Always Meant To Be

Always Meant To Be


Joey smiled, as she took in the sight that was Karen's café. She remembered Charlie telling her about it one time when they'd stayed up all night just talking, nothing more.

She and her son's had arrived in Tree Hill two days ago. They were still getting settled in. The rest of hers and the boys belongs were due to arrive the next day. She had them shipped over from Cape side to Tree Hill.

She took a deep breath, as she looked down at her son's then back at the café in front of her. This was it, she was finally going to meet Charlie's family, get to see where he had grown up.

She sighed, before reaching out a hand to pull open the door. A bell sounded, as she pulled the door open. She looked around as she walked inside, holding Jason's hand, while she held Damien against her hip on her other side.

Karen looked up when she heard the bell on the door, indicating she had a customer. She silently took in the sight of a dark haired woman, who looked to be around her son's age.

She was holding the hand of a little blond haired boy, while she held a younger little brunette against her hip. She wondered what a woman so young was doing with two children. Well, she couldn't really judge, after all she did become pregnant in college with Lucas and Charlie.

She called out, "Hello, what can I do for you?" Joey cleared her throat and asked, "Could you possibly tell me where I can find a Karen Roe, please?"

Karen put down the drying towel she had been holding and replied, "I'm Karen Roe, what can I do for you?" Joey smiled and replied, "Hello, I'm Joey Potter. I'm a friend of your son's, Charlie Todd, or should I say Scott?"

Karen's eyes widened, as she asked, "How do you know my son. And how did you know to come here?"  Joey replied, "We met whilst he was in Boston. I was going to college there, while he was going to college and was part of a band."

She added, "I met him though my friend Jen, when he dated her. And then of course I know all about you, Lucas, Haley and his life here in Tree Hill, before he left for Boston."

She continued, "I came here not expecting him to be here, as I know he hasn't been back since you two had an argument. I came here, well, I wanted my son, Jason" she gestured to the blond, blue eyed boy Karen had instantly noticed when she entered.

She concluded, "I wanted him to get to know his grandmother and his two uncles. Charlie mentioned he had a twin brother Lucas, as well as a younger half brother, called Nathan."

Karen instantly knew she was who she said she was. She knew too much about Charlie and their family for her not to be who she said she was. Karen froze when she recalled what Joey had said about Jason.

"Wait a minute, you mean to tell me, that, that little boy is Charlie's son and my grandchild?" She gestured to Jason, who was clinging to his mother's hand, as he eyed Karen shyly.

Joey nodded and replied, "Yes. Could we possibly take this somewhere else more private, please?" Karen silently nodded, before she called out, "Hales, could you please watch the café while I go in the back please?" Haley nodded.

Karen gestured for Joey to follow her. Joey nodded and followed after her, leading Jason by the hand, while adjusting Damien to her side. Haley discreetly eyed the other woman, wondering who she could be.

Once in the back, they sat around a square table. Karen asked Joey, "Can I get you and the little ones something to drink?" Joey replied, "Just some water will do fine, thank you. And juice for these two if you've got it, please." Karen nodded, as she walked over to the nearby sink, grabbing a tall glass as she did.

Once she set the glass full of water down in front of Joey, she filled two plastic drink cups halfway with juice, which belonged to Jenny, when the little girl would sometimes visit with Brooke and Jake.

She then took a seat in front of Joey, as she watched Joey settled her son in her lap, while her other son, was sat in one of the chairs around the table. She smiled sweetly at him, as she realised his feet were hanging over the edge of the chair.

She could clearly see this child was her grandson. He was a spitting image of both Charlie and Lucas.  The hair, the eyes and the features, except for the nose and his ears, were all Charlie. Even his skin tone matched her son's.

Joey saw the look of awe on Karen's face and the tears that were filling her eyes, as she eyed Jason. Karen asked, "What are their full names?" she gestured to Jason then Damien.

Joey took a sip of water, before replying. "Your grandson is called, Jason Charlie Todd." She added, gesturing to Damien. "This is Damien Pacey Witter; he's Jason's half brother."

Karen frowned, as she commented, "So it's true then, he really did go and change his name from Scott to Todd? Lucas, who Charlie kept in touch with, he informed me of what Charlie had done. But I never truly believed he'd actually done it, not until now, that is."

She added, "I had my boys christened, as Charles Michael and Lucas Eugene Scott." Both women suddenly looked up when they heard a little girl squeal "Mommy!"

Karen beamed, "Lily sweet heart, have you been good for your big brother?" Lily nodded rapidly and said, "Yeah, me and Luke played basket ball." Karen looked up at her son, as she grinned and said, "Really, that's nice sweet heart?"

Lily Roe-Scott was the four year-old daughter of Karen and Keith Scott. She was born not long after Keith was killed. She was the only reminder that Karen had left of Keith.

Karen and Lucas turned to look at Joey, when she gasped and placed a hand over her mouth. All the colour had left her face and there was a look of shock on her face. She eyed Lucas in wonderment.

Lucas asked, with a concerned look on his face, "Are you ok, you look more then a little pale. In fact you look like you've seen a ghost?" Joey removed her hand, as she opened and closed her mouth. But no sound come forth.

Karen instantly knew what had caused such a reaction in the younger woman. Charlie and Lucas weren't just twins; no they were identical in every way. She understood why Joey looked like she had just encountered a ghost.

Joey spluttered, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude and gap at you, it just that you're identical to Charlie, literately. He said you were twins, but he never said you were of the identical verity. Some twins don't look a like."

Lucas asked, "You know my brother, Charlie?" Joey nodded, as held out her hand. "Yes, I do. I'm Joey Potter. We met in Boston at Worthington College, pleased to meet you." Lucas suddenly grinned widely, as he took her hand and shook it.

He chuckled and commented laughingly, "Ah, pleasure to meet you to. Finally, I get to meet the infamous Joey Potter, the only woman to have ever challenged my player of a twin brother. I've always wanted to meet the woman who was able to make my player of a brother smitten and turned him into a love sick fool."

He asked, "So, what brings you to Tree Hill, if you don't mind me asking?" Joey replied, "I just recently gotten a divorce. So I decided to leave my home town. I couldn't bear to stay in the same town as my cheating ex-husband and the woman who he cheated with, who was supposedly supposed to be one of my closet friends, some friend huh?"

She went on, "So I decided to move to Tree Hill. I moved here with my son's two days ago. I accepted and am due to start at the local high school, as the new English teacher, after the summer holidays are finished."

She concluded, "I realised Charlie wouldn't be here, as I know he left after he and his mother had an argument. No, I came here for a new start. I wanted my son to finish growing up in the town where his father grew up. I wanted him to get to know his grandmother and his uncles."

Lucas's eyes widened, as he asked, "Wait a second. Do you mean to tell me, that Charlie got you pregnant before he left you to go on tour?" He explained at Joey's look of surprise. "He talks to me, he tells me most things."

He added, "He told me a lot about you. How you persuaded him to not give up his dreams, after he decided he wanted to stay with you in Boston." Karen looked to see Joey's reaction.

Joey replied, "That is true. But no, your brother had no idea I was pregnant. I didn't know until three and a half months later." Suddenly they all looked up, as Haley entered the room.

Haley explained “I'm now on my break. Kelly is taking over right now." She turned to Lucas and smiled, as he leaned forwards and placed a kiss on her mouth before pulling a way.

Lucas turned back to face Joey and said, “Joey Potter, Meet Haley James. Hales, Meet Joey” He gestured to each woman. Haley nodded and leaned forwards and held out her hand for Joey to shake. “Pleased to meet you, I’ve been told a lot about you though Lucas, who found out from Charlie.”

Joey smiled and shook Haley’s hand in return. She told her, “I’ve heard a lot about you to, from Charlie. He said you were married to his half brother, Nathan.”

Haley replied, “Yes, I was up until four months ago. I divorced him. He was unfaithful to me, with Lucas’s girl friend, who was supposed to be my friend.”

Joey gave her a sympathetic smile and commented, “Yeah, I know exactly what that feels like, don’t I just.” She continued to explain at Haley’s questioning look, as she and Lucas took a seat around the table, while Lily sat in her mother’s lap.

“I got pregnant with Charlie’s son, Jason Charlie Todd” she gestured to Jason, who was eyeing everyone shyly. Joey went on, “Two years after Jason was born I graduated from College. I restarted up a past relationship with one of my child hood friend, Pacey Witter.”

She continued on, at Haley’s nod. “I discovered I was pregnant with my other son, Damien Pacey Witter” she gestured to Damien, who was suckling on his thumb, while eyeing everyone around the table curiously.

Joey added, “Five months later we were married. Our marriage lasted only two years. I find that terribly shameful, considering how our marriage actually ended.”

She concluded, “I caught him having sex across the kitchen counter in our home, with my old room mate and friend from college. This is why I had to leave my home town, I had to get away from them and the constant urges I had to cause them both some serious physical harm.”

Lucas, Haley and Karen studied her, as she continued to speak. She was beautiful they noted. She had jaw length dark brown hair that was so dark, it was almost black. She had warm and deep chocolate brown eyes. And an olive coloured skin tone. They also noted she was petite and slim, but still had curves in all of the right places.

Joey said, “Sometimes I wish I’d never given a relationship with Pacey a second chance. I sometimes wish I had left with Charlie when he had asked me to.”

She added after a brief pause, “But then I remember, if I had done all of that, then I would have never gotten pregnant with Damien. I could never imagine not having him, regardless of her who his father is.”

Haley asked, “So how did you and Charlie meet?” Joey smiled fondly, as she replied, “I met him after he cheated on one of my friends from my home town, Jen, who is now married to another child hood friend of mine, Dawson Leery.”

Karen moaned and placed a hand over her mouth, at hearing her son had cheated on someone. Lucas sighed and rolled his eyes. He commented, “I can’t talk. I cheated on Brooke with Peyton. And was a bit of a player until my last year of high school. But never as bad as our Charlie had been.”

Joey asked puzzled, “What do you mean, by had been.” Lucas smirked and revealed, “You changed my brother for the better. After you he never cheated again. Sure he had other relationships, but they never lasted. He always said they weren’t you that they could never even hope to compare to you. My brother still loves you, Joey.”

Joey looked stunned at this. Karen asked, “Did you ever love my son?” Joey smiled sadly, as she told Karen and the others what she had told Jen and Dawson. “I was halfway there. I believe I could have easily had fallen in love with him, if he’d stayed around, or if I’d gone on tour with him.”

She went on, “Anyway, after Charlie had cheated on Jen, I met him a couple of months later. His band was playing in the club that I, Pacey and Audrey were attending. Audrey is the one Pacey cheated on me with.”

She continued, after taking a sip of water. “That night for some reason that is even beyond my understanding, I got up on stage and sang with Charlie and his band. I sang I want you to want me.” She chuckled.

She went on after another brief pause. “That night was the first time I kissed Charlie. He needled me; he somehow knew which buttons to press to make me do things I wouldn’t normally dream of doing, like for example getting up on stage in front of over two hundred people and singing.”

Haley giggled and asked, “What did he say to you to make you do it?” Joey giggled also and replied, “He said, Joey, the smart girl from Worthington. When was the last time you did something completely and indisputably wild?”

Lucas, Haley and Karen laughed at this, knowing that sounded exactly like something Charlie would have said and done. Karen was relieved to hear that hadn’t changed about her son.

Joey added, “Pacey was glad to see the back of Charlie. He and Charlie never got a long. He couldn’t let go of the fact Charlie had cheated on Jen.”

She added with a chuckle, “And of course Charlie could push Pacey’s buttons like no one I’d ever met before. Seriously, Pacey would become so riled by Charlie, considering Charlie would make no secret of exactly how much he was enjoying pushing and needling Pacey.”

Lucas laughed and said, “Yeah, that definitely sounds like my brother. Charlie always had this knack of getting under someone’s skin with amazing ease. And he always enjoyed watching which button earned which reaction.”

He added, sniggering, “I swear Nathan and Brooke would attempt to cause him some serious physical harm when he did it to them. Nothing or anyone, accept for Dan Scott, our father, could rile Nathan more, then Charlie Scott, now Todd.”

Haley and Karen had half moaned and half laughed. Haley said, “I can’t believe Charlie still does that. I figured he’d have grown out of that less then thrilling habit.”

Karen laughed and told the woman that was like a daughter to her, “Charlie wouldn’t be Charlie if he didn’t do that. It’s a part of who he is. It has been apart of his personality since he was very young.”

They continued to talk, until Haley had to go back to work. Joey insisted she had things to do, but would return tomorrow, so Karen could spend more time with her grandson. Karen had beamed at this, as she eyed the little boy.

Lucas and Haley eyed Jason. Haley smiled sweetly and said, “He’s an adorable looking little boy. Wow, he doesn’t half resemble Charlie?” Lucas nodded in agreement, as he eyed his little nephew intently. There was no doubt he was definitely family.