"You Have My Attention" by Cayster, a.k.a. Caley.
Disclaimer: I do not own "One Tree Hill".
Summary:A normal day of school turns deadly when a student opens gunfire. So whenLucas hears that Peyton is still inside of the school, he goes to great lengths to save the one girl he's been dying to say three certain words to.
Story Notes: This story was inspired by Copeland's "You Have My Attention" and let me just say it's an awesome song… and the song "Sleep" by them also inspired this fic as well.
Also, this story will be a long one-shot, so bear with me with its length because it has a long way to wind till the end. So yeah, gave you the heads up. It'll take place during the "With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept" episode (the hostage situation episode) and then it'll extend over a period of time thereafter. This is what I think will happen, so if it's not what you see in about a week that's why. Lol. I'm just speculating on what will happen. Oh, and many of the people who are going to read this only one person will die and it isn't going to be the person you all are thinking (if you have no idea what I'm talking about, then that means you don't read the spoilers).
And, this is a Lucas/Peyton centered story, but that doesn't mean only Leytoners can read it… Brucasers may as well—it's not like I'm going to be portraying them as terrible together. On the contrary, I think this will be probably showing Brooke in a very nice light; she'll be very, very respectable and likeable in this story. I'll be writing it in a mixture of first person POV from either Lucas or Peyton and then I'll be writing in third person just because it makes the story come along in a smoother way.
So without further ado, I'll let you read!
Thinking back…
That day was like any other day before it. I woke up, got ready, ate breakfast with Mom and Keith, and went to school— which I was running late to, like usual. But what I never expected when I drove up to that small high school in the middle of Suburbia, USA was to see turmoil, confusion, fear, and desperation.
"Brooke," Lucas yelled as he got out of his truck and ran over to her. "What's wrong?"
The fear and agony in her eyes told him the story alone. "Someone's shooting inside— Peyton's still in there, Lucas!" Tears started to flow freely, sadly from her soft brown eyes.
Peyton's face shot through his mind. Just imagining her hurt or scared was unbearable to him… it couldn't happen.
Lucas nodded his head, "Okay, it'll be alright, Brooke." He embraced her in a strong, loving hug and then looked back down at her. "Okay? I'm going to go back in there and look for her." At hearing this Brooke nodded shakily as the tears kept flowing down.
"Be careful," she said desperately and gave him a kiss.
Lucas returned the kiss and looked into his girlfriend's eyes, "Alright, I'll be back and Peyton will be with me. Don't worry, we'll be safe, I promise." He cupped her face caringly, "I'll be back before you know it."
Lucas didn't wait for a response, he just took off towards the building. He could hear sporadic gunfire. It reminded him of so many war movies that he had seen in his lifetime, but hearing it at his own school was eerie and frightening. His home was a war-zone and Peyton was in that deadly place.
So many people were running into him as they still sprinted out of the building, but Lucas pushed forward still and with the thinning crowd passing him, he finally saw the doors and entered the high school.
Peyton saw the blood leaving her leg quickly with each pump of her heart. The thought made her nauseated and cold. She looked up at the ceiling and felt light-headed and alone. The nagging, never ending feeling of being alone in her life was yet again invading her soul. No one was around; they had all run off when the chaos exploded like a bomb.
"Alone," she whispered blandly, shakily.
She was with Brooke before all this happened, laughing. Then Brooke was gone, gone like the rest of them when the mayhem started. But the one person she expected to be there during it all, wasn't… Peyton thought he'd come, but he didn't. He was probably with who he was supposed to be with, and that was with Brooke, caring for her, loving her because that's how it was supposed to be. At least, that's how she thought it should be if Peyton wanted everything to just be safe. Safe and secure, with no worries, with no fights, no drama… even if it meant missing out on love, it was safe.
She closed her eyes because all of sudden shestarted to feel tired and weak. Right when she could feel her head start to slump, Peyton felt warmth against her body and she was lifted up off the cold, hard floor.
"It's gonna be alright, Peyton," said a calm, soothing voice. "I'm here now."
Peyton slowly opened her eyes, "Lucas?" She asked knowing it was him.
"Yeah, Peyt—it's me." He answered softly as she felt air brush against her making her even colder. "Try and stay awake okay? I need you to stay awake."
Lucas didn't know how he found her that quickly, and thanked God that he did. She already lost a lot of blood and she lookedso weak and fragile. It scared him to see her like that, after all she always put on a front of strength, but now only vulnerability was to be seen.
His heart banged against his chest painfully and tears started to sting his eyes when he looked at her, but he controlled himself. Lucas wasn't going to get hysterical when he still had to get her out of the building.
He sprinted to her side making sure not to make too much noise since he could still hear gunshots every now and then even though they were far off, he still didn't want to take any chances. Luckily she was still able to talk straight, weakly, but nonetheless straight. He knew that she would soon be unconscious and if she lost anymore blood, she could possibly even die, which is why he decided to stop inside an open classroom and try to stop the bleeding himself.
"Peyton," he whispered to her as he quietly opened the classroom door, "I'm going to try to cut off the blood flow to your leg to stop the bleeding." He carried her over to the teacher's desk and pushed off all of the materials onto the ground so that he could lay her down.
She groaned slightly when he did so, she was in immense pain. "Huh? Okay," she mumbled softly telling Lucas that he was about to lose her into an unconscious sleep if he didn't hurry up.
"No, no, Peyt," Lucas said taking his shoe off and ripping his shoelace out of it, "Please stay awake for me." He wrapped his shoelace around her thigh, just above the wound and tied tight knot.
"Ow," Peyton said softly, almost inaudibly.
Lucas kicked off his other shoe and picked her up again. "Sorry, Peyt, but here we go again." He opened the classroom door slowly and peeked his head out cautiously making sure the coast was clear. The hall was empty, but right when he was about to run out into it, he heard a gunshot close by, at the T-intersection of this hall and the next. Then finally, he saw the shooter turn on to this hall—it was his old friend, Jimmy.
"Oh God!" Lucas whispered quietly as he backed back into the open classroom. He softly closed the door praying that there wouldn't be a click—there wasn't. He turned the lights off and leaned against the door with all of his might just in case the shooter tried to open the door. Peyton meanwhile was limply lying against him.
Just then a shadow loomed above them through the window. Both of their lives were in a very defenseless position at this point. But right when they thought it was all over, the shadow left and both Lucas and Peyton let out a breath they both had been holding during the time.
Lucas didn't know if he should risk opening the door and checking if Jimmy had actually left. But the risk was too high at this point, after all Jimmy could just waiting there ready for an unsuspecting student to come out and then… he couldn't think like that. Still though, he wasn't going to check, but every second that they wait, the closer Peyton was to possibly dying. They were in a catch 22.
His breathing was ragged and sharp as he looked down at his weak friend, and he saw so many lovely aspects about her that were so endearing to him. Lucas believed that Peyton deserved to live, she deserved it more than anyone he knew. Too many bad things happened to her—why her? She was loving, forgiving, humble, unsure, confused, and… perfect. Ever since their junior year he knew he and Peyton were supposed to be together and seeing her practically dying in his arms made him want to tell her what yearned to do for so long, but he was always a coward… always second-guessing himself with her.
She looked up with him with her always intense and passionate hazel eyes seeming to dim with each passing second. Her breathing was also ragged and short, shorter than his. "I'm glad you came," she smiled gratefully up at him, "I knew you would. I knew you wouldn't let me be alone."
Those words tore at his heart. Even though she was always putting on a front, Lucas knew better than to believe it. She was always dealing with the self-conscious thought of people leaving her and her being alone world. And there she was in her most vulnerable state to date, she thought that she could've died alone… her worst fear. But it was true, he wouldn't let that happen.
"Peyton," he whispered so softly he wondered if she even heard, but when she looked up at him ever so slowly, he knew she did. "I l--," he said right when she cut him off.
"Shh, don't say it," Peyton interrupted with a small smile on her face. "It will hurt too much."
Tears began to sting at Lucas' eyes again when he heard her reply. She was so weak, yet she was still determined to not get hurt. And then he saw Peyton close her eyes slowly—she was finally unconscious.
Then with all of his emotions running wild throughout his body, Lucas looked down Peyton one more time and he felt all of his adrenaline kick in. Suddenly, he rose without caring if he could possibly get shot now, Peyton definitely needed to get out of the building before it was too late.
Lucas opened the door quickly and took one last look down the hall and saw his get away. Not holding back any energy, Lucas sprinted down and the hall, taking a left through some double doors. He saw the entrance now, just a ways down the hall. Lucas broke through the entrance doors without Jimmy in sight and the bright morning sun blinded him slightly when he was finally all the way outside.
There were so many cop cars, policemen, newsman, and SWAT members there. It seemed like every parent and student in town was there too. The ambulance was just behind the entire crowd—Lucas started to quicken his pace to get Peyton the medical attention she needed. Just when he was a third of the way there, medical personnel reached him and said, "We can take it from here," and grabbed Peyton and laid her on the cart. Then the second ambulance medical team ran over to him and led him over to their area.
"Are you hurt? Is this your blood?" The huskier man of the two asked quickly as he tried to turn Lucas away from Peyton, who was just ten yards away now.
"No," he looked down at his bloody shirt, it was a black tee, but it was soaked with blood. "It's my friend's—I'm fine just let me go see her!"
"Are you sure you're not hurt?" The husky medical technician asked.
Lucas looked at him and then over at Peyton. "I'm positive, please let me go."
The man let go of Lucas finally and Lucas ran over to Peyton, and at the same time Brooke was running over to her side as well.
"Oh God, Lucas!" Brooke said looking from Peyton to him. She was shocked with all of the blood on him. "Is that yours!" She was already pale and at the thought of him bleeding made her even ashier.
He shook his head quickly, "No," he said as he watched the medical technicians rip open Peyton's bloody blue jeans to find the wound and stick ivies in her arm.
"Her blood pressure is low and she's lost a lot of blood," he heard one of them muffle to the other as they took her blood pressure. "We need to get her to the hospital right away." He looked over at the Lucas and Brooke, "You guys are going to have to let us leave now." And the team swept her up into the back of the ambulance and shut the door.
Lucas ran his hands through his hair and stopped dead in his tracks by Brooke. They watched the ambulance race off out of the parking lot and all of a sudden Lucas felt angry. He whipped around and looked at the school, Why the hell would anyone want to shoot someone? Especially if that person never did anything to them, never said a terrible thing about them, never sketched a nasty comic about him, probably never even a bad thought about him.
Brooke must've sensed Lucas' anger. "He was aiming at me," she said simply as if she still couldn't even believe it herself. She looked up at Lucas and then continued shakily trying to keep back the tears, "But I guess he was bad with a gun and hit Peyton instead." The tears came anyway and Brooke began to crumble, "And I left her all by herself in there!"
Lucas' anger seemed to soften when he heard the story and he started to rub Brooke's shoulders to comfort her. He didn't know what to say; it wasn't like Brooke did anything wrong, shehad done what everyone else did to save their life— run. He couldn't blame her for doing so and he knew Peyton wouldn't either. "Don't beat yourself up," Lucas cooed finally, "all that matter's is that Peyton's out of that building now and she's getting help."
He looked over the parking lotwhere the ambulance carrying Peyton had exited. "We should get over to the hospital to see how she's doing. Did you call her dad yet?"
Brooke nodded her head, "I did, but he won't be able to make it in until later tonight. He was a way off of the coast when I reached him."
They reached Lucas' car and both hopped in and pealed out of the parking lot quickly leaving the chaos and havoc there. All that filled their minds was Peyton and if she was okay.
Will I wake to find you waiting by my bedside?...
The bright light stung her eyes as she tiredly open them. She was in a white room bare of anything that would comfort her except for the vibrant colors of the flowers emitting into the room and because of the touch of the one warm hand that was being held by two coarse ones. She knew those hands well because even though it had been a year since she held them, they were still fresh in her mind.
"Lucas?" She whispered hoarsely as she squinted in his direction. His tired, worried blue eyes met her hazel ones with excitement.
"How do you feel?" He asked right away as he held on to her hand with a little bit more tenderness and reassurance now that she held his back.
She tried to move, but winced with pain once the stiffness of her leg overcame her. "Fine, I guess."
The horrific events of the day before flash before her eyes, but when she felt Lucas squeeze her hand to show that he was here for her, she was alright. He seemed to always know the perfect way to make her feel better just by his actions alone. Lucas didn't need to whisper sweet nothings to make her smile… all he had to do was be there for her and she knew she would be okay.
Too bad he couldn't be hers though. Peyton wasn't going to think about that though, not again for the millionth time ever since that day on the beach.
Peyton looked over at Lucas slightly, then back down at their hands, and then at her one free one. "Luke, I just wanted to thank you again for--"
"You don't need to thank me, Peyt," he said cocking his head lower towards her one hand to get her attention, "You will never have to thank me."
Their eyes locked finally for the first time since she woke up. She couldn't help think of the what ifs of what they could be if they would finally not care about Brooke, they would be complete. But they had to think of Brooke, she was her best friend and she was Lucas' girlfriend, and they weren't going to go behind her back again, not again… never again. It seemed as if Lucas was reaching the same conclusion because his honest blue eyes were silently saying 'what we could've been'.
Peyton was certain that if Lucas would've actually finished telling her that he loved her in the school, they would've made that mistake again. And if they hadn't, it would've hurt too much to hear him say that not actually be able to be with him at the same time.
Right then, the door opened and her best friend walked in. She looked worried out of her mind, but when she saw that she was awake, Brooke's cheer boosted from her depressed state.
"P. Sawyer!" She exclaimed as she ran over to Peyton, jumping onto the bed and embracing her closest and best friend into a warm hug.
Peyton laughed weakly. "Hey Brooke," she greeted with a smile, "I hope measly, old me didn't make you worried."
Brooke became more serious, "Of course you did, Peyt." She looked down at her friend with sad tears in her eyes, "I would've died if you weren't okay," Brooke said genuinely.
Lucas stood up then and thumbed towards the door, "I'm gonna let you two girls talk and I'll go tell your Dad that you're awake."
"Okay, thanks," Brooke said softly when Lucas made his way out of the room.
When Lucas left, Peyton felt vulnerable again. Even though it sounded cheesy even to herself, she felt very vulnerable without him. She supposed that since he went to such a great lengths with his own life to save hers, she developed an attachment. They survived hell together… he saved her.
As Lucas closed the door behind him he couldn't help think that he was deserting Peyton. Ever since her father had gotten there a few minutes past midnight, he was by her side holding her hand. But Peyton was big girl and he knew she didn't need him protecting her from phantom shooters.
He forced a smile as he walked over to Larry and told him that she was awake. Relief poured over him—he already lost a wife, losing Peyton would've been unbearable. Larry brushed past him after thanking him for everything he had done for his little girl for the hundredth time.
Lucas watched Peyton and her father reunite for the first time. He was sobbing happily that his daughter was alright and awake. The reunion was beautiful and heartfelt at the same time. Those two had been through thick and thin with each other… She almost lost him just like he had almost lost her.
A memory surfaced in his mind when he thought of how a year ago the situation was flipped and Peyton was the frantic one wondering if she was ever going to see her father again. That was the time when they both realized that both of them were still in love with each other… and they still couldn't be together.
Lucas touched his lips softly when he thought of them kissing passionately in the hotel recklessly, earnestly needing the other for comfort, for love, for completeness. And just like the end of that rollercoaster compared to this one, theystill couldn't be together.
Bitterness and sadness washed over Lucas… This dilemma of doing the right thing and doing what was respectable thing was facing him. He knew his decision, just like Peyton knew it too-- they both silently agreed upon it.
Just then, Brooke came out of the room quietly. She smiled awkwardly up at Lucas as she closed the door. "I wanted them to have some time alone."
Lucas nodded his head in understanding and took Brooke's hand in his own. She looked up at him like she wanted to tell him something that had been eating away at her for awhile. "Brooke what is it?" He asked quietly as to not disrupt what was going on the other side of the door.
"We need to talk," she said calmly as she guided away from the door. When she stopped, she took his other hand in her own and looked up at him determinedly. "Ever since you brought Peyton out of that school, Luke, I've noticed something I kept trying to shove out of my mind ever since junior year."
Lucas was confused, "Wait, Brooke—what are you trying to say?"
"What I'm trying to say," she continued, "is that I was selfish. You and Peyton have always looked at each other so lovingly, and yet I always wanted you to look at me that way with that twinkle in your eye, but it never happened. I kept telling myself that it was because you two just understood each other, and that's true, but when we started to do that I still didn't see it.
"And then when I spoke about you to Peyton, after all of the chaos between the three of us ended, she still had that twinkle in her eye just by the thought of you. Then she would change the subject because she didn't want to open old wounds." Brooke looked down at their hands entwined and then back up at Lucas. "Then all last night, you watched over her so tenderly, just like she watched over you when you were in the accident. And that's when it all clicked for me," she said with tears falling silently from her eyes, "that you twowere still in love with each other except you're putting yourselves through agony because you want tome to behappy."
Lucas' heartbroke for her, but he didn't tell her any different, she knew it and he knew it. "Brooke," he said softly to try to give her comfort, but she held her hand up for him to wait.
"That's why I want you to know that you should be with her and not me." Brooke finally said through her tears. "Even if it will hurt for me to see you two together for awhile, it'll hurt more to see you look at her the way you do and never look at me like that."
Lucas brought Brooke into a hug for strength, but she politely refused. "I've just told Peyton the same thing except without the tears, so I really just need to go get some fresh air right now." And then she was off.
Lucas walked back to the door and looked through the window. His and Peyton's eyesconnected and they both seemed to agree to wait… wait for everyone's crazed emotions to calm down.
School started back up two weeks after the terrible event unfolded. Students filled the halls, but what was different from the usual chatter was that it was quieter as if everyone was waiting for Jimmy to round the corner and start shooting at everyone again. But everyone knew that was impossible since after everybody escaped safely from the school, Jimmy took his own life. Even though everyone was plainly aware of this, it still kept them from embarking on acting like carefree teenagers.
Lucas felt the need to walk Peyton everywhere that day. Even though he believed nothing would happen to her, he still felt the need to help protect her from those phantoms and insecurities she still felt, and that he felt too.
They hadn't talked about them ever since Brooke blessed their relationship, but they both silently knew the other was wanting to take their relationship slow. They both wanted to go about it unlike their previous relationships and that was by being friends first. Even though it was hard for him to keep from wanting to kiss Peyton, he kept hold of the reigns. He didn't want her to feel pressured either, he'd go as slow as she wanted to go and he wasn't expecting anymore than that.
So as the weeks passed and when Peyton was finally off crutches and able to walk on her own, sparks finally started to fly between them. It all happened when they were at her house up in her room. Lucas was reading and Peyton was sketching.
"Hey Luke," Peyton said as she climbed up on to her bed and crawled over next to him. "I have a question."
Lucas turned the page of Fahrenheit 451, his favorite book, and said, "Shoot."
"What ever made you want to run into that building?" Peyton asked not looking at him, but down at her, which she was wringing probably because she was nervous from asking the question.
Right when Lucas was about to reply, Peyton interrupted and said, "And don't say 'because you were in there' either, I know that. I mean, like what emotion?"
Lucas closed the book and placed it on her nightstand and took one of her hands to hold. "I guess the thought of you alone, afraid, and maybe even hurt freaked me out."
She nodded her head in understanding as she traced his hand.
"And," Lucas continued, "because I was afraid I'll lose you before I ever told you I loved you."
That caused Peyton to look up at him quickly. Her eyes were wide with shock and amazement. Of course she heard Jake and Nathan tell her such a thing and she whispered them back emptily, but Lucas supposed that she wasn't expecting to hear him say that love made him do such an act—to put his life on the line for hers.
Out of nowhere, Peyton crashed her lips onto Lucas'. The kiss was earnest and embodied so many emotions in it. It was perfect in every way; they were finally sharing it not because of recklessness or comfort, but because of love and sincerity. They could have what both of them had wanted for an entire year now, and they were able to have it without hiding behind bookshelves or sneaking from one another's house, but openly and in front of anyone and it would be okay. No guilt would have to be carried, no worry, no caution thanks to Brooke's blessing.
Now we can have it…
Looking back on that day it was a crash course to tell us all that we weren't untouchable. That people could feel fear at home, could finally snap because being bullied, and could even possibly die. But I now know that even though that terrible event claimed someone's life and was close to claiming my Peyton's life, if it hadn't happened Peyton and I would still be separated and playing it safe while making ourselves numb during the process to love.
She and I are happily together and always cherishing each day we have together. And tonight I'm proposing to her finally, three years later… and we're both even more in love than since the beginning in junior.
The End.
Author's Notes: Wowza, it took me about four hours to write this entire thing thanks to caffeine and super inspirational music thanks to Copeland. If you've read all of my stories before you know that music weighs heavily on each fanfic, and that's because I love music. So yeah… I hope you all enjoyed the story—it goes from here to there so I hope it kept your interest and it didn't confuse you at all. Like with Leyton in the show, I don't want them to rush into a relationship… I want them to go slow if anything even though they know the other loves them. So yeah, thanks for reading and I seriously hope you tell me what you all thought! Thanks!