Disclaimer:  The characters don't belong to me, but to the WB's One Tree Hill.

Thanks for all the great reviews!  I'm working on the formatting problem!

            By the time Whitey called it quits for practice Lucas was bent over, holding his knees, and panting.  "You okay?" Nathan asked, patting Lucas on the back.

            Lucas looked up at Nathan and just gave him a look. 

            "Okay.  Dumb question.  Whitey has been riding you pretty hard at practice these past few days."

            Lucas nodded, breathlessly.

            "What's up with that?"

            Lucas stood, wiped the sweat running down his face with his jersey, and said, "Brooke and I broke into his office a few nights ago and he caught us fooling around."

            "You what?"  Nathan laughed.  "You nuts, man?"

            Lucas nodded.

            "I hope it was worth it."

            Lucas thought for a moment, and then shrugged.  "It was Brooke man, what do you think." 

            As they headed off to the locker room, Lucas recalled what happened the day after the incident.  "Lucas!" Whitey had barked.  "In my office now."

            Lucas stood awkwardly before Whitey's desk, scratching his arm, which was itchy with perspiration.  He tried to hide how heavily he was breathing, but he knew Whitey could see it.

            "You're winded," said the coach.

            "It was a tough workout."

            "Well, by the time I get through with you, a workout like this will be like taking a walk.  Tomorrow seven a.m."

            "Coach," Lucas started to protest.

            "Don't 'Coach' me.  I can still take this to the administration if I so choose.  I just don't want to lose another great player.  So you have a choice.  You can face my firing squad or the administration's.  And let me remind you, the principal will probably throw you out of school."

            Another choice, thought Lucas.  He wasn't liking the choices he was faced with these days, but it beat Keith's ultimatum.  He'd take Whitey's punishment and it would probably make a better player out of him.  But Keith's ultimatum wasn't a choice.  Either way he was damning himself and Keith knew it.

             "How long am I going to do this for?"

            "Two weeks minimum.  Then we'll see if you've repented enough."

            "Yes sir," Lucas said, trying to contain his sarcasm.  He barely suppressed a salute.  "Seven a.m. it is." 

            Whitey grunted something and dismissed Lucas with a wave of his hand. 

            "Need a ride?" Nathan asked as Lucas stepped into the shower.  "I can wait if you hurry."

            Lucas nodded gratefully.  He didn't want to be too late to the café.  For now, he and Keith had some sort of truce and that meant he wouldn't call Karen and spill all.  He hadn't made a conscious choice not to see Brooke.  She hadn't been in school, so he couldn't share what happened or what he was planning to do.  Not that he could tell her, because he didn't know what to do.   He wanted to keep seeing Brooke.  He also wanted his mom to stay in Italy and enjoy her cooking school.  It seemed that Keith was the one who said he couldn't have it all.

            As the boys separated, each letting the spray of water hit their backs, similar thoughts ran through their minds.  They both wondered when they had reached a point where they could talk casually, without snarling at each other.  Lucas was surprised at himself.  He wasn't sure why he had confided in Nathan, but it had felt okay.  It felt right somehow.

            "So you and Brooke," Nathan said with a smirk once they were in the car.

            Lucas leaned back on the soft leather seat.  "Yeah.  Me and Brooke.  Who would have thunk it."

            "I actually thought it would be you and Peyton."  Lucas stole a sideways glance at Nathan.  "I'm over her," insisted Nathan, catching his brother's look.  "We once had a thing, but it didn't work out.  I can't say we're friends, but we don't hate each other.  We have a truce.  Which is nice, because it's not like I treated her very well."

            "You better not treat Haley, like you did Peyton."

            "I won't promised," Nathan.  "Haley changed me.  I swear it."

            As soon as they were in the café each of them grabbed an apron and a rag and started to clear the table.  The after school crowd was already trickling in and it would only get busier once all the after school activities let out and the early dinner crowd came in.

            As usual, Nathan was sticking close to Haley.  The two of them stole moments with each other every minute they could.  Lucas often walked into the kitchen or some other part of the café and found them kissing.  He was growing used to it.  It helped that he and Nathan were getting along.  And Haley seemed happy, so Lucas wasn't about to complain, even though he wanted to throw cautionary advice at Haley every time he saw them together.  It seemed like Nathan and Haley were moving very quickly.

            But it was Lucas who was catching a few minutes on the sly with Haley when Dan walked into the restaurant.  "Nathan," he proclaimed loudly.  "Hey Nathan, get your butt over here."

            "Dad, what are you doing here?" Nathan said in a hushed voice, walking over to the elder Scott.

            "I came to see you."  The steely edge in Dan's voice, made it obvious that he wasn't there for father-son catch-up time.  "When were you going to tell me that Whitey had started practice again?  Huh?" he asked, pulling Nathan roughly by the arm.  "Is there a reason you were keeping that news from me."

            The cacophony of voices stopped.  All eyes turned to stare at Nathan and Dan.

            "It's not like –" Nathan started to say. 

But Dan just shook him again and started a tirade about how if Nathan wanted to be good enough for a basketball scholarship he would have to work harder and he would need Dan for that.

"How dare you keep such important news from me!  I looked like a fool in front of Tim's father as he told me how great it was that the team got together and convinced Whitey to start the season again."

Lucas took in the scene and realized that Nathan looked like he was going to pee in his pants.  He had never thought Nathan was scared of anything-let alone Dan.  But suddenly it seemed like his little brother need help.

"Haley, go call Deb.  She'll stop this."

"Deb went to the bank.  She won't be back for a while," said Haley in a hushed voice.

Lucas looked at Nathan again.  "We've got to do something."

"I know.  But what?" asked Haley.

"Call Keith," said Lucas.  Lucas didn't think about what he did next. Had he thought about it for even a split second, he would never have done what he did.  Before he knew it, he was standing between Dan and Nathan.

"Leave," insisted Lucas.

Dan didn't even look at him, but just continued to yell at Nathan and shake him, rattling the boy's teeth. 

So Lucas repeated himself, more forcefully.  This time Dan took notice.  He looked at Lucas like he was a speck of dirt on his pristinely polished shoes.  A stubborn spot that just wouldn't come off. 

"Get out of my way kid."

"No," said Lucas, mustering all of his courage.  He wouldn't be able to take Dan on his own. The man could easily overpower him.  Perhaps with Nathan's aid he could, but Nathan was too dazed to be of any help.  "You're in my mother's restaurant.  She wouldn't want you here.  Especially, not like this.  Keith will be here any minute," Lucas added, hoping Haley was able to get in touch with him.  The garage was just around the corner, so it wouldn't take long once she got through to him.  "So just leave before you cause anymore of a scene."

The mention of Keith's name seemed to unnerve Dan.  Lucas wasn't sure why.  Keith was the older brother, but Dan was the bigger of the two.  If it came down to a brawl, Keith could hold his own, but Dan would probably win.   Lucas didn't have time to dwell on it, because Keith did walk in the door at that moment.

Dan hesitated for a moment, but let go of Nathan and walked out without a word.  Both boys let out their breath, neither was aware of holding it in.  Keith walked over to both and said, "you okay?"

Lucas nodded and so did Nathan, shakily.

"Thanks man," said Nathan, turning to Lucas.  "You were – You were great."

Keith rubbed the back of Lucas's neck and said, "I'm proud of you.  You handled that well."

Lucas beamed with pleasure.  Keith hadn't praised Lucas for anything in the past few weeks. It warmed Lucas to hear the kind words from his uncle. It seemed to melt some of the tension between them.

"Sit down and take a break," said Haley, motioning them to an empty booth. 

Lucas noticed that the noise level in the restaurant was slowly getting back to normal.  But he was shaking.  He took the seat that Haley pointed to, grabbing his hand to keep it steady.  He had often imagined standing up to Dan, but he never thought it would be this way.  He never realized that like Nathan he was scared of the man.

The look Dan had given him, making him seem no better than dog crap stuck on someone's shoe, and the way he had called Lucas kid, not acknowledging his name, made Lucas realized how indifferent Dan was to him.  But deep down, Lucas hoped that Dan secretly regretted the choice he made and just didn't know how to rectify what was done.  Today proved that was nowhere close to the truth.  Dan never thought much about Lucas Scott, the son he had abandoned.

"You okay?" Keith asked.  "You look white.  Have you been taking your antibiotics? Maybe –"

"It's okay Grandma," Lucas said.  "I'm taking all my medicine.  I'm just shaken up from what happened.  It wasn't pretty."

"Tell me what happened," insisted Keith.

Together, Nathan and Lucas told him the story.  It wasn't much of a story, Lucas realized.  But at the time it had been frightening.  He had never realized what Dan was capable of.  Nathan had hinted at it, but Lucas never really thought Dan was abusive, but now he realized how wrong he was.

"I'll stay here until Deb comes back," Keith said.  "The two of you better get back to work.  Haley looks overwhelmed."

They did as they were told, both glad to escape into the mundane work that was expected of them.  For Nathan, simply trying to keep up with the orders he was taking and handing them out to the right people, blocked out the events that had taken place moments before.  For Lucas, it gave him a chance to dwell on Keith's praise and the ease with which he had been able to talk to his uncle moments earlier.  It also gave him a chance to dwell on Dan.