A/N: So, yeah, I know you all saw the pregnancy coming. Let's face it, baby equals drama. Once again, thanks for all the reviews, I greatly appreciate it. I ramble far too much, so without further ado: Chapter 7...

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After Brooke's phone call, Haley had gone off to bed, leaving strict instructions to be awoken if they heard anything else. The two Scott brothers sat in silence for a while. Neither of them had wanted to talk about the fact that they were still worried about the pretty little blonde lying in a hospital bed on the other side of the country.

Eventually the silence became unbearable for the younger Scott.

"Okay, why is Haley pissed at you?" Nathan had noticed Haley's cool demeanor towards Lucas all night. He didn't want to say anything, but he curiosity was getting the better of him. If Haley was mad at her golden boy, then it had to be bad.

"You don't know?" Lucas was surprised. "I thought you two told each other everything."

"We do," he said. "We just haven't had any time to sit down and talk with all of the Sawyer drama going on."

Lucas nodded. "Haley's pissed because I messed up."

"Yeah, I kinda figured that one out for myself." Nathan groaned. It was going to be like pulling teeth, wasn't it? "The question is, how did you mess up?"

The blond brother thought for a minute, debating whether or not to tell his younger sibling. He decided for it, hoping that maybe Nathan would help Haley calm down and forgive him. "I saw Peyton. When I was LA. I saw her."

"And kissed her, yeah, I know. Haley told me that." Nathan shook his head. That couldn't be it. Haley had known about it for weeks now and had not been that upset with Lucas. Whatever had made Haley so angry was something new. Something that happened between this morning and when Nathan had brought Lucas to the house. "No, there's something else."

"Well, I may have left some important details of what happened."

"Like what?"

Lucas sighed. If Nathan was going to be any help at all, his brother was going to have to have the whole story. "I slept with her."

Nathan whistled. "With Peyton? In the elevator?"

"Yeah."

"Huh… I don't think we ever did it in an elevator."

"Nate!"

Nathan laughed, "I'm just teasing you, Luke. But seriously, yeah. That's real messed up. No wonder Haley's pissed at you."

"She doesn't understand. Being trapped in that elevator with Peyton, it was as if the world outside ceased to exist. God, she's so beautiful and she was right there within my grasp and I couldn't help it. I just had to be with her."

"Luke, trust me. I get it. You and Sawyer have this bond to each other and as much as you try, you can't fight it."

"So you understand."

"Yeah, but it was still a shitty thing to do while you got a girlfriend. That's what's wrong here." Nathan didn't know when he managed to get to a point where he had the moral high ground against his brother. But he liked it.

"I know, but it's not like I can go back and changed what happened."

"But even if you could, you wouldn't."

Lucas looked at his brother in shock. How had he known? The blond brother hung his head. "No, I wouldn't. Nate, I love Peyton, so much. She fits me so perfectly and everything seems right when we're together."

"Then why are you with Lindsey?"

"Because it's easy."

Nathan stood up, angrily. He wanted to punch his brother. "That's disgusting, Luke."

"I know. I'm going to tell the Lindsey the truth, I promise. I just need to know that Peyton's going to be fine, first."

"Just in case?"

That surprised and hurt Lucas. "No! That's not it at all! I can't think properly right now and I don't want to say the wrong thing, okay?"

"You could always write yourself a script. I hear that you're pretty good at that."

"Nate, please don't be mad at me. I don't think I could handle having another person not liking me right now."

"Then smarten up, Luke," Nathan demanded.

"I know. I will, I promise." Lucas ran his hand through his short hair. "Hey, I know you and your wife hate me, but can I please stay here tonight? I really don't feel like heading back and fighting with Lindsey tonight."

"Fine. But you're making up the couch all by yourself."

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Peyton was discharged from the hospital with the doctor's recommendation that she go visit an OB/GYN as soon a possible. The two former cheerleaders made their way to Peyton's apartment in silence. They had made an unspoken vow to wait until the two of them were settled before discussing the little bombshell.

Peyton unlocked the door to her apartment and let herself in. Brooke, carrying her bags, followed behind closely. Once the door was shut and locked, and the two girls were seated on the couch, Peyton turned to Brooke.

"I'm pregnant."

"Seems so."

"Oh God, what am I going to do?"

Brooke took her friend's hand. "I don't know, Peyton. That's kinda a decision that you have to make on your own."

Peyton nodded. "Yeah, I know. I just can't believe it. I'm always so careful, Brooke. The ONE time I slip up and BOOM! I'm knocked up."

"That's what surprises me the most about this, I thought you were on the pill."

"I was, but my crappy medical insurance didn't cover it. It was so expensive and I wasn't planning on sleeping with anyone…"

"Well, you know, there's always condoms, too."

"My bad. I had left my "emergency-fuck-Lucas-in-an-elevator" condom in my other purse, okay?" Peyton clenched her fist. Great, the mood swings were already starting. As if she didn't have enough to worry about.

"All right, so you screwed up and had unprotected sex and ended up pregnant. That's the past. No use thinking about that now, as it's not going to change anything. You need to worry about the present and the future."

Brooke was right. Peyton couldn't change the fact that Lucas and her had made another life together. Thinking about that brought up a whole set of different problems. "How the hell am I going to tell Lucas?"

"You know, there's no law that says you have to…"

Peyton shook her head. "No, I can't do that. I have to tell him. He should know that he's going to be a father."

"Ah, I hope your conversation goes better than mine did," Brooke said, remembering when she thought she had been pregnant in Junior year.

"You ever wonder what if you had been pregnant?"

"All the time," Brooke admitted. "But we were so young then and we weren't in love. And it would have just spelt disaster for all those involved."

Peyton was quiet. She was thinking about the fact that she had a child growing inside her. She knew immediately was her decision was. "I'm going to keep it."

Brooke wasn't surprised. "I thought you might."

Peyton smiled. "You know, I never would have picked this as the way I'd end up pregnant, but… I don't know. It kind of seems… right."

The brunette hugged her friend warmly. "I know what you mean. You're going to be a great mother, Peyton. There's no doubt about that."

"You think so?" Peyton asked and Brooke nodded. "I hope so. At the very least, this baby is going to be very loved."

"Oh, and spoiled rotten, if I have anything to say about it."

"Oh my God! I'm having a baby!" Peyton jumped up. She was happy. She had always known that she wanted to have a child with Lucas. This wasn't exactly how she imagined it would have happened, but it didn't matter to her anymore. Even if Lucas and her never even spoke again, at least Peyton had this little piece of him forever.

Peyton was excited. She had big plans for her little one. She couldn't wait to take her to the fair and the beach and… Peyton looked around her apartment. "This is wrong."

"What?"

"I am not having my baby here." Suddenly, everything was clear. She was unhappy and alone and hated the city she was living in. And now that she had her tummy goblin to think about, she was going to set things right. "Do you mind if I move in with you in New York?"

Brooke's mind was racing. Watching Peyton's excitement over her pregnancy made realize that she didn't want to miss a single second of it. "I'd love to have you move in with me in New York, P. Sawyer. But that's not going to be possible."

Peyton looked crushed. "Oh. Okay. I understand."

Brooke grinned. "Because I'm not going to be living in New York. I'm moving back home. To Tree Hill. And you, Best Friend, are coming with me."

"Brooke, I can't ask you to do that for me…"

"But I'm not doing it for you, I'm doing for me." Brooke sighed. "You're not the only one feeling lonely in a city that doesn't feel like home."

"I'm sorry, I never realized…"

"Not your fault. I hid it because I didn't want you to know that I couldn't handle it."

"So, what are you going to do about 'Clothes Over Bros?'"

"What do you mean?" Brooke gave her a confused look. "It's my company, I can do my job pretty much anywhere I want. This is perfect, so stop looking for excuses."

Peyton gave Brooke a half-smile. "You know, Lucas is probably going to hate it."

"I hope so. A little punishment is just what the doctor ordered." The dark-haired beauty showed her dimples. "Besides, we're not moving for him. We're moving back for us. And for my godchild, of course."

The blonde knew in her heart that this was what they were supposed to do. Despite not knowing what she was going to do for work or where she was going to live, Peyton had faith (something that she had been missing for quite some time now) that everything was going to turn out fine. "I think this is a good thing, B. Davis."

"I think so, too. It's been far too long, P. Sawyer. It's about time that we went back home."

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Nathan stripped out of his clothes and climbed into bed beside his wife. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled he closed to him.

"Did Lucas just leave?" Haley asked, obviously not even remotely asleep.

"No, he asked if he could stay here the night. He's downstairs making up the couch."

"I'm so angry at him!"

"I know, babe," Nathan whispered, breathing into her hair. "He fucked up royally. He admits it himself."

Haley turned to face her husband, her eyes narrowed. "He told you what happened? That he had sex with Peyton?"

"Yeah, he did."

"Well, at least he's finally being truthful. I guess that's a step in the right direction." She let out a little sigh. Haley had been focusing on her anger so she wouldn't drown in her worry. But now, alone with her husband, she knew she could let go. "I hope Peyton's really okay."

"Me too." He felt the lump rise in his throat again. He missed Peyton. Not in a romantic way, not at all. She was a great friend and she had been there for him when no one else had. But when Lucas and Peyton had broken up, the Scott family had sided with the boy. After all, he was Nathan's brother, Haley's best friend's and little Jamie's godfather. That didn't mean, however, that it didn't hurt him to watch his friendship with Peyton disintegrate.

"She doesn't deserve any more pain. She had enough to last several lifetimes." Haley felt incredibly guilty about not being there for Peyton ever since she had broken up with Lucas. The young mother should have supported her girlfriend as well as her best friend. Now she wondered if she'd ever get the chance to rectify the situation. That terrified her. Haley needed to put things right between her and Peyton. And she had to do it now.

"Do you think Peyton's still in the hospital?" Haley asked. She didn't even wait for a response. She crawled over Nathan and grabbed the phone.

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Brooke and Peyton had settled on the couch, awaiting the arrival of the delivery boy when Peyton's cell phone rang. Brooke raised an eyebrow and Peyton looked at the Caller ID.

"It's Haley," Peyton told Brooke before answering her cell phone. "Hey."

"Peyton…" Haley was relieved to hear her voice. "How are you, sweetie? You're out of the hospital, right?"

"I'm fine, Haley. I'm home… well, at least, I'm at my apartment."

"Did you get the test results back?"

"Yeah, there's nothing wrong with me. At least not physically." Peyton joked, trying to keep the conversation light.

"That's great news, Peyton." Haley squeezed Nathan's hand and he felt the relief travel from her body to his. "Nathan and I… we were really worried and I'm so sorry for everything,…"

"Hey, didn't you hear me? I'm not dying!" Peyton didn't understand where all this was coming from. "Haley, you don't need to apologize, okay? You and me? We're fine, honestly."

"We're not fine. But we will be. I promise, I'm making it priority number one."

Peyton laughed. "Well, I think I'll give you a chance to make it up to me, then. Brooke and I are thinking of taking a little trip to Tree Hill. What do you think?"

Haley sat up. "Seriously?"

Haley's shriek made Peyton cringe a little. "Yeah, I'm serious."

"When?"

"Don't know yet, we still got some stuff to figure out. But I promise, as soon as we have all the details, you'll be the first to know."

"Good. I miss you, Peyton."

Peyton was surprised at the way Haley said it. "I miss you, too. I'll see you soon, I promise."

Brooke gave her a look as her friend hung up the phone. "My hearing must be going, 'cause I swear I didn't hear you mention the bun in your oven."

"I know I didn't. And it wasn't because I was scared. I just didn't think it was appropriate to tell her over the phone after not seeing her for years."

"I guess you're right. That's definitely a face-to-face announcement."

Another ringtone. This time it was Brooke's cell phone. And it was Lucas who was calling.

"Hello?" Brooke answered the phone, pulling Peyton right next to her and putting the phone between their ears so they could both hear him on the other line.

"Hey, Brooke." His voice was almost unrecognizable. Peyton had never heard him sound so tired and distraught before.

"Oh, hey Broody. What's up?" Brooke was trying to keep her voice as casual as possible and Peyton just shook her head.

"How is she?"

"Who?"

"Brooke!" It was obvious that he wasn't in the mood to deal with her games. More's the pity.

"She fine, Lucas."

"So do we know why she passed out?" Lucas was nervous, but he needed to know.

"Yes."

Lucas waited for the brunette to expand on her answer. She didn't. "Well?"

"Well, what?"

"Why did she?"

"I'm sorry, but explain to me how that's any of your business…"

Lucas sighed. He knew that this conversation would be an uphill battle. "Please, Brooke? I just want to make sure that she's okay."

Brooke smiled over at Peyton, who was fighting a smile. It was nice hearing Lucas be all worried for her. "I already told you that she was fine."

"Is she still in the hospital?"

"No, we're in her apartment. Why?"

"Can I talk to her?" Lucas heard the desperation in his voice and he didn't care. He needed to talk to Peyton. He needed to hear her voice.

Brooke gave Peyton a questioning glance. Peyton bit her lip but didn't answer.

"I don't know, Luke. She's had a rough day…" Brooke was still looking at Peyton, waiting for an answer.

"I won't upset her, I promise. I just need to talk to her."

Peyton finally nodded and Brooke took a deep breath. "Fine, but if you make her cry…"

"I won't."

Brooke handed the phone to Peyton who took a deep breath before saying anything. "Hey."

"Hey, Peyt. How you feeling?" He settled back on the couch and closed his eyes. It was good to hear her again.

"Tired, mostly."

"I can imagine." He knew he had promised Brooke that he wouldn't upset her, but he couldn't help it. "Listen, about how we left things-"

"Not now, Luke." Peyton knew her limits. After the day she had, she was in no state to discuss their last encounter.

"But-"

"No." Peyton was firm. "If that's all you wanted to say then, I guess I'll say goodbye."

"No, wait!" He was terrified that if she hung up that he would never get to talk to her again. "Please don't hang up yet."

"Why shouldn't I?"

"Because… I love you."

Peyton closed her eyes. "You have a girlfriend."

"I know."

Why was he doing this to her? "Luke, you made your position perfectly clear to me the last time we spoke. If nothing's changed…"

How could she think that nothing had changed? He had been worried sick that he was going to lose her. "Peyt, I was terrified when I heard that you were in the hospital. It cleared up some things for me. I know now that I can't lose you."

Peyton couldn't believe it. She wasn't up for dealing with this either. "I'm tired and this is definitely a conversation for another time. Thank you for your concern, but I'm fine. Now, I really need to get some sleep."

"I love you."

Peyton didn't want to answer him. She put her hand on her stomach, where the result of their mutual love for each other was . "I love you, but that doesn't change anything right now."

"I know, but I thought you deserved to know."

"Thank you, I guess. Bye, Lucas."

"Goodbye, Peyton.

As Lucas put his phone away, and settled into his brother's couch, he made a decision. He was going to get Peyton back. Being angry and hurt and blaming her for their break up had done nothing but keep them apart. He hated being away from her. Especially now. He was the one that would swoop in whenever she was in trouble.

He was supposed to be her hero.

Instead, he was just her ex-boyfriend, lying on a couch, over three thousand miles away from her. Lucas couldn't believe what a mess he had made out of his life. He cared about Lindsey, he may even have loved her, but it was nothing compared to what he felt for Peyton. And even though he knew that he was going to hurt by telling her the truth about him and Peyton, Lucas realized that he would be hurting her more by keeping her from finding someone who would love and cherish her as much as she deserved to be. As much as Lucas loved and cherished Peyton.

Hearing her voice was just what he needed. Her lightly accented voice gave him the courage to do what he knew had to be done. At the revelation, he felt like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. He was going to have a hell of a tomorrow. But for now, he needed to get to sleep. He was going to need all the rest he could get if he had any hope of getting through the unpleasantries.

And then he was going to start working on getting Peyton back.