Part 31

Lucas bounced the ball a few times at his feet before taking a shot at the basket from just outside the key.

"And it's three for three for Lucas Scott today ladies and gentlemen, and he's not even breaking into a sweat." Mouth says from the bleachers at the side of the court.

"Mouth, why don't you put the pen down and pick up the ball for a change!" Skills says shaking his head as he throws the ball back out to Lucas, who takes another few steps away from the basket as he lays up another three pointer.

"So," Skills begins as he retrieves the ball again. "How is she?" He asks holding the ball in his hands this time as he walks over to Lucas.

"Brooke?" Lucas clarifies just to be sure that was who he was asking about.

Skills nods as he hands the ball over to the blonde, it was just the three of them hanging out in the school gym, so he thought it would be okay to ask. There were so many rumours going around school, not that he had been paying much attention to them, but he wanted to hear the truth from someone that had actually seen Brooke over the last few days.

"She gets out today right?" Mouth asks getting up and joining them.

"Yeah," Lucas says glancing down at his watch. "She should be back at the apartment by now."

"Can we go see her?" Mouth asked. He hadn't seen the brunette since she'd left him at prom and finding out a few hours later that she was in the hospital had been devastating. He knew Brooke Davis was a fighter and hadn't been surprised when she'd pulled through, but she was also a good friend and he wanted her to know that he'd be there if she needed him.

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea." Lucas replied. He knew Peyton hadn't been in the best of moods lately, one of the reasons he hadn't said much when she had insisted that Nathan was going to be the one driving her to pick Brooke up. It had made sense to him as Nathan was still living at the apartment until Brooke got out, but he also knew he wouldn't have been welcome if he had offered to take her instead.

"Not right now anyway. But I'm sure she'd like to see her friends, just let me run it by her first okay?" He said not wanting to get into further trouble with his girlfriend if he turned up at the apartment with Mouth and Skills unannounced.

Sighing he lifted the ball in his hands and tried another shot, this time the ball hit off the rim before dropping to the floor and bouncing off. Maybe his luck was running out, or perhaps his head just wasn't in the game anymore.

"Why don't we go grab some lunch at my mom's?" He asked the other guys who both quickly agreed to the idea of food.

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"Do you need anything else? Some tea, coffee, something to read? Do you want to go back into the other room and watch a movie or something?" Peyton asked as she adjusted the cover around Brooke.

The drive back to the apartment had been uneventful and luckily there didn't seem to be any press around. But the short journey had taken a lot out of the brunette and once they had arrived she'd wanted to go lay down for a while.

Brooke had watched her friend dart around the room picking bits and pieces up off the floor before she started in with all the questions, it had been amusing for a while but she wanted Peyton to calm down, or at least stay away from any more caffeine.

"What I want," She began holding on to one of the blonde girl's hands as Peyton watched her and waited eagerly to do as she was bid. "Is for you to stop asking me what I want." Brooke said releasing a grin as she watched Peyton deflate a little.

"Aww, now don't go getting all upset, I don't need anything else Peyton. And if I do really want something I'll let you know if I can't get it myself." She continued.

Peyton pouted, she knew she was acting weird but she just wanted Brooke to have what she needed. With Nathan taking Haley over to his mum's house it was just the two of them left in the apartment and she wanted everything to be perfect for her friend.

"There is one thing I want," Brooke said, smiling as she watched Peyton focus completely on her again. "Some sleep. I didn't get much of any last night, and I feel exhausted."

Peyton nodded, she hadn't slept at all last night either but she seemed to have past the sleepy stage and was now wide awake again.

"Do you want me to leave you alone?" She asked even though the last thing she wanted was to be away from the other girl right now.

"Actually, would you mind staying?" Brooke asked hopefully, one of the main reasons she hadn't been able to sleep were nightmares, and as tired as she was she was still very much afraid of what would happen if she slept. The night Peyton had stayed at the hospital with her had been the only occasion where she had slept peacefully for any length of time. She knew if Peyton was with her she would be safe.

And she wanted to feel that way again.

"Sure." Peyton replied instantly and quickly climbed over the brunette and began to undress, kicking off her shoes and pulling off her jeans, before getting under the covers. "One pillow reporting for duty!" She said with a salute turning to the highly amused Brooke.

"What are you doing?" Brooke asks with a laugh, more than a little shocked by her friend's actions. She had been hoping the blonde would agree to stay in the room with her while she tried to get some sleep, having her get into bed beside her was just a bit more than she had expected.

"My job." Peyton responded seriously.

"I told you that I'd help you, I meant it Brooke. However you need me, whenever you need me, I'm here. You aren't doing this alone, and I know I can't change what happened, I wish I could, I really do." She continued as Brooke looked back at her with the beginnings of tears in her eyes.

Brooke bit her bottom lip in an attempt to hold back her tears but as one slipped from her eye Peyton was there brushing it away.

"But I can do this Brooke, I can hold you when you cry, and I can hold you while you sleep. I know it isn't much but it-"

"No!" Brooke cut her off as a few more tears fell. She closed her eyes as her friend proceeded to wipe those away too. "It's everything." She whispered quietly with an emotional tone that came straight from her heart.

She still wasn't sure exactly where her friendship with Peyton stood after everything that had happened, and they still needed to talk everything out properly once and for all, but she wanted, needed, this too.

She was just terrified that things would change now that she was no longer in the hospital, now that she could do things for herself again. Would Peyton really want to still hang around and act the same way towards her as she had in the hospital?

Blinking her eyes open she was greeted by the most beautiful sight she had ever been witness to as she detected the concern and love radiating from the green eyes before her.

Lucas hasn't a clue just how lucky he is!

But she knew how lucky she was that Peyton seemed willing to give their friendship another chance, and this time she wasn't going to blow it. Peyton meant too much to her and if she had to grit her teeth or bite her tongue every time Lucas was around then she'd do it.

"So why don't you try and get some sleep and I'll keep watch?" Peyton offered as she lent back on the bed and opened her arms in invitation.

Brooke eyed her friend for a moment before giving in to her bodies craving to be in those arms once again. Snuggling down until she was comfortable she let out a heavy sigh and finally allowed her body to relax as Peyton ran her fingers softly through her hair.

"Aren't you going to sleep too?" She asked as her eyes closed on their own.

"No, but you can sleep as long as you want to." Peyton replied softly. "When do you have to take your meds?" She remembers to ask before the older girl drifted off completely.

"Four." Comes the mumbled response.

Peyton sighed and leaned down and kissed the head cradled in the crook of her neck. "Okay, night." She said quietly but Brooke had already fallen sound asleep.

Running her hand through the chestnut coloured hair and gently down her friend's back, Peyton glanced at the alarm clock beside the bed, it was a while till four so she hoped Brooke would be able to get a decent enough sleep.

Tightening her arms more securely around the vulnerable girl Peyton let out a deep sigh and sent a prayer to anyone listening that her friend would be allowed to find some much needed peace at last.

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"I think skater-boy wants a word with you." Skills says pointing his knife towards Lucas as they sat with Mouth at a table in his mother's café.

Both Mouth and Lucas turn around to see who Skills was referring to.

"Chase? What would he want with you Luke?" Mouth asks with the beginnings of a frown on his face. As far as he was aware Lucas and Chase didn't really know each other, hell he had dated a clean teen himself and still didn't know much about the other boy.

What he did know was that after finding out about the tape with Nathan he had broken up with Brooke the day of the prom. And as much as he loved the fact that he had gone to his senior prom with the hottest girl in school, and the girl he had a huge crush on as a result, he found himself just a little angry with the guy.

How could he have done that to Brooke? How could anyone do that to Brooke?

"I don't know, but I guess I'm about to find out." Lucas said licking some sauce from his thumb before standing from the table and going over to join the other boy at the counter, while both of his friends looked on with interest.

"Hey." He says in greeting as he tilts his head to one side. "Something I can help you with?"

"Yeah, actually is there any chance we could, like, talk?" Chase asks nervously.

Frowning Lucas studies him for a moment before indicating the back area of the café with his hand. "Sure, we can talk."

Once they were out of the view of any of the shops customers Lucas turns to Chase with a raised eyebrow and folds his arms across his chest.

"So…"

"Right… it's about Brooke…" Chase begins somewhat hesitantly, wiping his hand down the side of his jeans to try and remove the sweat that had built up.

"I figured." Lucas replied, still not really understanding why Chase was coming to him.

"I already spoke to your brother and Haley…" He said trying to stay calm.

"About?"

"Brooke. About getting the chance to talk to her, I really want to explain what happened, maybe fix things." Chase replied.

"I know she's home now but I've been by Rachel's house and no one's answering, I just want to see her." He continued.

Lucas rubbed over his eyebrow with a finger as he tried to work out how to respond to the other boy.

"She's not living there anymore." He said with a sigh.

"Well," Chase says feeling confused at that. "Where is she? Is she still in Tree Hill?"

"Yeah, she's moved in with Peyton-"

"She's staying at the house?" Chase interrupted him in shock that the brunette could live in the house she was attacked in.

"No." Lucas replies with a frown, hadn't he said he'd spoken to Nathan and Haley about this? "They're staying in Nathan and Haley's old apartment." He confided.

"Oh, Nathan never mentioned that."

"What did they say to you?" Lucas asks curiously.

Chase sighs, all he wanted was the chance to talk to Brooke, maybe ask her to take him back. He had been stupid and jealous when he had seen the video tape at the party, he was disappointed in her, but he never thought things were completely over between them.

"They said I should probably leave it a while, before trying to talk to her." He replies dejectedly as he shoves his hands in his pockets.

Lucas stared at him, as far as he knew Chase had been really good for Brooke, and if Chase was around to help watch out for her again, maybe Peyton wouldn't be overly stressed the way she seemed to be now.

"Let me see what I can do." He offers, knowing that he'd be seeing both girls later today and would have the opportunity to sound them out over seeing him.

"Yeah?" Chase asks looking at him hopefully.

"Yeah."

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AN/ Sorry guys, this isn't exactly where I intended to finish this chapter, but things are kinda busy right now for me and I wanted to post something for you guys.

I've been on labour watch with my sister-in-law as she has been waiting to give birth to her second child. She's just this morning gone into labour so I've got my fingers crossed it's a quick delivery. We don't know the sex so I'm really excited for them, I think, and their older child thinks, it's a girl but they're hoping for a boy.

UPDATE She had a little boy, they named him Jamie, awww!! 7 hours of pain and screaming but I'm sure they think it was all worth it, she says now they've had one of each my brother can go for the snip. LOL Don't blame her!! :D

Either way I'm going to be tied up for a while (and not in a good way LOL) so I'm not sure when I'll post any more, at least until next week.

Thanks to everyone reading this, and thanks if you review, as I'll continue to say – It's not a must to review people!

Hello to the newbies! I know there's a few of you :P hope you stick with this and things will start to get real interesting soon I promise.

You guys rock! And I'll catch you all next time.