ANThanks for the reviews, y'all. I'm gonna be random and tell you that my AIM screen name is FRLB11. Why? Cause I'm just like that. Time for the chapter.

R

Chapter Two: Never Too Late

Song by Three Days Grace

A

"So, are you going to tell me where you were yesterday, or do I have to guess?" Rachel rolled her eyes at her friend's persistent queries. Brooke hadn't been letting up on the whole thing, despite Rachel's attempts at changing the subject. She had an idea brewing, but wasn't quite sure what to do with it. Though, Brooke would probably help her with it…and just maybe…

"Nah, I think I'll just let you think about it for a while." Brooke made a face at her, half playful and half irritable. Rachel knew that Brooke hated it when she kept secrets from her. She hated it when any of her friends lied to her.

"Anyway, I have a proposal for you miss Davis." Rachel grinned, trying to get her friend interested in what she was about to say. That smile told her that it had worked, the eyes glowing with bated excitement. They stopped their walk across the dock. It was a brighter day than it had been. The sun would sometimes hide behind the thick grey plumes floating above.

"So, bestest friend, what did you have in mind?" The brunette tossed back her hair from her face. Rachel paused. She was still becoming accustomed to Brooke's little nicknames. She really wasn't used to anyone calling her, 'bestest friend'.

"Anyway, we've got a vacation coming up, right?" Rachel waited for Brooke to nod in confirmation, which she did. It was extremely strange, though. A vacation for the seniors so close to graduation. Following directly after the dozen days of freedom break, they would have their exams to work through and then they'd finally graduate from high school. Well, in June they would graduate.

"I was thinking – how about we take a trip up to my parents' house down at the beach? It'd be fun. We'd start driving on Friday after school and then we'd have twelve days with our friends. It's not like any of our parents are going to take us places." The smile broke into a full-blown grin.

"You are brilliant. Wait – how many houses do your parents have?" Brooke looked surprised at the mention of yet another house. They had taken a trip up to the 'rustic' house in the mountains pretty soon after the school shooting. Hell, the trips always had a couple of revelations and plenty of cool things to do.

"Who knows? Anyway, we'll start packing tomorrow and I'll invite a couple of people today. Sound good?" Of course, one of those people would be someone far from willing to go on the excursion without a bit of persuasion. And it would be a certain blonde with whom Brooke was currently estranged.

"Sounds awesome. Now…we're gonna be late for fourth period."

C

"So, that's Bevin, Skills, Nathan, Haley, Lucas. Oh, Mouth. And, of course, me and Brooke." Green eyes studied her suspiciously, but she plunged forward in her quest nevertheless. "Now – would you come too? It's not a party without P. Sawyer and her music, right?"

"You're kidding, right?" Her voice was flat and didn't offer even a little room for argument. "You want me to be in the same house with Brooke for – what? – twelve days straight?

Hey, at least Peyton was speaking to her more. Ellie suddenly barked loudly, making them both jump. Both young women froze, their eyes fixed in the direction of the door. The puppy ran into the kitchen, yapped, and then ran back into the front hall. There was a moment of silence before she starting scratching at the door and howling in her high-pitched tone. She stopped and returned to her place at Peyton's feet.

Neither voiced what they were thinking, but Rachel fought to get her back onto the topic at hand and away from the thought that Devin might be just outside. It was highly unlikely – but…

"Anyway, please Peyton? You can drive up with me. I'm going to be carrying a lot of the luggage in my trunk and backseat, so it'd just be us. Bevin is going up with Skills and Mouth. Nathan and Lucas are driving up with Haley. Brooke is actually bringing up Gabrielle, remember her? She's varsity soccer. Really cool. Brooke's been hanging out with her when I'm not around. So…are you okay with this? Please come."

"I'll think about it…" Peyton looked exhausted. It could most likely be attributed to her lack of sleep. That was another thing that she needed to work on. Being able to sleep through the night without having night terrors lurking behind each closed eyelid. She grimaced and gestured to the den, her eyes occasionally shooting to keep an eye on the front door, almost as though she were scared that it would suddenly burst open and reveal the cause of her ever-present trepidation. "Do you wanna stay for a movie?"

Well, that was a pretty big step. Peyton had never verbally invited her to stay over before. It could only be taken as a good sign – hopefully.

"Sure. You want pizza, blondie?" She nodded with the slightest nervousness before making her way to the couch. Ellie yipped, looked between the pair and hopped up onto Peyton's lap.

They had only one dilemma within the next few minutes and it happened to be deciding on a movie to watch. Rachel brought up Bring It On: All or Nothing, to which Peyton rolled her eyes and muttered something about a chick flick. In turn, Peyton had mentioned The Blair Witch Project, earning the priceless scene of Rachel gaping at her for the idea. So, they had a little time bickering over movies before Ellie, getting quite annoyed at the pair for disturbing her nap, whined and jumped from her seat. Consequently, she landed on the controller and accidentally chose the movie for them.

And so…it was the beginning track of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire that shut them both up. Both looked bemused before seeing Ellie with her tail wagging and her back paw next to the remote. Peyton had to laugh, even as she lifted her puppy into her arms to settle back down. Ellie made another very puppy-ish noise and licked her owner right on the nose before curling up into a furry ball of cuteness.

During the movie, Rachel could hardly take her eyes off of the blonde next to her. Her companion, on the other hand, had become absorbed into the movie. The sun had quickly dipped behind the ends of the earth, hiding itself until the next day. The moon had taken its rightful place high in the darkened heavens. It peered in through the windows, keeping a watchful eye on the pair of them.

Rachel just couldn't pull her attention to the movie even as she listened to the dialogue spoken in rich British accents. The moonlight made Peyton glow and she seemed to radiate the kind of beauty bred from innocence while still managing to look like a very hot Aphrodite. Her emerald eyes were greener than anything Rachel had seen before and her complexion was absolutely flawless. Well, at least it was in her eyes.

Anyone else who set eyes on her might be taken aback by the sheer number of injuries that her expanse of flesh seemed to hold. Bruises, abrasions and permanent scarring marred certain parts of her body, but the former of the three were simply temporary…unlike the word sliced into her pale skin.

Her heart fluttered uncomfortably as a couple of very guilty thoughts entered into her conscience mind. They were things that would be highly inappropriate and it made her grateful that Peyton was no mind reader. She squirmed in her seat, feeling heat race up her neck and spread throughout her body. She knew that she must have been burning a flaming red at that point. She was imagining herself doing certain things to Peyton that she certainly shouldn't have been.

Rachel suddenly had to force herself away, her eyes switching over to the television screen. There was a cute little redheaded girl talking to a boy who also had redhead; she could only guess that it was the boy who played Ronald Weasley. Her mind absently searched for bits of information that she recalled from the books and first three movies. Ah, right. The little girl was Ginny. From there, the rest of the details appeared in her brain. Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and the rest of that redheaded family. The blonde antagonist, Malfoy.

It didn't seem even close to being as important as Peyton had become. But, she would have a difficult time making an excuse if Peyton caught her staring with slightly parted lips. So, it was better to keep her thoughts occupied with thoughts of J.K Rowling's mystical and fantastic universe.

Anyway, moving one. Emma Watson…the actress playing Hermione. Oh…niiiccee. If only she were a bit older…like eighteen. She dragged her mind away from those waters. If she thought about that girl for too long, it would eventually bring her right back to the young woman she was trying to avoid. And so her brain kind of flittered all over the place for the next hour and a half. She kept thinking about Brooke and the trip and what Peyton's answer might be and how the trip might go. She could only imagine what mess they would get themselves into down at the beach. With that many teenagers, probable alcohol and the number of days they'd spend together, the possibilities could be endless.

She was so caught up in trying not to concentrate on Peyton that she almost didn't hear her when she spoke during the last moments of the movie. Those bright jade orbs were locked onto her own hazel. Behind everything, every erected wall and barrier, she could see the faintest outline of some kind of trust.

"I'll go."

Rachel smiled brightly. She knew that Peyton wouldn't feel one-hundred percent comfortable with the whole idea, but at least she was willing to give it a try. Now, all she had to do was find someway to get Peyton and Brooke to just talk. Nothing more or less. They just needed to work out their problems. Whether they could do that without the truth of Peyton's prom night, she wasn't sure. It was a pretty huge thing to keep secret, after all.

"Great, you can even bring Ellie. Now, since I know you'll wait until the absolute last minute, we're going to go pack. Now. Okay? Because we leave the day after tomorrow? Now, up you get." Rachel helped the pitiful looking blonde to her feet, the puppy leaping to her paws to sleepily follow wherever they went.

Once in her room, Rachel carefully shut the door behind Ellie. She knew that no one else was in the house, but it seemed to make Peyton feel more secure. She examined the contents of her closet before beginning her commentary. She knew that Peyton wouldn't like her suggestion, but she would listen despite that fact.

"It's going to be hot on some days…so you can't wear those oversized clothes you like so much. But –" She raised a hand to stop Peyton's protests, "I have some good cover-up you can use on the more obvious bruises. Otherwise you can wear one of those little jackets, all right? ...Good. But, just choose a couple of tanks, tees, bathing suits, you know, beachy things. Like…this one." She pulled a little red bikini from the hangers and held it out. Rachel gestured for her to go try it on. Peyton gave a resigned little sigh before disappearing into the bathroom.

When she exited, Rachel's chest tightened uneasily. Peyton had her arms crossed protectively over her chest, her legs straight and stiff. She was beautiful and broken at the same time. Rachel could see individual ribs, the faintest red edge of the psycho Devin's mark, bruises and small scratches all over the place. The dark violently blatant bruises littered her upper chest, clavicle and shoulders. A bite mark was obvious on her left shoulder, the skin still an irritated pink. He'd done quite the number on her.

"Look, you can wear a sarong or t-shirt over it, okay?" Peyton couldn't seem to bring her gaze up to Rachel's, so she just nodded. "You look good in it, for what it's worth."

Peyton managed a weak smile before hurrying into the safety of her overly large flannel shirt and black sports shorts. Rachel knew it would be quite some time before Peyton would be able to wear anything quite so revealing again. It left her very little to hide behind and her vulnerability was painfully easy to see.

H

"Be nice, Brooke."

"Whaatt? I'm not the one who got up and ran like I saw a ghost the last time we tried to talk." Brooke's tone was grudging and annoyed. Her eyes were clouded with unadulterated irritation as she gazed as the person who used to be her best friend – the one that would always put "hoes over bros" with her. Well, as far as Brooke was concerned, that was all over.

"She's been through a lot. Cut her some slack, miss grouchy." Rachel was doing her best not to just tell her exactly what she had been through, just to make her stop shooting glares in Peyton's direction. The blonde was awkwardly waiting by Rachel's car, her dog hidden behind her legs. Ellie wasn't the best about coming out and meeting strangers. No one apart from Rachel actually knew that she had a dog. Haley was talking to her with Nathan, completely oblivious to the ball of fluff that was halfway under the car. Rachel could only guess that she would come out when everyone left. All of the cars were loaded and the seating and driving arrangements had been finalized.

Gabrielle was talking to Lucas and Mouth animatedly, arguing over which was the better sport: basketball or soccer. They just couldn't come to a compromise. Eventually Nathan wandered over and joined in the little debate. There were several mentions of J.J Redick, Brandi Chastain, Michael Jordan and David Beckham. Also several coaches, like Coach K, were used to try and win some ground. Of course, every time one point was made it would be combated with an opposing side.

Gabrielle was tall with a slight frame and light skin. Freckles sprinkled over her nose and her hair was like a very light coffee. Tim had actually hit on her quite a few times until she smacked him over the head with a basketball. Rachel had been there and wouldn't trade that memory for anything. Tim had muttered something and skulked off to hit on some other unfortunate lady. Nathan had rolled his eyes at the entire fiasco.

"Time to go. Brooke, you and Gabrielle go first. Haley, you follow with Nathan and Lucas. Bevin, Skills, Mouth, you start off fourth. Peyton and I will bring up the back, that sound fair enough?" She received no complaints as everyone broke into their groups. Gabrielle grinned and waved to Mouth, who flushed slightly and waved back. She laughed and finally got into the front seat next to Brooke. They would switch off after an hour or so.

Silence fell as car doors closed and locked, engines revved to life and wheels carried their vehicles away. Rachel gave Peyton a little smile as Ellie crept out from under the car, her eyes staring after the cars. Peyton returned the little smile before ducking into Rachel's car, her dog hopping in after her. Ellie had a bit of trouble, but she finally managed after a few seconds. Rachel made sure that everything was working and was in the right place before taking her place in the driver's seat.

She let Peyton have all the quiet she wanted as they pulled onto the roads leading away from Tree Hill. God – the city held so many dark secrets and memories of pain. It would be nice to get away. They all needed it. Peyton most of all. Everything was just chock full of badness, maybe Rachel could help Peyton make some better memories to carry with her. And just maybe, they'd help her get past all of the terrible things that happened to her.

Peyton looked exhausted, though she didn't know why. Maybe Peyton had had another one of her nightmares. They plagued her like disease. Thirty minutes slipped by in a haze, Peyton restlessly shifting herself around, her eyes focusing randomly out of the window. Ellie curled up on Peyton's lap, nose tucked under Peyton's arm. Those thirty minutes transformed lazily into an hour. By the time another half of an hour came and went, Peyton had relinquished herself to sleep.

By no means were her dreams peaceful or happy, but at least she could rest. Rachel couldn't decide whether to wake her up or let her continue on in her darkened REM sleep. And so, she just continued driving and feeling utterly helpless about the whole situation. Ellie whined and nuzzled her owner, reaching up to press her wet nose against Peyton's cheek.

Rachel remembered the first time she had stayed over at Peyton's to keep an eye on her. She remembered hearing the girl suddenly scream and wake up, looking scared of everything. It hadn't been more than two days after Devin's assault. She had staggered out of bed, fell to her knees in front of the toilet bowl and vomited. The redhead had carefully drawn her blonde hair from her face, holding it back as she retched. It wasn't until after she was done that Peyton realized that she wasn't alone. Of course, she had been jumpy about that as well.

She pulled out her phone and glanced at the screen as she received a text. It was from Brooke. Her friend was telling her where they were stopping for a little bit at a gas station. When she pulled in, she could see her companions exiting and stretching their legs, talking languidly to each other as if they hadn't a care in the world. Peyton finally awoke when Ellie barked in her ear and huddled down in her arms.

"Feel a bit better?" Rachel asked, a small concerned frown on her features.

"Not really." She stroked her puppy's fluffy head, seeming to get some kind of comfort from the fuzz below her fingers.

"C'mon. Ellie should get out and you should probably have something to make you feel better. Advil? Caffeine?" Rachel was willing to buy her anything and everything that had even the smallest chance of reassuring her or making her forget, even for a second.

"Caffeine would be good. Coffee, soda. I don't care. As long as it keeps me awake." She could tell that Peyton was scared to go to sleep. Brooke shot her a dark look when she caught sight of the blonde. In return, Peyton stiffened and cast her gaze in a different direction. Ellie wasn't very willing, but jumped out behind her in any case. The puppy earned a confused stare from the former of the two.

"Where'd the mutt come from?" Her voice was laced with as much ill-feeling as she could muster. For the first time, Peyton's eyes rose to meet hers and it wasn't a pretty expression on her face.

"Ellie."

"What?" Brooke was taken aback by the cold voice that responded to her.

"Her name is Ellie. She's not a mutt." Well, it seemed that Ellie was one of the few things, living or otherwise, that Peyton was willing to speak and stand up for. The puppy barked again and took her usual place by the teenager's feet. "Never call her that again."

With all of that said and done, Peyton turned and led her dog to a place behind the gas station where she could take care of whatever she needed to before the rest of the trip to the beach. Rachel hid her smirk and just went on her way to buy Peyton's caffeine source. She figured at a coke would do the trick. Lots of sugar.

E

The trip had passed in relative silence apart from the occasional song that Peyton chose to turn to on the radio. It wasn't awkward by any means; it was one of the peaceful periods of quiet. The four cars pulled up into the spacious driveway of the beach house, doors opening and excited chattering starting up once again. The boys immediately were set to work carrying luggage inside. Haley pulled Gabrielle and Bevin aside to talk rapidly in that Haley-ish way of hers.

Rachel lightly pulled Peyton from the car, but the latter seemed a bit intimidated by all of the noise and the unfamiliar territory. Her dog was acting the exact same way, oddly enough. Ellie took a slow step forward…then another….and another.

But, the puppy didn't take long before she bounded over to Haley and the other two, suspiciously barking at them as if they posed some sort of threat to Peyton. As if. The trio laughed and knelt down, looking enraptured with the hopping furball.

"If Ellie can do it, you know you have to." Rachel murmured in her head, catching her off guard. It was a fact that Peyton had accepted, but hardly liked. Nevertheless, she made sure that Rachel was close by before heading up the steps to the front door.

It was to her dismay, and Rachel's surprise, that she discovered that everyone had plans for the following night. Everyone except for a certain three women with different hair colors. Haley and Nathan had planned a night alone since they had gone out partying with everyone else the first night. Bevin, Skills, Lucas, Mouth and Gabrielle had planned another little outing.

Rachel strongly suspected that Haley had set it up with the idea of trying to get a certain pair to reconcile. So, everyone was busy and Brooke, Peyton and Rachel were all left alone in the big house with a puppy that felt no love, currently, for the brunette.

"You know…there's a hot-tub, right?" Rachel directed the comment at her blonde friend, knowing just how desperate she was to get out of the room. She also knew that it would probably help her relax, which was a huge goal of hers. "You should get in there for a while, Peyton, okay? We'll join you in a bit."

Peyton nodded without making a sound and made her escape for the room she was staying in. With that done and out of the way, Rachel turned to speak to Brooke. The brunette seemed bemused by what she had just said and was waiting for an explanation.

"Why can't you just ease up? Brooke, I've told you she's-" Brooke cut her off with an angry interjection.

"Been through a lot, I get it. But you never tell me what. I know about psycho Derek and her moms dying and real Derek getting reassigned, but you never cared before. All of the sudden you just start defending her and you won't tell me anything, Rachel. So, what? What else has she been through that I don't know about? What could possibly be worse than everything else?" Her tone was challenging, baiting her to just spill each secret.

"Not my place, Brooke. Ask her yourself." Rachel wouldn't rise to it and betray her. It wasn't even an option in her mind.

"Rachel –"

"No, Brooke. I'm not doing this to her." Rachel added something else in a darker tone before turning to grab her own bathing suit, "She's already had enough people hurt her. I'm not about to become just another one of them."

Brooke sat there, mystified and a bit hurt. What the hell was that crazy bitch talking about? What could possibly have happened that she didn't know about? She sat there for a minute, thinking it over. Nothing was quite making sense, but she would find out one way or another. Brooke got to her feet and walked in the opposite direction. She was in the room with Gabrielle.

The head cheerleader took her time looking for the right suit. Nothing made much sense to her anymore. Rachel protecting Peyton sure as hell didn't seem right. She settled on a black bikini and changed at a leisurely pace. Goddamn that girl, now the question would be bugging her for the rest of the time there. She planned on figuring out just what was going on, either from Rachel or from Peyton herself.

Brooke carried a towel over one shoulder and stopped when she heard voices as she neared the hot tub. She was just quiet enough to stand just inside the porch doors, listening in on what she could. Rachel was smart, she wouldn't randomly blab with the possibility of Brooke listening in.

She didn't need to. Brooke's mouth opened, her eyes growing just a little wider from what she could see of Peyton's upper back. Rachel sat on the edge of the warm churning water, looking down at the blonde who winced every time she had to move her shoulder. How could she not have noticed before?

L