Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or the Twilight Saga!

Chapter 25:

The Last Piece

"What are you doing up?" Was the question Brooke was greeted with as she made her way into the kitchen the next morning.

As soon as she heard it she jumped at the sound of someone else's voice in her apartment and let out a scream so shrill she was sure there was no way Haley could still be asleep.

"Whoa, Brooke, calm down," Jacob instructed, running to his best friend's side and wrapping her in a bear hug. "I didn't mean to scare you. I'm sorry," he apologized.

Brooke gave into his strong embrace and collapsed there. "Its fine," she hesitantly said, once her heart had started beating back at a normal rhythm. "It's just that with everything that's been going on—"

Jacob cut her off before she could finish. "Ugh, I'm such an idiot," he said, hitting himself over the head. "I never think, I just do."

"Don't worry," Brooke said, smiling up at him. "I'm the same way."

"But still, I should have thought about it. I just didn't want to wake you up. You and Haley were out cold. You looked like a couple of rocks back there," He confessed to her.

Brooke lifted her eyebrow at him. "I highly doubt I looked like anything that remotely resembled a rock," she challenged him.

"Well how about a very pretty marble statue," He offered, "Of a woman sleeping," he added with one of his smirks.

"Fine," Brooke sighed giving in, "I guess I can live with that comparison." And she pushed him hard in the chest.

"Ow," he jokingly said, rubbing where she had just pressed.

To which Brooke simply rolled her eyes and proceeded to dig in the refrigerator for any semblance of breakfast.

"What are you looking for?" Jacob asked, taking a seat behind her at one of the barstools.

"Anything to eat in this place," Brooke told him, poking her head out of the fridge. "I guess I can make pancakes," she said, noticing they had milk and eggs in the fridge.

"Well count me in for those," Jacob answered, and remembering where the pantry was he moved to it, getting out the Bisquick, to help his friend.

Brooke smiled. "Of course you're in for anything that's edible," she teased, getting out the ingredients she needed from the fridge and setting them on the counter.

"Haha, very funny," Jacob told her, "I can't help it that it just so happens to be about breakfast time and I skipped dinner so I could get here faster."

"You mean to tell me you haven't eaten since yesterday at lunch?" She asked him skeptically.

"Well, actually, there were some cookies on the coffee table when I got here so I may have eaten some of those," he admitted.

Brooke let out a snort in the attempt at trying to conceal her laughter. And she realized it was the first time she had laughed in a few days. And it really felt good.

"Did you just snort?" Jacob asked her, busting out in a fit of laughter of his own.

Brooke held her head high, "Maybe, maybe not," she said, not giving him a direct answer.

"You so did," Jacob prodded, grabbing her up and tickling her waist until she agreed with him.

"Okay, fine, fine," Brooke said, between fits of giggles. "You win, you win, just put me back down," she commanded, hitting him in the arm as she struggled to break free.

"Knew it," Jacob said, thoroughly enjoying his victory.

"Whatever," Brooke said, straightening her rumpled clothes. "I thought we deemed tickle-wars unfair about the time you outgrew me," she said, looking at him with her hands square on her hips.

"No, you said they were unfair," Jacob corrected, pointing the spatula he had just retrieved at her. "I said they were more fun than ever."

"Whatever," Brooke said once more. "Well as your reward for winning that little argument I'm so generously going to let you cook breakfast while I go and take a shower," she said, prancing off to the other room before Jacob had a chance to protest.

Haley had gotten up just in time to eat breakfast with Brooke and Jacob. And soon after eating and making herself somewhat presentable Brooke decided to go over to see if Peyton's dad was at the house. Haley had tried to urge her against it, but Brooke was unshakable.

She knew what she needed to do and she had to get out of her house. Staying cooped up there was making her feel guiltier than she already did. Peyton was dead and she was alive. Nothing she could do would change that. But she could get out there and try to help the people who had cared about Peyton put the pieces back together. And one of those people just happened to be her.

She walked out the door and down the stairs, mentally noting at how appropriate the overcast sky was for her mood. She wished the sun would shine. That would probably raise her spirits some. But her carefree attitude at first sight of her old friend this morning was gone and replacing it was the version of herself she had come to know as of late. The one who was on edge and cried almost at the drop of the hat. This was not all that great when you tried to keep up a front as Brooke usually did.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs and looked up, there was Edward in all his glory, causing her to momentarily forget everything she had been thinking about.

"Hey, where are you off to?" He asked, pulling Brooke close to him in a tight embrace, and wishing that he didn't have to ask.

Brooke melted next to him. She wished she could just stay curled up beside him and forget about everything else. But she couldn't. She had a life and she needed to live it.

"I'm going to see Peyton's dad," Brooke told him, pulling slightly back from him so she could look into his amber eyes.

Edward nodded his head as if he understood her needing to do this. "Do you want me to go with you?" He asked her, leaning down so their faces were just inches apart.

"No," Brooke answered and shook her head from side to side. "I think I need to do this by myself," she said, hoping he took her words the right way. Sometimes with Edward it was hard to tell.

"Alright," Edward accepted. "Well then can we talk later? I found out some information that may be of use to us," he told her.

"Sure," Brooke said, nodding quickly. "Jacob and Haley are here. Can we talk in front of them or do you want me to come to your house?" She asked him.

Edward rolled the options around in his mind for a few seconds then finally said, "My house would be best. How about I come and pick you up in the afternoon and then I'll take you to dinner?" He asked her, running a hand through her dark hair.

"Sounds perfect," Brooke smiled. She could use some alone time with her boyfriend. Especially now that Haley had someone to babysit her.

"Wonderful," Edward said smiling, "Then I'll pick you up around three. Does that give you enough time to do what you need to do?"

"Yes, plenty," Brooke answered him. Then she stood up on her toes and kissed him on the lips. "I'll see you then." Then she pulled away to get into her car.

She turned around to wave goodbye to Edward, but just as suddenly as he had arrived, he was gone.

Brooke hesitantly walked up to the house she knew so well. She had almost lost all her nerve, what right did she have to be here at Peyton's home. The house was almost as she remembered it, but different somehow. It must have been that the thing that made it so familiar, Peyton, was no longer there.

When she reached the top step, she raised her hand to the door knocker. But as she did, the front door flew open. Brooke was almost run over by a red-faced and flustered looking Larry.

"Oh Brooke," He said when he realized he had nearly run over the brunette that had grown up before his very eyes. "I'm so glad you're here," he added, taking the girl into his arms and hugging her as if she was his own, or as if she could bring Peyton back to him.

"Of course I'm here," Brooke responded trying not to break down. She felt she had been called here, perhaps by Peyton herself.

"The funeral home just called," Larry began, pulling away from Brooke as he stumbled on the words 'funeral home'. It was unnatural; no parent should have to talk about their child and a funeral home in the same sentence. "And they need an outfit for Peyton. And I just don't know. I tried looking at her things, but, I mean, I'm just a dad. How can I pick what's right for her when I haven't been doing that in over seven years?" He asked, his face faltering as he covered it with his hands.

Brooke saw this as her opportunity to help. Surely this is why she had felt as if someone was drawing her here. "Say no more," she encouraged, plastering a smile on her face. "I'll go check out her things with you. And I'm sure that together, we can find something she would have loved and that you would like for her too."

"Thank you, Brooke," Larry told her, taking her hand and squeezing it tightly.

"Peyton would have done the same for me," She said confidently as they walked into the house. And she wasn't sure who she had spoken these words for, Peyton's dad or herself.

It was strange being in Peyton's bedroom without her. Her room had always been so emotionally charged, the center of their little world. But now it just seemed…dead.

Sure, it looked like Peyton had just gone for a nice night out. But if you knew the story, or how much time Peyton actually spent here, you knew better.

Brooke stepped over the discarded pile of clothes on Peyton's floor, looking at all the pieces that she had rejected for one reason or another. She moved over to the easel that was set up by Peyton's window.

"That must have been her last piece," Larry commented, walking up behind Brooke as they took in Peyton's work.

Brooke nodded her head. "Yeah, it's great. Just like all of her stuff," she said, "Very Peyton," she finished, turning around.

"Why don't you take it," He suggested, lifting the paper from its clipped spot on the easel.

"I couldn't," Brooke said, waving her hands in front of her as to prove that this point was true.

Larry sighed and pursed his lips, rolling up the picture in his hands. "I insist," he said, and trust the roll into Brooke's hands.

Brooke pulled the now rolled up canvas close to her chest and tightly held it there. She swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat and said, "Thank you," before turning to her friend's closet.

She hadn't wanted Larry to see the tears that were silently streaming down her face. She had to find something else to busy her mind with before she completely broke down.

Brooke was driving home when she remembered she was supposed to meet Edward to go to his parent's house tonight. She really didn't feel like going. She wished she and Edward could just crawl into her bed and sleep the night away. Well she could sleep; he could just lay there and comfort her. But she also knew this was important so she took a deep breath, mustering all her energy. And she prepared to meet him when she got home.

And sure enough, when she got there, Edward was standing beside his Volvo in all his gorgeous glory. She started to think it must not be possible for him to look bad, but then she banished the thought because it just reminded her that no matter how hard she tried; especially now with her tear-stained face and rumpled clothes, she would always pale in comparison to him.

As soon as she parked her car, he was beside it. And he opened the door for her.

"Thanks," She mumbled, trying to wipe away the mascara flakes she was sure were covering her entire face.

"Have you been crying?" He immediately asked her.

"Am I that obvious?" She questioned back with a shrug, trying to dismiss it with a smile.

Edward opened his arms and hugged her tightly to him. "Only to me," he told her. "I can smell your tears," he whispered into her hair.

Brooke couldn't help but giggle at that. "You can what?" She asked him.

Edward pulled back from her. "Nothing. Forget I said anything," he told her.

"Doubtful," She winked at him as they walked to his car.

Edward was happy to get a glimpse of the version of Brooke he first met. That girl had been so elusive these past few days that he was almost scared to talk of anything else. But he had to know what had been bothering her. He hated not knowing.

"So, are you going to tell me what had you so sad earlier or am I going to have to pry it from your head?" He asked, trying to keep the mood light since the subject matter at hand probably was not.

Brooke looked at him defiantly. "Door number two," She challenged.

"That might be a bit painful for you," He warned her with a smirk.

"Oh, I think I can handle it," She responded with a knowing smile.

"Brooke," Edward sighed. Yes it was fun to play games sometimes. And yes he had started this one. But sometimes he just wanted straight answers from the girl and she acted like that was the hardest task on earth.

"Edward," she echoed, using the same exasperated tone. "It was just a long day at Peyton's house," she finally said after much hesitation. "And I hate that it took something like this tragedy for me to realize how impermanent this life is. And how much I've been taking for granted."

Edward nodded his head in understanding. He knew what she meant all too well. "Yes, human life is extremely fragile and fleeting," He said. "I was Peyton's age when Carlisle turned me," He began.

Brooke was on the edge of her seat. Edward had never told her how he'd been changed. And while he had told her how old he was, with the context of recent events, it just hit her that much harder.

"And I would have died too if he hadn't done it," Edward continued. "So I can understand the situation on a whole different level, I guess. Being that my death was a long time coming, I suffered for weeks before the end. It wasn't a sudden thing."

Brooke nodded her head. "I'm sorry you had to go through that," she said, grabbing his head and squeezing it.

Edward held her hand tightly in return. "It was nothing compared to what it took to become like this," he said, "I think death would have been easier."

Brooke couldn't stop the gasp that came from her throat. She hadn't given much thought to the whole process of becoming a vampire. And she wasn't sure why she had always thought it would be easy. But she was suddenly rethinking everything.

Here's the next chapter! I know it took forever for me to get it posted but I hope everyone who is still reading enjoys it! Thanks! :)