Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters.

A/N: Hey all. Thanks to all of you still reading this and especially to you awesome reviewers. You all rock. Hope everyone enjoys this chapter.

Lucas looked up abruptly as his mother slammed the phone down on the receiver. He stood up from the breakfast table and went to stand by her side. "Ma, what is it?"

"That was Sheriff Corbin," she replied, rubbing her temples tiredly after a sleepless night. "They just questioned Nathan and it seems he has an alibi – a Miss Katie Sanders – says he was with her all night."

"But he was at the dance," Luke countered.

"And went to her house from there," she replied. "Apparently."

Lucas nodded, his features hard and angry. "So he gets away with it. Why doesn't that surprise me?"

"What the hell is your problem?" Nathan immediately confronted Lucas at Monday morning's practice. "You already have basketball and now you have Peyton too. What the hell else do you want from me?"

"The only thing I want from you is for you to leave me alone," Luke responded coldly. "You know, I've tried being nice to you, being civil, but I'm done."

Nathan just scoffed at the comment. "What did you think was gonna happen, man?" he spat. "That the cops would just buy your bullshit story without even looking into it?"

"No, but I'm sure you counted on them not looking into it when you did it," Lucas replied. "Well, that and your new sex toy vouching for you. Or is she even new?"

"What the hell does it matter to you who I'm fucking? Oh, unless you want to steal her too, in which case you can go right ahead since I was getting tired of her anyway."

"But not tired enough to get her to lie for you."

"Fuck you, man. You might be able to fool some people with this good guy act, but we both know that I didn't go to your house. Cuz if I had, you wouldn't be standing here right now."

"Is there a problem here?" Whitey's thunderous voice echoed throughout the gym. "Well?" he asked again when both boys remained silent while glaring at each other.

They both mumbled that there was no problem before turning in opposite directions, Lucas to the sideline and Nathan, along with the rest of the team, to the floor.

"What was that about?" Damien asked Nathan.

"Fucking Lucas causing shit," Nathan answered irately. "He called the cops and told them I went to his house Friday night and tore his room apart."

Damien shrugged his shoulders. "Sounds like a Nathan Scott move," he said lightly.

"True," Nathan admitted. "Which is why he did it because he figures nobody would believe me."

"That sucks, man. Dude's really out to get you."

Nathan nodded. "Yeah, but one of these days everyone'll see through this innocent act of his. It can't come soon enough for me," he said, brushing past Damien toward the net, missing the satisfied smirk on his friend's face.

Meanwhile

Dan entered the small café, his face set with determination and ignoring the deep scowl Karen greeted him with.

"What are you doing here, Dan?" she asked him irately.

"Now is that any way to address a customer?" he mocked. "Give me a coffee, will ya? Decaf, two creams, no sugar."

"Give me one reason why I should."

"Because you're a sound business woman running a thriving shop."

"Business is fine," she returned coldly. "And I highly doubt a $2.00 purchase is going to make or break me."

"Fair enough," he replied. "Add the breakfast special to that."

"What do you want, Dan?" she asked wearily.

"Why, your lovely company, of course." He grew serious when she threw him a scornful look. "Actually, I came to give you this." He pulled an envelope from his inside pocket and tossed it on the counter in front of her.

"What's this?" she asked, peering inside to see a large stack of bills.

"For damages to Lucas' room," he said. "I'm sure there's plenty enough there to cover the expenses."

She threw the envelope at him furiously. "Keep it. I don't accept hush money."

He chuckled at the term. "What does that mean?"

"It means I know what your son did and you couldn't pay me enough to keep it quiet."

"Need I remind you that you've already called the police?" he pointed out. "Not to mention, Nathan's already been questioned and cleared."

"I heard," she sneered. "Did you bribe the police too?"

"Now why must you always presume the worst? Maybe they didn't find anything because he's innocent."

Karen put both palms on the counter and stared hard at her old high school lover. "If you really believed he was innocent, you wouldn't be here offering to pay for the damages."

"And if you really believed he was guilty, you shouldn't have any problem accepting the payment from his parent."

"I've never taken a dime from you before. Why would I start now?"

Dan threw his arms in the air in frustration. "Fine, Karen, have it your way. You know, I try to do the right thing, but once again your pride won't let me. I thought we could work this out like adults but apparently you'll only accept help from anonymous sources."

"Get out of my shop," she ordered.

It wasn't until he left that his parting statement started to register in her mind. And then it clicked. It must have been him – the mystery person who'd paid Luke's hospital bill.

"You're not even going to ask me about it?" Nathan said to Mouth that evening at his house. They'd already been working a good half hour studying for finals and Nathan had been expecting him to mention something about Lucas or, at the very least, a change in his overall demeanor. But neither happened. "I didn't do it, you know."

Mouth glanced up from his books. "I didn't say you did," he said, knowing what Nathan referred to. "But that's good to know and, to answer your question, no, I wasn't going to ask."

"Well, why not?" Nathan asked in bewilderment. "I know you probably believe Lucas."

"What I think doesn't matter," Mouth replied with a shrug. "Because I'm not getting involved in this never-ending feud between you and Luke. I'm staying way out of it."

"In other words, you think I did do it, but you're not gonna call me on it."

"You're putting words in my mouth."

"Come on, Mouth," Nathan said impatiently. "Be straight with me here."

"Ok," Mouth returned with a sigh. "It does seem like something you would do," he confessed, thinking back to how Nathan and his friends had trashed the river court not so long ago.

"So everyone keeps saying," Nathan mumbled. "Including my dad. And ok, you're all right but I didn't do it."

"And you're gonna say that Luke made it all up, but save your breath because I've known him a long time and he wouldn't do that. You tell me it wasn't you so, as your friend, I'll take your word for it, but somebody did. And looks like it's someone who wanted you to take the fall. Got any enemies?"

Nathan shrugged. "Who doesn't?" he answered. "But nobody that I can see going this far. They're usually too scared to mess with me."

"You don't see anyone going that far?" Mouth scoffed. "Dude, the whole reason everyone knows you beat up Lucas is because someone stole the tape from me and sent out mass copies, including to the cops. Have you forgotten that?"

Nathan shrugged in response. He hadn't forgotten but he couldn't say Lucas wasn't tied to that as well.

"Ok then, different approach," Mouth said. "What other guys want to get with Peyton?"

Snickering at the question, Nathan replied, "Ask me who wouldn't want to get with her. It'd be a lot shorter of a list," he answered. "But it doesn't matter. Everyone knows she's mine, or… was," he corrected. "Look, I don't expect to convince you that Saint Lucas could ever do anything wrong, but you're also not going to convince me that he doesn't do stuff just to cause shit. He didn't have to join the Ravens. He could have stuck with football. And he didn't have to go after Peyton; there are plenty of other girls. I mean, Rachel thinks he's hot," he said with a sneer. "There has to be some other ones who think so too. Why Peyton, other than to mess with me?"

"Because he likes her," Mouth answered. "And, believe it or not, since long before you got with her," he further revealed. "And you know Lucas used to play football?"

"Yeah. Named MVP and everything." Mouth gazed at him quizzically so Nathan continued. "It was in the newspaper. My dad saved the clipping. Keeps it in a lock box in his desk at work, along with a bunch of other pictures of Lucas when he was younger," he added with disgust.

"Seriously?" Mouth asked. "I didn't think he gave two craps about Luke."

Nathan just shrugged again, not really wanting to get into that. "So, any big plans for after semester?"

Mouth shook his head. "No. My parents are going away that weekend though so I'll have the house to myself."

Nathan grinned mischievously. "Party at Mouth's," he called out as though speaking to a room full of people.

"Actually, that's not a bad idea," Mouth admitted. He knew his old friends, particularly Jimmy, were starting to feel like he'd abandoned them in favor of the popular crowd. Most of them couldn't believe Nathan's friendship was actually genuine. But if he could bring them together and let them get to know each other a little…

"Dude, I was kidding," Nathan said, intercepting his thoughts.

"Why? You don't think I could throw a big bash?" Mouth challenged.

"No, I think you could but that you're not going to."

"Why not? I'm not badass enough?"

"You're not badass at all," Nathan countered. "You're a nerd."

"And nerds can't throw parties?"

"They could. They just don't."

"Well, maybe this one will."

"Go for it, dude," Nathan replied in amusement.

"You would come, right?"

"I don't know. Lucas gonna be there?"

"Probably," Mouth answered.

"Then probably not. Unless you don't mind a brawl breaking out in your living room."

"I'm sure you two could avoid each other if you had to."

"That's a joke, right?" Nathan questioned with a quirked eyebrow.

"No."

"Dude, don't give me alcohol and put me in the same room as Lucas cuz I'm telling you right now, that ain't gonna work. I'm not hanging out with him. Sorry."

"I didn't ask you to. I just assumed you could be mature enough to be civil at least and not make me have to choose which one of you to invite."

Nathan frowned at the comment. "Who said you had to choose? If you want Lucas to go, it's cool."

"But I want you there too so in essence by saying you won't go if Luke does, then you are making me choose."

"You're reaching," Nathan commented while rolling his eyes. "But I'm guessing you know that."

"Fine, I won't throw a party then if it's already creating static."

"What? It's not…" Nathan began. "Alright, whatever," he gave in. "Have your fucking party, loser. I'll be there."

A smile spread across Mouth's face. "Awesome!" he exclaimed enthusiastically. "I'll pick up the invitations tonight."

Nathan chuckled and shook his head. "Yeah," he said caustically. "May as well pick up cake and ice-cream while you're at it. Maybe some balloons and party hats too."

"No invitations?"

"Not unless you're still in third grade."

"Then how will people know to come?"

"Just spread the word, man. People will come," Nathan replied, still laughing. "You're such a fucking nerd."

"Yeah? Well, let's see if you're still saying that after I throw the wildest bash this town's ever seen. Until then, let's get back to studying," Mouth said. "Dumbass."

"I can't believe Mouth's throwing a party," Haley mused Tuesday at lunch.

"Yeah," Peyton acknowledged with a nod. "Luke told me. You going?"

"Well, I've known him forever so yeah. Plus I did kinda promise Luke I'd go out and have some fun while we're off school. I just can't believe Mouth is throwing a party."

"So you said," Peyton replied with a chuckle.

"None of us have really been into that sorta stuff, you know? Well, maybe with the exception of Skills."

"Hey, Mouth hangs out with Nathan now," Peyton said reasonably. "He's bound to rub off sometime."

"Yeah, speaking of Nathan…" Haley started, but before she could express her thought, they ran into Tim.

"Whoa!" Tim exclaimed. "You two are still friends?" he asked, eyeing Haley. "Even after she stole your boyfriend?"

Peyton and Haley exchanged puzzled glances until both girls realized he must have gotten his information from Damien. Haley had, after all, told him that Luke was her boyfriend.

"Oh, well, Luke and I had already split up," Haley sputtered, not really sure what else to say. "We're just friends now."

Just as quickly, Tim dismissed her and turned to Peyton. "So? You and Pucas, huh? Guess you felt like slummin'."

"Tim," Peyton admonished. "That is so wrong to say and not even any of your business."

"Nathan's my boy," he argued defensively.

"Nathan and I aren't together," Peyton practically hissed.

"Maybe not in the physical sense," Tim replied, sounding surprisingly wise. "But in heart you are. You always will be. And Lucas, he's just along for the ride, hoping to get a few crumbs. Just like Shelly was."

Before Peyton could even form a response, Tim had disappeared down the hall.

"Can you believe the nerve of that guy?" she asked once he was long gone.

"Actually, I can," Haley responded. "Because I think he's right and I've wanted to bring it up for the past three days ever since Luke told me you agreed to go out with him."

"Ok, Haley…"

"No, Peyton, just listen. Luke's my best friend and if he's happy, I'm happy."

"I sense a but coming," Peyton said dully.

"But I don't want to see him get hurt and I really would hate to think that you're only with him as some kind of revenge on Nathan."

"That's ridiculous…"

"Is it?"

"Yes."

"Peyton, I've seen how you react to Nathan… I know you're still in love with him and I don't want to see Luke get used to make Nathan jealous or as some kind of safety net."

"That's not what he is," Peyton stated objectively. "I care about Lucas."

"As in how you care about Nathan or as in how you care about me?"

"Ok, that's not fair. Since when do you have to be in love to date someone? And Lucas knows about Nathan and he's ok with it."

"Because he lives in fantasy land and thinks he can magically take Nathan's place in your heart."

"Maybe he can," Peyton countered.

Haley sighed deeply. "I hope so, Peyton because you deserve to be happy. But so does Lucas so if there's any chance that you and Nathan…"

"There's not," Peyton cut in quickly. "Look, Haley, it's really sweet that you're so worried about your best friend. But trust me, I'm not going to hurt him. Nathan and I are done."

Haley wished she could be as sure as Peyton tried to sound, but she had a horrible feeling that Luke's heart was going to be crushed in the end. And she hated that all she could do was stand back and watch it happen. But what else could she do but drop it and hope she was wrong?

"How's the meat loaf?" Larry asked Lucas Wednesday evening at the dinner table.

"It's delicious," Luke answered politely. "Thank you for inviting me over," he added.

"It's a pleasure to have you," Larry beamed.

Peyton smiled, thinking how nice it was to have her father's approval. She didn't think she'd ever seen a happier man than when she'd gone home after the dance and revealed that she was now officially with Lucas. Ellie had been a little more aloof when she'd told her the next day. Peyton wasn't sure why and Ellie hadn't really explained. Peyton had considered the possibility that perhaps she didn't like Lucas, but Ellie had assured her that she liked him just fine and from what Peyton could tell, she did. She was friendly enough with him anyway.

Throughout dinner Larry asked Lucas several questions regarding his life and plans for the future, to which Luke answered in his usual courteous manner. Peyton knew he was impressing her father more and more every time they interacted, which was such a far cry from how he'd felt about Nathan.

After dinner Lucas helped clear the table and offered to do dishes as well. Larry simply scoffed and told him he was a guest. Lucas shrugged and told him that he didn't mind, that he did dishes all the time at home and the cafe. And so Larry liked him even more, but nonetheless sent him and Peyton to the living room while he and Ellie tackled the dishes.

Ellie argued jokingly that she was a guest too since she didn't live there.

"No," Larry denied. "Once you've been here three times you're no longer considered a guest."

"Is that right? Well, I'm quite sure Lucas has been here more than three times."

"Ah yes, but not as my daughter's boyfriend. Makes a difference," he joked back.

"You're really happy about those two, aren't you?"

"Absolutely," Larry replied. "He's a good, decent kid who works hard and is not going to break her heart every chance he gets."

"Yeah, I agree," Ellie said. "He is a good kid and he won't break her heart."

"I'm glad you finally see things my way," Larry responded.

"Then again," she went on. "How could he when her heart belongs to someone else?"

Meanwhile

Lucas sat beside Peyton on the couch and asked her when her next strip was due.

"Tomorrow," she said.

"Oh. Did you want me to take off so you can work on it?"

She smiled at his consideration. "No, it's ok. It's almost done. I can finish it up tomorrow morning in class."

"Or," Luke said with a smile. "You could finish it now instead of leaving it to the last minute."

"I know, I just don't want you to feel like I'm rushing you out the door."

"You wouldn't be," he assured her. "Ok, tell you what," he said, pulling a book out of his bag. "How about you draw and I sit with you and read?"

She nodded appreciatively before responding. "Ok. As long as you don't act out the parts."

He chuckled before settling in his seat and opening his book.

Peyton gathered all of her material and sat across him, stealing reflective glances at him as she did so. His attitude toward her sketches was in direct contrast to what Nathan's had been. Lucas thought her drawings meant something, Nathan though they were a waste of time – time better spent on him.

She thought about the argument she and Nathan had had in the driveway at that party she'd gone to with Lucas; when he'd told her he called her art a waste of time because she never did anything with it. She wondered if he would act differently now that she was drawing for Thud and had deadlines to meet. Probably not, she thought, recalling how he'd referred to her strip as a 'stupid comic strip'.

She shook her head to try to clear her thoughts. It didn't matter what he'd do now since she was no longer with him. He'd never cared about her art anyway so why would she even think anything would be different now?

Mentally berating herself once more, her eyes narrowed, her brow creased, she forced her attention to her paper. But her concentration wasn't on the task before her. She drew absently as her mind went back to when she'd been painting at her canvass in her room. Nathan had come up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist as his lips pressed into the back of her neck.

Flashback

"You almost done?" he asked her.

"I just started," she replied irritably.

"Not just," he countered, tracing small kisses from her neck to her collar bone while his hands flattened across her abdomen and his fingers ran over the smooth flesh.

"Five minutes ago," she mumbled with annoyance.

"Ten," he argued, his mouth making its way to her ear. "And I'm bored."

"You mean horny?" she asked dully.

"That too," he told her as he pulled her against his length, letting her feel the proof in the small of her back.

"What else is new?" she deadpanned, affected by his touch yet angry too that he always looked for ways to distract her from her art. "Can't you ever just let me draw?" she asked for the umpteenth time.

"Sure, go ahead," he replied. But his lips continued to tease her senses. "How much longer?" he asked just seconds later, his hands travelling upward to cup her breasts.

She closed her eyes at the sensation his touch evoked within her but her anger came out stronger. She threw her paint brush down and whirled on him. "I'm done, ok? You happy? Let's have sex, shall we?" she said irately, pulling off her top.

The gesture had his body stirring all the more, but her obvious agitation served as a cooler. "Never mind," he told her through gritted teeth. "I wouldn't want to force you into it or anything."

"No, no," Peyton replied, her cheeks flushed with frustration. "You wanted to have sex so let's do it."

Nathan shook his head, his desire killed. "Yeah, cuz you're really setting the mood just right."

"Oh, but I thought you were already in the mood," she challenged.

"I was."

"What? You got off just knowing you got me to quit painting?"

"No."

"Yet you changed your mind as soon as I stopped."

"I changed my mind because you obviously don't want to."

"Right because that wasn't clear before."

"You know what, Peyton? I'm getting really tired of this."

"You're getting tired of it?"

"Yeah," he confirmed. "If you just wanted to draw all night, why am I even here?"

"Why else?"

"And there's another thing I'm tired of," he seethed. "You making me out to be this horrible guy just because I want to have sex. What the fuck is so wrong with that? You are my girlfriend."

"Right, so that means I should drop everything to be ready and willing to please you at all times."

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to," she countered. "Your actions have made it pretty clear."

"Why? Because you turn me on? I don't turn you away when you're horny," he told her.

"I'm also not horny 24-7 like you are."

He was silent for a moment before asking. "Do you even want to be with me, Peyton? Because half the time it doesn't feel like you do."

She rolled her eyes, refusing to give him the ego boost he was clearly seeking. "Right now, I want to draw."

"Fine," he muttered, snatching his jacket from the bed. "I'll get out of your way then."

"You do that."

End of Flashback

Her pencil continued to run over the paper as her mind rested on that particular incident as well as the words he'd said to her in that driveway. 'Maybe I went to other girls because you were so wrapped up in your own little world half the time that you barely even noticed that I was around.'

She tried to shake her thoughts away. After all, she couldn't be held responsible for Nathan's actions. But her mind was apparently set on rehashing the past. 'A lot of times it felt like you wished I would just disappear.' She'd countered that statement by accusing him of never telling her why he always strayed whenever she would ask him. But she realized now that he had told her. Time and time again he'd told her – not when she'd ask him about it but rather in arguments when they were both angry. But she hadn't listened and instead had made herself seem even more indifferent to him by choosing not to inflate his ego. Maybe she should have quashed those insecurities when he voiced them. Maybe then he wouldn't have turned to others for the boost he was looking for from her.

She closed her eyes momentarily, hating the direction her mind was leading her because it seemed to want to place the entire blame on her when she knew that wasn't the case. Sure she could have handled things better then but Nathan could have too. He could have let her have her independence instead of seeing it as a sort of competition for her time. But perhaps if she'd been clear instead of reacting defensively in anger, she could have made him understand that her interests and hobbies didn't take away from her feelings for him nor her body's desire to be with him in every way.

Then again she definitely thought he exaggerated on the amount of times she turned him down because as far as she could remember it wasn't all that often. And that brought her thoughts back to a similar situation when she'd been painting and Nathan had inevitably set out to distract her.

Flashback

"Would you stop?" she said in annoyance, trying to shake him off.

It didn't deter him from his goal. Instead he slipped his hands into her front pockets, tightening his hold.

"Nate, I'm serious, stop it. I'm trying to work here."

"So am I," he mumbled between pressing kisses to the side of her neck.

An unintentional moan escaped her lips and she felt him smile in satisfaction against her skin, which in turn increased her irritation. "Would you go find something to do?"

"I already have something to do," he answered.

She shoved his hands away. "God, Nathan! Would you just…" She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. "I'm trying to paint."

"So paint," he breathed into her ear. "Who's stopping you?"

She rolled her eyes. Yeah, I wonder, she thought. "A little space if you please," she said aloud.

He sighed and stepped back a few feet, leaning against her desk, his eyes upon her.

"Isn't there something you could watch?"

"Yeah," he responded. "I am watching it," he added, making no attempt to hide the fact that he was staring appreciatively at her back side.

She shook her head, getting more frustrated by the second. "I meant on TV. You know, a game or something?"

"Probably," he said simply.

"Then how about you go watch it?"

"I don't want to watch TV," he told her. "I like the view right here," he added brazenly. "You know, I'm really digging those new jeans."

She turned on him with the intent of screaming at him that she couldn't concentrate on her painting with him gawking at her ass, but his last comment stopped her and her mood instantly lightened. "You noticed they're new?" she asked him softly.

He was taken aback by the question at first. He'd expected her to yell at him. "Why wouldn't I?" he questioned, his brows furrowed with confusion.

She couldn't answer him, just stood with her mouth agape and stuck for words.

He chuckled a bit uncertainly, unsure about her temperament at the moment and more so when she glided over to him. He didn't know if she was putting on this cool façade and if he should expect to be slapped any moment or what. The last thing he thought she'd do was slide her arms around his neck and kiss him. But that's exactly what she did.

"You really like them, huh?" she asked him.

He nodded in response.

"Well, that's too bad," she said sensually, nuzzling his bottom lip. "Because I was kinda hoping you'd help me outta them."

He inhaled sharply, his body instantly aflame. "You were?" he asked hoarsely, more confused than before.

"Uh huh," she said, working on undoing the buttons of his shirt.

"What about your painting?"

"It can wait."

End of Flashback

"Hot?" Luke asked, snapping her out of her reverie.

She wondered why he asked until she realized she'd instinctively picked up a magazine and had begun fanning herself with it. "Oh, umm, yeah, it's a little…a little warm in here." Especially when you're remembering the steamy sex you had with your ex-boyfriend, she berated herself. Oh man, what was she doing?

She had to ask herself the same question when she looked down at her sketch and noticed that it matched her thoughts exactly. She quickly flipped it over, hoping Lucas, her current boyfriend, hadn't noticed the definite x-rated images she'd unconsciously drawn of her and Nathan together.