Author's note: I have to say, I really like this chapter. I mean, usually I'm really hesitant about what I write, but I'm really proud of this. I worked on it all day, and I tried really hard, and hopefully that'll shine through and everyone will like it.

Thank you guys so much with your reviews. They're really what keeps me motivated, and every review you guys leave is just so detailed and to a lot of you that don't really like the way I'm taking it, you still stick around and compliment me and I love all of you. Hopefully you'll like this one, because I incorporated a lot of everything, I think. I tried to make sense of a lot.

Also, can I just say, this is the longest story I've ever written? Yup. This is just my little baby. I've never written anything past thirty chapters, and this has a while to go left. (About ten-fifteen chapters)

Finally! I'm going on a trip from Friday to Saturday to go look Saint Mary's, Stanford, UC Davis, Berkeley and San Fran State (I know, I'm starting a bit early), so it would be the best gift ever if when I get back I could have some reviews from you amazing people! Hehe! So, enjoy! (and review)

Movie Script Ending

Chapter Thirty-three: And I Will Try to Fix You

"Jake."

Now this, she had not in a million years expected. Her eyes remained wide and her body paralyzed as the man that she had loved years ago stood before her, looking both nervous and terrified.

She opened her mouth to speak, and when nothing came out, she simply leaned herself against the doorframe, drinking the sight of him in. This man was in so many ways not the same person she'd loved in high school, but in just as many ways, the same. It had nothing at all to do with appearance; it was just a feeling that couldn't be explained.

She forgot the entire universe existed for those first few seconds, and then finally, she heard Dave's footsteps behind her, sounding somewhat hurried and clearly confused.

As he reached her, he placed his arm on the small of her back. "Peyton?"

The look she gave him must have told him everything that she could not say, because soon after the hurt look crossed his features, he was pushing past Jake, off the porch.

Though she opened her mouth to call out to him, the past few months of them being together rushing through her head, she could not bring herself to actually yell.

Instead, she turned to Jake, who was still looking after Dave. He turned to her, scratching his head. "Uh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt. I.."

She contemplated for a moment. She could still run after Dave if she wanted. And if she stayed here right now, there was sure to be a can wide open, with worms covering every inch of the ground around them.

Taking a breath, Peyton said, "You didn't interrupt."

But he knew, as he stepped into her house, looking over at the dimly lit house and the candles lighting the kitchen table, that he had.

"I'm sorry I didn't call or anything," He tried to explain as he looked around. "I um, I didn't know your phone number."

Peyton was still not really believing her eyes. Actually, she wasn't believing much of anything. It was still all just a dream to her. Five minutes ago, she'd been having dinner with Dave. He'd proposed. She'd had a near-mental breakdown and went to answer the door to find.. Jake?! How did this kind of stuff happen? This was the kind of drama that would have haunted her in high school. For years now she'd been rid of it. And now, she had no idea what to do or say. All she could do was follow her gut instinct.

When she finally found her voice, she said, "I can't really believe you're here. It's been years. I mean, the last time I saw you, you were… going to find Jenny. You promised you'd be back, and you left me in Tree Hill waiting." Tears filled her eyes involuntarily at the memory. She could not forget that pain she'd felt years ago. It was like when she thought of her mother, and this terrible ache would form in her heart because of all the years that she'd missed with her, all the memories that were slipping away. Jake had been slipping away from her, and she'd known nothing of his whereabouts until this very second. He was standing right in front of her, and still, she did not believe it.

"I-" And before he could say much more, she wrapped her arms around him, bringing her fingers into his hair. They glided down his soft dark curls, over his neck, where the warmth radiated from his body. He smelled the same as he always had, and it was only at that moment that she realized what was happening: Jake was there.

"I missed you." He told her, burying his head into her messy mane of golden locks.

"I missed you too."

They stayed in each other's arms for about fifteen minutes, neither wanting to budge in fear that the other would disappear.

And when Peyton finally pulled away, her eyes still glinting, she asked, "Where's Jenny?"

"We're probably going to have to sit down for this. But first, who was that guy?"

"Dave," She said the name softly and guiltily, having forgotten his existence since Jake had first stepped through that door. "He's my- I don't know anymore. He asked me to marry him."

"Wha- just now?" Jake looked around the room, in the direction of the door, eyes wide.

She dropped her head. "Yeah. I didn't say yes… I actually didn't say anything because… you knocked."

He raised his hands up. "Hey, I don't want to step on anyone's toes or anything. If you have to.."

"Jake," she smiled warmly. "I can deal with him later. I haven't seen you since I was seventeen years old. Sit down with me and have a cup of coffee."

He scratched his head, not able to stop the dimpled smile that formed on his face. "I was hoping you'd say that."

--

Lucas' hand traced the outline of Brooke's neck and shoulders, the swell of her hips and thighs, up and down her smooth skin.

"Don't leave me," he said to her suddenly.

She squeezed his fingers. "I won't."

The phone rang loudly, interrupting them from a moment so tender that both of them jumped. With a loud sigh, Lucas reached over the bed to grab the phone of his nightstand.

"Yeah?" He squeezed his eyes shut, using his free hand to squeeze the bridge of his nose.

"Lucas! Lucas, I'm so glad I reached you." He hadn't heard from Deb Scott since Christmas, but he could tell by her tone that this was an emergency.

"What's wrong?"

It was only now that he could hear her sobs and heavy breathing. "P-please come over right away! It's Dan!"

Lucas shot up in bed. "I'll be right over." He stumbled to the ground, grabbing his underwear and pants, and his shirt, not knowing what to expect when he reached the elder Scott's residence.

"What's wrong? What's happening?" Brooke sat up, pulling the bed sheet tighter around her small frame.

Honestly, he didn't have a clue. From what Deb had told him, it could have been anything; Dan could be going on a crazy, murderous rampage, or perhaps, something else was wrong with him. All he knew was that he didn't want Brooke getting involved.

"Look, I don't know. But I want you to call Nathan."

The idea seemed to completely freak her out. "What? Why!"

"Just do it. Something's wrong with Deb, and she was really scared. I want to make sure you're safe."

She nodded. "I'll be fine. I can take care of myself."

Lucas was pulling on his running shoes, eyes narrowed. "No. Call. Nathan."

Before she knew it, he was out the door and the car could be heard starting from her bedroom. She closed her eyes, before leaning over to grab the phone and complying with her husband's wishes.

--

Steaming cups of freshly brewed coffee in hand, Peyton took a seat beside Jake. Her romantic dinner with Dave had been cleared away, and the lights had been turned up.

Jake accepted the cup with open hands, and he took a long sip before finally meeting her gaze.

"So," Peyton sighed. "Jenny."

It was now, with the better lighting, that she could finally see the dark circles under Jake's eyes. He rested his elbows on the table, and then dropped his chin onto his hands.

"I looked everywhere. I went all over the country, going off whatever I could find. Any person I could get my hands on that knew her, any tip that I could get, I went off of. But I couldn't find her. I looked everywhere and the years just went by. Finally, about two months ago, I was in New Mexico, and I saw Nikki. I saw her. I couldn't even believe it - I felt like I'd struck gold. You don't know what it was like, after years and years of looking, just seeing her."

"That must have been wild." Peyton nodded.

"And I just, I grabbed her by the arm, and she looked at me… with this look of just, complete shock. And I asked her where Jenny was, and I mean, I must have looked like a mad-man. I hadn't shaved in months, I hadn't slept in years. And she just burst into tears, and apologized but she said she wouldn't give Jenny up. And she was so different. I mean, you saw Nikki. You knew how she was. She'd cut her hair shorter, and all the makeup was gone, and she was dressed in like, jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt."

"But how do you know it wasn't all just an act?"

"At first she wouldn't even let me see her. And I said, 'I've been searching every day of my life for you since I was seventeen years old. You can't not bring me to her.' And she took me to see her," Jake paused, the ghost of a smile forming on his lips. "You should have seen Jenny, Peyton. She's - God, she's gorgeous."

"So, why didn't you bring her back?"

"I couldn't. Nikki's married to this really nice guy, Adam. I guess they're really in love. They have another kid, and Nikki was four months pregnant when I found her. I wanted to take Jenny, I did. But she didn't know me. I mean, I guess Nikki had really grown up when she took her. They had this stable family, and… and Jenny didn't want to go with me."

Peyton shook her head. "Doesn't she know about you?"

"Yeah, she did, actually. But I couldn't make her leave with me. I mean, she had this life and this family. I couldn't offer her a family. So all I could do was hug her and tell her I loved her, and that if she ever wanted me, I'd be there to be her dad. Any time."

"Wow, that must have been so hard.." She was at a loss for words, wondering what Jenny must look like now. That gorgeous baby had most likely grown into a gorgeous little girl.

"Yeah, it was. But what else could I do? All I ever really wanted was for her to be safe, anyway," Jake shrugged. "I know she's safe now. She's happy. And I love her too much to take that happiness away from her. And hey, she remembers me too."

Being the girl she was, Peyton could not stop the tears from falling from her eyes. "She does?"

Jake nodded. "Yeah, and you too. When I asked her, she said she remembered my face. And she remembered a curly-blonde girl."

"We had some great times together. We were a little family."

"I don't like to think about that time. You, me, and Jenny. It's too hard. It just reminds me of everything I lost." She could see that his eyes were watering as well, and as if to shrug it off, he gave a small laugh.

"Hey," Peyton reached a hand out, holding his tightly in her own. "Not everything."

--

"Don't you have any beer?" Nathan asked as he rifled through the refrigerator. "You always had beer when I lived here."

"That's because you always got the beer." Brooke told him from her spot on the kitchen counter.

He made a face. "Yeah, but who doesn't have beer? Lucas loves beer."

She shrugged.

"So, did my mom say what was wrong exactly?"

Brooke rolled her eyes. "We've been through this, Nate. She said that Lucas should rush over. I don't know why. Maybe your dad's gone crazy and is running around town naked with a chainsaw right now."

"I can actually picture that." He squinted, and they both laughed.

Nathan closed the fridge door, and they just looked at each other for a few moments, neither knowing what to say. Suddenly, darkness overtook the room. The electronic clocks switched off, and the blue night light shining from the windows into the kitchen was more eerie than comforting.

Brooke squealed, throwing herself from the kitchen counter into Nathan's arms. He pulled her close, hugging her tightly.

"It's okay. The power just went out," He reassured her, looking around the dark room for some source of light.

"Yeah, right. Your dad probably just wants us to think the power's gone out, but really he used the chainsaw to cut it." She whimpered.

Despite the situation, he laughed. "You've got the wildest imagination."

She shook her head, burying herself deeper into his chest. They remained standing there in the kitchen, locked together. They didn't speak for minutes, just listening for sounds from the outside.

"Are you scared?" She asked him.

"No." But he was, kind of.

He could feel her heart thundering against his chest, and her hair felt smooth and silky against his chin and nose and smelled even better. He didn't know why the darkness and these elements combined made him feel the urge to say these words, but he said them anyway. "I love you, you know."

Pressed up against him, she managed to fight the tears that wanted to spill from her eyes. "I know. I love you too, Nathan."

Releasing a sigh of relief, his grip did not falter.

"Now, I'm really scared."

He chuckled. "Me too. I'm terrified."

"You're shaking." Her voice was muffled coming from his shirt.

"I hoped you wouldn't notice."

"Because of the fact that your dad's out there with a chainsaw?"

He just wanted to stand there holding her forever. He wanted to run away with her and forget the world existed and marry her and have little Brooke-Nathan children with her. That was what had him shaking.

"I guess you could say that."

He knew and she knew that that wasn't why.

But neither said it.

--

The lights flickered on in Peyton's house, and she released the breath she'd been holding.

"I hate when the power goes out. I always feel like there's a murderer outside or something." She laughed nervously, and Jake smiled.

"I remember. One night when me and Jenny were staying in your dad's house, you freaked when that one happened for like, six hours. I had to comfort you and Jenny."

"Oh, come on. It was raining and thundering! Any person with a soul would have been scared."

They both laughed, and then it was silent, as they both allowed themselves to remember that night.

Finally, Peyton said, "So, why'd you come back?"

Jake stared at her, a broken man that had finally returned to the one thing that was keeping him alive since he'd met her, and decided to tell her the truth.

"Because I promised you I would."

--

"That was scary." As the lights finally flickered on, Brooke stepped out of Nathan's arms unwillingly. They stared at each other, the light making their recent confessions a more awkward topic to be discussed.

"That was… cliché." He laughed.

"Tell me about it."

Both of them looked around, down, at the clock that had reset itself - anywhere but each other, when both heard the front door swing open. Their heads shot towards the door in interest.

Lucas' familiar footsteps filled the room, and when he finally entered, he looked extremely distraught. He ran a hand through his short hair, instantly leaning against the wall as if to brace himself.

"What's wrong?"

"What happened with Dan?" They questioned.

When he finally met Nathan's eyes, they were wide and confused, and there was even a tear about ready to fall.

"Dan's dead."