I know, I know. Yet another story about Brooke getting knocked up. I have a bit of a soft spot for Brucas baby drama, so I decided to write my own version. I'm picking it up where season 3 left off, except for one important difference – Keith is still alive and Karen's not pregnant.

Brooke and Lucas still fell apart anyway. I thought it would be interesting to explore how they dealt with an unplanned pregnancy in light of their broken relationship. They each have issues, they're hurt, they're confused. And adding a baby to the mix doesn't make things magically better.

This is going to be a fairly short fic (10/12 chapters max.) and I already have almost half of it written.

So, let me know what you think!

Chapter 1 – Brand New Low

"Nothing is what it seems to me. You're sleeping without the dreams. Without you, nothing defines me. When I'm slipping away, it's only you that can find me. And I'm over my head...I'm falling from end to end." – Treble Charger

Brooke sat in her car, staring blankly at the students milling around the front entrance of Tree Hill High. Usually, she was at the center of everything; now she was completely disconnected from it all. She desperately wished she could be like them...but she never really had been like them and she never would be. Especially now. With that oh-so-cheerful thought, Brooke returned to passively observing her fellow students going about their day. It was strange – she never really noticed them before. She supposed she was too wrapped up in herself and her own personal drama to care about anything or anyone that fell outside the scope of her attention. Things were different now. She was different, now. Ignoring things that she once deemed 'unimportant' had come back to bite her in the ass big time...

Over the past couple weeks, she'd developed a strange fascination with her nameless peers. Every morning, she would sit and stare at them and wonder about their lives. Were they happy? Sad? Lonely? Angry? Did they have parents who loved them? Ignored them? Abused them? Were they in love? Heart-broken? Were they suffering in secret pain? Did they hide behind masks to get through the day? Or were they all actually as normal as they seemed?

So far, everything seemed to be the same every morning. No one else appeared to be screaming in agony inside their own head like she was. Brooke wasn't sure if this was necessarily a good thing. It made her feel more alone than she had ever felt in her life.

Some were gathered in groups, excitedly chattering before the beginning of the day; while others were alone, tiredly trudging in from the parking lot or sitting on benches, frantically cramming for a first period test. She saw groups of giggling girls, a couple of jocks tossing a football back and forth, some skater kids lounging on the front steps and the smokers gathered at the edge of the parking lot.

But it was the young couple that captivated her full attention. They met in the same spot every morning; underneath a large oak tree. They would wrap their arms around each other; laughing, talking, kissing. Today, the boy was gazing down at his girlfriend, lovingly. They were completely immersed in each other, as if the rest of the world didn't exist for them. Brooke sighed, longingly. Lucas used to give her that look; like she was the only girl in the world – the only girl for him. Too bad it all turned out to be a lie. Brooke envied them. They seemed so happy, carefree. Then again, who knew what deep dark secrets they carried? Maybe beneath the surface, things weren't what they seemed. Maybe the boy didn't let the girl all the way into his heart. Maybe he was always off rescuing her best friend when she needed him the most. Maybe her best friend was in love with him and was waiting to snatch him away...Brooke heaved a sigh and leaned her head back. Maybe she was just going insane.

She looked down at her flat stomach and placed her hand on top of where she thought her baby would be growing. She 'spent the last two weeks thinking about what she wanted to do. Was she ready for a baby? What kind of mother would she be? Could she really do this? She had no answers to these questions. But, she did know one thing: she wanted this baby – Lucas' baby. Somehow, over the last two weeks she'd fallen in love with the being growing inside of her. She was keeping it, even though she knew she would most likely be raising it alone. So far, the only person who knew about the pregnancy was Rachel and surprisingly, the redhead was keeping the knowledge to herself. For now. Unfortunately, Brooke wouldn't be able to hide it for too much longer. She was having trouble buttoning up her favourite jeans, already. It wouldn't be much longer before she was sporting an obvious bump.

She sighed and chewed nervously on her bottom lip, trying to gather the courage to leave the safety of her car. She had to walk into the school and pretend she was perfectly fine; that her heart wasn't broken. That she wasn't pregnant and too scared to go to a doctor. That she was okay with seeing Lucas and Peyton wrapped up in each other. That she didn't notice the pitying looks she received from other girls, or the leering grins from the guys. They were all expecting for her to revert back to her old ways. They were waiting for her to fall. Even though she somehow made it through each and every tortuous day since she broke it off with Lucas, it was beginning to wear her down. It was getting more and more difficult to pretend; especially after the whole mess at Tric last weekend.

Brooke shook her head, trying to clear away the unpleasant memory of her confrontation with Lucas. It was bad enough that she could still feel the piercing glare of his icy blue eyes slashing her heart as he demanded to know if she was pregnant and hiding it from him.

She groaned and leaned her head against her steering wheel. When did everything get so complicated? Brooke agreed to take the heat for Haley's pregnancy – just until Haley gathered the courage to tell her husband, not knowing she was pregnant, herself. Then, she found out that she really was having a baby, but pretended that she wasn't. She lied to the father of her baby about its existence. She was just so mad at him! He could be so goddamn self-righteous at times. Lucas would never forgive her for lying to him. She smirked, thinking how ironic it was that Lucas hated people who lied when he was a pretty good liar, himself. Now that Haley's secret was out, no one suspected that Brooke was actually knocked up as well. She closed her eyes. Her head was hurting just thinking about the whole convoluted situation.

Maybe it would just be easier to run away from all the drama. To leave Tree Hill far behind and start a new life with her baby somewhere else. It was so tempting.

A knock on the driver's side window distracted her from her thoughts. Brooke looked up, startled to see Haley smiling at her.

Brooke returned her smile and got out of her car. "Hi Tutor-Mom-to-be."

Haley laughed and gave her a hug. "That's quite the nickname, Tigger. Wouldn't it just be easier to call me Haley?"

Brooke tilted her head to one side. "Now what would be the fun in that?" They started walking across the parking lot towards the school.

Haley's warm brown eyes softened as she regarded her friend. "How're you doing? I haven't seen you outside of class much."

"Oh, I'm fine. You know how it is – places to see, people to do." Brooke replied, airily.

Haley frowned and shook her head. "Let's try this again. How're you doing, Brooke? Really?"

Brooke sighed and her shoulders slumped forward, slightly. "You know me too well."

Haley put her arm around Brooke's shoulders as they slowly walked towards the school. "You're one of my best friends. I can tell when something's wrong." Brooke remained silent. "I'm not going to push you to talk to me, Brooke. But, you might feel better if you do; maybe I can help."

Brooke fixed a smile to face and was just about to reassure Haley that things were just great when she caught sight of something that made her blood run cold. She froze, unable to move a muscle and her fake smile slipped from her face. Lucas and Peyton were walking straight towards the same entrance she and Haley were standing outside of. They were smiling at each other and Peyton laughed at something Lucas said. Then she saw it – the look. He was giving Peyton the look that was once reserved just for her. Brooke's eyes filled with scalding tears and she gripped her Calculus textbook tightly to her chest. They only broke up three weeks ago...and he's already moved on to her. All those times he'd insisted that Brooke was overreacting; that Peyton was just a friend. He had been in love with Peyton the whole time. He never really loved her. She was nothing to him. The bastard had gone and proven her right.

She tried to catch her breath and stop the tears from falling from her eyes. It was a losing battle. "You can't help me, Haley. Not this time. Only one person can...but as you can see, I never meant anything to him." Brooke whispered, wiping a stray tear from her left cheek.

Haley followed Brooke's gaze. She pursed her lips, observing Lucas putting his arm around Peyton and kissing her on the temple. Haley couldn't believe her brother-in-law was acting like such an oblivious ass. She drew Brooke into a hug. Brooke turned away, burying her face in Haley's shoulder. Haley felt tears spring to her own eyes and she just held on to her friend tightly. She hated seeing her Tigger in so much pain. Haley looked around, hoping to see Nathan, but he was probably already inside. She caught sight of Lucas and turned her head away, ignoring his questioning glance as he and Peyton passed them by. 'Nice. They can see Brooke's upset and they both just walk on by. Assholes.' Haley glared at their retreating backs.

"Come on, Brooke. Talk to me." Haley rubbed Brooke's back, soothingly. "Hey, it can't be worse than getting married, knocked-up and thousands of dollars in debt before the age of eighteen." She said lightly, trying to make Brooke feel better. Unfortunately, her joke fell flat, judging by the devastated expression on the brunette's face.

"How about being unmarried, knocked-up and completely alone before the age of eighteen?" Brooke whispered, brokenly.

Haley's eyes widened and she squeezed her friend tightly. "Oh, Tigger," she sighed, glancing around as the warning bell rang out. Luckily, there was no sign of Principal Turner or any other faculty member. No one had seen them, so she could get Brooke back to the apartment and call in sick for both of them. "Let's get you out of here."

A ghost of a smile flickered across Brooke's face and she pulled away from Haley's embrace, wiping at the wetness on her cheeks. "YOU are actually suggesting that we skip school, Mrs. James-Scott?"

"This is more important. You were there for me when I needed you. It's time I return the favour." As the two girls walked back to Brooke's car, Haley pulled out her cell phone and sent a quick text to Nathan. She didn't want him to realize that she wasn't at school and start panicking about the baby. Then, she silenced her phone, so she could focus her attention on Brooke.

An hour and a half-pint of ice cream later, the two friends were seated comfortably on Haley and Nathan's living room couch. Brooke leaned back her head and closed her eyes.

"That ice cream sure hit the spot." Brooke sighed, rubbing her abdomen. "This is the first time I've been able to eat something before lunch and actually keep it down."

"How long have you known about the baby?" Haley asked, bluntly.

Brooke opened her eyes, deliberately avoiding Haley's gaze. "I found out two weeks ago." She replied, softly.

Haley nodded, remembering that Brooke and Rachel had both missed a couple of days of school that week. At the time, she assumed that the two roommates were simply at home nursing hang-overs. Haley was ashamed; she should have realized something was seriously wrong. She should have pushed Brooke to talk to her, sooner. "How far along are you?"

Brooke was staring at a framed photograph of Haley, Nathan, Lucas and herself propped up on the end-table beside her. It was taken the day of the wedding. Brooke blinked. Was it only three weeks ago? It seemed much longer...she was already pregnant then and didn't even know it.

"Brooke?" Haley placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, rousing Brooke from her reflections. "Sweetie, how pregnant are you?"

"Um...I...don't really know."

"What do you mean you don't know? Haven't you gone to a doctor, yet?" Haley couldn't hide the surprise in her tone.

Brooke shook her head and stared down at her hands. "No. I just – if I went to a doctor, it'd seem more real." She raised her head and met Haley's eyes. "I'm a bad mother already, aren't I?"

"You're not a bad mother. You're just scared." Haley replied. "It's perfectly normal. Look how long it took me to face up to my own pregnancy."

Brooke bit down on her lower lip. 'Not nearly as long as it's taken me...' she thought to herself, remembering her three missed periods. Haley would have a fit if she knew how long she'd been avoiding facing the situation.

"You need to make a doctor's appointment, Brooke. It's important...You can't make any decisions until you know how long you've been pregnant." Haley took Brooke's hand in hers and squeezed it tightly. "You need to face this. You can't run away from this or pretend it's not happening, because it is. Trust me, I know."

Brooke nodded. Haley was right, as usual. She couldn't hide from this. She was going to be someone's mother. She was determined to be a better mother to her baby than her own mother was to her. From now on, her baby came first. No matter what.

"I'm keeping my baby." She whispered, placing a protective hand on her stomach.

"Okay..." Haley nodded firmly, giving Brooke's hand another squeeze. "Let's get you to a doctor so you can make sure the baby's healthy and to find out when you're due? Huh...wouldn't it be funny if we had the same due date?"

Brooke smiled, weakly. Since Haley was only eight weeks pregnant, she didn't think that would be possible.

Haley's expression became serious. "Oh, and you need to tell Luke."

Her heart began thumping painfully. "I – I can't, Haley. I already said – no. No." Brooke stood up and began pacing the room in a mild state of panic. It was one thing to accept the fact that she was a soon-to-be teenage mother; just another statistic. But, telling Lucas...her stomach turned at the thought. "No, I just can't. He's already with Peyton; he's moved on. I just can't, Haley." Brooke's voice cracked as she tried to suppress the inevitable tears from falling once again.

Haley exhaled slowly, her heart breaking for her friend. She paused for a second. "Luke told me what happened at Tric."

Brooke abruptly stopped pacing and slowly turned to face Haley. "Oh."

"Why didn't you tell him the truth, Brooke? You knew about the baby by then."

"Why didn't you tell Nathan right away?"

Haley allowed a small smile, acknowledging that Brooke did have a point. "I know you're scared, Tigger. But, he needs to know you're carrying his baby. It's his responsibility, too. You didn't get pregnant all by yourself."

Brooke stared out the window, silently; betraying no reaction to Haley's words. How could Haley expect her to tell Lucas now? He would be so angry with her...and he was with Peyton. Brooke shuddered. The thought of that two-faced backstabbing bitch being involved in her baby's life made her nauseous. But, did that give her the right to keep Lucas' baby away from him? Brooke sighed. Maybe that's why she did confide in Haley. She knew that Haley and Nathan would never keep this secret from Lucas; they would make sure Brooke told him. They'd make sure she did the right thing.

Sensing that Brooke was not ready to discuss talking to Lucas, Haley switched tactics. "Let's take things one step at a time. I'll call my doctor and see if we can get you in for an appointment as soon as possible. After that, we'll figure out where to go from there. Does that sound okay?" Haley stood up and gave Brooke a hug. "It'll be okay. No matter what, I'm here for you if you need me."

Brooke nodded, her eyes tearing up again. "Thank you, Hales. You have no idea how much this means to me." She pulled away and excused herself to use the washroom.

Haley picked up her cell phone and flipped it open, noticing she had a couple of text messages. One was from Nathan, asking how Brooke was doing. She quickly responded, letting him know that Brooke was okay and that they would talk later. Haley sighed – she hated keeping secrets from Nathan.

Haley's brow furrowed, reading a text from Lucas. He was wondering why she and Brooke weren't in first period. He asked if there was something wrong with Brooke. Haley sighed and rolled her eyes. Her best friend always had to be the hero, didn't he? She briefly debated whether she should she should bother responding. She didn't want to lie to Lucas, but it wasn't her place to tell him about his impending fatherhood. It was up to Brooke. As much as Haley hated being caught between her two best friends, she needed to be there for her former roommate. Brooke was one of the few people who stood by her when she and Nathan were separated last year. Haley knew that Brooke was vulnerable and needed someone other than Rachel to rely on. Lucas had Peyton, his mom and Keith – he would be fine. Brooke had no one...Brooke needed her more. Haley deleted Lucas' message without responding. She would deal with Lucas later. Instead, she scrolled through her contact list and found her doctor's phone number. It was time to force Brooke into facing reality.

"Well, Miss Davis, you are definitely pregnant." Dr. Hammond confirmed, looking over Brooke's exam results.

Brooke only nodded, tiredly. She knew that already.

"And, you're about thirteen weeks along." The doctor continued. "Already into the second trimester."

Brooke blinked a couple of times, startled. She knew she'd missed three periods, but she had no idea...but that meant...Brooke's jaw dropped open in realization. She'd gotten pregnant the very first time she and Luke had made love after they got back together. She'd been pregnant for nearly the entire duration of their relationship. And she'd had no idea.

She turned and met Haley's incredulous stare. How could she have ignored it for so long? Haley was probably wondering the exact same thing. If she'd just gone and taken the stupid test when her suspicions were first aroused, she would be sitting here with Lucas. Brooke blinked back tears, trying to ignore the ache in her chest. She missed him so much right now. Then, she remembered seeing him earlier with his arm around Peyton, smiling at her. Looking at her adoringly. Brooke felt sickened by the memory. Maybe it was better this way. Maybe he didn't need to know just yet. She could just let the baby tell him – if it wasn't brain damaged from all the hot-tubbing and booze and wild sex she and Lucas used to have.

With a start, she realized Dr. Hammond was still talking to her. "As you may know, your options are somewhat limited now that you're past the twelfth week of pregnancy. Do you understand what I'm saying, Brooke?" the doctor asked her in a gentle voice.

"What? Wait, no." Brooke's hands inadvertently flew to her abdomen. "No. I'm keeping my baby."

As the doctor spoke of scheduling upcoming appointments, prenatal vitamins and ultrasounds, the reality of the situation began to sink in. She, Brooke Davis, was going to be a mother in less than six months. And she was terrified.