A one shot fic…set in the future after 'Who Will Survive, and What Will Be Left Of Them?'

"Lucas?" she gasped in surprise when she opened the door.

"Hi," he nervously greeted.

It had been years since he last saw her curly blonde locks. Immediately after high school graduation, Jake asked Peyton to go to school in Georgia so that they would be closer to each other. During that time, Lucas was still with Brooke. Haley was with Nathan and her father was still working full time. It made the decision for Peyton easy. There was nothing holding her back in Tree Hill.

Seeing him standing before her, even after all those years, drudged up old memories and feelings – feelings she didn't want him to know she still had, "Hey, stranger," Peyton tried to sound casual. "Long time no see,"

"Yeah, too long," He greeted her into a hug.

"Come in," she stepped aside and invited him into her house.

In the front foyer, Lucas gazed around his surroundings, "I really like your place," Sadness appeared in his eyes when he spotted a picture hanging on the wall. It was a picture of Peyton, Jake and Jenny; a family portrait. He quickly looked away and stared at another. It was an oil-based painting of the Italian Riviera.

"You finally went to Italy?" he asked.

Peyton shook her head, "Not quite. It's from that, um, book you got me,"

Lucas smiled. One night, during the summer everyone left Tree Hill, Lucas and Peyton walked along the promenade. She had been quiet but smiling to herself. When he asked her what she was thinking about, she told him that she was thinking about what it'd be like to walk along the Riviera in Italy.

Flashback

"I got you something," Lucas said as he held his hands behind his back.

"Really? Well, what is it? You know I love presents,"

Lucas chuckled, "Well, you're in luck cause I love giving them to you,"

She excitedly took the gift bag that he was holding out for her. Peyton quickly pulled out the white tissue paper and tossed them to the floor. She peered inside and pulled out the medium sized, hard-cover book. Her smile grew wide with surprise and appreciation.

Lucas shrugged and joked, "I couldn't afford the plane ticket, so I thought that this would be the next best thing,"

"Aw, dude!" she laughed, "This is awesome. Really, Luke," Peyton pulled him into a hug, "Thank you. It means a lot,"

They spent the rest of the afternoon in her bedroom, laying on her bed while they flipped through the book and pretended they were actually in Italy. They even made up stories about their adventures across the Atlantic Ocean.

"There," she said excitedly when she turned the page, "That's where I'm going to live. My apartment is going to be tiny…smaller then my room, but it's going to have this view. It's spectacular, isn't it?"

Lucas looked at her, "Yeah, it is,"

END FLASHBACK

"You painted your 'room with a view'," he remembered the landscape from the picture in the book.

She sighed, "Yeah, a long time ago actually. Jake saw it when I moved my stuff in and he wanted to put it up,"

"You didn't want to?"

Peyton turned away and started to walk into another room but still continued to talk, "It just reminds me of something I'll never get to experience,"

Lucas understood, "It's not too late, you know," He met her eyes and captivated them until the phone rang.

"That was Jake," Peyton said when she reentered the room, "He's doing some last minute errands for tomorrow."

Lucas cleared his throat, "You're not ready for tomorrow are you?"

"Honestly? No, I still have to make some alterations on my dress…but dress or no dress, I'm still going to marry him," she said with a smile that Lucas could spot a mile away.

"You don't love him do you?" he suddenly blurted out.

Peyton hesitated for a split second, "What? Of course I do,"

"I mean the way you love me?" he took a step closer towards her.

"You're unbelievable," she said in disgust.

"Peyton, don't do it. Don't marry Jake tomorrow,"

"Don't. Don't you dare do this," Tears sprang into her furious eyes. She spun around and started to walk away.

Lucas caught up to her. He had everything he wanted to say memorized in his head. The second he heard that she was engaged to Jake, Lucas imagined what he would say the next time he saw Peyton. As he looked at her, all those words seemed to disappear. No matter what or how he said it, she would never know how he really felt.

Lucas closed his eyes and kissed her. It was a gentle but lingering kiss. When he pulled away he opened his eyes but hers remained closed. In that split second, he knew she felt exactly what he was feeling. Her heart was beating just as fast as his and the tingling sensation she felt in the pit of her stomach refused to go away. He smiled and kissed her again.

Their kiss intensified; both of them hungry for more; both of them wanting to make up for lost time.

Peyton was the first to come to their senses. Her eyes flew open as she pushed him away. A smack to his cheek woke him up.

"Get out," she seethed.

Lucas stroked his burning cheek. It had hurt but he knew he deserved it and probably more if Jake ever found out what he was doing. In a soft gentle voice, he pleaded again, "I love you, Peyton. I always have and I know you still love me. I saw it the second you opened that door…and even just now…"

"Stop it! You can't…you can't just come here, after all these years and say that to me or kiss me like that. You can't expect me to throw away everything I've built here with Jake to run of with you,"

"I know. I know but Peyton…I can't let you do it with you knowing the truth,"

"What truth, Luke? That you chose to be with Brooke; that even though it tore me to pieces to see you with her, I still accepted it. Luke, I was fine with your decision and I moved on,"

"I was wrong and I didn't follow my heart," he shamefully admitted. "But I'm listening to it now…You're the one I want, Peyton,"

"I am marrying Jake tomorrow!" Tears streamed down her face as she yelled, "Jake loves me! He was the one who asked me to be with him. He was the one who asked me to marry him. Jake chose me!"

It was the last thing she said to him before she threw him out of her and Jake's house. Her eyes were read and puffy from crying all night long. Lucky for her she didn't have to explain it to anyone. Jake was spending the night at his parents' house that night. Of the two of them, he was the superstitious one, believing that it was bad luck to see the bride before the wedding.

She stared at herself in the mirror and laughed at her reflection. Although she was dressed as a bride, she sure didn't look like one. Peyton dabbed her eyes with a tissue and told her self to quit crying. A deep breath later, she was applying her make up, careful, not to get any on her white dress that she didn't get to alter the night before.

An envelope slid unexpectedly under the door. Peyton turned and looked on the ground. Curiously, she gathered her gown up and made her way to the white envelope.

Dear Peyton,

Yeah, I'm a real piece of work, I know. I must have the worst timing known to man. I mean who tells someone that they've always been in love with them the night before their wedding? Well, that'd be me too. I'm sorry for bringing this all up the night before your wedding day, but I'm not sorry for a thing I said or did. I had to tell you the truth about how I really feel.

I need you to know that when I chose to be with Brooke, I did it because I had to try again with her. I never gave her or our relationship a real chance. And truthfully, even when I was with her, I never did. You told me, that I should give her my heart but I couldn't, because my heart was always with you. It still is.

For all those years, I took you for granted. I always thought that you'd be there. We were only 17 and maybe I was too selfish and scared to realize how much I needed you; how much I really loved you. If I only realized it then and did something about it, then maybe you'd be walking down that aisle towards me today.

If there is anything inside you, telling you that you still love me, then please don't walk down that aisle today. Peyton, all I'm asking you to do is to follow your heart. You can hold it against me and even still, I'll love you forever.

Love always,

Lucas.

The wedding march began to play, signaling the guests to stand. Everyone turned their attention to the double doors at the back of the small church. Slowly and dramatically they opened. The guests strained their necks as they tried to catch a glimpse of the bride in her white dress before she walked her walk down to the alter.

Jake, standing at the front of the church had a clear view down the aisle but even he didn't see his bride. He still remained as calm as he could, figuring that she was making her way from the bridal room. Jake smiled and straightened up as he saw a shadow approaching the open doors.

Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion as the shadow disappeared as the figured turned left and appeared at the entrance. It wasn't the bride. It was the bride's father, Larry Sawyer. With a solemn face, Larry made his was down the aisle and didn't stop until he was in front of Jake. He didn't have to say anything for Jake to know that Peyton wasn't going to be walking down the aisle that day.

After leaving the church that mid afternoon, Peyton packed up a small suitcase and a few of her art supplies. Her father would pack up the rest her belongings. With one last look at the house she shared with Jake and Jenny, Peyton got into the idling taxi cab and didn't look back.

Peyton sat and stared out the window. She buckled the seat belt across her lap, closed her eyes and waited patiently. This was something she wanted to do - something she had to do. It was something that she wasn't doing for Brooke, Lucas, Jake or for anyone else for that matter. Throughout her life, she spent it trying to please her dad with good grades or keeping the house up and staying out of trouble. There were also countless times where she sacrificed her own feelings and own happiness to keep others happy. Not anymore. She was tired of it.

An older woman sat down in the seat beside her. She had a warm, grandmotherly smile. Peyton smiled back. Then she heard a voice make an announcement over the speakers.

"Welcome aboard to Flight 1982. Non-stop service to Rome Italy…"

For once in her life, she was doing something that was going to make her happy and perhaps at the same time, she would find the person she was supposed to be – someone who wasn't dependent on a guy or a friend. Peyton Sawyer was finally doing something for herself and she needed to do it before she could follow her heart.

A/N: I had intended on ending it with a Leyton ending but I couldn't. As much as I ship them, I'm still a little irked with that episode and think Lucas doesn't deserve Peyton, yet. I also think that Peyton couldn't just jump into a relationship with Lucas right after she left Jake at the alter.