A/N: I honestly had no idea where I was going with this chapter so I apologize in advance if it doesn't sound or look right. But I wanted to get a chapter up considering I missed yesterday's post for this story.

April

Part 3 Ch. 7: Family Fight Night

A few days after the Tric incident and Brianna were still sleeping in the guest room. Her bruises were starting to fade, but that didn't matter to her wife. Skye was still upset about Brianna acting like a child.

"Baby, are you going to talk to me?"

"I do talk to you," Skye replies as she flips to the next page of her Calculus book.

Brianna sighs and scoots closer to her wife.

"I don't understand how you can be so upset. I was defending you."

"I don't need you to defend me."

"It's my job to defend you," Brianna tries to explain.

Skye sets her things down on the table and turns to her wife.

"You are my wife. You just need to be my wife. Love me and that's all you have to do. I don't need you to defend me," Skye shakes her head. "Don't sit there and tell me what you did a few days ago was to defend me. It was never about me and you know it. I may have been a contributing factor, but it wasn't all about me."

"I admit I have issues and maybe on some level it wasn't about you, but what that ass said was wrong. He was mean and he could have kept things to himself. Maybe he didn't deserve me going crazy on him, but he did the same with me," Brianna points and her face and pouts. "Look what he did to my face."

Skye lifts her fingers and gently traces the fading bruises.

"At least they're going away," Skye mentions before placing a kiss on her wife's forehead. "I love you Brianna, but next time just ignore it please. All of that fighting could have caused more damage. Just think baby, that's all I ask."

"I'm sorry," Brianna apologizes as she leans her forehead down to Skye's before leaning down and kissing her. "I love you."

Skye grins before turning back to her work.

"I love you, too."

Brianna watches her wife work on her homework for a few minutes before speaking again.

"Can I sleep in our bed now?"

-I Need You Now-

Peyton walked into the kitchen with Evan in her arms. Brooke had been on the phone for over an hour already and she didn't want to interrupt her.

"Yes…I know. I guess we would have to discuss that, but this is a decision that I have to talk to my family about…Yes, sir…it's understandable. Thank you again for this offer. I will speak to you soon. Goodbye."

Brooke hung up the phone and sighed. Peyton placed Evan on the ground because he was getting squirmy in her arms.

"What's wrong?" Peyton asks concerned for her wife.

Brooke smiles and shakes her head.

"Nothing really. I just got an offer to expand my fashion line. What investors I do have want me to expand the company. They would like my headquarters in New York and they say I can still live here in Tree Hill and run the store. I would just have to go to New York a few days out of the month."

Peyton sits down in her chair.

"Do you know what you are going to do?"

Brooke shakes her head. She looks down at her son who was playing with his toy cars and making different car noises.

"No I don't. On one hand the money would be amazing, but then the downside is I would be working a whole lot more and I would have a strict schedule to go by. I would literally have to come up with new clothing designs every six months or so."

Peyton takes a hold of her wife's hands and kisses her palm. A loving interaction that Brooke never got tired of.

"Is it something you think you can do?"

Brooke slowly nods her head.

"It is. We don't really need the money, but we could save a huge chunk of it and set it up for college funds for Evan and Brianna or something like that. I guess I just have to think about it more."

Peyton pats Brooke's hand and smiles.

"While you think of that then I guess I can prepare you for what is happening tonight?"

Brooke quirks an eyebrow.

"What's happening tonight?"

"Skye and Brianna are coming for dinner and I don't want you arguing with our daughter all night either."

"I'll be good I promise."

-I Need You Now-

"Why on earth did I agree to do this again?" Brianna asks as she looks at her appearance in the mirror. Skye comes up behind her and wraps her arms around her enjoying the warmth coming from their bodies being connected.

"You are trying to repair your relationship with your mom. This is a next step to doing that. I have a good feeling about this night."

"Well I'm glad that you feel this way because I feel the exact opposite right now," Brianna says as she fixes her hair and turns around in her wife's arms. Skye's arms rest on Brianna's shoulder. Brianna places her hands on her wife's hips.

"Just remember that no matter how tonight turns out I love you with all my heart."

Brianna rests her head against Skye's.

"Why are you so good to me?" Brianna whispers

"Because I love you and I know that no matter what happens in our lives that you'll always love me too."

Brianna leans down and captures her wife's lips into a kiss.

-I Need You Now-

The day had been great for Brooke until a half hour before Brianna and Skye were due to arrive. Brooke had gotten a surprise visit and she didn't like her visitor at all. Victoria Davis had showed up announced and unwelcome.

"Tell me again why you are here."

"Word in New York is that my daughter is looking to expand her business. I figured I could help you out."

Brooke shakes her head.

"I don't need your help. I've never needed your help. Mother I have two kids you barely know."

Victoria scoffs and rolls her eyes.

"Yes I know. I am glad that that boy of yours is actually yours and not your blonde little girlfriend."

"Wife," Brooke interrupts uninterested on where this is going.

"But your so called daughter is another story. You're not even related to her. She doesn't deserve the Davis name."

"Neither do you and if you plan on staying through dinner then you best not say a word to Brianna when she and Skye come over. Do you understand me?"

"What do you mean come here? Isn't she living with you?"

Peyton walks into the room with Evan walking right beside her.

"Brianna is living with her wife."

Victoria clicks her tongue and sighs.

"I'll hold my tongue," Victoria says before walking into the kitchen.

Peyton turns to Brooke with a frown.

"This is going to be a bad night. I can just feel it."

-I Need You Now-

Everyone was sitting around the table and no one was talking. Victoria kept shooting glances at Brianna and Brianna had caught all of them, but she chose to ignore it. That was until Victoria looked at her again and sighed quietly.

Brianna slams her fork down on her plate and looks at Victoria.

"Do you have a problem with me?"

"Brianna," Skye warns as she places her hand on Brianna's jean clad thigh.

Brooke bites her tongue and shakes her head. She knew her mother couldn't hold her tongue worth anything.

"You don't belong in this family."

"Mother!" Brooke yells in outrage.

Peyton is flabbergasted and Skye is holding her breath. Brianna looks like she is barely keeping it together. Her worst fear for a long time was whether or not she belonged with the families she stayed with. Victoria was playing right into her fears and she had a feeling that Victoria knew that.

"Look at yourself. You're eighteen and already married. Your wife is better suited for this family then you are. My daughter never should have adopted you. She should've focused on her work instead she was searching for needy children like yourself."

Brianna honestly had no idea what to say. How could she defend herself to the harsh words that Victoria was saying to her? She couldn't. She could barely speak let alone see as tears formed in her eyes and a few leaked out onto her skin.

When Brooke had seen that she knew things had been taken to far even for Victoria.

"Get out of my house," Brooke says in a stern voice, her gaze directed at Victoria.

"Excuse me?"

"You do not get to walk into my home and then insult me life and my daughter for your sick pleasure. You are horrible and I want you to know that no matter what offer I get for New York you won't come anywhere near it. I won't let you. You weren't in my life when I was a teenager and you aren't going to be in my life now. So get out of my house!"

Victoria placed her napkin on her plate.

"And another thing Victoria, you're wrong. Brianna is a part of this family. She is our daughter and no matter what you say or do nothing is going to change that. I love her with all my heart and she's not some charity case. She's my daughter, but you are not my mother. Now get out of my house."

Victoria leaves without another word. All eyes turn to Brianna.

"Brianna?" Skye questions.

"Excuse me?" Brianna says as she quickly gets up from her chair and walks out the door to step outside on the deck.

Both Peyton and Skye were going to get up to follow her, but Brooke beat them to the punch.

"Let me."

-I Need You Now-

"You should listen to a word she says. She's a bitch to be quite honest."

Brianna sniffles and nods her head.

"Not many people could make me feel like that before."

"Like what?" Brooke asks as she steps closer to her daughter.

"So small," Brianna barely gets out through her tears. "I don't know why I let it get to me, but I did and it sucks because I hate crying and now I'm crying."

Brooke wraps her daughter into her arms.

"Let it out baby. Let it all out."