Author's Note: All right, I decided to post the rest of it so I don't really have to worry about it anymore. It might cost me some reviews, but I want you guys to be able to read the rest. Chapter 8 was pretty short, so here's Chapter 9, followed by the epilogue. Enjoy, and please let me know how you liked it all.

Our Recognition

Chapter 9

Night was falling on Tree Hill. Wind was blowing roughly through the trees, and rolling clouds were blocking out what little sunlight was left. Cars were still moving in the twilight, though the streets around Peyton's house were quiet.

And, like the streets around them, all was quiet within Peyton's house as well. They stood in the same place, Lucas's forehead touching hers, and all was silent around them.

But everything inside Peyton was screaming.

She felt like she could hardly breathe, let alone say anything. It was enough to take every word from her tongue, being this close to him. She was beginning to believe that he truly had realized he felt the same way about her. Maybe she wasn't just the rebound. But if she gave in, did she have the strength to do this again? To face the agony and pain again if they, or more specifically she, screwed it up? And how did she know if his heart was totally in it this time?

Unable to find the will to pull away, Peyton finally mustered in a shaky, weak voice, "Lucas, I don't know if I can…" She broke off.

"Don't know if you can what?" he asked gently, putting a hand on the back of her head and running it through her hair.

"I don't know if I can do this again," she told him in a stronger voice. "We didn't know what we were doing last time, and you just broke up with Brooke…"

Abruptly, Lucas pulled away. She'd hit a nerve, and he appeared wounded by her words. "Why do I have to convince every girl I date that my feelings are real?" Having another girl doubt his true feelings hurt him. Especially when that girl was Peyton.

"Well maybe if you'd made up your mind a year ago, instead of flopping back and forth, it'd be easier for me to believe you!" Peyton burst, pulling farther away.

"Oh, right, because you haven't been in a relationship with anyone else since we were together." His tone was dripping with sarcasm.

Folding her arms to close off any contact, she retorted, "Well at least I've never cheated on anyone I've been with."

"But you had no problem cheating your best friend? Twice?"

Trying to mask an expression she didn't want Lucas to see, she shook her head and walked toward the door. Despite every emotion coursing through her that was telling her to finally act on her feelings, she held the door open for him. "I think I've heard enough," she told him. "Please go."

Lucas set his jaw, irritated with himself for letting the argument go that far. "Don't do this, Peyton. I'm sorry, I was out of line. I didn't mean to…"

"Lucas," Peyton cut him off warningly, "…don't make me ask again, okay? Just don't."

With a heavy sigh, Lucas stepped toward the door. When he was in the doorway, he looked over at Peyton. "I want you," he said firmly. "That won't change. Not now, not ever. Just remember that."

Peyton appeared visibly shaken by the words when he walked out.

----------

We are just shadows
Crawling through this mud called our life
But I am hungry for your love
And I am starving for a better time
But that's all we got here, that's all we know
That's all we've become
Our recognition

Peyton wanted to turn the music off. It seemed every song she listened to was befitting of the situation she was in, and it was bothering her at the moment. She'd been second-guessing herself enough since the night before. The songs were simply rubbing it in.

We people walk in some kind of direction
In a line with our right foot first
Yes, we're waiting for some material heaven
That will quench our unquenchable thirst
But that's all we got here, that's all we know
That's all we've become
Our recognition

And I don't know what to do 'bout holding my head high
I am struggling to breathe through all these in between times
And I am wondering why
I am wondering why

Instead of reaching for the remote to silence the song, Peyton fell back on her bed and covered her face with a pillow. Seriously contemplating suffocating herself with the pillow for a moment, Peyton held it up above her face and let out a sigh.

"Still doing the same old boring thing, huh P.Sawyer?"

Recognizing the voice immediately, Peyton bolted upright. Brooke hadn't been to her house in nearly a month, and the last time they'd spoken, it hadn't been friendly. But she did remember the night at Tric, when Brooke had smiled and waved. Did she come in peace this time?

Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, Peyton opened her mouth to reply, but Brooke spoke again first. "Relax, I'm not here to yell or anything. I just…wanna talk."

Somewhat surprised, Peyton shrugged and moved back to the middle of her bed. Patting the spot in front of her, she said, "Okay, let's talk then."

Brooke followed the invitation and sat cross-legged on the bed; her most comfortable position. Looking around the room, she nodded approvingly. "I like what you've done with the place," she commented awkwardly, her eyes falling on the door that used to have her name and Peyton's on it, with a listing of the boys they'd claimed. Or rather, the ones Brooke claimed and assigned Peyton while she was asleep. Although she stood by the betrayal that had happened a month before, she now felt a little guilty about the door.

Now, however, it was covered in new art and a fresh coat of paint. One of them, she knew, illustrated what had happened to their friendship. And the other was from the night at Tric. It was exactly what she'd witnessed. Swallowing hard and looking back at Peyton, she managed a smile. This might be harder than she originally thought.

"Thanks," Peyton said, feeling uncomfortable herself. This was officially weird. Clearing her throat, she asked as casually as possible, "So, what's up?"

Brooke shrugged stiffly, unsure if she should actually talk about anything that had been going on. "Oh, you know, the usual," she responded. "Just hanging out with Haley, mostly. Um…what about you?"

"Not a lot," Peyton answered too quickly. "Just school stuff, really."

Brooke nodded while a terrible, deafening silence fell between them. A silence that seemed to drag on for years. Both girls took to looking at other places in the room, until finally Brooke's eyes met Peyton's again. And then suddenly, Brooke cracked up laughing.

Smiling a little but mostly confused, Peyton said, "What? What's so funny?"

"Us," Brooke told her, continuing to giggle. "This whole thing. Don't you love the awkward silence?"

Peyton's brow furrowed, suddenly suspicious. "Are you drunk?" she asked seriously.

Brooke responded with another fit of giggles. "God, I wish I was!" she admitted. "It'd make this a lot easier, wouldn't it?"

Now Peyton was laughing along with her, feeling like she hadn't laughed with Brooke like this in ages. It was nice, even if there were still obvious issues they had to face.

When their laughter subsided, Brooke turned more serious, taking an interest in the bed sheets. "I miss you, Peyton."

The words caught Peyton off-guard. Without really thinking about it, however, she replied, "I miss you, too."

Brooke's gaze was still averted. "I don't know how we can fix what happened between us."

"I don't know if we really can fix it," Peyton shrugged. "But that's really up to you to decide."

Brooke was quiet for a few moments, deep in thought. "You know, I haven't filled out a single college application yet," she told Peyton, finally looking up again. "Not a single one."

Peyton was inclined to wonder why that mattered at the moment, but maybe Brooke was just trying to make conversation. "They don't call you the Queen of Procrastination for nothing," she joked tentatively.

A quirk of a smile graced Brooke's features, but she went on, "I'm not ready to face it yet, you know? I mean, the reason I held so tightly to Lucas is because I am terrified of being alone. It's the same thing." She was looking Peyton square in the eye now. "I wish I loved him the same way you do."

Peyton could see where this was going. "Oh, Brooke, this isn't about Lu…"

"Yeah, it is," Brooke insisted. "It has been since last year. I've watched you two for so long," she explained, attempting to keep her emotions at bay. "But I never really saw it until that night at Tric. How easy you were with each other. I saw it that night for the first time. Not as someone who liked Lucas and was jealous, but…just as someone watching two people who were in love. And all that time, I wanted it. I wanted that for me and Lucas. But you always had it instead. And before that night at Tric, I hated you for it. I won't lie about that anymore."

The words stung, but Peyton continued to listen quietly. "It wasn't fair," Brooke went on. "Any of it. What you two did to me, what I did to you and Lucas, and what you did again. It wasn't fair to either one of us. But that night at the club, when I saw you two…" She trailed off for a moment, trying to keep herself together. "It's just…it'd be a shame to let that go to waste."

"So…what are you saying…?" Peyton prompted, uncertain of what Brooke meant.

"I'm saying, I know his heart is with you and yours is with him. Don't let it slip away because of what happened between us."

Peyton was silent, taking the words in. So Brooke really was, inadvertently, giving her permission. She wasn't entirely sure how she felt about that. Did she want permission? Was that holding her back last night?

"Well…thanks, I guess," Peyton said. "But where does that leave us?"

Brooke shrugged. "How about we see how it goes?"

Peyton nodded, a smile present again. "That sounds good."

---------

PEYTON: Hey.

The message that popped up on Lucas's computer that evening was completely unexpected. He'd been thinking about what had happened the night before, and honestly wasn't sure if she'd ever speak to him again. But here she was already, sending him an instant message. Eagerly, he sat down and typed back.

LUCAS: Hey, what are you up to?

PEYTON: I was just hanging out with Brooke.

Lucas blinked a few times and read the words again, positive his eyes were deceiving him.

LUCAS: You were?

PEYTON: Yeah. Crazy, huh?

LUCAS: Beyond crazy.

PEYTON: Can we go somewhere and talk?

The question was rather out of place and abrupt within the small talk, but Lucas answered immediately.

LUCAS: Of course. Where?

It took her a moment to type back.

PEYTON: How about the beach?

LUCAS: Fine by me. See you there.

---------

Yeah, I was born into this place
That filters who we are by what we have done
Yes, I know I am the product of this institution
But that's all I got here, that's all I know
That's all I've become
My recognition

Peyton stood at the top of the sand bank, waiting anxiously for Lucas. This was it. It was now or never. Honestly, she wasn't sure why it was making her so nervous. She'd already told him she loved him twice. Why was this so much harder?

Because there's so much more at stake now, she thought silently. This is our last shot. If it doesn't happen now…it never will.

Closing her eyes and clenching her fists, she opened them and found Lucas approaching. He had a tense smile, unsure what to expect. He was hoping Peyton would tell him what he longed to hear, but she could also tell him they couldn't be friends anymore because of everything that had happened. He dreaded that thought coming true.

"Hey," he said as he reached her. She responded in quiet greeting, and he offered, "Want to walk the shoreline?"

"Sure," Peyton agreed, keeping a safe distance as they walked down. She didn't want to walk too close.

After a few silent moments next to the ebb and flow of the waves, Lucas said, "So, what'd you want to talk about?"

Peyton kicked at a rock with the toe of her shoe. This was going to be difficult to get out. "I'm sorry about last night," she started. "I kind of flipped out about everything and said…some things I didn't mean."

Lucas shook his head. "You can't be half as sorry as I am," he told her. "That was not how I pictured things happening."

"I hope not," Peyton laughed softly. She fell quiet again, choosing her words carefully.

Lucas waited with bated breath, hoping Peyton would say more than an apology. Though it was appreciated, it wasn't first on his mind. When Peyton did speak again, her eyes were on her feet as they walked.

"So, I'm not very good at this," she admitted, settling for the absolute truth. "I mean, if I was, I would've told you so many things a long time ago. I'm not exactly a monumental speaker or anything, so I'm not sure what to say."

Lucas kept his eyes on her. "Just tell me what's on your mind," he told her gently. "I'm listening."

"What made you decide to come to me?" The question suddenly blurted out of nowhere, but she waited for an answer nonetheless.

Lucas mulled it over for a moment, thinking deeply about his reply. Finally, he said, "Remember when we were at the pier that day, and I had ketchup on my face? And you looked over and started laughing hysterically?"

Peyton smiled at the fond, not-so-distant memory. "Yeah, I asked you if you needed a bib."

"Right," Lucas nodded, "then you showed me my reflection, and we both started laughing like idiots."

"Yeah. So what?"

"That was when I knew."

"Knew what?"

Lucas stopped walking and turned to face Peyton. "I knew I could spend the rest of my life on that pier with you, just doing what we do, and I'd be content. I was completely happy in that moment, Peyton. It felt good."

She looked away again, shutting her eyes against the words. If she didn't…she knew she'd give in. He took her hands in his and continued, "I don't want to let this go. Come on," he pushed, "what have we got left to lose?"

Peyton's eyes met his; they were soft and intense. "Ourselves," she answered shakily.

To that, he shook his head. "It's a little late for that, isn't it?"

She was motionless for a few moments, debating if he was right or not. How long had it been since she hadn't been lost in some part of Lucas? Their paths were intertwined. And really, that was the only way she ever wanted it.

And I don't know what to do 'bout holding my head high
I am struggling to breathe through all these in between times
And I am wondering why
I am wondering why

Without another word, Peyton threw her arms around his neck, and her lips met his in a kiss that took his breath away.