Disclaimer: Do not own One Tree Hill.

A/N: I don't know about Karen's parents, so I made the part up(as far as I know) about her mom. Trying to make a connection with Peyton, besides just her dad, lol.

Chapter 2: Lows and Highs

Peyton pulls up in front of Karen's house. The porch light was on, just like Karen said it would be. Peyton turned off the car radio, it was playing a song that hit way to close to home. 'So much for music being my friend.'

Peyton gets out of her car and begins the short walk up to the house. She walked up the steps to the porch and rang the door bell. After a few seconds, Karen came to the door, "Peyton! Come on in, can you close the door behind you, I have a batch of cookies to get out of the oven before they burn," she says as she heads to the kitchen.

"Oh yeah sure," answers Peyton as she quickly closes the door, and turns to follow after Karen. When she reaches the kitchen, she asks, " Is there anything I can do to help?"

"As a matter-of-fact, there is. Can you continue mixing the stuff right there to make more cookies, please. The cookbook is on the counter," she says turning to get the batch of cookies out of the oven and placing it on top of the oven. She started taking the freshly cooked cookies off the pan and placing them on a wire rack to let the cookies cool.

"Sounds great, haven't made cookies in along time."

"How long as it been?"

"Since I was a little girl. My mom taught me, though to be honest, I was in it for the raw cookie dough," laughed Peyton.

"Most kids are, I know I was," laughed Karen, "When Lucas was 6, I tried to teach him to make chocolate chip cookies. I think it took 7 baths to get him clean again."

Peyton busted out laughing, it was hard to picture Lucas has anything other than who he was now, "Would love to see a picture of that," she joked.

"Well I have one, hold on, be right back."

Within five minutes, Karen was back with a photo album. She was flipping through it when she paused suddenly. Peyton glanced up from the cookbook, just in time to see the look of pain on Karen's face. "Karen? What's wrong?"

"I had forgotten I had this picture," she said as she laid the photo album on the counter by the cookbook, where Peyton could see it. The picture was of a woman about the age of 38, holding a boy about the age of 5. "This is my mother with Lucas. She died a year after this picture was taken. Car accident, she was hit by a drunk driver."

"Oh I am sorry Karen, she's beautiful."

"Yeah, she was. Inside and out. I wanted to be just like her."

"Well I don't know what she was like, but I think your a pretty great person."

"Thanks," she smiled as she continued to flip through the photo album, "Here it is, the photo of Lucas covered in cookie dough."

Peyton glanced over, she could hardly believe her eyes. Sure enough Lucas had cookie dough all over his hands, in his hair, around his mouth, and all over the front of his white T-shirt. Peyton couldn't help but laugh, "Would you mind if I borrow this? Yearbook committee would love that."

"Sure you can, Lucas scanned all my photos into the computer last year, so you can keep it if you want."

"Thanks, you know Haley is trying to figure out a way to get a photo of Nathan from when he was a kid from Deb, you know for the yearbook, and just to have it, but I think I might have a better chance of getting it, seeing as how Deb is pissed at Haley."

"Yeah I know, I'll see if I can get the photo from Deb for Haley. But I have a feeling the only photos ever taken of Nathan, were with him and something to do with a basketball."

"Yeah, your probably right. He never had a chance at anything else. You gave Lucas more of a life than Nathan ever got. I'm sorry I didn't mean to say that."

"No problem, actually it was hard raising Lucas, didn't have the money or the father I thought he needed, but he had Keith. And money apparently doesn't buy everything."

"That is so true. Doesn't buy happiness, or great parents."

"Have a seat, I'll get us some milk to go with our cookies."

"Ok, let me place this dough on a cookie sheet first, I mean if you don't mind, I mean? After all, this is your kitchen."

"No I don't mind at all, kind of fun having a girl in the kitchen besides myself."

"I wonder if Lucas realizes how lucky he is to have such a cool mom."

"I am sure he does," laughs Karen. "Especially when I am nagging him."

Peyton laughs as she places the cookies on the two cookie sheets, and places them both in the oven, and sits down next to Karen at the dinner table, and reaches for a cookie, and begins eating with Karen, a few minutes pass without a word being spoken between them, when Peyton breaks the silence, "Thanks for everything Karen."

"Your welcome, you know even though me and your dad are no longer seeing each other, doesn't mean we can't still be friends."

"Yeah I know, but I hate admitting I need help."

"We all do, but when we find the courage to ask, it makes us feel better. Sometimes it makes us feel whole again."

"Good to hear, cause I feel pretty broken right now."

"Well, let's do something about that."

Alright that's it for now, how am I doing so far, tell me by leaving a review!