A/N: So I haven't written a fanfic in a while. I've had one complete and successful Smallville fiction that I love, but I also have had a couple fics including a oth one which have been incomplete due to lack of response from anyone. This idea popped into my head the other day while reading a fiction from someone else, and I'm excited about it. I got a couple influences for it, from the show, the other fiction and a rock concert I went to the other day.

So the point is, I'm very excited about this one, but I'd appreciate feedback from people if I'm going to spend my time continuing it. Other things you may want to know, is every chapter is the title of a song. The story as well as this first chapter is titled by "Silence is Easy" by star sailor. Lyrics will be used at the end of each chapter. Thanks for taking time to read my story I hope you enjoy it. Also I'm open to suggestions from people if you have an idea you think could work. PS, This is AU I guess you could say. The stuff between Nathan and Lucas is the same, and they like each other now. But Peyton is not around yet, Haley and Brooke aren't friends yet, and there is no Naley yet. It should all be explained.

Disclaimer: I definitely don't own anything. If I did, Pete would still be around (because face it, the boy's a fox), and the show would be back on already.

Pairings: romance; LP. BC. NH. Friendship; LP BP CP HB HP.. maybe others...

And that's about it! READ, ENJOY, REVIEW!

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CHAPTER 1: Silence is Easy

It was one of those days. Dreary, dark, damp days, where the rain drizzled. Enough to make the sky dark with rain clouds and to frustrate girls who wanted their hair to remain perfect, but not enough to stop normal activities. Unless of course you were Lucas Scott. His normal activity was basketball. School practice hadn't started up yet, and now he couldn't play at the river court. Stupid rain.

The incredibly attractive blond sat in a booth on the far edge of Karen's Cafe. He had a calculus book and a pile of loose leaf paper spread out on the table, as he drummed his pencil between two fingers, and the page of paper violently.

"I'm almost positive that the paper is not alive, and cannot be killed. Besides what do you have against mutilated tree's?" Haley James quipped at him as she approached his table.

Haley was a beautiful, intelligent girl. She had chestnut hair, and big sparkling brown eyes. Her main hobby was tutoring and she was damned good at it. And she was looking pretty damned good to Lucas at that very moment.

No, Not the way your thinking. Lucas and Haley were best friends, and had been ever since kindergarten. She had broken the yellow crayon and, in one of Lucas' first of many chivalrous acts, he lent her his. It proceeded to do two things. One, it kept her from bursting into tears, and two, it started an epic friendship. They loved each other like brother and sister, and though most people who bothered to pay attention saw it as much more than that, they would never be together like that.

She was looking good to him then and there, only because calculus was being rude, and she was perhaps the only way to kick it's ass.

"Hales, I absolutely don't get any of this! I'd like to graduate you know."

"Never fear, super tutor is hear." she spoke as she giggled to herself. "Now whats given you trouble sugar?" She said, imitating foxy Cleopatra.

"Okay, first of all, I thought I'd cut you off from Austin Powers? And second, number 48 is killing me softly. I'm pretty sure it's like the paper version of chucky."

"Alright well, you see here where you have to add the first and second lines to eliminate y?"

Lucas nodded.

"Now to do it you just have to call this 'A' and this one 'B'. Now all you're going to have to..."

A dark shadow fell over the paper blocking the light from the table, and interrupting Haley mid sentence. The pair at the table looked up into the face of a man they had never seen before. He had chocolate brown hair, and strong, handsome features. He looked friendly. The abrupt interruption had startled the two teenagers, but the apologetic smile on the mans face put them at ease.

"I'm sorry kids, I didn't mean to frighten you. I just saw you were working on math and was hoping I could ask you a question."

"About math?" Haley asked sounding utterly confused.

The Man chuckled.

"No I'm sorry. Let me introduce myself. I'm Larry Sawyer." He extended his hand to Lucas who took it.

"I just was hoping that maybe you two went to Tree Hill High?" He asked and Haley nodded her head.

"It's just that I'm new around here and I'm still not sure about how to get info yet. It's a small town so it shouldn't be too hard, but leave it to me to get lost in this place."

"Well what did you need with the school?" Asked Lucas.

"Sorry again." He chuckled. "I'll get to the point. I have a daughter who will be going to school starting next week. I figured I'd give her a week to get used to the town. Anyways, I'm not sure how to get class schedules or anything. You think you could help me out?"

"Sure!" Haley claimed, a bit excited. A new girl was cool. Especially since they would probably have the first go at her. Haley was excited by the fact that she could likely take this girl and show her high school through her and Lucas' eyes. And if Haley James could turn one innocent girl from turning into a snobby clone, then she took the opportunity with great pleasure.

She didn't realize that it wouldn't be exactly as planned.

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After telling Mr. Sawyer where he could sign up for the school and everything, he thanked them vigorously and left.

Haley was feeling more than a little confused.

"I wonder why she wasn't there or why he didn't let us meet her? That's odd."

"I dunno." Was Lucas' reply. "Maybe she was busy with something."

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Peyton Sawyer.

A mass of blond curls.

Long, chickeny legs on a 5'8 frame.

Hazel eye's that could speak of many things, and many experiences.

Because those were the only things that spoke.

Because Peyton Sawyer, didn't speak.

One day she'd just stopped.

In fact it was a recent day.

The day she moved to Tree Hill.

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In her young life of 16 years, Peyton had experienced too many things. Seen to much.

It started in 6th grade. 3:00 on Thursday March 15 a young Peyton Sawyer sat outside of her class. She was chatting to another girl her age. Lana. Lana had flaming red hair and bright green eyes. She was fairly short , especially compared to her lanky best friend. They were talking about their stupid teacher. She had called them both out in class for talking. Bobby Whitfield did nothing but talk all day to everyone, and not to mention it was usually crude. But he never got in trouble.

Then again Peyton and Lana didn't have Mrs. Whitfield as a mother. As in Mrs. Whitfield, their teacher.

Flashback

"That's so stupid!" Lana almost yelled.

"I know, it's just unfair. Teachers just shouldn't get to have their kids in their freaking class. When my mom finds out about this she's gonna do something about it. At least Mrs. Whitfield isn't head of the PTA." She exclaimed.

"I wish my mom were as in control of things as yours is."

"Speaking of which.. where is my mom?"

End Flashback

Peyton's mom wouldn't show up that day.

That was the day Anna Sawyer died.

The day she was late to pick her daughter up.

The day she ran a red light.

The day she died...

Was the day Peyton cried.

Was the day the first part of Peyton had died as well.

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It continued the next year. September 23.

Flashback

"Lana...? Whats going on?"

"Nothing!"

"Come on you haven't been the same latley. Not to mention it's like 100 degrees out here, and your wearing a sweater."

"Look Peyton. Leave me alone. I'm sick of you. You know that right? I really hope you do. All you ever do is bug me about stupid stuff. Can you ever shut up about anything?"

End Flashback

The taller girls eye's began to water.

And Peyton tried not to cry.

At home..

She'd cried.

She'd cried and watched her best friend walk away.

And another part of her left with Lana.

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You'd think that was enough for one girl.

But life thought it'd throw another dagger into the mix.

June 28th was the last straw.

Flashback

Peyton sat on her wide open porch, sketchpad in hand, and waited. Anyone walking by would have thought she was spacing. But anyone who knew her knew she was waiting patiently for an inspiration. And it always seemed to come. Not today. Something, or rather someone, decided to enter her life instead.

A blond lady walked up the path towards the girl sitting there. And she changed her life.

"DAD!" Peyton screamed. She stomped into the house and chucked the nearest vase at the floor with a shatter.

"Sweety?" Larry Sawyer ran in, breathless expecting to see a mass of curls sprawled on the floor.

When he saw Peyton standing there furious, he was confused.

"Honey? What happened? Whats wrong?"

"Gee, I dunno, dad. Or I guess I should call you Larry."

"I don't get it whats going on"

"You don't deserve to know whats going on! Hell, I haven't known for my whole life." she screamed.

"Don't you take that tone with me young lady. You don't treat your parents like that, this isn't how you were raised."

"YOU'RE NOT MY DAD ANYWAYS!" She fumed.

Larry Sawyer took a step back, appalled and confused. And hurt.

"What did you say?" He asked quietly.

"You heard me. Some lady just showed up on the porch. And imagine my surprise when she informs me that she's my mother. I THOUGHT MY MOTHER WAS DEAD!"

"You're mother is dead. You're real mother anyways." He continued, voice full of regret.

"Where you ever gonna tell me? HUH? I've been living in a house with a complete stranger all these years and you didn't bother to let me know?" Tears welled in her eyes. The last tears she ever cried. The last that anyone saw anyways.

"Her name was Ellie. She was a drug addict and she wasn't suppose to come around here ever again."

"Well that worked out great didn't it." She snarked.

"We were gonna tell you. Your mom and I. When you were started 7th grade. But when she died I just couldn't bring myself to do it."

"Yeah well your both liars. Weren't either of you smart enough to realize that letting me in from the beginning would have been a lot fricken easier!" She snapped. She wheeled around and began to stomp away, when a strong arm grabbed her wrist and flung her back around.

"Don't touch me. I don't even know you!" She spat at him.

"Now you listen to me little girl. You be mad at me all the hell you want but don't you dare call your mother a liar. She's gone. She's not the one who decided not to tell you okay. That was me. And don't ever let me hear you disrespect her like that ever again, do you here me?"

Peyton simply huffed and took back her arm. After an "go die" glare, she stomped away.

End Flashback

Peyton never quite trusted her father after that. Not fully. She never got the chance to trust her real mother Ellie.

After finally making an effort with her birth mother, Ellie let breast cancer take her.

And Larry decided enough was enough. They needed a change of scenery. Hopefully one where Peyton could be happy.

He was unaware of the pact she made with herself.

"Everybody says that their looking for a shelter,
got a lot to give but I don't know how to help her,
I should just let it go till they learn how to grow,
and how to liberate."

She couldn't trust him, he'd lied to her. Lana left. Her mother Anna died. Then Ellie. And Peyton wouldn't do it again.

"Everybody says that she's looking for a shelter,
got a lot to give but I don't know how I felt her,
they should just let it go till these cities learn to grow,
and how to liberate."

She had decided that being alone was the best option. She wouldn't be manipulated into trusting anyone. And if no one was there, no one could leave.

"Silence is easy, it just becomes me,
you don't even know me"

And she'd had enough of this leaving business.

So when Larry announced the purchase of a large house and a new job in Tree Hill Carolina, Peyton decided she was done. Done with friends, done with trust, and hell, maybe she just wouldn't speak. She'd do what was required of her in school. No more, no less. She'd go, sit in the back, pay a little attention, and go home. That was that.

And Tree Hill wouldn't have to be the wiser that she actually existed.

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A/N: So I hope you all liked it. It'll continue of course. That is as long as I get my reviews please and thank you! So drop me a line.