Two weeks had passed since Lucas' surprise visit, and Peyton had thrown herself back into her work. She talked to Brooke, Lucas, Haley or Nathan daily, and they had all laughed at the photos her and Lucas had taken on their spontaneous photo shoot.

She'd just spent an entire weekend in her apartment with the windows open and music playing. She'd drawn and sang and eaten her favourite take out and drank beer without consequence or worry.

Peyton walked into her office building on Monday morning feeling lighter somehow. She couldn't wait to get settled at her desk and do the job she loved. She got off the elevator into the reception area and it was no surprise that there was no one there. She was early as she had wanted to get a head start on the day, and their receptionist didn't show up until about 8:30.

Strolling past her boss' office, she notice him putting items into a box, with more boxes on the floor and his walls bare.

"Peter?" she said softly, tapping on his door.

"Oh, Peyton," he said, looking up from the items he was dropping into the box. "I'm glad you're here."

"What's going on?" she asked, taking another look around the office.

"We got bought out," he said after a moment of trying to find the best words to use.

"What?" she asked, shock evident in her voice. "What do you mean we got bought out?"

"It's over. They're closing this office," he explained, gesturing for her to come into his office and close the door.

"But you're the president. Why do you sound so surprised?" she asked, walking towards him.

"I'm the president, but not the owner. The holding company that owns the label decided to sell us to a conglomerate. They're taking our artists and distributing them through a separate label, but still keeping the name," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked exhausted, as though he'd spent his entire weekend trying to stop the sale from going through. Knowing him, that's probably exactly what had happened.

"How is that possible? What does that mean for us?" she asked hurriedly, mimicking his stance.

"It means we're all out of jobs," he said somberly.

"We? You too?" she asked.

"Yup. I told them this was a terrible idea, and they told me that I wasn't a team player and I didn't fit into the new 'corporate model'," he said, using finger quotes around the last words.

"Peter, I'm sorry," she said sincerely.

"You're sorry?" he asked with a chuckle. "We're all screwed." He took an envelope out of his desk drawer. "Lucky for you, I busted my ass and got you all great severance packages."

"Peter," she started, taking the envelope from him and opening it. The sum was generous, to say the least. "You didn't have to do that."

"Yes, I did," he insisted. "You have worked so hard, Peyton, and you should be really happy with yourself. I wish things had gone differently. For all our sakes. You're going to go out there into the world and do so many incredible things."

She had a tear in her eye. It was over. Everything was crumbling down around her.

"Thanks," she said quietly. "How much time do we have to get out of here?"

"End of tomorrow," he informed her. "I put some boxes in your office."

"OK," she said with a weak smile, and turned to leave. She stopped to look back at him. "I'm going to be gone as quickly as possible, so thanks for everything. And I hope it all works out for you."

"Ahh," he said, waving a hand and dismissing her comment with a smile. "Things always work out, Peyton." She chuckled. He was always an optimist. "Don't be a stranger, kid."

Peyton made her way to her corner office that overlooked the city she'd spent 5 years in, and all of a sudden, it felt empty. There was officially nothing left for her in Chicago.

She began placing her personal items in a box carefully. She picked up a couple photos that had been arranged on her desk; one of her and her father, and another of her and her friends in Honey Grove.

It only took her about an hour to gather her things, and she ducked out of her office quickly to say goodbye and hand out hugs to the colleagues she'd worked with for so long. There were a few tears, but she'd kept herself composed.

Once she had walked back to the parking garage and placed her box of belongings in her trunk, she sat in the driver's seat and grabbed her phone from her bag. She took a deep breath as she dialed Brooke's number

"Hey Brooke, it's me," she said quickly.

"Hey Peyton, what's up?" Brooke said. Something about her friend's tone worried her.

"I need a favour. You think you could pick me up at the airport today?" she asked.

"What?!" Brooke shrieked.

"I'm coming to Tree Hill," she clarified.

"Yeah, I got that," Brooke laughed. "Why? What's going on?"

"I'll tell you all about it later, OK? If I text you with the time, can you pick me up?" she asked again.

"Of course! Oh my God! You can finally meet Emma in person! She's so cute right now that you won't be able to even handle it," Brooke rambled, then switched to a baby voice. "Aren't you, baby girl? Aren't you just so cute?"

"Brooke!" Peyton shouted with a laugh, trying to get her friend's attention.

"Right! Sorry. I'll see you later," she said happily.

"And Brooke?" she said. "Don't tell anyone, OK?"

"OK," Brooke agreed.

Peyton drove home as carefully as she could given the surge of excitement she felt since deciding to take this little vacation. She ran into her apartment and packed a rather large suitcase. She didn't know how long she'd be in Tree Hill for, or what kind of clothes she'd need while she was there, so she packed a little bit of everything. Including, for reasons she could not understand or rationalize, her wedding ring.

An few hours later, she was sitting on the only plane out of Chicago heading for Tree Hill. She watched the city vanish beneath her as she got closer and closer to her destination, and could feel herself relax more and more as the altitude of the plane climbed.

Then she remembered the last time she went to Tree Hill. She and Joshua had flown in about a month after Nathan and Haley's son, Matthew was born. That was over a year ago now. It wasn't the first time they'd been there together, and Joshua had done all the driving for the 5 days they were there, now that he knew where everything was. They'd rented a car, since her dad had told her that her old car had failed to start when he'd tried, and they drove around the back roads listening to the most fitting music. She'd rested her head on his shoulder as they drove, and they'd stayed on the pull out couch of her father's new, much smaller home.

Now she was going alone.

She pulled out her phone and scrolled through the photos it held, and she realized she wasn't alone. She had Brooke and Emma, Lucas, Nathan and Haley and their boys. She knew Skills and Mouth and the 'River Court guys' were still there. They were her family.

The plane pulled into the gate and she rushed to baggage claim to pick up her massive suitcase. Luckily it was Brooke picking her up, or she would have been ridiculed to no end about its size. Brooke would understand.

Walking into the main arrivals area of the airport, she saw Brooke standing making goo goo eyes with the baby in her arms, and smiled immediately at the sight. She resisted the urge to run straight towards them. Instead, she walked calmly to her friend until she was noticed.

"Peyton!" Brooke shouted. "Hi!"

"Hey Brooke," she said. "And hey little girl."

She ran her hand over the Emma's head and looked back at Brooke, who was smiling widely.

"Here," the brunette said with a smile, ready to pass Emma to Peyton.

Peyton reached out and pulled the child close to her body, tickling her belly with her fingertips and making the little girl squirm and gurgle in that adorable baby way.

"Brooke, she's beautiful," Peyton said, a tear pooling in her eye. Brooke Davis was a mom.

"I know, right?" Brooke smiled and took her daughter in her arms. "Now, let's go sneak up on uncle Luke at the gym and surprise him with your aunt Peyton!" She spoke to the child and Peyton couldn't help but laugh.

They drove through the town and Peyton had to smile at the sense of belonging she immediately felt. It was as though as soon as she stepped off the plane, something shifted in her. The town held it's fair share of painful memories, that's for sure. But it also held a lot of great ones.

She filled Brooke in on her work situation, or lack thereof, when questioned about the sudden trip. She'd replied that she wasn't sure when she was going back when she was asked. Brooke could only smile. It felt good to have her best friend next to her again.

They pulled up to the high school and it felt like she'd entered a time warp. Every time she'd gone back to that building, she felt 18 again. She now realized that all those dreams and ideas that you have when you graduate high school are just that - dreams. Some you can come close to, some you get. But it's hard to hang on to any of them for too long.

"So listen, I'm going to head home," Brooke said as Peyton hopped out of her SUV.

"OK, sure," Peyton said with a smile.

"I have a spare room for you if you need it. I mean, if you can handle being woken up by a crying baby at all hours of the night," Brooke said with a laugh, gesturing towards the sleeping infant in the back seat.

"That sounds perfect," she said with a smile. "Thanks, Brooke. For everything. I'll just have Luke drop me off later." She closed the door and waved as her friend drove away.

She walked into the gym, and she could remember vividly the last time she'd been there. When they'd visited last, she'd brought Joshua to a game. Though he wasn't a basketball fan, he'd gone because she'd asked him to. She'd sat in the stands and cheered on the team and yelled at the refs and she and Brooke jokingly started up some of their cheers from so long ago when they'd wear the uniform on game nights.

Lucas was alone in the gym, and he didn't hear or see her walk in. He'd just sent up a shot from the three point line, and watched as it bounced off the rim and away from him.

"Hard to believe you won a state championship with moves like that," she called out from behind him.

He spun around to look at her, and was frozen in his place.

"Hey," she said with a smile, closing the distance between them.

He pulled her into a hug before he'd said a word, and when they parted, he looked at her as though he had to make sure she was real.

"What...What are you doing here?" he stuttered.

"It's a long story," she said cryptically, then immediately corrected herself. "Actually, it's not. My label was sold and our office closed so I'm out of a job and I decided to come here and figure out what I'm going to do instead of staying alone in Chicago."

He could only chuckle as she rambled out her speech.

"Well, I wish it was under better circumstances, but it's great to have you here," he said with a smile, throwing an arm around her shoulder.

She pulled away from him and picked a basketball up off the rack that was next to them, wildly throwing it towards the hoop.

Nathan walked in just in time to see her arms flail as she let go of the ball. "Jeez, Sawyer. That's not the jump shot I taught you."

"Nate!" she shouted, turning around and running into his open arms.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" he asked with a chuckle as he regained his balance.

"Just visiting. And apparently getting critiqued on my form," she said dryly.

"Looks good from here," Lucas teased suggestively, earning him a slap on the arm from Peyton and a high five from his brother.

"It's so nice to know that the Scott brothers haven't changed at all in the 10 years since high school," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Come on! We've changed," Nathan exchanged. "Guys just never really grow up."

"Good to know," she said with a laugh. "So which one of you wants to buy me dinner?"

Nathan put up his hands in defeat. "I have to get home to the wife and kids."

"Aww. Nathan Scott, Family Man," she said with a smile, and leaned in to hug him again. "Guess it's you, then?" she directed at Lucas.

"Fine," he groaned teasingly. "Let's go."

She threw her arms around both their waists and the three of them walked out of the gym together and into the parking lot. She asked Nathan not to tell Haley that she was in town, because she wanted to surprise her later. Peyton had a vivid flashback to 'The Original Triangle', as Brooke called it. She had to inwardly laugh at how much things had changed over the years. Lucas and Nathan had gone from strangers, to enemies, to best friends and brothers. Peyton had gone from Nathan's girlfriend, to Lucas'...whatever she was, to their best friend. It made her realize again just how unpredictable life can be.

-----

Peyton and Lucas sat on a patio overlooking the river as they ate and sipped 'd always been comfortable in his presence, but it dawned on her that she hadn't spent time with him one-on-one in Tree Hill in years. When she brought it up, he just laughed and shook his head; he hadn't realized it either.

"So where are you staying, exactly," he asked as they were leaving the restaurant.

"Brooke's place. I told her you'd drop me off there," she explained.

"You're going to stay at Brooke's place?" he asked skeptically with a smirk.

"Yeah, why?" she asked, furrowing her brow.

"Because Emma only sleeps like, two hours a night and let me tell you, that little girl has a set of lungs on her," he chuckled. "Peyton, there's no way you'll get any sleep there."

"Oh come on, Luke. It can't be that bad," she argued.

"I'm just telling you because I don't want to have to deal with bitchy Peyton for...however long you're sticking around," he said with a laugh, earning him a swat to the arm.

"Well where do you suggest I stay?" she asked when they reached his car.

"My place," he said with a shrug. "You can sleep in the spare room."

"Luke, I can't ask you to do that."

"You didn't ask. I offered," he said, pulling away from the curb and driving in the direction of Brooke's house.

She smiled at him and shook her head. He was probably right - she needed sleep. She also would have felt guilty staying with Brooke, since all she'd heard for the past 6 months was how much the brunette loved having the baby all to herself. She didn't want to intrude, and though Brooke would never say that she was, Peyton didn't want to barge in and change their routine.

Of course, when they got to Brooke's house, she'd insisted it was no problem for her to stay there, but she relented when Lucas pointed out that Peyton would go crazy and be moody if she didn't get her sleep. Brooke just laughed and said she understood, but that she still wanted some one-on-one time with her best friend.

Lucas grunted and groaned and made snarky comments as he hoisted Peyton's suitcase up the steps to his house. She teased him that she'd managed it just fine on her own.

"So here's your room," he said, pushing open the door to the spare bedroom in his house.

"You mean your mom's room?" she asked with a grin.

"It hasn't been hers in like, 8 years," he explained.

She rolled her suitcase into the room and turned back to look at him.

"Thanks, Luke. I appreciate this," she said sincerely.

"Not a problem."

"I'm just going to change and stuff," she informed him. She ran a hand through her hair and couldn't wait to pull it into a ponytail and get into some pajamas after such a long day.

"Alright. I'll be in my room," he said.

He closed the door for her and she stood in the room alone. She'd never really spent any time in there, save for when Lily was a baby and she was helping Karen look after her. The room was tastefully decorated in dark hues and linens. It felt comfortable to her somehow, though she'd initially worried that it would be really creepy to sleep in Karen's room.

She unzipped her suitcase and pulled out a simple green satin nightgown and pulled it over her head. She knew the summer heat of North Carolina well, and the satin felt cool and comforting against her skin. She quickly pulled her hair up into a messy knot and stood for a moment again, reflecting on how crazy her day had been.

Lucas felt an unexpected excitement knowing that Peyton would be staying at his house for as long as she was in town. Since he'd returned from Chicago after their weekend together, he'd missed her. He always missed her - she was one of his best friends. But this was different. He missed waking up next to her and falling asleep with her, even though he'd only done it twice in recent years. He'd tried to stop the thoughts, but he didn't know where they were stemming from, so it had been near impossible. He'd vowed not to get mixed up in that - in her - again. She had been married for three years, and she'd only been single for just over a month. And he couldn't risk his friendship. He chalked it up to loneliness and tried to bury the memory of her skin against his.

He'd just laid down on his bed with the book he was currently reading when he heard the door down the hall open. He looked up just in time to see a satin-clad Peyton walking past his door and into the kitchen. 'Damn, she's beautiful,' he thought. He had to remind himself to stop those thoughts. She was comfortable enough around him to not worry about what she was wearing, or in this case, what she wasn't wearing.

"You want some tea?" she called to him. She still knew where everything was in the house, and so she filled the kettle and grabbed a mug and some lemon tea from the cupboard.

"Sure," he shouted back. He felt badly for yelling across the house, so he got up and walked into the kitchen after a few minutes. He stood in the doorway and watched as she ran her right foot up the back of her left calf absentmindedly. It was something he'd seen her do a thousand times before, but it was suddenly the sexiest thing he'd ever witnessed. She poured boiling water into two mugs and he had to give his head a shake.

"Here you go," she said, turning around and extending the mug to him.

He nodded his thanks and smiled. He turned to walk back into his room, and set the mug on the table next to his bed before sitting against the headboard and grabbing his book again. She'd followed him in and perched next to him on the edge of the bed.

"Whatcha reading?" she asked playfully, as though she couldn't just read the cover herself.

He chuckled and held the book up to show it's title.

"Pride and Prejudice? Kind of girly, don't you think?" she teased, brushing against his leg with her arm accidentally.

"What?" he asked, surprised. "This is a classic love story."

"What is it with you and love stories?" she laughed. "It's all a fairytale anyway," she finished somberly.

He sighed and offered a weak smile. "You know what you told me about fairytales, Peyton?"

She remembered Ellie's words from so many years ago, and rolled her eyes at him.

"That was before I had my heart ripped out," she said, attempting to joke. She knew, though, that Lucas would be able to read her through the sarcasm.

He didn't know what to say, so he said nothing. He just dropped his hand to her thigh and moved his thumb comfortingly. He wished he'd thought that move through a little more, because the feel of the thin satin moving over her flesh was enough to just about drive him crazy. He pulled his hand away and picked up his mug to keep himself occupied.

"I have the perfect book for you to read," he finally said, rolling off the bed and heading towards his crowded bookshelf. "I mean, if you want to."

"Sure," she said with a shrug of her shoulders. "I mean, reading was always more your thing, but I guess if I'm going to be staying here, I have to do something to keep myself occupied when your nose is buried in some Jane Austen," she teased.

He groaned and rolled his eyes at her as he pulled a brightly coloured book off the shelf. It didn't seem to fit in among the classics and leather bound hardcovers he'd accumulated over the years. He handed the book to her and laid back down on the bed.

"Love is a Mixtape. Love and Loss, One Song at a Time," she read. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Just trust me," he said.

She always had.

She got up and walked to the other side of the bed and sat next to him against the headboard and opened the book to the first page. He turned on some music and the two sat there for a long while, just reading and sipping tea in each others' company.

She couldn't help but notice how natural it felt to be there in that moment, with him sharing such a personal past-time with her. It felt nice. It felt...normal.

----

A/N: Love is a Mixtape by Rob Sheffield is an incredible read for anyone who is interested in music and/or human emotion. I highly recommend it.

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