"Brooke!" Peyton called as she entered Brooke's house later that week.
"I'm in the studio!" Brooke shouted back. Since the failed caretaker situation, Brooke and Peyton had transformed what would have been his room into a studio, one half for Brooke's designs and the other half for Peyton's art. Peyton loved Brooke's house and practically lived there, and the fact that Brooke had suggested giving Peyton part of her little studio meant the world to the blonde.
"So remember that brother thing?" Peyton asked as she entered. Brooke was on the sewing machine, working away on what looked like her Ravens uniform. "Did you rip your uniform?"
"Yes, and nope, I'm making one for Chance," Brooke answered.
"That's so sweet of you!"
"I hope she'll like it," Brooke said, examining her work. It was an exact replica of Brooke's uniform, even down to the very subtle little "C" on one of the straps, indicating captain. Peyton grinned encouragingly.
"Of course she will. Not only is she crazy about cheering, but she's crazy about you. The fact that you made it for her is gonna make it like, the coolest thing ever."
"Thanks," Brooke smiled. "So what about your brother?"
"Oh, he called me this morning saying he's in town, and I was wondering if you would come to lunch and meet him with me?"
"Of course!" Brooke exclaimed. "This is huge, . How do you feel about it?"
"I don't know," Peyton shrugged. "Part of me is really excited, to have more family, but another part is terrified to let someone in just to lose them again."
Brooke swallowed at this and ignored the elephant in the room. "Well, for all we know, this guy could be a creep. Didn't you say he found you through your web show?"
"Yep," Peyton replied. "Not all men on the internet are creeps, Brooke."
"When was the last time you watched Dateline?" Brooke asked with a cocked eyebrow. Peyton laughed.
"Go get dressed," she insisted. "I said we'd meet him at Karen's in twenty minutes."
"Alright, alright," Brooke mumbled, going into her room. Peyton followed.
"How are things between you and Lucas?"
"Amazing," Brooke gushed. "He's been wonderful, really. I wish he could stay here more often, but Karen really needs him around. Did you hear that she thought she was pregnant?"
"Yeah," Peyton nodded. "That's got to be hard. Having your fiance die just to have to worry that you're pregnant with his baby."
"It could have been a blessing in disguise, though," Brooke said as she slipped in to a lacey white sundress that looked more like a slip than anything else. "What with Lucas, and all of us, leaving for college next year."
"Speaking of which," Peyton began, her voice taking on a tone of excitement. "Guess who got in to Savannah College of Art and Music on a full scholarship?"
"Peyton!" Brooke screamed, launching herself at her friend in a hug. "I am so incredibly proud of you!"
"Thanks," Peyton said, squeezing her friend back. "Jake and I are really excited about moving back to Savannah. I love it there, and so does he, and so does Jenny. With all of you leaving, it won't feel so weird to go."
Brooke smiled at her best friend. "It'll be wonderful and amazing. I'm so, so happy for you."
"Thanks," Peyton repeated as she watched Brooke put on her makeup. "Brooke, we're meeting my estranged brother, not a casting director."
Brooke stuck her tongue out and finished applying her perfect makeup. "A girl with cancer's gotta look her best, Goldilocks."
Peyton rolled her eyes and began to shove her out of the room. "Come on, hoe, it's time to meet the bro."
BoxUpAllTheButterflies
When the girls arrived at Karen's, they were immediately flagged down by a tall, thin man with blonde hair. Brooke smirked.
"Scrawny and blonde," Brooke said wryly. "Definitely your brother."
"Derek?" Peyton asked tentatively.
"Yeah, hi Peyton," he greeted. Peyton stood awkwardly, obviously unsure of what to do, so Brooke stepped in.
"Well hi, big brother, I'm Brooke," Brooke said, sticking out her hand. "I'm basically your surrogate sibling."
"Well that's too bad," he smirked, and Brooke laughed loudly. Peyton glared between them.
"Oh God," she groaned.
"Shall we sit?" Brooke asked, plopping down in a chair. She smiled at Derek. "So, you're Ellie's son?"
"Yeah," he said, playing with a salt shaker. "I stumbled upon Peyton's web cast and I just had this weird vibe, so I did some research and what do you know? We're related."
Peyton seemed quite hesitant about the whole thing. "Did Ellie raise you?"
"No," he said, shaking his head. "I was adopted, too. I grew up in South Carolina."
Peyton seemed relieved that she wasn't the only child Ellie had given up. "Did she ever come find you, when she was sick?"
"Once," Derek said. "But my adoptive mom chased her away, and I never saw her again."
"I'm so sorry," Brooke said solemnly.
"Don't be," he replied nonchalantly. "I didn't know her, she wasn't really my mom, ya know?"
"Yeah," Peyton agreed. "I almost...sometimes wish I never got to know her. My adoptive mom died when we were kids, and Ellie came here to die which just...made it worse."
Brooke noted how Peyton talked about her mother's death in terms of "we", gesturing vaguely at Brooke. It had been something the two of them had both experienced; they had both lost a mother the day that Anna Sawyer died.
"So you two are very close?" Derek asked, pointing between them.
"Like white on rice," Brooke grinned. "Best friends since kindergarten."
"We've been to hell and back together," Peyton explained. "That's why I brought her here. Meeting you is a huge moment in my life, and Brooke's been there for pretty much every huge moment."
"Well, then I'm very, very glad to meet you, Brooke."
"They always are," she winked. Haley came over with a pad and paper.
"Hi guys, so sorry it took me so long. It's busy and I figured you would wait longer than these other jerks," Haley smiled. "I'm sorry, I don't think we've met. I'm Haley."
"Our other best friend," Brooke filled Derek in. "This is Peyton's half brother Derek."
"Oh!" Haley exclaimed. "It's very nice to meet you! What can I get you three?"
"My usual, please, Tutor Mom," Brooke chirped.
Haley nodded, took down Peyton and Derek's orders, and went into the kitchen. "She seems nice," Derek said awkwardly to fill the silence.
"Haley is great!" Brooke exclaimed. "So sweet and so smart."
"We're an eclectic group," Peyton supplied. "Brooke here is our resident head cheerleader and fashion guru. Her boyfriend Lucas is the tortured writer slash athlete, Nathan, who's married to Haley, is our protective big brother basketball star, and Haley's our brilliant tutor girl."
"And here is our very own Van Picasso."
"Van Gogh and Picasso are two separate artists," Peyton laughed.
"Whatever," Brooke said with a roll of her eyes. "Then you're both!"
Derek laughed loudly. "You're funny."
"I try!" Brooke chirped with a shrug.
Lunch ended up going smoothly. They discussed music, Peyton's art, Ellie's life, and their childhoods. By the end of the lunch, Peyton and Brooke had decided that Derek seemed quite harmless, and decided once had had gone that they were going to throw him a party at Brooke's house to meet all of their friends. Brooke's phone began to ring as Peyton and Brooke discussed who to invite. She flipped it open with a curiously furrowed brow.
"Hi Brooke," a familiar little voice rang through the phone.
"Chance?"
"Yep!" she giggled.
"Chance, what number are you calling me from?"
"A payphone," the little girl laughed. "You just put a quarter in and BAM! You can call anyone!"
"Who's with you?" Brooke exclaimed worriedly.
"No one. Charlotte has the day off and my mom went to some fancy thing and my dad doesn't live with us of course so I just decided to go adventure."
"Chance, sweetie, what is the nearest place to where you are? Can you read me some of the signs?"
"Ummmm. I'm near a market. And a place called...called...the buh-l-you puh-oh-sss-tuh."
"The Blue Post?" Brooke yelped. "Honey, I need you to stay right at the phone and do not talk to anyone. I'm gonna come pick you up okay?"
"You're not mad, are you Brooke?"
"No, no, I'm not mad. Peyton and I are gonna come pick you up right now and we'll go do some shopping, how about that?"
"Okay!"
"Okay. I'll be there soon. Don't move and don't talk to anyone."
She hung up, grabbing her bag and tossing money on the table. She had insisted that Derek not pay as he left. Despite the fact that she was leaving far too much money, Brooke grabbed her bag and started dashing from the diner. Peyton followed worriedly.
"Brooke, what's going on?"
"Chance is by the Blue freaking Post by herself," Brooke explained as she jumped in her bug. Peyton cursed and got in with her.
"Where the fuck is Charlotte? Or her mom?"
"It's Charlotte's day off, and her mom is somewhere else, I don't know," Brooke sighed, running a hand through her hair as they sped off toward the opposite side of town. "That is such a bad neighborhood, oh my God."
"Just calm down, I'm sure she'll be fine," Peyton soothed.
"She's six years old with cancer," Brooke snapped, "and in the worst part of town. How is that possibly fine, Peyton?"
Peyton held her hands up in surrender as Brooke sped through an intersection. They screeched to a halt in front of the Blue Post, where a pay phone was attached to the side of the building. Brooke got out of the car faster than Peyton could blink and grabbed Chance in her arms in a tight hug.
"Chance! Thank God. You're okay."
"I'm fine, Brooke," Chance said, confused but returning her mentor's hug. "Why are you freaking out?"
"Because I was worried about you. You can't go off on your own like this ever again okay?"
"Okay."
"I need you to promise me."
"I promise, Brooke."
"You scared me, bud."
Chance bit her lip, wringing her tiny hands. "I'm sorry, Brooke. I didn't mean to scare you."
"It's fine honey," Brooke reassured, giving her another hug. "Let's just go to the mall and have some fun, okay? You just call me next time you're home alone."
"Okay," she said softly, smiling brightly. "That would be nice."
"Good," Brooke replied with a soft smile. "Now get in the car, monster."
Chance giggled and hopped in the backseat, crawling over the center consol and giving Peyton an awkward hug that nearly blinded her with a tiny elbow. Peyton laughed as she watched Chance bounce in the backseat. Peyton's phone then started to ring, and upon glancing at the caller ID, she answered with a wry smile.
"Looking for your girlfriend?"
"She hasn't picked up her calls," Lucas said worriedly over the line.
"Lucas, she was out of the car for all of about four minutes."
"So you're with her?"
"The important question here is how many times did you call her in four minutes?"
"Nine," Lucas immediately retorted. "Is she okay? Is she not feeling well? Is she coughing up blood again Peyton, because if she is you know that she-"
"Needs to go to the hospital, yes. But no, she is not, and she is fine. We happen to be with Miss Chance Heatherly at the moment, who wandered her way to the Blue Post."
"What?" Lucas barked.
"Yep," Peyton drawled. "Brooke and I reacted in a similar fashion. We're taking her to the mall now."
"Tell him to meet us there," Brooke said cheerily.
"Brooke says to meet us there."
"See you there," Lucas sighed. "Want me to call up Jake and Jenny?"
Peyton beamed. "Perfect. That'd be great."
Jake and Jenny arrived at the mall first, having been at a nearby park. Peyton gave Jake a kiss hello, causing Chance to bounce up between them and ask, "So does this mean you're married now?" Lucas arrived a few minutes later and immediately swept up Chance in his arms.
"You better promise me to never go to the Blue Post again."
"Why?"
"Because that's where bad girls go," Lucas said, sending a subtle look Brooke's way. She faintly blushed and winked back.
"I promise."
"Good," Lucas said, kissing her on the forehead. He wrinkled his brow in concern. Her hair was hardly even wisps on top of her head. He placed her on the ground and smiled as her tiny hand slipped its way into his large one. Her other hand had grabbed Brooke.
"Can we go to the play place?"
"Absolutely," Brooke replied. Chance squealed and watched Peyton and Jake, who were walking ahead with Jenny in her stroller.
"I'd like them to get married."
"Me too, sweetie," Brooke agreed.
"I've never been to a wedding. I want to go to a wedding before I die. What I'd really like is to be in one."
"Chance," Lucas said sternly. "You know how I feel about you talking like that."
Chance rolled her eyes at him sassily. "I'm not gonna be a liar, Lucas!"
Lucas heaved a deep sigh and shook his head, ending the conversation. The little girl had stolen his heart; at least the tiny bits of it that had somehow escaped Brooke's grasp. He glanced over at the two of them, both to his left, and felt his heart constrict. Brooke was sick. Chance was even worse. Charlotte had given both Brooke and Lucas a talk about becoming too involved with Chance, saying that her chances weren't good and that forming a deep attachment was only going to break their hearts. How could something so sweet be forced to suffer so much only to be taken from the Earth? How could he sit and watch it happen? The three of them had become like a small family over the course of about a month; how could he ever lose her? And how would he be able to remain strong for Brooke, especially if it felt like watching her future?
He was ripped from his thoughts as Chance released his hands, dragging a laughing Brooke into the play place with her. Lucas smiled sadly and pulled his camera out of his pocket. He had taken to carrying it with him everywhere, constantly capturing any moment he thought was important; it drove Brooke nuts, but he needed it. He needed to know that if the very worst thing happened, he would have everything captured in ink, set in stone, reminding him that she had been there, that she wasn't just a dream.