Chapter 22

General POV

The party had ended and with it the crowd as well. Soon everyone found themselves on their way home to sleep off a great night. Almost everyone had said nothing but nice things about the party, the others who didn't surely would have if they hadn't been so intoxicated.

Only a few remained to clean up the mess and wait out the remainder of the night, and of the few, the three Scott brothers found themselves at the bar treating their wounds of the earlier encounter with Felix.

Karen stood behind the bar discussing Lucas's punishment as she handed him a bag of ice for his swollen cheek. Jack stood idly by watching the mother scold her child. He felt terrible about what had happened and worst of all, Lucas had taken the hit for it.

"Would it help if I said I didn't plan this?" Lucas asked, handing his phone over.

Karen shook her head. "Not really. Now give me a minute, I'm pretty sure I saw some bandages in the bathroom somewhere."

Lucas shrugged knowing it was no use. His mother was always stern when it came to rules, even if he wasn't in the wrong for the most part. If there was a part to play, then there was a price to pay.

Keith approached the three after seeing Karen walk off. Right now, he was the closest thing either of them had for guidance.

"Well I think that sums up an entertaining night," Keith joked. He noticed the serious looks all three of his nephews were giving him. "Hey look at it this way, you guys really are all brothers. Fighting seems to be drilled into your DNA."

"I shouldn't have fought in the first place," Jack whispered, cradling his hands. Tiny cuts covered his knuckles, reminding him of what he'd done. "I shouldn't have come."

"Screw that," Nathan butted it. "The guy had it coming. You didn't do anything wrong."

Lucas agreed. "He's right. I should be thanking you. You stopped him from hitting me again."

Jack shook off the remarks both had given. "You guys don't get it. I would have kept hitting him if you hadn't pulled me off."

Jack felt a hand rest on his arm as he looked up to see Keith looking at him.

"But they pulled you off," Keith explained. He looked between the three. "They stopped you just like you stopped that kid from hitting Luke. You aren't alone anymore, neither of you are. You all have each other."

Nathan nodded. "He's right. Just next time you guys decide to fight Felix, let me know. Still owe him for dare night."

The four of them laughed quietly. It was the first time the four Scotts had the chance to really talk. It was strange for Keith to see 3 different boys all from different mothers interact with each other. As different as all their lives were, they were all so similar in ways.

"Anyways, I'm going to leave you guys to it," Keith smiled at the three. "Try to keep your noses clean."

The three boys said their goodbyes before sitting quietly at the bar alone.

"How pissed do you think he is?" Jack wondered, thinking about Felix.

"Well you punched him and I kissed his sister," Lucas summed up. He saw the questioning glances from the other two. "That girl I was with, that's Anna, his sister."

"Well that explains why he's pissed," Nathan whistled. "I wouldn't worry about it too much."

Jack laughed a little. "I'm not worried, I can take care of myself. It's you two who have to keep your heads up."

The joke caught Nathan and Lucas by surprise as they broke out into laughter.

"I've been in my fair share of fights," Nathan bragged, getting up to prove his point. "Felix wants to go I'm willing and ready."

"That's what every wife wants to hear," A voice cut in. The three turned to see Haley approaching them with Quinn, Peyton, and Brooke closely behind. "Are you starting a fight club?"

"Maybe," Nathan smiled, pulling his wife close.

"Can't say I approve," Haley answered. She turned to Lucas. "How's the face Luke?"

"Sore," He answered, pressing the bag of ice against his face once more.

Jack looked at the married couple. "Sorry I almost ruined your night."

"You're forgiven," Haley teased, looking up at her husband. "And no more fighting."

"Let em fight," Quinn joined them, throwing her arm around her little sister. She eyed the three Scott brothers. "Means they'll look after each other."

"Maybe," Haley contemplated. She turned to her other two friends who'd made there way to the group. "I owe you two big time. This party was amazing."

Brooke and Peyton waved it off.

"It was our pleasure," Peyton answered.

"Really was," Brooke smirked, showing everyone a piece of paper. The others looked down to see a phone number written. "I've gotta date this week."

"That was quick," Jack noted nonchalantly.

Peyton laughed at his answer. "Trust me, that's a snails pace. Surprised they aren't making out in someone's back seat already."

"Hey," Brooke pretended to look hurt but saw the others holding back a laugh. A guilty smile broke her face. "Fine. True."

The others laughed. Some of them still knew Brooke's past and how…open she was when it concerned dating boys.

Noticing the time, Quinn yawned tiredly. "Well as much fun as this was, I gotta get my eight hours. You ready to go Hales?"

"Really? Already?" Haley whined, not ready to go home yet. She still wanted to take pictures of all the hard work her friends had done. "Can you give my half hour? Tops?"

"Haaaaaleyyyyyy," Quinn cried. She'd been in a plane all day, and then standing the rest of it. "I had a long day and just wanna sit down on a couch and do nothing. Please."

"20 minutes?"

"I'll give you a lift if you want," Jack offered, getting up from his seat. "I'm heading there anyways, gotta start unpacking."

Brooke frowned. "I don't understand."

Haley explained. "Jack found a place, and it just so happens that he's moving in next door."

Lucas and Peyton knew about the surprise the two had for Jack, but Brooke had been left in the dark. She hadn't even known he'd been looking for a new place yet.

"Oh wow…"Brooke tried to find the right words. "That's cool."

"Yeah," Jack nodded, turning to Quinn. "So if you want a lift, I'll leave now?"

"That'd be great thank you," Quinn smiled happily.

"Okay." Jack turned to Haley and Nathan one last time. "Sorry again guys."

"Stop apologizing," Nathan warned, giving him a slap on the back. "I'll see you afterwards."

Jack said a goodbye to Lucas and the others before making his way towards the exit. They'd all gotten used to Jack's apologies by now, and found it amusing. Half the stuff he said sorry for wasn't really his fault. He carried the burden of others, which was a unique trait.

"So here's the key," Haley said, handing it to Quinn. "Will be home soon, just wanna take one last look before we clean up this place."

"Take your time," Quinn said, bringing her sister in for a hug. "I'm happy for you Hales."

"Thank you."

The others said bye as Quinn followed quickly after Jack. It was only the five of them now, just like old times.

"It was nice your sister came Haley," Peyton noted. She'd never officially met her, just remembered her face in crossing when she was still a freshman.

"Yeah," Brooke mumbled, looking at the retreating form of the girl in question. She was surprised how easily she'd said yes to the offer. "Is she in town long?"

"Not sure," Haley said truthfully. They hadn't spoken much about her plans for now. She looked back at her friend's swollen face. "I still can't believe he hit you."

"I can't believe I didn't see it coming," Lucas mumbled.

"Well think of the bright side," Peyton offered. The others looked at her confused.

"How could there possibly be a bright side to being punched?" Brooke asked.

Peyton smiled, handing them a photo she'd taken. "It was the first thing the three of them did together as a team."

Everyone looked down to see the captured image of Lucas Nathan and Jack as they stood together moments after everything had finished. They weren't looking towards the camera, nor smiling, but in the moment, without a doubt, the three looked like brothers.

Jack POV

Rain had started to come down hard on Tree Hill as Jack drove towards his new home. It was dark now, and with the rain it made it hard to see, but he'd gotten used to Tree Hill. He knew his way around a little better.

If he could manage living in New York City, a town like Tree Hill was a piece of cake.

His car mate didn't say much. She sat quietly in the passenger seat, which he was thankful for.

It gave him time to think, even if he didn't want to remember. He'd screwed up. Keith had down played it but he knew the severity of the situation. Lucas and Nathan were in the dark. Best they knew, he stood up for Lucas and that was it.

He'd hoped the others all thought the same. But he knew the truth, so did Keith, and he couldn't hide it from himself.

Most of the time he hid his anger well. He'd practiced for so long, but in moments like before, he couldn't hide from it. His anger was a dangerous thing, and one day, it'd hurt someone beyond repair.

"Are you okay?"

Jack's thoughts disappeared as he turned to see Quinn had spoken. "What?"

"Your hands," She gestured towards the wheel. "You're knuckles are almost white from squeezing so hard."

Realizing she was right, Jack relaxed immediately. "Sorry. Head was in a different place."

He could see her slight hesitance from the corner of his eye. It seemed whenever he was around someone they were worried about their well-being. Maybe he shouldn't have offered her a ride, best for both of them.

Still, stealing a glance, he was glad he did. It didn't seem possible but every girl Nathan and Lucas associated themselves with had some sort of requirement to be good looking. Maybe it was him, it'd been so long that maybe every girl appeared to be gorgeous.

He shook the thought away, that'd be too far of a stretch. Quickly looking again, he'd think it'd be a pretty cruel joke if Quinn weren't what she looked at.

She was taller then Haley, which didn't speak many volumes seeing as Haley was quite small. Yet she was taller then most the girls in Tree Hill he'd seen. There was also a maturity about her. It made sense; Nathan had said she was almost 21 years old.

But it was her eyes that reeled him in. He'd never seen a blue quite like that.

"Do you go to school?" Jack suddenly asked. It sounded stupid coming from his mouth, but it was too late.

He noticed a smile break her face as she answered. "Small talk? Really? Haley's told me quite a bit about you, small talk not being one of them."

He couldn't fault Haley on that. "What else has she said?"

"That the first time you met Nathan you punched him," Quinn answered. There was a silence before she broke out into laughter. "I'm sorry, it just from the little I know about you, you always seem to be fighting."

Jack smiled a little, staring at her as she laughed. "There isn't much else."

The laughing stopped. "Is that what you believe? Or hope others do?"

The question hung in the air, waiting to be answered. It wasn't easy knowing, especially when the person being asked couldn't tell the difference.

"I'm studying to be a photographer," Quinn explained. Jack didn't know why she left the question alone but was thankful for it. "I'm in my second year."

"Do you like it?"

Quinn nodded. "I love it. I get to look through a lens and see a different world. In one snap I could re imagine the landscape of my life."

Jack parked the car as they arrived at his newest home next to Haley's. "Must be nice, seeing a different world then the one you've got."

"I dunno," Quinn shrugged. She thought about today. "I got to see my little sister celebrate her wedding. Seems like a pretty great world I've got."

"Can't argue with that," Jack mused, getting out of the car. The rain started to really come down as Jack sprinted quickly towards Haley's apartment with Quinn following. "Anyways, this is you."

Jack watched as Quinn gave him a small wave before heading inside. He heard the door lock before turning back towards the stairs. He was he now, he'd mine as well unpack his car.

Heading down into the rain, he quickly opened his trunk and peered inside. There wasn't much, mostly everything he had was at Peyton's house, but he had some clothes, a lawn chair, and a few blankets. Other then his bag, that was it.

It wasn't luxurious but it was a start.

The rain started to drip down around the rim of the hood and onto the clothes he had. Quickly grabbing them, he tossed them into a bag, grabbed the chair, and closed everything up.

Thankfully the owner had given him the key as he hurried up the stairs and out of the rain. Last thing he needed was banging on his door at 1 in the morning.

He was just about to pass Nathan and Haley's door when it opened suddenly and Quinn appeared leaning casually against the frame.

"Hey," She eyed the stuff in his hands. "Unpacking?"

Jack nodded. "Yeah, figured I'd start now. Aren't you cold?"

As Quinn looked down, Jack found himself following. A short pair of shorts replaced the jeans she'd worn to the party and her long sleeved shirt was replaced with a tank top. To say it was provocative would be an understatement.

"Spent a winter in Canada," Quinn explained, gesturing to herself. "You don't know cold until you've lived there."

He'd never been, but he'd take her word. Standing there, stuff in his hands, Jack wondered how long he'd have to stay before he could excuse himself. He wasn't annoyed with her presence, just tired of standing in the rain holding a lawn chair.

"Anyways," Jack started slowly stepping past the door.

"You want some help?" Quinn asked suddenly. She must have caught his questioning glance. "Nathan's got a pack of beer in the fridge. I know you don't have much, but figured we'd break in your new place. This is your first night right?"

He wasn't sleeping there, but technically it was. "I guess."

"Well then have a beer with me," Quinn smiled. She headed back inside, leaving the door open. Jack didn't have time to stick his head in before she returned with beer in hand. "Besides, gives me a chance to get to know my sisters new brother in law."

Jack didn't say a word as the girl stepped past him and down the hall towards his door.

Quinn POV

It'd been a few years since Quinn had stepped foot into Tree Hill. At first when she'd left, she never imagined coming back. There was the whole world out there to discover. To stay put in one place was a crime to every imagination out there. The world was made to be seen, and she'd promised herself she'd would do just that.

Camera in hand, new out take on life, she was ready to conquer it. For the last three years she'd had. So many stories to tell, so many not to, but the experiences were all different. Every choice, good or bad, led her towards her dream.

She still wanted to capture the beauty of the world through her camera. That was still her dream, but somewhere in the past three years she'd missed something.

There wasn't a switch that made her suddenly miss her family. She wasn't cruel like that, she'd missed them dearly the minute she'd left, her parents, her brothers, and sisters, especially her baby sister. Every day that passed she thought of them.

She'd left for them, to show them what she was capable of, yet she came back for them. Her brothers gone, her sisters gone, her parents soon to follow, all that remained was her baby sister.

Her baby sister who'd got married.

She remembered the phone call from her the day after the wedding. Haley had always been passionate, about school, her friends, her family, and her music. Yet listening to her speak about to love she had for her new husband, it's what brought Quinn home.

Quinn wanted to be here.

All she knew was that in those three years of living her dream and studying to be the best she could, not once had she felt more at home then when she hugged her sister tonight for the first time in years.

It wouldn't be soon, she'd have to leave when the time came, but Quinn had decided that when she had the first chance, Tree Hill was where she'd want to be.

Right by her sister.

It wasn't an easy decision, one she might come to regret, but life was full of chances. Case in point, that's why she found herself inside an empty apartment on a Saturday night with a guy she didn't know.

This wasn't her M.O, her older sister Taylor was notorious for doing things like this, but college had changed her. She was more fearless, a little daring, and she just happened to think her sister's newest brother in law was hot as hell.

She watched closely as he walked around the kitchen island, dropping his things, and wondering what to do. He was nervous, she knew, a trait she found rather adorable. It was strange, most guys she encountered who looked like that held a certain confidence.

A bravado.

They found themselves alone with a girl in an empty apartment things would typically escalate quickly. Best to her knowledge, Jack was trying the opposite. Avoiding eye contact, hardly speaking, standing about a dozen feet away.

Quinn smiled at the thought. She hadn't come here to seduce him, again she wasn't Taylor, although she probably should have second-guessed her wardrobe, she slept comfortably, sue her. No, she didn't come for any of that.

She came because she was truly curious about him.

"Are you okay?" Quinn asked. She'd picked up on his mood in the car. "You want a beer?"

Jack nodded. "Actually that'd be good."

Quinn grabbed two bottles from the back she'd stolen before frowning. "I didn't think this through. You wouldn't happen to have a can opener in that bag would you."

"No need," Jack took the bottles she handed and made his way over to the counter. Quickly he pressed one against the counter top of the island, and popped his hand over it. The cap popped up just as fast as he did the other one. "Here."

"Cool trick," Quinn noted, taking a sip.

"You pick up a few things working at a bar," Jack explained. She watched as he picked up the chair and handed it to her opened. "Only piece of furniture I got. Sorry."

"You could sit," Quinn offered but saw the look on his face. She took it gently, thanking him. "Thanks."

Sitting down, Quinn took the time to look around at the place. She'd barely seen Haley's when she'd walked in, but quickly noted that both had the same structure. Cabinets, lights, room placement best she could tell, all the same.

Only difference was one was empty. It was funny, when you got a place, it looked so big without anything in it. Then a bed, a sofa, some appliances, the huge looking place you just rented became a whole lot smaller.

That had happened to Quinn when she'd moved into her dorm. A week after everything had been finished, she wondered if she had space to move inside her room.

Jack wouldn't have that problem she thought. Not only was he alone, but Haley had mentioned that he didn't have much stuff to begin with. It was sad in a way, but she thought of it differently. This was a chance for him to create a place from scratch.

Maybe it was the artist in her, but looking around, she saw so many possibilities.

"Haley didn't mention you were coming to visit," Jack offered, sorting through the little clothes he had.

"She didn't know," Quinn explained. It was a surprise to even her parents. "Figured she'd have two surprises."

"But Lucas knew?"

"Yeah," Quinn recalled the conversation she had a week prior to her sister's best friend. She'd always liked Lucas. "He thought it'd be a good surprise. Your brothers very thoughtful like that."

Quinn noticed her mistake a second to late. She was briefly aware about the situation and knew it was a delicate one. Lucas and Nathan were his brothers, but calling them that so soon and being so casual about it must have sounded weird.

"I'm sorry," Quinn apologized.

She watched Jack wave it off. "It's fine. He is my brother, it's not like you made that up. It's just…it's hard to get used too. You spend your life thinking one thing, it's pretty hard to accept anything other."

"Even if it's for the better."

Jack smiled. "Even if it's for the better."