AN: Hey guys, although this isn't my first BL fic, it's my first on here. I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, and comments are so great. I already have the second and third chapter written, so lets say 5 reviews for the second chapter? I think that's reasonable. Follow my twitter for write along updates, the link is on my author page. Thanks for checkin' out the story. For the hardcore Brucas fans, like myself, I promise there will be some Brucas loving later, just not right away. Patience is a virtue ;)

xoxo, Enjoy!

Slow Motion

I. The Crash

Rain came down in sheets that day. It made the pavements slick and the sidewalks glisten, and made the life of Brooke Davis miserable. She woke up to the sound of rolling thunder and she groaned loudly. She hated driving in inclement weather, especially today. Today, when it was cold and she felt ill already. Rolling over, she rested her left hand on the man lying in bed beside her, Julian Baker. Julian was the most mature relationship she had ever been in, and that was exactly how she described it. Julian was safe, and wonderful; he was supportive, and secure. Passion wasn't in his or her dictionary anymore. Everything was planned. Their days consisted of Brooke waking up, showering, making coffee for the two of them and waking Julian. Afterward, Brooke would get ready for work and kiss Julian on her way out the door. It was nothing exciting, just a quick peck on the cheek and a, "See you later." Brooke's day started out this way, everyday. This schedule included this day. This day which, Brooke considered, was completely inside the ordinary, well, except for the ridiculous rain.

Brooke slid into the leather seats of her BMW, pressing the wrinkles from her black pencil skirt. She glanced at herself in the rearview mirror, sighing. Every time she looked at herself she expected to see a different person; a person she missed. She expected to see chocolate brown, breast-length hair, instead of her charcoal shoulder-length hair pulled back into a tight bun. She expected to see bright lips, a dimpled smile, heavy eye make up. Instead, she looked at nude lips with a light coating of mascara, and lips pressed into a thin line; an expression she now made out of habit and without fault or trying. She longed to see a pair of jeans, or a halter top, but no. That girl was almost a fantasy, a memory that was long-lost. She tore her eyes away from the mirror and pressed the button clipped onto her visor, unanimously hearing her garage door clamor to life and open, revealing the heavy rain. Brooke sighed again and put her car in reverse, resigned to averting her eyes from her own reflection for the rest of the car ride.

The rain was going to be the death of her, she had decided. Brooke had her windshield wipers on full speed, and could only get a glimpse of the road every few swipes. She pushed the button for the hazard lights and pulled off to the edge of the road. She hit the break hard when she heard a very disheartening bang beneath her car. Grasping her steering wheel, she breathed deeply and took her keys out of the ignition. Brooke opened her car door, cringing away from the rain. Six inch heels were not made for mud and rain and especially not changing a tire. Brooke looked at her front wheel and saw that one side of it was very much flat. She groaned and bent over to pull the handle to unlock her truck, when she felt a tap on the small of her back and heard a voice, "Can I help you with that, honey?"

Brooke clenched her teeth and turned around, about to snap at the incredibly rude individual who called her 'honey,' when she fell back into the seat of her car. Lucky her car was there, or else she would have fallen directly in the muddy shoulder of the road. She looked at the soft laugh lines on the man's forehead and the beautiful smile that encompassed his face. He had an unnatural glow about him, but his presence was incredibly comforting to Brooke. She hadn't seen this man in years. She thought back briefly to the girl she wish she saw in the mirror, and looked fondly again on the days when that was her. This man brought back all those memories, and more, because he had been there. He had known that girl. He knew that girl much better than he knew the girl gaping at him now. Brooke realized now would be a good time to speak, since his smile was faltering. She cleared her throat tentatively, feeling again like a small child. She glanced at the ground, and then back up at the man, before testing the waters of conversation. The only thing she could think to say was one word, a name, really. One name, this mans name, "Keith?"

He nodded silently, still smiling, and held open his arms for her. He chucked softly, "Don't I get a hug? Or is big fashion designer Brooke Davis more of a handshake gal now?"

Brooke pressed her palm to her forehead and laughed, pushing herself up and into the man's arms. He didn't seem to have aged, which would make sense being that he was supposed to be dead. Brooke released her grip suddenly and stumbled, leaning against her wet car. She glanced at Keith with a look of concern, but was blinded by the sun. The sun? Brooke looked around wildly, trying to find any other form of life that could explain to her what in the hell was going on here, but found only Keith. He would have to do, "Don't take this the wrong way," Brooke began, as she started pacing and wracking her mind for some type of explanation, "but you're supposed to be dead. Why are you here?"

Keith nodded, as if that was a completely logical question; as if this conversation was actually going on between the two of them. He walked to the back of her car and opened the trunk, making himself busy getting all the necessities out to change Brooke's tire before he answered, "I'm here to help you, Brooke." He was bent on one knee and glancing up at her as he spoke. She made brief eye contact and stopped pacing. She tilted her head to one side and then shook it, because nothing in the world made sense at this moment. None of this could really be happening. Keith was dead, and it was supposed to be raining!

Brooke laughed, exasperated. The only she could do at this point was laugh. How do you respond when your dead, ex-boyfriend's uncle slash father figure comes and changes your tire for you, then proceeds to make the weather change and ward off all other human beings? She could not begin to comprehend what was going on, let alone what would happen next. Suddenly, she felt that she wasn't going to be going to work today. She collapsed into the seat of her car, almost eye-level to Keith. "Help me with what?" She inquired in a voice that made it obvious that she was surrendering to whatever freaky dream-sequence this was supposed to be.

"I'm here to help you figure out what you really want." Keith stated it simply, as though it should have been completely obvious to Brooke.

"I already know what I want. I want a soy latte` from Starbucks, I want to go to work, I want to go home, and I want to take a bubble bath." She let her mind wander a little and then added that maybe she'd have a glass of red wine.

Keith looked up at her again, removing his concentration from the shot tire. He chuckled, shaking his head, "That's all you want out of life?" He suddenly looked very serious.

Brooke chewed her lip silently and then thought hard for a moment. No one had ever asked her, so point-blank, what she wanted out of everything, her whole life. She shrugged, "I guess, I want to marry Julian. Have children." She choked on the word children, knowing that it couldn't happen. She was never remotely close to being pregnant; at least, not since high school.

Keith motioned his head over to a red tow truck parked behind Brooke's. She hadn't even noticed that the Keith Scott Auto Body Shop truck that used to belong to Lucas, was sitting in prime condition behind her car. He started walking in front of her, motioning her along every so often until they reached the car. Keith opened the passenger door for her and she got in without hesitation, she was curious. Keith got into the driver's side and looked at her directly in the face as he said, "You can have everything you want. You just have to know what it is that you want."

Brooke's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and then she shook her head. She looked in her lap and sighed pathetically. "No," she mumbled, "I can't."

Keith put a finger under her chin and brought her face eye level to his. He smiled, "I want you to meet someone." He shoved the keys in the ignition and began to drive as Brooke's thoughts wandered. She wondered what it would be like to have a child of her own, and a husband that she could share all her past, her present, and her dreams with. She loved Julian, true, but there was no stopping the doubts once she started to really think about their relationship. Is that really what love was? All these thoughts and more rushed through Brooke's head as they drove, until Keith stopped in front of a decent-sized house. She got immense déjà vu as she got out of the car, because the house looked rather similar to the house she grew up in. As they got closer, Brooke realized it wasn't the same, but it had the same construction, and it had the red door. She smiled to herself and looked around, finally catching up to Keith, who was halfway up the walk to the front door. She cleared her throat but Keith made no explanation as he opened the door. Again, it seemed as though there was no significant life until she saw a girl, who looked somewhere between the ages of 3-5 from afar, running across the hall in front of her. She disappeared as quickly as she came, and Brooke's heart panged. She couldn't tell you why, it felt like a reflex from another life. Something far-off, that she couldn't put her finger on. Keith looked at her and smiled, "Come on."

Brooke looked around, following slowly behind Keith. She didn't know where she was, or whose child that was, but she knew it was definitely not normal to be waltzing into someone's house uninvited. She looked around skeptically, "Are you sure this is legal?"

Keith's laughter boomed through the large ceilings and he nodded, "I promise, it's completely legal. I'm tight with the owners." He winked at her and she shrugged in return. Keith wrapped an arm around Brooke's shoulders, "Now, I want you meet Savannah."