AN: Hey, guys, I've changed from stuff from the first two chapters, so you may want to go back and reread them. Thanks for the reviews!

The Other Scott

by Lady of the Mists

Chapter Three: Discovery

"Witches?" Lucas echoed. He let out a disbelieving laugh. "Come on, Keith, there—there isn't such a thing as witches. I mean, honestly, we can't be. Th—this is crazy," he said, walking away.

"Luke, don't walk away." Keith's voice was firm. "I never planned on springing this on you this way. And truth be told, I never expected it to be like this. But you had to learn the truth eventually. Just as your brother and your sister did."

"Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"Karen didn't want me to. She wanted you to have a normal childhood, Luke, free from magic, from demons, just to be . . . ordinary and everyday." He sighed. "We planned to tell you when you were twenty years old, Luke. But when the school shooting happened, things changed. Your mom didn't know how to tell you."

Slowly, Lucas turned to face his uncle, trying to decide whether or not this was crazy. "But Keith—"

"I know that it's a lot to take, but these beings that kill witches, they're called demons. They won't care whether or not you've rejected your heritage, Luke. To them, it doesn't matter. Even if you decide not to do this, to strip your magic and stay as far away from the magical world as you can, it will not matter. Because when you have children of your own, they will have magic. And demons will be coming after them. And then you'll have no magic to protect them with. I'm not going to deny that this is . . . a dangerous path. But you three have been blessed with a special gift. Every witch has something to offer the world, to protect each and every individual. It's a lot to carry on your shoulders, but it's the one you were destined for. Luke, you can't run away from your destiny. Eventually, it catches up with you."

"And what about Lily? How does she fit into all of this? How does this connect with how she knew that Daunte was going to attack Haley?"

"Because she unconsciously used her powers. Your sister's powers are strong, Luke, one of the strongest in the history of our family. She has the gift of foresight, which is very rare in the family, as well as cyrokinesis. It was her foresight power that allowed her to know that something was going to happen to Nathan and tried to warn him beforehand."

Lucas shook his head. "Does—does she know about this? I mean, does she have any idea that we're . . . witches?" The word still sounded strange on his tongue.

"I don't think so. Alyssa never got around to telling her about that particular part of her history, if her mother even knew about it. There's no telling what that woman knew."

"And what about Nathan?"

"No, Dan made sure that your brother never knew about that part of his heritage, in case Nathan started falling into the side of good. See, the only way Dan wanted any of you to become witches is if you were joined with evil. There are two different kinds of witches, Luke. Some are good, and some are evil. And you can bet that Dan isn't one of the kind who are good."

"Is that why you're telling me about all of this now? Because Dan is one of these evil witches?" Lucas wanted to know. "And . . ." He sighed, running a hand through his blond hair. "Why does all of this start to happen right when our sister walks into our lives?"

"Because Dan knows the amount of power that she possesses. She's one of the strongest witches in our lineage, Luke, and you and Nathan are right next to her. He did not want you on the side of good when you unravelled your destiny, your heritage."

"But, Keith—"

"Luke, you don't have to decide all of this right now. Your destiny may not be to be a witch, but you are a part of the magical world, even if you decide to reject your heritage. No one can stop being who they really are, even a witch. You can refuse your destiny, but you are a witch by birth." Keith smiled at him and replaced the Book back where he had retrieved it. "This will be here in the same spot when you go back. If you decide to go back," he amended.

Staring at the spot where the Book had been carefully hidden, Lucas got to his feet, walking after his uncle. But he kept glancing back at the spot where it lay. He knew that he was walking down a path that would forever change his life. One way or another, everything had changed.

--

Lily walked into Haley's room, her heart twisting when she saw her sister-in-law lying so helplessly on the bed. Her brother was sitting next to his wife, holding her hand in his own, the grief written on his face. I'm not very good at this sisterly support, she thought as she walked over to Nathan, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Hey," she said with a small smile as he looked up at her. His dark blue eyes were overbright, as though he'd been crying. Which, most likely, he had. "It's been hours since you've had something to eat. Come on, let's go down to the cafeteria and see how bad the food is here. Hospital food is the worst," she added teasingly.

When Nathan didn't so much as respond, she shook his shoulder, trying to get his attention. "Nathan, this isn't going to bring her back any faster," she told him, badgering gone. "She's gonna back to you, all right? You're not going to lose her."

"You don't know that," Nathan whispered. "This is all my fault. It's my fault she's here and I—I can't do anything to help her! I'm just sitting here and can only hope she'll be all right!"

Lily walked in front of him, squatting beside him and placing both hands on his free hand. "Listen to me, Nathan Scott," she said firmly. "Haley is going to be fine. Lucas is going to be fine. And your baby is going to be fine. Everybody is going to be okay." She gave him a reassuring smile. "Just believe me, Nathan. Everything will be all right in the end, you'll see." Nathan looked at her, straight into her green eyes, and managed a weak smile. "All right, now come on, let's go get you something to eat."

She helped him to his feet and was about to pull him towards the door when Nathan turned back, his head snapping towards his wife. "Haley?" he whispered in an awe-struck voice, sounding as though he didn't dare believe it.

Looking towards the unconscious girl on the bed, Lily realised that her brown eyes were opened slightly and she was looking at her husband weakly. "Hi," she said, her voice faint.

"Hi," Nathan said, laughing with relief as he hurried back towards her, kissing her forehead tenderly and holding her against him, making sure not to press hard so that he didn't hurt her any more than she already was. He felt her hug him back, reassuring him she was all right.

"Who's she?" Haley asked suddenly and Nathan suddenly remembered that Lily Bryant was still in the room. He looked back at the newcomer as she walked over to the bed.

"Lily Bryant," she said. "It's nice to meet you." She smiled at Haley, who nodded tiredly. "I . . . saw the accident and I've been hanging out here to make sure you and Lucas were okay."

"Lucas?" Haley echoed, looking at her husband. Her brown eyes were confused and worried. "What happened to Luke?"

Nathan glanced towards Lily, who shook her head. It didn't seem like the appropriate time to tell her that her brother-in-law had a heart attack. "I'll tell you about it later, after you get some rest," he told her.

"Well, I should leave you two, then," Lily said with a warm smile. "I'm glad that you're okay, Haley." She waved goodbye to them as she left the room. Nathan had the feeling that she was going back to Lucas's room; she'd been heading back and forth between them ever since they'd been admitted.

Nathan looked back at his wife. "I don't what she's even still doing here," he commented softly. "It's nice of her, but . . ." He didn't know how to finish the sentence, so he left it hanging.

Haley was looking where Lily had disappeared. "It's weird," she whispered softly, "but she reminds me of Lucas."

"She does?"

Nodding, Haley blinked tiredly up at Nathan. "I don't know what it is, but there's a definite resemblance to him in the face," she said softly. "They've got the same smile, the same nose . . ." She shook her head. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that she was a Scott."

Nathan felt a chill go up his spine and he looked towards where Lily had disappeared. He remembered when she had held him in her arms right when they'd first got here and he'd collapsed into her arms, wanting the comfort of a sibling. And it had felt so natural, lying in her arms, as though . . .

No, he thought, trying to dismiss the thought. No way.

But if there was one thing that he knew about his father, it was that he probably wouldn't have stopped with Karen or his mom. There was a pretty good chance that he'd had relationships with other women. So was it such an impossible thought that Dan had gotten another woman pregnant? And now her child was coming back to Tree Hill to find them? To find her family? Her half-brothers?

"Nathan?" Haley took his hand and squeezed it. "Nathan, what is it?" she asked.

"I don't know, Haley," he admitted, looking back at her. "But do you really think that she could be a Scott?"

"Yeah, I think she could," Haley answered, looking puzzled at the question. "Why do you ask?"

"Because . . ." Nathan took a deep breath and looked at his wife straight in the eye. "I think that she might be my sister."