Chapter Ten: Picture To Burn

Brooke had called early that morning asking Lucas if he'd like to go out for a cup of coffee and just catch up to chat about what's been going on in each other's lives. They hadn't spoken since the whole proposal debacle between her two favorite blondes and now they had both been in the same town for the last couple of days with their calendars freed up for the next week and yet not really a word had been said between the two.

"What do you mean?" She asked angrily her voice growing raspier. "Joan, there has to be some kind of loophole. Judges always leave some kind of way to get around it."

Pacing back and forth her white socks causing her to almost slip on the hardwood floor as she quickly caught herself on the couch's arm listening to what Joan had to say.

"There has to be something. I'll even take a small loop." She sat down on the arm of the chair and when the person on the other end said something Brooke had disagreed with she threw herself against the cushions her head landing on one of the pillows while her body dipped across the couch her feet hanging at the end. "Isn't there something against forced marriages?"

There was a couple of 'uh huhs' and many 'nu huhs' from Brooke's end of the conversation almost argument all the while her lawyer gave her reasons and explanations on why there was nothing that could be done in helping move along the process of Mr. and Mrs. Julian Baker's divorce.

"No, I know it's not really forced, but she wasn't in her right mind when she got married." Her lawyer said something that made Brooke huff and groan. "I don't think being drunk in Las Vegas with an ex qualifies under sanity. Couldn't we take it to court and say she was out of her mind during the whole incident?"

A long conversation was brought from the other end causing Brooke to grow anxious as she shook her head up and down and side to side during appropriate times, but it wasn't like the person on the other line could see her actions.

"Yes, I understand that, but what if we go more into depth of what this joke of a marriage is. And before you say anything just hear me out. Firstly, we could say that she's practically a slave to him." Pausing she hears her lawyer's reaction and Brooke repeated the person's question. "How so? Well for one he's forcing her to do things she doesn't want to do…No not sexual favors, but more like attending things that go against her morals…Well that's all I have. I was hoping you would be able to extend that reason into about fifty pages of a lawsuit so Peyton could win her freedom back."

Another one sided conversation was had all the while Brooke listened trying her best to translate lawyer lingo and she mumbled that there needed to be a lawyer to Brooke dictionary because they sure do make a statement extremely long instead of just saying 'you did this now you're going to pay'.

"Refresh my memory and tell me why exactly do I pay you as much as I do if you can't even do something so simple as maybe get an annulment completed. She wants this divorce and she's told me numerous of times that she needs to not be Mrs. Peyton Baker any longer." Sitting up from the couch her eyes glanced to the mirror and saw the figure of the man who wasn't there before. "Uh, Joan I'll call you back."

She didn't say goodbye as she snapped her phone shut standing up and when it didn't look like the shock was going to wear of the man's face Brooke was the first to break the ice.

"Lucas. What are you doing here?" She glanced at the wall's clock and the blurred numbers on the wall. "You're more than forty-five minutes early."

It was true she had specifically told Lucas to meet her at her hotel at nine o'clock sharp, but here it was and it was barely eight fifteen and she was still dressed in her pajamas the ones where the pants had the cartoonish sheep hopping over a wooden fence.

"You told me to go ahead and come in when I finished getting ready."

"Yes, I did, but I also said at nine o'clock." She watched him the dazed look never leaving his face. "Lucas, you have to tell me how long you've been here for?"

"You were talking on the phone and…" He didn't finish his sentence still unclear of everything that was going on.

"Lucas, how much of that conversation did you hear, exactly?" That's when she actually got a good look at the guy who she used to date back when she was a teenager. He looked like hell; he obviously hadn't slept in more than twenty-four hours, his hair disheveled, the five o'clock shadow was growing, and he smelt of cheap beer. "Are you okay?"

She stood looking up at him worriedly her hand caressing his arm, but at that moment he didn't acknowledge her gesture or her presence ignoring her completely his eyes staring into oblivion all the while the last couple of days flashing before his eyes.

"Rain check?"

He still doesn't look at her, but she understands that he's asking for another day to go to the café and grab a cup before he's out the door running towards the elevator.

"Remember a shower can be your best friend."

Lucas can hear Brooke call out and he knows that she was basically telling him in the nicest way that she possibly could that he stunk. He makes a pit stop a couple floors below where his room's located at and quickly hops in the shower rubbing the bar of soap all over his body a couple of times and pouring shampoo on top of his head then rinses off the steaming water clearing his jumbled thoughts causing him to remember that Julian has some kind of producer meeting this morning so he knows for a fact that Peyton will be alone.

Lucas is at her doorstep and ringing the doorbell before he knows it. When Peyton finally does open the door minutes later she's more than surprised to see him standing there noticing a look of realization cross his face.

"Luke?"

He lets himself in when he realizes that he's forgotten his entire speech that he came up with on the drive over. His mind went blank and he can't remember at least one decent line that could possibly win her back.

"What are you doing here?"

"You lied. You don't love him."

Peyton's taken aback by his passive aggressive tone, but doesn't deny him his statement. Walking past him she takes a seat on the couch bringing her legs up to rest on the cushions.

"Brooke told you?"

She sighs because it's a rhetorical question and she could just about kill her friend, a part of her wants to so bad, but most of her is glad that he finally knows. He finally knows that all those times she's walked away from him she's never meant it.

"Yes, well no, kind of." His tone softens and he's kept his eyes on her the entire time. He loves the way she looks right now; the natural 'I just woke up' appearance. She's in pajama shorts and a long sleeved t-shirt that's been wrinkled from a restless night of sleep and the loud purple argyle knee high socks. "I eased dropped on a conversation she was having."

"Great, and I thought the high school gossipy drama was over five years ago. Apparently not."

"She's just trying to help-"

"I know." She cuts him off. "I know, but she can't. Can't she?"

She's being vague on purpose because maybe he's playing some kind of game to get information out of her even though she knows he's not and Lucas shakes his head no.

"Why didn't you just tell me the truth about getting married and about the divorce process?"

"To the contrary of what you might think not every girl's dream is to become a twenty three year old divorcee. It's just another thing that I've failed at and I guess I just thought that if I didn't say it out loud than maybe I wouldn't be some pathetic person who can't make her marriage last more than seventy days."

"Peyton, you can't fail when there's nothing that you could have done to make it work in the first place." He placed his hand to rest on her thigh; the sensation of his skin warming up her cold flesh sent her motions into overdrive. "Did you ever think that it's not you and maybe it didn't work out because he isn't the right guy for you?"

Standing up she walks towards one of the bookshelves bringing out a new photo album handing it to Lucas mumbling what he thought was 'wedding pictures'. So Julian had lied when he said there wasn't any as he flipped through each snap shot.

"The only reason I'm showing you these is because it's evident that I wasn't serious about being a Baker."

He stopped at one of the photographs. He points to the Elvis impersonator who's supposed to be the priest and laughs, but stops when he notices the body language of the two who are getting married. They're far apart not touching a beer bottle in Julian's hand while Peyton's looking away and it looks like she's talking to one of her friends. He assumes it was taken right before they were announced husband and wife and then he gets to the last picture quickly shutting the book because he got a glance of the first kiss they shared as Mr. and Mrs. And he realizes that he didn't come across one single picture where they're actually looking at each other.

"The movie version of my biggest mistake is a lot crazier."

Even if what she says is true he will still refuse to watch it because even though now he knows the truth it'll still be hard to watch someone pronounce her with the last name that isn't his.

"Do you love me?"

It's a sudden question on his behalf, but Peyton doesn't seem surprised by it. In fact she is surprised by the fact that he's actually waited this long to ask.

"I don't think I ever stopped, but…" And when she says 'but' it makes his heart drop because that word always ends with 'we still can't be together' "It isn't easy because not only do I love you, but I'm in love with you."

A/N: I know the last line is so cliché, but I couldn't help myself haha. It's finally happening. Green button anyone?