Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 2
Haley Scott pushed her bangs off her face, and exhaled loudly. She picked up the cushion from the couch and looked beneath it, hoping against hope that some how Jamie's sneaker was lodged below. It wasn't. Growling to herself, she crawled on her hands and knees, straining to look underneath the coffee table and chair. Again nothing. How hard can it be to find one lousy, stinking, stupid, shoe? She asked herself, picking up the cushions of the chair and slamming them down again. Where is that flipping shoe? He's only four, how many different places could it be? And why wasn't anyone helping her look for it? Didn't anyone care that Lucas was flying back into Tree Hill today and the Scott family, or at least, what was left of them, were going to the airport to pick him up. Lucas' plane was scheduled to land at noon and Skills, Mouth, Millie, Brooke and Owen were coming over a little after one to welcome Luke home. Well, that is, if she ever found the stupid shoe. She pictured the phone call now. Hi, Lucas. Sorry we couldn't pick you up from the airport and you had to walk all the way home. The living room apparently ate Jamie's shoe and no one else cares. By the way, welcome home. Haley chuckled to herself. No one really appreciated how truly funny and amusing I am, she thought. Just then, the doorbell rang. Hoisting herself up off the floor, she spotted the shoe tucked in the bookcase beside a potted plant. How in the blue hell did his shoe end up there? She thought as she reached for the knob and opened the door. Jamie must have-
The door swung wide open and Haley's mouth dropped open. For once in her life, she was speechless. Fortunately, it did not last long and she shrieked, "Lucas!" and launched herself into his arms, hugging him wildly. Nathan and Jamie heard her shriek and came running, screeching to a halt when they saw the tall blond man Haley was hugging.
"Uncle Luke!" Jamie screeched, launching himself forward. Lucas released Haley and caught Jamie midair and hugged him to his chest. He closed his eyes for a moment and felt the overwhelming relief of being home and back with the people he loved the most. Over Jamie's head he caught Nathan's eye, who was looking at him appraisingly. He set Jamie down on the floor and crossed the room to his brother. He stuck out his fist and Nathan met it with his own.
"Hey little brother", Lucas said.
"Hey big brother", Nathan replied. "How you been?"
"Decent" Lucas offered. "Its good to be home. How about you?" Lucas looked meaningfully at Haley. Nathan quirked his eyebrows and smiled.
"Its good to be home" Nathan echoed. He smiled at Haley who blushed and rolled her eyes. She turned to face Luke with her hands on her hips.
"What are you doing here already? Your plane wasn't due for an hour!" Haley retrieved the missing sneaker from beside the potted plant while she waited for Lucas' reply.
"The plane got in early. I took a cab. Here I am." Luke said simply, spreading his hands innocently in front of him.
"Well, okay then," Haley started. "Well, we still have to-" Once again she was cut off by a knock at the door and then it swung open immediately.
"Tutor wife, you gotta start locking your door! You never know who could just walk in and make off with whatever you got. Not that you have all that much, and your taste is a little, well, we'll just call it different, but you do have that ridiculously huge thing your husband calls a TV. And then, of course, you do have the most gorgeous son. Oh and I guess your husband too. But really, who besides you wants him? Oh, hey Nate. How's it going? Where should I put this stuff, its really heavy, seriously, somebody better take this thing before I drop it. Again, I'm not kidding" Brooke swept in on a wave of Dior perfume and cool air. Nathan rolled his eyes and stepped forward to grab a bag out of her arms that was perilously close to smashing to the floor. He went to kick the door shut and stopped as Mouth and Skills popped in through the doorway, both loaded down with shopping bags and gift bags galore. Nathan moved forward to shut the door again when a thin, blond woman slipped soundlessly in. Her hair was a wild mass of curls that hung down loose over her shoulders, framing and accentuating her pale skin and vivid emerald eyes. As she crossed the threshold, she glanced up at Nathan and smiled sheepishly, as if she was embarrassed to be there. Nathan reached out with his one free arm and squeezed her shoulder. The woman rewarded him with another smile, this one full on and heartfelt. Nathan found himself smiling back automatically. The smile she had given him was so genuine; something he hadn't seen from her in awhile. Since she came back, anyways.
"Hey, Peyt. Long time no see. Good to see you traveling light these days" Nathan joked, referring to her empty arms that were somehow free of the heavy bags the others had been carrying. Peyton smiled at him again and shrugged her shoulders.
"There were none left" She replied, spreading her hands sheepishly. Nathan kicked the door shut with his foot and took the bag into the kitchen. Peyton trailed along behind him, once again marveling at the beautiful simplicity of the house. Someday I'll have a house like this, she thought to herself as she followed Nathan. With a family; a husband and two, maybe three kids. And a dog. I always wanted a dog. Why did I never get a dog? She wondered to herself as they turned the corner and stepped into the kitchen. Peyton looked up and her green eyes locked with a very familiar set of blue ones. Her breath caught in her throat and she froze, all thoughts flying out of her head like winged monkeys. Her heart constricted, stopped for the briefest moment and then started again. Slowly, she exhaled. She stepped forward and smiled, a tight, pained smile.
"Lucas", she said, or rather, squeaked. All at once, every thought, every emotion that had ever involved Lucas Scott came flooding back. She nearly gasped as the weight of it all overwhelmed her. And then she stopped herself. Get it together, Sawyer, she told herself, breathing in through her nose. He doesn't need you falling all over yourself over him or declaring your undying love, yet again. He's been through enough. He needs your support and friendship, not your hormones. Get it together. She cleared her throat and tried again.
"How are you?" She asked uncertainly. He shrugged, and opened his mouth to reply, but Jamie grabbed his hand and started tugging him in the direction of his room.
"Let's go play Rock Band. Please Uncle Luke, please?" Lucas looked down and ruffled Jamie's hair playfully. "Sure J. Luke. I can beat you in Rock Band for a little while".
"Whatever you say Uncle Luke. I've been practicing while you were gone. I'm really good now. I beat Skills and Daddy all the time. Daddy gets mad and says that I'm a little son of a-"
"Whoa, there little man" Nathan swooped in and scooped him up. "You know Daddy doesn't mean that. He just gets, um, well, agitated" Nathan grinned sheepishly.
"If that's what you want to call it" Haley chimed in, shaking her head at Nathan and trying not to grin. She began unpacking the bags and setting out the food. Brooke and Peyton joined her, while Lucas, Nathan, Skills and Jamie trooped into the living room. Brooke sidled up to Peyton and bumped her with her hip.
"Hey, P. Sawyer" Brooke said, pulling celery out of the bag and taking a paring knife from the drawer. "How you holding up?"
"I'm fine, Brooke. I wish everyone would stop treating me like I'm going to break every time he is in the room", Peyton sighed, exasperated.
"We're not worried about you breaking Peyton, we're just worried about you." Brooke stopped cutting up the celery and turned to meet Peyton's eyes. "And you can pretend you don't care all you want. I just wanted to let you know that I don't buy it. And no one else does either, for the record. But please, by all means. Keep kidding yourself". With that, Brooke resumed chopping and Peyton threw down her knife and wandered away. She found herself standing by the pool, staring down into the aquamarine water. There was no breeze and the water stood perfectly still, perfectly mirroring her reflection. She stared at herself, lost in thought, her mind a whirlpool of emotions and notions, none of which amounted to much of anything. And then suddenly, the reflection changed. It was not her alone, but rather her and a heartbreakingly familiar image. Lucas.
Peyton turned, facing him. Her arm grazed his and a bolt of lightening went through her whole body. God, he was beautiful. She intimately remembered every feature, every nuance of his face. That face that she loved so much, and that had, once upon a time, held such love for her. But she hadn't seen that in his face in such a long time, but sometimes she forgot, it was second nature to her to look, and each time, it broke her heart all over again. But sometimes when she looked, just for a moment, she saw a flash of something, something she couldn't name or describe. And sometimes she fooled herself into thinking she saw it, even if for only the briefest moment.
She took a tentative step back and looked up. Their eyes locked and held. For a moment that stretched into eternity, they just stood there and stared at one another. Peyton wet her lips and wished for a drink. Something strong and with the words Captain Morgan in the title. Her throat was bone dry and full of cotton. She reached out a trembling hand, as if to place it on his arm, but faltered, arm outstretched and searched her mind frantically for words to say to him.
"Luke, I just wanted to say, I'm, well, I'm so sorry, about the wedding, about what happened, you know, Linds-". She broke off, unable to finish.
"I know, Peyton, but thank you". Lucas smiled wryly. He held up his hand. "But you don't have to-"
"I do, Lucas. I do have to. I feel horrible, all those things she said, and in front of all those people..." She trailed off, overwhelmed by what she was trying to say and knowing that it wasn't coming out right. She wanted him to know that no matter what, she was here for him. She wanted to tell him how much it hurt her to see him hurt. And she could see it, in his eyes. Lucas was wounded. And she hated that. She wanted to find the words to make it all okay, like he had done for her so many times before. But the words wouldn't come.
"I know what happened, Peyton. I was there, remember?" Lucas ran a hand through his hair, agitated, as the memory of that day, of that humiliation swirled through him. He felt anger and rage rise within him, growling and gnarling, seeking an outlet. And he lashed out.
"It was supposed to be the best day of my life, of our lives. This bright, happy beginning. I was so happy, Peyton, I can't even tell you. there aren't words. When I saw Lindsay walking down the aisle towards me, it felt like she was walking home. I had never seen anyone look so beautiful. She was magnificent. And then she smiled at me and I knew, you know, I just felt it in my soul that she was my soul mate. The one I was meant to be with. The one who had been standing next to me when all my dreams came true" Lucas rubbed his forehead angrily.
"And then you know what happened? You left a shawl or something on your car and suddenly everything I have ever written is about you. Suddenly, our entire relationship didn't matter. It was all about you. And when I tried to explain, to tell her that there is nothing left between you and me, she didn't hear me. And you know what she said when she left? She said, 'people always leave, Lucas, you should know that'. How ironic is that? I don't get it! How do you get to destroy my life, not once, but twice?
"Luke-" Peyton, gasped, backing up. The venom in his voice was unmistakable. She had never heard him like this, so angry and full of rage, and certainly never directed at her. But he continued speaking as though she hadn't. He continued, his voice getting louder and louder with each word, his anger mounting and uncontrollable. He knew he should stop, but he couldn't. This had building in him for too long.
"You didn't want me, but you don't want me to be happy? Why couldn't you just leave us alone? Why did you have to come back here? Why couldn't you just stay gone! Or even leave again, its what you do best. Isn't it? People always leave, right Peyton? But then again, so do you. You get scared and you bail, regardless of who gets hurt. You don't give a damn about anybody but yourself!" Lucas stopped, breathing heavy, his face red and blotchy with anger.
Peyton stood frozen, reeling from the accusations he had hurled at her. Without a word, she turned and fled, flying through the patio door and into the kitchen. Haley and Brooke looked up as she entered, but she paid them no mind, grabbing her purse and jacket and running out the door. She slammed the front door behind her and ran to her car, leaning against the door for a minute to catch her breath. Sliding behind the wheel, she brushed away the tears she hadn't realized were falling and started the engine. She gunned it and flew down the driveway backwards and out onto the street, not checking for oncoming traffic. She threw the car into gear and squealed the tires. She needed to put as much space between her and Lucas Scott as possible.
Brooke and Haley flew outside as Peyton screeched off. They looked at each other and simultaneously groaned. "Lucas", they said, turning around and heading back into the house. They found Lucas standing by the pool, staring at his reflection. Brooke stalked up to him and got in his face.
"What the hell did you do to her now?" Brooke growled.
"Brooke, its none of your business" Lucas started, but Brooke cut him off with a withering, patented Brooke Davis death glare.
"It is my business, because I don't want to have to put her back together, yet again. You cannot keep doing this to her, Lucas. Dammit, how much are you going to hurt her? Until there's nothing left?" Brooke glared at him, her hands on her hips, squaring off for a fight.
"What about how she hurt me?" Lucas countered. "I ASKED HER TO MARRY ME AND SHE SAID NO! No, Brooke. She said no."
"Oh for the love of God. She did not say no, she said some day! SOMEDAY! Not no, not yes, but SOMEDAY. As in, eventually, when your older. And what the hell did you expect, Lucas? You show up out of the blue and spring this on her, no romance, no nothing, just hey, I'm insecure and don't want to be alone, so here, have this ring and give up all your dreams and come home with me to a place full of painful memories. Again, what did you expect her to say? And then, on top of everything else, you bail. You walked out on her. The one person who she never thought would. You just abandoned her." Brooke took a deep breath before she continued. Haley stood frozen, watching the scene before her unfold.
"And then, she realizes her mistake, or whatever you want to call it, and comes back for you. And what do you do? Tell her she looks amazing and that some guy isn't good enough for her. You kiss her and propose to someone else. You say "I do" to someone else. And she stands by you, supporting you, even though it breaks her heart all over again on a daily basis. She let go because you wanted her to, so you could be happy, even though it kills her. It kills her, Lucas, do you know that? Do you know she cries herself to sleep at night, every night, even when you were gone? And God, I can't even tell you what she went through the first time."
"Brooke, I-" Lucas cut in helplessly. Brooke shook her head and held up her hand.
"Don't, Luke, it's too late. I don't want to hear anything from you. You can't do this to her anymore. Just stay away from her. You owe her that much. Just stay away." Brooke turned and walked back into the house to get her phone. She needed to check on Peyton.