Okay, so Bliss was originally going to be a oneshot, but I wrote chapter two which is called Blissfully and rated MA for sexual content. I decided to turn this into a small series. So I hope you all enjoy it.
Haley let herself into the Scott residence, humming loud enough to make her presence known. She and Peyton had exchanged keys somewhere along the way in case of emergencies, but she blatantly used the key for….well not emergencies. She had scared the hell out of Lucas one day looking for Peyton and on another, had walked in on Lucas and Peyton in a very compromising situation. She knew she should call or something, but couldn't imagine the kind of trouble she could get into that early in the morning so she decided to just walk in. Besides that, it was funny hearing Lucas scream….not so funny walking in on your childhood best friend and brother in law naked with his wife. Haley shuddered and then blushed profusely at the memory.
Walking into the kitchen she put the coffee on, considering it her civic duty for the morning. Peyton without coffee is a mean Peyton. She sat down tapped her fingers on the table and considered banging a few pots and pans around to get the family up.
Brooke was back home and she considered it a major event considering their good friend and godmother to her son who had just fallen off the face of the planet, had just reappeared out of nowhere.
She and Nathan had just finished tucking their three year old daughter Amalia into bed and were about to go into James's room when the phone had rung.
"Hey tutor mom," came the familiar, raspy voice of her MIA friend, Brooke. Haley was so shocked to hear from her that their conversation went by in a blur and before she knew it she was inviting her to the annual Scott family cookout the next day. Shock gave way to indignation and she quickly picked the phone back up and called 'the other Scotts'.
She wasn't sure how much of her babbling, Lucas had heard. It was obvious he and Peyton were in the middle of some serious foreplay and he wasn't listening to a word she said. He'd hung up on her before she could mention that she'd invited the brunette to their cookout so she was left to stew about it all night.
She wasn't sure how she felt about Brooke coming home. It had been so long without a peep from her. She got the feeling something had happened between Brooke and Peyton, but Peyton would just shrug when she pressed her for information. Whatever had happened between the two it didn't, in Haley's opinion, make it okay for her to cut off contact with her and her godson. Either way, Brooke was back home, maybe for good and she wasn't sure how she would fit into their lives.
She figured she would take it a step at a time and start with breaking it to Lucas and Peyton that there would be a pink elephant (otherwise known as 'the ex') at the cookout today. She figured she could prime Peyton and Lucas for Brooke's return in person.
"Um, Haley?"
Haley turned to find Lucas in the doorway staring at her with confusion and some exasperation. A sleepy eyed William in footy pajamas was cradled in one of his arms, while Anna stood beside him, her hand tucked into her father's hand. Seeing her aunt there, Anna broke away and ran to her.
"Hi Aunt Haley!"
"Hey munchkin! How was the beach yesterday!" Haley asked ignoring the eye rolling she was receiving from Lucas.
"This is not an emergency Hales," Lucas managed to get in before the four year old excitedly dove into the finer details of their beach trip.
"We had fun! Mommy helped me make a castle and I swam, but daddy had to help me cause I'm so little, and daddy spun me and I got dizzy, but I didn't fall down cause Daddy wos holdin me. And we had ice cream!"
Haley couldn't help but laugh at the little girl's enthusiasm. It was like getting to see what a wide eyed Peyton Sawyer would have been like before the world happened to her. Anna looked very much like her mother, minus the curls. She was even at that moment wearing a tiny Pink Floyd tee-shirt and little shorts that she had worn to bed. Anna was like Peyton's straight haired mini-me.
She bounced the child on her knee, grinning. "That sounds like so much fun! Are you ready for the cook out today? You think you can handle all the fun you're having this weekend?"
"Aunt Haley I was born for fun!" Anna cried, sassily, making Lucas who was fixing her and William's cereal, and Haley dissolve into indulgent chuckles. She had Peyton's mouth too.
"Baby girl, sit in your booster and eat your cereal," Lucas said, pulling the little girl out of her Aunt's lap and into her chair. Anna happily dug into her cereal.
"Mommy can't cook," she stated around a mouthful of oatmeal. Haley choked on her coffee and Lucas had to compose himself before admonishing the child.
"Anna, that's not nice."
"But it's true," Anna said innocently. "Her oatmeal is lumpy and salty."
Lucas had to hide a smile behind his hand. No, God bless her, his lovely wife couldn't boil water and still didn't know the difference between a dash and a pinch.
"Honey we all know Mommy can't cook, but it still isn't nice to say. Everything that's true shouldn't be said out loud," Lucas said over his son banging his spoon against his high chair table.
Anna shrugged her shoulders and continued to shovel oatmeal into her mouth. Haley was still chuckling when Lucas pinned his best friend with a stare.
"So are we starting the cookout preparations early? You know it's at your house this year right?"
Haley rolled her eyes and put her coffee down. "Do you remember what I said to you last night?"
"Before I hung up on you? Sorry by the way. Yeah, Brooke is home."
"Who's Brooke?" Anna asked. Lucas glanced down at his daughter and then back at his son whose mouth was open and waiting for another spoonful of oatmeal.
"She's an old friend babes," Lucas replied, taking a quick sip of his coffee.
"I invited her to the cook out," Haley blurted. Lucas raised his eyebrow at her. "Do you think Peyton will mind?"
"I couldn't tell you, Hales. Apparently Peyt saw her at the beach yesterday."
"Yeah? What happened?"
"Um, nothing. Peyton said she saw her at the beach. There was eye contact-" Lucas deftly caught the piece of banana that William had sent flying and put it on his napkin, before continuing. "I don't know much past that. We didn't exactly have a long talk about Brooke last night if you know what I mean."
Haley scrunched her brows. "Um, ew."
"You asked," Lucas shrugged, before wiping William's mouth. "I don't know what happened between her and Peyton and I never really asked. Brooke was busy in New York and people drift apart all the time after high school."
"Not if they were made a god parent," Haley muttered.
"Bitter much?"
"Shut up. Where's Peyton?"
"Sleeping."
"Why? It's-" At the look Lucas gave her she blushed. "Never mind. How you and Peyton manage with two kids under the age of four is beyond me."
"Don't be jealous Hales. You should try it sometime. Then maybe you wouldn't be sitting in other people's kitchens making them coffee at eight thirty five in the morning."
"Eat me. I was here at eight fifty-five," Haley pouted. Lucas chuckled and nudged her, playfully.
"Cartoons?" Lucas looked down at Anna and raised an eyebrow.
"What about cartoons?"
"Can I watch them please?"
"Okay, but only till Mommy wakes up and then we need to get dressed."
"Okay, but only pants," she said, wagging a tiny finger at him. Damn, he thought. He'd never hear the end of this from Peyton. He helped Anna off her chair and sighed. At Haley's questioning look, he shook his head and told her he'd told Anna she could wear her Floyd tee shirt all day as long as she wore pants with them. Haley laughed and shook her head watching Anna scamper out of the kitchen. A moment later they heard Spongebob talking to Patrick about spoons.
"Seriously though Hales, you were really good friends with Brooke. If you're still so mad at her, why invite her to the cookout?"
"I dunno. I just heard myself inviting her. You know she called and she's back here because Chase left her. It's one of those situations where you need your friends around you, but she alienated all of us these past few years."
"Yeah and again, I'm not saying what she did was okay by any means, but people drift apart after high school. She's been doing really well with her clothing line and I can only imagine how fast paced her life is."
"Lucas, she and Peyton have been best friends since elementary school. They've survived through loosing parents, puberty, high school, psycho stalkers, boys," she finished emphatically staring pointedly at him.
"Noted."
"I just don't see how she could just walk out of her life after everything because she was too busy. You're busy and so is Peyton but you still manage to hang out with Nate and I on a regular basis."
"Noted again. And that's because you just show up in my house without asking. I have no choice but to hang out with you," He grinned when Haley hit him and then continued with a sigh. "Yeah, I guess since it never seemed to bother Peyton and she never brought it up, I never brought it up. After awhile it's just a thought in the back of your head. We've been busy too, ya know? Peyton and I both a have busy jobs, her with the gallery and Tric, me with my novels and the paper. It's amazing we found time to have Anna and this little guy here."
"And still have time to try and make more," Haley cut in, raising an eyebrow at her childhood friend with the apparent voracious sexual appetite, when it came to his wife at least. It was a running joke all of their friends and his own mother kept going.
"Anyway," Lucas continued pretending he didn't hear her. "Brooke has missed a lot and we all used to be close. Maybe we're all as guilty as she is. I mean I know I haven't tried to contact her or asked about her in years."
"I don't know that it's appropriate for the a married man to contact an ex-girlfriend."
"Our situation has always been different, Hales. Complicated. I mean you and I don't have a problem knowing Nathan and Peyton used to-"
"Um, yes we do! That's why we never talk about it!" Haley cried, covering her ears. Lucas scrunched his nose.
"Yeah, you're right. But you know what I mean Hales. Like you said there is so much history between Peyt and Brooke and me that at this point I would think it's all water under the bridge. Maybe we should just give her the benefit of the doubt and welcome the prodigal cheerleader back into the flock."
"Yeah I guess." Haley amended. "I have missed her. What about you?"
"Have I missed her?" Lucas thought a bit. When he and Peyton decided to get married at city hall, the thought didn't occur to him until the party afterwards that his wife would have wanted her best friend there, even if Brooke would have bitched the entire time about them deciding to get married at City Hall and would have completely turned the low key cookout/party afterwards into a Tree Hill blowout party with all the trimmings. He missed Brooke for his wife, certainly.
And when the gang got together everyone felt a piece was missing. Brooke Davis was a part of their heart. Lucas wondered with a small smile if the spunky little brunette had changed the world yet.
"Yeah," he replied. "I miss her."
"Miss who?"
Lucas and Haley turned to see Peyton walking into the kitchen dressed for the day in a vintage Rolling Stones tee shirt and hip huggers.
"Oh, um…" Haley wasn't sure if she was allowed to say the name. No one ever really mentioned Brooke.
"Brooke?" Peyton guessed leaning down to kiss William's cheek and neck, making the baby giggle and coo "mama".
"Yeah, Haley invited her to the cookout," Lucas offered, suddenly not sure if Brooke Davis was safe territory in the presence of his wife. Something had to have happened between Brooke and his wife, otherwise that girl would have been there to wrestle Peyton into a Hoes over Broes dress for their City Hall wedding, and for the birth of their children.
Peyton paused in her movements for only a moment before resuming her morning routine, pouring herself some coffee and then dumping sugar into it.
"Peyt?" Lucas looked worriedly at his wife and then to Haley and back.
"Oh," was Peyton's reply.
"Is that okay? She called me and before I knew what was happening I was telling her to make a right on Cherry Chapel Road."
"No, it's fine. It'll be nice to see her," Peyton said, after thinking about it for a moment. "I'm glad she's coming. She's missed a lot," she said echoing her husband's earlier words. Haley and Lucas both visibly relaxed and Peyton laughed.
"What did you guys think I'd flip out? It's been years and if Brooke came home she needs her friends, so we're gonna make her feel welcome."
Lucas smiled and pulled his wife to is side. Peyton smiled down at him before leaning over to kiss him good morning. He hummed lightly and pulled her into his lap.
"Um, I'm still sitting here!" Haley cried. "Ugh, get a room," Haley groaned from behind her hand. "You know what, I'll just remove myself from this one." She was about to leave when she picked William up out of his high chair as an afterthought. "Can you say insatiable?" She said to the baby.
They broke from their kiss and Lucas nuzzled his nose against hers. "Thank you for last night," she whispered. "It was amazing."
"You're welcome. And it's always amazing with you," he whispered back. He began kissing her neck while she hummed her approval.
"I love you, you know," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"It's always nice to hear and I love you too, so much."
Peyton leaned her head against Lucas's and savored their quiet moment, despite the noise from the television floating into the kitchen and Anna's occasional peals of laughter.
"I predict today will be a nutty day," she murmured. Lucas chuckled through his nose and rubbed her back.
"I could have told you that. I woke up this morning and Anna was waiting in the hallway for me. She lets me know in no uncertain terms that she is not taking that Pink Floyd shirt off today."
Peyton laughed and pulled back to look at him. "That girl is all sass. What did you say?"
"Um, I said she at least had to wear jeans with them," Lucas shrugged. Peyton rolled her eyes. They were both firm with their children, but Anna really had a way of wrapping Lucas around her finger. Lucas claimed it was hard to say no to the girl because she looked so much like her mother and Lucas could never say no to his wife. She was still trying to figure out Larry and Nathan's excuse. They were all suckers for those big hazel eyes and tiny grasping fingers….and the pout.
"You are such a sucker. If she asked you for a four runner you, Nathan, and my dad would fight over who gets to buy it for her."
"No, she'd just get her three," Lucas sighed making Peyton giggle. He laughed and looked up at his wife.
"So are you sure you're okay with this? Brooke coming to the cookout?"
Peyton sighed. "I guess so. It's been years right? And apparently everyone has missed her." She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and Lucas raised his eyebrow. Oh I am not falling for that one, he thought. He didn't want to fight with Peyton over Brooke.
"You missed her too, Peyt. I know you have. I don't know what happened between you two after you came back from LA, but a friendship like you and Brooke have can't just fizzle like that. What happened honey?"
Peyton shook her head, standing up. "It's silly, Luke. I don't like to think about it."
"Peyton come on," Lucas said standing as well. "Did something happen in LA? I knew something was up when you guys came back. You were being really weird around each other. Brooke couldn't get on a flight to New York fast enough. I know something happened."
"She told me she was still in love with you!" Peyton blurted. Lucas stared at her shocked and Peyton turned from his stare.
"In LA after you left, she told me she still had feelings for you. She said she wouldn't do anything about it and I didn't want it to affect our relationship and neither did she, but how can it not? I felt like such a hypocrite cause I did the same thing to her and I was so mad that she wouldn't let it go. It was déjà vu all over again. And I was afraid. I was afraid that if you found out….I thought maybe you would change your mind about us," Peyton whispered with wet eyes.
Lucas made a sound walked over to her. He turned her around and pulled her into his arms. "Baby, that would never have happened. How could you think that?"
"The way you were before I left for LA and then I read your book and what you wrote about her. You loved her so much Luke and I was scared-"
"Peyton look at me. I am so sorry that I ever made you doubt the love I felt for you. More sorry than you will ever know. I loved Brooke very much, yes. She's an amazing person and we both know that. But you and I-baby you and I were written in the stars. I can't not be with you and I wouldn't trade the life I have with you or those two babies in there that we made together for anything in this universe. I loved you then and I love you now and nothing and no one will ever change that, sweetie," he whispered passionately.
"Luke-" Peyton cried, letting him wipe the tears from her face.
"Is that what you're afraid of now?"
"She just looked so disappointed when she saw us yesterday, like she'd hoped we hadn't made it together or something."
"Baby, it has been years and for all we know that disappointment might have been because she saw how much she'd missed in your life. You got married and you have two children. Those are things a girlfriend wouldn't want to miss."
Peyton didn't think so and Lucas saw her skepticism. "Baby, whether she'd hoped you and I wouldn't make it, doesn't matter. Because we did and I love you and that is never going to change. She certainly can't change that. I'll tell you I love you every hour all day if that's what you need me to do," He leaned in and pulled her earlobe, lightly with his teeth and into his mouth. "Or we could go upstairs."
"Luke, Haley is here," Peyton giggled. He sat her down on the countertop and stepped between her legs before replying.
"I know," he mumbled while leaving love bites on her collarbone. "She can watch the kids."
"Don't be ridiculous," she murmured slapping him lightly on the shoulder.
"You know what's ridiculous is the thought that I would ever leave you."
Peyton smiled and look into his serious eyes. "I will never leave you Peyton. Not without one hell of a fight, my love."
Peyton wrapped her arms around his neck as he slanted his mouth over hers, pulling her into a passionate kiss that she returned with ardor.
Nathan walked in and sighed. Peyton was sitting on the counter with Lucas between her legs and they were full on making out. What else is new, he thought with a smirk. He looked down at his son who looked up at him with a raised eyebrow and decided to make themselves known before clothes started flying.
"Um, seriously guys?" They broke apart in shock and looked at Nathan standing in the doorway with James and Amalia.
Lucas rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Seriously, Nate? The cookout is at your house! Why are you all here?" He practically whined.
Nathan shrugged. "Lookin for Haley."
"Nathan Scott, the telephone," Lucas pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and waved it around. "Have you two met?"
Peyton giggled, and slapped Lucas on the back. "Be nice."
"It's hard to be nice when your little brother and his wife can't seem to wrap their minds around the idea of knocking."
"Oh so Haley is here," Nathan said, letting Peyton scoop Amalia out of her arms. James who had walked straight into the family room when they'd walked in with a rushed "Hey aunt peyt, uncle Luke," called out to his dad.
"Dad, mom is here!" Nathan and a grinning Peyton, holding Amalia walked into the family room, leaving Lucas in the kitchen to fume.
"Hi , honey," Karen greeted strolling in. "Where's Peyton?" she asked going straight to the coffee pot. Before Lucas could open his mouth Lily ran past him to the family room without so much as a hello. Lucas sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Oh brother," he muttered. So began the morning at the Scott house.
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