Title: Believe me

Name: Joy

Email: Julianna@ziplip.com

Rating: PG 13

A/N: Thanks guys for the reviews. I am so much happier now.

10.

Through the door Lucas heard Nathan's confession and remorse. It was all he needed to hear. The bathroom door flew open and Nathan was pinned to the wall. "You stupid little..."

Keith pulled Lucas off Nathan bodily. Nathan fluctuated from being angry to being tormented every few seconds that Luke and he stared at each other. Nathan could feel the hate in Lucas's eyes. "You will not get away with this!" Lucas screamed. He pulled out of his uncle's arms. "You can do whatever the hell you want to and people let you get away with it. I...will let you get away with it because you are Dan's son. But let me tell you something I will not let you get away with hurting Haley...It will be over my dead body before you walk away from this!"

Nathan's eyes lit with fear as he contemplated the seriousness of the situation. Lucas could have him arrested and he knew it.

Of course it had to be this moment that Clara emerged in the room with Mr. and Mrs. James. Robert James had heard Lucas yelling in the hall but hadn't heard what it was about, but he knew Lucas rarely lost his temper in such a fashion so it must be bad. Upon being faced with both Scott boys the older man looked at his daughter, gave Lucas a little squeeze on his arm for comfort then turned his sights on Nathan. "What are you doing here son?" he said attempting to be civil.

"I..." Nathan began.

Bob was shorter than Nathan but still managed to intimidate him, "I seem to remember my daughter saying she didn't want to see you for a while... In fact I seem to remember the two of you being broken up."

"I just wanted to see her," Nathan mumbled miserably.

Jessica James went to her daughter's side and stroked her face. "Oh baby...Mama's here. Can you hear me little one?" she whispered.

Lucas lost his anger in the face of his best friends mother and leaned down beside her to be near them both. Mrs. James turned her head and saw his injuries. "Lucas, you're hurt?" she said touching his cheek.

He shrugged a little, "No big deal."

She winked at him, "It will make a cool scar."

Lucas laughed a bit. "Always with the positive thinking."

"I have seven children Lucas; you have to look to the best."

Jesse pulled Lucas closer to whisper, "I'm glad you were with her to take care of her...Now what's he doing here?"

Lucas stood up and faced Nathan gritting his teeth, "He's feeling guilty."

For a moment no one said anything but then Robert grabbed Nathan's throat, "You did this to my baby girl?"

Keith pushed Mr. James off, "Not a good idea Bob."

"Just because he's a Scott you're going to defend him?" he asked incredulously.

Keith sighed, "No...I just know how my brother is and he will have it be that Nathan is somehow blameless for his behavior due to this incident."

"Will you please stop talking about me like I'm not standing right here?" Nathan said frustrated. "I'm not him okay. I know it is hard for every person in this room to believe especially those with a biological link to me but I am not him...and I don't want to be." Keith raised an eyebrow at him while Lucas just glared. "I didn't mean for it to happen...I didn't do it on purpose. You have to believe me?" he said to Luke.

This lit a fire in Lucas, "Why the hell should I? After everything you did to me because you felt I had taken something away from you...after the way I saw you treat Peyton... Why am I supposed to believe that you didn't want to hurt Haley for being with me?" Both James parents looked at each other trying to assimilate the new status of the boy that had practically grown up with their daughter.

"Because I love her..." The sudden admission took the wind out of Lucas's sails. Nathan shook his head, "You said it yourself the other night. It would take some kind of idiot not to fall for her. Well despite popular opinion I am not an idiot...not about this at least."

Nathan ran his hand through his hair and blocked the adults in the room out of his mind and concentrated on Lucas. For some reason it was very important that Lucas understand that he wasn't Dan...that he wasn't running away.

Nathan shuffled his feet, "Before...when we were dating and I'd want Haley's attention and she wouldn't answer the phone I would come over late or really early and throw rocks at her window to get her attention. That night I grabbed a handful of rocks and headed over thinking by then you would be gone. But you weren't." He looked pained as he spoke, "There you were in front of the fire dancing...and she looked so happy to be in your arms. And for a second I thought I should just go and deal with it the next day...but then I saw her point up. There was mistletoe and you kissed...and then you kept kissing."

He was about in tears when he looked at Lucas who appeared rather confused. Nathan got irritated and snapped, "Don't you get it? Haley instigated. She broke up with me and chose to be with you... I could be pissed with you and say you were in the way but watching her kiss you and not the other way around meant it was really over and no amount of arguing would change it... I loved her and she didn't want me anymore." Nathan gripped his eyes shut and let the tears fall. "I was clenching one of the larger rocks in my pocket and chucked it at the window before I thought about what I was doing. I heard it break the glass and got spooked. I took off in the other direction..." Nathan's eyes sought Luke's for understanding. "I didn't know...I never would have hurt her...you have to believe me!" he pled.

Lucas still looked confused but he was sort of empathetic.

Keith laid his hand on Nathan's shoulder breaking the brothers' gaze. "Come on Nathan. I'm taking you home. You and Deb can decide when you want to make your statement to the police."

Bob and Jessica James looked at the boy who had injured their daughter sorrowfully while Lucas stared at him dumb founded.

Keith tried to steer Nathan out but he resisted continuing to plead with his eyes to his brother. "I would never hurt her."

"But you did..." Lucas said sadly...quietly. "And a thousand times before. This was just the first time you hurt her physically."

Nathan looked like he had been punched in the gut. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be. He was nauseated at the words and grit his teeth as Keith lead him away.

Tbc...

A/N: I really like this chapter...See...I don't hate Nathan. I know he would never intentionally hurt Haley.

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