Painfully short chapter but oh so worth it!

Xoxo HaLeY

Chapter 7: "And you hide in here unknown"

Lucas led Haley down the hall to his room. So many thoughts were racing through Haley's mind. Was this kid Lucas'? And if not what if he gets too attached? What in the world possessed him to bring him to Florida?

Lucas opened the door to see Spencer and Jenny sitting on the bed with Jake in between them.

"Back so soon?" Jake said

"Yeah." He smiled opening the door to let Haley in. "Spencer this is Haley."

"Hi…" Spencer said shyly.

Haley was taken aback by his voice. It was the same as Lucas's had been when they were little. It was deeper for a childs, and really smooth…

"You're getting married to Nathan?" Spencer asked

"Yup." Haley said looking at the child nodding, and then looking at Lucas.

"I'll be right back." He said as he led Haley out into the hall. "What do I do?" He asked his best friend

"I don't know… If I were you I would get a paternity test…"

"I don't even need one! Look at him! That boy is my son!" Lucas said a little loudly…

"I understand how you can see that…. But I just want you to be sure. You're my best friend and I don't want you to get hurt.

Lucas kissed Haley on the forehead.

"I'll let you get back to your wedding preparations." He said kissing her forehead, and the two headed their separate ways.

~ Wexford

Black… black, always black, dark… This was the first time that Peyton Sawyer had been left alone and up to her own devices or so long. Spencer needed so much, but she didn't care. He was her little man.

It was scary to her how much he looked like his father… Lucas…

Peyton ripped the sketch that she had been doing in half… She would NOT think of Lucas… He was her past.

Peyton had made a promise to herself long ago when she left Tree Hill that she would put her old ways behind her. The only thing that had remained the same was her constant love of art… and her clothes. Other than that she had reinvented herself, and added another layer to her wall… Now so was untouchable… unbreakable… But ever since she saw Lucas again something drew her in… pulled her back to the lonely 17 year old girl that only had her sketch pad, a web cam and a dream.

Peyton tried to aviod memory lane as much as possible, but it seemed some unearthly force pulled her off of the couch and led her to the hall closet… She lightly blew the dust off of the top of her box…

~ Later that day in Miami. Jake was out shooting hoops with Nathan. Lucas was going to join them with Jenny and Spencer as soon as they woke up… He sat at his computer working.

Every time that Lucas signed on the internet he checked Peytons web cam… He didn't know if it was out of habit… hope… or if it was just to reassure him that Peyton was gone…

And so as he always did Lucas directed himself to Peytons web cam, … and saw what he never expected to see. What he hadn't seen in so long…

Peyton's golden locks hung around her face, gently curving themselves around her shoulders and cheeks, onto her mid back… Her head was down… and she was focusing hard on the task in front of herself… the picture of Spencer and Lucas.

So slowly it came together, with the gentle to hard strokes of the pencil to make sure she got the shading just right. The detail in the pictures came out of her so naturally. The same details that would pain some…

This is the start of something… Life is about to change