Everything Falls Apart

Summary: Peyton Sawyer had always lived a hard life, but shortly after finding out she was pregnant with Lucas Scott's child, the two married. Peyton never thought she could be so happy. She had, for a while at least, hoped to one day become Ms. Peyton Scott. Sometimes though, when one dream comes true, another one comes to halting stop.

Chapter One: Life In A Glass House

Lucas stood just inside the living room, of the house that he shared with his wife. Well, if she could even be called that anymore. She hadn't so much as looked at him in days, and hasn't spoken but two words to him in a few months. They had been married for a little over a year now. Peyton had been six months pregnant when they got married, and two months later she ran into some complications with her pregnancy. Although the baby had survived being born, it died a short time later. Peyton pretty much stopped communicating with anyone, including her husband, who now stood staring sadly at his wife who had been perched on the couch, staring out into nothingness for days now.

"Peyt," Lucas felt himself say before he could realize what he was doing.

He hadn't really spoken much himself either. While at first he had been timid about becoming a father, by the time they were married, he was so excited. He knew what Peyton was going through, since it was his child too that they had lost. He let his head hang when she didn't even to face him. He felt as if it was his fault that their baby had been born nearly two months premature, although he knew deep down that it wasn't. No one could have foreseen that she would have complications so late in her pregnancy.

Lucas felt as his body started to shake, as hot tears fell from his eyes. He walked slowly toward the couch that Peyton refused to leave, and sat down beside her. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, and saw that her eyes were red-rimmed, signaling that she too had been crying. With his free hand Lucas wiped away the remaining tears in his eyes, before placing his thumb on her chin. He forced her to look at him, as he drew in a long, agonizing breath.

"Peyton Scott, I love you with all my heart. I know we're both having a hard time dealing with it, but I promise you...I will be here, I will always be here," Lucas said, as he felt more tears press against his closed eyelids.

He stifled the small sob in his throat before opening his eyes. His thumb no longer on Peyton's chin, but she was actually holding eye contact with him, which was a step forward, from her ignoring him completely. She let out a long, pained sigh, and let her head lay on his shoulder.

Lucas let a small smile fall upon his lips for a mere second, feeling for once in six months that he had indeed accomplished something remotely close to important. His wife, who hasn't spoken to him in at least three of the those six months, was actually laying her head on his shoulder, seeking comfort that he so badly wanted to give her.

Lucas immediately wrapped both of his arms around Peyton's small frame, as her body wracked violently with sobs. He let one hand rub small soothing circles in the small of her back, while his other hand smoothed back her unruly head of blond curls.

"Please talk to me Peyt. Please," Lucas begged, as he slowly rearranged himself, before pulling Peyton into his lap fully, letting her head fall against his chest. He was doing his best to calm her sobs, but even that wasn't enough. They had seemed to pick up intensity, as her small body jumped repeatedly.

Lucas sighed, knowing he had failed to do even the one thing he used to be good at. He used to be able to calm Peyton with the slightest touch of a hand, but even that didn't seem to be working this time around.

"IIIIII...It's...MMMMM...My...FFFFault," Peyton was able to stumble out of her mouth in between sobs, her pale green eyes staring back into his intense blue ones.

"No it's not honey...Don't blame yourself," Lucas said in a soft, comforting voice.

For the first time in months he had actually noticed that her eyes no longer held the glow that they had before. The glow of a woman happy with her life, and were it was headed. Now they were pale, and void of any feeling. He suddenly realized that while his wife, for the figurative part, was alive and well. Her mental and emotional side had died just as soon as their son had. While Lucas had lost his Uncle Keith in an act of violence so sinister, that it was far beyond wrong. Peyton had lost more people, in a much shorter amount of time. No one, no matter what, should ever have to deal with that amount of loss in an entire lifetime, let alone in a short fifteen to twenty year time period.

"Peyton, I know this is really hard on you, but you've gotta start living again. You need to do it for me, but mostly you need to do it for yourself..." Lucas let his sentence trail off as her eyes met his again.

This time though they weren't devoid of feeling, no this time they held a fiery anger that Lucas had never seen in Peyton's eyes before.

"What did you just say!?" she screamed at him, jumping from his embrace, her eyes doing the yelling and screaming that her voice couldn't handle.

"It's just, it's been six months Peyton, and yeah it's hard. I mean I feel like I wanna cry every morning I get up, but I still do it. Life doesn't just stop when we lose someone, and I know it's hard to pick yourself up, but you still have to do it," Lucas said honestly, his voice soft and caring.

"No! You did not just say that to me. So what, I should be enough of a pro at losing people, that I should just roll over and say 'To hell with it...I'm Peyton Sawyer, people always leave...so I just have to get right back up on that damned horse called life because my husband needs me..." Peyton paused, her eyes held a dangerous look in them before she continued. "Screw you Luke, just leave me the hell alone. I don't need you to fix me this time."

"Peyt..."

"No, just go, just leave me alone, please," she said more calmly, unable to fight him anymore.

"No, I won't, you need me. Whether you want to need me or not, it doesn't change the fact that you do need me. I am your husband, and I'm going to stand by you. If it takes you years to get over this, then I will still be here. I love you Peyton Scott, and nothing will ever change that," Lucas said as he stood up, and placed his long muscular arms around her, engulfing her entire body in a warm hug.

He felt as the sobs over took her again, and he decided to just let her cry it out. 'At least,' he thought, 'She's grieving correctly now.'