A/N: In this universe, Peyton met Brooke through Nathan, and Peyton's mother (in the "real" world, was killed picking Peyton up from cheerleading practice, which she started because of Brooke)

She wanted nothing more than to wake him up. He was thrashing around in the bed, and moaning out her name in a way that wasn't at all good, and all Peyton wanted to do was take her fiancé into her arms, and fix whatever was wrong. But she couldn't. Well, she could, but she honestly did know if she wanted him awake just yet. It was a terrible thing to say, especially since his dreams were obviously not happy ones, but she was just so damn mad. Even after she'd pointed out that there very well could have been no Lucas and Peyton, if it had hadn't have been for a few choice decisions, he hadn't backed down. If anything, it had made him more adamant that he could make another baby, but Peyton was irreplaceable.

In theory, how much he loved her was sweet. In practice, he was asking her to kill her baby. Kill their baby. And a part of her, a terrible, horrible part of her, had hoped he was say that, because a part of her wasn't ready to take a chance with her life. A part of her didn't want to leave Luke, didn't want to leave her daughter behind, without a mother. But a bigger part of her didn't want to give up their baby now. A part of her didn't want to live the rest of her life wondering what if. What she'd wanted him to tell her was that everything was going to be okay, and they would keep the baby, and be the happy little family that they should be. Instead, he'd told her that she was his family, and he didn't want one without her.

She moved her hand up to cover her mouth as a yawn overtook her, and then she sighed, taking one last look at Lucas' now still body before walking slowly to the couch, and pulling the baby blanket that Karen had sent her and Lucas' when they'd found out they were having a girl, close around her. She fell asleep with one hand on her stomach, and one hand gripping a necklace Lucas had given her, with the pink afghan wrapped around her.

She woke up with a light blue afghan wrapped around her, arms tangled in the loose, worn blanket. She gently slid it off of her body before swinging her feet off the bed, catching a glimpse of her wild, unruly hair in the mirror before she slunk downstairs, ready to find out why her little brother had taken her sheets, for the fifth time this week.

"Gavin!" She called, a yawn escaping her tired mouth, followed by a groan a few seconds later when she found the eight year old curled in a ball, asleep on the kitchen table, her sheets covering him up. "Gavs," She called again, this time softly as she shook him awake, pulling her sleeping brother to his feet, and then setting him on the floor. "What are you doing?"

"I was sleeping." He yawned, crawling into his older sister's arms, his long, shaggy dork brown hair flopping from side to side as he shook his head.

"On the kitchen table?"She let him get comfortable before she pulled him up, into her arms, and then carried him upstairs, to his bedroom.

"Emma said it was okay."

"Of course she did." Peyton mumbled softly into her brother's shoulder, sliding open the door to his bedroom, and then lying him down on his bed. He wasn't going to school today. She wouldn't even be going to school today it wasn't for the three tests' she had today. AP Biology, AP Art History and AP Calculus..She didn't know where Emma was. She usually disappeared today; Peyton knew she still blamed herself for their mother's death.

Emma had started cheerleading when she was nine, just a few months after she'd found out that like Peyton, she was adopted. Peyton knew how she felt. She was just searching for a way to be like the mother she knew and loved. Peyton had turned to art, but Emma had picked up the cheerleading her mother had loved so much. Anna had been on her way to pick Emma up from a cheerleading practice when she'd run the light on Main Street, and been killed. Emma had never really forgiven herself.

But she didn't have time to worry about that. It was six forty five, and if she wanted to get to school on time, she had to get moving. It was seven fifteen before she made it out of her house, a baby sitter for Gavin secured, dressed in a pair of worn jeans, and a Keith Scott Body Shop sweatshirt that her father's best friend had given her as a gift the Christmas before. Her long blonde hair was pulled up into a ponytail, and she was running late. But her Uncle Keith had fixed up her old red Mustang (it had originally been his), and it ran perfectly, so she at least knew she wouldn't have to worry about that. She was right, her car ran perfectly, and she made it to school just in time for the first bell.

The morning was easy, it always was. First period Studio Art, second was AP English, and then she had Art History, Biology and French Five. She aced two of her tests, she knew, and she was in fairly good spirits when the lunch bell rang. And then the lunch bell rang.

At least Nathan was here today though. The tortuous lunch period went much faster when she had her oldest friend next to her, but Nathan didn't make it to school often. He and his mother lived just outside of town, and like no one had even known Peyton existed, most people hadn't taken much notice of him, until word got out that he was Caleb Scott's older half brother. Then, he'd stopped coming to school any more than was absolutely necessary. Caleb Scott may have been a year younger than him, but he was still the prince of the town. Dan Scott ran the biggest car dealership in town, and his wife, Karen Scott, owned a chair of restaurants that stretched along the entire east coast. According to her Uncle Keith, who aside from having been a close friend of Larry, and Karen herself during high school, was Dan's brother, and had made it no secret that he didn't like the people that either had become.

He'd stuck by Deb from the beginning, and even though Peyton had known the real story behind Nathan's birth for longer than ever her parent's, it had still shocked her at just how venomous the people of Tree Hill could be.

"Move over, loser." And there was one of the snakes themselves. The leader, actually. With her long brown hair, and chocolate brown eyes, and cute little dimples, Brooke Davis had everyone in the school under her spell, and even now, as Peyton laid on the floor, her books sprawled around her, she couldn't help but notice the people around her, looking at her as if it was her fault that she had been in Brooke's way.

Sitting next to Brooke at the table was her best friend, and co-captain of the cheerleading squad, Haley James. Haley was from a big family, and as soon as she could walk, she'd been attached to Brooke's hip. Until last fall, when she'd been offered a record deal, and had spent the last six months touring the country with her boyfriend, Chris Keller. Nathan was hopelessly in love with her, and she didn't even know his name.

And sitting right next to them, was the golden boy himself, Caleb Scott. He had short, curly blonde hair, and piercing brown eyes that Peyton pretended not to notice, but, like every other girl in the school, she was in love with. He was the star of the basketball team, the star of the down, and much to the annoyance of many, was always single, and never willing to date.

"Stop drooling, Sawyer." Peyton looked up from the book she was reading, and smiled as Nathan Lee slid into the seat next to her. "How are you?"He knew what today was.

"Thinking about cutting the last half of the day." She admitted honestly. She hated to come to school on the anniversary of the accident. She couldn't figure out which was worse, the fact that no one cared or ever seemed to remember, or if what it would be like if she was getting pitting looks from everyone. The first one, at least, she knew was hard.

"Do you want me to drive you?"

"No." She said firmly. Nathan needed all the time in classes that he could get. "Just drop me off my work later on." And then she was gone. No one noticed her leave, and she doubted anyone cared. She was almost in tears by the time she finally made her way out of her car, and into the graveyard. She knew the way to her mother's tombstone by heart, so it only took her a few seconds to get there.

"Hey, mom." She said quietly, after she'd taken a few seconds to just look everything over. "It's Peyton. I just wanted to let you know that everything's okay down here." She paused. "Except I guess you probably know it's not. Dad's gone all the time, and Emma's not doing well. She's never home, and when she is, she's getting high in her bedroom. Gavin's sleeping on the kitchen table, and I just miss you. It's hard." She let a single fat tear roll down her cheek. She tried not to do this. When she came to talk to her mother, she tried to tell her good things. But today, it was just too hard."So if you could just give a sign. Anything. Just to tell me that it's all going to be okay, I'd really appreciate it." And then she was silent for a minute, more tears running down her face silently. So silently, that she heard the brown sob from a few feel behind her, and spun on her heals.

What she saw just about sent her tumbling over. It was Karen Scott. Karen "I'm too good for this town" Scott. She was sitting in front of a tiny white cross, her hands gently stroking the white marble, with tears running down her face. Her tormented, heartbroken, and for the first time Peyton had ever seen it, venerable, face.

Peyton waited until Karen had left, until she saw the black Mercedes pull out of the lot, before she crossed the cemetery to the cross.

Lucas Eugene Scott, it read, The Son that Never Was.

Peyton couldn't help the tears that fell from her eyes as she looked over the words, a silent, incomprehensible grief wracking her body as she sobbed for this boy as if he was a piece of her.

Peyton woke with a start, fresh tears dotting her cheeks as she slowly readjusted her eyes to the soft light that was still pouring in from the kitchen. She didn't hesitate before she was up, her feet leading her automatically in her, their bedroom, and into Lucas' arms. It was as if he had been expecting her, or he just needed her, because even in his sleep, his arms wrapped around her and pulled her close, one of his hands falling onto Peyton's stomach.

She was just about to wake him up, she was, and then she felt a light fluttering in her stomach. Her baby. Their baby. Lucas must have felt it too, because the next thing she heard was s light sob, and then his eyes were open, and his arms were pulling her as close to his as she could be. Not that she minded. After her hell of a dream, she needed it as much as he did.

"Peyton?" He whispered out groggily, sleep, and fear thick in his voice.

"I'm right here, baby." She whispered back, pressing a kiss to his lips. "I'm right here."

"I love you." He paused, his fingers lightly dribbling over her stomach. "We're keeping our baby." The way he said it was so damn sure, so firm, that it made her heart soar. "If you want to keep out baby, then we will, because I know that everything is going to be all right. We are going to be okay because I love you, and I love our daughter more than anything in the world. And fate, god, whatever is controlling this, has to know that it's time we get some luck. We've been through too much. So it's going to be okay. It is."

"I love you, Lucas Scott." It was all she could say. She loved him. She didn't want to live in a world without him, and she knew he was right. They were True Love Always, and this was their always, and she'd be dammed if they weren't going to get it.

A/N: So, the next chapter is going to be like an epilogue. It should be up by Monday. Leave a review, tell me what you think!