A/N- Ok, so this is my first attempt at Breyton, it starts out slow but please bear with me! Let me know what you think!
Basic Story: Brooke and Peyton are back in Tree Hill, but they aren't living together. Peyton still has her recording label, I'm undecided about how far Brooke went with her fashion line. Mia is still working with Peyton but Jason was actually physically abusive in this storyline.
WARNING-- Accounts of abuse, language(minor) and some femslash--dont like, dont read!
Haley walked into the studio, heaving a sigh at the thought of having to work with Jason again. That asshole...he's so infuriatingly cocky and really just all-around stupid she thought to herself, grimacing. Suddenly she heard the sound of a piano being played tentatively.
Moving quietly into the room, she saw the band's keyboardist sitting at the piano. Her hood was off, and her eyes were closed. The piano gained strength as she went on, and she began singing.
"Kindly unspoken
You show your emotion
And silence speaks louder than words
It's lucky I'm clever
Cause if I didn't know better
I'd believe only that which I've heard."
The sheer beauty and purity of the lyrics and piano nearly brought tears to Haley's eyes as she listened. Unable to contain herself she blurted out, "Wow, Mia, that's really great!"
Mia jumped, looking up at Haley. "Did you write it?" Clearly uncomfortable, Mia shook her head, hoping Haley would let it drop. When she continued to look at her expectantly, Mia sighed and quickly said, "Uh, it doesn't matter. Jason writes all our songs."
When Haley continued to look at her, she got up and left abruptly, trying to avoid any further conversation with Haley.
Jason doesn't like her. He's going to be mad if he finds out I was talking to her, and that she heard me playing... she thought.
Scared at the thought, she walked a little faster away from Haley, unaware of the confused and concerned look that had appeared on the brunette's face.
Haley watched the younger girl leave in confusion. Did I do something wrong? She wondered, not sure what had brought about the abrupt departure. Looking after Mia, she decided to go talk to Peyton about it to see if she knew anything more.
Peyton looked at Haley in surprise. "Who?" she asked. "Mia," Haley replied with exasperation, "You know, the keyboardist?" "Ohhh, ok..." Peyton replied, though it was clear she was still a little lost.
"You said there was something special about this band, and you were right. She's the spark- the one who gives the band its talent and life. Peyton, she's being crushed by that ass of a singer!"
The blonde shook her immaculately curled hair and said, "Fine. I'll talk to her separately. Go ahead and call her in." Nodding, Haley pushed the 'talk' button on the controls
"Hey, Mia? Can we see you in here?" Her hood was back up and she refused to make eye contact with Haley as she nodded. As she walked past Jason to go into the office, he grabbed her arm roughly. Haley had turned away, so Peyton was the only one to see Mia's face go white as a sheet and her teeth clamp down on her lip as though to prevent a cry from escaping.
Jason whispered into her ear, and her eyes grew wide and, though moments before Peyton would have said it was impossible for her to be paler, she turned an even ghostlier shade of white. She nodded hurriedly, trying to pull away, but Jason pulled her in for a forced kiss. When he finally released her, she quickly crossed her arms, hugging herself, as she walked swiftly towards the office doors.
By this point, Haley had turned around again and was watching both Mia and Peyton. "Hey, Peyton.. What's up?" she asked, trying to figure out what she missed.
"It's nothing...just, why don't you stay here and keep an eye on everything while Mia and I go into the back office, where it's more private."
"Sure," Haley said, confused once more by the unexpected turn of events.
As Mia entered the room, Peyton said, "Hey, Mia, we're going to go into the back office, I have something I want to show you," making a point of leaving the intercom on so Jason would hear. Maybe then she wouldn't have to deal with his crap later. Mia nodded, following her back.
Once they were seated, Peyton closed the door firmly behind them. Turning to Mia, she noted how she was still keeping her arms crossed across her chest, making a point of not looking directly at her.
"Hey," she said softly, not wanting to spook the poor girl. "Hey," Mia responded quietly. "So...you want to tell me what's up?" Peyton asked. Mia glanced at her before quickly looking down. She shook her head, not responding in any other way.
"C'mon, it's ok. I don't bite, I promise."
Without thinking, Peyton reached out to touch Mia's shoulder lightly. Mia lurched away from the contact, a flash of panic evident on her face before it was quickly buried. "Sorry...I get a little...jumpy." Mia mumbled. Peyton was now sure that something was not right, but she didn't know quite how to voice it.
Her reaction reminded her of someone...she couldn't quite place it...and then she got it. Brooke. The way Mia was acting was pretty much identical to how Brooke had acted after a run-in with her father.
Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions here...making comparisons where there's no call for them. Her thoughts muddled, Peyton tried to think of what to do. If it was Brooke, she would confront her about it, but the hunched girl in front of her was definitely not Brooke. Not wanting to scare her away completely, Peyton decided to not press the matter just yet, opting instead to ask her about the music.
Mia remained quiet, but when Peyton asked her if she would be open to possibly going solo since Haley wanted to cut Jason, she looked up quickly before looking away again.
"I don't think I could," she started slowly, "I don't have anywhere to stay, and I've never tried to do anything solo before. I don't want to disappoint you, I mean, you wanted Jason first."
Thinking for a second, Peyton came up with a solution that would also offer her a chance to try and get to know Mia better.
"Ok, well, you can come stay with me for a while and think it over away from Jason and the rest of the band. And trust me, I wouldn't be telling you any of this if I didn't believe completely that you could be amazing on your own." Mia hesitated, weighing the options in her mind, but finally agreed to do it.
"Alright. I think that since it's like almost four, we can call it a day for practice and head home!" Peyton said, not wanting to deal with Jason any more and have him scare Mia away. She went and opened the door a little, coughing to get Haley's attention. "Hey Hales, can you tell the rest of them that practice is over for the day? I'm heading out, but I'll see you tomorrow, ok?"
Haley searched Peyton's face for any clues as to what was going on, but Peyton shook her head slightly. Sighing, Haley knew she would have to wait to find out what was going on. "Ok, I'll let them know," she said, and Peyton flashed her a quick smile before going back into the office.
Mia was still sitting on the couch, watching Peyton. "Ready to go?" Peyton asked. Mia looked confused. "Isn't the door that way?" she asked, gesturing towards where Peyton had just been standing. "Not the one we're going through," Peyton grinned, going over to the opposite wall.
"Fire escape," Mia said, catching on with a small smile. "Nice. I'm glad a record executive like yourself has such sophisticated tastes." Peyton smiled at the sarcasm in Mia's voice. Already, the girl seemed to be opening up and relaxing a little now that she didn't have Jason hanging over her.
As Peyton was opening the door, her phone beeped and she looked down. One new message from B. Davis. Brooke wanted to know if she could come over that night, and it occurred to her that Brooke could possibly help her with Mia. If Peyton was in any way right about Mia, Brooke might be able to relate to Mia and help her in a way that Peyton couldn't. Plus, if Brooke was asking to come over, there was no way that Peyton was going to say no to her friend. Brooke wouldn't ask if she could come over unless she had a good reason, otherwise she would just show up.
Peyton texted Brooke back to say it was fine, turning to show Mia her car. Mia's eyes widened appreciatively at the sight of the car, and Peyton grinned. "It's kinda like my baby."
The drive to Peyton's house was quick and relatively quite. Hopping out, Peyton began digging through her purse for her keys. Finding them after a bit of a search, she opened the door and gestured Mia inside.
Closing the door firmly behind her, Peyton turned. "Your room will be just down the hall. There should be blankets and everything, but if you get cold there are extras in here," she said, motioning to a closet. Mia nodded, and Peyton decided that now would be a good time to tell her that Brooke was coming. "By the way, just a heads-up, but a friend of mine is coming over...and there's an excellent chance she's going to end up sleeping here."
The last part was murmured under her breath, but Mia still caught it, as well as the look of worry that flitted across her features. Pretending she hadn't noticed, Mia just nodded again. "Ok, sounds fine."
Peyton glanced at the clock. Almost six...Brooke shouldn't be here till around eight. "You hungry?" Peyton asked, thinking dinner might be a good idea. Mia's eyes brightened at the thought of food, and she nodded enthusiastically.
"Ok, what sounds good? I don't know how much we have to work with...is there anything in particular you like or hate?" Mia cocked her head to the side. "Uhhh no, I'm definitely like the world's least-picky eater. If it's even remotely edible, I'm there." Peyton couldn't help a small laugh at her proclamation. "Ok then, Chinese it is."
Peyton had spent most of dinner just talking to Mia, getting to know her better. Despite her younger age, Peyton felt completely comfortable around her, and it was effortless to talk to her. A little after eight, Brooke came bouncing through the door.
Mia startled a bit, and Peyton could tell Brooke noticed, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she ran over to Peyton and gave her a hug. "Thanks for letting me come," she whispered in her ear, and Peyton squeezed her tighter. "We'll talk later." Nodding, Brooke turned to the girl next to Peyton and went over.
"I'm Brooke," she said, offering a smile but deciding against a handshake. The girl still looked a little spooked, and she reminded Brooke of how she used to look almost all the time. Mia couldn't help but smile a little at the new girl. "Mia," she said, standing to clear her plate.
Thank goodness she didn't just reach out a hand for a handshake...that would have been fun to explain when I fell out of my chair.
"Ooh, you went to Shiro's!" Brooke squealed as she saw the boxes of food. Helping herself, she sighed. "Best. Thing. Ever." Peyton grinned at her comment. "So, want to watch a movie?" Brooke asked, making herself a plate. Peyton nodded, and Brooke looked up at Mia. "Want to join us?"
When Mia looked hesitant, Brooke continued, saying, "It's safe, I promise. No sappy chick flicks or anything like that." Mia smiled and nodded. She couldn't really say no to the bubbly brunette in front of her.
Turning, Brooke looked like she about to grab for Mia's hand, but she stopped, instead offering her hand up to Mia so that it was her decision to take it. Mia did, glad that Brooke hadn't just grabbed her. Somehow, she seemed to know what to say and do without setting off any reflexes.
After a too-long movie that was really pretty pointless, Peyton clicked the tv off. Brooke had ended up snuggled practically on top of her and Peyton was loathe to move. Finally she stood with a sigh, gently removing brookes body from hers. Brooke grumbled a bit, but also stood.
"Ok, time for bed. Mia, you know where your room is, the bathroom is down the hall. I hope you really think about what I said earlier. Come find me if you need anything." Mia nodded and headed for her room.
"And as for you," Peyton continued, eying Brooke, who batted her eyelashes innocently.
"Yes?"
"You're coming with me and telling me what's going on." Peyton concluded, and she knew her guess about something being wrong was not off base from the look on Brooke's face. Brooke sighed, following Peyton down past Mia's room to where Peyton slept.
Sitting on the bed, she leafed through the sketch pads lying around on the bedspread. "So," Peyton started, "How's life?" Brooke didn't look at Peyton and answered, "Peachy."
Scoffing Peyton said, "Ok, stupid question, I know, but please. What's wrong?"
Brooke averted her eyes, looking back down at the sketches as Peyton spoke. Taking Brooke's hand Peyton ran gentle circles on it with her thumb. "Please, Brooke, it's just me."
Still not making eye contact, Brooke softly said, "It's nothing really...I just..I ran into him today."
Peyton's eyes widened. There was only one person she could mean by that. Moving on the bed until she was wrapped around Brooke, Peyton squeezed the smaller girl to her tightly. "What happened? Are you ok? He didn't hurt you, did he?"
Brooke smiled at Peyton's concern, and leaned into her embrace for a minute, just enjoying the contact. "Physically, yeah, I'm fine. He said some stuff, but I think it's nothing to worry about. It just...brought back some memories I would really rather not think about."
Hugging Brooke as hard as she could, Peyton said, "He can't get to you anymore. I still can't believe they let him go early for good behavior." Frustrated, she heaved a sigh. "You're safe with me, Brooke. You can talk to me about anything, you know that right?" Brooke nodded, pulling away just a bit. "Thanks, Peyton," she said softly, standing.
Peyton hung onto her hand, not wanting to let her go, and Brooke almost broke down and stayed. Her body groaned and every fiber in her being told her to go back to the safety that Peyton's arms guaranteed, but she willed herself away. Brightening her tone, she said, "Ok, well, enough seriousness, I'm going to go get ready for bed!"
"You mean I have to sleep alone?" Peyton pretended to pout, but she was actually a little surprised. They always slept together when Brooke stayed over. "Nah, I'm going solo tonight, apparently I've become prone to unintentionally smacking people in my sleep, and we can't mar that pretty face of yours, now can we?"
Peyton just looked at Brooke, trying to figure out the real reason. Brooke broke eye contact first, heading out of the room with a cheery wave. Peyton shook her head. She needed to clear her head and try to make sense of everything that was happening, so she decided to go for a walk once Brooke and Mia were asleep.
Meanwhile Mia was laying on her bed, completely unaware of the exchange that had just taken place. Closing her eyes to try and get some sleep, she immediately regretted it. The second they closed, she remembered Jason. She had felt so welcome and safe here that she had forgotten about Jason even existing, let alone controlling her life.
Being like any other teenager had been intoxicating, and the freedom had been one of the best experiences in recent memory, but she knew it was a temporary illusion. Mia tried to slow her breathing and calm down again, but she was suddenly terrified of him finding her.
She wanted so desperately to go solo, to do what Peyton wanted her to do, but she didn't know if she could escape Jason. Burrowing under the covers, Mia groaned and tried to stop thinking already so she could sleep. She would work things out in the morning.
Mia was awakened less than an hour later by the sound of someone moving restlessly around, and she moaned and sat upright in bed. Suddenly there was the sound of a piercing scream, and then silence. It sounded like it had come from the living room where Brooke was sleeping, and she flew out of bed to see what was wrong.
Steeling herself for what she might find she was still unprepared for the sight of Brooke on the floor, shivering and shaking. Mia rushed to her, not sure what to do. "Peyton!" she called, frantically looking for the blonde. Getting no answer, Mia went to Brooke's side, reaching out an arm to her.
To her immense surprise, Brooke flinched away from her hand, pulling into herself even more. What's going on? Mia couldn't believe that the girl cowering in front of her was the same bubbly person she had befriended only hours prior. Knowing she had to do something since Peyton obviously wasn't coming, Mia slowly and gently wrapped an arm around Brooke and pulled her close.
"Shhhh, it was only a dream, it's ok, you're safe." Brooke was trying to breathe through her tears, and she buried her face in Mia's chest. She didn't even seem to register that it was Mia, she only knew that someone had come to save her. Mia stroked Brooke's hair, trying to think of something, anything, that would calm her.
The only thing that came to mind was to sing, so that was what she did. Brooke gradually stilled as she listened to Mia's voice. Finally, after a few long minutes, she shuddered one last time. "It's beautiful," she whispered hoarsely without pulling away from the younger girl.
Mia stopped singing, surprised that Brooke was talking. "Thanks," she replied softly, "Are you ok?" Brooke pulled away from her a little at the question, and Mia instantly regretted it. "No, never mind, it's ok, just...come here," Mia tried to amend her statement, pulling Brooke back to her.
"I'm fine, Mia, really, it was just a bad dream."
Mia knew that wasn't true, but she didn't push. She sighed, rubbing Brooke's back. Where the hell is Peyton? I'm going to kill her...but I wonder if she knows about this?
As if reading Mia's thoughts, Brooke suddenly said, "Don't tell Peyton, ok? I don't want her to worry, she has enough going on as it is, she doesn't need me on top of everything else."
Mia opened her mouth and then closed it, finally settling for nodding her head. Brooke stood, turning to gently tug Mia to her feet as well. "I'm really sorry for waking you up," she said, "You can go back to bed now if you want." Mia stared at Brooke.
Where did that come from? She just like completely shut me out.
Thinking that maybe it was what Brooke needed, Mia went to leave. Glancing back at Brooke, she changed her mind before she could get very far. Going back to the couch, she sat next to Brooke. "No. I'm not leaving you alone." Brooke looked at her long and hard, trying to figure out what Mia was thinking. Brooke gave up on trying to read Mia after a few moments but still hesitated.
"Come on, you're sleeping with me." Brooke just watched Mia.
"I don't know if that's such a good idea, Mia..." she trailed off. She really didn't want to be alone, but she didn't want to push herself on Mia either. Mia shook her head.
"Nope, you're coming with me." Without giving Brooke time to respond, Mia grabbed her hands and dragged her down to her room. Too tired to argue any more, Brooke got into the bed without further protest, but she couldn't stop her muscles from tightening when Mia got in next to her.
Mia felt it, and moved closer to Brooke under the covers. "It's ok, Brooke," she whispered, resting an arm across Brooke's shoulder. Gradually, Brooke felt herself relax and melt into Mia's body. She felt safe with this girl, something that she normally could only imagine with anyone besides Peyton. Turning in Mia's arms so that she was facing her, Brooke whispered, "Thank you, Mia," causing Mia to open her eyes and look at Brooke.
"For what?" Mia asked, puzzled as to what Brooke meant.
"For not leaving, for being here, for trying to help. And I really am sorry that you had to be here to see that."
Mia exhaled slowly. "What would you have done if I hadn't been here?" Now it was Brooke's turn to look confused. "What do you mean?"
"I mean if I hadn't been here and Peyton was out, and you were all alone." Brooke got quiet as she realized what Mia was trying to say. Finally she said softly, "I don't really know. I never really remember much in the morning when nobody else is there."
Mia's mind caught the slip of the tongue, but she pretended not to notice. "Well, don't be sorry I was here then. I'm glad I was able to help, even a little, and I'm here if you ever need to talk, ok?" Brooke nodded before sighing and closing her eyes.
"Go to sleep, Brooke, it's ok. I'm here." Once she was sure that Brooke was asleep, Mia allowed herself to think about everything that had just happened. She was still massively confused about what Brooke had been dreaming about in the first place, but she knew with a certainty that it wasn't good. Mia's mind returned to Brooke's earlier words.
I never really remember much in the morning when nobody else is there. The implications weren't lost on Mia, but she still didn't know exactly what to think. That means this must happen pretty often...but what caused it in the first place? And why can't I tell Peyton, I'm sure she would only want to help Brooke. Maybe she knows what happened...
Eventually, Mia fell asleep, but she woke to Brooke moving restlessly again an hour later. Trying to prevent a repeat of earlier, Mia stroked Brooke's hair and sang softly to her, since that had seemed to work before, but with no luck. Brooke grew more and more distressed, and Mia sat helplessly, trying to soothe her.
Finally Brooke bolted upright again in a near-exact repeat of earlier, but this time Mia couldn't calm her even the tiniest bit.
Peyton came through the doorway only a second later and immediately went into panic mode when she saw the empty couch and the blankets on the floor.
"Brooke?" She yelled, looking around desperately.
Going to Mia's bedroom, she saw Brooke sitting up, shivering on the bed with Mia holding her. Instantly, Peyton put two and two together and realized what had happened, and why Brooke hadnt wanted to sleep with her. Mia looked at her with a slightly panicked expression as Brooke continued to refuse to respond.
By this point, Brooke was a shaking mess of tears and sobs on the bed. Instantly Peyton was there, cradling Brooke's prone form in her arms. "Brooke, sweetie, I'm here, I'm here, nobody's going to hurt you."
"He was there, Pey, and it was like it was happening all over again, nobody saved me, and..." Brooke collapsed into sobs once more before she could finish the sentence.
"Honey, he's gone, he's not here, he won't hurt you again," Peyton whispered, trying to think of a way to calm Brooke down. When Brooke didn't say anything else, Peyton just squeezed her more tightly and pulled her so that she was on her lap all the way. Despite Peyton's best efforts, Brooke couldn't seem to control or stop the tears that kept coming.
The seconds turned into long minutes, until finally Brooke lay in Peyton's arms, utterly exhausted. As her eyes fluttered closed, Peyton leaned forward and placed a kiss on her forehead.
"You're safe with me, Brooke. I won't let anything happen to you ever again." Brooke murmured something incoherent before allowing her body to succumb to sleep. Peyton just held her, stroking her hair for a few minutes, until she was certain that Brooke was asleep.
"Mia?" Her voice was quiet, but Mia clearly heard the barely contained pain in it. "Yeah, Peyton?" Without stilling the fingers she was running soothingly through Brooke's hair, Peyton asked softly, "What happened while I was gone?"
Mia struggled for a minute to articulate what had gone on, but once she started talking, it was like a dam had broken. Finishing where Peyton had come in, she looked up at Peyton and saw tears streaming down her face.
Deciding to just ask, Mia questioned softly, "Peyton, what happened? What was she dreaming about?" Inhaling and then exhaling slowly, Peyton tried to think of how to explain it to Mia. Finally, all she could get out was, "Her dad..." And the amount of pain, and the flinching, and the screaming, suddenly it all made sense to Mia and she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
Looking to Peyton once more for confirmation of some sort, she was met by eyes that told Mia everything she needed to know. "He found her earlier today..." Peyton whispered, "and he said something, she wouldn't tell me what, and I just don't know how to help fix this."
At those words, Peyton felt a tightening on the grip that Brooke had on her, but Brooke didn't acknowledge the fact that she was awake again in any other way. Looking down, Peyton gently shifted so that her body was flush against the length of Brooke's. Gripping her more tightly to her, she looked at Mia, who nodded and said, "I'm going to take the couch, ok? Just let me know if there's anything I can do."
The second the door closed Peyton felt Brooke burrow into her body as more tears fell from her eyes. Rubbing small circles on Brooke's back, Peyton slowly worked her way onto Brooke's stomach, where she knew several long ropey scars stretched from top to bottom, side to side.
Brooke tensed a bit, but Peyton shifted downward the tiniest of margins and began placing soft butterfly kisses along the path the scars traced. Brooke shivered at the feeling, not wanting Peyton to ever stop. She knew it was probably wrong for her to need Peyton this much, but Peyton was the only one who had ever known how to fix her.
When Peyton pulled back a bit, Brooke bit back the moan of disappointment at the loss of contact. Suddenly Peyton's face was right in front of hers, worried and full of love and tenderness.
"I...Brooke.." Peyton tried to find the right words. "I don't know how to do this, Brooke. I'm scared I'm not enough, that I can never be enough for you. What if I can't fix this, and you being broken is my fault?" The words cut through Brooke as cleanly as a knife, and she moved to cup Peyton's face in her hand.
"Peyton..." Peyton shook her head and refused to look Brooke in the eye. Not knowing what else to do to get her message across, at a loss for words, Brooke slowly pressed her lips softly against Peyton's in the sweetest of kisses.
After a moment she pulled away and found Peyton with her eyes closed. "You can fix me without even trying, Pey, and it kills me to hear you say that you aren't enough for me. You're all I need to be better."
Peyton's eyes opened slowly, and Brooke was relieved to see only her love and hope reflected in them. "Are you sure?" Peyton whispered. Brooke only nodded, but it was all the response Peyton needed to lean forward and brush her lips against the brunette's.
Brooke leaned into the kiss, this time not quelling a quiet moan as Peyton deepened the kiss. When Peyton finally broke away she smiled and burrowed down next to her again. "See, Pey? You make everything bad go away."
Pulling Brooke's lithe body closer, Peyton smiled but softly said, "We still have to talk tomorrow." Brooke nodded her compliance before whispering, "I love you, P. Sawyer."
"I love you too, Brooke."
Alrighty... so this turned out quite differently then i was originally planning, but what the hey- it'll work(maybe;)) I realize that the Breyton is pretty undefined and haphazard at best, it WILL get better, promise! And no, I haven't forgotten Mia's storyline completely, it's just kinda been put on the back-burner for now:P
Review and please let me know if it is worth continuing, cuz im a little iffy.