His Mother's Last Wish

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews on this guys, I'm glad people are reading. You'll see how the story formulates as we go on, and what the basic plot is. So, anyway, I hope you like this.

Chapter 2: The Wish

"Hey, Lucas," her voice was gentle and weak as he took a spot in the chair next to her.

"What am I supposed to do without you, Ma?" he pleaded with shining eyes. She reached her hand up to touch his scruffy cheek.

"You went ten years without me, you'll be alright, and you'll have your own family one day. I heard you saw Nathan and Haley, you've got them now too, everything's gonna be okay," she smiled at her son, but he couldn't return the gesture she noticed.

"We talked while I was gone, at least I knew if I wanted to come home you'd be here waiting. I don't think I can do this," his eyes filled quickly, watching her lay there hooked up to all of those beeping machines.

"You're a strong person, Lucas. I made sure of that while you were growing up, you're going to be just fine. I want you to do something for me though," he rose his eyebrows, taking her hand in his own again.

"Anything."

"I want you to make amends with the girls and keep them in your life. I don't think you realized how deeply they both cared for you, you need that for these upcoming months. I don't want you to regret losing them when you're my age. And I want you to be with someone you love and makes you happy. Makes you so happy you can't bear to be away from her. I can't stand to think that you might live your life alone wrapped up in your job. Please, Luke," she let her eyes pierce him, she so desperately wanted her little boy to be happy with the way his life turned out.

"I will," he promised, kissing the back of her hand.

"I'm serious…"

"I know that, and I will," he stood, pulling away from her, "I love you."

"I love you too," she whispered, watching him make his way to the door. He glanced back, waving and closing the door behind him. Heaving a sigh he let his back hit the wall, bringing his hands up to his eyes, rubbing at them furiously.

He heard her approach him, but he knew he didn't have time to deal with her, with how she was going to treat him, not after that conversation with his dying mother. He walked away from her, and she knew she deserved it, but went after him.

"Lucas, please talk to me. I'm sorry about what I said…I'm just, still hurt, ya know. I've never been that open with someone so easily, I felt so humiliated when you walked away from me that night. You've gotta understand where I'm coming from," she walked after him, but he wouldn't stop for her. "Lucas…"

"What?" he snapped, turning to look at her with glassy eyes. "Look, I get it, okay, I was an asshole, thanks for rubbing it in. I just, can't do this with you right now, Peyton. I've got a lot going on, and quite frankly, I just want you to leave me alone," he turned away from her once more, leaving the hospital grounds.

And now, she didn't know what to do.

He returned to Nathan and Haley's an hour later, after some well spent alone time at the River Court. Basketball had always helped to calm his nerves, and this time was no exception.

"So, you were almost late, but I won't count it against ya," Haley smiled, taking the burgers to the table where Nathan and their two kids were seated. And that's what he needed, someone who treated him the way she would've treated him, mother dying or not.

"Sorry, I stopped by the River Court. Burgers?" he grinned at Haley as she nodded proudly.

"Yes, and some fries, Nathan's suggestion," she nodded to her husband who was helping Mike with pouring the water into his glass. This was good, something normal.

An hour later Nathan had taken the kids over to Jake's to spend some time with Jenny who was now ten, but adored Tara. Jake also had two other children, another girl and finally a boy, tragically their mother had died only a year ago, leaving Jake completely devastated and left with three children to raise. Emma and Zach still didn't fully grasp the fact that their mother was gone forever, but they understood enough. They were twins, both a year older than Mikey.

"How's she doing?" Haley questioned Lucas who sat in silence on the couch.

"Alright. She knows, and she wanted me to do something for her, but I mean I think it's almost impossible to do before she…before there's no time left," he hated saying she was dying, it seemed way too final.

"What's she want?"

"She said she wanted me to make up with Peyton and Brooke and then find someone who makes me happy so I don't live the rest of my life alone…I mean how am I supposed to do that?" he looked over to find her sitting next to him on the couch.

"Okay, maybe you're going to dislike me for this answer, but I hope you find that one day too, Lucas. I can see from looking at you now how exhausted you are, and you were never the guy the who wore a suit every day, or who wanted to work in an office. This isn't you, you've got a really good heart, you deserve that. You deserve a family and a life that you love to live…look me in the eye and say you look forward to work every day and getting home to sit by yourself to watch basketball games," and he couldn't do it.

"What happened at the hospital? You were acting weird when you walked in," she looked at him, poking him in the arm a few times.

"I ran into Peyton…"

Haley sighed, "I forgot to mention she was gonna be in the area, I'm sorry, Luke. Her aunt's in the hospital here, she's staying like fifteen minutes away from here, so I really didn't think you had any chance of running into her. What happened?"

"I dropped a picture out of my wallet, she saw it, looked at me, ran away, yelled at me, apologized when she found out about my Mom. And then when I was done talking to my mom she ran after me but I left her there," he met his friend's stare, looking for guidance.

"What was the picture of that made her yell?" and then it hit him.

"The two of us, from the summer that you were gone, Nathan went to High Flyers and Brooke was in California. I had her on my back, and we were…well, here," he took the picture out, laying it in Haley's hands.

The picture depicted two teenagers having fun during the summer. Lucas was in a navy blue swimsuit, Peyton had the same color bikini on. She was hanging from his back happily, she appeared to be laughing at a joke he had made at the time.

"Gimme a ride, Luke, it's hot," she whined, walking next to him.

"Ugh, anyone ever tell you you're a pain in the ass?" he smirked at her when she swatted at his bare chest.

"Now, you have to give me a ride," he stopped letting her jump on his back and continued the trek to the beach. They walked on the boardwalk, past the tourists who were visiting for a vacation. Walking by all the small beach stands, a man with a camera snapped their picture.

"Excuse me, you two," he motioned for Peyton and Lucas to approach his stand. They followed his instruction, watching him print a small wallet size picture of them out of his small Kodak printer dock which he was demonstrating to passerby's trying to make money.

He went on and on trying to explain how the product worked, and how simple it was to use. Lucas interrupted him half way through to ask for a second copy which the man printed happily.

"You want?" they shook their heads, watching his outraged expression and walked away in a fit of laughter.

"Why'd you keep it?"

"I dunno…I guess I just did, it was the summer she finally opened up to me, and it meant a lot to me. I mean we were really close up until she met Ryan. Just memories, I guess…"

"Most people keep "memories" in a box in a closet, not in their wallet, Lucas," Haley pointed out why she could've overreacted so greatly.

"Yeah, I get it. You think I should talk to her?"

"That might be a good idea," she punched his arm lightly, "I got clothes to fold, here's her address if you get bored," she handed him a small card with a hotel address scribbled across the front of it.

The car ride was about fifteen minutes as Haley had told him earlier. He filled the time with music, trying not to let his thoughts get him down again. Finally, pulling up to the large hotel he wondered what had become of Ryan from high school, why she hadn't married anyone either.

He made his way to her door, knocking just loud enough to be heard. Her hair was wet when she answered the door, she looked fresh from a shower.

"Lucas?"

"Uh, hey…I got your address from Haley," he commented lamely. She smiled at him, opening the door graciously.

"C'mon in," he nodded, entering the room she was staying in.

"Nice room…raid the mini bar yet?" he joked, making her laugh. It was so easy to fall into that routine with him, never really solving anything. Something they had done so often in their high school years.

"I would if it wasn't so damn expensive," she laid her towel down in the bathroom, walking out to see him standing there in his suit with an unbutton collar. He had taken the tie of somewhere in between leaving the hospital and standing in front of her. "So, uh, not that I don't like seeing you, but…what're you doing here?"

"I wanted to apologize for earlier. I kinda flipped out on you, but I'm just really stressed out, and I talked to Haley and I realized what jackass I was taking it out on you. I didn't know if I was going to see you again, and I didn't want to leave it like that. Well, not again anyway," he tried to lighten the mood, watching her smile at him once more.

"Well, me too, I guess I snapped. Just, the picture was a lot –"

"I know, I get it. Can I apologize for ten years ago too? For being an asshole?" he moved his foot over the carpet, suddenly he felt sixteen all over again.

"Yeah, I guess I can forgive you for that…so how's life been?" she walked around the room, taking a seat on the chair. Tucking her legs beneath her, she stared at him intently.

"Weird, full of crap I guess…"

"Well, aren't you the optimist," he showed her a small smile for the sarcasm he had so often got from her. "But seriously, Luke, what's been going on, I mean you can't summarize ten years into six words."

"Um, I graduated from NYU, and I've been working in some law department doing a bunch of paper work that I don't give a shit about. I don't have time for anyone so I pretty much live on my own. I get up in the morning, go to work, get home, order out, watch a basketball game and go to bed. Same routine every day," her face fell at how depressed he seemed about everything, how nothing seemed to matter. That was not the boy she knew in high school who had been so passionate about everything, even her at one time.

"Sounds…exciting?"

"Oh, yeah, let me tell ya. What about you?"

"Uh, went to Boston for art, and I've been kinda freelancing at different galleries and whatnot, it gives me enough money to get by I guess. I mean, my dad still sends me money to help me out when I need it, and I've still got the house over in Tree Hill. I just choose not to stay there, it's always weird being back there. I dunno, I guess I just haven't really figured out what I wanna do when I grow up," she joked, and he laughed, nodding his head in agreement.

And suddenly he knew what he needed to do.

"So, Peyton, you're not dating anyone are you?"

"Lucas, uh," her cheeks flushed red as she stuttered a few times.

He laughed loudly at her expression, "It's not what you think, believe me. Just are you?"

She shook her head, unable to remove the smile from her face. He looked so amused with her reaction.

"Okay, now this is kinda big, but it'd really help if you could do me this favor. I mean we're both single so we're not really losing anything. It's just when I was in my Mom's room she wanted me to do something for her, and I just feel like if she's going to be okay with leaving she needs to know I'm gonna be okay. She wanted me to make up with you and Brooke so I wouldn't regret that later, and obviously I've already completed half of that," he motioned between them, watching her nod.

"But she also wanted me to be with someone who made me happy…and I haven't had anytime to find anyone who I've wanted to spend my life with, but would you maybe be able to just kinda pose as like my girlfriend just so my Mom knows I won't be alone when she's gone?" he looked up to meet her eyes, finding her looking very cynical.

"But she knows we weren't friends and suddenly we're thinking about spending our lives together out of the blue? Plus, I mean Haley and Nathan will definitely never play along with the charade with your Mom, they'd tell her…"

"See, but that's where you're wrong. We just won't tell anyone, only me and you will know. And I'll tell my Mom we ran into each other a while ago and I just couldn't find the right time to tell her I was back with you, but since she might not be around I decided I wanted to let her know…I'll just tell her something like that. Just, it'd really make her feel a lot better about going, and I don't want her to…pass away without knowing I'll be alright. I mean maybe it'll be a lie, but just so she'll feel better about leaving me, please," he sat on the bed across from the chair she was in. They were very close by that point, she looked hesitant.

"Why'd you keep the picture?" she asked him quietly.

"Look, it's been ten years, I'm not still hung up on our messed up high school thing. I'm not doing this as some sinister plan to get with you, I genuinely want to make my Mom feel better. I mean I know you're someone I can count on, and I wouldn't ask if this didn't mean a lot to me to let her know I want to do what she asked of me. We just have to pose for a little while, and then after…everything blows over, I'll tell Haley and Nathan things didn't work out and you had to leave, just, please. I know it's been ten years and it's a big question…"

She suddenly nodded her head, "This is strictly for your Mom. There will be no sex here," he chuckled at her serious expression during that last part, "I'm not even kidding. No sex at all, no exceptions. Maybe a quick kiss on the lips and the hand holding bit to be believable, but nothingelse, and you will touch nothing below my neck besides my waist, and those are the conditions," she smiled sweetly at him, blowing him a fake kiss.

"You wanna come back to Nathan and Haley's for a while, we can make the big announcement," he wiggled his eyebrows, receiving a shove in the shoulder.

"Yeah, gimme a minute to get my stuff."

Okay, so I like this one. It got a bit lighter, but I like the outcome. I hope the plot is interesting enough, and that the story's keeping your attention. Anyway REVIEW!