"Do you like dogs" Lucas asked the small blonde at his side. He watched her nod as she continued looked out the window. "Well that's good because I have a retriever named Rocket." He smiled at her but she wasn't paying attention to him. Lucas sighed as he pulled into his driveway.

"Do you live here" Alex asked as she stepped out of the car and glanced up at the house. To her it was huge considering she was used to the apartment she and her mom shared with Amy. Lucas laughed and ran his hand over his head.

"Yeah it's kinda big…but hey at least you have lots of choices for where you want your room to be." He wanted her to be comfortable but the comment only brought sadness to her eyes. Lucas bent down so that he was eye level with his daughter.

"Hey kiddo, come here" Lucas waved his hands and motioned for Alex to come over to him. Once the little girl was within his reach he lifted her into his arms and stood back up. "Al…I'm gunna ask you a question and I don't want you to get worried or scared or anything, okay."

"Okay" she looked directly into his eyes as she waited for him to speak. Her eyes were already shimmering with tears and she knew that nodding her head was all it would take to make them fall.

"Do you know who I am?" Lucas cocked his head to the side slightly and watched as the little girl put herself deep in thought.

"I know your name and that you're the only one that calls me Al." she finally responded causing a slight laugh from Lucas.

"Good…that means it's my special name for you." He was glad to see the little girl smile in his arms but he knew he still had to explain some things to her. "You know I used to have a special name for your mommy too"

"You called her Pey" Alex said, she was proud that she had remembered.

"Yes I did" he was a little shocked but shrugged it off. He couldn't help but wonder how much Peyton had told Alex though.

"She gets sad when Aunt Amy forgets and calls her that." Lucas frowned as the small blonde continued speaking. "Sometimes she cries when we looked through her photo album."

"I'm sorry to hear that" Lucas said genuinely, he wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel. At the moment his emotions bordered anger, frustration, and confusion. He couldn't figure out why Peyton would just return home if she was so lonely.

"Most of the time she's happy and she tells me stories though." The little girl spoke quickly, hoping that she hadn't upset anyone.

"Well that's good. Alex I think there's something you mom didn't tell you in those stories and I'm not sure how you're gunna feel about it." He took a deep breath before he continued. "I asked you about you daddy earlier and you said that you didn't know where he was. Does your mommy ever talk about your daddy?"

"Not a lot…she gets upset when she does." Alex turned her head away, breaking eye contact for the first time. Lucas held her with one arm as he used his finger to move her chin and make eye contact again.

"Is your mommy the only one who gets upset?" He watched as the small girl slowly shook her head. "Well I hope I don't make you sad but what if I told you I know your daddy," He watched the glimpse of hope flash through her eyes and disappear. He wasn't sure exactly how to tell her the truth, he only knew that he had to. "Al your mommy and I used to be really close before she went away. I loved your mommy very much but she never told me about you. I don't know what she told you about me other then me playing basketball but I don't think she told you the most important part. Al, sweetheart, I found out this morning that I'm your daddy" Somehow the words leaving his mouth just didn't seem right. He couldn't help but wonder if there would ever be an easier way to tell a child something like that.

Even though she was much smarter then most three year olds, Alex still didn't know how to take the new information. "If you're my daddy they why don't you and my mommy live together like other mommies and daddies?" it was the only question she could think to ask and it through Lucas off guard.

"Umm…I don't know. Your mommy left without telling anybody and we didn't know where she was. But Al just because we don't live together, it doesn't mean we don't love you" He wasn't sure if that was the right thing to say….in a way he felt like he was lying to her. Yes Alex was his daughter but he wasn't sure if he could say that he loved her yet. He had just met her a few hours ago and they hadn't former any special father daughter bond yet, at least not from what he could see. Lucas decided that he wouldn't worry about loving his daughter yet, he knew he would love her soon, he wasn't sure if he didn't love her already, but at the moment it didn't matter. When they became more comfortable with each other, their bond would grow, and then he wouldn't have to worry about whether or not he loved her, he knew that he would.

"Lucas…" he was torn from his thoughts as her voice rang through his head.

"Yeah…."

"Can I call you daddy now or do I still have to call you Lucas?" The tiny blonde shifted her eyes back down to the ground.

"Hey Al" he waited for her to meet his eyes again. "I'd love it if you called me daddy" Lucas smiled as she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. That was when the awkwardness began to fade and suddenly his heart couldn't help but open up to her. The last time he remembered feeling this warmth in his chest was when he was holding another curly blonde tightly in his arms, letting himself drown in her scent.