A/N: Hey hey. The new chapter. I don't think there will be another chapter on Sunday (I am sorry) since I am still working on another for Heartbeats, so it might take some time before I update again. It can even be a few weeks so ... I'll try my best to not let that happen. But that doesn't have to stop you from enjoying this one. And who's all thrilled for the premiere tomorrow? I am (it makes me forget about the fact school starts tomorrow so ;-) ) Let's pray for Leyton... Thanks for reading already! (Ooh, little thing, this is my first chapter ever with real flashbacks and they are in italics)

The Carpal Tunnel Of Love

This was the point of no return.

That was the thought that hit the two young blonds when they placed the first step on solid Tree Hill ground.

This was the moment of truth.

For the male blond this meant going back home. For the boy it was a home where his mother and little sister waited for him. It meant returning to friends that became his family, and family that became his friends. It meant being welcomed with opened arms.

For the female blonde it was another story. For the girl it meant returning to a house that was empty. No open arms to fall into. It was even doubtful it the house she considered as her home would even welcome here since the owner, better known as her father, had abounded her after being careless with their family traditions.

The blond boy knew as soon he would see his friends and family back, he would be in the middle of a storm of love. The wind would be the hugs, the droplets of rain the kisses.

But the blonde girl. She was afraid and almost sure she would be in the darkness of the storm. She would be on the sidelines and see it pass while she wouldn't get a droplet or a breeze upon her.

Would they shut her out the same way she had shut them out when she left them without saying a word?

She was feeling scared to death. This wouldn't be easy. This was going to be hard and painful. She felt ashamed about the way she had handled this situation. This cheap way of shutting everyone out. Not giving them the chance to say goodbye or to convince her she was wrong.

Peyton turned her head and her eyes drowned into Lucas' blue eyes. She drowned in the feeling his eyes radiated, this gentleness that was like a part of his being, this security he waved around her like a cocoon but most of all his ability to soothe her and assure her things would turn out just fine if he was by her side.

A low and long groan slipped from her lips the moment she woke up. Contentment was like the warmth of the sheets around her body. Her hazel eyes opened slowly to take in the sight beside her. A man wrapped into the sheets, his muscular torso exposed and his face in an extremely peaceful expression.

She moved herself closer to him. Her lips were preparing for a sweet kiss on his lips when a warm and mumbling voice shot up.

"Good morning Peyton." Were the words that escaped his full lips, his eyes still closed.

"Good morning Lucas." She responded while her face hovered above his, their noses touched. His blue eyes opened when they got involved in the sweetest Eskimo kiss. A content sigh escaped him. This was too beautiful to be true.

"Did you enjoy last night?" His sudden insecure voice wrapped around her.

"Off course." She whispered, her fingers trailing figures on his chest. "The food was delicious. The movie was …"

A growl rose up from deep in his throat. The teasing was over, she knew what he meant.

"You were great Luke." She sighed in his ear. Her warm breathe against his earlobe caused shiver to run over his back. "Simply amazing." His earlobe got caught between her supple lips. "Wow!"

Like a flash, a feeling of sexual pride rushed through him. In less than a few seconds Lucas had lifted her upon himself. The pride didn't stay ignored by Peyton.

"Well. It looks like someone else is awake too." She whispered playful against the skin of his neck. She was pulling the sheets away when suddenly her damned cell phone began to ring and vibrate against the inside of her purse that was tossed onto a cupboard.

"Damn!" Escaped her lips before she wiggle away from Lucas, not caring if she lost the sheets , until her purse was in hand reach.

"Hello." She tried to sound as normal as possible under the circumstances of Lucas looking at her like he was a fourteen year old boy and she was the model of the cover on his first Playboy.

"Miss Wentz. I wonder where you are? I am waiting for you in Pete's room, you're already a half hour late." The voice of her lawyer sneaked in her ear.

"Shit." A word with a mixed meaning. What won? Her being late to sign her divorce papers or her new lover that captured his breasts in his delightful hands.

"I'll be there in a quarter." She tried to bring out without letting a moan slip as Lucas' fingers ran over her nipples teasingly.

"Don't hurry Miss Wentz. Mister Wentz agrees that we push it until 1 pm if you're not ready." A desperate though of Pete filled with the hope Peyton would have changed her mind and decided not to walk away from him. But that thought would vanish. She was hours away from walking away from him, and by her side the most wonderful boyl she had ever known. The feeling of his hand in hers was like nothing she had ever known, she had never felt this sure that he wouldn't leave.

And he wouldn't leave. As they were standing there with entangles hands waiting for their luggage. They caught Lucas' two suitcases first, his bag already on his shoulder. He returned with the same number of bags, almost the same number of cloths but with an uncountable amount of memories and life lessons.

But than he caught Peyton's baggage. And the quantity had definitely grown, she had left with one bag and all she knew was how screwed up her life had been in this one place she had to call home but she refused to. And now she was standing back here …

She had never noticed, but actually this little room musty for some sort of reason. Or was it only a thought?

It suddenly looked like a disaster, chaotic.

Materials, colours and details fighting for attention, battling in front of the eyes.

What did they say about your personality reflects into your stuff?

Looking at this closet, it was easy to see the owner was doubtful, clumsy and absentminded?

Kind of like Peyton right?

And now she stood there, realising how she was and how much this had been a part of her and would always. She could never say goodbye to those 'qualities' and neither she could say goodbye to all of this cloths.

But she realised she couldn't take everything home so she decided to subdivided her close into three categories. The ones she wanted to keep, the cloths she would give away to charity and the cloths she would bring back to the store to hopefully get the money back. Even through that was pathetic since she was 'Pete Wentz's wife' but in a few hours she wouldn't be anymore and with that, the financial faucet would be turned off. She barely had any money of her own. The only money she had made the last two years was with the designs for the Fall Out Boy clothing line.

It took her two hours to divide the cloths into their own categories now she had to pack and get dressed. The packing took another half hour. In a rush she ate when Lucas was packing up his own stuff.

The hands of the clock neared 1 pm and suddenly a feeling so big and strong hit her that she felt instantly dizzy. She leaned against the shelves for support, the dress she would wear in the tight grip of her hands. At that exact moment Lucas decided to come in.

"Wow! Does someone want to make up for the missed opportunity this morning?" He couldn't help himself when he saw her standing in only a black bra and panties. His lips pecked onto hers but no response came, it was than that he noticed something was up. It was than he noticed she looked deadly pale.

"Wow. What's up?" He said when he saw tears balancing on her eyes. His hands immediately on her cheeks, tilting her head up so she couldn't do anything but look him in the eye.

"This is real." She whispered so silent that he couldn't hear her.

"What?"

"I am getting divorced." Her hands were shaky she brought them up to his. "I don't know what do to do Lucas?"

The fact she called him Lucas instead Luke was suddenly making him chill. Panic was like a swift drug spreading through his system.

Was she regretting that she would divorce Pete? Was she regretting what they did yesterday? Was she regretting he had come down here and ruined her life with her rock star?

But than he felt the grip on his hands and a string in the look of her hazel eyes that she was desperate for love. His love.

No she wasn't regretting anything. She was just scared, like she always had been when something in her world changed. But he would help her.

The hands on the clock jumped into their place showing everyone who wanted to see, it was 1 pm. 1 pm in Chicago and a life would change, dramatically …

And it was a good thing that Lucas was beside her to help her because when she became hyperaware of the familiar surroundings, doubt and fear hit her like a lightning.

Meeting Brooke, Nathan, Haley and Karen was just minutes away. Meeting Chase, Jamie, Lily was the same amount of minutes away.

Would she be acceptance? Would she fit in again? Would she be a part of what they were again?

Would she be Brooke's "Hoes Over Bros, Buds Over Studs" again?

Would she be Nathan's bitchy and dark ex-girlfriend but best friend again?

Would she be the girl again that encouraged Haley's music, the friend that tried to make their fragile friendship work, would she be that girl again?

Would she be the girl that Karen knew as the only girl that could make her son happy?

Would she still be who she was for them?

Would she become a new friend from Chase?

Would she become the aunt of James 'Jamie' Lucas Scott?

Would she become the sister in law of Lily Roe Scott? Even through that was weird to say since the girl was only a child.

Or would she be the girl that ran off to her rock star boyfriend when things got too intense?

She would learn that in only moments as the automatic doors opened to the hall of the arrivals.

Lucas' fingers were entangled with hers when her other hand knocked onto the door of Pete's room. She took in deep breath, let a new portion of oxygen travelled to her lungs but she didn't had to chance to breath out properly when the door was opened by her lawyer.

Her hand freed herself from Lucas' hand. She had to do this alone.

Both blonds stepped in. The tension was cutting and frightening. Lucas hesitated for a moment but decided to press a kiss to Peyton's forehead before taking off to sit down on the couch next to Patrick, Any and Joe.

For a brief moment she closed her eyes, tried to embrace this in her mind while she took in another deep breath. She invoked the impression of a girl who was here to adjoin a funeral. And someone how she was, was this event a funeral. The funeral of Chicago Peyton and her marriage to Pete Wentz. Today, these two things would be buried to grieve. So her black pumps, her black dress with double straps and the black headband were not inappropriate. The detail of a weird yellow/orange belt didn't exactly lighten the outfit up in this case.

She opened her eyes again, she needed to get this over with. Even through black letters on a white paper never had been this scary. Her lawyer repeated in short lines the most important things for her and than looked at Pete's lawyer who had done the same with him.

There was a moment of hesitation that made the room lose his breath before Peyton picked up the silver ballpoint. The last spark of hope shattered in Pete's heart and fell to pieces when she scratched her signature under the paper.

A tear rolled down her cheek, it almost pass by unnoticed but not for Lucas who rose up and walked to her. His big hands fell onto her tiny shoulders but she shrugged them off. At this moment she couldn't take it. She looked at Pete who had finally picked up the pen but didn't do any move to sign.

Pete's brown eyes searched through the room, he looked at his band mates and his lawyer. He looked to Peyton. He looked for a reason to not sign. His eyes fell on Peyton's hand were he suddenly found no ring. She noticed it and took it out of her purse before laying it down on the sheet of paper.

A helpless tear escaped the black-haired boy's eye and suddenly he didn't look that rock 'n' roll anymore. He brushed the droplet away almost furiously and than scratched his name on the paper.

They were officially divorced.

Lucas was about to embrace Peyton when she stood up but instead she walked away from him and towards Pete who was about to slam the door shut.

"Pete!" She yelled and he stopped instantly before turning around with the hope that she would tell him they were making a mistake. But she didn't. Instead she leaded him into a corner of his room, away from Lucas and the other Fall Out Boy members and the lawyers. She needed to take care of one last thing.

"Pete." She softly said touching his hand, trying to control her tears. "Don't do this. Don't walk away from it like you always do when things get too intense." He looked away, his eyes on the ground. She felt like she was talking to herself in more than one way.

"Hey look at me!" She said while placing her hands on his face, turning it to her so he had to look at her.

"I know this isn't going to be easy. Not for you and not for me. But it's for the best." He still tried to turn his head away, frustrating Peyton who desperately tried not to cry.

"This isn't what we planned. What we thought it would be. But this isn't meant to last. We can't fight what's our destiny Pete. And I know you know that. Roxanne was our sign." She whispered but he freed himself from her grip and walked away. Or at least did an attempt to.

"Damn it Pete! Open your eyes! You deserve someone who truly loves you and that person isn't me!" He stopped immediately at her words.

"I loved you. I did. But it has fades since … since Roxanne." She needed time to swallow her tears away.

"And I don't want us and especially I don't want to see you unhappy. You deserve happiness, and success, and love. And with me by your side, it won't happen. There is someone out there that is able to give you it all." She neared him again.

"But it's not me. And I deserve all those things too, and I can't find them with you. But I'll find them with someone else." Pete's glare immediately shot to Lucas. His brown eyes darkened.

"Hey it's not what you think. Yes, Lucas and I are together but not when we were together. We got together the day before yesterday."

Pete now was sure that he wanted to leave the room, to leave this all behind, he didn't want his dream to shatter even more. But again Peyton let him.

"Don't walk away like this. Please?! I want to end this as friends. I don't hate you and deep in your heart you know you don't hate me either." She stopped for a moment and saw the effect of them on Pete. He stilled and she knew tears weren't far away anymore.

"I still got something for you." She walked over to him and looked him in the eye. She opened his hand and dropped a silver ring with a diamond 'R' on it in his palm. "I want you to have this. To remind you of Roxanne." Silence returned for a few seconds. "Our baby girl, our daughter." She whispered and now Pete was really crying.

Peyton couldn't help herself when a few tears rolled down her cheeks. Her hands rose up and she wiped away his precious tears.

"One day, you'll be thankful. One day, you'll understand." She said and looked him deeply into the eye and finally saw him looking back.

She let go of him, nodded to Lucas who stood up and intended to walk over to Peyton.

"Wait!" Now it was Pete's turn. "I want you to keep this." He said that while he gave laid her wedding ring in her open palm. "As memory to this all." He said and she saw it in his eyes, he was letting go.

"You know I am not that much a 'ring' person right. But for you I'll do it." She took him in her embrace and for a moment clung onto him for dear life, like she had done the past two years.

"Thank you Pete. Thank you for giving me this amazing opportunity. Thank you for taking care of me when I needed you the most. Thank you for being my best friend, lover and husband. Thank you for the taste of this life. Thank you for Roxanne, our only daughter. The first real Fall Out Girl. Now we'll always have anything in common. Thank you so much Peter Lewis Kingston Wentz the Third." She whispered into his ear so nobody would hear it. This was a private matter. And for a moment his tight embrace took her breath away.

They finally broke apart to be surrounded by Any, Joe and Patrick. They all looked at Peyton with tears in their eyes. And suddenly she felt three pairs of arms around here, hugging her with an amount of friendship nobody could top.

"We're going to miss you Peyt." They said in union.

And she would miss them too. This was goodbye.

And there they stood. Karen Roe with Lucas' little sister Lily in her arms. Nathan and Haley Scott with their son Jamie holding onto both their hands. Brooke Davis and Chase Adams also holding hands.

And the moment the both blonds caught the seven people eye, Karen putted Lily down on the ground who ran to Lucas the fastest her little legs could carry her.

"Lucas!" And for the first time in her short lifetime she said his name in one breath.

"Lily!" Lucas scooped his little brunette sister of the ground and spun her around, causing the little girl to giggle. And they all gathered around him like he was some sort of hero.

'I missed you-s' and 'I love you-s' twirled around like snow flakes and Peyton fell into the loneliness she had immensely feared for, until. Until …

"I missed you so much P.Sawyer." Brooke threw her arms around the blonde and hugged her with the same warmth they had always shared.

Now it was official.

He was home, she was home. They were home. After what seemed the journey of a lifetime.