A/N: Late. Sorry. I know. It's work. Blame it. I do. The economy. Blame it. I do. Bad economy=shifts I have to pick up on days off. Good economy=enough hours && I don't have to pick up shifts on my days off. Sorry. Again.

Chapter Eighteen:

"Oh, you're serious."

Lucas quit laughing catching the steely gaze from Peyton who narrowed her eyes towards him. She had suggested what he thought was an idiotic idea when it came to finding out who the vile of drugs belonged to.

"What? It's a great idea."

The next afternoon the three Scott children had spent the morning in Preston's room doing trivial on old classic rock. So far Leighton was winning, Preston close behind, and Elliot who was far from being in first place.

"Come on, Eli. You should know this one."

Preston spoke in between lyrics his hands waving in the air as if the gesture would make his younger brother remember any faster.

"It's Coldplay's Cemeteries of London; double points for me for getting the name of the song."

"Uncle Chris, he almost had it." Leighton pouted stomping her foot against the floor, but quickly remembered she was winning the game. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"What? Can't everyone's favorite godfather come visit his favorite twins?" He spoke bringing in Elle and Pres into a hug and taking a glance around the square walls and noticed the other head in the room. "And their little brother?"

"The Keller does always come over unannounced." Preston stated as if it was no big suprise there while he flipped through his iPod trying to find a new song. "Okay, who sings this one? As always double points if you know the name of the song. "

As the beats to the music began to play Chris took this opportunity to close the door to the room for the purpose to give the group some much needed privacy. It's supposed to be sneaky and unheard by the other two adults in the other room.

I'm not saying its your fault
Although you could have done more
Oh you're so naive yet so
How could this been done
By such a smiling sweetheart.
Ohh and your sweet and pretty face
In such an ugly world
Something so beautiful.
Ohh that every time I look inside

"The Kooks' 'Naive'." Chris and Elle spoke simultaneously as soon as Preston pushed the stop button. "I called it first!"

'The Keller' just shrugged giving the points to the young girl without arguing. Last time the trio had played this game it was an endless battle of 'No, I said it first's; mostly from Chris' end.

"So…" He began slurring out his words speaking when the song was at its loudest. "Do you guys know where I can score some cocaine around here?"

The last of the lyrics were said and the realization of what had been asked from the oldest so called most matured person in the room began to sink in. Chris read the faces to the two siblings that belonged to the same mother and father. Shock and more complete udder shock. Turning he gave his whole attention to the next boy who shared a father with the twins. If it was one look that Chris knew it was guilt, he had some major redemtion to ask for over the years, and this boy had it written across his face.

"Wait?"

"What?"

This time Elle and Pres spoke in unison once the shock had worn off; since when did he turn his back on practicing what he preached? Which were hugs not drugs. Chris hadn't torn his eyes away from the youngest adolescent noting the color of his eyes turning a darker shade of blue.

"You know where I can get some don't you?"

"I, I…" Elliot began to stutter catching the eyes of his half siblings along with the old musician who had asked him the question. "I do not."

"Right." He had his answer and all that was left was to inform those who asked for his assistance. Taking a step away from the three youths he left the room with one more statement, but it was pointed towards the only girl in the room. "I called it first."

"That was extremely weird. Even for him." Leighton kept her stance to sitting on top of the dresser her legs knocking back and forth on the cherry wood. "Plus, I so called it first!"

Walking back into the living room Chris forced himself in between Lucas and Peyton his legs plopping up on the coffee table while the two people on either side of him scooted over on the couch nervously to give him room.

"So?"

The single syllable left Peyton's lips shakily; if that was even possible. This whole time she wondered where she had gone wrong in raising her children. They had a more than stable upbringing, there was never a time when there wasn't food on the table, and there had always been a roof over their heads, along with the knowledge that they were able to come to her for anything and everything or if they couldn't talk to her than they had the ability to call their father and even talk with Julian.

"It's all Elliot."

And once Chris spoke those three words it was as if Peyton let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding since last night. She raised them right.

"Are you sure?"

Lucas asked. The boy was only fifteen. Where on earth does a kid that age know where to get that kind of stuff? And where does he get the money because Lucas and Lindsay sure as hell don't give him enough to buy the substance.

"Positive. He's got the whole 'busted' blues."

Sighing heavily Lucas finally stood from his seat on the couch and made his way into the room where his three children were currently occupying their time. He's never really thought that he'd be in this position where his child was the one who would be accused of possession of an illegal substance. Standing at the door's frame his anger subsided for the briefest second. When exactly was the last time that they actually get along? He couldn't remember.

"Elliot Scott."

His tone was heavy. If the boy had a middle name he'd surely of used it, but alas he didn't and if anything Lindsay had blames him for that. She wanted it to be Keith, but Lucas couldn't do it. It didn't feel right to him knowing that this little boy would be carrying around the name of a man who was his father. It didn't fit the infant then and it didn't fit the teenager now.

"Someone's in trouble."

Leighton spoke her gaze turning to her brother who had been quiet ever since the godfather had made his appearance ten minutes ago. It earned her a nudge from her older brother who told her to be quiet.

"How about we make this a family affair, shall we? In the living room now."

The three followed their father out of Pres' room and into the now brighter homey-er living room where Chris and Peyton now stood front and center; Lucas joined them seconds later.

"Exhibit A." Peyton spoke handing over an article that was hidden in her closed knuckles as she passed it Lucas' way.

"What are we on Judge Judy? Exhibit A, exhibit B, exhibit this, exhibit that."

"Leighton!"

If anything Peyton knew that her daughter had spent too much time with Brooke growing up. She usually had a smart remark for everything; Peyton sent a look Elle's way to show her that now wasn't the time to be joking.

"Exhibit this…" Lucas spoke using his daughter's vocabulary the clear vile held in his thumb and index fingers holding it out for a clearer look for the teenager's to see moving it from left to right slowly his expression was in stone. "Was found in this house."

He waited for any retort from any of his children, but mostly from his daughter. None came so he took the time to look at every single body expression on each child; each twitch from Elliot, eye roll from Leighton, and impatient thumb twiddling from Preston.

"So, do you want us to play twenty one questions and try to figure out what's in that little bottle or are you going to just tell us already?"

Preston asked leaning back onto the couch where his sister and brother had joined him not too long ago; his elbow resting on the arm of the couch.

"In this vile there is a minimal amount of a drug; cocaine to be exact. Now we want to know who it belongs to."

The coffee table had been moved to the side of the room so there was nothing in between the adults and teenagers as Lucas inched closer and closer to the three occupants on the couch.

"Preston Luke Scott?"

"Not mine."

Preston stated his hands automatically going up halfway into the air in defense all the while his father's face was inches away from his. The answer seemed to satisfy the man as he moved toward the next sibling sitting next to Preston.

"Leighton Penelope Scott?"

"It's not mine, dad."

She really hated when her parents used her full name. It was the second time in less than half an hour for heaven's sake. She received the same scary intense eye stare from her father as Preston had. Again Lucas had another satisfied answer and he moved toward the last and youngest child who was sitting next to Leighton.

"Elliot?"

He didn't meet Lucas' eyes nor did he say a word his sister interrupting the nothingness that he had to say and he was grateful for that.

"No fair. Me and Pres both got the full name extent including middle and last and all he gets is an Elliot?" Lucas wasn't surprised to hear the famine voice. "Someone sounds a bit biased." Leighton's sentence came out monotonously jingly in a pattern pitch.

"Elliot Scott-"

"Better." Elle interrupted. "Go on."

"Elliot, is this yours?"

"No."

He kept his gaze down to the ground still unable to look into his father's eyes; his answer came out a whisper and if Lucas wasn't so close to the young boy than he wouldn't have heard his reply.

"You're telling the truth, but..." Elliot looked up surprised to hear the husky voice that had been quiet for so long. It was Peyton taking a step closer each second until she stood next to Lucas. "There's something else. You know who it belongs to."

"No… No I don't."

"Yes, you do. Whose is it?"

Peyton kept her tone calm. If anything she knew when someone was lying. She has been the master of it all for so many years that she could spot one out in a second.

"It was in your room! Maybe it's yours!"

He stood from the couch mere inches away from Peyton his angry gaze staring up a couple of inches to meet her eyes.

"We never said where it was found."

She still spoke so calm the teenager's actions didn't cause her to flinch or move away in fright, but at his movements Preston stood ready to attack if his younger brother dare to hurt a single strand of his mother's hair.

"Eli, whose is it?"

Lucas stepped in forcing himself into the small space that was separating Peyton and his son. Peyton's figure placed behind his as if trying to protect her from any kind of harm that might occur even though he truly knew none would happen it was still an instinct to save her from the slightest thing.

Elliot stood defeated he had no other choice but to give in. But wouldn't that make him a traitor to the person who loved him unconditionally? It looked like that unconditional love would be tested in the very near future. Staring eye to eye with his father he spoke the second half of truth.

"It's moms. She told me that Peyton was a very real threat and that she's only here to tear our family apart. So she gave me that bottle and told me to hide it in the guest bedroom. She was going to have you look for something in there later on and than you would find it and you'd have no other choice but to kick Peyton out."

The room went silent the only sounds that was heard was Peyton's gasping , the sound of Chris Keller's knuckles cracking, and the last sound was of crisp clothes crinkling together as Lucas brought Elliot into a hug.

"Thank you, for telling the truth. You did good."

Hours later Lindsay came home from a day of work. Nine to five; that had been her schedule for the last couple of years, but it was a job that she enjoyed so she never complained. The keys in her hands clinked together while she got out of the car and walked up the driveway to her house. Spotting clothes sprawled across the front yard's grass she smiled excitedly. Her plans were underway quicker than she had expected and Peyton would be out of her life in no time, hopefully along with her two evil twins. Making her way up the cement walk that led her to the entrence's door way something fell from the sky and landed in front of her. Picking up the article she realized it was clothing; her clothing.

"What the?"

Slowly turning her head she met the now covered grass and noticed that it was all hers; from her designer hand bags and shoes to her expensive clothes and even her wedding dress that took up one fourth of the lawn. Another piece of clothing falling from thes sky caught her eye and she finally looked up towards the balcony that held her room catching the eye of the person who was ruining her possessions. It was her husband who had tossed what looked like her entire closet out.

"Lucas! What do you think you're doing?"

"I WANT YOU OUT-" He tossed a handful of clothes from the terrace. "OF MY HOUSE!"

The lethal venom in his voice could have killed her on the spot if words did such a thing. She didn't question his orders, instead she ran towards the front door and forced her key into the knob, but it wouldn't twist it wouldn't open the door.

"CHANGED THE LOCKS!"

She could hear him scream the anger still very evident as he emptied out her closet. She banged on the wood door harder and harder trying to get his attention. Minutes seemed to pass and the door finally opened just a peak.

"What is this all about, Lucas?"

Lindsay asked, but when the person behind the door had green eyes instead of blue she knew that her plan had failed and burned to the ground.

"So you're the little bit-"

The sound of heavy footsteps could be heard running down the stairs and the sound of a soothing voice telling Peyton to wait in the kitchen could be none other than the man who was seething poison seconds ago. The sound of lighter footsteps began to dimmer away and Lucas made his way outside closing the door behind him. He wasn't going to allow Lindsay anywhere inside his home.

"Don't you dare talk to her like that!"

And so faded the previous loving voice and came out the hissing death.

"This is ridicules. That is my home!" She was angry now, but she didn't yell not wanting to give the neighbors something to gossip about even if they already had enough ammo. 'You know that Scott family they're one for appearances, but behind clothes doors who knows what's going on there' "What has gotten into you?"

"You! What kind of person lies about their child having a medical condition? What kind of person uses their child as a scapegoat? Oh right you do. I don't want you around here around us any longer. And don't be surprised when divorce papers end up in your hands."

There was no response from the woman who was frozen with shock and most importantly fear. No words was said on her behalf because by the time she could even fathom on what to say the door was slammed shut.

A/N: So??? Green Button??? Why, yes, thank you :D Now the fun LP begins. AHHH Two more weeks for OTH :D

-also as of right now it is Monday evening-ish, but Fanfiction is acting all glitch-y and isn't letting me upload any documents so I wasn't able to get anything in tonight. So sorry for the unnecessary extra lateness. Okay so I finally got it to upload and it's Tuesday now.