I want to thank all my reviewers. They have been great, it gives me hope and makes me proud! Anywayz, sorry it takes a few days for me to update. Had surgery a couple weeks ago and I am trying to get my school work caught back up, plus I work at nights. My professors are understanding but I don't know for how long. One thing though, guess what? Guess. I don't work again until Friday. YAY!!! So maybe, just maybe, I might get to update a lil sooner. Anyways, thanks a bunch. Now onto the story...

"If you want that relationship, then you best prove you're ass that you want it." Nathan walked to the River court where all the guys were. He wanted that relationship more then ever. Every night he would lay awake and think about his son. He'd think about Haley. It was just, nobody knew what happened. He didn't care to tell.

The look in his son's eyes, when he heard about the dad's teaching. That look caused a pain in Nathan. It caused the pain that he knew he had caused James and Hales. The two people that meant everything to him. No one knew that though. Lately all he could do was keep to himself. No one cared. No one wanted to care. No one cared three years ago, when he disappeared. No one asked why. If only... "Damn YOU NATE DO NOT GO THERE!" Nathan yelled at himself.

When he arrived at the court, he seen Whitey and the team and the kids. In particular his kid. He was teaching another little boy some pointers. He heard him holler "Uncle Luke! Alex wants to do like you! Uncle like you." Luke knelt down and let that Alex kid climb on his shoulder, James handed him the ball. This brought back memories to Nathan.

Flashback

It was around 8 in the morning, in the middle of August. James was two and had woke up early wanting to go to the court, so Hales and Nate called up Brooke and Lucas. They all decided to go. Nate and Luke always played an easy game at the River court once or twice a month, because Lucas missed it and it helped keep his mind off of never getting to play pro.

Nathan glanced over at Haley. She was awesome. She was gorgeous and she was his. His two year old boy was sitting on the bleachers in between his mom and aunt Brooke, paying absolutely no attention to them, but his eyes were watching his daddy. Nathan smiled and gave him a thumbs up.

He stole the ball from Luke. Tore across court, jumped in the air and SLAM! He hung on the net for a sec or two and dropped when he heard Haley screaming. "JAMES ALLAN SCOTT!! GET BACK..."

"Like DADDY. I wanna do like daddy." James ran up to Nate and pulled onto his shirt. "Like you daddy. Like you!" Nate picked up his boy and put him on his shoulders. Luke gave him the ball.

Nathan walked over to the net and let James put the ball in. "Now James grab onto the net, daddy won't let you get hurt." His son grabbed the rim and held on as long as he could. Which in all honesty wasn't that long. He let go. "I DID DADDY! I DID LIKE YOU!"

Nathan pulled his excited son into a big hug. "Yes you did. That's my lil' man."

End Flashback

"You know Scott, you're son can't learn nothing if you aren't out there teaching him."

Nathan turned around and saw Coach Whitey. "He doesn't want me. He wants Luke. He said so himself."

"Nate, listen to me. That kid adores you. Or what you once were to him. He's shy. He's scared, what five year old wouldn't be? Take little steps at a time. You're not Dan, so don't be like him." With that said, Whitey walked off.

Nathan took a deep breath and smiled his pride. He remembered when it came to kids, you could have no pride. Baby steps. He kept telling himself over and over. He got to the court just as James through the ball at the pole, and stomped his feet. Nathan didn't say a word, just went and picked up the ball. He put it in James's little hands, got them in the position and helped him throw it. He did that a couple more times and then stood back and watched him do it on his own. He made it and started to grin.

James turned around and looked at his dad. Nathan the eyes that matched his own. Except instead of seeing nothing but hurt and pain, he saw them sparkle. They looked like the eyes of the little boy so long ago. He smiled a half smile, more of the Scott smirk and started shooting again. Making it every time.

I had just got done with the cheerleading practice of the night with the girls. They did great. I had left Riley at Brooke's and went for a walk. I had no idea where I was going but I ended up at the River court. I stood almost shocked at what I saw. I watched Nathan and our son. Nate was helping him learn the shot, that he had never been able to do. Not one word was spoken between the two, but when he started to do it by himself, he turned around and looked at his dad. Haley smiled as she seen the infamous Scott smirk on her boy's face. Just like his dad.

I walked towards Nathan who was watching his boy. "Thanks." I said and he turned to look at me questionably.

"He has never been able to make that shot. He would get so mad at school, throw his little tantrum. I couldn't teach it to him. So thanks."

"Hales, about earlier.."

"No Nate. I'm still upset, I will be for awhile. I told you if you want a relationship with your kid, you have to do it yourself. Just to let you know, one basket aint going to change everything."

Nathan just nodded and went quiet. They just stood there watching their boy practice. Haley was watching both their boys. In time Nathan would know, but first he had to try and mend the heart that he broke with James, because if that wasn't on the mend, the other two wouldn't want a relationship with Nathan either. They followed by their brother's example. And plus, Haley figured Nathan needed to repair the first relationship before making anymore. She wanted to see how he acted to James, before she let him around the twins, whose hearts and minds had been somewhat spared the pain.

"What are you thinking about Hales?"

Haley turned and looked into his intense eyes. "How wonderful he looks out there. You?"

"One of the last times I took him here. When he ran onto the court saying he just wanted to be like me. Just wanted to do what I did. It made me so happy that day to hear him say those words. To hear the excitement in his voice when he did it."

"Everything back then was just like dad. He wanted to eat his breakfast just like you, wanted to watch TV just like you. Wanted to shower just like you."

"He did didn't he? He even wanted to go to work just like me." Nathan sighed as they remembered.

Flashback

It was about six o'clock in the morning and Haley and Nathan were freaking out. Nathan was going to be late for work, but he didn't care. There two year old son was missing. "Nathan, where is he? Where'd he go? Where's our little boy?" Haley wailed. She had gotten up with Nathan and went James' room to wake him up so he could eat breakfast with his dad and tell him bye. But he wasn't in there.

They couldn't find him anywhere. They had looked all over for him. They had searched the entire two bedroom apartment for thirty minutes, but no James.

"C'mon Little Man! Where are you at? It's not hide and seek time. You don't want to make daddy late for work do you?" Nathan was also getting frantic and then they heard it. Something in the front room closet. They opened the door and there stood James.

He was kind of terribly dressed, he had tried to put on his tux by himself. He had on a pair of Nathan's shoes and one of Nathan's briefcases in his hand.

"Sowwy, daddy."

"What were you doing in there? And what are you doing in that suit?" Haley looked up at Nathan and then back at their son.

"Mon, Daddy. We gonna be wate. I go work. Jus like you daddy."

End Flashback.

Haley laughed at the memory and shivered a little bit because she was getting cold. Nathan gave him her coat. James didn't even get in trouble that day because it was just so darn cute. The boys started to load back up in the van and Haley turned around and looked at Nathan. "You know Nate, he still wants to be like you. Just not this you." With that she handed him back his jacket and walked away.