CHAPTER 8

Lucas dragged a couple of blankets out of the cupboard and handed one to Peyton. They were soaked through and looked like they'd just come out of the shower. Lucas took the towel around his neck and furiously rubbed at his hair sending water everywhere, all over Peyton.

'Ahh thanks for that.' She said rubbing the water off her face with her towel.

'Sorry.' Lucas laughed. 'So you want some hot chocolate?'

'Sure.' Peyton nodded.

Lucas came back moments later with two mugs full of steaming liquid, Peyton took hers with a muttered 'thanks' as Lucas went to turn on the living room lights, they flickered on for a second but then shut off, plummeting them into darkness.

'Oh, ok should I be scared?' Lucas heard Peyton's voice through the darkness.

He laughed before answering. 'Nah, it's probably a power cut from the storm.' Then she heard him wondering about before seeing a torch flicker on.

'There we go. I'll just go and get some candles. Shall we stay in here? Cuz I don't think we have that many candles to take into separate rooms.'

'Yeah, ok.' Peyton nodded, she didn't really feel like being alone in the middle of a storm anyway so she was quite happy with them staying in the same room.

Lucas walked out of the room and Peyton put her blanket on the floor as a kind of bed. She then placed cushions against the couch and leaned against it nursing her hot chocolate in her hands as it warmed her up. Lucas returned a moment later and lit a few candles placing them on the coffee table in the room; he then sat down opposite her arranging his own little 'bed.'

They sat for a few minutes in silence, each sipping their hot chocolate gingerly.

'You know, I always used to be scared of the dark.' Peyton said chuckling.

'Aww well don't worry I'm here.' Lucas laughed.

'It's just you hear all these stories don't you? About monsters, especially when you're younger, I used to be terrified!'

'Ok wait, what… monsters are real?' Lucas asked jokingly.

'Well, obviously.' Peyton said smiling. 'I thought that I'd see one moving through the shadows or creeping out from under my bed or out of the wardrobe or something!'

'Ok can we stop this conversation.' Lucas said nervously looking around.

Peyton laughed loudly. 'Oh, who's scared of the dark now?'

'I am NOT scared of the dark. I'm just a little…weary that's all.'

'Sure, ok.' Peyton said and Lucas gave her a sarcastic smile. 'If that's your story.' She added smirking as he shook his head.

'Damn, your never gonna let me live this down are you?'

'Nope!' Peyton agreed grinning. 'Well for the next two months I won't anyway.'

Lucas' smile suddenly slid off his face. Considering three weeks previously he'd wanted her to leave as soon as possible, now he felt completely the opposite, check the incident at the cinema, he thought rolling his eyes slightly.

'I guess so.' He said eventually and Peyton detected a hint of something in his voice close to resentment. 'So what's LA like? Party central?'

Peyton laughed. 'You could say that. It's just like any place really, but probably louder.'

'So it's not all night parties every night then?' Lucas asked.

'Well yeah, it is kind of.' Peyton agreed.

'Ah. So I guess a Tree Hill party was pretty lame for miss LA party girl.'

'I didn't say I went to all the parties, they just do have them. Tree Hill, I've gotta admit, does do pretty kick ass parties judging by the one yesterday.' She briefly looked at him; his eyes were so intense that she had to look away again.

'Glad we could impress.' Lucas said wryly.

'Your making me sound like a party whore.' Peyton said pouting slightly.

Lucas laughed.

'A lot of my friends are very, party-centric, so I just tag along. I don't like, organize them or anything.' Peyton said.

'Ok.' Lucas said shrugging but smirking all the same.

'Hey stop that. I feel like your judging me.' Peyton pouted.

'No, I'm not. It's just that you seem so different to the usual cheerleadery types that go to these parties.'

'I am a cheerleader.' Peyton answered indignantly.

Lucas let out a laugh. 'You're a cheerleader!' He said disbelievingly.

'Yes.' She bit out.

'But you're like the least cheeriest person I know.' He answered.

'So is this bash Peyton day or something? And hey! I am cheery.' Peyton asked.

'Sorry ok yeah you are, but your just not the type who-'

'Well I could say the same about you, you're not really a jock but you're on the school basketball team right?' Peyton said raising her eyebrows.

'Good point.' Lucas said nodding. 'Ok, I'm sorry for judging you.'

'I suppose I forgive you.' Peyton smiled.

'Good. I couldn't live without your forgiveness.' Lucas said sarcastically.

'Oh ha ha.' Peyton answered.

'So how is life in LA…in general?'

'It's all right I guess. I don't think the city or town really matters, it's the people which are in it that change your opinion of the place.' Peyton looked over at Lucas when she said it. 'For example, I didn't want to come to Tree Hill at all, I thought it was going to be hell living here but Haley, Nathan and Brooke have proved me otherwise.'

'Hey, what about me?' Lucas asked dejectedly, sticking out his bottom lip.

'Well, I suppose you too.' Peyton said as though thinking thoughtfully.

'Really makes me feel loved that does Sawyer. You're living in my home and you prefer my friends to me.' Lucas shook his head but smirked.

'Sorry, just the way it goes I guess.' Peyton shrugged.

'I get the whole 'girl bonding' thing over me but please, I'm better than Nathan right.' Lucas asked, almost pleadingly.

'Well, Nathan is hot.' Peyton said fairly.

'What?!' Lucas practically yelled. 'I'm gonna tell Haley you said that.'

'She already knows, we talk about him everyday.' Peyton said, her eyebrow raising into a cocky smirk.

'Well what about me?' Lucas asked.

'Hmmm.' Peyton said appearing to study him. 'Compared to Nathan….' She made a dejected face and lightly shook her head, looking at him pityingly but with a twinkle in her eyes.

Lucas' mouth fell open. 'You little…' He murmured before grabbing a pillow and throwing it at her figure in the candlelight.

'If I were you I really would not pillow fight me.' She said picking it up. She stood up with it in her hands and walked closer then gave him a good whack around the head.

'Ow, hey! That's not fair.' He yelled as she giggled.

He grabbed her knees and pulled so that she fell to the ground, on top of him. She kept on whacking him as his fingers found her sides and suddenly she was laughing as he tickled her, she writhed but he wouldn't let go and suddenly, not knowing how he'd got there, he was on top of her, holding his weight up with one hand resting on the floor by her head. She whacked him around the head again with the pillow and with surprising agility moved out from underneath him to run into another room. Lucas stood grabbed a pillow and yelled,

'You better run Sawyer!'

He started forward but suddenly felt himself collide with something hard. His head throbbed as he realised he'd walked into the wall, just where the corner to the kitchen was. He touched his head and felt something sticky, it really stung.

'Shit.' He cursed as he felt blood slide down his cheek from his deep cut above his eyebrow. He heard Peyton come back into the room.

'Where's the fight gone Scott?' She asked and he could tell that she was smirking.

'The fight kind of went when I ran head first into a wall.' He groaned back.

'Oh my god, are you ok?' She asked walking forwards and holding onto his arms to keep him steady.

'You know what; I think I've got concussion.' He said drooping slightly and letting Peyton hold him up, his head lolling on her shoulder.

'Shit, Lucas! Just stay awake! Don't you dare fall asleep, it's creepy enough in the dark as it is without you passing out on me!' Peyton said in a worried tone and patted his back.

He grinned; he didn't really have concussion he just loved being taken care of and he wanted to pay her back for hitting him on the head with the cushion. She pulled him onto the couch and inspected his cut.

'It's quite deep, do you have first aid?' She asked.

'Yeah, in the kitchen, bottom cupboard on the left. But really I'm fine.' Lucas said.

'I still think you need a band aid on it.' Peyton insisted getting up and walking cautiously into the kitchen, she bent down and inspected the cupboard bringing out a medical box and walking back into the living room. She knelt in front of him and he looked at her. He smiled slightly at her concerned face and her knitted brow as she opened the box bringing out a cream and inspecting it.

'Seriously Lucas you live here, how the hell did you not know the wall was there?' Peyton murmured.

Lucas shook his head. 'It's dark okay.' He answered defensively.

She rolled her eyes and tilted his head towards her, putting a cream on his cut.

'What does that do, Miss professional?' Lucas asked.

'Honestly…' Peyton answered smirking. 'I have no idea. I just thought it looked like a good thing to use.'

Lucas laughed. 'As long as I don't start growing anything weird then it's all good.'

Peyton smiled and put the cream back into the medical box.

'Dude, I can't believe you walked into a wall…and I thought I was a klutz.' Peyton said cracking up.

'Oh I'm glad you think it's funny!'

'I'm sorry but it is!'

Lucas watched her as Peyton picked up a band aid and ripped off the wrapper. She leant in very close to him and his mouth went dry as well as his heart rate speeding up. Her fingers were so tender and almost loving that he closed his eyes a little, they were pleasantly cool and made the pain in his head vanish instantly. He opened his eyes to see the cutest look on Peyton's face he'd ever seen. The tip of her tongue was poking out of the side of her mouth in deep concentration; he grinned slightly, inhaled her perfume and was suitably reminded of how close they'd been when they'd last kissed, the spin the bottle kiss. He could still remember how their lips fit perfectly together, almost like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. And then Peyton was removing her hands from his face and a smiled graced her face.

'All done.' She smiled.

'Thank you, nurse Sawyer. You know, you should totally get the sexy nurse costume.' Lucas said smirking and Peyton laughed slapping him playfully on the knee.

Then there was suddenly a bang in the kitchen and they whipped their heads around to see Karen walking into the room.

'Mom.' Lucas said surprised.

'It's stopped raining, so I thought it'd be safe to get home. And the powers back on too, so there's no need for these anymore.' She waved at the candles and then flicked on the light.

Lucas and Peyton both closed their eyes against the brightness, then opened them again readjusting to the light. Peyton sat in front of Lucas on the floor and him on the sofa, Karen gave them a weird look as if to say 'what on earth are you doing there' then looked at Lucas.

'What's happened to your head?' She asked gasping. It looked a lot worse in the light Peyton decided, blood had run and dried down his face and he had a huge band aid placed right across his forehead.

'The klutz walked into a wall!' Peyton exclaimed and when Karen started to laugh she joined in.

'Yes I'm glad you think it's funny. I might have died, had it not been for Nurse Sawyer.' He smirked and Peyton stuck her tongue out.

'Well I'm off to bed, goodnight. Oh and don't walk into any more walls Luke, you don't want to lose too many brain cells.' She smirked and he gave her a wave before she retired to bed, closing her bedroom door behind her. Karen chuckled some more then busied herself in cleaning up the living room.

Lucas sat and watched her, thinking about Peyton. He really liked her, but he had no idea whether to make a move or not. The thing was that with each day that passed, the time was getting shorter and shorter. Then again he didn't want to totally humiliate himself if he did confess his feelings to her and for her to not feel the same way. Then he would have to live with Peyton for another two months and live with the rejection which would be hard. Plus he wasn't sure whether he would risk their friendship, if he did do something and it wasn't reciprocated then their friendship would surely be ruined and he really loved it. They'd got to be great friends pretty quickly and he was happy to be her friend at the moment rather than not be anything at all…

Ahhh hope you liked it! And don't worry they will be getting together quite soon ;)! What did everyone think of 604? I liked it, but wasn't as good as 603 and plus there were no LP scenes! :O Zilch, Zero, Nothing! Anyway hopefully from the stills i've seen of 605 we're getting some LPness :P!

Thank you for reading and also to everyone who religiously keeps reviewing, i would have stopped writing this long ago if it hadn't been for you! So, please, keep 'em coming and let me know how i'm doing! :)