A/N: Three chapters to make up for the long, long wait :)

"Hey." Lucas sat down on his sister's bed early the morning after Tric's grand opening.

"Go away."Ava groaned.

They had been up and out late the night before. Between the excitement of Haley changing her mind and singing in front of a crowd for the first time, and running around the Tric like a little maniac, Ava was wiped out.

She had never ever partied that hard.

Now she was paying for it.

"C'mon." He nudged her. "Get up, Lazy Bones."

"Leave me alone." Ava rolled over and hugged Lady close. "I'm sleeping."

"I can't do that." Lucas stood up and ripped the covers off of her, making her yelp in surprise. "Because we have plans."

"What kind of plans?" Ava cracked an eye open. Her curiosity was getting the better of her.

"You, me, and Nathan are going to Charlotte to catch a basketball game."

"You woke me up for that?" Ava closed her eyes again. "Leave me alone."

"You have to the count of three to get out of bed. After that, it's fair game."

"You're not Mama." Ava's voice was muffled underneath her pillow. "Your count of three doesn't scare me."

"One." Lucas smirked.

"Go away!"

"Two. Last chance."

"Mama! Tell Luke to leave me alone!"

"She isn't here." Lucas lifted her out of bed. "Three."

"Put me down!" Ava whined as he carried her into the bathroom.

Lucas obliged and set her down, shoving her into the shower before turning the water on.

"Lucas Eugene Scott! You're the absolute worst person I've ever met and you're not my brother anymore!" She shouted as the water hit her and woke her right up. "I'm gonna get you for this!"

"Be grateful it isn't cold water." Lucas laughed and left, giving her the privacy she needed to properly take a shower.

She was so getting him back for this.

"I gotta say, good call, Nate. Road tripping to Charlotte." Lucas complimented as he shoved their overnight bags in the trunk of Nathan's car, outside the apartment.

"Love that NBA expansion." Nathan nodded and shut the trunk closed. "Third row, floor, right behind the bench."

Ava just glared at the two boys, though, coming from her, it didn't look all that threatening.

"What's wrong with her?" Nathan asked.

"Oh, she just woke up on the wrong side of the bed." Lucas smirked. "She'll be okay once we get some food in her."

"Cheer up, Ava." Nathan ruffled her hair. "It's gonna be fun. You love the Bobcats."

"He threw me in the shower." Ava glared.

"What?" Nathan laughed.

"Hey, I gave her fair warning." Lucas threw his hands up. "And the water was nice and warm."

"I still had my pjs on." Ava huffed, crossing her arms, though she was so small that she didn't look very intimidating. "You better watch your back."

"Oh, pipe down."

"I mean it." She reiterated, pointing a finger at him. "If you do it again, I'm gonna hurt you."

"It's another mechanic stripper!" Brooke joked as she and Haley approached the three Scott children.

Their road trip had gotten delayed for a couple of hours, because Lucas wanted to make sure the piece of junk car Nathan was going to drive wouldn't break down in the middle of the highway.

"No….." Brooke shook her head in sadness as the blonde stood up straight from leaning over the hood and closed it shut. "It's just Lucas."

"Hi, Brooke." Ava smiled and hugged the older girl.

"Hi, Cutie."

"Hey, where's my hug?" Haley asked.

"Hi." Ava rolled her eyes and hugged her all the same.

"Whoah, what's with the attitude, Grouchy?"

"I'm not grouchy."

"Well, you could've fooled me."

"Okay." Nathan clapped his hands together. "I guess, we're off."

"Alright, well go...…" Haley reached in for a hug, trying to remember the name of the team they were going to see. "Whoever they are!"

"Bobcats, Haley." Nathan chuckled.

"Alright, well, I love bobcats. They're so cute."

"You're such a girl."

"I know." Haley winked and leaned in for a tender kiss.

"Can we go now?" Lucas and Ava whined at the same time, catching a look from their brother.

"You saw her. She's back. Let's go!" Lucas continued.

"Come on, man. Look, this is the first night we've spent apart since we got married." Nathan kissed his wife once again.

"Well, us girls are having a slumber party." Brooke shrugged.

"Really?" Lucas cocked a brow.

"Oh, that's cool." Nathan felt better about leaving now. "So you won't be alone tonight."

"Yep."

"What're you gonna do until then?"

"Uh…probably just gonna…..hang out with Brooke." Haley lied. "Right, Brooke?"

"Yeah!" Brooke covered for her. "Just us girls….we should let you guys head out. It's a long ride."

"Yeah, we'll see you later, okay?" Lucas hugged both teen girls before hopping in the passenger seat.

"Bye, Ava-Rose." Haley scoffed as the little drama queen rolled her eyes and climbed in the backseat, not really concerned about how she nearly injured her brother in the process. "I hope you come back in a better mood." She joked.

"I'll call you as soon as we get there." Nathan assured her, giving her one last kiss for the road.

"This car runs great, man." Nathan made conversation.

"Yeah, not bad, right?"

"The best part is, Dan had nothing to do with it." He grinned. "We do need to replace this tape deck though."

"Definitely. But for now, I got my trusty iPod and cassette adapter."

"Nice! Fire it up."

Lucas pressed the eject button on the car and frowned when nothing happened. "It's stuck!"

"What? You're telling me, you didn't check the stereo before we left?"

"I was busy working on the engine!" Lucas sent him a look of offense before pressing the play button to see what was actually in the stereo.

Holiday by Doctor Kosmos. What an eccentric tune.

"What is this?"

"I have no idea." Lucas shook his head, looking through the rearview mirror at Ava. The little girl had fallen right out as soon as Nathan put the car in gear, after they had gotten breakfast, and had stayed fast asleep ever since. "I should probably wake her up. If she sleeps all day, I'll never get her to settle down later."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Nathan questioned. "Maybe you should let her sleep. She was a complete monster before we left."

"She'll be fine. She probably didn't sleep well last night and needed the extra rest." The blonde turned around in his seat to look in the back. "Ava?"

Ava was in a deep sleep. She looked peaceful, sitting in the seat behind Nathan, with her neck being supported by a carseat and travel pillow. In her arms, was her trusty little sidekick, Lady.

"Ava, wake up." Lucas gently shook her leg, making her whine. "Come on, it's time to wake up, Babygirl."

The child's eyes fluttered open and squinted as they adjusted to the sunlight. "Hi."

Lucas was right. On a full stomach and extra sleep, Ava was back to being pleasant.

"Welcome back." Nathan teased. "I didn't know you were such a light weight when it came to driving."

"Funny. Are we almost there yet?"

Ah, the dreaded question.

"No, we're not almost there yet." Nathan answered. "And if you know what's good for you, you won't ask that again." He cut her off right as she opened up her mouth again.

"You don't even know what I was gonna say!" She pouted, knowing full well that he was completely correct in his assumption.

"You're a kid." Was all he said.

"So?"

"Kids always ask that same question, over and over, on road trips." He told her. "And if you ask it one more time, I'm pulling the car over and you can walk to Charlotte. Got that?"

"….Yeah." Ava clamped her mouth shut as Lucas tried to stifle a laugh.

He was so glad he had someone to share Ava with. Someone who would love her unconditionally, but at the same time, understand how utterly frustrating she could be.

Of course Nathan wouldn't have pulled over or thrown her out the car to have her walk. That would be dangerous and highly irresponsible.

But Ava was still young and gullible enough to take him seriously.

Besides, this kind of stuff built character.

"But what if I—" Ava shrieked when Nathan slammed on the breaks and shut the music off.

Their car was the only one on the road, so they were perfectly safe to do as they pleased.

"Get out."

"No!" Ava's eyes widened. She couldn't see it from where she was, but in the passenger seat, Lucas was using up every fibre of his being, not to laugh. "I don't wanna walk! I don't know where to go!"

"Get. Out."

"All by myself?" Ava asked incredulously.

"All by yourself."

"Noooo! I wanna stay! What if I get lost?"

"Are you sure?" Nathan hid his own smirk.

"Yes!"

"Are you gonna ask if we're there yet?"

"No, I promise!"

"What do you think, Luke?"

"I don't know." Lucas had to cough to cover up his laughter. "But I guess if she promises not to drive us crazy, she can stay."

"You're lucky." Nathan shifted gears and began to drive again.

Those two were enjoying being able to gang up on their sister a little too much.

But the rest of the road trip was nice and quiet.

"Nathan?"

"What?"

"I have to use the bathroom."

Well, Ava couldn't exactly help that.

"So just like that? Get the test, find out if we can never play again?" Lucas questioned as the three walked towards a line to meet some of the players, not too long after the game ended.

Of course, the Bobcats won by a landslide. No surprise there.

The surprise came when Nathan admitted that this road trip wasn't all fun and games.

He had set up three different appointments with a cardiologist, so that they could all get tested for HCM.

The same condition their father had.

Apparently, it was genetic.

"Yep." Nathan nodded, wringing a jersey he had been holding in his hands. "What?"

"It's just…Dan!" Lucas laughed. "You know?"

"Oh, tell me about it. I can emancipate myself all I want, but the guy still finds a way to control my life."

"Go figure."

"How'd you enjoy your first basketball game?" Nathan lifted Ava onto his shoulders.

"I wanna play in the pros when I grow up." Ava answered, sporting a much too large Bobcats jersey the two had bought for her.

"Oh yeah?" Nathan smiled. "What position?"

"Point." Ava told him confidently. "I'm too small to be a shooting guard."

"Well, who knows?" Lucas squeezed her leg as they came to a stop. "You might be surprised."

Just then, one of the Bobcats' star players approached them to sign autographs.

"Hey, you played a great game, man." Nathan handed him the jersey.

"Thanks." The large man smiled as he signed it and handed it back.

"So, how does it feel to be out there?" Lucas asked. "You know, finally making it to the league."

"It was a dream come true. What I was born to do. Do you guys play?"

"Yeah." The brothers nodded in unison.

"We love it."

"You gotta bulk up a little bit if you wanna play in the league." He told Lucas.

"Yeah, he's skinny." Nathan laughed at him.

"You, too." The NBA player gave him a look that made Lucas laugh.

"Yeah, well, he's got no left."

"You've got no range."

"What?!"

"He's right." Ava nodded. "You have no range and Luke has no left."

"Please tell me you guys aren't teammates."

"It's worse." Lucas smirked. "We're brothers. And that know-it-all on his shoulders, is our sister."

"Hey, kid. You play?"

"Yup." Ava nodded.

"She wants to play in the pros someday." Nathan elaborated.

"Really? Point?"

"That's right."

"The first female point guard in the NBA. You're gonna make history….Look me up when you make it." He fist bumped her. "Right, well, you guys, roll strong and hit those weights."

"Thanks, man."

"You think she had a good day?" Lucas chuckled, looking at a sleeping Ava.

The three had opted to stay in a hotel room overnight, in order to attend their doctor's appointments in the morning before they went home.

The two boys were supposed to be sleeping right along with their sister, but there was too much running through their minds.

"Oh yeah." Nathan nodded. "The first girl to make it into the men's league, what do you think about that?"

"I think…...that she can do anything she sets her mind to."

"Me, too."

"I keep thinking about Haley." Lucas admitted. "She must be scared about all this."

"I haven't told her yet." Nathan exhaled deeply. "Until I get the test results and figure out what I'm gonna do…..I wanna protect her. She'll probably be upset about that, but..…I think it's for the best."

The sun couldn't rise any quicker than it did, and sooner than anyone wanted, it was morning.

The morning they would have to take the test that would determine their futures.

And honestly, the worst part was the wait.

Waiting for the nurse to call their name, waiting for the doctor to come in, then waiting for the results.

It was awful.

Ava's knee bounced up and down as they sat in the waiting room alongside her brothers. She studied their faces and watched their body language.

They didn't look scared. Nathan was busy reading one of the sports magazines that had been in a pile on one of the coffee tables. There was a picture of that new player, LeBron James on the cover. He hadn't been playing long, but Ava just knew that he was going to dominate the game.

Lucas, on the other hand, was listening to music on his iPod, with his headphones wrapped around his ears. That way, he could hear his music and hear when it was time to go in.

"Relax." Nathan put a hand on her leg to keep her from moving it again.

"I don't like doctors." Ava told him.

And it was true. Doctors always stuck you with needles and gave you disgusting medicine to take.

There was nothing pleasant about doctor visits.

"Everything's gonna be fine, okay?"

"Scott?" A nurse holding a clipboard called. "Ava, Lucas, and Nathan?"

"That's our cue." Lucas stood up and held a gentle hand out to his sister. "Come on, we're doing this together."

"Just relax, sweetheart." A doctor smiled at Ava as she prepared to inject a needle into the inside of her elbow for a blood test.

To say that Ava was terrified, would've been a gross understatement. This kind of stuff made her queasy.

"Take a few deep breaths." The woman coached. "Deep breaths. Can you do that?"

Ava looked at her with big, doe eyes and shook her head, pulling her arm away.

"Would you feel better if someone was in here with you?"

Ava nodded and watched as the doctor told a nurse to find one of her brothers. It turned it out, that both of them were finished with what they needed to take care of and had come to keep her calm.

"What's wrong, Ava?" Lucas asked gently. "Still afraid?"

"She won't let me draw the blood sample." The doctor explained kindly. She went through this all the time, so she understood Ava's fear. She wasn't a fan of needles herself anyway. "I was hoping one of you could help out."

"No problem." Lucas shrugged and pulled his sister out of the seat and sat down himself, lifting her onto his lap. "Relax, Babygirl." He snaked an arm around her waist while gently guiding her arm out so that the doctor could do her work properly.

"No." Ava tried to resist, but pouted when it didn't work.

"Hey, Rugrat. Let's play a game." Nathan quickly thought of an idea.

"What kind of game?" Ava was already intrigued, but still mindful of the needle that would soon plunge into her skin.

"The name game." The teen smiled. "Why don't you go first?"

"Uh uh." Ava shook her head. "You're just trying to distract me. It won't work."

"Now, why would I do a thing like that?" Nathan scoffed. "I'll go first. Nathan, Nathan, bo-bathan, banana-fana fo-fathan, fee-fi-mo-mathan, Nathan!"

And as hard as she tried, Ava couldn't stop the giggle that escaped her throat after her brother had finished that ridiculous song.

"It's your turn." He smirked as the doctor stuck the needle in the child's arm without her even noticing.

He knew this would work.

Dan had done the exact same thing with him when he was a little kid.

"I'll do it." Lucas offered when Ava shook her head. "Lucas, Lucas, bo-bucas, banana-fana fo-fucas, fee-fi-mo-mucas, Lucas!"

"It's definitely your turn now, Ava." Nathan told her.

"Fine." Ava huffed. "Havana, Vana, bo-bavana, banana-fana, fo-vana, fee-fi-mo-mavana, Havana!" The little girl smiled genuinely once she finished the song and noticed that her brother had relinquished the iron-like grip he had on her.

The doctor had drawn her blood and she hadn't felt a single thing!

"You're all set." The doctor winked. "We'll call you with the results soon."

Okay.

So it wasn't so bad.

But that didn't mean she was going to volunteer herself for this kind of thing anytime soon.

"I know you don't understand what I'm doing, but I need to ask you a favor." Lucas spoke to his brother on the way home in the car.

He was going to take the test, but back out at the very last second.

He just didn't want to know the results.

"Okay."

"If my mom ever asks, I got the test and I'm fine..…and the same goes for Haley, alright?"

"If that's what you want."

"Thanks."

"Does that means, you don't want me to tell either?" Ava asked from the backseat.

"Yes."

"I don't like lying." She said softly. "What if something bad happens to you?"

"It's not lying if you don't say anything when you haven't been asked." Lucas answered. "And nothing's gonna happen to me."

"Promise?"

"I promise."