Lucas lay on his bed feeling sore as hell but he wasn't going to let Dan Scott in on it. He heard a knock and then Nathan popped in.

"Hey...Cooled off any?" Nate asked tossing the basketball in his hand back and forth.

"Not really has the missing link gone to sleep?" Luke asked still staring at the ceiling.

Nathan smiled and nodded his head. He walked over to the window and looked at the tree outside. He laughed softly. "You ever miss being a kid?"

Lucas gave him a puzzled look. "Sure I guess. What brought that up?"

"Just remembering the stuff we used to get into. You remember when you broke your arm?" Nate asked his older brother with a look of nostalgia across his face.

Lucas smiled and looked at the tree outside also. "Yeah how could I forget? That was also the same summer that I was basically left here with Dad."

Six years earlier

It was the very beginning of summer school had just let out the day prior and the Scott boys were more than a little excited about leaving for basketball camp the next week. Their parents were taking shifts staying home with them for the week until they left. Deb was supposed to be home that afternoon since she had been in Houston for two weeks. The boys could hardly wait there was only so much take out a kid could take. Their diet for the last two weeks had consisted mostly of pizza and Chinese.

The boys had been outside playing when they had heard a whining from above.

"Nathan we have to get her its Debs cat. When she gets back she'll be sad if something happens to her." Lucas chided. They were both standing on the side of the house looking up at a huge pine tree. Of course terrified on one of the highest branches was Debs' cat Lily.

"Lucas that is really high even if we wanted we couldn't reach it." The dark haired brother tried to reason.

"We gotta try." Lucas argued and quickly looked around and saw that the second story window was parallel to the branch. "We can go through my window and get to the branch."

"Let's go tell Dad. He might know what to do." Nathan reasoned.

Lucas gave him a harsh look. "He is just going to get mad and tell us to let her rot. He hates cats. Come on Nate."

"Ok, but if Dad finds out and we get in trouble it's your fault." he mumbled being the obliging younger brother.

They ran into the house and pounded up the stairs. They were almost near their destination when they saw Dan rounding the corner. The brothers came to a screeching halt almost knocking one another on to the hard wood floors.

"Boys I thought I told you to stay outside?"

"We have to get….." Nathan started about to spill all that was really going on.

Before his brother could finish Lucas jumped in "We forgot the ball."

Dan gave him a bemused glance. "There's already a basketball out there."

"We want to play baseball. We forgot the baseball." Lucas said smiling to emphasize his point.

"Yeah" Nate added as if his input was needed to make it clearer.

"Well hurry up I have some paper work to do and I don't need you kids running around. You better not be up to anything, understood." Dan told his boys not really believing their story but just wanting to get back to the task at hand.

"Yes, sir" They both said in unison

After they had heard him retreat far enough they snuck into the Lucas's room.

"That was close huh?" Nathan sighed wiping an imaginary bead of sweat from his forehead.

Lucas looked at his younger brother "Yeah you almost gave us away. Sometimes you are a complete dork!"

"Shut up. I am not!" Nathan cried.

Lucas rolled his eyes. "Let's do this before Dad comes back and we get caught."

They opened the window. Lucas cast Nathan a glance hoping that his brother would step up to the plate.

"No way, this was your idea!"

"Whatever, I'll do it you big baby."

He safely crawled onto the branch. Lily was whining very loudly by this point.

"Come here, Lily." Lucas said reaching for the white Persian cat. She backed away. Lucas climbed farther on the branch and reached for the terrified cat. He hands began to sweat from the realization that he could plummet to the ground. He could then felt the branch begin to bend and sway.

"Come on, Lucas. I think Dads coming..."

"I almost got her." Luke could almost reach the cat if he went out a little farther. He crawled a little more and was able to grab his stepmother's cat. "There got her. Take her from me, Nate" Lucas reached Lily out to his brother. Nathan grabbed the troublesome feline.

"Nathan! What are you doing?" Dan shouted upon entering his older sons' room after realizing that when it came to his boys a simple threat would not work in corralling there exploits.

Before Nathan could answer his father he heard two cracks one was the tree branch breaking and the other came as Lucas hit the ground.

Dan rushed to the window and saw his oldest son lying there by the tree not moving.

"What in the hell were you kids thinking?" Dan growled backing away from the window and running towards the door.

"Nathan find my car keys and meet me outside pronto" Dan shouted out to his son taking the steps two at a time.

He rushed from the room and outside. Lucas lay by the tree fighting back tears.

Dan knelt beside him. "Lucas, are you okay does anything hurt?"

Lucas nodded "My arm..."

Dan looked down and saw that there was a bone protruding from below his elbow. Dan took a swift breath inward.

"This may hurt Buddy but I have to move you to get you to the hospital."

Lucas just nodded not knowing what to do in the given situation.

Dan quickly picked up Lucas and carried him toward the car. Nathan quickly unlocked the doors and Dan laid Lucas in the back.

"Come on Nathan lets go." Nathan got in the back with Luke. All the way to the hospital Dan muttered about why they were hanging out in a tree and how Deb was going to need to cut back some and be home more often, that they were just to much of a handful.

Lucas winced as his father picked him up and took him into the hospital. He still was grouching about the peculiarities of the situation. The Doctors immediately took him back.

Just when the doctor came out with Lucas equipped in a cast. Deb came busting in. She immediately spotted her family and relief spread through her face. "What happened?"

Dan glowered at the tone of voice. "Well James Bond and his sidekick decided to rescue your cat and the limb broke."

Deb knelt down to the boys' level. "Guys, you don't need to do that. I never want you to do that again are we clear?"

They both solemnly nodded.

"Ok then." She leaned in and enveloped both of the boys in hugs. "Now what do we have here?" She said finally noticing the cast.

"Well, Lucas here has a pretty bad break. However, it could have been worse. He is a very fortunate little boy. I am afraid he will be in this cast for a while.' The Doctor spoke.

Lucas up until this point had been silent after his frightening experience finally spoke. "I'm not a little boy. I'm ten almost eleven."

Deb and the doctor laughed at the boy happy that the event had not totally traumatized him.

"Lucas you have ten months until you turn eleven I would hardly say that's right around the corner. I hope you realize that means you can't go to basketball camp this summer. This rules out any team this year, you have to go to the camp to be on the team." Dan told his injured son.

Deb turned around on her hills and stared him square in the eyes. "If that is the least of the worries I will definitely take it." She turned around and looked at the two boys "Hey guys lets go get some ice cream. Dan, I believe you can finish up the paper work."

Dan stared at the back of their heads as they walked off while anger radiated off of him.

It was later that summer Lucas meet Haley. Nathan was away at Basketball camp and he had to stay at a sitter. All the summer camps and daycares were filled up and unfortunately in a small town there were few options. He had been so upset and embarrassed. He was ten years old not four. Deb had trips all through out the summer and his Dad had work so that left the child displaced throughout the daytime hours. Mrs. James was some lady who seemed to have a million kids. Deb knew her from some organization and she had readily offered to watch the blonde child.

Deb walked her stepson up the steps and rang the bell. Lucas stood shoulders slumped and mouth firmly turned down.

"Lucas, it won't be that bad. You will get to play all day and have fun. There are even other kids to play with and trust me at the end of the day you will not want to leave."

Lucas just continued to stare at the ground ignoring the pep talk Deb and Dan had both given him like twenty times since they had come to a "family decision". That is of course a decision his parents made while pretending the irate ten year old was involved. Plus, Deb was getting ready to leave for two weeks to Los Angeles and leaving him alone with his dad.

A petite woman who looked to be in her early forties answered the door covered in paint and wiping her hands on her smock.

"Mrs. James this is Lucas. Thank you so much for doing this for us." Deb thanked her.

She smiled warmly. "No problem. I have so many it won't be any inconvenience. I'm sorry for my appearance I was in the middle of finishing up one of my paintings." Her eyes then went to the shorter of the two "It's nice to meet you Lucas I have a daughter your age."

"Lucas what do you say?" Deb said gently pushing the boy. There was no way the boy was going to be disrespectful to someone who was helping them out.

Lucas shuffled his feet and didn't bother to look up. "It's nice to meet you too Mrs. James and thank you for keeping me this summer."

Lydia smiled at the boy already able to tell this boy was going to give her daughter a run for her money.

"Lucas your Dad is going to pick you up at 5:30. Be good OK." Deb said ruffling his hair and mouthing one last thank you to Mrs. James.

He walked into the house and was immediately greeted with a small brunette girl.

"Haley this is Lucas Scott. I think you go to school with him. He is going to be staying with us this summer. I have some stuff to do. Why don't you show him around" Lydia told her precautious ten year old"and play nice." She added after looking at the mischievous expression that crossed Haleys face.

Haley rolled her eyes and grabbed Lucas's uncasted arm. The duo started up towards the stairs or more like Haley lead and Lucas was dragged.

Lucas looked all the pictures of all the kids on the wall and wandered if they had run away from home because of there strange sister who dragged around total strangers. Finally they made it to what Lucas assumed was Haleys room it he nearly gagged at all the pink everywhere. There were twin beds so he assumed she shared a room with one of her many siblings.

Haley saw how grossed out Lucas looked by all the pink and felt the need to quickly explain before her rep went down the toilet.

"My sister Taylor and I share a room. She loves pink and since she's older and bigger she gets all the say. Don't you have any brothers or sisters?"

"Yeah, I have a brother, his names Nathan."

"Cool. Is he older than you?" Haley continued her rampage of questions.

"No, he is younger but only by three months." Lucas told her wondering if he was in an interrogation room.

"Oh," a look of confusion crossed her small features "Why didn't he come with you and how can you only be three months apart. It takes a baby nine months to be born."

"What are you Nancy Drew?" He asked totally exasperated

Haley gave him a pointed look.

"We have different Moms and he's at basketball camp. I couldn't go because I broke my arm and I have to stay here because my step-mom is gone out of town a lot and my dad works during the day. So that's why I'm here."

"Why couldn't your real mom watch you?" Haley suddenly noticed how the boys' features changed.

"She died and now I live with my Dad." He said in a low voice.

"I'm sorry, my grandma died when I was a baby but I don't remember her." The girl offered hoping to ease the situation with all that she had in the arena of life.

She tried to think of anyway that would steer them away from that conversation.

"So what happened to your arm?" She said changing the subject.

"I fell out of a tree." He said happy for the change. He hated talking about his mom it made him really upset to think about.

She immediately started laughing. "Who falls out of trees?"

"Shut up."

She stopped laughing. "Sorry. Want to play?"

" I don't play dolls!" Luke countered. This was going to be a long summer.

She smiled at him "Neither do I."

She promptly took him over to a game system in the corner of the room and plopped down on the floor. "Mortal Combat or Tombraider?"

Lucas smiled and sat down right beside her thinking maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.