At The End of the Tunnel
An OTH FanFic
By AlexB
Twelve
"Where's my son?"
Haley rose to stand guard at Lucas's door. Dan spared the young woman a withering glance. His glare was cut off when Haley's mother stepped in font of him crossing her arms under her breasts. Her dark eyes burned holes into him.
"Where. Is. My. Son?"
"Lucas is unconscious. He has a severe burn on his shoulder. They may have to do skin grafts. His back was burned too, but not so badly." MJ told him. "Someone burned his house down and Keith was inside. Lucas, along with Jake Jagielski, went in to save him. Jake had to go back into get Luke.
"Jacob and Peyton Sawyer had to perform CPR," the woman's voice broke. "They had to breath life back into him because Lucas needed all the help he could get coming back," she informed him. "He doesn't want to see you."
"That's not his choice." Dan started to move around her, but MJ shoved him back. He clenched his fists and his jaw.
"You'd better be ready to use those on me." A male voice said from behind him. Dan turned to see a big hulk of a man with burnt blonde hair, dark, almost black eyes and shoulders so wide it looked like he had to turn sideways to walk through doors. He moved past Dan winking at Haley who nodded sagely.
Jimmy James put his arm around his wife's shoulder.
"Lucas doesn't want to see you," the woman went on. "He doesn't want any part of you. Those papers he served you with said as much."
"I'm his father."
"He doesn't wan you to be."
"Haley James," her mother warned still looking at Dan. "That boy made me promise not to let you anywhere near him and that's exactly what I'm going to do."
"What we plan to do." Haley added.
"Damn right." Her father put in.
"Go home, Dan," MJ told him. "See if Nathan has an alibi."
"My son had nothing to do with this."
"You don't know that." Jimmy said to him. "It was arson, Scott. Lucas's doctors asked about the healing bruises on that boy's body. He wanted to know who put them there."
"And you told him."
"You're goddamned right!"
"Jimmy," his wife put a restraining hand on his chest. She knew her husband. It was where Haley got her temper. Well, most of it. The last thing they needed was for Jimmy to be sitting in jail because he cut right through Dan Scott.
"They wanted to know about the concussion." The man went on. "They're going to look at Nathan and they're going to look at you. Leave him alone."
"Don't you tell me how to raise my son."
"He doesn't want to be your son."
Dan turned watching as Peyton Sawyer walked passed the man without even a glance. Haley let her inside the room. Dan caught a glimpse of his youngest son lying in a hospital bed. His left arm was bandaged from his shoulder down to his elbow. He had burns on his face, his hair was singed.
"Why can't you just leave him alone?" Haley wanted to know. "Why does he have to fight so hard to be free?"
"I don't have to explain myself to you."
"But you will to the police." MJ told him matter-of-factly. "Because you would do anything you had to do to get Lucas back into that house."
"You didn't want a damn thing to do with him until Keith was all that he had left."
"Haley," her father warned this time.
"Child, listen to you father."
She ignored them both. "You're still trying to beat Keith and you've been using Lucas to do it." She snarled at him. "You lose," she spat. "Lucas isn't you pawn anymore."
-
His eyes still burned and he felt like he was being held down by something. Lucas started to panic but stopped.
Their free hands were twined together. Her head was on his shoulder, and every time she exhaled, her sweet breath touched his chin.
He didn't know whether or not Peyton was aware that he was awake, and it didn't matter. Lucas just wanted to savor the moment. He liked the way she felt against him.
Unconsciously, Lucas pulled in a deep breath. Peyton stirred pushing herself up on an elbow. She looked down at him, concern furrowing her brow. She looked into Lucas's eyes. "Do you hurt?" She asked softly. "I can get someone." She started to move away from him, but he stopped her.
"Stay."
Peyton nodded, curling back up next to him in his hospital bed. "You scared the hell out of me." She admitted huskily. She couldn't close her eyes to get away from the image of Jake carrying him out of a burning house on his shoulders because when she did, he saw herself breathing life back into his body.
She's never given anyone CPR before and she never wanted to have to do it again.
"I'm sorry," his voice rasped. Lucas pulled the plastic tubing away from his nose. It as there to give him extra air, but the damned thing was burning his nostrils and he had enough heat and irritation to last a lifetime.
She pushed up on her elbow again reaching for what he had pushed away. "You need that." She told him. "They took the mask off because you were coughing and you kept pulling at it."
His gaze was cloudy but he could still see Peyton just fine. Her eyes were puffy, like she had been crying. Lucas touched his fingers to her face. Her hand stilled and she looked at him.
"You look good."
Peyton smiled an almost embarrassed smile and shook her head.
"You cry those for me?" He wanted to know.
She only nodded, unable to speak.
"I'm okay, you know. A little charred,"
"Don't joke about this, Lucas." The told him. "Please don't joke," she nearly pleaded when her mind flashed back to her breaths raising his chest. She slammed her eyes shut begging her mind just o make it stop. She needed that image to leave her alone.
She felt him touch her face again. Peyton opened her eyes. She laid her head back down on his shoulder and immediately she felt his hand in her hair.
Peyton smiled to herself.
"It wasn't you."
Lucas's fingers stopped moving. Peyton swallowed hard, but went on. "It wasn't you," she said again. "In my room, it wasn't you. You were…no boy has ever made me feel the way that you do, Lucas."
It was so male and guy typical, but Lucas felt his chest swell and her words. He was glad that she wasn't…her soft laugh pulled him back.
Busted.
"You help me remember, too." She told him. "My mom used to say that next to watching him cook and washing the dishes, seeing a man blush is a top five sexy."
His busted blush turned into an embarrassed one. Peyton laughed again. Lucas loved that sound and wanted to hear it more. She kissed the side of his mouth and laid her head back on his shoulder.
"It wasn't you." She said again.
"What did he do?"
"Not what you're thinking." Just the thought of it made her shudder. She wanted to say that Nathan was a bastard but not a monster, but that wasn't true. What he had done to Lucas proved that.
"I wasn't," she tried to explain. "We never,"
"Me either." He knew what Peyton was getting at. She didn't have to say it. He didn't want to have Peyton and his brother in his head.
"Nathan and I never went that far."
"You don't have to tell me this."
"I want to. I need to." Peyton pulled in a breath. "Everyone thinks that they know. Nathan sure wasn't going to say otherwise and I never really cared. High school, that place is just a stop to where I want to be later, you know? But this thing with you and me. I care. I care what you think. And I'm not that girl that people make me out to be. I haven't had-"
"I'm a virgin."
"Lucas-"
Hey, if they were being honest. "And until that first time on the Rivercourt I hadn't ever been kissed."
That stopped her.
Never been kissed? Yeah right.
"Oh, bull. Tell me another one." She grinned.
Lucas found himself grinning, too. "Scouts honor."
"Scouts don't kiss like that." Scouts didn't make girls who never smirked walk around with, as Brooke Davis would say, "I'm getting some" grin. First timers didn't do that. Peyton didn't believe in unicorns.
But Lucas was starting to make her believe.
"Why not?" She asked him.
"Why not what?"
"Are you waiting for marriage?"
"No."
"Then what?" She went on. "Waiting for that perfect girl?"
"No girl has ever tempted me enough I guess." He admitted honestly. "And being Nathan's brother has presented more than a few oportunities. Apparently the girls like to rile my brother by doing whatever it takes to get his attention." He blew out a breath. "I know that guys are supposed to want sex all the time, and I admit to serious frustration, but if you haven't had it, you don't know what you're missing I guess. I'm a total disappointment to my species, I know, but there it is. Does that make sense?"
"That you aren't a walking hormone? It's rare, but they do walk the planet. Are you for real?"
"Don't I feel real?"
God he did. "You and Jake Jagielski have to be two of the most solid, salt of the earth guys I've ever laid eyes on. How you survive in Tree Hill is a mystery."
"What do you know about Jake?"
"That Brooke has been trying to corrupt him for the last two months and she's getting nowhere."
"If he wants her, she'll break though. You did."
"Are you saying you fought?"
"Like hell."
"Thanks."
"I fought because you were Nathan's girl." Lucas told her. "You would have been just one more thing for the two of us to fight about, and it wouldn't have really been about you anyway. It would have been his excuse. I didn't avoid fights with Nathan because I was afraid of him."
"What made you change your mind about me?"
Lucas shrugged his shoulder then hissed as hot pain shot thought him. Peyton reached for the call button pressing it.
"I knew he treated you like a plaything, but I made myself stay out of it," he told her. Then I found myself being there for you. Being that guy for you. You smiled then you laughed and you looked at me. There was something in your eyes…"
Peyton remembered that day. She had always thought that she made Lucas uncomfortable. She never understood why he was there for her the way that he was. She was just his brother's girlfriend. They hadn't been anything to each other.
He'd stopped being Nathan's quiet older brother the first time they had actually spoke, really talked. That time in the halls she had saw him just being Lucas and not Dan Scott's oldest son.
"You've always been…you've always deserved better." Lucas went on. "That day in the halls, I told myself that I wanted to make you see it. I wanted to be your better."
"You are my better, Lucas."
"I love you, Peyton Sawyer." Lucas told her just as the nurse made her appearance. "Just thought that you should know."
-
I love you, Peyton Sawyer. Just thought that you should know.
"Is he okay? Peyton? Earth to Sawyer."
"He's feeling it now." Peyton looked around her. She had left the room while the nurse examined Lucas. "Where is he?"
"Gone." Haley's eye went hard. "Someone set that fire. Lucas and Keith could have died. Jake could have died."
"You think it was Dan?"
"I heard Keith telling my mom before they wheeled him into surgery that he would do whatever he had to do to get Lucas back in that house. It sounds like a threat if I ever heard one." Her eyes turned soft when she looked back at Lucas's room. Then she looked to Peyton. "You're good for him." She said. "I've seen Lucas smile, hell, laugh more now than ever."
"I love him, Haley."
"Good. Because he loves you too." She chuckled. "I won't have to beat your ass now."
"I wasn't worried about it." Peyton smirked.
Haley grinned. She so liked this chick.
"He's gonna be okay."
"His house..."
"They can rebuild it." Haley told her. "We can. Whatever asshole did this won't be stealing anything else from my boys. Keith and Lucas deserve to be happy. Together as a family. Nothing should stand in their way. They've lost too much already."
"Nathan hates him." Peyton thought aloud. "He tried to kick Lucas's ribs in and Luke fought back. He could have done this."
"I know," Haley replied. "And God help him if he did. Because not even Keith will be enough to hold Lucas back. He'll tear Nathan apart."
"That's what I'm afraid of."
-
I don't need a handicap to sink you.
Lucas's eyes shot open. It was dark in his room. He could see Haley asleep on the couch on the other side of the room. Peyton was asleep in the chair next to the bed. Her even breathing sounded so soft next to him.
He kicked the covers away. Hospital gown gone, Lucas was in a pair of sweat pants and an old T-shirt.
God Bless Mama James.
He cradled his left arm in his right and moved out of bed.
"Sleep is apart of the healing process."
Lucas froze.
"Your uncle was right." Peyton went on. "Their going to have to strap you to the bed to make you stay there."
"I need to see Keith."
"He's probably asleep, Luke."
Save him.
"You can stay, or you can come with to make sure I don't fall over."
"Go with him," Haley sounded from her corner. "This is something he has to do. He falls over. Catch him. But use your knees. Luke's a heavy bastard."
"Love you too, Hales."
"You'd better," she yawned. "Tell Keith to hurry back. Barbeque seasons is not that long off. Dad's looking forward to beating the pants off him this year."
-
"What was that about?" She asked closing the door behind them.
"Keith and J.J., that's Haley's dad Jimmy,"
"Jimmy James."
"Right, J.J. I love them smart."
Peyton felt like she had been lifted ten feet of the ground.
Love.
Slowly they walked down the hall. "Keith and Haley's dad," Lucas went on. "Have his grill cook off every year." She watched the dimple wink in his cheek when he smiled, the smile slowly fell away. "I usually showed after the festivities. The cooking part anyway. Couldn't chance seeing Keith." They were silent for a beat as the walked.
"I know it's early, and I've never asked before, but, you could maybe come."
"Lucas Scott," she teased. Another foreign concept for her. "Are you asking me out?"
"Yeah," he nodded. "I am."
"How do you know we'll still be together then?"
"I'm not going anywhere, Peyton." They stopped in front of Keith's door. He touched his hand to her hair. "I'm here," Lucas told her. "For as long as you want me, Peyton Sawyer, I'm here."
She was careful when Lucas pulled her into his arms. As if it was her place, she rested her head against his chest. Lucas brushed a kiss over her hair.
-
When he had come to see him earlier, Keith had been asleep. He as still out now. Doctors had made it that way so he could get enough rest to begin to heal properly. He'd be out for at least another day. He needed it. They were going to need all the help that they could get when they went back to what was left.
"We can fix it." Lucas told his sleeping uncle. "We can make it right. They aren't taking another damn thing from us. Hear me? We can fix it, and God help them if they did this."
I don't need a handicap to sink you.
"God help them."