Hey Hey, Yes this chapter is a bit late, but writing both Lucas and Peyton only isn't my strong point. So it took me a few goes to get something I was happy with. This chapter gives you a bit of insight into why Lucas was being a dick. I'll see what I can do about getting the other chapters up to you sooner. But at the moment, I have finding work, and things friends want me to do with them. So I'm trying to write these chapters in between those, so you might not get weekly updates for these last few chapters because they have to be written. I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year and are looking forward to this year.

It was a five hour drive from Tree Hill, to Sugar Mountain Resort, where Lucas and Peyton had booked their holiday. What should have been, a nice relaxing drive, hadn't been relaxing at all; Peyton wanted to talk about, what had happened three days ago; and why her husband was so put out by what their friends, and his sister had been doing when she was the person they were doing it to, she understood why Haley was doing it and knew that Brooke would side with her, they had been friends pretty much their entire lives. Then there was Lilly, the person he'd blown up at the most; and the person she believed hadn't deserved it at all. She was an eleven year old kid, who Peyton could now admit, she had never taken the time to get to know. Well, not like Haley or Brooke had. So yes, Lilly had followed suit because the two people, she idolised the most were doing the exact same thing.

Maybe, if they hadn't have treated Lilly like a little kid around Jamie's age so much, maybe then she wouldn't have done it, maybe. She was still a kid after all, even if she was more mature at eleven, than her brothers acted sometimes. Like right now for instance; Lucas had the music loud enough that conversation between them was near impossible, but not loud enough that he wouldn't hear emergency sirens coming along the high way they were currently on.

Finally getting fed up with her husbands childish games, Peyton lent across and turned down the music. This had earned her a glaring look from Lucas, who clearly wasn't in the mood to be talking at all. However Peyton really didn't care about what he wanted, not at the moment anyway.

"We need to talk," she stated, as his hand reached for the volume button. He sent her a look that stated, very clearly, that he had nothing to say; this didn't put her off at all.

"Lucas, your entire family is pissed off at you, and for good , your sister may have pissed you off; however that was no reason to blow up at her like that. It was also no reason to slap her. Frankly I'm surprised that you are still alive, I thought for sure your mum was going to kill you." Lucas sighed, there was no way he was going to get out of this now. If this trip hadn't been non refundable, he wouldn't have been stuck on a slow moving high way, with his wife wanting to talk about what had happened.

"She deserved it," he said, not taking his eyes off the road. Peyton rolled her eyes, great, so this was how things were going to play out now. Lucas only giving her short answers. Well, she'd get something out of him, she just wasn't sure what that was going to be.

"Ok, if this is how you want to play it; two can play that game. I admit, that what they are doing is childish, however one of them is a child. I admit that what I did, playing that song for AJ was wrong. I fully admit that, I shouldn't have done it, but I did."

"Yeah well, she could have just let it blow over," Lucas muttered he hadn't expected Peyton to hear him, not over the noise of the truck that had just past them.

"She could have, yes you are correct. She could have let it blow over, but you and I both know Haley, and we both know, that music for her is very personal. Just like writing is very personal to you. She was hurt, and she could have taken me to court. Do you understand that Lucas? She could have taken me to court and won hands down. I would have been screwed Lucas, I could have lost everything because I was careless; I thought I knew what was best for her. Haley didn't want that though. We, as a family have been through too much, with Dan and everything he did; not only to Nathan and Haley, but to your mum, to Lydia, everyone. A few days of silent treatment from three people or the loss of my record label. Now tell me, Luke which one would you have chosen if it were you?" She asked she knew she had him in a tight spot, the look on his face told her that. She had been able to read him like a book for years now.

"I still would have done it, Haley yeah, ok she had every right to be angry. But Brooke and Lilly were just being childish," Lucas could his hear his wife's frustration in the sigh she let out, but what he said was true, he still would have done it.

"Incase you have forgotten your sister is a child,"

"Exactly, she should have shown you some respect, and she should have shown that to me as well.I never would have argued back with an-

"Let me stop you right there; before you put your foot in your mouth. Also let me remind you of seventh grade. The whole see through shirt thing, that you got suspended for because you argued with Dervish, about the fact that you and Nathan, could wear shirts that were see though, but Brooke, Haley and myself could not, simply for the fact that we are female."

"I don't remember that," said Lucas the traffic ahead of them, was starting to move and he didn't want to be arguing with Peyton while they were driving through roadworks so, before she could say another word, he turned up the music again. Fully expecting her to turn it down and continue this asinine conversation.

Shaking her head in disbelief, Peyton pulled out her laptop she a couple to things she had to do for the label things she wanted to get done before they arrived at the resort; and if her husband was going to be this stubborn, well she might as well leave it for now.

Two hours, she left it along for two hours, and those were two hours of peace as far as Lucas was concerned, as soon as they had gotten away from all the road works, as soon as the road had cleared; it was like there had been some green light that Lucas hadn't seen, something that told only Peyton to start bugging him again.

At first he could ignore it, employing the tactic that his friends and sister had used, until Peyton laughed at him. He hadn't wanted to ask her what she was laughing at, and he had held out for as long as he could, but the longer he lasted the funnier she found it until he pulled over into the emergency stopping bay they had been passing and turned to her.

"WHAT THE HELL IS SO FUNNY!" he all but screamed, well that had been a bad idea, there was one thing he never wanted to put up with, and that thing was a pissed off Peyton, and now that is exactly what he had gotten. The fact that he had bought it on himself seemed to pass him at the moment.

"You, I find you funny because for the last half an hour, you have been doing exactly what Haley, Brooke and Lilly have been doing, and yet. You don't seem to see the irony of it. You got all high and mighty about the fact that they were ignoring me, to the point where you slapped your little sister for it. Yet it seems like it is perfectly ok, for you do the exact same thing." Lucas knew she had him there, not that he would ever admit to it. If he admitted to that, well she'd just keep going, and that was the last thing he wanted; skiing, even though he hadn't done a whole of it, was starting to look more appealing by the minute.

The rest of the drive had them sitting in silence, Peyton would ever now and then chuckle, at a text she would get from someone back home, more than likely Karen. Although at this point Lucas wouldn't put it past her to, actually be texting Haley or Brooke, heaven knows that those three have done some stranger things in all the years he had known all three of them. He finally saw the turn off to the resort and couldn't be more thankful that soon he could escape, sure this was meant to be a holiday for them to reconnect, but that had changed, since they had booked it. With Nathan and Haley coming home, and everything that, had happened since then. Lucas just wanted some time to actually, process everything. Something he wasn't sure he had fully done yet, and they had been back for almost four months.

"Luke-

"I don't want to hear it Peyton, I just want to get off the road ok."

"All I was going to say is that you missed the turn in, it was about ten meters back on your right." Lucas sighed made sure that no cars were coming as he turned around, sure enough once again she had been right, damn it why did she always have to be right?

Arriving, having someone grab their bags from the back of their car, and checking in had taken all of about forty-five minutes. Now Peyton was standing at the window of their suite for the next week. The view in front of her was breathtaking, a hillside covered with snow, even if some of it was machine made. The little dots she could see, moving down the slopes were people, who from her vantage point looked so small at the moment. Lucas had after dumping his shoulder bag and laptop, made a bee line for the bar, saying that he needed to unwind. He had made a promise though that he would only have a couple of drinks before coming back upstairs.

For this time of day, there were more people, than Lucas had expected in the bar/restaurant, one of the many places the resorted offered for dining. Walking over to the bar, he found a spare seat and sat down. It wasn't long before someone, came and took his order. Rolling his neck a bit, it was good to finally be out of the car. He knew she was right and that he had over reacted, both times but, it had been the final straw for him. He had been keeping everything so close to his chest. All the resentment he had, towards Nathan and Haley, not for coming back into their lives, but for doing everything he was meant to do first. Sure he and Nathan were only a year apart but, well that didn't change how he felt. Keeping it to himself probably wasn't a good idea either, but what was he meant to say? He couldn't exactly tell Nathan, that he had to go back and change it.

"Long day?" The man beside him asked. Lucas looked up to see a man not that much older than he was, nursing what looked to Lucas like a whiskey.

"You could say that," Lucas took a swig of his drink and smiled tightly.

"If you don't mind me saying, you looked a little cheesed off when you walked in. Generally not how people look on holiday." Lucas laughed, and shook his head, it certainly wasn't how he had planned to start this week, but with Peyton not leaving what had happened back home alone; he just needed some time to calm down. He would probably go back and ask to start fresh with her, after he had, had a few drinks; enough to relax him but no where near, enough to have him plastered.

"Yeah, uh argument with my wife on the drive here, I wanted to leave all the drama at home; but apparently she had other ideas." The man beside him laughed he could understand that. They sat there talking for a little while till, Lucas put up his hand.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name?"

"It's Sean Duncan"

"Lucas Scott" Lucas waited for the question he always got asked, if he was any relation to the Basket Ball player, Nathan Scott. Some times he would lie and say no, they were no relation, purely for the fact that most people asked him what it was like to be Nathan's Scott's brother.

When honestly he didn't even really know what it was like anymore.

"Cool, I'm guessing that you and the Mrs. came up for a romantic get away?" Lucas was slightly shocked that Sean hadn't asked him about Nathan, it was a first, but something, at the moment he appreciated.

"Yeah something like that, well it was meant to be something like that, clearly it changed." Sean laughed and nodded he could relate, in some way, not that he would fully admit that at the moment

Two hours later, Peyton wondered down from their room, looking for Lucas, she had sat back and relaxed a little, she'd had a shower and freshened up, now she wanted to find her husband and hopefully get to the root of what was making him so annoyed with their extended family, she had hoped to get it out of the way during their first day here. Lucas had, had other plans.

As she wondered into the restaurant that had a bar attached to it, she found her husband, standing around a pool table, a cue in his hand, as he watched the man he was playing a game with take his turn.

"Luke?" Peyton asked, she watched as he sighed, well so much for getting the chip off his shoulder.

"What?!" He asked, he still clearly, wasn't in the mood to talk about whatever it was, that was bugging him. Peyton rolled her eyes, and threw her hands up in the air. She turned around and walked out of the bar area, muttering something under her breath that he missed.

Sean looked up, and smirked at his new found friend.

"Dude, you are so in the dog house, when you go back up to your room." Lucas knew he was right, and if he wanted to get out of it, he would have to start going after her now. He also knew Peyton wouldn't listen to him right now, so he would sort it out later. Before they could get back to their game, he noticed Sean smile and put down his pool cue. Turning around, he saw two little girls running towards them.

"Daddy!" they yelled together, before crashing into Sean, who had bent down to greet them.

"Ah, my princesses, here at last," he wrapped them up one in each arm and stood up.

"Lucas, I'd like you to meet my girls. Emma and Sofie; Girls go back to grandma, I'll be there in a minute." He said placing the girls on the ground, the two girls nodded and ran off. Sean laughed at the confused look on Lucas's face.

"A couple of years ago, my wife and I were in a car accident, she passed away at the scene. I was a wreck, and in no shape to look after my girls. I turned to drinking," when he saw the look on Lucas's face he laughed again.

"It was apple juice, I come up here every year; the bar tender knows me, he likes to freak people out when I tell them this story. My daughters, live with their grandparents, I have to be sober for five years before I can get custody. I screwed up a couple of times before, so I get visitation, twice a year, Christmas and their birthday. I've got two years under my belt, three more to go, and I get them back." Lucas didn't know what to say. He was rather shocked. Sean didn't seem to be a guy Lucas would have pegged as a father.

"It's hard sure, knowing that they are growing up away from me. But I'm working on it, I know the accident wasn't my fault, the guy who was at fault, is paying for it. But I let my own demons get to me. So I've got no one else but myself to blame for the situation I'm in at the moment. I better go, the girls are going shopping with their grandmother tomorrow so, if you're still in the dog house tomorrow I'll be here around ten." Lucas nodded, and watched him walk away, and into the restaurant, Sean's girls came running up to their father again, and Lucas could see just how happy they made him; packing up the game and placing the Cue's back where they belonged, he guessed he may as well face the music with Peyton now.

As he made his way back up to their suite, Lucas thought about what Sean had said about his girls growing up away from him, Lucas was surprised that he wasn't more, well angered by it. He was missing out on so many things, if it was Lucas he would be furious. Finally reaching the room door, he slid the card in and tried to open the door. It wouldn't move, frowning, Lucas tried the card again, yes he got the green light that said the door was unlocked, but he could get the door to move.

"Very mature, Peyton, now move what ever you have against door." He said, he could hear her moving around the room, and a couple of minutes later the door opened.

"And I'm the immature one." He said walking in, he found that instead of the queen sized bed he had requested there were two double beds.

"What the hell?"

"If you had cared to listen when they booked us in, you would have heard, that they double booked and that the room you requested had been booked out, this time last year. They offered to upgrade us for the trouble, but someone said, that the room you have booked was fine." Well, that would teach him to be a million miles away, while checking in wouldn't it.

"Peyton-

"Luke, you have a chip the size of North Carolina on your shoulder, and frankly I'm not the only one who is sick of it, your whole family is. I don't know what your problem is, I really don't, but what ever it is you really need get over it, or talk to someone about it." Lucas nodded he could argue the point with her, that it was nothing but even he knew it would just be proving her point even more.

"Okay, fine you want to know what is bugging me. Nathan and Haley are, sure their back and thats great, but I feel like they're always just. Well, shoving their perfect little family in my face, yes he is only a year younger than me but — he stopped as Peyton held up her hand. Frowning he wondered what she was going to say.

"I don't believe for a second, you think that at all. I know you Lucas Scott. I think the person you are really mad at, is Dan, you're pissed off, that you didn't get to see any of these moments with Nathan and Haley. You really don't mind that they did all these things before you. The thing that pisses you off, is the fact you didn't get to share them. You and Nathan have shared almost everything. You have the same group of friends, you were on the same teams as kids, you shared a room when Lilly was born. Now because, of that damned meddling uncle of yours. You, never got to go to your brothers wedding, or find out when Haley was pregnant, or when she had Jamie. You missed out on sharing seven birthdays with Nathan and Haley and five with Jamie. You are hurt, and you know that if you try to do anything to Dan, it will come back and bite you big time. But lashing out at family, well you thought that would be better. Only to find out that it wasn't really all that better. Sure you are still alive — which by the way still surprises me-but you are still in the dog house with pretty much all of your family." Peyton knew she had at least gotten through to him a little bit, when she heard him sigh.

"So what do I do? I can't exactly just go back and pretend like it never happened?"

"You eat crow and a lot of it. I'm not going to say it will be easy, or that everyone will forgive you right away. Heaven know's Lilly is a Scott in every sense of the word, she's gonna hold it over you something bad; but- and before you go off at her again, saying that you have said that you're sorry and that, that should be enough. Remember, that you and Nathan, both have held something over someone's head. Or do I have to remind you of Tim and middle school?" Once again Lucas had to stop and think back and once again his wife was right. Damn it why did she always have to be right?

"So I just-

"Yep you take what you get and you work for the rest. It also might help, if you know, you and your dad, and Nathan try and find out what Dan is up to, see if there is any legal way of making him pay. We know who it was now, Haley is a witness and I am pretty certain that if Dan tried anything to any one in town that his head would literally be ripped off by a number of people, who wouldn't mind going to jail, for killing him." Nodding his head, Lucas grabbed his laptop back and, walked over to one of the beds.

"Well, at least I won't keep you up at night" he said, Peyton laughed classic Lucas changing the subject when he didn't want to talk about it anymore.

"Yeah, although can you type softly because that will keep me away as well"

"I'll see what I can do."