A/N: First M' Brucas story. Hope you readers enjoy the prologue. And thanks to my awesome beta: Leeese!

Disclaimer: Don't own OTH


Tree Hill, North Carolina

A young woman with brunette hair and hazel eyes stepped out of the car and looked at the building in front of her nervously. "Are you sure this is the right address?" she asked her mother as she frowned. "This doesn't look like the right apartment."

"That's what it said on the sheet. I'm sure it's not as bad as it looks on the inside," her mother assured her.

They walked up to the apartment door and Beth pulled out her key. She put it into the lock and turned the key. She pushed the door open and saw an empty living room. Beth walked in and looked around. She nodded satisfied. Her mother had been right. "Ok, maybe this won't be so bad." She then noticed the thoughtful look on her mother's face. "I'm just sorry that I had to drag you and Dad into this mess."

"Don't apologize. We're doing this for you," Karen told her in a reassuring voice. "You're our daughter and we are going to be there every step of the way so you won't be alone."

Beth sighed. "I know. And I'm really grateful for that. Because I don't think I can go through this all this alone."

Karen looked at her daughter. "Everything is going to be ok. Agent Hargrove said that it will probably only be for a few weeks. As soon as that sick bastard is in prison, then we can go home and go back to how we were before," she replied. "But for now, we have to stay in Tree Hill."

Brooke nodded sadly. "I know."

Just then, there was a knock at the open front door. The two women jumped. They were relieved when they saw it was a familiar face. "Keith, you scared us," Karen said with a laugh. "You almost gave us a heart attack."

"Sorry about that," Keith replied with a reassuring smile. "The moving truck is here," he told them. Karen followed him out while Beth stayed where she was. She was already thinking of decorating ideas when she heard another knock on the door.

She turned around to see a young woman with long blonde hair. She was carrying something in her hand. "Hi, I'm Peyton Sawyer. I live next door. I just wanted to welcome you in the neighborhood."

Beth smiled. "That's sweet."

"And I also brought some food over. I didn't think you would be able to eat anything right away with all the moving in and everything," Peyton replied as she handed the food over to Beth.

"Thank you," Beth repeated gratefully as they heard footsteps. The two women turned to see Keith and Karen, who both had boxes in their hands. "Mom, Dad, this is Peyton Sawyer, my new neighbor."

Karen smiled warmly at her. "Hello, it's nice to meet you. I'm Victoria Davis and this is my husband Richard," she replied, telling her the names that Agent Hargrove had given them. She had to admit that it was odd using a false name. "And you already met Brooke."

Beth gave her a little smile. "Yeah, that's me." That was her new name. She wasn't sure if she liked it. It sounded more like a middle name than a first name. However, she knew that she had to deal with it for now. "Peyton just came to welcome me in the neighborhood. And she brought us some food."

"That's very thoughtful of you," Victoria said as she and her husband put down the boxes by the front door.

"Do you guys need any help unloading?" Peyton offered.

"Sure. Come on," Richard replied and everyone followed him out the door.


A couple of hours later, all the boxes and furniture were out of the truck and in the apartment. Richard and Victoria then treated Brooke and Peyton to pizza. They then started to get to know Peyton. Luckily, they were able to avoid answering questions about themselves.

"You are going to love Tree Hill. Everyone's really nice here," Peyton told them. "And it's so quiet."

"That's why I moved here," Brooke replied with a slight laugh. "I couldn't stand the city life anymore."

"Where did you move here from?" Peyton asked.

Brooke froze. Her mind was a blank. She couldn't remember what city that she had been told to say. Her mother spoke up, saving her. "She moved here from Seattle," she replied.

Brooke nodded, now remembering. "I wanted a change of pace," she added.

"Well, you'll certainly get it. Hardly anything ever happens here," Peyton said. "It's like the perfect town."

"It sounds just what I need," Brooke replied as she and her mother shared a glance.

Peyton then looked at the time. "If you would excuse me, I have to go. It was nice meeting you three."

"It was nice meeting you too," Victoria replied with a smile.

Brooke saw Peyton to the door. "Thank you for coming over," she said. "It's nice to know I'll know someone in this town."

Peyton laughed. "It's no problem. I know what it's like to be new here. I moved here just last year so I could be closer to my boyfriend. The hours were just a little too much for us," she explained with a fond smile. "So I decided to move here."

"Where did you live before?" Brooke asked curious.

"I lived in Raleigh," Peyton replied. "It was a smooth transition since I didn't have any family or friends there."

"I see," Brooke said. She really didn't know what to reply. So she said the first thing that popped into her head.

"I know the most popular place in town. It's a club called Tric. It's where everyone hangs out," Peyton offered. "It's the best place to meet new people. And if you're interested, I could introduce you to the hottest guys in Tree Hill."

"I'd love that," Brooke replied managing a small smile. "But I think I'm going to pass on the meeting guys part. I'm not really looking for a guy right now." The truth was that she knew that she couldn't be in a relationship, not as long as she was Brooke Davis.

Peyton understood. "Do you still want me to show you the town?" she asked.

Brooke nodded. "Definitely."

"Great. Is twelve-thirty tomorrow afternoon too soon?" Peyton asked. She knew that Brooke had to unpack her boxes.

Brooke shook her head. "No, that's perfect."

"I'll swing by and pick you up then," Peyton replied, returning the smile. She then walked out and Brooke closed the door behind her.

"Well, I think we should get going too," Victoria said as she got up from the couch. Her husband was right behind her. "Are you going to be alright here by yourself?" she asked Brooke in a worried tone. "Your father and I can always stay."

"Mom, I'll be fine. I promise," Brooke assured her. "And I'll call you if I need you." She then saw her parents to the door. She then shut the door before looking around at the boxes that surrounded the rooms. She went to the first box and started unpacking. Even though she didn't like the situation that she was in, she was going to make the best of it, even if she had to be Brooke Davis. It was better than the alternative.