Author: Lovers-Heart

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Some characters are made up, the others belong to the CW and the fictional world they create. The idea for the story comes of the plot of 'The Family Man' but is changed to my own writing style and inspiration.

Synopsis: Nathan Scott had all he ever wanted. He was rich, famous and the crowd loved him. One day however he wakes up to a whole new life and a whole new family. Will he adapt to his life as a husband and a father or will he do his best to go back to his old life? Will Nathan find his way back to normal or will he find something even better? Fact is... He is the one person who gets an answer to the question we are all thinking about: what if?

Second life, first love

Nathan had dialled the one number he knew by heart ever since he was little: that of his parents. His mother had been someone who was always there for her children and she had always given the best kind of advice. He supposed it hadn't changed that much in this other world. Karen Roe Scott was the one person who had never failed to disappoint him and he knew he could count on her even if his life depended on it. He was so relieved to hear her voice that he almost forgot to speak.

'Mom?'

'Nathan? Is that you? Is everything ok?'

'Yes. I was wondering if you would be ok with me coming over for a little while?'

'You know it's never a problem when one of my children wants to come over. Nothing has happened though with Haley and the children?'

Nathan had to force himself to not let out a sigh. Even his mother believed that he had a wife and children who belonged to them. It was enough to convince him that something had indeed changed while he was asleep. His mother had always been the voice of reason and he doubted that she would ever fail to be as such to him. He had however some questions and he believed that she was the best person to ask them to. The others would question him and his sanity and it was enough to bring him a headache before he had even started this day. He realized however that his mother was still on the phone and she waited for an answer. She had asked about his so-called wife and children. All of them had seemed fine this morning but he wasn't an expert on the matter. Nevertheless, he doubted that anything had changed since then.

'No. Nothing is wrong with them.'

'Such a relief. Just come over when you want to, I will be in the café for the entire morning.'

'Thanks mom. Just one question though: do I have to drive far before I get there?'

'Honey, what are you talking about? Your house is just three blocks away from Main Street. You could even run or walk if you wanted to. Are you sure nothing is amiss?'

'I will tell you when I get there. Love you, mom.'

'Love you too, sweetie. Talk to you soon.'

-xxx-

Before leaving the house, Nathan decided to help himself with the pancakes. Even though he could eat something in his mother's café as well, he knew it would be rude not to eat the ones his wife had made him. He hadn't realized how much he had missed home cooked meals before his first bite. Living in NY for all those years had made him grow accustomed to take-outs and restaurants and it was a rare occasion that he ate something someone made especially for him. As soon as he was done, he put on some sneakers and a sweater before he opened the door. He had grown up in Tree Hill so he knew all there was to know about the town. Even though his parents had never forced him to work in order to get some more money, he still had had a paper round because he had loved the stillness and the quietness in which the work could be done. It was so different from the cheers of the crowd and he believed that had been his real attraction towards the job. Due to his paper round, he knew most of the neighbourhoods in Tree Hill and he was thus able to tell where he was. The house stood in one of the finer neighbourhoods and it was both expensive and elegant. It breathed an air of cosiness and warmth, which was enforced by the nice front garden covered in lilies and purple flowers.

His mother had been right. It was just a mere three blocks away from Main Street and the café where she worked. It would have taken less than five minutes with a car, but Nathan didn't want to lose even more time. He hoped that the walk would clear his brain.

-xxx-

Less than an hour later and Nathan's brain had become even more confused. He had been pleased to see his mother because it had been almost six months since he last saw her, but it seemed as if she had seen him more often than he had seen her. He blamed it all on this other world. He had asked for some explanations, claiming that he had fallen on his head during practice. She had been nothing but sweet and concerned, emotions that he had craved ever since he woke up that morning. She had told him about his marriage and the birth of his three children. It seemed as if he had been nothing less than a wonderful husband and father, something which his mother believed to be the sole contribution of his wife. He had created a family for himself, yet he knew nothing about them.

His mother had advised him to tell Haley all about his current state of mind but how could he tell her when he wasn't even certain about his feelings and his memories? What if his previous life had only been a dream? What if he was meant for this life? What if he had gotten a chance to discover something new and wonderful? There were so many 'what ifs' and so little answers to them. For the time being, he would try to adapt and see what this life would bring him. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all.

-xxx-

"This was definitely bad" Nathan thought. Five minutes after he had gotten home from the café, Haley had appeared with the message that she had to leave for school and Catherine, or Katie as she insisted to be called, had been left with him for the afternoon.

"Hi daddy. How was basketball practice? I missed you so much."

Nathan looked at the little girl in wonderment. Even though she claimed to be his daughter, he could see nothing of himself in her, except for her eyes. They were as blue as his were. The rest of her appearance however was the exact replica of young and innocent Haley James. She had the same chestnut curls as her mother and her smile was as cute as he had thought Haley's to be. There was therefore no doubt in his mind that she was the daughter of his previous friend. He was however not so certain of the fact that he was her father. He remembered that the toddler was still staring at him.

"Basketball practice was excellent, Katie. Thanks for asking."

He told her the truth as best as he could. Basketball practice and the game afterwards had been even greater than he had expected them to be. He had been so glad with the outcome but it had all changed when he woke up the next day. Katie however had no idea what was going on and he couldn't blame the innocent toddler for the troubles he went through. He saw her sad expression and immediately became concerned.

"What is wrong?"

"You didn't ask me how much I missed you, daddy! You always ask me how much I miss you."

Nathan sighed. He had hurt her feelings and he felt horrible for doing so. Based on her troubled expression and sad voice, it seemed as if he (or whoever he was in this world) never forgot to ask her such things and it pained him to see her hurt. Even though he had no real memories of her, he could clearly see how much she cared for him and that feeling was too wonderful to let go of. Besides, he hated to see a child hurt, no matter who her parents were or weren't.

"I am sorry. Practice must have worn me out. Now tell me, how much did you miss me?"

"To the moon and back, daddy!" She said with a huge grin, smiling up at him.

Nathan couldn't help himself. He began smiling as soon as he heard her say that because he had never heard such a wonderful thing before. Even though he had lived in NY, no one had ever told him how much he was missed and he hadn't know how much he needed to hear that. His parents and his brother visited him occasionally but they all led separate lives. Now he finally had someone who loved him and missed him while he was away. He couldn't deal with these new emotions, so he did the next best thing. He began tickling the toddler and smiled when he heard her laughter. Maybe this life wasn't so bad after all.