A/N: Thank you everyone for the wonderful reviews! :) Special shoutout to those you don't have accounts for me to respond to: Shelby, cayt326, and Becca; I'm glad to hear you're enjoying my story!

I don't own OTH, it's characters, or most of the things in "'quotes'" like that. I do own the path I've taken these characters on, as well as any and all mistakes, since I'm not beta'd. (If you see any, feel free to pm me, lol).

Chapter title comes from lyrics in "Heaven (Little by Little)" by Theory of a Dead Man.

Happy reading!

Ch14: Little by Little, Day by Day

He can't stay still; pacing the halls in agitation, running his hand over the back of his neck repeatedly, and tapping his fingers against the wall whenever he pauses long enough to lean against one. It feels like hours or days have passed, when it's only been minutes.

"Lucas." Karen softly rests her hand on his arm when he goes to move past her for the umpteenth time. "Relax. We'll find out in a few moments, okay?"

He sighs deeply, jiggling his foot as he stands by his mom. "I'm just...anxious."

He's not the only one, either. His eyes track Brooke as she once again leaps out of the chair she'd barely sat in. Karen reaches out and catches the brunette's hand. "We all are." She addresses her son, before turning her attention to Brooke. "Sweetie, calm down."

Brooke nods, "I know, I know. I'm just so nervous! And I want to see her."

The three of them fall into silence for a moment. Lucas' foot unable to keep still and Brooke having taken to twirling her hair with her free hand. He notices his mom's not as serene as she's trying to pretend, because her eyes are intently glued to the door. The door behind which are a group of doctors examining Peyton and talking to Larry. The door behind which holds the answers they're all desperately waiting for.

Once again, Lucas takes to pacing, ignoring the small sound of displeasure from his mom. He turns on his feet to start back, looking down the hall in time spy his brother and best friend rushing towards them.

"Lucas!" Haley exclaims, skidding to a stop in front of him. "What's going on? How is she?"

He shakes his head, "The doctors are in there right now. We don't know—"

"Hopefully they finish up soon." Brooke interrupts, coming up beside them. "Larry will let us know as soon as they know."

"Okay." Haley nods.

Nathan looks a little confused. "I thought…when you called, you said she woke up."

Lucas sighs. "Her eyes opened."

"I pushed the button to call the doctor, who kicked us out." Brooke continues.

"They're running tests to see how she is, or something." Lucas finishes.

Karen gently herds them to the chairs against the wall. "We have to be patient a little longer. We'll know soon enough."

They've all barely taken a seat when Brooke shoots up again, stalking between the chairs and the door to Peyton's room.

Lucas hears his mom sigh at the teen's movements, but doesn't pay attention. Instead, he stands and resumes his pacing.

He freezes when the door opens, the doctor and Larry exiting the room. He watches the older man shake the doctor's hand with a thank you.

The doctor scarcely takes his leave when Brooke replaces him at Larry's side. "What'd he say? Is she okay?"

Lucas stands right behind the brunette, not wanting to miss hearing the answer; he's so close, he's almost stepping on her. He's vaguely aware of his mom, brother, and Haley coming up behind him.

"She's okay." Larry grins.

Lucas slumps in relief, rubbing his eyes to clear the sting of tears behind them. Thank god.

"Really?" Brooke's hoarse voice calls him back to the moment.

"She's fully awake?" Nathan queries at the same time.

Larry nods, leaning against the door and regarding their little group. "Dr. Randall explained that she's awake and cognizant, but it's not like the books and movies, you know? It'll take a while for her to gain full awareness, but it's a natural sleep now."

"What do you mean by full awareness?" Nathan asked.

Haley breaks in before Larry can answer, "I read that she may be a little confused at first. Probably ask some of the same questions a few times and forget things that just happened."

"Yeah." Larry agrees, nodding at her. "She'll be really out of it for the first day or so and will probably sleep more than not. He said when she's able to stay completely awake for a few hours at a time, they'll start some physical therapy for her leg."

"When does she get to come home?" The question comes at him in stereo, spoken by both Brooke and Karen.

He smiles. "They want her in the hospital for at least a few days to monitor her. They still don't know why she was in a coma or why it lasted so long, so they want to make sure nothing surprises them."

"Better to be safe." Lucas whispers with a nod, speaking mostly to himself. He's worried. He's also anxious to talk to her and see what she knows about recent events.

He's a little scared to find out, too.

"She's sleeping right now, but you guys are welcome to come in." Larry offers, pushing away from the door and opening it.

Lucas is one of the first ones through, and not surprised at all when everyone piles in behind him.

She's okay.

0.o o_o o.0

Everything's heavy and she's so tired. Exhausted, really. And confused. About a lot of things. Mostly things she doesn't feel like thinking about right now. So she doesn't; falling back into a welcoming darkness.

-x-

A murmur has her struggling towards awareness, trying to understand what's going on around her.

"Hey Sweetheart. G'morning."

Her eyes focus on her dad's face, confused for a moment. She's too tired to think much about it though; she knows she's in the hospital and she knows about the gun shot wound to her leg. She, however, doesn't know why everything feels so far away.

"Hi, Daddy." She's a little surprised to note how breathy and dry her voice sounds. She tries again, "It's morning?"

"Yeah, baby girl. It is." He smoothes his hand over her head, comforting her with the gesture that was always present in her childhood.

She blinks up at him, "What happened?"

While he explains everything, her thoughts drift in and out. It's hard to focus. It's hard to distinguish between words. It's hard to feel anything.

It's hard to stay awake.

-x-

She can hear them talking around her, over her, and about her. She wants to participate, but she's barely hanging onto awareness by a thread. So she just listens.

"What time is it?"

"Why, do you have a date?"

"Yeah, my mistress is waiting for me at home." She thinks she smiles at the sound of Nathan's sarcasm. "No, but my mom left a message last night to call her this morning. Just wanted to know the time."

"It's 9:20." The sound of his voice has a little jolt shooting through her body. She feels like there's a reason why, but she can't grasp it.

"What do you think of this color for her?"

"I think she'll probably punch you. That color is gross, Brooke."

"I like it, Haley."

"It looks like someone vomited Pepto Bismol."

"Nice one, Luke!"

"No one asked your opinion." She's a little stunned at the bite to that statement. She wonders if the two are fighting. That could explain the cold tone of her best friend.

She wonders why she feels so odd around everyone. Like things are different. Like she sees them differently.

She lets the feeling go as she drifts off.

-x-

"So I was thinking…sleepover!" Brooke announces with a grin. "Like the kind we had when we were little."

But her smile doesn't reach her eyes like normal. And Peyton does notice the strain her best friend is trying to disguise behind false cheer. She's also experiencing a sense of déjà vu regarding the brunette that she just can't place. Like a tiny grain of knowledge trying to fight through the murkiness that is her mind; gone before she can hold it.

But she nods a little, trying to lift her hand towards Brooke's. Her throat feels like sandpaper as she manages to respond. "Sounds…good…B."

Brooke catches her hand and brings it back down to rest on the bed enclosed in hers, "But no kicking this time, okay?"

She manages a small, sleepy smile. "You kick…not…me."

She doesn't hear an argument to that statement, because she ceases hearing anything. She just sleeps.

-x-

"Good afternoon, Sleeping Beauty!" Haley sings out as she bounces into the room.

Peyton smiles tiredly at her and nods. "I feel like...I can sleep...for days."

The other blonde smiles, too, taking the chair by the bed. "You have been. The doctor said you'll probably be tired for a while. Helps your body heal."

Peyton makes a face. She's a little tired of sleeping. "What day?"

"Still the same one." Haley answers with a soft smile. "You came out of your coma yesterday afternoon. And we were all here visiting this morning."

"Stories." Peyton states firmly, something telling her they all spoke about funny ones.

Haley tilts her head confused. "Not this morning. We all just talked about random things."

Peyton frowns. She thought...

"Hey, Hales. She awake?" Lucas comes into sight, giving Peyton a grin when he meets her eyes.

She sleepily smiles back, "Hi."

"Hi." His voice is a warm rumble, soothing her.

Fighting a yawn, Peyton fumbles for the controller and tries to blink dry eyes to focus on the buttons.

"Here, let me." He easily confiscates the device from her hand.

Haley peers around his arm, "What do you want to do, Peyton?"

"Down." She mumbles through another yawn. "Want to…rest."

"'As you wish.'"

Peyton vaguely wonders why Westley and Buttercup pop into her head; she hasn't even watched that movie in months. She does love it, though. And she loves the intimate quality she thinks she heard in Lucas' response. It comforts her to think it was there.

She gives another sleepy smile to the two faces looking down at her, closing her eyes for just a second. They hurt and need to rest…

-x-

"...it's aaaa-liiiive!"

The little squeal as a response is enough to have Peyton jerk awake.

"Hey, P.!" Brooke turns at her movement and grins at her.

Peyton wrinkles her nose, "Hey, B." She pats the bed beside herself, searching for the controller.

"Here, I got it." Brooke jumps up and helps her adjust the bed until she's in a reclining position.

"What's that?" She's relieved to hear her voice come out a little clearer and stronger than it has been.

"Dinner." Nathan supplies. "You have broth and dancing Jello."

"That's not food."

"How did I know you'd say that, kiddo?" Her dad laughs, bending down to kiss her head. "You need to ease your stomach into it, not jump right into a buffet."

Nathan laughs, "It's Peyton. And food."

She smiles at him, then turns to find Haley. "Same day?"

Her friend nods with a smile.

Lucas shifts into her line of sight, "You've been pretty out of it. How're you feeling?"

She takes a moment to really think about it. Physically, her leg hurts and she feels a little like her body belongs to someone else. Mentally...she's not sure. She still feels odd. She also thinks that maybe she's mixing up reality with some dreams or something, based on the uncertainty that's hovering. "Okay, mostly."

"Well, P., lets get some dinner into you and bump that up a notch, okay?"

Peyton frowns a little at the forced perkiness Brooke's exhibiting and the fact the brunette just brushed Lucas aside like he was an annoying bug. Last time she could remember, Lucas and Brooke were attached by the lips and cooing crap at each other.

Reality is far different than she remembered.

-x-

She slept comfortably for most of the night, only waking a few times. So she felt almost normal again by the time visitors trooped in after breakfast.

She's laughing with Brooke and Haley as the former relates a childhood cheerleading story, when her grin fades into a look of concern. Lucas is leaning back in his chair, frustration painted on his face as he watches them.

"You okay, Luke?" She asks gently, ignoring Haley's startled jump at her change in focus.

"He's fine." Brooke dismisses abruptly. She frowns, backing up a little, "I mean, considering."

Peyton knows she's talking about Keith. Her dad had filled her in last night after everyone else had left. She grimaces an apology, hoping her carelessness hadn't hurt him. She feels a little guilty that they were just laughing, when he has to be hurting. She knows how she felt right after her mom had died.

He shakes his head with a sigh. "I'm okay, considering." He mocks Brooke's turn of phrase. "But I'm concerned about you."

She ducks her head, feeling herself blush. She knows he doesn't mean it the way she wants him too, but it's nice to hear. Almost as nice as some fragments of a dream she's sort of been recalling.

"Oh, Peyton, look!"

She pushes her dream to the back of her head and gives Brooke's magazine her attention.

-x-

"Yay, Peyton!"

Peyton laughs at her nurse, Jessica, who gives a little hop before scribbling on the chart she's holding. "Let me guess, you were a cheerleader once upon a time?"

Jessica rolls her eyes at the teasing, "Yeah, yeah. Don't judge me, though."

"Only if you promise not to mock my cheer habit." Peyton grins. "I'm trying to quit. It's toxic to my health."

"I'll make a note on the chart." Her tone is dry as she scrunches up her face. She glances at her stop watch. "Two more minutes."

"Okay." Peyton sighs, wobbling on her crutches. Its late afternoon and she's been awake for hours at a time throughout the day, so they decided to proceed with some physical therapy. She began with simply standing—with help—to get her head used to being vertical again. For this session, she's graduated to holding herself up with crutches and maneuvering around her room on them.

"Wow, Sawyer. That's sexy. Really."

She turns to watch Nathan come into the room, letting the door shut behind him and sticks her tongue out at him. She's aware of her massive bed-head, non-designer status hospital gown, and the sheen of perspiration on her face from her physical exertions; probably not the best look she's ever sported. "I'd like to see you try it."

"I'd rock it." He shrugs with an easy grin.

Jessica interrupts, "Okay, Peyton. Let's get you back into bed." She helps the blonde ease into bed, leaning the crutches against the wall. "So they're in easy reach if you need them. How do you feel?"

"Like I just ran a marathon." Peyton responds, catching her breath. It really did take a lot out of her; she's exhausted and trembling.

"You'll get stronger. It'll just take some time." With one last pat to Peyton's arm, Jessica smiles at Nathan and lets herself out.

"That bad still?" Nathan's grin had turned into a worried frown.

"Just getting used to using my muscles again." She breezes, not wanting to discuss it at length, like she had with her dad after her first session. "Where's Haley?"

"I see how it is. I'm just not as loved." Nathan teases, taking a seat next to her bed. "Haley and Lucas are helping out at the café; dinner rush was already starting and my mom needed help. Where's your shadow?"

"My dad?" She guesses, knowing that he's been there practically every second since she gained consciousness.

He laughs. "Yeah. Or Brooke."

"My dad made her go home and actually get some rest. Also to eat real food, so I'm pretty sure she'll be contributing to the dinner rush. I made a deal with my dad to do the same, so that's why they're both gone." Peyton explains.

"Okay." He fidgets uncomfortably, his earlier lightheartedness fading.

She considers him carefully. "Nate? You okay?"

"Yeah. I am." He takes a deep breath and lets it out. "It's just that I wanted to talk to you. While you're conscious."

She gives him a weird look. "Ooo-kay…"

He blushes a little. "That came out stupid. I did talk to you, while you were in the coma. But I wanted to tell you again, now that you can hear me."

"Tell me what?"

"That I love you." When she freezes, he bursts out laughing. "Dude, not in love, love. Just friendly love."

Peyton stares for a moment, then pulls back her hand and whacks his arm pretty hard. "Don't scare me like that! I was about to freak out."

"Nice, Sawyer. That reaction wouldn't have hurt my feelings at all." He wryly states. "If they had been serious feelings, you know."

She rolls her eyes. "Dude," She mocks, "You're married."

"I know." He responds simply, falling serious again. "I was actually talking to Haley a few days ago, about how much you helped me when she was on tour. And that I never did thank you for that. For caring, when it seemed like no one else did. I told you that…and just wanted to make sure you heard me this time."

She frowns, suddenly feeling a little cold. It's not possible. "Did—Nate, I—we had this conversation already, right? I mean, I feel like we did."

Nathan stares at her, face paling a little bit. She only stares back, unsure once more about reality and her perceptions of it.

He gives a quick shake to his head. "Um, I don't think so. But, like I said, I did tell it to you when you were unconscious, so maybe you heard…" His sentence trails off as he carefully studies her.

Peyton doesn't quite understand the intensity of his gaze, but if what she thinks happened…but it couldn't have. It was only a dream. Right?

She tilts her head and purses her lips for a moment. "Nathan? When you were in a coma after the car accident, did you have some weird dreams?"

He shrugs and meets her eyes. "I did have a weird dream that I kind of remembered when I woke up. It was a giant 'what if', you know? I dreamed that Dan chose Karen and what life would be like if I was in Lucas' position."

"Oh." She's slightly disappointed because her dream felt so real at the time. Still does, in some instances. "I think I had one. I remember talking to a bunch of people, including you. You told me thanks for being there for you and then said you're here for me and to wake up."

He chokes, eyes going wide.

"Nathan? Are you okay?" She leans forward, snatching her water cup off the rolling table by her bed and offering it to him.

He accepts it, taking a quick drink before staring at her. "I basically did do that." He briefly glances at the closed door behind him. "And I swear I saw you sitting here…with yourself, when you tried to tell me you were trying to wake up."

"That's not possible." She blurts out. But her mind whirls all the same. In her dream, she was her, just having a conversation with Nathan. Completely normal. And obviously not true, since she was in a coma and unable to speak with him.

"Yeah, you're right." He shakes his head and gives her a tremulous smile. "I think I was just sleep deprived at the time and seeing things I wanted to see. Maybe you just heard me and incorporated it into your dream?"

She nods, still feeling weird, but deciding that explanation makes sense, too.

It's not until he leaves, after a few more moments of small talk, that she realizes something. If she was dreaming her side of the conversation, how did he know what she tried to say? And that she couldn't say it…or in her dream, that he couldn't hear her say it?

It freaks her out a little and makes her heart monitor speed up. Everything's more confusing than she expected since she woke up. She doesn't know what's real anymore.

-x-

"Bye, love you P. Sawyer." Brooke bends down and hugs Peyton tightly.

She returns it, murmuring, "I love you, too B. Davis. Have a good night."

Her dad's next, taking a few moments to just hold her, "Call me if you need anything…or want company."

"Okay." Peyton sighs with a fond smile. "But I'm so tired, I'll probably sleep the entire night through. Physical therapy was brutal."

Larry chuckles and kisses her head one last time before turning to the chair with his collection of magazines and leftovers.

She leans back in her bed and smiles as she watches him, as well as Brooke, Lucas and Karen, gather their things to leave. She slept hard after her visit with Nathan, only waking in the last fifteen minutes—just in time for visiting hours to be coming to an end.

"You go ahead, I'd like a moment alone with Peyton."

The blonde in question furrows her brows, regarding Karen with curiosity. The woman gestures her son out the door behind Brooke and Larry; he turns and gives Peyton one last unreadable look that leaves her unsettled. Every time she's seen Lucas that last few days, he had been annoyed, angry, or hard to read; she's not sure what's going on with him, but it worries her.

She grimaces faintly and then shoves those thoughts to the side as she gives her attention to Karen. "Is something wrong?"

"No." The brunette replies, a soft smile gracing her features as she moves closer to the bed. She sighs. "I wanted…I guess I'm being a worried mother, but I wanted to see where your head was at with everything. I know no one's really talked about it since you woke up."

Peyton remains silent as Karen perches on the bed by her hip and gently wraps her hand around Peyton's. It's comforting. And bolsters her courage to say something she's wanted to say since she found out. "Karen…I'm so sorry about Keith."

She gives a jerky nod and her grip tightens; but the tears welling in her eyes don't fall. "Thank you." It's a muted whisper that sends a lump to Peyton's throat and has her returning the pressure against Karen's hand.

Peyton blinks away tears and manages a steady tone, "This may sound dumb given the circumstances, but I do want to apologize for not being there after…" She trails off with an absent wave of her free hand.

Karen looses a garbled chuckle and shakes her head. "Oh, sweetheart, you don't have to apologize for that. I'm just glad you're okay…we all are." Her expression turns intent as she focuses directly in Peyton's eyes. "And don't for a second blame yourself."

Startled, Peyton rips her gaze away and lowers it to their joined hands. In a way, she does feel a little guilty. While no one has said anything, Peyton knows Lucas was in that school with her. And she can guess he was the motive behind Keith's going in. If not for that chain, Keith might very well be here.

She also can't help feeling like she's already dealt with these thoughts and issues. Maybe she dreamed it. She can't recall everything she dreamt, but the various feelings of déjà vu that have come over her since waking point to the possibility.

"Hey." Karen lightly touches Peyton's cheek, making her look up. "Did you hear me? None of this is your fault in any way."

With a jerky nod she takes a deep breath, holding it for a second before saying, "I know that…intellectually, I know that. But I—I'm devastated for you and Lucas. I wish I could change this…but I can't."

"Me, too." Karen nods as well. "I wish I could go back in time and change a lot of things. Do things differently, say things I never did, or take back things I shouldn't have said or done. But I can't. No one can. We can only move forward and continue living our lives. Never feel guilty for being alive."

The tears Peyton tried so valiantly to hold back break free when she looks up to see Karen's wet face. The older woman's expression is a picture of broken bravery, hinting to Peyton that maybe those words were also something Karen needed to hear; to work past whatever unwarranted blame she attributed to herself. Peyton simply tugs their clasped hands to her chest, shifting her weight to pull Karen into a tight hug and murmur soothing words.

Karen returns the embrace, sighing into Peyton's hair as she gathers her composure. They stay that way for a moment, simply giving and taking comfort. That's all either one can do about the situation.

The moment is broken when a nurse enters the room. She ignores the emotional atmosphere and cheerily announces, "Visiting hours ended five minutes ago. Our patient needs to rest."

Peyton subtly rolls her eyes at the nurse's tone, pulling away from Karen to offer a small smile. "Thank you. For being here, for keeping my dad company, and for caring." She opens her mouth, taken aback, but Peyton stops her with a shake of her head. "It really means a lot to me, Karen. So, thank you."

Karen nods. "Of course." She slides off the bed and leans over to smooth Peyton's hair from her face. "Get some rest. We'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay. You get some rest, too."

She waves Karen out and idly watches the nurse check and record her vitals before leaving her alone. She has a lot of thoughts swimming around in her head. She's also trying to catch hold of the elusive fragments of her dream, trying to understand why she feels like she's repeating conversations and feeling differently around her friends.

Trying to understand why she doesn't feel as guilty about her part in it all as she kind of thought she would. Why she feels like there's been closure for some things, when she knows very well there wasn't.

Still, she's almost too tired to focus. The day was a long one; physically trying and emotionally confusing.

Maybe tomorrow will bring the clarity she's searching for.

0.o o_o o.0

Lucas looks over at the clock on his desk, moving into action as soon as he notes the time. He slides off the bed, careful to be quiet as he quickly dresses and grabs his car keys.

He's on a mission.

Peyton's been awake for three days—mostly—and he hasn't had a moment alone with her. Every time he went to visit, someone else was already there. When he did have a few minutes of her company to himself, she had been sleeping.

He can't take it anymore. He had tried to subtly bring conversations around to see if she remembered recent events, but either she didn't understand or someone would interrupt and change the topic. It's been the ultimate test, stretching out his patience and consideration for everyone else's need to be around her, too.

By now, he's a professional at the undetected late-night jaunts to her hospital room, easily sliding past the nursing station and into her room. Making sure to lock the door, Lucas edges forward to turn on the lamp and take a seat by a slumbering Peyton.

It doesn't take long for the light to disturb her sleep, causing her to grumble indistinguishably as her lashes flutter.

The surprise on her face makes him smile a little, as he finally relaxes for the first time that day. This time, there will be no interruptions.

"Luke?"

"Hi." He says softly, "How are you feeling?"

She reaches for the controller, raising the bed to a reclining position before she answers, honestly, "Confused."

He tilts his head with a tiny smirk. "I snuck in."

"Why?"

"To talk." Lucas gives a half-shrug. "And to check on you."

Peyton arches her eyebrow, sleepily scowling; he thinks she looks more cute than scary. "I'm…okay. A little sore and kind of sleepy. I've been practically talking all day."

"Not to me."

She gives him a bewildered glance. "We talked. A few times."

"No, we didn't. I tried to a few times, but got interrupted a lot."

Giving him a shy smile, "Sorry."

"What'd I say about saying sorry?" He lightly teases with a chuckle.

Lucas can't deny the zing of hurt that arrows through him at her blank look. He can tell she doesn't understand the joke and is not sure how to respond. "You don't remember." It's a statement more than a question, a bitter taste filling his mouth as helplessness wells. He wanted her to remember; to not forget what happened between them while she was in limbo.

"I—I don't think so." Her tone is questioning as she levels wide green eyes at him.

Tamping down the hurt, he sighs. "What's the last thing you do remember? From before you woke up from the coma, I mean."

If he's honest, he's hoping for a little more than the hesitance she's exhibiting as she studies him.

"The last thing…would be the library. When I…yeah." Her face flushes as her gaze falls.

He can't help the quirk to his mouth as he easily follows her train of thought, battling against the grin that wants to break free at her embarrassment.

"Well…okay." He leans forward, "But there's more. And only you and I know about it."

"What do you mean?"

"To start with…I love you."

He struggles to maintain his calm when she rears back in automatic denial. "What! No—no. I mean, not like that." She beseeches in a panic, "Like a friend, right? Because—in the…what I said, in the library—"

"Hey, hey, hey." He cuts her off. "I remember what happened in there, too. And you're wrong right now. 'I love you. I'm in love with you.' Not as only my friend."

Lucas watches her scramble around for something to say, looking a little like a deer caught in headlights, as the stunned silence lingers between them. He's impressed when she quickly gathers herself together, turning on him with a haughty glare.

"You love Brooke. Your girlfriend." The confidence in her tone doesn't quite match the misery lurking deep in her eyes.

He laughs; just tosses back his head and lets go. It's either laugh or cry; they already had this discussion. He's unsure if this one will turn out as well as the last one.

"Lucas! What are you doing?" The hissed question has him fighting for control.

Once he's settled, he sighs heavily. "Peyton, you've been in a coma for a while. You've missed some stuff."

She scrunches up her face, "Clearly."

"Your sarcasm would wound me if I didn't find it endearing. And sexy."

"Lucas!"

"Jeez." He offers her a lopsided, boyish smile. "Okay. Shorthand version: Brooke and I are broken up, and we're both okay with it, more or less. You and I," he gestures between them, "Are kind of…something, or whatever. Together, I think. You just don't remember that well yet."

She stares at him in patent disbelief. He doesn't continue speaking, content to wait for her busy mind to latch onto something to say. He simply watches her as she sinks into her thoughts.

Lucas idly wonders what is going through her mind right now; he's positive she has to be beyond confused. But he also hopes that there's a part of her that knows what he's talking about. Or at least believes him right now.

"I—while I was unconscious, I think I had a dream." She admits slowly, narrowing her eyes in reflection. "I don't remember all the details, just some pieces. But I do remember a lot of feelings—some were happy ones."

"Good." He says simply. "'Happy feelings' is a good place to start. And, Peyton, it wasn't a dream, trust me. I can fill in some of those details for you, because I was there, too."

Peyton gives him a weird look and tentatively queries, "Do any of those details involve singing to you somehow, or is that just a horrible dream moment?"

Lucas smirks and then warbles, "Lean on me, when you're not strong/and I'll be your friend/I'll help you carry on…"

She lets out a startled scoff of laughter, obviously in shock. He catches her fluttering hands in his, making her jump a little as her eyes dart to his. He only shrugs half-heartedly.

"How—how is that possible?"

"I don't know. It just was." He speaks earnestly, taking hope from the fact she's not pulling her hands away from him. "What else do you remember?"

She sighs, "Um, a little about listening to people. A visit to the cemetery and something about Dan. And bits and pieces of talking to you."

"Well, if you tell me what you know, I can fill you in on some of the rest of it. If you want." He grins at her. "We can also do this another time, so you can process this now…or sleep."

She smiles, relaxing a little bit at his casual warmth, but still shell-shocked. "You kidding? I won't be able to sleep after this. Umm, tell me the rest."

Standing, he gently detangles their hands and eases down onto the bed beside her, careful of her leg. She scoots over a little, making room in an instinctive manner that makes him smile. His smile only widens when she naturally leans against him as she waits for him to speak.

He takes a moment to just cuddle her against his side, reveling in the solid feel of her. She's safe, and alive, and fully there with him. He only reluctantly loosens his hold when she tips her head back and looks at him expectantly.

He drops a quick kiss to her temple and chuckles at her small start. "Well, it's kind of like a bad movie or a creepy-ghost-of-Christmas type of thing." At her exasperated look he nods, teasing, "Your words, not mine. Clearly, you need to watch better stuff."

She gives him a feeble whack against his leg and mumbles, "I like those movies…"

"I know." He murmurs, tugging her close again. He just needs to feel her; it makes her being there with him seem more real. "Anyway, I got the shock of my life when I walked into this hospital room to see you calmly sitting in a chair by the bed…right next to your unconscious self. You seemed just as surprised to see me, too. I thought I was dreaming, but you showed me that I wasn't. That's how it started…"

A/N: I don't own the lyrics to "Lean on Me" either. And for those who don't know the movie Princess Bride, Westley would tell Buttercup 'as you wish' as code for 'I love you' while he was just a stableboy and hadn't told her he had feelings yet, lol.

Please let me know what you thought!

I'm working on the final chapter now...I know what things I want to happen and cover, but if you feel there's something I didn't address enough, now is the time to tell me! :)