Here is a little 411

This story takes place in New York.

Nathan and Peyton are brother and sister, both living together in Peyton's studio apartment. Peyton owns her own restaurant, Nathan works on cars.

Haley and Lucas are twins, Lucas owns a car repair shop. Haley was living in their hometown Tree Hill, but has recently move to New York. After going through a divorce.

This story idea was suggested to me by cookielover69, .it's a Leyton story, but it going to have a lot of Nathan and Peyton moments do to the fact of what they have been through in their past.. So the story will circle around Peyton a tad..

So please read let me know what you think..

Happy Reading

Cindy : )

One Step At A Time

Chapter 1

Her hands trembling slightly as she clicked the sign up button on the computer screen. Peyton pressed the mouse and clenched her teeth, not believing she had just registered for a dating website.

" I can't believe I just did that" she whispered to herself. Not hearing her brother coming in the room.

"Did what?" Nathan's voice caused her to jump right out of her seat landing on the floor.

" Just messes online" she feigned a smile, as she latched onto his hand to help herself off the floor.

"You okay?" He asked in a concern voice.

"Yeah, you just scared me"

"Sorry," he said, giving her a small smile, " so what was you doing?' He asked again.

" Just messing around online '

" Oh really" he said in his not buying it tone. He glance at the computer screen. "What the hell?" his eyes widen, " You joined a dating site?"

She closed her eyes, " Yes"

" Seriously, Peyton dating online like that really works, you know how many perverts on in this world? You have to be kidding me"

" Yes, Nate..." she rolled her eyes, " Look I'm not going to meet them or nothing, I probably won't even talk to any of them. I just wanted to see who the site matches me with."

" Match you?"

" Yes, this site is a little different, you tell it some stuff about yourself and what you are looking for in a partner. And you take this quiz. then you wait and hour then they send you the top people they think are good matches for you. I just wanted to see who they matched me with. "

" Let me guess, Rachel told you to do this"

" Yes, she doesn't understand why I don't date, she actually asked me if I was a lesbian, " She sighed, " Nate I like Rachel a lot, but I don't want her to know why I don't date, or why I'm scared to get to know a guy. I want her to think I'm normal, so I joined the site to shut her up, that's it.I think if I tell her I did join, she'll back off me. I don't plan on talking to any of the guys, if any email me."

Nathan looked at his sister, " Peyt, I think you should." he said after reconsidering everything

" Should what?" She questioned with a raised brow, looking at him shockingly

" I think you should at least check it out, see who emails you, and answers an email or two. It wouldn't hurt."

" Your crazy?"

He pulled her over to the couch, " You know I love you, and I will always have your back. but I would like to see you happy again." Peyton and Nathan have always had a special relationship even with her being a year older them him, they knew they could run to each other for anything and everything.

" I'm happy Nate," she said, as she gave him a fake smile.. " Okay I'm not hundred percent happy, " she admitted.." My world had been shit for so long, that I'd almost forgotten...what it felt like to be even a little happy."

" Yeah, I get that, but I miss fifteen year old Peyton, who use to talk about getting married, and having a family, finding true love. What happen to her?"

She jumped off the couch, " She died ten years ago, that bastard killed her." she told him in a bitter voice. She leaned up against the wall. " He killed my dreams, he killed my spirit, he took something away from me, that I can't seem to get back. But I want it back." she said in a high voice choking up a bit as tears came to her eyes out of no where. Nathan immediately got up in pulled her into a hug. " I hate him, I hate what he did, I fucken hate him" she whispered into his chest.

" I know, I hate that bastard to" He said as he held her tightly, " Peyton, he cant' hurt you anymore, he's dead, he aint' coming back." he tried to reassure her.

" He's in my mind Nathan. doing the day I'm fine, but at night..." she trail off... " I want the nightmares to end."

He kissed the top of her head." I know," was all he could say, he knew she was having nightmares still he would hear her from his room, some nights they wasn't to bad, he would let her go through it alone, but on the nights that they were really bad, he would come into her room, and hold her all night. He wonders sometimes, how she even make it through a night without him, when he was locked up. She must have felt all alone. He hated himself for that.

She cried in his arms a little while longer, " Your got mail" echoed through the apartment, " You got mail, go check it." he said, as he wiped away the rest of her tears. Hoping to put an ease on her.

She smiled, " Well, actually I'm pretty sure that it's for you?" she said, as she dried her eyes,

" Why me?"

" Cause...I...kind...of...maybe..." she backed away from him slowly, " Set you up a profile to" she bit her lip, waiting on his reaction.

" You did what?" He yelled, as he walked over to the computer, " Peyton I don't want to meet anyone, take me off of this shitty website now."

" Nathan, you need to meet a good women to, "

" I have no problem picking up women, with my good looks and charming smile I could get any damn women I want." He said, giving her a wink. Needing to make her laugh, so he could get her mind out of the past.

She laughed out loud. " You are full of yourself." she joked, as she walked over to the computer, " Lets see who they matched you with."

" I don't care who they matched me with, I don't want no part of it,"

" Nate we can do it together, just see what happens, we don't have to meet them, or email them, or talk to them. We can just look, "

He looked at her knowing that meeting someone could be a good thing for her. She is twenty-six years old and never been in love, all because of tragic events in her life. She deserved to find someone to love her, someone to help her through everything, someone who would hold her when the nightmares return.

" Fine, I'm kind of curious to who they think my ideal match is, " He said, agreed to it, so she would have to do it to, " I'm kind of tired of the one night stand girls, but let's get serious Peyt, what girl in her right mind is going to want to date me or continue dating me when the truth comes out."

" What"

" Peyton, have you ever wondered why, I prefer one night stands," she just looked at him, " What girl is going to want to be with a guy Who lives with his sister and works on cars barely making any money. I don't really have any plans for the future. I killed my dreams, I killed my future. that night...

" You didn't kill your future, and there is a girl out their for you Nate someone who would want to be with you regardless of your past. You just have to look, "

" Same goes for you, there's a guy out there for you to, you just have to let him in."

" You to."

" Hey, I did leave someone in, someone who claimed to love me, till I drunkenly told her about my past, next morning she's bye-bye, not a note, no card, no email. no call, no text, nothing..."

Peyton looked down at the floor, as he talked about the only girl he really ever had feelings for, " Look, Nate, she wasn't the girl for you plain and simple, she was a bitch and heartless, she would have never understood why you did what you did for me. Hell, some days I can't believe you did it... I own you my life."

" You own me nothing, I did what I had to be done, Your my sister, it's my job to protect you, and I plan on continuing doing so for the rest of my life. "He told her as he looked back at the screen, noticing one of the guys send her a message. " Hey your prefect match just send you a message."

"No way!" she said a little to excitedly,

" Why did you tell him your name is Elizabeth?"

She shrugged, " Okay, I was a little afraid to put my real name on their, so I used my middle name, I did put a picture. So that's a step."

" What name did you put for me?"

"Sawyer"

"Sawyer?" he questioned, " You put my last name as my first name, " she nodded, "Okay, " he then sat down in front of the computer." Hey Elizabeth, just want to stop by and tell you that you are a very beautiful women, you have amazing eyes, I look forward to getting to know you. Please replied back. Scott" he looked over at his sister, " So are we going to answer this Scott guy back or not.." she just bit her lip, as she stared at her brother, " Fine I will."

" What? you can't" she said, as Nathan started typing, Her mouth dropped..." Fine" she said, as she grabbed the laptop, and logged into Nathan's account, " Well, lookie here who has twenty-one messages, Hmm. who should I email...Eeny, meeny, miny, moe," she said, as she pointed to each name. "Catch a tiger by the toe. If he hollers, let him go ,Eeny, meeny, miny, moe...And the winner is...Jamie, oh she's pretty, Nate,"

Nathan looked over at her, curiously wondering if he should go check her out, " I don't care..." he said, as he sent the message back.

Lucas was laying on his bed, half asleep when he hears his computer ding, he sighed as he got out of bed. He figured it was Haley, his eyes widen as he seen who it was from.." Wow...she wrote back, didn't think she would." he was a little nervous inside.

" Didn't think who would what?" Haley asked as she walked into his room..

" What are you doing here?"

" My washer broke can I borrow yours;"

" At ten clock at night? Why can't you wait till the morning."

" I have an interview at that Peyton's Place restaurant at ten, I need to look my best and my best outfit is dirty, please Luke I really want this job, Well I really need this job." she said, as she give him her puppy dog eyes. Haley had recently left her husband and had moved to New York, living in the same neighborhood her brother does. Money wasn't a problem with her, but she was bored out of her mind, so when she seen the hiring sign in the window she immediately called...

" Fine," he said, not really pay attention to her.

She thanked him before going back out the door. as she was putting the clothes in the washer , her phone beeped, she pulled it out noting she had a new email. A big smile crossed her face..." Hey Jamie, how are you? You are very beautiful women, I was hoping to get the chance to talk to you, I would like to know more about you, If you don't mind. I'm a year younger than you so I hope that's not a problem. Please write back...Sawyer" she shook her head, as she enter her brother's room.

"Dear Scott, thank you for you kind words. I would love to get to know you to. I think we would have a lot in common. I'm also in New York, so maybe we can meet up, one day, considering how our online talks go, I think we should talk on here first for a while. Are you into basketball? I'm a huge basketball fan. Your answer to that question will make or break or future, just saying...Elizebeth.

"Wow, who would have guessed you and I both getting emails from people at the same time." Haley said, as she over heard him reading his email out loud.

Lucas looked over at her, " You got one to?"

" Yeah his name's Sawyer, "

" Did you write him back" She shook her head. " Are you going to?"

" I don't know" she sighed as she sat down on the bed, " I want to but, I still think it's to soon, "

" Haley, it's been a year..."

" I know Luke, but...

"But nothing...Haley you're the one who talked me into this whole dating online thing, and I'm kind of glad you did," he said, as he looked at the girls picture on her profile. " Look I'm doing this for you, so you do it for me, we don't have to meet them, we can just talk to them through emails. till your ready."

" Fine.. I write him back."

The next day all four woke up with smiles on their faces, After pushing Nathan off the chair Peyton was able to talk to Lucas on her own. Which let to a three-hour instant message talk. Nathan talked to Haley all night, They all decided to continue to talk through chats and emails, meeting each other wasn't the right thing now..

Little did the know, what faith had planned for them...