Part 67

Skills looked around and noticed everyone bar him had their eyes trained on the entry way in anticipation as to who was at the door.

But as multiple steps were heard after the sound of the door closing, even Skills stopped and turned.

Peyton eyed the two figures entering the room then stabbed at a bit of veg on her plate muttering, "Great, just what we needed."

Deb eased Lucas out of his rain soaked jacket and smiled to the table. "Look who the cat dragged in!"

Peyton snorted. "Bad cat." She grumbled.

Brooke turned and looked at her girlfriend in amusement.

"Is that a hickey?"

It took a moment, but the stunned silence that descended after Mouth's statement gave Brooke the idea that he was actually talking to her.

Peyton eyed Mouth then looked at Brooke's wide eyed stare and couldn't keep from snorting before slapping her hand over her mouth as her friends gave her shocked looks at her reaction.

Brooke in the meantime noticed where Mouth was eyeing her neck and reached up to cover the area, feeling a slight tenderness at the touch she narrowed her eyes at Peyton.

"You!" Not able to think of anything beyond that, and uncomfortable with all the attention, Brooke smacked Peyton on the shoulder and got up and rushed out of the room, ignoring Lucas as she passed by him and Deb who stood frozen with both of them still holding Lucas' jacket.

Peyton winced as she watched the brunette go.

"What the fuck Peyton!" Nathan spat at her. "You find that funny?"

Peyton would have rolled her eyes at Nathan if she wasn't being glared at by the rest of the room. The only one not looking her way was Mouth who looked paler than Peyton thought possible.

"Really earning that nickname tonight there Mouth." She said getting up to follow Brooke.

"Maybe I should…?" Offered Nathan's mom.

Peyton shook her head. "I'll talk to her." She said and hurried out of the room hoping no one would try and follow her.

xxxxxx

"Well, we should just…you sit down, I'll get you a plate." Deb stuttered as she guided Lucas to a spare seat and headed for the kitchen.

"I'm gonna-"

"Go nowhere." Haley cut Nathan off, putting her hand on his arm to prevent him from moving from his chair.

Nathan frowned at his wife, wondering how Haley didn't seem bothered that Brooke was so upset.

Haley shook her head at Nathan when it became obvious that he wasn't connecting the dots. Patting him on the arm she when back to her food. "Stay."

"So," Lucas starts, looking around the table. "That was…"

"None of our business." Deb said returning and placing a clean plate in front of Lucas before taking her own seat again as she tried to smile and carry on with dinner. "So how is your mother?" she directed hoping to draw everyone away from talking about Brooke.

That girl needed time to heal and she'd never get that if she couldn't even be around her friends without fleeing out of the room.

"She's ah, she's fine." Lucas recovered, pulling a small envelope from his trousers and pushing it along the table top. "She wanted you to see these." He said giving Deb a smile as it was passed to her by first Junk then Skills.

"Oh, how lovely!" Deb exclaimed, viewing image after image of Karen's new born daughter. "Oh, she's gorgeous." She said.

Lucas chuckled in agreement. "Luckily she's escaped Keith's facial hair."

"Oh, is that Lily?" Haley asked leaning closer to see and coo over the pictures.

Lucas smiled but his eyes went to the doorway, wondering when Peyton would get back.

xxxxxxx

"I said I was sorry." Peyton said as she stood with the bathroom door at her back as Brooke glared at her from the reflection in the mirror as she attempted to cover up the mark on her neck.

"You gave me a hickey!"

Doing her best not to laugh Peyton stepped closer and eyed the mark. "I…" She had nowhere to go with her attempt at a comeback. Instead she gathered Brooke into her arms and hugged her. "I'm sorry." She said softly into Brooke's ear and she felt the brunette slowly relax in her hold. "I never meant to."

"Hm."

"I guess I just got carried away." The blonde admitted with a sigh as her amusement over the situation started to fade. She had gotten carried away with Brooke earlier. And she really hadn't meant to but just being close to Brooke now didn't seem enough anymore.

She sighed again then released Brooke and took a step back.

"It's fine." Brooke muttered, going back to using some of Haley's makeup to try and hide the growing bruise.

After a minute, Brooke eyed her work. She was happy with it. "What'd do you think? Good enough for the rabble down stairs?"

Thus summoned, Peyton got closer and studied the view of Brooke's neck in the mirror from behind the brunette.

Brooke narrowed her eyes at Peyton as she inched closer and she felt Peyton slip her arms around her waist. "Give me another hickey and I'll kick you where it hurts." She warned.

Peyton smile. "Just a kiss, all lips, won't leave a mark. Promise." She said leaning in and pressing her lips to Brooke's skin in a very gentle kiss, an apology of sorts.

"Oh, you are so wrong Sawyer." Brooke replied as she turned in the blonde's arms and captured her lips in a bruising kiss.

Peyton had been leaving marks on Brooke from the moment they'd met. Every smile, laugh, hug, fight, tear, they were all there imprinted on Brooke's heart and every single one of them had lead them to this moment.

Brooke wanted her whole body to get painted in marks left by Peyton, and then maybe one day people would see on the outside what she felt on the inside every time her heart beat or she took a breath into her lungs. Peyton was there too, she was in everything that Brooke did. It had been such a painful fact to Brooke for so long it amazed her now how happy it made her. Because she knew bit by bit, she was filing Peyton up just the same.

Peyton slowly blinked as Brooke pulled away. She grinned at her girlfriend as they just stood there. She was very tempted to just take Brooke and hide out in the bedroom they were using but then she'd really get carried away.

She pouted and Brooke laughed.

"Come on, before someone comes looking." Brooke say gripping Peyton's hand and leaving the bathroom. "Unless you want to explain to everyone down there about us, I'm sure Lucas will find that fun." She continued with a wicked grin on her face as she challenged the blonde.

"No." Peyton shook her head rapidly. There was no way in hell she was having that particular conversation at the dinner table tonight.

"That's what I thought."

xxxxxx

As they sat back down, Peyton could feel Lucas stare at them but she ignored that in favour of sending a scathing look to Mouth who just ducked his head down.

"Hey you two, you missed out, here's Lily's first pictures, isn't she beautiful!" Deb gushed standing and taking a handful of the pictures and showing them to the pair.

Brooke was more than happy to switch her focus to the picture, she could even blank out the fact that Lucas was in several of them and coo and ah in all the right places.

Deb handed the pictures to Peyton and left the pair looking through them as she went back to her set and started up another conversation with Lucas as she saw him staring at Peyton.

Peyton sighed as she moved from one picture to the next, the all kinda looked the same, the smiling faces of Karen or Lucas with a changing view of a scrunched up wrinkly pink face, that was barely visible due to blankets or arms in the way.

But it let her brush shoulders with Brooke as they went through them with their heads in close together. "Never heard of Facebook, who even take's pictures anymore?"

"Grouch." Brooke muttered hiding a grin.

A slow grin took over Peyton's face at that.

"So Peyton." Lucas started loud enough to get the blonde to look up and away from Brooke. He wasn't sure what it was but the way they were acting was making him feel uncomfortable. He didn't like it. So it was time to see if he could bring a little tension back into their newly reformed friendship. "Some of us were talking about heading up to check out campus life next week, I'd invite you…both, but you leave next week right?" He asked looking a little hesitant as if he was unsure of his information.

Peyton sat up straight and swallowed nervously as she felt Brooke's eyes on her.

"Um…what? No." She replied, flustered as panic sparked in her gut.

Nathan looked between Peyton and Lucas having no idea, just like everyone else at the table, as to what his brother was talking about.

"Want to let the rest of in on what you're talking about Luke?" He asked his brother.

Lucas grinned. "Sure, Peyton got a summer placement with a record company out in L.A. She starts the week after next. Her dad's real proud."

Stunned Peyton felt the air puff out of her lungs in shock. "My dad?"

Lucas almost laughed, almost. Instead he took a bit of food from his plate and took his time chewing it as he enjoyed the looks of shock surrounding him at the table. "Your dad call my mom up, he wanted to know how you were before he gets back in a few days. He couldn't stop talking about how well you did getting picked."

"How did...?" Peyton didn't understand, how could her dad have found out about the internship. "When did he...?"

"Is it true?" Brooke asked quietly, not wanting to believe Lucas but from Peyton's reaction she suspected it was. How could she not have told me? Does this mean she's leaving? For the whole of the summer? Brooke didn't know what she would do, her heart was breaking at the thought of Peyton walking out of her life right now, but who was she to stop the blonde. The music industry was Peyton's dream, Brooke couldn't come between that. "That's…that's awesome Peyton, congratulations." She finally managed with the hint of a smile.

"Hell yeah! Woah, and when you're a big famous record producer out there some day, you just remember us little people white girl!" Skill said grinning at the blonde.

There was more compliments and well wishes but Peyton was shaking her head. "No, hold up, there is no placement with a record company." She said, trying to get control and prevent Brooke taking off on her as she gripped the brunette's leg and glanced at her pleadingly.

"What are you talking about, your dad said…"

Peyton frowned at Lucas. "Then he got it wrong, I did apply but that was months ago and I never got in." She said forcefully, annoyed with her ex-boyfriend for starting this whole conversation when it had nothing to do with him.

Confused Lucas didn't know why Peyton was lying about this. "But he's got the letter?"

"What letter?!" Peyton demanded glaring at Lucas as an uneasy silence fell around the table.

Realising he'd said too much, Lucas went back to his food with a shrug. "Just what he said to my mom, you can ask him yourself."

Just then Brooke stood. "I'm going to head home, thanks for dinner Deb." She said to the older woman. She didn't know what Lucas was trying to do right now but she didn't want to sit there and listen to any more of it.

If Peyton was leaving to chase after her dream job Brooke wasn't about to hold her back from that, but the confusing part was that Peyton was insisting that Lucas had it wrong and there was no job.

It was making her sick with fear and she didn't like it.

"I'll take you, both." Nathan volunteered as Peyton stood to follow Brooke. His car was a four wheel drive and was better suited to driving in this weather.

"Thanks Nate." Peyton said, placing her hand on the small of Brooke's back and guiding her out. She cheered internally as her girlfriend allowed the touch. She had some explaining to do but so far Brooke hadn't outright refused to allow her to go back to the apartment with her.

As they passed Lucas Peyton threw him a hard look, wishing he'd never turned up at the house.

He just smiled at her. "Bye guys." He said after them.

It almost sounded like he was happy.

Clenching her teeth, Peyton kept them moving forward as Nathan took off in search of his car keys.

"Let's just go." She whispered to Brooke as they reached the entry way.

Brooke let Peyton help her on with her coat and even managed to smile at the blonde as Nathan arrived back and Peyton took all of their things.

Shrugging into his own jacket. "Ready?" Then he was out of the door and into the lashing wind and rain.

Brooke closed the door over slightly causing Peyton to pause beside her. "We're going to talk about this right?" Her own voice sounded broken and small even to Brooke but she had to ask.

Peyton saw the trepidation in Brooke's eyes and cursed Lucas all over again. She inched into Brooke's personal space and rested her head against Brooke's as her eyes closed.

"We can, but I swear it's going to end the same way it did in there. There is no placement Brooke, I'm not going anywhere, I promise."

Brooke could feel tears sting her eyes but she nodded, quickly wiping at her face as Peyton eased back. "Okay."

"Okay?" Peyton was still worried.

"Yeah." Brooke replied letting out a shaking breath as she started to believe again. She laced her fingers in Peyton's hand and gave the blonde a smile. "We'll talk, and it'll be okay."

Peyton gave her a cautious nod of agreement as she gripped Brooke's hand tighter.

"Let's go home Sawyer."

But Peyton froze just as Brooke was about to rush out after Nathan. She gave Peyton a questioning look.

"Just…" Peyton shifted her weight from foot to foot. "What if your mom's there when we-"

"Shut up Peyton!" Brooke cut her off with wide eyes. Then she glared at the blonde. "I swear, if you've just jinxed us I'll be sending you to L.A. myself!"

Peyton smiled to herself as Brooke dragged her out to the car as she continued muttering about Victoria.

Should have mentioned her sooner. Peyton thought with a grin.

Now all she had to do was find something that would strike the same kind of fear into Lucas Scott and then ram it down his throat in the hopes he'd choke on it.

xxxxxx

AN/

Hi!

:D

Lucas is evil.

But I hope you all enjoyed that. What can I say, the last few weeks have been tough for me, but I got through it and things are relaxing a bit now. So maybe even another update sometime this year!

Lucky you!

I'll be starting yet another fic this week (oh I hear you all groaning, stop!) anyone interested it's mentioned on my profile.

Next time and thanks for reading!