Nathan couldn't believe his luck as pulled into the gravel lot near the River Court. It was a mysteriously and unseasonably warm day for Tree Hill in December, something he had been praying for all week since Haley had agreed to let Jamie spend the day with him and Peyton. He had chosen the basketball court because it was neutral territory and somewhere that his son would feel comfortable. Jamie had been excited to see his father and not really sure what to say about seeing Peyton.

"Are you sure about this, Buddy?" Nathan asked again as he reached across the seat and ruffled his son's hair. Jamie smiled up at his father and nodded silently. Nathan had to be sure that his son was okay with this. Things had changed so much so quickly. Meeting Peyton for the first time was something that was really important to him. She was going to be in his life for a very long time, and he didn't want Jamie's first memory of her to be a negative one. "I think that she's over there waiting for us."

Jamie jumped from the passenger seat of the SUV and waited for his father to come over to meet him. Haley was always getting onto him for running away from the car, so he waited until his hand was securely in Nathan's before ambling toward the basketball court. He barely managed to walk across the grass as he tried to balance the basketball under his free arm. "Is that her?" he asked, pointing to where Peyton was sitting, balanced on top of another basketball. "She's pretty."

"Yeah, she is," Nathan agreed as they stepped onto the court. He let go of Jamie's hand and let him walk over to Peyton on his own. The little boy eyed the blonde skeptically before sticking out his hand. Peyton grinned at him and reached out to shake it. "Sorry we're a little late. Someone couldn't find his shoes."

"I had to wear the ones like yours, Daddy!" he insisted, holding out his foot for emphasis. Nathan chuckled as he glanced down at their matching sneakers. It had taken quite a long time to find two pairs of sneakers in their very different sizes that were alike. "Do you like them, Peyton?"

She looked down at the shoes and nodded resolutely. "I think they're pretty cool," she declared before standing up. She wiped her hands on her jeans before shoving them into her black parka self-consciously. It had taken her a long time to find the perfect gift for the little boy. Nathan had insisted that she didn't need to get him anything, but she knew that she did. "This is for you."

Jamie took the package and turned it over in his tiny palm cautiously. He looked to his father for permission to open it. When Nathan nodded his approval, he quickly tore away the layer of brightly colored wrapping paper. He excitedly pulled out a silver whistle with his father's number engraved on one side and his name on the other. Nathan had talked for hours on how much Jamie liked to help him practice, and she had listened to more than a few stories from Lucas about how the little boy pretended to be a coach. "This is so cool!" he shrieked as he put the cord over his head. "Look at this, Daddy! It's just like Uncle Lucas' whistle."

Nathan tensed slightly at the mention of his brother before smiling for his son's benefit. "Yeah, you'll have to use it when you help me run drills the next time," he told him as Jamie blew it a few times. "What do you say we play a little basketball in the mean time? Think that you and Peyton can take me?"

"Yeah, probably not," Jamie and Peyton said in unison, causing all three to burst into laughter.

The three of them fell into an easy game of basketball. Peyton was even worse at the game than she was in high school, if it was possible, but Jamie showed the same signs of promise that Nathan had at an early age. However, unlike Dan, he hadn't transferred his dreams onto the little boy. He wanted Jamie to really love the game for its organic nature, not for the unfair expectations that were projected on him. By the time Jamie was starting to wind down from his energetic high, Peyton was watching from the sidelines and Nathan had taken to shooting free throws alone. Just as he was about to suggest heading over to Karen's Café for some of Jamie's favorite hot chocolate, an unwelcomed visitor threw them all into a tailspin.

"Uncle Lucas!"

Peyton and Nathan turned at the same time to see the little boy flying across the court into the arms of his beloved uncle. Lucas looked over Jamie's shoulder coldly as he hugged him tightly to his body. There was a group of people around their age, some that Peyton recognized and some that she didn't. If it wasn't for Brooke and Mouth, there wouldn't have been a single friendly face in the crowd. One person in particular stood out, a disinterested Haley. She hadn't known that this was where they were going to go when Lucas had picked her up. It was only after they had arrived that she figured out his plan. A part of her had wanted to go home but she wasn't sure what her best friend was going to do. They had been spending a lot of time together, just trying to help each other get through.

Nathan went to Peyton's side immediately. "What do you want to do?" he whispered in her ear.

"We have to stay," she replied. "This is about Jamie, not about me."

He squeezed her hand before leading her over to Haley and Lucas. "Hey, Hales," he greeted her politely. "I didn't know you were going to stop by."

"Neither did I," she confessed, and Peyton could tell she was telling the truth. "It just sort of happened."

Lucas put the little boy on the ground so that he could head over to his favorite Aunt Brooke. The dark brunette looked over at Peyton and quickly realized things were quickly going to head south. "What do you say that Mouth and I take Jamie here to Karen's for some cookies and cocoa?"

"I think that would be a good idea," Haley agreed, sensing the impending battle between the Scott brothers. She watched as her son hugged his father and then came over for her to do the same. She waited until the three of them were well out of earshot before saying anything else. "You guys, please, let's not do this."

"Do what?" Lucas asked menacingly, taking a step forward. "It's not like I meant to interrupt the quaint little family moment."

"Luke, stop," Peyton warned. She hated that it had gotten like this. "Come on, Nate, let's just go."

Nathan shook his head vehemently. He had been backing down to Lucas every time he'd gone by to pick up Jamie at Haley's. He had tried to be polite and amicable because he knew his brother was hurting. However, he wasn't about to let Lucas put Peyton or Jamie in the middle of this. "Luke, you want to fight, come on. Have a shot at me. It's not going to change anything. The sooner you see that, the sooner you can actually let yourself be happy."

Lucas jutted his chin at his brother adamantly. "All I see is a pathetic wannabe who peaked in high school dating my leftovers."

"Really?" Nathan laughed. "That's the best you got? I play in the NBA, and I dated Peyton first. Come on, Luke, I know you got more game than that."

It was right about that time that Lucas cocked back his arm and landed a right hook square on Nathan's jaw. The brunette clutched the side of his face without breaking the cocky smile. Lucas pushed him a few times, each time earning an aggravated chuckle from the younger of the brothers. Finally, with a third push, something in Nathan snapped and they started to shove each other and yell obscenities. Peyton and Haley stood by silently, in shock at what they were seeing. They both suddenly felt like they were sixteen again, watching the two boys fight over something that had happened to them long before they'd had a say in anything. Peyton kept waiting for Haley to break it up, but when she didn't, she knew she had to step up.

"Nathan, stop," she said just loudly enough for the boys both to here. When he didn't respond, she repeated it again. The tension between the brothers was thick, and she knew that it would only take one wrong step and it would break into a full-on brawl. She gently made her way between them, putting her back to Lucas so that she could look into Nathan's eyes. "Please, Nate, don't do this. This isn't what you want." His eyes locked with hers as his hardened gaze softened. He couldn't believe that he had fallen so easily into his old ways. "Come on, let's go home."

Without another word or look at his brother, Nathan accepted Peyton's outstretched hand and allowed her to guide him away from everyone. He paused only briefly to regard Haley. "I'll call you about Jamie," he told her. "I'm sorry that it turned out like this."

Haley watched as Peyton and Nathan walked to the car together, completely wrapped up in each other. She hated that Peyton had been so easily break Nathan out of his tunnel vision of anger. Haley had been able to do it on occasion but never that quickly. When they had disappeared out of sight and were tucked into the dark car, she turned to look back at her best friend with tears in her eyes. "I don't want it to be like this anymore, Luke," she said with broken sobs. "I don't it to hurt. Please make it stop."

"Oh, Hales," he sighed before drawing her into his arms. He felt guilty for egging his brother on, especially in front of Haley. "I didn't mean for it to happen like this. I shouldn't have brought you here."

She buried her face into his shoulder. "You're all I got now, Luke," she confessed. "Please, I know you're not this man. It's always been you and me against the world. It doesn't have to be the two of us against them. I know it hurts like hell, trust me, I want to hate them, too. We just can't because Jamie is that important. We're his family. She's going to be in his life just as much as you are. This has to be for him."

"I'll do anything you need," he promised. "You know that I would do anything for the two of you."

"Then let it go," she implored as she looked up into his eyes. He could see the pleading desperation shining up at him. He wished not for the first time that he could take all the pain away. "Just let her go."

Lucas reached down and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before leaning his forehead against hers. "She's gone, Hales," he promised. "It's just me and you."