Flashbacks in Italics

Chapter Ten:

Waking up and realizing you have no idea where you're at is the scariest thing to come by. As the greenish blue eyes searched the unfamiliar dimly lit room, the uncomfortable bed, his speech gone replaced with a dry throat, and the ability to move diminished, you usually tend to freak out and that's exactly what he did. His iris' going haywire as they moved a mile a minute while his free hand searched the bed feeling warm fingers on top of his. Then there was the familiar voice of the mother who raised him and all the memories came flooding back.

The time when he was six and he stole his twin sister's popsicle and once he noticed her crying he felt terrible so he gave her his security blanket Mr. Hippo, even though it wasn't a blanket at all but a stuffed animal, so she could feel better. Than there was the time when he was five and his mom kissed his booboos away when he fell down while riding the red bike his knee scraping against the cement, after when he was eight and his stepdad started teaching him how to play the guitar, and the time when he was ten his dad and Uncle Nathan took him and Jamie to watch the Bobcat's play the long awaited championship. Then there was the black car, the driver honking but no sound was heard; only the screeching of the tires.

"Mom, dad."

"Oh my baby boy, don't you ever scare me like that."

She clung to her son as best as she could her body angling in a difficult position, but she didn't mind.

"I'm sorry. I promised I'd try." He was referring to the last phone call he'd had with his mother. "Where's dad?"

Peyton moved out of Preston's peripheral vision so he could get a look at Lucas, but the young teenager shook his head from left to right.

"No, dad as in Julian."

Peyton quickly turned to look at Lucas' reaction, but only received a blank look; there was no ounce of emotion in the father's eyes. He mumbled something about finding Julian before exiting the room. Mother's green sympathetic eyes meeting with her son's innocent green blues her disapproving head shaking as she rubbed his arm up and down.

***

Lucas walked out of the room his feelings were mixed; happy that his son was awake, angry that he wanted Julian by his side instead of him, and sad that he wasn't the one that was there to help raise his kids. Entering the waiting room his eyes came upon Brooke and a sleeping Leighton on the other side of the blonde girl Chris Keller and on the opposite side of the room Nathan and the man who stole his children away.

Noticing the blonde man walk in, the small group stood on their feet; all but Brooke who stayed seated not wanting to wake her goddaughter.

"Pres is awake."

It felt like the room began to grow as the claustrophobia of the four adults began to ease away. Lucas walked up to Julian his hands turning into white fists.

"He's asking for you."

Julian slipped out of the room to see the boy he raise leaving the birth father in the dust. Chris stumbled out of the hospital chair as Lucas all but shoved him out of the seat quickly sitting down and bringing his daughter to lean against his shoulder.

"Ouch. What was that for?" The retired musician screeched. "And I thought Nathan was the violent Scott."

When he realized he wasn't going to get an answer he sulked across the room and took a seat by Nathan leaving an empty chair in-between them.

***

Julian walked into the now bright room that held mother and son, the doctors and nurses leaving as he entered.

"So I hear you're a hero." Preston smiled at the man who stood at the door way walking towards the bed. "But you're obviously no Man of Steel or The Flash."

Preston chuckled remembering when he was a kid he had this fascination with superheroes. His favorite was Superman always wanting to wear red and blue; after hearing all the stories about his dad saving his mom all those times when they were in high school. He wanted to be just like him only with a cape.

"There's always the Daredevil."

Preston said.

"Point taken." Julian noted. "Just no more Evil Knievel stunts ok, kiddo?"

Peyton sat oblivious to the conversation as she remembered his superhero phase.

"Mommy, mommy."

Her little four year old boy came running into the kitchen, his spiky blonde hair stood frozen on top of his head.

"In the kitchen, kiddo."

She was baking chocolate chip cookies with her daughter as the boy came running into the kitchen his father coming in behind him.

"Is it true? Is it true?"

His voice hitched in his throat and he panted for breath; his little lungs taking deep breaths running all the way from the corner sidewalk into the house. The twenty-four year old mother looked down at her son.

"Is what true?"

"Did daddy really save you from the bad man?"

Lucas walked into the kitchen, picking up Elle from the stepping stool her face covered in flour and her little hands covered in sticky dough. Lucas grabbed a chocolate chip cookie and took a bite saying how it's the second best cookie he's ever tasted. Peyton looked up at Lucas and smiled; he came down for one week in the summer while Julian had to go across the world to cover an indie movie in city of Love.

"Yes he did." Peyton nodded her head and Pres looked amazed. "He saved me this many times." she held up all ten of her fingers and closed them and opened them quickly about a dozen times.

Preston and Leighton's eyes went wide.

"Whoa!" The little boy spoke. "That's a whole lot, mommy."

"Yeah." The little girl was shaking her head up and down vigorously. "Daddy's a hero."

"He's Superman." Peyton agreed as she met those intense blue eyes."Don't you think?"

The twins shouted 'Yes' in unison the oven dinging signaling that the cookies were ready.

"Mom?"

She was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of Preston's voice.

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

"You just got hit by a car and you're asking if I'm okay? Oh yeah, you are so your father's son."

***

Lindsay walked back into the waiting room and was glad to finally locate her husband.

"Finally; Lucas. You're really hard to find."

Chris turned his head to the side and eyed Brooke as he twiddled his fingers together his smirk hidden and only noticeable to the brunette godmother. Brooke pierced her lips together trying to hide the smile, but her slight dimples gave her away to Nathan who turned to look at Chris and heard him whisper 'Cruella De Vil.'

"Did you try looking in Preston's hospital room?"

The cold and distance of his tone caused Nathan to wonder that maybe, just maybe Julian was telling the truth.

"Well, no, but-"

"Well maybe you should have." Lucas cut her off. "Because that's where I've been for the last couple of hours." Lindsay opened her mouth to respond, but he didn't give her the chance. "I'll meet you at the house. Just take Elliot home; he must be tired."

"When will you be home?"

"When my son gets released from this hospital; now go."

She left without saying another word. Brooke arched her eyebrow and looked at Lucas.

"Trouble in paradise?"

"You could say that."

It was a short response and Brooke remembered why she didn't care for Lindsay, the major reason was because she wasn't Peyton and secondly she was President of Team Leyton.

***

Chris walked into the hospital room his sly smile coming to life.

"The Keller's here to see his godson."

He announced his arms opening wide as if making a statement that the one and only is here.

"Preston's glad that his godfather is here."

Peyton rolled her eyes remembering when he started referring to himself as the third person.

"Preston's hungry and really wants some food."

The six year old just finished spending the day with his godfather while she had a mommy and daughter day.

"The Keller's starving, Blondie. What do you have to eat?"

"Yeah, Blondie, the Scott is starving, too."

Peyton groaned.

"Chris." She peeled open a banana and handed it over to Preston. "What habit did you teach my son?"

"Lil ol' me?" Chris innocently pointed to himself and picked up the young boy. "Godson here just looks up to his godfather. Nothing wrong with that."

"When he starts calling me Blondie instead of mommy than there's a problem..." She used her sweetest fake voice." And if Preston becomes a mini Chris than there will defiantly be a problem."

"Well little grasshopper." Chris turned his attention to the little boy in his arms. "Do you want to be just like Chris Keller?"

"Yes! And I want to be a superhero like daddy."

"How are you supposed to be cool if you want to be like your dad?" Chris groaned. "The Keller is so much cooler than daddy."

Chris started tickling the little boy his laughter filling the room.

"Blondie…" Peyton gave her son a stern look."I mean mommy where's Elle at?"

"Yeah mommy Blondie where's Cinderella at?"

"She's taking a nap…which you need to take, mister. Chris do you mind; I still need to finish getting dinner ready."

"Don't you mean you need to finish ordering take out?" Chris threw him over his shoulder. "Come on godson nappy time."

"No. I don't want a nap. I'm a big boy!"

"So I heard that you're the newest version of Evil Knievel."

"Yeah it didn't work out; looks like I need a new occupation. You know I could always go back to being a better guitarist than you."

"Ha. Ha. You're funny, but young grasshopper you still have a lot to learn."

***

Peyton had excused herself from the godson slash godfather conversation as she went to find Lucas. She knew where he would be; he wasn't much of a spiritual person and neither was she, but when tragedy occurs it's as if they suddenly become the most holy of Christians. And she was right as she spotted him sitting in a pew his head bowed and lips moving, probably repeating the only verse he knew from the bible.

She took a seat next to him not saying a word until he made the first move. Moments later his head popped up as it rested on his knuckles.

"You know he loves you more than anything right."

"Yeah…I know." Peyton grabbed onto his hand and gave it a tight squeeze. "I just wish I was there for all of you more often."

"Me too."

If the small sanctuary wasn't quiet than Lucas wouldn't have heard her; he gave her hand a light squeeze right back.

"They use to look up to me, but now it's like I'm just one of their worst enemies."

Peyton had noticed the drift right after they came back from Tree Hill during spring break before the twins hit their preteens.

"What happened, Luke?" he gave her a questionable look. "When they spent their spring with you when they were eleven?"

Lucas had just finished talking with Lindsay about the whole Elliot in the closet incident. Walking into the living room he only counted one head with brown hair. He walked towards the guestroom and knocked lightly on the door. He didn't get a response so he slowly turned the doorknob and found Pres and Elle playing with one of his old board games; Mousetrap.

"Hey guys, what are you doing?"

"Nothing."

Preston spoke as he took a turn ending the game as his green mouse got trapped under the red plastic net.

"I won."

Elle sighed; she really wasn't into the old game.

Lucas sat in between both children crossing his legs Indian style.

"Can I play?"

"Don't you want to play with Elliot and Lindsay because you love them more than me and Pres." The girl's voice was almost inaudible, but Lucas could hear her loud and clear. "Elliot says that you do."

"I don't love Elliot and Lindsay more. I love you all equally."

"I don't believe you."

Pres spoke loudly his face turning angry as he threw the board causing all the plastic pieces to splatter across the floor as he stormed off.

Lucas managed to tell the heart breaking story he's never told Peyton before, leaving out the whole Lindsay conversation.

"He didn't believe me, Peyt. The look on his little face still haunts me to this day. Sometimes I can still see it in his eyes. Like today when he asked for Julian or when Leighton called him dad."

She felt bad for her children always wondering if their father's love was pure, but she also felt for Lucas who always wondered if his love for his children would be enough.

"I'm sorry our lives turned out like this." Peyton spoke softly taking in a shaky breath. "So far apart."

"If I could take it all back…"

Lucas began to speak, but Peyton stopped him immediately.

"Don't say anything you might regret, Luke. Look how long you've been married; I'm sure you don't have memories you would give up. Just like I wouldn't give up memories that I've had with Julian, hell even with Chris for that matter." Silence. " I think about the 'what ifs' every day, but all they're ever going to be are 'what ifs.' We can't change that."

He wanted to tell her that he wished he could. Change the outcome of everything. The first he'd do was never leave her in that hotel room, secondly he'd wait that god damned year, thirdly he'd get anyone other than Chris Keller to be the god father, fourthly there would be no father in Julian, and fifthly and most importantly he'd have a family with Peyton and his children. Did this make him a bad person for wanting to give up the life he had built up with Lindsay and their child? Probably, but there was just something about Peyton Sawyer that made him not care about anything else other than her.

***

After talking to Lucas in the small chapel she found Julian buying a cup of coffee from a vending machine while talking on his cell phone only getting the end of the conversation.

"Look you need to cut through the red tape. I'm telling you it needs to be done…No, I told you I can't be there…My family needs me...They can't threaten to shut down the movie…I'll be there in a couple weeks…Let me give you a call tomorrow."

His aggravation was getting the best of him as he forcefully swallowed the dark liquid.

"Are you sure you're Julian? Because the man I know doesn't drink coffee." Julian turned to look at Peyton and smiled sadly. "What's going on?"

"The investors have threatened to close production on the Aussie film if I don't show up in the next two days. I basically told them to shove it where the sun don't shine."

He wrapped Peyton in his arms.

"But you've work so hard on this the last couple of years. Don't they know that?"

"They do and they don't care."

"Julian you need to go." He looked down at her surprised. "Preston's awake now and I really want you here, but you need to go. Plus their college fund is holding out for this."

And she got him with the college fun. He agreed as he got tickets for the next flight that would be leaving in a couple of hours. He needed to say goodbye to everyone before he left.

He walked into the hospital room interrupting the conversation between Chris and Preston.

"Hey, dad."

"Hey, Pres. So listen I don't really want to go, but if you still want to go to Dartmouth I have to go down to Australia for a couple weeks and clear up some business with the movie, but I'll be back on twenty-fifth."

"Using blackmail, huh?" Preston joked. "It's okay. As long as you get me a new car cause you do know you're leaving a kid in the hospital to do work."

"Who's the one using the blackmail card now? I swear Keller what kind of things are you teaching that kid?" The three men laughed. "So you're mom's going to call if you need anything and I'll be back on the next flight out."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just leave so you can come back sooner."

Julian said goodbye to Preston and Chris as they wished him a safe flight. All that left was Leighton.

"You're a good godmother you know that, Brooke Davis." Julian walked into the waiting room. "Never leaving her side and all."

Brookes warm smile calmed the atmosphere around them. He knelt down in front of the girl and shook her gently trying to wake her up.

"Hey, Elle."

She mumbled a 'hmm.' He told her he had to go and she muttered a 'kay.'

"Wait you're leaving?"

The energy suddenly woke her up.

"Yeah business. I'll be back in three weeks."

"But, Pres, he's in the hospital."

"He's fine and awake. Plus your mom promised to call me if anything happened and I'd be here in less than a day."

"Wait he's awake and you didn't tell me."

She jumped out of her seat and told Julian bye as she sped out of the room her head popping back in for a split second telling him to have a safe flight and come back soon.

She ran into her mother and father outside of the hospital room.

"Mom, where are you going to stay at?"

Elle asked intrigued. That's when it hit Peyton she didn't make any kind of reservations at a hotel and might have to stay at an old motel.

"Probably here at the hospital."

"Nonsense, you can have the guest bedroom at my place. It's right in between Elle and Pres' room."

Lucas spoke without thinking. Or maybe that was the plan in the first place. Leighton looked from her mother and father. This was going to be an interesting couple of weeks; she couldn't wait to see the look on Lindsay's face when the mother of her husband's illegitimate children would be there new house guest. Oh this was going to be very fun.

A/N: So what do you think?? Push the green button :D and the magic will be revealed to me :D

-okay so it's my brother's birthday this weekend and we're going to take him to Hollywood's Universal Studios in LA so I'm going to be gone for a couple days and the next time I would usually post the next chapter would be on Sunday, but seeing as I won't be here the next chapter probably won't be posted till Tuesday. (Monday if I'm not too tired.) and there most likely won't be a post of "It's Not Over" till this Tuesday either seeing is that I haven't gotten it ready yet, but the idea is in my head…but I will try to post it tomorrow (friday) before I leave (No promised tho)...and that's why this chapter is longer than any other one, too...couldn't leave you guys with out a bit more :D

So leave a review :D