Camp Scott read like a who's who of Tree Hill. Dan, Deb, Megan, Lucas, Brooke, Jake, Peyton, Jenny, Coach Whitey Durham, Keith, Jules, and even Karen and Andy. The mood was solemn and for the most part quiet, silence only broken by idle chit chatter and the background noise of the television. Each time the telephone would ring or someone knocked on the door, everyone's hearts fell in their stomachs. Hoping for the best, dreadfully attempting to prepare for the worst, relieved when it wasn't the latter. There was nothing to do but wait. Wait and worry and hope and pray.

Curled up on the end of the sofa Meg sat with a crumpled tissue in hand, tears running down her distraught face. She had cried so much her blue eyes were completely raw. She was exhausted but sleep wouldn't come. Her body nor her heart could rest until she heard Nathan's voice safe and sound with her own ears.

"Okay guys, I made dinner", Karen announced. "We all need to get a little something in our stomachs so…"

"Please, Chef Boyardee", Dan scoffed. "My son is missing for God's sakes. Now is not the time or place for everyone to sample your new truffles. Have a little decency, please."

"Dan, please!" Deb admonished him.

"No, Deb, it's okay", Karen nodded, holding more class in her pinky finger than Dan Scott did in his entire body. "I understand. We're all under tremendous stress right now. Waiting is the worst but everyone still needs to eat a little something. I'm sure Nathan or Haley will be calling any minute now."

"Haley?" Dan bitterly laughed. "What nerve she would have!"

"Dan…"

"No, this is all her fault anyway. She's the reason my son is in this mess. That little witch has been nothing but trouble ever since she first set foot in this house to tutor him."

"Have a heart, man", Keith shook his head. "Haley is out there just like Nathan is. We're praying for her safety just like we're praying for him. This is no one's fault. Those kids don't deserve any of the things that have happened to them."

Dan smirked as he dramatically clapped his hands.

"Nice speech, Boozy. How long did it take you to come up with that one? I tell you what, go have another drink and we'll talk about it then."

Dan sneered and Keith backed down at Jules' urging as to not cause a scene. Deb shook her head and ran off, disgusted, in tears.

"Look, fighting amongst ourselves is not helping anything", Lucas interjected. "It won't make Nate or Hales call any quicker either. Everybody let's just try to calm down."

Not being able to take the silence anymore, Megan slipped away from the family and friends, wandering into Dan's private study where she found Deb. The older blonde stuffed a few pills down her throat and chased them with a glass of water.

"Megan!" she said, surprised not to be alone.

"Deb, I'm sorry. I…"

"It's okay", she managed to force a smile. "I'm not a junkie. It's just some Valium that was prescribed to me. I take it every now and then when Dan is getting on my nerves or times like this."

"I understand. I just had to get away. I know everyone means well but it was getting to be too much in there. It's suffocating almost. And the waiting…God, it's the worst, you know? I keep telling myself that they're okay but if he was really okay, he would have called by now."

"I remember when Nathan was little and he had to have his tonsils out. I went to the hospital chapel that night and sobbed because I had the worst feeling that something was going to go wrong and that I was going to lose him."

Her eyes began to moisten with tears as she lowered her head in her hands. Meg leaned over and hugged her.

"He's okay. Nathan is strong. He's a fighter. He will be just fine. We won't lose him, Deb. We won't lose either of them."

"Poor Haley. God, they must be so afraid."

"He'll take care of her", Meg said bravely. "I know Nathan."

"I hope so. I just can't believe Dan would be so heartless."

"Me either. He's not the man I thought he was. I know you guys weren't very fond of her but geez. This is life and death here."

"It's not that we didn't like her", Deb offered. "Dan? Well, what can I say? He was just being Dan, I guess. He never thought Haley was good enough for Nathan. She was a sweet girl and very good for him but all Dan saw was the kind of house she lived in or what her parents did for a living. It wasn't up to his standards."

"Like me?" she asked quietly. "I mean, I'm a good person or at least I try to be. I love Nathan. Why does Dan welcome me with such open arms yet he can't even allow himself to feel compassion for Haley at a time like this? Is money and social status really that important?"

"I don't know what to tell you, honey. For some people it is."

"What about you?"

"It doesn't matter to me, Meg. I like you for you. I think you're a nice girl and I see how much you love my son. Haley's a good girl, too. Once upon a time, she loved Nathan very much, too. I admit I wasn't very pleased with his emancipation and their marriage at 16. They were just babies. I knew it wouldn't work out and that scared me. I feared for them and I blamed Haley. But it wasn't her fault. None of it was. Not them getting married and not even her leaving."

"They're okay", Meg wiped their eyes. "They have a lot of people praying for both of them."

Deb hugged her again.

"You should get back, sweetie. Try to eat a little something."

"I will", Megan stood. "You coming?"

"I'll be there in a sec. I just have a phone call to make."

Meg nodded and left and when the door shut, Deb pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket. She stared at the numbers written on it. She had spent all morning calling around and doing her best to retrieve the number and when she finally got it, she could do nothing but stare at it. But the staring was over. It was time for action. Taking a deep breath, she called it.

"Hello", came the cheery voice on the other line.

"Lydia? Lydia James?"

"This is Lydia. Who wants to know?"

Deb struggled to calm her nerves and find her voice.

"Hello, Lydia. This is Deborah Scott, Nathan's mother."

There was understandable silence on the other end for a moment.

"Mrs. Scott…what a surprise. Long time, no hear. What do I owe the honor?"

"I apologize for bothering you and I hate to call under such circumstances but there is a problem. When is the last time you spoke with Haley?"

"Haley bub e-mailed me last week. I'm sorry, Mrs. Scott but what is all this about?"

"Deb. Please call me Deb. Were you aware of the fact that Nathan and Haley are still married."

"Come again", Lydia laughed. "That's a new one. My daughter neglected to mention that tiny fact. How did that happen? I thought the marriage was annulled."

"Long story but that's not important now. What is important is that Nathan and Haley flew to the Dominican Republic a few days ago for a divorce."

"The Dominican, huh? Not too shabby."

"Lydia, have you been watching the news?"

"Yes, I…"

Lydia halted mid sentence. Then it hit her all of a sudden like a ton of bricks.

"Oh my God! Is she…are they okay? Deb, have you heard from them?"

"Not as of yet", Deb sighed. "But we're still hoping and praying. We have a contact phone number there but so far they have not been accounted for. I'm sure it's only a matter of time though. I know you and your husband travel on your Motor Home a lot and maybe you weren't aware. I thought you should know…from one mother to the next."

"Thank you. We had no idea. Jim and I are actually in Alabama right now and…"

"Maybe you should come back."

"I think that's a good idea. We'll contact our other children and set up shop at a hotel. We sold our house years ago."

"We're in this together. It's both of our children out there. I know I wasn't always so cordial in the past but things have changed. If you come back to Tree Hill, feel free to come here. You and your husband are welcomed. Stay as long as you need to. Stay as long as it takes us to find them."

"Thank you, Deb", Lydia nodded, fighting back tears. "Thank you."

Deb hung up the phone and collected her emotions. Her son would be okay. So would Haley. They had to be. It would all work out. She wouldn't rest until she heard their voices. Both of them.

Gathering her thoughts, she headed back to the madness of Command Central set up in her living room.