"Peyton! Peyton wait!" Lucas had yelled, but it had done no good. Those in the pews held shock on their faces, either watching in horror as Peyton disappeared beyond the doors, or watching in agony as Lucas fell apart. Either way, Peyton had never turned back, and Lucas was left alone once again.
Now the young man sat on the steps at the foot of the altar, his sense of déjà vu heightening menacingly. Everyone else was in a lower state of shock.
"Lucas…" Haley started, approaching her friend slowly. Nathan and Jamie were close behind.
"Did… Did I miss something?" Lucas asked, unsure what else to say. Even asking that question was difficult, because hearing his own voice made the situation even more real. Haley grimaced slightly, understanding how Lucas' heart was mangled in the moment. She'd seen it too many times before. She came closer, and immediately regretted the sudden movement.
"I gotta go." Lucas said, standing up as quickly as Haley had moved. He didn't want to be the center of everyone's pity or even see their shocked or saddened faces. And in wanting to be alone to try to escape it all and he disappeared, almost as quickly as Peyton had, into the back chambers of the church.
Haley closed her eyes and sighed, turning to Nathan.
"I don't know what to do." She said honestly. Nathan was momentarily quiet.
"I'll talk to him in a few minutes." He said. "But I want to give him his space first. He seemed pretty receptive when I did that when Lindsey ran off." At this, Haley nodded, knowing Nathan's words were true.
"Why did Peyton run away?" Jamie asked in curiosity only a child his age could retain. Stroking his son's hair, Nathan answered the question as best he could.
"I think she's scared, bud." He said.
"Is Uncle Lucas gonna be okay?" Nathan glanced at Haley, hinting for her to answer this one. He figured his answer might be too harsh. Stepping closer, Haley kneeled down before her son to get on his level.
"He'll be okay." She said, half-sure she was telling the truth. She knew Lucas was strong and had pulled through this before… But she also knew that Peyton was the one. She wondered how devastating this would actually turn out to be. "This is just going to be really hard for him."
"But what happens now?" Jamie questioned, his curiosity and confusion still bubbling over.
"Well, ummm… Daddy's gonna go talk to Uncle Lucas in a minute and I'm going to go see if I can find Brooke-"
"But where do I go?"
"You get to hang out with me for a little while, 'kay buddy?" Jamie nodded in agreement and approached Nathan, standing by him. Then Haley leaned forward and kissed her son on the forehead before going off to hunt Brooke down.
* * *
Brooke stepped into an empty hallway, positive she had seen Peyton disappear into it only moments ago. But the area was completely vacated, absolutely silent and dimply lit. Still, Brooke pushed further down, determined to find the run away bride and hoping she didn't just ditch her things and drive off out of state for an ungodly amount of time. And it was in that thought that Brooke noticed light from underneath a closed door, instinct telling her that that was Peyton's hiding place. (?) Where Brooke had gotten the idea that Peyton was trying to 'hide' from anyone was unclear.
Swiftly, Brooke stole down the hallway, entering the suspected room with incredible stealth for high heels and closing the door, rather loudly, behind her.
"Oh!" Peyton screamed, clutching her chest and turning towards whoever had just entered the room. Her eyes were wet and red, her water-proof mascara showing the proof of the blonde's tears by beginning to run down the blonde's face. "Brooke, you scared me-"
"And you scared me." Brooke said, stepping further into the room. "Peyton, why are you running from the boy that you love?" Though the words stung her, Brooke meant them. She couldn't understand why Peyton was running. "You've been looking forward to this day for as long as I can remember." Peyton wiped her face gingerly, trying not to mess it up more. She inhaled deeply.
"Because I… I don't love him." She said unsteadily. More tears came, seemingly from nowhere, and Peyton had to hold her hand up to her face to try and hide her emotions. Her efforts, however, were in vain, and Brooke saw straight through them. The brunette drew nearer, not quite in Peyton's personal space, but close enough for the blonde to feel the love and warmth radiating from her. Brooke was struggling to find words, confused by what Peyton had just said. When she finally opened her mouth she spoke slow, choosing her words carefully.
"When did you decide this?" She asked. Peyton drew visibly into herself then, her arms now crossed protectively across her chest.
"A long time ago." She said. "But I didn't really get it until recently." Her voice was low and she seemed far off, like talking about it was a pain. Brooke, unsure how else to respond, question Peyton then purely on curious impulse.
"But if you don't love Lucas, then… Who do you love?" This froze Peyton, the blonde dropping her arms from her chest and ripping her guard apart. Her heart beat feverishly, her pulse loud enough for Brooke to hear, and the brunette was reading her, figuring out slowly what was going on in the Peyton's head and in her heart. She was getting the answer to her question without either of them saying anything. All of it, everything Brooke needed to know, was set in the big, deep green eyes that stared nervously back at her. All it took was that one glance, and Brooke understood everything. She swallowed hard.
"If I told you something…" Brooke cut herself off, unsure, and then began again. "I'm wondering if what I'm about to tell you is going to help any of this, And if not just with you, then with us. 'Cause I don't want to play this game anymore, P. Sawyer. I'm tired of it… And I can only push you away for so long." Peyton was more alert now, the gears shifting quickly. She stepped closer, curious, her tears shutting off.
"What's wrong?" She asked gently. Her own embarrassment seemed to melt away. She knew the brunette was struggling, even if the battle was only slight… She could see it in her face.
"You know I love you, right?" Brooke asked, her voice tapping into it's natural, rich tone. Peyton nodded, worried now. The statement of 'I love you' always meant trouble.
"Of course I do, Brooke." She said, her concern apparent in her voice.
"Well that's just the thing, Peyt. I love you. I'm in love with you. And that's why I've been pushing you away for all this time and why I didn't want your money for this damned dress and why I wasn't going to-" Brooke's rant was muffled into a short moan, her breath gone from her lungs. Peyton had closed the gap between them, holding Brooke close to her and kissing her lovingly. She had never felt so joyful in her life, her body acting purely and entirely on impulses and excitement. She felt Brooke grin, her smile warm behind the kiss, and run her hands up the blonde's torso to finally rest on the back of Peyton's neck. The blonde pulled slightly away, hearing a wordless protest from the shorter girl against her, and smiled affectionately, resting her forehead against Brooke's.
"I love you, Brooke Davis." Peyton whispered.
"And I love-"
"Brooke Dav-" A voice called, it's owner slipping into the room before Brooke and Peyton could pull apart. The person in the door stood motionless, shocked at what they saw before them. "… Oh my god…"