One Tree Hill 1. Chapter 1

Don't Let me go – chapter one 

They were awoken to a noise in the distance, unaware of what it was Julian threw an arm onto Brooke in an attempt to turn the imaginary alarm clock off, she jumped startled at the wake she had received, she opened her eyes fast, as wide as they could open, sitting up she swept her curly brown hair to one side of her head and whacked Julian who darted upwards to meet her gaze, they looked wearingly at what they had identified as the culprit of the wake up, it was the phone, but a sever caution was in place, the last couple of days had gone past in a haze, having two five year old boys in an adventurous phase had shown its true colours, Brooke had not only juggled work and the normal demands of her hectic schedule but she had managed to squeeze in two trips to the hospital and one emergency trip to the dentist between her three boys. Jude had broken his arm climbing incredibly dramatic heights at the jungle gym at school, Davis had picked up some exotic plant on a family hike and developed a rash, and Julian received a toy car to the mouth resulting in a cracked tooth when he allowed the boys to attempt to jump a hot wheels car over their fathers head. Not only had that just happened but both her own mother Victoria and Julian's mother Sylvia had just come up for a visit, and while they hadn't stayed with them, their relationship and their need to put input into the way she was raising her two boys had reached the point of exhaustion by the third day of disapproval, so today everyone important in their lives was on standby, they had dedicated this day to sleep in day, Haley was covering Brooke's morning shift, Julian had no morning meetings scheduled, the boys were instructed to not leave their bedroom or make excessive noise until one of their parents told them it was okay, so this early morning phone call was wigging them out a little. Brooke leaned over Julian and picked up the phone that sat on the opposite bedside table "Go get the boys up" she said as he nodded knowingly and she pressed the call button. "Baker residence" she loved saying that, she knew that if someone was calling their house they knew who she was or knew who they were expecting but stating their name made her smile, it represented this stage of her life "Yes this is her" she said listening intently to the person on the other end of the receiver, she blocked the opposite ear as in the distance she could hear her rowdy boys getting up and starting their long and busy day filled with talking and giggles. "Wow, I understand that you have to act as quickly as possible but is it possible for me to give you a call back? I just think my husband and I need to discuss this before I can commit to anything?" she said, her full attention directed towards the phone call and not the racket going on in the kitchen "Thankyou" she said before hanging up the phone and taking a moment to compose herself "JULIAN" she yelled with this sense of urgency.

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"I think we really need to consider this Julian" she said as they sat on the balcony of their two story home, watching as their sons ate lunch on their small plastic table, Davis clearly admiring his brothers cast, from the moment it had been put on Jude's arm Davis had been so incredibly jealous, he wanted to have a cool blue cast like his brother, who had clearly been lording it over his twin brother ever since.

"Brooke our life is pretty hectic at the moment, we have two boys and jobs and commitments, I understand that you want to do this, I get that this is something close to your heart and in any other circumstance I would jump at the chance, but we really have to considered if the benefits of doing this are worth the sacrifices that we are going to have to make to make this all happen" he hated having to be the rational one, they pretty much shared the rational duty half and half, switching and swapping it between the pair of them, it was Brooke's role when Julian wanted to name one of the babies Shaggy or when he insisted that his next hair style should be a Mohawk but it was Julian's when Brooke wanted to fight the bitchy mums at the school.

"But Julian, we were both raised with one or both parents who neglected us, wouldn't you want to help someone in a similar situation to us back then, needing support, a home and love, think about Angie and Sam, if I hadn't accepted them into my home who knows what would have happened to them, I didn't just give them something, they gave me things in return, Don't you want to raise our boys in a society where when someone is in trouble we welcome them with open arms?"

"Of course I do Brooke, I'm not trying to be the bad guy, I'm just trying to give you the cold hard facts, some perspective, you know you can't save them all, and you also know that we might not be able to save this one. But do you know Brooke Baker that one of the qualities I admire most about you is the fact that when you believe in something you don't stop until you know you have done something that will help, so you just need to give me some time to process this all, you need to think about this seriously, how about when the boys go to bed tonight we will revisit it and call them back if we agree on it?"

"Yeah" she said with a smile on her face, she knew there was a reason that she loved this man so much, he knew how to support her, he knew how to cope and strategies with her, and he knew how she worked.

"MUMMMMMMMMMMY" Jude said running across the balcony with his cast in the air and his brother close behind

"Yes my darling Jude" she said leaning down, picking her up and putting him on her knee

"Can you draw a cool picture on my cover?" he asked referring to his cast, not really understanding or grasping the idea that it was called a cast

"You know baby, mummy might not be the best person to ask" she said as his eyes dropped "But I know for a fact that if you ask her really nicely Aunty Peyton would draw you a pretty cool picture on your cast" she said with a smile as his eyes beamed.

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"Go ask her" she said as they walked into the café, she pushed Jude in the direction of the table where Peyton sat with Lucas and two of her kids, she waved to her best friend as Jude approached the table before turning to where Haley stood pouring coffee with her teenage son towering behind her, she smiled and walked over, she really needed some Haley clarity and perspective on the whole thing "What are you doing lanky?" she asked as she stood next to Jamie, noticing that he was following Haley around

"Mum won't let me go to Chuck's party" he said as his aunt continued to look up at him in confusion "I'm going to follow her until she gives in" he said as they continued to walk, Haley abruptly stopped without them realising and they ran into the back of her.

"Jamie, Chuck is having this party without adult supervision; his mum is out of town not to mention that there will be alcohol"

"Mum I already said I wasn't going to drink"

"Jamie it's not you that I don't trust it is the rest of those goofs that Chuck hangs around with, it would be a completely different story if Chuck's mum was home and it was just the two of you"

"What if I told you that it was just me and Chuck?" he asked testing her limits, she didn't turn to face him she continued to walk around the café filling up coffee mugs and giving pleasant smiles as the two walked behind her.

"I would say, James Lucas Scott don't lie to your mother, your pushing it as it is and if you lie to me I will not only ground your ass until your fiftieth birthday, I will no longer trust you and that will lead to a whole other bunch of trouble, and if you even try asking your father after this there will be severe consequences" Brooke loved tough parenting Haley, it was a rare sighting, she was usually very level headed and often all about fun but she took trust and truth very seriously and she wanted her kids to not only understand that but also uphold those same values. "Now Brooke" she said with a happy breath in "What can I do for you?" she asked

"I really need some Haley advice" she said with a smile

"Okay" she said with a smile "Jamie please go do something that isn't dragging your feet and waiting for me to change my mind"

"Fine" he said recognising the signs and the pleading in both his mother and his aunties eyes "But I will be silently protesting over at Aunt Peyton and Uncle Lucas' table" he said walking off as Brooke quickly looked over to check on her boy who was happily sitting with Peyton ferociously drawing away.

"What's going on girly?" Haley said sitting on a stool as Brooke sat down on the one next to her.

"I got a phone call this morning from the adoption agency that called me about Angie about fostering" Haley was already intrigued "They were wondering if we could take in a little girl, they didn't tell me much about her story but they were wondering if we could take her on for temporary care, she needs housing immediately, it would only be for a couple of weeks but Julian and I don't know if we should do it or not, it's a big risk" she said exasperated by the dramatics of it all as Haley put a supportive hand on Brooke's thigh.

"What does Julian say?"

"He says that we already have a lot of commitments and that we need to consider them before we can even begin to consider taking on another one, and I completely get that, my boys take up so much time and energy but this little girl needs care she needs love and I think we can offer her that, I hate the idea that we will say no and she will get sent to some horrible foster parents that will treat her horrible and I will have to live with that on my conscience for the rest of time"

"Look Brooke, you were so incredibly with Angie and Sam, I was so proud of what you did for both of them, I'm so proud of you for all you have done to make this world of yours so much better and to benefit all those in that world around you, I also know how determined you are and that if you put your mind to anything you will not only do it but you will do it to an extreme great. I think you already know what you are going to do though"

"Maybe I was just asking you because I knew you would boost my confidence like a little energiser bunny and confirm what I already knew deep down" she said with a smile

"Yeah probably" Haley said with a laugh

"I have to call Julian" she said as she stood up and walked around the back.

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"Okay boys mummy and daddy need to talk to you" Brooke said as they sat across from the twin boys at the dinner table, they had sat them down to explain what was going to go on for the next couple of weeks

"Are you and daddy not going to live together anymore?" a curious Davis piped up as Brooke's face turned to shock

"No" Julian answered quickly "What would make you think that?" he said looking from his wife's petrified eyes to the curious ones of his twin boys

"Henry Spencer was telling us at school how his mummy and daddy said they needed to talk to him and they told him that they were going to live in different houses cause their daddy was on a time out" Davis said with such gusto

"No baby mummy and daddy aren't going to live in separate houses, we need to talk to you about something else" she said as Julian gripped her hand "Now you know that mummy and daddy love you both very much" she said hating herself for picking another sentence so commonly used when couples broke the news of impending separation on their children "and while some mummy's and daddy's love their kids very much but they can't take care of them like other mummy's and daddy's can, so they send them to other mummy's and daddy's to help them out"

"Like Sammy" Jude asked trying not to get confused by what his mum was telling him

"Yes babe exactly like Sammy, her mummy couldn't take care of her so I did, now there is another little girl like Sammy who is going to stay with us for a couple of nights so that her mummy can have a break like Sammy's"

"Do we get to keep her?" Davis asked looking with arched eyes brows at his parents

"No buddy we don't" Julian fielded this one "You know how sometimes Lydia comes over for sleepovers?" he asked as both the boys nodded "Well this little girl is going to come and sleepover at our house for the next few weeks"

"Do you understand what we mean?" Brooke asked

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The boys didn't completely understand the whole concept or how long this 'sleep over' as they were calling it was going to last but a day after they had received the phone call the social worker was arriving to introduce and drop the little girl off, Brooke was running around in a mad panic, making sure that everything was clean and presentable including her boys, she couldn't help feeling nervous even though she knew that they were doing an amazing thing that they really should commend themselves for taking on, she was really curious to meet this little girl, get to know her, get to know her story and provide her with some Brooke Davis Baker magical love, so naturally when the doorbell rang she wanted to pounce and throw it open, instead she took a deep breath in and waited for her husband to meet her at her side, together they walked to the front door as the boys peered curiously behind the steps.

"Hello" Brooke said with her angelic grin and goddess like smile, with her sweeping curls falling nicely upon her back "I'm Brooke Baker" she said holding out her hand "This is my husband Julian Baker" he said holding out his own hand to do the same as Brooke indicated for her boys to come forward, for such outgoing boys they were quite stranger conscious and stood clutching onto their parents legs.

"These are our sons Jude and Davis" he said indicating with a smile to the boys rapped around their legs

"Hello I am Anna" the middle aged woman said pushing a strand of black hair behind her ear "And this little darling is Ruthie" she said and for the first time Brooke's attention was drawn to the pile of blonde curls that stood with Anna's hand firmly grasped in her own, Brooke could tell that little Ruthie was holding on as tight as she could by the pasty white sections of pressure on her hand, the little girl was doing a similar thing to her own boys, being very aware of the strange circumstances that surrounded her, Brooke knelt down, trying not to sit on top of Davis who quickly moved to his father's other leg, she smiled at the little girl who was adamant that she would continue the staring contest with her own shoes "Hello Ruthie" she said pushing back the blonde curl that covered the little girls face to reveal a bruised eye, she was taken back for a moment, unable to comprehend how a parent could possibly lay an angered hand at their own child "I'm Brooke" she said as quickly as she could in an attempt to not make a great deal about the bruise on the little girls face, she put a supportive hand on the little girls shoulder and squeezed it slightly before standing up and smiling at the social worker again "Come in"

To be continued 


	2. Chapter 2

Don't let me go – chapter two

Brooke looked from where she sat at the kitchen table to the nervous blonde mop of hair that sat in her living room drawing away as Jude and Davis looked curiously at her from there spot on the couch, it was fine when they were like that, separated. The kids had tried to play with Ruthie before but she had burst into tears and clutched onto Anna's leg, so for now distance was good.

"Brooke" Julian whispered as he sat down at the table passing her a cup of tea  
>"So are we ready to talk about this?" Anna asked taking a sip from her own cup, as Brooke and Julian nodded "I can't give you her last name or her parents' names"<p>

"What can you give us then?" Julian asked looking from his wife to the social worker

"I can tell you that she is three years old, and she has been removed from the care of her parents because of abusive behaviour, we are currently in the process of assessing the situation and working out if we need to find an alternate living arrangement"

"Wait your considering sending her back to the people that gave her that?" Julian said pointing under his own eye and whispering, Brooke put a hand on his arm to soothe him somewhat

"It is something we need to asses" Anna said trying not to give anything away "Now I feel there is something that I need to tell you, I didn't know if it would be a problem but Ruthie has had a bad run with males in her life, so Julian don't be upset if she doesn't warm to you, it has nothing to do with you but it has everything to do with your gender" she said as Brooke and Julian nodded.

"How long will we have her for?"

"A couple of weeks, it's not set in stone yet, it is a bit of a waiting game at the moment, but we will keep in contact with you every step of the way."

"Okay" Brooke said looking intently at Anna and wondering if this was a good idea after all

"Okay" Anna said with a smile "You guys are going to do great, but I have to leave you now" Anna said standing up and heading towards her handbag "Call if you need anything" she said walking towards where Ruthie sat, she sat down next to her as Brooke and Julian made their way forward "Hey Ruthie" she said as the little girl looked up at her with her big vulnerable eyes "I have to go now, but I am going to leave you with Brooke and Julian and they are the best, they're going to take care of you for a while" the little girl looked like she was going to burst into tears and you could tell that it was effecting Anna too "and do you know what else is cool? You get to hang out with Davis and Jude and they seem pretty cool don't they?" she said as the little girl looked from her to the little boys that sat on the couch "Okay goodbye gorgeous girl" she said as Ruthie got up and attached herself to the social workers neck. They watched as Anna left and Ruthie returned to her colouring, they both stood and took in their surroundings.

"Okay I have and relieve Haley of her royal duties" Brooke said with a curtsey as she collected her handbag "Hey boys mama needs smooches" she said leaning down as the boys ran over, she could see out of the corner of her eye that little Ruthie was watching them as Jude and Davis planted incredibly sloppy kisses on their mothers cheek. Brooke stood up ruffled Jude's hair and then walked over to where Ruthie sat, she sort of edged away from Brooke "Hi Ruthie, I have to go to work now honey but Julian and the boys are going to take really good care of you while I'm gone, I promise" with that the little girl had latched onto Brooke and refused to let go, she guessed that little Ruthie really did have a problem with men, so she picked Ruthie up, blew a kiss to her husband and took her to the café with her.

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"I'm so sorry that I'm late" Brooke said walking in with Ruthie still attached to her neck, Haley turned around and smiled at Brooke with the coffee mug still in her hand.

"Well that's okay. Who is this little darling?" Haley said as Brooke stood with little Ruthie.

"Ruthie this is one of my bestest friends in the whole wide world, her name is Haley" Brooke said with extra emphasis on the name Haley, with the introduction Ruthie loosened her grip and Brooke placed her on the counter

"So how was your morning?" Haley asked turning around to get food for a customer, she turned back to see Brooke trying to tell her without speaking that she couldn't have the conversation about it with Ruthie right there. "Hey Ruthie, Do you want to come with me?" Haley asked crossing the bench and helping the little nodding girl down, taking her hand as she and Brooke walked her around the corner to the little colourful table, the purple chair was taken by five year old Lydia Scott, on the blue one sat Sawyer and on the pink one sat Izzy, leaving only the orange chair spare. Haley introduced Ruthie to the other little girls before bringing over the boxes of toys and colouring books, letting Ruthie pick something and return to the table where little cupcakes to make the perfect tea party. They waited until Ruthie was comfortable before walking back around the counter and sitting down next to each other.

"I thought you said that Julian was going to be home to take care of her and give her a chance to bond with the boys?"

"She doesn't trust men, in fact she is pretty petrified of them and so that left me leaving her with Julian out of the question"

"Does that black eye have anything to do with her mistrust?" Haley asked as she looked to the little girls table before looking back

"I didn't think you noticed" Brooke said surprised that Haley had been able to hide the shock on her face when she saw Ruthie's black eye, she wished she had been that good.

"I just didn't think she needed me to make a big deal about it" Haley said as she waved to a customer in the distance

"Geez Haley, how am I going to deal with this whole Julian thing? He looked like a kicked puppy when she wouldn't stay with him" she said before grabbing a hold of Haley's shoulders "Was this all a mistake?" she said shaking Haley

"No Brooke Baker it was not a mistake" she said putting her own hands on Brooke's shoulders the same way she had "You have the opportunity to do something great for this girl. Can you remember when you first had the boys, they were so little and so sick and you were blaming yourself and didn't think they were going to make it? Can you remember what I told you?"

"To take it day by day"

"Exactly, some of the days are going to be hard but others are going to be little triumphs."

"What would I do without my little inspiration" she said smiling and chubbing her friends cheeks

"And the Julian thing" Haley said not quite over giving advice "You just have to slowly ween her into it, start by just all having fun together, let her know that she can trust him"

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"Hello we are home" Brooke said as she walked into the house with Ruthie at her side, the boys literally bolted at their mum like they did every time she arrived home, they loved their mum to pieces and she felt the exact same way back.

"Babe what are you doing home?" Julian asked as he walked into the room, a tablecloth over his shoulder and toys in his hand, his hair ruffled back. Brooke thought to herself that he never looked sexier.

"Haley is covering for me, So we can make cupcakes" Brooke said putting Ruthie down, she let go but she still remained very close to Brooke's side, taking a step every time Brooke took one.

"Wait Haley gave you the afternoon off so you could make cupcakes?" he laughed as the boys tried to get a peek into the big brown paper bags she was holding

"We are going to have fun together" she said with a smile before whispering harshly to him "so that we can work out some trust issues" he seemed to get it when she said that. She picked Ruthie back up again as the boys ran behind her and they all stood in the kitchen "Okay I brought some pre-made ones which the boys are going to ice, while we make fresh ones that they can ice later" Brooke said putting Ruth down on the bench and getting steps for the boys to stand upon.

Brooke was uncertain about it actually working with the first half an hour Ruthie shying away from any conversation made to her by anyone that was not Brooke but on the second batch of muffins a breakthrough was made, the boys were running around bored of waiting for the cupcakes to cool and high on icing. Ruthie was still sitting on the bench with Brooke and her spoon of icing, Julian dabbed Ruthie's face with some of the mixture and the little girl let out the biggest laugh. Julian looked as though he had been granted the role of King within this whole town.

To be continued

This chapter may have been short but I thought that we needed a bit of an update, hope you enjoyed, let me know what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

Don't let me Go – chapter three 

Brooke was so glad to be flopping herself down into her own bed, it had been a long couple of days, whether it was Ruthie arriving on their doorstep or helping herself and all of her boys adjust to the idea of having another kid in the house and helping Ruthie adjust not only into the lives of the Baker clan but the idea of her being thrown into a house that was predominantly filled with males who she just happened to be petrified of hadn't really helped the adjustment period. But thankfully after an afternoon of some family bonding time Ruthie seemed to be adjusting and joining the antics of the Baker family, she soon was running around high off icing from the cupcakes that Haley had suggested they make together with the boys and to the surprise of Brooke the shy little girl that clutched desperately onto her neck refusing to let go turned into Julian's little girl, loud and giggly, the little girl was certainly warming up to them all but Brooke was a tiny bit jealous that now she had to share Ruthie's affection with her boys. She put her head down on her pillow and looked to her husband who face planted the bed in exhaustion, she laughed and put a hand in her hair "Well they are all out" he said with a smile as she moved forward and placed a kiss on his temple

"I love you" she said cupping his face in her hands and kissing him hard on the lips, he smirked and turned onto his side

"What was that for?" he asked rubbing his fingers down her soft gorgeous face

"Julian Baker you are the most amazing husband in the world, all you do for me all you give to me, I am so grateful that I found you and that I get to spend the rest of my lifetime with you, so Julian Andrew Baker I love you and your heart" she said with a smile as he moved over to where she sat, wrapping his arms around her torso and kissing against her smile

"I'm just giving you exactly what you deserve Brooke Penelope Davis Baker" she loved how delicately the syllables of her name fell off his lips, how delicate the words he chose to speak to her sounded, She headed towards the buttons on his half open shirt, unbuttoning one as he kissed her neck, Brooke moved onto the second button when an incredible screech, the screech of the little girl who was sleeping in their upstairs bedroom. Julian quickly jumped off her and ran up the hallway with Brooke following quickly behind him at the speed of lightening.

"Mama" a scared little head popped out of a doorway as they ran past, Brooke came to a halt and walked towards the door which she pushed open to find both of her boys looking curiously frightened at her

"Everything is fine my little men" she said picking Davis up and putting him on her hip, Jude was watching her intently from where he lay on the top bunch of their bed, she knew that something was going on with Ruthie but her boys were scared as well and she was their mum which meant that she needed to comfort them, she knew full well that this family could only function with a foster child in the house if she kept the lives of her little boys as normal as possible, that was the only way that it could or would ever work.

"BROOKE" Julian yelled down the stairs

"Okay boys mama has to go and check on daddy and Ruthie now, everything is fine"

"Are you coming back mama?" Jude asked with such desperation in his tone that his mum's heart literally broke; she walked over and kissed his cheek

"I will be back in a minute" she said over her shoulder as she walked out of the bedroom and darted up the stairs, she expected that her husband would be in the room with Ruthie trying to calm her down and settle her but instead she found him standing outside the doorway of the crying little girls bedroom "What's going on?" putting a hand on her back

"I tried to go in and she screamed louder" Brooke could see that his eyes were a little watery like he was contemplating how all of that afternoons hard work had been erased she kissed his cheek and walked into the bedroom turning on the light so the little girl knew who she was and didn't freak out about the figure moving towards her, she turned back around quickly to face her husband

"Julian go and sit with the boys for me" she said with a smile as she sat down next to the crying little girl, she didn't want to push her luck so she just put a hand on the knees of the little girl who had crawled up into a ball under the covers of the duvet but to her surprise as she placed her hand on her leg the little girl crawled out of the blankets and into Brooke's unsuspecting arms "What's wrong?" she said as the little girl wrapped her sobbing body around the brunette, Brooke placed her chin down upon the crown of the little girls head

"I had a nightmare" the little girl said between sobs as she grasped tighter and tighter around Brooke's neck

"It's all okay baby, everything is going to be okay" she said in an attempt to soothe the little girl as she rocked backwards and forwards.

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Haley turned around as Brooke walked into the café walking out the back with the little girl around her neck and returning five minutes later without her, her tired eyes sat down next to Peyton and in front of Haley. "So I'm guessing the cupcake making didn't work then" Haley said with a smile as Peyton turned to face her

"The cupcake thing worked really well, she was hanging out with the boys and having a fantastic time, she even let Julian read her a bedtime story but she woke up in a panic, screaming and crying and well Julian tried to go into the room to calm her down and she refused to let him even into the room"

"Oh man no wonder you look tired" Haley said grabbing a cup and pouring a lot of coffee into it

"It was just a nightmare but it was scary enough for her to keep herself awake all night, I mean every time we both fell asleep she would be awake again within five minutes. If she can't trust and be left alone with Julian this just isn't going to work and that sucks because I so want this to work for her"

"One day at a time honey just one day at a time" Haley said as Peyton put a supportive hand on her best friends back

"Hey I don't know if this is a good time to ask you, or if it is a good time to have Ruthie in a big group of us but Lucas and I wanted to have a barbeque with us all tonight actually and if you're up for it we would really like you to come"

"I don't know it just depends on how the boys are, how Julian is and how Ruthie is with them; if she isn't comfortable with them then I don't know how she will do in a whole group of people" Brooke said putting her head in her hands and groaning "What made me think I could do this?"

"Oh Brooke" Peyton said as Haley quickly crossed around the bench, both of them attaching themselves to Brooke's side

"You are doing a great job Brooke Baker, let's remember that Ruthie only arrived on your doorstep yesterday morning, it's going to take longer than a day for her to adjust to this life and it's going to take longer than a day for you guys to adjust to life with Ruthie so don't panic, just take a step back and take a deep breath" Haley said as she played with Brooke's hair

"You don't know what that little girl has seen or what she has been through, you took a little girl who was clearly petrified of men and in a day made her semi comfortable with none the less a man, Julian is a great guy, a loving guy and pretty soon Ruthie is going to get that but until then don't lose the belief in your own abilities Brooke, you one of the most incredible people in this whole damn world" Peyton said as Brooke turned to her and smiled, wrapping her arms around Peyton's neck before turning and doing the same to Haley

"I feel like I have my own personal cheer squad going on here" she said with a smile

"I still have my Ravens outfit" Haley said in full seriousness as Peyton laughed next to her

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"Hey babe we are home" Brooke yelled as she walked into the house with Ruthie attached to her hand as Julian walked out from the hallway wearing a white singlet that revealed his buff arms and a tool belt around his waist, he smiled as he walked into the room and Ruthie let go of Brooke's hand heading towards the pile of toys in the corner as Brooke smirked at her husband "What are you doing?" Brooke asked as he walked towards her

"You know just some handy work around the house" he said with a smile as she walked towards him feeling his bicep "Wait, what time is it?" he said quickly checking his watch and looking to his wife "I've got to go and pick up the boys from school like now" he said disconnecting his tool belt as his wife looked at him like she had a great idea "What is going on in that head of yours Mrs Baker?"

"I'm going to go and pick up the boys" she said throwing her handbag back up on her shoulder as Julian looked at her

"Nah I'll do it, there is no point you and Ruthie having to pile in and out of the car just to pick up the little rascals" he said looking around for his car keys, she took them from his hand

"Well you don't have to worry about that because Ruthie is going to stay here with you and I am going to go and pick up the boys" Brooke said with a smile as Julian looked at her as though he was questioning the idea of this plan, Brooke gave him a consoling peck on the cheek a gesture that was meant to tell him that everything was going to be alright before she walked over and knelt down next to little Ruthie "Hey pretty girl" she said pushing the curls back that covered the little girls face behind her ear "Now I have to go and pick up Jude and Davis from school so that they can come home and play with you"

"Can I come too?" she asked looking up at Brooke with her big green eyes

"You can if you really want but can I tell you a secret?" she asked as Ruthie nodded and Brooke leant in to whisper into her ear "Now Julian is going to stay here and he is going to be here all alone and that might make him sad, so you could come with me or you can stay here with Julian and play with all these new toys and books that we got you" she said leaning back " So do you still want to come with me or do you want to stay here with Julian?" Brooke asked knowing that Julian was standing right there behind her anxiously waiting for the answer to the question exactly like his wife was

"I'm going to stay" she said looking to Brooke who smiled widely and then back down at the toys she was playing with. Brooke tried not to get too excited but when she stood up and turned around to her husband they both shared this look and then silently danced so to not draw attention to the excitement that they were both experiencing

"Hey Julian we are going to go around to Luke and Peyton's tonight for dinner" Brooke said as she walked out towards the door, more of a statement than a question, it was like out of instinct she made this plan in her head as soon as Ruthie made the decision to stay.

X-x-x-x-x-x

They had to park outside on the curb due to the many cars piled into Lucas and Peyton's driveway, they had also decided that it was probably a better idea to park outside the gate so that if they had to make a great tired kids escape they could do it with ease. As Brooke stepped out of the car and headed towards the bar doors of the car she heard car doors slamming and looked up with a smile "It seems like you had the same idea that we had" Brooke said as Nathan stepped out of the car waved and smiled at them before sliding the minivan door and letting the kids get out.

"It's like a clown car" Julian said lifting Ruthie out of the car and putting her on his hip as Brooke helped the boys get all the things they wanted out of the car "and Mary Poppins' handbag all at the same time" he said watching as all four kids and Haley hopped out of the car. The boys quickly raced to the side of their friends as Julian and Nathan walked ahead, Julian holding Ruthie and Nathan holding Sammy. Haley walked up towards Brooke and connected one arm around her friend's waist the other one around her daughter Isabella on her hip.

"Looks like the cupcake theory worked"

To be continued 


	4. Chapter 4

Don't let me go – chapter four

Brooke sat at her kitchen table eating from her bowl of berries, she could hear her kids running amuck right throughout the house and that didn't surprise her or bother her, she loved the noise of laughter and fun. When she was growing up her house had been pretty silent, silence was kind of expected and demanded by her parents. She wasn't going to raise her kids in that kind of environment. Jude and Davis ran screaming into the room as Ruthie walked up to her surrogate mother, putting her arms up into the sky in the hopes that Brooke would pick her up and put her on her knee which she did "Inside voices please boys" she said with a smile as she passed Ruthie a strawberry, Julian walked into the room and was instantly bombarded with his adventurous little twins "Watch out for Jude's arm" Brooke yelled out as Julian wrestled with his boys

"Okay, okay, okay" he said indicating to the boys that they should calm down "How about we go to the park and give mummy a little break" he said instantly instigating excitement in the boys as he walked over to the table with a smile

"I can come to the park" Brooke said as she swallowed a blueberry and looked up at him wondering why he was so eager to take the kids out without her

"I figure that you can run yourself a bath, get all relaxed, and regain full capacity in your eardrums" he said with a smile as she stood up holding Ruthie around the waist and walking towards him, Julian stepped forwards and kissed her on the lips

"Yucky" Ruthie said with a smile as both Brooke and Julian laughed. The little blonde girl had now been living with them for three weeks and she was far from the little shy girl who turned up on their doorstep with a bruised eye and the tendency to be petrified of adult males. Now she was fitting into the Baker way of life as though she had been there forever, the boys loved having her around and there was no hiding the fact that both she and her husband absolutely adored the little blonde rascal.

"Do you want to come too Ruthie?" Jude asked as appeared at his parent's feet unexpectedly

"Do you want to go with Julian and the boys gorgeous?" Brooke asked with a small smile as she looked at the little girl who nodded back to her before kissing her forehead

"Come with me then princess" Julian said holding out his arms as Ruthie made the move to transfer out of Brooke's arms and clutch onto Julian "Okay say goodbye to mama" Julian said leaning down to pick up the bag that contained everything that he would need for an outing with his kids "Now you" he said turning as they all headed towards the door and pointing to his wife "Put your feet up and relax, chill out, we will be home before you know it" he said with a smile as Brooke did the same.

Brooke stayed where she stood as she watched them walk out of their front door, listened out for the usual shenanigans that occurred when you tried to get her sons into the car and then listened as the car doors shut and drove off out of the driveway. She turned to walk up the hallway, going to throw something on to go down to Karen's cafe and get a massive cup of coffee when a knock on the door alerted her to the presence of another individual outside of her home. She tightened her robe, made sure that she looked respectably enough to been seen by the public eye and despite the fact that she hadn't had a shower yet this morning and that this was her just rolled out of bed look, she was looking pretty good. Brooke opened the door and was greeted by the face of a man that she didn't know, instead of questioning the identity of the mystery door knocker she smiles revealing her inner social butterfly "Hi can I help you?" she asked continuing on with her contagious smile

"Are you Brooke Baker?" he asked not letting his gaze leave the eyes of the woman standing in the doorway, his certainty was piercing and forceful

"That'd be me" she responded with a gulp, becoming uneasy and spooked by the look that she was receiving, suddenly very alerted to the fact that she didn't know this man and that she couldn't seem to recognise his facial features from a previous encounter yet he somehow knew her name "How can I help you?"

"I believe that you have my daughter" he said exhaling deeply but continuing his intimidating stance, Brooke tried to hide the sharp inhale that the realisation brought

"And I believe that you have to leave now" she said as she composed herself before trying to push the door shut but he puts his foot out blocking her ability to close the door and get out of this awkward situation, not that she really knew what she would do if she got the door shut, call the police? Call the social worker? Call Julian? No she couldn't do that, he had the kids and right now they needed to be as far away as possible from this house, maybe she would call Nathan? He was tough; he would stand up for her. "Sir you have to leave" she stated firmly deciding that she could use her own wits to get out of this predicament

"Let me see my daughter and I just might" he wasn't backing down in fact he seemed to be getting more enraged by it all

"Look" she yells louder than she predicted as she pushes the door harder, trying desperately to make it budge, wishing that she could turn suddenly into the hulk "Ruthie isn't home right now and after what you did to your daughter I wouldn't let you in even if she was" Brooke was getting furious at the idea of being face to face with the guy that gave the little girl in their custody a black eye but unfortunately her strength and endurance was game, set, matched by the big bulky brunette man in the door way of her home, As she looks at him trying to remain calm and as though she was in charge she could see the anger rising in him, and with that anger he pushes his whole body weight against the door which in turn throws the petite woman down, sliding backwards on the floor boards. As Brooke looks from her position on the floor she can see that the door that she was trying so desperately to close is now wide open and the man that she was trying to shut it on is standing a couple of metres away from her, not making a move to come closer and finish her off but just standing looking shocked by his own force. Brooke's robe fell apart revealing her very tanned and very toned legs and while she was pretending to be tough and stern as she looked up towards his angry face it was starting to become harder to hide the fact that she was petrified. She put her hands to the open sides of her robe and pulled it tight around herself to remain at least a little bit dignified, contemplating the idea of making a run for her bedroom because she knew that she had left her mobile on the chest of drawers and that the door was lockable from the inside but then he surprises her by breaking down into hysterical tears and she finds herself no longer as scared as she was a moment ago. There was no doubt that Brooke felt sorry for him, she couldn't imagine not having access to her own child but then again she wouldn't put herself in the position that he had put himself and his daughter in to lose access in the first place, he wasn't her problem Ruthie was her priority. Brooke stood up from where she had been thrown on the floor boards, ignoring the stabbing pain in her leg and lower back. She watched as he rocked himself backwards and forwards repeating over and over again

"I didn't mean to"

"You can't be here" she said as she worked up the courage "I'm sorry but you have to leave" she walked up to the front door and held it open with a serious look on her face as Ruthie's dad, who she still didn't know the name of, stood up and looked up to Brooke's eyes with his incredibly red ones

"I'm so sorry" he sobbed at her

"Please just go" she said before he walked out the door which she promptly shut as quick as humanly possible and locked it, she pushed her body against the door and slid down to the floor, taking a moment to take a deep breath and calm down before crawling over to the couch and picking up the phone "Come on come on come on" She muttered under her breath as she heard the dial tones

"_Hello" _she heard in the male voice over the other end of the phone and she took a breath of relief

"Hey Nate, Can you please come over?" she asked still looking at the door

X-x-x-x-x-x

Nathan knocked on the front door and was instantly alerted to the fact that something was wrong, he had the idea that something was wrong when Brooke called, there was something in her tone that put uncertainty into his mind and the lack of background noise on her end of the phone was also a bit of an indication but now he was really worried because usually when he did drop around, usually to drop a kid off or for dinner, he would knock on the door and her big booming smiley voice would yell "COME IN" because she was expecting them the door would be unlocked and you would walk into a house with so much spunk, attitude and atmosphere that you couldn't help but smile. Today he stood outside of a locked door, even though Brooke had been expecting him, he could hear her approaching the door and then after a couple of seconds, to what he could only assume was Brooke checking the peephole the door open and her face was all the conformation that he needed to know that something had gone terribly wrong. Without word or hesitation he stepped forwards and wrapped his arms around her. Since the time that she had called him, she had gotten dressed and covered the forming bruises on her legs, thanking her lucky stars that the kids hadn't cracked a tantrum yet meaning that they didn't have to head home.

"Hey Nate" she said in a mumble like sound from her spot pressed against Nathan Scott's chest

"What's going on?" he said letting go of Brooke and holding her outwards at an arm length away so that he could see her eyes

"Why don't you come in?" she said getting out of his grip, walking behind him and locking the door hastily behind him which well and truly got his attention

"Brooke what happened?" he asked with a deeper concern hitting him, they had been friends since before high school and there was no denying that If his friend Brooke Davis Baker was in trouble he would be the first to her defence

"Was there anyone else outside when you came up the driveway?" she saw the shake on Nathan's head and then this worried look in his eye "You know how when Ruthie was dropped off she had a black eye?" he nodded "And we assumed that her dad did it?" he nodded again "Well he showed up here this morning"

"WHAT?" Nathan turned all protective; it was funny how protective Nathan had become of his girls "Did he hurt you?"

"It's fine, everything is fine. I'm sorry for calling I'm not hurt" she lied "I was just scared and you were the first person I could think of that would come over"

"Are you sure that you are alright?" he asked again

"I'm good" she said putting on a soothing smile "I just got a bit scared" she repeated

"God Brooke that sucks" he said stepping towards her and wrapping his arms around her all over again, she clutched onto him and then shut her eyes tightly when she heard the car driving up the driveway, she let go of Nathan when she heard the kids and Julian shut the car doors and head towards the house

"Nathan please don't tell Julian" she whispered hoarsely as the door knob turned

"Why not?" Nathan asked with a confused look on his face

"You just can't tell Julian okay?" she asked with this dead pan seriousness that told Nathan that she was dead serious, he finished saying 'okay' as Julian opened the door and walked in with a smile, a smile that Brooke replicated so that Julian didn't pick up on the vibe

"Hey Nate" Julian said stepping towards the masculine man, doing the handshake/ high five thing that he always did with the guys to show some sort of masculinity "What are you doing here?" he asked with a laugh

"Ah well" Nathan started looking to Brooke who gave him this look that he understood pretty much immediately "Actually I came around to see If you wanted to come to the diner with the guys, Bessie is training for this baking championship which means that she is going to be experimenting with a whole bunch of different pie flavours" this statement was the truth, Nathan had been on the way to the diner to meet Clay, Chase, Lucas and Chris when Brooke called. Brooke's smile became real when Nathan actually successfully threw her husband off the scent and by the look on Julian's face from the invitation, he turned to her and smiled

"Do you mind babe?" he asked because he knew that if he was going to go to the diner she would be stuck with all three of the kids

"No of course not you go and have fun" she said, feeling a little bad that she sounded like she was mothering him she walked over, wrapping one arm around his neck and kissing him hard against the lips.

X-x-x-x-x-x

Brooke was sitting on the couch with a magazine in her hands pretending to read but actually ease dropping the conversation that her two little boys were having with Ruthie and laughing when the knock at the front door sounded. Just the noise itself was enough to strike panic in Brooke. She waited a moment to make sure that she wasn't crazy but when all three of her kids looked at her as though asking 'what are you waiting for?' Brooke put on a fake smile as she stood up continuing to ignore the pain around her back and thigh "Okay Kidlett's how about you go and play with all the cool toys in the boys room, I think I saw a new box of Lego in there" she said with an excited whisper that was soon followed by her kids running up the hallway "Jude" she said ushering him back over to her "I want you all to stay in your bedroom until I come and get you okay?"

"Okay mama" Jude said with a smile as his mum kissed him on the cheek

"You're in charge kid. Now get" she said with a smile as she watched him run up the hall, waiting until the bedroom door shut before even stepping towards the front door "Who is it?" she yelled out as she pressed her eye to the peephole and sighing a deep breath of relief

"Open up B. Davis" She yelled out as Brooke unlocked the door and opened it to her smiling face, her youngest daughter resting on her hip looking from Brooke to the front yard where her other two kids were running "We were wondering if you guys would like to come for a walk to the river court with us?"

X-x-x-x-x-x

Sawyer rode off into the distance, fast, with Jude and Davis following behind trying to keep up with their adventurous cousin who they absolutely adored, Leo was sitting on a bike with a handle that Peyton kept a firm grasp on because that little trouble maker would most definitely try to make a break for it if she let go and he was just too little to ride off into the not so distant distance like his big sister, Brooke pushed Ellie in her backwards facing pram as Ruthie walked hand in hand with Brooke after insisting that she didn't want to ride anything from the wide selection of things with wheels in the possession of the Baker boys, even though Jude and Davis had both told her that she was allowed to 'borrow not keep' they insisted if she wanted to. The girls walked side by side in this comfortable silence, with all the years that they had spent apart just being together was enough of a comfort. Peyton watched ahead as Sawyer reached the river court, threw aside her bike which instantly forced the twin boys to speed up. Sawyer ran into the arms of Skills who was playing basketball with Fergie at the river court unknown to the girls who smiled at each other. Peyton laughed as she watched Skills lift Sawyer into the air to make a slam dunk.

"Hey Ruthie" Brooke said down to the little girl clutching at her hand "Why don't you go and play with the other kids" she said with a broad brimmed smile which the little girl smiled back too before disconnecting herself from the surrogate mother figure and ran ahead with Brooke's eyes cautiously following her every move.

"She seems to be settling into life with the gorgeous yet hectic Baker family" Peyton said with a smile looking to her friend and the faint smile that automatically appeared on her face

"I'm worried that we are going to turn her into one of us" Brooke said with a laugh before wincing and putting a hand to her back, hoping that her best friend wouldn't notice, alas no luck.

"Sex injury?" she asked with a laugh

"I wish" Brooke responded sparking curiosity in Peyton, Brooke decided that instead of playing twenty questions with her that she would just tell her "Ruthie's dad sort of dropped by"

"What?" Peyton freaked out and Brooke tried not to laugh at the similarities in Nathan and Peyton's reactions "Did he hurt you?"

"It's okay P. Sawyer, he just pushed the front door open a little hard and I just sort of well fell"

"You what?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine. I just have a sore lower back and a bruised leg" Brooke said trying not to look at the worried eyes of Peyton Sawyer Scott

"Oh god" Peyton said attaching herself to Brooke's side in a way that let them both continue to push the pram and hold onto the bike "What did Julian say when you told him?"

"It's all fine" she said avoiding her gaze

"You haven't told him yet have you? Brooke Baker I'm going to have to kill you." She said remembering back when Brooke pretended that she had fallen down the stairs instead of just telling her that Clothes over Bro's had been broken into to and she had been beaten up "why didn't you tell him?"

"Ruthie was there" Peyton was giving her the look "I'm scared" it took a lot for Brooke to admit that aloud, she was a tough nut and she certainly didn't like to show weakness, because she knew this Peyton grasped onto her hand tightly "You know how protective Julian is of me and the boys. I'm worried that if I tell Julian he will panic, he'll think that we are being threatened that we are putting our family in danger and want to send Ruthie back"

"Brooke…."

"I can't do that to that little innocent girl. I know what it is like to not feel wanted and I want that girl to feel wanted, she deserves to feel wanted"

"And I think that you are doing a pretty good job of that" Peyton said indicating ahead to where the two boys had turned into a basketball ride.

X-x-x-x-x-x

"Daddy's home" the boys yelled from their spot on the dinner table

"Boy's stay" Brooke said swallowing up her courage, reaching her husband and dragging him up the hall "Mama will be back in a second kids" she said as she marched him up the hallway. After some words of wisdom from her main girl Peyton she had decided early that afternoon that she needed to tell Julian about what was going on and then spent the rest of the afternoon wondering how in the hell she was going to break it to him. She walked him into their bedroom, shutting and locking the door as she instructed him to sit down on their bed, standing in front of her husband she reaches for the drawstrings on her pants as Julian let out a laugh

"Babe the kids are right out there" his smile disappeared when she pulled her pants down and turned to reveal the large bruise on her back and thigh, it had even surprised her when she realised how large it had gotten, she wished she had of told him when it wasn't as big. Julian grabbed her hand and dragged her closer before putting his fingers onto the bruise as she winced "What happened?"

"You have to promise me that you won't freak out" she said turning around, his arms still lingering on her legs but careful not to press on the bruises

"Brooke what happened?" he asked this look of frustration, confusion and concerned look on his face, he just wanted to know what had happened to his wife

"When you went to the park with the kids this morning" she gulped "Ruthie's dad came around"

"WHAT? HE HIT YOU?"

"Yes Julian he hit me on the ass" she responded full of sarcasm with a role of the eyes before looking down to her husband's serious face

"This isn't funny Brooke"

"I never said it was Julian. He pushed the door open and I fell backwards" Julian's soft gaze fell upon hers and she felt instantly better, that's all she needed, his eyes his touch. Julian put his arm back around her as he turned her around and brought her closer before pressing his lips to the top of her thigh

"Are you okay?" he asked in his caring and considerate voice, unable to hide the fact that he was incredibly worried and concerned about his wife

"I'm fine" she answered turning around and leaning down in front of him

"God Brooke if anything had of happened to you" he said looking down as she scooped his face up in her hand and looked into his eyes

"I know. But it didn't" she said leaning forward and kissing him as he put his arms around her waist, she smiled against him "I love you but…"

"I love you too but you can't say but after you say that" he said with a smile

"But" she said with a laugh "I think this just confirms that we need to keep Ruthie with us. I know that it might seem that we could be…"

"Brooke!" he interrupted "Look at me" he said softly "We're not giving that little girl back to that Neanderthal"

X-x-x-x-x-x

Once Brooke and Julian finished having their discussion and Brooke pulled her pants up again they walked out to their laughing kids and decided then and there that when they were finished eating dinner that they would take out the kids for a walk, with the twins both insisting on taking their bikes. They rugged up Julian, Brooke and Ruthie walking hand in hand, Ruthie in the middle laughing her head off as they swung her into the air, the two boys riding fast as they could into the distance before easing off and meeting their parents on the walkway

"Hey Ruthie" Jude said stepping off his bike and taking off his helmet "Would you like a turn?" he asked with his replica of the Julian Baker smile, some day he was going to have girls eating out of the palm of his hand

"Yaha" the little girl answered with a nod as Jude stepped forwards and put his helmet atop of the blonde curls

"Well go on then darling" Julian said leaning down to the little girl who instead of running towards the bike clutched tighter to the hands that she was already holding, Brooke looked down at the conversation with a simple happy smile

"I don't know how" Ruthie whispered, her cheeks turning a tad red as she looked down at her show, Julian looked up at Brooke with a smile and she was soon leaning down next to the girl as well

"Well that's okay honey." She said kissing the little girls hand "do you want me to teach you how to ride a bike?" she asked as the little girl nodded but as Brooke went to make a move a little voice approached them

"No mama" Davis said with a very serious tone as his parents looked at him in shock, wondering what had made Davis react that way "We'll teach her" he said as he held out his hand for Ruthie to grab onto which she did before being lead off the to the bikes by Jude and Davis. Brooke and Julian stepped back and found a park bench where they watched Jude kit Ruthie out with protective bike wear, fastening it on before helping her get onto the bike. Brooke felt proud when she realised how kind and caring her boys were, Davis was holding the handlebars of the bike as Ruthie rode just like his dad had when he had been teaching him how to ride a bike and Jude stood ahead walking backwards whilst shouting encouragement and directions at the little girl

"Can we keep her?" Brooke cooed at the cute scene unfolding before her eyes in sort of a joking matter

"Can we?" Julian thought for a moment as his wife turned to him not sure of what to make of it

"What?" she responded

"She fits Brooke" Julian said in full certainty "Ruthie is perfect and she belongs with us"

To be continued 

*Authors note* so this is officially the second last chapter and let me just say that I'm not one hundred per cent sure that I am looking forward to writing the last one, I think it might be a sad one!

Let me know what you think of this chapter and what you want to happen in the last chapter (You never know your idea might be adaptable to my last chapter) Read, Review and Enjoy

Maggie xx


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