2004 ― Tree Hill, North Carolina

Aurora was at Nathan and Haley's apartment. Nathan planned a romantic dinner for Haley, but she never came home to have it with him. Nathan called Aurora to see if she wanted to have dinner and she agreed. Alex was out with his friends but left her money to order something, so she figured if she ate with Nathan, Alex could have his money back. Aurora would've gone home after dinner, but it started storming.

Aurora was helping him clean up when they heard a knock on the door. "Haley?" Nathan said mainly to himself.

"Only one way to find out," Aurora said as she shrugged and turned to put the dishes in the sink. Nathan went to the door and answered it. He was confused about who was on the other side. It was Haley and Aurora's older sister Taylor. She's a year older than Alex, and three years older than the twins.

"Whoa. Haley didn't mess around. You're Nathan, right?" Taylor said. Aurora recognized her voice immediately. She put the dishes in the sink and came to the door. Taylor smiled when she saw her sister.

"Yeah, um... do I know you?" Nathan asked.

"Well, you should. I'm your sister-in-law," Taylor said.

"Okay... you're obviously not Aurora, since she's right here, and I know her... Uh, Vivian?" He asked.

"Don't make me smack you," Taylor said and Aurora laughed.

"Quinn?" Nathan asked and Aurora laughed again.

"Ari, help the guy out, will you?" Taylor said.

"It's Taylor, Nathan. She's a year older than Alex. She was a senior when we were freshmen," Aurora said. Nathan looked at Aurora and he shrugged, which made her laugh.

"Can I... come in?" She asked and walked inside before Nathan could answer which made Aurora laugh. The thunder rumbled again as she walked inside, and then she bent over, which showed the scorpion tattoo on her lower back. "You wanna grab that?" Taylor asked.

Nathan's eyes widened. "What... Excuse me!?" He asked and Aurora laughed.

"My suitcase," She said.

"Oh!" Nathan exclaimed as he grabbed her suitcase from outside and brought it in.

"Alex said I could stay with you guys, but when I went to the apartment nobody was there," Taylor said and Aurora nodded.

"Yeah, Alex is out with some of his friends from Duke and clearly, I'm here. If you would've called, I would've told you that," Aurora said and Taylor shrugged.

"It's more fun to show up unannounced. I wanted to surprise you and Hay, which is why I only told Alex. Speaking of Hay, where is my other little twin?" Taylor asked. Aurora shrugged as she went back to the kitchen to start the dishes.

"Out," Nathan said curtly, which Taylor noticed.

"Well, that's vague," Taylor said as she laughed. "I guess we'll all have to get acquainted until she gets back," Taylor said.

"I'm pretty well acquainted with both of you, so the two of you have fun," Aurora said as she started washing the dinner dishes.

"Yeah, sure... uh, just make yourself at home," Nathan said. Taylor wore a grin on her face as she started to walk toward the bathroom.

"Be careful what you wish for, little brother-in-law,"

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Haley was not too happy about Taylor being in town, but she was happy when she learned that Taylor would be staying with Aurora and Alex, not her and Nathan. Aurora and Taylor had just gone on a run, and they were sitting on the sand and catching up.

"So, how's life been for you little sis?" She asked.

"Well... I wasn't expecting Mom and Dad to up and move after Hales got married. If Alex hadn't come home and commuted to school, I have no idea where I would've been living," Aurora said and Taylor nodded.

"I was surprised when Alex told me about it too. I get that you were the only one left, but... I don't know, it seemed kinda cruel," Taylor said. Aurora shrugged as she sighed.

"Luke and I started dating," Aurora said.

"Finally, you've only liked him forever," Taylor teased and Aurora shrugged.

"Don't get too excited. He cheated on me, with Peyton Sawyer. While I have forgiven them and have maintained our friendships, Lucas and I are no longer together," Aurora said and Taylor frowned.

"I'm sorry little sis," Taylor said and Aurora shook her head.

"Anyways, why is Nathan acting so squeamish around you? I've never seen him that jittery before," Aurora said and Taylor laughed.

"We slept together. His freshman year, my senior year. You were a varsity cheerleader that year. Remember that big party at his parent's beach house?" Taylor asked. Aurora's eyes widened when the memory came back to her.

"That's what he was doing when I couldn't find him that night? Oh my gosh," Aurora said as she started laughing. Taylor joined in.

"I think he's trying to remember how he knows me. He also thinks that I don't remember, but it's been fun watching him squirm," Taylor said and the sisters laughed more.

"You're mean," Aurora said and they laughed even more. "Well, sophomore year, Nathan and I wanted to test the dating waters, because you know it's natural when you've been friends as long as we have. So we slept together, decided we were better as friends and now here we are," Aurora said and Taylor doubled over with laughter.

"What a dog! He scored a James sister each year of high school!' Taylor exclaimed. Aurora rolled her eyes but she was laughing too. Aurora's phone started ringing and she saw it was Nathan. When she answered, he asked if she could come down to the Rivercourt with him, and she agreed. When they hung up, she looked at Taylor.

"That was Nate, he wants me to meet him. I'll see you later?" Aurora asked. Taylor nodded as the girls stood up from the sand.

"Have fun, little sis."

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"Thanks for diffusing the situation with Haley last night. She referred to your sister as a hurricane but was glad she's staying with you and Alex," Nathan said to Aurora when she got there. Aurora sighed and shook her head.

"I love Haley, but she's always been unfair when it comes to Taylor," Aurora said as she made her way to stand under the hoop. This was normally what they did at the Rivercourt. Nathan would shoot and Aurora would stand under the basket and rebound for him.

"What do you mean?" Nathan asked. Before Aurora could answer, Lucas ran out onto the court and clapped his hands.

"Hey! Open up top," He said. Aurora was holding the ball because Nathan had just made a shot. She looked at Lucas and raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, see, I don't know CPR, and even if I did, I wouldn't," Nathan said and Lucas turned away while Aurora laughed. "I wouldn't give you mouth-to-mouth, but I'm pretty sure Ari is certified. She always works as a lifeguard in the summer to get extra money along with the cafe," Nathan said. Aurora nodded.

"I do, and I am, so I can give you CPR Luke, but you're still not getting the ball," Aurora said as she shrugged.

"I'm getting the stupid test," Lucas said. Nathan shook his head and Lucas held his hands out towards Aurora. "Give me the ball, Ari," He said.

"Forget it, Luke," Aurora said. Before she could react, Lucas started running at her. "Luke! What the hell!" Aurora screamed as she ran away from him and then threw the ball to Nathan. When Nathan caught it, Lucas started to run at him. Nathan threw the ball into the river and the best friends laughed as Aurora held her hand out for a high-five.

"Nice airball," Lucas said and then he paused. "What about PlayStation? Nobody ever croaked from doing that," Lucas said.

"That would involve me going home where I have James' sisters crawling out of my ears," Nathan said and Aurora laughed.

"You and Hales still fighting?" Lucas asked and Nathan nodded. Then Lucas turned to Aurora. "I thought you were living with Alex," He said.

"I am. But I've basically lived at that apartment since Nathan got it," Aurora said as she shrugged.

"And like I told you, their sister is here for a few days," Nathan said. Lucas looked at Aurora.

"Which one?" He asked.

"Tay Tay. She's staying with Alex and me, but of course, she's gonna be in and out of the apartment to see Hales," Aurora said. Lucas' eyes widened as he shook his head.

"Taylor? Dude, she's crazy," Lucas said.

"She's still my sister, Lucas," Aurora said as she shook her head.

"Perfect! The thing is... when I saw her, I got that Deja vu feeling. Like uh... like I had seen her before," Nathan said and Aurora was trying to keep herself from laughing. "Two years ago, they put me on varsity from the freshman team... The seniors through this kind of out-there party at my parent's beach house... Taylor was there," Nathan said. Lucas' eyes widened, he figured which direction this story was heading in.

"This is ugly," Lucas said and Aurora did let a bit of a laugh slip. Nathan nodded and took a deep breath.

"Yeah, I was... pretty wasted... and she was... she was kind of the first girl I ever had sex with," Nathan said. Aurora was surprised when Lucas started laughing. "Great! Great! Laugh it up. You know, the only good news about this is that I don't think she remembers me," Nathan said. Aurora laughed but tried to cover it with a cough.

"Oh wow, you must've rocked her world," Aurora said as she laughed more. Nathan glared at her and she smiled. "Hey, I was wondering where you were for half the night. Turns out you were screwing my sister," Aurora said. Lucas looked at her and shook her head.

"I almost forgot you were a varsity cheerleader freshman year," Lucas said. Aurora smiled and shrugged her shoulders. She recalled she was also looking for Taylor that night because Taylor and Nathan were the only people she knew there besides the squad, and she didn't want to hang out with them. Looking back, Aurora figured she should've put two and two together.

"This is not funny!" Nathan snapped at his brother and best friend who were still laughing.

"You're right, it's hilarious," Lucas said.

"It is kind of funny, Nate. Now, Quinn is married, but I don't think Vivian is seeing anyone, so if you want to get another James sister under your belt, just let me know," Aurora teased. She and Lucas started laughing even harder, and Nathan shook his head. Before Aurora could react, he ran at her and picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder which made her scream. "Nathan!"

He gripped Aurora tightly and then ran at Lucas and fake-tackled him with his other arm. "Whoa! Hey! Hey! Heart patient, remember?" Lucas said. Aurora rolled her eyes but they were all still laughing, and then Aurora let out a content breath. She had wanted this moment for years, she dreamed about it, and it was finally here.

Hanging out with her best friends together.

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When Aurora got back to her apartment and showered, Taylor was waiting for her on the couch, and she handed her a mug of hot chocolate, which Aurora smiled and took. Then Taylor spread her blanket out across her sister and Aurora raised an eyebrow.

"Not that I don't love that you're here and all this sisterly affection you're showing me, but why are you really here? I don't buy the I'm on break story," Aurora said. Taylor laughed as she shook her head.

"You've always been able to see right through me, little sis. The truth is, I got kicked out of school. I got caught cheating... on an exam, and with my professor... by his wife," She said and Aurora frowned.

"Tay..." Aurora said sympathetically. Taylor sighed as she shook her head.

"I know, I know... before you give me the whole ethics talk and conversation, I know what I did was bad... very bad. So I just need to stay here for a couple of days until I figure out what to do," Taylor said and Aurora nodded.

"As Alex said, you can stay as long as you want. Where is he, by the way?" Aurora asked as she looked around.

"Grocery store. But he went out on my run with me today before he went to class," Taylor said and Aurora nodded.

"I know you're not going to tell Hales, but does Nathan know?" Aurora asked and Taylor nodded.

"Yeah, I told him at the beach house and stopped torturing him for trying to remember me. We promised to keep each other's secrets. Have you two told Haley?" She asked and Aurora nodded.

"Yeah, I told her. She was shocked, but not too mad. Wrote it off as before she knew Nathan, back when she still thought he was an asshole jock... Which he was, but not to me," Aurora said and Taylor laughed while shaking her head.

"Of course, she wrote you off. You're her twin. I'm the big sister, the screw-up... the one this kind of behavior is expected from. She's not going to react the same way if she finds out about me and Nathan," Taylor said.

"Don't worry, Tay. I'll be on your side, and so will Nathan. If Haley finds out, we'll make sure she doesn't do anything too drastic," Aurora said and Taylor smiled.

"This is why you're my favorite sibling. You've never judged me for my mistakes," Taylor said and Aurora shrugged.

"Probably because I'm most like you. Haley is a lot like Vivian, and Quinn is her own person, I don't think anyone could be like her. Then there's me and you," Aurora said.

"I think you're more of a mix between Quinn and me. You've slept with Nathan, never been shy around boys or anyone, more outgoing. That's how you're like me. But you still have morals. You don't cheat, you don't have affairs with married men, you keep yourself in line. That's how you're like Quinn," Taylor said and Aurora smiled.

"We all make mistakes, Tay... but you acknowledged that you know what you did was wrong. Some people don't even get that far," Aurora said and Taylor nodded as Aurora yawned.

"You should get some sleep, little sis," Taylor said. Aurora nodded and leaned over to hug her sister. Taylor smiled as she hugged her back and then Aurora went back to her room. Alex offered Taylor his bedroom, and he's been sleeping on the couch, which he didn't mind, because he and Aurora put their money together and got a comfortable L-shaped couch, and the ends are recliners.

"Goodnight, Tay."

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The next day, Lucas came over to Alex and Aurora's apartment to hang out. The two friends were lying down on her bed, and Aurora noticed that he winced when he lay down and she asked him what happened. "So you and Anna broke up, and Felix beat you up?" She asked and Lucas nodded. "I already didn't like him because of his arrangement with Brooke, but now this... Can I hit him?" Aurora asked and Lucas laughed.

"I'll be alright, it won't be necessary," Lucas said and Aurora shrugged.

"Sorry if it seems like I'm interrogating you, but why'd you break up with her?" Aurora asked. She didn't like Anna. Not because she was with Lucas, but when Peyton got dyke spray-painted on her locker, Anna started treating her like she had the plague.

Aurora doesn't like fake people.

"My heart wasn't in it," Lucas said as he shrugged. Aurora frowned as she nodded.

"Well, then it sounds like it was for the best," Aurora said.

"You're not just saying this because you don't like her, right?" Lucas teased and Aurora laughed.

"You're right, I don't like her, but not for the reasons you're probably thinking," Aurora said. The friends were lying on their side in Aurora's bed, facing each other. Aurora left the door open. Alex was home and she could hear him watching Family Guy in the living room.

"And what do you suppose I'm thinking?" Lucas asked.

"You're thinking that I didn't like her because she dated you. You're thinking that maybe I was jealous or hurt and took it out on her because I didn't take it out on you," Aurora said. Lucas smiled a little as he shook his head. Aurora knew him too well.

"Okay, you caught me," Lucas said and they laughed. "So, what's the real reason?" He asked.

"At the Formal, Peyton and I were sitting together and Anna came over to talk to her, but she didn't get a chance to because Felix said something snarky about how Anna looked that night. Peyton said she thought Anna looked gorgeous and she was twirling a strand of her hair. No big deal, she does that to Brooke and me all the time. Then Felix makes a lesbian comment, and Anna goes, 'Yeah, don't be so gay, Peyton,' and leaves. I could tell Peyton was really hurt. Then the next day, dyke was spray painted on Peyton's locker. Brooke and I were outside with her, comforting her. Anna walked past, Peyton waved at her, and Anna looked at us and then kept walking. She's fake, I don't like fake," Aurora said as she shrugged. Lucas frowned because he didn't know any of that.

"Wow... I can't believe she would say and do that to Peyton," Lucas said and Aurora shrugged. Lucas decided it was time to change the subject. "How has Taylor staying here been?" He asked and Aurora smiled.

"It's been great. We had a movie night with Alex the other night. I think out of all of our siblings, Taylor's always been closest to me and Alex. He's only a year younger than her, and I can relate to her easier than Hales and our other sisters can," Aurora said.

"Yeah... I'm sorry I called her crazy at the river court. It's just interesting how you and Haley have the same siblings, but view them all very differently," Lucas said and Aurora shrugged.

"That's the psychology of it all," Aurora said. Lucas laughed a little before they transitioned into a comfortable silence. Aurora took a deep breath and turned from her side to her back and looked at her ceiling.

"You know, Ari... I missed this," Lucas said. She tilted her head to the side to face him.

"Missed what?" She asked.

"Our late night talks, like this... whether we would just lay in your bed or sneak out to the river court and talk, about anything and everything. We'd play basketball, you'd show me cheers and dances. Everything was so much simpler before feelings and dating got in the way," Lucas said. Aurora nodded as she turned back to the ceiling.

"I do miss those memories. But we have plenty of time to make new ones like we're doing right now," Aurora said and Lucas smiled.

"Can I tell you something?" He asked and she nodded.

"You can always tell me anything, you know that," Aurora said.

"I broke up with Anna because I still have feelings for someone else. She called me out on not being honest about it, and I realized she was right," Lucas said. Aurora frowned. She thought that meant he still had feelings for Peyton.

"Peyton?" Aurora asked and Lucas didn't miss the quiet sigh that came from her lips. He shook his head and gently grabbed her hand as he turned her to face him.

"No, Aurora, not Peyton. You."

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oooooh lucas has admitted his feelings. how will our girl take it?

don't forget to vote/comment. 

xoxo.