A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in a while, but here's the next chapter!

Merry Christmas, and thanks to everyone who has been reading and reviewing!

"Hello! Luke? Did you hear me?"

Lucas snapped out of his trance and looked over at the dark haired boy sitting next to him.

"Sorry, what? What did you say?"

Nathan looked at Lucas with concerned eyes, but hurriedly shifted his focus to the road he was driving on again. This wasn't the first time Lucas would completely zone out of a conversation.

"I was just saying that Whitey is killing us at practice lately. You should almost feel lucky you're not there, man."

"Yeah? Well you better work your ass off and win that championship, or else I'll beat your ass for bringing dishonor to the family," Lucas said jokingly and forced a smile.

"Right. Funny…" Nathan said, pushing Lucas' arm.

Time had passed slowly over the last four weeks, and every passing moment left Lucas with more agonizing images of what Peyton might be put through at this very moment. The longer time went on, the farther away it felt like she was slipping. And the fact that the police weren't putting all their efforts into looking for her anymore, frustrated him beyond belief. They were the ones who were supposed to help them, who knew what they were doing, but they had pretty much given up due to the fact that they simply had no clue where to even start.

The last time Lucas had seen Larry, it had not been a pleasant visit. Larry was so angry and frustrated that it hadn't really been possible to speak to him, but Lucas understood. Larry had apparently went to the police station every day for the last month, yelling at the officers until he was blue in the face, and one day he had even almost gotten himself arrested for assaulting an officer. Let's just say it hadn't been easy, exactly.

And it hadn't been much better for Lucas. He found it hard just going to school anymore. He felt like it was a waste of precious time, and Karen had been forced to make him go to school on more than one occasion. Basketball practice was something he had definitely given up; although he did still play down by the Rivercourt to clear his head. Practice at school was just too hard though, because Peyton was missing from it. She was supposed to be there with the other cheerleaders, working on routines and cheers, but she wasn't there. Just another empty hole in his life. A hole he never knew belonged to Peyton until she was gone.

The team had been supportive of his choice to quit, and Nathan would often come and play with Lucas down by the Rivercourt. It was obvious that Nathan was very worried too, along with everyone else, but Nathan did find it hard to always be there for Lucas, as his life was too stressful for himself at the moment. With a baby on the way, along with school, basketball and money problems, he really had enough on his plates already. So did Haley. But Lucas understood, and really appreciated all their efforts to help him.

Lucas and Brooke had become like a team though; they were both just as driven to find Peyton, and they really didn't care about anything else. Not that they had made much progress, but the fact that he wasn't alone in this "obsession" to find Peyton was somewhat comforting. There had been times when they had heard or read about something suspicious happening in nearby towns, and they had then immediately left town to investigate. But of course, the outcome had been just as crushingly disappointing every time. There had been no Peyton and no "Derek" to be found.

Lucas and Nathan were now on their way down to the Rivercourt to play a game together. Nathan really needed some time to work on his shots, as the championship was just around the corner. Lucas was helping him out, and at the same time, he managed to distract his own thoughts for a little while.

As they were passing by some shops through town, Lucas' eyes suddenly fell on a familiar woman just down the street. He knew he'd seen her before, but he just couldn't remember where. Her hair was brown and curly, and she was wearing some rather revealing clothes. A short skirt and a revealing top along with high heels and a black purse was all she had. She was leaning in on a lamppost by the road, and as they came closer, she put on a big smile and winked seductively at them. Just then in snapped, and Lucas remembered.

As he was just about to leave the hospital, having been there to support his mother in a pregnancy check-up, he walked past a patient room where someone caught his attention. He stopped abruptly to look at her. He could have sworn that was Peyton, with her face turned the other way, curly blonde hair, and the same clothes she had worn the other night at Tric. She was bleeding from her leg from what looked like a stab wound! His chest filled with dread.

"Peyton?"

The girl turned around to look at him, and he realized it wasn't her. Relief washed over him, but relief transformed into confusion and fear a second later. Her face was bruised and battered.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you-" He saw her wearing a black leather jacket, the same leather jacket Peyton had lost the previous night. "That's my friend's jacket…"

"Take it! Get out." The girl threw the jacket at Lucas and ripped the blonde wig off her head. This surprised Lucas, and something about this all unnerved him.

"Who did this to you?" He had his suspicions, but hoped to God they were wrong.

"Nobody. I'm just real clumsy, that's all."

"Stop the car!" Lucas shouted, making Nathan almost lose control of the car in shock.

Lucas' heart was beating loudly in his chest, and he felt the excitement swelling up inside him. He had seen that lady before- in the hospital, earlier the same day that Peyton had been taken. She had been dressed up as Peyton; with a blonde wig and all. And he had suspected Derek to be the one responsible for her injuries right from the beginning. He couldn't believe he had forgotten about her- this might be the clue he was looking for.

"What the hell, man? What is it?" Nathan asked, rather annoyed.

"The- that woman! I know her!" Lucas ecstatically said, not having time or patience to explain any further. He opened the car door and hurried outside to the woman.

"What? You're gonna buy a prostitute now?" Nathan asked, feeling pretty confused and irritated at his friend's sudden behavior. He followed Lucas out of the car, hoping Haley wouldn't find out he was suddenly doing business with some hooker.

"Excuse me?" Lucas asked the woman politely, trying to hide the rush he was in. She smiled mysteriously at him and winked at him again.

"Hey there," she said. "How can I help you, hon?"

"Uhm, I was kinda wondering… can I ask you something?" It didn't seem like she recognized him from before.

She smiled again. "Sure. But maybe we can do this… somewhere more privately?" She nodded towards the car, insinuating that they get out of there. Nathan stood beside Lucas, having no idea where this was going, and he wasn't sure he wanted to be part of it.

"Oh, uhh... I'm not sure that's necessary. I mean, I'm not interested in that. I just have something important to ask you."

The woman stared suspiciously at him, her warm smile disappearing. "You a cop?"

"No," Lucas said firmly.

"What do I have to win from it?"

"I have money," he said desperately.

She looked from him to Nathan, seemingly deciding whether or not she trusted them. "Fine then. Shall we go sit in there?" she asked, pointing to a café on the other side of the road.

"Yes, great!" Lucas nodded, and they started walking.

"What's going on, Luke?" Nathan whispered in Lucas' ear, still feeling very confused.

"You'll find out soon enough," Lucas answered. He didn't have time to explain it all now.

Five minutes later, they were sitting in the cafe by a small table in the corner of the room. The woman took a sip from the coffee Lucas had bought for her, before her eyes fell on him in a curious stare.

"So? What's this about? What did you want to ask me?" she asked.

Lucas let out a breath. Although he was desperately hoping to get some answers now, he dreaded what she might tell him about "Derek".

"Well… uhm, about two months ago I was in the hospital with someone. And as I was about to leave, I saw you there. You were lying in a hospital bed, and you were dressed up… as my friend."

Her eyes widened, and Lucas was sure he could see a spark of fear in her eyes. That gave him little comfort.

"I need you to tell me about who did that to you… everything you know. Because he- he took her. He took my friend. And I need to find them. I need to know that she's okay." He felt a knot tearing in his stomach and he let out a shuddering breath. Nathan sat beside him, mouth open and eyes wide. This was unexpected. He felt disgusted. He never knew Derek had bought some hooker… and worse, dressed her up as Peyton.

The woman continued to stare at Lucas, eyes wide in shock. This wasn't what she'd expected. Her trembling hands took hold of the cup of coffee, and she put it to her mouth for another sip.

"You… you're that boy… you came into my room… you called me Peyton? Is that your friend?"

Lucas nodded. "Please, can you just… tell me everything you know about the guy who did that to you?"

She stared at him for another moment. Ever since that horrifying experience, she'd just tried to forget about it, block it out. It was no good for business to get a panic attack in the middle of a "client meeting".

"Let's see the money first," she said with narrowed eyes. If she was going to have to relive this, she was definitely going to make sure it was worth it.

Lucas took out all the money he had in his wallet and placed it on the table in front of her. She picked it up and counted the dollars, before putting them in her purse. Her eyes fell back on Lucas, and she inhaled a shaky breath. "Fine. It was- he was horrible. I mean, I have met a lot of men who like it rough… but he… he was different. He was scary." She swallowed thickly, and Lucas already felt himself getting queasy.

"When I first got to his room, he gave me some clothes he wanted me to wear. And… there was this wall. It was full of pictures… stalking pictures of this girl. Probably that friend of yours. At the time, I figured he was just in love with someone he couldn't have or whatever, and that's why he settled for me. I never thought he would be so dangerous."

She took another sip from the coffee, tears welling in her eyes. "I think I need something stronger."

"I'll get you something," Nathan mumbled and left the table. He could use a strong drink for himself right now.

"Did… did you get his name? Did he say anything about his name or where he came from?" Lucas asked. There just had to be some clue, something to give away where Peyton could be now.

She shook her head. "No. He didn't exactly talk too much. He just gave me some orders on what he wanted me to do, and otherwise he would just stare at me. But that's not all too unusual. But I mean… while we were at it, he kept calling me Peyton, and kept talking about how much he loved me, like I was her. It didn't really bother me, it's not the first time something like that has happened. But after a while he got this dangerous look in his eyes, and he started yelling at me. He called me a slut and said that I didn't act the way I was supposed to… that I didn't act the way Peyton would. He got more rough and he started beating me." She looked at him with terrified eyes, and Lucas swallowed, not wanting to imagine. Nathan got back to the table with a drink for her, also placing one in front of himself, as he silently sat down. She took a large gulp and grimaced before continuing. "I started screaming. It hurt so bad. He beat me in the face several times as we were still doing it, and I pleaded for him to stop. He yelled at me to shut up, and covered my mouth with his hand…" She closed her eyes, willing herself not to cry, and Lucas could see her shivering.

"Then suddenly there was a knife in his hand. I don't even know where it came from, but I was sure he was going to kill me. He looked psychotic, and the next thing I knew there was the most terrible pain I have ever felt in my leg. That's when he stabbed me. It was… horrible."

Lucas felt bile rising his throat, and he forced himself not to throw up right there. This was worse than he ever could have imagined. Oh god…

Nathan had clenched his hands into fists. Peyton was like a sister to him. And that fact that someone could do something so terrible to a girl... His anger towards Derek suddenly turned into a terrifying hatred. If only he could get his hands on him… show him what it felt like to be beat up by someone stronger than himself. And Peyton… she was stuck with that monster.

"How did you get out of there?" Nathan asked, wondering how in the hell she could have gotten away from him alive.

"Well, after he stabbed me, I'm pretty sure I blacked out… When I woke up, I was lying in the backseat of his car. My clothes were back on, and he screamed at me, telling me that if I told anyone about this, he would come for me and… kill me." She nervously glimpsed over her shoulder, as if she was scared Derek was standing right behind her.

"He left me by the road not too far from the hospital. I had to crawl my way over there…" Her voice traced off, and she stared out into the air with tearful eyes.

Lucas swallowed thickly, and felt a shiver running down his spine. "So… so you don't know anything about him? You didn't see his car plate or an ID with his name on or anything?" he asked desperately.

"No, sorry…" With shivering hands, she lifted the glass to her lips and gulped the rest of it down. "So, are we done here, or what? That's all I know."

Lucas exhaled, feeling more than a little disappointed, and very sick to his stomach. "I guess…" he mumbled. "But would you mind us telling the police about this, and maybe having them question you if they need it? Maybe they can figure something more out."

Her eyes widened. "I'd rather not get involved with the police."

"Please," Lucas begged. "You see, this girl, Peyton, she's stuck with him. She's been gone for two whole months now, and we really need to get her home. Away from him. If what you just told us is true, try imagining what she is being forced to go through right now. We need to get her home."

Her eyes softened. "Well… I guess I could answer some questions… if it really means that much to you. I'm sorry about your friend."

Lucas gave a curt nod to show his appreciation. "I'm so sorry about what he did to you. Hopefully we'll find him and get him locked up for good."

"Thanks." She forced a small smile and stood up.

"Hey, what's your name, by the way?" Nathan asked politely.

"Crystal."

"Nice to meet you Crystal, and thanks for everything."

She smiled again and started looking for something in her purse.

"Here," she said and gave Lucas a card with her number. "Give me a call if you ever… need anything," she said with a slight smile.

"Thanks," they both said as she left. As Lucas watched her leave, he felt his last strands of hope disappear through his fingers. Now he was back where he started. Further back than before even, because now he had to live with images of that terrible man on top of Peyton, doing the most horrible things to her, and there was nothing he could do. It was like he could hear her screams ringing in his head. "No… please… please stop! Don't! NO!" He closed his eyes and clenched his trembling fists.

"You okay, man?" He felt Nathan's grip on his shoulder, giving him a supporting squeeze, and Lucas opened his eyes.

"No, not really," he mumbled. He looked Nathan in the eyes, and could see from his expression that Nathan looked as sick as he felt. "Let's just go."

As Lucas went to bed that night, he kept seeing her, screaming and pleading, with another man forcing himself on top of her, and he had never felt worse. His hands squeezed harshly over his quivering lips to keep his choked sobs from traveling out to his mother's room.