You're A Concrete Boy Now (Do Your Part To Save The Scene And Stop Going To Shows)
Nights in Chicago never had been so peaceful, or at least not for Peyton or Lucas. Something or someone would keep them awake, or the energy their body produced during their sleep wasn't used and collected itself, causing them subconsciously to twist and turn around. Maybe it was each other present which made this night so peaceful, somehow special.
The golden sun moved the hands of the clock just after eight. Lucas woke up by feeling a body stir gently against his. His ears heard how someone inhaled deeply and softly, the familiar scent that lingered around him. This scent which Peyton had known for years already, this odd aroma which made her feel safe and close to home. A part of him.
Lucas felt how she crawled up against him, nuzzled her head against his neck, the blond curls tickled him kindly. The sweetness of it made him feel dreamy, out of reality until he felt a pair of wet lips travel up to his own lips.
Abruptly he opened his eyes, and found Peyton lost in what he knew from being with Brooke, morning desire. The feeling when you wake up besides your lover, and the need to show him your love. Peyton was about to press her lips on Lucas' as he coughed. She opened her eyes and found Lucas besides her, and not Pete like she had blindly assumed.
"Luke?" She said surprised, and covered her body with the sheets. "What are you doing here?" Panic ran through her body, making her slightly feel sick. "You've asked me to sleep by you, remember?" He answered and got off the bed. Peyton's hand ran nervous along the side of her body, to her huge relief she was wearing a sleeping gown. After what might have happened with Ryan, Peyton found it hard to trust herself around other man, especially if they were as attractive as Ryan and Lucas. She knew she was married and expecting a child from her husband, but she still somehow felt herself anxious because she without wanting it, dangled on the edge of self-control.
"I'm going to shower." Lucas said, he was extremely disappointed by Peyton's reaction. What yesterday seemed already so close, looked now further than ever. Even the warm water couldn't wash away his endless shame for thinking he would ever could have her fully back in this short time.
When he had putted on a pair of dark grey boxers he walked out of the bedroom to be knocked off with surprise finding Elle cleaning up his room. She was wearing a short black dress, a white apron, black pumps her long blond hair in a French braid. It wasn't difficult to make fantasies out of that.
"Lucas." She said surprised when she felt another person in the same room as her. She probably must have felt the heat that came out of his icy eyes. They were burning up her body, instead of drowning her like ocean eyes should do. "Elle." He was even more surprised, he hadn't seen her since the morning after she and Peyton got into that fight.
The chains Elle had when she first met Lucas were gone, he immediately discovered that when she with no shame bended over and Lucas got a first-class view on her black, silken string. Embarrassed he looked away, wishing she would leave him alone soon. He felt himself even more ashamed when his body eagerly reacted to what he saw.
Two minutes later she had left, a little red blush on her cheeks, maybe shame too? Lucas hated himself when his body reacted on Elle's appearance. Lust increased, Elle was such a pretty girl. But Lucas knew, lust isn't love. And love he had for Peyton, lust was only for Elle.
It was noon when Peyton walked into Lucas' room, he was just chatting on MSN with Glenda. "Hi." Her soft voice blew through the room. Lucas looked at her, she looked pretty wearing a simple orange dress, on her chest was a big red heart. It looked so childish on her but also so motherly with her growing belly under it. "Hello." He replied. There was one big change, her hair was straight again, no curls anymore. Just like she had done before she left. Instantly Lucas began to wonder why she did it with her hair again, her curly hair hadn't chance since he was in Chicago.
"What are you doing?" She asked and walked closer, her bare feet on the soft carpet. "Chatting with Glenda." Peyton sat down on a chair. "Who's Glenda?" She asked. Lucas realised she probably didn't know Glenda, Glenda was such a loner back in high school, instead of Peyton who acted like a loner and felt like a loner, and in some ways was a loner, Peyton hadn't been a loner, she was always surrounded by people who loved her. Glenda wasn't that lucky, until now. So Lucas began to tell Peyton about Glenda, everything he knew, and slightly memories appeared in Peyton's mind. "Yeah, I remember her I guess. She had that long dyed red hair, dark clothes and the extreme eye make-up, even glasses." Lucas nodded by Peyton's perfect description.
"She asked me to come over and take a look at her apartment, and of course to meet her boyfriend. I'm going next week on Thursday." Peyton somehow seemed sad. "Would you mind to join me?" Lucas asked and Peyton lighted up again. "Yeah, I would love too." She replied and planted an unexpected kiss on Lucas' cheek.
"Come let's have lunch." More as seven days had been lived in Chicago, Pete had been barely at home, which made Peyton angry and her hormones were all over the place, one wrong word or action could make you regret what you had said or done. Peyton hadn't been out for a week, hoping the storm of the wedding sex tape would be passed by. But it apparently hadn't. She regretted going out for lunch instantaneously, paparazzi almost jumped on her from the first moment she felt the hotel. Questions as flashes of their cameras, making Peyton go straight into defence mode.
First silent defence, without words, just ignoring them. It all went well, too well, because when the words 'wedding night', 'sex tape', 'child' were used in one sentence Lucas couldn't withhold Peyton from screaming awful things. Lucas hated those guys, Ryan and Jerry had been there too, but they just left to use the bathroom, and then they were those stupid guys making Peyton insane.
He saw how stressed Peyton became and knew that it wasn't good for her and definitely not for the baby. Lucas let his hand travel to hers under the table, gently he squeezed it but Peyton couldn't even force a little smile. Her appetite was gone. This defiantly wasn't good for her and the baby. "Come on, Peyton you must be hungry, eat something." Lucas tried to encourage her to eat something but she only shook her head. "I'm not hungry." She replied, ignored scratching her fork on the plate, making an unpleasant noise. "Peyton, you heard the doctor said …" She somewhat angry cut him off. "Eat enough, sleep enough, exercise but not too much, and avoid stress." She sighed while rolling with her eyes. When Lucas wanted to respond Jerry and Ryan came back.
"We saw them from inside." Ryan said while Jerry passed them. "Jerry is going to speak with them, there's a car waiting at the backdoor if you want to we can return to the hotel." Ryan said. "Gosh, Miss Peyton, are you feeling well?" He asked, bending down beside her. Lucas was a little shocked, nobody of her bodyguards called her Miss Peyton, always Miss Sawyer. "You already paid the bill so get let's get out of here." He said and backed her up a little while they walked into the restaurant to leave through a backdoor. Lucas turned around to find Jerry talking to some photographers, Jerry's body language was almost violent but he certainly knew how far he could go.
Back in the hotel Peyton lay on Lucas' couch when he was dressing up for going to Glenda. He looked handsome in his jeans and a grey tee. "Come Peyton, let's get ready." Lucas said, she stood up and walked over her room across the hallway. She disappeared to the bathroom and returned only a few minutes later. When she wanted to walk over to Lucas she suddenly bended over. "God damn." She began to curse. Lucas jumped up and hurried over to the spot she stood. "Are you okay?" He asked worried. "Being pregnant hurts." Peyton groaned as reply. "Okay. Where does it hurt?" He asked and backed her up a little. "Here." She answered and took Lucas' hand and laid it on her belly. Lucas felt it, a soft punch out of the blue. "Peyton, your baby is kicking." He yelled excited. Also Peyton's face lighted up. "Oh my gosh!" She screamed excited but her face almost immediately became sad. "I wish Pete was here." She mumbled, those words also overshadowed her happiness and also Lucas' joy.
Pete being away so much wasn't good for Peyton, she was so unhappy when he was away and nobody was there to show her 'real' affection. Her last summer in Tree Hill, when she spent all her days with Lucas, and everything with the Ellie-issue she had told about how she wanted to educate her children and stuff. Ellie had hardened Peyton but also soften Peyton. She had told him that she wanted to be settled down and maybe even married before having a child. About marrying she hadn't been sure, it made this so much more complicated, she had said.
Look two years later, Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer, married with a baby on the way. How much a life could change in two years, just by the influence from other people and the directions you're somehow pushed into.
Before Peyton could drown herself deeper into this dark mood a knock on the door and Ryan walking inside were enough to get her attention. "You called me." Ryan said kindly and walked towards Peyton. "Yeah, Lucas and me are going to visit an old friend of him who lives in Chicago, could you drive us?" She asked and smiled a little. Lucas had noticed that Ryan also was really protective over Peyton, and Lucas knew, Peyton hated to be over-protected. "That's no problem Miss Peyton."
Lucas was quiet nervous for meeting Glenda again. He didn't know how she would react on her extra visitor. After knocking on her apartment door they heard slow footsteps coming closer. But it was from more than one person they found out when Glenda opened the door and a tall boy stood besides her, kissing her neck while Glenda giggled and tried to stop him.
"Hi!" She said shyly when the boy didn't bother to stop with his activities. "Josh." She whispered under her breath after trying to stiff a moan. She closed her eyes a second and pressed herself against her boyfriend. "This is Lucas Scott." She said and searched Josh's hand after her back. "And …" The words got stuck in her throat, the girl beside Lucas shouldn't have been such a surprise for Glenda. "Peyton Sawyer." Finally rolled out. Immediately Josh's lips were removed from his girlfriend's neck. He swallowed while drinking the beauty of the pregnant woman before him. Shock tracing along the boy's face.
"He-hello." He stumbled while nervously rubbing the back of his head. "I'm Josh." And he quickly shook hands with Lucas and Peyton. The awkward situation was interrupted by the ringing of someone's cell phone. "Mine." Josh said and moved himself away from his girlfriend and her friends.
"Hi Peyton." Glenda said uncomfortable and her eyes couldn't stop looking at her growing belly. "Hi Glenda." Peyton responded polite and look at the girl before her. Before other words could be spoken Josh came back. "I got to go darling." He said. "My boss just called, it's an emergency." Glenda immediately began to protest. "But it's your day off." Josh smiled and brushed his hand against her cheek, and then he brought his lips to her ear. "But I'll make it up to you later." He whispered, but not silent enough 'cause Lucas and Peyton could still hear. "You promise?" Glenda asked sweetly. "I promise." He said and kissed her lips shortly.
"Was does Josh do for job?" Lucas asked while he said down on the couch, Peyton beside him, Glenda just finished giving them a drink. "He's an ambulance driver at the moment. He gave up his studies Pre-med a while ago and we decided that next year we'll start together studying Business. But first we need to settle down and finish the apartment." Lucas looked around, it was defiantly not finished. "In the meantime I work in a clothing shop through the week and as waitress on Saturday. We really need all the money we can get before going to college. I don't like it when Josh is away so much but it's his job. On really every hour of the day he can get a call and needs to go. It's hard, you know?"
Peyton immediately shrunk inside, her eyes became grey and her hands moved straight to her belly and caressed the bump under her dress. It had become a habit through the weeks, when or where, it didn't matter, but her hands almost leaded their own life and somehow blindly urged to meet the skin where her son or daughter was hidden under.
Glenda looked at Peyton who looked like she was sucked into another world, a dark one and than she met Lucas' eyes. He sadly give her a apologising look and Glenda nodded, somehow getting what he meant, her whole life was spread out in magazines and Glenda knew what was circling around the pregnant girl before her, or least what those magazines wanted to make people believe.
It was an hour later when Lucas and Glenda were talking about how much their lives had changed since high school that Glenda found Peyton sitting with her eyes closed on the couch. "Is she sleeping?" She asked on a whisper tone, Lucas nodded. "She is." He replied. Since Peyton found place on 'the moodswing' so much during her pregnancy, even much more than without, it took the life and enthusiasm out of her in some moments. Lucas found it heartbreaking, the voice inside his head kept telling him that if he wasn't such a coward he should tell how he really felt and make Peyton into the woman she was destined to be, his wife. But the other side of his brain yelled that it was foolish to saddle himself with a pregnant woman, a woman which wasn't even carrying his child.
Time goes by fast if you're in good company, they say. Lucas found that statement true. Hours flew easily by and just before dinner he decided it was time to return to the hotel with Peyton.
When they both were outside waiting for Ryan to pick them up again, Peyton had a sudden attack of enthusiasm when she saw baby clothing in a store. She dragged Lucas after her and pushed him inside, in a sea of endless pink and blue clothing.
"Look Lucas, how cute is that?" She said and showed the black 'Rolling Stones' tee in her hand. "That's indeed very cute Peyton." He replied laughing. Typical something for Peyton. "Gosh, there's so much beautiful stuff in here." She said and was delighted by the amount of tiny cloths.
"Before you buy anything, do you know which gender your baby has? Because you can defiantly know, but when your baby is kicking, the baby is enough developed to see the gender he or she has." Lucas said, she never had talked about it, so he assumed what was right, she didn't know. "I don't want to know Luke. I want it to be a surprise in the end, Pete does want to know, but I don't." Her fingers played with the laces of a pair baby Converse shoes. "You're my guardian angel, aren't you?" Peyton sighed happily and her eyes stared dreamy to Lucas. He felt warmth embracing him but it soon burned him, he shrunk inside. "I guess I maybe am." He answered quietly. Also her words had this strange sad influence on him, somehow he was so much closer to his goal.
Back in the hotel it didn't take so much time for Peyton's mood to change, from enthusiasm to unhappiness. Pouting she was watching TV, Giuliana from E! was talking about something. When Lucas came back after checking his mail Giuliana was still gossiping, but Peyton's face was so dark. Subject: her sex tape!
"Peyton, I really think this isn't a good idea." Lucas said and walked over to the television, ready to turn him off. "Don't you dare to touch that!" She screamed. "Peyton." He tried again, calm. "No, I want to know what they have to say about me and Pete." Lucas knew it was pointless to do anything other than she wanted, Peyton was stubborn and he really couldn't handle her explosion of hormones once more today.
"Peyt, I am home!" Someone screamed, she immediately seemed to revive, so it could only be one person … her husband. "Pete!" She yelled, jumped from the couch and flew into his welcoming arms, she covered his face with impatient kisses. Lucas felt himself becoming sick of this ritual, he could do whatever he wanted and she always forgave him like it was nothing.
"I have a surprise for you." He said thrilled and stroked through her straight hair. "Did you do that for me?" He asked while kissing her nose. "My hair?" She asked and he nodded. "What do I get when I did?" She asked sweetly, Pete leaned in close and whispered something in her ear, something that made her smile shyly and which made his eyes shine naughty. Lucas didn't even guess what the contents of his words were, he would hear it tomorrow.
"What's your surprise?" Peyton asked even sweeter, biting on her lower lip. But Pete didn't say anything. "Come on baby, you know I love, love surprises!" She screamed and stroked her hand through his black hair. 'She loves surprises?' Lucas thought, if she hated one thing back in Tree Hill it were surprises, she really wasn't the type to dive into something unpredictable.
"I have made an appointment by the genealogist. Today is going to be a special day for us." He shined and his hand lay on her belly. "Are you ready to go? We have to be there in a half hour." Peyton nodded. "Just give me five minutes to redo my make up and hair." She said and so like she said, five minutes later they were gone.
Lucas had returned to his room to soak himself in loneliness and silence. When he opened his mail box again a mail for Haley begged to be answered.
Hi Luke!
What's going on Chicago, all those stuff about Peyton and Pete, it's really knocking us of off our feet here back in your home town. First, did you know she was pregnant? (Sure you knew!) Why didn't you tell us? And is she really married to Pete, or was that just a cool title for their tape incident? She just can't be married, she's Peyton, and she's too young to be pregnant and married! (Okay, maybe, I am not the best example myself but still, she's Peyton Sawyer!)
Okay, here I am going to stop about Peyton, just tell me how you are doing?
I am doing pretty fine, but I miss you, so does everyone, especially Lily, but that you knew already I guess. Please return soon, now I am going to put James to sleep, he just played the whole afternoon with your sis, they are so adorable together. A picture of them is below my whole flood of words.
Tree Hill is missing you Luke, return soon!
Much love from your best friend and sister in law,
Haley James Scott
Lucas sighed and felt his heart aching to Tree Hill, Tree Hill wasn't only missing him, he was missing Tree Hill also. He hoped he could soon return to Tree Hill and hold his beloved family and friends in his arms. But he wouldn't go away from Chicago as long as he hadn't fight as hell for he knew what belonged to him.
Hi Hales,
Everything is fine with me, I miss you too and Tree Hill also. It kills me when I hear everyone is missing me, but I am missing them too.
Yes, I knew Peyton was pregnant, but her being married was a total surprise for me also. It's a nice picture you have taken there from your son and my sis, you're right, they are adorable together, just like we when we were little kids.
I've been to Glenda today, I already told you she was on my flight to Chicago but today she invited me to come over and meet her boyfriend. He's name is Josh, he's a handsome guy and Glenda looks happy with him, who knew faith would turn out that way for her?
Fate is something strange, we both know, don't we 'sister in law'?
Before he could continue someone banged on his door. "Mister Scott!" Lucas opened the door and Patrick stood before his door. "Peyt and Pete have something important to say, she asked me to come her and invite you to her room." Lucas nodded. "Thanks."
When he entered her room Joe and Andy were already sitting on the couch, Patrick added himself by them. Lucas took place on another couch. An extreme happiness lighted up the room, Lucas saw Peyton almost explode from bliss and also Pete looked content.
"We went to the genealogist today like you guys all know, and we are pleased to tell you …" Peyton took over from Pete and her voice continued.
"We're going to have a real Fall Out …"