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Author's Chapter Notes:
Here's the next chapter.
Enjoy =)
Chapter One-Hundred-Eighteen




After a half n hour of Jaime interrogating AJ and his intentions with his little sister, Brooke spoke up.


"So…Aje…I'll help you get settled into the guestroom," She said, and then got up and grabbed his hand and she pulled him toward the stairs. He looked back at Peyton who is sitting on the floor playing with Laila who has completely fallen in love with her.



"Is she okay with you Peyton?"



"Yeah, she's fine, go ahead." Peyton waved him off, not even paying attention. AJ chuckled and then let Brooke drag him up the stairs. When the two of them got up there, she gave him a tour of the upstairs and then showed him where he would be sleeping. When they got in there he set his backpack down on the bed and put the folded up stroller and Laila's car seat down also.



"Well you look like you are in a better mood…" He pointed out, as he was finally able to focus his entire attention on her. Brooke shrugged.



"Well it's about time I am able to get that down right…I've been worrying everybody all day," She replied softly, and she went and sat on his bed. He followed suit and sat next to her and he gazed at her with concern in his eyes as he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.



"You did good with my brother…he must like you because he's a lot harder on other people then he was for you tonight." AJ grinned a little and shrugged his shoulders.



"Piece of cake…I was prepared for it. Riley told me he was protective of you and I've dealt with some pretty tough older brothers before." Brooke nodded and took his hand into hers before gently squeezing it.



"I told you not to come here. I like how much you listen to me," She told him, and she looked up at him smiling a little.


"Well I was worried about you," AJ replied, shrugging his shoulders and he squeezed her hand back. "You sounded really upset over the phone."



"You coming here isn't going to make telling them any easier you know…it's still going to be hard."



"I know…but at least now you don't have to do it alone."



"I had an encounter with Thadius this afternoon…" Brooke replied softly.



"What?!"



"Yeah…right after I got off of the phone with you. When I got my food I took it back to the table that Jai and Peyton were waiting for me at and there he was…"



"How'd you handle it?"



"Better then I thought I would…"



"What happened?"



"Well I basically confronted him about the situation — in code of course because Jaime and Peyton were sitting there…" Brooke began. "He didn't have a problem acting like everything was okay in front of Jaime and it was pissing me off…I wanted him to feel as terrified as I was — am. So, I asked him really uncomfortable questions and after awhile he started sweating and squirming about in his seat until the point where he couldn't stand to be there in front of Jaime so he made an excuse to leave and did. I don't know what came over me…I don't know how I got the courage…but it was probably because I knew as long as Jaime was there he couldn't hurt me." AJ wrapped his arms around her waist and gently pulled her into a hug, as he was sitting there facing her. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head, as she snuggled against him.



"How did Peyton and Jaime react?"



"They were naturally confused…and worried. He asked me if I wanted to tell him what that was all about, and I told him no I didn't. Peyton demanded me to tell them what's wrong, because they know it's something because I've been acting weird all day and I told them it was because I was tired. So after lunch we went straight home and I took a nap until dinner."



"You need to tell them honey…it's obvious that they are worried about you."



"I don't want to…I'm scared…" Brooke vented softly, as tears threatened to fall.



"I know Brooke, but you need to. I will be here with you every step of the way, I promise."



"Kay…" Brooke replied, and she moved even closer to him. He sat with her in silence for a few minutes, and then he got up and took her hand.



"Come on…lets go get it over with."



"No…AJ please…not yet." Brooke shook her head, as the tears she was holding back escaped down her cheeks. AJ sighed, and then knelt down in front of her as she sat at the end of the bed, and he cupped her cheek in his hand as he gazed into her eyes seriously.



"If we get this over with now we can enjoy the whole rest of the time that I am here with you a whole lot better honey and you won't have to worry about it anymore."



"Yes I will…because they'll hate me forever."



"That is not the kind of family that would hate you forever Brookie, they love you I can see it." Brooke shook her head and hugged her legs to her chest.



"I can't tell them…"



"Yes you can because you are a strong woman and I believe in you…and I'm going to be right here the whole time holding your hand."



"No…I really can't tell them Aje…" Brooke shook her head. "I can't…" AJ was about to open his mouth to reply when suddenly he was interrupted.



"Tell us what?" Came Peyton's voice at the door, and Brooke and AJ turned to look at her to see her standing there with Laila. Brooke shook her head.



"Nothing…nothing Peyton…what are you doing up here?"



"Laila needs a diaper change," Peyton replied, giving her sister an annoyed look, as all she's been doing all day is lying and she knows it. AJ got up then and went to Peyton and she gave him a questioning look. She has a feeling if Brooke doesn't tell her what's going on, he will.


"Here…let me take care of that…you go back downstairs and tell your mom, dad, and Jaime that Brooke has something to tell them. Okay? Go make yourselves comfortable sitting on the couch…this is going to be really hard for her to say, and it's sitting news…" Peyton nodded and handed Laila over to him. She flashed her older sister a concerned look and then walked out of the room to go do as AJ asked of her. AJ turned around then to see Brooke glaring at him through tears.



"Why the hell did you do that?!"



"You promised me that you would tell them Brookie," AJ replied softly, and he brought Laila over to the bed.



"Jay," Laila spoke up suddenly, and she snuggled against AJ. AJ kissed her head and lay her down. She started to get up, but AJ lightly pushed her back down.



"Stay down sweetie, J needs to change your diaper." He told her gently, and he went over to get her diaper bag. He brought it over to Laila, set it down on the bed and opened it up, and he got out a diaper and some wipes. He quickly changed her diaper and when he finished he put her shorts back on, before scooping her up in his arms and he looked at Brooke who was sitting there hugging her legs to her chest. He held his hand out to her.



"Come on…" he told her gently. She scowled at him for a moment, than she allowed him to take her hand and help her up off the bed and he brought her downstairs with him. When they got down there they found Peyton, Jaime, Jeff, and Ellen sitting there looking at them worriedly.



"What's going on Brooke?" Jeff spoke up. Brooke sighed heavily and looked at AJ.



"You can do it," AJ encouraged gently, and he set Laila down, allowing her to run on over to the toys that Peyton had brought downstairs for her — old toys that used to belong to her and Brooke when they were little. He brought her over to the couch across from them and she sat down pulling him next to her.



"Aje didn't just come here because he misses me…" Brooke confessed softly. "He came here for support while I tell you something that's really hard to say," she added, as tears stream down her cheeks.



"Does this have anything to do with the weird mood you've been in all day? And the way you acted toward Thadius today?" Jaime spoke up. Brooke stiffened slightly at the name and moved a little closer to AJ, as she squeezed his hand.



"It has everything to do with that, yes…"



"What's wrong?" Jaime asked protectively. Brooke sighed and rubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand, and she looked away from them all.



"Brooke?"



"I was raped…" she spoke so soft that it was above a whisper and you would think nobody could hear her, but they all did — very clearly.



"What?" Ellen asked, shock evident in her voice, and Brooke turned her head to look at all of them, to see them staring back at her with identical shocked expressions, all of them hoping they heard her wrong. Tears rolled down her cheeks, as she knows they are going to hate her for this, she just knows it.



"A long time ago…I was raped mom…I didn't tell you and I'm sorry, I'm really sorry…" she explained, and she broke down into sobs.



"No…" Ellen replied shaking her head as tears fell from her own eyes. Peyton is close to tears too, as she knows this is the first time her big sister hasn't lied all day and she wishes she had. Just by looking at Jaime you can just see the rage building up inside him. His fists are clinched and he is at the edge of his seat. Jeff just stared, as if the shock hadn't worn off yet.



"Who? Who was it?" Jaime suddenly spoke up.



"Jai please don't do anything…it was such a long time ago…"



"WHO WAS IT BROOKE?!"



"It was Thadius!" Brooke sobbed. "It was Thadius who did it…during my senior year at that party that we were at…when he took me outside to show me his car…we got inside it and he…he r-ra-raped me."



"Why didn't you tell us?" Jeff spoke up for the first time ever, as tears spilled down his cheeks also and he looked as if the wind had been knocked out of him — his little girl…his little girl was raped! All these years and he didn't even know about it.



"I…I…was really scared…I felt a-ashamed…and dirty…and he told me if I did he would kill me…an…and I told him I would tell Jaime and he told me Jaime would just think I'm a liar because he is his best friend…so I kept it buried for years and I feel horrible for lying to you. I've been dealing with it alone for so long and I just can't anymore…I can't…" This was all Jaime could take. He was now furious — the man he once called best friend, hurt his little sister. He'll kill him! He got up from the couch and he went over to the closet, opened it up and grabbed his baseball bat.



"Jaime wait — no don't please!" Brooke pleaded, as she jumped up from the couch and ran over to him, and she grabbed him by the arms and forced him to look at her. "He'll kill me if he knows I told, he'll kill me!"


"No he won't, because I am going to kill him first!" Jaime insisted, and he gently pushed Brooke aside.


"Jaime don't, you'll get in trouble!" Jeff spoke up this time, trying his hardest to stay rational.


"I DON'T care!" He insisted, and with that he threw the front door open and stormed out. A few seconds later they heard the car speeding out of the driveway. Brooke rounded on AJ as tears fell from her eyes.



"AJ do something, please!" she sobbed.



"Alright, you stay here with Laila, and I will go after him and try to calm him down."



"I'll go with you," Jeff replied, and he got up and headed for the door with AJ following behind him and they left the house. Brooke crawled over to the corner of the couch, huddled herself there, and she wrapped her arms around her legs, buried her face in them and sobbed hard. Peyton got up and went and sat next to her and she wrapped her arms tightly around her and as tears fell from her own eyes.


 

“I love you Brookie…I love you so much…” she whispered in her ear. Ellen got up too and went and knelt down on the floor, before wrapping Brooke into her arms too and hugging her also. After a long while when Brooke managed to calm down, she looked over at Laila, who sat on the floor hugging her doll close to her as she watched the scene over on the couch a little scared. Why is her Brookie crying? She doesn’t like it that Brooke is upset.



“Brookie…” she spoke up in a little voice when she saw that she was looking over at her. Brooke held her arms out to her.



“Come here baby…” Laila did as told and got up, and she hurried over to her. Brooke leaned forward, gathered her into her arms and she hugged her close to her. Laila wrapped her arms about her and gave her a slobbery wet kiss on the cheek.



~*~*~*~*~



Meanwhile, at Thadius’ dealership where Jaime knows he is at right now, Jaime drove the car into the parking lot and parked it in an available spot. When he did, he crawled out with the bat in his hand and Thadius who had heard the car, peeked his head out of the garage.


“Oh hey Jai, I wasn’t expecting you here tonight.” He greeted cheerfully, obviously not noticing the rage in his ‘best friend’s’ eyes.



“Don’t you fucking hey Jaime me like we are friends or something!” Jaime shot back angrily, and Thadius frowned.



“What is the matter with you?”



“What is the matter with me? What is the matter with me? What is the matter with YOU, you asshole?” Jaime asked, coming closer to him, pounding the bat in his hand, never taking his eyes off of the man he wants dead.



“I don’t know what you are talking about…” Thadius insisted, shaking his head as he began backing up, the fear in his eyes evident.



“Like hell you don’t!” Jaime snapped, and he swung the bat at the dealership window, hit it and completely shattered it.



“WHAT THE HELL!!!” Thadius shouted incredulously.



“JUST the very same question that I was asking, Thad. WHAT the hell gave you the right to rape my baby sister HUH!?” Jaime asked, moving closer to Thadius, who kept backing up.



“What the fuck are you talking about?! I never touched Peyton!” Jaime swung the bat then at the nearest car window and shattered that too and Thadius suddenly tripped over a car part behind him, causing him to fall backward onto the ground.



“NOT Peyton…I am talking about Brooke!” He replied, and he watched as Thadius flinched at that name. “That’s right Thad, she’s told me all about what you did to her at that party and you will be lucky if all you get is a few broken windows tonight! You’ll be lucky if you don’t end up with a broken skull!”



“She’s LYING Jaime, she’s LYING to you!” Thadius insisted, as tears rolled down his cheek. “I NEVER TOUCHED the stupid bitch! She’s making it all up! Who are you going to believe, me? Or her?” Jaime went around the car with the now broken window, to the one next to it and he swung his bat and shattered that one next.



“I’ll believe my sister over anybody any day Thadius.” He told him seriously, and he walked on over to him, as he began crawling backward. “She used to know that she could come to me and tell me anything until you came a long and made her so damn scared! You don’t know how bad I felt when I saw the pain in her eyes Thad. You don’t know how badly I wanted to kill you just then. How badly I want to kill you right now!”



“I didn’t do it, I swear!”



“I trusted you with her! I befriended you and everything! And you went behind my back and did this?”



“I didn’t…I…Jaime please.”



“Did Brooke beg for you to stop just like your begging me? Huh?” Jaime asked, as Thadius ended up backing himself in the corner. Jaime went over and placed he bat under his chin, making him tilt his head back to look at him. “Did she scream, and cry, and fight with you? Did it make you feel good to hear my sister begging for you to stop? What kind of SICK fuck are you?” He asked, and then he moved his foot over to his hand, and he stepped on it making him cry out and sheer pain. Meanwhile, Jeff pulled the car into the dealership and they noticed Jaime’s car parked outside, and the window to the Garage completely shattered.



“He’s been here…hurry up before he does any damage he can’t get himself out of,” he said, and then threw open the door and he ran toward the garage. AJ jumped out and followed. When they got in there, they found Jaime just raising the bat to Thadius, ready to hit him with it. AJ ran up behind him and grabbed it, causing Thadius to turn and look. AJ pulled it away from him.



“Step away AJ, let me kill the fucking bastard now and get this over with!”



“No, stop it Jaim, you don’t want to do this.” Jeff pleaded.



“Yes I do dad, I do very badly…you have no idea.”



“If you do this son, you are going to end up in jail for murder – and I know you don’t want that.” Jeff reasoned.



“He raped my baby sister dad incase you’ve forgotten! He deserves to die!”



“I haven’t forgotten but killing him would be the stupidest mistake you’ve ever made, no matter what he’s done!”



“So I am supposed to just let him get away with it?! I can’t do that, I wont!”



“No, but you can call the cops and have him put in jail,” AJ spoke up gently.



“He’ll get away with it. His parents are very well known around here and are good at weaseling him out of shit.”


“I know a very great detective who works on cases like this…who deals with rape victims and he is great friends with Brooke. If I talk to him I know he will make sure they don’t weasel him out of anything.” Jaime considered this for a moment.



“You are sure he’s good?”



“He is amazing.” AJ reassured, and he looked into Jaime’s eyes seriously. “Come on…back away, you don’t want to do this.” Jaime thought for a couple of minutes, than he turned and looked at Thadius.



“You are lucky my sister has found a great man…one who will treat her ten times better then you ever did.” He told him, and he pulled out his cell phone to dial the cops, but be fore he did, he looked at his father.



“Will I go to jail for breaking all those windows?”



“We’ll make sure you don’t. We have the money to replace them,” Jeff reassured gently, being grateful for AJ’s reassuring words that were able to calm his son down. He knows he loves Brooke so much that if they hadn’t been there on time, he would have gone through with it – and then they would be spending thanksgiving at a prison with guards watching their every move.