"Peyton…" Nathan walked up the stairs as he called out Peyton's name for the third time. Lucas had called him and asked if he or Haley could stay with Peyton for awhile…something had happened down at the school and he couldn't reach Brooke. Nathan had agreed to come over and now he was wondering where Peyton and Alex were. It wasn't until he walked into the master bedroom that he heard heavy breathing and whispering coming from the bathroom. He frowned when he saw Peyton on her knees, rocking back and forth with her head cradle in her hands…Alex rubbing her mother's back.

"Everything's going to be okay mommy…" Her small hands continued to rub circles, even after Nathan rested his hand on her shoulders.

"Alex…why don't you go downstairs and watch some TV…I'll stay up here with your mom…" She bit her bottom lip, hesitation obvious in her eyes. "I promise…" he watched the tiny blonde nod and slowly get up and leave. He sat on the floor next to Peyton, her body still rocking as tears slid slowly down her face.

"This…" she forced herself to sit up, despite the fact that it made the room start spinning. Her hand reached out and her thin fingers latched onto Nathan's pant leg to steady herself. She took a deep breath before pushing herself up onto her feet, using everything in her to stay standing.

"Peyt…" he stood up with her, his hand reaching out to her, but she pushed it away.

"This is why I sent her down here….why I left her here." She took another deep breath, desperate to surpass the nausea. "It's a problem when a four year old has to comfort her mother…there's something wrong with that Nathan…there's something wrong with my little girl sitting on the bathroom floor holding my hair back."

"Peyton…I…" he watched the tears cascade down her check and he knew they weren't from any physical pain she was feeling. But he didn't know what to say to make it better for her…he knew what she was saying was right.

"She shouldn't know how to do that Nathan. When it became a recurring thing I made Amy bring her down here because I didn't want her to see me like this. Taking care of me is not her responsibility…it should be the other way around…I'm her mother…I'm supposed to be taking care of her…I'm should be the one telling her that everything's gunna be okay. And everything I tried to keep away from her…all of this…" her gestured around the bathroom with her arms before walking over to the sink and pulling open the door to the medicine cabinet. "…and all of this…." She pulled all of the prescription bottles down, the two of them watching as the fell to the floor, rolling all over the bathroom. "…she's right back in the middle of it." Nathan stepped closer to her, and when she pushed him away he only kept moving closer to her. "She's six year old, and when I should be driving her to play dates she's rubbing my back because I'm getting sick again…and instead of playing in the back yard she stays up here and lays in bed with me…." Her fingers were curled into fists as she beat weakly against Nathan's chest. He let her continue to hit him until she finally gave up and collapsed against him, it was then that she let him wrap his arms around her.

"I'm sorry" he whispered as he gently kissed the top of her head.

"I'm so tired Nathan…" it was few minutes later that the words left her mouth, and her voice made it obvious to him that she was physically and emotionally drained. They stayed in that position for the next few minutes, her breathing eventually evening out, indicating to him that she had cried herself to sleep. He hated to see her this way…to know that there was nothing he could do to make any of this better for it. No one deserved to go through something like this…but to watch Peyton fight through all this even thought it was painfully clear she just wanted to give up…it just made this whole thing harder.

Nathan's never been one to show emotion…closed off and defensive…for the most part, that's how everybody's knows him, but as he stands there cradling the barely there body of one of his closest friends, he can't stop the few tears that slip down his cheeks. This isn't fair…that's the only way he can think to describe this situation…unbelievably unfair.

They can't take Peyton's pain away without causing pain for everyone else…not that they're not all in pain already. But they're all still clinging to some sense of hope, and that hope makes the pain just a little bit more bearable. To lose the blonde completely…it's just not something they even want to think about.

He lifts her into his arms, his legs carrying him to the bed so that he can lay her down and hope that she gets some decent sleep. He knows from Lucas that she usually doesn't sleep through the night, and even when she is asleep, she's restless and wakes up just as tired as before. He exits the bed room slowly, the sound of cartoons hitting him as soon as he starts descending the stairs. He would love to know that the little girl he's come to love and adore is unaffected by all of this…to know that at least she is carrying on with her life, being a normal kid. But the scene he walked in makes it impossible to pretend that she's untouched…truth is, she's right in the middle of it…and because she's got both Lucas and Peyton's blood coursing through her…in the middle is exactly where she'll stay…doing whatever she can to help. He wants to smile at her giving personality, but he can't because Peyton's right…Alex shouldn't have to give this way…it's just not fair.

Alex's head shoots up at the sound of her uncle coming into the living room. She's on her feet before he can even sit down, the cartoons on television and dolls scattered around the floor quickly forgotten. "Can I go stay with mommy…" He bends down to lift her into his arms, a forced smile forming on his lips.

"Mommy's sleeping right now…besides, whose gunna keep me company down here. I wanted to make a sundae, but I won't be able to eat it all by myself…I thought you might wanna help me…but…" He can see in her eyes that she's internally debating with herself, something no six year old should be doing.

"Can we use chocolate ice cream…and lots of sprinkles…" Her eyes light up and he knows from experience that she plans to add heaping spoonfuls of sprinkles. He's not a big fan of sprinkles…never has been…in fact he whole-heartedly dislikes the little multicolored oblong chalk like things that tend to get caked in his teeth…but he always sucks it for her, and although he usually cuts her off after two spoonfuls, today he'll let her put as much on as she wants.

"Sure we can…" he carried her into the kitchen, setting her down on the stool, simply because he doesn't know when Lucas will be getting home, and he's been yelled at more than enough times by his ex-girlfriend, older brother, and his wife about putting her on the counter…only Brooke agrees with his belief that nothing's wrong with little kids sitting on countertops in these situations.

"Can I use the scooper" he can't help but laugh at her enthusiasm as he hands her the metal ice cream scooper, her feet swinging back and forth as she waits impatiently for the ice cream and a bowl. Four scoops, some chocolate syrup, whipped cream and what he's sure is hundreds of cavity inducing rainbow sprinkles later, the duo are happily digging into their messy concoction that will have one of them bouncing off the walls.

"Whatcha' thinking about…" he questions a few minutes later when he notices that her smile has suddenly fallen.

"When is mommy gunna get better?" He nearly dropped his spoon when the words left her mouth. This was the last question he was expecting to answer today…this should have been Luke's job.

"She…I don't know sweetie…" everything in him screamed to just tell her soon…to just lie and say that Peyton would be better really soon. But he couldn't bring himself to lie to her. If he could promise her that her mother would get better soon he would…but it's a promise he can't keep and therefore refuses to make. The more he thinks about it, the more he realizes that it's probably a good thing that she didn't ask Lucas…without hesitation he could have swore to her that Peyton would be better in no time…and then god forbid something horrible happened…Alex would most likely hate him for breaking that promise.

"Oh…" the small sound that left her lips and her downcast eyes told him that his answer was definitely not the one she had been looking for. They finished their ice cream in silence instead of chatting happily the way they usually did. He took the empty bowl and two spoons over to the sink, the urge to lie to her and promise everything would be alright getting stronger with each passing moment. It was times like these that made him wish Alex wasn't so perceptive…wish that she was one of those kids that automatically took I don't know to mean soon, not really soon, but soon enough.

He had to suppress a sigh when he turned around and found the small blonde with watery eyes, a single tear sliding down her cheek. "Come here…" he lifted her off the stool and her arms immediately went around his neck, her face buried in his shoulder. "I'm sorry princess…" he hated to see her cry, she was too young to be hurting like this.

"I want mommy to feel better now…I don't want her to be sick anymore…" her voice was muffled but her still understood her.

"I know…" there was no doubt in his mind about why Peyton had sent Alex to Tree Hill…even though Amy was around, for four years it was the mother and daughter against everything…she didn't want their good memoires tainted by her illness. Whenever Alex thought of her, she was supposed to have happy memories, not painful ones…they were supposed to bring a smile to her face, not tears. There's a small part of him that can't help but wonder if Peyton's original plan of coming to see Alex and then leaving had been a better idea. He can't help but wonder if maybe then Alex wouldn't be hurting as much. Would it be better for the little girl to not see her mother, but think she was off getting better somewhere…or to have her mother around, but have to watch things progressively get worse?

"Hey princess…you wanna know a secret..." he watched her lift her head, his fingers rubbing away the tears on her cheeks. She waited expectantly…she always did love secrets…and she was good at keeping them…she thoroughly enjoyed knowing something other people didn't…it didn't matter if someone else knew she knew…as long as she knew. "You're gunna have a cousin in a few months…"

"Aunt Haley's having a baby…" the small spark in her eyes told him his assumption had been right. He may have been overly perceptive, but at six she was still easy to distract…and for Alex, there was no better distraction than a new secret…a relatively big one.

"Yup…and you're the first person who knows…but you can't tell anyone yet…okay princess…" He watched her nod before offering a small smile, one which he gladly returned.

"Okay…I promise…" She kissed his cheek gently, something she does every time she gets a new secret. "Uncle Nathan…"

"Yeah…"

"Can I go lay with mommy now…" He had to stop himself from tensing at her request.

"Sure sweetie…" he pressed his lips to her forehead before setting her down and watching her start towards the stairs. Times like now he really wished that his six year old niece wasn't so perceptive…that her mother and father hadn't raised her so well…the she wasn't more mature, kind hearted, and selfless than most adults he knew.