"…Wait, Peyton…" Brooke started, feeling suddenly very heavy. She took a labored steop forward, a sense of loss about her face. "You're moving?" She watched the back of the blonde's head as the young mother tended to her child. Peyton straightened up and turned.

"Yeah…" she said, not quite looking at Brooke.

"But, when? I mean, you've only been home for, like, a week and the doctor wanted you to rest and I haven't even gotten a change to spoil my little Sawyer, -" Brooke put her hand to her face, trying to hide the tears she was unsuccessfully fighting. Peyton crossed the room easily, pulling her friend to her chest.

"Don't cry," she said softly into Brooke's hair. There was a new maternal warmth in her tone that reminded Brooke of Haley. "I won't be gone for good-"

"But you'll be gone, period!" Brooke cried, pulling out of Peyton's embrace. She looked Peyton straight in the eye, her gaze fierce and pained. "And I can love the idea of how sweet that night before you come home will be after months of missing you and how nice spending time with you will be after such a gap… But I know that the reality is that the gap is what I'd hate. I'd hate all of that time where calling you would be all I could do. I'd hate all that time where I couldn't just drop by and see you and Lucas and Sawyer and just be with you guys. And then when you finally were in town, I'd know in the back of my mind that you'd just have to go back home and I'd be missing you again for another three months or whatever." Brooke had managed to pace about the room as she spoke, ending up across the floor by the window, leaning against the wall. "You don't really have to move…" It was almost a question, and one Brooke felt she already knew the answer to. She moved to sit in a near-by chair.

Peyton walked over to Brooke, lowering herself to her knees to look at Brooke in the face. She rested one hand on the brunette's leg, the other at the underside of her chin to force her to look away from the floor.

"Hey," she started. "I don't want to hear any more of that from you," she said. The motherly softness was still in her voice, and it was starting to freak Brooke out. "I will never be apart from you, Brooke. Even when I'm not in Tree Hill, I'll still be with you. And if you want to hear my voice you can call me. You know I never turn off my phone." Tears were falling down Brooke face then and she looked down, trying to hide them again. "Baby…" Peyton reached up, wiping the tears away. "You gotta stop crying before you make me cry." Brooke smiled at this, looking up.

"Peyton… Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, anything."

"… I know Lucas is out for tonight, and I wouldn't ask if he weren't, but… Can I, can I stay with you tonight? Losing you is really messing me up right now and I just-"

"Shhh," Peyton cooed. She stroked Brooke's hair, kissing her on the forehead. "Yeah. You can stay with me tonight." Peyton could feel Brooke falling apart inside and knew that this was the least she could do. "As long as you don't mind Sawyer-" Brooke shook her head immediately, forcing Peyton to smile. "Okay." She stood up, offering her hand to her friend. Brooke took it, standing too. "Let me get her to sleep, okay?" Brooke nodded.

"'Kay," she said, smiling weakly.

"And listen, the couch doesn't fold out into a bed, so I'll just have you sleep with me, okay?"

"Okay."

Brooke climbed into the bed after Peyton, shifting onto her side to face the blonde.

"This is Lucas' side, isn't it?" she asked. Peyton cocked her head to the side.

"Yeah, why?" Brooke grinned.

"I can smell him." she said honestly. And it was true. The sheets smelled like cologne and guy, a pleasant smell Brooke remembered fondly. Peyton laughed.

"Go to sleep, B. Davis," she said humorously, nudging Brooke.

"Aw, can't this be a sleep over? Like in high school?" Peyton rolled her eyes.

"Not unless you want to get Sawyer every time she wakes up." Brooke smiled, not really fazed by the threat.

"Point taken," she said, and she relaxed into the mattress. Peyton rolled over to kill the light on the night stand behind her before turning back to face Brooke.

"You know I love you, Brooke, right?" Brooke nodded.

"Yeah."

"And I'll miss you as much as you're going to miss me, you know."

"… Yeah, I know."

"But I will never leave you. Ever." Peyton reached out to find Brooke's hand in the dark, and she took it in her own. "I love you," she said.

"I love you too, Peyton." Brooke echoed.

"Goodnight." Peyton kept her gently hold on Brooke's hand, bringing it to her chest. The two of them easily fell asleep after that.