Author's Note: I got this written in about 2 hours at the most so it obviously isn't my best work. In all honesty, I favor my Naley oneshot (Won't Go Home Without You) over this one, but I hope you guys enjoy it anyway. Please let me know what you think, good or bad. Oh, and don't worry about my other stories! They aren't lost causes or anything. I'm still writing them, but I am warning you that I'm not the fastest with updates so it'll take a while for me to update and finish those :) Hopefully you'll stay patient with me and keep reading my stuff. --- xx Brittany
A warm breeze whipped at his face, the sun shining down upon him through the clouds. It was her favorite kind of weather and he knew it was the perfect day to visit her. In the last 10 years, he could never bring himself to see her, not once. He'd always made the excuse of "It's raining" or "I had a long day", but today, he didn't have those luxuries. The sun was warm and he had the week off from work to spend with his daughter, the girl who resembled her mother in every aspect possible. It broke his heart little by little whenever she flashed him her beautiful smile, or whenever her bottom lip curled into that adorable pout that could make him give in to practically anything, just like her mother had done so many years ago.
He walked along the narrow streets of Tree Hill, towards the one place he'd been dreading to visit for many years now. He held tightly onto his 18 year old daughter's hand as they walked across the street and into the graveyard. They passed what seemed to be thousands of tombstones before reaching the right one. Even years after the funeral, he knew the exact spot she was buried in.
He squatted down, his hand resting on the granite tombstone in front of him. His daughter reached out to touch it, grazing her fingers along the cold stone. He smiled when he saw his daughter's eyes light up with that fiery passion he knew so well, as she laid down the bouquet of purple flowers near the grave.
"This is it, right Daddy?" she asked in a soft voice as she sat down on the grass beside it.
"Yes, baby," he assured as he took a seat next to her, unshed tears shining in his eyes.
"She really was beautiful," she whispered, her hand touching the picture of the woman that was permanently cemented into the stone.
The woman's eyes were vibrant with color, her hazel eyes sparkling in the sunlight. She was sitting on a bench at the Rivercourt, her favorite hangout back when she was a teenager. She'd sit there cheering for her favorite guy, the only man she could ever truly love.
Peyton Sawyer let out a heavy sigh and rested her head against the cold stone as she stared at her father's grief stricken face. Even 10 years later, he still looked as if it had only happened yesterday.
Larry Sawyer smiled softly over at his daughter, pulling out a white envelope from the back pocket of his pants.
"Your mother asked me to give this to you when you graduated. She wrote it when you were 7 years old and she told me that if anything were to ever happen to her, she wanted you to read this after you left high school." He laid the envelope in his daughter's lap, kissing her head as he mumbled something about heading on home to give her privacy.
Peyton picked up the envelope with shaky hands and tore it open little by little. She pulled out the piece of paper, her mother's handwriting covering every inch of the page.
Slowly, she focused her eyes on the words and began to read the letter she held in front of her.
My Dearest Peyton,
Oh, how the years have just flown by. Here you are graduating from high school, becoming the woman I always wanted you to be. I'm sure you're getting ready to go to college or starting at a record company. Either way, you've made me so proud to be your mother.
I've never seen a girl more adorable than you. From your bouncy blonde curls to your beautiful smile, you've captured the hearts of both me and your father. I'm watching you sleep next to me in our big bed at the house. You've refused to sleep in your own bed tonight, telling me a story about how there's something living in your closet. Even after your dad checked, you still wouldn't budge.
Unfortunately, I have to be serious with you now, Peyton, but these are my last words to you and I want them to be meaningful.
You've always been my little girl and in my eyes, you'll never be anything different. I pray that someday you'll move on from my death, and I know that the only reason you're reading this is because I've passed away. I never wanted to leave you, Pey. I hope you know that. There's nothing in the world that could ever make me not want to be by your side.
I hope that you have found love and that you're letting someone into your world. You've always had your own way of thinking and I just pray that you will let somebody into that heart of yours. Even at 7 years old, you block out most of the world, and sometimes that scares me more than anything else. And if you haven't found love, I hope you can open yourself up to the possibility, because once you find it, nothing else will ever compare.
Do you remember when we used to watch those movies about the mom that was dying and then she wrote letters to her daughter about things she should accomplish in life? Well I'll include a couple of those just for good measure.
My first rule is stick with Brooke Davies. I'm sure your mouth just dropped to the ground, but it's important to have friends like her. She might seem like a girly-girl on the outside and maybe even like she's a little crazy, but I promise you that she'll be there for you when it really counts.
My second one would have to be learn how to cook. It's the one way into any man's heart, including your father's, and it'll also feed you when you're at college. Even if it's just Easy Mac or a sandwich, it's better than nothing.
My third rule just happens to be that you should surround yourself with good people during high school. You don't have to hang out with the popular crowd to be happy. If you've got a good circle of friends, then that's all you'll ever need.
My fourth and final rule is dance in the rain like we used to when you were little. Think of a song you really like and just dance, because it's fun and carefree, two things you don't express very often.
This letter is coming to an end, and I can already see the devastation in your eyes. I love you so much, Peyton; so much that it hurts me to know you could be hurting. I'm your mother in every way that counts and I hope you can still remember me fondly. I've enclosed a picture of us that was taken at your 7th birthday party. I'm sure you can find a place for it in that room of yours.
I love you, honey, and I hope that life has treated you well. Your dad loves you more than anything in this world and he'd walk through fire for you if he had to. Don't ever forget that.
Your mother,
Anna
Peyton let the letter drop to the ground as an earth-shattering sob broke the silence. She rested her head back against the cold granite of her mother's tombstone, as another sob took over her.
She'd never felt at peace with her mother's death, and now that she was starting to, the fear of forgetting her was taking its course.
No more than a second after the thought entered her mind, she saw someone out of the corner of her eye sit down next to her and wrap their arms around her, soothing her into a calmer state.
Peyton turned to see Brooke there, her eyes filled with unshed tears after watching her best friend break right in front of her.
A few raindrops fell from the sky, landing on Peyton's hand. Both Peyton and Brooke tilted their heads up to the sky as the rain fell down harder.
"Let's dance," Peyton whispered quietly, pulling Brooke up to her feet. Brooke smiled before she started to dance, remembering how she'd sat out on the porch, watching Peyton and her mom dance until the rain stopped when they were younger.
Peyton laughed at Brooke's antics before joining her in the fun.
Hours later, when the rain had stopped falling and the girls were soaking wet, Peyton leaned down to touch her mother's grave. "I love you, mom," she whispered softly after reading the words engraved on the stone:
Anna Sawyer1967 – 1997
Loving Mother and Wife
"Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain."