A/N: Ok so I posted a while ago to say that I was rewriting my Something of Value and Chasing Daylight stories. I'm working on it at the moment and wanted to post the first chapter just to give people an idea of how the story is going to go and to see what people think. I know the school days have been over for a while now, but they were my favourite seasons and I miss them, so we're going back in time for a while! Lol.

The basic idea of the story hasn't changed but other than that there have been quite a few changes. Firstly the timeline of my first story was way off so I fixed that. Secondly, I'm now keeping more in line with what actually happened on the show, you'll see what I mean when you read it. The way it works is everything up to and including episode 3.16 has happened, and everything from there onwards is fair game... since it's my story! :-P

It's not completely ready yet so consider this more of a teaser for now and please let me know what you think!

Chapter 1

Tuesday 24 January 2006

12:58pm EST

Somewhere above North Carolina

Her icy blue eyes stared vacantly out of the tiny cabin window, barely even taking in the thousands of fluffy white clouds that she usually loved watching pass by. Her fingers drummed almost automatically against the hard plastic of the arm rest in time with the music that was blasting from her I-Pod. When the old lady in the seat beside her had protested and insisted that music that loud would damage her hearing, she had simply smiled politely and proceeded to turn up the volume, earning herself an irritated scowl and a mumbled scolding about 'teenagers these days having no manners'.

By nature she was not a rude person, but her patience was running extremely thin and the little old lady reminded her a lot of her grandmother, which only served to increase her irritation. After all, were it not for the interfering old bag she would be where she needed to be right now rather than 36000 feet in the air feeling as though each passing second were lasting a year.

She knew she was being harsh even as the thoughts passed through her tired mind. Her grandmother wasn't a bad person by any means, in fact in her home town back in Las Vegas she was a very well liked and respected member of the community. And deep down she knew that her grandmother loved her.

But at that moment in time the only thing she could think of was the look of guilt on her grandmother's face the previous day when she had broken the news that she knew would devastate her granddaughter.

The first thing that struck her upon entering the house was the unusual silence. She cast a confused glance down at the diamond studded watch that her father had given her for her birthday the year before.

9.00pm.

That was odd. Normally when she arrived home from her after-school job at the local diner it was to the sound of old school country music and the smell of supper being cooked. Her grandmother was a stickler for routine, a habit that had annoyed her to no end when she had first moved there.

Letting the door swing shut behind her she made her way through to the kitchen. For a reason completely unknown to her, uneasiness stirred in the pit of her stomach. Something was wrong. If someone had asked her to explain why she felt that way, she wouldn't have been able to. But she knew it in her heart.

Hesitantly, she stepped into the kitchen to find her Grandmother sitting quietly at the counter, her hands folded in front of her and a solemn look on her face.

"Nana..." she began tentatively, not really wanting to verbalise the question that was in her mind. She did anyway. "What's wrong?"

Her grandmother jumped, startled by the unexpected voice. That only amplified the feeling of dread that was already growing slowly. Her grandmother knew her routine better than she did. She always seemed to know the exact moment that her granddaughter's car would pull into the driveway.

It seemed like an eternity before the question was answered.

"You'd better sit down."

Four words. Four short, simple words was all it took to launch her into full scale panic mode. Although they were words that she'd never had to hear first hand, she'd watched enough daytime TV during the holidays to know when she was about to be given bad news.

She made no move to sit. Not that she could have even if she had wanted to. Her whole body had stiffened in fear of what she was about to be told.

She repeated her earlier question. "What's wrong?"

The silence in the next few seconds that passed was almost deafening. Just as she was beginning to think her grandmother was never going to speak, she got her answer, and immediately wished she hadn't.

"I got a call today. From Tree Hill."

Her heart plummeted into her stomach so quickly she thought she might vomit. "What happened?" She could hear her own voice, thick with tears, vibrating through her ears as terror gripped her heart. "Nana? What happened to him?"

"He was shot."

The moments following those three words were a blur. She knew there had been tears, and screaming, and pleading but it barely registered that this had all come from her. She'd barely slept that night and the next morning before she knew what was happening she was boarding a plane bound for Tree Hill, North Carolina, a place she once called home.

She knew that she should be grateful to her grandmother. She had acted quickly upon receiving the phone call. Before her granddaughter had even returned from work she had booked a first class ticket to Tree Hill. One way. She had contacted the necessary people and had packed a bag, knowing that her granddaughter would be in no fit state to do any of this herself.

But at the back of her mind a little voice reminded her that were it not for her grandmother's interference, she would have already been in Tree Hill. She would have been with him when he needed her. That thought alone overshadowed any gratitude she should have felt.

Religion had never been of any importance to her. She had always been known by her friends as the sceptic; the logical thinker. And yet in the last few hours she had spent on the flight she had said what seemed like a thousand prayers. She prayed with every inch of her being that it was all a dream. That she would wake up and call him to tell him about it. He would surely laugh at her; tell her that he was fine and that he wasn't going anywhere. But even as the silent prayers entered her mind she knew that they wouldn't be answered. The situation was all too real.

"Excuse me Miss... Miss."

She felt a hand lightly tap her shoulder and removed her earpiece.

"What!" She regretted the obvious irritation in her tone immediately when she met the very patient eyes of a flight attendant.

"Sorry to disturb you Miss but I need to advise you to put away your equipment and fasten your seatbelt. We're about to begin landing."

"Oh, ok sorry." She smiled apologetically and did as asked, feeling the nerves that had settled slightly begin to stir in her stomach once again. She was almost home. This was the day that she had wished for and looked forward to for the last four years and now it was here. But she had never in a million years imagined that this was what she would be coming home to.

...

2.30pm EST

Tree Hill Memorial Hospital

He let out an exhausted sigh as he swung the mustang into the first parking space he came across. Allowing himself a second to pause, he leaned over the wheel and closed his eyes rubbing them a little too harshly in an effort to ease the tiredness. Almost thirty six hours without sleep would do that to anyone. But sleep was the furthest thing from his mind as he opened his eyes and looked up at the building before him.

Tree Hill Memorial Hospital.

For the life of him he couldn't remember a time when he'd spent so much time perched on a rather uncomfortable plastic chair in a drab, depressing corridor. But there was nowhere else that he would want to be at that moment.

Memories of the day before swam through his mind in a jumbled mess. The only clear memory that he had was the sound of two gunshots that rang through his ears as he stepped out into the bright morning sunlight to a flurry of activity. The second that the familiar weight had been lifted from his arms he had spun around and made a dash towards the doors he had only a second ago exited.

He remembered the searing pain that shot up the length of his arm as the police officer had grabbed him, forcing him to the ground. How he hated the man. Didn't he understand that he needed to get back in there? Maybe if he had gotten back in time...

He didn't want to finish the thought. Shaking his head as if to clear the images he finally climbed out of the car and slammed the door shut, making his way towards the doors of the hospital.

"Lucas?"

He spun around at the sound of his name being called and for a second his whole body froze. His eyes swept over the familiar girl in front of him. Her long, dirty blonde hair fell over her shoulders, now accompanied by vibrant fire red streaks. Her striking blue eyes were filled with unshed tears as she stood before him, a terrified expression distorting her normally bright, smiling face.

"Cassie?"

A single tear finally broke free and slid slowly over her cheek. It was all he needed to wake him from his stunned reverie. He stepped forward and pulled her into his arms in a fierce hug that she eagerly returned.

As soon as his arms were around her, he felt her body crumble into him as the tears that he could see she had been fighting hard to keep away, finally won her over. Violent sobs shook her body as he held her and it was all he could do to stop his own from overcoming him.

After a moment he heard her sobs subside and he pulled her back to look her in the eye. Words could not describe how it felt to see her at that moment. He only wished that it was under better circumstances.

Her cheeks were tear-stained, her eyes were red and swollen and smudged with a mixture of eyeliner and mascara, and her hair was a tangled mess. But to Lucas, she was a sight for sore eyes. He was biased of course, but he knew that there was at least one more person inside the building who would be just as happy to see her.

Thinking about it now, he didn't know why he had been so surprised to see her there. It had been near impossible for the others to convince him to leave the hospital and even then he'd only agreed to go home to shower and change. He knew that she would be just as desperate to be there. Most likely she would have caught the first flight out.

She sniffed and clumsily wiped at her eyes with the sleeve of her oversized, hooded sweater, barely even noticing the stain that her mascara left behind. Lucas recognised the sweater immediately. He had the very same one at home.

"How is he?"

His eyes dropped from her face and he shook his head. "He was still unconscious when I left."

She let out a sigh and closed her eyes against a fresh wave of tears that threatened to flow.

"Come on," he urged gently. "There's nothing we can do but wait. How about we get a cup of coffee? No offence or anything but you look like you could use it." He feigned hurt when his comment earned him a playful jab to the arm and a tearful smile.

Acting almost on auto pilot he swung an arm around her shoulder and led her into the building, knowing they were both quietly dreading what might await them.

...

2.55pm EST

Tree Hill Hospital – Room 406

She sat silently in the bedside chair, staring off into space as her mind focused every ounce of concentration on fighting off the waves of guilt that assaulted it. As much as she tried she couldn't help but wonder how she could have let this happen.

Occasionally, as her eyes scanned the room, they would accidentally fall on the tightly wound bandage that protected her friend's wound. A sickening shiver coursed through her entire body every time she saw it and the image was instantly replaced by a much more terrifying one; an ashen, lifeless face, a blood soaked shirt that had once been blue, EMT's frantically working to find any sign of life.

"You still with us B. Davis?"

The voice broke into her mind as though waking her from a deep sleep and she blinked, turning her eyes to its owner. "Huh? Yeah I'm good... I'm... I'm fine."

Peyton eyed her quizzically and for a moment it seemed she would challenge her best friend's obviously false statement. She thought better of it however, knowing that none of them were "fine" right now. Before she was able to offer any further comment, a nurse, whose name she hadn't yet managed to grasp, breezed into the room, pushing a trolley containing various dressings.

"Alright Miss Sawyer, how are we feeling this afternoon?"

Brooke finally cracked a slight smile when Peyton visibly cringed at the nurse's somewhat shrill voice, before plastering on her best fake smile.

"If I say we feel great do I get to go home?"

The blonde's unmistakably sarcastic use of the word 'we' was not lost on Brooke and she fought the urge to snicker. The sickeningly sweet nurse had gotten both of their backs up the moment they'd met her the night before. Brooke wasn't sure what kind of training these people were given, but they seemed to be incapable of addressing anyone as an adult. And what was with the incessant use of the word 'we' anyway?

Nurse Whats-her-name , however, didn't even flinch at the comment. Clearly she was accustomed to irritating the hell out of people.

"Doctor Stephenson is happy to discharge you just as soon as we get that dressing changed."

Brooke's eyes automatically followed the Nurse's actions as she began to undo the bandage on Peyton's leg. The reality of the situation crashed down on her once more with painful force and her stomach somersaulted.

"You know what, um, you probably don't need me here for this so I'll, uh, I'll go grab us some coffees while we wait for your Dad to get here."

She left the room in a rush, making sure to look anywhere but at the bed, where the nurse had almost finished removing Peyton's dressing. As she headed down the sterile white corridor, one simple question reverberated in her mind, taunting her relentlessly; how could I let this happen?

...

3.00pm EST

Hospital Cafeteria

"So does your Grandma know you're here or did you skip town before she could stop you? I'm having coffee with a fugitive now aren't I?"

Cassie laughed, grateful beyond words that Lucas was pulling out all the stops to cheer her up when she knew he was suffering just as badly. "She knows. She actually knew before I did. When she told me what had happened I guess I kinda lost it. But she was great. She had my Uncle Gil make all the arrangements for my flight, packed my bag, everything, all before I even got home."

"You sound surprised." He swallowed the last of his coffee, not bothering to disguise the look of disgust on his face, and crumpled the paper cup tossing it into the nearest bin.

"I guess I am. I mean she's the one who dragged me across the country to get me away from this place."

"Maybe she just realised she made a mistake."

For a reason she couldn't fathom, anger stirred in the pit of her stomach at his words. "Great timing" she spat, immediately regretting her tone. "I'm sorry Luke. I'm just... scared I guess." Her panic returned three fold and she looked at him through terrified eyes. "What if he doesn't wake up?"

He swallowed, averting his eyes in an attempt to prevent her from seeing that her words mirrored his own thoughts. After a moment he looked up, meeting her eyes with an expression of determination and certainty that he wasn't sure he even felt. "He'll wake up, Cass. I know he'll wake up. So let's go."

As he stood a painful twinge pierced his chest and he paused for a second, grimacing before he could stop himself. It occurred to him in that moment that it had been several weeks since he had taken his heart medication.

At the time, throwing the pills away had seemed like the only option. Basketball was his life. Now though, he saw it for what it was... an incredibly selfish and stupid decision. Images of a hospital bed surrounded by his family flooded his mind, only it was him that was lying unconscious.

Maybe it was time to tell the truth about his HCM. So far, only Haley knew about it. And being the ever dutiful and loyal friend that she was, she'd kept his secret. What kind of friend did that make him?

"You ok, Luke?"

Do it! Just tell her!

But he couldn't. Not now. Because he knew that as selfish as it had been to keep his condition to himself for the sake of a game, it would be even more selfish to tell them all now, when they were all in so much pain. One person had died. Another still could. He wouldn't make this situation about him. There would be time to tell them later.

"I'm fine" he lied. "Indigestion I guess. I'll be right back."

Cassie frowned in confusion, but chose to accept his words as he made his way towards the restroom. Once he had disappeared from view she turned to head into the hallway.

...

3.05pm EST

Hospital Hallway

It was not unusual at this time of the day for the hospital to be buzzing with activity. Lunchtime visiting hours were always the same. But what Brooke had always liked about daytime visiting hours was that they always seemed to have a much more positive feel about them. Moods seemed brighter somehow and it was comforting.

Today was different. Today, as she wandered the halls almost robotically, none of the usual hospital activity even registered in her mind. All she wanted more than anything was to run as fast as her feet would carry her, out of the hospital doors and as far away as was humanly possible. She just wanted to get away from it all. She wanted to get back to a place where she could laugh and joke with her friends, or lie with her boyfriend for hours on end talking about nothing in particular. Back to a place where she felt happy... and safe.

But that place felt like it was a million miles away. Like one of those weird recurring dreams where you're running toward something but no matter how fast you run it would get further and further away.

Dark and depressing had never been Brooke's thing. At times it seemed Peyton had enough angst for the both of them. So it was left to Brooke to be the happy-go-lucky, fun loving cheerleader, which was fine with her. It suited her. Admittedly in the past it had caused her to be seen as a somewhat dim-witted party girl. But she'd proved everyone wrong in the last year. And despite a few lingering insecurities surrounding her relationship with Lucas, up until a few days ago, she had been happier than she thought possible.

But since the events at the school the day before, a dark cloud seemed to be hovering over the small town that she loved so much. And she couldn't seem to get out from under it.

She was so lost in her own thoughts that she may as well have been walking the halls blindfolded. Somewhere in the back of her mind it registered that she was heading toward the vending machines that lay just down the hall from the cafeteria. It seemed a little silly when the cafeteria was so much closer but the last thing she wanted was to stand in line surrounded by other people.

Had her mind been a little less cloudy she might have seen the girl exiting the cafeteria just as she reached the doors. Instead she collided with her head on, bringing her back to reality with a literal thump.

"Oh! Oh my god, I'm so sorry."

Once Cassie had sufficiently recovered from the collision, she looked up at the brunette and laughed. "It's cool, it was my fault. I should probably look where I'm going more often. Sorry."

"Yeah, you and me both." Brooke joked. "Don't worry about it."

Although she didn't mean to be rude, Brooke was in no mood for small talk, especially with a stranger. She smiled politely and continued on her route toward the vending machines. As she waited for her coffee, she couldn't help but think that there was something about the girl that looked familiar. Tree Hill was a small town, so it wasn't entirely unheard of to see a familiar face around, but what struck Brooke as strange was that she was pretty sure she hadn't seen her before.

For a reason she couldn't quite explain, she turned to look back at the girl again, and immediately wished she hadn't.

She watched in stunned silence as her boyfriend, who she hadn't seen or even heard from in over 24 hours, exited the cafeteria, and swung his arm around the stranger's shoulder as though it were the most natural thing in the world. She considered quickly moving out of sight for a moment, but it wasn't necessary as Lucas and the girl headed down the hallway in the opposite direction, not letting go of each other for a second.

...

3.10pm EST

Hospital, 2nd Floor Hallway

The first thing Lucas noticed upon stepping into the now familiar corridor was that it was alive with activity. The disgustingly pale blue chairs lay empty, nurses wandered in and out of the hospital room opposite and the two people he had left behind had disappeared, presumably into the hospital room.

Panic seized him and he knew Cassie was feeling it too, he felt her tense beside him. Their steps quickened as they approached the room.

Cassie stopped just outside the room, almost too scared to enter. Lucas knew that she hadn't been to Tree Hill in a long time and these weren't exactly perfect conditions for a reunion. He couldn't blame her for being scared.

Swallowing his own fear, he stepped forward and knocked lightly on the door. A moment later, the door opened and his mother appeared.

"Mom? What's going on? Is it Keith?"

At the sight of his mother's tearful smile, relief washed over Lucas.

"He woke up. He's going to be ok." Karen announced happily.

It was only when he heard a mumbled 'Oh thank god' behind him that he remembered there was someone else there, and that he was completely blocking her small form from his mother's view.

"Oh yeah, there's um, someone here to see us."

He stepped aside to reveal a tearful but extremely relieved Cassie.

"Cassie! Oh my gosh!"

Within seconds Cassie once again found herself enveloped in a loving embrace. She laughed lightly through her tears at the warm welcome that she had known she would receive. She just wished that the one person she had wanted to see more than anything could greet her the same way.

As if reading the young girl's thoughts Karen cradled her face in her hands and looked her directly in the eye as she spoke reassuringly. "He's going to be ok. I promise. And he'll be so happy to see you."

Cassie could only nod as Karen wrapped an arm around her shoulder and urged her into the room, closely followed by Lucas. The pair hung back as Cassie approached the bedside. She sucked in a breath as she took in the wires that covered his shirtless chest and the oxygen mask that helped him to breathe. Hesitantly, she reached out and touched his hand, carefully picking it up with her own.

A sob escaped her throat when she felt his hand move and fold around hers. She glanced up at his face and her heart swelled when she saw his eyes begin to flutter open. She grinned when she saw his confused expression give way to one of delight when his eyes finally focused on her.

"Cassie?"

His voice was hoarse and extremely weak, but it was music to Cassie's ears and she squeezed his hand tighter.

"It's me, Dad. I'm here."

...

4:05pm EST

Tree Hill Mayor's Office

For what was probably the millionth time in the last sixty minutes, he paused the video, rewound it for several seconds, and hit play. The screen was fuzzy and filled with static for several seconds, but quickly flickered to life, and was filled with the image of a very familiar face.

The man in the video looked the picture of innocence as he set the bottle of scotch onto the counter and waited to be served. He shot a friendly and effortless smile at the clerk and handed over a $20.

Pause.

Rewind.

Play.

His hand shook a little more with each press of the button marked play. He held the remote in a crushing grip as he focused his attention intently on the face that once again filled the screen before him. His brother. The very word sent a wave of nausea coursing through his body and without thinking he launched the controller across the room, barely even noticing when it smashed into the wall, shattering with the force of the collision.

The bastard was alive.

How was it possible? He had stood and watched as his brother fell to the floor, his body laying motionless almost instantly. He had looked on with a morbid satisfaction as the thin line of crimson liquid that had begun to ooze from the hole in his chest, got thicker and thicker. There was just so much blood. His brother should be dead.

And yet he wasn't.

Through the years he had known himself to be many things, but even he would have never predicted that he would become a murderer... well, attempted murderer, since he had clearly failed. The thought of killing his brother had not for one second entered his head. It was as though his body acted completely separate to his mind. From somewhere far above himself he had watched as his own fingers had closed around the handle of the heavy metallic object, raising it in one swift motion and aiming it directly at the man who, in a simpler time, had been his idol.

The thrill that he had felt when the bullet made contact with its target had scared him at first and for a split second he was overcome by guilt. But as quickly as it had come, it was replaced by an anger so intense it could have fuelled a fire the size of Texas.

He didn't laugh. He didn't even smile. His expression was stony and void of any emotion as he wiped the gun with his jacket and laid it carefully next to the fallen teenager that had unintentionally provided him with the opportunity to end all of his problems for good.

And what a perfect opportunity it had been. A deserted school hallway; a dead teenager who had no way of protesting his innocence; and a loaded handgun, standard issue, probably stolen, and in no way traceable back to him.

A cold fury filled every inch of his body at the thought that he had failed; that the man that he called his brother, the man that had taken everything from him, the man that had tried to take his life, was alive and breathing, lying in a hospital bed surrounded by a family that should have been his.

He jumped slightly as he was broken from his musings by the sound of static screeching through the air as the video automatically ejected itself. Without stopping to switch off the machine, he stood from his desk and strode out of the office.

He needed some air. He needed some time to think about what he would do from here. He knew very well what would happen. His brother would recover and would go back to playing happy families, while he would continue to be looked upon with disgust by those who should be closest to him. And he couldn't allow that to happen.

Dan Scott didn't fail. And he'd be damned if he let that change now.

...

7.12pm EST

Tree Hill Memorial Hospital

She stood defiantly, arms folded and a furious scowl planted firmly on her face as she stared down the two adults in front of her who had both quite clearly lost their minds.

"She looks so adorable in pink", she heard the unfamiliar one say.

Adorable, she thought to herself. At five years old she wasn't entirely sure, but she thought the word was supposed to mean that she looked nice. Well that was just too bad. Because there was no way on earth that she would be setting foot outside this shop in the horrific item she was wearing at that moment.

The adult that she knew knelt down in front of her, smiling brightly.

"Honey, you look lovely."

"No!" She stomped her feet childishly, which she reasoned was perfectly acceptable, since she was in fact a child. "Take it off! It's horrible. I look silly."

She lifted the hem of the dress and awkwardly tried to yank it over her head. She was sure she heard a stifled giggle escape from one of the adults when she found herself completely lost in the folds of material, unable to escape.

After what felt like an eternity of being trapped in a sea of pink, she was relieved when she felt two hands take hold of the material. Her relief was short lived when the hands failed to remove the dress, but simply pulled it firmly back into place.

"You do not look silly. You look like a princess. And I know your daddy will agree."

That had her attention.

"Really?" For the first time since she had been forced to try on the ugly garment, she smiled. "Do you think my daddy will like it, Aunt Karen?"

"I think it's safe to say he'll love it," a familiar voice spoke from behind Karen.

"Daddy!" Her little legs couldn't carry her fast enough as she launched herself at her father, who swept her up with little effort. "Aunt Karen said that the dress makes me look like a princess, but I think it looks silly, what do you think daddy?"

"I think you always look like a princess. But every princess should have her very own princess dress."

Cassie was stirred from the dream by a gentle hand nudging her shoulder. Glancing up through tired eyes, she saw Karen standing over her.

"Honey, you really should go home and try to get some rest. It can't be comfortable sleeping in that chair."

That was an understatement. She was sure that the faded, old armchair that she had curled up in was designed for no other reason than to torture the poor misguided people who were foolish enough to believe it would be a source of comfort.

She tentatively stretched out her legs, which had previously been curled underneath her, wincing at the cracking noise her knees made in protest to her movements. Glancing down at her watch she was shocked to find that it was almost 7.15pm. She had been sleeping in the chair for almost three hours.

Her father had drifted back into a sound slumber as quickly as he had woken, and she wasn't sure if it had even really registered in his mind that she was really there. She had been concerned by how quickly he had lost consciousness but after checking him over, the nurses had assured her that it was perfectly normal, and that sleeping was the body's way of healing itself. Still she had refused point blank to leave the room, despite the protests of the doctor and had stubbornly folded herself into the armchair at the bedside. She wanted to be there when her father woke up again.

"I don't want to leave him."

Karen, as patient and understanding as ever, simply nodded. "I know honey. Neither do I. But you had a long flight this morning and you must be exhausted. I promise I'll be here. He won't be alone."

She was about to insist that she was fine, but was cut off by a yawn that contradicted the very words her mind had formed.

She caught Karen's smirk and narrowed her eyes playfully at the older woman. "Ok fine, I'm going. But you have to promise to call me the second he wakes up."

"I promise" Karen replied. "Do you want me to call Lucas to come get you?"

Cassie shook her head as she stood from the chair. "Thanks but I'll walk. The fresh air will clear my head."

"You sure you remember the way?"

"Oh ha ha," Cassie said sarcastically as she stepped into the doorway of the room, throwing a grin and a wave in Karen's direction before casting one final look at her father's sleeping form and heading down the corridor.

She wandered slowly through the familiar streets, letting her feet carry her along without paying much thought to where she was headed.

She smiled to herself when she realised that they had carried her to a place that she had loved to visit on a daily basis when she had last lived here. The River Court was exactly as she had remembered it and the moon cast a bright glow over the water that flowed gently alongside it, reminding her of just how much she had missed the place.

Taking a second to enjoy the peace that the early evening darkness brought with it, she hopped up onto the worn wooden bench next to the court and let out a tired but content sigh. Everything was going to be ok. Her father had woken up and the doctor had assured them that he was going to be fine. Those words had been the only ones she had wanted to hear since she had arrived home from her job in Las Vegas to the news that he'd been injured.

Completely lost in her own thoughts, she didn't hear the sound of a car door slamming behind her, or the footsteps that approached the bench where she sat. It wasn't until an all too familiar voice spoke behind her that she realised she was no longer alone.

"Well well, the prodigal daughter returns."

A scowl quickly found its way onto her face as her mind registered the name that went along with the voice, and she was instantly transported back in time to a year earlier.

"You're getting married?" Cradling the phone between her ear and her shoulder as she set down the cup of hot tea and plate of cookies that she had brought up to her room, before flopping down onto her bed, stunned. "Don't you think it's a little fast? You've known Jules all of a few months."

She heard her father laugh into the phone at her overprotective reaction.

"I know Cass, but you should meet her. She's amazing. I promise you're gonna love her. The wedding's in three weeks. Do you think you can make it out here in time?"

As it had turned out, Cassie couldn't make it out in time for the wedding, a fact that she was now partially relieved and partially angry about. A week before she was due to fly out to Tree Hill, her grandmother had taken ill, and since her Uncle Gil worked nights and there was no other family around to look after her, the job fell to Cassie. She had been so disappointed that she couldn't be there for her father, but at the same time she knew that had she been there when it was revealed that her uncle had paid Jules to intentionally break her father's heart, she wouldn't have been held accountable for her actions.

She turned to face that same Uncle as he stood before her, the very sight of him making her want to vomit.

"Dan. How nice to see you again!"

She hoped her words carried the amount of sarcasm that she had intended them to, and was satisfied when the expression on Dan's face confirmed that they had.

"Well now that's no way to speak to your favourite Uncle is it?" he asked smugly.

She shook her head in full agreement. "No you're right it's not. So I guess it's a good thing that I'm not speaking to my Uncle. As far as I'm concerned Dan," she spat out his name as though it were a filthy word, "you're no relative of mine."

"How's my brother?" he asked, with what Cassie could have sworn was a shadow of a smirk, ignoring her angry words completely.

She pushed herself away from the bench and stood defiantly before her Uncle, a fire igniting inside her at his casual reference to her father's condition.

"Oh save me the concerned brother act would you? I'm not buying it. You didn't care too much about how he was when you set him up with that whore of yours."

Dan grinned as though they were discussing one of his proudest achievements and Cassie found herself wondering when the man had become so unhinged.

"I wouldn't bother looking so pleased with yourself if I were you. What exactly did your little game ever achieve? If anything you did my Dad a favour. If it wasn't for your interference, he and Karen may never have gotten engaged and he probably wouldn't be about to adopt Lucas."

Bingo.

As she had suspected, Dan hadn't yet been made privy to that little bit of information. For a fraction of a second, his composure slipped and he looked genuinely taken aback. Unable to stop herself despite knowing she should, she continued to bait her Uncle.

"Yeah I bet that sucks to know doesn't it? You know pretty soon you're going to have no family left... oh, too late they already came to their senses and ditched you."

Dan's expression darkened in anger and he took a step toward her.

"Cass?"

Cassie turned her head at the sound of a third voice and she smirked when she noticed Lucas stop at her side.

"Oh look, if it isn't my brother."

Lucas cast a confused glance from Cassie to Dan and back again, immediately wary of what was going on.

"What's going on Cass?"

Dan answered for her. "Well it seems your... sister... here has a very smart mouth on her."

Just as Cassie was about to show him exactly how 'smart' her mouth really was, Lucas stepped between them, planting himself in front of Cassie protectively.

"Yeah well that seems to be the effect you have on people. So why don't you just leave?"

Dan smirked and looked past Lucas, meeting Cassie's eyes once again. "Welcome back sweetie. I'll be seeing you."

Without even casting a glance back toward his biological son, Dan turned on his heel and casually strolled back to his Yukon. Lucas stared after him, not taking his eyes off the man until he was certain that he was long gone. Once the vehicle disappeared from sight, he turned back to Cassie.

Although she knew she was about to be given a lecture, the only thing that registered in Cassie's mind when Lucas turned to her, was that the serious look in his eyes was the exact same look that he father often gave her when she'd done something wrong. In that moment, she noticed for the first time since she'd arrived back in Tree Hill, how much Lucas had grown to resemble her father. She bit back a smile at the thought, knowing that now was not the time to point out her observations.

"You mind explaining what that was all about?"

She almost broke out laughing then. Apparently physical appearance wasn't the only thing he had in common with her father.

"Nothing." Seeing his sceptical expression she rolled her eyes. "Seriously Lucas, I was on my way home and I just kind of ended up here. He ran into me. Not the other way around."

Relenting from the big brother act slightly, Lucas sighed. "Alright but do you think maybe you could watch that smart ass mouth of yours around him? In case you've forgotten in your time away, he's not a nice person to piss off."

"I'd gathered." When he raised an eyebrow at her response, she let out a groan of mock frustration. "Alright alright, I'll try and curb my 'smart ass mouth' in future. Jeez it's not hard to tell which Scott brother you were raised by."

Lucas laughed and hopped up onto the bench where Cassie had once again perched herself. "I'll take it from that and your little wise crack at Dan before that Keith told you about the adoption."

"Of course. I knew he was going to ask before your mom even did. It was quite amusing actually, he was so nervous about asking you he could barely form a coherent sentence."

"So you're ok with this?"

"Sure. I think it's an awesome idea." She swiped the basketball that he had placed between his feet and stood up on the creaky wooden bench, shooting the ball and grinning as it sailed through the net with ease. "And judging by that little display just now, you've clearly got the whole big brother thing down. Plus being your little sister by definition means that it's my job to be annoying as hell and perv on your hot friends, so it's a pretty sweet deal if you ask me."

"Ah but being your big brother by definition means that it's my assumed right to embarrass you at any given opportunity, not to mention to be crazily overprotective."

"All of which you do anyway." She shot back, smirking when he narrowed his eyes at her. Holding the basketball in her hands she stopped in front of him and turned serious. "Really Luke, you know I've always thought of you as a big brother anyway, and Dad's always thought of you as a son. So the only thing that's changing is the paperwork that makes it official."

Hopping down from the bench, he swiped the ball back from her and landed a perfect jump shot of his own. "It's good to have you back... sis!"

...

9.17pm EST

Tree Hill Memorial Hospital

The hospital hallway was deserted, exactly as he had hoped. He supposed it wasn't unusual considering it was shortly after 9pm. Visiting hours had ended over an hour ago. He'd walked past the nurse's station with ease, the lone nightshift nurse barely paying attention as she simply glanced up and smiled before turning her head back to her stack of paper work.

Of course it wasn't really unusual for him to receive that kind of treatment. It wasn't like the Mayor of Tree Hill was going to pose any kind of threat to anyone. The irony of the thought struck him as quite funny as he made his way toward a room he hadn't yet visited.

Carefully, and as quietly as possible, he pushed down on the handle and eased open the door. His brother's sleeping form was the first thing that his eyes fell upon. His bare chest rose and fell steadily in time with his breathing.

Dan gritted his teeth and his hand closed a little tighter around the door handle, as his eyes fell to his brother's side and met a mass of dark brown curls splayed out around a peacefully sleeping face.

Karen Roe. His high school sweetheart. Thinking back to when he was eighteen, he couldn't remember ever being more in love. Every little thing about her amazed him. He'd been the star of the basketball team, a typical big man on campus; she'd been captain of the cheerleading squad. It wasn't entirely unexpected when they got together. What was unexpected was the rush of feelings that came with their first kiss, and every other kiss they shared after that. He could spend hours lost completely in her eyes, content just to have her in his arms.

And now 18 years later, here he was, looking on as she slept, clutching his brother's hand as though it were a lifeline. To Dan, the picture he saw before him was love in its purest form.

Bile rose in his throat and a wave of hatred surged through his veins. Flashes of memories from the last eighteen years played in his mind like a movie; Keith laughing with Karen in the cafe as the pair shared a friendly breakfast, Keith hoisting a six year old Lucas onto his shoulders as the young boy proudly made his first basket, Keith comforting Karen outside the school the previous day as he swore that he wouldn't let anything happen to 'their boy'.

At the time Keith's choice of words had meant nothing to him, he'd been more focused on his brother's arms wrapped tightly around the woman that should have been his. But Cassie's revelation at the River Court had brought a whole new meaning to the term, a meaning that made Dan sick to his stomach.

His thoughts turned to the blonde haired girl who was a carbon copy of his brother in every way. She had grown into quite a strong young woman. And the love between father and daughter was evident. Just how would his brother react, he wondered, if something, or more accurately someone, was to get in the way of that?

For the first time in the last day and a half, Dan almost found himself feeling grateful that his brother had somehow survived the gunshot that should have ended his life. Had it not been the case, the fiery young female version of his brother would likely never have returned. And he would never have been given the chance to show his brother just how it feels to have your whole world turned upside down.