A/N: Quick synopsis: Karen decided to share custody with Dan; Lucas shuffles he's time between both houses and in growing up with a father named Dan Scott the boy had to grow up and act similar to the way Nathan did (pre Haley). Mick and Ellie never decided to give Peyton up for adoption. But Ellie still ends up dying from the breast cancer; Mick can't handle Peyton's sudden rebelliousness and sends her to live with his sister in the small town of Tree Hill. How will the daughter of a rock and roll "god" handle life when she's thrust into a High School with a womanizing basketball player, a cheery cheerleader and the boy toy that she's snagged?
Okay so Brooke and Nathan are together in this fic (I do love Naley) but just think if Dan was in Luke's life than there was no reason for Nathan to go after Haley and if there was no Peyton to begin with than Nate would have surely ended up with Brooke. Plus I've always secretly shipped these two. (Along with NP-but that's another story for another day). I'm still debating whether to have him end up with Haley because for now it's just the four, but she'll be making a cameo every once and awhile.
Chapter One: First Glance
The waves are crashing against the sandy shores of Los Angeles' beach line the summer's breeze growing stronger by the hour, but that doesn't stop the rowdy group of teenagers from throwing lighter fluid into the bomb fire that's beginning to die down. The music's loud and the once clean sand is being loitered with the empty red plastic cups that at one time was filled with beer from the keg that someone's older brother had bought for the underage minors.
"Twenty-eight. Twenty-nine. Thirty."
The small gather chants as they watch the girl with wild curls hang upside down two guys holding her steady as she chugs on what looks like to be a hose. Once the counting has stopped they set the young girl who couldn't be more than sixteen going on seventeen on her feet the daring bravado has earned her a high-five from the pimply teenager to the right of her.
"Peyton, that was awesome."
She just nods walking away through the crowd as everyone pats her on the back for a job well done. She's a bit tipsy borderline wasted but that's what you get when you've been drinking since you got to the party a couple hours ago.
"Thanks."
She needs her alone time; standing on the wet sand not caring how freezing the water is as it crashes against her bare legs she knows her mom would disapprove, but she ended up leaving anyway. So who cares right?
"It's not like she had a choice."
Peyton whips her head around spotting the guy who has been her best friend since kindergarten. He's been there for her when she lost her pet hamster to the vacuum cleaner, the time when she broke up with the guy named Pete who happened to be in a band, even when her mother died. That's when the feelings come rushing back at her. It's been five weeks since Ellie Harp lost her battle with the disease. She held on for as long as she could, but in the end the cancer was stronger and much more aggressive than Ellie had been; the chemo had taken the will away from her.
"I know." She whispers her voice becoming hitched with the lump that's lodged in her throat. "I know."
"Come on you party junkie. Let's get you home."
The moonlights bright tonight the usual shadows aren't lurking around the vastness of the front yard. You can actually see the front door to the large house that's hidden away by bushes. She would have surely stumbled on the cobblestone sidewalk if it wasn't for Fin who happened to be holding her up.
"Okay, I can get inside by myself from here. Plus, you wouldn't want dear old Mick to do something that would end up with him being in jail serving twenty to life."
Walking inside Peyton tries to close the door as delicately as she can, but as soon as she walks through the foyer the lights to the hallway suddenly turn on and she has to squint her eyes from the sudden brightness of it all.
"Peyton, where the hell have you been?"
"I was just-"
"Are you drunk?"
"No." She shakes her head from left to right a stern look playing across her face but the sudden burst of laughter coming from her tells otherwise. "Yes."
"This has gone on for far too long and it needs to stop!" Mick shouts abandoning all type of fatherly instincts along the way. "It's the twentieth time, in a row, that you came home intoxicated. Yesterday I found you sleeping on the lawn."
"So what are you going to do? Have me institutionalized? Or how about have me admitted into rehab? All the famous people are doing it now so it must be cool. I bet if you call Lindsay Lohan right now she can give you a great recommendation on which rehabs are good, but we probably shouldn't take her advice seeing as she's in one every other month." She's using her sarcasm more often these days.
"What we need to do is get you out of here; out of Los Angeles. I spoke with Anna last night and she said she would be more than glad to take you in for awhile."
Any signs that previously would have shown that alcohol had consumed her were now gone. The realization of what was being said was what had sobered her up.
"How long is a while?"
"Until you finish high school."
"ONE YEAR?!" She yelped unable to fathom the thought of being away for that long. "You're just going to give me up to your estranged sister who you haven't seen in almost two decades?"
"Peyton, I'm doing what I think is best for you. And what is best for you is to have some guidance in a motherly figure."
"My mother is dead and all the guidance went along with her."
"See that's exactly what I'm talking about here. Anna and Larry can help because God knows I've tried everything I could and you're just so damn hard headed."
"I'm not going!"
"Oh yes you are! You're leaving tomorrow morning."
There was certainly in his voice that caused Peyton to almost scream as she stomped up the stairs.
"You might as well draw up some adoption papers and sign on the X" she muttered slamming her door shut.
The first thing to grasp her fingers manages to hit the wall across the room causing it to shatter. She doesn't think she has ever been so angry, but when she spots the old photograph of her mother holding her as an infant the anger subsides as she rushes towards the pictured frame causing the broken glass to slice open the bottom of her foot.
"Ouch. Damn."
She murmurs grabbing a towel glad that there wasn't a large amount of blood as she quickly cleans up the mess she's made. She's not tired not even when she looks at the digital numbers on the clock; three in the morning.
"I miss you mom."
Peyton runs her thumb across her mother's face a small smile coming to her lips when she remembers all the things the two of them would do together whenever Mick was out on tour. The light taps on her window catches her attention already knowing who it was she unlocks the seal.
"You would never believe who got a bit wasted at the bomb fire tonight." He spoke. "It was you. And boy, Curly, I tell you-"
"Fin, my dad's sending me away to live in Tree Hill."
"What? Why would he send you to live in a tree on a hill?"
"Who's the drunken one now?" She jokes before turning more serious looking at her friend who had helped her up the sidewalk minutes ago. "It's not a hill or a tree even though I'm sure it has both. It's a town in North Carolina."
"I've never heard of it before. Are you sure it even exists? I mean that could be Morse code for boarding school in Switzerland."
Taking out his cell phone Fin taps away at the keys a boy on a mission is what he looks like.
"Don't tell me you're googling that place."
"Why, yes, I am. What do you know it does have actual being and it looks like you'll need overalls and a straw hat with a piece of hay sticking out of your mouth if you want to fit in the hillbilly town."
"Shut up." She swipes the device from his hands and reads the population. "It is small, isn't it?"
"Oh it makes Gettysburg look as big as New York."
"What did I tell you before?"
"Shutting up..." he pierces his mouth closed for a couple seconds. "So when do we say au revoir, bon voyage, arrivederci?"
"Tonight."
"Huh?"
"I leave tomorrow morning."
"What?"
"I'm to be pawned off to my new mommy and daddy in the strange foreign town of no return."
"Say what?"
"Goodbye Fin."
"But it's so soon! I mean I thought we at least had enough time to draw blue prints to this house so we would be able to pull a Prison Break stint and get you out of here."
"Firstly we know where the doors are located so we could just walk out if we really wanted to and secondly you know you watch too much TV."
"Just because we know the layout to this place doesn't mean we can't leave in style." He thumps his finger along his jaw line pretending to think of a master plan. "Wait. I got it. We'll hit the road live off of candy bars and bags of chips. Bonnie and Clyde would be so proud."
"Except school starts in three days and you're the smartest person there. Are you really going to let Lucy Simpson be valedictorian on count of you forfeiting?"
"No." he sighed. "It's just not going to be the same without you."
"Tell me about it."
They go on to talk, Peyton making sure that he still carries out some of their plans that involve pranks that would be played off during high school hours.
"Well, I guess this is adios, Peyton."
He sneaks out the window before she can say goodbye. Neither of them are good with farewells anyway, but they both know they will keep in touch. Hell he was there when Clover was sent to live on a farm where he could roam freely with the other turtles. Yes, the two best friends would remain just that.
Three hours later she's forced on a plane that would lead her to a live with people she's never met in a town she's never even heard of. She arrives just as the sun is setting with only a carryon that's hanging loosely on her shoulder as she makes her way out of the terminal to a blonde woman and a blonde man holding up a sign with her name written on it. She's never seen them and they've never seen her.
"I'm Peyton."
They look surprised for a second taking in what she's wearing; converse sneakers, torn jeans at the knee, a band T, and a leather jacket to accommodate, her hair pulled back into a messy ponytail a couple curly strands that have come undone from the hair band crown her face. But the surprise only last for a second the smiles are plastered and you have to wonder if they're fake.
"Hi, Peyton, I'm Anna and this is my husband Larry. We're so glad that you could be staying with us for a while." She brings her niece into a hug wrapping her arms around her. "You look so much like your mom, kiddo. Almost spitting image. Of course I can see a bit of Mick in you, too."
"Thanks, I guess."
They don't apologize for her loss and Peyton's glad for that. She gets really irritated when people say they're sorry because what do they have to be sorry for? They didn't do anything.
It's not that long of a drive back to the red brick home; it is a small town and all. They give her a quick tour of the house before showing her the room she's going to be staying in.
"You can do whatever you like to this room to make it feel more like home. Mick says you like to paint."
"Mick says a lot of things."
"Oh."
Anna says a bit concerned thinking there was some kind of miscommunication with her and her brother.
"And sometimes he's right." Peyton smiles softly. "I do like to be artsy."
"Good. We can go to the paint store tomorrow and have you pick out some shades."
"Sounds good."
Nodding Anna makes her way out the door so her new house guest could make herself more comfortable.
"Anna?"
"Yes?"
"Do you mind if I, uh, go for a run. It helps me clear my head."
"It's pretty late out-"
"You said it's a safe town. Close knitted were your exact words if I wasn't mistaken."
"Well, yes, but you don't really know the layout of Tree-"
"And what better way to find out?"
"I suppose you're right."
"Thanks."
There was really no use in arguing when it came to Peyton seeing as she probably would most likely go even if she was told otherwise. Plus it really was a safe town and neighbors kept their eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary. She would be okay.
Slipping into her Track and Field shorts she pulled a cotton tank over her head and shoved her feet into her running shoes before taking off. Stuffing the ear buds into her ears she shuffled through her iPod and found one of her all time favorite songs. It was an oldie, but those could never die anyway, as she took off down the street.
Not bothering to look around the town she headed straight unsure of where exactly she was going. Running was never intended to give her a destination to get to it was more to get away from a place in her mind or an actual location.
There was a distant light a couple hundred yards away you could see the light bounce off the moving waters. She wasn't looking for a place to be her solace, but the beach was one place she always went to when she needed peace and even though the place in front of her wasn't an exact ocean it was still a body of water so she ran a little faster.
"Nate, I'm open."
It was brother verses brotha as Nathan and Lucas battled against Fergie and Skillz the next point indicating who would win. When it came to basketball each one of those guys were valuable players whether it be Lucas and Nathan on the school's court or Skillz and Fergie on the river's court.
Glancing at his brother Nathan tossed the ball knowing that it was an easy catch as he turned to face the basket, but instead of seeing the ball swoosh through net he heard the bouncing become fainter as it skirted onto the green grass. Turning around a look of confusion could be read.
"Luke, what the hell? That was an easy shot."
But it was as if his brother was def and in a trace as the remaining three guys looked to see what had distracted their friend from the only thing he seemed to love in life. An unfamiliar girl running down the side of the court the guys completely invisible to her as her long legs took strides farther and farther away from them to the river that ran past the basketball court.
"Who was that?"
Lucas had finally asked when all he could see was the dark figure of the unknown person.
"Dude, it's just a chick."
Nathan replied bumping his elbow into Lucas' side. But it wasn't just any other chick. It was a girl he's never seen. The only girl whose green eyes saw right through his blue ones and went straight into his very core. She was different and he needed to know just how different.
A/N: So first chapter. What do you think? Green button and all.
Name of title by a song of Stephen Speaks