AUTHOR'S NOTE: I GOT SOME OF THE BEST REVIEWS I'VE EVER GOTTEN THIS LAST CHAPTER AND THEY ALL MEANT THE WORLD TO ME. MY FRIENDS LAUGH AT ME BECAUSE THEY CAN ALWAYS TELL WHEN I GOT A REALLY GREAT REVIEW. THEY DON'T DO THIS SO FOR THEM IT'S THIS OTHER LIFE I HAVE WHERE I'M SEMI-FAMOUS. HAHA. ANYWAY THIS STORY TAKES PLACE IN LIKE MARCH. I'M GOING TO GO WITH MARCH. SOMEONE WANTED TO KNOW THAT SO THERE YOU GO. THANKS AGAIN FOR READING. I'M HAPPY TO HEAR THAT I'VE CONVINCED PEOPLE WHO DON'T EVEN GENERALLY DIG BROOKE AND NATHAN AS A COUPLE TO READ THIS STORY. YA'LL ARE GREAT.

RATING: PG-13

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ONE TREE HILL, BUT I DO OWN THIS FABULOUS STORYLINE AS WELL AS A COUPLE OF CHARACTERS IN IT!

CHAPTER FOUR: DANCE IT OUT

- - -

Nathan quietly opened Marley's door expecting to find the young girl asleep in bed, but was surprised to find her sitting in bed reading. He couldn't help but smile. She looked just like Peyton had when they were in high school when her hair was still blonde and curly before she started straightening it everyday. "Hey Mar."

Marley smiled and put her book down. She patted a spot on her bed where he could sit down. "Hey Uncle Nate are you headed to the airport?"

"Yeah, but I wanted to come say goodbye to you before I left." Nathan explained as he sat down beside her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and drew her close to him. "How are you feeling Marley?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean how are you feeling about the move and everything? You've been really quiet so I just thought I'd pick your brain." Nathan was worried that she was internalizing everything. After Peyton's mother died Peyton changed. For a time it seemed like even when she was happy she was broken. Honestly Nathan hadn't seen Peyton happy again until her wedding to Jake and then when Marley was born. Still that was almost a six year period where Peyton seemed just so devastated. Nathan didn't want to see the same thing happen to Marley. He didn't think he could stomach it.

Marley sighed and thought about his question. "Honestly I'm scared and I'm just sad. I try to listen to songs that make me happy, but then they remind me of Mom and Dad and I can't seem to make myself happy. And I feel bad because I know how busy you and Aunt Brooke are and I know that the last thing you guys want is to be saddled with me. But really I'm just so mad. I want to find that guy who caused the accident and I just want to hit him over and over again until he realizes what he did. I just want to hurt him." Marley put her head in her hands. She couldn't bear to look at him. She knew she must have sounded so mean and angry.

Nathan was shocked to say the least. He had expected her to be sad, but not the feeling like a burden part or the anger. "Oh Marley first I'm sad and angry too. When I found out I felt like someone had stabbed me in the stomach. It took everything I had not to go to the jail and like you said hurt him. The thing is Marley you are not a burden." He shifted her head so that she could see just how serious he was. "You're Aunt Brooke and I love you so much that you could never be a burden to us. Yes this is going to be a big adjustment for all of us, but you are not a burden. We are so lucky to have an amazing kid like you in our lives. Okay Mar?"

"Yeah," Marley nodded. "You really feel angry and sad too?"

Nathan nodded. "And so does your Aunt Brooke. We were best friends with your parents for 25 years. And we miss them too. Now I've got to go Marley because Lainey will kick my butt if we miss our flight. I love you Marles Barkley."

"Love you too Uncle Nathan. Fly safe."

Nathan grinned and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Lainey and I are going to come visit you next weekend so we can be there for your first day at your new school."

"Cool," Marley was nervous about school, but she knew it would help if she showed up with two celebrities on her first day. "Uncle Nathan?" Marley called to get his attention before he left.

"Yeah?" Nathan asked. He turned around and removed his hand that was on the doorknob.

"Thank you. I'm happy I'm not the only one." Marley admitted.

Nathan smiled. "Just stating the facts."

"Still thanks."

Nathan nodded before blowing her a kiss and leaving her bedroom. Despite seeming calm and collected as he told her that she wasn't the only on the inside his heart had been pounding a mile a minute. He had been terrified that he was going to say the wrong thing. He walked into the living room and found Brooke, Lainey, and Millicent all waiting for him. Brooke stood to hug him. "Call me if you need anything Brooke," he whispered in her ear as he enveloped her in a hug.

Brooke nodded into his shoulder. "Kick some ass okay and don't let that bitch push you around."

Nathan laughed. "I'll see you in a week."

"Yeah okay we'll go to this seafood restaurant in Boca I know. You'll love it." Brooke was surprised at just how sad she was to see him go. She hadn't spent this much time with Nathan in a long time and to be honest she missed it. She missed him. She didn't have to be perfect around him. She didn't have to worry about her hair or makeup. She was just allowed to be Brooke Davis of Tree Hill, North Carolina.

"It's a date. Bye Brookie." Nathan whispered as he hugged her once more. He was almost scared to let her out of his sight as if something would happen to her too. He couldn't bear for that to happen. He wasn't sure he'd make it if something did.

"Bye Natey, you sure you don't want us to take you to the airport?"

"Nah we're fine. You have a lot going on here anyway." Nathan assured her. He winked and gently squeezed her shoulder again before grabbing his bags and making his way towards the front door.

Lainey stepped forward and hugged Millicent and Brooke at the same time. "You need me and I'm on a plane in minutes. Don't hesitate. Love you both so much. And see you in a week."

- - -

Marley sighed audibly as she closed her book. For the first time in a while she felt restless. She wasn't used to being in bed this much. She walked over to her desk and went through the many mixed cds she had accumulated over the years. Her mother always joked that she started her musical education at a very young age. She smiled when she finally found the cd that she was hoping would do the trick. She popped it into her cd and just allowed the music to take over. She just started dancing like she would have before the accident happened. And it felt good because she almost felt normal.

Millicent grinned when she opened the door and found Marley doing her best Flashdance impersonation. She just watched the girl from the doorway and for the first time since they arrived and the sad news was broken she recognized Marley. She didn't look sad or devastated. She looked alive. "Oh no don't stop, please continue. You're amazing." Millicent urged Marley as she had stopped dancing because she saw she had an audience.

"Thanks I just had so much energy and this was always the best way to get it out. You should dance too. Mom says dancing makes you feel better." Marley urged as she went back to twirling around the room.

Millicent shrugged and decided to join her. She also started to sing along. "She's a maniac!"

Brooke was on her way to her room to work on her sketches when she heard music and laughing coming from Marley's room. She laughed when she found Marley dancing and Millicent doing an air guitar. She recognized the particular move that Marley was doing as a Peyton Sawyer original. "Is it okay if I join this little party?"

Marley giggled. "Duh Aunt Brooke it really wasn't a party until you arrived."

Brooke started doing the robot. "You're Mom and I used to have impromptu dance parties all the time. We'd be in the middle of a grocery story and a song would come on that we loved and we'd just break it down."

"Mom and Dad would dance all the time. Mom always would say let's dance it out." Marley could remember having a bad day at school and her Mom would put on a really great song and they would just dance it out. In her book there was nothing so horrible that dancing couldn't fix it.

"They took dance classes for their wedding and had this routine choreographed. Have you ever seen the video Mar? It was so funny." Brooke had thought Peyton was joking when she came up with the idea. And then the music started playing and next thing you know Peyton and Jake were performing a routine as if they were on Dancing with the Stars.

Marley shook her head no. "I've seen your debutante ball video though. You and Uncle Nathan looked so cute together." Marley remembered asking her Mom if they were a couple time and being shocked when her Mom said no.

"You sound just like your Mom." Nathan had escorted Brooke to the ball just like he had escorted her to every other major event in their lives. Peyton had gone on and on about how perfect they looked together and this was their chance to realize how perfect they were together. It hadn't gone like her best friend had planned, but they had looked good together.

"Really?" Marley asked hopefully.

Brooke looked at her smiled. "For sure Mar. You are your Mom's mini-me to the max except of course you are more level headed like your Dad and you actually don't suck at basketball."

"Thanks Aunt Brooke." Marley wanted nothing more than to be like her parents one day. Compared to her friend's parents they were way more fun and exciting.

Brooke could sense what Marley was thinking. "Your parents were one of a kind. In high school they were voted cutest couple. Everybody wanted a relationship like theirs. They were so in sync and comfortable together."

Before Marley could feel sad Lady Gaga started pouring threw her speakers and she decided to just dance it out. "You think I could take dance classes and get a basketball hoop?"

"Yeah we can definitely make that happen." Brooke assured her.

"Awesome," Marley said as she started shaking her butt and singing along.

- - -

"I miss them." Nathan admitted as he stared out the window. Since leaving Peyton and Jake's all he could think about were Marley and Brooke.

Lainey looked up from her issue of Nylon and glanced at him. "The team?"

"No Marley and Brooke." His voice was soft as he said this. He shrugged as he looked out the window again.

Lainey had to work to suppress her smile knowing that it would cause him to shut down. If she seemed only to be listening passively then he would continue.

"I feel terrible about leaving Brooke to handle the move all on her own. I'm sure it's going to be hard for Marley. I just wish I could be there for them."

"At least you know they understand why you can't be there. Your team needs you now more than ever if you're going to secure the number two seed in the conference." Lainey had been a casual fan of basketball when she started working for Nathan, but know she felt like an expert. She knew enough to write her own column and was often the first person reporters called when they wanted the scoop on Nathan.

"I know it's just-"

"Hard?" Lainey provided for him.

"Yeah," he sighed not wanting to talk about his feelings anymore. "There are going to be so many reporters waiting for me at the gate."

"Oh joy." Lainey muttered sarcastically. She hated the press. They were vultures.

- - -

Haley squealed when she saw Nathan and took off and leapt into his arms. Part of her did it because she missed him and the other part did it because there were cameras everywhere. There was nothing people loved more than an emotional welcoming like this. This was her reasoning for showing up at the airport to surprise him. She needed all the press she could get especially positive press like this that was sure to make all of the magazines. "I missed you so much Natey."

Nathan would have rolled his eyes if it weren't for the fact that he knew one of the paparazzi would catch it so instead he played along. He definitely hadn't missed her of that he was sure. Haley had a great body and made for nice arm candy, but the baggage that came with her often made him think about dumping her. Still he didn't want to be alone so he kept her around. "Hey Hales."

Haley didn't even bother to acknowledge Lainey. She didn't see the point. "I'm so happy your home. I made dinner reservations tonight for us for after you win the game."

Lainey gagged. "Nathan you may want to acknowledge the press."

Nathan sighed because he hated having to talk to the press. He never was sure what answer they were looking for exactly. He stopped and motioned for all of the people assembled to gather around. "I recently had a family tragedy that kept me off the court for a week. I'm back now to help my team secure the second seed in the conference. I'd prefer it if you would allow me my privacy right now as well as my good friend Brooke Davis. I'll see most of you after the game tonight. Thanks." He wrapped one arm around Haley and the other around Lainey and walked away before they could ask him anything else.

"Great job Nathan. Is there anything you need before we go to the arena?" Lainey asked with her cell phone in her right hand poised to call for whatever he needed.

"You have to go straight to the arena?" Haley whined. "I thought we were going to get to spend time together before you went."

Lainey rolled her eyes. "He hasn't been on a real hard court in a week. He needs to practice before tonight."

Haley pretended she hadn't heard Lainey. "Nathan…"

"Hales Lainey's right. I didn't have much time to practice in Tree Hill and the last thing I need is to be rusty. We'll spend time after the game." He let out a sigh of relief when he saw that their baggage was already waiting for them at baggage claim. He kissed Haley softly on the cheek. "I'll see you later tonight Hales. I'll leave a ticket for you at the box office if you want to come." And with that Nathan and Lainey were gone before Haley could even protest to being left here at the airport.

- - -

Millicent, Marley, and Brooke were all sitting in the living room watching Nathan's basketball game and eating some of his Adele's broccoli, chicken, and cheese casserole. He was playing the best game of his career despite being away from the hardwood for a little over a week. He was just a rebound away from the third triple double of his career and two blocks from a quadruple double.

"Is it just me or is he playing better than usual?" Millicent asked quietly. She hadn't been much of a fan of basketball until she met Nathan Scott. Now she made a point to follow all of his games and his stats. She'd attended many of his games with Brooke also.

"Way better," Marley had never seen her Uncle play like this before.

Brooke laughed when moments later the announcers said that Nathan Scott is putting on the performance of a lifetime. "He used to play like this all of the time in high school, but that was high school when the only person who really challenged him was Damien West and even he wasn't a match for Jake and Nathan put together."

As the seconds winded down it looked like Nathan was going to have to settle for a triple double, but then as fate would have it he was able to just barely block Dwight Howard's shot. The announcers were obviously impressed as one of them said, "Ladies and gentlemen we have just witnessed history. Nathan Scott has just accomplished the rare feat of a quadruple double. We haven't seen one of those since David Robinson played for the 1994 San Antonio Spurs."

Millicent, Marley, and Brooke all jumped up and down and cheered. They laughed when they saw Lainey going crazy in the crowd and hugging another one of the player's wives. They quieted down though when a reporter pulled Nathan to the side to interview. "Nathan did you know that you were a block away from a quadruple double?"

Nathan laughed and shook his head no. "I didn't even realize I had a triple double going. I knew I was playing well, but yeah no."

"You certainly seemed like a man possessed tonight and many are already calling this the best game of your career so far which is surprising because you haven't played in a week due to a family tragedy. Is there anything you want to attribute your success tonight too?"

"I just played my game. I did what I've always been capable of. I had a feeling that I was going to have a good game at practice earlier today. I felt a little lighter than usual. Anyway to answer your question no. If you wouldn't mind I'd like to say hello to Millicent, Brooke, and my goddaughter Marley. I'll see you guys in a week." He waved at the camera and then walked away to hug Lainey in the stands.

- - -

AUTHOR'S NOTE: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING. I HOPE YOU LIKED IT. I TRIED REALLY HARD TO UPDATE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. I REALLY ACTUALLY ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER SO I HOPE YOU GUYS DID TOO. PLEASE REVIEW BECAUSE I LOVE ALL OF YOUR FEEDBACK. I HAVE GOTTEN SOME OF THE BEST REVIEWS EVER FOR THIS STORY. THANKS AGAIN. - KRISTINE.