Sometimes People Stay

By: Sari

Summary: One-shot Ficlet. LucasPeyton. Missing Scene after 4x05. Peyton and Lucas share a moment.

"I…just can't believe…." Peyton was shaking, sitting on the floor of her room trying hard not to stare at the hundreds of photos of herself strung about her room. "He was going to rape me Luke."

Lucas wrapped strong arms around her. "He wasn't going to do anything to you with me here. I'm going to protect you Peyt, with my life if I have to."

Tears leaked out her eyes and she sniffled. "You're always saving me…" She whispered. "When am I ever going to pay you back?"

"You pay me back every day just for being you. You stayed by my side when Brooke broke up with me, you've been there for me through the HCM, and you're basically the only friend I have right now." Lucas stated softly. "I couldn't ask for a better friend than you, so if I have to fight off a couple psychos to keep you around then I'll do just that."

Peyton nodded. "Thank you. I can't keep saying that enough." She got up still battered and bruised from the night's previous events and looked up at the pictures. "I'm going to burn all of these. That sick freak has been watching me forever."

"Peyton you got to get rid of all that stuff. The webcam, the microphone, the myspace…everything. You know that's how he got to you."

Peyton eyes filled up with tears again as she began taking down the candid shots. "I guess I'm an idiot."

"No you're a teenager, and sometimes we don't realize that the world out there isn't such a nice place. The only way you'd be an idiot was if you didn't move on from this."

"Can I…stay at your place for awhile?" Peyton asked.

"Of course, you know my mom would never let you stay here by yourself."

Peyton nodded again the overwhelming feeling she had for Lucas spilling out of her. She couldn't believe how lucky she was that he was there and he stood by her. She could remember just days before when he has reassured her that many people leave, but he would never do it to her, and now she could actually say she could believe it. Jake had gone away, her dad was off on his job, and Brooke didn't even want her alive, but at least she had Lucas…at least someone cared.

"Hey what are you smiling about?" Lucas said grinning at her.

Peyton's eyes filled with tears again, and this time she couldn't stop them from sliding down. "I just…" She stopped, not wanting to say something so special on such a horrible night.

"I'm so glad I have you." She whispered reaching for his hand. "I'm so glad I have you…"

He smiled at her and she smiled back, and then she let go of his hand to continue her work. She loved Lucas, with all her heart and she always had. She realized that now more than ever. But she could wait one more day; she could wait weeks or even years. As long as he stood by her side she could wait forever. Love like this didn't go away; it couldn't be broken or tarnished by the plague of high school.

She'd wait for the right moment and she'd tell him then.

Sometimes, this time, people stay.