A knock sounded on the door just as Brooke pulled the coffee from the coffee maker, this brew already finished. She looked up at the door, a curious look about her face, before glancing at Sam.
"Who is it?" Sam asked. Brooke smiled sarcastically.
"I don't know, silly. I'm not psychic. Why don't you go answer it?" Shrugging, Sam got up from her perch on a bar stool and approached the door, wondering who was on the other side. Upon opening it a huge pulse of sunshine washed into the room from outside, and a beautiful young blonde woman stood in the light, waiting to come in.
"Hey," she said upon seeing Sam's face. The teenaged brunette smiled.
"Hey!" she said. She rotated her upper body to face her adoptive mother, allowing Peyton to come inside. "Brooke! Peyton's here, you can tell her your big news." Peyton cocked an eyebrow, shutting the door behind her and walking inside around Sam.
"What's the news?" she asked slyly with a smile. Brooke rolled her eyes, setting the coffee pot down and taking her mug with her.
"There is no big news," she said, walking over, still behind the island in her kitchen, to face her daughter and her friend.
"Julian's hot for Brooke," Sam said quietly, Peyton's face falling almost immediately. Brooke saw the expression change and quickly went to correct Sam.
"Don't listen to her," she said flatly, giving Sam a look and a fake smile. Sam turned her head to face Peyton as the two continued to walk forward.
"Brooke's totally hot for him, too," she said, and Peyton went wide-eyed. Brooke's face opened up, her playfulness dying fast.
"Do you wanna go back to living in a car?" she asked, her hand delicately on top of her coffee mug. Peyton's mouth was still half-open as Sam crossed her arms. The small brunette girl retreated slightly, turning lazily to the tall blonde beside her.
"Got anything for an awkward silence?" she asked. Peyton put her hands on her waist, her thumbs facing forward. She paused for a moment, not sure how to deliver the news she had. She could either fake it and smile and be silly, or she could be true to her emotions and cry like a bitch in front of Sam… She chose the former.
"I'm pregnant?" she said with an animated smile. Brooke's face, for the second time within 30 seconds, fell again, her eyes flat. Her fingers gripped the marble countertop's edge suddenly, her body slightly lurching forward.
"……………….no…." The brunette's eyes grew in size and misted over, the defeat forcing itself through her features. Peyton recognized this facial change immediately, having seen it thousands of time before, and already was coming forward.
"N-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-no, Brooke, don't cry, honey, okay I… I know that you wanted to have the baby and I don't want to be insensitive to that I just want you to know that you are gonna have a huge roll in this baby's life…" Peyton's face was open now, too, hoping to God that she had said something right within that 5 second speech to turn Brooke's emotions around. But the brunette's hands were still in the air in front of her chest, a stress signal of hers. She bit her lip and blinked hard.
"Thank you…. That is not why I wanna cry right now I-" she cut herself off, choking on her words. She glanced over at Sam, quickly reading the girl's face, trying to figure out what to say to explain herself. Like Peyton, she decided to make up a story to cover what she was really feeling. It would be easier that way, she decided. Peyton just looked on, worried and waiting. Brooke looked everywhere for a story to make up, her eyes finally landing on the dress she had been working on, an emotional rollercoaster of a project at best, for Peyton's wedding. "I just finished your second wedding dress and it has a corset," she said, her head turning to the stupid thing. Peyton and Sam's eyes followed Brooke's to look at the dress, which clung beautifully to the mannequin standing there in the corner. "A painfully…. Hand-stitched….. Skinny-girl corset." Peyton half-smiled at this, looking from the beautiful dress back to Brooke, biting the corner of her mouth.
"Maybe we can just cut a hole for my stomach?" she asked half-playfully, half-serious. She felt guilty, for this among other reasons. She tried to smile to fight off the feeling. Brooke just looked at her, unable to resist smiling at Peyton's smile, even though neither of them was feeling the emotion that was meant to go along with such an expression.
"You're really pregnant?" the young seamstress whispered. Peyton sighed and nodded, shifting her weight onto her other foot.
"Yeah," she said. Brooke nodded too, looking down and then away for a moment to collect herself before meeting Peyton's eyes again.
"Is it Lucas'?" she asked, wishing she weren't seriously asking such a question. Peyton didn't pick up the underlying tone though and thought the brunette was kidding around, and she sighed playfully.
"You're pregnant…." Brooke said, walking around from behind the island. She approached Peyton, looking at the blonde's stomach before touching it gently with her fingertips. She thought about how there was a human growing beneath her hand, how it was going to keep growing until everyone could see it… She thought about how it was Lucas' as much as it was Peyton's, and then she thought about how it got there in the first place. She shuddered, trying to get the thought out of her head. Peyton caught Brooke's eye, caught the emotions in her face, and pulled her to her. "Oh my God…." Brooke whispered into Peyton's hair. Sam rolled her eyes, starting to walk away.
"Okay, I am going to excuse myself from this whole Brooke-Peyton-lesbian-love-hug…thing." She closed her bedroom door behind her "Don't forget about Julian," she said. "Hot for Brooke??" Brooke, not letting go of Peyton, shook her head furiously. "Totally???" Brooke took a stronger hold of Peyton, burying her face in the blonde's locks. Tears were falling from her eyes.
"Peyton you can't be pregnant…" she said, her voice muffled but still audible. Peyton's brow furrowed and her eyes widened slightly, one hand coming up to run through Brooke's hair.
Brooke… I don't understand. What's so bad about…" She pulled back to look Brooke in the face. "You have to talk to me, baby. I don't know what's going on in the pretty little head of yours. Whatsamatter?"
"Brooke shook her head, wiping her face down once with her whole hand, trying to get control back. If Peyton couldn't figure it out, there was no need to tell her, right?
"I just worked so hard on that dress, that's all," she lied again. Peyton smiled.
"I can still wear it… Just not to my wedding. Come on, Brooke. Don't cry." Brooke nodded, sobering up as quickly as she could.
"Julian. Hots for Brooke. Figure it out!" the two heard from the other side of Sam's door.
"Don't you have homework to do??" Brooke yelled, pulling away from Peyton. She realized that if she stayed in the blonde's arms too much longer her reserve might really have broken. She sighed deeply, trying to forget her emotions while she was in the presence of the being that created them. "You want some coffee?"