A/N: I'm back to writing long chapters! Woo! Alright, just a couple things to clarify. Firstly, the BP in this went a little differently than I had planned, but I think I'm okay with it. They're far from being best friends again, just so that's clear. And secondly: the monkey. Please don't hate me for the monkey. :P Feedback is always appreciated!

Harmony: the simultaneous playing of two or more notes which emphasize and play off of one another; a melody complimenting another melody

Peyton lifted Miranda up, setting the little girl down so that she was sitting on top of the island in the kitchen. "Okay, honey," she said, gently finger-combing the tangles out of Miranda's brown hair, "What do you want for breakfast?"

"I like everything," Mira said with an easy-going shrug.

Peyton's eyes widened. "Everything?" she asked. "No way."

"Uh-huh."

"Well, you definitely got that from your daddy," she laughed. "You are one easy kid to feed, you know that?" she asked fondly, tickling her stepdaughter-to-be.

Haley opened the sliding door and stepped into the house at that moment, her youngest child in her arms. "Hey!" she said cheerfully, and Peyton was reminded once more how much she'd missed home, the place where everyone walked in without knocking and almost always greeted you with a smile.

"Hey, foxy," she returned. "What's up?"

"Nothing, just wanted to stop by."

"Aunt Haley, can I play with Sebastian?" Miranda asked eagerly, hopping off the counter and holding out her arms.

"Sure, baby, but you know to be careful, right? Come on, I'll get you two settled in the living room." She winked at Peyton over her shoulder and herded the kids off.

By the time Haley returned, Peyton was cracking eggs into a bowl. "Where's Luke this morning?"

"Upstairs right now. Writing. What about your family? Where's Nathan and the rest of your brood? And Jenny, for that matter."

"Jenny…is out to breakfast with that boy of hers," Haley said, wiggling her eyebrows. "Jamie's hanging out at home, and Nathan took the twins to the River Court. So I thought I'd bring Sebastian over and say hi." She rested her elbows on the countertop and shook her head in amazement. "Peyton Sawyer, look at you."

"What?" Peyton laughed, glancing over at Haley as she whisked the eggs.

"What do you mean, what? God, you're glowing!" As Peyton blushed, she continued softly, "This is really what you always wanted, isn't it? This is really what feels right for you."

She nodded as she met Haley's eyes. "Yeah. It really is."

Haley sighed. "Listen, Peyton…I'm sorry if I was a bitch to you."

"Haley, no –"

"Come on. I was. I definitely was."

Peyton shrugged, planting one hand on her hip as she turned to face her friend. "Well…I was kind of a bitch first, so…"

Miranda trekked back into the room, messily holding her cousin only the way a little kid could. "Is it breakfast time yet?" she demanded. "I'm hungry."

"Soon," Peyton promised her as Haley bent down to gather her son out of Miranda's arms.

"Yeah, Mira, and Sebastian and I are going to stay and eat with you. Why don't you go and…set up your dollhouse. By the time you're done, the food'll probably be ready," Haley said.

"Okay!" she chirped, and dashed off.

Sebastian cooed in Haley's arms, reaching out toward Peyton. "Hey, baby boy," she said softly, shooting Haley a smile of thanks for occupying Miranda.

"Here, take him," Haley said softly, easing him into Peyton's eyes. "Don't worry about it; I promise you that I can flip pancakes," she chuckled. As she strode over the stove, she asked, "So we're okay?"

Peyton smiled as Sebastian played with her hair. "Yeah, Hales, of course we are."

"Okay. Good." Haley smiled back as she watched Peyton with her son. "That's…really good, actually, because I have something I want to ask you."

"Yeah?" Peyton asked, arching an eyebrow. She was intrigued.

"Yeah. We never got Sebastian baptized. There just didn't seem to be time, with Jamie and the twins running around under our feet and taking up all our time, Nathan's basketball, and my music…you know, just the craziness of life. But all the other kids are. Luke and Brooke are Jamie's godparents, Karen and Whitey for the twins…anyway, we're finally going to baptize Sebastian in a couple weeks, and I was thinking…that you and Luke should be his godparents."

Peyton glanced down at the toddler she held and then back up at Haley, tears sparkling in her eyes.

"Don't look at me like that," Haley scolded gently. "Look at him, he absolutely adores you, he has since the moment you met. Much like someone else I know," she teased pointedly. She flipped the pancakes over and tilted her head to the side. "So what do you say?"

"Yes! Oh my God, Haley, of course I say yes." She grinned at Sebastian. "I'm gonna spoil you so bad," she cooed. She turned her grin toward her friend. "I actually have something to ask you, too."

"Shoot."

She took a deep breath and mimicked Haley's words: "Lucas and I are getting married in a couple weeks, and I was thinking…that you should be my maid of honour."

Haley's jaw dropped and she let out a squeal of joy. "Oh my God! Peyton! Of course I will!" she cried, rushing over and engulfing her son and Peyton both in a massive hug.

-x-

"You are weird."

Her eyebrows flew up as she stared at him indignantly. "Excuse me?"

Jordan laughed. "I mean it in the best possible way, Jenny. I've just never met someone who didn't like blueberries before."

She smirked. "You should have asked before you dragged me to the place with the 'best blueberry waffles in the world'," she told him, complete with air quotes.

"Lesson learned." He gave her a perfectly adorable grin. "So…how is everything with you? I mean, with your mom and all that. And your ribs," he added guiltily.

Jenny smiled peacefully. "My ribs are fine. Don't beat yourself up over that. And everything with my mom…I think it's all going to be okay." She raised her eyebrows. "She's getting married."

"No way," he commented, casually surprised.

"Yep."

Jordan rested his elbows on the tabletop, crossing his arms over each other and leaning toward her, giving her the kind of intimate look that sent her heart racing. "You need a date for that wedding or what, Jenny Jagielski?"

-x-

"Hey, baby," Haley said with a blissful sigh, leaning into her husband as she kissed him, sandwiching their son in between them for a moment.

"Hey, you," he replied as he pulled back from their kiss, gently taking Sebastian into his arms. "Where'd you disappear to this morning?"

"To Luke's…well, Luke and Peyton's, I guess."

Nathan grinned at her as they collapsed onto the couch wearily, in unison, settling Sebastian in between them. "They're moving fast, huh?"

"They're getting married," Haley divulged, unable to hold back a small smile.

"Yeah…" He reached over, taking her hand in his, his thumb running lightly across her wedding band. "He told me yesterday."

"And you didn't tell me?!" She batted at his chest half-heartedly. She sighed, forgiving him without even waiting for a reply. "She asked me to be her maid of honour."

"Sweet. I love being in wedding parties with my girl."

She smiled as Sebastian held out a teddy bear to her and leaned down to kiss his forehead. "Did Luke ask you to be best man?"

"No. But I will be."

"You're so cocky!" Haley exclaimed laughingly. "He's so going to ask…Fergie, or someone, now, just because you're so full of yourself."

"No way." Nathan grinned. "Does this same a little insane to you? Brooke and Lucas just got divorced, Peyton and Lucas are – hey, is she pregnant?" he asked, his eyes lighting up with potential knowledge.

Haley rolled her eyes. "No." She hesitated, "Well, if she is, she didn't tell me about it. But Nathan, come on, who are we to judge? We got married when we were sixteen!"

"There is that," he admitted.

"I was lucky, to find you so early," she said softly. "And I know we've had our hard times, but we've been together all this time, working through it all, your basketball and my music, and we've still had time for our beautiful boys," she gushed, grinning at her youngest child. She turned back to her husband. "Who are we to deny them what we've got? Yeah, they've screwed up, but we all have. And they deserve this."

-x-

"Brooke!" Peyton called, swinging her purse off her shoulder and setting it down on the couch of the Tree Hill branch of COB. "You here?"

"You're late!" the brunette retorted, a genuine smile on her lips as she emerged from the back room.

"Sorry," Peyton apologized, returning the smile. "So, you're back! How was New York?"

"Busy. As usual. Good."

Their conversation hit an awkward lull and Peyton found herself breaking eye contact. Her life was falling so seamlessly into place as of late that it kind of broke her heart that her relationship with Brooke was never going to be the same.

"Guest list," Brooke said quietly. Her voice sounded muted and harsh all at once.

"Excuse me?" Peyton asked in puzzlement.

"You need a guest list," Brooke clarified, gesturing that Peyton should come over by the counter and bending down to dig in her drawers for a pad of paper and a pencil. "Who do you want to invite?"

She sighed. "Listen, Brooke –"

"Is Lucas coming?"

"Um, yeah. He said he'd be here soon. But, B. –"

"Peyton." She paused and sighed. "Chances are that whatever you have to say…I don't want to hear it."

Peyton bit her lower lip. "Okay. Alright. But the thing is…you don't have to do this."

"Oh, believe me, I do," Brooke muttered. At Peyton's inquisitive look, she continued, "The sooner you two move on with your star-crossed, predestined lives, I can move on with mine."

"Okay, but I…I don't want this huge, elaborate wedding. I love you for being willing to do this, but I…it's not necessary. I don't want a big poufy dress or tiaras or three hundred guests and a million red roses."

Brooke's eye flashed, but Peyton couldn't decipher the emotion within them. "Well, what do you want, then?"

She shrugged even though she'd been envisioning it for years. "Something small, just family and our closest friends. I want to wear something simple; the dress doesn't even have to be long. I want to wear the same veil my mom did. And I want lilies."

"I see."

"Brooke…" She sighed remorsefully. "Listen. You really don't have to do this. I didn't drag my sorry self to your wedding. You don't need to plan mine."

"Hey, girls," Lucas said enthusiastically as he stepped inside, so much forced casualness in his voice that both of them smirked to themselves.

"Hey," Peyton said softly, turning to smile at him.

"You're late," Brooke added softly.

"Sorry," he replied, both dutiful and awkward.

The three of them exchanged a singular glance, a basic agreement on how entirely messed up the intertwinement of their lives was. Brooke sighed. "I'm going in back to find…fabric. You two…sit," she said, nodding toward the couch, "And come up with a freaking guest list, already."

Peyton stared after her (ex) best friend regretfully, heaving a sigh. Lucas' hand ran lightly down her spine and she felt his lips press against her neck. "You alright?" he murmured as he wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"Yeah," she whispered, leaning into him and closing her eyes for a moment.

"You are not. Come on, Peyton," he said with a knowing, teasing lilt in his voice. "Tell me what's wrong."

She turned to face him; his arms remained loosely around his waist as she clasped her hands just behind his neck. "I don't want to hurt her, Luke," she said honestly. "I mean, I know I have…a lot…already, and that we've all done a lot of crap that's been unfair to each other but…Lucas, that is the girl who crawled into my bed every night for a week after my mom died just to be with me while I cried."

"I know," he said tenderly. "And that's the woman I was with for years. I know that you don't want to hurt her because I don't want to either."

"Maybe it's too fast," she said quietly.

"Are you worried?"

She shook her head, kissing him quickly. "No, not about us. I am so sure about marrying you, Luke. I just…maybe I shouldn't have said yes that day in the hospital. Maybe we should let everyone adjust to this first."

"Peyton…"

She smiled even through her worry, teasing, "Oh no, you've got the reasonable voice."

"Because this is reasonable. Miranda thinks you're the coolest person ever. Haley and Nathan are happy for us. You and I have both talked to Jenny, and she's really okay with this, isn't she?"

"Yeah."

"And Brooke…is going to be okay with this. Eventually. She will. But nothing's going to change the fact that this has hurt her. I know…I know you don't want to hear it and I don't want it to be true but…that's what happens when people leave and do stupid things and throw themselves into relationships just for the security."

"Aw, look at you not naming names," she told him sweetly, but her eyes were still full of worry.

"C'mon," he said, eyes dancing with mirth, pulling her a little closer. "Don't you wanna marry me?"

"Of course I do."

"Yeah…" He tucked her hair back behind her ear, fingers lingering there. "And I want to marry you. I wish we could just run off to Vegas right now."

She laughed, holding him closer as well. "Then Brooke would actually kill us both."

He cupped her face in his hands gently, and she smiled softly at him, resting her hands lightly on his wrists. "I love you. It's that simple, Peyton. I love you, and I want to be with you forever, and I want forever to start now. It feels like there's been all this wasted time. God, I would have married you years ago if I could have…"

"Years ago?" another voice asked, tight and tense in its tone, interrupting their moment.

-x-

They jumped apart and Lucas winced visibly when he saw Brooke staring at them, clutching bolts of fabric so tightly that her knuckles were turning white. "Brooke –"

"Years ago?" she repeated at a higher pitch. The bolts of fabric clattered to the floor as she glared at them both fiercely. "Years ago, as in, when you were supposedly in love with me? When you were busy proposing and promising forever to me?"

"Brooke, wait, listen. I have been nothing but faithful to you in every way since we got married."

The thing about his ex-wife was that she wasn't stupid. "But before that?" she demanded angrily, brown eyes flashing dangerously. She glanced back and forth between them and shook her head in disbelief. "Oh my God. Betraying Brooke just doesn't get old, does it?"

"Hey, wait," Peyton tried, but Brooke cut her off.

"Tell me what happened. Just tell me, what happened. What, did you…propose to Peyton first? Declare your love for her first? Tell me, Lucas, is there anything that you and I have done that Peyton hasn't experienced with you first?!"

"Well, actually…sex. And…having a kid." He shook his head, glancing down when he saw how murderous she looked. "And clearly those aren't the answers you're looking for."

"This isn't funny!"

"No, it's not," Peyton agreed quickly, shooting him a warning look.

He sighed. "Brooke, I loved you. You know that I loved you. But our marriage is over, and –"

"Yeah, because of her!" she cried, flinging an arm in Peyton's direction. "And it never should have had a beginning, because of her!" Tears gathered in her eyes and she said, "And I always thought she was your regret."

Peyton opened her mouth to speak but then stopped. "What?" she asked softly, glancing at her husband-to-be in confusion.

"I gave him to you!" Brooke yelled at the blonde.

"My heart isn't property," Lucas interjected quietly.

"Brooke…"

"No! I could have held on! I could have insisted, because of Miranda, because of me. But I let him go because I thought that on some stupid level you both deserved it! God, I should have known. Once a back-stabbing, boy-stealing bitch, always a back –"

"Stop." Lucas' voice was low and intense, but not threatening.

Brooke shook her head, blinking back tears. "I was right," she seethed, kicking the bolts of fabric toward Peyton's feet. "You two sure as hell deserve each other," she whispered before storming out of her own store.

Peyton sank slowly onto the couch, reaching down to touch the soft ivory material at her feet. Lucas ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Babe…"

She looked at him through wounded, befuddled eyes. "What did she mean…me being your mistake?"

-x-

"Hey, Brooke."

She looked up when she heard the slightly hesitant voice speak her name. It was Jenny, sitting on the couch in her pyjamas, holding what appeared to be an old toy and watching Dirty Dancing.

"Hey," she said softly, blinking back her tears and gesturing to the TV screen. "Nobody puts Baby in a corner, huh?"

Jenny grinned. "Exactly." She glanced back and forth between her movie and her 'aunt'. "Um, you wanna watch?"

Brooke smiled a bit. It wasn't like she actually had anything else to do. "Sure." She sat down on the opposite end of the couch, setting her purse down. "Where's Naley and the boys?"

"Nathan and Haley went to Tric for drinks with some of the CMC mentors. The boys are all asleep. Are you looking for Haley?"

"I don't really know," she admitted, shooting Jenny a sheepish smile. "I guess I've kind of lost the place that feels like home."

Jenny nodded slowly, returning her smile with a similar one. "I know the feeling," she laughed lightly.

The brunette sighed, looking at the fourteen-year-old sympathetically. Her eyes fell on the stuffed animal clutched in the teenager's hands and her breath caught momentarily in her throat before a genuine smile formed on her lips. "You know, I used to have a purple monkey."

Jenny's eyebrows lifted. "Yeah?"

"Yep."

She looked down at her own. "I've had this forever. I'm pretty sure my mom gave it to me before my parents ever got together."

"Your mom gave it to you?"

Jenny nodded, locking eyes with Brooke. "Probably because of you, right?"

Brooke sighed heavily, leaning back into the couch and closing her eyes. "Yep," she sighed again. "Probably because of me."

-x-

"Peyton, I –"

She shook her head, standing up, tearing the material as her foot got caught in it. "Shit," she gasped, tears welling in her eyes for reasons she couldn't quite explain.

"Peyton…"

"Never mind," she whispered, trying not to let him see how badly she wanted to cry. "I have to go talk to her."

"Or I could, but –"

"No, I have to go talk to her."

"Don't leave before we talk about this."

She whirled on him. "Luke, I told you this wasn't a good idea, I –" As she went to take a step toward him, threads got stuck on the heel of her shoe, causing her to fall backward. For a moment they were both silent as they took in their situation. Then, reluctantly, she began to laugh through her tears. "Damn it!"

Lucas began to chuckle and she glared at him half-heartedly.

"Don't laugh at me!"

"I'm sorry. Peyt, I'm…" He stifled a laugh. "Here, let me…" He held out his hand to her, and seeking vengeance, she pulled him down with her.

"Ow," he groaned as he hit the floor, shooting her an incredulous look, and she grinned at him, kinking her eyebrows playfully even as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"You deserved it."

Lucas rested one arm across her body, his palm pressed to the ground on his other side, bringing them closer. He lifted his other hand and used his thumb to wipe the moisture from her cheeks. "You were never my mistake," he said seriously, resting his forehead against hers. "A lot of time you feel like the only thing that's right."

She nodded slightly, closing her eyes and breathing him in. "I know," she whispered. Her hands cupped his face and her lips found his for a slow, forgiving kiss. She sighed when they pulled apart, smiling gently at him. "Sorry for freaking out."

"Sorry for putting you in this mess."

"Sorry for starting this mess."

"Sorry for letting you."

She grinned reluctantly, leaning in to kiss him again. "Sorry for leaving…but I really do have to go see her."

-x-

"Hey, honey," Peyton said easily as she walked toward the couch in Nathan and Haley's living room. For some reason, it didn't surprise her at all to find them both here. "Go hop in the car, babe; Luke'll take you back to our place for the night. You've got your pick of bedrooms. I'll be there soon." She nodded toward the TV. "If you hurry you can make it there by the time this commercial break is over and not even miss anything."

"Okay." Jenny stood up, understanding that the other two women in the room had to talk. She waved to Brooke and kissed her mother's cheek quickly before hurrying out.

Brooke waited until Jenny was out of the house to ask bitterly, "Your mutual place, huh? Our house?" She sighed. It had been her house a very short time ago.

Peyton sighed as she sank into a nearby chair. "Brooke, I don't want it to be like this."

"Neither do I, Peyton," she said helplessly, pointedly. "But I've tried, and it's clear that there's no other way."

The blonde sighed, resting her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands. "I think a good step in the right direction would be for to stop planning my wedding."

Brooke smiled mirthlessly. "That was stupid, right?"

"Yeah. Kind of really stupid."

She sighed. "I just…I thought it might be good. I just wanted you two to get together already so I could…try to move on."

"It's not that simple," Peyton said quietly.

"No. It's not." She sighed again. "It's like I told you at Nathan and Haley's wedding. He's not just a boy."

Peyton bit her lower lip, nervous about what she knew she had to say. "But…he's not your boy anymore."

"No. But he's still the boy."

It was Peyton's turn to sigh. "Planning my wedding to him isn't going to help you fall out of love with him."

"Yeah…" Brooke whispered. "Yeah, well, you would know, right? You went to Savannah to try to do that." She paused before meeting Peyton's eyes. "You gave Jenny a purple monkey."

Peyton smiled slightly. "That was back when you liked me."

Brooke returned the hesitant grin. "But you…you let her keep it. She still has it."

The blonde shrugged. "I missed you. Even after you bitch-slapped me and screamed at me…I missed you."

"I missed you, too," Brooke admitted quietly. "Even though I always kind of knew you were the one Lucas wanted, I missed you." She tapped her feet nervously against the floor. "Listen, about what I said earlier…you weren't his mistake. I was. And, no, don't," she insisted when she saw that Peyton wanted to protest. "I don't mean it in some awful, self-deprecating way. I just mean that I hid with him when I was scared of the world, and he hid with me when he was scared of how he felt about you. It was a mistake." She sighed. "But you're still a bitch," she added, meeting Peyton's eyes for a split second.

Peyton said nothing. For now, they'd leave it at that.

"So, I'm going to…let it go. I'm going to let him go and leave you two to plan a really crappy wedding without my help, and then I'm going to come and bring a hot date and make fun of your decorations."

"So you're done? Helping with the wedding and everything…you're done?"

"I'm done."

"Oh, thank God," she breathed overdramatically, glancing toward the ceiling.

"Shut up." Brooke turned her attention back toward the movie. "I'll stay here with the kids until Nathan and Haley come back. You go…" She made a face as if the word was sour. "Home."

Peyton pressed her lips together. "We used to watch this together. Dirty Dancing. Remember? You were obsessed." She hesitated. "It was fun."

Brooke sighed, understanding what she meant. "Maybe someday."

She nodded as she stood up. "Yeah. Maybe someday." She looked back at Brooke one last time before she headed for the door.

"You ever think about it?" Peyton turned back around, but Brooke wasn't looking at her as she spoke. "That night at Nathan's?"

"You mean when you were being a manipulative bitch?" Peyton asked matter-of-factly.

Brooke smirked in acknowledgement but didn't look away from the movie. "You and Lucas were having all this crazy eye sex, and I was so jealous. And then when I dared you to kiss him and you did…it was obvious that he wanted you. But you got scared of everything that night and you ran. If you two had just had sex, everything would've been different." She finally turned to look at the blonde. "So basically this mess boils down to you being a prude," she said, arching one eyebrow.

Peyton rolled her eyes, smiling slightly in spite of herself. "Bye, B. Davis," she said quietly.

-x-

She walked into the house fifteen minutes later, realizing that it actually was beginning to feel like hers, like home. She walked into the living room, surprised by how dark everything was, and smiled at the sight she saw.

Miranda and Jenny were passed out on the couch; Miranda's head in Jenny's lap clutching Jenny's monkey, and the fourteen-year-old leaned into the arm of the couch, her head against a pillow. The end of Dirty Dancing was playing on the TV screen, the only light in the room other than that coming from Lucas' laptop. He was sitting in a chair, typing away quietly. He looked up and smiling, mouthing Hey you.

"Hi," she whispered as she walked over to him, shedding her long-sleeved shirt so that she was wearing only a camisole. He set his laptop aside and she settled herself on his lap, leaning into him.

"She okay?"

She shrugged as she snuggled into him, but said confidently, "She will be."

"And you?"

Peyton smiled even though he couldn't see her face as she tucked her head into his shoulder. "Much better now." She looked over at her daughter and his daughter and it warmed her heart. "Look at them," she whispered into his shirt.

"Yeah…pretty cute, huh?"

"You wanna know what Brooke told me?"

"Do I?" he asked wearily.

She giggled sleepily. "She told me that if you and I had just had sex that night at Dan's money burn…none of this would have happened." She sighed. "Do you think that's true?"

She felt his head shake against hers. "No. Well, maybe. But I also kind of think that this was all worth it. I mean, look at that. Look at our girls. We wouldn't have had them. Don't get me wrong, because I would have loved to have every moment from that one to this one to have been shared with you…but it almost makes it better. All of this insanity has proven to me…and to you…that we're meant to be with one another. You remember what you told me before that night, about reading a book, and I asked you how it ended?"

"You remember that?" she asked in wonderment.

He nodded. "Of course I do. I was head-over-heels in love with you and you were practically propositioning me."

She lifted her head, cupping his neck with one of her hands, and kissed him. He groaned quietly. "When you say things like that…" she murmured against his lips as his hand slipped under her shirt, his skin warm against her back.

"Yeah?" he asked suggestively.

She giggled mutedly, meeting his eyes as she pulled away. "What are you writing?" she whispered.

He smiled at her, brushing her bangs out of her eyes with her free hand. He shrugged as she searched his eyes, in love with the way that he looked at her. "The end of that story."

Her eyes fluttered closed as a smile tugged the corners of her lips up. She leaned into him, burying her face in his chest.

"Got you again, didn't I?" he gloated.

Peyton lifted her head slowly, kissing his neck and trailing her lips along his jaw before she finally faced him, her fingers tangling in the hair at the nape of his neck. She leaned in, her nose, and then her lips, barely brushing his. "You always get me," she whispered, and melted into him as they kissed.