Disclaimer: Chapter 1
A/N: Some characters are really OCC, but please remember this is a kind of A.U. story. It does get a little sappy and fluffy but hey we all need a good shot of that every once in awhile.
Chapter 4: A Sea of Citrine and Topaz
The car ride to UCONN, and back was uneventful. Lucas called Coach, and explained the situation very carefully when Peyton and Hales slept in the car. Coach said he'd call him back after he'd see what magic he could work. Two hours later, Peyton was an official S.U. student thanks to a few strings being pulled here and there.
Haley and Peyton went to the administration building and had her academic records and stuff sent to S.U., and all Nate and Lucas would say is that she had already transferred and to just have everything forwarded. They gave the girls the Scott grin and loaded up the car. Three hours later the girls went to the car and Nate and Lucas showed up a few minutes later grinning. Nate and Lucas each had a nice shiner going by the time they got back to the car. Peyton and Hales took one look at them and knew what they had done. Peyton was about to scold when the boys shameless pulled out fourteen pairs of assorted boxers, briefs, and boxer briefs all signed. Hales gave them the "You better spill right now or else" look.
"Well, we had to get a little revenge for our darling Peyton…" Nate started.
"And what's the point if we couldn't enrage the whole basketball team at the same time…" Lucas added.
"So what else could we do with tons of time on our hands…" Nate continued.
"We did what any self respecting rival team would do," Lucas said with a straight face.
"I put half of their clothes in the showers and" Nate said with a grin.
"I took the rest of their clothes and randomly "dropped" them as Nate and I walked back to the car." Lucas stated with a chuckle.
"Then we ran into Jake." Nate shrugged.
"He was late to practice… so I hit him in one eye," Lucas said with fierce conviction.
"And not to be out done by my brother I hit him in the other eye, after watching Lucas get hit back." Nate said.
"Yeah then we walked out and I hit Nate because he was the only who hadn't gotten hit." Lucas said and gave Nate a half hug.
The girls just laughed and got in the car to head home. It was during the drive Nathan and Lucas would casually drop a pair of the underwear out the window the whole way out of Connecticut. The next two weeks passed slowly for Peyton. After getting situated she had a class with Lucas, and he had had two home games. She had cheered him on and it had felt like a true old home week. They only had one class on Monday and the rest of their classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Tonight was a different story though, tonight was the first away game since Peyton had moved in.
Flashback
Friday Morning 8 am – Hancock Airport
The team was all gathered at the airport with their sleepy girlfriends to say goodbye. They slowly waved to their respective girls and got on the plane. Nathan gave Hales one last kiss as he brushed her tears away with his thumbs. Lucas gave Peyton.
"Good luck, Luke. Be careful." Peyton whispered from the safety of his embrace.
"I will, you be careful too." Lucas said before pulling back a little and giving her a kiss.
"Boys! Plane now!" Boheim yelled as he gave his wife Julie one last kiss.
Lucas pulled away grabbed his backpack, and then proceeded to grab Nathan's arm and drag him to the plane.
"I love you Haley!" Nathan screamed across the empty airport before boarding the plane.
Hales walked to Peyton and together they went to the window, and watched until the plane was gone from sight. Tears streamed down their cheeks as the finally walked out the door, and headed home. At home they crawled into their respective beds, except Peyton went into to Lucas' room and crawled in still warm sheets.
End Flashback
Around 11 am both girls met in the kitchen, Peyton making tea, Hales making her favorite comfort food macaroni and cheese. The silently stood in the kitchen wishing the boys were there to act up and make them laugh. The silence was soon broken by the doorbell going off repeatedly. Peyton looked at Hales, and then walked to grab the door.
As she opened it she saw thirteen girls in various sorts of dress, and belongings standing on her porch. "Hales." Peyton screamed.
Haley wandered out of the kitchen and into the front entry way and pulled Peyton aside as the girls came in. Some of the girls came in and took groceries to the kitchen and others rearranging the living room furniture.
"Oh yeah, Peyton, I knew their was something I forgot to tell you. Sorry, my mind goes blank when Nathan leaves. We, the a.k.a. second team of S.U. basketball, or rather the girlfriends of the players on the team always get together when theirs an away game. We all crash at someone's house or apartment, the first game of playoffs we go to Julies. During this time we relax, watch T.V., and just hang out. Then, we watch the game, a total must! From their we all settle in and gossip or trade the latest information until we start to fall asleep. Then, we wake up around noon, do homework, and eat munchies. Next, we make decorations depending on who won the game. Finally, we take our decorations hand them up at the airport and welcome our boy's home. We started this tradition my freshman year and I'm glad we did. It's nice to know you're in the same boat as others. It makes it a little easier to survive the guys being gone. " Haley explained.
Peyton nodded as munchies were set out, everyone was choosing their designated spot. She slid out and went into her room and grabbed her sketch book, a pencil, and put on Lucas's Scott's Auto-body sweatshirt. When she got back to the living room, she curled up in the big empty chair and the afghan draped behind it by the window. Hales came in and handed her, her tea. She just laughed she knew she had forgotten something. Every once in a while she'd look up and see that everyone was still doing their thing. Some girls played cards, others read; some went back to sleep, and some just listening to whatever came on the radio.
The afternoon drifted slowly by… until it was game time. The girls seemed to come to life as the first half stated. Peyton observed the girls as they screamed and yelled at the T.V. as if it would make some kind of difference. She made sketches of each one of them yelling at the T.V. as the half time approached. It was then the girls took quick bathroom breaks, replenished the snacks and refilled the cooler with drinks all for the second half. Peyton set aside her sketch book, and took a more active place to really pay attention to the game.
As the second half started Lucas got two personal fouls, he was now up to three. With five minutes left Lucas got a fourth personal foul.
"Personal Foul on number 9, Lucas Scott, his fourth of the game. I wonder…" the announcer called as Peyton sprang into action.
"What the hell kinda calls was that? Is that ref blind? Maybe we should send him glasses because he sure as heck couldn't see that stupid Miami player was so pulling on his bad shoulder! How the hell can he call a foul on Luke, the team needs him right now! I bet the other team is paying that ref to make these horrid unjust and biased calls." Peyton ranted at the T.V., even standing up and hitting the T.V. before returning to her seat in "broody mode".
The girls laughed silently just waiting for the "latest information" part of the evening when they could quiz Peyton. Peyton sneered as she watched the guy miss his two free throws, and Lucas get benched. Nathan then got the ball, passed it to McNamara, who passed it to Forth, then back to Nathan for a lay-up. Twenty-five minutes later the girls celebrated the teams 92-72 win over the Miami Hurricanes. They got out the ice cream, and chowed down before deciding the all smelled and hit the showers. After everyone was finally out of the bathrooms, clean and smelling beautifully, and in their pajamas they settled in for the gossip portion of the evening. Peyton brought out a tray with coffee mugs, and two carafes one of tea, one of coffee. Hales brought in the honey, lemon, milk, and sugar.
"Alright, everyone's got drinks so let the gossip flow." Jenna, McNamara's girlfriend said.
"Okay, I'll start because I know I'm dying to know. Peyton are you and Lucas going out, or what?" Liz. Forth's girlfriend asked.
"I know, I mean I was wondering the same thing. After that kiss at the airport…" Zina, Warrick's girlfriend trailed off.\
"Kiss at the airport? What kiss at the airport?" Hales questioned.
"Oh that's right Haley. You probably didn't see it, since you were as usual making out with Nathan." Jessica laughed.
"You really kissed Lucas? I want details, and you better not leave anything out." Hales instructed as she had a look of bewilderment on her face. Her two best friends kissing? It had a faint smell of disaster and heartache all over it, but Hales kept her thoughts to herself.
Peyton meanwhile squirmed in her chair. She had no clue how to answer this question and with fourteen people staring intently at her, she knew she wasn't getting out of this. She shook her head and tried to clear it.
"Umm… he did kiss me. It wasn't tongue or anything it was sweet. Romantic definitely but, I don't honestly know if we are going out. We haven't talked to each other since before the kiss. It's true we have always been really good friends because we compliment each other in so many ways." She said as a dreamy look came over her face for a minute or two. "But, all we are is friends as far as I know. Man, this tea goes through you fast. I'll be right back." Peyton said making a quick excuse to escape and get the topic off her self and Luke. She grabbed her sketch book and pencil and high tailed it out of the room. When Hales saw Peyton take her sketch book she worried maybe they had pushed her a little too far, yet she pushed those thoughts out of her head and focused on the girls.
Peyton went straight into her room, dropped her sketch book and pencil on her desk and headed into the bathroom. She locked both doors and sat on the floor. As she sat on the rug, thoughts and memories flooded her mind. Of high school, Jake and Jenny the good years; the love triangle Brooke, Luke, and herself; her birth mother issues; going off to college; losing parts of herself; losing contact with Brooke; and losing touch with Luke. She shivered and wondered when her life had gone so far south, and wished Luke was here.
She had had a couple of nightmares since living with the Scotts, Lucas had come in picked her up and taken her into his room and held her for the rest of the night. He chased her bad dreams away, and made her feel alive for the first time in years. She pulled his sweatshirt around her more closely and sniffed. Lucas. Oh how it smelled of Lucas, and happy memories arose admist the sad ones. Playing in the snow, turning the music up real loud one night they thought Nate and Hales were having sex – it turned out they weren't. Her mind wandered yet once more, this time to Luke and her.
"Could we really be a couple? Is it finally are time to be happy? Can we ever make this work? I know I do, but does he?" Questions plagued her mind until, "It's time." Peyton had made up her mind, she wanted to be with Luke more then anything in the whole world and if it wasn't their time she was going to make it their time. Satisfied she'd come to the realization she went out to the other room to share it with Hales or someone.
As she entered the living room she let out a small giggle, it was a little after midnight and all the girls were haphazardly sleeping all over the room. She smiled and took a picture to save for posterity's sake of course. After some pictures, she walked back into her room through the bathroom and cuddled up in Lucas's bed. She fell asleep dreaming of him as she breathed in and smelled him.
As nine o'clock approached everyone was subdued as they made breakfast and got homework out. By lunchtime homework was done, and it was time to start on the decorations. Thanks to Peyton being an artist they created the most beautiful banner to date. Peyton had chosen soft jewel colors of citrine and topaz, since the schools colors were orange and blue. They made small posters, signs, and raided the party store before each agreeing to meet at the airport after they all got cleaned up and spruced up for their men.
They all headed out to the airport two hours early to hang up the banner, signs, and posters. The airport staff looked at them like they were crazy but allowed them to do it anyway. Julie arrived with her kids to welcome the coach home and congratulated the girls on a beautiful job done.
Soon the girls all stood at the window and watched the plane that carried their loved ones home taxi to the gate where they waited.
Twenty minutes later the team walked off the plane to a crowd of cheering girlfriends and one very decorated plane gate. Hales ran to Nathan as he stepped off the plane, he moved over so more people could continue to come out as Haley jumped him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, he dropped his book bag, and she wrapped her legs around him.
"I missed you, could you tell?" Hales asked.
"Nope," was all Nathan could reply before he kissed his wife. As the only married man on the team Nathan took a little heat from the guys from time to time. Yet they all knew Nathan would never give up Hales for anything, especially with a welcome home like that.
Lucas kept his head down and walked over towards the chairs where he always sat because he didn't have a girlfriend, but he did have a girl in mind. He just wasn't sure she wanted to even go their. He sat down, put his bag in the chair next to him, and closed his eyes. Until he felt a soft kiss placed on his forehead. His eyes opened and couldn't believe his luck, Peyton had kissed him. He stood up and took Peyton into his arms and hugged her and gave her a kiss to end all kisses. He held her as if there were no tomorrows - just this moment.
A few minutes later a loud noise made them pull apart from a love drunk haze, and they noticed the whole team and crew applauding and cheering them on. Peyton blushed and hid her face in Luke's neck; he rubbed her back and motioned for the team to quiet down. He leaned down and looked at her, and she whispered, "We need to talk."
A cold fear ran through Lucas, he saw Jake screwing around on her, nightmares, and he froze. His mind went into overdrive as he pulled away from her and ran towards the baggage claim. Peyton looked over towards Nathan and Hales, her eyes just starting to let crocodile tears roll down as she bit on her lip trying not to make a scene. Nathan shoved Hales towards Peyton and took off after his brother, thinking here comes the drama known as Lucas and Peyton.