I sit here and wonder if you'll ever understand how much of me belongs to you.

Two Years Later

She stood looking down at the choppy water below, amazed out how the tortured current seemed to mirror her own life. The glittering diamond ring on her left hand caught her eye as it reflected in the moon light and she methodically slipped it off. She had never imagined she'd be removing another ring and watching another marriage end. She never wanted to be that girl and yet she was. Tears slide down her face as the memory of the night before flashed before her; him in their bed with another woman.

He didn't brother to try to explain himself, he just stared at her. His dark eyes unblinking as he leaned over the other woman as if he was waiting for her leave, to disappear. It was he who broke the silence asking what she was doing there. She had laughed, her emerald eyes narrowing their way. She wasn't supposed to be there but she had taken an earlier flight home after taking Sawyer to New York to visit Lucas for the summer so she could surprise him, but instead she was the one that gotten the surprise. A surprise that shattered her illusion of happily ever after.

He had promised, swore to her, he'd never hurt her. Never make her second best in his life. That he'd love her until the end and she let herself believe in him. Let herself bury her feelings for another and fall in love with him and he shattered her belief in happily ever after by taking another woman to bed, their bed.

She twisted the diamond ring between her fingers, watching as the light caught it and wondered when it had begun to loose its sparkle. She never noticed and she found that odd. She had seen it fading with Lucas and she fought only to fail in the end so she wondered how she could have missed it now. She should have seen this coming, seen the signs that it was fading and the idea of forever really didn't really exist and her theory of people always leave still rung true.

Maybe if she had been at home more often instead of chasing after the undiscovered musicians. Maybe if she hadn't flown to New York so often. Maybe…

No, she thought, tears stinging her eyes, she would not blame herself for his betrayal. He had already destroyed her last shred of belief in forever and she wasn't about to let him take away her belief in herself. She had been a good wife. She loved him the best she could and she never failed to show him she had.

But it just hadn't been enough, she thought as she closed her fist over the ring, Love was never enough.

She felt the ring cut into the palm of her hand and without a second thought she tossed the offending object into the water below, watching as it hit the churning current and disappear beneath the surface. With a final glance downward, she turned and walked away, making her way down the pier, her eyes shimmering with tears she refused to shed.

It was over and she was alone again. Brooke had warned her after Jason proposed, telling her he wasn't right and the ink was barely dry from her divorce from Lucas and she shouldn't marry the rebound guy, you never marry the rebound guy. She had laughed at her logic, told her she loved him only for Brooke to grasp her arms, look her in the eye and tell her because he wasn't Lucas and as she walked briskly towards her car, her eyes stinging with tears; she wished she had listened back then. But she hadn't. She had packed her things and Sawyers and moved them clear across the country, needing to escape the memories that haunted her at every turn.

Lucas had begged her to stay the night they had left. His voice breaking with his every word and she had almost let the wall she had built crumple. Almost. She just smiled, cupped his cheek and whispered she wasn't his to save, to love anymore.

Only now, two years later, she wished she was. She would give anything for him to be here, his arms around her, telling her it would be alright. It would all be alright.

But he wasn't and she was alone once again.

Slipping into her car, Peyton reached for her cell phone and pressed in an all too familiar number, her tears finally falling at the sound of the voice that came over the line. She leaned her head back against the seat of the car, her eyes closing as her tears flowed and softly whispered, "I'm coming home."


One year later

Peyton Sawyer stood in front of the full-length mirror and checked her appearance one last time. The dress was exquisite, prefect Brooke had said after she had walked out of the bathroom. No one would expect her to wear a dress like it. She was after all, Peyton Sawyer the forever tortured artist and not the stunning blonde beauty that stared back at her now.

She hadn't wanted to go but Brooke had begged, whined that since she had returned a year ago from LA, she hadn't gone out and it wasn't really going out, they were celebrating an anniversary. Not just any anniversary but Nathan and Haley's she said. Beside she had rasped out as she pulled her, reluctantly through her store, she had promised Haley months ago she'd be there and she gave in. It was after all Haley and Nathan's night and she had promised.

They had survived, Nathan and Haley, made it through all the heartache and struggles to come out the other end stronger and she wanted to celebrate their anniversary with them and they gave the little belief she still had left hope that maybe happily ever after just might still exist.

Smoothing a hand against the satin dress, she smiled at her reflection, amazed at the dress Brooke had designed. She had been shocked and had voiced it to her best friend who only laughed and rasped out with a smile, that it was about time her best friend did something that shocked the world, at least theirs.

It was forming fitting, the green dress. Revealing her every curve and more cleavage then a mother of a thirteen year old should and she knew it would raise eyebrows, specially one blonde that she knew had been Brooke's one goal. She didn't care that he had found another not at that moment as she stood in front of the mirror, she just wanted his attention if only for one night, she wanted to remember what it felt like to be wanted by him.

With one final check, Peyton grabbed her purse off the vanity table and headed out of the front door of the newly purchased house and stepped out into the warm Tree Hill night and into the waiting limousine that would carry her to Tric. Leaning back against the seat, she watched the scenery pass by, she was home, back in her hometown after being gone for years. She had had no intention of moving back, but on a visit months ago, the one where she had made that promise, she had found herself purchasing the beach front home and moving her and Sawyer to Tree Hill from New York.

She had expected Lucas to fight her but he had shown up and helped her pack up her apartment on the East Side, the one he had helped her find after her late night call only months before. He had wanted to fly to California and save her, but through her tears she just asked him to be waiting with open arms. And he had been. He stood at the gate, his brow furrowed with concern when he had caught sight of her and pushed his way through the crowd to gather her in his arms, softly whispering it would be alright.

It would all be alright.

It had been for awhile. He was her rock, the one she turned to when Jason refused to let go, battling her at every move, he was there anchoring her down when her life seemed to be spiraling out of control around her and she started to wonder why she had set him free. Why she had walked away when he was, he always had been the one constant in her life.

But the idea of being with him again shattered before she could even speaks the words. She had been early to get Sawyer one weekend, having worked up the nerve to ask him to dinner, just the two of them, when she saw him lean in and brush his lips against another and his hand creep upward until it became intertwined in the woman's golden locks and she felt her heart drop. He use to do that to her, telling her it loved the way her hair felt through his fingers and how the curls would spring back in place and she wondered if he said the same to her.

Sighing she closed her eyes, the image of that day fading from her mind as the limo came to a stop outside of Tric. She could do this, she told herself, her eyes opening as the door opened and a hand extended out towards her.

She could do this.


He hardly heard a word she said, his attention had long since been drawn from the woman standing before him to the entrance of the club and the blonde haired beauty that suddenly seemed to demand the attention of the entire room. He watched as her eyes swept the room in search of someone and when he heard the raspy squeal of none other than Brooke Davis, he couldn't help but a feel a pang of sadness at the fact that it wasn't him that caused her green eyes to light up.

It wasn't him who caused that look. It hadn't been him for years.

He let his eyes travel down the length of her body as she stepped out of Brooke's embrace, a smile on his lips as he took her in. Only for it to grow when he came upon her legs and how one tanned leg peeked out from beneath the high slit of the form fitting dress she wore. He loved those legs. Shaking his head, his gaze traveling downward to her feet and the high heels that made her long legs seem longer.

Yeah he still loved those legs.

Taking a sip of the drink in his hand, he allowed his gaze to move back up, pausing momentarily at the juncture that revealed her legs before moving upward to the neckline, his eyes widening at how much cleavage was exposed to his viewing privilege; to every male in the club viewing privilege.

"She's a mother for god sake." He mumbled. His eyes locked on her form as Brooke linked arms with hers and gently tugged her towards Haley and Nathan, his gaze following her as they disappeared into the crowd.

"Who's a mother?"

Squinting, Lucas set his glass down on the bar, ignoring the woman beside him comment, intent on making his way across the bar and taking Peyton home to change. She was a mother for god sake. The mother of his daughter and she was his wife and she shouldn't be standing there looking like that in that dress.

"She's not yours." a voice called out stopping him in his tracks, his blue eyes closing at the realization of the words spoken.

She wasn't his. She hadn't been for a long time.

"Skills look at her. She's…she shouldn't…"

Looking in the direction Lucas was staring, Skills grinned and bumped shoulders with Luke, "Skinny girl looks good."

"You're not helping." He growled out, his eyes narrowing to thin slits as he glared at Skills before returning his gaze to the blonde across the room. His gaze softening.

Raising his hands in defense, Skills took a step back, "I'm just saying. Skinny girl was always beautiful and," With a quick glance in her direction, Skills arched a brow before meeting Lucas's watchful gaze. "Besides you're with Natalie, right? So what P. Sawyer does and wears shouldn't affect you, right?"

"Nicole."

"What?"

"Her name is Nicole, Skills." Lucas said softly, his eyes following Peyton as she smiled at Brooke and slipped into the crowd, disappearing from his eyesight.

"Whatever dawg," Skills said as he backed away and slowly maneuvered his way through the crowd, pausing momentarily, his dark eyes darting between Lucas and where the blonde in question once stood before making his way towards Haley and Nathan. "The point is Skinny Girl isn't yours to worry about anymore Luke and you've moved on so let her go, man. Let her go."

It was easier said then done, he thought, his eyes searching the crowd for her signature blonde locks and spotting them across the room. The corner of his lips curving up only to fall, his brow furrowing and his eyes to narrow as he watched her slender arms slip around a dark haired man and her infectious laugh to filter through the air.

His temper rose at the sight and he tried to keep it in check but watching her laughing with another man, suddenly made it damn near impossible. He knew as far as Peyton was concern he had no right to feel that. No right to walk across the room and demanded she leave with him, to love him.

He couldn't do that. He lost that right the minute he let her start feeling second best and she walked away, too tired to fight anymore and he let her go because she had asked.

And he would forever do what Peyton Sawyer asked, even if it meant watching their happily ever after fade away.

He only wished he had fought a little harder to hold on instead of giving in. He wished…

It didn't matter what he wished, he thought watching as Peyton as she brushed a strain of hair of her eyes, a smile on her face. Growling in annoyance when the dark haired man pressed a kiss to her cheek, he snagged a flute of champagne from a passing waiter, knocking it back in one gulp before slamming it down on the bar and heading towards the exit and slipping out into the cool night air.

Shoving his hands into his dress pants, Lucas leaned against the side of the building, his gaze drifting to the night sky and sighed. This wasn't how he had imagined his life. He had always pictured them, he and Peyton, together forever but he had ruined that when he started to take her for granted and what he thought would have been time apart, turned into three years.

He did all she asked and signed the divorce papers. Didn't fight her when she said was leaving, moving across the country and taking Sawyer with her. He let them go because he loved her and if it meant letting her go, he would and he did. He held back his tears and forced a smile when she stood before and told him she was marrying Jason. And when she walked away, he let the tears fall and he knew in that moment just how she had felt all those years ago when he had proposed to Lindsey and he swore to himself he'd let her go because it was what she wanted, only he couldn't.

He begged her, took her hands in his and begged her to stay. He told her she was his world, his everything and living without her wasn't living at all and for a moment, he saw her resolve crumple and he let his tears fall. But she just smiled, cupped his cheek and whispered she wasn't his anymore before slipping from his life.

He stayed away, telling himself he'd become the man she once saw him as and he did. She told him that once, when she had flown Sawyer to New York for the summer. She stood before him, a faint smile adorned her face as she leaned forward and brushed her lips against his cheek before whispering three words that had him wishing he had fought a little harder; There he is.

They became friends again. She called him when she saw a new artist and wanted to sign them, telling him how she didn't think she could do it and he reminds her of the greatness he saw in her. Of the magic she carried within her. But it was the calls when she didn't say a thing that had him wishing he had fought a little harder. He'd ask her what was wrong and she whisper nothing but he'd heard the tears in her voice and wanted to nothing more then to hold her in his arms and tell her it would be alright. But he never said a word.

And he wishes he had. He wished he had listened a little more to the silence and asked more questions, and then he could have saved her from the pain he heard on the line that night. He wished he hadn't been so blind because they wouldn't be where they were now.

At the sound of heels hitting the ground, Lucas turned to a smiling Brooke making her way towards him, "Hey pretty girl. You look beautiful tonight."

"Why thank you, Broody." She rasped out, her arms wrapping around his neck in a hug before stepping back, an eyebrow arched, "You my friend look like hell."

Laughing, he shook his head and leaned back against the building, a smile on his face, "Still see you haven't changed. Blunt as ever."

With a shrug of a shoulder, Brooke leaned against the railing and crossed her arms over her strapless black dress, "So…" she drawled out, her dark eyes twinkling as her smile grew. "Did you see Peyton?"

And his smile faded, his eyes narrowing to small slits as he growled out, "Me and every male in the building."

Laughing, Brooke pushed away from the railing and shook her head before coming to stand in front of Lucas. Her dark eyes searching his as she placed a hand on his forearm, "You still love her, don't you?"

"No." He mumbled out, his eyes darting from hers and settling on the lone star in the sky.

Smacking his arm with an un-Brooke like snort, she leaned forward and brushed her lips against his cheek and whispered, "Fight for her." before walking away and leaving him alone once again.

Yeah right, He thought, fight for her. He had wanted to and if he did, it would be too late because judging by the way she was dressed, she was moving on. He had. He found someone new and he cared for her, helped him to forget every mistake he had made and he really had no right to fight.

No right at all, right?