Disclaimer: There is only one Tree Hill. I do not own it.
Ships: Mentions of Pulian, Jeyton, Leyton, and Brucas.
A/N: Okay, so I realize this is really random, but I really wanted to write it and begin exploring the minds of Jake and Julian. This takes place around the time Peyton returns to Tree Hill, so keep in mind that Julian might not be the awesome guy we know now who's with Brooke, but more like the guy who tried to break up Lucas and Peyton when he first showed up in Tree Hill. Also, Jake won the custody trial for Jenny. I think Julian and Jake are slightly OOC, but I'm not sure. I hope you like it and thanks for reading!
The Savannah sun shines through Jake Jagielski's kitchen window. It illuminates numerous drawings covering the refrigerator. The artwork lies on napkins, paper plates, and scraps of lined, bright construction, and plain computer paper. Jenny draws on anything she can get her hands on.
Jake steps out of his bedroom, guitar and keys in hand. He walks briskly into his kitchen to make his way to the side door. Suddenly, Jake finds himself on the floor, cradling his guitar from crashing to the ground. He lifts up his foot and sees a small red crayon.
Chuckling slightly, Jake gets up and picks the crayon up with his free hand. He sets it on the counter next to his daughter's most recent picture.
There is a little girl in the drawing, presumably Jenny, with golden hair and bright eyes. In the picture, Jenny is holding a giant pencil and looking at a piece of paper floating in the air, as if she doesn't know what to draw. Standing next to the cartoon of Jenny, is a woman with curly blonde hair, pointing at the paper with a giant finger and a knowing look on her face.
Jenny has seen all the pictures and heard all the stories. She's told Jake many times how much she wants to meet the woman that her daddy loved so much, that was almost her mommy. Jake has told Jenny that she couldn't meet her until she was older, but that Jenny could draw as many pictures of her as she wanted. Jenny gladly did, and made drawing a talent all her own.
Jake saves every single picture.
Jake hasn't seen Peyton in a few years. He hasn't heard the latest of the Peyton/Lucas/Brooke drama in a long time. In fact, maybe, just maybe, Jake doesn't want to know anymore.
Jake glances at Jenny's drawing one more time. He sighs and makes his way out of the door without falling this time.
Or, maybe, he does want to know.
Julian Baker sits in a small, but crowded bar located in a decent part of Savannah. The air is thickly coated with music, smoke, and heat. Julian would normally never find himself in a place like Georgia. Los Angeles is more his kind of city. Obviously, it's no short trip from California to Georgia, but there's someone here he needs to meet.
After all, he has enough money, and how else can he find out where Peyton's disappeared to?
Someone clutching a guitar comes into the bar and jogs past Julian toward the stage. The warm smell of Savannah hits Julian from the open door. The smell slowly diminishes as the door shuts. Julian doesn't understand how this little bar can have so many people in it, especially in the early afternoon on a warm day like this. Julian thinks that there must be some special event happening.
Julian's been thinking a lot since his breakup with Peyton.
Maybe, he just overreacted. Maybe, Peyton really didn't still have feelings for Lucas. Maybe, she was just reminiscing by keeping all that stuff about Lucas's book. Maybe, Peyton doesn't have anything to do with Lucas anymore and Lucas is off somewhere with the other girl from the book, Brooke.
Julian sees the guy with the guitar sit on a stool on the bar's small stage and start his set. Julian decides that this guy is pretty good. The crowd seems to think so too. Almost everyone in the bar gets up to dance and cheer. Everyone here has clearly come to see this musician.
Maybe someday, this guy will be big. He's got serious talent, Julian decides.
As Julian hears the musician's song, he knows that this big lug is the guy he needs to meet.
The lyrics to the guy's song make Julian's signature smile appear on his face. This shouldn't be too hard.
Jake makes his way to the bar with a content smile set on his face. His set went pretty well. After a glass of water, he'll go pick up Jenny from school.
"One water, before I go, Joe!" Jake calls out to the bartender.
"Sure thing, Jagielski." Joe whips out a glass and pours it with water.
"Thanks, Joe." Jake chugs the water briskly.
"You know, you got some nice raw talent there."
Jake turns to his right and sees a skinny guy with an interesting hat on talking to him.
"Thanks." Jake sets the water glass down.
"That first song was my personal favorite." The guy informs Jake.
"Yeah, I wrote that one myself. It was just about this girl I used to know."
That's what Peyton and him been reduced to, Jake realizes. Someone they each used to know.
"What's it called?"
"Someday." Jake replies delicately.
The guy gives Jake a smirk and offers his hand.
"The name's Julian Baker."
Jake, being friendly, shakes the stranger's hand.
"Jake Jagielski."
"So, Mr. Jagielski, you ever consider writing a song for a movie?"
"Um, well, I've never really thought about it. I've been singing here for a few years." Jake gestures around the small bar.
"Oh, really?" Julian's smirk deepens. All he has to do is keep asking questions.
"Yeah... I used to live in a smaller town, but uh, well, some stuff happened and now I'm here. Savannah's been really good to me. Most of the folks that come around this bar know me and are basically my family now." Jake grins widely at the people dancing in front of him.
"So, was it a girl?" Julian asks vigilantly.
"Huh, what?" Jake looks at Julian with confusion.
"The reason why you left Tree Hill." Julian's patience is wearing thin. He was never very patient when it came to information about Peyton.
"No, actually, it was because of my daught—"
Jake watches Julian suspiciously.
"How did you know I used to live in Tree Hill?" Jake asks cautiously.
"Oh, believe me. I've heard all about you."
Jake starts to get up from his seat. Julian was a shady kind of guy.
Julian releases a frustrated sigh and puts one hand to his head in aggravation.
"Hey, wait a minute. I didn't mean it like I'm some kind of stalker or something."
"Well, if you'd know the kind of stuff my friends have been through, I've heard a little something about stalkers." Jake backs up.
"Alright, how about I just get to business here. I want you to write a song for my upcoming movie." Julian throws his plan of being a trusting guy out the window and decides that if he's gonna find out where Peyton went, he might as well get try to get something good out of it. This Jake guy actually has a good voice.
"Whoa, back up now. How do you know who I am? Why are you asking questions about my past?" If this Julian character thinks that Jake's going to trust him, he's got another thing coming.
"Listen, Mr. Jagielski, your information can be found all over the world. All I have to do is go to a book store." Julian smiles. Jake obviously hasn't heard of Lucas's book. Forget about getting Jake for the movie, Julian can get some amusement out of this.
"What are you talking about?" Jake asks bluntly.
"Your 'friend'—" Julian quotes with his fingers, "—Lucas, well, haven't you read his book?"
Lucas wrote a book? Jake is in it? Why didn't Luke tell Jake?
"I haven't had the chance." Jake replies.
"Well, it has all that stuff in it, about how you were with...what's that girl's name?" Julian acts as though he doesn't remember.
"Pamela? No... Paige? Penny?—"
"Peyton." Jake enunciates boldly.
"Oh, that's right. Peyton. Peyton Sawyer, how could I forget? The girl with the curly blonde hair, the artwork, and the obsession with Lucas." Julian looks Jake straight in the eye.
Jake clenches his teeth together. There's something seriously off about Julian.
"Don't worry though. You're just a passing mention. You're not even a main character."
Well, Jake thinks. Glad to know that he had such a great impact on his friend's life.
"The whole book is about Lucas and Peyton. Oh, Brooke is in it some." Julian continues.
"You know, I think that Peyton and Lucas had something special. They had that kind of bond where they would cheat on another person, and pretend to love someone else, and still always apparently be in love with each other." Julian keeps pressing and pressing.
"Oh, wait, what was that quote? You know, the one where Peyton and Lucas finally get to be together at the end? Oh, yeah. 'It was always you, Peyton.' Also, who did she supposedly want to marry, but then say 'I love you, Lucas' to in her sleep? Oh yeah, was that some guy named Jake?"
Jake stares with disbelieving hatred at Julian.
Julian puffs out a sigh. "Man, poor Jake and Brooke. They never got their happy endings, did they?"
Jake looks as if he's about to knock Julian out, but Julian just keeps going and going like the darn energizer bunny.
"Wait a second, Peyton and Lucas never got their happy ending either." Julian's face turns thoughtful.
Jake's anger subsides. What does this guy mean? Jake gave up Peyton so she could be happy, so she could be happy with Lucas.
"I know, I was shocked too. Apparently Lucas proposed to Peyton."Julian whispers mockingly.
Jake's anger resurfaces. How is that not a happy ending? Julian was toying with him. Jake grabs his keys from his pocket, ready to drive away fast in case this guy ends up following him.
"Oh hey, don't go. This is where it gets good. You want to know what she said to him? You know you want to." Julian grins daringly.
Jake pauses.
"Lucas proposed..." Julian pauses.
"...and Peyton, well, Peyton said 'someday'."
Just like that, the wind is knocked out of Jake. He sits back down at the bar and rubs the back of his neck.
"What do you want from me?" Jake finally asks Julian.
"Did you come here just to disturb my life? Did you actually want me to sing for your movie? Is it just because you're generally just a bad guy?"
"I came here to find Peyton. I gave her up once and I've grieved enough over losing her to a book." Julian shows his true agenda.
"Well, you came to the wrong place. I don't know where she is and if I did, I sure as hell wouldn't tell you."
"Please, Mr. Jagielski, give me some credit. Peyton was my girlfriend once and all she ever used to talk about was that book and Lucas and how she missed her friends. I don't think she mentioned you once." Julian shakes his head.
Jake stares ahead. Peyton never even mentioned him once. She also dated this creep. Well, Julian does look kind of like Lucas. Hm.
Julian keeps talking. He never shuts his mouth, does he?
"The only reason I came here was to find out where she was. I knew she wouldn't go back to Tree Hill, after all, isn't Lucas still living there? Plus, her best friend Brooke owns that giant company in New York. I've visited New York plenty of times and I know she's not there. I figured, well, if she's not in Tree Hill or New York, where else could she possibly be? I had to check here and tell her how wrong I was, to fight for her."
"Did you ever figure, that maybe Peyton is stronger than you think she is?! That maybe she is back in Tree Hill, trying to work things out with Luke?! Peyton is the strongest girl I know... or knew." Jake speaks fiercely.
"I never said that she wasn't strong. Peyton is strong, but sometimes, she just needs some help. She can't do things alone. I was all she had, but then we broke up. She had no one else." Julian speaks confidently.
"Julian, you would be surprised how loyal her friends are to her. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they dropped everything for her. I know I would drop everything except my daughter for Peyton. No matter what we've been through, because maybe someday, she'll need me. Maybe someday, I'll be there." Jake looks as if he's rehearsed this conversation in his head, as though he's thought about it constantly.
"I'm not some bad guy, Mr. Jagielski. I'd drop plenty for Peyton too."
Jake and Julian stare each other in the eye brutally.
After a long moment, Jake breaks out of the stare. "You know, I have to go. The most important person in my life is waiting for me to pick her up from school. I'm already ten minutes late."
"It must feel good to have the most important person in your life with you." Julian drops the confident façade.
"It is nice. Jenny, my daughter, takes after Peyton so much. It's almost as if, maybe, Peyton was more Jenny's mother once upon a time than Jenny's actual birth mother." Jake replies in a somewhat friendlier, but still on edge tone.
"Maybe."
"Yeah, maybe."
Jake and Julian sigh simultaneously.
"I really have to go. It was almost nice to meet you, Julian. Oh, and you know, I'm not going to work for you." Jake stands, ready to leave.
"Oh, I never really thought you would, but if you're ever in touch with Peyton, tell her that I'm looking for her. She just won't be able to resist me." Julian grins, sharp and confident. The façade is back up.
"I won't and I'm not in touch, but if I ever see her again like I know I will, you'll be the last person on my mind."
A look of mutual understanding passes between them. They both fell for the same girl. One of them is looking for that same girl. The other is waiting for that same girl. They both know that, maybe someday, they'll see her again.
"Same here, Mr. Jagielski."
There's a nice firm handshake as they part, the kind passed between men who are maybe fighting, maybe waiting, for someday.