Gun Point

Gun Point

Out on Parole. Who knew that three little words could create so much pain? As Lucas walked across the faded blacktop he mulled over the events that had happened over the day. Dan Scott was out of prison. Not matter how many times he said it; he still couldn't bring himself to believe it. How a monster like him could be released after just four years for committing murder, Lucas didn't know. He scoffed as he remembered the look on Dan's face as he told the parole board how he wanted to be the father that his sons deserved.

"I already had a father that I deserved" Lucas whispered into the night. Keith had been his father in everyway, no matter about the biology. As far as he was concerned, his father had died four years after being shot by his brother. To Lucas, Dan Scott was just a sperm donor.

His cell phone rang for the umpteenth time and once again he chose to ignore it. As soon as he and Nathan had arrived back at the Naley home, Lucas made an excuse about needing fresh air and high-tailed his way out, leaving Haley, Nathan, Brooke and Peyton to stare after him with worry. That had been over six hours ago.

As soon as he left Nathan and Haley's he had gone to visit Keith and then spent the rest of the day wandering around the little town he loved so much. He hadn't intended on coming to the rivercourt, but wasn't surprised when he saw where his feet had led him. The Rivercourt was the place he always came to when something was bothering him.

He closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath. His emotions were running wild and he needed to calm down.

"Lucas"

Though his back was turned he knew exactly who it was and a wave of anger, bitterness and hatred washed through him.

"Son"

At this Lucas' body whipped round.

"Don't you dare call me that" he snapped, as his hand curled around the hard item in his pocket.

"Lucas I know you don't like me very much, but I just need to talk to" Dan muttered. His voice sounded strange and he looked at Lucas with a downcast expression.

"I've got nothing to say to you"

"Lucas please…."

"No. Leave me alone Dan, I mean it" Lucas' hatred was increasing with every second he looked at Dan.

"I just want to talk to you. Can't you just spare a moment for your father?"

With that word Lucas snapped. His eyes narrowed dangerously and all his anger had bubbled to the surface.

"YOU ARE NOT MY FATHER!" He roared at Dan "MY FATHER DIED FOUR YEARS AGO BECAUSE YOU KILLED HIM! YOU ARE NOT MY FATHER AND YOU NEVER WERE!"

Dan visibly flinched but tried again. Dan Scott never backed down.

" Son……"

"I said DON'T call me that!"

"Lucas, I know what I did was wrong but I want to make up for it. I will do anything, just say the word and I will."

By now Nathan, Haley, Peyton and Brooke had arrived, but neither Lucas nor Dan noticed, all the group could do was stand and stare.

"Can you bring back the dead?" Lucas asked. "Can you change the past?"

Dan looked down.

"Didn't think so. So the only thing you can do for me now is drop dead!"

Dan looked hurt "Lucas please."

"No Dan you wanted to talk, so let's talk."

Dan was silent.

"Ok then, I will. I. Hate. You. Just looking at you makes me feel sick. You don't deserve to breathe free air and I can't stand that I have any link to you. All you do is cause pain and destroy people's lives. You have to be the one to call the shots; you have to be the one in charge. You ruined mine and everyone else's lives! You're the reason that my baby sister doesn't have a father. You're the reason my mother is a single parent, twice over, and you're the reason why she lost the man she loved." 22 years of hurt was spilling from Lucas and he grew angrier with every word. "Thanks to you Lily has to visit a headstone when she wants to talk to her father! Do you have any idea how hard it is to explain to a four year old girl why her Daddy is in heaven?" Lucas' voice had grown hoarse and there were tears in his eyes.

Behind him, the group stood motionless as though frozen in time. Dan looked speechless at Lucas' outburst and had moved a few steps back.

"Do you want me to say how sorry I am? Because I will. Lucas I regret it everyday and I know that you will never forgive me for what I did but all I ask is that you give me a chance" Dan pleaded.

With that Lucas snapped. He slowly pulled his hand from his pocket, the hand that was holding a gun. He pointed it at Dan.

The was a loud gasp from behind him but he refused to look away.

"I'm all out of chances Dan." Lucas murmured calmly

Dan's eyes were fixed on the gun and his memory zoomed backed to four years ago.

"LUCAS!" Haley screamed from behind him "you don't have to do this, just put the gun down" she begged.

"I can't. I want him to know what it feels like." Lucas whispered.

Dan looked into Lucas' eyes. "You don't want to do this. Please put the gun down Lucas"

"That's where your wrong Dan. I do want to do this."

"Son"

"I SAID DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

The whole group flinched as Lucas shoved the gun up into Dan's face.

"Lucas, man, just calm down, please" cried Nathan. "Don't do this to yourself, don't behave like him."

"I have too. It's the only to stop him Nate."

"Listen to your brother Lucas," Dan pleaded

"How does it feel Dan? Knowing that you are seconds away from the arms of death? You think this is what Keith felt when you aimed the gun at him? Did he bargain for his life like you are? Are you scared? ANSWER ME DAN!"

"YES!" Dan cried "Ok. You're right. Just please put the gun down."

Dan saw the fierce look in Lucas' eyes and knew that he had pushed him too far. He knew that it was the end. He fell to his knees as Lucas feet.

"I'm a failure ok! I hate what I did and I hate what it did to you but you have to believe how sorry I am Lucas. Please."

"Lucas please this isn't you," Peyton pleaded. It killed her to see Lucas so broken.

"You know" Lucas whispered, "every night I have this dream. I'm in the hallway of the school, the day of the shooting and you and Keith are there. You're pointing the gun at him and he is just staring at you, shocked. But I'm there and I save him, sometimes in different ways. And every night in my dreams, I save him." Lucas swallowed down the lump in his throat.

Dan looked up at Lucas, tears in his eyes at how badly he has hurt his son. He looks behind Lucas at the others, who all have unshed tears of there own.

"Please, I'm begging you. Give me the chance to make it up to you." Dan pleaded. He wasn't ready to die yet.

Lucas pushed the cold barrel of the gun to Dan's forehead. Dan closed his eyes as tears leaked out.

"Oh God." Nathan gasped. He didn't care about Dan; he just didn't want his brother to do this to himself. For that last ten minutes he had been debating tackling Lucas, but knew that a move like that could cause the gun to off.

The air was thick with desperation and anger. And it had just reached its peak.

Lucas leaned into Dan. "Say goodbye Dan."

He pulled the hammer back on the gun, loading the bullet. His finger moved towards the trigger and all everyone could do was stare on, helplessly. Dan looked into Lucas eyes and squeezed them shut as he saw the finger travel to the trigger. There was a deafening silence.

"This is it. I'm gonna die." Thought Dan. He breathed in his last gulp of air.

There was a loud click then……………………….Nothing.

Dan slowly opened his eyes and saw Lucas.

"Bang" Lucas whispered, then lowered then gun.

Dan breathed a sigh of relief. As did the others.

"Not nice when someone takes your life away is it?" questioned Lucas. "I'm nothing like you Dan. I could never kill anyone. Even you. The only thing that stopped me from killing you was Keith. I know he wouldn't want this and I won't bring myself to your level."

He opened the barrel of the gun to reveal its emptiness.

"The guns not even loaded, but next time it may be. So unless you have a death wish I suggest you stay the hell away from me."

With that, Lucas turned around and walked towards his family. He looked up at Nathan.

"He won't be so lucky next time."

Nathan nodded. Lucas looked at the others, then back at Dan who was still on his knees upon the blacktop. He then turned around and began his walk home.

As the others loaded into the car, Nathan walked towards his father. He kneeled down and spoke clearly.

"If I were you, I'd leave Dan. I don't want you anywhere near my family. Lucas did you a favour. I wouldn't have. So I suggest you find whatever hole you crawled out of and go back to it. I never want to see you again."

Nathan stood up, made his way to the car and drove off, Leaving Dan alone on the Rivercourt knowing that this was one thing that he couldn't make go his way.

Fin