Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy Tonight?
Inside the hotel it was pretty calm, a few people sat down in the hall on the red, comfy seats. The rest of them were people who worked their, easy recognizable because they wore uniforms.
Everything looked so expensive, from the flooring up to the roof, even the people who where in there looked like they were ripped out of a fancy magazine. Shivers ran from his spine, this wasn't actually the place he felt home, but he did this only for Peyton.
"In which room stays Peyton Sawyer?" Lucas asked the woman after the counter. "Miss Sawyer doesn't want visitors." The woman answered. "But I really need to see her." Lucas claimed. "Yeah, If I got a dollar for every time someone said that …" Lucas sighed and turned away from the brunette. "Bitch." He whispered under his breath and than dropped of to the place where he left his suitcases. And than sat down, trying to think of a way to get to Peyton. Then his eye fell on a boy from a cleaning team, rapidly walked over to him.
"Hi, can you tell me in which room Miss Peyton Sawyer stays?" The boy looked up to Lucas. "I am afraid I can't tell you sir." He answered and was ready to walk away from Lucas, but he held him back. "Here." Lucas said and pulled a few dollars in the boy's hand. "Can you tell me now?" He asked and the boy nodded. "Her room is on the top floor, take this elevator." The boy with black hair said and pointed to the elevator the closest to them. "Thanks." Lucas said, took his suitcases and made his way into the elevator.
With each floor he climbed with the elevator, he became more nervous. He felt like he had swallowed little feathers, they were tickling his stomach. When the elevator doors opened, Lucas had the feeling he was about to pass out, suddenly this didn't seem a good idea anymore. What if she didn't want him in her life? He mentally slapped himself. "God Lucas, here you are in Chicago, no time to be a scared kid." He whispered to himself and than left the elevator. He wasn't surprised to find her door unlocked, without knocking he went inside.
Lucas' mouth fell open, her room was big and glamorous but it also looked a lot like her own bedroom at home in Tree Hill. Maybe she missed her real home through all.
This anguished feeling he was alone and sneaking around made him feel very uncomfortable, that was until he heard the toilet flush. His heart almost jumped out his chest, the blood raced through his veins, the atmosphere suddenly turned a lot more oppressive.
Moment of truth … there she stood, in the doorway from the presumably bathroom … naked.
"Peyton!" Lucas' mouth fell open without the intervention of his mind.
"Lucas!" She screamed, the surprise of Lucas standing, here in her hotel room knocked her almost of her feet.
"Close your eyes and turn around!" And Lucas quickly did what he was asked to do. After two minutes Peyton patted on his shoulder. "You can look now." She said and Lucas turned around again to see her wearing a bright blue bra and panties, she was busy with her jeans. When she was about to pull on her T-shirt, something caught Lucas' attention, something he had saw just minutes before, just thinking it was in illusion of the surprise of walking into her unclothed, but now it was clearly visible … the little bump where was supposed to be her flat tummy.
The words, without a descent reason, without control of his mind rolled from his tongue. "You're pregnant?" He didn't need an answer, her biting on her lower lip was enough for Lucas. "Is it Pete's?" Lucas asked, without knowing why. "How do you even dare to ask me that, you're just in here two minutes?!" She furiously walked over to Lucas and for Lucas' sake, he was just fast enough to catch her flying hand before it would reach his cheek. "I'm sorry Peyton, sure it's Pete's." But than he heard a quiet sob.
"Peyton." She sat on the edge of her big double bed. Her hands covered her face, her chest moving in an unnatural rhythm, the rest of her body shocked along with her sobs that we're getting heavier. Lucas fast bended down in front of her. "Everything okay?" She shook her head, tears falling for her cheeks, Lucas' strong thumbs wiped them away. "What's wrong?" Peyton wanted to say something, she could only sob. Lucas stood up, went sitting next to her and rubbed her back while looking at her broken face. "Do you wan to take about it?" She nodded and wiped away a few lost tears, she took a very deep breath and than made herself ready to throw everything out. Lucas saw her preparing, and considering the time she took, it was huge what was she was about to throw out.
"Probably I'm pregnant." Lucas was confused. "Probably? What do you mean?" Peyton looked at him, she needed to bit on her lip to keep the flood of bitter tears inside. "The last two years I've skipped my period a few times, the doctor says it's because I'm leading a busy life with the band. We have to change a lot from rhythm, once we're used to a regular rhythm, it changes again. But it's nothing to really worry about." Lucas looked at her green eyes, seeing this strange look in them, something unfamiliar. "But this." Lucas laid his warm hand gently on her bare, cold belly. Creating a comfortable feeling inside of them. "It's means you're pretty far already Peyton, how far do you think you are?" She swallowed. "I don't know." Lucas stroked a few lost curls away, her eyes were so anxious, Lucas couldn't look away from her, from her broken beauty.
"But it's Pete's child right?" Lucas asked and by those words she began to cry again. "I don't know Lucas." Those words still surprised Lucas, also he practically heard them before. "From who else can it be?" He asked on a soft but a little harsh tone. "Maybe from Ryan." Lucas' eyes widened. "Who's Ryan?" "One of our bodyguards." She responded weakly and looked away, not wanting to confront herself with the judging eyes of Lucas. "Tell me about it." He said. Now he needed to know what was going on, now more than ever.
"Maybe it's nothing, but a few months back we went to a club and the next morning I woke up in the room of our bodyguards, naked." One single tear escaped again. "Someone probably slipped me something the night before, I can't remember anything about that night, it's just one black, empty space in my mind." Lucas fell in surprise. "Peyton." He said softly and his hand travelled along her cheek, she almost immediately, without thinking, leaned in to his familiar touch, but when she realized what she was doing she instantly fixed herself again.
"Okay." Lucas reacted, letting everything she just said sink into his mind, making it reasonable in some way. "And why do you think it's this guy called Ryan? You've got more bodyguards, I assume." Peyton looked to Lucas, trying to face these blue eyes. "You're right, we have a several bodyguards, but the other guys always tease him because he would have a crush on me, and I know he does like me very much, he's always extra kind to me and he's the first to do something if I ask something." Lucas nodded understanding. "But why would he try to do something with you while you're drunk?" Peyton tugged on her jeans. "I don't know, maybe I was willing to, you know which effect alcohol has on me." Sure Lucas knew, he remembered that night before The Classic clearly, Peyton stumbling in his bed, drunk from her evening with Rachel, mixed with the messy emotions of Ellie's dead.
"I messed up Luke. What if this baby isn't Pete's and he founds out? I won't forgive myself if he hates me for that, he's been so nice to me these last two years, he gave me this unique change to start over again, I don't want to screw it this time. I love him so much, too much to go on without him." She began to cry again, Lucas gently pulled her in his embrace, unconsciously his lips found the velvet softness of her blond hair, tenderly rocking her a little.
Here he was, in Chicago, only a few minutes after meeting Peyton again, she was the girl he always had known, this broken mess in his protective arms. This turned out way different than he had expected, he had sensed something was up but defiantly not that she was pregnant and had doubts about who was the father.
"Is that why you left the tour Peyton?" He kindly asked while stroking her bare back with one hand, the other arm wrapped around her shoulders. And suddenly she wasn't in his arms anymore, but he heard her throw up in the bathroom, he quietly stood up and went over the bathroom to find the blond girl bending over the toilet, her small hands in her blond hair. Lucas walked over to her and helped her standing up again, her body was weak and she didn't do anything else than lean against him while he helped her standing on her own two feet again. Her face was pale, tenderly he brushed the lost curls away, and the sudden exhaustion was readable in her green, sad eyes. "Maybe you should sit down." He leaded her to the big bed again and Lucas took place on the floor, sitting in front of her.
"Why didn't you say anything to your lawyers, if there are dealers in that club, or people who do stuff like this …" He stopped himself, his eyes betrayed his mind, his thoughts were readable. "Luke! I am not on drugs anymore, that's long ago! I know I made a mistake with doing that, but I'm not on drugs now, I'll never do that again, so don't judge me!" Lucas cursed inside, those damn blue eyes of his, he knew he was readable like a book to her. "But Peyton, the girl I know wouldn't let do something like that to her. She would have gotten up and demanded the truth, she wouldn't have stopped before she knew who had done that to her!" Peyton's furious reaction was far over the unthinkable for them both. "Maybe that's your problem Lucas! I'm not that 'broken-I'm-always-the-victim' girl anymore, I'm not YOUR girl anymore!"
Lucas' mouth fell open once again, in deep shock, he felt himself beaten up, and the pain of her cutting words making probably incurable wounds which would leave ugly scars inside. Also Peyton found herself shocked by her own cruel words, not getting where they suddenly came from. Again her teeth buried themselves in her lower lip, something that had become quiet a habit for her over the past years.
"Why are you here Lucas?" Peyton asked, it was a very weak try to change the conversation, Lucas was aware of it, he didn't want her to get away with that that easy but he didn't want to fight with Peyton either.
"I just wanted to see you again, I saw the article about you leaving the tour earlier than planned, I sensed something was up." Lucas said, from now on he would be honest with her. "I missed my best friend so much and I…" He stopped himself, the words 'I love you Peyton, I never stopped loving you and will never stop' were about to roll of his tongue, but he soon realised that wouldn't be the smartest move right now. He wasn't really lying, he was just withholding some things.
"How's life in Tree Hill?" She asked, she looked so uncomfortable. What did happen with the extreme close bound they shared? Lucas knew the answer, she had taken away his thrust in her by leaving him without saying goodbye. "Different." He answered simply. "Did life chancing things happen?" Lucas was about to crash into his flood of words, to tell her in full bliss about his little sister and his nephew but somehow, everything not so pretty in his life overshadowed that, then his bag which lay on the floor caught his attention and he thought about all those letters he had written to her, he had collected them and took them with him.
"Wait, I have something for you." He said and stood up, grabbed his bag and took the many letters out of it. "Probably you're thinking that I've forgot you, but I didn't, I've been writing you letters since you left, but you moved around a lot, they never got to change to reach you so they ended up by me again. All the important stuff that happened in my life the past two years are written in them, so I would say, read them and if you have questions, just ask me." Peyton took the letters out of his hands, she began to count them, letting her fingers ran swiftly over the white envelops. "Twenty-four." Peyton looked up to him, slightly surprised. "There are exactly twenty-four letters, one for each month of the past two years."
Actually there were twenty-five letters, not so long ago Lucas had dreamed about Peyton, over the life they would have if they were together, in his dream Peyton was pregnant with his child and walking down the aisle in a beautiful white dress designed by Brooke. In his dream they got married and she gave also birth to their first child in his dream, but he couldn't remember the gender of their child.
In that twenty-fifth letter was a love letter in fact, his artistic mind and strong hands had created a wonderful tribute of his love for this special girl called Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer. He had written about his dream, and about his fantasies about her, not minding to go into extreme uncensored and profound details. But he just couldn't send the letter to her, he had written the whole thing during the night but by dawn, he found himself shocking himself for thinking and acting the way he had done during writing that specific letter, his love letter to her.
What if he send it, and this time it would reach her? He had thought. He had exposed his soul for her like he never had done before. What if it fell into wrong hands? Peyton was pretty famous, not everyone knew her, but they probably had heard from her. By the way, in showbiz they don't care about how famous you are, as long as they can make a scandal they would do it with all their sick pleasure, it would damage Peyton's reputation and also Lucas himself wouldn't be left alone and would get away with it without a lot of drama. And if that happened she would probably hate him for the rest of her life, then his chance would be destroyed and that was the most important thing in his life, getting the chance to let Peyton open her eyes for her everlasting love for him.
Her love for him still was there, she only pushed it away because it was so difficult and complicated, so hurtful and sad. Lucas believed that, he needed to believe that, otherwise he would fall into that part of reality he hadn't met before. The reality of opening your eyes and releasing what you once had, that unique, once in a lifetime feeling, that you lost it because you were a coward, that you rather walked away when things got too complex and too cruel, that you were too scared to face what you really wanted, that you chose the easy way out.
Peyton wanted to open her first letter when her green eyes caught his suitcases by the door. "Are you going to stay?" She asked and laid the letters on her bed. "Probably not, now I know what's going on." He mentally slapped himself again and the words: Lucas you enormous idiot, kept buzzing through is mind. Sure he was going to stay, not only that near, not that she would notice he was there but on a save distance so he could observe her and could rescue her when things went wrong. Actually he had done that today already, rescued her, again.
"But you can stay." She said fast. "I'll get you a room on this floor, than we'll have one guest room fewer but you'll be our guest." She almost fell over her words, wanting to talk that fast. "But I don't want to cause you any trouble Peyton, I can go again, it's no problem." He knew she would do everything to make him stay, he saw it in her gorgeous green eyes. Lucas saw how fearful she was. She didn't want to be left alone again, she needed this familiar person around her again, she needed her Lucas around her, her rescuer, and he was here by her side again, just in time.
Lucas knew it wasn't nice from him to play her around like this, but he wanted to know if she didn't take him for granted, because if she would do that, Lucas would leave, he wasn't just some person you could hold close when you needed him and than throw him away like garbage when you found someone else. He felt himself too good for that.
"I'll call downstairs to say we've got one more room in use so they need take care of it." She took the telephone and dialled the number. "Which room do you want?" Peyton asked Lucas and let the phone rest against her chest. "Which room is free to take?" Lucas asked smiling. "The room besides me, wait I'll ask if it is possible." Peyton asked it but than shook her head. "It's going to be Patrick's room but the rooms on the other side of the hallway are free." She whispered and Lucas nodded in agreement. "I'll take the one across of your room." Peyton nodded, said to the one on the other side of the call what she wanted and than hung up.
"What about, you'll unpack your things and install yourself in your room, and I read your letters." And she waved with them. "Good idea." Lucas agreed and than someone knocked on the door. Lucas opened the door and found the boy who had told in which room Peyton was with a card in his hand. "Your key sir." He said and pointed to the door across the hallway. "Thank you." Lucas said and than the boy left again.
"I'll go unpack my stuff now." He said and entered 'his' room, he was surprised by how big and luxurious the room was. He somehow felt guilty about it, if he thought about his mom and Lily, but than he realised why he was here again. He began to unpack, didn't have an idea about the time that went by until he heard an excited scream from Peyton.
"Peyton?!" He ran into her room. "Something wrong?" With a huge grin on her face she was ran into his arms. "Why didn't you tell me Nathan and Haley had a son and you a little sister!" She hugged him so unexpected than Lucas just stood there and didn't respond. "Congratulations Luke!" She said and pulled him closer, her lips pressed a kiss onto his cheek. "I so want to now everything about your little sister and little James Scott." He smiled by her sudden enthusiasm. "I'm unpacking my last suitcase, I'll tell you while I'm unpacking."
When Peyton entered Lucas' room, she immediately went to his bed and took the paper which laid on it. It was Lily's drawing. "Did Lily draw this?" She asked and waved with his little sister's drawing. "Yep, it's supposed be me and a tree, and the tree is as big as I am." Peyton laughed. "That sis of yours is pretty talented." Lucas smiled and continued unpacking.
After almost an hour Lucas was finally ready, he had taken his time to do things well, his closet was decent and so was his bathroom, he had searched a good spot to hide his important stuff. Lucas was happy for the little safe in his closet. His love letter, USB-stick with his book on, his money and his 'Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer'-book were his private stuff.
It was about 5 P.M. when someone knocked on Lucas' door. "Eating-time!" Peyton yelled excited and ran over to the door. A girl brought in the food, Peyton had ordered food in the kitchen, she thanked the girl which she called Elle. The girl had very long dark blond hair, she had blue eyes and had a tiny figure, everything in its right proportions, her boobs and hips … Lucas found himself lost starring at that girl. He didn't realise it until Peyton patted on his shoulder. "She isn't an illusion Luke, she's real." She whispered in her ear. "She's only walked out of the room two minutes ago."
Under dinner Lucas and Peyton talked, Peyton first told about Elle, she had an American father who was from Chicago who found the love of his life in France, in a little village called Bourg-Saint-Andéol. Elle had lived in France until she was nineteen but than decided she wanted to discover her American roots, so she moved to Chicago on her own.
Than Lucas began to tell about Tree Hill and mostly about Lily. "Do you know what her first word was?" Lucas asked Peyton, Peyton shook her head. "Mom?" Lucas on his turn shook his head. "Her first word was Lucas! Lu-ca-s or Luc-as or Lu-ca, like she always says it." Peyton smiled. "That's nice Luke."
Than Lucas showed Peyton the little photo album he had made with photos, all photos were taking not so long ago, just one or two weeks before he left. One of his mom in the front yard, one of Lily the day he left, she was wearing a sweet pink dress and was holding a daisy. Then there were photos from the little Scott family, Nathan and Haley sitting on a bench in the park, little James on the Rivercourt, James and his proud parents in Lucas' living room sitting on the couch. After that came Brooke and Chase, the picture of Brooke was the oldest from all the photos, it was a picture of her just before they broke up, when they were happy together, for the last time. The picture from Brooke and Chase was taken on the place where Chase always went skateboarding. Following after those photos, there was one of Whitey, one with his and his friends for work, one from the reunion from the basketball team.
Suddenly Lucas realised he hadn't called his mom, he first wanted to call but then he also realised he had promised Lily to show himself on the webcam. "Do you want see Lily?" Peyton smiled at his question, not getting where it came from. "But I've seen her Luke." Lucas laughed. "On the webcam." He said, Peyton agreed, she didn't want anything more than to meet Lucas' little sister Lily Roe Scott.
Ten minutes later Lucas was logging in on his MSN account, he had text messaged his mom to come online, he had made an account for her the day he left because it was the simplest way for working with the webcams.
Lucas #22 in ChicagoTree Hill, missing you!Lily, My Anonymous Promise!:
Hi mom!
Karen&Lily.:
Hi Lucas, how are you honey?
Lucas turned on his webcam and after giving his mother a few instructions, her webcam was turned on too. On the little screen appear Lily, she looked beautiful. Peyton let out a surprised gasp. "Luke, she's gorgeous." She said softly.
Lucas and his mother chatted for almost an hour but than Lily got tired.
Lucas #22 in ChicagoTree Hill, missing you!Lily, My Anonymous Promise!:
I'm going to leave you two, I see my little sis needs some sleep
Karen&Lily.:
Okay, bye, love you Lucas, call me tomorrow
Karen took Lily's hand and waved with it, but suddenly Lucas saw how Lily began to cry, his mother's face was sad. Than his cell phone ringed, it was his mom.
"Hi mom."
"Luke, please say something to soothe her, she crying for you, it's heartbreaking." His mother said softly. Than handed her daughter the phone so Lucas could hear her cries.
"Lu-c-as! Luc-as!" She cried.
"Lily, it's Lucas here. Be nice to your mom, she loves you, so do I. Go to sleep, tomorrow will be a better day." He whispered but she didn't stop crying. Lucas decided to sing for her, he began to sing a lullaby for her. After a while she stopped crying and he saw on the webcam she was almost asleep. Lucas blew a kiss to the screen and than logged out, his mom still on the phone, Peyton left because she needed to go the toilet so he was alone.
"What's wrong with Peyton?" Karen asked.
"I can't tell you right now, but she's going to be okay but I'm going to stay here for a while, I'm staying in the hotel where she lives. Don't you worry about me mom." He said, he heard his mother soft breathing.
"I love you." He saw Peyton standing in the doorway again. "Goodnight mom. I'll call you tomorrow." He said, his mother said almost the same to him and they hung up.
Peyton went sitting on Lucas' bed, she had changed her clothes, she was wearing her pyjama, a pair of shorts and a tank top, the little bump was clearly visible. "How do you hide this from Pete actually?" Lucas asked and than Peyton got up and came back with a grey hoodie, one who almost looked like a copy from his famous grey hoodie. "Like this." She said and putted the hoodie on, she was right, you didn't see anything from it when she wore that.
After talking a while Peyton got tired, Lucas walked her back to her room, even it was across the hallway, only a few steps away. He gently tugged her in. "I'm so glad you're here." She said softly while he sat on the edge of her bed. "Me too, I really missed you Peyton." He bended down to give her a goodnight kiss which, for some sort of reason didn't found her cheek but the corner of her mouth. Quick Lucas pulled away, feeling an awkward situation coming up. "Goodnight." She whispered and than closed her eyes. Relieved Lucas walked out of her room back in his room, at that moment he decided something, he was going to write a dairy.
"Hi world,
I'm Lucas Scott and today I've met her again, the love of my life Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer …"