12 Memories

Chapter Four - More Than Us

A/N - So, I'll be updating this and The Saddest Song, hopefully a lot more in the next few weeks since I just ended Lost in the Past. So, hopefully we'll be getting into some good stuff with this. I'm glad you all like the story, I own nothing but the plot so I try to make it my best. Here's the continuation, if you didn't remember Lucas and Peyton had just found Brooke and Jake together so they were headed to Virginia for the weekend.

Bags packed, cars ready, kids on the run from a painful past. Karen and Larry hadn't been too fond of the idea, but after seeing Peyton's broken condition they both reluctantly let them go. Karen had quietly expressed her fears to Larry of leaving the kids alone for a whole weekend in a hotel room, but they were soon calmed. The older man assured her that they would be fine, if their hormones hadn't kicked in between them yet, they'd be fine for one more weekend. He was confident that the two hadn't kissed or even thought of each other in that fashion because their relationship was still at that level. The moment anything happened, a drastic change would be very noticeable, Karen still wasn't so sure.

– 'More than us, and we are them, but they don't know what's in our heads' –

"Personally, I think my idea was brilliant," he flashed a cocky smirk to his best friend as she rolled her eyes.

"Let's just get outta here. Go scope the hotties in Virginia, newly single Lucas!" he smiled before jumping into the car and revving the engine. He put the car in drive and hit the gas quickly, startling Peyton who stood near the trunk.

"Damn it, Luke!" she grabbed her CD case and a soda before going to open the door, only to have to Lucas tap the gas again.

"Do you want to die!" she was as sarcastic as ever that morning - he noted this.

"Do you want to die!" he mocked, she stuck her tongue out and swiftly opened the door, sliding in next to the blonde. She lifted a CD from the case, but he pushed her hand away, to let himself mess with the radio dial.

"Not cool," she scoffed, before moving his hand.

"I'm driving," he whined, but she gave him her puppy dog eyes which she knew were a guaranteed way to get whatever she wanted.

"Now, you know I can't resist that, not fair, Peyt."

"I know, but I play dirty, Lukey," she teased with an old nickname he'd hated from day one. He grumbled under his breath before hitting the gas once more and pulling out of the driveway, headed for the highway. Windows down, sunglasses on, music loud - they were ready for some fun in their dramatic lives.

– 'It's more than you, and it's more than I, but it's more' –

Being Virginia was only a state down the drive was a little over an hour and a half. It had taken longer though, considering Peyton felt the need to pee every five minutes and Lucas wanted a new bag of chips every ten. It was barely 1 PM when they did arrive, and the petite blonde was drained from the exhausting emotional day she had lived through only hours ago. She hadn't slept the whole night, she and Lucas had sat at the River Court for hours before they had decided on when to leave. And from there they sat up with Coke's and a pack of cards, now she could barely keep her eyes open enough to keep walking.

"I need sleep," she told the boy next to her tiredly. He nodded his head to agree as they slowly made their way to the hotel in front of them.

"Hello, welcome to the Holiday Inn, what can I get you two?" the teller politely questioned them as Lucas groggily ordered one room with two single beds.

"Sorry, sir. We're all filled with two single beds...would one king size be okay? It's all we have available to accommodate your needs," she flashed a quick smile at the two teenagers as Peyton continued convincing herself that everything did not happen for a reason. Haley would've been laughing at her right then, she brushed the thought away as the bell boy grabbed their bags and took them to their room.

"Ah, the beauties of sleep," she remarked quietly while flopping down on the large feathery king size comforter that covered the bed. He pulled down the shades, removed his shoes and laid himself under the covers, resting his head and releasing a sigh. She repeated his movements and laid on the opposite end, under the warm covers. Within minutes she felt herself relaxing, but before sleep caught her Lucas startled her. He lay propped up on an elbow on his side watching her, she sat up glaring at him.

"I can't sleep while you're looking at me," exasperated and frustrated she crossed her arms, he chuckled at her childish behavior.

"You big baby," once more she stuck her tongue out at him. He swiftly crossed the large bed to reel her in, tickling her when she was finally at his side. Only minutes later tears poured out of her eyes, unable to laugh any harder and he finally let her go. She took a deep breath while he let his head fall back on the pillow again.

"Now you wanna sleep?"

He nodded.

"Good, me too," a large yawn escaped her as she snuggled back into her side of the bed only to be pulled over by his strong, muscular arms.

"C'mon, Luke. I really wanna sleep."

"Me too," he mumbled, still keeping her tucked close into his chest. Oddly enough she didn't protest, but let her muscles relax in his arms, feeling protected and safe was something that never got old with him. As his breath evened out she knew he was sleeping, his arms still wrapped tenderly around her waist.

It took a few long minutes, but she finally settled down, and let her eyes close, succumbing to the ever-present element of sleep.

– 'And everybody calls it love, but I'm not really sure if it's love at all, not anymore' –

Nearly six hours later she finally had the strength to open her eyes, she felt her small body wrapped in someone's arms, everything from earlier that day having escaped her. She turned her head slowly to find her best friend contentedly sleeping away his day in Virginia.

In the most cautious movements she could make she moved out of his arms and opened a few shades to let the sun pour in, waking a disgruntled Lucas.

"Peyt," he groaned, she giggled, running and jumping back into the bed, clobbering him with pillows. She took it upon herself to straddle his waist, poking his stomach to wake him up.

"Rise and shine, Luke!" he groaned again, rolling over, taking her with him.

"Can't we just stay in here all day. Away from the rest of the world." In a mock-seriousness she brought her hand to her chin, pretending to think to please him.

"How bout no?"

"How bout yes...get under here," he pulled her under the covers, once again close to his chest as he lay on his side. She wriggled to get free, but there was no such luck on her part. As her giddiness began to fade, reality began to set in. She began to remember exactly why they had taken off to Virginia, she vividly remembered the image of Jake and Brooke laying in bed together, how much it hurt and how Lucas had always been there. Why was it that he was never an option before, and why was her mind trying to tell her differently now?

"Peyton?" he was quiet, she looked over to find him fully awake watching her as he had been the night before.

"Maybe we should stay here," she choked out, his face scrunched up in worry. "I was really, really happy."

He gathered her fragile form into his arms for a third time since they'd arrived and held her tightly. He kissed her forehead and kept her close, protected.

"I can honestly say I know how you feel...it hurts -"

"Like hell," he laughed at her dry sense of humor and continued.

"But we gotta move on. We gotta get our asses up outta this bed and go have some fun. How bout the log flume?" he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and she laughed while swatting at a few stray tears. He wiped them away with his thumbs and chucked another pillow at her head before jumping out of bed and running to the bathroom, screaming like a little girl.

– 'More than he, more than she. They all sleep, but we just dream, more or less, means more for us' –

It was a few log flumes and hot dogs later that they were sitting on metal chairs drinking soda staring out at the amusement park that they had just abandoned.

"Fun times," he remarked randomly, she rolled her eyes and continued watching the small children begging their parents to go on a ride they were clearly years to young for.

"What did you wanna grow up for?"

"What?" the abrupt question had caught him off guard, he racked his brain for a quick answer.

"When I was a kid, I wanted so badly to be able to wear make-up like my mom and do everything the grown ups did. I didn't want to be a kid, now all I wanna do is go back...what's so great about this?" she waved her hand in the air referring to their hiding out from some painful relationships.

He shrugged, turning back to the children in the park. The answer she received didn't satisfy her in the least, but at that moment she was content just sitting with him, wondering what her future might hold now that her past held so much pain.

Her phone rang as they watched the beginning credits of a Saturday Night Live re-run flicker on the TV. Haley flashed on the caller ID screen, she walked to the bathroom, locked herself in and prepared to break down the past days events to the brunette.

"Hey Peyton," Haley's voice was an odd tone, the blonde couldn't distinguish what was going on from Haley's cryptic sounds. Normally she could tell the kind of day Haley was having just from her hey, but that conversation was strangely monotone.

"Hales, have you missed some drama."

"Fill me in, try starting off as to why you and Lucas are sitting at Busch Gardens without the ever-famous me," she laughed at her own corny joke and faded out.

"Well, let's start with finding Jake and Brooke in bed together," she heard Haley's gasp loud and clear and was quickly urged to continue.

"Wow, okay. Tree Hill is crazy...elaborate."

"So, Lucas went to find Brooke and when he opened the door he backed away and I was scared to see what happened. He finally let me go, which was surprisingly unlike him, but he let me make my own mistake and I found them together in her bed. I started throwing her statues at the wall, breaking one of the few I gave her on her birthday and ripped Jake's necklace in half. Last I heard Lucas punched him in the nose and ended things with Brooke -"

"So that's what happened to Jake!"

"Uh-huh...is it broken?" she was eager to find what had become of her former boyfriend.

"I think so. I haven't seen him anywhere near Brooke recently, I've barely seen anyone really -"

"Whoa, whoa...what about you and Nathan?"

"Let's get to that in a little while. It's a long story...now please tell me how you ended up in Virginia," the brunette pressed the blonde to finish and though Peyton tried to pretend, she needed to tell Haley a few of the insane thoughts she'd been having since the previous night.

"Okay, okay. Lucas and I sat at the River Court the whole night drowning in our own misery and he suggested Busch Gardens, which is where I am at right now," she boasted with a grunt from Haley and pressed on, "so I didn't take him seriously. We went back to his house had a few Cokes to stay awake and played cards and I finally agreed and here I am!"

"Wow. Well, you shoulda called me, I could have used a drowning in my own misery night..." she trailed off, leaving Peyton to play guessing games.

"I hate these games, Hales. What happened?"

"It all fell apart, Peyton. One minute were making out in Brooke's hallway and the next he's telling me something about not wanting to wreck our friendship. God, he wasn't even willing to try," Haley rattled off her problems and all Peyton could think of was the irony that Nathan would be saying the things she was thinking.

"I have a problem then."

"What?"

"You know how since we were like thirteen you've been telling me how perfect Lucas and I would be...well I've been thinking about that. And he's like a brother to me, but recently I was thinking about the kind of guy I want, a guy that treats me right. He's the only guy I know that has ever taken the time to really care. Do you think it's just because I'm lonely and hurt and just want another guy or because I might actually like him?" Haley squealed loudly at Peyton's sudden confession, barely containing her burst of excitement.

"I need an honest opinion, not your matchmaking opinion, Haley, please."

"Okay. Well, honestly I don't know. I wish I did, but right now I'm thinking it's more a rebound thing, no matter how much I wish it wasn't for your sake. You two are perfect for each other, Peyton. One day you'll see it." Peyton let out a loud sigh of relief, a weight was lifted now that Haley had confirmed her feelings were just leftovers, nothing to be worried about.

"Well, I highly doubt that but if it makes you happy I'll just agree. Thank you so much for that, I was really scared for a minute -"

"Yea, I was really excited for a minute."

– 'But it's more, and everybody wants a hand. But I'm too busy holding up the world to carry on, no not anymore' –

Now her mind was a little lighter as she sauntered out of the bathroom to find Lucas in a fit of laughter as the weekend update finished on Saturday Night Live.

"Loser," she coughed under her breath, he stopped in a moment's notice and stared at her. She laughed and plopped back onto the bed next to him, he settled back down.

"What do you wanna do? I'm bored..." his sentence fell into the empty silence as he turned the TV off.

"Wanna go...get ice cream!" her whole face lit up and he knew he couldn't say no - that would be plain mean.

"Yea, okay. Let's get outta here...it's getting stuffy -"

"Stuffy?"

"Yea stuffy. That's a word, look it up," he puffed his chest out to mock his intelligence as they both fell into giggles, shutting the door behind them.

Minutes later they walked the bright streets of Virginia as the dark settled around them. For being so small it was a lively, little town with many people littering the streets for the small shops.

"You always get the same thing," he exaggerated on the always and she made a face.

"Hey now, I like my vanilla cone with caramel," she defended her ice cream choice and stomped ahead of him. He chuckled and ran to catch up, shoving the remnants of ice cream from his cup onto her face. She gasped as the cold hit her face and dripped down onto her shirt.

"Jerk! You got ice cream all over me!"

"Well, you looked so upset. Thought it might cheer you up," he winked and wiped some of the ice cream away for her. She continued to walk next to him, still every so often reminded of the memory of her ex.

"So, now what?" she questioned the tall blonde next to her and he shrugged.

"I dunno, we could watch TV?"

"You brought me to Virginia to watch TV?"

"No, I brought you to Virginia to forget about that asshole boyfriend you once had and the bitch of a girlfriend I once had," he snapped, quickly sombering the happy mood that had once been.

"Thanks," she mumbled.

"Look, Peyt, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that -"

"Why'd you say it?"

"Because I'm angry too. I'm bitter too and I want you to know my feelings are in this too...I didn't just bring you here for that, you know?"

She nodded.

"I brought you here to spend time with you too. We've both been so busy, and I have to say these past few days are the most time I've spent with you in a long time. It was like it used to be," he finished slowly, awaiting her reaction to his meaningful speech.

"Yea, it was."

"So, can we forget about male whore and slut that were once our significant others?" she giggled and nodded.

"I know!" he cocked his head to the side, as if telling her to elaborate.

"Wanna go raid the mini-bar and get drunk?"

"Do you have any idea how much money those things are, or how much trouble we're gonna get in, or...yea, let's go," he casually agreed and she began to laugh, bumping her hip into his as they continued their walk to the hotel.

– 'I wish that I could fly, fly, fly away. And if I should fall, and you hear me call, would you stay?' –

It took a bobby pin and Lucas' muscles to pry the mini refrigerator open, and once he did a feeling of liberation crossed over Peyton.

"How come we've never done this before?" she asked, her eyes scanning the labels that filled the small refrigerator.

"Because...we'd get in trouble. And there's no one here to stop us this time," he walked up behind to read along.

"True...want some vodka or rum?"

"I've got the Pepsi -"

"You wanna get drunk mixing it with Pepsi?" she questioned his motives and he nodded like a two year old.

"If you really wanna get drunk, Luke, we don't use Pepsi. We just down it," she told him proudly, almost boasting her knowledge.

"But that's nasty -"

"If we cared about it being nasty, we wouldn't be doing this right now. Drunk," she held up a bottle, "or not?" she flashed an empty hand. He smirked, squinting his eyes as though pretending to think.

"Definitely drunk!"

– 'More than us, and we are them. But they don't know, what's in our heads. It's more than you, and it's more than I, but it's more' –

A very drunk Peyton staggered to the bed, tripping over her own feet and falling onto the floor. A very drunk Lucas witnessed the whole thing and rolled over laughing so hard he could barely breathe.

"Not funny," she growled from the floor.

"Is this gonna shuck tomorrow?"

"Shuck?"

"Yea, shuck..."

"Probally," she admitted, still trying to lift herself from the soft carpet beneath her.

He leaned over, grabbing her arm and pulling her up where she laid herself on the bed with a travel bottle of vodka still glued to her hand.

"I think this is lots better than sitting th-thinking bout them," she commented, being an optimistic drunk had always seemed to be a bright side.

"I too," he raised his small bottle, looking very proud of himself.

"I too?"

"Uh-huh."

"Gosh, Luke. You're an illiterate drunk."

"At least I not a optimistic drunk who thinks the globe is cats and rainbows."

"Whatever, I'm a sexy drunk."

"Surrrreeeee. You maybe shexy. I still don't like you, best friend," he flashed a cheesy grin and gulped another half of the bottle.

"I take that as a compliment."

– 'And everybody calls it love, but I'm not really sure if this is love, at all. Not anymore, anymore, anymore' –

I personally thought this turned out particularly well. If you'll notice a few subtle hints, they'll keep coming - oh and they might actually lead to something unlike the show. So, keep an eye out and keep reading and reviewing. I cheated, the song is from another Travis CD. The song is "More Than Us".

REVIEW! I'm writing for you guys, not for my own pleasure (though I do like writing this.) If you like it, don't be lazy or afraid to tell me what you think, what you liked, or what I can improve on. REVIEW! They're the best part about writing for me.