Fame Infamy
"Come on, come on! Get up!" Lucas woke up by hearing a loud voice yelling into his ear but he didn't react, the only thing he did was crawling deeper under the white, soft sheets. "Lucas, get your ass out of that bed!" A very well-known voice yelled. "But mom, I'm sleepy." Lucas mumbled. "Mom?! I'm not your mom Luke!" Those words demanded Lucas to open his eyes fully and to look at the blond girl before him. "Peyton?" Slowly he began to realise where he was, again.
"Hurry Luke, I didn't hear my alarm clock." The tempo of her voice was fast and barely normal, her voice was high because she was so nervous so early in the day. "What time is the appointment?" Lucas asked while rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Ten before noon." Lucas opened his eyes properly and saw her nervously jumping for the one leg on the other, the little nightdress swaying around her body. "What time is it now?" Lucas pushed the warm sheets away so the cold air in his room could embrace him, welcoming the chill. "Just after ten."
Loud groaning out of disappointment, Lucas let himself fell back into the mattress, instantly sink into the soft material. "Seriously Peyton?" She nodded and walked closer to his bed. "Get up Luke! I need your help!" She complained. "Just give me five more minutes." Lucas muttered like a little child. "I so got enough from you." Peyton whispered and jumped onto the bed, jerked the sheets away from his body, crawled on top of him and began to tickle his bare torso, immediately her fingers found a weak spot under his ribs. Lucas wasn't prepared to the sudden attack and gasped for air. "Peyton!" He yelled. "Stop it!" He panted but she didn't. "I'm so going to kill you now!" He reported and prepared himself for sweet revenge. His fingers flew to her hips, teasing her with their fast movements of his clever fingers, now it was her turn to scream. "Let go! Let go Luke! Stop it! Please! It tickles!" She screamed, suddenly a quiet cry broke through theirs.
There she stood in the doorway, Elle, eyes shocked, mouth open, slightly disappointment and suspicious, invisible drops fell out of her blue, ocean deep eyes. It must have been a very, very odd view to see Lucas and Peyton together in his bed, barely clothed. Peyton's nightdress had creep up so it only covered her until her hips, and Lucas only was wearing his boxers. And the fact Peyton lay on top of Lucas and her blond hair covered her face and also his, it was hard to see what happened under the bunch of curls.
Obviously shocked and upset Elle left the room, Peyton began to curse under her breath, it wasn't pretty to hear, Lucas began to wonder where she had learned that, not in Tree Hill he guessed. "Give me your dressing-gown!" Peyton demanded. "What?" He asked confused and strings of amazement ran through his veils, travelling along with his red blood. She gestured towards her belly, the bump was clearly visible. "On the bathroom door." He said and got up to get it for her, Lucas saw how uncomfortable and tense Peyton was, the blood seemed to flow away from her cheeks. He could taste her fear, the bitter taste of being scared. He knew she was afraid Elle may found out she was pregnant.
Lucas helped Peyton into his dressing-gown, the name of the hotel was on the back of it in big letters. It covered her whole figure, good for her. She went outside and apparently Elle was still there. Lucas wasn't the kind of guy who eavesdropped but he was curious who she was going to talk herself out of this situation.
"Elle." He heard Peyton's voice on the other side of the door. "It wasn't what you're thinking." She guaranteed the girl with French roots. "What do you think it looked like?" Elle replied, her voice full of disgust. "Come on Elle, you're the only one around who knows me. Why do you I stay in Chicago when Pete is away? Not because it's so fun to be alone through the days he's away. I can easily go to Pete's house in Los Angeles or go back to my hometown in North Caroline, I would be happy to go back to Tree Hill for a while since I heard from Lucas some many things changed. My ex and one of my best friends have a son I didn't knew about, Lucas has a little sister, I also didn't hear about that before, Tree Hill worst man is in prison because he shoot Lucas' uncle in our school shooting two years ago, Tree Hill High who blamed Jimmy for what was happened, now I feel myself sick because I've blamed him for years." Before going further on a quiet but heated tone, she took a few seconds time the fill her lungs with fresh air. "Now, I stay because when you don't work and we hang out together we have so much fun. But do you really think I'm screwing Lucas? I thought you knew how much I love Pete. You assume I'm screwing my best friend, it's not because we have history behind our back and were pretty close that I'm screwing him. Pete is everything, he's the reason I left Lucas and everything I cared about behind, pushed them away and now I realise I was stupid when I did that, because if missed so much. But I stay in Chicago for you, for you Elle, not for me, for you!"
After that came silence, almost unbearable since, cracks formed into it from Peyton's harsh breathing. "Sorry." A quiet voice whispered, it was Elle. "Sorry, Peyton." And Lucas heard the sound of high heels who forceful met the soft carpet.
Peyton entered again, her face red, her chest moving not natural, Lucas could even notice it under his dressing-gown. "Peyton." He softly said and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him. "Didn't you go a little too far?" He asked, his fingers glided over the soft material which covered her back. Peyton didn't answer, only tightened her grip.
Lucas sudden fell how his cell phone started to vibrate in the pocket of his jeans which he had putted on while Peyton and Elle had been 'talking'. Peyton must have felt it too and stepped back, giving him the access to step backwards a little and take the phone out of his pocket.
Hi Luke,
How is Chicago?
Xxx Nathan&Haley&James
Lucas smiled. "Who is it?" Peyton asked while her fingers combed through her messy curls. "Haley." He answered and saw a melancholic look appear in her green emerald eyes. He saw that look before, when he talked about Tree Hill, when he told her that Brooke missed her and also Nathan and Haley. When he told about everything what had happened while she was away. She missed Tree Hill, even more than Lucas would ever know.
Everything is okay here
Log in on MSN around 8.00 P.M.
Xxx Lucas
"Come, let's get ready for your big appointment." Lucas said and followed Peyton into her room, when he walked into her closet he was surprised she had three outfits already chosen, they lay on the floor, properly without crumbles. The surprise was even bigger when he saw it weren't outfits that covered her pregnancy. "Which one do you like the most?" She asked while walking further into the closet and sat down on the ladder they had brought back.
The first one existed out of a pair of grey trousers and a black polo, the sleeves only reached until her elbows, the shoes had chosen by it were black high heels. Second outfit was an indigo dress which stopped just above her knees and a pair matching blue high heels. Last outfit existed out of a black knee-length skirt and a white 'Cute Is What We Aim For' T-shirt with a V-neck, the name of the band was in black letters on it and in blue the different words which formed the band name were on it, a pair of black, flat shoes lay with it.
"The last one, most on the right." He answered after quick observing every piece of clothing. "Do you think?" She asked again while she began to pick up the other clothing. "It's the most practical one." He answered and helped her by picking up the cloths. Lucas knew already more than he ever wanted to know about genealogists. He had been to every appointment with his mom, he wanted to also his mom didn't think it was a good idea but he wanted to be Keith for her, or at least the part of Keith who supported her in everything she did, by every step of the road.
"That much of a 'Cute Is What We Aim For'-fan?" Lucas asked while he followed Peyton to her bathroom, she opened a cupboard and pulled out towels and suddenly a brown wig lay in her hands. Peyton began braid the long brown wisps of the dark brown hair, after a few minutes a beautiful French braid was made with the dark wisps.
"Open the door of the cupboard in front of you." Peyton said to Lucas who was sitting on the edge of the bathtub. Quickly he opened one of the doors. "There's a tiny …" Lucas cut her off, knowing what she wanted. "Pink bag in it." He finished her sentence and handed her the cute pink bag. She took a handful of flat, transparent hairpins. Carefully she began to raise the blond wisp of her curly hair thereafter she glided a hairpin and after hearing it click, one curly wisp was less hanging around her neck. Ten minutes later Peyton stood before Lucas, wearing the brown wig, suddenly Peyton didn't look anymore like Peyton.
"How do I look?" She asked, the braid waved with every movement her head made. "I don't get you." He answered. She smiled, walked out the bathroom, over to the cupboard beside her double bed and returned with a red, oblong, oval box in her left hand. And from the one moment to the other she was wearing glasses. Lucas couldn't suppress an amazed smile. "I really can't read long without them." She answered, even he hadn't asked a question, the question was readable in his blue eyes.
"We're going to have to take the backdoor." Peyton said in a whisper while checking her little black purse. Lucas nodded understandingly and followed Peyton who guided him outside through all this unknown rooms and doors.
"Are you going to say what the hell you're doing anytime soon?" Lucas asked suspicious, Peyton had obliged Lucas to wear a cap. "I'll tell you afterwards okay, just play along." She said. With the glasses, the strange make-up and the wig Peyton look like a total different person, but this glance in her green eyes would never change, Lucas knew she would never fool him again, he knew her out of a million.
A half hour later Peyton and Lucas said into the waiting room in a hospital, the only people who ran around were nurses. He knew Peyton had picked this time because she wouldn't ran into much people, she did everything to keep her pregnancy a secret and he didn't even realise how much but he soon would.
After ten minutes browsing woman magazines finally the doctor came in. Lucas' mouth fell open when he saw a man winking Peyton and him to come into his office. "A man?" He whispered in her ear. "He was the only one available on this hour." She whispered back on the same heated tone as him.
"Welcome …" The man stopped, realising he didn't know her name. "Anna-Elizabeth Scott." She answered and shook his hand. Lucas had the feeling he was knocked off the world, what the hell was she saying? "But you can call me Ellie." She added with a bright, fake smile. "And you are the father of the child?" He asked Lucas, he heavy shook his head. Peyton answered instead of Lucas. "He's my brother." Lucas' eyes rolled almost out of his face. "I'm Eugene." He began to get what she meant by 'play along'. "Where's the father?" He asked Peyton. "In New York for business." Peyton answered, and that wasn't a lie.
"How far are you already?" The doctor asked. "I don't know." Peyton replied honestly. The confusion was easy readable on the older man's face. "Sometimes I skip my period a month, once I have skipped it two months. My doctor said it's not that unnatural because I'm leading a busy life." The conversation between the male genealogist and Peyton went further, Lucas listened but felt himself horrible, he really didn't want to know anything about Peyton's sex-life, especially since he hadn't one himself. And mostly because he would like to be her sex life.
After the talking, which made Lucas feel sick inside, the doctor began with the tests. He carefully let his hands touch Peyton's abdomen, she stirred when the cold hands touched her bare belly. Out of respect for Peyton, Lucas began to read the pamphlets about pregnancy which lay on the desk in front of him.
"Eugene!" But Lucas didn't hear Peyton call his 'name'. "Eugene!" He looked up from the blue pamphlet and saw Peyton's 'Don't-Make-This-Turn-Out-Wrong!'-look. "Yes, what's up little sis?" He asked and walked over to her. The doctor was making an ultrasound of Peyton's belly. Even he had seen it so many times before, Lucas still found it one of the most beautiful things on earth, seeing this little human creature as a prisoner in the belly of a devoted mother.
"The ultrasound tells me you're around thirteen weeks along already, that's around three months. Congratulations." He said, bright smiling but Peyton began to cry. Immediately Lucas wrapped his arms around Peyton, expecting the worst to come. "Why are you crying Miss Scott?" The genealogist asked worried, he had known more women who cried when they found out they were pregnant, but it were only a few tears, nothing compared to Peyton with her two green waterfalls. "I'm just so, so, so happy." She sobbed and the older man smiled.
Peyton grabbed Lucas by his arm, pulled him down and a few words would change the world, or at least her world. "It's Pete's." The words poured in his ear. These two words changed everything, made this situation suddenly not that complicated anymore.
Breathing the fresh air of Chicago, a half hour later Peyton and Lucas stood outside the hospital, the happiness on her face, the golden waves of the noon sun walking on her face. She looked like she would crawl on the highest building in Chicago and scream out loud that she was expecting Pete's child.
The whole way from the hospital to the hotel Peyton sang songs from Cute Is What We Aim For, proving her knowledge and worshipping went further than just a simple T-shirt.
Drama doesn't follow me, it rides on my back
I may be ugly, but they sure love to stare
Drama doesn't follow me, it rides on my back
I may be ugly, but they sure, but they sure,
Love to stare
Peyton sang along in her Anna-Elizabeth Scott form. Lucas still didn't know where she got this ridiculous idea came from, and where she found this courage to do something like this. Lucas knew she was aware of the trouble this could cause her, Pete and the band if this ever would reach the media.
This is a party without the people
This is a show without the sound
This is a dance without the steps
Now I gave you the clues so find what I found
This is a party without the people
This is a show without …
Suddenly Peyton cut herself off and ran over the show window of a pet store. "That's so cute!" She screamed excited, Lucas immediately knew where her eyes were looking at, a dog sofa with soft, black pillows which were covered with white skulls. "That's so perfect for Hemingway." "Who?" Lucas asked while observing her from the side. "Pete's dog! The most awesome dog on earth, he'll love it!"
Even more happy and excited than before she tugged on Lucas' arm and dragged him back to the hotel, sneaking through one of the backdoors to reach her room without getting caught. She began to take her cloths off to the search something more comfortable, she didn't seem to care Lucas was still with her in the same room. She disappeared in her closet to come out wearing a pink sweat pants and her grey hoodie, her curls swaying around her shoulder. Again you couldn't see anything of her pregnancy.
"Are you going to tell me what that Anna-Elizabeth Scott thing goes about?" Lucas asked while Peyton played with the laces of her shoes. "Maybe." She answered and heard Lucas sigh. "Okay." And took place on the couch were Lucas sat on. "Well." She began but stopped. "Get that look out of your eyes." She said. "Which look?" "That look in your blue, ocean waved eyes that look of judging me without knowing what my intentions are." Lucas nodded and tried to look comfortable. She took a deep breath and began.
"From the moment you're here I've been telling you that nobody can know about my pregnancy before Pete is back from tour, so this is the best way to cover it. I needed certainty about my pregnancy and about my doubts between Pete and Ryan. But Ryan can't impossibly be the father because if, and I say if, we would ever had sex it was two months ago, and since I'm already thirteen weeks far which is more than three months, it only can be Pete's. And if I go to a doctor or geologist and they would know I'm Peyton Sawyer, I swear Pete will know it sooner than I can tell him." Lucas interrupted. "But these guys have professional secret Peyton." He said, making Peyton continue on a harsher tone. "Lucas, you don't even realize how much money those people get for trickling out by the paparazzi 'by accident', I assert to you, you can do a nice trip with that."
Silence took control, distracted them both for a few minutes. "Why did you chose Anna-Elizabeth Scott as name, there are a million of names to pick out, why just those three?" Lucas wanted to know. The already famous melancholic look in her green emerald eyes returned. "Anna and Elizabeth for my moms and Scott." She took a pause to breathe. "Scott's always had a big influence in my life. Nathan as my first boyfriend, Haley as one of my best friends. Keith for saving me. Deb for Tric. And you as a friend and as …" Her voice trailed off. Lucas searched her hand and squeezed in it. "It's okay, I get it." He said softly and pulled her into his embrace, holding her close.
Suddenly her melancholic mood changed into excitement again. "I need to go to that shop again, I really want that little couch for Hemingway, Pete will love it." Lucas smiled and stood up, leading her out of the door, and not as Anna-Elizabeth this time, but as his Peyton.
During their walk back to the store they passed by a little square were some teenagers were hanging out, girls and guys from different ages, nothing special, they had passed it too when they came back from the hospital, but this time it was different.
"Oh my God!" A girl with long, curly black hair ran over to Peyton. "Oh my God!" She repeated. "Are you Peyton Sawyer?" She asked, her fingers nervously playing with the black necklace around her tanned neck. "Yes, I am Peyton Sawyer." Peyton answered warm, a few girls and guys had walked over to her and Lucas. "How's Pete in bed?" An Asian girl asked who immediately got punched by the brunette beside her. Lucas saw how Peyton shrink for a second but she fixed herself straight away. "I'm afraid I can't answer that question." She replied friendly. "Would you mind to sign my tee?" An American-African guy from around eighteen asked and gestured at his white T-shirt. Peyton smiled and agreed. After someone handed Peyton a marker she began to sign stuff from the group who had aggregated around her.
It was remarkable, the fact she could cover who she was, change her personality, with just one wig and a little make-up and she could come back like she never was gone by taking the wig off and her normal make-up. Lucas still found it unbelievable.
Peyton was full excitement when she entered the store, she began to talk with the guy after the counter, asking him so much questions Lucas barely could follow. "My last question." She said after a while. "Is it possible to somehow 'write' the dog's name on it?" The boy thought and than excused himself, walked through a door to return with an older man on his side. He immediately took control over the conversation. "Your request is possible, you can pick the couch up in two hours, just give us the name of the dog." The man handed her a piece of paper and Peyton wrote the name of Pete's dog.
"Hemingway." She said after writing it down. "H-E-M-I-N-G-W-A-Y." She spelled it. "Special name for a dog, haven't heard it before but somehow, hasn't a celebrity named his dog that way?" The younger one replied. "Pete Wentz from Fall Out Boy." And than realisation hit the guy. "You must be Peyton Sawyer." Peyton nodded, took her wallet and paid for the couch. "I'll pick it up in two hours." She promised and than walked out.
"So what do we do for the next two hours?" Peyton looked at her watch, trying to find and answer to his question, hoping it would show as the hands of the watch moved. "I know this fabulous Italian restaurant, but it's across the city, by the time we get there its dinner time and after we ate we'll pick up my little present for Pete and Hemingway."
So said so done, after a delicious dinner in the fancy restaurant Peyton had been talking about, they picked up the couch with a few people from the hotel she had phoned and an hour later the little black sofa stood in Peyton's room. In the gold characters which showed the name Hemingway were the perfect finishing touch.
Lucas hurried himself to his room to log in on his MSN account, remember the promise he made Haley earlier today, she was already logged in.
Haley, Miss ScottXx.I picked out Your Star.xX Meets Nathan&James&Brooke&Chase&Karen&Lily:
Hi Luke!
Lucas #22 in ChicagoTree Hill, missing you!Lily, My Anonymous Promise!:
Hi Hales!
A few minutes later the webcams were turned on and after Haley's chair stood Nathan with little James on his arm, if you looked close enough you could see four other faces.
Lucas saw how Peyton eyes got teary, seeing all these people back after two years, discovering three new faces. She used all her strength to push away the tears but when Brooke came into vision she couldn't stop anymore what started up just minutes ago. The pain out of extreme guilt began to break her strength into tiny pieces, she stood up and walked away, leaving Lucas with a twisted expression on his face. He excused himself and promised Haley he would be back in a few minutes.
Lucas found Peyton crawled up in a ball in the corner of his room. "Peyton." He whispered and sat down next to her, allowing himself to wrap his protective arms around her. She very softly sobbed, it was barely audible, but the trembling body betrayed her. "I didn't know Peyton." He excused himself and pulled her a little closer. "It's not your fault Luke." She spoke, her warm voice displayed cracks of sorrow. "I'm just a coward because I can't face them anymore, I feel too guilty, it hurts so much." For the first time, something more like his old Peyton came out of her. "It's okay, you don't have to." He said and pressed a lost kiss on her hair.
He returned back to his laptop, leaving Peyton behind, to let her return to her normal state of mind. He promised Haley to mail her every Sunday, told everyone goodbye after his occasional half hour chat with his mom and Lily and asked her the call him in ten minutes.
And she did, after ten minutes the display of his cell phone lighted up and the words 'Mom is calling' became visible. He quickly answered it, after talking to his mom the phone passed everyone in the room, even James got the chance to babble a few words. Words like 'I miss you', 'Come back soon', 'I love you', 'Say Peyton hi from me' and 'Think about me when you're there in the big city' whirled around like snowflakes on the first snowstorm of the winter. After singing his version from 'Hey There Delilah' which now was 'Hey There Lily' Lucas returned to found out Peyton wasn't in his room anymore.
He entered her room and still didn't found her that was until he heard soft noise coming from behind the walls, and than, by surprise he found a door wide open, a black door he hadn't seen before. Curiously he walked in and his mouth fell open when he saw Peyton had rebuild her music closet her, a small hallway full of records.
She didn't look happy while she softly sang along with the music of 'Look What You've Done' from Jet. "What's wrong Peyton?" Lucas asked and saw her almost jump into the roof, with her hand pressed against her racy heart she walked over to Lucas. "God, you've scared me." She said, the other hand leaning against the shelves. "Lost something?" He asked when he noticed a lot of records weren't in there place. "I was searching after my record 'a Mark, a Mission, a Brand, a Scar' from Dashboard Confessional but I suddenly realised a kind of broke that one during a fight with me my dad." Lucas could see a few lost tears trying to escape. "Tell me about it." He said, leaned against one of the shelves and patted on his knee as sort of 'invitation' to join him. Peyton handed him the empty loose cover, realisation hit him hard when he remember that was the record were 'their song' was on. The song that was playing in her pretty car when she almost knocked him off the road. 'Hands Down'!
"Well, two years ago I got into a fight my dad about Ellie, I just found out that she had tried to contact me when I was much younger and than he had sent her away. I was so pissed off, walked off to my room and he followed and I kind of called him 'not my father' and compared him with 'a broken record', I just had randomly picked a record and smashed it against the doorway, and now I became conscious of that again. I knew I broke that one but I just couldn't throw away the loose cover, it just meant too much to me. My dad was right that day, that I would grow up and realise I wouldn't have all the answer just here in my hands, now I realise, I miss him so much, still." Lucas smiled and his fingers deviated to her sun-kissed cheek and softly his fingertips ran along her jaw line.
Just a few seconds after that she fixed herself again and began to dance around the room. Lucas tried to transfer her into his memory. Pregnant looked cute on her, the tiny nightgown she wore made Lucas feel the heat inside him grow. The sweet pink dress who reached on the halve of her upper tight, finished with black laces and a little bow, and than you had the bunny slippers, they made Lucas grin.
"Come dance with me!" She screamed, pulled him closer with his black tee. Gym Class Heroes' 'Good Vibrations' made them move freely, made them laugh, made them scream, made them have fun, it was so long ago, that Lucas and Peyton had fun … together.
A sudden knock on the door ruined their endless pleasure but when a second urgent knock howled around Peyton danced over to the door, Lucas realised she wasn't wearing anything to cover her belly but it was too late, the door flew open and just one little word escaped her lips.
"Pete?!"