This is just pointless Leyton fluff that covers the time period between the end of season 4 and the 505 flashback. There haven't been a lot of fics written during that period - most Leyton fics between seasons 4 and 5 take place after 505 - so I thought it would be nice to add this to the collection.
This part takes place during the 2-week time jump in 421, sometime between graduation and Rachel's party.
For those of you following my Next Generation, I hope to have another chapter of that out very soon. I had hoped to post the Thanksgiving episode by Thanksgiving, but sadly family and grad school got in the way of that.
This fic is named after one of the songs on the brand new Daughtry album. When I heard that song it instantly made me think of Leyton, so I recommend checking it out.
Enjoy and please review!
Peyton is asleep in Lucas' bed with her head on his chest. She groans when she is abruptly awoken by a crying baby.
"Mmmm...I'm sorry," Lucas says groggily. She groans again and buries her head in the pillow.
"Go back to sleep...I'm going to go get her to give my mom a break." He kisses her forehead and walks into the living room where his sister's crib is temporarily located until he leaves for college.
"Awww, come on, Lilly," he groans when he realizes his sister needs changing. Trying to overcome his disgust, he places the baby on her changing table and take off her dirty diaper, crinkling his nose in disgust.
"Alright, let's see if we can figure this out," he says to Lilly, struggling to hold her still as he tries to figure out which way to put the clean diaper on.
Peyton stands in the doorway to the room, amused by the scene. "How is this funny?" he asks, glaring at her.
"How is it not funny? Haven't you ever changed a diaper before?" she asks.
"To be honest, no. Somehow I've managed to avoid that particular task for the past couple days."
Peyton giggles as she joins Lucas at the table and shows him how to wipe and change the baby, amused by his squeamish faces.
"So how'd you become such an expert?" he asks. Awkward silence as he realizes the answer.
"One of the perks of dating a single dad," she says quickly.
"Right," Lucas says, eager to change the subject. "Well, I guess having all this practice will pay off for us someday, right?"
Peyton looks caught off guard. "Whoa, sorry...I didn't mean to scare you," he says, hoping he hasn't royally screwed up.
"It's okay, you're not," she says with a smile. "I want this for us too, someday."
Neither of them notices Karen standing in the doorway, listening to their conversation.
"And by someday, I assume you mean someday far off in the future, after you've both finished college and had the chance to grow up," she says sternly.
Peyton nods and buries her face in Lucas' shoulder, looking embarrassed.
Lucas gives his mom a look that says "come on, Mom."
"What are you doing up?" he asks. "The doctor said it's important for you to get sleep to regain your strength. That's why we've been staying here and getting up in the middle of the night with the baby."
"I know, and I appreciate that, but I'm fine. She's not your responsibility," Karen says firmly.
"Yes, she is, and so are you," Lucas insists. "Now go back to sleep, both of you," he insists, placing a now sleeping Lilly in her crib.
He leads Peyton back to his bedroom. As they walk away, they can hear his mom cooing at Lilly: "That's right, Lilly. You cry all night, and you make stinkies, and you need to be fed and watched constantly, and Lucas and Peyton are way too young for that kind of responsibility. Don't you agree?"
"Go to bed, Mom," Lucas yells out, rolling his eyes.
"Okay, that was awkward," Peyton says as they crawl back into bed.
"Yeah. Sorry about that. And I'm sorry the baby keeps waking you up," he says to her.
"That's okay," she says, trying to put a positive spin on it. "After all, if I can't sleep I won't be able to focus on packing. And if I can't pack, I guess I just won't be able to go to L.A."
"Nice try," Lucas says, ruffling her hair playfully. "You're going to L.A. and you're going to have a great summer. End of discussion."
"Well, I can't go if I don't have any clothes," she insists. Lucas' eyebrows dart up. "Baby, if you go with no clothes you better take me with you," he demands. "In fact, there's a thought. Why don't you leave all your clothes behind and put me in your suitcase instead?" he says suggestively.
Peyton rolls her eyes. "The invitation still stands," she says.
"I know," Lucas says wistfully. "And if my mom hadn't just had a baby and surgery I would definitely take you up on it."
"Yeah, I know. Your mom needs you," Peyton agrees. "I'm just glad it's us helping your mom instead of having to raise Lily on our own." Lucas looks surprised.
"You would have done that with me? I mean, if g-d forbid my mom hadn't made it...you would have helped me raise her, if that's what we decided to do?"
"Of course I would have," Peyton says softly. "I'm just really glad it didn't come to that."
"Yeah, me too," Lucas says, relieved. He smiles and kisses her passionately. "So, now that we've gotten some practice taking care of a baby, what do you say we get some practice for when we want to make one?" he whispers suggestively.
"Well, um, I guess we could use some practice. I mean, when the time comes we'll want to make sure we're doing it right," she agrees. "Too bad your mom and sister are right next door."
Lucas groans, frustrated by the situation. "But we could take a late night ride in the Comet," she suggests. "We'll tell your mom that you thought you might be running low on milk."
Lucas chuckles. "I just bought a big jug of milk yesterday."
"Do you really care if she believes you?" Peyton asks with a raised eyebrow.
"Not even a little bit," Lucas admits.
"Come on," Peyton says with a wink. Lucas grabs a blanket and follows her out the door.
Again, reviews are very much appreciated. I am planning several more chapters of this, covering the year between 421 and 505. As of now, I plan to stick with the storyline on the show and do not plan to change 505 or anything that comes after it, but I suppose that could change. Feel free to make suggestions.