Lucas blushed as he unbuckled his jeans. He pulled them down, letting them sink to the floor in a heap. From across the way, Peyton glanced over and shot him a shy smile. It had been over a week since their new living arrangements and so far, so good. The two teenagers had settled into domestic bliss, happily playing house. Lucas was there to watch over her, the ever loving and loyal protective boyfriend. In Lucas' arms was the one place she felt out of harm's way but even in the crook of his embrace, the pretty blonde was quickly finding out that even the safest of havens still couldn't completely protect her from the demons that haunted her. A chill rushed over her spine, leaving a trail of fine goose bumps that covered her bare arms.

"What?"

His voice brought her back to reality.

"What do you mean what?"

"You know what I mean. I see you looking, checking out the goods. Sizing up the merchandise," he teased.

Peyton playfully rolled her eyes, picking up a pillow and tossing it at him.

"Whatever," she mouthed.

Standing in his black Calvin Klein boxer briefs, he turned back the cover to her, now their bed. He crawled inside, clutching a tattered copy of one of one of his favorite books from the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle collection of Sherlock Holmes stories. He adored the tale of the heroic sleuth who had eventually sacrificed himself to bring down the bad guy.

"I'll turn the light off in a minute. I'm just gonna read a few pages. You coming to bed soon?" he asked, not even bothering to look up from his reading.

Peyton cleared her throat.

"Yeah, um, in a minute."

She disappeared into the bathroom that adjoined to her bedroom. Glancing from the corner of her eye, she made sure he was still engrossed in his book. In the medicine cabinet she fumbled behind the box that contained tampons, searching for the small bottle. Peyton took a quick look at the prescription pills. The physicians at the hospital in Tennessee had treated her with Ambien for sleep disturbances following her horrific ordeal. She had been told to use them as needed, but truth be told, she hadn't needed them at all. Lately her nerves had been on edge. Sleep was the last thing she wanted. Life with Lucas had been wonderful but still Peyton couldn't shake that uneasy feeling. The later at night it became, the worse the feeling was like something was after her. It couldn't be controlled and even in Lucas' arms, she felt for the first time she couldn't be protected. Sleep had become less and less easy as the nights went on. She could run but she could no longer hide. Something, some one was out to get her, catching up with her. Pushing past the Ambien, she reached for a bottle of NoDoz and popped a handful in her mouth.

"Hey you," he smiled as she finally crawled into bed with him. "You tired?"

"Yeah," Peyton lied.

He put his book away and shut off the beside lamp, pulling his petite girlfriend's body closer to him.

"I'm pretty beat," Lucas sighed in the darkness. "Oh, I forgot…I have to get up pretty early in the morning. Mom is short handed and I promised I'd open up the café and supervise the a.m. shift. I won't be gone too long. Maybe you could stop by for breakfast after you wake up."

"Yeah, um, that's cool. I, I'll give you a call."

He gave her a peck on the forehead, wrapping his arms around her. Lucas was exhausted but fighting sleep, he waited for her to go first. Holding her in his arms he felt the need to safeguard her from the world and all that was wrong with it. She'd had such a hard time. He could only rest when he knew she was comfortable and at peace beside him. After a few minutes, he could feel the stillness of her body in his arms. He smiled and whispered aloud that he loved her before letting his eyes, already so heavy with fatigue, finally give way to sleep.

Peyton lay perfectly still. She was hip to the game. She knew what he was doing. And every night, she had played along. Soon Lucas was snoring softly beside her. And her heart began to pound. She could feel it coming. The physical, emotional and mental exhaustion within was too much, almost too powerful for the pills she had just swallowed. She felt her eyes and her body giving way several times but just the moment before it happened, she would catch herself.

She slowly wriggled from Lucas' embrace. He stirred in his sleep but simply turned over. Peyton held her breath, making sure indeed he was out like a light. Giving it a few minutes, she rolled onto her side, desperately fighting the sleep. She counted, recited her ABCs, tried to will her mind to busy itself with something, anything other than sleep. But it was no use. Eventually it, like everything else, got the best of her…

Peyton opened her eyes. She wanted to close them tight again. She knew where she was. She could see it. She could smell it. She could even feel it deep in her bones. It was a suffocating existence. The darkness was like a thick cloud sucking the life out of her, making it difficult to breathe. It was hell, her own private hell, a place she had fought desperately to get away from but no matter what, it always had a way of bringing her back. When she lost her battles at night, she would be taken there and the horror would begin all over again.

"Peyton…"

His voice. God, his voice! How she hated the way he called her name. It made her sick to her stomach. It made her blood run cold.

"No," she shook her head.

He flashed a sinister grin.

"You've come back to me."

"No…"

"You always come back."

He walked towards her, his footsteps slow and deliberate, hypnotizing her as she stood frozen with fear.

"Leave me alone."

But he would never leave her alone. He approached her and she shuddered where she stood. There was no way out, nowhere to go, nowhere to run. His hands touched her, rubbing all over her and she could feel his breath against her neck.

"You belong to me, Peyton. We belong together. Always."

"Stop it! Don't!"

His hands traveled up her flat stomach, over the soft material of her bra and finally to her neck.

"Come with me, Peyt. It's so much better over here. We can be together forever. Nothing can stop me, stop us, don't you see that?"

Tears slid down her face but she stood steadfast and defiant.

"I will never be with you. I will never love you. Go back to hell where you belong, Derek!"

"I belong with you."

His eyes were so dark, so frightening.

"This isn't real," she shook her head. "You're not real."

He whispered in her ear, kissing the lobe in between words.

"I am very real. I am apart of you that you cannot escape, Peyton. Every time you come to me at night, you leave another sweet piece of yourself. Pretty soon you will be mine, all mine."

"No! It's over, Derek! It's over!"

"It'll never be over."

"This isn't happening! You're dead!"

With his arms around her, she could feel the impending doom enveloping her. She was too weak for his fight and she knew it. He had her right where he wanted her, bleeding her very soul.

"Death is better."

Lucas yawned and rubbed his eyes. It was after two in the morning. Restless, he sat up, looking over at his girlfriend who had rolled onto her side. Placing a quick kiss on the part of her arm exposed by the short sleeved tee shirt, he swung his long legs over the bed and stood. Careful not to wake her, he walked through the dark and down the stairs. He poured himself a glass of ice water in the kitchen and quickly downed it. Stretching his arms, he turned off the light and headed back for the bedroom. He climbed back in bed beside her, on his side facing away. It was hard to get back to sleep and Lucas hated sleep interruptions. He didn't really have the urge but at the same time, debated whether or not to get up once more and use the restroom. Instead he rolled onto his back, extending the arm closest to Peyton.

And then it happened.

She sat straight up so fast, so hard that she almost knocked herself onto the floor.

"Peyton…"

"Nooooooo!"

It was the longest, shrillest scream he had ever heard. He felt it to his core, her fear, her terror.

"Peyt!"

He reached out to her but it was too late. She dove in a downward motion underneath her side of the bed. He could see something in her hand, something shiny but before he could figure out what it was, she spun around to face him. Her movements were quick and sharp, almost animalistic. He watched in shock and disbelief as she drew back her right hand high and let it come crashing down with surreal force. Their eyes met and it wasn't the loving, happy, sexy green eyes of his girlfriend, Peyton Sawyer. Her eyes were scared, wild. It was like she was a different person. At the last moment, instinct broke him from his trance and cued Lucas to quickly grab her wrist and when he did, only then did he see exactly what she was holding. His breath caught in his throat. His actions had come in the nick of time. He had missed the tip of a six inch butcher's knife by half a second.