A/N: Thanks for the reviews!


CHAPTER 9

The Picture of Dorian Gray. It was one of the last great classic in literature not yet read by Lucas Scott, so he had picked it up at the library a few days ago. However, he didn't like it very much. The praising of pleasure acquired by sins, the deterioration of morality and especially the biting cynicism were almost upsetting to him. When he flipped the yellow-colored page, he stumbled upon another sentence that radiated pure pessimism.

A man can be happy with any woman as long as he doesn't love her.

What the hell was that supposed to mean? With a troubled furrow in his brow, Lucas glanced at Peyton, who was drawing in her bed. Her tummy was slightly exposed. It was evening and she had already changed into her pajamas- a blue short and matching top- before he had decided to drop by. Since their two almost kisses, about a month ago, nothing much had happened; she had stuck to their friendship-pact franticly.

However, her hormones were all over the place, Peyton knew that. Whenever Lucas came too close, she had to restrain herself from ripping his clothes off and jumping his body, so she kept a three feet distance. At all times. It drove him absolutely crazy. Yesterday he had caught her changing her outfit and decided she was truly the most beautiful pregnant woman he had ever seen. Her skin was glowing and except for off course her tummy but also her visibly grown breasts –really, they had gone up more than a cup size and Lucas couldn't stop staring at them; a blushing Peyton had been forced to ask if he could please leave- she had kept her slender figure. Non-body wise, her beautiful, blonde curls had grown even thicker and flowed over her shoulders; she was simply gorgeous.

He wanted to caress, kiss and make love to her but no… He was in one of her chairs reading a book and pining over her. Ugh…He hated to admit it but the 19th century cynic had a point. If he wouldn't have loved her, the fact that he wasn't able to be with her now wouldn't bother him so much. Just like he wouldn't have felt that cold jealousy when he thought she and Nathan were secretly a couple or the day-long pain when she left him.

"Luke, what's wrong?" Peyton suddenly asked, without looking up from her sketch pad. She could almost feel him brood.

"I don't like this book," he somewhat pouted.

"Then don't read it."

"But it's a classic."

"Well…What don't you like?"

"It's cold."

Her sketch pad and pencil were laid aside.

"Read it to me."

"What?"

"Read it to me," she repeated.

"Well…" he seemed a bit hesitant "which part?"

"The part you liked best. Come sit with me."

He rose from his chair and placed himself opposite her on the bed. Before beginning to read, he shortly cleared his throat.

"She is all the great heroines of the world in one. She is more than an individual. You laugh, but I tell you she has genius. I love her, and I must make her love me…"

"That's beautiful," Peyton sincerely said. "How is it cold?"

"Well…" he shortly bowed his head to almost immediately look back up at her "Later on, he leaves the girl he loves without a good reason, without a good explanation. She begs for him to change his mind but he refuses. And then she commits suicide."

A silence followed wherein a shocked Peyton gazed down at her bed sheets. Lucas observed her hands slowly rise to her face before covering her eyes. Then, she began to sob.

"Oh, no, no Peyt…" he quickly crawled over to her. With care, his palms surrounded her wrists and slowly pulled her hands away from her eyes. "It's just a book; it didn't really happen."

"What are you trying to tell me? That you're going to kill yourself?"

"No…" The realization that she had drawn a parallel between the book and them made him smile. It proved their relationship kept her thinking just like it did him. "I wasn't referring to me."

Peyton nodded, but the tears kept rolling off her face.

"Don't cry…" While he brushed the tears of her face, a smile curled his lips. Sometimes-how awful as it was- these emotional mood swings amused him. Today, everything made her sob but yesterday, she almost slapped Haley across the face for picking a strawberry off her plate. It had been kind of fun to see her infamous death glare for something so banal.

"I can't help it," she laughs through her tears. "I'm having trouble controlling my emotions and you make me think you're going to commit suicide."

"Just giving you the heads up," he teased her; shrugging.

Peyton stared at him perplexed. Now that her tears had disappeared, her anger built up.

"Do you think this is funny?"

Obviously, joking about it hadn't been the best move.

"No?" Lucas carefully answered.

"You're awful! First you get me pregnant and then, you laugh at me when what you did to my body makes me emotional! Off my b-"

Her order was silenced by his lips kissing hers. His one hand brushed her cheek and when Peyton willingly laid her body down, his other began to stroke her thigh. She wrapped her hands around his body; her fingers pushing his back to deepen their kiss and gasped when he buried his face in her neck, showering the skin with kisses. After, her hands –or hormones- began to tug on his belt. It surprised him a bit but hell, he didn't mind. If she wanted sex right now, who was he to hinder that? To help her, he briefly rose from her body and took off his shirt. He noticed the birthmark near her shoulder and kissed it softly before his hand eagerly disappeared under her top; his fingers sliding over her arched back and heading to the close of her bra.

"Stop," Peyton managed to order.

"What?" His attention was still completely on the bra so Peyton shuffled her way into a seated position. Softly, she took his face in her hands.

"We need to stop."

"Too soon?" he asked insecurely.

"No…" she shook her head. "It's just…well; my dad's coming home any second and…"

"And what?"

"Look, I've been in love with you for so long but you see we've never, you know…" It was a bit hard to explain "I'm having your baby."

"I can see that." He had to force himself not to look down her cleavage; he knew he was being too much of a typical male right now but luckily, Peyton didn't realize he was referring to her breasts and not her tummy.

'What I'm trying to say is that we never-" when her hand flew up to touch his still bare chest, Peyton got stuck. "Oh..." she softly, almost inaudible gasped out. How could she ever continue her explanation when something this hot was sitting in front of her half-naked?

"Peyton..." He cupped her face but instead of making eye-contact, she kept feeling his body "Do you want to go out on a date?"

This ripped her attention away from his torso. It was what she had been trying to say. Nothing had ever been…normal with them. Instead of having a normal first kiss, they were dared and immediately winded up in a room. When she wanted a normal relationship, she got trapped in a love triangle. One simple night of passion had turned into a baby. Being normal, that's what Peyton wanted now, as far as that was possible.

"Yes."

"Tomorrow?"

"Saturday is better."

Lucas didn't know it but Saturday morning, her father was leaving on a three-day business trip. A date then would be perfect; she could bring him back home.

"Seven?"

"Seven's perfect."

Slowly, he leaned over and brushed her lips tenderly. After this kiss, he shortly captured her lips another time. "I love you, Peyt."

They broke apart and Lucas just stared into her hazels where he saw the lust grow.

"Peyton, sweetheart! I'm ho-ooome." they suddenly heard from downstairs. In his haste to pull his shirt over his head, Lucas almost tore it. Immediately, he ran back to his chair and picked up his book. Saturday.


It was Saturday evening and Peyton was watching as Rachel went through her closet only to throw looks of disgust at every garment she stumbled upon. They were going to a quite respected restaurant and even though they probably would both order the cheapest thing on the menu, she didn't want to walk in looking like a slob.

"So, when's Haley coming?" the redhead asked. Yes, that's right…Haley was coming too. Haley and Rachel. In one room. Over the past months, the ex-Mrs. Scott had restored her friendship with Nathan and was now ready to move onto something more while also Rachel had decided she was past that stage with him too. The two were like cat and dog so Peyton worried more about the two of them being in the same room than her date with Lucas. The blonde had tried to explain that but neither of them had budged; Haley could be stubborn if she wanted too. Especially where it concerned Nathan,

"Oh, you were waiting for me? I'm flattered," a soft voice said. Uh-oh. Nathan Scott's love interest number two aka Haley James had arrived.

"I see you've brought clothes! That's so sweet but really… do you think Peyton will fit them? They're like, twice her size!"

"At least they won't make her skin itch, like all your polyester and fake leather. And…" she continues "she can get close to a flame without having to worry about a slutty shirt going up in flames. That's always a plus."

"You're hilarious, Hales," Rachel said through her teeth "But just out of curiosity…are your parents like, siblings?"

"Why don't you just open your mind and shut your mouth, both are empty anyway."

With each insult, Peyton's eyes grew bigger until something else shocked her even more than this string of put-downs and comebacks.

"Brooke!" she gasped out. "What are you doing here?"

This silenced the two love rivals; they actually shared a look of understanding. Brooke and Peyton together in a room…

"Could I please talk to Peyton in private?" Brooke, packed with about fifteen dresses, addressed Haley and Rachel in a soft voice. They both –yes, also Rachel- listened and went downstairs.

"I heard about your date with Lucas," the brunette began.

"Br-"

"I'm really happy for you."

"You are?"

"Yeah" she sighed and went to lean against Peyton's desk; the dresses she laid next to the computer. "Look… You remember you gave Haley that picture of your ultrasound a week ago?"

"Yes."

"Don't be mad at her but she showed it to me and Peyton, I could see a little baby in there."

"I know…" she softly said.

"And I realized…that child is going to pop out in about three months; you and Luke are going to be parents. I can't hold a grudge. Besides," she continued "I wouldn't want to become some bitter old lady living alone in slippers with like, twenty-three cats to keep me company."

"Does this mean we're friends again?"

"If you'll have me back."

Peyton ran to Brooke and both girls began to cry as they wrapped their arms around each other.

"I've missed you, B. Davies."

"Missed you too, P. Sawyer."

"It's a girl," Peyton said after a while. It was the first time she had told this secret to anyone. Everyone, even her father, had preferred not to know, which irritated Peyton beyond belief. Suddenly, the brunette descended.

"We're going to have so much fun together. You can lone all my cl-"

"What if she has my dress style?"

"We won't let that happen, will we?"

At first her coldness and hate, later her distance and sadness…Peyton had almost forgotten how funny and light-hearted Brooke could be; it made her smile. However, that smile faded at once when they heard a big bang downstairs; Brooke's chocolate hair swept along with the yanking of her head. Quickly, the two girls ran downstairs where Rachel and Haley were fighting on the same spot Lucas and Nathan had about two months ago now.

"Do something," Peyton hissed in Brooke's ear.

"What? Why me?"

"Because I'm pregnant and they're like…pulling each other's hair and biting and slapping."

"OK people!" Brooke spoke up and clapped her hands. "You know the saying about the two dogs and a bone...You guys wouldn't want me to run off with Nathan, would you? Because I've totally seen the way he looks at me and I make a good sh- HELP!"

That was the worst strategy ever, Peyton thought when Brooke had entered the ring, in defense.


Peyton glanced at herself in the mirror and couldn't believe the wonders the three girls had pulled after they had thrown in the towel. Apparently, Rachel was the best at make-up and hair, Haley at reassuring her all would work out and Brooke's talent was –off course- clothes. The black strapless dress she chose for her friend had an empire waist line which meant it hugged her breasts and then fell down, veiling her stomach. Matching the dress, Rachel had put a black, thin, silk ribbon in her wild curls and had also gone crazy with the 'blackest black' eyeliner; Peyton's hazels simply popped.

Even though she wasn't ashamed to walk around in public with her baby bump anymore, it felt good to know she wouldn't have to worry about judgmental eyes this evening. Especially because of the dress, no one would be able to guess she's carrying a baby girl.

A knock on the door mean the end of Peyton checking herself out in the mirror. With a deep breath, she walked to the door and swung it open. Lucas' eyes popped-without eyeliner- when he saw her standing in the door opening.

"Y-You look beautiful."

"Thanks…" she said blushing. "You don't look too bad yourself."

It was true. His shirt and tie suited him well; they made a gorgeous couple.

"So shall we?"


They stumbled into Peyton's room; her hand wildly hit the wall searching for the light. Reluctantly, she pulled away from his kiss and immediately found the switch. The restaurant had been nice but it hadn't been as anticipated as this.

"Luke, the tie…" Peyton breathed out; he almost choked himself in ripping it off so she did it for him, and also quickly unbuttoned his shirt. As Lucas' hand fell on her back with the intention of unzipping the dress, she suddenly pulled away.

"What?" he asked as he cupped her face.

"My body has changed, Luke. I just, I-"

"Peyt," he cut her off "I've been on this world for a while now…but after all these years, you're still the most beautiful woman I've ever seen," he said before taking her back into his arms. "You're stunning."

She kissed him deeply before she turned around and held her hair up. Like this, he could easily unzip her dress. When it fell off her body, he just gazed at it for a moment; his eyes didn't make her feel uncomfortable but wanted and admired. While moving to the bed, the remaining clothes were removed and thrown to different sides of the room. Then, in the darkness and half a year after they were caught in the moment and had conceived their baby, they made love again. It was happiness.


That night, Lucas didn't sleep but it wasn't out of worry or hurt but out of joy. It was the first time in his seventeen year existence that he could say that he was truly happy as he laid naked and tangled with the girl who had ruled his dreams since childhood in his arms. However, while he drowned in bliss, Peyton was apparently drowning in tears. Her back jolted against his chest.

"Peyt?"

Her tears were revealed when she turned around to face him.

"Hey…" he said; softly running his fingers through her curls "what's wrong?"

"I'm a horrible person."

"No, you're not, y-"

"Yes… Yes, I am," she cut him off in a sob "I've hurt so many people, you, and I've been so selfish. So selfish…I don't deserve to be with you."

"Peyton, now listen to me," he firmly stated. "I'm not going to pretend like you're an angel; you made mistakes but it's time to leave those behind us."

"But I don't understand that after what I did to you, left you when we shared…this, that you don't hate me."

"I did hate you for a while, but I've never stopped loving you. You're right. You can hurt me and make me the most miserable man in the world, but at the same time you're my happiness. OK?"

"OK."

Relieved and comforted, Peyton turned back around. Their bodies puzzled back into each other; his arms wrapped around her upper body, resting on her waist as her legs intertwined with his.

"I'm never leaving you again," she whispered.

He pressed a kiss onto her curls.

"I wouldn't let you go."