Brooke stood out on the side walk in front of her apartment complex with her arms wrapped around her waist trying to fight off the chill of the December afternoon. The clouds were overcast and it was abnormally cold out but then she considered that the cold may have been coming from her heart. Peyton's words those three days ago had sunk deep. Would Nathan leave her when he was out from under the black clouds that seemed to hover over him in Tree Hill? She had seen how he had come out of his shell in Ashville, would the freedom of college make him want to see what else was out there?

"Brooke," she turned as she heard her name. Nathan jogged up to her and wrapped his arms around her before laying a kiss on her that made her mind spin around and her heart start to pound. He pulled back and pushed her wind tousled hair from her face, "sorry I'm late!"

"It's okay," she smiled up at him and then let him wrap her in his warm embrace.

"She's not here yet," Nathan wondered, looking around.

"No, she will be soon though, she wouldn't miss Winter Formal or the plan for anything," Brooke replied.

"Hey," Nathan gently lifted her chin so she was looking into his eyes, "you okay, baby?"

She smiled, loving it when he called her by that endearment, "yeah, just tired and frustrated."

"I know," he showed his sympathy by rubbing her back.

Brooke hid her face in his chest, "I don't want to see your father."

"Trust me, I don't want you anywhere near him either but my mother insists on meeting you and Dad probably loves your status more than he loves me or my mother. Plus, it's only one dinner and Rachel will be there!"

Before Brooke could respond a flashy red Mercedes Benz convertible came to a screeching halt in front of them. Rachel Gattina smiled at them before cutting the ignition and getting out.

"Hey, cow," she said in greeting.

Brooke smiled and gave her old friend a long hug, "hey, thunder thighs."

"I don't think that is good for either of your levels of confidence," Nathan told Rachel as she threw herself into his arms.

Rachel smiled into his eyes, "I have too much confidence to worry."

Brooke smacked Rachel's ass, "come on inside you hussy, it's freezing out here."

"Can you grab my bags please," Rachel asked Nathan before pushing the button on her key chain that popped the trunk.

Nathan rolled his eyes as he looked at the six bags but dutifully carried them all inside. When he finally joined the girls at the kitchen table they were speaking very quietly and very seriously. He poured himself some of the sweet tea Brooke had made that day and listened as Rachel continued her story. He was pleased that she considered him enough of a friend to have a very personal conversation in front of.

"So I told them that as far as I was concerned they didn't have to worry. They've never spared me a moment before I don't know why they should try to start now," Rachel concluded, her face dark and angry.

Brooke put her hand over Rachel's, "I know they're frustrating you, Rach, but you've got to try and compromise or they'll take you out of Ashville so quickly your head will be spinning for a week."

"My dad got a job in California and want me to move out there," Rachel filled Nathan in.

"What does it matter if you go or not? Either way you're at a sleep away boarding school, they might as well let you ride out high school," Nathan commented.

"That's what I said," Brooke told him.

"My parents feel the need to show their parental superiority every few years by uprooting me and making me go through the whole process of fitting in again!"

"Something tells me you fit in either way," Nathan complimented her with a smirk.

She grinned back at him, "have I mentioned how much I like you Nate?"

"Back off, he's mine," Brooke warned teasingly before rising, "we have the formal tonight, did you bring the dresses?"

"What dresses," Nathan asked.

Rachel smirked deviously, "the dresses we wore to our sophomore homecoming that made the freshmen faint, the upperclassmen drool and the faculty consider statutory."

"Do I want to know," he asked.

"Just let it be a surprise. B said that you have practice for tomorrow's game and then you're going home to shower before meeting us at the school," Rachel was nothing if she wasn't a stickler for well planned strategies.

"Yeah, do you want me to meet you outside," he asked.

"No, go inside so you can see our entrance, it'll be very," Rachel paused and grinned at Brooke, "very stimulating."

"I'm worried," Nathan admitted before rising. He gave Rachel a hug and then took Brooke into his arms for a kiss that lingered. She felt so right!

"I love you," she whispered against his lips.

He smiled and kissed her again, more thoroughly, "I'll see you tonight."

After Nathan had left, closing the door behind him Rachel rose and went to where Brooke was beginning their dinner, "what's bugging you, lil bit?"

Brooke smiled, Rachel had been calling her lil bit since they were in seventh grade math and had became friends instead of enemies. She only used the term when they were alone and no one was around to witness her softness.

"Remember the argument I told you about with Peyton a few days ago," she asked.

"Did that bitch upset you because I'll pop off immediately if necessary," Rachel told her very seriously.

Brooke began to cut up some vegetables for the stir fry she was going to make and paused long enough to gather her thoughts. Finally she looked up at Rachel, "she said that once Nathan experiences life outside of Tree Hill on a daily basis he'd leave me to see what else he has missed out on."

"Yeah, right! Do you even see the way that boy looks at you? And beside that he was at the club and barely spared a glance at the group let alone other girls!"

"I don't want to hold him back," Brooke admitted, "he deserves to be happy, even if that means he decides to be with someone else."

"Well either way college is a year and a half away and you still got problems today," Rachel had a way of putting things into perspective.

"You're right," Brooke admitted, there was no use in borrowing trouble, "so…Rach…"

"Whatever you want to ask, just ask!"

Brooke grinned, "when are you going to give Jake some slack and get with him?"

Rachel groaned as she opened the refrigerator, she cooed when she saw the bottle of Sangria, Brooke turned from the stove where she had just thrown her veggies into the pan, "I'm going to ask again if you don't answer. It's not like you to not have an answer."

"I can't," Rachel admitted, she sucked her teeth as she thought, "I've thought about it a million times. I would love to take that step but I'm just not capable of being with a man in a relationship."

"You've never tried," Brooke argued.

"I'm the dysfunctional result of two very selfish people who should have never had children. It's hard for me to find enough peace in myself and who I am to be a close friend to you and the group."

"One day he is going to move on, not from your friendship but from his romantic interest, he wants love," Brooke spoke softly but didn't look into her. Saying that sentence had been hard for her, but it had been harder for her to see her two friends separated by a huge chasm of doubt.

Rachel finally slid herself up onto the counter top and took a sip of the wine straight from the bottle, "I want him to be happy, I want him to be in love."

"And I want you to be happy and in love. You're my best friend, Rachel, I wish for happiness for you every time I pray," Brooke told her as she stirred the simmering veggies.

"I will be, as soon as we bring Tree Hill down a peg or two," Rachel successfully ended the conversation.

Brooke conceded her closing of the conversation, "all hell is going to break loose."

"Don't worry," Rachel told her, "I'm here, and I'm the ruler of hell."

XOXOXOXOXO

Nathan stood in the middle of cafeteria where all of the lunch tables had been cleared. The room actually looked pretty big and fancy decorated in blue and white. He had only been at the dance for ten minutes but he felt everyone looking at him with questions in their eyes. Where was Brooke? Had she already left him? He felt their questions and laughter echoing in his bones. He remembered in sixth grade when Lucas and the guys had broke his right arm, he had been right handed but had learned to write with his left hand. By the time they got the cast off he had been unable to write anything with his right hand. His bones literally echoed of a past of abuse. Sometimes he felt very, very old.

Peyton approached him and he sighed with resignation. She looked him over in his suit, "you look lonely, Nathan."

"I'm not," he replied.

"Where's your girlfriend? Playing you for the field all ready?"

"Actually, she's on her way," Nathan pointed toward the door just in time for Peyton to gasp and for his jaw to drop down to the ground.

Brooke and Rachel stood side by side, staring down the population of Tree Hill High, and they looked amazing doing it. Rachel had her hair up in some messy, controlled look, and Brooke had hers curling all around, but their faces looked beautiful as well. They weren't caked with make up the way Peyton's was, they were pretty close to natural except with a glow, a glow that Nathan usually only saw after sex, he wanted to kiss the hell of Brooke at that moment. But what made everyone appreciate them was their dresses. Rachel was wearing a dress that could barely be labeled a dress, it was strapless, emerald green, that had a cut down the front that showed off ample cleavage and barely stretched to her thighs and covered her ass. Brooke, always the slightly reserved of the duo, was in a rhinestone pink dress that gently showed off her breasts while hugging every curve on her body. They both wore matching patent leather shoes that he heard some girl grasp out, "Jimmy Choo!"

"Is that girl in the green wearing Versace," he heard another girl ask.

"Is Brooke wearing Vivienne Westwood," another asked.

He finally understood, the dresses really did make them look amazing but they wore them because they were top shelf expensive dresses with equally as expensive shoes.

Brooke spotted him and motioned for Rachel to walk toward him. As they approached him he squared his shoulders to show off the expensive cut of his suit.

"Hey, Nate, I missed you," Brooke gently pulled his head down for a kiss that melted a portion of his head.

He grinned down at her, "that kiss was a promise that I intend on collecting on tonight."

"Can I watch," Rachel asked with a mischievous grin.

Nathan gave her a hug, "and you look superb, of course!"

Rachel's smile brightened, "I know."

Nathan laughed at her audacity but didn't take his attention from the people around them. They were voicing their curiosity about Rachel's identity and their little trio in general.

"So, point them out," Rachel told Brooke after she returned from getting them some well spiked drinks.

Brooke looked around and then smiled at the group that was the basketball team and cheerleaders, she motioned toward them, "those are our golden group members."

"Let me guess, over processed blond is our Peyton," Rachel questioned.

"That's what I said," Brooke told her.

Nathan just shook his head at their similar thoughts, "right next to her is Haley the guy she's talking to is Lucas."

"Well I certainly expected better," Rachel admitted.

"Haley is formidable, and something tells me she's my real opponent," Brooke told her.

Rachel gulped down the rest of her drink and winked at Brooke, "ready?"

"I was born ready," Brooke replied, she looked at Nathan, "got your part down, baby cakes?"

"Just watch out, they have a few surprise punches lined up I'm sure."

Brooke went to the middle of the dance floor and chose an AV geek to dance with. He sputtered in utter disbelief before nodding his head vigorously and beginning to dance. Brooke was pleasantly surprised by his dance moves and told him so.

"It's not that I don't have moves it's that no one has ever asked to see them," he explained.

Rachel in turn selected a boy that seemed like the broody, loner type. After a bit of coaxing he finally joined her in a dance and surprised her with a smile that suggested a deep gratitude.

After a few more dances with a few more non-socialites Brooke and Rachel went to the drink table to meet up with Nathan. He had their drinks ready and was all ready sipping his third.

"I've never seen those guys so happy," Nathan commented.

Rachel shrugged, "I bring joy into everyone's life."

Brooke rolled her eyes but then grinned, "part one accomplish, we have an approach at twelve o'clock."

Rachel watched as the group approached the three of them from her peripheral vision. Finally the group of five stopped. Peyton looked Rachel over, "who are you?"

"Those guys were sweet," Rachel told Brooke, completely ignoring Peyton.

"Excuse me, your little friends must have not told you. I rule this sch-"

Rachel turned to her and met her gaze with a look in her eyes that made the words die on Peyton's lips. Finally she spoke, "I'm Rachel Gattina, and you don't speak to me."

"You were in the cheerleading photo with Brooke," Haley finally remembered where she had seen her.

Rachel looked her over, a scowl on her face, "you don't either. You however, can speak to me…privately if you'd like."

Lucas' eyebrows shot up to his hair line at Rachel's comment. Nathan stifled a chuckle, "Rachel, this is Peyton, Haley, Lucas, Skillz and Bevin."

"Like I said," Rachel purred at Lucas, "you can speak to me."

"Excuse me," Peyton announced.

Rachel barely spared her a glance, "you're excused. Now if you four wouldn't mind excusing me and this fine looking specimen."

"That is my boyfriend," Peyton spat out but she also clutched Lucas' arm tightly.

"Oh," Rachel looked appropriately disappointed, "you're that Lucas. Well in that case you can't speak to me either, but you can go fuck yourself. No one likes a bully."

"Who do you think you are to come to my school and talk to me and my friends like this?"

"Who do you think you are to dictate everyone's lives. Hate to break it to you sweetheart, but that kind of responsibility tends to make you a bitch!"

Brooke stepped forward dutifully, "now Rachel, you know what we learned in eighth grade etiquette. A good southern lady never reveals her feelings of anger and frustration."

"What's this new game, Brooke," Haley asked.

"It's called the rise up of the underdog and the destruction of the oppressor, do you like the title," Brooke asked.

Haley considered her, "you can't win this."

"Win what exactly," she asked, "win the right to be treated like a human being? It seems to me that this little group expects everyone to bow down to them. All I want to do is be treated fairly and in return be a good human and treat everyone else the same."

Haley opened her mouth and then closed it again. Brooke was right, this one was smart, Rachel thought to herself. She refused to say anything because it was a double edged sword. Everyone was listening, if she said that she disagreed then everyone would think she had verbalized her own ideation. If she agreed then she would be considered a hypocrite the next time she struck out at Brooke or Nathan.

However, as expected, Peyton proved to be too much of a speed demon to slow down and really listen. She took a step forward and threatened, "you just want to show off your vast wealth! Look at you in your Jimmy Choos and designer dresses!"

Good parlay, Rachel thought, but highly anticipated. Now for the final touch, Rachel thought as she finished her drink. She put down her cup and cleared her throat, "the Jimmy Choos are nice touches but also bargain basement, go to A.J. Wright tomorrow and you'd see them on sale for seventy bucks. As for the dresses, both were designed by Brooke and hand stitched by the both of us. But we think they look couture as well."

As the three of them left the dance they sealed the first portion of the plan. They infiltrated themselves with the regular people of TH High, they showed themselves to be self-sufficient despite their money and they had forced Haley, the formidable foe, into a corner.

XOXOXOXOXO

"I don't wanna go," Brooke exclaimed with a mean pout and the saddest face she could muster. However, Nathan gently, yet firmly, pushed her into the front seat of his car.

"I know, I don't want to go either," he agreed when he sat in the driver's side.

Rachel was in the back filing one of her fingernails, "Brooke I haven't seen you this unhappy since Victoria Secret cancelled the chocolate flavored lip gloss."

"Can it Rach," Brooke retorted, her unease growing.

"What's so bad about the guy, minus the leaving Lucas and his mom thing," Rachel inquired.

"Do you need more than that," Nathan wondered out loud as he negotiated the turns and curves leading to his house.

"I'm just saying that on a daily basis someone's father or mother is leaving them in someone else's care and moving on with their lives. Why does that make Dan the most evil man in the world? He didn't force Lucas to start playing the evil Robin Hood."

Brooke giggled at Rachel's new nickname for Lucas and Nathan just shook his head in consternation. Rachel had a way, despite her obvious biases, of making things clear. 99% of the things in her life were probably cut and dry, black and white. He wished that he had the ability to pull it together so well.

"He's the one who gave me those bruises when we first met," Nathan told her.

There was silence, a deep long silence and then suddenly Rachel's face was between the two front seats, "he did what? How the hell could you have not told me Brooke?"

"It wasn't mine to tell, just like stuff other people tell me aren't mine to tell," Brooke told her, conveying herself quite clearly through her eyes.

"I'll kill him, I can't stand child beaters," Rachel hissed.

"I'm not a child," Nathan argued.

Rachel's eyes softened for a moment before regaining their custom hardness, "you'll always be his child, as much as I'll always be my parent's child."

"Okay," Brooke clapped her hands lightly and donned her most respectable Southern belle voice, "Rachel and I will be wooing your family for a few hours and then we'll help with the cleanin, get things spick and span, and we'll be gone before you know it!"

Rachel sat back in her seat with a roll of her eyes and resumed filing her nails. Nathan's hands relaxed against the wheel. With Rachel and Brooke there he didn't know how he could lose.

Despite the beautiful table set up that Nathan's mother had prepared Dan's presence was enough to deflate most of everyone's moods. After thoroughly ridiculing everything Deb made and all of Nathan's games thus far in the season he turned his attention to Brooke and made Nathan's skin crawl. He had no idea when the savage need to protect her had set in so thickly, coating everything in him.

"Ms Davis, why in the world did your parents let you leave the prestigious Ashville for Tree Hill?"

Brooke dabbed at her mouth with her napkin before replying, she had learnt that Dan Scott prized good Southern manners of the gentile persuasion, "it was a mutual decision based on less than appropriate circumstances. I learned my lesson to say the least."

"Did those less than appropriate circumstances have to do with Alex Rivera," Dan asked.

Brooke's eyes hardened for one moment before gentling again, "he was one of the reasons for certain."

"What do you think of Tree Hill so far with the ever brooding Lucas," Dan wondered.

Nathan and Deb gapped at him. He never ever mentioned Lucas, Nathan couldn't recall one time in his life. He had always known that they were brothers because Deb had told him but Dan never spoke of him.

"I think his resemblance to his father is uncanny," Brooke replied before taking another sip of her soup.

Deb nodded her head a bit before returning her own attention to the soup she had prepared. When Dan proved to still be at a loss for words, his gaze sizing up Brooke's gaze, Deb grinned, "I see that every wonderful thing Nathan has told me about you is true Brooke."

Dan nodded his head, she was a worthy adversary. Her spoken words told him she wouldn't run around spreading any tales that he'd have to extinguish. Her unspoken words told him she was smart and wasn't quick to make her moves. She said Lucas resembled him, she was wrong. Lucas was a card player, quick and always ready to move, accepting loss in the very way he played the game. Brooke was more like him. She was a chess player, she took her time, analyzed every move she could make and he could make. Failure wasn't acceptable.

"I like her," Dan told Nathan finally, "you have my blessing."

Nathan looked at his father like he had sprouted wings, "I wasn't looking for your blessing Dad."

"Well you have it," and just like that brought his attention to the food at hand.

As Rachel, Brooke and Nathan left for the night Rachel grinned and almost skipped to the car, "Brooke you completely shocked him, he never saw you coming."

"Let's just get out of here," Brooke replied, she quickly got into her side of the car and tried not to look back at Dan, knowing he was standing in the doorway staring.