Part 73

The cabin had lightened as morning turned into late afternoon. Not that either occupants noticed inside, Brooke couldn't take her eyes off the news channels, desperate for information, but there had been little to add to the facts they already knew.

Ian Banks had been shot by police and was currently in a Detroit hospital being treated.

But there hadn't been any update, they'd said there would be but the hospital had refused to comment and the police had done nothing more than confirm Ian Banks was under arrest but was currently being treated at St Michael's hospital after being shot when he and another suspect had opened fire on officers looking to serve an arrest warrant on Banks.

Since then it had just been a replay of facts, mostly about what he'd done in Tree Hill. Allegedly. Of course innocent until proven guilty. Brooke had heard Peyton scoff at that.

Peyton's cell phone had rang a few times after Haley's call but neither Brooke nor Peyton had been inclined to answer it.

As the newsreader finished up talking about Banks they shifted to local news, and after the last few hours of watching, Brooke knew that the sports and weather would follow before they got back to what Brooke really wanted to know – was Banks dead yet?

Suddenly the screen went blank.

"Well I think that's about enough of that." Peyton said as she tossed the remote aside and stood from the couch. "If we aren't heading back home, let me check what we can cook here." She told Brooke before heading for the kitchen.

Brooke watched her leave then got up a followed her, leaning against the door jamb as Peyton stuck her head in the fridge freezer.

"We've got steak, oh, and ice-cream." Peyton said.

Brooke chuckled. "Not together I hope."

Peyton rolled her eyes but tossed two sealed steaks onto the counter, then she tossed out a bag of frozen spicy fries and closed the fridge door. She glanced around but couldn't spot any fresh fruit or vegetables. "Guess this'll do."

"And then the ice-cream." Brooke said as she came in and sat at the counter.

Peyton grinned before agreeing, "And then the ice-cream."

Brooke watched on as Peyton went about making their late lunch or early dinner. She wasn't particularly hungry but it gave them time to think over what today meant. Brooke's reason for coming out here in the first place was to get away from Tree Hill. Away from memories of Banks, of her fighting with Peyton before prom, and away from Lucas.

Brooke wanted time with Peyton. Just the two of them so they could just be together for a while without everything and everyone getting on top of them.

The steaks sizzled as Peyton slapped them into a cast iron skillet on the stove.

"I don't want to rush back there."

Peyton shrugged and turned the heat down on the steaks before turning around to face Brooke. "I get that. I'm not in a hurry to go back either."

"But?" Brooke asked, because she definitely felt like there was a 'but' to Peyton's statement.

Peyton brushed her hand through her hair. She was stalling, her hand fell to her side. "Going back means facing the press, we both know they'll all be back there."

Brooke nodded as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"And they'll be swarming all over that hospital wanting to get his side."

Brooke was aware of that as well. "I know."

"The cops are going to want to talk to you, talk to us."

Brooke nodded. Especially if Ian Banks had said something to the contrary to the sequence of events Brooke had given them.

"My dad is coming home!"

"I know."

Peyton sucked in a breath and put her hand over her eyes. She didn't want to sound as upset as she felt. None of this was Brooke's fault. She wasn't trying to make it sound like it was or that she was angry at Brooke, she was just frustrated with the situation they now found themselves in.

Did they head back to Tree Hill tonight or not?

"This weekend was supposed to just be for us." She said her eyes not making their way over to look at Brooke as she instead turned and filled the steaks before they started to burn.

Brooke swallowed as she stared at her friend's back.

All that could be heard was the sizzle of cooking meat for the next few minutes. Then Peyton was pulling the tray of fries from the oven and turning off the stove as the steaks rested.

There was no alcohol in the cabin but Peyton found some sparkling water and fruit juice which she poured into two glasses and sat down on the counter next to Brooke. Then she went back over and plated up the steak and some fries before returning and sitting down beside her girlfriend with a huff. "Enjoy."

Brooke couldn't help the grinning as she looked down at her plate. The steak looked great and the fries smelled of cayenne pepper and paprika. But there was something missing.

"You want me to just pick the steak up with my hands?"

"What?" Peyton asked then saw that there was no knives or forks set out. She chuckled and got back up. "So I'll never make a living as a waitress."

"Oh, we already knew that." Brooke muttered softly as she waited for Peyton to sit back down, this time with the right utensils to eat the food in front of her.

"You say something bitch Davis?" Peyton asked with narrowed eyes as she returned.

Brooke quickly shook her head and started cutting into her steak. "Nope."

"That's what I thought." Peyton replied as she tucked into her own plate of food. "Eat up."

"This is good."

Peyton shook her head. "No need to sound so surprised." She said. You couldn't really go wrong with steak and fries.

Brooke snorted, but kept eating. "You burn toast."

Peyton paused to reply then thought better of it. "Shut up or no dessert."

Brooke rolled her eyes. "Ice-cream is dairy, an essential food group."

"I'll give you that one." Peyton allowed. "But don't get me started on your cooking."

"Why do I need to cook when I can just order take-out?"

Peyton chuckled. "Fat lot of good that'll do you out here."

Brooke pouted and then both concentrated on finishing their meal.

"I don't want to go back tonight or tomorrow." Brooke said as she set her knife and fork down onto her empty plate.

"Okay." Peyton replied, shifting around to face her girlfriend. "I'm not trying to rush back either."

"Good." Brooke said, then she took a deep breath. She'd been thinking about this even before the news about Banks. "Graduation is in less than a week," Brooke went on. "Can't we just hang out here until then?"

Peyton chewed on her bottom lip but gave it serious consideration. She still had to paint Haley's nursery, and her dad was due back by Monday.

"We can turn the cell phone off and just disappear for a few days before we go back to all that crazy." Brooke went on. They hadn't told anyone where they were, they hadn't even decided themselves until they were here. "I can pay for the cabin and anything else we need." Money wasn't really a problem for Brooke anymore.

"The cops can trace that." Peyton pointed out.

Brooke shrugged. "If they want to see us that badly they're welcome to come out here. I've got no problem with that, as long as they don't bring a bunch of press with them."

Peyton could go along with all of that. Especially because she wasn't really looking forward to seeing her dad. Yes she missed him, but it was hard to miss more than the idea of him, he'd been absent from her everyday life for so long. Staying away had been his idea, as much as he said it was about the money Peyton would have rather have had her father in her life than this. And the reality of what he was coming to Tree Hill in the middle of wasn't making it any easier for Peyton.

Yes she'd wanted her father there at Graduation with her, to see her start her life after high school.

But not like this.

"Okay." She told Brooke.

Brooke let out a breath she'd been holding as her eyes widened. "Okay? Just like that?"

"Well no, not just like that. I know it's going to be crazy back there, so I'm not thrilled at the idea of going back into the middle of all that." It had been awful will Brooke had been in the hospital, the press crawling all over town and at school trying to get their story on Brooke and what had happened prom night. Add Lucas to that, and her dad. Hiding out a few more days didn't sound so bad compared to dealing with those headaches. "Plus, nice hiking weather, I've always wanted to see mountain tops and fish in a lake." By the end of that sentence Peyton couldn't keep from chuckling.

Brooke rolled her eyes. "We're hiding, you can say it."

Peyton shrugged. "Not a bad spot to hide out in, not that I'm admitting to that, I was hoping for more of a dirty weekend away with my girlfriend."

With a shake of her head Brooke couldn't help but lean over and press her lips to Peyton's.

xxxxx

"Dude, I already told you all I know." Nathan said into his cell phone before all he got was dial tone. He snorted and looked to Haley sat across from him on the couch. "He hung up on me!"

"You sound surprised." Haley replied, her eyes still fixed on the news on the screen. There hadn't been anything new since the hospital announced that both suspects were in surgery and that their conditions were both critical.

Gun shots would do that to you.

Nathan sat down and tossed his phone to the side of him. Despite what he'd told his brother they had spoken to Brooke and Peyton, but that had been hours ago and they hadn't gotten any information as to where the two of them were or when they'd be back.

"You any idea where they could be?" He asked his wife.

Haley shook her head. "Besides Brooke's parent's beach house?"

"Which I think they sold when they left." Nathan replied. Just as they'd sold Brooke's home and left her homeless if she stayed in school here.

"Would they go back to Rachel's place?" Haley asked, clutching at straws. She really didn't think the pair were still in Tree Hill.

Nathan thought about it but he didn't think Peyton would be okay with that. From what he gathered Peyton had actually been kinda jealous when Brooke had moved in with the redhead.

"I don't like not knowing where they are." Nathan admitted. He'd been so driven to making sure Brooke was always okay these last two weeks, making sure Peyton was okay. They'd been through such an awful time and he hated that his brother wasn't making things easier for them.

He was so grateful to hear that the cops had Ian Banks arrested, even better knowing they'd shot the bastard. But his arrest just brought Brooke back front and centre with the press ghouls that were already showing up in town according to Junk.

"There's nothing we can really do until the either get back or we manage to get in contact with them." Haley explained. "The cops are probably looking to get in touch with them as well right now."

"Took them long enough to find him." Nathan muttered as he scowled at the TV screen. The bottom news flash still just had the update that both Ian Banks and whatever family member had been helping him, were being treated for gunshot wounds after shooting at the cops in Detroit.

"Let's just hope he dies during surgery." Haley said, then off her husband's look added, "What, not like you aren't hoping for the same thing."

"Maybe." But he wasn't going to let that wish out into the universe just to have it get twisted into something worse for Brooke. Of course he wanted Ian Banks to pay for what he did to his friends, he do it with his own hands given half a chance he hated him so much.

"Hm."

"Luke said he'd called everyone, he was sure they'd have told us." Nathan said, getting back to his call with Lucas.

Haley narrowed her eyes at Nathan. "Don't make it out like we would know if I wasn't pissed about Peyton paint that room black as night. I'll have nightmares about that for months!"

"I didn't say anything." But he sounded like he agreed with her statement.

"They wanted to get away for a few days, I say we let them do just that." Haley said.

"Not like we have much of a choice." Nathan replied, his focus back on the news in case anything new was said.

Haley sighed. "We'll keep calling, I'm sure when they're ready they'll pick up again."

Nathan knew she was right but that didn't mean he had to like not knowing. But with Banks caught and headed to jail as soon as he was done being in hospital, Nathan knew that Brooke and Peyton were safer out there wherever they were.

At least from Banks. He wasn't sure what Lucas' deal was in all this. Lucas had come over first thing that morning when he'd noticed Peyton's car wasn't at the apartment complex when he'd driven by, but the car hadn't been outside and Nathan had told his brother he was welcome to stay and look around if he wanted to.

Lucas had hesitated long enough that Haley had stepped in and told her friend to get to work like he should have been. With the weather more settled it'd be busier than the last few days had been and at the weekend, while his mom was home with Lily it was Lucas' job to look after the café.

"I don't know Hales, if Lucas is calling them half as much as I think he is, we might just have to wait until they knock on the door before we see or hear from them again." Nathan offer.

"Then all we can do is wait on them." Haley replied.

Waiting was not something Nathan did well. He got up and went over to kiss his wife. "I'm going to go finish off the nursery."

Haley watch him go then glanced down at her belly. "Don't you be getting any ideas listening to all this, you're stay exactly where you are."

She felt the press of a foot in response and patted at it.

She smiled, thankful that at least one person in her life was willing to do as they were told.

It wouldn't last, but she was going to enjoy it while it did.

xxxxxx

AN/ Thanks for reading!