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This is Chapter Four, Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill, even if I wished I did.

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"Lucas?" A voice said behind him, pulling him out of his memories. "Lucas Scott?"

"What?" He said, not amused. Turning around, he hadn't expected to see the man before. He blinked, trying to figure out if this was him or not. "Jake? Jake Jagielski?"

"In the flesh." Jake said, looking at his old friend. Lucas looked different-older, wiser, and a little bit sadder. He wasn't sure what to say to him. Lucas and him did not have much in common, but they did have one thing. They had both loved and recently lost Peyton Sawyer. Lucas stood up, and they hugged. Letting go, Jake smiled sheepishly as they sat down. "I just got back into town, and I uh…needed to get a drink. I didn't miss the funeral did I?"

Luke nodded, looking at the drink in front of him as Jake ordered from the bartender. "Yeah, I'm afraid it was today."

Jake shook his head and looked to the ceiling. "God, I can't believe she's gone." That was the dead-honest truth. He could not, for the life of him, picture Peyton Sawyer gone. Well, the Peyton Sawyer he used to know. He wondered if she had changed any and felt terribly guilty for not having stayed in contact with her. He wished he had, but he knew there was nothing he could do about it. However, he could stay in contact with Lucas and the rest of the gang from now on. When Haley called him, he was so surprised he couldn't think of anything to say. He just hung up the phone and bought a plane ticket. Jenny was with Nikki and his cousins in Savannah. She had wanted to come, and part of him wanted her to. But, he knew that seeing the effects of Peyton's death on Lucas, or Brooke, or the rest of them would not be good for Jenny.

"You and me both." Lucas said, taking a drink. "You and me both."

"Haley said you have a daughter now. Anna?" When Lucas didn't say anything, Jake continued. "Figures she'd be named after Peyton's mom. How is she?"

"I wouldn't know."

"Luke, how would you not know? She's your daughter."

"No," he said sternly. "She's not. I can't take care of her. Even if I wanted to. She took Peyton away from me."

Jake was silent for a moment, not sure how to react or what to say to this. He knew Lucas would be the most broken up about Peyton's death, but he never thought Lucas would disown his own child considering what his own father had done. "You know, I was sixteen when I had Jenny. I was just a kid. I was not even close to being ready to be a father and when Nikki left I was even worse off. For the first couple of months I was so mad at Jenny for taking away my life…"

"Don't." Lucas said firmly. "Don't you dare give me a goddamn speech about taking care of that child. I don't want to hear it!"

Jake stood up, blocking Lucas's exit. "Do you remember how you felt about Dan all those years ago? And how you felt abandoned? How do you think Anna's gonna feel when their wasn't another girlfriend, another kid? You have your own father issues; don't repeat history by doing the same to Anna. Peyton would want you to be the best father you can be."

God, he wanted to punch Jake. He really wanted to. He didn't care if he was right, or not. He just needed to hit something. He looked around, spotting a chair and throwing it across the room. The bartender yelled at him, but he didn't care. "I can't do this!" He screamed. "I can't do this without her! She promised me, dammit! She promised me should make it through this!" Sobbing, he bent down putting his hand on his knees. "I can't be a father to Anna without her. I don't know how."

Jake sighed. Looking to the bartender, he apologized before putting an arm around Lucas and taking him outside. "Come on. Let's go home."

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Haley was sitting at her kitchen table, stirring a cup of tea. She wasn't that thirsty, she just needed something to keep her hands busy. She took a deep breath and looked out the window. Anna was here, in her house. She had gotten Jamie's old crib and made Nathan help her set it up in the guest bedroom. She was tired of having to stay over at Lucas's but she wasn't about to leave the baby alone with him. God knows what kind of a state he was in. She felt guilty, letting him go out and drink like that. She knew that she should've been there, helping him through this. But the truth was, she needed help herself. All the time, she thought about Peyton, Peyton, Peyton. She was so caught off guard; she just wasn't ready to say goodbye. Not that she got the chance to say goodbye anyways. But, she had to be strong. Lucas was drinking nonstop, Brooke was throwing herself into her work, and Nathan- well, Nathan wouldn't talk to her. Not about Peyton, at least. Somebody had to be strong for them. She needed someone to talk to about this, someone to share her pain with. She assumed this person would be her husband, but Nathan wouldn't even say Peyton's name.

Hearing Anna's cries, Haley stood up from her spot at the table, retrieved a bottle from the fridge and walked upstairs. She gently picked the crying baby and held her in her arms, while rocking her and feeding her at the same time. She started to sing one of Peytons favorite songs that Mia had written.

Haley saw so much of Peyton in Anna, it scared her. The eyes, the cheekbones, even the smile had Peyton all over it. She smiled to herself. She was so beautiful; Peyton would have loved her. While Peyton claimed her looks, Anna's personality already was exactly like Lucas's. She knew it was still a little early, but she could tell. Anna's facial expressions, her movements, were all like Lucas's. She sighed as Anna finished feeding. If only Lucas would just hold her, even for a second. She knew that if he did, he would fall madly in love with her. Putting the bottle down on the side table, Haley lifted Anna into the air, setting her on her shoulder. She patted her back until she heard the baby burp and then sat down at in the rocking chair. She looked at the clock. 11:15. She wondered what time Lucas would be going home, and if he would notice his daughter and his best friend weren't there. She hoped he would. After Anna fell back asleep, Haley set her gently in the crib, wrapping her up in blankets. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she heard a knock at the door. She looked through the eyehole but quickly opened the door when she saw who it was.

"Oh my god, Jake!" She gave him a hug. "How are you doing?"

"Well," he said, stepping in and taking his shoes off. "I wish I could say I was doing good, but the truth is, I've been better."

"Yeah, I know. ME too." Haley said. She lead him into the living room, where they sat down on the couch. Haley sighed, looking around. "I'm sorry about the circumstances, but it's very good to see you."

"Yeah, you too." Jake said. "I saw Lucas at the bar."

Haley nodded. "Yeah. I know. He's a mess. No, he's more than a mess. I just, god, I don't know what to do. We're all a mess. Everyone's just falling apart. Brooke won't leave work, Lucas won't stop drinking, Nathan won't even say Peyton's name. I don't know what to do. I'm trying to be strong for everyone, because I know they need me to be. But, damn, most of the time I just want to follow Lucas's path and take a drink."

Jake watched his old friend. He and Haley weren't always close friends, but they had run around with the same friends and over time he had become fond of her. He had been very surprised when she was the one to call him, but he was very glad she did. Putting a hand to her shoulder, he gave her a light squeeze. "I know it's hard now, but you can't be strong for everyone. You need to take care of yourself before you can take care of anyone else. I'll stay here with Anna. Why don't you go talk to Lucas?"

"Nah," She declined. "Someone else is at home waiting for him."

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Swoosh! The ball went through the hoop, just like that. It was refreshing, soothing. Nathan would know that sound from anywhere. Dribbling the ball some more, again he pitched it through the hoop. Ah, every time, he thought to himself. At least there was one constant in life.

But that was the only one constant. Everything else, changed. Everything would be going great, perfect actually. You'd be happy, your friends would be happy, then BAM! Fate smacks you with the greatest tragedy and pain you've ever felt. Nathan knew this pain. He had felt this pain time and time again, and Peyton's death was no different.

Peyton…

The name tasted sour on his tongue and for a moment he wanted to run into the house and grab a bottle of Jack Daniels to wash it down. But he wouldn't, as whiskey wasn't a constant. And consistency was the one thing he needed right now.

After throwing the ball in the hoop once more, Nathan rested with his hands on his knees. God, he just wanted to wake up from whatever sick, masochistic dream he was in. He wanted Peyton back, for Lucas, for Anna, for everyone. Who were they kidding? They couldn't live without her; Peyton was the glue. She had touched everyone's lives with her kindness, her friendship, and her spirit. For god's sake, the woman was his first girlfriend, his first love. And you always remember you're first love. God knew Nathan would always remember Peyton.

Shaking his head, Nathan wiped the sweat and maybe some tears off of his face. He couldn't do this. He wasn't much for feelings, for grieving. In all honesty, he didn't know how. He knew that his friends needed him; they needed each other. But he wasn't sure how to get past his own pain to help soften theirs.

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Quietly tapping her fingers, Karen sat on the couch in her old home waiting for Lucas to come home. She knew where he was; she could've easily gone and brought him home. But, she knew he was in bad shape. That was the reason she told Haley to take Anna home with her. If she had went and gotten Lucas, things would only become bad between them. Not that things would be entirely perfect after tonight, but Lucas needed to hear this and she was his mother. She had to do something. She couldn't let her son whither in his own pain. She knew what it was like to lose somebody and then be expected to be a parent. She only wondered if she too could go back to those feelings in order to help her son.

Right as the clock striked twelve, Lucas opened the door and walked in. Karen stood up, looking him in the eye when he saw her. "Hello, son." She said. Walking towards him, she opened her arms and wrapped him up in a big hug, whispering comforting words into his ear. Pulling away, Karen took a good look at her son. He had some stubble on his chin and dark circles under his eyes. His eyes held more pain than she ever wanted to see in her sons eyes, and she hoped that in time that pain would dull a little bit.

"Come here, Luke," Karen said, pulling her son to sit down next to her on the couch. "We need to talk."

"What is there to say, Mom? Peyton's dead. Everything is over." He shook his head, looking down at his wedding ring as he twirled it around his finger. He still had it on, he should've taken it off by now, but if he took it off, it would symbolize the end of his dream, the end of everything he had wanted.

"Everything is not, over, Lucas. You have Anna. It's time for you to be a father. Anna needs you now, just like Peyton needed her father when her mother died." Karen told him, rubbing his back.

"Anna doesn't need me. She needs a family, with a mom. I can't be the father to her Peyton would have wanted."

Karen shook her head. "You're wrong. Anna does have a family; she has Haley and Nathan, and Brooke and her grandparents. She has a family. What she doesn't have that she needs most is her father. Who is going to tell her everything about Peyton when she gets older and asks about her mother?"

Lucas nodded. "I miss her so much, Mom. I…just…god, how could this happen? She's supposed to be here! We were supposed to raise her together, as a family. Peyton's gonna miss out on so much."

Wrapping her arms around him again. "I know, honey, I know."

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The pen scraped across the piece of paper, going in the direction Brooke directed it. The sound of the pen on paper was music to Brooke's ears as she drew the new dress. This was her sanctuary. Right here, where it was just her and the store with no one else to bother her. She didn't know what number this drawing was, but she knew she had a lot done. She didn't care. She didn't have anything else. Work was her life now, at least work wouldn't leave her, wouldn't cause her pain. Because that is just what people did- they caused you pain. They became close to you, letting you love them, and then BAM! They were gone, hurting you more than anything else.

This was how Brooke saw the world now. Her work was safe, her work wouldn't cause her pain.

That is why when Sam walked in, ringing the bell and interrupting her work, Brooke was not pleased. "What are you doing here, Sam?" Brooke demanded, setting her work down and standing up. "You should be at home; you have school tomorrow. It's too late for you to be out."

"Oh, what home?" Sam yelled back at her, standing her ground. "With you gone that place is just a place. It means nothing. I came here to tell you I was leaving."

For the first time, Brooke noticed the bag slung over Sams arm. Her jaw tightened. Well, what was that saying Peyton always used? Brooke thought to herself, People always leave. Turns out, maybe Blondie was right after all. "You're leaving? Where are you gonna go? Back to the streets?"

"I found my real mom, Brooke. I'm going to live with her. I'll call you and let you know I got in safe. Goodbye, Brooke. I appreciate everything you did for me." Sam turned around and started to leave, but Brooke stopped her.

"Wait, Sam!" She said. "You're just leaving? Just like that?"

Sam sighed. "Look, Brooke, I know what Peyton meant to you. I know you're devastated and all, but I can't be in that house without you there. It's just not the same. And you need your space to figure things out."

"Sam…"

"I'm not gonna lose contact with you. I'm not going to just disappear. You just, you need your space. Nothing I say to you is going to make this better for you and you don't need someone to take care of when you can't take care of yourself."

Brooke choked back more tears as the door closed behind Sam. Sometimes, being right wasn't what you wanted.

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