I haven't been able to string a sentence to together to save my life, but now that Peyton has awoken from her coma in Two Sides of the Same Coin, I feel a little inspired to write. I'm really going to miss the story. Also, thank you to all the continued readers and everyone else this story has picked up on the side of the road, it's like a traveling circus.

Chapter 12

Brooke Davis was lost. Not in life, though she did feel as though she might have been floundering a bit for the last couple of weeks. But that wasn't it, she was having the hardest time with the directions that Larry had given her on how to get to his house.

Every street seemed to lead to a waterfront and it made Brooke think that she had just been driving in circles for the past 45 minutes, but her navigation said that she was almost there. Brooke swore that if she saw another fisherman she would lose it, they were everywhere and it was creepy. As she drove around, she noted how the scenery looked like the opening credits to some cheesy SyFy movie and she was not impressed.

Brooke knew small town USA, hell she was born and raised in it, but this was like something out of a book. The designer had been badgered almost to death by the guy behind the counter at the car rental place, he thought that she was coming here to visit. She completely stopped him from talking with a rather rude wave of her hand; she really didn't have time for this shit right now. It wasn't like she was on any kind of deadline, but she really just wanted to get Peyton and go back home, they had stuff they needed to work out.

The brunette thanked God when her destination came up on her left, when she looked at the house she almost rolled her eyes with just how quaint it looked. Yep, something straight out of a book, she thought. She wasn't being a bitch, she was just extremely tired and really annoyed with getting here. Add with the prospect of her talking with Peyton for pretty much the first time since being at the hospital, Brooke's nerves were shot.

She felt like her muscles were moving on their own when she reached the front door and her hand shot out with several taps to it. Just knowing that her girlfriend was somewhere behind the door, had Brooke nervously tapping her tennis shoe on the welcome mat.

When the door opened Brooke breathed a little sigh of relief when she saw who it wasn't. It wasn't Peyton, and Brooke was glad because she thought it would give her at least a couple more seconds to gather what she wanted to say, really it was the just the actual nerve to say it.

"Hi Brooke, Larry said you were on your way" Larry's girlfriend, Sarah greeted Brooke with a friendly smile at the door.

"Hey Sarah" Brooke forced a smile as the older woman moved a side and waved her in the house.

"Where is she?" Brooke asked as she peered through the hall to what looked like the living room.

"She's sitting in the den" Sarah held back a light laugh as she led Brooke through the house.

This was not the first time that Sarah had met Brooke, she had been dating Larry for the better part of the last six years and she had actually interacted with both girls on numerous occasions, sometimes without Larry even being there. She didn't have children of her own so she had taken to the opportunity of mothering the two girls that Larry doted on so much. After spending so much time with them, she could see why, they were both good girls and rather lovely so her feelings for them came naturally. Sarah didn't know the in's and out's of Brooke Davis, but she could tell that Brooke was nervous, if not a little just by the way that she kept switching the keys in her hands in the short amount of time that they had been standing together. It didn't really surprise her though; Peyton had the same, if not a more somber mask covering her emotions.

Technically the blonde was Larry's daughter, but as a rule of thumb, the two women generally came as a pair and it would be wise to treat them as such. She had heard the stories by not only Larry, but the girls themselves about how they had gotten in and out of trouble. When a parental figure had to be called for Brooke, they called Larry just like with Peyton. When Larry first introduced her to the girls, a couple of years before they had graduated high school, she led off with the fact that she in no way was trying to replace Anna. She was absolutely not trying to step on any toes.

Before she met Peyton, she was quite intimidated by her. She had worked as a dispatcher for the same dredging company Larry worked for, so she had heard stories about her and her best friend for years. But when things had changed from friendly to intimate between her and Larry and he asked her to meet the girls, she panicked. She had seriously misjudged the relationship that both girls had with each other and thought that Larry might not be too aware either. That was until he finally brought her for a surprise visit and they walked in on the girls…co-mingling. After some very awkward tension, they all went to dinner together as Larry had planned. Tension or not, as Sarah sat and observed the girls during dinner, a blind pothead could have figured out that the two were closer than friends, even if they were best friends. Sarah knew that Larry worked a lot, but she kind of felt he was missing out on some pretty important changes in the girl's lives if he didn't even know that they were dating.

The two ended up extending their trip to Tree Hill for an extra week so that the man could catch up on what he had been missing with the two and for them to get to know his girlfriend. Sarah learned quickly that the only thing that Peyton pretty much did without Brooke, was go to the bathroom. And that wasn't even always the case, because there was one time that Sarah had accidently opened the bathroom door…let's just say, she knocks from now on when the two girls are in the house. The point being, one doesn't come without the other. You will more than likely find them that way, packaged and shipped, like salt and pepper shakers, Jamie says.

So for Sarah to know about what had happened to Peyton in Tree Hill, she was more than surprised when Larry brought his daughter back to Maine, Brookeless. Even without Larry telling her so, she knew that something was wrong between the two girls. And it wasn't like she hadn't tried to help, but getting the blonde to say anything on the matter was like trying to get nuclear launch codes. But she also knew that the girls were the only ones that could solve their problems.

Brooke walked a couple of steps behind Sarah as the older woman led the way to the back of the house. She couldn't help but to notice the female touches throughout it. It wasn't like Larry lacked taste, but he was used to living on a boat the majority of the time. Once when the girls were teens, he had told them that all he needed was a couch and a TV to be a happy man. They had laughed, but knew it was true because when home, that is usually where he would fall asleep when waiting for them to get back from wherever they had gone for the night.

The brunette noticed how the décor almost flowed with the atmosphere and energy outside. It was soft and quiet, just like the town she had driven through to get here. She did find the common theme to the house relatively quick, it was the ocean. Who'd a thought. It went from lighthouse paintings and anchor stitched throw pillows, to the boat that sat on the mantle and the life preserver magnet on the fridge. If it wasn't your first time meeting the couple, you knew it really spoke about what their likes and hobbies were, on top of what they had been around pretty much their whole adult lives.

Brooke knew that she was stalling, right now she didn't even want to figure out if she was doing it consciously or not. She was officially thinking too much. It didn't really matter much now, because she was startled out of her thoughts by Sarah's voice.

"Hey Peyton, you've got someone here to see you" Sarah said as she watched the blonde that sat on the couch with a leg tucked under her and a drawing pad in her lap.

Brooke watched as the green eyes she knew so well looked up and connected with hers. She wasn't trying to be cheesy and she would never tell anyone this, but when Peyton looked at her just then something in her seemed to settle. Yes the atmosphere was tense, but she couldn't explain it, she felt like her shoulders loosened a little.

Of course they tightened right back up when she saw that the green she loved so much seemed to be swimming. Ever the stubborn person she had always been, Brooke knew that Peyton wouldn't let the tears fall, especially with Sarah still hovering at the door.

"I'll leave you ladies to it then" Sarah said as she reluctantly left the room.

As long as she had known the girls, she had never seen them really argue. Peyton reprimanding Brooke on the music she chose to listen to, though the blonde threw her whole self into the conversation, didn't really count. Sarah knew that she couldn't stay, but she really was curious to listen to the conversation. Of course all couples argued, but the girls in the other room always seemed to click so much so that/*/* she was almost jealous of the relationship that they had. It really can't be that easy, she once thought when they had paid the girls a visit. They had gone on a classic double date to dinner and a movie and as they walked from the theater, Sarah watched as the two girls walked in front of them holding hands and completely absorbed in their own conversation.

But right now the girls needed to talk and that is what she would let them do. She went so far as to call Larry and tell him she would meet him at the store to give the girls some privacy. She knew that they would fix whatever was broken, she just hoped they did it without breaking anything else.

"Hey" Brooke rasped as she lingered by the door. She had waited until Sarah left out of the room, and was surprised and relieved at the same time after she had heard the front door close.

The brunette moved into the room more when Peyton didn't say anything, but her gaze moved to what she had been drawing.

"Can we please talk?" Yeah Brooke moved into the room more, but she still knew to give the blonde some space. Ever since she had known her, Peyton never liked being crowded, especially when she was emotional.

Brooke heard Peyton try to catch an unconscious scoff, and the brunette resigned herself to digging her heels in for the upcoming conversation.

"I wanna make sure you're okay. When we talked on the phone-" Brooke started, never taking her eyes off of Peyton.

"I'm fine" Peyton cut her off in a low strain.

Brooke winced at the sound of the other girl's voice. She hadn't really heard it since that morning in the hospital for a little bit, but the strain in her voice was so completely foreign to the designer.

She was at a slight loss as to how to handle the blonde, just looking at her made Brooke want to wrap her up in bubble wrap. She also knew that Peyton would go toe to toe with anyone that she perceived was trying to treat her like she was glass.

"Okay, okay" Brooke wasn't dense enough to think that this conversation would be at all easy. She couldn't exactly get her bearings though, she continued to eye Peyton.

When the fashion designer had left for New York, the blonde was in perfect health. Albeit on the skinny side and upset, Brooke knew every mark she had on her. Staring at the cast on her arm, the bruises on her face and legs…Brooke balled her fists in an attempt to keep her mouth shut.

"Peyt, I know you're pissed" Brooke tried a different approach and hazel eyes stared at the form on the couch, willing the other girl to look up from her lap.

"I know I fucked up and I know you probably hate me" the brunette kept going.

"You know everything, huh?" Peyton's voice sounded like she hadn't talked for months, but she never removed her eyes from her lap.

"I shouldn't of taken off to New York like that. I was pissed and ran" Brooke explained even though she knew that Peyton knew her reason for leaving already.

"And we're supposed to get married like this?" Peyton finally looked up and stared at Brooke.

"Peyt, I said I fucked up. I know I should've stayed so we could talk, if I had maybe-" Brooke felt like Peyton's stare had her feet pinned to the floor.

"You know what Mia said a couple of weeks ago" the blonde took a deep breath, cutting her girlfriend off "that you didn't want to tell anyone we're engaged because I'm a phase for you" Peyton said as she stared through the television. She really didn't want to talk about what had happened in Tree Hill yet.

"You're a phase?" Brooke was completely thrown by the comment and change of direction of the conversation, "That's one hell of a phase Peyton" Brooke laughed slightly at the absurdity.

"You don't think that's what it feels like to me? When you ask me not to wear the ring yet and to hold off the announcement, even from our friends" Peyton got up, throwing the pad she had in her lap to the side and walking over to the window just to have something to do with her body.

"Peyton, I said just until after Fashion Week, so that it wouldn't take anything away from the new line" Brooke followed the blonde's every move with her eyes.

"See, when I think about us being engaged, I think about white picket fences, honey-do lists, ballet classes and little league…fucking puppies Brooke. You think about what the fall out will do to your upcoming line launching" Peyton spun to face her girlfriend, her voice rising the further she got into her sentences.

"Peyton I've worked really hard for my company, if I slack off the slightest bit, Victoria will swoop in and try to steal it from under me" Brooke narrowed her eyes like she was trying to figure out why the blonde didn't get this.

"Have you forgotten who you're talking to Brooke, I know that. I just can't figure out why you proposed if you didn't want to actually do this" Peyton stared levelly at Brooke, wanting an answer.

"That's…what you wanted. You wanted to move forward, hence the ring" Brooke answered, running a hand through her hair, a tell-tell sign that she was getting frustrated.

"Jesus" Peyton mumbled under her breath, but Brooke still heard her, "You don't know how good it makes me feel to hear you say that" Peyton replied sarcastically.

"I didn't mean it like that Peyton" Brooke said feeling like the conversation was slipping from her grasp.

"If you didn't want this, you shouldn't have asked me! My God, Brooke, like I forced you or something" Peyton said as she slipped the ring off her finger and held it out for Brooke to take.

"That's not what I said, you didn't force me!" Brooke said backing away from Peyton with her hands slightly raised.

"What's with all the yelling? I can hear it all the way down the street." Larry Sawyer asked, entering the doorway to the room the two girls were standing in with Sarah in tow.

When he actually took a second to look at the scene in front of him, Peyton shoving an engagement ring at Brooke who had her hands raised like if she touched the thing it would bring death, he didn't really know what to think. These last couple of days all he could get out of Peyton was barely what had happened at Tric, every time he asked if something had happened with Brooke, she feigned being tired.

"I have no idea what's going on" Larry's eyes flashed to Peyton's, "But figure it out" his said, looking at Brooke this time as he proceeded to grab Sarah's hand and spin them both out of the door they had just walked in moments before.

"Here" Peyton said, jabbing the ring towards Brooke again as her broken arm dangled at her side.

"I said no! Peyton, I didn't just ask you because you gave me an ultimatum", when Brooke saw that Peyton was about to interrupt her, she continued, "And I didn't just have an $80,000 engagement ring lying around. It took me like 5 hours and 3 egotistical jewelers to even design that" Brooke felt the faint sting of rejection as Peyton stood with the ring extended.

"I don't want this if it's going to change us" Peyton willed her tears back, her tear ducts already feeling raw.

"Peyt, if I could put my heart on your finger I would, but because I can't, the ring will have to do" Brooke stepped toward the blonde.

Completely erasing the space between them, Brooke took Peyton's face gently with both hands, "I have everything Peyton" Brooke said, repeating what Peyton had said to her before she left to New York, "I have everything!" she stated looking deep into the green eyes that stared back at her, "I've had it since the first day I met you. You've done nothing but keep me grounded and love me without asking for anything in return and I have absolutely no fucking clue where I would be without you. I wouldn't have everything I have if you weren't here with me, for me. You're the only person that's ever just loved me, fucked up and all, and you'll never ever know what that means to me". Brooke was crying at this point, but kept the firm hold she had on Peyton, wiping the tears that fell onto her hands.

"I don't know how I made it to 8 without, you're my only family. You've always been my only family, and the only thing I want to do in life is make it permanent. I don't need a wedding, we can go to Vegas, or a courthouse, Skillz can even register online and do it" Brooke said receiving a teary laugh from the blonde.

Brooke didn't see the bruises on Peyton's face, because the smile she had just received outweighed them at the moment. Slipping her hand in Peyton's hair and to the base of her head, Brooke pulled her in for a kiss. Less the tears, this almost reminded Brooke of the first time she really kissed Peyton after they had first gotten together. But not even the salty tears mixed with this kiss could ruin it, she hadn't been this close to the blonde in weeks and she felt like she could stay like this. Even with her lungs burning a little from the lack of oxygen she would swear on her life that this is the first time she's felt like she was able to breathe in a while, there was nothing that would stop her from fully making up with Peyton if she had anything to do with it.

"I see you two have finally made up" Larry announced from his position at the door.

All Brooke could do was make a strangled noise in her throat as she bit her lip to keep her frustration and sanity in check. She hadn't killed anyone yet and she doubted that she could actually do that to Larry…at least with Peyton standing right there.

After eating dinner and chatting with Larry and Sarah for a couple of hours, the girls turned in for bed, both completely worn to the bone physically and also mentally exhausted. Brooke felt like she needed at least another week to recover from Fashion Week and being trapped with Victoria for so long, she wasn't used to being around her mother anymore and she didn't feel the need to try to get used to it, it would happen less and less often if she could help it.

And even though Peyton tried to show otherwise, Brooke knew that the blonde was still hurt and sore physically. Peyton was absolutely perfect to the brunette, so when she even got a scratch on her, it ruffled Brooke's feathers. Staring down at the cast on Peyton's left arm mentally did something to Brooke. She blamed herself for not being there to protect her, she blamed Nathan for being so far away when she needed help, she blamed Haley and Mia for leaving the studio early that night, and she blamed Lucas for forgetting to lock the door to Tric. And as fucked up as it was, she even blamed Jamie; she was sure he could've found help a little faster. Mostly though, she blamed herself, when it all came down to it, she should've been there. The only thing that made Brooke feel a little better was the fact that she had Peyton with her now and that thankfully, all she had was a broken arm and some bruises. But this fact did not shift anyone's positions on her shit list.

"Peyton, if you ever take that ring off again, I swear to God the next time you wake up it will be surgically attached to your finger" Brooke whispered in the blonde's ear from behind her.

"Sorry" the blonde whispered after a light chuckling had ceased. Scooting back further into Brooke, if possible who was lying on her side, then covered the arms that were over her stomach and the girls fell into an easy silence for a while.

"Peyt?" Brooke's voice nothing but a low rasp the later, or earlier, it got.

"Mmm" Peyton murmured, halfway to the only sleep she could see herself getting since the incident at Tric.

"I want to go home" the brunette continued to whisper, her mouth still at Peyton's ear.

"Hmm" the blonde rolled to face Brooke and tuck her head under her chin, not really up for discussing anything at the moment.

Brooke stretched her neck to let Peyton adjust, "I know we're from a small ass town", Brooke paused and swallowed solidly when Peyton pushed one leg in between hers and wrapped the other around her top leg, "But I fucking hate Maine" Brooke finished when she remembered what she was saying.

Hearing Peyton chuckle softly again she added, "Don't tell your dad" before drifting off to sleep herself.