Part 72

"I should try calling them again, right?"

"Haley."

"What?" Haley paced back and forth as Nathan continued trying to cover over the black walls their friend had left them with on Friday. Two coats so far and it was still showing through. "I'm not going to kill her." She stated and crossed her arms over her chest as her husband gave her a disbelieving look. "Well maybe just a little." She admitted.

Nathan snorted then put his brush down and stood, stretching out his back as he straightened. "I think one more coat tomorrow and it should be fine."

Haley huffed, still annoyed with her friend over the whole thing.

Nathan wiped some paint flecks off his hands then guided his wife out of the room. "Come on, let's see if mom's got anything ready to eat, I'm starving." It was already early afternoon but fortunately the worst of the storm seemed to have past overnight and it was looking like the beginnings of a summer in Tree Hill.

They made their way down to the kitchen with Haley still complaining that Brooke and Peyton should have been forced to help them by now. Nathan just agreed with Haley to keep from causing his heavily pregnant wife to get too worked up over it. He honestly found the whole think funny, unfortunately that wasn't a view share by Haley so he'd quickly offered to paint the nursery over as his wife tried in vain to get Peyton back to their home to fix it herself.

"Oh no, I don't know where you think you're going young man, but you get yourself back upstairs and wash up properly. I'm not having paint trailed all over this house." Deb insisted as soon as she caught sight of her son.

Nathan rolled his eyes but conceded that there was more than a few smudges of paint over his clothes. After helping Haley sit down he whispered, "Save some for me." As he passed his mom at the stove.

Haley glared after him. "I heard that!"

"Good." Nathan called back down.

Debbie just chuckled at the pair and continued stirring the pot.

Haley sighed then rested her head in her hand as she eyed Nathan's mom. "What are you making?" Whatever it was it smelled great.

"Just a stew." Deb replied. "I have some bread warming in the oven too." With that she turned everything off and place a matt on the table in the kitchen for the pot to rest on. They might as well eat in here to save Haley from having to move again. "Are Peyton and Brooke going to join us?"

"Still not answering my calls." Haley grumbled.

"Oh." Debbie took a seat deciding to wait for Nathan to get back down before starting to serve. "Are you still mad at them?" She asked trying to keep her amusement in.

"Yes!" Haley replied instantly which made Debbie chuckle. She shook her head. "Of course I'm mad, I wanted everything to look perfect and she painted it all back for havens sake!"

Debbie bit her lip for a moment then put her hand over Haley's. "Peyton promised to fix it when they got back." She said, repeating what she'd told Haley the night the pair had left. But Haley had been insistent that the black walls be covered over last night after she'd calmed down enough to think of a solution to the problem.

And of course Nathan didn't complain about doing it.

With a sigh Haley gave the older woman a puzzled look. "Why hasn't it bothered you?" She wondered.

Debbie shrugged. "The little one won't be able to see properly for the first few months, I doubt he'll care too much for the colour of the walls until much later."

"Still…" Yeah, Haley didn't really have an argument against that. She pouted. "I just wanted it to look perfect." She admitted.

"And it will." Debbie replied as she stood to start plating dinner for them as she heard Nathan on the stairs coming back down.

Nathan was still drying his hair with a towel when he entered the kitchen. He'd jumped in for a quick shower to make sure there was no trace of paint anywhere left on his body. "What?" He asks, spotting the pensive look Haley was given him.

"Can you call them again?"

Nathan snorted and took a seat as his mother sat down a pot of stew in the centre of the table. "You're kidding right? What makes you think she'll pick up this time when she hasn't the last twenty?"

"Twenty times you've called them?" Debbie couldn't help but ask.

"This past hour." Replied Nathan with a look. "And only Peyton, Brooke has her cell phone switched off."

Haley sighed. "Please?"

Nathan shook his head but got up to go get his phone and give it another try, he knew it wouldn't do any good anyway. He figured they'd be back when they were good and ready and calling them every ten minutes wasn't going to make that happen any quicker.

As he reached his bedroom his phone started ringing. It made him stop and wonder if Peyton had finally worked up the courage to call back. With a grin he picked it up but was surprised to see the number was private and unknown.

He frowned down at it for so long the ringing stopped. But he flinched when it immediately started up again, and over the sound he heard the house phone start to ring.

With a touch of panic Nathan answered his phone. "Hello?"

xxxxxxx

"Will you answer that or turn it off?" Brooke moaned from the other side of the bed, her hand waving backwards in the general direction of Peyton cell phone.

Peyton grinned and shuffled over Brooke, who remained face down, and grabbed it off the bedside table, blocking the call before placing her lips to the bare skin of her girlfriend's back and laying back down beside her as she received a grown of thanks.

She'd driven them towards Charlotte thinking they could spend time in a nice hotel in the city only to be told to keep driving. So she had, and less than an hour later, following Brooke's suggestion, they'd pull into a lodge in the Black Mountains. And here they were for the weekend, in an extravagant one bedroom cabin in the middle of the woods.

The place reminded Peyton of Rachel's cabin last year, only with less idiot friends and less need for Brooke to 'Brooke' herself.

"Thank you for this place." She whispered into the silence as she thought over all the changes that had happened in the last year. Big changes. Some good, some not so good.

Brooke sighed and shifted around, she gave the room a glance. "Less dead animals." She noticed happily. "I like it." They'd arrived just before midnight on Friday, surprised to even find something available but then Brooke was willing to pay whatever it took and presto, they had a cabin for the weekend complete with walk around patio and outside hot tub.

Peyton chuckled at that. "Yeah." She replied as Brooke cuddled into her side and she wrapped her arm around her to pull her closer. "You do realise we are going to have to get out of this bed and go eat right? Cause I'm starting to get hungry."

Brooke shrugged as well as she could in her position. "I think there's stuff in the kitchen." She offered. The receptionist at the main lodge had said the cabin was well stocked and said additional supplies could be brought up to the cabin with a phone call but she wasn't ready to have the outside world encroach right now. "Think you can make a late breakfast without burning the place down, these walls are actual wood."

"Smart ass." Peyton replied with a shake of her head. "I think I can at least make some coffee and toast, maybe even cereal if there is any."

"Good go."

"No."

Brooke lifted her head up and scowled down at her girlfriend. "What? You're the one that wanted something to eat."

"Yeah, but now I don't want to get up." Peyton answered with a pout. "I'd miss you."

"Aww." Brooke put her hand to her chest as she grinned. "That's so sweet."

They smiled at each other for a moment before Peyton yelp with a flinch.

"Moment's over, now go feed me." Brooke told her girlfriend and she snuggled back into the warmth of the blankets.

"You're so mean." Peyton muttered, still shocked by the pinch to her side Brooke had delivered. She rubbed at the spot as she sat there glaring down at Brooke who just smiled back at her. With a huff Peyton threw the covers aside and climbed out of the bed naked and set about pulling on the clothes she found on the floor, not all of which were her own.

"You love me." Brooke added as she watched Peyton get dressed. She was tempted to try and get the blonde back into bed now that she was leaving but her stomach grumbled, reminding her all that she'd had since they left Nathan's place yesterday was an apple and some soda.

Peyton just shook her head and wandered out of the room just as her cell phone started ringing again.

"Peyton your phone." Brooke called to her but she was ignored and the caller just kept calling. "Peyton!"

"You're closer Brooke!" Peyton called back with a laugh. "You deal with it."

Groaning Brooke finally picked the cell phone up and glared at the caller ID which made her pause, it was an unknown number. Brooke knew these were brand new phones and Peyton had only given the number out to a few people. People they both trusted not to hand it out to anyone else.

So the question was, if this wasn't someone either of them knew then who was it and how did they get the number in the first place?

Taking a breath, Brooke pressed the button and accepted the call, placing the phone at her ear. "Hello?" She asked in a shaky voice.

"Oh my god Brooke, we've been trying to call you guys!" That was Haley. "Have you seen the news Brooke? They've got him. Brooke they've got him!" Haley yelled excitedly into her ear.

"Who?" Brooke asked but her whole body just felt like it had been dropped into cold water. She could barely speak never mind think properly.

"Pyscho Derek, dammit I mean Ian, they've got Ian Banks!" Haley was quick to explain.

Numbly Brooke stood from the bed clutching the sheets to her as she walked out of the bedroom and towards the front of the cabin where Peyton and a television were located.

"Turn on the news." Brooke said before Peyton had noticed her presence.

Peyton spun around and was shocked by how pale Brooke was looking, worried she started towards her only to have Brooke shake her head. "What's wrong?"

"Turn on the news, please Peyton."

"Okay." Cautiously Peyton found the remote on the coffee table and picked it up as she then moved closer to her girlfriend. She turned the TV on and started flicking through the channels. "What's going on Brooke? Talk to me."

Brooke shook her head again, her eyes fixed on the screen mounted against the wall across the room. There was still noise coming from the cell phone in her hand but Brooke was desperate to see proof of what she'd been told. She had to see for herself that it was true, she had to.

Peyton stopped on CNN but there was a weather bulletin on. Still completely in the dark and frightened by Brooke's demeanor Peyton traded the remote for her cell phone and eased Brooke over to the couch, making sure she was wrapped up in the covers she'd dragged with her from the bedroom.

"Hello?" Peyton said into the phone as she stepped back from Brooke but kept a close eye on her as she continued eyeing the TV. "Who is this?"

"Peyton?"

"Haley? What's going on?" Peyton asked. "What'd you say to Brooke?"

"They have him Peyton, they've got him."

Peyton swallowed hearing the excitement in Haley's voice and the mention of 'him', there was really only one person that Haley could be talking about. "Really?" She whispered into the phone just as stunned by the news as Brooke was.

Peyton stepped back her hand going to her head as she realised part of her and Brooke's nightmare might be coming to a close. "Really Haley?" Her voice was begging this time. Her eyes tracked to the TV but there was still nothing about Banks being caught. Peyton felt her eyes start to tear up as she stepped forward and sat down next to Brooke, frantic to have confirmation.

Brooke felt Peyton sit down and reached for her hand, lacing their fingers together as they sat there. She heard her girlfriend snivel and squeezed her hand tighter, leaning into her slightly while keeping her eyes on the news, waiting.

Peyton had to put the phone down to wipe her eyes. They both sat there listening to adverts, Peyton shifting to put her arm around Brooke and hold her close, pressing her lips to the side of her head. "Oh, please be true."

Brooke made a noise but her eyes were on the newswoman that suddenly filled the screen.

"And in breaking news today, at 8.30am police entered a residence in Detroit and located a person of interest in the rape and attempted murder of a high school student from Wilmington North Carolina. The suspect, identified earlier today as Ian Banks, and another individual in the residence opened fired on police. From what we have been told both individuals were shot and rushed to St Michaels hospital, an update on their conditions is expected in the next hour."

Brooke flinched as an image of Ian Banks was put up on screen and the report continued, she say their high school and even caught sight of Nathan and Skills in one of the shots.

"It's over, it's really over." Peyton said in disbelief.

Brooke's eyes just kept tracking everything she was seeing. "This part maybe." She muttered to herself. Because hurt or not, the arrest of Ian Banks wasn't going to end her nightmare, only the fear that he was still coming after them.

They were safe from having to risk that ever happening, but it wasn't the end.

Not for Brooke.

She wasn't sure if her nightmare would ever be over.

She wasn't ready to face Ian Banks across a court room.

Peyton pulled her into her arms and rocked her as she pressed kisses all over her face, but Brooke just felt numb. Her eyes still fixed on the smiling image of her attacker that still stared back at her from the TV.

It wasn't over not matter how much she wished it was.

xxxxx

AN/

Time for an update?

Sorry it's taken so long but look at that, cops doing their jobs, whoop!

Now, how do we think Lucas is going to take this wonderful news? Hmm…

Thanks for reading!

Next time folks ;)