The Brilliant Dance

Disclaimer: Not my characters, only my ideas.

Summary:  Lucas and Peyton decide what they really want in life is each other, and they won't let anything or anyone stand in their way

Author's notes: Chapter 2 is up. Read, review and let me know how you all like it. I'm still trying to get the first chapter of The Man… put together but I'm suffering from an unbelievable case of writers block and it's starting to piss me off now. But I'm writing and re-writing the chapter and I promise to have it up by next week… scouts honor.

Chapter 2:

            Haley's urgency became clear to Peyton as she stepped onto the small porch that led to the outside door of Lucas' bedroom. Taking in the scene in front of her she saw his small room filled with moving boxes. The walls were stripped of his basketball posters; his once overfilled bookshelves were now bare; aside from the closet of un-packed clothes, there was little evidence that he had ever lived there.

            She stayed in the doorway, watching him work with his back to her. He was cleaning out the last of his dresser drawers, shoving the neatly folded clothes into one large box. Peyton knew she only had a few minutes before he would feel her staring and turn around, she still had no idea what she would say to him. And then he turned just slightly towards her and she saw the black ink of his tattoo peeking out from underneath the sleeve of his white t-shirt. And that is when she knew exactly what she wanted to say. It wasn't the tattoo that got her as much as where the tattoo had come from, the whole thing was just in some way symbolic to her.

            "So this is how it's all going to end?" Lucas spun around on his heel and faced an angry Peyton standing in the doorway of his room.

"Peyton?" Surprise was evident in his voice.

"So things get a little out of your control and you decide that the best remedy to your problems would be to pack up and leave town. Were you even going to tell me you were leaving?" she was angry and hurt, and he could tell by the look in her eyes that she wasn't going to make things easy for him.

"I figured you wouldn't care if I left. I was just going to leave you a letter." He shrugged his shoulders.

"I bet that was a short letter." She stepped into his room and slammed the door behind her. "What does it say 'Sorry I'm a coward, I'll see you around'?"

"You know what Peyton, don't come in here and criticize me for things you wouldn't understand." He pointed an angry finger at her.

"Oh no, I think I understand everything pretty clearly. You made a bunch of shitty choices this year and instead of owning up to them you decide to skip town. And by the looks of things, and the way Haley was talking, you're leaving pretty soon." She said pointing to his various boxes.

"I'm leaving tomorrow. So thanks for coming by and making me feel like shit before I left. Why are you so pissed off anyway? I thought you hated me after what happened with Nikki."

"Don't throw yourself a pity party Lucas." He rolled his eyes and she hesitated a minute and felt suddenly nervous. "I never hated you. I was just disappointed in you. After what we had, or almost had, together I just… I couldn't imagine going out and sleeping with some random guy. I thought we meant more to each other than that. Finding out about you and Nikki that hurt me more than you will ever know. Do you have any idea what it feels like to be hurt by someone close to you?"

"Yeah I do." He said staring directly at her.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean." She asked angrily.

"It means that I know how it feels to be hurt by someone you care about, by you actually." He pointed his finger at her again. He was being a dick and he knew it.

"Stop pointing your fucking finger at me Lucas. I want to know what the hell you're talking about. Was it that night at Nathan's, when we almost…" her voice trailed off and he just shrugged his shoulders. "Unbelievable. I can't even believe you're going to compare that to what you did with Nikki. I was scared that night Lucas, you were saying all those things to me about having it all, and us being together."

"Yeah, I meant all those things Peyton. I wasn't just saying all that stuff to get you to sleep with me, I meant everything I said."

"I just wasn't ready for that, I wanted to be ready I really did. But I guess I just took too long getting there right? You tossed those feelings aside pretty fast so you could get with my best friend."

"Is this what we're going to do the whole time? Hash over all the things we've done to each other." He seethed; she definitely knew how to push his buttons.

"Yeah, and I'll start. If you really meant all those things you said that night, about us being able to have it all, how could you move on so fast with Brooke?"

"I pursued you for months Peyton. The little games you thought you had to play with me sucked me in. I fell for you, hard. But you feel you have to build this wall around you to protect you from ever getting hurt. And I just didn't have the strength to try and tear the damn wall down again." He turned his back to her and ran his hands across his face before facing her again. "And with Brooke I could forget about your constant rejection. For the first time in my life I knew what it felt like to not a give a shit, when I was with her I didn't care about the rules. But the whole time I was with her I couldn't let myself forget about you, as hard as I tried, your face was always there."

"What about that night I came by your house and I told you all those things. I told you how I felt, and that I wanted to be with you. Why didn't you say something then?" she asked.

"I guess I just wanted you to know how it felt to be rejected, what it felt like to put your heart out on the line and watched it be ripped apart." He spat out bitterly.

She nodded her head in silence before looking up at him with pain evident in her eyes. "I felt it Lucas, and feeling that rejection made me realize what I had done to you. And I thought my punishment was to sit by and watch you and Brooke have what we were supposed to have."

Lucas sighed heavily; he hated to face his own mistakes. "What Brooke and I had, I knew in my heart that it would never compare to what I knew I could have with you. We had a connection Peyton, an unbelievable connection." He reached out and grabbed her hand. He needed her to remember that connection, to know that it was still there. She looked down at their joined hands; she let herself forget the pain for just a minute before she pulled away from him.

"So what exactly where you and Brooke al about, sex? Those are the girls you seem to go for." She shook off his attempt at an interruption. "Brooke was my best friend. I knew all about the things she did with the guys she went out with, and having heartfelt conversations isn't something I picture the two of you doing. And I think we both know you and Nikki were all about the sex right?"

"Peyton it wasn't like that…"

"I know that I don't have much room to talk. When I was with Nathan I don't think we ever had a serious conversation about anything. And you couldn't even really call what we had a relationship it was all about… well a topic you're familiar with. But I don't ever want that again. I don't want to be that girl."

"I'm not asking you to do that again Peyton, I don't want that. I want you, I just want you." His voice softened. "We can have this, we can be together. Let's just put all this shit in the past and start fresh. If that's what you want."

"Aren't you supposed to be leaving town." She asked bluntly.

"I can't leave if you give me a reason to stay. Please, give me a reason to stay Peyton." He said. His eyes were pleading with her to ask him to stay.

She moved slowly towards him, her hands placed gently on either side of his face pulled his lips down onto hers. He kissed her back with all that he had, his arms wrapped underneath hers. His body melted into hers, he wanted to be wrapped up in her forever. She pulled her lips from his just enough for her to whisper. "Stay." was all she said. She felt his smile form against her own lips.

"This feels so right." He pulled her closer and held her tightly against him.

"I don't want us to screw this up Lucas, I can't lose you again."

"We have to do things the right way, no sneaking around this time. We'll go the traditional route." He smiled.

"What does that mean?" she asked

"I mean, what are you doing tonight at around 8:00?"

"Why do you ask?" she grinned.

"I'm asking you out on a date, dinner and a movie. If that sounds ok to you?"

"That sounds good, it's a date then." She kissed him once more before glancing down at her watch. "I should go get ready then, I only have two hours."

"We're gonna make it Peyton, I can feel it." He kissed her once more before letting her go, the taste of her lip balm lingered on his lips.

She nodded her head. "I'm not giving up this time."

"I'll pick you up at 8 tonight."

"I'll be ready." He walked her to the door and they shared a long kiss goodbye before she pulled away and walked to her car. She looked back over her shoulder and threw him a smile. He watched her car disappear from his driveway before turning back to his room. Inside, he scanned the bare room and shook his head. It was going to take him forever to unpack all the boxes.

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