The Man Who Was His Father
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the One Tree Hill characters, because if I did I certainly wouldn't put Lucas and Brooke together.
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Chapter 1
He was barely asleep when he heard the phone ringing from somewhere outside their bedroom. A glance over at the alarm clock on the nightstand told him it was nearly midnight. The cordless telephone was noticeably absent from the cradle, so he pulled himself out of bed and made his way through the dark house trying to get to the phone before the ringing woke his sleeping wife. 'Who the hell was calling so late' he mumbled to himself, scratching the top of his head.
"Hello" he answered, sleep evident in his voice.
"Lucas its mom, I'm sorry to call you so late. I hope I didn't wake you or Peyton" Karen's voice was strained she sounded upset.
"What's going on mom, is everything ok?"
"It's just…I – I have some bad news Luke"
Rolling over in bed she found the spot next to her empty. Peyton sat up and tucked the strand of curly blond hair behind her ear. Calling out for her husband, she didn't hear an answer. Swinging her legs over the edge of their bed; she paused to rub the sleep from her eyes before wandering down the hall towards the kitchen.
She barely noticed him sitting on the couch in the dark living room. The television was on, the changing scenes reflected different patterns sporadically onto the walls of the living room. It was obvious to Peyton that Lucas had no interest in the sports program that he was tuned into. She crossed the dark room and sat next to him on the couch, and he barely looked up to acknowledge her presence.
"Hey" she said propping her elbow up on the back of the couch, and running her fingers through his short hair. "What's the matter Lucas, I missed you in bed."
"I'm sorry," he said placing a hand on her knee. "I just…I got a phone call."
"When, tonight while I was sleeping?" Peyton asked bringing her feet up on the couch and tucking them underneath her.
"Yeah" he was being short with her, and it wasn't going unnoticed.
"What's the matter Lucas, I need you to tell me what's going on." She was concerned with the fact that her husband wasn't being himself.
"My mom just called, there's something wrong with my fath-" he paused and shook his head "there's something wrong with Dan Scott."
"Well what's wrong with him, is he sick?" Peyton asked.
"He's not sick, he's dying" Lucas' face remained emotionless.
"What does he have?" she asked softly, but a look of shock came over her face.
"Some type of brain cancer, he doesn't have more than a few weeks. He collapsed today at his house, they took him to the hospital but they don't expect him to leave there alive. My mom just heard the news, and she thought I should know" He sighed and turned to face her. She reached over and grabbed his hand in hers; it was her way of showing him silent support. They remained quiet for a few minutes before Peyton broke the silence.
"Are you ok Lucas? I mean…"
"Yeah I'm fine. I'm not the one dying" He pushed himself up off the couch, and clicked off the television. He stood in the darkness of the living room. The soft yellow glow of the hallway light dimly lit the living room. Peyton watched as Lucas ran his hands over his face.
"Lucas he's your father, it's ok to be upset over this" she stood from the couch and walked up behind and wrapped her arms around his waist. She rested her chin on his strong shoulder, and whispered reassurances in his ear. He remained silent but held tight to her arms.
"She thinks it would be good if I saw him, before he…" he grew silent. He resented the fact that he could feel any emotion for the man who had abandoned him and his mother.
"Hey" she said pulling his body to face hers "You're tired, let's go to bed. Give yourself some time to adjust and we can figure this out in the morning"
"Thanks for the 'we'" he said wrapping his arms around her in a firm embrace; burying his face into her neck and breathing in the sweet smell of his wife. Her hands stroked the back of his neck, and he nearly melted under her touch.
"I love you Peyton"
"I love you too." Pulling back from him, she held his face and kissed him on the forehead. His eyes closed at her gentle touch, and then she kissed him once softly on the lips.
"Lets go to bed" Peyton grabbed his strong hand in hers and kissed him lightly on the fingers before leading him down the hallway towards their bedroom.
The pair lay in their bed, their bodies intertwined under the soft navy blue sheets. Her arm draped across his chest, his arm wrapped protectively around her shoulders allowing him to hold her close.
"Are you ok, Lucas?" she asked him, while tracing small circles lightly on his chest with her finger.
"I don't know," he sighed, "I don't know how to feel."
"It's ok Lucas, this whole situation with your father is complicated."
"But he's my father Peyton, I should at least feel something towards him. But I don't, at least not right now"
"I think we should go see your mom, go back to Tree Hill," she cut Lucas off before he could protest "I'm not saying you have to see him, but I think it would be good to see your mom and to talk to her"
"No you're right, I feel like I should be with my mom and my wife right now. I'll call her in the morning and let her know we're coming for the week, if that's ok with you?" he reached up and ran his fingers over her blond curls he loved so much.
"Spending a week with your mom sounds like a good idea, plus going back to Tree Hill is always interesting we can catch up on the town gossip" she smiled to herself, and he leaned down and kissed her lightly on the forehead.
"Thank you" he said.
"For what?" she asked.
"For being so supportive, for being there for me, for being my wife."
"Lucas I love you, and you know that I will always support you just like you do for me. Now let's go to bed, and we'll call your mom in the morning" she said reaching over him to turn out the light on the their nightstand. She stopped, before settling back down beside him, to kiss him on the lips.
"I love you"
"I love you too"
It didn't take long for Peyton to succumb to the temptation of sleep, her breathing becoming steadier against her husband's chest. But sleep didn't come easily for Lucas. He lay in bed, staring up at the dark ceiling unable to shake the thoughts of his father dying in a hospital bed. He couldn't stop thinking of the man who was his father, but who he considered a stranger.
Ok that's it for this chapter. Please read and review, and let me know if you're interested in more chapters.