Author's note: Here it is, my third one-shot. By the way I want to thank all of you for reading and reviewing the first two.
This one is a little bit different, but I needed to let it out. I was in a bitchy mood all day and this idea just kept turning around in my mind. Anyway, there it is. Sorry, if Lindsey is a little OOC, but I felt way better after writing this.
Song's by the -very well known- Cranberries, Ode to my family
Disclaimer: I do not own the song, or the character all of this belongs to their respective owners.
Understand the things I say
Don't turn away from me
Cause I spent half my life out there
You wouldn't disagree
Do you see me, do you see
Do you like me, do you like me standing there
Do you notice, do you know
Do you see me, do you see me
Does anyone care
Lindsey got out of the cab and stepped out in the street. She took a deep breath and looked around. Everything was pretty much the same since the last time she had been here. She didn't miss Tree Hill. She missed Lucas, but not the town. She hated the fact that almost every place in this town held a memory of Peyton for Lucas.
When they were together, every time she went to meet Haley at school she couldn't pass the library without thinking about the chapter of the shooting, the same happened at the Rivercourt, in the gym. She quickly learned for her own sake how to avoid those places most of the time. But the worse was their bedroom; Lindsey couldn't shake the thought that Peyton Sawyer had been laying in that bed more than one time. Worse, Lucas had made love to her in that same bed.
She should have seen it coming long before she started dating him. She was a distraction, something to get his mind out of the girl he left behind. She didn't doubt his love for her, she just couldn't compete with the love he held for Peyton.
Lindsey shook her head trying to chase these thoughts away. She was here on business and wasn't happy about it. The last thing she wanted to do was for this to be awkward and more heartbreaking than it already was. She took the last steps which separated her from the door, breathed again and knocked.
She heard someone fiddling around. Lucas knew she was coming, and she was perfectly on time. Lindsey prepared herself to face his handsome boyish face again. The door flung open and her mouth fell to the floor.
Peyton Sawyer stood there; right in front of her, speechless as well.
"Lindsey?"
"Peyton."
Lindsey wasted no time on courtesy and went straight to the point.
"Is Lucas here?"
"No, but..."
"Listen Peyton, as much as I would like to make small talk with you I think I'm going to take a rain check. So where is Lucas? We had a meeting today. Or maybe he didn't want to tell you. "
Peyton looked at the woman in front of her, she was her usual self. Classic clothes, classic hair style, and classic demeanour. She looked tired and pissed off. Peyton decided against the snappy retort and went for a smoother way. After all, she had everything Lindsey had ever wanted with Lucas.
"Actually Lucas mentioned the meeting but not today, tomorrow. One of you must have been mistaken."
"Oh."
"Look, I know that you don't want anything to do with me but why don't you let me call Lucas and see where he is. Now that you're here, I'm sure it will be easier than coming back tomorrow."
Lindsey seemed to ponder Peyton's request.
"I guess you're right."
"Okay, you want to come in? It's really cold out here."
Not wanting to argue and as she was really frozen, Lindsey nodded and followed Peyton into the warm kitchen. She took a seat at the table while Peyton reached for the phone.
Lindsey took some time to take in her "new" surroundings, every trace of her presence in that house seemed to have been erased. Even the coffee machine wasn't in the same place. Peyton's voice reached her ears and she snapped out of her trance.
"Lucas is gonna be here soon. He was at the gym."
"Okay."
An awkward silence followed. Peyton leaned back on the refrigerator door and breathed out. That's when Lindsey noticed. Since she arrived she didn't took that much time to look at Peyton, actually she tried her hardest not to look at her. She blinked twice, her eyes focused on Peyton's stomach and the small but still visible bump. Raising her eyes to Peyton's, she couldn't help but ask.
"Are you...are you..."
Peyton didn't seem to understand, raising an eyebrow she asked.
"Am I?"
"Are you pregnant?"
Lindsey watched as Peyton looked down to her stomach, and stared back at her.
"Yes. Almost 4 months and a half."
Lindsey's heart shattered a little more. Then, she lost it.
"Oh."
"I'm sorry that you had to find out like this."
"No you're not."
"What?"
"I said, no you're not sorry. Don't act like you care. You don't like me, I don't like you. We're done here. "
Peyton was taken aback by Lindsey reaction. She had expected coldness or tears but not verbal aggression.
"I guess you're right."
"Taking the easy way out, Peyton? I thought you were known for the witty, sarcastic and snappy retorts?"
"Look Lindsey, I know what you're trying to do here, but it's not going to work."
"Peyton Sawyer is backing out? I guess I shouldn't be surprised. You left Lucas on that same porch years ago, you left him in L.A., when is the next departure planned Peyton?"
The loud voice of Lindsey filled Lucas's ears as stepped through the front door. Approaching the kitchen, he saw the furious look on her face and Peyton eyes were almost spitting fire.
"Maybe when that child of yours is born?"
Hearing to last worlds Lucas stepped in. He grabbed Lindsey arm and shoved her on the other side of the kitchen afar from Peyton.
"Don't ever talk to her like that again! You hear me? And don't you dare talk about our baby!"
He let go off her, backing out a little. Little did he know she wasn't finished.
"Your child Lucas? Do you even know if you're really the father?"
That was the final straw for Peyton. She tried but couldn't take it anymore. She launched herself at Lindsey and slapped her. The other woman stood there dumbfounded, and completely in awe.
"You want bitchy, you're going to get bitchy. I came back for him; I got the boy in the end. Not Fair? Life's not fair. Deal with it. You have every right to hate me but I won't let you insult my baby, because it has never hurt you. And now, I want you out, you and your sad, bitter, and venomous comment. Because let me tell you I might have left Lucas, I made mistakes but he came back to me. He will never come back to you, get over it. Now, I want you out of this house. Right NOW!!"
Lindsey grabbed her bag and stormed out of the house in tears. Lucas stood next to Peyton trying to process everything that happened. Peyton went to sit on one of the chairs and lifted her gaze to her fiancé.
"Too harsh?"
Lucas smiled sweetly and took a sit in front of her.
"She asked for it. Beside I always had a thing for bitchy Peyton."
This comment earned him a playful slap on the shoulder.
"I feel bad, Luke. She looked so angry and sad, but I couldn't help it. She had no right to talk about the baby that way."
"And she had no right to talk to you that way. I'm so sorry, Peyt'."
"What for?"
"If I hadn't mixed up the dates, you wouldn't had to face her and none of that crazy stuff would have happened."
Peyton looked at him, he was genuinely concerned about her.
"I'm fine, Luke. But there is something you could do to make me even better."
Lucas raised an eyebrow.
"What is that?"
"You think you can make me those blueberries pancakes with a lot of syrup on it? All that bitching made me quite hungry."
Giving him her best puppy dog eyes, she knew she had him the second his smile grew wider.
"Okay, Blondie. Why don't you go lie down for a while, and I'll bring it to you?"
"Really?"
"Really."
Peyton was surprised at how easily he caved. She could feel that something wasn't right. She rose from the chair as he did. Taking him by surprise she took his hand and brought him close to her. Slipping her arms around his waist, Peyton rested her head on his chest. He reacted instantly and snaked his arms around her. She felt him relax against her.
"Luke, you know you have absolutely nothing to be sorry for. I'm over the whole Lindsey thing. Actually I'm over it since you called me from that airport. It's in the past, it doesn't matter. Because we're getting married and I'm having your baby. So from now on, it's you, me and that baby against the world. You got that?"
Lucas starred at her in awe. She would never cess to amaze him. He couldn't believe that the insecure girl he fell in love with all those years ago had grown into an unbelievably strong woman. He brought her lips to his and kissed her tenderly.
"I love you, Peyt'."
"I love you too."
They stayed a little bit more wrapped up in each other arms before Lucas spoke up.
"You know I'm thinking we're going to have to be careful with that kid, because if it gets any of that bitchy thing you've got going on, we're going to spend a lot of time in the headmaster office."
"Oh no, I think your bookworm side will totally balance that!!"
"Don't mock the bookworm side, you know you love it."
He brought her closer, his lips mere inches away from hers.
"So don't mock the bitchy side because I know you love it."
"Do I?"
"Oh, you do. And you're going to love it more once we've move this thing to the bedroom."
"I thought you were hungry?"
"Well, not anymore, you know, pregnancy, cravings come and go. But if you insist..."
He cut her off, scooping her up before running down the hallway towards their bedroom.
Later on, he was lying on the bed with a sleeping Peyton on his chest he felt perfectly content. Lucas Scott had everything he ever wished for, he had Peyton Sawyer –soon to be Scott- a baby on the way, he was going to have a real family. Life never felt so good and Peyton was his hallelujah.
Unhappiness was when I was young
And we didn't give a damn
'Cause we were raised
To see life as fun and take it if we can
My mother, my mother she hold me
Did she hold me, when I was out there
My father, my father, he liked me
Oh he liked me, does anyone care
Does anyone care?
Feedback is always appreciated!!
