No More than This

Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not now or will ever own One Tree Hill or its characters

Lucas walks into the house and the first thing he sees is Peyton laying on the floor curled into a ball holding onto something, with sobs shaking through her body. He immediately approaches her on the floor and pulls her into his arms. Peyton sobs against his chest and repeats "he's gone, he's really gone!"

Lucas is trying to conceal her whispering "It's all going to be alright. Just breath, I've got you."

"Cry all you want." Lucas says to Peyton as she buries her face into his lap. "I miss him too." Lucas admits for the first time. Lucas then pulls out Peyton's pony tail, and slowly runs his hands through Peyton's hair, then moving down her back and rubbing slow circles between her shoulders trying to sooth her tears and help her relax.

"I can't stop." Peyton sobbed.

"It's alright; Cry as much as you need to. I'll take care of you, everything is going to be alright, I promise."

Peyton gently nods her head against Luke's lap, while she continues crying over the loss of her brother. She eventually cries herself to exhaustion Her little fingers curled and uncurled over the fabric of Lucas's shorts, sometimes a little sob would escape her lips, sometimes she shook or turned a little, her head still on his lap. Finally her breathing was deep and even. She was asleep.

Lucas pushed her hair away from her face and brushed the backs of his fingers against her wet cheek. She terrified him. It scared Lucas half to death that he was all that Peyton had, that she depended on him. Lucas then moves his hands underneath Peyton and carries her up to their room. He places her on the bed gently and gives a soft kiss to her forehead. He then grabs one of his books and takes a seat next to Peyton on the bed. He stays with her so that when she wakes up she will know that he will always be there for her.

Peyton alternatively cried and slept for the next week, and Lucas was by her side every time she opened her eyes, he held her while she cried and tucked her back into bed when she fell asleep.

He called his mum and asked her to cook all the foods Peyton loved- he needed to tempt her to eat something, and he needed advise from his mother so he knew that he was doing the right thing by Peyton, his wife.

"She needs someone to look out for her Lucas," Karen Says "she needs that kind of stability in her life, she needs a family, and to feel loved. I'm afraid Lucas that you're the only one who can make Peyton better. She is the only person that I know who has lost so much in her short life- she didn't have any friends growing up; she has been all alone since you and Derrick left. She has had no one to lean on but herself, so let her lean on you." With that said Karen goes back to cooking and sends Lucas off to see how Peyton is.

Peyton didn't really eat anything for three days, she just cried, slept, and drank water. Lucas is laying in bed reading, and Peyton is asleep, she is curled up in a ball on her side facing him, she slowly opens her eyes and a small smile creeps onto her face as she sees Lucas laying there with a hand behind his head and reading the Great Gatsby, a book she never thought he would read, let alone enjoy. She watches him for a few moments, he mouths the words as he reads and a small smile graces his lips at certain parts of the book. As he turns the page of the book, he turns his head slightly to check on Peyton, that's when he sees her awake, with a small smile on her face watching him. "Nice of you to finally wake up, Sleeping Beauty" Peyton stretches her arms above her head and says, "Lucas, I'm hungry"

"Really?" Lucas asks with his eye brows raised

Peyton just nods her head and buries herself back under the covers. Lucas puts his book on his bedside table and runs down stairs to warm her up some soup Karen bought over for her. He comes back up with the soup, fluffs her pillows and makes her sit up before he gives her the tray. She couldn't finish the entire bowl, however when she was done, Lucas pulled the covers up to her neck and told her that he was glad she finally ate something- he was starting to get worried. Peyton turned her head into the covers to try and hide her smile; it was nice to finally have someone worry about her.

The next morning Peyton was starting to feel better, she woke up and asked Lucas if he could start her a bath- she was feeling a bit icky from being in the same clothes for three days straight.

Lucas filled the tub up with bath salts, bombs and what not- anything that is remotely relaxing, he then lit candles and spread them around the bathroom. He also put her Cure album on for her, because he figured it would help relax her. When Peyton was in the bath, he changed the bed sheets, and went down to the kitchen to see what food his mother dropped off today. He makes her some toast- something that is light on her stomach and takes it up to her when he hears the bathroom door shut. He gets to their room and he can see that she is already back in bed. He gives her, the toast, and sits next to her with his French toast- it is a good sign when she asks to have half of his French toast. Lucas is just happy to see her eating and gives her the whole thing.

Peyton felt as if she was sick mostly, and that was how Karen and Lucas were treating her, as if she had just come out of a long sickness and was beginning to recover.

Peyton could stay in bed all day if she wanted; she actually only got out of it when she bathed. Karen didn't tire of making Peyton delicious smelling food to temp her appetite. And when she was bored, Luke would read out loud to her or they would play board games together- and even music trivia.

It was weird for Peyton to have Lucas around all the time, especially since before they barely ever saw each other, let alone say anything to each other. But it was nice, and she felt comfortable having a friend in Lucas. Besides, it didn't hurt having someone to talk to either.

"What are you smiling at?" Lucas asks looking over at Peyton. He takes her empty plate from her lap- waffles and ice cream is her weakness and Karen knows that and now so does Lucas...

"when it was just Derrick and I at home, he would always make ice cream and waffles- even though he hated waffles- don't ask me why; but he knew that they would put a smile on my face so whenever I was sad he would make me ice cream and waffles, then he would sit there and force feed me like 5 pieces of fruit to cancel out the sweetness."

Peyton can't help but smile at the memory of her health conscious brother- Lucas just grabs her hand and gives it a squeeze – "I remember he wouldn't eat any sugar unless her had two pieces of fruit after it- he would drive me crazy." Lucas says chuckling a little. They were both surprised that it didn't hurt as much when they thought of or spoke about Derrick these days. They really needed each other to heal themselves.

There was lull in the conversation- and that was when Lucas did something that Peyton couldn't believe. He gently takes hold of both her hands, looks into her eyes and says "Peyton, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for putting you in the position I did when I proposed marriage to you. I'm sorry I spent the last few months ignoring you and treating you badly. I didn't... don't know how to deal with everything that has happened in the last four years, and I'm sorry because I have taken that frustration out on you- and you don't deserve that. You're an amazing person Peyton Sawyer- and I would love it if we could be friends."