Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill.

Chapter 20

Lucas sat there, signing autographs of his book. The crowd at this bookstore was the biggest so far on the tour. The line started from the book display all the way to the parking lot. He was amazed at the the amount of people that were lined up to just simply meet him and talk about words that he had written down on a few pieces of paper. Okay, so it was more than just a few pieces of paper, but to know that people were fans of his writing and actually cared about what he had to say, it was an amazing feeling. He was even more amazed as he watched Peyton. She walked through the bookstore, meeting and greeting people, chatting about his book as if she was just another fan. Actually, she was his number one fan. She was enjoying herself and Lucas was in awe of her support for him. Every once in a while, their eyes would meet, and they just smiled at each other.

After the book signing, Lucas and Peyton went for a romantic stroll downtown, taking in the city lights. They stopped by a food truck "Chaz Philly Cheesesteaks". While eating their food, Lucas took ahold of Peyton's hand and looked her in the eyes. "You're so amazing, you know that?" He asked her.

Peyton blushed. "So are you. I'm so proud of you baby."

"Thank you. Thank you for being there. You've always been there for me. I appreciate the way you support me; the way you motivate me to chase my dreams; even if that means that you put your dreams on hold."

Peyton wiped a tear from her eye. They had talked about this before; talked about how she would press pause on this whole music thing and go with him on his book tour. Lucas of course felt guilty; like he was holding her back from doing what she loved. But she told him that she loved him and everything else will figure itself out. Peyton could see that he was still hesitant about it. Even now, she still has to reassure him.

"Lucas, it's not a big deal. I can always start my record label later. This is a big opportunity for you. They love your book. This is your dream."

"Peyton, you are my dream. And I want you to follow yours. You are a great music producer." He took a deep breath and squeezed her hand. "And hopefully for the rest of our lives, you and I can make beautiful music together."

He reached in his pocket and took out a little box.

Peyton eyes went wide.

Then he got down on one knee.

"Luke, what are you doing?" She asked nervously.

He looked into her eyes.

"Lucas." She whispered as she looked around at all of the people staring at them.

"Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer. Will you marry me?"

Her tears were flowing freely now as she said, "Yes. Yes I will marry you." She giggled as Lucas put the ring on her finger and they kissed. She couldn't believe this was happening.

Everyone around them clapped.

"Congratulations! Free cheesesteaks for everyone!" Chaz yelled from his food truck.

...

Lucas lit the last few candles and checked the time on his phone. It was 9:30pm. Peyton would be coming home any minute now. After talking to Haley the other day, he realized that he was neglecting Peyton. It wasn't fair to her that his feelings were conflicted between her and Brooke. Peyton had always been straightforward about how she feels about him; sometimes a little too straightforward, causing a rift between her and her former best friend.

He and Peyton needed a reset. They needed to hit the reset button and go back to their book tour bliss. That's why Lucas was at her house setting up a romantic evening with a candlelight dinner.

He heard her car outside. He sat at the table waiting for her to come in.

Peyton unlocked the door to her house and walked in. She took off her jacket and dropped it on the floor. She was so tired. Work had been extra stressful today, trying to get Mia to sing with confidence and convince her that she didn't need Jason or the band. She also needed to get another sound system, and book Mia's first gig. But what she needed the most right now was an alcoholic beverage; whether it was beer or wine, she didn't care, she just needed it. She was about to walk into the kitchen when a glow from the dining room caught her eye.

"Hello?" She called out.

Nothing.

She slowly walked into the dining room and jumped when she saw Lucas sitting there.

"Surprise!"

"Luke, don't do that! You scared me!" She hit him on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I was trying to surprise you." He gave her a hug and kiss.

"What is all of this?" She said as she looked at all of the candles lit up from the dining room leading to upstairs.

"This is Book Tour Bliss." He stated with much confidence.

Peyton laughed. "What?"

"Book Tour Bliss. I know I've been acting a little different lately. And I know it's been awkward since Brooke has come back."

Peyton looked away at the sound of Brooke's name. She always felt guilty and insecure whenever anyone talked about her; especially Lucas.

"But I love you Peyton, and you're going to be my wife. I don't want to lose sight of that. So, I figured I could try to recreate the magic that we had on the book tour. And what better way to start it off than with this..." He went to the table and lifted up the silver lid on the plate.

"Chaz Philly Cheesesteaks! How did you get those?" Peyton asked.

"Well, I kept the menu from the night we got engaged..."

Peyton smiled. That was very thoughtful of him.

"...and I called him to see if he had any other locations than Philadelphia. He just so happened to be catering an event in the area and the rest is history."

Peyton kissed him long and hard. After coming up for air, he asked "What was that for?"

"For doing all of this. Thank you." She said.

"Can I get another one?" He asked as he pulled her closer, staring at her lips.

"Do we have any beer or wine?" She asked.

Lucas looked at the table. "We have champagne."

"That'll work." They kissed passionately.

…

A Few Days Later

Tree Hill was a wet and dreary mess as Victoria stepped outside of the airport terminal. Heavy rain poured down as thunder and lightning filled the sky. Victoria was agitated that she had to fly all the way back here to knock some sense into her daughter. Why couldn't she be a good little girl and do what the hell she was told?! Victoria rolled her eyes as she watched her chauffeur struggle to put her bags in the trunk. He'd better hurry and open the door for her because the damn thing wasn't going to open itself! Just then someone walked past in a hurry, accidentally splashing rain on Victoria's italian leather boots.

"You idiot! These cost more than anything you've ever owned! And speaking of money, guess who just lost their tip?" She looked pointedly at her driver.

"I apologize for the delay ma'am." The driver quickly opened the door for Victoria. When she got into the car, she grabbed the complimentary bottle of champagne, preparing to get a little buzzed for the epic showdown with her daughter. She was going to drag Brooke back to New York kicking and screaming if she had to.

One sip and Victoria spit out the champagne as if it offended her. It was the cheap stuff. She tossed the bottle and sat back in her seat as the rain and thunder stormed on, the weather ironically matching her mood.

The town car pulled up in front of Clothes Over Bros. Victoria noticed that there were no customers in sight, but the store seemed to be open. She walked into the store, looking around. She hate to admit that the store looked okay, classy even. Victoria felt it was too classy for a town like this. It would be more suitable for New York.

There was a noise coming from the back of the store, near the stock room. Victoria walked to the back to see if Brooke was there. The closer she got, she heard more than one voice.

"Put it right there."

"It's so wet."

"Be careful."

"It keeps coming and coming."

Victoria quickly opened the door. "What the hell is going on back here?!"

Millie and Mouth jumped at the sound of Victoria's voice. The rain was leaking inside the store so they were trying to find anything to catch the water, so it wouldn't ruin the clothes.

"Victoria, what are you doing here?" Millie asked.

"Obviously not interrupting anything." Victoria glanced over at Mouth then back to Millie. "Millicent you can do way better." Then she looked back at Mouth in disgust. "On second thought, he looks about your speed."

"Nice to see you again Mrs. Davis." Mouth replied sarcastically.

Victoria rudely waved him off. "Where's my daughter?" She stepped over a bucket of water, careful not to do any more damage to her italian boots. "And does she know that her business is falling apart?"

Millie looked nervously at Victoria. She really didn't want to tell her about what happened to Brooke, but she knew it had to be done. Sensing the tension in the air, Mouth quickly dismissed himself to call the contractor about the leaky ceiling.

Millie cleared her throat. "Brooke is not here."

Victoria rolled her eyes. "I can clearly see that. Where is she? And why isn't she answering my calls?! If she thinks she is going to cut me out of this new fashion line, she better think again..."

"She's in the hospital!" Millie blurted out.

Victoria's eyes went wide. "What on earth are you talking about?!"

"Brooke was attacked."

Millie proceeded to tell Victoria everything; from Brooke being attacked to Sebastian being placed in the custody of his father.

The more Millie talked, the angrier Victoria got. How dare they not tell her? She should've been the first to know! I'm her mother!

"That's enough! I don't want to hear anymore." Victoria turned to leave, splashing a puddle on her way out. She turned around giving Millie a menacing look. "And clean this place up before we're all treading water!"

...

Somehow, Lucas found himself once again sitting at Brooke's bedside. He can say that he doesn't know how or why he keeps coming back here, but he would be lying. He knew exactly why. And if he were to express those feelings out loud, it would create a lot of drama, and he had his fair share of it. So, he got comfortable in his seat and began to talk to Brooke.

...

The town car pulled up to the hospital's entrance. Victoria stepped out and told the driver to wait nearby. She marched through the hospital lobby like a woman on a mission. She wanted answers and she wanted them now.

After demanding to know what's going on with her daughter and threatening to sue the entire hospital, she was escorted to the floor that Brooke was on. The head nurse was trying to explain Brooke's condition, but Victoria rudely dismissed her and told her to go get the doctor. After showing her to Brooke's room, the nurse quickly scurried away. Victoria stopped outside of Brooke's door. She took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself for whatever condition her daughter was in. A thousand scenarios ran through her mind and Victoria couldn't help but feel a little scared. But the closer she got to the door, she heard a male voice coming from inside the room. Okay, feelings be damned! She pushed the door open wondering who the hell was in there with her daughter!

Lucas looked up at the sound of the door opening. His eyes went wide as he saw Victoria standing there, glaring at him.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" She asked him.

"I was just checking on her." He explained.

...

Peyton stepped off the elevator, adjusting the vase in her arms. She had brought Brooke some flowers. Ever since that night of bliss that she and Lucas shared, Peyton had been on cloud nine. Nothing was going to bring her down. So, she decided to visit Brooke. This was her second time visiting; and the truth was that Peyton had missed Brooke dearly. She hoped that her condition had improved since the last time she was here. And even though their last encounter was brief, she was wondering if Brooke would be happy to see her when she opened her eyes.

As she approached the door, Peyton heard arguing. Was Brooke awake?

"She doesn't need you here. You've never been there for her, so why are you here now?"

Peyton knew that voice. It was Victoria. She thought she had left, but apparently she was back in town. Peyton turned around to leave. She didn't want a run-in with Victoria. The lady was ruthless. So, she figured she would come back later when the coast was clear.

"I could say the same for you. You've hardly ever been there for her unless it benefits you. So why are you here?" Lucas challenged her.

That voice stopped Peyton in her tracks. She knew that voice very well. That voice was whispering in her ear this morning as they played around in bed.

Why didn't he tell me he was visiting Brooke? She thought as she listened through the door.

"This is ridiculous! Where's the doctor?" Victoria raised her voice. "I don't understand how they can let leeches and parasites such as yourself, visit my daughter. This is not good for her health! Sending my grandson to live with strange people that he barely knows is not good for my daughter's health!"

Lucas shot her a dirty look. His anger was palpable. "Strange people? I'M HIS FATHER!" He yelled at her.

"WHAT?!?!" Peyton exclaimed as the flower vase slipped from her fingers and shattered on the floor.

Victoria opened the door, looked at Peyton and rolled her eyes. "Great, another leech. This hospital should invest in better pest control."

Lucas stared at Peyton in shock. He didn't expect her to be here and he definitely didn't expect her to find out like this.

Brooke's doctor came to the door along with a security guard. "We've received noise complaints and you've all exceeded the visitor capacity. We're going to have to ask some of you to leave."

Peyton turned around and left.

"Peyton, wait!" Lucas shouted. He kissed Brooke's forehead, ignoring Victoria's sound of disdain, then he ran after Peyton.

Victoria dug into her expensive handbag, getting out a handkerchief. She dutifully wiped her daughter's forehead, as if wiping smudgy fingerprints off a crystal. Victoria needed to protect her assets. "So doctor, what's the prognosis?"

...

Peyton angrily jabbed at the button in the elevator, trying to make the door close, before Lucas got there, which from the sound of his voice would be any second now.

Lucas arrived at the elevator just as it closed shut. He only caught a glimpse of his fiancée, and she didn't look too happy. He ran toward the stairs, taking them three at a time, trying to figure out what he was going to say. What could he say?

He rushed through the hospital's lobby just in time to see Peyton get in her car.

"Peyton! Peyton please!" He yelled as he approached her.

Peyton glared at Lucas, tears streaming fiercely down her cheek. "Lucas how could you?! How could you do this to me? To us? What happened to our book tour bliss?"

Lucas reached for her hand that gripped the steering wheel, but she yanked away from him. "I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you. I was going to tell you when the time was right."

"Is this why you've been avoiding me? Sneaking around, taking care of your secret family?"

"Can we talk about this somewhere else?" Lucas asked as he stood there, getting soaked as the heavy rain poured down.

Peyton turned the key in the ignition, the car roaring to life. "I don't really want to talk to you right now." Then she sped off.

Lucas stood there and watched as his world turned upside down, yet again. He couldn't go back to Brooke's room, with Victoria still there. He thought about going home to his mom, little sister, and his son, but he felt ashamed of himself and he really shouldn't burden them. And he knew not to chase after Peyton. He knew she needed time to process this.

So he walked to his car, got in, and drove away; with no particular destination in mind.

--

Author's Note: Follow me on Instagram at extra0rdinaryfanfiction