Dear Mrs. Scott,

I am writing you from the Raleigh Times, hoping that you will allow me the pleasure of writing an article about your art gallery, for a special project we are doing here at the Times. We are each writing an article about a surprising and successful business in our home towns. I was impressed by your latest show using recycled products around Tree Hill to create sculptures.

I hope you will allow me the great pleasure of writing this article about your gallery. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

Lucas Scott

Sports, Arts, and Leisure.

A rush of different emotions ran over Peyton as she read the unexpected email.

At first she felt flattered, of course she was flattered. She had leased the gallery only a year and a half ago and it had already seemed to be more successful than she ever imagined. Not only did she have regular clients purchasing her own work but other local artists requesting to have their work in her gallery.

Secondly, she felt awkward. How was she supposed to feel? Her husband's estranged brother wanted to write an article on her art gallery.

Then she felt excited.

Lucas,

I would be thrilled to have you do an article on the gallery. Please give me a call to set up the appointment. I am in the gallery Tuesday through Saturday 10 AM till 3 PM, unless I have a show.

My website has a list of upcoming shows, if you are interested. Thank you, again for the opportunity. I am truly speechless.

Peyton Sawyer-Scott.

…

Nathan Scott was very underwhelmed with his professional life. He pictured things very differently as a teenager in high school. He didn't think he would be working for his father at 25 years old, selling cars, and miserable doing it.

He dreamed he would be a famous basketball player, and living the life he dreamed of.

He also didn't think he would have married his high school sweetheart, sort of.

Peyton had broken up with him after prom their senior year when she found out he had taken Rachel Gatina outside during the prom. They had made a scene in the gym of Tree Hill High that everyone had talked about for weeks. She had refused to speak to him afterwards, despite all his efforts to win her back.

She even started locking the door to her house.

He was a total dick back then.

He lived pretty recklessly after that. He stayed busy with every eligible senior from Tree Hill High all summer, and then started on the freshman class of Duke University in the fall.

And, yet...

He got drunk on more than a couple of occasions and texted Peyton that he missed her.

She had always ignored his texts.

He never imagined that drinking every night, hooking up with countless girls who cared he was a star athlete would be so empty.

"Nathan, your wife is here." Tim wiggled his eyebrows at him, disrupting his thoughts "I'll send her in."

"Thanks." Nathan rubbed his forehead and sighed. He was glad to have the distraction from paperwork. He looked up and saw Peyton chatting with Tim, and scoffing. He walked over and leaned into the doorway of his office. "Dude."

"I'm going, I'm going. I was just telling Peyton she looked beautiful today."

"That's not exactly what you sa-"

"Bye, now! Enjoy your visit."

Peyton rolled her eyes dramatically and smiled at Nathan. "Hey there, I brought you some lunch. It's not healthy or workout friendly, but it's delicious."

Nathan grinned and moved to let her in his office. "You're sabotaging my six pack."

Peyton put the brown bag down on his desk and sat on the edge of the desk grinning at him. "No one else needs to even know you have a six pack, except for me."

"Ah, of course." Nathan moved closer to her and pecked her cheek before taking a bite of the sandwich. "Not that I don't appreciate the visit and the view, but what's up?" He tilted his head trying to read her expression "You rarely ever visit at work, especially on Friday's when Tim is here."

"I forgot to check the schedule." she replied sarcastically and stole a chip off of his napkin. "Plus, can't I visit my husband?"

"You can always visit, you just don't." He grinned a little and took another bite of his sandwich. "Where did you get this?"

"Karen's Cafe." she tilted her head to the side and sighed a little. "I have news. Good news, but also weird news."

Nathan chuckled as he sat down in his chair. "Hit me with it."

"So I had an inquiry about writing about the gallery today. For the Raleigh Times. It seems like it's going to be part of an ongoing weekly article spread about hometown talent."

Nathan quirked his eyebrow. "You aren't from Raleigh."

"No," Peyton pursed her lips. "It's Lucas. He wants to write the article"

"Shit." Nathan muttered before taking the final bite of his sandwich. Lucas was a name he hadn't heard in at least 5 years. It was almost like he was a ghost. Not that he had ever been a part of his life, he just hadn't thought of him in years.

He had barely thought of him much since he almost joined the basketball team their junior year. He did always have a nagging thought that he had a crush on Peyton in high school but it seemed nothing had ever come of it.

Peyton had been a great wife, girlfriend, and even friend to him. She always supported him, and called him on his shit. She didn't let him get away with his typical bull shit like everyone else. She had been there for him when no one else was.

"That's awesome. You should do it."

Peyton's eyes lit up immediately, "Really?"

"Hell yeah! That's amazing, babe, really. You deserve a million articles written about you, this is just the first. He closed the space between them and kissed her on the nose. "You're gonna be great. If you need help with anything, you know I'm down."

Peyton slid off the desk and wrapped her arms around Nathan's neck tightly. "I don't know what I would ever do without you."

"Good thing we got married so you're stuck with me." he joked before pulling away from her. "I'm proud of you."

Relief flooded over Peyton immediately. Nathan was incredibly supportive, but it was also his estranged half-brother writing an article on his sister-in-law. Weirder than weird, but this was Tree Hill, after all.

"Well, let me go get dad's dog."

Nathan started to grumble as he pulled away. "Oh great."

She grinned and patted the side of his face. "You'll be okay, Nathan Scott. I can see it already."

…

Larry Sawyer was a frustrating man.

Peyton knew this to be certain at twelve years old but she was even more certain of it now that she was an adult. Growing up with a dead mom and an absent father can really make you feel feel a bit jaded.

The summer she turned twenty-one, two months before her wedding, her father decided he was giving up the sea and wanted to be there for Peyton (and as an extension, Nathan) during her wedding.

He had even gotten a dog.

It lasted less than a month before he got tired of trying to find a "normal" job and returned to the sea, leaving Peyton to walk herself down the aisle and with an adopted dog sister.

Her dad was out of town for months at a time, and returned for a week before leaving again, which had left her pretty much solely responsible for her dad's impulse Golden Retriever, Rose. She picked her up like clock work the day her dad went out of town and returned him the day he was supposed to arrive home.

It broke her heart every single time Rose cried when she took her back to her dad's, but she couldn't bear to break her dad's heart. When she picked Rose up she would buy her a pup-a-chino and the same routine when she brought her back to her dad's house.

She opened the door and immediately Rose begged for her attention. She put the leash around her neck and started walking her to the car. "Let's get a coffee and head to the gallery, sweet girl." she smiled as Rose jumped into the passenger's seat and waited for Peyton to take her on their adventure.

….

Karen's Cafe had become increasingly more successful in the last few years, and Karen had been relieved. She had kept doing open mic nights after Haley had suggested them to her years ago and started to also serve beer and wine to have a late night crowd.

Business was good. Haley would always make sure to make a local stop at the cafe when she was in town, which always would bring in a bigger crowd than usual. She was always happy for that.

Karen looked outside and saw a head of curly blonde hair bouncing into the cafe. She smiled fondly as Peyton walked in and waved. "Peyton, back so soon?"

"I have Rose, and of course she wants her pup-a-chino, and I need the strongest, blackest coffee you have."

"Of course." Karen smiled softly and poured Peyton a cup of coffee and put some whipped cream in a seperate cup. "You're spoiling her."

"I know, but she's not my dog, it's like I'm a baby sitter."

Karen chucked a little ringing up Peyton's coffee. "She's your dog."

"Now Karen…" Peyton said teasingly pulling out a five dollar bill. "Keep the change."

Karen smiled fondly and put the change in the tips jar. "We are having a band tonight, you and Nathan should come out."

"Maybe." Peyton took a long sip of her coffee and shuffled her feet a little. "Lucas is going to write an article about my gallery."

"Wonderful." Karen smiled, knowingly. Lucas had asked her a few weeks prior about a few local businesses. He didn't want to be biased and pick his mother. Karen had suggested a few other small business owners but she was very excited Lucas had decided to go with Peyton's gallery. "I'm sure it'll be a lot of positive exposure for the gallery."

"Yeah, I think so." Peyton glanced back to the car and picked up the other to-go cup and nodded towards the outside. "I have to go, but thank you again. I might see you tonight."

Karen smiled and nodded, knowing she wouldn't see Peyton tonight. Peyton or Nathan rarely made appearances outside of work or the gallery. She would occasionally see them pick up Chinese food across the street but rarely much else.

Nathan had become somewhat of a homebody since moving back to Tree Hill, and Peyton kept busy opening and now running her gallery.

It seemed to work for them.

…

Lucas Scott was exhausted. He had been writing articles about college teams all day, back to back and it was all starting to bleed together. How could he possibly write another article about the same player as last week?

Sports journalism was mind boggling.

He opened his email, not expecting to see much before heading home for the day. He had his fingers crossed that he would hear back from the editor about a piece he had suggested for the creative arts section of the paper.

Instead he saw an email from Peyton Sawyer.

Scott.

He was relieved Peyton had decided to let him write the article on her gallery. He was worried he would end up having to write it on the comic book shop that was barely staying open, even with all the new Marvel movies coming out monthly.

He quickly replied to the email with his itinerary and when he would be back in town. It worked out, really. His mom's birthday was two weeks away and he could get paid to visit her. It was a win/win situation.

He wasn't so sure he was looking forward to spending that much time in Tree Hill, and he was bound to run into Dan, and especially Nathan. He couldn't help but wonder what his reaction had been.

Lucas knew very little about Peyton and Nathan's relationship outside the fact that they were dysfunctional in high school and broke up constantly. He probably only paid attention to this because of his unrequited crush on Peyton. He seemed to notice most things about Peyton. He still did.

He closed his laptop, packing up his things for the day. Going back to Tree Hill would at the very least, be interesting.

Author's Note: I have had this fanfiction idea for MONTHS. I also realize that there is possibly very little audience for this fic, and I also realize that I have not written fanfiction i years. TEN?! I'm so, so rusty, forgive me. I hope you all will enjoy this and be patient with me, it's going to (hopefully) be interesting.

So, here's some story notes: I do want to admit to you right now that I don't know with 100% certainty if this is a Lucas/Peyton fanfiction or a Nathan/Peyton fanfiction. On the one hand, Lucas and Peyton are about to have an intense connection, ala season one, but Nathan and Peyton have an interesting relationship/marriage that you will see in later chapters.

With that being said, every other chapter will be a flashback. They may appear out of order but it will be relevant to the plot, I promise. Those chapters will also be shorter and I plan to have another chapter up this week. I have the bones of this worked out, I just can't decide on the ending.