Thanks for the great replies. This is a long chapter. This story was started four years ago, so the name of Brooke's mother is different from the show.

A Season in Purgatory
Chapter 1

Dan grasped the cellophane wrapped flowers in his hands and tensely made his way down the row. The sun was darting between clouds, alternately sending blinding rays or covering the landscape in shadows. Glancing up at the sky, he decided that he preferred the clouds and gloom to the bright promise of the sunshine. Dan meandered on a few minutes, finally coming to rest at a small peaceful corner. He slowly leaned over and gently placed the flowers in front of the marble gravestone.

Deborah Scott
1968 - 1996
Beloved Wife and Mother

Dan sank slowly to the ground, in familiar fashion, finding the spot in the grass where he always sat. He could have sworn that he'd worn a groove into the earth beside her grave, contoured by months and years of visits. Dan wasn't sure what the point of visiting tombstones in cemeteries was. As a ritual, Dan and Nathan trudged here every year on the anniversary of her death like clockwork. He supposed it was a shared experience in grief for the two, but as the years wore on, Dan wondered if it was just cruel to force Nathan to relive that painful day. Nathan knew that Dan visited more often, but the boy probably didn't know his father made weekly visits to the cemetery. Even after 8 years, Dan still found it hard to let go of her memory.

Deb had been gone for eight years, half of Nathan's life. He stared off into space, contemplating how fast the time had passed. One day Nate was a scrawny eight year old grieving his mother, the next day he was playing varsity basketball. "You'd be so proud of him, Deb," he softly said, still feeling stupid about talking out loud to a grave. "He's doing great in basketball, but not so well in school. But he's got a tutor now, and I think Haley is going to really be a big help."

He absently played with a blade of grass as he carefully considered his next words. "Nathan is pushing me to go out on a date," he confessed. "It's pretty sad when your teenage son has to tell you it's time to move on." Dan shook his head at that thought, still finding it inconceivable that he was free to date other women. He'd dated a few women over the years, but he'd never really found time to commit to anyone after taking care of Nathan and his business. All his energy was gone at the end of the day, leaving him skeptical about relationships. Dan had his son and his work, but was openly leery about love. He'd only loved two women his entire life and neither situation had turned out well.

"I've got to get to work," he said, standing up and gently brushing his clothes off. Fall would be there soon, changing the lingering green of the cemetery to the warm colors of fall. It was ironic that it took coming to a cemetery to show Dan the cycle of life. Things were born, they lived, and they died. "I miss you, Deb," he whispered, touching the cool marble one last time.

He reluctantly shifted his focus to the right of the ornate marble stone. Reaching out, Dan slowly traced the carved façade of a lamb. He fought the tears that welled up in his eyes as he read the simple line: Daniel Scott, Jr. Memories of losing Deb after his birth assaulted him like a flashback, but that was nothing compared to his last memory of holding his premature son. The baby was born two months early, after a problematic pregnancy had sapped most of his mother's life. The doctors had done everything to save both Deb and Daniel's lives, only to lose Deb shortly after his son's birth. Dan had spent nearly every moment in the neonatal unit, watching his son fight and struggle for every breath. In the end, Daniel was just too weak to pull through, despite every modern medical advancement and miracle they tried.

The boy would have been eight if he had lived. He just be starting junior leagues and learning new basketball skills after school. "I'm sorry we didn't get to spend more time together," he softly whispered. He was reminded of another son he'd not spent enough time with, his first-born son with whom he had no contact. A son he'd also lost time with, not at the cemetery but across town. After all these years, Dan was still amazed that he could mourn a child he'd known only six days, but completely ignore another child for 16 years. He abruptly cut those thoughts off, refusing to get mired down in any more regret for his past actions. Lucas might as well have his own tombstone here, as he was part of Dan's past that was dead and buried. He slowly began the walk back to his Jag, failing to suppress the memories of the accident that had nearly killed Lucas.

Nearly a year ago, Dan had witnessed the car accident and rushed over to save his older brother. Keith lapsed in and out of consciousness, but still managed to direct Dan to help Luke. Dan had hesitated seeing the immobile, bloodied body of his son. Though Keith had marked Dan's hesitation to help Lucas down to his brother's unreasonable attitude toward the boy, Dan knew better. Seeing the lifeless body of his first-born son had sent Dan spiraling into the past, of another hospital, another son on death's door. Then Dan realized that the boy's chest wasn't moving, he wasn't breathing.

Initial panic had given way to immediate action, and Dan fought off his fear and ghosts from the past, and preformed CPR on Lucas, providing him oxygen his lungs needed. Even though his father had given him nothing else in 16 years, he'd given Lucas the very breath of life when he needed it. For some reason still unknown to Dan, he followed the ambulance to the hospital and waited while his brother and son were treated.

Reaching his car, Dan slowly opened the door and slipped into the luxurious leather seat, still lost in past thoughts. He'd stayed at the hospital long enough to fill out paperwork for both Keith and Lucas, even though he struggled to fill out the most basic information about his son. The E.R. nurse had marked the fact that a father didn't know his son's birth date down to fear and concern about the boy's condition. To Dan it was just another reminder of a decision he'd made in the past that was haunting him in the present. His actions had resulted in his estrangement with Lucas, just as they'd been the cause of Deb's death.

Looking down, Dan saw the front page of the sports section of the newspaper. He'd kept the month old paper for some reason he rationalized. Looking up at him were the faces of his sons, wearing their uniforms, with an article about the region's most talented athletes. It always amazed Dan that these articles could include so much personal information about the boys, without revealing any of the hatred and conflict that underscored their existence. Sighing, he dropped the paper in frustration. The boy was on Nathan's team and he wasn't going away. The team's hazing hadn't fazed Lucas; the harassment had merely rolled off the boy's rigid back. And every time Dan saw the kid at practice or a game, the boy issued the same, silent challenging look. A look that dared Dan to say something to him, dared him to acknowledge his existence.

He found it easier to hide behind bravado and mean comments to Keith or Whitey or anyone that would listen, rather to respond to those silent challenges. Something about Lucas and his demeanor unnerved Dan. He was a man who was seldom defied and to see the boy publicly attempt to stare him down was a shock. If Lucas thought his father would voice his regret or offer an apology, he was sadly mistaken. Nothing Dan could do could make up for his past mistakes. And he did regret the mistakes he'd made with both Lucas and Karen. Dan closed his eyes at the mere thought of her name…his first love, and his first heartbreak.

Eager to leave the past behind, Dan started the Jag and sped down the quiet lane leading out to the main road. Life was moving forward even as Dan struggled, trapped between the past and present. Lucas was not going away, and both Nathan and Dan were going to have to learn to deal with his presence. He frowned, realizing that the team was supported by a close-knit group of parents and boosters. They were constantly throwing parties and events for both players and parents, alike. It was only a matter of time before he and Karen were moving in the same circles again. If the thought of his oldest son confused and disoriented Dan, thoughts of his first love terrified him. It was going to be a long season, he realized, as he drove on to work.

Brooke leaned against the big oak in the quad, watching silently as groups of other students walked by. She heard a thud, and turned to see Nathan dropping his backpack next to hers.

"You look pissed," she commented, noticing the scowl that seemed to take over his pleasant facial features. She'd been friends with Nathan as long as she could remember. Their parents lived in the same neighborhood, attended the same country club and ran in the same social circles. As the adults had partied, the abandoned children had formed their own group, commiserating life and their families.

"It's Whitey. The man is totally on my ass about everything lately," Nathan complained, worn out from his earlier lecture. The team that he used to control with an iron fist was rapidly slipping away from him. And it was the bastard spawn's fault, he mirthlessly thought. "Lucas invaded my team, took my position, and moved in on my girlfriend."

Brooke smiled slyly at him, ignoring the snipes at his hot half brother. "Former girlfriend," she guilelessly corrected.

"Whatever," he tossed at her, not caring to discuss the logic behind his angst. "We were doing fine until he decided to leave his trashy house on the wrong side of town." Nathan continued to sulk, not caring how vicious he was being. He'd worked so hard, for so many years to be the best, and now a kid who barely knew what the word 'team' meant had taken it all away. His dad was going to go ballistic.

"Nathan, you and Peyton were a lot of things, but 'fine' was not one of them. Why can't you admit that you two had some great sex and move on? Peyton's been so flakey lately that no one knows what she'll do next," Brooke theorized, increasing her pace to keep up with Nate's long legs. He always tended to forget that she couldn't walk as fast as him. "I think you're just lonely and looking to score."

He looked at her with an even bigger scowl on his face. "We've only been broken up a month, Brooke. I can go a month without sex," he muttered, staring down at his dark haired friend. "Besides, there is more to life than sex."

Brooke snorted at his words, genuinely amused by the romantic sentiment behind his comment. "I don't know, Nate. Booze and boys seem to work for me."

He glanced down at her, seriously concerned at the jaded tone in her voice. "When did you get so cynical, Brooke? When we were kids you droned on and on about marrying a rich guy and having tons of babies," he recalled, smiling at the memory. Brooke had always been insistent and outspoken. But she seemed so different lately, like the last few months had replaced his Brooke with a pod-Brooke.

Brooke considered his words for a moment before shrugging her shoulders. "Better to use than be used," she offered, not sure if she even cared anymore. If anything, she wasn't cynical. She was cold. A permanent numbness had settled around her and nothing she did seem to generate feelings or emotions. Lately, she wasn't living so much as existing. She looked up at her friend. "Roses and love only exist in Hallmark cards, Nate, not in real life."

They continued walking in silence, as Nathan considered how to respond to her disparaging comments. "Are you okay, Brooke? I mean, you've been acting strange for months." He realized that those changes took place about the time her parents broke up. Nathan had never gone through the trauma of a bitter divorce, let alone the quick remarriage of a parent. He guessed that her home life wasn't really great anymore.

She considered his words, wondering if she could even begin to explain what was going on in her head. She didn't even understand it, so how could she explain it to him? She'd replayed that night over and over in head, and she was still confused. Trying to explain it to a guy seemed beyond her at that moment. Even a guy who'd seen her through every awkward moment of her life. Brooke had tried talking to Peyton about her creepy stepfather and her stepbrother, but she'd gotten nothing but 'step families are difficult' crap. Brooke decided that if her own best friend didn't want to hear it, why would anyone else?

Nathan stared off to the far side of the quad, where a couple sat on a bench, heads together in deep conversation. A warm sensation flooded Nathan at the site of his new tutor, but was stopped cold when he noticed her sitting so close to his bastard spawn brother.

Brooke followed Nathan's gaze over to where Haley and Luke sat on a bench, totally lost in a world of their own. "Tutor girl's way too virginal for you," she commented, instantly seeing the interest in Nathan's eyes.

Nathan shook his head, still engrossed at the shimmering red-gold halo that surrounded her face. "She's sweet, even if she is friends with HIM." Lucas seemed to sense the hateful glance, even from across the courtyard. He looked up and spotted Nathan and Brooke, as a satisfied smirked covered his face. Lucas gave Nathan a look of dismissal, before turning his attention to his idiot brother's companion. His eyes roved her body, noting the way her jeans rode low on her hips, exposing just enough flesh to pique his interest, but not enough to satisfy his curiosity. Brooke and Lucas weren't close. Outside of a few flirting comments, they'd barely interacted. But there was awareness on both sides, each constantly watching the other, but neither taking action. His clear blue eyes met hers and a sensuous smile crossed his face.

Brooke returned the smile and subtly shifted her backpack so that more of her naked belly was exposed. She served no purpose better than being the standard of school eye candy. "Now that's fertile ground I'd like to explore," she murmured to Nathan, failing to keep a predatory tone out of her voice. "Is he officially dating Peyton?"

Nathan averted his eyes away from Haley, and focused on Brooke's question. "I'm not sure. She promised me that she didn't break up so she could go out with him, but who knows what she really means anymore." His ex-girlfriend was never totally honest with anyone, even herself. More than likely, Peyton had broken up with him for good reasons, but was also attracted to Lucas.

Nathan quickly glanced at the other boy, trying to see what he had that all the girls were lusting over. First Peyton, now Brooke. It shouldn't have surprised him since most of the cheerleaders and other girls at school wanted him. "So, is my dear half brother your next conquest?"

Brooke stared over at Lucas, evaluating his pros and cons. "He's definitely a challenge," she started, thinking about the topic in a calculating manner. "I mean, I can't use standard operating procedures on snagging him. He's got that standoffish personality and he doesn't care what being seen with me can do for his popularity. And though he's definitely attracted to me, he's not the kind of guy who'll go for casual sex," she appraised, her gaze narrowing as she thought about how badly she wanted this challenge. But she'd had her eye on Lucas since he joined the team, and really, since their freshman year when they'd shared biology lab together.

"Despite what Peyton claims, she may still be interested in him," Nathan warned, knowing first hand how fickle his ex could be. "You two fighting over a guy could be brutal."

Brooke smirked at him. "I don't have any doubt about the winner of that fight. Trust me, I haven't met a guy yet who I couldn't get."

"And that's such a good trait at your age," Nathan snarked, not sure how he felt about a female friend who had more bravado than any guy in his locker room.

Brooke laughed at his hypocritical train of thought. "When guys score it's a positive thing, but when girls want the same thing, we're whores. I bet no one worries about how many girls you've had? I mean, I know what you did last summer, Nate. Or should I say whom you did last summer."

Nathan frowned at her, realizing he should have never told Brooke about the girls he'd met the summer he'd turned 15. "They don't count, they were summer flings. And it's not like Peyton, who I dated for a long time," he argued, knowing that she wasn't buying it from the raised eyebrows she was giving him. "I don't know what ever attracted me to Peyton in the first place," he bitterly commented.

Brooke laughed at his words. "Um, I'd guess it was hot sex and both of you being motherless moppets," she glibly replied, before the meaning of her words fully hit her. She immediately began a retraction. "Nate, I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it." Brooke, of all people, knew just how much Deb's death had affected her friend. "If it's any consolation, at least your mom isn't around because she's dead, unlike my mom who just isn't around."

He continued walking toward the parking lot in silence, taking her rambling in stride. Brooke never meant to hurt anyone, but she did tend to put her foot in her mouth with her constant talking. "I know what you meant, Brooke. It's just that she's been gone half my life," he admitted, his tone growing softer and younger by the moment. "Some days I have trouble remembering what her voice sounded like, or what her mannerisms were."

He continued talking as they headed toward their cars. "I just wish that my dad would move on. I mean, he has to get his own life and stop living mine," he added, understanding his father's pain, but growing tired of his dominating ways. "He's barely dated since mom died. And it's like he's still punishing himself for wanting another kid." Nathan had rarely discussed the death of his brother with his father. His grandpa had once told Nate that it was just too painful for Dan to bring up.

Brooke crinkled her nose up. "Who dies in childbirth in this day and age?" she questioned, still shocked that he'd lost both a sibling and a parent in one week. "Your dad is too hot not to be having sex, though. And if he were involved with a woman, he'd have less time to run your life."

Nathan threw his hands up at her comment. "Hello!? I don't need to think about my dad's sex life," he cringed, wondering how Brooke could so analytically discuss these things. "What happened to the giddy girl who used to giggle during 'spin the bottle'?" he asked her, seriously wondering where Brooke's tender side had gone. It's like the older she got, the more distant and removed she grew. Even the number of guy's she dated grew. Brooke had worked her way through most of the underclassmen and was well on her way toward conquering the upperclassmen.

Brooke's face momentarily fell, as she silently agreed with Nathan. "That romantic fool is dead and gone," she emotionlessly replied. "That giddy girl grew up and realized that sex was about power and self satisfaction."

In quiet times of self-reflection, Brooke allowed herself to lament the passing of her youth and the loss of the girl she once was. But life sucked. And she couldn't really change that. Her dad had moved off to Charleston with his trophy 'ho and her mom should have had her tubes tied before Brooke was conceived. Some women were not meant to be mothers, and Katherine Brooke Davis was their poster girl. While her daddy had always been affectionate, if absent, her mom had never wanted a baby. Things had been bad before her mom had married John Jacob Herrington, but now things at home were just miserable.

She suddenly looked up and realized she was at her car. She glanced up at Nathan, who was staring at her in concern. "Brooke, are you sure you don't want to come over to my house and talk? I bet if I asked my dad, he'd even let you crash in the guest room, seeing how he went to school with the shrew." Dan had told Nathan stories about Brooke's mom from high school that scared the death out of him.

Unexpected tears popped into Brooke's eyes, even as she tried to shield them from Nathan. "I have to go home sometime, Nate. It won't be so bad. I'll get some Chinese and lock myself in my room. I doubt anyone will come looking for me," she quietly said. She couldn't bring herself to tell anyone about that night. Or how dirty she still felt months later. No matter how much she partied, or how much booze she indulged in, that feeling of pain, isolation, and grief never subsided. She doubted that talking to anyone was going mitigate those feelings.

She smiled bravely. "I'll be fine. I don't really have another choice."

Lucas stretched his long arms out in front of him, trying to work out the muscle cramp that was threatening to erupt. He'd never realized just how much work he needed to get physically ready to play on the team. He felt a shadow fall over him as Haley plopped down on the bench beside him.

"What's up, loser?" she joked, dropping her books on the ground in front of them. She relaxed a moment, watching as her fellow students grabbed the last fleeting rays of light as Indian summer gave way to fall.

Lucas considered her words, as they echoed the greeting Tim had given him earlier in the locker room. "Just waiting for my loser friend," he smiled, happy to stop thinking serious thoughts for a change. "You want to do something? I don't have to be back for the pre-game stuff for a few hours." Lucas was finally getting into the groove with the team, and even though most of the players treated him like scum, he was beginning to make a few friends. That made the pre and post game stuff with the team a little less painful.

Wincing a bit, Haley turned to face him with an apologetic smile. "I promised Nathan that I would meet him before the game to go over his history quiz." She knew she was on thin ice. If there was one sure fire way to get a reaction out of Luke, it was mentioning either Dan or Nathan. But she was hired to tutor, whether she liked a person or not. Nathan was in serious academic trouble. He was failing math and English and was barely passing history.

Haley couldn't help but compare the two brothers academically. Luke was naturally smart, but fed that raw ability with his voracious reading habits. And while Lucas could get away without studying, Nathan needed every minute he could get. Haley had decided that he was intelligent, just not in the same academic way Luke was. More than likely, Nathan would be fine in a business setting, like his father, but didn't fare as well in the more abstract school environment.

"Haley, I just worry about you being around that idiot. Who knows what he's capable of," Luke argued, reminding Haley of all the hazing Nathan had inflicted on him.

She stared out at the quad, nodding at all the appropriate places in Luke's rant. She knew that Nathan had been nothing short of nasty to her friend, but she'd also seen a kinder side of Nate, a side that she was fairly sure he didn't show most people. She sensed Lucas tense up as he muttered, "What's he staring at?"

Her eyes followed Luke's across the grassy square, easily finding Nathan and Brooke's striking figures cutting a path across the courtyard. She admired Nathan's powerful body for a moment, watching as he gracefully navigated the various benches and tables. His eyes, however, were totally focused on Lucas. Even from that distance, she could see the anger seeping into his handsome features, marring his good looks. Her heart skipped a beat, even as she fought to deny it. She couldn't possibly be attracted to him, of all people.

Lucas' eyes shifted away from his brother to his companion. Haley watched as a slight smile worked its way across his face. Brooke returned his smile, and sent some kind of signal that only males could read, Haley theorized. There were a lot of people that got on Haley's nerves, but both Peyton and Brooke topped her list. She watched as Peyton played Luke, cooing at him one day and ignoring him the next. But Brooke was just over the top. She oozed sex appeal in such a way that girls instinctively grabbed their guys whenever she was in the same room.

"Earth to Luke? What's up with you and Brooke?" Haley asked, not sure if there had been any changes since they last talked during 3rd period. They watched as Brooke and Nathan moved away, toward the parking lot.

Luke broke the intense stare-fest he had going with Nathan and turned toward her. "Nothing's up," he tersely replied, wondering why every smile and smirk meant something to members of the opposite sex. Since he'd joined the team, it seemed like girls were crawling out of the woodwork, asking him out and stopping him in the hallways to talk. Luke wasn't that comfortable with all the attention, but he certainly didn't discourage it.

He'd been so focused on Peyton that he'd ignored most of the other girls. But as Peyton continued to be coy about dating him, he was more open to other options. And Brooke was always an interesting option.

They didn't talk much, but he knew that Brooke was fun, she was confident and there was something about her eyes that drew him to her. Last week he'd been in front of their Literature class, discussing the biography of Sartre that he'd read for the assignment. While most of his peers listened, he noticed that Brooke really seemed interested in the quote about hell being other people. He saw that line resonate within her and wondered why the most popular girl in school would find other people that oppressive. The quote was one of his personal favorites, but most people would agree that Lucas Scott wasn't a social butterfly. He found life was much easier if he stayed hidden like an unread book in the remote corner of a library.

The contradiction between how she acted that day in class and her normal party girl persona had intrigued him. Luke was jolted back to reality as Haley delivered a sharp blow to his ribs. "I hate it when you zone like that," she complained, having been subjected to years of him getting lost in introspection. "So what's the deal with the girl of the month club?"

Lucas shrugged. "Peyton's currently running cold. I asked her if she was going to the after game party tonight, but she played me off. I don't know if she's being coy or if she's that undecided," he admitted.

Haley frowned at his words. "I thought the after party was at Nathan's beach house this week." She knew that Luke wouldn't willing go to any place connected to Dan or Nate. He could barely stand driving by Dan's dealership and only did so when he couldn't think of a way to avoid it. She was amazed that he'd even consider walking into a house owned by the man.

"Yup. He issued the invitation specifically to me after practice yesterday, and if I don't show up, he'll think he's won," Luke declared, not seeing as Haley rolled her eyes. The way he and Nathan talked, you'd think they were warring countries, not fighting brothers. Though neither of them actually admitted to be related, even when pushed. Lucas had removed his last name from his basketball jersey and Nathan just gave people a blank look when they referred to his "brother".

"You should go with me," he suggested. "That way you can make sure that I don't kill him or something." Haley snorted, knowing that he and Nathan would inevitable end up trading blows before the party was over. Beer and hatred tended to have that affect on males.

But if she went she could run interference between them, and try to make sure that they didn't end up fighting. "I'll go with you," she decided. "After all, I hear that the house is beautiful." Haley immediately regretted her words. If Luke couldn't stand Nathan, he absolutely hated Dan Scott. The season had barely begun and Dan seemed to be everywhere, smirking and doing everything he could to demean and humiliate his first born son. Haley, of all people knew the damage that the man had done to Luke over the years. She reached out and tentatively touched his shoulder.

Luke ignored her touch and stared at the ground. He didn't know why he let the man get to him like he did. As much as Luke hated Dan, the jerk was still the only father he had. Keith tried to make up for Dan's indifference, but there was only so much he could do. And a tiny part of Luke wanted his father even as he hated him. "Its okay, Hales. We all know that Nathan and Dan are dripping in money. And it's no secret that he's never given my mom a dime."

She wanted to hug him, but knew from experience that there were no words that could give him comfort regarding Dan. Haley had great hope that Luke would go away to college and get out of this small, toxic town with its stupid idolization of past high school basketball stars and its malicious gossip.

"Are Keith and Karen coming to see you play?" she asked, desperately wanting to change the subject. She knew that Luke needed a positive mindset for the game later that night, and she knew that the past was not a topic geared toward that.

"Mom is definitely coming, but I don't know about Keith. It's been so awkward since he started dating that Anna girl," Luke conceded, not at all happy about how things had ended between the two. His dreams of a happy family had ended in a single night, with a single revelation from his uncle.

Haley nodded in sympathy, knowing that Keith had been seeing Anna for a few months. He'd promised to bring her by the garage to meet Luke soon, which caused her friend even more angst, because Luke knew that Keith wouldn't bring just any girl to meet him.

"She sounds nice, and all. I mean, she's a fifth grade teacher at Tree Hill Elementary. I think she moved to town this summer before school started. Keith said she doesn't have any family or friends here. But…" his voice trailed off and Haley finished his sentence.

"But you still want Keith to be with your mom," she added, knowing that Lucas felt his only family was unraveling.

"I want them both to be happy. And they fought so much after that stupid accident, that none of us were happy," he replied, remembering how much his mom had cried the night they'd broken up. Luke had gotten up in the middle of the night for some water and found Karen crying in the living room. He'd stood in the doorway behind her, watching her flip through an old photo album and listening to her sniffle.

Later that day, when his mom was at work, he'd found the album shoved under the couch. Curiosity forced him to flip through the book of pictures, but he wasn't prepared for the shock of seeing pictures of Dan with his mother. He'd never seen any of those pictures before, and he had to think that Karen was purposefully hiding them from him.

Page after page showed the growth and evolution of their relationship. Year after year the figures in the pictures morphed and evolved into the figures he recognized today. The pictures told a story he'd never heard, one of a cheerleader and a jock who went to proms and parties. From start to finish, the album illustrated a young couple that was playfully in love.

Lucas studied each picture of his father carefully, trying to discern any similarities between them. He'd searched in vain, as the pictures revealed that a young Dan was nothing more than Nathan with worse hair and broader shoulders. As a kid, Luke had fervently yearned for dark hair, so that he'd have some kind of proof that he was Dan's son. He'd been devastated when he'd finally met Nathan, only to discover he was a genetic copy of his father, down to their annoying smirk. It was yet another way that Luke was excluded, an outsider to the family that had so publicly rejected him.

6 months later, Lucas was still shaken by those pictures. Keith and Karen had always answered his questions about his parent's past deliberately, almost in a scripted fashion. Now Lucas had to wonder what else they were hiding from him, what else they had agreed to share with him and what they wanted to withhold. He hadn't told his mother he'd found the album and it had since disappeared, as if it had never existed. Kind of like the history between Dan and Karen.

He finally broke the silence when he suddenly turned to Haley and spoke. "Do you ever get the feeling that the other shoe is about to drop? Or that people aren't telling you everything?" he asked, his tone serious. "Like change is in the air and the life you've known up to this point is about to be turned upside down?"

She thought about his volley of questions, but her mind turned toward the warm feeling she got when she drifted off to sleep at night, hugging her pillow and thinking about his half brother. "I think it's just the seasons changing," she offered, not sure what was going on in his head. Luke tended to think things to death. It was amazing that he didn't have an ulcer. "Luke, you know you can tell me anything. What's been going on with you lately?" she questioned, concerned that he wasn't telling her everything.

Luke ducked his head and pretended to search for something in his back pack. His mother deserved a lot more than his suspicion and distrust. He finally turned to face her, with a small smile. "I don't know. I guess I just have an over active imagination or something," he suggested, wanting to get off this topic before it dragged him down. He'd spent too many months analyzing everything he'd ever been told by either Keith or Karen, the same months he'd spent studying Dan every time they ran into each other.

He stood up and offered Haley his hand. She let him pull her to her feet and began following him on their walk home. She surreptitiously glanced at her friend, wondering what he was not telling her. She couldn't remember the last time Lucas hadn't given her total disclosure. Haley shrugged her shoulders and kept her silence. He'd tell her about it, eventually. He always did.