Title: When Will It Stop?
Arthur: Polia
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from either show.
Pairing: Peyton/Trey
Rating: Mature
Summary: Peyton is confronted by the knowledge of her birth mother returning to Tree Hill. Torn between the memory of the woman she thought to be her mother and this new woman who is her mother, Peyton struggles with own identity. What happens when a stranger enters her life?.
Author's Note: This fic isn't finished and it hasn't had a beta so apologies if it sometimes seems a bit here and there... when I fix it up properly, I will repost it. Also, this fic is set around the begging of S3 of OTH, Ellie is in Tree Hill and Trey has just left the OC. One last thing, I know I am writing about US shows, but being from Australia I have written, "Mum" instead of "Mom". You'll see little differences like that. Hope you don't mind.
Chapter One. – Morning Rituals
Peyton spends the morning sitting at her mother's grave drawing. This has become a ritual over the last few years, but recently the visits have become more frequent. It's as if she is looking for answers and, hopping the longer she stays the more chances she has of finding these answers.
Peyton puts down her pen for a moment to look at what she has drawn so far. In a dark illustrative way, Peyton has drawn side profiles, from the shoulders up, of the two woman who claim to be her mother, standing back to back. She stares intently at her drawing, a tear escapes her eye. Peyton once again picks up her pen and continues to draw, this time sketching the word MUM?.
Since starting back at college, Karen had arranged with Debb and Haley to each take in turns of each opening up the café. On the days where Karen didn't have early classes, she would open her café and today was one of those days.
Stepping out of her car, Karen glanced at her watch and saw that it was 8:30 am. This gave her just enough time to set everything up, sit down and have a coffee before opening up the café.
Turning the corner, Karen noticed a young man with a duffel bag sitting on the ground, leaning against the doors to her café. He seemed to be sleeping. At first Karen didn't know what to do, this sort of thing had never happened before. She walked closer. He looked tired, Karen wondered where he was from. He definitely wasn't from Tree Hill, she had never seen him before and Tree Hill wasn't a big town.
Finally she decided to wake him. Bending down so that she was face level with him, she reached out her left arm and placed her hand on his arm and gently whispered, "Excuse me."
The dreams were coming in rapid flashes. They were always the same. Whenever Trey would close his eyes he would see himself forcing himself onto Marissa, then Marissa striking him in the face with a log, then Ryan attacking him in his apartment, then seeing himself lifting up the telephone to smash into his brother's face, then feeling the gunshot rip through his chest, then seeing the blood drip from his T-shirt.
This time was no different, except that Trey didn't get to the part where he gets shot this time. Instead he felt a soft hand on his arm and a soft voice whisper something to him.
Trey's eyes shot open and quickly looked around to see where he was and who had awoken him. He had accidentally fallen asleep in front a café called Karen's Café. After a few seconds he remembered where he was.
Trey had come off the bus from Orange County, arriving in Tree Hill very early in the morning. He thought he better wait for this café to open, get a coffee, maybe even some breakfast then look for a place to stay. He wasn't sure if he was going to stay long, but it looked like a good place to start.
Looking straight ahead, Trey could see the concerned look in the friendly woman's eyes. He wasn't use to people treating him nicely, except for the Cohens and Marissa.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I accidentally fell asleep. I was waiting for the owner of this place to open up. I got into town kinda early."
When Karen saw the boy open his eyes, she smiled. Maybe it was because of her son Lucas, but she saw all young men his age as boys.
"Well, you're in luck. Hi my name's Karen." Karen extended her hand.
Trey looked confused, why was she nice to him? He had done nothing to deserve it. He took her hand.
"Thanks. I'm Trey."
Trey got up and turned around to pick up his bag. The name of the sign caught his eye, and then it registered with him.
"Wait… Are you Karen?" Trey said pointing to the sign. Karen laughed.
"Yeah that's me. Come on, come in, I'll make you some breakfast and a coffee."
Trey followed her inside.
The second part of Peyton's ritual had become breakfast at Karen's Café. Walking into the café, Peyton noticed Karen talking to a guy she had never seen before, she was intrigued. Walking up to the counter Peyton placed her bag on the stool and sat down.
"Hey Karen"
Karen had just poured Trey a cup of coffee when Peyton walked in and sat at the counter a few seats up from Trey.
"Oh hi Peyton, what can I get you this morning?"
"Just a coffee, black. Thanks"
Karen poured Peyton a coffee.
Trey heard the convocation going on between Karen and some girl who just walked in and sat next to him. He looked up from his coffee and saw a girl with short blond hair and beautiful brown eyes.
"Hey."
"Oh sorry, Trey this is Peyton, Peyton this is Trey. Trey just moved here from Orange County. Peyton is a friend of my son's, they go to school together."
Peyton smiled, "Hey, nice to meet you."
Trey just nodded and smiled back.
"Well I'll just be in the kitchen, Trey your food should be up soon."
"Oh thank you Ms. Rowe."
"Karen, please."
Peyton sipped on her coffee.
"So, what's someone from the OC doing in Tree Hill?"
"I'm not from the OC, I was just there for a while visiting my brother. I'm from Chino."
It seemed like that was a bit of a sore subject for Trey because when he mentioned the OC and his brother, he had this look on his face. This was just something else that intrigued Peyton.
"So, where you staying?"
"Um, I haven't figured that out yet. Know of anywhere good, and by that I mean cheep?"
He's funny; I like that, Peyton thought to herself "Well how long do you plan on staying?"
"I'm not sure yet, I'll just see how it goes. You never know, if I find a cool job a reasonable place to live… I might like it here. So, you're in high school."
"Um yeah, my final year. So you just moved here without any plan of where you might stay and without knowing anyone?"
"Yeah, but it's cool. I'm a big boy, I know how to look after myself."
Peyton laughed, "Ok 'big boy', but if you would like some help, meet me here at about 3. I'm off to class."
Peyton leaned over the counter and shouted, "Bye Karen."
Karen walked out with Trey's food, just as Peyton was leaving.
"Oh bye sweaty."
Karen placed the plate in front of Trey. "Here you go, I hope you like it."
The food smelt good, Trey was starving. The bacon and eggs looked good also. "I'm sure I will" Trey says with a hungry smile.
"So, I saw that you and Peyton where getting along. She's a real sweetheart."
Trey took a bight of the bacon and with a mouth full said, "Yeah, she's nice." He saw the disapproving look on Karen's face. Trey put his fork down and swallowed his food. "Sorry… she's real nice."
Karen was pleased with herself. He had that same look on his face as Lucas did every time he new he did something wrong.
"So what's the plan for the rest of the day?"
"I think I'm going to look around the town and then meet Peyton back here at 3. She said she would help me find a place."
"Ok then, well you know where to come for lunch."
"Thanks. So how much do I owe you?"
"Oh no don't worry about it, think of it as the welcome to Tree Hill special."
Trey couldn't believe that he had met such a nice person. He thought his brother was the only one with that kind of luck. Not that he expected Karen to put him up in her equivalent of a pool house, he was just happy for her kindness.
