Title: Fall, Baby, Fall
Author: heartsmash
Rating: PG-13
Summary: An AU scene from Season 1 that takes place after the fight scene between Peyton and Nikki.

Let them fall baby fall, just like the rain washes it all
If the tears will help you to heal
All that is real, all that is wrong
Let them fall baby fall

The party at Nathan's apartment was out of control. Mouth had been yanked from the DJ corner and was being carried by a bunch of guys across the room. Peyton watched as Haley ran around panicked, and when the tutor came over to where Lucas and she were playing quarters, Peyton offered her the shot that Lucas was supposed to drink, since she had just sunk a quarter in the cup.

"Okay, you know what? Drink this; it looks like you could use it."

Both Lucas and Peyton watched with wide eyes as Haley downed the shot.

"Wow!" Peyton exclaimed at the girl's quick intake of the SoCo shot.

Before Haley could say a thing, Brooke and her new best friend Nikki appeared at the counter.

"So you two are playing games. Watch out for them, they look like they might cheat," Brooke remarked snidely at her former best friend and ex-boyfriend

Nikki smirked at Brooke's comment before making one of her own.

"Oh, you're still here? I thought you'd be running off to tuck in my kid."

"Someone's got to," Peyton retorted.

"Yeah, well hopefully it's not some slutty boyfriend thief."

"I'll drink to that," Brooke added.

Peyton shook her head at Nikki's teenage mentality. The girl had not grown up even after having a baby – and she wanted custody of Jenny. Nikki made her want to cringe. She was ugly, inside and out.

"Look, why don't you do what you're really good at and disappear."

She struck a nerve because Nikki immediately got in her face.

"You got a problem?"

Even Brooke was surprised at how explosively Nikki reacted at Peyton's blunt response.

"Wow, Nikki she's not worth it," the brunette said grabbing onto Nikki's elbow.

"Get off me," Nikki demanded and walked up to Peyton, "I asked you if you had a problem."

Not one to back down, Peyton stood up and straighter and answered Nikki's question.

"Yeah, I do. It's called you bitch."

Nikki reacted like lightning, throwing Peyton against the refrigerator and slapping her hard across the face. Peyton stood in shock for a matter of seconds before defending herself. She dove into Nikki, crashing the table to the floor. They got up and Nikki caught Peyton's face in a punch and a ring she had been wearing split open her bottom lip. Lucas finally jumped in and pulled them apart.

"Haley, help me out here!" Lucas cried as Nikki grabbed a stool and hurled it at Peyton, effectively breaking the window, "Come on, stop!" he demanded

Brooke was horrified.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Isn't this what you wanted?" Nikki questioned as she struggled to get out of Tim's hold

"Stop!" Tim yelled

"You need to go," Lucas said tersely

Nikki laughed evilly.

"Well isn't this sweet? Lucas Scott coming to the defense of his women. Oh, but wait – shouldn't that include someone else?"

Haley, Brooke and Peyton all looked at Lucas, not sure what Nikki was insinuating at.

"Don't worry. I can keep a secret too."

And after all the destruction she had caused, Nikki left the apartment, to let only more damage to occur.

"You sure you're okay?" Lucas asked Peyton, nearly wincing at the cut on her lip

But Peyton wasn't interested; she wanted to know what Nikki had just meant.

"What did she mean by that? Someone else?"

Lucas looked between Brooke and Peyton before answering.

"She's the girl I met in the bar."

Brooke scoffed in her position, now standing to Peyton.

"Lucas Scott betrayal train, all aboard."

Lucas saw the look of disgust and hurt in Peyton's eyes and moved she demanded. Peyton walked out of the apartment door and walked quickly as she saw the flashing lights of Tree Hill's finest pulling into the apartment complex's parking lot.

She didn't want to go home yet – not to that big empty house. Not when she felt so betrayed. Lucas Scot was a liar. A liar and a betrayer. He had slept with Nikki, and went on with life as if he had done nothing wrong.

Peyton knew who she would go talk to. She just hoped he would be willing to talk.

A ten minute walk from Nathan's apartment brought her to Jake's house. There was one light on – in the den, and she only hoped it was Jake that was still awake.

She went to the front door and rapped lightly. The person in the den came to the door, and lucky for Peyton and the many thoughts that she had running through her head, it was Jake.

"Peyton?" he questioned, seeing it was her but not really sure what she was doing on his front porch

"Hey. Sorry it's so late, but I kind of needed someone to talk to."

"Of course, come in. Jenny's asleep, but my parents are in Virginia – my aunt just had a baby."

"Congratulations."

He nodded and she followed him into the house. When they were in the light, he saw the ruse that forming around her eye and the dried blood on her lip.

"What happened to you?" he questioned, having seen her at practice just that morning and she had been fine.

"Oh, I got into a fight."

"I can see that. Who did you get into a fight with?"

She hesitated, but then came out with it.

"Nikki," she answered honestly.

She saw the anger flash in his eyes, and it made her heart flutter. Jake was incredibly protective, and that was only one of the things she found sexy about him. She would admit to only herself that Jake was the first guy that she found herself with a tiny crush on, and since the drama with Lucas, it was a welcome fascination.

"Nikki did this to you?" he asked, gently touching her chin to examine the cut on her lip and the bruise on the corner of her eye.

She nodded, feeling tears well up in her eyes. Peyton blinked them back however, and watched as he walked out of the living room. He returned a few minutes later with a first aid kit.

"The cut on your lip isn't too deep, you don't need stitches. But I do want to clean it out, and get you to sit with an ice pack on that eye."

"All right," she whispered knowing that Jake was angry – not at her, but in general and it would be best if she just followed his instructions.

He soaked a cotton ball in hydrogen peroxide and gently cleaned the cut. She hissed in pain, not because he was hurting her but because the hydrogen peroxide burned.

"I'm sorry," he said, his brown eyes looking just as sad as she was sure her hazel eyes did.

"Don't say you're sorry. You didn't do this Jake – Nikki did," she told him, giving his hand a squeeze.

"Yeah, but maybe if I had agreed to let Nikki had shared custody, you wouldn't be hurt."

"I would never want Jenny to be with that monster. And plus, I'm fine. Just hand me that ice pack and put on Saturday Night Live."

"I'm still sorry."

She glared and he smiled, giving her the ice pack. Peyton took a seat on the couch, and she patted the seat next to her. Jake sat next to her a she requested and was surprised when she put her head on his shoulder.

"You're a good friend Jake. You're the only one I can trust."

Jake stared down on her blonde head longingly. As long as he could remember, he had had a crush on Peyton Sawyer. But for now, all he could have was her friendship and her trust.

"Same here Peyton. I'm so glad that we've become friends."

"Yeah, I can't believe we waited so long."

"But I'm glad Peyton. And I'm glad you could come to me for something like this."

"Who else could I trust?"

He shrugged not having an answer for her.

"No one. I mean it when I say you're the only one Jake."

Jake had the urge to kiss the top of her head, but he didn't. He just enjoyed the time they spent, before she left to go home. As he watched her form disappear into the dark, he whispered the secret that lay in his heart.

"You're the only one too, Peyton."

/end