AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm sorry about the long wait for an update. For some reason this site was uploading the document. I still don't know why in the hell it wouldn't, but what matters is that I finally got it up. I'll be updating regularly now. I hope you enjoy the chapter.

Lucas pulled his car into the driveway, squinting his eyes against the bright sun. Putting the car in park, he turned to his left and smiled. Peyton was fast asleep, her head resting on her left shoulder and her heavily bandaged arm in her lap. Her mouth was open slightly and she was letting out soft snores every once in a while.

Not wanting to wake her, Lucas slipped open his door and stepped out quietly. He hurried to her side of the car and pulled the door open. Gently, Lucas placed on Peyton's back and the other under her legs. He lifted her slowly, kicking the car door shut with his foot. Peyton's head rolled to her other shoulder, her eyebrows creasing, and her breathing became heavier. Lucas could immediately tell she was having a bad dream.

He carried her to the door, becoming more aware of how light she was with every step he took. It was a difficult task to open the door and hold it with Peyton in his arms, but a few minutes later Lucas entered his room and tiptoed to his bed. He put her down as tenderly as he could, then reached for the blankets and tucked her in.

Lucas turned around and was about to walk away when Peyton cried out in her sleep. Turning back to her, Lucas saw that she was rolling from side to side, her face screwed up in fear, muttering incoherently. He hurried back to the bed and leaned over her, putting his hands on her shoulders comfortingly, hoping to calm her. But Peyton reacted terribly to being touched; hitting his arms violently, she let out a muffled scream and continued to thrash about. Lucas bit his lip, unsure what to do, then sat on the bed and grabbed her arms. She fought back strongly, but Lucas held on, lifting her into a sitting position and trying his best to wake her.

"Peyton!" he cried, shaking her slightly. "Peyton, wake up! You're just dreaming!"

With a loud cry, Peyton opened her eyes. She stopped moving immediately, staring around the room with wide eyes. Her gaze moved to Lucas, her eyes filling with tears. He reacted instantly, wrapping his arms around her tightly.

"You're okay," he whispered as she let out a loud sob. "You're perfectly safe."

Peyton cried against his chest for a few more minutes, just as she'd done the night before. When she finally pulled away, she wiped her eyes and bit her lip, looking lost. Lucas searched her face with a sad smile. After a moment, Peyton threw herself back against the pillows, pulling the blanket over herself.

Lucas put a soft hand on her shoulder. "Are you going to be okay?" he asked, to which Peyton nodded her head quickly. Lucas took his hand off her shoulder and backed off the bed. "You should go back to sleep. You really need it."

Peyton turned onto her other side, facing him. She looked slightly angry, her nose scrunched and her forehead creased, but when she spoke it was in a mock-stern tone. "Don't you stay here watching over me," she ordered. "I'll be fine by myself. You just go out and do…whatever it is that you do."

Lucas raised his eyebrows, an amused smile coming on his face as he noticed how damn cute she looked when she wrinkled her nose. "Fine," he said, raising his arms in defeat.

"I get it; you can take care of yourself."

Peyton nodded happily at his response, but almost immediately her face paled and her eyes started to droop. "Guess I'm more tired than I thought," she laughed sleepily. Lucas gave her a concerned look and started forward, but she held up her hand. "I'm fine," she assured him, lying back on the bed. "I just haven't really slept in a few days."

Lucas stared at her for a minute, feeling tense, but relaxed as he watched her close her eyes. He walked backwards toward the door. Putting his hand on the knob, he called back, "I'm gonna go get you some things. Do you need anything specifically?" He could feel himself blushing. "Like- feminine products…?"

Peyton let out a drowsy laugh, her eyes still closed. "No, I'm fine," she murmured. She rolled onto her side, her breathing becoming visibly steadier.

Lucas stood with his hand on the door for another long moment, making sure Peyton had indeed fallen asleep. When he was sure she was out, he opened the door and stepped out. He took one last look inside before he closed the door. Peyton was turned away from him, her body moving in a steady rhythm with her breathing.

"Sleep tight, Peyton."

--

Lucas entered the doors of the convenience store, the warm air rushing against his face. In his left hand he held a list of things to pick up, including hair products, toothpaste, and face wash. He walked swiftly towards the hair care aisle, glancing around for familiar faces.

"Luke!"

Lucas turned to see who had called him. His face broke into a grin at the approaching boy. "Hey, Nate," he said, giving his half-brother a quick pat on the back. Nathan was holding two bags of Doritos and a large bottle of Pepsi. "Are you having a party?" Lucas asked casually.

Nathan smiled and shook his head. "Not really. Haley's out with Brooke all day so I'm having a few of the guys over for poker." He raised his eyebrows at Lucas. "I called you at least six times to invite you. How come you didn't answer?"

Lucas shifted slightly, thinking hard on the spot. "I've just been busy," he responded weakly.

Nathan smiled. "Whatever. So can you come? We start Texas Holdem at nine."

Lucas smiled back but shook his head. "Sorry, man," he said. "I got a new book from the library, I thought I'd start it tonight." He mentally praised himself for remembering the excuse he'd used on Brooke. "Maybe some other time."

Nathan raised his eyebrows. "I don't believe you," he informed Lucas, "but you're obviously pretty intent on keeping something from me, so I won't even try to figure it out. See you around."

Lucas gave him a thankful smile and a good-bye before turning down the aisle. He glanced up at the walls full of different types of shampoos and conditioners, not sure which to pick. Special for curly hair or for blondes? he asked himself, gazing at the two bottles. He scratched his head. After a moment he put the latter back on the shelf and proceeded down the aisle.

Lucas mentally thanked God that he wasn't a girl as he stared at the wall of products. There were three long rows of different types of deodorants, each with a different brand or scent, some coming with a free bottle of body spray. He tiled his head slightly to the side, confusion registering on his face. For him, he lived on what products his mom purchased. He remembered one time when he had gone shopping with Haley, and she'd spent twenty minutes in the same aisle browsing through types of mascara. Closing his eyes, Lucas held his hand out and grabbed one of the products in front of him. It seemed fine, so he quickly continued to the next aisle.

He was thankful that no one else he knew showed up. It would've raised a few suspicions to Brooke or Haley if they saw him juggling bottles of "Sleek and Shine Hair Serum" or "Maybelline Express Mascara". Lucas wasn't sure when Peyton was going to be ready to tell people she was back. He supposed she just wanted to get settled in and feel safe before she revealed herself to all her old friends. Still, he worried about her. It was obvious she needed to talk someone and Lucas wasn't sure he was the one to do that. As far as he could tell, it would be far easier for Peyton to talk to a girl about what had been happening while she was gone. Lucas was determined to be there for her, but if she didn't want him there he would give her the space she needed. He sighed. He just wished she'd let him know what she wanted.

--

Lucas finally returned home nearly an hour later, clad with four plastic bags full of items for Peyton. He dropped the bags in his room, glad to see that she was still asleep. She was curled up near the end of the bed now, facing him, looking much more peaceful than she had earlier. She must've been a very light sleeper, because the second he stepped nearer to her, her eyes shot open.

"Hey there," Lucas greeted her. "Did you sleep well?"

Peyton sat up, rubbing her eyes tiredly with her right hand. She let out a long yawn, stretching her arms behind her back. Scratching the back of her neck, she replied, "Yeah, I suppose."

Lucas crossed his arms in front of himself, not entirely convinced. "Are you still tired?" he asked in a concerned voice. Peyton shrugged half-heartedly, her eyes still drooping. She really hasn't slept in days.

Lucas reached for one of the bags he'd gotten from the store and placed it on the bed in beside Peyton. Taking a seat on the edge of the bed, he began to sift through it. "I got you a few things," he commented. Glancing at the pile of bags on the floor, he corrected himself. "Well, I got you a lot of things. I figured you needed it. Here."

Peyton sat up straighter as Lucas poured the contents of the bag over her bed. She was surprised to see it was full of make-up, a lot of it. Lucas picked up three bottles of foundation and held them in front of her.

"I noticed you didn't have any makeup," he began, "and I figured you might want to cover…that… up once in a while." He finished the sentence awkwardly, gesturing at the black and purple surrounding her right eye. Peyton rubbed the back of her neck, feeling self-conscious. After a moment, Lucas continued, his tone slightly amused. "Anyway, I didn't know what color to get- seriously, there had to be a thousand there, how do you choose? - so I just grabbed three that looked…kind of similar."

Peyton grabbed the three bottles away from him. She held the first up against her cheek, knowing immediately that it was too dark. "Lucas, how could you possibly think this was my tone?" she asked scornfully.

Lucas dropped his mouth in a mock upset fashion. "Hey, I slaved away for over an hour finding you makeup!"

Peyton burst out laughing at hit him playfully on the arm. "I'm kidding," she smiled. Dropping two of the bottles from her right hand, she held the last one up. "This one," she began with a smile, "is actually the same I've been using since I was thirteen. So thank you."

Lucas gave her a warm smile, and then reached for another bag. "I also got you…" he opened the bag and went through it. "Some shampoo- Special for curly hair, just for you- and, oh, here's some Apricot Sensation Body Wash- I picked that one specially because it smelled really good."

Peyton couldn't help but smile at how excited he seemed as he went through the bags. It had been almost fifteen minutes by the time they finished. Lucas threw the last bag on the floor and stood up as Peyton's stomach let out a loud growl.

"Are you hungry?"

Peyton held her stomach. "Obviously," she said in a slightly sarcastic voice, but she grinned at him all the same.

Lucas beamed back. "How about I go inside and grab you something?" he proposed. "And you can just rest up. You still look like hell."

Peyton rolled her eyes at him. "Ass," she said, putting her legs over the edge of the bed. "I expect my food here in three minutes, no less." She scooted to the edge of the mattress and got to her feet.

Almost immediately she swayed on the spot. Closing her eyes tightly, she held her hands out to balance herself, her knees shaking weakly. Lucas started forward, looking concerned, but she stopped him. "I'm fine, just a little dizzy. I just stood up to fast." Regaining composure, she gave Lucas a teasingly look. "Why are you still here?"

Lucas gave her a lopsided grin. "Alright, your highness," he said, backing away toward the door. "I'll be back in a bit." He gave her one last lingering smile before exiting the room.

--

He walked into the kitchen, eager to find Peyton and himself something to eat. As he entered he saw his mom sitting at the table, looking through the newspaper, a cup of warm tea in her hand. Karen glanced up as she saw Lucas and gave him a smile.

"Don't go eating now," she told him sternly as Lucas pulled out bread, peanut butter, and jelly. "Dinner will be ready in an hour. I don't want you spoiling it."

Lucas groaned and put the contents on the table. Taking a seat beside his mother, he reached for a page of the paper. Karen set her mug down on the table rather loudly and turned in her seat to face him. There was an amused, but slightly irritated, expression on her face. Lucas raised his eyebrows.

"What's up with you?" he asked.

Karen's face became tenser as she stared at Lucas with worried eyes. "Lucas, I need to ask you something."

Lucas shrugged his shoulders, sitting up straighter. Placing the paper down, he said, "Fire away."

Karen inhaled deeply. "Why," she asked, "is Peyton Sawyer- who we haven't seen in months- covered in bruises in your bed?"

Lucas gaped at her.