Author's note: So, I promised you all that a big moment would happen about every five chapters or so... well, the big moment in the preview will happen soon. I'm not sure if it will be chapter 10, but I highly doubt it. I end the night with chapter 5 and hope to make it to 20 reviews before the end of 2010. Happy New Year! R&R!

Brooke sat in her car which was parked in the driveway of her house. She knew Julian was inside, and she just couldn't find the courage to go inside and confront him. She placed her hand on the door of her car and remained frozen there for a moment. Before she could open the door, her phone went off, radiating such a loud sound it almost gave Brooke a headache.

"What do you want?" She hissed through her end of the phone.

"Is that any way to talk to your boss?" Asked the gruff voice on the other end.

"You're not my boss, Lane."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. It's still my company, so I'm the one that gets to tell you what to do. Not the other way around."

He laughed. "My contract is ironclad, sweetheart. I can do whatever I want, whenever I want."

"Yeah? Tell that to my pink slip, asshole."

"See there it is again... Negative comments. I don't like them."

"Tough. There's a lot of things in life you don't like or don't agree with... Including me."

"That's what makes my life interesting. Tell you what... Because I'm an adult, I'll forgive you for speaking rudely to me."

"See, you don't get it. You said you wanted a war and, when it comes to wars, no one plays fair and everyone and everything is at stake."

"Well... you're right about that." He chuckled, mysteriously.

"If I were you, Lane, I would hang up the phone and leave Tree Hill as soon as possible. You don't want to start anything with me."

"Do you even know who you're talking to, darling? You better watch what you say."

Brooke hesitated for a moment. His last comment made her feel threatened and they both knew she just was. "What's in that contract Lane?"

"Everything I want." Lane laughed.

"And what's that?"

"...Eighty percent." He whispered, seductively.

"Eighty percent? What the hell!"

"Yep." He laughed, evilly.

"Why would Victoria do that?"

"It's simple, babe. A man with that kind of authority is powerful... I own you now."

"No... No one owns me. Not Victoria and sure as hell not you."

"You still wanna fight that battle, honey? Is it worth it? You said it yourself... 'everyone and everything is at stake'. And I never play fair."

"You don't scare me."

"No? You should be scared."

"Do you really want to fight this battle with hollow threats?" Brooke said, strongly on the outside, but feeling terrified on the inside.

"Is it working?"

"No." Brooke lied.

"Right... of course. Nothing scares Brooke Davis. Just like her mother."

"I am nothing like Victoria!"

"Oh." He chuckled. "Did I hit a nerve?"

"You are not taking my company from me."

"If saying that will make you feel better. You can stop by my place any time to take a look at the contract. It won't do you any good, though." He laughed.

"You are really pissing me off."

"What else is new?" Before Brooke could say anything else, Lane hung up. She yelled out in frustration and slammed on the steering wheel a few times.

"That son of a bitch." She whispered. She slammed on the steering wheel one more time before stepping out of her car and into her house.

"Babe?" Julian called, from in the bedroom.

"Yeah?"

"I got your stuff packed. You ready to go?" He said, walking into the living room and over to Brooke. "I got a reservation at The Sunset Tower Hotel in West Hollywood. The hotel has a top-notch modern bistro, the Tower Bar, a poolside grill, The Terrace, a full service spa and beauty salon... Sound nice?" He said, wearing his 'illegal grin'.

"Yeah, it does... but Julian-"

"Oh, and I've got a whole bunch of stuff planned. We'll be lucky if we get any time to sleep. Of course it won't matter because our adrenaline will be pumping 24/7." He chuckled.

"Julian..." She said, trying to get a word in.

"It's gonna be perfect, babe... trust me." He grinned, again.

"I can't go." She blurted out.

"What?" He asked, stunned.

Brooke sighed. "Victoria's got some crazy thing planned with the company and I think her and Lane are trying to take it away from me. I just... I-I can't leave now. With-with all this going on. I know you had all this stuff planned and I know you were looking forward to it and I'm really proud of you Julian, I am. I'm really sorry. I was really looking forward to it to, and I-"

"Brooke... It's okay... I understand." He said, feeling a little hurt.

"Really?" She asked, almost in tears.

"Yeah... Do I want you to come with me? Yes. But I also respect your decision to fight for your company..."

"Julian..."

"No, really, it's okay. There's always next year." He joked. "I won't be gone long and we can always go do something like this again. You stay, alright? Don't worry about it. Just promise me that when I get back... Clothes Over Bros will belong to Brooke Davis and no one else."

"Of course." She tried to smile.

"Well, I should go. Don't wanna miss my flight. Hey, you know what, on the bright side the trip won't be as expensive." He said, using humor to cope with how hurt he was. He picked up his bags and gave Brooke a kiss goodbye before walking out the door. "Wait for me, Brooke Davis." He told her before closing the door behind him.

Brooke felt awful. She wanted to go with Julian more than anything, but she wasn't ready to jeopardize her company.

Julian placed the last bag in the trunk of his car and looked back at the house. He let out a sigh before reaching in his front pocket where he pulled out a five carat diamond ring in a gold setting. "There's always next year." He sighed before throwing the ring in the car with the rest of his things.