This is going to be the last chapter of this story…I've lost inspiration for it and have some other great ideas, and I also want to finish off my two other current stories. Thanks to all of you for sticking through with me

Clink clink clink!

Peyton smiled softly as she stood with champagne flute in hand. "I'll try to keep this short and sweet. After all, Brooke has always been the funny one and Lucas has always had a way with words. That's one of the best things about them, that they compliment each other so well. I think they're the very best example of how opposites attract. Their road hasn't been easy, but as Shakespeare said, the course of true love never did run smooth. Brooke has been my best friend since we were just little girls, and I can imagine my life would have been a hundred times duller without her by my side. I can't think of a kinder, more selfless person, and I am so glad that she found amazing happiness with Lucas, one of the best guys I know. I love you guys, and I can't wait to see your family continue to grow."

Brooke pulled Peyton into a hug as she sat back down beside the bride while Jake stood from Lucas's other side.

"Lucas and I were the boys from the Rivercourt, while Brooke and Peyton over there were the queens of Tree Hill High's social scene. It's pretty funny to look back on now. If someone had told us our freshman year of high school that we'd be married, I doubt we'd have believed them. But that's how love works. It's unexpected and it's strange. So while it might not make the most sense why Brooke would ever go for Lucas," everyone laughed at this, and Lucas glared at Jake mock-threateningly, "it just works. I've watched them grow a lot over the years, Brooke from the spoiled cheerleader and Lucas from the shy, broody kid from the Rivercourt. I've watched them grow together and because of each other, and I think that's a beautiful thing. To Brooke and Lucas, who just make sense."

It had been a year since Lucas had proposed to Brooke, and they had decided that wasting time just seemed silly when they were practically married all ready, after all. Brooke watched the guests at the reception as they twirled on the dance floor, leaning her head on her new husband's shoulder. Lucas nudged her with a grin.

Rachel, in her black bridesmaid's dress, was wrapped in Julian's arms on the dance floor, cracking up laughing.

"I don't know how I never saw that one coming," Brooke smirked. "Ever since she came back, those two have been eying each other."

"Mama!" Jamie cried, scrambling onto her lap.

"Hi baby," Brooke smiled. "Are you having fun?"

"The party's real fun, Mama."

"I think so, too," she said, giving him a kiss on the head.

"Mama, how come there's only two red flowers?" Jamie asked as he played with her bouquet. She sighed, pulling him closer to her as Lucas gave her shoulder a little squeeze.

"They're a symbol."

Lucas looked at Jamie's confused blue eyes and took over. "Which is something that stands for another thing. Like, how that funny looking check mark on Daddy's basketball shoes stands for Nike. The roses stand for your other mom and dad."

Jamie crinkled his little face. "But you're mama and daddy."

"Yeah, we are," Brooke said. She couldn't believe they were all ready having this conversation, when he was not even four yet. "But see, most babies come out of the mommy's tummy. You didn't come out of my tummy. You came out of Haley's, who was mama and daddy's best friend."

"Then where are they?" he asked, looking around. "Peyton and Rachel are your bestest friends and they're here."

Brooke swallowed, hard, and bit her lip. "They had an accident when you were just a baby, and now they're up in the sky with the stars where they can watch over you. They left you with us to take care of you and to be your mom and dad."

He still looked confused, which didn't surprise Lucas or Brooke. He simply shrugged.

"Well I love you mama, even if I didn't come out of your tummy."

"Thanks, baby," she smiled in relief, squeezing him. "I love you, too."

"Did Jenny come out of Peyton's belly?"

"Nope," Lucas said.

Jamie rolled his eyes, a move that was characteristically Brooke and Lucas chuckled. "Well then I don't see the big deal with this belly business."

And with that, their almost-four-year old was gone, running off to go find Jenny and Lily.

"Wow," Brooke breathed, leaning into Lucas once again. "I can't believe we just had that talk."

"It went well, though," Lucas pointed out, playing with a few of her loose curls. "You know you're beautiful, right?"

"I am a married lady!" Brooke gasped, pretending to be scandalized. "You just wait till my husband hears about this."

"Husband? What's he like?"

"Real scary guy."

"I should probably hide."

"You probably should."

They grinned at each other, rubbing noses and kissing softly.

"I love you, Brooke," he said quietly. "I know I've said that like a hundred times today, but I really mean it."

"I know you do," she smiled. "And I love you too."

"So," he sighed as she tucked herself into his arms. "Is this everything you imagined it would be?"

Brooke thought back to when she was seventeen, dreaming of marrying Lucas Scott before the whole world went to hell after the shooting.

"It's more," she finally said.

"More?"

"Yeah," Brooke said quietly, smiling softly to herself. "It's even more than I imagined. I have this beautiful, amazing life that I never would have imagined. And it's horrible that Haley and Nathan aren't here to share it with me, but I know that wherever they are, they're really happy for us."

"I think they are, too."

"Come on, husband," Brooke smiled, standing. "Let's go show 'em what we've got."

Lucas laughed. "Brooke, you know the Scott men are cursed with a lack of moves."

"I'll take baby girl off your hands," Skills said, appearing at Brooke's side. "Let's go show them what you're workin' with, shorty."

Brooke giggled, letting Skills lead her to the dance floor. Lucas leaned back with a grin, finishing off his glass of champagne. Brooke's tight, strapless cream-colored lace gown fit perfectly over her every curve, and as he watched her twist around to some Britney Spears song, he wasn't surprised that he was distracted with thoughts of getting it off of her later.

Skills twirled her around and she shot him a wink as her eyes met his. He winked back at her and laughed as she and Skills almost toppled over, colliding with an alarmed but amused Jake and Peyton.

"You're a lucky guy, Scott," Mouth pointed out as he took a seat beside the groom.

"Don't I know it."

"I'm happy you finally figured it out," Mouth said. "Brooke's a great girl. The best if you ask me."

"You're pretty much her favorite person, if that's any consolation," Lucas replied.

"It is," Mouth said with a cheeky grin. "I'm holding out for an annulment between you two before I make my move."

Lucas jokingly swatted at him. "Thanks for being such a good friend to her over the years, Mouth. Especially when I was too much of an idiot to be there for her."

"I would do it all over again," Mouth said simply.

"You loved her, didn't you?" Lucas asked suddenly.

Mouth was quiet for a moment, but Lucas could all ready see the answer in his friend's eyes. "Yeah, back in high school. But it's been a long time since then, Luke."

And he was right. They had graduated nearly four years ago, and things had changed so much in that time that it was crazy to even think that anything could possibly be the same.

"Good," Lucas joked. "Because I think you could give me a run for my money with Brooke. She adores you too much."

Mouth smiled before standing. "Brooke's friend Millie is giving me the eye. I'm gonna go see if I can't snatch my own brunette."

Lucas laughed as Mouth strutted off to join Brooke's mousy brunette business partner. The two girls had met in fashion school years before, and Millie had, by pure coincidence, ended up in Tree Hill on a vacation with her brother's family. She ran into Brooke, and three months later, she had moved to Tree Hill and started a boutique with her.

Lucas had published another book, about the lives of Nathan and Haley. It had been appropriately titled "Always and Forever." The book had seen a great amount of success, even though the first few months after its publication had been some of the hardest of Lucas's life. He had been forced to go on a book tour, away from Brooke and Jamie for three entire months.

It was then that he was absolutely sure how much he needed Brooke by his side. And it was also the first time he had realized that he no longer considered Jamie Nathan's son. Jamie was his son, through and through, and the biology of his being couldn't change that.

He was pulled from his thoughts by a light tug on his ear lobe by Brooke's teeth. "Quit your brooding and get me upstairs, husband."

Lucas kinked an eyebrow and scrambled to his feet, kissing her hard on the mouth. "I've been waiting to hear that all night."

Brooke giggled. "Let's go say goodnight to our little monster."

"Is he staying with Peyton and Jake or Ma?"

"With Peyton and Jake," Brooke reaffirmed. "But halfway through the week he'll be going to your mom's."

Brooke and Lucas were going to take a much-deserved honeymoon to Hawaii for a week, leaving the next morning. For the night, they were going to enjoy each other's company in the honeymoon suite of the hotel where the reception was held.

They went over to Jamie, each giving him tight hugs and kisses, telling him to be good and that they would miss him, before dashing off to the elevator like a couple of teenagers, giggling.

As soon as the silver doors closed, Brooke had him pinned against the wall, kissing him passionately and tugging at his suit jacket.

"Brooke Scott, you never change."

The words tumbled out of his mouth and he took immense satisfaction in them. She seemed to, too, based on the way they hardly made it to their room out of the elevator.

Lucas and Brooke Scott thoroughly enjoyed their first night together as a married couple, perfectly aware that it was just the first of many.

I feel really bad, I feel like this is a really bad ending to the story, and fairly abrupt. But I just don't have that much interest for this story anymore and I really want to finish Shaking Paper and even Backfire. I also plan on starting a new story, and I want votes on which of the following I should do! All are Brucas, of course.

-Based on the movie Drive Me Crazy. Brooke and Lucas are neighbors and were best friends until middle school. He became a trouble maker, she became the most popular girl in school. But when she gets snubbed by her dream guy and he gets dumped by his girlfriend, they come together once again to help each other out.

-Brooke and Lucas have been best friends since their freshman year of high school. She always loved him, he picked her best friend and it didn't work out between them. He's kicked himself ever since, but has never let himself entertain the idea of her ever giving him another chance. Now they're 20, and he's just been drafted to the Knicks, where Brooke is at NYU for school. Maybe it's not too late for second chances, after all…

-Brooke is from L.A., Haley is from Raleigh, Peyton is from Portland, Lucas is from San Francisco, Nathan is from New York City, and Jake is from Savannah. They meet their freshman year of college in Seattle and learn that, in college, your friends become your family, your thoughts quickly become your actions, and that what goes up must come down.