Disclaimer:I don't own anything. I don't even own the story title I got it from ……………'s song.

Author's Note: Hey guys, this is my third fanfic and it's a little story. I really hope you guys enjoy this. Anyway, This story is completely AU, which means the characters aren't going to be exactly like those we see on the show so, if you decide to read this, please keep an open mind. I wrote this story for another site a long lime ago and like to dedicate this to all hardcore NH Fans.Please review and tell me what you think about my attempt. Love ya all!

Summary: A Sister picks a date for her little brother. Is it gonna turn into a romantic night or?...........

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Blind Date.

by Sharon.

Chapter 01.

The small apartment was quiet as Nathan Scott settled down to an evening of television. He was looking forward to a night to himself after a long week of teaching at the Wood County Police Academy. His specialty was self-defense, but he taught all aspects of police work as well.

Howbeit, it had been an extremely tough week where things went wrong when they shouldn't have and things didn't get done when they should have. All in all, he was tired and sore and didn't want to be bothered for a few days.

Flipping through the channels, he found a Yankees-Athletics baseball game and stayed there. Although he lived neither on the west coast or east, the two teams playing were among his favorites. After watching for a few innings, Nathan went to the kitchen to get himself a beer.

As he opened the refrigerator, the phone began to ring. Scowling, he grabbed a beer, closed the door, and checked the caller ID to find that his sister was calling. 'Ding Dong Ding, a Call from the 'Devil'…… I wonder what she wants today,' he thought sarcastically to himself as he picked up the phone.

"Hello Brooke," Nathan said before she could say anything.

"Caller ID?"

"Yep."

"I keep forgetting that you have that."

"You say that all the time, Sis." Nathan smirked and said.

"Yeah, well, sue me for forgetting."

"What do you want, Brooke?" he asked impatiently, trying to get to the point of the phone call.

"Do I need a reason to call for my little brother?"

Nathan shrugged dramatically. "You only call if you wanted something, Sis. What's up?"

"Are you busy tomorrow night?"

"Let me check my social calendar." Nathan looked at the calendar on the wall next to the phone that was mostly full of empty boxes. "I can probably squeeze you in sometime between 7:15 to 7:30. Is that okay with you?"

"That's funny, Nate. Ha Ha…. Can you make it or not?"

"Why?" Nathan was suddenly getting suspicious. Brooke was famous for fixing him up on blind dates, something he wished she wouldn't do, although he had to admit that the ones she did fix him up with were usually pretty nice. Still, he wasn't in the 'mood' to go on a date, blind or otherwise.

"I've got someone I'd like you to meet," Brooke replied as Nathan cringed and silently cursed on the other line.

"Ah, come on Brookie," he protested as he sat down at his dinette, beer in hand. "I don't know if I'm in the mood for a date this weekend….. I had a hell week and I'm sore and tired. I don't know."

"I think you'll like her, Nathan. She's a nurse in pediatrics." Brooke worked as a receptionist in radiology. "…..She's cute, soft-spoken, and she thinks you're good looking. I mean that's worth something, don't you think?........ What do you say bro?"

"You showed her a picture of me?" Nathan asked, a bit interested, but not nearly enough to want to go.

"Well, she asked to see one."

Nathan smirked again. "And she didn't get sick or throw up..."

"Nathan!"

"I don't know, Brooke," he repeated.

"Come on, Nate, she's really nice……really," Brooke said sweetly, trying to convince him.

Nathan thought for a minute before replying. "Did you tell her about my leg?"

Nathan had been a cop, four years earlier when he was shot in the knee during a burglary investigation. After multiple surgeries, his leg was saved, but his police career was over. He walked with a limp sometimes……sometimes more noticeable than others depending on how much discomfort he was in.

"Yes, I did, but it didn't appear to make any difference to her." Brooke knew how sensitive he was about it.

"What did she say?" Nathan pressed, sighing loudly, waiting for bad news.

"Okay."

Nathan shrugged disbelievingly. "That's it?"

"That's it. I told you it didn't make any difference to her."

"Oh." Nathan was silent for a moment. "Well, what are her vitals?" he asked then, more than a little interested now.

Brooke couldn't help but smile to herself, because she knew that Nathan was interested now. " She's about 5 ' 5"…… She has dark brown hair and chocolate colour eyes, never married, and is around your age."

Nathan, who was 26, asked, "So, what's wrong with her?"

"Maybe she's thinking the same about you!"

"Touché," Nathan replied, he himself a confirmed bachelor. "What's her interests?"

"Shouldn't you be the one to find out?"

"You're on the ball, Brooke. I can't get anything by you tonight."

"You can't get anything by me at any time, Nathan," she countered. "So, what do you say?"

"You're really pushing this one, Brooke. What's so special about her?"

"I don't know, Nate. I just think you two would hit it off, that's all. It's just a feeling, plus she seems to be pretty interested, so that's all I can say."

Nathan thought about it for a few more moments as Brooke waited patiently. As he thought, he realized that he had no good reason not to go. Heck, he might even have a great time for all he knew. "Okay Sis," he finally said, "I'll go…..So, Where and what time?"

"Great, I know you'll have a good time," Brooke gushed. "Stop by here at Six o'clock and, Julian and I will take it from there." Julian was Brooke's husband.

"What should I wear? Casual, dressy, or tank top, shorts, and unshaven?"

Brooke laughed, "Just casual, Nate. You know, slacks and a polo."

"Okay, sounds good," he agreed. "So, does my date have a name or will I just say 'hey you' all night?"

"Her name is Haley, Haley James….. Are you okay with that or should I ask her to change it for you?"

"Nice comeback, sis." he chuckled. "I think she can keep it…. It's a nice name."

"I'm sure she'll be relieved to hear that….. Well, I'll let you go and I'll call her and set things up. See you at five tomorrow."

"See you, sis, and thanks."

"You're welcome, Nate," she said before she hung up.

Shaking his head, Nathan took his beer and went back to the living room to resume watching the game.

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Haley James was on pins and needles all day waiting for Brooke to call. She really was hoping that Brooke's brother would agree to go out on a date with her. Just when she least expected it, the phone began to ring. Haley answered the phone on the fourth ring after first drying her hands from washing the dishes. "Hello," she said impatiently.

"Hey Hales, It's Brookie."

"Hey…..So, what'd he say?"

"It's a go. He even promised not to wear a tank top and shorts."

"Was there a doubt?"

"Well, you never know what to expect with Nate," she explained.

"He's not weird, is he? I've had it up to here with weird dates. You're not holding something back on me, are you?.... Please tell me he's normal," Haley pleaded, her voice starting to show panic.

"I wouldn't steer you wrong, he's quite normal…. He's just got a good sense of humor and you sometimes don't know where he's coming from."

"Good," Haley sighed with relief, "I was beginning to think he was the second coming of Pee Wee Herman!"

"I think you'll be okay with him," Brooke laughed.

Haley was beginning to feel a bit apprehensive about the date. She didn't date much and had only been on a few blind dates, all disasters. When Brooke approached her about Nathan, she immediately thought no, no, no, oh hell no! But after Brooke talked to her about him and showed her his picture, she finally relented. Now that it was set, the butterflies started to dance in her stomach, but she wasn't going to back out. He looked too Hott to pass up.

"What's the itinerary tomorrow?" she asked. Haley hoped to get an early start since she had to work on Sunday.

"Nate's going to be at my place at Six, so we'll pick you up at about Six-fifteen or so in separate cars."

"Separate cars?" Haley interrupted.

"Wait, let me finish," Brooke said. "We'll go out to eat and if things are going well, you guys can go off on your own. If not, Julian and I will take you back home."

"Sounds like you've done this before."

Amusing, Brooke said, "Yes, we've done it a few times. It works quite well and there are no hard feelings if it doesn't work out, but like I told him, I think you two will hit it off."

"I hope so," Haley said uneasily, "I haven't been on a decent date in a long time."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Brooke reassured her as she glanced at her watch. "Well, I'm going to let you go. I've got an early day tomorrow."

"Sure, Brooke, I'll see you tomorrow….. Thanks again for setting it up for me."

"No problem, buddy. See you later." Brooke hung up the phone, quite pleased with herself.

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Nathan watched the game, not entirely focused on it, but watched it nonetheless. His mind wandered to his upcoming date and he hoped that Brooke had picked out someone that he could entertain without too much effort on his part. He had taught defensive tactics for the past few days and his bad knee was very tender and sore. Most of the time, he could fight through the pain without resorting to medical relief, but tonight, he needed to take some Tylenol to take the edge off. Hopefully, if he took it easy, it would feel better by morning. He certainly didn't want to be in a painful, grouchy mood on a date, a blind date at that. It had happened before and it wasn't pretty.

His thoughts drifted to the game once more as the crowd at Yankee Stadium stirred when the home team managed to string a couple of base hits together. Nathan sat up straight and propped his leg up on an ottoman, all the while watching the game.

A few minutes later, his thoughts turned to planning his date after the dinner, should it get that far. From past experience, most women he dated enjoyed an evening of dancing, but he doubted that his knee would tolerate it, although if he took some extra strength pain medicine beforehand, it might work.

A stroll through Lake Orchard Park might work too, he thought. Lake Orchard Park was in a residential neighborhood that had a small pond with ducks, plus other attractions. But then, he thought it might be a little too subdued for a first date. Of course, a movie would work, they almost always did. He guessed that he would just have to play it by ear and go from there.

He then refocused his attention to the game back and watched it to its conclusion before heading to bed.

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"What are you so happy about?" Julian asked as he climbed into bed beside Brooke, who was grinning from ear to ear while reading.

"Oh nothing," she replied, turning a page, "we're just going on a date tomorrow night."

"We are?" he asked, eyebrows raised. "That's news to me."

"You'd find out eventually."

"Gee, thanks babe. What's the occasion by the way?" Julian knew that it wasn't around her birthday or their anniversary, so he was pretty safe.

"We're double dating with Nathan and a girl from work."

"Oh no!" he cried, "Not another blind date for Nate…... Can't you leave him alone and let him find someone for himself?"

"It's only for dinner, baby….. Geez, you act like we do this all of the time."

"We?...... Where'd this 'we' stuff come in?... You're the one setting up these dates for him, not me. Don't include me in this grand scheme of yours." He tried to look peeved, but it was just an act he was putting on and Brooke saw right through it.

Brooke put her book on the nightstand and turned off the light. Snuggling against him, she said, "Don't worry about whose idea it was. I'll make it up to you afterwards. Of course," she said as she slid her hand between his legs, "We could get started early if you like."

Julian laughed softly, "I'd definitely love to go on a double date tomorrow night."

"I thought you would," she replied as she settled next to her husband for a night of loving.

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Haley woke late Saturday morning, savoring another day off from the hospital. She still loved her job, but her patient load increased almost every year and she was now taking care of twice as many patients as she had when she first started four years earlier. And of course, almost every decision she made while on duty had a direct impact upon the patient, so any mistake, no matter how small, could cause a life or death situation. She couldn't say for sure that she was getting burnt out, but she found it harder and harder to want to go to work.

Haley prayed and hoped that her day would be mistake free and that she would be able to give her patients all of the attention that they needed.

Perhaps that is why she was looking so forward to an evening out with Brooke, her husband, and of course, Brooke's little brother, Nate, her date. She really needed a fun night out with friends and maybe this would lead to something better with Nathan. She surely hoped so. It had been a long time since she had been in a meaningful relationship and she missed the thrill and excitement of being in love, to be loved.

She made herself a couple of scrambled eggs and toast and ate absently while reading the newspaper. After she finished her meal and the paper, she noticed that it was close to one o'clock, so she put the dishes in the sink for later and headed to the bathroom for a quick shower.

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Nathan whistled softly as he pulled out of his apartment complex, turning left at the driveway, and headed to his sister's house. He was in a great mood as he looked forward to the evening. Even if the date didn't work out, he always enjoyed getting together with Brooke and Julian. She was his only sibling, one year older, and they had always been close, even in the teenage years. He and Julian shared many interests and could often be found on a golf course or on a fishing pond in Julian's boat on the weekends.

Looking ahead to his right, Nathan saw a Wood County sheriff's car stopped with it's lights flashing. A vehicle was in front of it with its driver's door open. He didn't see an officer or anyone else around and Nathan thought it was strange. Cop instinct took over as he moved over to the middle turn lane while looking for an officer or suspect. As he passed the two cars, he immediately saw the problem as an officer was on the ground between the cars flailing around with a larger suspect.

"Shit!" Nathan hissed as he jammed on the brakes, pitching himself forward as he slammed the car into park. Forgetting his leg and everything else, he quickly glanced right before racing across the two lanes, hearing sirens in the distance. As he approached, he could see a female officer on her back, her hand on her holstered gun with the suspect's hand over hers trying to pull it out. She was trying to kick him off, but he was too large for her to handle.

Wide eyed, she saw Nathan heading towards them with a full head of steam. Nathan hit him low and hard in the ribs with a body block, knocking him off of the officer. Both went sprawling as he landed on his knees but felt nothing with his adrenaline pumping. The dazed suspect was trying to get up from a seated position, but Nathan scrambled behind him slipping an arm around his neck and cradling his head with the other arm at an odd angle. He applied pressure, effectively cutting off the man's air supply while painfully stretching his neck.

Nathan growled in his ear, "You even twitch and I'll snap your neck like a twig! You understand?"

"Yeah-Yeah," the man gasped, barely audible.

The officer had recovered and had her gun drawn in front of her, shaking slightly.

"Now, you're going to slowly roll to your left and then onto your stomach. Make any sudden moves and I can assure you that I will kill you or this officer will gladly blow your brains out. Got that?" Nathan looked at the officer, his eyes reassuring her that he was in control of the situation. She nodded back to him.

"Yeah," the suspect gasped once again, trying in vain to get more air.

The sirens were coming closer as Nathan shifted his weight slightly to allow the man to roll to his left as directed. As the man moved to his stomach, he reached his hand out for handcuffs and the officer gave him a set. As he handcuffed the individual, three police cruisers squealed to a halt nearby. Nathan looked up and was relieved to see them as they helped him to his feet and took over the scene.

Officer Peyton Sawyer holstered her gun and was visibly shaken by the ordeal. The sergeant on the scene took her by the arm and led her a few feet away to let her get composed enough to tell him what happened.

Nathan was questioned by the other officers and he gave a detailed account of the incident. Most of the officers recognized him from the academy or had worked with him when he was still a deputy. Nathan glanced at Peyton and the sergeant from time to time, her head down, hands on hips. Periodically, the sergeant would pat her on the shoulder offering encouragement.

After a few minutes, Nathan wandered over to her when their conversation was finished. Nathan recognized her from the academy, but he couldn't remember anything in particular about her. When he drew near, she reached out and hugged him.

"Thank you," she said in a low voice. "I don't know how much longer I could have lasted."

"You did good," Nathan replied. "You stopped him from getting your weapon and you survived."

"Maybe only because of you," she said, her emotions starting to get out of control.

"What happened?"

"He's a bank plunderer. I saw him accidentally at the town today and followed him since then. I've got a great chance in here and I blocked his car without asking any-other support. After that, I pulled him over from his car quickly. He…He was fine until I brought him back to my car. But somehow…. He…. He spun on me and took me down before I could react. I don't know how it happened but I…..but…… God, I'm so lucky you showed up!"

Nathan smiled and they talked quietly for a few moments. He liked the way she looked at him, flattered that a woman as pretty as she seemed to enjoy his company. If only he was little bit older and not going on a date, he probably would have asked her out. Date?!? Nathan quickly looked at his watch. "God Damn it!" he exclaimed as he saw the time.

"Something wrong?"

"I'm late for a date. I…..I need to make a call."

"I'm sorry," she said sadly while looking down.

Nathan reached forward and lifted her chin gently. "Don't you be sorry for anything. I can be late for a date." Peyton tried to smile, but couldn't, her green eyes starting to fill with tears, tears from her brush with death and tears from the frustration that the man who saved her life was dating another. The crush that she had on him at the academy had not left her in the six months since her graduation.

Nathan pulled out his cell phone and dialed Brooke's number. She answered on the first ring. "Hey Brooke, it's Me."

"Nathan! Where in the world are you? It's after six-fifteen!"

"I got tied up with some police work. I'll explain later…. Listen, I've got to go back home and get cleaned up, so I'll meet you guys at the restaurant…. Can you pick up Haley for me?"

"Sure Nate, what time?"

"Where are we eating?" Nathan asked.

"Amm…..Francisco's on Main Street."

"Ok. I'll be there by seven-fifteen."

"Okay, but you better have a damned good excuse!"

"It's a good one, Brookie, believe me. I'll see you in a little bit." Nathan smirked and said.

"Okay Nate, bye!"

Nathan stayed long enough to talk to the sergeant for a few minutes and also to Peyton again before he left the scene to go back home.

Once there, he took another shower and changed into clean clothes. His knee was aching slightly, so he made sure he had a bottle of extra-strength Tylenol in case it got worse. When he felt that he was sufficiently groomed, he left for the restaurant.

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Haley was irritated and disappointed when Brooke called to say that they'd be late. She was nervous already and this would just prolong her anxiety. She had been ready for over an hour after taking extra care with her hair and makeup. Wearing a black colour knee length designer dress with, Haley looked nothing like she usually did in her drab green hospital scrubs. That dress showed off her well-defined shoulders and arms and it narrowed down to her curvy hips perfectly.

Haley did weight training three or four times per week and she was proud of her physique. No matter how tired or busy she was, she always made it a point to work out for at least forty-five minutes each session.

Brooke and Julian met Haley at Haley's apartment at six o'clock and from there, they headed to Francisco's, an Italian restaurant in the heart of the city. Not only was it known for excellent food, it was small, quaint, and romantic. They were shown a table in a quiet corner and Julian suddenly ordered a bottle of red wine for them.

Brooke couldn't help but look at him questioningly.

To Be Continued!........