So, I had this story up about about five years ago and I took all my stories down because I wasn't happy with them at the time. I only intended to take it down for a short time, but things kept getting in the way and now it's five years later! I've tried rewriting this numerous times over the years and suddenly just got really into One Tree Hill again and I'm finally happy with this first chapter.
If you've read this story before(Are there even any Leyton fans hanging around anymore?), please consider reading it again. It is a little different than when it was up before. I hope you'll like it just as much as you did before. One major change is the chapters are much longer this time around and the story will probably on be 12 to 13 chapters.
If you've never read the story before I hope you enjoy. Hopefully life doesn't get in the way and I can have the rest of the chapters finished within a couple of weeks.
Feedback is always appreciated.
... ... ...
Peyton sees Lucas sitting at the bar as soon as she walks out of the Studio. Whenever she's in the same room as him she finds herself drawn to his presence. She can't help it. She can't control it and lately she finds herself wishing it didn't happen at all because at times like this it would make her life so much easier.
Her plan is to go home, curl up in her bed under the covers and hopefully not have to emerge until the following afternoon. Things at the label have been pretty hectic lately. Mia's album has really taken off and is selling really well. And the label in L.A. is eager to release another album. She's just returned from her first tour and is about to embark on another, bigger national tour. With her gaining popularity comes more promotional opportunities as well as what is required of them for the new tour. On top of everything going on with Mia Haley is back in the studio trying, albeit unsuccessfully, to record a new song. The long days at work matched with Baby Angie crying at all hours at home, resulting in many sleepless nights were starting to take its toll on Peyton.
Before she can change her mind she's making her way over to the bar and taking a seat on the empty bar stool beside Lucas.
"Luke, is everything okay?" she asks, placing her hand on his shoulder. If the dozen beer bottles and the almost empty bottle of tequila on the bar in front of him are any indication she can probably guess the answer to her question.
"Peyton?" he stares at her, confusion evident on his face before recognition sets in.
"Yeah, Luke, it's me. What's going on?"
"Nothing. It's nothing. I'm fine," he slurs, pouring himself another drink, downing the shot in one gulp. "No, actually, I'm not. I'm not fine. It's not nothing. I'm not okay… It's Lindsey."
At the mention of his ex-fiancé Peyton's hand falls from his shoulder on to the bar in front of her.
"She was supposed to come back, you know. I fought for her and she didn't come back."
Peyton takes the liquor bottle from Luke's hand and pours herself a drink, shuddering as she swallows the fiery liquid.
She should have known that his current state had something to do with his ex-fiancé and just kept walking. If she kept to her original plan she would have been at home in her bed right now, shutting out the rest of the world.
It hurts, hearing him talk about another woman like this, when she so desperately wants it to be her he's in love with. By now there is another full bottle of tequila in front of them and Peyton has her fair share of the bottle. She's well on her way to being drunk, probably already passed drunk, but she needs the alcohol to stomach this conversation.
They make it to the end of the bottle and Peyton decides it is time for them to leave when more of their drinks end up in a puddle on the bar instead of in their glasses. Somehow she manages to get Lucas into a cab and gives the driver his address. He stumbles out of the cab when it arrives at his place and Peyton follows him when he can't even make it up the path to the front door.
Luke collapses on his bed as soon as they manage to get the door open. Peyton knows she should leave now without entering his bedroom. She got him home safely; there isn't much harm he can do to himself now. But something, most likely fueled by the excessive amount of alcohol running through her system, compels her to follow him and sit next to him on the side of the bed. She comes to her senses and is about to leave when he grabs her wrist, stopping her from going anywhere. The room starts to spin and her vision becomes blurry, but she can tell the distinct feeling of another person's lips on her own. That's when everything goes black.
... ... ...
Her alarm going off wakes her the next morning. She must have forgotten to turn it off the night before. She groans, blindly reaching over to her nightstand to stop the horrible sound, but her hand never makes contact with the offending object. Her hand doesn't make contact with anything. Odd.
She finally opens her eyes and realizes why none of her furniture is where it is supposed to be. The fogginess in her head is starting to clear and she is able to start putting together what has happened. This isn't her bedroom and there is no alarm ringing. It isn't even morning yet, it's still dark outside. The ringing is in her head and judging by the pounding headache she concludes she has a massive hangover.
It takes a little longer for her brain to process exactly where she is. She is at Lucas' house, more accurately she is in Lucas' bedroom, in his bed. What is she doing in Luke's bed? Her mind registers the weight wrapped around her waist. Her bare waist. She isn't just in Luke's bed with Luke. She is in his bedroom in his bed with him and she is naked. Is he naked too? He isn't wearing a shirt and the bed sheet is covering his lower half and she's scared to check. She doesn't remember much of anything after she sat down next to him at the bar. Did they have sex?
They way her body feels right now indicates that they did indeed have sex as she takes in her surroundings their clothes strewn around his bedroom also back up her theory.
She's starting to freak out. She had spent the majority of her evening listening to him talk about how he was still so in love with his ex and how he knew she would eventually come back to him. How the hell did they end up here? And did she really have that much to drink last night that she can't remember what happened?
The thought of going back to sleep besides Lucas is very tempting to her, his arm wrapped around her is comforting, and oh how she's missed the feeling. But she has no idea how he would react in the morning if he discovers her in his bed with him. The scenarios that play out in her head do not end well.
She carefully maneuvers herself out from under him, immediately feeling the loss, and starts searching for her clothes as quietly as she can. She's pulling her shirt over her head when she hears Luke groan causing her to freeze. She lets out a sigh of relief when he doesn't wake up and just rolls over in bed. She isn't ready to face him just yet.
She locates her bag and digs out her cell phone to check the time. It's after 3am and she has four missed calls from Brooke. Shit, her best friend is probably going to kill her for not letting her know she was going to be out late. She hadn't exactly planned being out all night. She double checks that she hasn't left any trace of her being in his room before giving his sleeping form one last look and slipping out through the door.
... ... ...
Brooke doesn't usually worry about Peyton. She's an adult and Brooke knows her best friend is more than capable of taking care of herself. But when she spoke to Peyton before she finished work yesterday she said she was going to be home early. It wasn't until she couldn't get Peyton on her cell phone and she called the label and Mia told her Peyton had left a while ago that she started to worry.
She finally manages to get Angie back to sleep when she hears someone trying to open the front door. By the time Brooke reaches her living room they've managed to open the door and Brooke sees Peyton trying to close the door without waking anyone.
"Where have you been all night?" Brooke asks, startling Peyton who quickly turns toward the noise, losing her balance and falling to a heap on the floor.
"Jesus, Peyton. If you wake Angie I will kill you," Brooke threatens. "Wait, are you drunk?"
"No," Peyton protests. "I'm hung over."
"What the hell happened to you? Yesterday you said you'd be back early and now you're staying out all night?"
"Can I get up first?" Peyton asks. Brooke waits for her friend to pull herself up off their living room floor. "How do I get up?" she whines.
Brooke laughs as she helps Peyton stand up, placing her hands on her friends shoulders to steady her. "Okay, you're up. Now tell me what happened to you?"
"Nothing really," Peyton lies. "I stayed late at the studio and then had a few too many drinks at Tric afterwards. That's all." Peyton had contemplated telling Brooke what really happened on the cab ride home, but ultimately decided that for now it was something she needed to keep to herself. "I think I'm going to try and get some sleep now."
"Sure. I guess I'll see you in the morning." Brooke watches Peyton suspiciously as she retreats to her bedroom. She knows her friend isn't telling her the whole truth, but she lets it go hoping that her friend will tell her in her own time what is going on with her.
... ... ...
He leaves a trail of kisses from her stomach to her breasts. He lingers there for a moment before moving his kisses to her collarbone and then her neck. He settles on top of her and finally captures her mouth with his. He kisses her slowly and deeply, like he has all the time in the world, causing her to writher and moan beneath him. He smiles into the kiss, and then lifts himself up, resting his weight on his arms on either side of her. He stares into her eyes and brushes back the hair that has fallen into her face. "Peyton," he whispers.
Luke snaps awake, sitting up in bed, breathing heavily. That was a weird dream. It had to be a dream, right? He has hardly spoken to Peyton recently, let alone had her in his bed. He vaguely remembers speaking to her the night before at Tric, but he doesn't recall much after that. He was pretty messed up by the time she approached him.
The light streaming in through his bedroom windows hurts his eyes, making his head throb even more. He throws back the bed sheet intent on looking for some Ibuprofen to relieve his headache when he realizes he's naked. What happened to his clothes? Now he isn't so convinced that he was only dreaming.
He can see his shirt on his desk and his pants are hanging from his chest of drawers. He's alone in his room and there is no visible sign that anyone else has been in his room recently. He shakes his head, it has to have been a dream. He must have just passed out before he was able to finish changing his clothes. He doesn't even remember how he made it home last night. Though he obviously made it back okay.
He collapses back into his bed, throwing a pillow over his eyes. He's not ready to be functioning just yet. He's curious to know what actually happened to him after he blacked out the night before and there's only one person who can tell him. He'll go see her later. But right now, god, he needs more sleep.
... ... ...
Peyton manages to drag herself out of her bed around midday. Her head is pounding worse than it was last night so she takes another couple of Ibuprofen. She hasn't been this hung over, well ever. She just hopes she can make it through the day.
It's quiet at the label when she arrives. Mia is taking the day off, the girl deserves it and Haley isn't able to make it in. She's thankful for the silence though. She really needs it right now.
She isn't expecting anyone to stop by today so it surprises her when she hears the door to the studio open. She looks up from her work to see who it is and her heart stops.
Lucas.
She didn't expect to see him again so soon. Honestly, she wasn't expecting to see him at all. She doesn't even think she's ready to see him yet. Why is he here? How much does he remember? If anything? Surely not, if she can hardly recall exactly what occurred last night she doubts he is able to. But what if he does remember and is here to tell her he thinks it was all just a mistake and doesn't think he can see her again. Her chest aches at the thought.
Now that, she knows she is not ready to hear.
"Hi," he says
"Hey," she answers, hoping she is doing an okay job at concealing her nerves.
"This place looks great," he tells her, taking a seat across from her. Peyton remembers that this is the first time he's stepped foot in this space since they finished building the recording studio.
"Thanks."
"How are you feeling today?"
"Like a bomb went off in my head," she says, with a chuckle. "And you look like you feel the same way I do."
"Pretty much," he laughs.
"What can I help you with, Luke?" she's been mentally preparing herself their entire conversation for the worst.
"I just came by to make sure that you were okay," he says. "I don't remember much about last night, but I do remember that you were with me at Tric for a while there. I don't remember how I got home and I just wanted to make sure you made it home safely." She lets out a sigh of relief. He didn't remember. That saves them from having a potentially awkward conversation.
"Yeah, I got home fine. I put you in a cab and then got one for myself," she lies. Luke hangs around for a few more minutes before Peyton tells him she has some more work to do. Which is true, but she really can't concentrate with him being so close. He leaves with a promise to see her again soon.
Instead of starting on the pile of work still in front of her, Peyton gets lost in her thoughts. What if she hadn't left Lucas' place this morning? If she had just stayed in bed with him. Would there have been a chance for reconciliation? Could they have been together again? Peyton can't help wondering if she made the wrong decision in leaving.
... ... ...
Haley has been spending a lot of her spare time at Peyton's studio in recent weeks working on her next record. So of course she notices the fact that Peyton seems to have fallen into a weird funk and doesn't seem to be able to find her way out of it.
Haley isn't the only one that has noticed the change in her friend. Brooke has noticed as well, but she is just as in the dark about what is going on with Peyton as Haley is.
Haley has a suspicion that it has something to do with Lucas, but anytime she broaches the topic with Peyton it is brushed aside or ignored completely. Lucas does the same thing whenever she tries to talk to him. Something is going on with her friends and she will eventually get to the bottom of it.
Haley is only trying to help when she shows Peyton the predictions she and Lucas wrote in high school. But seeing the way Peyton is acting as Haley is leaving the studio for the day she wonders if she did more bad than good.
Peyton really hates Haley right now. Okay, so that's not true. She doesn't hate Haley, but she is really becoming frustrated with her friend. And it's completely irrational for her to be frustrated with Haley. Haley doesn't even know what is going on with Peyton right now and she is only trying to help. But, Peyton's been trying to forget her encounter with Lucas, because it is obvious to her that he is still in love with Lindsey, and Haley coming in and telling her that she told Lucas not to marry Lindsey because she believes he is still in love with her and that the two of them should get their acts together and work things out between them is making her even more confused than she already is. The past few weeks she has found herself constantly lost in thoughts of 'What If'. What if she didn't say no to Luke's proposal in LA? Surely, she'd be Peyton Scott by now. What if she stayed the night after their drunken encounter? Or what if she had just told him the truth when he came to see her?
Hearing Haley say these things to her isn't really helping when she is trying to avoid Lucas. Well, avoiding him as best as she can when he is sitting at the bar almost every night only 20 feet from her office. And it is getting harder and harder for her to continue walking every night when she can feel him watching her as she leaves.
She's thinking about her conversation with Haley as she approaches Lucas, who is at the bar again. And it's all Haley's fault. If it wasn't for her saying those things to her she probably wouldn't feel the need to stop and help Lucas right now when she has managed to successfully avoid him for weeks. But even though she isn't talking to him right now she doesn't like to see him like this, plus all the alcohol he's consuming cannot be doing him much good.
"Luke," she nudges him to get his attention. "Come on, let's get you home okay?" It's not easy, but she manages to get him back to his place and into his room. She's standing by his bed, in a very familiar position. She's about to leave when she hears him say her name.
"I hate you."
"What?" she stutters, visibly shocked.
"You ruined my life. I wish you never came back," he slurs, rolling over so he is facing away from her. Tears are brimming in her eyes and she hurriedly opens the door so she can leave before they start to fall. The last thing she wants right now is for Lucas to see her cry.
She's so stupid for believing Haley. For actually thinking there may have been a possibility that Lucas still had feelings for her and they could possibly be together. He still had feelings for her, just not the same kind of feelings she had for him.
She doesn't remember the drive back to Brooke's, but by some miracle she makes it back safely. She's able to sneak into the house undetected this time and it's only when she makes it into the safety of her own room that the tears fall as she collapses onto her bed.
When she finally wakes it is mid afternoon the following day. She finds a note in the kitchen from Brooke letting her know that she and Angie have gone out for the day and they will be back tonight. Peyton knows Brooke is trying to savor the last few days she has with Angie before she has to go home for good.
Peyton is actually thankful that she has the place to herself. It gives her a chance to compose herself a little before she has to see her friend again and maybe start sorting through what she is feeling right now.
Mia calls her a few hours before she's set to leave for the tour. Just to say goodbye and thank her again for arranging the opportunity. When Mia makes a halfhearted joke about Peyton joining her for the duration of the tour she finds herself accepting. It's a spur of the moment decision and totally not thought through and yes she knows she is running away from her problems, but it might just be what she needs right now. She doesn't know how much longer she will be able to keep it together in Tree Hill. The thought of having to see Lucas when she's with her friends makes her anxious and her chest ache more than it already is. She needs time to think, to reevaluate, and being on the road where only one person really knows her may do her some good.
She tries to call Brooke as she's packing her bags, she can't just disappear without letting her know. Brooke's phone goes to voicemail, so she hangs up and dials again. She doesn't want to tell Brooke she's leaving via a voicemail message. She continues to try Brooke to no avail. She finishes packing and starts taking her bags to the door. She has her phone to her ear trying to call Brooke one last time before she leaves. It's gone to Brooke's voicemail again. "Brooke, please call me back."
She's starting to get desperate. She needs to leave shortly. "It's important," she says. She's about to hang up when Brooke rushes through the door calling her name.
"Brooke, What's wrong?" she asks, dropping the bags in her hands and pulling a distraught Brooke into her arms. "Where's Angie?"
"They decided she was well enough to go home. She's gone," Brooke cries.
"Oh, Brooke," she says, hugging her friend tighter.
"Wait, you have bags packed. Where are you going?" Brooke asks.
"I'm going on tour with Mia."
... ... ...
Peyton is really enjoying her time on tour with Mia. It's been good for her. There's always something to keep her busy, stopping her from constantly replaying everything over and over in her head. She might even go as far as saying she's been happy… most of the time. She still has her moments.
She's so proud of Mia. Seeing her up on stage being amazing, performing for thousands of fans. It amazes her how far Mia has come and how much she has been able to accomplish since she met the young girl such a short time ago. Peyton knows all the numbers and figures of Mia's career, but this is the first time she's really getting to see it in action on such a large scale. Even when they're out and about in whichever city they're currently in and a group of young girls approach Mia, excited to meet a singer they like makes Peyton beam with Pride. Listening to these girls tell Mia how much she's helped them through some life event or how much she's changed their lives is the reason she's in the business she's in.
Now, she doesn't like everything about touring. Sometimes the bus they share with seven other people gets pretty crowded and uncomfortable. They count down the days until they're staying in a city long enough to get a hotel room. But the thing she hates most about the tour is the tiny bathroom on their tour bus. There's barely enough room to move around, but it's the only private place on the bus.
They're currently in Texas, the sixth stop on the tour. It's Mia's first time in the state and Peyton's only been once before on the road trip they took to the tiny town of Honey Grove her senior year of high school. This time she's determined to see the Elvis Sandwich.
Peyton tries to dress as quickly as she can in the tiny bathroom without causing physical harm to herself. You need to be quick when you share a bathroom with eight other people. She pulls on the skirt she's chosen to wear, it's been a while since she's worn it, but it feels a little tighter than she remembers. She doesn't think much of it until she tries to do the buttons up on her shirt. It's a new shirt, one she bought just before leaving Tree Hill and she knows it fit her then. She pulls on the sides of the shirt as hard as she can, trying in vain to fasten the buttons.
She turns from side to side trying to get a good look at herself in the minuscule mirror. That's when she sees it. There's a distinct swell to her abdomen. She runs her hand over a bump that she swears was not there the day before. No, no, no! This is not happening right now. She has to be imagining things.
Mia's already dressed and is laying on her bunk waiting for Peyton when she rushes out of the bathroom half dressed.
"You aren't dressed yet?" Mia exclaims, sitting up in her bunk. "You do know your shirt is undone, right? I have my interview in 15 minutes."
"I know! My clothes don't fit!" Peyton shouts. "They fit fine last time I wore them and no matter how hard I try I can't get my shirt buttoned and my skirt feels like it is about to burst open any second."
Mia watches as Peyton frantically pulls her things out of her bag and dumps them on to her bunk.
"What are you looking for?" Mia asks.
"My planner." How was she able to fit so much stuff in this tiny bag?
"And that's going to make your clothes fit how?" Mia jokes.
"I need to see if I wrote down when I last had my period," Peyton admits, finally giving up searching for the elusive book. She collapses onto her now messy bunk, letting out a heavy sigh as she brushes her hand through her hair.
"Why would you need… Oh, OH!" Mia trails off as she realizes the implication behind Peyton's statement. "Uh oh."
"Yeah, big uh oh."
"Well, maybe it doesn't mean anything. Maybe you're just getting fat," Mia suggests, hopefully.
"I'd consider that if I could remember when my last period was," Peyton says, as she shifts through her pile of clothes trying to find something that might fit her.
"Well, when was the last time when you were, you know… with a guy?"
"About four months ago," she says, as she pulls a t-shirt that still fits over her head.
"It's been four months and you didn't notice anything being off?"
"No, not really. I had a lot on my mind before we left and it's been non stop ever since. I've hardly had anytime to think and besides I've never been one to keep track of things like that." Peyton starts stuffing her things back into her bag, looking for a pair of pants that won't be too tight.
"What are you gonna do?" Mia asks.
"I guess when you're done with your interview I'm going to have to go and buy a pregnancy test," she answers, finally dressed and ready to go.
"Hey Peyton? The Elvis sandwich can wait," Mia says as they're leaving the bus.
Stupid Elvis Sandwich!
... ... ...
"Which one do we pick?" Mia asks. They've been standing in front of the row of pregnancy tests in silence for a few minutes now.
"I don't know. I can honestly say I've never been in this situation before."
"Well," Mia says, grabbing a random box from the shelf and reading the back of it. "What about this one? It's has a smiley face if it's positive."
Peyton takes the box from Mia and throws it in the basket along with several other tests before heading to the checkouts. She gives the cashier a dirty look when she wishes her luck as they're leaving the store. She doesn't want luck. She doesn't even want this to be happening, but really it's just a formality to confirm something deep down she already knows is true, but isn't ready to admit it yet.
"Well?" Mia asks, as Peyton exits the bathroom after taking the tests. They're lucky enough to still have the bus to themselves.
"Two smiley faces, three plus signs, and two tests that say pregnant. They're all pretty self explanatory," she says, collapsing onto her bunk and dropping the handful of tests beside her.
"Seven positives."
"Fuck," Peyton cries, burying her face in her pillow. She's still in denial that this is actually happening. Maybe if she closes her eyes this will have all just been a dream.
"Okay, so I know I may be overstepping my boundaries," Mia says breaking the silence. "But can I ask who the father is? is it that creepy label guy? You two do have that weird sexual tension."
"Ew, Mia no," Peyton says, shooting Mia a disgusted look. "And no, we definitely do not."
"Oh, is it Lucas?" she continues as if Peyton never spoke. "Is that why Lindsey left? Is that why she hates you?"
"Mia, you're really not helping right now," Peyton grumbles.
"Is you not wanting to talk about it confirmation?" Mia pushes.
"Mia," Peyton lets out a frustrated groan. "Those boundaries you mentioned? Way past them."
"This is so messed up."
"You're telling me!"
She's pregnant, and the man who impregnated her does not know she's pregnant, let alone that they even had sex. And the last words he spoke to her were that he hated her and she ruined his life. So yes, she knows exactly how messed up things are.
She's pregnant. Shit!