Chapter 16: Dan Makes Waves

Disclaimer: I do not now nor did I ever own any of the One Tree Hill characters.

Lucas's face tightened the way it always did whenever he saw that man. "Why are you here," he asked coldly.

Dan looked his first son up and down contemptuously. "This is a public place open to all customers," he barked sarcastically. "I have as much right to be here as anyone else." With that he stepped past Lucas, heading straight for the counter. "Debra we need to talk," he stated coolly.

Debra's mouth formed into a thin line. "Don't do this Dan...not here," she retorted quietly. "Please Dan. Don't start anything."

"I'm not the one who started this whole mess," Dan scoffed. "You're the one going through with this whole divorce and putting my son through so much pain!"

Debra threw the rag she was holding down onto the counter. "How dare you say that to me after how you've treated Nathan," she fumed, her cool slipping away. "You're the one hurting our son Dan! You're the one putting him through pain!"

Nathan closed his eyes in frustration. 'God why is this happening to me,' he thought to himself. Nathan's eyes fluttered open and searched for Haley. His eyes met her concerned ones and he felt himself draw some warmth just from her looking at her. She always managed to make him feel better, even in the presence of his father. "Dad would you just quit it," Nathan said finally. "Just leave Dad...please."

Dan turned his head sharply, narrowing his eyes at Nathan. "Who the hell do you think you're talking to," he replied slowly, his tone low and menacing. "Don't talk to me like that Nathan. I'm your father and I don't deserve this kind of attitude from you. After all I've done for you and now you're acting like an ungrateful brat!"

"Oh and you're such a wonderful father right," Nathan said tightly. "Lucas and I are inclined to disagree with that." His eyes closed after that last statement, hoping that he hadn't hurt Lucas by saying that, even though it was the truth. "Just please go Dad," he finished quietly. Nathan heard his father curse under his breath and he listened to the sounds of him stalking towards the exit. He didn't open his eyes until he heard the front door to the diner slam.

The café was quiet, the deafening silence stretching on for several minutes, no one wanting to be the first to speak. Finally, Karen came out from in the back, her eyes floating over the familiar faces. "What's going on out here," she questioned. "I thought I heard Dan out here. Is everything okay?" Her eyes rested on Lucas standing in the middle of the café next to Kaiana, his face etched in anger. "Luke honey...you okay," she asked, stepping from behind the counter to walk towards her son. "Hey you okay," she repeated, running a hand down his arm.

Lucas shook his head in answer. "No...no I'm not okay at all," he said shakily, his blues eyes now lifeless and cold as they bore into his brother's back.

As if on cue, Nathan turned around and caught Lucas's stare; feeling even more hatred for his father when he saw his half-brother's expression. "Lucas...don't okay...don't let him get to you," Nathan said, his tone pleading. "I'm sorry about that...what I said. Just...don't---." He didn't know what he was asking for. He just knew he didn't want to mess up whatever it was he and Lucas had...not now...not after all they had been through to get to this point.

"Why are you sorry...what you said was the truth wasn't it," Lucas responded acidly. "He was never a good father...at least not to me. Oh yeah...that's right. He was never a father to me at all." Lucas turned around and started walking towards the door.

Kaiana followed him quickly, reaching out and grabbing his arm, spinning him around to face her. "Lucas wait...don't leave like this," she pleaded. "Are you going to be alright?" He didn't answer her, his eyes staring down at the floor. "What about that talk you wanted to have," she said softly, trying anything to take the sadness off his face.

His head snapped upwards at that. Lucas placed both hands on the sides of her face, his eyes softening slightly. "I can't...not right now okay," he told her. "But that doesn't mean I don't want to. I just...I have to get out of here. I have to be alone for a little while. Do you understand?" Kaiana nodded. "Okay, we'll talk soon though," he promised, placing a soft kiss on her cheek. Lucas then kissed his mother on the cheek and whispered to her 'that he would be fine'. Everyone watched as he exited the diner, his shoulders slumped and his hands deep in his pockets.

But Nathan was the only one who knew just how Lucas felt, because he had the same 'dickhead' for a father. He didn't know when it had happened but at that moment, he realized that he cared about Lucas. He cared a lot. He hadn't wanted to admit it before, but he had always cared all along. He had only done those things to Lucas to please his father. Back then he would have done anything just to make Dan Scott happy. Now he just wished that his father would just leave him alone...that he would leave them alone...leave them alone to form the brotherly relationship that he and Lucas should have had from the beginning.

Nathan sighed heavily, turning back around to place his head in his arms. He felt someone rubbing his back soothingly and he let himself sink into the comfort. His head raised and stared at the person providing the warmth. "You okay," Karen asked gently. Nathan gazed at her now in amazement. She was concerned about him, in spite of the fact that he might have just contributed to Lucas leaving so abruptly.

"You're wondering if I'm okay even though it's partly my fault Lucas left," Nathan asked incredulously. Nathan quickly gave her a run down of what had happened while she was in the back, wincing when he came to the part about the comment he had made about Dan. "I would have thought you would have been mad at me...like Lucas probably is." He shook his head at his stupidity. He always allowed his father to get him to a point where he was liable to blurt out the first thing that came to mind.

"I'm not mad at you sweetie," Karen responded calmly. "It's not your fault that your father is like that. He has a way of riling people up to say just about anything. And I don't think Luke is mad at you either." She gave him another pat on the back and returned behind the counter.

Debra reached across the counter and stroked Nathan's cheek lovingly. "Sweetheart Karen is right," she said. "Your father...well...he's angry at me about the divorce and he's taking it out on everyone else. I wish you didn't have to go through this. You know I would never intentionally do anything to hurt you right?" Nathan nodded. "Okay good," she said quietly. "I know Lucas said he wants to be alone, but maybe you should go try and talk to him," she suggested.

Nathan thought about that proposition for a minute. He wasn't sure if he and Lucas were close enough to start having heart to heart talks, especially with the tension between Lucas and their father. But, on the other hand, if he wanted their relationship to grow then he had to put aside the fear of being rejected and try to talk to Lucas, if only to make him understand that they shouldn't let their father come between them. Nathan stood up, his mind automatically making a decision. His eyes once again sought Haley and she instantly came around the counter and threw her arms around his waist. He held her close to him and then pulled back to kiss her softly. "You think he's at the River court," he asked her.

"Maybe...I don't know," Haley said, shrugging her shoulders. "He might also be at your uncle's body shop."

Nathan nodded in affirmation. "Alright, I'll check both places," he said quickly. "Mom I'll see you at home okay." He kissed Haley once more time and then proceeded to walk toward the exit, when he remembered something. His head turned just as his hand touched the doorknob. "Oh and thanks Karen...for you know," he said honestly.

"No problem Nathan," Karen answered smiling. "Will you call me if you find him?" She knew Lucas would probably be fine, but she couldn't help being worried.

"Yeah sure," Nathan replied, returning her smile. He gave a half hearted wave and then he was out the door. He climbed into his car and pulled away from the curb swiftly. He just hoped that Lucas was okay and that he wasn't mad at him. Karen had tried to reassure him, but he still had his doubts.


Lucas bounced the ball angrily on the cement. He threw the ball in the air towards the basket, letting out a stream of curses when he missed. He then slammed the ball on the court, the object flying up in the air behind him. He turned around to see where the ball went and his eyes fell on Nathan, who was now holding the ball in his hands. "Can I have my ball back please," he asked tersely.

"Sure," Nathan replied easily, tossing the ball to him. "But we need to talk....about what happened at your mom's café."

Lucas dropped the ball to the ground, ignoring it as it rolled away from him, to walk over to the bleachers. He sat down and motioned for Nathan to sit next to him. He waited until Nathan was sitting beside him to speak again. "We don't need to talk about that," Lucas said more calmly, his eyes staring straight ahead. "Let's just forget it."

"No," Nathan said softly.

Lucas turned to look at him, his eyebrow rising. "What do you mean no," he said, his tone indicating his surprise. It wasn't like Nathan to want to actually talk about stuff like this with him. They only talked about basketball, school, or occasionally Haley.

"I mean there are some things we need to clear up," Nathan answered firmly. "I don't want to just sweep this under the rug. I want, no I need, us to talk about this."

Lucas looked at Nathan skeptically. "Why," was his only response.

"Because I---," Nathan broke off, his stomach suddenly clenching in knots. "Because I think you and I are finally at a place where it's beyond tolerating each other. We're actually getting along now and I don't anything to mess that up."

Lucas appeared taken aback. He hadn't expected that from Nathan. "I don't want anything to mess it up either," he responded sincerely.

"I'm sorry about what I said at the café," Nathan told him. "Just because it's true doesn't mean it should be said. He just makes me so mad sometimes." Nathan looked away then. "I don't want our father to come between us Lucas."

Lucas closed his eyes briefly, hating the words 'our father'. He would never accept that man as his father. "Don't be sorry for saying what's true," he responded queitly. "I'm not mad at you Nathan, just at him. The way he's been acting, especially lately, with you and your mom gets to me. I just hate to see him talking to you guys like that." Lucas paused. "And he won't come between us Nathan."

Nathan returned his eyes to look at Lucas. "But he already has come between us Lucas," he countered darkly. "He's been doing it ever since Little League. I don't want us to go back to how it was before."

Lucas met his brother's eyes directly. "He won't come between us Nathan," he repeated firmly. "I won't let him. But...you have to know that it's going to be weird for me sometimes. I've forgiven you for all that dumb hazing stuff, but when Dan's around, I just get so angry. And then I look at you and I feel sort of resentful...because you had him and I never did."

Nathan nodded in understanding, even though Lucas's last statement hurt him. "I can't help it that he chose to stay with my mom and not yours Luke," he said, pulling his eyes away again. "And truthfully, I wish more and more that he had left my mom...that he hadn't raised me. You're not the only one he hurts Lucas. He hurts me a lot too...now more than ever."

Lucas felt a slice of pain go through his chest. "I know he does," Lucas told him softly. "And I know it's not your fault. I'm trying to work on separating you from Dan, but it's hard." Lucas forced a smile then, elbowing Nathan playfully. "I guess I'll have to try harder then."

Nathan smiled then and chuckled. "Yeah...you do that," he replied, as he rose from the bench, strolling over to where the ball lay. He retrieved it from the ground and began bouncing it from side to side. "Now come on. Let's play some one and one."

Lucas smiled wider, forcing the depressing thoughts about his father from his mind, getting up to walk towards Nathan. "Okay...let's do it," he announced, his mood now improved dramatically. Nathan was right. They couldn't let their bastard of a father come between them. Lucas vowed silently to try to be understanding about where Nathan was coming from. It wasn't his fault and Lucas realized that he had been blaming him for the hurt Dan had caused him and his mom. Nathan was going through a lot right now. He needed to step up and be the big brother that Nathan needed.


Meanwhile, a dark grey SUV sat, the driver watching the two boys laugh and play basketball, his face showing the stress and fatigue he had been feeling as of late. All traces of bitterness were gone from his features now, because he didn't have to pretend to be hateful here in the presence of his vehicle. He could just sit quietly and watch the son who he raised and loved laugh like he hadn't seen him laugh in a long time. And he could also watch the son who he abandoned, but loved just as much. Dan bit his lip hard to stop himself from crying, turning the key in the ignition, his misery consuming him. As he drove away from his two children, he wondered how he could have screwed up so royally. Now it seemed like he lost both sons.

Note: I wanted to bring Dan and Debra into the story, especially to start showing how Dan affects the relationship that Nathan and Lucas have. Plus, I wanted to show at the end that Dan may not be really as bas as he seems. I honestly think that he loves the both of them. He just needs to work on how to show it properly. I hope to also show in this story the conflicting and complicated relationship between Lucas/Dan/Nathan. Next chapter will be tryouts and you may finally see some heat between Lucas/Kaiana. As always, I request that you guys please review.