Smoke Screen
'You're always saving me!' Was the line Peyton Sawyer always seemed to share with Lucas Scott. And every time those words left her mouth they had been true. She thought about those words a lot as she watch on the side of the court at the winners of the State Championship. Lucas, Nathan and the boys were basking in their new found glory. Haley's arms were wrapped around Nathan's neck as she kissed him. And Brooke was standing in front of Lucas talking to him.
"Are you happy Lucas?" Brooke's eyes were sincere. Lucas looked at Brooke then off to Peyton in the distance, then back to Brooke as he smiled briefly.
"I am, the question is are you?" He raised his eye brow and searched his friends eyes. "When are you going to tell her?"
Brooke swallowed the hard lump in her throat and her eyes left his for just a moment while she looked down at the ground. When they returned to join his, he noticed she was fighting some tears. "It's not that easy Lucas..."
He put his reassuring hands on her shoulders and made her stare into his deep eyes. "I'd agree with you, but only if we weren't talking about Brooke Davis and Peyton Sawyer. History proves you two will always make it. Stop hiding your heart Brooke Davis, it's a beautiful thing that shouldn't be kept hidden away in box."
"She's my best friend." Clearly she was currently over stating the obvious.
"Yes, but we both know she has been much more than that for a very long time." He nodded towards Peyton who was currently not looking in their direction. "I can compete Pretty Girl, and I finally understand now more then ever why I don't even want to try. Go." Brooke looked over her shoulder for a moment and then back to him. "Who do you want standing next to you when all you're dreams come true?"
"Okay Lucas that is so not fair..." She was getting defensive. He raised his eye brows and did that smirk he does just to antagonize her.
She rolled her eyes as she playfully punched him in the arm. Then letting out a bit of frustration in a sigh she turned and walked towards Peyton. Lucas had known for a long time the fight between Brooke and Peyton was never about him, he was just the focal point for both of them so they didn't have to deal with reality.
"P. Sawyer..." Brooke called as she approached her awestruck blond friend. Peyton turned her focus onto her and smiled.
"Hey Brooke!" She greeted with a smile. "You should be celebrating."
"I am..." That sounded like the farthest thing from convincing Peyton had ever heard.
"Ok B. Davis I'm no expert, but celebration usually involves a bit more cheer and a little less frown." She teased.
"You wanna get out of here?" Brooke looked around and sheepishly looked to the door. Peyton looked at her friend a bit in shock and then nodded with a reassuring smile.
"Ok, as long as you promise you aren't planning on kicking my ass when no one is around." She hip checked her friend playfully as they made their escape. "So where are we going?"
They left the gym and were making their way to Brooke's car in the parking lot. "My place." She said as they got in.
Everyone was still out celebrating the long awaited victory, so they were in no danger of anyone being back at the apartment. It was quiet when they walked in and Brooke flicked the light on and headed to the kitchen and Peyton shut the door. "Drink?" She asked as she opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of wine. Peyton nodded and walked over to the island and leaned on it while her brunette companion poured them each a glass.
"Alright Brooke, I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. But we've been at each others throats forever. We have barely spoken unless we are insulting or verbally assaulting one another. And I'm all for celebrating, but from that to being here with you about to sip wine..." Brooke handed her a glass and lead her into the living room where they sat on the couch together at opposite ends. Brooke pulled her legs up on to the couch close to her body still cradling her wine glass in both hands. Peyton crossed her legs and shifted so she was sort of facing Brooke.
"Lucas is a great guy Peyton..."
"Brooke I know, and I swore I'd keep my feelings to myself. He'll never know. I won't do that to you again." Peyton pleaded.
Her friend looked at her for a second and softly shook her head while subtlety rolling her eyes. "P. Sawyer what am I gonna do with you?" She sighed. Clearly Peyton was still feeling threatened that Lucas was going to be the nail that sealed their friendships fate.
"I don't know what else I'm suppose to say Brooke. I'm over it. I'm over him. What do I need to do?" She beginning to sound very broken up about what was about to happen or what she thought was coming next.
Brooke took a sip of her wine and a deep breath. "Peyton stop." She looked calmly into her friend's eyes and waited for her to calm down a bit. "It's never been about Lucas. That's the thing Peyton, it was never about him for me and I just didn't want to admit it."
Peyton went from an empty stare to confused glance. "What?" Was all she could say. "Brooke I'm sorry but if this has never been about Lucas then what the hell have we been fighting about?"
"Us Peyton..." It was barely a whisper. Again Peyton looked at Brooke questioningly.
"Our friendship?"
"Friendship, no ship, hard ship, jealous ship, relationship, I don't know anymore Peyton." Brooke sounded exasperated for a moment. Damn, she realized she said relationship and was praying her friend missed that.
"Brooke we've been best friends almost our whole lives. I don't want that to disappear. Not for a guy, not for anything! What ever it is can we just talk about it and try and get passed it? We've been through more then most people ever survive."
'Stop hiding you're heart Brooke Davis' echoed in her head. She couldn't bring herself to be angry with him, he was just being a good friend. And he knew, he was the only person that knew what was really going on other then herself. "I don't know if this is fixable or something we can get past. It's complicated."
"Like the bulk of our friendship hasn't been complicated Brooke, come on!" Peyton pointed out. What the hell was going on? What was Brooke talking about?
Courage, where the hell does one find courage to tell someone so important to you what she needed to say. "Lucas was never the issue Peyton. He was the never the issue because I never really loved him. In fact I don't think I ever really wanted him like that."
"So what you were just with him to mess with me. What did I do pre Lucas to deserve that?" She seemed angry now.
Shaking her head and sighing in frustration Brooke to another sip of her wine and then put it on the coffee table before standing up and running her fingers through her hair and pacing the living room floor. "God Peyton NO! Nothing you did nothing! And it wasn't about hurting you!" She turned to face her.
"Then what Brooke, what was it about?" Peyton slammed her drink down on the table in anger and stood up throwing her arms up as she demanded the answers.
"Letting you in, or NOT letting you in to be more accurate! I love you Peyton."
"Yeah well I love you too Brooke, but hurting me with Lucas isn't what I would call showing the love!"
"Peyton listen to me, I was using Lucas as a smoke screen ok!"
"A smoke screen for what Brooke?"
"To hide, so I didn't have to deal with my feelings or admit they were even there."
Peyton shook her head and put her hand on her forehead while her other rested on her hip. She took a deep breathe and tried to remain calm as she responded. "I think I have been more then fair here playing along with this tonight Brooke, but you better cut to the chase real quick and provide some clarity or I'm cutting this short."
"I was afraid Peyton! I was afraid ok?"
"Afraid of what exactly, letting me fall for a guy?"
"NO! You falling for someone other then me!" As soon as the words left her lips she so desperately wanted to take them back. As the silence suddenly flooded the room and the words hung in the air, Peyton's expression went from angry to submissive shock.
"What?" Peyton whispered as she slowly approached her friend who stepped back from her. Brooke shook her head not wanting to meet the blonds eyes and when she finally did there was a tear rolling down her cheek and others welling up in her eyes. "Brooke..." Peyton reached for her friend and again she pulled away. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I wanted to, when I finally realized what I was going through I wanted to. And I was going to. But then that whole thing with Anna went down and Dyke on your locker, I just..." She whipped the tears and took in a breathe. "I didn't think..." She looked down again. "I thought that you wouldn't..." She tried to pull herself together.
"Brooke Davis, how could you even for a moment think that I wouldn't understand?"
"Because you're straight, and you like boys and when Anna kissed you..." Peyton bridged the gap between them and hugged the brunette tight for a long moment before pulling back and cupping her chin in her hand and making her look at her.
"Yes I like boys, I guess you could assume I'm straight given my history but the same could be said for you. As for Anna I was flattered, but I felt no kind of attraction towards her." She paused for a long moment and looked deep into Brooke's eyes. "But no one ever asked me if I felt that way about another girl. And if they had of, well then they would have been in for a shock Brooke Davis, especially if they had asked that question regarding you."
Brooke pulled back a moment in shock. "What?" She whispered in disbelief. "Peyton please tell me I'm not dreaming and you're not playing with me right now? Cause I don't think I could take it."
"Brooke look at me. Do I look like I'm joking to you right now?" She did look and when she noticed the sincerity and the water welling in her friends green eyes she knew it wasn't a joke.
"I don't know what to do P. Sawyer. Where do we go from here? What do we do? Do we pretend like this never happened?"
She could here the panic and fear in Brooke's voice and she knew in that moment what she had to do. She leaned in and kissed her with soft passion. The surge between them was indescribable, a kin to the coldest glass of water on the hottest day, or the best tasting Ben and Jerry's pint when you are emotionally overloaded. When the kiss ended, she wrapped her arms around Brooke and whispered, "I love you B. Davis!"
It had been four years since graduation. Clothes over Bros had become more then Brooke Davis could have ever imagined. She was the owner of a billion dollar company, with her darling mother Victory Davis as her Vice President of it. Things had changed so much for her in for years. She had become a workaholic, who was only social when it was needed to keep up appearances for the company. She was successful, famous, rich, and so very alone.
"Brooke..." Millie her assistant called after her in the huge lobby on the top floor of the head office for Clothes over Bros. Brooke turned around and smiled at her.
"What's up Millie?"
"I just wanted to remind you that Victory wants you to let her go today." They looked at each other, and rolled their eyes. "Also I wanted to let you know the limo will be picking you up at 7 sharp for your flight in the morning. And I believe Haley will be picking you up."
Brooke smiled and sighed a bit of relief. "Right Lucas's wedding!' She winked at her friend. "I really need to reinforce to that boy how much I love him when I see him."
L.A. Had definitely not turned out to be even half as glamorous and educational as she had dreamed it would be. Disappointed was a word that could only scratch the surface of what she had been feeling since the first six months of her arrival. In order to get anywhere she had to show skin, sleep around and act dumb pretty much. Peyton Sawyer was not that girl, never had been and never would be. She could not imagine a day where she would compromise her morals or her dignity just to get a head in a business instead of it coming from hard work, devotion or talent.
It was 2 in the morning before she got home, and when she walked into her apartment she pulled a beer out of the fridge and flopped on her couch and starred around out her small apartment. Realizing how much she had dreamed of having by now, and how little she had left then before she had arrived. She took a long sip of her beer, and starred at her coffee table which had a copy of B. Davis Magazine and An Unkindness of Ravens sitting on it. Also there was a pile of mail sitting there too. She hadn't even thought to go through any of it in over two weeks because she didn't want to add to her bill collection.
She bit the bullet and reached down and shifted through the pile. There was an envelope addressed to her that definitely looked like it was personal not a bill. The return address was from Lucas Scott! She looked at her phone to remind herself of the date. Almost spilling her beer when she jumped up she remembered it was the weekend of his wedding and she was suppose to be on a flight back to Tree Hill which she forgot to book or pack for.
Peyton flew through her apartment like a tornado trying to get ready, all while speaking with the Airline trying to secure a flight home. It was her lucky night, she managed to book a flight for 4 in the morning. It was all set. Now she just had to mentally prepare herself. She had time to kill so she sat down and opened the letter from Lucas.
Hey Peyton,
Look I know it's been a long time. Far too long if you ask me, since we've all been together or spoken. But I can't imagine getting married and not having you all there with me. Especially not having you and Brooke both with me. I'm not going to pretend like I know what happened, or sit here and tell you everything is going to be just fine, cause I really don't know that. But Peyton Sawyer here is what I do know. You and Brooke Davis are like that dynamic duo that can with stand the end of man kind. You two will always be the two left standing. We have all been awe struck time after time over how you two have over come so much together and apart and how it always brings you closer. The night we won the State Championship Brooke Davis gave her heart away. She finally took it out of it's protective box and gave it to you. And Peyton you accepted it and gave her yours, what happened Peyton? You're happiness and hers has never been with anyone else but each other. So if you can't find it in your hearts to give it another try, at least find it in your hearts to be the two friends who braved the world together and held each other up!
Lindsay and I are looking forward to seeing you.
Love Lucas
Tree Hill airport was pretty close to a ghost town at Five thirty in the morning. Peyton walked into the main lobby and was about to call a cab when she was surprised by a tall pretty blond in front of her. "I hear you were looking for a ride ?"
"Oh my god Lindsay! I wasn't expecting you."
"Lucas got your text. He couldn't come but I said I would. I know you weren't asking for a ride. But it wouldn't be a home coming with out at least one person here to welcome you back." They hugged for a long moment.
"Oh it feels so good to be back and I haven't been here long." She joked. Lindsay and Peyton began the catch up chatter as they headed out of the airport.
"Jamie come on bud. Hurry up or we are gonna miss picking Aunt Brooke up." She reached for his hand as they walked into Tree Hill airport. The walked through the lobby. They looked around as crowds of people began entering the lobby.
"There Momma!" Jamie pointed and shouted excitedly.
Haley smiled when she saw her and looked at Jamie. "Okay buddy calm down." When Brooke was only a few feet away she let go of his hand so that he could run up to her and hug her. Brooke dropped her bags and knelt down. She wrapped her arms around him and lifted him up in a hug while she closed her eyes.
"Oh my god you are getting huge!" She kissed the top of his head and then set him down and gave Haley a long hug. "Hey Singing Teacher Wife."
"Hello Brooke Davis!" Haley couldn't be happier to finally have her home. Even if it was only for a few days. Over the years their friendship had grown. And though they didn't see each other often they talked weekly and sometimes every other day when Brooke could. "It's been too long!"
"Well that might change." She smiled a half smile.
Haley looked at Brooke like she had news and it wasn't good news. "So I may have forgot to tell you something about this weekend." She admitted as they walked out of the airport. Brooke looked at Haley with a raised eyebrow bracing herself for what was coming.
"Peyton's here..." Haley blurted it out fast, she always did that when she was nervous.
Brooke took in a deep breathe and sighed heavily. "I know." Her response shocked Haley.
"You knew and still came?"
"Lucas is getting married. I've been away from home far too long. I've missed everyone so much, and maybe it's time to move on." Brooke admitted as much as the mere thought killed her. Haley put a comforting hand on Brooke's shoulder. Haley was the only person that knew what had happened between Peyton and Brooke. She had never shared it with another person, not her husband Nathan nor her best friend Lucas. But she knew how much heart ache and pain Brooke had suffered through it all, and she knew how much courage it must have taken Brooke to get on that plane.
"I'm here for you Brooke." Haley reminded her.
"I know that Haley, and thank you!"
Lucas was standing in front of the mirror in the small white tent he and the grooms men were getting ready in. "I still can't believe we're standing here." He admitted. A tall, slim beautiful blond came up behind him and put her hands on his shoulders and leaned over his right side.
"I can Lucas Scott and I can't imagine anyone more deserving then you." Peyton Sawyer smiled at him.
He turned to face here, and looked deep in to her eyes. "Well that's unfortunate, because I can actually think of two other deserving people." His response made her sigh and look at him sheepishly. "You do know she's here right?"
Peyton nodded. That's all she could do. She didn't know what to say, but she did know how she felt and it was pretty low. "Look I have no idea what happened, and it's none of my business. However that being said, if nothing else you two were the best of friends for a very long time. Does it really all have to end?"
The ceremony was beautiful and Lindsay and Lucas looked absolutely amazing and everything was just the right amount of beauty and class to represent them both. The reception was actually being held no where else other then Tric. Haley, Lindsay, Peyton, and Milly had all helped with the decorating. It was all done up in Raven colours, which was perfect as not only was that Lucas' former team, but it was also Lindsay's favorite book and how they met.
Because Lucas and Lindsay knew that Peyton and Brooke were no longer together they didn't sit them at the same table out of respect for them. Brooke was standing at the bar waiting for Chase so she could order a drink. "Hey Chase!" A familiar voice came from over her shoulder, and then the person was next to her.
"Hey Peyton. Hang on Brooke's ahead of you." Her smile dropped when she realized the brunette was right there. "Brooke what's your poison?"
"Can I get a red wine please?" She said in a low voice.
"Hi Brooke." Peyton greeted.
Chase handed Brooke her wine and she took it, nodded at Peyton hello and then started to walk away. Chase handed Peyton a beer and she followed after Brooke. "Brooke wait please?"
Brooke's nerves were starting to get the better of her she had to stop and take a deep breathe to calm her shaking before she turned to face her ex lover and former best friend. "Peyton, the past is the past. Leave it there. This is Lucas and Lindsay's day and it should be perfect and they deserve it. We can be civil but don't feel like we have to make conversation to save face. I haven't told anyone and I won't." She admitted, it was true except for telling Haley, but Peyton didn't need to know.
"Brooke I'm not talking to you cause I'm trying to save face, I'm talking to you because I feel like we need to. I feel like so much got left unsaid and..."
"Left unsaid?" Brooke's tone was angry and her voice level increasing. "Left unsaid? Really? Peyton you pretty much said everything I needed to damn well here when you said nothing at all and I found you in our bed with the head of the LABEL you were interning for!"
The whole room went silent except for the music in the background. Both of them were pretty much certain that everyone, or almost everyone heard every word Brooke had just unintentionally spewed out. Peyton stood there speechless starring at Brooke's broken face and tear filled eyes.