The Truth
One Tree Hill Lucas/Peyton w/ mention of Naley/Brooke&?/Lucas&Lindsay
Chapter 8: The Truth Doesn't Make A Noise
After talking to Haley, I knew somewhere in my gut what I needed to do next. It was clear. I thought of Nathan and his accident and how Haley and Jamie were helping him through it. I thought of Lucas and how great an uncle he was and how much Jamie adored him. I thought of Dan and how he'd left Lucas without a father and how much Lucas resented him for that. I thought of my father and how he was never around after mom died and how alone I felt. All these things made my next course of action quite clear.
Lucas deserved to know about his children. I couldn't stall anymore; I needed to tell him. For a second I wanted to bring the twins with and show him face to face . . . but immediately decided against it. It was better to sit him down, get him a drink, and let him get used to the idea before father met son and daughter.
So that's what I did . . .
~*~
By the time Peyton got over to Lucas's house it was dark. She was nervous as hell and scared that Lucas would slam the door in her face. Oh god...what if his "someone" was there? Hi . . . nice to meet you! By the way—your boyfriend and I have two adorable little blondes in common. What did you think of that Grey'sepisode last week? Wanna be best friends?
No . . . it would be better if what's-her-face was not home at the moment.
Peyton took a deep breath, stopping at the door. This was the moment she'd been both dreading and looking forward to since the day she'd found out she was pregnant. She wanted to see Luke's happy and proud-Daddy smile when she told him he was a father. Then again she was afraid he would be angry and completely turn her away and want nothing to do with the twins . . .
No time like the present to find out. She raised her hand and held it just inches from the door, pausing for just a moment, before she rapped on the door. Within moments a shout came from inside the door. "Come in! I'll be right there!"
Peyton sighed. 4 years ago she would have barged in Lucas and Karen's without a moments thought. Now . . . she felt like a stranger. Graduation changes so much. She turned the doorknob and pushed the door, a wave of Lucas's familiar scent overtaking the air. Apparently not as much as she thought changed.
She looked around the room-the living room-and realized that nothing had really changed at all. There were a lot of pictures of Lucas's sister Lily around the room from ages 1-4 which didn't really surprise her. Lucas adored Lily and vice versa. The girl was a mini-girl-version of her father Keith.
Where was Lucas so she could get this over with already?
Out of nervous habit she crossed her arms and traced circles on her wrist. Her heart was thumping loudly, hitting hard against her chest. Her entire body was shaking as well.
"Sorry it took so long . . . the washer was being stubborn so I had to put it in its place." She heard his voice from another room. He obviously wasn't expecting it to be her. She looked up as he appeared in the doorway from the kitchen. He was staring at her, a smiled disappearing as his jaw dropped and eyes jammed wide open.
No he definitely wasn't expecting the visitor at his door to be his ex-girlfriend.
"You said to come in so . . ." And so the awkwardness began.
"No, I-Yeah . . ." He was still staring at her. "I-Is there something I c-can do for you?"
"Um . . . we need to talk," Peyton took a deep breath.
"We do?"
I'd say that's an understatement she thought to herself. "We really do." Peyton nodded.
"O-okay . . ." Lucas led her into the kitchen, obviously nervous and unsure of what was going on, and pushed back a chair for her to sit down. She did and he himself sat down across from her. "W-we're sitting . . . let's . . ."
". . .talk. Yeah," Peyton finished. She took another deep breath. "Yes, there's a lot we need to talk about."
"We haven't even sat down in the same room for over 2 years and you wanna talk now?" Lucas's words were harsh—but really she kinda deserved it. Peyton winced at the comment. Lucas shook his head. "No . . . let's not fight. I don't wanna do that. Let's just have a civil conversation."
"Civil sounds good," Peyton nodded, sighing in relief. She cleared her throat. "And speaking of the last time we saw each other . . . that's what I came to talk about." Lucas looked confused but waited for her to speak. "I think about that day all the time." She said quietly, looking at the table. "Actually it's pretty much all I think about." She looked up. "I want to apoligize, Luke. I shouldn't have been so scared."
"No," Lucas shook his head again. "You don't have to apoligize for anything, Peyton. I shouldn't have rushed us. You were't ready to get married and I should have listened to you."
"That's sweet, Lucas . . . but that's not what I'm talking about."
"Right," Lucas said. Then he turned his head. "Wait, what?"
Peyton gulped. "Before I say anything I just want to tell you that if I could go back I would tell you right away. It's just . . . things happened. I was afraid and I let my fears cloud my better judgement and it just never seemed like the right time." Before Lucas could say anything she continued. "And I know you're going to say why is now different? Why am I telling you today? But I don't have those answers. We're here, now, where things are the way they are. The future is all we have, okay? So let's make it count." She took a deep breath, her heart pumping.
"Peyton what are you talking about?" Lucas said. She didn't know if his voice was supposed to sound that mean or if she was just imagining it.
"What?" She said.
"Are you okay?" His tone was soft. She must have imagined the harsh question. "Because none of what you just said makes sense."
"I know . . . I just wanted to say all that first before I actually say what it is that I wanna say. Okay?" She hoped he'd understand once she actually told him.
"Just say it, Peyton. I won't get angry at you," He reached out his hand and put it on top of hers.
"You can't say that . . . you don't know what it is!" She stood up backing away from him, pushing the chair back behind her. His hand remained where it was. She stopped when her back hit the stove and she used the opportunity to turn around. With her back facing Lucas, she rested her hands on the cold flat stove top. She took several deep breaths, preparing herself for one of the hardest moments of her life.
"Peyton?"
Still not facing him, she began to speak slowly, "Lucas . . . I have twins. One girl and one boy. As in kids."
"You have . . . kids," While the idea seemed a bit much for him, he was reacting quite well. For now.
"Yes. I, um, have kids. Two of them," Peyton turned around. "Boy and girl . . . identical except for their hair. One is blonde and the other has dark brown."
"They must take their beauty from their mother," Lucas smiled. Peyton returned the favor . . . though a little more nervous than his. He was clueless. "How old are they?"
Here we go. "Two."
Lucas just stared at her, jaw and eyebrows clenched in his trademark brooding expression. Everything was quiet—except for Peyton's heart—as Lucas's eyes were fixed on her for a very long time. He gulped. "T-two?"
"Y-yeah," She nodded. She could see the math problem forming in his head.
"Two," He said again. He took a deep breath, gulping again. "So I guess this is what you meant when you said you think about the day in the hotel."
"Pretty much, yeah," She sighed.
Lucas ran his hands through his hair and stood up. He turned, his hands still on his head.
"You okay, Luke?" Peyton said quietly.
"Okay?" Lucas spoke. It wasn't loud, but it startled her and she jumped. "Am I okay?"
A tear appeared on the surface of her eyes. She'd expected this: the anger. She'd cut Lucas out of almost 3 years of his children's lives . . . effectively turning him into the father he hated. She hadn't wanted to . . . but she had. She expected him to hate her for it and never want to speak to her again.
"I'm a father," His words were so soft she could barely hear them. His intention behind those words was unclear to her. Was he angry? Was he sad? Did he regret that day like she did every day? Was he disgusted? Did he want anything to do with the kids? "I'm a father." This time the words were louder but the tone still unrecognizable.
"Luke, I need to know how you feel about this," Peyton's voice was calm in the hopes to keep him calm. It seemed to work; he wasn't saying a word. "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you earlier. I really am. You have every right to be furious with me." She couldn't look him in the eye so instead she stared at her feet. She brushed at the tears in her eyes. "Just please . . . don't take it out on them. They don't know about what happened between us. They don't know anything. They're just kids." She started to walk to leave the room, wondering what he was thinking right now. "If you ever want to see them, Brooke and I have a place on Manila." She paused, stopping for only a moment. "They know who you are. I've read the book to them enough to where they have it memorized."
With that, she left Lucas to digest all she'd said.
To Be Continued . . .
A.N. So what did you think of it? Was it all you imagined? Expect a different reaction from Lucas? Should he pay a visit to the twins? How do you think Peyton and/or Lucas should tell Haley and Nathan? And here's an even bigger question: How will Lucas tell Lindsay and what will her reaction be? Hmm . . . I'm open to any suggestions you guys have.
Oh . . . and you've probably noticed that the chapters are named after episodes. Any guesses or ideas what episode the next chapter will be named after?
