Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill nor do I profit from this.
Lindsey smiled at Lucas as she approached him. So far tonight he had stood in one corner of the room, smiling politely at everyone who walked by, only moving to get a fresh drink. He did look rather handsome, in his sport jacket and dress pants, paired with a shirt and tie that set off his eyes. Lindsey wanted to slip her hand into his, but this was a corporate event held by the LA office. So, as with all corporate events, they were strictly professional.
"You look bored all by yourself in the corner," she said as she stood beside him, allowing them to both a panoramic view of the party.
"I don't know anyone here..." Lucas stated simply.
"I saw you talking to someone earlier. He was wearing that black skinny tie, very Reservoir Dogs," Lindsey said brightly in attempt to be encouraging, while discreetly adjusting the hem of her dress. She loved these events, they allowed her to get dressed up and talk to people, two things she loved.
"We were making small talk, he's one of those guys anyone can talk to," Lucas said as he sort of shrugged. Looking down into his drink, he swirled the remaining mouthful and looked out onto the party once more. "I didn't even get his name."
"Oh," Lindsey said slightly dejectedly. Lucas never really made an effort to network, so it fell upon her. Generally he would follow her around and say hello and then after a sufficient amount of time make his apologies. She supposed tonight would be no different. "Well why don't you make the rounds and go?"
"I've made the rounds, it just feels rude to leave so early," Lucas said as he shifted his weight, and made a discreet glance at his watch.
"Of course," Lindsey said softly, not wanting to upset him. She momentarily cursed his small town, good guy charm. Only to remind herself that that was why she loved him. "Well I have to keep circulating, part of being a young editor you know. Try to have a little fun..."
Lucas nodded, but did not verbally reply. Lindsey sighed at his lackluster response, but walked away and immediately ran into a friend, Elise, who had transferred out West a few months ago. They spoke a stones throw away from Lucas, which allowed Lindsey to watch him without too much fanfare.
He remained in the same location for several minutes, and he seemed ready to approach the skinny tie guy he had been speaking to earlier, but stopped dead in his tracks and turned and headed into the next room. Lindsey's gaze followed him, then returned to the new acquaintance Lucas had made earlier in the night.
She immediately recognized the leggy blond from the high school championship photos. She was wearing a green dress. A dress that looked as though it had been tailored especially for her, every inch of the fabric cut in such a way that it highlighted all of her features perfectly. Lindsey then recalled that her best friend was a very talented clothing designer, and no doubt the source of the stunning dress. Said wearer of amazing dress was speaking to the skinny tie guy, laughing at whatever it was he was currently saying.
"His name is Julian Baker. He's a film producer," Elise said as she obviously caught on to who had captured Lindsey attention. She continued by gesturing toward an older man while saying, "And that is Paul Norris, the studio executive and celebrated producer. Wes invited them, he wants to make Kole's book into a movie, and from the buzz Mr. Baker's movie garnered at Sundance, he will be the one to do it. And Mr. Norris is the man with the money."
Lindsey's gaze had shifted between Elise and Julian several times during the rundown Elise provide. Elise had always known people's back-stories, part of her charm. Lindsey sipped her champagne before asking as casually as she could manage, "Who is that he's speaking to."
"I'm not sure, I haven't actually met them," Elise answered. "I think Ron said he's seen her around the office, intern or something."
"Oh," Lindsey said simply, taking a larger gulp of her drink. Ron was Elise's brother, who had been her plus one since she moved out West. He was an audio engineer and sometimes producer. Lindsey struggled to come up with a new topic. She wanted to know more about the couple across the room. So lost in thought, Lindsey momentarily forgot about Elise's innate talent of picking up subtle cues. She is actually stunned when Elise asks rather casually, "So how do YOU know her?"
She's Peyton. She's Lucas' first love, his true love. She's from Tree Hill. Every possible true answer flies through Lindsey's mind, she could never lie to her friend, and get away with it. And after a moment or two had passed, she answers simply, "She's the girl from the book."
"Wow," Elise says. There really is nothing else she can say.
As soon as Lindsey had finished reading the Raven's manuscript, she had given it to Elise. And they had both swooned over the elegance of his writing, and maybe a little over the inspiration, an entire book written as a testament to one boy's love for a girl. So when Lindsey says the book, Elise understands exactly what that means.
"Wow... I would... Never in a million..." Elise says in an excited whisper as she unabashedly gazes at Peyton, looking her over with a newfound sense of wonder.
Lindsey rolls her eyes before hissing at Elise to stop. Elise slowly draws her gaze back to Lindsey and says softly, "She's really beautiful."
They watch discreetly as people approach Julian, and shake his hand. He's constantly smiling, as is Peyton. He is always sure to introduce her, and she greets everyone with practiced grace. Lindsey wonders how many functions she's attended to be able to be that charismatic with everyone.
She only realizes she's been staring far too long when Elise clears her throat. She quickly diverts her eyes, and gestures toward the painting on the wall behind the couple, as she says, "I've been staring at that painting, trying to remember where I've seen it before."
Elise gives her a 'really?' face and shrugs before saying, "I don't know. I can't say that I care for impressionist paintings."
Lindsey glared at Elise, and whispered under her breath, "You suck."
Elise merely flashed a cheeky smile.
Lindsey again rolls her eyes, and nearly stops dead as she watches, Wes Harding, the head of the Los Angeles branch walk up to Paul Norris and shake his hand. Mr. Norris then gestures to Peyton and Mr. Baker. They are then introduced to Wes. Peyton manages to look both intelligent and enchanting. Lindsey feels the jealousy rise up, she had been trying to get in that man's good graces since her father hired him. Never had she been able to elicit the uproarious laughter that Peyton had gotten from him in all of two minutes. He'd never so much as offered her a welcoming handshake. She had always been treated as an obligatory acquaintance despite her decision to work her way to the top, instead of taking over her father's position.
Elise nudged her and said, "You're staring again, and look ready to kill someone, maybe we'd better go to a different room... maybe find Lucas?"
At then mention of Lucas, Lindsey's shoulders released some of the tension that had been building up. She then focused her attention first on her friend, then the room and said, "Let's do that."
They walked from the large room they were currently in, through the smaller room where the drinks were being served. Although they didn't find Lucas, they were stopped by various acquaintances and spent quite a bit of time in each room. Finally, they walked outdoors around the pool area, again they failed to find him but had plenty of conversations with other partygoers. There was only one area left to look for him, the garden.
As they made their way to the garden entrance, a man, also from the New York office, stopped Elise. He ignored Lindsey completely and proceeded to position himself between Lindsey and Elise. Lindsey rolled her eyes, the man had been into Elise for as long as she could remember, but never had the gumption to make a move. She motioned to Elise that she was going to continue her search. Elise merely waved her off and gave her full attention to Maxwell.
Lindsey stopped at the garden entrance, and was surprised to see not only Lucas, but Peyton as well. They were standing a few feet apart and seemed to be getting along well enough. Neither of them noticed her, but they were approached by Paul. Peyton immediately began saying something to Paul about Lucas, she seemed rather excited. Lindsey was too far away to hear anything but, she could recognize Lucas' humble 'my book is not that great' gesture anywhere.
Curiosity getting the best of her, Lindsey walked up to the group and said, "There you are Luke! I've been looking everywhere for you."
Lucas' eyes quickly met hers, and then bounced between Paul and Peyton, before he said, "This is Lindsey, my editor."
Lindsey shot him a surprised look, he hadn't introduced her as his editor since they started dating. She remembered this was a professional setting, and ignored the slightly devastating feeling she'd felt then smiled as Lucas continued, "This is Paul Norris, he's interested in my book, and this is, Peyton."
Lindsey feigned surprise and asked, "Peyton? As in… Peyton, from Ravens? Peyton Sawyer?"
Lindsey watched as Peyton blushed and replied, "Yes, that was me..."
Lindsey noticed Lucas' look of immense displeasure, so she quickly said, "That must sound strange, but when you spend months working on a book, you feel like you actually know a character, it's strange when it's an actual person."
Peyton nodded, but was obviously still quite flustered. Paul however, was not. He placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a friendly squeeze while saying, "You better get used to it kid, if I get my way you're going to be getting that reaction all the time."
Peyton again looked away shyly before speaking more confidently, "You're right Paul. I guess it's something we'll have to get used to."
As the last few words left her mouth, Mr. Baker appeared and stood next to Peyton and then asked, "Get used to what?"
"Peyton Sawyer being a household name," Paul said as he gave Peyton another jostle.
"Oh, right if the movie gets made," Julian said as he nodded and smiled at everyone. Peyton smiled again, while Lucas took a sip of his drink, and looked anywhere but Julian. Lindsey looked questioningly between Paul and Julian, before Julian extended his hand and said, "I'm Julian."
Lindsey shook his hand and said, "Lindsey Strauss."
Julian wrapped an arm around Peyton and said, "The editor of Ravens? It was really well done."
"Thank you," Lindsey said, unsure of what else to say. The conversation halted, creating an awkward pause.
"Julian loved the book and wants to make a movie from it.," Paul said as he took control of the conversation once more. "Harding invited us to your company party. He's interested in adapting a few of the novels your company has published for the big screen."
"Wow!" Lindsey said, as she was genuinely surprised Wes had come up with this. She then asked, "And Lucas' book is one of them?"
"Yes, among others. Of course, it's Julian who will be behind the camera, I'm just the funds these days. I guess that's what happens when your son is the rising star," Paul said and he laughed. The others laughed politely as well.
As the laughter died down, Lucas said, "Wes introduced me to Paul. And once Paul found out who I was he called Julian and Peyton over."
"Peyton was so excited!" Julian gushed as he watched Peyton's cheeks become tinged with pink again.
"Was not!" Peyton said as she nudged him.
Paul smiled and cleared his throat and then said, "But I think we've held you up long enough Lucas. I'm sure your editor had a reason for seeking you out."
At this, Lucas finally perked up and said, "I'm sure she just wanted to make sure I was actually socializing. She's always telling me to network more, she's always taking care of me."
Paul laughed and Julian sort of chuckled, while Peyton smiled then asked, "So how long have you two been together?"
Lindsey shot her a look of surprise and sputtered before asking, "How did you know?"
"I like to think that I used to know Lucas pretty well," Peyton said as she smiled at both Lindsey and Lucas, allowing her southern accent to become just a touch heavier.
"Four months," Lucas answered, still unable to resist Peyton's charm.
Lindsey noted the look Peyton and Julian shared and she deciphered it as amusement. However, Paul was the one to speak, "Four months? These crazy kids have been married for two. The way they tell it, from the moment they met they knew they were meant to be married."
Lindsey noticed Peyton's elbow had failed to connect with Paul's stomach in time. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, the silence was palpable. Lucas' drink nearly fell out of his grasp, Peyton reached for a drink off the passing waiter's tray, and Julian merely smiled unabashedly as he stood beside Peyton.
They were saved from further awkwardness with the arrival of Wes, who was dragging Kole along behind him.
"How are we doing here? Paul, Julian, this is Kole, one of the other authors I wanted to introduce you to," Wes said as he broke up the impromptu reunion. As they shook hands he said, "Oh Lindsey, good you're here, come with us. I've already spoken to Lucas, but I have another one of your authors in mind. And I'm sure Lucas won't mind keeping the charming Mrs. Baker entertained while we talk, right Lucas?"
Lucas didn't have a chance to reply as Wes began ushering the entire group toward the pool area, waving someone over to join them. Lindsey looked back at the two blondes standing together much more awkwardly than when she had arrived. She wished she could be a fly on the wall for that conversation.
She listened as Wes proposed an exclusive partnership between their publishing company and the production company Julian had started, as long as they used Paul's studio. As he spoke, Lindsey deduced that Wes had somehow heard about Julian wanting to make the Ravens movie, and wanted to ensure more than one of their publications made it to the big screen.
Lindsey constantly kept a look out for Lucas and Peyton, but neither appeared. Wes was wrapping things up, and Julian and Paul said their goodbyes and went in search of Peyton, Lindsey watched them go, hoping Lucas would seek her out.
Paul's face was set, and Julian was eager to find his, wife... Lindsey paused at that thought. Peyton was somebody's wife. All this time she had been afraid that Peyton coming back into Lucas' life would've ended their relationship immediately. Yet here they were, with Peyton, and it wasn't any different. Their relationship was still working itself out.
Lindsey nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt someone touch her elbow. She turned to see Lucas, who had his hands up in surrender.
"Linds..." he started.
Suddenly she was angry. She wasn't sure why but it just rose up inside of her. "Not now Luke."
"What did I do?" Lucas asked as he dropped his hands.
"Nothing," Lindsey said as she turned away from his questioning gaze.
"It wasn't my idea," Lucas said as he tried to apologize discreetly.
"I know," Lindsey said quietly.
"I'm going to go now. Maybe when you are ready to talk you'll come home," Lucas said as he smiled at a passerby. He paused a second and was obviously waiting for Lindsey to respond. When she did not, he stalked away.
Lindsey sighed and dropped her head. She didn't know why and now she regretted her rash actions. There was still an hour until she could leave, obligations. She turned and ran right into the least expected person. She exhaled and said, "Julian."
"Peyton, forgot her purse," Julian said as he held up his right hand, clutching the aforementioned purse.
"Oh," Lindsey said, a bit dumbstruck. Gaining a bit more control of herself, she asked, "Did you enjoy yourself tonight?"
"When Wes wasn't forcing his deal on us," Julian said with an inflection of amusement. Adding in a lower register, "My father was quite ready to leave, as was Peyton."
"I'm sorry about Wes, I don't even pretend to understand him anymore," Lindsey said, locking her hands behind her back.
"Ah, well people aren't always who we think they are," Julian said with a smile. Lindsey could see why Peyton would snatch him up quickly. He had a way about him, a way of trying to make everyone else happy, or at least at ease. Then of course she wondered if it was really Julian who had done the snatching up.
"That's the truth," Lindsey said with an audible exhale. After a few moments had passed, she said, "I suppose Peyton is waiting for you?"
"Possibly. My father ran into someone he knows, insisted on Peyton meeting him. He just so happens to be looking for a new junior A&R rep at Island," Julian answered, emphasizing the unlikelihood of the coincidence. "I thought I'd give them a minute to exchange business cards or whatever it is that Paul wants."
"That's amazingly kind of him," Lindsey stated. She then asked, "Does he do things like this often?"
"For her? Always. He'll tell you that she's brought me back into his life and that she's the reason I finished my movie. He'll tell you a lot of things, but he won't say she's the first girl to capture his heart since my mother," Julian answered as he waved a hand airily.
"You're saying that your father is in love with your wife?" Lindsey asked incredulously.
"Not romantically. I suppose she helps him fulfill his need to be a better father now that he has the time, and the resources, and the connections," Julian replied trying to keep his voice even. He looked away, and then added "We get along a lot better now."
"Has Peyton ever said anything?" Lindsey asked as they began to walk toward the door, unable to keep her curiosity in check. Here was someone who was willingly offering her answers about the woman she had been so curious about for so long. She didn't know why he was so free with his words, but this wasn't a chance she could pass up.
"No. She's completely oblivious," Julian said laughingly, seemingly unbothered by the question. He became serious once more and said, "She doesn't know the Paul I grew up with. She only knows the man who has been completely willing to help her from the moment she challenged his authority."
"That must be strange for you?" Lindsey asked as they neared the edge of the large room, completely bewildered by his nonchalance.
"No, not really. It's nice to know he's not completely heartless, as long as he doesn't hurt her. She's had enough of that in her life," Julian said as he stopped. They stood silent for nearly a minute before he said, "Well nice meeting you."
"Yeah, it was nice," Lindsey said, effectively ending the conversation. He paused a half second as though he wanted to add something, but thought better of it and gave her one last smile before turning and walking away.
Lindsey stood still and watched him until he was out of her sight.
"You're still staring at him?" Elise asked as she sidled up beside Lindsey.
"What?" Lindsey asked, startled.
"The movie guy, you're still watching him," Elise stated.
"He's married," Lindsey said. Finally facing her friend, she added, "To Peyton."
"What?" Elise nearly choked on her drink.
"Two months his father said," Lindsey said, still slightly dazed by the entire interaction.
"His father?" Elise asked, totally confused.
"Paul Norris is his father," Lindsey said now totally back in the moment. "He just told me that his dad is also kind of in love with Peyton."
"Who wouldn't love her? Have you seen the girl? I think I'm in love with her too," Elise said jokingly. When Lindsey didn't laugh she said seriously, "So what did Lucas have to say?"
"We didn't talk. He left," Lindsey answered.
"Why?"
"I might've made him think I was displeased..."
"Are you?"
"No. Maybe? I don't know. He was standing there... looking... well like Lucas, and I just didn't know what to do, so I was angry," Lindsey said as her body conveyed her discomfort.
"Did he say anything?" Elise said, floored at the idea of missing all the drama.
"No," Lindsey said emotionlessly.
"I'm so bummed I didn't follow you, what I would've given to have seen that play out," Elise said teasingly.
"You're insane. I think you've had a little too much to drink," Lindsey said, shaking her head at her friend's antics.
"So… Are you going to stick around? This party seems like it's starting to, you know, die," Elise said, taking a glance around the room.
"Well, I think I'm going to head back to the hotel, and talk to Luke," Lindsey said as she glanced at the time.
Alright, have fun," Elise said cheerily.
"I'll see you later," Lindsey said as she kissed her friend on the cheek, before seeking out the first person she knew she had to say make her apologies to. She loved these parties, but there were so many formalities she quite honestly despised. All the while she thought about Luke and already had an apology outlined by the time she left. It had been a strange night, but she knew that Lucas would be waiting for her in their hotel room and that they would work everything out.
AN: Imagine that, a fic where Julian and Peyton are married... And Lucas and Lindsey are together. I am so in love with JulianxPeyton that I'm not sure I could ever write an OTH story without them being together in some way. Thank you for reading, and if you have time, please leave a review, even if it was horrible for you.