Author's Note: I decided to take a different route with this story. So, now, the story is really beginning. Confusing, I know..I just wasn't sure where I wanted to go with this so I kind of stopped writing for a little while. Just in case you're confused after this chapter, I put an author's note on the bottom as well to sum things up. This is a very short chapter but, like I said, it's going to set up for the rest of the fic.
Chapter Five: Without You
(Present time)
Peyton stood by the door, jumping upon hearing the loud screams that were erupting from her father. Karen sat on the bed silently, causing Peyton to turn to her, tears freely falling from her cheeks. "How're you gonna let him treat your son like that?" She questioned, throwing her hands up in defeat. None of this was fair. Why were Karen and Larry going so easy on her, yet practically murdering Lucas? It wasn't like he had forced her to do anything that she didn't want to. This wasn't fair. It was just..Too much.
Karen still sat on the bed, looking down at her hands in shame. It wasn't that she didn't want to help her son, but it was that she couldn't. If she stormed in there, she'd be a bad wife. If she didn't she'd be a bad mother. It was a lose/lose situation for her. With a quick sigh, Karen stood from the bed and walked to the door, opening it quietly.
"Go.." The elder woman practically whispered, her voice quivering as she spoke. In a sense, Karen was giving Peyton the permission that the girl so greatly wanted to be with her son. Consider her a hopeless romantic, but she decided to be a mother for once. Her son was in love with this girl and this girl wanted to save him. Right now, Lucas was most definately in need of saving. It seemed like the perfect fit.
Peyton looked out into the hallway with wide eyes and then over at Karen. "What?" She questioned, obviously confused with what her step-mother meant. Go? Go where? To Lucas? That surely couldn't be what Karen meant. She and Larry had forced Peyton and Lucas into seperate rooms. They fought to the grave to keep the two apart and now, just like that, Karen was going to let Peyton save him from her father?
Karen nodded her head, pointing to the hallway. "Nothing.. I'm gonna be fixing my hair in that mirror over there..With my back turned.." She explained, nodding her head. With that, the raven haired woman turned on her heel and walked to the other side of the bedroom, staring at Peyton in the mirror as she pretended to fix her hair.
Peyton looked from Karen to the hallway, swallowing the lump in her throat. "Thank you." She whispered, practically sprinting down the hallway and back into her bedroom, bursting through the doors. Upon entering, Peyton spotted Lucas sitting in her computer chair, his head snapping up when he heard the door. Her father was hovering over him and also looking at the blonde, a large scowl on his face.
"Dad! Stop it!" She practically screamed, rushing towards them and forcefully pushing her father away from Lucas. With that, she kneeled down in front of the younger of the two boys, gently stroking his cheek with her tiny hand. "I'm sorry.. I'm so sorry.." She sobbed out, a small sniffle of her nose the only sound in the room.
Larry looked at the two and leaned down to grab Peyton, but heard a domineering voice demanding for him to stop. Appearing in the doorway was his wife, Karen, in all of her glory. With her hands resting on her lips, she pointed towards the bed.
"Larry, sit!" She demanded before walking over to Peyton, pulling the blonde to a standing position. "You too, Peyton.." Karen continued on, gently placing Peyton on the edge of the bed. Once both of the Sawyer's were seated, Karen took a seat on top of the computer desk next to her son, allowing silence consume the room for a moment or so.
With a deep breath, she finally spoke, deciding that this was the only way that things would ever get worked out. "It's obvious that you two have feelings for eachother.." She began. Before she could continue on, Larry was already objecting.
"Oh, please, Karen..They're just kids--" He began, but was met with a glare from his wife that would stop any man dead in his tracks. If looks could kill, Larry Sawyer would have been dead and buried without a second thought. He cleared his throat, looking down at his feet. "I'm sorry, Kar.. Continue.." He muttered with a sigh.
Karen nodded her head, eyeing the two teenagers in the room, half daring them to mess with her right now. When neither of them met with her gaze, the dark haired mother took it as a good sign and spoke again. "..If you two would like to persuse a..." She paused, having to re-gain her strength before she just jumped into saying something like this. "...relationship.." Karen chose the word wisely, sending Larry a glare before he could say anything else. "Larry and I would want to hear the whole story..I've heard bits and pieces from the both of you and..It's been quite compelling.." She admitted, looking at Peyton and offering the girl a small smile.
"I think it's quite clear that my son is head over heels for you.." She admitted, sending Peyton a quick wink before speaking once again. "..But I also think that...We're going to have to know what's going on.. From beginning to end..No interruptions or exceptions.." Karen looked at her son, nodding her head. "From this moment on, anything that comes out of your mouth better be talking about your past..I don't want to hear any if's and's or but's about it.." She nodded her head once again, turning her attention to Peyton.
"Since Lucas isn't really a speaker, I'm gonna give this one to you, Peyton. Just tell us what happened..The truth.."
Author's Note: Kso..All this chapter was meant to tell you was that, from now until further notice, the rest of the chapters are going to be FLASHBACKS. no present time in any of the chapters..Until we near the end..Get it? If not, PM me or leave a review telling me how much i suck.
