They sat in the diner where Brooke usually worked, opposite each other; after Brooke decided that even though she had time off, it was only fair she stayed there, in case Rosa needed help. Rex held his coffee in his hands while Brooke stuck to ice-cold lemonade. "How can you be drinking coffee, doofus? It's about a million billion degrees outside."

"I like coffee." Rex said simply. "Besides, I'm a man, I can take the heat."

Brooke had a mental image of Rex beating his fists on his chest in a manly fashion and spat out her mouthful of lemonade all over him. Cupping her hand over her mouth, half in horror and half to stop herself laughing she looked at him, only moving her hand when she was sure she could keep her laughter under control. "Oh man, I am so sorry." She said, her voice cracking slightly. Don't laugh, do not laugh. She thought.

Rex shook his hands, looked at Brooke and grinned. "I'm fine. A little sticky and covered in Brooke spit and lemonade, but I think I'll survive."

Relief swept over Brooke. He wasn't mad. "Maybe you should go home and have a shower and get changed."

"That's a good idea."

"I'll wait here. You go wash, but don't be too long, ok? I'm gonna order us more drinks"

Rex nodded and left. It was only a few minutes later when Brooke wished she wasn't alone, as two people she hoped she'd never see again, walked into the diner.

-

Peyton stopped immediately, when she saw who sat at the table in the diner. Lucas bashed into her. "Hey, walking here!" he said, but fell silent as he followed her gaze to where Brooke looked back at them, with horror in her eyes.

Neither of them knew what to do. It was only when the other customers looked Peyton and Lucas weird that they decided to walk the rest of the way into the diner, choosing a table nearest to where Brooke sat. It was a few minutes before Peyton dared to speak.

"Hello Stranger." She said, her voice small and full of fear.

Brooke glanced at her, half smiled and replied. "Hey." She looked over at Lucas, who looked even more uncomfortable than the girls were. "Hey to you too, Broody."

It had felt like forever since they had seen each other and all Peyton wanted to do was hug Brooke and tell her over and over again how sorry she was and how much she'd missed her. Instead she stayed put. Lucas shifted in his seat, hearing Brooke's nickname for him.

"It's been a long time." Said Peyton. Too long.

"Yeah, it has." Brooke replied. She wanted to still be mad at them. To blank them and walk out, but something was telling her not too. Something inside her was telling her to ask them to take her home. But she was home, she argued with herself. She'd often imagined seeing them again and envisioned what she'd say to them. "Oh it's you". She'd have said. "Well I don't have time for you right now. Calvin Klein is going to take me to Italy and I need to get packed." Ok, well she knew that it wouldn't turn out quite like that, but she still thought that all these stupid emotions would be gone. That she'd be strong enough to face them, but she wasn't. She wasn't ready.

"How have you been?" Lucas asked, but immediately regretted asking as a sarcastic smirk flashed across Brooke's face.

"Peachy. You?"

"Never better." He said. Again with the foot in the mouth, he thought.

Brooke let out a bitter laugh, finding it a bit easier to deal with this situation as hatred boiled up inside her. "Never better?" she repeated.

Lucas sighed. "I didn't mean like that."

"Yeah, you know how his foot likes to live in his mouth." Peyton joked, trying to lighten the mood. It didn't work. After another couple of minute's silence, Peyton got up the courage to say what she'd wanted to say since she'd set eyes on Brooke for the first time in 3 years. "I've missed you."

Tears prickled in Brooke's eyes but she refused to let them drop. She opened her mouth, about to reply, when Rex returned to the diner, his hair slightly damp and the neck of his t-shirt covered in water. He sat back down in his seat, not noticing the people on the table next to them, or the look Brooke was giving them.

"There, good as new." He laughed, tugging at his t-shirt.

Brooke snapped her attention to him, welcoming the distraction from her two former friends. She let out a small half-hearted laugh. "You could have washed your hair after you changed your t-shirt."

"Ah, I'm not that smart Davis, you know that." He joked.

Lucas and Peyton watched this mystery man as he joked about with Brooke as though they'd been friends for years. They probably have, Peyton thought. She's been gone for three. Lucas was watching more than Peyton, as Rex laughed at something Brooke had just said. He was Lucas' replacement. He must be. Even though Lucas was the one who screwed the relationship between him and Brooke up, he still felt jealousy. Brooke is mine! He thought. But she wasn't. Not anymore.

Brooke waved her hand nonchalantly at Rex's previous comment. "Whatever, Prince Charming"

She's even given him a nickname, Peyton and Lucas both thought.

Peyton cleared her throat, clearly wanting to be introduced to Rex. Brooke didn't disappoint her.

"Oh, um, Rex, this is Peyton and Lucas, some people I used to know from back in Tree Hill." She said, avoiding saying friends.

Rex held out his hand, shaking Peyton then Lucas's hand. "Rex Gilmore pleased to meet you. So you knew Brooke when she was a kid eh?" He looked at Brooke, then back at Peyton and Lucas, remembering one of their previous conversations. "Was she a nerd? I always thought she was a nerd."

Embarrassed, Brooke reached across the table and punched his arm lightly. "Drop it dude"

He held his arms up in surrender. "Alright."

It was then that Peyton got up from her chair. "Excuse me." She said, her voice brimming with emotion, as she ran out of the diner.

Lucas started to stand up too, but Brooke stopped him, placing a hand on his arm. "Let me go." She said, leaving the diner and following after Peyton. She caught up with her about halfway down the street. She'd missed her so much. She was willing to admit that now. "I missed you too." She said, keeping her eyes fixed ahead of her. Peyton looked up at her, tears in her eyes.

"God B, look at you!" she said. "You're so thin and so pale. I thought you were dead! How could you run away? I was so scared for you!" Tears were falling down her cheeks fast.

Brooke sighed. If this were 3 years ago, she'd have yelled at Peyton. Dared her to try and make this situation out to be her fault, but her time in Bridgewater had changed her. She turned to face her friend, using her thumb to wipe away her tears. It had been so long since they'd seen each other, but now here they were and it was as if all their anger had dissolved.

"I'm sorry. I had to get away I guess. It wasn't as if I had any friends around there anyway."

"You had me."

"And you had Lucas… Look, I don't want to talk about that, ok?"

"Okay."

Linking arms with Peyton, she grinned. "Hey Friend."

Peyton laughed through her tears. "So is Rex your boyfriend?"

Brooke shook her head. "Just a friend. I probably would have been dead if it wasn't for him." She said truthfully. Peyton nodded her head.

"Are you coming home?" She asked warily.

"I am home."

"No, you're not. Tree Hill is your home." Pleading eyes turned to look at Brooke. "Please come home."

"Peyton…"

"Please!"

"I don't know. I ran away for a reason."

Peyton's brow furrowed in confusion. "Lucas and I were the reason. But we're cool now, right? It's been three years…"

The brunette sighed. 'Thanks for reminding me, Peyton' she thought bitterly. She let her anger and hatred subside as she turned to face her best friend. "I didn't run away just because of you guys, although you were a part of it." She said, truthfully. "There's a lotta junk you don't know."

"Well come home and you can tell me about it!" Peyton replied, nodding. "I need you Brooke! Please…"

Tears welled up in Brooke's eyes as Peyton begged for her to come home. She'd never felt more wanted and it was confusing her that the person who'd betrayed her was the one who really needed her. But she did need her and right now, that was all that mattered.

"Okay."

Peyton's face lit up. "Okay?"

Brooke nodded in confirmation. "Okay. If it doesn't work out… if… if stuff happens, I'm gonna come back here, got it?"

"Yeah, got it."

Okay folks, help me out here because I haven't decided what stuff happened to Brooke to make her leave! Suggestions will be appreciated!