AN: So I caught wind of a nifty little option in the author's post that shows how many hits a story gets…and when I finally viewed the stats for this story, I was floored. Like, speechless, floor opened and I fell through, knock me over with a feather. Holy cow. It inspired me. So even though I just posted a new chapter to my other story, I'm hoping to knock this one out tonight and post again. I've got the need…the need to type! (Cheesy, I know)
Snapping the phone shut Lucas walked back to join his girlfriend who was animatedly talking with what looked to be a limo driver. Another guy in a monkey suit was shifting their considerable luggage into the trunk, not even breaking a sweat when he lifted the suitcase that Lucas himself had found difficult to snag off the conveyor belt. He'd in fact muttered something under his breathe about women and packing and how there needed to be a rule that a woman could only pack as much as she could lift. To which Brooke, who'd of course overhead him, replied back gaily that it was a ridiculous notion, seeing as how that would mean entirely too many pieces of luggage. Sensibly, she asked him which he'd rather have: a couple large over-stuffed suitcases, or a bunch of light little ones?
"No! I haven't even been home yet! I need to unpack, take a shower-"
"Ms. Davis, I'm sorry, but it's not my call. I'm just the driver. If you have objections you'll have to take it up with Mr. Roskins." Having summarily cut off the fuming woman, he tipped his hat, walked to the back of the limo, opened the door, and stood silently by waiting for her to enter.
"You have GOT to be kidding me!" Oh man, she was pissed now. Lucas couldn't help but feel very very sorry for whoever this Mr. Roskins character was.
"Pretty Girl? Everything alright?" He knew it was a stupid question, he wasn't blind, but what else was he supposed to say?
"Lucas! There you are!" She whirled on her toes, hair spinning behind her, catching the sunrays. He was momentarily distracted by just how beautiful she was when she was angry. Eyes snapping, hair puffed out, lips parted just slightly…
"Lucas!!! Hello!!!!" A delicate hand waved in front of his face and Lucas came crashing back to the here and now.
"Sorry babe, your beauty blinded me."
"Ha." She snorted.
"No seriously!"
"Whatever. Where'd you go?" Crossed arms, toes tapping. Wow, she really was pissed. He thanked his lucky stars the blame couldn't be laid at his feet.
"I called home. Talked to Haley and mom, told them we landed safe. They said to tell you glad we'd had a safe flight, and wanted us to call in a week or so, let them know how things moved along."
"Right. That's one less thing we'll have to deal with today. Look Luke, I'm really sorry, but my boss is throwing a pitch fit and insisting that I go into the office today. Do you mind going to the house by yourself?" Brooke looked hounded, all the carefree lines of her face and posture stiffened by the demands of work and the world she'd lived in New York. Lucas squinted in concern, worried that his girl had been so stressed out and he'd been oblivious to it all for so long. He should have been there for her, helping her through every minute, supporting her.
"Can I come into work with you?" He stepped forward and slipped his arms around her waist, relishing in the feel of her body against his own. She instantly relaxed and melted against him, taking as much pleasure from the contact as reassurance.
"I don't know Luke, I don't know how long I'm going to be stuck there." He could barely hear her words; she'd buried her head in his chest, trying to hide from the pressures of her career.
"Well then all the better that I come with you. I'm your convenient, entirely legitimate excuse to cop out early. You have to take me home and show me the ropes and help me get settled." He ran a hand soothingly up and down her back, running the other hand gently through her hair. He could feel her sigh as his ministrations worked to ease the tension that had sprung up.
"I guess so. I'm warning you though, work is no picnic. It's not going to be a cake walk."
"No worries. I'm a big boy, I can handle myself." He smirked, and she smiled gratefully. He reached down to squeeze her in a tight hug and then plant a kiss on her lips. Moving back to Tree Hill was definitely looking better and better, and he'd only been off the plane two hours.
"Alcott, this is insane," Brooke muttered, running her hand over her face in an attempt to reset the situation. They'd been at her office for a little over an hour already, and all signs were pointing to at least another three, if not four before they'd get a plausible chance at escaping.
"Brooke, I'm sorry, I know you're tired but you're vacation came at the worst time. You knew that!" Her boss, Mr. Alcott Roskins sat behind his desk, a big oak affair with gold inlay and leather trim. It screamed high society snob, which wasn't far off.
"It was an emergency! It wasn't like I just up and played hooky so I could get a tan or something! Fuck!" Brooke jumped up from her seat and resumed pacing. When her shoes had been discarded in favor of comfort versus fashion Lucas had been surprised, to say the least. He'd never seen Brooke without a complete fashion ensemble, especially around anyone not part of her close, immediate circle of friends. However, when her boss wasn't the slightest bit phased by this move, it struck Lucas that it was a normal, recurring event.
Which brought about two things: one, an intense dislike that the man sitting behind the desk caused such stress and frustration in Brooke's life that she'd felt the need to kick her shoes off while pacing on more than one occasion, and two, jealousy that there was another man who had even this small a level of intimacy with his girl. That just didn't sit well with him.
"I get that you had something to take care of. But you couldn't even check your email or call in?" He sounded just a tiny bit perturbed, and it pleased Lucas to no end that his feathers were ruffled. Mr. High Society wasn't Mr. Perfect. Which made Lucas feel much much better.
"Alcott, I've worked with this company, invested myself to this company, for just over two years! I've never taken a sick day, I've never asked for a vacation, I've always covered someone's ass when it was needed. I've devoted my fucking LIFE to this company!" Brooke had stopped pacing and now stood in front of her boss, both hands on his desk, leaning dangerously close to his face. If Brooke hadn't been so livid Lucas might have been concerned that she was going to kiss him.
"Brooke, calm down." Ha, good luck bud.
"I – will – not – calm – down." Her teeth were clenched and her eyes snapped. You could have lit half of downtown New York from the pissed off energy that crackled around the diminutive frame.
"We all know how valuable you are to this establishment. There are several portions that wouldn't have made it as far as they did without you." She snorted and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like no shit. "However, that doesn't excuse you from being responsible for the mess that was created because you were selfish." Oooh. Bad move. Lucas took a couple steps backward, not really wanting to be in the path of any wayward projectiles when the poor Mr. Alcott Roskins met his untimely death. If there was one thing you didn't call Brooke Davis, it was selfish. And you certainly didn't tell her what was and was not her responsibility.
Brooke stood transfixed. She was consumed in an all purifying anger that was so intense, so profound, that for a moment she couldn't even breathe. Brooke had done more than give the company her undivided attention. She'd buried herself so far into the bowels of her job that she'd lost who she was in the process. Brooke had in fact given up so much of who she was that one morning she had woken up and found half her makeup and a week's worth of pressed clothes in a filing cabinet in her office, with her sleeping on the couch. To be fair, the company had given her an outlet to the pain she'd felt in separating from Lucas and the life she'd had in Tree Hill, but in her eyes she'd more than paid back what she'd received. Not that she'd ever taken any monetary gains above and beyond what she'd been due in reward for her efforts.
Standing there, staring at her boss, the man who had turned into something of a father figure while she'd fought to learn the ropes of surviving in a town decidedly nothing like Tree Hill, she felt a single tear slip its way down her cheek.
"Alcott, I don't know how you can sit there behind that desk and say that to me. To me. You know what I've gone through for this company, for you. You have no right to call me selfish, and you have no right to penalize me for finally putting my life and my family first." Her voice had gone deathly cold and Lucas wasn't the only one to shiver as she spoke. Alcott's face paled noticeably, and he realized just how much damage he'd done. Unfortunately for him it was too little too late.
"Brooke, listen. You're tired, I shouldn't have asked you to come here as soon as you'd landed. Go home, rest up, take a day, and we'll talk again day after tomorrow." He gave a concerted effort to fix the royal screw up he'd just made, but Lucas wasn't sure what Alcott expected him to do when he threw Lucas a pleading glance.
"Don't look to Lucas for help with this buddy, you did this one all on your own," Brooke spat out, standing upright. "You're right, we are going to continue this discussion later. Just don't go making any plans or basing any expectations off our upcoming chat." Her voice was cold, something Lucas had come to learn was a clear sign of pain and hurt, along with anger and frustration.
"Brooke," Lucas finally stepped back into the conversation, scooping up her purse and shoes and offering a hand for her to hold. She spun at the sound of his voice, but eased considerably when she saw his understanding expression and outstretched hand. She smiled gratefully, slipped her shoes back on and tucked her arm in the crook of his elbow.
"Come on Broody, let's go home. I'm tired," she said softly, not even deigning to acknowledge the man who sat defeated behind the desk. Alcott knew he'd screwed up, and while he had a modicum of right to be angry, he'd crossed the line. Brooke had truly turned into one of his most valuable members, and he'd done serious damage.
"It was nice to meet you Ms. Roskins," Lucas said politely while holding the door for Brooke to walk ahead. Even though he'd just met the man, he had taken an instant disliking to him. But that didn't mean he was going to be rude. His mother had raised him better than that.
The couple walked down the hallway and turned at a set of double doors that Lucas had yet to go through. When they'd arrived at the building Brooke had been met downstairs by a lackey who'd insisted they visit the big cheese's office right off the bat. Lucas had gathered a vague impression of fancy gilded doors and pretentious employees who played at being important while they gossiped behind manila folders and gray cubicle partitions.
"I've just got to pick up some things real quick and then we'll head home. I promise it'll be quick," she spoke with a quiet tone, exhaustion evident in her words and mannerisms. When Brooke fished out a set of keys from her purse it dawned on Lucas that the double doors they stood in front of must be her office. If she warranted her own set of double doors and was that close to the head cheese, she really was up there in the corporate ladder.
"Holy shit Pretty Girl!" He whistled appreciatively as they stepped inside. While the corridors might have smacked of too much money and not enough reality, Brooke's office was all her. Warmth and friendliness greeted him in the layout of the furniture, the soft colors and tasteful pieces of artwork laid out around the spacious office.
"Thanks, this kind of turned into my home away from home, I guess. I swear though, when I first got it I thought I was going to hurl. The way they had it painted! It was horrendous!" She shuddered lightly in remembered revulsion, chucking her purse onto the desk she'd left piled with paperwork.
"This place is amazing Brooke. I can see why you loved it so much. It's distinctly you."
"Thanks, Luke, I appreciate that. I've had to work hard to get this office, ya know? It's going to hurt when I leave it, I won't deny that," she said in a barely audible whisper as she sank onto the couch. Lucas sat down in the over sized chair by her head, and ran his fingers through his hair. At the sadness in her voice Lucas felt a pang of guilt. Did he really have a right to ask her to uproot all this just for him?
"For the longest time I thought I had it all. Huge house, pretty decent friends, a life that most people would give their right arm and first born to acquire, even for just an hour." She continued in that same soft whisper, and it took Lucas a minute to place his finger on why it sounded so off. There wasn't an undercurrent of pain or sadness in her voice. Sure, she sounded upset, but not because she was making a decision she didn't want to make. Brooke was preparing herself for the future, adjusting to what needed to be adjusted to so that when she did finally walk away from it all, she would be ready.
"Pretty Girl, you want to go home?"
"Home is Tree Hill Lucas, and I can't go back there. Not yet. I need to tie off loose ends here, make this right before I start over. It's what I didn't do in Tree Hill, and I can't leave that kind of mess behind me again." The whisper's a little stronger this time, which is encouraging.
"Sorry, I meant your house. As in, leave work and change clothes and relax in an atmosphere that isn't so emotionally charged." He winced, slightly, hoping he hadn't just put his foot in his mouth with that one.
"Oh, sorry. I'm following now. Yeah, I think going to the house would be nice. I can't wait to get into a pair of shorts and relax. And a shower! Oh man, a nice hot steaming shower." She sighed expansively.
"Is there room for two in that shower?" Lucas cocked his eyebrow and grinned in that sexy way that Brooke loved so much, and she broke out in a fit of giggles accompanied by a blush. She'd always loved how Lucas could change her entire mood with a single look.
"Don't you keep any food in this house woman?!" Lucas was rummaging through the cabinets in Brooke's huge kitchen, his stomach gnawing at his back bone. He hadn't had a decent meal in over eight hours and he was starved!
"Remember, I haven't been home in a while. I had to fly back home to save someone's ass," she replied, winking saucily. Brooke had changed into a pair of workout shorts and a tank top after her shower, and wandered into the kitchen with a towel in her hand while she dried her hair. The sight of Brooke was very nearly enough to distract him from the hunger pangs, but not quite.
"I'm hungry!" he whined.
"Here's the yellow pages, find us a place that delivers and get some food," she quipped back, chucking a thick book of thin yellow sheets at his chest. Lucas caught it with an oomph, shook his head, and muttered something.
"What was that? I didn't hear you," Brooke rejoined sweetly…dangerously sugar sweet, in fact.
"Oh nothing, just reminding myself that I love you and that you're an amazing woman, even if you have no domestic skills," he said innocently enough. But Brooke could see the mischievous twinkle in his eye and the silly boy grin on his face.
"You think you're so clever, don't you Broody?" She sauntered up to him, eyeing his broad shoulders, toned arms, that faint hint of a delicious six pack hidden behind the pull over he was wearing. The towel fell forgotten to the floor as she wrapped her arms around his neck and rubbed her body seductively against his own.
"Brooke," he growled, voice thick with the desire she roused in him with the simplest of movements. The phone book hit the counter with a thud as his own arms encircled her bare waist, thumbs resting along her spine. She shivered at the feel of his hands against her bare skin and Lucas' eyes grew dark with desire as hunger for food was replaced with hunger for Brooke.
"Mmm, Broody, I think you're right, I'm pretty hungry too," she whispered, her hot breath blowing softly against his ear as she played with his hair. Lucas groaned and tightened his grip. "Why don't you order us something yummy," she said, and then she was gone, slipped from his grasp to leave a decidedly worked up man standing slack jawed as she bent over to pick up her towel and pad her way back to the bathroom.
"Brooke!!!" The sound of her laughter from the other room was the only answer he got in return for his frustrated grunt. "That woman's going to be the death of me, I swear," he muttered to himself.
Lucas resumed his hunt for food, this time flipping through pages until he found a place that sounded semi decently appealing. Thirty minutes later Brooke and Lucas were perched comfortably on her sofa munching away on some yummy Korean food.
"So what's the game plan?" Lucas was the first to break the companionable silence, not because he was uncomfortable but because he needed to know what the next step was, and figure out what and how he could help.
"Well, Alcott gave me the day off tomorrow so I figure we'll sleep in, rest up and start going through the house. It's pretty big and I never really finished decorating it, so there isn't much to pack up. Oh, and we'll go look for a realtor…what?" Brooke paused, confused by the look on his face.
"You sound so matter of fact about the whole thing," he replied, honestly surprised by it all.
"Well why wouldn't I?"
"We're talking about packing everything up and moving Brooke. This isn't a small change, not by any means."
"Duh Lucas, I know that. I've thought about it, and the brutal truth of it all is that I've never really been settled here. This isn't home, not in the true sense of the word. Which is what makes this whole thing that much easier." She shrugged nonchalantly, and Lucas battled with his reactions.
"I'm really impressed Brooke. I know that sounds shitty, and I don't mean to come across like I thought you were immature or anything. I guess I just figured you'd have a harder time with this is all."
"Broody, the only one having a hard time with this is you. Which I love and adore and appreciate, but really, it's okay. I want to do this, I need to do this. I left so much in Tree Hill, that I've been a fraction of who I am now. Only scary thing about this whole change is the uncertainty of my job. I don't know one hundred percent that they'll let me telecommute."
"If they've got an ounce of intelligence they will. And even if they don't you'll find a way around it. Who knows, you could even open your own clothing boutique!"
"You know, speaking of talent and things working out nicely, we should meet with a couple publishers while we're in town. I know your book is done," Brooke said, as off the cuff as she dared. Brooke certainly didn't need Lucas catching on that she'd been secretly arranging meetings and pulling strings for his book since they'd bought the plane tickets to come back.
"You think so?" He paused to consider the notion. His book had been finished for a while, and he did want to get it published. Not that he'd told anyone other than Brooke that it was done, and even then it had been in passing. She must really love him to have caught something he'd tried hard to make so trivial.
"Definitely. We've got time, and you don't have to be in the same town as your editor to continue the process. I think it's a good next step for you to take Luke. In a time of need its good to move forward and find something rewarding to work toward." It was definitely something she'd learned the hard way, that tidbit of information. But now, sitting on her couch with her Lucas, she was pleased with the way things had turned out. Life felt right, for the first time in a long, long while.
"Yeah, I think you're right. Let's do it," he slowly acknowledged, nodding his head in confirmation.
Brooke squealed and clapped her hands in excitement. Things were going to be alright. She was finally going home, he was finally looking to the future, and life was going to be alright.
AN: I know, this is really short. But – and I literally mean this – I just finished typing that last sentence and it felt right to end it there. However, I've still got another five hours of typing time plus god knows how much time tomorrow, so I don't think this will be the last chapter I post this weekend. Hope y'all like it!