My job search was going terribly. Everyone either wanted experience or a degree or both. It did not help that I was pregnant either. Nobody wanted to hire someone who would go on maternity leave any day. I didn't even have wheels to take me to places. So I was just walking around the strip of stores, looking for vacancy signs hoping to find one and praying that they would agree to hire me. My feet ached from consistently standing and my back hurt from all the additional weight near my belly. Regardless, I knew I did not have a choice, so onward I went. Every place I trudged made me more sullen than the previous. They took pity on me, but I was too much of a liability to hire.

"What am I going to do?" I spoke out to my belly before letting out a deep sigh, full of dread and defiance. I rubbed my face in my palms before checking my phone. It was almost an hour since school had been out which meant basketball practice was ending soon.

"Come on babies. It's time to meet your dad!" I said while rubbing my belly before beginning to walk in the direction of Tree Hill High.

I stood outside the gym but in the shadows. Lucas always had a penchant for coming out last for some reason. Once practice had ended, I saw all the boys come out and darted to the side of the building in fear of being spotted. After ten more minutes, I heard a familiar voice, his voice. His voice alone sent chills down my spine as I felt flutters in my belly. I was not ready for this, but I knew that I did not have a choice.

I peeked around the corner, all the boys had left except Nathan and Lucas. Steeling my nerves, I finally left my spot and stood directly behind Lucas. Nathan who could see me widened his eyes knowing exactly what was going to go down in a few moments.

"Hey," I squeaked out, my voice husky and ragged, almost a whisper. However, it was enough for Lucas to catch. He ended up dropping the basketball he was catching and turned around immediately.

He looked different when I saw him. The court battle with Dan had definitely taken a toll on him. He looked old. Almost as if he had aged 3 years in the 3 months that I was gone for. His forehead seemed to have permanent crease lines and he had bags under his eyes from stress and the lack of sleep.

Once he had turned, his gaze shifted from my face to my very enlarged belly. I waited for a reaction, not knowing what to say or do. He never reacted. I waited for him to say something, anything. He never said a word. If he wasn't still upright, I would have questioned whether he was even alive. He just stood there staring for what felt like hours.

Then he ran. I saw him get into his car and drive away from me. I had readied myself for stomping, for anger, for harsh words, heck I had even prepared for him to hate me. But never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that he would just simply walk away.

"Hey, it's okay. It's okay. Shhh!" Nathan said to me as he pulled me into a hug. It was then that I noticed the tears streaming down my face. "Brooke, you know him. It is not like him to do this. He just needs time. He needs to clear his head."

I tried nodding my head but it was difficult due to my uncontrolled emotions. Come on, let's feed you something and get you home.

I tried to retaliate, but I was too tired to. He drove me to Karen's cafe where I asked for a simple salad. However, two bites into it, I had to run to the bathroom to throw up.

"Dude, he literally got into his car and drove away. Please can you check out the river court and knock some sense into him," I heard Nathan say on the phone when I returned from the bathroom. He was most likely talking to Haley.

"Nathan, I appreciate every single thing you have done for me. But please just don't for this one. This needs to be Lucas' choice and if he wants nothing to do with me or them, I can't force him to. I am not going to. Besides, I honestly don't even want him to ruin his life for this. He shouldn't have to give up his life and his dreams." I said to him nonchalantly.

"Brooke, he is just scared. I mean Dan is always lurking around, it is scary as it is. He lost you while all of this was happening and he was barely holding up. Now, he learns he is going to be a father at 16! I mean, both of you are the literal personification of out of the frying pan and into the fire," he attempted to reason with me.

"Tutor girl has really done a number on you for you to know proverbs," I joked. "Also, it's going to be a waste of a trip for Haley. Lucas won't be at the River Court."

"Wait, isn't that like his thinking spot?" he asked.

"It is, but he doesn't need to think about this. He is scared out of his mind right now," I answered cryptically.

"Where Brooke?" Nathan asked flatly, looking at me dead in the eyes.

"The Beach," I answered, taking a sip of water.

"Come on, lets go," Nathan said, helping me up from the booth.

We got into the car and Nathan began driving us. Halfway there I realised that he was going in the wrong direction.

"Nate, Peyton's house is on the left!" I said, smacking his shoulder. But he continued to drive. "Nate, where are you taking me?" However, he didn't even bother looking in my direction.

"Nathan! No!" I screamt once I knew what his plan was.

"Go talk to him," he said in the same flat tone he had used on me earlier once he parked the car near the beach.

"No, please no," I begged him as tears began forming in my eyes.

"Brooke, I know you are pregnant, but I am still stronger than you. You either walk there yourself and talk to him or I will lift you up and haul you there myself," he commanded.

"Nate, let him decide!" I tried to coax him.

"I am. I am not at all putting any restrictions on his choices. All I am saying is that the two of you need to talk. Now go, I am waiting here in the car for you," he said to me.

I mumbled some about all of it being totally unfair before losing and opening the car door to get out. Just as I had said, there he was, his one hand was sifting through the sand but he was looking straight at the ocean. The other hand was picking up rocks to throw into the frothy waters.

I contemplated going and sitting next to him, afraid that he would get up and leave again. But, I was left with few choices, so I just did. I saw his body get stiffer once he realised my presence, but he also watched as I comically sat down, my large belly making it hard for me to plop down.

"You know I was just accepting that you were gone. I had just begun to take back control of all my emotions and somehow be a little okay with not having you here. It was so hard and the only way I could, the only way I could live without you was by hating you. I had to hate you, Brooke. I just needed to hate you, otherwise I would explode. You hurt me so bad. You left me. You just straight up stopped fighting, you lied about your flight dates and you literally vanished from our lives overnight, never to be heard from again. The only time I did hear from you was that voicemail you left, asking about Dan. It took my messed up abusive father for you to care about how I was doing? I know I didnt answer then, but maybe I should now.

You want to know the truth, I didnt care. I simply stopped caring. He came back angry, angrier than what I have ever seen him, and I didn't even flinch. I felt nothing. I was dead inside, nothing mattered. If Dan killed me or not, I was already dead. You killed me Brooke. It was you, not Dan, you!

All of this made it so much easier to just block you and hate you. I called you the bane of my existence, blamed you for how crappy everything was and it was easy to because you were halfway across the world! I was learning to live that way, if I was mean to someone, oh it's Brooke's fault. She messed me up. And now you waltz back in, pregnant! And you know what sucks the most, I don't know how to hate you! It was so easy to just think of you as this terrible human being because you only lived in my head and I didn't have to see you or hear from you! Now here you are, pregnant with my baby! I want to scream that why didn't you tell me, but I am the one who blocked you. I want to ask all of these questions, but I'm afraid that I won't be angry anymore and if I don't hate you, I love you and that is way too painful for me to handle."

I didn't say anything. I continued to look straight ahead, trying to process everything he had just said to me.

"Don't worry, we won't make it difficult for you. We will stay out of your hair, just please don't misdirect your anger for me towards our two kids, okay?" I said as I placed a copy of the ultrasound picture in the sand next to his fingers. I saw him pick it up to look at while I attempted to stand up.

"Wait, did you say two kids?" he asked suddenly, his ears perking up, as if I had broken him from his reverie.

"Yep. I'm carrying twins," I answered before beginning to walk towards Nathan, leaving him stunned yet again.

"Wait, what!? How far along are you, how long have you known this for, that you were pregnant," he asked, standing up quickly and trying to catch up to me.

"It's none of your business, Luke. You made yourself and your position very clear and this really doesn't concern you," I said, continuing my walk back to car.

"Brooke, come on!" he yelled trying to get me to stop, yet so afraid to touch me as if I was a fragile china doll.

"Bye Luke," I said with remorse before entering Nathan's car.

"Just please take me to Peyton's, Nate," I begged.

He nodded his head before turning on the engine to drive me back home. The day had wore me out completely. I ended up falling asleep in the car itself as we drove down the empty town roads.

— — –

Nathan must have carried me into Peyton's house because when I woke up, it was nearing 2 am. I was really thirsty so I began walking down to the kitchen to get myself a glass of water. I was so shocked to find the kitchen lights on. Jake was inside, heating up some milk. I could hear baby Jenny fussing in the bassinet in the living room.

"Oh hey Brooke," he smiled at me, his eyes still red from sleep.

"Oh hi. Sorry, I didn't know you were over," I replied before filling a glass with water.

"Yeah, you were passed out cold. So Nathan and I just carried you over to your room. Peyton tried to wake you up for dinner but you didn't even so much as flinch. We just decided to let you sleep. Are you hungry, I could microwave some leftover pizza," he said.

"Nah, all the babies allow me to keep down is ice cream," I smiled.

He chuckled before filling Jenny's bottle with milk and carrying it to her. I followed him, sitting on the couch besides him as we watched the hungry baby gulp down the milk.

"How do you do it Jake? You make it look so easy but it is so scary!" I asked him.

"I'm scared everyday, all the time! You're always going to be terrified of messing up!" he laughed.

"Then?" I asked, waiting for the flipside.

"Then nothing. The fear is always going to be there and so is the responsibility and the insane unconditional love that you're going to feel. The fear just makes you a better parent. It means that you care enough to not mess it up," he answered.

"Jake I had no parents growing up. They just never cared for me to be around. What if my lack of experience ends up messing them up?" I asked.

"Their mistakes show you exactly the kind of parent you don't want to be and so you wont, Brooke. You felt the lack of love, so you're gonna feel nothing but love for these two," he replied.

"And what about money? I have none. How the heck am I going to afford things and provide for them?" I asked.

"You and Lucas will figure it out. I am certain about it. Besides, all kids need is Love. They don't need much," he responded.

"It's just me, Jake. Single momming it," I said, slumping back on the sofa and covering my face with my hands.

"Lucas came here looking for you," Jake said to me. "Haley told him that you were living here with Peyton. He wanted to apologise for being an ass. He waited for a while for you to wake up, but when it was clear that you were still probably on UK time zone, he left. He feels terrible Brooke."

"Honestly, I don't know what to feel about that. I- It's just so hard and messed up. And these stupid hormones don't help. Can I tell you a secret, when I saw him for the first time, it took all the self control in my body not to jump his bones. All I wanted to do was fling myself into his arms and kiss him hard. I hate myself for thinking that and feeling that," I answered.

"I am sure he feels that way too," Jake laughed. "I mean you were always Brooke Davis, the second most beautiful girl in Tree Hill and now with the whole Pregnancy glow, it's just whoosh!"

"Ha Ha! I feel like a whale! Oh God, I am going to be bigger than a whale! There's two in there! How will I carry two kids man. What if they weigh more than me and I'm constantly topping over due to gravity?" I exclaimed. "Also, what do you mean by second most!?"

"Relax B! You're not the first girl pregnant with twins. Imagine what it would be with triplets! Or you know, quadruplets, quintuplets, sextuplets…" he began counting on his fingers.

"Jake, just shut up!" I yelled, the mere idea sending shivers down my body.

"Also, you're second, because the number one prettiest girl is right here," he asked, lifting Jenny up who was almost through her bottle.

I couldn't help but smile. Jake had such dad pride in his eyes. Maybe, I would be able to do it after all.

"We are all here for you B. We are all going to help and pitch in. You don't have to worry about a thing. And yes, kids can cost, a lot, but you have time to figure it out. You need to learn to relax, stress is worse for the babies. It can cause premature labour and you're anyway carrying twins so, not meaning to scare you, but going full term is going to be hard as it is, he said to me while trying to get Jenny to burp."

I gulped down the news he had just delivered. "I'll sure try."

I walked back up to my room with Jake and Jenny. I really was still on UK time since I was wide awake now. I checked my phone to find texts from Lucas.

"Oh great, look kids, Daddy finally unblocked me!" I said before proceeding to read them.

'Brooke I am so sorry. I screwed up. I am an ass. Please, I am sorry. Just call me.' he had said.

"I'm sorry Lucas Scott, but no. You do not get to jump in and out of our lives as and when it is convenient. Two can play the blocking game," I said to myself before blocking him off on my phone and trying to go back to sleep.

The next morning, I came down to see Jake, Peyton and Lucas sitting at the counter eating cereal.

"Brooke!" He yelled as soon as he saw me.

"What are you doing here?" I seethed.

"We need to talk, Brooke!" he snarled, matching my tone.

"What's there to talk about, Luke? You said everything you had to say. And I promise you that I heard you loud and clear," I retaliated.

"Brooke, they are my children too and I have rights you know!" He yelled at me.

"Did you just threaten me? You did not just threaten to take them away!" I had never been angrier in my life.

"Well, if it comes down to it," he responded.

"Lucas, no!" Peyton yelled, trying to stop the massive fight which was about to ensue.

"I am going to kick you right where it hurts!" I yelled walking towards him.

"Hey Brooke! Brooke no!" Jake held me back.

"Let me go! He did not just threaten to take my kids away from me! Screw you, Lucas Scott! I hate you too!" I yelled as Peyton pushed him out of the door.