Hi, I got a couple of messages from Leyton fans asking me to continue posting Too Far Gone here, so for all those of you who are interested here are Chapters 10...Enjoy!
Chapter 10: Not gonna let you down
The susunod morning, Brooke, Peyton and Ally were heading towards the kusina for breakfast when they were interrupted sa pamamagitan ng the shrill sound of the doorbell.
“I’ll get it”, Peyton sinabi as she turned around and made her way to the door, leaving Ally and Brooke standing in the hallway wondering who’d be calling at 8 in the morning.
Peyton opened the door and opened her mouth to greet the visitor when she felt her words die in her throat as she gaped in surprise at the man standing on the other side.
“Hey”, Lucas greeted sheepishly. He was leaning against the door frame and both his hands were securely tucked in his jeans pocket. He was looking around uncomfortably, unable to meet Peyton’s piercing gaze.
“Lucas”, Allison shouted from the hallway as she slipped her hand out of Brooke’s grasp and made to run towards the door.
But she hadn’t even taken 2 steps pasulong when she was stopped sa pamamagitan ng Peyton’s shrill voice.
“Stay right where you are Allison!” Peyton screeched halting Allison in her movement. “Brooke make sure she doesn’t get away”, Peyton warned as she turned around and gave Brooke a pleading look who immediately grasped Allison’s small hands in hers.
Once satisfied that Allison was ligtas in Brooke’s grasp, Peyton turned her attention back to the man standing at the door. The man who was the reason she hadn’t slept all night. The man who had ran away when she had told him that he had a daughter. The man who had broken her puso way too many times to count.
“What do you want Lucas?” Peyton hissed in a low voice, her eyes shining with contempt and anger.
“I want to talk to you Peyton”, Lucas sinabi softly and this time it was his eyes that were begging for her to understand.
“Yeah see that’s the thing, I don’t want to talk to talk to you. In fact, I don’t want to have anything to do with you. So it would be in your best interest if you leave now before I am forced to do something stupid in front of my daughter”, Peyton spat as she made to shut the door in his face, but failed miserably as he kept a firm grasp on the door preventing her from closing it.
“Well that’s just too bad isn’t it? Because I am not going anywhere before you give me a chance to talk to you”, Lucas sinabi stubbornly, a small smirk appearing on his lips as he realized that he had won the argument.
“Fine”, Peyton relented reluctantly, giving Lucas the most evil glare she could muster. He had trapped her. She knew that he was a stubborn person and that he would stay on her doorstep the whole araw if she didn’t talk to him. Under usual circumstances, she would have put up a fight and maybe even caused a scene, but she realized that right now wasn’t the right time for either of those situations. Her daughter was in the same room and it would be best if she didn’t see her mom started getting physical with her dad. In the violent sense, of course.
Turning around, she looked at her daughter with what she hoped to be a convincing smile.
“Ally I need you to go upstairs, please”, Peyton sinabi softly.
“Now?” Ally asked with a pout.
“Yes, now. Mommy needs to talk to Lucas so you have to go to your room”, Peyton explained gently.
“But I am hungry”, Allison complained.
“Aunt Brooke is going to bring your breakfast to your room”, Peyton said, a hint of impatience in her voice.
“But Mommy, I don’t want to go upstairs”, Allison whined.
“Allison Anna Scott, you’re going to your room now, and I don’t want to hear another word about it!” Peyton sinabi sharply.
Her puso broke as she saw her daughter’s eyes fill with tears at her tone, but she knew that she couldn’t break now. This whole situation with Lucas had to be dealt with and Allison couldn’t be here to witness it. There would be time to apologize later, but right now she had to get her out of the way.
Glaring reproachfully at Peyton with large, tearful blue eyes that reminded her so much of Lucas, Allison turned on her heels and stomped upstairs without glancing back.
“Brooke can you please make a breakfast tray and take it upstairs to Allison’s room?” Peyton asked tiredly as she saw her friend nod and make her way to the kitchen.
A couple of minutos later, she came back with a tray laden with a glass of gatas and a bowl of cookie crisp cereal. As she made her way to the stairs, she was once again interrupted sa pamamagitan ng Peyton’s voice.
“Also, can you try to cheer her up please? And keep it loud in there, turn on the music or something because I am sure this conversation is going to end up in a shouting match and I don’t want Allison to hear any of it”, Peyton advised as Brooke smiled slightly at the last part of Peyton’s sentence. She knew Peyton wasn’t kidding when she sinabi that her and Luke’s conversation was going to turn into a shouting match. After all, they were both extremely stubborn and passionate people. Fireworks were bound to erupt.
“You got it sister”, Brooke sinabi smirking. “And try to keep it PG-13 okay?” She added throwing Peyton a wink behind a shoulder.
“Brooke Davis you better take that comment back”, Peyton screeched as she felt her cheeks heat up.
“Just joking P. Sawyer”, Brooke shouted back and Peyton could just see the mischievous grin on her friend’s face.
--
Once Peyton heard the resounding thud of Brooke closing Ally’s door and the sound of music drifting downstairs, she finally turned towards Lucas who was standing in front of her with a dazed look on his face.
“So you wanted to talk? So talk”, Peyton sinabi harshly as she folded her arms around her chest, waiting for Lucas to start speaking.
“Scott?” Lucas whispered slowly as if coming out of a trance.
“What?” Peyton asked confused, her cold demeanor slipping just a bit.
“You called her Allison Anna Scott. You gave her my last name?” Lucas asked softly, as he looked at Peyton with a surprised look on his face.
Peyton internally smacked herself at his words. She had a habit of calling Ally sa pamamagitan ng her full name when she was angry with her, and she hadn’t even paid it a segundo thought when she had sinabi it 10 minutos ago. But saying it in front of Lucas, well that was a whole different territory. After all, she was the one who had told him that Ally’s last name was Sawyer. But maybe this was for the better. Peyton decided that it would be in the best interest of both her and Ally if there weren’t any madami secrets kept from Lucas anymore. However, just because she had decided to come clean to Lucas, didn’t mean that she had to be nice to him in the process.
“So what if I did? Going to run again because I gave your daughter your last name?” Peyton asked sarcastically as Lucas once again felt himself drowning in guilt at her words.
“Listen Peyton about last night, I am sorry”, Lucas sinabi ashamedly.
“You’re sorry?” Peyton asked with a derisive laugh, “I am sure you’re sorry, but honestly Lucas, those two words have completely Nawawala their meaning coming out of your mouth”.
“I know. I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness after what a jackass I have been. I mean I was such an idiot la—”
“You thought you were the idiot? Please, if any one was the idiot, it was me”, Peyton sinabi disgustedly.
“You?” Lucas asked confused.
“Yeah me”, Peyton confirmed, “I was the idiot who actually let herself believe that maybe this time you won’t let me down once I told him the scariest truth of my life. Despite everything that had happened in the past, I actually let myself belief that maybe this time you’ll stick around. If not for me, then at least for your daughter. But like always, I was wrong once again. God, I should really start learning from past experiences”, Peyton sinabi quietly, all her nakaraan anger gone. The only emotions evident in her voice were hurt and self-disgust.
“Peyton…” Lucas trailed off, not knowing what to say to such a proclamation.
“Why did you do it Lucas? Why did you run? You could’ve at least let me explain”, Peyton whispered softly.
“I was a coward, that’s why”, Lucas said, repeating Nathan’s words from last night, “I don’t want you to blame yourself for this Peyton, because this was no one’s fault but mine. If I had for once been a man enough to face the consequences of my mistakes, then all this would have never happened”, Lucas sinabi critically.
“So that’s what Ally is to you? A consequence of a mistake that you have to face?” Peyton asked brokenly, Lucas’ last statement breaking her puso in a million pieces.
“No, no”, Lucas sinabi quickly, “What gave you that idea?”
“The fact that you just said: if only I had been a man enough to face the consequences of my mistakes. That is basically calling you Allison a consequence of the mistake we made three years ago”, Peyton sinabi quietly, not unable to meet Lucas’ eyes.
“Allison is not a consequence to me, Peyton. She’s the best thing that has ever happened to me”, Lucas sinabi passionately.
“Yeah, that’s why you ran away last night didn’t you? And anyways, you didn’t have any problem calling that night a mistake three years ago, so what’s stopping you from calling Allison a consequence. I mean, she was the result of a mistaken night”, Peyton sinabi bitterly.
“Allison is my daughter, Peyton. And no kid of mine is a mistake no matter how bad the timing might be. I ran away last night because I was scared. I freaked out when you told me that Ally was mine, and there were so many thoughts running in my head, that I just needed an out. It was all too much to take in one night. I mean I had ibingiay up all hope that Allison might have been mine and then all of a sudden I find out that she actually is mine--”
“Wait you wanted Ally to be yours?” Peyton asked surprised. She knew that he suspected that Ally might be his, but did he just say that he might have wanted Ally to be his daughter? Or was it just wishful thinking on her part once again?
“I did”, Lucas confirmed, and Peyton felt a small smile tug on her face at those two small words. Maybe Lucas did care. Maybe he did want to be a part of Ally’s life. But the tanong was, could she trust him?
“Ever since I saw Allison for the first time, tugging at your palda on her birthday party, I felt some sort of a connection with her. I couldn’t explain it to myself then, but it was like this deep longing so strong that just watching her laugh with Natalie was enough to put a huge asno smile on my face. I mean I pag-ibig children, but I didn’t share a bond like this with anyone else, and I was both freaked and comforted sa pamamagitan ng it at the same time. And then when I picked her up that night of her party, it was as if she was born to be fit in my arms. I felt so close to her that I never wanted to let her go. That same night when Lindsay pointed out that Allison might be mine, I couldn’t sleep the whole night. My mind was in a complete emotional roller coaster, but amidst from all the chaos, I knew one thing for sure, that I would give anything for Allison to be mine. So when my mom lied to me the susunod morning, I felt as if my world was crashing down around me. It was crazy, it was completely mental. I barely knew the girl for 2 hours and yet she had such a strong hold on me that I felt my puso breaking after finding out that she wasn’t mine. And then when you did tell me that I was her father, I ran away like the idiot I was. Yes, I was angry that you kept her from me for all these years, but in the end I ended up hating myself madami because of the way I had acted”, Lucas finished passionately, while Peyton stared at him awestruck. Of all the things she had expected him to say, this speech was probably the last thing in her mind.
But before she could say anything, she saw a big bruise mark on his jaw that she had somehow missed between her anger and his confession.
“What happened to your face?” She asked caringly, as she suddenly felt the urge to feel the bruised skin of his face under her fingers.
“That is the result of a manuntok thrown at me sa pamamagitan ng my much wiser younger brother”, Lucas said, smiling slightly.
“Nathan punched you?” Peyton asked wide-eyed, “Why?”
“Apparently, Brooke called Nathan the segundo I ran out of here yesterday and told him what had transpired between us in the living room. And being the awesome friend and god father he is, he came over to my house, threw a manuntok at my face and gave me some hard core payo that I really needed to set my head straight”, Lucas confessed.
“He’s an amazing friend and a wonderful godfather”, Peyton agreed, smiling at the Nathan’s thoughtfulness. He was the one person along with Brooke that Peyton trusted madami than herself, because she knew that he would do anything to keep her and Allison happy.
“And an even better puncher. I should recommend him to look into boxing if the whole basketbol thing doesn’t work out for him”, Lucas sinabi jokingly as Peyton laughed out loud, releasing some of the pent up tension in the room.
“So where do we go from here?” Peyton asked softly after a couple of minutes.
“I want to be a part of Ally’s life. I want to be proper dad and make up for the past three years. I want to be her father if you’ll let me”, Lucas sinabi pleadingly.
“Lucas there’s nothing madami that I would like right now other than you to be a part of Ally’s life. This is what she had wished for since she could talk”, Peyton sinabi earnestly.
“But…”
“But I can’t trust you”, Peyton sinabi bluntly, “I don’t want to hurt you Lucas, but I don’t want to lie to you either. Even though I want you to be a part of Ally’s life, I can’t trust you around her. I can’t trust you to not break her puso like you had done to me so many times before. She’s just a little kid, and she can’t go through the pain of you entering her life and then leaving whenever you felt like it. It would kill her Lucas”.
“Peyton I know that whatever I will say in my defense right now would be futile because I haven’t really ibingiay you any reasons from past experiences for you to trust me with this. But I will say this, I pag-ibig Allison. I pag-ibig her madami than anything in the world and I would rather die than cause her any pain. And if that still isn’t enough for you, then I am willing to do anything that would gain me your trust. My daughter means too much to me to give this up without a fight”, Lucas sinabi sincerely.
“You’re willing to do anything to gain my trust?” Peyton asked a couple of minutos later, a plan forming in her head.
“Yes”, Lucas sinabi without any hesitation.
“Tell Lindsay”, Peyton sinabi quickly before she Nawawala her nerve.
“Tell Lindsay?” Lucas asked confused.
“Yeah, I want you to tell Lindsay that Allison is your daughter”, Peyton confirmed.
Lucas felt himself go pale at Peyton’s words. Of all the things he was expecting, this was the last one he would have thought of.
“You sinabi you would do anything”, Peyton sinabi in a slightly accusatory tone taking Lucas’ silence as a bad sign.
“Why?” Lucas asked quietly.
“Because I know that Lindsay would be the last person you would want to tell about this. Not because it would completely freak her out, but because it would bring to light that you slept with me one week before your wedding. I don’t want to ruin your marriage, but at the same time I have to protect my daughter’s heart”, Peyton explained.
“How is me telling Lindsay protecting Allison’s heart?” Lucas asked incredulously.
“Lucas Allison is already so attached to you that it’s unnerving. Once you tell her that you know that you’re her father, the bond between the two of you will just deepen. And then who’s to say that when it comes to telling Lindsay the truth about her, you won't get cold feet and run away. Run away from everything you’ve created with Allison, leaving her completely broken behind”, Peyton said.
“Wow, you really don’t trust me, do you?” Lucas asked, sighing lightly.
“There’s too much at stake Lucas. I can’t let you in my daughter’s life without knowing that you’re there for good”, Peyton sinabi firmly.
“Okay”, Lucas relented.
“Okay meaning that you’ll do?” Peyton asked, surprised at how quickly he had relented. She had expected him to try to talk her out of it or try to persuade her to think of something else, but she hadn’t expected him to give in so quickly.
“Yes, I’ll do it. But I have a proposition as well”, Lucas sinabi a couple of segundos later.
“And that is?” Peyton questioned, quirking her eyebrows slightly.
“You let me tell Allison that I know the truth before I go tell Lindsay about her”, Lucas said.
Peyton blinked in surprise at his request. This wasn’t how this was supposed to be.
“Lucas, the whole point of this—”
“I know what the whole point of this is Peyton. I know you’re doing this so that Allison doesn’t get hurt. But I need an incentive too. I need to know that my daughter is waiting for me when I go and tell Lindsay about her. I need to know that I have someone’s dream is in my hand, so that it prevents me from backing out at the last minute. And most importantly, I need to know that even if things go horrible, I’ll always have someone to come back to”, Lucas sinabi pleadingly.
“Okay”, Peyton agreed reluctantly after a couple of seconds. There was no way she could deny him after what he had just said. It wouldn’t be fair.
“Thank you”, Lucas whispered looking at her sincerely, his eyes telling her what his words weren’t able to.
“Don’t make me regret this Lucas”, Peyton whispered softly, silently pleading him not to let her down this time.
“I won’t”, Lucas promised with so much sincerity in his eyes that Peyton couldn’t help but trust him.
“Do you want me to come with you?” Peyton asked quietly as she finally succeeded in moving her eyes away from his intense gaze.
“No, this is something I have to do on my own”, Lucas sinabi firmly.
--
Knocking lightly on Allison’s door, Lucas pushed open the door a few inches to see Brooke and Allison jumping on the bed, dancing to the loud music blaring from the speakers near the bedroom window.
“Hem, hem”, Lucas cleared his throat loudly in an attempt to get the attention of the oblivious girls.
“Lucas”, Brooke mouthed in surprise as she noticed him standing near the door.
Quickly jumping off the bed, she turned the music down and turned to face Lucas, surprise etched on her face.
“What are you doing here?” Brooke asked.
“I need to speak to Allison alone”, Lucas sinabi quickly.
“Peyton sent you up here?” Brooke asked suspiciously. Allison was eerily quiet throughout this whole exchange.
“Of course she did”, Lucas sinabi in a ‘duh’ voice.
“Are you sure? Because I better not find her knocked out in the living room, or worse tied up in an old chair in the basement”, Brooke sinabi dramatically, her eyes widening as the last thought occurred to her.
“Brooke I am right here, and I am completely healthy and conscious. So would you please come downstairs and give Lucas some time with Allison?” Peyton yelled from downstairs, having heard Brooke’s queries through the open door.
“Fine, fine. But I had to check didn’t I? And P. Sawyer you might sound healthy, but I am not sure if you’re entirely conscious. I mean you just sent Lucas upstairs to talk to Allison. Alone. That action in itself make me tanong your sanity”, Brooke teased, as Lucas grabbed the nearest unan and chucked it at her.
“You better not give her any ideas Brooke Davis”, Lucas threatened playfully.
“Jeez calm down. No need to get all violent, especially with a minor in the room. I’ll leave you two alone now”, Brooke said, as she quickly threw the unan back on Allison’s kama and made her way out of the room, securely closing the door behind her.
“Hey princess”, Lucas sinabi softly as he turned to face Allison was quietly sitting on her bed.
“Hey Lucas”, Allison replied unenthusiastically which struck Lucas to be very strange. Ally was such a cheerful and bubbly little girl, that this quietness scared him a little.
“Are you okay?” Lucas asked concerned as he made to sit susunod to her.
“I am fine”, Allison replied shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly.
“No, you’re definitely not fine. What happened? Is everything okay?” Lucas asked, turning her around so that she was looking directly at him.
“Is Mommy mad at you?” Allison asked finally, her voice quivering a little.
“Not really”, Lucas half-lied. Peyton was mad him.
“Then why was she so angry when you came in this morning?” Allison demanded.
“Okay fine, so maybe she was mad at me in the morning. But we talked and she isn’t made at me anymore, I hope”, Lucas explained.
“I thought so. But why was mommy mad at you?” Allison asked curiously.
“Because I was an idiot”, Lucas sinabi sighing for what seemed to be the millionth time that morning.
“Idiot is a bad word”, Allison sinabi matter-of-factly.
“Is that so?” Lucas asked, grinning slightly as Allison forcefully nodded her head, “Well than I am sorry”.
“You’re forgived”, Allison assured quickly patting his hand.
"So your mom told me something very interesting last night”, Lucas said, changing the subject.
“Really? What did she say?” Allison asked excitedly.
“Do you know who I am, Ally?” Lucas asked softly, his soft eyes roaming around Allison’s face.
“You’re Lucas”, Allison said, looking at Lucas like he was crazy.
“I know I am Lucas, honey. But what am I to you?” Lucas asked, rephrasing his question.
“Um, I don’t know”, Allison sinabi hesitantly not knowing how to answer his question. She lowered her head, not wanting to meet her dad’s questioning eyes.
“Your mom told me the truth Al”, Lucas sinabi gently, forcing the little girl to meet his eyes.
When Allison still didn’t speak, Lucas continued.
“She told me that I was your dad”. Lucas heard Allison gasp and saw her eyes widen at his confession. It was obvious that she was stunned.
“She did?” Allison asked in a small voice, finding it hard to believe that her dad finally knew who she was.
“She did”, Lucas confirmed.
“So are you going to run away?” Allison asked quietly.
“Run away?” Lucas asked started, “Honey, why would I run away?”
“Because I heard Mommy telling Aunt Brooke that once you find out that you’re my daddy, you’ll run away”, Allison sinabi tearfully, and Lucas felt his puso break at the uncertainty in his daughter’s voice.
“Oh baby, I am not going anywhere”, Lucas promised as he pulled Allison in his arms and hugged her tightly to his chest never wanting to let go.
“So you’re not going to leave me?” Allison asked, her voice muffled sa pamamagitan ng his shirt.
“Why would I leave the best thing that has ever happened to me?” Lucas asked incredulously, “I pag-ibig you Princess. I pag-ibig you so, so much and I am never leaving you again”.
“You promise?” Allison asked lifting her head from his chest.
“I promise”, Lucas confirmed as he tenderly kissed her forehead.
“Oh I pag-ibig you too Daddy”, Allison whispered, a huge smile spreading on her face and her eyes twinkling with happiness.
But her happiness was nothing compared to the emotions running through Lucas’ head as he heard his daughter telling him that she loved him. It was an indescribable feeling, a mix between euphoria, gratitude, and unconditional pag-ibig he felt for the little girl in his arms.
Just sitting there with her in his arms was making his puso beat faster, his mind going into a blissfully content mode. And he knew right then in that moment that he would never hurt his daughter. He had hurt many people in the past, broken many promises, but the one thing he would never do was make his daughter cry. She was too precious, too important for him to mess this up.
“Hey baby, I have to go now”, Lucas whispered a couple of minutos later.
“What? Why?” Allison asked in alarm, her eyes widening in fear at the thought that Lucas might be leaving her.
“I just have to go for a while princess. There is something I promised your mom I would do before I spend madami time with you”, Lucas said, lifting Allison off his lap and placing her on the bed.
“How long will you be gone for?” Allison asked once Lucas had gotten off the bed.
“Not for long”, Lucas promised.
“Why do you have to go?” Allison whined.
“I have to do this to gain your mom’s trust honey. Trust me, if I could, I would spend the whole araw with you. But this is something I have to do to sort of get in your mom’s good books, at least for a while”, Lucas explained.
“I guess”, Allison sinabi resignedly, not understanding any of his explanation.
“But princess, I want you to know that I pag-ibig you, okay. I pag-ibig you very much and I am always going to be here for you. I am never going anywhere ever again”, Lucas sinabi sincerely, as he bend down and gave Allison a halik on both of her cheeks.
“I pag-ibig you too daddy and I’ll wait for you”, Allison promised as she got up and gave Lucas one last hug before he turned around and walked away, leaving both of their hearts aching at the loss of contact.
--
15 minutos later, Lucas parked the car in the driveway of his house and quickly made his way to the front door. Unlocking the door using the spare key from under the welcome mat, he walked inside to find his mother sitting in the kusina mesa drinking a cup of coffee.
“Lucas, where were you?” Karen asked surprised at his sudden entry.
“I had some business to attend to mom”, Lucas explained hastily, “Where’s Lindsay?”
“In your room, I suppose”, Karen replied, slightly confused at the urgency of his tone.
“Thanks”, Lucas said, as he all but ran from the kusina to the direction of his room.
Stopping in front of his bedroom door, Lucas took a deep breath as he prepared himself for what was going to happen next. In the susunod five minutes, one the biggest secret of his life would be exposed to his wife, which could end his marriage for good. But Lucas knew that there was no way out of it. At this point, his daughter was his priority and if Lindsay didn’t understand that, then she wasn’t the woman he had known her to be.
He also knew that there couldn’t be any beating around the palumpong once he entered the room. His courage was already wavering and he needed to get this out as soon as he could. Feeling his resolve strengthen, he pushed open the door and walked inside to a semi-dark room.
“Lindsay?” Lucas called out, not finding her anywhere in the bedroom.
“Lucas”, Lindsay gasped as she came running out of the bathroom. Long strands of hair were sticking out from her already messy bun and her eyes were wide with horror. But Lucas was so blinded sa pamamagitan ng his own issues, that he didn’t notice any of it.
“I need to tell you something”, Lucas sinabi quickly.
“I need to tell you something too”, Lindsay sinabi breathlessly.
“Allison is my daughter”, Lucas blurted out, not hearing a word of what Lindsay had just said.
“I am pregnant”.
A/N: Well I hope you like it! For those of you who are waiting for chapter 27 on fanfiction.net, it will be posted up tomorrow. I am very sorry about the late delay but life has been really crazy!
Chapter 10: Not gonna let you down
The susunod morning, Brooke, Peyton and Ally were heading towards the kusina for breakfast when they were interrupted sa pamamagitan ng the shrill sound of the doorbell.
“I’ll get it”, Peyton sinabi as she turned around and made her way to the door, leaving Ally and Brooke standing in the hallway wondering who’d be calling at 8 in the morning.
Peyton opened the door and opened her mouth to greet the visitor when she felt her words die in her throat as she gaped in surprise at the man standing on the other side.
“Hey”, Lucas greeted sheepishly. He was leaning against the door frame and both his hands were securely tucked in his jeans pocket. He was looking around uncomfortably, unable to meet Peyton’s piercing gaze.
“Lucas”, Allison shouted from the hallway as she slipped her hand out of Brooke’s grasp and made to run towards the door.
But she hadn’t even taken 2 steps pasulong when she was stopped sa pamamagitan ng Peyton’s shrill voice.
“Stay right where you are Allison!” Peyton screeched halting Allison in her movement. “Brooke make sure she doesn’t get away”, Peyton warned as she turned around and gave Brooke a pleading look who immediately grasped Allison’s small hands in hers.
Once satisfied that Allison was ligtas in Brooke’s grasp, Peyton turned her attention back to the man standing at the door. The man who was the reason she hadn’t slept all night. The man who had ran away when she had told him that he had a daughter. The man who had broken her puso way too many times to count.
“What do you want Lucas?” Peyton hissed in a low voice, her eyes shining with contempt and anger.
“I want to talk to you Peyton”, Lucas sinabi softly and this time it was his eyes that were begging for her to understand.
“Yeah see that’s the thing, I don’t want to talk to talk to you. In fact, I don’t want to have anything to do with you. So it would be in your best interest if you leave now before I am forced to do something stupid in front of my daughter”, Peyton spat as she made to shut the door in his face, but failed miserably as he kept a firm grasp on the door preventing her from closing it.
“Well that’s just too bad isn’t it? Because I am not going anywhere before you give me a chance to talk to you”, Lucas sinabi stubbornly, a small smirk appearing on his lips as he realized that he had won the argument.
“Fine”, Peyton relented reluctantly, giving Lucas the most evil glare she could muster. He had trapped her. She knew that he was a stubborn person and that he would stay on her doorstep the whole araw if she didn’t talk to him. Under usual circumstances, she would have put up a fight and maybe even caused a scene, but she realized that right now wasn’t the right time for either of those situations. Her daughter was in the same room and it would be best if she didn’t see her mom started getting physical with her dad. In the violent sense, of course.
Turning around, she looked at her daughter with what she hoped to be a convincing smile.
“Ally I need you to go upstairs, please”, Peyton sinabi softly.
“Now?” Ally asked with a pout.
“Yes, now. Mommy needs to talk to Lucas so you have to go to your room”, Peyton explained gently.
“But I am hungry”, Allison complained.
“Aunt Brooke is going to bring your breakfast to your room”, Peyton said, a hint of impatience in her voice.
“But Mommy, I don’t want to go upstairs”, Allison whined.
“Allison Anna Scott, you’re going to your room now, and I don’t want to hear another word about it!” Peyton sinabi sharply.
Her puso broke as she saw her daughter’s eyes fill with tears at her tone, but she knew that she couldn’t break now. This whole situation with Lucas had to be dealt with and Allison couldn’t be here to witness it. There would be time to apologize later, but right now she had to get her out of the way.
Glaring reproachfully at Peyton with large, tearful blue eyes that reminded her so much of Lucas, Allison turned on her heels and stomped upstairs without glancing back.
“Brooke can you please make a breakfast tray and take it upstairs to Allison’s room?” Peyton asked tiredly as she saw her friend nod and make her way to the kitchen.
A couple of minutos later, she came back with a tray laden with a glass of gatas and a bowl of cookie crisp cereal. As she made her way to the stairs, she was once again interrupted sa pamamagitan ng Peyton’s voice.
“Also, can you try to cheer her up please? And keep it loud in there, turn on the music or something because I am sure this conversation is going to end up in a shouting match and I don’t want Allison to hear any of it”, Peyton advised as Brooke smiled slightly at the last part of Peyton’s sentence. She knew Peyton wasn’t kidding when she sinabi that her and Luke’s conversation was going to turn into a shouting match. After all, they were both extremely stubborn and passionate people. Fireworks were bound to erupt.
“You got it sister”, Brooke sinabi smirking. “And try to keep it PG-13 okay?” She added throwing Peyton a wink behind a shoulder.
“Brooke Davis you better take that comment back”, Peyton screeched as she felt her cheeks heat up.
“Just joking P. Sawyer”, Brooke shouted back and Peyton could just see the mischievous grin on her friend’s face.
--
Once Peyton heard the resounding thud of Brooke closing Ally’s door and the sound of music drifting downstairs, she finally turned towards Lucas who was standing in front of her with a dazed look on his face.
“So you wanted to talk? So talk”, Peyton sinabi harshly as she folded her arms around her chest, waiting for Lucas to start speaking.
“Scott?” Lucas whispered slowly as if coming out of a trance.
“What?” Peyton asked confused, her cold demeanor slipping just a bit.
“You called her Allison Anna Scott. You gave her my last name?” Lucas asked softly, as he looked at Peyton with a surprised look on his face.
Peyton internally smacked herself at his words. She had a habit of calling Ally sa pamamagitan ng her full name when she was angry with her, and she hadn’t even paid it a segundo thought when she had sinabi it 10 minutos ago. But saying it in front of Lucas, well that was a whole different territory. After all, she was the one who had told him that Ally’s last name was Sawyer. But maybe this was for the better. Peyton decided that it would be in the best interest of both her and Ally if there weren’t any madami secrets kept from Lucas anymore. However, just because she had decided to come clean to Lucas, didn’t mean that she had to be nice to him in the process.
“So what if I did? Going to run again because I gave your daughter your last name?” Peyton asked sarcastically as Lucas once again felt himself drowning in guilt at her words.
“Listen Peyton about last night, I am sorry”, Lucas sinabi ashamedly.
“You’re sorry?” Peyton asked with a derisive laugh, “I am sure you’re sorry, but honestly Lucas, those two words have completely Nawawala their meaning coming out of your mouth”.
“I know. I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness after what a jackass I have been. I mean I was such an idiot la—”
“You thought you were the idiot? Please, if any one was the idiot, it was me”, Peyton sinabi disgustedly.
“You?” Lucas asked confused.
“Yeah me”, Peyton confirmed, “I was the idiot who actually let herself believe that maybe this time you won’t let me down once I told him the scariest truth of my life. Despite everything that had happened in the past, I actually let myself belief that maybe this time you’ll stick around. If not for me, then at least for your daughter. But like always, I was wrong once again. God, I should really start learning from past experiences”, Peyton sinabi quietly, all her nakaraan anger gone. The only emotions evident in her voice were hurt and self-disgust.
“Peyton…” Lucas trailed off, not knowing what to say to such a proclamation.
“Why did you do it Lucas? Why did you run? You could’ve at least let me explain”, Peyton whispered softly.
“I was a coward, that’s why”, Lucas said, repeating Nathan’s words from last night, “I don’t want you to blame yourself for this Peyton, because this was no one’s fault but mine. If I had for once been a man enough to face the consequences of my mistakes, then all this would have never happened”, Lucas sinabi critically.
“So that’s what Ally is to you? A consequence of a mistake that you have to face?” Peyton asked brokenly, Lucas’ last statement breaking her puso in a million pieces.
“No, no”, Lucas sinabi quickly, “What gave you that idea?”
“The fact that you just said: if only I had been a man enough to face the consequences of my mistakes. That is basically calling you Allison a consequence of the mistake we made three years ago”, Peyton sinabi quietly, not unable to meet Lucas’ eyes.
“Allison is not a consequence to me, Peyton. She’s the best thing that has ever happened to me”, Lucas sinabi passionately.
“Yeah, that’s why you ran away last night didn’t you? And anyways, you didn’t have any problem calling that night a mistake three years ago, so what’s stopping you from calling Allison a consequence. I mean, she was the result of a mistaken night”, Peyton sinabi bitterly.
“Allison is my daughter, Peyton. And no kid of mine is a mistake no matter how bad the timing might be. I ran away last night because I was scared. I freaked out when you told me that Ally was mine, and there were so many thoughts running in my head, that I just needed an out. It was all too much to take in one night. I mean I had ibingiay up all hope that Allison might have been mine and then all of a sudden I find out that she actually is mine--”
“Wait you wanted Ally to be yours?” Peyton asked surprised. She knew that he suspected that Ally might be his, but did he just say that he might have wanted Ally to be his daughter? Or was it just wishful thinking on her part once again?
“I did”, Lucas confirmed, and Peyton felt a small smile tug on her face at those two small words. Maybe Lucas did care. Maybe he did want to be a part of Ally’s life. But the tanong was, could she trust him?
“Ever since I saw Allison for the first time, tugging at your palda on her birthday party, I felt some sort of a connection with her. I couldn’t explain it to myself then, but it was like this deep longing so strong that just watching her laugh with Natalie was enough to put a huge asno smile on my face. I mean I pag-ibig children, but I didn’t share a bond like this with anyone else, and I was both freaked and comforted sa pamamagitan ng it at the same time. And then when I picked her up that night of her party, it was as if she was born to be fit in my arms. I felt so close to her that I never wanted to let her go. That same night when Lindsay pointed out that Allison might be mine, I couldn’t sleep the whole night. My mind was in a complete emotional roller coaster, but amidst from all the chaos, I knew one thing for sure, that I would give anything for Allison to be mine. So when my mom lied to me the susunod morning, I felt as if my world was crashing down around me. It was crazy, it was completely mental. I barely knew the girl for 2 hours and yet she had such a strong hold on me that I felt my puso breaking after finding out that she wasn’t mine. And then when you did tell me that I was her father, I ran away like the idiot I was. Yes, I was angry that you kept her from me for all these years, but in the end I ended up hating myself madami because of the way I had acted”, Lucas finished passionately, while Peyton stared at him awestruck. Of all the things she had expected him to say, this speech was probably the last thing in her mind.
But before she could say anything, she saw a big bruise mark on his jaw that she had somehow missed between her anger and his confession.
“What happened to your face?” She asked caringly, as she suddenly felt the urge to feel the bruised skin of his face under her fingers.
“That is the result of a manuntok thrown at me sa pamamagitan ng my much wiser younger brother”, Lucas said, smiling slightly.
“Nathan punched you?” Peyton asked wide-eyed, “Why?”
“Apparently, Brooke called Nathan the segundo I ran out of here yesterday and told him what had transpired between us in the living room. And being the awesome friend and god father he is, he came over to my house, threw a manuntok at my face and gave me some hard core payo that I really needed to set my head straight”, Lucas confessed.
“He’s an amazing friend and a wonderful godfather”, Peyton agreed, smiling at the Nathan’s thoughtfulness. He was the one person along with Brooke that Peyton trusted madami than herself, because she knew that he would do anything to keep her and Allison happy.
“And an even better puncher. I should recommend him to look into boxing if the whole basketbol thing doesn’t work out for him”, Lucas sinabi jokingly as Peyton laughed out loud, releasing some of the pent up tension in the room.
“So where do we go from here?” Peyton asked softly after a couple of minutes.
“I want to be a part of Ally’s life. I want to be proper dad and make up for the past three years. I want to be her father if you’ll let me”, Lucas sinabi pleadingly.
“Lucas there’s nothing madami that I would like right now other than you to be a part of Ally’s life. This is what she had wished for since she could talk”, Peyton sinabi earnestly.
“But…”
“But I can’t trust you”, Peyton sinabi bluntly, “I don’t want to hurt you Lucas, but I don’t want to lie to you either. Even though I want you to be a part of Ally’s life, I can’t trust you around her. I can’t trust you to not break her puso like you had done to me so many times before. She’s just a little kid, and she can’t go through the pain of you entering her life and then leaving whenever you felt like it. It would kill her Lucas”.
“Peyton I know that whatever I will say in my defense right now would be futile because I haven’t really ibingiay you any reasons from past experiences for you to trust me with this. But I will say this, I pag-ibig Allison. I pag-ibig her madami than anything in the world and I would rather die than cause her any pain. And if that still isn’t enough for you, then I am willing to do anything that would gain me your trust. My daughter means too much to me to give this up without a fight”, Lucas sinabi sincerely.
“You’re willing to do anything to gain my trust?” Peyton asked a couple of minutos later, a plan forming in her head.
“Yes”, Lucas sinabi without any hesitation.
“Tell Lindsay”, Peyton sinabi quickly before she Nawawala her nerve.
“Tell Lindsay?” Lucas asked confused.
“Yeah, I want you to tell Lindsay that Allison is your daughter”, Peyton confirmed.
Lucas felt himself go pale at Peyton’s words. Of all the things he was expecting, this was the last one he would have thought of.
“You sinabi you would do anything”, Peyton sinabi in a slightly accusatory tone taking Lucas’ silence as a bad sign.
“Why?” Lucas asked quietly.
“Because I know that Lindsay would be the last person you would want to tell about this. Not because it would completely freak her out, but because it would bring to light that you slept with me one week before your wedding. I don’t want to ruin your marriage, but at the same time I have to protect my daughter’s heart”, Peyton explained.
“How is me telling Lindsay protecting Allison’s heart?” Lucas asked incredulously.
“Lucas Allison is already so attached to you that it’s unnerving. Once you tell her that you know that you’re her father, the bond between the two of you will just deepen. And then who’s to say that when it comes to telling Lindsay the truth about her, you won't get cold feet and run away. Run away from everything you’ve created with Allison, leaving her completely broken behind”, Peyton said.
“Wow, you really don’t trust me, do you?” Lucas asked, sighing lightly.
“There’s too much at stake Lucas. I can’t let you in my daughter’s life without knowing that you’re there for good”, Peyton sinabi firmly.
“Okay”, Lucas relented.
“Okay meaning that you’ll do?” Peyton asked, surprised at how quickly he had relented. She had expected him to try to talk her out of it or try to persuade her to think of something else, but she hadn’t expected him to give in so quickly.
“Yes, I’ll do it. But I have a proposition as well”, Lucas sinabi a couple of segundos later.
“And that is?” Peyton questioned, quirking her eyebrows slightly.
“You let me tell Allison that I know the truth before I go tell Lindsay about her”, Lucas said.
Peyton blinked in surprise at his request. This wasn’t how this was supposed to be.
“Lucas, the whole point of this—”
“I know what the whole point of this is Peyton. I know you’re doing this so that Allison doesn’t get hurt. But I need an incentive too. I need to know that my daughter is waiting for me when I go and tell Lindsay about her. I need to know that I have someone’s dream is in my hand, so that it prevents me from backing out at the last minute. And most importantly, I need to know that even if things go horrible, I’ll always have someone to come back to”, Lucas sinabi pleadingly.
“Okay”, Peyton agreed reluctantly after a couple of seconds. There was no way she could deny him after what he had just said. It wouldn’t be fair.
“Thank you”, Lucas whispered looking at her sincerely, his eyes telling her what his words weren’t able to.
“Don’t make me regret this Lucas”, Peyton whispered softly, silently pleading him not to let her down this time.
“I won’t”, Lucas promised with so much sincerity in his eyes that Peyton couldn’t help but trust him.
“Do you want me to come with you?” Peyton asked quietly as she finally succeeded in moving her eyes away from his intense gaze.
“No, this is something I have to do on my own”, Lucas sinabi firmly.
--
Knocking lightly on Allison’s door, Lucas pushed open the door a few inches to see Brooke and Allison jumping on the bed, dancing to the loud music blaring from the speakers near the bedroom window.
“Hem, hem”, Lucas cleared his throat loudly in an attempt to get the attention of the oblivious girls.
“Lucas”, Brooke mouthed in surprise as she noticed him standing near the door.
Quickly jumping off the bed, she turned the music down and turned to face Lucas, surprise etched on her face.
“What are you doing here?” Brooke asked.
“I need to speak to Allison alone”, Lucas sinabi quickly.
“Peyton sent you up here?” Brooke asked suspiciously. Allison was eerily quiet throughout this whole exchange.
“Of course she did”, Lucas sinabi in a ‘duh’ voice.
“Are you sure? Because I better not find her knocked out in the living room, or worse tied up in an old chair in the basement”, Brooke sinabi dramatically, her eyes widening as the last thought occurred to her.
“Brooke I am right here, and I am completely healthy and conscious. So would you please come downstairs and give Lucas some time with Allison?” Peyton yelled from downstairs, having heard Brooke’s queries through the open door.
“Fine, fine. But I had to check didn’t I? And P. Sawyer you might sound healthy, but I am not sure if you’re entirely conscious. I mean you just sent Lucas upstairs to talk to Allison. Alone. That action in itself make me tanong your sanity”, Brooke teased, as Lucas grabbed the nearest unan and chucked it at her.
“You better not give her any ideas Brooke Davis”, Lucas threatened playfully.
“Jeez calm down. No need to get all violent, especially with a minor in the room. I’ll leave you two alone now”, Brooke said, as she quickly threw the unan back on Allison’s kama and made her way out of the room, securely closing the door behind her.
“Hey princess”, Lucas sinabi softly as he turned to face Allison was quietly sitting on her bed.
“Hey Lucas”, Allison replied unenthusiastically which struck Lucas to be very strange. Ally was such a cheerful and bubbly little girl, that this quietness scared him a little.
“Are you okay?” Lucas asked concerned as he made to sit susunod to her.
“I am fine”, Allison replied shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly.
“No, you’re definitely not fine. What happened? Is everything okay?” Lucas asked, turning her around so that she was looking directly at him.
“Is Mommy mad at you?” Allison asked finally, her voice quivering a little.
“Not really”, Lucas half-lied. Peyton was mad him.
“Then why was she so angry when you came in this morning?” Allison demanded.
“Okay fine, so maybe she was mad at me in the morning. But we talked and she isn’t made at me anymore, I hope”, Lucas explained.
“I thought so. But why was mommy mad at you?” Allison asked curiously.
“Because I was an idiot”, Lucas sinabi sighing for what seemed to be the millionth time that morning.
“Idiot is a bad word”, Allison sinabi matter-of-factly.
“Is that so?” Lucas asked, grinning slightly as Allison forcefully nodded her head, “Well than I am sorry”.
“You’re forgived”, Allison assured quickly patting his hand.
"So your mom told me something very interesting last night”, Lucas said, changing the subject.
“Really? What did she say?” Allison asked excitedly.
“Do you know who I am, Ally?” Lucas asked softly, his soft eyes roaming around Allison’s face.
“You’re Lucas”, Allison said, looking at Lucas like he was crazy.
“I know I am Lucas, honey. But what am I to you?” Lucas asked, rephrasing his question.
“Um, I don’t know”, Allison sinabi hesitantly not knowing how to answer his question. She lowered her head, not wanting to meet her dad’s questioning eyes.
“Your mom told me the truth Al”, Lucas sinabi gently, forcing the little girl to meet his eyes.
When Allison still didn’t speak, Lucas continued.
“She told me that I was your dad”. Lucas heard Allison gasp and saw her eyes widen at his confession. It was obvious that she was stunned.
“She did?” Allison asked in a small voice, finding it hard to believe that her dad finally knew who she was.
“She did”, Lucas confirmed.
“So are you going to run away?” Allison asked quietly.
“Run away?” Lucas asked started, “Honey, why would I run away?”
“Because I heard Mommy telling Aunt Brooke that once you find out that you’re my daddy, you’ll run away”, Allison sinabi tearfully, and Lucas felt his puso break at the uncertainty in his daughter’s voice.
“Oh baby, I am not going anywhere”, Lucas promised as he pulled Allison in his arms and hugged her tightly to his chest never wanting to let go.
“So you’re not going to leave me?” Allison asked, her voice muffled sa pamamagitan ng his shirt.
“Why would I leave the best thing that has ever happened to me?” Lucas asked incredulously, “I pag-ibig you Princess. I pag-ibig you so, so much and I am never leaving you again”.
“You promise?” Allison asked lifting her head from his chest.
“I promise”, Lucas confirmed as he tenderly kissed her forehead.
“Oh I pag-ibig you too Daddy”, Allison whispered, a huge smile spreading on her face and her eyes twinkling with happiness.
But her happiness was nothing compared to the emotions running through Lucas’ head as he heard his daughter telling him that she loved him. It was an indescribable feeling, a mix between euphoria, gratitude, and unconditional pag-ibig he felt for the little girl in his arms.
Just sitting there with her in his arms was making his puso beat faster, his mind going into a blissfully content mode. And he knew right then in that moment that he would never hurt his daughter. He had hurt many people in the past, broken many promises, but the one thing he would never do was make his daughter cry. She was too precious, too important for him to mess this up.
“Hey baby, I have to go now”, Lucas whispered a couple of minutos later.
“What? Why?” Allison asked in alarm, her eyes widening in fear at the thought that Lucas might be leaving her.
“I just have to go for a while princess. There is something I promised your mom I would do before I spend madami time with you”, Lucas said, lifting Allison off his lap and placing her on the bed.
“How long will you be gone for?” Allison asked once Lucas had gotten off the bed.
“Not for long”, Lucas promised.
“Why do you have to go?” Allison whined.
“I have to do this to gain your mom’s trust honey. Trust me, if I could, I would spend the whole araw with you. But this is something I have to do to sort of get in your mom’s good books, at least for a while”, Lucas explained.
“I guess”, Allison sinabi resignedly, not understanding any of his explanation.
“But princess, I want you to know that I pag-ibig you, okay. I pag-ibig you very much and I am always going to be here for you. I am never going anywhere ever again”, Lucas sinabi sincerely, as he bend down and gave Allison a halik on both of her cheeks.
“I pag-ibig you too daddy and I’ll wait for you”, Allison promised as she got up and gave Lucas one last hug before he turned around and walked away, leaving both of their hearts aching at the loss of contact.
--
15 minutos later, Lucas parked the car in the driveway of his house and quickly made his way to the front door. Unlocking the door using the spare key from under the welcome mat, he walked inside to find his mother sitting in the kusina mesa drinking a cup of coffee.
“Lucas, where were you?” Karen asked surprised at his sudden entry.
“I had some business to attend to mom”, Lucas explained hastily, “Where’s Lindsay?”
“In your room, I suppose”, Karen replied, slightly confused at the urgency of his tone.
“Thanks”, Lucas said, as he all but ran from the kusina to the direction of his room.
Stopping in front of his bedroom door, Lucas took a deep breath as he prepared himself for what was going to happen next. In the susunod five minutes, one the biggest secret of his life would be exposed to his wife, which could end his marriage for good. But Lucas knew that there was no way out of it. At this point, his daughter was his priority and if Lindsay didn’t understand that, then she wasn’t the woman he had known her to be.
He also knew that there couldn’t be any beating around the palumpong once he entered the room. His courage was already wavering and he needed to get this out as soon as he could. Feeling his resolve strengthen, he pushed open the door and walked inside to a semi-dark room.
“Lindsay?” Lucas called out, not finding her anywhere in the bedroom.
“Lucas”, Lindsay gasped as she came running out of the bathroom. Long strands of hair were sticking out from her already messy bun and her eyes were wide with horror. But Lucas was so blinded sa pamamagitan ng his own issues, that he didn’t notice any of it.
“I need to tell you something”, Lucas sinabi quickly.
“I need to tell you something too”, Lindsay sinabi breathlessly.
“Allison is my daughter”, Lucas blurted out, not hearing a word of what Lindsay had just said.
“I am pregnant”.
A/N: Well I hope you like it! For those of you who are waiting for chapter 27 on fanfiction.net, it will be posted up tomorrow. I am very sorry about the late delay but life has been really crazy!
