When her phone began to ring, Peyton put down her paintbrush, and picked it up, smiling when she saw the display. She flipped it open and put it to her ear. "Hey, babe, what's up?" she said, her smile only widening when she heard the voice on the other end ask her if she was going to be home for dinner. "I didn't even notice it was that late. Let me put things away here and then I'll be there. Should I pick something up?" she asked.
After they finished their conversation, Peyton hung up, and began packing up her stuff. She was just heading for the door, her purse slung over her shoulder, and her sketchbook in her hands, when she saw the figure in the doorway to her shop. She froze for a moment, but then realized she had nothing to fear. "You know, you might have alerted me to your presence," she said, her hand on her ever-growing belly as she waited for her heart to stop racing.
A smile spread across her brothers face, and he held out his arms as Peyton stepped forward for a hug. "I'm sorry, but I did just get here. I mean here, as in right here, and here as in back in Tree Hill. I thought you'd like to see your brother considering he just got back from his six month leave," he said with a smirk, cocking an eyebrow as he stepped back to look at her.
Despite the fact that Derek-the real Derek-had wanted nothing to do with her when she had first made contact, the pair had started writing letters while he had been overseas for six months, and they both found themselves forming a bond neither of them had expected. Peyton had been weary at first, due to the psycho, but it was easier in the beginning to just write, and now she was glad she had made the effort.
Walking out of the building, with him behind her, she gestured to the place as she locked the front door. "So, what do you think? I mean, it took a long time to get here, and there were setbacks," she winced as she remembered losing the money her father had left her. Luckily, when the guy had been got, her money had been returned. "I think the gallery looks pretty good, though," she finished.
Looking at the building with her, Derek nodded, then looked at his sister, who admittedly, looked nothing like him, but he was glad they now had a relationship. "Well, I think it's great. The gallery, the pregnancy glow," he added with a smirk. She blushed, but he went on. "I mean it, Peyton, you've got to be close to bursting, aren't you? Shouldn't you be taking maternity leave soon?" he added in a brotherly tone.
Rolling her eyes, Peyton began walking towards her car. She ran a hand over the Comet and a smile spread across her face as it always did when she thought of Lucas and/or her beloved car, and right now she was thinking of both. She turned and leaned against it. "I'm a grown woman. I know how to take care of myself. I still have time before I burst, as you put it," she replied.
Suddenly, they were being hit by rain, and Peyton looked up at the grey sky, alarmed by the storm clouds, and the lightning that she hadn't noticed until then. She glanced at her brother. "I think we should get out of this storm. I'm going to go check on Haley, who actually is really close to bursting, and I'll call you later and we can set up a day to meet for dinner, okay?" she said, and they both got into their cars as the rain started coming down harder.
As she pulled up in front of Haley's house, she looked up at the storm that had come in so fast. The radio told her it was going to be dangerous to be outside, before she turned off the car and ran through the pounding rain to the front door. She didn't knock because she was already soaked when she reached the front door. "Hales, you there?" she called, hearing an answer from upstairs.
Heading up there, she was at the top of the stairs when the power went out. She let out a small yelp when she tripped on the top step, throwing out her hands to grab the banister and clutch her stomach, but she managed to catch herself and continue to the master bedroom. She opened the door and heard a shout before she assured her friend that it was just her, as she felt her way towards the pregnant woman.
When she ran into the bed, smashing her shin against the frame, she decided it was ridiculous to just keep fumbling through the dark, and she pulled out her cell phone, flipping it open for light. "Oh, wow, no bars either. I told Lucas I was coming home, but I might just be stuck here for a while. He's going to be so worried," she rambled before she held the phone out, stopping as she saw that Haley wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention to her.
With a gasp, she hurried over to the brunette, kneeling next to Haley, who was seated on the floor next to the bed, clutching her stomach. She realized that the gasp hadn't been in fear at all, but in pain. "Hales, Hales, what's wrong. Talk to me Haley," she then noticed that her knees were wet as she knelt in liquid and she groaned. "Please tell me that you peed yourself," she begged.
As Haley's pain subsided, she shot her friend a glare, which Peyton could barely make out in the glow from her phone, which had fallen to the ground next to her. "Oh, yeah, Peyton, that's exactly what it is, when I'm a week away from my due date and I've been having pains for the past, oh, I don't know, six hours," she snapped, but didn't give Peyton a chance to respond. "Why did I tell Nathan he could go to that game? What made me think that something like this wouldn't happen?" she moaned to herself.
Since the electricity was still out, Peyton knew the phone wouldn't be working either, and she wasn't sure it was a good idea to go out driving in the topless Comet when she could hear the thunder going off every couple seconds. She flopped down next to her friend, quite unsure of what to do. She couldn't deliver this baby on her own, but unless this freak storm stopped, and soon, she wasn't sure she would be able to get out of it.
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On the other side of the small town, Brooke was stuck in her hotel room, wanting to leave, but unable to in the current weather. She wished she hadn't been so stupid. She had really fallen for Julian, but, just like Lucas, all he had done was break her heart. Part of her knew that he had just been a rebound, but it still hurt that she had just caught him cheating on her. She had known that she shouldn't just come to surprise him, but it had been almost two months since she had seen him, and she couldn't take the phone only contact anymore.
Slapping herself on the forehead, she cursed Julian, and Lucas, and pretty much all men, but she knew she was just as much to blame, if not for the actual act, then for thinking that any guy could be decent and worth giving her heart to. She left the room and saw the elevator's doors closing. She didn't even check if it was going up or down; she ran to catch it, wanting to get out of the stupid town that had only caused her heartbreak.
When she got into the elevator she saw that the only other occupant was a male, and she wanted to roll her eyes. She saw that the elevator was on the was up and she actually did roll her eyes, biting her tongue because she knew that she did find him attractive and that was the most annoying part of all. She didn't want to be attracted to him, and a part of her hated herself for it. She just hoped this would be the quickest elevator ride of her life.
All her hopes died when the elevator suddenly stopped, the lights inside it going off. She banged on the doors, but they didn't open. She cursed under her breath as she pulled out her cell phone, which had also lost service. "Great, just great," she muttered, resisting the urge to throw the phone, and instead tossing into her purse, albeit a little rougher than necessary. "Until we get out of this, just don't talk to me," she demanded of the guy.
Feeling around, she sat in the corner of the elevator, resisting the urge to start crying. She knew she was in for a long night. She could only hope that the maintenance people got her out of here quickly. She was proved wrong a few minutes later when she heard voices shouting though the elevator shaft. She was really stuck, and until the power came back on, she would be stuck. She could no longer keep herself from crying, and now just tried to keep it as quiet as possible.
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Since Peyton had moved in with Lucas, Jake, Nikki and Jenny had taken to coming to stay at Peyton's house when they both had a few days off work. Jake had meant it when he said he wanted to do everything he could for Peyton during her pregnancy, and he had definitely kept the promise so far. Jenny also loved getting to see Peyton so much, and she was just as excited for this baby as she had been for the last one.
The storm started, and Jake was pacing the living room. He had talked to Lucas not long ago, and Peyton hadn't come home from work yet. He was worried she hadn't yet made it home, and he didn't want her driving in the storm. He had the news on, and the weather report said it was going to get bad. He had tried her cell, but she hadn't answered. He was getting ready to try again, when the power went out.
Cursing, he tried heading for the stairs, to check on Nikki and Jenny, who was already asleep, but he just tripped over the couch. He realized that he could use his phone for light, and noticed he now had no bars, which just made him curse again. He managed to make his way to the kitchen instead, finding a flashlight in one of the drawers. He heard footsteps and a few seconds later, Nikki entered the kitchen, holding a candle.
Stepping closer, Nikki studied his face, realizing how worried he was for Peyton. She wanted to roll her eyes, but refrained. She knew he was just protective of her because of all she had been through, but the less secure part of her wondered if he still loved her. She had her own boyfriend to look after her, the baby's father, she didn't really need Jake as much as he liked to be there. She just wondered what this meant for them, although she had been scared to say anything.
Now, though, she just couldn't hold her tongue anymore. She walked up to him, listening to his muttering and murmuring, which was mostly about the blonde who had been between them for too long. "Jake, I think we need to talk," she said, but he wasn't really listening. He was walking around the kitchen, trying to find some place with cell reception. She grabbed the phone and made him look at her. "Jake, we need to talk," she repeated.
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In an airport in Charlotte, Nathan was learning that his flight was delayed. He ran his hand through his hair, trying to figure out what he was going to do. He had a feeling that something was happening in Tree Hill. He needed to get home, but he couldn't get a flight, and the weather report said it was too dangerous to drive into the town now. He needed to get to his wife, though, there had to be some way.
Staring around the airport at all the other people who had also been trying to get to Tree Hill, he ran his hand through his hair again. He spotted someone he knew, but really wished he hadn't as the person began to walk over towards him. "Nathan Scott. Are you headed to Tree Hill like the Keller?" Chris Keller asked as he reached Nathan, who still didn't like the guy any better, even after their last encounter.
Noticing the car rental place, which was full of people, he knew he'd never get a car from there, and that didn't leave him much options. He really wanted to ignore Chris. Sure, he didn't know anyone else in the stinking airport, and no one else would probably drive him into Tree Hill, but did he really want to be stuck with Chris Keller. He needed to get to Haley, though. "Do you have a car, Chris?" he asked, grudgingly.
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When the power went out, Lucas really began to worry for Peyton. He knew she was supposed to be on her way home, but that was too long ago. She should have been here by now. He didn't know where she was, and now he couldn't even call her. The weather report had said it was a hurricane coming in, but he couldn't just sit here when she could be anywhere, could he? What if she was in trouble?
On the other hand, he had absolutely no idea where to look. She could have gotten stuck at her gallery, in which case, she would be perfectly safe. She also could have broken down, in that Comet of hers, in which case she was not safe at all. If she had broken down, though, she could be anywhere between here and the gallery, and it could take a long time to find her. He would have to search the whole town.
It was just as likely that she was perfectly safe, and if he went out there, she would get mad at him if he got injured. He wouldn't care if he got himself into trouble if he saved her from it, but she would care, if she wasn't in trouble in the first place. He just wished he knew where she was. He couldn't do nothing while she was pregnant and a hurricane was coming in.
Then he remembered that Haley was home alone, and he decided that maybe Peyton would have gone there, to check on her pregnant friend. He decided that he would just get over to Haley's house, and then maybe if Peyton was there, the three of them could be together. If not, he would have to figure out where else she could be.
Just as he grabbed his keys and was almost out the front door, he heard a crash, and he opened the door, only to see a large tree branch on the hood of his car, breaking through the windshield. He couldn't drive in that car. He probably wouldn't even be able to lift the tree branch off on his own. He only deliberated for a moment before he set off for his best friends house on foot.
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It didn't take long before Derek could no longer stand the sounds of crying coming from the corner of the elevator. He had never been able to stand by while a woman was crying nearby. He knew she had said to stay away, but maybe she needed him to reach out and help her even more. He wouldn't know unless he tried, and by the sounds of the thunder, they wouldn't be out of here any time soon anyway.
Moving closer, but not too close, because he still couldn't see, he sat down next to the elevator wall, close to the corner she had camped out in. He didn't try to touch her, because that would be too risky, but he cleared his throat. "Are you sure you don't want to talk about it? Those sound like tears that have been brought on by some jerk, and I've heard that sometimes talking to a stranger helps," he offered.
The silence-except for her crying, although he did hear a little hesitation in that-lingered, and he leaned his head back against the wall. He knew it would take a bit more probing than that. "Please, at least stop crying, even if you don't want to talk. I understand if it hurts, but I can't stand to hear a person in pain and not be able to help the. It'll be a very long night if you cry the whole time," he pleaded.
This time there was a sniffling sound, as if she were trying to stop her tears. She didn't say anything for a long time though, and he wondered if she was just going to stay silent all night, but then she spoke up. "It sounds like you're speaking from experience," she said, and he didn't respond this time. "I'll share my story, if you share yours," she finally offered.
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As time wore on, Peyton checked her phone periodically, knowing that Lucas was probably going crazy with worry for her. She was also trying to time Haley's contractions, which were starting to come at an alarming rate. She knew that some people could be in labor for days, and she only hoped that the baby would wait until after the storm, so they could get Haley to a hospital.
Besides cursing Nathan and then wishing he was there the next time a pain came on, Haley didn't say much, and Peyton let the silence linger, only saying comforting things to her friend when she was in pain, and letting Haley squeeze her hand. She wasn't used to being on this side; in her classes she had been in Haley's position. This was more Lucas's thing. "So," Haley finally said in between contractions. "Are we going to talk about why you turned down Lucas's proposal, and when you're going to say yes?" she asked.
A/N: Well, well, well. This fic decided it does have more than one chapter left in it after all. I guess we'll just have to see where this goes. I honestly did not plan this at all. I started writing a completely different chapter, and then we had a lightning storm, and I got this idea for a lightning storm in the fic. Tell me what you think, and I'll see how fast I can get another chapter written, and we'll see how many chapters this fic really has left. Thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.