Their graduation was upon them. It should have been the happiest time of the kids of Tree Hill's lives, but so much had passed. So much pain and heartache that they had yet to fully swallow and deal with.

Haley James Scott and her baby narrowly escaped death at the hands of Daunte who was now dead. She and Nathan were still trying to cope with the ramifications of Nathan's actions. Brooke was still bitter about Peyton and Lucas's second betrayal and she was still fighting with her own residual feelings for Lucas. Lucas and Peyton stayed far from one another, but the pain of doing so and the longing was palpable to anyone around them.

Lucas completely withdrew. Spending most of his time with his books and watching Peyton out of the corner of his eye. This was how he knew there was something not right about Derek when he showed up in Tree Hill. It made Lucas shudder every time he thought about that night and what could have happened had he not followed his instinct and gone to Peyton's house. Despite saving her life as much as it hurt him, he walked away again, upon the real Derek's request.

"I don't know what the hell is going on between you two," He'd said. "But, she isn't strong enough to handle both you and this right now. Let me take care of her."

After a long moments pause Lucas nodded, his eyes fixed on the shivering girl sitting on the back of an ambulance. "Please take care of her," he'd whispered.

Derek had nodded. He could see the love and the longing in Lucas's eyes and wondered what the hell was going on. "Hey, maybe when she's feeling better…"

Lucas nodded half heartedly and with one last look at Peyton to assure himself she was still alive and breathing he slipped back into the dark.

Peyton had watched him go, out of the corner of her eyes. Everyone thought the tears were from shock, from the trauma, but they had been so much more than that. She had longed for Lucas's arms for so long and now to have his last touch related to such horror.

Thank God for Derek. The real Derek. Had he not been there to take care of her, Peyton didn't even want to think about it. So, she had gotten past the psycho Derek incident. But before that and afterward there was something distinctly more dark about the broody cheerleader. Something…sad and lost. Unlike, Lucas, Peyton tried to avoid Lucas like the plague, because when she did see him the pain became so unbearable.

They had engaged in three of the most intense staring matches she'd ever experienced over those few months. She knew because she'd counted. So had Lucas.

No, pain was no stranger to Tree Hill and its young residents dealt with it the way they dealt with everything. They had a party.

"Hey, fatso," Rachel bumped Brooke over so she could sit down on the couch. Brooke sighed and continued to moodily watch the pre graduation party at the beach house rage.

"You know, I'm really getting tired of this moody, mopey, definitely not fun Brooke."

"I can't help it," Brooke moaned, sipping on her coke. "Everything just sucks."

"Well," Rachel pulled a flask out of her purse and gave Brooke an "I've got lots of tricks up my sleeve" look. "Here, friend. This should help. Let's get this party started."

"Peyton," Haley made her way over to where Peyton sat on the deck staring moodily at the ocean. Peyton looked up at Haley and smiled.

"Hey mama," she greeted, patting the small bulge that was beginning to form.

"Hey. What are you doing out here?" Haley asked, taking a seat next to her. Peyton shrugged.

"Hiding," she replied simply, barely cracking a smile. Haley frowned worriedly. Peyton had not been the same since Lucas left her room that night, the night she found out she had a brother.

"I don't even know why I'm here." Haley caught a quick glimpse of Lucas inside.

"I can think of a reason or two," she mumbled under her breath. "You, um know Lucas is here right?"

Peyton looked over at Haley with a raised brow. "Don't start Hales. So, where's Nathan?"

"Oh, I dunno. Probably inside somewhere."

"Are you two doing okay?" Haley thought for a moment.

"Yeah. We're taking it a day at a time you know? It still hurts that he didn't trust me enough to tell me what was going on. Almost loosing the baby,"

"But you didn't,"

"Yeah, and we're focusing on that. It helps, but…sometimes I wonder what else he isn't telling me."

"Hales, If there is anything I know for sure about Nathan Scott, is when he learns a lesson, he learns his lesson. Haley, when Daunte hit you with that car and we all thought we were gonna lose you, he could barely function. He would have died, Hales if he'd lost you or that baby and I know he won't make that kind of mistake again."

Haley smiled and bumped Peyton's side. Peyton barely cracked a smile. She wished Peyton could be happy again…and Lucas. Lucas.

Haley sighed thinking back to the night of Peyton and Lucas's "breakup". He'd worn holes into his shoes from walking so long and when she'd found him he was shaking and sitting in his closet. She'd never seen him that way before. Broken and broken hearted in a way that made him look physically ill. She'd rarely seen Lucas cry, aside from those few times when they were little and she'd watch him swipe away angry tears from being teased, because someone had called him a bastard.

"How did it get this way Haley?" He'd asked, his head in his hands after recounting the story.

"Are you guys sure this is what you want to do-I mean you two are-"

"The Bobsy Twins," Lucas offered, wryly. "We were the Bobsy twins. It feels more like Tristan and Isolt or Romeo and Juliet. This hurt, Haley, it's-it's so-" He shook his head, unable to describe the steady aching inside of him.

"Hey," Haley sat down beside him and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I deserve this," Lucas murmured, wiping his eyes. Haley said nothing, but continued petting her best friends hair. Haley could only imagine the kind of pain he was feeling right now and she hated herself for thinking it, but she felt that this might be for the best. Lucas was a romantic and he'd been going back and forth with his feelings for two years.

"Haley, can you-can you go to her and make sure she's okay?"

"Well, what about you? You look like shit dude, and you know I don't EVER use that word, so you can only imagine what you look like right now."

"I'll be fine, if she's fine Haley. Please?" Haley sighed and did as was asked. Since that night, Lucas had thrown himself into his fifteen minutes of basketball, his books and living for every moment he got to watch Peyton when she wasn't looking.

They were both miserable and Haley wondered when this whole thing would be over. "Peyton, when are you going to put yourself and Lucas out of your misery?"

"What?"

"Common, Peyt. You can't tell me you haven't noticed how it's been with him. He's been moping around school, moping at the café, moping in his room, and you have doing the exact same thing. Now I know that is supposed to make up for hurting Brooke, but if you're waiting on her to give you her blessing, I gotta tell you…It'll be a long time coming. We both know how long Brooke Penelope Davis can hold a grudge."

"This-this isn't about Brooke…well, okay sort of." Peyton sighed. "How many people did you hurt when you and Nathan got together? I mean, really hurt, like I hurt Brooke."

"Peyton, Nathan and I hurt people. I hurt Lucas, when I started seeing Nathan. Nathan's parents weren't exactly thrilled either, but I had to follow my heart. You have to do the same Peyton, because I know yours is longing for Lucas, just as much as Lucas's heart is longing for you."

Peyton shook her head, tiredly. It wasn't that easy now. She knew if she went to Lucas right now, he would take her back with open arms, but….something about the timing just didn't seem right.

"I don't know Haley. I love him. I still love him and I think about him, us, every day, but it's like there's this wall there that we have to climb to get back to each other you know? So much has happened. Psycho Derek, this whole thing with Daunte, this messed up stuff with Brooke. She's still so mad at me and I know, I think she still has feelings for Lucas."

Haley didn't quite know how to respond to that. Brooke had been nursing her anger for quite sometime and she figured it would either just fizzle or explode. She was hoping for the former rather than latter. But, no doubt about it, Brooke was still bitter and angry. She herself had been on the receiving end of it. When Peyton came back to cheer practice Haley had gone over to greet her. Brooke did not like this switching of teams

"Don't you dare talk to me Haley," Brooke had poked a finger in Haley's direction. "You're on her side and if you weren't pregnant with my godchild I wouldn't be speaking to you at all."

No, if there wasn't a baby in her belly that Brooke mistakenly thought she would be godmothering, Haley was pretty sure, Brooke wouldn't be speaking to her at all.

"She'll come around, Peyt. You on the other hand. I don't think there's a cure for what you've got missy, aside from a certain broody blonde we know."

Peyton only shrugged and before she could come up with a response:
"Hales, there you are. Nathan is lo-" Lucas cut himself off after seeing Peyton. "Oh. Um-Nathan's lookin for you Hales."

Haley looked back and forth between the two and purposely ignoring the looks Peyton was throwing at her, dashed inside.

Lucas shoved his hands into his pockets and looked at his feet. "Hey,"

"Hey," Peyton replied, studying her hands. It was the first time they had spoken in months, not counting the night Lucas had told Peyton to run the night psycho Derek attacked.

"Peyton-"

"Lucas-"

They both stopped and a shadow of a smile graced Lucas's face. "You go ahead," he said.

"Thanks." Peyton stood and wrapped her arms around herself. "Look, I never got to thank you for saving me from psycho Derek. He could have killed you and…you didn't have to do that, so…thank you."

Lucas stared at her for a moment, shaking his head wryly, before speaking. "Don't you get it?"

Peyton furrowed her brows. "Excuse me?"

"I said, don't you get it, Peyton?" Lucas stepped closer to her and Peyton could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. "I would do anything for you. He would have killed you Peyton and I-I couldn't imagine my life, hell this world without you in it. I did it as much for you as I did for me. Saving you is like saving myself."

Peyton looked away, tears burning the back of her eyes. Lucas weighed his options, unsure if he should say what he wanted to say. He decided, the hell with it.

"I still love you." He said it like it was an axiom. It was an undeniable, irreconcilable truth.

"Lucas don't-" Peyton tried to side step him, but he stepped in her path.

"Why? I know that you told me to stay away and I have. I will. But when we won that championship game, it was the greatest feeling in the world, but it didn't mean anything, because you weren't there to celebrate it with me." He placed a finger underneath her chin to force her to look at him.

"I want you there when all my dreams come true Peyton. You asked me that once upon a time and I stupidly said Brooke. It's you Peyton. It's been you and it'll always be you."

"Why are you saying this to me, Lucas? This is hard enough without you-"

"Because, I want you to know how much I love you. I need you to know how much I love you." Lucas lightly touched her bare arm with a finger, making her visibly shiver. Lucas looked up into her eyes. "I'm suffering Peyton. And I know you are too. I can see it in your eyes."

"Lucas," Peyton whispered, shaking her head. He was so close his face was so close to hers. All she had to do was just lean in…

"Tell me you still love me," he whispered. Peyton stared into his eyes and she could see the desperation to hear those words from her. There was so much pain in his eyes. She could she her own pain reflected back at her.

"I still love you Lucas," Peyton moaned. Lucas exhaled and Peyton wanted nothing more than to close that space between them, but…she couldn't.

"I love you," she said again, then stepped away. "But…I've chosen darkness."

Peyton walked passed him and back inside, intent on finding a bathroom to cry in, leaving Lucas out on the deck heartbroken and by himself.

Lucas sat down heavily and put his head in his hands trying to get control of his emotions, unaware that he was being watched.

Rachel raised a brow and handed the much needed flask to Brooke.

"So I was just a mistake to him? Something fun to play with while he pined for Peyton?" Brooke swiped angrily at her tears and took a swig from the flask.

"Don't worry bitchette. Alcohol heals all wounds," Rachel counseled, ushering her farther inside. Two handsome jocks walked by of the upper classmen variety and Rachel grinned. "And so do boys."

"I don't want boys. I'm so SICK of boys. I just want her to feel what I'm feeling. Just once. How does that old saying go? Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice my ex-best friend is a whore?"

Rachel cocked her head, a plan forming in her mind. "Okay fatty, here's the deal. I've called you a bitch and fat twice and usually you at least come back with something uncomplimentary about my mother, so we need to fix this, because you are not fun. I personally think you should just get over the guy. I mean, don't get me wrong, he is absolutely smoking hot, has a way with words, and I'm pretty sure is very well endowed, but there are plenty other fish in the sea. But since you are so intent on revenge or getting him back or both, I'm going to help you."

"Um, first of all, I am over Lucas and second of all…you cow, your form of help usually lands people in the free clinic," Brooke replied, finishing the flask.

Rachel snatched the flask back and patted Brooke on the head. "Touche, my little friend. Don't worry. I'm not just doing this for you. I'm bored and button pressing is so freakin fun."