Thanks so much for the reviews! It was very encouraging to know that everyone liked the beginning. This is a really long chapter, mostly because it's expositional fluff. It mostly sets up the family situation before introducing the conflict(s). Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 2 Call it a Clan... Call it a Tribe, Call it a Family

The next thing Lucas knew, the Saturday morning sun was shining brightly into their bedroom, dragging him from a sound sleep. He rolled over to find a completely empty bed. Peyton's black silk nightgown and robe were already draped over the vanity chair, signaling to Lucas that she was up for the day. Rubbing his eyes to clear his vision, he stumbled out of his room and walked, zombie-like, into the equally sunny kitchen. Their house was surprisingly light and airy for two people who had spent a good deal of their youth brooding. Peyton was standing at the range that sat on an island in the middle of the kitchen, pouring a tiny bit of oil into a frying pan.

"Something smells good," Lucas said gruffly as he kissed her cheek and reached past her for the coffee pot. He poured the steaming black liquid into a mug Winifred had fashioned for him out of clay when she was five and then sat on a stool across from Peyton at the island.

"And it's not your tennis shoes," Peyton said with a pointed look at the backdoor, out of which she had thrown them that very morning.

"Forgot," he said half-apologetically. "Most men don't have to take their shoes off before they come into the house."

"Their shoes don't smell like yours."

"It's nice to be loved," Lucas said playfully.

"Oh, I love you alright," she said as she walked over and put her arms around him. She then leaned closer and kissed him. "Just not your shoes." Lucas laughed and she walked back to the skillet, into which she dropped spoonfuls of pancake batter. Lucas took another gulp of the coffee and carefully reached across the island to the plate of bacon that was strategically covered with a paper towel. Peyton had been watching him out of the corner of her eye and smacked his hand when it got to close. "Not yet. The kids aren't awake."

"Let's fix that, shall we?" Lucas grinned and Peyton flashed one of her famous smiles as she turned off the skillet and followed him up the stairs to the room that their seven-year-old and nine year old sons shared. Lucas threw open the door and they heard two very familiar groans as the boys pulled the comforters up over their heads. The blinds were quickly opened, letting the bright sun into the spacious room. Peyton stood by the door and laughed while Lucas attempted to pull the boys out of bed. He soon resorted to tickling and before she knew it, both boys shot out of the room and bounded down the stairs.

"I'll wake the girls," Peyton said softly as Lucas passed her.

"You get Fred. I'll take care of Gretch."

"You better hurry before Ry and Ash break something. You shouldn't wind them up like that." Although her words were true, Lucas could see in her smile that she didn't mind; it only reminded them how lucky they were to have such vibrant, and sometimes wild, children. Lucas disappeared into the room across the hall and was back in the hallway a minute later, three year old toddler in hand.

"She was already awake," Lucas said with a smile.

"So quiet, aren't we baby?" Peyton cooed at the blue-eyed beauty, who was grinning at her mother. She clapped her hands together and reached for her mom, wiggling in Lucas's capable grasp. "I'll be down in a minute, sweetie. Go with Daddy." Peyton kissed her forehead and watched as Lucas carried her down the stairs, wondering what she had done to deserve such beautiful children. She turned and faced her other daughter's door, wiping her hands nervously before knocking.

"Come in." The reply was soft, almost weak. Peyton opened the door and cautiously stepped inside, squinting to see her daughter in the relative dark. The blinds, not yet opened under the gauzy sage curtains, held out a majority of the daylight.

"Morning," Peyton said carefully.

"Hi mom." Winifred was in bed, curled up on her side but she obviously had been awake for a while.

"May I?" Peyton gestured to the blinds and moved to open them after Winifred nodded. "That's better," Peyton mumbled as she observed the pretty room in the morning sunlight.

Winifred had chosen the paint and fabrics last summer and they had spent weeks putting finishing touches on the now-magical room. It was a very sophisticated fairy tale type room, Peyton had assured her daughter at the time. Never having wanted things that were soft or pink, it had been a little difficult for Peyton to learn how to deal with a child who didn't spend most of her time brooding or worrying. Winifred had closed her eyes against the sunlight and it gave her mother a moment to study her peaked face.

Peyton sat on the edge of the bed and picked up a pillow that had been discarded in the night. "You're not going to ask how I am?"

"I figure you'll tell me if I need to know."

"It's killing you," Winifred said with a knowing smile.

"Am I that obvious?" Peyton smiled sheepishly when her daughter nodded. She swept a piece of hair from Winifred's forehead and frowned at the heat she felt. Ignoring Winifred's rolling eyes, she leaned forward and kissed her daughter's forehead.

"Oh Fred," she said with a sigh.

"I know. I'm sorry. It's—"

"It's not your fault," Peyton said with a sigh. "It's just frustrating."

"I know," Fred said again, this time with the beginnings of a sob. Peyton rubbed her back and allowed her to cry, not sure what else to do or say that would be the least bit helpful. Her own hazel eyes were puffy from crying by the time she joined the rest of the family in the kitchen. Lucas had made pancakes for the four of them and left enough batter for Peyton and Winifred.

"I'll make your pancakes," he offered as she reappeared in the room.

"Thanks. Not hungry," she said as she went straight for the medicine cabinet. Reaching into the tallest cabinet in the kitchen, she rooted around until she found the children's Motrin, and then groaned when she realized it was almost empty; less than a full dose sat at the bottom of the bottle. Lucas stood next to her and closed the cabinet, dragging her attention back to him.

"What's wrong?"

"She has another fever," Peyton said in a worried whisper.

"That's like the fourth time this month—" Lucas said disbelievingly.

"Trust me, I know. I'm going to run to the store—"

"I'll go."

"Luke—"

"Peyton. I'll go," he said firmly. "Stay here, have breakfast. I'll be back in a few minutes." He did return as quickly as promised but with a few extra purchases in hand. Flowers for Peyton; huge pink, orange, and purple Gerbera Daisies that made her smile. She kissed him before taking the medicine and adding it to a breakfast tray she was getting ready to take up to Winifred's room. The two boys were in their rooms getting dressed for the day and Gretchen sat contently in her highchair, painting sticky pictures on the counter with the syrup from her pancakes.

"You should still take the boys to the zoo," Peyton whispered. She didn't want the kids to overhear; that usually got them a little too excited; it was better to wait until they were in the parking lot of their destination before they disclosed any real information.

"No," Lucas said as he put his hands around her waist. "We'll stick around here today."

"Luke, I don't want them missing out on anything else. Call Nathan; see if he and Jared want to go with you. Haley probably needs a day off." She broke away from his embrace and began to move things around the tray and went to the refrigerator when she realized that she had forgotten apple juice.

"Peyton, you don't have to deal with everything on your own," Lucas said gently. He grabbed her hands in an effort to stop her fidgeting but she simply pulled away, refusing to make eye contact. "Pey, what are you worried about?"

"Our daughter," she said exasperatedly.

"Is it that bad?"

"No," she said softly with a shake of her head. "Same as before. But it just seems like a lot of time to be sick for a little girl."

"Do you want me to call and see if the doctor has an appointment open?"

"We were there on Tuesday and they practically called me a kook."

"Let's just wait it out, alright? We'll stick close to home today and see how she feels tomorrow. I was hoping we could do that picnic at the beach—"

"I guess we'll have to see," Peyton said with a small sigh. Her eyes lit up again and she looked up at him with a stern expression. "But you're going to the zoo."

"Peyton—"

"Coward," she accused with a small giggle.

"What?"

"You just don't want to have all three kids all day. You're afraid."

"That's ridiculous," Lucas said as he ran his hands through his hair. "I've spent plenty of time with the kids. We can certainly get along without you for one day."

"Then prove it, tough guy."

"We will," he said stubbornly, turning to walk down the hall.

"Where are you going?" She called playfully after him.

"To call Nate." Peyton laughed as she watched his figure disappear down the hall and into their bedroom. Gretchen saw her mother laughing and joined in, clapping her sticky hands together and patting them on her thin blond curls.

"Oh Gretch. What did you do?" Peyton asked, still laughing. The little girl simply looked at her and grinned, once more clapping her hands. Peyton shook her head and went to the sink, carefully avoiding Gretchen's range of motion – she didn't want to have to bath herself as well. As soon as she wiped the syrup from her daughter's hands and face, she picked her up and carried her, at arms length, to the bathroom on the main floor.

"Luke! Could you take that tray up to Fred? Gretchen needs a bath before you can go!"

"Sure!" Minutes later, she heard Lucas's heavy footsteps ascending to the second floor of their home. She turned back to Gretchen just in time to get a splash of water in the face.

"Thanks," Peyton said sarcastically. "What did I ever do to you?" She asked playfully as she tickled the little girl. Predictably, neither of the two Scott women left the bathroom dry. Ashton, Ryan, and Lucas all wandered into the master bedroom as Peyton was attempting to change her dripping clothing. "Good thing I'm not modest," she mumbled as she rolled her eyes at Lucas and then threw the dripping t-shirt in the clothes hamper.

Ryan, the older of the two boys, snarled in disgust when he saw that Peyton was changing her shirt. "Hey, you're a girl," he said in outrage as he put his hands over his eyes.

"A girl who is your mother," Lucas reminded him in a warning tone. Nevertheless, Ryan refused to remove his hands from his eyes until Peyton promised she was dressed again. She straightened the red tank and went to her closet to search for a white button down covered in an array of red flowers.

"Okay, why's everyone in my room? It only happens when I try to change."

"For your inspection," Lucas announced in a silly voice as he pushed the two boys forward.

"Do I gotta wear this?" Ryan asked grumpily.

"Do you have a better idea?" Peyton asked. The little boy shook his head and sat unhappily on the edge of their bed, his blond hair falling across his forehead as a result of the messy cut he insisted on keeping. He looked adorable in his khaki cargo shorts and navy Hawaiian button down over a white t-shirt. Peyton couldn't blame him for being unhappy with his father's choice; she had never been one to follow mainstream style. Ashton beamed at his mother from beside his father and she reached down to playfully ruffle his brown hair. He was the only one of their four children to have more of Lucas's features than her own.

"My boys," she cooed as she looked at the three of them. "Don't you all look so handsome?" With her last statement, she stood on her toes and kissed Lucas, making Ryan groan in protest.

"That's nasty. You're married!" Lucas and Peyton simply laughed.

"I think you're ready to go," Peyton whispered. She ran a brush through Gretchen's hair one last time and pulled it into a loose ponytail. The little girl looked adorable as usual in a tiny blue sundress and white sweater. The only problem was the pair of bright pink glittered tennis shoes that she refused to leave the house without. Peyton simply grinned and allowed it; who was she to stunt her child's individuality?

"Let's go," Lucas said enthusiastically, causing Ashton to run out to the front door and Gretchen to follow close behind.

"I'm too old for the zoo," Ryan countered.

"That's too bad," Peyton said as she bit her lip in mock sadness. "It just means you're old enough to stay home and cut the grass. Right Lucas?" Lucas nodded his head, trying to keep a grave expression on his face.

"That's why I still go to the zoo. You're too old for the zoo; you have to cut your mom's grass. That's life."

"You two are so weird," he said with a roll of his eyes. They both laughed. "Bye Mom." Without so much of a wave, he was gone. Peyton pretended to pout but Lucas quickly fixed the situation by kissed her. After a few heated moments, she pushed him away and took a deep breath.

"You have to go," she said breathlessly. He stood in front of her for a moment, still caught up in the moment. "Go! Before you can't. Trust me, we're not getting any alone time until after they've been to the zoo."

"Zoo first," Lucas said mournfully. Peyton nodded, pointing to the door. He leaned back into the doorway. "Can't we just send them with Nathan? He'll understand. Especially this."

"Luke," she said with a stern look. "Go."

"Have a good day," he called over his shoulder.

"Sure," Peyton called after him sarcastically. She watched them leave and then turned back to the quiet house, trying to decide what to do first.

The title of the chapter comes from this quote:

Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one. Jane Howard (author),