Part 26

"So are you going to mention anything to her when we get in there?" Haley asked as she joined Peyton in the lift as they made their way to visit Brooke.

"Well, what do you want me to tell her?" Peyton replies as they wait for the lift to arrive at their destination.

"That Lucas and Nathan had the bright idea to stick pictures of the psycho-nut-job all over town and one of the reporters recognised him?" She continues. "Not sure if she'll be happy with that one."

Haley nodded, agreeing that maybe the truth wasn't such a good idea in this case. It would be hard to tell Brooke about how the reporters found out about Ian Banks without talking about the fliers. "How about just telling her that a reporter has been asking a lot of questions?"

"But she already knows that Hales, all the ward staff have had reporters asking them questions about Brooke." Peyton replied.

"You have to tell her something Peyton, there's a good chance that by the time she gets to go home she'll be front page news." Haley explained.

"Don't you think I know that?" Peyton said upset at having been reminded that Brooke might not be given the chance just to rest at home when she got there, that they would be hounded by the press looking for the story.

Walking up to the ICU entrance Peyton slapped at the buzzer in annoyance. She hated that when things finally seemed to be going okay something came along to mess it up all over again.

"Sorry Peyton, I didn't mean to upset you." Haley said as she watched her friend.

Peyton waved her apology away with a quick hand motion. "You didn't, she does have to know what's going on. It's just… she's been looking forward to getting out of here… and now… I just want her to have some peace to heal, and that won't happen if they follow her every move hoping for a story."

"It might not be as bad as you think." Haley says hopefully.

"Yeah right!" Peyton scoffs. "I can just read the headlines now; Victim number 7 survives serial killer attack. Or; Serial killer descends on the small town of Tree Hill to pick his next victim. Or how about-"

"I get the picture Peyton."

"Do you? All of them, the written media, the TV news guys, they're all going to sensationalise what happened. They won't care what it'll do to Brooke, just as long as it sells."

"And they might just be able to help catch him too Peyton."

"Maybe." Peyton agreed. It was they only possible good thing that could come out of all of this, that and the hope that with wider media coverage Peyton might never have to tell Brooke's parents herself, the press would do it for her. Of course with my luck they probably never watch the news or pick up a news paper.

"So, are you going to mention anything to her when we get in there?" Haley asks again with a grin trying to get Peyton to smile.

Peyton couldn't help but smile, and she was grateful at Hales' attempt to lighten the mood. The last thing she wanted was for Brooke to know something was wrong the moment she walked through the door.

"Let's just play it by ear and see what happens okay?" Peyton said as a nurse opened the door for them.

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"He shoots, he scores." Nathan said as her rounded his brother and made a basket.

Lucas watched the basketball bounce off and decided it was time to get back to work. It had nothing to do with the fact his little brother was beating him by twelve points to three.

"Ah, looks to me like someone needs more time on court." Nathan says as he grabs a water bottle and throws another over to Lucas.

"Not really, it isn't like I'll get to play ball in college." Lucas replied with a shrug. As much as he loved the game, he was painfully aware that there were more important things in life.

"Yeah, me either by the looks of things." Nathan agreed sadly as he picked the ball up and made a perfect shot from almost twenty five feet away.

"Hey, you never know what could happen Nate just give it time, besides I think you should be more concerned with the fact that you'll be a dad soon before worrying about college." Lucas said.

Nathan smiled. "What's there to worry about? Haley's the one that's going to be doing all the hard stuff, my parts a piece of cake."

Lucas laughed as they made their way back into Deb's house. "Don't let Hales hear you saying that."

They took a look around at what would soon be Nathan's and Haley's room to make sure they had everything in place. They had spent most of their time so far bringing the last of the couples belongs here before they began moving Peyton's things into the apartment.

"Nah, she knows I'll do everything I can, but it's not like we have a manual you know? But we'll have mom helping out and Haley's parents are hoping to come back in a few weeks, they're up in Canada right now but are driving back." Nathan explains as they walk back down and into the kitchen.

"Want one?" Nate asks holding up the water bottle he had pulled from the fridge.

"How about a beer after we're done at Peyton's." Lucas replied instead.

"Hell yeah, have you seen the amount of crap she has?" He says with a chuckle as they head out towards his jeep. "And if she thinks we're going to organise all those records she has for her when we get them back to the apartment she can think again."

Lucas sighed. "As long as we don't break anything I don't think she'll care."

Nathan looked at his brother as they got in and headed to the Sawyer residence. "How are things going between you two anyhow?" He asked.

Lucas shrugged half heartedly. "Maybe when Brooke's out it'll get better, and we'll get to spend some time together." He sighed and thought back to that morning and the drive from his mom's café to the apartment. It had been quiet and tense, but he still wasn't sure how to fix whatever was wrong between them. "She just needs some time off, you know? Where she doesn't have to worry about Brooke, or her dad, or Banks, and she can just relax for a while."

"Time off?" Nathan said thinking that he wasn't going to like where Lucas was going with this. "Like away from here?"

Lucas nodded. "Yeah, summer's coming up and she might like to head someplace else, somewhere not here."

Nathan tried to concentrate on his driving instead of responding to Lucas' idea. There may be just over a week left of school, but Nathan didn't think there was any chance of Peyton going anywhere that Brooke Davis wasn't, not for a while anyway.

Peyton's best friend had been only minutes away from dying and for the life of him Nathan just couldn't picture the blonde going off on a summer holiday break while Brooke was recovering back in Tree Hill.

Especially while no one knew where Ian Banks was.

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"So, how is my favourite hospital boun-" Peyton begins as she and Haley enter Brooke's room but trails off at what she sees in front of her.

"Where did?" She says before walking quickly over and pulling something out of the brunette's hand. "Who gave you this?" She added angrily.

"Nice picture." Brooke says not really looking at the blonde or Haley as the pregnant girl walks over to see what Peyton had in her hand.

"Oh, Brooke." Haley says, her shoulders sagging as she notices that it was a flier Peyton now held in shaking hands.

"That is your arm around him, right Peyton?" Brooke asks with no emotion.

Peyton swallowed as she studied the picture briefly, she hated the fact that he was smiling in it. She had taken him to a party hoping that she could get to know the person she thought was her brother better, the only real family she had left.

The picture had been cropped to take her out of it leaving only part of her arm across the back of his shoulders. She remembered they had been laughing and joking about something stupid and she'd asked Lucas to take a picture of them, they had put their arms around each other and it had felt great. At the time it had felt like she finally belonged somewhere, she was finally a part something and she knew that no matter what she'd never be along again.

"Yeah." She answers, her voice hollow as she sat down on the bed next to Brooke and crumpled the flier in her hand before tossing it away from her.

"I never wanted you to see that." Peyton says softly looking at her friend.

"So I should keep my eyes closed when I go into town then?" Brooke asked.

"What? Oh God, no Brooke they're all down, there's nothing left up in town." Peyton says as she realises Brooke had been told about what Nathan and Lucas had done.

"Well, I guess that's something." The brunette replied with a weak smile as they lapsed into an uncomfortable silence.

Haley, who had sat in the chair beside the bed, looked at her best friends and felt her heart ache for both of them. Peyton had tried so hard to shield Brooke from being hurt by her boyfriend's actions and she had come so close to Brooke never having to know.

"Who told you?" Haley asked drawing looks from both of the other girls. "I mean who gave you the flier?"

"Ah, you can thank Tree Hill's finest for that." Brooke answered.

"The cops?" Peyton asked.

Brooke laughed lightly. "Yeah, apparently I shouldn't make they're jobs harder by interfering with a police investigation while the real cops are trying to do their jobs."

"What?" Peyton said frowning.

"They actually said that?" Haley asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, they weren't too happy, they've been getting lots of calls since yesterday." Brooke explains.

"That doesn't give them the right to accuse you of anything, you never even knew about this to begin with." Peyton said irately.

Brooke shrugged a shoulder. "Well I did try to tell them that I really haven't been running around plastering that creeps face all over town, what with being stuck in here, but I'm not sure they cared."

"I'm really sorry Brooke, I never meant for any of this to happen." Peyton says laying her hand over Brookes.

Brooke looked down at their hands as she turned hers over and grasped the blonde's hand lightly. She didn't blame Peyton, she knew the blonde wasn't responsible, she would never do that to her, not without talking it over with her first.

"Lucas." She whispered to herself and nodded as she remembers Peyton giving him the cold shoulder when he had been here. "It was Lucas right?" She asked them.

"Uh, yeah." Haley replied. "Him and Nathan thought it would help."

"Yeah with friends like them, who needs enemies right?" Brooke said, upset that her so-called friends had thought they were helping.

"Hey Brooke, I don't think they meant to do anything to hurt you, I think Lucas just needed to do something and Nate just kinda went along with it." Peyton tried to explain, not that it would excuse what they had done.

"Did they have anything else to say? The cops I mean." Haley spoke up wanting to direct the conversation away from the whole flier incident.

"Bryce is gone." Brooke replied.

"The FBI guy, he's gone?" Peyton asked as Brooke continued playing with her hand.

"Yeah, they think they might have an idea where the psycho may have headed." She says still looking down at Peyton's hand in hers.

"They don't think he's still in Tree Hill then?" Peyton said squeezing the brunette's hand and ducking her head to make eye contact. "That's good news right?"

"I guess." Brooke reluctantly agreed.

Peyton watched her best friend for a moment having no idea how to make it better for her. The brunette looked hurt and lost and it made Peyton want to just hold her and not let go.

She glanced over at Haley sadly and tilted her head in the direction of the door.

Getting the hint Haley stood. "I'm going to go find the ladies room, I'll be back in a bit." She said rubbing Brooke's arm and getting a nod before she patted Peyton on the back and left the two girls alone.

Peyton quickly leaned forward and gathered the brunette into her arms and held her tightly. "I am so, so sorry Brooke." She whispered as she felt the other girl begin to shake and her own eyes watered in response.

It wasn't the best position so Peyton shifted until she was resting back against the head of the bed and pulled Brooke back into her arms and let her cry. There was nothing she could say so she held her and rocked her gently.

Brooke had practically crawled into Peyton's lap after she had gotten resettled, but she didn't care how it looked, all she knew was that she felt safer than she had from the moment she was handed the stupid flier.

It had frightened her, seeing his face like that. She remembered going to a party and watching him with Peyton, she had been so jealous she had walked up to him and kissed him. Why did Peyton get to be happy when she was miserable? God she could be such a vindictive bitch sometimes.

It amazed her that Peyton was able to forgive her for all the crap she had pulled on her and be willing to comfort her the way she was now. She wasn't sure she really deserved it, but she needed it, needed Peyton.

Sighing Brooke rubbed her face into the blonde's shoulder trying to wipe some of the tears away as Peyton ran her hand through her hair slowly.

"You okay?" Peyton asked in a low tone.

"Dumb question, right?" She said as Brooke failed to answer her.

"I can still smell him." Brooke whispered.

Peyton closed her eyes tightly as memories of her own attack at Ian Banks' hands surfaced in her mind. "Yeah." She agreed with a hoarse voice.

"I don't need a poster to remember what he looked like Pey, I see him every time I close my eyes at night." Brooke continued as she felt the arms around her pull her closer into the blonde girl.

"I was so scared I couldn't sleep for almost a week, and even then I had to keep the light on because when I woke from a nightmare I had trouble believing he wasn't there anymore." Peyton said, letting Brooke know that she really did understand. It wasn't the same but it was close. "I remember how it felt when he held me down, when he hit me. And I don't think I'll ever forget the look he had in his eyes the whole time, like he wasn't really there."

Brooke nodded, she could remember everything that happened too, but she hadn't meant to have Peyton reliving her own attack.

"But you sleep okay now though, right?" Brooke asked as a few more tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Mostly." Peyton replied before her hand tilted Brooke's face up to look at her. "But, I think, between the two of us we should be able to keep the nightmares away." She said seriously, wanting Brooke to know she wouldn't have to do this alone.

"Like last night?" Brooke asked with a tentative smile.

Peyton grinned back at her. "Yeah, just like last night."

"With naked Peyton?" Brooke asked with a hopeful expression.

"What about naked Peyton?" Asked a confused Haley as she watched her friends closely as she moved to sit down again.

Peyton closed her eyes and shook her head in exasperation as a blush erupted on her face. She held back her own laugh as Brooke sniggered in her arms, but sighed happily, knowing that for now at least Brooke was still able to find something to laugh about.

Even if it was at her expense.

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AN/ Hey, thanks for all the reviews you guys spend time writing, you're awesome, all of you!

Hope everyone's still enjoying reading this and howdy to the newbies!

The story is moving along but there really is still a long way to go people, but please let me know if you think it's starting to drive you too mad, Peyton knows people who can hook you up.

I want happy readers so if I have to drug the lot of you... well I'm okay with that :D

Sorry to those that I told I'd post this sooner, but I suck at the whole posting on time thing. (Which is something everyone here should already know, so really, you can't get too upset)

Next time people!