Lost in the Past
Chapter 30 - Dr. Jekyll is wrestling Hyde for my pride...
A/N - So, I've just recently started another small story that's been taking up some of my time. There's only one more chapter left of that one so I should be back to updating these few a little more. Hopefully. Anyway, on with the big 3-0 of Lost in the Past. My longest story to date. I have decided to do one more sequel of this! A nice little saga. It will mostly be filled with everyone moving on and the kids getting older, growing up. Everyone's loose ends are gonna be tied up. It won't be long...probably 10 chapters at most. So, check out my last few chapters and then stick around for the sequel. Here it is:
The open highway was all that laid in front of them. Haley remained behind the wheel and the rest of the car lay silent. All four kids were passed out in the backseat along with Brooke. Peyton's head was dangling over her seatbelt as she lay in the passenger seat. It was nice to have some time to herself to think. She had been needing to gather her thoughts for weeks now, things were chaos around her. Will was going to be starting preschool, she had just gotten her little boy back and now she was sending him away every day. Nathan was looking for a better job, he was never satisfied. It was very rare for her to get these few minutes just to reflect.
"What're you thinking about?" a voice asked, snapping her from her reverie.
"Not much, just life. How crazy everything is right now," she responded to the blonde who was repositioning herself in the seat.
"Things never are normal," she responded with a laugh and Haley smiled at the statement.
'No they're not'
She shook her head and took a glance towards the girl next to her.
"When are we calling the guys?"
"Probably when we get to wherever we're supposed to be going. Lucas, Nathan, and Jake are probably still standing in the café waiting for us to come back." Peyton laughed at her own thoughts. She could see the three of them standing looking towards the door where they had all disappeared and just waiting for someone to come walking through.
"Where are we going?" the brunette questioned and Peyton shrugged. The blonde turned the radio up, receiving groans from everyone in the car. She quickly threw a CD into the slot and pressed buttons until she got what she wanted. Brooke woke to the guitar from the speakers and looked to see the two girls singing along with the CD. She realized why they got along so well...Brooke hated music...Haley loved it. She found herself jealous for a minute before brushing the feeling aside.
"Could it be that everything goes round by chance? Or only one way that it was always meant to be. You kill me, you always know the perfect thing to say, I know what I should do but I just can't walk away," they sang to the lyrics that floated into the still air of the car. Jimmy Eat World had always been popular between the two girls, finding they had music in common had thrilled them in their teenage years. Now, it just seemed to be something they fell back on when things were complicated.
"Wanna turn that down?" she looked to the girls in front and Peyton looked back at her, flashing a silly smile before turning back to front. Brooke quietly shook her head before flopping back against the seat behind her.
"Brooke where're we going?" Haley asked, switching the volume dial down. Brooke sat up, grateful for the minute of peace and pondering her answer.
"Um, I was thinking Florida!" she shouted merrily. Peyton looked back, dumbfounded at her answer.
"Florida?!" she asked incredulously.
'She's crazy. Ya know, I knew she was back in high school but, man has she deteriorated since then' Peyton thought to herself while watching her friend's facial expressions.
"Yea, why not? We're young, we're hot, we don't really need that much sleep," Brooke returned, saving herself.
"We like sleep, we've got kids, we've got boyfriends or husbands or finacees or whatever you wanna call them," Peytonresponded easily and Brooke's face fell. Her eyes wandered out towards the trees that were flying by the windows.
'I have to convince them that we're going to Florida...no one says no to Brooke Davis'.
"Eh, they're just minor technicalities girls! We're going to Florida, whether Haley drives us there or I drive us there. Now, which would you prefer?"
"I'll drive," Haley said quickly before there were any objections. "Not that you guys are bad drivers it's just...never mind you two suck at driving."
"Oh! Aunt Haley said a bad word!" Elizabeth commented from the backseat and Nate just rolled his eyes.
"Sorry."
"Don't apologize to her! Little sisters are stupid," Nate added from the far back of SUV and Peyton's eyes narrowed into slits.
"Nate, you say one more thing about her and you're gonna hitch a ride on 295!" Peyton scolded, looking back at her little boy, who wasn't too little anymore.
"Sorry," he mumbled, but she still heard him talking about her to Jenny in the secrecy of the third row seating.
'I knew third row was a bad idea, but did Lucas listen to me, NO! He never listens...I don't even know if I want him down here now,' Peyton decided.
Lucas looked on towards the door that his wife and ex girlfriend had disappeared through. Haley had also been missing for a while. He was getting worried, Peyton was pregnant and she was out there with Brooke. The girl who could drink like a fish was not one he wanted influencing her while she was pregnant. Though, he doubted Brooke would stoop that far he didn't want to take too many chances.
The last time he took a chance on not worrying was a few years back. Back at college right after Haley had left. The night that his life went to hell, the night he cheated. It hadn't been a pleasant night, getting drunk to erase the pain of losing his best friend to another country.
FLASHBACK
He walked into the crowded room, unaware of any surroundings. He'd been drinking hours before the party even started, and now that more alcohol was available he was sure to take advantage. He'd been talking to Jen for a few weeks now, and in his state he was greatly looking forward to seeing her tonight. And as the next half hour went by, inhaling the vodka and rum, he still hadn't seen her. At least not until he walked into the basement and she followed him.
"Hey sexy," she whispered seductively and he whipped around to find her standing in a mini skirt and halter top. Never in his life had he cheated...at least not on Peyton. And, he hadn't even thought about it when he saw her standing there. His intentions were for the best, he just wanted a friend. Someone to fill the void.
"Hey," he stuttered, nervously. She wasn't easy to look at and not think other things.
"So, you ready for the real party?"
"Um, yea I'm at the p-party. It's upstairs actually," he responded logically. She wasn't taking his pretexts.
"No, the real party is me, you, the back room, and the couch," she flirted but he had no want for her. He backed away, headed for the stairs. 'I love Peyton' he told himself. No use. The skinny blonde grabbed his wrist and slammed her lips against his. He went to pull away, but she only wrapped her arms tighter around his neck. She walked backwards, never letting him leave her and closed the door to the room behind them.
"I have a wife," he muttered but she had no interest. She continued her venture, pushing him backwards onto the couch. Straddling him, she unbuckled his pants, letting her hands roam. His thoughts were getting blurry, Peyton was fading, his son was fading, his life was fading. As she continued to tease him through the plaid boxers he wore, she let her mouth roam around his neck. A moan escaped, and all things even remotely logical or right were gone. With an unknown passion he grabbed her, pulling her down and crashing her lips in a searing kiss. He flipped her over and she smiled. That wasn't Peyton's smile, he pulled away and got up.
"I can't do this," he said quietly to the girl behind him. She walked up, letting her arms snake over his shoulders and pulled the button down shirt off. Lifting his white t-shirt up she let her fingers lightly run over his back. He turned to face her, finding her skirt gone. Slowly, she let her shirt fall from her own shoulders, no bra anywhere in sight. She grabbed his hand, letting it lay on her shoulder, waiting for him to make the move.
"Of course you can," she taunted, pulling his hand lower. He turned his head and she grabbed his other hand, setting it parallel to the left one. When she kissed him again, it took a few moments but he very slowly responded, allowing her to make her move. She pulled him backwards onto the couch again and removed any under garments left between them. There was no excuse for his behavior, he was drunk and horny but not stupid. Just an asshole.
As he thrusted for the last time he got up pulled his clothes back on and ran out of the house as fast as he could. His whole life...all wrecked because he let a girl get to him.
"Damn it!" he screamed, throwing a rock out into the distance and hearing a car alarm go off. He took off running again.
END FLASHBACK
Lucas very rarely worried about Peyton. Well, of course he worried but he didn't worry if she was leaving him or if someone had taken her. And, now that she was pregnant, it was two lives. He took slow steps towards the door, hoping beyond hope that she was going to be standing there giggling at him like a little school girl.
When he opened the door no such sight arrived. Peyton wasn't there neither were Brooke nor Haley. Nathan and Jake came up behind him, neither looking quite so worried, but Lucas was freaking out inside. He tried her cell...she didn't answer. He tried the other girls...they didn't answer.
"Where is she?!" he asked in a high pitched voice. "God, she's pregnant and with those two. Anything could've happened to her," he told the two brunettes in front of him. They both looked on, watching Lucas do anything to get in touch with his wife.
It was little over a day later when they crossed the border to Florida. Peyton was driving now, though she promised to be careful. She had explained that her kids were in there too,plus her nephew and niece. It was enough of an incentive to stay on the road.
"You think they're worried?" Peyton asked Haley who was currently sitting next to her.
"Who? The guys? They might be," she told the blonde and Peyton focused on the road again.
"I hope they're not," Peyton added a minute later.
"They or Lucas?"
"Lucas," she admitted and looked over to Haley. Haley had an idiotic smile on her face. "Now, what're you smiling like that for? We're married...I can be worried."
"I know, but I've just been rooting for you two since high school. He's always loved you," she said quietly so as not to disturb Brooke.
"I know he has, it's just that when I found out he cheated I thought how could he possibly love me? But that was one mistake he made. And I mean, if I look back on everything else he always did for me before and even after, it was one stupid mistake," she pointed out.
"He's a good guy," Brooke interrupted from the back.
"Oh, um, hey Brooke you're up again," Peyton stumbled for words nervously. No matter how many years had passed she still worried about her friend. Things still felt awkward when she talked about Lucas.
"You always do that."
"Do what?"
"Do that nervous stuttering thing whenever I hear you talking about Lucas. I'm over that, he's loved you from day one and I've come to terms with that fact. I'm with Jake, you're with Lucas and I love you two together," Brooke told the blonde sincerely. It nearly brought tears to Peyton's eyes.
"You can't say stuff like that to a pregnant girl," Peyton said, choking back the emotion. Brooke laughed from the back seat and elicited a laugh from the two in the front.
"So, to clear out the awkwardness...we're in Florida...what's your plan, Brooke?" Haley asked, clearly tired of the tears.
Brooke shrugged, "I don't really have one. I guess we drive wherever we want and get a hotel and then we give those darling boys of ours a call."
"You're saying we drove all the way out here and you don't have any type of plan?" Peyton asked incredulously. Brooke could be known for her impulsive thinking, Brooke could be known for her partying, Brooke could be known for any number of things, but Peyton could always remember her as the girl who did whatever the hell she wanted and made no apologies for it. None whatsoever.
"Pretty much," she agreed nonchalantly, shaking her head at the girl. Peyton continued watching the brunette, not believing how calm Brooke was about the whole thing. Never one to give a crap about responsibility either. Peyton laughed lightly, it was unbelievable that Brooke had barely changed at all. Granted, she was a good mom for Jenny, had grown unbelievably in that department, but otherwise, she was still the Brooke who she had bonded with so tightly over the years.
He hadn't slept at all that night. He had no idea where Peyton was, no indication of her anywhere. The only hint was that the SUV was gone, clothes were strewn all over the room, and a suitcase from each of the rooms was missing. He sat and pieced the clues together - she left him again. It was all he could come up with. He couldn't recall doing anything wrong, she was happy. Or so she seemed when they were at the café telling everyone she was pregnant again.
Nathan and Jake were starting to realize there might be some need to worry. When neither girl walked through the door that night, panic set in. Reality came flying by, and fantasy came to a screeching halt. Nathan had called everyone, or everyone they both knew. Jake on the other hand, was a nervous wreck. Jenny was gone, his whole life was gone. He couldn't comprehend why she would leave, he could've seen Nikki leaving, but Brooke left and took his little girl with her. Lucas looked at the clock, it was blinking 8's. 8 AM had come, and he was waiting. The cell phone beside him began to ring and he quickly flipped it open.
"Hello?" he answered, urgently. Hoping that someone up there liked him and sent him his wife's call. Or at least a call to say she was ok. He was willing to pay any amount of money or ransom, anything to have his wife and kids back home, safely.
"Lucas?" she questioned, he sounded raspy, not like his usual self.
"Is that you, Peyton? Where are you?!" The anger was evident, as was the worry and happiness. Her heart beat a little faster at the sound of his voice, never ceasing to amaze her that he could still do that just by the sound of his voice. Then guilt quickly strangled the beat, the panic in his voice made reality set in for her too. This wasn't a joke to him, never was.
"Yea it's me," she responded, meekly. A brief sigh crossed over the phone line, and then he began to ramble on about being worried, angry, upset, but most of all, scared to death that he would lose her again. That thumping in her heart that had once come from being happy to hear his voice, turned into a thumping that she could feel in her throat from being upset that she did that to him.
"Lucas, calm down. I'm ok, we're ok, everything's ok. Me, Brooke, Haley and the kids are fine, we're together and we're down in Florida," she explained before he continued on his tangent. She was so sick of him yelling, so tired of hearing how mad he always was. She could live without him for a day, hell, she'd been without him for years when they were "divorced".
"Florida?!" he screeched. She winced, Haley and Brooke took notice. The kids who were now car lagged - if that's a condition - were sleeping on the hotel beds.
"Yes, Florida. I'm inviting you three down, the invitation stands. If you're going to come, you're going to come and have a good time with all of us, you're not coming here and yelling at me. I'm not doing that, so you can get your act together," she said, clearly defiant in her ways. She wasn't going to stand for his BS anymore.
"Oh, please, Peyton. You put me through two nights of hell and you expect me to come down and act like everything's all peachy? That bull and you know it. You just leave with our kids and unborn baby and want me to come and greet you with my presence down in Florida? I'll stay here, maybe when you grow up and come home then I'll see you," he snapped. Briefly, she closed her eyes, inhaling the stale air of the room. He was being an ass and he knew it, but the two were far too stubborn to back down. They were able to fight and never compromise for hours on end, they both knew that the fighting only hurt worse when neither gave in. But, he had pride and she had dignity, no one willing to let that slip away. So, instead they hurt each other with their words, regretting what they said seconds after it slipped out.
"You know what, Luke? You wanna be an asshole, fine with me! I don't give a shit if you come or not. Don't talk to me about growing up, if anything it's you who has the growing up to do. If you don't wanna discuss this like an adult then I don't wanna talk to you. Don't call back," she growled and slammed the receiver onto the charger.
Putting her hands up on the table where the phone was situated, she leaned against it for support. She took a few deep breaths before looking back to her best friends, who had witnessed the whole thing. They both looked at her sympathetically, waiting for some type of emotion. Anything. But no such luck. Peyton flashed them both a smile before speaking.
"Um, look I'm just gonna go take a walk on the beach. Clear my head a little. I just need to be alone," she said softly and they both nodded. Neither of the brunettes really wanted to let her go, but they knew better than to force things from the blonde. It never ended well.
Click, he heard from the inside of his cell phone. He was furious at her, even though he knew he was overreacting, he couldn't help but think that she was under reacting though. He sat in his seat, keeping his eyes straight ahead. Wondering what she would be like when he saw her again. He doubted that she'd be happy, he knew she'd yell at him, and if he didn't let his pride get the better of him, he's apologize for being such an asshole. The thing was, he was never any good where pride was concerned. He was a Scott, though it was a sucky trait, he inherited it. Lucas Scott was a man of pride, and he usually stayed stubborn for that reason, yet when he thought of his wife's face, he would willingly sacrifice his pride if it meant she'd accept his apology.
She roamed the sand. The grains slipping through her toes, down near the surf where the water mingled with her tears. When she walked out of the hotel and arrived at the beach, she told herself she refused to cry over him, but the things he said hit her harder now that she thought about them than they did when he was saying them.
This was her husband, the man who she had been in love with since high school. And he still managed to hurt her more than anyone should be able to. She had put those walls up long ago, blocking everyone out, blocking out all those people who came with hurt written across their foreheads. That was the point of the blockade, but she was beginning to think that the whole reasoning behind it was pointless. The person she loved most in the world was the person who had hurt her the most...that was some screwed up reasoning.
The dark began to settle a few hours into the evening. The summer wind hit her face, but it only served to calm her frazzled nerves. Yet, still she was stressed about the entire day, her hands still trembling in the cold sand. The water was too cold to touch by this point in the day, so instead she had been sitting just a few feet from it, wondering what her life had turned into. A sharp pain ran through her stomach like wildfire and she cringed for a moment. It passed, and she brushed it off. It wasn't a labor pain, not that she would be considering that, being only pregnant by about a month or so.
"It's funny...the people who hurt you the most are the ones who swore they never would," a voice spoke from behind her, startling her. She turned to face the dark silhouette, already knowing exactly who it was. Before she had the time to respond the sharp pain, struck again - harder - making her hunch over. She groaned, and the figure watched, puzzled to her behavior.
"Nathan, you need to get me to the hos-hospital," she gritted out and his face was horror-stricken. His eyes grew wide, the situation was serious. He had only intended to talk to her, figure out what he could do to help.
"But, but Lucas is up-"
"We don't have time to get him, we need to go now!" she grumbled, still trying to dull the burning in her lower abdomen.Swiftly, Nathan gathered the blonde into his arms and took off, running towards the SUV he'd arrived in. The only good piece of the situation was that he had driven, giving him the advantage of car keys. 'Keep it together, Nate'. He turned the key in the ignition and sped off, retrieving his cell phone from his pocket somewhere along the way.
"Hang in there, Peyt," he whispered, glancing at the suffering girl. "I'm calling them now."
Ok, I'm a dramaholic, so sue me. I just love to add this stuff in there and see your reactions to it. I can't leave well enough alone. Anyway, the drama will probably only last for the next chapter and I'll repair everything. I'm going to shoot for rounding the story off at 35 chapters and then onto the last installment of the series. Tell me what you thought. Just click the review button!!
The title is a Snow Patrol lyric, for further reference. Also, the quote Nathan said to Peyton when he walked up is not mine, I don't know whose it is though either. ReViEw!
NEXT - What's wrong with Peyton? / What about the baby? / What's Lucas' reaction? / How bout the rest of the gang? / The rest of the time in Florida...are Lucas & Peyton ok? / How's the story going to end??
