By the following Tuesday, Peyton's flu had dissipated. She was back in full swing at Red Bedroom Records, Bethany in the studio with her, waiting until noon to pick up Chris from Preschool.

"Hi best friend" Brooke knocked as she entered the studio.

"Hi!" Peyton cheered as she spun around her chair. Bethany stood up in her play pen and babbled loudly. The brunette smiled and made her way over the one year old, whose arms were out stretched.

"Hi godbaby" She lifted Beth into her arms and placed a kiss on her forehead. She came and sat down on the corner of Peyton's desk in front of her. "So guess what?"

"What?" Peyton touched Beth's cheeks with her pointer finger while she was bounced up and down on Brooke's knees.

"I'm stealing your baby, right now, and she's going to be a star!" The blonde raised her eye brows in question. "Julian's filming down at the pier for the new Kate Winslet drama, and they need two quiet sleeping babies and I nominated ours."

"Oh lord, I don't know if Luke is ready for his baby to be a star"

"We don't have to tell him. How funny would it be if we went to see it in theatres and he saw his baby on the big screen"

Peyton rolled her eyes. "Fine, take her, but I want her back in one piece."

-x—x-

As she kicked open the front door, Lucas looked up from his computer and cocked his head in confusion.

Peyton half smiled and placed Chris on the floor as she shut the door.

"Only one?" He questioned.

"Brooke stole Beth for the afternoon to make her a movie star." He was still confused. "Julian's new movie."

"Oh" He turned his attention back to his computer.

Chris hobbled off to his bedroom to play with his toy trucks. "You're not going to question it?"

"No, Julian had asked me sometime last week if he could take her; I told him to check with you."

"Huh" She plopped down next to him, and rested her feet over his on the ottoman. "So everyone was conspiring against me"

His eyes were still fixated on the screen. "Pretty much"

"What are you writing?"

He yawned and ran his hand over the back of his head. "A new piece; It's not much of anything yet."

"Well it will be soon." She leaned forward and kissed the side of his temple. "Hungry?" She asked, and stood up to walk to the kitchen. She didn't make it a foot before she instantaneously raised a hand to her head and closed her eyes.

"You okay?" Luke asked, moving his computer off his lap to stand. She used her hand to stop him.

"Vertigo" She opened her eyes and blinked. "It's nothing, just pre pms or something"

He shook his head. "If you're sure"

She trailed her hand over his shoulder as she passed by the couch on the way to Chris's bedroom. He was on his knees driving two trucks into each other. He heard the floor squeak behind him and turned.

"Ma, this is the bulldozer Uncle Nathan gave me" She had seen it three times already.

"That's very cool baby" She sat on the edge of his bed and he stood up from the floor and placed his hands on her knees.

"You're feeling all better?" She rolled her eyes, he had asked four times on the drive home.

"Completely" And she lifted him up onto her lap and kissed his forehead.

"I'm hungry; will you make me a samich?"

Peyton put him back on the floor. "Of course; Ham and cheese?" She questioned.

The boy nodded and went back to his game. Peyton left the room and began to rummage around in the kitchen. Needless to say, she was a pro at the routine.

She called to Chris as she placed his 'samich' and capped cup of milk on the table in front of his chair. He bobbled out from his room and sat down as his mother was pouring out a few goldfish onto his plate.

"I'm going to bring daddy his lunch, and then I'll come eat with you, but you go ahead and get started." She placed her hand on the top of his head momentarily as he popped a goldfish in his mouth. She picked up Lucas's plate and carried it into the living room.

"Here baby" She put the plate on the arm of the sofa and ran her hand through the hairs on the top of his head.

"I would have come into the kitchen." Lucas took her hand and kissed her wrist.

A small smile came upon her lips. "I know, but I figured you were busy, and would want to get as much work done as you can."

He smiled as well. "It's fine; let me just finish this sentence and I'll meet you in the kitchen."

Peyton rocked her hips as she left the room and sat down next to Chris at the kitchen table. "Daddy's going to come eat with us too" She clarified, and Chris simply nodded.

With heavy footsteps Lucas made his way into the kitchen and took his seat across from Peyton. They small portion of the Scott family sat down and munched on their lunch, enjoying bits a pieces of Chris's broken conversation.

As they finished, Peyton stood to clean up. Oh the wonders of paper plates…she thought as she dished it into the trash.

"Luke, are you staying here a bit, or are you going out?"

He held up his hand and swallowed the remaining bite of his turkey and provolone sandwich. "I was planning on staying here for the day, why?"

"Would you mind if I went back to Tric for a bit? I have a bunch of paper work to finish up from being out."

"Not at all, I'll hang out here with Chris."

The four year old looked up from his plate a smiled.

"Alright, I won't be too long" She kissed both of her boys before getting ready to leave.

Two and a half hours later, at 3pm, when Sawyer got off the bus from school, she found her father working away on his lap top and her little brother seated next to him watching a cartoon on the tv. No one looked up when she walked in until she closed the door.

"Hi gorgeous" Lucas closed his computer and stood up to take his daughter in his arms. Sawyer, though only eight, had the distinction of a thirteen year old. Not in her features, but in the way she spoke and positioned herself. Her tiny nose upturned slightly, she had thin pink lips, and piercing blue or green eyes, which seemed to change with outfits she wore. Her hair was curled and fell just two inches below her shoulders and her cheeks were lush, but today pale.

"Daddy, I have bad news" She spoke softly and rested her head against his chest. He held her close and looked down at her sad face. "I really don't feel well"

"Ut oh" He touched her forehead with the back of his hand; it was hot. "You have a fever"

"Do I have what mommy had?"

He sighed. "Probably, but we'll have to get you checked out by a doctor to make sure."

"Okay"

He carried Sawyer to her bedroom and placed her in the center of her bed, and then drew the covers up to her chin. "I'm going to go call your mom, you call me if you need anything." He went to step away from her. "Are you nauseas?" Luckily, she shook her head. "Alright, I'll be right back."

The phone was on the arm of the sofa next to Chris who was staring curiously over the back of the couch. "Sawyer's sick?" He asked.

The father nodded and reached for the phone.

"Will I not be able to talk to her like I couldn't to mommy?"

"We'll see buddy" He dialed out to Peyton's work and she answered on the third ring.

"Bad news?" She questioned before a greeting.

"How could you tell?"

She let out a nervous laugh. "Maternal instincts?" She paused. "So what's wrong, who's hurt?"

"Sawyer, she's sick. I have to take her to the doctor"

"Alright, I'll come home now." He could hear her in the background shoving things into her bag. "You know" Her voice came back to the speaker. "I'll take her, I've had it. I'll be there in ten." She hung up and Lucas rolled his eyes.