EPILOGUE

Peyton shivered as the icy breeze whipped around her, rustling through the trees. She crossed her arms and pulled her jacket tighter around herself as she leant against the back of the bench and let out a sigh, staring down at the marble headstone that sat in front of her.

She could feel warm tears pricking at the corners of her eyes as she shakily laid down a rose at the foot of the stone. She missed him so much. She just wanted him back in her life. It wasn't fair that he had been taken from her.

She swallowed with difficulty; a painful lump had taken residence in her throat as she struggled to compose herself.

"Hey." She whispered her voice cracking slightly with emotion as a single tear rolled delicately down her cool, rosy cheeks. She hadn't spoken to him in a while and she thought it was about time she paid him a visit.

"I know it's been a while but, things have been hectic…I was thinking about you a lot today so I thought I'd come and see you." She said softly.

It was true, she had been sorting through photos and trying to get them organised into album and she had found herself getting caught up in old memories, missing him. She shivered again involuntarily and chewed on her bottom lip as she blinked back tears. She knew he hated seeing her cry.

She sat there in silence for a while, just listening to the sounds of the birds singing and the wind in the trees. She just wanted to sit there with him for a while. It had been a few months but she still felt an empty void in her life, things still weren't getting easier. He had always been there for her and she was still struggling to accept he was gone.

"I love you…I miss you everyday." She whispered, tears breaking past her barriers and cascading down her cheeks.

"With everything going on, I've needed you here."

She cried silently, letting the tears fall when somebody sat down on the bench next to her. She didn't look up but stared down at the tombstone sombrely.

"Hey."

As she heard his soft voice she smiled through her tears and turned to face him.

"Hey." She replied quietly. He reached out and gently brushed the tears from her face, her skin feeling warm under his touch. She was just glad she still had him, that she hadn't lost the one person she knew she could always count on, the one person who was always saving her.

She let her smile widen as she looked into his deep blue eyes. She had come so close to losing him and the fear she had felt was indescribable, she didn't know what she would do without him. But somebody up there must like them because here he was now, sitting next to her and even without her father, her life felt whole when she was with him.

"What are you doing up Lucas Scott? You know you're supposed to be resting." She asked with a grin, sniffing and blinking the remaining tears from her eyes. He always managed to make her feel better.

Lucas rolled his eyes and slipped his arm around her shoulders.

"I know but…I was bored and I was missing you." He said with a small smile. She looked across at him and she couldn't help but smile even more. She could still see the scar that marked his forehead from that night, the scars on his torso were a constant reminder of that night, of how she almost lost him.

Tempted to reproach him over coming out to see her, she resisted. She didn't have the heart to, especially as he had come to see her, to see if she was okay, looking out for her as always.

"Hmm…I'll let you off because it was a good answer. Maybe, later someone will be getting a sponge bath." She added with a seductive smile causing him to laugh slightly and then wince, his injuries still bothering him from time to time.

They fell into a comfortable silence and he watched her as she stared down at her father's grave, her smile fading into a sombre expression. He knew how hard it was to lose her father and she had never really gotten over it, all he wanted was to be there for her and finally she was letting him in. He just wanted her to be okay.

"Are you okay?" He asked softly.

Peyton looked up at him and sighed. Such a loaded question…so many different answers. She looked into his eyes and she felt her heart beat a little faster, she knew that no matter how bad things got, she would always have him and he would always try to make things better for her…

"Peyton?" He asked causing her to look up again, realising she hadn't answered his question.

"Am I okay?...Not really, but…I think I will be." She said honestly. She leant forward and softly kissed his lips as he wrapped his arms protectively around her, pulling her closer. She knew, right then and there that she was right. She would be okay as long as she had Lucas Scott by her side.

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A/N I know it was short and I'm sorry but I really hope you enjoyed this fic and thank you for reading and reviewing. Please leave one last review and tell me what you thought : D