Disclaimer: I own no part of OTH or the characters.

Author's Note: Wow, I can't thank you guys enough for all the reviews!As promised, for this chapter I brought back Peyton and little Jenny. Brooke and Peyton lost touch, but of course it doesn't take long for them to catch back up. Not much brathan action in this chapter, but don't worry! more will come soon. please keep reviewing!

kaos2405: Thanks! I read it, and its really good!

BrookenLucas12: thanks! I couldn't help but add the chad thing in, it fit perfectly. the non chad is probably just as hot as the real one! (any chad will do) thanks so much for the compliments.

tp96: you can count on drama. maybe not physical drama, but definitely emotional drama. stay tuned!

sweetgirl73: here's a little bit of their past. more will come in later chapters, glad you are enjoying it.

Mony19: Yeah, we all know how sweet Nathan can actually be (just think about naley!). I hope people like crystal... i am trying not to make this Brooke/Lucas/Nathan triangle, because that is really played out. Thanks so much for your continuous reviews, I really appreciate them!

stephanie: I couldn't agree more, nookie is hot!

belle: here you go...

Belle-Baby: well, she isn't coming back this chapter. as for the future, you wil have to wait and see... I haven't liked her very much either. I am still pulling for Naley on screen, but Haley needs to go back to the OLD haley! thanks for the awesome review!

Swedishblonde: aw, thank you so much!

Chapter Five

Pink and Black

A few weeks later, Brooke was in the store, running the counter. Tricia's little girl had gotten sick, so Brooke was taking over for the afternoon. Business was slow, as it usually was on Tuesday afternoons. This meant Brooke was off in dream land. She was thinking about her first two months in Tree Hill. It was already the first week in October, so the leaves were changing colors and the air was chillier. Brooke loved fall, though. It was her favorite season, and it was especially beautiful in Tree Hill.

She and Nathan had been keeping a safe distance from each other. They still hung out a lot, though. They were 'movie buddies', seeing all the new releases together. And he stopped by once or twice a week to eat lunch with her. Brooke was just grateful to have such a great friend in Tree Hill. Tricia was great, but she was a business only friend. And Karen had her own life going on. There was always Lucas, but it was so awkward between them. Too much history. She definitely loved hanging out with Nathan. He was understanding, and knew how to show her a good time. One of her friends from New York, Morgan, had visited her. They were pretty close, but they each had lives of their own.

As much fun as Brooke was having with Nathan, she didn't want to get too serious. He felt the same way. They were just friends, and would stay like that. Nothing could happen between them.

Brooke was forced out of dream land when the door rang, signaling a customer. She looked up. "Can I help..." She cut herself off when she saw it was the one and only Peyton Sawyer. "PEYTON!" Brooke screeched.

"BROOKE!" Peyton screamed just as loud. Brooke hurried around the counter, and the two long-lost friends hugged. "Karen told me you would be here."

Brooke said excitedly, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm visiting my dad," Peyton explained. "I was at Karen's when she mentioned you had moved back. Thanks for telling me."

Brooke smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, its just that we haven't talked in years."

Peyton sighed. "I know. We both went off to college, and I guess we just lost touch."

Brooke smiled. "That doesn't matter. We're here now. Tell me about Jake and Jenny."

"They're great. Jenny is at my dad's right now. She adores him, and when I bring her to town, he spoils her like crazy."

"Aw, that's so cute."

Peyton shrugged. "I guess, yeah. Jake is in med school in Charleston, so he couldn't make it. I have two days off, so I figured it was time for a visit."

"I'm so happy you came by."

Peyton looked around. "So this is yours?"

"Half mine. My partner is with her daughter right now."

Peyton smiled. "So, who are you dating right now?"

Brooke sat on the couch they had, and Peyton sat next to her. "No one," she admitted. "I haven't dated seriously since my freshman year at NYU."

Peyton gaped at her. "What?"

She nodded. "I've been focused on other things."

"Brooke, are you serious? Have you had sex since then?"

"Peyton!" Brooke exclaimed. "Kind of personal, don't you think?"

"No," Peyton said simply.

Brooke rolled her eyes. "Yes, I've had sex since then."

"Good," Peyton approved. "That's healthy."

Brooke laughed at her. "Whatever."

Peyton sighed. "I've missed you! What have you been doing since you've been back?"

She shrugged. "Nothing, really. Working, visiting with Karen."

"Have you seen Luke yet?"

She nodded. "Yeah, and I met his girlfriend. She seemed pretty cool."

Peyton agreed, "Yeah, I met her once a few months ago. She was okay." She looked out the window. "Oh my God, is that Nathan?"

Brooke looked outside, and saw Nathan about to cross the street. "Yeah."

Peyton looked at her. "You aren't surprised to see him?"

Brooke shook her head. "No, we've been hanging out."

Peyton was confused as Nathan walked in the door. He was as surprised to her as she was him. "Peyton, hey."

She gave him a half-smile. "Hey. What's up?"

"Nothing really. How long are you in town?" Nathan and Peyton rarely talked, maybe once a year. And when they did, it was merely polite conversation.

"A few days, with Jenny. Jake's working." Peyton gave Brooke a look that said she had a lot of explaining to do.

Nathan cleared his throat, uncomfortable. "Brooke, I was just stopping by to say hi. Are we still on for Saturday?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I'll call you."

He held his hand up in the form of a wave. "I'll talk to you later. Nice seeing you, Peyton."

She said goodbye, and as soon as the door slammed behind him, she whipped around. "What the hell was that?" She demanded.

Brooke shrugged. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't give me that crap. Since when do you and Nathan Scott hang out?"

Brooke sighed heavily, sitting down again. "I met up with him the first week I got back in town. I didn't really know anyone here. I mean, my parents live in California, and I had lost contact with all my old friends. I was visiting Karen, and then found Nathan. We just ran into each other. We started talking, and became pretty close friends. We're just keeping each other company on the weekends."

Peyton said suspiciously, "Are you guys dating?"

"No! Of course not, we're just hanging out," she said, saying the 'no' a little to quickly for Peyton's taste.

Peyton decided to let it go. "Okay. Listen, I have to go rescue Jenny from my dad, but why don't you come over to the house tonight?"

Brooke grinned. "Sure. What time?"

"Um, seven, seven thirty?" Brooke nodded, and Peyton reached over and hugged. "Great, can't wait."

Brooke said goodbye and then went back to work. She hadn't lied to Peyton. She wasn't dating Nathan. Not even close. Was a girl not allowed to have a friend who is a guy without the whole world assuming they are dating?

Later that night, Brooke arrived at Peyton's dad's house. This definitely brought back memories. She remembered the countless Friday and Saturday nights she had spent there, escaping the wrath of her parents. They had held many sleep overs with Haley, and a number of parties.

She rang the doorbell and she heard feet running down the hall. "MOM, I GOT IT!"

The door flew open, and on the other side was a little girl around the age of seven, in shorts and a pink and black t-shirt. Her hair was pulled back in a pink scrunchie. She looked exactly like Jake.

"Shh, you don't have to scream," Peyton said, coming around the corner. She smiled at Brooke. "Hey, come on in."

The three girls walked into the den, and sat on the couch and chairs. Jenny was eyeing Brooke. "Mommy, who's that?" She whispered shyly.

Peyton laughed at the turn of attitude. "That's Brooke. Remember? Dad told you about her. She's my best friend from high school."

Brooke smiled down at the little girl. "Hey, Jenny. I remember when you were about nine months old. You have definitely changed. You have grown up so much, and are so pretty."

She smiled at this woman who was giving her nice compliments. "Hi."

Peyton said, "So, do you want anything to drink?"

"I'm fine, but thanks. I just had dinner."

"With Nathan?" Peyton teased.

Brooke shot her a look. "No. But thanks for trying. I ate at my apartment."

"Do you live alone?"

Brooke nodded. "Yep, just me. I'm getting a dog, though."

Jenny's ears pricked up at this. "A dog?"

She nodded. "A puppy. I'm going Saturday to look for one."

Jenny smiled. "I love puppies. We have one, and his name is Chewy."

Peyton explained, "He is six months old. Chewy is a black lab."

Brooke smiled. "That's so cool. I don't know what kind I want yet. I'm just going to look and then pick one out."

Jenny nodded, "We got ours at the kennel. The dogs there need good homes. Daddy didn't want one, but then he changed his mind."

Peyton laughed. "Yeah, Jake was completely against the idea. But Jenny has him so tightly wrapped around her finger that he agreed. Now, he loves Chewy just as much as the rest of us."

"That sounds like Jake. When do you leave?"

"Tomorrow," Peyton said sadly. "I hate to leave, because I just found you again!"

Brooke waved it off. "I'm not going anywhere. We definitely have to keep in touch, though. I've missed my best friend!"

Peyton smiled. "Same here," she said softly. The year that Brooke had moved, they had gone through a ton of troubles. All of them involved Lucas. Just when they were getting their friendship back in order, Brooke's dad got a new job.

They talked for a few hours, catching up on each other's lives. They stopped shortly while Peyton put Jenny to bed, and while she did that, Brooke caught up with Peyton's dad, Larry. Then, it was back to talking for the friends. Brooke didn't leave until mid night, and by the time she left, she felt like nothing had ever changed. As though there hadn't been a five year gap between the past and present.

To be continued... now please push that little blue button in the bottom left screen!