"Nathan and Haley?" He asked, trying to regain his balance. "Do you see it too? Please tell me I'm not the only one."

Peyton rolled her eyes and tried to take her bag from him. He'd insisted on carrying it for her, despite her protests. He'd simply ignored her, holding the door open to the cafe so she could walk through first.

"You're not the only one." She agreed. Nathan and Haley were both very stubborn people, but she was still rooting for them. "Maybe they'll get their heads out of their asses soon and realize that they're perfect for one another."

Lucas scoffed. He knew his brother, and if there was one word that best described him, it was stubborn. He was good at hiding his feelings, even better at denying that they even existed.

"Yeah." He muttered, elbowing her. "Like that's ever gonna happen."

Laughing, he followed her inside, abandoning both bags at the bottom of the stairs. He wanted to ask her, but he didn't want her to feel like he didn't trust her being by herself for even a night.

"Will you stay?" Peyton asked, guessing his thoughts. She dropped down onto the third step, resting her head in her hands. "God, Luke! I'm such a girl! I can't even spend the night in my own bedroom without having a panic attack."

"Peyton."

Lucas dropped down beside her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her closer to him. "You went through something really traumatic, okay? It's gonna take some time, but you'll learn to fight back. You're one of the strongest people I know, Curly, and don't you forget that."

She managed a smile, grabbing his hand and pulling him up the remainder of the stairs behind her. He followed her without asking questions, though his eyes were full of confusion.

"I want to show you something." Peyton opened her bedroom door. "I haven't told any of you about this, but..."

Lucas stepped inside, reaching out to flip on the light. Her room looked exactly the same, red paint, her sketches taking up ever available space on the wall. On her dresser, desk, and beside table were framed pictures of the five of them in varying degrees of happiness.

The only difference was the male-shaped punching bag in the middle of the room, her boxing gloves lay on the bed.

She walked over, wrapping them around her wrists. She glanced over at Lucas, waiting for his reaction.

"Peyton?" He asked hesitantly. "Why... Just... Why?"

"Derek..." Peyton let out a long sigh. "My real Derek got me into boxing... He said that I needed to learn how to fight back, and he's right, Luke."

She kicked the punching bag's foam stomach, a small smile appearing on her face. She kicked it again, and again, and again. She delivered a punch to its jaw before turning back to face him.

Lucas was speechless. He dropped down onto her bed and let out a low chuckle. Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer never ceased to surprise him.

"Luke?"

"That's..." He paused. "That's one way to deal with things... Peyton? You know Nathan and I are here to protect you, right?"

Peyton moved to sit beside him.

"You're always saving me." She quoted. "And I love you for that, Luke, I really do, but I need to learn how save myself sometimes too."

He reached out and took her hand, squeezing softly. She was one of his best friends, and just like Brooke and Haley, he'd vowed to always protect her. He'd left her alone once, Brooke and Peyton had fought back, but he wasn't going to make that mistake again.

"I just want you to be safe." Lucas admitted. "And if this is gonna help you, then I say go for it. But just so you know, I'm not going anywhere, and neither is Nathan. We'll be here, always looking out for you, even if you try to send us away."

Peyton laughed and rolled her eyes. There was the Lucas Scott she knew and loved, one of the only people who had never left her.

"So." He squeezed her hand again. "Show me whatcha got, Sawyer. I wanna see your bad ass moves!"

Still laughing, she got up and went to mock punch him. He caught her wrist, spinning her back around. His arms locked around as he lost his balance, sending both of them crashing to the ground.

"Nice self defense moves, Sawyer." Lucas teased. "I could really see you fighting off a squirrel. Maybe you should just let me protect you after all."

"Okay." Peyton agreed, rolling over on her side. "But I'm gonna keep it up. I mean, I look pretty hot when I work out."

"Yeah..." He muttered, too low for her to hear. "Yeah, you really do."