"Peyton…." Larry called down the hall from the kitchen.
"Yeah" she screamed down from her room. She had been upstairs all day with Lucas just relaxing. They were enjoying each other's company and the quietness. Brooke and Nathan had surprised the two by throwing a party after the wedding at the beach house like they had in high school. All their old friends were there and they partied all night.
Flashback
"Now….Brooke and I told all of you that this was a party…but we didn't tell you what it was for." Nathan stood on top of the coffee table as he spoke to the large crowd. He knew most of them but like in high school…there were still people that just came even if nobody really knew them.
"They're getting out the car" Brooke squealed with excitement as she turned away form the window. Brooke couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she watched the two walk up the stairs. Nathan had directed everyone to park somewhere else and walk over to the beach house in order to keep it a secret. They could here the mumbled voices from the other side of the door and then the sound of the door slowly opening grabbed everyone's attention.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present to you for the first time…Mr. And Mrs. Lucas Scott." Nathan pointed towards the door just as the two newlyweds stepped inside. Peyton's jaw dropped as she glanced around the crowded room. The chatter erupted and the room was filled with comments and whistles.
"Surprised" Brooke questioned as she threw her arms around the blondes. They both shook their head yes as they became surrounded by old friends.
End Flashback
"Sweetheart can you and Luke come down here for a minute, I need to talk to you." The two looked at each other suspiciously before getting off the bed and headed down the stairs. In the hall Lucas grabbed her hand and squeezed it lightly causing her to smile.
"Is everything okay" Lucas asked as they stepped into the kitchen.
"Everything is fine I just want to give you guys your wedding gift." Larry said with a smile. "Originally I was going to give you two the house…but Karen and I felt that the house was not an appropriate gift for you guys."
"Okay…"Peyton looked at her father strangely. "So what is our gift." she questioned.
"These" they watched as Larry pulled a box out of his pocket and handed it to Lucas. The blonde took the box and looked down at it with a raised brow. "Ohh and this" Larry then handed them an envelope with their names neatly printed across the front. Peyton took the letter but didn't open it, instead she looked at her dad waiting for him to explain.
"Umm…Mr. Sawyer the box is locked." Lucas said as he noticed the pad lock on the front.;
"Who is Mr. Sawyer" Larry said looking around the room as if he were searching for something. The two blondes laughed as Lucas corrected himself.
"Dad…the box is locked and I don't have a key."
"Well that's what the letters for now go get in your car and then open the letter and follow the instructions." They watched as her dad walked out the kitchen. They looked at each other and shrugged as Lucas took his keys out of his pocket.
"Road trip" Peyton suggested as she pulled him towards the door.
"Why not" they got in the car and Peyton tore the envelope open.
"Your two are now going to go on a little drive…eventually you will receive the key to the padlock and in that box there is another note that will lead you to your final destination. Enjoy yourselves and have fun!" Peyton read aloud before turning to glance at Lucas. She shook her head as she started reading again. "Share a special secret with the one you love…show them the weeping city."
"What's the weeping city…where is the weeping city." Lucas questioned as he turned to look at Peyton. She looked up at him and smiled.
"I'll drive" she said simply as she switched places with Lucas. They pulled out of the driveway and Lucas just watched as Peyton drove around. After a few minutes they came to an old dirt road that Lucas had never noticed before.
"Where are we going." Lucas asked as they became surrounded by trees and darkness.
"The weeping city" Peyton said quietly as she pulled the car to a stop. Lucas looked around and got out the car as Peyton did. She grabbed his hand and smiled up at him before walking into the mass of trees.
"Peyton…umm this whole place looks the same. How are we gunna get back?" he questioned as they traveled deeper into woods.
"I know this place by heart…just trust me" she cooed as they began to walk faster.
"Alright Peyt…I'm trusting…" He grew quiet as they stood in front of a decent sized clearing. Peyton looked up at him and smiled as she led him to the center. The light appeared green as it shined through all the leaves.
"My mom used to bring me here all the time and we called it the weeping city because its surrounded by all these weeping willows." Lucas looked around in amazement as the scene. It was gorgeous and something about the place just made him feel calm and warm inside.
He walked over to her and wrapped his arms gently around her waist. "Peyton Scott I love you" She smiled as the name rang through her ears . It had only been two weeks and she was still getting used to it but the feeling it gave her was amazing.
"I love you too…and I'm glad I shared this with you…I've haven't been here since my mom died…it feels nice to come here again." She turned to face him, her lips lingering inches from his. "It feels even nicer knowing that I'm here with you." He closed the distance between them as he pulled her closer.
They smiled as they pulled apart. "What's next on that card" Lucas asked after they had stood there for a few minutes in silence. Peyton pulled it out of her pocket and read it aloud.
"Take a walk to remember and stand in two places at once." Peyton thought for a second before she understood what her father meant. "Let's go" She gabbed Lucas's hand and led him through the woods and back to the car. She was about to get in when Lucas pulled her back towards one of the tress. Peyton looked up at him in confusion as he let go of her hand. He reached down and grabbed a rock form the ground. He turned back to look at her and smiled.
"Come here" he whispered and she walked over to him. He grabbed her hand and moved her in front of him. He placed the rock in her hand and then wrapped his hand around hers. He guided her up to the tree and slowly their fingers moved the sharp point of the rock and wrote their initials in the soft bark. They drew a heart around the initials and smiled when it was complete. "Now we can go" he whispered into her ear and led her back to the car.
Lucas drove them this time and sat in comfortable silence as they traveled along the highway. He drove to the nearest state border and pulled off to the side of the road and into a deserted rest area. It had taken them a little over an hour to get to the border but they spent the entire time talking. Neither of them could remember a time when their lives felt this perfect and they couldn't imagine things differently.
"Okay come on lets get out." Peyton said eagerly as she pushed the door open. She ran over to the sign that read "Welcome to Virginia". She waited for Lucas to walk over to her and she immediately reached for his hands. They each spread their feet in the damp grass and looked up at each other. He leaned down slowly until he met her lips. They moved closer to each other until a car horn beeped, causing them to jump.
"I guess standing on the side of the highway isn't one of our brightest ideas" "Lucas joked. Just as the words left his mouth Peyton felt a tiny rain drop hit the tip of her nose. She looked up just on time to see the sky open up and pour down on her. She shrieked as her eyes grew wide.
"Its cold" she whined as Lucas laughed and pulled her back towards the car and the quickly climbed in. "okay…I'm soaked" Peyton said with a slight laugh.
"I can see that" Lucas turned in his seat to face her. He watched as she slid out of her jacket, her hair plastered to her forehead. Her makeup was running leaving black streaks under her eyes. She caught him staring at her and wrinkled her eyebrows.
"What…" She asked him. "Is there something on my face" She quickly flipped down visor and looked in the mirror.
"You're beautiful" he whispered as she stopped and gazed at him with a confused look on her face.
"Are you crazy…I'm dripping wet and my makeup is all over my face…I look like a just went through a mud slide" She turned back towards the mirror and tried to wipe the excess makeup away from her eyes. Lucas placed a finger under her chin and turned her face towards his as he leaned in and kissed her gently. At that moment she wasn't decked out in make-up, in fact it was everywhere it wasn't supposed to be. Her clothes weren't perfect, they were drenched and sticking to her skin and her hair was messy and clinging to her face. At that moment she was just Peyton, there was nothing for her to hide behind, she was just his Peyton.
"Your gorgeous" he breathed as he broke the kiss, his lips still lingering dangerously close to hers. She smiled and leaned back in as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him as close as she could and soon he was barley in his own seat. She tried to get him closer but his legs caught under the steering wheel. She moaned lightly into his mouth as his hands ran up her back. "I…think…this….is a….sign….that…we…shouldn't….be….doing….this….here…" he managed to squeeze in between kisses. He heard her sigh as she pulled away and frowned.
"You're probably right" She bit her lip as he started the car and pulled back onto the road. She loved the ability he had to make every kiss feel like their first. She could never get bored with him…not a single moment was ever the same, every experience was different and that's what made things so perfect.
"So where are we headed next" he asked as he turned to look at her. She unfolded the paper and read it over quickly.
"It's an address in Tree Hill" she told him. "It says to look in the mailbox and then go to the house across the street" She raise a brow and looked at Lucas, who just shrugged.
"Alright…back to Tree Hill" He shook his head as they started the hour long ride back to their hometown. They stayed quiet for most of the ride as the radio played quietly in the background. They occasionally stole glances at one another like they had in high school. They laughed lightly at each other when they caught each other's childish games. Peyton reached for his hand and took it in hers, entangling their fingers.
They pulled to a stop in front of a mailbox in and unfamiliar part of town. They had walked through the neighborhood but they know anyone who lived there so they were always just passing by. It was close to both of their houses so they didn't have a problem finding the place, but they still didn't know what they were doing there.
Lucas got out the car and opened the mailbox and pulled out an envelope with both of their names written across the front. He climbed back into the car and pulled into the driveway across the street. He parked the car next to an old van that was sitting in the driveway. He looked at Peyton and shrugged as he opened the new envelope. He pulled out a key and looked at it quizzically.
"The box my dad gave us earlier" Peyton stated as she picked it up from the floor between her feet. She took the key from Lucas and slowly unlocked the small box only to reveal two more keys and a small note. "Use these to get inside" Peyton read aloud before turning to look over at her husband. She rolled her eyes and got out of the car and walked up to the front door with Lucas close behind her.
Once at the front door she slowly slid one of the keys into the lock and turned the knob as she pushed the door open. "Well it took you long enough" the brunette rolled her eyes playfully before smiling brightly and sticking her tongue out.
"Brooke…what's going on" Peyton asked as the brunette pulled her into a tight hug.
"Come on." Brooke cocked her head towards the stairs as she grabbed both blondes' hands and pulled them up the stairs. She led them into one of the rooms where they were greeted by the rest of their friends as well as Keith, Karen and Larry.
"Well I guess this would be welcome home" Karen said with a small smile as she stepped towards the two confused newlyweds.
"Mom…what are you talking about" Lucas asked as he looked at her.
"This is your wedding gift from Keith, Larry and I. You guys are married now and you should have your own house. We've been fixing this place up since you two got engaged. Last night we moved all you stuff in here Luke and today while you guys were out we moved all of Peyton's things in here"
"Oh my God" Peyton gasped as she looked around the room and finally realized that it was all things that belonged to her and Lucas. She immediately found herself hugging all the adults, mumbling thank you's the entire time. "This is amazing" she said with a smile as Lucas repeated her actions.
"I'm glad you like it sweetheart" Larry commented genuinely as he watched his daughter's grateful face. "But it's getting late now so we're all gunna head out now. We just wanted to make sure you guys like everything and they you found your way alright"
"Thank you so much…all of you" Lucas said as they retreated down the stairs. He and Peyton stood in the doorway as they waved goodbye to everyone and watched them go home. Lucas closed the door quietly and reached for Peyton's hands. "Your still kinda wet. Let's go get you changed" He led her up the stairs into their room. He started to walk towards the closet but she pulled him back.
She wrapped her arms around his neck as his snaked around her slender waist. "I love you" she whispered as she broke apart from him.
"I love you too" He whispered back as he leaned back down to join their lips. His hands found their way under her damp shirt and he pulled her closer. Her feet moved backwards towards the bed. The broke apart briefly as he gently removed her shirt. She looked up into his eyes, her heart racing, nearly caught in her throat. It was a feeling neither of them ever got tired of.
He leaned in and closed the short distance between them. Her legs soon hit the edge of the bed and they collapsed backwards into the comforter. He rolled on top of her small frame and braced himself on his arms as she helped him out of his own shirt. Once again their eyes met and she looked at him quizzically.
"How can you do that" She asked him with a hint of awe in her voice
"What" he looked down at her as gently stroked her face and tucked a stray curl behind her ear.
"Look at me like you haven't seen me everyday for the past 5 years."
"Easily" he bent down and her lips met his halfway as she pulled him back down. They slowly found their way towards pure ecstasy as the night went on. He ravished her body countless times before she settled into his arms just a few hours before dawn. His warm breath sent chills down her spine as he pulled her closer and lined her neck with butterfly kissed. His fluttering lips calmed her body and she soon found herself fighting sleep. "Good night" he whispered into her ear as her eyes finally closed and she succumbed to the exhaustion that soon took him over as well.