A/N: Another chapter fic turned into a one-shot.
"Well, I can certainly say that this is unexpected."
"You're telling me." Lucas uneasily agreed.
Dan carefully watched the nervous habits of his son. Lucas looked everywhere but at him. His right leg nervously twitched up and down. Suddenly it stopped and straightened as he stood up.
"I don't know why I'm here. I shouldn't have come."
"Lucas, wait!" Dan called out. "Please."
Jail was a lonely place. Dan Scott was desperate to talk to someone, even if was someone who despised him.
Lucas reluctantly stopped. He contemplated for a minute before he finally sat back down. Lucas needed answers and this was the only way he would ever get any.
"What's wrong?" Dan asked.
Lucas looked confused. Did he know?
"Nothing."
"If that's your story. But something tells me that you came here for something, Lucas. I've been here for almost a year now. Not a visit from anyone. Not you. Not Nathan. Wait, you're not here because of Nathan. Tell me he's alright."
"He's fine. I'm here because…I want to know how you did it."
Dan nodded, understanding that the day he had to explain his actions to his first born son had finally come.
"I was a coward." Dan began, "And I know it's not an excuse, but not a day goes by do I wish that I pulled the trigger on myself and instead of my brother. I'm sorry for taking Keith…"
"Stop it!" Lucas snapped. "You telling me that you're sorry isn't going to bring Keith back."
Dan nodded solemnly and waited patiently for Lucas to calm down.
"I didn't come for that." Lucas took a breath, "I wanted to know why you didn't want me in your life."
"Lucas. I did want you in my life. I just...I was young and scared. I don't know if your mother told you this, but the night I was coming home to be with her, I found out Deb was pregnant."
"You didn't want me in your life," Lucas scoffed, "You never even tried. Every time you saw me at junior leagues, you walked in the direction. Not once did you ever acknowledge me as your son."
"I know what I did, Lucas. And I'm sorry. I was selfish and angry at myself. I wanted to raise you with your mother, but when I realized that I couldn't, it was just easier to resent you."
"So you regretted it?"
"At the time, I told myself no. But now, being in hell hole they call jail, Lucas, it's all I think about."
Lucas ran his hand through his hair. His eyes narrowed. There was something else troubling the teenage boy. "Peyton. She's pregnant."
The blood in Dan's face drained as shock set in.
"She told me six months ago. Then I told her I couldn't handle it and I left."
"You left..." Dan was speechless. Not at the fact that Lucas had gotten Peyton pregnant, but that Lucas had left his pregnant girlfriend. Lucas had always been the noble guy that you could always depend on.
"Like father like son, I guess." Lucas laughed bitterly.
"You wipe that smirk off your face." Dan angrily threatened. "Do you hear yourself? 'Like father like son'" he muttered. "Well, newsflash Lucas. I was never your father."
Lucas didn't know how to respond. Anger, hurt, humility. They were all there flowing through him and confusing him.
"Think about it, Lucas. A father is someone who raises you, teaches you how to throw a football or ride a bike. He teaches you how to be a better man, Lucas. He's your father. Not me. And I'm sorry I took him away from you. If you walk away from Peyton and your child then you'll have nothing but regret eating you up. You'll become a bitter and selfish basketcase. And you'll be nothing like your father."
Dan sighed and rose from his seat, nodding for the guard. He took one last look at Lucas and his expression softened. For all he knew this would be the last time he ever son his biological son - or anyone that mattered - and this was not how he wanted to be remembered.
"It's not too late for you, Lucas. Get out of here and take care of your family."
"Where is she?" Lucas demanded as he pushed past a very upset Larry Sawyer.
"You've got some nerve, Rakeboy." Larry threatened.
"I know, but I'm just here to apologize, sir. I made a mistake walking away from Peyton. But I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere."
"Well, she's not here."
"Where is she?"
"After the stunt you pulled, do you really expect me to tell you? You don't deserve to see her."
"Sir, I'm sorry for reacting the way I did but it surprised me and I couldn't handle it."
"And you think Peyton could?"
"I know I was wrong and I didn't step up to be the man Peyton needed me to be, but I'm ready now. I'm ready to be there for Peyton and our child. If she tells me to leave, then I'll leave...But I'm gonna keep coming back. I love her, Mr. Sawyer. And I love my child."
Silence fell throughout the household. The two men stared each other down. When it was apparent that their standoff was going nowhere, Mr. Sawyer eased up.
"I'll tell her you came by, Lucas."
"Mr. Sawyer…"
"I'll tell her you came by." The older man repeated.
"OK." Lucas gave in, "I'll see you tomorrow, Mr. Sawyer."
After Larry closed the door behind Lucas, he looked up to the top of the stairs and saw a shadow lurking. "He's gone now."
He let out a sigh when the shadow retreated back down the hall and into the bedroom at the end of the hall.
Two weeks had passed and Peyton was never home whenever he stopped by. True to his word, Lucas relentlessly knocked on the Sawyer's front door three times a day. Like clockwork, he showed up at the same times each day. And at the same times each day, a pregnant blonde stood hiding behind the shutters in the bedroom on the left side of the house.
On the fifteenth day, something happened, or rather, didn't happen. Lucas never showed up in the morning nor did he stop by in the afternoon. He didn't even call. The tears stung when she realized that she had been right all along. Lucas had given up, again.
With the tunes of old a record comforting her, Peyton curled up in her bed, cradling her growing abdomen. Crying herself into a deep reverie where she and Lucas were happily married with a second child on the way. But even that didn't last. Her dream disappeared as fast as Lucas ran away from her.
"Daddy?"
Larry looked down sympathetically at his little girl. Peyton was always going to be his little girl, even though she was only nineteen, unwed and already carrying his first grandchild. "There's something you should see."
Peyton was more than surprised to see where her father stopped the car. Across the street was Keith's deserted and run down auto body shop.
"What are we doing here?" Peyton asked her father while looking at the lone light illuminating the shop's office.
"After you fell asleep, I decided to..." Larry thought for a moment to choose his words carefully, "talk to Rakeboy. On the way to his house, he drove past me, so I followed him here."
"What'd you say?"
"Nothing. I just came home. Peyton, sometimes the people who hurt us or disappoint us the most are the ones we love the most. But sometimes they're also the ones who deserve a second chance."
Peyton glanced at her father, wondering why he had a sudden change of heart about Lucas. "You think he deserves a second chance?"
"Deep down, I know Rakeboy is a good kid. And something tells me that he loves you too."
Like most teenagers, she refused to listen to her father. "I don't care. I don't want to see him."
"Peyton..."
"No, dad. See, that's the thing. Luke is a good guy. I know that, but it doesn't mean he should be with me just because he got me pregnant."
Larry helplessly looked at his daughter who started to cry. He pulled her into a consoling hug.
"Daddy, please take me home."
---
She had just drifted off to sleep when there was a tapping at her window. Peyton was frightened and didn't know what to do. Flashes of Psycho Derek invaded her mind. Was he released already? Did he come back to hurt her?
"Peyton, open up. It's me."
Before Lucas could knock one more time, the blinds disappeared and revealed an irate Peyton. He gave her his best apologetic face as rain began to fall. Letting out a heavy sigh, Peyton unlocked her window and walked away. Lucas was damp from the rain by the time he was able to climb through the window. Just as he shut it closed, Peyton began to hit him repeatedly on the arm.
"You stupid jerk! You scared me to death."
"I'm sorry...I didn't mean to. I just wanted to see you."
"So you climb up a ladder in the middle of the night?"
Lucas shrugged and took off his backpack, setting it on the floor. "You're never home during the day, so I figured you'd at least be home to sleep."
"Well, did it ever occur to you that I was home but just didn't want to see you?"
"Yeah," he said softly, "but I still wanted to see you."
They stood arms width apart, letting only the rain pattering against the window interrupt the deafening silence. Lucas took the opportunity to take in her changing body.
Peyton wrapped her arms around her torso, as if trying to hide herself. "What?"
"Nothing. It's just that, you look...you look..."
"Fatter? Well it has been six and a half months since I last saw you and I have been eating for two."
"No," he shook his head, "you look beautiful."
Peyton Sawyer was never one who knew how to take a compliment. "You're starting to drip on my floor."
She disappeared into her bathroom. When she reemerged, Peyton tossed him a fresh towel then went to her drawers to get him his dry sweatshirt and sweatpants he kept at her house.
"Thanks," he said as he changed.
Peyton distracted herself with the record player, putting the Jimmy Eat World LP that she was listening to earlier back into its sleeve. The old album belonged on the bottom shelf, a troublesome spot for any pregnant woman. As she gingerly leaned over, Peyton felt a sharp pain in her abdomen.
When he heard her gasp and saw her drop the album to clutch her stomach area, Lucas rushed to her side.
"Peyton what happened? What's wrong?"
"You kicked me."
"No, I didn't..."
Peyton looked up and glared at him, "Not you, you idiot. The baby."
"Oh," he laughed. "He kicks now?"
"He?"
Lucas' smile faded. Peyton watched sadness enter his eyes as he let go of her. He picked the album off the floor and thumbed through the bottom shelf to place it back into the proper spot.
"I found out that Nathan and Haley went with you for one of your checkups and I asked them how it went. They refused to tell me. They said I should ask you myself, but I kept asking how you were and how the baby was. Then Nathan slipped and said "Peyton is taking good care of him, no thanks to you.'"
Without looking back up at her, Lucas sulked over to her bed and sat down.
"So it's a boy?" he asked softly.
Peyton nodded. She was proud. "Yeah. It's a boy."
The two proud parents shared a short smile before the awkward tension settled between them again. There was so much Lucas wanted to say, but he didn't know how. Peyton leaned against the shelves contently as she watched Lucas struggle with his words. After all he put her through, she wasn't going to make this easy for him. Unfortunately for her, someone else wasn't so patient.
"Ow. Will you stop?"
Lucas' head snapped up to find Peyton talking to her stomach.
"Did he kick again?"
"No, I just like to say 'ow'." she glared at the boy who helped put her in this situation.
Lucas grew quiet. He had once been accustom to Peyton's sarcasm, but it was different now. She no longer meant it in a humorous, teasing way. She despised him as she spoke now. But what he didn't know was that it wasn't true. She didn't despise him, even though she tried to. The sad look in Lucas' eyes tore at her own heart.
"Do you want to feel him kick?"
Lucas' eyes lit up and eagerly got to his feet. "Yeah."
In the past, he had touched Peyton without any qualms. He had even touched her in places that could land him in jail. But now, he stood before her, awkwardly, not knowing if she would hit him for touching her.
Peyton rolled her eyes at his insecurities and grabbed his hand, placing it where their son had just kicked her. Lucas felt nothing.
"Wait," Peyton said.
They waited for a few seconds.
"Oh, there." Peyton moved his hand across her abdomen and pressed against his hand gently.
At first, Lucas had no idea was to expect, but as soon as he felt a gentle tap against the palm of his hand, he became overwhelmed with emotions.
"That's...he's...our son can kick."
"Yeah, it's pretty amazing." she agreed before pushing his hand away and walked to the opposite side of the room. "But after getting kicked every half hour or so, it gets pretty old."
Hormones. Peyton had always been a person who could change moods at the drop of a hat, but her hormones seemed to make it worse.
"You should go now."
"What? We haven't even had a chance to talk."
"Well, I have nothing to say and you haven't exactly been a chatter box tonight. So if you don't mind, I'd like to go to sleep."
"Are you tired?"
"No. It's my polite way of saying 'get the hell out of my room'."
"How can you just kick me out of your room after what we just shared. Peyton, our son kicked."
"Lucas, this isn't the first time MY son just kicked. He's been kicking for weeks now. You just never knew because you weren't here."
"And I want to change that. I don't want to miss out on any more miracles. I want to be here for our son. And I want to be there for you too."
"No. No you don't."
"Peyton..."
"You're just gonna run when it gets tough..."
"I won't."
"And I'm going to be left alone with a broken heart. I can't go through that again."
"You won't have to."
"I can't do this because it's not just about me anymore. I have to be here for my son."
"And I'll be right beside you."
"Stop saying things you don't mean." she pleaded with a heart that refused to let him back in.
"Look, Peyton. I meant everything that I've said. If you don't want to get back together, I understand. But I'm still going to be here for our son and for you. I'm going to prove it to you. I can only hope that one day you'll change your mind and give me a second chance."
Lucas picked up his backpack and opened it. Digging into the bag, he pulled out a gift. "It's for our son. Open it."
Peyton unwrapped her present. She grabbed the grey material hidden inside and a baby sized sweatshirt unfolded. 'Keith's Auto Body Shop' was written on the back of the shirt in blue print.
"That's the reason why I haven't really been by lately. I'm re-opening Keith's shop next month."
Peyton was proud she was of him but she never told him that, "That's great, Luke. Keith would be proud of you."
"I don't know about that." he admitted his doubt, "But I'm not opening the shop back up just for Keith. It's for you and our son too. I have a family to support now and..."
"Lucas, you don't have to."
"I know I don't have to, but I want to. I'm going to be there because I love our son and I want to give him everything I didn't have growing up."
She had been biting on her bottom lip, contemplating his sincerity. There was a time when she didn't have to question it. How she'd do almost anything to get those days back, even if it meant putting her heart back on the line.
"I have a check up next week."
Lucas' face lit up. This was his second chance. "I'll be there, I mean if you want me to."
That one doctor's visit had been the ice breaker Lucas had hoped for and slowly her trust in him began to build. Weeks after their new found friendship was born, Peyton accompanied him to the shop, hours before the grand opening.
"The shop looks great, Luke." Peyton said as she looked around the newly renovated garage.
"Thanks, Peyt."
Then she turned to face him and finally told him. "I'm proud of you, too."
Gone was the guarded eyes she used to look at him with. They were now sparkling and full of hope. In the moment they locked eyes, Lucas couldn't resist. He had to touch her. Feel her again.
Lost in his eyes as well, Peyton let him cup her face. He was getting closer, wanting to be more than just friends. Unfortunately Peyton wasn't ready for that just yet. In fact, it scared her. She pulled back and put her guard back up.
"We shouldn't keep your customers waiting." she offered a small smile before making her way to the door.
Respectfully, but reluctantly, Lucas let her go. He had to put those feelings aside for her sake. Being in her life was enough, for now.
Where was he? He was supposed to be here. He promised. Peyton wondered in between contractions. Although the doctor and two nurses were in the room with her, they were strangers.
Then suddenly, he burst through the doors.
"I'm here. I'm here."
He had been fixing a flat tire when he got the call. Unfortunately for the woman whose tire needed to be changed, Lucas had made a promise to Peyton and it was a promise he intended to keep.
As Lucas took her hand, Peyton felt relieved, but it was only for a split second as pain rippled through her body. Hours later, Lucas was still by her side, never letting go of her hand and supporting her. He had kept his promise.
"One more push." the doctor ordered.
Lucas kissed her hand, "This is it, Peyt. You can do it."
Tyler Keith Scott was born.
Emotions were running high, especially when the latest edition to the Scott name was placed in the arms of his mother. Tears formed in Peyton's eyes. It was a picture perfect scene as mother and son met face to face for the first time. Lucas placed a kiss on Tyler's forehead, then one on Peyton's. He knew he had Dan Scott to thank for this precious moment.
"I love you, Peyton... I mean thank you for letting me be here for this."
She smiled at his slip up and nervous demeanor.
"Do you want to hold him?"
"Yeah."
Carefully and gently, the young father held his first born son close to his chest. He kissed him again, the smile never left his face. Lucas looked at Tyler with nothing but adornment. And in that moment, she knew that Lucas would always be a part of their lives.
Everyday for the next two months, Lucas spent every free second he had at Peyton's house. He'd have dinner with Peyton, Tyler and occasionally with Mr. Sawyer, who claimed to prefer having dinner in front of the television rather than at the table. After dinner, Lucas would help Peyton clean up and put Tyler to bed. For that short period of time, they were a family and not two teenage parents who were no longer together.
And for Lucas, that time of being a family never lasted long enough. When the dishes were long put away and Tyler was sound asleep, it was time Lucas hated the most, he had to go home.
Peyton was always the one who insisted that he go home. She was tired and Lucas had a full day of work ahead of him. Respectfully, Lucas agreed, but it never stopped him from asking her out every time before he left.
"No. I don't think it's a good idea, Luke." she felt like a broken record.
"Just for a walk, Peyton. Come on, you're always cooped up in the house, a little fresh air won't kill you."
"Alright, tomorrow, then. When you come over."
All day long, Lucas seemed to have an extra bounce to his step. It was like he was taking Peyton out on a first date. He had planned a nice stroll through the park down the street. It was far enough from the house to get some privacy, but close enough just in case Tyler needed them. Unfortunately, that wasn't the date Peyton had in mind.
"You're right, Luke. A little fresh air for Tyler was a good idea." Peyton said as she pushed their son in the stroller.
His date with Peyton had turn into a date with Peyton and Tyler. Lucas had to admit that he was disappointed when he realized that he wasn't going to spend some time alone with Peyton, but now, seeing how happy she was and being able to show off his son, Lucas couldn't be happier.
They had family dates at least twice a week.
A month later, Lucas arrived promptly at his usual time. He had gotten off work earlier that day to give him some time to go home to shower and put on a fresh pair of pants and a button down shirt. Despite the current status of his and Peyton's relationship, Lucas still wanted to look proper for their family date that particular night.
"Hi Mr. Sawyer, is Peyton and Tyler ready?"
Larry yelled into the house, "Peyton! Rakeboy is here," and then muttered under his breath, "and so is his bottle of cologne."
Lucas entered the house and waited in the foyer with Larry. A few moments later, Peyton came bounding down the stairs, dressed up in a classy summer dress. Her hair was done just the way Lucas liked it, loose and curly.
"Wow," Lucas said under his breath. This too was the first time Peyton ever dressed up for a family date.
"Dad, Tyler is down for his nap. When he wakes up..." she instructed her father.
"Yes, I know, Peyton. Give him his bottle" Larry rolled his eyes, "You forget that I used to feed you AND change your diapers."
"Daddy!"
Larry shrugged, "Have fun, kids."
As Larry left, Peyton turned to face a confused Lucas.
"Um, my dad thought it'd be a good idea if we went out tonight, just the two of us."
"Your dad thought?"
"Well, actually I asked him to watch Tyler tonight and he agreed."
"Oh."
"I just thought we could just take tonight off from being parents. You're not disappointed, are you?"
"No!" Lucas said quickly, "I'm just surprised, that's all."
Peyton smiled, "So what do you have planned for tonight?"
"Well, originally I thought we'd go to the park and feed the ducks, but that was before I knew it was just the two of us."
"And now?"
"Dinner at Lina Linguini's?"
A shy smile fell across her lips, "You remember too, don't you?"
Like a gentleman, Lucas offered her his arm. "Of course I do. I could never forget our anniversary, Peyton."
Her smile widened as she looped her arm through his and allowed him to escort her to the restaurant where they had their first date three years ago.
Dinner had gone well. It were almost as if they had stepped back into time when it was just the two of them against the world. They didn't have any worries or any pressure of being young parents. They were just Lucas and Peyton, a young couple in love - with their son.
"You've got one handsome son there." the waitress commented, handing the picture back to Lucas. "I can see that he gets his looks from his father."
"Thank you." he said, putting the picture back safely into his wallet.
Peyton watched in admiration of Lucas as he boasted about his first born to just about anyone who would listen. If it wasn't the waitress, it was the hot dog vendor in the park, or the seniors by the pond. But it wasn't just the way Lucas bragged about Tyler that Peyton admired, it was the way Lucas held him and cradled him to sleep - with a gentle, loving grace.
"So that waitress was...nice." Peyton commented as they made their way up her driveway.
"What do you mean?"
"Oh, come on, Luke." Peyton said with a laugh, "She was flirting with you."
"What?" he scoffed, "No she wasn't."
"Oh, your son is so handsome." Peyton imitated their waitress' voice.
"Well he is."
"He must get his looks from you."
Lucas shrugged. "She was just stating a fact."
Playfully, Peyton hit Lucas on the arm and they shared a laugh. When they reached her front door, Lucas turned to look at Peyton. Seeing Peyton smile made him stop laughing and made his heart soar. She was so beautiful. Breathtakingly beautiful.
"What?" Peyton blushed, when he caught him staring at her.
"Peyton..."
All the girls in the world could flirt with him, but there was only one girl he'd flirt back with. Unfortunately, she didn't know that, yet.
"Um, mind if I say goodnight to Tyler before I go?"
"Yeah, sure."
He reached for the door, but Peyton stopped him.
"Hey. I'm sorry." She said suddenly.
"For what?"
"I have a confession to make. Remember when you climbed through my bedroom window and told me that you wanted to be there for Tyler?"
He nodded and remained silent for Peyton to continue.
"I thought that you were lying. I thought that once Tyler was born, and you saw how much responsibility there was, you'd change your mind and run in the opposite direction. I thought you were going to turn out to be like Dan."
He was crushed. Peyton's opinion mattered the most to him. "Peyton, I promised you that I'd be by your side."
"I know. And I'm sorry for not believing you. I'm glad that I was wrong, Luke. You're nothing like him. I see it in the way you look at Tyler and the way your face just lights up whenever you hear his name. Or how disappointed you look when you have to go home."
"I like spending time with him. I wouldn't want to spend my time anywhere else. I just love our son."
"You're a great father, Luke." Peyton nodded, "Come on. Let's check on our son."
This time it was her who reached for the door. And this time it was him who stopped her from opening it.
"Hey. I had a great time tonight."
When her eyes met his, her heart soared because she finally saw that he didn't want the night to end either.
"Lucas..."
"I know I told you before, but I mean it, Peyton. I'm here for you, too." He reached for her hands. "I'm not going to go anywhere."
She let his hands hold hers for a while before withdrawing them.
"I know." Peyton said softly. Her eyes never leaving his.
Her right hand had an itch that wouldn't be satisfied until it touched his cheek. Her left hand settled for the placket of his shirt that tugged him closer as her toes lifted her up to meet his lips.
---
A year later and a half after Peyton officially let Lucas back into her life, Tyler's parents finally decided to move in together.
He entered the red bricked house with the last box that contained his personal belongings. Walking past the living room, Lucas spotted his son, surrounded by piles of old books. One book, in particular had caught Tyler's attention.
"What you go there, Ty?" Lucas asked, setting the box down.
He made his way to the tot and sat down, pulling his son into his lap, along with the book.
"Dada." Tyler smiled.
Getting a close look at what Tyler was holding, Lucas recognized the old photo album. The older Scott gazed at the pictures, lost in the many memories that were chronicled by his mother many years ago.
Using his tiny pointer finger, Tyler pointed at the young baby in the photo then pointed to himself, as if to say, "That's me."
Lucas placed a kiss atop his head, "That's me when I was a baby. And the man holding me was my Uncle Keith."
"How old is this thing?" Peyton's amused voice bellowed as she entered the living room. "This thing is like...ancient. I can't believe you still have it."
Lucas and Tyler looked up to see Peyton marveling at an old Polaroid camera.
"Let's see if this baby still works." Peyton aimed the camera and snapped a picture.
In a flash, the camera rolled out a photo paper. Peyton waved the developing photo in the air, to speed up the drying process. Sitting down next to her boys, Peyton revealed the picture. It was also then did Peyton spot the open photo album of Lucas and Keith. It was the first time Peyton saw the photo of Keith holding a baby Lucas, but it looked familiar. It was the same way Lucas held Tyler.
"Hey, you OK?" Peyton asked Lucas who seemed to be holding onto some tears.
It was a photo of a father and son, but to Lucas it meant more.
He nodded and cleared his throat, "Yeah, I...we were just looking at some pictures of Keith."
Peyton snuggled closer to get a better view of the album. "He's proud of you, you know."
"Sometimes I wonder..."
She sat up and captured his attention. "You don't have to. Keith is proud of you, Lucas." she said again, only this time with a conviction that finally got through to him.
"Thank you."
"I'll give you two a minute," she said with a peck to his temple and another to Tyler's. "I'll take the last box upstairs."
Lucas cleared his throat, "K, we'll be up in a minute."
"Well, what do you think?" Lucas asked his son about their photo. "We are two handsome Scott boys, aren't we?"
Tyler grinned, revealing his pink gums. His tiny hands reached successfully for the picture. With adornment, Lucas watched Tyler shake the photo in the air, just as his mother had done previously. Then, as if knowing where the picture belonged, Tyler tried to place is beside the photo of Lucas and Keith in the album. He looked back up at his father, in need of his help to make the picture stay. Without hesitation, Lucas reached over and tucked the new picture into the slots, beside the old picture.
When the task was done, Lucas placed a kiss atop of Tyler's head. Together they took one last moment, seeing the similarity of the photos.
Keith was to Lucas as Lucas was to Tyler - a father.