Mouth Wide Shut

Brooke's eyes slowly drifted from the Cosmo in her lap to the front door and back again. It was almost midnight and Haley and Lucas were still gone causing her to wonder if this most recent phase in her plan had worked a little too well. She'd expected her and Lucas little 'slumber party' to put a crack in his little romance, not demolish it. No, she was saving the best and final step of her plan for last. She didn't just want to break Lucas and Haley up, she wanted to end them for good. Destroying everything they had together, including their friendship would truly break their hearts and that's exactly what she wanted to do, hurt them just like they hurt her. She needed them to be together till she could finish what she'd started and as she glanced at the door again, she wondered if her plan had worked prematurely.

She shook the hair from her forehead, feeling almost giddy with impatience but she tried to hide it behind a calm, peaceful smile. She was very much aware that Peyton had been watching her almost as furtively as she'd been watching the door for the past hour and she wanted to look completely opposite of how she really felt; calm, content and carefree. She forced a yawn as she stretched her arms above her head.

"Wow, Lucas and Haley must have made it halfway to China by now!" she murmured absently flicking through her magazine. "What's taking them so long, they've been gone for hours."

Peyton quickly looked down at the CD's she been sorting through and shrugged. "I think they went for a drive instead. Lucas's truck's gone."

Brooke tilted her head curiously. "Really?..." she frowned. "That's weird. I thought that Haley wanted to go for a walk..." She sighed and sat up. "Whatever. Wherever they are, they better bring home some supper. I am absolutely starving!"

Peyton smiled pensively."I'm sure they will..." she said absently. She waited for a moment trying to make her voice sound as nonchalant as possible before looking up at her friend.

"Hey B, I was wondering something..." she said smoothly.

Brooke hid another smile as she slowly turned a page in her magazine. She'd been waiting for Peyton to broach the subject that was obviously burning a hole in her head.

"Hmmm?..." she said studying the page closely.

Peyton took a deep breath. "About Lucas kissing you..." she said slowly.

Brooke looked at her, her eyes wide and waiting. "What about it?"

Peyton forced a smile. "You're going to think this is so off-topic but...who initiated it?"

Brooke frowned. "It?"

"The...kiss."

Brooke smiled, frowning slightly. "Okay, strange question--"

"I know--"

"--but you are my BFF," she said smiling widely. She threw the magazine on the table and inched her chair closer to her friend's."Actually I've been dying to talk to you about this all day but you seemed kind of preoccupied."

Peyton looked down at the CDs spread out on the table in front of them. "I know, I'm sorry. It's just that TRIC's re-opening is only days away and Karen asked me to get so much done..." She looked at Brooke and turned her chair to face her friend. "But I'm all yours now. You have my complete and focused attention." She smiled faintly. "Spill."

Brooke squealed and squeezed her friends hands. "Finally! I've been waiting to tell you this since this afternoon."

Peyton stared at her. "Tell me...what?"

Brooke's smile widened with excitement. "Well...it's about Lucas."

Peyton's smile faded."Lucas?" she said quietly."Brooke did...did he kiss you?"

Brooke sighed happily. "Kiss me? He didn't just kiss me Peyt! He wants to get back together!"

Peyton's mouth fell open. "What!"

Brooke nodded. "After he kissed me, he was holding me really close and I thought---well I thought that we were going to make love but instead...he got really quiet. And then he looked into my eyes and told me that he loved me and that he wanted to get back together again."

Peyton stared at her friend wordlessly, her mouth open and wide.

"I know!" Brooke giggled. "I was speechless too. The day I moved in here with you guys, I told Lucas how I felt about him but I wasn't completely sure how he felt about me. I thought he might love me but...well I wasn't sure." her grin widened. "But after today--Peyton, I finally know! Lucas loves me and he wants to be with me and I want to be with him---"

"Brooke--"

"I know, it seems sudden and well, let's face it, it didn't work before but--why not now? Why shouldn't we try again, right?"

Peyton closed her eyes. Now was the moment. She could tell Brooke, she should tell Brooke everything! Lucas wasn't in love with her. Despite what he'd told Brooke, Peyton knew that Lucas was completely in love with Haley. Just the look in his eyes whenever he looked at Haley said it all. She didn't know why he'd told Brooke what he did or what the hell was going on in his head when he ended up in bed with her, but she was sure it had all been a mistake. A horrible, heart-breaking mistake that he needed to fix---Quick. And she was pretty sure that wherever he was, that was exactly what he was trying to do.

And she needed to tell Brooke this. She needed to tell her everything before it all got even worse--if it even could! Right now. She would tell her right now.

She looked into Brooke's eyes and took a deep breath. She would do it. It was time to put an end to the whole mess. She took her friend's hands in her own.

"Brooke," she said softly.

Brooke's smile faded and she stared at her friend. "Yes?" she said, suddenly quiet and still. Like she knows what's coming, Peyton thought silently. Her friend's eyes were wide and filled with a strange light as they pierced her own. Like they were willing her to...willing her to do--something.

She swallowed. "Lucas...may not have told you...everything today."

Brooke frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"

"Well, he may have told you he loves you and I'm sure he does--in his way--but..."

Peyton looked into her friend's eyes again and she saw a hope there and encouragement...and a vulnerability. A fragile vulnerability that seemed like it could break apart at any time. She'd seen that vulnerability before. The night Brooke had walked into her room after finding out about Peyton and Lucas secret relationship and told her that their friendship was over. Peyton had never felt so low in her life...until now. Her friend was watching her, trusting her, expecting her to always have her back, expecting her to love her and all of a sudden Peyton knew...

she couldn't do it. She couldn't break her best-friend's heart...again.

She closed her eyes. " I just want you to be careful."

Brooke looked at her, her expression strangely crestfallen. "That's it? That's all you want to tell me?"

Peyton couldn't quite meet her eyes. "Yes. I just think that you're in a sensitive place right now, you know? With your parents divorce and your feelings for Lucas...maybe you should just wait until you're ready for a relationship again. And maybe it will be with Lucas and maybe it won't, either way you'll be stronger and more importantly...you'll be ready."

Brooke stared at her silently. Several emotions played across her features and Peyton couldn't make out one from another but they all confused her.

"Brooke?"

Brooke smiled slowly. "Peyton, I really appreciate your concern, I do. But I'll be okay."

"But--"

"But nothing, I'm in love! And for once it's with a great guy! And I finally know for sure that he loves me back. How can I not be with him!"

Peyton ran her hands through her hair in frustration. "Brooke, Lucas is a great guy but he's still a guy and--"

"And he's my guy and we're going to be together. And I'm ready for us to be together Peyt! I promise, it's going to work this time. Okay?"

She grabbed Peyton's face and kissed her forehead before jumping up and dancing to the fridge. She pulled out a beer and grabbed a glass from the cupboard but she caught Peyton's worried gaze and paused, tilting her head.

"Gloomy Girl, quit gloomin'! I'm happy! Hell, I'm estatic! And everything is going to be even more fabulous as soon as Lucas gets home!" Peyton stared at her wordlessly and she giggled. "Okay they won't be quite so fabulous...unless he has a pizza or something 'cause I am really fam-ished!"

Peyton smiled faintly at that and Brooke giggled again. "Good, a smile! Finally!Seriously I was beginning to think that you'd forgotten how."

Peyton looked down at her lap and sighed. She was a coward. A huge, ugly coward and Brooke was going to suffer because of it. She sighed again, willing the tears threatening to fall,back into her head. Brooke shook her head.

"Uh, uh! None of that. I've retired Sigh Girl but I will bring her back if you force me too!"

Peyton chuckled weakly."No, anything but that." she managed to choke out.

Brooke grinned. "That's more like it. Keep doing that and I may reconsider."

When Peyton rolled her eyes, Brooke giggled again. "Hey, don't make me change my mind, Sawyer! I could think up another name you know, like EyeBall Roller or how about just Ball Roller--"

She was interrupted as the front door opened and Lucas and Haley walked in. Brooke's smile widened.

"Broody!" she said happily. She ran to Lucas and threw her arms around him. "Where have you guys been? We were about to send out the National Guard!"

Peyton's eyes locked with Haley's. She tried to gage her friends expression but she couldn't make out how Haley felt or what she was thinking. But she could see, and Haley looked like a freight truck had run her over...and then backed up. Her face was flushed, her hair wild and tussled around her face and her eyes were red and puffy as if she'd been crying for hours. Which she probably had.

She held out a pizza box. "We brought supper." She said quietly. Her voice was husky and low and Peyton felt her heart fall inside her chest. Her friend looked so unhappy and it was all she could do not to reach out and hug her. She sighed deeply. Everything was so messed up and it only seemed to be getting worse and worse.She was beginning to wonder if things would ever be the same again.

Brooke grinned at the sight of the pizza."See Peyt, I told you they'd bring us supper." she said winking teasingly. She grabbed Lucas hand and pulled him to the table. "Come on, let's grub."

Lucas looked at Haley who was looking at everything but Brooke's hand in his. "Actually I'm pretty wiped out, Brooke. I think that I'm going to head to bed---"

"What? No way! You've been gone for hours and I missed you. You cannot go to sleep. And besides..." her smile turned sultry. "You're not sleeping alone tonight."

Peyton saw Haley's flushed cheeks, darken and she stood up. "Actually B, I need to steal Lucas for a second. His mom left some very specific instructions for him concerning TRIC and one of said instructions were for us to go by there and check out some of the inventory before the delivery tomorrow so...excuse us." Without waiting for a reply, Peyton grabbed Lucas' free hand and began to pull him to the door. Lucas stopped her and looked into her eyes.

"Peyton, now is not a good time." he said pointedly.

Peyton nodded her head. "Oh, now is a great time, believe me." she said in a low voice.

Lucas glanced at Haley. "Peyt--" he began but he was interrupted by the doorbell. All four of them stared at the door but it was Brooke who walked over and opened it. Nathan stared in at them surprised.

"Hey." he said ackwardly. "Am I interrupting something?"

Haley tried to smile but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Hey yourself." she said softly."No, you're not interrupting. What's going on? Are you okay?"

Nathan looked around the room. "Actually...no. I'm not." He looked at her. "I tried to call your cell phone but I never got through."

"It was off." Haley said her eyes narrowed with worry. "What's wrong?"

Nathan looked around the room again before focusing in on her."Can I talk to you Haley?" he asked. "Alone?"

"Um..." Haley glanced at Lucas before nodding slowly. "Sure, let's go."

She walked pass Nathan out the door and he turned and looked at the others. "Later Brooke, Peyton..." He said turning to leave but then he paused and looked back. At Lucas.

"Lucas." he said nodding slightly.

Then he closed the door, leaving them standing in stunned silence behind him.