Cinnamon-like fierce eyes stared upon the rising sun that hovered just above the horizon. Tonight had been officially the worst night for Brooke Davis. Her pale danity hands fisted the hem of her coat as her eyes focused themselves down on the young girl that slept beside her. Her body wracked with sobs that she forced herself to hold down, because quite frankly, she didn't want to cry anymore. She had wished for a hero that night, but she hadn't gotten one, instead she got her own worst nightmare. The thoughts running through her head were considerate ones, but maybe not so much. All the decisions she could think of were:

One: Call the police.
Two: Go home
Three: Run away from the truth.

They were all very tempting decisions, yet, she couldn't choose just one decision out of the three for herself. Jumping at the feeling of a warm flesh touch upon her shoulder, she twisted her head back to look at who could be standing behind her. Her eyes peered up at the tall, lanky and shadowed figure and she watched the flesh that protected the jaws, teeth and gums of the human body move up and down in speech. Yet, her mind refused to register just who this mysterious and yet enlightened shadowed figure was.

"Brooke. We should probably get Sam home." Once the voice had sounded out, it was like a piece to the puzzle had finally been connected and the 22-year old female entrepreneur could finally make out what this puzzle was supposed to be. Nodding her head toward the man who wouldn't be much older than herself, she moved her hand to shake the slumbering body of her newly adopted teenaged daughter. However, before she could even touch the flesh of the person of whom she had learned to care for so much, the flesh of the young man above her stopped her right in action. The warmth of his hand surrounded hers as he shook his head in disagreement. Slowly the warmth slipped away and automatically, without the warmth he had provided, Brooke Davis felt cold, clammy, and utterly alone. Although happy to no longer feel his touch against her own, her body told her this was not the last time. Her lambent lucid orbs watched in nothing but awe as she watched the larger, but thinner body bend down and pick up the smaller, more danity body of the girl who Brooke liked to consider Sam Davis.

"Julian.. I.."

"Shhh," He sounded out, as his oh-so charming grin spread across his face, as if he was trying to lighten the mood, "We wouldn't want to wake her, would we? I think she's had a rough night as it is, and I think we can both imagine what a teenage skater would be like when awoken unwillingly."

Unable to speak, Brooke gave a slight nod before lifting herself off the ground. Though, she didn't know what came over her, she slowly leaned herself against the taller man beside her, as they both walked slowly over to where his car was situated. This night had been a horror, but in the end, atleast Sam was safe. And maybe someday, just someday, would be able to move passed this, to tell the story to someone else someday.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

"Come on, Jamie. You can do it." Haley Scott's refulgent orbs were still locked directly on her little five-year-old son and she gave him a small blithe beam, she felt the need to smile in his direction, if only to give him a bit more confidence. She always felt like she needed to be the one to make him feel better, to make him feel wanted, because, she was his mother after all. He had trouble with playing the piano and she couldn't be too sure if he actually enjoyed it, considering he decided to tell jokes instead of playing his song at the talent show not even a few days ago.

"Momma… do I have to learn how to play the piano? Can't I just be cool like daddy instead!?"

Giving a little gasp in surprise, Haley stared down at her dirty-blonde haired son as her eyes twinkled before she shook her head, "Well you see. Your DADDY isn't as cool as your Mommy. Because, Daddy can't play the piano and sing all at the same time."

Gazing up at his mother, Jamie's tiny little face broke out into a smile before he hopped off the stool of the grand piano with triumph, "Yeah! But Daddy can jump 6 feet into the air," His voice held nothing but excitement as he jumped dramatically into the air, with his hands in the shape of holding a basketball before gravity pulled him back down, "and slam dunk over everyone else on the court!"

Rolling her eyes a teasing way; she slid over to the side of the seat before her sunkissed arms wrapped themselves around Jamie's tiny body and tickled him all over with her long piano-like fingers. Watching her son laugh at the sensation that ran all through his body, Haley couldn't help but to laugh with him and smiled as she heard a chuckle come in from the hallway. Dragging her son into her lap, she beamed optimistically at her husband who seemed to have a permanent smile etched into his face whenever he was around his wife and son, "Your son was bragging about you again, Nathan Scott," She laughed lightly as she hugged Jamie close to her when he gave her an embarrassed look, "And apparently, you're MUCH cooler than I am."

"Aww. Jamie, you should know that your mom totally beats me in arena of 'whose cooler'." Letting out a little laugh, Nathan slowly looked down at his hand that held the black and silver cordless phone within its grasp, "Ah! I almost forgot. Haley… Brooke's on the phone, she says she needs to talk to you."

"Oh?" Putting her arms under her sons covered armpits, Haley lifted him off her lap with a playful groan, "There ya go. Go play with your Papa, Jamie. I'll be in the kitchen if you need me."

"Okay, Momma!"

Smiling at her husband before taking the phone and grazing her way past him and off into the kitchen, Haley answered the phone with a cheery greeting, "Hello?" She asked brightly, before pulling a chair out from the kitchen table and sitting herself within it. Automatically, Haley's brightened mood dimmed as she heard the crackling and hoarse voice of her crying friend upon the phone. Worry clouded her eyes as she leaned over the table as if to concentrate exactly on what Brooke was trying to tell her, "Brooke. Please! Calm down. Just breathe, breathe and then carefully tell me what happened."

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

"Haley," Brooke Davis whispered hoarsely before taking a deep breath, "…I met my attacker." Her bottom lip was trembling with scarce fear and she was trying with all her might to remove this feeling of vulnerability. Her eyelashes fluttered with pain as it etched on her face with ease. Her delicate fingers gripped at the phone as she felt her strong nails breaking in their flexible strength. Easing her grip on the phone, she let out a small sigh as she waited for her friend to continue in her favor. When Haley did reply, asking her what had happened; Brooke let her eyes lower to the counter that situated within her kitchen before continuing.

"Julian and I… were searching for Sam last ni—" Easily cut off by Haley who seemed to burst with a huge exclamation of worry, Brooke let a small smile grow upon her face. Haley would always care, "Yeah… Sam and I… had a thing and she ran out, I spent all night looking for her. I asked Owen for help, but he wouldn't as usual. I also asked Julian, turns out he was looking for her all along yet didn't want to admit it." She slowly paused as her cinnamon-brown eyes gazed at the young man who slept soundly on her couch. She had let him crash there through the night, figuring it was too late to let him go back and get a hotel. So focused on gazing upon the sleeping beauty on her couch, Brooke didn't even hear as Haley continued to ask her more questions through the telephone line.

"BROOKE!"

Finally breaking her gaze away from Julian, Brooke listened intently back into the phone and let out a small sheepish scoff, "I'm sorry. What were you saying??"

"Brooke… you're starting to worry me. I'll be over really soon."

Looking back up at the man who slept on her couch sound fully with panic in her eyes, Brooke quickly grabbed onto the phone with worry, "No! Haley, give me a few min—"

"See you soon, Brooke." Click.

Sighing in disbelief, Brooke slowly turned the phone off before putting it down. Moving from under the counter, she confidently strode over to the man sleeping on her couch before jabbing him violently in the shoulder.

His left eye opened in a lazy manner as he stared her down with one eye, "Good morning to you too, Brooke Davis." Rolling over onto his back on her couch he slid down into the cushions before letting out a small chuckle, "Are you usually this grumpy in the morning? Poor Sam."

"You need to get up and out of my house!"

"Got company coming over?"

The hot red anger that was boiling up within her body was starting to show upon her face. She put a sadistic smirk upon her face and twisted her head to the side, before licking her teeth within her mouth and forcing her bottom lip upward in a scowl. Making a clicking noise with her mouth she grabbed Julian by the arm and hoisted him up in a sitting motion while leaning over him, "Its time for you to leave now, Julian Baker."

"Hey! Brooke, you should be nice to guests. Aren't you constantly telling me to have more manners?" A snide remark, as usual, coming from Sam. She watched her adoptive mother turn around and face the door of which Sam was coming of out of, "Well?"

"Well, I think breakfast was like 25 minutes ago and you still weren't up, missy."

"My mom's pretty strict." Sam replied in amusement as she stared at Julian with raised eyebrows and a snide smile, "But, I think you two would be a good match."

Gasping in anger, Brooke looked toward her adoptive daughter in a hot flash of anger before looking to Julian, who basically just had his mouth open in an "O" shape, before it melted into his natural grin. Giving him a side glare, she let out a small growl, "Get that grin off your face, Mr. Baker." She snapped.

"Brooke Davis is definitely going to change the world someday. She might even just shake Tree Hill up with who she lets stay on her couches." Said a deep cynical voice from the open door way of her home. Brooke's eyes looked up only to gaze upon Lucas Scott, with Haley Scott and Peyton Sawyer (Soon to be Peyton Scott) behind him. Haley's face was written with playful amusement, Peyton's seemed to be written with betrayal and Lucas… was plainly unreadable.

"This is still so weird that my English teacher walks into my new house unannounced."

"..Shut it, Sam." Brooke replied.

"Just sayin…" She snapped back. Looking around the room with awe, "Is this going to be some like show-down??"

"..Sam!"

"Just curious!"