Sam looked up and Sawyer looked frozen, Sam gave her a shove, "Say something! Do you want us to get caught?!" She whispered in an agitated voice.

Sawyer looked like a deer in headlights, "Uhm..D-D-Daddy hold on!" She said in a voice that sounded like someone who was just crying.

"Sawyer, are you crying? Open this door! What's going on? Samantha?! Jack?!"

Jack looked at MIchael, who was just as petrified as Sawyer, he pushed him into the closet. "Open the door Sam!" Jack said. He looked at Michael, "Shut up and don't move."

"I'm giving you 10 seconds Soy. 1 second more and you're losing this door for a week."

Sam, in a flash, pushed Sawyer onto the bed. "Lay down and hold your stomach NOW." Sawyer did just that. Sam opened the door in a flash, "Heeeeey uncle Luke." She said as cool as she could. Her body was blocking the doorway

"Move Sam." He easily picked her up and moved her to the side. He saw Sawyer on the bed, "Soy what's wrong?" He said with sudden concern in his voice.

Sam jumped in, "She, she's having cramps. Uncle Luke. Really bad ones."

Lucas looked at Sam suspiciously, "Cramps?"

She shrugged, "Yeah."

He walked over to Sawyer, who was huddled hugging her stomach. He saw her tear stained cheeks, and red eyes. He couldn't doubt Sam, after seeing his daughter in this state, unbeknownst to him, her tears were for emotional, and not physical reasons.

"Sweetie?" He said slowly. He didn't know how to react, cramps were not his department, "Listen Sawyer, I um, I know it hurts to be on, well, you know" He was so lost. Jack and Sam stifled their laughter. Sawyer was too nervous to laugh.

Lucas cleared his throat, "Ahem, anyways, what I'm trying to say is," He turned to where he felt the safest, "that when I tell you to open your door, you do it, right then and there."

Sam was right behind Lucas and mouthed the words, "Cry."

Sawyer looked up at her dad with big puppy dog eyes and nodded, "Yes daddy, I'm sorry."

Sam and Jack gave her two big thumbs up.

Lucas felt so out of his element, and so much sympathy for his daughter, "You know what, it's okay sweetie. Umm, I'm gonna, I'm gonna go get mom, okay?"

Sawyer nodded, but Sam's eyes widened, Peyton wouldn't be so easy to fool, when it came to "womanly things."

When Lucas went out of sight, they quickly reconvened.

"MIchael get under the bed now!" Sam said. Quickly he moved from the closet to under Sawyer's bed.

"Shit. Do you usually have bad cramps when you're on your period Soy?"

Sawyer shook her head, "NO! And, I'm pretty sure my mom knows that."
Jack looked at both of them, "Look, you guys better think of something fast. I'd help, but I'm not an expert in this."

"Neither am I." Michael added. "Shut up dude." Jack said giving a playful kick under the bed.

Sam rolled her eyes at him, "Okay, well, it happens sometimes. Just, just play it off Soy. Don't crack."

"I'm a horrible liar, Sam, I don't know what to-"

Jack cut them off, "Shh! Shh! Shut up, your mom's coming Soy."
"Remember you're in pain, but cramp pain, not hospital pain." Sam added and then sat down on her bed and began lazily flipping through a magazine. Jack sat on a chair and took out his phone.

Sam looked up, "Damn it, Aunt Haley's with her."

Peyton went in, "Soy, sweetheart?"

Haley was watching the faces of Jack and Sam.

"H-hey, mom." Sawyer said, hoping she wouldn't get any closer.

"Dad said you had cramps? You, usually don't get those honey." She went to sit on the bed. Haley stood by the doorway, "You two, come on, give Peyton and Soy some time. There's food outside!"
Jack got up and left, but Sam was reluctant, "Sammy, come on." Haley said once more. Sam got up slowly and walked out, hoping to God, Sawyer didn't choke, and MIchael made no sudden movements under the bed.

Once outside Brooke gave Sam a smile, "Sweetie, if Soy's in as much pain as Lucas described you have to tell someone."

She gave her a small squeeze, then looked back at her, "Got it?"

Sam looked down, "Yeah."

"Alright, let's eat!" Nathan said too excited.

… …. ….

"Lay down completely for me Soy.". Peyton gingerly lifted up her daughter's shirt, and then touched her stomach. She noticed the uneasiness in Sawyer's eyes, but dismissed it as a reaction to her pain, "Hmmm."

Sawyer looked at her in a nervous manner, "W-what?"
"Usually when you have bad cramps, your stomach gets a little bloated."

Sawyer felt a hint of panic. They were totally going to get caught, but her anxiety melted into mortification as Peyton undid the button on her jeans. and Sawyer remembered that Michael was right under her. She instantly felt blood run to her cheeks , "Mom!" She said pushing her mother's hands out of the way, "Stop it." Her tone was indignant.

Peyton looked at her annoyed, "Sweetie, can you calm down? If you're bloated then anything tight will just make it worse."

'He probably thinks I'm such a baby, the way she's treating me.' She thought.

"My gosh, I changed your diapers for God's sake." She half-heard Peyton mumble through her thoughts.

"Okay, I get it mom, geez."...'Michael's probably just having a ball right now.'

"Soy can you describe what you're feeling?" Peyton finally asked, "I can't help you if I don't know."

'Oh Shit.'..."Ummm, you know my, my stomach hurts."

Peyton saw her eyes dart away from her. She lifted her head a little, ""Sooooy, are you lying to me?"

She hesitated, she had to make this believable. What would she actually say, and how would she actually act, if the pain was real? Sawyer thought back to just three weeks ago when she got an ear infection. She'd have to act the same way she did then, at this very moment. She swallowed her pride, and grabbed her stomach once more, and curled herself into the fetal position. Her face was now away from her mother's, so she wouldn't have to look at her as she blatantly lied, "Mommy, my stomach really does hurt. I'm not lying." Her voice was weak.

Peyton felt a pang of guilt for having thought her daughter was tricking her.

"I'll bring you some tea and a hot compress, okay Soybean?"
"Okay." Sawyer said meekly.

When Peyton walked out, Sawyer heard a giggle from under the bed.

"Shut up." She said in response.

"Whatever you say, soybean."

She rolled her eyes at their predicament.

Peyton came back a few moments later. It took a lot of persuading on Sawyer's part, but she managed to get Peyton to go back to the barbecue. She left with a reminder to leave her door unlocked. Michael came out from under the bed and stayed laying on the floor, out of sight from the door. Sawyer sent Sam a text telling her to warn her if any of the adults were going inside, just in case.

Michael stared up at the ceiling, "So I guess this is it Soy...I'm probably gonna go back with my mom."

Sawyer felt her eyes sting with oncoming tears. She tried to hold them back, "We, we can get a lawyer!"

"They're expensive. And no one wants to work with people who can't dish out the money." His voice was pessimistic. What was once desperation was now a sad acceptance.

"Michael you just can't leave!" Sawyer realized how selfish she sounded, but for some reason she still said it.

"I don't want to leave either. I'd miss you too much." He confessed in a low whisper.

"Soy, can I, uhh, ask you something kinda personal?"

Sawyer looked at him from her bed. Her heart was racing.

'Is he gonna ask if I like him? Is he gonna admit to liking me?' Her thoughts spun around her mind.

She never felt this way about Justin. This was new, this was exciting. But she immediately swallowed those feelings. He was leaving. She would never see him again.

"Go ahead." she tried to sound light and worry-free, but her emotions betrayed her.

"Why'd you like Justin?"

Her response was filled with resentment, "What?"

"I'm sorry Soy, did I upset you?" He was genuinely concerned.

She took a deep breath. 'Yes.' She thought.

"Uhh no, you just caught me off guard. Sorry."

"Oh."

She decided to be completely honest with him. After all, what did she have to lose? "I thought I liked him, but it was just stupid. I liked his popularity. I liked his freedom, and independence. But he was a jerk, and I was stupid."

Michael played with his hand nervously, "Well...you're popular too."

Sawyer wrinkled her face. His comment seemed out of place, "Yeah, so what?"

"So you didn't really need him for that."

"No, but he seemed like a rebel, and I liked that. He didn't see me as cute little Soybean."

He cleared his throat, and garnered all his emotional strength, "I think you're a strong person Soy."

"Really?"

"Yeah." He folded his arms over his stomach, "People tend to compare you to Sam and her tough as nails attitude, because you're always together. But even Justin looks like a pussycat next to her."

Sawyer chuckled at his statement. He sat up and continued, "But, I'm glad I got the chance to be alone with you and see you simply as Sawyer Scott, the girl who looked past my homelessness, and still liked me, and treated me as an equal, despite what your popular friends think."

Sawyer's eyes glistened. No one had ever considered her strong before. She was always the one that had to be protected, "Michael-"

Michael sat up and knelt to her level. Their eyes were looking straight at one another. Sawyer felt heat radiate through her. He smiled, "And that's strength in my book." He said softly.

They stared at each other. He could stare at her for ages. He stroked her cheek and the next move came naturally, unforced, and unrestrained. He got in closer and kissed her. Their lips touched, and both were in a moment of perfect bliss.

They were so absorbed in one another that they didn't hear Sam's voice imploring to another person.

"Leave her alone! She's probably tired."

"Samantha, I just want to check on her!"

It was Brooke.

"Sam. What is wrong with you!"
They finally heard her and let go of one another. But it was too late. The door opened, and Brooke found them only inches from one another. Sawyer on the bed, and Michael knelt down next to her. She stared at them in disbelief. Sam gave Sawyer a furious look.

Brooke headed towards Michael, "NOT on my watch." She said through gritted teeth.

Brooke stood him up by his arm, and then looked at all three of the kids, "Explain. NOW."

Hey Guys! Please review, and keep on reading because some great stuff is coming up, just hang in there.! :)