Thank you for all of your reviews...I have to give all the credit for this chapter to HJS-NS-23 and LPfan4Ever...Kelly and Heather wrote the entire chapter...So thank you both so much...
I've gotten some PM's from concerned Brucas fans wondering why a Leyton fan is helping me with this story...All I'm going to say is that she is an excellent writer and I value her help...She is in no way shape or form trying to change my mind and make me write something that I don't want to write...Yes Heather and Kelly both wrote this chapter but it isn't a Leyton chapter it's a chapter that explains how Peyton died and I wasn't sure I would be able to write that on my own...They just kinda took over and wrote it for me which really helps me to move forward and on to the next chapter...
The morning after Lucas heard Brooke talking about meeting someone he decided to go visit Peyton again. He couldn't help but think that somehow whatever it is Brooke is hiding from him is connected to Peyton and their daughter. He is shocked to find Brooke sitting in front of the tombstone. He tries to walk as silently as he can up to her, he knows that it's wrong but he's hoping maybe if he can hear what she is saying then he will find out what Brooke is hiding.
"God Peyton what am I going to do? He has to know but how am I supposed to break this to him?" he hears Brooke saying through her tears. He quickly hides behind a tree to try to listen to more of what she is saying. "I love you P. Sawyer and I miss you." she says regretfully before she gets up and walks towards her car. Lucas sighs as he watches her walk away.
After he sees that she is in her car and driving away he slowly walks to Peyton's grave. "Hey Blondie, I don't know what's going on with Brooke do you think you can help me out? I need to know what's going on with her. What is she hiding?" he asks out loud knowing that Peyton can't answer him. The tears blur his vision as he thinks back to that night "If you were here things would be so much different. I know Brooke still blames herself for what happened. God Peyton we need you right now. What happened that night Peyton?" he asks. Unknown to Lucas someone else in another state is replaying that night in their heads as well.
"I remember that night, the night it happened. I heard the sirens and saw the ambulance rushing towards the Molina Bridge." the woman says looking at him. "I was so afraid of what was happening. I was praying that it wasn't anyone I knew, but as it turns out it was and that made me run again. I just couldn't handle anything else right then." she adds. He looks at her shocked.
"I didn't even know you were back in town that night. Why didn't you say anything to me?" he asks shocked. She sighs and runs her hand lazily through her hair "I wasn't sure what I was supposed to say to you after all of that time. Then I found out about the accident and the next thing I knew you were gone." she says looking at him sadly.
They are startled when the other person walks in the room "Yeah I remember that night too. A little too well." the person says as their brown eyes meet the other's in the room.
Peyton ran out of the house and to her beloved Comet, barely feeling the chill air or the rain pounding down around her. Her tears mixed with the rain, harshly wiping them from her face she opened the drivers door and got in, her body shivering from the cold, anger and pain that had just been inflicted on her. She couldn't believe Brooke could be that cruel. She should've figured that the brunette wouldn't want to help after finding out it was Lucas' baby.
As much as she regretted sleeping with Lucas when he was with Brooke she couldn't stop the way she felt about him or regret their child nestled safely in her womb. Her shaky hand inserted the keys in the ignition, her music blaring through the car as she drove, trying to leave all the troubles behind her.
The road was slick and the rain seemed to be coming down harder, but it was nothing she hadn't dealt with before. Her tears continued cascading down her cheeks as she thought about the hate burning for her in Lucas' crystal blue eyes.
Stupid me She thought the anger directed at herself. I should have never told Brooke the baby wasn't Jakes...But he has a right to know she reprimanded herself. But now he hates me she reminded herself. The internal debate going on in her head and the way Brooke looked at her the anger etched cruelly in her hazel eyes and the betrayal reflected in Lucas' eyes tore her heart. Gasping for breath she tried to calm herself down. This isn't healthy for the baby she reminded herself, slowing her breathing and trying to focus on the road.
She saw the Molina bridge up ahead and her heart clenched when she remembered sitting next to Brooke there after her mom died. She remembered all of the time she and Brooke would go to the bridge when one of them was feeling sad. Shaking her head and trying to get rid of the thoughts about Brooke and Lucas she focused on the baby.
Her little girl. Peyton had high hopes for her little girl. She could just imagine her. She hoped the little girl would have her blonde curls and Lucas' baby blue eyes. She hoped that their daughter would have Lucas' love of literature and her love of art and music.
As she was lost in thought Peyton felt the back tires slide, reminding her she was driving in this rainy weather. The bridge was slicker than the roads and Peyton gripped the steering wheel tighter, a gnawing in her stomach warning her that something bad was going to happen soon.
All of a sudden La Rocca filled the comet and Peyton felt the tears fill her eyes as her mind drifted back to Lucas. No matter what happened she knew she would always love him, even if he thought she was mistake, or their daughter was a mistake. The back tires hit the wet pavement and spun fishtailing the car. Peyton jerked the wheel to the left and swerved, the wheels hitting the slick pavement and she lost control of the wheel, her knuckles turning white as she clutched the wheel, stomping her foot on the break but nothing stopping it as the car swerved on the bridge the last thing she saw was the railing of the bridge as her right hand layed on her stomach trying to save her daughter as her head slammed against the steering wheel from the impact of hitting the railing, the car flew over the bridge and into the murky water the rain continuing to splatter down on the river as the comet sunk.
A black SUV that had been following Peyton saw the accident and stopped just before reaching the bridge and watched the car sinking, a hand reached for their cell phone dialing 911. Getting out of the car the stranger ran to the railing and dived into the water. Seeing a silhouette jump into the water the driver knowing the black car from anywhere threw it into park, nearly sliding into a ditch and ran to the bridge and jumped down so he could assist.
Lucas runs his hands through his hair "I just wish I knew what happened that night Peyt. I just wish you and our daughter were here." he sighs and looks around "I love Brooke with all of my heart, I do. It's just I feel like a major part of me died that night along side you and our daughter." he shakes his head "If I didn't have Brooke I don't know what I would have done. I'm so sorry that I told you I hated you, Peyt I could never hate you." he says as the tears run down his face.
His heart clenched as he remembered her green eyes visibly upset when he told her he hated her. He was just so angry then he didn't really mean what he said. He just didn't know how she could keep something like that from him for so long. He had just found out that he was going to be a father before he turned eighteen years old. But that wasn't the part that bothered him. It was the fact that Peyton had kept it from him, that she let him believe it was Jake's child.
He hears footsteps behind him and turns around quickly to see who it is. He's relieved to find Keith standing behind him. Keith sighs seeing the boy he raised as his own sitting there with his heart visibly breaking. "Luke I know you're hurting but at some point you're going to have to move on. Peyton knows you didn't mean what you said, she knows that you love her and that you miss her." Lucas just looks at him and shakes his head.
Lucas just stares into Keith's eyes "How can she possibly know that Keith? I told her I hated her! I caused this, Peyton and our baby are both dead because of me. If only I would have reacted differently, if I would have taken the time to just listen to her." he sighs and shakes his head looking away "None of this would have happened and she would still be here. My daughter would still be here." he yells.
"Lucas you can't know that for sure. You can't blame yourself son" Keith said soothingly. "You don't know that they would still both be here. That's the thing about life, you never know exactly how long you're going to have with someone. So you just have to learn to live as if there is no tomorrow." Keith tells him pulling the younger boy into a hug. Lucas just cries on his shoulder.
Lucas shook his head. It's my fault he tells himself knowing if he wouldn't of told Peyton he hated her he would be holding their daughters hand and teaching her all different things and reading The Great Gatsby to her.
Lucas is sitting there again recalling the night that everything changed.
Brooke is lying in her bed staring at the ceiling. She keeps replaying the events of the night back in her head. Was she too hard on Peyton? She wonders to herself. She was just angry that her best friend kept that kind of secret from her for all those months. How could Peyton do that to her? How could she do that to Lucas? Let him believe that her child was Jake's baby.
Brooke doesn't know what to think anymore. She and Peyton have gotten through so much together and she really didn't want to lose her friend again. She sighs as she gets up off her bed to grab her cell phone. She decides she needs to talk to Peyton and confront her about why she didn't tell anyone the truth. Just as she is getting ready to walk to her car she sees the police rush past. Brooke doesn't know what has happened but as the ambulance trails right behind the police she knows that it can't be good.
As Brooke gets into her car her phone rings and she sees Nathan's name flash across the screen. She answers it instantly her gut telling her something is wrong. "Hello?" she says quickly. She just hears breathing in the phone for several seconds "Nathan what's going on?" she asks getting concerned. Again all she hears is breathing "Nathan I swear to you if this is some kind of joke I'm going to kick your ass." she yells into the phone as she grows even more concerned.
She hears a sigh then "Brooke, Peyton's car just went off the Molina Bridge and it doesn't look good." he says sadly. Brooke's blood freezes and her whole body goes numb. 'No this can't be happening.' she thinks to herself 'I can't lose her she has to be alright.'
Brooke tries to compose herself but it doesn't work. "Wh-What happened?" she chokes out. Nathan sighs "I don't know Brooke all I know is that her car went off the bridge and her body is missing. But it doesn't look good, the police think maybe her body got washed down river. They say they may never find her if that is the case." he says and she can hear the tears in his voice.
"They've sent a search and rescue team down looking for her body, but they still haven't found anything." he says chocking on his sobs "They've looked for the last hour Brooke and still they haven't found anything." he hears Brooke let out a sob and his heart breaks even more knowing the pain she is going through "She's gone Brooke." he says simply.
Brooke shakes her head vehemently "No she isn't." Brooke rasps out her voice weaker than she wishes. She cant be! Instantly her mind goes to Lucas and that she needs to tell him what happened. "Lucas, I've got to tell Lucas." she whispers so low that Nathan can barely hear her. She slams the phone shut before Nathan can say another word. Somehow she blindly manages to drive herself to Lucas's house.
Lucas is sitting on his bed trying to come to term that Peyton is carrying his baby. It just can't seem to sink in. A part of him is ecstatic, him and Peyton created this little life together, but at the same time he's not even eighteen and he's going to have this little person to take care of and the responsibility to go along with. He wonders how disappointed his mom is going to be in him and how shes going to react to him telling her she's going to be a grandma again.
He vividly remembers telling her about Brooke when they thought she was pregnant.
*Flashback*
Karen is in the kitchen getting a drink when Lucas walks in. She turns a looks at him "Did I wake you?" she asks. He shakes his head slightly "No." he whispers.
She smiles "Sometimes I can't sleep I just lie awake and worry." she says rubbing his arm. He looks at her slightly confused "What are you worried about?" he asks.
She lets out a small chuckle "I'm a mother, Lucas. I worry about everything." she glances at the clock and sees that it's really late "What are you doing up?" she asks.
He looks at her and she can see the worry in his eyes. "There's something I have to tell you. You should sit." he says trying to mask the nervousness in his voice.
Karen shakes her head and looks at him with concern in her eyes. "Okay. I think I'll stand." she says hesitantly not prepared for what he is getting ready to tell her.
"This is going to hurt you, mom. And I'm sorry." he says with tears in his eyes. Karen grows even more concerned "What happened?" she asks searching his face for answers.
He looks at her in the eyes and she can see the fear set in them "Brooke's pregnant." he says hoarsely.
Before he can realize what's happening Karen slaps him across the face hard.
*End Flashback*
He could still feel the sting of the slap on his cheek some days and how the disappointment his mother had for him washed over him in waves.
Lost in his thoughts he barely registered the frantic knocking on his door. Walking to the door he saw a drenched Brooke before she hurled her body on him. His arms instantly coming and wrapping around her. He feels her body tremble and knows something is wrong.
"Brooke what's wrong?" He asked concern lacing his voice. Brooke looks at him the tears falling down her cheeks. "Its Peyton." She rasps out. "Its bad Lucas, really bad" she chokes out before hugging him closer to her, needing his warmth.
Lucas gulps the fear bubbling in his stomach. "Her car went off the bridge and they can't find her body" Brooke sobbed out not being able to meet Lucas' eyes her guilt eating her up inside.
Lucas anguished eyes glance at the door. Please let them find her he prays needing Peyton and the baby to be okay. But his gut is telling him that she's gone. Peyton and the baby are gone and he will never forgive himself for that. He wouldn't of let his anger get in the way, Brooke wouldn't have lost her best friend and Peyton would be okay. And in a few more months he could be holding his little girl, rocking her to sleep.
"I love you Lucas please don't ever leave me" Brooke begged. "I can't handle losing another person I love" he shakes his head "I wont Brooke. It's me and you now" Lucas told her. "I love you."
Lucas held onto her his face resting on top of her head as the two shed tears for the dead blonde.
Brooke is sitting on the couch when her phone rings she sighs when she sees the person's name flash across the screen "What?" she answers hatefully.
"I just want to make sure that you're still coming on Saturday." he asks.
Brooke rolls her eyes and rubs her temples with her free hand "Yes, I'll be there Saturday. Stop worrying."
He shakes his head "I have to worry because this has gone on too long. He needs to know Brooke. I should have never kept this kind of secret from him for so long. It isn't fair." he says sounding upset.
Brooke sighs "Look you're the one who decided to keep the truth from Lucas not me. So you're the one who's going to have to deal with it." she says getting pissed.
He grows angry "But I was going to tell him several months ago and you stopped me. Remember?" he asks fuming.
The tears well up in Brooke's eyes because she knows that her world as she currently knows it is about to come crashing down on her. "Look I'll be there Saturday and we'll figure it out then." she says as she quickly slams the phone shut.
Little does she know Lucas heard everything she just said and his curiosity has only peeked.
