As the months went on, it was easier and easier for them. While they had the occasional lover's quarrel, the pair seemed perfectly content with each other. So when, after six months of dating, he asked her to move in, she couldn't turn him down.
His family was thrilled and Brooke, who loved Lucas, was ecstatic about the arrangement.
The only person who hadn't been too keen on the idea was Larry Sawyer, who had never met the boy who had stolen his little girl's heart. When Peyton chatted with him one night, explaining that Lucas had asked her to move in, it conveniently happened to be right around the time that his boat would be docked for a week.
So, a week before the big move, her father took the trip up to New York, wanting to meet his daughter and her boyfriend for a nice dinner and a tour of this place that she was going to be living in.
"Lucas, this is a big deal."
"Peyton... It's going to be fine."
"But, my dad, while he isn't around all the time, is still very protective of his little girl, so I'm just warning you."
"Well, when we have a daughter, I know that I'll feel the exact same way, so I have no qualms with him being protective of you."
"You're pregnant?" Comes a voice from behind the pair who was obviously looking the wrong direction down the busy sidewalk.
Turning, she threw her arms around her father, "Dad! NO! I'm not pregnant! He was just..." she started to say, but not knowing how to finish.
"Peyton was just telling me that you were very protective of her, and I told her that I would feel the same way if I had a daughter."
"I see... The part that confused me wasn't that you said if I had a daughter, it was that you said when we have a daughter..." Larry says, looking with a smile at this new boy in his daughter's life.
All Lucas could think of to do in response is put his hand out for the older man to shake, "Lucas Scott. It is a pleasure to meet you sir."
"Larry Sawyer. I'm just giving you a hard time Luke." Larry says, smiling and then turning to Peyton. "How is my beautiful Peyton?"
"Hungry..." she says nodding.
"Well, pregnancy will do that to ya." Larry says casually, walking past a stunned speechless Lucas and Peyton.
Turning towards Peyton, Lucas just shakes his head, "He knows that you aren't pregnant, right?"
"Yeah, he's just trying to see if he can ruffle your feathers. Don't worry, Scott, you'll survive."
With that, the couple join hands, walking into the restaurant after her father, letting the host know that they had arrived for their reservation.
"So, Lucas, Peyton tells me that you are an author."
"I am."
"How is that going for you?"
"I'm finishing up my third novel right now, and it should be printed and ready to sell in just a few months."
"And then what? You start another one?"
"Dad..."
"I'm just curious... it's like you and the label stuff... once you sign the band and they make a CD, what do you do with them?" he asks her, and when she doesn't respond he points a finger in her direction, "see, you don't know either."
"Depending on my inspiration, yeah, I start another one, or I wait for a bit. I have to do some book tours around the country at the start of the book launch, but other than that it is a great job."
"So you guys are going to move in together, and then you're just going to leave Peyton all alone in a brand new place?"
"Dad, it is no different from when you used to leave me home to go on the boats, so leave him alone."
Taking in the scene before him, Lucas, decided that his casual approach wasn't going to win over Peyton's father, who was obviously a man of action. So, he decided to take some action, "No, Peyton, it's fine... Mr. Sawyer, I don't want to seem rude, but I just want to tell you something. I love her." he says bluntly, and ignores the gasp that emits from Peyton's lips, "and I asked her to move in with me because I love her, and I know that the two of us have a future together. If she asked me tomorrow to cancel the book tours, I would. Shoot, if she asked me tomorrow to quit writing altogether because she wants me to join the circus, I would. There is nothing that I wouldn't do for your daughter, and it has been my goal for the past six months to protect her and care for her to the best of my ability. And... sir, with your permission, I would like to continue doing just that."
Larry Sawyer had a look that Lucas couldn't decipher on his face at the moment. It wasn't anger or frustration, but it wasn't acceptance either. As Peyton looked from her father to Lucas and back, she was more than nervous, not knowing what to do with everything that she just heard, including three little words that they hadn't exchanged yet.
When her father sat back in his chair and took a deep breath, Peyton did the same, fearing the worst, "All right." he says, looking Lucas in the eye.
Lucas just nodded and then both men went back to eating their meal.
"What just happened?" Peyton asked, not understanding the guy code that just passed around the table.
"You've got good taste Peyton, I like this boy." he says, pointing his fork and Lucas and looking at his daughter.
"Thank you Mr. Sawyer." Luke says, looking up and smiling.
"Call me Larry...I owe you that much."
"Well, thank you Larry."
It seemed that after that conversation was had, the boy's club mentality came into play. They talked basketball and football, and Larry explained to Lucas what he did for a living. The three talked about their plans for the apartment, Larry laughing when all Peyton could talk about was getting to paint the different rooms.
When they got Larry back to the apartment that would soon be theirs he was impressed. It surprised Peyton, but he was very accepting of everything, and when she walked him down stairs, she had to ask, "So, what are you really thinking right now?"
"I like him Peyton. I think that he really is a good guy, and if what you say is true about his family, then I know that he is going to continue to be that good guy."
"So you are really okay with this?"
"While I'm not wild about the idea of the two of you living together before getting married, I... Do you love him Peyton?"
"I do." she says, with a few tears welling up in her eyes.
"Then you don't need me to tell you if I'm okay with it. I'm glad that you found someone, and I hope that it all works out for the two of you." he says, pulling her in for a hug, and kissing her forehead before saying a quick goodbye and walking out the door.
That next weekend was moving day, which, while a significant step, wasn't a significant task, since Peyton lived with Brooke this whole time and didn't ever really need much in the way of furniture. However, the idea of moving day resulted in an unexpected, but welcome surprise as the two hear a loud knocking at the door around eleven in the morning.
"I'll get it!" Peyton says, while Lucas is putting up shelves in one of the spare rooms for her record collection.
When she opens up the door, she is met with the three smiling faces of Luke's brother, best friend, and nephew.
"Surprise! We're here to help you! Let's get you moved in!" Haley says, loudly enough to get Lucas to peak out of the room he was working in.
"Haley?"
"Yeah! We thought that you guys could use a little help with getting all of Peyton's stuff moved in and some of your stuff out and all that jazz, so here we are. Where do you need us?"
Peyton and Lucas just looked at each other and laughed, laughing even harder when the three that came to help started to look confused.
"Why are you laughing?" Jamie asks, obviously just as confused as his parents.
"We're done..." Lucas says, finally calming down.
"What?" Haley asks. "Please don't tell me that we got up at four this morning to help you move and are now getting back in the car because you are done."
"Well, we are done, but you are definitely not getting back in that car!" Peyton says, pulling on Haley's arm, leading her into the apartment.
"Seriously man, how did you do it?" Nathan asks, turning to Lucas as the girls go to sit in the living room.
"Peyton has been bringing stuff over every now and then and living with Brooke all this time, she hasn't accumulated any furniture or anything, so all I'm doing is putting up shelves in one of the spare bedrooms for her music."
"Well, then, I can help you with that!" Nathan says, glad that he could help with something.
"Can I help too?" Jamie says excitedly.
"We couldn't do it without you, buddy."
As the boys moved into the other room, it gave the girls a chance to talk again. Haley and Peyton had become quick friends in the months that she had been dating Lucas. She even came up for one of Brooke's fashion shows in New York, hitting it off with her best friend instantly. It was great to feel like she belonged with his family.
"So, what are we going to do all day?"
"Well... I've been wanting to have you come up here for something, but I've been a big wuss about asking..." Peyton says, with a cautious air about her.
"What is it?"
"Hold on for a minute..." she says, grabbing her cell phone from the kitchen and running into the bedroom to make the phone call.
A few minutes later, Peyton came back, all smiles, "It's all set, we've got somewhere to be."
"Where are we going?"
"Don't you trust me?"
She raises an eyebrow to the blond, her lips set in a thin line, "Boys! We'll be back in a few hours! Don't do anything stupid, and keep an eye on Jamie!" she shouts down the hallway.
With that, they walk out of the apartment and downstairs to hail a cab. The address Peyton rattled off to the driver was not something that Haley was familiar with, and when they pulled up in front of a large office building, she was even more confused.
It was when they walked into the offices that was their destination that Haley realized what she intended, "Peyton, no."
"I distinctly remember someone telling me that if she only had studio time, and if there was only a good studio in Tree Hill, that she would LOVE to lay down the song that she's been working on."
"Come on, Peyton, I don't have any of my stuff with me, and I don't remember anything that I wrote."
"Really?"
"Yes." she says, sounding like she was trying to convince herself more than Peyton.
"Huh, cause that actually just sounds like a bunch of excuses to me."
Haley says nothing, just crossing her arms over her chest and pouting much like her son does when he doesn't get away with something.
"Haley, you have quickly become like a sister to me, and with all that we have talked about with music, I don't know anyone who deserves to be in this studio right now more than you do."
"Peyton..."
"For me? Just a couple hours of work, and we'll see where that lands you. If nothing comes of it, then it wasn't meant to be."
With a sigh, she walks into the room, sitting down at the piano and resting her hands on the comforting keys. She knew that Peyton was right, and she knew that opportunities like this don't come that often, so she started to play. Playing turned into recording, and before they were done, she had laid down some great tracks for what Peyton said was a great start for an album.
"Peyton, an album, really?" she asks, with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
"Red Bedroom Records would be lucky to have you... very lucky actually."
"Listen, I know that you are dating Lucas and you feel like you have to be nice to me, but seriously, I am not good enough to get an album out of me. I'll still like you if you hate my music."
Grabbing the woman's shoulders, Peyton let out a huff of air, "Seriously Haley, this isn't a favor of any kind, or a way to win you over... If there is anything in this world that I will never lie about, it is what I really think about a piece of music. Your stuff is good! It's really good, and you have a passion behind it, which is EXACTLY what I am look for in artists. Take a chance Haley James Scott, be in the spotlight for once."
When they get back to the apartment, the boys are sitting in the living room playing some random basketball game that the girls can't identify.
"Hey, where'd you guys go?" Nathan asks when he finally realizes that they are in the room.
"Oh, just to work on my new album with Peyton." Haley says casually, smiling at her friend.
"What?" both men say, pausing the game to walk over to where the girls are standing.
"Yeah... Listen, Nathan. She really has so much talent, and I'm not going to let this take her away from you guys, but I want her to have this, because she is an amazing musician." Peyton says, basically pleading with Nathan to see where she is coming from.
"Hales, I think that's GREAT!" he says, crossing the space between them to hug her, and then breaking from the hug to allow for their lips to meet.
"What's going on?" Jamie says, sneaking between Lucas and Peyton, who were still waiting for Haley and Nathan to come up for air.
Peyton's response is just to grab Jamie, covering his eyes, and clearing her throat in hopes of getting the two to come out of their moment.
When the two break, Haley looks down at Jamie, and back up to Lucas and Peyton, just laughing.
"Well we didn't know if you were going to let it go any farther..." Lucas says, with a sarcastic grin on his face that makes his brother and best friend smile.
Later that evening, after a long day of touring the city, Lucas and Peyton insisted that the three stay the night at least, not wanting them to drive back late at night.
As they lay in bed after that long day, Lucas can't help but marvel at the way things have turned out in the past year, "I love how much you love them." he says, rubbing small circles on her shoulder as she lays on his chest.
"They make it easy and they're a part of who you are, so I can't help it."
"So, you and Haley are making an album together?"
"Yeah. She needs to do this Luke, I can just feel it, and it's going to be so good."
"Knowing Haley, and knowing you, I have not a doubt in my mind. I'm just glad that Nathan was so supportive."
"I know... that has to be hard for him with all that happened."
"She told you about that?"
"We're women, Luke, we tell each other everything."
"Haley doesn't... that means something."
"Well in that case, I'm glad that she talked to me about it. She's become a good friend to me, and that's saying a lot considering I've really only let Brooke get really close to me as a girlfriend."
"I'm glad that you said yes to moving in here..." he says, squeezing her closer as he does so.
"Six months later, and who would have thought..."
"I did... the second you turned me down, I did..."
"Really?"
"It wasn't love, but it was something..."
"And what is it now?"
"Everything."
"I love you Lucas Scott." she says, scooting up a bit to kiss his chin.
"And I love you Peyton Sawyer..."
–
Okay, solidifying the ties, getting my bearings... what are we thinking? I'm having a lot of fun writing this. I didn't think that I'd ever do an AU story, just cause... yeah, but I like it. It's like the characters are all the same, and you know them, and you love them. In my case, I know that aside from Peyton and Brooke growing up elsewhere everything is basically the same, but I don't know... it makes it easier to write. I can play with things, and develop relationships... or maybe tear some apart. We'll see...
Let me know what you think by posting a review!
P.S. This is totally my longest chapter, cause I couldn't shut up... yeah... loving it!