disclaimer: I don't own anything…Yeah, I'm completely devastated :)
……
Peyton opened the door and looked around. The police had called her and told her she could come back and have at her store. They had replaced the lock for her. She set her keys on the cashier table and turned on the radio, ready to start cleaning.
Two hours later, half of the store was picked up and Jack was walking into the store. She didn't say anything as he did, just keep picking everything up. He walked over to her and stopped in front of her.
"Are we gonna talk?"
"Sure, Jack, Let's talk." She said, continuing to pick things up.
"Can you stop?"
"No, in case you hadn't noticed I have a store to pick up."
He sighed. "Damn it, Peyton!"
She scowled but didn't say anything, moving right along side him.
"Are you gonna say something?"
"I don't have anything to say."
"You don't have anything to say? Well maybe you could say 'Sorry'"
"For what?"
"For cheating on me!"
"Oh, yeah, like you apologized to me? Nothing happened anyways. I slept in the guest room. I didn't cheat on you like I told you I wouldn't. I'm honest."
He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Are you gonna hold that against me forever? I told you I was sorry."
"It's kind of a hard thing to forget."
"Then why are we back together?"
She shook her head, laughing. "I can't believe you said that."
"Oh, come on Peyton! You still haven't forgiven me!"
"I'm trying, Jack. I'm trying to forgive you, but it's kind of hard when you keep telling me what to do."
"God, why do you have to be so damn stubborn!"
"Excuse me?"
"And why the hell did you call him and not me!"
"When?"
"When you found the store, Dammit! You didn't call your boyfriend! You called him!" he bellowed, "What is up with that?!"
"It was nothing! I just called him! He's a friend, you know!"
"How much of a friend?!"
She laughed. "You know what, I'm leaving. You can pick up the store."
She started to walk out when he grabbed her arm, hard, pulling her around.
"Peyton, don't leave,"
"Let go of me!"
"I said don't leave!"
"I'll leave if I damn want to leave!"
"We're not done yet, Peyton!"
In a flash of light, a body pulled Jack off, ramming him against the wall, knocking crooked pictures.
Peyton knew the body that had come from nowhere belonged to Nathan.
"You really have a problem with 'no', you know that?" Nathan yelled at him. "You do not touch or talk to her like that! Understand?"
Jack didn't say anything, just kept moving impatiently under Nathan's hold, glaring at him.
Nathan shook him. "Understand?"
"Let go of me!" Jack yelled, glare in place.
"Nathan!" Peyton exclaimed, pulling on his arm. "Let go!"
Nathan continued to glare at Jack for a moment before letting him fall to the ground where Jack proceeded to throw a punch at Nathan. Nate dodged, of course, letting Jack fall behind him. He picked him up and punched him back, giving him a bloody nose.
"Nathan! Jack!" Peyton yelled at them. "Guys! Stop!" She pulled Nathan up, stopping him from punching. Jack, thinking she was Nathan leaning down, threw a punch at her. She bounced back, her eyes wide. Nathan punched him back, pushing him back down. He stepped in front of her, and lifted her hand out of the way of her nose.
"Here, let me see." He said, as blood trickled down her face. He placed his hand on her forehead, pinched the bridge of her nose and pulled her head towards him.
"I'm gonna go get some napkins from the café," He told her.
She nodded.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, just got the wind knocked out of me. I'm fine, really. Thank you."
He nodded, hesitantly. He shot a glare towards Jack who was still lying on the floor before walking out.
"I'm so sorry, Peyt," Jack said, getting up and stepping in front of her.
"I know,"
"I thought you were Nathan"
"I know."
"Please, Peyton, I didn't mean it, you gotta believe me"
"I do."
"I thought you were-"
"Nathan! I know! But Damn, Jack! Did you have to hit him in the first place?"
"Did I have to hit him? He pushed me up against a wall!"
"Because you wouldn't let me go!"
"Because I wasn't finished yet!
"I don't care if you weren't finished yet! I was finished!"
The door opened, and Nathan walked in carrying napkins. He pressed them to Peyton's nose. Jack shook his head and walked out.
The two were quiet for a bit, as Nathan kept the napkin to her nose. She took the napkin and held it herself.
"Thank you," She said.
He nodded. "You okay?"
She took a deep breath before smiling slightly at him. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just a little stressed."
He nodded.
"You really shouldn't have hit him."
"He hit me first!"
"You still shouldn't have hit him."
He shook his head. "You're infuriating you know?"
"So I'm told"
He chuckled. "You sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Want to tell me the whole story?"
She told him about the argument.
"He thought we slept together?"
"Why? Would sleeping with me be totally horrible?"
"I never said that."
"You didn't have to."
"I didn't mean that."
"What did you mean?"
"I meant you and I wouldn't sleep together."
"Why?"
"Because I've got two kids and you're infuriating."
She threw the napkin down and crashed their lips together, letting the pent up passion both of them felt out. He held her close as his tongue roamed her mouth, exploring every possible inch.
"Still thinking you wouldn't sleep with me?" She whispered after she pulled back, hesitantly of course.
He cocked his head to the side. "Eh, I'm thinking you want to sleep with me."
"Oh, we'll see."
"We will, won't we?"
----
Nathan returned home after they finished cleaning the place up. She had done inventory and the robber was going after one collection: Britney Spears. Why they trashed the place was beyond her, they probably just wanted to create a mess she would have to clean up, Peyton thought to herself. Since the only reason she ordered the collection was for the customers, she decided she didn't really need them. She was in the middle of putting the Daughtry collection back in place when the door opened and Brooke walked in.
"Hey Brooke," Peyton greeted.
"Hello P. Sawyer,"
"P. Sawyer?"
Brooke grinned. "You're new nickname!"
"And yours is?"
"B. Davis-soon-to-be-Scott!"
Peyton shook her head, chuckling. "How can I help you today, Brooke?"
"Well, Lucas and I are throwing an engagement party and I would love it if you came!"
"Haven't you been engaged for like a year? Lucas told me you guys got engaged last may,"
"Well, yeah, but now I'm pregnant, so I kind of need something to keep me busy so I don't drink."
Peyton raised an eyebrow. "You don't have a job?"
Brooke scoffed. "Oh, God, no. Jobs are for…"
"Please don't finish that sentence." Peyton asked.
Brooke grinned. "So, you coming?"
"When is it?"
"This Saturday, mine and Lucas's place at seven."
"Ok, I'll be there,"
Brooke squealed and gave her a sideways hug. "Oh, you're the best P. Sawyer!"
"Yeah, I know, B. Davis-soon-to-be-Scott."
--
Nathan was at Karen's Café, eating dinner. The girls were with Lucas, and he had just finished cleaning up Peyton's Music Store and needed something to eat.
"So," Karen said, walking up. "I've noticed you have been home a lot more lately."
"Yeah, so?"
"Does it have anything to do with the towns new...?"
"I do not like Peyton," Nathan said, cutting her off.
"Really? Because word on the street is that you beat up her boyfriend and that you were the one with her when the police arrived at her store."
"She called me, and he deserved it."
Karen smiled. "It's ok for you to like someone new, Nathan."
He didn't say anything so she continued. "Haley would have wanted you to move on. My daughter would've wanted you to be happy."
"I know she would. I just…I miss her a lot sometimes."
"I know you do. I do too."
"And I don't want the girls to feel like I'm replacing her"
"They know you won't be. Paige is practically setting you up. And Lindsey just wants you to be happy."
He sighed. "I don't want to replace her."
"You won't be. Haley will always be with you. No matter what, you won't be replacing her."
He smiled slightly, "This doesn't mean I like Peyton."
"Course not."