A/N: Sorry it's been soo long...but thanks for the reviews :) Keep um coming! lol

Brooke and Lucas came over later that night, with Nathan rightfully in his dorm and Haley sitting besides Peyton on the couch, her guitar in her lap.

"I have the most wonderful news, Peyton!" Brooke squealed as soon as her and Lucas had sat down.

Peyton eyebrows raised, but Brooke continued. "Our department at work is holding a party. It's formal, this Saturday, so I have plenty of time to take you two shopping, which is going to be fun."

"Brooke I-" Haley interrupted.

"-Yes, I know you need dates. I've got that convered too," she said with an excited smile.

"Brooke, what did you do?" Peyton asked slowly.

"Nothing- yet. But there's two really cute boys that work on the second floor, and I thought they'd be perfect for the two of you."

Peyton couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes in exasperation. She couldn't find a way to get out of the set-up either. "What about Nathan?" Peyton asked quickly, while Haley threw her a warning look. "We can't leave him out."

Brooke glanced at Haley, who had quickly smoothed her warning look into a look of feigned disinterest. "I'm -assuming- we'll have to find him a date too?" Brooke asked.

Haley shrugged her shoulders. "Why are you asking me?"

Peyton cleared her throat. "Maybe I could go with Nathan?"

Haley's eyes widened as Brooke's gaze flashed back to Peyton. Peyton suppressed a grin.

"That's an idea," Brooke started, her excitement rising again. "Then I only have to find Haley a date-"

"-I don't really have to go-"

"-Oh please. You're coming," Brooke replied sternly.

Peyton's eyes flew to Lucas as he tried to suppress a chuckle. He turned it into a cough before Brooke could notice. He gave Peyton a small smile that made her heart clench. She looked away from him quickly, angry with herself for even looking at him. How stupid was she? Well now wasn't the time to get into that.

"So it's settled," Brooke was saying. "Me and Lucas, obviously, Peyton and Nathan, and Haley and.. whoever."

Peyton couldn't help the laugh this time. Brooke, thinking she was funny, joined in with the laughter. She didn't know what was really funny at the moment, which was the Haley and Nathan situation.

"I'll call you two about shopping later," Brooke continued, as though someone had her set to hyperspeed. She rose from her chair, trying to drag Lucas up with her, but stopped when Lucas didn't budge.

"Where are you going?" he asked her.

"You mean 'we'," Brooke responded.

"Where are we going then," he asked again, putting a stress on the 'we'.

"Shopping," she replied brightly.

"But I thought you said that you were taking them shopping some other time..." Lucas began.

Peyton stiffled another laugh. All this time with Brooke and Lucas still didn't understand that every moment not making out or shopping was a wasted moment to her.

Brooke was looking at Lucas as though he had just sprouted another head. "Yes, but that's for the party. This is for fun," she replied.

Lucas didn't look too happy about that answer. "You want to spend one of the only days off that we have together shopping?"

"What's better than shopping?", she asked.

Peyton shared a glance with Haley, who was watching the two with fascination. This was getting ridiculous.

"You really don't want to go shopping with me?" Brooke said, her voice starting to sound hurt.

Lucas cringed slightly, but didn't answer. "I just kinda wanted to hang out with everyone today," he said slowly.

Brooke blinked a few times, and then she looked between Peyton and Lucas. "Okay," she said quietly. "You stay here and I'll go. That's fine." And with that, she turned on her heel and left the apartment.

Peyton glanced at Lucas, who was looking guilty. Haley was watching him expectantly, as though she thought he was going to get up and follow her. The seconds passed by, but he didn't go.

He cleared his throat. "So what are you two doing today..."

start flashback..weeks after the kiss

As Lucas flipped on the windshield wipers, he felt a sudden ache inside of him, one that was only connected to one thing: Peyton. Everything reminded him of her, and the rain was no different. The memory from when he took her to the show in Charleston was beckoned to the front of his mind.

He turned onto the street to his house. He and Peyton had avoided each other like the black plague since the morning where he had spilled his feelings to her and they had kissed. They hadn't talked or payed any attention to each other since. It was heartbreaking to Lucas. This happening was what he had been afraid of- losing her forever.

Lucas pulled into his driveway to see a figure sitting in the swing on the front porch. He squinted through the thick rain to see who it was. Quickly, he jumped out of his car and ran until he was under the roof of the porch.

XOXO

Peyton swung the swing gently back and forth, watching as the rain fell. She had always loved the rain, even since she was a little girl. It was amazing to her for some reason. She ran a hand nervously through her hair, which was almost dry. That's how long she had been sitting here for.

Hearing a noise, Peyton turned her head slightly and saw a car approaching. Her stomach gave a lurch when she recoginized Lucas' car. She watched him as he got out of his car and make a beeline for the cover of the porch from the rain.

Lucas couldn't believe his eyes. There was Peyton. Apparently he wasn't the only one reminded of them by the rain.

Peyton took a visible deep breath and attempted a smile. "Hey," she said.

Lucas didn't return the smile. As a matter of fact, he looked rather annoyed. "What are you doing here?" he asked her, his voice cold.

Peyton's face screwed up slightly at his attitude. "You know what, Lucas, just forget it..", Peyton said as she rose up from the swing, making to leave the safety of the porch.

Lucas watched her go for a second, but thought better of it. "Don't go."

She stopped where she was and turned to look at him. His wonderfully shaded blue eyes were intense with emotion. Peyton shook off a shudder with this realization.

Lucas motioned to the swing, where Peyton reluctantly followed him to and sat down. Both were silent for a few minutes, but neither uncomfortable. How did that work?

"What are you really doing here, Peyton?" he asked her again.

Peyton sniffed slightly, her nose running from the cooler August air that accompanied the rains. "I missed you," she replied honestly, with a shrug of her shoulders. "We haven't seen each other in weeks-"

"Five weeks and three days," Lucas finished, his voice sounding far away. Peyton found herself smiling involuntarily at the fact that he knew exactly how long it had been. Lucas looked embaressed.

"Exactly," Peyton said, using a play on the word. "I just... I wanted to see what you were doing."

Lucas shifted in his seat. "You can't just come here, like nothing ever happened.. and pick things back up like normal."

Peyton sobered slightly. She had expected this, though. "I'm not trying to."

"Then what is this?" Lucas asked, gesturing to the two of them on the swing together.

pause flashback

Lucas had gone home a short time ago, off to argue some more with Brooke, Peyton was sure. Haley and Lucas had spent the day taking Peyton around the city, like Haley had said she would earlier as a cover up for her and Nathan. It had been a day like back in Tree Hill, and Peyton could find herself feeling more and more at home here.

It was her and Haley now in the apartment together. Peyton had expected her to rush out the door to a recording session, or some show, or even to Nathan, but she remained on the couch, silently flipping through the channels over and over again.

As Peyton neared her, she noticed that Haley had a far off look in her eyes. She wasn't even looking at the screen.

"Haley?" Peyton asked tentatively. Haley blinked a few times and shook her head. It appeared she had come back to the present.

"Sorry," Haley muttered, her voice quivering slightly.

"What's wrong?"

Haley swallowed hard. "Do you remember what I told you.. that first time I called you in September... right after you left for the Bahamas?"

Peyton nodded. "Yeah, how could I forget?"

"And you haven't told anyone, right?" Haley asked, wringing her hands together.

Peyton shook her head fiercly. "Of course not... why?"

Haley blinked rapidly. "Two years ago today, was..."

Peyton nodded. "I know."

Peyton sunk into the seat next to her. "You okay?"

Haley nodded weakly. Not too convincing. "I've been thinking about it a lot lately... and now with Nathan... I regret what I did. I wish I hadn't have..." Haley couldn't hold the tears back anymore.

Peyton found herself consoling Haley, something she hadn't done in a long time. "It's alright.." Peyton said. But she knew to Haley, that it wasn't.

Haley rubbed at her face impatiently, like she had done a lot of crying lately and wanted it to stop. Suddenly she stopped and turned towards Peyton. "Do you think I should tell him?"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

The time flew to the Saturday morning, the day of the party. Haley, Peyton and Brooke had spent the week shopping and getting ready. Peyton was still trying not to laugh at the memory of the face that Nathan had expressed when she told him that she was taking him to the party. Haley and Peyton still teased him to the day about it, secretly of course.

Peyton wandered out into the living room area to make herself and Haley some coffee, when she spotted what was outside through the window.

"Snow!" she exclaimed.

Haley moaned from the other room, who had not quite gotten out of bed yet. "What are you yelling about?" she grumbled.

"It's snowing!"

"So?" she yelled back from the other room.

"I've never seen snow, Haley," she continued.

Peyton went to the door to throw it open and see the snow on the ground. When she had the door open, she stopped short.

A/N: Please review!