Annie's OTH love, aracely6, marybethothfan, cayt326, ReeseHolden, Juzzy88, Sweetcheeks, jamyj30, 19Leyton94, xoxotaylor

Before we get moving onto the epilogue, I would like to thank you, all of you, for taking the time to read my story. I'll admit I've never had such a positive response to any of my fanfiction stories before, so to have all of your reactions and comments towards Defining Happiness, made my career here. Now as you all know, this is it. This is the epilogue. I'm sorry to see this story go, but I needed it to end eventually. Because, guess what else is coming out today!? In Every Second of Everyday. I know you all want to get onto reading the final chapter of DH, but let me give you a little insight on my new story because I would be thrilled to have all of you reading that story as well. In Every Second of Every Day starts off just as the epilogue of DH does (So what you see bellow you) I don't know if I planned it that way, or what; it just happened. This new story…is very…harsh. The truth behind it is real. It's nothing like DH. There is Leyton Fluff, but you see the point of this new story is to put Lucas and Peyton and their family through an experience that takes time to understand. Their happy go lucky attitude, like in DH, can't always stick around. But please give it a chance.

And now we move on towards the epilogue….

"We all make different choices and need different things. I think eventually we learn to define happiness for ourselves, on our own terms, in spite of the pain others have caused us."- Haley James Scott.

"Ugh!" The six year old groaned, throwing her paint brush onto the kitchen floor. "I can't do this!"

Lucas Scott walked over and knelt beside his daughter's chair. "What's wrong kid?"

"You think I would be good at this, but I'm not. Practice doesn't make perfect after all." He looked at his daughters painting of the tree she could see from the kitchen window. It was better than he could do.

"Oh quite you. Stop complaining." He lifted Elle out of the chair and carried her over to the sink to wash her hands. Once she had, he set her back onto the floor.

"Can mom and Rae come home today?" She asked her father, reaching to hang up her still wet picture on the fridge.

"You better believe it El. But we have to clean up the house a bit beforehand."

"We?!" Elle asked. "But I want to go see the baby."

'You've seen Rae all week." He argued. "You can wait two hours."

"But she's my first sister, this is a big deal." Elle defended her self.

He laughed and smacked her little butt. "Stay out of my way while I'll clean."

"If Brian's awake, can I play with him?" She begged, taunting him with their matching blue eyes.

"Carefully" She began to run off. "I mean it El, you watch him. And let him sleep if he still is. He was up late last night." She skipped down the hall and into the addition, opening the first door on the right. The room she entered was lit by the cracks coming in through the window shades. She flipped the switch on the wall, fully illuminating the room.

Brian's tiny body scrunched up into a ball as he covered his eyes with his hands. "Bri, are you still asleep?"

"No!" The two year old cried, and pulled his blanket over his sandy blonde head.

Elle shook her head and turned the light back off, only partially closing the door behind her. Instead of returning to the kitchen to bother her father, she stalked into her parent's bedroom, climbing onto the bed to grab the phone.

She dialed out her most familiar digits and leaned back into the pillows listening to the dial tone.

"Mini Scott?" The voice answered.

"How did you know Aunt Brooke?" Elle smiled out of pride.

"Because your mommy's still at the hospital silly, and you're the only other one who would call me. What's up kid?"

"What are you doing today?"

Brooke shrugged, though unseen by the six year old. "I don't know, why did you want to do something in particular?"

"What's Alexia doing?"

"Whatever I tell her to do, now what's up? What do you want silly girl?"

"Can we go to the hospital to visit mommy and the baby?"

"Your dad doesn't want to?" She questioned.

"He has to clean the house before Mom and Rae come home."

"Oh, I understand….why don't you help him with the cleaning? The faster you do that the faster mommy can come home."

"I'd rather not" Elle sighed. "Please Aunt Brooke!?"

"Put your Dad on the phone" She drowned out.

Elle jumped down off the bed. "Yes!" She shouted and ran back for the kitchen.

"Daddy!" She held up the phone to her father who was busy scrubbing plates and placing them on the counter. "Aunt Brooke wants to talk to you!"

His eye brows lowered. "I didn't hear the phone ring."

"It didn't"

His eyes then rolled as he reached for the phone. "What does she want you to do?"

Brooke laughed as Lucas answered the phone. "She wants to go visit her mommy and new baby sister."

Luke glared down at Elle, before turning his back on her to continue washing the dishes, holding the phone against his shoulder. "I told her we would go pick up both her mom and the baby after I finished cleaning the house."

"You know, it's really no problem Lucas. Julian's in LA and Alexia and I are bored at home so I really wouldn't mind coming to get her for awhile."

"You sure?"

"Positive. You want me to take the other Scott boy too?" She asked referring to Brian.

He shook his head. "Nah, he's still sleeping anyway; and besides, he's still not too thrilled about having another sibling"

"Okay, if you don't have a problem with it, tell Elle Belly I'll be there in ten"

"Thanks Brooke."

"No problem Luke and we'll probably hang out there until you come to pick Peyton and the baby up."

"Okay, good to know. See you soon… bye" He hung up the phone and glanced down at his daughter. "Well, go get dressed, you've got ten minutes."

"Yes!" She leapt up into the air and bound off for her bedroom, slamming the door behind her. Just as her door closed, two year old Brian wobbled out from the hallway, thumb in mouth, dragging his blue blanket behind him.

"Hey B-man" Lucas said, kneeling down to scoop his son up into his arms. "Look who finally woke up."

"No" Brian echoed, pushing his thumb back into his mouth and rested his head against his father's chest.

"Did Elle wake you?" He asked his son.

"Ya" He mumbled, before pulling his thumb back to his side, using it to grip onto his father's shirt. "She's mean"

"Don't worry about it. She's going out with Aunt Brooke and Alexia today, so she won't even be home."

"Good" He responded and lifted his head back up. "I'm hungry!" He pouted.

Lucas smiled and set him down in his high chair. "What do you want to eat buddy?"

"Cheerios"

Of course, Lucas should have known. He took the box of cereal out of the pantry and poured it into a blue plastic bowl for Brian. He set it down for the two year old, who quietly began to eat.

Being a parent had definitely changed Lucas. It was stressful, at times, like when Elle forgot things at home and he needed to drop it off at school for her, or whenever she and Brian fought, even though Luke insisted she should take the upper hand because she's older than Brian. But being a parent was also the greatest experience he'd ever had. Watching as his kids accomplish something for the first time; their first words, their first smile. Elle's first day at school and Brian's first trial run at attempting to read a book. And now he got to share these experiences and have these feelings all over again with his third child, Rae, a sandy brown haired girl with mysterious brown eyes. No one was quite sure where she had gotten those from. He was sure the best part about being a parent was watching these kids grow and discovering how many of their antics they got from his wife, Peyton Scott. Elle was already throwing the Peyton Sawyer temper tantrum. She had that down. And she also made the same face Peyton did when she wanted something. And like everyone knew, Elle looked just like Peyton. And while everyone insisted Brain was Lucas clone, there were times where he could point out the little bits of Peyton in him.

And their newest one? Well he would have to wait and see. Rae's three days on this earth hadn't exactly shown on her inner personality. She spent most of her time sleeping, or crying. Just thinking of his tiny infant and wife laying in a hospital bed made him wish he was leaving with Brooke and Elle. Too bad he had let the house get so messy in the last six weeks or he would have.

"Daddy" Brain spoke softly, still continuing to push Cheerios in his mouth. "Door" He pointed with his chubby little finger.

Lucas was pulled from his day dream as he lifted his gaze from the floor and was greeted by Brooke's face in the window frame. He quickly ran across the kitchen and flipped the knob, allowing her to enter. She was followed by a second long hair brunette, a third her size.

"Since when do you lock doors in this house?" Brooke asked, walking over to Brian, kissing his red cheeks, and then laying a hand on his blonde head.

Luke leaned down to lift Alexia into his arms. "Since Elle said the house isn't safe when Mommy's not home"

"Isn't it the daddy's who keep the monsters away?" She laughed.

"I guess that's not how it works in this house." He kissed is "nieces" head and set her back on the floor. "Elle will be out in one minute Alexia"

"Okay" The five year old climbed up onto one of the kitchen chair as Brooke leaned over to pull her daughter's hair into a pony tail, keeping it out of her face.

"I thought Elle was excited to go?"Brooke questioned. "Now she's dilly dallying."

"Am NOT!" Elle shouted from down the hall, her footsteps heard at a running pace. "I was getting this." She stopped in front her aunt and wove a sheet of paper in front of her face.

Brooke stopped the child's frantic movements by grapping the paper from her. "Aw Elle, that's sweet. Is it for your mom?"

"Duh"

"Well" Brooke handed Elle back her picture and crossed her arms.

"El, be nice" Lucas encouraged.

"It says Mom, I love you on it!" She defended and both Brooke and Lucas rolled their eyes.

"So Peyton" The tall Brunette laughed.

"You're telling me?" He asked and the two laughed. Brooke placed a hand on Elle's shoulder.

"We should go so your dad can finish cleaning the house." She turned to Brian. "You wanna go buddy?"

"No!" He shouted and shook his head. He crammed a few more cheerios into his mouth.

"So you" Brooke responded towards the child's few spoken words. "Let's go girls," She led them out the back door,

-x—x

Upon arriving at the hospital, Elle broke out into a run, followed closely behind by Alexia. But Brooke didn't worry. She knew Elle knew exactly where her mother's room was. She'd been admitted one month prior to her due date, just to be safe, just like they had done during Brian's birth as well.

Brooke caught up to them before they entered Peyton's hospital room. She snagged Alexia's tiny waist and held her close to her chest.

"Mom!" She pouted. "I wanna stay with Elle"

"Give her a second to say hello to her mom and then we can go in"

Elle threw open the door and quickly looked for her sister's "portable" bed. She sighed when she realized Rae wasn't in the room, but changed her mood when she realized she'd have her mother all to herself. She hopped up onto the chair that had been positioned right by Peyton's bedside and found that her mother was still asleep.

Like the sweetheart she had grown to be, she leaned down and pressed her lips to her mother's forehead and parked her butt on the edge of the bed.

Peyton's eyes opened slightly as a smile sprung to life on her lips. Before she got the chance to say anything, Elle was already talking. "I'm so short mommy!" She complained, and laid down besides her, resting her chin in her palms. "The bed's too high! But I'll be tall one day, cause I'm just like you"

Peyton's smile continued to stay plastered to her face. "Who took you here missy?"

"Aunt Brooke; Her and Alexia are slow. I beat them both here."

Peyton rolled her eyes. "What's daddy up too?"

"Cleaning the house cause it's a disaster!"

A laugh irrupted from her throat. "And my other boy?"

Elle was fully aware she was talking about Brian. "He slept for a long time because we left so late last night."

"And you wanted to come back?" She asked, curious.

"Duh!"

"Duh" Peyton echoed with a sarcastic tone. She pulled Elle into a hug and kissed her cheek as Brooke and Alexia entered the room.

"Hey P. Scott."

"Hey B. Baker." She responded and smiled at her niece who was dumped onto the bed by her legs.

"Where's Rae Mom?" Elle asked, craning her head around the room to make sure she hadn't missed anything.

"She should be right back. The nurses just took her for her last check up so we can take her home today!"

"And you get to come home too Mommy!" Elle beamed.

"I know baby girl; it's been so long!" She placed a chaste kiss on her daughter's forehead and laughed after Elle whipped it off with her palm, scrunching her face. "Come here you" Peyton then held her arms out for Alexia and pulled the five year old into her arms, kissing her face as well.

"At Elle's first birthday party, a week ago, you had something you wanted to tell me. And I ran out, I'm sorry."

"Sweetie, it's no big deal, you had to be there for..you know.."

"I know" Peyton smiled in appreciation. "What did you have to tell me?"

A large smile spread across the brunettes face. "I'm- I'm pregnant!"

Peyton's mouth dropped open. "No!"

"Yes!"

"Oh Brooke" She wrapped her arms around her friend, her face pressing into her shoulder. "I am so happy for you."

"Our kids can be friends like we were."

"Like we are silly" Peyton kissed Brooke's cheek and moved away from her.

"I wish Jamie and Aunt Haley and Caroline and Uncle Nathan were here." Elle enthused.

Her daughter was a sweetheart; Peyton smiled. "Uncle Nathan will be out of season in three weeks. And then they will be home."

"Caroline's lucky she gets to hang out with all of the NBA cheerleaders!" Alexia cheered, bouncing slightly.

"She'll probably be so much better than us when she comes back!" Elle defended and crossed her arms.

"Coach Bevin will probably make her assistant captain."

Brooke and Peyton's eyes locked on each other's and they laughed in spite at their over dramatic children.

A knock sounded from the door as a young nurse walked in, cradling a very small infant. "Oh Mrs. Scott, you have visitors."

"Yes I do" She responded, showing her teeth in a familiar smile. Brooke pulled Alexia off of the bed while the woman walked over and gently placed Rae down in her mother's arms.

-x—x-

The remainder of the afternoon moved by quickly. Brooke left to pick up sandwiches for Peyton and the kids and when she got back to the hospital, she ran into Luke in the parking lot who was carrying a very tired Brian.

"Lucas" She called, as she ran towards him, swinging the bag of subways, and supporting a tray of drinks on her hip. "I didn't know you were coming so soon. I would have gotten you and Bri Guy something too"

"No, don't worry about us, we ate."

She smiled as she fell into step besides him, making their way into the building. "Peyton's so excited to see her boy" Brooke explained.

"Who me or the little guy?" Luke lifted his son slightly.

"Brian, of course."

"Of course" He echoed. "Her pride and joy"

"Speaking of which, do you think this is your last one?" She asked.

"Absolutely, I won't let her go through this again and I'm pretty sure she doesn't want to."

Brooke nudged her friend's arm. "You guys are too cute"

They approached Peyton's room, and Luke held open the door for the Brunette, allowing her to walk through in front of him.

"Look who I found" She whispered, seeing Rae tucked into her small plastic crate. Luke entered carrying Brian and Peyton's face lit up. Her husband's heart enlarged at the sentiment.

Elle and Alexia were seated in the chairs, coloring in books that Brooke had purchased from the gift shop. Peyton swung her legs carefully over the side of the bed and reached her arms out for her sleeping son.

"Hey Brooke," The blonde turned to her best friend. "Would you mind watching the kids for a few minutes? I think I'm going to steal Lucas and take a quick walk around the hall."

"What about your food?"

"Five minutes tops. Just give me a chance to stretch my legs"

Brooke smiled. "Of course P. Scott."

Peyton placed her feet flat on the floor and accepted her husband's arm as he held it out for her. Brian remained on her hip, head against her chest, while she spared Rae one check over before following Luke out of the room.

"Feeling better?" Lucas asked, supporting her waist with one hand.

"Much" She quickly kissed his cheek as they walked down the hall.

"Nice shorts"

"They're yours" She pointed out and accepted the light squeeze of her hip. "I'm fine now. It's all over"

"I know, I'm just not ready to stop being over protective."

"You're sweet"

They continued around in a circle and ended back at her door.

"You ready to go home Mrs. Scott"

She smiled. "So ready." Gently, she leaned up and placed her lips on his, as his fingers wove into her hair. "I love you" Peyton whispered breathlessly.

"I love you too" Lucas responded and reached down for a second kiss.

So…that's it.  Hurt? I hope not! Because my second story is just as great (I think!)

So please leave your final reviews!! And check out In Every Second of Every Day.

Yours Truly, Maygen.