A/N: Sorry again for the wait on this…I've been obsessing over little oneshots instead of the meaty chapter fics. Shame on me. Umm, a little warning to y'all…I was informed there's a writer out there who's been playing around with old storylines of mine. Like my fic Nothing and Everything to be specific. Well, imitating is the sincerest form of flattery. Anyways, now that we've cleared that up…I hope y'all enjoy this chapter. It's got some cute LP fluff. Actually it's like all LP fluff, but fluff with a purpose.

Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill or Ben E. King's Stand by Me

When the night has come

And the land is dark

And the moon is the only light we'll see

No I won't be afraid, no I won't be afraid

Just as long as you stand, stand by me

Chapter Seven: Good Morning Sunshine

Imagine if you will the sharpest, longest, shiniest blade you could possibly picture sitting out on a pillow propped on a pedestal. Around the pedestal is a mariachi band playing music, a constant tune of no more than ten notes that goes over and over. Add to it a strange static hum which sounds strangely similar to the one that occurs when your TV is on but the sound is faulty. Figure off to the side there will be an elephant stomping along. Now, picture taking that blade on the pillow and jabbing it into your brain over and over again while the elephant prances along on top of your head. Comical sight, huh? Or more likely the worst hangover ever? Or how about just Peyton Sawyer's Saturday morning?

A strangled groan escaped Peyton's lips as she rolled over on her side and curled in a ball, trying to escape the sunlight pouring in through her window. Something didn't feel right. She felt a presence around her, one she couldn't shake. She had this feeling deep down in her gut that there was something lying next to her. She couldn't remember much of last night. No, scratch that. She couldn't remember anything from last night. She remembered a struggle, and then later someone promising her everything was okay.

That voice. God! Why couldn't she pin that voice to a name? She knew it well, but it seemed all brain function had ceased. Then, another patch of information settled into her brain. She had asked the person to stay. She could clearly remember the feeling of his thick wrist, the tip of his ulna which was prominent against his skin, the soft hair covering his arm. She could remember all of that and then her voice, groggy and laced with some other emotion asking this guy to stay.

Maybe it had been a dream, but when did dreams feel so real? Her wish for it too all be a dream was soon shattered anyways as she felt the bed shift and a deep breath escape whoever was next to her. Well, logically, it could be two guys because she only trusted two guys enough to let them stay. Nathan or Lucas. And she couldn't see Nathan taking her home in the first place. So, it was probably Lucas…but it could be A.J. now that she thought about it. A.J. or Lucas…that seemed like a lose-lose situation. She wanted so badly to open her eyes, but the pain that would come with the extra light seeping into her retinas seemed to put off that idea.

She did have another idea though. She could just reach over and touch him. Not like grope him or anything. Just feel an arm or something. She knew the difference between A.J. and Lucas. A.J. was built, and Lucas, well, he wasn't. Don't get her wrong. Lucas was muscular, but he wasn't as thick.

This was a smart idea, she convinced herself as she rolled all the way over so that she'd be facing whoever was next to her. She heard the steady breathing of her bed partner and it put her at ease knowing that he was still asleep, and it would all go unnoticed. Still, she tried to make it all seem natural, by just sort of flopping her arm onto the body.

You'd think, by the grace of the gods, the arm would land on another arm, or perhaps even a chest. Nope. It landed on a stomach, the lower abdomen to be exact. And immediately she knew it was Lucas. The way her fingertips fit perfectly into the contours of his abs, the fact that her arm could probably wrap over his figure, most of all the familiar feel of his T-shirt (she imagined it was the red one from last night's party and the first time they had ever had a real conversation) all confirmed it. It was Lucas next to her.

Logically, she should probably remove her hand from his body. But she was having trouble ignoring the heat radiating from his torso. It was so welcoming that she found her hand almost glue in its position, her finger twitching a bit unconsciously. She wondered what his heart beat would feel like. She could remember how soothing it had felt under her fingertips that day at Dan's party.

Suddenly, it hit her. He was asleep. He would never know if her fingers crept up and slid over his chest. God, she was being bold. That was the thought that passed through her head as she moved her hand slowly up his stomach, sliding it over his heart. The gentle thumping was present, slightly faster than she thought it would be for someone who was sleeping, but still calm nonetheless. She felt her hand curl up a little as if incasing it, as her fingers tapped idly on his chest.

She never knew what it felt like to wake up next to someone. She had only ever slept with Nathan and he was always an early riser. By the time she woke up, he was already out for a run or back from one, slinging her over his shoulder so they could shower together. There was nothing peaceful like this. Her thoughts continued to race as her hand now touched his chin, the stubble both tickling and burning her hand. She could feel how beautiful he was without even looking at him. And she was gracious for moments like this.

Thank God he wasn't awake.

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He had been awake for awhile, just lying there quietly watching her sleep. He had never been so nervous in his life as he had last night when he found her with those guys. The thought made his stomach sick, even now. He wanted to be able to always save her. To protect her. It's what kept him up all night watching her, just making sure she was still there.

He had seen her wake up, or at least stir. Her body had curled up with his back to him. He guessed she was avoiding the sunlight because of the hangover. He figured he'd let her wake up on her own. He was basically delaying the inevitable, but he didn't know how she would react to his presence in her bedroom. They're relationship was up in the air as it was. He just wanted to avoid the awkwardness.

No such luck. She turned to face him and he figured she must be close to waking up. Then, her arm landed on his stomach, his lower stomach and it took all the restraint in the world not to groan. Her gentle touch invoked something in him. Something more than just pure driven lust. It always had, but he was good. He didn't say a thing, not even when he felt her fingers twitch.

Without moving his head, he stole a glance over at her and saw her eyes closed a bit too tightly for someone who was supposed to be asleep. He wanted to chuckle out loud at the fact that Peyton Sawyer was copping a feel while she assumed he was fast asleep. He decided not to mention it, that was until her hand slid up his body and covered her heart. He willed himself to stay calm or she would notice he was awake. He needed his heartbeat to stay level.

The intimacy of the gesture was not lost on him. He had always thought that Peyton was just a girl who desperately wanted to be loved. She just didn't know how to accept it without pushing it away. For her, love meant pain and that's why it was so hard for her to embrace it even when it meant something good could come of it. He wanted to show her how wonderful love was. And so far, he was sure he had failed, but now, watching her curl up against him, her hand now laying on his chin, he realized maybe he really hadn't just yet.

But he knew the moment had to end and she would probably need to push him away again.

"Peyton, are you awake?" he finally asked, breaking the tranquil silence.

"Uh…yeah," Peyton muttered, her hand stilling on his cheek, "Sorry." She opened her eyes so she could meet his. "I was trying to figure out who was next to me."

He figured it was a partial truth, but he didn't call her out on the absurdity of it.

"Did you figure it out yet?" he chuckled. She slapped him on her chest, her cheeks burning red in embarrassment.

"Jerk."

"What? I was just kidding," he said propping himself up on his elbows.

"Are you going tell me what happened last night and why I woke up next to you?" She noticed that his face fell a little bit, so she added, "I mean I remember asking you someone to stay. I just don't remember why."

Lucas sighed. He really hoped she would remember most of last night. He knew it was in vain, but he really didn't want to tell her everything that happened.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"Well, I was in a study, drinking beer and I think some ugly guy came in. After that it all goes hazy."

"That ugly guy is named Mike and he umm…well he tried….he kind of-"

"He tried to rape me," Peyton cut him off, knowing he didn't know how to word it the right way.

"Yeah," Lucas said, "Anyways, Haley told me that you had been looking for me and when I didn't find you with A.J. I looked around the party. I heard a commotion going on in one of the rooms and it turned out you were in there." He took a moment to pause and let her soak in all the information.

"How far had it gone?" Peyton whispered.

"Not very far at all," he said quickly, "He was just on top of you and…" He trailed off seeing how pale her face looked, "Anyways, two of Mike's friends showed up. They told me to leave and I said I wasn't going anywhere without you. They wouldn't budge so then I mentioned that you had come with A.J."

"Smart move," Peyton said, "A.J.'s property isn't to be touched." Her smirk told him she was just joking around.

"Exactly," he said, "So A.J. happened to walk by and I explained what was going on. He beat the shit out of Mike. One of Mike's men fled and the other tried to hit him from behind but I sort of tackled him. You probably don't need details but it ended with A.J. throwing them both out of a window."

"And you have a black eye," Peyton mused.

"They were both big guys. I was lucky A.J. was there."

"Who would have thought A.J. Hopps would be defending my honor?" Peyton chuckled. Lucas frowned.

"I was there too you know."

"Yeah, but you I expect to save me," she said casually, "And besides, it looks like A.J. did most of the work. He deserves the praise."

"I had to lug your butt home. That counts for something."

"You need to shave," Peyton said bluntly, ignoring his statement.

He brought a hand up to his cheek and felt the stubble.

"Thank you. Is that all you figured out from groping me?"

She could have been embarrassed again, but she quickly shook it off.

"I wasn't groping you."

"Sure you weren't."

"Oh please. If I wanted to grope someone, I'd go grope A.J., my muscle bound hero."

"Low blow," Lucas said narrowing his eyes.

"It felt nice," she said suddenly. Lucas's eyes went wide and Peyton realized how her words sounded.

"Excuse me?" he said, clearing his throat.

"I didn't mean it like that. I meant it felt nice to wake up next to someone and not have it be sexual." She blushed a little at the thought.

"Oh."

"You're the first guy to not think of me like that."

"I think of you like that," he argued, "It's just not all I think about."

"That's my point," she said quietly, "I'm not used to being thought about as anything other than that."

He didn't know what to say so he opted for silence. Peyton suddenly felt a flash of anger as she remembered walking into his house that night. The same sweet look had graced his face. He had opted for silence then too, and right now, she knew he only did for lack of words, but it still brought back such terrible memories. She felt her hands getting clammy and trembling.

"You need to go," she said suddenly.

"What?" Lucas said quickly, his eyes snapping up to meet hers.

"I meant you need to go home," she said covering up her fear, "You're mother's probably worried sick. You're all she's got."

"My mother knows I'm here. She understood. Besides, who do you have?"

"Listen Luke," Peyton began, "I'm really appreciative of what you did, of everything you have done for me, but it doesn't change the fact that you hurt me-"

"Peyton, I-"

"You of all people should know I have trust problems. It's gonna take me awhile to forgive that, okay? And your presence here is not entirely a good thing."

"Okay," Lucas nodded, "I'll go, but you should know Peyton that you can't run from us forever."

"Well if you stopped playing hero it'd make it easier for me."

Lucas would have been upset if she hadn't said it with an amused look on her face to let him know she was just kidding.

"Stop getting your scrawny ass in trouble," Lucas said, smiling that charming smile that always made her heart melt. She blushed, unable to hide the effect he had on her. He placed a small kiss on her forehead.

"Call me if you need me."

She watched him go and when she heard the front door close she let out a deep breath she didn't know she was holding. She felt the need for another nap so she snuggled up close to the pillow Lucas had previously been laying on. She could still smell him there.

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A Few Hours Earlier

Haley felt like an ass. She also felt extremely sick, like her insides were forcing their way outside. Oh and she had a headache. She guessed this was what it felt like to be hung over. She was quite fascinated by it, despite how painful it felt. She would have loved spending her morning in bed, sleeping this off, but guilt had a strange way of making her get up, get dressed and buy two cups of coffee.

She blamed herself for what happened with Peyton. Logically, she had no reason to feel guilty. Peyton was a big girl and she could have taken care of herself, but then, Haley was never a logical person when it came to her friends. She was very protective, overprotective some may even say, of her friends, and she considered Peyton her friend. So that's why she was so worried about the curly blonde.

Lucas had called her and told her that he had brought Peyton home and that he was staying with her, her first thought was to get up and go over there. Then, when she tried to stand up, she realized she couldn't walk or see straight. Lying back down, she promised herself she would remember to talk to the girl tomorrow and shockingly, though she had forgotten most of the rest of the night, she remembered Peyton.

So that's why she was standing at Peyton Sawyer's front door with Starbucks beverages. She opted not to knock, rather just plunge right into the house. She doubted that Peyton would mind, or that she would even be up to notice. Inside, she found the house in perfect order. What the hell was she expecting though? She chuckled to herself seeing the photos on the foyer table. A picture of Peyton in a pink tutu, now, that was blackmail worthy.

She moved on though, heading up the stairs. There she found Peyton curled up in a little ball next to Lucas. She couldn't help the goofy smile that came to her face, seeing the two wrapped up in each other's embrace. Lucas's eyes were opened though, and he glanced over to meet Haley's eyes. They both shared a smile.

"I felt bad," Haley whispered.

"You shouldn't have."

"I brought her coffee."

"I see that," Lucas said softly.

"I'll come back later when she's awake and you're gone."

"Well don't I feel special," Lucas joked. Haley glanced at his arm which was lodged under the blonde's.

"You and I are talking later," Haley promised.

"Okay," Lucas said.

"Don't scare her away."

"Go home, Haley."

"Actually," Haley pondered, "I think I've got another person in mind to share this coffee with."

Lucas assumed she meant Nathan, but he was miles away from the truth.

Whenever you're in trouble won't you stand by me

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