Title: His Mother's Last Wish

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in this story besides the plot. Which kinda sucks, eh well read it anyway :)

Summary: 10 yrs. Later, Karen doesn't have much time left. Her last wish is to see Lucas with someone who makes him happy. He goes to an old friend to make his mother think he'll be okay. LP, some NH, and maybe JB?

Author's Note: Okay, I just keep starting these things, but I figured this kinda different from my normal stuff. I guess it's gonna be a mix of everything, angst and fluff and drama and romance. I hope you all like it though.

Chapter 1: The Day Things Changed

"Hello!" he jumped from where he'd dozed off on his couch, answering the phone. The ringing in his ear had immediately made him open his eyes.

"Hi, is this Mr. Lucas Scott?" a deep voice spoke into the phone, Lucas already knew exactly who it was.

"Yeah, is this about my mom?" he was anxious for news, anything to assure him that he wouldn't lose his mother at 27 years old. He was too young to be totally alone.

His job consumed most of his time, he hadn't had a steady girlfriend in years, partially from his own lack of commitment, and then there was just no time for anyone else in his life.

"Yes, this is about your mother, Ms. Karen Roe. We find your mother has contracted lung cancer, which has also spread to her liver and possibly other vital organs. We've put her on a donor's list, but the chance of getting a donor for all of these organs in time is highly doubtful. I'm very sorry, Mr. Scott. If you'd like to come down the hospital in the next few days to sign some papers it would be appreciated," the doctor's voice faded from his ears quickly. The feeling in his stomach was comparable to being punched in the gut numerous times.

"Ok, thanks," he let the phone drop from his ear, realizing how quickly the last month with his mother had blown past him.

It was only a month ago that his mom was healthy, that they had been sitting in the café having lunch, catching up on their lives and the time they had been apart. He had left for NYU straight out of high school, leaving everyone and everything behind him The drama with Peyton and Brooke through senior year had escalated to the point that Brooke left before senior year was over. Brooke had gone to California to stay with her parents and Peyton found a new man to give her heart to.

"Have you seen anyone yet, Luke?" the dark haired woman sipped on a soda, watching her little boy process her question, but she realized after ten years that he was no longer her little boy.

"Nah, I don't really think I'm gonna see anyone before I leave tonight. After the way I left I don't think anyone wants to see me," he smiled at his mother as a look of disdain crossed her aging face.

"Don't think that way. Whenever I see Haley and Nathan they always ask about you. I also think they'd really like for you to meet Michael and Tara. Did I mention Haley's pregnant again?" his eyes opened wide, shaking his head. "Well, she is, she's due in about five months. They're really happy Luke…she misses you."

"I know, but I know Haley, she's angry that I left too, and I'm just not ready to face all of that yet," Karen leaned back, respecting her son's decision to cower away after ten years.

"Alright, Luke. What about the girls?"

"You honestly think either of them wants anything to do with me? After the way senior year played out? Yeah, okay, mom," the words were dripping with sarcasm.

"Hey, alright, it was just a question. Don't think because you're almost 27 that you can talk to me like that," she chided.

There was a moment of silence when Karen grabbed her stomach in pain, doubling over to the floor.

"Mom!" Lucas grabbed her in horror, pulling his cell phone out with shaking hands.

"Hello? I need an ambulance to Karen's Café now!" he held his mother in his hands watching her carefully. "Mom, just hold on, the ambulance is on it's way."

What was he going to do without her? She was all he had left, she had been his best friend since he was a little kid growing up without a father, and now she was leaving him. The phone rang again, in his frustration he tore it from the wall, shattering it across the room.

"God damn it!" he tore his coat from the hook on the wall, walking out of his mother's house and off to the one place that had ever been able to comfort him.

And it was that place that he found his brother with his nephew, shooting at the basket. Lucas had never met his own niece or nephew, hadn't talked to his brother or sister-in-law in almost ten years, but there he was. Nathan glanced in his direction, squinting and finally his eyes opened in shock of who stood there.

"Lucas?"

Quickly the blonde shook his head, shaking himself from his thoughts. He looked at his younger brother, who had aged in ten years, who looked more grown up, who was playing with his son.

"Hey," he smiled at his brother, waving off the phone call he had gotten less than ten minutes ago. He proceeded to meet Nathan half way, surprised when the brunette pulled him into a hug.

"Just leave and decide not to get in touch with anyone for ten years, asshole," he smiled at Lucas, teasing him behavior.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that, I just…I needed a fresh start, I guess…" Lucas looked down at the boy beside Nathan, knowing he had missed out on far too much.

"Well, at least you're here now when your Mom needs you. Uh, so Luke, this is Mikey…Mike, this is your Uncle Luke, the one Mommy talks about all the time, the guy from the pictures," the shy little boy's face slowly formed a smile. He approached his Uncle and extended his right hand.

"Hi, Uncle Luke," he smiled a toothy grin, making Lucas laugh.

"Hey, Mikey, how ya been?" he shook the little boy's hand, ruffling his hair in the process.

"Mke, go play," Nathan handed the ball off to the five year old, watching him run off to the court, throwing the large ball up with no success.

"He seems like a good kid…I'm sorry about all this," Lucas directed between them, to how far he had drifted from everything that was important to him over the years.

"Look, man, I missed ya, you're my brother, but I'm not the one you should be apologizing to.

"How could he just leave, Nathan?" Haley sobbed into his arms, knowing her best friend was gone for good this time.

"Just give him some time, Hales, he'll come around," Nathan tried to soothe his hysterical wife who was latched onto his shoulder.

"No, no he won't. I know Lucas, he's gone and I'm not gonna talk to him again, what am I supposed to do without him?" her red eyes tore at his heart.

"You'll be alright…"

"Haley's the one you need to talk to," he pointed out, directing his brother straight down the street to where they lived.

"I know, I know. I'll go talk to her and then I gotta go down to the hospital to sign some papers for my Mom…" Lucas let his sentence linger in the air, wondering if Nathan knew what he had just found out.

"Any updates?"

"Uh…nothing new," he lied, turning on his heel and heading to his brother's house.

He tapped on the solid oak door of the house, it was exactly what he expected of Haley and Nathan. Not too big, Nathan had never taken advantage of Dan's money after getting emancipated at sixteen, but big enough to house his growing family comfortably.

Haley opened the door quietly, making sure not to wake a sleeping Tara. Her efforts were fruitless when she found Lucas at her door, making her scream and slap him across the face.

"Okay, I deserved that," he didn't smile at her, just stood with his hands buried in his pockets.

"Oh god," she gasped, still her eyes weren't focusing right. He stepped to her, opening his arms for a hug but all he received were punches against his chest from the brunette. She continued to hit at him, he noticed the tears falling from her eyes, but didn't dare try to stop her from letting out her frustration with him. He couldn't blame her, he left without a word for ten years, if the situation were reversed he wasn't sure that he would even talk to her at all.

"Haley, I'm sorry," he said softly, pulling her against him as she cried in his arms.

"I can't believe this is happening, to your mom, that you're back, that you left me," she cried, not bothering to struggle against him anymore. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, holding him close as she cried.

"Hales, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," he pleaded with her, and it wasn't until then did he realize how much he missed having her in his life.

"Luke, your mom…God, how are you?" she didn't move from his embrace, but she knew from the way his breath caught in his throat that he wasn't doing as well as they all thought.

"She's not gonna make it, Haley. It spread to her liver, and they're not gonna find a donor in time," she felt his breathing get more shallow as a few hot tears hit her shoulder.

"Lucas," she whispered against his ear, holding him as he cried to her. Even after ten years their bond was still evident, he could still go to her with anything. "Do you want me to go with you to the hospital?" she suggested, but felt him shake his head against her shoulder.

He pulled away, wiping at his eyes like a little boy, making her nostalgic for the times when they were younger.

"No, I'm gonna go down and spend some time with her, I'll be alright. I'll see ya later?" she nodded, watching him turn back down her steps. His navy blue suit jacket fit him well, his shoulders had grown to be more broad, she noticed he looked more like man now.

"Luke," he turned to look at her, his blue eyes shining. "Why don't you come back for dinner, you can crash here tonight instead of being alone at your moms. And we'll watch some old movies?" a smile appeared on her face, waiting for an answer.

"Well…um, I just –"

"No, c'mon, I don't want you to be alone tonight after everything. Just come back here after the hospital and at least have dinner, please," he grinned at her, nodding his head before walking off.

The hospital halls were full of people, but it didn't phase him, he just pushed through. He reached the front desk, argued with the nurse for five minutes and finally obtained the papers he needed.

Sluggishly, he made his way to the waiting room, sitting next to a brunette with curly hair that struck him as very familiar. He pulled his wallet out to write down his mother's social security number when a picture fell from a side pocket, as it so often did every time he pulled cards out of the aged wallet.

"Damn," he mumbled, bending over to grab the picture but finding it in the hands of the girl who was sitting next to him. He still couldn't see her face past her dark hair, but when she turned to him with wide eyes he knew exactly why he could remember the curls.

"Peyton?"

"Lucas?"

They were both shocked with who they found, how fate had always seemed to lead them back to each other in some way. She didn't stand to hug him the way he expected after ten years, she just handed him his picture back and stood to walk away.

"Hey," he ran after her, grabbing her wrist before she could get too far away.

"Don't touch me," she hissed, stalking back down the hallway, leaving him utterly confused. He hadn't expected her to be so cold after ten years, but he had to know why. Again he took off after the brunette, finding her at the coffee machine.

"What's going on? It's been ten years and we can't be civil?"

"That's exactly it, it's been ten years, and you know how it was when you left, you jerkoff," her eyes were full of ice, as he thought back.

"Peyton, we can't…" he whispered, his lips just barely touching hers as they laid in her backseat. He wasn't sure how they got there, it had been a raging party, they both had a few more drinks than they should of.

"Mmm, yes we can," she moaned beneath him, his hot breath making contact with her skin.

"You're with Ryan," he stuttered through his words, barely knowing how he had enough common sense to say no.

"But I love you, Luke, always have," she slurred along, pulling at his shirt.

"Peyton, I'm leaving tomorrow," he sobered up at her words, she did the same hearing that sentence.

"What?"

"I'm leaving…"

"So you let me make an ass out of myself back here, making out with me the whole night, we end up here and you couldn't have told me this before?" she questioned, holding tears back.

"Look, I'm sorry, I didn't know it was gonna turn out to be this. I thought it was just…a tonight thing…" he confessed, shrugging.

She shoved him in the chest, "You unbelievable asshole. When has it ever been one night with us, Lucas? Did you honestly expect no feelings, did you think I was a cheap whore?" she rose her voice to him, as he winced, sinking away.

"No, I just…we never specified," he wasn't about to be intimidated.

"Well, I don't sleep with everyone who I make-out with, Lucas! You of ALL people should know that, but oh," she laughed bitterly, "I guess I was wrong, just get the fuck out!"

"Peyt-"

"Get the fuck out!" he followed her demands.

"Look, if it's worth anything, I'm –"

"Don't fucking say it, Lucas. Don't you dare say it, because you don't mean it. You never have, so just go, leave it alone…"

"Peyton, I didn't mean to, I'm so-"

"Oh no, don't go there, Lucas. I stopped you ten years ago and I'll stop you now, so you just back the fu-"

"Mr. Scott, we need your forms, your mother is asking for you. The doctors have informed her that we probably won't find a donor in time, as a mother, from me to you, spend as much time as you can with her," the nurse winked at him, full of shame he turned to look back at Peyton who's eyes had suddenly softened to pools of tears.

"Lucas…what happened?"

"Nothing, it's nothing. You don't need me, I don't need you. I don't wanna be a charity case just because my mom's dying, so don't act like everything's fine now. You were obviously really angry, and just because my mom's dying doesn't mean it's all better, so just go back to whatever you were doing, you live your life, I'll live mine. It's worked out pretty well don't you think?" he stared at her, turning his back to her and walked off to a door down the hallway, his head hanging low.

She had royally screwed that one up, and now she felt like the biggest bitch the world had ever created. She followed to the door he had entered, she knew how it felt to not want to be the charity case. But she needed to make it up to him, she watched him hold his mother's hand up against his lips, and it broke her heart. Maybe she still didn't like him, but she knew how it felt, and it hurt to be alone with all the pain that was headed his way.

Okay, that's the start. I can't say this is going to be a top priority story yet, but I like where it's headed, and I've got some things planned for it. So REVIEW and tell me what you thought of the first chapter.