A/N: You know I wish I was one of those authors that could pump out a chapter a week. But kids, that's just not how I roll. I think you have all come to expect this from me and I thank you all for your patience. Plus it just makes it even better when a new chapter appears. In this often hum-drum existence we like to call life, who doesn't want a few Christmasbirthdays sprinkled in. That's right Christmasbirthdays. The feeling you get when your fave author drops a new chap-often expressed by squealing and/or mentally jumping up and down and clapping your hands giddily. For example, when Mattuf1 updates any of his stories like Letting the Cables Sleep and Wasteland, I express my happiness with a fist pump...sometimes two depanding on how much of a fix I need, and a "YES!".

So that, being said Happy Christmasbirthday everyone.

Lucas's muscles flexed as he held Peyton's body up against the side of the house and began pounding into her with his thick length. His hands grasped her ass as she cradled his body with her own, legs locked around his waist, matching him thrust for thrust.

The fact that they were outside and in clear view of anyone who was looking only registered slightly to them. The weeping willow served to mask them somewhat from prying eyes, but not completely, and they knew they should probably go inside to their bed. Truthfully the thought of anyone seeing them, thrilled them a bit. A strange fact considering the mortification they felt in the instances when they'd been walked in on by various friends and family members.

This was different though. This was the dash of spice that kept their love life hot, kept it surprising and new. Wanting each other so badly that they had to have each other right there on their patio. It was actually how William had been conceived, in a moment of here and now passion.

Lucas had been gardening in the backyard. After putting Anna down for her nap, Peyton had come outside with a glass of water for him. It had been unseasonably warm out for the springtime and he'd shucked his shirt earlier. She offered him the water, eyes taking in the sweat glistening on his bronzed skin. After accepting the water, he looked up at her, wearing a flimsy, flowered button-down dress, the sun spinning her hair to gold, and at that moment their eyes met. Water and flowers forgotten, he pulled his gloves off and tugged her down to him, pulling her into a passionate kiss, one hand reaching up to pinch her nipple straining through her dress. She whimpered and the dress quickly came off. Then and there.

There was little foreplay, and with the sun beating down on them he entered her, groaning at how wet she was. They were impossibly aroused, every nerve-ending was on fire, humming as they arched, strained, writhed against each other.

It was some of the hottest sex either of them had ever experienced with each other or anyone else. It was worth the mint plant and basil they had destroyed and the long shower they needed afterwards. It still topped Lucas's list of hot sexual encounters with Peyton Sawyer that he liked to daydream about. It was also probably why Mrs. Bean next door looked at them like they were the worst sort of porn stars.

"God you feel so good," he husked, leaning down to suck on the spot on her neck under which her pulse quickened. He raised one hand from her ass to tangle in her hair, pulling her into a deep, intense kiss. Her tongue tangled with his and he moaned deep in his throat, speeding up his movements.

She pulled her head back to cry out, as he pounded into her. Her eyes were squeezed shut and when she opened them-

"Oh my God," she cried.

"I know," he breathed. But while their lovemaking was fantastic, that anyone seeing them turned out to be a shell-shocked looking Brooke and Rachel trying to pull her away. But instead of stiffening and pulling away like she did when Brooke had walked in on them before, something strange came over her.

"Mmm, deeper, Luke," she breathed, gasping as he tightened his hold on her.

"Oooo, God I need you deeper," she cried, tightening her legs around his waist as he pistoned up into her.

"Baby, you are so sexy," Lucas husked, nipping her ear. He pulled out suddenly, making her cry out indignantly before he spun her around and tugged on her hips, walking them backwards. He sat down and she realized his intentions, spreading her legs and sliding down onto his pulsing cock once more. His arms snaked around her waist, one hand kneading her breasts, pinching her nipples, while the other crept between her legs and began rubbing her throbbing clit. Face buried in her neck he pumped into her, hitting her g-spot again and again……

"Wait," Molly laughed. "So you saw her there and you just…"

"Kept having sex? Yes. Yes we did."

"And Lucas didn't know…"

"Nope."
"And you didn't say anything to him."

Peyton shook her head and raised her eyebrows as Molly practically squealed in evil delight.

"Molly," Peyton sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Can I high five you?"

"No!" Peyton turned back to her painting. "I feel sort of guilty, you know? But, part of me…"

"Loved it?"

"I'm a horrible bitch!"

"No way. You're a wife putting a potential home wrecker in her place," Molly replied, folding her arms. "What was she doing sneaking around your property that early anyway?"

"She left for New York today," Peyton replied, somewhat sadly, as she stared at the canvas. "Guess I lost her for good huh?"

"Peyton," Molly sighed. "It is not your fault that her life isn't what she wanted it to be and it is definitely not your fault that Lucas loves you more then he ever could her. She has been horrible to you since she got back and you shouldn't feel bad that she caught and Lucas going the nasty on your balcony-which by the way is so very kinky of you."

"I can't help it, Moll. Brooke has been my best friend since I was single digits. She was there for me when my mom died. She saved me from Ian on prom night. God it just seems like, she and I got through so much, just to have it fall apart over Lucas again."

"Peyt, I know Brooke means a lot to you, so I'm going to remind you that you and Brooke have gotten through the worst and as cliché as it sounds, if it's meant to be you guys will find a way back but it may not and considering what you have now, maybe it's a fair trade."

"Maybe," Peyton shrugged. "But I don't see how we could come back from this. But that's not the only thing bothering me."

"Dan?"

"How'd you know?"

"I talked to Haley this morning. How are you guys?"

"Luke seemed okay today when I left," Peyton replied, carefully. "He's afraid, I'm afraid because Dan says he needs a heart transplant, because of his HCM."

"Oh sweetie, he's sick?"

"Who knows. He's a lying bastard and if he's sick I couldn't give a flying fuck, but if he's sick….Molly Dan is only in his forties. If it's true, what does this mean for Lucas?"

"Honey, Lucas will be fine. He's strong."

"He's had a heart attack before he was twenty. And he's scared about having past the disease down to Anna or William-" Peyton pressed a hand to her mouth as tears bubbled up from her.

"Oh Peyton," Molly cried, walking over to wrap an arm around her friend, uncaring of the paint splatters on her heels.

"Ellie had cancer. It's genetic and I don't even know who my father is and what he could have passed down. And I-I'm scared for them Molly. I lose everyone that I love and I can't lose my family."

"Oh you won't Peyton," Molly soothed.

"I don't know, Molly," Peyton sighed. "This thing with Dan scares me. The thought of losing Lucas to whatever he may have…"

"Peyton that man is a liar. You've said so yourself. Lucas takes his pills religiously and has his doctor on speed dial because he is afraid of the same thing you are. The idea of leaving you and the kids is torture for him," Molly said. "He's told me as much himself."

"He told you that?"

"Yes. Don't worry about things you have no control over, Peyton."

"All right bub, gimme those hands," Lucas cooed, wiping William's greasy, grasping little hands with a wet paper towel. Much to the baby's dismay, he then scrubbed his chubby face, which was messy with peas and fish stick crumbs.

"Hey-stay still, William….." he sighed. William swiped at his hands and turned his face trying to make cleaning him up as difficult as possible, making Lucas smile through his slight frustration. His boy was a messy little guy. They were lucky William enjoyed bath time so much otherwise it would be a bigger pain to get him clean.

"Okay. All done," he said, and then lifted his son up from his high chair. "You wanna play with you sister?"

"An-a," William gurgled as Lucas sat him down beside Anna on the floor, before sitting down with them himself.

"Watcha doing Anna banana?"

"I'm reading a book to Paddy-ton," she cried. Lucas chuckled indulgently. She was so funny with her yelling. He couldn't imagine where it came from.

""Why you laughin' Daddy?"

"Because you are funny," he replied, bopping her nose with a finger. At this Anna beamed.

"Mommy says that I'm funny too! She says my des-ball is pres-sus, but I don't know what des-ball is!"

He paused for a moment, but quickly figured out that des-ball was decibel and pres-sus was precious. Understanding Anna was easy for the most part. She had an advanced vocabulary for a four year old, understanding and quickly picking up many words, some her parents would rather she didn't. It took nearly a week for them to keep her from screaming 'boobies' at women in the grocery store when she was three. This particular word was courtesy of Skillz after ten minutes of watching her.

The difficulty came in thinking the word was something a four year old would know. The girl was always paying attention.

"That's decibel, baby. Mommy just meant you're loud."

Anna frowned and then looked confused. "Thas not funny," she said simply after a moment. This made Lucas chuckle again and Anna asked, "Now what'd I do?"

"Nothing baby," Lucas smiled. Anna raised her eyebrow and went back to making up stories out of Lucas's copy of As I Lay Dying to Paddington and now William who was staring at her, expectantly. What did her Gramma call it? Oh yes. Sense. Her Mommy and Daddy sometimes lacked in it. She was convinced that her parent's knew everything, but it was times like this that made the little girl sigh and wonder what her parents would do without her.

Lucas stood to clear up the lunch dishes while the kids were occupied. He was becoming the master of low maintenance lunches that both children could enjoy. Life was far easier now that William was eating some solid foods. He took a bite of the sandwich had made for himself while preparing the children's lunch, but didn't have time to eat between Anna's constant chatter and trying to focus William on his food.

It wasn't an easy job and he'd long ago understood the frustration of stay at home mothers who raised their children thanklessly. He was often praised, as a man for choosing to stay at home with his children and never understood it. No one had given his mother a meddle for raising him by herself, nor do they praise the hundreds of thousands of mothers who do the same.

He paused at the doorway and gazed back at them with a sigh when William squealed with laughter at Anna, who dissolved into laughter of her own…..He chuckled a little as Anna pressed her face up to her brother's sending them both into raucous giggles once again. He wouldn't give any of it up. Yet…

Which one of my babies did I give a broken heart?

The phone began to ring, shaking Lucas out of his thoughts.

"Hello?"

"Is it true?"

Lucas furrowed his brows, as he set the plates in the sink. "Is what true?"

"All of it," Jake exclaimed. "Is Dan really out of prison and sick? Is Brooke really gone?"

"Dan's out on parole," Lucas sighed, rubbing his face. He was already tired of the stress the whole thing had brought on. "We weren't contacted because of some computer glitch. There's nothing we can do but appeal and that could take months. He wasted no time, showing up scaring the kids, then threatening Peyton-"

"Whoa, wait. He threatened her?"

"He said some things to her that upset her. Anyway, he and I got into it. That was yesterday."

"Wow," Jake breathed, sitting back at his desk. "I'm sorry man."

Lucas shrugged, even though Jake couldn't see him. "I'm mostly worried about Lily and Mom, the kids. I never wanted them to know him. I never wanted them to have to carry this around with them. I'm just glad William isn't old enough to know what's going on. It's hard enough trying to explain to one child why your father abandoned you and why you won't do the same to her."

"Anna knows you'd never leave her, though, Luke," Jake argued.

"She knows that, but she also thought all daddies were like you, Nate, and I. She's sensitive, Jake. She holds onto things and she won't forget them."

Lucas leaned against the doorframe and watched as Anna patiently waited for William's chubby fingers to turn the page.

"She's afraid for Peyton to leave her like her like Peyton's mom left her. She said so herself to Peyton yesterday and it just about broke my heart."

"Aw man, Luke," Jake sighed, sympathetically.

"She's too little, too innocent to have to know about mothers and fathers leaving. She shouldn't have to know about any of the bad yet, Jake."

"We all wanna protect our children for as long as we can from the world Luke. It was hell having to explain to Jenny the history with me and her mom and she didn't understand it for a long time. But she knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that her parents both love her. Anna knows that from both you and Peyton. You're both good with her Luke. Anna is well rounded and smart. A little too sassy for her own good, but-" he added, making both men chuckle.

"Is this your professional opinion?" Lucas asked with some humor.

"It is. And that of a friends. You're doing great, given the lives you've been given. It's not easy having a loaded history."

"Tell me about it," Lucas sighed. "Makes for a good book though," he joked.

Jake laughed. "Yeah. So, Brooke is gone?"

"Guess so," Lucas shrugged.

"She didn't stop by to say goodbye to you either huh?"

"There was no reason for her to say anything to us, before she left."

Jake paused at the chilliness in Lucas's voice. "What does that mean?"

"Her and Peyton exchanged some words," he explained, shortly. "I told her to stay away so I guess she listened."

"What did she say?" Jake asked, furrowing his brows.

"She was yelling at her. She said Peyton whined about everything she lost."

Jake's jaw dropped. "What?!" Only in Tree Hill, he thought, could everything so drastically change in a matter of twenty four hours.

"Yeah, I couldn't believe it either," Lucas chuffed. "You know at Tric she said some things that got me thinking that she wasn't here for the reasons we thought she was and as it turns out I was right."

"What did she say?"

"She told Peyton that she basically gave me to her back in high school. She just made it sound like I would have never even thought to be with Peyton had she not nudged me in her direction. And then she had the nerve to bring up Peyton's visit with you."

"….Um what visit?" Jake asked after a beat, wondering how much Lucas knew about it. The memory was no longer as painful as it used to be and he used to often wonder whether Peyton had told Lucas about it.

"When Peyton went down to Savannah to visit you and Jenny. I know, Jake…That she proposed to you."

"Oh," Jake mumbled. There was a moment of semi-awkward silence between the two men, dashing them back to the months after Lucas and Peyton returned from their honeymoon, when he had just begun dating Molly. The two had been forced to spend uncomfortable time together because of their significant others. Jake had been more uncomfortable around Lucas than around Peyton. After all, in what universe did the husband and the ex-lover chat over beer and steaks while their wife and girlfriend respectively talked about art in the next room? But that was how the cards seemed to fall. The friendship between Lucas and Jake had been carefully cultivated. Both men had been careful around each other for months. But somehow the two had gotten over the hump. Jake understood Brooke's feeling because he had been Brooke…well minus the plotting. It left Jake wondering how he and Lucas could have succeeded where Brooke and Peyton had seemingly failed even with years of friendship under their belt. He couldn't understand why Brooke couldn't see her friend's happiness and allow it. Seeing how happy they made each other was what helped nudge Jake towards healing.

"It's fine, Jake," Lucas said after a moment longer. "That's the past. It's all in the past and I told Brooke that. Afterwards, she told me that when Peyton came back from seeing you, she told her that she was in love with me. Brooke broke up with me a few days later and the you know the rest. She said it like it was supposed to change something."

"Why do you think she said it?"

Lucas sighed. He had an idea, but there was no use voicing it now. Brooke was gone. "I don't know. I know that what she said hurt Peyton. I won't stand for anyone hurting her. I don't care who it is."

Lucas hook his head and sighed. "I just wish it was different. Peyton really wanted Brooke back."

"I guess we all did," Jake said, quietly. "She changed a lot."

"I know she's still in there. I just can't have her putting my family in pain with everything that's happening now. Is that selfish?"

"Not when you have a family to protect," Jake replied.

"Thanks. Look, I gotta go. William just fell asleep on Paddington Bear."

"Okay, man. My one o' clock is coming in soon anyway," Jake laughed. "Hey are we cool?"

"Yeah, Jagielski. We're cool."

"Awesome. I'll talk to you later, Luke."

Saying goodbye, Lucas hung up and carefully scooped the snoring boy up in his arms.

"I put William to sleep," Anna grinned in a stage whisper.

"Thank you Anna banana. Can you stay here for me while I put him upstairs?"

"Yup!"

"Good girl."

Lucas walked upstairs with practiced careful steps and into William's bright blue nursery. His eyes popped open once and with a quiet, "Dada," he drifted back asleep, not waking when he laid him down in his crib. Lucas leaned his arms on the crib railing and lowered his head to his arms, gazing at his little boy.

There had been no sign of Dan that day and apparently Brooke was gone. Life was seemingly back to normal. As far as little William Scott was concerned, all was right with the world. Lucas wished he could pretend that was true.

And there you have it. Next chapter will have Brooke in it. Thanks so much to all the fantastic reviews. I really really appreciate them. Gimme more. ;)