Sempre: an Italian term of direction meaning "always"
Peyton padded into the kitchen of Lucas' house in her bare feet, wearing a pair of pyjama pants and a Jimmy Eat World t-shirt that was too big. She poured herself a glass of water and took a couple sips as she meandered into the living room.
Lucas was passed out on the couch, his long body squished uncomfortably into its confines. His pillow had fallen onto the floor; he'd undoubtedly have some serious neck pain when he woke up. She felt bad for him for a split second and then decided not to. Instead, she tilted her glass, splashing cold water all over his face.
"Jesus!" he cried as he awoke, sitting up and shaking the water off. His eyes were wide and shocked as he massaged his neck, wincing. "What the hell did you do that for?" he growled. "You already made me sleep on the couch!"
"You deserved it," she said simply, turning around and pacing back into the kitchen to get some more water.
He followed her without missing a beat, still kneading his fingers into his sore neck. "This is getting ridiculous, Peyton."
"No, it's not," she said simply as she turned on the tap.
"Look…" He softened his tone, leaning against the counter as he stood beside her. "I said it last night and I'll say it again: I'm sorry."
"You should be." She twisted the tap closed until it squeaked in protest of the force she was applying. "I can't believe you said that to me."
"I was…I was trying to be honest!" he spluttered. "Isn't that important in relationships?" he asked pointedly.
"To a certain degree, Lucas! Not, sorry babe, I can't sleep with you, because I have this imagine of you and my brother in my head!"
"Well!" he cried helplessly. "It was…honest." He tried to suppress his smile. "Really, I'm sorry. It won't happen again."
Her eyes widened and she grabbed a dishtowel to throw at him. "You won't get a chance for it to happen again!"
Jenny tapped on the sliding door that led directly into the kitchen at that moment, interrupting their argument. She stepped inside and closed the door behind her, greeting, "Hey. I'm glad to see you guys…clothed."
Peyton rolled her eyes fondly and walked over to kiss her daughter's forehead. "Hey, Jenny Lynn. You're on time," she observed, impressed.
"That's what happens when you live with Haley. You can't not be punctual."
Lucas chuckled. "True that. You ready to hit the court, kiddo?"
Jenny nodded eagerly. "I'm having trouble writing my song. Haley said that doing something I love will probably help."
Lucas grinned knowingly. "She's a smart woman. Now, let's get out of here, your mom's in a crazy mood," he said conspiratorially.
"Hey!" Peyton cried indignantly, glaring at him.
He smiled cheekily in return, leaning in close to whisper in her ear so that Jenny couldn't hear. "I love you, and I always want you."
A pleasant shiver ran down her spine as all her anger melted away. She kissed him quickly, nipping at his lips. "Back atcha," she murmured.
Jenny shook her head, already halfway out the door. "I don't even want to know…" she muttered.
Peyton grinned, kissing Lucas' shoulder. "Have fun. Watch those ribs, Jenny," she called to her daughter.
His hand found hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "We'll be fine."
When he read her mind so easily and said things so perfect, she was reminded of how all the heartache and doubt, the years of hanging on to her love for him, keeping a place for him in her heart…it had been worth it.
She wrapped her arms around. "I know you will."
-x-
"Score!" Jenny cheered proudly, catching her rebound and balancing the ball against her hip. She smiled. "So, did you let me win, or do you really suck that bad?"
"Hey," Lucas protested laughingly. Her attitude was such a reflection of Peyton's that it caused a natural rush of affection for this teenaged girl to run through him. That, combined with the fact that he could remember her as a sweet little baby, made for an easy relationship on his part. "I'm having an off-day."
"Sure you are," she giggled, tossing him the basketball, which he caught easily. "This was fun. Thanks."
"Sure, Jen," he said, smiling. "Anytime."
"But…we both know the real reason you brought me here today – other than so that I could kick your butt – was so that you could ask me how I feel about it. You and my mom," she clarified.
He smiled curved into a smirk. She'd caught him. "You're a hard girl to fool, Jenny Jagielski."
"Don't be too hard on yourself. Your daughter's a lot younger than me."
Lucas sat down in the middle of the river court, folding his legs underneath him. "Come and talk to me for a minute," he requested.
She obliged, joining him, sitting crossed-legged with her chin resting in her hands. "You want to know how I feel about this?"
"Yeah. I would like to know. This isn't just about Peyton and I. There are a lot of other people involved, and you might just be the most important out of all those people."
She tilted her head to the side. "That's good to hear, I've got to admit."
"I really want to make you comfortable with this, Jenny. It's weird, because I can remember you so much as a baby, and I see so much of Peyton's influence in you, but I don't really know you that well. And I want to. If that's cool."
She nodded, and when she spoke she was referring to everything: "I'm cool with it."
-x-
"Hey." Jenny crossed the room and flopped down on the bed with Peyton, her head at the foot of the bed, her feet on the pillow.
"Hey, sweetie," Peyton replied, wincing playfully when Jenny's feet got too close to her face. "How'd it go with Luke?"
"Good. I won."
"Yeah?"
She laughed at her mother's eagerly searching tone. "I like him, Mom. I promise. I think this is…good." She stared up at the ceiling, wrinkling her nose. "What are you doing?"
Peyton rolled her eyes, looking up at the magazine cut-outs plastered above them. "Brooke's idea," she sighed. "She says that if I look at them right before I sleep, I'll dream about my perfect wedding and know what I want."
"That's crazy."
"I agree. But she's my friend."
Jenny sat up a bit, leaning back against her elbows. "But you haven't even been sleeping here. You've practically moved in with Lucas."
"Brooke doesn't know that. And she doesn't need to, not yet," Peyton added pointedly, shooting her daughter a warning look as she sat up as well, mimicking Jenny's position.
"Ah, right, 'cause you stole her man."
With an indignant look, Peyton smacked her daughter's calf lightly. "I like to think that he came willingly, thank you very much."
Jenny bit her lower lip. "You're really getting married."
She smiled. "Yeah, baby, I am."
"Are you going to take his last name?"
Peyton would have been lying if she said she hadn't considered it. "Yeah, honey, I…I think I am."
Jenny tried it out: "Peyton Elizabeth Scott." Her mother bit back a grin at the sound of his last name paired with those she'd carried all her life, and Jenny smiled, happy for her mother's happiness. "Hey, um, Mom?"
"Yeah?"
"Why didn't you ever take Dad's last name?"
Peyton took a moment to consider. "Jenny, honey, you know that…Lucas is my soulmate. He means the world to me, and I am incredibly…lucky, to get to be with him for the rest of our lives, especially considering all that we've been through. I've just known him for so long…and he has always been my boy, I guess…in a way I've always known what he means to you also know that I loved you dad, I really did. I just…Jake and I were so young. I wasn't ready to give up my…I don't know, I guess I viewed it as my independence. And at the time, my last name felt like I really important connection to my mom, one I wasn't willing to let go of. Does that make sense?"
Jenny nodded.
"Listen, babe, while we're talking about all of this…there's something I want to discuss with you. Lucas and I, we've been talking, and…it's entirely up to you, but I know that he would love to adopt you."
"Adopt me?"
"No pressure," Peyton hurriedly assured her. "You can take as long as you want to think about it, and we will both completely understand if your answer is no."
"Wow…" Jenny murmured.
"Take your time," Peyton repeated, carefully watching emotions dance across her daughter's face.
"Does that mean…that I would have to change my last name, too?"
"You don't have to do anything. It's all up to you."
"What do you think?"
Peyton sighed, sitting up fully. Her daughter followed her lead until they were sitting crossed-legged, basically facing each other as they sat in the middle of the bed. "Promise me you won't let me opinion influence you."
Jenny nodded.
"I would love it if Luke adopted you. It would mean the world to me. But if you decide not to go through with it, it doesn't mean we're any less of a family."
"I think…maybe…that would be good."
Peyton reached out, grasping her daughter's hand and smiling softly. "And in regards to your name…I think it should stay as is. Jake will always be your dad. Besides, it's a great musician name, with alliteration and confusing spelling. Jenny Jagielski. Memorable name for a memorable girl."
Jenny's lips curved upward. "You really believe in all that stuff, don't you?"
"In alliteration?" Peyton laughed, confused.
"No, in…in having a soulmate. In having your other half out there, just waiting to be found."
"Yeah. Yeah, baby, I really do. I know it. I can feel it."
She looked particularly young and vulnerable as she bit her lower lip and whispered, "But what if you never find that person?"
Peyton smiled fondly, tugging her daughter's hand a little closer and leaning in. "Jenny Jagielski," she said gently, "those boys don't stand a chance."
-x-
Lucas walked up the driveway of Nathan and Haley's house, frowning in confusion as he spotted a lumpy garbage bag tossed to the side. "Hey, bro!" he called to Nathan, who was nearby, shooting hoops. "What's with…" He nodded toward the bag.
Nathan grinned abashedly. "Haley kind of destroyed our entire video tape collection this morning."
He laughed. "Can't say that I blame her."
"You're good, right? You and Peyton. After…that," he said delicately.
Lucas chuckled, thinking back to their earlier fight. "Yeah, we're good…now."
His brother smirked knowingly. "Good. So…what's up?"
He smiled. "I want you to come somewhere with me. Are you free right now?"
Nathan looked puzzled but willing. "Yeah, I am. Okay…let's go, man."
-x-
Peyton sighed as she slowly came to a stop, parallel parking with ease. While most of her classmates had struggled with this particular task in Driver's Ed, she'd always been good at it. She took a moment to breathe, both hands still resting on the steering wheel.
She'd dropped Jenny off at Haley's and left a note for Lucas. There was nowhere else she needed to be. She was a little afraid, and a little reluctant, and a little heartbroken, but she knew that this was where she needed to be. With another sigh, she picked up the flowers she'd left on the passenger seat and got out of her car.
The cemetery was quiet, though that really shouldn't have surprised her. No one else was around. She walked slowly, trying not to disturb the peace, weaving in and out of the maze of headstones until she found the grave she was looking for. She placed the flowers gently in front of in and slowly sat down in the grass.
"Hey, you," she whispered, reaching out to touch the stone for a moment. "I'm sorry I…I haven't been here in so long. It's just been…it's been hard."
She sighed, running a hand through her hair and smiling weakly. "Jenny is so beautiful," she said softly. "So, so beautiful and talented and…well, pretty much perfect, even though she can be a little moody. Who could she have gotten that from, right?" She chuckled. "Her eyes remind me of you. You'd love her." She sucked in some air. "She misses you, too."
She was running out of pleasantries in her one-sided conversation. "So, um, listen," she began, and then rolled her eyes at her own stupidity. It wasn't like he was going to interrupt her. For some reason, that was the thought that caused a lump to form in her throat. "Anyway," she said, forcing the word out. "I'm…I went back to Tree Hill. And…well, God, it's a long story, but…Lucas asked me to marry him. And I want to." She smiled to herself. "I'm so in love with him. And…and I don't know why I'm here, exactly. I don't feel like I need your permission, but I…I just want to know that this okay. That this is right, for me and for Jenny." She glanced around. "A sign would be good, you know," she said dryly.
Peyton waited, turning her eyes toward the sky before letting her gaze drift around the graveyard. She wasn't truly expecting to see anything, she was just searching for the moment that would allow her to find total closure. It shocked her when a leaf dropped from a tree nearby, dancing in the soft wind, reluctant to hit the ground. Falling leaf, falling leaves, fall from… she mused frantically, trying to find the meaning.
And then the leaf finally rested on the ground, resting right in front of the gravestone of Scott Johnson.
She closed her eyes and reached up, gently unfastening her necklace with shaky fingers. She did it up again and the two rings rest in her palm. She pressed her lips to each and placed them on the ground under the flowers she'd already left there. "Thank you, Jake," she said softly.
-x-
"Oh! And I still own you!" Skills cheered as he made his basket. He and Nathan had effectively beaten Lucas and Fergie. Mouth was sitting on the picnic table, watching them play.
Nathan high-fived Skills as all four men walked over to join Mouth. They'd already gone over each other's lives, picking up any new information and offering congratulations or sympathetic pats on the back. There wasn't much else to say, so they sat in silence for a few minutes, catching their breath.
"Okay, Luke, so what's the deal?" his brother finally asked.
"What makes you think there's a…deal?" Lucas replied innocently.
Mouth rolled his eyes. "Because you called us all here for the first time in years."
"Maybe I just wanted to hang out," he retorted.
"Will you spit it out already?" Fergie demanded.
"Let me guess," Nathan said lazily. "You and Peyton are moving in together."
Lucas couldn't hold back his grin. "Actually…we're getting married."
"What?" they all blurted in unison.
"Dude, how long has it even been?" Mouth asked incredulously.
Lucas spoke pointedly: "Too long."
"But…Brooke…" Fergie trailed off hesitantly.
"Brooke is being…freakishly supportive. And I guess it kind of makes sense. I mean, really…why wait when you know you want something, when you know that it's right and that it should last forever?"
"So this is it…" Nathan said slowly. "You and Peyton."
He loved the sound of that. "Yeah. Me and Peyton."
"Well, awesome!" his brother crowed. "Team Peyton for the win! Fork it over!" he added, turning to Mouth.
Lucas watched in amazement as Mouth, sighing, pulled out his wallet and handed money into three waiting hands. "You bet on my relationships?"
"For the record," Mouth replied, "I only bet on Brooke because she's my friend. I didn't really think she'd win."
He had no words.
"C'mon," Skills said, taking in his expression of disbelief. "It's Peyton Sawyer."
He could only laugh and shrug. There was so much truth in those two words, so much said in twelve letters. He was Lucas Scott, and she was Peyton Sawyer, and that was enough to explain their love story to anyone who knew them.
After a moment of silence, Fergie hesitantly said, "You know who's missing right?"
Lucas nodded, sighing deeply. "Jake," he said quietly.
Nathan put his hand on his brother's shoulder comfortingly. "You know he'd be happy, right? You'll take good care of her. It's what he would have wanted."
He managed a smile, hoping that his brother was right. "Thanks, man."
-x-
"Hey," Lucas said warmly, setting his book aside and smiling when Peyton trudged into his room around ten o'clock that night. He sat up. "You're home."
She smiled automatically at the sound of those words, pulling off her sweater and tossing it aside.
"You look exhausted, baby. Are you okay?"
She nodded, crawling into bed with him in her clothes, too tired to bother undressing. "Yeah," she said with a satisfied sigh, kissing him softly. "I missed you today."
"I missed you, too." He kissed her again. "I have something for you."
She perked up a bit. "Yeah?"
"Yeah. And I wanted to do this right, but I also don't want to wait, so…" He grabbed a small black box from his bedside table and cracked it open, revealing the ring inside to her. She gasped and he smiled. "Wanna make it official?"
"God, yes," she breathed, placing her hand in his and letting him slip the ring onto her finger. It fit perfectly, just snug enough.
"It was my mom's. From Keith."
Peyton got that full-body, fuzzy feeling, the one that made her heart melt. She couldn't believe that he was giving this to her. He hadn't given it to Brooke, then, which made sense – Brooke appreciated all things sentimental, but was also superficial and she would have wanted a rock. It gave her chills to think that, in a way, he'd been saving this for her. "Oh, Luke…thank you."
"Thank you," he returned, both playful and serious. "I'm so glad…to have this with you. To finally marry you, and live with you…"
She smiled, snuggling close to him. "I talked to Jenny today. About adoption. She wants to do it."
"Peyt," he breathed, "That's amazing. She's a great kid. You've been such a great mother to her." He paused. "Do you ever…" He stopped short, shaking his head. "Never mind."
"Hey, no. Say it."
"I don't want to freak you out."
She understood what he was saying. "Luke, with you and me, I don't feel like there's such a thing as moving too fast. It all just seems like what was always meant to happen."
He pushed her hair out of her face gently. "Okay. Well…do you ever…do you ever want to have a baby? I know you love Jenny, and you are the best mother to her, but do you ever…want to experience it all? Motherhood from the very beginning?"
Peyton smiled softly, her fingers sneaking under his shirt, his skin warm against her hands. "I love being Jenny's mom. You know I've always been attached to her. And I'm so happy to be a part of Miranda's life. I'll never threaten Brooke's role, but I'm already falling so in love with that little girl. I'm happy as is, Lucas. I mean, my mom didn't get birth to me, and I know how much she loved me. Biology doesn't really have anything to do it." Her eyes glinted in the dim light as she smirked, leaning her body into his. "Why? Lucas Scott, do you want to have a baby with me?"
He shrugged modestly. "I love you, Peyton. And I've got to admit, I kind of want a little boy."
"Basketball player?" she said knowingly. She knew how badly he desired to be a father to his son in all the ways Dan wasn't to him.
"You got me. Miranda's too much of a princess to even humour me with a single game."
"Honey…" She smiled adoringly at him. "You've seen Jenny play. In fact, I heard she kicked your butt today. She's been playing since she was four. There is no one in the world that I would rather have mentor her, or be a dad to her. And I know that…there's no one else Jake would have wanted to step up for her." Her smile softened. "I know it."
Lucas rested his forehead gently against hers. "Thank you," he said meaningfully. "But, Peyt?"
"Yeah?" she murmured.
He smirked lasciviously. "That doesn't mean I don't want to knock you up."
She squealed as he practically pounced, pinning her down to the bed. She gasped appreciatively as he dipped his head to kiss her neck. His lips met hers in a lazy, languid kiss, her hand gently cupping his cheek. He kissed each of her fingers and then her ring, and she grinned at him, her eyes watering with overflowing affection.
"Practice makes perfect," she whispered back mischievously.
