Chapter 25

Peyton shifted uncomfortably in her bed annoyed that it felt like someone had switched it out for a twin size bed. She opened her eyes slowly and found that the light made her hurt. She groaned as she looked around and saw a familiar off white wall. Sure enough when she looked at her arm there was an IV in it. Peyton went to sit up alarmed that she was in a hospital, but strong hands held her down.

"You have a concussion," came Han's gentle voice from the chair next to the bed. "Any fast movements can risk making it worse. You fell asleep after the Doctors ran some test on you. You're safe Peyton and so is everyone else." Peyton put a hand on her forehead as if it would relieve the pain.

"I don't remember the test," she told him. She looked around the room to see they were the only two in there. "Where's Brian and Rome?"

"With Mia and Molly talking to the Doctor."

"Molly's okay?" Han looked at her surprise.

"You remember what happened?" Peyton nodded and almost screamed when she hit her head.

"Yes you're not that lucky this time around," Peyton bitterly spat as she willed herself not to rub her head.

"I actually am because you are lying here in a hospital and not in a morgue," he replied as he sat on the corner of the bed and took one of her hands in his. "I thought I was going to lose you tonight in the club Shiratori." Peyton felt tears in her eyes as she looked away.

"Han, I can't follow this dance you're choreographing for us. You're going to lose me if you keep pushing me away from you and expecting me to forgive you for the latest fight we've had just because you say something pretty to me." Peyton looked at him. "I can't take feeling like you're keeping something from me by the way you're acting." Han leaned over and placed a kiss on her nose.

"I know Peyton," he said admitting to nothing specifically. "The things I've been saying lately haven't been what I've wanted to say." Peyton gave him a look. "You haven't been the easiest person to talk to this week either."

"Maybe I would if you stopped with the playboy act and went back to being the boy wonder I've fallen for twice now," she suggested. Han grinned.

"You know Boy Wonder wasn't the only one who caught the girl genius' eye. I believe Nicholas Gage was known as a bit of a hot shot." Peyton smiled as her eyes grew heavy.

"Dick won in the end. He'll always win Babs heart because he's the one that has seen the good and the bad. He knows all her secrets because he was standing with her the entire time." Peyton fought the sleep and Han must of sense her struggle.

"Go back to sleep, Shiratori. There's no use fighting the meds when the Doctor is going to keep you here for a few more hours anyway." Peyton looked up at him.

"Hold me?" Han kissed her hand.

"Always." Peyton shifted over in the bed so Han could lay down with her. He gently stroked her head as he hummed an old Japenese folk song his Mom had sang to him and Paul as children. Peyton immediately recognized it and smiled as she snuggled closer to him completely forgetting she was in a hospital bed. She was asleep within seconds and Han continued humming until he heard the door open. He was surprised to see Molly in the doorway starring at the couple and was more surprised that Peyton didn't stir.

"Does she know?" the Auburn asked.

"She suspects something's wrong," Han informed the woman. "But that's either the drugs talking or her just looking for a fight." Molly frowned.

"Maybe you should stop being so rough on her and remember you love her," Molly recommended. "I mean you are doing this for her after all. For you two to be able to have a future." Han felt his grip around Peyton tightened defensively.

"Talk to me when you come clean with Dom. You didn't even know him before you got involved in the task." Molly sat in the chair and looked at Han.

"You're right about me not telling him about why I was working for the O'Neils, but I have been honest with him about how I feel. I'm absolutely smitten." Han grinned. "Shut up Han. I really like him and don't want what we're doing to ruin things. If it comes down to it I'll break his heart so we can end this battle, but I'm not going to like it. We've worked too hard to have things screw up now and I know the others feel the same way." Her eyes went to Peyton. "The question is are you willing to do the same?" Han looked down at Peyton and watched the girl breath as she slept. You wouldn't be able to tell all the suffering she'd been through by the she was sleeping in his arms. He gently brushed a few strands of hair that had fallen in her face.

"I can't lose her again Molly." She looked at Han thoughtfully.

"You know if Kieran finds about who got you out prison things are going to get a lot worse. He'll be relentless and find every shroud of evidence of the two of you together before he shows Peyton. Kieran won't threaten our Peyton but he'll let her end things herself so it hurts more and go after our fiery associate."

"I don't want Peyton to hurt again because of me." Han looked at Molly. "I've been doing that the last three and a half years since the five of us decided we were going to go after Kieran. The only reason I was having sex with our fiery associate as you put it while I was in prison is because none of us knew Peyton was going to be down here when I got out. If it comes out that I was sleeping with that associate in prison, then it's only a matter of time before people realize I lost my virginity to her and not Tina Jackson like I've lie about the last five years. That's a lie Peyton not's going to be able to forgive." Molly put a hand on his cheek.

"Then either let Peyton go find another that can give her the time and attention she wants or be the one who shows Peyton she is there in no one in this world that matters more than her. If you keep trying to have the best of both worlds she's going to start poking around and we both know it. It's just the way Peyton is and nothing you say is going to change her before we finish what we came to Miami to do." Han looked at the innocent girl his arms unsure of what he was going to do, but knowing he had to it quick before he lost her.

XXXXX

After spending the night in the hospital for observation, Peyton was released the following afternoon after the doctors spoke to Brian and Rome about how to monitor Peyton from home. Peyton was given strict orders not to do any strenuous activities (especially driving, running, and surfing) for the next few days and recommended Peyton take a day or two off from school which Brian informed Peyton she would be doing. There were no signs of permanent damage and the cut on the back of her head (that turned out to not need stitches) would easily be concealed by her hair until it healed without a scar. Molly would be fine as well (although she needed stitches) and the club would only be closed for the rest of the weekend for the investigation of the shooting which thankfully had not caused the death of any of the club staff. All in all the group had been lucky this time.

Peyton didn't ask about Shannon when they got home and was glad to see Mia on the living room couch. Peyton assumed the two had talked when Peyton was asleep. She had woken up briefly and saw Han was sitting next to the bed. Peyton remembered him holding her and humming one of his Mother's lullaby as she fell back asleep after he told her she (as well as the rest of her family) was safe. When the doctors woke her the next morning, all she saw was Brian and Rome. Peyton was surprised Han wasn't with the others who were waiting to give her hugs (after Mia hugged her of course) at the apartment. She wanted to ask someone about it, but Brian immediately ushered her into her room since the doctor told Brian to keep his sister in bed. Peyton didn't put up a fight to avoid being the center of attention and enjoyed the quiet comfort of her room. She pulled a book off her shelf but barely got through the first page before she fell asleep. Peyton woke up later that night just enough to eat some soup that Brian made and take a few pills he gave her before she went back to sleep.

When Peyton woke up again, it was six in the morning. She laid in her bed for twenty minutes trying to fall back asleep since she wasn't going to school, but her mind was racing. Peyton kicked off the blanket and got out the bed. She grabbed her laptop before she left her bedroom. Peyton put on a pot of coffee and sat at the kitchen counter with her laptop. She tracked her Fathers outing in the tabloids (made possible by his latest mistress being some well known model) while she drank her first cup of coffee. By her second cup, Peyton had hacked into the California court database to see her Father's recent cases. They all seemed to be nothing more than her Father's usually dirty cliental list (excluding the O'Neil family who seemed to be staying out of trouble for the last six months) except for one hearing. A hearing where Eric O'Connor wasn't representing a client but was the defendant. Peyton heard a bedroom door open and saw the case belonged to customs before she signed out and pulled up a computer game.

"You should be in bed and not drinking coffee," Mia told Peyton as the older girl snatched the mug away from Peyton.

"I've been sleeping for over twenty hours," Peyton replied as Mia poured the girl a cup of orange juice. "Did you just come from the Guest bedroom?" Mia placed the cup on the table without looking at Peyton.

"I wanted to be here in case there were problems during the night and I didn't think it was the best idea to sleep in your Brother's bed."

"So you guys still aren't talking?" Mia grabbed the coffee pot, but paused for a moment before she poured herself a cup of coffee.

"I wouldn't say that." Peyton looked at Mia horrified.

"You two…you're no longer together?" Mia gave Peyton a reassuring smile as she leaned against the counter with her coffee in hand.

"I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon." Mia took a sip of her coffee. "Brian had Han help him get his Mother's stuff out of the apartment after you were admitted into the E.R. Brian of course went to the hospital as soon as he made it clear to her and the police that she was no longer welcome in his home, but the Doctors were already talking to me and Molly about the test results after he was done. He left Han with you so him and Rome could hear what the doctors were saying. I left the hospital as soon as the Doctor said you would be fine to avoid a fight since both of us were only focused on you. Brian needed rest and a shower before we talked about what happened this weekend with his Mother. He still hadn't done either when I went to bed last night. I know part of it has to do with him wanting to avoid the subject, but most of it is because he was so worried when the Doctors said you needed to stay overnight for observations. It was like you had been shot all over again to him." Peyton was quiet and ran a hand through her hair.

"But if you and Brian did break up we wouldn't go back to the way we were at the end of the summer right. I don't think I can handle either of us being a bitch to the other or losing you from my life." Mia gently grabbed Peyton's chin and forced the younger girl to lift her gaze.

"You're not going to lose me," Mia promised Peyton her brown eyes full of warmth and love. "No matter what happens with me and Brian you will always be mi amiga y hermana. ¿Claro?" Peyton smiled.

"Sí bonita." Mia smiled at Peyton before she let the girl go.

"Do you want me to make you some breakfast before I go? I have an hour before I need to be there."

"No I'm actually not that hungry."

"Well make sure you eat before you take your medicine at nine." Mia finished her cup of coffee before she kissed the girl's head. "And go back to bed. You need the extra sleep even if your hard head thinks otherwise." Peyton grumbled, but went back into her room as Mia left. She laid on her bed but instead of going back to sleep she pulled out a burn phone she had purchased a few months back in case she needed to make this call and her phone was broken or gone. She dialed the phone number she knew by heart and wasn't surprise when her call was answered after the first ring.

"Hey it's me," Peyton greeted. "I think I got something. How soon can I see you?"

XXXXX

"Can I come in?" Brian asked. Peyton looked up from her coloring book that she had been coloring since sound was hurting her head and she couldn't sleep.

"It's your house," she reminded him. Brian came in and Peyton pulled her legs up to her chest to give him room before she went back to coloring.

"You were quiet during dinner."

"I think the group dinner was a little too much for my head. I think I know how people with migraines feel." Brian put a hand on hers to stop her coloring.

"Is it me?" Peyton sighed and pulled her hand.

"This entire weekend has just been shitty," Peyton told him. "I'm not going to say were fine because we're not, but not all of is your fault. Plus I think the Doctor said headaches would be normal for a few days." Brian lamely rubbed his chin.

"I think we should wait to talk so we both have more time to chill. Our relationship isn't the only one that's been tested the last few days, but it's affect both of us and our relationship with our significant other. We are going to need to have a conversation about what happened within the next few days though. I don't want to have another drag out fight where neither of us is talking like we did in September. If for not our sakes then for Rome's."

"I agree with all of that." Peyton listened and heard the apartment was quiet. "Speaking of Rome where is he? I don't think I've heard him come up from dinner."

"He went to spend some time with the girl he was talking to at my party since he wasn't able to Saturday night." Peyton rolled her eyes.

"I'm so sorry my injury was such a cock block." Brian laughed at his sister.

"Yeah it would be annoying if the last few times it happened wasn't your fault." Peyton gave him a fake annoyed glare. "I was going to go over to the Toretto house and talk to Mia. Will you be okay for an hour or so on your own?"

"Yes Brian I'm a big girl and take medicine all by myself." Brian didn't look convinced. "Brian seriously I'll be fine. I'll be annoyed if you stay instead fixing things out since Mia wasn't at dinner."

"Yeah I noticed Han wasn't there either." Peyton sighed.

"I honestly don't know whether to call or what for him to call. There's been so many mix signals lately."

"You two will figure it out," he assured her before he kissed her head. "I'm gonna let Suki and Tej know your home by yourself in case you need something." Peyton gave him a smile and he left her room. Brian called out that he would see her later a few minutes later and Peyton hollered bye. She continued to color for a while before she became thirsty and realized she had only had one glass of water compared to her regular ten to twenty glasses that she drank a day. Peyton poured herself a glass and drank it one gulp which surprisingly made her head feel a bit better. She poured herself another glass as she heard a knock on the door. She assumed it was Jennifer with the boys to give Peyton the schoolwork that she missed and to keep an eye on her. Peyton was surprised when she opened the door.

"Hi," Han greeted. Peyton fought the urge to slam the door in his face.

"How the hell you get in?" Peyton demanded. Brian and Rome were anal retentive about changing the security codes every few weeks. Peyton knew Mia hadn't told Han the codes since Mia herself told no one not even Rome or one of the boys if they forgot it. Han handed Peyton his phone and she saw Brian had texted him.

"So I guess you're still mad about Friday." Peyton handed him back his phone.

"I'm not mad, I'm confused. You kiss me, but then you don't want it to go any further. You're willing to take a bullet to protect me and hold me while I fall asleep but then you're gone and don't call or come around to see how I'm doing. I'm tired of this Han and if we need to go back to just being friends than l would rather be in your life from a distance than not in it at all." Han looked at her and Peyton saw pain in his eyes.

"Is that what you want?" Peyton wanted to scream at how calm his voice was.

"No I want all of you idiot! There's something that's keeping you from wanting all of me and I don't know whether it's you or me anymore." Han pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and kept his hand on her face.

"I lost you for two years and almost lost you again when you saw me that weekend in New York because of a moment of anger," Han said. "Every single day I see you or talk to you I want nothing more than to be with and hold you as we make love, but I worry if we take things that far than it'll be the last time I'm with you before I lose you again. I worry it's not going be enough this time." Peyton turned and walked away.

"I worry about losing the people I love every day, but I choose to live my life and make the most of the time I have with them." Peyton turned around. "Han all I want is you. If being sexual means we can't be close than I will gladly go back to being the jealous friend who wishes she could be with you. I can't go back to not having you in my life and I think we've established you can't either." Han walk towards her.

"You are the smartest, kindest, most selfless gorgeously looking girl who is fearless in everything she does and isn't afraid to end a fight," Han reminded her. "You race because you love to race not win a prize and get a status. Another girl like you is impossible to find because you are perfection." His hands found her waist and his brown eyes looked into hers. "I'm selfish in not wanting to let you go, but I want to stay if you'll have me." His hands slid under the hem of her shirt and traveled up her torso to her breast. Peyton closed her eyes as sensation took control of her. He leaned into her ear and whispered, "I want all of you Shiratori. I'm sorry it took this long to say." Peyton took hold of his face.

"I need you in me now." Han's hands fell back to her waist as he pulled her into a kiss. He kicked the door shut before he lifted her into the air. Peyton's legs wrapped around his waist and he carried her over to the counter. "Bedroom?"

"Next." He broke the kisses and looked at her with a grin. "I do believe the doctor said no strenuous activities." Peyton gave him a devious grin pulled his shirt to bring him closer to her before she helped him take it off.

"I was never one for orders." Han kissed her.

"I think this just calls for you not having to do any work tonight."

"But I like doing work." Han laughed at the girl that was in front of him. His face suddenly became serious.

"I love you Peyton Marie Swan," he told her. "Always have and always will more than anything in this world."

"I love you too. More than words can say." Peyton smiled at him perfectly content that if nothing else came of the night, she had heard him utter those three little words.

Many things did come of the night in different settings and positions. Han was careful during their activities to be as gentle as he could be instead of his usual fast pace so Peyton wasn't hurt. He did however wear his High School girlfriend out. After their second round in her bed, she fell asleep while the two were talking. Han silently laughed when he realized she was asleep with her head and arm on him making it impossible for him to leave. He was more than happy to spend the night and wake up with Peyton in his arms when daylight came. Holding her as she slept was what he missed more than anything when they were apart. Even before they began dating, living two doors down had made it easy to sneak through her window when her Mom was home. It had started as a habit of showing up at her window that annoyed Peyton as a child (due to the risk of getting in trouble) so Han could force her to talk to him if she was pissed at something he did or said became a safe haven for him if he needed someone to talk to when the two were in there teens. She would never talk to him if he was in a fight with Paul (and always took the younger Lue brother's side since the two were best friends even when her and Han were dating), but she would throw a pillow and a blanket on the floor so he could spend the night before she climbed through the window to go talk to Paul after she was done hearing Han out. Han couldn't count the number of times he had entered her window wanting to destroy something or to drink a six pack over a fight with Paul, one of the guys, or his latest girlfriend and her unnatural ability of being able to bring him back to his normal jokester self. He could however count the three hundred and eighty nights he had spent holding in her while after her rape whether it was for the entire night or a few hours. Only one hundred and eighty of those nights were spent as her boyfriend with the other two hundred spent as a friend who would tell her she was safe when the nightmares of her past would cause her to wake up afraid. Those nights before they were together had made him realize he never wanted to hold another girl while she slept which was why he never cuddled with any woman after sex regardless of what they wanted. He never slept in the arms of anyone before Peyton no matter how drunk he got and he intended to keep it that way.

Han looked over at the nightstand and saw Peyton's water glass was empty. He carefully slid out of the bed so he wouldn't wake her and pulled his boxers back on before he left the room with the glass. He knew she had a habit of waking up wanting a drink in the middle of the night and knew out of experience that if she had a glass on the nightstand she would go right back to sleep after she had a sip as if she was sleep walking. Han was pouring the water into the glass when the front door opened and Brian came in. Brian starred at Han and the younger man was grateful that Peyton had been smart enough to grab their clothes before they went into the bedroom instead of leaving them on the kitchen floor.

"She asleep?" Brian asked as he made his way into the kitchen.

"Yeah she has been for about an hour," Han replied. "I didn't think you were coming back tonight." Brian looked at Han.

"I can see that." Brian opened the fridge and pulled out a beer. "She hasn't answered any of my texts or calls and Suki hadn't heard anything from her either so I figured I come home to see if she was physically okay and just ignoring me because she's pissed I let you come over." Brian looked at the living room couch to see it hadn't been touched and Han's clothes weren't in sight. "By the look of things I guess I should be the one who's pissed about letting you come over."

"What do you want me to apologize?" Han boldly questioned. "If you do you're not going to get one." Brian twisted the cap off his beer and took a sip before he answered.

"I just think it's ironic three days ago you accuse her of being a slut and you're standing here in my kitchen half naked because she was home alone." Han looked over Brian's shoulder at a picture Peyton and Mia on the fridge.

"Life's too short to not be with ones you care about. Who you choose to be around you let's you know who you are." He looked at Brian. "You don't trust me and I get it. I broke her heart and it's nothing short of a miracle that she's taken me back, but I'm working to become the type of person that will reflect Peyton's goodness. You want to hate me fine, but don't pretend that you can't understand what her and I are going through when you did it yourself with Mia." Han was surprised when Brian went back into the fridge and handed Han a beer. Han took it but left it close unsure of where this was going.

"When we first met back at your trial when I was thinking about law school and shit I had no idea how close you were to my sister. I thought you were nothing more than some friend from her neighborhood who got caught. I didn't find out who you really were until about a month or so you showed up in Miami. I wanted to hate you for the hell you've put her through, but I also wanted to thank you because thanks to your screw up she's been here in Miami." Brian raised his beer in saluting way and took a gulp. "When I saw you in that hospital bed Sunday morning, I saw how much you care and that she trust you. I think she can sometimes put her trust in the wrong people, but you have Dom's trust. Putting aside that he's my girlfriend's brother, Dom has this gift of seeing past a person's bullshit and knowing their potential if given the right set of tools. He's like a foster parent who gives confused and lost people a chance to become whole again with a family to call their own. He's seen passed the undercover cop that I was and pushed his personal feelings aside to allow me and Mia to have another shot. You and I are a lot alike so long as you're on his good graces I'll leave you on mine."

"So what happens when I decide to go do my own thing?" Han questioned.

"Then I trust you until you give me a reason not to." Brian put down his beer and looked at Han. "I swear to God if you give me a reason not to trust or harm comes to Peyton because you screwed up I will follow through with the threat I made the first night you showed up in my city regardless of how Dom feels about you. I have enough contacts in this city, state, country, and world to make your body's disappearance remain in a cold case box until everyone you've ever met is dead from old age. That girl you just had sex with has a lot of people who care about her and most of them would point a gun in your face instead of handing you a beer as sign of good will like I'm trying to do. I'm saying this one time as her brother and then I'm going to stop treating you like you're the enemy. If you have any intention on getting into anything that can get Peyton or you killed, get dress and never contact Peyton again." Brian finished the last of his beer and tossed it into the recycle bin. "Rome may or may not being coming back here tonight so you should probably sleep in her bed and get up before nine tomorrow morning. It might be better for him not know you were here until you're gone since he still wants to kick your ass about what you called Peyton on Friday." Han looked at Brian slightly confused.

"You're letting me stay?" Brian put a hand on the younger guy's shoulder.

"If you're trying to become the man you say you are than I know you won't let her wake up alone after being with her the way you were. The reason why Mia usually spends the night here is so that I don't have to leave her to check on Peyton. She probably would have come home with me if we had done what you and Peyton were doing."

"So you two are still together?" Han knew how much Peyton cared about the their relationship even if the couple had been cold to Han when he first arrived.

"That we are my friend. I'm still proof you can royally fuck up a relationship and make it work in the end." He left the kitchen but turned back around. "Just don't make these nights a habit especially when me and Rome aren't home. She's still in High School and she's still my baby sister so I really don't want to be reminded that she's having sex. Night." Han heard the bathroom door closed and figured he should go to back to the bedroom in case Rome did in fact come home. He put the beer back in the fridge and grabbed Peyton's water before he quietly slipped in the bedroom. Han put the water down on her nightstand and saw his phone was lit do to a missed call. He turned the phone off without seeing who it was from even though he knew it was probably the one person that could ruin this night. Han got back into the bed and Peyton immediately snuggled closer to him. Han kissed her nose and she smiled at him without opening her eyes. For tonight, they could pretend they were a normal couple and that there was not a world outside the room trying to tear the two apart.

Author's Note- Reviews are most apperciated and a special thanks to Ersy and acechica for their reviews last chapter :)