A/N: Last night's episode was made of awesome. Happy Leyton on screen makes me want to post more happy Leyton on here. So...another day, another update!

Brulian? Hotness! Nathan/Chase Karaoke plus dance moves? Nice! "She's a superhero"? I almost cried. "Just playing walkie talkies with my brother"? I actually cried.

----

"Lucas," she sang gently, from the kitchen. When she got no response to the sweet tone, she decided shouting was the only way to go. "Luke!"

"Sleeping. Don't bug me," he mumbled when she poked her head through the door to see him laying on his side with the covers pulled up to his chin.

"You have to get up, babe," she said, walking to sit on the edge of their bed. She placed a soft kiss on his temple.

"I don't want to," he muttered defiantly.

"OK, what are you, 5? You have practice in a half hour," she scolded.

"You're a mean woman," he said, pulling the covers back and sitting up to face her.

"No. I just want you to talk to Skills and get all the details from last night," she said with a grin as she trailed her hand up over his shoulder and around the back of his neck.

"Peyton, just talk to Brooke. I don't see why I have to get dragged into everything," he argued, placing his feet on the floor and pulling her up to stand in front of him.

"You are like, extra grumpy this morning!"

He was usually up before her, and she was the grouchy one, but this morning, their roles were apparently reversed.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Guys don't talk about this stuff."

"What?" she asked in disbelief. "Your best friend goes out on a date with your wife's best friend, who also just happens to be your ex-girlfriend, and you two don't talk about it?"

"No, we don't," he said, placing his hands on her hips.

"Luke, that's ridiculous. I don't believe you. He asked you to talk to me about her in the first place!" she pointed out, and he just shook his head. "What do you talk about then?"

"Basketball! Cars, food, the weather, basketball, how many drinks he had at the bar the night before, basketball. Pretty much everything but our relationships," he explained.

"So you and Skills never talk about me," she asked, tilting her head to look at him.

"Sure we do, but not like, the inner workings of our marriage."

"Men are weird," she said, shaking her head and walking away from him.

"OK, wait." He followed her into the kitchen and accepted the mug of coffee she handed him. "So you're annoyed that I don't talk to Skills about us, but you freaked out when I talked to Nathan?"

"Well, you're just contradicting yourself, that's all," she explained with a shrug of her shoulders.

"It's too early for this," he said with a grin, knowing she was right.

She walked towards him and took the mug from his hands and placed it on the table before snaking her arms around him. "So why don't you just talk to him?" She kissed him softly and heard him inhale sharply when she pulled away.

"Ughh...Fine, I'll ask him," he groaned, looking skyward in defeat. She'd just used her best weapon against him, and he knew he'd been had.

"Thank you, baby," she said softly. "Now go shower or you'll be late, Coach Scott."

"You are going to be a good mom," he called on his way to the bathroom.

"What?" she asked with shock in her tone.

"You've got the 'strict mom' thing down pat already," he teased, turning to look at her. He just winked when she glared at him .

----

Lucas walked into the gym to find his players warming up for their morning practice, and Skills standing at the sidelines watching.

"Hey, man," he greeted his friend. The two shook hands and pulled one another into a manly hug.

"What up, Luke?" Skills said. "We must be getting through to these kids 'cause they were already working when I got here."

"Good. They need it," Lucas pointed out.

They stood for a few minutes watching the team before Lucas asked what his wife had begged him to.

"So how'd it go with Brooke?"

"I was wondering when you were gonna ask," he said with a laugh. "You know, nice dinner, walk along the pier. The usual."

"Very nice," Lucas said, nodding. "But listen, if I go home with that Peyton's gonna yell at me."

"Getting the inside scoop for the wifey, huh?" Skills laughed, as Lucas smiled weakly. "Brooke's great. She looked beautiful. And we had a great time. I really like her."

"That's awesome, man," Lucas said, slapping his friend on the back.

"So you need me to write a signed, detailed account of the evening for your wife, or...."

"Shut up and let's get to work, OK?" Lucas said, laughing, then he blew his whistle just as Nathan strolled into the gym to get a start on their day.

----

Peyton walked nonchalantly into Brooke's store, though she knew she should be at her own office. The brunette saw her when she looked up from her paper work, and rolled her eyes, knowing that her friend was only there to hear the details from the night before.

"OK, Peyton, I love you. But really? I haven't even had a coffee yet and you're already on my doorstep!" she said in mock annoyance.

"Come on Brooke, I'm dying here!" Peyton pleaded, clasping her hands and giving her best puppy dog eyes.

"Fine. I'll tell you if you tell me," Brooke said with a kinked brow.

"Tell you what?" Peyton asked, confused as to what her friend was referring to.

"What did I walk in on last night!?" Brooke asked excitedly, waiting for the latest gossip.

"Oh God. Nothing. Just...I kind of yelled at Luke and we had an argument..." The blonde's voice trailed.

"And then made up and I walked in just in time to - thank God - have missed it," Brooke finished, joining Peyton on the sofa in the centre of her store.

"Something like that." Peyton could feel the blush creeping to her cheeks. "Now spill!"

"Ugh! Fine. We went to dinner, he was incredibly sweet, we went for a walk, kiss goodnight. You know, the usual," Brooke said casually, shrugging her shoulder.

"You kissed him?" Peyton squealed.

"It was a date, wasn't it?" Brooke asked, furrowing her brow.

"OK, you know you don't have to kiss. It's not, like, a requirement," Peyton said with a laugh.

"Please! I wanted to. It was one of the best dates I've been on. We're going out again soon," Brooke explained quietly.

"That's great, Brooke," the blonde said sincerely. "I'm glad."

"Thanks," Brooke said. "So now tell me what you and Luke were fighting about."

Peyton tried to think quickly about the easiest thing she could say. She didn't want to lie to her best friend, but she didn't want to tell her everything either. The news that they were going to try for a baby was something she wanted to keep quiet until they really had news to share.

"Just...he said something to Nathan that I asked him not to, and I got a little angry," Peyton said vaguely, looking down to her hands.

"Well, Peyton, you talk to me about Luke all the time," Brooke said, clearly trying to play devil's advocate.

"Yes, but if he ever asks me not to say anything, I don't say anything. It wasn't that he talked to Nathan, it was that he talked to Nathan after I told him not to," Peyton explained.

"OK," Brooke said simply, standing and going back to her paperwork.

"OK? That's it?" Peyton asked, following Brooke and standing across from her at the counter. "I know you're dying to say something."

"It's just..." Brooke started. "You have me and Haley, and you can't really blame him for just talking to someone."

"I know," Peyton said quietly.

The two stood in silence for a few moments, before Brooke spoke again.

"Wait. I've seen angry Peyton, and angry Peyton cannot be reasoned with. How did he get you in the bedroom so quickly after a fight?" Brooke asked, intrigue and amazement in her voice.

"Brooke!" Peyton shouted. The brunette just shrugged her shoulders, causing the blonde to roll her eyes. "We were, like, mid-argument and he turned on the old 'Lucas Scott Charm'." Brooke started to snicker at that admission. "He was all 'you look sexy when you're yelling' or something. It was stupid."

"Stupid, maybe," Brooke said, raising her eyebrows. "But it worked."

"Dammit!" Peyton yelled. "He totally played me, didn't he?" Both women smiled at the realization.

"Yeah. He kinda did," Brooke said with a laugh.

----

Peyton got home that night to find her husband in the kitchen making dinner. There were splashes of spaghetti sauce covering the stove, and the place was a mess, but the table was set with candles and fresh lilies in the centre. As soon as he noticed her, he handed her a glass of wine.

"Hey," he said with a smile, kissing her quickly on the lips.

"Luke, what are you doing?" She was smiling ear to ear as she raised the glass to her mouth.

"Making you dinner," he replied simply, wiping his hands on the dish towel he had slung over his shoulder.

"I can see that," she laughed.

"Oh, and Skills likes Brooke and said they had a great time," he said, turning back to look at her, proud that he'd done what she had asked.

"Yeah, she said the same thing," she said hurriedly. "Listen, I want to ask you something."

"Sure, what's up?" he asked, opening the oven to pull out a loaf of garlic bread.

She considered asking him if it was his plan all along to seduce her while they were fighting, but something in her told her not to. She wasn't sure if it was that she liked the attention, or she wanted him to think he was winning, but she felt she needed to let on she didn't know. And he looked so cute running around the kitchen that she didn't have the heart to start another argument over something so silly.

"Why exactly are you making this wonderful dinner for me?" she asked, walking towards him.

"Can't a guy just do something nice for his wife?" he asked, smirking before kissing her forehead. "Sit. It's almost ready."

"Lucas..." she said with an eyebrow raised.

She knew there was something more going on. Not that it was rare for him to cook for her, but never were there candles and flowers, unless it was a special occasion. Still, she did as she was told and took her usual seat at their kitchen table.

"I talked to Lindsey today," he began, as he set her plate in front of her, and sat down with his. "The book tour's being moved up because they want to hit a few more cities. They had to change the whole schedule."

"Moved up? To when?" she asked, as yet unsure of what to think.

"I have to leave on Friday," he said, pursing his lips as he waited for her reaction.

"Friday? That's three days from now!" she observed.

"I know. The reps from the publishing house coming here for a launch party on Thursday night, then we're taking off Friday morning." He reached for her hand over the table and she immediately wove her fingers through his.

"This is all fast. I thought we had three weeks," she said quietly. "So you're going to be gone for a month as of Friday."

"I'm sorry," he said, looking into her eyes and shaking his head.

"No, it's OK. Lucas, this is your job," she rationalized. "It's fine"

"You trying to convince me, or yourself?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Both," she laughed. "I understand, though. It's your work. I just thought we had more time."

"You're amazing, you know that?" he said with a smile. Here he had dropped this huge bomb on her and it took her less than two minutes to understand and accept the change. She was upset, he could tell, but she got it. She knew he had to do it, and she wasn't going to argue with him.

"You might have told me once or twice," she said, leaning forward to kiss him.

He focused his attention on his dinner, leaving her to close her eyes and begin to mentally prepare herself for a month without him.

"Hey, you get to meet Lindsey, though. You'll love her. She's great," he said happily.

"Yeah, great. How come she didn't edit your other books?" Peyton asked, pulling herself from her thoughts.

"She's new. She's way better than Ed was," he said.

"Great," she muttered absently.

All evening, she tried to focus on the things he was saying, but all she could focus on was being alone for the next four weeks. When she was younger, she craved her time alone, but now she was so used to having him around that she was worried she wouldn't know how to do it anymore. She sat and attempted to do some work while he called their friends to tell them about the launch party. She went to bed that night and curled into him closer than usual.

One month. It was only one month.

----

Thursday evening came faster than she'd wanted it to, and she realized that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't slow time down. He'd gotten ready in a matter of minutes, and she was taking slightly longer to get ready. OK, much more than slightly. He'd been waiting for her for 45 minutes as she did whatever it is women do that makes them take so damn long.

"Peyton, we've gotta go if we want to be on time," he called through their closed bedroom door. He hadn't wanted to rush her, he knew she hated that, but he'd told her ten minutes earlier that they needed to go, and there were still no signs that she was coming out any time soon.

"One minute," she replied, making him laugh at her standard response.

She looked at herself in the mirror one last time. She was in a fitted black satin strapless dress, with her curls down and falling over her shoulders. The dress was cut just above the knee and she wore a pair of black stilettos. The entire ensemble, of course, had been approved by Brooke ahead of time.

Just as he was walking away from the door, he heard it open behind him and turned around to see her.

"Wow...you look...wow," he stammered. He walked towards her and kissed her quickly, pulling away to look her up and down - something he was sure he'd be doing a lot of throughout the evening.

"Good enough for you to stay?" she asked, only half-joking.

"Peyton..."

"I know. I'm just...this is your last night before leaving and it kind of sucks that we have to spend it with a bunch of people," she lamented.

"We'll be back here by midnight at the latest," he reassured her.

"OK," she said, walking towards the front door. And he checked her out again because he could, and he couldn't stop himself, and he was sure that she had walked in front of him for that reason alone.

"I don't want you to pout all night either," he teased.

"I am not pouting!" she shouted back, mouth agape, watching as he opened the door for her and looked at her with a raised brow.

"Peyton, you've been pouting for three days," he said, pulling the door closed behind them.

"Lucas." She rested her hand on his arm and stopped him from walking down the steps. "This isn't easy for me, OK? I...I don't think you realize how much I'm going to miss you, that's all."

"You don't think I'm going to miss you just as much?" he asked. He was a little bit hurt that she didn't realize this was hard for him too.

"You're going to be working and traveling to different cities every day. I'm going to be here, in our house, with reminders of you all over the place," she explained, squaring her shoulders to him and smiling sadly.

"And I'm worried because I won't have any of those things," he said quietly, taking her hands in his.

She kissed him gently and nodded before walking down the steps to their car. Neither said a word the entire drive; they just let the sounds of the music he had on fill the air, both mentally making note that now they had yet another song that they'd both remember forever, tied to each other and to a moment. They were each thinking about being away from the other for the next four weeks, smiling weakly at each other when they pulled into a parking space.

They walked hand in hand into the lounge where the launch party was being held, to find that Nathan, Haley, Brooke and Skills were already there. They all said their hellos and were chatting when Lucas excused himself to talk to some of the people from his publishing company.

"So, Sawyer, how you holding up?" Nathan asked.

"I am in a pretty dress standing with my best friends. I have a glass of champagne in my hand, and I'm celebrating the release of my husband's third novel. I'm great," she said with a smile that she knew her friends would realize was fake.

Brooke simply tilted her head at her best friend. None of them gave any motivational or reassuring words. They didn't know what to say, and they were afraid that if they said anything, whether it was the right thing or the wrong thing, she'd fall apart in front of them.

Just then, Lucas walked up with a tall, long-haired brunette in a sleek navy blue dress. Brooke cocked an eyebrow at Peyton, who just laughed and turned her attention back to her husband.

"Hey guys, I want you to meet my editor. This is Lindsey," he started. "This is my wife, Peyton." He took her hand in his, and she held on tight.

"Peyton! I've heard so much about you. More than what he's written, I mean," she said with a laugh and a bright smile. "It's so nice to finally meet you."

Peyton smiled shook the woman's outstretched hand. "It's great to meet you, too."

"This is my brother Nathan, and his wife and my best friend, Haley. This is Brooke and Antwon," Lucas continued, going around their group. They all exchanged pleasantries and soon Lindsey was laughing at a few harmless stories about the man who's book she'd just edited.

"Lucas, can I talk to you for a sec?" Peyton asked, placing her hand on his shoulder. He nodded and took her hand, letting her pull him away from the crowd.

He was just about to ask her if everything was OK when she spoke.

"You did not tell me Lindsey looked like that!" she said in a harsh whisper.

"Peyton, what she looks like doesn't matter," he laughed.

"To me, it does!" she said with wide eyes, in disbelief that he didn't understand what she was saying. She'd been led to believe that Lindsey was a 40-something intellectual bookworm with glasses and a stern demeanor. Or at least that was the image she'd built up in her head.

"Are you seriously worried about this?" He shook his head and narrowed his eyes at her.

"I'm just saying, she's gorgeous and smart and into books and stuff. And you're going to be traveling around the country with her for a month." She was rambling and she knew it. She also knew that he was aware that she only rambled when she was insecure.

"Are you jealous?" he asked with a grin.

"I'm not jealous, Lucas," she said indignantly.

"You are so jealous!" he teased, pointing a finger at her. Apparently, that tone and playful attitude wasn't going to help him.

"Luke," she protested.

"Peyt," he said, placing his hands on her arms and forcing her to look into his eyes. "I want you. I married you. I am committed to you. This is just business."

She sighed and rolled her eyes because he was right. And she trusted him, of course she did. She was aware that her insecurities stemmed only from knowing that he wouldn't be next to her for the next month. So she looked him in the eye and nodded, letting him know that she understood what he was saying.

"Why does she have to be so pretty?" Peyton mumbled.

"Don't pout," he said, throwing an arm around her shoulder.

"I'm not pouting!" she claimed.

"You are pouting."

"I'm just going to miss you, and I'll be here alone, and you'll be off with gorgeous Miss Smartiepants." She gestured towards Lindsey with her arm, as the editor talked with Haley and Nathan.

"Are you listening to yourself?" he asked, turning to face her again.

"Are you listening to me?" she inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"I love you. And I'm going to miss you like crazy. So much more than you probably can even imagine," he reassured his wife.

"Tell her that if she tries anything, I will kick her ass," Peyton said, her tone serious, and the look on her face proved she was not to be taken lightly.

"I'll tell her." He laughed slightly as he kissed her softly on the lips.

He had to admit, seeing his wife green with jealousy made him love her even more. All of a sudden, he wished he was home alone with her. It dawned on him that this was the last night he'd see her for a month. He had known it was true, but it just hit him like a ton of bricks. He watched her rejoin their group of friends and laugh at something Skills said, and he missed her. She was standing right in front of him and he missed her. He stood and stared at her for a few minutes until his brother's voice pulled him from his thoughts.

"She's gonna be fine, man."

"What? I know," Lucas said, looking to his brother. "Just...a month is a long time."

"It'll go by fast. We'll take care of her," Nathan assured, with a pat to his brother's back.

"I know," Lucas said with a nod. "Can you imagine being away from Hales and Jamie for a month?"

"Hell no," Nathan laughed. "But you're tougher than I am."

"I doubt that," Lucas said with a smile as they walked back to the group.

He checked his watch. They'd only been there for an hour and a half. He sighed and kissed the top of Peyton's head as he stood beside her. Watching her now, it was as if she was moving in slow motion - laughing, talking, grinning at him when she noticed he was looking. She was making it harder and harder for him to accept that he had to go.

----

They stayed until 11:30, after all the hands were shaken and speeches were given. It was a side to his work that Peyton hadn't gotten to see before. She saw him with his eyes on the screen, or on the phone with his editor, or getting up at 2 a.m. with an idea he just had to get onto the page. But she'd never seen the side where all that work comes together and is celebrated. She was proud of him, and though she'd said those words to him countless times before, she told him so on the way back to their house. He just smiled at her and kissed her hand.

As soon as they got inside the door, she kicked off her shoes and dropped the clutch purse she'd been hanging on to all night. He loosened his tie and watched as she took off her earrings and necklace.

"Thank you, Peyton," he said from where he stood across the room from her.

"For what?" she asked with a furrowed brow.

"Tonight. And being so great about everything." He walked towards her and pulled her into a hug. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she said softly. "Can you unzip me?"

"Gladly," he said with a smirk, and pulled out of the hug to kiss her. His hand found the zipper at her back as his tongue passed over her bottom lip. She let out a soft moan at both the sensation of his kiss, and the cold air hitting her exposed skin.

"I hate this," she said after they broke the kiss and her dress had dropped to the floor.

He looked at her in complete shock. "Excuse me?"

"No! No, not that." She laughed slightly at the misunderstanding. "Goodbyes."

"Peyton," he said, placing his hands on her hips. "I'm coming back." He kissed her gently and watched as she closed her eyes to stop the tear he'd seen pooling.

"You better." She kissed him again and it felt like desperation. It felt like she wanted it to. Filled with love and anguish and need.

They stumbled to the bed and made love. He'd whispered sweet things and promises in her ear and they held each other until he fell asleep. She lay awake for a while just feeling him next to her and thinking of all the things she was going to do to keep herself busy until he returned.

She woke in the morning with his arms still wrapped around her, and looked up to find him smiling down at her. She curled back into his side and closed her eyes, knowing that no matter how close she got, he was still going to leave.

"The car's going to be here in an hour," he said softly. He ran his hand up and down her arm.

"OK," she said. She didn't move, though she knew he had just implied that he had to get up.

"Peyton, don't be sad," he said, pulling away from her and turning to face her.

"Wouldn't it be worse if I was happy?" she joked, making him roll his eyes. "I'm fine, Luke. I just love you, that's all."

"That's all?" he asked. "That's everything." He kissed her again before standing. "I have to shower."

"OK. I'll make you breakfast." She smiled when he laughed. Usually she'd make the promise and he'd return from the shower to find her sleeping again. This morning, however, she wanted to sit with him at their kitchen table and sip coffee until the last possible second, just feeling that normal feeling she always got with him when they settled into their daily routine.

She got up and wrapped herself in her robe while she heard him turn on the water. For a moment, she thought about joining him, but seeing his bags packed by the front door reminded her that they were on borrowed time. She padded to the kitchen and put on a pot of coffee before toasting a couple bagels and cutting some fruit.

He walked out of the bathroom with just a towel wrapped around his waist, and she turned when she heard him coming down the hall.

"Oh, sure. Look extra sexy just before you leave," she said, leaning against the counter behind her and crossing her arms in front of her. He just shook his head at her before going to the bedroom to slip on a pair of boxers, then sitting down at the table. He took a sip of the coffee she'd set out for him, and she joined him and they talked until he had to get dressed to leave. She waited in her robe nursing her second cup of coffee until he emerged from the bedroom clad in jeans and a button down shirt. She smiled at him weakly from her place.

"Get over here," he demanded with a grin.

She stood and walked to where he was standing, wrapping her arms around him and melting into the embrace she'd gotten so used to feeling every day.

"This is hard, huh?" he asked, already knowing the answer. She nodded and placed a kiss on his neck, wherever her lips fell. "I don't know what to say, Peyt."

"Say you love me, and you'll see me in a month. And say you'll sell lots of copies of your book and make us loads of money," she said with a smile, pulling away from him and playing idly with the collar of his shirt as she looked into his eyes.

"I love you," he insisted, though they both knew he didn't have to. He kissed her gently just as the horn sounded from outside, letting them know that his ride had arrived.

"I love you, too," she echoed. "Call me."

He slung his bags over his shoulder and kissed her forehead. "Just think of what we get to do when I get back," he said in a low voice, leaning in to speak into her ear, making her chuckle. Then he walked out the door and she was left alone in their home.

This was going to be a long month.