A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you who reviewed. I love all of the feedback and again, just, thank you. I hope you like this chapter as much, I have more in the works. I look forward to hearing more from all of you.

--Afraid--

You haven't seen her in two days.

Two days since she showed up on your door step out of the blue and you found what had been missing in your life. You found her.

Well, maybe not quite yet, but you were one step closer all the same.

And in these past two days you have heard from each one of your closest friends, learning that she saw them all yesterday, briefly, letting them know she was going to be in town for a little while and she would need to talk to them some. Also that she apologized for being gone without any word in all this time.

So you know that she came to see you first, and saw everyone else – Nathan and Haley, Lucas, Karen, even Bevin and Skills – yesterday. But no one has heard anything since, and the day is almost over.

You sigh to yourself as you sit in your room contemplating all that is going on. You're still in somewhat of a shock at the fact that you not only figured out what had been an underlying feeling on your part all those years ago, and hers as well, but that now you know that she still feels the same way, as do you. You couldn't see it any clearer. You are in love with Peyton, and oh how good it feels to just know that, to be able to say it out loud to yourself, confident in your words.

Becoming somewhat restless with all this 'thinking' time you've had in the past few days you decide you should probably leave your house. Maybe go for a drive to clear your mind.

Approximately four minutes and twenty-seven seconds after you get in your car, you realize you are heading to her house. And another few minutes later you slowly pull into her drive way, killing the engine, and get out of your car.

You don't know if she is home. Though you assume she is because her car is parked by the curb. You take a second to wonder why she tends to park on the curb when there is an open drive way to her house right there to park in, but dismiss the thoughts as you step closer to her front door.

If she is home, you don't know what you're going to say to her, why exactly you're here. You just know that you need to be. The shock of seeing her has worn off and now the time to act, to soak it in and make sure she really is here has come. You need to tangibly confirm her reappearance in your life.

So you walk the remaining few feet and ring her door bell. But then you remember that this is Peyton you're dealing with so you try the door knob, but find it locked. So you wait, and then ring the door bell again and knock a few times for added measure. And you wait.

Just as you're about to give up and drive back home, you think you hear the faint sound of music coming from inside. As you try to listen more intently you convince yourself, if for no other reason, that yes, you do hear music coming from inside the house.

You quickly rummage through your purse, trying to find your keys, and once you do, are thankful that you haven't taken that one key you need off in all of the years you've had it. Now you just pray that the locks haven't been changed.

As the key sticks a little you hope this key is the new key you received after that whole mess with the stalker and then when you two were fighting and all that crap. You briefly can't remember if you ever switched out the keys, because honestly, you couldn't recall when you had ever needed it in the first place.

The lock turns and you thank every god you can name off the top of your head as you walk through the door and close it behind you. Breathing a sigh of relief you put your keys away and make that old familiar trek up the stairs, thinking to yourself that you probably walked up to this room more than your own during your teen years. Hell, you probably spent more time in this house than you did your own, including the times you two were fighting. And now, you think despite it all, you wouldn't have it any other way, because she's back now, and hopefully, you can get at least that friendship you once had back.

Rounding the corner you see that same door of hers opened, as was usual, and you note that the same artwork from just before high school ended is still up. For some strange reason you expected this and didn't at the same time. Yes, it's been some years, but she also hasn't actually been here, so why would it change? And you've been here since as well, you came in that week after her father's funeral, and then once more during the weekend you came home right after you had been told that she was gone. You raced up to her room, looking for any sign of her, only to find that everything was in it's place, save a few clothes, a sketch pad, her iPod and, of course, her. But that was then, you can hear the music clearly now, and you believe, with everything you have, that when you walk through her door, you will see her. Because you have to, you don't think your heart could handle it if she was gone again.

So taking a small moment to take a breath and steal yourself from your memories, you step over that threshold and into her room. You fleetingly think that your heart has actually stopped because you don't see her, anywhere. And then as you take another step into the room you can finally breathe because you spot her, on the floor in her closet, looking through some records. And you breathe.

"Peyton…"

Her head snaps up and you can see she has been crying. There is so much sadness in her eyes; you think you might cry too.

And there is a long moment when you just stare into each others eyes, the glistening of new tears matching your own, and you cautiously make your way further into the room, closer to her. You see what else is lying beside her on the closet floor. A photo album, dozens of pictures, sketches, memories.

Suddenly you're afraid. Like you've never been before. You didn't feel this emotion so strongly before, when she was missing. But now, when she is right in front of you, you feel that fear grip your chest so painfully. You can't lose her again. And you're afraid for her as well, because she looks so fragile, so lost, and you know she might not have the strength to fight through this, to make it back. But you have to make sure she does, believe that she will. Because you can't, won't, lose her again.

She looks down at the pile of things in her lap, then back up at you, tears streaming down her face. And you quickly race over to her, dropping to your knees and taking her in your arms, hugging and rocking her, whispering gentle reassurances into her hair, for the both of you.

It's some time later and you realize she has fallen asleep. You brush some hair out of her face and just stare down at the broken girl in your arms. She looks so peaceful and you wish, want so badly, to be able to restore that look upon her waking face.

It's late now, looking out the window you know that the sun must have set hours ago. You shift carefully, trying not to wake her, and become conscious of how bad off she really is, at least physically. She has lost weight, she was skinny before, but now she's even more so. As you wrap one arm under her knees and the other behind her back, you can feel each bone from her spine and ribs so clearly. Lifting her is almost a non-issue, she's so light now.

You carefully rest her down on her bed, taking time to gently pull the covers around her and tuck her in properly, even ending with a kiss on the forehead. She shifts somewhat in her sleep, turns a bit, and murmurs your name into her pillow.

You fight the tear that threatens to fall as this sleeping form before you has managed to melt your heart so easily.

You know you can't leave her alone. Not so much for her own sake, but for yours. You too scared to. If you leave, you might not see her again. And if you leave, it will be your fault. And you already blame yourself enough. So you stay, knowing you can't leave her alone, because you need to be here, and maybe, just maybe, she needs you just as much as you need her. So you stay, and you fall asleep right beside her, knowing that when she wakes up, you'll be here, even though you're afraid, as is she, you'll still be here.

You wouldn't want to be anywhere else at this moment.