Chapter 654: 03:00
Sunday, March 12th, Early Morning
(Bailey-Miller Residence)
The ride across town from Deb Lee's place was quiet. Avril turned on the radio, and the Overnight DJ played the usual blend of music. As they stopped at one of the few stoplights that didn't blink at this hour, Brett looked to Avril and nodded. Avril nodded back.
"Turn it up!" Baylee said from the back seat.
"Why?" Avril asked.
"I love this song," Baylee said.
Brett grunted.
"Why did you do that, B?" Baylee asked.
"The male vocals are by her Uncle Brian," Avril said.
"It's fine," Brett said and turned up the stereo.
"I mean, I'm sorry, B, I just love La di die," Baylee said, "And Anya Wolfle."
"It's okay, Bay," Brett said as the light changed and Avril drove forward.
"Can I turn it down?" Avril asked.
"Why?" Baylee asked.
"The song is almost over, and anyway, I hate the song," Avril said.
"How can you hate La di die?" Baylee asked.
"Do you like Wolf Totem?" Avril asked.
"No, I can't understand what they are singing," Baylee said.
"Well, I like The Hu and not Anya Wolfle; we have different tastes," Avril said.
"I still don't get it," Baylee said.
"It's that simple," Avril said.
"How about you, B?" Baylee asked.
"I don't like the song for obvious reasons," Brett said, "We need sleep and figure out how to pull this shit off."
"The girls will be easy, but the rest of the school, I don't know," Avril said.
"How about your boy, Av?" Baylee asked.
"Can't come, Military School," Avril said.
Brett yawned as they pulled inform of Baylee's house. "Well, let's worry about it in daylight," she said.
"Okay," Avril said, and they piled out of the car to head inside to finally catch some sleep.
(Raven Hill)
The ringtone broke the darkened room's silence of a smartphone. The two figures in bed started to move. One of them reached for the phone. There is an old saying that there are no good phone calls after midnight. Grabbing the phone, he looked at the name on the display. He turned to the other figure.
"Hales, go back to sleep, it's my mom, and I'll wake you if it's important," Nathan Scott said.
Haley James-Scott grunted and put a pillow over her head; Nathan answered the call.
"Yes, Mom?" Nathan asked, "Do you know what time it is? I have to pick up the grandkids from Rachel's. Yes, it's her weekend. No, she won't come off the mountain. Yes, it's a pain, but she is their grandma. So, anyway, what is so important that you called at three in the morning? Really? You don't say, well, I guess it is a tradition. I know one that ended after what happened to Candi. I can't believe Brett would do that. Yeah, I'll pass it along. Good night, Mom."
Nathan disconnected the call and lay on his back. Suddenly, his knee screamed in pain, which caused Nathan to move to a position of comfort. Nathan rubbed his face, feeling the stubble, and sighed. Haley removed the pillow from her head.
"What's wrong, Nate?" Haley asked.
"That was my mom," Nathan said.
"You said that already; what did she want at this ungodly hour?" Haley asked.
"It seems Brett went to borrow the keys to the beach house without asking," Nathan said.
"What did Deb do?" Haley asked.
"Gave her the keys and called me," Nathan said.
"What does she want to do?" Haley asked.
"I don't know, but I have to get the grandkids," Nathan said.
Haley yawned, "Get some sleep; nothing we can do now," she said.
"I can't do both," Nathan said.
"You get the grandkids, and I'll handle this revelation," Haley said.
"Are you sure?" Nathan asked.
"Yes, I suggested it; now get some sleep; you have a long drive," Haley said.
"Night, Hales," Nathan said.
"Night, Nate," Haley said, and they both tried to go back to sleep.
(Beaulieu Manor)
He's had trouble sleeping over the last few years. The crush of guilt and duty weighed heavily and caused part of it. Lucas stared at the ceiling, thinking about the white knight he once was and how that knight didn't always win. How putting things off usually led to more significant problems and bigger messes. Also, the realization is precisely where he found himself. He accomplished something, his fifth championship, his fourth as a coach, but he couldn't make himself enjoy it.
Shaking his head, he rolled onto his side and looked at his nightstand. In the pale light of his room, he could see the picture. It was a picture of him and Peyton, soon after they returned to Tree Hill, leaning against her prized Mercury Comet. He studied the picture of youth gone by.
"Well Pey, I did it, again, another championship. We were also undefeated, again," Lucas said and blinked a few times, "It was Brett's year, but Sawyer suffered; she wanted to be out there. She could've been what I was for Nathan. She could've been Brett's Steve Kerr, but we kept true to our promise," Lucas yawned, "I'm keeping my promise; two more years and I'll retire. I've been thinking about trying to find an artist in residence position near where Sawyer goes to college. I have a feeling it's going to be New York since it seems Fallon is pretty much forcing Keni to attend NYU. Maybe, it's what I need to go away again. We escaped the trauma of our past, but we found our way back home. I guess it's true; all roads do lead back home." Lucas stretched and yawned. "There will be a movie being released, a documentary, about Brian. I don't know if it will be he is a rock god or if he is the devil, but the family will get a viewing of the rough cut. Afterward, I might offer some old home movies to her, and it should be easy to edit in since I had them digitized." Lucas shifted about, "I don't know, Pey, nothing makes sense. You always had a way of putting things into perspective for me. I've still not written a single line for my next book. Maybe, it's done; my writing career, it's over. Nothing seems right anymore, but here I am talking to our picture at some ungodly hour." Lucas yawned, and his eyelids became heavy with fatigue. "I think my body is telling me to sleep. I need it, Pey, since my heart isn't working well now. Well, good night, and I miss you."
Lucas closed his eyes as sleep rapidly overtook him.
(Beaulieu Manor)
After her encounter with Tucker, Brooke walked through the various galleries and rooms of the East Range. Something felt right about tonight; three of her five daughters and her son were back under her roof again. This was rare, as her four oldest daughters had their own homes, and her son was usually off making films. In a short two years, her youngest, Keni, would be off to college, and if Fallon had her way, Keni would be attending NYU, and Brooke would genuinely have an empty nest.
This made Brooke slowly open the door that was paired with Fallon's room. Brooke could see Izzy wasn't in her bed from the doorway, backlit by the gallery light. Izzy was her oldest daughter in residence. Izzy was a surprise; Brooke always thought she would go into teaching, but instead, Izzy was in politics. That was something that surprised her, but Izzy always had a way of doing that.
Next, Brooke crept to Fallon's room. Her stepdaughter, or as Brooke preferred, adopted daughter when someone wanted clarification, lay sleeping with her latest beau. Wondering, Brooke hoped Fallon would find her happiness, hopefully in herself. Grant seemed a good enough person, but was this a case of passing ships? This was the first time Fallon ever brought someone to meet the family.
Brooke went to Keni's room next. As usual, Brooke found Keni and Sawyer in bed together. The two girls were always close, but Brooke noticed they had become almost inseparable over the last few years. Brooke wondered if the girls were together and if they hadn't decided to come out to their parents. Lucas had no worries since he already had two LGBTQ+ daughters, the twins. Brooke noted technically, she had one too, but Chase seemed to fall more on the hetero-normative side of the spectrum.
Brooke's next visit was to the bedroom of her granddaughter, Nomi. Brooke purposely gave Nomi, her mom, Izzy's old bedroom. She thought Nomi would appreciate having her mom's old room. Nomi reminded Brooke so much of Izzy, but she could see a lot of Keith in her. Brooke quietly hoped Nomi didn't get her dad's temper. Brooke looked in and found Izzy cuddled up with her daughter. Brooke smiled and moved on.
Her final stop was at her grandson's room, Ellis. Ellis, Nomi's younger brother, lay curled up on his bed. A peanut of a boy, he seemed to have inherited his demeanor from his mom. Ellis was a quiet and bookish boy who always seemed undersized. Maybe it didn't help that Izzy had issues with her pregnancy with him. Brooke remembered all of Izzy's pregnancies were rough on her.
Satisfied that everyone was bedded down, peacefully and sleeping, Brooke walked towards her suite of rooms. Now Brooke could go to sleep, even though she wondered where Ellie was.
(Beaulieu Manor)
The night was still, and floral-scented winter flowers floated in the air. Except for a few lights, the gardens of Beaulieu were dark. Gareth found himself walking through the paths, blind by the darkness. He knew only one other garden as well, Leighton's.
Gareth found a bench and sat down. He looked over the plants and remembered the times he ran around them with Sawyer, Keni, and LK. Many times after Sawyer designed costumes for them, they played as if they were in the Tudor Court. That was fun, but Sawyer seemed to like the concept of courtly love.
Shaking his head, he remembered the fun he and the girls would play around here. If Brett joined them, the few times she did, Brett would play Mary Tudor, Queen of France, or Glorian herself. Gareth was always partial to playing Thomas Wyatt the Elder, the poet.
Gareth sighed and looked to the bench. He reached behind and ran his hand along the board. He found what he felt for; he traced his fingers in the small, distinct letters GR+SS FF. Gareth sighed and wished it were true.
Shaking his head, he got up and wandered deeper into the gardens. There was little chance of running into a guest from the bed and breakfast in those gardens at this hour. Gareth knew anything was possible since he's seen people out here at night.
As he walked through the gardens, he tried to forget the past. It is time to forget the past. To move forward, the past must die. Gareth arrived at the fountain in the center of the North Gardens. Reaching into his pocket, and pulled out a coin that Sawyer gave him. Gareth kissed the coin and threw the coin into the fountain.
Gareth sighed, shrugged, and headed back to his bike. He still had to ride home.
(Rerun's Bar and Grill)
Rerun stood behind the bar and counted out the till. He would look up and take in the quiet sights of downtown Tree Hill. It was a good night with people celebrating the high school basketball win, and Miami played today. It was almost as good a night as when MMA was on.
A woman came up behind him and paused as she wrapped her arms around him. Rerun felt her rest her head against his back.
"How was the night?" Mina Vasquez, Rerun's wife, asked.
"We had a good night," Rerun said, "How's Eric?"
"He's asleep, so I thought I'd poke down and check on you," Mina said.
Rerun nodded, "Thanks," he said, turned around in her grip, and kissed her.
"MMM, nice, but what was that for?" Mina asked.
"Because I love you and appreciate you," Rerun said.
"I know that," Mina said.
"I just wanted to show you," Rerun said.
Mina looked at the counter, "Maybe we could have the town win a basketball title weekly," she said.
"I wish," Rerun said.
"You miss being courtside, don't you?" Mina asked.
"It was fun, but I didn't see a future in it," Rerun said.
"So, you settled for a sports bar?" Mina asked.
"I never settled; I just realized what's important to me," Rerun said.
"The bar?" Mina asked.
"No, you and Eric," Rerun said.
"Awe!" Mina said and kissed Rerun.
Rerun smiled, "I try; now, why don't you head upstairs while I finish up here," he said.
"Alright, don't take too long," Mina said.
"I won't," Rerun said and watched his wife head towards the stairs to their apartment. Rerun turned back to finish the deposit for the night.
(The Double Bow)
After the night at Absolution, Ellie drove across town to a small storefront with windows covered by blackout curtains. Ellie walked up to the door and showed her membership ID. She was let in, and the simple inside showed hard use, and a few people were dancing on the dance floor. Ellie looked to the bar and saw the neon sign, "The Double Bow."
Ellie sat down at the bar and leaned heavily on it. The bartender walked over to her and looked her over.
"What can I get you, Ellie?" the bartender asked.
"My usual, Richie," Ellie said.
"Alright," Richie said.
"You're not curious?" Ellie asked.
"About?" Richie asked.
"How I am dressed," Ellie said.
Richie shrugged, "I just figured you went over to Absolution," he said.
"I did," Ellie said.
Richie shrugged, "Either you didn't want to go to your family's place, or you have ulterior motives," he said, "My guess is it would be the second."
"You have that little faith in me?" Ellie asked.
"I've known you how long, Ellie?" Richie asked.
"Long enough," Ellie said.
"So, yeah, you always have something up your sleeve," Richie said.
Ellie held up her arms and showed them to Richie, "I don't think I have sleeves to hide anything," she said.
"No," Richie said and placed a drink in front of Ellie, "But do you want this on your tab?"
"Yeah, sure," Ellie said.
"I'll be nearby if you need me," Richie said and walked away. Ellie shook her head and took a sip of her drink.
(Beaulieu Manor)
Once he got into his apartment, he dropped his bags near his couch. Tucker removed his coat and hung it over the back of the sofa. After sighing, Tucker looked around the Clock Tower Apartment. Finally, he walked over to the kitchenette.
Tucker went to the refrigerator and saw it was well stocked; he reached for something and walked over to the microwave. Tucker warmed up his food and pulled it out. He took a seat at the breakfast bar.
Pulling out his smartphone, he started to look through the messages. In between looking at the various messages, he would take a bite of his food. Finally, he came to the film roll and started to scroll through the pictures.
Tucker smiled at some of the photos of Alix and several of him and Alix. Most of the ones of them together were selfies. Tucker smiled when he came across several of them in his hotel room. Tucker took a deep breath and let it out. He placed the phone down and finished his meal.
Once he was finished, he cleaned up and returned to his smartphone. Tucker looked at the picture of Alix standing by the window, looking over her shoulder at him. Alix was beautifully backlit and giving Tucker a sly smile.
Tucker nodded and smiled. He walked over to the thermostat and turned up the heat. Tucker yawned as he walked back to his smartphone and retrieved it. Tucker went to his bed, and sat down; he put his smartphone on the nightstand. Tucker started to undress once he finished; he climbed into bed and pulled the covers up. Tucker pulled over his smartphone and looked over some more pictures. After a minute, he plugged in his smartphone and fell asleep.
(Jared Residence)
Sleep didn't come, so Alix sat up and leaned against the headboard. She looked around the dark room and noticed that Kat must have decorated this room. There were a few things that reflected Bubushka's past in Nizhny Novgorod, which included a framed poster of Babushka in an opera.
Shaking her head, Alix reached over to her smartphone. Opening it up, she started looking through the messages. A couple had audio files from the guys in the band. These were musical sketches, and she was expected to compose lyrics for these sketches. Alix sighed and moved through to her various social media accounts.
Shaking her head, Alix switched to her gallery. She slowly scrolled through her pictures. Most of the ones she looked at were of her and Tucker. There were many of Reyna. The last batch of photographs was taken when she was on tour. These included various band members, and a few were of her taken by someone with her phone.
As much as Alix enjoyed making music, the touring could be tiring. They had to tour to build the band and build a fan base. Alix was twenty-seven, and she wondered how long she wanted to tour and record. Alix like watching Kat and Reyna. Alix wanted to have that, a family, a husband and wanted it to all fall together.
Alix had known Tucker since they were sixteen. They dated a bit in high school and separated for college. Tucker started doing his movie thing, and they didn't re-connected until about three years ago. About two years ago, they became serious.
She wondered if this was serious. Alix shrugged and looked out the window to the night sky.
OTH
(Jared Residence)
Kat could never understand how Arne could just fall asleep. After a show or her first night back from the tour, she couldn't sleep. Kat usually finds herself in the kitchen and having a drink.
After she finished her drink, Kat walked over to the far side of the house. In a small practice room, Kat sat on a stool and reached over to pick up her guitar, setting it on her lap.
Kat started to pluck on her guitar strings. Something percolated in her mind as she worked out the chord progression for the song. It was only a sketch, but Reyna and the cold weather inspired her.
It took a while for her to remember what she had worked on. As she started to add to what she had already worked on. She missed the freedom she had in her past. Kat was fortunate that this practice room was far enough from the rest of the bedrooms to not disturb the people sleeping.
Kat started to think about the trees, the chimneys releasing smoke, and the snow she saw all over the north. There was the winter steel grey sky of New York. Kat remembered the wildflowers along the highway. One night on the bus Kat couldn't sleep, and she watched the wheat fields of the great plains. Finally, she put down the guitar, picked up a notepad and pen, then wrote down her thoughts.
I want my tears back
The treetops, the chimneys, the snowbed stories, winter grey
Wildflowers, those meadows of heaven, wind in the wheat
A railroad across waters, the scent of grandfatherly love
Blue bayous, Decembers, moon through a dragonfly's wings
Kat looked at what she had written. She nodded with approval. This is a good start, she reflected.