See? I told you I'd get back into regular updates. :) Thanks for being so patient about the last update. I still can't figure out why it wouldn't let me upload the document, but whatever. Thanks for the reviews too. And yes, Karen found her. Lucas wasn't exactly smart about 'hiding' Peyton. So continuing on from last chapter, here's the next update. Enjoy.

"I-she…we…"

Karen raised her eyebrows and stared at her son as he attempted to utter an explanation. Lucas's mouth was still open wide as he fiddled with the paper in front of him. It was obvious that he hadn't thought of what his mother would say if she found Peyton. Hell, he hadn't even thought about the possibility of his mother seeing her.

"Luke," Karen said softly. "Don't lie to me. I'm not mad; I'm concerned. I just want to know what she's doing here."

Lucas inhaled deeply and hung his head. He was unsure whether he should speak up or not; he didn't want to upset Peyton but part of him was sure she'd understand if he told his mom. After all, she had to know that living in his house would raise questions. He just wished he didn't have to be the one to answer them.

Lucas glanced at his mother before speaking. "She showed up last night," he said after a brief silence. "Well, this morning, actually- it was around three. She just needed a place to stay. I thought I'd give that to her." He purposely avoided the subject of her injuries. He didn't want to tell Karen only to find that Peyton had been planning to hide for as long as she could.

Karen gave Lucas a dubious look and crossed her arms. "And the cuts, the bruises- they just fell down from heaven?" she asked skeptically. Lucas could tell from her tone that she was going to push him into telling her no matter how long it took. Her voice sounded intrigued but deeply worried.

Lucas groaned and rubbed his hands over his tired face. "Okay, I give in," he said in a strangled voice. "But if she's angry at me for saying something, you can tell her that you forced it out of me. I don't want her upset with me." He took a long, deep breath before continuing. "She hasn't told me flat out what happened. I asked her if a guy did it and she all but admitted it. I guess she had a boyfriend in New York who… wasn't that nice." Lucas was a little shocked to feel anger rising in him as he spoke. He suddenly felt very warm and noticed he was shaking slightly. He swallowed heavily.

Karen let out a small gasp, her hand covering her mouth. She was visibly upset at this news, even if she'd been expecting it. After a long silence she dropped her hand. "Is she okay?" Karen whispered.

Lucas shrugged his shoulders. He wasn't sure if Peyton was okay. She seemed to be holding up quite well, but it bothered him that she refused to speak about anything. He was worried that maybe there was something she wasn't telling him, something much worse than what had already been done to her.

Karen grabbed Lucas's hand in her own and gave him a small squeeze. "She can stay here as long as she needs to," she told him, sounding much more loving and motherly than she had a few minutes before.

Lucas nodded numbly, staring at the table without really seeing it. For the first time since Peyton had showed up, it began to hit him what was going on. Images swirled in his head of some man, nameless and faceless, hitting her, forcing her to the floor. He felt his blood boil. Clenching his jaw, he moved his gaze to Karen's face. "She'll be okay," he assured her, as well as himself. "She just needs someone right now."

Karen smiled at her son and pulled him into a quick hug. "I know she does," she whispered. "She's lucky to have you, Luke. I can tell you'll do a great job taking care of her." She pulled back, dabbing at her eyes with the back of her hand. "I'm going to get set up for dinner. I'll put out an extra plate for her. Why don't you go talk to her?"

Lucas nodded and got to his feet. As he reached the edge of the kitchen he turned around. Karen was setting up three plates on the table, looking lost in thought. "Mom?" Lucas said. Karen glanced up at him and he continued. "Thank you." Giving her half-smile, he continued out of the room.

Lucas entered his own bedroom seconds later. "Peyton?" he called, closing the door behind him. She wasn't on the bed anymore. His gaze moved around the room, searching for her. As his eyes lowered to the floor, he felt his heart stop.

Peyton was laying on the ground, sprawled on her back with her arms and legs at odd angles, her face pale as ever. She wasn't moving at all.

Lucas fell to his knees beside her, his heart now thumping loudly against his ribcage. He felt like he couldn't breathe. His hands shook as he held them out to touch her shoulder. She was very warm. Unsure of what to do, he lifted her head in his hands and moved behind her. He rested her head back on his knees and began to stroke her hair, whispering nonsense words to her.

"Come on, Peyt," he muttered, his voice breaking. "Open your eyes."

He sat like that for a few minutes, but it felt like hours. Peyton still showed no sign of reaction. It was nearly five minutes later that her eyes began to flutter open. Lucas drew in a deep, calming breath, his hands still stroking her messy curls.

"Peyton?" he asked. She moved slightly, trying to get up, but he pressed her shoulders down softly. "Don't get up. Just…recover, okay?"

Peyton groaned and closed her eyes tiredly. "What happened?" she asked. She was still very pale and seemed dazed.

"I came back in here and you were on the floor," Lucas replied, pulling a strand of hair off her face. "You must've passed out." He scanned the room and spotted a half-full bottle of water on the dresser beside his bed. Gently, he rested her head back against the floor as he rose to his feet.

Peyton gave another small moan. "I felt dizzy," she commented, looked confused. "I remember talking to you and the room was spinning." She coughed as Lucas approached her with the water.

"Here," he said, sitting down next to her. He tenderly lifted her head off the floor, and then reached for the open bottle. "You should drink some water. You're probably dehydrated." Carefully, he leaned her head back and poured some water down her throat.

Peyton swallowed and let out a small laugh. "God, I feel so helpless." Forcing herself into a slumped sit, she glanced at Lucas. Her head spun for a second, so that his face seemed to be a blur of colors, but after a moment she regained composure. He was smiling at her with sad eyes.

"Peyton," he began awkwardly, "I'm really sorry, but I kind of told my mom what happened." He moved back as Peyton shot up, her eyes wide and shock registering clearly on her face. "Look, she saw you in here! And she kept pressing me about it…so I just told her. I'm sorry, but it was the only way I could keep you here."

Peyton took a heavy breath, resting her head on her knees. Lucas felt a pang in his heart as he stared at her. She seemed so defeated. It was like she was so tired, so hurt from everything she'd been through, that she didn't want to try anymore. After a painful silence, she said sadly, "She probably thinks I'm an idiot, your mom. For staying with him."

Lucas immediately put an arm around her, pulling her into a close hug. "Nobody thinks you're an idiot," he consoled her. "You're a victim, Peyton, and anyone who sees it differently is the idiot."

She raised her eyebrows at him. "You thought I was an idiot," she commented darkly.

Lucas's hand slid under her chin, raising her face to his. When she looked at him, she saw a fire in his eyes. But it wasn't anger, it wasn't hate or hurt. There was a determined look in his eyes. "I never thought you were an idiot," he told her fiercely. "I would never think that of you! I just didn't know what else to say. Listen to me, Peyton." He moved his hand to her right cheek and put the other on her left, so that he was cupping her face. His blue eyes refused to leave her face. "You are an amazing girl. You can't beat yourself up for something someone did to you, and you definitely shouldn't expect us to."

Peyton gazed at him sadly, her eyes welling with tears for what felt like the thousandth time that day. She couldn't remember ever feeling this sad, this lost and alone. More than anything she just wanted things to go back to how they'd been before she'd left. Back when she'd been happy. When she'd left for New York, she'd told herself she needed it. She forced herself to believe that Tree Hill was making her life worse and that a change was best. But when she looked back, she realized that the happiest she'd been in her life was before she took off. The time when Brooke was her best friend, when she went to Haley for advice, and when she and Nathan would sit outside and laugh about the past. The time when she and Lucas would sit together, each in their own world but together all the time, with this silent connection that said everything they couldn't put into words. She wanted it all back.

"So…what's for dinner?" Peyton couldn't think of anything else to say.

Lucas gave her a toothy smile. "I don't know. Maybe we should find out." He got to his feet and held out a hand to help her up. "Do you think you'll be okay to stand?"

Peyton rolled her eyes slightly at him, then grabbed his hand and put him pull her to her feet. Stifling a yawn, she murmured. "I hope dinner isn't awkward. With your mom and all."

Lucas wrapped an arm around her waist as they turned toward the door. "It won't be," he told her in a comforting voice. "I promise."

--

He had been partially right. The dinner had gone quite smoothly, without any questions about Peyton's injuries or her boyfriend back in New York. But the way Karen avoided discussing the issues became quite obvious halfway through the meal, causing the air to become thicker with tension. Peyton had tried her best to smile and seem happy, but it was apparent to Lucas that she just wanted to crawl in bed and fall asleep. They finished dinner rather quickly, and telling Karen they were exhausted they retreated back to Lucas's room.

"Here." Lucas fluffed the pillow on his bed and turned to Peyton. "I'm sure it'll be very comfortable. And if your arm is bothering you, we've got the painkillers in the kitchen. The bottle says to take one every twelve hours."

Peyton rubbed the back of her neck, hundreds of thoughts appearing on her face. "Lucas," she said weakly, "you can have the bed. The floor's a terrible place to sleep."

Lucas ignored her and sat down on his mattress of blankets beside the bed. Lying back against the pillows, he yawned. "The floor is fine," he told her. "Besides, my mom definitely wouldn't be fine with us sharing a bed. And there's no way in hell I'm giving you the floor." He smiled up at her, nodding toward the bed. "Face it- I'm being nice and you're just gonna have to deal with it."

Peyton gave him a light kick and a goofy grin. Jumping into the bed, she pulled the covers close to her face. She rolled onto her side, and heard Lucas to the same below her.

Reaching his hand to turn out the light, he called, "Goodnight." Peyton gave a small grunt in reply. Lucas rolled onto his back and gazed up at the white ceiling, his mind clouded with thoughts.

He was still awake nearly two hours later. Pushing himself into a sitting position, he turned toward his bed. Peyton had her back to him, her shoulders moving in a steady rhythm. "Peyton?" he asked in the darkness, but she gave a small snore and he knew that she'd fallen asleep.

He continued to stare at her back for quite some time, watching her back heaving up and down with every breath she took. Every now and then she would let out a soft snore and he would smile. When he went to lie back down, he found himself sitting up again, just to make sure she was okay. For a long moment he watched her sleeping, grinning to himself all the while, and feeling himself relaxing. As tiredness took over his body, he opened his mouth, preparing to bid her goodnight again. Instead he found his mouth working on its own.

"I love you."