"Dammitt", Peyton cursed as she knicked her finger.

There was a tiny trace of blood that she quickly wiped away before heading back to the task at hand. She barely felt it anyway, noticing the hard calluses forming on her hands. They looked rather gross and for a minute Peyton almost smiled just thinking about the distraught look that would have crossed Brooke's face had she seen the dreadfully unfeminine sight. "P. Sawyer, you needed a manicure like yesterday! Salon, now!" But as quickly as the thought came into her mind, it faded. Laughing and giggling, enjoying girl time and doing normal teenage things like getting manicures didn't exist anymore. And neither did Brooke. Peyton's world was different, far from anything considered norm.

Squinting in the dimness, she tried to move the candle closer over. It was hard to see. But there was enough light, barely, to let her continue her project, the only thing she had to pass away the long and lonely hours in captivity. Etching a little harder, she used the dulling tip of the belt buckle to carve another number. It was the only thing she had. In the corner of the room she had managed to draw a makeshift calendar in her primitive surroundings. Using the information Derek had given her about the timeline of her kidnapping and the current date, she had gone from there. It was the only thing that kept her sanity, her only connection with the outside world.

So into her work, she almost didn't hear the door open. She almost didn't hear him storming about and for a few seconds he was oblivious to her doings as well. Derek had other things on his mind, mainly that pesky, meddling Lucas Scott. The impromptu meeting and conversation that had followed between the two men had unnerved Derek. His plan was going so well. Sure there were bumps along the way but everything was on its way to working itself out. He was saving his money. He had a car and a cross country map and half a plan. It was all so close to coming true, the dream he had had in his heart for two years. He and Peyton were on the verge of a life of happiness together. All he needed was a little more time. Then along came Lucas, always trying to save the day and be the hero.

He was surprised but he had held it together…at first. Lucas wasn't nearly as smart as he thought he was. None of them were. In fact, Derek had one upped them all. He was the one who had Peyton and no one knew where she was. But then Lucas had launched into that malarkey about calling the police and going to the media. Derek had never wanted to punch out his rival more than at that moment. Cops definitely made him nervous but he had played it off. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, right? Wasn't that the old saying? Brilliant! What better way than to keep them off their trail than pretending to be on their side? It was the perfect way to buy time and keep from getting caught.

And then there was Peyton. Should he even tell her what happened? Should he tell her that Lucas and her father had teamed up to look for her? What would she do? What would his love say? Deciding it would cause too much ruckus, Derek shook off the notion. He'd deal with that later. It was time to relax and enjoy his time with her but what the hell was she doing over in that damned corner?

"Peyton!"

His voice bellowed and she jumped a little. It was still taking some getting used to, that voice. It was a different sounding voice than the one of her friend. It was evil and loud and sarcastic. It put the fear of God in her.

"Derek…"

He eyed her carefully, taking slow, deliberate steps in her direction. His heart pounded as he balled up his fist. God, he hated doing that. He hated having to put a little disciplinary action on her but sometimes Peyton provoked it.

"What are you doing?"

He looked angry and anxious. What the hell else was new? Swallowing hard, Peyton inadvertently covered the carvings with her body. She hadn't done anything bad or wrong but it was hard to explain when he was approaching her like that.

"I…"

"What's going on?" he snarled.

"Derek!"

There was no time to explain as he grabbed her roughly by her shoulder. She let out a whimper as he carelessly tossed her about like a rag doll.

"What the fuck is this, Peyton?"

It was hard to see. He saw the belt. It look like she was trying to write something, carving something. There were lines drawn into neat little boxes. Inside each was a number and letters. He adjusted his eyes and realized that it was some sort of calendar.

"Don't!" she half screamed, half pleaded as he tried to kick it with the sole of his shoe.

"What are you doing?"

He was in her face. His eyes were dark again and he was clearly angry. From the corner of her eye she saw his clenched, pulsating fist and the last thing she wanted was to feel it pounding against her face.

"It's just a stupid calendar!" she yelled rather hysterically at the top of her lungs.

"What?"

"I, I made it. I was trying to remember the days when you told me. It…it's my only way to keep track of time."

His heart raced. What was she up to? Why was she so concerned with time?

"It's stupid. I want you to stop doing it."

He took away the belt, pushing her roughly into the wall.

"No!"

Derek bit his lip. He hated when she acted like that. Letting out a grunt, he drew his hand back as she cowered, tears filling her eyes.

"What the fuck did I say?" he asked in his most menacing, threatening voice.

She didn't want to get hit and she didn't want to argue. She just wanted to know what day it was. What was so bad about that? Why couldn't he just let her have that one thing?

"I'm sorry! God!" she cried. "I don't have anything here! I'm scared and I'm lonely! I don't know where I am! I feel like I'm going crazy, like it isn't even real! Please! God, Derek, I don't ask you for a lot but I am begging you. Why? Why can't I please just have this one thing?"

A tear fell down her face as he pulled back. He was still mad, then it happened. He felt it. Out of nowhere, she touched him. He felt her hand tugging gently at his wrist and it touched his heart.

"Fine", he finally relented. "Just, just be quiet with it, okay?"

She nodded, half grateful, half hating him. He gave her the belt back and she retreated to her corner, silently going back to her project, all the while fearful as her back was turned to him. For the moment there was nothing to fear as so wound up from the evening's events, Derek settled into a restless nap. It wouldn't last long and soon she could feel his eyes staring right through her.

"Derek?" she finally whispered, even as her body trembled.

"What?"

"What…what's gonna happen?"

The curiosity was eating her alive inside. It was a question she had to know the answer to, even though she feared the truth.

"What do you mean?"

She tried not to cry as her bottom lip quivered uncontrollably.

"What will happen with us? I mean, we, we can't stay here forever. What are you gonna do with me?"

He took a deep breath. Peyton was right about one thing…they couldn't stay there holed up forever.

"I've got a few more things to take care of. I've got to get some shit together like money and stuff and then we'll move. It shouldn't be too much longer."

The thought didn't bring comfort. It was absolutely horrific where they were but what if the next place was worse?

"Where are we moving?"

"I don't know yet. I mean, I can't tell you. But it'll be someplace nice. Maybe we'll get a small house or something if we can afford it, you know, something for us to fix up. And it'll have a yard and we, we could get a dog, if you want. And you'd have plenty of room to do your art. And I'll work and it'll be good, like a real family. More important, we'll be together, Peyton. That is the only thing that matters."

She closed her eyes. Was he insane? She didn't want to play housewife to him in a quaint little fixer upper and she hated dogs. Peyton wasn't interested in any of that. What she wanted was her life back, the one his insanity had cruelly snatched from her.

"Derek, um, sooner or later, people are gonna know…"

"Know what?" he calmly kept his cool.

Peyton knew she was skating on thin ice. A few feet away sat a ticking human time bomb ready to explode at any given moment.

"They…they'll know about me. People will figure out that I, I'm missing and they're gonna come looking for me."

He stared off into space. He wasn't stupid. Hadn't she realized that yet?

"I've got it all figured out, Peyton. We'll just have to go someplace where nobody can find us. That's what starting over is all about, right?"

Wrong! Wrong, wrong, wrong! She wanted to scream!

"Derek, you can't. This doesn't make any sense."

"It makes perfect sense."

"I know, look, I know we make mistakes and sometimes it feels like it's so bad that we can't turn around. But it's not hopeless, Derek. You haven't gone too far. You, you, you've taken care of me…"

"What are you saying, Peyton?"

"I'm saying you can end this all right now", she blurted out.

"Don't be stupid."

"I'm not! I…"

"Don't fucking get hysterical!" his voice suddenly rose. "Jesus, Peyton! I'm not in the mood right now! Don't start! Do you understand?"

"Derek…"

He thought his obsession for her was true love. All she was doing was searching for the right words, anything to break through to him.

"Understand?"

His voice shook the room like an earthquake. Peyton did the only thing she could and that was retreat. A few minutes later, she had cried herself to sleep and only then could Derek breathe again. Why did she have to be so damned difficult? So stubborn? He guessed that was part of the reason he had fallen for her in the first place. The cramped space was getting to her, to both of them. Cabin fever, they called it. Just a little while longer and it would be okay, he thought as he crawled next to her. Just a little while longer.