A/N: Sorry for the wait. Ironically, i've had no inspiration until now hehe. I'm also working on a Naley story, and brainstorming about a Pathan story. Let me know if you think I should post them. REVIEWS... please? :)

Fast asleep, Lucas tightens his grip, bringing her warm, soft body closer to his. Despite being so slender, Peyton's figure had a softness about it. She was not muscular or built, but fragile. She had the softest skin that melted under a sleeping Lucas' touch like butter. Fast asleep, Peyton subconsciously responds to Lucas' tightened grip by murmuring incoherent words and snuggling her head of wild curls into his firm, strong chest. Their limbs are tangled; legs woven together and arms clutching each other. Suddenly, Peyton jerks her leg causing Lucas' slumber to come to an abrupt halt. Their faces are pressed together, and Lucas' is staring right at Peyton's gently closed eyelids, decorated with eyelashes so long they are almost brushing her cheek. God, being this close to her was tempting. She smelt amazing, her scent an intoxicating mixture of vanilla and patchouli. Her lips are parted ever so slightly, and she is snoring so gently it is almost soundless. To Lucas' ears it is like music, and he smiles at how peaceful his best friend looks.

This is how Peyton Sawyer is meant to be; content and at peace. However, since the death of her mom, she has been anything but. Plagued with grief and emptiness, Peyton has never been the same. Sure, she still has the same boisterous sense of humour and feisty temperament, but only Lucas can remember the days when Peyton never knew of genuine sadness and hurt. The one thing keeping Peyton together for the seven years it has been since her mom's death is Lucas.

Lucas can remember back to the day Anna Sawyer was killed running a red light. It was a frosty December afternoon, and Lucas was waiting patiently in the school car park with Peyton for her mom to pick her up. Lucas usually walked home from school, or to Karen's café but Peyton's mom was always there on the spot to pick Peyton up for soccer practice. Today though, was different. School had finished an hour ago, and Anna had not arrived. Peyton was adamant that she would be coming, so she sat stubbornly on the curb of the car park waiting for her mother. Lucas, who always followed Peyton around like a lost puppy, sat with her. They sat there for an hour and a half before Lucas told Peyton they should start walking before it got dark.

Peyton finally relented and followed Lucas to his mom's café. "Last one is a rotten egg!" Peyton had challenged, before they began sprinting and laughing their way to the café. Peyton collapsed outside the café, breathing heavily. "I won!" she had squealed with delight as Lucas knelt over, huffing and puffing. He looked up to see his mom standing at the counter, where she usually was. Only this time, her face was plastered with the forecast of bad news. Lucas ushered Peyton inside, and they both hopped up on bar stools. "What's up, Karen?" Peyton had always called Lucas' mother Karen, as she thought of the woman as a friend. "Peyton, dear…" Karen had begun as Lucas watched on with fear of what was about to come out his mother's mouth. He knew it wasn't good, he knew his mother too well. The devastating words finally came out of Karen's mouth and Lucas inhaled sharply, immediately turning to his best friend. Peyton sat there frozen as the ice on the pavement. Her glittering green eyes had suddenly lost their sparkle, and her face turned as white as a ghost. Lucas watched carefully as she processed the information. She backed up, face full of horror, and turned on her scuffed converse and tore straight out the door of the café. Lucas began after her but Karen held him back, "She needs to be with her father right now, son. We will be there for her when she needs us"

Ten year old Lucas hadn't seen Peyton for days when he decided he had to go see her. He had sweetly picked an assortment of flowers from his garden to give to Peyton and Larry, as he didn't really know how to approach the situation. Larry had answered the door; tear stained face and bloodshot eyes. "Mr Sawyer…" Lucas had held out the flowers, feeling pathetic. Larry had welcomed Lucas in and informed him that Peyton was in her room upstairs. Peyton's room was a mess; she had obviously pulled all her records out, all her paintings down and all her drawers out in a fit of rage. Peyton looked up at Lucas from her bed. Her face was as white as it had been the moment she found out, and she looked like she hadn't been fed since then either. Slowly, while looking into Lucas' eyes, Peyton's lifeless green orbs released a single tear. Lucas took this as his cue and rushed forwards to Peyton, pulling her into his skinny arms. She shook fervently and wept and wailed. But Lucas had been there for her, that day and ever since.

Crashing out of his flashback, Lucas directs his attention to the rest of their bodies, suddenly aware of Peyton's bare flesh on his. Her legs are curled around his, her stomach pressed tight against his. He pulls back gently, not wanting to wake her but Peyton jolts awake at the loss of Lucas' warmth. She looks down to their entangled legs and they both pull back quickly.

"Morning" Lucas mumbles throatily

Peyton throws back the covers, only to reveal her bare long legs, black cotton panties and taut, toned stomach as his shirt has ridden up during her slumber. Lucas' breath hitches in his throat, before turning away respectfully as she hastily grabs her black skinnies and slips them on.

"Breakfast?" Lucas enquires politely, trying to settle the obvious awkwardness between them.

"Um, I think I should get home" Peyton says quietly, "I need to shower and I've got a ton of homework"

"Oh, ok. Well… I'll see you later?" Lucas ask, his voice full of hopefulness

"Only if you want your shirt back" Peyton winks, "Which by the way is incredibly comfy"

Lucas laughs, of course Peyton knows how to get rid of the awkwardness.
"Only the best for princess Peyton" Lucas teases, earning himself a light thwack from Peyton

"Anyway, I better be off" Peyton flashes Lucas a quick smirk, before turning and leaving.

Peyton flopped down on her bed, rubbing her hands over her face. What just happened with Lucas? Things had never been so weird between them before. Peyton shook the thoughts from her head, standing up and moving over to her desk as she felt a sudden surge of inspiration rush through her body. She hastily grabbed her sketchpad and let her pencil take her a million miles away. She drew two people entwined in a bed. Her pencil sketched the familiar strong build, messy tufts of hair and prominent jaw lying next to a mess of tangled curls and long limbs. Finally, she brought her pencil to the top of the page where she wrote, who are we? Welcome back, inspiration.

Lucas stabs his fork into the pancakes his mother left for him before she went to work. He can't help but smile at the night he shared with his best friend. Besides his mom, of course, Peyton was his everything. She was the only person he had ever confided in about how he really felt about Dan's abandonment, the only person he told how much he wanted so badly to know if he belonged on a basketball court.

The kitchen door swung open, and Brooke appeared dressed in her usual skanky uniform, a short skirt and a tight, revealing top. Damn, Lucas thought, why did his mom always leave the doors unlocked?

"Lucas" Brooke's demeanour told Lucas she obviously hadn't forgotten about last night.

"Hey Brooke" Lucas mumbled, shoving pancakes in his mouth.

"We need to talk" Brooke stated as if he had no say, before sitting down at the kitchen table next to Lucas

Lucas rolled his eyes inwardly; the last thing he wanted to do right now was talk to Brooke.

"It's about last night" she flicked her meticulously straightened brunette strands over her shoulder pretentiously

"What is there to talk about, Brooke?" Lucas spoke gently, not wanting to anger the tempestuous teenage girl

"What do you think, Lucas?" Brooke's voice began to rise. Not giving Lucas a chance to answer her question, she answered it herself, "You and Peyton! Practically dry humping on the floor"

Lucas rolled his eyes outwardly this time, "Brooke, you clearly saw wrong. You know Peyton and I are just friends. We were just fooling around"

"But you're supposed to be fooling around with me" Brooke started to pout her glossy lips, which Lucas used to find adorable, but which couldn't be more annoying right now

"Brooke", Lucas sighed "Peyton and I are just friends. Nothing more. Honest" Lucas realised he was trying to convince himself of this more than he was trying to convince Brooke

Happy with this, Brooke stood up and moved towards Lucas seductively. She bent down and captured his lips, before breaking away and sucking and nibbling on his ear. Lucas groaned as Brooke grabbed his hand and pulled him towards his bedroom.

She pushed him onto his bed and climbed atop of him. Straddling his hips, she flicked her hair back and kissed down his chest. Between kisses, she asked once more for reassurance, "So you and Peyton are just friends?"

"Mmm" Lucas mumbled, "Just friends"

"Good" Brooke smirked sexily, peeling her tight top off to reveal her bare chest, "Then you won't mind it when I tell you, you can't see her anymore"

Lucas opened is mouth to object, but Brooke's lips interrupted as they came crashing down on his. He tried to tell her no, he could never do that to Peyton, but Brooke's hands began travelling south and he was a teenage boy, after all. No teenage boy could say no to Brooke Davis.

Brooke's lips were all over Lucas' body, when a light tapping sounded from his door.

"Don't get it" Brooke warned, before she continued her previous motions with her mouth

"But-" Lucas began to object, knowing it was Peyton

"Don't get it" Brooke said through gritted teeth, fury building within her tiny body

"Lucas?" Peyton's voice called from outside

Lucas bit his lip to keep his mouth shut, what was he going to do?

Peyton waited for a few more minutes before dropping Lucas' shirt on his doorstep and leaving.

A few days later, Peyton tried Lucas' cell for the hundredth time that day before receiving the same damn voicemail.

"Lucas Eugene Scott. Answer your damn phone or imma come over there and mess you up" She snapped her cell shut, falling back on her bed. Inspiration gone.

Frustrated with Lucas' disappearing act, Peyton drove over to Nathan's to seek distraction from everything.

"Well, well look who we have here" Nathan smirked when he found Peyton on his doorstep

"Shutup, Nathan. I'm pissed off" Peyton marched on in to Nathan's house, stomping up his stairs and into his bedroom

"If you're on your rags, why are you here Peyton? You know we only do one thing" Nathan winked

Peyton scrunched up her face. God, Nathan was such a fucking jerk. "I have nothing else to do. I can't get a hold of Lucas, it's as if he's fallen off the face of the earth"

"For such a smart girl, you really can be an idiot" Nathan laughed

"What are you talking about?" Peyton asked, genuinely confused

"Brooke's been going around telling everyone how she has Lucas wrapped around her little finger. She told him he couldn't see you and obviously your perfect little Lucas isn't as perfect as you make him out to be. He's ignoring you, Peyton" Nathan pointed out bluntly

Peyton's face dropped in realisation. "When I get my hands on that punk…" she whispered to herself, standing up and stomping out the door. Boy, was Lucas in trouble.