Part 68

Nathan pulled up just behind Brooke's car at their apartment building.

It was hard to see through the lashing rain but Peyton glanced around anyway, just in case. Sure they had Nathan with them but even he was little match for Victoria Davis.

"I think we're in the clear." Peyton muttered, unable to see any sign of the older woman's town car.

Brooke rolled her eyes and got out of the car.

Nathan quickly turned to Peyton in the back and grinned at her as she picked up the bag of groceries they had stopped off for before coming here. "You guys were totally at it up in my son's bedroom weren't you?" He asked his ex as he grinned. He'd finally got why Haley hadn't been as bothered by Brooke running out at dinner.

"What? No!" Peyton protested even as Nathan chuckled at her. "Shut up." She scowled at him then got out and hurried after her girlfriend.

"They totally were." Nathan muttered to himself before getting out and following after the pair just to be sure they were okay in the apartment alone.

xxxxx

"What are you grinning at?" Brooke asked Nathan as he sat watching Peyton store milk in the fridge.

Peyton looked up and saw Brooke was referring to Nathan and went back to unpacking.

"Well?" Brooke asked getting impatient with the smug looking Scott brother.

Grinning Nathan eyed the pair before leaning closer to Brooke. "I don't think Peyton ever gave me a hickey." He told her conversationally before smirking as a blush quickly covered Brooke's cheeks.

Peyton frowned at her friend and threw a box of teabags at his head.

Catching the box, Nathan just tossed them back at the blonde before turning his attention back to Brooke. "So when are you guys going to start letting people know that you're dating?" He asked.

Brooke shrugged and looked away. "Why?"

"That mark on your neck is a bit of a giveaway, you might want to try feeding Peyton once in a while." He continued gesturing to his own neck.

Peyton chuckled with her back to the pair only to have Brooke smack her on the shoulder. "Sorry." She told Brooke apologetically.

Nathan rolled his eyes. "Seriously, are you planning on telling Luke soon? It might stop him from hitting on Peyton all the time."

Peyton glared at Nathan for that.

Brooke sighed and leant on her hands as she stared at the counter top. "I don't know, I just…" Telling Lucas would be like setting off a bomb, there was no way he would take the news well.

"What do you think?" Peyton asked coming over and rubbing her hand soothingly across Brooke's back.

"I think we can tell him, in a letter, as we're leaving Tree Hill." Brooke continued looking between the pair hopefully.

Nathan snorted. "Yeah, that'll work."

Peyton glared at him. "It was good enough for him, but if you can't be helpful you can just go." She told Nathan.

"I might just do that." Nathan said getting up. He had to get back to Haley anyway, and he thought the pair in front of him had a lot to talk about.

Brooke eyed Nathan, watching as he waved and headed out the door. Peyton followed him and locked up behind him.

Peyton turned and found Brooke eyeing her suspiciously. It made her nervous as she walked back over and sat down across from her girlfriend.

Brooke let the silence drag on. She knew Peyton and she knew the signs when the blonde lied to her, and right now it was written all over Peyton's face.

"Lucas told the truth, didn't he?" She asked finally, watching Peyton's fists clench and the way Peyton's eyes skittered away from her.

Brooke shook her head. "God, I can't believe this."

Peyton got up when Brooke moved to step away from her. "No, no, it wasn't like that!"

Brooke's hands racked through her hair before she rounded on Peyton.

"So you didn't just lie to me back there, there really isn't any summer job in LA?" Brooke demanded to know, her eyes showing just how hurt she was feeling at this revelation. Back at Nathan's Brooke had just wanted to get away from Lucas and the stares from the rest of the guys.

Peyton stood, willing Brooke to hear her out. "It's not what you think I swear, Brooke please, give me a chance to explain."

Brooke's eyes stung with tears. "So explain it to me Peyton, explain how it's okay that you're supposed to be taking off for the other side of the country in a few days and you haven't said one word to me about it?"

Peyton felt the weight of panic settle in her chest, if she got this wrong, if she couldn't convince Brooke she hadn't been planning to leave her, she could lose Brooke forever.

Forever.

With tears rolling down her face Peyton approached Brooke slowly, ignoring the shaking of her girlfriends head and not taking it personally when she backed away from her. She kept moving and when Brooke's back hit the counter, leaving her nowhere else to go, Peyton stepped as close as she could get.

"No." Brooke muttered keeping her head down as she started crying.

Peyton reached for Brooke's hands, but even as her friend struggled against her, Peyton kept her grip, moving those hands to her own chest, resting them at her heart. "I love you. I love you Brooke." She pleaded as the hands tried to pull away.

"I love you."

Brooke blinked and lifted her head to eye Peyton but she was too emotional to speak, so she begged with her eyes.

"I applied to a ton of summer jobs months ago Brooke, we weren't speaking, we weren't even friends anymore." Peyton said, holding Brooke's gaze, needing her to believe every word. "I had Lucas but I lost you and he was going to College and I hadn't a clue, so I just…it was just meant to be a summer job that would let me clear my head and figure out what the hell I was supposed to do with the rest of my life." She continued, grateful when Brooke simply let her hold her hands to her chest and stopped struggling to get free.

"Lucas wanted me to go to College with him, and I couldn't say yes to that, so when I got offers of a couple of internships I took the one furthest away from here."

"From me, you mean." Brooke said softly, remembering how badly she had treated Peyton in school for those months. Before they had started to become friends again.

Peyton felt like she could breathe again. "Yes, maybe, but really I just needed to try and find something that was mine, you know?" She said honestly.

"I guess." Brooke replied with sniffle then awkwardly wiped her face with her upper arm as her hands were still held captive by Peyton. "But you could have still told me." She said, it was hearing it from Lucas that had really hurt.

Peyton shook her head. "He shouldn't even know about any of this Brooke, I hadn't told him, I didn't tell anyone." She explained.

"Not even your dad?" Brooke asked curiously, because Lucas had been adamant that Larry had known as well.

Again Peyton shook her head. "No one."

Brooke frowned. "But you had an acceptance letter?"

"In my drawer, in my room."

"So, who's been in your room?" Brooke had a good idea of the answer.

Peyton frowned as she thought about that. "Well, Nathan packed the place up for me, and he and Lu-Lucas." She closed her eyes and her shoulders slumped. "Lucas must have found it." She said quietly.

"And he what, sent it to your dad?" Brooke asked incredulously as Peyton let go of her hands to step back and rub her own face.

Peyton lifted her hands into the air. This was such a mess. "He must have, yeah." It was the only way her dad could possibly have the letter.

"I can't believe-" Brooke stopped herself with a roll of her eyes. "Actually I can believe he did this, I just don't know why."

Peyton sighed and rested heavily against the kitchen counter, within touching distance of Brooke but allowing the other girl to have some space. "I have no idea."

Brooke eyed Peyton, she looked a mess, but she probably looked just as bad herself. "Are you still going?" She had to ask, as much as the answer could destroy her right now, she needed to know.

"No!" Peyton shouted quickly. "No, Brooke, I haven't even thought about this for weeks, I completely forgot all about it I swear!" She said with eyes wide. "If Lucas hadn't said anything…"

Brooke snorted. "Lucas." Of course everything went back to him.

Peyton reached over for Brooke's hand, holding it tight as she moved to stand in front of her girlfriend again. "Please don't let him ruin things between us, please, I can't lose you Brooke." She said resting her forehead on Brooke's. "Not over some crappy unpaid summer internship, please?"

Brooke felt her lips twitch. "So it's just because it's unpaid?"

Peyton grinned and snorted as she pulled back to watch Brooke more clearly. "Of course!" She said with fake indignation. "I'd never give up a paid job in the industry, are you crazy?!"

Brooke smiled and shook her head. "Bitch." She muttered and then they both laughed.

"Come here." Peyton said before gathering a willing Brooke into her arms and embracing her girlfriend tightly. They stood there for a long while before Peyton released Brooke as she pressed her lips to Brooke's head.

"There's no job, I'm not going anywhere, okay?" She asked as she cupped Brooke's face in her hands, her eyes studying Brooke intently.

Brooke sighed. "Okay."

"Okay?" Peyton asked hopefully as her eyes brightened.

Brooke smiled and nodded. "Yeah."

Peyton blew out a breath and gathered Brooke back into her arms. "Great, good. I'm not going anywhere and we're good." She felt Brooke confirm that with a nod against her shoulder. "But I am so going to kill Lucas." She muttered angrily. He didn't get to screw with her life like this.

"And your dad?"

Peyton shrugged, she had no idea what to do about her dad. "If he has the letter then he knows about the internship, I guess I'll just have to say I've got a better offer."

Brooke eased back and looked Peyton in the eye. "Better offer?"

Peyton smiled. "Yeah, I was thinking maybe after school's done with we could just get in my car and take off, just go."

"Your car?"

Peyton rolled her eyes as Brooke moved away from her and walked over to the couch. "That's what you picked out from that sentence?" She asked going over to the fridge and pulling out a beer, damn did she feel like getting drunk right now.

She opened the bottle then walked over and sat down with Brooke, her hand dropping onto her girlfriend's thigh.

Brooke fished in her bag and pulled out her meds, popping them into her mouth before stealing Peyton's beer to wash them down. "Thanks."

Peyton could have mentioned Brooke wasn't supposed to be drinking, but she let it go. "Welcome." She said taking another swallow of her own before Brooke got any ideas.

Brooke switched the TV on to a music channel then settled against Peyton, closing her eyes and pulling her feet up as she felt Peyton's hand come down around her shoulders.

"So what do you think?" Peyton asked again.

"About running away?" Brooke asked without moving. She was tired, it had been a long day and the drama Lucas had started had exhausted her.

"Yes."

Brooke sighed and snuggled closer.

Peyton looked at her empty beer bottle then at the girl wrapped around her. It wasn't even a choice, of course she was going to stay right where she was and not move an inch if Brooke didn't want her to.

"I think running away never solved anything." Brooke finally replied.

Peyton thought about that. Stay meant dealing with Victoria, the press, Lucas, and her dad when he arrived back. She wondered how Brooke thought dealing with all of that was a good thing, Peyton didn't really give a damn about what they should or shouldn't do, she just wanted to do what would be best for Brooke.

And that was a drama filled list.

"Well aren't we brave." She said to Brooke, she heard her chuckle over the music coming from the TV. She shrugged her shoulders and put her feet up on the little table in front of her.

"Fine, but you get to tell Lucas about us." She said with a grin.

Brooke sat up and glared at the blonde.

Peyton shrugged at her. "Think of it as payback for telling you about the internship." She offered then watched as Brooke's eyes shifted. She grinned when Brooke went back to her position curled up against her.

"Oh yeah, not feeling as bad now."

Peyton chuckled.

Now she just had to figure out how to deal with her father.

xxxxxxx

AN/

Happy holidays people!