"He-he told me we belong together…" Peyton stated with a shaky voice. Her heart was still thumping hard in her chest, reliving that horrifying experience in her mind. "And he… He tried to— He had…" her muffled words blurted out as she felt Derek pushing against her in her mind. She finally choked on her words, breaking down in tears.
Coming to her side, Lucas leaned over a seated Peyton to find her a mess. Luke took her into his arms, letting his friend cry on his shoulder. He held Peyton tight for a moment, showing her he'd be her strength. He took a deep breath, eyes closed, before looking up at the police officer at his desk. Lucas signaled the officer to give them a minute, which was gladly given to them.
Lucas pulled back slightly to look Peyton in the eye. "You okay?" he asked in a worried voice.
Nodding, Peyton wiped the tears from her eyes. She tried her hardest to shake it off, but there was still a state of fear lurking in her. She pressed her lips together with her eyes closed tightly. As she opened them once more, she only stared into Lucas' eyes, hoping that focusing on something warm and friendly would cure her. "It's just too much," Peyton whispered with her body stiff. She closed her eyes once more, trying to clear everything from her mind.
"Hey," Lucas stated as he knelt down, straight across from her. He took his hand to her chin and raised her head so he could see her face. "It's gonna be okay, Peyton."
Peyton sniffled back and instantly started shaking her head, tossing her blonde curls about. "You don't know that," she remarked.
The bags under her eyes were dark and tired. Her cheeks were tearstained, and her skin blanched. Her nose and lips were a bright shade of pink from all the crying, screaming, and distress. Peyton looked like she had been through hell itself, twice. And even though she was exhausted, both emotionally and physically, Lucas could still see the beauty of Peyton Sawyer as he stared up at her.
He hated that he couldn't promise anything to her, knowing how scared she must be. But he also knew that he'd give his all to keep her safe. "Maybe I don't…" he started, trying to think of something to ease her mind. "But I'm pretty sure the last time we got into trouble, I promised I wouldn't leave you," Lucas said, referring to the shooting at Tree Hill High School. He reached up again, positioning Peyton's face by her chin once more. "And it still stands, Peyton. I'm not leaving you."
Peyton sniffled yet again. This time, her tears weren't from the anxiety, but from the fact that Lucas was still by her side. She knew she had put him through so much, always needing him to save her. She hated that time and time again, she had only been the damsel in distress to him, but for once, she felt like she wasn't just a chore to him. Yes, he saved her because he's a good guy, but that's not the only reason. Something inside of Peyton told her that he also came to her rescue for the simple fact that he wouldn't let anything happy to her. His promise meant more to her than he knew.
Tears streaming from her eyes, Peyton stated with a faint smile, "I don't know what I'd do without you, Lucas."
Lucas moved his hand up and brushed his thumb gently against her cheek, removing her fallen tears. "And you're not going to find out," he remarked with a relieved sigh. He had doubt that his words would mean anything to her, and it was a giant load off of his shoulders that they did. He loathed seeing Peyton so distraught, and he was just glad that he could do something about it.
"You two should head home, get some rest," the officer commented, standing next to them. He gave them a sympathetic look and returned back to his seat behind the desk. The officer took a few papers and shuffled them together, tapping them against the top of the desk to straighten them out. "We have enough information to file your report. Come back tomorrow to answer some more questions, and then we can start looking for this guy."
Nodding, Lucas stood up and moved aside. He was exhausted, and knew that Peyton must've been feeling the same, both physically and emotionally. Ready to leave, he started to step away, but he noticed that she wasn't anxious to make any movement. "Peyton?" he called out, waiting for her to join him.
Staring across at the officer, Peyton asked, "You guys aren't looking for him now?"
The officer looked up at her, peering over his papers. He had expected the two of them to leave willingly, but was surprised to see her sitting in the exact same place, hardly a muscle moved. "There is a lookout for him, but we don't have enough information at this point to find him or make a move."
"Then I'll give you the information," Peyton stated boldly, but still in her shaky voice. She swallowed hard and added, "Right now." She continued staring that the officer, almost as if she was completely lost in a trance. Peyton just couldn't stand thinking he was out there, or the fact that she wasn't even safe in her own room.
Seeing that glimmer in Peyton's eyes, the officer was familiar with that feeling of a victim's fear. "Look, Ms. Sawyer, it's late. All you're going to do is worry yourself. All you can do for tonight is done." He reached out the papers, shoving them into a stapler and slamming the tiny piece of metal into the papers. "Go get some sleep."
Peyton's eyes started to water again, but she wouldn't let those tears fall. "You honestly think I can sleep when some guy out there wants me as his prize?!" she exclaimed. Her hands shook, both from the exhaustion and anxiety. "I can't even go to the one place I've always felt safe because it's a crime scene!"
The policeman stayed calm, used to frustrated confrontation. He tried to keep his voice in a soothing tone as he said, "If you don't have a place to stay, we can put you in a hotel for the night. And we can also have another officer escort you to that destination," he offered, trying to prove he was putting an effort to helping her.
Shaking her head, Peyton looked into her lap. The tears start to fall, but she tried her hardest not to put any emotion behind them. "You might as well put a target on my back," she stated bitterly. Without looking the officer in the eye, she stood up and started away, brushing past Lucas.
Lucas gave the officer a look of disappointment. He was both upset that the policeman couldn't do anything for them, and that Peyton didn't handle herself better. He understood that she must've been scared to death, but it wasn't the officer's fault.
Taking a few large, quick steps, Lucas caught up to her. "Peyton!" Luke called out, hoping she would stop. He reached out and grabbed her hand, trying to stop her from getting away.
Peyton spun around to face Lucas, but quickly ripped her arm away from him. She pulled her arm close to herself, and curled her upper body into a ball. She had never been so protective of herself, but being surprisingly touched struck terror in her. Peyton's heart skipped a beat, and her eyes went wide as she timidly looked up to see it was only Lucas.
Holding his hands up in a surrendered position, Lucas stated, "It's just me…" He inched closer to her, slowly and hesitantly wrapping his arms around her. Lucas hugged her softly and stroked her back. He had never seen her react that way before. He had seen her hide her emotions, and be afraid to open up to someone, but never in such a physical way before.
At this point, it even scared him. Lucas couldn't believe how much damage the supposed Derek could've done. Even after the shooting, Peyton had not been so afraid. And seeing that change in her, Lucas feared that she wouldn't be the same as before, that possibly the damage is beyond repair. Kissing the top of Peyton's head, Lucas kept her in his arms. He couldn't bear to let her go. "It's me," he repeated to her softly, hoping that soon enough she would be her again, and identities would be revealed.