One Year Ago

"Brooke Davis." He greeted, brushing his hand across the small of her back. "Hey, girlie. I'm glad I ran into you. This is Ricky Hall, he just moved here."

"Brooke Davis." She replied, turning away from her reflection in the mirror and sticking her hand out. "Cheerleading captain and Class President. Welcome to Tree Hill."

Ricky smiled and kissed her knuckle. "Lovely to meet you, Miss. Davis."

He was cute, Brooke decided, but she'd sworn off new boys after her whirlwind, and all around epic fail of a relationship with Felix. That didn't mean she couldn't try to fix up a certain blonde, curly haired best friend of hers.

Speaking of the devil.

"Peyton!" Brooke sang, grabbing her arm and yanking her back. "Hi! I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Umm, Brooke..." Peyton raised an eye brow. "You just saw me... I gave you a ride to school this morning."

Lucas laughed. "Peyton, this is Ricky. Ricky, this is Peyton Sawyer, Brooke's best friend, and fellow cheerleader. Ricky's our new forward."

"Oh." She smiled and held her hand out. "Hey, welcome to Tree Hill. You picked a pretty good school. They've got a kick ass basketball team."

"And super hot cheerleaders."

The two shared a look. As her best friend, and as her ex-boyfriend, Lucas and Peyton knew Brooke Penelope Davis all too well. The last time she'd tried to hook Peyton up, she'd been roofied. Lucas had almost broken the prick's jaw.

"Luke!" Brooke said suddenly, slipping her arm through his. "Hey, Broody, I was looking for you earlier! I was hoping I could steal you for a few... It's kind of important?"

"I kind of have to finish the tour, Brooke..."

"Peyton can do it!" She offered, giving her best friend a playful shove. "Right, Blondie? Great! Thanks! See you two cuties at lunch!"

Before Lucas could protest, or comprehend the situation, he was already halfway down the hallway.

"That was..." Ricky paused, searching for the right words. "Subtle?"

"Subtle is Brooke's middle name." Peyton replied with a shrug. "C'mon, I'll finish the tour. And if you're really lucky, I'll even let you buy me a coffee after your first practice."

"Brooke?" He questioned, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Hey... What's wrong?"

Peyton Sawyer is a good friend... Brooke Davis is my girlfriend

Without waiting for an answer, Lucas pulled her into a hug, his arms winding around her waist. Brooke hugged him back, grateful for the comfort. They had been through so much together in the last two years, and yet somehow they had managed to survive everything and remain friends.

I love you, Lucas, and I probably always will, but we go days without having a meaningful conversation... And I used to miss you so much when that happened, but it never seemed like you missed me. And I guess because of it I stopped missing you...

Lucas! He couldn't be there! He could not see Peyton all banged up, he'd kill Ricky! He'd act just like his good-for-nothing father.

She pulled away from him abruptly, forcing herself to smile.

"Luke..." She drew out. "What... What are you doing here? Everything okay, Broody?"

Lucas frowned. He was already suspicion after the hysterical call he'd received from Peyton's boyfriend, claiming that his 'insane' little brother had kidnapped his girlfriend.

And now, there was Brooke, looking so distraught. Something was definitely going on, and his friends were avoiding telling him the truth.

"Have you seen Peyton?" He asked. "Ricky called me, he said something about Nate kidnapping her? He was pretty worked up."

Brooke froze.

We should do this more often.

Do what?

Be friends.

"I haven't seen her since yesterday." She lied. "I just came here to get Haley so we could go shopping."

"Un huh." Lucas muttered. "Then why are you crying? Huh?"

We are friends.

Yeah, but we should be friends.

I'd like that.

"Your brother called me a bitch!" Brooke blurted out. "Sorry if I get a little sensitive sometimes! God!"

She burst into tears again.

Unsure of what to say, Lucas wrapped his arm around her again and raised his free hand to knock on the door.

"Hey, big brother." Nathan greeted, swinging it open. "Oh... Brooke, come on! Stop crying! I didn't mean it, alright?"

"What the hell, Nate?" He demanded, protective of her as always. "Call her that again and I'll kick your ass."

Lucas pushed Brooke in front of him to enter, keeping an arm around her waist to support her weight.

"We need to talk, Nate."

I think everybody knows that Nathan and I got off to a pretty sketchy start. Nathan; mutual hatred sound about right?

Worse.

"Hey, Lucas." Haley greeted from the couch, flipping through a magazine. "What's up?"

Lucas glanced around the apartment, his eyes full of suspicion. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, the room was clean, thanks to Haley's OCD. The bedroom door was closed, but that wasn't out of the ordinary since it was the one room she could never seem to keep up, thanks to his little brother.

"Did you take Peyton somewhere?" He asked. "Ricky called me. He said you basically dragged her out of the house without motive."

"Peyton?" Nathan raised an eye brow. "Dude, I haven't talked to her since last night. She was here for a few minutes, but I haven't seen her since. That guy is crazy. I don't know what she sees in him."

Neither do I. Lucas thought.

Look, I don't need you defending me and my work. I don't need you analyzing it or interpreting me either. And in fact, I'm pretty sure I don't need you at all.

Pretty sure?

He'd been in love with Peyton Sawyer since the first time he'd seen her. They had been in second grade, and even then she'd been popular. He'd spent years watching her, and then came that fateful day that her car had broken down, and his Uncle Keith had sent him to rescue her.

Complicated was only one word that could be used to describe their relationship. Lucas had cheated on Brooke with Peyton, and then ended up losing both girls. They'd managed to repair their broken friendship after a summer apart, he'd dated Brooke again, and she'd spent her time between Jake and Pete Wentz.

You're always saving me.

Somebody's got to.

His friend Jimmy raised the gun, Peyton had been shot in the leg. Finding her there, on the floor of the library, her pale hands wrapped around her injured leg, the fear in her eyes, was an image that would never leave him.

If I say I love you right now will you hold it against me?

Peyton had kissed him before losing conciseness. Lucas had rushed to get her help, leaving his Uncle Keith behind in the process.

"Hey, Luke?"

"Hmm?" He snapped back to reality.

"We were all just about to head out." Haley announced, her hand wrapping around the door knob. "But thanks for stopping by! I'll call you later, okay?"

Lucas shook his head. "Wait a second, Hales. You and Brooke are going shopping, right? Nathan? Where are you headed?"

"Who do you think is driving?" Nathan replied, shrugging. "I need some stuff too. What's with the third degree?"

"Peyton's missing!" He snapped. He wanted to grab his brother and knock some sense into him. "Come on, Nate! Why aren't you guys more worried about her?"

"Nathan."

He knew that voice all too well.

Whipping his head around, Lucas caught sight of Peyton, his Peyton, leaning heavily against the doorway. There wasn't a spot on her that wasn't black and blue.

"Peyton." Haley muttered, moving to support her. Brooke followed suit, bringing the seventeen year old's arms to fall around their shoulders.

"Nathan." Brooke said. "We need to get her to the hospital. She can barely breathe."

His mouth was still hanging open, his brother had to shut it for him.

"Luke." He said. "I know you probably have a million questions running through your head... Trust me, I do to, but we have Peyton to worry about right now, okay? She needs help."

Remember, right before Jake came back and you accused me of being a crappy friend?

Yeah, I'm really sorry...

No. You were right. I don't ever want that to happen again.

Lucas hesitated, his anger subsiding as he lifted the frail girl into his arms. She clung to him, burying her face into his shoulder as he walked through the front door,

"You're gonna be okay, Peyt." He whispered, brushing her hair back. "I'm here and I promise I won't leave you. It's gonna be okay."

So it's too bad we had to be this desperate to hang out again, huh?

Well, we didn't have to be, we just are. But, I'm glad you're here, you know? I know we kinda lost each other for a while but hopefully that's over, right? Especially considering our history.

It's always gonna be there, isn't it? You and me?

"I'll drive." Nathan offered, gripping his keys in his fist. "Brooke, Hales... Why don't you guys stay here?"

"No."

Normally, speaking in unison would have made the girls smile, and erupt in a fit of giggles. But it had been a long night, and their current situation was too serious for any sort of humor.

"Haley-"

"We're going." Haley declared, grabbing Brooke's arm and pulling her to the door. "She's not going through this alone, Nathan. Don't ask me again."

You realize I wouldn't be in this situation if it wasn't for you. If you'd stayed in your place at the river court I never would have met Haley. You ruined my life, man. You'd better watch your back.

Nathan Scott regretted nothing.

He was in love with Haley Bob James-Scott, his beautiful, smart, talented, spunky, kind, supportive wife. They'd gone through hell and back to make their marriage worked, and he loved her all the more for it.

The only thing he didn't like was when she lied to him.