Nathan Scott took a sip from his water bottle, shaking his head in disgust and frustration. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe it was happening, what he was doing, what she was making him do.

"You okay, honey?" Haley asked, putting a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. "You're looking a little green."

"Don't ever say I don't love you," he grumbled.

"What do you mean?" she tried not to laugh.

Nathan looked around at his fiancée, the open dance studio and his instructor and friend, Brooke Davis.

"It's not that bad, Boytoy," she assured him with a dimpled grin and a wink.

Nathan was mortified. If Tim, Skills, Lucas and the guys could see him. He'd never hear the end of it. They would never let him live it down.

"Do we really have to do this?"

"Yes," Haley answered matter of factly. "It's really important to me, besides, you promised."

He sighed. Promised he had and he had never broken a promise in ten years to Haley. He loved her too damned much and that love was constantly getting him in the stickiest of predicaments, including Brooke's dance academy where she was preparing to teach him the Waltz for his wedding.

"Ready, Nate?" Brooke raised an eyebrow. "I promise I'll be gentle."

He trudged out to the floor with Haley watching eagerly.

"I can't believe I'm doing this. This is so gay."

"Assume the position," Brooke instructed. "Very good. On my count. 1-2-3, quick, quick, quick. You lead the first pattern, left, right, left, good, Nathan."

They glided awkwardly across the floor, with him doing the best he could. Nathan, a lover of hip hop music, had never been much of a dancer. Even when they had all gone out as a group to the clubs, mostly he had remained against the wall, drink in hand, bopping his head to the music until Haley practically had to drag him out to the floor with everyone else. Now on the most important day of their lives, to make his bride to be happy, he was learning the traditional dance she had dreamed of dancing to on her wedding day.

"Sorry," he muttered, stepping on Brooke's toes as Haley tried to stifle her laughter in the background.

"Ouch. My feet are like little canoes and you're working with two cruise liners the size of the Titanic. Remember what I said about dancing toe to toe? That's how we end up stepping on each other's feet. We have to Aim. We offset our bodies with my right foot in between your feet. That should keep me out of the ER for now," Brooke quipped.

They danced a little while longer, slowly getting better until Haley's cell phone rang and she excused herself to take the call outside.

"Thank God," Nathan muttered. "Can we take a break?"

"A small one," she agreed, tossing him a towel as they headed to sit it out on the sidelines.

"This is brutal."

"You're doing so much better. I'm serious. I'm really proud of you and so is Haley."

He relaxed a little.

"That's why I'm doing it."

"You're a good guy although I never really remember you dancing at TRIC. How come?"

Nathan laughed out loud.

"Because I sucked. That's why I kept my ass on the sidelines. Besides, Luke was always the good dancer."

Brooke's smile slowly faded. She remembered everything all of a sudden. She remembered junior year being young and carefree, having fun at TRIC, the teen nightclub Karen and Deb had established. They had lived for those Friday nights jamming with whatever live band Peyton had managed to book. It was well after her relationship with Lucas, a time when they were just friends, or so they thought. But the growing returning feelings had been there all along…and so had the attraction. Together they would dance in the club and she'd have to pretend it was just a dance. Only later at night and alone could she allow herself to enjoy how she really felt, how Lucas Scott made her feel. It had been so long ago.

"Yeah, um, I guess he was."

"You okay?" he noticed that far away look in her eye.

"Huh? Oh yeah. I'm fine."

Nathan nodded.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to…that doesn't bother you, does it?" he asked. "Bringing Lucas up?"

"Of course not," she dismissed the notion with the wave of her hand. "Don't worry about it. It was a long time ago. We were just kids then. A lot has changed."

A lot had changed.

"Yeah. He, um, I don't know if you know or not but he's gonna be in town soon. He's my Best Man."

"Of course he would be. He's your brother."

"You're here and Cameron is here and Luke and Peyton are gonna be there. I know it sounds crazy but Hales was starting to stress on it a little bit."

"It's fine. Trust me there is no reason to stress. Let bygones be bygones, right? I think we all moved on and now we're mature adults celebrating our best friends' wedding. It's gonna be fine, Nate."

He breathed a sigh of relief. He had felt that way but Haley's apprehension and uneasiness had started to weigh in on him.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

"No, I mean thanks for everything…for that, for these lessons, just for being a friend. I know I don't say things like this a lot but I'm glad you're back. It's been pretty cool."

Brooke smiled at him and squeezed his hand just as the large double doors opened.

"When the cat's away," Haley put her hands on her hips laughing. "You guys just had a break."

She was followed by Cameron as Nathan took one look at the clock and mouthed a silent prayer of thanks.

"Well, time to go," he grabbed his bag and Haley's hand in one motion. "Time's up."

"I will see you next week," Brooke laughed. "Remember…Aim."

"I didn't know you were taking dance lessons, man," Cameron frowned.

"Yeah and if you say anything to anybody, I'll kill you," Nathan bumped fists with him on the way out. "Later, guys."

The door shut and Cameron and Brooke were alone.

"It's the Waltz and it's for the wedding and Nathan is no Fred Astaire and he hates it," she giggled. "Don't even ask."

"I won't," he wrapped his arms around her. "It was late and my shoot ran over and I was driving by and I saw your car. I thought we'd go home together, maybe stop and grab a bite to eat."

"That sounds perfect, I am starving, babe," she began to clean up. "How did the shoot go?"

It was Cameron's first photography gig in North Carolina. He had been asked to take pictures of the area's beautiful scenery for vacation brochures.

"It was good," he shrugged. "We got a lot of good film and I made some money today, can't complain. I'm just happy to be working again."

He had been so busy helping Brooke with school and the house that he had selflessly put his own career on the backburner.

"What?" she wrapped her arms around him. "You don't like having your own personal Sugar Mama?"

He made a face as he pretended to ponder the situation.

"It has its moments," he grinned, lifting her off the floor as their lips met.

"I just thought of something," she said after a few kisses.

"Uh oh."

"Watching Haley drag poor Nathan out here kicking and screaming, all the time you and I have been together, you have never danced with me Cameron Drake."

"Yeah, I have. Remember that first time I took you back to Oklahoma with me?"

Brooke rolled her eyes.

"A drunken two step at a place called the Pig's Pen hardly counts, babe," she laughed before getting serious again. "Dance with me."

"Right here?"

"Right here, right now."

"Come on, Brooke, that's kind of silly."

"Why is it silly?"

Cameron looked around for an answer.

"Because I'm not a paying customer."

Licking her lips, she ran her hand down his back into the pocket where she knew he kept his wallet. She pulled out a one dollar bill before putting taking off the long shirt that had been covering her skimpy dance leotard. Grinning, the bill was placed between her breasts as she started up tempo music and beckoned him to join her.

"So now you're a paying customer. Let's Tango, Mr. Drake."

Reluctantly, Cameron joined her on the floor.

"You know, you drive a hard bargain, Miss. I mean, do you treat all your students like this?"

"Only the ones I like."

"I'm only doing it because you've got my dollar…and because you're half naked and you're pretty hot."

"Whatever works," she breathed as she guided him in the steps.

Like Nathan, he was a rhythm less novice but the mood had changed to a sexy one with the lights dimmed along with the excitement of the beat. Cameron tried his best as Brooke led him before eventually breaking off to a whole other solo dance. He watched her with pride, adoration and lust. Brooke Davis was an incredible woman with an even more incredible body. The way she worked it defied gravity. No one had ever been able to turn him on like she had. In every sense of the word, she personified sexy.

When it was over she ended, sweaty and panting back in his arms. It was such an erotic move, he wanted to take her then and there. It was almost impossible to control himself as they kissed and disrobed with a fury of passion. They had never been able to resist each other, a point made obvious as they made love right there in the middle of the studio. Cameron had always been a fantastic lover. He knew exactly what it took to please her and that had always been his number one priority.

"I think I like this whole Tango thing," he drawled in that southern accent as he tried to catch his breath afterwards.

"That's a new version," Brooke couldn't help but chuckle.

"You're amazing, you know that?" he rolled over and stroked her cheek.

Brooke had always been a beautiful woman but there was something special about the afterglow of their lovemaking, especially the way the dim light captured her essence.

"You're not so bad yourself," she leaned in and gave him a kiss. "I love you, Cameron. I mean that. I really, really love you."

He looked right in her eyes, pulling her closer.

"I love you, too, Pretty Girl."

Brooke felt her heart fall in the pit of her stomach as she sat right up using her shirt, to cover the exposed part of her chest.

"What, Cam, what did you say?"

"I said I love you."

No. He had said, 'I love you, Pretty Girl'. She'd heard that before. And she'd heard it from Lucas Scott.

"Cameron…"

"You alright, babe?"

She hadn't seen or thought of him in years. Lucas was a part of her past that had been awakened when she returned to Tree Hill. Secretly she had been bracing herself for that one awkward, long over due, glorious, horrible all at the same time moment when they would see each other again. She knew meeting at Nathan and Haley's wedding would be inevitable. She had tried to prepare herself for that. But she hadn't been prepared when Nathan had mentioned him out of the blue in their earlier conversation. And she hadn't been prepared when Cameron had used a phrase that once before, from another man's sweet lips, had nearly stopped her heart.

"Yeah. Um, Sorry, I, I'm fine."

Cameron gave her a smile, rubbing her bare shoulders.

"Come here," he held her close. "I love you.

She buried her face in his chest, closing her eyes. Perhaps she had underestimated the situation. Perhaps the ghosts of her past were a lot scarier than she gave them credit for.