"Lucas, really I'm fine, okay? I appreciate you wanting to get me a cup of coffee but I'm fine. I think I'd just like to back to the house and…"

"Surprise!"

Megan screamed, jumping back into Luke's arms, hands over her heart. He had dropped by his father and stepmother's and after a quick chat with his future sister in law, had insisted that they take a drive that ended up at his mother's café. Megan was tired and a little worried that her fiancé had disappeared and hadn't been seen or heard from since early afternoon. She loved Lucas and hanging out with him but all she wanted at that moment was a little peace and quiet in the form of alone time.

A trip for coffee to the darkened café had turned out most of Tree Hill's residents and a few of the couple's friends from Charlotte. Banners hung and music played as Meg was bombarded with a rush of hugs and greetings from the guests.

"Oh my God! What is going on? What is this?"

"This is your surprise bridal shower, girlie", Peyton Sawyer grinned as she hugged her.

The friends Nathan Scott had grown up with remained very close to him. It was like a tight circle with a special bond that was unbreakable because of all the things they had shared and been through over the years. In loving Nathan, it was an easy and natural transition to love his friends as well. For the girls of his crew, Peyton Sawyer and Brooke Davis, the presence of Megan Powell had at first been weird, to say the least. As nice as she was, she was still an outsider. Haley had long disappeared and her leaving had affected everyone in one way or the other. She was missed and at times even hated, her decision very misunderstood but through it all, it was hard to imagine Nathan with anyone else. At one time they all thought they would wake up and it would be a dream. Haley would come back home where she belonged and she and Nathan would reconcile and live happily ever after.

That did not happen. There was no Haley but there was a Meg. She had a wonderful personality and it was impossible not to like her. And as more time passed, it looked as if she were there to stay. More importantly, she made Nathan happy. In his darkest days when it looked like he was heading down a path of ominous self destruction, it was Megan who brought him back from the brink. She was the only one who could reach him. A beautiful, kind hearted girl with a bright smile and a good head on her shoulders had saved him…just like he had been saved in high school by a similar girl.

It had taken the girls a while to warm up to Meg for different reasons. For Brooke it was simply a part of being Brooke. The gorgeous brunette could be a bit self centered at times and extremely territorial. All outsiders had to prove themselves and after a while Megan did and she was invited into Tree Hill's most infamous and envied clique.

For Peyton, it was something more. She had been the one to keep in contact with Haley. If anyone semi understood Haley's choice, it was Peyton. She had sympathy for her and still an amount of allegiance. She loved Haley but she loved Nathan and Haley together, Naley as she had affectionately nicknamed the pair. Befriending Megan was almost like a slap in the face to Haley but Peyton knew she had to move forward. After all, it was Haley who had left.

"Oh Pey…this is so awesome! Thank you! I had no idea…"

"Well that was the point", the other blonde smiled. "Now sit and relax. We're gonna pig out and open cool presents. Sorry about there being no stripper but we'll save that for the bachelorette party."

Megan smiled as she took her seat as the guest of honor. With a smile she mouthed to Lucas that she was going to kill him. He just winked, happy that everything had gone off without a hitch. Happy that she looked so happy.

"Good job, Broody. I'm proud of you."

Lucas didn't have to turn around. He'd know that voice anywhere. Besides, she was the only who dared and got away with calling him "Broody".

"What? I didn't do anything. As I recall, you wouldn't let me partake in any of the actual party planning. My job was just to get Megan here on time."

"And you did a fine job. I just wanted to congratulate you."

Lucas smiled. God, she was beautiful. He loved her eyes and the sexy way her lips curled and that cute whisper thing she did with her voice. Brooke Davis was a beautiful and amazing woman. She had always been special to Lucas. They had tried the dating thing as high schoolers but it hadn't worked out. Actually it was Lucas' cheating with Peyton, Brooke's best friend, that had caused it not to work out. That was years and lots of drama ago. It had taken a while to get over the anger and awkwardness that ensued but somehow the duo, or trio had gotten things back on the friendship track. There had always been underlying feelings between Lucas and Brooke but timing, location and other factors of fate always seemed to keep them apart. There was a lot of history there and a lot of love.

"Thanks. I aim to please."

"Really?" she asked saucily.

"Yes, I do but uh, in all seriousness Brooke, this is a nice thing you and Peyton and Mom and Deb put together for Meg. It's really cool."

"She's a good girl. I love Meg. She and Nate are sweet together."

"Yeah I guess they are."

"Speaking of which, where is the groom to be?"

Lucas shrugged. The question of the hour concerning the man of the hour. No one had seen hide nor hair of the younger Scott in hours. Ever since the meeting with the lawyers and the startling info it had revealed, Nathan's mental and emotional state were questionable at best. Lucas was worried. He hoped his little brother was okay.

Before Lucas could answer Brooke, he could see Nathan, accompanied by his friend, Tim Smith, approaching the front door. Luke breathed a huge sigh of relief until the men entered.

"Well, well, well", Brooke grinned. "If it isn't Tree Hill's very own American sports idol. Fashionably late for your own party, I see, just like all the big stars. Come in. We've been holding off on cutting the cake waiting for you."

Megan smiled at the sight of her fiancé. On the table was a beautifully decorated strawberry cake it had taken Karen all day to bake and beautify.

"Cake for us?" Nathan asked.

"You bet", Karen smiled. "Just let me get the saucers and forks and…"

"Who needs all that?" Nathan said as he smashed his fist in the side of a layer.

A horrified hush fell over the crowd.

"Damn this cake is good! Karen, you made this? Damn! I mean it! This cake is fucking awesome! Have some cake, everybody! Meg? Luke? Mom? Dad?"

Karen and Deb shook their head sadly as Dan chewed tersely on the inside of his lip looking ready to explode at any minute. Lucas hung his head. For the first time he noticed that not only had Nathan arrived with his friend but Tim was actually holding the younger Scott up. Lucas noticed that Nathan was slurring his speech and talking louder and more boisterous than usual. Lucas shook his head. Nathan was drunk.

"Come on, man", Lucas quietly tried to usher his brother to the back.

"Have some cake, Luke! Man, your mom can cook! This cake is good!"

"Nate…"

"What the hell are you doing, idiot?" Dan angrily grumbled into Nathan's ear as he grabbed his arm. "This is your fiancée's bridal shower for Christ's sake."

"Shut the fuck up and have some cake, Old Man!" Nathan laughed, using his cake and icing laced finger to trace a frosting trail around his incensed father's mouth.

"Nathan…", Megan stood up.

"Baby, did you try the cake?"

Fresh tears of anger, sadness and frustration filled her eyes.

"It's okay. I've got him", Lucas gestured as Peyton's boyfriend, Jake Jagielski stepped in to help as well.

Along with Tim they dragged him to the back and a waiting car outside.

"Dude, why the hell would you let him come here bombed?" a pissed off Lucas asked Tim.

"Man, he was like that when I found him", Tim shrugged. "Sorry. He wanted to come and I couldn't stop him. What was I supposed to do?"

Nathan bent over as Lucas was there to catch him.

"I'm sorry, man", he breathed. "I'm sorry, Luke. Oh God, bro, I'm hurting."

"Nate, you're going to be okay, dude."

"No, man. I…I'm really hurting", he groaned as he leaned over and vomited.

Lucas frowned and looked away at the mess as Deb came out with a paper towel to help her son clean up. They loaded him into Jake's care who drove him back to the Scott house. Once inside the café, the mood was confused and concerned as well as desolate. Poor Megan looked crushed. Lucas knew he had to do something to salvage what was left of the evening.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please excuse my little brother. He just got a little excited and started partying a little early. He's okay and I apologize for his behavior and things getting a little crazy but hey, it's still a party, right? So let's eat up and have a good time."

Lucas turned on the music and silently beseeched Brooke and Peyton with his eyes for help. They followed his lead by trying to liven up the event and Lucas even convinced Megan to join him in a dance even though it was hard to mistake the sadness and disappointment etched on her pretty face. Somehow, someway, they all made it through and Lucas could breathe a huge sigh of relief when the last guest was gone and Megan was safely tucked away in a car with Dan and Deb headed home.

"What the hell was that all about?"

"Nothing", Lucas sighed.

"Broody, don't lie to me."

How could he lie to her?

"Brooke, the state of North Carolina denied Nathan and Megan's marriage license application."

"Why?"

"He's still married to Haley. No one knew. It was a technicality but paperwork got messed up and stuff wasn't turned in on time and long story short, the annulment didn't go through like everyone thought."

"What?" Brooke exclaimed. "You mean…Nathan and Tutor Wife or Tutor Star or whatever have been married this whole time! All these years?"

"Yep."

"Oh God. Poor Meg. Does she even know?"

"She knows. Dad and Deb do, too."

"Wow. So now what?"

"It gets worse. They can't annul it now. They have to divorce. The hitch? A year long legal separation and the past seven don't count."

"Whoa!"

"Yeah."

"Poor Nathan. No wonder he got hammered. Lucas, you should have told me. I feel awful. Maybe we shouldn't have had the shower tonight and…"

"I thought about it but the lawyers are working to fix this and I thought a nice party is just what we needed. I didn't know Nathan was gonna get drunk off his ass and ruin everything."

"Does Haley know? I mean, has anybody talked to her? Attorneys?"

"I don't know. I don't know what's going on, Brooke."

"So now what?"

"I don't know", he sighed looked out into the darkness of night. "I don't know."