So this fic is dedicated to everyone who wanted a sequel, but it especially is thanks to LeytonNaleyZanessaTroyella4evr, who suggested a family get together with all the Scotts. I was having severe writers block for future wills fic, and so when I came back to the reviews (which is why their awesome), her suggestion spearheaded this story. And of course, RJMoonSpell4, who wanted a fic with Wills becoming a big brother. Getting Love Lost, Love Found, out of my head onto paper really helped the muse flow. So here you go!
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The New Edition
'Knock, Knock, knock'
Lucas groaned and turned to his side, grabbing the pillow and pulling over his head. It wasn't too early in the morning for visitors, but he and Peyton had a particularly 'enjoyable' evening the night before, and he was now paying for it with the lack of sleep now.
As the knock sounded again, he turned to look at his wife, who lay curled up next to him, dead to the world, not even the noise from the front door pulling her from sleep.
Sighing, Lucas sat up and got out of bed, padding to the living room and opening the door.
"Hello Brooke." Lucas said, yawning and walking back into the living room, rubbing his face in hopes it would wake him up.
Brooke breezed into the house, Bella on one hip, a beach bag on the other. "Hey Luke! Isn't it a beautiful day?"
"Bootiful" Bella agreed, nodding.
Lucas stopped and turned back to Brooke. "It will be, as soon as a decent hour rolls around." He looked pointedly at the clock. "You're early."
Brooke scoffed. "By an hour. Not that big a deal. Besides," Brooke hugged Bella tight, making her squeal and lock her arms around Brooke's neck. "My baby girl wanted to see her favorite aunt this morning, and what baby wants, baby gets."
At the word 'Aunt,' Bella let go of Brooke and began to look around. "Aunt Pizza?" At 22 months, Bella's vocabulary was expanding every day, even though sometimes no one outside of Brooke would understand what she was trying to say.
Lucas sighed and shook his head at his niece's antics. "Can't you teach my niece to call her Aunt Peyton like a normal child?"
Brooke sniffed. "She's not a normal child, she's a Davis, and Davises do things their way. I call P. Scott P. Scott , so why wouldn't she be Aunt P. Scott to Bella?"
"Aunt Pizza!" Bella said, squirming to be let down so she could find her beloved Aunt.
"That's right baby. We named her first." Brooke nuzzled her neck and laid a smacking kiss on her cheek before letting her go. "You should just count your blessings I'm not still calling her P. Sawyer, which would still be the case if it weren't for me and Haley, if I'm not mistaken." She cut her gaze at him as he held up his hands in surrender.
"Aunt P. Scott it is." He said, backing out of the living room playfully.
Brooke put Bella to the floor and grabbed her hand, heading toward the back of the house. "I thought you'd see it my way," she tossed over her shoulder.
Lucas hurried towards Brooke, stopping her before she could enter into the bedroom. "Whoa," he said, standing in front of the door. "You don't want to do that right now."
Brooke frowned, then her eyes widened. "Lucas, you dirty dog! You knew we had somewhere to be today! You couldn't put off baby-making for one night so we could actually arrive at the beach on time?"
Lucas blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Let's just say, it wasn't my idea, but I wasn't complaining."
Brooke chuckled at that. "Touche. Okay, so Bella can play with Wills until sleeping beauty wakes up."
Lucas shook his head. "The three musketeers spent the night at Nathan and Haley's, so Wills isn't here."
"Hence the exhaustion this morning. Got it." Brooke huffed, turning and walking back to the living room. "So what are we supposed to do for the next hour?"
"Well," Lucas joked. "If you had come when you were supposed to, you wouldn't have had to worry about entertaining yourself."
"Hahaha." Brooke stopped, then turned back to Lucas. "Wait, so Haley has all three boys, plus the twins? What exactly was she thinking?"
Lucas laughed. "I would blame it on the drugs, but it's been over 4 months since Nat and Bri were born, so I can't. She told me that the boys are a big help with entertaining the twins and each other, and she wanted Wills to have practice in case Peyt and I were successful in our baby-making endeavors."
Brooke grinned. "Who would have thought you too would be the first people in the history of Tree Hill to have a planned pregnancy? People all over town were placing bets that your first wedding broke up because Peyton was pregnant, then they speculated that you got married so fast because there was a bun in the oven. And now you are talking about kids and there isn't even one here yet."
"Not for lack of trying." Lucas muttered, then laughed when Brooke threw a pillow at him.
"Fine. You know what? I cant have my daughter around this kind of talk. I'm going to Naley's." Brooke sniffed, picking her beach bag back up and walking to the door.
"Ohhh, yeah, your daughter is so traumatized by the idea of two married people expressing love and creating a child. Let me call Ethan and let him know so he'll be warned." Lucas teased.
"Don't call him. He's still sleeping." Brooke said sheepishly. At Lucas' look, she caved and confessed. "Okay, so we were early cause we got kicked out of the house. Apparently we were making too much noise, and he wanted another hour of sleep."
Lucas laughed and shook his head. "You are too much , which is why we love you." Walking over to her, he hugged her and Bella together, whom Brooke had picked up to halt her quest to find 'Aunt Pizza.' . "Now get out and go bother Naley." He said, pushing her towards the door.
"Fine. Whatever. See you at Naley's in an hour."
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Haley James Scott loved her life. She loved her family, her job, and the fact that she lived not even 30 minutes from the beach. And as she rolled over, surprisingly well rested, she had to believe that she loved her husband most of all.
Nathan and Lucas, having grown up with small and splintered families, were dedicated to ensuring that their kids did not have the same experience. And since Brooke and Peyton also had dysfunctional families, they eagerly joined on the bandwagon to create the sense of family among the friend group. Haley, who had grown up in a large, unruly family, was nervous about the idea of such a large and unconventional family life, scared that it would backfire and cause resentment and stress among all the parties involved.
She was so glad she was wrong. Though not by blood, the family they had created was all of love, and just kept getting bigger. Haley's family once consisted of Nathan, Jamie, and Lucas, with Karen as a mother figure. Now Lucas was married to Peyton, and had brought Wills into their lives. Karen had Lily and Andy, and would be moving back to Tree Hill in a week so Lily would have stability when she started school in the fall. Brooke took her role as godmother seriously, and had added Bella and Ethan into their small family unit. Skills and Mouth had both been great uncles to baby James, and as each child joined the circle, expanded their care to include them all. They even had girlfriends that blended well with the core 7. Jamie and Wills made sure to include Andre, and occasionally, even Andre's mom, though older than the their set, joined in the festivities. She and Karen had bonded over their similar life stories, having shared the experience of being a single parent and losing a loved one to violence.
And with the effort the two brothers put into creating occasions for 'family' get-togethers, what would seem stressful to an outsider (having 17 people on normal occasions should have been a chore), was enjoyable to all, since all the kids belonged to everyone, and they all got along.
So here they were, on a random August morning, heading to the beach for a day of fun in the sun. Haley amazed herself when she called Lucas and Ms. Fields to invite Wills and Andre over for a sleepover, since they would all be meeting up anyway the next day. Even Lucas was shocked.
"Are you sure, Hales? The twins aren't even sleeping through the night yet. And you want to have two more rambunctious boys to get ready in the morning?" Lucas questioned.
But Haley had gotten bitten by the family bug. And Nathan was so excited about having the house full, even promising to get up with the twins at night and taking point on herding the boys so she would say yes. She didn't have the heart to tell him it wasn't necessary. Having the three boys together was commonplace, and they were so in love with the twins, it was like have mini attendants at her service, ready at a moment's notice to get a diaper, make funny faces to stop tears, or fetch bottles from the refrigerator.
The twins. Haley smiled at the thought of her two newest bundles of joy. When she told everyone in November she was pregnant, the doctor told her she was having a little girl, a playmate for Bella. On April 1st, 2 weeks early, but still full term, Natalie Brianna Scott entered the world kicking and screaming. It was to everyone's surprise that Haley continued to feel the urge to push, allowing Brian Sawyer Scott to enter the world, quickly and quietly, having been content to allow his sister the spotlight for the 9 months in utero and on the day of their birth.
He was aptly named, for like Whitey, he was calm where his sister was not. Just as he had at birth, he would wait patiently for his sister to be taken care of, watching the world quietly with his wise eyes, while Natalie, named after Nathan and sharing her brother's namesake, impatiently let her voice be heard so her needs could get met. They were both beautiful children, healthy and blessed with sunny dispositions, and with so many adults (and brothers and cousins) around to lend a hand, Haley had never felt the stress most mothers felt having two babies at once.
Rolling out of bed, she made her way to the kitchen, where, not surprisingly, everyone was already up and dressed, including the twins. Lord, she loved her husband.
"Good morning," she said, laying a passionate kiss on her husband's lips, interrupting him as he supervised the feeding of the twins by Wills and Jamie.
"Keep that up and we might get another one." Nathan teased, pulling her down into her lap and murmuring in her ear.
"No hooo!" Haley laughed. "I think 3 is enough. Besides, with Lucas and Peyton trying, and Brooke and Ethan engaged, I'm sure they will have plenty of cousins around to keep them company."
"You see me Aunt Haley?" Wills said excitedly. "Natalie's eating all her food!"
"I'm watching! You are a great helper Wills, and you are going to be a great big brother when the time comes." Haley gushed appropriately.
"I know," Wills said confidently. "Me and Momma and Daddy had a talk, and I told them I had lots of experience, what with Bella and now the twins. So I told them to go ahead, they have nothing to worry about."
"I see." Haley said, before burying her head in Nathan's shoulder and laughing silently. The kid never ceased to amuse them with what he said, his confidence and personality manifesting itself every time he opened his mouth. This was definitely not the same kid from a year ago.
Peyton and Lucas, having made the conscious decision to try for a baby, were concerned about how Wills would take the news of a sibling. While he had been great with Bella, and was a trooper when the twins were born, they were worried that he would react negatively to Peyton and Lucas having a biological child, after being himself so recently adopted. He had actually been sent back into foster care on several occasions because the parents were having their own child, and so, knowing his history, they decided to tell him about the possibility of a sibling before they started trying, agreeing to hold off on having a baby until he was more secure in the idea of expanding their family.
"Hey Wills, can we come in?" Peyton said one afternoon as Wills lay reading on his bed.
"Sure!" he said, slipping a bookmark into the book and patting the side of the bed. Peyton came in and sat next to Wills, smiling as Lucas scooped him off the bed, making him giggle, before settling down where Wills used to be and setting him on his lap.
"What's on your mind, Momma?" Wills said, getting comfortable in Lucas' lap.
Peyton shared a smile over Wills' head at his very adult like tone. It was hard to remember that the kid was only 5 years old, even if he was turning 6 in a couple of weeks.
"Well," Peyton began. "Daddy and I wanted to get your thoughts about having a little brother or sister."
"You're going to adopt for me a brother or sister? Cool!" Wills said, excited. "I can help hold his hand so he doesn't spend so much time in the closet like I used to, 'cause I've been there." Wills said, nodding his head decisively.
"No Wills." Lucas interjected. "We actually aren't going to adopt a baby. Your mom and I are going to have a baby, like Uncle Nathan and Aunt Haley."
"Two babies!?" Wills said, twisting his body to face Lucas, incredulous. "It's a good thing you're gonna have me around, cause babies are a handful. But don't worry, I know what to do. I have lots of experience." Wills said confidently.
"Not two babies- that is, we don't know yet how many there're gonna be. Momma's not pregnant, yet. We wanted to make sure you were okay with it before the baby came."
Wills frowned. "Why wouldn't I be okay? I love babies." He began to bounce in Lucas' lap. "Man, I can't wait to tell Jamie. I am gonna be the best big brother ever. Well, me and Jamie'll be the best big brother's ever, 'cause he's a good big brother already, so he's got a head start, but its okay, cause I'm a fast learner."
Peyton shared a relieved look with Lucas, grateful for what Wills had inadvertently shared. It hadn't even crossed his mind that a new baby would mean that he would have to go- they had truly succeeded in reassuring him of their love for him and that this was his family forever.
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The weather was perfect for a day at the beach. Not too hot that the babies couldn't be in the sun, but warm enough that the water felt good to go into. Haley laid the babies out on a blanket under an umbrella, and their tiny heads bobbed a rhythm known only to them as they faced other, lying on their tummies, raised up on their forearms, grinning at each other.
Jamie, Wills, and Andre were playing football with Lucas, Nathan, Skills, and Ethan, while Brooke, Haley, and Peyton lay on their lounge chairs, soaking up the sun and watching Bella play in the sand. The little girl was a true princess, scooping sand into her bucket with a shovel and dumping it out, only to whine and look at her hand in disgust if sand got on it. She brushed it off and would start again, only to have the same problem as sand continued to coat her tiny fingers and palms.
Peyton laughed. "B. soon to be Cooper, you have created a monster."
"No, I adopted a monster. I just indulge her monster habits." Brooke said, chuckling herself as her precious baby girl just realized she was sitting in the same sand that was on her hand, and scrunched up her face to cry.
Brooke jumped up and scooped Bella in her arms, running her towards the water and going deep enough for the sand particles to wash away, changing the whine into squeals of laughter as Bella splashed the waves, watching the sand float away from her pretty bathing suit, secure in her mother's arms.
Natalie begun to wail, frustrated from having tried to roll over on her back several times and failing. Peyton beat Haley to her and picked her up, stopping Nat mid wail and eliciting coos of contentment as she was sat on Peyton's lap, facing outward, to watch the boys wrestle in the sand. Brian stayed where he was, turning his head and resting it on the blanket, content to watch the game on his stomach.
"Pretty soon, you'll have one of your own to cuddle, and you can stop stealing mine." Haley joked.
"Very true." Peyton nodded, then smiled. "I'm late."
"Yes, you were, but we made it here on ti-- Ohhh!" Haley breathed, stopping mid sentence as she caught onto what Peyton was trying to say.
"Oh!" Haley squealed, wiggling in excitement.
"Shhhh!" Peyton put her finger over her mouth and scowled fiercely at Haley, who clamped both hands over her mouth, but couldn't stop herself from grinning broadly.
"Peyton that's amazing! How far along are you?" Haley gushed, leaning forward eagerly.
"I don't even know for sure yet, but… maybe a month?" Peyton mused, counting the days in her head.
"Have you told Lucas?"
"Not yet." Peyton shook her head. "I want to be sure first."
She glared at Haley. "And no telling him before I get a chance to, missy!"
Haley threw up her hands in surrender. "My lips are sealed!" For emphasis, she pretended to zip them up and hand Peyton the key. Peyton took the key and threw it into the ocean, cause both of them to laugh hysterically.
Bella, having picked her way gingerly over to them (she could tolerate the sand on her feet), was standing by Peyton unnoticed as they continued to laugh. Frowning at the lack of attention, she placed her tiny hands on her hips and said at the top of her lungs. "Aunt Pizza!"
Startled, both Peyton and Haley turned to look at the little girl, who at the women's gaze, smiled sweetly and held out her arms to be picked up. "Play?"
Chuckling, Peyton handed a now sleeping Natalie back to Haley and stood, sweeping her niece into her arms. "Of course I'll play with you, my little princess monster." She shook her head at Brooke, who had been behind Bella the entire time watching, and was now bent over laughing at her daughter's antics.
She carried Bella out to an open space, and began to swing the little girl in circles, the brown locks and violet eyes morphing into blond curls and blue eyes as Peyton thought about the life that was potentially growing inside her. A little girl named after her mother, or a little boy, named in Keith's memory. Peyton shook her head and turned her attention back to the baby girl she had in her arms, tucking away the baby girl of her dreams, to focus on the here and now.
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Two weeks later, Nathan decided to throw a labor day party, and everyone was gathered at the younger Scott's house for a barbeque. It was late, and haven eaten and played in the pool, most of the family was gathered in the kitchen, munching on dessert or sitting in the family room, watching the Panthers play the Patriots.
"Attention everybody!" Wills said, standing in front of the television and beaming proudly.
Chuckling, Nathan grabbed the remote and turned off the game. "I guess we're watching Wills instead of the Panthers right now."
Smiling at William, he gestured broadly. "You have our undivided attention, my favorite nephew. What's on your mind?"
Glancing askance at Peyton, he took a deep breath and bounced on the heels of his feet in excitement at her nod and smile of encouragement. "I, William Nathan Scott…am going to be a big brother!"
Silence reigned for a second, before the congratulations began to fly around the room. Nathan patted Lucas on the back and went off to grab him a celebratory beer, Jamie high fived Wills and took him off to the side to begin passing on 'big brother' tips.
Brooke squealed and ran over to hug Peyton, leaving Bella with Ethan as she grabbed Haley and dragged the two of them off to a corner of the room to have a pow-wow.
"Congratulations, record label mom!" Brooke gushed. She glanced over at Wills. "I'm glad to see my nephew taking the news so well."
"Yeah. I was surprised too. He told Lucas and I not to worry, cause he had lots of experience with babies."
They laughed, and Haley broached the subject that both women wanted to know. "So how did you break it to Lucas?"
"Well, that was the fun part." Peyton said, smiling in remembrance.
It was the Wednesday before labor day, the first day for the staff of Tree Hill high to be back to school, even though the kids wouldn't be back until after Labor Day. Lucas walked into his office after a long day of meetings, taking off his suit coat and throwing it into a chair in the corner, before plopping down into his desk chair. He sat up, curious- a package lay in the middle of his desk, brightly wrapped in red paper.
It hadn't been there all day, yet here it was, positioned and colored in a way that he knew he would have seen it if it had been there earlier. Hesitantly he tapped the box, cringing and closing his eyes, before opening them back up and chuckling when nothing happened. What was he thinking? This was tree Hill! Their drama ran to psycho stalkers and car accidents, not bombs.
He tore open the package and opened the box, staring in confusion at the pair of infant Nike basketball shoes.
His gaze was brought upward by a voice in the doorway. "For the newest member of the Scott team."
His mouth opened and closed, but no words would come, struck speechless by what his wife was implying as she walked into his office and closed the door.
"Are- are we?"
"Yes." Peyton said, smiling tremulously. "I can officially call you my 'baby daddy." She squealed and held tight as Lucas rushed around the desk to get to her, picking her up and swinging her around. Settling her back to the floor, he pressed his lips tenderly against hers, before leaning back and looking down at her stomach.
He gently pressed a hand to her belly, smiling softly as Peyton's hand crept over his. "I love you so much." He whispered to Peyton, before kneeling down in front of her. He pressed his lips to her belly and whispered again, the sound sending vibrations through Peytons body, "And I love you too, baby Scott."
"That was a slick move, P. !" Brooke said, impressed.
"Thanks," Peyton smirked. "Feel free to use a variation of it when you tell Ethan he's gonna be a daddy."
Brooke smacked Peyton on the arm. "Don't go throwing those vibes in the air! One baby right now is more than enough, thank you." Brooke glanced at Haley. "Not that your twins aren't adorable."
"Oh, I understand!' Haley, said, patting Brooke on the shoulder. "Bella's like having 3 baby Brookes, so I wouldn't be surprised if you waited until she moved away for college before trying again."
"Hey, I think I was insulted twice!" Brooke huffed, hands on her hips.
Peyton patted her arm. "Don't think. Know." Laughing, she walked quickly away as Brooke sat, confused for a second, before getting it and shouting "Hey!" at Peytons retreating back.
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The months passed quickly. Haley groused because Peyton didn't begin to show until well into her 6th month, and even then, if you looked at her from anywhere other than the side, you wouldn't be able to tell she was pregnant. Brooke was happy Peyton didnt show until late, because it enabled her to be the matron of honor at her wedding without too many alterations to the dress. Brooke also got excited when she found out it was going to be a girl, claiming that now Bella would have a 'Haley' and a 'Peyton' to her Brooke.
Wills loved the idea of a baby sister, especially since he got to help Lucas paint the baby's bedroom, and put together all the furniture. Regularly he would cajol Peyton into letting him play for his little sister, strumming the guitar and singing his favorite lullabies to the mound that was Peyton's stomach. He was never more excited when, after a time, the baby would kick and move around at the sound of his voice. "Look Momma!" he would say. "She loves me already!"
Lucas, of course, was over the moon, catering to Peyton's every whim willingly, almost smothering her in his attempts to keep her comfortable.
"Lucas, I'm having a baby, not conducting major surgery. I can do some things for myself!" He ignored her, and continued to fluff her pillow. "You know, in the old days, the women would work the farms, pop out the baby, swing it on their hip, and go back to what they were doing."
He would just shoot her a look. "When I'm pregnant and having your baby, you can send me off to work when you know I'm tired and make me get my own food and drinks. But until then, you rest, and let me take care of you." He grinned. "Besides, Im doing it for Anna. You just happen to be getting the fringe benefits, since I cant do for one without doing for the other."
All in all, Peyton really couldn't complain. It was what she loved about him- how protective he was. And now that he had two girls to look after, she knew that this was only the beginning- Lucas would spoil his girls rotten, and there was nothing wrong with that.
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Hanna Brooke Scott came into the world smiling, and never stopped, a fact that fascinated all the members of the Scott family, especially since she had been born to two of the broodiest people they knew. Wills was the only one who wasn't surprised.
"Of course she smiles all the time!" He explained. "Music makes you happy, and I play for her all the time."
And he continued to play for her, at times, the sound of his guitar the only thing that would quiet her.
Sometimes Lucas would jokingly say to Peyton, "I'm being upstaged by a 6 year old musical genius. Her first words will probably be Wills instead of dada."
But to be honest, looking at the two interact, brother and sister bonded in every way but blood, neither Lucas nor Peyton would have it any other way.
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I tried to throw some drama in here, but Wills wouldnt let me. So here you go, fluffy Leyton William oneshot. I have another one brewing thats more angsty, but I dont know if it will come to fruition or not, so we'll see how the muse goes. I probably wont work on it until I finish The Return of Brooke Davis or Love Lost, so itll be awhile.
I gave you what you wanted, now give me what I need. Review! :)