A/N: Guess who's the worst updater ever? Yes, I definitely could say that I have officially earned that title. I went from updating everyday to not updating for over a month. I'm really, truly sorry about that. Writer's block is a bitch, but I broke down the wall. I hope you all can forgive me. Once again, I'm very sorry.

As for the season 6 promo, I can't stop watching it! I am so ready for a season full of Lucas and Peyton, especially after season 5! Anyway enough about that. Hope you like the chapter!

Oh yes, I'm not a lawyer or a judge for that matter. So try and go easy on my during parts that involve these occupations.

Flashbacks are in italics!

Don't forget to review!

Chapter 11- Face it all

Horrible. Awful. Madness. Cruelty. Hardship.Fearful. Horrendous. Shocking. Painful. These words describe my past that was not too long ago. The details of every little kick, push, punch, shove still remain fresh in my mind. It's a past that I will never forget. It's a past that I will never forgive. It's a past that will stay where it belongs.

Loving. Wonderful. Spectacular. Trustworthy. Amazing. This is how I see my future. I'm able to look past all the agony and pain, and move forward with my life, with who I want to be. If you asked me where I would be in the future about a year ago, I probably would have said dead. That's the sad truth.

But now, things have changed. I've changed. It's because of the kindness of a family. The warmth that these people had in their hearts. I was a stranger to them. They didn't know anything about me, or for that matter, "who I was". All they really knew was my name, but that doesn't show that they understood me. But yet, they knew I needed help and that I needed to get away. So that family did something that I will never be able to thank them enough for. They welcomed me into their home with open arms.

I never knew what the word "home" meant. That's because I didn't have a home. You see, home is where the heart is. Metaphorically speaking, my heart wasn't with my parents. It was with the Scott's. I guess you could say Dorthy's saying is true; "There's no place like home." And there really isn't.

FORTY DAYS LATER...

Today is a day that is full of craziness. Everyone is rushing and running around. Things are pretty hectic in the Scott household. But there is not any noise. No one is speaking. Everyone avoids saying anything almost as if they don't want to say what they are thinking. All you can here is the tapping of heels, the blow dryer screaming, the faucet water running, and the sharp zip of a makeup bag.

I'm not speaking for myself when I say that there is lots of angst and tension in the air. I feel nervousness and fear. Not just for me, but for everyone in the house. I stare blankly at the counter top that is taunting me. On top of it holds the reminder of what is to happen today. I have to look away because of the memories that swim back to me. But then I look back at it, almost as if it's controlling me and telling me to obey.

My eyes start to well with tears. They won't fall from my eyes. I won't let them. So, I swallow hard.

I jump when I feel a strong hand on my lower back.

"Woah, hey. I didn't mean to scare you."

It's only Lucas. The person who saved me from it all. The person who is not hard to fall in love with.

Lucas and I have been dating for about a month now, and it has been everything I could have ever wanted. Our relationship really wasn't planned. It sort of just happened. I believe that this whole time Lucas and I were supposed to end up with each other. Like the combination of destiny and fate brought us as together. Lucas has been there for me through everything, since he first moved here. If I truly, honestly think about it, if it wasn't for him. I would still be with my parents. What would have happened if he hadn't chose to sit next to me his first day of school? What would have happened if I hadn't told him about my father? Where would I be right now? Those thoughts really scare me because I wouldn't be who I am right now with out him.

"No it's fine. I was just thinking. That's all," I say pull a strand of hair behind my ear.

He sees that I'm a trembling so he takes me in his arms, and just holds me. This is where I feel safe like nothing or no one can hurt me. Lucas is my safe haven. All my bad thoughts and fears tend to slip away as soon as any part of him touches my skin.

I love him for it.

"Every thing's going to be okay," He whispers in my ear as he runs his hands up and down my back. I squeeze him a little tighter not wanting to let go. He gently kisses the side of my forehead.

"Thanks," I say as I bury my face into his shoulder.

He nods his head as a gesture of saying 'you're welcome.' I loosen my grip on him and slowly pull away. "Peyton, you're not even ready yet. We have to leave for the court hearing in, " He turns his head to look at the clock, "fifteen minutes." Lucas smirks a little.

"I just don't want to go. I'm really nervous, and it's going to be so hard to have to see him again," I say while fidgeting my ring that is on my finger and staring toward the floor.

I feel Lucas index finger lift my chin up so my eyes meet his. "You're going to be fine. You're the toughest person I know. Do you see all that you've been through?"

I nod my head and shrug my shoulders a bit.

He nods his head too. "Look where you are now. You were a fighter, Peyton, and you still are. You went through hell, but you chose to fight back. That's what today is. You're fighting back. He's not going to win this. Do you know why?" he asks slightly smirking.

"Why?" I say quietly.

"Because you are." I smile up at him and kiss his lips gently.

"Alright, you two. I'm here so you can stop," Lily says laughing as she walks into the kitchen.

Lucas and I smile at her feeling only slightly embarrassed.

She stops laughing once she looks at my outfit. "Peyton, you're not ready yet?" Lily asks almost in disbelief.

"Actually I was just going to get ready."

"Well, you better hurry up because we're-"

I cut her off. "Leaving in fifteen minutes. I know."

As I walk down the hallway to get to my bedroom, I run into Lucas' father Keith. I stand there, not saying anything because I'm shocked at how hard I ran into him.

"Peyton, I'm so sorry about that. Are you okay?" he asks with so much concern.

I smirk. "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

Keith is the type of man who works hard. Because Keith's hard work payed off, they moved here. He still had to take long business trips around the world that sometimes could last up to six months so he wasn't around when I first came here. Ever since he's come back, he's treated me like I was glass. Like I would break at the slightest bump or accidental push. He's a really good person, and he's very kind. His heart is pure gold. Although, the first time he saw that I would be living with them, he was quite hesitant.

The dinner table was the same as it was every night. Talkative, laughing, telling how everyone's day went.

"...So then the kid puked up all of his food right back on his plate," Lily was saying as she told a story.

"Lily, please. Why do you have to tell stories like that while we're eating at the dinner table. I'm pretty sure none of want to hear that a kid puked up his lunch," Karen said obviously disgusted.

Lucas and I laughed quietly.

"Peyton, how was your day? No fights with Ms. Brooke Davis?" Karen asked half joking and half serious.

I smiled a little. "It was like every other day, and no I didn't get into a fight with Brooke."

Everyone at the table laughed. For some reason, they all still couldn't believe that I had fought Brooke. They never pictured me as that type of person. The honest truth is neither did I. It just happened. All my anger needed to be released, and Brooke was the one who triggered it all.

Suddenly, we all heard the front door open, and the running of footsteps approaching us. All our heads turned to the hallway that would lead the person to where we were sitting.

"I'm home!" the unfamiliar voice yelled.

Everyone at the table jumped out of their seats and sprinted down the hallway with smiles from ear to ear across their faces. I got up from my seat slowly to see just who the person was. I wasn't just going to pounce on someone who I didn't know. I walked down the hall almost cautiously. Everyone was taking turns hugging the man who I assumed was Karen's husband and Lily and Lucas' father.

Karen stopped smiling when she noticed me standing about four feet behind them. Her face almost fell completely as if she had seen a ghost. She looked at me and then back at her husband. Lily and Lucas soon did the same thing their mother did. Their father stood there confused at why everyone was looking at me and then looking at him. Lily and Karen exchanged worried glances.

I took a wild guess; Karen didn't tell him about me and the fact that I was living with them.

"Keith, this is Peyton," Karen said motioning for me to come closer. "Peyton this is Keith."

He extended his hand, and I took it in mine, shaking it lightly. Everyone remained silent for a little while until Karen finally spoke.

"Keith, can I talk to you in the kitchen?" she asked.

The look of bewilderment was spread across his scruffy face. "Sure."

I looked at Lily and Lucas with worried eyes. Lily grabbed my arm and pulled me with her to the end of the hallway, just before you enter the kitchen.

"What are we do-"

She cut me off. "Shh," Lily said.

I soon felt Lucas presence as he also listened in on what the two adults were talking about.

"What do you mean she's living with us?" Keith asked in a loud whisper.

"Just the way it sounds," Karen said in a whisper just as loud as his.

"How long has she been here?" He asks almost in disbelief.

"She's been her for about two months," Karen said calmly.

"Two months?! Where are her parents, and why is she staying here?!" Keith asked louder than he intended to.

"Would you please keep your voice down?" Karen said in a hushed whisper. She sighed before continuing. "Peyton was in the hospital for three months. Her father put her in a coma."

"What?"

"Let me finish." Karen took a deep breath. "Her father used to beat her, and she couldn't go back there. So she's staying with us."

"Isn't there some other place she could stay? With a family member, her mom, an aunt or an uncle? Keith asked.

"She has no other family. Her mother overdosed on drugs. She's dead," Karen said seriously. Keith was about to speak again, but she stopped him. "You don't understand, Keith! We are all she has!"

Keith rubbed his forehead, and then nodded his head. "Okay, alright. She can stay."

Karen, Keith, Lily, Lucas, and I entered the courtroom along with our lawyer Jerry Romano. I held Lucas' hand so tightly to the point that my hand was pulsing.

"It's going to be okay," he reassured me.

I nodded my head.

The room was extremely clean. It was just like the typical courtrooms that you see on TV. The pews were made out of cherry wood, the jury sat talking quietly to each other in their seats, and the judges chair was the highest chair in the room. Jerry Romano and I took a seat in the front of the room while Lily, Karen, Lucas, and Keith sat in the pews.

I looked behind me when I saw my father and his lawyer enter the courtroom. It was as if everything was happening in slow motion. The sly smirk he gave me, the way everyone watched him, the way my lawyer patted my shoulder, the way the concern in Karen's eyes came out.

He looked me right in the eye, and I looked right back. The truth is, I was scared to death, but I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that his intimidation was working. I watched him up until the point when he sat at the table to left of me.

"Don't worry about him," Jerry said giving me a wink.

"I know."

"All rise!" A deep voice said as the judge entered the room to get to her seat.

Everyone stood up waiting to be seated again.

"You may be seated," the judge said.

About ten minutes into the court hearing, they started to call people to the stand. People that would be defending my father. Naturally, it made me sick to see that people would actually want to defend him for all that he did to me. I looked over at my father as he smiled at the man who was on the stand. I looked away from him, taking a deep breath.

"Did you ever see Mr. Sawyer mistreat Peyton in any particular way? Verbally or physically?" My lawyer Jerry asked the man.

"Never. Larry was always kind to his daughter. He always gave her anything she wanted." The man rubbed his forehead. "Honestly, I think this girl is just trying to get some attention, so she will accuse her father of doing something that he never did."

Jerry nodded his head. "So you're saying that Larry never once layed even a finger on Peyton, ever?"

"Yes, that's correct," the man said.

"Is that why I have pictures on file of all the damage that points to Larry Sawyer physically beating her?" Jerry said as he began to pull out pictures.

"Objection!" My father's lawyer stood up.

"Sustained. Please continue Mr. Romano," Judge Amy said.

"Thank you, your honor," he turned back to the man in the stand. "Are you going to answer the question?"

"I believe that Peyton caused harm to herself. Not her father."

Jerry looked back at me and smiled as if we were doing good. "No further questions."

The trial was going by for what seemed like forever. People would go up to the stand, and tell lies that I beat myself up to attract attention from others. All I wanted to do was scream out "Liar" but I remained quiet.

"I call Lucas Scott to the stand," Jerry said.

I looked back at Lucas confused. He never told me that he was going to testify. He barely smiled at me as he walked to the stand where he would soon be questioned.

Lucas raised his right hand and placed it on a bible.

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

"I do," he said looking back at me.

"Mr. Scott, when did you meet Peyton?" Jerry asked as he walked slowly toward the stand where Lucas sat.

"It was the first day of school, right when I moved here. I sat next to her in English class," Lucas said, the confidence was obvious in his voice.

I smiled inwardly at the thought of when we first spoke.

"How would you describe Peyton the first time you saw her?" Jerry asked pointing to me.

"She seemed lonely. No one ever took the time to understand her or where she was coming from. Or better yet what she was going through." Lucas looked me in the eye while taking a deep breath.

"Why'd you decide to become friends with her?"

"She was different. I could tell that she had all of these secrets that she was hiding, and I wanted to know what she was about," Lucas said rubbing the bottom of his chin.

Jerry nodded. "I see. Did Peyton ever tell you that her father beat her?" Jerry asked even though he knew the answer to that question.

"At first, she freaked out when I saw the bruises on her wrists. She lied and said that she fell, but I knew on some level it wasn't true. Eventually, she told me while we were in my car."

"She told you her father hit her?" Jerry asked.

"Yes."

"Peyton is currently staying with you and you're family, correct?"

"Yes, that is correct."

"Why?" He asked.

"She doesn't want to have to see him, her father that is."

"No further questions, your honor," Jerry said as he went to his seat next to mine.

Just as Lucas was about to get up, my father's lawyer spoke. "I have a few questions."

Suddenly, I could see that Lucas was becoming nervous. He seemed intimidated by my father's lawyer, but he quickly shook away the nervous feeling by once again staring confidently.

"Mr. Scott, I understand that you and Ms. Sawyer recently started a relationship and-"

"Objection! He has no right to ask about his personal life with my client," Jerry spoke.

"Your honor, I promise this question has a point," he said to Judge Amy.

She nodded. "Sustained."

"As I was saying, you two do have a relationship, correct?" he asked.

Lucas glanced at me and swallowed hard, I nodded for him to continue. "Yes."

"And so since she is involved with you romantically, you would do anything to protect her?"

"Of course, I would."

"So you would lie for her if she asked you to?" He asked abruptly.

"I'm not lying," Lucas said sternly.

"That's not the question I asked. Would you lie for her if-"

"Objection!" Jerry yelled.

"Sustained. Continue Mr. Joritz," Judge Amy said.

"It would depend on the seriousness," Lucas said while sighing. "I wouldn't lie about something like this. Not even for her. This is too big of something to lie about."

"Are you sure?" Mr. Joritz asked.

"Yes, I am sure," Lucas said.

"No further questions," Mr. Joritz replied while going to sit next to my father.

"Alright, we are going to take a ten minute recess," Judge Amy spoke while she pounded her hammer like object against a block of cherry wood.

I was never so thankful to get out of that courtroom, but what made me even more scared was knowing that in ten minutes I would be on the stand.

A/N: Hope you all like it! I promise that my next update will come sooner. Review are always nice!