-1-- Picks up at the end of the S1 finale. Only difference is, the scene where Haley tells Luke she married Nathan never happened. Enjoy!

Undeniable

In an unreliable world, you shine like a star.

"Let's do something great today," Brooke proposed.

Peyton laughed, well used to Brooke's grandiose ideas and the consequences they brought with them. "What do you have in mind?"

"I don't know." Brooke shrugged, then stretched her arms overhead, breathing in deeply. "I just want to do something ... different. Oh, I know! Let's go on vacation. A cruise. How fun would that be?"

"How unrealistic would that be?" Peyton countered, rolling herself off the bed and onto her feet. Of the two of them, she was always the more level-headed. "Not all of us have a trust fund to fall back on, Brookie."

Brooke pouted, a look that had lost any and all effect on Peyton somewhere around the seventh grade. "Boo, you whore," she shot back cheerlessly, then brightened again almost instantly. "How 'bout the beach? Can we go to the beach?"

"Now you're talking," Peyton approved. "I could definitely go for a nice, relaxing day at the beach."

"Relaxing being the key word," Brooke agreed, although both of them knew that she was too full of energy to ever be truly relaxed. "This year was too dramatic, even for me."

"Thank God things are finally getting back to normal." It was a relative term for those who lived in Tree Hill, but still. Peyton was relieved that no lasting damage had been done to her friendship with Brooke, that Jake had managed to slip past Nikki, that even Lucas and Nathan seemed to be on good terms. "I wish the guys could have won last night's game, though."

"That would've been a perfect ending," Brooke murmured, already more involved in her reflection than their conversation. "Can I borrow that red bikini I gave you for your birthday last year?"

Peyton rummaged for the swimsuit in question. "Isn't that why you gave it to me in the first place?"

Brooke flashed a smile. "You know me too well, P. Sawyer."

The girls got ready quickly, not wanting to waste a minute of the gorgeous weather. To some, it would hardly seem like a bonding activity - Peyton would undoubtedly slip on her headphones the moment she got settled on the sand and Brooke would lose herself in a glossy magazine for the rest of the afternoon. But it was nice, Brooke reflected, simply to have the company again. She had missed her best friend.

"Ready?"

With one last glance in the mirror - perfection, Brooke knew, took a lot of work - she tossed her hair back and slid her sunglasses on. "Let's do this."

They made it all the way to the front door of Peyton's house before their truce and the lazy, carefree day they'd been planning was threatened. Taped to the door was a letter addressed to both of them, their names scrawled in handwriting they couldn't help but recognize.

"Lucas," Brooke said, trying to ignore the hurt that flared up in the face of her open wound.

Peyton stared at the envelope, looking uneasy. "What do you think it says?"

"Only one way to find out." Brooke squared her shoulders and tore the letter open, her eyes skimming quickly down the page. "He's leaving. He went to Charleston with Keith. He's sorry - well, he should be - and ... he hopes we can forgive him and each other."

"Wow." Oddly nervous, Peyton raised her blue eyes to Brooke's hazel ones, unsure of how to proceed. "So ... what do we do now?"

Brooke spared the letter one last glance, then folded it twice and slipped it into her pocket. "We have our nice relaxing day at the beach. And tonight, we'll have a bonfire - with this as kindling."

"Brooke," Peyton protested. It didn't seem right to turn Lucas' heartfelt goodbye into confetti without so much as a second thought.

"What?" Brooke challenged. "We're okay, Peyton. Me and you. And with Lucas gone, things can only get better, right? At least we know where we stand."

She hesitated, but only for a moment. "I guess you're right."

"I always am," Brooke confirmed, holding up a fist for her friend to bump. "Hoes over bros?"

"Hoes over bros," Peyton repeated, and tried to put the blonde boy out of her mind as they made their way to the beach.

XXX

Nathan started to change his direction so as to avoid the bonfire he saw glimmering in the distance, but the screech of laughter that drifted over the sound of the crashing waves was familiar enough to stop him in his tracks.

He shuffled closer, dragging his feet through the sand until he could make out the two figures dancing around the flames. "Peyton?" he called out, a little incredulous at the sight of his old girlfriend leaping and giggling foolishly. Her counterpart was less of a surprise. "Brooke? What are you two doing?"

"Celebrating," Brooke called out, breathless with laughter. "Wanna join?"

"Not really," he replied, but he stepped a foot closer. "What are you celebrating, exactly?"

"Freedom!" Again, it was Brooke who answered, bringing herself to a stop directly in front of him. In the dark, her eyes sparkled enough to make the stars seem like cheap fluorescent bulbs. Unprompted, she elaborated. "Freedom from men - or boys, more like it. Boys who have no idea what they want and don't have the balls to just say so."

"Oh," was Nathan's response, as if that had explained everything. He glanced at Peyton, by far the more rational one. "I'm assuming this has something to do with Luke leaving?"

"It's an ... exorcism, of sorts," she explained. Her sheepish shrug told the rest of the story - it had been Brooke's idea and she was going along with it because the alternative involved a lot more whining. "We'll miss him, of course. But ..."

"We're glad to be rid of the pig," Brooke declared, grabbing Nathan's hand and twirling gracefully under his arm. "And what are you doing here anyway, mister? Shouldn't you be with Tutor Girl? I was under the impression you guys are attached at the hip."

"We were," he said mournfully. Leave it to Brooke to instinctively hone in on the heart of the matter. It was as if she had a sixth sense that told her every time somebody was withholding news-worthy gossip. "She's kind of ... gone, too."

Brooke's mouth dropped open. "You mean she went with Lucas?"

"No." He paused. "I don't think so, anyway. Her note didn't say much."

Brooke shared a disbelieving look with Peyton. "What is it with these people and Dear John letters?"

Nathan frowned. "Huh?"

"Lucas left us a note, too," Peyton stepped in to explain. "A sort of goodbye-slash-apology note."

His mind flashed back to the letter he'd found after losing the game the night before. It had been wedged into his locker, half in and half out, already a metaphor for how Haley felt about their relationship. Nathan, she had written, I'm sorry to leave so suddenly, but I'm not sure I'm ready to take such a big step - with you or anyone else. I love you, but I need to take some time away and figure things out. See you soon.

"Yeah," he said finally, bringing himself back to the present. "Mine, too."

Peyton gazed sympathetically at him. Brooke, on the other hand, nodded as if she hadn't been expecting anything less. "Do you have it with you?"

"Brooke," Peyton hissed, appalled at her friend's lack of tact. "I'm sure it's personal."

"I don't want to read it." Brooke rolled her eyes - like she cared what big SAT words Haley had used to break Nathan's heart. "I thought he might want to add it to the fire. We used ours for kindling," she added, for Nathan's benefit. "Very effective. And cleansing."

Nathan guffawed, unsure if he should be amused or appalled. "I think I'll pass. I'm just gonna ... head home, I guess. I want to be there if Haley calls."

They watched him trudge away, his shoulders slumped so as to make him almost unrecognizable. When she was sure he was out of earshot, Brooke blew out a breath. "God, being left behind really sucks."

Peyton nodded, slinging an arm around her shorter friend. "You said it, sister. At least we've got each other."

This time when they bumped fists, it was Brooke whose mind lingered on a boy with serious eyes and his back turned towards them.