They saw each other a handful times in the weeks that followed. Lucas took her to dinner, and they met for coffee again in Wilmington when Lucas was in town. He made a trip out there another time when she insisted it was her turn to pay for a meal, and though he'd argued, her tone go so stern that he was giving in and following her directions to the restaurant.

They hadn't spent any more time alone behind closed doors, and Peyton apologized for it. Save for a few innocent little kisses, they hadn't done anything more, and they were both alright with that for the time being. Peyton explained that she still didn't really know what was going on, and she didn't want to jump into anything. Lucas understood that completely.

But he still told her that he'd already jumped, and he was just waiting for her, and he'd be there when she was ready.

She didn't think she wanted to wait much longer. She knew Lucas understood her situation, and he wouldn't rush her, and it was already kind of better than their relationship had been before. After all, neither could sling the accusation that it was all about sex this time around.

He hadn't met Elliot yet, and she wasn't sure when he would. She didn't want to freak either of them out with the other, but she was getting closer and closer to wanting Lucas to meet Eli, and vice versa. Lucas was important to her, and the more time she spent with him, the more she realized that maybe their relationship wasn't temporary at all.

And the more time she spent with him, the more she realized that it had been pretty permanent all along, actually.

----

She hated herself for crying when she found out that Brad and Sonya were engaged. Hated it. She didn't know why she was crying. The had Lucas now, at least a little bit, but it still hurt to know that Brad was moving on - had moved on - and she was still sleeping alone. He was marrying a woman 12 years younger than him, and Peyton had coffee dates with a man she thought she used to know.

She did know him. That wasn't the point.

She was laying in bed well after 10:00 on the night she heard the news, hating that she felt depressed, when Eli came in and climbed up onto the bed.

"You're crying," he noted. She shook her head and wiped her cheeks. "Why are you crying?"

"I was just thinking. I'm okay," she insisted, trying to smile for him. "Why aren't you in bed?"

"Do I have to go?"

"No, honey," she said, pulling him closer. "You can sleep in here with me."

"No. I mean to the wedding. Do I have to?" he asked.

"Why wouldn't you go?" she inquired, showing concern. She switched on the light and blew out the candle that had been lighting the room. "Don't you want to be there?"

"I know you're not thinking mom," he said quietly, like he didn't want to admit that she wasn't fooling him. "You're sad because of dad."

"It's just hard, Eli. Sometimes when things like this happen, it changes things," she explained.

"Like what?"

"Like they'll get busier now, planning things, and probably sometimes when you go there for the weekend, you'll have to go lots of places for wedding stuff."

It was bullshit. All of it. She could care less about their wedding. She was making it up because once again, she was the one who had to explain it all to Elliot, and she wouldn't have him feeling upset about this wedding, and she wouldn't have him miss it because he thought she'd want him not to go.

"What about you?" he asked.

"What about me?"

"Are you gonna go to the wedding?"

She smiled and pulled him closer to her again. "No. Probably not."

"What if I need you there?" he inquired sheepishly. "I might want you there, mom. For me."

She felt the lump forming in her throat again, and she kissed the top of his head as she tried to regain her composure. "If you want me there, then I'll be there," she promised.

She flicked the light off again, and he pulled the sheets up around them both, and she had to smile. He was such a good boy. He was confused and hurt a little bit, but he still took care of her, even though he was far too young to do it. She thought she might cry again when she realized that Brad could have his new wife and his new house and whatever else. She'd already gotten the best part of him in the form of this little boy.

"Are you going to get married?" he asked after a few minutes.

"I am in no rush to get married, Eli," she said, almost laughing. But it wasn't really funny, because as soon as she heard the word 'married', she thought of Lucas, and it was ridiculous. Really, it was.

"Good."

"Good?"

"I don't want to have to share you with someone like I have to share dad with Sonya," he told her.

She waited until she fell asleep before she started crying again.

Because she'd give her son whatever he wanted, and if he wanted her all to himself, she knew what she'd have to do.

----

She stepped through his front door, and he was sitting on the sofa with a book in his hands. He was wearing reading glasses. She didn't know where they'd come from or when he'd started wearing them, but she decided they were incredibly sexy. Especially when his brow was furrowed and he was smiling at her like that. It was a surprise, she was sure, since she hadn't called to tell him she'd be going over.

"Hey," he said with a grin. He took those glasses off and set them on top of his book on the coffee table. "What are you doing here?"

"I um...Just thought we could talk," she said quietly, avoiding eye contact.

He knew what that meant.

"What's wrong?" he asked worriedly.

"Brad and Sonya," she said, finally looking at him. "They're getting married."

"Fuck," he whispered. She actually smiled. It was weird, but she loved that he was kind of a potty mouth. He always had been. "I'm sorry."

"Oh, I don't care," she insisted, though they probably both knew that she wasn't exactly telling the truth. "Eli's not taking it so well."

"Well, he was already worried before, and now this?" Lucas said, shaking his head. She bit her lip. He was too caring towards her son, considering he'd never met the boy. "He okay though?"

"He's scared, I think." She saw Lucas moving from the corner of her eye, and so she stood from her spot. She knew that if he touched her, she'd never be able to do what she felt she had to do. "I um...He doesn't want to go to the wedding. He doesn't want me to get married."

His brow furrowed. He didn't know why she was telling him that. "He's only nine. It's a big deal. I mean, it's marriage, so it's always a big deal, but...more so for him."

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I just think that...I mean...Maybe we should...take a step back."

"A step back," he repeated in confusion. Their eyes locked and he sighed when he really looked at her. She knew he understood what she was saying.

"I can't...Lucas, with everything that's going on right now, Eli is..."

He stood from his place, laughed bitterly and shook his head. "This is like, the most fucked up case of deja vu ever."

"Don't say that," she pleaded quietly.

"Don't use Elliot as an excuse!" he shouted.

"Oh you're...You're such a...Ugh!" she said in frustration. "You're a dick for insinuating that I'm using him at all." She crossed her arms as she stared at him, and started speaking at a dangerously low level. "You don't know what it's like to have a child."

"No I don't," he admitted, locking eyes with her. "I mean, I could have, but you walked away from me then, too."

He knew he was being a complete jerk, and that maybe she didn't deserve it, and he kind of understood, at least a little bit.

"I'm gonna go."

"You're not going anywhere." He realized he sounded like some sort of creep, trying to keep her in his house. If she wanted to leave, she'd leave and he wouldn't stop her.

"Luke, I swear to God, if you..."

"What, Peyton?" he asked, moving towards her. "Are you going to yell? Are you going to call me more names and actually let yourself feel something? Because I gotta tell you, if you're going to shed the armour and actually act like a human being instead of this goddamned robot, I'd like you to stick around so I can witness it."

Her breathing grew uneven as she tried to keep herself from crying. She hated that he was right. She wouldn't call herself a robot, necessarily, but she'd spent the last almost year and a half putting on a brave face, hiding how she truly felt, and acting like nothing hurt her, that it was almost impossible to show her emotion and admit how she was feeling. She hadn't really even done it - not fully - with Brooke. Only with Lucas in the month since they'd reconnected. She ignored the fact that that alone might have meant something more.

"Why do you...You always hurt me more than anyone," she said quietly.

"I hurt you?" he asked incredulously. "Peyton, I fell in love with you. I...I wanted to marry you and have children with you. I was 23 fucking years old, and you had me thinking about which minivan would look best in my driveway. That's not normal. It's not...It's not."

"I never, ever told you I wanted something serious."

"But that's what it became!" he cried. "And you let it."

"I let it?" She crossed her arms over her chest, and her voice was steely, and God, he wanted to kiss her.

"You did. You didn't end things. You had to have known how I felt."

She felt the tear pooling in her eye, and she tried to blink it away, but it was followed by about ten others, and she couldn't help it when they rolled down her cheek.

Because she did know. He was right. She had known, and she didn't end things.

"Why are you doing this now?" she asked quietly, looking down instead of at him.

"Because I didn't get to do it 10 years ago," he answered honestly. "I said I loved you, and you said you loved me, and then five minutes later, we broke up and you left." She opened her mouth to speak, but he wouldn't let her. "I never got to fight with you about it."

"You shouldn't want to fight with me," she told him. She couldn't read the look on his face, but to the best of her knowledge, he was absolutely stunned by her words.

"Yes, I should," he insisted adamantly. "Anyone worth loving is worth fighting with. It's all the same passion. It's..." He stopped himself when he realized he was rambling. And also maybe borrowing lines from his novel. He shook his head and blew out his breath, and the next things he said were more to no one at all than they were to her. "I seriously want to beat that guy's ass."

"Who? Brad?" she asked. She was confused as to why were they even talking about him.

"Yes!"

"What does he...?"

"He's fucked you up!" Lucas shouted. "God. You were...Peyton, you had this life about you. You know? You were funny and sweet and bitchy, and somehow you could be all those things at the same time."

"And that's...good?" she asked doubtfully.

"It's amazing," he told her. "And that part of you is still there. I've seen bits and pieces of it, Peyton, and I...God, that part of you..." He sighed instead of telling her that he loved it. Her. Whatever. "And Brad is the one who...whatever's happened in the last ten years...He's piled so much hurt and pain and...shit onto that part of you." She almost smiled. He was getting all tongue-tied. It was sweet when he rambled like that. "I always hated him. I still hate him."

"You never met him."

She realized that there was still at least five feet of space between them. It was kind of the perfect amount. Any closer, and she'd be throwing herself into his arms, and any further, and she'd cry, thinking it was too far. She had no idea how she was going to walk out that door knowing things had ended.

The more he spoke, the more she thought that she may not go through with all that.

"Doesn't matter," he insisted. "That asshole ruined my life."

"You're being dramatic," she scoffed, shaking her head.

"I am not. You're scared," he said accusingly. "You were scared then, and you're scared now. But here's the thing, Peyton. I'm not Brad. You're scared out of your damn mind because you know that I can give you every single thing you need. Everything you want."

She bowed her head and toyed with the silver ring on her middle finger. "Luke."

"And you can't even listen to me talk about it, because if you're happy...Well, if you're happy, then who are you?" he asked.

"What does that mean?" She was mad again. That sounded like another accusation, and she felt that he was acting like he knew her better than she did. Maybe it was true.

"You love the misery. You've never known anything else."

"That's not true!" She was offended. Definitely. But she couldn't tell him that, because the happiest she'd maybe ever been was when she was with him. That would only prove his point.

"If it's not true, then why are you ending this?" he challenged her.

"I told you!"

"You gave me a bullshit answer. You want the easy out, and I'm not letting you take it this time," he said defiantly.

"You're not letting me," she stated. He actually smirked at her. She was stubborn as all get out, and he loved it. Well, not so much when she was trying to break up with him.

"That's right."

"We haven't even..." She stopped herself before she said that they hadn't slept together yet, but she knew he heard it anyway. "This isn't anything."

"You believe that?" he asked quietly, and she shrugged her shoulder. (No, she didn't.) "I feel sorry for you if you do, because this is as real as it gets, Peyton, and if you're looking for something more, you're setting yourself up for disappointment."

She closed her eyes, not bothering to stop the rest of her tears from falling, and when she put her hands over her face, Lucas walked towards her. He ran his hands up and down her upper arms, and she shook her head again.

"What am I going to do?" she whispered. When she looked up at him, he looked like he'd do anything to have a proper answer to her question.

"What do you want?" he asked. She ignored how familiar that question was.

"Everything," she admitted. "I want a happy son, and I want you, and...I'm so scared that I can't have you both."

"You can," he told her. "You know I'm not rushing this. Us. I want to meet Eli, but if he's not ready...Peyton, I understand all of this, okay? I just need you to tell me what you need instead of trying to break up with me every time you start freaking out a little bit."

She moved closer to him, burying her face in his chest and letting him hold her. She was trying not to laugh and cry at the same time. "I'm sorry."

"What are you apologizing for, baby?" he asked softly. She pulled away and he placed both his hands on her cheeks, brushing the hair from her face.

"I'm a mess, and I'm...a mess."

He smiled and kissed her just once, gently. "A sweet, beautiful, adorable mess."

"Liar." She grinned and he shook his head.

"I want you to do something for me," he said. She looked confused, and he moved away from her a little bit. "Okay?" She nodded and he took a book from his bookshelf and then placed it in her hand. "Read this."

She looked down at the title and the author's name, and then back at him. She looked back at him, and he smiled sheepishly. "Is this...?"

"You might recognize the story," he said quietly. "I hope you don't hate it."

"I'm pretty sure that's impossible." She caught sight of the time on the clock and looked up at him. "I have to go. He's getting out of school soon and I promised we'd make cupcakes."

"Mmm," he murmured. "Save me one?"

She smiled and blinked slowly, and she ran her hands along the top of his jeans at his waist. "If you're lucky." He didn't dare say it, it was far too cheesy, but he was already feeling pretty damn lucky. "I'm sorry I keep freaking out at you. I just...This is hard for me."

"I know that."

"And you're being...so, so good to me," she said. "Just...it means a lot. I hope you know that."

"I do now," he told her. "Go. Don't be late. Call me later, alright?"

She nodded and he kissed her before she walked out the door. He sighed as soon as the door was closed behind her, and he wondered if he'd ever be able to stop fighting for her.

He realized very quickly that he didn't ever want to stop fighting for her. Not ever.

----

She called him the two days later and told him to go see her at the gallery. As soon as he showed up, she pulled him into the studio in the back and kissed him with an urgency he hadn't been prepared for. He stumbled a bit until his back was met with the wall, and she had his shirt bunched into both her fists, and he clumsily rest his hands on her hips. He loved it when she took control like that. He wondered if she had any idea how badly he wanted her.

"Okay, wow..."

"You wrote about us," she said softly, locking eyes with him. He just nodded his head. "You made it happy. The ending."

"I wrote it the way it should have gone," he corrected her, making her smile a little wider.

He asked her if she'd slept, and she said she'd slept a little bit, and he was almost certain it was a lie, but he didn't say anything because he thought it was sweet that she'd stay up all night to read his book, and he loved that she'd loved the story. Their story.

He sat and ate a delicious chocolate cupcake while she painted.

----

When Lucas strolled into Nathan and Haley's house one day, whistling to himself and tucking his phone back into his pocket after receiving a text from Peyton, he was met with confused - and amused - looks from both of them. He sat down in the chair across from where they were sitting on the sofa, and he was still smiling.

"What's with you?" Haley asked.

"A girl," Nathan said, like it was a given.

"What?" Haley's eyes were wide as she looked at Lucas, and he shook his head, but he was still smiling. "Who is she?!"

"Long story, or short story?" he asked. He figured that maybe it was time to come clean about some things. Maybe not everything.

"Long story," Haley insisted.

"I dated her...God, 10 years ago," he said. That number still seemed completely crazy to him. Nathan's smile grew. He knew that dinner from a few weeks ago was way too special to be a random woman. "She was...we had to end it, but..."

"You were in love with her," Haley said, leaning forward a little bit. The pieces were coming together. The misery he'd been in fit that timeline. The drinking and the seclusion. Recently asking about letting love go. There was no doubt in her mind.

"Yeah," he admitted. "And I just ran into her. We're...dating again."

"I knew it," Nathan said, shaking his head. "You dirty liar."

"Nathan!" Haley laughed, swatting his thigh. He shrugged his shoulder as Lucas laughed at them both. "So what's she like?"

"Perfect," Lucas said, laughing at his own cheesiness. "She's amazing, really. She's an artist." Haley was nodding appreciatively, no doubt just happy for him to be so obviously happy. "Oh, and she has a nine-year-old son."

Nathan's brow furrowed, and Haley seemed confused. "You dated her 10 years ago and she has a nine-year-old?" Nathan asked.

He knew what they were thinking, and his eyes went wide. "Oh fuck, no. No, he's not mine," Lucas was quick to explain.

"So that means..." Haley said, her voice trailing as she tried to piece it all together.

"She was married," Lucas supplied.

"So she got married right after you," Nathan said.

Lucas took a breath, and both Nathan and Haley looked at him, completely confused. They knew there was more to it. "No...I mean...she was married when we..."

Haley closed her eyes and sighed, shaking her head. "Lucas."

"Your book," Nathan said, clueing into it all. "That's...damn, Luke."

He shrugged his shoulders and ignored the shocked look on Nathan's face, and the somewhat disapproving one on Haley's. "I was so in love with her, Haley," he said, shaking his head. "I am in love with her."

"Still?" Haley asked quietly, letting herself smile at him, because he was happy, and who was she to judge him for that?

"Always," Lucas insisted.

Nathan smiled and nodded like he'd known it all along (he obviously hadn't), and Haley looked at Lucas like she didn't agree with his actions from 10 years ago, but she was happy for him now. And if the woman was divorced now, which she assumed was the case since he was talking about her, then maybe this was his one chance at something like true love.

Or his second chance.

----

Peyton had long-since sat down with Brad, Sonya, and Eli, and they'd worked everything out. Eli wasn't so upset about the engagement, and Brad and Sonya had promised that they'd make it as easy on him as possible. Peyton was grateful that at least they had that open dialogue, despite their strange circumstances.

Eli was at his father's for the weekend, and the boy seemed to have calmed down and decided that he didn't hate Brad's place anymore. It was a rare day when she could sleep in and had no real commitments. She had no meetings, and Eli wasn't back until the next day. So she wasn't pleased with being woken up before 8:00 on a Saturday when her phone rang. But when she saw Lucas' name on the screen, she had to smile. They'd talked nearly every day since that first dinner. Apparently, however, he'd forgotten that she wasn't a morning person.

"Hello," she grumbled.

"'Morning," he said happily. She could practically hear him smirking. She let herself, just for a moment, think that she wished he was in her bed with her.

"You're playing with fire, you know that, right?" she said, and his laughter made her heart beat faster in her chest. "I haven't had coffee. Just a warning."

"I woke you up, didn't I?" he asked.

"Mhmm," she said sleepily. "How are you going to make it up to me?"

Her voice sounded so sexy all full of sleep that he found it hard to keep his pulse from racing. It sounded like she was flirting, and he didn't know if it as on purpose or if that was just how he was hearing her.

"I'm sure I'll think of something," he said. He thought he heard her let out a heavy breath, but she must have pulled the phone away to do it. He smiled to himself. "What are you doing today?"

"Housework. Grocery shopping. Other errands," she rattled off, suddenly very awake at the thought of all she had to do.

"Well, that's not going to take you all day, is it?" he asked.

"Depends. What are you suggesting?" And there was that tone again, the one that made him a little weak in the knees.

"Anything you're willing to do, babe," he said. And there was his tone again. If he wasn't careful, this conversation was going to go very, very differently than he'd planned. Not that he would have complained if it did.

She closed her eyes and lay back on her pillow. "Oh my God." She heard him laugh softly. "Stop it. I'm serious. Just...cool it."

She was laughing, so he knew she wasn't mad. "How about dinner?"

"How about I make you dinner?" she suggested.

"You're inviting me to your house?" he asked in surprise. "That's a first."

They did that every so often. They'd refer to little things from their previous time together, just to make each other laugh or tease each other a little bit. She liked it, that they had that history. She liked that he'd known her before she had Eli, and before she'd bought her own gallery, and before all the rest of it.

"I can uninvite you too, buddy."

"You want me to bring anything?"

"Just yourself," she said. She smiled and rolled onto her side as she said it, and she really, really wanted him to be in her bed with her.

If she kept saying things like that, she might get her wish.

"Careful," he said softly. "I'll see you tonight."

"Bye Luke."

She hung up the phone and burrowed back beneath her covers. Even if he wasn't there with her, laying in bed for another hour was better than going out into the world right away.

----

Dinner was good, she looked beautiful, Lucas' smile damn near killed her, and the wine was going to her head. The tour of her house took them to her bedroom, and the look she gave him and the way her breathing was laboured had him laying her on her bed within minutes, kissing her like he knew she needed to be kissed. He was convinced she hadn't been good and kissed in years and the way she was kissing him back was further proof.

He realized a few things very quickly. She still sighed his name when he kissed the juncture of her neck and collar bone. She still ran her hands through his hair in the most perfect way. She still nibbled his lip just that little bit, just to torture him. She still remembered that if she kissed him just below his left ear, he'd moan. She still knew every inch of his body, and he still knew every inch of hers.

But they were doing nothing more than kissing, and when he ran his hand gently down her side - his trademark with her when they were together; his next stop would be the button of her jeans - she tensed a little and took a sharp breath.

"Lucas, I don't...I'm..."

"Peyton," he said, pulling away a little bit. He was grinning as he brushed the hair back from her face and she smiled weakly at him. Her chest was heaving and her hands were trembling, and she looked turned on and scared and confused. He wanted to change that all. Well, the scared and confused parts. "Do you trust me?"

She laughed and he smiled a little wider. "I think it's pretty clear that I always did."

He kissed her gently, then moved off her a little more, so she was on her back and he was on his side. His hand was covering her stomach still, and she looked at him like he was crazy.

"You aren't ready for this," he stated.

"Luke..." She was shaking her head at him, but he knew what he'd said was true.

"Sex. With me. Maybe anyone," he clarified. "You're not ready."

"I'm not a virgin," she laughed. He smiled and rolled his eyes.

"You're nervous. And scared. And I think...your body really wants this, but your head is telling you to wait."

"You're making it sound like I'm a virgin," she said, kinking her brow. He shook his head at her, then kissed her softly. He adored this playful side to her. It had always been there, but it was different now. "Why did you ask me if I trust you?"

He smiled, and when she tried to roll onto her side, he held her in place so she couldn't. "Because I want to prove to you that you're every bit as gorgeous as you always were."

"Oh."

He laughed. She was so adorable. All of the time.

"Will you let me?" he asked.

"What are you gonna do?" She was worried but flirtatious, and he could tell she was anticipating it.

"It'll be less fun if I tell you," he said, his lips grazing the shell of her ear before he kissed along the line of her jaw. She took a deep breath and he moved off her completely, so he wasn't touching her at all. He propped his head up on his elbow, and she looked completely confused. "Tell me what you don't like about yourself."

She furrowed her brow. "What...This isn't an episode of Nip/Tuck."

"No jokes," he commanded. "Tell me."

"I don't like this game."

"Peyton," he said, his tone stern, but somehow still warm. "It's not a game. I need to know how you see yourself, so that I can tell you how crazy you are."

"Well, thanks!" she cried before looking away from him. He ran the back of his index finger along the skin between her shirt and jeans, and she looked back at him and rolled her eyes. "I'm scared that I'll point out stuff that you haven't noticed, then that's all you'll see," she confessed.

"That's insane." He shrugged his shoulder nonchalantly. "Because I've checked out every inch of you in the last month, and there's nothing I don't like."

"Luke."

"I'm serious. Stop resisting and start talking."

She sighed and looked up at the ceiling. He smiled. This was going to be fun. He was going to make her feel confident and desired and beautiful, and he was going to make sure she never lost sight of that. He was going to make sure she knew that he never had.

"My hips," she stated.

"What about them?" he asked. He reached over with his right hand and tucked his fingers into the pocket of her jeans, and she flinched a little, almost like she almost didn't want him to touch her there. But he was smiling when she looked over at him, and she realized that this might actually help her a little. She started talking when he started moving his thumb over the place she'd just mentioned.

"They're wider, and...not to gross you out, but there are...stretch marks, and I just...They're not the same as they were," she admitted quietly.

"Well," he said, smirking at her. "They're wider because you've grown up, and that is just...beautiful." He ran his hand along the her jeans, over the material so it was resting on her hip. "And you have a gorgeous son, and any changes in your body because of that aren't negative, Peyton. It's amazing, and...sexy."

"You think it's sexy?" she asked doubtfully.

"Very." She opened her mouth, but he interrupted. "And don't call me a liar." She was blushing, so he kissed her cheek. "What else?"

"My legs."

"Oh, shut up," he scoffed. "I'm not even...We're not even talking about that. You're...No."

"What?" she laughed. She turned on her side to face him, and she was smiling, and there was a glimmer of something in her eyes that he'd seen a hundred times before.

"I have had dreams about those legs. Vivid ones," he admitted. "There's nothing wrong with them, and if you think so, you're even crazier than I thought." She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Next."

She knew where this was going, and frankly, it was getting a little pointless. As soon as he'd said that it was sexy that she had a child, she'd changed her mind completely, and his little experiment turned into foreplay. She loved what he was doing for her, and she knew he wasn't doing it to gain anything for himself. He was willing to talk about every single part of her and not get anything in return, just to make her feel beautiful.

Mission accomplished.

"Lucas?"

"Hmm?" He was staring at her lips, desperate to place his hand on her thigh, and just waiting for her to mention the next part of her that he'd get to worship.

"This is stupid," she told him. He looked at her then, his eyes disbelieving. "And if you don't just kiss me right now, I'm going to be mad at you."

He smirked and hooked his arm around her waist, pulling her closer, and she intertwined their legs instantly. "We can't have that." She shook her head and he smiled right before he pressed his lips to hers.

He had her on her back again, and after kissing for a while, he couldn't take it anymore. Things either had to progress, or stop, and he didn't want it to be the latter. He looked at her as he moved his hand to the button of her jeans, silently asking her permission to take them off. She smiled back and kissed him hard and he was pretty sure that was a green light if he ever saw one.

He took off his shirt after pulling her jeans off her legs, and when he settled himself on top of her again, she quickly went to work on the button of his pants, and he quickly pushed up the fabric of her shirt.

"Are you sure?" he asked breathlessly against her lips.

"Ask me that again, and I'll slap you," she said, and he laughed, and she shifted her hips against his.

He kicked off his jeans and then pulled her shirt up over her head and unhooked her bra. He knew she fully expected him to lay atop her again, or to remove her last article of clothing, but he wouldn't do it. He caressed the outside of both her legs in a way that made her shiver and run her hands through his hair (which made him shiver a little bit). When he got to her underwear, he gently rolled them off her hips and down her legs, and he placed soft little kisses across her hips, from the left side to the right, and her breathing got more shallow, and she whispered his name like she needed him more than anything.

He aligned his body with hers, gently pressing himself against her, and he kissed her a little like he was reassuring her that everything she'd shown him, everything he'd seen, was absolutely perfect to him and he loved every inch of her.

"No one since him?" he asked, and she merely shook her head. He kissed his way down her body and told her between kisses, "I love that I'll be your first."

Neither said it, it would have been crazy if they had, but they were both thinking that maybe he'd be the last, too.

----

She woke up Sunday morning with his hand on her hip, his chest pressed up against her back, and his lips on her bare shoulder. She thought that was so much better than a phone call.

"'Morning," he murmured against her skin when he realized she was awake.

"Mmm." She turned onto her back, and he was on top of her in an instant. "You know I need coffee to wake up."

"Baby, this is so much better than coffee," he said, smirking wolfishly. She scrunched her nose like she was skeptical, and he squinted at her. "I'll prove it."

"I don't doubt that you'll try," she said seductively, running her hands down his back.

"You're not leaving this bed until I've convinced you."

She smiled and leaned up to kiss him. "Then get to work, Scott."

He absolutely loved that she could be so sarcastic and so playful with him again. And he'd follow any orders she gave him...

----

Lucas was making some sort of fancy grilled cheese sandwich that he insisted she'd love, and she was working on putting together a salad for their lunch. The local classic rock station was playing softly in the background as they laughed and kissed in her kitchen.

He'd just moved away from her after a kiss, and he was just thinking that he could really, really get used to spending time in that house with her, when a little boy who he knew immediately was Peyton's son walked into the room. There was no mistaking it. The kid was like her clone.

Peyton set down her knife and wiped her hands on her jeans as she walked towards Elliot. "Sweetie, what are you doing here?" she asked in surprise.

"Dad has golf," Eli replied, eyeing the strange man in his kitchen.

"Shit. I forgot," she said, before realizing she'd cursed.

"Swear jar, mom," Eli said. Lucas laughed softly, and Peyton dropped a dollar bill into a mason jar in one of the cupboards. Lucas noticed that jar was about three quarters of the way full. "Who's he?"

"Where's your dad?" Peyton asked. "Did he just drop you off and leave?"

"Sonya did. She waited 'till I was inside to drive away," Eli explained. Peyton shook her head. She knew Sonya didn't like her, but she hated when they just dropped Eli off like that. "Who's he?" Eli asked again, pointing at Lucas.

"Don't point," Peyton admonished. "This is my friend, Lucas." She gestured for Eli to hop up onto 'his' stool at the counter.

"What's he doing here?"

"We're having lunch," she answered, because it seemed like a safe one.

"Hi, Eli. It's nice to meet you," Lucas said, his tone soft like it was when he spoke to his nephew. Jamie was only a few years older than Eli, so he thought it was going to be a piece of cake, getting to know this kid.

Elliot turned to his mother with a serious expression on his face. "I don't like him."

Peyton looked shocked, and she put both hands on the counter between she and her son. "Elliot," she said sternly.

"I don't. I'll be in my room," he stated firmly, jumping off his stool and began walking out of the kitchen like there was nothing wrong at all.

"Eli, come back here please," Peyton requested.

Lucas wanted to reach out to her, but he could tell that Eli was protective of her, and that was probably the issue, so he didn't cup her elbow or place his hand on her back like he wanted to. He knew how he'd been when his own mom went on dates, and he'd been 17 when all that started.

"Peyton, it's alright," Lucas said. Eli stopped in his tracks and turned around. He looked just like his mother when he was being stubborn, Lucas noted. "Lots of people don't like me," he said with a smile. He winked at Eli, who still seemed skeptical, to say the least.

"Lucas..." Peyton said quietly.

"Where are you from?" Eli asked.

"A little town close to here. Tree Hill," Lucas explained. He watched as Eli's face changed, recognizing the name of that town.

"Do you know my dad?"

"Um...No. I don't know your dad," Lucas said. He knew enough about Brad to know that he hated the guy. He didn't think that was what Eli meant.

"He lived there. He moved. He said it's stupid," Eli stated, crossing his arms.

"Eli, you're not being very nice right now," Peyton said, like it surprised her. She turned to Lucas. "I'm sorry. Would you excuse me for a minute?" He nodded his head and she walked towards Eli, ushering him into the living room. "Honey, what's going on?"

"Where did he come from?"

"I used to know him. Before you were born," she explained. "Now we're friends again."

"Yeah, right," he muttered under his breath. "Are you friends like dad and Sonya are?"

She smiled. Her son was nothing if not perceptive. "Would that be alright with you?" she asked gently.

"Is he cool?" he inquired, like his answer hinged on hers.

"Well, I think so," Peyton said with a grin.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do you think he's cool?" Eli asked. Peyton wrapped her arms around him as they sat on the sofa, and she pulled him into her side.

"Well, he's pretty funny," she started. "And he's nice, and smart, and he makes me smile."

"Okay," Eli said, nodding his head. "What else?"

She smiled to herself, because she knew he was really asking her to give him some reasons why he should like Lucas. He just didn't want to say that, and so she'd say things that would mean something to both of them.

"He writes books, and he likes art. He's into sports. He's a really good cook, too," she said. Eli seemed to be mulling it over. "Oh, and he drives an awesome car."

"The red one in the driveway?" Eli asked with wide eyes. Peyton nodded her head. "That's pretty cool."

"Honey, you don't have to like him," she admitted. "But it would make me happy if you gave him a chance."

Eli sighed and looked up at her. "Is he into hockey?"

"I don't know," she said with a smile. Everything was about hockey with that kid. "You want to go ask him?"

He stood from his place and Peyton leaned forward and kissed his forehead. "Okay," he said.

She followed him back into the kitchen, and Lucas smiled at both of them. She noticed he was already getting to work making a sandwich for Elliot, and she crossed her arms and stood in the doorway to watch them both.

"Do you like hockey?" Eli asked candidly once he was sitting on his stool at the counter again.

"I don't really know much about hockey," Lucas admitted. Peyton loved that he wasn't fazed or offended at all by Eli's sudden outburst earlier, then immediate change in demeanor. "I'm more of a basketball guy."

"Basketball's cool," Eli conceded. "Did you play?"

"I did. For a long time. I still play for fun. When I was in high school, my team won the state championship," Lucas said, and Eli looked impressed. "You know Nathan Scott?"

"Yup. He's the best player ever on the Bobcats," Eli insisted.

Lucas laughed. "That's my brother." The boy's eyes went wide and he smiled. Lucas sent a wink to Peyton. "You could meet him sometime. If you want." Elliot looked over at Peyton, and she stepped further into the kitchen and ran her hand over her son's head before kissing his cheek.

"I could teach you about hockey," Eli said, shrugging his shoulder like it was no big deal. Both adults knew that it was. "It's pretty awesome."

"Sure. That'd be cool." Lucas smiled and nodded his head, and then began dishing out sandwiches.

After lunch, when Eli ran upstairs to get the jersey he'd had signed by Eric Staal to show off, Peyton draped her arms around Lucas' neck and kissed him passionately enough to have him moaning against her lips. She thanked him for putting in effort and being understanding and amazing, and he looked at her like she was insane if she thought she had to thank him for that. He kissed her quickly, told her that her son was incredible, and they broke apart just in time for Eli to run back into the living room.

That night as Lucas was leaving, she thanked him for being so good to her son, and he simply told her it wasn't hard at all, Eli was a great kid and she was doing an amazing job with him. She smiled and shook her head and said something about him not needing to woo her anymore.

----

Peyton and Eli walked into Brooke and Julian's house after school one day. Peyton had one more meeting that was scheduled at the last minute, and she couldn't say no. With a quick call to Brooke and Julian, Eli was going to stay there until Peyton picked him up after her dinner meeting.

"In the living room!" Brooke shouted.

Julian appeared from the kitchen, shaking his head and smiling. "She's decided she doesn't want to walk now."

"Awesome," Peyton laughed. She ushered Eli through to the living room, and he hopped up onto the sofa next to Brooke, resting his hand gently on her stomach like he so loved to do. "Hey mommy."

"Back atcha," Brooke chirped. She had an array of things around her. An iPod, the remotes for the DVR, television, DVD player. She had the latest issues of the US, British, and French Vogue sitting next to her. She had a sketch pad and some coloured pencils, two phones, and three types of water.

"Okay, what exactly are you expecting, here?" Peyton laughed. She looked at Julian, but he wisely stayed silent.

"Don't judge me!" Brooke cried. "I'm uncomfortable. And you got to be on bedrest."

"Got to?" Peyton asked incredulously. "Do you remember how awful that was?"

"Well, not everyone hates the idea," Brooke muttered. She furrowed her brow and looked at Peyton. "What's wrong with you?"

"Excuse me?" Peyton asked, laughing again.

"You're...happy."

"I'm about to go sell at least a half dozen pieces to my biggest customer," Peyton said confidently.

"No." Brooke's eyes went wide and her jaw dropped. "You've had s...It!" she said, barely able to keep her giddiness in check. She was glad to have caught herself before saying the word.

"Ohhh-kay," Julian drew out. "Eli, let's go out back and throw the ball around." He stood and ushered Elliot out of the room, shaking his head at Brooke and wiggling his eyebrows at Peyton.

"Tell me everything!" Brooke squealed as soon as they heard the door closed.

"I can't. I have to go. But I promise we'll talk when I come back to get him," Peyton promised.

So she did. After she returned from that meeting, the two of them sat in the living room while Julian and Eli watched a hockey game in the other part of the house. Brooke wasn't thrilled to hear that Peyton had had an affair, but she wasn't a fan of Brad's either, and never really had been. She didn't condone the behaviour, but she wouldn't beat Peyton up over something that happened 10 years prior either. And not when Peyton looked so glowy and happy and was talking about Lucas like he was some kind of amazing man.

When Peyton mentioned that she'd been in love with Lucas back then, and she was pretty sure she was in love with him now, Brooke (already hormonal) started to tear up. Peyton merely shook her head and threw her arm around Brooke's shoulder.

"I just...I want you to be happy," Brooke said needlessly. "It sounds like he's kind of...perfect for you."

Peyton let out a soft laugh and nodded gently. "Yeah."

"Sucks that you didn't meet him before Brad, huh?" Brooke said jokingly, nudging Peyton's arm with her own.

If Brooke only knew how many times those words had been thrown around...

----

The next couple weeks, Peyton and Lucas spent a little time together one on one. For Eli's sake, Lucas didn't want to start coming around all the time, too much, too soon.

So he took Peyton to dinner when Brad had Eli for nights here or there, and she snuck out of work and went to Tree Hill and they walked the beach together.

She was itching to meet his family, and he'd smiled when she told him so. He told her they'd get to all that soon, but he just wanted to be alone with her for a bit, get to know Eli a little better, then have them both to the house to meet everyone.

How could she not fall for him when he said things like that?

----

When Peyton woke up one Saturday morning feeling sick as a dog, she cursed herself for shaking the hand of a man at the gallery who she could tell was fighting a cold. She'd thought she wouldn't get it. How many hands do you shake without a second thought? But now her body ached, and she couldn't stop coughing, and her nose was running. She wasn't doing so well.

Eli was in his room watching movies because she didn't want him to catch her cold. Brooke had come over to fix breakfast for the boy, but she and Julian had a pre-natal appointment to get to and couldn't stay. Peyton had tried calling Brad and Sonya, but they were out of town and couldn't take Eli for the day.

When the phone rang around 11:00, Peyton realized that Brooke must have discretely come in and unplugged the phone while Peyton slept that morning. She shouted for Eli to get the phone, then heard him answer, assuming he'd be off in two seconds, and she could go back to feeling miserable.

"Mom, it's Lucas," Eli said, his hand over the receiver as he stood in the doorway to her bedroom.

She let herself smile and girlishly thought that maybe talking to her boyfriend (was he her boyfriend? they hadn't labeled it) would make her feel better.

"Can you bring me the phone?" she asked. She laughed when Eli buried his face in his sleeve as he approached her, and she shook her head as he handed her the phone and ran out of the room as fast as he could. "Hello?"

"Whoa. He wasn't lying," Lucas said sympathetically. "You sound like shit."

"Thanks," she laughed. But laughing made her cough uncontrollably. "Sorry."

"You alright? I mean, considering?"

"I'll be fine. I just hate being sick," she admitted. "I feel helpless. I can't even do anything for Eli."

"Yeah, he said he's been exiled to his room," Lucas said.

"Did he use the word exiled?" she asked, clearly impressed.

Lucas laughed. "I paraphrased." She coughed again, then groaned in misery. "Why don't I come over? I can watch him for you."

"Luke, you don't have to..."

"I know that," he said. She could practically picture him shrugging his shoulder. "He can't just stay in his room all day, and you'll just worry about him if he's alone."

She took a deep breath as she deliberated, and she knew he was right. She'd never get solid rest if she was worried about how and when she was going to feed Eli, or what he was doing. God forbid someone came to the door when she could barely move.

"Just a sec," she said. She called for Eli to come to her room, and when he appeared in the doorway again, he was wearing a different sweater than he was five minutes earlier. She was going to ask him about it, but she remembered that she had something else to ask. "Honey, do you want Lucas to come over and hang out with you today?"

His eyes went wide and he smiled, and Peyton's heart swelled in her chest. "Yeah!"

"Are you sure?" she inquired sarcastically. He nodded emphatically and stood while she talked to Lucas. "I think he's okay with it."

"So I heard," Lucas said. He loved it, actually, that Eli seemed so eager to spend time with him again. "I'll be there in like, 40 minutes. You need anything?"

"You're doing more than enough. Thank you, Luke," she said sincerely. "Now listen, knock three times, then wait thirty seconds, then knock four times, so we know it's you."

"Seriously?" he asked incredulously. Peyton watched Eli roll his eyes.

"I can't get up and check to see who's at the door, so yes. Seriously. And Eli won't answer if you don't do that," she said sternly, looking at her son as she spoke.

"Three times, thirty seconds, four times," Lucas said. "Got it."

She hung up the phone after saying goodbye, and she felt a whole lot more at ease about her day. Eli was still standing in the doorway, and she could tell he wanted to say something.

"What's up, buddy?" she asked.

"I want to hug you, but you're all gross," he stated, making her laugh (then cough) again. "Thanks mom. I wanted to hang out with him again."

"You did? You do?" she asked in shock.

"He's cool," he said with a shrug. "He's way cooler than Sonya."

She smiled to herself. She knew what he was saying. As far as his parents' significant others went, he liked Lucas more. It felt like some sort of small victory. Or a big one.

Not only because Eli was on board with the whole relationship, but because she had Lucas again. She had a man who'd willingly step into a situation that could have been so, so bad. She had a man who'd volunteer to watch her son because he knew she couldn't.

She had Elliot run downstairs to grab her the cough drops from the medicine cabinet in the bathroom down there, and when he returned, he was wearing a face mask and had the hood of his sweater pulled up and tied tight around his face. The face mask was leftover from when there was a strep throat breakout at his school and all the kids were required to wear them. Peyton started laughing and asked what he was doing, and he told her that if she was going to make him do stuff, he had to be 'protected'. She playfully told him to get out of her room, and she shook her head as he hugged her quickly, then ran back out into the hall.

She spent a half hour trying desperately to stay awake by watching old concert footage of The Doors on DVD as she waited for Lucas to arrive. As soon as the knock(s) to the door came, she heard Eli bounding down the stairs to answer it, then she heard their voices as they said hello to each other.

"You find something to watch. I'm gonna check on your mom, then I'll make us something to eat, okay?" Lucas said.

Falling? No. She was in love with him. Completely. No doubt about it. Maybe (definitely) she'd never stopped.

"Hey," he said, walking through the door and directly towards her. "How you feeling?"

She smiled when he sat down next to her and rest his hand on the opposite side of her body. "Better now."

"Liar," he laughed. He winked at her when her eyes went wide over him stealing her line. "You need anything? I'm going to make you some tea. You should eat something, too."

"Whatever you bring me will be fine," she said softly.

"Alright. I'll be back in a bit," he promised. He fussed with her blankets a bit and took note of her empty water glass and dwindling supply of tissues.

"You're kind of good in a crisis, you know that?" she said as he stood. He leaned down to kiss her forehead, because it seemed safe, and he didn't really care if he caught her cold. "Ew. I'm so gross right now. Eli won't come near me."

"You're not gross," Lucas insisted. "And you look amazing, even when your nose is all red like that."

"Hey!"

"Don't ignore the compliment I put in there," he said, squinting and making her laugh.

She closed her eyes and sighed contentedly, knowing that her son was in good (maybe the best) hands. She heard them both laughing, and Eli talking excitedly about sports and video games, and Lucas responding with a matching tone. She had always known he was good with kids. She loved that he was so good with hers.

She ate the soup Lucas brought her, and maybe it was all in her head, but she felt better instantly. She had forgotten how good it felt to be taken care of. The fact that it was Lucas taking care of her was a definite bonus. He made sure she had water and brought her lemon tea with honey and just a touch of rum to sooth her throat. He fluffed her pillows and tucked her in and made her feel so safe and so loved and so...adored. She didn't know how to thank him. She was sure she didn't have to.

She wasn't sure what time she fell asleep, but when she woke up, it was nearly 6:00, and she felt like she was almost back her old self. Well that'd be a stretch, but she could get out of bed and it didn't hurt to breathe, and she took those as good signs. She slipped into a clean (and cuter) pair of pajamas and pulled her hair into a tidier ponytail before making her way downstairs.

It was a little too quiet for her liking. She checked the kitchen, then the rec room, where she had honestly thought the boys would have played video games all day. When she walked into the living room and saw Lucas and Eli sitting at opposite ends of the sofa, reading silently, she was shocked. Eli was a good student, but getting him to sit down and read his books for school (which Lucas had somehow convinced him to do) was a nightmare.

"Hi," she said softly, announcing her presence.

"Hey mom," Eli said, closing his book. "Are you better?"

"Getting there," she admitted. "What did you guys do?"

Lucas smiled at her as Eli started talking, telling her that they'd eaten lunch, played NHL '09 for a bit (and he'd won, which he felt was very important), then they'd cleaned the kitchen, prepared something to have for dinner, then started reading. Peyton's eyes got wider and wider as he listed off those tasks.

"Who are you and what have you done with my son?" she asked, running her hand over his hair. He shrugged his shoulder and opened his book again, and she was about to ask Lucas to go talk with her in the kitchen when Eli spoke again.

"Mom, can Lucas stay to watch the game tonight?" he asked hopefully. He'd gotten Lucas turned on to hockey, and the 'Canes were taking on Atlanta that night.

She started laughing at the looks on boy guys' faces. It was clear Lucas was all for it. "Only if his mom says it's okay," Peyton teased, making Lucas scowl at her. She blew him a kiss when Eli wasn't looking. "Lucas can stay if he wants to."

"I want to," Lucas said. Peyton was very aware that he was looking at Eli, but talking to her. "Come on. Eli and I will make you dinner."

She just nodded her head, and Eli was jumping up off the couch and running into the kitchen. Lucas kissed her forehead quickly, and he wanted to do more than that, but she turned her head when he tried, so that his lips were met with her cheek. She didn't want to be responsible for making him sick. But it was really hard not to just kiss him when he called her beautiful and said he loved her pajamas.

That night, she'd sit down with her boys, one on either side of her, and eat the dinner they'd made while watching the hockey game. They'd both shout at the television, and she'd placate each of them and calm them when they needed it.

Afterward, Eli was yawning and Peyton told him that it was time for bed. He stood, and she stood up to follow him upstairs and say goodnight, but he stopped and looked at Lucas.

"Are you gonna be here in the morning?" he asked, innocently enough.

"Oh, I um...I..." Lucas stuttered.

"He'll be here," Peyton said, smiling at both of them.

"Cool," Eli said. He held up his hand for a high five, and Lucas smiled and obliged him. "I had fun today."

"Me too, Eli," Lucas said sincerely. "'Night, buddy."

He and Peyton went to bed soon after, and as he lay down, pulling her into his arms, he thought that maybe he was getting a glimpse into some kind of future. He loved her room and her bed and her house. And her. And maybe her son a little bit too.

He was about to tell her, to say that he loved her. When he said her name softly, she didn't respond. He looked at her through the darkness and he saw that she was fast asleep. He smiled to himself. Having her asleep next to him seemed like an alright trade. For the time being.

----

As Peyton recuperated from being sick, Lucas was called to Atlanta to meet with a publisher about his second book. He spoke to her every day, but he missed her. It seemed like forever since he honestly kissed her, and forever since he'd really touched her, and it was killing him to be away from her. It was different this time around, not only because they were a little older and a little wiser and she had a son who depended on her.

It was different because it was all honest. She didn't have to hide anything, and neither did he. Their friends knew about them, and there was nothing shameful about it. He didn't need to merely wait for her call, and she didn't need to sneak around to see him. It was refreshing and more fun and it felt like he always wanted it to. It wasn't just the love, it was everything else that should have gone with it the first time.

"Mom, how come Lucas always comes here?" Elliot asked one evening as he and Peyton watched television.

She wasn't sure exactly what she was going to say. She knew Eli liked Lucas (the boy talked about him all the time and rushed to answer the phone these days) but she was still a little weary of letting him know exactly how serious the relationship really was. He'd just started getting used to the idea of Brad and Sonya getting married, and while Peyton and Lucas weren't even close to being there yet, she knew that it wasn't a casual relationship. In the least.

"Because Lucas and I like to spend time together," she answered diplomatically.

"No. I mean how come you never go there?"

She smiled and shook her head. Of course, that was what he meant. "Because you're here, and I can't just leave you. I go to his house sometimes when you're with dad."

"Oh," he said, seemingly satisfied with that answer. As she watched him, she could tell he was still thinking, and she smiled at the way his little brow furrowed. "What's Luke's house like?"

Peyton laughed, because she knew exactly what he was doing. He wanted to go to Lucas' house. He wanted to see where Lucas lived. Peyton knew that Lucas was waiting for the right time to take Eli to Tree Hill, and that Lucas had told her to let him know when she thought the boy was ready.

"It's nice," she said simply. "He grew up there."

"Like...forever?" The way he said it made it sound like Lucas was the oldest man on the planet.

"Yeah," she laughed.

"Is Tree Hill nice?" he asked, looking up at her.

She smiled at him and kinked her brow. "I thought you said it was stupid?"

He looked sheepish and rolled his eyes. "I didn't mean it."

Peyton draped her arm around his shoulder and pulled her into his side. "I know, sweetie." She kissed his temple and thought that maybe she could put an end to his questioning, not that she really minded. "Do you want to come with me sometime?"

"Can I?" he asked hopefully.

"Sure."

"And I could see the River Court. And meet Jamie. And maybe Nathan?" he said quickly. Peyton just laughed and shook her head, and she looked at him to let him know he'd left someone out. "And Haley."

"Tell you what? Why don't you get the phone, and you can call Lucas and see what he's doing this weekend," Peyton suggested.

Eli's eyes lit up and he hopped off the sofa. She dialed the phone when he handed it to her, and then she listened to Eli talk to Lucas, laughing and smiling like they were old friends. She loved that. Eli asked if Lucas was busy on the weekend, then said that Peyton might take him to Tree Hill, and he tried to make it sound nonchalant. He probably had no clue how transparent he really was. It was kind of adorable. When Eli handed the phone back to her, he sat back against the sofa and resumed watching T.V., but his smile was just a little brighter.

Lucas told Peyton that he'd love to have them over on Saturday, just like he'd told Eli. He explained that Nathan had the day off, so Lucas had already invited his family over for dinner at his place, and that they couldn't wait to meet Peyton and Eli.

She hung up the phone and started laughing when she realized that she and Eli's smiles matched.

----

Peyton and Eli showed up at the house before anyone else. Well, at least they were supposed to. Haley, in her excitement to meet the woman and child who had stolen Lucas' heart. Well, the child who had stolen his heart and the woman who had always had it.

But the women hit it off immediately. Peyton and Haley seemed to have so much in common that Nathan teased Lucas about it, saying that he knew Haley was an amazing woman, but surely, Lucas could find someone 'new'. Peyton shook her head and blushed, and Lucas quietly insisted, so only she could hear, that she was one of a kind.

Eli and Jamie got along well, despite Jamie being a couple years older. They talked about sports and school and how cool Lucas was, and Nathan rolled his eyes. Eli was a little bit shy - star struck - with Nathan at first, but loosened up quickly once he realized how laid back Nathan was. The way he put it, Nathan was like a 'darker haired Lucas'. Haley and Peyton started laughing, because it was so true on some levels, and so wrong on others.

Not surprisingly, they found themselves at the River Court after dinner, and Peyton and Nathan hung back while the others walked ahead of them. Nathan wasn't outwardly protective of Lucas, but he did subtly like to take care of his brother. As he watched Peyton smile when Lucas lifted Eli up in the air over a puddle the boy was going to run through, Nathan just shook his head. He didn't have to question whether or not this woman loved Lucas the way Lucas loved her.

Jamie was excited to have a fourth person to play basketball so that the teams were even, and it was Lucas and Jamie against Eli and Nathan in a battle of two on two. Peyton and Haley talked while the boys played, and they each swooned (subtly) over their respective boys.

"Jamie's a great kid," Peyton insisted as she watched the older boy gave Eli a few tips.

"So is Elliot. He's...so adorable. He looks just like you," Haley said with a laugh. Both women cheered as Eli drained a shot and got high fives from the other guys. "Lucas looks...so happy."

"Yeah," Peyton said softly. She knew what Haley was getting at.

"He's never been like this. Not...ever."

"Well, I'm glad," Peyton said, smiling over at Haley. "I'm kind of feeling the same way, so...It's good."

"I'm thinking it might be better than good," Haley said. Peyton didn't get a chance to respond, since Nathan walked over.

"We should get going," he said. "I have to be in Charlotte early tomorrow."

"It's 7:00," Peyton said, checking the time then looking at him in confusion.

"Have you seen how hot my wife is?" he asked with a smirk. "I might need some alone time with her before I go out on the road in a couple days."

"And I can't believe you just said that!" Haley cried, standing up and shoving him gently as he grinned.

"Oh come on, Haley. You are pretty hot," Peyton said with a laugh. Haley blushed and she rolled her eyes when Nathan winked at her.

They said their goodbyes, with Nathan insisting he'd get tickets for Peyton and Eli to go to a game, and Haley and Peyton setting up tentative dinner for one night that week. When it was just Lucas, Peyton and Eli left, the boy insisted he wanted to play a little bit longer, and Peyton couldn't argue with him. Lucas joined Peyton on the bleachers, removing his sweater and draping it around her shoulders. When she looked over at him, he knew she was going to argue with him, but he just looked back at her as if to tell her that she was going to lose whatever argument she was about to start.

"He likes it here," Peyton mused as she watched Eli grab his own rebound and send up another shot.

"I like having you here," Lucas replied, pressing a kiss to her hair. "I love having you here." Peyton turned to him and smiled, and though she'd never done it in front of Eli, she kissed Lucas gently. "I love you."

She closed her eyes and smiled, resting her forehead against his. "Yeah?"

"So much, Peyton," he said quietly. "I always have."

"You loved me when you were with her?" It was as though she almost couldn't believe it, but she still knew in her heart that it was true.

He shrugged his shoulder. "You loved me when you were with him," he said, like the two situations were the same. They kind of were.

She kissed him unexpectedly, and he moaned from low in his throat. He placed his hand on her cheek, and though she hadn't said the words, he knew she felt them, and the way she was kissing him was probably just further proof. They only pulled apart when Eli made a disgusted sound. He just laughed and went back to playing ball.

"I have loved you... God, Lucas...since the first time you kissed me," she admitted. He kissed her gently, because it felt like the perfect sentiment.

"Tell me we aren't going to break up in 10 minutes," he teased. She hit his chest, but they were both laughing, and she tucked herself into his side while he wrapped both arms around her. "I love him too, you know."

She swore she was going to cry. Words like that, sentiments like those, made her fall even harder and faster and deeper. He knew that Eli was her whole world, and he knew it was a package deal. Lucas not only wanted her, but he wanted to be a father-figure to her son, and he already was one. Eli adored Lucas, and the feeling was mutual. Peyton trusted Lucas with her heart, and her son, and with everything else. He didn't have to prove himself to her, but he kept doing it, time and time again. She realized he'd done the same thing 10 years ago, too, she'd just been too blind and stupid and confused to see it.

She could see it now. She loved his commitment to her, how much he'd already done for her. He was the most amazing man she'd ever met. He was her soul mate. She'd never believed in them until he came along, and even then, she suppressed the thought for a decade.

She didn't want to do that anymore.

"We're getting married someday," she said quietly.

"Oh we are, are we?" he asked, smiling to himself.

"Mhmm," she murmured. "And we're going to live here in Tree Hill."

"Alright," he whispered, kissing the top of her head as he let his hand fall to her knee. "And...maybe we'll have a baby of our own. Together."

"Maybe?" she asked, pulling away to look at him with a raised brow. "Definitely."

How could he argue with any of this? He couldn't. He'd be crazy to.

"Sounds perfect to me," he said with a smile.

"I should hope so," she laughed. "It's what you wrote in your book."

"I know that." She shook her head at his smirk, and the two of them watched Eli run towards them and sit himself down next to his mom. "But with this guy now."

"What?" Eli asked obliviously.

"Nothing, buddy," Lucas insisted, standing and pulling Peyton up by the hand so that they could walk back to his house. She loved that Lucas was smart enough and sensitive enough to Eli's emotions to not say anything.

She had one hand tucked inside Lucas', and she ran the other over Eli's head, and the image of their future laid out so perfectly in her mind.

It wasn't nothing.

"Everything," Peyton whispered.

----

The next months saw them grow even closer. Lucas started spending large amounts of time at Peyton's place, writing from her quiet home while she was at work and Eli was at school. Peyton came home mid-day a few times and she'd kiss him and tug at his belt before he could ask what she was doing there. And Haley asked why he'd rather be there alone during the day instead of his own house...

But they spent time there, too. Peyton would stay there with him on the weekends Eli was with Brad, who'd pulled up his socks when Peyton started dating Lucas. Peyton supposed the idea of someone else having influence in Elliot's life made him want to solidify his own. Peyton couldn't have been happier about that, really. Elliot had two very different strong males in his life, and another in Nathan as the two 'families' started spending more time together.

Lucas had met Julian and Brooke, and Brooke hadn't recognized him from that night so many years ago. That didn't stop Peyton from reminding him not to hit on her best friend to make her jealous. He'd glowered at her, but he kind of deserved that one. He and Julian hit it off; Lucas could tell Julian was protective of Peyton, and he kind of loved that. Peyton would later tell Lucas that he received multiple thumbs up from her best friends.

When Brooke went into labour, Lucas was the one she called. Inadvertently. She called Peyton's home number and Lucas happened to be there while Peyton was dropping Eli off at Brad's, and Lucas had calmed her down somehow over the phone in a short conversation, and insisted that he'd bring Peyton to the hospital as soon as she got back. That only earned him more points with the couple. The fact that he gifted them all the best children's books he carried at his store didn't hurt either.

Lucas had picked Eli up from school a few days before Brad and Sonya's wedding, and they had to pick up the boy's tuxedo from the tailor. Peyton couldn't get out of work early, and Lucas obviously had no problem helping her out; they were kind of a team now. Once they got home, Lucas insisted that Eli get to work on his homework while Lucas started making dinner, and when Peyton called to say she was going to be late, Lucas insisted that it was fine, and for her to take her time.

"She's running late. She said you have to finish all your homework before she gets here," Lucas said with a smirk.

"Did not!" Eli cried laughingly.

"No, but wouldn't it be awesome if when she asked if you were done, you could say yes?" Lucas asked. Eli just looked at him for a moment before going back to his math work.

Lucas watched Elliot work, helping the boy when he needed or asked for it. He was making a roast, though he knew Peyton would scold him for going to such effort. He'd in turn look at her like it was nothing and she should stop expecting so little of him.

He never said it (well, he said it once and it caused an argument), but she should stop expecting him to be like Brad.

He also knew that she was still weary of Elliot going to the wedding alone. He insisted that he didn't need her to go with him, but she wasn't ready to believe it. Lucas knew that sometimes boys didn't want to tell their moms every single thing, so he thought that it might not hurt to bring it up.

"So, you ready for this weekend?" Lucas asked nonchalantly.

"Sure," Eli said, shrugging his shoulder. "It'll be cool."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. My uncle Dave is coming from Texas. And auntie Jeannie from New York," Eli explained.

"Well, that's pretty cool," Lucas said with a smile. He walked over to stand across from Eli with just the counter separating them.

"And I've never been to a wedding before," he said. "It'll be fun."

"Well, good." Lucas nodded his head and poured them each a glass of water. "Your dad's going to be happy."

"Yeah," Eli said, like Lucas had just said the most insightful thing he'd ever heard. "And it's cool, 'cause now mom has you, and...I dunno. They're both happy. It's cool."

"Cool," Lucas said, because it was teasing, but Eli wouldn't know that.

They both went back to their respective chores, Lucas assembling a salad, and Eli working on his multiplication. They were quiet for a few minutes. Lucas chose a wine and set it on the counter, basted the roast, and began steaming vegetables. Eli closed his math books dramatically and tucked his pencil behind his ear. Lucas grinned; he always did the same thing, and Peyton had told him that Eli had never done it until he saw Lucas do it.

"Are you gonna marry mom?" Eli asked, crossing his arms across his chest and managing to look intimidating, though he was a third of Lucas' size.

Lucas knew that he had to answer this carefully. It seemed that Eli would be alright, given what he'd just said about his dad's upcoming marriage, but he knew that the boy's relationship with Peyton was very different. He was protective of her, and she was practically his best friend. Lucas loved all that, he really did.

"Well...what would you think of that?" Lucas inquired delicately. He wiped his hands on a towel and walked over to sit next to Eli.

"You like, love her and stuff," Eli said, shrugging his shoulder. Lucas smiled and nodded his head. He hadn't known Eli knew that, but kids were quick to jump to that conclusion when they saw two people together. It was kind of endearing. "She smiles lots around you."

"She does, doesn't she?"

"Yeah. And she's always telling Brooke about how much she loves you," Eli said.

Lucas laughed, and his heart swelled, and loved this kid and his mother and just about everything at that point. "I don't think you're supposed to listen to those conversations."

"They talk loud." Eli shrugged his shoulder. "And everybody knows."

"They do, huh?" Lucas asked with a smirk.

"Yup. You guys are kissing all the time."

"Not all the time," Lucas said, laughing because it was at least a little true. Eli seemed to think about it for a moment, and Lucas didn't say anything. When Eli turned to him, Lucas was almost unnerved.

"If you wanna marry her, that's cool," the boy said nonchalantly. "It'd be kind of awesome. We could all live together."

"Yeah?" Lucas asked. He was sure his heart had never felt exactly like that. Getting Eli's permission was a lot like getting her father's permission; it was equally, if not more, important.

"Yup. If you want to."

"Maybe someday, Eli," Lucas said, smiling as he stood. He winked and patted the boy's shoulder before going back to prepping dinner.

When Peyton walked through the front door after a day that took far too long, in her opinion, all she could hear was laughter coming from the kitchen, and all she could smell was something amazing cooking. The house was warm in a whole bunch of ways, and as soon as she closed the door behind her, she smiled. That was happening more and more lately. It was nice to come home to someone again. It was nice to know that Eli wasn't just with a sitter or 'imposing' at Brooke's place while the brunette tended to a newborn.

And she couldn't say that she hated coming home to her sexy boyfriend, having him kiss her and smile at her like he'd missed her far too much during the day.

"Hi boys," Peyton said, walking into the kitchen. Eli was still in his school uniform, so Peyton knew that Lucas must have set him straight to work on whatever homework he had to do. "You finish all your homework?"

"Yup," Eli said proudly as she kissed the top of his head.

"Really?" she asked doubtfully.

"I did!"

"He did," Lucas insisted. "I checked."

"Thank you, sweetie," Peyton said, running her hand through her son's hair. Lucas looked offended, but she knew it was in jest. "And thank you, sweetie."

"Can I change, then watch the pre-game until dinner?" Eli asked, flashing a grin he knew his mother couldn't say no to.

"Go on," She said, shaking her head as he hopped off his stool and started towards the stairs.

"Hey babe," Lucas said, leaning down for a kiss when she walked over to him.

"Mmm. Hi," she murmured. "Smells good in here."

He wrapped his arms around her, desperate to tell her how sexy she looked in her skirt and heels, but he'd told her at least five times that morning. "I've been working on it all afternoon."

"You mean instead of writing," she said with a raised brow. He shrugged his shoulder and she shook her head. "Luke..."

"Hey, don't you want to change? Let's get you out of these clothes."

She knew this game. She knew he was just trying to change the subject to get himself out of 'trouble'. But it wasn't really trouble at all. Sure, he was working on his third book, but no one had yet offered to publish his second, so he wasn't in any massive rush yet. She'd argue that maybe she should finish a new one and send it to publishers as well, but he didn't seem worried.

When he started following her out of the kitchen and up the stairs, she turned to him and shook her head again. He was still boyish in all the best ways. He'd check her out unabashedly, and he'd whisper flirty things in her ear. He'd look down her top when she gave him the chance, and he'd take advantage of any opportunity to watch her undress. She loved it all. All of it. All of him.

Once they were in her bedroom - the bedroom they'd both started calling 'theirs' - Lucas lay down and propped himself up on one elbow. He watched as he kicked off her heels and untucked her shirt. She pulled her hair up into a ponytail, and when she turned around to look at him, his eyes were fixed on her backside. She merely rolled her eyes, but blushed, and continued her task.

"Apparently, it's okay if we get married," he stated as she unclasped her necklace.

"What?!" she cried laughingly.

"Second thoughts?" he asked. They talked about it often, in passing. Subtle promises here or there. Nothing as serious as an engagement, but enough that they both knew exactly where the other stood.

"No. No. I just...Okay, what are you talking about?"

"Eli asked me if you and I are getting married," he explained. She started unbuttoning her top, and he was completely distracted until she dropped her hands at her sides and made him refocus his attention. "He said it was okay if we did, because I make you smile."

She grinned and walked towards the bed, sitting next to him and running her hand through his hair. "Could that boy be any sweeter?" she asked rhetorically. "So what'd you say?"

"I told him...maybe someday," Lucas said softly.

Peyton smiled and leaned down to kiss him quickly before standing and undoing the rest of the buttons of her shirt. He watched her shrug it off her shoulders, then unzip her skirt and tug her stockings off her legs, and he was seriously considering who they could call to watch Eli. But he didn't even want to wait for that.

He walked over to her and pulled her back towards him and kissed her neck. She was standing there in just her bra and underwear, and if he could have seen her in less at that moment, he definitely would have.

"Luke," she sighed.

"So, so sexy," he responded, running his hands over her stomach as he stood behind her.

"Okay, but...I need to...you have to stop that, alright?"

"Am I turning you on?" he asked. She had no idea how he could take such a lame question and make it sound like the sexiest dirty-talk ever.

"Lucas. Stop."

He laughed softly and pressed one last kiss to the column of her neck. "That's a yes if I've ever heard one."

She turned to him and rolled her eyes, then stepped into the closet and reached for a set of pajamas. All she could think was that if Eli was alright with her marrying Lucas, then maybe there was no need to wait at all. She just wanted him to ask her, and to have a little ceremony, and to be married to him. This union had been a decade in the making (or a lifetime, but she wasn't about to question fate and all that), and she just wanted it to be official. Dating him was amazing, and being committed to him was incredible. She didn't have a single complaint about it.

Except that she wanted to have his ring on her finger and his last name next to her first one.

"Hey Luke?" she said before walking out of the closet.

"Hmm?" he asked, far too distracted by her ensemble of a pair of burgundy satin pants and black satin camisole and a lightweight knit sweater.

"Maybe...we don't have to wait too long."

He didn't know if she was talking about the marriage or what he'd started. Given that she had actually put more clothes on and Eli was downstairs, he assumed the former. He didn't know which of those options got his blood pumping faster.

"Yeah?" he inquired. She walked over and ran her hand over his shoulder as he stood from the bed again, then he rest his hands on her hips.

"Yeah," she said. "You know that if you ask...I mean, you know the answer."

"Hmm. What would that be again?"

He was joking, and she almost made a joke of her own, but it didn't feel right. She didn't want to say anything other than what her answer would be, and though this pre-proposal was totally pointless and silly, it still felt like a big deal somehow.

"Yes. Every time," she admitted quietly.

He kissed her gently, then rest his forehead against hers. "Okay."

He didn't say it, but he had a ring at his house that he'd bought weeks before. He'd seen it and it was so Peyton that he couldn't help himself, and he'd bought it on the spot. It was her size (he'd asked her one day, just for reference, and she hadn't thought it strange at all, since she knew exactly why he was asking), and it was absolutely perfect for her, and he knew she'd wear that ring.

----

They'd just walked to Nathan and Haley's place to drop Eli off so the boys could play, and Lucas and Peyton were strolling through Tree Hill slowly, in no rush to get anywhere or do anything. It was kind of a perfect Saturday afternoon. Lucas had made them an incredible brunch, and Peyton and Eli had slept over the night before - the first night the boy had ever spent in Tree Hill. Lucas had turned his guest room into a room suitable for Eli. He hadn't changed much, just made it a little more kid-friendly, and Eli thought it was pretty awesome that he basically had three bedrooms.

"You know, every time I'm at this intersection, I remember the first day we met," Peyton mused as they came to a corner. The corner.

"Yeah?"

"And how much of a bitch I was to you," she said with a laugh.

"I loved it," he admitted, smirking at her.

"Apparently," she said softly. "I don't understand why you even looked twice at me."

"Have you seen you?" he asked incredulously. "I couldn't stop looking." She blushed and smiled to herself as she looked to her feet. It had only been a few weeks since his conversations with both Eli and her about marriage, and in his opinion, that was a few weeks too many. "I have something for you when we get back to the house."

"Oh really?" she asked. "A present?"

"Kind of."

"What is it? Tell me now."

He could have told her she'd have to wait, just to torture her a little bit, but he didn't want to. She had to know this day was coming soon anyway, and they always seemed to talk things out first. There weren't many surprises. They both kind of liked it that way. They'd each had enough of uncertainty. The liked the sure thing.

"A ring," he said quietly, deadly serious, no joking tone at all.

She stopped walking and reached for his wrist, making him turn to her, and he had to smile when she did. She pulled him towards her and threw her arms around his neck, and he held her tightly, standing right there in the middle of the sidewalk in the place where they first spoke. The first place where he'd called her beautiful and she'd actually believed that word for the first time in a long time. Where he'd stayed with her because he sensed she'd needed someone, and where she'd realized, maybe for the first time, that there was something different and amazing about this man.

She kissed him, and his hand cradled the back of her head, just like it always did when they stood like that, and she absolutely loved that he didn't actually ask the question. They both knew what it was, and they both knew the answer, and this was all just a formality anyway.

"And you are never, ever taking my ring off," he warned her sternly, smiling when she laughed and nodded her head.

"I won't need to," she whispered.

-Fin-