Author's Note: I want to send a HUGE thank you to Melissa, my new beta, for all her help! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I look forward to working with you!

And thank you to everyone who has left reviews! Keep 'em comin'!

#5.

"You're brooding," Peyton stated, obviously aware of how upset Lucas was. He looked like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. He had been silently beating himself up over Brooke's accident all afternoon, and she was sick of watching him feel sorry for himself, so she called him on it.

"I'm just worried about Brooke," Lucas sighed as he paced back and forth in front of Brooke's hospital bed. He couldn't rid himself of the guilt he was feeling. He knew he should've kept a closer eye on her. He should've kept her safe and protected her. She'd asked him to, after all, and he hadn't.

"No kidding, I hadn't noticed" Peyton rolled her eyes. "You've only been obsessing over every little movement, groan, whimper or other insignificant noise she's made all afternoon."

He had been in there all afternoon, either sitting at the edge of Brooke's bed watching her sleep, or pacing around the room restlessly. Hour after hour, he stayed by her.

"I know I've been preoccupied, but I can't help it. If anything ever happened to her, I don't know what I'd do. She's it for me, Peyton. She's it." Maybe he did worry too much, he thought, but he needed to show her how much she meant to him, saying it wasn't enough, and most of all he wanted to be there when she woke up—to be the first person she saw; he needed to be.

"Lucas, the doctor said she'll be fine! She's just dehydrated" Peyton said stressing the triviality.

"Peyton, she passed out! How is that not a big deal?" Lucas huffed, angrily. He couldn't believe how nonchalant Peyton seemed.

"Whoa, down boy" Peyton teased. Lucas only shot her a look of disgust and disapproval.

"Look, I'm worried about her, too, but there's nothing that we can do! You're only stressing yourself out, and that isn't good for Brooke either. The doctor said the best thing we can do for her is to let her rest." Peyton attempted to be the voice of reason.

"I know there's nothing I can do, believe me, it's all I can think about. You have no idea how many hours I've been dwelling over the fact that I'm completely helpless right now. I can do nothing but wait. Wait for her to open her eyes. Wait for her to come back to me. That's what I can do, and I will." Lucas inhaled and exhaled deeply, wishing her could take her away—take her anywhere besides her hospital bed, and way from all the uncertainty.

"Okay, I think it's time for you to get some fresh air" she knew he needed a break.

Ignoring Peyton's proposal completely, Lucas anxiously rambled on about Brooke. "Y'know, she was dizzy earlier, too, and so pale. Come to think of it, she was acting strange all day today."

Peyton knew why Brooke had been acting weird, and it had nothing to do with being dehydrated. It had to do with her and how angry Brooke was at her—how betrayed she felt. Lucas had no idea how badly Peyton had hurt his girlfriend.

"I should've known something was wrong. I should've done something…" Lucas' voice trailed off, and he stepped closer to Brooke's bed before he sat down next to her. Gently picking up her hand, he kissed it softly.

"Luke, you're not a mind-reader. There's no way you could've known!" Peyton attempted to talk Lucas out of his guilt; obviously, it wasn't working. His forehead wrinkled as he watched over her.

It was at that moment that Peyton realized, once again, just how much Lucas cared about Brooke. A pang of jealousy shot through her. She attempted to get rid of the familiar feeling, but as always, envy hung around like an old friend.

"There's something I have to tell you." Peyton knew she had to tell Lucas about her feelings for him, and why Brooke had suddenly become so insecure again. He deserved to know, and selfishly, she wanted to see if her there was any chance that her feelings would be reciprocated.

"Can it wait?" Lucas questioned, looking back at Brooke. "She might wake up, and I need to be here when she does. It's important. She needs to know that I'm not going anywhere." Lucas' voice was unwavering, as were his feelings for Brooke.

"No. I think this has waited long enough." Peyton knew it was time. He had to know how she still felt. After Lucas gave her the official brush-off nod, she asked again. "It's important." Peyton demanded.

Realizing how serious Peyton suddenly had become, he gave in to her. After all, she was his friend and he didn't want to deny her that.

"Okay." Lucas hesitantly stood up. Carefully tucking the covers up around her, reluctantly leaving Brooke's bedside. "I'll be right back," he promised her.

Following Peyton through the front entrance of the hospital, Lucas mentally questioned what all of this was about. He wondered what could possibly be so important that she'd actually want to leave Brooke's side. He knew he didn't. Regardless of the hostility between the two ex-friends lately, he wished that she would show more concern.

"So what's up?" Lucas asked, once they had walked in silence for several minutes.

"I don't really know how to say this," Peyton laughed nervously, turning around to face him. After all of this time, she was finally getting a chance to reveal her true feelings for Lucas. She had thought about this conversation for so long. The infamous I love you, even though you're in love with my ex-best friend chat. She had dreamed about it. Pinned over it, over him, for so long, too long, and the truth was about to come out.

"Peyton, you're worrying me. What's going on?" Lucas suddenly realized how nervous Peyton seemed. She was never nervous around him. Quite frankly he was concerned.

"I told Brooke that I" Peyton paused, swallowing the lump in her throat, "I still have feelings for you," she said as quickly as possibly, not giving herself a chance to take anything back. There. You did it. It's all out in the open now.

Complete silence befell them, for a really long time, almost too long. As awkward as everything was between them at that very moment, a huge weight had been lifted off Peyton's chest. Her heart felt so much lighter, yet she couldn't bring her self to look up and see his reaction. Regardless, she finally felt at peace with her feelings for Lucas.

And then he started talking.

(Dream sequence begins)

"Look me in the eyes, and tell me that you don't love me!" She demanded, gazing up into his beautiful blue eyes, pleading for him to answer her prayers. To tell her that he loved her and only her, to reassure her she had always been the one for him—that it would always be the two of them, together forever.

"I don't love you." He answered coldly, shattering her hopes of reconciliation.

"LIAR!" She screamed, "How can you look at me and lie, and hide your feelings away? I can't do this anymore. I can't! I love you too much, and I know you love me, too! All you have to do is say yes. Just say yes." She paused, giving him a chance to speak.

"I can't." He shook his head, his face oddly blank.

Not letting him go that easily, she continued. "I need you, and I know in my heart you need me, too." It seemed to her that her words struck a cord deep within his heart. His face softened.

"We can't do this. Not here, not now, not ever." Case closed, end of story, he replied to her.

"Stop it! Don't say that, don't say that you can't be with me," she paused, lowering her voice to a mere whisper, "do I need to remind you we've done this before? Do you need me to refresh your memory of the kiss we shared; how you forgot to mention it to your girlfriend? She should know, Lucas; she should know the truth"

"I haven't forgotten. I will never forget," he stated simply, forcing his eyes away from her piercing stare. "And do not threaten me."

"I'm not trying to. I'm trying to get you to admit to your true feelings. I'm trying to get you to give me your heart, all of it, once and for all." She sighed heavily, "because you have mine, and I know it Lucas, I have to have yours."

"It's not right. We're not right," he insisted. To her, the look on his face showed he was lying, covering up.

They always say that actions speak louder than words, but in this case, it was the complete opposite. She needed to try Plan B. Throwing herself into his arms she aggressively pressed her lips against his, kissing him forcefully, she pushed her tongue into his mouth. He attempted to pull away, fighting her with every bit of strength in him, and then he didn't try at all. Only hesitating one second longer, he pulled her close and kissed her passionately.

(/end)

"NO!" Brooke screamed as she awoke from the horrendous nightmare which had invaded her subconscious. Quickly jolting up in bed, she panted loudly attempting to catch her breath. Running her hands through her hair, Brooke frantically looked around the room. Panic set in and she wondered where she was. Slowly but surely, the confusion which filled her mind began to clear. How did she get here? What had happened? Where was Lucas?

Lying back down in the uncomfortable hospital bed, she attempted to put the pieces of the puzzle back together. She could still taste the sickeningly sweet strawberry shake on her tongue. It brought a small smile to her face, though it didn't last long. Gradually it all came flooding back to her, how Lucas had so valiantly stood up for Peyton, how she had attempted to get away from both of them, and how right before she passed out she felt the hauntingly familiar feeling of heartache overcome her.

It was déjà vu, and she was so sick of living through the same torturous scenario time after time. Lucas and Peyton. Somehow it always came back to them. Why did he need to rescue her? Couldn't he see she needed to be rescued? Why did he defend her? Every time he stood up for Peyton she felt his disloyalty shinning through. She knew he didn't mean to hurt her. She knew he had the best of intentions, but that wasn't enough.

How many times could her heart possibly break? How many times would she be let down? How many times would she unintentionally put herself through this before she would finally give up for good? Why did she have to love him so damn much?

It was bad enough to constantly feel insecure and question her relationship with Lucas day after day, but now she was dreaming about Lucas and Peyton hooking up. Could it get any worse? She didn't want an up close and personal view of them professing their love for each other. It was the last thing she needed, but now their speeches of adoration were etched in her brain.

Mentally replaying the dream in her head, she cried silently. The entire episode, delusion or not, had brought back far too many memories she prayed she could forget. Memories of how heartbroken and deceived she felt when she had caught Lucas and Peyton together, all the while she had been falling in love for the first time. Memories of Peyton tearing her heart out when she told her she had feelings for her boyfriend, again, memories of how alone and misunderstood she felt when she realized that Lucas didn't understand why she was so upset at the wedding, plagued her. They just didn't get it, and they couldn't possibly understand.

Lucas and Peyton: The two people in the entire universe, who were supposed to know her best, didn't, and that killed her. Lucas went through life being the hero, the protector, the knight in shining armor to everyone but her. Peyton claimed to be her best friend, yet she still took the initiative to go behind her back and be dishonest with her, and then hurt her more by telling the truth. Brooke just didn't get it. What was she doing wrong, was she too trusting? Why did she always have to play the fool? If Peyton really cared she would've left her and Lucas alone.

Her emotions were still raw, open sores, and at this rate they would never heal. Every time she attempted to get over her insecurities, one more showed up. She knew she couldn't do this anymore. She couldn't feel this exposed and vulnerable every minute of every day. She couldn't go through life feeling like she could never let her guard down. And that's exactly how she felt.

"You did WHAT!" Lucas screamed angrily, throwing his hands up in the air.

This was not the response that Peyton had been hoping for, far from it. She knew he might be shocked, but she never figured he would be so mad. He must have had some inclination she felt this way, right?

"I'm sorry, but I had to---" Peyton was interrupted.

"You HAD to? YOU HAD TO! Peyton, we can't be here again! I can't do this. This isn't going to happen: Us. I'm sorry. I'm sorry if I ever led you on. I'm sorry I let you kiss me in the library. I'm sorry if I didn't make myself clear enough, but I'm in love Brooke! I'd NEVER hurt her again like we did before!" Lucas took several deep breaths as he attempted to clear his head. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. How could you? How could you do that to her, to me? You hurt both of us. I love her Peyton. She's the only one I ever want to be with."

Tears stung Peyton's eyes as her world came crashing down around her. All she could think about were all of the times he had stood up for her. He had saved her. He needed her, and she needed him back. Where had she gone wrong? How did she misread the signals? Everything suddenly unraveled before him.

"The whole thing, all of the issues Brooke and I have been having lately makes so much sense now. It's no wonder Brooke has been acting so weird around me. She's worried about losing me again."

"No, you don't understand---"

He didn't let her finish. At this point, he really didn't care what she had to say. He was absolutely furious. "No, YOU don't understand. I LOVE Brooke! We have both been working overtime trying to make our relationship work! It means everything to me. She means everything to me and you tried to ruin that. You know how hurt Brooke was last year, you saw her cry! You saw how incredibly insecure she was, yet you still did this to her? Did you honestly think for a second my love for her would just disappear when you came running to me with this, and what was the purpose of telling her, Peyton? Did you think she'd understand? You're out of your mind."

His harsh words shocked her. "I was thinking maybe all of the times that you left her side to see me meant something. I though maybe, just maybe, you cared about me, too, and were just too afraid to give us a try. I was thinking that…that maybe we had a chance…at something real." Her eyes were welling up with tears. The words she spoke were filled with hope. Hope that he was slowly killing.

"We don't. I can't believe you would do this. I can't believe you thought I'd leave her for you. She's the only one I'm in love with."

Realizing how heartbroken she was, he attempted to let her down gently. "Peyton, I did care—we've been through a lot together, and I will never forget all of the times that we've been there for each other."

Seeing a window of opportunity, Peyton looked up into his eyes, "Neither will I. You're always saving me…" Realizing that she was coming in for a kiss, Lucas dodged to the left, avoiding her attempt at yet another mistake.

He put his hands on her shoulders and kept her at arms-length, "And I loved being that guy for you" he confessed.

"Loved? Why past tense?" Peyton whimpered.

"Because. I can't be that guy for you anymore" Lucas answered, having a revelation. He couldn't keep running to her rescue every time she needed something. If he was going to be with Brooke, really be with Brooke, he was going to have to let go of what he once shared with Peyton. He was going to have to sacrifice his friendship with Peyton and go for something much more meaningful with his girlfriend. Peyton had hurt them both so much and yet she didn't see it. He couldn't afford to stay in both girls' lives. He had to stay by Brooke or he'd lose her for good, and that was something he couldn't risk. His heart wouldn't be able to take it.

"What? Why?" Peyton was frantically attempting to save their relationship.

"Y'know, I have to thank you Peyton," he paused, "This whole slip-up has made me realize how unfair I have been to Brooke, how unfair we've both been. All of this time I've been running to you. I've been saving you. I'm glad I could help, really—" Lucas was interrupted, by Peyton's gentle plea.

"You can still be happy, Luke" she begged.

"But there's something in this life that makes me even happier, and that's Brooke. I need to stop this. I need to stop telling her that I love her, only to run off to you. I need to step up to the plate. I need to erase her insecurities once and for all. She deserves that. I want to give her that because I can't imagine being without her. I need her and I want her more than any person or any thing." Obviously, there was no changing his mind.

"Luke…" Peyton pleaded, walking up to him and attempting to put her arms around him.

"No." Was all Lucas said, as he stepped away. "I'm sorry I let it go this far—this long" he answered firmly as he walked back inside, leaving a distraught and heartbroken Peyton behind.

"Hey, you're awake! It's about time!" Lucas smiled as he walked into Brooke's room and saw her sitting up in bed. After she didn't respond, he took a closer look. She was starring absentmindedly at the wall, avoiding all eye contact. A stern look was plastered across her face. He suddenly became very worried. "Are you okay?" He asked sincerely.

When Brooke finally spoke, Lucas didn't like what he heard. "I don't think I can do this anymore."