A/N: Okay so I guess this is kind of like, my Season 5. I'm hoping to have a little bit of everything in here.

He stood there, his eyes not wanting to believe what they were seeing.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Scott. He's gone."
He fell to his knees. He had been there when the old man had collapsed on the basketball court, had ridden in the ambulance the whole way to the hospital. Lucas Scott had witnessed the death of Whitey Durham. He watched as they wheeled the bed away, looking at the old man's pale face for the final time. This was going to change his life, and the lives of many other ex- Tree Hill residents.

"If you were to ask me who Whitey was to me, I would tell you he was like a father I never had. He coached me in basketball for the last two years of my high school life. He offered me the assistant coaching position. He was there for me. Through everything. There won't be a day he's gone that I won't miss him, but he wouldn't want us all to dwell on this. Whitey cared for every person that he met, but he's gone to join his wife Camilla, up in the place where one day we all will hopefully be. May he rest in peace."
Bowing his head, Lucas made his way back to his seat and looked into the sad faces that filled the church.

There was not a dry eye in Tree Hill that night. Coach Durham had meant a lot to everyone and it was a shame to see him go, even if they knew he would be a lot happier with Camilla. Everyone cried because they had lost a man that had been a part of Tree Hill for as long as everyone else can remember. People who hadn't even been anywhere near Tree Hill in years missed him and came back for the funeral. But when people come back, issues that had once been buried, resurface. Just like the old faces that the residents of Tree Hill thought would be gone forever.

The door creaked open slowly and everything was the same as she'd left it all those years ago.
"I'm home," She whispered, as she dropped her bag on the ground beside her.

There was no one there, as usual. Her dad had moved to Seattle years ago. But he didn't want to get rid of his house in Tree Hill. All the memories that he had there were priceless and so he kept it, knowing that if he or Peyton ever returned, they would have a place to stay. She walked into the living room, collapsing on to the couch.

She had never wanted to come back. This place only reminded her of the way things used to be, and the way they no longer were. Seeing him today at the funeral, had almost killed her. He had once meant so much to her.

But now, Lucas Scott was only a part of her dreams. This was the first time she'd seen him in these 4 years. He had always told her, he would love her forever. But forever is so different in the real world. In high school, forever seems plausible. But out here, forever seems so much bigger than us. Because it really is a long time.

That's probably why when Haley came back into town, she and James came alone.

She held the young boy in her arms, his face so angelic and innocent at the age of only 4 years. He didn't understand enough yet to know where his Daddy had gone. He didn't know why he was in this strange new town, with all these different faces, people he had known for only a few months at the beginning of his life.

It was a dark and misty night in Tree Hill and Haley James Scott walked down the streets, just trying to find a place to stay. The only hotel in town was completely booked. She had no relatives left in Tree Hill except for her in laws, and even she wasn't crazy enough to stay with them. She hadn't even spoken to their son in the past 6 months.

She remembered that day well...

"Nathan, where are you going?" She asked, as she walked into the kitchen, leaning in the doorframe.
"Far away from here." He replied, digging through a pile of papers on the counter, trying to find the car keys.
"Don't do this, things will get better." She pleaded, trying to lock eyes with him, but he wouldn't look up at her.
"It's over, Haley." He sighed.
She shook her head, "It'll never be over. Not to me."
He found the keys and picking up the bag off the ground and hanging it over his shoulder, he looked at his wife one last time before walking out the front door.

She hadn't seen him since. Except for today. He had walked into the funeral, seconds after it started, sliding into a pew at the back of the church. The moment it was over, he left once again, and Haley doubted he was still in town. The street lights shone over head and the night air was becoming chilly. She vowed to stop at the next house she recognized. And there it was.

The apartment she and Nathan had once shared stood in front of her. She sighed, and walked up the steps and knocked quickly on the door. It swung open almost immediately and there she was. A face Haley had once known so well, but she hadn't even seen in all these years.

"Haley." The girl breathed.
"Oh, Brooke." Haley smiled, but her eyes filled with tears.
Brooke grinned, hugging her friend tightly.
"I need a place to stay," Haley whispered, as the tears slipped slowly down her cold face, "Well, we need a place to stay."
The little boy laughed, his eyes sparkling as he played with his mother's hair.
"Sure, Tutor Mom." Brooke said, "Come in."

She stepped to the side, letting her in the door and Haley took a look around. The apartment was so much the same, bringing back old memories of the days when everything had been like it should still be. She followed Brooke over to the couch, where they both sat, James on Haley's lap, and shared stories of things that had happened to them over the past four years.

"He was a good man." Karen whispered.

Lucas nodded, as he absent mindedly stroked his little sister's hair. They sat in the back seat of his mom's car, on their way back to the house. Karen sat in the front, trying not to cry.
They were soon driving down a street Lucas recognized and he wondered which it was. That was when they slowly drove by a house that Lucas had once spent so much time at.

"Mom, wait." Lucas said, as she noticed the light in the window upstairs was on.
Karen stopped the car and turned to face her son, "What?"
"I need to talk to Peyton." He sighed, "I'll come home in the morning."Karen nodded understandingly.

Lucas opened the car door and hopped out, walking up the sidewalk and knocking on the door. He heard feet come running down the stairs, and then the door opened, that blonde girl he had once loved so much standing behind it.

Leave a review:) They make me happy.