A/N: Number two.

"Get away from me!" The panicked yell from the brunette did nothing to get the burly man in front of her to back off as he pressed closer. Trying to back away, the girl felt a brick wall against her back and stopped, trying to muster a glare. The man smirked at her attempt and shoved her roughly against the wall, nearly lifting her off the ground. Hands gripped the brunette's arm and neck in a vise-like hold as she struggled to get away, and a tongue forced its way into her mouth. Doing the only thing she could think of, the girl kneed the man in his groin and made to run as he staggered back.

"Bitch," he spat as he made a grab for her wrist again. Wrenching free, the girl ran as fast as her weak legs could carry her, finally collapsing in a small side alley. Sobbing and trying to catch her breath, she pulled out her phone and dialed the only number she could think of.

"Hello?" Crying with relief at the familiar voice, still husky from sleep, the brunette tried to say something but all she could manage was, "Peyton..." Instantly the voice on the other end of the line grew alarmed, and questions flew through the phone.

"Are you ok? What's going on?" Calming enough to speak again, the brunette said, "I'm near Colfax...can you come get me?"

"Of course, I'll be right there Brooke." Half an hour later, the brunette heard a car pull up outside the alley. Tensing as she heard footsteps coming in her direction, she sank back against the dumpster in the hopes of avoiding anyone who wasn't Peyton. Peyton walked down the alley where Brooke had said she would be, scanning for any sign of the girl. Seeing a slumped form leaned up against a dumpster, she called questioningly, "Brooke?"

A small form flew forward into Peyton, wrapping her in a tight hug. "God, Peyt, you scared me. I thought it might not be you, and..." Brooke trailed off, and Peyton moved to pull back, concerned at what the other girl had just said. Brooke clung tightly to her, though, making it impossible to get a good look, and the smaller girl whispered, "Can you just take me home? I promise I'll explain everything to you then."

Peyton led her to the car and got into the driver's side. The second she was in the car, Brooke reached for one of her hands. Peyton looked at Brooke, about to ask her what was going on, but her gaze met with two large, terrified hazel orbs. Deciding against playing twenty questions with Brooke in the car, Peyton instead just squeezed her hand tightly and began the drive home. Brooke stared out the window, trying to convince herself that she was safe with Peyton in her car, that nobody could hurt her.

God, I knew it was stupid to go out by myself to a sketchy bar like that, but I didn't think I would luck into a wannabe rapist. What do I tell Peyton now? She's going to want to know why I was there, and I can't exactly tell her that I was trying to forget how I'm in love with my best friend by sleeping with random guys. Oh man, I'm sure that would be a pleasant conversation.

Pulling up outside her house, Peyton looked over at Brooke. She was staring out the window, the same as she had been since they started driving. "C'mon Brooke, let's go inside and you can tell me what happened and why I'm up at three in the morning." When they were seated inside on the blonde's bed, Peyton looked at Brooke expectantly. Moving close to Peyton and laying her head on her lap, Brooke inhaled deeply and then exhaled before trying to talk. The second she tried, however, she found her throat suddenly blocked by tears.

"He-he-he-" Pausing for a second she shook her head. "I'm sorry, Pey, I don't know if..." she choked out, trying unsuccessfully to stop the tears. "Oh honey," Peyton murmured, pulling her close and stroking her hair, "It's ok, Brooke, it can wait. All that matters is you're safe now, ok?" Brooke nodded hesitantly as she wiped the tears that were still streaming from her eyes. Laying back on the bed, Peyton opened her arms and Brooke fell into them gratefully.

Snuggling as close as possible, just trying to remind herself that this was Peyton and not anyone else, she pressed her face into the blonde's chest and lay there breathing quietly for a moment as she calmed down completely. Peyton wrapped an arm over the smaller girl and ran her fingers up and down her back, trying to get her tense body to relax. Slowly the younger girl's breathing evened out into sleep, but her muscles remained coiled tightly, ready to move at the slightest notice.

Concern was evident on the blonde's face as she watched her friend sleep. She had managed to catch the word "he" when Brooke was trying to tell her what happened, and if something left her friend this distraught and involved a "he", then Peyton knew she had reason to worry. Moving closer to the sleeping brunette, she stopped when the movement lifted one of Brooke's sleeves to reveal livid red marks on her wrist. Oh Brooke, what happened to you? Knowing that answers would have to wait till the morning, the blonde just did her best to get as close to Brooke as possible. Holding the brunette tightly to her Peyton eventually fell into a light sleep.

Heavy footsteps pounded after her as she ran. Looking around desperately for anyone, anything that could save her from the man running after her, she was met only with deserted streets. Large hands grabbed her and tossed her into a side alley. "Please, please don't do this," she whispered. "You're gonna get it now, bitch. Trying to nail me to get away was maybe the worst mistake you ever made." The man leered at her as he dropped his pants and lifted her skirt in one motion, forcing himself on her the second the clothing was out of the way. Sagging back against the alley wall, her eyes closed and the girl found she didn't even have the strength left to scream.

Brooke's eyes flew open as she became aware of arms holding her tightly. A scream rose in her throat, but she bit it back as she realized that the arms were slender, and the hand that was holding hers was small and soft. Letting her body relax into Peyton's arms, Brooke tried to shake the terror and helplessness of her dream, telling herself that it hadn't been real, hadn't happened. The older girl shifted in sleep and tightened her hold on the brunette, nuzzling her head into the crook of her neck.

A calm finally broke through the haze of fear that surrounded Brooke as she felt the other girl hold her. It felt so perfect, like something that had been missing from her life, but as Brooke thought about how wonderful it was she also knew that the same blonde who was holding her would never hold her like that any time but when she was asleep. Sighing, Brooke gently slipped from the blonde's arms and walked to the bathroom. Her every move ached, and she carefully tugged her shirt off to try and see what the full damage was, leaving only her bra on.

Well, if she didn't want me before, she most certainly won't want me now she thought grimly as she stared at her body in the mirror. Her wrist was the least of the bruises, with larger, darker ones spreading across her upper arms. There was also a nice hand print imprinted across her throat. Turning so she could look at her back, she saw a couple large bruises, but nothing that looked too serious. The one spot where he had tried to bite was what she thought looked the worst, as an inflamed circle of teeth marks became visible when she turned back to face the mirror.

Perfect. Closing her eyes to block out the image in front of her, when she opened them she saw Peyton in the mirror. Flipping around, she stared open mouthed at the blonde in the doorway. "You weren't in bed, so I came to make sure everything was ok..."

"Peyton, I'm sorry, you weren't supposed to see this...see me..." she trailed off, not sure what she could say. Tears rose in Peyton's eyes as she watched the girl in front of her slide to the floor. Bruises marred her smooth skin, and Peyton noted the hand that had obviously grabbed her throat. Kneeling in front of Brooke, she tenderly brushed a strand of brunette hair back from her eyes and asked softly, "What happened Brooke?"

Pulling away from the older girl's touch, Brooke haltingly told her what had happened. After no more than the first two sentences, Peyton couldn't stand the distance from the other girl any longer and pulled her so that the brunette's back was resting against the front of her body. Wrapping her arms around the smaller girl's middle, she was careful to keep her hold loose so as not to hurt her or make her feel trapped. Halfway through Brooke telling her what happened, Peyton couldn't stop herself from pulling the other girl into her more firmly, trying to reassure herself that Brooke was still there. By the time Brooke was done, the two girls were impossibly close, but Peyton was too busy trying to hide her tears to pay attention to the way her body was reacting to having Brooke's nearly-bare torso pressed against her, separated from her skin by only a thin tank top.

The brunette, on the other hand, was all too aware of the feel of Peyton's curves pressing firm and warm against her back. Feeling a drop hit her shoulder, she turned her head ever so slightly and saw silent tears rolling down Peyton's face. Wiping them with her thumb, she whispered, "Shhhh, it's ok, Pey, nothing happened."

"Nothing happened?!" The yell sent Brooke flying away from Peyton, trembling. "Oh my god, I'm sorry, Brooke, I didn't mean to yell." Brooke shook her head, trying to calm her pounding heart. Peyton reached for her and she let herself be pulled back into their previous position. Peyton had to fight back more tears as she felt Brooke's body trembling in her arms, knowing that she had caused it. She rocked Brooke back and forth slowly until the trembling calmed some. Stopping, she exhaled slowly, hugging the girl tightly for a moment before trying to speak again.

"I'm sorry, it's just that look at you. He hurt you, badly, and we both know it was mostly just sheer luck that you got away. I could have lost you, Brooke." The last part was whispered so quietly Brooke almost didn't catch it, but she squeezed the hand that was resting on her stomach hard. "You didn't lose me, Peyt, I'm right here. The bruises will fade in maybe a couple weeks, and you won't even know that this happened."

"Brooke, you know that isn't the point," Peyton said, a tinge of anger in her voice. Brooke tilted her head back on Peyton's shoulder, looking up to meet her eyes. To her surprise, Peyton leaned down and rested her forehead on Brooke's, leaving their noses almost touching. "I can't lose you, Brooke, you're my life. So please." Staring at Peyton, Brooke opened her mouth and then closed it, finally settling for just nodding. She had known that Peyton cared about her, but not to the extent of what she had just said.

Looking down into Brooke's eyes, Peyton became aware for the first time of how close they were, and of the desire in Brooke's eyes. "Brooke..." Her whisper was strangled, and she found herself leaning down closer and closer to the brunette's lips as though pulled by a magnet. For the split second when their lips first met, Brooke couldn't believe that it was actually happening, but then she felt Peyton's tongue and she was in heaven. Interlacing her fingers with Peyton's, she gently pressed the other girl against the door, walking her up it until they were both standing as they explored each others' mouths.

Peyton pulled back for a moment and asked, "Do you trust me?" Brooke nodded, and Peyton slowly reversed their positions, never once breaking eye contact. Brooke tensed as her mind flashed back to the night's earlier events, but she forced herself to keep her eyes locked with Peyton's. Gradually her breathing slowed, and as she calmed, Peyton dipped her head. Brooke felt gentle kisses being placed upon her throat where she knew the hand print was, and the blonde gently caressed the bruises on her wrist and arms. The fear in Brooke's mind was quickly being replaced by a heady euphoria at the feelings Peyton was evoking, and she didn't resist when the other girl turned her body carefully so that she could get to her back. Once again, Brooke felt soft kisses on her bruises and gentle hands on her body, until finally Peyton placed one final kiss and moved to rest her head on the back of Brooke's shoulder. Her eyes caught the ring of teeth marks then, and she felt like killing the bastard who had hurt Brooke so badly.

Deciding to leave her own mark, the blonde began nipping and sucking on the other side of Brooke's neck. The brunette tipped her neck, moaning softly, in order to give her better access. Every painful action inflicted upon her seemed to disappear in comparison to the love she felt when Peyton kissed her. Eventually spinning the girl in front of her so that her back was against the door again, Peyton gave her a last, lingering kiss on her swollen lips before sighing.

Grasping Brooke's hand in hers, she tugged Brooke back to her room and laid down on the bed. Brooke got in next to her, hoping beyond hope that what had just transpired wasn't only because Peyton pitied her. Once she was in bed, though, she was met by warm curves moving to fit against her and Peyton's lips on hers. Wrapping Brooke in her arms, Peyton smiled into Brooke's mouth as she pulled her closer. "I love you, B. Davis," she whispered.

Brooke gave Peyton one last kiss before nestling her head into Peyton's chest and murmuring, "And I love you, P. Sawyer."

The end. Haha.

Review if you want, I really appreciate any and all comments!