Summary: What happens when Peyton's past comes back to haunt her? Who will be there to save her?
A/N: Hey guys, this fan fiction is for Lucasnpeyton4ever. She isn't good at writing so I told her I would do this for her.
So this takes place when Dan brings Jamie back in episode 5x12
The Pros and Cons of Breathing
Everyone is standing there stunned at the sight of Dan. Everyone is quiet so Dan is the first to speak. "Interesting wedding Lucas, you really know how to pick them. I would have thought you would pick one of your other conquests. Good work son. You had both of them. And they are best friends no less. I thought I was good but you; you are a master of deception."
Lucas shouts, "You need to leave, NOW!!"
"It's a free country oh and a restraining order won't help Nate my boy."
"Haley, take Jamie upstairs to bed please." Nathan says through clinched teeth.
Haley nods and does as she is asked.
"Nice to see you Hades I mean Haley. Try to keep an eye on him so psychos don't get a hold of him."
"You really make me sick you know that?"
Dan smirks, "I love you too daughter in law. Anyway back to—Oh Karen I didn't see you there. Nice to see you kept up with shorty."
"Dan you need to leave or I will kill you myself." She says trying to move toward him. Andy holds her arm so she doesn't jump on him.
"So how did you manage to screw things up Luke? I missed the festivities, all I saw was the bride run out. What did you call her the wrong name, Lord knows you can't keep them straight? I know I can't."
Peyton has had enough and chimes in, "Dan you are even worse then you were 5 years ago."
"Whatever, I have every right to be here with my FAMILY. You don't even belong here." Peyton walks up to him with a drink in her hand.
"Go straight to hell." She throws the drink in his face. "They may be scared of you but I know you are just a coward who murdered your brother in cold blood because you were jealous. He was more of a man then you will ever be. He had more of a relationship with your sons then you."
Dan wipes his face with his suit jacket. "And what about you, you slept with them both."
Peyton slaps him. "How dare you. You know nothing about me or what I have been thru."
He grabs Peyton's arms but she yanks free.
"Ian always said you were a feisty one."
Peyton turns her back to him and starts to walk back towards the rest of the group.
"Don't you walk away from me?" He grabs her arm once again. This time Peyton response with a sucker punch to his jaw and everyone is staring in shock at what is going on.
"Wow she hits harder than you Nathan. Anyway here" Peyton looks at the envelope in his hand.
"What—what is this?"
"Turns out your buddy Ian is up for parole in 2 days. I was supposed to mail it but I figured since I am here why not give it to you now."
Peyton's eyes open wide, "What?"
"You heard me. I would take it seeing as how you are the reason he is getting out." Dan chuckles out.
"What, how?"
"Had you come to his hearing last week you may have had a chance to stop him. Oh well. Sucks for you. Well this party is dead I am leaving."
Peyton stands there shaking with the letter that Dan has just handed her in her hands. She collapses to her knees then realized where she was and knew that wasn't the time or place to deal with what had just happened so she picks herself up off the ground and faces everyone.
"Well it is great that Jamie is back. I—I have to go." She mumbles out.
Brooke tries to stop her, "Peyton wait."
Peyton has grabbed her jacket and ran out of the house. She is running down the street holding on the letter tightly. She finally reaches the house she and Brooke share, grabs a bottle of wine and locks herself in her room. She finally gets up the courage to open the letter.
It reads:
Well,l well, seems to me like I should be saying thank you. You see because of you, I am going to get a chance to finish that last dance that Brooke so rudely interrupted. Don't you see, we belong together? I got a lot of insight into your past from Dan. Seems we are going to be together after all. Oh I am going to enjoy every moment, every scream for mercy. You are going to regret ever stabbing me. Oh I can still smell your scent. I'll be seeing you Peyton.
Really soon,
Ian
Peyton locks every window and turns on every light in her room. She sits on her bed with her bottle of wine and drinks. Eyes wide open. Brooke gets home and sees that Peyton's lights are on. She knocks on the door.
"Peyton, it's me. Can I come in?" Peyton goes to unlock the door and sits back on the bed. Brooke sees the letter on the floor and reads it.
"Oh my god!! Come here Peyton." She goes over and touches her on the shoulder. Peyton jumps and looks at Brooke with fear in her eyes.
"What am I going to do? He is coming after me."
"Maybe not." Brooke says trying to convince herself as much as Peyton.
Peyton scoffs, "Are you serious? He is coming and this time he may finish the job. I mean why fight back I have nothing to look forward to anyway." Peyton takes one last swig on the wine and puts the empty bottle on the floor.
"I got to get out of here." Peyton throws on some tennis shoes, grabs her wallet and walks out the door. She is not sure where she is going but ends up in a bar.
The bartender stand in front of her, "What can I get you?"
"The strongest thing you got and keep em coming."
"Whatever you say," He says shrugging.
Back at Brooke and Peyton's house Brooke doesn't know what to do so she grabs her keys and the letter then walks out of the door. She ends up at the river court, where she finds Nathan.
"You haven't seen Peyton have you?"
"Not since she sucker punched my dad." Nathan says shooting preparing to shoot.
"Well we need to find her."
Why Brooke, what is going on? He asks as he puts the ball under his arm.
Brooke hands him the letter. Nathan reads it and is at a loss for words. "What are you going to do?"
"I thought you would have an idea."
Nathan thinks for a minute. "Did she say where, you know what I have an idea. Go tell everyone what is going on, I am going to check one of the bars she used to go to all he time."
Nathan got to the bar and saw that Peyton was slumped over the bar. Guys were hitting on her. Nathan comes in and tries to get her up.
Peyton looks up to find one of her oldest friends hovering over her. "What? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at home?"
"I am here with you and that is all that matters."
Peyton pushed his hands away and tries to steady herself with no such luck so he grabs her arm again. "Damn it Brooke told you."
"Yea now let's go." She slaps his hand away again and tries to sit on back on the stool.
Nathan looks up at the bartender, "Hey how long has she been here?"
He looks at his watch, "Umm, about an hour."
"What the hell has she been drinking?"
He smirks while cleaning out a shot glass, "Bourbon, whiskey, Jack you name it she has had it. Hey you have to get her out of here."
"I am trying." Nathan scoops up Peyton's passed out lifeless body and carries her to the car. He leans her against the car and she opens her eyes and pukes all over the sidewalk then passes out again.
"At least she threw up on the sidewalk and not in my car." He says to himself. He shoves her in and drives off.
The next morning: Peyton wakes up and she is in a place that looks kind of familiar but is not sure where she is. She gets up and stumbles around to see where she was. She was in Naley's house. When she realizes it she gets up, goes home to get some more cash and head back to the bar.
She arrives and she asks for a beer.
"A little early for a drink" The bartender says.
"Or late, take it how you want now about my drink."
Okay make you a deal, I will keep serving you if you let me know why a beautiful girl like you is drowning her sorrows in a place like this."
Peyton rolls her eyes, "How much time you got?"
He leans over the bar and looks in her eyes, "All the time you need."
Peyton takes a deep breath, "Well where to start? The guy I love asked me to marry him when we were 19."
The bartender nods, "Sounds pretty good."
She scoffs, "Yea you would think. I said someday because 1, we were so young and 2, he lived here and I lived in LA."
"Okay so you are here now, for good I take it, what is the problem?"
Peyton nods and continues, "He left me in LA we didn't even talk for 3 years. He took it as me saying no so he fell in love and was going to marry his editor. Now this psycho is after me. I am trying to lay low."
He hands her a shot. "That one is on the house."
Peyton spends most of the day and all night in the bar until Brooke walks in.
"PEYTON ELIZABETH SAWYER, GET YOUR SKINNY ASS OFF THAT BARSTOOL."
Peyton looks up at the bartender rolling her eyes, "My friendbest."
Brooke puts her hands on her hips. "Peyton this is not right. You can't drink your sorrows away."
"I sure can try. You have no problems. You have everything you want. So just—go find Owne."
Brooke's face softens at her best friend's words, "Peyton that is so not true. I can't even believe that you would say something like that." Brooke says as she gets teary eyed.
Peyton waves her off, never looking at her, "Whatever Brooke. You made your peace. I will try to remember that in the morning."
Brooke throws her hands up in defeat and storms out of the bar.
"How long have you known her?" The bartender asks.
"Forever but she will get over it. Okay thanks for the drinks see you same time tomorrow." Peyton gets up and stumbles out of the bar. She is walking for awhile and she sits on a bench. She closes her eyes and lies down.
She wakes up on the park bench the next day and starts the whole drinking cycle again.
Everyone is gathered at Clothes over Bro's. Nathan, Haley, Brooke and Karen are trying to figure out how to get thru to her.
"I saw her and she is not doing well at all. She has had the same clothes on for 2 days." Brooke says
"That Ian guy messed her up huh?" Karen chimes in.
Haley nods, "Yea, Peyton is so strong but with everything building up I don't know how—"
Nathan interrupts, "We all know who can bring her back. The question is will he do it?" Lucas walks into the store and all eyes are on him.
"What, whatever it is I didn't do it I swear." Lucas says holding up his hands smirking.
"Do you notice anyone missing from this equation?" Haley says
"What?"
"Dude you ARE an ass. It's Peyton, she is really messed up." Nathan says
Brooke hands her the letter that Ian wrote her. Lucas panics after he reads it. "Where is she? When is the last time you saw her?"
Brooke smiles, the old Lucas is back, "Last night. She is in some bar she has been there since she hit Dan."
"Okay and why are you just now telling me this?"
Haley sighs, "Look you have been in your own world Luke."
"Well I did just get left at the alter." He says getting angry.
"Because of your love for Peyton" Karen points out.
Lucas acts like he didn't hear her, "Look just tell me where she is"
"Come on I will take you."
Nathan and Lucas arrive outside the bar.
"Let me do this alone." Lucas says getting out of the car.
Nathan nods, "Okay, bring her back."
"I hope I can." Lucas enters the crowded bar to see that Peyton is drunkenly talking to the bartender.
"So this Lucas guy, you were dating his brother?"
Peyton smiles, "Uh huh but I never had the connection I had with him you know?"
The bartender had really gotten into her stories over the past days so he was making sure he had the facts right. "So who was the guy that took you out of here a couple of days ago?"
"That would be Nathan."
"The guy you used to date?" He said scratching his head.
"Yea, the guy for me is (hiccup) well he is (hiccup) tall blonde and he has—he has eyes like ice and they can see into my soul. God did I (burp) really just says that?" She says giggling.
"Uh huh," he said chuckling. "What about the cute brunette," He asked as he dried off a shot glass.
Peyton smirked, "(hiccup) She is my best friend. She stole him (burp hiccup) from me. Well I didn't have him. I am a really closed off person (burp) and—will you stand still please I am trying to talk to you." Peyton starts to laugh loudly and uncontrollably.
Lucas sits next to her and Peyton looks to her left. "You know you guys look familiar." She say squinting.
Lucas would laugh had it not been so tragic so instead he sighs. :"Is that right? So what are you doing here Peyton?"
Peyton squints her eyes again and tries to focus on the person sitting next to her. She reaches her hand out a few times and then finally grabs Luke's shoulder.
"Oh hey Luke you want a drink?" She shouts.
"So you are the famous Luke huh?"
"Uh yea," He says looking the bartender up and down, "Peyton this is not the answer to your problems and you know that."
"I don't know what I know anymore. I mean I thought you loved me but I was wrong. You know what, bartender guy I will see you same time tomorrow." Peyton stumbles to get off the stool. As she does she looses one of her shoes and she picks it up and walks out of the bar.
"Damn it Peyton," He pounds his hand on the bar, jumps off the stool and goes after her. It has started to rain a little. Peyton let the rain fall onto her face.
Nathan saw her coming out so he got out of the car and watched her. Lucas came out shortly after her and Nathan pointed him in the right direction.
Lucas calls after her, "PEYTON STOP. WHERE ARE YOU GOING?"
"What do you care?" She shouts without turning around.
"How can you even say that?"
Peyton stops to put her shoe on and looks back at him. "Lucas you haven't said 3 words to me. Other than biting my head off just go—anywhere but here."
The rain came down harder and it had a sobering affect on her.
"I don't even know why I bother." Lucas mumbles just loud enough for her to hear.
"Then don't. Go on and live you life. I am not in it." Lucas walks up to her and grabs her by the shoulders.
"Peyton what are you doing? Why are you—"
"Because I am scared and there is no one to save me anymore so I figured—"She says throwing her hands up. "What's the point."
Lucas lets her go. "What? You have Brooke, and Haley and Nathan and—"
Peyton stops him, "Brooke has Owen and her store. Haley and Nathan they have more than enough problems without me adding to it. And don't even say that I have you. You can barely look at me much less help me."
"Seriously? If memory serves me correctly, that office of yours, my mom and I gave it to you rent free."
"Oh are you going to throw that in my face? Huh? I tried to pay you rent but uhhh, you wouldn't let me if memory serves ME correctly, I didn't even want it in the first place. Look if you are going to hold that over my head then I will just move offices for fuck's sake."
He walks away from her. She starts to walk in the opposite direction. He stops and looks back at Peyton shivering and walking away.
He bites his lip, "Peyton..."
She keeps walking. He says it louder this time. "PEYTON"
She is still walking. He runs to catch up with her. He runs in front of her forcing her to stop.
"Move Lucas," She says trying to walk past him.
He blocks her way, "No, I walked out on you once before and I am not going to let that happen again."
"Lucas don't, I—" She was almost pleading with him.
"Damn it, would you listen to me for a second. I am not going to go another 3 years without talking to you. You were one of my best friend I miss that."
"No, you don't have that right. You can't—you are not aloud to—"
He cuts her off, "To what? Care worry about you? Well I am sorry but that is just something I can't do. Now if I have to drag you kicking and screaming into that car I will but this is a nice shirt so just let me know now so I can be prepared."
Peyton starts to laugh and Lucas puts his arm around her and they walk to the car.