AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry I've been gone so long again. At least it wasn't as long as the last time. I told you guys I would finish and I intend to... this is just a crazy time of year with my kids starting back up at school and summer winding down here. We are pretty close to done with this one... just a few chapters to go I think. Please review and let me know what you think :)

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Brooke rolled over onto her left side and hugged the pillow next to her tightly. She scrunched her eyes shut and desperately tried to sleep, knowing she just had to make it through one more night before she could get back home to Peyton.

The past two weeks had flown by for Brooke. She was constantly on the move and trying to get everything ready for the new line as well as looking after her girlfriend. Peyton had been following the doctor's orders and staying in bed, but Brooke knew that it was mostly because she hadn't given the blonde a chance to do anything else. Brooke had done most of her work out of the house the past two weeks not wanting to leave Peyton alone even for a second.

Julian had left back to L.A. just a few days after Peyton returned from the hospital. He said he would get everything done as quickly as he could and return to Tree Hill, planning to stay with them for several months until he could find a place of his own.

He wasn't going to be permanently re-locating to North Carolina, but he figured there was no reason he couldn't get his own place, seeing as how he was expecting to be spending more and more time there over the next months and then years.

Brooke had been hesitant to leave for New York three days earlier when Julian had called and said there was no way he was going to make it back in time. There was just too much work he had to finish up and he was on a deadline. Thankfully Haley and Nathan had stepped up, much like they always did, and agreed to help Peyton out with whatever she needed.

There was a little bit of relief knowing that Haley and Nathan were there with her, but Brooke still was worried about the blonde and the little baby growing inside of her. She had thought about it over and over again and her worst fear was something happening to Peyton or the baby.

"This is ridiculous," Brooke says sitting up in bed after trying for yet another ten minutes to fall asleep. It wasn't easy to do without Peyton by her side anymore.

She had gotten so used to having the blonde with her all the time, that when she wasn't there everything felt strange… wrong in some way.

Brooke reaches over to the night stand and picks up her cell phone, tapping buttons on the phone quickly and then holding it to her ear.

"Hello?" a unusually chipper voice replies on the other end of the line.

"Hey baby… I know it's late…"

"Brooke? Is everything alright?" Peyton asks on the other end.

Surprisingly, other than not having Peyton by her side, Brooke had to admit that things had gone well in New York on her visit. Things had gone so much better than she thought they would.

She had anticipated having to see Victoria every day… a thought she was dreading every moment up until she arrived at the Clothes Over Bro's office. Only once she got there she found out that Victoria wasn't even in town. She was across the country for some meetings that Brooke had refused to attend while Peyton was on bedrest.

Brooke was relieved to get the break from Victoria... it made everything she had to do go by much more smoothly and quickly.

"Things are fine… I just couldn't sleep. What are you doing up so late?"

"It's not that late," Peyton responds with a little chuckle in her voice. She glances at the clock. "Alright, so it's late."

"P. Sawyer…you should be sleeping," Brooke starts already hearing the frustrated sigh from her girlfriend on the other line.

"Hey, you called me! And besides... that's all I've been doing Brooke… I've been sitting here in this bed for over two weeks now and I'm about to go insane. Did you know that I've watched every single episode of Gossip Girll?"

"Peyton…"

"Twice!" Peyton shouts out before Brooke can continue. Brooke giggles. "It's not funny Brooke! I'm so bored!"

"What about Haley? Isn't she staying with you tonight?"

Haley and Nathan had been alternating nights at the house while Brooke was gone just in case Peyton needed anything.

"She fell asleep about an hour ago," Peyton says sounding a little sad and lonely.

"Well, I'll be home tomorrow night," Brooke explains, that thought alone making her smile. "Then we can be bored together."

"I guess so," Peyton mumbles into the phone, clearly still upset about not being able to do anything. "What time does your plane get in?"

"Seven. Haley said she'd pick me up from the airport so Nathan will stay with you."

"I don't need a babysitter Brooke," Peyton reminds her.

"I know… I just want to make sure you are safe, that's all."

"And I love you for it," Peyton replies, sounding a little less frustrated. She knows that Brooke is only doing this because she loves her and it's nice to feel loved even if it can be a little much lately.

"I miss you," Brooke says into the phone, laying down again and settling in under the covers. "It's hard to sleep without you next to me."

"I know what you mean," the blonde says back, her voice sounding quieter and a bit more tired.

The two women say little more, but keep the phones stuck to their ears. It isn't until Brooke hears the soft sound of Peyton's breathing on the other end of the line that she whispers softly.

"Goodnight P. Sawyer… I love you."

"Peyton!" Haley shouts from the kitchen, jotting down a list of things on a piece of paper in front of her. "Do you need anything from the store?"

"No… thanks Haley," Peyton replies loudly from the couch so that Haley can hear her.

Haley appears in the doorway and sits down across from the blonde.

"So I'm going to run over to my house really quick and take care of some laundry before I head to the grocery store," Haley explains.

"Okay," Peyton says nonchalantly, seemingly interesting in the magazine she's reading. "See you in a bit."

"I should only be gone a couple of hours… three tops."

"Haley! Go… I'll see you when you get back," Peyton says laughing.

"Are you sure you don't want me to call Nathan and have him come hang out with you while I'm gone? I'm sure he won't mind."

"Haley… like I told Brooke last night on the phone… I don't need a babysitter. I can take care of myself," Peyton reminds her with a smile.

"Alright," Haley says standing and taking one last long glance at the blonde. "But if you need anything you call me! Don't you dare try to get up or do anything, you got it?"

"I got it!" Peyton answers back.

Haley smiles, satisfied that Peyton will do as she says and grabs her car keys from the table behind her and heads out the door.

Peyton waits until she hears the sound of Haley's car pulling out of the driveway before she even dares to stand up from the couch. When she thinks it's safe she quickly peeks out the window and smiles at the sight of Haley's car turning down the street and out of sight.

The blonde quickly moves to the bedroom, pulling on one of her old t-shirts and a pair of jeans. She slips on her favorite pair of Converse sneakers and makes her way back out to the living room, glancing at the clock as she enters.

"I can work with three hours," Peyton says to herself, searching for her car keys in the mess on the table. When she finds them she smiles to herself and heads straight out the door.

It feels good to be in the Comet again. The wind blowing in her hair and the sun on her face. Peyton can't remember the last time she's really been outside in the past couple of weeks and she feels free now that she's no longer cooped up in bed.

She turns the corner and sees the studio to her right. She had gone the back way as to make sure she wouldn't pass Haley on the way.

Peyton wasn't even sure that she had any work she could do in the studio, but she knew she had to get out of the house. Haley had been working with Mia up until Brooke went out of town and so Peyton was sure that no one would be there, especially on a Saturday afternoon.

Once the blonde was safely inside Tric she couldn't help but smile, flipping the lights on as she made her way up to her office, slowly but surely, careful no to strain herself.

It was nice to be back in her office... sitting in her chair and looking at the albums lining the walls. She quickly found herself occupied listening to Mia's latest recordings with her headphones over her head. Her foot was tapping lighting on the floor and she was lost in the music when she felt the presence of someone in front of her. She looked up, slightly alarmed.

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to startle you," Detective Rivers' voice called out loud enough for Peyton to hear over the sound of the music on her headphones. The blonde pulled them off and rested them around her neck, her eyebrows rising.

"Can I help you?" Peyton asks, pushing pause on the song to give the officer her full attention.

"Yes… like I said, I'm Detective Rivers," the man says holding out his badge and offering a card with his name on it to her with his other hand. Peyton takes the card and glances at it before placing it down on top of the desk. "Are you Peyton Sawyer?"

"Yes… I am."

"Good… I was just hoping I could ask you a few follow up questions… you know… about the report you made with your friend," Detective Rivers' pauses as he glances at a notebook he's now holding. "Scott… Nathan Scott."

"This is about Brooke's attack?" Peyton asks, sitting up further in her chair. "Did you finally catch the guy who did it?"

"No, I'm afraid not," Detective Rivers says sitting down in the chair in front of Peyton's desk. "We are still following some leads… which is why I wanted to speak with you."

"I don't know what else I can tell you," Peyton replies leaning back a little. "I'm pretty sure you know all that we know. Nathan, his brother Lucas and I have all come in and expressed our concern that Victoria Davis is involved."

"Yes, I see that here in my notes," Rivers says smiling. "I know that you spoke with Detective's Briggs and Reynolds, but I was hoping that maybe you wouldn't mind giving me some more insight as to what you know about her."

"I guess," Peyton answers shrugging her shoulders. After all, this was the first adult conversation she had been able to have with someone that didn't revolve around her pregnancy or bed rest in over two weeks.

"Great," Rivers says getting a bit more comfortable in his seat. "Let's start from the beginning... what exactly is your relationship with the victim?"

"What are you doing here?" Nathan asks as he walks into the living room. "I thought you were on Peyton watching duty?"

"I was… I just came home to quickly do a load of laundry before I run to the store, and realized that no one has folded anything in the past week," Haley says with a smirk on her face.

Nathan laughs and walks over to give his wife a quick kiss.

"Where's Sawyer?" he says looking around. "She didn't come with you?"

"She's at her house."

"You left her there, alone?" Nathan asks surprised, taking a quick sip of water. He had just come from a work out and was getting ready to head up to take a shower.

"She promised me she wouldn't leave the couch," Haley says still feeling reassured that Peyton wouldn't lie to her.

"If you say so," Nathan says not sounding as convinced. "You still have to go to the store?" Haley nods as she folds another towel and places it in front of her. "Well how about I take a quick shower and then I'll head over there and keep her company until you get back. I'm sure Jamie would love to hang out over there for a bit."

"I don't know Nathan… she really sounded like she could use a break… she's been cooped up in that house for weeks now…"

"So a visit from Jamie is just what she needs," Nathan interrupts his wife, not wanting to talk about the matter anymore. He wasn't comfortable leaving Peyton at home because he knew her… he knew she wasn't going to just sit there no matter how much she promised.

"Okay, if you say so," Haley says folding the last towel and placing it neatly on top of the pile of others. "I'm going to put these away and head to the store. I'll see you there in a little bit."

"See you there."

Brooke taps her fingers on the counter in front of her.

"I'm sorry ma'am… but there are no earlier flights."

"Seriously?" Brooke asks frustrated and wanting nothing more than to go home. She had barely slept last night and was ready to go home to her girlfriend and friends. "There's not one single seat?"

"I'm afraid not," the woman behind the counter replies. "I wish I could do something more for you."

"It's not your fault," Brooke responds a little sad. "I just wanted to see if perhaps I could get home a little earlier, that's all."

"Well, I'll call for you on the intercom if someone doesn't check in for the next flight… we should begin boarding for that in about five minutes," the woman replies, getting a smile from the brunette.

"That would be great, thank you," Brooke says.

She moves out of the way and allows the next person in line to get to the counter as find a comfortable place to sit. She immediately pulls out of her phone and dials her girlfriend.

The phone rings several times before Peyton's voice can be heard on the other end.

"Hey you've reached Peyton. Sorry I missed you. Leave me a message."

"Hey babe," Brooke starts, a little sad that Peyton didn't answer. "You must be taking a nap or something. I just wanted to tell you that I am trying to get an earlier flight home. I'll let you know if I get on it. I love you."

Just as the brunette hangs up, she hears her name being called to the counter.

"Brooke Davis, please report to the counter at gate 11. Brooke Davis!"

Lucas closes his eyes and runs his hands through his hair. When he opens his eyes again his vision blurs for a brief moment and returns to focus quickly on the dozens of words typed on the computer screen in front of him.

He had spent the past couple of weeks spending all his time writing and trying his best to get all his thoughts onto the pages. He had kept mostly to himself, not going out for much of anything at all. He figured the more he gave them time the heal, the better things would be.

Haley had stopped by early last week to check on him. She had told him she was worried about him and he had assured her that things went well with his talk with Peyton and Brooke. He understood how they need to learn to trust him again… he just wasn't sure he would ever get the chance to prove it.

He hadn't seen Peyton since that night they had talked. Lucas had been told about Peyton's condition from Haley. He was worried and immediately wanted to make a call and check up on her, but thankfully he stopped himself. It wasn't his world anymore… she wasn't his world. He had to let go now… it was Brooke's job… and somewhat Julian's to check up on Peyton.

He had run into Brooke a couple of times since that night. Once at the grocery store where she was picking up some foods that Peyton was craving and another when she had stopped by Peyton's office to pick up some things. They hadn't talked much in the store but at Tric, Brooke seemed a bit less defensive and a little more open toward him than she had been in a long time.

It wasn't much… but it was a start.

The phone rings on the desk beside him and Lucas frowns at it before answering.

"Hello?"

"Hey," a cheerful voice says on the other end. "How are you Luke?"

"The same as the last time you called to check up on me," Lucas says, his eyes scanning the words on the laptop again as he breathes out a sigh.

"Can you blame me?" Lindsay asks with a little chuckle. She had been kept up to date with everything that had been going on through Haley and she knew that Lucas was in a very fragile place.

She had hoped that he would be able to work through his emotions with writing. He had started writing his second novel when Peyton and Brooke had first come back to Tree Hill, but with everything that happened, he had stopped somewhere along the way.

"I guess not," Lucas replies with a small smile. "But I do have something for you."

"For me?" Lindsay asks, surprised.

"Well, sort of. Remember that second novel I had started..." he begins only to be cut off by Lindsay suddenly on the other end of the phone.

"You're finishing it?" Lindsay interrupts, overjoyed to hear that he had been doing something good with his time away from everyone.

"Not exactly," Lucas explains. "I started something new."

Lindsay pauses for a moment to collect her thoughts as not to frighten him with her excitement.

"That's great Luke," she says as casually as possible. "How's it going?"

"Slowly," Lucas replies with a little chuckle. "I've only finished the first chapter."

"Just promise me that you won't re-read it and delete the entire thing before I get a chance to take a look at it," Lindsay pleads, knowing Lucas far better than she would like to admit.

"I'll try not to," Lucas responds.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"I'm fine Lindsay," Lucas stresses over the phone. "I promise."

"I know," Lindsay says back, smiling despite the fact that she can't see him and he can't see her. "I just want to make sure you aren't being too self-destructive over there all by yourself."

"I'm in the middle of writing my second novel... how much more self-destructive could I be?" he asks with a laugh.

"I know," Lindsay says. "I just worry about you... we may not be dating but it doesn't mean I don't still care about you."

Lucas runs a hand though his hair, remembering once again how he didn't just hurt Peyton, Brooke and his family, but also Lindsay.

"I appreciate it... but I swear I'm doing better."

"Have you..." Lindsay starts but stops changing her mind before actually asking the question. Lucas however, already knew what she was going to say.

"No... I haven't talked to her."

"Any of them?" Lindsay asks, knowing the answer but wanting to hear Lucas' response anyway.

"I've talked to Nathan and Haley... run into Brooke a couple of times. But I haven't seen Peyton."

"She'll come around Luke... they all will," Lindsay tries to reassure him, though she's not sure it's worth her breath.

"I guess we'll see," Lucas sighs out.

"This place is nice," Detective Rivers says glancing around the studio. He was still sitting in the chair in front of Peyton's desk and the two had just about finished up their conversation about Brooke's attack and what Peyton knew.

"Would you like a tour?" Peyton asks cheerfully, still just happy to be out of the house and away from her bed. "I know you're on duty but..."

"I'd love a tour," Rivers interrupts, standing from his chair. Peyton does the same and makes he way out from behind her desk. "I've never seen the inside of a studio before."

"Well, this isn't as big as you probably imagined," Peyton says heading toward the sound room, looking back over her shoulder and shooting him a smile. She is fumbling around with the key to the door as he waits patiently.

"Thank you again for talking with me this afternoon... I really appreciate it," Rivers says.

"No problem," Peyton says just as she gets the key to turn in the door. "I just can't wait for you to catch the bastard that attacked her."

She opens the door just as the words come out but as she opens her mouth to tell Rivers just what it is she is showing him, she finds no words come out. Instead everything goes black as a pain washes over her and her thin frame and body crumple to the floor just in the doorway.

Rivers stands behind her, his mouth turning up into a slight smile and his police wand in his hand.

"I don't like being called a bastard," he mumbles as his smile turns in to a frown.