Hope you guys enjoy this....one more chapter...an epilogue

Chapter Fourteen: Barely Breathing

Peyton sat on the hard, ugly, plastic chair beside Lucas' bed. Her hands shook uncontrolably, as they wrapped around her knees. He had been out of surgery for nearly twelve hours, but still hadn't woken up. Slowly, she leaned her head forward, resting her chin against her knees, as the tears started to fall. Slient as they were, each and everyone of them hurt her. Each one held a memory of the past fourteen hours. The horrific memory, of both Haley and Nathan's death. Using one shaking hand, she wiped a few of the fallen tears from her cheeks, as her mind rewound itself, and replayed the gruesome deaths again and again.

Beginning of Flashback

"Someone's coming."

Peyton tensed with fear, as her eyes followed Haley and she knew automatically that it wasn't the doctor with information on Lucas. If she would have blinked her eyes she would have missed it, but in that instant Nathan strode around the corner. He was calm and collective as he did it, he was even whistling. A smug, arogant smile plastered on his face, as he stopped, and leaned against the wall.

"Well, this does make my job a little easier. At least I won't have to hunt," he paused pointing a long sharp hunting knife in Haley's direction. "You down. Although, it does take a little of the fun away."

Haley's whole body shivered at his words, and Peyton felt like she might throw up, her stomach convlusing severely rebelling against her.

"Lets move this behind closed doors....so to speak," his smile growing large with each word he spoke, as he pointed his knife toward Lucas' room.

He followed both girls into the room, and his smile quickly disappeared when he noticed that his wounded brother wasn't in the room.

"Now, where is that useless brother of mine?" Nathan asked, as he twirled the knife in his hand.

"In surgery, thanks to you," Peyton bit, and immediately regretted doing so.

"That's really a shame. I wanted to kill you last, but since you decided to start being a little bitch off the bat, I'll just have to kill you first," his grin returned, as he grabbed Haley by the hair, and tossed her, almost like a rag-doll to the floor, her head bouncing off the tiled floor. A low whimper escaped her lips, and it was almost her nightmare come true, only she didn't have the element of surprise in her favor anymore.

"You leave her alone, you sadistic asshole!" Peyton screamed.

"Oh, I am so going to enjoy killing you," he sneered at her, his eyes holding the same hatred that they had for the past four years.

Peyton eyes never left Nathan's, and she stared at him with intensity. All she needed was one little screw up on his part. One little opening, and she could take him down. Without her notcing, he walked toward her, the knife held straight out, as he was about to ram the cool steel blade into Peyton's chest, she felt as someone tugged her out of the way, and felt as their body landed in front of her. In front of Peyton's horrfied eyes, she watched as Nathan plundged the knife numerous times into Haley's now, lifeless body. This was the break she needed, but she was too frozen to move. Too frozen to do anything. She bit her lip, as she wrapped her fingers tightly around the little scapel in her hand, lunging forward. The scapel pierced the skin just below his chin, and blood oozed out immediately.

"You bitch," he said, but his words were slurred, by the immediate amount of blood loss, as he slowly fell backwards.

Without another thought, Peyton screamed bloodly murder, hoping for someone to come. For someone to save her. After what seemed like hours, when in reality it was only a few minutes, she heard a low, almost inaudible whimper escape Haley's lips. Falling to her knees and crawling toward, Haley's still lifeless body. Stopping just beside her head, and pulling her legs around in front of her. She pulled Haley's body into her arms. Much to her surprise, her eyes were open, tears were creeping down her cheeks, as blood drops were on her almost blue lips.

"Cold," Haley choked out, and Peyton knew she was dying.

"Please! Someone Help!" she screamed.

Finally she heard the thunderous steps of someone running toward her. Tears were now cascading down her cheeks, as she looked back down at Haley's body.

"Safe," She choked out again, a few more drops of blood landing on her lips.

"Yeah, I'm safe, your gonna make it, just hold on," Peyton said, hugging her freezing body closer.

"Oh god, what happened in here?" she heard someone whisper from behind her.

Using all strength she had left in her, she turned toward the voice. A young woman, no older than twenty-five stood just inside the door. Peyton immediately saw that she was a nurse.

"Long story. Help my friend," she pleaded, tears still flowing down her cheeks.

The young nurse shook her head, as she walked toward Peyton, dropping to her knees just on Haley's other side. Pulling out her stethoscope, and placing it to Haley's chest, she waited a few minutes before shaking her head.

"I'm so sorry, but she's gone," she said, as she turned toward Nathan's bloodied body.

"Screw him. That bastard deserves to die! He did this, it's all his fault," she screamed.

Her head started to spin, and she felt like someone had tilted the room on it's side.

"Miss, are you hurt? Miss? Can you hear me?" was the last thing Peyton heard.

End of Flashback

When she came too, she was laying in a small cot like bed, beside Lucas'. The doctor came in only a half-hour after she became concious again. He explained that she had been in shock, and that she should be fine. That Lucas' surgery went better than expected, and that as long as he stayed still for a few days, that he shouldn't have anymore internal bleeding. This had comforted Peyton slightly. She quickly asked about Haley and Nathan, and he quickly answered with a sad, remorseful nod of his head.

"The man had been dead for at least five minutes before you were found. It was almost immediate. What with the amount of blood he lost," the doctor paused letting that sink in before continuing. "The woman, she died from multiple knife wounds."

He went on to explain that a police officer would speak with her soon, and that she needed to give him all the information she had.

That had been five hours ago, and she told him everything. From Nathan's constant demestic abuse, to Lucas's pretending to kidnap her, to Nathan framing Lucas into killing her. Onward to the hired gun, that had shot Lucas, and then Nathan's final act of violence that ended in his immediate death. The officer told her that no charges would be brought against her, since it was clearly self defense, and that he would see about getting any and all charges against Lucas dropped.

All of this was great news, wonderful news even. It would have been even better if Lucas would just wake up. Just bat an eyelash. She just wanted to see those steel blue eyes of his.

"Please---" her voice cracked, as more tears threatened to fall. "For me Lucas, please wake up."

She leaned forward now, resting her chin on the edge of his bed, as she stared at his beautifully peaceful face.

"I love you so much."

With that she felt into a restless sleep, her head leaning against his hand.

She woke with a start, although she felt like she had only been asleep for a few minutes, the first thing she noticed, as her head was facing toward the door and windows, was that it was now dark out. Yawning, and stretching her arms above her head, she raised up realizing what woke her up so suddenly.

"I—don't---like it----when you---pull away like that," his voice cracked with dryness, and his eyes were a little paler than they had been before, but it really was him. He really was awake, and talking to her.

"Lucas?" her voice cracked too, as a few tears trickled down her cheek.

"Who else?" he asked.

She pondered for a moment, before she decided that he should know what happened.

Lucas saw the hesitantion on her face, and the fear in her eyes.

"What wrong?" his voice still hoarse.

Reaching toward the table, she lifted the cup to his chapped lips as he drank hungrily from it.

"Now, what's wrong?" he asked again, his voice holding the same huskiness as before.

"Nathan."

"Please explain," his eyes wide with fear.

"He came here. Haley thought he might have followed her, and she was right....." she trailed off, not exactly sure how to tell him that she was dead.

"Peyton, what are you not telling me?" he asked, his thumb brushing across her cheek.

"She's dead Luke. Nathan killed her----and I killed him."

She refused to look up, to meet his gaze.

"Dead....both of them..." his voice broke, but under emotion instead of hoarseness this time.

"Yeah, he was going to kill me first, but she....She threw herself in front of me, and he just kept stabbing her. He's physcotic Lucas. I had a small...like scapel looking thing in my hand, and used the moment against him. I guess I hit an artery or something. He died quickly, bled to death. Haley-----she died in my arms Lucas."

"She saved you?" Lucas asked.

"If it wasn't for her, then I'd be dead."

With that Peyton laid her head against his bed again, as his hand stroked her hair lovingly.

"I guess I'll be forever in debt to her then," was the last thing Peyton heard as she drifted off into a more peaceful slumber.

Okay so don't hate me too much okay? It's just...I couldn't have everyone survive, although for some reason I don't think anyone will shed tears that Nathan is dead....

Special Shout-out Thanks to:

Tweetiebird86

Lukenpeyton4ever

Tarheelsuperstar

Mthorne13

RJMoonspell4

Lostand1TreeHillfan

For the wonderful reviews.