Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters.

Nathan Scott still couldn't believe the words he'd heard three days ago. He never expected that they would come so early; he was only twenty-four, for God's sake. His professional basketball career had lasted approximately two years, and now it was all over. He'd given up everything to pursue the game that had been with him through everything he'd been put through as a child. He loved it. In a way, the game had made him who he was today. Of course, that wasn't the only contributing factor. It wasn't even the biggest. He knew who that was, but lately he had trouble admitting it. The pain he'd caused others in the past was too much. Forgiveness was impossible. It had been two years since he'd seen his son and the boy's mother. Sure, he'd tried to call on holidays and on the boy's birthday, but the NBA kept him busy. Apologies over the telephone never meant anything, especially not to her. And he couldn't blame her. Three days ago, when he'd been told that his career was over because of his bad back, he had realized for the first time ever how horrible he must've made their lives. He'd had to make a choice, and as he sat on the couch in his penthouse emptying another bottle of beer, Nathan Scott knew that it had been the wrong one.

"Hales? You home?" Lucas called out, letting himself into the apartment. He didn't hear a reply, but he instantly heard little feet padding down the hallway. Jamie.

"Uncle Lucas!" the boy shouted with an excited smile. Behind him, his red cape lifted into the air as he ran. When he reached the man, he jumped into his arms and hugged him.

Lucas smiled at his nephew and returned the anxious embrace. "Hey, buddy," he said as he placed him back on the ground and ruffled his hair. "Is your mom home?"

Jamie shook his head and walked over to the couch in the living room, jumping onto the piece of furniture. Cartoons were playing on the television, and he was instantly in a trance.

Lucas shook his head amusedly at the boy's actions and then walked into the kitchen, where he found a tall blonde cooking breakfast. "Hey, Dane. Where's Haley?"

The muscular man flipped a pancake and then walked to Lucas, giving his friend a man-hug. "Hey, man. I think she's still out shopping with your girl. They probably won't be back for hours." He smirked.

Luke laughed and shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest. "Brooke does tend to go a little overboard with the shopping. But she always looks damn sexy, so it makes up for it."

Dane let out a chuckle and put Jamie's pancakes on a plate with some syrup. "Here you go, buddy," he said, placing the food on the table in the other end of the kitchen. Jamie jumped up from his place on the couch and took his seat at the table, immediately shoving a large bite of pancake into his mouth.

"Listen, um…do you mind if I wait here for Hales?" Lucas asked. "I've got some stuff to talk to her about, and I'm leaving later this afternoon so I can't really come back."

Dane turned the stove off and nodded his head. "Sure, that's fine. Actually, I would love to go get in some gym-time if you wouldn't mind watching Jamie. I mean, if you're going to be here anyways…"

"Sounds like a deal, man," Lucas answered with a nod.

Once Dane was gone and Jamie had finished his breakfast, the boy picked out his clothes and got dressed. "Uncle Lucas, do you want to play the Wii with me? Dane and Momma never want to anymore."

Lucas smiled at his nephew. "Sure thing, Jamie."

Haley James said goodbye to her best friend before heading up the steps to her third floor apartment. Three large shopping bags were in her left hand while she fumbled with her keys in the other. It took her a few minutes to finally get the right one before letting herself into the apartment. What she saw made her smile. Jamie was standing on the couch with a victorious smile on his face, while Lucas sat on the couch looking disappointed.

"Not again!" Luke said, throwing his hands up. He shook his head. "You've got too much free time, little man."

When the door shut, Jamie jumped off the couch and turned his head. "Momma! I beat Uncle Lucas five times in a row!"

Haley put the bags down by the door and tossed her keys on the coffee table. "Wow. Good job, baby!" She smirked when she saw Lucas cross his arms and narrow his eyes at the boy.

"He totally cheated," the man accused. "No six-year-old wins five games in a row against me."

Jamie rolled his eyes playfully. "You just suck."

"Hey, don't say suck," Haley scolded seriously. "I think Lucas has had about enough of your beatings anyways. How about you go play in your room for a while?"

"Okay, Momma," the boy answered before running energetically to his room down the hall.

Lucas stood up and turned the television and game console off. Then he retrieved the controllers and put them back in their original places before turning to his best friend who was looking at him quizzically.

"Where's Dane?"

"Oh, he went to the gym. I told him I was going to wait here for you, and I said I'd be fine to watch Jamie until you got back."

"Oh." Haley walked to the kitchen and cleared the kitchen table where Jamie had eaten his breakfast. "Well, thanks Luke. You didn't have to do that. What did you need?" She already knew the answer to her question but simply hoped she was wrong in her suspicions.

Lucas sighed and stepped closer to her, leaning against the counter. "Did you see it last night?" he asked quietly.

She stopped what she was doing and turned the faucet off, gripping the countertop. She turned to him, biting her lip. "You know I did."

He uncrossed his arms and shoved his hands in his pockets nervously. "I'm going to see him, Hales."

"What the hell do you mean? Why?" she spat out.

He met her gaze. "Because he needs me to talk some sense into him and be there for him. He just lost everything, Haley. I can only imagine how he's taking it. He needs some guidance. I might be able to give him some advice about what his next move should be."

Haley shook her head. "I don't believe you, Lucas. He just lost everything?" She paused, looking down at the ground. "He lost everything the day he walked out the door. Quite frankly, I don't give a shit what he does next. And I hope he's miserable; I really do. After what he put me through, he deserves a lot more than losing a stupid game."

"You don't mean that," he whispered.

She laughed sardonically. "No, believe me I do. He made his choice, and if what you're going there for is to try and convince him to come back and become some sort of hero, don't do it. It's been two years, and I'm not about to let that happen. I deserve better than him. And so does Jamie."

"Oh, and what's better?" he mumbled. "Dane? Haley, we all know about what happened three months ago. As if it wasn't obvious on your face. Things like that don't happen just once. What happens when he starts in on Jamie, huh? Nathan would never lay a hand on either one of you, and you know it."

"Don't act like you know the ins and outs of our relationship, okay? I forgave him, and so should you guys. It's not going to happen again."

Lucas shook his head. "Who knew the genius Haley James could be so naïve? What, Dane's good enough to be forgiven but Nathan isn't?"

"Stop saying his name," she mumbled as tears started to form. She didn't dare let them fall.

Lucas walked toward the door, and she followed. "Whatever. It's not like you're going to change my mind about this. I'm going to see him." He put a hand on the doorknob.

"I guess you finally decided whose side you're on then," she said a little louder as he opened the door. He didn't bother to answer as he left.

Haley took a shaky breath and wiped her eyes. She wouldn't cry. She was over it, and she was over him. And she would do anything to convince herself of it.

Nathan looked around his apartment from his perch on the couch. He hadn't realized just how many beers he'd had in the past ninety-six hours. There was one empty pizza box lying open on the coffee table. He hadn't felt much like eating. He'd developed a sort of cycle: drink, sleep, wake up, cry, drink a little more, and sleep again. He wasn't crying because of basketball. Of course he was upset about it, but the ache in his heart was one that not even basketball could mend. The hole was too big, and after realizing the previous day that he literally hadn't seen Haley or Jamie in two years everything had gone downhill. And the memories of that time came flooding back more vividly than ever.

Haley sat up in bed as she heard the front door click shut. The room was pitch black, and her eyes were wide open straining to make out the figure that had just entered through the doorway. It didn't help. She knew that he was trying to be as quiet as possible, but how could she be sleeping? It was the fourth night that week that Nathan had been out this late with no logical excuse for doing so. Haley didn't want to believe her husband would cheat on her, but she was starting to seriously doubt him. He'd been drunk two of those times, and without even getting close to him she could tell he was again. The scent was overwhelming.

"Nathan," she whispered from her spot on the bed.

He stopped in his tracks and held on to the side of the bed to steady himself. "Hales, go back to sleep. We'll talk in the morning." He began to unbutton his shirt.

"Or we'll talk right now. Go turn the light on." She knew the situation had to be dealt with right then. It couldn't wait any longer. She wasn't happy, and she knew Jamie wasn't either.

"Haley-"

"Turn the light on, Nathan," she said forcefully, still not moving.

Nathan knew that tone, and it made him nervous. So he did as he was told and made his way back to the light switch, flipping it on. Both of them covered their eyes instinctively until they'd had time to adjust to the brightness. "Jesus, can you make it quick before I'm blinded?" Nathan mumbled, finally uncovering his eyes.

Haley swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood up with her arms still crossed over her chest. "Nathan, this isn't working," she said quietly.

His confused expression gave away everything he was thinking, as did his words. "What the hell are you talking about, Haley? It's the middle of the night, and I just want to go to bed. I don't have time for this. Not to mention the fact that practice starts tomorrow."

"Exactly," she replied. "It's the middle of the night, Nathan. And you just got home. You've obviously been drinking heavily, so I know you weren't doing something responsible that your coach knows about. This is the fourth time this week. And you're never home during the day either. I miss you." She paused. "Your son misses you."

Nathan sighed agitatedly. "I'm not really sure what you want from me, but I'm in the NBA now. I can't be on call for you twenty-four hours a day; it's just not possible. The team is my priority."

"What, so that means you have to go out and get wasted every night with a bunch of whores? Is that really because of your dedication to the team, Nathan? Because I have a hard time believing that excuse. And if the team is your new number one priority and your family isn't, then I'm not sure we should even be a family anymore."

He threw his hands up in the air. "What are you, on crack? I've been with the team for like a month, and you're already bitching about it. I never said you and Jamie aren't important to me, but I've got other people to please."

"Wow," Haley mumbled with a sardonic smile. "You know what, Nathan? If pleasing those other people is so damn important to you, then how about you just leave? Then you won't have to think about me and Jamie, and we won't have to tie you down any longer, since it's such a heavy burden for you. And hey, you can fuck anybody you want."

Nathan groaned. "I'm not interested in fucking anybody, Haley. If you would listen to what I'm saying, you would know that. Maybe if you could just let me have this and not think about yourself for once, we could all be happy."

"Oh yeah, I'm just so selfish. Is that why I gave up music for you? Yeah, that must be it. I'm just so damn selfish." She rolled her eyes.

"Shut up!" he yelled.

Haley was a bit taken aback. They'd said some harsh things, but no yelling had been involved thus far. She was angry though, and she was tired of putting up with him and his precious basketball. The NBA had changed him, and she wasn't sure if she could be with this new Nathan. She shook her head and crossed her arms again. "Nathan, I'm only going to say this once," she said quietly. "If you want to continue living the life you're living now, then you can leave. Because I don't need it, and neither does Jamie. He deserves better than that, and deep down I think you know that. But I've gotten a taste of this life, and it's not happening, Nathan. You need to make a choice."

Nathan shook his head, not knowing if it was him or the alcohol talking. "Why are you such a bitch, huh? I'm trying to live my dream and have the one thing that I've always wanted, and you're trying to take it away. What gives you the fucking right? I never asked for this," he said, motioning around the room. "And I never asked for you."

It was then that Haley felt tears spring to her eyes. "You need to leave," she whispered.

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'll sleep on the couch, and we can talk tomorrow when you're not being such a horrendous bitch."

"I'm serious," she said with more force. "Get out, Nathan. You're right; you never asked for me. And you never asked for Jamie. You've made your choice pretty clear. Go play basketball, and you can just have your wish. We won't bring you down anymore."

Thinking back, Nathan wished he hadn't been drinking that night. And he wished that he would've said something – anything – when she told him to leave that last time. But he had just scoffed and walked out. And that was the last time he'd seen his wife. And even if he managed to see her again, she wasn't his wife anymore. She wasn't Haley James Scott, and he couldn't really blame her.

A loud knock broke him out of his reverie. He debated on whether or not to answer the door, but eventually he stood up and opened it. You would think that seeing his brother, who he also hadn't seen in two years, would cause him to be ecstatic. However, he felt absolutely nothing as he backed away from the door and stared at Lucas.

Taking the situation into his own hands, Lucas walked in and shut the door behind him. He looked at his brother. "Dude, you look like ass. So does your apartment," he added, glancing around.

"Wow, it's great to see you, too," Nathan deadpanned. He returned to his spot on the couch and turned the television on.

Lucas followed and turned the television off almost right after it was turned on. He received a glare from his brother but only rolled his eyes and hid the remote behind his back. "How are you,
Nate?" he asked carefully.

"Oh, I'm fucking great," Nathan answered sarcastically. "What the hell does it look like?"

His brother rolled his eyes again and sighed. "I didn't come here for a pity party, Nathan. I know that you lost basketball, and I know that you're hurting. I came to see if you're okay and to talk some sense into you. Because I can guarantee you that what you're feeling now is nothing compared to what Haley and Jamie have felt for the past two years."

Nathan glared at him again. "I know I made a mistake. There's nothing I can do about it now. It's over."

"Oh, really? There's nothing you can do?" Lucas sighed. "I disagree. Jamie needs his dad, Nathan. If you think someone's going to be able to take your place in that boy's life, you're wrong."

"You don't know anything about it," Nathan spat. "So just shut up."

"Hmm…again I disagree. And do you know why? Because I've been in Tree Hill for the last two years with your wife and your son. I've seen them every day, and do you know what I've seen? I've watched Jamie ask his mom every day where Daddy is and when Daddy's coming home and if Daddy still loves him. And her heart breaks every single time. Haley needs you, too, whether she knows it or not."

Nathan looked up angrily. "No she doesn't. And if you value your life at all, you won't say her name around me anymore. They don't need me. No one needs me."

"I'm not buying it, Nathan," Lucas answered with a shake of his head. "You want me to feel sorry for you, and it's not going to happen. And I don't care how long I have to stay with you in this shithole. You're going to get some things through that thick head of yours."

His brother shook his head. "You're saying it's not all over for me. And I'm saying that you're wrong. What the hell could I possibly do to fix the past?"

Lucas squeezed his brother's shoulder and gave him a small, reassuring smile. "Come back to Tree Hill with me."

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think!