AN: Another new story I know slap my hand lol. Don't worry I haven't given up on my other stories I've just had a serious case of writers block lately and this idea has been floating around in my head for a while now so I thought I may as well write it until inspiration for my other fics comes back.

Summary: An idyllic life is what they had everyone envied them. They had it all, the perfect house, the career and the most adorable five year old daughter anyone could wish for. However, one tragedy ruins everything and Peyton has no choice but to make Lucas move out. Will this finally give him the incentive to get over the pain and be there for his family again, or will he just continue on his downward spiral?

Through the storm

Chapter 1 – Tragedies

Storms. They rage and cause destruction; they are violent and attack suddenly and ultimately they can have disastrous effects. Lucas and Peyton lived the idyllic lifestyle, they had everything they could ever hope for and more, they were often seen as perfect and envied by many until a storm caused a major wave in their marriage and tore their family apart. Now they were barely hanging together, now they were pitied and people felt sorry for them, now they were pretty much nothing.

A tragedy is considered as an event that results in great loss and misfortune, but somehow that didn't seem to compare to what Lucas and Peyton had been through; it didn't come close. It was so much more than a great loss, it was a like a piece of them disappeared, they no longer felt whole but simply empty and bitter.

As she packed the remainder of his belongings a tear escaped Peyton's saddened green emerald eyes. She never thought it would come to this, she never thought their lives would take a turn for the worse, well at least not something as drastic as this. They could always get through anything as long as they had each other but neither one of them were prepared for the tragedy that befell their family. It was too much for them to handle and ultimately it ripped them apart. Everything in their lives ran so smoothly, to the outsiders they had it all, people envied them. They had the successful career, the big house, the two cars and the perfect little girl. They had it all but unfortunately it didn't last, their idyllic life was destroyed by one fatal accident on a seemingly normal day to anyone else. However, that day would haunt them both. It would never be forgotten no matter how hard they tried to erase the memory from their minds.

She tried her hardest to make things work, she remained patient telling herself that he would get over it eventually and would come to her in his own time but who was she kidding they would never get over something like this. It was something that they would carry around with them forever, there would always be this ache in her heart, a pain of what could have been, there was no getting over it but she unlike Lucas had learned to live with it the best she could. She had to go on living for her career, for herself, for her friends, for Lucas and most importantly for Anna, her daughter whom she loved with everything she had. If it wasn't for the little girl who brought such joy to her life she probably wouldn't have been able to cope, she probably would have given up but the little girl was her reason for carrying on, her reason for living, she gave her the courage and the strength to get through all the pain she had endured and would continue to endure. She wished Lucas would have opened up to her during this hard time, she wished he would have helped her through the pain so that she could have helped him too, but he didn't instead he refused to deal with the tragedy that had happened four months ago and instead he turned to alcohol and fell into a state of depression.

She knew it was the final straw today when he didn't return home for their daughter's fifth birthday party. Anna was distraught and Peyton had to lie for him and make some excuse about his job which she hated doing but she didn't want Anna to have any reason to hate her father and she didn't want their daughter to think she wasn't loved by her father, no child should have to feel like that. However, she couldn't keep living like this, she didn't want Anna to see her father in the state he was always in, she had already witnessed enough of their arguments lately and it wasn't fair to either of them. She always asked for her daddy to tuck her into bed at night and it broke Peyton's heart because he was never home and their daughter was suffering because of it. She had to make a change and although it broke her own heart to do this, she knew she was doing the right thing. She couldn't wait around anymore wishing for him to go back to his former self, she had to take action and get on with her life.

She placed his suitcase in the foyer before taking a seat in the lounge. She flicked through an old scrapbook of when they were happy, when they were younger, when love was enough and more tears fell down her face as she came to the realisation that it was all in the past, the present was a completely different story. Even though this was breaking her heart she continued flipping through the pages, feeling the need to take one last look before she moved on without him. She stared at their wedding photo. It was a beautiful day, they opted for an outdoor ceremony, it wasn't huge or extravagant but everyone who was important to them was present and that was all they wanted. Brooke was her maid of honour, and she even made her the most beautiful wedding gown she could have ever dreamed of. It took place by a beautiful lake and was truly one of the best days of her life along with the birth of their daughter. She continued through some more memories until she reached the birth of Anna. Karen took a picture of the three of them the day she was born, literally minutes after she had entered the world. Peyton didn't look her best after being in labour for an excruciating amount of time but she didn't care, she was holding this bundle of joy, a life that she and Lucas had created together and that was all that mattered. They named their daughter Anna Brooke Scott and she weighed a healthy 7lbs 2oz. Brooke and Nathan were chosen as godparents and they played an active role in Anna's life. Anna was also extremely close with Jamie, Nathan and Haley's son. Being two years older he would always play the big brother role and look out for her, which Peyton adored about the young boy who seemed to care so much about other people. She touched the picture with her fingertips as a tear slid down her face. Not being able to take much more she snapped the book shut and broke down into a sob, she couldn't look at any more photos, the emotions getting the best of her. How could their lives go from blissfully happy to agonizing and full of sorrow? She wasn't prepared for the drastic change their lives had taken. She didn't want to believe this is what became of their lives but she knew the truth, they were broken and being fixed seemed like a distant thought, very distant; at this moment it just seemed literally impossible.

It was nearing two o' clock, she contemplated going to bed but she knew she wouldn't get any sleep tonight. She hadn't been sleeping properly for four months but tonight would be even harder because it would be the first night without Lucas; he may have always came home late but he was always there and this would be her first night without him. She stayed in her spot on the couch waiting for him to return home because she knew she had to do this tonight before she lost all her strength and backed out. She was pulled from her thoughts when she heard the front door open and then close and before she knew it the sound of footsteps were approaching the lounge.

After a few moments of nervous hand twitching on her part he entered the room and was surprised to see her sitting there.

"What are you still doing up?" he asked, his voice empty like it had been for the last four months.

She took a deep breath and went for the direct approach wanting this to be over as soon as possible, her heart not being able to stand much more pain.

"Your suitcase is by the door"

"Okay and may I ask why?" he said confused.

She could smell the alcohol on his breath and clothes; it was nothing new. This is how he had been coming home for a while now, she had just chosen to ignore it hoping it was just a phase but even she knew this had gone on far too long.

"I want you to leave" she said her voice hoarse.

"What do you mean you want me to leave?" he asked angrily.

"It is what it is" she replied looking at the floor.

"Peyton I live here!" he shouted.

"Shhh you'll wake Anna up"

"Then explain why I have to leave" he said as they stood face to face, the anger boiling throughout his body and showing clearly on his flushed face.

"I can't live like this anymore"

"Like what?"

"You know how. You've been coming home late smelling of alcohol for months and it was the final straw today when I had to explain to our crying daughter why her daddy wasn't at her birthday party. You're not the one who has had to tuck her into bed every night when she wanted you instead and you're not the one who has to hear a little child crying because she misses her father who is never home!" she yelled louder than she intended but she had kept her cool for four months, she had let him do as he pleased and now she was at breaking point.

A look of guilt washed over his face as he started to realise the pain his actions were causing to his family. "Peyton I'm sorry but we can talk about this, there's no need for something as hasty as me moving out"

"I'm afraid there is, I can't take much more of this and Anna needs stability she doesn't get that from us anymore, you're either never here or when you are we're arguing and she has to witness it. I won't put my daughter through that anymore"

"She's my daughter too" he whispered in response.

"Yes she is but you haven't been a father to her in the last four months and I refuse to let her go through any more pain"

Deep down he knew she was right but he had never been prepared for the tragic event that happened to them. He couldn't deal with it and as a result he closed himself off from everyone he cared about and in the process he hurt them, more than he ever realised and ever intended but he hurt them nonetheless. He loved his family but the pain had been too much that he had forgotten that they had needed him as well.

"We can work through this" he pleaded with her; a last attempt that he already knew was pointless.

"No we can't. At least not right now anyway…you need to prove to me and to Anna that you are still the same man we love because we haven't seen him for months and until he comes back we can't work through anything" she replied honestly but the sorrow was present in her voice. He knew this was hard for her, he knew she didn't want it to come to this but it had and there was no going back now.

He nodded his head finally coming to terms with what she was saying, "Can I at least say goodbye to Anna"

"She's sleeping and I don't want you to wake her up, she will only get upset that you're leaving"

"I won't wake her up, I just want to see her before I leave" he replied.

"Okay"

He made his way up the stairs to his daughter's room, a room he hadn't stepped foot in for longer than he realised. He opened the door being careful not to make a noise and wake the sleeping child. He approached her bed and stared at her with a sad smile on his face. He had inadvertently hurt not only his wife but also his innocent child. She was always such a daddy's girl and he had caused her a lot of pain by not being the father she expected him to be, the father she needed him to be and most of all the father she knew he could be and wanted him to be. He gently stroked her blonde curls and a tear fell from his blue eyes as he gently kissed her on the forehead.

"I'm sorry princess…daddy never meant to make you cry" he whispered as more tears fell from his eyes. He couldn't believe he had caused his little girl pain, a father is meant to protect their child, make them happy, make them feel secure and loved but he had done the opposite and he hated himself for it. He placed one more kiss to her head before quietly exiting the room.

"You can still see her, I'll arrange set times for you to have her if you want" Peyton said as he made his way into the foyer where she was waiting for him.

"Yeah I'd like that"

"Okay well I guess this is it" Peyton said trying her hardest not to break down until after he had left.

He grabbed his suitcase and placed a kiss to Peyton's cheek "Bye Peyton I'm sorry for everything"

And then he was gone.

"Bye Lucas" she whispered as she broke down into sobs right there on the floor. Her body shook; never had she cried so much in her entire life. A big part of her wanted to run after him but she knew she had made the right decision for them. If they ever had a chance at being the family they used to be this had to be done.

AN: Hope you liked it!! Reviews would be nice :)