Hi! I'm sorry it has taken me so long to update. I've been quite sick and juggling with two jobs on top of that, but now I only have one job left and I'm feeling a little better, so I'm hoping to get back to updating more regularly. I hope you haven't given up on me completely yet. Anyway, here's the next chapter of Would You Be My Brother! I hope you enjoy it.


Nathan drove angrily around Tree Hill. His loop took him by Karen's Café, the River Court, the church, where he had gotten married, Tree Hill Memorial hospital, Tree Hill cemetery and then around all them again.

By River Court, he just glared bitterly at the place he usually was happiest. Right now he felt way too lost and confused and alone to stand a place that held so many good memories. It also reminded him of the scene he had seen in the Café. Of course he was happy to see his son happy and careless, but by his safe haven he couldn't help but feel jealous of the boy. How sick was that? He wanted nothing more than for his son to be happy. No truth be told, he wanted Jamie to be happy with him. He wanted them to be a happy family. But that could never be. He couldn't imagine being happy like that himself, not ever again.

Apart from their wedding and its rehearsals Nathan hadn't been to the church while Brooke was alive. Now that Brooke was dead he had often escaped the world that was clearly moving on from the good times and just snuck into the empty church listening to its silence. He found comfort in there, like he was close to her. It was after all the last place he'd seen Brooke's lifeless body right before the funeral. But today he was feeling restless and angry. So instead of stopping by he just drove on as fast as he could.

He continued same a little shocked and reckless driving style for the next two rounds but the third and last time he got to Tree Hill Memorial hospital he suddenly slammed on the brakes. Something felt different, but he couldn't yet articulate what it was and what it meant. He just stared at the one hospital window he hated more than any other window in the world. After a while he slowly continued driving. He parked next to Tree Hill cemetery and slowly walked towards his wife's gravestone.

"Hey dear, I came here to tell you I'll fight for us, because you and Jamie deserve it. See, there's this woman I saw Jamie with today. And he looked like he was with you again. He was so carefree. I had forgotten what it could be. I came here to rant how it should have been you there and not her. I mean she's just a stranger. The last thing Jamie need right now is someone new breaking his heart. What was he doing talking to a stranger like that?" The question came out really harsh and so Nathan took a few deep breaths to calm himself down again.

"The truth is, it should be me now. I need to learn to be you for him now. Yes, he shouldn't just go off talking to strangers like that, but he should have me. I'm the last one left. But I just feel like I'm failing. I've been trying to find a solution with basketball and Jamie. I met up with the Bobcats and there's a chance I could get traded to Charlotte for next season.." Nathan paused again. Saying it all out loud gave him answers to what he was going to do but he needed a moment to wrap his head around it all. "I won't do anything until I get to see mostly just the old Jamie in our son." He announced the solution slowly and firmly but then picked up the tempo and basically ran back to his car. "I gotta go."

"Hey Daddy! Did you see the rich important people?" Jamie ran to his father cheerier than in a long time. Nathan looked around to see if Haley was still there and couldn't help but feel relieved that he didn't have to face her right then. He took the little boy into his arms and just held onto him for a moment.

"Yes, I did meet some rich people in the morning. The important person I only met in the afternoon." Nathan smiled. The little boy looked at him confused. "That's you, you knucklehead."

Jamie skipped out of his father's lap and ran to the table where Haley had dined. "Look daddy. I made this for you." He came back with the card he had made with a card where there were two figures resembling humans, a ball, a smiley face on right top corner of the paper and in shaky letters it said 'To daddy. I love you. James Lucas Scott, age 3'.

"There's you and me playing basketball in River Court. And mommy is smiling in the heaven because you teach me to play basketball and you're smiling, too. Can you teach me to play basketball as good as you play?"

Nathan brushed his hands lightly on his eyes to prevent tears falling from them. "What do you say, shall we go to River Court for a bit?"

His son nodded and babbled all the way to the basketball court about what he had been doing in the past hour. "I met a friend today. She's James, too, but she's a girl and Really pretty. But she said my name's not a girls' name..."


- A week later -

"Aunt Peyton and Ellie!" Jamie cheered as the Sawyers arrived at the support group. "I was worried you'd not come and I'd have to be alone or with one of them" Jamie pointed at the other kids in the group and pouted.

"Jamie! Watch the attitude, they're probably really nice kids, too." Peyton called the little boy on his bluntness before Nathan could react. The kids however were already admiring the toys Peyton had for Ellie and Jamie just ignored his aunt Peyton.

"Hmph, you have quite a kid, Nate." Peyton chuckled as she reached to her friend for a hug.

"Yeah, sorry about him. It's good to see you though, Sawyer." Nathan smiled as he pulled out of the hug. "My son may not have had the best way of expressing himself, but we really are both happy that you're here. It's still quite awkward with the rest of the group. I guess Vivian's the worst of all in not minding her own business. What is it with women liking to meddle in my life?"

"You're just too damn adorable and confused for us to resist," Peyton laughed. "What's she up to now?"

"Uh, well I'm afraid the next time I see her, she'll hand me a catalogue of women to choose from. Basically she told me she knows dozens of women who could suit me, but she has been turning them down for me, because of you." Nathan chuckled.

"ME?" Peyton almost screamed. "What the hell is wrong with that woman? I mean I guess you don't mind her turning down interested women for you. It hasn't felt like you're looking for anything at the moment. But we're more like sibling- than couple material."

"My thoughts exactly. I love it how Jamie calls you his Aunt Peyton, because you feel like this great sister I just didn't know when I was growing up."

Peyton looked at him warmly her lips tugging upwards to a little smile. It was obvious she had some sort of an idea in her mind but she did not say anything.

"What?"

"Nathan Scott, Would you be my brother?" She finally blurted out and her smile grew a little wider as she finally spoke.

Before Nathan could answer his cell phone started to ring. He looked at the phone's screen and took the call.

"Hey Luke. What's up?" Nathan answered.

"Uh, I'm just taking care of some stuff. You wouldn't happen to have Peyton's number to give me?

"Do I have Peyton's number for you?" Nathan repeated forwarding the question to Peyton. He was amused by the situation and couldn't help but chuckle when he saw Peyton's surprised and panicky reaction.

"Hey! Why are you laughing? It's not like that..." Lucas was confused and annoyed by his little brother's reaction.

"Not like what?" Nathan played some more time since Peyton seemed in shock and undecisive about Lucas's question.

"Um... It's not like whatever you mean. Not like anything, really."

Nathan's smirk grew. He loved making his brother squirm. Man, did he love drama when it took his mind off of his own life. And right now he had a big brother softly tortured through a phone line and a friend, almost a sister, in some sort of weird - but as far as he knew positive - emotional roller coaster. That was great entertainment: two great people at their most amusing and no real harm at sight for either of them.

Peyton finally answered by shaking her head weakly. "Okay okay, Luke. I actually don't need your explanation. I just love it when the literary Scott is at loss with words," Nathan laughed. Peyton's shock eased as well as she burst to laugh, too, at Nathan's comment.

"Ha ha." Lucas said with a deadpan voice. "I don't have all day, so could you just give me the number?"

"No, I can't give it to you." Nathan answered and grinned. "But Peyton's right here next to me, so I'll just give the phone to her, leave you to your 'not like anything' and go get some juice for the kids." He handed the phone to Peyton and whispered to her ear "Speaking of siblings, and couple material, Game on sis"

On duration of one sentence Lucas's mood went down, up and then again down. His disappointment was stronger than he had been prepared for, when Nathan refused to give him Peyton's number. It didn't last long though, because the idea of getting to talk with Peyton right then got at least as strong and opposite reaction in him. What was going on? Yes, he knew he had found the woman almost bewitchingly attractive at the wedding, but he still did not expect just an idea of her to have such an enormous hold over him. He had been dodging this call for a week, because of the kid Peyton apparently had. He loved being an uncle to Jamie, but could not playing, let alone being, a father to a child. His own relationship with his father had been way too messed up. He just wasn't cut out for a family. That's it was quite an emotional set back that Nathan reminded him about the child he had tried to forget about when curiosity over the woman had taken over and he had had to act on it.

"Hello?" A bright and beautiful voice answered the phone and Lucas pushed the thoughts about the child to the back of his mind.

"Hi Peyton! This is Lucas, um, we hung out at Mia and Chase's wedding." Lucas started and cursed himself in his mind for sounding so uncool.

"Yes, it was just a week ago. So I do remember you. What's up?" Lucas could hear that she was smiling as she spoke.

"I know you pressed that it was just a one time only wedding date, but my editing company is having a big party on Friday and I think we had quite a good time at the wedding so I was hoping you'd agree to spend the evening with me."

"Okay, I can do that." Peyton replied without thinking then she paused.

"That's great" Lucas hadn't thought it would be this easy to get her to come.

But Peyton added more hesitantly, on top of his words "I mean, I can see if it would work."

"I mean, yeah, I already promised I'd come so I'll try to work things out, just tell me how I should dress and how we'll meet and I'll work out the rest by Friday." she rambled.

Lucas sighed of relief. It was an admirable quality in her that she kept her words.

"How 'bout I pick you up at 6:30 pm from whatever place is most convenient for you? And something like that pretty dress you wore at the wedding will be more than fine..." His mind wandered to the memories how strikingly beautiful she had been.

"Well, how 'bout I get your number from Nathan and I'll text you where to pick me up? The most convenient place depends on what kind of arrangements I need to make."

"Yeah, sure. I'll see you on Friday and hear from you before that. Thanks Peyt!"

"Yeah, I'll see you then!" Peyton called back as he was almost ending the call. She had a weird sense of butterflies flying around her stomach.

"Look what you've done now!" she marched angrily to Nathan, who was just putting name tags for Jamie and Ellie's mugs so they could use them later again, if needed.

"Well what?" Nathan couldn't help but chuckle. From where he had been watching her expressions during the phone call they hadn't seemed torturous, rather like she was enjoying whatever it was that was going on.

"You just ambushed me like that and now I agreed on a date with Lucas. And don't just laugh like that. This is a disaster."

"Sorry, but I can't not laugh. This is pretty hilarious. I'd say you, liiiiiike him and you waaaanna go on that date with him. But you're stubborn." he almost sung for response.

Peyton just scowled at him so he continued. "And even if I'm wrong, which I'm not, you know what they say about paybacks.." He said complacently and grinned. "It's a bitch!"


I hope this made any sense. I've had to write it in such small doses that I feel rather insecure about it. Anyway, next chapter we'll get to Leyton date and there will be some Naley as well. I'd really appreciate to hear your thoughts, so please review!