Thank you so muchfor all the reviews! Please keep 'em coming lol.Sorry for leaving you all hanging tht last chapter, but here's your answer! Enjoy, everybody.

Chapter Five: Deeper

"I'd be lying if I said I didnt feel anything for Brooke, because I did, I got to know her, and I even grew to love her. She, well she, she just has her moments."

Peyton nodded as she looked to the floor, trying to avoid eye contact so he didnt see her tears start falling again.

Lucas started up again, "But, you know, Peyton, me and you were different. Me and you are different. I dont love her the way I loved you, and I never will. I'll never love anybody the way that I loved you, Peyton. It will just never happen, nobody can compare to you."

Peyton looked up and Lucas and cocked her head the side, "Aw, Luke, thats the sweetest thing anybody has ever said to me."

Lucas smiled as he said, "I meant every word of it."

Peyton smiled widely and pulled Lucas towards her into a hug. Lucas tightened his grip on her as he closed his eyes. Peyton held on tighter as they both sat in the bathroom, just holding eachother for awhile.

Peyton was first to release her grip andLucas began to speak again, "You know, Peyton, I've poured my heart to you, but I still have no idea how you feel about us. I have to know, Peyton," Lucas said as Peyton bit her lip.

"Oh, I dont know..." She shrugged as Lucas stared intensly at her.

"Peyton, I want to know, I have to know, I have to move on, I cant leave here without knowing because I wonder all the time, you and Jake, was it stronger than what we had?"

Peyton raised her eyebrows and suddently put on a sympathetic face, like she realizing how much pain Lucas really was in, and because of her. "Well, I did love him, but Lucas its different, me and Jake were actually together, physically and taking care of Jenny together. Me and you-"

Lucas stopped her before she could keep going, "Nevermind, its clear that you and Jake had something stronger," Lucas said as he got up from sitting next to Peyton to go lean against the door.

"Lucas, you didnt let me finish..."

Lucas snapped, "You dont need to, I can see where this is going, Peyton, you obviously feel like we had nothing close to what you and Jake had."

"Lucas! That is not true at all, and you know, we might have had something right now, if you didnt sleep with Nikki!"

Lucas looked away in pain, "Peyton, I told you, dont bring that up again."

Peyton scoffed, "Well its kind of hard not to! I forgave you for that Lucas, but you, you broke my heart, okay? And Jake was the only one there I felt could maybe put it back together. Me and you didnt last longer than a few weeks, and not to mention it was behind my best fr- it was behind Brooke's back. Thats not a relationship, but-"

Lucas cut her off, "But it didnt change the fact that I fell in love with you, Peyton."

Peyton sighed, "Lucas-"

He cut her off again, "But its me, its my fault it ended. I have to deal with that, and I was never fully healed, Peyton. And right now Im under the impression, that you were, and the reason you were was because of Jake."

"You dont know anything about me and Jake!" Peyton snapped at him.

"Well, I know enough to know that what you had with him was stronger than what we had," Lucas snapped back.

"You know, you're unbelievable. Maybe the reason you dont know about us, is because you never bothered to ask. And Lucas, it wasnt-"

Lucas cut her off again, "Peyton, did you really expect me to want to know what you were doing with Jake? Because it would hurt too much to know, I hurt you, and the fact that I did, hurt me, and I just wanted to forget all about it, not about you, but that I hurt you. Why do you think I left Tree Hill, Peyton? I couldnt stand to see you everyday knowing what happened and not being able to be with you, I couldnt do that. So, when we had to come back to Tree Hill, I told myself, I was going to leave you alone, and it would all go away eventually. But if I could do it over, I would have never let you go."

Peyton smiled, "Well, you know, that doesnt really matter anymore, huh? But Lucas, I just want you to know, what me and Jake had, was not as strong as what me and you had. And its beyond me, because we were never even officially together, but somehow, what we had was just... deeper. I loved Jake, but I was in love with you. Its different," Peyton said as Lucas smiled and nodded in understandment.

"Yea, I know," Lucas said softly.

Peyton started, "I dont like to tell you these things, Lucas, because it gives you the power to hurt me again, and Im not saying you would, but it just makes me a weaker target.

Lucas laughed, "First of all, you're not weak, Peyton! and second of all, I would never, ever hurt you again."

Peyton laughed a little, "Thats funny, because you're hurting me right now, by being with Brooke."