Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters!

Peyton tried to enjoy the rest of her evening. She really did, but every time she locked eyes with Richard, she felt another pang of guilt. Her problem was discerning whether she felt guilty for having kissed Rich or for being with Lucas.

"Are you about ready?" Lucas asked softly. She glanced around and saw that most of the people had already gone. If they didn't leave soon it would end up being just them and Richard in the gallery. Peyton had her fill of awkwardness for the day, so she nodded. She disengaged herself from Lucas and headed to the coatroom to retrieve her jacket and bag.

"Peyton." Richard said softly, as the door swung shut behind her. She jumped at the suddenness of his appearance.

"Richard, hi." She greeted him, lamely. She had wanted to avoid this tonight.

"I wish you would have told me about Lucas. It would have saved me some heartache." He admitted, helping her into her jacket.

"Me too." She whispered, turning to face him. She fought the tears that were threatening to spill. Why did she have to meet someone so perfect for her when she was finally back with her high school love?

Peyton reluctantly pulled out of Richard's grasp and left the room. She wanted to glance back at him, to apologize, but she knew if she didn't end this with a clean break, she wouldn't end it at all. She had to be fair to Lucas, she had to give them a chance, a real chance.

"Did you get lost?" Lucas joked as she rejoined him. She forced a smile onto her face.

"Yeah, I walked through the wardrobe and saw a talking lion." She teased. Lucas chuckled, as they exited the gallery.

"Are you here for the night, or do you have to get back?" She asked softly, as they neared her car.

"Do you want me to stay?" He asked as the stood next to her car. She leaned against in and pulled him close to her.

"Do you really need to ask me that?" She whispered, as he bent to kiss her neck. He looked at her with the patented Scott smirk on his face.

"I hoped you'd say that." He admitted, holding the car door open for her. She felt a flash of anger as he held the door for her. She hesitated slightly before getting in. Richard had done the same thing for her last night, and she'd found it romantic. Yet, here was Lucas doing the same thing and she wanted to tell him that she was perfectly capable of opening her own door.

She bit her tongue, as Lucas got in the passenger side. The drive back to her hotel room was done in silence. Peyton lost herself in her thoughts, trying to discover why Richard affected her so very much. The only thing that she could come up with was that there wasn't any bad feelings or memories associated with him. With Richard, she could be the Peyton Sawyer that she had grown to be. With Lucas, she felt trapped as the Peyton Sawyer that she was. She sighed, wishing that her life could be slightly less complicated.

"Everything okay over there?" Lucas asked her as they pulled into the hotel parking lot.

"Yeah, I'm just tired. Today was a long day." She lied, giving him a small smile. The last thing that she wanted was to have doubt creep in, but it had, and she was determined not to let it destroy what she had.

She grabbed Lucas's hand as they walked up to the hotel. He smiled and gave her hand a squeeze. The walked hand in hand all the way to her room. She forced her mind to stop, and just concentrated on enjoying being with Lucas.

"Nice room." Lucas teased as they entered her room. She laughed when she saw the mess that she'd left behind. It had taken her countless different changes of clothes before she'd settled on something she was sure would impress Richard. She mentally kicked herself for allowing Rich back into her thoughts. She quickly grabbed up her clothes and threw them back into her suitcase. By then, Lucas had already kicked off his shoes and plopped down on the bed.

"Don't be shy. Make yourself comfortable." She joked as she kicked her shoes off and joined him. She snuggled into him, enjoying the feel of his arms around her, and most especially enjoying the smell of his cologne. She had always loved the way he smelled. She moaned as he began to kiss her neck again. He sat up and slowly unbuttoned his shirt and threw it aside. She grinned and sat up, kissing him hungrily. She was just getting into things when she heard her phone ringing.

"Ignore it." Lucas murmured, trailing kisses down her collar bone. She rolled her eyes and lightly pushed him away.

"Its nearly midnight, who could it be?" She muttered as she searched her bag for her phone. Finally she grabbed it and flipped it open.

"Hello?" She asked curiously, not recognizing the number.

"Mr. Scott please." A woman asked on the other end. Peyton handed the phone to Lucas, mirroring his bewildered look on her own face. She leaned in close to him so that she could hear the conversation as well.

"Mr. Scott, I'm sorry to call and tell you this, but you need to get to St. Francis Hospital quickly. Your daughter has been in an accident." The woman said.