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

A/N: Hey all. Here's the latest chapter. Hope you enjoy it. Thanks to all you readers and especially reviewers. You're the greatest.

Luke's fist smashed into his face three more times before Nathan even had a chance to react. The sudden attack had come so unexpectedly and violently that it momentarily left Nathan immobile. Obviously the news of him and Haley had spread to Lucas, but damn, who knew the bastard had this much fight in him?

He caught his bearings soon enough when he heard Peyton screaming at Lucas to stop. No way was he going to let a girl defend him. He picked himself up, ready for battle, wiping the blood from his lip with the back of his hand. If the guy wanted a fight, he'd sure as hell give him one.

One problem. Peyton now stood in between the two.

"Lucas, what are you doing? Stop it! What's going on?" Peyton demanded to know.

"Ask your boyfriend," Lucas snarled in return. "The rapist."

Despite the severity of the situation, Nathan chuckled at Lucas' remark. "Rape?" he scoffed. "Is that what she told you? Cuz it was far from it, man. In fact, she was practically begging for it," he taunted smugly. He knew he probably shouldn't – it would only upset Peyton even more – but he really couldn't help it. Pissing Lucas off wasn't something he could resist. He couldn't see that changing any time soon.

When Lucas sidestepped Peyton to go after him again, Nathan smirked and gladly partook in the fight Lucas was clearly itching for.

The boys rolled around on the ground, throwing punches as Peyton stood by helplessly.

"Finally you grow a pair," Nathan goaded before delivering a right hook to Luke's jaw.

Lucas countered that with a left jab to Nathan's eye. He was a lot tougher than Nathan ever gave him credit for. It made Nathan wonder why he hadn't fought back the last time. He didn't have much time to ponder it though as Luke's fist connected again. Damn. Guy was mad. He was going to have to step it up or Lucas was going to beat him.

He did step it up, delivering several blows to his opponent's stomach and face, but the shots came back just as viciously.

Several seconds later they were being pulled apart by two strong pairs of hands.

Cops. Shit, Nathan thought. Just when he'd been really getting into it. He didn't fight it though, just let the officer pull him away.

Lucas, however, struggled violently in the officer's firm grasp. "Let go of me," he shouted irately. "He's gonna pay for what he did."

"This isn't the way, son," the policeman said. "You have to let us deal with this."

Lucas turned his angry glare on Peyton. "This is who you went back to," he snarled, indicating his half-brother. "A coward who has to drug an innocent girl to get her to sleep with him."

Nathan simply rolled his eyes and chuckled. Drug a girl for sex? Him? What a joke. "Maybe that's what you'd have to do. But girls pretty much turn to mush around me," he boasted arrogantly. "Even Haley."

"You son of a bitch!" Lucas roared, attempting once more to break loose from the officer's hold.

"Easy, son," the cop said.

The policeman who held Nathan spoke next. "Nathan Scott?" he asked to be sure.

"Yeah."

"You're gonna have to come down to the station with us."

Nathan turned his head to see him better, and frowned. "Why? He's the one who came onto my property to pick a fight."

"I understand that, but we're investigating a sexual assault, and we need you at the station for questioning."

Nathan's stomach dropped. "What do you mean?" he asked. She was actually accusing him? "No, no, no, I didn't rape her. She wanted it."

"Yeah," Lucas sneered with disgust. "Funny thing about liquid ecstasy, huh? Girls turn into mush when it's slipped in their drink."

Nathan shook his head. "Ok, what? I didn't fucking slip her anything."

"Right. Just like you didn't come to my house the night of the dance and trash my room."

"I didn't."

"You've caused a lot of shit, Nathan, and gotten away with most of it. But not this time. You're gonna rot in jail for this."

"For what? Screwing some skank at a party?" For a second he glanced over to see Peyton's reaction. He sure as hell hoped she didn't believe this load of crap. But he didn't see her. She'd disappeared and a sense of panic came over him. What if she did believe it and that's why she'd just left?

Just as the thought crossed his mind, the officer urged him forward toward the police car. Nathan could do nothing but follow along in the direction pulled.

Seconds later, Peyton emerged from the house with Dan on her heels.

"Don't say a word," Dan warned Nathan, pointing his index finger at him. "I'll meet you at the station."

"Peyton," Nathan began. "You know she's lying, right?" he asked desperately. "You know I didn't rape her?"

"Hey, what did I say?" Dan stated harshly, forcing his son's attention back on him. "Not a word. You hear me?"

Nathan nodded but glanced at Peyton, trying to read her expression to get an idea of what she was feeling. But the policeman was ducking his head into the back of the patrol car so he couldn't see her.

"Let's not forget he's a minor, huh," Dan warned the two cops. "You can't question him without a parent present."

"We're aware of the law, sir," one of them answered before they left.

Dan hopped in his car immediately, already dialing his lawyer's number, and followed after them.

And Peyton hopped in hers, right behind him, leaving a still angry Lucas standing alone in Dan Scott's driveway. He made his way to his own vehicle, hoping to hell that this wouldn't be yet another crime that Nathan would get away with.

Lucas wasn't the only one cursing Nathan. Several streets over Damien took his frustration out on the punching bag before him, visualizing Nathan's face with each blow.

Until last night's party, he hadn't thought he could hate Nathan more than he already did. The guy claimed to be his friend, but the way he'd blatantly stepped on his toes with Peyton last year had revealed how true his friendship was.

And then again last night with Haley. What made it even worse this time was that Damien knew Nathan wasn't even into Haley. Aside from that one time he'd agreed with Damien that she was cute, Nathan hadn't shown any interest in her whatsoever. So that meant he'd just done it to show how superior he was. And the more Damien thought about it, the more enraged he became.

Flashback

She eyed him quizzically as he handed her a can of coke.

"You looked thirsty," he explained.

"Oh," she responded, forcing a smile to her face and taking the can he offered. "Thanks," she said, suppressing a shudder. It was a sweet gesture, afterall, so she didn't want to be mean. But neither did she want to send the wrong message. She'd just recently gotten him to stop hitting on her and she didn't want to start all that up again. Then again, maybe she was reading too much into a simple soda. Maybe he was just being friendly. Or trying a different approach. Either way it was a refreshing change from his usual bold come-ons.

He smiled inwardly when she instantly raised the can to her lips and took a sip, making no comment on the fact that it was already opened. And his body stirred with anticipation of what was to come in the very near future. Finally she'd see, at least for a while, what she'd missed out on by turning him down. Luckily that loser Lucas had finally taken her out of his sight so that Damien could implement his plan.

And if this worked out well, then Peyton would be next. Because, truth be told, he'd been waiting a lot longer for a chance with her. And way longer for revenge on Nathan.

She took another gulp and his body stirred all the more as he imagined what being with her was going to be like.

He was less than thrilled when Nathan came up just moments later, sporting his usual coat of arrogance.

"Hey," Nathan said to both of them.

"Hi," Haley replied with a genuine smile, glad for the distraction against the awkwardness of standing alone with Damien. He was being nice and all, but still. Plus she'd developed a new empathy for Nathan since he'd gone to Peyton's after the ordeal with his parents and she'd seen first hand a vulnerable side to the handsome basketball player. And certainly she'd found a new respect for him when he'd come to her to ensure she and Lucas be there for Peyton on the anniversary of her mother's death. All in all, the hot, but incredibly selfish and insensitive ass of a guy she'd always seen him as, maybe wasn't so selfish and insensitive afterall. Maybe he was actually a decent guy with some jerkish tendencies.

"Nate," Damien greeted stiffly, though Nathan didn't notice. "What's up?"

Nathan shrugged but returned Haley's smile. "Lucas bail on ya?" he asked her.

The look in his eyes was one that Damien recognized all too well. Player Nathan had re-emerged and he'd set his sights on Haley James. And he was going to have her no matter whose toes he stepped on.

"Umm, yeah," Haley replied. "He's umm…"

"With Peyton," Nathan supplied.

"Yeah," she answered what she'd hesitated to say, knowing how Nathan felt about her.

"That's ok, I'll keep you company," he said with a wink, making Damien roll his eyes.

Nathan didn't notice that either. But he did turn to Damien to say that some of the guys were going on a beer run and that he should go with them.

And Damien reeled. Just like that he'd been dismissed. The king had spoken.

End of Flashback

Damien slammed into the punching bag harder as he recalled having no choice but to walk away when Nathan had turned back to Haley and engaged her in easy conversation, the two of them either deliberately ignoring him or forgetting he was there.

So he'd watched from across the room as the pair soon began to flirt. For a while they'd stepped outside, still in his line of vision, and they'd started making out. Not long after, they were back inside, making out some more.

Then Nathan had guided her up the stairs, Haley showing no resistance whatsoever.

Damien had nearly blown a fuse right then and there. It should have been him. He'd been the one to put the work into it and Nathan, as usual, had reaped the benefits. Fucking cocksucker.

Peyton sat in the station's lobby for what felt like hours. In reality it had only been twenty minutes, but the wait was excruciating. What was happening in there? What were they asking him?

She stood and began to pace, until the receptionist kindly asked her to stop.

Peyton smiled apologetically before sitting down again, picking invisible lint off her jeans. But growing more anxious, she stood again. "Excuse me?" she called to the receptionist. "Do you know how long they're going to be in there?"

The woman shook her head. "It depends. Could be a few minutes, a few hours. Could even be a few days depending what they uncover during questioning."

Great, Peyton thought with agitation. She couldn't just sit here and wait indefinitely, doing nothing.

And so she went out, got in her car, and drove.

"Well, you've been here before," Sherriff Corbin said, after leaving Nathan and Dan stewing in the interrogation room for a while. "You know the drill. We ask you some questions, you answer them, and if all goes well you can be home on time for dinner. Ok?"

"I didn't rape her," Nathan replied simply.

"Ok, well, she tells a different story…"

"Well, she's lying," Nathan argued.

"So then, tell us your side. Otherwise, we're going to have to charge you based on what she said."

Nathan sighed, but nodded his head.

"Ok, first off, our investigators found a used condom in the trash can so we're going to need a DNA sample from you. Nothing complicated, just a cheek swab so we can compare that with the semen inside the condom.

"What's that gonna prove?" Dan spoke up. "Other than the fact that he slept with her, which he's already admitted to?"

"It's just procedure," Corbin replied. In case the kid decides to change his story, he didn't say. "So, do we have your consent?"

"I'll let you know when Mr. Kowalski gets here," Dan replied, referring to their family lawyer.

Sherriff Corbin nodded and turned back to Nathan. "There were traces of liquid ecstasy in the victim's urine," he said. "Can you explain how that would be?"

Nathan shrugged. "I guess she took some. I don't know."

"You don't seem too surprised. Why is that?"

"It was a party," Nathan said with another shrug. "A lot of people take X."

"So it's readily available then?"

"Yeah."

"So anybody could just slip it in someone else's drink without that person's knowledge. Correct?"

"I guess, but we don't do that," Nathan replied defensively.

Yeah, I'm gonna buy that one, the officer thought. "So, last night you didn't decide you're gonna have a bit of fun with a girl who, under normal circumstances, wouldn't have you?"

"No. Well, yeah, sorta, but that was just to mess with Lucas," Nathan said.

"Nathan," Dan warned.

"But I didn't drug her or rape her," he added, realizing his previous statement might make him look guilty. "I thought we'd just maybe make out or something, and then it would get back to Lucas. I didn't think she was going to sleep with me right away."

"Why not?"

"Because she's got that like, innocent vibe, and plus she's friends with Lucas."

"Innocent vibe, I see. Reason enough to spike her drink, I would think," Corbin said accusingly. "You're a good looking kid," he went on, "captain of the basketball team. You probably have girls fawning all over you all the time."

Nathan just glared at him, sensing the turn in conversation. This guy obviously already thought he was guilty.

"You're not used to girls saying no, are you?" the officer continued.

"She didn't say no."

"Oh, I think she did, and your ego couldn't handle that, so you decided to just take it anyway."

"Ok, that's enough," Dan said. "Move on to something else or he's done talking."

"Let's get back to the ecstasy then," Corbin said. "You say a lot of people take it? What about you? You take it?"

Nathan glanced nervously at his dad. This wasn't a question he wanted to answer in front of him.

"Don't look at him," Corbin commanded. "I'm talking to you here, man to man. And is it safe to assume that your answer is yes?"

Nathan nodded, admitting that he took it sometimes, and now avoiding his father's eyes, knowing the disapproval he'd find in them.

"Now I've never taken it, but I understand two of its effects are decreasing inhibitions and increasing sexual pleasure. Is that right?" Corbin asked.

"Yeah."

"It can also make a person drowsy? Is that right too?"

"Sometimes."

"So then, how does it make sense to use that at parties?"

"Well, if you mix it with like, weed or something…"

"Nathan, enough!" Dan shouted, causing Nathan to instantly shut up.

"And did you take any last night?" Corbin asked.

"No."

"But there was some there."

"Apparently."

"So if we took a urine sample right now, it would come out clean, right?"

"Right."

"What about other drugs? Alcohol?"

"I was drinking," Nathan answered.

"I see. How much?"

Nathan opened his mouth to reply until Mr. Kowalski burst through the door. Dan couldn't be happier to see him. At this rate, this questioning would have Nathan confessing the whole thing within the next few minutes.

"Don't answer that," Mr. Kowalski advised and then turned to Corbin. "Whether my client drank or how much he consumed has no relevance to this case. Unless the charge is under-aged drinking? I thought not," he added. "I assume you've read him his rights?"

"We're just talking. We haven't arrested him."

"Then this interrogation is over. Let's go," he told Nathan, who stood up obediently.

"Not so fast," Sherriff Corbin rebuffed. "The law says we're allowed to hold him for 48 hours without formerly charging him, pending further investigation."

"Not without reasonable grounds, you can't," the lawyer argued. "And last time I checked, personal opinion didn't qualify as reasonable grounds."

"He's right," the District Attorney stated. "We have nothing to hold him on."

"Nothing?" Corbin scoffed. "What about the fact that our victim has identified him as her rapist."

"A victim who can't remember half the night," the DA pointed out. "And a suspect claiming the sex was consensual," she added. "It's a classic case of 'he-said, she-said' and that's not enough to go on. Cut him loose."

"She was drugged and you want me to put her rapist back on the street?"

"My hands are tied. Look, bring me some actual evidence and I'll take it to trial, but until then we've got nothing to work with. For all we know, they got into a little lover's spat so she fabricated a rape story to punish him."

"I don't think so," Corbin replied. "I interviewed that girl and she was too emotionally distraught to have made this up. She was raped, I can feel it. And this Scott kid's already got a record for assaulting his brother a few months ago."

"But it doesn't pertain to this case," the DA said. "We can't just add a rape charge to his record without proof. Remember it's 'Innocent Until Proven Guilty', not the other way around. Get some solid evidence, maybe an eye-witness, and then we'll talk."

–––––

"So we just need that DNA sample and then you're free to go," Corbin said, as much as it irked him to do so.

The lawyer nodded, giving his approval for the sample, knowing a judge would likely order one anyway. And it made little difference to his case, considering his client had already admitted to sleeping with the girl.

It didn't take long and within minutes they were leaving the police station with instructions from Mr. Kowalski to call his office in the morning to set up an appointment.

When the knock came, Haley's eyes were still red and puffy from the unusual amount of tears she'd shed in the day. Her mother stood up to answer it, ushering the visitor to the living room where Haley sat between Lucas and her sister, Taylor.

"Peyton, hey," Haley greeted softly, and a little awkwardly.

"You got a lot of nerve, you know that?" Peyton sneered, instantly laying into her. "First you sleep with him, knowing how I feel about him, and then you turn around and cry rape?"

"He did rape me," Haley shot back defensively.

"No, he didn't," Peyton countered. "But keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better about losing your virginity to a random guy at a party."

Lucas stood up. "Hey, Peyton…"

"You don't have the right to ruin his life just because you couldn't stick to your own values."

"Peyton, you need to go," Luke warned sternly.

"And here I thought you were my friend," Peyton scoffed.

"I am your friend, Peyton," Haley replied meekly. "But…"

"Oh, well in that case, I guess I don't need any enemies."

"Bitch, I'd back off if I were you," Taylor spoke up.

"And if I were you," Peyton returned. "I'd keep my mouth shut. Oh, and I wouldn't leave her alone with my boyfriend. You know, don't want her getting raped again," she added bitterly.

Having heard enough, Lucas grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her toward the door. "You need to go. Now."

"I guess Nathan was right all along, huh?" she spat. "You really are out to get him. First you join the team, then you go after me, then you accuse him of trashing your room. Was this something you two planned from the start or just something you cooked up recently cuz nothing else worked?"

"Just go," Luke returned coldly.

"The truth will come out, you know," she hollered at Haley, who was now crying in Taylor's arms. "Everyone's going to know that you either set him up to help Lucas or because you're too ashamed to admit that you gave it up so easy."

She had a lot more to say. A lot more. But Luke nearly shoved her out the door and closed it in her face. She wanted to scream but at least she'd been able to give Haley a little piece of her mind, and at the same time let her know that she saw right through her conniving little scheme.

She got back in her car and went back to the police station, hoping the wait wouldn't be much longer. To her surprise, Dan's car was already gone when she pulled up.

So she turned the Comet around toward the Scott residence.

"I can't believe you're in trouble again," Dan fumed once they were about halfway home. "I may as well just turn over this year's dealership profits to lawyers' fees."

"Sorry," Nathan mumbled. "I didn't do anything though."

"Why can't you keep your damn zipper up for a change? Then we wouldn't be in this mess."

"She's the one who lied, Dad. Why are you yelling at me?" Dan didn't answer him so he spoke again. "You do know she's lying, right?" Still no reply. "You believe me, don't you?" Nothing. "Dad!"

Dan sighed. "Son, it doesn't matter what I believe. It only matters what she can prove."

Nathan sneered at the comment and fixed his eyes out the passenger side window, looking, but not really seeing, the scenery brush by.

Once home he marched up to his room, slamming his bedroom door shut.

But Dan wouldn't have that. Before he knew it, he was in the room giving Nathan hell for the door slam, which he said could lead to property damage. It wasn't long before a heated argument erupted.

"I'm your son," Nathan hollered. "But you think I'm capable of raping someone?"

Yeah, you're my son, but I also know how sex-crazed you are. If a girl happened to turn you down, what would you do? These things ran through Dan's mind, but he kept them to himself. "I didn't say that," he said aloud. "Now let's talk about the drugs, shall we? How long have you been poisoning your body with them?"

Nathan rolled his eyes. "I'm not on drugs, Dad. Not regularly. It's just once in a while at parties, and everyone does it."

"I don't care about everyone. I care about you. And more often than not, it's at parties that addicts got started."

"Don't worry. I'm not a pill-popping junkie," Nathan replied. "I'm not Mom," he added harshly.

Immediately he felt the sting of Dan's backhand connecting to his cheek. Instinctively his hand went up to the area, and he glared daggers at his father. So much for 'never again'.

Dan closed his eyes as the guilt gripped him instantly. He'd just done what he'd promised his son he'd never do again. So much for that promise. He'd meant it when he'd said it, and he'd been doing well. Or so he thought. But apparently reverting back to old ways was as easy as pie. He hadn't bargained for that.

He hadn't even thought about what he was doing until he'd already done it. He was too angry. He recognized that now. And he couldn't handle it, couldn't control it. So he lifted his arms and mumbled an apology before leaving the room, and the house altogether, before he could do anything worse.

Once Peyton arrived at Nathan's, she noticed his dad's car wasn't there either. She wondered if they'd gone somewhere else together or if Nathan had just been dropped off at home. Or if he was sitting in a prison cell. She pulled her cell out and sent Nathan a text, asking if he was ok and where he was.

–––––

After his dad left, Nathan sat dejectedly on the side of his bed, bouncing a basketball and pondering the day's events. Surprisingly, he wasn't all that worried about the rape accusation. Maybe because he knew he was innocent. But he was pissed about it. He couldn't believe anyone would stoop so low as to accuse a guy of raping her. No matter how much she hated him. Or how much her best friend hated him. Or her boyfriend, or lover, or whatever the hell Lucas was to her. It definitely seemed like more than just friendship.

What disturbed him more was that his own father doubted his innocence. The backhand didn't hurt nearly as much as the obvious lack of faith his dad had in him. He actually thought Nathan could possibly do something so horrid.

This led his mind to what bothered him more than anything else, which was whether or not Peyton was of the same mindset as his dad. He'd honestly expected to find her waiting for him when he left the interrogation room, and was disappointed that she hadn't been. Sure they were broken up, but he thought she at least still cared about him. She'd said earlier that she was still in love with him. If she did then the only reason she wouldn't have been there would be because she'd bought into the accusations. The very idea of that hurt like hell.

Earlier today his deepest source of pain was knowing he'd blown his last chance with Peyton by sleeping with Haley. But now it was the possibility of her seeing him as a rapist. Losing her forever was bad enough, but having her think of him that way was unbearable. He didn't think he could cope with that.

His cell vibrated in his pocket so he pulled it out, smiling a bit when he noticed it was from her. He read the message, "R u ok? Where r u?" and sent his reply. "Not really. Home."

"K. Coming in," she sent back.

She was there within seconds and he couldn't help commenting on it.

"Well, I was right outside," she explained. "So, what happened?" she asked, sitting beside him. "Did they charge you?"

Nathan shook his head. "No. They didn't have enough evidence so they had to let me go. They're still investigating though."

"Well, they can investigate all they want," Peyton stated crossly. "They're never going to find proof of something that didn't happen."

Nathan's eyes darted toward her. "You believe me?" he asked hopefully.

She chuckled, surprised that he would ask, that he would even assume she wouldn't. "I was never in doubt," she said. "I'm pretty sure I know you well enough to know that you wouldn't do something like that."

He let out a huge sigh of relief, her simple comment easing his mind tremendously. "Ok, I just thought since you're friends with Haley, and you didn't come to the police station…I got worried that maybe you thought it was true."

She shook her head vigorously. "First of all, I could never believe that about you, so get that idea out of your head right now. Second, like you said earlier, Haley's not really my friend, and third, I did go to the police station. I left for a bit but then I went back, but you were already gone by then."

He nodded, acknowledging her words.

"I went to Haley's," she revealed. "And let her know that nobody's going to buy her story."

"The cops do," Nathan countered. "And my dad."

"Really? Your dad?"

"Yeah. Well, it's not so much that he believes it, more like he's not sure."

"Well, don't worry about him ok. Or the cops, or anyone else, for that matter. Those of us who know you know better."

He smiled at her, her words carrying further than she would ever know or he could ever express.

Her hand reached out to gently touch the forming bruise on his cheek. "This is new," she said.

He turned his face away. "They're all new," he pointed out.

"Yeah, I know that," she replied. Afterall she'd seen the whole fight go down. "But this one wasn't there earlier," she added, forcing his head back toward her. "It was your dad, wasn't it?"

He gave a small nod in reply.

"I thought Brooke told me that he was going to anger management."

"He is."

"Well, I guess it's not working for him, huh?"

"No, Peyt, it is. He just…"

"Got mad, yeah. Same as always."

"No, it's different. He felt really bad, I could tell, and he apologized too."

"Sorry doesn't cut it every time, Nathan."

"I know, but he doesn't usually say it so… I think he really meant it, Peyton"

"You really believe that or is it just what you want to believe?"

"No, I really think it, ok. I mean, he's going to classes with me every week, and it was his own idea to do it. Why else would he do that if he didn't want to change? There just haven't been enough classes yet so it's hard. But he is trying, so can you cut him some slack?"

"Ok," she agreed, seeing how important it was to him. "For you," she clarified.

"Thank you."

"Sure. I just worry about you, you know? Sometimes I think you cut him too much slack."

"Yeah, you can say that, but where's the first place you ran when the cops were here?"

"In the house to get your dad. Ok, ok, point taken," she replied sheepishly. "What?" she asked when he continued to smile at her and gazed at her intently.

He shrugged. "Nothing. It's just, you always worry about me, and look out for me, even when I don't deserve it."

Her eyes locked with his and she bit her lower lip before replying. "That's just what girlfriends do."

A/N: Like last time, I tried to be as accurate with the law stuff as possible, but if you see something wrong, just pretend it's right, ok? Haha.