After a quick search of the house, Peyton realized that Lucas had already left. She sat on the couch as she tried to decide what her next move would be. She needed to talk to him, but she really wanted to sort through everything that Haley had told her. It was a lot to take in. Everything she had believed for the past year, almost, was wrong. In fact, her husband had never cheated on her at all, but he had lied to her, and he had allowed them to get divorced.
Granted, he had believed he had cheated on her, and he had told her he had had an affair because he had thought that would make her hate him more, and therefore, it would hopefully hurt her less. She could see why he did it, but she wondered why he hadn't told her the truth when he found out. It could have saved them a lot of trouble. She decided that they had spent enough time apart because of this whole ordeal. It was time to work on getting back together again.
With that thought, she left the house, and went to find him. She finally found him at the Rivercourt, which wasn't that surprising. What was surprising was the face that Martin, Ryan and Seth were with him, and so were Nathan, Robert and William. Seth was sitting out, commentating on the game, while Lucas and his boys played against Nathan and his boys. Peyton sat in her car for a minute and just watched the game. This was how it always used to be, and she was glad that they had finally gotten back to that.
That made her pause, though. Would the boys still feel the same towards their father if she got back together with him? What if they got back together and then broke up again? She realized she was once again trying to use her kids to keep Lucas at a distance. She didn't want to do that anymore. She wanted to work on her relationship with Lucas because she needed to do it, for herself, and she knew her kids would support her. At least, she hoped they would.
Getting out of the car, she closed the door, and finally made her presence known. The game paused, with the ball in Lucas's hands as everyone looked at Peyton. She walked onto the court, straight up to Lucas, after sending Nathan a reassuring smile. "Can we talk?" she asked the blond. She had her arms crossed across her chest, and he wasn't sure what to make of her, but he followed her off the court.
When she was sure they were far enough away that they wouldn't be overheard, she stopped walking and turned to face him again. He waited, with his hands in his pockets, because he had bounced the ball to Nathan as he had walked off the court. She suddenly sighed, and dropped her arms. "Why didn't you tell me the truth?" she asked softly. She didn't let him answer, but he realized she knew everything. "I would have," she paused.
This time he cut her off. "You would have what, Peyton? Enlighten me, because, I was just doing what I thought would hurt you least. I didn't know what happened, but I knew what it looked like. I still can't believe Lindsey did all of that. I didn't know the truth, and I thought if you thought I had done this more than once, you'd hate me, and so you wouldn't be hurt. I never wanted our marriage to end, but I thought I didn't deserve you anymore," he broke off, frustrated because he didn't know what she was thinking, and ran a hand over the back of his neck.
It almost made her smile to see him run his hand over his neck, because it was such a Lucas move, and it had been so long since she had seen it. She managed to control the smile, though. "Everything could have been different, Lucas. It would have made all the difference in the world, if you had just been honest with me in the first place. If we had talked it over, we might still be married right now," she said, wanting to continue, but knowing this wasn't helping.
With a hesitant look on her face, she stepped forward, closer to him. "Listen, Lucas, we could fight about the past till the end of time, and it won't change how it went down. All we can do now is focus on the future, and I want my future to be with you. I can't live without you anymore, and I'm tired of trying," she smiled and he grinned back at her. "I'm not saying this will be easy. We'll have to take things slowly, rebuild the trust, but I wanna go out on that date, if you still do," she was quick to be clear.
Stepping forward, Lucas gave Peyton time to stop him, but she didn't, so he wrapped his arms around her. He placed one hand on the back of her neck, and the other arm was wrapped around her back. She wrapped her arms around her waist and closed her eyes as he held her. She took a moment to just breathe in his scent, and he inhaled the scent of her hair.
Neither of them wanted to let go, because they were both grateful for the chance to be back in the other's arms, but Lucas finally let go and stepped back, and Peyton immediately felt the cold air hit her where his warmth had been. He grinned at her and began backing away. She asked where he was going. "I've got a date to plan. I'll pick you up at eight. It'll be great," he said with the Scott smirk on his face before he ran back to his car.
Realizing that he didn't even stop to say by to Nathan, or the boys, she walked back to the court. "What happened, Sawyer? You show up to talk to my brother, and then he runs off without a word after you two talk. What did you do?" Nathan asked with a smirk on his face. He waggled his eyebrows and Peyton knew what he was thinking.
Shoving her best guy friend, Peyton shot him a glare, but not even Nathan's dirty mind could keep her down. "I happen to have a date with him tonight, if you must know, Scott," she said, then realized who else was in hearing distance. She looked over at her sons. "If that's okay with y'all," she said, and they all shared a glance before nodding, and telling her they were happy for her.
Peyton left the guys to their basketball, but it was only about six, so she wasn't ready to get ready for her date. She spent half an hour drawing, and she had the framework finished, making it easy to see what the drawing was going to become. It was Lucas and Peyton, locked in an embrace, like they had been that afternoon. The caption would read: A New Beginning?
With a sigh, she studied what she had done so far. Would this really be a new beginning? She could only hope so. She wanted things to be good between them again. She wanted them to be together. She had meant it when she said she couldn't live without him anymore. She didn't want to. She only hoped that she'd be able to trust him again. She had asked the girls what they had thought when she got home, and they all gave her the go ahead. She realized that she did have one person she wanted to talk to though.
The phone rang three times before he picked up his end and said a greeting. "Hey, Jake, I just thought I'd tell you that Lucas and I are going on a date tonight. We're by no means back together, yet, but I wanted to tell you, because you're the one who convinced me to give him a second chance, and I just wanted to say thanks," she said, smiling as she leaned back in her chair.
This honestly surprised Jake. Just earlier today, she had walked away from him. He wondered what had happened to change that, but he didn't ask because, as she had already pointed out, he had been the one to tell her to give him another chance. "That's great, Peyton. I'm happy for the two of you," he said instead, and she ended up telling him the whole story anyway. They talked for a little bit, and then she had to get off to get ready for the date.
After a quick shower she dressed in a little green dress she had gotten from Brooke. It was silk, and it showed off her cleavage, and her legs. She pulled her curls up into a french twist, and she applied make-up, only using cover-up, some mascara, a little eyeliner and some bright red lip stick. She grabbed a pair of green strappy heels and put them on before standing in front of the mirror. She smiled at her appearance, just as the doorbell rang.
Before she could move, Marissa called out that she would answer the door, and Peyton decided to spray a little more hair spray on her hair, just to be sure it stayed. Then she decided to put on some jewelery, just as Marissa called upstairs that Lucas had arrived, though Peyton had known that. She said she'd be down in a minute as she put on a necklace that matched her dress, and a silver bracelet that she had gotten from Lucas. She applied some perfume to her wrists and behind her ears, then declared herself ready to go.
Grabbing her purse, she left her room, and slowly descended the stairs. Lucas was standing in the foyer of what used to be his house, their house, and when he heard her start coming down the stairs he glanced up, and there she was. His breath left him, and his heart started beating faster and a lump formed in his throat. He swallowed noisily, not noticing his daughter watching him, because his attention was solely focused on Peyton.
The blonde teenager watched her father, and she had to admit, she could see the love shining in his gaze. He really did love her mom, she had to give him that, and she was one of his toughest critics. She loved him, yeah, but she hated was he did to Peyton, and she didn't really like him much anymore. She could tell her parents were in love though, and she wouldn't want to stand in the way of true love. She quietly slipped out of the room, leaving them alone as Peyton reached the end of the stairs.
Blue eyes met green, and Peyton felt the butterflies in her stomach start going crazy. She loved the effect he still had on her, and she hoped he would always affect her like this. He was wearing a light blue button up, and black slacks, and he looked pretty good, if she did say so herself. She might be a little biased, though, because she always had thought Lucas was the most handsome man she'd ever met. "You look absolutely breath-taking," he finally said.
Blushing, Peyton bit her lip as she stood there. She was glad that he was still attracted to her. There was that much, at least. He held out his arm for her to take, and she hesitated before taking it, allowing him to lead her out of the house. She was a little worried about taking things too fast, but she decided to let the date play out as it would. She was actually curious as to what he had planned, and she knew from the look on his face he wouldn't tell her.
When they pulled up at the pier, Peyton had to admit she was kind of glad. Yeah, fancy restaurants are more first date material, but she really preferred walking along the pier. He opened her door for her, and she took his hand as he helped her out. They started walking, and they were surrounded by silence for a moment, before Peyton couldn't take it anymore. "Look, I don't want things to be awkward between us. This," she gestured between the two of them, "has never been this hard. Can we just treat this like a normal first date?" she said bluntly.
After her somewhat harsh bluntness, the two of them fell easily back into their normal ways. They both started talking, and laughing, and it was like any normal date first date, except he was Lucas, and she was Peyton, so it was more than just any first date. There had been no doubt that it would be, but Peyton felt somewhat reassured at the way they acted around each other. It felt so natural, even after the year they had had, and all she wanted to do was take his hand, or even kiss him, but she refrained, reminded herself that this was the first date, and they were a new couple.
As their evening drew to a close, Peyton was definitely sad for it to end. "You really didn't have to win me this giant teddy bear, you know," she said, looking around the giant stuffed bear that looked like a panda, which happened to be Peyton's favorite bear, which he knew, which was why Lucas had felt inclined to win for her. She started laughing remembering it. "What I mean is you didn't need to spend over $40 trying to win it," she teased.
Stopping, Lucas just looked at her. It took Peyton a few steps to realize he was no longer beside her, and so she had to turn so she was facing him, and she bit her lip, wondering what he could possibly be thinking. She didn't even have to ask before he told her, though. "I just can't believe how lucky I am to be here, with you. I never thought we'd be here again, but here we are, Peyton, and really, there is no where I'd rather be. We can have a fresh start, and maybe do things right this time around. No screwing up. I promise you, I'll do everything in my ability to be the guy you deserve," he said.
Things were getting intense, and her first instinct was to run, but she was tired of running when it came to Lucas. She wanted to stay right where she was, and this time she was going to. "I'll do my best not to screw up, too. I don't expect you to be perfect, Lucas. I just want to know you love me, and you're not going to leave me," she replied, her green eyes vunerable.
Reaching out, he lightly brushed a curl that had fallen out away from her face. "Peyton, I still remember what you wore the first time we met. You were wearing those tight jeans, and a Ramones tee-shirt, and your leather jacket. I also remember you were wearing those black Converse of yours, of course. I remember the first words I said to you, and you were such a bitch in response," she opened her mouth to defend herself, but he didn't let her. "The point is, I'm going to remember that moment forever, because it was the start of all my dreams coming true, and I'm going to prove that to you," he said.
Struck speechless, Peyton realized he couldn't have said anything better, and she didn't want to ruin the moment with any more words. She stepped towards him and pulled him down into a kiss. She pulled away a few minutes later, trying to catch her breath. "I think that was our best first kiss ever," she said, stepping back before she could kiss him again. "I also think it's time to end this date," she added. She really wanted to keep kissing him, and maybe do even more than that, and that was why she decided it was time for her to go home, alone.
Nodding, he still hadn't regained his speech, so he took her hand and led her towards his car, and Peyton was actually glad to be holding his hand. She definitely thought this was the best first date she'd ever been on, and she was including their first first date. She spent the ride in silence, trying to sear every moment of the night into her memory, and Lucas respected her silence, because they didn't need to feel the silence with useless chatter. They never had.
When he pulled to a stop in front of her house, she leaned over and gave him a quick goodnight kiss, but she hesitated before getting out of the car. "Do you want to come in?" she asked. He nodded, with a raised eyebrow, and she slipped out of the car without further explanation. He followed her, but she didn't notice until she was about to open the door.
Without opening the door, she leaned on it for a moment, stopping him. "No, I asked if you wanted to come in. I didn't invite you in," she said, with a shake of her head. She couldn't help but laugh at his expression. "It's nice to know you want to come in though," she was about to turn and go into the house, but she stood on her tiptoes and gave him a lingering kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight, Lucas," she said pleasantly, before she entered the house, leaving him on the porch.
Before Peyton could get very far in the house, she heard the sounds of the TV in the living room. She dragged her huge teddy bear in there after her, about to send whichever teenager it was to their bed. She stopped in her tracks when she saw not just one, but all six of them lounging in the living room, and they weren't even fighting over what was on TV. They were all doing their own thing, but they interacted with each other, too. She studied all of them.
On one couch, sat Ainsley, who had her earbuds in as she painted her nails with black nail polish. Jessalyn was sitting next to her, and it looked like she had been drawing in her sketchbook, but now she was painting the nails on Ainsley's left hand, because Ainsley was left-handed, and always complained that her left hand never turned out as good as her right. Marissa sat in a recliner next to the couch, with her legs tucked under her as she alternated between reading a magazine and texting.
The boys were also there, it surprised Peyton that they weren't complaining about the girly movie that Marissa and Ainsley had probably decided on. Seth was sitting in the other couch, with his notebook, writing in it. Ryan sat at the other end of the couch, tossing a Nerf football back and forth between him and Martin, who was sitting in a recliner across the room. "So, your sisters leave, and all of a sudden, you really can get along?" Peyton asked, standing in the doorway.
Immediately, they all put down whatever they were doing, and it was then that Peyton realized what they were doing. "Oh, no, guys, really, you stayed up to make sure my date went okay? You know, I'm supposed to be the mom, and you guys are my kids, not the other way around," she said with a shake of her head as they all looked at her expectantly. "It went great," she added when none of them said anything.
This elicted a range of responses, including the girls asking her to tell them all about it. "No, I will not kiss and tell. I'm not saying another word. Now, it's time for you all to get to bed. Lights out in twenty minutes," she said, trying to be stern, but unable to hold back her smile as she pointed for the stairs, waiting until they all went to their rooms.
Once she heard all the doors close, she pulled the giant bear into her room, grabbing the phone from its charger as she passed, and she closed her bedroom door. She put the bear-which was nearly as large as her, practically life-sized-in the middle of the floor, and then changed into some pajamas, climbing onto the bear and wrapping its arms around her before taking the phone and three-way calling Brooke and Haley. "This was the perfect first date ever," she opened the conversation once she was talking to both of them.
Then she delved into the conversation, describing the whole evening with probably more detail than they needed to know, but she wanted them to dissect the evening with her. She heard Nathan's comments in the backround, and a soft thump, and knew she was on speaker phone, and Haley had just thrown a pillow-and missed-at her husband. Peyton knew Nathan was just looking out for her, though, so she didn't mind.
First Brooke said, and then Haley agreed, that Leyton was back on. Peyton tried to insist she was just seeing where things were going to go, but then Brooke and Haley made a bet on how long it would be until Peyton finally gave up the charade. Brooke gave it a week, Haley said two months, and Nathan insisted it would be in between those times, about a month. Peyton got so annoyed that she contemplated hanging up. She heard the beep indicating someone was calling her. "I've got to go," she said to her friends, and then clicked over. "Hello," she said, as pleasantly as she could manage.
The look on Peyton's face gradually faded from annoyed to shocked, and then contorted into grief-stricken. She murmured okay's, and yeah's and finally she hung up the phone. She just laid back on the bear for a minute, before jumping up and running around the room in a frenzy, not quite knowing what to do with herself. She felt tears in her eyes, but she kept them from falling. She needed to keep them from falling.
Before a few minutes had passed, she gave up trying to figure out what she needed to do, and she did the only thing she could think to do. She called Lucas. He was better in situations like these anyway, not that they'd ever been in this situation, or she ever wanted to be in this situation again. She could barely force the words out when she called. She barely managed to get the words out when he answered, sounding as if he were just as awake and blissful as she had been minutes ago.
Speaking in a calm voice that she knew meant he was trying to keep her calm, he gave her instructions, and told her he'd be there soon. She nodded, then realized he couldn't see her, so she thanked him, and then hung up, setting out to do what he had said. She went into each of the teens rooms and told them what was going to happen, and they all wanted to come with her, but she adamantly refused to let them. She said she'd call them when she was sure, and told them to go back to sleep.
After she had talked to all six, and Lucas still hadn't shown up, she made a few phone calls to tell those closest to her what was going on, and asked someone to come over and stay with the kids while she left. She finished that phone calls as quickly as possible because she really did not want to talk about it, and then went to pack an overnight bag, finishing just as Lucas arrived. She went outside to get in his car, still wearing the dress from their date.
As she got into the car, Peyton couldn't bring herself to wave, or even force a smile. She didn't feel like pretending to be okay. She couldn't yet. She stared out the window, as Lucas drove, nothing but the radio filling the silence between them. She finally turned to look at him, as they passed yet another stoplight. "Lucas, she can't die, right? Please, tell me she's not going to die," she pleaded, wishing his word could fix everything.
A/N: Who saw that coming? I know I didn't, and I'm the one writing. That was just the way the characters took me, though. It was what they wanted. Who do you think the 'she' is? I have an idea, but I tried to leave it so it could really be anyone. Give me feedback, and I'll try to update before another month passes. I honestly can't believe I've taken so long to update, and you have my greatest apologies for that. I hope you won't hold it against me, and I hope you'll still review, even though I'm a horrible updater(I don't think that's a real word, but whatev…) Please, Review!!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Twilight or One Tree Hill.