Never Let Me Go

Chapter Eleven: A Different Kind of Pain

"A different kind of pain. Is someone there to hold you? Is someone there to take you away from me?"

"Peyton!" Brooke yelled, as she ran up to her best friend, enveloping her in a gigantic hug. "Are you okay?!"

"I've been better," Peyton replied weakly, her eyes were bright red and puffy, clearly she had been crying. A lot. "We have to find her, Brooke. This is all my fault," she exclaimed, frantically pulling away from Brooke's hug.

"Oh, P. Sawyer, I'm sure it's not your fault!" Brooke replied soothingly.

"No Brooke, it is my fault. I was out with Jenny at the mall and I turn around for one second and she's disappeared out of her pram," Peyton informed the brunette, "Jake won't even speak to me. We have to do something!"

"Okay, Peyt. Luke is on his way to see Jake now and we will go back to the mall to see if she's still there, or if we can find out where she might've gone and who might've taken her." Brooke put her arm around Peyton and pulled her towards her tightly, as they headed towards Brooke's car.

Lucas sprinted up to Jake Jagielski's front door, knocking on it loudly until Jake answered.

"Listen Lucas, now is really not a good time," Jake said as he opened the door a crack.

"I know about Jenny, Jake. I'm here to help in whatever way I can," Lucas responded, breathing heavily, after running all the way there.

Jake opened the wooden front door fully, allowing Lucas to enter. They each sat down on a couch in silence. After a moment, Jake dropped his head into his hands and began sobbing uncontrollably. "What am I gonna do, Lucas? Jenny is the most important thing in the world to me and I let something like this happen to her. Peyton let something like this happen to her. How could she be so careless, Luke? What if I never see my little girl again?"

Lucas shifted over to the couch Jake was sat on, and hugged him. "It's gonna be okay, man," he said reassuringly, "we're gonna find her."

"I hope so, Lucas. I really do," Jake replied, still crying.

"Have you called the police?" Lucas asked Jake, pulling away from the hug.

"Yeah, I called them. They're at the mall now, looking around and taking statements, I think," Jake informed him, sadly.

Lucas sighed. "We should go there now and help look around. We're not doing any good sat here." Jake nodded in silent agreement. They both got up from the couch and left Jake's house in pursuit of the mall.

Peyton and Brooke returned to the spot where Jenny was taken, right outside a clothing store on the first floor. Peyton had spotted a cute black top in the window and was looking for a price tag, contemplating buying it. Now she stared at that same black top and it didn't seem as appealing anymore, it just made her feel disappointed and angry. "How could I be so reckless?" She yelled aloud. "Jenny was kidnapped and I was too entranced by a stupid tank top to notice. I'm such an idiot." She began sobbing again, and rested her head on Brooke's shoulder for some comfort.

"Peyton, it was a mistake. These things happen. Please don't blame yourself. It's not your fault, it's the fault of the psychopath that took her!" Brooke attempted to comfort her friend, but Peyton wasn't conviced.

"Brooke, this wouldn't have happened if I'd have just kept watching her and not been so careless. It's all my fault." Peyton wiped away a few stray tears that were stinging her cheeks and chin.

"Excuse me, miss?" A tall man, in a police uniform, walked over to the two teenage girls. "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. You say you were watching the child that was kidnapped here, when the incident happened?" He turned to the curly-haired blonde.

"Yes, I'm her babysitter," Peyton informed the officer.

"Okay, well I'll need to take a statement from you about this incident," he responded plainly. "Will you come over here with me, please?" Peyton nodded her head in agreement and followed the policeman into the clothing store, where it was now quiet.

As Brooke sadly watched her best friend walk away to give a statement to the police, she felt someone tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see Lucas and Jake stood behind her. Without a word, Brooke threw herself at Lucas, hugging him tightly. "I've missed you so much, Luke."

"I've missed you too, pretty girl," Lucas responded. "Any news?"

Brooke shook her head, "Peyton's giving a statement to the police right now, but no news on Jenny's whereabouts yet." She looked over at Jake, whose already sad eyes immediately looked down, in order to avoid her gaze. Brooke wrapped him in a hug. "It's gonna be okay, Jake. We'll find her." Brooke reassured him, as she pulled him in tighter.

Without saying anything, Jake walked away from the couple and towards a police officer, presumably to tell them that he was the missing child's father.

"I feel so bad for him," Lucas admitted, I can't even comprehend how horrible this must be.

"Me too, but I feel awful for Peyton as well. She won't stop blaming herself for this. It was just a silly mistake. How was she to know that someone would take Jenny?"

Lucas leaned down and planted a soft kiss on Brooke's lips. "It's all gonna be okay, pretty girl. We're gonna help them through this."

"Yeah we are," she replied, smiling sweetly at her boyfriend.

"You're a great friend to her, Brooke. You're a great person. So kind, so forgiving, so gracious." He put his hand on her cheek, stroking it softly with his thumb.

Her cheeks turned a rosy red. "Ya really think so?" She asked, still blushing.

"I know so. I don't deserve you, Brooke Davis."

"Yeaaah, that part's true," she replied to her boyfriend with a wink. "I love you, Lucas."

"I love you too, Brooke." Their lips met again, taking them away from the awful situation they were involved in momentarily.

But their moment of bliss was ended quickly, as Jake and Peyton walked over to the couple. "We know who took her," Jake told them worriedly.

"Oh my god, who?" Lucas asked his friend.

"Nicky," Jake replied. Looks of confusion made their way onto the other three's faces. "Jenny's mother."