A/N: Wow! The number of reviews for the last chapter was amazing you guys! Thank you all so much for the enthusiasm you've shown for this fic.

You guys wowed me so much I thought I'd wow you back with another update. Every once and awhile I get on a major roll with this story and since I'm on vacation this week I have time to write it.

Haley couldn't remember being so mad or so disappointed in a long time. As she stormed into the hospital she wondered if steam was actually coming through her ears. It had all been Brooke's doing, she fumed. She had set out to hurt Peyton and what's more is she put Lucas's life in danger to do it. Brooke had stayed with Lucas through all the bad out of guilt for what she'd caused. Through this twisted mess she knew Brooke loved him still. But it all left her wondering if she'd ever really known Brooke Davis at all.

She was so pissed off she walked right past Nathan without seeing him and only stopped when he grabbed her arm.

"Hales." He nearly stepped back at the long frustrated growl she emitted. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"No Nathan," Haley all but hissed. "Not me. What the hell is wrong with the people we thought we could trust!"

"Hales, you aren't making any sense. Is Jamie okay?"

Deb had brought the boy by earlier to visit his uncle. It was probably the first time in a long time Lucas was sober for the visit.

"Yeah, he's fine. Deb drove him home."

"So what-"

"I stopped to see Brooke," she cut in beginning to pace back and forth in front of him. "She moved all her stuff into Rachel's house."

Nathan's eyebrows shot upwards. "While he's still unconscious? That's the shittiest way to break up with a guy ever."

"It gets better," Haley muttered, her face and voice told him that better meant worse. Lots worse.

"Not good?"

"I asked her why she called Peyton. Because no one is that nice, Nathan. No one."

"Okay," he said slowly. "And?"

"And I know what happened that night between her and Lucas. I know why Peyton saw what she thought she saw and why Lucas can't remember. You were right Nathan. She was involved. Really involved."

Brooke ran into the hospital on a mission. She'd never seen Haley so mad or with a look of such disappointment. The worst part is it was directed at her. Coming clean had felt surprisingly good though. She hadn't realized how heavy a burden that secret had weighed upon her. But it was her secret to tell, and she needed to get to Haley to calm her down before she could blurt it out to Nathan who would blurt it out to Peyton.

She wasn't sure why she didn't want it coming from anyone but her. It wasn't as though their friendship could be at all salvaged and especially not after she told her. But it wasn't like Peyton hadn't done some horrible things too. Peyton had slept with Lucas while he was with her and she'd kept that baby from him. That didn't exactly earn her any brownie points either.

In all honesty she was still pissed at Peyton and she was pissed at Lucas too. They'd made her look like a damn fool. The damn roadblock that couldn't get out of the way fast enough for the star-crossed lovers.

She hoped that casually bringing up Peyton's own shortcomings might take the sting off what she had to say. But first….

"Haley!"

She slid to a stop in front of the married couple and panting, she glanced up at Nathan and realized by his face that he knew.

"I-I can explain, Nathan-"

"You drugged my brother!?"

"SHHHH!"

They all turned to find several nurses glaring at them. Brooke turning red in embarrassment, before Nathan none too gently grabbed her arm and hauled her towards the exit of the hospital.

Brooke snatched her arm out of a furious Nathan's grasp and looked at her old friends. Old in every respect. Haley couldn't even look at her, but she could tell the woman was disgusted to even know her. Nathan, who even in his days of being a jackass, still kept his face calm, looked more livid than she's ever seen him.

"I didn't mean to do it, Nathan!"

"You didn't mean to what? Hm? Drug him? Seduce him? Have Peyton see it? Keep quiet about it for five goddamn years even though you knew they both missed each other like crazy?"

"No! Okay, I just-It was a mistake. A mistake I was trying to fix."

"Perfect timing," Nathan growled, waving his arm towards the hospital.

"You're all mad right now. I get it. I'd be pissed off at me too, but you have to let me tell Peyton in my own time and way."

"You had time Brooke," Haley finally snapped. "You had five fucking years to come clean. Don't you dare. You tell her."

"I will! Okay? I will tell Peyton!"

"Tell Peyton what?"

The three people spun around.

Peyton walked towards the exit of the hospital briskly with cell phone in hand. She had to call Ben and tell him she wouldn't be coming in anymore. She had to start looking for a place to live.

She hadn't thought about details when she and Keith jumped on the plane. But she realized, as she watched her son carefully tuck himself into the crook of Lucas's arm that there was no more leaving Tree Hill. She'd never seen her son so excited, so wide-eyed and attentive. She didn't question how it was that Keith knew Jake wasn't his father and that this man he'd never seen before lying in a hospital bed, was. Just like she didn't question feeling her own heart feeling like it was in distress just as Lucas had his heart attack.

Peyton was shaking on the inside. She believed Lucas would wake up. The doctors said he would in his own time. When he did, she would have to explain to him why she'd kept his son from him and she knew it would break his heart. The very thought of it was tearing her to pieces. But she wanted her family together. She no longer cared about who he slept with in high school or what pain they'd done one another, and it had been a lot of pain, she just wanted them all together. She was tired of feeling sad and it made her think of Brooke.

The brunette had obviously tired of feeling something too. Sad, neglected, angry. Who knew. But she was thankful that her ex best friend had found it in her heart to call her, knowing what she knew. She was sort of glad Brooke had been scarce around the hospital that day. She felt guilty for quite obviously having sex with her boyfriend, even though she didn't know he was with Brooke at the time. She felt guilty for always seeming to come between them. But then again, there would be nothing to come between if the relationship was solid.

Stepping outside she blinked when she saw Haley, Nathan, and Brooke. Nathan and Haley were yelling at Brooke. Maybe because she hadn't been at the hospital all day, she thought. But they seemed awfully mad for that to be the case.

As she stepped closer, Haley was pointing an angry finger at Brooke. "-Don't you dare. You tell her."

"I will," Brooke cried, in frustration. "Okay? I will tell Peyton!"

"Tell Peyton what," she asked, watching them all stop to look at her. "Hey Brooke," she greeted quietly, shoving her hands into her pockets, an age old habit that always made her think of Lucas.

"Peyton," Brooke sputtered. "Who's with Lucas?"

"Karen and Kei-oh...sorry."

Brooke pressed her lips together and shook her head. "It's fine."

"What did you want to tell me?" She asked nervously. Brooke only sighed and looked away.

"Brooke," Haley gestured to Peyton. "She waiting. Tell her what you did or I will."

She looked at Haley and Nathan, who both looked grave and then back to Brooke. "Okay, now you guys are scaring me," Peyton said. "What's this about?"

"It's about that night at the party," Brooke rasped. Peyton instantly tensed up. She'd never wanted to think about it again. Why the hell was she bringing it up? To rub it in her face that she had Lucas? That she's always had him?

"I don't want to hear about it Brooke," Peyton replied, quietly looking away.

"Trust me, you do," Nathan said, folding his arms and glaring at Brooke.

"Look I already know you two had sex ok," Peyton exploded. "I really don't want to hear about it!"

"Except that….we didn't have sex."

"What? But, I saw you. You two were practically naked. You had your hand-I saw you!"

"You saw us about to," Brooke corrected.

"I don't want to hear this!" Peyton turned to walk away, but Brooke stopped her.

"Peyton listen to me! I-We….Rachel and I drugged him that night. When he told you he didn't remember that night he was telling you the truth and that's why. When you walked in, he didn't know what was going on. He thought…he thought he was making love to you the entire time we were together. We stopped, because even as confused as he was, he tried to go after you, because he saw you hurting. Except he didn't make it that far because he-he collapsed. He said-he said his heart hurt. But he-it wasn't a heart attack. I was still angry and hurt and I had to opportunity to make you feel what I felt. So I took it."

There was silence for a moment. Peyton's hand had covered her mouth as everything Brooke said registered. Lucas hadn't betrayed her, Brooke had. He hadn't had sex with Brooke, he didn't even realize Brooke was in the room with him. He'd tried to come after her and he'd collapsed. It made her wonder if he'd felt the pain she was feeling that night before she passed out, just as she'd felt him the day before. He'd been telling the truth when he said he didn't remember. His confusion about her anger had been genuine and watching his heart break at the words she'd thrown at him in anger made her want to roll herself into a ball and die.

Peyton had been silent for awhile and Brooke finally looked up, but only long enough to see a curly blonde cyclone hit her and wrestle her to the ground.

"You BITCH," Peyton screamed. "You crazy fucking bitch!"

Peyton wasn't sure who dragged her off of Brooke or how long she'd been wailing on her, but when she stopped seeing pure red she saw the other woman had a swollen lip and a bruised eye. Good.

"How could you do that to him!" Peyton screamed through clenched teeth. She never been so angry in her whole life. Had never felt so betrayed. "To ME!"

"YOU!? How could YOU do that to me AGAIN! I was angry and hurt that my best friend had come between me and MY boyfriend once again after you swore you wouldn't re-open that triangle!"
"THAT does not excuse you endangering his LIFE! You know better Brooke! How could you hurt him like that? How could you do that to him?" Peyton asked in a voice that was shaking. Her heart was breaking for Lucas and how much he had suffered, how much they had both suffered all because of Brooke's malice.

"Hey, I'm not the one who ran away to play house with Jake," I paid for it. I got left with the pathetic drunken mess that is Lucas Scott, doing everything he can to dull the pain of losing his PRECIOUS Peyton Sawyer!"

Peyton stared at Brooke like the stranger she was. All these wasted years, because Brooke couldn't be angry like a normal person.

"I hope you burn in hell," she whispered before stepping around her and heading back to the hospital.

"You aren't so innocent either Peyton! You kept his son from him! Do you think he's going to forgive you for that? I mean you turned him into the one person he truly despises. Dan!"

"Brooke, that's enough," Haley cried, aghast.

Peyton spun around to stare at the brunette, knowing there was some truth to what she said and unable to hide it.

"Did I hit a nerve?" Brooke bit, folding her arms. "You can hate me for my part in this as much as you like. Why the hell do you think I stayed with a man who pretended I was you every time he made love to me then proceeded to drink himself stupid! A man who wrote you love notes every fucking day. An entire book about how much he fucking loves you! I know he loves you! I'm painfully aware of that! But I loved him too Peyton."

"But not enough to do what you needed to do to make him happy. Which was to tell the truth," Peyton spat, uncaring of Brooke's tears. "You loved yourself more."

"You can make me the villain if you like Peyton, but that doesn't mean you aren't one either. Because you put yourself above what was best for Lucas too. Lucas and your son. What does that make you?"

"I thought I was doing what was best," she said. The excuse sounded hollow to her own ears. Nathan stepped in between the two women.

"Don't turn this around on her Brooke. We've all made mistakes, but this one is about you endangering Lucas's life. Lucas wouldn't have put himself in that hospital bed if you hadn't interfered that night Brooke, and we all know that."

"Maybe so," Brooke shrugged. "Maybe, You two would have found another way to hurt each other. What about that night you slept with my boyfriend, hm? You obviously couldn't contain your feelings then. What you saw at that party didn't matter when you were helping him cheat on me. And despite that he still ended up sitting in the dark with a bottle of Jack after leaving me at Tric."

Peyton shut her eyes at the mental image of Lucas's spiral downward.

"That's where you're wrong, Brooke. I didn't know you two were together, until he told me afterwards. I would have forgotten everything that happened, Brooke I loved him so much. But when he told me he was with you, it was like I was reliving that night over again. God! This is all fucked up okay? Lucas and I, we're fucked up with each other and even worse without, but maybe that's just how we work, Brooke. Maybe that's just us, but you know what else keeps us apart aside from our own guilt and stubbornness and angst? You!"

"Well, not anymore," Brooke rasped. "Call me when he wakes up. You may be the love of his life, but I'm still his girlfriend."

With nothing and everything left to say the two women turned in opposite directions. One headed for the hospital, where the love of her life lay and one for a life with out the people she'd left behind her in it. But both wondered where the two little girls who had together built a snow fort with a tunnel on that snowy winter day had gone.

Well, I hope I did this scene justice. Review and lemme know how I did! Oh...and then mosey on over to the M rated stories. I left you all a little present there. ;)