Once Upon A Time In Tree Hill

by fairytale92

For best friends Peyton, Haley and Brooke life changes forever when the rich, famous and incredibly handsome Scott brothers return to Tree Hill to shoot the new season of their TV show. Can they all face their demons and live to see their Happily Ever Afters? Modern take on three classic fairytales. LP, NH, BJu.

10. Picking Up The Pieces

A/N: Oh my goodness I am so, so, so sorry it's taken me so long to update! I swear, I have been working on this chapter on and off for the past 6 months - seriously can't believe it's been that long - but a lot's been happening since then: one of my sisters got engaged and I've been helping her plan the wedding, I injured my back at work just before Easter (don't worry I'm fine now!) and most recently I applied for and got a higher position at work! So it's not that I haven't been wanting to write or that I've forgotten about this and believe me I desperately wanted to update soon er because I know how annoying it is when writers don't and they leave you hanging for ages but I've just been low on time. Anyway, huge thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and everyone who's been encouraging me to update, especially these fantastic two: jordana60 and 94 - you two are awesome! Here's the next chapter which is so much longer than I thought it was going to be and that's part of the reason it's taken so long to finish! Also, please note that in this one the characters talk about how the TV show runs and I clearly have no idea how that kind of thing works so I'm sorry to any of you who might do that as a job or know about it than me but this is how it works in my head and in this fictional world so let's roll with it and pretend it all makes sense!

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'Julian?'

The man standing in the doorway seemed equally stunned, asking softly as though he couldn't trust what was in front of him, 'Brooke?'

He took a hesitant half-step towards her, before faltering and stopping just inside the door, clearly unsure as to whether she would actually accept his advance.

'You two know each other?' Nathan's voice broke through the moment they had woven around themselves, sounding casual but enquiring.

'Wait,' Haley turned to Brooke, who was still staring in wide-eyed astonishment at Julian, 'is this Julian as in Julian Julian? The guy you met in the park?'

Julian's eyes lit up and a wide, cheesy grin covered his features, 'You've told your friends about me?'

Brooke's eyes bulged a little as she floundered under all the unexpected attention, 'I...er...'

'Perhaps it would be best if we left you two alone for a moment to catch up while we make sure the cottage is ready for you,' Karen said, quickly jumping to her rescue and looking at everyone pointedly.

'Yeah, of course,' Peyton nodded, cottoning on, then putting a gentle hand on Brooke's shoulder, 'you know where we are if you need us, honey.'

Brooke nodded back dumbly, and inclined her head in slight acknowledgement as Haley softly touched her arm on her way out. The room cleared quickly until it was just her and Julian, staring at one another in slight disbelief.

Julian shuffled a little further into the room and coughed awkwardly, 'Er...should we...sit, maybe?'

Brooke nodded her head, perhaps a little too vigorously, 'Yeah, yeah, sitting's good! I can do that.'

She seemed to be speaking mostly to herself but her nervousness made Julian smile and eased some of his own anxieties over seeing her again. They both sat down – Brooke on the same couch she had been on before with her friends, tucking her feet up under her and huddling into the cushions, and Julian taking the armchair nearest to her, leaning forward in his seat and studying her face keenly.

Several minutes of silence passed between them.

'I, um, I wasn't...expecting to see you here,' Brooke said quietly eventually, then murmuring under her breath, 'or perhaps ever at all.'

Not catching the last part, Julian chuckled softly, 'Yeah, I wasn't expecting to see you here, either.'

She frowned, 'But...you saw me arriving yesterday, right?' Then, when he looked at her in confusion, 'Big helicopter, lots of noise, bright light – kind of hard to miss?'

'Oh,' he said, shaking his head, 'no, I wasn't here last night.'

Brooke raised an eyebrow, 'The biggest night in the history of the show and you missed it?'

'Well, not all of it,' he clarified, smiling, 'though, apparently, I seem to have missed the most dramatic parts. I was only there for the beginning to make sure that everything was set up properly and that everyone knew their jobs, then I had to fly out to meet with some TV bosses from Europe who are interested in buying the programme for their countries.'

'Wow, I'm amazed Dan let his top director leave such an important event for a business meeting,' Brooke murmured.

Julian shrugged, 'He was going to go to it originally, but I insisted that he shouldn't miss his big night. And it wasn't exactly like they were without a director: ever since Dan sent me here to work on this part of the show, he hired another director to deal with things down at his end. So, he came here last night and filled in for me. I only came back here in time to be dragged into the editing room and to see you telling your story – I couldn't believe my eyes, or my ears when I heard what had happened to you. I'm so sorry that you had to go through that, Brooke.'

It was her turn to shrug, as though she wasn't haunted by the previous night's events, 'One of my friends told me last week what Kathy was really like and I guess ever since then deep down I kinda knew she'd turn on me eventually, I just didn't want to admit it to myself. And, anyway, things could be much worse: I get to be back in my hometown again, with my friends, which I've been wanting to do for the longest time now but I just didn't have the time to do it. And...,' she hesitated, suddenly nervous again, then saying quietly, 'of course, I've got to see you again and I didn't think that was going to happen.'

Without even seeming to think about it, Julian was up and out of his seat, appearing next to her a moment later. He sat beside her, taking one of her hands in a move that was far bolder than he felt, 'I was always going to come back and get in touch with you, Brooke. I was telling the truth when I said I had to leave New York: I had to come here for the show, for as long as Dan wanted me to stay here which is why I didn't want to start anything with you or ask you to wait for me because I didn't know how long I'd be away for. But I've thought about you every single day since I left and, despite the circumstances that led up to you being here, I'm so happy that I've got to see you again.'

A small smile slowly graced Brooke's lips, 'I'm really happy I've got to see you again too. I knew I knew your name from somewhere but when you said you had to go out of town for a while I thought that was just a line and I didn't put two and two together...until now. I guess I just didn't expect to meet the director of my favourite TV show in a park. You seemed too good to be true.'

'Well, to be fair, I didn't exactly expect to meet the top fashion designer and owner of a famous clothing line in a park either,' he sent her a winning grin, 'and you are definitely too good to be true and yet somehow you're real and you have no idea how I lucky I feel that you are. I'm sorry I didn't tell you what I do for a living but I tend to keep quiet about it most of the time, it's just easier that way. You know what fans and journalists can be like and Dan likes to keep a tight hold of what goes out to the public.'

Brooke shook her head, 'That's okay, you didn't owe me any kind of explanation and, of course, I get it now.'

'Thanks for being so understanding,' he smiled, then paused, a blush colouring his cheeks, 'so...um, about that date you said you'd like to go on?'

Brooke felt her stomach begin to roil with nerves – what if he was going to tell her he wasn't interested anymore, that he'd changed his mind? - and said, 'Yes?'

'Well, maybe now you're in town and it looks like you're going to be sticking around for a while...we could do that sometime – go on a date, I mean. That is, if you still want to, of course,' he said in a rush to get the words out.

Brooke felt herself smiling, 'Of course I still want to go out with you, Julian.'

He let out a sigh of relief, beaming from ear to ear, 'That, that's great, Brooke. But...why am I sensing there's a 'but' coming next?'

Her smile turned sad as she held his hand a little tighter, 'I do still want to go out with you, really I do but...'

'Ah, there it is,' Julian laughed sadly, trying to keep the disappointment from his face.

'...I just think I need a bit of time, if that's okay,' she continued, 'I know that you probably are who you say you are but, well, after what happened last night, I'm finding it hard to trust people, even the people I'm closest to. I think...I think I just need some time to get to know you first, as friends, 'cause I really like you, Julian, and I don't think I could take another disappointment right now if it turns out that this is wrong. Do you understand?'

He took her other hand in his, with a gentle smile, 'Brooke, of course I understand. I don't expect you to be able to trust anyone after what you've been through and I know that you need time to heal and adjust and you can have all the time in the world, as long as I get to be a part of your life. I just want to get to know you too, and I'm more than happy for us to do that as friends, and so that's what we'll be until you're ready, as long as it takes. And I know you have Peyton and Haley but...if you ever need a shoulder to cry on, or someone to talk to, then I'm your guy, Brooke Davis.'

'That sounds good, actually,' she smiled back at him, rearranging their hands so that they were shaking them like in greeting, 'so...friends?'

'Friends,' he agreed with a grin.

XxX

'...And of course both the Scott brothers were fighting over me, but I told them that they couldn't both have me. So, eventually, I chose Nathan and so Lucas had to find some desperate rebound skank to take his mind off it but I'm absolutely certain that if she hadn't turned up then they would've fought over me,' Megan's smug voice somehow managed to carry all the way from the ground floor of the house up to Peyton's attic room where both she and Elise were sitting on her bed.

Elise rolled her eyes at Peyton as they heard their stepmother croon, 'Your sister was an absolute triumph last night, Beatrice, everyone was in love with her but I told her only to go for the best. And, of course, that meant one of the Scotts...'

Having already heard all of this when her stepfamily returned to the house after the ball the night before and now having listened to them repeat it all again, Peyton chose to tune out at that point, lying back against the pillows and shutting her eyes. It had been hard enough having to listen to them bragging about what a success their 'rich/famous husband search' had been as she'd helped them undress and cleaned up after them in the early hours of Saturday morning, without mentioning that she had been there too and knew that they were playing fast and loose with the truth in their accounts of the evening. She'd had to hide her face so they couldn't see her grin when they'd started talking about the mysterious woman who'd come in and swept Lucas away. It had been vastly amusing to hear their tone rapidly change from slight curiosity to detest as they were talking about this stranger, who was – unbeknownst to them – in the same room as them. At first, they'd seemed intrigued by whoever it was that had been able to best Megan's plans to snare Lucas, but then they seemed to realise as they talked that this made them appear as though they were a little in awe of her, or that she was better than them. And, of course, they couldn't have that.

So, she was branded a 'whore', a 'slut', who was 'not even that pretty' and was 'clearly trying too hard'. She 'practically threw herself at Lucas'.

Clearly also having grown bored of listening to Claudia and Megan drone on to an obviously uninterested Beatrice, Elise turned to Peyton and grinned, 'Let me guess, that's not even close to what really happened, is it?'

'Nope,' Peyton chuckled, 'more like Lucas didn't even notice her so she went and flung herself at Nathan until he eventually stumbled onto her lips and she decided that meant they were basically engaged.'

Elise laughed, shaking her head, 'They really are pathetic, aren't they?'

'I mostly just feel sorry for Nathan, to be honest, I mean, I know he was a bit of a douche to Haley but no one deserves to have a desperate Megan attacking them with her lipstick,' she said, mock-shuddering at the thought.

'Now there's an image I really didn't need in my head,' Elise muttered, shaking her head as though she could get the thoughts of it to tumble out.

'Well, why don't you get it out by telling me about last night?' Peyton suggested. They had just got back from Peyton picking Elise up from her friend's house where she'd been sleeping over. Originally, the plan had been for her to come back on the Saturday afternoon after the ball but she'd rung Peyton in the morning before she'd gone to work and asked if she could stay on until Sunday like the rest of the girls were doing. Hearing how happy her sister sounded had been enough to convince Peyton to allow it and, as everything had Brooke had emerged later on that day, she was now infinitely grateful that she had, as it had enabled her to focus fully on her friend and not have to worry about having to pick up Elise. It was by now late Sunday morning and, as it was Peyton's one non-working day in the week and given that Megan and Claudia were too high on the memories of the ball to give her any new chores to do, Peyton was able to share a rare moment of peace with her sister.

'It was great,' Elise grinned at the thought of it, flopping down on her back next to Peyton, 'it felt really nice to spend some time with my friends outside of school and I even met a couple of new people.'

'Really? That's great, button,' Peyton enthused, all for getting her sister out of the house and away from their stepmother and stepsisters more, 'tell me more: how was the sleepover?'

'Oh, you know, typical sleepover stuff, really, or at least what I've heard about them before from other people,' Elise said vaguely, 'we stayed up, ate massive amounts of sugar, played a couple of games and then crashed. And then yesterday we just veg'd out and watched movies in our pyjamas. It was good, fun.'

Peyton smiled, overjoyed with the fact that her baby sister had finally been able to join in with the same things other girls her age were doing, 'Good, anything else?'

Elise shrugged, 'I dunno, Peyt, it was a ball for under eighteens and a sleepover for twelve year old girls: we danced, we chatted, and we went to sleep – not really that exciting. Good and fun, but not exactly a wild night of partying.'

'I'm glad to hear that, otherwise I'd have to call up your friends' parents and ask them what the hell they thought they were doing,' Peyton chuckled.

Elise laughed, 'You know what I mean!'

'Yeah, 'course I do.'

'Good, so how was your night?'

Peyton looked away, 'Oh, good, you know. But then, it's always good to get out of the house for a bit. Spent some time with Haley, ate some food, danced a little and then left early to get home before that lot downstairs. Not very exciting, really.'

She turned back to see Elise's disbelieving expression, 'Is that all?'

'Yeah, like I said: it was great but I didn't really do that much,' she said, squirming a little under her sister's probing stare, but, when Elise quirked an eyebrow at her pointedly, she relented and mumbled, 'also I may have met someone.'

She said it so quickly that it took Elise a moment to process it, knowing that her sister wouldn't repeat it for her – she'd been reluctant enough to tell her in the first place – but, after a moment, she said slowly, 'You. Met. Someone?'

Peyton nodded, uncomfortable under such scrutiny, 'Mhmm.'

'As in a guy?' Elise clarified, not allowing herself to get overexcited just yet until she'd got all the facts.

'Yep,' another nod, 'look, the reason why I didn't really want to tell you is because I didn't want you to get all excited and squeaky when it was nothing really, so the only reason why I'm telling you now is because on Monday night the whole country's gonna find out about it and I don't want you to have to find out that way. But, seriously, it's not a big deal.'

'Please,' Elise scoffed, 'you never like anyone. You never even look at guys – not since Jake, anyway – so for you to have met someone is huge! And the Scotts wouldn't be airing you meeting some random dude at their ball on their show if it wasn't a big deal – it must've been something pretty big for it to get their attention. You have to tell me everything – right from the start.'

'Okay, fine but you have to promise me that you'll let me tell you the story without you interrupting and to not get all squeal-y until I've finished and you know the whole story, deal?' Peyton huffed, before fixing Elise with a pointed look.

'Deal, just tell me!'

With an exaggerated sigh, Peyton proceeded to lay out the story for Elise in more detail than she would have cared to, but she knew that otherwise her little sister would keep interrupting her for more details. Elise listened in dutiful silence, her eyes growing larger by the minute, as well as the grin that had taken over her mouth, only occasionally allowing herself to make noises of interest so that her sister would have no reason to stop speaking. Peyton had initially tried to talk as quickly as possible so as to be done with the embarrassment of telling her tale faster but, as she began to reach the part where she knew she would have to reveal the true identity of her mystery man, she slowed down the pace, unwilling to say the last part out loud. But eventually, she could stall no longer and she forced herself to say the words that would inevitably cause a million and one questions to come tumbling from Elise's mouth.

'...And then he took off his mask...and it turned out he wasn't Thomas at all...see, it turns out the guy I'd spent most of the night with was actually...Lucas Scott...,' she finished reluctantly, shutting her eyes and bracing herself for her sister's reaction.

'Wait...Lucas as in Lucas Scott? As in one of the most famous, hottest, richest guys in the country – no, probably the world? That's who you were dancing with the whole time? That's who you - oh my gosh! You almost kissed him! You almost kissed Lucas Scott! This is huge! What did you do when you found out who he was?' Elise gabbled excitedly, her words running together in the rush to get them out of her mouth.

'I did what any normal, rational American woman would do, what any fan of The Scott Life would have done: I pushed him into a fountain and ran away from him,' Peyton confessed, starting out her statement with confidence but ending it with her face buried in her hands, gently shaking her curls as she relived the whole scene in her mind.

'You did what? Peyton, are you out of your mind? You did recognise him, right?' Elise clarified through her shock.

Peyton raised her head to give Elise a look that said 'of course I knew who he was, Elise, all of America knows who he is – I'd have to have been living under a rock for my entire life not to have recognised him', which Elise received with grace, simply shaking her head in disbelief.

'You do realise that he was voted Hottest Man Alive last year – that he probably will be again this year – and that the only reason he didn't get it the year before was because Nathan won it and the organisers are clearly doing it so they can take turns?'

'You sound scarily like Brooke right now,' Peyton told her, 'I...I just panicked, okay? I saw it was him and then I freaked out and I tried to run but he wouldn't let me go so I pushed him into the fountain – not my finest moment, I'll admit, but I wasn't exactly thinking clearly. I thought I'd just been dancing with and talking to an entirely normal guy and then it turns out that he's actually one of the richest, most famous, most un-normal guys in the country, Hottest Guy award or not.'

'Right, so now you've had time to think about it and be un-freaked out about it, you're gonna tell him it was you, right?' Elise said, like it was the next natural step.

Peyton's eyes bulged, 'Wh-no! Definitely not! No way!' She shook her head vigorously and waved her hands in front of her to enforce her point.

'Why not? He showed you who he was – he deserves to know who you really are,' Elise stated.

'Because...,' Peyton trailed off momentarily, unable to form a coherent thought under the stress of thinking about having to reveal her identity to Lucas, 'because he's expecting someone that's not me. The way that I was dressed last night, the outfit Karen picked out for me – it was beautiful, don't get me wrong – but it wasn't me and it made me act different too. I felt like a princess, so I acted like more of a lady than I probably ever have done in my life and so because of that Lucas will have got the wrong impression. He's expecting some ball-gown-wearing princess – or at least someone who's part of the same social circle as him – and what he's actually going to get – if he ever finds out it was me – is someone entirely different. I don't go out to fancy parties or anywhere for that matter! I basically have no social life and my home life is a complete wreck. If he found out the truth, he would run a friggin' mile. And that's why this is gonna stay between you and me – and Brooke and Hales when I tell them – but that's it.'

'But you already said before that Lucas wasn't into the whole rich, posh, famous thing, I'm sure if you told him who you are he wouldn't mind,' Elise told her.

'Elise, honey, I clean his house,' Peyton reminded her with a sad sigh, 'I work for his mom in her cafe and then I come back here and I cook, clean, wash and iron and get yelled at by Claudia. His family are one of the richest in the US, he stars in a freakin' TV show, for goodness' sake! We just live far too different lives.'

'But it could be true love!' Elise protested.

Peyton was taken aback for a moment before she gave her sister a small, sad smile and said softly, 'That only exists in the movies, button. There's no such thing as true love in real life, it belongs in fairytales and books. It's just another thing people tell you to make you hope for something more when there is nothing more, like Father Christmas and the Tooth Fairy. I'm sorry, Elise, but that's just the truth.'

'No it's not and you know it!' Elise countered, her voice rising and the famous Sawyer defiance shining in her eyes, 'I know that Santa and the Easter Bunny and all of that stuff aren't real but true love is! I'm not some silly little kid believing in fairytales anymore, Peyt,' she paused only to see that Peyton was still giving her best 'I'm your big sister so I know better than you but I'll humour you' look, so she pulled out her secret weapon, 'fine! Tell me that mom and dad didn't have true love, then.'

Peyton opened her mouth to argue back that of course they didn't because true love wasn't real, that they had been in love, naturally, but that didn't equate to soulmates and forevers and undying love and all that rubbish. But then she remembered the way their parents had looked at one another, especially when they'd thought no one was looking, the way they'd spoken to each other and the way their father had never been able to move on from their mother, and she found she couldn't say anything at all. Because they had had true love, they had been soulmates and all that other stuff that she normally was so quick to scorn. Peyton had always been naturally cynical, even as a child though less so than she had grown to be now, and though she had always scoffed the messages of true love's kiss and happily ever afters that the fairytale books her parents used to read her, even she had been able to believe in them when she'd looked at her mother and father. Because what they'd had was real true love – not princes and princesses, or magic and spells, or grand rescues and daring fights – just two ordinary, everyday people who loved one another with all their hearts and were simply meant to be together. And as much as Peyton had always had an issue with the idea that there was just one person out there for everyone that was their true match, thinking of her parents being as happy with anyone else as they had been with each other was impossible. She still had no idea why, but even when she'd been little and had had no real concept of what romantic love was, she'd known somehow deep within her that her parents were just inexplicably meant for one another and that the love they'd held for one another didn't just happen every day. And, as much as she wanted to be the grown up in this discussion and to tell Elise that she was being a naïve child for believing in such things, to deny that her parents had true love felt like it would be a betrayal of the memory of the two of them together, of her whole childhood. It would diminish her mother's loss and somehow lessen her father's ongoing grief. It would be a lie.

So, she sighed, defeated, and conceded, 'Fine, I can't say that because it wouldn't be true,' Elise gave her a triumphant look, so she continued, refusing to be beaten, 'but the chances of people finding true love are probably like one in a million, so there's maybe only a handful of couples out there who actually have it.'

'I can think of at least two more couples that we know who have true love,' Elise countered smugly, happy that she'd managed to get her stubborn older sister to admit that there was such a thing as true love.

Peyton raised an eyebrow at her, 'Go on then.'

'Okay, well first off, there's Haley's parents-,' she began.

'They're separated,' Peyton cut in quickly.

Elise gave her a condescending look, 'Just because two people have fights and separate, doesn't mean they're not meant to be together.'

Again, Peyton was about to argue with her but then she told herself that they had already established that their parents had had true love and were meant for each other, and that wouldn't have changed even if their mother had lived and somewhere down the road they had fought and separated. So, she nodded slightly, 'Okay, fair enough. Who's the other couple, then?'

'Keith and Karen Scott.'

And Peyton silently agreed with her, unable to deny that those two people had been destined for each other, but aloud she argued, 'Just because two people are in love and are married, it doesn't make it true love, Elise.'

'I know that,' Elise said testily, 'but Karen and Keith are meant to be together.'

'And since when did you become an expert on true love?' Peyton asked, raising an eyebrow.

Elise shrugged, 'I dunno, I've just always been able to tell, I guess.'

'Okay, let's see then...,' Peyton murmured, rifling through a list of couples in her head, 'start with an easy one: Dad and Claudia.'

Elise snorted, 'Please, not even close to being in love!'

'Agreed,' Peyton nodded, 'okay...Brooke's dad and Kathy.'

Elise pursed her lips for a moment, 'Hmm...no. Love but not true love.'

Peyton kept her surprise that Elise hadn't just marked them as true love instantly because they were married to herself and she had deliberately kept the details of Brooke's return from her sister so as to not upset her, only mentioning that she was back in town but that it had to remain a secret so it wasn't like she could dismiss their relationship as phoney as easily as Peyton could now. Perhaps there was some truth to this sixth sense she claimed to have, 'Interesting...Brooke's parents, then.'

Elise shook her head, 'I never met Mrs Davis, so I can't tell.'

'You were too young to remember Dad and Mom together but you're certain they had true love,' Peyton pointed out.

'Yes but I just know with them, from the way Dad talks about Mom and from the photos. You can just see it.'

'Fair enough. Haley and Garrett?'

'Nope, definitely not true love,' Elise said firmly, 'not even close: Haley's way too good for him.'

'Well, at least we can agree on that one,' Peyton chuckled, 'Dan and Deb Scott?'

Elise's face screwed up in thought, 'That's a tough one. I've been trying to work it out for a while but I don't think so, no. I think they love each other very much but that they could be just as happy with other people if they ever got divorced.'

'Very well, I'm impressed,' Peyton nodded with a smile, 'so...what about me and Lucas – are we true love?' The last part was said in a deliberately high, whimsical voice and with an exaggerated flutter of her eyelashes.

Elise shot her a look before answering, 'I don't know: I haven't seen the two of you together yet. I'll let you know after it's aired on Monday,' she laughed as Peyton groaned and made a face that showed how much she was dreading that moment, 'but, Peyt, you never tell me about guys – whether that's 'cause you just haven't liked any since...or 'cause you have but you're keeping from me – so the fact you've told me about this must mean something, right?'

'What it means is just what you so kindly pointed out: the whole of my interactions with Lucas friggin' Scott from Friday night are going to be on most of the nation's TV screens come Monday night and I thought you deserved to know before then. That's the only reason why I told you. If I'd danced all night with a nobody and I knew that no one was ever going to find out about it, this conversation would've never happened,' she told her with a note of frustration at the whole situation.

'But if you'd been dancing with a nobody the whole time, then you wouldn't have run when he took off his mask. You would've stayed and showed him who you were and then you would've hit it off from there. And you'd have come home and had to tell me that you were going on a date with a guy you'd met, so we'd still be having this conversation, just with a different outcome,' Elise pointed out with a satisfied grin.

'Maybe...ugh! It doesn't matter anyway 'cause he's never gonna find out it was me, right? So you need to promise me you won't say anything to anyone about this, got it?' Peyton said sternly.

'But what if it's true love and you miss out on it-,' Elise began to argue.

Peyton cut her off with a pointed look, 'I'm not interested in whether it's true love or not, I'm just interested in not being found out.'

'But-'

'I mean it, Elise,' Peyton warned, using her serious tone of voice that was only reserved for special times like this, 'think about what Megan and Claudia will do to me if they ever find out that I went to the ball and, worse, caught the attention of one of the Scott brothers and then ended up on TV.'

Elise's eyes went wide as she caught Peyton's inference and heard the slight note of dread in her voice, 'Okay, you win. I promise I won't tell anyone else about this.'

Peyton's face softened and she reached over to squeeze her sister's hand affectionately, 'Thanks, button.'

Elise shrugged, 'Besides, if it is true love, then me not being allowed to tell him won't make a difference. You'll still end up together. It's fate.'

XxX

Sheets of paper were scattered across the floor of the hallway as Haley stepped cautiously into the house. Sliding her key out from the lock and shutting the door behind her slowly, she glanced around herself at the scene in front of her. It was like a tornado had blown through the house and upended everything. Fear and guilt jostled uneasily within her stomach as she moved forwards. It was late on Sunday morning; she had rung her father the night before to check in on him and to tell him that she would be staying on for another night in the Scott household as Brooke had still been too scared to sleep alone and there was no way that Peyton's stepmother would allow her to stay over. Even though she knew that it had been necessary for her to do so, she now found herself questioning her decision to leave her father alone two nights in a row.

'Daddy?' she called out into the quiet house, advancing carefully down the hall, 'Are you there?'

'Mmmph,' came the muffled reply from the direction of the kitchen.

Picking up her speed a little and guiding herself through the mess that festooned the floor, she called again, 'Daddy? Are you okay?'

This time there was no reply and she rushed into the kitchen, dreading what she might find. At first, all she could see were the broken shards of various decimated pieces of pottery that had once been mugs and plates strewn across the tiles. More paper carpeted the way beneath her feet as she rounded the corner of one of the counters and felt her breath catch in her throat. Huddled in the gap between the counters where the bin was normally kept, shivering and clutching at himself, was a man that was barely recognisable as her father.

Haley crossed the space between them in less than a second and sank down to her knees in front of him, placing her hands on his forearms gently and whispered, 'Daddy, it's okay. It's Haley, I'm here now.'

Gradually, her father lifted his head with some great effort and gazed at her with confused, red-rimmed eyes that blinked at her blearily, 'Sweet pea?'

'Yes, Daddy, it's me,' she smiled in what she hoped was a comforting, encouraging manner that didn't betray the worry gnawing at her insides at that moment, 'it's all going to be okay now, alright?'

Jimmy nodded his head numbly, still eyeing her as though he wasn't sure if she was really in front of him or merely a figment of his imagination.

'Why don't you come out now, Daddy? It's safe, I promise,' she urged gently.

Giving another dazed nod, Jimmy began to shuffle forward from the recess he had backed himself into until he was far out enough into the open that Haley could help him up from the floor. Carefully, she helped him over to a chair by the kitchen table, somehow managing to avoid treading on any of the broken pieces of china on the floor as she did so.

Once he was seated, propping his drooping head up on his hands, she said softly, 'Would you like a cup of tea, Daddy?'

'Yes, thank you, baby girl. And maybe some toast or something if we've got any lying around?' he said, his voice sounding far away and weak.

Haley allowed herself a small smile as she nodded back to him: at least things couldn't be too bad if he was feeling up to eating something. She held herself back from asking him when the last time he'd eaten something was and set about filling the kettle. As she waited for the bread to toast and the kettle to boil, she busied herself with trying to clean up as much of the mess around her as possible without her father realising. At first, she tried to do so quietly to not attract his attention but she quickly realised that he was barely aware of her presence not that she was no longer directly in front of him and so continued in her work with less caution. By the time that she had presented her father with a plate of toast and a mug of sugary tea, along with a cup of coffee for herself, the kitchen was free of the remnants of broken china and most of the scattered paper had been stacked on a free surface for Haley to sort through later.

Haley waited for a few minutes until her father had eaten and drunk something before softly asking him, 'So, what happened here, Daddy?'

For a moment, Jimmy looked around the room in bewilderment, clearly unable to remember that it had been a state just a few minutes ago now that it appeared tidy once more. Then, slowly, recognition formed on his features and he sighed heavily, 'Your sister called.'

'Quinn?' Haley clarified, though she was unsure why she did so, as neither of her other sisters had seen fit to call for years, nor her brothers for that matter.

'Yeah,' her father's deep voice rumbled through the quiet room, 'you know she was meant to be coming down to see us with Clay and the baby on Saturday?'

'Mmhmm,' Haley murmured, though in actuality her sister's visit had entirely slipped her mind amidst Brooke coming back and the reasons behind it. And then a small part of her wondered how her father could remember something that was happening in a week's time when most of the time he could barely recall what had happened a couple of hours before.

'Well, turns out they can't make it anymore,' he sighed again and the sadness at this statement was so clearly etched on his face that Haley struggled to look at him, 'apparently, something's come up with one of Clay's clients and he's had to fly halfway across the country to deal with it and Quinn doesn't think he'll be back in time for Friday, which is when they were due to fly out. And she can't come on her own with the baby because she said he's looking 'peaky', which means that now she said they won't be able to make it down until Christmas.'

Haley placed her hand on her father's arm, 'I know that it's tough, Daddy, and that we were both looking forward to seeing them but it really does sound like she doesn't have another choice. I mean, you wouldn't want her travelling down with the baby if it meant risking him getting sick, would you?'

Jimmy's shoulders sagged, 'No. But she's cancelled every other trip this year for some reason or other, and now this means that I won't have seen her for a whole year. I get it that at first she couldn't fly 'cause she was pregnant and then Cal was too young to come all this distance but it's just...I've only seen my grandson on a computer screen or heard him from the other end of the phone. I just wanted to meet him at last, you know?'

'I know, Daddy, I wanted to meet him too. But at least we'll all be together for Christmas,' she tried in what she hoped was an upbeat tone.

'Yeah, if they don't find another excuse to cancel on us...,' Jimmy grumbled under his breath, before heaving his shoulders up in a weary sigh, 'I think I just need to resign myself to the fact that they don't want anything to do with me...just like the rest of my family.'

Haley felt her heart break for her father as she saw the weight of his grief and loneliness drag his features down, ageing them ten years in a mere matter of seconds. She grabbed hold of his hand and, leaning in, told him in a low, urgent voice that was clogged with emotion, 'Hey, that's not true. I'm here, Daddy, and I'm not going anywhere, I promise. I will never leave you.'

He looked up at her with tired eyes that showed a vulnerability that made him seem more like a scared young boy than the grown man he was. His voice was barely above a whisper, filled with a mixture of hope and fear, 'You mean that?'

Haley grasped his hand all the tighter and tried to make her voice as firm and sincere as possible so he would see how serious she was, 'Yes. Of course. I promise, Daddy, I will always be here. You'll always have me.'

He gave her a watery smile and used his free hand to reach over and cup her face lovingly, 'Of course I will, my sweet little Haley, you'll never leave me. I love you, sweet pea.'

'I love you too, Daddy,' Haley whispered back fiercely.

She got up and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face into the crook of his neck. She felt his arms come up around her and she wished she could take the pain away from his face and make all the things that were hurting him go away. The fact that his pain was being caused by her other family members was something she continued to struggle with; she knew they had made their decisions and that they weren't coming back but Quinn was different...or she was meant to be anyway. Other than Haley, Quinn was the only James child to have stayed in contact with their father and to stick by him as their family had rapidly fallen apart but now she had a family of her own and had moved to the other side of the country she seemed to have put Haley and Jimmy to one side. She was continually cancelling trips back home at the last minute and she rarely phoned anymore; Haley did her best to keep her father's spirits up and to comfort him after each fresh disappointment but, frankly, she was tired of making excuses for her sister. There was only so many times she could try to convince her father that his daughter did still want to see him before she stopped believing it herself.

Releasing her father and looking down at his drawn face and slumped frame in the kitchen chair, she resolved to confront her sister about it when she came to visit them for Christmas as she felt it should be a conversation held face-to-face. Should Quinn decide to bail out again, however, she would have to call her and have it out with her over the phone. She knew that her sister had different priorities now that she had a husband and child to think about but she also needed to remember that they weren't her only family, that she had a father who needed her and a sister who desperately needed to feel like she wasn't alone in supporting their father.

Haley touched Jimmy's hand gently, 'You finish up your tea and toast, I'm just going to tidy up in the hall, okay?'

Her father's eyes turned quizzical, 'What's wrong with the hall?'

She hesitated, 'You...I don't know why but...you'd covered it with papers and...in here there was broken china everywhere and more paper...do you...do you have any idea why you might have done that?'

Her father's confusion increased as she spoke and he shook his head slowly, 'No...I don't remem- wait...I think...it was after I'd got off the phone with your sister, I realised that it was your brother's birthday last week and I'd forgotten to send him anything. I was trying to find his address but I couldn't find it anywhere...I was just so frustrated...he's my son and I couldn't even remember his birthday or his address...'

Haley fought back the urge to remind him that he was her brother's father but that hadn't stopped him from walking out of their lives completely and instead laid a hand on his shoulder, 'The address book is upstairs in your study. I'll go and get it now.'

'Thank you, sweet pea,' he gave her a tired smile.

When Haley returned with said address book, it was with a determined look in her eyes, she laid it down in front of her father before sitting down next to him. She took his hand to attract his gaze and began carefully, 'Daddy, I'm starting to get worried about you. You can't remember important things but even stuff like what day it is or if you've eaten breakfast has been slipping away from you recently and I...I think you should go to see a doctor.'

She waited with baited breath to see how her father, proud and stubborn, would take this advice. He sat for a moment in silence, before saying, 'Hales, I'm not sick and I'm too young to be going senile. I don't need a doctor, I just need to work to provide for you.'

Haley shook her head, determined not to be swayed, 'You're never too young to develop a mental illness and I have a job too, remember? I'm grateful that you have your work to keep you busy and because it makes you happy but I can provide for both of us if you need to take a break. Please, Daddy, just think about it.'

'I don't need to, I don't need a doctor,' Jimmy stated firmly and Haley could see him starting to dig his heels in and she knew that she needed to take a different stance.

'Daddy, I'm not asking you to go and see a doctor for you – I know if it was left up to you, you'd never go to one in your life because it would mean admitting that you can't take care of yourself. I'm asking you to book an appointment because I'm worried about you and no matter what you say or what excuses you make, that's not going to change until I know that you've had a professional look at you and rule out something being wrong. I love you, Daddy, and I don't want to lose you so please for me, will you go to the doctor?'

Jimmy's jaw remained stubbornly set for a moment longer before he sighed and relaxed his posture, giving her a loving smile, 'Okay, for you – and only for you – I'll book an appointment tomorrow, baby girl.

'Thank you, Daddy,' Haley smiled back, breathing deeply in relief.

XxX

As the sun began to drop in the sky over Tree Hill on Sunday afternoon, the Scotts were assembled in their full by the front door, those departing the house standing with their backs to it in a sort-of semi-circle, with Nathan and Lucas facing them, separate from the rest of their family. Behind the brothers, was the film crew, cameras trained onto the people in front of them and Julian staring pensively at the scene and occasionally muttering instructions to members of his crew. Brooke stood with the crew, set apart from the family, who had already said their goodbyes to everyone else off-camera, watching the interactions between the Scotts with interest. If one only chose to focus on the two generations of Scotts and their departing gestures to one another, it would seem like just another ordinary family visit coming to an end. However, if one chose to let one's eye be drawn back from that intimacy even slightly, as Brooke kept doing, then a crew member would quickly come into view and the whole appearance of normalcy was removed entirely.

Brooke frowned as she observed them: on the one hand, they looked just like any other family, comfortable around one another and each working around the traits of the others; but, on the other hand, there was the near constant presence of cameras and that reminded her how un-normal this family really was. She wanted to ask Julian about this but he was wrapped up in his work and she didn't want to distract him when he was so focused on what was going on in front of him.

Mouth, who was standing next to her in their little group, glanced over and saw her confusion. Leaning in a little, he whispered, 'Something bothering you, Brooke?'

Pulled from her thoughts, Brooke sent him a smile and whispered back, 'It's just...they look so...ordinary, like the cameras aren't there. I just don't know how they can act normal with all this attention just on them, knowing that it's going to be aired to the whole nation tomorrow.'

Mouth shrugged, 'It's their job. I found it hard at first too, you know, 'cause we'd known them at school when we were younger, how they could just be so...okay with it. But I only started working with them a couple of years after the show started so I didn't get to see the awkwardness and embarrassment they went through at first. I asked Nate and Luke about it and they said they hated being filmed in the beginning, and that wasn't even all that regular, back before everyone fell in love with them and started demanding they have more air time. But they said that eventually they just got used to it, they just didn't notice the cameras anymore – it was just another part of their lives. That's how they can be so cool about it now.'

Brooke nodded thoughtfully, 'It makes sense, I guess. I just, when I watch the show, I just always thought most of it was scripted or set up but, looking at them now, I mean, you wouldn't need to set anything up, would you? They just work so well around each other that it's like it's been scripted even though it hasn't.'

'Again, it's all a matter of time and them getting comfortable with it,' he explained, 'When the show first started, most of it was scripted and a lot of the scenes had to be set up 'cause none of the family was used to being on-screen. But the more they ignored the cameras and just acted like themselves, the more they were just able to improvise and create moments for themselves. And that's what makes the show so great, so different from other reality shows: the audience can tell that it's real, it's raw, just a family dealing with issues together. Of course, some scenes still have to be set up for the viewers but these guys are such pros at it by now that they're able to work with the idea behind the scene and just create the whole thing naturally, just feeding off each other.'

Brooke looked over at Mouth with a new appreciation, 'You really love working with them, on this show, don't you?'

Mouth glanced down at her and nodded, grinning, 'It's the best job in the world. I could never do what they have to do,' he pointed over to the Scotts, 'in front of the camera, with half the world watching your every move, but what we as the crew get to do behind the scenes is the best part. We get to work with our friends and watch them do what they do best, and then, afterwards, we put it all together to tell a story, stories that get heard and seen on a huge scale. It's incredible.'

Brooke smiled warmly up at him, placing a hand on his arm in a friendly gesture, as she turned her attention back to the action in front of her. She watched the family with a new light. With her recent fame in the past few years, Brooke had appeared on camera a fair few times for press conferences and interviews and so she was no stranger to the idea of having a lens pointed at you and being expected to perform. But Brooke was certainly no seasoned regular in the art of playing for the camera and she still felt deeply uncomfortable with the idea of other people viewing her in their own homes, dissecting her words and judging her appearance. When she looked at the Scotts, however, she saw how it must be for those who spent their lives constantly in the public eye and she was in awe at how professionally they handled the fame, whilst somehow still managing to be a relatively normally functioning family on and off-screen.

Now, for example, Dan and Deb had just finished exchanging their farewells with their nephews and Karen was stepping forward to hold both her sons at the same time. The motherly look on her face was the same when she looked at her boys regardless of whether she was being filmed, she was simply natural and loving no matter what and not at all embarrassed to express that love in front of such a crowd.

'I love you both, my boys,' she said fiercely, hugging them both closely.

Both brothers had one arm around their mother and the other around each other so that their small group was welded together.

'We love you too, Ma,' Lucas told her, turning his head to kiss her cheek.

'Yeah, we love you, Mom, and we'll see you soon, 'kay?' Nathan murmured, shutting his eyes to keep the cameras and his other family members from seeing the pain it caused him to say goodbye to his mother, even though he was now a fully grown man.

'Of course you will, and we'll speak even sooner than that,' Karen assured them in a tone that told them they were expected to call within the next few days, no excuses.

'You bet,' Lucas promised.

Karen kissed both of them on the cheek in turn before finally releasing them, and when she did it was only to take a small step back and cup their cheeks in her hands lovingly, 'My boys.'

She gave them a heart-breaking smile before stepping back completely. Keith had been next in line to say goodbye but Lily, who had been standing with a sour expression on her face inside her father's arms, broke free and catapulted herself at her brothers, catching them both around the legs and clinging to them.

'Don't go!' she pleaded, staring up at them with large, tear-filled eyes.

'We're not going anywhere, princess,' Nathan chuckled, reaching down and scooping his sister up into his arms effortlessly, 'I think you'll find it's you that's doing the leaving.'

'I wanna stay with you,' Lily pouted, 'I want us and Mommy and Daddy to all be together here! I don't wanna leave!'

'I know, baby girl,' Lucas smiled kindly, reaching over and ruffling his sister's hair, 'but you have to. School starts again tomorrow and you'll miss all your friends if you stay here. Besides, we'll come and visit you again before you even start to miss us.'

'Promise?' Lily asked, her bottom lip quivering dangerously.

'Absolutely,' her brothers nodded in unison, both leaning forward to kiss her on the cheek.

'Love you, princess,' Nathan whispered into her ear, giving her one last squeeze before passing her over to Lucas.

'I love you too, Lily,' he told her, holding his little sister close.

'I love you, Lukey, and I love you too, Natey,' she smiled toothily, placing a small, round hand on each of their shoulders.

'We'll see you soon. Promise,' Nathan vowed and Lucas nodded, setting her down on the floor. She walked somewhat reluctantly back over to her mother's waiting arms and allowed her father to say goodbye to his sons at last.

Keith hugged each of them in turn, gruff and firm but long and with all his love for his sons poured into each embrace. When he stepped back, his face was shining with his sheer adoration for the two boys he and Karen had created and he said in a low, passionate voice, 'Your mother and I are so proud of you boys. We love you both very much, never doubt that.'

'Love you too, Dad,' his sons told him, clapping their hands onto his arms in turn. While their uncle's affection towards them and Keith was more reserved in terms of physical contact and expressions of sentiment, their father had always taught the boys to be open with their emotions and not to be embarrassed about telling their relatives that they loved them or hugging them. His sons had grown up in a close, loving family and both of them were entirely comfortable in reflecting the love that their parents had shown to one another and to them over the years in the way that they dealt with their parents and sister now, as well as with each other.

Dan turned to Julian amidst this, to get in his last words of business before their departure, 'I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay? I'm looking forward to seeing what you've got in store for this one, Julian.'

'Me too, boss,' Julian grinned, 'I hope I don't disappoint.'

As they continued to talk off-camera, Brooke turned to Mouth once more with querying eyes, mouth open to ask about this but he saw her curiosity and beat her to it, explaining, 'It'll all be edited out of the final cut. The cameras are focusing on Keith and the guys anyway so it'll just be the audio we need to cut; it'll be like the conversation never happened,' he paused and she started to ask another question but, again, he predicted what it would be, 'Dan will call Julian tomorrow after he's seen our final cut of the footage and tell him if he's going to cut any more of it out to make room for the stuff from his side of the show. Then, on Tuesday morning after the show's aired tomorrow night, everyone here has a conference call with Dan's team in Charlotte and we all discuss the ratings, what worked well, what didn't and what's on the agenda for next week's episode.'

Brooke's head was filled with hundred more questions but she held them back, as Keith had finished his goodbye and Dan and Julian had wrapped up their conversation; it was clear that they wanted silence from the crew from here on out. Julian turned and looked over at her, catching her eye and sending her a goofy grin that sent her stomach into somersault-mode. She shot him a winning smile back, which only widened as she saw the tips of his ears and his cheekbones tinge with red.

More goodbyes were uttered and, finally, the doors were opened and they dispersed: Dan and Deb to their chauffeur-driven Raven, and Keith, Karen and Lily to their more classic, understated model (still a Raven, of course – they could hardly be seen in anything else if it was to be aired on their show). The boys followed them out onto the drive and waved them off until their cars could no longer be seen. Slowly, their group wandered back inside, congregating around the front door once more after it had been closed.

Julian stepped forward to take the lead, 'Right, that's a wrap for this week; good work, guys. Tech team, you know what to do; everyone else, there's still tonnes of footage from Friday night to go through so I want you to help out on this one. We'll come back together at eight to go through what we've got and put it together. It's probably going to be a late one so we'll order food in tonight.'

A few of the men let out cheers as they dispersed, heading into the depths of the mansion.

Nathan turned to Julian, 'You want us to help out on this one too, J?'

Julian paused to think about this offer for a moment, before shaking his head, 'No, not right now. Once we've see how much still needs to be done after the meeting, I might ask you two to step in but, for now, go and have some down time – something tells me you won't be getting a lot of that over the next few weeks.'

'Whatever you say, boss,' Nathan grinned, tapping his brother on the shoulder as they began to walk away, 'wanna shoot some hoops, bro?'

'You're on, little brother,' Lucas smirked back, ruffling Nathan's hair.

'Ugh, only by two minutes,' Nathan grumbled.

'Still two minutes before you,' Lucas quipped and they disappeared outside to the basketball court that had been built in a corner of the garden for them once their parents had realised how good they were at the game.

That left just Brooke and Julian standing alone in the foyer, the marble floor gleaming in the September afternoon sun. They stood for a moment, not quite looking at one another, unsure as to how to proceed.

'So...that was interesting,' Brooke said, breaking the silence.

'Which part?' Julian smiled, moving closer to her.

'All of it; it's just weird – seeing your favourite TV show actually being made in front of you, you know? Kind of surreal,' Brooke expanded.

'Yeah, I can imagine that must've been strange,' he chuckled, coming to stand just opposite her, 'so, any questions?'

'Tonnes,' Brooke laughed, 'I just didn't want to ask them while you guys were filming in case I got yelled at or something.'

Julian put on an expression of mock-offence, 'I would never yell at such a beautiful woman!' He paused, a teasing grin forming on his handsome features, 'Dan, on the other hand...,' Brooke laughed again and he joined her before becoming slightly more sincere, 'honestly, though, I know I was in 'scary boss/director' mode back then, but you can always ask me anything, anytime.'

It was Brooke's turn to tease as she said, 'Who said I found you scary?'

Julian let out a loud laugh, eyes twinkling as he looked at Brooke admiringly, 'Very true! When I first started here I tried the whole 'scary boss' thing 'cause I thought people might not respect me because I was so young. It lasted for all of five minutes – Nathan cracked a joke and I couldn't stop laughing, kinda snorted a little too – sort of ruined the 'tough guy' image for good. But it didn't matter 'cause we all bonded pretty much instantly and within a couple of months we were like family.'

Brooke smiled at the story, 'That must've been a pretty bold choice for Dan – to hire such a young director for his precious show. You must've been pretty impressive, Mr Baker.'

Julian blushed a little and let out a self-conscious laugh, 'Nah, not really. I went to the same college as Lucas, only I was in my Senior year when he was a Freshman. We met at a party pretty early on in the year and became friends; when I told him that I wanted to make it in the film industry, he went to Dan and persuaded him to hire me after graduation as a director. I didn't know about any of that, so when I got the phone call I was pretty shocked! Being my age and not even out of college, having basically no real world experience of being on a set and being offered a job on what was, even back then, one of the most popular TV shows in the country was pretty much unheard of. Of course, Dan told me that he'd keep on his current director for a while so he could show me the ropes but I guess I must've learnt quickly 'cause soon it was just me directing. He hired the old one back, though, for this season.'

Brooke raised an eyebrow, 'And sent you all the way to Tree Hill...is that a good sign or a bad one, d'you think?'

'I like to think it's a good one – before I left, he said that his plan for this season was either going to go brilliantly or tank in flames but that he was sure it'd be the first if he sent all his best men to Tree Hill with his nephews. He said he could spare me for one season, if it meant making the show better,' he told her, a little bashful about reporting his boss' praise of him.

'He clearly thinks very highly of you,' Brooke commented, 'and I think he's right to – I know that I know next to nothing about this kind of stuff, but watching you work today was impressive. You're good at your job, Julian, but I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that.'

'It's good to hear it from you anyway,' he grinned, despite the colour that had rushed to his cheeks.

'It must be a dream come true – working here,' Brooke murmured, almost to herself.

'Yeah, it's pretty great,' he smiled, running a hand through his hair.

'Is it what you've always wanted to do?' she asked.

Julian let out a puff of air, 'Yes and no. Ever since I was a kid, I've wanted to work on films and TV, not in front of the camera but behind it, putting stories together, creating something that people love. In a couple of years, I wanna move on to directing films but what I want to eventually want to do, what I've always wanted to do, is to produce movies. I want to find undiscovered gems and see them through, all the way from just an idea and a few words on a piece of paper to a fully finished film that people go away from seeing and it's like they're still living it. So, I guess that's my real dream, what I'm really aiming for, but directing and working here, it's more incredible than I could've imagined. And what about you, Brooke Davis? Have you always wanted to be in fashion?'

Brooke nodded with a nostalgic smile, 'Ever since I was a little girl. I can remember going to parties and looking at what everyone was wearing, the colours, the fabric and just being fascinated by it all – that someone had created it. And then, when I'd get home, I'd stay up until I'd drawn all of the outfits again in my notebook so I could remember them later. When my mom found it, she went out and bought me all this equipment so I could draw them properly the next time and then, after a little while, she encouraged me to start making changes to them. She taught me to see what things didn't work in fashion and what things did and together we'd recreate outfits on paper, until I started doing it in my head when I looked at people. And then, I started making up my own clothes and my mom taught me how to sew, by hand and then, later, with the sewing machine her and my dad bought me, so I could make them for real. She was the one who put it into my head that I could be a fashion designer and she made me believe that it was more than just a dream, that it was actually possible. And then, when I lost her...Peyton and Haley reminded me of that and gave me back my hope...but I guess I've had my shot at it now and it's over, I've lost my dream.'

Julian grabbed her hand without even really thinking about it, 'No, Brooke, it's not over. I know what happened between you and Kathy was awful and it should never have happened, especially not to you, never you, but you can't let her win. You have too much talent, too much fire just to let her put it out.'

Brooke stared at him for a moment, feeling her heart hammer with the feeling of his hand pressing against hers, 'You're right...but I don't think I can right now...it's too much. I think...I think I just need some time.'

'Of course,' Julian smiled in understanding, 'just know that when you do decide it's time to fight back, I'll be rooting for you, Brooke Davis.'

Brooke let out a soft snort, 'I wouldn't if I were you: she took everything from me and now...now I have nothing.'

Julian shook his head forcefully, 'That's not true: sure, Kathy may have all the money and resources right now, but she doesn't have what you have. You have friends and people who care about you and who'll support you no matter what, but she, she has nobody. You know how to bring out the best in the people around you, you see patterns and beauty all around you, whereas, from what I've heard, all your stepmother knows is how to destroy everything and everyone around her. I know who the best bet is, and she's certainly not standing in New York right now.'

Brooke looked at him with wide eyes, wondering how exactly he could have possibly learnt so much about her character already when this was only the third time they had spoken to one another. There was something about this man, who, even if she had pushed him into the friend zone, made her heart race uncontrollably and made her believe that maybe her happy ending wasn't gone forever. And then she reminded herself that it was way too soon to be thinking thoughts like that, dangerous too, considering the whole friendship thing they were trialling.

Julian coughed a little awkwardly, worried that he had gone too intense for someone who, despite the deep sense of ease he felt around her, he barely knew, 'So...um, you had questions? About the show?'

'Oh, er...yes,' Brooke mumbled, struggling to compose herself, 'what exactly is everyone else doing right now? You kinda just gave out a whole bunch of instructions that seemed really vague to me but they all knew what you were talking about and then they disappeared.'

He chuckled, 'Yeah, sorry, I'm not used to having an audience for those parts. They went to the editing room – or rather, a room in the house that we've cleared out to use as the editing room. Would you like to see it? I can answer more of your questions on the way, if you'd like?'

Brooke nodded enthusiastically, 'I'd like that very much.'

Julian beamed at her and then gestured to a corridor ahead of them, motioning that they should start walking, 'So, what else do you want to know?'

'Well...what are they doing right now in the editing room?'

'They're going through all of the footage of the ball on Friday night and finding all the best parts that people will want to watch for the show. It's a pretty huge job: we've got over twenty different cameras to go through, each with five hours of film on. Normally, we wouldn't be leaving it so late to be getting the final cut together but things have been a little hectic this week, with the ball and everything. The guys are mostly done with it – they worked pretty much solidly yesterday and this morning – but it's the biggest task we've ever had to do and, with a new episode airing every week, we're massively short on time. Even once they've sorted through all the footage and found the best bits, we've still got to watch it all and cut it down to just an hour. That's why I asked everyone to help out on this one – it's gonna take a miracle to get it all done in time.'

'But how come everyone can do the editing? I thought everyone had their own job,' Brooke frowned.

'They do, and normally, that's exactly what they do: the camera crew film, and the tech guys sort out sound, lighting, etc. and edit the footage. But, when we knew we were coming to Tree Hill and how low we were going to be on crew members, everyone trained in all the necessary jobs so they could all help out with anything if they were needed. So, Skills and the other cameramen can all use the editing software and Mouth and the other techies can hold a camera and take a half-decent shot if they need to. Even I trained up with Luke and Nate so we could be used too if we were needed, though obviously we'd only use the boys as a last resort, 'cause most of the time they're needed in front of the cameras. Of course, for the most part, everyone sticks to what they're best at but it just means that at times like this, everyone can pitch in and we'll know that the job is still getting done properly,' Julian explained.

'And what about the other hour of the show? You said that you need to cut down Friday's footage to an hour, but tomorrow's show's gonna be a two hour special, so what's the rest of it going to be about?' she asked, finding herself more and more fascinated with everything that Julian was telling her.

'Dan wants the first half of the show to be about the prep for the ball – the stuff that went on in the week to get ready for it, both here and in Charlotte – and the second hour to be during the ball. Thankfully, we thought to get our part for the first hour done before Friday, so that's out of the way at least.'

'So, how do you decide what makes it onto the show and what doesn't?'

Julian smiled, 'That is a very interesting question, Miss Davis. You see, on the one hand, it's usually quite easy: no one wants to look at an hour of us hanging around the house and doing boring, everyday things, so anything like that which doesn't have any important dialogue in is automatically ruled out. Then, a lot of the stuff that's going to be used in the show we already know about once we've had our meeting about what's going to happen for that week. Most of it doesn't need to be set up any more: once Luke and Nate know what needs to go into an episode, they can usually work it into a situation pretty easily. And then we have other things that happen during the week and weren't part of the original plan but which we think will be interesting for the viewers so it gets put in. So, with the ball, for example, most of the footage will be the good residents of Tree Hill enjoying themselves and generally having conversations which, to them might be very important or interesting, but which to the general public would be as boring as watching paint dry because they don't know any of the people involved. Most of that will be cut, then. We'll keep a few seconds of crowd shots or people chatting, dancing, drinking etc. for when we need brief fillers in-between scenes and to show the audience that it was a fun party that had more than just the Scotts at it. But mostly, the parts we'll keep will have the Scotts in and will track them around the ball because that's what our audience are interested in.

'Judging all of that is the easy part, mostly. The hard part is where the two stars of the show come in: if there's a piece of footage that Lucas or Nathan really don't want to make it onto the final cut, then they have to let us know and then I have to decide whether or not I can keep it out of the show. Of course, they're my friends and so, for the most part, if they say they don't want something to go public, then I don't put it in but sometimes, rarely, there's a bit which we know the audience would love and then it's a matter of seeing if we can persuade them to let us use it.'

'We?' Brooke queried.

Julian laughed slightly, 'Me and Dan. Mostly Dan, really. If it was up to me, nothing that the guys didn't like would make it into the show but when we were in Charlotte, it was hard for me to keep Dan from seeing footage like that and he'd usually want to use it. Now that we're away from headquarters, it's much easier to hide it. It's only been two weeks but Nate and Luke have already asked me to scrap certain bits and, even though I knew they would make for great viewing and Dan would disagree, I was able to do what they asked and make sure that Dan never saw the film.'

'And Dan would really put something on the show that his nephews didn't want him to?' Brooke asked, eyes widening in concern for them.

'Yes, and no,' came Julian's reply, 'they're tied into a contract, so , technically, they don't really get much of a say over it – it's an old contract and I have a feeling that if they sign up for any more seasons after this contract expires that they'll haggle for more veto powers. But, at the same time – as you so rightly pointed out – they're Dan's nephews and he does love them, so mostly if they really, really don't want him to put something in then he'll listen to them. If he thinks they can be swayed on it, though, he'll try and get them to cave and a lot of the time they do because they know they need to save their vetoes for times when it really matters.'

'Still, it sounds a little harsh to go against what your family members have asked just because you know it'll make for good TV,' she countered.

'True,' Julian smiled, before explaining, 'Dan's a funny mix: on the one hand, he's intensely loyal to his family and very protective of them, always wanting what's best for them; on the other hand, however, he's also a businessman and so often what he thinks is best for his family is more fame and more money so they're financially secure. Most of the time, he balances it out pretty well but every now and then he needs Deb or Keith to remind him of what's most important.'

Brooke nodded, taking everything he'd said in. It fascinated her to learn all these hidden things, the secrets behind the show that she'd previously only thought of as good entertainment. But here, in the heart of it all, she found herself thinking more and more about the pressures the younger Scotts must be under to perform to everyone's standards whilst still keeping sight of who they were. She wondered if she would cope as well as they did in such circumstances and she doubted it. And then there was Julian, standing over all the mania in the house, an incredibly young director, though undeniably a talented one, who seemed so in control over everything. He'd only been in charge of this new system for two weeks but he appeared so calm in the face of what was an enormous task. And the way he spoke about his job with such passion and vibrancy enthralled her.

Julian found that in the lull in their conversation that he was captivated once again with Brooke: her expression, the thoughtfulness behind her eyes, the way she curled her hair around her finger when she was thinking over things. He knew that he had promised to just be her friend for the time being but he had never found anyone as beautiful or as intriguing as her and he wondered if this was how he was feeling just one day after having made that promise, just how much he would struggle to keep it over the coming weeks and months. In all of this, he suddenly realised that they had been standing outside the door to the editing room for the last ten minutes while they'd been talking without noticing it.

'Well, this is it,' he cleared his throat, causing Brooke to jump a little, 'the editing room. Do you want to go in?'

Brooke hesitated, 'Only if it's not an issue, I don't wanna go in if I'm going to be a distraction.'

Julian fought the urge to tell her that it would be impossible for her not to be a distraction, given how mesmerising she was, as he recognised that that definitely wasn't something a friend would say to another friend. Instead, he told her, 'No, it'll be fine. They'll all have headphones on anyway so they probably won't even realise we're in there.'

He pushed open the door and let her go in first, watching her as she took it all in. The editing room was technically two rooms, separated by a large archway; in the one that they had entered was what looked like a CCTV station set up against the far wall, with multiple flat-screen computer monitors stacked up on top of each other, each showing camera feed from a different part of the house, cutting between cameras every few minutes for rooms where there was more than one camera hidden there.

'We have a rota set up for everyone so that someone is at that station all the time during the day, watching for footage to use in the show. Once everyone's gone to bed for the night, we just leave it to record and only look at the parts which are important in the morning: we have a programme that only starts recording and selecting footage once people are standing up and moving around. We tried motion sensors but they just kept on picking up on people moving in their sleep, this way, we only watch through stuff if someone's actually got out of bed so that it's more likely to be something interesting, and even then it's most likely to be someone needing the bathroom. The rest of the time during the day, we use motion sensors and facial recognition so we know who's where in the house at all times – just in case we get an intruder – and so that, as soon as someone starts moving, one of these monitors will switch to that feed so that whoever's watching at that time can see if it's for something important or not.'

'And what happens if they do see something interesting?' Brooke whispered, even though Julian was right about everyone being too engrossed in their work to notice their presence.

'Then they select the footage from down here,' he moved over to one of the monitors to point to a strip along the bottom of the screen which was capturing the footage shot by shot and documenting it like a film strip so that it could be used for reference later on, 'and then drag it onto one of their own computers,' he gestured to the many different laptops and desktops that cluttered the room, each with someone working intently at it, 'and save it onto the hard drive we use for footage that gets used in the show.'

'And the rest of the film – the boring stuff, like ten hours of empty corridors – what happens to that?' she asked, glancing at all the monitors which were currently showing that every other room in the house was empty.

'Well, the stuff where literally nothing is happening and no one is there gets deleted at the end of the week – no point in keeping it,' he explained, ' and the other parts, where people are just going about their day-to-day routine, but which could be useful for filler shots, gets saved onto a different hard drive. Then, at the end of the season, we all get the fun job of watching through it all and deciding which bits are interesting enough to keep for the next season and which bits can be gotten rid of. And, in a couple of seasons, if the stuff we keep hasn't been used in any of the shows, then it'll be deleted.'

'What about the stuff that Lucas and Nathan want kept out of the show? Do you delete that too?'

'That,' he said with a grin, 'all gets put onto this computer over here,' he walked over to a tower and tapped it, 'along with all the other footage that we can't use for whatever reason – mostly permission issues – but which we knew would make for good viewing should we ever get permission to use it. It's all protected by about a million passwords and only the people in this room know how to get into it, just in case anyone should try and get into our system. So, for example, your explanation of how you ended up here from yesterday has been put in here, along with all of the footage of your friend with the crazy blonde hair.'

'Peyton?' Brooke frowned, wondering why her friend hadn't told her about this, 'Why wouldn't you be allowed to use stuff with her in it?'

'Her decision: she told Karen that she didn't want anything with her in to be used in the show and Karen wrote it into her contract. So, now it all gets stored on here, just in case we get the chance to air it someday. When we came to town, we handed out waivers to everyone asking for their permission for them to be filmed for the show, mostly just in case we caught them in the background of one of our shots. Pretty much everyone said it was fine, but everyone who didn't has their footage stored on here – we can't help it if we accidentally film someone or, like your friend, if they happen to come into the house where there are cameras everywhere, but we then can't use it. For the most part, it's not an issue: we blur out faces if they're in the background or we just shoot it somewhere else but the some of the stuff with Peyton...well, it's a real shame we can't use it,' he told her, shaking his head somewhat sadly.

'Why is it a shame?' Brooke enquired curiously, wondering just what it was that her friend got up to around the Scott house when she was meant to be cleaning that was so interesting to watch and why it was that she'd denied the show permission to put her on it.

Julian hesitated before saying carefully, 'I think I'll let you ask her that one – it's something I doubt that she's even aware of herself so I wouldn't want to embarrass her. But you seem pretty perceptive when it comes to your friends, so I'm sure you'll work it out soon enough.'

He sent her a wink that turned her legs to jelly but she tried her best to appear unaffected and huffed, 'That's annoyingly cryptic of you, but I can see that you're not gonna budge. So, I'll drop it...for now.'

The last part was said warningly and Julian grinned as he thought of all the ways Brooke might try to persuade him to tell her the whole story...then shook his head rapidly to clear it from those kinds of thoughts – definitely not helping the whole 'friends' thing.

'Thanks for letting me off the hook,' he chuckled instead.

Brooke simply smiled and nodded before moving off to look around the rest of the room. The part which they were standing in was the monitoring section, with the screens showing the live feeds from the cameras around the house, with various computer towers piled up to save the data onto. Various coloured lights blinked from important-looking black boxes and switches and she made a mental note not to touch anything – just in case. Desks had been set up all around the room, each with desktops on showing different kinds of fancy editing software and with stacks of paper and coffee mugs scattering the surface tops.

Through a large archway was the other room: this part again held more computers but also a large conference table with chairs surrounding it and a large touchscreen that took up most of the far wall. This part was where most of the crew were gathered, each seeming to have their own work stations set up around the room – most of these being at different points along the desk that ran along two of the walls.

'This is where we do most of our work,' Julian explained as he followed Brooke into the room, 'the other room is mostly just for monitoring what's going on around the house and for editing that on the spot as we see it, but everything else gets done here. We have all our meetings in here – our team ones and our weekly ones with Dan. It's where we put it all together: we add music to clips, edit the audio and sort out the lighting and put together the final product. Everything here is connected to our own Cloud so that everyone can access all the footage on all our drives at all times. We added in extra security as well so it should be pretty much impossible for us to be hacked.'

'Is there much of a threat of that?' Brooke asked, concerned as she thought of her confession that was now on the system, along with all the other footage of others that presumably would cause massive problems if it should be leaked.

Julian shrugged, 'There's always been a threat of it and there always will be – ever since the show started and the Scotts became overnight celebrities – as opposed to just rich business owners – people have wanted to know what goes on in their lives, behind the cameras and what gets left out of the show. So that means there's a demand for stuff to be leaked and so hackers keep on taking shots at our system but we've only ever had one person get through and that was right at the beginning of the show, before security was tight. We didn't realise at first just how much of a hit the show was going to be so the attack came as a bit of a shock. Thankfully, they only found low-grade stuff but after that Dan invested in state of the art tech to keep it all secure and he updates it every year. Trust me, your story is more than safe here.'

She caught his gaze and saw the earnestness there, his promise that he wouldn't have let her put something so vulnerable and important onto their system if he hadn't thought it would be one hundred percent safe for her to do so. And she trusted him.

'So...doesn't it get boring – just sitting there and looking at screens of live camera feeds all day?' she asked, looking back into the other room where Mouth was on monitor duty in front of the screens.

'Well, we try to break it into two hour shifts so it's more manageable but we also tend to do our other work in front of the monitors as well,' he said, pointing to the laptop Mouth had out in front of him that he was working on rather than looking at the screens in front of him, 'if there's anything important happening on one of the screens then an alert will go off on his laptop and he'll switch to that. So, yeah, it's not the most interesting job but it's the best system we've got for it so far.'

Brooke spent the next couple of hours in the editing room with Julian, sitting on the floor in a corner and asking him more questions about his work. She marvelled out how easy it was to talk to him and how interesting he made his work sound. It was like hearing about a completely different world and she found it a welcome distraction from her thoughts, which were still mostly focused on her father, Kathy and her company. It surprised her how comfortable she felt around him; he made her laugh with his anecdotes and sheer dorkiness that slipped out every now and then. The time just seemed to slip by in seconds and when there were silences, they didn't feel awkward at all, it just felt like a natural lull that neither of them felt the need to fill.

Eight o'clock came around all too soon for her and soon everyone had congregated in the room and had taken their places around the table. Julian jumped up and held out his hand to help her up from the floor with a carefree grin.

'Do you wanna stay and sit in on the meeting?' he asked her once she was standing up.

Brooke shook her head with a small smile, 'Nah, I don't wanna be in the way.'

'You won't be, I promise. Stay,' he said, with a heart-stopping smile.

It took her a moment to catch her breath, but when she did she said, 'Maybe another time, but you guys have got important stuff to talk about and I'd just feel awkward. Besides, I think the cottage is ready for me to move into now so I might just get a head-start on that.'

'Okay,' he nodded, 'it's probably gonna be a late one, so I'll see you tomorrow?'

'Sure,' she nodded back, unable to stop the wide grin that took over her mouth at the thought of that.

He nodded again, grinning like a fool and gave her a wave as she walked away from him and out of the room. He flopped down into the seat at the head of the table, then took in the amused faces looking at him.

'Someone's happy,' mumbled Patrick, somehow managing to make the statement sound accusatory.

'Wouldn't have anything to do with our new house guest, would it?' Nathan asked casually but with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

'So, I think it's time to start, don't you?' Julian said, a little too loudly and with a blush that overrode any authority he might have been trying to impose.

The room filled with laughter and quips about Julian's embarrassment and he joined in, rebutting a lot of the comments and just laughing at others, until he remembered that they had a job to do.

'Alright, alright, that's enough taking the mickey out of me for one day,' he said, and the room settled back again, 'we've got a lot of stuff to watch to decide what's going to make it into the show,' turning to the brothers, he said, 'as per usual, guys, if you don't want anything shown then just tell us at the end.'

Nathan and Lucas nodded, before someone dimmed the lights and they all turned to the large screen in front of them to start watching the events of Friday, as viewed through a camera lens. The footage selected by the team mostly focused on the highlights of the goings on of the members of the Scott family, with the occasional minute or two of film showing some kind of dramatic situation occurring amongst their guests. For the most part, it had been sorted into chronological order and, when put all together lasted for about two and a half hours. Normally, viewing selected footage of just a few hours wouldn't have taken so long as the team knew what Julian would be looking for and so edited everything down as much as it could be. However, the chief of this time was concerned with watching Lucas' interactions with 'Ellie', as Skills, who had been responsible for looking through that part of the footage, had thought that Julian would want to see as much of it as possible to decide which bits to keep.

At the point which Ellie pushed Lucas into the fountain, they had to pause the film because everyone was laughing too loudly, especially Nathan and Lucas glowered at all of them until they eventually stopped and they were able to continue. Once they reached the end of the screening, everyone waited in silence for Julian's reaction and to hear his initial thoughts on what they had.

He sat at the head of the table, hand rubbing his chin, clearly in deep thought for quite some time, until he finally said slowly, 'Well done, guys, we've got some great film in there. I feel like I chose one hell of a night to miss out on! Now, obviously, this needs to be cut down by more than half in order to fit into our time frame...'

With that, he went on to detail which parts of the footage could be discarded and, as he spoke, Malcolm deleted them or cut them as they went. Julian was careful to only speak about the parts which didn't include Lucas' dealings with his mystery woman for that part of their meeting, as he wanted to talk about it afterwards. The crew and the brothers pitched in as well, saying which parts they thought should be kept and which were unnecessary.

Finally, they had completed that part of the task and Julian turned to Malcolm, 'Where does that take us to now, Mal?'

'Er...,' Malcolm mumbled, glancing down at the screen in front of him, 'one hour and forty-five minutes.'

Julian nodded, 'Okay, that's better but we've still got more we can do.'

They went through the whole process again and again until they had reduced the running time to an hour and a half. Then, Julian turned to Lucas with an apologetic expression.

'Luke, I think you know what I'm about to say and I'm sorry for it,' he said in a low voice.

Lucas swallowed hard and nodded his head once. The whole way through the screening, he'd been on edge waiting for the footage of him and Ellie to start, unsure as to whether he wanted everyone to see such private moments or whether he wanted to watch them again simply to relive the time he'd spent with her. When the time had come for their part to be shown, he'd felt his heart pull uncomfortably in his chest as he saw once again how beautiful she was and the way she'd made him feel rushed back to him painfully, especially when she'd run from him. He hadn't even realised that Ralph had followed them into the garden when they'd left the ballroom and when it had come to that part, he'd sent Lucas a look that told him he was sorry for it but it was clear that he'd been ordered to by Dan. It was with a certain resignation that he listened to what Julian had to say next.

'You know that under any other circumstances, I'd ask you whether or not you wanted me to pull this footage but I can't this time and we all know why: Dan saw you with this girl and he saw you running after her. There's no way that he won't let me put this in the show and, frankly, even if he hadn't seen you, I'd be pushing for it to go in anyway. It's a beautiful story, Luke, and I know it's incredibly personal and not something that you'd want the entire nation to see but it's one that I think needs telling,' Julian told him gently.

'I know, you're right and I wish you weren't and that I could just keep this to myself but there's no way that it's gonna happen,' Lucas sighed deeply, 'besides, maybe if she's watching and she sees it then she'll come forward and I'll see her again,' the hope that burned in his eyes as he said this was almost painful to look at, ' I know that I don't have a choice in this and it does need to be told, but there's no one I'd rather have in charge of putting it together than you, Julian.'

'Thanks, Luke,' Julian smiled, 'I won't let you down: I promise, I'll make this the best show ever because of your footage. And, just because we have to show what happened, doesn't mean that you can't still choose which parts get to go into the show.'

So, they set about creating a love story to remember, moving the film clips around into the right places and interspersing them with pieces of other people's stories to create suspense and keep the audience hooked. Once they'd added the right music and edited the lighting to make it appear to glow, they watched the whole thing through again.

'It's great, Julian,' Nathan said once it had finished.

'People are gonna love it,' Skills agreed, 'good job, man.'

Julian looked at Lucas, 'So, can I send it to Dan now?'

Lucas nodded, eyes fixed on his hands in front of him.

'Are you sure? 'Cause we can go back through it again and get rid of any more parts you don't want,' he offered.

Lucas raised his eyes to meet the gazes of those around him and shook his head, 'No, it's perfect. Send it.'

And Malcolm hit the button.

XxX

It was with a certain trepidation that Haley entered the Scott house early on Monday afternoon for her second tutoring session with Nathan. On the one hand, she was deeply cautious about embarking on another academic meeting with him when their last one had gone so disastrously and he had been so cold and rude to her. There was a faint pang of anxiety in the pit of her stomach at the thought of having to endure such treatment again as the thought of any kind of conflict always made her nervous. Part of her wanted just to stay in the bookshop and call Karen to tell her that she couldn't go ahead with the tutoring after all, but this part was overwhelmed by far by the rest of her which said that she couldn't possibly let down her friend – or Nathan, as, surely, he needed her help even if he was unwilling to admit it.

On the other hand, she reminded herself as she walked through the atrium that Nathan had been completely different in her other two encounters with him since then: first, as the masked stranger who had prevented her from falling, and then as her host whilst she had been staying in the manor to take care of Brooke. In the first instance he'd been, perhaps not charming, but certainly gentlemanly and intriguing; in the second, he'd been attentive and – though choosing mostly to refrain from any conversations which didn't revolve around Brooke's health and comfort – perfectly polite in all of his interactions with both of them.

She was unsure now as to which side of him she would be presented with when she saw him and the uncertainty gnawed at her as she searched through the house for him. Even though she had arrived at the house on time, she spent fifteen minutes wandering around trying to find Nathan – or, indeed, anyone who might know where he was – before she came across George, who told her that she was most likely to find her student in the kitchen.

Who she found in the kitchen, however, was more than she had bargained for: Nathan was sitting on a stool at the island counter with Megan on his lap, his tongue wrapped around her tonsils. At first, the sight was so unexpected that Haley only stared on in shock, watching their movements with a kind of sick fascination. Through her surprised haze, she saw that Nathan's arms hung about Megan loosely and that his kisses to her lips were lazy and seemingly without much passion behind them, as though he were simply biding the time with her until something better for him to do came along. Megan, on the other hand, was clinging to him fiercely, plying him with desperate kisses, clearly afraid that if she didn't put her all into every second that she would lose her grip on him and thus her shot at fame and glory.

Sharply coming back to her senses once the initial shock factor had worn off, Haley cleared her throat loudly over the sickening noises that were emanating from the entwined couple. She had expected them both to be far too engrossed to notice her the first time, so she almost immediately prepared to cough again but the moment she had announced her presence, Nathan pulled away from Megan's pouting lips and fixed Haley with a disinterested look.

'Yes?' he said, half-raising an eyebrow in her direction.

'We said Monday for your next session, remember?' Haley replied, deliberately not mentioning that it was a tutoring meeting in front of Megan in case Nathan didn't want her to know about it.

'You're late,' he drawled, his eyes flicking from her to the clock on the wall and then back to her again.

Filled with indignance at the injustice of that statement, Haley straightened her back and jutted out her chin, 'I was on time. But seeing as someone clearly thought it was a better use of their time to make out with their girlfriend rather than coming to find me, I had to wander round this maze of a house until someone told me where you were.'

It didn't escape her notice the look of smug satisfaction that came across Megan's face when the word 'girlfriend' was mentioned and the simultaneous shudder it provoked from Nathan.

He shrugged unapologetically, 'Can you really blame me?'

He planted a sloppy kiss onto Megan's cheek, clearly designed to seem affectionate enough to keep her hooked – which, by the dreamy look on her face, she clearly was – but Haley could see plainly that there was no emotion behind it on his part. Megan giggled in a high-pitched way that set Haley's teeth on edge.

'Well, we should probably make a start,' Haley said calmly, choosing to ignore everything that had just happened.

'Fine, I can't do any longer than an hour – I have training,' Nathan told her without looking at her.

'That's right: my man's gotta keep up his super hot body for me,' Megan said, practically drooling all over Nathan. Her comment caused Nathan to give her a look of pure disgust and his arms slackened even more around her so that he was barely holding her anymore but, from the besotted way that Megan was still looking at him, this appeared to have been lost on her.

'Yeah. Right,' he mumbled, turning away from her, 'so can we just get this tutoring crap out of the way ASAP so I can get on with the important things in my life – a.k.a: not this.'

The simpering facade Megan was putting on slipped momentarily at this and she twisted in Nathan's arms, turning to him with an incredulous expression, 'Wait, you're having tutoring sessions with my lame stepsister's dork of a bestie?'

She snorted derisively before finding herself unceremoniously dumped onto the floor as Nathan pushed her as far away from himself as possible. His face had become stony and cold, 'Yeah, that's about right so you should leave. Now.'

Too late, Megan realised her mistake and tried to return to her show of being doting and acquiescent, draping her arms around his neck, 'I think it's totally cool that you're being all, like, intellectual – it's so sexy.'

Nathan reached up and detached her arms, pushing her firmly back once again, 'I'm sure it is but, like I said: you need to go.'

Scrabbling to regain the intimacy that she thought she had lost – but which, in reality, she had never had in the first place – Megan shuffled closer to him, putting a wounded puppy-dog look onto her features, 'Without a goodbye kiss?'

She puckered up her lips in a way that made Haley gag internally but Nathan avoided them and pecked her quickly and sterilely on the cheek, 'Bye.'

'Call me, okay? I miss you already,' she whined, touching his face and, either choosing to ignore or missing entirely the fact he recoiled slightly, she scooped her purse up from the counter. Passing Haley on her way out of the kitchen, she gave her a second's glance, saying with forced brightness, 'Toodles, Haley!'

Haley gave her a half-hearted wave and then gave an inward sigh of relief once she heard her high heels clicking their way out of the kitchen and into the corridor outside. There was a moment's silence as they both listened out for all sounds of Megan to disappear from the house, then Haley began to unpack the contents of her bag onto the counter, arranging the folders and books neatly without looking at the man next to her.

He allowed her to continue for a couple of minutes before saying with a smirk in his voice, 'Okay, go on then: out with it.'

Haley tensed slightly but continued her movements without turning to look at him, 'Out with what?'

'Tell me exactly how much you disapprove of me and Megan. I can tell you want to: it's written all over your face,' he told her.

'I don't know what you're talking about,' she replied coolly, refusing to cave in to him and let loose the disapproval that was rattling around in her brain, just waiting to be spoken.

He chuckled lowly, ''Course you do: it's practically coming off you in waves.'

'I don't have an opinion about it: I'm just here to tutor you,' she said, taking the pens out from her case by way of something to keep her occupied.

'Come on: you can tell me,' he urged, and Haley could feel the mirth he was barely keeping in check and she felt her blood boil at his smugness.

She carried on with what she was doing in silence.

'I promise I won't get mad,' he said but somehow she doubted his ability to remain calm in the face of what she would probably end up saying to him.

She focused on the pens in front of her: red, blue, black, green...

'Just say it.'

Pink highlighter, green, orange, yellow...

'Come on...you know you want to.'

'Fine! You really want to know what I think about you and her?' she snapped, finally raising her eyes to meet his.

'Desperately,' he said, suppressing a smirk.

'Okay then: I've known Megan for ten years and she's poison. Pure and simple. She's only got worse with time; you're better off staying away from her,' she told him as calmly as she could so that he didn't get the false impression that she cared about him in any way.

The smirk broke free onto his lips at this.

'So you're looking out for me then. That's cute: I didn't know you cared so much,' he said infuriatingly.

Damn, Haley thought, that indifference thing clearly didn't work.

She tried again.

'I don't, believe me,' she said, her voice even more emotionless than before, 'I just wouldn't wish her on my worst enemy.'

'Well, as endearing as your concern is, you can rest easy: I'm only riding this out for another week before I finish with her. You should be thanking me, really?'

'Oh? How'd you work that one out?' she frowned, crossing her arms over her chest.

'I've only stuck with her that long to protect Brooke – you asked me to make sure she didn't say anything about what she saw on Friday night, remember? If it was up to me, I'd have left it as a dull make out session at a party for the cameras and put it down to a drunken mistake if she'd tried to get it to go any further. I'm only carrying it on for this long so that she won't catch on to the fact that the only reason I'm still fooling around with her is to keep her quiet: if I broke up with her straight after I'd spoken to her about it, she might've got suss,' he explained, leaning back on the counter top behind him.

'So you've spoken to her about Friday, then?' Haley asked, trying to seem casual but feeling every nerve set on edge at the prospect of Megan going to the media about what she'd seen.

'Yep,' he said casually, popping the 'p' sound, 'we're in luck: I asked her about Friday and what she'd thought of it so that it looked natural and she didn't mention anything about Brooke. So I said something about the end of the night being crazy and she started talking about it but I think she was too drunk on the fact that she thought she'd managed to get me to be her boyfriend to remember any of the important details. She thought it was Brooke Valentino – you know, the singer – who crashed our party not your Brooke: thankfully, she was too much of a mess for Megan to recognise her.'

'So, what did you say then?' Haley pressed, unable to rid herself of the uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach until she knew the whole story.

'I spun her some story about Brooke Valentino being covered in blood because she was testing out looks for a new music video but that she'd got drunk, wandered off set and decided that she was going to get her private helicopter to fly here and crash our party. The reason she'd fallen down and was so upset was because she was too drunk to stand and had forgotten the reason she was at our house or even the fact that the blood that was on her was fake. So, we all assumed it was real and that was why we'd all been so worried but there'd been nothing to it in the end,' he said it all so convincingly that, by the end of it, Haley half believed him herself.

'And she bought it?'

'Completely,' he nodded, 'then I told her that Valentino was so embarrassed about the whole thing that she didn't want anyone to know about it – especially 'cause she's only just got out of rehab – that she was making everyone sign gag orders so that they couldn't tell anyone about it. And I got her to sign a contract that I had our legal team draw up to say that she wouldn't breathe a word of it to anyone: not her friends and family, and definitely not the media. She was so desperate to please me and 'Valentino' that she signed it straight away without even seeing the fact that it was Brooke Davis' name on the paper and not Valentino's. This way, if she says anything about it, we'll sue her for everything she's got. But I'm fairly certain she'll keep her mouth shut anyway even after I've dumped her so that she doesn't ruin her chances of making it big by pissing off the A-listers she's trying to get in with.'

'Nathan, that's...actually really genius,' Haley smiled, feeling relief rush through her as well as gratitude, 'thanks for doing that for us.'

Nathan shrugged, 'Brooke's been through hell: she doesn't deserve to have that exploited by people like Megan.'

'You don't deserve to be exploited by her either, Nathan. I know you've said that you're going to end things in a week but just be careful, okay? She's only after you for your fame and money and even though you might think you're only in it for a matter of days, she's in it for the long-haul and, once she's got her claws into you, she's very hard to shake off. She won't give up 'til you the two of you have had your wedding photos splashed all over the covers of every magazine in the country and she's got the divorce settlement and book rights to 'her side of the story' to show for it,' Haley warned him.

'I'm a big boy: I can handle girls like Megan. I've done it a thousand times in the past and, so far, there've been no wedding specials in Mirror,' he said nonchalantly.

'I know: you said that at the ball but we both know she's your type and that you play into it,' she reminded him, thinking back to her illuminating conversation with an incognito Nathan Scott.

Nathan frowned at her and she realised that he probably didn't remember their talk or, if he did, probably hadn't put two and two together when he'd seen her later on without her mask on. Sighing, she said, 'You caught me after I was pushed over by one of the two guys who were fighting over that girl and then you said that you're a sucker for a girl that's only going to use you up and spit you back out, remember?'

'Yeah, I know that was you: I saw you with Brooke without your mask on afterwards,' he said as though she was unbelievably stupid for not working that out for herself.

'I know, it's just...you were looking at me like you'd forgotten,' she explained, trying to stop her cheeks from colouring under the glare of his disdain.

'No, I was looking at you like that because you have one conversation with me when I'm half-drunk and in a stupid costume at a ball and now all of a sudden you think you know me?' he gave her a disgusted look similar to the one he'd given Megan earlier.

'No, that's not it,' Haley shook her head, trying to backtrack and wondering how he could go from being semi-decent then back to being rude and abrasive in a matter of seconds, 'I just remembered what you said and I didn't want you to get pulled in by her. I wasn't making any assumptions about you.'

'I think you were,' Nathan snarled, 'you speak to me at the ball for all of five minutes and then you start thinking that I'm just misunderstood and that the whole 'bad boy' thing is just an act. Well, you're wrong: Friday night was the act. I had a mask on so I was playing at being someone else but that's not who I am: the uncaring bastard you see on the TV show, that's who I am.'

'Okay, so I got it wrong. Fine, let's just get on with the session, alright?' she said, trying to move on and not think about how much of an idiot he was being or the fact that she didn't quite believe his story that how he'd been on Friday was all just an act.

'No, I don't think so. We're done for today: I've got a training session to get to and you need to see yourself out. You're just like all the rest of those airhead bimbos that throw themselves at me: they're all either like Megan where they're into the bad boy image and want to be disappointed and messed around so they can sell it to the press or they're like you, thinking I'm some kind of saint. You think I've been shown in a certain way by the media and that, deep down, I'm just a soft guy wanting someone to see who he really is and love him for that. You all just think that if I just date you, if I just let you be the one to change me, that you'll end up with this fairytale prince that everyone will be fawning over but who you'll have won the heart of. Well, newsflash, Tutor Girl: I'm no Prince Charming. What you see is what you get. So, you need to get over it and get out and I need to go and shoot some hoops, got it?'

Haley was so shocked by this outburst and the assumptions made in it that she found herself speechless long enough for Nathan to believe that his little tirade had had its desired effect and nod at her with smug satisfaction as he pushed himself off from the stool and began to saunter towards the kitchen door.

'No!' Haley heard someone shout out. Nathan half-turned back to her, eyebrow quirked, and she realised it had been her who'd uttered it.

'Excuse me?' Nathan demanded, clearly unused to having that reaction after having given such a scathing speech.

'We're not done here, so sit back down,' she said firmly, in a voice that was stronger than she felt.

'I don't think so, Tutor Girl,' he laughed dismissively, turning back to leave.

'Sit. Back. Down,' she ordered sternly, in the voice that she normally only reserved for the most unruly of the children she tutored.

The force of her tone caused Nathan to stop and swivel back to her but not to sit down again. His expression, however, told her that she had his attention.

'First of all, let's get this straight: I couldn't care less about whether you're a misunderstood marshmallow or Satan's representative on Earth. It doesn't matter to me because that's not why I'm here. I'm here because your mom hired me to tutor you so you could pass your finals and graduate and that's exactly what I'm going to do. What kind of person you are or who you're dating doesn't come into it. Now, so far, your mom has been paying me to spend two sessions getting treated like dirt and getting verbally abused and not to actually do my job of tutoring you. I happen to think very highly of your mother and don't want to see her money wasted any more than it already has been on these sessions or to let her down. So, here's how this is going to work: I'm going to tutor you and you're going to learn. Seeing as small talk is clearly an issue, we won't talk about anything other than your work while I'm here and then, once you've passed your exams, we'll never have the displeasure of sharing one another's company ever again, got it?

'And, if you don't like it, then tough: either put up with it or go and speak to your mother about getting another tutor 'cause she's the one paying for these sessions, not you so I don't have to answer to you in any way. So, I will continue to do my job as professionally as I can until you either pass your exams or your mom tells me that she's hiring a different tutor, at which point, I would be more than happy to hand her a twenty page essay on why her son is one of the biggest assholes to ever walk the face of this earth. And, FYI, I have literally no interest in turning you into a 'good guy' because I happen to have a boyfriend whom I love very much and, remarkably enough, you're not irresistible to all women. Now, sit down and I'll tutor you until I say that it's time to finish,' she finished off her rant with a triumphant look, chest heaving from the adrenaline her anger had given her. She wasn't sure if she had just made a huge mistake or not but she felt liberated and she couldn't help but think of how Peyton and Brooke would cheer her later on when she told them this story.

She saw that Nathan's expression had now changed to one of mild surprise and respect, 'Okay then, Tutor Girl, you've got yourself a deal. And fair play to ya: you've got stones. There's not many people outside of my family and the crew who would be brave enough to say the things you've just said to me and anyone who can do that, can handle tutoring me.'

He passed her and sat back on the stool he had previously occupied, still not exactly looking like he wanted to be there but definitely seeming more willing to learn that he had been before.

'Okay then,' Haley murmured, trying to keep her voice from shaking under the shock that her outburst had actually worked and not got her fired on the spot. She walked over to the counter and opened up one of the study guides, 'I thought we'd start with equations.'

'I'm all ears,' Nathan said, with the barest hint of a smile hanging around his mouth.

XxX

The Groundskeeper's cottage stood at the heart of a small patch of woodland within the Manor's grounds, falling about halfway down the hill on the side which faced away from the town. It was set about three acres down from the house and a little under two acres from where the main gardens came to an end. The hill had naturally levelled out into a flat area around this part and that was why it had been chosen by the original builders. The cottage had been added to the estate a couple of centuries before to house the Groundskeeper and his family as the owners had bought up more of the land on the hill and so needed a larger staffing team to manage it. It had two main storeys, as well as a cellar and an attic: an open-plan kitchen/breakfast room/living room, toilet, and a small study on the ground floor; three bedrooms (two fairly small and one master room) and a bathroom on the first floor.

The outside of the cottage was just like something from a period drama, with a thatched roof and stone walls that had been painted a cream colour. A grey stone chimney clung to one side of the house from top to bottom and window boxes filled with flowers sat beneath each of the diamond-paned windows. A low red-bricked wall ran around the outside of the cottage, casing in the small garden that surrounded the building, and a wooden picket gate set into this wall led the way to a paved pathway running up to the front door.

The inside of the cottage hadn't changed much since it had been first built: the walls were plain white plaster with heavy wooden beams inlaid into them and the ceilings, the floors were all wooden (apart from in the bathroom where the boards had been replaced with tiles) and much of the furniture remained from the original tenants of the cottage and their successors (the last of which had been more than seventy years ago). Over the past half a century or so, the cottage had been locked up and put out of use, with dust sheets covering all of the furnishings. Once Keith and Karen had taken over the estate, they had modernised it a little by adding in electrical fittings and lighting, modern kitchen appliances, an indoor toilet and upgrading the bathroom so that it no longer consisted of a metal tub that one needed to fill with water from the kettle. The mattresses on the beds had been changed so that they were no longer paper thin and the couches had been exchanged for ones which, whilst still in-keeping with the rustic feel of the cottage, no longer felt like the occupant was sitting on a block of concrete. A TV had been placed in the living area, as well as a computer and phone in the study, but for the most part these additions just looked like someone had accidentally left modern items in a historical exhibit. Since this refurbishment – intended to be used in the instance that they had too many guests staying in the main house and needed somewhere else to house the surplus – however, the cottage hadn't seen any use and had continued to be locked up. Once a year, Peyton came in to clean it but that was all.

Until Saturday, when the Scotts had hired a team to come in and make the place hospitable once more for Brooke's stay there. New bed linen had been put on all the beds, all the technology had been updated as it had been a couple of decades old, a security system had been installed and panic buttons had been hidden in every room. Once pressed, the buttons would send a distress signal both to the main house and also to the local police. Karen had insisted on these measures in order for both her peace of mind and Brooke's; she knew that Brooke would want her space from the ten men living in the manor and so the cottage was necessary but she still worried about the thought of her living there alone, no matter how secure their estate already was.

Brooke had moved in the next day and instantly fallen in love with the quaint cottage and its homely feel. She deeply appreciated the additions Karen had made with regards to her safety, though she felt relatively secure anyway simply by being back in her hometown once more. The Scotts had very generously provided her with all the things that she hadn't managed to bring with her in her rush to leave New York, as sending someone to fetch them from her apartment there would only alert her stepmother to the fact she was still alive.

Now, however, Monday evening had arrived and it was time for her and her friends to hold their tradition of sitting and watching The Scott Life together, only, for the first time in four years, they were actually doing so with all three of them in the same place. They were arranged comfortably on the large sofa in the cottage's living area in front of the TV that had been mounted onto the wall above the stone fireplace. Peyton had managed to finish her chores early and so get away from the house two hours before the show actually started so that they could have a longer catch-up session beforehand than they normally would. It felt to all of them like the old times, when they'd been at school together and their lives had been somewhat simpler. Putting aside the fact that Peyton had a stepmother who treated her like a slave, that Brooke's stepmother had hired someone to kill her and that Haley's family was in ruins, it almost felt normal to them. Most of all, though, it reminded them of how much they'd missed those moments with one another where they were just hanging out and chatting; even though they had remained close while Brooke had been away, it just wasn't the same having a conversation with a laptop screen or phone.

Somehow, it felt like the start of a new chapter in their lives and yet, at the same time, it was so familiar and comfortable for them that very little about it felt new at all.

Haley was curled up in the left-hand corner of the sofa with a large glass of wine in her hand, Peyton was next to her sitting cross-legged and sipping a large mug of hot chocolate (she was the designated driver between her and Haley for that night), and, beside her, Brooke was sitting sideways, with her legs tucked up under her, her head on Peyton's shoulder and her own wine glass resting in her hand. They had been like this for half an hour now and Haley was just finishing off telling them about her run-in with Nathan earlier that day.

'I can't believe you said that to Nathan Scott,' Brooke marvelled, shaking her head slowly with a mixture of shock and respect for her petite friend once she'd ended her tale.

'I can,' Peyton grinned, her voice filled with pride, 'our Haley James may be the sweetest, kindest person on the planet but she's no pushover. No one puts Haley in the corner, not even super famous, hot NBA/TV stars.'

Haley and Brooke chuckled at that, with the former then saying, 'Well, thanks for the vote of confidence, P, but I was only half-aware that I'd even opened my mouth – let alone said any of those things to him – until I realised he was staring at me like I'd just stuck a pin in his favourite basketball!'

Peyton threw her arm around Haley's shoulders, 'Hales, you've got two mouthy best friends: we were bound to rub off on you at some point.'

'Yeah, just be grateful you didn't take the P Sawyer approach: punch first, yell later,' Brooke laughed, earning herself a shove in the arm from said blonde best friend.

'Hey! That was one time, okay? And the jackass just came up to me in the street and groped me,' she protested.

Brooke held up her hands defensively, but with a playful grin on her features, 'I'm not saying you weren't well within your rights to do all that, but I just can't believe you didn't recognise him as the CEO of Anderson Inc.'

'Yeah, well, it's hard to recognise someone's face when your fist's embedded in it,' Peyton mumbled, her cheeks colouring as she recalled that particular incident involving one of the most influential men in the US.

'Okay, if anything, having you two as best friends has taught me what not to do in a confrontation as much as what to do,' Haley laughed.

'Happy to serve as your role models, Hales,' Brooke winked.

'So, did Nathan give you any more crap after your little rant?' Peyton asked, sipping her drink.

Haley shook her head with a smile, 'Nope. To be fair, though, we literally only spoke about Math for the next hour so there wasn't much else we could argue about. We didn't really speak much, either, I just set him some questions to see what he could do and then let him get on with it. I could tell that he just wanted to get the hell out of there 'cause he kept looking over at the clock but I made sure he stayed for the whole hour.'

'That's my girl,' Peyton smiled, patting her friend's arm affectionately.

'I mean, I'm not saying the next few months tutoring him are gonna be a picnic but I think as long as we stick to the subjects he has to learn and don't focus on the fact that he's a monumental jerk, we should make it through to his finals without me killing him,' Haley said, making a face that showed just how much she was looking forward to continuing on with her tutoring sessions with the younger of the Scott twins.

'This is what I don't get, though: he's actually been really nice and helpful to me since I crashed his family's party and pretty much set up home here. And even though he was pretty quiet on Friday night and Saturday when you were around, he wasn't acting like a tool to you, Hales. So, he's clearly not a 'monumental jerk' but he really is just acting like one just for you, but why?' Brooke said, shaking her head as she tried to work it out.

'I think you hit a nerve,' Peyton murmured, clearly thinking aloud and her friends had to strain their ears to pick up her words, 'I think he wasn't putting on an act around you at the ball but he wasn't expecting to be called out on it. He obviously just thought you were some random stranger that he'd never see again when he helped you and now he's freaking out for some reason about losing his whole 'bad boy' image so he's lashing out.'

'But I don't care about his image or his reputation,' Haley said with a frown, 'I meant what I said to him: I'm not there to try and change him or to try and win him and get all his money, I'm literally only there to tutor him as a favour to Karen. I'm not interested in showing his softer side to the world, I just want to do my job. I'm not a threat to him.'

'But he clearly sees you as one,' Brooke said perceptively, 'I think P's right: you saw a glimpse of the real him that he only lets his family and the crew see when the cameras are off and now he's probably just worried you're gonna go to some magazine and dish the dirt on 'The Real Nathan Scott' or some rubbish like that.'

Haley snorted at the thought, 'Yeah, 'cause that's so likely to happen any time soon.'

'Well, we know that 'cause we're your BFFs and we've known you practically your whole life, but to Nathan you could be anyone: a love-sick-psycho-stalker-fan or a gold-digging slut.'

It was Peyton's turn to snort at that, even though she agreed with the essence of what Brooke was saying, 'Yeah, 'cause everything about Haley just screams 'gold-digging slut'.'

She gestured briefly to the incredibly modest, practical outfit that Haley was wearing and the sensible high ponytail she'd pulled her hair into to demonstrate her point.

Brooke elbowed her in the ribs and stuck out her tongue childishly, 'Whatever, you know what I mean.'

'I do, B, and I get what you're saying, I just think you'd have to be the densest person on the planet to look at Haley and that kind of reading from her,' Peyton chuckled.

'Perhaps, but then I'm not sure yet how blessed our dear Nathan Scott is in the brains department,' Brooke commented (it was well known that, out of the twins, Lucas had always been portrayed as the intellectual one, though none of them had really had a chance to see if Nathan had been hard done by when it came to the frequent references to him being a 'brainless jock' by the media and occasionally even implied on the show), 'but what he may lack in brain cells, he certainly makes up for in looks, right, Hales?'

She sent Haley a conspiratorial wink over the top of Peyton's head, to which the auburn-haired girl simply shook her head and laughed, 'Well, if his test scores from today are anything to go by, he's definitely not stupid and, as for the looks thing, I have a boyfriend, Brooke, which means I don't spend my time ogling TV stars.'

'Keep telling yourself that, Hales, you might just start believing it,' Brooke snorted, 'that boy is far too hot for you not to notice it and acknowledging that someone is attractive isn't the same as 'ogling' them – it's just accepting a fact. And it's a fact of life that Nathan Scott – and his brother for that matter – are one of God's greatest gifts to the female population. Even Peyton can admit that they're good-looking, right, P?'

Peyton felt her cheeks heat up at this: while it might be true that she could be perfectly objective in her assertion that, yes, Nathan was incredibly handsome, the same could not be said of her assessment of the other Scott twin, definitely not given their recent interactions since he'd re-joined the Tree Hill community and certainly not after the events of Friday night. While, her conscious mind still declared loud and clear that her feelings for the blonde celebrity were strictly professional as his employee, her subconscious wasn't quite so confident that that was the case, especially seeing as the mere memory of his pensive blue eyes staring out at her from behind his mask was enough to send her stomach swooping down to her shoes. Jolting herself quickly from such dangerous recollections before her lack of response became suspicious, Peyton managed to get a smile onto her flushed face, 'Oh, totally, they're hot. I mean, you don't make it onto the list of world's sexiest men as many times as they have if there's no truth behind it.'

Haley rolled her eyes at her friends ganging up on her, 'Whatever, I'm not having this conversation with you two: it doesn't matter what I say, you'll still somehow manage to twist it round to make it seem like I have the hots for Nathan – which I really don't, by the way – and then end up teasing me for weeks about it.'

She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest and Peyton inwardly sighed with relief that no one had noticed her momentary absence, before turning the attention back onto her other best friend with a sly grin, 'Besides, B, I would have thought that your head would be too full of pretty little Julian Baker to notice anything about the Scott brothers.'

Brooke blushed instantly at the mention of Julian but couldn't contain the smile that spread across her face at the thought of him, 'Yeah...he is very pretty...'

'So, how's it going between you two? You know, since the whole 'just friends' conversation,' Haley asked with genuine curiosity, whilst also being grateful that the attention had moved on from her. Brooke had filled Peyton and Haley in on the situation with her and Julian as soon as he had left the room again on Saturday evening, though neither of them were quite as confident as Brooke was that the platonic agreement between them would last.

'Honestly? He's been great,' Brooke said in a soft voice, the smile still tugging at her lips, 'he showed me how everything works around here yesterday and then we just sat and talked for ages. It's so weird but speaking with him just feels so...natural, like we've known each other for years, not days.'

'That's great, B,' Haley smiled, happy that her friend had someone supportive in the house she could turn to when she and Peyton weren't around, 'sounds like you two are going to be getting on a little too well for this whole friendship thing, though.'

Brooke groaned, burying her face in her hands, 'That's exactly what I'm worried about! He's so great and he's being so supportive and I already like him way more than I should at this stage…I mean, I've just found out my stepmom's a psycho-bitch who's been poisoning my dad for months now and blackmailed my agent into trying to kill me and here I am freaking out over some boy!'

'Hey, for what it's worth, I think it's a good thing,' Peyton said reassuringly, placing a hand on Brooke's shoulder, 'I mean, it's taking your mind off what happened, right?' Brooke looked up from her hands to nod, 'So, anything that distracts you for a moment from thinking about it has to be a positive, otherwise you'll just drive yourself crazy from thinking about it all the time. It doesn't mean that you're acting like it didn't happen or ignoring, you're just trying to cope in whatever ways you can.'

'Thanks, P, I guess you're right,' Brooke smiled weakly, tucking her hair behind her ears and sitting up again.

'Speaking of coping: were you okay on your own last night?' Peyton asked with concern.

Neither Peyton nor Haley had wanted to leave their friend on her own so soon after the attack on Sunday night but neither had had a choice: Haley had been too worried about her father to leave him on his own again and sleepovers weren't something that Claudia tended to permit for Peyton, even if they were to aid a traumatised best friend. They had been even more concerned that it was going to be Brooke's first night in the cottage and away from the main house and had suggested that she might want to stay in the manor with everyone else for a couple more nights just so she could be close to other people if she needed help during the night. However, Brooke had declined, not wanting to impose any more than she felt she already had on the Scotts and the filming crew and had insisted to everyone that she would be fine on her own in the cottage, even if she didn't believe it herself on the inside.

A shy smile graced Brooke's lips and a blush filled her cheeks, 'Yeah…I wasn't really alone after all, actually.'

'Oh, did you decide to stay in the main house in the end?' Haley asked, feeling relieved that their friend hadn't had to be alone.

'No, Julian offered to stay with me here in the cottage,' Brooke mumbled, and eyed her friends' wide-eyed expressions at this statement, 'I didn't even have to ask him – I mean, I wasn't going to – but he just asked me and I said yes.'

She stopped speaking, clearly embarrassed but Peyton and Haley just glanced at each other and grinned.

'And where exactly did Mr Baker sleep last night?' Haley asked with feigned innocence.

The redness in Brooke's cheeks increased tenfold but she managed to keep her composure as she told them, 'In the room next to mine, and that's where he spent the whole night, before you make any comments.'

'Yeah, but where did you sleep?' Peyton smirked and Brooke smacked her shoulder.

'In my room,' Brooke said firmly, glaring at both her friends, clearly daring them to contradict her, 'he told me that if I got scared at all during the night that I could wake him up and he'd sit up with me but I didn't, even though I couldn't sleep at all. So, when he came in to check up on me in the morning and found out that I hadn't slept, he sat in the armchair in my room so I could feel safe enough to sleep.'

'And did you? Sleep, I mean,' Haley asked, all traces of joking gone from her face and tone, having been replaced with pure concern for her friend's wellbeing.

Brooke smiled widely, 'Yeah. Yeah I did. It really helped just having him there and I know that I said to you guys that I was fine to spend the night alone…but I really wasn't, I just didn't want you to worry 'cause you both have families who need you. And I really thought that I might be able to do it by myself but I'm just glad that I didn't have to…I don't think I'm there yet.'

'That's okay, B, it's only been three days,' Peyton said, patting her hand, 'and about what you said about me and Haley being needed by our families: you're family to us, Brooke, the three of us, we're family. Don't ever think anything else. You guys may not be related to me in the same way that Elise is but you're still my sisters and I love you both as much as I love her. Never see yourself as anything less.'

'She's right, Brooke,' Haley nodded, 'you two have always been there for me, far more than my actual blood sisters. I love you both more than I could ever say.'

Brooke's eyes watered as she reached out a hand to each of them, 'I love you guys too. You're pretty much the only family I have left now.'

Peyton could see that Brooke was thinking of her father and she said softly, 'Hey, it's gonna be okay, Brooke, you will see your dad again. You haven't lost him too. We won't let that happen.'

Haley shook her head fiercely in agreement and Brooke smiled tearfully at them, 'Thanks, I'm trying to believe it…it's just hard when I don't know when or if I'm gonna see him again. I just keep thinking of him all alone in that apartment and Kathy doing heaven knows what to him and he can't even defend himself against her!'

Peyton and Haley rearranged themselves so they could both hold her and they whispered reassurances to her, promising her that it would be okay. Brooke cried for quite some time, her breathing rapid as she panicked about all the bad things that could be happening to her father at that moment. It took them a while, but eventually Peyton and Haley managed to calm her down and to convince her that her father must be still alive or they would have heard something on the news.

'Can we talk about something else, please?' Brooke asked quietly once she'd managed to regain control over the anxiety that had been constantly gnawing away at her insides ever since the attack, 'I just need something to distract me or I'm gonna start thinking about it again.'

Haley caught Peyton's eye over the top of Brooke's head and sent her a look that told her she was drawing a mental blank for conversation topics at that moment.

Peyton took a deep breath, knowing she was going to have to broach the topic that she'd been delaying talking about all evening but a quick glance at the clock told her that she didn't have much time before the show started to say what she needed to, 'Actually, there's something I need to tell you guys before the show starts and you freak out on me completely.'

'This wouldn't have anything to do with me seeing you dancing with and then running away from Lucas Scott on Friday night, would it?' Haley asked with false innocence.

Peyton's eyes widened and Brooke gasped loudly, 'Wait, what?!'

'You saw that, huh?' Peyton mumbled, blushing.

'Honey, you sprinted through a packed ballroom in a pretty epic dress and with one of the most famous men in the country running after you – it was kinda hard to miss,' Haley chuckled.

'Okay, hold up! Will someone please tell me what's going on before my mind explodes?' Brooke demanded and Peyton smiled slightly, seeing that her request for a distraction had definitely worked.

'Okay, I'm gonna do this quickly 'cause the show's about to start and you're probably about to see most of what happened on it anyway,' she sighed, before taking a breath and launching into the shortened version of her tale, 'same old, same old: my stepfamily's a bitch and they wouldn't let me go to the ball but Karen's an angel and sent an outfit, an invitation with an alias on, a chauffeur and some magic shoes to my house. So then, of course, I could go and I did and Haley and I hung out for a bit and met up with Karen. But then Haley had to pee and I ended up in the ballroom and this bloke in a mask – well, everyone there was in a mask, I was in a mask, but, y'know – and he asked me to dance. Anyway, he was amazing and the perfect gentleman and we talked and danced all night but then we went outside and we were about to kiss when he said he didn't want to unless we both knew who the other person actually was. And that ruined everything 'cause he turned out to be Lucas, so I shoved him in a fountain and ran off. He almost caught up with me but only managed to take off my shoe and I drove off and got home before the gruesome threesome but of course the whole thing was caught on camera and is probably about to be shown right now on national TV. You can see it for yourselves in, oh, about…twenty seconds.'

Brooke just stared at her in stunned silence after she'd finished speaking and even Haley, who'd seen small parts of her exchange with the older of the Scott twins, looked a little shell-shocked. Peyton ignored their stares, however, and turned on the TV in front of them with the remote just in time to hear the announcer proclaim it was time for their show.

As the title sequence started to roll, Brooke said, 'I have so many questions right now but I'm gonna save them until after the show, just know that they're coming and that you so do not get to run off home after this and escape them.'

Peyton let out a muffled squeak in response and then they all turned their attention to the screen. For the next two hours, they watched the show in silence as the events of the previous week and Friday night played out in front of them. They were uncharacteristically silent: Haley and Peyton finding it odd viewing themselves onscreen for the first time outside of home videos and Brooke too finding it a little odd but also mesmerising. Haley's first tutoring session with Nathan had been included, as had her anonymous exchange with him at the ball. At least half of the second hour of the episode was focused on Peyton's masked interactions with Lucas as, unbeknownst to them, Dan had liked the parts of it that Julian had originally included in the episode when he'd first been shown it that he'd demanded that more screen time be given to it.

Eventually, the show ended with a shot of Lucas staring after the car that Peyton had fled in before cutting to the credits and Brooke grabbed the remote from Peyton, muting the TV.

'Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer, what the hell is wrong with you?' she demanded, 'What's wrong with you? When Lucas Scott whips off a mask, says he wants to know the real you and date you, you do not push him into a fountain and run and then when he follows you because, by some miracle, he's still interested you definitely don't carry on running and drive away from him! And even if you do all of those things, you don't then hide from him for three days: you go straight to his house the next day, tell him who you are and then make out with him until you both pass out from lack of oxygen!'

Peyton looked desperately to Haley for support but the brunette simply shrugged and held up her hands, 'Hey, don't look at me: I'm Lucas' friend as well as yours, remember? I'm staying out of this until I know enough to take a side.'

'Ugh, fine!' Peyton groaned, 'The reason why I ran away from him when he showed me who he was and why I haven't told him who I am since is because I can't and also because I'm not sure if I want to or not.'

'Okay, let's deal with the first one and then we'll come back to the second when I'll smack you around the head because it's Lucas freakin' Scott we're talking about here, how the hell could you not want to be with him?' Brooke said exasperatedly like her friend was the strangest person on the planet, which, sometimes, she did actually think might be true.

'One thing at a time, B,' Haley reminded her gently.

'Thanks, Hales, and seriously, Brooke? Have you met my stepfamily any time recently?' Peyton asked sarcastically, 'They'd hardly throw a congratulations party if I'd whipped off my mask and shown Lucas – and the whole world too, apparently, 'cause someone was clearly filming us the whole time without us (or maybe it was just me all along) knowing – who I was at a ball that I wasn't even meant to be at! They'd have killed me for even being there in the first place, then resurrected me and killed me again for getting Lucas to notice me when Claudia's trying to snare him for either one of her charming daughters. And it's not like I could've gotten away with telling them that, according to my work contract, I'm not allowed to be shown on camera because, like Haley said, everyone at that ball saw us together, including Dan Scott and there's no way he wouldn't want to find out who I was and to broadcast it to the nation. It's not like I can just ride of with Lucas into the sunset and escape my stepfamily: I have Elise to think about as well and they'd probably hurt her too just to punish me more. That's also why I haven't told Lucas since then who I am. I mean, sure, I could ask him to keep it a secret but now that this has been aired, there are gonna be a lot of people wanting to know who that girl that danced with Lucas was. Even if he did manage to stay quiet about it and we snuck around for a while, it's just not worth the risk that someone could find out at some point, which, knowing my luck will definitely happen sooner rather than later.'

Brooke mulled over her words for a moment and then nodded thoughtfully, 'Okay, fair enough, that all makes sense and I get it now – of course, I'm sorry I wasn't' thinking properly – why you can't say anything. But why would you say that you don't know if you want him to know the truth or not?'

'You did like him at the ball, right?' Haley asked, thinking it was important to clarify that fact first.

Peyton rolled her eyes slightly and blushed, 'Yeah, of course I did. As 'Thomas' he was great and I kept thinking there was something so familiar about him but I couldn't place it or why I felt so comfortable around him when you know I'm generally not like that around strangers. But that's just the thing: as 'Thomas' he was just this normal guy that I could have a good conversation with but as Lucas Scott the TV personality…I mean, where do you go with that? His dad and Uncle own one of the most successful car companies in the world, he stars in his family's own reality TV show, he's a published author and a basketball star and I'm…I work in his mom's café and I clean the floors in his manor. We couldn't possibly come from two more different worlds and if he knew who I am, who I really am – not the glammed up version of me who I was on Friday – he wouldn't be interested in me like that, I know it.'

'That's not true,' Haley said, shaking her head, 'Luke's not like that, really. He doesn't care about things like status and he grew up here, Peyt, not Hollywood or anywhere like that.'

Peyton let out a gentle snort, 'He grew up rich and famous and in a friggin' manor, Hales.'

'You and I both know that Karen and Keith raised him and Nathan to be humble and not to be spoilt so don't make him out to be some snob who wouldn't associate with us because he certainly had since he's come back to Tree Hill. And you know what I meant: he's from the same small town as us and he loves it just as much as we do. He could've moved on and seen it all as beneath him and refused to come back here to shoot this season but he and Nathan both jumped at the chance. You can be famous and rich and still have a soul, P, we of all people should know that with the one and only Brooke Davis as a best friend,' Haley pointed out, her tone shading with disappointment that Peyton would think that of the Scotts after all the kindness they'd shown them.

Peyton sighed and scrubbed at her eyes with the heels of her palms, 'You're right, Hales, I'm sorry. They're not like that, I know that. It's just…that's how it makes me feel when I think about the possibility of him still liking me after finding out the truth.'

'Of course he would, P,' Brooked smiled encouragingly and Haley nodded, 'he'd be stupid not to and Lucas Scott is definitely not stupid.'

'But do you actually like Lucas, P? Because all of this is pointless if you don't,' Haley said.

'I don't know…Lucas as 'Thomas', yes I did like him but it's hard to tell really after only a couple of hours when everyone's pretending to be someone they're not. But Lucas as himself…well, I'm not sure. He's definitely charming and I'd be blind to say that he's not attractive but…,' she trailed off uncertainly.

'I think you're afraid to say you actually like him as himself because that means that you'll have to admit it to yourself and, with all the problems that relationship could cause you that you've clearly already thought about, the thought of it scares you because you don't want to get hurt again and that's all you can see in store. But it could be okay, P, it could be more than okay: it could be great and you could be happy and that thought scares you as well 'cause you haven't been happy in a really long time and you're not sure how you'd cope,' Brooke told her, with her usual perception when it came to her best friends that cut down right to the heart of the issue and usually left the other person feeling like they'd just had the truth punched into their chest.

'I don't know…maybe you're right,' Peyton mumbled uncertainly, though inside she felt the stab of fear in her stomach that Brooke was completely right but she pushed the feeling away, unable to admit it to herself, 'I'm just still not sure…I mean, he probably doesn't even really like me, right? I bet Dan told him to choose some random girl at the ball and pretend that he was into her so that they could make it into some great mystery romance to get higher ratings.'

'I don't think so, P,' Haley said, knowing it was best for her to keep Lucas' secret crush on her friend hidden for the time being, 'from the way he was looking at you and speaking to you on Friday I think he was pretty serious about it. And Lucas isn't the kind of guy to fake a romance just to get more views on the show, even if Dan asked him to.'

'Maybe, maybe not,' Peyton shrugged in return, 'but I've made up my mind. If, in seven years' time when Elise is an adult and can move out from home and we're both free, and if Lucas is still single and looking for me then I'll come clean. But I honestly don't think he'll care enough. This whole thing will probably blow over in a couple of weeks anyway: he'll forget about me and the viewers will get bored and move on.'

Brooke opened her mouth to object – ever the champion of her friend's love lives – when the TV screen caught her attention once more, 'Wait! That's him, that's Lucas!'

Haley and Peyton turned to look at the screen too and, sure enough, there was Lucas' face taking up the picture.

'What's he doing on again? The show's finished,' Peyton frowned, feeling her pulse quicken with an impending sense of catastrophe.

'Who cares? Quick, turn it up!' Haley squeaked, waving her hand at Peyton's comments.

Brooke pressed the mute button again and the audio returned, seeming that they hadn't missed much of the segment.

'...wanted to make this announcement after the latest episode of The Scott Life. As everyone who watched the episode will know, on Friday night I met an incredible woman who left before I could find out her real name or who she is. I'm asking for your help so that I can find her again: if anyone who's watched the show recognises her or knows who she is, please call the number below or email the show on the address shown. As I'm speaking to you, people are putting up posters in as many places as we can to help us with the search,' the screen cut at this point to various quick shots of people plastering posters with Peyton's masked face on onto walls, windows and billboards before cutting back to Lucas standing in front of a white background, 'Please, I'm asking you to help, not as a celebrity, but as a man trying to find what could be his shot at true love. I don't know if that's where this is going at the moment, all I know is that Ellie, or whoever she really is, has captivated me and all I want is to see her again and to see if that connection I felt to her is real and could lead to something amazing. Ellie, if you're watching this, please let me know who you really are. I know that all of this probably seems crazy and way over the top to you – believe me, it looks that way to me too – but I didn't know what else to do or how else to find you. All I know is that I have to see you again and I won't stop searching until I do.'

Lucas' face disappeared once more and was replaced by a side-view image of Peyton, disguised as Ellie, running, the skirts of her dress fluttering out all around her and behind her and her 'glass' shoes glittering on her feet. She'd been placed onto a night sky background and in curling letters to the right of her was written 'Have you seen this girl?'

The image vanished after a couple of seconds and regular commercials resumed once more, playing over the top of the stunned silence that now filled the cottage.

Finally, Brooke turned to Peyton with a smirk, 'What was that you were just saying, P Sawyer?'

---

A/N: So there it is! I hope it was worth the ridiculously long wait! I think part of the reason it's been taking me so long between updates is that I get carried away and write so much, so I'm going to try to make the chapters shorter from now on to see if it means I can update sooner - they'll still probably be over 10,000 words but hopefully it'll make a difference. Also, to everyone who said they wished romantic things were happening faster, I promise that they're coming up but you just have to be patient - I know we're on chapter 10 now and the word count is crazily high (my fault, I like to ramble) but in the story all of this has only taken place over 2 weeks so far and the Scotts have only been in town for half that time - even if it might seem a lot longer - and none of the characters I'm writing about move that fast in their love lives! So, bear with me and just know that things will be moving faster from now on plot-wise. In the next chapter, Brooke and Julian will bond more, Haley and Nathan are going to carry on working out how to be around each other, Garrett's going to crop back up and Lucas is going to up the search for 'Ellie'/Peyton. Reviews would be very much appreciated!