A/N: How amazing are you guys?? Let me tell you! Super amazing! Over 100 reviews! Thank you readers and reviewers! Besides Lucas and Peyton being my inspiration you guys are what keep my juices flowing. :D

Flashbacks in Italics

Chapter Twelve:

Walking into the house the feeling of love generating from every person was enough to cause the older women to jump for glee. Closing the door behind her she noticed the very familiar face of someone she hadn't seen in more than a decade; the women she always considered a daughter and for a second she believed that she was meant to be her daughter-in-law.

She didn't make her presence known, but her steps brought her closer and closer to the contagious laughter that belonged to the person who should have been a part of her family all these years. Catching each other's eye nothing needed to be said as hugs were embraced by a mother and a daughter. The years that separated them from one another were brought by a boy, but the reunion they shared was also brought by the very same man.

"Karen."

"Peyton."

They said simultaneously chuckling as the name of the woman in front of them rolled off of their tongue. The smiles growing wider and wider their bodies found its way back into the arms of the mother figure and that of the daughter that was never had.

"It's so good to see you." Karen stated her chocolate brown eyes glazing over with unshed tears. Peyton nodded. "It's been so long."

"It has." The lone tear escaping from Karen's eyes. "Hey, don't do that. Don't cry." She pleaded, but letting the laugh escape her throat. "Because if you start than I don't think I'll be able to stop."

The crowd around them began to grow as they witnessed the never faltering relationship of a mother and another mother. Brooke handed the two each a Kleenex and grabbed one for herself as she dabbed the tears under her own eyes not wanting her make up to smear.

"Okay as much as I love the movie Terms of Endearment." Both of Brooke's palms where held out one towards Karen and the other towards Peyton as she made a point. "This is a party so no tears, kay?"

"Not even happy ones?"

The dark haired mother asked.

"Okay, I guess I can make an exception for that."

Karen's free arm opened and Brooke joined in on the group hug. These were two women that Karen would call her children any day of any year.

"This is so much better than being on Oprah Winfrey." Leighton explained. "I can see it now. Her introduction would read: Mother who helped raised motherless children reunited after almost sixteen years. Welcome Kareeen, Peyyytooon, and Brrrrooooke."

The family from each part of the country laughed at the blonde teenager's attempt to impersonate the very still popular woman of talk shows. Her arm was extended out as if introducing the three her voice becoming higher and hitched as she extended the names of her grandmother, mother, and godmother.

Peyton brought her daughter into a one armed hug smiling.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite daughter."

Leighton wrapped her arm around her mother's back smiling. Lucas couldn't help but noticed that they had the very same smile.

"Psh. You say that to all your daughters."

Of course he knew this ever since his little girl was born, but just seeing them together next to each other smiling caused his heart to ach for the family he could have had.

"True, but I only mean it when I say it to you."

The joking banter between mother and daughter held not only their eye contact, but the strong gaze of the blue eyes of the daughter's father. Peyton's eyes found Lucas and her eyes sparkled a bit more and even Haley could see the life coming back into Lucas' blue orbs; the life she hadn't seen in quite some time. She wondered if she made the right decision on the night that changed her best friend's life.

The rain drops splashed along with window seal as the grey sky grew darker and darker. Three days had gone by since Peyton had called and ever since then this year's summer turned into an uncontrollable storm. The sky was angry bolting lighting rods to the ground the thunderous sounds waking up her sleeping baby causing Haley to wonder if what she did was an omen.

"Hey, I heard Jamie crying and I wanted to make sure everything was okay."

The new friend came through the nursery watching her boyfriend's sister-in-law holding her offspring; who was almost a year and a half old.

"Yeah, he's fine. The thunder just scares him." Haley rocked back and forth on the white glider. "Can we talk?"

Lindsay nodded taking a seat on the matching ottoman crossing her legs.

"So I didn't mean to ease drop or anything and I know you and Luke just started going out a couple months ago, but I want you to know that we're all here for you and your baby."

"Haley?" Lindsay's eyebrows stitched together in confusion. "Wait you think I'm…I'm not pregnant. Haley, me and Luke aren't a couple and we haven't even…y'know. We're just really good friends."

"What? Three days ago." Haley asked. "But I…I heard you talking over to the phone saying otherwise."

Lindsay racked her brains for a conversation that could have involved her saying those two words.

"Oh." She remembered what phone call she was talking about. "I was talking to my friend from New York. She's the one that's pregnant and was telling me all the stuff she was going through. I said that I wondered how I'd act when…than you walked in when I said...I'm pregnant."

"It was all a misunderstanding."

Haley voiced above a whisper as she thought only about Peyton.

"It looks like it. I was going to tell you about it, but than your phone rang and I guess I just forgot."

And of the lie that she told her. Of course it wasn't a lie when she spoke to her friend, but now it was and it was all because of mistake.

Preston held the orange basketball in his right hand, his left hand covered in a black cast, feeling the rigid bumps across his callused hands. He twirled the ball on the tip of his index finger. Bouncing the ball on the driveway's cement he bent his knees and tossed the ball into the hoop the sounding swish of the ball coming free from the net.

"I still got it."

He mumbled as the ball finally came to a stop resting at his feet.

"So how are you holding up?"

Looking away from the net he sighed his blue-green eyes met that of his twin sisters.

"One broken arm. I might not be able to play basketball this year. How do you think I'm holding up?"

"Your arms going to be fine by the time summer's over. So, stop being such a drama queen." Leighton rolled her eyes grabbing the ball and threw it into the air missing the hoop by a lot. "That's my job."

Inside the house people separated into groups talking amongst themselves and somehow Lucas and Peyton were left together.

"So how are things with you and Lindsay?" She asked because she could see the coldness in his form when she was around or brought up, like now. He gave her a shrug. "Lucas I know it's none of my business, but you can always come to me if something's wrong; I'm here for you. And if you don't want to talk about it and pretend everything's fine than at least do a better job of sneaking down stairs to sleep on the couch."

"The first night that Preston was in the hospital Lindsay told me Elliot had HCM." Peyton gasped in shock. "She lied." Another gasp left her lips her eyes widening in horror. "How could she lie about something like that?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. She was the first person he told about the incident. He hadn't even told Haley, his best friend, about it. But it just felt so right being able to tell her all of this. She was the person he could go to for anything and everything and he's missed that over the many years they were apart. She wasn't sure what he wanted to hear from her and maybe he didn't need to hear anything from her because as her arms wrapped around his neck they both knew that this was enough.

They embraced each other for a couple minutes as she was the one to break the contact.

"I just wanted to tell you again how thankful I am to you, Luke. For letting me stay at your place and all."

"It's no problem at all, Peyt. It's actually been really great to have you back here in Tree Hill. It feels like that one thing that's been missing all this time has finally been filled. And I guess it's been you all along."

He didn't know it but it was a natural instinct as his hand began to rub her arm in up and down motions. Her smile was small and sweet and none of it was a fake.

Brooke watched as her best friend spoke with the guy she was sure was still the love of her life; her brown eyes than roamed towards that guy's wife and Brooke couldn't help as she placed blame on that woman. The two blondes would have each other if it wasn't for her.

Walking into her New York penthouse she placed the pink and brown car seat onto the couch as her best friend placed the blue and brown car seat next to her goddaughters.

"Brooke, you weren't kidding when you said this place was huge! It's amazing"

Peyton looked around the apartment in amazement. She had only seen the bottom floor, but it was already twice as big as her apartment in Los Angeles.

"And it's lonely. So I'm glad that you're staying for a couple of months. That label you work at gave you great benefits. I mean seven month's maternity leave; that's what's amazing."

"I did tell them I wanted my children to get the best nutrition they could get from me. So they agreed one month before the twins were born and six months after."

"Peyton did I tell you that you look fantastic." Brooke awed at her friends flat stomach. She remembered when one of her models became pregnant and couldn't lose the baby weight for four months. But with Peyton apparently the weight had just come off her like magic. "You can't even tell you had a baby not to mention two."

Peyton blushed still not able to take a compliment not even from her best friend as she muttered thanks.

After settling in and putting to sleep the infants in the nursery that Brooke had set up Peyton finally turned on her cell phone already noting the six missed calls; all from her very close friend that she had left in Los Angeles. Brooke took a seat next to her friend handing over the bag of Lay's cheddar chips.

"So how is Chris Keller doing?" Brooke's face became distorted when she mentioned the name of the guy she loathed, causing her to get a look from Peyton. "I still can't believe you made him godfather to Preston."

"Brooke." She sighed. "The Keller's been there for me for everything so…"

"Fine I'll be nice." Brooke's dimpled smile appeared. "But since when do you call him The Keller?"

That was a rhetorical question.

"Yeah cause you not inviting him to stay broke his heart."

"More like his ego." She received another look from Peyton. "I'm sorry. It was the last one. I promise. I'll be nice."

Peyton smiled.

"You know he was very adamant on coming to New York. Especially when he found out I'd be gone for four months. I was actually this close to not coming." Peyton held her thumb and index fingers centimeters apart. "Told me you were going to be busy with your fashion line, but then you called and said you were only sketching for your spring line. I swear he almost cried when we were at the airport."

"He's a good friend..." Brooke's raspy voice broke in. "P. Sawyer."

Peyton agreed thinking of how the two best friends were going to spend the next four months together with 8 week old newborns.

Walking back into their Uncle Nathan and Aunt Haley's house they walked passed their step mother, Lindsay and shuddered.

"I can't stand her."

Leighton informed her big brother hoping that the older woman had heard her. She wasn't much for drama, but something made her crave it when it involved Lindsay. Everyone thought she was so perfect, but she knew deep down and from experience she was anything but.

"I know she's…"

"Eval?"

Brother and sister turned around to face one of the funniest people in the world.

"I was going for bitch, but yours works too."

Chris thought for a moment. Should he scold them? If he did he wouldn't be the coolest person ever, like they had said.

"Eval bitch. I like it."

Leighton and Preston turned to look at each other and laughed. Feeling cold eyes on them the three turned and watched as daggers were headed towards them. The blue dead eyes watched.

Quickly making their way towards Brooke, whose eyes were still glued to the small soap opera that was Lucas and Peyton, they looked for some salvation against the wicked step mother.

"Aunt Brooke?"

Preston asked, but was hushed by Chris when he noticed where she was looking.

One month in New York had gone by quickly Brooke thought and so far it was going perfectly except for the visit from Victoria who had said that Peyton was just a leech using her children as leverage to stand in the way of Brooke's dream; Peyton was standing right there when she had said it. Before Brooke could stop anything Peyton's own verbal threat was lashing towards the old bitter shrew. Another threat about knocking her out cause Victoria to run out of the house and hasn't made a house call since.

Brooke cradled her goddaughter in her arms; the soft whimpers began to escape the baby's small lips. Remembering what Peyton said that music calmed them down Brooke began to sing a song that played on the radio. It was some rapper singing and this only seemed to add lighter fluid to the fire as the infant's whimpering became cries.

"P. Sawyer, hurry up in there my goddaughter is very hungry. You've been feeding Preston for like…" Brooke's eyes scanned the clock on the wall. "A while."

Brooke could hear her friend through the closed nursery door.

"You're just like Chris." Peyton joked. "Hurry my godchild's hungry."

She mimicked him perfectly even through her laughter. The cries of her daughter brought her back to reality.

"Brooke there's a CD inside of the diaper bag. It's in the pocket on the left hand side. Track seven is the one you want to play."

Brooke hurried and took out the mixed CD. The front cover reading "Song's to make you think of ME!" as she quickly stuffed it into her stereo her fingers quickly running through the songs as the number she needed came closer and closer. The soft music played as the lyrics began.

Give me a reason to fall in love
Take my hand and let's dance
Give me a reason to make me smile
Cause I think I forgot how

Brooke was more of a beat kind of girl, but this song caught her attention and for the first time the lyrics spoke to her. The crying stopped and the baby girl became calm.

"I can see why you like this song."

I wanna fall asleep with you tonight
I wanna know that I am safe when you hold me tight
I wanna feel like I wanna feel forever

"This defiantly could be a mommy and baby song. That is if it wasn't already your mommy and daddy's song."

The door bell rang once; putting the baby in the Eddie Bauer Summer Breeze basinet she went to answer the door. Her eyes widening when she seen the man that stood behind the door.

Girls need attention, and boys need us
So let's make everybody glad
That they have each other in each other's arms
Oh let's make everybody glad

"Lucas?" She was frozen. She didn't know what to do. "What? What are you doing here?"

Lucas moved pass Brooke into her living room not noticing the white basinet or the bottles on the table.

"Brooke…I know you said that we weren't going to see each other for a long time, but I need to know where Peyton's at. I sent her an invite to my book signing. She didn't come. I tried calling her and her phones disconnected. When I was in LA I stopped by her place and her neighbor said she hadn't seen her in a while. Please I know she still talks to you and I need to know where she's at."

His small speech came out in a rush that Brooke was only to understand parts of it. Mostly Peyton and basically him saying that he needed her.

I want you.

The nursery door opened causing both Brooke and Lucas to look in the direction of the white door. Brooke already knew who was walking out, but Lucas didn't. His eyes gazing at the woman he adored her head lowered not knowing he's there as she fixed her tank top.

"Okay, Brooke, I'm ready to nurse Elle."

Finally looking up her green eyes met those of her babies' fathers. And she froze and he froze.

I wanna dream away with you tonight
We can go anywhere you would like
I wanna feel how I wanna feel forever

I want you

The song ended causing the baby to stir and cry. Out of instinct Peyton rushed towards where her baby lie and lifted her up bringing her close to her chest gently rocking her from side to side; automatically that baby's whimpers ceased to exist. Forgetting that Lucas was even there she spoke to her infant daughter as she relaxed into her mother's touch.

"Shhh, my love, mommy's here."

That's when Lucas noticed everything. The baby carrier, the bottles, the diaper bag, the toys, the pacifiers, baby monitors, the now empty basinet, and everything baby related he could think of was there. Then there was the baby itself. She was dressed in a pale pink dress with matching booties a white long sleeved shirt to keep her warm in New York's winter, her fair skin looked so smooth with blonde curls attached to the top of her small head, and a small bow that hung lopsided..

A/N: So??? What do you think?? Remember this is only Part 1. (there will be 2) Push the green button and review :D because truly your reviews make me think of all these crazy ideas! So hope you enjoyed it! Did you all get the part for the mixed CD?? I was watching that episode today where they did the flashbacks and Peyton gives Luke a CD with that inscription. I just wanted to basically show that she still kept it..

Oh and I usually don't write songs into my fics, but I love this song! It's from Meiko and it's called Reasons to Love You...and I usually don't give spoilers for my next chapter, but how'd you all like to see a confrontation between Lindsay and Peyton??