A/N: Thank you to all my readers and reviewers for being so patient the last month or so. My exam period was kind of intense, not to mention the amount of assignments that had to be submitted before I started clinical placement. Although I will be still updating over the next couple of weeks, it may be once a week, until I finish placement. Then, I can spend as much time as possible on my stories. Thanks everyone, you rock!! Now read and review!!!
Chapter 6-Love is a Battlefield
Peyton stepped out of the taxi, in front of Brooke and Lucas' bluestone mansion. She paid the driver, and began to walk up the cobblestone driveway. She paused for a few moments, staring at the dwelling. Peyton had only been there a handful of times in the last 5 years. After her and Nathan got married, her friendship with Brooke became considerably strained, and they had been barely civil to each other as the years wore on. Peyton suspected that Lucas was playing some sort of morbid version of match maker with this group gathering, now that she was getting a divorce, and everything can get back to normal, or whatever normal really is, Peyton thought.
She proceeded up the rest of the driveway, and knocked on the large oak door. Peyton stood there for a few moments, expecting to hear footsteps approaching. But it did not come. She reluctantly turned the door knob, and was surprised as the door began to swing open. Peyton stepped through the threshold and placed her luggage on the floor. She could hear voices coming from the direction of the kitchen.
She walked slowly in the direction of the noise, silently hoping she wasn't going walk in on Lucas and Brooke going at it.
She stood behind the door connecting the lounge room to the kitchen. She couldn't really make out the voices until she heard the distinct tone of her husband's ex-wife.
"This can't be happening…"
Peyton opened the door, revealing her husband in the middle of the throws of passion with Haley.
"Particularly with my husband" Peyton said in a shocked voice.
"Peyton, what are you doing here?" Nathan asked as he loosed his grip on Haley's waist.
"I was about to ask you the same question" she said
"I thought it would be obvious" Haley said
At that moment, Brooke and Lucas stepped through the threshold to their holiday house.
"Hmm I think we have to let Naley let loose more often" Brooke said, watching her husband struggle with the bags of clothes she had bought, for her post-pregnancy body, of course.
"Very funny" Lucas said dryly. Trailing after Brooke for 2 hours while she went from store to store wasn't exactly his idea of an enjoyable afternoon.
"Broody, whose luggage is that?" Brooke said, stopping in her tracks
Lucas put down Brooke's shopping bags, and looked at the luggage
"Huh, I wouldn't have a clue" he said
They suddenly heard shouting from the kitchen
"What the hell?" Brooke said
"You could have a least waited for me to divorce him before you moved in" Peyton said
"I could say the same for you" Haley replied bitchily
"Hey, hey!" Nathan said, moving in between the two girls.
"Look you were the one who sent that stupid cover art, so don't act all high and mighty when we do get our act together!" Haley yelled at Peyton
"Well I didn't think you would go jump his bones the first chance you got! He is still married you know!"
"Of course I know, Peyton! Do you think this is easy for me? Hearing about this", Haley motioned between Peyton and Nathan, "from everyone else but you two, knowing that I made a mistake all those years ago leaving Nathan, do you think I'm proud of that? Because I'm not!" Haley yelled back.
Brooke walked into the kitchen, shocked at the scene in front of her.
"Peyton, what are you doing here?"
Peyton turned around to face her former best friend.
"What do you mean what are you doing here" Peyton asked
"I mean exactly that" she said haughtily
"You invited me, Brooke" she said confused
"No I didn't"
"For the baby shower, you invited me" Peyton said
Brooke started to get red in the face, ready for a fight.
Lucas placed his hand supportively on Brooke's shoulder, witnessing the scene before him.
"Brooke didn't invite you, I did" Lucas said
"No, no you said that Brooke wants me to come" Peyton said
"You told Peyton to come to the baby shower?" Brooke turned to face her husband
"Look, Brooke I think we should all clear the air. Peyton and Nathan are divorced, Haley's here, we can all work it out" he said to Brooke, but directed it towards the whole room.
"We can't. We just can't" Brooke whispered, as she walked out of the room. No one in the kitchen moved as they heard Brooke move up the stairs and slam the bedroom door.
Lucas turned around, and started to walk towards the door, but Haley bet him to it
"I'll go" she said and quickly exited the room, without looking at anyone.
As Haley left the room, Peyton looked scathingly at Lucas
"She didn't invite me, Luke? What sort of crap are you trying to pull! I wouldn't have come if she didn't invite me"
"Exactly, Peyton, I'm sick of this entire drama! Haven't we all been through enough?" he asked, sitting down by the counter.
"But to go behind Brooke' back, Lucas? Can you imagine how she is feeling right now? It's like we are back in high school with you and Peyton sneaking around" Nathan spoke up
"Oh God" Lucas said and began to hit his head on the marble kitchen top
"Give it a rest, Luke you got yourself in this mess. I'm going to check into a hotel" Peyton said
"I thinks that's probably best" Nathan said
"You would" Peyton said as she strutted out
"What were you thinking, man?" Nathan asked as he pulled two beers out of the fridge.
"I wasn't really" Lucas admitted before taking a gulp of the beer.
"No kidding" Nathan said as he sat down next to his brother
"I thought we were over this high school crap" Lucas said disappointedly
"Come of it, Luke. You and Peyton hiding things from Brooke, Brooke is once again heart broken, Haley and I are making out…This is high school but 10 years later"
"True...wait you have been making out with Haley?" Lucas said, watching his brother
"We were…until Peyton interrupted" Nathan deadpanned
"Oh…looks like I'm not the only one in trouble."
"Yeah now I have to figure out who is more upset: my ex wife or my current one" Nathan said dryly
"God, how screwed up is this?" Luke said laughingly
"Tell me about it big brother"
"Do you think we should check on the girls?" Lucas asked tentatively
Nathan thought for a moment. He knew Brooke, and ordinary Brooke would be fuming, but a pregnant Brooke? That's was a no go zone.
"Maybe we can shoot a few hoops" Nathan suggested
"Good idea"
As the two men moved outside, two heartbroken girls laid on Brooke and Lucas' bed.
"How could he, Haley?" Brooke asked, her arms clutching her pillow tightly
"Well, Tigger at least he hasn't been cheating on you" Haley softly offered
"But it feels like it" Brooke muttered
"Of course, the person you love hurt you. It takes a long time to get over that" Haley said
"Why do I have the feeling that you aren't talking about Lucas and me"
Haley fell silent
"What's up?" Brooke asked
"It's nothing really.." Haley answered hesitantly
"Spill, Grammy Girl!" Brooke said, sitting up suddenly
"Well.. when you and Lucas left Nathan and I argued…
"And…?" Brooke replied exitedly
"I cried, he apologised…
"And…"
"We ended up making out against the kitchen table" Haley admitted, her cheeks immediately glowing a bright shade of red.
"Oh, Haley I didn't think the kitchen table could get so much action!" Brooke said winking at her friend.
"Very funny, Tigger…then" Haley paused
"Then? There's more? Cause I have to tell you that kitchen floor…"
"Huh? What?" Haley looked at her friend, whose eyes were sparkling "Ew, Tigger, no! Peyton walked in!" Haley concluded.
"She always had a thing for timing" Brooke said
"So then you and Lucas came in and the rest is well…Haley looked at the pile of tissues surrounding them… history"
Brooke sighed and fell back onto the bed
"How did you let him in again? I mean you hurt Nathan by leaving, he hurts you by getting married...how do you forgive and forget?" Brooke asked
"Honestly Tigger, I don't know. He had just told me he was the one he left "the necklace" she said in air quotes, and I just fell in love with him all over again."
Brooke sat in silence, seeing that her closest friend had a lot on her mind.
"But when Peyton walked in I remembered how much he hurt me, even when we weren't together. Seeing Nathan and Peyton parading around the last 5 years, and you remember how I reacted when I found out about them…"
"Haley…" Brooke said pulling her into a hug
"I'm ok, I'm ok" talking to herself as much as she was to Brooke, but tears started forming.
"Haley, people who are meant to be together always find their way in the end" Brooke said softly
"Really Brooke, because you and Lucas are meant to be, and he keeps hurting you"
"Yes, but that's our hearts' way of telling us it is true love, otherwise it wouldn't hurt as much" Brooke said squeezing Haley's hand reassuringly
"I don't think I can take much more pain, Brooke" Haley whispered
"Neither can I" Brooke admitted
The two friends, although totally opposite in many ways, both knew how much the Scott men could love, and leave. As they hugged each other, they seemed to holding on to the hope that their men would love, and never leave them ever again.
"Ok, Tutor Girl, how about we go face the men who have our hearts" Brooke said, struggling to get up from her lying position
Haley took a deep breath
"Ok"
Haley helped Brooke off the bed, and they hooked arms, and marched out of the master bedroom.
"Hear that?" Nathan said, pointing to the roof
"Yeah, maybe they have cooled down" Lucas said before sculling a bottle of Gatorade
"Let's hope so, because I don't think I want to endure the Wrath of Brooke" Nathan said patting Luke on the back
"I could say the same for Haley" Lucas scoffed
"True"
The girls came into the kitchen the exact same way they had exited the bedroom: arms linked, and marching step to step with each other. They stopped in the middle of the room. The brothers looked at each other, then back at their loves. Silence enveloped the room, waiting for each other to speak. Finally Brooke spoke.
"Lucas, can I speak to you in the lounge room?" She asked firmly
"Sure, Brooke" he replied and quietly followed her, before closing the connecting door.
"Brooke, listen to me" Lucas said, before Brooke could start
"I'm listening" she said, with her arms folded, resting on her stomach, an unhappy expression adorning her face
"I didn't mean to contact Peyton behind you back; I just thought that if you knew she was coming, you wouldn't have had the party in the first place"
"But behind my back, Luke, again? You know how I feel about her, Lucas, and not just because of our past, but Haley and Nathan's too" Brooke reminded him
"I understand that, Brooke, but she is your best friend-" Lucas tried
"Former best friend:" Brooke fumed
"And she is Nathan's wife and my friend too, so she will always be in our lives" Lucas said
"But all you seem to be doing is hiding it all, Lucas" Brooke said painfully
"I'm sorry, Brooke, I really didn't mean to"
Brooke stared at her husband's eyes. He seemed sincere, but she wasn't going to let him off the hook that easily.
"Ok, but no more sneaking around, and I am still angry at you, mister" she poking him in the chest
"I promise" he said giving the scout salute
"Now give me kiss" Brooke said, pulling Lucas down onto the couch
Brooke pulled away, looking Lucas intently in his eyes
"Now how we going to organise this party without it breaking out into a scene from Dawson's Creek: the sex crazed years?"
Lucas laughed
"God help us if it does" he said, kissing Brooke lightly on the forehead.
Haley still remained in the centre of the kitchen, remaining motionless.
"Listen, Hales"
"No you, listen Nate. First of all, you're an ass. You're an ass because you have just resorted to the old Nathan. The parading the girls around, being an bastard when you are around everyone else but me"
"I..."
"No, I'm still talking, Nathan!" she said frustrated
"I want you to know that despite our little lapse of judgement before," she said waving at the kitchen table, "that can't happen again" she said closing her eyes.
"Haley..." he tried
She ignored him this time.
"Despite being a bitch, Nathan, Peyton was right. You are still married."
"But"
"Not Buts Nathan. You are still legally bound to her. When you are not so…" Haley paused for a moment…"tied up we can talk about us, if there is an 'us'" Haley finished
"There is an 'us', Haley!" Nathan said
"Prove it. Get the divorce. I refuse to be the other woman, Nathan" she said defiantly
"Haley what do we do now" he asked
"For now, we are staying in the same house, we socialise with the same people, and we can be friends. That's it" she said firmly
Nathan looked down at his hands, particularly his left hand. The ring line from his marriage had long since faded.
"Ok" He said faintly
"Ok then" Haley said
"I'll see you later, Nate" she said before walking out the door
"C ya" is all he said
Haley paused before walking out the door. She looked at her former husband. He seemed so alone and helpless. Haley sighed. What were a few more months of longing for what they once had, then a lifetime of heartbreak and regret?