November 9th, 2011
Tree Hill North Carolina
Lucas Scott's House
Peyton Scott's eyes snapped open, revealing the sunlight soaked floor that was laying directly underneath the window, which was hanging open, the blue curtains just barley moving in the wind. She immediately noticed Lucas', her husbands', absence, and she got up, throwing her legs off the bed, just in time to nearly run into him as he came running back through the door, a cup of water in hand.
"You're awake." He said, still out of breath, holding the cup of water out to her. She took it from him without hesitation, taking a sip before she put it down and then fell backward onto the bed, pulling Lucas down with her. She buried her face in his chest, just lying there, silently letting him hold her. "Was it bad last night?"
"Same as always. I'm just standing there, and then My mom's gone, and then Ellie, and then you. And then Brooke and Haley and Nate and Derek, and then…" She trailed off. She's been having these nightmares for a week and a half now, and the new couple had gotten into a nightly pattern. They would go to bed, happy, and then sometime in the morning, Peyton would start to scream and flair in her sleep, something that always woke Lucas. And Luke would run to the kitchen, grab some water, and then wake up his wife, who would curl up into his arms for a few minutes well he just sat, trying desperately to fix his broken wife. The she would tell him, in as much detail as she could manage about the dream.
"And who?" Lucas asked; worry seeping though the mask of calm that was etched on his face. Peyton had never mentioned anyone else in these dreams. "Blondie," he whispered, pulling her closer to him, pressing his lips to her hair, "What's going on?"
"And the kids. They died too." She whispered into his chest, and then she started crying. Though Lucas was completely confused, he had known Peyton long enough to realize that she was done talking, for now. And apparently, she was done sitting too, as she bolted out of bed and dashed for the bathroom, where Lucas was shocked to hear the sound of her vomiting.
"Peyton." He said, still quietly, though they were alone in the house, as he walked in behind her, and pulled her hair behind her back. "You need to go to the doctors." He sighed, pressing his forehead into his shoulder.
"I'm fine. Well, not fine, but there's nothing that the doctors can do for me. I probably just have the flu. I used to get bad nightmares when I was sick when I was a kid too. I'll stop at the pharmacy on the way to pick Mia and Derek up from the airport. Happy? Peyton nodded, the nauseous feeling gone as soon as it had come on, as it had for the past few mornings.
"Speaking of which, we better get ready, or we're going to be late." Lucas said, pulling Peyton up onto her feet and pulling her into a hug. "And not really. If it doesn't get better, I will drag up to the doctors myself."
"What are you talking about, it's only…" She checked her watch, ready to tell him it was only eight, but her mouth dropped when she realized it was nearing two.
"You slept for sixteen hours Peyt, another reason to go to the doctor's, obviously what ever bug you caught is wearing you down."
"Lucas."
"I'm just worried about you."
"I know, and it's sweet and all, and I know that you love me, but I can take care of myself. And I know it's just the flu." She waited for him to reply, and when he said nothing, she sighed, "Fine. And if I don't feel any better in three days, I will go to the doctors."
"Thank you."
"I'm going to take a shower." Her voice was mad sounding, and seeing as she had her head turned away from him, Lucas couldn't be sure whether it was mock anger, or real anger. He knew Peyton hated the doctors and hospitals, but something was wrong. He knew that it wasn't normal for Peyton to be having nightmares and throwing up all the time. But unlike the doctors sitting in the clinic, he couldn't say what was really wrong with her.
"I love you."
"Love you too."
An hour later, Lucas and Peyton were both in the Comet, driving towards the highway, and Peyton was apparently not mad at him. Or, at least, if she was, she wasn't showing it.
"You excited?" He didn't need to ask it, he knew from her face that she was ecstatic, but she hadn't said anything about it in the last hour, and Lucas had no problem listening to her talk. But she didn't say anything to him. "Peyt?" Still nothing. "Peyton!" He pulled the car over, and turned around to face his wife. "What's wrong? Her face was pale, and frozen in shock, "Peyton…"
"Nothing," Movement came back to her, and she shook her head "Sorry, just spaced out. Yeah, I can't wait to see Mia, and I haven't seen Derek since well, senior year." She was laughing, and acting very normal. But something was definitely wrong. But Luke knew not to say anything, pushing it would just make her mad at him, so instead, he just started the car back up, and let himself listen to Peyton's ramblings about Derek and Mia. It wasn't long before they pulled into the parking lot, and Lucas happily got out, grabbing Peyton's hand, which she gladly gave to him, and they made their way into the crowed airport. And it wasn't particularly hard to find Mia and Derek either. Just follow the screaming girls, and there she was. "Mia!" Peyton yelled, getting the girls attention, as she pushed her way through the crowd, occasionally yelling out "Manager", when the fans wouldn't move out of the way.
"Peyton! God, it's been forever." The sarcasm obviously hadn't been changed by the stardom.
"Forever, two months, same thing, you know. You look great Mia." They were still standing in the crowd of people, all of them trying to get near Mia, and as Peyton realized that, she turned around to face not only Lucas, but her brother. "Hey Derek."
"Peyton." He nodded before he made his way, much more easily than Peyton had, she noted, and pulled his little sister into his arms. "It's been a long time."
"Five years."
"Long time to go without seeing your little sister."
"Long time to go without seeing your big brother." She agreed, pulling away from him, before she once again noticed the screaming crowd. "We better get going, before these people kill Mia." She laughed, grabbing one of the bags off the floor, and walking away from the crowd, pulling Mia behind her, nearing running by the time the four of them made it to the comet, they were lucky that no one had thrown themselves that them. And they were lucky that Lucas had parked as for away as possible, because it had been far easier to lose the crowd.
"Remind me to not fly into public airports anymore." Mia said, throwing herself into the car.
"Oh you love it." Peyton Laughed, taking the front seat, "Don't lie."
"Yeah, it is pretty cool. And all thanks to my super amazing label. Thank you, thank you thank you Peyton."
"Mia. It was all you. But you're welcome."
"You two can argue about this all night, but it's not going to ever be solved, so how about we argue about something more constructive. Like where we're going to eat." Lucas said, looking at his arguing wife and her favorite artist.
Derek spoke next. "I think that Mia should pick, she's only here for tonight."
"What?" Peyton asked, turning around again, a frown on her face. "Why?"
"Concert tomorrow night. Sorry Sawyer, if you wanted to spend time with me, you shouldn't have done such a good job."
"Scott."
"What?"
"You called her Sawyer," Lucas said, meeting her confused glance through the rear view mirror. "It's Scott now."
The silence in the car was deafening as Peyton and Lucas took in the complete joy of telling the first people about their marriage, and as Derek and Mia digested the news. Then it was anything but silent.
"What! Oh my god Peyton! When? How come you didn't call! Oh my god!" Mia said unbuckling herself so that she could hug Peyton, who was now blushing.
"It's been about a month, and I didn't want you to feel like you had to come to like, congratulate me, or anything."
Lucas interrupted her. "And she's been to busy throwing up and having nightmares lately." He shot a dark look at Peyton, though he grabbed her hand, and then a pleading look at Derek.
"Sick Peyton?" Derek asked, looking up at her.
"I'm fine."
"Luke said you've been pretty sick."
"It's just the flu."
"The have medicine for that. And what if it isn't the flu? What if it's something contagious? Oh, and congratulation, on getting married by the way. You've come a long way. When I left you he was thinking he was in love with someone else, and you were to afraid to tell him how you felt."
"Join the club." Mia muttered, ignoring that glares that both Lucas and Peyton sent her way, and focusing on Derek's confused look. "oh, you didn't hear about Lindsay. Well, she and Luke were engaged, but then she…" Mia seemed to sense that she was about to hit a nerve, and she redirected. "It just didn't work out. But he was still pining when I left."
"You got engaged?"
"Almost twice. But when I asked Peyton the first time, she said no."
"I said someday Lucas. That's a different thing." Her voice had the same quite desperation in it that it always did when she was reminded of that fatal night.
"You know what; I think I'll just have Peyton explain it to me, on the way to the doctor's office. Now."
"Derek. No."
"Peyton. Please. Do it for me, and for Lucas. We're just worried about you. He sounded worried sick when he called the other day."
"When he did what?" She was looking at Lucas now.
"I was worried Peyton, I'm sorry. I didn't want to call Brooke or Haley because I know you didn't want them to know, but I wanted to ask someone about it…"
She rolled her eyes, instantly forgiving him, this time, and she leaned into him kissing him quickly to show that she wasn't mad.
Derek was talking again, but Peyton wasn't listening to him, she was looking at Mia, who was staring at her, with her mouth slightly agape.
"No way."
"Mia, don't." The entire exchange was to quite for Derek or Lucas to hear, but it's effects were instantaneous.
"Fine, Derek, take me to the doctors. Happy Lucas?"
"Very much so." He said, kissing the top of her heard before he pulled the car to a stop, and powered the engine down. "And, to thank you, I will bring all the stuff in, and Mia and I will make dinner. Well, I'll make dinner, and Mia can help."
"Hey! I can cook." Mia said, defending herself as Lucas and Mia got out of the car and started pulling the bags out, and Derek took the drivers seat. A few minutes later, they were on the road.
"So, Peyton, what's been going on with you and Lucas lately?" Derek asked, and Peyton began on the long journey of what had become Lucas and Peyton's past. She told him about the happy months between when he left and the night Lucas proposed, she told him how scared she had been, and how she would have said yes in an instant if she knew that saying she wasn't ready meant that they were done. And then she told him about the book, and then Lindsay. She talked about how she came back to Tree Hill to find Lucas dating his editor, and how heartbroken she'd been, she talked about kissing him at TRIC, and then going to talk to him, and finding out he proposed, with her ring, and then she talked about the wedding. And that took her straight up to the proposal and then the wedding, and then the non-honeymoon that Haley and Nathan had put together for them at the beach house, while Dan was in the hospital. And then they were at the doctor's office. She signed herself in, and then moved the conversation to Derek, before he could launch in on any tirades about how much of an ass Lucas was.
"So, how have you been, big brother?" She asked, once they were both seated and waiting for the doctor, trying to hide the worry on her face.
"I've been great Peyton, but then again, I've only been back for as long as you've been married."
"That's good. How long are you planning on staying in Tree Hill for?"
"I don't really know." His voice was getting a slight edge to it.
"Oh, well Lucas and I would love to have you for as long as you want to be here. Besides, what's St. Flora got on us?" She was only joking, but the comment obviously had some sort of effect on him, as he immediately tensed.
He gave a dry laugh, and then picked up a magazine.
"Is everything okay Derek?"
"I'm fine Peyton."
"You're reading CosmoGirl. Are you sure?"
"Peyton, I said I was fine, leave it alone." His response shocked Peyton, but before she could manage to respond, she heard her name called from the front desk. "I'll meet you in the car when you're done."
An hour later, Peyton Scott made her way out of the doctor's office, her face white as a ghost, with a plastic bag at her feet. She silently opened the door to the driver's seat and slid in. Making no move to start the car.
Derek spoke first. "I was born in St. Flora, but I've lived in Charlotte since I graduated from Elementary School. When I decided to join the army, my mom sold our house there and we moved back to St. Flora. I lived with her and my older brother until I got deployed. While I was overseas, I found out that my mother had died, and left everything to my brother. He was doing drugs, and making a lot of bad decisions, and she thought that if he had a house, and some money, he might do better. When I got home, I found out that he had burned the place down one night when he was to high to care, and everything was lost, including his life. But I don't have anything left. Just the money. No house, no family. Just you and Lucas."
"I'm pregnant." Peyton still hadn't started the car.
A/N: I really can't resist Leyton with a baby. Review, please.
