Brooke never slept that night. She just watched over Jamie. As the sky started to change colours, she put on a cardigan and decided to go out for a run. She left a note for all the adults in the house and put it on the fridge using a magnet. She didn't realise where her feet were taking her until she was standing there.
Brooke stood in front of Keith's grave heaving from her run. She sat down on the grass and just stared at the headstone as if it would magically change form and turn into Keith. Of course, that didn't happen.
'This is ridiculous,' Brooke thought to herself but still, she did not get up. Getting her legs up, Brooke rested her head on her knees feeling tired. The day had been crazy and she hadn't slept a wink all night. Her body and her brain were exhausted, yet the shock was keeping her up. Brooke didn't say a word, saying anything felt stupid. She had come looking for some solace and unfortunately, Keith's headstone wasn't providing her with the comfort she craved. She still sat there, very demure, very mindful.
"Brooke? Hi, what are you doing here this early?" Karen asked, spotting the girl sitting by the grave of the man she loved.
"Huh? Karen, hi!" Brooke said, shocked that Karen had caught her.
"What are you doing here?" she asked the scared young mother.
"Uhh, I - uh, I - I don't know."
"Is this to do with Peyton coming to town?" Karen asked.
"Yeah, pretty much," Brooke replied.
"How is Sam doing?" Karen had been worried.
"Not good, but who can blame her. She is really scared," Brooke replied, but what she truthfully wanted to say was, 'I am really scared.'
"If you want, I can take the kids for the day. They can spend some time with us and you can call Peyton and talk to her. She must be still in town," Karen suggested.
"She and Julain are at my house right now. So is Lucas. We talked, she knows everything, Karen. Peyton called her boyfriend Julian over and he and I had sort of crossed paths. He knew my line of work…" Brooke overshared before biting her tongue.
"You mean housekeeping?" Karen asked.
"Yeah," she went along. "He told Peyton about it and I had to come clean to her about my financial problems and now it's this whole thing and her boyfriend is a loudmouth and I'm afraid he will say something wrong in front of Lorelai and Lorelai is a separate mess in itself and Peyton is back and Lucas and I are pretending to be engaged using her wedding ring and it's just crazy!"
"Peyton has a boyfriend?" Karen asked.
"Yeah, Julian. He is a movie producer in LA." Brooke said as if she was reminding her and expecting her to keep up.
"Lucas met this boyfriend?" Karen asked.
"Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?" Brooke asked.
"Peyton is officially gone. She moved on. You're not using Peyton's ring. That's at least one problem less to deal with. How did Lucas take it?" asked Karen.
"I think he was jealous, but I can't be completely certain, I was dealing with my own issues," Brooke answered honestly.
"I didn't expect Peyton to show up with a new boy," Karen said.
"I didn't expect Peyton to show up at all!" Brooke tried to get her side understood.
"She would come to know about everything eventually. It's not like you and Lucas could hide the fact that you have a family together forever. Yes, it's horrible that it happened in front of the social worker, but the band aid had to rip. Is she going to help you with Lorelai?"
"She says she is, but I'm scared Karen. I'm not convinced that she is going to be okay with me and Jamie and I'm scared she will push Lucas away like she did all those years. Jamie doesn't deserve that. Now, Sam's involved and she and Lucas have this whole separate bond and she has enough to deal with. She shouldn't have to deal with the Peyton lucas drama. It is so hard for that girl to trust someone, especially a man and she has begun to trust Lucas."
"Sam kinda sounds like another girl I know. Honey, the kids will be okay. Lucas won't do that to them. I raised my son right. I am not going to deny it, what he did to you all those years ago was absolutely horrible. He acted like an idiot. But, he had an absent father. He knows what that is like, to be pushed away and be unwanted by a man who fathered you. Do you really think he could do that to Jamie or Sam?" Kared asked.
"No," Brooke replied meekly.
"So, I am guessing what this really is about is your fear that Lucas will push you away," Karen hit the bulls eye.
"What? No! Lucas pushed me away! You think I am afraid of that! No, not at all. It's Jamie and Sam. I - I don't care how Lucas treats me. He can marry whoever he wants and I wouldn't bat an eyelid!" Brooke minimised the situation.
"Is that so?" Karen asked, not buying Brooke's facade for even a moment.
"Yeah, I mean it, Karen. Lucas and I are strictly co-parents," she expressed.
"You know, Keith and I loved each other for years," Karen began to say as she looked lovingly at Keith's headstone. She moved to lovingly place one of her hands on the stone, "but we were too stupid to tell each other the truth because we thought that the other person felt differently. Eventually, we confessed our true feelings and it was the happiest that I have ever been. Those months, being engaged to him, I will never forget those. Then, you know what happened."
"Yeah, I am sorry Karen. Maybe, if I hadn't called you that day.."
"Hush, Keith agreed with me 100% that day. Neither of us would do anything differently, especially not that, Brooke. What I wanted to say was that, we don't know how much time we have with each other. Don't waste time, if you feel a certain way, take the leap and say it. Don't make the same mistakes that I made. I could have had years with Keith instead of months. I always had him and I could always count on him, just like you can count on Lucas, but there is a difference. I am not saying that you and Lucas are like Keith and I, but if there is a possibility, don't waste years like we did. You never know if you're going to get tomorrow." Keith once again stroked the headstone and laid the flowers she had in her hand before kissing her hand and touching it to the flowers.
"I kept Jamie from Lucas. He knows what I was doing in New York…. He and I don't stand a chance," Brooke replied solemnly.
"Don't hold back for those reasons, you never know Brooke. He might want the same things you want," she advised. "And Brooke, if you need me, I am here for you."
"Thank you so much. I really appreciate you so much. I'll let you have some time with him," Brooke replied looking at Keith's grave one last time and got up to quietly leave.
When Brooke got back home, Jamie, Julian, Peyton and Lucas were all sitting, eating bowls of cereal. Jamie had Chester, his bunny on the table with him who was nibbling on a piece of lettuce.
"Daddy, can we take Chester to the River Court?" asked Jamie.
"Uhh, Rabbits are more indoor pets, buddy, but I guess we can take him in his cage," Lucas tried to explain.
"He doesn't like being in a cage!" Jamie advocated for his furry friend.
"Okay, how about you play with your dad and I will hold Chester? How does that sound?" Peyton asked him.
"You will hold him?" Jamie looked at her with watery eyes.
"Anything for you, baby boy," she beamed.
"Thanks! You're awesome! Can we go already?" Jamie begged.
"What did I tell you Jamie? Once your mom comes home, we will ask her and if she agrees, then we go," Lucas reminded Jamie. Brooke was feeling a mixed bag of emotions, awkward and a little territorial that Peyton and Jamie were bonding and grateful that Lucas still had her back.
"Hey bubba," Brooke said and entered the dining room.
"Hey mama, where were you?" Jamie asked. "Dada made me cereal!"
"That's nice," Brooke answered with a warm smile.
"Can we please go to the River Court and take Chester with us and my new bike?" Jamie begged.
"Uhh…" Brooke tried to buy some time to come up with an excuse.
"Pleaseeee," Jamie begged. Brooke looked at Lucas at that time, he seemed like he really wanted that too.
"Sure, buddy, you can go with your Dad," she replied with a smile.
"Brooke, you can come with us too. Peyton said she wanted to show Julian the River Cort so I am going to drive them there, play with Jamie for a bit and drop both of them to the hotel. Then I was thinking if it was okay, Jamie could come to my place and hang out for a bit? I'll ask mom what Lily is up to too, so they can both play together. We'll be back before dinner."
"Oh wow, it looks like you have the day mapped out," Brooke was surprised.
"You're invited too and this is only if you're cool with it," Lucas said.
"It's totally fine, no problem. And thanks for the invite, but I have a large house to clean up. Jamie's new presents are lying everywhere."
"Right, we'll stay in and help you clean up," Lucas said, quickly changing his plans.
"No, take Jamie to the River Court with Chester and Peyton. You have fun. Does, uhh, Sam want to go too?" Brooke asked.
"Don't know. She was still sleeping when I checked on her this morning. Last night wore her out. I figured she could use a day in and rest. Does she usually make weekend plans with friends? She hasn't been going out much," Lucas remarked.
"She went out with Liz, but it was always restricted because I needed her help with Jamie. So, yeah, she barely had a social life in New York. I'll see what I can do to push her out and be more social," Brooke said, agreeing with Lucas' observation.
"Okay, I'll get Jamie ready for the park?" he asked.
"Yeah," Brooke replied awkwardly.
"Come on Little Man, let's get you ready and hit the road!" Lucs said and put Jamie on his shoulders to go get him ready for the day.
"He's an amazing kid, Brooke," Peyton said, smiling at her as he watched Lucas be an incredible dad.
"Yeah, he is," Brooke complimented her son.
"Do you guys need anything?" she asked, trying to be a good host.
"No, we're good. It just feels so strange being here after all these years. Thank God the house has more sound now with a kid running around. It always felt so big and quiet with just you and the nanny," Peyton remarked.
If only she knew how loud the house actually got when Brooke's parents were home. They barely were, and Brooke made it a point to not invite Peyton over when her parents were in town, ready to duel. The truth was that she barely ever wanted to go home on those days too. She would often sit on the front steps of her porch and write in her diary, wishing for a real family. Brooke failed to lie to Peyton, so she kept quiet instead.
"So, how long are you in town for?" Brooke asked Peyton.
"A week," she replied.
"Hey, that's awesome. Do you want to do drinks at Tric? It's not as great as it used to be when you basically ran the place, but I have an in with the owner, so we can get some free alcohol," Brooke giggled.
"Yeah, let's do that. Maybe we can call Nathan and Haley. Nathan will still be in town, right?" Peyton asked.
"It will be Sunday night, so he might be driving back to go to Charlotte. We can ask Haley," Brooke replied.
"We need a group text. Bevin wanted to meet up too and I'm sure Mouth and Skills with Junk and Fergie will want to join," Peyton said.
"Just how many people are we going to meet exactly?" Julian asked Peyton, getting a little intimidated by the number of people in Peyton's life he didn't know anything much about.
"Didn't you have a tonne of friends in High School?" Peyton asked in a sing-song voice.
"No, I was a Mathlete in High School," Julian told her.
"With that grin? How were you not a jock?" Peyton was surprised.
"I didn't play sports and I didn't look like this back in High School," he replied.
"Wow, you do know that I was a Cheerleader, right?" Peyton asked him.
"A dark emo cheerleader," Brooke chimed in.
"You liked cheerleading?" Julian asked judgmentally.
"Well, I liked hanging out with Brooke and she liked cheerleading and my dad liked that I had an extra-curricular and he would drive Brooke and I to cheer camp. Cheer camp turned out to be useful, it helped us fight a stalker. Brooke, do you know who lives in that house? I wanted to go by there, see how it looks now, at least from the outside," Peyton said.
"Wait, what stalker!" Julian cried.
"Relax, Tree Hill drama is a lot. That is why I wanted to get out of here and start fresh," Peyton replied.
"You had a stalker!" Julian cried.
"He's in jail, don't worry. I think at least," Peyton shrugged it off, more because she did not want to revisit that chapter in her life.
"How's Derek, by the way? The real Derek, not psycho stalker Derek," Brooke asked.
"He's fine. I barely hear from him due to his line of work, but he checks up on me whenever he gets the chance," Peyton replied.
"And, did you manage to get a name from him?" Brooke asked cryptically.
"No, he still won't," she sighed.
"Hey, he is doing it to protect you, okay. He means well," Brooke said and hugged Peyton. Julian knew this part of Peyton's story so he kept quiet.
"Uhh, Julian, I wanted to talk to you for a minute before you left, if that's okay," Brooke requested.
"Me, uhh, umm, sure," he said and followed Brooke to the side.
"Hey, I just wanted to say that, I am really trying very hard to turn my life around. I left that chapter back. Just like Peyton wants to forget the bad in Tree Hill and move past it, I want to push New York away. I want to adopt Sam. I am really working hard on starting my own Company and doing everything that I can to give my kids the life they deserve. I need you to please," Brooke begged.
"Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me. I know that I did blab you out to Peyton but it was a shock. Peyton spoke so much about you and she spoke very highly of you, so when you get to know that Brooke is the girl I saw swinging around a pole… hey at least, the money was used for the kids and not for drugs or anything. I won't rat you out, I swear. If you want, Peyton and I will be here for the next social workers visit and say whatever you need us to say. Also, I am truly sorry for before, but I guess you would tell Peyton eventually, right? You're best friends," said Julian.
Brooke stood silent for a second. She wasn't sure how to answer him if she was being honest. The truth was that no, she never ever intended to tell Peyton. That secret was supposed to live and die with her. She gave Julian a weak smile in response. Brooke wondered if Peyton had told him about their catfights, probably not. She didn't care as long as he stuck to his word.
Just then, Jamie and Lucas came down, dressed for the day. Jamie was wearing a jersey and shorts and had his new bunny in his arms. Brooke smiled watching her son look that happy. Behind them, Sam walked down in her pj's looking completely disoriented.
"Morning baby," Brooke greeted her. Sam was not a morning person and dismissed her greeting.
"Oh wow, everyone is still here," she stated the obvious.
"Don't worry. We were just leaving. Do you want to come with us?" Lucas asked.
"Right now, no thanks," Sam replied and plopped herself on the couch.
"Hey Sam, if you want you and I could hit the mall in the afternoon," Peyton suggested.
"No thanks," Sam replied, perfectly content on the couch.
"Okay, umm, you can get my number from Brooke or Lucas if you change your mind," Peyton said and left to get into Lucas' mustang. Brooke saw her get into the front passenger seat as Lucas helped Jamie into his car seat and then worked on fitting his new bike in the boot of the car. Julian got in the back with Jamie. An odd jealousy bubbled inside her and she didn't like it one bit.
Since she and Sam were yet to eat some breakfast, she got out two bowls for cereal and coffee. Sam joined her in the kitchen, content that it was just the two of them. Brooke knew what would be going on in her mind, so she decided to ease Sam's worries from the start.
"So, I spoke to Julian. He seems like a decent guy. I do believe that he will keep our secret and I know Peyton will help. We'll call Lorelai on Monday and ask her to schedule another visit with us as soon as she can, okay Sam. If you want, Peyton and Julian can come and be here too, to support us. Everyone is Team Sam" Brooke replied.
"That's good, I guess. It's just that Lorelai is no fool," Sam said.
"It will be alright. So, do you have any plans for the weekend?" Brooke asked her.
"Not really, she replied.
"Sam, welcome to being a teenager. We have more than people here to help out with Jamie. You should make friends, go out on the weekends. Go to the mall with Peyton if you like or to Charlotte for a weekend with Haley when she goes to visit Nathan or hang out with your friends. Do what you want, it's just that, I know it's a new place and you must miss Liz terribly, but you barely got to hang out in New York because I was always working on the weekends. Things are different now, okay?"
"So, should I go out to clubs and stay out till 3:00 a.m.? What's the house party scene here, I wonder?" Sam asked.
"Sammy," Brooke groaned.
"Yeah yeah. I'll see," Sam sighed.
"Are you making friends in school?" Brooke continued to learn.
"It's whatever," Sam replied cryptically.
"Are you struggling socially out here?" Brooke asked worriedly.
"No, no, it's fine. I - I just miss Liz. It's hard being the new kid at school," she whispered. "Plus, I switched grades and dissed the Queen Bee of school. That's not a good rep."
"On the contrary. Everyone must be talking about you. Use it," Brooke advised with a sneaky smile.
"Okay, I think I'll take advice from Lucas on this matter. He was more like me in High School," Sam replied.
"Unfair! It's not my fault that I was popular and loved by everybody!" Brooke giggled. "Now if you are doing nothing, help me clean up and put all these new toys away. By the looks of things, we might have to convert one of the spare rooms into a playroom for Jamie."
Sam rolled her eyes but began helping Brooke. It took a couple of hours, but they got the house in order soon enough. After a quick lunch, Brooke decided to do laundry and finish buying groceries. Sam decided that it couldn't do any harm to explore the town. She googled things to see in Tree Hill and came across several places. There was Wrightsville Beach, Airlie Gardens or a day in the mall. Choosing to stay indoors, Sam hiked up to the mall to check out the stores.
When she got there, she saw that the place was crowded with people from her school. She saw Quentin and the boys eating in the mall food court.
"Hey, Coach's girl!" Q called out to her and raised his hand to get her attention.
"What? What do you mean Coach's girl?," Sam asked, walking towards them.
"Aren't you Coach's girl?" Quentin asked with a sarcastic eye roll.
"I am nobody's girl. Welcome to the 21st century where girl's aren't property," Sam replied angrily.
"Whatever you say, Coach's girl," said Quentin, earning a round of laughter from the whole table.
"My name is Sam," she replied as authoritatively as she could and deciding that the boys were not worth her time, she began to walk away.
"Hey, sorry, Sam," he said in an attempt to stop her. "What brings you by here?"
"I don't know. I decided to explore Tree Hill and the mall seemed like a good idea in the afternoon. Maybe I should have chosen the beach instead," Sam replied, meaning to let Quentin know that she was totally annoyed by the Coach's girl comments.
"You mean to say that the Coach hasn't taken you around town?" Quentin tsked. The boys instantly followed suit and began to make tsking sounds.
"He did. We went to a bunch of places, but things have been busy with shifting homes and stuff…" she answered vaguely, wanting to keep her personal life personal. "We went to the River Walk and to Kilwins and he often takes my brother to the River Court."
"Wait, you mean to say that the Coach is adopting two kids?" Quentin asked, his eyes widening. It was then that Sam realised that the kids in school had no idea that Lucas had a son of his own.
"It's complicated," Sam replied, not wanting to be the one who told the world that Lucas had a son he never knew about.
"Who is he? Does he go to our school?" Q asked, interested in the story.
"Why are you guys so interested in your Coach's life? Don't you have any better people to stalk? I mean, it's not like celebrities live in this dead town, so even the parties here must be totally lame, unlike New York City," she tried to make her life in the Big Apple sound like the American Dream.
"What can I say, you're interesting," Quentin replied, making Sam blush three shades of red. "Okay, here's an idea. Why don't I show you around town? Get you caught up on the real social scene. I mean the Coach is young and cool, but he ain't in High School any more and that's not just because I am going to take his brother's Highest Scoring Title."
"Is basketball everything in this town?" Sam asked, squinting her eyes.
"Basketball is a way of life baby!" Q replied, raising his hands wide for emphasis.
"I get enough basketball with Lucas and Nathan," Sam said, deliberately leaving Jamie's name out. "Got anything else to offer?"
"I know just the place!" Q replied. "Meet me at this address at ten."
"Ten?" Sam asked, raising her eyebrows. She didn't know if Brooke would be okay with her stepping out that late. Q and her were both fifteen, so neither of them had their licences and it wasn't like Tree Hill had a Subway system.
"Ooh, has Coach given Sammy a curfew?" Q asked, trying to make a fool out of her.
"Ten it is," Sam agreed stupidly, although she knew that it would be a bad idea as she would have to figure out a way to sneak out of the house.
"Done. See you at 10, Coach's Girl!" Q said with a smirk.
Sam got back home just in time for dinner.
"Hey, good, you're home. I was just about to call you. Wash up, dinner's ready," Brooke called out when Sam emerged in the kitchen. She saw that Jamie was helping Lucas set up the table as Brooke tossed salad in a bowl. Sam was worried about having to sneak out, so she kept quiet. She came to the dinner table ten minutes later.
"Did you have fun exploring Tree Hill?" Brooke asked her as she overfilled her plate with greens.
"Yeah, I went to the mall. I bumped into some kids from school and hung out with them," Sam said casually.
"That's nice!" Brooke replied encouragingly.
"So, Jamie, did Chester have fun at the River Court?" Sam asked, wanting to deflect the attention away from her. Jamie loved to babble and she knew it. Soon enough, Jamie went into a wild description that involved racing Julian on his bike and winning a game of Horse against Julian with him on Lucas' shoulders while Peyton and Chester watched.
After dinner, Sam told Brooke that she was going to be up working on her History paper and that she didn't want to be disturbed for the rest of the night. Lucas and Brooke let her skip dish duty as she snuck up to get dressed for the night. She didn't want to be overly dressed as she had no idea where the address was for. She expected it to be a club of some kind. So, she decided to go with ripped jeans and a cropped top. She combed her brown hair and put on some eyeliner to make her eyes pop. Now, all she had to do was get out of the house unannounced.
It was 9:30 p.m. when Sam tiptoed down the stairs. She had decided to use the patio doors of Brooke's teenage room to go to the backyard and cross over to the front yard and sneak out. The only obstacle was Brooke.
That night, Brooke was in the living room, lying on the couch watching TV as Jamie slept peacefully on her chest. The little boy had snuggled cosily on his mom's chest and was sleeping blissfully. Brooke seemed to be in no hurry to move her sleeping baby to his bed upstairs. As Lucas had got Jamie for the whole day, he had left immediately after doing the dishes to allow Brooke to spend some time with Jamie. She had clearly missed him and even if it meant spending time with him while he slept, she was taking it. Sam had to pass the living room to make her way out. She tried to be as quiet as she could. Unfortunately, the sounds of the movie playing on the TV didn't drown the sound of her footsteps.
"Sam is that you?" Brooke asked.
"Yeah, just grabbing water from the refrigerator," Sam replied.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang, making Brooke perk up and Sam almost jump out of her skin.
"Sammy, can you please check who it is? If it's a stranger, call me, don't open the door," Brooke requested as it would be hard to move Jamie off her chest.
Sam sighed. She hoped that whoever was at the door would keep Brooke busy and further assist her in sneaking out. So, she trudged to the door and looked out of the peephole. What she saw shocked her. Right outside, stood Lorelai! Sam quickly opened the door.
"Hey, Lorelai, what brings you by?" she asked, trying to keep the worry out of her voice.
"Hey, were you going somewhere?" she asked, taking in Sam's appearance.
"What? No. I was just trying out some clothes that I picked up at the mall today," she lied.
"May I come in?" she asked, expecting to be allowed to check the house.
"Of course," Sam said and allowed her to walk inside.
"Are you home alone or are Mr. Scott and Ms. Davis here too?" she asked.
"Home," Sam said quickly, without thinking.
"Who was at the door?" Brooke called out to Sam, her attention still on the screen.
"Uh, Brooke," Sam said, shaking as she showed Lorelai to the living room.
It was then that Brooke saw Lorelai walk in and almost jerked up. Yet, the sleeping toddler kept her jerks to a minimum.
"Sorry, I know that it's late, but this time is usually the best to get a true sense of how kids are being treated in these houses," Lorelai said.
Brooke quickly adjusted Jamie so that she was carrying him in her arms as she turned off the television and stood up.
"Yeah, no problem. No problem at all. Can you just give me a minute, I'll just go lay this little guy down?" Brooke requested.
Lorelai took a quick sweep of the room. The place was clean. There was no alcohol in sight. Brooke was in sweats with her three year old in her arms and Sam was in the house, under adult supervision, looking unharmed. So, Lorelai let her go up to put her son away.
Brooke went up the stairs as quickly as she could without waking Jamie up. She settled him in his bed and tucked his blankets before turning on his nightlight. Without giving him a soft kiss like she did every night, she checked on him quickly to ensure that he was peacefully sleeping before dashing into her own bedroom to find her engagement ring. She really wondered at that point why she even bothered taking it off. Even Peyton knew the ruse. Taking the box out of her locked drawer, she hastily put on the ring and ran down the stairs. She found Lorelai in the kitchen. She was checking the fridge and giving a nod of approval finding it fully stocked. Brooke was glad that she had gone on a grocery run that day and bought enough food for the family.
"Sorry," Brooke replied sheepishly when she joined Sam and Lorelai in the kitchen. She felt completely unprepared. She had no idea what was to come next.
"Where is Lucas?" Lorelai asked, clearly finding him missing. Brooke's eyes widened when she heard Lorelai ask about Lucas. She began to sweat instantly as her stomach twisted in knots from the fear of being caught.
"Hey, uhh, he is at the grocery store," Sam replied quickly.
"Grocery store? Why? I just checked your refrigerator and your pantry and both are adequately stocked," she asked.
"Oh no. He isn't buying food. He went to get tampons for Brooke, right? She got her period and she likes a specific brand but she ran out of them. So, Lucas being the sweet guy that he is, went out to pick some. Why don't you call him Brooke and ask him how long he will take?" Sam lied instantly.
"Yeah, I'll call him," Brooke said and grabbed her phone to make the call, praying to the Almighty that Lucas would pick up.
She nervously clicked on Lucas' name from her call log as her brows collected sweat with each ring.
"Hello? Is everything alright?" Lucas asked worriedly when he finally answered the phone. He knew that Brooke wouldn't call him that late unless it was urgent and had something to do with the kids.
"Honey, hi. Did you find my tampons? How long will you be at the store?" she asked nervously, hoping that Lucas would understand.
"What? Brooke, are you alright?" Lucas asked, not getting the message.
"Okay, hurry home. Lorelai is here for a surprise visit and she was asking how long it would take for you to return from the store with my tampons," Brooke said, knowing that it was enough for Lucas to come speeding.
"Oh God, I am on my way," he said and quickly cut the call. Lucas threw on some jeans and a t-shirt before hunting for his wallet and keys. He quickly got into his car and sped to the closest drug store. It was funny as he knew exactly the brand of tampons that Brooke preferred. Brooke's skin there was sensitive and other brand pads gave her a horrible rash. He browsed through the aisle as quickly as he could before locating a box of the brand Brooke used. He quickly paid for it and raced home. Lucas was glad at that moment that Brooke had given him a key to her house despite his unwillingness. He realised how bad it would look if he had to ring the doorbell to his own place while a social worker visit was on. Once he had parked his car, he pulled out his key and let himself inside.
"Hey guys," Lucas said, feeling equally scared and confused by what would come.
"Here you go Brooke," Lucas said and gave her the bag with the box of tampons.
"Thanks for getting them," Brooke said and excused herself to go to the bathroom. The truth was that she wasn't on her period, but she had to make it look convincing for Lorelai, so she went up and pretended.
Brooke emerged out of the bathroom five minutes later and saw Lorelai sitting across Sam and Lucas asking them some questions.
"Everything is sorted with Peyton. She totally supports me and Brooke," Lucas was explaining to Lorelai when Brooke joined in.
"Mr. Scott, you expect me to believe that the woman who created a scene at your son's birthday party accusing you two of cheating on her suddenly supports you two?" Lorelai was not buying it.
"I know that it sounds bad, but Brooke and I spoke to her and explained everything. She did not know that Brooke and I were together and she was surprised that she had to find out that way. She had expected that we would tell her about it but we both thought that given our history, we should keep the news between us and our closest friends," Lucas explained.
"Then what exactly did she mean when she said you proposed to her and then immediately hooked up with her best friend?" Lorelai asked, making all their stomachs drop. "You were clearly dating her when your son was born, as she explained with the phone call mix up. What are you two hiding from me?"
"Look Lorelai, neither Brooke nor I were perfect in High School. Brooke and Peyton were best friends and I dated both of them while in school. I made mistakes just like most teenagers and I learnt from them. Brooke and I made a baby on graduation night after Peyton and I broke up. All three of us went in different directions. I went to school here to stay close to my mom and sister. Peyton went to LA to work in music and Brooke flew to New York to work in fashion. Then she found out that she was pregnant but she was scared to tell me. When Jamie was born, Peyton had come to Tree Hill for the holidays and there was a phone mix up. Later, Brooke got the courage to tell me but I chickened out at the prospect of learning that I was a father. Eventually, the two of us worked it out and found our way back to each other, Jamie definitely being our uniting factor. We love each other and decided to get engaged. Brooke and Jamie were going to move to Tree Hill when we met Sam and we knew that Sam was the one who would complete our family." Lucas tried to salvage the situation, trying to not mess up the story that they had fed to Lorelai and Nancy.
"What did Peyton mean by proposed to her and then hooked up with her best friend?" she asked, finding the smoking gun.
"Peyton meant proposed to her as my girlfriend, not like a marriage proposal. I asked Brooke to marry me. Besides, all that is dumb High School History. I am very happy with the family I have right here with Sam and Peyton has a boyfriend of her own."
"Oh she does," Lorelai asked, perking up.
"Yes, she is dating Julain Baker. He is a movie producer in LA. He is here with Peyton too. They both said that they would meet you and clear things up, if that was required. They're in town for the week. Then they return to LA," Lucas continued.
"So you asked Peyton to be your girlfriend and then hooked up with Brooke, her best friend?" Lorelai asked.
"No, it wasn't like that," Lucas said, trying to salvage his character. "I asked Peyton to be my girlfriend and she said no. Eventually, I began dating Brooke as I moved on from Peyton."
"But then you dated her too?" Lorelai asked.
"Yeah, it was High School!" Lucas replied, getting frazzled.
"So, Mr. Scott, does tha mean that you find it acceptable for Samantha, a High School Student, to date and hook up with whoever she wants?" Lorelai asked sternly, as if she was reprimanding a child.
"No, absolutely not!" Brooke said, taking the reigns of the conversation.
"Lorelai, we made mistakes, everybody does. It is human to err and try and fail and get up anyway. Lucas and I both know that what we did was wrong, but the reason we did all that in High School was the lack of parental supervision. Lucas grew up without a father. Mine were always missing and I had nannies taking care of me until I was old enough to live on my own. Peyton, who is adopted too by the way, lost her mother in a car accident when we were eight years old and her dad was the captain of a dredging ship. So he was never around either. I am not trying to blame any of our circumstances, but we were stupid kids with barely any adults to tell us right from wrong. We know that what happened and what we did in High School wasn;t right. So we will make sure that Sam doesn't make the same mistakes that we did. Sam finally has people who genuinely care for her and pay attention to her, lots of attention. We promise that we don't condone the behaviour that we had in High School and we won't let Sam go in that direction. Please, understand. You were in High School too. Didn't you make mistakes? Would you like it if we judged you by the dumb stuff you did when you were 16 years old?" Brooke tried to bet her to empathise with them.
"So, you approve of Sam making mistakes?" Lorelai asked.
"Of course we do. Everybody makes mistakes, Lorelai. Lucas and I still do. The showdown with Peyton was a mistake, we should have known better. Neither of us expect Sam to be perfect, we just pray that she won't repeat ours and learn from our shortcomings to choose better," Brooke replied.
"So, she should have role models who approve of making mistakes, mistakes like teen pregnancies?" she continued to grind them.
"Listen, my mother gave me up. Statistically, she is most likely to either be a teenager or a drug addled junkie without a family. I already know the highs and lows of both. I have seen how Brooke and Lucas have struggled to make it work, especially for me to be here, at their home with them. Besides, you really think Brooke Davis would allow me to make her a grandma at 21?" Sam asked.
Brooke laughed and replied, "Dare you even suggest something so daunting. Gosh! No, just no, Sam."
"See, she said no. Are you happy?" Sam replied, trying extremely hard to keep the annoyance out of her voice.
"Each of you have absentee parents. How are you going to be good parents?" Lorelai asked.
"By not being the kind of parents ours were, Karen excluded. And being more than they could be. Sam is loved, she is cared for. She is happy. She has 2 parents who dote on her and love her for who she is, exactly how she is. All we want for her is to be happy and get the home and family she deserves. Yes, our past lives don't speak of us in a great light, but even Gandhi stole from his dad in his youth. If Gandhi can make mistakes, we're Brooke and Lucas!" Brooke argued.
"Fine, Sam is safe, she is taken care of. I don't have concerns about her physical wellbeing which is better than homes for most of my kids. But, there is something about your story that just feels a little hole-filled. It will do for now, though. I'll see you at the next visit. Have a good night," she said and showed herself out of the door.
"Oh god! That was so scary!" Brooke exhaled once Lorelai had closed the door.
"Lucas, don't go back home tonight," Sam spoke sternly.
"What? Why?" Lucas asked, still not in a state to think.
"She might be in her car, keeping watch. If she suspects something, she might stick and watch for a while. It's typical and she seems the type." Sam replied.
"Lucas, when she came so suddenly and you weren't here, I was so scared. I didn't know what to do!" Brooke cried. "Sam, should we be scared?"
"No, she saw both of you and that I am in no physical danger. But, she might make more surprise visits if she thinks we have something to hide," Sam answered.
"Oh God! You can't always be at the grocery! She'll know something is off!" Brooke cried.
"What do we do?" Lucas asked, equally scared.
"You got to move in." Sam replied, shocking both parents.
"That's crazy!" Lucas cried.
"Not in the same room! In the same house, a very large house, might I add," Sam replied.
"You really think that's necessary?" Lucas asked, ready to do anything for her.
"Please," was all she said.
"Okay, Lucas moves in," Brooke concluded.
"Really?" Sam asked, amazed by her clarity and conviction.
"Anything for you," Brooke answered in a steady calm voice.
Sam began sobbing and she flung her arms around both of them and cried. Brooke and Lucas were startled, but they quickly hugged her back, refusing to let go of her.
"Thank you," she whispered when she finally let go of them and wiped her face to clear the snot and tears, her plans with Quentin long forgotten.