Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters. They belong only to Mark Schwan, CW and to the actors.

The River Court

11:55PM

It was close to midnight yet again on the River Court as Nathan sat on the picnic tables, staring out at the river, contemplating what he should do about the draft notice he had received the day previous. He was to report for duty in three days time and he had a lot of things to do before then. One was to spend sometime with Lucas who had just come out of his coma less than three weeks ago after having suffered through two serious heart attacks, a broken wrist, a cracked skull, and two broken ribs, yet somehow, was already getting ready to go back to college, where he would return to the day after tomorrow. Nathan still hadn't told him about the draft letter yet. The only two people who knew about it outside of Nathan himself were Deb and Haley, both of whom were there when he received the draft letter.

Footsteps were heard behind Nathan, signaling Lucas's approach. The younger Scott turned to him, feeling strangely out of place.

"You going to continue to ignore me for the rest of the summer or are you going to go back to talking to me again?" Lucas asked, sitting next to Nathan.

"Lucas, I have a lot going on right now," Nathan protested. He looked over to see Lucas's eyes twinkling happily in the moonlight.

"I was kidding, Nate," he said. "I kind of have a lot going on right now, too. My mom's thinking about moving."

"Where to?" Nathan asked, stunned by the revelation. If Karen moved, it meant that when Lucas came home from college, he wouldn't be coming home to Tree Hill.

"Wilmington or Charlotte. It depends on where she can get a job," Lucas said, staring moodily out at the river, a brooding look entering his eyes. "She told me this an hour ago. I am still making sense of it. I don't even know why she wants to move."

"Sucks, man," Nathan said sympathetically, his mind still wondering what he should do about the damn draft letter.

"Yeah, it does," Lucas said offhandedly. Turning to his brother he added, "So, looking forward to going back to Duke?"

"I don't think I'm going to go back, Lucas," Nathan said honestly, feeling now was as good as a time as any to tell him about the draft letter. Lucas's face held a mixture of confusion and anger.

"What do you mean, Nathan?" his voice was cold and angry, which scared the hell out of Nathan.

"I mean that I am probably not going back to Duke, Lucas. People drop out of college all the time," Nathan protested. Lucas glared angrily at him.

"Why do you do this? Why do you continue to waste perfect opportunities to make your life better and do something you enjoy doing? You have a full scholarship to Duke Nathan, to play basketball. Remember that sport? It's what you want to do! If you drop out now, then you're going to regret it for the rest of your life!" Lucas half-yelled, wincing slightly as his ribs protested to the loud tone and large amounts of air needed.

"Don't I have a duty to do to my country first?" Nathan asked quietly. Lucas's anger receded and his face turned into pure astonishment.

"You got drafted?" he said, his mouth falling open. Nathan turned away and nodded. "How long have you known?"

"Since yesterday," Nathan muttered.

"Does Haley know?"

"Yes, and so does Deb. They were there when I got the letter, telling me that I ship out in three days' time."

"You can't go, Nate. You have too much to live for here," Lucas said, pounding his fist against the palm of his hand. "Haley would die if anything happened to you, and James can't live without you, either." Lucas's voice grew strangled. Nathan guessed that he was thinking about their own father, the one that abandoned the elder Scott to be Nathan's dad.

"You don't think I don't know that?" Nathan said, his voice rising. Lucas looked at him. "I don't want to go! I want to go to Duke and play basketball, go to the NBA and then retire in five to ten years! I want to be there for my son and for my wife, both of whom who I know I couldn't live without, Luke! But I have to go."

"Do you?" Lucas asked quietly, making it Nathan's turn to be confused. He stared at his older brother in bewilderment that quickly turned to shock and anger as he figured out what Lucas was talking about.

"You are not going in my place, Lucas. That is out of the question and I refuse to allow you!" Nathan yelled. Lucas shook his head sadly.

"Nathan, you have Haley and James and a life to think about! I can finish my story and get it published anytime. Peyton's going back to Los Angeles to finish up at the record company and then moving in with her dad. My own mother is breaking her ties with Tree Hill and moving away. I have nothing left, Nathan. You have everything to loose," Lucas said fiercely.

"Did you already forget what I told you before the accident? About how if you died then almost everyone in Tree Hill wouldn't be here? Most of us are here because of you. Peyton is! Haley is back here because of you, for god's sake!" Nathan yelled. Lucas shook his head again.

"She came back for you, Nate. You know that," he said honestly. Nathan sighed, feeling like punching his brother.

"I'm where I'm at because of you. Not the whole draft thing, but in Duke and with Haley, and with James," he said.

"And you still will be here because of me if I go for you," Lucas pointed out. "Nathan, you already said that you don't want to go and I for one, know that you pretty much can't anyways. I can!"

"What about your heart, Luke? What about the constant danger of being killed every freaking second? If you get shot, you could die almost instantly!" Nathan countered.

"Better me than you," Lucas said tightly, glaring at Nathan. "You're not going to win this, Nathan. I will go for you, whether you like it or not. Haley needs you here, right now, and I am not needed here."

"Yes you are!" Nathan yelled back. "You might not realize this, but your life is much more valuable than mine right now!"

"Nate, think about everyone that will be broken if you are hurt or killed!"

"You do the same! I'm not letting you go, Lucas! You are in much more danger if you go than I am!"

"Oh yeah, how?" Lucas demanded, knowing the answer but daring Nathan to say it. His eyes flashed angrily as Nathan closed his eyes for a second and then opened them.

"Why do you want to go so badly, Lucas?" he asked instead, surprising Lucas with the question.

"Because if I go, then you can continue living your life and being who you want to be!" Lucas said heatedly, barely giving himself to think.

"I'm not going to if it means costing you your own life."

"Nathan, it's not costing me my own life. Look, I'm going to be an English major and become an author. What's better to write about then a solider that goes off to war for his family and comes back alive?"

Lucas was obviously trying to shed some humor onto the situation, but Nathan wasn't buying it.

"If you don't care about your own life, then what about Peyton's? Do you think she would be able to take anyone else leaving her for the rest of her life? She loves you, Lucas!" Nathan yelled.

"Then why did she sleep with Jake?" Lucas countered darkly. "You know what, fine, go off to war, break Haley's heart, leave your son without a father and throw away your entire life. I'm going home."

"Lucas, wait!" Nathan shouted as Lucas slipped off the picnic table and walked across the court. His brother spun around, his face visibly angry in the darkness.

"I'm leaving for UNC in three days time. If you change your mind, let me know," was all Lucas said, before continuing off towards his house.

Tell me how you liked it! It's not perfect and there are probably some mistakes, but it's here! Happy Sunday!