Forever and a Day
Summary: Five years after their graduation, everyone is back in Tree Hill for a wedding. Their friendships had involuntarily fallen apart. But it was time to find out the answers to those never answered questions. Most of all answering the age old question, who would he pick?
Peyton Sawyer rushed around Tric moving chairs, filling peanut baskets, wiping down counters and checking every last detail. It was a typical Saturday night for Peyton. Peyton ran Tric nowadays; it was definitely different from the days in high school when she ran her all ages night. Looking out the window, she saw the large group gathering on the staircase and street outside the Tric doors. Two large men were holding off the crowd until she gave the go ahead for the night to begin. A few more minutes passed and she gave the go ahead and the doors opened. Immediately the room filled with people. Many of the people were regulars and old classmates of Peyton's, but now of them she considered friends. She did not have many friends, since moving back to Tree Hill, Peyton had become close with Haley and Nathan again and that was about it. Peyton dedicated her life to Tric and her daughter, Jade. Tonight Jade was at the Scott household, where she was most Saturday nights.
But that was about to change, Karen Roe was about to get married for the first time. All of the old gang was returning to Tree Hill for the first time in many years. Senior year of high school had been interesting, she had lost her best friend and gained her back, revealed her feelings to her long-time crush; they never acted on it, and were involved with more drama than a typical eighteen year old. She had not even really spoken to Lucas since he left a year after they graduated, with the exception of an awkward Christmas a few years ago. She and Brooke lost touch after senior year. She hadn't seen either of them for at least two years.
"Peyton!" a bartender named Dave yelled across the crowded floor. Initially she did not hear him. He repeated himself. That time Peyton heard him.
"What," she yelled back as she walked towards him to hear him more easily. He held up the phone and shook it. She walked up and grabbed it. She covered the bottom of the phone and whispered, "Thanks." Holding the phone to her ear, she said quite loudly and curtly, "This is Peyton."
"Peyton, it's Karen," a voice that Peyton immediately recognized said boomed through the earpiece.
"Hey Karen," Peyton said, softening her voice.
"It sounds like it's a busy night," Karen said.
"When isn't a Saturday busy," Peyton asked rhetorically. "So what's up?" Peyton heard Karen laugh at the other end of the phone.
"I have a bunch of wedding related appointments tomorrow, so can you take care of Halle?" Halle was Karen's five year old daughter with Keith, her deceased fiancé.
"Jade is going to be at Haley's until one in the afternoon and then I'm picking her up so if you have to leave earlier than that drop off Halle there and I will pick her up with Jade, if that's okay," Peyton said.
"That works," Karen said, her and Peyton's relation was one of close friends, the close to twenty year age difference never factor in their relationship.
They said goodbye to each other. Peyton hung up the phone and looked out into the crowd of dancing people, allowing her thoughts to drift back to the upcoming wedding the sure to be interesting re-meeting of her high school friends.
The past five years since her high school graduation, Peyton's life had been more than interesting. She moved around a bit, dated, got a job and had a child. After her graduation, Peyton attended school in Savanna for one year, becoming great friends with Jake, but not romantically involved. After the first year in school, Peyton decided wasn't the place for her and returned to Tree Hill. After talking to Karen at the café, Peyton began working at Tric again. Shortly after returning Tree Hill Peyton met, Shawn Parker. The pair began dating immediately, within the first six months of the relationship Peyton became pregnant. Shawn left her shortly after she revealed the news, leaving Peyton to raise her child herself. With the news of her pregnancy Peyton became even closer with Karen, sharing the troubles of being a single mom and a young one at that. One year ago, Peyton and Karen began a partnership which gave Peyton partial ownership of Tric. Peyton remained friends with Haley and Nathan, and off and on with Jake. She also sells art work here and there.
"What makes you so nervous about going to Tree Hill?" the elderly man sitting next to Brooke on the plane.
"What makes you think I'm nervous?" Brooke said. She was on her way to Karen's wedding and she was nervous, but she was used to hiding her feelings. She was within twenty-four hours of seeing her off and on again ex-boyfriend. Technically she was attending his mother's wedding.
"You are sitting twisting that necklace of yours and you are repeatedly checking your watch," the man said with a knowing tone.
"Yeah, you right, I'm completely nervous about going to Tree Hill," Brooke said smiling, for some reason the man seen easy to talk to and she would be able to talk out of these mixed feelings she was having. "I'm Brooke Davis." She extended her petite hand.
"Harold Sharp," he said simply and took her hand into his much larger hand and giving it a shake.
"Nice to meet you," Brooke said with a small smile.
"And you too, Brooke Davis," Harold said. "So are you going to tell me that story of yours?"
"It's quite simple story, I grew up in Tree Hill, I moved away after high school, and this is the first time I have come back in a few years," Brooke said nonchalantly.
"We both know that it's more complicated than that," Harold said knowingly.
Brooke smiled and went into a story chronicling her life for the past five years. After high school Brooke moved back out to California to live with her parents and studied fashion design at a small college. While in California, Brooke visited Lucas who was attending UCLA. They continued their friendship and eventually became romantically involved. The relationship ended when Brooke moved to Seattle, they both decided that it would be too hard to have a long distance relationship. After completing her program, her and her friend, Kellie moved to Seattle to design for a boutique which Kellie's aunt runs. Brooke's life was similar to the one she had always lived. Each month her parents gave her a small fortune to live on. She continued her party ways, but to the extreme that it got in the way of her studies then job. Brooke tried to stay in touch with her Tree Hill friends, but she failed. Now their friendships consisted of Christmas cards and maybe a birthday gift if it was remembered. Two years ago, Brooke met Craig Hayes. Their friendship began immediately. They both had grown up in small towns living with their wealthy families; their deep friendship eventually blossomed to romance. They dated steadily for three months. Her busy work schedule and his partying ways got in the way in the relationship which led to the demise of the romantic relationship, but they stayed friends. Recently they had begun casually dating again.
"So now I'm going to the wedding of my ex-boyfriend's mother," Brooke said finishing her story. "And I can't stop thinking about Lucas even though I have a perfectly fine man waiting for me at home."
"Well, you have quite the story there," Harold said as Brooke's story finished. She nodded her head and shrugged her shoulders.
"No different than most people involved with a love triangle that began in high school and never really resolved itself," Brooke replied.
"If you say so," Harold said. "So tell me about this other guy, Craig."
Brooke smiled as she thought of Craig, she was completely sure if they were even meant to be a romantic couple, but they had made great friends. "Craig is amazing," Brooke said simply. "He and I have been friends since pretty day one of me being Seattle, but we didn't start dating right away, I had just broken up with Lucas and I wasn't ready. I don't know if are supposed to be just friends, because the first time we tried dating it didn't work out, so I'm not too sure, he is definitely a great friend."
"Since I don't know that guy, I can't say for sure but it sounds like you two aren't meant to be a couple, just best friends," Harold said as he patted Brooke on the shoulder. Brooke looked up and smiled.
"Thanks for everything but I think I'm going to do some work now," Brooke said as she pulled her laptop from the bag that was sitting between her feet.
"Nice to be a help," Harold said as he opened the magazine sitting on his lap.
Brooke began lightly tapping her fingers on her laptop keyboard. She was working on her portfolio and her thoughts began to drift back to the wedding. She had been surprised when she opened the invitation a few months ago, she and Karen had not stayed close over the years and Brooke and Lucas did not even really talk, they both sent Christmas cards and had awkward phone conversations on each other's birthdays. Brooke's hand eventually made its way up to her neck and began twisting her necklace again.
"You're doing it again," Harold said, casually.
"Huh," Brooke said, breaking out of her thoughts.
"The necklace," Harold said nodding his head towards her neck.
"Oh," Brooke said quietly as she dropped her hand back onto the keyboard. Harold went back to reading his magazine. Brooke ran her finger over the necklace again. Lucas had given it to her, when they were dating in Los Angeles. She remember the distinctly. Lucas had been in California for two years, and they had been dating again for six months. They were sitting at a street-side cafe, they always ate at cafes it reminded them of home. They had ordered they food and were just talking, like they always could, and he pulled out a small bag, inside was the necklace. It had a delicate white gold chain and a tiny heart at the end with three black stones. It was simple and she loved. Brooke had always been the rich party girl and it was not any different in California and now Seattle, but Lucas made life always seem simpler and that necklace would always remind her of those times. The necklace was simple, just like their adult relationship been. It definitely was not simple in high school, but that's teenagers for you.
Time passed quickly as Brooke thought more and more about attending the wedding, the thought even passed not to attend, but that was quickly shoved back into her head. "We are going to begin our descent into Tree Hill in five minutes, please return your chairs to an upright position and put away all activities," an flight attendant said of the plane's audio system. Brooke packed up her computer and straightened her seat and closed her eyes. It was time to face her past.
"I'm so sorry I can't come," Michelle Morgan told Lucas as she sat at the end of his bed while he packed to go to his mother's wedding.
"It's okay," Lucas replied. At first he had been disappointed that Michelle could not come but he soon as the silver-lining, Michelle would not see the craziness that would sure come at this wedding. Plus she would not meet two of his sort of ex-girlfriends. Brooke definitely was his ex-girlfriend, Peyton was not as defined.
His life since he had graduated had been quite simple, well as simple as it got for someone with the name Scott. Lucas took one year off of school to help raise Halle, his younger sister. After one year, Lucas realized that he really wanted to attend university and with his mother's blessing, Lucas moved across the country to Los Angeles to attend UCLA. The move was a shock to Lucas. Going from Tree Hill where he was the Lucas Scott, famous for both his basketball skills and being the Mayor Dan Scott's love child to the large, supposed glamorous city of Los Angeles. After getting settled in, Lucas made the difficult decision to call Brooke Davis. They fell back into their friendship as if they had been talking for the last year which they hadn't been. About a year and half into their friendship it blossomed into a romantic relationship. They relationship came to a halt when Brooke finished her schooling and moved to Seattle. Lucas lived in his self-pity for six months until her met Michelle Morgan in a small coffee house. They immediately started dating and their relationship has been going strong for six months.
"But I wanted to meet your mom, your sister and everyone," Michelle said. Since they had started dating a few months ago Lucas had been somewhat secretive about everything that came before her. It was like he started new when they met. He had given her vague details about his life like, he was raised by his Uncle Keith and his mom, he had a sister and a brother, he was six months out of serious relationship when they had met, and little details here and there. The only member of his family she had met was his brother, Nathan and his family.
"They all want to meet you too, but you can't come and there is nothing we can do about it," Lucas replied, almost getting somewhat annoyed. Michelle had been planning on coming since the day Karen got engaged, but only recently her own father had fallen sick and being the only family in the city she did not have the time to leave.
"I guess, I'm just disappointed about missing your mother's wedding, it's the kind of thing you want your girlfriend to be there for," Michelle said solemnly.
"Well, I'm sure Nathan has already told them plenty of nice things about you, and they are surely also disappointed," Lucas replied.
"I guess, after having so much fun when Nathan visited, I was waiting to meet rest of your family," Michelle said, smiling. She remembered the day she had met Nathan and his family. She and Lucas had been dating for one month, and Nathan was coming to visit, something that the brothers tried to do often, but with Lucas still in school it often fell on Nathan's shoulders to visit. Michelle was expecting to see a man that looked like Lucas, but she didn't. He was the same age as Lucas, but they were both in such different parts of their lives, Nathan was already married with three children and Lucas was still the university student with a casual girlfriend.
"Yeah," Lucas yelled to Michelle as he entered his closet to retrieve some more clothing. Truth be told, Lucas was getting sick of his Michelle's relationship. It had started off fun. Michelle was super sweet and the anti-Brooke but he could not say that Michelle wasn't his rebound relationship from Brooke. His thoughts were not on the wedding of his mother like they should have been but they were on seeing the two girls that had made his life miserable all during high school.
He could not wait for the moment when he would see them again. He hadn't truly seen Peyton since he had left for California. Peyton and he had always had a thing. Whatever was between them was always there. They had always had that meant to be feeling surrounding but it never worked out. Even after she had revealed her true feelings for in senior year, he never acted on them. He had never been sure if he had never acted on them because he still loved Brooke or he was scared. Everyone had though since day one that he and Peyton would have something between them, but he had always gone back to Brooke. But now there were regrets and questions.
And of course, there was Brooke. He had dated Brooke throughout high school and even into their young adult lives. Their most recent relationship had been simple; for once they were truly friends for they began dating, no feelings interfering with the friendship. They had worked as friends. They could have been great friends. But they wrecked that, they began dating again. And that worked also. They dated for a year and a half, way longer than they had ever lasted. It was amazing and simple; the possible lingering feelings for Peyton never interfered because she wasn't there to bring them out. And he never had to save Peyton, which let Brooke be comfortable in the relationship. But then she moved, ending the relationship. They had barely spoken since.
"Lucas!" hollered Michelle, drawing Lucas back to his reality, a reality where he had a girlfriend and she should not be thinking about two of his ex-girlfriends. "What are you doing in there?"
"Nothing," Lucas yelled back, as he grabbed a few pairs of socks and a couple of shirts. He came out of the closet. Michelle was sitting at the end of the bed, looking so happy and sweet. "I wish you could come too," Lucas said sweetly as he sat down next to Michelle and gave her a kiss. But all he could think about was how she was not Peyton or Brooke. And she would never be either of them for him. He would never be what she wanted him to be for her.
Nathan Scott sat at the park bench where he spent most of his Sunday mornings. He twirled a basketball between his two index fingers. He sat there waiting for the kids to show up. Every Sunday morning, Nathan ran a basketball day camp. It was place for girls and boys between the ages four and twelve to get together and play basketball and improve their skills. The idea had come to him one day when he was talking to the Rivercourt guys about how they played ball when they were younger, they all had said they were sneak in the odd time to play when they were at the park, not everyone had their own basketball court and coach sitting at home, like Nathan had. So Nathan came up with Rivercourt Basketball. Nathan's own daughter participated along with lots of other kids from around Tree Hill. Everyone wanted to learn how to play from the Tree Hill legend, Nathan Scott.
Following his very pregnant wife to Stanford, Nathan gave up his dream of basketball for a different but equally important dream, to raise a family with Haley. At school, he played basketball but also got a much needed education. Nathan got his degree in Physical Education. Haley and he had their daughter, Lanna in the first semester of university during the Christmas break, with Haley on the verge of losing her semester, Deb moved in with them, helping raise Lanna. Deb had been clean for 6 months and was going strong. Dan had confessed to the murder of Keith which gave Deb the strength to recover. Nathan's studies were going well when they got the unexpected news that Haley was again pregnant. This time fate had taken care of all of the problems, Haley had their second child in the first week after school ended for the year. This time they had a son, Justin. Deb being the wonderful person she had become stepped in again. Haley was about six months pregnant when both Nathan and Haley finished their degrees. With the promise of getting a job at Tree Hill High School, Nathan moved his growing family back to Tree Hill. The past years without Whitey the basketball program had faltered, the sports administration immediately offered the job to Nathan, and he was a great coach and led the Ravens to their first winning season since his own State Championship winning season. Nathan's job paid well and with help from both the Lee and Scott family fortunes in Nathan's name, it allowed Haley to stay home and raise their young growing family.
"Daddy," Nathan's young daughter, Lanna squealed. "Here are my friends." Nathan looked up towards the road and sure enough there was a group of young kids approaching the court led by no one else than Bevin and Skills.
Nathan jumped up from his seat on the bench and jogged towards them, "Hey guys, what brings you down here today?"
"I was telling Bevin about what you have going here and she thought it would be a good idea to bring down her brother and his friends," Skills said simply. Bevin and Skills somehow had managed to make it through five years as a couple. What had seemed to be a fling to everyone else became one of the more successful relationships from their graduating class.
Eventually more and more children started to show up bringing the total amount of children to eighteen. Skills stayed around to help pass out basketballs. Once all of the kids had basketballs and were attempting to shoot them into the net, Nathan and Skills took a seat on the table top. Bevin was running around, like always, being everyone's individual cheerleader.
"So Karen's wedding," Skills said randomly.
"Yup, everyone is coming back into town," Nathan said knowingly, "Brooke, Lucas, Peyton…"
"What about Lucas' girlfriend?" Skills asked.
"Nope, her dad is sick so she can't make it," Nathan said raising his eyebrows. He and Skills exchanged glances both knowing what was going to go down this week.
Pushing the thought of the nasty love triangle to the back of his head, Skills asked, "So you have met his current girl, what is she like?"
"Really nice," Nathan said, "Kind of over eager, has this young puppy thing about her. She's nice and everything but she does not seem like his type."
"You mean she is the anti-Brooke and Peyton," Skills replied, understanding exactly what Nathan was saying.
"Yeah," Nathan replied. "But maybe that is what he needs. But enough about my brother, let's play some basketball."
They played basketball for about an hour. All of the kids were excited to have Skills helping out. The guys were local legends. They had been apart of the state championship winning Tree Hill Ravens, and everyone knew it. The guys gently passed the balls to each of the kids and where attempting to show them all the right technique in shooting a ball.
"How are things going?" yelled a familiar voice. Nathan looked Haley's wave and gave a wave and went back to his coaching. Haley had wandered down to the park. The kids had been rambunctious this morning, plus she had an extra two. She was babysitting Halle and Jade. "Look it's Daddy," Haley whispered to Justin as she pointed towards Nathan who was busy directing a young girls hands she attempted to shoot the ball.
"Can I play?" asked Halle as Haley began to seat the children on the bench so they could all see.
"Go ask Uncle Nathan," Haley said directing Halle towards Nathan who was no standing in the middle of the court. Haley looked at Nathan and then at her children, her life was close to perfect. If anyone had told her in her freshman year she would be married with three kids at the age of twenty-three, she would have thought they were crazy. Let alone married to Nathan Scott and had gotten married when she was seventeen.
After completing her final year of high school, Haley left with her husband at her side to attend Stanford University, her dream school. The first semester of school was stressful, it is stressful for most students but Haley's situation was different from most others, she was pregnant. She had Lanna on the Christmas break of her first year. The birth of their daughter was a happy occasion but many worries were on the minds of the young Scott parents. Deb stepped in at the right moment, with Haley on the verge of losing her semester, Deb moved in with Nathan and Haley taking care of the young Lanna while her parents were at school. With the news of her second child, Haley again was worried. But it worked out, Justin was born in the summer break from school not effecting Haley's schooling whatsoever. At her graduation Haley was six months pregnant. With Nathan getting a job in Tree Hill they moved back to the town where it had all began. There was enough money around that Haley did not have to work and she stayed home to raise her three children, Lanna, Justin and Megan.
Haley was sitting at on the bench playing Patty Cake with Justin when she heard the noise of heels coming towards her. Haley turned to look Peyton right in the eye. "Hey Peyton," Haley said casually.
"Hey, I'm supposed to pick up Halle too, where is she?" Peyton said looking around as Jade crawled onto her lap.
"Playing," Haley said as she gestured towards the court.
"Oh," Peyton said, knowing there was no way she was dragging Halle off the court. Peyton sat down her bag and sat next to Haley on the bench. "Guess who gets into town today?"
"Yeah I know, Brooke," Haley said. Peyton and Brooke had managed to become friends again in high school but they had never had an adult friendship.
"I meant Lucas, but Brooke's here too," Peyton said. She had not known that Brooke was also coming in today. She wasn't sure if she could handle seeing the pair of them.
"This week should be more than a little bit interesting, the old gang back together," Haley said with a slight smirk on her face. She knew her week was going to filled with happiness and hellos but Peyton's was about to be filled with drama.
Brooke walked into her hotel run pulling her large suitcase behind her, she always over packed.
Lucas walked into the home he had grown up in to see his mother and her groom.
Nathan and Haley walked into a small restaurant to have a Sunday brunch.
Peyton led Halle and Jade up the stairs into Tric, to begin directing the clean-up from the night before.
Many lives that had once been one and now were not, were about to collide. They were going to cause a great storm of love, happiness, pain and as always drama.
A/N- New story. I promise to finish it. It is completely planned out. I know this was long, but please review. The next few chapters will be much shorter. But I had to re-introduce the characters.
-Lauren