To the Edge of Night

Rating: Mature
Characters/Pairings: Peyton, Peyton/Lucas/Lindsey
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from One Tree Hill.
Spoilers: None. Span of season 5 but is AU.
Author's Note: I know, I know. Another story that is not Wedding In Vegas. I know. I honestly don't know what's wrong with me...lol. This is... I don't know. Something that just came to me. I don't know how long it will be... yet. Maybe epic, maybe not. As always, I hope you enjoy.

Premise: Peyton Sawyer returns home after four years with a terrible secret. One that will definitely turn her life, and the lives of her friends, upside down.

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Prologue: Lost Girl

The night air was chilly in Los Angeles, and the stars began to twinkle against the purplish-blue sky. From the window of her apartment, Peyton Sawyer could see clear to downtown LA. It was her favorite view of the city. From this high and this far away, LA looked serene. Like a melting pot of cultures and wits under strobe lights. Nothing like the uneasy jungle she knew it to be. The jungle she often found herself lost in on a daily basis.

She stared out the window for a moment longer, her green eyes watching the purple and blue hue of the sky intermingling to create a perfect night shade, before moving from the window seat to put a CD in the player. A few seconds later, Lucas Scott's voice washed over her.

She listened to the audio of his book almost every night as a way to feel close to him. She hadn't seen him in three years. Not since the night he came to LA and proposed to her. She told him that she wanted to marry him someday and he took it as a harsh rejection. She didn't even feel him kiss her goodbye the next morning before he slipped away.

He'd broken her heart and her spirit, but she continued on the best way she knew how. Throwing herself into her work paid off in the end. She was promoted to Vice President of Marketing at the music label she worked for. It was quite an accomplishment for someone as young as she, but Peyton never let it go to her head. Honestly, she couldn't feel proud about it even if she wanted to. Her job was a crutch. A device she used to fill the void that Lucas left. He wasn't her entire world, but he was a huge portion of it and losing him felt like losing a part of herself.

While she filled her days with work, she filled her nights with clubs, alcohol and sex. Yet, none of it could ever quite compare to the feelings of peace being with Lucas provided her. None of it recaptured the person she wanted to be. Nor did it recapture the person she was.

Peyton hit the stop button on the CD gently. She felt sick to her stomach and tiny beads of sweat prickled along her skin, giving off a sheen against the dim lights in her apartment. She closed her eyes, willing the churning of her stomach to cease. Finally, her queasiness subsided and she headed to the bathroom for a shower.

- - - - - - - - - -

A barrage of images played behind her closed eyes as the hot water washed over her. Her time in high school, her best friend Brooke Davis, Lucas, Nathan Scott and his wife Haley. She thought about her friends in LA and the good times she had before that fateful night… the night in the club she met him.

"Hi, I'm Andrew," the blue-eyed man said. Peyton smiled, happy that he'd finally come over. They'd been eyeing each other all night and sending drinks back and forth. She thought he was much more handsome up close.

She extended her hand and smiled charmingly. "I'm Peyton."

After she finished her shower, she felt a bit better than before and returned to her seat by the window. The sky was a deep, dark color now and the stars twinkled like diamonds. She smiled softly to herself, thinking on the better times to come.

Peyton pushed the dial button on her phone and hit a speed dial button then waited.

"Hello," Brooke Davis' voice sounded oddly dejected when she answered.

"Hi," Peyton greeted her, trying to keep the same sentiment out of her voice. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Brooke said, and Peyton knew it was a lie.

"You can't lie to me, Brooke Davis."

Peyton could hear her sighing through the line. "It's nothing really. It's just my mother. The company. The celebrity."

"You love your fashion company, Brooke," Peyton reminded her. "It's everything you've ever wanted."

"Yeah," Brooke agreed. "For all the good it's doing me." She sighed again. "How are you?"

It was Peyton's turn to sigh. "I quit my job, Brooke."

Silence.

"What?" Brooke asked, clearly shocked. "Why? What's going on, Peyton?" Peyton could tell she was worried now.

"I…" she didn't know how to clearly express what she was feeling without making Brooke feel worse. "I… need to go home, Brooke. I can't explain it to you any better than I could explain it to my boss, but…" her voice cracked slightly with emotion. "I'm so tired, Brooke and I'm lonely. I miss you -"

"I miss you, too, Peyton."

"-and my Dad. I just need to do something different. Something…"

"I understand," Brooke said, and Peyton knew she did. They were silent for a moment. "What time is your flight to Tree Hill?"

"Ten tomorrow morning," Peyton replied while wiping the tears from her eyes. "Thank you for understanding, Brooke."

"Of course, honey. I think a vacation is just what we need."

"Brooke, no, you have a life in New York. A company that needs you. Not to mention a mother who would hunt you down like a dog," Peyton said, trying to protest her best friend's plan to uproot her life.

"None of that is as important as you, P. Sawyer," Brooke assured her. "Don't worry about the company or Victoria, I'll deal with them. I want to be there for you. I need to do something different for a change, too."

"Thank you," Peyton whispered, her voice could go no higher.

"Are you going to tell him?" Brooke asked after a long moment.

"Who?"

She heard Brooke scoff lightly. "Don't kid me, P. Sawyer, you know who. Lucas."

Peyton thought on that for a long moment quietly. She figured Brooke probably thought she wouldn't get an answer, but it wasn't the easiest answer to give. She and Lucas hadn't seen each other or spoken in years and she couldn't imagine her news would change anything between them. She didn't really want it to, anyway. She really just wanted to be surrounded by people who loved her…

"Yes," Peyton answered finally. "He deserves to know."