A/N : OK, so this idea woke me up at 3 am last night...It's set on 3x16. Sorry if there is any mistake, it's late XD.

Enjoy!

Lucas Scott can not be happier. He has a wonderful girlfriend he is madly in love with (that's what they say), a baby sister on the way, his mom is going to get married to his uncle who is going to adopt him. He has a great best friend who is also known as his sister in law. A brother he can count on and a great friend; You might know her. She has green eyes, killer legs, blonde hair. Peyton Sawyer. She's the girl he had fallen in love with in 8th grade. You can ask his best friend. She wont deny it. But it seems like something always went into their way. Peyton didn't want to ruin her friendship with Brooke because of Lucas or there was this Jake.

Lucas chose Brooke, and Peyton heart shattered.

In a million of pieces. Literally.

He gets off that bus, and suddenly it's the panic. People are running everywhere, screaming, trying to get away from the building. He looks around, completely oblivious about what had happened. It's the chaos. Nathan is following close behind him, not having a clue of what is going on. He spots his girlfriend and runs to her. She is clearly panicked.

"Brooke!" He touches her upper arms in a way to try to calm her down. She grabs his arms, to steady herself. Lucas can feel her hands shaking and she has troubles to find her words. "What's going on?!"

"Somebody has a gun inside. They're shooting," She says, trailing off. "I lost Peyton. I don't know where she is," She takes a deep breath before continuing. "I mean, she was right there and a shot went off and now she's gone and I-"

"Look, wh-a-hey-hey, Peyton was shot?" He asks as his eyes widen. She nods and brings her hand to her mouth, trying to muffle the sobs that are escaping. Lucas looks over her shoulder and sees that his brother has already entered the building, despite Whitey's yelling. Lucas doesn't think for a second and runs behind Nathan. Not to tackle him and tell him he's insane, but to go find Peyton.

"Lucas!" He hears Brooke call him but doesn't turn around. He knows his girlfriend is safe. But not the girl he loves.

Like, really loves.

He doesn't think of his mom or his uncle or his friends. He just can't get her out of his head. And he wont be able to until he saves her.

Because he's always the one who saves her. He ran red lights, punched a college guy, punched his own father. He wouldn't have done all those things if it wasn't for her.

He sees a pool of blood on the floor behind shattered glass. He wishes good luck to his brother and, carefully, approaches the library doors, his moist hands tightly gripping the baseball bate. He looks through the windows of the doors and opens them. He doesn't see anything, doesn't hear anything. He passes the computers and heads toward the rows and shelves of books. That's when he hears something. Swallowing hard, he doesn't think twice and rushes to the row where the noise came from.

That's when he finds her. She's there, sitting, blood pouring from her leg. Her back is against a shelve and it helps her staying upright. She's pale. Very pale. She let out a whimper and he drops his base ball bate before rushing to her side.

"Peyton!" He kneels beside her and takes her hand in his, the other resting on the back of her neck. " Hey! Hey, it's me." He reaches to touch her leg but she pulls his hand away.

"Ow, my leg! I got cut by some glass. Lucas, I lost Brooke. I'm sorry."

"She's fine. She's fine but-" He looks and stares at the blood. "OK, you're not. Um,… oh, we gotta get you somewhere safe, come on."

She graspes his hand and looks at him desperately. "I can't walk, I tried!"

"OK, we'll just hide," He's about to get up when she grips his hand tighter.

"No, don't leave me please!" She cries.

"I'm not leaving you Peyton. I'll just block the entry, OK?" At her nod, he continues. "I wont let anything happen to you OK?" She nods again and he takes her hand, giving it a light squeeze. He rests his forehead against hers and it's like the time stopped turning.

----

"I'm tired Luke," Peyton whispers, looking up at him. "Aren't you?" He licks his lips and glanced at the clock. It has been two hours since he found her.

"Yeah but you gotta stay awake, OK?" He brushes the air from her face and rests his hand on her cheek, tilting her head a little to the side so he can look in her eyes. "OK?" She nods weakly and he says, "Tell me about a good day."

She looks up at the ceiling and then back at him. "You remember, the Sparkle tournament in Charlotte a few weeks ago? Where I totally ruined the show by tackling the girl just behind me? I was so embarrassed."

"You mean the night you stumbled into my room, completely drunk and you asked me if I was wearing eye shadow?" He chuckles and she uses the bit of strength she has to hit his arm playfully.

"Shut up," She laughs and rests her head on his shoulder. "Brooke totally rocked that day by doing that little improvised robot dance," She smiles and looks up at him. "We're lucky to have her in our lives. I mean, I have the best friend someone could ever wish for. And she's your girlfriend."

"I know,"

"She gave you her heart, Lucas. You should give yours back," She swallows and closes her eyes. "Can you tell Brooke something in case I don't make it out of here, you-"

"Peyton, You're going to make it out of here. We are going to." She shakes her head and a single tear falls down her cheek.

"I don't think so, I'm too tired Luke." He brings his hand to her cheek and rubs it with his thumb.

"Peyt-"

"Please, hear me out," When he nods, she continues. "Tell her I love her OK?" Her voice trails off when she says it and he has to shake his head.

She can't die.

Because he freaking loves her.

But he won't admit it. The thing is, she might die today and he can't let her go before she really knows how he feels.

"You're going to tell her yourself, because you're going to live, you're going to make it out of here."

"Lucas, I lost both my moms. My dad is away. People always leave..."

"I don't."

She shrugs her shoulder and allows a smile to appear across her face. Her eyes can hardly stay open and the throbbing pain in her leg is unbearable. "Maybe it's time for me to leave."

"Peyton, you're young, you have all life in front of you. Come on, I'll get you of here." he's about to get up but she grips his arms, pulling him back on the floor with her.

"No, I don't wanna die in front of everyone. Please,"

"But you're not gonna die, Peyton. Please, fight!" she stares at him and sees the tears building in the corners of his eyes. "I love you,"

"What?" She furrows her brows, though her eyes can't stay open any much longer.

"I know, I know I'm with Brooke, but...It's always been you Peyton. Since the first day. You know, Haley and I have a litlle box that we hide in a wall and each year, we write something we want to happen. You know what I wrote in 8th grade?" He asks and she shakes her head. "Peyton Sawyer will become Peyton Scott."

She smiles, even though she doesn't want to because the situation is too twisted. He's dating her best friend. He chose Brooke against her. "Then, why are you dating Brooke?"

"Because I'm an ass." She has to laugh, even if it's the last of strength she has.

She runs a hand through his blond hair and rests it on his cheek. "You're something you know that?" She closes her eyes for a second and opens them again. "Kiss me,"

He looks at her confused and she repeats it again, "Just, kiss me." He leans in and presses his lips to hers. It's a chaste kiss but it means everything. He pulls back and she smiles weakly. She can't stop the tears from streaming down her face and the pain that is throbbing through her entire body. But that kiss made her forget everything for five seconds. "Thank you,"

"What for?" He asks, even though he knows what she's referring to.

"For staying with me," She rests her forehead against his before placing her head on his chest and her right hand over his heart. She closes her eyes and he can feel her breath her last breath before fading away.

"Peyton, come on, wake up," He says and pats her on the cheek, trying to wake her up. He presses two fingers on her cold neck and pray god to find a pulse.

Nothing.

Two dead mothers. A father away. Shot in her own school.

He doesn't know how long he has stayed there. Maybe an hour of two. But it doesn't matter. He just wants to hold her. He hears a shot, he wonders what it is. He hears voices coming from the hallway. He hears his brother's voice and then the door opens after a few tries because of the shelve blocking it. He hears footsteps coming and when the dark haired boy rounds the corner, his heart sank in his chest. He swallows hard and takes in the scene before him.

"Luke," Nathan says, trying to get his brother's attention. He is still holding her lifeless body, because he needs to feel her. "Man, they're waiting for us." He says, referring to the swat team waiting at the door. He insisted to go in before them so he could talk to his brother.

"I don't wanna go out there." He mumbles, almost inaudible.

"Why not?" He asks.

"Because she wants to die in piece, not in front of anyone." He wants to believe she's not dead, even if he knows it's not a dream.

"Lucas she's d-"

"No! Don't you dare say this," His voice trails off and for the first time, Nathan sees him cry. "If it was Haley, you wouldn't let go, would you?" He asks with a whisper, and for the first time he looks up to meet his brother's eyes. Nathan doesn't know what to do or say right now.

"Come on Lucas, she deserves a goodbye from her friends doesn't she?" He has a point. She deserves it. He takes a deep breath and places a kiss in her blond hair. He takes her limp arm and hooks it around his shoulders. Placing his left arm underneath her knees, he places the other below her shoulder blades. He gently lifts her up, and her head automatically rests on his shoulder. Nathan walks with him to the library doors. She is so light. He keeps a straight face, his lips tracing a thin line.

He has to stay strong.

When he steps outside, there's a crowd behind the yellow ribbon. There's a gurney a few meters from him, with a black bag on it. He closes his eyes and a single tear falls on his cheek. He hears someone scream Peyton's name and he recognizes his girlfriend's voice. She struggles against police men who keep her behind the line. He sees his mom in Keith's arms, breaking down.

He places her body on the gurney and just before they close the bag, he presses his lips to her pale forehead and pulls away. They roll the gurney toward the ambulance and he falls to his knees, burying his head in his hands.

While he was there, he felt love. Love. In his opinion, probably the strongest word in the dictionary. They say that the word should never be played with; it has too much power. It can either form the most powerful bond ever established, or break the heart into too many pieces. Never has he felt so strongly about anyone. He never showed as much emotion and affection to anyone. Never has he shown so much regard and devotion. Never has he been so caring and concerned.

Were they too in love?

He doesn't care. She made it easy.

She made it worth it.

Let me know what you think!

Reviews make me very happy...=)