Never Let Me Go

Chapter Twenty-Four: 11 Minutes

I'm 11 minutes away and I have missed you all day.

I'm 11 minutes away, so why aren't you here?    

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"Are you all set?" Peyton asked Jake, whilst she was doing up his tie. They were stood outside a courtroom, waiting for the custody hearing to start.

"Hope so!" Jake replied, taking a deep breath. "My lawyer says she doesn't have a very strong case. Between her abandoning her child, the constant harassment, and her slim knowledge of parenting, I don't think she has a leg to stand on."

"That is so relieving to hear!" Peyton gripped her boyfriend's hands tightly. "You've got this, Jake. You're an amazing father, no one can take that away from you. Plus, no matter what happens - today or any other day - I'll be here for you, no matter what.

Jake planted a soft kiss on Peyton's lips. "Thank you, Peyton. You know I wouldn't even be here without you. I love you for that." They smiled at each other in silence for one beautiful moment, before Jake's lawyer poked his head out of the door, informing them that it was time for the hearing to begin.

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"I hope Peyton is okay," Brooke told her boyfriend, who was sat on the couch next to her. "I feel like I should be there for her, ya know?"

Lucas placed a gentle hand on Brooke's cheek. "Pretty girl, Peyton already said that it was fine. She understands why we can't be there."

Brooke lay her head on Lucas's shoulder. "I know," she began, "and I wouldn't miss Keith signing your adoption papers for the world."

Lucas kissed the top of Brooke's head. "You have no idea how happy I am that you're here. I was serious when I said you're the person I want by my side when all of my dreams come true, and today really is a dream come true."

Brooke looked into Lucas's eyes. "I'm happy to be here, boyfriend." She planted a soft kiss on his lips. "And, just so you know, you are my dream come true."

Lucas let out a loving laugh, as a huge smile emerged on his face. "God, I love you, Brooke Davis."

"I love you too, Lucas Scott." They gazed into each other's eyes for a few more moments, before they heard the front door open.

They left Lucas's room and found Karen stood in the kitchen, placing a bag of groceries and a large envelope on the dining table. "Hey Mom," Lucas greeted his mother, walking over to her and embracing her in a hug.

"Hey, Luke. Hey, Brooke," she greeted the teens with a smile.

"Where's Keith?" Brooke asked.

"Oh, he's just gone to take care of something. He shouldn't be too long," Karen informed them. "Brooke, you're staying for dinner, right?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Brooke replied, with a huge grin. She felt vibrating in her pocket, which startled her momentarily. Peyton was calling, so Brooke excused herself and went into Lucas's room to take the call. She flipped open her cellphone. "Hey, P. Sawyer. How's it going?"

"Brooke, it went amazing!" Peyton replied. Brooke could practically hear her smile on the other side of the phone. "The judge was totally on our side. Nicki won't be getting any sort of custody of Jenny."

"Oh my God! That's great news, Peyt. I'm so happy for you and Jake!"

"The only downside is that Nicki gets one supervised visit with Jenny per week. But that's a small price to pay since Jake still gets full custody."

"Uh, that is so incredible!"

"Tell me about it! So, how's it going at Lucas's? Is Keith officially Daddy Scott?" Peyton asked.

"Nah, not yet. Keith should be over soon."

"Well, have a great time. Let me know how it goes later. Speak to ya later, B. Davis."

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Dan Scott was sat in his office, at Dan Scott Motors, looking over some paperwork he needed to finalise, when the sound of footsteps broke his concentration. "Sorry, we're closed for the day!" Dan yelled, not expecting to see his older brother stood in the doorway of his office. "Keith, what a surprise! Shouldn't you be off playing house with my leftovers?"

"While I'd love to participate in this whole hostile back-and-forth, I have something serious I need to talk to you about," Keith stated, taking the small smirk off of his brother's face.

"Well, do tell," Dan urged him while gesturing to the seat positioned directly opposite him, on the other side of his desk.

Keith reluctantly took a seat, swallowing slightly. "To cut a long story short, I want to adopt Lucas." Dan's mouth dropped open slightly, his eyebrow raised with intrigue. "And, unfortunately, I can't do that without the permission of the non-custodial parent, which is where you come in."

Dan began to chuckle to himself while opening one of his desk drawers. He pulled out two glasses and a bottle of whiskey and began to pour the alcohol into the glasses. "Well, I certainly wasn't expecting that." Dan slid one of the whiskey glasses across the desk to his brother.

Keith picked up the glass and finished the drink in one mouthful. "So, do I have your consent?"

Dan lifted his glass with a smile and took a small sip. "I don't know, Keith. I've been having a change of heart recently. I was thinking about inviting Lucas over for a game of father-son basketball."

Keith rolled his eyes and shook his head. "You're such an ass, Danny. You've never even pretended to care about that kid but I do, and I want him to be my son."

"You're serious about this?" Dan asked.

"More serious than I've been about anything in my life," Keith replied, looking at his brother dead in the eyes.

"Fine, what do I care?" Dan said, with a chuckle, pouring him and Keith another small glass each. "I'd like to raise a toast," Dan picked up his glass again. "Congratulations Keith, on finally becoming a father, even if it is to my lesser offspring."

Keith downed his drink, placing the glass on the desk while rising from his seat. "Well, it's been a pleasure as always, Danny," Keith grimaced at his brother, and walked out of the dealership, leaving Dan alone and dumbfounded.

It was a particularly stormy night in Tree Hill. Keith had been so immersed in his conversation with Dan, that he hadn't noticed the torrential rain pouring down outside. And, as he began driving home to his new family, excitement coursing throughout his entire body, he failed to notice the truck that had driven through the red light at the crossroads and was about to crash into him...