I don't like writing disclaimers, they bore me. Oh well.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own One Tree Hill. I don't own any scenes I may get from One Tree Hill, like the whole scene in this chapter. I do not own any characters, etc. I don't own anything except characters I may or may not include!

Author's Note: I hate short chapters. I also hate writer's block. I ALSO hate orange jelly beans. Gross.

I hate a lot of things! But certaintly not any of you~

Anyways, this is my newest story. Mostly Naley/Brucas, with friendships of Brucas.

I'm probably going to include a lot of friendship scenes, they're so cute! So count on at least every character having a little part in my story together

This chapter is kind of like a chapter just to lure you in. I don't like launching headfirst into the story. Didn't you learn in English class that it's the exposition FIRST?

I'm mean today, pardon my rudeness.

Anyways, I find that with stories that do that confuse me sometimes. So I chose to give you a scene you all know very well.

I hope all my reviewers and readers from 'I'm Afraid Of Being Hurt', my other Naley/Brucas story (which, for any of those readers who are reading this, I'm in the middle of Chapter 15. Such a delay, I know, but my brain slows down like this. I need major inspiration for that story because I have serious writers block, but now, I'm settling for writing a whole new story until I can come up with ideas for my other story), will be reading this one too.

I actually have many ideas forming in my head for this story already. Next chapter will be of Lucas and Haley's dream sequences (because come on, it's not OTH without dream sequences, right?). Lucas's dream sequence WILL NOT be Leyton. Blegh. Hate Leyton. It will be Brucas, mainly, with Keith (I LOVE KEITH.) and I'm still struggling on how to make it become Brucas again. I'll work on that.

Anyways, enough with my ramblings for those of you who read this. Here's Chapter One!

Chapter 1- Dazed and Confused

(Lyric in title is from the song Dazed and Confused by Led Zeppelin)

Sometimes it takes a car crash.

Sometimes it takes a heart attack.

Sometimes it takes a bad deal with a bad person.

One little mistake is all it takes for you to realize you could lose the one you love in an instant.

One turn in your life is all that makes you realize that you should act with your heart.

Because if you don't, you might lose it all.

Everything was a whole blur to him, dark shades of black and gray and blue smudged together on a canvas that he couldn't quite focus his eyes on.

His whole world was spinning, turning on his side, shaking around all its contents and not caring who got hurt.

He was slipping away from it all, down on his knees, the bumpy road digging into his legs. He didn't care, he couldn't feel anything.

He was about to lose it all when five minutes ago he felt like he had everything. His body was numb and his hands were shaky, rage coursing through his veins and helplessness in his eyes.

He was saying her name over and over, hoping she would wake up so he could just wrap his arms around her and hold her forever.

He didn't know what to do with his hands; he didn't know if he should hold her, or just leave her where she was in fear he would hurt her even more.

He couldn't breathe, he could barely speak, the words choking in his throat and all he could do is keep saying her name in exasperation.

He heard footsteps coming toward him fast from the direction of the café.

"Nathan!" Lucas called, just as panicked as his own brother on the ground. "What happened?!" Lucas said, his voice hoarse and distraught.

"They just hit her, man!" Nathan cried. There was much more of a story behind his words, but he cared more about his wife at the moment launch into story mode.

"I'll call 911!" Lucas said, quickly searching through his coat pockets for his phone.

Nathan looked up, his eyes managing to focus on a single thing besides his wife and Lucas: a single black car crashed into a construction site. That black car was familiar to Nathan. Anger suddenly overcame him, and whether Lucas knew it or not, his brother suddenly had a mission.

"Lucas, stay with her." Nathan said, determination in his voice. His wife-whether she was still breathing or not- was in good hands.

Nathan planned on getting even. This man had taken what was important to him, and he was going to pay.

Oh,was he going to pay.

This man had taken away the one thing Nathan last expected to be taken from him.

He wasn't going to lose Haley, not again. He wouldn't be able to deal with it if she was gone.

He couldn't deal with it when she was on tour.

He wouldn't be able to deal with it if she was gone… For good. Permanently.

Lucas didn't seem to notice the anger in his brother's voice as he called 911.

Nathan ran to the black car, his mind still racing but managing to focus onto the concept of revenge. He yanked open the door and pulled out the man inside.

"Son of a bitch!" Nathan growled, throwing Daunte onto the ground. Nathan knew in the back of his mind that hurting this man wouldn't bring Haley back, but the words 'bring Haley back' only fueled his anger.

What if his wife really gone?

What if his unborn son was gone?

"What did you do?!" Nathan screamed, drawing back his fist and repeatedly crashing it into Daunte's face.

Even in the dim streetlight Nathan could tell he was doing damage. His knuckles stung in pain but he kept hitting Daunte until a hand clung onto Nathan's wrist, restraining him from hitting the man anymore.

Nathan looked up at his father, looking like a monster. "Nathan!" Dan said, a hint of shock in his voice.

Dan stared at his son's bloody knuckles for a moment, bewildered. Did he create this monster?

Of course he did. His son came to him in need and he turned him down because it wasn't 'a solid investment'.

Nathan fell back onto the cold pavement, moving slightly away from the body as his father checked the man's pulse. Dan looked up at Nathan, who was still breathing heavily, and said two words that made Nathan's body shiver.

"He's dead."

As if Nathan didn't understand, Dan also added, "You killed him, son."

Dan shivered himself, he never thought he'd be telling his son he just murdered someone.

There was something in Dan's voice Nathan couldn't quite pinpoint, something like amazement or remorse or a mixture of the two.

Sirens sounded from a distance, Dan looking over his shoulder in a hurry. "Go on." Dan turned back to Nathan, who was scrambling backwards, his bloody hand on the side of the crashed car.

"Dad!" Nathan said in shock, staring at his father. His mind went blank, his brain struggling to process the situation.

"Haley needs you, Nathan! Your child needs you!" Dan rushed, the sounds of the sirens coming closer.

"Go!" Dan commanded. He was ready to take the blame for what his son did, he was ready of the consequences.

Nathan turned around and ran, back to his wife. The one that needed him right now.

Dan held his breath, drawing back his own fist, but instead of hitting Daunte, he hit the cold, bumpy street. He hit it several times, pain shooting through his body.

The sound of a car pulled up behind Dan, the sirens now as loud as they were going to be. They finally shut off, the flashing blue lights surrounding Dan.

Dan turned around, slowly rising up. He held up his hand, the look of guilt on his face.

He wasn't pretending he had murdered someone, he actually did. Maybe the body lying behind him wasn't the one Dan murdered in cold blood, but it was time for him to atone for his sins.

His conscience had won.

Lucas stared at his best friend's unconscious body as a paramedic rushed to Haley.

"She's been hit by a car, you've gotta help her."

"What's her name?"

Such a simple question was confusing Lucas. In his mind, he knew the answer, but every time he tried to say it, it slipped a little further away.

"Uh…" Lucas stammered. "Uh… Haley." Lucas finally managed to answer.

"How long has she been pregnant?"

"I don't know." Of course he did know, he knew the exact day Haley came to his room and told him she was pregnant.

His brain wasn't allowing him to count the weeks.

"A few… A f-f…" Lucas stammered again, the words not coming out. His body was going into overdrive and his heart was beating faster than normal.

Suddenly everything went dark for Lucas and he fell to the ground beside Haley.

"Passed out. I got him." The other paramedic said, coming to Lucas's side and checking his pulse.

"Hold on!" The man said, putting his ear up to his neck.

"Heart's not beating." The man confirmed.

"I got a full cardiac arrest, requesting backup!"

Time is running out, now, and I tell you, you gotta feel for Nathan Scott. I mean, sure he has made mistakes, but you get the sense if this is how it ends, he's never gonna forgive himself.

At the hospital, Nathan watched as his wife was wheeled through the hallway. He was a loss at words, his eyes filling with tears that hadn't dropped.

Nathan slid down the receptionist's desk in despair and worry.

This couldn't be happening. Nathan entwined his hands together, his whole body shaking. The tears dropped.

Nathan hadn't cried since he was eight, when Dan had first started torturing him with constant basketball drills.

Nathan didn't even cry when Haley left for tour.

That was because Nathan learned to toughen up and not let anyone get down that wall far enough for him to break.

And now that wall was completely down, and Nathan had no clue what to do.

And Lucas Scott is being swarmed! I wouldn't doubt it if they didn't carry the kid out and never bring him back!

The paramedics wheeled his brother by Nathan, bringing him to a separate room at the other end of the hospital.

All that was going through Nathan's mind was that he should be on that stretcher. Why did Daunte have to do this? It should be him.

Not Haley.

Not the baby.

Not Lucas.

I have never seen some of these kids this happy, and can you blame them? They've been waiting a long time for this moment.

Brooke rushed up Peyton's stairs, her heart beating fast. She could feel it was almost going to burst out of her chest.

Peyton was on her bed, smiling happily as she listened to the radio. She felt someone walk into the room behind her, and she turned around.

It was Brooke, and Peyton's smile fell. Something was wrong. Brooke has been so mad at her- and now, to find her in her bedroom? This was Tree Hill, tragedy central, and Peyton bore herself for bad news.

"Lucas and Haley are in the hospital." Brooke said, the words finally catching up to her brain in realization that Lucas might die. What would Brooke do without Lucas? Brooke tried to mask that feeling from Peyton. She was good at hiding her feelings by now.

Peyton took a deep breath, her mouth dropping a little.

"It's bad Peyton, it's really bad." Brooke said, her words choking slightly as the lump in her throat grew and tears brimmed the corners of her eyes.

The tears arrived faster for Peyton, who grabbed her jacket and rushed past Brooke, in a hurry to get to the car.

Brooke exhaled sharply once Peyton was out of the room. She clung to the jacket she was wearing, trying to get it off. She was so hot, suddenly feeling very claustrophobic.

Haley was a great friend. She wanted more time with her. She prayed quickly to God that if he gave her a miracle, that Brooke would make the best of it.

And Lucas… He was even more of a friend. They seemed to just became friends, and now Brooke was going to lose him, she wished he had been more with him. She had been lying to Lucas that night when Whitey made the speech.

She didn't think what they did was a mistake.

She thought Whitey was describing them when he had made that speech about Camilla. Had Lucas not felt the love they had?

Had Lucas not realized that their love could have overcame the obstacles?

Yes, maybe it was Brooke's fault. Half the time she was playing games, wanting Lucas to fight for her and knowing the exact thing Brooke wanted at the exact moment.

And Brooke was playing a game that day Whitey made the speech when awarded with that award.

Brooke couldn't remember why exactly she had told Lucas she didn't believe Whitey was describing them.

Was it because she wanted to make sure he wanted this as much as she did?

Or was it because she saw the look on Peyton's face- the look of disappointment and crushed hopes when she saw Lucas with Brooke?

Brooke suddenly realized Peyton was already downstairs and quickly followed her out of the house.

Brooke also realized she wanted Lucas back, fully and completely.

She just didn't know how to do it.

And there, in the center of it all, is Whitey Durham, standing alone, taking it all in.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Tree Hill Ravens are champions at last.

And there's not a dry eye in the house.