A/N: Here's the next one guys. Thanks, as always, to all my readers. Love you guys. And for those of you who comment, you rock. Hope you enjoy this one.

...

"So, Nathan," Larry asked after a long stretch of silence had fallen. "You chose to return to school rather than get a private tutor like Peyton did? Or was that a choice your parents made for you?"

"No, I made it," Nathan answered. "I wanted to go back."

Larry waited for him to elaborate, but when he didn't, he continued with the questioning. "You like school then?"

Peyton let out a sarcastic chuckle. Yeah, Nathan liking school. That would be the day.

Nathan shot her a look before replying. "Not really."

"So then?"

Nathan looked at the older man, clueing in now that he wanted more of an answer. So he gave him the truth. "It was the only way to get away from my parents." Again both Larry and Ellie stared expectantly so he went on. "They were constantly breathing down my neck, never taking me out of their sight for a second. It was annoying."

Silently Larry and Ellie wondered if that's how Peyton felt about them. "Maybe annoying," Larry began, "but not without reason, I'd say," he returned, defending, not only Dan and Deb, but themselves as well. What was any parent to do when their child attempted suicide?

"I guess," Nathan conceded with an uneasy shrug before stuffing a piece of potato in his mouth. Better that than his foot.

"It doesn't bother you to be in the school again after what happened in there?" Ellie asked him, knowing how petrified Peyton was of just that.

Nathan shrugged again, indifferently this time. "It's just a building," he told her. "It could have happened anywhere."

Instantly defensive, Peyton turned on her boyfriend. "Not all of us can forget that easily," she shot out, irrationally feeling like his remark was a jab at her. It certainly cut her to the bone.

Taken off guard by the snarky comment, Nathan glanced at Peyton in wonder. Had she just said that? Her eyes were practically spitting out venom. "I didn't forget," he snapped back, immediately fighting against her sudden change in mood. He didn't mean to react. He just did, and he couldn't have stopped himself if he tried.

But then he remembered where he was and he sat back and pursed his lips. He wasn't about to fight with her in front of her parents, despite every instinct in him being in defensive mode. Damn it, she knew how uncomfortable he already was, and she picks a fight? Now? "So, the steak's really good," he told her dad.

"Glad to hear it," Larry returned, now feeling a little uneasy himself after witnessing his daughter start a fight with the boy he'd always blamed for those fights. "Peyton said you liked it medium rare so I hope it's not too overdone for you."

It was a little overdone for his taste, but he wasn't about to say that. "Yeah, no, it's perfect. Just how I like it," he assured the older man before putting a bite in his mouth.

Peyton did the same, as did her parents.

And the rest of the dinner was eaten in complete, awkward silence.

...

"What the hell was that out there?" Nathan demanded to know the second they were alone, while Larry and Ellie cleaned the dinner mess.

"What? You purposely being a giant ass to my parents?"

"I wasn't," he denied. He'd been so careful not to be. Or so he thought.

"Oh, please," she scoffed. "You practically told them they were idiots for keeping such a close eye on me."

"I did not," he denied again. "I was talking about my parents."

"Right, and you think mine can't read between the lines?"

"What lines?"

"God, you really are a dumbass sometimes," she muttered.

His fists clenched at his sides, put off by her comment, and he glared daggers at her. "Yeah, that's right," he spit out viciously. "You're gonna have to explain it cause the dummy doesn't get it."

"Clearly," she returned, not helping matters any. "How 'bout you just think about it for one second?" she added harshly. When he still looked lost, she went on. "Geez, Nathan, you were complaining about your over-protective parents to my over-protective parents. Do you really need a play-by-play on how that would make them feel?"

"I wasn't complaining. I was answering their questions."

"Oh my God!" she shrieked, frustrated that he wasn't getting it. She could swear he played dumb on purpose sometimes. "They asked you about school, Nate, not your oh-so-annoying parents."

He sighed now. "Ok, I'm sorry," he said. "Is that really what you're mad about? Cause I can apologize to them if you want, even though I didn't mean it like you're saying."

"Don't bother if you're not gonna mean it."

"Peyton..." he called out.

She completely ignored him and he sighed again. "So I did end up saying the wrong thing," he spat. "I told you I would," he said caustically. "And thanks, by the way, for making that dinner exactly as uncomfortable as I figured it would be."

"You started it by saying I'm a coward for not going back to school," she retaliated resentfully.

"I never said that."

"You may as well have," she returned tartly. "It's just a building," she mocked. "It could have happened anywhere."

"It is and it could've."

"Well, it didn't. So thank you very much for making me feel like a complete moron for being scared to go back. Like, it's so ridiculous that I'm petrified of that place, right?"

"Yeah, actually, it is," Nathan replied simply.

She didn't know what she'd expected his answer to be, but it certainly wasn't that. She stared at him, momentarily stumped for words.

"The school didn't attack you, Peyton," he reasoned as she stood silent. "Damien did. And he's in jail."

"And I'm just supposed to be over it then?" she accused bitingly.

"I didn't fucking say that!" he blew up, irritated that she kept putting words in his mouth.

"Umm, yeah, you pretty much just did," she pointed out.

He lifted his hands in frustration. "Ok, you know what? I give up. I may as well just go home if you're gonna be a bitch all night, no matter what I say."

"Fine, go," she told him bitterly.

He sneered at that and stormed his way over to the front door. "Whatever," he mumbled. "I'll call you tomorrow, see if you're in a better mood." He certainly had no intention of dropping by if she was gonna be like this.

She heard the door slam and wiped away the few tears she'd held back until he left. That's when her parents came in and she knew they'd heard everything.

"You ok?" Ellie asked as Larry stood there with a deep scowl on his face.

Peyton nodded and waved the question away dismissively, cursing the fact she was crying and that her dad was seeing it. She didn't want him having any more reasons to hate Nathan.

"That was some fight," Ellie remarked.

Peyton shook her head. "That?" she questioned. "It was nothing."

"If that was nothing, I'd hate to see something."

"No, seriously," Peyton began. "We fight a lot," she told Ellie. "You know that," she said to Larry now, then turned back to Ellie. "Trust me, we're famous for our all-out, knockdown fights, and they're usually way worse than this. This," she stressed, "was like, a minor disagreement for us."

"That made him slam our front door and you cry?" Ellie questioned pointedly. "That was minor?"

"Believe it or not, yeah," Peyton admitted with a sheepish smile.

"You say that like it's a good thing," Ellie replied.

Peyton looked from one parent to the next. She wasn't sure why her dad was staying so quiet about the situation. It certainly wasn't like him not to put his two cents in. Ellie stared at her intently so she knew she had to comment. "No, it's not. I know that," she said. "And I know what you're thinking-that we need to control our tempers."

Ellie nodded. "Among other things."

"And you're probably right," Peyton continued. "But it's just always been that way with us," she said. "It's like...normal. It's how we get everything out in the open most of the time so even though it seems like a bad thing, in the long run, it's actually a good thing," she tried to explain. "And to be perfectly honest, normal feels really good right now."

"Ok, fine," Ellie returned. "Now let me be honest. I get that with two hotheads, such as yourselves, tempers are gonna flare..."

"Exactly."

"However, fighting is one thing, acting childish and petty is another. I'm sorry, Peyton, but all the cursing and name calling? It's gotta go. There's no need for that."

"Ok, listen," Peyton began. "Don't use this as another thing to judge Nathan for," she said more to her dad than Ellie, even though he still hadn't said a word, seemingly content to let Ellie do all the talking. "I mean, ok yeah, he called me a bitch, but so what?" she said offhandedly. "It honestly doesn't bother me."

"Well, it should," Ellie argued. "Because that is so unbelievingly disrespectful, and it sure does bother your father and I. I wasn't, however, strictly referring to Nathan. I'm pretty sure I heard the words jackass and dumbass thrown in there too, and those aren't any better or less disrespectful, as far as I'm concerned."

Peyton's cheeks flushed while Larry's jaw dropped. He had to admit, Ellie raised a valid point. It was his habit to always fault Nathan, but they'd both called each other names. Larry felt like he needed to give his head a shake. In this particular instance, both teens were guilty of the same thing so if he could find fault with Nathan doing it, he'd also have to find fault with his daughter. Was he really, as Peyton always accused, just always looking for reasons to hate the kid? He'd never thought so, but in light of tonight, he had to wonder. He couldn't deny Nathan had hurt his daughter countless times, but only now did he consider the fact that Peyton wasn't always as innocent as he always thought her to be.

Point in question...it was Peyton, not Nathan, who'd picked that senseless argument over dinner. Nathan hadn't done anything wrong - had simply been answering their questions - and she'd jumped on him for a simple remark she hadn't liked.

Yes, tonight's argument, he realized, was on his precious little girl. And Nathan, being as hot-tempered as she, had struck back. He shouldn't have. He should have just let it go rather than continuing it, which was his mistake. But that didn't change the fact Peyton had instigated it. That was her mistake.

"I respect Nathan," Peyton came back with in a huff, cutting into Larry's thoughts. "And I really resent being told I don't."

"Then why call him a jackass?" Ellie asked.

Peyton let out a sardonic laugh. "For the same reason he called me a bitch," she replied snarkily. "Because he was being one." She shook her head in disbelief. "Seriously, Ellie, you're reading wayyy too much into this. Maybe our tempers get the best of us sometimes, but we love each other, and respect each other."

"Ok," Ellie said, raising her hands in surrender. "I've said all I have to say about it."

...

Nathan went home to find Lucas in the library with his dad, pouring over a stack of books that lay on the table in front of them.

"This one's a great read," he heard his dad tell Lucas.

"Yeah, I read it last year," Luke replied.

"There's a part two being released next month," Dan said.

"I heard. Can't wait to read it."

"I'll tell you what? When I go grab mine, I'll grab you a copy too."

"You don't have to do that. I can just borrow yours once you're done."

"Nonsense. You should have your own copy. Besides, we can read it together and compare notes that way."

"Sounds good," Lucas conceded.

Neither noticed Nathan standing there, so he backed away silently, going to the kitchen for a drink.

"Hi sweetie," Deb, who was already in the kitchen, greeted.

"Hey, Mom. What's up?"

"Not much. I've been alone all evening."

"They've been in the library all night?"

"Most of."

He nodded solemnly. First Peyton's dad and now his. Well, theirs, he supposed. Bonding over books the way he would never be able to do. How long now before his dad figured out he'd chosen the wrong son?

"Does it bother you?" Deb asked carefully.

"What?"

"That your father is spending so much time with Lucas."

Nathan shrugged. "No. I mean, he is his son too, right?"

"True, but you're allowed to have feelings about it," she reasoned. "Nathan?" she pushed when he didn't answer.

"What? Mom, it's cool, ok?"

"The words coming out of your mouth don't match the frown on your face," she pointed out. "You know, your father's not replacing you, don't you?"

"Yeah, what am I, five?" he snapped. "I know he's trying to make up for lost time. I get it."

"Ok, all I'm saying is if it upsets you, you can talk to me about it. And your father too. He's not going to do anything to cause you pain."

"Mom, I'm fine," he told her, but now offered her a weak smile. "Thanks for the concern, ok, but I don't wanna stand between them. Lucas has as much right to know his father as I always have," he said, knowing that to be true.

"Well, that's a very mature stance to take," Deb told him proudly.

Again he smiled. "It's just gonna take some getting used to," he admitted.

"For you and me both," she agreed.

He nodded, realizing now how awkward it must be for her too. It actually felt good to know she was in the same boat so he wasn't on it alone.

"Listen, sweetie," she said now. "There's something I want to talk to you about. Can we sit for a minute?"

"Uh, yeah sure," he answered, sitting at the kitchen table as she indicated.

"Alright," she said. "As you know, I've been home for a while now."

"Yeah?" he replied uncertainly, not sure he liked where this was going.

"And all day, while you're at school and your father's at work, I'm finding myself..., well, bored and, quite useless, to tell you the truth."

His eyes narrowed as he stared hard at her. "But you have your Foundation work that you do here," he said reasonably.

"Which is certainly rewarding by its own merits, but Nate, I'm done my work by mid-to-late morning, and it's really not the same as getting your hands right in there and making a visible difference."

He glared at her now before moving to get off his chair. "You're leaving us again," he accused angrily.

"No," she answered quickly, grabbing his hand before he could walk away. "I'm staying right here in Tree Hill. I promise you, Nathan."

He sat down again, gazing at her with questioning blue eyes. "Then, what's this about, Mom?"

"I want to volunteer at the Centre where you're doing your community service, and I just wanted to run it by you to see how you would feel about that."

"I think that'd be awesome," he told her.

"You do?"

"Yeah," he said with a nod. "You can even finish my hours for me if you want."

"Oh, very funny," she chuckled. "But I'm afraid you're on your own for those."

He shrugged lightly. "Was worth a shot."

That's when Dan and Lucas came in from the library.

"Whoa!" Dan exclaimed in feigned shock. "Is that my son home before ten on a Friday night?"

"It's Wednesday, Dad," Nathan answered back.

"So it is. Long week. But even so," Dan said, "you're home early. You and Peyton must be in a fight," he added knowingly. "Tell me she didn't dump you." The last thing he wanted was his son getting depressed again.

"She didn't," Nathan told him.

"Ok, so just one of your minor fights, then," Dan continued, again all-knowing. "Good, it'll give us a chance to spend some time together. I'd go for a one on one game. What do you say?"

"Sure," Nathan agreed happily, catching Deb's eye as she smiled lovingly at him.

"How 'bout you, Lucas?" Dan asked next. "You in?"

"Nah, I got to head home," Lucas said, sensing Nathan didn't really want him there. Sure they'd made progress recently, but Lucas understood they were still far from being true brothers. Obviously, Nathan wasn't quite ready for that yet.

But Dan insisted he stay. "Nonsense," he said. "It's early. You can play the winner."

Nathan watched his dad, noting the hopeful expression on his face as Lucas hesitated. He wanted his eldest son to stay. Basketball had always been his and his dad's thing alone, but he clearly wanted Lucas to be included. He wasn't gonna be the one to deny him that. "Which means you'll be playing me," he told Lucas cockily, trying to keep it light.

"Bring it on," Dan told his younger son.

"Always do," Nathan joked back confidently. "Come on, Luke," he invited. "You can see how fun it is to school the old man on the court."

"Old, huh?" Dan questioned, ruffling Nathan's hair in a playful gesture, until Nathan pushed his hand away with a chuckle. After that the three male Scotts all headed out to the driveway.

Lucas did decide to stay, having been invited by both Dan and Nathan, and after his brother's easy victory against their father, the two brothers played.

Lucas proved to be a more worthy adversary than Dan, but still Nathan took that game as well.

"Alright, show-off," Dan said, pushing Nathan aside. "You sit this one out while Lucas and I play."

"I don't know, man," Nathan returned, his adrenaline still pumping from the two games he'd played and won. "The two of you with heart conditions? You just better not drop dead of heart attacks cause I don't know CPR."

"Real funny, kid," Dan replied, laughing. "Just keep score, will ya?"

Nathan stood back, trying not to be upset by the vision taking place before him. A father and son one on one game...that he wasn't in. He shook his head, trying hard to stifle the jealousy that gripped him. He hated feeling this way. He should be more accepting, but he was selfish and wanted his dad to himself. He'd always been afraid this would happen. It's one reason he'd hated Lucas all that time.

But he didn't hate Lucas now. Hadn't for a while. It was just hard to adjust to this new reality-that Dan and Lucas were in each others' lives now, getting to know each other as father and son.

But he'd get used to it. At least, he hoped he would because feeling like this really sucked.

Lucas won the game against Dan. "Ok, that's enough for me," Dan said, sweating buckets and walking toward the house. "Quick shower then I'm heading to bed. You two knock yourselves out."

"What do you say?" Lucas asked Nathan. He was enjoying himself and wasn't ready to leave. "Rematch?"

"If you're ready for me to kick your ass two games in a row," Nathan replied with a shrug. "You sure you wanna humiliate yourself some more?"

Lucas thought back to when he'd first joined the Ravens and how horribly he'd played in front of half the town. It would be next to impossible to surpass that humiliation. "Now see, I was just warming up last game," he said. "This time, be prepared to lose."

Nathan smirked cockily. "Alright, man, let's see what ya got," he said, accepting the challenge.

It wasn't much of one as Nathan easily won once again, making him all that much more cocky.

"Three out of five?" Lucas asked.

Nathan chuckled. Guy was persistent, he had to give him that. "Dude, you should just give up," Nathan said.

"Why? Running' scared?" Lucas taunted.

Easily goaded as Lucas hoped he would be, Nathan agreed to the terms. "Three out of five," Nathan said. "It's your life, man."

He was noticeably less smug when Lucas won the next one. "I was off my game," he said by way of excuse.

Lucas chuckled. His little brother definitely didn't like to lose. As proven in the next game when Nathan came back with a vengeance to squash him in an 11-2 point victory.

"That was pathetic," he told Lucas. As much as he craved winning, he still enjoyed the challenge of a close-matched opponent. Though crushing him was fun too. "That's three," he said. "I win."

"You win," Lucas conceded, sticking his hand out to shake his brother's. "Good games, man. I had a lot of fun."

"Yeah," Nathan responded, accepting the gesture. "Me too," he added, realizing that he truly had.

...

The nightmares were horrific that night. She was startled awake three times, literally screaming for Nathan. Oddly enough, they didn't involve her rape this time. But that didn't make them any less frightening.

She kept dreaming that Damien held a gun against Nathan's temple and was just about to pull the trigger. She woke at that point every time.

"It's ok," her dad said for the third time that night, cradling her in his arms. "It was just a dream."

She nodded, knowing that was true, but it felt so real, and she'd feel so much better if Nathan were here beside her. She'd know he was safe.

After the first two dreams, she'd managed, with her parents' help to go back to sleep, but she realized now that she wouldn't be able to escape this nightmare tonight and gave up on sleep altogether.

Ellie came in from the kitchen with a steaming cup of tea for her, hoping the hot liquid would calm Peyton's shattered nerves. "Drink this," she told her daughter softly.

She drank it but it didn't take away her paranoia in the least. She had this horrible feeling that something was horribly wrong with her boyfriend, and she couldn't seem to shake it. She told her parents as much.

"So, give him a call," Ellie suggested.

"It's 5:00 am," Peyton answered reluctantly. "He's probably asleep."

Instantly, Larry thought back to when Nathan had drunkenly shown up at their door in the middle of the night following his mother's suicide attempt. He'd allowed him to spend the night, and in the morning Nathan had come into the kitchen where Larry and Ellie had been standing guard all night, watching over the two teens.

Flashback (chapter 62)

Ellie spoke, breaking the tense silence. "Good morning," she said. "We weren't expecting you up so early."

Nathan glanced up at the clock as he continued to fumble nervously with his pocket. Almost 9:00. "It's kinda late for me actually," he responded. "I'm usually up at 5:00 or 6:00. Mostly because my dad makes me, but..."

End of Flashback

"He may not be," Larry told her.

"Maybe not," Peyton agreed. "But I don't want to wake him up if he is. I'll just text him," she said, having already programmed his new number into her phone. As of three days ago, he still hadn't bought himself a new cell phone after giving his away to avoid Katie Sanders' calls, but as soon as they'd gotten back together, Peyton had urged him to do so in case they needed to get hold of each other. She never again wanted to be in a position where she couldn't reach him.

Fifteen minutes passed without a text back. She really hoped he was sleeping and not in some sort of trouble like what was knawing at her gut.

"Call him," Ellie insisted. "You'll drive yourself crazy if you don't."

Peyton bit her lip in contemplation before nodding and following Ellie's advice.

His voice was thick with sleep when he answered. "Hey," she said, relief washing over her. "No, nothing's wrong...Did I wake you up? Sorry," she said, giving her parents a nod. "Everything ok with you? Yeah. No, I just had this horrible dream and I panicked...About Damien and he was gonna shoot you and...Yes, I know he's in jail, but apparently my subconscious didn't get the memo. It felt so real...I wish you were here too...No, I'm sorry. Tonight, or last night, I guess, was totally my fault. I was being a major bitch...Hey, you don't have to agree with me."

Larry and Ellie exchanged glances as Peyton now laughed into the phone.

"I know, I know," she said. "But you said some pretty crappy things too...Apology accepted...Ok, so I'm gonna let you go back to sleep...No, it's ok. I'm fine now. But I love that you're worried about me."

She smiled and her parents knew he must have said something sweet to that.

"Ok, have a great day at school...Fine, don't have a horrible day. Better? And see ya tonight? Ok...I love you too. Bye baby."

She ended the call and remained smiling to herself.

"Feel better now?" Ellie asked, yet knowing she did. Not only had Peyton learned that Nathan was, indeed, safe and sound at home, but apparently they'd also made up from their earlier argument.

"Much better," Peyton responded with a firm nod. "Thank you."

"Better enough to get some shut eye?" Larry questioned.

Peyton thought about that for a moment. She really didn't want a recurrence of the same dream. She did feel better and she wanted to keep it that way. "You know what?" she said. "Why don't you two go ahead. I think I'm gonna draw for a bit."

Larry and Ellie both nodded, happier than Peyton could imagine to hear her say that. Since the rape, she hadn't sketched a single picture or listened to a single song. Maybe this was one small step to recovery - to getting back to normal.

Or as normal as she could be with those damn nightmares haunting her every night.

...

Nathan didn't have community service or anger management the next day so he was able to go straight from school to Peyton's. Her private tutor was still there when he arrived.

As he listened to the woman's droning voice reading straight out of the manual, he found himself appreciating Mouth all the more. He didn't know how Peyton was getting any of this because by the end of the session, he'd gotten absolutely nothing out of it. Good thing it wasn't him who had to rely on this girl for his education because he'd be certain to fail. Mouth actually took the time to explain things to him. Otherwise, he'd never learn it, especially after falling even further behind after all that happened recently.

"Your tutor sucks ass," he told Peyton once the girl had gone.

"Right?" Peyton said agreeably. "That's what I've been trying to tell my dad. Only not in those words."

"Maybe you should tell him again," Nathan advised. "And get Mouth to tutor you instead. If he can teach me, he can teach you."

"Yeah, but since this tutoring is in place of regular classes, it has to be someone who's available during the day," Peyton informed him.

"Or you could just go back to school," Nathan reasoned. "Like everyone else has," he added.

"Everyone else wasn't raped," she snapped.

"I know, but..."

"Nathan, I can't."

"Why not? I'm there. You know I'd protect you, right?"

"I know you'd try."

He looked down, that remark cutting him to the bone. He couldn't even defend himself against it because he'd been in the school while she'd been getting raped. He was there, but he hadn't saved her. Hadn't protected her. Why would she think now would be any different?

"Nathan, I didn't mean..."

"No, it's ok," he cut her off. "But I want you to know I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you again. I want you to feel safe with me."

"I do, Nate," she said, lacing her fingers through his. "More than you know. But I'm just not ready to step back in that school again."

"Not even if it means we see each other more?"

"More than every day?" she countered.

"I'm just saying..."

"Nathan," she stopped him. "I don't want to fight with you about this again. Please, can you just drop it?" she pleaded.

He nodded, not wanting to upset her further. "Consider it dropped."

"Thank you."

"But about these nightmares," he had to mention. "You're having them a lot." He had them too since the boiler room incident. But his were sporadic, not every night.

"Yeah, I wish they'd stop," she admitted.

"They might if you talk to someone."

"I'm talking to you."

"I mean a professional."

"I know what you meant. No thanks."

"Why not, Peyton?" he persisted. "It's not like I know what to do about it."

"If you want me to stop telling you about them, just say so," she returned hotly.

"It's not that," he defended. "I just...I don't know what to do," he repeated.

"You don't have to do anything. Just listen."

"I will. I have been. But..."

"Nathan!"

"Drop it," he muttered, knowing that's what she was going to say.

She sent him an ominous look that clearly said 'yes, do that.'

He sighed audibly, taking in a deep, calming breath. "Ok," he gave in once again. "I'm sorry."

She waved away his apology and followed it with a question about how school had gone.

Taking the cue to change the subject, Nathan answered. "It sucked, as usual. Can't believe finals are coming up soon."

"Yeah, and me with my 'sucks ass' tutor," Peyton mocked. "Looks like I'm gonna have to learn this stuff on my own."

"What's this about a tutor?" they heard.

Haley and Lucas appeared before them. It was Haley who had spoken. "Hey, sorry, your dad let us in," she explained.

Following the customary greetings, Haley again asked about the tutor and Peyton went on to explain about hers and how horrible she was. "Nate says I should ask Mouth," she went on. "But I need someone during the day."

What Haley said next came unexpectedly to Peyton and Nathan, but certainly not to Lucas. "I could do it," she offered.

"You?" Peyton asked in surprise. "You have school."

Haley waved her hand dismissively. "I don't mean to brag, but I'm way ahead in everything. I don't really have to show up until finals."

Nathan wondered at the fact that she could be so far ahead when she, too, had missed some time due to the boiler room incident. He already knew she was considered the best tutor at Tree Hill High and was the smartest girl in school, but still. How did she do it? He'd love to know.

Peyton shook her head, declining the offer. "I can't ask you to do that," she said firmly.

"You're not," Haley replied. "I'm volunteering. Oh, and did I mention I taught Mouth everything he knows about tutoring?" she boasted, seeing the blonde's hesitation and attempting to coax her into accepting.

"I don't know what to say," Peyton expressed uncertainly.

"Say yes," Nathan told her as though it were a no-brainer. To him, it was. He understood Peyton had her reasons for hesitating - she'd treated Haley so badly during the rape trial - but he also knew that Haley didn't hold that against her. And hell, Mouth was a hell of a tutor, so if he'd learned it all from Haley, then she certainly deserved her title of best tutor at Tree Hill High.

"Ok, yes," Peyton agreed as all eyes were on her. "I'll have to run it by my dad, but I can't see him having a problem with it."

"Yes!" Haley exclaimed with unmasked excitement.

Peyton stared at her, a smile spreading across her face. "Shouldn't I be the one jumping for joy?" she asked with humor.

Lucas laughed as his arm slipped around Haley's shoulder. "This one's been itching to tutor someone again," he informed Peyton. "She's actually been having tutoring withdrawals," he joked.

"What do you mean?" Peyton wondered aloud. "You haven't been tutoring?"

"Well, umm..." Haley hesitated to answer, stealing a glance at Nathan. "With everything that's been going on", she went on to explain since Peyton stared at her expectantly, "I haven't exactly been bombarded with students wanting my help."

She saw Nathan shake his head and close his eyes, guilt instantly crossing his features. That's what she'd been afraid would happen. As delicately as she tried to put it, he understood that she meant no one wanted to go to her because they didn't want to be next to be accused of rape. "Don't," she told him sternly. "It's not your fault." Despite their deep conversation of a few days ago, he was clearly still not past the guilt.

"Haley's right," Peyton told him, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

He smiled at his girlfriend and placed a soft kiss to the top of her head. "I know," he acknowledged. And he did. "This whole thing just sucks, that's all."

"Yeah," Haley agreed. "But, like I told you the other day, if we let it get to us, Damien wins. And I'm still not about to let that happen."

"Me neither," Nathan followed firmly. "Fuck him, right?"

"Right," Haley said.

Peyton and Lucas watched the exchange between Nathan and Haley with proud smiles on their faces. Talking to each other had definitely been the best medicine for both of them to start letting go of the unwarranted guilt that had plagued them both for weeks. Thank God Brooke had come up with the idea.

"Oh good, you're all still here," Larry interrupted their musings by entering the living room. "You're staying for dinner, right? What does everyone want tonight? We have pork tenderloin or I could do ribs, or..."

"Actually, Daddy," Peyton cut him off mid-sentence. "Nathan and I made plans to go out for dinner tonight. I hope that's ok."

Nathan smiled down at her gratefully. He didn't even hear her father's answer. He was just relieved to get out of another awkward dinner. And spending time with Peyton away from her parents was a nice bonus too.

...

She'd thought he'd try something at some point in the evening when they were alone. Drive off to a secluded area and try to get her in the backseat, or take her to the beach house where they'd spent plenty of pleasurable moments. The very thought of it terrified her - that he'd expect her to be ready to resume the sexual part of their relationship that had always played a big, if not the biggest, part with them. Afraid he wouldn't understand that she wasn't ready.

But now, as she lay on the couch, ready to call it a night, she was just confused.

Because he hadn't tried anything, nor had he suggested or even hinted at anything remotely sexual. They'd had dinner and then had come back to her place and watched TV with her parents. It seemed he was fine with hanging around her parents as long as there was a distraction and he didn't have to make conversation.

She'd fallen asleep, of course. She was exhausted from too many nights of broken sleep. The rape nightmare crept up on her again, but Nathan was there and she'd found instant comfort in his hand covering hers and his soothing baritone telling her it was ok.

Like before, she'd woken when she'd felt his weight shift from the couch as he stood up to leave.

He'd kissed her forehead and told her to go back to sleep. Her forehead. No biggie, she thought. Her parents were there so what did she expect Nathan to do? Ravish her lips in front of them?

So, she'd walked him out, away from her parents' watchful eyes.

He'd kissed her goodnight again. On the forehead. Again.

Now she lay on the couch wondering what was going on. He'd made no moves on her, and, as she thought more on it, hadn't even kissed her properly since that first day they'd gotten back together. It was so unlike him. He was usually all over her. He was usually always horny.

She hadn't thought anything of it at first, but now she couldn't get it out of her head.

What the hell was going on with him?