Author's Note – Hey there and thanks so much for all your wonderful reviews and feedback. You guys are so great especially as I keep throwing in more twists and intrigue. It's a testament to how wonderful you all are to stick with me.

Well here's the latest update, let me know what you think. Kate.

Nobody's Fault But Mine

Chapter 11- The Unforgiven

The EMTs arrived at the crash site quickly. Jake watched as they worked on getting Peyton out of the wrecked car and swiftly strapped her to a stretcher and moved her to the ambulance. He followed behind being guided by a young female EMT who had made him wear a neck brace as a precaution after he had complained about the pain in his neck that occasionally shot stabs of hurt down his left arm.

Peyton remained unconscious during the ride to the hospital. The woman was working on her now.

"Is she going to be ok?" Jake asked.

"Her vitals are stable. We'll know more when we get to the hospital." She turned to look at him. "What's your name?"

"Jake."

"I'm Ellie. It's going to be ok Jake," she promised seeing the shadows of doubt that crossed his face. "She's in good hands."

-- --

Mitch and Lucas had just arrived back from their visit to Stacey the city coroner regarding Callie Sharpe's autopsy report. Stacey confirmed that it was the fall that had killed her. Massive head trauma had meant that she died instantly. There had been no signs of a struggle, no marks on Callie's body. She hadn't tried to fight her attacker.

High levels of alcohol and traces of cocaine in Callie's blood had led Stacey to speculate that maybe the woman had simply fallen from the window. Lucas's heart had sunk at that suggestion. If Antonio's alibi held up in court it could be difficult for any attorney to prove his involvement. Especially as the CSIs own report on the scene had turned out no traces of Garcia ever being there.

"The man's good," Mitch uttered. "It's going to be pretty damn hard to pin this guy to anything."

"We still have Peyton's statement."

"Yeah. Only thing is we only have the word of his mistress. That's not going to hold on its own Lucas and you know it. Garcia has his wife as an alibi. Any jury's going to take Miss Sawyer's statement as the word of a rejected lover and not as a reliable witness."

"Then we'll find another way to get dirt on the bastard." Lucas sure as hell wasn't going to give up on this. He wasn't going to let Antonio Garcia roam New York City making a mockery of the legal system.

Lucas sank down on his chair as Tina hurried over. "You two should know that there's been an RTA involving Peyton Sawyer." Lucas jumped up again as Tina continued with where she'd been admitted too. He was out the door then.

He made it to the city's Memorial Hospital in record time and went straight to the Administration's desk only to be told the doctors were in with her at the moment and to take a seat in the waiting area until there was any news. Lucas rubbed his neck frustration and went to sit down.

That was when he spotted the dark haired man with Lucas's leather jacket resting on his knee.

"Excuse me. I'm Detective Lucas Scott. Are you with Peyton Sawyer?"

"Jake Jagielski," the young man stood and held out his hand. "I've heard a lot about you."

"You ok," Lucas took in the cuts and scraps on Jake's face. "You were in the car with her weren't you?"

"Yeah I was. I'm fine though. I got off easy. Minor injuries only. They won't tell me anything about Peyton. They just told me to sit here and wait for any news."

Jake sat down, putting his head in his hands. "The car came out of nowhere and crashed straight into us. It was deliberate. I'm sure of it. The driver struck straight on Peyton's side and drove off immediately. And I knew she's in trouble. I just never knew it was so bad."

"You remember the car's make or registration."

"Yeah. I told some of your guys when they questioned me after the doctors were done with me. They're looking into it."

"You want some coffee," Lucas suggested. Jake nodded gratefully.

"So how do you know Peyton?" Lucas asked handing Jake a steaming cup of the hospital's finest. He was eager to finally gain more insight into the woman that still managed to remain an enigma to him.

"We grew up together. She was the girl next door. Our families were really tight. Larry and Anna Sawyer were amazing people. So loved in our town. Anna had Peyton's fire that's for sure. My parents used to joke that Larry didn't know what to do with her and that when Peyton grew up he'd really be in for it. Sawyer women were one of a kind, that's what my dad used to say.

"The Sawyers were kind of like another aunt and uncle and Peyton was like the sister I never had. Peyton was so different back then. So alive and happy. Her parents' deaths destroyed her. It destroyed the whole town."

Jake continued to recount the story. "She went to a foster home after that. We still went to school together but she was so different. She shut everyone out, even me for a while. She'd skip school all the time; it was a wonder that she graduated. As soon as she could leave she did. Then she came here.

"We lost touch for a while. She got in contact with me again about a year ago. Every time I saw her she had bruises or some sort of an injury. I used to ask about it but she'd never tell me what was going on with her. I knew someone was hurting her. So when she called me to say she wanted to come home I came running."

"You were a good friend to come get her." Lucas smiled at him.

Jake returned the smile. "You know she wrote about you in her emails. How she met you on her birthday. That she trusted you. I really thought she was going to be ok."

"She will be." Lucas tried to be reassuring. That was the person he was and had to be, the strength in adversity.

At that moment the doctor who was dealing with Peyton came over to them.

"How is she?" Jake said standing up.

"She has a concussion, a couple of cracked ribs. We stitched up the laceration to the right temple. Other than that she got some cuts and bruises. She'll be here a couple of days but she'll be fine."

"Can we see her?" Jake asked then.

"Sure, she's a little weak and groggy and her husband's in with her now so maybe give it a while."

Lucas looked at the doctor then, he felt a stab of dread. "Where's her room?" As the doctor pointed Lucas rushed over.

Lucas burst into the room causing Antonio to look over. Peyton was sleeping and Lucas was kind of relieved. He didn't want to do this in front of her. "Mr Garcia if you would kindly step outside please." Lucas dropped all his pleasantries as he flashed his badge.

The smirk crossed Antonio's face once again. He stood up from Peyton's bedside and walked outside of the room. "And how can I help you this time officer?"

"You can come down to the station with me. We've been trying to contact you with regards to the murder of Ms Callie Sharpe. I need you to answer some questions for me."

"I thought my wife had already cleared this up. I was with her and she's already told you people that."

"Except we have a witness statement that contradicts that. And our witness has just been run off the road."

"Wrong boy. You had a witness. Your superior's on his way over right now. Peyton's retracting her statement. She made a mistake."

"You son of a bitch. You orchestrated this whole thing."

Antonio moved closer to him now, the dark figure leaned over and merely whispered in his ear, "prove it."

Acting on impulse without a thought for the consequences Lucas's fist connected with Antonio's nose. Bone met flesh at the sound of cracking. Lucas felt immense satisfaction at the sight of Antonio's bloodied face, that smile finally erased.

The man now brought his hand up to his swollen face, "oh now that wasn't the cleverest move was it boy."

Lucas turned at the footsteps marking the presence of the doctor, Jake and Mitch Cassidy.

Mitch wore a look of displeasure as he took Lucas into an available room. "What the hell do you think you were doing?" Mitch's voice was low and scornful. "You can't go around behaving like this Lucas. I expected more from you."

"Mitch you know that the only reason that Peyton would retract her statement is if Antonio made her. He ran her off the road this morning. He had to. And that's the only reason she'd be doing this." Lucas felt powerless as he tried to reason with his partner. There was no proof, Lucas was acting purely on gut instinct and he'd been doing the job far too long to know that whilst following instinct was all well and good you had to be able to back it up with the facts.

"Lucas I asked you if there was anything going on between you and this girl. And you are not acting like an objective man right now."

"You heard her in that room Mitch," Lucas knew he was raising his voice and to be honest he didn't care. "She knew what she saw. She was terrified to admit what he's done to her. She was leaving town to get away from him. That was fact! The rest is his manipulation."

His partner rubbing his forehead, "Lucas the facts are that nothing places Antonio Garcia at the scene of the crime. There was no physical evidence in Callie's apartment. The man has an alibi. The only thing working against him was the word of his mistress. And now she's taking it back. My hands are tied.

"And your actions just now frankly have only made things worse. He could press charges against you."

"I know," Lucas cried plaintively now.

"Go home Lucas. Go home; take a couple of days off to clear your head. I'll see what I can do about trying to pacify Garcia. And keep this off the chief's radar best I can. Hopefully if you are lucky Garcia won't press charges."

Lucas agreed. He was grateful to Mitch for that at least.

"But," Mitch warned, "I'll only do this once. Do you understand me? Don't you ever put me in this position again."

-- --

Lucas still felt the anger inside him once he had left the hospital and walked the streets for over an hour in effort to shake the feeling. He felt it burning and tensing in his muscles. He needed to release some of this rage. It was very rare for him to get to this state. It was unfamiliar and it scared him that he even had it in him to become this consumed. He went to the gym that Nathan was a member of as he still had a curtsey pass. His brother always tried to get Lucas involved in the sports and fitness that in High School he had loved and been so dedicated to.

Once inside Lucas purchased some suitable sweats and went straight for an available punch bag. He strapped on some gloves and started with a few low sharp shots. As he visualised Antonio's smirk and snigger he began to bounce on the balls of his feet. He brought his fists up high, dodging the bag as he let out a power swing. Then another and another.

"Anyone I know," Nathan's voice brought him back reality.

Lucas stopped, sweat dripped from his forehead. His breathing was now sharp and ragged. "Yeah actually you do."

Nathan frowned, "if this is about the other night and Dan then I'm sorry ok."

"Its not." Lucas let out another punch. Nathan held the bag steady. They had done this together whilst growing up. They had had some of the best brotherly talks over their workouts.

"Really. Because I don't know many people other than Dan Scott that can get you this worked up." Nathan searched his brain, and then the answer came to him. "Is it Brooke? Haley said Brooke was sending over the divorce papers."

"No but thank you for reminding me of that fact." Lucas swung again causing his brother to wince.

"Well we could play twenty questions if you want or you could tell me before you kill me."

"I punched someone and got suspended." Lucas was done with the questions anyway. "This guy hits his girlfriend and I'm the one who gets a rap over the knuckles. And that's not even the worst part. No the worst part is I think she's going to go back to him. Even though he's just managed to put her in the hospital again"

"Luke would you stop with the good damn punching." Nathan stopped Lucas's busy fists. "This is about Peyton right?"

"I just don't understand why she would go back to him after this."

Nathan's baby blue eyes met Lucas's own. "Maybe she's just to scared to leave. Maybe she's like mom."

-- --

He was five years old again. It was the middle of the night and he couldn't sleep. He couldn't sleep because of the shouting and yelling and the crying and the screaming. He climbed out of his top bunk, grabbing hold of Mr Waffles his old floppy eared greying stuffed rabbit with only one eye.

He glanced at his teary-eyed baby brother. "Ssh Nate. Just stay here." He then made his way out of their bedroom.

The house was quiet now. He crept along the hallway, he knew all the spots on the floor that would creak now and he avoided them. He had done this so many times. He moved slowly down the stairs, still so careful and so quiet.

Once he'd made it downstairs and he walked to the kitchen. That was where he always found her. Bent and broken on the hard stone floor.

Lucas's eyes snapped open. He'd gone back to his apartment after talking with Nathan. He must have fallen asleep. He sat up quickly wanting so desperately to wipe away those memories. He picked up the phone; he needed to hear her voice.

"Hello?" her voice sounded distant and sleepy.

"Hey ma, it's me. I'm sorry to call so late. Did I wake you?"

"No sweetie you didn't. I don't really sleep. It's so good to hear your voice."

Lucas smiled, closing his eyes. Her voice was always so comforting to him. "Yeah, yours too" he agreed. "How have you been? How are Lily and Keith?"

"Good. We're all good. Lily's doing well at school and has a nice circle of friends. Keith's starting up a new business, he's finally opening his garage. He's working all hours but it's going so well. And he's so happy. And I've got a new carer. Her name's Tasha. She's lovely and quite a character. You'd like her. Lily loves her."

"That's great ma. I'm glad you're happy."

"What about you. Nathan told me Brooke had sent through your divorce papers."

"Yeah, she did."

"I'm sorry honey."

"It wasn't meant to be." Lucas shrugged off the concern. "Hey ma, can I ask you something? Why didn't you ever speak out about dad?"

Karen paused at the other end. They rarely spoke about Dan anymore. "I didn't think anyone would believe me. And I was afraid of what would happen to you and your brother if I did. Why do you ask?"

"I'm working this case. There's this girl and I kept thinking about you."

"Did you help her? This girl?"

"I tried. She went back to him today. I don't even know if she wants my help anymore."

"Trust me Lucas. She needs someone to care. I know if it weren't for you I would have given up a long time ago. Don't give up honey. You don't want her to end up the way I did." Lucas bit back the tears at the statement and the image that it conjured. "She needs to speak out before it's too late and you need to keep trying to make her do so."

"Thanks ma. I better get going. Let you get some rest."

"Do you think you'll be able to come home for Thanksgiving?" she asked hopefully.

"Yeah ma. I'll do my best. I love you."

She hung up after her, "I love you too Lucas."

-- --

Lucas went to the hospital again. It was late and visiting hours were long over. He snuck past the two nurses on night duty that were more interested in idle gossiping than monitoring the wards. He hoped that Antonio was not still watching over her like a hawk. The last thing he needed was to have another confrontation with the man whilst on suspension.

He slipped into the corner room, relieved to find only her there.

She lay on her side, her back to the door. He crossed over to her sleeping form. His eyes took in the stitches she had at her right temple, the bruising over that surrounding area of her face. Her throat and shoulder also streaked black and blue from where the seat belt had been. He didn't think Peyton Sawyer's body could take much more.

Lucas pulled her bracelet from his pocket that he had found it the pocket of his leather jacket. He knew she was always losing it so he had taken it to a jeweller whilst he had had his free afternoon. With it newly fixed clasp he placed it into her hand.

"They wouldn't have wanted this for you," he whispered to her. After placing a light kiss to her head he left the room.