Hey everybody, well I hope you are all still with me on this story. I know I haven't updated in forever but I have some good ideas for the story and have gotten back into this story. So I hope you like it and R and R Please.

Jake woke up the next morning with a smile on his face. He'd left Peyton's bed at dawn and it was eight now. He could hear Jenny moving around in the living room, she'd be demanding breakfast soon. He climbed out of bed slowly and wished that Peyton was with him right now. Then they could have breakfast as a family. He walked over to his dresser and opened the top drawer. He pulled out a little jewelry box and smiled with the excitement. He'd bought this ring shortly after moving Jenny and himself back to Tree Hill but Peyton had already left and he'd never returned it. He'd saved it for her, believing fate would bring them together and he was right. She was back and now was the time to ask.

"Daddy!" Jenny yelled from the next room.

"Coming sweetheart," he said placing the ring back in his drawer. He through on a pair of jeans and a Tree Hill sweatshirt before walking into the kitchen where Jenny stood in front of the fridge with a sad look on her face.

"What's wrong?" Jake asked her ruffling her hair as he walked by to start the coffee machine.

"We're out of milk and there's no more frozen waffles," Jenny complained shutting the door with a pout.

"Oh poor baby," Jake teased opening the door up after she moved to the kitchen table.

"How 'bout some eggs and toast," Jake finally said after he too noticed how empty the fridge was.

"Ew," Jenny said crossing her arms across her chest.

"Then what would you like?" Jake asked shutting the door himself.

"Karen's," Jenny said after thinking about for a moment. She smiled sweetly up at him giving him the look that always got her what she wanted.

"Alright," Jake said putting the coffee filter away. "But you have ten minutes to go get dressed and be ready to go."

"Alright," Jenny said getting up to run out of the kitchen. "Daddy, can we ask Peyton if she wants to come too?" she asked when she reached the doorway.

"That's a great idea," Jake said looking at the clock. Hopefully she'd be awake, he'd only gotten four hours of sleep but she'd been asleep when he'd left. He looked at the phone and shook his head, deciding do ambush her instead. If Jenny was there she couldn't say no.

"Daddy, I can't find my pink shoes!" Jenny yelled from her bedroom.

It took another ten minutes of digging in Jenny's room, nicknamed the black hole, for them to find the missing pink shoe. Jenny told her Dad about the bedtime story that Ann, the girl from down the street, had told her the night before.

Jake pulled up in front of Karen's house and they raced to the front door. "Yeah, I won," Jenny said doing a victory dance.

"Hey guys, to what do I owe the pleasure," Karen said smiling after she opened the front door.

"We came to invite Peyton to breakfast," Jenny said peaking around her to see if she could see Peyton.

"But I thought you knew," Karen said confused.

"Knew what?" Jake asked a sick feeling settling into his stomach.

"Peyton left this morning to go back to Los Angeles, I thought she told you," Karen said hating to see the disappointment in Jenny's eyes.

"Daddy did you know Peyton was leaving?" Jenny asked glaring up at him.

"No baby, I didn't," Jake said softly. "Thanks for letting us know Karen." He turned to head back to his car when Karen touched his shoulder.

"Hey Jenny, can you head back to the car, I have to talk to your Daddy for a second," Karen said leaning down so she could talk to Jenny one on one.

"Sure, leave the child out of it," Jenny said sarcastically surprising the both of us. Jenny was rarely sarcastic, that sounded like something Peyton would have said when she was little.

"I'm sorry she didn't call you, I assumed when she told me she was leaving this morning that she had told you," Karen said watching the pain in Jake's eyes.

"Well I guess I can put the ring away for good this time," Jake said softly, forgetting that he had never told anybody about the ring he had bought so long ago.

"Ring?" Karen asked shocked.

"Yeah, a ring," Jake finally said shrugging his shoulders. There was nothing he could do anymore. She'd left, she'd given him his answer without even realizing it.

"I'm sure she's just scared Jake," Karen said quickly not wanting him to give up on Peyton so quickly. "You two have always felt so much for each other, it's got to be a little scary giving into those feelings for a third time."

"Third times a charm, don't the say," Jake said sarcastically.

"Peyton's more of the three strikes, you're out," Karen pointed out. "I don't know where her head is right now Jake, but I wouldn't put that ring away quite yet. She'll be back once she realizes you really aren't going anywhere this time."

"I hope you're right, because I can't keep giving her my heart and having her run away," Jake said shaking his head.

"Now you know how Peyton felt," Karen said softly. She watched as Jake looked at her in shock. "Yeah, hurts doesn't it. Maybe that's why she left again. She fell in love with you twice, gave herself to you completely and you walked away twice. Now I know you had serious reasons for leaving, she knows that too. But leaving's leaving and it hurts no matter if you leave on purpose or against your will. Her hearts been broken twice, by you. So maybe now you know how Peyton felt all those years ago."

"Still-" Jake said but Karen interrupted him.

"I'm not condoning running away, I always thought Peyton had more guts than that," Karen said not wanting to hear any excuses. "So instead of getting angry and hurt why don't you go back to work, play with Jenny. She'll be back, and when she comes back, just listen. I think you'll be happy with what she'll have to say."

Jake stood there for a moment before he nodded. "Thank you, if she calls, tell her…just tell her Jenny misses her."

"I will," Karen said and she watched as they pulled away from her house with a sad half smile on her face. "Dammit Peyton." She walked back into her house and grabbed her phone. She placed a call to the only person that could talk some sense into her.

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Brooke gave Lucas one last kiss. They were standing in front of security saying one last goodbye. "Okay, now I really have to go," she said smiling as she pulled away for the third time.

"No," Lucas said pretending to whine. He wrapped his arms around her waist. "I just got you back, I'm not ready to say goodbye yet."

"We'll see each other soon," Brooke said wrapping her arms around his neck. "Peyton needs me now, you heard your mom. She's hurting and I haven't been there for her for five years. It's time I'm there for her now," she said placing one last chaste kiss upon his lips.

"I'm going with you," Lucas said making Brooke laugh.

"You can't, you have that meeting with the team doctor and you can't miss it. Maybe they can finally tell you what's wrong with your shoulder," Brooke said slowly massaging said shoulder with one of her hands.

"It better be good news, I want to start," Lucas said hopefully.

"You will," Brooke said giving him one last kiss. "But I really have to go now. I can't miss this flight. I'll call you tomorrow."

"I love you," Lucas said loud enough so the people around them smiled at the couple.

Brooke smiled happily. "I love you to Broody," she whispered before pulling away and making her way towards security. She took one last look after she made it through but she could only see the top of his head and she took a deep breath. This was only their first separation and she was sure it was going to be one of many. She was going to have to get use to this, even if it killed her.

The flight back to Los Angeles was uneventful, just long and boring. It took a half an hour for her to determine that the airline had lost her baggage, which was nothing new and they promised they would call her as soon as they found it.

"I hate flying," Brooke grumbled as she hailed a cab and gave them Peyton's address. She was nervous about walking into Peyton's apartment but Karen assured her that DJ would be there waiting to let her in; whoever DJ was? It had been a long time since Brooke had to comfort a friend, let alone somebody who had once been her best friend. Peyton might throw her out on her behind but Brooke wasn't leaving until she knocked some sense into her. It had taken her five long years to get her one and only back, she wasn't about to let her best friend take any longer.

"Thank you," Brooke said as she paid the driver. She stepped out of the cab and whistled, being an advice columnist at a teen magazine paid really well. She walked into the apartment building, nodding politely at the doorman. Karen better have given her the right apartment number because there was no way in hell she was going to walk around this building asking for Peyton Sawyer.

Brooke knocked on the door when she finally reached what she hoped was Peyton's door and when a short black haired girl answered she smiled uncertainly.

"Brooke Davis, you are even prettier in person," the girl said motioning her inside.

Brooke smiled politely but she was still a little unsure of everything. She still had no idea what to say to Peyton and if DJ was such a good friend of Peyton's, how come she couldn't talk some sense into the girl?

"I'm sorry I didn't get to meet you during the interview but I was out sick," DJ was saying as she led her father into the apartment.

Brooke nodded but she was looking around her. This was definitely Peyton's apartment. She may have become an advice columnist but her talent for drawing was all around her. Brooke remembered a lot of the artwork taking up space on her walls back in Tree Hill but there were some new ones.

The one by the fire place caught her attention the most though. It was a drawing of Lucas but he looked so sad and lost. Brooke hated seeing him look that way, it made her miss him so much more. She turned to ask DJ a question when she saw the other picture on the other side of the fireplace and she had to smile. It was a drawing of her with the same lost look on her face. But no longer would she be wearing that face, she had her broody back.

"Is she okay?" Brooke asked finally facing DJ.

"No," DJ said bluntly. "She's depressed and has only left her bedroom to work in her home office. I know it's only been a day but she's never like this. Not since I've been her assistant."

"Has she told you anything?" Brooke asked thoughtfully.

"No, Karen told me about Jake though," DJ admitted.

"She told me too," Brooke said smiling at her. "It's okay, I'm going to go try and talk to her. Wish me luck."

"Good luck," DJ said smiling back and picking up her purse. "I'm going to head into the office."

Brooke waited until she'd left before she made her way down the hallway to the main bedroom. She took one last deep breath before opening the door and peeking inside. When she saw Peyton laying curled up in the fetal position on the bed, her heart broke for her best friend. She walked quietly into the room and crawled up on the bed beside her. She was here to offer comfort and wisdom but had decided to just be there instead. There would be plenty of time to talk later, right now, Peyton just needed a hug.