CHAPTER 21

Peyton smiled as Karen talked. It was a surprise that Peyton had grown so close to Karen but it was also a comfort. She knew that if she had a problem she could go to Karen without a doubt… well, within reason. The fact that they could just talk and talk also indicated how comfortable they were around each other. After all, in learning that her and Lucas were together Peyton had thought that Karen would have been a bit judgemental or… a bit distant maybe. But their relationship had been the opposite, Peyton wondered whether Karen had wanted to see what her son liked about her, either way it was strange, seeing as Peyton had grown up for the majority of her life without a mother… However no one would hear her complaining. It was the closest she got to a mother figure, and she would take anything she got. She smiled as Karen talked about Lucas as a child but their conversation came to an abrupt end when Brooke knocked the door and then, almost straight away, opened it and stepped inside.

'Hey , Karen.' Brooke said in surprise to see the two with a drink in one hand and a box of chocolates open on the table.

'.' Peyton answered with a smile.

'Hi Brooke, do you want to join us?'

'Well actually I was going to take Peyton out-' Brooke started but then her eyes shifted to the chocolates on the table. 'But we could just have a nice long talk instead.'

'All right.' Peyton answered confused.

'Why were you going to take Peyton out?' Karen asked.

'Well we, as in Lucas, Haley, Nate and me, thought that everyday this week one of us will spend the day with you.'

'I understand that's necessary, I mean it isn't as if you spend all your time together.' Karen smiled. 'Everyday.' She added with a laugh.

'Yeah, but not one on one, you know.' Brooke reasoned, 'Well except for you and Lucas…' She said her eyes meeting Peyton's reasonably. 'But that's a different kind of one on one…' She smirked with a wink.

'Brooke.' Peyton hissed going red straight away as Karen cleared her throat.

'Right…' Karen said, seemingly forgetting Brooke's way of just stating the obvious and not having any subtlety at all.

'Well that was a conversation killer.' Brooke said moments later and it was so 'Brooke-ish' that Peyton burst out laughing and so did Karen a few seconds after, Brooke smirked happily and picked out a chocolate, placing it in her mouth before saying, 'So what were you two talking about?'

Peyton shook her head; Brooke was one of a kind she thought with a smile.

'Life in Tree Hill before Peyton.' Karen said.

'Ahhh the good ol' days.' Brooke sighed.

'Don't make me smack you.' Peyton warned with a mischievous smirk on her face.

'Seriously, it was the best.' Brooke went on raspily, laughing as Peyton slapped her arm and Karen chuckled. 'I'm kidding, you know I love you .'

Peyton smiled and gave Brooke a side hug whispering, 'Love you too.'

Karen smiled at their interaction, Brooke and Peyton did seem to get on well. They were opposites but then, in some ways, they were similar which she knew fuelled their friendship. Their quips just bounced off each other, they were so quick with their retorts that, if she didn't know the true situation, she would've sworn they'd been friends for years. She noted the sad smile on Peyton's face, however, when she hugged Brooke and inwardly wished that things could turn out differently at the end of the summer. A, somewhat, awkward silence fell and Karen knew it was because the realisation of Peyton's situation had hit all three of them at the same time, she cleared her throat before speaking, hoping to clear the air,

'So where're Lucas, Nathan and Haley?'

Brooke looked around at her with wide eyes and she knew instantly that Brooke had been sent to distract Peyton and that the other three were probably making arrangements for Friday; Peyton's birthday.

'Haley said you'd asked them to help at the café.' Brooke said shooting Karen a 'you did say that!' look.

'Oh. Right. Yes I did. That's a sure sign I'm getting old…memory loss…' Karen laughed vaguely.

'I could help if you want.' Peyton shrugged, Karen had been so good to her that she would repay her in any way possible.

'No!' Brooke said loudly and Peyton raised her eyebrows, her eyes widening at Brooke's tone.

'Okay.' She said, in a mock-scared voice.

'I just mean that if you go… I have to go.' Brooke said in a whiny voice that was so genuine Peyton fell for it straight away, laughing.

'Are you sure Karen?' Peyton asked looking over to the older woman.

'Yes, it's fine Peyton. If you go then Brooke will have to go too…and I'm sure she'll be more of a hindrance than a help.' Karen smiled kindly.

'Hey!' Brooke said indignantly.

'It's true dude.' Peyton smiled. Brooke scowled at them both for a few moments before shrugging, as if admitting defeat, her face breaking even again with a small smile, before reaching over to take another chocolate.

'So how are you finding life in Tree Hill?' Karen asked Peyton, she had a general idea, what with Lucas and all.

'Well let's just say it's a lot better than I thought it was going to be and I don't mean that rudely at all, it's just…' Peyton said,

'What did you think it was going to be like?' Karen asked.

'Well to be honest, I wanted to fast forward these three months. I mean I didn't know you Karen… and I didn't know Lucas let alone Brooke and everyone. I thought it would be quite awkward… it just shows, first impressions can be misleading.' Peyton smiled.

'But that's changed right?' Brooke said in surprise.

Peyton rolled her eyes and Karen resisted the urge, 'No Brooke, I feel completely out of my depth with you, I just feel it's my obligation to spend time with you all.'

Karen smiled as Brooke caught on, 'Hilarious, I know you can be sarcastic , but seriously.'

'Well you know what, I'm glad your dad decided to send you here.' Brooke smiled. 'And I'm glad that Karen decided to let you stay here.'

'Well I'm glad I came.' Peyton smiled.

'Good. I mean how you lived without knowing Brooke Davis in the first place, I'll never know.' Brooke said fairly and Peyton and Karen burst out laughing again. Brooke was the one to diffuse any tense conversation and although their talk had been pleasant Karen was sure it was leading to dangerous waters that she knew many of them didn't want to think about at the moment. So she changed the subject, call it mother's intuition,

'So a little bird told me that you are with a boy called Chase, is that right?' Karen asked with a smirk. Brooke blushed, she had no idea how Karen did it, but she always made these sort of comments sound motherly.

'And who may this little bird be?' She said, narrowing her eyes at Peyton who looked away sheepishly.

'So you are?' Karen asked.

'Well Peyton's with Lucas!' Brooke said defensively, and Peyton looked at her quickly.

'What has that got anything to do with Chase?' Peyton asked, smirking.

'And I already know about that, you Brooke Davis, however haven't told me about Chase.' Karen answered and Peyton looked at Brooke smugly.

'All right. Okay…' Brooke said resigning herself to the worst. 'I've liked him for quite some time…'

Peyton made it look like she was listening but she wasn't really, she'd heard this before… cue the slumber party. Instead she watched Brooke and Karen, seeing as Brooke hadn't wanted to say anything in the first place, she seemed to be enjoying relaying the information now Peyton noticed with a smile, as she made a few gesturing hand movements. Turning her head to Karen she saw the look of interest and, almost, motherly affection on her face. She then came to the conclusion that Lucas was really lucky to have a mother like Karen. Lucas. Thinking of him she couldn't stop the smile that formed…

'…so that's that. Isn't it P?' Brooke finished looking over at Peyton who had her elbow propped on the table and her chin resting on her hand, a small smile on her face, a twinkle in her eyes and a far away look… Karen frowned.

'Peyton?'

'Oh right. Yes.' Peyton said, quickly snapping out of her thought.

'She was thinking about Lucas.' Brooke said to Karen, knowledgably.

'How would you know?' Peyton asked, frowning.

'Because Lucas pulls the exact same face when he's thinking about you.' Brooke answered shrugging and Peyton couldn't help but smile and blush at the same time as Karen chuckled.

They spent the rest of the afternoon reminiscing and talking about anything ranging from their lives in Tree Hill and Peyton's life in LA to there preferences on chocolate and they were just on the subject of favourite movies when Lucas walked through the door,

'Hey!' Lucas said, surprised to see the three of them at the table, he rounded the table and sat down next to Peyton, giving her a quick peck on the cheek as of greeting. 'I thought you two would be out shopping, not having a girly day with my mom.'

'Well I did come over with the intention of shopping, but Karen and Peyton were already having a girly day…and plus they had chocolate.'

'Thank god for that.' Peyton muttered and everyone laughed, Lucas turning to her with his deep blue eyes and giving her a slight wink that made her melt.

'So you girls had fun then?'

'Actually we did. I know a lot of things that I didn't know before.' Karen said, winking at Lucas and standing up, taking the empty cups to the sink.

'What does she know?' Lucas whispered frantically.

'Well…' Brooke said loudly. 'She knows what look you get when you think about Peyton.'

'What?' Lucas said. 'I don't have a look.'

Karen turned around. 'Actually you do, it's something like this…' The three at the table watched as Karen rearranged her expression into one of looking far away, with a slight crease in her forehead and a small smirk.

Brooke laughed, 'That is the face!'

Peyton laughed at Lucas' scowl of being made fun of and Brooke said quickly, 'And that's my cue to leave, thanks for having me Karen.'

'No problem, I had fun today.'

'Me too.' Peyton agreed, and Brooke bent down giving her a hug. 'See you soon then .'

'Back at'cha P. Bye broody.' Brooke winked and was out the door in two seconds flat, Lucas staring moodily after her.

'Aww come on Luke.' Peyton said, quietly.

Lucas looked at her pouting and saying it quietly so Karen wouldn't hear, 'Well now that you know my face, you'll know when I'm thinking about you… which is a lot.'

Peyton smirked and leaned in a little, '…and that's a bad thing, because…'

'Because it makes me look like a pathetic loser.' Lucas said, with a hint of a smile before pouting again.

'But you're my pathetic loser.' Peyton pointed out quietly tapping his nose with her finger and it was he who couldn't suppress the grin this time.

'You know what; I think I'm okay with that.' Lucas smiled and taking a quick glance at his mother, leaned forward and kissed Peyton softly on the lips, her hand softly ran through his hair to rest at his cheek and she sighed as he kissed her again, his hand on her arm. They broke away a few moments later and Lucas kissed her nose tenderly before turning around intending to talk to Karen… who'd mysteriously disappeared.

Peyton chuckled, a little embarrassed, Karen had obviously turned around saw them kissing and exited the room pretty quickly.

Lucas laughed too, turning back around and taking a hold of Peyton's hand, 'So what did you talk about today?'

'Everything really.' Peyton smirked. 'I've learnt a lot… about you.'

'Why does that sound a bit ominous?' Lucas asked, with a worried look on his face. 'Should I be scared?'

'Oh no Luke, really…it's totally all right that you used to dress as a girl and attend tea parties with Haley's dolls just because she asked you to!' Peyton said barely containing her laughter as Lucas' face went white. 'It's obviously… very…' Peyton chocked on the last word. '…macho.' And dissolved into a fit of laughter as Lucas stood up abruptly shouting,

'Ma!! Get in here!'

So i realise that this is a bit of a filler chapter, but it is relevant...and i also realise that it's a bit on the short side but the next chapter is going to be longer. Anyway i hope you liked the chapter, i just thought it would be fun to have some Karen/Peyton interaction, after all they do live together and it did fit in at this point in the story.

Next chapter... plans for the party of well underway... and anyone who gets the arrangements wrong faces the wrath of Lucas... :P

Thank you for the reviews, i truly appreciate every single one.