Hi guys! First of all- I wanted to say how much I appreciated your support! As I already said last time- this hasn't been an easy time, yet your encouraging words made things so much better for me, so thank you! My life has been crazy lately- the fall semester in my university started and now I'm also working part-time, so the only time I've had to write this (and probably will have in the future) was on the train, on the way to class or back home... Anyway- Brucas are finally together in this chapter (although things will futuristically get even better for them), so for all of those who had been waiting for this moment- I hope you'll enjoy this! ;-)

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

Chapter 29

At 7:30 A.M. on a Saturday morning, Lucas Scott would usually be sleeping soundly, allowing himself to slumber until later than usual as a compensation for all those weekday mornings in which he had needed to wake up at the crack of dawn in order to coach an early morning practice. Even if he would wake up early on those weekend mornings, driven by habit- Lucas would always treat himself to a few more hours of sleep.

On this Saturday morning, however, Lucas was quite awake and had no desire to close his eyes and return to the cloudy land of his deepest desires and thoughts, as his biggest dream had come to life and was lying cuddled right next to him- peacefully resting from the eventful day that she previously had and dreaming sweet dreams that were reflected by the soft smile on her beautiful face. Looking at her, all the exhaustion that Lucas accumulated during the week instantly faded away for him, as all he could think about was how unbelievably lucky he was to be with her for real again.

As Brooke suddenly inched closer to him in her sleep, unconsciously tucking her head into the crook of his arm, Lucas smiled to himself and kissed her on top of her head, afterwards starting to rub soft circles on her back. They had had an extremely good night- free of nightmares for Brooke and finally completely peaceful for Lucas. Even though Brooke had told him that she would need them to advance slowly, he was extremely glad and relieved to find out that she was willing to come back to bed with him, even if the only thing they were currently doing in that bed was actual sleeping. Lucas knew that the only reason Brooke allowed him to share a bed with her so early on was that she was still scared to be alone at night and that his presence had a calming influence on her, but he was willing to take what she was giving him and wait. As hard as it was, he was willing to be patient, as simply falling asleep with Brooke in his arms was one of the most relaxing and wonderful feelings in the world.

"Mmm… Broody…" when Brooke incoherently mumbled in her deep sleep and rolled over so her limbs were even more intertwined with those of her bed partner, Lucas needed to forcefully restrain the urge to wake her up and kiss her like he was still anxiously waiting to kiss her. He knew that he had promised to take it slow, and he most certainly didn't want to overwhelm Brooke, which was why he had only given Brooke extremely gentle hugs and kisses during the previous night, yet the more time he was spending with her, the harder it was becoming to ignore the feelings and urges that Brooke aroused in him.

Still, wanting to respect Brooke's wishes for a slow pace, Lucas simply kissed Brooke on top of her head and continued stroking her back. Being a gentleman sure as hell wasn't easy, but for Brooke- it was completely worth it…

After watching Brooke for a few more moments, Lucas decided that he wanted to give her a peaceful, relaxing day, to make up for all the stress she had undergone during the past few days. Knowing that chocolate-chip pancakes almost always managed to lift Brooke's spirits up, Lucas decided to sneak down to the kitchen and wake Brooke up with some breakfast in bed, yet his plan completely backfired once, upon carefully getting up, he still managed to wake Brooke up, as she was too attached to his side to be uninterrupted by his movements.

"Come back to bed, Luke. It's still early and I'm cold…" Brooke whined with half-open eyes and shivered as Lucas' body warmth was suddenly replaced with the feeling of the cool sheets against her skin.

"Well, good morning to you too, pretty girl" Lucas chuckled and bent down to peck her on her temple, "It's nice to know that all I am to you is a body that keeps you warm at night…" he teased, feigning hurt, yet unable to hide a smile when he watched Brooke letting out a big yawn and stretching her body out in bed, obviously still too sleepy to be self-conscious about her actions. He found that to be simply adorable.

"You're not just a warm body, Luke, but right now I really am tired and cold" Brooke groaned as she felt shivers going up her spine again, causing Lucas to laugh wholeheartedly. Trembling slightly, Brooke closed her eyes and tried to snuggle deeper into the blankets that were wrapped around her, yet just as she found a comfortable position and started feeling the sleep overcoming her again, Lucas spoke.

"Well, pretty girl, do you think that some chocolate-chip pancakes could help you warm up?" he asked with a smirk, which quickly turned to a chuckle when Brooke suddenly shot up, looking at him with alert, wide-open eyes.

"Did you just say chocolate-chip pancakes?" she questioned with true interest, looking as awake as she would usually only be after her large morning dose of caffeine, causing Lucas to laugh out loud. Throughout everything that had happened, he had almost forgotten how amusing Brooke could be at times.

"Yes I did, my dear" Lucas theatrically replied, causing Brooke to giggle slightly, "Would you like some homemade pancakes?" he suggested, frowning in surprise when Brooke shook her head.

"No- I want some breakfast-diner pancakes" Brooke told him, and upon seeing the look of slight hurt in his eyes, as he felt as though she had rejected his offer, she quickly explained, "I just ran out of whipped cream, and it's not chocolate-chip pancakes without whipped cream…" she said with a gentle shrug, putting the smile back on Lucas' face. Staring at the small, nightgown-clad brunette before him- Lucas simply couldn't help but be mesmerized by her beauty and adorable nature.

"Alright, babe- diner pancakes it is…" he said, his tone distant as he was busy admiring the flawless porcelain skin, dazzling green eyes and luscious lips of the gorgeous woman sitting before him.

"What?" Brooke uncomfortably smiled and asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious with the way Lucas was staring at her. Awkwardly looking down at herself, Brooke suddenly realized how thin the material of her lavender nightgown was and immediately crossed her arms over her chest, thinking she knew exactly what Lucas was daydreaming about, considering how cold she was. Lucas, however, surprised her by replying.

"Nothing… You just look beautiful, that's all…" he honestly said, and even though Brooke now believed him that he had been admiring her beauty and not other assets of hers, she still couldn't help but blush under his deep, penetrating gaze.

"Stop looking at me like that…" Brooke quietly asked, glancing up at him and immediately shying away from the admiring and loving gaze she found in Lucas' eyes. She truly felt like he was undressing her with his eyes, though not in the matter of taking off her clothes, yet in the much more startling manner of unpeeling the layers to her soul, and that just scared her. Brooke knew that she had promised herself to stop hiding, but she still found herself overwhelmed with opening herself up like that to someone else, as no man had ever been so deep in her soul other than Lucas, and the last time she had trusted him with her heart and had let him all the way in had been a long time ago…

"Luke…" Brooke pleaded yet again as her bedroom was filled with silence as she could still feel Lucas' eyes gazing right at her.

"I'm sorry babe, I can't help it…" Lucas apologized as he settled down on the bed on Brooke's side. He cupped Brooke's cheek and stroked her skin with his thumb until she mustered the strength to look up at him. "I'm just really dying to kiss you right now…" he confessed, his thumb moving over to brush against Brooke's lower lip, causing her to shiver slightly.

The two of them were caught in a mutual, intense gaze, their breaths growing slightly rugged as Lucas gradually closed the gap between the two of them and carefully planted a slow, soft kiss on the side of Brooke's mouth. Carefully pulling back from her, he looked into her hazel eyes, which were shaded with both uncertainty and lust, and asked for permission to do more than he had just done. Even though he was barely able to resist the urge to press his lips back against Brooke's soft, perfect lips, especially with the way she was letting out jagged breaths through them, Lucas wanted to make sure that Brooke was alright with that and that she wanted it too.

When Brooke hesitantly moved her head towards Lucas' head, obviously still contemplating which was greater- her desire to kiss Lucas or her fear of doing so, Lucas took the opening that she was giving him and gently pulled Brooke's face towards his face, now taking her lips in his and kissing her gently. Upon noticing that Brooke was still only responding to his actions with hesitance, Lucas was about to stop, but just then, he felt Brooke opening her mouth, inviting him to deepen his kiss.

With one hand still cupping Brooke's cheek and the other finding its way to Brooke's hips, Lucas did as he was permitted to do- slipping his tongue into Brooke's mouth to caress her, and pulling her flush against him- in order to intensify his actions. As Lucas began to draw soft patterns against Brooke's hip, he could suddenly feel her moaning in pleasure into his mouth, stimulating him to pull Brooke even tighter against him and to further intensify his actions.

As Brooke suddenly slipped her own tongue into Lucas' mouth- no longer shy or hesitant, but all of a sudden becoming the seductive vixen she used to be back in high school, Lucas felt as though he was losing his mind. He was completely overcome with passion for a few moments, and when he regained the ability to think coherently- he found out that Brooke had somehow been hoisted onto his lap and was now sitting across it, straddling him. His hand, which had been tracing circles against Brooke's hip, instinctively moved down to Brooke's thigh and, as if it had a mind of its own, began massaging Brooke's soft, warm skin. With his actions still controlled by his body rather than by his mind, Lucas could feel himself slipping his fingers under Brooke's thin nightgown and moving them up her thigh, as his need to feel Brooke's body again became insatiable. He was still attacking Brooke's lip with his as he greedily grabbed onto Brooke's thigh, feeling as though no matter how close to him she was, no matter how much of her body he was touching, he just couldn't get enough of her.

When Brooke finally grew short of breath and pulled away from him, still sitting on his lap and still held securely in his possessive grasp, Lucas stared at her striking features and immediately wanted to press his lips to hers all over again; she was just sitting there on top of him, panting due to their heated make-out session, her lips flushed and slightly swollen and her hair curtaining over her face as she stared at him and struggled to even out her breaths. To him, she was simply the sexiest thing he had ever seen. Just staring at her when she looked like that- her hazel eyes still filled with lust, her chest still heaving erratically with her uneven breaths and her skin still extra-soft as it would always be in the mornings, before the stress of the day became evident in her tensed-up muscles, aroused Lucas' primitive side. Simply looking at her at that moment filled Lucas with the urge to pin her flawless body underneath him and to take her right there, yet he knew that it was too soon and that he still couldn't. Lucas therefore opted for tucking Brooke's hair behind her ear and gently stroking her cheek as he admiringly continued watching her attempts to regain her composure from their intense kiss.

"I guess this means that you're hungry for breakfast too…" Brooke finally broke the silence as she managed to stabilize her breaths and kinked her eyebrow as she suggestively said. As she playfully bit her lower lip and smiled at Lucas seductively, he couldn't help but chuckle and nod in agreement.

"Oh, I'm definitely hungry for breakfast, pretty girl, but I think that right now I'd rather skip right to dessert…" Lucas teased back, causing Brooke to giggle and soon to squeal as he rolled them both backwards, positioning Brooke on her back and hovering over her petite frame. Brooke pleasurably laughed as Lucas began attacking her neck, kissing and gently nibbling her delicate skin. Giggling in delight, Brooke pulled Lucas' mouth to her own for another brief, yet passionate kiss, before flipping him onto his back and hopping out of bed. It was the last thing she wanted to do, but Lucas was turning her on more and more by the minute, and she knew that if she wouldn't stop things now- there was no chance that they would be taking it slow…

"Hey! What happened to my dessert?" Lucas protested immediately after he had come out of his lustful daze and realized that Brooke was no longer by his side. He raised his eyes and upon spotting Brooke coming out of her walk-in closet, he rose to his feet and approached her, wanting to continue his abruptly interrupted actions. Much to his dismay, however, Brooke had other plans in mind.

"Not so fast, broody boy…" she told him with a teasing smile, "We have a seven-course meal ahead of us, so you'll have to wait a little for dessert…" and with that she winked at him and disappeared into the hallway, leaving Lucas alone in her room- hungry, turned on, and craving dessert more than ever…

"Don't you guys just love dessert?" Brooke happily chirped to her friends at the diner table they were sitting in later that morning, as they were served their breakfast dishes- Brooke receiving a large stack of pancakes and whipped cream, to no one's surprise.

"Brooke…" Lucas grumbled in displeasure, giving Brooke a look that could only be described as pure misery.

"What?" Brooke feigned innocence as she stared at him with big eyes, yet her wide, mischievous smile betrayed her. "Mmm… So yummy!" as she stuffed a spoonful of whipped cream into her mouth and pulled the spoon out, teasingly slowly, Lucas felt like he was about to lose control, much to his friends' entertainment.

"You're really not being fair, you know that?" Lucas pointed out, causing all those present to laugh and then start digging into their dishes as well.

Looking at all of his dear friends who were currently sharing his and Brooke's breakfast table- Rachel, Owen, Nathan, Haley and Jamie- Lucas couldn't help but be glad to have them by his and Brooke's side. Even though he had originally wanted to spend some time exclusively with Brooke, he was actually glad that Brooke had insisted on bringing their friends along for breakfast, as it seemed to make Brooke even more cheerful and happy than before.

Lucas assumed that their friends noticed how his hand was protectively positioned on top of Brooke's knee as they sat side by side, but he was pleased to see that none of them mentioned anything, for he was certain that speaking about the change in their relationship would make things awkward for himself and for Brooke, and he really didn't want to ruin the carefree atmosphere that surrounded them. Lucas knew for certain that at least Nathan was aware of what was going on between the two of them, as he had witnessed Brooke's heartfelt speech on the previous night. Therefore, he was sure that Nathan would initiate a brotherly talk with him sooner or later, and for this reason, he was pleased and thankful that for now- Nathan was only smirking at him every once in a while, but was refraining from saying a word.

As Brooke continued happily eating her food, seeming to have a true appetite for the first time since her second attack, Lucas smiled contently and began to idly rub circles over her knee. It was good to see Brooke finally eating healthily again, especially considering the fact that she seemed to enjoy herself so much.

"Do you want some?" as Brooke suddenly sensed that Lucas was gazing at her, she lifted her eyes from her food and over to him and sweetly offered, ready to hand over the spoonful she had prepared for herself to him. Caught up in the moment, as Lucas' striking eyes captured her complete attention, Brooke forgot all about her friends, who were currently staring at her curiously. She was ready to feed Lucas with the spoonful of pancakes and whipped cream, when Jamie's high-pitched voice suddenly piped in, snapping both Brooke and Lucas back to reality.

"I want some, aunt Brooke" he innocently said, looking at Brooke with big, excited eyes, unaware of the intimate moment he had just interrupted. Haley, Nathan, Rachel and Owen stifled laughs as Brooke and Lucas straightened themselves out, clearing their throats uncomfortably, as they were embarrassed about being swept away to a world of their own in front of their friends and especially in front of Jamie.

"I mean- may I please have some pancakes?" Jamie corrected himself after being met with silence, naively thinking that the reason he hadn't received an answer was that he hadn't spoken with all the proper manners his mother had taught him.

"Of course you may, little man" Brooke finally came to her senses and replied, "Come over here, handsome" she beckoned him over, helping him onto her lap and handing him her spoon, so he could eat as much of her meal as he would like.

"I missed you, aunt Brooke" Jamie suddenly said, and even though his tone had been completely casual and his mouth had been filled with food- Brooke couldn't help but be touched by his honest statement.

"I missed you too, buddy" she truthfully replied, kissing the young boy on top of his head and tightening her grasp on his small body, "But I'm back now. I promise that I'm really back…" she said, putting a genuine smile on all of her friends' faces, for they knew that it was true, for they knew that finally- their dear Brooke was truly back…

"So, do you want to start this talk, or should I do this?" Nathan asked Lucas later that day, as the entire gang was hanging out in the river court.

"What do you want to know?" Lucas sighed in response. He had known that Nathan would bring this up at some point, but until that moment, he had thought that he could avoid this talk for the day. Now, however, as the two of them were sitting on the river court's bench on their own, watching Owen and Jamie beating Rachel, Brooke and Haley in a game of basketball, Lucas realized that it was time for a brotherly talk.

"Are you guys really gonna do this, Luke?" Nathan's piercing blue eyes met his brother's identical ones and questioned, curiosity and concern evident in his gaze.

"Yeah, Nate, we are…" Lucas said with a smile, averting his gaze back to Brooke and smiling when he saw her trying to steal the ball away from Jamie, only to have him score two more points.

"Did you guys… you know?" Nathan asked with a smirk, suddenly resembling the juvenile high school version of himself so much, that Lucas let out a chuckle before shaking his head with an amused yet quite existent frown.

"No, man- what did you think?" Lucas said, still laughing in amazement of his brother's question, yet his tone stressing his deep sincerity, "All we did was sleep together" he added, yet when Nathan kinked his eyebrow, causing Lucas to understand how his words came out, he corrected himself, "I meant slept in the same bed… Geez, Nate, what kind of guy do you think I am?" he asked defensively, "Sure, we fooled around a bit, but we sure as hell didn't go the whole way. I know she's not ready for that yet. I'm not gonna pressure her into anything…"

"Good. That's just what I wanted to hear" Nathan said with satisfaction, his serious expression immediately causing him to once again look like the mature man he had grown into. When he saw the slightly offended look on Lucas' face, Nathan sighed and felt the need to say, "Listen, Luke- I know that this may come out kind of weird, because you're my brother and not Brooke, but to me- she's also a part of my family. I know you're a really good guy, it's just that after what Brooke has been through lately, I promised myself not to let her get hurt by anyone…" Nathan explained, causing Lucas to nod understandingly. He was actually glad that Brooke had someone like Nathan watching over her like that.

"It's cool, Nate- I get it…" Lucas nodded at Nathan, signaling to him that they shared an understanding. Both of their gazes then drifted back to their friends playing on the small, shabby court they had both grown up playing in, and they were both pleased to see that none of their friends seemed to have heard their man to man talk. A wide smile soon graced both Lucas and Nathan's faces as they saw Jamie dribbling the ball as he advanced towards the hoop, afterwards throwing the ball and making the shot- nothing but net.

Lucas and Nathan's smiles soon turned into humored chuckles as they watched Brooke snatching the ball and hugging it as she ran across the court. She was immediately followed by Owen, who grabbed onto her, causing her to shriek, but to only tighten her grasp on the ball. Soon enough, Brooke was lifted from the ground by one of Owen's strong arms, while the other was still trying to pry the ball out of her tight grip, all the while Rachel was trying to help Brooke out by tickling Owen's sides. Clearly, the only person who seemed to actually know and follow the real rules of basketball was Jamie…

"By the way- I'm happy for you, man" Nathan finally gave Lucas his blessing, turning his gaze from their friends on the court and over to Lucas and giving him a smile, "Just enjoy being happy, and make her happy" Nathan said, causing Lucas to respond with a grin.

"Thanks, Nate- I'll do that" Lucas replied, grateful to have his brother's support. As the two brothers suddenly heard Brooke squealing once again, afterwards jokingly calling out for Lucas and asking for his help, they both turned their attention back to the court, only to find Brooke hanging over Owen's shoulder, while he was busy trying to exchange the girl in his grasp for the much desired basketball, which Rachel was now possessively holding.

"I guess that's my cue…"Lucas shook his head in amazement and chuckled, sincerely wondering how a game of basketball, with all the clear rules that it had, ended up like what he was seeing before his eyes.

While Brooke's giggles and light-hearted protests filled the air, Lucas advanced towards her and Owen, finally pausing when he was face to face with the large bartender who had lately become a true friend to him.

"Alright, Owen- you had your fun beating the girls, but now let's get to the real business…" Lucas offered, crossing his arms over his chest and trying to sound as serious as he could while seeing Brooke's body squirming on Owen's shoulder.

"What do you have in mind?" Owen asked, chuckling as Brooke made yet another failing attempt at climbing off his shoulder.

"I'll give you my offer in exchange for that pretty girl you've got over there…" Lucas bargained, causing Owen to chuckle and to flip Brooke's body into both of his arms.

"Fair enough… There you go" Owen said, handing Brooke's light body over to Lucas, who gripped her, bridal style, before carefully helping her back to her feet.

"My hero!" Brooke dramatically flung herself into Lucas' arms, earning herself a chuckle and a hug from him, "You saved me from the big, mean dragon!" she teased and jokingly glared at Owen, now causing all those present to wholeheartedly laugh.

"I was glad to be at your service, Lady Penelope" Lucas went along with Brooke's playful charade and was rewarded with the sound of her lovely raspy laugh. Pulling away from Brooke, Lucas wrapped an arm around her shoulders and turned to face Owen.

"Now that this is settled, how about us four men have a real basketball game?" Lucas finally made his offer, earning an approving nod from Owen.

"I call Jamie!" Nathan immediately appointed his team-mate, receiving a huge grin and a high-five from his son.

As Rachel tossed the ball over to Owen and, along with Haley, cleared the court for the men in the group, Brooke suddenly pressed her lips to Lucas' cheek and softly whispered into his ear, "Go get 'em, boyfriend!" afterwards winking at him and following the girls to the bleachers, yet leaving him in a total daze.

Lucas knew that it might have been a simple slipup, but finally hearing Brooke calling him her boyfriend, after waiting for that moment for so long, just made his day. It made him smile, it made his heart flutter and it made him feel like things were on their way to becoming simply perfect…

AN: I hope you liked this, because I definitely enjoyed finally writing a Brucas chapter! I promise that during the next chapter, Brooke and Lucas' relationship will improve even more, but just remember- the drama is no where near over yet... As always, just when things seem perfect- unexpected things will somehow manage to appear... ;-)