A/N: Again, thanks to all the readers and especially the reviewers with all the feedback and encouragement. I hope everyone who celebrates had a wonderful Christmas. Thank you all.

Also, the real name on the ID is not my own idea. I got it from another story on ff, but I can't remember what it's called or who wrote it, as it's been a while since I read it. It's just a tiny part, but if anyone knows who it's from can you pm me so I can add the author's name to my a/n. Thank you.

Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters.

Nathan walked along the beach shore, rap music blaring through his headphones, absently kicking a stone a few feet ahead, only to kick it farther once he caught up to it. In his hand was a 26 oz bottle of JD, already half empty. In the pocket of his hoodie – another bottle. He'd gone to the beach house with the sole purpose of grabbing the alcohol, but had quickly left in case his dad decided to look for him there. All he wanted was to get smashed and forget the whole damn day – the suspension, the wrath of his father which was sure to follow, and now, the break up.

He never should have gone to Peyton's tonight, he thought, taking a large swig of the harsh alcohol. After being suspended from the team, he'd been too angry to go to her, knowing he'd do something stupid, like blame her for it all, but he'd finally reached the point, though it was hours later, when he felt no anger toward her, and just looked forward to her support. If not her support, then just her company. He'd just needed to be with her. But the only thing that had resulted from his visit was a huge fight – what he'd wanted to avoid in the first place.

No, that was a lie – there hadn't been a fight. Not really. She'd gone ballistic on him, changing from relieved girlfriend, into instant bitch in a matter of seconds, refusing him the chance to even speak. One moment she was hugging him tightly like she never wanted to let him go, and the next she was screaming obscenities and throwing every tangible object she could get her hands on at him. He hadn't bothered trying to calm her down. First of all, he knew it was pointless at that point and second, he just wasn't in the mood. So he'd gone, like she'd yelled at him to do, slamming the door angrily behind him.

He made his way onto the grass, settling down by a tree and leaning against the trunk. Could this day have been any worse? The only worse scenario he could come up with was if his dad were to find him right now. He knew he'd have to face him sooner or later, but he preferred later.

He sat there drinking, listening to his rap, and mulling over the day's events.

Flashback of earlier in Charlotte

He steered the car in the direction of the house, pulling in the driveway once he'd arrived. Turning off the ignition, he stepped out and made his way to the front door and knocked.

An auburn haired beauty, whose large brown eyes lit up in pleasant surprise when she saw who stood at her doorstep, greeted him. It had been a while since she'd seen him. "Hey, sweetie," she said, pulling him into a hug. "It's so nice to see you."

"You too, Jess," he replied. "Can I come in?"

"Of course," she replied sweetly, opening the door wider to allow him entrance. "Do you even need to ask?"

"So," Jess said over her shoulder as Nathan followed her into the sitting room. "Not to be rude or anything, but you might have wanted to call before driving this far out. Not that you're not welcome, because you know you always are," she added reassuringly. "But if you'd called first, I could have told you that Coop is at a racing convention in New York. He won't be back until next week."

"Oh," Nathan replied with a disappointed sigh. He'd really wanted to talk to Cooper.

"But you're welcome to stay and visit with me," she said brightly. "As much as I love them, I've been going crazy with only kids to talk to all week."

Nathan gave her a smile. "Where are they?"

"It's 9:30, they're in bed. Bedtime was an hour ago."

"You used to let me stay up until like 11:00 or 12:00," Nathan reminded her.

"That's because you'd throw a temper tantrum if I didn't," she scoffed. "I've learned a lot since babysitting you, buddy. I'm much tougher now. You were such a spoiled brat. You still are."

Nathan simply shrugged carelessly. He'd been called worse.

"I remember the only two who could handle you were your dad and Cooper. You actually listened to them."

"That's because my dad was scary and Coop, he was my idol. Until he stole you from me, that is," Nathan said with a small grin. "You promised you'd marry me when I got old enough, but then you met Cooper and that went out the window."

Jessica laughed. "You still remember that? You were only around eight."

"Yeah, well, I was pissed off at both of you, for like a year, when you started dating. I'm not even kidding."

"Believe me, I remember. I just didn't think you would. Am I going to need to divorce your uncle to fulfill my promise to you?" she joked.

Nathan shook his head. "Not now, with kids in the mix."

"Aww, you don't want to break up a family? How sweet."

"Nah, I just don't like kids."

"I don't believe that. You're great with Jordan and Chelsea. They love you to death. Just as, I'm sure, this one's going to love you too," she said, rubbing her stomach.

"What? You're pregnant? Again?"

She nodded happily. "We just found out last week."

"You don't look pregnant," Nathan said, eyeing her still flat belly.

"I'm only six weeks along."

"You guys have been married, what, four years and you're already on your third kid?"

"Well, Cooper doesn't like to waste time," she said with a chuckle.

"I see that. Do I need to take him down the aisles of the drug store and show him where the rubbers are?"

"Like he did for you, you mean?"

Nathan smiled, remembering his very first condom purchase that Cooper had insisted he needed as soon as he realized the boy was sexually interested in girls. Not that he'd used them right away. He'd only been twelve at the time and the box had remained unopened for a few years. "You know about that?"

"Don't be embarrassed, sweetie," Jess said. "Coop tells me everything. And, just so you know, I didn't approve of him doing that. We got in a huge fight about it."

"Why?" Nathan asked curiously.

"Because, to me, he was basically giving a kid permission to go have sex. He said he wasn't, but if you were going to anyway, you may as well be safe. But that's all water under the bridge," she said dismissively. "Are you thirsty? You want a soda or something?"

"Got anything stronger?"

"Not for my underaged nephew, no."

"Cooper lets me have beer."

"I know. But I'm not Cooper," she replied.

"Well, my ID says I'm legal," Nathan told her. "See." He pulled out his wallet, found what he was looking for and showed it to her.

She looked over it, a slow smile spreading across her beautiful face. What she would have done for one of those when she was seventeen. "Well, I'm sorry, Mr. Lafferty, but the bar's closed."

He smiled at her, not surprised by her refusal. "That sucks. Guess I'll take the soda."

She went to the kitchen, retrieved a can of Coke from the refrigerator. "So, what brings you here anyway?" she asked as she handed him the can.

Nathan only shrugged in response.

"All that?" she teased lightly. "You know," she added, sensing the teenager was troubled over something, yet knowing it wouldn't be her he opened up to, "you could always call Coop on his cell if you need to talk to him." She knew he still looked up to his uncle – not in the way a young child idolizes someone, but more as a friend and mentor. Cooper, being ten years older than Nathan, was old enough to offer solid guidance and advice, yet he was young enough that he was fun and impressionable on the teenager. Who better to impress a teenage boy than a racecar-driving uncle?

"No, it's ok," Nathan replied. "I don't want to bother him."

Jess touched his arm softly. "He'd love to hear from you, Nate, or James – whatever you're going by these days," she bantered. "Do you have his number?"

"Yeah, I think so," Nathan said, pulling out his phone to see if his uncle's number was programmed in. He nodded when he found it.

"So, call him then."

"I will later," he answered, about to put his phone back in his pocket.

"Aren't you going to check your message?" Jess asked him, having noticed the light flashing.

He shook his head to say he wasn't going to.

"Well then, can I?" she asked. "Because that's gonna drive me nuts."

"For real?"

"Yes. Ask Coop; an unchecked message is my biggest pet peeve."

"Why?"

"Just is," she said, holding her hand out for the phone.

He shrugged, handing it to her. What would it matter if she read them?

She was astounded at the number of unread messages he had. She read through several of them before fixing her chocolate brown eyes on his sea blue ones. "Nathan Scott! Do I have to smack you?" she yelled.

"Watch it, you'll wake up the kids," he warned her.

"Everybody's worried about you," she said in a lower tone. She handed him his phone. "At least call your dad, and then your girlfriend. Actually, scratch that. Call her first. I like her more."

"You've never even met her." The last time Cooper had come to Tree Hill, he and Jess had been separated due to marital problems, but they had since worked it out.

"Well, she has to be special to put up with you," she teased. "Now call her. And your dad."

"I don't want to talk to them right now. Not my dad anyway."

"Then send a message. Geez, Nathan, at least let them know you're alright."

"When did you become so bossy?" he asked her.

She smiled mischievously. "When I got married and had kids. But seriously, they're worried sick. You don't even need to tell them where you are, just that you're ok."

"Fine," he conceded with a sigh, sending Peyton a message. He decided he may as well tell her where he was and ask if he could drop by at the same time, because, truth be told, he really wanted to see her.

End of Flashback

He pondered the day for quite some time before he felt a soft, friendly kick to his leg. He looked up in surprise, for he hadn't noticed anyone approaching. Nobody ever came here this late. This was his spot when he wanted to be alone.

"Hey, Nate," he heard a female voice say once he'd taken his headphones out.

His brows furrowed in confusion. The voice sounded familiar, but the effects of the alcohol were taking its toll, so it took a while for his mind to register. He wasn't completely gone, but he was well on his way. His bloodshot eyes strained to recognize the four people who stood directly in front of him, but his state of mind and the darkness of night made it difficult to focus. It took him a while, but finally he was able to make out their faces. Bevin – it was she who had spoken, Jake and Rachel. The fourth person, he didn't know.

"What do you guys want?" he asked miserably.

"We spotted your car in the parking lot," Jake said amicably, ignoring Nathan's sour tone. "What are you doing out here?"

"What does it look like?" Nathan asked, taking a mouthful from the liquor bottle. "I'm hiding," he admitted.

"Oh, well you hid really well earlier," Bevin stated impressively. "Nobody knew where you were during the game. But this time, no offence, but you were easy to find."

Nathan made no response. He didn't feel like dealing with anybody right now, including his friends.

"I heard about the suspension," Jake said. "How are you holding up with that?"

"How do you think? It sucks. And my dad's gonna fucking kill me."

"That's who you're hiding from?" Rachel asked softly, sitting down beside him. "Your dad?"

"Do I smell like perfume?" Nathan questioned, staring blankly at the redhead.

Rachel chuckled, yet wasn't surprised by the abrupt change of topic. He never liked to talk about his family, at least not with her. Not even when he was drunk. "Uh, no, you smell like whiskey," she answered him. "Why do you ask?"

He shrugged. "It's what Peyton said," he told her before lifting the bottle to his lips once again. "Why are you guys here anyway?" he asked. "Don't you have, like, a strict curfew?" This question he'd posed to Bevin, who always had to be home by 10 p.m. on school nights.

"I'm staying at Rachel's tonight," Bevin replied. "We went on a double date. Well, her and Jake weren't an actual date, just friends. Oh!" she exclaimed, realizing she hadn't made introductions. "Nathan, this is Skills," she said, pulling Skills closer. "Skills, Nathan."

Skills glanced over at Nathan uncomfortably. This guy had made one his closest friend's life miserable for the past few months, so he wasn't too keen on being friendly with him, yet he knew he liked Bevin and even though this was only their first date, he wanted to keep seeing her. If they were going to work, he would have to at least be civil with her friends, and Nathan was one of them. As was Rachel, whom he'd discovered tonight, he wasn't particularly fond of. He found her too snobby and critical of others. Jake, on the other hand, he'd gotten along with right from the introduction. He extended his hand for Nathan to shake, but was caught off guard when Nathan started laughing uncontrollably.

"Skills?" he asked in humor. "That's your name?"

"It's a nickname, silly," Bevin replied. "His real name is Antwon."

"Did you pick it?" Nathan asked Bevin.

Rachel started to laugh with Nathan. "That's what I asked," she confessed.

Skills lowered his hand when it seemed Nathan wasn't going to accept the friendly gesture.

Bevin threw Nathan and Rachel a pouty look. "You guys," she said in complaint. "It's not funny. It's because he's good at basketball."

This caught Nathan's attention and he looked up, still amused. "Really? What school do you play for?" he asked Skills.

Rachel gave Nathan a playful shove. "He doesn't. He goes to Tree Hill High, you dumbass," she teased.

"How should I know that?" Nathan asked drunkenly. "I don't know every person in our school," he said, taking another drink and then handing it over to Rachel, offering her some. She took it from his hands and took a large gulp, then gave it back to him.

Bevin, as clueless as she was about most things, couldn't miss the blatant rudeness of her friends. Rachel hadn't been overly offensive throughout the evening, but neither had she been friendly toward Skills, and any fool could see the way she looked down her nose at him. Now Nathan hadn't even shaken his hand, just ignored Skills' attempt at politeness. She knew it had nothing to do with his race, and everything to do with social rank. He wasn't part of their circle so their automatic assumption was he was inferior to them. Most of her friends were like that. It was the one thing she hated about them.

Jake shook his head, sensing both Bevin and Skills' discomfort. His friends could be such assholes sometimes. "Guys," he said in warning.

Nathan just looked at him, his drunken mind failing to catch the admonition for what it was. "Yeah?"

"Just be nice, alright," Jake told him.

"I'm not doing anything," Nathan argued defensively. "I was just sitting here, minding my own business, and then you all came."

Jake nodded at his friend. "Ok. Well, I'm ready to call it a night. How about we drive you home?"

Nathan shook his head at the offer. "I can't. If I go home, next time you see me, I'll be dead."

"Why don't I take this then?" Jake said, taking the bottle from Nathan.

"Dude, if you wanted some, you just had to say so," Nathan replied as he reached into his pocket. "I got more," he said, pulling out the other bottle.

"Nate, seriously? You got to find another way to deal, man."

"Says who?"

"Come on, we'll take you to Peyton's. Ok?" He couldn't just leave him here in his shape, but he couldn't take him to his place either. A drunken idiot was not exactly what he wanted around his young daughter or his parents.

"I can't go to Peyton's. She dumped me."

"Did you screw around on her again?" Rachel asked with disapproval. "Is that why she said you smelled like perfume?"

"No," Nathan denied. "I never cheated on her once the whole time we've been back together."

"A whole two weeks," Rachel said dully. "Is that a record for you?"

"Do girls have an off and on bitch switch or what?"

Rachel had to laugh at him. "Yeah, we carry it around in our purse everywhere we go. Where do guys keep the jackass switch? Because I think yours is permanently stuck to on," she countered.

"Well, I'm gonna turn mine on soon if I don't get some Z's," Jake stated.

Again Rachel laughed. "Jake, I don't think you have one. You're too nice."

"There's no such thing as too nice," Bevin said. "You two should take lessons from Jake."

"Lessons on what?" Nathan asked with humor. "I already know how to make a baby." He attempted to stand at that point, but had to hold on to the tree trunk for balance. "Whoa, the beach is spinning," he said matter of factly.

Rachel stood up as well, dusting the dirt off her pants.

"Where can we take you, Nate?" Jake asked.

"Nowhere," Nathan stated. "You guys go. I'm staying right here."

But Jake shook his head, afraid his friend would try something stupid like drive or go swimming in his current state of intoxication. Yeah, he'd seen him a lot more trashed, but he was far from sober. "We're not leaving you here." He turned to Bevin in exasperation. "Do me a favor? Call Peyton." If anyone could reason with Nathan, it was Peyton.

"No, don't call her!" Nathan demanded.

"Come on, Nate. I'm trying to help here," Jake replied in frustration.

"Well don't. I didn't ask for your help."

"You didn't have to. How many times have you had my back, huh? All of our backs," indicating himself, Bevin and Rachel. "It's what friends do. So don't shut us out."

"I'm not," Nathan told him.

"No? Then how come nobody knew you got suspended from the team until Whitey told us, huh? How come nobody knew where the hell you went after that? Everybody was scared shitless, because you didn't let anyone know where you were taking off to. Not one person. Not even Peyton. That's not right, man."

Nathan rolled his eyes. "You know what? I already got this same fucking lecture today. I don't need to hear it twice," he said as he started to stagger off toward his car.

"Where you going, Nate?" Jake asked.

Nathan threw him a scornful look then looked away.

"Alright, don't tell me," Jake said when he noticed Nathan had fished into his pocket and pulled out his keys. "But you're not driving," he added, noting Nathan still held the bottle of whiskey.

"Try and stop me," Nathan dared with a sneer.

"Don't be an idiot," Jake ordered as he reached for the keys.

Nathan pushed Jake away from him, stumbling back himself as he did so.

"What? You want to fight me?" Jake asked impatiently. "You won't win this one, Nate. You can barely stand up."

"Whatever, I'm fine."

But Jake refused to back down, and Bevin and Rachel joined him in his quest to have Nathan hand over his keys. For a minute Nathan just glared at them but then he gave up. Even in his fogged up state, he knew the odds were stacked against him. With a heavy sigh, he tossed over the keys. "Fine, I'll walk."

"Let us drive you, Nathan," Bevin said. No matter what, he was still her friend and she would look out for him. "Wherever you want to go."

"You can stay at my place if you want," Rachel offered.

Nathan refused the invitation, figuring they'd all be going back there. "I'll just go to Brooke's," he said. At least he could count on Brooke to know when to talk to him and when to leave him alone.

"Ok, let's go," Jake said.

They piled up in Rachel's car, taking the whiskey bottle and tucking it safely in the trunk and headed over to Brooke's.

"She gonna be alright?" Skills asked once they'd dropped Nathan off. He couldn't help wonder now about the things Lucas suspected about Nathan, and him being drunk and angry, made it more cause for concern.

"Oh yeah," Bevin assured him. "They're like, best friends, so she can handle him."

"Besides Peyton, I think Brooke's the only other one who can when he's like this," Jake stated. "He'll probably just pass out anyway."

"Either that or get Brooke to drink with him," Rachel commented.

"Yeah," Jake agreed. "Or that."

–––––––––––––––

"Ok," Brooke said, taking a seat beside Nathan on the couch, a cold beer in her hand. "Talk to me," she said, slapping his leg. "Why aren't you at Peyton's like you're supposed to be?"