Flashbacks in Italics

Chapter Three:

-Los Angeles, CA

The next day had flown by and now Peyton was driving to the airport to drop her children off. They hadn't spoken to her all day and it absolutely killed her. She had gotten a call from Julian earlier that day, apparently Preston had called and begged him to intervene, and he tried but failed miserably.

Once the three had arrived Peyton couldn't take the silence any longer.

"Hey look at me."

She begged as she grabbed both her children's hands into hers and smiled.

"It's going to be fun. I promise."

The twins both rolled their eyes. They were supposed to spend their whole summer in a place that was the complete opposite of L.A. For all they knew it still held town meetings with the ten people who occupied the whole town.

"Mom, please don't make us go. Lucas already has a family over there. He doesn't need us."

There was a pain in Peyton's chest as she heard her daughter speak. Leighton and Preston had been calling Lucas by his name instead of dad for a couple of years now. He had called her four years back about the incident and he was incredibly distraught about the idea.

It had been a couple of days since Peyton's children had left for Tree Hill to spend their first week of winter vacation with their father. They had just turned twelve, in September, and were really stubborn about going. They had always enjoyed going to Tree Hill but just last month they seemed to start to resent any idea of the town or anything else involving their father, whenever she brought him up. She had just hoped that they'd come out of their 'funk' soon. She received a call from Lucas that night, they hadn't.

"Hi, Lucas, how's everything going over there? Are the terrible two playing nice? " She didn't get an answer and she knew something was up. "Please don't tell me they're teasing Elliot, again? I had a talk with them about that before they left."

"They call me, Lucas."

Peyton didn't understand his statement. And as if he sensed her confusion he enlightened her.

"Pres and Elle don't call me dad."

And her heart broke for the man she will always love; the man that gave her the most two precious gifts in the world.

Every time she had questioned both her children they just gave her a shrug and continued with the activity that was occupying them.

"Hey, he's your dad. And even if he does another family he will always love you. You're his everything." She was standing in front of her children and spoke to them both. "Please, just call him dad when you're around him. It hurts him when you don't. Please just do this for me."

The announcement 'Tree Hill, North Carolina now boarding at gate 5' rang through the overhead and Peyton smiled at her children.

"I'm going to miss you, kiddos."

Preston and Leighton hugged their mother before grabbing their carryon bags and walked towards the gate.

"So are we gonna call him dad?"

Elle looked up to see her brother. Even though she wouldn't admit it to anyone she did look up to her older brother.

"I don't know. Maybe, but if we do it's gonna be for mom not for him."

Elle had nodded as she handed her ticket and passport to the attendant at the desk. Mary, as it read on the name tag, had wished both of them a safe flight.

Once they were both inside the plane both siblings found their seats easily and quickly made themselves comfortable as they put ear buds into their ears and allowed the music to flow and lyrics to capture their souls. First class, was the only way to fly.

Hours had passed and it was now early in the morning when Preston woke up from a reoccurring dream he'd had for years. He turned to look at his sister who was sound asleep, knowing that she was fine he opened the shades to look out the window. The blackness engulfed the sky and he could only think about his nightmare.

Preston and Leighton had been eleven when they went to visit their dad. It was pouring outside and the twins were restless. So much for a fun spring break.

"Hey, Elle, you wanna play hide and seek?" his sister looked at him like he was insane. They weren't seven or anything. He smirked the inherited gene. "With Elliot?"

They themselves admitted that they were mean when it came to their half brother, but it was never like that it just started recently. Not that they wanted to, but ever since Elliot had made the comment that Lucas was more of his dad than theirs because he liked him and his mom better because he lived with them, well that's when everything changed.

"Sure."

Elle's eyes suddenly lit up with excitement. This was defiantly going to be fun. Moments later they had inquired the idea to Elliot who agreed only if he got to hide. Elle shook her head in agreement. Her long blonde curls bouncing. Elliot took off running and Leighton and Preston looked at each other with grins on their faces.

"And we'll both look for you. So hide in a good spot."

Five minutes later the twins stopped looking as they went to go watch a television show. About an hour had passed and Lindsay had noticed the house was eerily quiet. She noticed Peyton's twins sitting on the couch with an empty bowl of popcorn in between them.

"Where's Elliot?"

Leighton and Preston didn't move their eyes away from the television screen as they began to giggle. Obviously something funny just occurred. And Lindsay asked the same question, but this time as if on cue they shrugged their shoulders at the same time. Before she could say anything Lucas walked through the door.

"Daddy! You're home!"

Elle had practically jumped off the couch and ran into her father's waiting arms and Preston following right behind her to give him a hug

"Hey, if it isn't my favorite daughter."

Elle giggled and managed to roll her eyes as she blushed. Lucas laughed 'Just like your mother. You can't take a compliment either.' He thought.

"Dad, I'm your only daughter."

"And that's why you're my favorite." Lucas turned to look at Preston."And if it isn't my favorite…" he couldn't say son, even though he wanted to; it wouldn't be right. "Basketball playing son."

"Hi, dad."

Lucas smiled at his son and daughter. He looked up at Lindsay, but she seemed distance. He couldn't read her even if he wished he was able to. He looked around his home and finally noticed that his smallest son was nowhere to be found.

"Where's Eli?"

"We were playing hide and go seek before the show started, but we couldn't find him so we gave up."

Preston had informed his father as if nothing major happened.

"What? That was almost an hour ago."

Lindsay practically yelled out furiously as she stared at the twins. Elle and Pres looked up at her and wore a frightened expression across their face and they immediately tensed up. Lucas noticed this and put both his hands on top of his children's shoulders as they immediately relaxed underneath his touch.

"We yelled real loud 'oli oli oxen free,' daddy."

Elle stated matter of factly as if that made it all okay. Upon hearing his mothers piercing scream Elliot ran out of the hallway closet, he'd fallen asleep behind the coats. He assured his mom that he was okay as she cooed loving words into his ear. Lindsay looked into her husband's eyes and mouthed 'We need to talk.'

Lucas sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. He told his three children to go watch a movie because the grownups needed to talk. Lucas ushered Lindsay into his study and left the door open by an inch or so. Elle had nudged Preston with her shoulder as they both got off the couch and the sly kids that they were followed their father and Lindsay to the study. They stood quietly peeking through the crack, unnoticed by the adult figures behind the door.

"Linds, they're just kids. Give them a break."

"Don't. Lucas this is insane. How can you say that? Elliot could have suffocated in that closet. There needs to be some sort of punishment."

Her eyes were angry and cold with each single word. Lucas sighed. He understood, he really did, but.

"I'll have a talk with them, but I'm not going to ground them or take anything away from them and neither are you. They're only here for a week and I don't want them to be angry with me. I don't get to spend that much time with my kids and the time that I do have won't be spent with them angry with me. Is that clear?"

Lindsay huffed. The next words were like word vomit, but she couldn't control herself.

"Like that's going to help. You know what? Maybe you should just go back with their slutty mother and take both your little mistakes with you, huh. You should go back in time and take that night back when you slept with her and created those little monsters. Hell you made the right decision of leaving her in that hotel room. You didn't even want the twins in your life. You should have sent this letter."

Lindsay seethed as she went to the desk and pulled out a manila envelope and opened it as she began to read.

"January 12th. Peyton, I want nothing to do with you so please leave me alone."

Lucas quickly tore the letter from her hands as she just finished the first sentence .Outside the door Preston had covered his sister's mouth with his hands so no one would be able to hear her crying sobs. He quickly led her away from the door and into the guest room, tears streaming down his own face. He was never able to hear what Lucas had to say next.

"How dare you? You know that isn't true and was the furthest thing from my mind. I didn't even know about Elle and Pres at the time. Sure I didn't find out till they were a couple months old, but that does not make Peyton a whore and if I ever hear you call the mother of my children that, so help me, Lindsay. Those wonderful children out there were created with love and nothing else. You're the one that insisted I write the damned letter because you were pregnant with Eli and you were tired that she kept sending letters calling to inform me that I already had children, you were getting stressed out with her and I thought I was doing something right because you were with child. "

Lucas almost screamed at her. He didn't even know that the letter was still in the desk. He could have sworn he threw it out as soon as he wrote the first paragraph and once he looked down at the paper he noticed it was blank. No, Preston and Leighton would never hear their father defending their mother and his twins as they sat quietly on their beds in the shared room.

Preston was suddenly brought back to reality as the pilots voice informed his passengers that they were landing at Tree Hill terminal. He looked out the window and noticed the sun peeking through the clouds.

"Close the shade, Pres."

Leighton had mumbled as she took off her eye mask. He did as he was told and got ready for the landing.

A/N: So now you know why Leighton and Preston don't call Lucas dad. Let me know what you think :D And I know Lindsay was so sweet in oth s5, but I always thought that if she was on for a bit more her true colors would show. So shes going to be a a b****h in my story lol...just a heads up if you like her.