All of me
Summary – Yes, total rip-off of the film The Vow! Well, kinda, okay, not really…whatever, just read the damn thing and find out!
Part 1
Haley watched Brooke glare at the last two customers of the night. The elderly couple were still sharing a slice of Haley's very own chocolate delight cake and seemed in no hurry to leave.
"Probably don't even have their own teeth anymore so what's taking so long?" Brooke muttered from behind the counter as she glanced at the clock once more with her foot tapping the floor nervously.
It was already ten to nine at night and she'd hoped to have left earlier than this to go home and change before meeting Peyton at the club but she didn't want to leave Haley on her own to lock up. The only downside to owning the café, they both took turns at opening the place but they both generally stayed till closing or at least turned up to close if neither was working. The café had been open for three years now and had become a trendy place to hang out for the young teens in town, especially given the stage in the corner that attracted local and national talent most weekends. But it also attracted people who simply liked good home cooked food they didn't need to spend hours on themselves.
"Seriously!" Brooke mumbled as Haley step next to her. "You'd think it had to be past their bed times."
Haley laughed as Brooke rolled her eyes and went back to glaring at the couple.
"Okay, enough, go already before you do something I have to sack you for!" Haley warned as she could tell Brooke was nearing her breaking point.
Shocked Brooke turned to her friend. "You can't fire me! I own this place."
"You half-own it, and that's not the point Brooke. Go home!"
"Oh!"
Haley smiled as Brooke's face lit up. "Yeah oh." She chuckled as Brooke squealed then raced towards the front door.
Brooke stopped suddenly and spun around back to Haley. "Wait, I can't-"
"I already called Nathan and he'll be here any minute, get going before I change my mind." Haley cut her off with her trump card. The store had been broken into several days after it was first opened with only Brooke left in the shop to close up. She'd been badly beaten and the store had been ransacked but she'd steadfastly refused to let it stop her and had put the café back together with the help of their friends and continued on. But it had left its mark on both of them in terms of their personal safety, now there was always more than one member of staff around to close up.
Brooke raced back over to Haley and reached over the counter to grab her face and pulled her stunned friend into a kiss. "I kinda love you Teachermom."
Haley blushed too shocked to respond.
"Hey, step away from my wife Brooke!" Nathan called, having entered mid-kiss.
Brooke winked at Haley before releasing her and turning around to make her way out of the store. She paused as she came even with Nathan Scott, Haley's husband since forever and one of her best friends. The couple and their son were one of the driving forces to making her move to Tree Hill permanent several years ago when she'd quit her job looking for a better reason to life than making money.
She'd found that reason in the form of Peyton Sawyer, who captured her attention and then her heart in the space of one perfect evening. But that was a story for another time.
Brooke smirked up at Nathan and placed her finger in the centre of his broad chest. "You just count yourself lucky I'm spoken for or I'd totally give you a run for your money over Haley." She said.
Nathan snorted and walked towards his wife who looked to have mostly recovered. "I'll remember and let Peyton know next time I see her."
Brooke just grinned and headed for the door but not before winking at the older couple staring at her with their mouths open.
Haley welcomed Nathan with a hug and a kiss. "She's something else isn't she?" She said as they broke apart.
Nathan wrapped his arms possessively around his wife, not that he had anything to worry about, Brooke might flirt a lot but she was head over heels in love with Peyton Sawyer.
"She's just excited to have a night alone with Peyton." Nathan replied with a shake of his head.
"Uh huh, and I'll remind you who orchestrated tonight when you wake to the sound of screaming three times tonight." Haley said although she was looking forward to their night just as much as Nathan.
Nathan grinned but couldn't deny that they were out of practise. He gently rested his hand on the small bump of Haley's stomach. "Just think of it as a taste of things to come." He said trying not to laugh.
Haley scowled and slapped at him. "You'll just be off 'working' and I'll be the one dealing with all the midnight and 3 am feeds, I know exactly what's coming buster!"
Nathan didn't have any defence to that although he could have argued over the 'working' comment but he knew better than to piss off his wife. So he gave her a look that he normally reserved for the bedroom and whispered, "Love you" into her ear.
Haley snorted and stepped out of Nathans reach, trying to ignore the fire he'd just started in the pit of her stomach. "Ha, that's exactly how we ended up with Jamie!"
Nathan just grinned at her looking very proud of himself.
Haley shook her head to try and clear it, then moved to the collect the dirty dishes the last customers had left for her, she hadn't noticed them leave but she was more than happy to let a bit of work distract her from Nathan for the moment.
"Maybe I should give Brooke a chance."
"Hey, I heard that!" Nathan replied trying to sound insulted as his wife disappeared into the kitchen.
"You were meant to!" Haley answered back quickly fighting not to laugh as she went to stack the dishes into the dishwasher. She loved Nathan with all her heart and couldn't be happier but seeing Brooke with Peyton while she'd been pregnant and especially after the birth of Sawyer was such a huge reason for her and Nathan having their second child.
xxxxxx
"Hey, baby! I should be there soon, just thought I'd tell you we have the best friends," Brooke said into her mobile as Peyton's phone went to the answering service. "I think once I get the contract on the shop through I should sign over the café to Haley, what do you think?" Brooke hung up and raced around the bedroom she shared with Peyton placing little candles in glass jars around the furniture. She'd already placed rose petals around the floor of their room and sprinkled a few on top of their bed. She didn't see the point in too many as chances were they wouldn't even get noticed if tonight went how she planned.
Brooke looked around the room and smiled in approval, it was just the right side of romantic without being tacky. She grinned then looked over her outfit in the full length mirror that had only recently been returned to the room after she'd managed to convince Peyton that her post baby body was hotter than ever.
Grinning Brooke redialled and her voice deepened as she got through to the message service once more. "I love you so much Blondie, have I told you that today? Sawyer is such a gift that I'll never be able to tell you how amazing you've both made my life." Brooke had to pause to keep control of her emotions. She sat down at the vanity and sighed softly. "The day we met was one of those moments that you get to look back on and realise this is it, when I found my reason Peyton, and you're it, my reason." Brooke had to stop again and swallow before she could continue. " I want to dance with you tonight, and walk along the river bank hand in hand and laugh with you till the sun comes up. And I want to kiss you and make love to you and fall asleep in your arms knowing I get to do that every night for the rest of my life. See you soon love."
Brooke took another calming breath and stood giving one last twirl in front of the mirror before picking up her purse and closing the door to the room.
She paused half way to the front door and fished out her mobile phone again, then continued on as it rang locking up the house and getting into her car.
"I swear Peyton if I get to Trick and catch you and Mia still in the studio working you can forget everything I just said in that last message, okay? And you'll be sleeping on the couch for sure!"
xxxxxx
Peyton grinned as Mia sang the last few lines of her new single. She waited a few beats then hit a button on the control board in front of her. "Nailed it that time Mia, I think we can call it a night!"
Mia charged into the room and grabbed Peyton's earphones and hit the playback button, practically forcing herself into the older woman's lap. Peyton just rolled her eyes and continued to save the recording and store it for the final touch up it would need before it was the finished article.
"Cool." Mia said placing the headset back down and grinning at the blonde.
Peyton chuckled and nodded. "It is, a few finishing touches to go but I think your albums done girl!" She informed her star singer. Not only had Mia been her first artist on her very own record label but her subsequent success had catapulted Peyton alongside the singer and they had both profited by it. This second album was already in high demand and Peyton knew that there was several labels looking to get Mia signed with them.
Peyton wasn't naïve, she knew how the industry worked and she was proud of Mia's accomplishments. Losing her from Red Bedroom Records would be huge but Peyton would be compensated handsomely and she'd talked it over with Mia and they both agreed that this would be the last album they worked on together. Neither of them would change their time together and Mia knew Peyton, along with Haley and Brooke, had helped her get this far and they'd still be there for her if ever she needed them.
Still it was going to be hard moving on.
"Party time?" Mia asked hopefully, her first album launch had been pretty cool but this would be an almost goodbye party as well, she didn't want anyone to think of it as an ending but more of a celebration of what everyone connected to them had helped her achieve.
Peyton nodded. "You've more than earned it Mia, once we settle on a release date for the LP then we'll organise a big blowout, send you off on tour in style!"
It was Mia's second tour, and her first as the headline act. It was terrifying and exciting mixed together. She lived for her writing and singing, but the thought of sold out stadiums scared the bagezus out of her.
"Shit!" Peyton exclaimed as she noticed the clock.
"What?" Mia asked wide eyed.
Peyton grabbed the clothes bag hanging on the door and headed for the bathroom. "Brooke is going to kill me!"
Mia shook her head at her friend before settling into the blonde's vacated seat and putting the headset back into place as she started up to run her album in order. She had to make sure again that it was right before it went to production.
As the third song started to kick in Mia noticed Peyton's phone buzz in front of her. She picked it up but the number was withheld, just as she was placing it back down Peyton charged back in no longer dressed in her ripped jeans and tee.
"How'd I look?" Peyton asked nervously, mentally kicking herself for losing track of time.
"Like chopped liver, which is exactly what Brooke will turn you into if she's been sitting out at the bar alone for the past hour!" Mia said with a wicked grin. Teasing aside the blonde looked incredible hot, and while Mia was completely 100% straight, she definitely got what the couple saw in each other.
Peyton scowled and smoothed down her dress trying not to think about her post pregnancy body in the figure hugging black material. "Thanks." She muttered dryly at the dark hair girl. "I'm so blaming you if she's mad just for saying that."
Mia shrugged, "It still won't be me that she's pissed at."
Peyton pouted and moaned because that was also totally true.
"Look at it this way, you're her baby-mama, it's not like she'll kill you." Mia said trying to inject Peyton with some optimism.
"Ha, you don't know Brooke. There are so many worse things than death Mia." Peyton replied with a snort. Like sleeping on the couch, alone, without Brooke.
Mia rolled her eyes as her friend's shoulder slumped. "Well don't you think you should…I don't know, get in there?"
Peyton blinked then spun for the door only to have Mia call her back.
"Here," Mia said handing over the blonde's phone. "You've missed calls." She continued with a grin as Peyton snatched the device out of her hand in annoyance.
Mia chuckled to herself as she watched the blonde scowl then place the phone to her ear just as she left.
Peyton slowed her steps as she listened to Brooke in her ear. She could hear the thumping music coming from Trick and wanted to hear all of her messages before she started her grovelling to Brooke. With a tiny bit of luck the brunette was stuck in her wardrobe still trying to decide on what heels went with what dress. Or better yet, maybe Brooke was calling the night out off and wanted Peyton home for a night in instead.
She giggled as she listened to Brooke threaten her with the couch if she was still working.
Peyton made it to the connecting door just as the last message started, only this time it wasn't Brooke's voice and she had to stop and place her free hand over her ear to block out the music from the club drowning out the call.
"…Peyton Sawyer, it's regarding a Brooke Davis…there's been a serious accident…her family need to get here as soon as possible…surgery…it's touch and go at this stage, I'm sorry…my number is…"
Peyton couldn't breathe.
Serious accident
Brooke
Touch and go
Her family
"Oh, God!"
xxxxxxxxx
A/N
So?
Hi folks!
Yes I suck, sorry. But bright note? I am still around I just haven't been writing much, this kind anyway.
Can't believe it's been YEARS!
Wow!
Well this is my take on a Tree Hill Breyton version of The Vow, which when I first saw totally thought Sophia would have been perfect for the role. Great movie.
I have another couple of chapters for this but hang in there and I'll see what I can do to get some of my other fics updated.