Okay so this chapter is very angsty. And there is more angst to come. I shed a few tears writing it. Not tooting my own horn...I'm just sayin.

Marvin "Mouth" MacFadden looked around at the other occupants of the waiting room of Tree Hill hospital otherwise known as "their second home" and sadly realized that Tree Hill's graduation was not at all what anyone expected it to be. The ceremony itself went off without a hitch until Haley went into labor in the middle of her valedictorian speech, which was the reason he and his friends were all sitting in a hospital instead of out celebrating. It was the state of the friendships that came as a surprise to him. They were all leaving high school not as they had come in and not with the people they'd expected to leave with.

To his right Brooke sat somberly, her face devoid of its usual peppiness. She had managed a moderate performance while giving her speech as president of their graduating class, but the dimples had retreated soon after and were replaced with a decidedly grumpy demeanor. Rachel sat next to her fiddling with the hem of her blue gown throwing looks between Brooke and Peyton who was standing as far away from the rest of the group as she could possibly get without actually leaving the hospital.

Peyton looked sick and annoyed from the time she arrived and through the entirety of the ceremony. She really had not wanted to go at all, but Jake had made her. Peyton kept her gaze like a soldier straight forward, betraying nothing, until Brooke came up to the podium. Then she had glared so hard it was a wonder Brooke didn't spontaneously combust.

When Haley went into labor Peyton's stomach dropped. She was happy that Haley would soon be a mother but she wished the kid had better timing. The last place she wanted to be was stuck in a waiting room with Lucas and Brooke. It was making her sick to her stomach.

"You okay?" Jake asked, placing a comforting hand on Peyton's back. She only shrugged. It didn't take a rocket scientist to guess Peyton's problem was Lucas and that being here in this room with him was torturing her so he stayed close to support her.

Across the room Lucas sat sullenly with Skillz and Bevin. He did his broody nickname proud, barely cracking a smile throughout the entire ceremony, going back and forth between gazing longingly at Peyton, who refused to look at him and glaring at Jake who was surprised he wasn't dead yet from the heat of Lucas's stares.

Lucas was currently glaring a hole through the hand Jake had placed on Peyton's back, while Brooke watched Lucas bitterly.

Mouth sighed looking at his friends scattered around the room and realized unhappily that it would be the last time all of them would be together in the same room for a very, very long time. Not that this moment was very memorable save the baby being born in the other room.

"He's here!"

Nathan's jubilant cry broke the tension and quiet of the waiting room.

Everyone crowded around Nathan who wore a shell shocked look on his face. He looked like he came back from war and witnessed a bonafide miracle all at once.

"How is he? Is Haley okay?" Everyone shot at once.

"Haley is great and baby James Lucas Scott is…well he's perfect," Nathan gushed. "He's seven pounds ten ounces and twenty one inches long."

"Congratulations little brother," Lucas said, after cracking the first genuine smile for the day. He pulled Nathan in for a one armed hug and stepped back to let everyone else get their congratulations in.

He stepped away from the group and walked down the hall to the room Haley was placed in. He knocked and walked in at the soft call to come in.

"How's everybody doin'?" Haley grinned tiredly.

"We're doin' just fine," Haley replied quietly. She tore her eyes away from her new son and rested them on her baby's uncle.

Lucas had physically recovered from whatever had ailed him the day before, but the boy still looked like warmed over death. He had bags under his sallow eyes and the usual vibrant blue of his eyes were a watery gray. She didn't think he had unscrunched his brow once for the day.

"You wanna hold your nephew?" Haley asked, hoping somehow the feel of this new life in his arms would somehow heal her friend and brother.

Lucas nodded and stepped over, carefully picking the infant up and cradling him close. Lucas's mind was blown at how in one instant as he felt his own world coming to an end, this child's was just beginning. Although Lucas wasn't a very religious person he sent a quick prayer up to whoever might be listening, that his nephew's life would be far less complicated and painful.

"He's beautiful Haley," Lucas whispered, his eyes fixed on baby James.

"Thank you, Luke," Haley replied, feeling tears prick the backs of her eyes. She knew it wasn't fair to be angry that the birth of her son came in the midst of so much drama and heartache, but she couldn't help feeling the ridiculous urge to snatch her baby back lest whatever cloud hung over Lucas took her child too.

"He has Scott eyes," Lucas decided, starting to sound less like a hollow shell.

"All babies have blue eyes when they're born," Haley smiled. Lucas shook his head.

"No. He has Scott eye," Lucas said with finality. Haley smiled and said,

"Good."

The door opened a crack and Haley saw Peyton and Nathan pop their heads in. If Nathan hadn't been holding Peyton's hand, she would have bolted at seeing Lucas in there already.

She chose to fully ignore his presence, addressing only Haley, but seeing him in such and enclosed space only served to break her heart all over again.

"Hey momma," Peyton greeted ignoring the laser like stare Lucas had placed on her. She leaned down to gently hug her friend. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel great, considering I just pushed a human being out of my body," Haley smiled, glancing back and forth between Peyton and Lucas. "Do you want to hold him? I'm sure uncle Lucas would be willing to give him up for a few seconds."

"Um….I don't know." The truth was Peyton did want to hold him, but she didn't want to have to be any closer to Lucas than she had to be.

"He won't bite Sawyer," Nathan said, but Peyton shook her head.

"No you know I actually have to get going. I've got a bunch of packing to do, you know and-"

"You're leaving?" Lucas felt the words tumble out of his mouth, loudly and without restraint. Peyton paused, not turning her face towards his and not answering his question. He didn't deserve an explanation.

"I'll come see you before I go," she continued looking from the sad eyes of Haley to the confused ones of Nathan.

Peyton turned and left the hospital room, but Lucas was already handing James to Nathan.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked heatedly.

"Peyton is moving to Georgia," Haley said quietly. "She told us this morning."

"Move-moving?" Lucas cried, stepping backwards away from the young family.

"Luke-" Nathan tried, but it was too late. Lucas had run out of the hospital room and down the hall. She was leaving him! After everything they'd been through and were waiting for, she was leaving him.

He flew out of the hospital doors and looked around frantically. He caught site of them and ran to catch up. When he did, he grabbed hold of her arm and spun her around to face him, ignoring her indignant cry of "What the fuck?"

Jake put a restraining arm on him, but Lucas shrugged him off, violently.

"You're leaving?" he demanded.

"Let me the fuck go," Peyton gritted, pulling her arm away from his grasp like it was fire.

"Why?" he demanded. Jake once again stepped up to him and suggested he back off. "You stay the fuck out of this Jagielski! This is none of your goddamned business," Lucas growled before turning back to Peyton. Again he demanded an answer.

"Why Peyton?"

"I don't need to explain myself to you," Peyton hissed. Lucas was momentarily taken aback at the obvious hostility she was directing at him.

"But you are leaving," Lucas asked again.

"Yes."

"With him?" Lucas gestured to Jake with his head. Peyton smiled at Jake and then turned cold eyes to Lucas.

"Yes."

Lucas felt his heart begin to break. He blinked glassy eyes several times and Peyton shook her head amazed that he still had the power to make her want to hold him after what he'd done to her. He looked for all the world like a lost little boy who was about to loose something precious to him.

"Why Peyton? Please…..God please just tell me why are you doing this," Lucas all but begged. "Is it him? Is he forcing you to go?"

"No Jake isn't forcing me to go anywhere," Peyton cried, furiously. "God I don't even know why I'm standing here listening to this."

"Peyton you said you loved me. You said you would come back to me and I'll wait as long as I have to. I know you're in a dark place right now, but we can get through this, Peyt. You and me together."

Peyton felt her blood begin to boil when he said he would wait for her. Bullshit. And she had the broken heart and the image she couldn't get out of her mind to prove it.

"You are so full of shit," Peyton spat. Lucas reared back as though he'd been physically hit. "You put me here!"

"What? Peyton-"

"Don't-Just don't say my name. I don't want to hear it out of your mouth ever again," Peyton cried.

Lucas stood bewildered and hurt for a moment before something came to mind.

"The party," he murmured, vaguely. "This is about what happened at the party."

Peyton's eyes immediately filled with tears. How could he say it like he didn't know he'd ripped her whole soul out?

"Yeah that party," Peyton said mocking his casualness. "Consider yourself set free you son of a bitch."

She went to walk around him, but he stopped her.

"Luke, man. Come on leave her alone," Jake pleaded.

"Jake," Lucas sighed in frustration. "I know you helped her that night and you'll never know how thankful I am that a friend found her and not some psychopath, but please shut the fuck up and stay the hell out of this."

"Don't you dare talk to him like that! Who the hell do you think you are!" Peyton cried.

"I'm the man that loves you!" Lucas cried. Peyton looked away from his desperate eyes. When he said that and looked at her that way she believed him.

"I am the man that loves you Peyton. You were supposed to hold onto that for me," he whispered, remembering the one and only time they made love. Peyton steeled herself against the swell she felt when he said those words to her. All she saw was Lucas and Brooke almost naked and about to make love.

"And you were supposed to not hurt me," Peyton choked back. Lucas's eyes once again held bewilderment.

"Peyton I don't remember what happened that night," Lucas said. Peyton shook her head disbelieving.

"That's a load of crap and you know it," Peyton cried, tears finally cascading down her cheeks.

"Pey-" Lucas tried to reach out and smooth away her tears but she stepped away from him like she couldn't bare his touch and that pained him more than words could say. "Peyton it's the truth. I would never hurt yo-,"

"ALL YOU DO IS HURT ME!"

Jake winced. The tears that had been shining in Lucas's eyes finally came rolling down his cheeks. He'd never seen a man's heart break before his eyes and here it was. Peyton still didn't tell him what had happened, but whatever it was there was one thing he knew for a fact now by merely looking at him. Lucas Scott was heart and soul in love with Peyton Sawyer. He knew how that felt and he felt bad for Lucas right now.

Peyton had looked away after she'd screamed at him from the bottom of her soul. She couldn't take the tears that were spilling out of his pain filled eyes or the way all she wanted to do was jump into his arms and find a way to make all this pain go away. Somehow they could find a way to make it all go away.

Lucas's mouth opened and shut several times, at a loss for words. Maybe she was right. All he seemed to do was hurt her. No matter how hard he tried, he could never seem to get it right with her.

"It's over," Peyton said, still looking away.

"But you mean everything to me," Lucas choked out. It took every ounce of strength Peyton had not to throw herself into his arms and try to forget everything that had gone on. It took even more to turn around and walk away. She didn't know if Jake was behind her or not.

"Peyton," Lucas cried beginning to follow her. "Peyton!"

"Let her go man," Jake said, knowing Peyton need the time to herself.

"Why, so you can have her?" Lucas spat, glaring at Jake.

"No. So she can heal," Jake said, venturing to place a comforting hand on the other man's shoulder.

Lucas felt all the fight leave him in one fell swoop. He felt like he was five hundred years old.

"I'm sorry Jake," Lucas said quietly, glancing at the brunette.

"I know," Jake replied with a small smile. Lucas turned to the direction Peyton had gone in. He could still see her golden curls bouncing as she walked away.

"I love her," he said simply, his voice breaking. Jake's smile vanished form his face and he sighed, sympathetically.

"Yeah. I know that too."

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