A/N Thanks for the great reviews, hope you like this chapter!

We all begin with good intent
Love was raw and young
We believed that we could change ourselves
The past could be undone
But we carry on our backs the burden
Time always reveals
In the lonely light of morning
In the wound that would not heal
It's the bitter taste of losing everything
That I've held so dear.

Sarah McLachlan-Fallen

Peyton froze, ever inch of her body tense as she lay there, her body pressed against the ground. She could hear her own breathing, heavily and she swallowed hard, closing her eyes and not daring to get to her feet as she heard running, heavy footsteps on the asphalt; a car door opening, slamming, an engine roaring into life, the screeching of tyres…Every sound seemed to be magnified as she lay there, frozen. As she looked up the beams of the blaring headlights passed over her, the car speeding off out of the parking lot.

Once again silence settled upon the empty parking lot and Peyton shakily forced herself onto her knees. She didn't want to turn around…she couldn't. He was fine…nothing had happened, they weren't gunshots she told herself…but if he was fine why wasn't he coming over to her? The little voice in her head echoed as she struggled to swallow. Her whole body felt like ice as she slowly turned around…

It felt like the wind had been forced out of her lungs, her heart began to jump erratically, thumping so hard she thought it would burst from her chest…

………………………….

Lucas looked down, swallowing hard as he held his hand to his stomach, numbly registering the agonising pain and the burning sensation…he drew his hand away, it felt wet. He could hear his heartbeat thumping in his ears as he looked down at his hands, his vision blurring but he could still see the red. Red meant blood. He was bleeding…he had been shot.

He could feel himself swaying as he struggled to stay upright, his vision blurring and his surroundings spinning. Why did he suddenly feel so tired? He struggled to draw breath; it felt like someone was sitting on his chest. He tried to lean forward, get to his feet…

It was funny how all his strength seemed to fly out of his body all at once.

He swayed again, still trying to catch his breath as his world tilted…falling backwards. He hit the ground with a thud, his limbs having no desire to break his fall…He couldn't breathe, he couldn't think. As he lay there, suddenly feeling so cold he could hear the sound of car tyres…his car.

"Peyton" He breathed his voice sounding strangely distant…His whole torso felt wet and with each heart beat his whole body ached with indescribable pain. What was happening to him? Where was Peyton?

…………………………………….

Peyton watched in horror as he felt to the side, He was lying there on the ground, lying still and not making a sound. She stood there, silently just watching and waiting for a few seconds before something seemed to snap. She sprinted forward, stumbling as she drew closer her mind racing. She ran almost tripping before dropping to her knees beside his prone form, his eyes were closed…

She looked down at his chest…he was breathing

That meant he was still alive, she could hear his shallow ragged breaths.

She just felt numb, what was she supposed to do? Slowly her eyes travelled down from his pale face, across his torso…Blood, she thought numbly, registering the thick red substance this coated his shirt. Her stomach turning she noticed how much there was…too much.

What was she supposed to do? There was so much blood and he was just lying there! What was she supposed to do? She thought hysterically as she looked down at his pale face. He was going to die if she didn't do something soon. She slowly leant over and shook him gently.

"Lucas…Lucas talk to me please." She pleaded shaking him again.

She waited for a few agonising seconds before he let out a low groan. Suddenly it felt like the world was lifted from her shoulders as his eyelids slowly fluttered, closed, before opening again. She never thought she had been so happy to see his baby blues.

Lucas looked around, struggling to focus…he looked around panicked before he managed to look up at the face above him…the blonde hair, the hazel eyes…

"Peyton…" He whispered his voice hoarse, he tried to move but the slightest movement caused pain to shoot through his shoulder and stomach…He felt so weak, so tired…so cold.

"Hey." She whispered in reply a smile creeping upon her face as tears sparkled in her eyes. He closed his eyes as another wave of pain washed over him. He opened them again and found Peyton still leaning over him, tears tracking slowly down her cheeks. He reached out, his arm feeling like lead and gently brushed the tears from her cheek and offered a strained smile, trying to block out the pain and the inability to catch a full breath.

She smiled weakly, feeling his hand against her cheek as she looked down at him, his pale chalky face, the blood soaking his shirt and the distant unfocused look in his eyes…She needed to do something, she needed help.

"You're going to be okay…I…I just need to stop some of the bleeding." She said softly her voice wavering. He closed his eyes and nodded weakly, swallowing with difficulty. She shrugged off her jacket and quickly bundled it into a ball, she looked down at his shirt and frowned…there was so much blood she couldn't even tell where he was bleeding from.

"Lucas…where were you shot?" She asked quickly and he frowned, drawing a shaky, shallow breath…

"I…I think my s…stomach and…my shoulder?" He said weakly, the faintness of his voice spurred her on to move faster, she didn't have time.

She gingerly lifted up his sodden, blood-soaked shirt and peered underneath, she recoiled slightly, her stomach turning as she looked at the wound in his stomach…that was losing blood faster than the one in his shoulder. She gently placed the folded jacket on top of the wound and pressed down causing Lucas to hiss in pain, closing his eyes and tensing…

"Sorry…sorry Luke but I have to…I have to stop the bleeding." She said her voice cracking as he looked into his pain-filled face, tears of agony in his eyes as he bit down on his bottom lip hard. She closed her eyes as she pressed down harder, she could hear him groan in pain and it broke her heart to hear him. He was hurting and she couldn't do anything.

How was she supposed to help him? Both their cells had been taken and she couldn't leave him…

She could feel his warm blood seeping through her fingers…covering her hands. His ragged breathing sounded so loud against the silence of the night…His eyes closing…drifting in and out of consciousness.

"No Luke, keep your eyes open for me sweetie…you need to stay awake." She said tapping him lightly, he sluggishly opened his eyes and looked up at her

" 'kay." He replied softly…

How could things have gone so wrong? He was just trying to protect her. She looked into his face and she could see the sweat lacing his forehead.

"I'm sorry Peyt…" He whispered his voice barely audible. She looked at him, her eyes shining with tears as she stroked his face softly.

"For what?" She asked softly. He paused, closing his eyes and taking another laboured breath, pain written across his chalky face.

"Everything…"

Lucas watched her, taking in all her beauty. God she was so perfect…he thought distantly. He shivered and the cold gripped him, down to his bones…He knew she didn't understand but he just needed to know he was sorry for everything he's ever put her through, the whole triangle thing, not being there for her…she deserved better, she just deserved to be happy.

He felt so weak, so tired…he couldn't breathe.

"Lucas…you need help and…I don't know what to do…what am I supposed to do? I don't know what to do.." She cried beginning to weep desperately. He hated seeing her cry.

He could feel his eyes getting heavier and heavier, tiredness setting in as he struggled to keep breathing, to keep looking at her. Willing himself to stay awake wasn't enough, he didn't want to leave her alone. He loved her and she shouldn't be alone…

Peyton wiped her eyes, sniffing. She couldn't do this, she had to help him. He wasn't going to die, not another person. She looked back up at him and she felt like her insides had turned to ice.

His eyes were closed

"Lucas…Lucas open your eyes…." She said sharply, tapping his face lightly.

He didn't respond…

"No no no no no no…this isn't happening...Lucas don't do this, wake up...please Lucas wake up." She pleaded desperately, her breath hitching in her throat.

She began to sob as she shook him…not able to illicit a response from him. She felt hot tears rolling down her cheeks as she sat back, crumpling into a sobbing heap as she stared down at him…This couldn't be happening…

"Please Lucas…I do love you…I do. I didn't mean anything I said earlier, I do love you and I always have. I was just pushing you away…please Lucas." She begged nearing hysteria

"Please." She whispered

A/N Please leave a review and I will update, more drama to come and Naley get involved…