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Three: Everything Changes
"We say that the hour of death cannot be forecast, but when we say this we imagine that hour as placed in an obscure and distant future. It never occurs to us that it has any connection with the day already begun or that death could arrive this same afternoon, this afternoon which is so certain and which has every hour filled in advance." Marcel Proust
Nine Days Later
It always amazed her. Peyton could never understand how the sun could be shining so bright on such a sad day. How she could possibly shed tears when the sky was so blue and beautiful. Pulling of the black gloves covering her hands, she reached for the door and opened it.
Stepping into the house, Peyton let out a sigh as she shed her long overcoat. Looking down the hall, she saw a much needed familiar face coming towards her.
"How was it?" Brooke asked with a soft voice before giving Peyton a small hug.
The two girls moved to the couch and sat down. "It's was nice."
"You okay?"
"Yeah…" There was a pause as Peyton closed her eyes. "Not really." She said with a sob in her throat.
"Come here…" Brooke softly spoke before reaching over and pulling the blonde into her arms. It had been six days since Heather Banks had been murdered and in that time Peyton had held strong. However, today, at this moment in her best friend's arms, she broke down.
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"I need a couple coffees and some bacon and eggs."
Calling from behind the counter, Michaela Chambers shouted the order out. Sticking the pencil back into the bun of her hair she let out a sigh and leaned over the marble countertop.
Flashing her smile, she watched as the cook stepped from the back. "How should I cook the eggs?"
"They said they wanted the 'Karen special'. Can her son make that?"
Laughing, Lucas nodded. "Yes, it's just scrambled eggs with sausage and cheese in them."
"Ah, well get in there then." She shoved him teasingly towards the oven. Stumbling back, Lucas opened the fridge and pulled out a few eggs, a slab of bacon and a roll of sausage.
Cutting the sausage package open with a knife, he threw it in the pan. "First customer of the day. I don't know how she did this for 22 years."
Watching him from behind, Michaela couldn't help but feel for him. She knew that Lucas was going through a lot right now and despite his tough exterior, she knew it was weighing heavy on him.
"Yeah, your mom is pretty incredible though. How's she been?"
Making sure not to stop making the food, Lucas answered. "She's doing okay. Sometimes I wonder which one of us is actually going through all this. She seems to take this better then I do most of the time." There was a small laugh in his throat but Michaela could tell that it was forced.
Walking over close to him, she leaned down on the table beside him and picked up the small egg beater and handed it too him. "I know give you a lot of crap…but…you do know that I'm here for you right? If you or your mom needs anything."
"Yeah I know." Lucas smiled. After a short pause, he spoke again. "It's feels kinda surreal." His voice trailed off.
"What's that?"
"All this…I can honestly say that I didn't see myself here, working here, five years after high school."
With a sigh, Michaela picked up a small bit of cheese and ate it. "Where did you see yourself in five years back then?"
"Not here." Lucas turned his focus away from the stove. "I saw myself writing more…maybe…that being the focus of my life. Or coaching the basketball team…"
"The Ravens right?"
"Yeah. But when mom found out she was sick…I knew she couldn't stand to lose this place so I dropped everything and came back here to support her and the café…I hired you to help me out and…I still can't believe you're here three years later."
Michaela laughed a bit and nodded. "Yeah well, I paid my way through school but…I figured you needed me here more then the hospital did."
"Well I appreciate it." Lucas said while scooping the eggs onto a plate. "He wanted coffee right?"
Michaela nodded and pulled a mug out of the cabinet. "Black." She watched as he poured the liquid into the cup. Studying his movements, she let out a long breath and spoke again. "You ever have a girlfriend, Luke?"
Cocking an eyebrow, Lucas handed her the plate and coffee. "You mean besides you?" He watched as she turned with a smile and walked out of the kitchen to give her customer his order. A moment later she was back behind the counter.
"You know, I don't think that week we dated counts as us being a couple."
"We did sleep together." Lucas teased.
"That was like…a year later, and we were drunk." Michaela defended while shaking her head with a laugh in her throat. "Now stop avoiding my question. Who was your last real girlfriend?"
Letting out a sigh, Lucas took a seat on a stool in the back and lowered his head, but still kept his eyes on her. "Her name was Peyton…but…she moved away."
"Ah, the Sawyer girl."
Flashing a quizzical look, Lucas stood up. "How do you know about her?" He asked.
"Well despite the fact that it seems as though I spend all my time here, I do talk to other people in this town. And…word on the street is that you two were pretty happy together."
"Word on the street?"
Michaela shrugged and smiled. "Okay, so your mom told me about her. How come you didn't go after her?"
"I don't know…" He said quietly, hoping the conversation would end there. However, he knew deep down that Michaela wouldn't let it go.
"Yes you do…you never talk about her. There's gotta be a reason."
Rubbing his hands together nervously, Lucas refused to look at her. "There is…I just don't like to bring her up that's all."
Nodding, Michaela knew it was time to drop it. "Alright, I won't ask you anymore questions. But we have a group of three that just came into the door and you know I'm not judgmental but…based on the size of their waistline…you're going to have a lot of cooking to do."
Lucas laughed as Michaela did the same. "Grab the orders, I'll get my spatula ready."
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Hanging up her cell phone, Peyton let out a long breath and closed her eyes. Days like this were always tough; it seemed almost unfair that she had dealt with so many of them in her life. Turning to the door, she left her room and made her way into the living room. There, she saw Brooke sitting on the couch and the two made eye contact. Patting down the spot beside her, she called Peyton over and the blonde obliged.
"Who was on the phone?" She asked while Peyton sat down heavily.
"Derek." Peyton rested her head on Brooke's shoulder. "He's coming down next week, he's going to follow me to Tree Hill with his truck so I can bring my bed and all the big stuff."
Nodding, Brooke placed her hand on her best friend's cheek. "We're gonna miss you here, P.Sawyer."
"I know…I'm going to miss you guys too." Sitting up, Peyton climbed off the couch and walked over to the small closet by the front door. "I was hoping to show you this when Chase was home but…I made you guys something. Consider it a going away gift from me for all you two have done for me." Peyton then pulled out a square object that appeared to be a picture frame. It was covered with a gray sheet and was fairly large.
"Peyton, you shouldn't be giving us gifts."
"No, it's okay…I've been working on it for a while, I found a beautiful picture of the two of you on your wedding day and well…take a look." She handed the large picture to Brooke who slowly unveiled it.
A small gasp escaped her lips as she gazed upon it. It was a painting of her and Chase from their wedding day. The moment the two of them exchanged their first kiss as a married couple, right as they were parting. Both of them wearing smiles, eyes locked on one another, the happiest time of their lives.
"Oh my gosh…it's beautiful Peyt…"
Blushing a bit, Peyton lowered her head with a small smile. "It's nothing." She said shyly.
"It's more then that…thank you, Peyton. This is so going up in our room…right above the bed."
Peyton could tell by the look on Brooke's face that she really did like it, a fact that satisfied her immensely. "I'm glad you like it."
"I love it." Brooke called from her bedroom as she hung the painting up as she said she would. "Since you gave me this…I have something for you too." Stepping back into the living room, Peyton saw that Brooke had a small box in her hand.
"Brooke, you don't have to give me anything…"
"Shut up, yes I do. After that gorgeous painting, you're getting something dammit." Peyton knew there was no refusal she could find that would work now.
Taking the small box into her hand, she opened it and her eyes lit up. "Holy shit…" She said almost unconsciously. "Brooke this is your diamond heart pendant. The one your mom gave you…I can't take this." Peyton said while trying hand it back to the brunette.
"Yes you can…Peyton…you have to take it." Brooke insisted.
"Why?"
"Because it's beautiful and it's useless in my jewelry box. I can't wear that, Peyton. It reminds me of what my parents put me through with their divorce. If anyone should have it…I want it to be you."
Taking the small pendant in her hand, Peyton smiled and then hugged her best friend. "Thanks, Brooke."
"Don't mention it." They pulled back from the hug but kept their hands together. "Now, this is your last week here…we need to make every night kick ass, so what'd you want to do tonight?"
Peyton thought for a second before a small grin painted across her face. "We could sit on the couch, eat ice cream until we puke and go through old yearbooks making fun of people."
"I love the way your mind works, P.Sawyer!" Brooke squealed with delight. "You go make the ice cream, I'll go round up a few yearbooks."
Peyton watched with a smile as Brooke rushed off into her bedroom. She couldn't help but feel a sting of regret. True, this town scared the hell out of her after what happened to Heather, but Peyton knew that she would miss Brooke like crazy. So for the next seven days, she had to make the most out of the time with her best friend.
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"Hello."
"Hey Nate…" Lucas said in a quiet voice, looking out his door to see if Lily's light was off.
"Lucas." Nathan grumbled sleepily. "Its 11:30 man, why are you calling so late? Is everything okay?"
"Yeah everything's fine, I'm sorry to call so late it's just…this was the only time I could get a chance to do it." Leaning back, Lucas rested heavily against his pillow. The exhaustion of the day washing over him.
"It's been a while since you've checked in. We were starting to get worried, bro." Nathan's voice held a serious tone so Lucas knew he meant it.
"Things have been pretty crazy around here…" His voice trailed off.
There was a small pause. Nathan finally decided to come right out and ask. "How's she doing?"
Letting out a sigh, Lucas ran his fingers through his hair and took a long breath. "She's fighting…it's a lot to handle, with Lily and the café but…we're doing what we can."
"Yeah, I wish we were there to help you out but…James starts school here soon and there's no way Haley can give up her job. She just got promoted last week."
"No." Lucas quickly retorted. "Don't even consider it, Nate. I appreciate the gesture but I'll get by…we've made it this far."
"Actually…" Nathan said but waited a second to finish his thought, wanting to word it just right. "I have some news you might be interested in hearing."
"What's that?"
"Well…I'm not supposed to tell you and if Haley finds out I did she'll kill me but…Peyton's coming home."
The conversation grew silent. Nathan could still hear Lucas breathing on the other but there were no words being exchanged. "Luke?"
"Why?" He asked dryly.
"I'm not really sure, Brooke just told us last night. Apparently something happened over there and Peyton says she needs to go back to Tree Hill. I would bet the house that you're a big reason she's going back."
"Well she'd better not unpack." Lucas spat. "She'll be lucky if I give her the time of day."
All Nathan could do was laugh, he tried to hide it but to no avail.
"What are you laughing about?" Defensively, Lucas asked.
"I'm sorry…it's just…do you really believe that you'll be able to treat Peyton like that?"
Reaching into his bedside drawer, Lucas pulled out a small photo that he kept under his Raven's state championship ring box. Setting his eyes on it, he shook his head and pursed his lips a bit.
"She screwed me over, Nathan. I shouldn't be forced to just accept her back into my life…she shouldn't expect that."
"I'm sure she doesn't. But there was no anchor tied to your ass either, you and I both know you could have gone after her. Plus you know as well as I do that Peyton won't give up until you and her are okay again. She's just as stubborn as you are, Luke."
Letting out a grumble, Lucas rolled over onto his side and slid the photo back into the drawer. "Haley was right, you shouldn't have told me." He said with a small laugh.
Nathan chuckled. "At least you have a little time to prepare now."
"When is she coming?"
"A week I think…Derek is driving up there with her." Closing his eyes, Lucas listened as Nathan said something that made the news seem a bit better. "Lucas, nobody is saying you have to be together or go out with her. But…it sounds like you could use more help down there and could you think of a better person to do that then Peyton?"
Rubbing his forehead, Lucas looked back out his bedroom door. It had been rough here since they found out about Karen's condition. Lucas worked at least a few hours everyday, plus five full days. Money was tight and having to do so much with the raising of his sister forced any free time he had spent with her. He didn't mind, he loved spending time with Lily. His writing had suffered and basically all the aspirations he had about potentially coaching someday were slipping away.
"Luke?" Nathan broke his thought.
"Sorry…" Lucas snapped out of his trance. "I think I'm gonna go to bed, man. Sorry I called so late."
Nathan could tell that Lucas was brooding over this. He also knew that Peyton was probably the best thing that could happen to Lucas and his family right now.
"It's okay…talk to you later, Luke."
"Bye…" With that, Lucas hung up his phone and set it beside his bed.
Closing his eyes, Lucas thought back to that day, a day he hadn't allowed himself to think about…the last time he ever saw her.
The cool air of the ceiling fan rotating above him caused his eyes to open. Rolling over in the bed, Lucas picked up his head and looked around…the left side of the bed was empty. Just then, he heard the sound of a zipper closing and his eyes finally found her. Fully dressed, unlike he was, she looked beautiful as he stared at her. A few moments later, she turned to face him, a smile painting her face and a picture he wanted to keep in his memory forever.
"Hey you." Lucas called out to her softly.
Peyton slowly made her way to the bed, sitting down beside him and resting her hand on his bare back. "Hi…your hair is a mess." She teased. "You sleep good?"
"Mm…" Lucas smirked. "Very good. What time is it?" He asked, his demeanor changing a bit.
"7:25…Brooke's getting a few things packed into her carry on and then the cab will be here."
Lucas could see the sadness in her eyes. He knew she was torn between going and staying here with him. As badly as he would love to tell her to stay, he also realized that this was a big deal for Peyton, despite the fact she was scared to leave him.
"I wish I could drive you guys down there."
"Yeah, but you have to go help your mom at 8:00. Besides, I don't want to have a cheesy airport goodbye." Peyton said lightheartedly.
"That's way to 'teen movie' for us."
Peyton grabbed Lucas' shirt from the ground, he took it from her and slipped it on.
"Alright, Peyt, the cab will be here in five!" Brooke's voice carried from across the house.
Locking eyes for a second, Lucas reached over and placed his hand on her neck, pulling her in for a kiss. It was a long, passionate moment that both of them sank into. Knowing that it would be their last kiss for at least three months, they made sure to put the absolute most into it.
Pulling back, Peyton's hands were clenched onto the collar of Lucas' shirt. Her eyes still closed as he gazed upon her face.
"If you ever feel lonely, remember that I'm always thinking of you."
Opening her eyes, Peyton's smile was full as she spoke. "How long did you work on that one?" She teased lovingly.
"Since about Friday…was it good?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "Decent, but…I think you forgot something."
"I love you…more then anything."
Peyton dropped a soft kiss on his lips. "There ya go." She slid her feet off the bed but stayed close to him. "I love you too…I'll be calling you soon. Tell you mom and Lily bye for me okay."
Lucas nodded. "I will…have fun."
They kissed once more and before he knew it, she was out of the room and headed outside. Lucas stood up and grabbed his jeans and slipped into them. He put on his watch and picked up the rest of his things. Peyton's room was virtually empty. Her desktop computer was still here but she'd put all her stuff on the laptop. Her stereo was gone and all her albums were boxed up. Her closet was empty and all the drawers were cleaned out. Even the posters that covered her walls were taken down.
It was as if every trace of Peyton Sawyer was leaving Tree Hill. All he would have for the next three months was the picture in his memory of her smile.
However, before he could get out another thought, Peyton came rushing in through the bedroom door and quickly pressed her lips against his. Just as quickly, she pulled back.
"Sorry…I just…yeah…I'll see you later…love you!" She called out while rushing out the door and back out of the house.
Lucas smiled half-heartedly as the cab outside finally pulled away. This was, without question, going to be the longest summer of his life.
"Luke!" The tiny voice awoke him from the dream he'd slipped into. "Mommy needs help!"
Before he could even conjure up a thought, Lucas was on his feet and rushing in the direction of his sister's calls.
"Mom…what's wrong?" He asked frantically as he watched her kneeled down over the toilet. "Lily, get me a cold rag, please…"
Watching as his sister rushed out of the bathroom, Lucas knelt down beside his mother and carefully placed his hand on her back. Rubbing it softly, he felt his whole body tense up at the sight of his mom in so much pain.
"Get it out, Mom. I'm here…" Lucas' voice was shaky as he tried his best to remain steady.
"Here." Turning back, he saw Lily carrying a small rag in her hand. Her eyes were tear filled and she looked so small and innocent. Lucas wished he could take her out of this situation, not child should have to see her mother like this.
"Thanks…" He looked back and saw that Karen was away from the toilet and looking at her two children. "Here, Mom."
Karen placed the cloth on her head as she rested against the wall behind her.
"Are you okay, Mommy?" Lily asked innocently.
Using most of the strength she had left, Karen nodded. "Yeah, baby…sorry for this."
"Don't apologize, Mom. Just so long as you're alright. You are…right?"
"I am…I need to lie down though." Her voice was rough and weak
Lucas nodded. "Alright…Lil…can you pull her bedding down for me?" His sister nodded and headed to Karen's bedroom.
Wrapping his mother's arm around his neck, Lucas helped her to her feet. They walked down the hall and into her room before she lied down.
It wasn't even a minute later that she was asleep and Lucas, who was holding Lily in his arms, turned out her light and went back down the hall.
He stopped in his sister's room and she crawled into her own bed. Lucas then took a seat beside her. "How about you…are you gonna be able to sleep tonight?"
The little girl thought for a second before nodding slowly. "Yeah…but will you come if I need you?"
"Of course…I'm just across the hall if you need anything." He kissed her forehead. "You were very strong back there…I really appreciate your help with mom." Lucas praised her with a smile.
"You're welcome. How…how much longer is mommy going to be sick, Luke?"
Cringing a bit at her question, Lucas tried to hide his sorrows about that topic from his sister. "I'm not sure, Lil…but we'll be okay…we're gonna get through this, okay."
Lily nodded. "Okay…G'night Lucas."
"Night."
Standing up and leaving her room, Lucas began to wonder that himself. Could they actually get through all this? It was really starting to get tough and Karen's condition only seemed to worsen with each passing day. All he could think was maybe…maybe Nathan was right.
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