Thanks everyone for reading, special thanks to aniki19, Long Live BRUCAS, sunshine and thunderincrimson! I only got this out for you guys!

-o0o-

When he called her, later, she was frantic, angry. "Lucas Scott!" she shouted into her cell and he flinched. Before he could explain anything to her though, Brooke talked over him, "I tried to call you. Like, 20 times? And NOW you finally found the time to call back? - You knew it was my birthday! My birthday, Lucas! "

"Brooke, please, I'm sorry…"

"Sorry doesn't cut it, Lucas. I thought we were going to do something special for it. I thought… Gosh, how stupid was I? Thinking that for once in my life my birthday wouldn't suck completely - because this time I'd spend it with you? - You know what? I shouldn't even be talking to you. You'd better have a damn good explanation or-"

Lucas lost his patience. The events of the day were finally catching up with him for real. He couldn't help blurting out way too loudly, "Does my brother and my father being interrogated by the police right now count as a good explanation? Does Dan being a friggin' abusive dad count as a good explanation?"

"Oh gosh, Luke, are you okay?"

"Does that sound like a good enough excuse for you, Brooke?"

Suddenly, he heard her make a sniffling sound and he knew that she had started to cry. Instantly, he felt bad. He shouldn't have yelled at her. After all she didn't know.

"Oh, Lucas, I'm… so sorry. I didn't - I wasn't…"

Sighing, he forced himself to calm down. He was still sitting at the police station, waiting for Keith and Nathan to return from being questioned. He was worried and tired, and all he wanted was for everything to finally be over.

"No," he said after having listened to Brooke's silent crying for a few seconds, "I'm sorry, babe. I shouldn't have yelled at you. It's just… Everything is falling apart. I should have been there for Nate, but I wasn't. You should have seen him. And Dan…"

"I'm so sorry. - Do you want me to come over? Is there anything I can do?"

He smiled, sadly. "Just don't be mad at me anymore, okay? I promise I'll make it up to you. But right now, I really have to be there for Nate, for my family…"

"It's alright, baby. You don't have to make up anything to me. Well… you know…" He could almost see her smile gently. "A nice little present wouldn't hurt, but that's - sort of - optional."

"Don't worry. You'll get your birthday present, Brooke Davis. "

At that moment, he saw his mom enter the building, saw her look around frantically, until she spotted him sitting next to a little bench in his wheelchair, looking lost and out of place. Redirecting his attention back to his girlfriend, he said, " I'm sorry, but I gotta go now."

"Alright, Lucas Scott. You take care of your family now. Call me when you need anything, or when you want me to come over. Anything. I love you, Lucas Scott."

"And I love you, Brooke Davis."

With that Lucas disconnected the call and put his phone away. "Mom."

Karen almost ran the distance to her son and then hugged him desperately. "Keith called…"

"I know. I'm sorry, mom. It's just. Dan… you should have seen what he did to Nathan, mom. He's… - I can't believe I ever envied their relationship. I can't believe I didn't see it earlier. Mom, if I had…"

"Shush, Luke. None of this is your fault. No one knew anything. Come on, now. It's over. You got Nathan out of there, alright? Going by what Keith said, the police are not gonna let Dan go this time."

Lucas didn't feel much better, though. After everything that had happened, he felt like he should have done something earlier. Like, after Dan had practically tortured him when he was still in the hospital, he should have known how off things really were. A man capable of something like that wouldn't stop at that. He wouldn't display such violence one minute and yet be a loving dad to his younger son. If he was honest with himself, he had seen it earlier. The little hints at Dan's true nature… Yet he had chosen to ignore them because he hadn't been able to wrap his mind around the concept of his father being an abusive dad. He still had difficulties believing it, believing anything of what he had seen and heard today.

"I know, mom," he finally whispered. "But what's gonna happen to Nate now?" Hopelessy, he looked at his mom. "He can't go back to either of his parents, mom.- Dan is a monster. And Deb and her pills…"

"We'll find a way to make things okay again, Lucas, you hear me?"

But he wasn't sure that things could ever be okay again…

-o0o-

Nathan was sitting right next to his uncle in an interview room. His back had been patched up earlier, and was now stinging dully. He had needed stitches. For the first time, he had actually needed stitches after Dan had lost it. He felt so empty, so tired that he didn't even care about anything anymore. If they wanted to charge him with assault, so be it. He just didn't care.

"Son," the police officer sitting opposite him was the same who had taken the pictures of his injuries earlier. It had been such a humiliating experience. But now, even that seemed far away.

"We're gonna be done here soon, alright? Just a few more things and then you're good to go home with your uncle."

Home? Nathan thought. He couldn't go home…

As if Keith had sensed his thoughts, he was quick to say, "You're gonna stay with me, Nate. Child Protective Services have already agreed to it. We'll just grab a few things of yours and then you'll stay with me."

He didn't know where it was coming from, he just couldn't help saying, "I can't go back in there…"

Keith and the policeman both looked at him; Nathan was oblivious to the sympathy and concern in their expressions, though. Keith raised a hand to place it on his nephews shoulder, and just caught himself in time. He wasn't sure Nathan would do well with physical contact of any form right now.

"It's alright," he merely said instead. "You can wait in the car, and I'll get your stuff."

Nathan didn't meet his uncle's gaze. He didn't nod. Keith wasn't sure, the kid had even heard him. But he decided not to force a response out of the boy.

"Alright, Nathan. Mr. Scott. We're nearly done here. I appreciate you doing this right after everything you had to go through today. As I said earlier, Nathan won't be charged with assault. This will be considered as a case of self-defense. I just need to know a few more things from you, Nathan - because we're going to charge your father with child abuse."

Nathan flinched at the word.

"Just a few more questions, alright, son?" When he didn't say anything, Keith nodded at the police officer and the man continued, "Is this the first time your dad ever hurt you?"

"No." It was a whisper, barely audible.

"Do you recall the first time he ever hurt you? How old you were?"

Nathan closed his eyes and took a few shallow breaths. Make this stop, he thought, just make this be over already…

Eventually, he answered, his voice beat and quiet. "I was 6. It was after a Little League Game."

"What did he do?"

"We had lost. He grabbed my arm really hard and hit me in the face."

"With his flat hand, or a fist?"

"Fist. I only remember it because I got my first nosebleed… Afterward, he said he was sorry. I really believed him that time."

Keith visibly tensed at the pictures the boy's words evoked in his mind. It had started so early? How come he never noticed anything? What kind of an uncle was he? What kind of a man?

"And after that? When did he hit you again?"

"A couple weeks later. I had told him I didn't want to play Little League anymore."

The questions went on and on. He had to describe in detail some of the more nasty beatings of Dan. He had to talk about the verbal abuse. The policeman also wanted to know whether there had ever been sexual abuse. Part of Nathan wanted to laugh then, not because it was funny, but because Keith looked so shocked and lost and like he was anticipating the worst.

Instead, he bit down the laugh and simply said, "No. - He had my mom for that, I guess. I mean, maybe that's why she left me alone with him. Because she couldn't stand him anymore. She must have had a good reason, right? To leave her son with such a monster? Nothing else makes sense…" He knew he sounded desperate and pathetic. He couldn't help it. He just couldn't understand why his mom had never stayed around for him.

Neither the policeman nor Keith said anything.

"Nathan. You said things got worse right before the accident?"

He nodded.

"Do you have an idea why?"

"Because my brother got on the same team with me… My dad was furious. He wanted me to outshine Lucas in every aspect. And I didn't. I couldn't ever meet his demands anymore. Before, things had gotten a little better. As long as I was winning and the 'star,'" he spat the word out, "of the team, he was satisfied. Once Luke entered the picture, that was all over. - Everything was over. - Gosh, can't I just go now? Can't you just let me go? I can't do this anymore, I…"

To his horror, his voice started wavering and he got up so quickly that his chair fell to the ground.

In an instant, Keith stood up right beside him and told the policeman that the interrogation was over.

"He needs rest now. If you need anything, call me, Sir. But right now, I'm going to take my nephew home with me. I think he's been through enough."

"Thanks Mr. Scott. You're right. Take Nathan home. If we need anything else, I'll let you know. - Oh, and a little heads-up, Mr. Scott. It looks like your brother is going to press charges: he said you beat him…"

Keith stared at the other man, then ran a hand over his face in resignation. Dan was unbelievable. At least he was smart enough to leave his son out of this, to not press charges against him too. Although that had probably more to do with his lawyer's smartness than his own. Knowing Dan, he probably wanted to blame this all on Nate - and maybe he would still do just that. Keith nodded and thanked the officer, then followed his nephew out of the room.

-o0o-

Lucas looked up in time to see Nathan and Keith walk toward them slowly. Karen got up quickly and, with a look back to her son, she walked over to them. "Nathan," she said, and after only a moment's hesitation she simply put her arms around him for a gentle hug, mindful of his back injury - like only a mother could. He let it happen. He stood there rigidly at first, until finally his arm came around her too and he couldn't stop the sorrow and tears any longer…

It was probably the saddest thing Lucas had ever seen, and he felt so helpless, sitting there in his wheelchair, watching his brother break down.