Peyton Sawyer woke up on a rainy Saturday morning. The clock flashed 7:35 a.m. She hated this time of day, when it was too early to get up, but impossible to fall back to sleep. Too much was already going on in her head. Her life had hanged so much since the beginning of junior year, when she and her best friend Brooke Davis had gotten tangled up in a love web with none other than Lucas Scott, the boy who'd changed everything.

Peyton sat up slowly and climbed out of bed, deciding there was nothing else to do. She crept across the floor to her computer catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror on the way. Hesitantly, she backpedaled to get a better look at her slightly wilted blonde curls, her ever-changing body… and her swollen midsection. Lately, it'd become increasingly apparent that it would soon be hard to hide the fact that in a few months she would be giving birth to the child of none other than Lucas Scott. Yes, the boy she'd fallen in love with, for whom she'd risked her best friendship over, had broken her heart and disappeared, but of course not without leaving something behind for everyone to remember him by.

Peyton lifted her shirt and examined her ever-expanding stomach and thought to herself about how much she missed her mom, and how much easier this would all be if she had someone to guide her. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she whispered, partly to herself and partly to her baby-to-be, "Don't you worry, everything's gonna be alright."

"What'cha doing?" sounded a familiar voice. Peyton jumped and yanked down her shirt, spinning around to find Brooke watching her from the bed. She and Brooke had reconciled shortly after Lucas left, around the time Peyton had found out she was pregnant. Peyton hadn't had anyone else to confide in, with her mom dead and her dad gone constantly. Whether or not Brooke had been speaking to her, she was still the only one who'd always been there for her, since they were little. And Brooke had had a right to be upset. Lucas had been going out with Brooke when he and Peyton had slept together. Lucas had driven her to find out about her dad and they'd gotten carried away. Far away. Whether it was because of her happiness about her dad, her gratefulness to Lucas or just old feelings bubbling up, it didn't matter. In their moment of romantic bliss they had betrayed Brooke in her friendship with Peyton and relationship with Lucas. Peyton was devastated over losing Brooke and though now they've made up, she still gets that achy-guilty feeling every so often thinking about it. Even more-so when she thinks about how Brooke had forgiven her with open arms and an open heart when Peyton confided in her. Brooke even moved in with Peyton to help her out. Sometimes, even though what she had done with Lucas was an accident and she was sorry, she felt as though she didn't deserve to be forgiven to easy.

"N…Nothing," she mumbled, shuffling back over to the bed and laying down and propping herself up on her side to face Brooke.

"What's on your mind P.Sawyer?" Brooke asked, staring into the hurting eyes of her born-again best friend and grasping her hand.

Peyton sighed and let her emotions go, another tear rolling down her cheek. "Everything. Lucas…My mom…you. This…baby," she said gesturing, "I mean, all I want to know is that everything is going to be okay." With that, she broke down sobbing.

Brooke inched closer to her friend and wiped away the tears from her face. "Peyt. Look at me. Everything is going to be alright," she replied, smiling.

"But how do you know?" she countered.

"Because I just know," she replied shrugging, "You've got me, buddy. You always have me. Don't you think twice about that, bestest friend. The mom issue has and always will be the mom issue. You and I both know nothing will change that," Peyton looked away momentarily, tearing up again, thinking of her mom. "And as for this baby of yours…" Brooke said, rubbing Peyton's belly, "She's going to have her auntie Brooke to take care of her!"

Brooke changed positions so that she was kneeling on the bed, bending over to talk to Peyton's stomach. "Yes you will! Yes you will!" she proclaimed in a baby voice, "Auntie Brooke is going to take you shopping! And buy you some amazing clothes. And take you for manicures. And…"

"If I have a boy?" Peyton broke in, unable to suppress a small, creeping smile, as she watched in wonder as her friend talked to her unborn child.

Brooke turned her head to look at Peyton. "You won't," she stated simply and kissed her belly. Peyton laughed momentarily and let her mind drift for a second to what her baby may look like, but all she could see was Lucas' face on a tiny baby boy. She suddenly got solemn again.

"…And Lucas?" she asked. Brooke sat back up and looked meaningfully at her friend. She helped her into the sitting position.

"If he's here, fine. If not, it doesn't really matter anymore. We both know it would only complicate things if he came back. He left; end of story. This baby will have so many people to love it, it will probably resent us at age 5 for smothering it." Peyton giggled and sighed. She loved Brooke and having her around all the time. Lately, she'd made a melancholy Peyton a whole lot happier. "So we're good now, bestest friend?"

"Yea, we're good," Peyton concluded, wiping the last of her tears from her face. Brooke sat back down next to her and wrapped her arms around her. Peyton had a feeling this wasn't the last of her troubles, but sometimes it helped to sit and just know she wasn't all alone in the world.