When Peyton started to wake up, before she had opened her eyes, she sensed a presence next to her. She slowly reached out, feeling the body next to hers, her eyes popping open in a moment of alarm before she recognized Lucas, and she smiled as she remembered the night they had shared. She only smiled for a moment, though, before she remembered the rest of the evening and the smile slipped away.

Deciding to ignore the rest of what happened yesterday, she focused on the best part, which was right in front of her. She watched Lucas sleep for a moment, and then decided that as good as he looked, she couldn't just watch him sleep forever. She probably could actually, but she didn't want to. She scooted closer to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head on his chest so she could listen to his heartbeat.

Instantly, his arms tightened around her, and he kissed the top of her head as he woke up. She pressed kisses to his chest before she lifted her head to look at him. "I am so glad you're here. I still have to go to get Jenny from Jake's today, and I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to say. I can only hope that Brooke won't be there," she said as she brought her hand up to draw designs on his chest.

Still trying to digest that bit of drama himself, Lucas brought his own hand up to take hers, and he brought it to his lips to kiss it as he looked down at her. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else," he said sincerely. "How about some breakfast before you have to make that drive?" he offered, cocking his eyebrow at her, grinning at her enthuasiastic nod before getting up and pulling on his boxers, heading to the kitchen in nothing else.

Smiling at the view, she lay in bed for a moment, surprised that she had actually brought herself to go through with it. She felt better about herself than she had in a long time, and she was really glad that she had Lucas. She meant her earlier words more than he ever would know, but she knew that he did understand. He understood her better than anyone else in the world, and she was pretty sure he always had.

Spotting his shirt from the night before on the floor, she grabbed it and slipped it on, buttoning it up as she headed to the kitchen after him. She stopped by the front door, remembering the night before, before she had taken Lucas to her bedroom. She hadn't been very nice to the guy on her porch, but to be fair, if it was her brother, he had hung up on her first. She had just been surprised.

FLASHBACK

Blinking, Peyton just stood there for a moment, frozen, trying to process the words bouncing around in her head. She felt Lucas's hand squeeze hers and it brought her back to reality. Almost. "My brother?" she repeated. The unfamiliar figure nodded and she swallowed. She didn't say another word. She pulled Lucas past him, into the house, and then closed the front door behind them loudly.

END FLASHBACK

Wrapping her arms around Lucas's waist, she leaned her cheek against his bare shoulder blade and inhaled the scent of the chocolate chip pancakes he had already started. He placed one hand over hers while the other one manned the spatula. "Did your counselor have any good advice last night?" he asked, for the first time, since she hadn't wanted to do much talking last night, not with him anyway. She'd had other things she wanted to do with him.

As soon as she had closed the front door behind herself, though, she had retreated into her room, closing the door and dialing her counselors number. Everyone needed a little help sometimes, right? Well she had needed a lot of help, and her counselor had talked her away from a nervous breakdown, and given her some good advice. Peyton had hung up the phone and taken the advice.

Grinning slyly, though he couldn't see it, she nodded, which she knew he would feel. "Yeah, she told me to calm down, put away all the bad stuff, and return to doing whatever I had been doing before I had started freaking out," she answered. She had done just that. She'd changed into some sexy lingerie, opened her bedroom door, found Lucas and pulled him to her bed, exactly what she had been intending to do anyway.

Flipping the pancake onto the plate he had next to the stove, Lucas turned around in her arms, leaning down to give her a quick kiss on her lips. "You mean that right? We didn't rush into things, did we? I would have waited you know, Peyton. I would wait forever for you," he said, his blue eyes examining hers, trying to find the answers her mouth didn't always give.

Fortunately, he saw the same thing in her eyes that came out of her mouth. "I know that, Lucas, and it's for that reason and that reason alone why I didn't want to wait anymore. It's enough to know that you would wait, and that you actually mean that. I know it's enevitable though, and I wanted to, so there's really no point in waiting," she said, grinning up at him before reaching up to kiss him again.

Moving his hands to her waist as she moved hers to his chest, Lucas gathered his self-control, and pushed her back. "Our breakfast is going to get cold," he said, and though he would have loved to go back to bed and spend all day there, he knew she had things to do, things she was avoiding. He had things to do, too, and he was going to have to work fast if he was going to get it done by the time she got home later.

Sighing, she nodded and followed him to the dining room table. She knew that was his way of telling her he wasn't going to let her get away with not going to get Jenny today. On top of the fact that she shouldn't avoid things that were going to be hard, it would break the little girls heart if she didn't get to spend time with Peyton. "You're right," she answered simply, also telling him more than just that simple phrase.

After they finished eating, they showered, separately, and Lucas left when Peyton was still getting ready to go. She heard the door open again a few moments later, and footsteps on the stairs, then Lucas poked his head around the doorway. "The guy who says he's your brother is on your porch. Do you want me to make him leave?" Lucas asked, the look in his eyes leaving it completely up to her.

For a moment, Peyton really did consider it, but then she shook her head, her wet curls hitting her in the face. "No, I'll take care of it. Thank you, though," she said finally. She wasn't sure she was ready for this confrontation, but it was coming, ready or not, and she knew that her counselor would encourage her to gather her courage and talk to the guy anyway. He blew her a kiss, and she returned with a giddy grin, before he left.

Taking her time getting ready, Peyton thought about what she was going to say, but really, she came up with nothing. She waited until she could put it off no longer, or she wouldn't get back to Tree Hill until way later than she wanted to, before she grabbed her purse and her keys, stepping out onto the front porch. He was still there, and he stood when she stepped onto the porch.

Both blondes just stared at each other, trying to come to terms with the fact that they were related to the other person. Peyton could hardly believe it. She had a brother, and he was here, in Tree Hill. She had never really expected it, especially after he hung up on her, but even before that, she had always kind of felt like he didn't exist. "You hung up on me," she finally broke the silence.

Slowly, he nodded. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that," he replied. She didn't say anything, waiting for some kind of explanation. That was really all he had to say about that? He seemed to realize what she was waiting for. "Well, I mean, you kind of surprised me. I've known about you for a while, but for you to just call, out of the blue like that, it made the whole thing real, I guess," he paused, wondering if she understood.

Taking a deep breath before she could say anything, he ran a hand through his blonde locks, his blue eyes studying her, not in the intense way that reminded her of Lucas's gaze, but still, unsettling. "Can we start over?" he asked, then before she could decline, he held out his hand. "Hi, I'm Derek. I'm your brother," he said, looking at her expectantly, waiting for her to shake his hand.

Almost laughing at the absurdity, she realized that maybe they should start over. She hadn't been very nice last night. "Hi, I'm Peyton," she finally said, taking his hand and shaking it. "I'd say we could hang out, but I've got to go. Maybe sometime this week, though. Give me a call. I am in the phone book, as I imagine you know, since you found my address," she said, letting go of his hand and stepping towards her car.

With a last wave toward her brother, she got in the car she was still slowly getting used to, and starting driving, wishing for a longer drive, but at the same time, wishing she didn't have to make the drive. She looked forward to seeing Jenny, but she did not look forward to seeing her ex... boyfriend, she guessed, since the marriage had never been official. Could she really only call Jake an ex-boyfriend, though? It was strange.

Of course, the drive didn't take any longer than normal, and before she knew it, she was parked into the house which Jake lived in, with Brooke as his roommate, and Nikki, whom she realized now was always there, as his girlfriend. She got out of her car and walked to the door, surprised when Nikki opened it, not because she didn't expect that now, but because she'd never noticed that Nikki was always there when Peyton was.

By the look on Nikki's face, she knew that Brooke had indeed come home and spilled about what had happened the night before. She could tell Nikki wasn't sure whether she should apologize or act like nothing happened. "Do you love him?" she asked, before Nikki could decide anything, because she'd realized that was the only question that mattered. Nikki nodded, and Peyton did, too. "Okay then, that's all I need to know," she said.

Eyes widening, Peyton could tell Nikki was surprised by this. She had probably expected a fight like the fight Peyton had had with Brooke. "Really?" she drew out the word, as if she didn't believe it for a second, and Peyton remembered the last time they were on the porch, when Peyton had thought that Jake was with Brooke, and Nikki had asked the same question. Peyton had been hesitant then.

Now though, she was absolutely sure that she was okay with it. She didn't know why Brooke was different than Nikki, but for some reason, the whole situation was definitely different. "No," she said, watching Nikki's face fall. "I do need to know a little bit more, but I really am okay with it. I honestly can't believe I was so blind all that time, that I didn't see it," she added, smirking at her friend.

The smile that spread across Nikki's face was worth the joking. She was glad to see her friend happy, and she could tell that Jake really did make Nikki happy. She wasn't going to come between that. She knew what it was like when someone interfered with you being with the one you love, and she also knew that it was usually only a matter of time anyway, no matter who interfered.

Laughing at the irony of it, Peyton stopped when she noticed the look on Nikki's face. "I was just remembering back in my junior year, when Brooke and I sent you on the wild goose chase to get you away from Jake and Jenny. Brooke and I were best friends, and you were our enemy. God, you were such a psycho bitch back then," she said, because she knew that Nikki knew that as well, and it wouldn't offend her.

Also realizing that Nikki didn't get where she was going, she continued. "Well, I mean, who ever would have thought back then that I, who was so in love with Jake and wanted nothing more than for you to disappear, would be telling you to be with him now, and Brooke, who was my best friend, and hated you as well, would be Jake's roommate, and now my enemy? It's strange the way life works," she mused.

Understanding what Peyton meant, Nikki nodded, but didn't say anything. She still felt bad that Brooke and Peyton were fighting, and she felt bad because Peyton had found out about her and Jake through Brooke. She had thought Peyton knew, though, or she would have come right out and told her. "Really, Nikki, I'm glad we're friends now, and I just want you to be happy. Just don't break his heart," Peyton said, turning serious now.

Turning serious herself, Nikki nodded, knowing exactly what it meant for Peyton to be giving her blessing. Peyton still loved Jake, though it was a platonic love now, and she'd do anything to protect him, because of all those years he'd spent protecting her. Peyton hadn't wanted Brooke to date Jake because she was afraid that Brooke would break Jake's heart. She was trusting Nikki not to. "Thanks, Peyton, really, that means a lot," she said sincerely.

Smiling now, Peyton bumped her shoulder into Nikki's. "I know, doesn't it," she teased, but she did have something else to say before changing the mood of the moment. "I honestly believe he never stopped loving you," she said, holding her hand up at Nikki's protest. "I'm not saying the love Jake and I shared was any less valid, but I think we were both afraid of getting hurt by the ones our hearts truly belonged to," she finished.

Considering the words, Nikki didn't show any emotion one way or another, so Peyton didn't know if Nikki believed her or not, but she had been thinking about that a lot. It came with going to regular counseling sessions. One began to analyze everything about their life. "Let's go inside now, okay? I have a little girl I'm dying to see," she said, heading into the house to end all the heavy conversation.

Heading straight for Jenny's room, Peyton did not expect to see Jake waiting for her. She blew out a sigh, knowing that she shouldn't have hoped to avoid this, even if hoping was exactly what she'd been doing. She didn't say anything, just stopped in her tracks, leaving Jake to break the silence. "Can we talk, Peyton?" he finally did, and gestured toward the stairs she'd been about to go up, indicating they should sit.

Hesitant, she watched as he sunk onto the third step from the bottom. She bit her lip, but then decided she might as well talk to him. It had to happen sometime, especially if they were really going to be friends again. She sat next to him and leaned against the wall, turning her body slightly so she was facing him. She kept her arms crossed around her middle. "What's on your mind, Jake?" she asked, as if she didn't know.

Staring for a minute, he realized that she seemed more carefree than she had ever been when they had been together. She still had her barriers, yeah, but she was happier than she'd ever been with him, and he realized that maybe they had never been truly happy together. They had had their share of good moments, and they were definitely happy, but maybe the whole thing had turned out for the best.

As he came to that realization, she heaved a sigh, and he realized he was just staring at her. He cleared his throat, and glanced away. "I'm sorry about what happened between you and Brooke. She used to be your best friend. Maybe one day the two of you can get that back," he said, and he knew she would understand what he was really offering. Maybe one day the two of them could be friends again as well.

Smiling, she understood his true meaning, and nodded. "I'd really like that," she said, and the smile fell off of her face as she thought of Brooke. "There may be hope for our friendship yet, but I really don't think Brooke and I are going to recover from this. Too much has happened, that we can't seem to forgive each other for, and as long as she's still in love with Lucas, she can never be truly happy for me," she shrugged.

Taking a moment to gather her thoughts, Peyton went on. "Really, Jake, I want you to be happy, and I think Nikki is the one that will do that for you. I'm glad you guys finally found your way back to each other," she said sincerely, pausing for a moment, to make her real point. "Until Brooke can say something like that to me, then I don't think I'll be able to call her my best friend again," she bit her lip, looking away.

For a moment, there was silence, and then she felt Jake's arms around her shoulders, and he pulled her into a friendly hug. He knew, without her saying, exactly how much it hurt her to lose her best friend. He did know her better than either of them gave him credit for. "Peyton, I am happy for you. I can tell that you're happier with Lucas than you ever were when we were together, and I just want you happy," he said, pulling away.

With a sad smile, she looked at him again. "I really am sorry for the way things happened between us, Jake. I really think that if the accident hadn't happened, and there was no Nikki, no Lucas, we could have been happy together. We were happy together," she was quick to add, because she didn't want to make it seem like she hadn't been happy. "It just wasn't fated for us," she finished simply.

Fortunately for her, he understood completely, and he gestured for her to go on up the stairs. "Jenny's been ready for you to get here since before breakfast this morning. I think if we make her wait any longer, she's going to be mad to realize that you were here and didn't tell her," he laughed, and she knew that things were going to be okay between the two of them, and between her and Nikki.

When she got to Jenny's room, the little girl was indeed waiting, and she launched herself into Peyton's arms as soon as the door opened practically. She started talking excitedly, as she always did when she saw Peyton, telling her everything that had happened since the last time Peyton had seen her. Peyton talked to Jenny often on the phone, so she had heard most of the stories, but she pretended she hadn't as she gathered the little girl's things.

The pair left like that, with Jenny babbling incessantly, and Peyton listening and exaggerating her emotions in just the way the little girl wanted her too. She looked back after she got Jenny settled in the car, and she saw Jake and Nikki standing on the porch. Jake was behind her with her arms around her waist, and Nikki's hands were clasped over his. His chin rested on her shoulder and she kept glancing at him adoringly.

Someone walking by on the street would have thought Peyton Jenny's biological mother, and Nikki Jenny's step mom, and they definitely would have been able to see the love that Nikki and Jake shared. Peyton could see it, too, and it made her smile as she waved, getting in her car driving away, instantly taken up in Jenny's stories again as she navigated the roads back to her home, away from the home she had lived in for years.

Just as she was getting on the freeway, Peyton got a call from Lucas. He didn't say much, but inquired when she would be home. Peyton, her curiosity peaked, told him when she should be arriving, and then asked why he wanted to know. He was mysterious, saying only that he had a surprise for her. She normally didn't like surprises, but coming from Lucas, she knew it would be nothing bad, and she was now even more anxious to get home.

A/N: Well, what do you think the surprise is? Hmm, I guess y'all will have to wait until the next chapter to find out. I realized that Nathan and Haley have disappeared a little bit, and I'll try to bring them into the next chapter as well. I have to have at least all of the core 5 in my fic. Tree Hill is not the same without them. Anyway, hope y'all liked the chapter, and hope you review. Thanks for the reviews for the last chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.