Disclaimer: Again, so I don't get sued…I own Nothing!

Answers

Dan had been reluctant to let Nathan talk to Deb, but in the end, he agreed. He figured this was something Nathan needed to do…for himself.

So the next morning he had called to arrange a meeting. Deb happily agreed as long as it wasn't at the café. She didn't want Karen breathing down their necks the whole time.

Lucas had just gotten to school when Haley came up behind him. "Hey Lucas. Where's Nathan?"

Lucas turned and smiled at Haley. "He's not going to be here today. He's meeting with Deb."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Hey listen, I gotta run, but why don't you meet me for lunch."And he had ran off before Haley could say no.

Lucas met Brooke and Peyton at his locker. He quickly gave Brooke a kiss before opening his locker. "Oh yeah, Haley is going to eat lunch with us today." He said quickly to get it over with.

"What?" Both girls said in unison.

"You've got to be kidding me." Peyton sighed.

Lucas turned as he shut his locker door. "No, I'm not. Look, I know you two don't like her, but she's alright. Nathan isn't here today because he's meeting with Ded. Haley is his friend and she's been there for him throughout this whole thing. So be nice."

Brooke took a deep breath. "Fine."

They both looked at Peyton who shook her head. "Whatever."

At lunch, Haley was just going to eat by herself but Lucas had spotted her and was waving her over. "Here goes nothing." She said then started for the table. "Hi Lucas." She said as she sat down.

"Hi, I'm Brooke. And this is Peyton." Brooke said with a smile.

Haley smiled at Brooke then turned to Peyton. "Peyton, I'm really sorry about you and Nathan. I never wanted that to happen."

"Are you two together?" Peyton asked bitterly.

"Oh…god…no. We're just friend. I promise."

Peyton took a deep breath as they all looked at her. "Okay."

After that, lunch went pretty smoothly. Haley found that she actually liked these girls. As the bell rang, Brooke looked at Haley as she started to leave.

"Hey Tutor Girl…"

"Yeah Tigger?" Haley turned and looked at the bubbly brunette.

"You and Nathan need to stop being such loners. For now on, you two should eat with us."

Haley looked at Peyton who smiled and nodded. "Okay, Bye guys."

The three waved then Lucas turned and kissed Brooke. "I love you."

"I know." Brooke said with a grin.

Lucas laughed. "Thanks for being nice."

"Well, she's actually pretty cool." Brooke turned and looked at Peyton. "Right, P. Sawyer?"

"Yeah…she is. Plus, she's really into music."

Lucas and Brooke laughed and just shook their heads.

Across town at the rivercourt, Deb was waiting nervously for Nathan at the picnic table. As Nathan walked up slowly she stood and went to hug him, but he stepped back. He walked around her and sat at the picnic table and Deb followed suit.

"I'm so glad you decided to meet me. I know your dad and Karen wasn't too happy about that."

"Let's get a few things straight. I came here for me, not my mom and dad. And I only came because I have some questions. The only thing I want…or need from you is honest answers. If you can't do that, there's no reason I should be here."

"Okay"

"Okay." Nathan took a deep breath before he continued. "So you found out you were pregnant, then what. My mom told me that you didn't want me, but my dad convinced you to have me."

Deb sighed. "I was in my first year of college. I was just starting my life. By the time I found out, Karen and Dan were just married, and had their own baby on the way. I was young and scared. My parents thought that the best thing for everyone involved would be to just not have you. But I had to tell Dan, no matter what I did. So I told him and needless to say, he wasn't happy with my decision. The next day, he came to me and pleaded with me to have you. He said that he and his wife would take you and I would never have to worry about it again. As you can see, I took his offer. After you were born, Dan took you home and Karen immediately adopted you. She wanted to make it official that you were hers. And I never looked back…until now. I know it's harsh, but it took me 17 years to realize the mistake I made." Deb was now crying and Nathan was trying his hardest not to cry as well.

"So you just gave me up. You didn't once want to see me…for 17 years. Did you even see me after I was born?" He asked with a cold tone.

"No." She said simply, ashamed. "But I've realized that not keeping you, was the biggest mistake I've ever made. My biggest regret."

"That's nice. It's only took you 17 years to realize that." He stood up, "Well, I hope you had a good life." And started to walk away.

"Nathan…"

Nathan turned and looked back at Deb. "No…I want to thank you."

"Thank me?" She asked confused.

"Yeah. You helped me so much today. I just realized that if it wasn't for my mom and dad, I wouldn't even be here. So you see, they did give birth to me. Karen is my mom…completely." He turned to leave.

"Nathan, please." Deb was crying so much she could barely speak.

"No. I think my mom was right. You should leave. There's nothing for you here…there never was. Hey, at least you have something…a life full of mistakes and regret."

Nathan left Deb standing there alone and crying.