This is my first fan fiction ever! It's kinda the dream universe i'd have wanted for Leyton. Please please do review but be gentle.

Prologue

"You're always saving me," she whispers. He could hear how frail she sounded, her voice like a tiny trail of broken music, the ending verse to a sad song. Wasn't she the one that had said, 'Just because the song's ending, doesn't mean you can't enjoy the music?' Was this what the ending to a song sounded like?

Why was he thinking of that now – like everything was going to end. It wasn't – they were going to leave this place, they were going to get out, he was going to get them out – he had to.

"Somebody's got to," he said, smiling into her tired eyes. She looked so tired. So infinitely tired. He just wanted to take her away from all of this – to, to save her. To save both of them.

She shivered, the library walls, the floor beneath her, it all felt so cold. He felt warm, as always. Since as long as she could remember, she'd always found herself in situations like this. This was the most dramatic so far, (and in her life – boy was that saying something) but there were similarities. The same cold, hard air around her, the same emptiness mingled with fear at the pit of her stomach, the same bleak, desolate sense that there was no way out – she was trapped within her own thoughts, lost dreams, forgotten hopes. And there, next to her was that warmth. The same Lucas – her rock, her guardian angel, here with her, saving her from herself, again.

People always leave.

But you can't lose someone you never had.

You can't leave something that was never yours.

You can't push away a person, force him to leave, let him go when... you've never truly let him in. Let yourself in.

But in moments of crisis – people do extraordinarily crazy things.

"If I said…I loved you right now…would you hold it against me?" she faltered, leaning on his chest.

He felt her breath upon his cheek. He turned to her, the usual good-friends-response escaping him. (What was it? Those words he usually said – Of course you can say that, I care about you too, Peyton. I care about you I always will.) But the words didn't come.

"Because I've lost a lot of blood." she laughed.

Th words that he couldn't bring himself to say...

'I care about you Peyton, but I'm in love.

I love you Brooke, but I will always care about Peyton.

I love you, but I'm in love with...'

He couldn't say them. Because he didn't want to hurt her? Or because...

He wasn't sure if they were the truth any more?

'I mean, what if I'd been wrong?

How could I know for certain the girl I chose was the right one?

How could I be sure that what I felt for Peyton was truly friendship and not love, that what I felt for Brooke was love and not delving into the past for something that was no longer there. How could I know now? Would I ever know?'

This was ridiculous. He needed to be thinking about how to get them out of this ridiculous library – this war zone – alive. He couldn't be wasting time thinking of this pathetic love triangle that the three of them kept circling around. There were greater matters at stake. Matters of life and...

death.

Death. Life without Peyton – what would he do? He felt her blood oozing off his jeans and onto the floor. He swallowed back the heavy tears and had to force back the nausea and sobs– life without Peyton... no, he could not, wouldnot think about that. She had to make it... she had...

"Come here," she said suddenly. And she kissed him. He let her. A kiss to forget the war zone that they were in – had been living in, ever since the first day they had set eyes on each other. He looked into her eyes, trying to convey all his thoughts, his dreams, his questions, his promises. He reached for her hand and squeezed it tightly.

She was the first to look away.

She felt as if that confession and kiss had drained the last of her energy from her. Pieces of her self spilled out, in the open, for all to see, to judge. Perhaps it was the first time in a long time she'd been that honest – to anyone. Even to herself.

"Just in case you can't keep your promise." she added, willing her eyes to stay open. Which promise? His eyes seemed to ask. All of them Luc, all of them. Her eyes felt so heavy, she had to stay awake – she had to.

But at least now, if she died, she'd know that he knew everything that she wanted to say to him.

So this is what it feels like, she thought to herself. No wonder Ellie wanted it. This is what true peace feels like.

He felt cold perspiration down his forehead. She was not going to be able to hold out much longer. He felt her hand loosing its hold on his. He looked down at her blonde locks and remembered the times he had done so before. A longing, a pang gripped his heart. If only, if only they'd met in, in another lifetime perhaps. One without the chaos, the triangles, before senior year, before junior year, before all this had ever started. He felt an urge to touch her, to hold her, to kiss her face and promise her over and over that this, that everything would be alright. Followed by guilt – why are you feeling like this Lucas Scott? How can you love two women – that makes you no better, no better than, than...

Dan.

No, he argued within himself. I am, I'm better than him. I've chosen, I've chosen, Bro...

If you've chosen her, why can't you say it.

Say it.

Say the name of the girl you're in love with.

Suddenly, he felt her whole body go limp and she collapsed into his arms.

'Peyton!' he screamed.

His scream echoed throughout the halls.

'What was that!' Jimmy yelled pointing the gun at his hostages.

'Lucas...' Haley said welling up with tears of fear.

Jimmy paused for a moment before walking out of the room decisively,

'This is a lock down,' he said repeatedly.

'Jimmy – no!' Haley cried.

'Be reasonably Jimmy, calm down. That's my brother out there!' cried Nathan.

'Jimmy!' Rachel shouted out.

'You can't go in Keith,' Karen pleaded.

'Don't worry,' Keith said turning to her. 'I'll bring back our son, I promise.'

At last Karen nodded. He turned and walked towards the building with a confidence of a man who has total faith in what he's called to do.

Suddenly there was a gun shot.

The whole town seemed paralysed in that moment.

Except Keith, he ran, even before the policemen did. But before he could reach the door, another shot sounded, like the final blast of hopelessness amongst a desolate crowd.