Lucas immediately became aware of the throbbing pain at the back of his head, and as he opened his eyes he could feel his entire body aching. He looked around the room he now found himself in and noticed a discarded piece of piping covered in blood. He winced as he found the source of pain with his hand on his head. He slowly got to his feet, holding himself steady, but having to bend over due to the searing pain standing caused in his abdomen.

"Peyton! Peyton!" He stumbled towards the door of the room, and burst through it into the light of the L.A streets. He could vaguely remember them dragging him into the building, before battering his body. He caught his breath before surveying the building. "Peyton!"

There was no response as Lucas sunk onto the steps, holding his head in his hands and wondering what else to do. He ignored the looks of passers by as he sat there on the steps to this house. As the town darkened he rose to his feet, kicking out at the house and hurting himself in the process.

"Dammit Peyt. Where are you?" He shouted out as he turned from the building. He tentatively moved away.

"Help." It was quiet and if the streets hadn't been near deserted he wouldn't have heard the faint cry. It was like a whimper, and was coming from the building. He was sure it was real as he quickly turned, his injuries no longer holding him back as he entered the house once more.

"Peyton?" He cried out as he frantically began searching through the building.

"Tony?" The voice cried and he was almost possible it was her. "Please. Tony."

Lucas followed the cries, and quickly found her tied up to a chair in the back room. She was totally disorientated and her head dropped as he knelt down as he began to untie her.

"Please just let me go. Please." She mumbled onto his shoulder. "Please"

"It's me Peyton." Lucas said holding up her head and trying to get her to look at him, but her eyes didn't seem to be able to focus and her head dropped so it was resting on his shoulder. It was easy to sweep her up into his arms and he ignored the cries of his own body as he carried her out off the room and found a sink. He drizzled some water over her face and with his shirt wiped a way a combination of sweat and tears from her face. He felt her stiffen as he traced over her jaw and he could see the beginnings of a bruise. He wiped the blood from the corner of her lips as he held her up against the wall. "Peyt, baby, can you stand?"

"Lucas?" She said finally coming around. Her hands gripping his shirt. "You're here."

"Yeah. We need to get you to the hospital."

"No. Anna."

"She's fine, I left her with your neighbour. Now come on. I'm getting you to a hospital."

Lucas somehow got them into a cab, considering their appearance and was grateful he'd had his wallet on them.

"Nearest hospital please."

"."

"Peyton, you need to go to the hospital." He knew she hated hospitals; she'd spent far too much time in them but she needed help. So did he. "It'll be okay, I promise."

"I need to go home." She looked up at him, eyes full of desperation. "Please Lucas, I need to go home."

He reluctantly yielded, he could cope. It was her he was worried about. They gave the driver the new destination, and then sat in silence. Every time he'd look at her, he'd notice how she'd turn to the window. When they finally got to her apartment, she was yet to speak.

"I'll go and get Anna then." Lucas sighed as Peyton walked to the bathroom and away from him without so much as a glance. When he came back the bathroom door was locked. He settled Anna and waited for her. She came out showered and he could see for himself the damage that had been done.

"So what time did you say the flights were?" She asked as if nothing had happened. He watched in utter shock as she almost breezed into the kitchen area. "Do you want a drink?"

"Peyton." He walked over to her, knowing full well what she was doing. He wasn't going to let her push this under the rug.

"I'm going to have coffee." She looked in the fridge.

"Pey-"

"Does that smell okay to you?" She held out an obviously sour litre of milk.

"Peyton."

"Mabye just juice. That okay for you."

"Peyton."

"What?"

"Stop." He grabbed her wrists, shaking her, and could only watch as she dropped the carton of juice and glasses which shattered across the floor. She stood there shaken. "Stay still."

"Lucas, get off me."

"No." He said firmly, as she tried to squirm out of his grasp. "We need to talk about this. Tell me what happened."

"You know what happened."

"Peyton, I just need you to be okay." He released her arms and cupped her cheek.

"I'm okay." He wanted to believe her and shook his head as he saw her wince when he ran his fingers over her jaw.

"Peyt. You need to go to a hospital, and the police. They can't get away with this."

"I don't need to go to the hospital. I'm fine."

"You could barely stand earlier."

"Earlier. I'm fine now."

"Then just the police, you can't let them get away with this."

"No! No police, no hospital. Jesus Lucas- can we just forget about it?" She hissed, angry that Lucas couldn't just let this go.

"No, I almost got myself killed." Lucas said throwing his hands up at her lack of self worth. "We have to report this. It's not right."

"No, we don't. We're going home tomorrow, if we report this, there'll be statements and reports. We don't have time." Peyton reasoned, she knew her argument was weak but she had to convince Lucas. She didn't expect him to understand; she could report Tony. If Lucas thought today was as bad as it could get, he was wrong. Peyton knew better: she had to keep her mouth shut and run. For Anna's sake.

"We don't have time. That's bull. I risked my life for you and you can't even tell me the truth." Lucas roared, unable to control his anger at her inability to be honest. Surely he deserved to be let in.

"I'm sorry it interrupts your social schedule." Peyton smirked. "And I never asked you to."

"That is not what I meant. Don't twist my words because you're scared."

"Scared?" She asked incredulously

"Scared. You're afraid, and you're putting up those fucking walls, with stupid excuses. Because you're afraid."

"You don't know what you're talking about!" She went to walk away but he grabbed her and pulled her back to him.

"You're afraid, but if you let me in. I promise you'll, we'll get through it together."

"Because that worked out so well for me last time." She said bluntly, her voice wasn't raised, her words not hissed out of spite, but they broke his heart all the same. He hadn't been there yesterday when she'd needed him, and one look at her face had him tearing up. He looked to the ceiling cursing the stupid meeting as she spoke softly "Lucas, please just take me home."

"Peyton." He said pulling her into his chest and kissing her hair. "Okay, we'll go home."

"Promise?"

"I promise. Just let me in okay."

"Okay." They lazily wondered over to bed, and after a few minutes Peyton had curled her back into Lucas's, and his hand was tracing circles up and down her arm. Peyton could feel it slowing as he drifted off to sleep. She new it wouldn't be easy for her as she whispered. "Thanks for saving me Luke."

"Anytime, and you'll never have to ask." Lucas said as he wrapped his arms around her.

They spent the next morning preparing for the flight and making sure they looked well enough to fight. Lucas would never admit it but he'd enjoyed messing around with make up and trying on hats to cover the scar left from being knocked over with a pipe. If it wasn't for airport security they were going to go in disguise. Peyton had used her eye liner for Lucas's goatee and he was ready to parade it. No one knew him in L.A and it was nice being happy.

He hadn't brought up the police; a night spent listening to Peyton's sleepy confessions was enough. Her fear could be summed up in one word: Tony. She's rambled on about Tony, begging him to stop, then Anna. Lucas couldn't barely lie there and listen. She was afraid of Tony and what he'd do to Anna, to him. She was trying to protect them in her own way and he loved her for that. He would just have to wait until she could tell him, he had faith that she would.

When they arrived at the airport ridiculously early, they took Anna to watch planes land, and look what Lucas deemed the first family photo to Peyton's horror. One side of face was slightly swollen. The bruise from her attack and bloomed and was barely covered with a huge amount of concealer. Partly to annoy her he continued to take it out during the flight, looking at it from his aisle seat so all the air hostess's can see, and then obviously have to stop and admire.

"I am going to kill you." Peyton whispered as he showed someone else.

"What?" He laughed

"You know what. Do you know that guy?" She pointed to the guy walking away from the baggage reclaim.

"I might."

"You are such a liar." Peyton said smacking him playfully.

"Watch it Blondie." Lucas warned as they headed out to the taxi rank hand in hand, each using their spare hand to push Anna's pram and the trolley with luggage. "Taxi"

"Luke, can we just stay at yours for a bit. I want to give my face a little time…" She tailed off, nervously, he'd been exited to see Haley and Nathan and she could tell he missed Jamie. She just didn't want them to see her so broken. She wanted to be the Peyton Sawyer they remembered.

"Peyt, they won't care. We can explain-"

"We're not telling them."

"Peyton, I can't avoid them for long. It's my best friend and brother in law."

"Exactly I want to look good."

"Peyt, they already know you. They're going to support you. They love you just like me." Lucas said kissing her forehead.

"Lucas I don't have a lot….When I last saw Haley I was working marketing in Sire Records and I want to be that girl. I don't want them to look at me like…like that." She nodded towards the middle age women glaring at her, before zipping up her sweat top, and pulling away from Lucas. "I don't have a lot…I'd like to have my reputation."

"I'll call over tonight, otherwise Haley will drop in. Trust me." He knew it was a long shot but he had to find away to keep both parties happy. "But she'll want to see you, so can I arrange a diner?"

"When?"

"This weekend. Like a reunion"

"I'll do it but don't call it the reunion."

"You drive a hard bargain but deal. I'll text Haley now, and we'll have diner Saturday night."

They got into a cab together, and Peyton found herself watching a new world pass her by. When they arrived in Tree Hill, it was all so different and yet nothing had really changed. Lucas's childhood home being the epitome of what she was feeling. She could still see her young self nervously approaching after his accident and she could remember the summer nights they'd spent lying out on his porch talking and arguing over the most random things.

"Coke or Pepsi." Lucas asked. They'd been playing this game for twenty minutes Lucas said she had two seconds to answer. It seemed pretty pointless but played along, and the questions were easy. Although they'd been coming thick and fat for a while now.

"Coke."

"Chocolate or chips."

"Chocolate."

"Costello or Presley/"

"Costello." She didn't know why he bothered asking. She loved Elvis Costello not even the King could beat him.

"Cats or dogs."

"Cats."

"Tim Smith or Brad Pitt."

"Tim Smith." She covered her mouth in horror, and Lucas smiled triumphantly.

"Got you."

"You tricked me. That's…" She couldn't think of the word so she slapped him as she stood up. It was dark outside and they had spent the evening at his place.

"I should have videoed it. Tim will be delighted."

"The worrying thing is he won't be surprised."

"Anyway I better get home." She glanced at her watch. "Dude its 3 a.m. What did you put in that hot chocolate? I am no where near ready for sleep."

"It's the Roe recipe or Scott syrup. What do you think sounds better?" They walked back into his kitchen. They were both home alone for the summer, and Lucas cooked for them most nights as Peyton was a disaster in the kitchen. They'd settled into a routine and spent all there time together. She hadn't been like this with anyone since she and Brooke wee twelve.

"You're such a dork. But for the record Peyton's Punch."

"And you're a loser. Seriously Peyton's Punch?" She slapped him again.

"I take it back, it's a winner. The punch that is."

"Ha Ha" She dead panned. She picked up the car keys.

"Hey, why don't you stay tonight? I don't want to think about you driving this late."

"That's sweet but I'll be fine."

"I know it's the poor guy walking home I worry about." Peyton instantly remembered the night she'd first really seen Lucas. She was lost in the memory when he snatched the keys from her.

"You should have been looking." She said defending her driving skills.

"So should you." He countered.

"Fair point."

"Fair point? You could have killed me."

"I know but you were cute so I let you live."

"And look at us now." At his innocent words She looked at them arguing in his kitchen like a married couple. He obviously had the same thoughts because he tensed up and a silence set in. She swallowed down the lump in her throat. It was totally innocent but she couldn't help but feel guilty. Like they were somehow cheating all over again.

"I should go." She said half heartedly, she hated being home alone given the arrival of Ellie. She knew that wasn't the only reason. She'd grown used to having Lucas around. Having someone felt good. The only person she ever spent days like this with was Brooke and even then no one took care of her the way Lucas did.

"No, stay. I worry." She didn't take much convincing after that and she spent the first of many nights.

It was purely platonic but she was pretty sure she fell in love with Lucas that summer. The way he cooked her breakfast, ironed her pyjamas and most of all gave her a sence of family. She'd been over for about a week when he gave her a cup, insisting now that she was family she had to have one. He pointed to the collection. She could see Mom, Keith, Lucas and felt privileged when she saw hers. All the others were blue's pinks and yellows. She scowled as he handed her the black mug with red lettering.

"What? I didn't think you were a pink and yellow kind of girl."

"Hmm."

"I figured since this is basically your home now, wifey." They clicked mugs.

"Whatever, you're taking my name, Tom Sawyer."

Peyton was startled when Lucas snuck up behind her. She placed the cup down on the counter inhaling deeply before turning and smiling up at him.

"You kept it." She whispered, looking around to see if there were any other ones. She could only see 5 hung on the rack as they always were. Lily's was pink and yellow.

"Of course. " Lucas said wrapping his arms around her gently. "We'll have to get one for Anna."

"She doesn't-"

"She still needs one. It's tradition." He kissed the top of her head.

"I guess."

"Welcome home Peyton Sawyer."