Whew, sorry about the excessive delay. In the last two weeks I have written 40 pages of papers and done two oral presentations. Eek, now that that's over, on to finals and then summer...yay summer

Sorry this is short, they'll get longer once things really get underway

Oh, and a few people have asked me about the pronunciation of the names. I know they're unconventional, I chose them for that reason. Ailis is the gaelic form to Alice and is pronounced Ayliss. Regan is pronounced Reegan. Ailis means noble/kind and Regan means nobility.

Chapter Two

"He did what?!?!" Lucas half-yelled, nearly joking on his drink.

"Quiet will you, I don't need all of Tree Hill knowing about this thanks. They gossip enough about my family as it is." After obsessing about the check for two days without ay clue what to do about it, Nathan had finally decided to turn to the one person who could fully appreciate the relationship or non-relationship he had with his father.

"Point taken. Sorry. So he actually gave you a check for five grand."

"Yea."

"And he left this at the house."

"Yea. Along with some presents for the girls."

"Right. And you don't know what to do about it."

"Yea. Luke, we've covered all that already. I came to you so you could tell me what I'm supposed to do."

"Uh uh, I'm not going to tell you what to do; I may however be persuaded to offer some sage advice. What did Haley have to say?"

"She said I had to be the one to decide what to do with it because he's my father. It would be so much easier if she would just tell me to rip the damn thing up and be done with it."

"Not that simple though is it?"

"No. If it were just me it would be one thing but I have to think about my family now. Taking care of two little babies costs money, a lot of it and I want to be able to give them everything they deserve. And I want Haley and I to be able to go to college without busting our asses for four years and five grand would be a good start."

"But..."

"But it's Dan and it has taken me 17 years to get out from under his control. You know the kind of power he had over me; you saw it yourself. I don't want him to think that because I took money from him, he has any say in my life or my children's lives and I bet that's exactly what he's thinking. It's like the car he bought me when he and my mom split up only back then I was too weak to tell him what to do with it. I'm not weak any more and I will not be his pawn again."

"All really good points. Do you want to know my take?"

"That's the point of this conversation isn't it?"

"Right. Okay, I totally understand your hesitation at taking anything from him but I don't think you need to worry about him controlling you, whether or not you take the money. You know why he had power over you Nate? Because you didn't know who you were without basketball, without him pushing you to be the best. You do now. You're Nate Scott, father to Ailis and Regan Scott, boyfriend to Haley James and incidentally, a damn good basketball player. Oh, and brother to an even better basketball player but that's besides the point. See Nate, while basketball is important to you, it does not in any way shape or for define who you are and you know that now. That knowledge takes away Dan's power."

"But..."

"I'm not done. I figure you came to me because you thought I'd understand where you're coming from and I guess I sort of do. Dan was/is a very different father to each of us but an equally crappy one. I'm trying to put myself in your shoes and ask what I would do if he ever gave my a substantial sum of money."

"And?"

"And honestly, I have no idea. It would be easy to say I don't want anything from him but like you said, five thousand dollars would go a long way, especially when my mom and I have struggled all these years because of his selfishness. On the other hand, why shouldn't I take money from him when I have gotten nothing, not even a card from him my whole life? Seems only fair really. But would I be able to spend that money knowing where it came from. I really don't know."

"Well you're a lot of help aren't you?"

"Hey, I told you I wasn't going to tell you what to do. Here's the deal Nate, you have to make a decision that you, Haley and your daughters are going to be able to live with. Yes that money would help you guys out a lot but if you're gong to be uncomfortable and unhappy it's not worth it."

"Ugh. You know, I used to think my life was confusing when my dad was hassling me all the time. That was nothing. Have you thought about confronting him?"

"Why would I do that?"

"To find out what this is really about. We both know that Dan always has an ulterior motive, might not be a bad idea to find out what it is."

"I guess."

Lucas looks at his watch, I'm late to Keith's and I believe you are working the café tonight are you not. So we'd better get going."

"Yeah. Thanks Luke. I'll let you know what happens."

Later on that night

"I talked to Luke today." Nathan said as he changed Regan's diaper while Haley fed Ailis. They'd developed a sort of assembly line approach to taking care of the twins.

"Oh? What about?"

"What do you think?"

"Right, the check. Of course. What did he say?"

"He said ultimately it had to be my call but that I should talk to Dan?"

"Why?"

"He said I should find out what his motives were and then decide what I want to do about it. I don't know though. I haven't spoken to the guy in months."

"So maybe it's time then. He is their grandfather Nate, like it or not. Who knows, maybe that check was his way of reaching out to you, not the best approach perhaps but your father's never been great with gestures."

"That's an understatement. But what if he worms his way back into our lives and causes trouble again. I didn't like the person I was when I was under his power and you weren't all that fond of him either."

"You're not going to go back to being that person Nate, no matter what your father does."

"You know, Luke said the same thing."

"You should listen to us both. We know what we're talking about. Seeing your father might be good for you, for closure if nothing else. I'll go with you if you want."

"Really? That'd be great. I don't want to face him alone. But I don't want to bring Regan and Ailis."

"Neither do I. We can ask your mom to watch them for an hour or two tomorrow; we'll tell her we need some alone time. She'll understand."

"You're sure you want to do this. My father hasn't exactly been nice to you."

"I'm sure. If you don't talk to him Nate, he's always going to haunt you, and us. Look what this is doing to you now Nate. He still has this hold over you. Lets break it for good.

Spoilers

-the Dan confrontation

-baptism drama