And This Too Shall Pass
By: Sari
Summary: Post Season 2 Finale. The ones left behind spent a whole summer getting over their heart break. Now that summer's over, they find out that this too shall pass. P/L/H Friendship, LP, BL, and NH.
Disclaimer: Nope, I do not own One Tree Hill.
1: The Last Day of Summer
"I can't count how many parties we've been too where I've just wondered why are we actually here." Peyton grumbled to Lucas as they surveyed the party scene.
"Well, I don't know about the others one but we're at this one because Haley threw it and it is the last day of summer." Lucas answered. "Now we better go mingle before she has our head!"
Peyton laughed at Lucas who was rapidly disappearing into the crowd. She shook her head at the party's inhabitants. She could literally see every person in her senior class bumping and grinding with some other idiot. It was insane.
Haley throwing a party had been a surprise to both Peyton and Lucas. Haley hadn't been the type of girl to even want to go to a party but in the two months that the trio had spent together nursing their broken hearts they all had changed and in some ways it was better for them.
Peyton and Lucas couldn't tell yet if Haley's change had been for the better. To put it lightly, she had become wilder, more rebellious, and definitely more independent. She looked to have put the events that happened before the summer behind her, but Lucas had heard her crying at night and he had been there for her silently, because she wouldn't open up to him. No matter how hard he tried to get her too.
Peyton had been the one least effected out of all of them. Between Lucas's broken heart over Brooke and Haley's broken heart over Nathan she had been the glue that had held them together. Finally, she was at a place with Lucas where she could trust that they would never be anything more than friends. She had become his rock, his confidante, and she was proud of the place she had in his life now. She and Haley had also become ultra close. After Haley couldn't stand to live in the same apartment she had lived in with Nathan, Peyton had offered her own home and from there it was friendship. Haley, Lucas and Peyton had discovered a pure friendship with no drama from Brooke or Nathan to mess it up.
Lucas had been the most devastated of them all. He had put his heart on the line with Brooke and she ignored him. All summer he waited for that inevitable phone call and the talk that would make everything better but it never came. So Lucas did what he knew best, he withdrew into himself. If it hadn't been for the bond that he had formed with Peyton and Haley he would have been lost.
But now it was the end of the summer, tomorrow it was back to Tree Hill High for their senior year of high school and Peyton couldn't help but think that with the arrival of Brooke and Nathan it was going to be one hell of a senior year. And she knew without a doubt that Nathan and Brooke wouldn't be able to understand what had transpired between their friends when they had been gone. No one understood their relationship but them, and Nathan and Brooke were going to feel like foreigners.
Peyton sighed, she couldn't wait for the misunderstandings and miscommunication that were going to litter their senior year.
"Earth to Peyton!" Haley shouted into her ear, Haley's words slurring slightly. "What's the matter with you? It's like the revival of moody Peyton and I don't like it one bit!"
Peyton shrugged. "I was just thinking about what's going to happen tomorrow." She yelled back. "Aren't you just a little bit apprehensive about it?"
Haley shook her head. "Why think about it now? I have the whole of my senior year to fight with Nathan. I just want this last day to be all about me and my two wonderful friends that didn't abandon me when I needed it."
Peyton smiled a genuine smile. "Hales…"
"Hey don't say anything okay? Don't ruin the moment. Just go out there, find Lucas in whatever corner he's brooding in and drag him out onto the dance floor okay? And get some alcohol into you! You look like you need it." Haley commanded.
Peyton bobbed her head and watched Haley go and make out with some other random guy. She had to admit, Haley had a point. If tomorrow there world was going to be turned upside down again, why not have one more night of fun?
Karen Roe was sitting at home, not really doing anything. Now that the café was self-reliant she rarely had to be there. Lucas was out partying with Haley and Peyton and Andy had still not come back from his latest business trip so she was quite literally, alone.
It gave her time to reflect on what had occurred over the summer. The terrible summer that it had been. She had to watch as her son was destroyed over Brooke and then kicked while he was down when the fire that had started mysteriously in Dan's dealership had landed Dan in the hospital. She was thankful beyond words to Peyton and Haley who had made sure that Lucas hadn't become a shell of who he was, but she felt guilty that she couldn't have done it herself.
Now she was allowing Brooke to come back into her home knowing that Lucas was suffering and it made her feel even more guilty. She couldn't turn her back on Brooke though. Brooke had become almost like a daughter to her, and she had no doubt in her mind that Brooke loved her son, even if she didn't choose to express it.
Karen sighed. That was her son's problems, but she didn't even want to touch upon her own problems. Thankfully, she didn't have to because at that moment the doorbell rang.
She raised an eyebrow. "Luke? Did you forget your key or are you too drunk to remember how to use it?" She started disappointed. She opened the door and her eyes widened. "Brooke, I didn't think you were coming until a week from now."
Brooke, still beautiful, just smiled. She was still the same pretty girl with amazing green eyes and long dark brown hair that practically shimmered. If being in California had done anything for her, it had made her look even more radiant. "Yeah, my parents bumped up their schedule so that meant I had to go." She said bitterly. "I thought Lucas still lived with Dan?"
"Oh, honey, why don't you sit down?" Karen suggested. "Let me fill you in on what's been happening."
Karen went into the kitchen and made a pot of tea while Brooke followed her in a few seconds later. "How was California? Did you have fun?"
Brooke shrugged. "You know me Karen. I make the best of every situation."
"From all those bags on the porch, I'm guessing you got reacquainted with shopping." Karen said trying to lighten the mood.
"Karen, I appreciate what you're trying to do but just tell me what's wrong."
"Brooke, since you left it's been kind of a roller coaster around here." Karen admitted. "No one is the same as you left them. We've all gone through a lot of things and it changes people."
"Like what?"
"Brooke, when you left, you destroyed Lucas." Karen started softly. "And I don't say that because he's my son, I say that because it's the truth. Not answering his emails, no returning his calls, you broke his heart. Nathan left and Haley's been trying to survive without him, and through all of this Peyton still feels lost because of Jake. Brooke honey, you're friends have been dealing with a lot of emotional stress without you and they've dealt with it together."
"And then to make matters worse, Dan's in the hospital." She said. "The dealership burned down, someone tried to murder him."
Brooke gasped. "Why didn't anyone call me?"
"Everyone thought you made it pretty clear that you didn't want anything to do with Tree Hill." Karen said gently.
"I left for the summer Karen, it wasn't like I had a choice!" Brooke shouted the tears making her voice sound huskier than it really was. "My parents made me go!"
Karen reached across the table and placed an understanding hand over her own. "Sometimes we don't mean to hurt the ones we love, but we do it anyway. I'm not passing a judgment on you Brooke, I'm just telling you what happened."
Brooke nodded, Karen could see her struggling to hold it together. "So where is everyone?"
"Nathan I assume is still at High Flyers, I don't know when he's going to be back." Karen said. "Haley threw an end of the summer bash and that means Peyton and Lucas are over at the beach house. Deb gave it to them for the summer."
"A party on a school night" Karen you're going soft." Brooke said.
"I figured I'd give them one more night before I brought down the hammer." Karen said winking.
"Karen, are you angry at me, for what happened with Lucas?" Brooke asked hesitantly.
"I'm not going to pretend to understand what happened between the two of you. I love both of you equally and I just want my son back." Karen answered her. "I'm going to head to bed, don't wait up for Lucas."
"So how was that for a successful party?" Haley asked as people began filing out. It was nearing midnight, and everyone reluctantly did have to prepare for school tomorrow.
"Very successful, in Brooke's absence we can safely say that you have become the party queen." Peyton said bestowing the title upon her equally drunk friend.
Lucas smiled, it had taken long enough but his heart didn't clench in pain whenever he heard Brooke's name. At this rate, he was almost confident he could survive the year not being with her.
"Isn't your mom going to freak if you don't get home Luke?" Peyton asked. "She's been really understanding these past months but I wouldn't put it past her to ground you if you miss your curfew."
Lucas glanced at his watch and cursed. "Yeah, I gotta make it home for one. I'll see my two favorite ladies tomorrow right?"
"Bright and early at your house." Haley confirmed. "And if you're not up we are totally dumping a pail of water on you."
He laughed. "I look forward to it. Love you Peyt, love you Hales." He called walking out the door.
Twenty minutes later he was unlocking his front door and humming to himself. He didn't recall the songs title but it was probably something from Peyton's collection. He slipped in the house quietly, thankfully he hadn't missed his curfew it was only a half hour past midnight.
He walked into the kitchen and poured himself some juice before making it into the guest bedroom which had changed into his room once it had been confirmed that Brooke would be staying with them.
He didn't expect to see Brooke sitting on his bed watching television. No, he definitely hadn't expected that.
"Brooke?" He said incredulously. "Mom said you wouldn't be back for at least a week."
She bobbed her head up and down. "That's what I thought too, didn't turn out that way though. I see you made the guest room your permanent room now." She said lamely.
He stared at her oddly, his face a blank mask. He wasn't ready for a confrontation. "Yeah, with Dan in the hospital I didn't feel comfortable staying at his place. I'm really tired though and school's tomorrow so I'll see you tomorrow okay?"
Obviously, that was her cue to leave. He was just thankful she took the hint. She nodded at him and sighed. "Okay Luke, look can we talk tomorrow? I just want to catch up."
He nodded. "Yeah, that's fine, we'll talk." He agreed. "Good night Brooke."
She shut the door quietly behind her and Lucas couldn't help but close his eyes painfully. "I missed you." He whispered softly to the door.