Author's Note:
So, a few things you should know about me and this story. One, I am not a consistent updater. I figured I should state this off top, because it affects who reads stories on this site. That's completely fair btw, but I'm also a senior in college doing research. I want to share this story, but I'm also aware that it is not my first priority. More than that, this is free reading. I respect what others do here, which is why I want to contribute to the site, but yeah, I'm just not able to be as diligent as others. I hope I'm talented enough to keep some of you anyway. You do have my word that I will do my best, but again, I can't lie and give you deadlines.
Speaking of readers, I write whether one person reviews or fifty people review. Every reader is important and if you're willing to take time out of your day to comment on something I do, I want to give back to you. But please note, this is a cathartic thing for me and I have this story pretty well mapped out. I love suggestions and observations, and if I use anyone's ideas, I'll give full credit for them. But, those ideas will be part of the journey of the story, but they will not alter the ending. Feel free to ask me why I did something. I'm an analytical creature and have no problem discussing the why.
Alright, so I'm not the most decorated of Naley fanfic readers, but I've done a lot of reading over the past year or so and I think I can sense some patterns. What I'm going to say may sound harsh, but I'm brutal in real life, at times, and I'm pretty comfortable in that skin. This is not a story about Lucas, Brooke or Peyton. I literally only watched OTH for Naley for the longest time. I have never shipped another couple from this show and don't plan on starting today. For the purpose of my fic, I have Leyton and Brulian together. It is a future fic but I'm loyal to the cannon I've been given with the adults. I'm only mentioning this because I know some people decide on Naley fic based on other pairings. That's fine and I respect that. But yeah, couples and kids are set, period, end of discussion. No gimmicks, no surprises. What you read is what you get.
I chose to make this story a future fic because it allows me to deal with a lot of relationships that cannon left hanging. I'll assume Mark let a lot of sibling relationships go in order to focus on Nathan/Lucas, and that's fair since the show was about them. But I am not Mark and I can't let them go, so I'll be using the kids to fill in the blanks so to speak.
Lastly, the time of this story starts in Fall 2029. All flashbacks or alternate times will be labeled and italicized. Also, every chapter starts with a quote because I loved that the show used quotes so often. Every chapter will also be named after a song for the same reason and the song and artist will be given at the end (and yes, I own every song I use). There is also a chart letting you know which couples are which and who their children are, so hopefully no one gets confused. Alright, without further ado…
Chart of parents and children
Nathan Scott and Haley James-Scott - James "Jamie" Lucas Scott (24), Lydia Bob Scott (16), Daniel Quentin Scott (5)
Lucas Scott and Peyton Scott – Sawyer Brooke Scott (18), Keith Lawrence Scott (12, adopted)
Brooke Davis-Baker and Julian Baker – Davis and Jude Baker (16)
Quinn Evans and Clay Evans – Logan Evans (20)
Taylor James-Chandler and Phineus "Finn" Chandler – Elliot James Chandler and Elise Brigard Chandler (10)
Antwon "Skillz" Taylor and Bevin Merskey – Nathan "NJ" Smith (20), Antwon Taylor Jr. (8)
Derek Sommers and Naomi Giles – Lena Michelle Sommers (18)
Marvin McFadden and Millicent Huxtable-McFadden – Michael McFadden (6) and Megan McFadden (5)
Karen Roe and Keith Scott (deceased), Andy (step-father) – Lily Mae Scott (24)
Love Is You
"Love never dies a natural death. It dies because we don't know how to replenish its source. It dies of blindness and errors and betrayals. It dies of illness and wounds; it dies of weariness, of witherings, of tarnishings." –Anais Nin
September 3, 2027
It was Friday and the start of Labor Day weekend. More importantly for Lena Sommers, it was her 16th birthday. A girl only turned this age once, and so far she could not be happier. Her dad was here, which, thanks to Uncle Sam, wasn't the case for every birthday. Her Aunt Peyton and Uncle Lucas stood behind her like the surrogate parents they were. And her cousin and best friend, Sawyer Scott, stood to her left, lighting the candles and taunting her about being able to blow them all out at once. Lena simply smiled, feeling better than any sixteen year-old without presents should. Her world was right and she was happy. Nothing material could ever take the place of that and she knew it. As she blew out the candles, she could hear the chorus of "happy birthday" from the other guest in her presence. Having her birthday fall during a holiday weekend meant that everyone who mattered to her was home to help her celebrate.
Haley James Scott kissed her husband before coming up to the birthday girl with a smile on her face. She embraced her for a long moment before pulling away and producing something from behind her back. "I know you're going to get showered with gifts, but I saw this and thought of you. I just wanted to beat the rush" she rambled on, something she did with more frequency than in her younger years.
"Thanks Aunt Haley," Lena smiled. She had taken to calling everyone aunt or uncle, first because she was mimicking her cousin Sawyer who was actually related to just about everyone, then because it stuck and felt right. She was glad that everyone sort of just accepted it. It made her life a lot easier.
"Well, don't thank me until you open it. It could be horrible and then where would we be," Haley said with a nervous glint in her eye. She wanted Lena to like the gift, and while she was pretty sure she would, she didn't want to disappoint her on such an important day.
"Alright then, let's see what's inside." With careful attention, Lena unwrapped her present and let out a squeal upon seeing it. "Oh my God! Is this a limited edition?" Lena continued to look at the gift in awe. It was a copy of "If Beale Street Could Talk" and it looked as old as her great-grandmother.
"Yes. I was in Seattle and found it at this book store. I know how much you love Baldwin and I figured it was fate," Haley finished the quick story. "You like it?" Despite the squeal, she still needed to know she approved.
"Are you kidding me, this is awesome. I can't believe you got this for me. Thank you so much," the girl said as she lunged at Haley for another hug. Haley let out a gust of air at the impact, but quickly hugged the girl that she saw so much of herself in.
"You're welcome. I'll put this away for you so you can go open the rest of your gifts," she offered and Lena nodded, her eyes still glowing from the gift. If this was the caliber of presents she was getting today, she didn't know if she'd be able to keep from bursting. That was certainly a heck of a bonus.
Several hours later, everyone was scattered around Lucas and Peyton's house. Most of the guys were around playing NBA Live, their favorite pastime. Her dad, Uncle Lucas and Uncle Nathan were having one of those "dad" talks that went over her head, while her cousin Keith and his cousin Danny worked to keep their fathers' attention. Sawyer was with her mom helping to clean up and yelling at Keith and Danny to leave their dads alone. Haley and Lydia had said their goodbyes since Lydia had a team retreat and Haley had to take her. She could hear Brooke and Julian talking, Brooke about how her boys played too many video games and Julian about how playing video games is what twelve-year-old boys did. It was a conversation that seemed to be going in circles. Lena smirked, content to take it all in, but then she felt a tap on her shoulder. When she turned around her breath caught like it always did.
"Hey," he said simply, giving her that trademark Scott smirk that she prayed to become immune to one day.
"Hey yourself," was her simple reply. She always acted cooler than she felt around him. Maybe that's why he never noticed her.
"I'm going to head out soon. The frat is doing a charity thing on Sunday and I have to get back for the preparations, but I wanted to say goodbye and give you a proper hug.
"Um, yeah, okay. I'll walk you out," she offered, wanting to prolong the moment for as long as she could.
"Sure," he said, not willing to deny her anything on her big day.
They stepped out back while everyone remained inside. "So, listen, I didn't get you anything. I, um, I actually didn't know what to get you," he said with a rare hint of insecurity in his voice.
Lena looked at him for a moment, trying to find a way to tell him that him showing up was all the gift she needed. "It's fine. I'm just glad you're here. That everyone is here. I've never had that for my birthday before," she said matter of factly.
It was Jamie's turn to look at her in awe. Sometimes she was wise beyond her sixteen years. Lena was never the type to want for much, which is why he'd had such a difficult time buying something for her. He wished he had thought harder about it instead of just giving up. Just showing up felt like a cop-out. "It's not really fine, but it's nice of you to say it. I'm the big brother, I should take care of you, all of you."
Lena's heart lurched a little at that statement. It wasn't as if it was unexpected, but it never felt good going down. Jamie was the oldest male in their generation and he took the role seriously. He had the aura of the perfect specimen and the privilege that came with being a Scott boy, the Scott boy in Tree Hill. Everyone else, with the exception of Sawyer, seemed to kind of worship him. Lena didn't, but that crush that was supposed to go away, hadn't. She knew he wasn't perfect, but it didn't seem to matter to her. She liked him. She more than liked him. Maybe it was love, but who really knew at sixteen? Well, Jamie's parents had known. Them, she idolized. She wanted what Nathan and Haley had so badly she could taste it. Maybe that feeling for Jamie wouldn't go away because he was their son. Yep, that was it. "Really, it's okay," she managed to say after cutting off her own thoughts. She was tired of looking like a lame teenager in front of him because she took forever to shut her mind of and reply to him.
"You know Lena, you're way too kind. Don't let me, or any guy, take advantage of that," he said sincerely. He worried about her, especially in the dating world. The fact that she was now sixteen only heightened the sense of worry.
"Well, I like being kind. But uh, don't worry, I can take care of myself. Have you met my dad?" Her chuckle was barely audible, but it was enough to ease the tension on his face momentarily.
Jamie laughed too, and, having inherited his father's boldness, spoke the words that would later change both of their lives. "So, that crush you had on me?"
"I did not have a crush on you," she interrupted. It was technically correct since she still had a crush on him, but she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of being right immediately.
"Whatever. I know googly eyes when I see them and you've had them for me."
The smile on his face was cocky in that way that his father's smile was when he knew he was right. The fact that his smile took up his whole face like his mother's, well, that just seemed unfair. Lena wanted to curse the genetic gods for the perfect combination. "Okay, okay, I may have, in my young and stupid days, thought you worthy of crushing on. But we all get smarter as we get older."
"Hey, I'm still crush-worthy. I have the older college guy thing going on," he said, his smile still plastered on his face in victory.
Lena shook her head at the arrogance. It only came out with people he was comfortable around, but for Jamie, that was a large part of the population. People wanted to be around him and he wasn't about to turn them away. She loved that about him, that despite the way he could be, he instead took each person seriously. People with the power of personality usually didn't, but Jamie was the exception to a lot of rules, as she had learned by growing up with him. "Okay, okay. Why are you bringing this all up."
"Oh, right. Well, I know what your present is now." The smirk on his face should've been a dead give away, but Lena didn't have time to catch it before his lips were on hers. It only lasted a few seconds and he stood as still as she did, but it was a kiss, an honest to God kiss.
After they broke apart, he smiled. "I decided I'd give you your first kiss. I figured if I did it first, you'd have impossibly high standards and you wouldn't bring home an idiot. Because if you bring home an idiot, you'll never hear the end of it from me, Logan, NJ, and don't forget your dad."
"Ha, he'd have to make it past Aunt Peyton first. She's scarier," Lena continued for him, still in shock but alert enough to join him.
"Very true. But seriously, Happy Birthday. Now you can't say I didn't give you anything." He gave her a hug after that and headed to his car to start the drive back to campus.
Lena stood there and watched him pull off, touching her lips once he was out of sight. She knew he was probably unaware of how fabled the last line he uttered to her was, as he was probably far less obsessed with his parents story since he lived with them every day. But something about what he said and what he did before he said it sealed her fate. He was right, he had set an impossibly high standard, and she was sure, now more than ever, that she loved Jamie Scott, even if he didn't love her back. That kiss was by far the best gift she had ever gotten.
"Stop, you got me Doritos. Are you trying to get on my good side?" Sawyer Scott eyed her cousin suspiciously.
"Like you have a good side," Lena shot back. Normally Lena's tongue wasn't so quick, but it was Sawyer. She had learned early on that the give and take with Sawyer was her way of saying she loved you. If that was the truth, the Lena assumed Sawyer loved her more than anyone.
"Ass," Sawyer shot back, the mouth full of chips hiding her prideful smile.
"I learned from the best," Lena replied honestly. That was definitely true.
"What can I say, my teaching skills are ace." She laughed as Lena scrunched her nose up at the newest catchphrase of her cousin.
"Ace huh? How long is that going to stick?" Sawyer wasn't a trendy person, but she was always in search of something symbolic to help define her. Her mother and father had very distinct personalities that made them instantly identifiable. She was a cross between the two and, at eighteen, hadn't completely embraced all of her uniqueness. Plus, she had diva tendencies and wanted something iconic. Go figure.
"This one is going to catch on, I know it," she nodded.
"You really are waiting for people to idolize you, aren't you," Lena said jokingly. Okay, half jokingly.
"They already do dah-ling," she replied mockingly. Sawyer may not be as cocky as the Scott men, but she still had enough Scott in her for that statement to be partially true. She may be crafting a persona, but with blonde hair, green eyes, a big brain and an acerbic tongue, the girl knew her worth. "Oh good grief, have you tricked me into a Disney princess movie," Sawyer asked.
"It's not so much tricked as you weren't paying attention."
"Ugh, I don't get you. Doesn't this fly in the face of your feminist sensibilities? I can't even believe we're related."
Lena shook her head. "Look, not everything I do has to be in the name of some movement or mentality. Sometimes, I just want to watch women crafted around unobtainable ideals sing songs and get the guy. Sue me."
"Who even says that?" Sawyer looked at her cousin in utter confusion. "The music is terrible, the ideals are impossible, and really, you could do better." The disappointment was evident in Sawyer's tone. It always was when it came to this particular obsession of Lena's.
"I say it, and it's true. It's the trade-off. I put up with your mood music and you watch this with me,"
"My music is not mood music. The Cure is good music,"
"No, it's emo, 'let me bitch about my feelings because I can't understand why no one will talk to me, oh wait, I look like a weirdo in this get up,' music." Lena blurted out in a run on sentence.
Sawyer grabbed her chest in mock pain. "You wound me."
"No I don't." Lena sighed. "I had a crazy interview and I want the mental break. Give me this one, please?"
Sawyer's face instantly softened. Sure, she was kind of a hard ass to everyone, but only Lena, Keith and her mother got the full force of her overprotectiveness. She'd sit through a crappy movie for Lena if she needed her to. Hell, she'd sit through five, but she wasn't about to suggest that. "It uh, it didn't go so well?" Her concern was genuine.
Lena pondered the question for a moment. "It's not so much that it didn't go well, it just didn't go like I thought it would. It was much longer than I thought, and they put you in these groups. I don't know, I hate having other people potentially affect my chances," she answered honestly.
"Hey, screw em'. If they don't want you, they suck, simple as that." Sawyer stuffed more chips in her mouth, her mind made up on the matter. "Now, it's either Belle, Mulan or Tiana. The rest of them are pathetic and insufferable. I don't feel that badly for you," she nudged Lena with her shoulder
And for a while, the girls got lost in a world of make-believe.
Hours later, Sawyer's phone began buzzing, interrupting their break from the real world. "Hey, it's NJ."
"Booty call," Lena said teasingly.
"Not on your life. My standards are much, much higher than that, even if he did do a pretty good job of defeating one half of his gene pool."
Lena shook her head. "Mr. Smith is a nice enough guy."
"Ted Bundy was a nice guy. I'm just saying, it's a bit creepy to name your kid after someone you haven't seen in ages, especially without their consent. He's lucky Uncle Skillz is in his life to balance the crazy."
"Sawyer, stop it. I still say he's harmless. Besides, Uncle Skillz comes with his own brand of crazy."
"Everyone in Tree Hill comes with their own brand of crazy," Sawyer rebutted. I'm lucky I got out alive."
"You said it, not me," she said on a giggle. "What's the text about?"
"He said he and the guys are heading down this weekend. They're leaving tonight. Ugh, they want to know if we can meet Saturday?"
Lena's heart stopped. Guys included Jamie, and Jamie included the dreaded Cecelia. "Um,"
"We can just say no," Sawyer stated.
"What, no, that's rude."
"No, rude is you having to watch my idiot cousin pine after a girl who only gives him the time of day when it suits her." Sawyer knew there weren't enough words for how foolish she thought Jamie was.
"He's not pining. She likes him. She just…"
"She's just using him."
"He's different than the guys she's used to. I think she's just, you know, feeling the situation out."
"She's letting him feel her up. And I can't believe you're defending her. I can't believe you're defending either of them. Jesus Christ Lena," Sawyer went on an angry rant.
"What? It's not their fault it was love at first sight. I think it actually makes for a sweet story," Lena defended.
"No you don't. That shit eats you up inside because she's messing up your story. And love at first sight my ass. Lust at first sight is more like it. Nothing like a dancer with an accent and a tight ass to make a guy see double."
Lena was now getting defense. "I think you're wrong."
"No you don't."
"Stop telling me what I think and feel. I think you're wrong. I think Jamie is just trying to have what his parents had. You don't get to pick who you fall for."
"Ugh," Sawyer let out a grunt. "He's trying to have what his dad had before his dad met his mom. Ass and more ass. I'm not saying he's a man-whore, because he's not. He managed to avoid that crappy part of the gene pool. I'm just saying, Helen of Troy. Men go crazy for that shit."
"Okay, I know there's no getting through to you when you start quoting 90s movies," Lena conceded. "How about this, why don't you just answer yes, that we can meet them."
Sawyer looked at her cousin in disbelief. Sure, Lena had a soft spot for Jamie when she was younger. It was a byproduct of her crush, but now, now was different. Lena had finally worked up the courage to tell Jamie that that crush, it wasn't going away. It was all planned out. The guys had helped Sawyer and Lena move into their room at Duke. Lena had planned to tell him before he left, but then, Cecelia Moreno walked out and changed everything. She lived three rooms down from them and was walking by the room when all the guys turned their heads so fast they got whiplash. Jamie had been particularly transfixed and had called off his friends.
Cecelia Moreno. Sawyer didn't trust her as far as she could throw her. Like Jamie, she commanded the attention of almost everyone she came across, but unlike Jamie, she was easily dismissive of people. If you couldn't do something for her, you were a waste. Of course, she played off this personality trait. Hell, with that accent and that curvaceous dancer's body, most people didn't give two flips about her tactics or flaws. Jamie Scott certainly didn't. It truly disappointed Sawyer, because Jamie could usually see someone like Cecelia coming from a mile away. But for whatever reason, he was under her spell just like most of the male species.
What really bugged Sawyer though, was that Lena seemed to be blind to her ways. Lena defended Cecelia, even as she manipulated Jamie, Lena's Jamie. Sure, Lena had learned long ago that being jealous of females who liked Jamie was fruitless and particularly bad for her health. But Cecelia was no good for him. Sawyer saw it. Aunt Haley saw it. Jamie's Aunt Taylor seemed on the edge of annihilating the girl and she hadn't even met her yet. But Lena just let it go, never speaking up, and admitting defeat as if she deserved to lose. Lena and her insecurities brought on by Naomi, the egg donor. The irony that Cecelia was exactly like Naomi wasn't lost on Sawyer, but she wasn't about to bring that up to her cousin. Lena didn't lose her cool much, but the subject of Naomi tended to make her go apeshit.
"Fine. I'll say yes. But when you get sad and want to talk about how infuriating Jamie is to you, remember I gave you a chance to say no," Sawyer cautioned as she typed a response.
"Yes Yoda," Lena replied mockingly. She wished that the scenario Sawyer laid out was a bit further from the truth. She was way too predictable and she hated it. "Hey, let's go out."
Sawyer nearly lost her eyes as they almost popped out of her head. "Excuse me? You want to go out? Are you feeling alright?"
"God, I'm fine. I just, I want to live it up, you know?"
Sawyer knew going out was Lena's idea of a cure-all for the "look but don't touch" Jamie weekend ahead. "Alright, where to?"
"Well, my mentor says there's a house party happening, so she kind of invited me and a plus one."
"Right," Sawyer stated. "How much am I going to, stand out, if we go to this party?"
"Like you never have before," Lena answered honestly.
Sawyer's jaw tightened at the implication, causing Lena to step closer to her. In that moment, Sawyer turned up her mouth and lit up the room with her smile. "You promise?"
Lena fumed. "That was cruel. I thought we were going to have a moment about race relations you jerk."
"What" she said coyly, "you left yourself wide open. I had to," she shrugged while feigning innocence. "Besides, why would I start caring now? I never have before. You and I might as well be conjoined twins to the people at this school."
"Ew. The thought of having to share body parts with you…"
"Oh, or never being able to get away from each other. Kill me now," Sawyer finished the statement, both of them shuttering simultaneously. A moment later, both girls broke out in a fit of uncontrollable laughter, the stress of the last few hours melting away all at once.
"Okay, okay, so are we going?"
"You bet your ass we're going. And we're going to find some beautiful upperclassman that will fall head over heels for you and make you forget all about my idiot cousin."
"Is that right?"
"It's ace," Sawyer said even as Lena rolled her eyes.
"Okay, okay, I'll say it in doses, let it grow on you," Sawyer surrendered to spare herself more eye rolls.
"If that's what you need to tell yourself," Lena replied, nowhere near accepting of the proposal. But she knew that it might just work on the rest of the population. She dreaded that day if it came.
Song: Love Is You by Chrisette Michele