Well, it's over. Anyone else's heart break a little? I'm still finding it hard to believe... It's been a great 9 seasons that's for sure! Thanks Mark Schwann for your creative genius.

Anywho, SPOILER ALERT IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE FINALE. FAIR WARNING. SKIP TO THE BOLDED PART.

I just want to say that I was really impressed with how they ended it. It all started with Basketball. In that Gym, with Lucas and Nathan in those same Tree Hill Ravens jerseys. So to have Jamie be standing in that same spot was utterly amazing. Sheer perfection. Mark, you blew me away once again, one final time.

That's all I'll say for the end of the show we all love, I could go on for hours!

Here's the update, I guess this is where we all have to get our OTH fix now! That or old episodes (I'm about to go marathon watch myself!) enjoy, reviews are appreciated :)

Chapter 6

It was hours later that Lucas finally got up from the office chair, only to the sound of his phone ringing, yet again. It was Lindsay. Lucas hesitated for a moment before hitting ignore. He just couldn't deal with talking right now. The phone had been ringing steadily for the past hour. On a whim, he turned it off. In a stupor, he locked up and made his way out to his car. The rain was finally letting up, but not by much. Lucas couldn't remember the last time it had come down like this. Nate and Hales are probably having a grand old time he thought to himself bitterly.

In a daze, he drove home and immediately jumped into the shower. The conversation... fight, more like, with Peyton was at the forefront of his mind. But after standing under the scorching water for a few minutes, Lucas suddenly remembered about Lindsey's flight. It was past 8 now, she was long gone. Lucas brushed the thought away; he would deal with it later. At that moment all he wanted was to sit down with a beer and just... think. About everything that has happened and he'd learned about the last three years.

He felt guilt towards Peyton and the way he'd acted too, for the first time in three years. He would have to apologize. But how? Lucas's thoughts were soon interrupted by his doorbell ringing. Over and over again. He hastily got out of the shower and, leaving a trail of water behind him, pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and opened the door to find Brooke standing there.

"What did you do?" She demanded, before Lucas could even speak.

"What?" He said, completely awestruck.

"To Peyton? What the hell did you do, Luke? You were the last person she talked to."

"I... nothing! We just... we... why? What did she say?"

"Nothing! That's just it. I can't find her. And she's not picking up her phone and-"

"Wait, Peyton's missing?" Lucas interrupted.

Angry Brooke disappeared almost instantly. "I've looked everywhere, Luke. I... I'm scared."

Lucas could understand how she felt. He was starting to feel pretty panicked himself. It had been hours since their talk, where was she? "Let me help." He said before turning to grab his keys.

Angry Brooke was back just as suddenly as she'd left. Angry, protective Brooke. "I think you've helped enough! Nate and Skills and Aaron are looking." With that, and a scorching look, she turned around and stormed back into the downpour.

Lucas watched her leave. When she was gone, he threw on a pair of shoes and grabbed his keys and phone. There was no way he would stay home when Peyton could be hurt. Hair still dripping, he ran into the cold night towards his car.

An hour later, defeated, Lucas parked his car on the side of the road by the lake. The very spot where he and Peyton had first talked, years ago. This had been his last hope. He'd gone everywhere that he knew was meaningful to Peyton. Her old house, the graveyard where her Mom was buried, the River Court, the old music store, and a dozen other places.

Suddenly, their first conversation at this very spot jumped into Lucas's mind. First of all, you don't know me. And Second of all, you don't know me. The ghost of Peyton's words just hung in Lucas's thoughts. The car felt too small, so Lucas restlessly stepped out into the rain, facing the lake. The truth of these words, uttered so many years ago, wasn't lost on him. How could he not have realized she hadn't ever said no? Or that she had supported him and the book all along? That she'd been at his signing, of course she had? How could he have claimed to love this girl for so long and given up on them so easily? And how could he not have known where she would've gone to hide her hurt from the world, yet again. Hurt which he caused? The steady rainfall gave no answers, so with frustration Lucas went back to his car.

He placed his head on the steering wheel. Where are you?

A few minutes later, as he was about to turn the key in the ignition and start looking again, Lucas noticed his phone. It was still turned off. In hindsight, that may have been a dumb move, he realized. He turned it on to over 20 missed calls and a voice message. Most of the calls were from Lindsay and Brooke or Haley and Nate, but there was an unfamiliar number in the mix also, the voice message. Lucas played it.

"Hi Mr. Scott. We're calling from Tree Hill Memorial Hospital. We've been trying to get a hold of you because a woman in her early twenties came through emergency this afternoon after a car accident. She had nothing on her except a business card to your club. If you are a friend or family member, or can help identify this woman, we would appreciate it. Thanks."

Lucas's stomach tightened. His throat went dry and his heart started pounding twice as fast. Please be okay,was all he could keep thinking, over and over again to himself as he drove like a madman to the hospital. When there, he abandoned his car in the area allotted to ambulances and sprinted into the emergency room. He ran to the counter, cutting past the man standing there with his arm in a sling, and it took him three tries to explain to the bewildered nurse that he was here for the woman involved in a car accident who was driving a black Comet.

Lucas hadn't noticed the doctor, a man in his late 50s with thinning hair and a grave expression, come out at the commotion until he cleared his throat and spoke directly to Luke. "Lucas, is it? I was the one to call you."

"Where is she?"

"Come with me."

The doctor led Lucas up a flight of stairs and into an office, gesturing to the chair in front of him. "She's in surgery right now. There was internal bleeding that needed to be stopped."

"Oh God." Lucas slid into it as he felt his legs give way.

"My colleague's working on her, she's in capable hands."

"Are you sure? Is she... is she going to be alright? For sure. I need to know." The panic was rising in his voice, and he stuttered as he struggled to get the words out.

"Lucas, calm down. I assure you she's getting the best care possible. If you'd like, I can have a nurse escort you to where she will go after surgery, but I can't guarantee you'll get to see her tonight.

"Okay." Lucas said as he got up to leave, though this whole thing really wasn't. There wasn't really much else he could say.

"Wait. I remember you two now." The doctor, Doctor Green said.

"Excuse me?" Lucas turned in the doorway, confused.

"It's been almost five years, but it's you. I was the doctor who operated on her when she got shot. In the school shooting. And you carried her out. Wow."

Dr. Green got up and came towards Lucas. He put a hand on his arm in a fatherly way and said "We'll take good care of your girl, son. Don't worry."
Lucas nodded. He didn't know what to say.

Despite Dr. Green's assurances, all Lucas could do was worry. Lucas was pretty sure his pacing was driving the nurse at the nurses' station crazy, but he couldn't seem to stay still. It had been so quiet for so long with just the two of them in the hall that when the double doors burst open at the other end, both of them jumped. Lucas watched Brooke, Haley and Nathan all hurry down the hall towards him. They all started speaking at once.

"How is she?"

"Have you heard anything?"

"Why didn't you call sooner?"

Lucas simply said. "She's still in surgery" before sidling down into one of the hard plastic chairs and tuning the others out.

He returned to his thoughts. Lucas had been thinking a lot about how the Doctor had recognized him and Peyton. He thought back to all those years ago, being alone with Peyton in that library, not knowing if she would make it or not. He thought of the State Championship, when he'd finally kissed her in a sea of confetti. He thought of the millions of times since then, the beautiful memories.

Finally, he thought of that day, in that hotel room in LA. He could see it now. It was all his fault. That day, and every day since then. Especially Peyton's condition now. Why didn't you wait?

Haley, Brooke and Nathan all silently watched Lucas with concern. They had all been angry with him before arriving at the hospital, having deduced that Peyton's current state was due to him and their fight, but looking at him now, they could hardly stay angry. Lucas looked... broken. The three were now concerned for both their friends.

Lucas could hear his friends talking quietly. He could hear the clock above his head ticking rhythmically. He could feel the uncomfortable plastic chair under him. He was in the hallway of the hospital, but he was also a million miles away.

"Can I open my eyes now?"

"In a minute, I promise"

Peyton laughed. "Luke!"

"Just trust me Peyt."

"I do trust you, Lucas. I also know you. And I know you're gonna make my birthday into too big of a deal."

"You don't turn 18 everyday...okay... open!"

Peyton opened her eyes and her breath caught. They were on the rooftop above Karen's cafe. Peyton had been there once before but the place was completely transformed now. There were hundreds of fairy lights hanging from every possible place, they twinkled subtly. A Picnic blanket was set up in the middle of the rooftop, under the late summer's starry sky, and Peyton could see her favourite chocolate cheesecake set beside a basket, a simple candle stuck in it, waiting to be lit. There was also a record player, an actual,

hundred pound record player set up in the corner. A NOFX album was playing quietly. NOFX. On vinyl. The music didn't fit the rest of the setting, but to Peyton it was absolutely perfect.

She turned towards him "Lucas Scott..."

"I know nobody else is here, but you said you wanted intimate, and you love seeing the stars at night, so..."

"Lucas Scott," She repeated before closing the gap between them and giving him a passionate kiss. "It's perfect."

He smiled in response and led her by the hand to the blanket. She blew out her candle and they lay down to watch the stars.

"Thank you, Luke."

He planted a soft kiss on her lips in response.

"True Love Always?"

"True Love Always." Lucas said as he pulled her closer to him.

"Lucas? Luke?" He snapped back to reality as he felt Haley beside him, she placed a hand gently on his arm.

"What?"

"I was just saying that you should go home. Brooke's staying tonight and she's going to call if anything happens."

"I'm not leaving."

"But Luke, you've been here for hours. And you don't look too good."

"I'm not leaving, Hales." He said a little more forcefully than intended.

"Okay." Lucas registered his best friend and brother leaving a few minutes later.

They sat in silence for a while, Lucas lost in thought and Brooke watching him anxiously.

"Luke I have to ask... what did you guys talk about today?"

He sighed deeply. "She came to apologize. For LA."
"And you...?"

Lucas let a bitter laugh escape without even realizing "And I acted like the biggest douche on earth when I should've been the one apologizing."

"Oh."

Brooke's protective look from earlier in the night flashed through Lucas's mind. "She was in LA, at the book signing. Did you know that?"

Brooke hesitated. Her mind flew back to Lucas's book tour. Two weeks after his LA signing, Luke had one scheduled in New York. They had gone out for dinner after, where'd he'd gotten pissed drunk and repeatedly flaunted his new relationship with Lindsey. He had also presented Brooke with Peyton's ring, Keith's ring, before passing out. This last part was a fact that Lucas had never remembered and Brooke had never shared. After much deliberation she finally said, "Yes."

Lucas looked up at her. His eyes were not unkind, more resigned than anything else, Brooke noted. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"She asked me not to."

To this, Lucas had no reply. He placed his head in his hands once again.

After a few moments, Brooke spoke again. "Does this change anything, knowing she was there?"

"I don't know."

"I think you do, Luke."

"But...I'm with Lindsey." It was almost more of a question than a statement.

"Since when has a measly relationship stood in the way of Peyton Sawyer and Lucas Scott?" Brooke said with a smile, referring back to when she herself was caught up in a triangle with the two, years ago. Lucas looked up to meet her eyes guiltily but was surprised to see there was no malice in them, but sympathy and kindness. Brooke truly meant the words, their history aside.

"So one more time, Luke. Does this change anything?"

Silence rung through the hallway for almost a full minute, before Lucas Scott finally said: "Yes."

I'm really swamped with school and work and other things at the moment, so the update may take a while. Bear with me. :) Reviews are appreciated!