Thanks so much for the reviews. This is the chapter that everyone has been anticipating… I hope it lives up to expectations and the wait! I will be writing about thanksgiving day and we will be seeing more residents of Tree Hill. Again, thanks so much for the reviews – it helps the writing process to know what other people are enjoying the story as much as I am. Here is the next part, enjoy!

Also, Gretchen, enjoy your last semester, I hope it's going well for you!

Chapter 16 Between Your Heart and Mine

Peyton knew she was upsetting all of her friends but she couldn't live with Lucas forever; it was making her too comfortable. No one else understood how difficult it was to be with someone you knew you couldn't have in the long run. And their experiences since the sophomore year of high school had clearly indicated that they had missed their opportunity to be together. As she aimlessly ruffled through her suitcase and removed the things that needed hung, Peyton thought of Lucas and what he must be doing in his apartment. It was almost dinner time, she hoped he was making something that could be deemed 'real' food instead of something frozen.

She spent a quiet evening in the lonely hotel room, watching reruns of Mary Tyler Moore and I Love Lucy. Since she still was not completely back to her normal self, she fell asleep from sheer exhaustion around nine that night.

The city was bustling and chaotic, even in the mounds of snow. Ladies walked smartly in heels that seemed to simply glide over the soft banks of white flakes. Looking around, Peyton was a bit confused. What was Karen's Café doing next to Lucas's apartment building? She trudged through the snow in her bare feet and gently pushed the door open, poking her head in to see Karen standing behind the counter, talking happily with a young woman at the counter. Anna Sawyer's light brown curls bounced as she laughed at whatever Karen had said; her blue eyes twinkled as she turned to face the door, and the daughter she had left behind.

"Mom?" Peyton's voice was hoarse, fighting its way through the lump that had formed in her throat and the tears that were gathering in her hazel eyes.

"Peyton, darling. I was wondering when you'd get here. Isn't that snow awful? Karen's just made some hot chocolate for us. Come, sit down." Peyton crossed the café in her bare feet, fully aware that she must look ridiculous in her pajamas and sleep-ruffled curls. Her mother didn't seem to mind as she turned to her daughter and gave her a peck on the cheek. It was only then that Peyton realized that her mother was holding a tiny baby, a little girl in a pink dress with wisps of blond curls.

"Who is this?"

"You act like you don't even know your own daughter. Silly girl. Here, take her. She wants her mama." Anna handed the baby to Peyton and the younger girl accepted, not know what else to do. Anna stood, her light blue dress pooling around her legs as she stood at her full height. She leaned over and kissed Peyton's forehead before whispering the next statement. "I am so proud of you, my baby girl. You are all I could have hoped for. I love you so much. And I know you'll find your way." With that, she began to walk toward the door, not looking back until Peyton called out in a panicked voice.

"Wait! What do I do with her?" She was looking at the tiny baby, who was simply staring at her with large blue eyes, not making a sound or a motion.

"You'll figure it out, my darling. You're in good hands." As her mother disappeared through the door and into the snow, Peyton turned around and realized that Karen was no longer the only occupant of the café. Keith and Larry were playing checkers in a booth while Haley and Brooke sat at another, surrounded by schoolbooks and magazines. Nathan and Jake were, for one reason or another, playing basketball in one corner of the café. As she turned to face the counter again, she realized that she was in fact behind the counter, standing close to both Karen and Lucas. Before Lucas could speak, the door slammed open and a freezing wind blew in…

Peyton awoke with a start, shivering uncontrollably with tears rolling down her already splotched cheeks. Reaching for her cell phone, she unsteadily began to dial a familiar number. Thinking again, she hung up and sat back in bed, trying to convince herself to go back to sleep. Still terribly shaken ten minutes later, she threw on her shoes and a coat, grabbed her purse, and practically ran to the lobby of the hotel. The doorman looked a little surprised at her appearance at three in the morning but hailed her a cab without question. She stood outside Lucas's apartment building for a full ten minutes, walking to the door and then backing away again, never quite getting up the nerve to enter. She was about to hail another cab when the door opened and Lucas appeared next to her on the sidewalk.

"Everything okay?"

"How did you know?"

"Hank called up when he saw you out here. It's a good thing he did. It's freezing out here. Let's go inside," she said as he reached for her arm.

"No!" She said as she quickly pulled away.

"Okay," Lucas said, taking a step back. "At least come into the lobby."

"I don't understand—" She began to say between sobs, while shaking her head.

"You're not alone," he answered softly, gently moving closer and eventually pulling her into his arms, resting his chin on the top of her curls as he soothingly rubbed her back. After a few minutes of allowing her to sob, Lucas pulled away a bit and lightly ruffled her curls before speaking. "Can we at least go into the lobby? It's really cold." She nodded and allowed him to lead her into the lobby. Since she wasn't paying attention, he continued to the elevator and led her all the way into his apartment and sat her down on the living room sofa. Remaining silent, he gently helped her out of her coat and pulled a fleece blanket around her shoulders.

"So you want to tell me what you're doing here? Not that I mind," he added quickly. "But it's kinda late. Or early," he said as he ran his hands uneasily through his already sleep ruffled hair.

"I'm sorry," she said shakily, squeezing her eyes shut to avoid his gaze.

"Don't apologize. Just tell me what happened. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Her tone of voice was not at all reassuring. He sat down next to her on the sofa and took her hand firmly in his, a sign of reassurance as well as stability. They weren't going anywhere until he had a few answers.

"It was a dream," she said quietly, lightly enough that he had to strain to hear the words. "My mom was there."

"Oh Peyton," he whispered as he pulled her into a hug and held her as the heart-wrenching sobs began to rack her weakened frame. After a few moments, the sobs slowed and she slowly seemed to regain some of her composure.

"I'm sorry," she said shakily as she attempted to pull away. "I just couldn't be alone after that—"

"Don't apologize. You're welcome here anytime."

"You have your own life."

"Not without you, I don't." His sudden and firm response surprised them both, momentarily causing Peyton's mind to wander from the night's painful dream.

"What are you saying?"

"Hell, we've waited long enough. This is ridiculous, acting like we want to lead separate lives. It's too forced. I don't want to leave for practice or class in the morning without seeing you first. I miss the random artwork in the margins of my notebooks and on the back of receipts. The sink is lonely with one toothbrush. And it looks empty without that damn curling iron plugged in every morning. I don't like eating dinner without you. It's just not as interesting when no one has given the vegetables cartoon voices—"

"I only did that once," Peyton said with a gasp, not sure if she was mortified or deliriously happy at his outburst.

"It doesn't matter. As long as you're there. You make my day Peyton. I don't want to have any more of them without you. I love you. And I don't want to lose you ever again."

"This is too much—"

"I'm sorry. We'll slow down. I got a little carried away." She nodded, giving him a look that clearly indicated her current doubt of his sanity.

"Let's go to sleep and talk about this in the morning," she said carefully, giving the impression that she was too tired to be either terribly upset or happy about his newfound feelings. Although she slept well in his reassuring embrace, Peyton woke with a start, sitting straight up in bed. Lucas sat up beside her groggily, immediately questioning what was going on.

"We need to talk," she said in what he would have termed horror. It was too early to worry about her tone of voice. Lucas rubbed his eyes and looked over at her questioningly, wondering if she realized that his brain wasn't functioning properly so early in the morning. The look of pinched worry on her face pulled him out of his fog long enough to nod, signaling for her to begin.

"I want to be here," she said suddenly, surprising him out of his grogginess.

"Good," he said calmly. "Because I want you to be here too."

"I don't know what it means."

"You don't have to," Lucas assured her. "We can figure it out together."

"Okay," she said hesitantly.

"Okay then," he said, glancing at the clock for the first time. "Peyton!"

"What?"

"It's six in the morning! We're going back to sleep," he said grumpily. Not waiting for an answer, he pulled her back down to the bed and lay on his side, holding her close so that she didn't really have a choice but to close her eyes and attempt a few more hours of sleep. When she awoke that morning, she could tell it was late because of the bright sun shining through the window. Before she could get out of bed, Lucas appeared in the doorway with an antique wooden tray that his mother had given him. Peyton's eyes were wide when she saw that the tray was laden with two plates of thick French toast and bacon.

"What's the occasion?" She asked groggily.

"You," he answered with a warm smile. He set the tray on the nightstand and climbed back into bed next to her, pulling the covers up to ward off the autumn chill.

"That's very sweet. You do know you've already got me, right?"

"I figured a little breakfast in bed wouldn't hurt."

"I like the way you think."

The title comes from "When You Say Nothing at All," sung by Alison Kraus (written by don Schlitz) If you haven't head the song, it's absolutely beautiful and I definitely recommend it (Then again, I like every song I use in these titles).

"The smile on your face lets me know that you need me
There's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall
You say it best when you say nothing at all

All day long I can hear people talking out loud
But when you hold me near, you drown out the crowd
Old Mr. Webster could never define
What's being said between your heart and mine"