A/N: It's about time that I finished this chapter! It took longer to write then I anticipated but it's done. Thanks to everyone who's been reading and reviewing. I hope you haven't forgotten about it!

Disclimer: I don't own anything OTH related...there are a few quotes/ideas from the show, I don't claim those either...I'm just borrowing :)

Chapter 8

Ten years had past since Ellie Harp, Peyton's biological mother, had passed on. Although she had lost the battle with cancer, Ellie was the one who gained the most. She was no longer alone and she didn't die alone. In fact, on May 16, 2006, surrounded by her new friends from Tree Hill, Ellie took her final breath as Peyton held her hand. Although they never exactly had a typical mother-daughter relationship, due to the fact that they never had enough time to get to that level, they still cared about each other as if they were.

Everything that Ellie had owned, including the chalet, were all left to Peyton. It meant a lot to Peyton and she never wanted to forget Ellie either. So as part remembrance and part tradition, Peyton threw a Christmas gathering for all of her family and friends.

The chalet was decorated with carefully hung lights. A large Christmas tree, with dozens of wrapped presents sitting underneath, stood tall in front of the large front window. The rest of the room was filled with happy and conversing adults with playing children scattered throughout.

Standing alone in front of the fire place, Peyton sipped on her red wine. She smiled as she looked around the bright and joyful room. Everyone Peyton loved and cared about was in that room. Her father was sitting comfortably on the couch, proudly cradling his first, two-month-old grandson in his arms. A month after Aiden was born, Larry retired from the drudging industry. The news had surprised Peyton at first since she thought her father would never give up the sea life. But after missing the birth of his first grandson, because he was out at sea, Larry swore that he would never miss another important event of his daughter's and grandson's life.

Behind the couch, where Larry was sitting next to Keith and Karen, Peyton saw Skillz and Mouth talking to Rachel and Brooke.

FLASHBACK

Peyton sat on her bed, staring at the doors while she processed what had just happened. Like the names on the on the closet door, her friendship with Brooke was no more. All that was left was the bare wood and its grains; the purple paint had been stripped away; and the names that were boldly written in a silver Sharpie were also gone on both of the closet doors.

A gentle hand reaching for Peyton's shoulder snapped her out of her daze.

"Hey," Rachel gave Peyton a warm smile, "I saw Brooke running out the door crying. I take things didn't go over too well,"

Peyton shook her head, unable to speak.

"Look you two have been best friends for like what," Rachel guessed as she sat down beside Peyton, "ten years? All of this will be nothing but a little fight in a few days,"

"She told Lucas that I was still in love with Jake," her voice was quiet but it explained the way she was feeling.

"She what?" Rachel exclaimed in shock.

Suddenly, Rachel stood up and reached for Peyton's hand, "Come on,"

"No, I can't see her right now," Peyton resisted.

"Good. Neither can I…I mean I could, but I'm far too young and pretty for jail," Rachel smirked as she grabbed Peyton's hand.

"Then where are we going?"

"We're going to Lucas's…we're going to set that boy straight","

Peyton withdrew her hand and shook her head, "No. I can't,"

The red head sighed, "Peyton, all this time you've wanted to tell him how you feel. You said you couldn't until you talked to Brooke… and now you have. So what's stopping you now?"

"Everything is just messed up again…on top of that, look at me. I'm an emotional wreck," Ending her friendship with Brooke was hard on Peyton. The way she was feeling couldn't be ignored and she knew gaining a boyfriend wouldn't make it go away either, not even if the boy was Lucas. "Besides, I wouldn't know what to say,"

Rachel sat down beside her friend and offered Peyton some encouraging words, "Yes you do, Peyton. Look, Brooke came over and told you the truth. And as much as it probably killed her, she didn't have to do that. Maybe she didn't say it aloud, but I think she's trying to make things right," Rachel tilted her head and looked at her friend, "Look, forget about Brooke for a minute… cause we all know that your blind and way too generous heart will find a way forgive her," she added sarcastically. "But Brooke's not standing in your way now…It's you,"

For a few moments, Peyton thought about what Rachel had just said. Then with a tilt of the head, Peyton replied, "Wait, did Rachel Gattina just defend Brooke Davis?"

"You know, I don't really hate Brooke," Rachel admitted, "It's just fun giving her a run for her money AND making her life a living hell. But hey, you're not changing the subject, missy,"

Rachel leapt to her feet and headed towards the closet, "Come on, hit the showers, while I find you something to wear,"

END FLASHBACK

Peyton waved at Brooke and Rachel, her two friends, across the room. The curly blonde was thankful for having Rachel in her life. Rachel was always the one who pushed Peyton to do the right things and not just to dwell on the negative consequences. She was a great friend.

Brooke Davis was also a great friend. Although it had taken the two former best friends a long time to get back on track, they found a way to forgive each other, just like all best friends did. It had been hard for them to rebuild that trust they had lost but both of them were willing to mend their friendship. The encouragement from both Lucas and Rachel helped a great deal as well.

Although Peyton never dared to admit it to either of them, Peyton always saw a lot of Brooke in Rachel. Both girls always knew what they wanted and did almost anything to get it. The two were more similar than they wanted to admit, which was probably why they never really got along in high school. The only difference between the two was that Rachel also had a little bit of Peyton in her as well.

The screams of Jacob and Mackenzie Scott startled Peyton for a second. She turned in time to see Mackenzie chasing her older brother around their parents, Nathan and Haley. Trying to keep herself from laughing, Haley tried to get her children to behave while juggling and squirming Tyler in her arms. Nathan, on the other hand, stood patiently, waiting to make his move. With a childish grin on his face, Nathan started chasing after his daughter. Tyler, the toddler, laughed hysterically as he watched his father and siblings run circles around Haley. Poor, Haley, Peyton thought. She didn't know how her friend could raise three little ones and one big kid all at once.

Across the room, in front of the tree, Peyton saw Jake and Lucas. She curiously watched on as a pregnant brunette approached the two chatting friends. The woman greeted Lucas with a warm hug. With an equally warm reception, Lucas returned the hug and placed a gentlemanly kiss on her cheek.

FLASHBACK

It was a half an hour before closing and Lucas Scott found himself alone in the café. He hadn't had a customer since the dinner rush ended two hours earlier. Usually it didn't bother him so much because it meant that he could spend the rest of the night reading. But tonight, was different - he didn't particularly enjoy the book he was reading. And unfortunately for him, his pet peeve was not finishing a book once it had been started – which meant that he had to endure the drab fictional world of the book for a little bit longer.

He eagerly looked up and welcomed the distraction when he heard the front door open. His automatic smile, that greeted customers, slipped into a more pleasant and genuine smile, as it did every time he saw her.

"Hey," she said softly as the door closed behind her.

"Hey," he huskily greeted. "Your curls…they're back,"

"Yeah," her fingers gently touched the ends of curls. Although they were hard to maintain, Peyton had missed them and was glad that Rachel insisted that she go back to her natural roots.

Lucas put his book down on the counter and cleared his throat. Although he felt his heart skip a beat as he watched her walk towards him, Lucas ignored the feeling. If Jake was the guy she wanted to be with then the only thing he could do was to continue being the friend that she needed him to be. If that was the only way he could be in her life, then so be it, at least she was in his life.

"So, how's it going?" questioned Lucas.

"Good," she took a seat on the stool in front of him. Peyton nervously licked her lips, trying to find something to say. The book on the counter caught her wandering eyes.

"Good book?" she asked, hoping that some sort of chit chat would calm her down a bit.

Lucas chuckled and shook his head, "Probably the worst book I've read in a long time,"

"Oh," was all that she could muster. Her mind raced as fast as her beating heart as it searched for the right way to start. Then suddenly her eyes lit up, "You know, I read a book last night,"

"Really?" Lucas placed his hands on the counter and leaned in clearly interested.

""Yeah…well actually, you see, it's a sequel,"

"A sequel?" his forehead wrinkled.

"Yeah, it's about the same girl and boy who have this weird vibe thing and share this incredibly messed up history together… do you remember?"

Lucas curiously looked at Peyton, "Yeah, I think I do,"

"Well, as usual, there's all this drama going on between the two – like every time they try to explore this vibe, something stops them…or they have this impeccably bad timing," she laughed nervously, "Anyways, for a long while they lose touch…and to the girl… it seems like forever. Until this one amazing summer they find their way back to each other…"

She looked up at him and saw that she had him captivated. As she looked him in the eye, Peyton continued, "The thing is, all along in her heart, she wished that there was something more…she just didn't want to admit it…I don't know, maybe she didn't want to hurt her best friend again…or maybe it was because she was too scared,"

Lucas remained quiet, listening to every word she was saying.

"But after one bizarre night, the girl finally realizes just how important this boy is to her…and not just as friend. She realizes that she's in love with him…that she always has been and she doesn't want to hide it anymore,"

Lucas looked down at the counter then took a step back. It had caught him off guard. Hearing her story was the last thing he had expected that night. After hearing from Brooke that Peyton was still in love with Jake, Lucas couldn't help be question Peyton's intentions. He rubbed his brow as he processed it all. He let out a deep breath as Peyton slowly stood up.

She could tell that it was a lot to take in and the fact that she couldn't read what he was thinking or feeling, scared her even more. Peyton took a step back. His long hesitation to answer didn't comfort her at all. She couldn't help but think that he was taking his time trying to find a way to let her down gently

From the corner of his eye, he saw Peyton step back. If there was one thing that Lucas was sure of, it was that he couldn't let her out that door.

"Wait," he said. He quickly walked to the end of the counter. His pace slowed as he rounded the corner and started towards her. With small steps his eyes locked on her surprised, but scared eyes. "What happens next to this boy and girl? I mean what if there's someone else,"

Peyton shook her head, "There isn't anyone else, at least for the girl there isn't. She's just scared to find out what the boy is thinking …that's as far as I got,"

Now standing in front of her, Lucas studied her carefully. His protected heart was on the line and he just had to be sure. In a whispering voice Lucas said, "I think…the boy in your story…feels the same way too…"

A feeling of excitement and happiness rushed through her veins. For once in her life she could feel things going her way. She was finally going to get the chance to be happy. It was a feeling she never felt before and she was now willing to fight for it.

"But, he's just as scared," Lucas looked down and then admitted, "I'm scared, Peyton. I want to take that next step with you believe me, I do…but I don't want to lose you either,"

"You won't" she insisted. "Lucas, before, I didn't know what I wanted but I do now. You have always been there for me and you'd do anything for me – no questions asked. And I want to do the same for you. Lucas, I want to be that girl for you,"

"What about Jake? What will happen if he comes back?"

Peyton smiled before closing the gap between herself and boy she was in love with. "Then he comes back. And it'd be awesome if he did with Jenny in his arms," The fingers of her hand gently touched the side of his cheek. "Jake's a great guy. Okay? But, he's not you,"

END FLASHBACK

Peyton smiled as she then saw Lauren kiss Jake on the lips before standing close to him. As they continued to talk to Lucas, Jake smiled at his glowing wife and tucked a piece of her brown hair behind her ear. Peyton was happy for Jake and Jenny; Lauren loved Jake and more importantly, loved Jenny just as much.

If someone had told her that she'd have it all – a wonderful, caring husband, a beautiful son and a house with the ever so cliché white picket fence – when she was in high school, she would have laughed in their face and escorted them to an insane asylum herself. But who could have blamed the old Peyton Sawyer? After all, she had been through a lot more grief and heartache then the average teenage girl. Throughout most of her life she grew up and went through each hardship alone. A faux tough exterior she had built around herself let her do that.

Those walls that she built didn't just hide her. For a long time they were the only things that she could lean on. But there was one person that saw through it – saw how tired she was and how lonely she really was. Little by little he chipped away at the wall she had always leaned on and let her lean on him instead. Brick by brick he erased those nagging doubts from her mind and replaced them with hope and love. The teenage boy that stole her heart and freed her doubting mind became her rock. That teenage boy also grew into the man that became her husband.

"Hey," Lucas whispered into her ear as he came up behind her, "It's almost time to feed Aiden,"

With a smile, he stepped aside and put his arm around Peyton's shoulders. They both looked over at their son who was being held by his smiling grandfather. Lucas started to walk towards them but Peyton remained frozen in place. Confused, Lucas looked back at his wife.

Her lips curled happily when she noticed two figures standing just behind Larry. It was Anna and Ellie. Standing side by side, they exchanged smiles as they watched over the sleeping baby like two guardian angels. Anna's eyes then fell onto to her husband. Larry looked up to his right, a little startled, as he felt something touch his shoulder. Then he let out a little smile.

"Peyt? What is it?" Lucas asked.

She shook her head and she grinned at him, "Nothing…" Peyton pulled Lucas back towards her, "Let's let them spend more time together,"

Lucas didn't argue as Peyton wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Merry Christmas," she said.

His arms pulled her body closer to his and held her tight, "Merry Christmas,"

They shared a gentle kiss before resting their foreheads on each other. She closed her eyes and smiled blissfully

"What are you thinking about now?" he wondered.

"Just how one little decision changed our future for the better," she said quietly.

He always adored the fact that his wife had deep thoughts and had a different perspective on life, but he still wondered what she meant by that. Still in his arms, Peyton opened her eyes and met his.

"I love you so much," she declared

Lucas stopped trying to figure out what she meant. It didn't matter. All that mattered was how in love they both were and that they had their whole lives to live together and with their son. It had taken them a while to get to where they were now, but it was well worth it. She was worth it.

"I love you too,"

A/N: Well, sadly this concludes this story. I know I didn't explain exactly how Peyton and Brooke became friends again, but it just would have been too long and complicated to explain…I have, however, been playing with the idea of writing a sequel to this that will explain what happened from the night in the café to where they are now. But it may take a while to put together since school is starting to take over my life again. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed the story.