It was unusually dead for the breakfast shift. Haley was bravely holding down the fort enjoying the quiet, sipping her own coffee as she read the morning paper. The few customers in the Den seemed to be content and so far it had turned out to be a good day. At a booth near the back, a blonde Haley had never seen before kept looking up from her partially eaten meal. She seemed nervous and agitated. Haley walked over with a fresh pot of hot coffee.

"Refill?"

The woman was staring out of the window.

"What?"

"Refill on your coffee?"

"Oh. Um, please. Thank you."

Haley smiled as she filled it to the brim.

"Is everything okay with your breakfast? Are the eggs cooked the way you wanted them?"

The blonde managed a smile.

"Yes. Everything tastes really good. Thanks."

"Okay. Good. Um, I just couldn't help but notice that you hadn't eaten much."

She looked at her plate.

"I'm not very hungry. It's not the food, it's me."

Haley nodded and smiled.

"Well, if I can get you anything else, just let me know."

"Wait", she called out after Haley.

"Yes?"

"Um, I, I'm not from around here. Actually I'm kind of passing through town but I couldn't help but notice how pretty it is around here. It's really nice. Um, have you lived here long?"

"All my life."

"What can you tell me about this place?"

Haley shrugged.

"Well geographically, you have midtown where all the businesses and the hotels and the chain restaurants are. It's also where the bowling alley and the movie theatre and the skating rinks are. It's near the highway and also over by the University. Where we are now is pretty much referred to as downtown. Most of the local shops and businesses are here and the river runs parallel with this street and this where a lot of the clubs and bars are so this place gets pretty active at night. But overall Tree Hill is a really great place to live. It's beautiful and peaceful but at the same time there is plenty enough to do and still have fun. The beach isn't far either although this time of year that isn't the main attraction with the water being absolutely freezing. Are you thinking about maybe moving here or something?"

"Oh, uh, well…I don't know. The um, the thought crossed my mind but I'm keeping my options open."

"Well, I'm Haley Scott. It's nice to meet you."

She extended her hand and the blonde shook it.

"Peyton. Peyton Sawyer."

"Nice to meet you, Peyton. Listen, you should check this place out at night if you're going to be around and I guess if you move here, I'll be seeing a lot more of you."

"Sure", Peyton smiled. "Um, listen, is there…is there another waitress working this morning?"

Haley was puzzled by the question.

"Just me for now. Peyton, are you sure everything is satisfactory?"

Peyton took a deep breath.

"Look, it's not you, Haley. Everything has been great. Really. I, um, I wasn't completely honest with you. I'm not just passing through town. I actually came to Tree Hill for a reason. I'm kind of looking for someone in particular."

"Okay. Who is it? Maybe I can help. If not, you should hang around and talk to the owner when she gets in. Her name is Deb and she knows everyone. If you…"

Peyton opened her wallet.

"Have you seen her?"

Haley took a good look at the photo. There was a lake in the background and Peyton was standing in front of it on a dock. She was smiling, her blonde hair much longer then and the golden locks spiraled in natural curls. A pink tank top and denim mini skirt, along with trendy flip flops accentuated her tanned, petite body. But Peyton wasn't the main attraction. Haley focused her attention on the beautiful brunette standing beside her. Although sunglasses covered the eyes, her familiar facial features were evident. The hair was still the same and so was the smile except in person it was much more animated. She looked neat and crisp in a white tank top, khaki capris and sneakers.

"That's Brooke."

"So you know her?" Peyton asked.

"Yeah. We're friends. She works here but she's not in now."

Peyton's heart raced. So it was true. It was all true.

"Where is she? Does she work today? I really need to see her."

Haley suddenly became uneasy as Peyton grew more anxious. Who was this woman? She seemed nice enough but snooping around the town? Lying about her true intentions? Producing some random picture of Brooke? Then demanding to see her at once? Things like that weren't an everyday occurrence in tiny, normal Tree Hill. Something wasn't quite right.

"Um, I…I don't know. Brooke and I aren't that close and I really don't know that much about her or her schedule", Haley nervously began to change her story. "Maybe if you left a number…"

Peyton smiled in spite of herself.

"I get it. You must think I'm some psycho stalker bitch."

"Well, I…"

"It's totally cool. I understand. I'm sure I was staring to act like one. Sorry. Like I said before, my name is Peyton Sawyer and I'm looking for my friend, Brooke Davis. It's really important that I talk to her as soon as possible."

Haley ran her fingers through her hair.

"Look, I have no way of knowing you are who you say you are. But I do care about Brooke. She hasn't been with us long and she did kind of show up out of nowhere. I don't know much about her life before she came to Tree Hill and truth be told, it's really none of my business. I just know that Brooke is a really good person and she's happy here. If you are a friend and you're looking for her, that's your business but I don't want to be involved."

Peyton swallowed hard.

"If that's the way you feel…"

"It is."

"Haley, I respect that but I won't stop looking for Brooke. I came a really long way and I can't just give up now."

"Maybe she doesn't want to be found", Haley said softly.

Peyton folded her arms.

"You think I haven't thought about that? It's all I've thought about ever since I found out she was here. And trust me, those thoughts are a whole lot better than the ones I had thinking she was kidnapped and murdered or God knows what. At least now I know she is alive. I don't know the Brooke you know but I'll tell you a little about the one I knew. We grew up together. She's my best friend. We used to play in the sandbox. She taught me how to put on makeup and shave my legs. We doubled for our first dates. And when my mom died, Brooke was my rock. She was really there for me. She picked up the pieces. Whether it was cheerleading and shopping or late night talks and crying together, it's always been Brooke and me. She is this incredibly funny, wickedly smart, fun loving, nice girl. Brooke Davis has a family and a lot of friends and a fiancé who really love her. People have prayed for her and worried about her and spent countless hours trying to find out what happened to her. We want…no, we deserve some answers and I intend to get them. You don't know me and I know you probably don't believe me and that's fine. You don't have to help because I'm gonna do this with or without you but things would be a lot faster and a lot easier if you cooperate."

Haley's mind was reeling. Missing? Fiance? She was still in a state of shock when Peyton handed her the missing persons flyer.

"Oh my God…"

"Where is she, Haley?" Peyton asked softly.

"What is going on here? This is crazy. This has to be some sort of mistake…"

"Please. Look, you want answers? I want them, too. Right now you're probably confused and you feel like the wind has been knocked out of you and a piece of your world has literally been chipped away. Haley, you've been dealing with that feeling for like five seconds. Try it for a few months."

Haley's hands were shaking.

"Peyton, I…"

"Please. Please, Haley. Help me. Just tell me where she is."

Scribbling down Deb's home address on the back of a food ticket, Haley slid it across the table.

"You can find her there."

"Thank you", Peyton mouthed, leaving enough cash to cover the tab and the tip.

The blonde left, leaving the "missing" ad for Brooke behind as well on the table. Still in shock, Haley picked it up and stared at it as she fell back on the seat. Her cell phone rang minutes later scaring the living crap out of her.

"Yeah", she squeaked.

"Hales, it's me", Nathan said.

"Hi, baby."

"I just called to say what's up. Anything exciting happen so far?"

Haley glanced down at the beautiful, smiling pictures of their friend, Brooke, on a missing persons poster and took a deep breath.

"Babe, you have no idea…"