Door #1

"What do I do, Luke?" Peyton weakly asked her boyfriend.

"I can't answer that for you…" He looked at her sympathetically and wished once more that he didn't do this, that he hadn't come, that he didn't make that stupid offer.

"I don't know what to do. How do I… How can this be real? Why is it like this? I can't choose. I can't."

"'Choosing not to make a decision is still a choice'." Tommy Lee Lucas helpfully pointed out.

Lucas and Peyton both glared.

"You are so pathetically weak. I wanted to go to Haley, but no. Wait. I'm sure there's a reality where we weren't platonic with Tutor girl and possibly we did go to her somehow. I need to catch up on our history. What are there, infinite numbers of us?"

"Lucas, shut up." Lucas tersely said.

"I can't do this." Peyton repeated forlornly.

Much, much earlier…

"Door number one. Let's start with an easy one. What is the first decision you wished you had done differently that night?"

"I wish Dan had just given Nathan the stupid money to begin-"

"Are you deaf or just dumber than even I give you credit for? I said what decision would you have done differently. You can't reach in your invisible hand and be puppetmaster to someone else."

Lucas sighed. "Really, don't take offence. He's an ass to everyone."

"What happened to you to make you this way?" Peyton frowned.

"Oh, I'm sure the story will come up soon enough. I'll be in one of the doors. I'm sure you'll find it quite unsatisfactory. Back to the task at hand."

Peyton paused to think but Tommy Lee Lucas really couldn't keep his mouth shut for very long periods of time. "I can see how this would be hard for you, seeing as though the world doesn't really revolve around you and that night had very little to do with you."

"You still affected things. For the better, I mean. That was the best night of my life until Dante brought down the house." Lucas said encouragingly. He took Peyton's hand and she was belatedly surprised at the warmth she felt. He noticed her surprise and told her, "I am as you perceive me. You expect me to be warm, I'm warm."

"So you're not you? Are you just some version I thought you were?"

"I'm still me, it's just physically speaking you subconsciously make the rules."

"The choice?" Tommy Lee Lucas rolled his eyes.

"I wish I hadn't been scared of the 'oh'; I wish I had gone to talk to you before the game and spoken to you and somehow convinced you to take your pills."

"That's really big picture, smart one." Tommy Lee Lucas chortled. He looked at Lucas and shook his head. "How can you see anything in her?"

"You did too at one point-" Lucas pointed out.

"No I didn't."

"We could be childish and go through a round of 'yeah you did, no I didn't's' but I'm just going to tell you you're an ass and move on, okay?"

"Anyways, here's door number one." Keith again interrupted the bickering Lucas's.

xXx

"What the hell?" Peyton exclaimed, finding herself alone outside the school.

"You coming in?" Nathan popped up beside her. "Come on, the game will be starting soon. Have you seen Haley?"

"Nathan." Peyton frowned in confusion. She glanced around in the hopes of finding the two Lucas's and Keith, but they were not around. A few students she vaguely recognized were walking towards the school entrance, but that was it.

"…Yeah. Earth to Peyton. Have you seen Haley?"

"What day is it?"

"It's the day of the championship." He told her, exasperation and annoyance visible on his features. "You rode up with the other cheerleaders but you're the only one who's here. Where's my wife?"

"She'll be fine." Peyton answered distractedly. Fuck. She hadn't realized that she had to re-do this night herself. Somehow, she thought she'd be watching from afar as her double did the different choice. She didn't know she herself had to re-enact this… how could she do this when she knew what could happen in mere hours?

Nathan had sighed and was starting to walk away, when Peyton snapped out of it, realizing just how crucial her actions right now would be to the scheme of things. "Nathan, wait." She took a deep breath and hoped to God he was in a good mood. "I know that you're unsure about the game." She couldn't very well just say that she knew about Daunte and all that crap. "I also know that Luke knows about your uncertainty. You know how much this game means to him… I'm afraid he'll do something stupid and rash in order to make sure the Ravens win. So if you care about him like I know you do, please just make sure Luke knows you'll be playing your best tonight. I know you will be, despite anything that's plaguing your mind. You're a good person- make sure Luke knows that or everything will be shot to hell."

"Did Lucas tell you everything?" Nathan angrily exclaimed.

"No! I-"

"No one else has any idea, where did you find out, then?"

She couldn't come up with a plausible answer and he muttered a curse before stomping off.

Rolling her eyes, Peyton disregarded Nathan and made a beeline for the locker room. She had to find Luke.

Hoping the room was mostly empty, Peyton shoved open the doors and accidentally interrupted Skillz. He had his mouth half open but quickly shut it when Peyton entered.

"I have to talk to you."

"See you later, man." Skillz told Luke and nodded towards the girl as he left.

"Skillz, wait, I had to-" Luke called.

"It can wait."

Lucas ran a nervous hand through his hair and leaned back on the bench. His body language was clearly saying he wasn't in the mood to talk to her, but she had to do this.

"Lucas. I talked to Nathan. I know you think he's jittery about the game, but I know he will do his best. So don't be stupid out there."

"What do you mean?"

"Take your pills."

"I'm not an idiot."

"Please, promise me?"

"I'll do what I want, Peyton. You don't know anything about what's going on, so don't be giving out advice." Peyton shut her eyes in frustration but knew she couldn't correct him.

"Take them right after the game if you don't take them before."

"And the point of that would be…?"

"Just trust me, please?"

"Whatever." He stood up to leave but Peyton hated to leave him on these terms.

"About earlier…"

"I can't think about that right now. I'm sorry." He told her, touching her shoulder briefly.

"Luke, I-"

"I really have to get out there."

"Good luck."

"Yeah. Thanks."

"Please… your pills…"

"Don't worry." He smiled at her and disappeared through the doors.

xXx

The game rolled to a close. Confetti all around. Except all the cheerleaders were shooting death glares at Peyton. She had disappeared when Haley had to go to the hospital. She was the sole girl who hadn't been there for Haley.

To sum up, Brooke put it most eloquently: "You cared more about getting in Lucas's pants than you did about the life of a close friend."

"I knew she would be okay-"

"How could you know that? She could have lost her baby!" Brooke snapped.

Nathan wasn't exactly thrilled at the blonde either. "You came down here to warn me about my brother, who I'm going to point out is perfectly fine, instead of making sure my wife and child were okay? How selfish are you? You care more about how Lucas sees you than you do about lives."

"I thought Lucas's life was in danger-"

"He's never played better. What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Peyton turned away from the scorn as the cheering of the victory up roared and she watched Lucas, waiting for him to catch her eye and to envelop her in the kiss she savoured in her memory.

It didn't come.

Lucas hugged Brooke and slapped Skillz on the back, but he didn't glance over at her. Remembering the pills, Peyton made her way through the crowd and reminded him.

"Thanks for poking a hole through one of the best moments I'll ever have." He arched his eyebrow, irritation coating his voice.

"I just want to make sure you're okay." She was confused. Why wasn't he having his epiphany about his feelings about her? "Luke, I lo-"

"I should go take those pills." He interrupted her and walked away.

She was left standing alone. It was worth it, if he lived.

xXx

That night after the celebration, Peyton watched Nathan and Haley carefully to gauge when they would be leaving. When it was almost time for the break up of the after party, she made her way to the window and sure enough, she spotted Daunte in his shady car.

Peyton knew that she was only supposed to change one decision, but she didn't care about the rules. Dialling discreetly, she warned the cops about a suspicious vehicle and told them to hurry.

With satisfaction, Peyton heard the sirens wail just as Nathan was helping Haley with her coat. She followed a few steps behind just to make sure.

They were the picture of the perfectly happy couple. Peyton saw Daunte's car start up and felt a twinge of fear. The police were here, though, and Daunte noticed. There was no way he'd have time to run them down and make it look like an accident. But this would be his only chance. They would be okay.

Daunte was more resilent and way more bitter than Peyton counted on. With a snarl, he pulled out a pistol. And in a terrifying moment, Peyton had to watch her two close friends under crisis again. It was aimed for Nathan and yet again Haley dove to protect her husband. Two bullets were fired and both hit Haley. One imbedded in her, saving Nathan, but the other sped through her and into her husband, making them both collapse against the road.

No…

Lucas ran out in a panic, followed by half the café. The ambulance was called. Luke had gone through with his promise, so he didn't go into cardiac arrest. Trying to breathe, Peyton told herself it would turn out. In her world, Luke was the only one who had severe repercussions from the injuries. In this world, she had saved him… therefore, should she not have saved them all?

Later at the hospital, Peyton was horrifed to find out how wrong she was. Haley's lung had been hit. She died later that night… but not before being told that Nathan's injury would render him a cripple for the rest of his life. She died knowing that it was in vain. His dream was gone. She had failed.

Nathan lost it all that night, his wife, his unborn child, and his dream. Everything about him showed his absolute despair. He wished he hadn't won the game. If there was self loathing in Peyton's real world, it was magnified two hundred fold now. Though Nathan would live for many years after, he would remain a mere shadow of the man he could have been. He no longer cared about life- all that he had to live for had been torn from him. Before long, he would follow in the footsteps of his mother and become an addict. Anything to make him forget about Haley would be consumed. He would spend all his money on drugs and even his father's wealth and respect would fail to save him. Nathan would be a washed out junkie living on the streets before he hit twenty one.

Lucas would fall into darkness just as his brother did. After losing Haley in the literal sense and watching as his brother self destructed, Luke withdrew into himself and the tragedy overwhelmed him. Instead of drugs, Luke would turn to alcohol. Peyton stood by and watched as he fell into a pit of sadness.

She still saved him, she told herself. Touching Haley's tombstone, that was the only thing that could comfort her. No matter how broken he was, he was still alive… that had to be worth it. It had to be.

Lucas appeared beside her. He was the same Lucas she had always known, he wasn't wearing any weird outfit, but his eyes were cold and his features sharp. He was this reality's Lucas.

"Are you a ghost, too?"

"Of course."

"But you're alive. I saved you."

"No you didn't." He laughed harshly. "You wanna know what happened to me? At the age of twenty two, I drank myself into a stupor one night and decided to drive."

"You died in a car accident?" Peyton said in horrified surprise.

"No, no… I hit another car. It was my mom. She had gone out to make sure I didn't drive. She died instantly. I killed her."

"Oh God, Luke-"

"The next day, I overdosed on alcohol and slit my wrists. And here I am."

The blow of his words made the girl fall to her knees in hopelessness. Through her tears, she tried to tell him that she meant for the best. "I saved you…"

"Because of you, Haley died. Because of you, Nathan might as well have died. You killed those two people, you sacrificed them to 'save' me. But guess what? I didn't want to be saved if it meant that was the life I had to live in. You gave me a few years where I hated my life, you gave me a few years where I writhed in agony and then I ended it all myself. You saved no one, you selfish bitch!"

"Lucas, Lucas…" She couldn't breathe through her sobs. "You had me… Even if you lost them all, you had me. Why didn't you come to me?

Tommy Lee Lucas popped up, a sadistic smile on his face. "You're wondering even now why he didn't tell you he love you, why he didn't decide that he wanted to be with you. And that is why you're so selfish. Guess what, Peyton? You did it yourself. You walked in on Skillz before he could tell Lucas how there was no way he only saw you as a friend."

Tommy Lee Lucas leaned against Haley's stone and held up his hand to count the many ways in which Peyton screwed it all up.

"You didn't go to the hospital, you didn't tell Brooke how much you wanted Lucas to tell you it was you he wanted next to him when all his dreams came true. You didn't bond with Brooke over Haley's possible miscarriage, and she never got over her image of you as a selfish bitch. Because of that, she had no reason to tell good old Lucas how he should be with you. Brooke never gave Lucas permission to be with you, never asked him the question that would make him realize how it was you he loved."

TLL finished his ramble with a relish, watching her forlorn expression as he cemented what a failure she had been.

"You killed the chain reaction that would have had him with you. Because you stopped his epiphany that night when there was still time for such trivial matters such as love, you killed any chance you had of a relationship with Lucas. Ever afterwards, he would be too haunted by tragedy to consider anything for himself. Ever afterwards, all trace of half uncovered feelings for you would be lost, faded, forgotten. You would be the girl who didn't go to the hospital when Haley needed you. You would be a footnote he skipped over when scanning over the wasteland of his life."

"No!" Peyton whimpered. "Go away. Leave me alone! No!"

In a flash, her Lucas was back to her, wrapping his strong arms around her frail frame and soothing her with his gentleness. "I'm so sorry, Peyt. I wish you didn't have to see this. But it's the only way to make you understand."

"I killed you. I killed them all." She cried into his chest.

"You were only trying to help. I don't blame you, okay? It wasn't your fault. The other Lucas's are dicks who were torn by circumstance, they aren't me. I don't think like they do and you didn't kill me. I'm not him. I'm the guy who loved you when you were still with Nathan, I'm the guy who kissed you when all my dreams came true. Please, don't cry Peyt."

"You're babying her." TLL pointed out.

"There is a better future, isn't there?"

"Do you still want to see?"

"Well I think it's safe to say she won't be choosing this option." TLL grinned. "Let the fun continue. What's next, oh ruiner of lives?"

"I really want to see what made you into this ball of sadism." Peyton hissed.

"That could be next…"

"Could I just watch this time? Please?"

Lucas exchanged looks with TLL. "Well, considering she doesn't know what choice made you this way, I guess that will have to happen."

"Only this time. You have to suffer for all the others." TLL said.

Peyton looked to Lucas to snap at TLL, but he only nodded. "You have to suffer to understand." He took her hand and squeezed it tightly, kissing her softly on the lips. "I'm always here for you, Peyt. It'll be okay. I love you, remember that."

She took a breath and nodded. "Bring on door number two."

"This will be entertaining." TLL smiled.

"Will you ever play nicely?"

"Nope. I'm dead inside." His smile turned into a grimace. Death Peyton appeared beside him and leaned against his shoulder. "Hey babe." He smiled at the girl.

"I'm back. I figured you'd need someone who's not dripping with sap to go through this one. They wouldn't understand."

"Why can't all Peyton's be like you?"

Normal Lucas sighed and turned away from the dysfunctional couple and met Peyton's eyes. "Door number two."

AN: So this is pretty depressing, but it was always meant to be a bit of angst/horror mixed in with entirely inappropriate flashes of humour. I'm glad you guys are intrigued with the idea. I know it's a bit confusing right now, but it'll clear up. Thanks for reading :)