As always, I don't own OTH. Loved all the replies for the last chapter. Thanks for reading!!

A Season In Purgatory

Chapter 12

The bell on the door jingled softly as Dan hesitantly walked through the Café's entrance. It was near closing time and most of the customers were finishing up their meals. Dan nonchalantly glanced around, seeing his younger son in a corner, suspiciously close to his tutor. Nathan saw Dan approaching over Haley's slight shoulder, and a frown covered his otherwise happy features.

Looking around, Dan saw no sign of Lucas or his mother. His shoulders relaxed a fraction, knowing that Nathan's anger paled in comparison to that of his other son. He'd debated having Nathan walk home from the Café rather than picking him up. Dan was so used to avoiding Lucas that it was almost second nature to think of a plan that evaded interaction. But times had changed, he reminded himself. The entire point of this punishment was to get both boys used to each other and their environments. Dan couldn't tell Nathan to play nice with Lucas when he himself avoided the boy. He had to accept the fact that he avoided Lucas because he'd created an unpleasant environment, both for his sons and their parents. The more time he spent around Lucas, the easier it would be for all of them. Dan had to start somewhere and the Café was the perfect place: small and public. It would be hard for the boy to avoid him there and yet it was still public enough to avoid screaming fits. He looked up, realizing he needed to deal with Nathan first.

Nathan's sudden scowl confused Haley, who'd been explaining the finer points of refilling ketchup bottles when his expression had turned stormy. She turned around and saw Dan slowly making his way toward them.

Dan took in the food-stained apron his son wore and weighed his words carefully. "I take it that you survived a hard day of manual labor?" he questioned, knowing by Nate's scowl that his son was furious at him.

"I might as well get used to low paying jobs since you're trying to kill my future in basketball," Nathan snarked, still fuming about his dad's decision to kick him out of practice. Haley stood uneasily between them, trying to figure out if she should find some excuse to go into the kitchen.

Dan shrugged his shoulders at his son's words. "All you have to do is stopping fighting with your brother and you'll be fine," Dan reminded him, taking every opportunity to remind Nate of his blood tie to Lucas. He avoided Nathan's scowl and looked around the small Café. "Is Lucas in the kitchen or did you kill him and stuff his body in the oven?"

Staying her ground, Haley motioned toward the back, trying to get the two men to stop sending death looks at each other. "Lucas is making a delivery right now. Karen's in back, I'll go get her," she offered, giving Nathan a look of pity before taking off for the kitchen.

Nathan glanced at the table in the corner, checking to see if they were okay on drinks, before turning his attention back to his father. "I can't believe your schizophrenic behavior," he muttered, trying to keep his voice low, out of respect for those people trying to eat. "You've spent 16 years telling me that Lucas was not my brother and wasn't part of our family, and now all of a sudden you want us to bond?"

Dan lowered his gaze at his son's furious words. He honestly couldn't blame Nathan for being confused. He was similarly torn over his own past actions toward his oldest son. But seeing the anger in both sons' eyes during that game had driven the point home to Dan. He had to do something to stop this violence. Their hatred was killing any chance of a future that either boy had and he wanted it to end. Not to mention that it had been Deb's dying wish…to see Dan make peace with Karen and his estranged son. She had not wanted Nathan to grow up an only child when he had an older brother across town. Shaking his head, Dan forced himself away from memories of the past. He was doing his best, and the past would have to be content with his new found effort.

"Nathan, I'm doing what's right. I'm doing what I should have done years ago. I know it will take time, but I just want you to try to get to know your brother," Dan urged, trying to keep his voice from rising. "For your mother…" Nathan's gaze immediately left his father's face, his anger mounting.

"Don't mention my mother," Nathan firmly replied. "We never talk about her in general, so don't tell me what she'd want me to do with Lucas." He abruptly turned away, not wanting anyone to see him tearing up. A movement caught his eye and Nathan looked up to see Haley watching him from the kitchen. She gave him a short, encouraging smile before disappearing behind the swinging door.

Nathan sighed and turned back to face his father. "You've already blackmailed me into being here, so leave it alone. Both you and his mother know that we'd do anything to avoid missing basketball. So consider us 'friends'," Nathan blandly replied, knowing he'd avoid Lucas unless it was absolutely necessary.

"Good. And by the way, "his mother's" name is Karen and I'd suggest you be nice to her," Dan murmured as the woman in question approached wearily approached them. He turned toward Karen with a slight smile on his face. She was a brave woman to withstand working with two such sullen boys.

"I see stains so that must mean he actually did something tonight," he joked, fully aware that Nathan appreciated his sharp sense of humor as little as his brother did. Karen smiled hesitantly at them both. Dan retreated, knowing he'd pushed Nathan as far as he could for the night. Now all he could do was lead by example and that meant he had to try to make amends to his first-born son.

"There was no bloodshed," she calmly replied, noting Nathan's hurt expression. She turned toward Dan and attempted to clarify. "Nathan did a really great job, Dan. He turned out to be a great busboy."

The door slammed behind them and Lucas stomped through the doorway, passing them without acknowledgement or a backward glance. Karen watched as he moved behind the counter, stuffing the money from his delivery order into the cash register. He glanced over at the three of them in disdain for a moment before silently moving off to a table in the back corner.

Dan watched as the boy moved through the Café without a spare glance around him, noting that while his shoulders were tight with defiance, the rest of him was distant and removed. Lucas pulled his back pack off his shoulder and pulled out a text book. Dan took in everything about the boy, from the way he intently studied his book to the way he gently tapped his foot against the floor. His gazed moved toward Karen, who watched their son in concern.

Nathan hesitated, not wanting to talk anymore, but also wanting to get back to his discussion with Haley. "I'm going to help Haley in back," he said, realizing that neither adult was paying any attention to him, as they gazed at St. Lucas in the back corner. He spun around to leave, but stopped when he heard someone calling his name from the front door.

Dropping the door behind her, Brooke breathlessly approached the group. "Nate, I need to know if I can crash at your place tonight?" she asked, seeing no need to slow her request down by meaningless greetings to the adults. Nathan's eyebrows raised a fraction in concern, seeing the dark circles under her eyes. Brooke usually had a good reason for avoiding home. During the divorce, her parents' fights were legendary among the country club elite, but lately she seemed to have more nights at his house with fewer explanations. Dan interrupted his son before he could issue the standard invitation to spend the night.

"Brooke, Nate's grounded for the rest of the week, so he can't have any visitors," Dan stated, knowing that he'd already let Nate have a party after the fight. It was too late to cancel a preplanned party, but he'd be damned if Nathan acted like being grounded was a joke. Dan watched as something akin to panic clouded the girl's green eyes, but she managed a smile.

"Oh, I see. Well, thanks anyway," her voice warbled out, even as she pasted her homecoming queen smile on her face. Brooke had never known Dan to ever enforce any punishment on his son for more than a day or so. She knew by the simple fact that Nathan was apparently working in Karen's restaurant that something was up, but Dan's reiteration of his son's grounding was even more proof that seismic shifts were taking place. Her eyes wandered over to the woman standing next to Dan and she realized this must be Luke's much talked about mother.

Not wanting to alienate the woman, Brooke sweetly smiled at her. "Hi! I'm Brooke," she offered, sticking her hand out to the woman in front of her. Karen slowly looked at Brooke, assuming she was one of Nathan's girlfriends. She gradually took the girl's outstretched hand, resisting the urge to ask her why she'd rather stay at Nathan's house than her own.

Instead, an awkward silence descended on the group, leaving even Brooke lost for words.

Looking up, she spotted Lucas sitting alone at a table in the back of the room. Her face brightened considerably. "Oh, I need to go ask Lucas about some homework," she offered, giving them all a short smile before gracefully stalking off to where the blond boy sat. Nathan's eyebrow rose a fraction of an inch; he was skeptical that Brooke ever concerned herself with completing homework, let alone seeking out help with it.

Muttering his own excuses, Nathan quickly made his way toward the back, seeking out Haley's company. Dan watched his son slink off and then turned to Karen. "Should I ask how bad it's been?" He might as well get a feel for how tense things would be at the dealership the next day.

Karen leaned back against the counter and tried to relax. It had been a very trying night with both Nathan and Lucas sniping at each other. "Well, Lucas has opted to take every delivery we've had tonight, and he's taken twice the usual time to make them as normal. Nathan has broken several place settings of dishes while spending all his time following Haley around," Karen summarized. She'd been irked by her son's attitude for most of the night, but she was trying to be tolerant. Lucas had to be shocked at Dan's sudden entry into his life. Her son's personality had always leaned toward pensive and deep consideration, and Karen understood that it would take time for him to let his guard down around his brother and father. Sighing, she meet Dan's concerned gaze. "I just wish that we had done things different when they were younger."

Dan watched as Brooke made her way over to where his oldest son sat and curiously studied the sullen boy. "Does he have teeth? Because I don't think I've ever seen him smile," Dan noted, realizing the closest he'd ever seen the boy to happy was on the basketball court.

"Oh he smiles, just not around you," Karen snarked. Dan lowered his gaze, realizing that he was one of the main reasons that Lucas was distant with outsiders. "Okay. I deserved that," he admitted, knowing that this entire plan was doomed to fail. He had so many amends to make. "I just don't know how to handle him, Kar. He's so different from me."

Karen stared at him a moment, wondering whether she should be mean and his feed his angst and guilt or if she should try to help. Dan was taking some tentative steps and she could appreciate how difficult that was for him. "I wouldn't say that he's totally different from you. He's quiet and thoughtful, but he's also very determined and focused. And he gets his relentless ambition from you."

Dan soaked up her words, realizing that she could have been a lot less positive with her comments. He turned his attention toward the back of the Café, where the figure of his sullen son and Brooke currently sat, heads together in a conspiratorial manner.

Replies are always appreciated and usually remind me to post new chapters. Up next: Brooke and Lucas "study", Karen and Dan talk and Naley fret.