut." the redhead teased as she sauntered away to get the DVD's and Brooke was just happy to have her best friend back.

"Oh whatever, move your fat ass."

Abruptly stopping, Rachel turned to give her best friend a serious look. "You need to call her. I may not be able to talk some sense into you, but she will." her eyes told the brunette all she needed. They had an understanding – both knowing exactly who she meant.

"Call her." She added firmly before disappearing out of sight. And Brooke knew her best friend was right.

She did need to call her. If only she could stop being so afraid and actually pick up the phone.

.

His arms were around her, wrapped tightly, and they were both lost in their own thoughts. They had finished a while ago and while Brooke didn't intend on sleeping tonight, she thought Lucas would have.

But he seemed to have other plans.

She was pleasantly surprised when he turned around and wrapped his arms around her. They never did snuggle after they were finished, but it's not like she was going to object.

She liked being here with him. She felt safe.

"Did you ever read it?" his soft voice broke into her thoughts – making her give him her undivided attention. He moved his body on top of hers and she almost moaned at the contact.

"Read what?" Her eyes closed, making the brooder slightly annoyed when he couldn't look into them.

"My book," he pressed. "It came out a couple months ago…"

"I remember when you told me about it." she added quietly, finding this whole situation weird considering they never really talked anymore. "I went to the store and bought it."

"You read it?"

Her eyes opened, and she looked almost guilty.

"…some of it."

Her cheeks flushed and she averted her gaze. She didn't want to tell him that she could really only read the chapters about them. Once she got to the ones about the blonde artist, her heart was still seriously damaged and wasn't strong enough to get through it. So the book still rests in the drawer on her nightstand with her bookmark in it. She knew the exact page.

She had told herself she'd finish reading it one day – when she successfully got over the brooder, that is.

"Hey," his voice brought her back to reality. His hand landed on her cheek and he looked into her eyes. "you okay?"

She was shocked for a moment from the intensity in his eyes – speechless – and it meant so much to her that he cared, but then she thinks that maybe he was just being polite.

But when was he ever polite.

"Yeah –" pushing his hand away and his body off her, she got up from the bed and searched around the room for her clothes. "I have to go. I left Rachel half asleep in front of the TV and I need to get back before she wakes."

He felt the atmosphere shift. It suddenly felt tense now and he could feel Brooke pulling away from him, though he didn't know why?

"Yeah…" he muttered distractedly as he watched her slip on her shoes. "I'm busy tomorrow." he blurted out and Brooke halted her movements.

"Oh." she said softly. "Me too." And she was glad he was busy. She didn't know how she would've been able to tell him about her date…she really didn't have the guts.

Lucas' eyes narrowed. He felt a strange feeling come over him, almost like – possessiveness. He wondered what she was doing tomorrow and why exactly she was busy. His thoughts almost compeled him to ask – but he remeberd he had no right.

He was busy tomorrow too – with another woman to be exact. If he demanded to know why she couldn't make it, he'd seem almost like a hypocrite.

"Bye." She reached for the doorknob but his voice stopped her.

"Brooke?"

She turned to find his lips closing in on hers. The kiss was deliberately slow, as if he was trying to seduce her. He took his time, his hand coming up to hold her head in place as he pushed her against the door.

It was passionate, slow – something Brooke would add to the list of strange things that happened tonight. Her heart rate increased in speed as the kiss continued.

He finally tore his mouth away from hers. "Goodnight." he whispered against her lips, making her mind hazy before walking back over to the bed.

Brooke just stood there for a moment in shock before she finally found her senses and walked out the door in a daze.

Lucas squinted. It felt strange watching her leave. He usually left her and when the door finally closed, he found himself staring at it for a little over a minute – silently hoping that she would somehow come back.

...


There you go, this should've been sooner but hey, it's only a month. Leave your reviews!

dianehermans: Pregnant? Hmmm, I think that'll be later, like waaaaayyyyyyyy later.

BpDs89: I understand your frustration, I mean it's kinda hard to even write these scenes. But B. Davis is a smart girl, we all know that - and she'll come to her senses soon...so will Luke-ASS.

OTH-Brucas-love: Here's the update, sorry it's been a month and I'm glad you like the story. And yeah - Lucas is a dick.

craxygirl54: Yerp, back again. Thanks for the review and I hope you're enjoying the story!

xXalienatedXx: It's like...who could really fall in love with Peyton? Jake was a special case and Lucas...well let me not start on that before I lose my mind. Anyway, I'm glad you liked the song. No song in this chapter (sniffle) but I'm really liking Mumford and Sons new album Babel. It's an addiction - but yeah onto the story. B. Davis will unfortunately be torturing herself a little more before she comes to her senses, but she will soon.

sunshine: It's like you got it head on. Thanks for the review.

All your reviews were lovely! Any typos really aren't my fault, I haven't had my coffee today...