A/N: Thanks for the great response, everyone. If you read, please review...but in the meantime, read on!

Courante: the triple-time movement which often follows an opening, or prelude

"If you're so miserable about this, why don't you just let me go alone? Like everyone else gets to? I know you don't want to leave your job for eight weeks. I mean, can you even leave your job for eight weeks?"

"Jenny, stop talking and start packing."

"I'm already packed and you know it. Mom, I don't understand you."

Peyton sighed. "That makes two of us, kid." Her office space, which was an airy, gorgeous loft, had post-its and lists stuck all over the walls to remind her employees of all the routine tasks that Peyton herself usually took care of. She needed to finish getting everything organized in the next hour, and Jenny's whining wasn't exactly helping her productivity. She took her wallet out of her purse and handed her daughter thirty dollars. "Will you go pick up pizza?"

Jenny sighed. It wasn't exactly a subtle way to get rid of her. "Mom, can you rethink this, please, for me?"

"I know you don't get it, babe, but I'm doing this for you."

"For yourself," Jenny countered.

"A little bit of both, then. Will you please go get us some food?"

"Fine," Jenny huffed, throwing on her jean jacket and accepting the cash. "Greek?" she asked hopefully, despite Peyton's aversion to feta cheese.

She smiled indulgently, thankful that they'd moved on from the subject of their imminent journey. "Whatever you want."

"Ha!" Jenny cried triumphantly on her way down the stairs. "You so feel guilty. You never let me get Greek pizza!"

Peyton waited until she heard the door slam before she relaxed, slumping into a chair. When she woke up the next morning, she'd get into a taxi and then onto a plane that was headed directly for Tree Hill. She was fully packed. Her assistant was fully prepared to handle everything in her absence. She made sure that Jenny had everything she could possibly need. She'd already dealt with her more temperamental musicians, assuring them that everything would be taken care of throughout the whole summer. She was completely ready for the trip, but her heart wasn't.

To her old friends, her high school gang, the people she'd once loved as her family, Peyton Sawyer had all but dropped off of the face of the earth. She couldn't hide her label – they knew she was living in L.A. and about her work – but she hid herself. When she started up her label, every single one of them tried to contact her, but she didn't allow it to happen. Brooke went as far as to fly to Los Angeles, but Peyton was on her home turf there. She managed to avoid Brooke masterfully. Her ex-best friend did not give up, to her credit. Peyton had a stalker for a couple weeks; Brooke was so thorough and insistent in her search that Peyton began to think that she'd preferred Psycho Derek. One day, her assistant called to let her know that Brooke had left a letter for her at work.

Brooke regretfully said that she would leave Peyton alone, if that was what she really wanted. She said that she hoped that Peyton was happy with her life. She promised that she'd always be there, no matter what, and that everyone missed Peyton in Tree Hill and would welcome her back. She pleaded for some form of contact but declared that she'd back off, and she'd make sure that everyone else did, too. No more sly calls from Nathan, no more care packages from Haley. She was sorry. For everything. Her letter brought Peyton to tears, but it was the extra envelope within the legal-sized one that had wreaked emotional havoc. She was cordially invited to the wedding of Brooke Penelope Davis to Lucas Eugene Scott. A handwritten note on orchid-decorated stationary asked her to be a bridesmaid.

Had Brooke really thought that she would attend? Had she really thought that Peyton would agree to be in the wedding? Peyton had told Brooke that she still had feelings for Lucas. Brooke had slapped her and accused her of betraying their friendship. Her relationship with Lucas was even more complicated than that. Nothing in the world could have gotten Peyton to that wedding. It would have been too hard not to stand up like some desperately pathetic soap opera character and beg Lucas not to make a mistake. She'd had her chance. She'd fucked it up. And most importantly, she had Jenny to worry about.

She was never going to go back. That had been her game plan. But if anyone could screw up a plan, it was Chris Keller, and he sure as hell had. She didn't doubt that he knew exactly who Jenny was, and she didn't doubt that he'd heard – from Brooke – that Peyton must have gone back to Jake in Savannah when she disappeared after Naley's second wedding.

So he was playing some sort of sick joke on her, and there were only two things that Peyton now knew for sure.

She was going to shield Jenny from all the drama if it killed her.

And she was going to slap Chris Keller again. Repeatedly. And hard.


Haley ran a brush through her hair before gathering it up into a knot atop her head. She studied her reflection critically, arms akimbo, wondering if she looked like a carelessly cool musician. She turned to study her profile, posing playfully as she pursed her lips.

"Mom, what are you doing?"

Haley jumped and whirled around, blushing. Her eleven-year-old son was squinting at her in confusion, a basketball in his hands. "How long have you been standing there?" she asked with a nervous laugh.

"Long enough to see you model," he shrugged, still looking as though he was worried about her mental health.

"Ha…yeah, I was just…do you think I look like a rock star?" she asked, only partially teasing.

"Sure?"

Haley sighed. "Never mind, honey. Where are you going, the river court?"

Jamie nodded. "Yeah, I'm going to take Noah and Nick," he told her, referring to his six-year-old twin brothers.

"Aw, baby, thanks. That's very sweet of you. Be careful, okay? Your dad's at home for the afternoon, but I have to go to the airport."

Jamie looked alarmed. "You're going somewhere?"

"No, my little prodigy is getting here today. Remember, we talked about this? You're going to be stuck with another musician in the house for the summer."

"Right. Hey, Mom?"

"Yeah?" Haley asked, giving her full attention to her firstborn when she saw the uncertainty in his eyes. "We'll still have time to…hang out, right?"

Haley's heart melted. "Of course, Jamie, I promise. No teenaged musician is going to want to spend every minute doing boring stuff with me."

"Mom. I told you, stop calling me that!"

Haley rolled her eyes. "Sorry, James Lucas Scott."

"Mom!"

"Jamie, you can't just expect everyone to start calling you J. Luke all the time. I know you think it sounds cool –"

"Yeah, way cooler than my baby name. Stop calling me Jamie."

Haley shook her head and smiled at him. She ruffled his hair fondly. "I gave birth to you and I named you. I'm going to call you whatever I want. You and your brothers be safe okay?"

Jamie sighed, frustrated with her. "We will."

"Promise?"

"I promise," he said impatiently.

"Okay. Off you go. I love you!" Haley called after him.

Nathan appeared in the doorway of the room moments after his son ran off. "Hey, you look like a rock star," he commented.

Haley scoffed. "Hey, you were listening to our conversation. But thank you anyway," she added, leaning up for a kiss. "Thanks for being okay with this. I'm really looking forward to it."

Nathan shrugged, a teasing gleam in his eyes. "I think it's great, adopting a teenage girl for two months. I mean, you're such a great wife, just setting me right up for my summer affair."

Haley hit his chest, lightly pushing him away. "Don't be an ass."

He smiled at her. "No, seriously, it'll give us a little insight into what it'll be like to have a teenager in the house. And it's a great opportunity for both you and your camper…does she have a name, by the way?"

"Ah," Haley said as she walked away from her husband, picking up and scarf from a nearby chair and looping it loosely around her neck, "that's the mystery."

Nathan leaned against the doorframe. "I wasn't aware that there was a mystery."

She nodded. "Chris won't tell me her name."

He frowned. "Why the hell not?" Haley could tell how hard he was fighting to like Chris, but even the little things set him off.

"I really have no clue, he was acting so strangely when I was over there. I guess I'll just have to let the poor kid introduce herself to me. I'm really looking forward to this, Nate," she added pointedly, a nice way of saying, Don't ruin this for me.

"I know. You've been bouncing around, cleaning and preparing for a week." He smiled at her affectionately. "Now get out of here and go pick your little prodigy up. You better hope she's ugly," he added with a raise of his eyebrows.

Haley gave him a look. "Not funny anymore."

"A little funny," Nathan shrugged, grinning at her.

She rolled her eyes and set a pair of sunglasses on top of her head. CMC was a secretive, truly beneficial camp, and for the summer Haley James Scott needed to disappear off the radar. She had to be careful to avoid any paparazzi attention. "Okay, Jamie took the twins to the river court…he has the emergency cell, so I'm sure he'll call if he needs you…you can take care of Sebastian, right?"

"You mean, can I take care of our two-year-old? Jeez, Hales, I don't know, it's not like I haven't done it before."

"Okay, shut up already." She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him, wrapping her arms fully around his neck. He groaned in protest when she pulled away, and she smirked to herself. "Take care of my baby," she instructed him firmly, even though she was a little breathless. "I love you."

"Back at you, Hales," he replied earnestly, giving her a wave as she headed out the door to pick up her mysterious music student.


"Mom?"

Peyton turned Jenny, arching a single eyebrow to wordlessly encourage her to continue.

"Are you okay? You seem really stressed about all of this." She hesitated, clearly searching for the reason why. "Is there something about Mr. Keller that I should know?"

"Oh, Jen. No. It's just that he…made some trouble back in high school."

Jenny's eyes widened. "You knew Chris Keller in high school?" she cried.

Peyton shushed her – they were on a plane, after all. She inwardly berated herself. For years, she'd kept all of her history hidden from Jenny. She knew it was all about to be revealed to the fourteen-year-old, but she'd wanted to keep her secrets up to the very last minute. She knew she shouldn't let all the information hit Jenny at once, but it was just so hard to have to fill her in. "Um, yeah, I did."

"Oh my God," Jenny cried, staring at her intently. She'd completely forgotten about the movie she'd been absorbed in less than a minute okay. "Did you date Chris Keller? Oh my God, have you had sex with Chris Keller?" Jenny hissed, her mouth gaping open in shock.

"Whoa, okay," Peyton said quietly, holding up her hands. "Firstly, I'm really not feeling good about your current obsession with sex. I get it, but I don't like it. I also really don't like the way you just asked me that, as though you wish that you'd had sex with Chris Keller. And in answer to your questions, Jen, no and no. I just happened to know him."

"I can't believe you kept that from me!"

"Jenny," Peyton said sadly, and then stopped. She loved her so much. Jenny looked younger in that moment, her long blonde locks mussed from her restless sleep during the flight, her blue eyes full of curiosity, her dimples showing. She wasn't ready. She needed more time, time that she didn't really have. With a heavy sigh that Jenny would think was playfully dramatic, "I've kept a lot from you."

"Like what?" she demanded instantly. "You've always been all about honesty."

"I know, babe, and I'm sorry," Peyton replied, her heart in her voice.

"Okay, so tell me now."

She closed her eyes and confided an easy secret instead: "I'm not a natural blonde."

Jenny just giggled, rolling her eyes; she knew, of course, that her mother dyed her hair. Peyton loved the bittersweet sound of her laughter. It always made her happy to see Jenny laugh, but it was in those moments when her kid giggled that she was reminded distinctly of Jake. Her hand automatically floated to her collarbone, where the two rings she always wore around her neck had settled against her skin. She had that people-always-leave mindset, but somehow, she had never been bitter about their parting. Once upon a time, Jake had loved her with all of his heart. She knew that, and she knew that it was enough.

Jenny had picked up a bit too much of Peyton's personality, she sometimes thought. She was the same way Peyton had been as a kid, blaming both herself and Jake for his absence in her life. No matter how many times Peyton assured her it wasn't true, she knew it was useless. Jenny would outgrow it, just as she had. Hopefully, just not as painfully, but as they sailed through the air toward Tree Hill, she wasn't so sure about that.

She hated that she'd just lied to Jenny yet again, when she'd been given the opportunity to be truthful. She was all that Jenny had, her role model in countless areas. She didn't want to start telling the tragic story of her history. She'd always intended to keep away from that, both in physical and emotional distance.

She wasn't ready for change, but the pilot's announcement that they were commencing their descent confirmed that it was coming, and quickly, whether she was ready or not. She reached over to run her fingers through Jenny's tangled hair, and her daughter tossed her a smile. Peyton gave her a weak one back. It all felt too much like the beginning of the end. Or the end of the beginning.


"Daddy! We're home!"

Lucas sighed as he closed his laptop and pushed himself up from his desk chair. His daughter came barrelling into the room, launching herself into his arms with little abandon.

"Whoa, princess," he laughed, scooping her up and swinging her around. His affectionate term for her was really more of a statement of fact. If Miranda Penelope Scott was anything, it was a princess, and she expected the royal treatment at all times. "What'd you girls do today?" she asked as he gently set her back down on the ground.

"Mommy bought me ice cream and she bought a new dress," the five-year-old reported. "It's really pretty. I want a new dress, too, Daddy. Can I have one?"

"Mira, we talked about this," Brooke reprimanded kindly as she walked into the room, shooting her husband a smile and handing him a hot fudge sundae. "Daddy just bought you that huge doll house as an early birthday present, so that's all you get for a while."

Miranda's lower lip slipped out into a pout as she turned back to her father. "Daddy?"

Lucas struggled to stay strong in the face of her adorable expression. "Like your mom said, kiddo."

She held up her hands. "Can I have your sundae?"

He was defenseless against her, and he handed it over, leaving the triumphant little girl to skip off to the kitchen. Lucas looked up at his wife helplessly. "It's just the way she looks at me," he shrugged.

Brooke shook her head fondly, crossing the room and pushing him back into his chair. He raised his eyebrows as she settled into his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her lips to his. When they broke for air, he smirked at her. "Did the mall make you miss me?"

She laughed. "I always miss you." She planted a few kisses on his jaw before she hesitantly asked, "Have you thought about it?"

He sighed heavily. He'd been hoping the subject wouldn't come up. "Brooke, I love Miranda with all my heart, and having another baby sounds like a really good idea, but realistically…we don't have the money right now. This house is just…gigantic, and our money's going so many places. I'm sorry."

She must have seen the genuine sympathy in his eyes, because she accepted his words instead of fighting with him. He knew that she wasn't giving up, but that she'd at least leave it alone for the day. "We'd have enough money if you'd stop spoiling that girl so much," she teased, leaning in to kiss him again.

He pulled back, giving her a gentle smile. "Maybe after my next book gets published, alright?"

"Speaking of which," she said, looking pointedly at his laptop. "How's that going for you?"

"Good," he lied with a nod. "A lot better."

"Good, baby, that's great." She gave him another searing, demanding kiss. "After your next book. Okay?"

He sighed. He couldn't argue with her stubborn streak forever, and he did want a son or another girl to dote on. "Okay," he agreed softly.


Haley pulled the scarf from around her neck as she stood in the Arrivals area of Tree Hill's airport. There were no cameras or kids sporting H.J.S or I Heart Haley tees in sight, so she figured she was fairly safe.

The flight coming in from L.A. had left about twenty minutes late, which meant that Haley, who'd allowed herself an extra ten minutes, was half an hour early. She browsed through the gift shops and paced the area multiple times. She couldn't sit. She was too excited and impatient.

She was completely mystified by Chris' refusal to tell her the name of the young musician she was going to be mentoring for the next eight weeks. She'd pleaded with him, yelled at him, and pouted at him, but he wouldn't give in. She speculated: was she a really big fan, or someone Haley might've already heard of, or a kid that was troubled in some way? He told her nothing. Chris Keller had that scheming glint in his eyes, but he told her absolutely nothing. "She'll be able to find you at the airport, Hales," was all he said. "Any good musician knows of Haley James Scott. I'll let her introduce herself." It was infuriating. Haley had talked to the other eleven mentors, and they all had names and brief bios of their students.

When people finally began streaming through the glass doors, Haley stopped pacing and stood still, her eyes moving hastily through the crowds. She knew she wouldn't recognize the girl, but she hoped she'd have some kind of sixth sense that allowed her to find her camper.

She heard a few muted Is that Haley James Scott? conversations, so she slipped back on her sunglasses and subtly inched away from the groups of people discussing her appearance in depth. She was determined to fully dedicate herself to CMC and her student. At least, once she found out the poor kid's name.

"Haley James Scott?" a tentative voice asked quietly. Haley groaned internally. She wasn't in the mood for autographs. She turned toward the fan, plastering her prettiest smile on.

"Hi there," she greeted.

"Hi," the girl in front of her said back. She had long, wavy blonde hair that would've made the rest of the world jealous and soft blue eyes. Haley approved of her wardrobe, noting the pale pink Ramones t-shirt the teenager sported over a pair of destroyed jeans and Chucks. There was a guitar at her feet and a suitcase to her side. Haley's smile automatically grew more genuine at the sight of the instrument. The girl cleared her throat a little nervously. "You're my mentor," she reported.

Haley gasped and grinned, whipping off her sunglasses. "Hi, oh my God, I'm so sorry. It's so great to meet you," she said. Her excitement combined with her maternal instincts caused her to reach forward for an impulsive hug. She was met with the girl's shy smile. "Chris was being a total moron and refused to tell me your name," she told the young girl, who could've only been fourteen, apologetically. "So I'm going to have to ask you to introduce yourself."

She didn't seem fazed as she shrugged and replied, "Jenny Jagielski."

All of the activity in the airport seemed to fade away as Haley stared at her. The last time she'd seen Jenny Jagielski, she'd been a baby. She was now fourteen years old, and beautiful, with soulful eyes like her dad's and that hair of hers. And musically talented, apparently, which really shouldn't have surprised Haley considering Jake's own musical abilities. She shook her head slightly. Brooke had reported to them all, those years ago, that when Peyton abruptly left town she must have gone to Savannah to be with Jake. Apparently, unbeknownst to the rest of them, she'd taken off for a couple days to visit him right before Haley and Nathan's second wedding. Nearly five years later, Peyton started a record label in L.A. Jenny Jagielski had just gotten off a plane from L.A. Had Jake and Peyton stayed together, and had he and Jenny moved there for her? Did this adolescent, completely clueless when it came to the past, have any idea how Haley could contact her long-lost friend? Haley's head was spinning. She tried to think of something to say, but there were too many things that she could have said. "Jake's baby girl," she finally breathed, more to herself than to Jenny.

Jenny pulled back a little, shocked. She studied Haley's face. "You know my dad?" she asked quietly.

Haley felt tears building behind her eyes. "Yeah, honey," she said faintly, feeling a rush of love toward this girl, a connection to her past and the girl she hadn't seen in years. "We went to high school together. I knew you, too, when you were a baby."

Jenny blinked. "My dad went to high school here?"

Haley was taken aback. Whatever game Jake, or Peyton, or whoever the hell it was giving Jenny her background info was playing, she wasn't going to be a part of it. "Yeah, your dad grew up here."

"Wha…he…" She looked so confused that Haley's heart broke for her. "So if you knew me when I was a baby…" she said slowly, "…you know my mom, too."

Haley grimaced at the thought of Nicki. Maybe Jake had reconciled with her sometime in the past years, though it seemed kind of impossible considering their tumultuous history. "Um, kind of. Well, yeah, I guess I did." She was a total bitch when you were little and threatened my friend, who really was a mother to you, constantly. She kidnapped you a couple times, screwed Jake over many more, and caused Jake to leave, totally breaking Peyton's heart. She also came a party I threw for my husband and ended up trashing the place and getting my guy arrested...yeah, you could say that I knew her.

Jenny's jaw dropped and her eyes filled with so many emotions that Haley couldn't fully recognize any of them. "Oh my God," she practically growled. She whirled around, and then whirled back just as quickly. "Oh. Um…I brought my mom. Well, I didn't really bring her, she insisted on coming, and I didn't want to lose this opportunity, so…" she let the sentence trail off. "She's here. I would've said that she doesn't need to stay with you and that I made her promise that she won't bother you - not that she's annoying or anything - but if she knows you..."

"Oh, well…" Haley wracked her brains for something to say other than we pretty much hate each other. "Jenny, I…"

But Jenny had turned back around and was now yelling at someone. She was blocking Haley's view of her, but that was alright. Haley could use a moment to collect herself before she encountered Crazy-Bitch Nicki again.

"Mom!" Jenny cried indignantly. "How could you not tell me that you know Haley James Scott! You and Dad went to high school with her! This is your hometown? Hell, yeah, you've kept a lot from me!"

Haley winced before she looked up, preparing her best welcoming smile for when she finally met Nicki's eyes. She steeled herself and looked up, but she was far from prepared for what she saw.

She found herself looking into the world-weary green eyes of the girl she'd thought was lost to her for good. "Peyton," she said in a strangled voice, one of her tears fighting its way out of her eye and sliding down her cheek. She'd honestly thought she'd never see her again.

Peyton shrugged helplessly, apologetically, wearing a wry smile. "Hey, Haley."

A/N: I love reviews, and they make me want to update so much faster...