AN: Ah, the best laid plans of mice and men. I swear, I sat down Saturday with the full intention of producing a new chapter for all three stories. Four hours later found three loads of laundry done, a clean kitchen, and still no chapters. Talk about a sudden bout of writer's block. Oyi. To make up for the delay though, I'll be posting all week. Hope y'all like this chapter, I'm not entirely thrilled with it, but it's got parts that I needed to work into the story. Enjoy, and I look forward to your comments! Z

It's amazing the things that can happen in a day. It's twenty four measly hours, and yet, it's not. Sure. The annoying circular device on the wall that figures its way into any legitimate horror story says it's twenty four hours, two full rotations of its twelve hour cycle, but that's just what it thinks. Besides, inanimate objects can't think. Therefore, it doesn't know that reality is entirely a different kettle of fish. Brooke sat on her couch, staring out the living room window at the snow that still covered the street before her house. An intense feeling of de ja vu crept over her as she sat alone, contemplating the scenery as cars drove past and Christmas lights still decorating houses blinked and shone into her private lonely hell.

That same crew that had put up her lights had come on schedule and removed them, all while she was gone. Gone. Ah yes, that's right. Brooke hadn't been back in her house for quite some time. She'd gone off on a trip that had proven more of an eye opener than she could have possibly imagined.

Yet somehow, there she was, sitting alone on a couch in a house that felt more empty than the last time she'd been there. How'd that manage to happen? Oh yeah. She'd opened her manipulative mouth, spouted off at the only man she'd ever loved, who'd ever loved her enough to break past the walls she'd built, and chased him out the door. Duh. How could she forget? Didn't matter that he'd started it. She'd been the one who pushed.

Like I said, it's amazing how many things can happen in a day.

-

"Who was on the phone babe?" Nathan came wandering back into the kitchen holding a yawning James while he rubbed his eyes. They'd been sitting on the couch, a quiet little family, watching a movie about a boy and a video watch and animals, all overlaid by an extremely annoying theme song that just refused to leave the recesses of his mind. Nathan knew he'd be humming that tune for days.

"Haley?? You alright?" Nathan certainly hadn't been expecting to walk in and find his wife staring blank-eyed at nothing, holding the phone in her hand. She'd sat down after the phone call had ended, forgetting to place the phone back in the cradle. When Nathan pulled the phone from her limp grasp she snapped back to reality.

"Huh? Oh, sorry, thanks," she replied absent mindedly.

"Hales, who was on the phone?" He was worried.

"That was…Lucas. Said he and Brooke had a huge fight, and he's not really sure what's going to happen next."

"Are you serious? What does he mean happen next?" Now he was really really worried.

"He's not sure Brooke's going to move back."

"WHAT?!"

"Yeah, I know. That's kinda what I said too. Oh man. This is crazy," she sighed, dropping her head into her hands tiredly. She knew things had been going too well.

"Why does he think Brooke isn't coming back?" That just didn't jive with Nathan. When he'd had the conversation with Brooke, it was clear how strong her resolve was.

"Lucas thought Brooke was taking it all too calmly. He's afraid she's hiding, and will crack at the last minute. I personally think he's being an idiot and shoving his own fears onto her shoulders." Haley was just a tad bit disgusted with her brother in law. He was normally much more intelligent, but then again the last year or so hadn't been the best demonstration of his normal level-headedness.

"So what do we do?" Nathan shifted a now sleeping James in his arms, trying to settle the warm body more comfortably. He did so love it when James fell asleep like that; showed the trust and bond was as strong as ever.

"I'm not really sure. Lucas said he was going to head back to her house in a little bit, and would call in the morning. I just, well, I just think maybe he needs some reinforcement up there."

"Reinforcement?'

"Yeah, someone to help him cope with the shifts and changes Brooke is going through."

"Help him??"

"I know, it sounds funny doesn't it?"

"Insane is more like it. Why's he having such a hard time with this? I thought it was what he wanted?"

"Wish I could tell ya. That's why I think he needs reinforcement, someone up there to tell him it'll be fine, that it's what needs to happen."

"Want me to go?" It wasn't that he had to be the one to go, but as his brother and one of Brooke's oldest friends, it just made sense.

"Yeah, I think that would be a good idea. He's being thick headed about the whole damn thing and I'm sure Brooke would appreciate the support," Haley sighed, realizing she'd just agreed to what could amount to a month long separation from her husband. But it was what needed to happen. She stood up and took their sleeping son from his arms and placed a loving kiss on Nathan's cheek.

"Why don't you call him back, let him know you'll come up there and find a flight out. I'll help you pack after I put James to bed," she whispered, not wanting to wake up James. Nathan nodded and watched as the two most important people in his life walked down the hallway. God how I love those two, he thought to himself.

-

"Brooke?" Lucas shut the front door quietly behind him, not really sure what to expect. The last time he'd shut that same front door the woman who held his heart had threatened to set it on fire if he came back.

Silence greeted his call, and for a split second Lucas was terrified that Brooke had run again. Lord knew that it was a pretty standard MO for his spunky brunette. Then he heard the soft sounds of the radio playing somewhere in the house, and he figured she just hadn't heard him.

Lucas hung his jacket in the closet she'd shown him when they first arrived, and toed his shoes off by the door. He didn't want to compound matters with leaving a trail of muddy foot prints on her immaculate carpet. As he walked past the kitchen he cringed just slightly. Boxes were scattered haphazardly across the tile floor, some stacked on top of each other as their contents were filled, taped, and labeled. That was where the arguing had started. If only he'd been smart enough to stop it there too…

"Luke, can you hand me that set of books over there? I doubt I'll be doing much cooking in this kitchen." Brooke had been pointing to a stack of cook books on the far counter.

"You sure? I mean, we are going to be here for at least another month," he replied, hesitation blatantly clear as he shifted in an effort to keep from letting his concerns get the better of him.

Brooke groaned, rubbed a hand over her face and reached for the books herself.

"Please Lucas, let's not go through this again. I've already explained to you, it's a month tops, yes I'm fine with the move, no I don't think it's going too fast, and yes, I want to go home!" As Brooke rattled off the list of complaints they'd argued over for the past five hours, her frustration and anger and exhaustion rose. By the end, she was full blown pissed and yelling at the top of her lungs.

"Brooke! Calm down!"

"Don't you dare. You don't get the option of telling me to calm down, not right now." She was seething.

"I'm just worried, is all! This isn't some temporary shift, you can't just pick back up and come to New York if you change your mind!"

"Seriously! You think I'm that weak? That flaky!?"

"Of course not! I just want you to be happy!"

"Lucas, get it through that thick blonde skull of yours. Being with you makes me happy. That's all I need!"

"As much as I want to believe that, I can't," he said quietly.

He was met with two hazel eyes glazed over with shock and pain. She sucked in a deep breathe of air, shook her head, opened her mouth as if to say something, looked at him again, and then just walked away.

"Brooke?" He called again, following the sound of the radio in the back ground. He knew he'd fucked things up pretty big, and now he just hoped he could fix things. "Brooke? Pretty Girl?"

"In here Lucas," came the soft response, and he turned toward the doorway the sound had originated from. As he stepped over the threshold he was amazed at how beautiful she looked. And how sad.

"Pretty Girl? You okay?" He walked to her side and sunk down onto the bed behind her. He found her in one of the spare rooms, surrounded by pictures and odd scraps of clothing and other memorabilia. This was not what he'd expected to see when he'd come back.

"Yeah, just doing some more packing." She smiled faintly, then reached for a picture to the left of her. "Do you remember when this was taken?"

He took the picture from her slender fingers and smiled just a little bit.

"Yeah, actually I do. If I remember correctly, you split town the next week." Looking back at him was a moment captured in time three years past. Nathan and Haley stood, arms wrapped around each other, next to Bevin who'd jumped on Skillz back, while Rachel had an arm draped around Brooke's shoulder. Mouth stood next to her, her own arm tucked in the crook of his elbow, while Lucas stood behind the two, with Peyton on the other side of Mouth. It was one of the few pictures that had them all in the same spot, at the same time.

"I wasn't the only one who left you know. I was just the first is all," she said quietly, an odd hitch in her voice.

"You always were the trendsetter. Why so sad?"

"It's not so much sad as reminiscent. There's a lot of memories spread out on this bed." Brooke reached over and picked up a pom pom that sat in the corner, shook it slightly and then dropped it into the waiting box at her feet.

"Listen, babe, I'm sorry…"

"Luke, stop. It's alright. Let's not go there tonight, alright?"

"If not tonight, then when, Brooke? This all doesn't feel right!"

"Luke, it's not your choice to tell me what feels right or not. Why can't you just trust me with this?" Brooke knew the moment she said it though. That was the heart of the issue, always had been with them. Trust. What an evil five letter word it had turned out to be.

"It just doesn't make sense, why can't you see that?!"

"If you're so certain that it doesn't make sense, then explain it to me," Brooke huffed, shoving the pictures and scraps from her past to the side as she stood up.

"I tried, Brooke, I tried already. Or don't you remember why you kicked me out of your house?" He sighed tiredly, rubbing his eyes as he tried to keep the lid on his own anger and frustration.

"I didn't kick you out, you slammed the door in my face in the middle of trying to talk to you!" She was pacing now. Definitely not a good sign.

"Talk? Ha. If that's talking, then I wonder what a full blown argument must be like nowadays. Shit sure has changed since the last time I was a member of a serious conversation." He couldn't help the tiny hint of sarcasm and irritation that crept into his voice.

"Oh that's nice, real smooth. I mean it Lucas, I don't want to go through this right now. Not tonight."

"Well tough cookies Brooke, I do. You're not showing an ounce of emotion over this!"

"Excuse me? What do you call all this!" She flapped her hands in the air, and he knew she wasn't just talking about that exact moment; she was encompassing it all, everything that had happened.

"You know what I mean."

"No, Lucas, I don't. Enlighten me."

"Brooke, you're so…blasé about this whole thing. Like it just doesn't matter to you. You're not feeling any emotions at all about this move, and you should!"

"Well excuse me Lucas for not playing to your sense of propriety. You've got it wrong though. It's not that I'm not showing any emotion, it's that I'm not showing the emotion you want me to!"

"No! That's not it at all!" Now they were both up and shouting, everything else forgotten. Back to square one. Damn.

"Yes it is! I've got news for you dumb ass! The reason it doesn't matter to me is because it doesn't! I told you earlier! This place isn't HOME!" For being as small as she was, Brooke Davis could make herself heard and seen like none other.

Lucas stood stock still. He'd come back with the sole intention of making things right, and here they were yelling. He'd thought for sure that he had been right, it made sense, it was the only thing that did make sense. He knew if the shoe had been on the other foot, he'd be feeling some remorse, some sense of loss for the life he'd be leaving behind.

His silence gave Brooke the chance to calm down. Her chest heaved with her efforts to control her breathing, and she had to flex her fingers to get them to relax. I swear, only Lucas had the ability to make me THIS pissed off, she silently muttered.

"Brooke, I-"

"No, Lucas. No. You have to listen to me. I'm not having this conversation again. I need you to believe me. This move is good for me. I don't care what happens here in New York. If Alcott lets me transfer or says to kiss off, it's alright. I've run away long enough. I've hid from so much that I've forgotten how to deal with it. I have to face it. I have to go home." Brooke sighed, her body deflating as she leaned against a wall and slid to the floor. With her slim legs folded, hands resting on her bent knees, she looked so small. His heart wrenched and he suddenly felt like the colossal ass he was.

"Pretty Girl, I'm sorry. Truly. I just don't want you to think I'm forcing you into something you don't want to do. I don't want you to wake up in a month when we're supposed to be getting on the plane and realize the whole thing is a mistake. I'm terrified that you'll get home, get settled, and then change your mind. I couldn't handle the pain of losing you. It'd kill me, Brooke, literally kill me." He had made his way over to her, kneeling in front of her. He meant every word of it. The idea of Brooke walking away from him shook him to the very depths of his soul.

"Lucas, you have to believe me. I'm not going to change my mind. I promise." She looked up at him, large hazel eyes brimming with tears, the devotion she felt for him there for anyone to see. She was serious. And he finally admitted it.

"You know, when I was out walking, trying to figure out how we'd gotten to where we were, I finally decided that I'd stay here. I'd stay here for you if it was what you wanted." He put up a hand when Brooke made to interrupt him. "Let me finish. I know I said I wanted to stay near mom. But you're right. She's okay. She's more okay than me, if I'm brutally honest with myself. I used Lily's death as a way to hide, from everything. But I don't have that excuse anymore. And I don't want to. If you want to stay here, I'll stay. Don't make this decision for me."

"Luke, I'm not. I'm making it for me. You're just a notch on my pro side in the imaginary list in my head." She grinned and he chuckled.

"You promise?"

"Yes, Broody, I promise. I'm doing this for me." Brooke slipped her fingers in between his own, and the touch made him shudder just slightly. God how he loved this woman.

"Alright. We good?"

"If you agree to drop this whole mess, then yeah. We're good."

"Deal. Oh, Nathan'll be here tomorrow." He'd almost forgotten the phone call he'd gotten on his way back to the house.

"Nathan? Really? Why?" She looked at Lucas with a quizzical expression on her face. She hadn't been expecting that particular piece of news.

"I called Haley while I was out. I didn't know what to do. I guess she felt it was a good idea to have Nathan here with us. Do you mind?"

"Nah. He can help pack. We'll be able to get more done, and get back home faster. When's he arrive?" Brooke stood back up, reaching a hand down to Lucas to help him off the floor. He kept hold of her hand and pulled her in for a tight hug, reveling in the scent of her shampoo and the smoothness of her soft skin.

"I don't know, I'll find out tomorrow. Come on, enough packing for tonight. Let's go to bed," he murmured into her hair. When she nodded her consent, he tugged her from the room, turning off the light and shutting the door on old memories.

-

"Nate, man, welcome to New York!" Lucas walked toward his brother and clasped his proffered hand. Nathan grinned and pulled him in for a one armed hug before stepping away and enveloping Brooke in a huge bear hug.

"Thanks bro. You two seem to be holding up okay, no bruises or scratches that I can see," he smirked, standing back from the outwardly appearing happy couple.

"That's cause we are okay. You don't have to stay and chaperone us, you know," Brooke said, laughing lightly. She slipped an arm around Lucas' waist and an arm through Nathan's elbow, not feeling the least bit intimidated being caught between two tall men. She knew every woman in the airport was currently in the throes of deep hatred and jealousy of her. The Scott brothers side by side was a sight that could make the coldest heart melt.

"Ha. Try telling that to Haley. I've been sent up here with the express command to make sure you both come home in one piece, and preferably together. However she did say that last part wasn't a requirement. She'd just fix it when you two got home." He shook his head at his gorgeous wife's antics; he still thought she was silly even if he did agree whole heartedly. Brooke and Lucas belonged together, end of story.

"Well, I wont turn down the help. Lucas here is horrible at packing, I've discovered," Brooke rejoined, hanging back as the brothers gathered up Nathan's luggage from the turnstile. She stuck her tongue out at a woman who was giving her the evil eye. Brooke could just imagine what was running through her head…hunk hog, why doesn't she share, I hate that bitch…yeah, some days it was really good being Brooke Davis.

"My limo's waiting, but I've got to go back to work. Lucas'll show you around the house, and I should be out of work before five or so," Brooke chatted on conversationally, leading the way to the black stretch limo waiting for them.

Nathan slid in after Lucas once his luggage had been stored in the trunk. Awaiting him inside were a cold beer and some snacks. They'd obviously been eating lunch on the way to pick him up from the airport.

"You have to go into work?" Nathan was slightly put out. He'd looked forward to spending some time with his oldest friend. He'd missed hanging out with Brooke, they'd always been close.

"Yeah, my boss is insistent that I work. I've got to smooth things over from my break, and figure out how I'm going to convince him to let me transfer to Tree Hill. He still doesn't know that's my end goal in all this," Brooke replied, stretching out on one of the four leather couches. She loved the feel of leather against her skin.

"Alrighty. I guess Lucas and I can find something to do while you're gone." Lucas cocked an eyebrow at Nathan when he shrugged, and shook his head when no other response was forthcoming.

"Yeah, like more packing, huh Brooke?"

"You know me so well Broody," she purred.

Thirty minutes of small talk ranging from James' adjustment and Karen's progress found them in front of Brooke's building.

"Alright boys, this is my stop, I'll see you guys later. Do try not to break anything, okay?" Brooke planted a kiss on Lucas' lips and slid out the open door. Before either one of them could reply, Brooke was gone and they were back on the road again, heading to Brooke's house.

Nathan's initial reaction to the house Brooke had been living in had gone up several marks in shock and awe as the two brothers wandered through the interior. Lucas had pointed out the room Nathan would be using while in town, showed him where the bathroom was, the door that led into the room Brooke and Lucas shared, where the kitchen was, all the important areas. Each stop had seen a hike in Nathan's eye brow and a longer whistle. By the end, Lucas was afraid Nathan was going to lose his eye brows to his hair line.

"Brooke's giving up this to come back to Tree Hill?" Nathan was incredulous.

"Thank you! I'm glad I'm not the only one seeing it this way!" Lucas threw up his hands in exasperation.

"Whoa, easy now. I'm not saying she's making the wrong choice. I just hadn't realized the kind of life she'd been living here is all."

"Yeah, Brooke's made a huge name for herself here. You should have seen the office she has. Talk about posh."

"Wait, did you just say 'posh'?"

"Shut up." Nathan's laughter was his only answer.

The two men wandered into the room Brooke had started packing the previous night, joking over pictures they picked up before finding albums or boxes to store them in before stacking them in the larger brown packing boxes. When Nathan picked up the matching pompom to the one Brooke packed away Lucas shook his head. It was amazing the things that woman kept.

"Hey man, you know who this is?" Nathan had stopped in his sorting and was looking at a small wallet size picture of a little baby. He handed the picture over to Lucas, who shook his head.

"Nope. Could be a friend's kid or something." Lucas flipped the picture over but there wasn't any writing on it giving away the identity of the baby girl. He shrugged and tossed the picture in the box along with a bunch of other photos. Something about the little girl's eyes had caught his attention, but he just shrugged it off.

"You ready for all this man?" Nathan was adding more pictures, but he looked up briefly to address his brother.

"Honestly I'm not real sure. I talked to Brooke last night about the whole thing, why I was so upset, why I thought she was acting weird. I think we've talked through it all, but I'm still on the fence. I'm serious when I say I'm worried she's making this move because it's what she thinks I want." Lucas had stopped sifting through the bags of things in the closet. He'd worked his way through the boxes on the floor, and now he was pulling down things from the top shelf.

"You know Brooke man, she wouldn't just jump into something like this. Well, wait, maybe she would…"

"Nate, you're not helping here."

"Sorry. Look, if Brooke swears she knows what she's doing, then you've got to believe her. You've got to let it go and just support her with this whole thing. Even if she does change her mind it doesn't mean you have to stop everything. It just means you've got to talk through things again."

"I don't know what to do though with all that. Changing your mind over something this large isn't a simple snap of the fingers. It's a huge deal!"

"Just be there for her Luke. She's a smart girl, she knows what she wants. She'll need your support, not you second guessing her through it all."

"I know, bro, I know. Thanks for coming up here. I owe you guys." Lucas ran a hand through his hair and then sneezed loudly when the dust from a box he'd just shifted wafted into his nose. Nathan snickered and finished packing the box he'd started.

-

Three days later Brooke stepped out of the town car she'd rented for the time being and waited for Lucas to join her. They were running late for a meeting with an editor for Lucas' book, and she didn't want to keep her friend waiting longer than they already had.

"Luke! Come on!" Brooke shifted her bag to the other shoulder when Lucas shoved his pack out at her. He'd finally popped up in the open door, and she was anxious to get in out of the bitter New York cold. It didn't matter how many layers you wore, it was still fucking freezing outside.

"I'm coming! If you'd move I'd be able to get out easier!" Brooke sighed with frustration, moved, and then tugged Lucas inside the lobby of the tall high rise after he finally got out of the limo.

"Honestly! For someone who's supposed to be going to a meeting for his book, you're certainly dragging your feet!"

"I know, I'm sorry. I'm not trying to make us late, I swear, but things move so much faster in this town!!" And he meant every word. He was stoked with the idea of getting his book in front of a publisher. That wasn't the issue. The issue was he could have sworn he'd had thirty minutes when Brooke had warned him on the timing, and ten minutes later she was chasing his ass out the door. It just wasn't fair!

"Whatever Broody. Just come on!" She was speed walking to the elevator doors, and Lucas, not for the first time, wondered how she was able to walk so damn fast in such high heels. He would have busted his ass a dozen times by then.

Running to catch up with her, Lucas managed to snag his bag back from his gorgeous girlfriend and slip an arm around her waist. The physical contact slowed her down, and she resumed a normal walk again. She did so love having his arm around her.

"Okay, so fill me in Cheery. What am I supposed to do?" He was nervous. He may not admit it, but he was nervous. Terrified, really. He was meeting with a stranger about his book, something he'd dreamed about but never actually thought was going to happen. And now he was. Oh crap.

"Hey, relax!" Having an arm draped around her shoulders left Brooke in prime position to sense Lucas stiffen. "You'll do fine. This lady's a friend of mine, I did a couple photo shoot arrangements for her a while back. Just sit down, be you, and talk a bit about your book. She'll take it from there." Brooke rubbed a soothing hand over Lucas' lower back, thoroughly enjoying the fact that she had the right to do so. Ah, the perks of being Lucas Scott's girlfriend.

"A friend? You didn't tell me that part."

"I've made lots of friends in New York Broody. It's how things are done. A favor for a favor. In this town the true wealth is measured in who you know and how many favors people owe you," she said, winking.

"You've been planning this, haven't you?" Lucas stopped short of the elevators and looked at Brooke. She looked suspiciously like a kid caught red handed.

"Well, maybe. But I wasn't going to push the issue if you'd said no, I swear!" Lucas chuckled and planted a kiss on Brooke's forehead. She wrapped her arms around his waist and sighed, relieved he wasn't mad. Not that she'd thought he would be, but sometimes you just never knew.

They stepped out of the elevator onto a floor buzzing with people making phone calls and fetching print outs and having discussions. Lucas hadn't been expecting such chaos, and for a split second the butterflies in his stomach got the better of him and he almost bolted. Almost. His male pride kicked in though and he stood straight and tall, squared his shoulders, and resolved he'd make it through this.

Five minutes later they were ushered into a decent sized office lined with bookcases filled to overflowing with books and manuscripts and loose papers. It was exactly what Lucas had expected an editor's office to look like, and felt the tension in his body seep out as he grew more comfortable.

"Brookie! So good to see you sweetheart!" An older lady jumped up from her spot behind the big lumbering desk and ran around to envelop Brooke in a huge hug. She was slightly taller than Brooke, not nearly as slender, and had the most shocking head of red hair Lucas had ever seen. She had to be Irish, had to be.

"Sarah! You look awesome! Thank you soo much for meeting with us, I really appreciate it!" Brooke stepped back and pulled Lucas forward. "Sarah, I'd like you to meet Lucas Scott, your next best selling author."

Lucas blushed under the appraising gaze of Brooke's friend. She eyed Lucas like a piece of meat.

"He's certainly pretty enough! Now if he can just write worth a damn, I'd say you'd be right about that one," Sarah replied, to which Brooke giggled. "It's nice to meet you Mr. Scott, I'm Sarah Avery."

Lucas shook the offered hand, using the contact to appraise the woman he was standing in front of. He could see why Brooke was friends with her, she was lively and out going, and seemed rather trust worthy.

"Nice to meet you Ms. Avery. Thank you for meeting with me today, I appreciate it," he said, smiling, and felt a satisfied tug deep down when she responded to his smile. Lucas knew how to turn on the charms when he wanted to.

"Anything for our girl here, anything at all. So, sit, sit." Sarah waved a hand at the chairs in her office, looking rather flustered. Lucas Scott was definitely easy on the eyes, and she was no blind female to be oblivious to the sexiness that radiated from the tall athletic man in her office. It occurred to Sarah that at some point, if the room got very much warmer, she'd have to crack a window.

"So, Lucas, Brooke tells me you have a finished manuscript. Did you happen to bring a copy with you?"

When Lucas pulled out the package he'd had overnighted to him by his mother, the group settled to the business at hand. Lucas would remember the entire meeting in a sort of haze, while his future was set on a track he'd only dreamed of.