AN: I've turned on the anonymous reviews so any non-registered people can review now. There won't be a lot of Nathan and Haley in this story or really any other couples. It's pretty LP centric with a few new characters that I've added and some old ones will be significant as well. The actual Lucas and Peyton stuff is going to take a little time to happen, so please stick it out cause I have some good stuff coming. And we do get Lucas stuff in this chapter and more coming up.. Anyways, I hope you guys like this and thanks to my chapter one reviewers. They are always appreciated.

Two: Picture

Within you I lose myself...

Without you I find myself

Wanting to be lost again.

I'm not sure who wrote that, but whoever it was clearly has been in love before. Not the silly kid kind or the fabricated Hollywood kind…but true love. The kind of feeling that makes your heart ache and your stomach hurt, but you know that if there was a medicine to cure it you would never take it. It's that kind of longing feeling that you want to cling onto for dear life. It's the way you feel when your heart is broken, you can't stop crying and deep down…you never want that to go away because…it's all you have left of that person.

- Peyton's blog

Come on P.Sawyer, it's just a picture. It's not like throwing it away is going to make all your memories of him disappear. Besides, for all you know this could be a picture of someone else's boyfriend. Just pick it up and toss it in the trash can…don't be such a baby.

Letting out a groan, Peyton rolled over in her bed, away from the small picture that lay face up on her nightstand. It was one of her and Lucas Scott on the night of prom. The photo was candid, Peyton wasn't even sure who took it, she just remembered Brooke giving it too her a few weeks afterwards. They were dancing, both of their eyes closed, faces mere inches away and each one holding a sincerely content smile. She always thought that if she just threw the photo away she would be able to let him go for good. Sure Peyton had told everyone that she was over him, why shouldn't she say that. It was her issue to deal with not theirs; the face that she still carried him around with her was her problem.

Peyton knew what kind of a boy Lucas Scott was. She knew of his compassion and charm, there was no way that he was still single after five years. Surely he didn't still think of her whenever Don't Wait by Dashboard Confessional came into his ears. There wasn't a chance that whenever the words "It's you" were somehow casually thrown together in a normal conversation that a small smile came across his face. She knew there wasn't a shot in hell that he still thought of her in those ways as she did…even though Peyton would never admit that.

Checking the watch still strapped to her wrist, Peyton shuddered at the thought of having to be to work in two hours. Especially considering that she knew sleep would be out of the question until then. Sighing heavily, Peyton decided to get in an early morning jog while the rest of the beach slept. Slipping into a pair of jogging pants and throwing on a t-shirt, Peyton headed quietly out the front door and made her way down the ocean front.

"I can't believe we're seriously doing this, Peyton." Lucas said with a crinkled nose as he stared down at the pizza on the table in front of them.

She let out a small giggle before grabbing a slice and sticking on his plate. "Come on, at least try it. This is my dad's special pickle and bologna pizza…you'll love it."

"I think I'd prefer pepperoni." He said, causing Peyton to sigh.

"Alright, I'll make you a deal. You try this and if you don't like it. You can pick what we do tonight."

Suddenly, Lucas' eyebrows rose. "Really, do I get to pick what you wear too?"

Peyton rolled her eyes and looked up at the ceiling with playful agitation. "I was thinking something like a movie…you can be such a guy sometimes."

"Well." Lucas smirked. "We could always record it…that would kinda be like a movie."

Squinting her eyes, Peyton shook her head. "Keep dreaming, Scott. I don't do voyeur porn."

"Damn. Oh what if we watch…" He was abruptly cut off.

"Don't you dare say Fight Club." Peyton protested.

"Ugh, fine. We'll just eat nasty pizza and have boring sex again."

Peyton smiled and shook her head. "Well with that attitude it'll just be nasty pizza, now eat up."

After they finished dinner, Peyton and Lucas found themselves on her bed, cuddled up with one another. The sounds of Something Corporate playing over the speakers filled the room. Running his hand up and down Peyton's arm, he rested his head on her shoulder and let out a long breath.

"I'm gonna miss this."

Peyton nodded slowly in agreement. "Yeah I know…me too. But it's only three months before we'll be right back in this spot."

"Yeah…" There was a pause after Lucas' voice faded out. "Are you all packed?"

"Yup, the flight leaves at 8:00. I'm not sure if I'm ready for the big city life though." Peyton said, resting her head against Lucas' chest.

"Oh please, a girl who eats and sleeps the rock music scene, has opened and successfully ran tons of all age's nights at a local club. Not to mention that you're an artist waiting to be discovered. Peyton, the big city was made for you."

She smiled; Lucas always had the words to dissolve her hesitations or fears about almost anything. Just then, there was a knock on Peyton's bedroom door. A voice then came in from outside it in the other room.

"Are we fully dressed in here?" Brooke called from the living room.

"Yes." Peyton answered with a laugh.

The door opened and in stepped Brooke with an overly stuffed envelope in her hand. "I have prom pictures! Now, there were a few good ones of all of us and then…there's this one of you two that…well it looked really good. So I had them double it so you both could have a copy." She handed them the photos. "So take a gander but don't get finger grease on them or we'll have issues and keep the double of you two, they're on the bottom. Then give em back when you're done." Before they could get a word in edgewise, Brooke was out of the room. They went through the stack, laughing at the photos of Chris Keller sitting all alone. Complimenting on how good Nathan and Haley looked and admitting that there wasn't a dress out there that Brooke Davis couldn't pull off.

A few pictures later, they found the one of just the two of them. Their heads resting close to one another, and the both of them with true smiles on their faces. The year they'd spent together had been tumultuous to say the least. However in that picture, that moment, they were unquestionably happy.

"This is a great picture." Lucas said as they gazed over it. He then set his eyes on Peyton. "You are beautiful."

Blushing a bit, she looked at him and shook her head with a shy smile. "You just want to have a repeat of that night so you're saying sweet things about me."

Before she could get out another word, Lucas dropped a soft kiss on her lips. "You have to admit…" He kissed her once more. "That was a great night."

With his hands still on her shoulders, Lucas pushed her back onto the bed slowly. Quickly, he found her neck with his lips.

"Mm…what about Brooke? She's right next door." Peyton was able to gasp out softly as his lips slowly destroyed her resistance.

Standing up, Lucas walked over to Peyton's drawer and pulled out a sheet of paper from her drawing pad. Grabbing a large marker as well, he wrote in big letters 'do not disturb'. After flashing it to Peyton, who giggled a bit. He put it on the door and closed it shut.

When he turned around again, Peyton was in the process of stripping off her shirt.

"Is Peyton Sawyer wearing lace?" Lucas asked with feign shock as he stared down at her skimpy red bra.

Peyton laughed and nodded with a sexy smile. "Why yes she is."

Lucas proceeded to unbutton his shirt from top to bottom before crawling in beside her. There, she ran her hands up and down his toned chest before pushing the material down his shoulders. Their lips never parting in the process.

Shivers ran down Peyton's spine as she felt Lucas' hands playing with the snap of her jeans. Sliding the zipper down slowly, she let out a gasp before lifting her hips so he could remove them. As he pulled them down her legs, he kissed her stomach tenderly.

Once he discarded them to the floor, he smiled. "Oh, matching panties too, must be my lucky night."

"Must be…" Peyton said with a smile, leaning forward she stole a quick kiss before using her strength to turn them over, now putting herself on top. It didn't take her long to pull his pants down, leaving him a in a pair of boxers that made her laugh. "Superman? Nice." She teased.

Lucas sat up hurriedly. "You know you love it." His voice was deep, as he whispered into her ear. Wrapping his arms around her tiny body, Lucas pulled her down with him.

Buried under the small, red sheet of her bed, they rocked steadily back and forth. Lucas holding his body comfortably above Peyton's. Occasionally dropping a kiss on any part of her body he desired. Her eyes were closed and the sounds that were escaping her lips were enough to make his heart melt.

"I love you…" She whispered. "Lucas, I love you…" She cried once more.

"I love you too, baby." He huskily sighed into her neck. After a few more minutes, Peyton clung tightly to Lucas, and moments later, she was over the edge. Lucas thrust a couple more times before collapsing on top of the sweat laced girl.

Laying side by side, limps intertwining with one another, Lucas looked over at the girl next to him and smiled. "You're beautiful, Peyt…"

Setting down the picture frame, Karen let out a sigh. She couldn't remember the last time her son looked so happy. Standing up, she made her way out of his room and back to the kitchen. There she saw her daughter, sitting up on a stool drawing intently. Her tongue was sticking out just a bit as she colored in the lines.

Outside, the sound of a car could be heard pulling into the driveway. Hearing this, the little girl dropped her crayon and jumped off the stool. "Food's here!" She called out loudly before going to the window.

The door opened and Lucas stepped inside, a bag in one hand and playbook in the other. "Lunch time." He said while setting the bag down on the table.

"Thank you, Luke. Sorry we had to call you out on your lunch break." Karen apologized while pulling her sandwich out of the bag.

"Nah…" Lucas shook his head. "It's no big deal. Anyways, I do need to get back. Skills is going to come by and pick you guys up after work. Mom he's gonna drop you off then take Lily to the park until you're finished."

"Okay, I don't know what we'd do without you boys."

"Don't worry, you'll never know." Lucas smiled before heading to the door. "Lily, you be good. I'll see you guys tonight."

"Bye, Luke!" His baby sister called out, causing him to laugh.

"Bye sweetie." Karen said with a smile and with that, he was out the door.

As he climbed into his car, Lucas let out a heavy breath while clutching onto the steering wheel. He could really feel it now, the stress and fear was drilling its way into his body. Ignoring it for the moment, Lucas shifted his truck into drive and pulled out of the driveway.

Suddenly, his cell phone rang. Reaching into his center console and picked it up. "Yeah..."

"What up, Luke. You headed back to work?"

"Yup." You still gonna be able to pick up my girls this afternoon?" Lucas asked while turning into the parking lot of his work.

"I should be able too. Where are you gonna be this afternoon?"

"I have to go talk to the some people about payment for a few things. Anyways, I have another call, so I'll talk to you later tonight, man." Lucas said hurriedly.

"Alright, later."

Lucas then pressed the button to pick up his incoming call. "Hello."

"Mr. Scott, this is Dr. Jennings. I was wondering if there was any chance you could stop by my office this afternoon."

Running through his schedule in his head, Lucas decided that no matter what, he needed to make room for this. "Yeah, I'll be there between three and four. Is that okay?"

"Sounds good, Lucas. I'll see you then."

With that, he flipped his phone shut and dropped it on his lap before pulling into the parking lot. Who figured this visit would be coming, they took the tests last week and eventually the results had to come. Whether or not Lucas was ready to face them, he had no choice now.

--------------------------------------

Glancing into the mirror with a squinted gaze, Peyton adjusted her bangs slightly. She knew tonight was going to be great. Good music, good company…it was just what the doctor had ordered. Her outfit was a vintage Led Zeppelin T' and a pair of low cut jeans. Tonight was going to be her night to cut loose and just enjoy herself.

"Looking good, P.Sawyer." Brooke called out while she walked through Peyton's door. "I haven't seen you this dressed up for anything since…" She paused and thought. "When was the last time you dressed up?"

Peyton smiled. "It's been a while. This isn't really dressed up though. It's just extra makeup and a comb through my hair." She laughed.

"Yeah well you did more then just run a comb through it, your hair looks great." Compliments were always good to hear from Brooke. Especially since she was a walking fashion outlet.

"Thanks. Tonight is going to be great, I really need it too." Brooke nodded in agreement as Peyton threw on her leather jacket. "So what're you're plans?"

Brooke shrugged. "Nothing really, probably just an all night phone night with Chase. It's been two days since we've had one of those."

Peyton's mouth dropped with sarcastic shock. "Wow, I'm surprised you're still alive!"

"Shut up." Brooke spat while tossing a pillow at her friend. "Don't make me kick your ass and mess up your hair."

"Mess up my hair and I'll rearrange your jaw line." She teased while sticking her tongue out slightly.

From downstairs, the telephone rang and Brooke jumped up. "I bet that's Chase! Have fun tonight, Peyt." She shouted while running down the steps.

With a smile on her face, Peyton made her way back into her small bathroom and reached into the medicine cabinet. She pulled out a bottle of perfume and sprayed it in the air before walking through it slowly. It wasn't every night that Peyton was able to do things like this, so she was going to go all out.

Turning back to her room, Peyton jumped when she saw Brooke standing right behind her. "Shit, you scared the…" That's when she noticed her friend's expression. That old, sinking feeling hit her stomach. "What's wrong?"

"That was the hospital. Something happened to Heather…you were the person she told them to call."

Tears formed in Peyton's eyes almost immediately. "I—I…" Her shaky voice couldn't force out a word.

"Come on…I'll drive you." Brooke said reassuringly before wrapping her arm through Peyton's and leading her downstairs.

The ride there wasn't long. They were at least 40 miles from the hospital and Brooke could tell that Peyton was already breaking up. Placing her hand on Peyton's, she tried her best to calm the blonde down.

"I'm here, Peyt. Everything's going to be fine."

Peyton had heard those words before, more times then she could remember. It's all going to be okay…everything is fine. Despite how wonderful it would be to believe that, Peyton had trained her mind not too anymore.

Once they arrived, Peyton and Brooke rushed through the front door.

"Excuse me!" Peyton called out to the first person she saw in a white coat. "Excuse me!" The doctor finally turned to face her. "I need to know where Heather Banks is…what room?"

"Go to the front desk, ma'am."

Doing as directed, Peyton and Brooke found themselves at the lobby desk. "I need to find Heather Banks, please."

The woman behind the counter checked her charts before finally locating the name. "She's in ICU, room 124. She can't have visitors for at least another hour, she's in surgery."

With a heavy breath, Peyton asked the question she really didn't want to. "What happened?"

"I'm sorry are you family?" The receptionist asked.

"No, but the person who called us said we were the ones Heather told to call. She doesn't have any family here in California."

"I see..." She took a second. "Ms. Banks was assaulted outside of her home. A neighbor heard the commotion and called the police but they were there too late. The assailants were already gone."

"Is she going to be okay?" Brooke asked almost absentmindedly.

"I'm sorry ladies but I don't know. The doctors are doing all they can. She was beaten up pretty badly."

Standing there for a moment and soaking it all in, Peyton was able to find another question. "So what'd we do for now."

"All you can do now is wait. She's in surgery now, it might be an hour it might be five, we don't know."

Taking her hand, Brooke led Peyton to the waiting room and the two sat down. After a few minutes, Brooke saw the hurt in her friend's features. Reaching over, she wrapped her arm around Peyton's head and pulled her in close. Peyton couldn't help but feel a bit of déjà vu. It seemed that during all the big moments of her life, she was always doing the same thing…waiting.