He stood over her agonizing over the decision that was tumbling around in that head of his, leaving her there without a word of goodbye, or waiting until she woke to talk it all over again. As he saw the gentle rise and fall of her chest and the dent between her eyebrows showing that even in her dreams she was torn, he made his decision. It was what he thought was best.

As he bent down to kiss her temple he thought to himself that maybe she had been right about it being too soon, and allowed himself a moment to second guess the decision to walk out. Was she really saying no to him ever, or was it just wanting a little more time?

It was the whispered, watery, "Lucas...don't..." as he was grabbing his suitcase that caused him to turn around.

"Peyton, I can't do this right now."

"If you can't do this, then you aren't the man that I thought you were Lucas Scott. The Lucas Scott that I know... God the Lucas that I love does not leave without a goodbye," she says, not angry, but quietly as she sits up on the bed, facing his retreating form.

"It's too hard..."

"And this emotional roller coaster that you and I have been on for the past what four years has been easy?!" She replies, allowing her voice to have more of the strength that he loved from her. "Please talk to me Lucas!"

"Why did you say no?"

She stands up and takes his hands in hers, looking into his eyes for a moment before giving her explanation, "Lucas, I want to marry you more than anything in the world... I do, and you know that. I just want a chance out here first, and I thought that you would understand that."

"Peyton, I told you last night that I would move here to be with you in L.A."

"And I told you that you would grow to resent me for that. You have so much waiting for you back home now. I don't want you giving that up to come here with me. So we are at the same place where we were last night."

"Then I don't know what to do but to say goodbye..."

He turns to walk out again, but as his hand reaches for the door knob she utters a simple "No."

"I..."

"A long engagement..."

"What?"

"If me not putting that ring on my finger makes you think that I don't love you and that I don't want to marry you, then I'm saying yes right now, and we have a long engagement."

"Because you don't think that we can last?" he says, almost scoffing at the idea.

"No, because I want both of us to have the chance to try for our dreams from where we are, and I know we CAN last." she cries, allowing herself to sit, feeling almost defeated.

"Peyton, come on...we both know that this is running from us..."

"No, Luke... this is me trying to hold on to us. I know we can work. I want with all my heart for us to be together. I want to marry you.... but I want the chance to find out what I can do... and I really think that I can get that chance here."

She wasn't asking for much, and he would be lying if he said that she didn't stand behind him through anything that he did. She was the reason for so many of his successes, and he couldn't put that aside.

"How does this work?" he finally opens up, coming to kneel at her feet as she continues staring at the floor beside the bed.

"Well, why isn't it working now...I thought it was..."

"Oh Peyton, it is... I just miss you so much."

"And you don't think I miss you too? You don't think that an entire continent between us isn't hurting me as much as it is hurting you?"

"I just want what we had, and I feel like it is slipping away from us."

"People grow up Lucas, but they don't have to grow apart. You still know me...the real me. No one else does, and I don't think anyone else ever will."

"At least one weekend a month...together. We can alternate between Tree Hill and here."

"That sounds reasonable. And phone calls... more of them."

"Okay." he says, finally allowing a smile to cross his features.

"Okay," she says, nodding and bringing her lips to his in the sweetest of kisses.

"Do you really think that this is going to work?"

"I do. Luke from the moment we met it was inevitable that we would end up right here, with that question hanging on your lips. You know it, I know it, and everyone around us knows it. We just took awhile to figure it out."

"So, there's only one thing that we really do need to clear up about this arrangement." he says, standing up and going to his bag.

She stayed on the bed, confused and curious, but smiled as she saw what he got up to retrieve from that bag.

As he got back to where she was, he got back down on one knee, and opened the box he held in his hand. "Peyton, I realized last night that nothing matters without you next to me, and I love you for being that person in my life. I know that it hasn't been very easy the past few years, but it has made me love you that much more. So... Peyton Sawyer, will you marry me?.... in a year??" he says, adding a laugh at the last comment as he looks into her eyes and sees the tears sparkling there, threatening to spill over onto her cheek.

"God Luke, Yes... I will marry you, without a doubt in my mind, I will marry you..."

He slips the ring on her finger and the two seem to meld together in a tangle of clothed limbs, lips, and grasping touches. It wasn't until soon after the clothes had been discarded and they were wrapped up in each other that she took a moment to examine the ring on her finger.

"It's Karen's ring...Lucas... you shouldn't have given this...."

"It was my mom... I told her that I had been toying with the idea in my head for a while of proposing since I knew you were coming out for the championship. Two days after the conversation, the ring found its way to the mailbox, with a letter that said that you were the one, and she wouldn't want the ring to go on any other finger." he says, toying with the beautiful diamond that fit so delicately on her hand.

"That means the world to me, Luke, you know that, right?"

"I know, and you know what it means to me to give that ring to you..."

They share a fleeting kiss as they curl into each other again, letting their eyes finally slip shut after the emotionally draining evening and morning the two had shared.

Their sleep, however, was interrupted by the shrill ringing of Lucas' phone, still in the pocket of his coat. As he reached for the phone and saw that it was a number that he didn't recognize, he thought about not answering it and crawling back into bed with the woman he loves, but went against it and clicked that green button.

"Hello?"

"Is this Lucas Scott?"

"Um, yes, it is. Who is this?"

"My Name is Lindsay Strauss, and I hope that I'm your new editor... that is if you'll have me."

"Excuse me?"

"I read your novel Lucas. I took it home with so many others this past weekend, and it spoke to me. It took a little pushing, but I convinced the higher ups that this would be a wonderful investment of their time and energy."

Peyton had since sat up, curiosity getting the best of her, and wrapped herself in the sheet as she scooted close to Lucas, who had taken up residence on the end of the bed.

"Wait... you want to publish my novel?"

"Yes, we do."

"That's....wow... that's...."

"I think that I have an idea, but you need to know that there is some work that needs to be done before the publication happens. A few tweaks here and there, a couple of long nights and fighting, but we'll get it there."

"Thank you."

"I'll have our people call you about setting up a time for you to come to New York so we can start work."

Still stammering over the fact that his book was being published, he made a quick confirmation of her last comment and hung up on the voice of his soon-to-be editor, turning to face Peyton, who was waiting eagerly to hear the details of his conversation.

"They're publishing my novel..."

"Oh my GOD!!! Luke that's amazing!!!"

"I can't believe that they are going to publish it!"

"Oh, I do... Lucas, you poured your heart and soul into that book and it is amazing... and it is going to touch so many people."

"Wow..." he says, letting himself fall back onto the bed in disbelief, only focusing again when Peyton kissed his forehead and inquired if the weekend could get any better.

"Well, we have until Monday, so I guess we'll have to find out..."

"Indeed we will," she says, kissing him again, "I love you Lucas."

"Well... that's probably a good thing... since we're getting married."

"Probably."

Two days later, when the two woke, tangled up in Peyton's small Los Angeles apartment, they didn't want the sun to rise. They thought that they would have more time, but there were classes and brothers and nephews to get back to, and Peyton had her job to focus on.

"I don't want this to end." she says, still resting her head on his chest, loving the closeness they had shared for years, even when they claimed to be just friends.

"Well I told you that I could stay here."

"No... you have your book, and Nathan and Haley need you to help with Jamie. You have to go back, and I'll just count down the days until I get to see you again."

"Just 30, right?"

"I booked my flight last night when I couldn't sleep and you were snoring."

"I do not snore!"

All she did was quirk an eyebrow in his direction as he then resigned to the fact that maybe... just maybe he snored. Then he leaned down to kiss her, and the accusation went away.

"30 Days..." he says.

"Long days..."

–

So, those of you that are following my other fic, I hope you enjoy this one too. This whole idea came to me one night when I was running and watching "I Forgot to Remember to Forget" from season 5 (LOVE it) and thought that they both could have used another chance to talk it out before he left.

Anyways, hoping that this is helping you get through the summer.... for those of you that plan on watching Season 7!! Personally I'm not going to partake in that, but to rant a little bit.... it isn't because of the lack of Leyton. Honestly, I was going to watch it next year, because I wanted to show support to Sophia and James and Bethany, and all the other actors that have made the show what it is. That was of course until I saw the Season 6 Finale.... which was a stroke of pure genius on the part of Mark Schwahn, because I was completely satisfied with every single story line and how it was wrapped up. I think he pulled a Baz Luhrman two endings on us knowing that there were going to be some people "jumping ship" after this finale. I am more than happy to refer to it as my series finale because it was written and acted wonderfully. But yeah, I'll still support everything else that they are doing! Yeah....

Anyways...Read and Review the fic.... you know you want to!!!