A/N: I was really skeptical about writing this story, only because I'm still working on Awakening and I've never really juggled two stories at once, but I've decided to go ahead with it. This is a continuation of the oneshot of the same name that I posted a few weeks ago. It was actually set ahead of where this story starts and gives away some of the stuff that's happened, so I ended up taking it off the site, just so I didn't end up spoiling everyone. If you've read it, then you already know a little bit of what's going to happen with Peyton. Brooke and Lucas' situation wasn't explained in it, though, so luckily everything that happens with them is going to be new to you all.

Basically, this is an alternate season 6 fic and is pretty much what I wished would have happened this season. It will be heavily Brucas, of course, but I'm going to be focusing a lot on Peyton in this story as well. In fact, she's going to be major part of this fic and eventually there will be a lot of Jeyton (Jake and Peyton) and Pulian (Peyton and Julian) included in here. I know a lot of you might be a little turned off by that, but don't worry, this fic is still primarily about Brooke and Lucas and will focus most on their journey of finding their way back to each other.

I also want to stay that this story is going to move at a slower pace than my other stories and Brucas are going to take a little while to get back together. I want it to be as realistic as possible and in order for that to happen, a lot of things need to be resolved, so please just bear with me because in the end, everything will be worth it. Also, updates for this story aren't going to be as frequent as with my other stories, at least for now. After I finish Awakening, then I'll start updating this one faster.

So, I'm gonna stop rambling now and let you get to the reading. I hope you enjoy and please remember to let me know what you think!!!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. If I did, things on the show would be lot different.

The Point of No Return

Waiting

Lucas was tired. He was tired in so many ways, but most of all, he was tired of waiting. That was what brought him to this airport and what made him buy those two tickets to Las Vegas. That was what had him staring down at his phone at three particular names, trying to figure out which one to call. All he wanted was to settle down with the girl he loved and start a family. The only problem was that he had no idea who the girl was that he loved.

There was Lindsay. The girl he was going to marry, the girl he'd said 'I do' to. Everything had been so easy with them, so effortless, and he truly did love her. But he knew now that sometimes easy wasn't good. Sometimes it was; sometimes it meant that you were with a person that you were completely comfortable with, someone who you could confide in no matter what. But sometimes it wasn't a good thing because many times the effortlessness was a sign of settling. It was a sign that you went for the easy relationship instead of the one that took work and effort. He was starting to think the latter option fit him and Lindsay and that left him wondering if he and Lindsay were really meant to be.

Then there was Peyton. The obvious choice. The one that he was supposedly destined to be with. Once upon a time, he'd agreed with that and he'd even written about it in his book. After all, he and Peyton were epic, weren't they? He didn't think so anymore. He loved Peyton, he truly did, but people always pushed them together and he was tired of it. He didn't want to be with her just because everyone wanted them together. He wanted to be with her because that's what he simply wanted. But he didn't want that, not now at least.

He and Peyton only seemed to bring pain into other people's lives. Lindsay and Brooke were the prime examples of that. He knew that even though Lindsay had left him at the altar so that he could be with Peyton, it would still kill Lindsay to see them together. And he didn't want to do that to Lindsay; he didn't want to cause her anymore pain.

And then there was Brooke. He wasn't sure when she became an option again. He wasn't even sure if she was an option, but still, he couldn't keep her out of his mind. He loved her. He wasn't necessarily sure if he loved her in the way that he loved her in high school, but he did love her; there was absolutely no doubt in that. He loved hanging out with her, talking with her and just being around her. He'd learned how much he missed that during the last few months when he helped her look after Angie. She was one person that he couldn't live without. Her friendship meant the world to him.

The last time he was in a relationship with her, though, it hadn't ended well. To this day, he was still at a loss at how they ended. It was sudden and he'd been so completely taken by surprise when she'd broken up with him that he hadn't gone after her. He'd fought for her briefly, but not hard enough and not long enough. He'd given up on her and there were plenty of times in his life that he really wished he hadn't. They could have been so great.

He doubted he'd be sitting here in this airport, trying to make the most important decision in his life, if he'd just fought harder for her.

He glared down at his phone, shaking his head in frustration. Then he finally lifted it up, pressing the number of an all too familiar name, and brought it up to his ear. When he heard her answer, he took a deep breath, eyes narrowing.

"Hey, it's me. Look, I'm at the airport and I've got two tickets to Las Vegas. Do you want to get married tonight?"

There was a short pause on the other line before he heard her let out a snort of laughter.

"Shut up, Lucas."

Lucas sighed, chuckling softly. "You know, I was joking about the last part, but I wasn't kidding about the first part."

"So you're at the airport? And you've got two tickets to Vegas?"

"Yup."

"So, who's the other ticket for?"

"I don't know." He took another long breath, not knowing exactly what to say. "I've been thinking a lot about what you and I talked about tonight. About not hiding my heart. And after you left, I guess I just snapped. I just couldn't wait anymore. I wanted to find the one I was going to spend the rest of my life with, so I bought a couple of tickets to Vegas, intending to make a final decision tonight and ask the girl I chose to marry me."

"Lucas." Haley's voice was stern, mixed with a tinge of disbelief. "Do you realize how stupid that sounds?"

It did sound kind of ridiculous now that he thought about it, but that's why he'd called his best friend first instead of calling one of the three girls on his mind. He needed to make sure he was doing the right thing and now it was clear that he wasn't.

"I know, Hales," he murmured tiredly.

"Seriously, Luke, when I told you to stop hiding your heart, I didn't mean to drop everything and make a decision tonight. I just meant that you needed to stop dancing around these girls and messing with everyone's hearts, including your own."

"I get that now…"

"You need to come home, Lucas," Haley continued. "You can't call anyone. It wouldn't be fair to any of them."

"I know." He sighed again. "I'm not going to. This whole thing was stupid. I should have never have come here tonight."

"Luke…" Haley sounded sympathetic now. "I know you're tired of waiting and I know that you want a family, but it will happen. You might have to give it some time, but it will. You can't just choose who you want to be with, though. We're only human and most of the time our decisions come back to haunt us. So just let everything work out on its own, okay? Don't rush anything and just let fate work its magic."

"That's harder than it sounds," Lucas said despondently.

"I know it is, but you've got to try. You can't risk making the wrong choice and hurting the girl that you strung along and, most of all, you can't risk settling."

"You're right, Haley, and I'm not going to."

"Good," Haley replied and he heard her sigh in obvious relief. "Now go return your tickets and then you get your butt over to my house and we'll have another one of our talks so I can continue to knock some sense into you."

He smiled softly. "I will. See you soon."

He hung up, the smile on his face faltering as he stood up from his chair. He was glad he'd called Haley. Who knew how much he could have screwed up his and someone else's life if he'd called one of the girls stuck in his mind, especially if it had been the wrong girl.

Picking up his single suitcase, he marched over to the ticket counter, hoping that he would be able to return his tickets and get back the money he had so foolishly spent in the first place.

888

Peyton was sitting at the River Court, brooding depressingly and thinking about Lucas, when her phone rang. She wanted to ignore it, but when she saw the name on the caller ID, she thought better of it. It was Mia and she probably had more news on the person who knew Ellie. Even though Peyton wasn't exactly in the mood to deal with this, she picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Peyt, it's Mia."

"Yeah, I know. Any news on the guy who said he knows Ellie?"

"He's nowhere in sight. I told him to come backstage after the concert, but it's been two hours and he's still not here. Sorry, Peyton."

Peyton just sighed. "It's okay, Mia. It's no big deal."

"Sure it is. I mean, this guy could've told you more about the mom you barely got a chance to know. He could've even been your—."

"Don't say it, Mia. I don't need to hear that he could've been my birth father. I already suspected he might be anyway. But that's what my parents do, they leave…People leave, it happens. I'm used to it."

"Are you okay?" Mia seemed confused and Peyton couldn't blame her. She didn't mean to come off this way, but she was tired and annoyed and she just wanted Lucas to stop being an idiot and realize he was still in love with her. It was taking him way too long, but as book smart as he was, he'd always been a bit slow when it came to anything that revolved around his love life.

"I'm fine. Listen, I've got to go. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Sure…"

She didn't wait for Mia to say anything else; she just hung up. She looked down at the phone, severely tempted to just chuck it out in the water to vent her endless frustration, but decided against it. It was too expensive to break and money didn't exactly grow on trees for her, not like it did for Brooke.

She didn't even want to think about this Ellie situation. Mia had described the guy that had talked to her before her show. He'd been older, a musician apparently, but handsome in that old rocker sort of way. Just how Ellie had once described him. But she was past caring about that right now. Honestly, she didn't need the added drama of her birth father walking into her life. He'd probably just die anyway. That seemed to happen to all her parents.

Peyton had Lucas to worry about now and that was enough. She looked down at her drawing that covered the court. She'd put so much effort into it. Had he seen it? He should have, considering the fact that he came here all the time. But he hadn't called her and she hadn't heard from anyone that he'd mentioned it. He might not have come tonight, but in the back of her mind she knew he did. He came and apparently he still didn't care.

Waiting around for him was getting really tiring. She was beginning to wonder if he would ever even come around. He and Lindsay had been done for a couple of months and still he showed absolutely no romantic interest in her whatsoever. Maybe she was being too pushy. Maybe she just needed to back off and give him some time. But she didn't know if she could do that because backing off meant she had to wait for him and she didn't want to wait for him anymore. She was tired of waiting.

She let out an angry groan, her fingers clenching down on her phone. She didn't know how much longer she could do this. Was he even worth it anymore?

Of course he was. He was Lucas Scott and she was Peyton Sawyer. True love always. They were meant to be, weren't they?

She really didn't know anymore and that scared her. It scared her more than anything.

Lucas was her safety net. She felt completely at ease with him. He was the only guy that completely understood her. There was no one else like that out there and so he had to be the guy she was going to spend the rest of her life with.

Letting out a long sigh, Peyton finally stood up. She was just going to have to wait it out, then. Lucas would figure it out soon. He'd realize that she was the girl for him. He had to.

But as she walked back to her car, one question lingered in her mind—what if he didn't? She quickly tossed that idea aside. She needed to be positive. She just needed to wait. It was only a matter of time and then they'd all be happy again.

888

Brooke's eyes were on the phone, willing for it to ring. She was waiting on news of Angie's arrival back home. It was getting late, but Brooke couldn't sleep without knowing if Angie was safe and in the arms of her parents.

Her eyes fluttered over to a picture on her fridge. It was of her, Lucas, and Angie and for a moment she forgot that Angie wasn't with her anymore. For just a small moment, she was with Lucas and Angie, happy and safe. A little family of their own— the perfect family.

And then her phone rang and she picked it up right away.

"Hello?" she answered anxiously.

"Brooke, I'm surprised you answered."

She held back a groan and wished that she'd taken an extra second to look at the caller ID. She really wasn't in the mood to talk to her mother right now.

"What do you want?" she asked irritably.

"We need to talk."

"You know what? I cannot do this right now."

"And why not?" came her mother's disapproving voice.

"Because I'm waiting on another call."

"Who?"

"That is none of your business. As a matter of fact, none of my actual business is any of your business because I fired you.

"Brooke, I am your mother—."

"No, you were my mother. I fired you from that too that job too. Listen—." The doorbell rang and she silently thanked God for the distraction. Walking over to the door, she spoke again. "Look, I have to go. Someone is at the door. And don't bother calling me back, just talk to my lawyer. I have nothing left to say to you." She hung up, glaring at phone. "Bitch."

But when she opened the door, she was not exactly thrilled at the sight in front of her.

"Well," Victoria said, sneering at her, "I have a few things to say to you."

She watched in shock as her mother strode past her, as if she owned the place. Then her senses finally came to her and she clenched her teeth, throwing up her hands in frustration. She wasn't going to take this. There was no way Victoria Davis could come in here and walk all over her.

"Unbelievable!"

Victoria interrupted her. "I can't understand why you've become such a hurtful, spiteful little snot to me, but it is what it is. I can take it. Our company, however, cannot."

This really was just unbelievable. Her mother had some nerve. "Our company? I'm sorry, I believe it's my company because you were fired. And I do not recall inviting you in, you botoxed vampiress."

Victoria wasn't moved. "See, this is what I'm talking about. You're such a child, and a fairly stupid one at that. It doesn't matter that you fired me. I'm your legal partner, missy."

"It's my company. I'm the designer."

"No, it's our company. 50/50. At least it is for now."

Brooke's eyes narrowed. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Designers come and go," Victoria said haughtily. "It's the brand that matters and I grow the brand and the board knows that and they can fire you."

Brooke stared at her in disbelief. Her mother really was an idiot. "So what, you're gonna have a magazine called B. Davis without B. Davis?"

"Paul Frank doesn't work for Paul Frank. Happens all the time."

"Really? And what are you gonna sell, mother? Magic beans? Without my designs, you have nothing. I know it, you know it, and as soon as the board sees my unbelievable new line, they'll know it, and you'll be the one out on your nip-tucked ass."

"We'll see about that."

Brooke was officially done. She couldn't take this for one more second. "Get out of my house."

Victoria just shrugged, moving briskly past her. Brooke watched her stop at the door.

"I hope this new line is by far the best work you've ever done or it's goodbye company, hello community college. If you can get in."

Then Victoria turned back around and a second later she was finally gone. Brooke just stood there, reeling in anger. This was getting ridiculous. Her mother wasn't leaving her alone and she wasn't sure she could take it much longer.

Brooke was confident that as long as she had her designs, she'd be okay. She was also sure that her line was in fact the best it had ever been, but Victoria's threats still made her uneasy. There was always the small chance that Victoria could somehow convince the board that the designs were horrible and that they needed a better designer, but the chance was small and Brooke wasn't extremely worried.

This conversation had drained her, though. She sat back at her counter, staring down at her phone. She needed something to distract her from the anger her mother always brought out in her. And a few seconds later, as if by some miracle, her phone rang.

A sigh of relief left her lips as the woman from the adoption agency told her that Angie was okay and was safely reunited with her parents. The plane ride had gone well and Angie looked happier than ever. Then, after another thank you, the conversation was over and with that came the official end of her and Angie. She'd most likely never see the little girl she'd grown to love again. The thought brought tears to her eyes.

She was so tired of being alone. Sure, she wasn't really alone—she had her friends—but lately everyone had been so involved with their own lives, including herself, that they never hung out much anymore.

Haley had school and Nathan had basketball and they both had their own little family to take care of. Peyton had her label and chasing after Lucas to worry about. Mouth and Millicent had just moved to Omaha only a few hours ago. And Brooke had spent a lot of time with Lucas, yes, but the baby that had brought them together was gone now and she wondered if their friendship would remain as strong as it had grown to be these last few months. He wasn't here right now, after all, and neither were Peyton or Haley and Nathan. She was all by herself. Nothing new there.

But it didn't matter that she was used to being alone because she needed them. She needed Lucas and Peyton. She needed Nathan and Haley and Mouth and Millie. She needed them now more than ever.

The funny thing was that she knew that any of them would be here in a second if she just called and asked them to come over, but for some reason she couldn't bring herself to do it. They were all busy with their own lives and she was just too stubborn to bother them. She was also too stubborn to just swallow her pride and be a little vulnerable for once. To admit that she was tired and lonely and just wanted to spend some time with the people she loved. But they had their own issues to deal with. And she…well, she had her company.

It was all she had now.