Love Unrequited

An OTH FanFic

By AlexB

1

"Come on, Peyton." Lucas ran a hand through his newly shorn hair. He looked over his shoulder then back to the door in front of him. He raised his fist again and knocked. "Come on."

Getting no answer, he stepped backward off the porch. He tilted his head back and looked at the upstairs windows. It was dark inside Peyton's room, but her car was in the drive.

He cupped a hand on one side of his mouth. "Peyton!" He called. "Come on, Sawyer."

Inside, she was kept quiet by the hand that was like a deadbolt over her mouth. She could feel his sick breath move through the strands of her hair. She could smell his aftershave on the hand that covered her mouth.

Scream, fight! She told herself. But everything inside her was paralyzed. Peyton wished to God that Lucas could read minds. What she wouldn't give for him to hear the screams in her mind right now and. What she wouldn't give for him to kick the damn door in.

"Don't even think about it." 'Derek' whispered hotly into her ear. He kissed her cheek. "It's about you and me tonight. I won't hesitate to hurt your little 'boyfriend' if he decides to play hero and try and take what's mine. What's ours."

"Peyton!" She heard Lucas call for her again.

I'm in here, Lucas! Her mind screamed.

Please God.

-

Lucas stood still looking at her window.

"Alright. Okay." He said to himself, his voice filled with defeat. He ran a hand over his head again. "Guess I have my answer." Turning, he stared back down the walk to his car. He stopped once more then looked over his shoulder, his mind willing the light to come on in her room, the front door to open, something.

-

"This is the guy you love?" 'Derek' spoke. "This guy claims to love you and he's leaving you. And why? For some dance? To go to some place with a bunch of stupid people when the two of you can be alone together. You could have had your own prom right here." He kissed the side of her face again and Peyton gag reflex had her heaving.

"I would never leave you, Peyton," he told her. "I would never leave you because I love you more than some dance, or some job. All I need is you. All we need is each other. I'll prove it to you. Tonight you'll see."

-

Lucas slid behind the wheel of his car, but didn't close the door. He undid the tie around his neck looking at her house one more. He pulled in a deep breath.

This was screwed up.

This was prom. Their senior prom and he wanted to be with Peyton. He wanted to hold her, dance with her.

"Screw this."

He snatched the undone tie from around his neck. "Fuck it." He got out of the car slamming the door behind him. He jogged around the hood of his car unconsciously shrugging his jacket off his shoulders.

He would talk until he was blue in the face to get Peyton to go to the prom with him. He didn't want her to regret missing it just because she was mad at Brooke. He didn't want to regret missing it with her, but if she still wouldn't come with her after they talked, then he would stay with her.

It was just a dance.

He would get over it.

-

"Doesn't know when to leave well enough alone."

Peyton felt a seed of hope bloom in her chest.

A smirking smile started on 'Derek's' face as he watched Lucas Scott start back up the walkway to Peyton's home. "Can I tell you something, heart?" He spoke. "I was hoping that Lucas would come back. See, I owe him. I owe him and I always pay my debts."

She started to fight him now. Not surprised, 'Derek' held her righter. His hand pressed harder into her mouth. Her jostling had caused his hand to cover her nose as well. She couldn't breath.

Peyton stopped struggling when she something sharp pressed into the side of her neck. "Stop it." He spat harshly in a hissing growl. "You stop fighting me or I'll have to hurt you. And I would really, really hate to do that."

He moved his hand from over her nose and she could breathe again. Peyton took deep breaths. "Are going to play nice now?"

"Fuck you," she replied, her voice muffled behind his hand.

'Derek' laughed pressing the knife into harder into her throat. It pierced her skin. She felt the pain of it then the slow, warm slide of blood as it trickled in a line down the side of her neck.

Again she froze.

"It'll be so much worse for him." He said to her. "Believe it. Nothing and no one will stand in the way of you and me. Do you understand?" He told her. "I won't allow it."

Peyton closed her eyes. Hot tears slid from under her lids. He felt her fight stop and again he smiled. He moved the knife from her throat trailing it slowly down the trace of blood that marked her porcelain skin. Moving from her neck, he traced the knife slowly down her body.

"Forgive me, love, I forgot to tell you how pretty you looked when you opened the door to me. The smile you had on her face lit up your eyes." He smelled her hair, she shuddered. "So beautiful," he said. "So beautiful and all mine. We're going to make the best of tonight, you'll see. I'll make you forget that Lucas Scott ever existed."

Slowly, reaching behind him with the hand that held the knife, he unlocked the door.

-

Lucas took the porch in two steps. Without thinking he reached for the doorknob forgetting that ever since a psychopath claiming to be her brother had terrorized Peyton. The situation had her locking her doors from then on.

The door was unlocked. Lucas didn't register it.

He stepped inside the house stopping just inside the entrance. It was dark inside, everything was off, but enough lights came in through the windows from the moonlight outside.

Lucas as a man on a mission. He was out to show his girl a good time after the huge mess she'd had to deal with. Whether they left the house or not, it didn't matter to Lucas.

Much.

He really wanted to take her to prom.

"Hey, Peyton," he called. Hearing a muffled sound, he started to turn in the direction of the noise, but it was too late. Stars flashed behind his eyes as something hit him hard on the side of his head. He staggered, nearly falling. Hearing a scream, Lucas was hit once more. The room spun then tilted up over him before it all faded into black.

-

"Lucas! Lucas!"

He's had to let her go to take care of business the way it needed to be taken care of, but 'Derek' was quick to get Peyton back under his hold before he could mess up his plans. He had her around the waist as she kicked and fought trying to get to Lucas who was bleeding all over the floor in front of the door. He tried not to be pissed off or jealous about Peyton wanting to help the guy, but it was damn hard.

She could hear him laughing.

"Every hero has a weakness, Lucas!" 'Derek' continued to laugh. "Yours is dumb determination."

With his hand still around her waist, 'Derek' snatched Peyton by the hair. "I told you didn't I?" He shouted. "I told you that I wouldn't let anyone get between us." He put his and over her mouth again because he was tired of hearing her screaming another guy's name.

"My name isn't Lucas!" Bellowed. "What do I have to do, Peyton? What do I have to do?" He demanded. "What's it going to take to make you see?" He nuzzled his lips along the side of her face and neck. "Nevermind," he whispered into her ear. "Don't answer that. I already know what needs to be done."

A raw sound came from deep in her chest, a wounded animal sound that came from the bottom of her soul.

"Oh, don't worry, darling-mine. I won't make you watch."

Peyton's body jerked at the prick her felt in her side of her neck.

"Don't fight it," she heard him say.

Seconds later, she felt her eyes go heavy. She blinked rapidly trying to fight off whatever it was, but she was no match. Her eyes rolled back into her head.

"Sweet dreams, Peyton," the last thing she felt was his cold lips brush along her cheek. "Dream of me."

-

He looked down at the felled body of Lucas Scott and smiled.

Kneeling, 'Derek' grabbed Lucas by the hair, jerking his head up. "You never should have gotten involved." 'Derek' told him. "You should have just let it be. Tell me, and be truthful, why you feel the need to take what is mine? That slut Brooke, isn't she enough?" He paused as if waiting for an answer.

"Well, you don't get to have your cake and eat it too." Standing 'Derek' walked around Lucas. "What to do, what to do?" he said softly. His eyes lit with dark intent. He kicked Lucas hard enough to flip him over on his back. Tilting his head, 'Derek' took in the bleeding gash on Lucas's head.

"Got you good didn't I?" He kneeled again touching his fingers to the bloodied head. Examining his finger tips, he spoke. "Pay attention all-star because I'm only going to say this once. Making the shot at the buzzer….doesn't get you the girl. She's mine. But I'll be good about it and let you watch."

Flipping Lucas back on to his stomach, 'Derek' stepped into the small pool of blood Lucas's wound had made. "I'll take care of her you know." He spoke. "I'm going to make this fast because Peyton, she's waiting for me and I want my face to be the first thing she sees when she opens her eyes. They're beautiful aren't they?" He asked as he pulled a small coil of rope from out of his pocket.

"Always be prepared. Doesn't take much to make your own rope. Did you know that?" He pulled Lucas's arms tightly behind his back. He could see the muscles in his back arms and shoulders pull with it.

Perfect.

"What as I saying? Oh right, her eyes. Beautiful right. It was the first thing that drew me to her. I love the color of Peyton's eyes. Assholes like you would immediately call them green. And that's because you don't really look. You only glance. Her eyes…they're like gold and brown with green mixed in. If you really knew her you would know that."

Arms sufficiently tied, 'Derek' moved to Lucas's feet. He grabbed him by the ankles and dragged him. He pulled Lucas down a small hallway opening doors long the way. When he found what he wanted, he lifted Lucas, throwing him inside.

'Derek' looked at the other guy crumpled in with hanging jackets and miscellaneous items on the floor then slammed the door.

-

The room spun as Peyton's eyes slowly came open. She heard music. She closed her eyes then opened them once more. They widened when she saw who was standing in front of her.

She hadn't been dreaming. This was real.

Oh, God.

Lucas.

He'd come in the door with that smile on his face. She had tired to warn him, but it hadn't been enough.

She moaned pitifully around the gag that filled her mouth as the sickening sound of Lucas being attacked replayed over and over again in her mind.

"Now sweetheart," she heard him say. "I promised that you wouldn't have to see that and I always keep my promises. Why would you try to ruin my good intentions by trying to picture it in your mind? Lucas is gone and that's all that matters."

He didn't say that Lucas was dead, and even if he had, Peyton wouldn't have believed him.

"Open those pretty eyes for me." 'Derek' cajoled. "Come on." She felt her head tip back. The cool metal that she knew was a knife rested under her jaw and slowly moved up the side of her face to rest on her cheek.

"There you go," he smiled when her eyes slowly came open. "Can you hear? We have music. We'll have pictures. And later on we'll have our night." He fingered the cloth in her mouth.

"Now, and heart, please be honest," he touched a finger to her chin. "If I take his off, are you going to scream?"

Peyton didn't answer. She fought hard with the emotions inside. She beat down the fear and desperation that were clawing to come out. She looked right though him.

"Come on, sweetheart. We can't have prom pictures without that pretty smile." 'Derek' touched the cloth at her mouth again. "Don't scream," he told her.

Not completely trusting her to play by the rules, 'Derek' pulled a remote from his pocket. Pointing it in the general direction of the stereo, he upped the volume then gently pulled the bandana from Peyton's lips.

She didn't scream.

He smiled.

"Good girl."

"I'm not your girl," she said to him. "Why are you doing this? Why won't you just leave me alone?"'

His eyes softened. "I've already told you. We're supposed to be together always. You told me so in your pod casts." He trailed a finger down her face. "I listened to them over and over again. I'll do what I have to do to make you see that you were right in calling me." He fingered her hair. "I'll make you believe."

Fucking crazy. "Why didn't you just ask?"

"You would have told me no."

Goddamn right.

"You thought you were in love with Lucas," he spat. "I had to break that, and I did. You love me. But that bastard still came."

"So you lied?"

"I had to get close to you. Saying that I was your brother was the only way. I would have told you the truth eventually, but I wanted you to love me first. I had to make you love me." He tried to kiss her; instinctively Peyton turned her face away.

"Don't-" he ground out. "Do that. Don't do that!" He held her face immobile and tired to kiss her again. Peyton had not choice but endure it. He held her face so hard her jaw hurt.

"Smile for that camera." He held his phone out away from them and smiled as he snapped picture after picture. Behind her back, Peyton's bound hand feverishly worked her phone. She flipped it open and pushed the talk button, dialing immediately the last number she called. 'Derek' heard the ringing on the other end and his face went dark.

"Oh, Peyton," he shook his head snatching the phone from her hands. "Why would you do that? Huh? Why?" Smiled then laughed at who she was calling.

"Lucas is a waste of a phone call, babe." He said to her as he dropped her cell to the floor, smashing it under his foot. "He won't be able to answer you. He won't be hearing the ring. His head's split open like a ripe melon. If he's not dead yet he will be soon. Head wounds are nasty."

"Liar,"

"I wished that I could have watched him bleed to death, but I had to get back to you. You're more important. I didn't want you to see what happened to him, but I feel that you need to know." 'Derek' thrust his face close to hers.

"Cracking his skull was amazing. But sinking a knife into his chest was so much more. It felt so good."

Peyton's breath came out in harsh whimpers. Tears filled her eyes and streaked down her cheeks.

"Aw, don't cry," he told her as he liked the salty tears from her face making her shudder and wretch. He untied the ropes that bound her to the chair, but he kept her hands tied behind her back. Lifting her to him, they swayed to the music. 'Derek' pressed kisses to her hair and smiled.

Then he froze.