Hey guys! Here's the next chapter. Rachel (ontheoutsidelookingin) actually had this chapter done by early Monday morning. I wanted to give a little time between chapters, but I'm sure that everyone is DYING to know what happens next so here's the next chapter. Oh and I want to comment on what a great job Rachel, a Leyton fan, did writing Brucas. Great job Rachel! Please read and review!
Chapter Two
2007
February 2nd, 2007
"Nathan? Where did I leave my research notes?" Haley yelled, craning her neck out of the bedroom as she frantically searched her dresser.
"Uh, I think that you left them on the counter."
"No, I already checked there; just like I already checked the table, the living room, the bedroom, and the bathtub." She entered the living room in time to see his amused expression.
"The bathtub? Hales, you've been a little scatterbrained lately, sure, but don't you think that that's a stretch even for you?" A sharp pain assaulted her back and she pressed her hand to it absentmindedly, waddling over to stand in front of him. She ignored the pulsing pain in her stomach, the second in an hour.
"Nathan Scott, whether you fully realize it or not, there is a life inside of me that was supposed to pop out two weeks ago, and no one, not the doctors, not the nurses, not the freaking baby books that were supposed to be such and indispensable resource can tell me why! Until you have something swinging from your ribs like a monkey, and no, I am not comparing our offspring to a monkey, you have no right to tell me what a stretch is for me!" Rubbing his neck, Nathan stood up.
"Okay, you're right. But Hales, you've got to lighten up on me here. I'm just as new to all of this as you are, okay? Don't worry. When it's right, it'll happen. Okay?" When she looked down he raised her chin, making eye contact. She nodded ever so slightly, and he brought her in for a careful hug. "Now how about we see where those notes got to?" As he turned towards the kitchen, something most definitely liquid hit the floor with a splat. Turning around slowly, he gulped soundlessly. "Haley, is that what I think it is?"
"It sure is. Go get me some paper towels."
"Haley, are you crazy? We need to get you to the hospital. I mean, are you doing the breathing techniques? We've got to make sure that you're breathing correctly, okay? I'll go bring the car around. Wait, you probably want help packing the suitcase, huh? Oh, shit, I need to call Lucas so that he and Brooke can fly out. What are you doing?" Haley came back from the linen closet, victoriously holding a roll of paper towels.
"Nathan, you've obviously forgotten that while you've been out looking at bassinets and baby blankets with Brooke, I've been reading up on all of the medical aspects of this. I have the suitcase packed and waiting in our room. I look like crap right now and am not leaving the apartment looking like this, so if you want to go and get the car and bring my suitcase down, I'll clean this mess up so that it doesn't stain the carpet and wash my face and brush my hair. This baby isn't coming any time soon, and I don't need you having a panic attack driving me to the hospital." Shock was etched into his face, but when she placed her hands on her hips and stared at him threateningly, he cleared his throat and backed towards the door.
"Right. I'm gonna… yeah…"
"Brooke, come on, don't get it. It can't possibly be that important."
"I know, Lucas, but Peyton was supposed to fly in today, just in case Haley finally delivered unexpectedly. What if that's her?"
"But we were… Brooke… come on…" Brooke rolled her eyes and hopped away, answering the phone cheerfully.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Tigger. It's me. I just thought that you might want to know that Nathan and I are on our way to the hospital."
"Haley, this is so great! I can't believe it! Okay, we are on our way right now. We are going to be there for you as soon as we can manage! Love you, soon-to-be tutor mom!"
"Love you too, Tigger." Haley's voice rose in retaliation to someone in the background. "How should I know how far apart the contractions are? It's not like they're coming every fifteen seconds! No, this call can't wait!" After a slight pause, Haley's voice came through clearly again.
"Bye, Brooke. See you in a few hours." Slamming the phone into the receiver, Brooke ran into the bedroom and pulled on the jeans that she'd discarded a few minutes earlier.
"Lucas, Haley's in labor. I need you to go get Peyton at the airport right now."
"Haley's in labor? Wow, finally. Peyton's flight isn't supposed to be in for fifty more minutes, though, and there's a good chance that it got delayed."
"Exactly, which means that you'll have time to pull some strings with daddy's money and those sexy dimples of yours and get us three first class seats to LA. I will not ride in coach next to someone who I can't fit next to and whose sole purpose in flying across the country is to get me to join the mile high club, do you understand me? No more repeats of Christmas!"
"Okay, okay. Do you want me to come back for you?"
"No, I'll get a cab. What gate are we meeting Peyton at again? Oh, god, Luke, we're having a baby. The five of us are having a baby, you know? We're going to be Aunty Brooke and Uncle Lucas to some little boy or girl!"
"Brooke," Lucas interrupted, taking her by the shoulders and shaking her gently, looking down into her eyes. "Haley's going to have a baby. She and Nathan are going to be parents, and around the time we get there if not before Nathan is going to pass out. You, me, and Peyton are only witnesses, there for moral support, okay? You can do this."
"Okay. Okay. I can do this," she repeated, blowing out air.
"That's right. Try to do some deep breathing, okay?" He kissed the top of her head and pulled on his jacket, hurrying out the door. "Don't forget to bring my laptop, okay baby? I need to work on an article for the school newspaper while we're out there," he called out.
"Gotcha," she yelled back, drowned out by a shutting door.
Peyton entered the gate, running her hand through her hair, curls falling everywhere around her face. Groaning, she dropped her carry-on, quickly spying a pair of ice blue eyes and a mess of tousled blond hair peeking over the top of a newspaper, smiling at her. He set it aside and stood. "It took you long enough to spot me."
"Heaving forbid you make yourself known, you moron," she retorted, walking towards him so quickly she almost flew into his arms. "I missed you, you know that?"
"I missed you too. It's not quite the same without you at least in the same country," he said, releasing her and picking up her carry-on, directing her towards the baggage claim.
"So where exactly is my best friend? Don't tell me that she blew me off for some high profile fashion show."
"Actually, there's some pretty big news. Haley went into labor a little over an hour ago. As soon as we got the call, Brooke shoved me out the door. We're scheduled for a flight in two hours, and if she doesn't get here pretty soon than it looks like I've wasted three thousand bucks on last-minute first class seats to LA." Peyton whistled softly, grinning and shaking her head.
"Lucas, you really shouldn't have. I'll pay you back, okay?"
"Hey, look, I know that you spent all of the money you were saving for this trip when Larry had the heart attack back in October. The least I can do is pay for a plane ticket, especially considering the fact that none of us could make it to the funeral or spend some time with you in Paris." She looked down, the tone of her voice changing.
"Hey, I get it. Don't be silly. Besides, I'm pretty much an expert on grief processing by now, you know? Way to veer off subject, though. I'm going to pay for that plane ticket whether you like it or not."
"Stubborn and tough as ever, I see." Peyton turned around to face the voice behind her, and instantly she was assaulted with a brunette cannonball.
"Brooke! You're here! It's so good to see you!"
"You too, P. Sawyer! Look at you! Ever the funky art student, I see. Your hair is back, too!"
"Well, straightening it every morning got to be such a pain. Look at you! I see that you're still wearing designer everything! You have no idea how proud of you I am for making it through over half of your first year with nothing less than a 'B'!"
"Believe me, it was hard, and I got so sick of having to skip out early on parties so that my hangover wasn't so bad I couldn't navigate my way through tests the next day, but it was worth it." Lucas cleared his throat loudly, and they turned with irritation. "Broody, this can wait."
"Actually, no it can't. I need your help. See, even I can't carry three humongous suitcases plus three bulky carry-ons and guide you two towards check-in and security all by myself."
"Oh, right…" Brooke said, looking down in embarrassment.
"Okay, so let's go to California!" Peyton said, picking up her suitcase and carry-on before leaning in towards Brooke, the two continuing to chatter as Lucas brought up the rear, shaking his head and smiling to himself. It was as if they'd never been over three miles apart.
There is no worse torture in the world… Lucas groaned as he tried to readjust his headphones and get to sleep. Brooke had unfortunately been seated across from him and Peyton, and the two were constantly leaning over him, trying to talk more clearly. All he wanted was some shuteye. They couldn't even give him three solid minutes on a five hour plane ride.
"So how is that sexy piece of work that you brought down at New Years'? What was his name, Jean Paul?"
"Yeah, that's him. We were doing great, until I met the Mrs… Understandably, things didn't exactly go at all after that," Peyton replied, looking down.
"Oh, honey. That good-for-nothing son of a –"
"Brooke, there's a three year old next to you!" Peyton hissed, and Brooke's eyes popped as she giggled.
"Oh, right. Sorry, little guy. Sorry, mom," she apologized to the woman in front of her who was glaring back at her. Turning back to Peyton, she leaning over, her tone conspiratorial. "Have you heard anything from Jake lately?"
"Well, you know… something new surfaced, apparently, and now that the court has ordered a DNA test, they're scheduling everything and waiting. Apparently the judge seems to think that three years of love and care don't make you a father, but contributing to the genetic make-up of a little girl and then dumping her off on someone makes you a mother."
"Oh, hon, I'm sorry."
"Hey, don't be. I just wish that I could be there for them, you know? Jenny doesn't even remember me. Jake won't say it, but I can hear it in his voice… that little girl means so much to me." Tears glittered in her eyes as she looked down.
"Hey, babe, I know that she does. And once Jake gets custody of her, he can fly out to Paris and you three can ride off into the sunset." Brooke reached over and squeezed her friend's hand, her elbow jabbing Lucas in the chest in the process. That's it. He ripped off the earphones, turning to face them one at a time.
"Look, I understand that I'm not in your tight little circle and I'm not allowed to be part of this conversation, but I'm getting really tired of not getting any sleep, any part in a conversation between my girlfriend and her best friend, consequently one of my best friends, too, and being physically abused. Brooke, get up."
"Broody, what are you doing? The seatbelt sign is on." Shooting her a smirk, he raised his eyebrows.
"What, are they going to handcuff us and accuse us of being a safety threat? It'll take us three seconds tops to switch seats."
"You are such a pain," Brooke muttered, snapping the seatbelt off and sliding into the leather seat next to the curly-haired blond who was sending Lucas an apologetic look.
"Sleep in peace, Luke. You won't get much of it once we get to the hospital," she joked, patting his shoulder as he slumped into the seat, cinching the seatbelt before putting on his headphones and settling in for a nap.
"So, tell me the truth. Are you two going to be getting together soon?" Brooke questioned.
"Brooke, no. I already told you that."
"Honey, when the chemistry's there, it's there." Peyton's tired face became sullen for a moment before her measured words came out.
"Brooke, I don't want to hurt your feelings. You know that, right? But I don't think that Jake and I are going to be happening, at least not any time in the near future. Even if he wasn't in the middle of this huge, life-changing event, there is so much that I want to do before I settle down and become a mom. I would love to hop into a car and drive down to Savannah, Georgia and ride away with him and Jenny and do something crazy like get married; but I also want to draw, and I want to paint and travel and have a chance to be normal, to figure out what normal is exactly for me. I need to figure out what I want to do with my life to make it mean something to me. I can't be a mom or a girlfriend until I know that. It's great that you and Luke and Hales and Nate are all so sure, but I need this, I need to think of me, just like Jake needs to think of him and Jenny." Brooke's eyes shown with tears, and she blinked rapidly.
"P. Sawyer, when did you grow up?"
"Hey, I've been a grown up for years, and I'm still waiting for you to catch up," Peyton teased, wiping at her own eyes as she and Brooke laughed.
"Good afternoon, everyone. We have officially started our descent into LA. If you look out your window, you can see…"
"A thick layer of sickening smog," Brooke finished humorlessly.
"Any plans to visit the parents while we're here?" Peyton asked.
"Nope. After they forgot my birthday this fall and then paid for it by sending me and 'Lewis', whoever that is, a free vacation to Florida for spring break during the week of my most important midterms, I kind of gave up on that notion." Peyton nodded sympathetically, not speaking what was on her mind. Brooke's eyes altered and flooded with realization.
"Oh, Peyton, I'm so sorry. Here I am complaining about my parents when you don't even…"
"Hey, Brooke, it's okay. No harm done, right?" Brooke looked down, hating the flimsy shield of a smile that was meant to cover the pain she saw in her best friend's eyes.
The three of them rushed into the hospital, finding the right floor in record time. Nathan was pacing in the waiting room, and they rushed over to him, all of them hugging him and flooding him with questions at the same time.
"Why aren't you in there with Haley?" Brooke demanded.
"There weren't complications or anything, right?" Peyton asked fearfully, biting her lip.
"The only complication was Haley becoming hysterical after a contraction and screaming at me to get out, telling me to send Peyton and Brooke in when they got here."
"How long ago was this?" Lucas questioned, his arm around Brooke's shoulder.
"Five minutes ago. Honestly, I don't know what's wrong with her. One minute we were fine, and then the next…"
"Don't worry, we'll take care of this," Brooke assured, and she and Peyton went to the room that Nathan pointed to. When they got in, Haley smiled through tears in relief.
"You guys, I'm so glad you're here! I knew that you would make it!" They walked over to her bed, Brooke grabbing Peyton's hand as well as Haley's, remembering how much she hated hospitals.
"We wouldn't miss it for the world. Now, what's this about you throwing Nathan out, hmm?" Peyton winced at Brooke's bluntness and set to work smoothing out the sheets and taking the brush on the nightstand, untangling Haley's hair with long, even strokes. Haley burst out crying, rendering Brooke speechless in shock. She quickly snatched the brush from Peyton, taking over. "Peyton, this is your call. I'm bad with crisis situations," Brooke hissed, her face displaying her panic. Peyton sat down next to Haley and took hold of her hand and looking straight into Haley's eyes.
"What's going on, Haley?"
"Oh, Peyton, I'm so scared. This morning all I wanted was for this baby to be born, but now I don't know. I'm only eighteen. I mean, here I am, a freshman in college, and I'm having a baby? Nathan and I don't know what we're doing. He thinks that we're fine, but I know better. It's going to be a mess of finding baby-sitters and squeezing in assignments and I'm never going to see my daughter, and I just can't do it!" As a contraction came on, Haley gave a low groan and squeezed Peyton's hand, mashing it in a way it wasn't supposed to go.
"Haley James-Scott, you listen to me. As a kid who didn't have a mom around for a lot of her life, I can tell you three things. One, you're going to be fine. I already took a leave of absence from school so that I could be here with you for six weeks, and after that you guys will figure something out. You will see your daughter. It's not going to be easy, but you'll find a way to make time for her, even if it means slowing down and taking a year or two more to finish school, which I'm not saying is going to happen. Secondly, you have a distraught husband out there who wants nothing more than to come in here and hold your hand and be with you during one of the most monumental moments of both of your lives. Okay? We're all here for you. You're not alone. It's not going to be easy, but it'll be okay. I promise you." Haley smiled, sniffling.
"What was the third thing?"
"When did you find out the sex of the baby? I thought that you guys were going to wait until delivery!"
"That was Nathan's idea, so don't tell him that I burst his bubble and let you guys in on it. Of course I know that I'm having a girl. A mother knows these things." Brooke set down the brush, edging gently onto the bed on Haley's other side.
"See? You just called yourself a mom." Haley's eyes lit up.
"Yeah, I guess I did, didn't I?"
"It fits you, Haley," Brooke replied, and the three of them hugged for a moment. The moment was shattered when Haley let out a piercing scream.
"Okay, you guys had better go get Nathan, because these contractions aren't getting any farther apart." The two of them smiled, leaving the room and summoning a nervous but relieved Nathan.
"Okay, Mrs. James-Scott, you're going to need to push a little harder. I know that you have it in you," the doctor said encouragingly.
"How do you know I have it in me? You've certainly never given birth," Haley spat out at the most decidedly male doctor, grinding her teeth as a wave of pain rolled over her, so intense it left her gasping. Nathan's grasp on her hand tightened.
"Hales, look at me. You are a fighter. You have never given up on anything, ever. Not one me, not on us, and not on making the dean's list no matter how far backwards you have to bend. We're almost at the home stretch. Let's do this." Sweat and tears mingled, rolling down her face, and Haley turned to him.
"Okay," she whispered, almost childlike in her obedience. With that, she bit her tongue, and suddenly…
"We've got a head here. Okay, come on, just a little bit more… shoulders… knees… Mr. and Mrs. Scott, you officially have a beautiful baby girl." Nathan left a spent Haley's side for a moment to catch a glimpse of her, choking up.
"Oh, Hales, she's beautiful." The nurse brought her over, and the three of them huddled together. "I'm so, so proud of you for doing this," he added, swallowing back another wave of tears as he looked at the little bundle in his wife's arms in awe.
"No, Nathan, it wasn't just me. It was us. I could never have done this without you." She leaned up to kiss him, and he put his arm around her. "Hey there. I'm your mommy, and this is your daddy," Haley cooed, Nathan following in suit.
Lucas, Peyton, and Brooke entered the room quietly, trying not to ruin the moment. When Haley and Nathan noticed them, they motioned for them to come forward.
"Come on over, you guys," Haley whispered, smiling down at the little girl.
"Oh, you two, she's gorgeous," Brooke said, leaning over to get a closer look.
"Yeah, she is," Lucas agreed, smiling down at the baby. "Hey, honey. It's your uncle Luke. During the next eighteen years you're gonna need me around whenever your pain-in-the-butt father needs some straightening out, and I'm gonna be his right-hand man if some guy ever tries to hurt you."
"What are you going to name her?" Peyton asked, looking up from her perch next to Brooke. Haley and Nathan smiled at each other and Haley spoke.
"We decided that if we had a girl, we'd name her Brookelynn Elizabeth, with two 'n's' at the end, named after you two, and named after Ellie as well."
"Oh, you guys. I feel so honored," Brooke said, getting teary. They all turned to a silent Peyton, who had tears streaming down her face.
"Oh, Peyton, we're sorry. We didn't mean to dishonor your memory of Ellie," Nathan jumped in worriedly.
"No, it's not that at all," she managed, her voice thick with some inexplicable emotion. "I can't think of anything that could possibly give me or my memory of Ellie more joy. You have no idea how much… how much… thanks," she finished, biting back a sob. Brooke and Lucas hugged her, Lucas's arms around Haley and Peyton and Nathan reaching his other hand over to encircle Brooke's shoulders, forming a perfect, connected circle. "Can I hold her?" Peyton asked timidly, and Haley willingly obliged.
"Hey, Brookelynn. I'm not technically your aunty, or even almost technically like Brooke, but I'm your aunt all the same." She stopped for a moment, Jenny's face flashing in her mind. "You should know that you are surrounded by more love than you can imagine, and that you will never, ever, be alone, you hear me?"
"That's right," Brooke reiterated, and Peyton handed the baby back to Haley. The five of them smiled down at the little girl. A nurse came entered, making her way towards the bunch.
"Excuse me, but the four of you are going to have to leave, and Mrs. Scott, we're going to have to take the baby to the nursery and get you all taken care of. It's standard protocol. You four can see the baby through the nursery window and then come back to visit Mrs. Scott as soon as she's settled into her room." Nathan was hesitant, but Haley shooed him away, winking at Brooke, Lucas, and Peyton.
"Take care of him for me, will you, Luke?"
"Sure thing, Hales." Peyton and Brooke each took one of Nathan's arms, pulling him out of the room.
"I'm sorry to hurry off, but I just want to go call Jake and let him in on the news really quickly," Peyton said, and Brooke offered to go get coffee for everyone, which ended up being coffee for her and Lucas since neither Nathan or Peyton wanted any. Peyton walked to the other end of the waiting room, dialing Jake's number on her cell.
"Hello?" His voice came in clearly, and she smiled.
"Hey, you."
"Peyton! How are you?"
"I'm fine. Actually, I was calling to let you know that Nathan and Haley just had a little girl, Brookelynn Elizabeth."
"That's great. I wish them all the best."
"Okay, I'll tell them." As Brooke entered the waiting room again, Peyton shifted. "Hey, I would love to talk to you more, but Brooke just got back, and we've got to go give Nathan some moral support…"
"I understand completely. Call me whenever you get a chance, okay? I miss you, you know." She smiled sadly for a moment.
"I miss you too. Talk to you later. Bye." Brooke waved her over and they made their way towards the nursery.
Nathan and Lucas were silent, both watching the baby intently. Finally, Nathan started to talk. "You know, it's crazy, but I just keep on watching her, just to make sure that she's breathing. I don't know why I think that she's going to stop, but I just… I'm scared to let her out of my sight."
"That's not crazy. It's normal." Nathan swallowed, continuing.
"I don't know how I'm going to do it. It's hard enough letting Haley out of my sight, especially after what happened last spring... but now Brookelynn? Lucas, I am already so completely crazy about this little girl. I can't even get over the fact that she's here. There are so many… so many risks. If I look away for a second, she could get hurt or… or worse." Turning to Nathan, Lucas offered a rare smile.
"Nathan, look at her. Look at her like I'm looking at her, and see what I see. Do you see that face? She's Haley through and through, but you're in there too, see? She's a fighter, I can tell already. I can't begin to understand the flood of emotions that you must be feeling right now, but I can tell you this: she is the daughter of a man who stood up to a shooter and a woman who has the guts to let this man know when he's getting on her nerves. She's cut from a good cloth, and with you two here, loving her the way that I know you will, she'll be fine." Snorting to hide the tears burning his eyes, Nathan gave him the legendary Scott smirk.
"See, this is why I keep you around. You always know just when to pull out the Hallmark quote."
"Well, somebody's got to get you straightened out from time to time… little brother." The two of them laughed just as Brooke and Peyton walked up.
"You know, she's going to be a heartbreaker. I can tell already," Brooke declared. Peyton shook her head with a grin.
"Yeah, she'll be a heartbreaker all right, but she'll be a rebel, too. I can just feel it."
"Okay, given our teenage years, how about we spare the father any more nervousness, okay?" Lucas interjected, and the two of them glared at him playfully. The same nurse from earlier exited the nursery, walking up to them.
"Mr. Scott, your wife's ready in room 216. I'll bring in the baby and help her with her first nursing session in twenty minutes or so. I'd imagine the little thing's quite hungry. She's already peed on a doctor and two nurses." Nathan shot a glance at the little girl through the window with surprise written all over his face, and Peyton tried unsuccessfully to suppress a smile.
"I told you guys she was a wild child."
Ten Months Later
"Lucas, will you just let it go? I don't have time for this right now."
"Oh, okay, so you have time to trash the entire apartment throwing a party and you have time to spend fifty minutes in the bathroom this morning when I'm the one with a seven o'clock class, but when it comes to a serious discussion you don't have any time. Right." Brooke spun around, her eyes reflecting her anger.
"Listen to me. I have a ten-page paper due, and I don't need you getting all righteous on me. I told you that I needed to blow off some steam and I asked you about the party, and you said it was fine!"
"If I'd known that you would be irresponsible enough to get so plastered that you passed out on the couch leaving about five different orgies, three kegs, and an unidentified number of crushed cups and broken dishes in the apartment, I wouldn't have said it was fine!"
"Don't you dare get all defensive on me! You know that I like to party hard! Besides, maybe if you hadn't stayed out with some loser chick at the library half the night, I wouldn't have gotten so plastered!"
"How many times do I have to tell you that Larissa and I are just working on an assignment together? Excuse me for having a challenging major!" Brooke jumped up, mere inches from his face.
"Don't you dare use that condescending tone with me! You know how important designing is to me, and I can't believe that you would be so disrespectful of that!" Lucas started to say something but stopped himself, walking to the other end of the now-cleaned living room. He turned around, running a hand through his hair.
"Look, we're both under a lot of stress right now. Maybe it would be best if we both took a break and talked about this later on." Brooke crossed her arms, looking away.
"Fine," she whispered, not meeting his gaze. After a moment of silence, he grabbed his car keys and walked out quietly. Brooke immediately dialed Haley and Nathan's phone number.
"Hey, Brooke," a cheery voice said. Something snapped, and Brooke couldn't hold it in any longer. The sobs came quickly, overtaking her. "Oh, Brooke. Don't tell me that you and Lucas had another fight."
"I don't know what's wrong with us. That's all that we're doing these days. Even when we make up, he's so distant. He's always at the library or at school or at a bookstore, and when he's home he's either working or we're having sex. We never go out, we never talk anymore. I just don't know what to do, Haley."
"Honey, this is just a phase. You're both so busy. Believe me, I know the feeling. Nathan and I had a couple of rough months after Peyton went back to Paris, but things worked out eventually. You guys just need to hit your stride."
"We're in our third semester of college. What is there to hit?"
"All of the work is more difficult now. And whether he'll admit it or not, Lucas is really missing Karen. He's just trying to hide. He'll come around eventually." Haley's soothing voice calmed Brooke down. She heard baby laughter in the background.
"Is that Nathan and Lynn?" They'd adopted the nickname for now, partially to eliminate any name mix-ups.
"Yeah. She's so excited to be spending time with her Daddy and her Mommy in the same day. We're going to go out to the park with her in a little while."
"Oh, Haley, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt…"
"Brooke, you're never interrupting," Haley objected, her voice firm. "Look, you guys will work this out, okay? I'm going to go now. Do some schoolwork, go shopping, call Peyton; whatever helps you blow off steam. When Lucas gets back, sit down with him and have a heart-to-heart. Call me back after you two make up, and leave out the details… being a mom has made me even more conscious of X-rated materials." Brooke chuckled, wiping away the last of her tears with a Kleenex.
"Okay, I'll catch you later. Give my love to Nathan and my niece."
"Will do. Bye." The phone line went dead, and after taking a deep breath, Brooke finished her paper and took a shower, trying to clear her head. Lucas would be home soon, and they would make up, and she wanted to make sure that this time it was more than a five-second conversation.
Peyton frowned at the empty pad before her. She grabbed her pencil, trying once again to sketch something, anything. She drew the thick outline of the three women sitting two tables over, but she cursed, realizing that she'd gotten the proportions all wrong. Something was off with her work, with her, and she couldn't figure out what. Slipping her sketchbook into her backpack, she signaled for the familiar waiter, a good friend of hers named Mark, to bring her the check, using the French that she'd picked up surprisingly quickly.
"No luck today?" he asked. She shook her head, looking down, ashamed for some reason. Instead of leaving, he sat down next to her. "Sometimes it helps to get away from it for awhile, to make yourself miss it," he offered. She smiled. If anyone would know, it was him. She'd heard the songwriter and lead singer play with his band on occasion, and his lyrics were pure genius. She sighed, massaging the bridge of her nose.
"Maybe you're right. I already miss it, though. It's so frustrating." He nodded and then fixed his gaze on her bag.
"Would it be too much to ask… could I look at your drawings?" On impulse, Peyton nodded, handing him her sketchbook. She watched the small smile on his face as he leafed through her drawings of Nathan, Haley, Lynn, Brooke, Lucas, and her with Jake and Jenny. He pointed to Jenny.
"Is she your sister?"
"No, she's Jake's daughter. He's the man standing next to her," she said, pointing him out. Feeling compelled to tell him more, she continued. "Her mother abandoned her when she was three weeks old. Then when she came back, things got ugly. She ended up getting full custody, because it turns out that Jake isn't Jenny's biological father." Studying her face, the dark-haired young man beside her smiled sadly.
"This must be hard for him."
"It is. He won't talk about it. For awhile things were really bad… now he's finally enrolled in college in Chicago. We used to talk all the time, he and I; but for the first time in awhile, I can feel the ocean between us." She looked down, and his face reflected understanding.
"Your art is like my music. It comes from your heart. Maybe the reason that your fingers are so confused is because your heart is in the same state." Peyton smiled at him.
"You know, for someone who doesn't know me, you're sure making a lot of assumptions."
"But I'm right, aren't I?" He winked, and she blushed, suddenly confused. She shouldn't be here, pouring out her heart to this guy, almost flirting with him. Not with Jake so far away. Not with the way they were. She nodded and stood abruptly, leafing through her wallet.
"This is the right amount, right?"
"Yes, that's it."
"Well, thanks. I really needed someone to talk to." She turned to leave, but he reached out, his fingers grazing her elbow. An unwelcome tingle traveled up her arm as she turned to face him.
"Peyton… I know that this man is still very important to you, and I don't want to overstep any boundaries, but I would like to take you out some time." Trying to hide her surprise, Peyton looked up, down, everywhere but at those steady green eyes of his.
"Look, Mark, I'm flattered, really I am, but I can't. I just… can't." For a moment, the briefest glimmer of disappointment surfaced on his face, but he quickly replaced it as a smile.
"Well, then. I guess I'll see you tomorrow. And if you should ever change your mind… the offer still stands." As she walked away, she shook her head, trying to take away all of the strange and mixed emotions coursing through her. I love Jake. I love Jake. She'd barely reached her apartment when Brooke called her.
"Hey, B. Davis," she said lightly, trying to mask her mood.
"Hey," she replied flatly. "Lucas and I had another fight. Then we made up." Peyton looked at her watch, realizing that it was the middle of the night in New York.
"Brooke, what's wrong?"
"Peyton, we hardly even talked, except to apologize." There was a pause and she heard Brooke take a sharp breath. "Why does he have to be so distant?" At a loss for words, she answered as truthfully as she could.
"I don't know, Brooke. I really don't."
"I wish you were here. You always were good with him when he gets like this."
"Brooke, he loves you. Just give him some time and he'll come around. I know it." Brooke yawned softly, sighing before answering.
"Yeah, I guess. I just wish that you were here sometimes. Or that I was there."
"Me too, Brooke," Peyton whispered, frowning as she looked across the street, catching sight of Mark as he smiled and conversed with some customers. "Me too."