Hello there everyone, it's Jay again! Now, this is I was very unsure about, but my amazing friend Gabby fixed all she could and after about a month of it sitting on my computer she managed to convince me to post it, so here it is.

A/N: The song used is "Home" by the talented artist Daughty. Lyrics are correct, with the exception of one word. "Man" has been changed to "Son" - just to fit Karen/Lucas better. Thank you!

Hope you enjoy...

I'm staring out into the night…

"Hey Luke, you ready?"

The voice of my uncle Keith barely registered in my mind as I looked out over the view from our beach house in Charleston. The stars in the night sky reflecting on the water created a peaceful illusion. An illusion of a happy place, a place that promised a fresh start and a new life.

Trying to hide the pain…

But that's all it was; an illusion. I knew that. I could never be happy here. Charleston wasn't the place for me or my uncle. It never could be. It wasn't worth missing all the people we had left, despite what circumstances we had left them in.

I'm going to the place where love
And feeling good don't ever cost a thing…

It took us a few weeks, but eventually we realised that aside from all the crap that came along with Tree Hill, it had two things that Charleston could never replace: for one, it had peace. The simple feeling of content you get from being in a place you know better than anywhere else in the world. The second and most important thing was the love of friends and family. No doubt about it, Charleston presented the opportunity for new friends, but no-one could replace the love and warmth I experience when I hear my mother's voice, or even begin to compare to the joy I feel when I am embraced in one of Haley's tight hugs. Those were the people who had always been there. And not just because they had to be, either. But because they wanted to be.


Four weeks. That's how long it took me to convince Keith that we didn't belong here. Besides the fact that there were no basketball courts swarming with the people I'd grown up with, or cafés that smelt like a sweet mixture of cinnamon and chocolate; we both had the same feeling eating away at our every thought; misery. Misery caused by selfishly leaving behind the people we care about, and who cared for us in return, in search for what we both thought we could become. Something bigger, something better.

And the pain you feel's a different kind of pain…

That was our biggest mistake. Leaving. So, in order to rectify that mistake, there was only one thing to do…

Going back was sure to be a huge risk - we both knew that. It meant facing places and people we'd hoped to never see again. But there it is, the choice between: dealing with the pain caused by the people we knew, like Dan - the man who ruined so many lives without realising how great his own was; and Peyton, who felt the need to rip my heart out with every glance, all because of some ridiculous 'Hoes over Bro's" motto that Brooke herself never obliged to follow- and the empty, hollow sensation we both get in the pit of our stomachs when we're not with those people. Because no matter what, those are the people we care about, because they love us without a second thought. They're the people we know.

They're the people we love.

So I'm going home…

I know what I chose.

The miles are getting longer it seems,
The closer I get to you…

The drive back to Tree Hill would be undoubtedly long. The simple anticipation of returning would make time go painstakingly slow, and every second would feel like an hour. Being in reach of something you never should have left behind is a peculiar feeling, one I know I'll be feeling very soon.

I've not always been the best son or friend for you,
But your love, remains true,
And I don't know why,
You always seem to give me another try…

My mom is one of the main reasons I decided to go back. I love her, but I haven't always treated her with the constant love and respect she's always shown me. But it doesn't seem to matter what I do to her, she's always there to pick me up when I've fallen. Moving away let me escape all that I had wanted to run away from, but moving back is giving me a chance to start again. Realising my past mistakes, I only hope that I have the chance to reverse them. I want to be able to be as good to my Mom as she has always been to me.

Be careful what you wish for
'Cause you just might get it all…

When I left Tree Hill I wished for a fresh start, a clean slate. And I got it. I got exactly what I wanted… which- in time- I came to realise was once of the most selfish, conceited decisions of my life.

I ran from my problems like a scared little boy instead of facing them surrounded by the people I care about, who would have supported me through it all. Like my Mom, who has always and will always continue to be there for me. How could I have ever left such a kind, beautiful woman, how could I have ever left the woman who raised me? And Haley, my best friend (now sister-in-law); she's called me everyday since I left, and not once has she contradicted my decision to leave.

There are so many reasons for me to be in Tree Hill. Yeah, there were reasons for me to leave; weak, pathetic, lame 'excuses' of reasons. But I belong in Tree Hill. I'm not me without it. It's a part of me; it makes me who I am. Everyone there knows me, and they're prepared to love me regardless of all my faults and wrongdoings. And it might be way too late, but I'm only just now realising that Tree Hill has always been enough for me.

I don't regret this life I chose for me.

'Yeah, Keith. I'm ready.'

I'm going home.
As I said, I was unsure, but I'd love your opinion on it regardless of whether it's good or bad.

Jay