"Nathan, your mother and I need to talk to you and Peyton in the kitchen," Dan said to his son, avoiding the three teenagers who had congregated on the landing of the staircase. He had just kicked Haley out of the house, but his voice was still eerily calm. "Everyone else needs to leave. Now."

"I'm not leaving," Haley murmured, wringing her hands nervously in her lap. She had backed down to Dan in the past when he had showed up with those annulment papers, but she wouldn't let him push her out of Nathan's life again.

Dan glanced at his son before returning his angry gaze to Haley, who was still sitting silently on the sofa. There had never been any love lost between the two of them, but Dan had clearly put the quivering brunette in her place once and for all. "I told you to get out," he sneered before turning and walking out of the room. He stopped and turned on his heel. "And don't even think of going to Karen on this one. I'm not backing down."

Not sure what else to say, Nathan started up the staircase and left Haley to figure out her own future. He had to face his own in the kitchen with his parents. They were going to tell them this afternoon, but like everything else lately, it was gong to come sooner than expected. First, however, he had to talk to Peyton.

"We'll be right in," Nathan promised his father as he jogged the rest of the way up the stairs. He found Peyton curled in a ball in the middle of his bed with Brooke and Lucas flanking her on either side. "Hey."

Lucas and Brooke looked up. "We should get going," Lucas told Peyton. "We'll call and check on you later, okay? Let us know if you need anything."

"I will," she promised. "Thanks for staying, both of you."

"That's what friends do," Brooke reminded her cheerfully, kissing her on the forehead before heading toward the door. She punched Nathan lightly on the shoulder with her signature grin. "Congratulations, Scott. You guys are going to make great parents, and I think we'll make even more amazing godparents."

"Thanks, Davis," Nathan grinned, glad to have her support. Once their friends were gone, he sat down on the edge of the bed next to Peyton. She reached for his hand, lacing their fingers together until they were so tangle that he couldn't tell where she ended and he began. "My father knows."

"Well, that sucks," she deadpanned. Nathan could read the alarm easily in her eyes. "How did he find out? We were going to wait until we could do it together."

"He walked in on Haley and me arguing."

"You guys were still fighting?"

"I had to defend you, Peyt," he retorted pointedly. "I guess Dan heard us when he got home from work. Anyhow, it got pretty ugly. I basically told Haley that if she couldn't accept this that I didn't want anything to do with her at all, not even as friends."

"Oh, Nate," she said sadly. "This is what I was afraid of. I don't want to cost you anyone that you care about, even Haley. I know that she still matters to you on some level."

He brought their hands up to his mouth and kissed her knuckles affectionately. "It would cost me more to lose you."

A wide, genuine smile spread across her face. Peyton leaned over and kissed Nathan briefly on the lips. "Thanks for that."

"Well, you're welcome," he smirked before stealing another kiss.

"So what happened then?"

"Haley made some choice comment, and that's when Dan walked in," he explained. "He kicked her out and told her not to go crying to Karen about it. Then, he told me that he wanted us to come talk to my parents in the kitchen. My mom doesn't know yet, so I guess I'll get to do that."

"Well, I guess we're going to do this now," she murmured. "I should call my dad. I don't really want to have to go through this twice."

Nathan waited while Peyton called her father on her cell phone. Larry promised to be at the Scotts' house within the next ten minutes before disconnecting the call. When she had replaced her cell phone in her pocket, Nathan tried his best to comfort her. "Don't worry, Baby," he murmured as he squeezed her shoulder, pulling her close to him. "The good thing about all of this is that we're not in it alone. Together, we can do anything. We've always made for a pretty good team."

"That's awfully optimistic of you, Nate."

"I have hope, Peyt," he shrugged. "You should try it some time."

They sat together in silence for several minutes until a doorbell downstairs announced her father's arrival. "Come on," Peyton insisted, jumping to her feet. Reaching out, she pulled him up. He was standing so close to her that he had to do it. Leaning down, he kissed her passionately, losing himself completely, if only for a moment. Her tongue traced his bottom lip as his fingers raked through her tussled curls. Licking her lips in satisfaction, she finally pulled away to catch her breath. Nathan was equally breathless from the intense moment as her seafoam eyes sparkled back at him.

"Wow."

"Mmhmm, I know," she declared proudly as she led him out of the room and back down the stairs. Dan and Deb were sitting at the formal dining room table with Larry, waiting in silence for their children to make an appearance. Dan and Larry were nursing frosted bottles of beer while Deb sipped at her hot tea. She had given up martinis when she went to rehab in favor of caffeine, but Nathan knew that she would be thirsty for vodka once she heard what they had to tell her.

"Hello, Peyton," Deb greeted Nathan's former girlfriend warmly. She had always liked the moody cheerleader, even if she was the antithesis of what her husband had wanted for their son. "Nathan, honey, your father said that you needed to talk to me. Peyton, I guess you called your father to pick you up?"

"Actually, this involves her, Deb," Dan remarked before downing a long gulp of beer.

Larry and Deb exchanged confused looks. "Here," Nathan said to Peyton as he pulled out a chair for her. His mother looked even more perplexed as she watched the two of them together. Nathan slipped into the chair next to Peyton's. She reached for his hand under the table and squeezed it supportively. "There isn't any easy way to say this, so I'm just going to tell you all and hope that you can be supportive. Peyton is pregnant, and the baby is mine."

"Oh, my," Deb laughed nervously. "I thought you just said you were having a baby."

"He did," Peyton said.

Larry looked at his daughter sharply. "Oh, my," he exhaled, his voice matching the sullen look on Deb's paled face. He slammed down the contents of his beer in one gulp and then held it up for Dan to replace. He quietly exchanged the empty bottle for another. "So, what does this mean exactly?"

"We're not getting married, at least not yet," Peyton answered.

"You're going to do the responsible thing, Nathan," Deb ordered.

Peyton spoke up. "He is doing the responsible thing," she defended him. "I don't want to marry Nathan, Mrs. Scott. We're not ready for that."

"And you're ready for a baby?" Dan demanded.

"Probably not," Nathan admitted, "but it's too late for that. Were you ready for me? What about Lucas? I don't see why we have to make two mistakes here."

"Marrying my daughter would be a mistake?" Larry shot back.

Peyton held her own. "Marrying Nathan too soon and for the wrong reasons would be a mistake, Dad," she returned. "Look, I know that you two have never really liked me, Dan. I know you both think of me as this angsty cheerleader who could never be worthy of your son, and maybe that is part of who I used to be. But just like Nathan, I've changed a lot. I've grown up. We both have. We're going to have this baby."

"You don't have to do this alone," Dan said quietly.

"What?" Nathan asked, his voice louder and higher than he had intended. He couldn't believe that his father of all people was lending his support. He had expected a long lecture about basketball, one that he was sure was still coming. However, he had never even considered that his father would find a way to be there for him.

"We will help in any way that we can," Larry agreed. "You have our support."

"They do?!?" Deb cried. "Why aren't you angrier about this?"

"Because you sure are furious," Nathan noted.

"You made a huge mistake," she stated evenly.

"Would everyone please stop calling our baby a mistake?" Peyton roared.

"It's not a mistake," Dan said. Again, his voice was calm. "Deb, you're just upset, but I know that you would never believe that a child is a mistake, especially not after what happened to us in high school. Nate has done a lot of stupid things in the past, there's no denying that. Admittedly, this may not be the smartest move he's ever made, but I will not let my grandchild be raised with two parents who don't have a clue in the world. Peyton and Nathan will not go through this alone. We're all they have."

"Mrs. Scott, I'm going to need help," Peyton said to Deb. "You have always tried to be a good mother to Nate. You were really great to me when we were together. I don't have a mother to help me, but knowing that Nathan has you, it has made it a little easier for me."

Tears glimmered in the older blonde's eyes. Right on cue, the truest part of Nathan's mother had just shown up. Few people ever got to see this side of her, but it was the part that kept Nathan sane when his father was riding him too hard. "Peyton, of course you will have me. We'll both help in any way that we can."

"Thank you," she said, hugging Deb. Standing up, she looked at her father questioningly. She could see the fear in his eyes as she wrapped her arms around him. "I'm sorry, Dad. I know that you wanted more for me than this…"

"Just be happy, Peyt," he murmured softly as he held her. "That's all I've ever wanted for you. I just want you to be happy."

"Nathan, honey, I love you," Deb said as she hugged her son. The truth was that she was terrified for her son. She knew that he had no idea how difficult this was going to be. She was also worried over her husband's surprising support. There had to be a hidden agenda there for Dan Scott to accept it so easily. "I just want you to know that." She looked at her husband wearily. "Peyton, why don't you and your dad come upstairs with me? I think that I have some of Nate's baby things that you might like to see."

Larry guided his daughter after Deb, leaving father and son alone in the kitchen. "Okay, Dad, tell me the truth," Nathan sighed. "You're disappointed that I've ruined my life."

"You're doing the right thing."

"What?"

"You stepped up and are doing the right thing. You're taking responsibility for your actions," Dan told his son. "I should have done that with Lucas, but I didn't. You learned from my mistakes. Even if it ruined everything else, at least you're going to take care of your kid."

"But I messed up. I messed up big time."

"Yeah, you can kiss basketball goodbye," Dan said with disappointment. "Maybe you screwed up, but when it counted, you made things right."

"Why aren't you angry?"

"Why would I have that right?" he questioned. "I know the example that I set for you. I know my history, and I am the last person that should get to judge. I'm not happy about this in the least bit, but anger won't help anyone, least of all your child. It's time that I let you be the man that you've become."