Lucas Scott was a mess. Brooke had refused to see him that night, and as Nathan had vowed, his friends had done nothing to help convince her. He had no idea how she was, how her treatment was going, if there had been any new developments. He was completely in the dark in regards to the girl he loved, and there was nothing he could do about it. He was sitting in his room lamenting this fact when Peyton came in.

"Hey Lucas," she said, her voice tentative. She had been different ever since that day in his room with Brooke; Lucas and Peyton had discussed things, and she was ashamed. Ashamed of everything she had done to hurt Brooke, who would walk through fire to make sure that no harm befell Peyton herself. "I was wondering if you ever gave Brooke my letter."

Lucas scoffed. "I haven't seen or talked to her in five days."

It was then that Peyton took in the sight before her fully. Lucas was wearing a white tank top, rumpled and disheveled, with a pair of stained jeans and bare feet. A broken picture frame was shattered near the wall. His eyes were tainted with red webs, evidence of his tears. A red tank top of Brooke's was in the bed; it was evident that he had been sleeping with it, if he had been sleeping at all.

"What happened?" Peyton asked, her voice genuinely concerned.

"I fucked up," he said, and his voice cracked as tears filled his eyes once again. Peyton was taken aback; she had never seen Lucas like this. He had always saved her, never the other way around. "I upset Brooke because she overheard some things said between Haley and I about you, and she was leaving with Rachel, and I got so mad, and I grabbed her and...I hurt her, Peyton. I hurt her."

He dissolved into sobs, doubling over in his chair and gripping at his blonde hair. Peyton remained near the door, but took a few steps further into the room. She would not approach him. She had promised herself that she would prevent any kind of misunderstandings from now on, and that included not touching Lucas under any circumstances.

"Lucas, Brooke loves you," Peyton reassured. "She always has. And I know for a fact that she always will. She'll forgive you for anything. That's the beauty of Brooke Davis. She has the most forgiving heart I've ever known, and if she loves you, she'll never stop. That's the kind of person she is, and what you did was wrong, Lucas. But she will forgive you for it. Whether she should or not, Brooke loves more than anyone else. It's nearly impossible to break that love."

"She hasn't forgiven you," Lucas said weakly.

Peyton cracked a half smile and reached onto his dresser, holding up the envelope she had brought by over a week ago. "Well, you never gave her this, so that might have something to do with it. I'm gonna swing this by Haley and Nathan's. I assume that's where she is?"

"Yeah," Lucas said sadly. "They've been taking care of her."

"You know they'd tell you if something is wrong," Peyton soothed. "She's all right."

"It's just killing me not to see her for myself."

"You're Brooke and Lucas. Lucas and Brooke. Do what you do best. Go show her that you love her. Show her you can't live without her, Lucas. Because obviously, you can't. But I'd shower first. You look like hell."

"Thanks," he said sarcastically. "There's not enough grand gestures in the world to make up for what I did."

"No," Peyton said bluntly. "There isn't. But there are enough to start. And the longer you wait, the worse this is going to get."

With that, Peyton left, and Lucas was left contemplating the friendship between his love and her best friend. How was it that despite anything, they would always know each other better than anyone else ever could?

Peyton knocked on the door to Haley and Nathan's apartment with bated breath. She was surprised when the girl she was looking for opened the door immediately. Brooke's eyes widened slightly, and Peyton could see that they were red, just like Luke's. There were bags under them, and Peyton felt her stomach turn at how thin and gaunt Brooke looked. She knew that most of Brooke's appearance had little to do with Lucas.

"Peyton," Brooke said politely.

"Hi Brooke," Peyton said, shifting her weight from one foot to the other nervously. "I um...I had dropped this letter for you a while ago, and I assumed you hadn't gotten it, so I wanted to bring it to you myself."

She proffered the envelope, and Brooke immediately took it. Brooke's eyes were soft as she tilted her head to the side. "Why don't you come in while I read it?"

Peyton nodded and nervously stood in the small living room while Brooke settled on the couch and read the letter.

,

I don't know where to begin. Any apology that I utter will simply seem like it's coming from the fact that you're sick. But I promise you, it isn't. The fact that you're sick simply opened my eyes. You know me. Sometimes it takes something horrible for me to see sense.

For years and years, I've felt cheated. I've felt like a victim. After losing my mom, and then Ellie, and my dad always being gone, I just felt like I had a right to be a victim. But the thing is, you've been through even more. And you've never used it as an excuse for anything. You've been saving me and yourself, and you've been sacrificing anything you possibly could for me. I was ungrateful and blind.

I was wrong when I said that I love Lucas. I don't love Lucas. I love Jake, but even more than that, I love you. You were willing to give up the only boy you've ever loved for me. You loved me more than him. And I've come to realize that there is nothing on earth that I love more than you, and that if anything happens to you, I don't know what I'll do.

You are so brave, and so beautiful, and so strong. You are loyal and fierce and I am so lucky to have had you in my life. Even if you never forgive me, I'm one of the lucky ones. One of the few lucky souls to have been loved by the remarkable Brooke Davis.

When Brooke finally looked up, there were tears floating in her eyes, and she snatched Peyton by the thin wrist and pulled her on to the couch beside her before enclosing her in a fierce embrace. Peyton let out the breath she had been holding as she slowly hugged Brooke back, letting a few tears leak from her eyes.

"You will always be loved by Brooke Davis," Brooke mumbled into Peyton's shoulder.

"I was a two-faced, backstabbing bitch," Peyton murmured.

"But at least you know it," Brooke said wryly, and both girls giggled. They pulled away, breaking their hug and wiping their eyes. "There's something I've been learning lately. I don't exactly have the luxury of time. I don't have time to be angry. I was mad and I was hurt, but I never stopped caring for you and loving you."

"You're too good for this world, Brooke," Peyton said, leaning back.

"Maybe that's why I'm gonna be taken from it."

"Don't," Peyton said fiercely. "Don't you dare talk like that, Brooke Penelope Davis."

"Sorry," Brooke said. "It's usually your job to be the cynic."

"Exactly," Peyton said. "So you do your job and be optimistic and obnoxiously sunny."

Brooke smiled. "I will. So tell me, do you have everything planned for this Jake shindig tomorrow, or do you need my expertise?"

And with that, the dynamic duo that was Peyton Sawyer and Brooke Davis was mended. There would always be some fraying in the strings, but the fabric of their friendship was simply too old and too strong to ever be torn.

The next day was the homecoming party for Jake and Jenny at the Rivercourt. Haley, Brooke, and Peyton had spent several hours in the early morning putting up streamers, setting up table cloths, and prepping food. Haley had been unsurprised at the reunion of Brooke and Peyton, and despite some small remnants of tension, the three girls had giggled and danced while setting up. Brooke sat down to rest several times, but it was the healthiest Haley had seen her look in days, and for that she was grateful.

When Jake arrived, Peyton walked toward him slowly, seemingly unsure of what to do. His face had broken into a beaming smile and he grabbed her around the waist with the arm that wasn't holding Jenny, giving her a tender, short kiss. Haley, Brooke, Nathan, Skills, Mouth, Rachel, and Bevin had all cheered and whistled and the festivities began. Everyone chatted and caught up, enjoying food and each other's company. Only Haley, Nathan, Rachel, and Peyton knew that Brooke was ill, and she shrugged off their worried glances when she began to play basketball with Skills.

She had just leapt onto his back with a shriek when a sudden silence descended over her friends. While only a few of them knew she was sick, they all knew that Lucas Scott and Brooke Davis were having some kind of massive issue in their relationship. And so, when he stood a few feet away from where Brooke was clinging to Skills, a tense hush descended over them. Skills froze, dropping the ball of out of his hands and slowly lowering Brooke to the ground.

"Brooke," Lucas croaked.

"Lucas," she said coldly. She was wearing a floaty floral print sundress, her hair in pretty curls, and Lucas felt his heart twist at her beauty; and the fact that she would not meet his eyes. She snatched the ball off the ground and turned to Skills with a playful wink. "Game on!"

Lucas sighed worriedly, running a hand over his blonde hair as he watched her play. He wasn't sure what her physical state was like, wasn't sure if she should be doing this. He could see her chest heaving more than it should be, and he wanted more than anything to drag her off the court into the shade of a tree, but he knew that he couldn't. He went over to talk to Jake and Mouth next to where Haley and Peyton played with Jenny. The boys had been conversing for several minutes when he heard Nathan's deep voice shout.

"Brooke!"

Brooke was being supported by Skills, who looked extremely alarmed. The brunette looked weak as she practically collapsed into his arms. Nathan had run over to them at a brisk jog, lifting Brooke into his arms as she panted, her eyes closed. She tucked her face into Nathan's neck. She apparently whispered something to him and he nodded, turning abruptly and walking her toward her car. Haley briskly walked over and opened the door to the front seat as he put her gently into it. She gave him a kiss and the two seemed to discuss something. Lucas couldn't take it anymore; he jogged over as well, ignoring the eyes of all of their friends. He ignored Nathan and Haley and opened the door to the car, sliding into the drivers seat and brushing Brooke's curls out of her face.

"Just breathe, pretty girl," he murmured. Her skin was hot, searing against his fingers. She opened her eyes and they looked rather disoriented.

"Don't, Lucas," she mumbled.

He withdrew, biting his lip as tears came into his eyes once again. "Brooke, please. Just let me take you home."

Brooke breathed out a small laugh. "Where's that exactly?"

"My house, Brooke. Please. Let me take you home."

She looked up at him now, and her eyes were misty. "Home is where you're meant to feel safe."

Lucas felt as though he'd been punched in the gut. "Brooke, listen-"

"No, Lucas, you listen. I've barely slept in days, because I sit up at night missing you, missing your weight in bed beside me, missing your warmth and your smell and your arm over my waist. And then I look at my wrists," she held up her arms, "and I remember the look in your eyes and I get chills and I cry because I didn't even recognize you in that moment. I am going through so much right now. I am so, so scared, Lucas. And what I need right now is security. What I need is someone who can make me feel safe. And I don't think that you can do that for me."

Lucas stared at her wrists, where yellowing bruises tainted her porcelain skin, and began to sob uninhibited. In between his cries were muffled sounds of apologies and vows of love and promises, but Brooke made no show of sympathy, she simply sat, her eyes closed as she leaned her head back in exhaustion. Haley and Nathan had moved slightly away from the car, but still close enough to be keeping an eye on the situation. Brooke wanted to grin at the protective glint in Nate's eyes, and the weary looks that Haley was shooting Lucas; she knew that Haley was worried more for her than for her best friend, and it comforted her to know that the two of them were on her side.

Lucas finally began to calm, taking deep, shaking breaths. "I don't deserve you, Brooke. I hope that you find someone that can make you feel safe, that can give your heart a place to call home." He kissed her wrists softly, and Brooke shivered. "I love you, pretty girl. I always will."

He got out of her car and walked away, not looking back. Nate soon replaced him in the drivers seat.

"Are you okay, Brookie?" he asked. Tears were silently beginning to make their way down Brooke's face, and she let out one strangled sob before whispering her reply.

"I really don't know."