Title: The Bachelor

Author: Sweet Sarcasm

Summary: Nathan and Haley had a spark which was put out by one little lie. Fast-forward a few years ahead, and we find Haley, working at a restaurant and Nathan, a totally successful basketball player. Their old friend Brooke Davis is the hottest TV executive on ABC, and she decides to revive her all-time favorite show, The Bachelor. When Nathan applies for the show, Brooke's gears go into overdrive, and she persuades Haley to join the show, convinced that her favorite couple will finally be together once again. The catch is, Haley is under disguise, and Nathan may never be with his true love if he makes the wrong move. (Alternate History)

Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill or The Bachelor. I just own Denise and the plot.


"The Bachelor?" Nathan Scott echoed warily. "Why do I have a feeling I'm not going to like this?"

Pamela Fleet, Nathan's publicist, smiled hugely. Nathan wondered if he should tell her about the huge piece of broccoli that was stuck in between her teeth, but Pamela's words caught his attention. "Nate, you're the most wanted guy in America. Everyone knows who you are. Now, you're twenty-three years old. Don't you think it's time that you settle down?"

Nathan gawked at her. "Settle down? You've got to be joking. I've just started my career! I'm finished with college! Two years ago, I just received my right to vote and drink. And you're telling me I should settle down?" His voice level began to rise, and Pamela winced, wondering if she had taken the right approach. Nathan was known for his temper, and no one messed with Nathan. Except for Lucas, of course.

Speak of the devil. Lucas' head popped in the room. "Uh, I hear yelling, and I can't concentrate on my book." He held up his tattered copy of The Great Gatsby. Nathan snorted.

"Dude, you've read that book a million of times. You could probably read the book with your eyes closed," snapped Nathan. Lucas raised a brow.

"Yeah, but then that wouldn't be considered 'reading.' What's wrong?" He glanced at his brother and publicist.

"I was just telling Nathan," Pamela began, but Nathan interrupted her.

"Pamela," he spat out, "thinks I should settle down and join some stupid show so I can find my future wife!" Angrily, he threw a dart at one of his walls, missing the target by millimeters. Lucas frowned.

"Settle down? But you're only twenty-three," he said, bemused. Pamela sighed.

"Fine. You want the truth? I think Nate should go on the show for two reasons; one, so he could lose his bad boy, one night stand image, and two, the more publicity he gets, the better. There you have it. Happy?" she gritted out. Just a few more years, she told herself. No more putting up with the spoiled brat.

"What I don't understand is why I have a publicist. I'm not some freaking actor!" Nathan grumbled, attempting another dart and missing. Pamela rolled her eyes.

"You got a publicist after you won the NBA title for the Grizzlies for the first time in history," Pamela replied patiently. She thrust a hand through her bleached, curly hair. "You decided to do some endorsements, and BAM! You got me."

Nathan sighed, and twirled another dart in his fingers. "Exactly what do I have to do?"

Pamela grinned. "Oh, you'll love it, Nate. All you have to do is apply for the show, get chosen, surround yourself with twenty-five beautiful women, date all of them at once, send a few home, pick one, and voila! You're done."

Lucas chuckled. "You know, that doesn't sound too horrible. I mean, twenty-five women? Yeah, that's really horrible." Nathan glared daggers at his slightly older brother.

"That's all?" he asked wearily. Pamela confirmed his answer by nodding. "Fine, why the hell not?"


Back in Los Angeles

"Denise!" Brooke screeched, ruffling through a few papers. "Where the hell are you?" She looked up to see her friend leaning against her door, giving her a bemused look. "Did you pick the bachelor yet?"

"Someone's in a fabulous mood this morning," Denise remarked dryly, walking over to one of the chairs. She made sure there were no needles sticking out this time. "And I've narrowed the choices down to three. Ready?"

"Hit me," replied Brooke, leaning back on her comfy chair. Denise grinned.

"First, we have Jonathan Taylor Thomas, newly divorced to his second wife, yet 'he still believes in love'", quoted Denise. She slapped down a picture of the handsome actor. Brooke frowned.

"No, he cheated on his first wife a few months after they got married with some teen extra on the movie they were working on together. What a bastard," snorted Brooke. Denise nodded, and took out the next picture.

"Here we have the rising star, Jason Woodpond. He has the number one record of this year. What do you think?"

Brooke squinted at the picture, and ran a hand through her frazzled hair. "Wasn't he that guy who told everyone that Ashley Cleary wasn't a virgin anymore?" Denise sighed.

"But he's so hot!" she whined. Brooke raised a brow.

"You just had to pick all the hot jackasses, didn't you?" she grumbled, frowning at one of the profiles of the bachelorettes. "Let's see Jackass Number 3."

"Ah, I think you'll like this one," squealed Denise, jumping up and down in her chair. "His only minor flaw is he's a bit of a player, but you know what they say, 'Guys are players until they meet the right girl.'" Brooke rolled her eyes; she heard this crap all the time. "He's hot, a body to die for, and he's the reason why the Grizzlies won their first NBA championship. Plus, he put together a DVD, which blew me away." She slipped the DVD into Brooke's flat screen laptop, and pushed 'play'.

Brooke gasped when she saw a familiar young man in the center of the screen. "Hi, I'm Nathan Scott, and I'd like to be America's next bachelor!" The cocky grin. The wink. It really was him. The next few shots narrated how Nathan had won the championship for the Grizzlies, blah blah blah. The next shot was of Deb, Nathan's mother.

"Nathan is such a sweet boy, and he needs a sweet girl in his life," she gushed. "He was the charmer when he was younger, but now that's he's older, it would nice for him to have a stable relationship."

Brooke's heart skipped a few beats when the next image featured the man she thought she had left behind forever. The one who gave her a dull pain around her heart before she went to bed. Him. "Nate and I didn't get along for awhile, but my little brother really deserves to be the next Bachelor. Watch out, America!" He flashed a grin that she had always swooned at during high school. A few years later, it still had the same effect.

"We used to date, but now we're really close friends," commented the next person in the presentation. Brooke shut her eyes. The bitch. "Nathan is the sweetest guy you'll ever meet. He has such a great personality and he's a great friend." Brooke snorted at this. Denise glanced at her worriedly.

The DVD continued to explain why Nathan would make a great Bachelor, complete with comments by Brooke's old friends; Jake, Tim, Mouth, and Bevin. A few more basketball shots, and then it finished with Nathan's infamous grin. The screen faded black.

It was hard for Brooke to breathe. Her old life, her past…she thought she had left it all behind. Just seeing the people made the pain worse. Seeing Peyton. Seeing Lucas. It was too much.

"No," Brooke said softly, ejecting the CD and handing it back to Denise. "Let's go with Jason. Anyone but Nathan."

"Brooke, Victor already chose Nathan. He loves him. I thought Nathan was a good idea, too," Denise said uncertainly. "I just gave you the other two so you could see how great Nathan was."

"Tom Cruise. Ben Affleck. 50 Cent. Michael Jackson, for God's sakes, anyone but Nathan Scott!" whispered Brooke, turning pale.

"How about Chris Keller?" a voice called from across the hall. The girls rolled their eyes, Brooke momentarily forgetting her dilemma.

"NO!" they hollered back in unison. Brooke allowed a small smile when she heard Chris sigh loudly and mutter why he would make a great Bachelor. Denise lightened up when she saw this.

"Old flame?" she joked. Brooke slowly shook her head. She remained quiet for a few minutes before Denise quietly asked, "Brooke?"

"No," Brooke finally said. "Nathan Scott was the guy who broke Haley's heart." Denise's jaw dropped.


Author's Note: Yeah, I realize how short this chapter is. But there was no other way to end it, and I've been suffering from writer's block. Plus, I was disappointed by how many reviews I got for the first chapter. 485 hits, 10 story alerts, 4 favorites, and only 6 reviews!

I have a proposition to make: I get at least ten reviews for this short chapter, and I'll write ten pages for the next chapter, maybe more. I'll try to update this once I get the ten reviews, otherwise the next installment will come in two weeks. Deal?