A/N – Back with another chapter! Enjoy it while it lasts, because after Christmas I don't know how much I'll be updating. My plan, once I start work again, is to post a new chapter at least once a week, maybe twice if I have time on the weekends. I just wanted to thank everyone who reads this story and leaves reviews. You are amazing and I appreciate your feedback, whether it be positive or negative. With all of that being said, let's move onto the story. Last chapter we left Peyton on the phone with Lucas. Now let's see what he had to say.

Disclaimer – Once again, I own nothing except for the idea and any made up characters.


The phone call

"Lucas?" Peyton said once more, this time with more surety in her voice. Her eyes met Julian's expectant eyes, and she shrugged her shoulders, letting him know that she had no idea why her ex-boyfriend was calling. She hadn't had any contact with him in nearly three years, and she certainly didn't expect to be hearing from him now. Walking back over to the couch, she sat down next to Julian and reached for his hand as she waited for Lucas to talk.

Lucas took a deep breath and tried to keep the fear and nerves out of his voice as he spoke to Peyton. "Peyton," he started out slowly, trying not to let her hear the panic creep into his voice, "there's been an accident… They were going to see Nathan play in his first NBA game, and on their way, something…something happened." He let out a shaky breath as he clutched the phone tightly, trying to hold himself together.

Peyton's grip tightened on Julian's hand as she listened to Lucas' words. She took a deep breath as she prepared herself for what he was about to tell her and asked, "Who was in the accident Lucas?" She didn't even try to keep the fear and worry out of her voice, she needed to know what was going on with her friends. Who was in the car, how badly were they injured, what caused the accident, she needed to know everything.

Hearing the fear in Peyton's voice made Lucas let out a quiet, strangled sob. She loved their friends just as much as he did, and it wasn't going to be easy to tell her the news. He took a couple slow, deep breaths before he began to tell her what had happened, "Haley was driving a-and Brooke was in the passenger seat with Mouth and Jamie sitting in the back. They were on the highway, and some idiot wasn't paying attention, he started to drift over into their lane and…" He swallowed thickly and shut his eyes tight before he finished telling her what happened. "They had nowhere to go Peyton…the guy slammed into their car…the force made their car drive off the road…a-and it rolled two times before crashing in the ditch."

Peyton was on her feet and pacing frantically back and forth before Julian could reach out for her. She kept shaking her head quickly as the tears quickly streamed down her face. How could this be happening right now? She thought everything was finally going right in her life, and then this happens. She let out a painful sob and ran her fingers through her hair, trying to calm herself down. Remembering that Lucas was still on the other end, she held her phone back up to her mouth and asked, "H-how bad is it?" She held her hand on a nearby wall and braced herself for his response. Please let them all be okay, she thought. They had to be okay.

Hearing the brokenness in her voice, made Lucas hurt even more. He knew how much they all meant to her, especially Brooke. They've had their fights, sure. Some minor and others major, but in the end, he knew that they would always be there for each other. Sighing deeply, Lucas ran a hand over his face and said in a quiet voice, "It's pretty bad, Peyton. Haley and Brooke are both in surgery now, the doctors say they're in critical condition. But Mouth was the most injured out of all of them. Before they started to roll, he had covered his body around Jamie's to sort of cushion him from the crash. When the car stopped rolling, Mouth's body wasn't strapped in by a seatbelt, so he got banged up pretty bad. Other than a broken arm, and a few bruised ribs, Jamie's expected to make a full recovery. Mouth, on the other hand, was injured so badly, the doctors refused to perform surgery on him. They say the risk is too great, and they don't think he'd survive with all the damage the crash caused."

By the time Lucas had finished telling her everything that was wrong with her friends, Peyton had stopped pacing and had sunken down until she was sitting on the floor. She couldn't believe what had happened to her friends. Brooke and Haley were in critical condition, Mouth was so bad that he couldn't have surgery performed... how could this have happened to them? She let out a couple quiet sobs and wiped the tears away from her eyes. "I'll be on the next plane out." She choked out, as she stood up wobbly, and walked into the bedroom to start packing.

Hearing her words, Lucas let out a sigh of relief. He wasn't going to beg her to come, but he was glad she had decided to be here for her friends. He knew that when Brooke did come out of surgery, she would want Peyton to be there. Brooke. Just that name brought along so many emotions for Lucas. She had been one of his epic loves in his lifetime. He shared a connection with her that he and Peyton never seemed to have. Now that Peyton was permanently living in L.A. and Brooke had moved back to Tree Hill, he didn't know where he stood with either of them. He knew Peyton had a boyfriend, Julian, he thought one of Brooke's text messages said. But he didn't know what he was to Peyton anymore. Were they even friends anymore? He wanted them to be able to be friends again. And then there was his relationship with Brooke. Was that the word for it, relationship? They had gotten close again when she moved back, but he still had no clue what they were. He sighed thinking about whatever 'connection' they had. All of a sudden, he heard Peyton yell his name, causing him to snap back into the present. How long had she been trying to get his attention? He cleared his throat and shook his head. He must have spaced out longer than he thought. "Sorry, Peyton," he apologized for his lack of attention towards her and sighed. "I was lost in my head again. I'm glad you're coming. I know Brooke will be happy to see you…when she wakes up after her surgery."

Peyton laughed lightly and shook her head. How come guys could get so easily distracted by their own thoughts? She sighed deeply as she pulled some clothes out of the dresser drawers. She should've kept in contact with her friends in Tree Hill, especially Brooke. They've been through too much together for Peyton to just throw that friendship away. Sure, she had friends in L.A., but she's never had another friend like Brooke Davis. She smiled sadly and focused on the conversation she was having with Lucas. "Thanks Lucas…" She began hesitantly, "I hope you're right. Hey, I should let you go. I have to finish packing and buy the plane ticket. I'll call you when I get my plane ticket, okay?"

"Yeah, of course. I'll let you know if any changes occur here." Lucas responded quickly. He should probably go check on how Mouth was doing anyway. He was glad he got to talk to her again though, it almost felt like they were becoming friends again. "Let me know when your plane will land, and I'll come pick you up."

Having just finished packing her toiletries, Peyton moved to where her laptop was on the bed, and turned it on. Nodding slowly, then remembering that Lucas couldn't see her, she responded, "Thanks Lucas, for everything. I'll call you later." She ended the call and threw her phone in her purse by the bed. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, she took the laptop in her lap and started to search for plane tickets. So absorbed in the task at home, Peyton didn't even notice that Julian had entered the room and had taken a seat on the bed beside her. It wasn't until he had cleared his throat that she realized she wasn't alone in the room. "Gah!" she exclaimed as she smacked his arm lightly, "You scared me. I thought you were still in the living room."

A frown started to appear on Julian's face as he noticed what Peyton was doing on the computer. "Plane tickets?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows in question. "Where are you going, Peyton?" He had heard bits and pieces of her conversation with Lucas, but he didn't know she was flying back to Tree Hill tonight.

Peyton nodded once as she continued to search for the earliest flight. "Yeah," she said absentmindedly, "My friends got in a really bad accident, and I need to be there for them and Lucas." She didn't know where she stood with Lucas, but she still wanted to be there and try to comfort him as a friend would. They had been friends once before, maybe this trip would cause them to be friends once again.

Julian raised an eyebrow at her last statement. He understood why she would want to be there. Brooke was her best friend after all. But what did she mean when she said she needed to be there for Lucas? The same Lucas that she was so madly in love with before she started dating him? He couldn't help the uneasy feeling that started to settle in his chest at that thought. The frown on his face deepened and he placed his hands over hers to stop them from typing. Seeing her confused expression, he said, "I don't think you should go. Now, before you go and get all mad, let me explain why." He looked down at her hands before forcing his eyes back up to her face. Admitting his feelings of jealousy wasn't easy for him, but he couldn't lose Peyton. He took a deep breath and said, "I'm not comfortable with you flying out to Tree Hill, and spending time with your ex-boyfriend by yourself." He gave her hands a squeeze, "So," he said, a soft smile appearing on his face, "I'm going with you."

Just as Peyton was about to protest, her brain registered what he had just said. He didn't say she couldn't go, he said he'd go with her. Her expression softened towards him and she rested her head against his shoulder. She knew this was going to be hard for him, but she loved him even more for it, because she knew he was doing it for her. Closing her eyes, she whispered softly, "I love you so much. Thank you, Julian."

Smiling down at her, Julian placed a kiss to the crown of her head and whispered back, "Anything for you, baby. And I love you too." He gently took the laptop from her lap and purchased two tickets for the earliest flight to Tree Hill. "Come on," he said to her, "since you're almost packed, you can help me."

Leaning up to kiss his cheek, Peyton smiled before standing up and holding out her hands. "Come on, babe. I'm an excellent packer." She stated proudly, a smile spread across her lips. "And besides," she said, "I'll help you narrow down what hair products not to take."

Julian chuckled and grabbed her hands, pulling himself up to stand in front of her. Smiling down at her, he kisses each one of her hands, before he says, "Ha, ha. You mean, help me pack EVERY hair product I own, right?" He smirks and leans down to capture her lips in a slow kiss before pulling away and walking towards the bathroom.

Frowning, Peyton turned around and crossed her arms over her chest, staring after him. "That wasn't very nice." She said as a pout started to form on her lips. Hearing his chuckle from the bathroom, she walked over to his drawers and started to pack some of his clothes in the suitcase.


Once they had hurriedly packed everything they needed, Julian drove them to the airport. With only thirty minutes to spare, they rushed through the metal detectors and boarded their plane. After calling Lucas to tell him when they would land, Peyton turned off her phone and rested her head against Julian's shoulder as she closed her eyes. Memories of her and Brooke flooded her mind as she prayed to God that she would be alright. She wasn't allowed to die without Peyton's blessing, she would never forgive her for it. Sniffling softly, she grabbed Julian's hand and held it tightly as she drifted off to sleep. Memories of her friends creeping their way into her dreams, as she slept through the entire flight.


A/N – I'm sorry it's a little shorter than the last chapter. I promise the next one will be a longer chapter. I have family in town for Christmas so I kind of rushed to get this one finished. What are your thoughts on this chapter? What do you thinks going to happen when Julian and Lucas meet for the first time? Also, just to clarify, Lucas' book "The Ravens" does not turn into a movie in this story. Next chapter we'll see Julian and Peyton arrive in Tree Hill. Expect to see some of our other favorite characters as well. Nathan, Lucas, Jamie, and others will be making appearances. Until then, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Please review! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays for whatever holiday your family celebrates!