Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters.

A/N: Hello, I'm back again with a new chapter and thank yous to all of you who are reading this, and of course, special thanks to the reviewers. Love you all. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Tamarindo, I totally stole a line from your last review and gave it to Dan to say. LOL.

Also, much of the convo between Dan and Lucas comes directly from the show.

One arm wrapped securely around her waist, the other hand rubbing her back soothingly, Nathan pulled Peyton closer into him, if that were even remotely possible, his heart rate increasing as he did so. But he wasn't sure if he was reacting to fear over Brooke's medical condition, or the fact that after nearly two weeks of longing for Peyton, she was finally in his arms. Willingly. He decided it was probably a mixture of both. Half a dozen scenarios of what could be wrong with Brooke conjured themselves up in his mind. But did he dare ask?

It could be nothing, he reasoned. Peyton's emotional state didn't signify any real cause for alarm. She was always emotional. He'd seen her cry more times than he can count, and sometimes over trivial matters. She cried when she was sad, upset, angry, and even when she was happy. Often times in their relationship, he'd ignored her tears, annoyed by them, especially when they were fighting. Because, seriously, who could cry as much as Peyton? And most times it was over practically nothing. At least that's how he saw it. She was probably the weakest girl he knew.

And yet, as common an occurrence as her weeping was, rarely had he seen her fall apart. Generally she would have her cry and then come out fighting. Hell, she'd come out fighting during her cry a lot of times. Yes, her sentiments often got the best of her, but within minutes it was over. With the exception of a time or two, concerning her mother's death, she never dwelled on them or allowed them to beat her down. Not for long anyway. She was probably the strongest girl he knew.

Right now she was clinging to him as though her life depended on it and that scared him because if there was one thing Peyton Sawyer wasn't, it was clingy. She was too independant for that. It must be really bad, he concluded. Taking a deep, shaky breath, his hands went to her shoulders, breaking the close contact so he could hold her at arm's length to look at her. "Peyt, what is it?" he asked with growing concern, as his deep blue gaze bore into her tear-filled green one. "What did the doctors say?"

Peyton could only shake her head, too choked up for words, scaring him that much more. He pulled her close once again as she continued to sob uncontrollably.

"They won't tell us anything," Rachel answered his question, dabbing at her own eyes, but otherwise now fully composed. "Because we're not family," she added.

Nathan sneered at the comment. "Bullshit we're not family," he said seething, despite the current rift between him and Brooke. "We're the closest thing she's got to one"

"I tried that argument," Rachel informed him. "Didn't work."

"Dad?" Nathan implored beseechingly.

"I'm not family either, son."

"I know, but…can't you, I don't know, play the Dan Scott card or something?"

Dan squeezed his son's shoulder reassuringly and nodded his head. "I'll see what I can do."

As Dan made his way to the reception desk, Nathan led Peyton over to the chairs. "My dad's gonna find out what's going on, ok," he told her softly as he sat next to her, one arm still firmly around her.

She nodded appreciatively. If there was ever a time to benefit from the power of Dan Scott, it was now.

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Meanwhile Lucas, who'd gone to stand by the coffee machine, watched the interaction between the two former lovers with a heavy heart. Obviously Peyton wasn't as over Nathan as she appeared to be. In a time of extreme turmoil, it was Nathan she ran to, Nathan's arms she sought comfort in. He'd tried to console her, but she hadn't responded. Only after Nathan had arrived, had she broken down.

"True love in its finest form," a voice beside him said. "Isn't it beautiful?"

Lucas frowned his displeasure. "What do you want, Dan?"

"To tell you to get your head out of the clouds," Dan responded. "You and Peyton," he continued, shaking his head. "Never gonna happen. At least not the way you want it to. Even if you did get together, you'd always be her second best, at most."

Lucas glared at the man with intense hatred. "Kinda like I am with you?" he spat.

Dan merely smiled. "Just a little fatherly advice. Take it or don't, it's up to you."

"Spare me," Lucas seethed. "You lost the right to give me fatherly advice the day you left my mom pregnant and alone."

Dan's expression turned somber. "Don't be so quick to judge me, Lucas. It's easy to have all the answers from a distance," he said. "I don't really expect you to understand, but one day I woke up and I was looking down the barrel of a life I couldn't control."

"You're right," Lucas shot back through gritted teeth. "I don't understand. I'll never understand how a man can be so selfish as to walk out on their kid and never look back."

Dan nodded but his face was angry. Naturally Karen had made him out to be the bad guy. "You know what? Why don't you shut up and go talk to your mom? Tell her you want to know what really happened between us back then."

Dan walked away, leaving Lucas scowling and confused. His scowl only deepened as he noticed the position of Nathan and Peyton's hands. While Nathan's left arm simply lay on the armrest of the chair, his right arm draped over her, his hand inside the fabric of her t-shirt, absently massaging the bare flesh of her shoulder. Peyton's right hand wiped at her eyes while her left hand rested casually on Nathan's leg. They certainly didn't come off as a couple who'd recently broken up.

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"I was such a bitch to her," Peyton cried. "She apologized and I wouldn't listen."

"I know, babe," Nathan said soothingly, the term of endearment accidentally slipping out. If she noticed, she didn't mention it. As for the downfall of Peyton and Brooke's friendship, Nathan hadn't been there to see it, but the fact they weren't speaking was all over school, as was his own altercation with Brooke and his and Peyton's longer than norm breakup. Naturally the gossipmongers were having a hay day with the news, but the three had long ago gotten used to being gossiped about. They didn't necessarily enjoy it, but when you're popular, rumors come with the territory. "Me too."

"You were a bitch to her too?" Peyton tried to joke, turning to look at him.

Nathan smiled a little. "You think we could date for almost a year and you not rub off on me?"

"Hey!" she protested, slapping his leg.

"Ow."

Absently she began rubbing where she'd just slapped. "At least you had a right to be mad at her. I mean, she locked you out of her house. But she did that for me, Nate" The tears spilled over once more. "So don't blame her, ok? It was my fault."

He shook his head. "It's not your fault. We both had every right to be mad at her."

"She was just trying to help," Peyton countered.

"Peyt, Brooke being in the hospital doesn't change what she did or how we should feel about it."

"But she said she was sorry and we didn't listen."

"That one's on us," Nathan agreed. "We should have heard her out."

Peyton sniffled and took a deep breath to get some semblance of control over her emotions. "And now we may never get the chance."

"Hey," he said softly, turning in his chair to caress her dampened cheek. "Don't say that. Brooke's gonna be fine."

"You don't know that."

"Come on, it's Brooke," he said as his fingers tenderly brushed the tears from her face.

"So? She's not invincible, you know," Peyton snapped at him. "Aren't you even worried?"

He sat back in his chair. "Of course I am," he said. "I'm just as scared as you are, Peyton."

"Well, you could have fooled me."

"Why? Because I'm trying to think positive?"

"If just wishing it worked, my mom would still be alive."

"Peyton, your mom got in a fatal car accident. Brooke…"

"Collapsed," she finished.

Before he could comment, he noticed Dan heading back toward them. "Well?" he asked hopefully when his father stood directly in front of them.

"She's awake," Dan informed them. "Has been for a while, but they've been running tests. Seems she's got a peanut allergy…"

"Yeah," both Nathan and Peyton said, already aware of it.

"But Brooke wouldn't eat them. She knows she could die if she does," Peyton stressed.

"She didn't eat them," Dan told her. "But apparently she put on hand lotion in the ladies' room at the movie theatre. They're thinking there may have been peanut oil in the lotion."

"Seriously?" Nathan asked in bewilderment.

Dan nodded. "Who would have thought?"

"So, she's awake? Does that mean she's ok?" Peyton asked.

"As far as they know, yes, but they're running more tests to be on the safe side."

Peyton smiled at the man. "Thank you, Mr. Scott."

"Don't mention it," Dan replied. "I'm glad to help." He turned to Nathan. "I'm gonna head out, ok?"

"I want to stay," Nathan told him. He didn't want to leave until he was sure Brooke was fine. And besides that, he didn't want to leave Peyton.

"Yeah, I figured," Dan said. "But I'm sure you can catch a ride, right?"

"I'll drive him home," Rachel offered.

Dan simply nodded before clapping his son's back and making his exit.

Peyton leaned into Nathan, resting her head on his arm, their somewhat argument forgotten as the tension of Brooke's condition was considerably eased by the piece of good news.

"I told you," Nathan said.

"How did I know you'd hit me with an I told you so?" she asked lightly. "But for once I'm glad to be wrong." At least she hoped she was wrong. It wasn't a sure thing yet. But almost. She closed her eyes, allowing a small amount of relief to wash over her.

Nathan laid his head atop of hers and closed his eyes as well.

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"You ready to get out of here?" Haley asked Lucas about ten minutes later.

He glanced over at Peyton, snuggled in Nathan's arm. They both appeared to be sound asleep.

"Rachel offered to drive her home," Haley told him, knowing he wouldn't feel right just leaving Peyton behind when she'd ridden with him here.

"Yeah," he said after a while. What choice did he have really? It's not like Peyton needed him to stay. She had Nathan.

"You ok?" Haley questioned as they walked through the parking lot to Luke's truck.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"You know why," she said. She wasn't blind. She'd seen how fast Peyton had gone to Nathan when he'd arrived.

Lucas shrugged. "It's not like you didn't warn me, right? I should have known anyway. I've played second best to Nathan my whole life. Why should that change now? I guess I'm not enough of a jerk to get her attention," he fumed, slamming the truck door once he got inside.

Haley hopped in the passenger's side. "He was actually pretty sweet with her in there," she said.

"Of course he was. He's still trying to win her back. And, what do you know, it worked!"

"Luke," Haley called out. "You knew there was a possibility of this happening."

Lucas didn't comment, just kept driving.

"What else is bothering you?" she inquired. Obviously he'd be upset that things didn't go how he'd wanted with Peyton, but she knew him well enough to know there was more than that. "I saw you talking to Dan? Does he have anything to do with this?"

"With what?"

"Your horrible mood," she replied simply.

"You know, I don't owe him a damn thing. He's never been there for me. Why should I even believe a word he says?"

"Ok, whoa, I'm not following."

He went on to explain the conversation between him and Dan.

"So, are you going to ask her?" Haley asked once he'd finished.

"I don't know," he answered. "I don't know what to think."

"Well, whatever you decide, I'm always here for you. You know that, right?"

"Yeah I know, Hales. Thanks for that. And sorry about the temper tantrum."

"It's ok," she told him. "Just don't make a habit of it."

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"Well, what do we have here?" Peyton and Nathan heard through the cloud of sleep. It was by far the best sleep either of them had had in a while. It was maybe half an hour, slumped in uncomfortable chairs while worry for their friend plagued their minds, but neither of them had felt so refreshed upon awakening in two weeks.

"Brooke!" Peyton exclaimed, jumping up to her feet and throwing her arms around her best friend. "We were so worried."

"Oh yeah, I could tell, Sleeping Beauty," Brooke teased. She'd come back into the lobby, surprised to find Chase still sitting there and the presence of her friends.

Nathan's eyes opened and he too stood up. "Are you ok?" he asked, pulling her into a hug too. "I mean, ok enough to go home?"

"Yeah, I'm fine now. But seriously, who puts peanut oil in hand lotion? Who would even think to look at the ingredients for that?"

"You from now on," Peyton joked, hugging her again. "I'm sorry," she said earnestly and Brooke understood that she wasn't apologizing for the joke, but for everything that had happened between them lately. "Me too," Brooke said and then looked at Nathan to let him know her apology extended to both of them.

He smiled at her and that told her he had forgiven her as well. It didn't mean their issues would be ignored, just that now they were ready to be expressed.

"I knew we'd be friends again," Brooke stated with assurance, a wide grin on her face. "It may have taken a near death experience to get you two stubborn asses to listen to me, but sometimes a girl has to go to extremes."

Both Nathan and Peyton scoffed at her comment.

"You just couldn't survive without us, huh?" Nathan teased. "You had to go soak in poison."

"Well I figured if I couldn't have my best friends then I could at least have soft skin."

The two just rolled their eyes but their smiles remained.

"So, are you two…?" The question died on her lips.

"Oh, no!" Peyton exclaimed, pulling a little farther from Nathan, much to his dismay. "We're not back together."

"Oh," Brooke said in disappointment. "Because if you were I was gonna say this whole fiasco was worth it." That's all she would say since she didn't want Peyton to think she was interfering again.

"So, you must be tired," Peyton said to Brooke.

"I am" Brooke admitted. "The doctors said I would be for a few days." She glanced over at her date, still not believing the guy had stayed. "So did I rock this date or what?" she joked.

Chase smiled at her. "It was an…eventful evening."

Brooke returned his smile and gave him a proper introduction to her friends. They all shook his hand, every one of them just as impressed as Brooke was that he'd stuck around. And then they headed out, Brooke with Chase while Nathan and Peyton got in with Rachel. The girls were just going to drop Nathan off, stop at each of their houses for overnight clothes and then head to Brooke's. They just felt safer if she weren't alone.

Nathan had offered to just walk home so they could get there faster, but Rachel had insisted on driving him and Chase had agreed to stay with Brooke until the girls arrived.

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Nathan was silent the whole ride home. He was glad Brooke was ok, but he was upset by Peyton's sudden retreat. He'd hoped this could have brought them together again but his hopes had been dashed when Peyton had drawn back.

"Thanks for the ride," he told Rachel once she'd pulled into his driveway. It was the first words he'd spoken since entering her car.

"Nate," Peyton said, following him up the drive. "Thanks for being there," she said when he turned around.

He sighed. That wasn't what he wanted to hear. "You don't have to thank me, Peyton," he told her. "Brooke's my friend too."

"I know, but you spent the entire time comforting me," she said.

"I wanted to," he replied.

"So did I," she admitted. "So, what now?" she asked him.

"You tell me. You're the one calling the shots here."

"Nathan…" she whispered, reaching up to touch his face.

"No, Peyton," he said, recoiling. "What do you want from me?"

"I don't know," she replied. "Maybe just to not avoid each other?"

"I haven't avoided you."

She nodded at the truth of his statement. "So then, I stop avoiding you," she amended.

"So that would make us what? Acquaintances?" he asked in torment.

"We could be friends," she suggested.

He closed his eyes, her words piercing right through him. "I don't want to be your friend, Peyton."

She swallowed the lump in her throat. She wasn't sure she could handle being his friend either, but she couldn't imagine anything more heartbreaking than being in a relationship with him.

Before she could even utter a word in response, he brought her in close, pressing her body against his. "I don't think you do either," he said just before crashing his lips onto hers.

It took her several seconds to pull away from him. "Don't," she said, touching her tingling mouth. 'Walk away, dummy,' she chided herself. 'Don't let him see how weak he makes you.'

But he'd already seen. She'd responded to his kiss and that was proof enough that she still wanted him. "Why are you fighting this?" he asked.

"Because I have to," she told him before turning and heading back to Rachel's car.

"I'm not giving up, Peyton," he warned her.

He didn't see her secret smile as he spoke those words. Of course he wasn't giving up. Nor did she expect him to.