After getting dressed for bed, separately to my secret disappointment, we crawled in on opposite sides, laying flat on our backs. Now half an hour later and I'm no closer to falling asleep. And I can tell Peyton is still awake, her breathing hasn't evened out and I can literally feel her muscles tensing beside me, afraid to move. I realize after the incident on the pier, I need to make a first move now. Peyton slammed the ball into my court and I just stood there like an idiot.

"Peyton?" I glance over at her moonlit shadow

"Yeah?" She turns her head towards me, the light pouring in from the window reflecting off her hazel eyes.

"Can I hold you?" I whisper, reaching over to sweep away a stray curl cascading over her forehead.

A smile twitches at her lips before she scoots in closer, pillowing her head against my chest and draping a long tanned forearm around my stomach. I tuck my hand around her shoulders, trailing my fingertips up and down her upper arm, exposed by the tiny white wife beater she wore to bed. I can feel her skin prickle under my touch, goosebumps spreading along the length of her elbow down to her wrist. I can't suppress the amused chuckle from billowing up from my chest. I lean in, pressing a kiss to her forehead, tightening my hold on her in the process.

"You're comfy." Peyton mumbles into my shirt. The feel of her lips moving against the thin fabric of my t-shirt is all kinds of distracting.

"Glad you think so." Her fingers have started to tease across my stomach, dipping under the hem of my shirt every once in a while to ghost across the tense muscles underneath.

"Mmmhmm" Ok, she knows exactly what she's doing. She can't NOT know.

"Peyton?"

"Mmm?" Again with the mumbling.

"You keep doing that and things are going to get far less comfy." I playfully warn her.

"Or even more so." She teases, all traces of sleep gone from her voice now.

I pull away a bit, not sure if I'm understanding her right. The lust cloud taking up a good portion of the gray matter between my ears had to have misinterpreted her. Right?

"Peyton, do you really think this is the best idea?" I manage to squeak out, her hand traveling farther northward making any kind of non-naughty thought pretty much impossible at this point.

She stops her wayward hand for a moment, the heat from her touch searing through my body. "Brooke, what are you so worried about?" A devilish smile crosses her face, accentuated by the moonlight pouring in through the window. "Besides, it's not like we've never done this before." She lowers herself down to my neck, kissing a trail of fire along my jaw line. The protest forming on my lips almost dies from the incredible sensations her tongue is sending racing through my veins.

Almost.

"WE actually haven't done THIS." My hands grope around in the darkness, trying to still her increasingly desperate touch. "And I don't think we should. Not yet." The groan my denial produces reverberates up through her chest, coming out as nothing more than a growl of disappointment.

"Brooke………..why?" My my. Peyton sounds so very much like a horny teenager just denied by his first girlfriend. Heh, I guess technically that IS true.

I reach up, trying to soothe away the disappointment with a gentle kiss to pouting lips. "Every time I've rushed into something, it's ended badly."

Peyton's frown doesn't disappear. "What makes you think we'll end at all?"

My surprise has to be written plainly across my face. Who knew Peyton could be such a romantic? I try to think practical though. "We're 18."

She flinches and I'm immediately contrite. I'm not trying to doom us before we even get off the ground. Just the opposite actually. I obviously have a horrible way of proving it though. "So what's the point of waiting if you think we'll never last anyway?" She doesn't even try to disguise the anger lacing every syllable.

"That's not what I meant……." I trail off as she starts to shift away from me, throwing the covers off and moving to get dressed.

"I think that's exactly what you meant." As she's grasping around for her jeans I quickly move up behind her crouched form, wrapping myself around her lithe body, clutching tightly to her waist.

"I love you." I breath into her ear, not more than a whisper, relieved when I feel Peyton relax into my embrace.

"But why then?" She wraps her own arms around mine still interlocked at her stomach, leaning back into me.

"That's exactly why. I love you Peyton, and I've never loved anyone, not like this. Not like you. Sex is always what happens first. I don't want us to be that way. I want it to be a natural progression, not the first step." I kiss her neck, right below a delicate earlobe, accentuating my point. "We do have all the time in the world after all."

"I must already be totally whipped. Either that or I've known you too long, because all of that actually made sense to me." Peyton laughs gently, turning her head towards me so I can nuzzle my nose into her blonde locks.

"Are you sure? Because I don't want you to think it's because I don't want to." My hands start to stray from their position on her waist, trailing up along her sides, my fingertips just ghosting over heated flesh.

Peyton's breath hitches, but she doesn't stop me. "Oh I get it. Trust me. I'm just wondering where all this newfound self control of yours is coming from."

I honestly don't have any clue myself. Though it IS getting harder to not just yank her shirt right over head. Great, now I sound like the horny sex crazed teenager. The feel of Peyton's soft skin underneath my fingers is doing all kinds of terrible things to my willpower. Maybe she's right, waiting isn't really the best idea. "Whoa there handsy!" Peyton grabs my wandering hands as they find purchase on the hem of her t-shirt. "You said you wanted to wait, so that's we're gonna do."

"But Peyton………" Great, now I'm whining too. I guess I completely underestimated the power she has over me. Either that or I have multiple personalities. MatureResponsible!Brooke and WantsToJumpHerBestFriend'sBones! Brooke. Though the feel of Peyton's skin seems to be doing exactly the same thing to both of them. What was I thinking when I stopped her?

Peyton moves to lay us back down, turning her back to me and wrapping my arms around her stomach, locking our digits together. "Just hold me tonight. Besides, we can't exactly have sex after we just talked about it for twenty minutes." P Sawyer does have a point. She chuckles a bit before settling back into me, burrowing her head into the crook between my arm and shoulder. We lay there like that for a good long while, snuggled together, the sexual tension still easily felt between us. I can feel her fingertips playing with the small ring on my right index finger. "I'm surprised you still wear this."

I pull my hand away a bit, just to seek out the matching silver band on her own finger. "You still do too."

Peyton once again interlaces our fingers together, bringing our joined hands up to rest against her chest. "Does that surprise you?"

I smirk, unseen to her. "Well you seem shocked I still wear mine."

She snuggles in tighter against me. "Maybe just a little. I bought them five years ago Brooke."

"So?" I'm failing to see her point.

"You've gone through how many guys since then? I just figured one of them would eventually ask you about it and you'd take it off." She can't hide the hint of bitterness seeping into her tone at the thought of so many years wasted.

"Lets see. Jason, Brian, Eric, Alex, Andrew. And Lucas."

"I really didn't need you to run off everyone you've dated in the last five years Brooke." Peyton groans into the skin of my upper arm.

I chuckle a bit. "No, those are the ones who've asked about it." Those were some interesting conversations, especially the one with Lucas. I think at the time of it he had actually still been hung up on Peyton. Don't blame him, poor guy. Heh, oh well.

She's quiet for a moment, letting that settle in. "So what did you tell them?"

"I told them that the most important woman in my life gave it to me. And that it was going to stay on that finger until the day I died." The look on Peyton's face is priceless. "Of course I think Lucas is probably the only one who knew I wasn't talking about my mother." Oh no, I think he knew exactly who's ring it was. It makes me wonder, even now, if he had any idea what was building between Peyton and I. He had given me a very strange look, glanced over towards the picture that was sitting on my nightstand of Peyton, and then back to me, looking very much like he had just swallowed a goldfish or something equally yucky. Oh yeah, he knew.

Peyton rolls her eyes at the mention of Lucas' name. "So that's why he was so curious about it." She glances down to our laced hands, her finger absently rubbing the ring on her own finger.

"He noticed yours too?" I question, already knowing the answer. That would explain the reaction he had to mine. He didn't even have to ask really. So why did he in the first place?

"Yeah, almost right away actually. I'm pretty sure he actually DID think it was my mother's." She chuckles a bit, the vibrations from her chest reverberating through her back and into my own body. God, I could stay like this for the rest of my life. "He knows."

"What?"

Peyton's quiet for a moment, before she exhales uneasily. "He knows about us. Or at least about my feelings for you. He was kinda an ass about it, all cryptic."

Yep, that definitely sounds like Lucas. Then it occurs to me…. "I KNEW you'd been with him that night, I could just tell."

She snuggles deeper into my arms. "He does seem to leave a fingerprint, doesn't he?"

I tighten my grip, feeling the hesitancy easily in her tense muscles. "His fingers just better be staying far away from now on." I meant it to sound playful, but it ended up coming out more possessive than anything. I hope she doesn't freak out.

When Peyton's muscles relax a bit though, the worry starts to dissipate. "Works for me." The silence descends on us, not suffocating, but totally comfortable. I wait to feel Peyton's breathing even out before relaxing myself enough to drift off into Morpheus' arms with her, content like nothing I've ever felt before in my life.

----------------

The first thing my mind becomes aware of is the incredibly inviting sensation of a pair of deceptively strong arms wrapped securely around my waist. It feels like neither of us moved much during the night, considering this was pretty much the position we fell asleep in. Not that I'll be complaining any time soon. Last night was possibly the best sleep I've had since my mother passed away. I don't know what made it so different from all the other times Brooke and I have slept together.

Actually, that's not true. She's held me on a number of occasions, but never like this, not with the sense of possession radiating through her fingertips. Another thing I find I don't mind at all. In fact, just the opposite. For the first time in a very long while I feel like I truly belong somewhere.

It really shouldn't surprise me that it's with Brooke.

"I know you're awake." Her soft voice whispers into my ear, the heat from her breath sending a pleasant shudder through my relaxed body.

I roll over to face her, grateful that she doesn't relinquish her hold on me. "How'd you know?"

A soft smile graces her face, just a hint of her deep dimples peeking through. "I could hear you thinking. And knowing you P Sawyer, like I do, it more than likely had to do with us." Her smile falters a bit before she continues. "So, should I be worried?"

She looks so cute when she's nervous. Well, she looks cute all the time, but right now, she's positively adorable. Not giving her doubts a chance to fester, I reach up and plant a gentle kiss on her lips, trying to chase all the fears away in that small simple connection. Before either of us has a chance to get carried away, I pull back, amused to find Brooke's eyes still closed, a dreamy expression covering her gorgeous face.

"I'd say that's a no." I tease her.

She growls playfully before tightening her hold around my waist and leaning forward to recapture my mouth with hers. "It better be." I lose all track of time, it might have been minutes, maybe even an hour or more before we finally release our hold on one another. Both sets of our lips swollen and red.

I reach up to tuck a tangled strand of brunette hair behind Brooke's ear. "You weren't really worried were you?"

Brooke's serene smile turns bashful as she leans into my touch. "Maybe a little."

"Why, I would have thought the journal explained things pretty clearly." I'm baffled at Brooke's insecurity.

Her grip on me loosens as she rolls over onto her back to stare at the tiled ceiling. "Wanting me is one thing. But boys? After they've had me the allure wears off. Quick."

I shake my head, for someone so confident, Brooke's self esteem is apparently in the gutter. "I'm not just one of the guys you've dated. I'm your best friend." I reach up to gently tip her chin in my direction. "I know you inside and out. And I love the whole package. You need to believe that baby." And this?" I plant a quick but searing kiss on bruised lips. "It only makes me want you more."

"Mmmm, I think I might need some more convincing." Brooke's eyebrow darts up in playful challenge.

"I think I can be pretty persuasive when I want to be." My hands have roamed from her waist up along her ribcage, playing with the thin fabric of her tee-shirt.

"You know what would help your cause even more?" Brooke tries to suppress a moan, my tongue gently lapping at her pulse point is apparently a new favorite spot. Gonna have to file that one away for future reference.

"Hmm? What's that?" I mumble out, my lips too pre-occupied with the skin of her neck to form anything more coherent.

She doesn't respond right away, her fingernails digging harshly into the tender skin of my scalp. "Breakfast."

"What?" That was enough to stop me in my tracks, which were slowly leading southbound towards the exposed skin of her upper chest.

Brooke is already distangling herself from my wandering hands. "Pancakes? I think I saw an IHOP somewhere around here on the drive back from the airport."

I watch in stunned silence as she scurries around the bedroom, haphazardly grabbing a pair of jeans and yanking them on, before continuing the search for a matching top. "Brooke….." I trail off, not having any idea what just happened.

She stops in her tracks, quickly walking back over to the bed and kneeling down in front of me. "Baby, if we don't get out of this bedroom right now, that whole waiting thing is going to be null and void." She leans up to sear a kiss across my lips, sending a jolt of liquid fire burning straight through my veins. "I can't keep my hands off of you." Her eyes, burning with lust, gaze into my own. "I want to make love to you Peyton."

I sigh, leaning my forehead against hers, the need coursing through my own body like flood waters breaking through their levee. "Come back to bed Brooke."

"But Peyton….." Her resolve is weakening, I can hear it in the whispered protest that barely managed to leave her lips.

"Shhhh." I silence her with a fingertip to delicate pink skin, pulling her to her feet and back down onto the sheets with me. Once she's comfortably settled on top of me, her eyes shimmering in the early morning sun pouring through the window, I continue. "It's not going to ruin us. We're stronger than that. You have to believe that. Believe in us baby. You have to breakaway from all those bad memories. We're going to make a lifetime of new ones."

After a moment of debate, she relaxes into my arms, her mouth connecting with mine once again. Our tongues meet naturally, a gentle duel, not for dominance, but just for the connection that feels so inherently intimate. Brooke pulls back after a few moments, her hand coming up to trail through my unruly golden locks. "I love you Peyton."

I smile at that, leaning into her touch even more. "That's all that really matters, isn't it?" It may be a naïve notion, but after everything that Brooke and I have been through, the one thing that's gotten us to where we are right now is the fact that we love each other. It's morphed and evolved, but it's always been there, it's always been the anchor of our relationship. And nothing will ever change that, especially not this.

An ethereal smile spreads across her porcelain cheeks. "It really is just that simple, isn't it?"

And finally I think she gets it. I nod my head in affirmation, before reaching around and pulling her back down towards me, teasing the hair at the nape of her neck in the process. "So you were saying something about pancakes?"

Brooke stops her journey towards my pulse point for the briefest of seconds to smirk at me. "Shut up Peyton."

"Yes ma'am!" The feel of her tongue flattened against my throat as her delicate hands lift the hem of my tee-shirt up and over my breasts steals all other witty retorts from forming on my lips.

Yep, I'm SO her bitch.

AN: Thanks so much to all of you for taking this ride with me. It's been almost a year when I first started this fic, I never envisioned it to be as long as it ended up being. But all your encouragement kept me going and going. I hope you enjoyed the ending. And yes, I know, no sex. I'll consider doing a sequel, including a possible love scene, but right now I have a plot bunny that is just itching to get itself out, so it might be a while in coming. Mucho hugs to you all, thanks again!