A/N: So its been too long but I'm back. Thanks to all those that have reviewed since my last post. Real life got in the way then it rendered me useless when it came to writing. I'm hoping to slowly get back into the groove but have no timeline. This story is always open and I will strive to finish it. Just know that there are no current plans to end this. I still have a lot of ideas with this story though it might take a while in between updates. If you celebrate it, then happy Easter.

Meet Me Halfway

Peyton and Brooke were in their room, trying to avoid the inevitable. Time was running out on their adventure in Wilmington but they were in no hurry to leave. The weekend away had been everything they had hoped. They had time alone with each other and they got to deal with a few of their issues; namely Peyton's. She was finally able to let go of a few things that were weighing down on her. She felt that maybe this time, her relationship with Brooke had a chance of working.

She had been holding things back and trying keep in control of her feelings. When she returned to Tree Hill, her intentions were to keep as far away from Brooke as possible. She knew the game they would play in public would benefit her, as they didn't hang around the same people. Unfortunately being paired up for an assignment showed her that she wasn't over the brunette as much as she thought she was. Though she fought, it was just a matter of time before she gave in and took Brooke back.

Brooke, on the other hand, was just grateful that Peyton had given her another chance. The events leading up to their first break up and Peyton's subsequent departure, weighed Brooke down heavily and she never fully recovered from her guilt. She never dealt with it properly and instead of talking to someone about it, she found comfort in many bottles of Jack. Daniels.

That was then and this was now, everything was going to be different. Right now, Brooke's mind was temporally pulled out from her thoughts. "You keep doing that and we'll never make it home."

"That's fine by me." Peyton mumbled.

"We do have to go back at some point." Brooke silent wished she hadn't reminded herself of that little fact. She was in no hurry to go back but she knew they couldn't stay in this bubble forever.

"But not now." Peyton didn't want them to be focusing on that, just what was happening now.

Brooke started to moan in pleasure, as Peyton's fingers teased her flesh. "I should get you to do this more often. Maybe you can work your magic fingers after practice and game days."

Peyton rolled her eyes as she continued. "You want me to be your personal masseur."

"Yes." Brooke grinned into the pillow her head been rested on, as she laid face down on the bed.

Peyton, who was straddling Brooke's hips, stopped massaging the brunette. "What did your last slave die of?"

"Well it's up to you. I just thought that you might want to help keep me relaxed and flexible especially for non cheerleading activities." Brooke turned her head just in time to catch Peyton take a big gulp. She smiled in satisfaction knowing full well that she was going to be getting this treatment on a regular basis.

*****

The two new friends had been studying for an hour. Nathan felt like he was coming to grips with the work. He hadn't considered asking Haley for help but when his brother suggested it, he couldn't think of anyone else that he would want to spend his time with. He wouldn't admit it anyone that he enjoyed spending time with the brunette. She was unlike any of the girls he hung around or hooked up with. He silently thanked both Lucas and Brooke for the opportunity to get to know her better.

A question had been on Haley's mind to ask and but she kept changing her mind on whether to breach the subject. She finally decided to come out with it. "I don't mean to pry but why are we at Brooke's house instead of yours?"

Nathan briefly looked up from his books to answer. "I'm surprised Brooke or Peyton didn't tell you. I kind of live here now."

Haley opened her mouth and immediately closed it, not wanting to say the first thing that came into her head. After rethinking it, she finally said something. "You can tell me to mind my own business but why?"

Nathan thought about how he was going to answer the question, especially as it wasn't really something that he was broadcasting. Only Brooke knew what was really going on and that hadn't been easy to divulge. He wanted to keep it brief, without leaving it open, for probing. "I needed to get away from my parents for my own sanity so I moved some of my stuff here. My parents are too clueless and self involved to even notice."

"Are things really bad enough for you to move out?"

Not looking away from his books, he simply replied. "Yep."

Haley paused for a while and just looked at him pretending to read the book. She knew that she wasn't in any position to question any further; she couldn't really call them friends. She decided to drop it but ended the conversation with a passing comment. "If you weren't already turning eighteen soon, you could have got emancipated from them."

Nathan laughed to himself and mumbled. "If only I thought of that before."

*****

Deb Scott had a certain routine that she always liked to keep. She would wake up at some point before midday, in the clothes that she was wearing the previous day. Her breakfast always had to be a pill chased down with a martini. She would try to wash off whatever mess she was in and try to look presentable. This had been her routine for months; ever since she chose not to travel too much for work to spend more time with her family. That obviously didn't work, as it was evident that her trips were hiding the cracks in her marriage. This came to a head when she kicked Dan out the house. This didn't stop here, he was round most days, either trying to worm his way back or to take cheap shots at her.

She had hardly spent anytime with Nathan; being too high and drunk to even notice that he hadn't slept in the house for a couple of months. Today she changed part of her routine by going into Nathan's room. It wasn't the un-slept bed that had her questioning things. Items that he considered important were missing. His laptop, signed photograph of Michael Jordan, a few photographs of him and Brooke. The most heart-breaking thing to her, when she realised that he had packed up, was that he left all photos that had her in them.

She wondered how long it had been and why she didn't even notice it. She thought of the one place that he might be staying. She obviously didn't know her son, as it would be the last place he would consider going.

*****

Brooke and Peyton stumbled through Brooke's house, giggling. They couldn't help the happiness that washed over them.

"I'm sure Nathan is out for a run of something. He usually does something athletic now. Maybe we can do our own kind of workout." Brooke dropped her bags and started pulling Peyton through the house as she was kissing her. Brooke slipped her right hand underneath Peyton's shirt, seeking flesh, when she was interrupted by a female voice that wasn't her girlfriend's.

"I see the two of you have decided to reappear."

Brooke turned her head to the female voice that broke her away from Peyton. "You have to stop this Tutor girl. You and I have to have a serious talk about this interrupting business you've got going on."

"Nice to see you too, Brooke." Haley gave her a fake smile and then turned to a very red-faced blonde. "Hey Peyton."

"Hey." Peyton replied, trying to tamper down her slightly aroused state.

"Now to what do we owe the pleasure?" Brooke asked, trying to hide the fact that she was slightly pissed off that her alone time with Peyton was interrupted. She untangled herself from Peyton to face Haley full on.

"Haley is tutoring me." Nathan answered, walking into the hallway that the three girls were standing in.

"Is that what the kids are calling it these days?" Brooke questioned, raising her eyebrows in a mischievous and flirtatious manner.

"If you mean helping someone with their schoolwork, then yes." Haley replied, defensively. She crossed her arms and glared with a slight annoyance.

Brooke opted not to take the conversation any further and quickly changed the subject. "Nate, is Maria about?"

"Yes, she's cooking us some dinner."

"Do you fancy staying for dinner?" Brooke whispered in Peyton's ear, hoping for her to say yes. She knew that she might have her work cut out for her to try and get Peyton to stay. With Haley and Nathan being there, she was hoping that she was more likely to get a yes from the blonde. Peyton turned to look at Brooke and saw her eyes pleading with her to stay. She wasn't sure why it was such a big deal but she nodded yes. Brooke gave her a quick kiss on the lips and then turned to back to the others. "Haley, can I have a quick word with you in private please?"

"Sure." Haley looked puzzled; trying to guess what Brooke was going to say.

"Peyton, please can you take my bags to my room?" Brooke walked into the front room with Haley, closing the door before Peyton had the chance to answer.

"And you say you're not whipped." Nathan started laughing.

Peyton gave him an angry look. "Nathan, don't."

*****

Deb sat in her car, not wanting to move. It was the last thing she wanted to do but she didn't really have a choice. She couldn't get hold of Nathan, Tim didn't have a clue and Brooke wasn't answering her cell. Her hands were shaking but she couldn't tell whether it was withdrawal or pure fear of where she was. She had spent a lot of time nervously tapping the steering wheel. She had tried to count to 10 to help give her the courage to step out of her car but she was currently on 96 when she decided to brave it out.

Walking slowly from her car, she approached the door that separated her from her fear. After some whispered words of encouragement, she tentatively knocked. Turning her back to the door, she wasn't aware of when it opened. The only idea she had was when she heard the cold, hard voice of her ex husband. "What are you doing here?"

She turned round in anger; her initial feeling was to wipe the smug look from his face. The only words she could muster up were "Where's our son?"

*****

Nathan and Peyton looked awkwardly at each other. They had never really been in the same orbit as each other. Though Nathan and Lucas were half brothers, it didn't mean he hung out with his brother's cousin, until now. The three of them weren't particularly close with each other and had only spent a handful of times in each other's company. Nathan was always popular, while Lucas had been on the porphyry. Peyton was no way near their heights of the social ladder, especially with everyone thinking she didn't get on with Brooke. Nathan internally breathed a sigh of relief, when his cell started ringing; this was however brief when he looked at the caller ID.

Peyton, noticing his debate, broke him from his gaze. "You can get that you know."

"I know but I don't want to." He pressed the reject button and put his phone back into his pocket. Yet again, he looked around nervously before breaking the silence.

"So"

"So"

They both looked at each other and then anywhere else; they both felt the awkwardness. 'She's your best friend's girlfriend, make some sort of conversation' Nathan thought to himself. Peyton's thought was similar 'He's your girlfriend's best friend. I'm sure I can think of something to say.'

Nathan decided to break the silence with a question. "So how does the open mic night go?"

'Phew, I can do this.' Peyton thought to herself before answering. "Anyone can either sign up before hand or on the night, depending on how much time is left. Are you interested in doing something?"

"Me." Nathan started laughing uncontrollably.

"What's the joke?" Peyton asked, not quite getting the punch line.

"If you still want customers, then no." Nathan was still laughing as he spoke. "I can recognise that I can't sing. I can read instead."

"Poetry would be good." Peyton got excited that the most popular guy at school was thinking of participating in the open mic night.

"I was thinking more like a magazine like the latest interview with LeBron James or Kobe Bryant." Nathan replied with a straight face.

Peyton looked at him waiting for him to laugh at his own joke. "Please tell me you're not serious."

"I'm not serious so you can breathe a sigh of relief." Nathan smiled as he revealed the real reason behind his question. "I was thinking of signing up someone else."

A look of horror appeared on Peyton's face as she tried to guess who Nathan was possibly talking about. "I hope it's not Brooke because I've heard her sing and it's not a pretty sight."

"I like my ears, so no. This person is actually good. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised."

*****

"So what's up Brooke?" Haley asked, still feeling clueless.

Brooke took a seat and waved her hand for Haley to do the same. "Would the class that Nathan is failing be Miss McIntyre's by any chance?"

"Yes, how did you know?"

Brooke shook her head as she smirked to herself. "Just a feeling I had."

"It's really weird though."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Nathan showed me the last couple assignments that he got and I thought the marking was harsh. I'm not sure if I've got something wrong but I think they should have been marked at least a grade or two higher."

"Interesting." Brooke had a suspicion at what it was all about, piecing it together with the information she already knew about the teacher.

"Is there something I should know?" Haley asked, wondering what on earth was going on.

"Nothing for you to worry about."

"OK. On another note, I spoke to Jake the other day. He told me you said you were seeing someone after he asked you out. He asked me who his competition was."

The change of subject broke Brooke from her thoughts on what to do about the misguided teacher. "Did you say anything?" Focusing back on to Haley and what she said.

"Of course not. It's not my place to say."

"Thank you and not for that but for looking after me in my drunken state. You didn't have to do it but I appreciate it."

"It's no problem, really."

"I think it was. I've sorted myself out so there won't be a repeat performance. I just wanted to say thanks for being a friend."

The both of them walked out with Brooke heading for the kitchen. Maria was busy cooking. "Miss Brooke, you're back."

"Drop the miss, Maria. You've known me too long. Would you happen to be cooking enough for four people?"

"Its funny you should ask. I do have some extra food, Brooke."

Peyton came walking through, having just come back from upstairs. "Your bags are now in your room. Is there anything else you'd like me to do ma'am?"

"Come here." Brooke pulled Peyton closer, snaking her arm around Peyton's waist. "Maria, I would like you to meet Peyton."

Maria didn't completely pry herself away from her cooking duties. She had met Peyton a couple of times before, so she couldn't quite understand why Brooke was reintroducing her. "We've met before."

Brooke took a deep breath and pulled Peyton more close to her, trying to get as much comfort from her as possible. "Yes, but I would like you to meet Peyton, my girlfriend." Peyton looked at Brooke, taken aback by her gesture. All Brooke was doing was smiling nervously, waiting for Maria's reaction.

Maria smiled at the both of them before she spoke. "Then I'm pleased to meet you Peyton." Both girls looked at Maria, nodding in acknowledgement at her words.

"Come on, let's set the table." Brooke dragged Peyton out of the kitchen. Before they reached the door, Peyton stopped her. "Brooke, you didn't have to do that."

Brooke smiled and pulled her into a quick kiss. "I know but I wanted to."