Title: Slumber (for lack of a better name.)
Author: Echo Boomer
Rating: T
Summary: "Well, if that cat's out of the bag, what the hell? Brooke and I have been seeing each other." [Brachel Somewhat AU, some things will remain the same. Others, not so much.
Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing. The characters featured are property of Mark Schwann, The CW, etc. As someone once said, it's not my sandbox – I just play in it.
Note: I was originally going to put Mia into this, but it didn't really fit for what I was aiming for, so I cut her out. But I feel bad about it! Any reviews would be wonderful. Present for the first two reviewers. :)
The Scott house was silent, lights extinguished in every room except one. The master bedroom was dimmed, and two women were sitting on the bed. Two more were entering the room, carrying glasses and a bottle of wine. The taller one, with red hair and a mischievous grin, popped the cork off of the wine and took a swig as the other handed the glasses to those on the ground.
They both sat down on the bed as they filled their glasses. After a moment, one raised their glass and smiled, showing a remarkable pair of dimples.
"Tonight is the start of the rest of our lives." She said, tilting the glass slightly back and forth.
"Hmm, how many times have I heard that before?" Asked Rachel Gatina, glancing at her friend with a teasing smile.
"Unless you want to be alone and cut off, I would keep that pretty little mouth of yours shut, Red." Brooke Davis snapped back with a smile of her own.
"Really, you two? Are you going to do this tonight?" From beside Brooke, Haley James-Scott sighed in slight annoyance, "This is the only night out of the month where I can have a night with just you girls. No cleaning up after the boys, just talking with my girls."
Falling silent, Brooke and Rachel looked at Haley in understanding.
"Besides, it's not as if you two bicker any other time." Peyton Sawyer added.
"No problem, Hales. Just tell Elmo over here to keep her snide comments to herself and we'll be fine." Brooke said, smiling sweetly.
"At least I'm not saying the same thing over and over and over again." Rachel shrugged, "Right, Penelope?"
"I am not being rapid—"
"Repetitive." Haley corrected.
"Whatever. Tonight is the start of the rest of our lives." Brooke threw her drink back as if it was a shot and threw the glass onto the ground. "Now, who's up first? Peyton? Okay, shoot. Are you excited for tomorrow?"
She nudged Peyton in the side teasingly.
"God, no." Peyton breathed, "I finally get this major band, but I'm so nervous that I'm going to fail."
"You already failed once, but you learned from what went wrong. You're not going to make the same mistake again." Haley said.
"Are you talking about the label, or Luke?" Peyton asked after a moment.
She'd made a lot of mistakes in her past, but she couldn't help but think of the biggest mistake she'd made in her life. Saying no to Lucas Scott was stupid, and she couldn't imagine what life would be like if she'd said yes. But, the way things were now… she was beginning to think that all things happened for a reason.
"Take your pick. Things turned out good with Lucas, right? And I know they will with the band. Just know that I am never hiring a hot nanny ever again." Haley said seriously.
"Please, let's just forget that whole fiasco." Brooke frowned, thinking about Carrie and the way she had flirted so openly with Nathan Scott. It was sickening to think about for anyone who'd known how horrible she really was.
"There's something else." Peyton spoke again, "A couple weeks ago, I got a call from a label in Los Angeles. Turns out, they're looking for a new president. They were looking…" A stray tear slid down Peyton's face, but she wiped it away with the back of her hand. "I'm taking the job. I move to LA next week, and my fiancée is going with me."
She held up her left hand, showing a ring that had been meant for her years earlier, but only now found its way to her finger.
"Please don't tell me that you neglected to tell me Lucas Scott finally proposed to you." Brooke shrieked, moving to get a better look at the ring on Peyton's finger.
Peyton took a moment to take in their comments, but waved them away.
"I don't usually say this," Rachel started, "But it's about damn time the boy asked you to marry him. He certainly has a way of charming a girl, doesn't he?"
"How about you, Brooke? Meet any great guys lately?" Peyton piped up.
Brooke's face fell for a moment before a smile lit up her face.
"Yes."
Haley arched her eyebrows in curiosity. "Say more. Anyone we already know?"
"Tall, red hair, a fabulous smile. You've already met her." Brooke described, "Oh. One more thing... 'he's' a she."
Astonished looks fell over Haley and Peyton's faces. Peyton was the first to recover, taking Brooke's hand and squeezing it in support. It took a moment on Haley's part for her to not stammer and collect her thoughts.
"How long have you felt this way? How long have you two been seeing each other? Does she have a name?"
"Whoa, Tutor Mom, one question at a time." Brooke chuckled lightly, holding up a halting hand.
"Well, if that cat's out of the bag, what the hell? Brooke and I have been seeing each other." Rachel spoke, again taking a swig of wine, "You know, I'm not a fan of wine, but this is damn good."
Haley swatted Rachel's arm lightly, then frowned. "Um, does this mean... are Elmo and Penelope, like... pet names you have for each other?"
"Let's just say that I wouldn't feel right about using them if I were you." Brooke offered, glancing at Rachel.
"Don't worry, Haley. It's just a sex thing." With a teasing smile, Rachel patted her softly on the shoulder.
As laughter subsided, they all knew... it was going to be a hell of a night.
Note: I may end up posting another part, or two, to this, but I wasn't planning on it being anytime soon. I might update before the end of March, but don't be too disappointed if I don't. I'll have another story up before then.