Through Everything

Note: I apologize so much that it has taken so long to post this! It has been a very long time since my last fic, but with summer approaching there are many more to come  ! Before I write this, I must dedicate this story to the person who forced me to finally write and post it. I hope you enjoy the story, laurabadora14!

This story is purely Jeyton-based (which means some mention of Brucas and Naley may occur). In this story, Peyton and Lucas had broken up after graduation. It's timetable is after Peyton leaves for California (see, after this plot was in the show I had to change around a few things  ) where, among other things, she finds a friend she'd thought was lost forever…

Chapter One:

"Brooke….what?!" Peyton was both angry at her friend and happy with her at the same time. Sitting in Karen's café two days before the two girls were supposed to leave for California, Brooke was about to crash all their plans. But for good reason.

"Well you remember that internship I got at Rogue Vogue? It starts in two days, instead of the four weeks we'd planned for!" Brooke, who had already promised the best of all summers to her friend, was sad she had to tell her she couldn't go to California. "It's for the best! We both have to start our new lives by ourselves."

Peyton thought about this for a minute. She would have loved a chance to be near her friend to help her get used to a new place, a new world, but she couldn't be a person that told someone else not to follow their dream.

"I guess so Brooke. I'm gonna miss you!" she said, reaching out for her friend's hand. "Hos over bros?"

"Even over time zones," Brooke said with a small giggle, but a tiny tear in her eye. She really was going to miss her friend, but it was time for Brooke to do her own thing.

The next two days were spent shopping, laughing, and staying up all night at their apartment talking. They gossiped about all sorts of things until, the night before Peyton's early flight, Brooke brought up someone from their past, someone who's name could only be said in the smallest of whispers.

"What about Jake?" Brooke whispered, knowing the subject may have one of two effects on her friend. The first, she would say, with the most insincere of tones and smiles, "What about him?", or, the second, she would turn away from Brooke and not talk for the rest of the night.

But what Peyton said next surprised her friend. "I miss him. Brooke, I love him. But, I can't keep doing this to him. And now I have to leave. I….just…Oh God Brooke, I don't know…" She started to cry, pulling the sheets of their bed over her head and trembling.

Brooke tried to comfort her friend as best she could, but both girls soon fell silent and asleep. In the morning, they hugged a tearful goodbye at the airport. Peyton was dead set on leaving Tree Hill behind. Brooke, however, was well on her way to planning a big surprise for her friend. One she would either kill Brooke for or thank her for.

Chapter Two:

Peyton's plane touched down at LAX early in the morning. As she walked out of the airport the first thing she felt was heat.

"Damn!" Peyton cursed under her breath, tearing off the sweatshirt she'd worn on the freezing cold plane. But it wasn't much help. She was still wearing a long sleeve t-shirt and her most comfortable pair of jeans. "Great," she thought miserably, "my first day on the job and I'll be sweating all over the place."

After calling a taxi, Peyton called her best friend.

"Hey, Peyt! What, miss me already what's it been, 3 minutes?" Brooke, said laughing. But Peyton knew her best friend missed her already, because she felt the same way.

"Ha ha," Peyton scoffed. "Just checking in. I'm pulling up to my apartment now but I just wanted to say I got here alive. How's New York?"

Peyton could sense Brooke's excitement before she even heard her best friend squeal with glee.

"A-MA-ZING! Fantastically amazing! The job is amazing, my flat is amazing, the people are amazing, the-"

"Okay," Peyton laughed. "I get it. Amazing. Anyway, I gotta go. I'll call you as soon as I know how amazing life is here."

"Bye, bestest friend!" Brooke said cheerfully.

"Bye, Brooke," Peyton sighed, but she was happy all the same.

Peyton heaved her enormous luggage out of the taxi, paid the driver, and looked at the place she'd be living in all summer. It was a tall complex, not really fancy, but not dirt cheap. The perfect place for an intern, Peyton thought. Intern. She'd have to get used to that.

Rolling her luggage to the elevator, Peyton pushed the number for her floor. As her finger left the now glowing button, Peyton gasped. No. It couldn't be.

For a split second, Peyton saw a man running after a young girl.

"Jake-?"

Chapter Three:

The doors eased to a close. No. It couldn't be. She had left Jake in Tree Hill after graduation. His coming there seemed too good to be true. She couldn't possibly try and make things work on the eve of her departure. She couldn't keep doing this to herself. Either one or the other had to leave. It always happened.

But as the doors slowly opened, and Peyton exited the elevator she thought about it. They wouldn't always have to leave. Not if they had gotten married. Not if she hadn't chased after Lucas. She were scared then. Nothing could've happed with her and Lucas she that. Why did she always run from the truth?!

"I don't and I don't love him," Peyton said shaking her head as she turned the key for her apartment. Great, she thought dryly. Now I'm talking to myself. I guess I'll just be "Peyton: The crazy, sweaty intern". Feeling a pang of jealously when she thought of Brooke and her newfound "awesomeness", Peyton took a shower, changed, and headed to work, hoping beyond all hope that it would be more than awesome and that her vision of Jake and Jenny had been nothing more than a hallucination.

Her job was awesome. The minute Peyton walked through the door she felt right. Like she fit in. Her outfit didn't look at all ludicrous compared to the other people on the streets of LA and her boss was awesome.

"Hey, I'm Jess! Don't you worry about a thing. This job may be challenging and daunting, but I know you're up for the task." Jess was perky, but not in an annoying way. Peyton warmed up to her immediately. She sensed that Jess was a hard worker, and, though her demeanor didn't show as much, Peyton knew Jess expected the best from her employees and Peyton was dead-set on proving her right.

After a tour of her new working space, Peyton sat in her chair at her very own desk. Sure, she was answering phones and getting coffee, but she had her own desk. And everybody had to start somewhere. Maybe one day, she'd be running things. From an actual office.

RRRRRRIIIIIINNNNNNNGGGGG!

Peyton snapped out of her reverie, swore swiftly, and answered the phone as politely as she had been instructed to.

So much for awesome, she thought. After hanging up the phone, Peyton couldn't help but think Brooke might have been exaggerating about her new job. Starting at the bottom was no picnic.

I apologize again for the lateness of this fic and hope never to get so busy as not to write ever again!

Chapter Four:

Three weeks into her job, Peyton was at the top of her game. She knew everyone by name (and coffee preference) and had mastered the art of keeping twelve people on hold and transferring them with relative ease. She'd been praised by Jess a number of times and was given a raise of two dollars and hour. Not much, but something.

She'd forgotten all about her scare in the elevator and fell back into the swing of keeping busy and avoiding her problems. Until the last night in July.

A couple of other interns had invited her to come out after work for dinner at a bar downtown. Peyton, after a long phone talk with Brooke, agreed that she deserved a break and a chance to know her co- workers better. The group walked to the bar and Peyton caught a glimpse of the sign: Keith's Bar. She smiled and blinked back tears at the memory of the great man she once knew. In fact, Peyton was so caught in memory she didn't notice the sign directly under the name of the restaurant. It stated "Free Music! Performing tonight : Jake G and Company"

After sitting and ordering drinks( Peyton decided a Coca-Cola was her best bet- she was too young, and now was not the time to either get drunk or get caught with a fake ID), Peyton took a look around the place. Apart from the people she vaguely knew from work; red-head Carol, spiky haired Joe, and quiet Sasha, the place was completely foreign. And Peyton loved it. Sure, she was a small town girl, but she was destined for more. She couldn't imagine having to live in Tree Hill her whole life, wasting away in a small town where everyone knew her name- and her history.

Halfway through dinner, Peyton noticed the crowd getting quieter and looked for the source of attention. A small, lit stage was in the corner of the bar, so small Peyton didn't even notice it until now. But, as the members of the band filed onto the stage, Peyton saw something she did notice. Or, rather, someone.

Peyton was rooted to her spot and she gasped softly. It had been Jake in her building. He was here.

DAMN! She swore under her breath. She was trapped. Even if she could come up with some lame excuse like a stomachache or a forgotten engagement, she couldn't run out on the check. Or her new found friends, who were, thankfully, craning their necks to see the performers rather than watching Peyton's rising nervousness.

"I-I-I gotta go to the bathroom!" she said, ignoring the calls of "now?" and "right before the show?" from her co-workers.

As she slammed into the bathroom and locked herself in a stall, Peyton couldn't help but feel helpless. She was always the strong one, until she met Jake. She always felt completely vulnerable around him. Safe, but completely out of control. It was something she liked. But now, she didn't know what to think. She had abandoned him. Twice now. Why did he always follow?

Wiping her eyes as a few tears trickled down her face, Peyton opened the stall door and the bathroom door. She sighed and braced herself as she heard the familiar sound of Jake's voice, ringing clear through the silent bar.

Peyton, despite her emotional stress, had to smile as she heard Jake sing, "I'll come back for you someday…"

Someday was today, and maybe she wouldn't leave this time.

Chapter Five:

Peyton walked back to her table, staring determinately at the floor. She couldn't meet his gaze, even though she wanted to be brave.

The song ended, and after a spattering of applause, Jake and the band started packing up, and everyone began to talk again. Ignoring the twinges in her heart, Peyton laughed hollowly at her friends' jokes and poked noncommittally at her salad. As they walked out of the bar, she shook her head, trying to bring herself back to earth. Jake hadn't been hers for a long time. How could he possibly forgive her, make true on his promise that they'd always…

"PEYTON!"

SSSSCCCCCCCCCRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEECCCCCCCHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

A flash of red light and a horn left Peyton lying on the street.

"That was some hit," Peyton heard a familiar voice say. She groaned and rubbed her eyes to see a smiling Jake, sitting on a hospital chair, a snoozing Jenny in his lap.

"Wha-?"

Jake laughed and put a finger to his lips, pointing to his sleeping daughter. "You were hit by a car on your way out of Keith's. You're lucky to be alive."

"Lucky you were there to save me," Peyton yawned. She felt the effects of her pain meds and saw Jake smile once more before drifting back off to sleep, a little voice in the back of her head warning her of the trouble ahead. Great, I stay in Tree Hill, I get my heart broken; I stay in LA and it's my legs.

Chapter Six:

Over the next few weeks, Peyton loathed being in the hospital. She couldn't go to work, she could hardly even move. The highlights of her week were Jake's visits and Bingo night. She'd joke with him that old age was wasted on the elderly. She also found it hilarious that Jenny was teaching her how to walk, instead of the other way around.

Once Peyton's casts were off, it was the middle of August. The heat was nearly unbearable when Jake drove her back to her apartment. But even more unbearable was the rising tension between the two, the unsaid feelings.

If we talk about the weather one more time, I'll just scream, she thought to her self.

"Here we are," Peyton said, making to open her door.

"Peyton," Jake whispered.

She stopped, stunned. She knew that tone. He was either going to break her heart into a million pieces, or sweep her off her feet. And she didn't know if she could take either one.

"It wasn't coincidence that I was here," Jake said. "Brooke called me up once she knew you were coming out here, so I rented a place."

Peyton started to laugh. I love that girl, she thought about her crazy, yet smart, friend.

"I didn't wanna pressure you, after you'd just broken up with Lucas but…"

Now she was laughing hysterically.

"What?!" Jake said. When she finally calmed down, he looked at her as if to say "Well?"

"If anything I needed the pressure. I love you Jake, not Lucas. You and Jenny are my family. I just want all of this," she sighed, "HIGH SCHOOL drama to be ov-"

Her sentence was cut short, as Jake kissed her with such force she nearly fell out of her seat. When they broke apart, both of them started to laugh.

They laughed as Jake walked Peyton to her room, as he kissed her goodnight, and Peyton had to stifle a chuckle as she shut her door.

She had laughed when just two nights later he stood on the street below her window and proposed.

At her wedding, she laughed with her father, after he'd said, "I told ya so."

And everyone laughed when the priest asked if anyone objected to their marriage.

There had really been no one else. It had been her and Jake. Through Everything.

AWWW! Well that's it! It's very hard to write a fic about Peyton and Jake and I applaud all others who've done so! Please read my other stories if you liked this one and KEEP PRAYING FOR JEYTON! Thank you and God bless.