Sorry this took so long.

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter 8: Dinner

Later that afternoon, Haley was in the kitchen baking a cake for later that night when Taylor walked into the kitchen still in her pajamas. She headed straight towards the coffee pot only grunting a hello at Haley as she passed her.

"Well good morning sunshine, or should I say afternoon? It is two o'clock you know," Haley said as she beat the cake batter. "Why are you so tired? It's not like you were out all night, you were actually in bed at a decent time."

"I'm not tired, my date for tonight just called and cancelled," Taylor said as she sat on the barstool next to Haley and started drinking her coffee.

"You mean your hook-up of the night cancelled?" Haley asked in a fake shocked voice. "No one ever cancels a hook-up with Taylor James, whore extraordinaire!"

"That's not a very nice thing to say to your older sister, true, but not nice," Taylor said as she and Haley both started laughing.

"Well that's too bad, guess you're stuck here having dinner with me, the girls, Lucas, and Brooke."

"So I guess you told him?" Taylor asked and Haley nodded. "So what did he say?"

"He was angry, furious actually, than he calmed down. He told me that I need to tell them who their father is."

"He's right," Taylor said. She had been trying to get Haley to tell the girls that 'the great Nathan Scott' was actually their father.

"I know he's right, I just can't bring myself to tell them. Especially not Savannah; she practically worships him and now he's her basketball coach. It's just so hard."

"I know it is, Hay, but you need to do it. They will figure it out if you don't."

"I sort of have to tell them now, since I told them that there's a possibility he could show up at the open mic night since he lives in Tree Hill."

"You told them that? That's a pretty big thing to tell them if you didn't even tell him about it. Especially for Sadie; you know that even though she "hates" her father she still wants to know him. She always has."

"I know that, I plan on talking to Nathan about it tomorrow. First I have to get through this dinner tonight with Luke and Brooke, and then we'll deal with that stuff."

"As long as you have a plan, Hay," Taylor said as she got up. She put her coffee mug in the dishwasher and then went upstairs leaving Haley with her thoughts. At the same time, Sadie and Savannah were outside. Savannah playing basketball on their personal court, and Sadie sitting on the bench next to the court, playing on her guitar. Both were unaware that the man who fathered them was watching as they both did what they loved.

From his bedroom window, Nathan sat looking at his daughters. His daughters. It sounded so new to him, so strange. Throughout the past 16 years there had always been a thought of 'what if?' What if he was wrong about not fathering a child? What if he had stayed with Haley when she came home? What if he never gave her an ultimatum in the first place? All these things had never left him alone, and now as a grown adult he realized how stupid and moronic he had been. I was an idiot…I'm still an idiot. Now, staring at the two young women next door, he knew he had to make it up to them. Somehow he had to finally become a father to his children, the ones who even from a second story window, he could see their eyes and it was like looking into a mirror. He had to live up to his mistakes. He hoped Haley would let him try, and he hoped his daughters would be able to forgive him over time.

At the same time at another Scott household…

"TWINS?" Brooke screamed at her husband and he flinched.

"Don't yell at me, I just found out too," Lucas said.

"I can't believe she wouldn't tell anybody that. How could she keep that big of a secret for 16 years? 16 YEARS! I will not go to dinner with her; she lied to us for so long."

"She had her reasons."

"There are no good reasons not to tell your friends and family that you had two babies instead of just one."

"Her reasons weren't the best reasons-"

"Of course they weren't," Brooke interrupted.

"But she never meant to hurt any of us," Lucas finished. "She just didn't want any reason for us to make her stay; she needed to get away from this place. All of the pain and memories were too much for her; and she wanted Nathan to know first." He could see Brooke start to cool down.

"I get that much, but she still could've told one of us at least."

"She tried to tell Nathan, but he wouldn't listen, I think my mom knew too."

"Fine, I'll go to dinner," Brooke sighed. She knew how it felt to want to escape from the hurt and memories. She's had that feeling 16 years ago when Lucas and Peyton hurt her.

"And be nice," Lucas added.

"I'm not making any guarantees."

"Brooke," Lucas warned.

"Fine, but you owe me."

Back with the other Scotts…

"So it's our uncle and aunt coming over tonight?" Savannah asked as she and Sadie helped their mother set the table.

"Yes, so be on your best behavior," Haley answered.

"But we're always on our best behavior," Savannah replied sarcastically.

"No wise cracks about your father."

"But Mom…"

"Don't 'but mom' me. Please for just one night. Do it for me," Haley pleaded.

"Fine," both girls replied.

"Now why don't you girls go up to your rooms and do something while I finish dinner. Come down when you hear the doorbell."

"Okay," both girls replied and went up to their rooms as Haley went to the kitchen. She was a little nervous about seeing Brooke again. They were never the best of friends, but they were getting closer before Haley left.

It was finally six o'clock, and the doorbell rang right on time. Sadie, Savannah and Taylor filed down one by one and when they were all in the foyer Haley opened the door.

"Come on in," she said as she ushered Brooke and Lucas into the house. "It's so good to see you again, Brooke!"

"It's good to see you too," Brooke replied, but Haley could tell it was forced sincerity.

"So this must be Sadie and Savannah," Lucas said as he gestured toward the girls.

"Yup, this is Sadie, Savannah, and I'm sure you remember Taylor," Haley said, gesturing toward each person as she said their names.

"How could I forget Taylor," Lucas said sarcastically. "How are you Taylor?"

"Good," she replied. "I'll be in the kitchen," she said and left the room.

"Girls, this is your Uncle Lucas and Aunt Brooke. I've known Lucas since were in elementary school, and Brooke since high school," Haley told her daughters.

"We know, you've told us about them before," Savannah told her mother.

"And we've seen pictures," Sadie added. Haley gave them a quick tour of the house, put dinner on the table, and then they all sat down. Conversation was minimal from Brooke who tried to keep her mouth shut to not say anything bad to Haley. Lucas and Haley talked a bit, and Lucas had been asking the girls a lot of questions.

"So what do you girls like to do for fun?" he asked them.

"I play basketball," Savannah answered. "I got a spot on the Ravens girls' varsity team."

"I used to play for the Ravens," Lucas responded. "I haven't played in a long time though."

"Why did you stop playing?" Sadie asked.

"I found out that I had inherited a heart condition from my father that doesn't allow me to play any sports."

"If you're our uncle doesn't that mean we could have it?" Savannah asked, fearing she may not be able to play sports either.

"Don't worry, I had both of you tested when you were younger and neither of you have it," Haley said, calming both girls' fears.

"I sing, play piano and guitar, sometimes I tutor, and I'm a cheerleader," Sadie said, getting back onto the previous topic.

"I was a cheerleader all through high school and college," Brooke threw into the conversation.

"Good thing you girls didn't inherit your mothers clumsiness. She can't even walk a straight line without falling over," Lucas said.

"Ha ha Luke, I'm not that bad. I didn't mess up when I filled in at the cheerleading competition, and I've never fallen on stage or anything."

"You were a cheerleader, mom?" Sadie asked almost spitting out her food she had just chewed, and Taylor almost spit out her drink.

"You never told me about that," she said once she swallowed what was in her mouth.

"But you are a klutz, you fall all the time around the house, or in the grocery store, or the mall, or-" Savannah listed, and Haley interrupted.

"Okay that's enough, Savannah. And it was only one day I was a cheerleader. One of the girls was sick with chicken pox, so I stepped in and took her spot for the day."

The conversation progressed nicely, but Haley could tell it was about to get ugly by the way Brooke was trying so hard to keep her mouth shut.

"Girls, why don't you take your cake upstairs and watch a movie in my room or something," Haley said and they did as she asked. Once they were out of hearing range, "Say what you want to say Brooke, I know you've been biting your tongue all night."

"I'm going to go make sure the girls are actually upstairs," Taylor said and they heard feet scamper up the stairs. "Okay, I guess I'll just make sure they stay upstairs."

"I cannot believe you kept the fact that you had twins a secret for 16 years. I can't believe you actually kept it a secret at all. We all had a right to know, to visit, or get a phone call or something. You probably would have kept it to yourself even longer if you didn't come back to Tree Hill."

"I don't know why you're so upset, Brooke. We were never even that good of friends."

"You still kept it from Luke, and Peyton. You were friends with both of them. An what about Nathan, he had a right to know too, since they are his daughters."

"I tried to tell Nathan, he just chose not to listen."

"They deserve to know that he's their father too."

"I know, I'm working up to it, I just can't tell them. It's too hard."

After a little more discussion, Brooke and Lucas left and Haley went upstairs. The girls were in her room watching a movie, she laid down and the girls both moved closer and rested their heads on her shoulders.

"Are you okay mom?" Sadie asked.

"No, but I will be," Haley answered and watched the rest of the movie with them.