2003 ― Tree Hill, North Carolina

"Hey Brooke, hey Bree, hey rake boy." Peyton's dad said from her computer screen as the three of them entered Peyton's room. Brianna told Peyton she had to go to work, but she wanted the three of them to come over because she wanted to show them something.

"Papa Peyton, the scruffy thing is working for you," Brooke said, and Brianna laughed a little. Brooke has always had a crush on Peyton's dad, and Brianna could admit that he was handsome, but he's also her best friend's dad.

"What are you guys up to so early?" Larry asked.

"Well, I have to go to work, but Peyton asked us...-" Peyton cut Brianna off.

"...-Oh, no. You know what? You'll find out when you get home." Peyton said.

"Not even a little hint?" Larry asked. Peyton shook her head.

"Not even. I love you." Peyton said. Brianna and Brooke waved bye to him, and Larry smiled at the three of them.

"You better. Love you too, honey." He said. Peyton ended their Skype call, and then she turned around to face her friends.

"So, what's the surprise?" Brianna asked.

"I need your help with something; come on." She said as she led them out of her room. The three of them exchanged confused glances, but they followed her outside and to her driveway. There was a car parked with a cover underneath it, and when Peyton pulled the cover off, Brianna smiled. She recognized the red car, it was Larry's.

"Damn, that's nice," Lucas said as he whistled. "Is this your dad's?" He asked.

"Yeah, he hasn't driven it in like a year, though. Do you think you can get it to run?" Peyton asked.

"Of course, he can. And he's going to look good doing it too in a tight little wife beater, maybe some grease smudges." Brooke said as she started eyeing her boyfriend. Brianna shook her head as she started laughing. Lucas walked over to the car and popped the hood.

"And I was thinking maybe you two could help me wash and wax it?" Peyton said.

"Glad to help," Brooke said as she nodded.

"You know I would love to... but I really have to get to work. I'm so sorry." Brianna said. Peyton nodded her head.

"No, it's fine. I should've planned it ahead of time, so you could've called off." Peyton said. Brianna smiled and gave her friend a hug.

"It's really great what you're doing for your dad," Brianna said, and then she walked down the driveway and approached her car. "Have fun, guys."

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Brianna Davis was working with Haley James at the cafe. Haley was behind the counter, and Brianna was cleaning off a table near the front door. She heard the bell ring, indicating someone had walked in, and when she looked up, she saw an older man looking around. What she didn't know was that the older man is her boyfriend's grandfather, Royal Scott.

"Good morning, sir. Table or counter?" Brianna asked.

"Um, actually, I'm looking for Karen." He said. Brianna raised an eyebrow. She didn't recognize who this was, but she was curious about how he knew Karen.

"Oh, um. She's in Italy right now. She got into a cooking school." Brianna said. Royal smiled as he nodded his head.

"Good for her." He said. He had always liked Karen when she and Dan dated in high school, and he didn't like how his son handled the situation. "How's that boy of hers doing?" He asked. Brianna raised an eyebrow. He knows Lucas?

"Lucas is great. She calls in every once in and while. Do you want me to leave a message?" Brianna asked. Royal shook his head. He was hoping to see Karen in person.

"No, that's alright. I'll just catch her the next time I'm passing through." He said, and Brianna nodded.

"Okay. Can I tell her who stopped by? Mr..." Brianna trailed off and waited for him to fill in the gap.

"Just an old friend." He said, and then he turned around and left the cafe. Brianna was still a little shocked, and she turned around and walked to the counter where Haley was giving her a questioning look.

"Who was that?" She asked.

"I'm not sure," Brianna said as she sat down on one of the stools. "He asked about Karen and Lucas. He said he was an old friend, but I never got his name. Surely we'd know any old friends of Karen's, right?" Brianna asked, and Haley shrugged her shoulders.

"Maybe... but we didn't meet each other and Lucas until we were 8. That's a long time for other people to have been in and out of their lives." Haley said, and Brianna nodded her head.

"Yeah, that's true," Brianna said. She saw Deb walking out of the back, so she stood up and grabbed the bin of dirty dishes she had just cleaned off of the table and went back to the kitchen to run them through the dishwasher, but she was still thinking about that man. She was thinking that maybe she should ask Deb.

If the man knew Karen, maybe he knew Deb too?

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Nathan came to the cafe when he knew Brianna would be getting off of work, and they were taking a walk together. Nathan was telling her how his grandparents were in town for his father's birthday, and they were having a big family dinner. "So this dinner thing is gonna be pretty bad, huh?" Brianna asked.

"A massacre. My grandma is okay. It's just that my grandpa is pretty intense. You've met my dad... Now imagine where he comes from." Nathan said. Brianna shuddered a bit at the thought.

"Terrifying," Brianna said.

"Yeah. You should come tonight. Maybe it will make everyone behave." Nathan teased. Brianna laughed a little, but it was more of a nervous laugh. She's never been to a Scott family dinner, and the thought honestly terrified her, but she'd do it for Nathan.

"I'll come if you want me to," Brianna said. Nathan quickly shook his head.

"No, Bree... I wasn't serious. I wouldn't put you through that." Nathan said. Brianna smiled because she loved how considerate he was being, but it also seemed like he was going to need some support at that dinner, so if her presence would make Nathan feel better, then she would go.

"Nathan, if you're asking, then my answer is yes. It sounds like you are gonna need someone to support you tonight." Brianna said. Nathan smiled as he looked at her. Sometimes he couldn't believe that Brianna was his girlfriend. He had no idea what he had done to get so lucky to have her.

"Okay, then I'm asking," Nathan said, and Brianna smiled.

"Then I'm coming."

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[bree's dinner outfi]

Nathan met Brianna outside of his house when she arrived; Brooke dropped her off before heading to Peyton's. She took a deep breath, he asked her if she was ready, and then they walked inside, hand-in-hand. She kept her outfit casual since this was a birthday dinner for Dan. She figured a casual outfit was the best way to go, she didn't want to overdress or underdress.

"Grandma, Grandpa, this is Brianna, my girlfriend." Nathan introduced. Brianna smiled at first, but when Royal turned around, her eyes slightly widened. That was the older man who came into the cafe earlier that day and asked about Karen and Lucas. Now Brianna was able to connect the dots, and she understood why he was asking about Karen and Lucas.

"Oh, Brianna," Royal said. Brianna knew he also recognized her.

"Hi," Brianna said.

"Nice to meet you," Royal said as he held his hand out for Brianna to shake. She smiled, feeling comforted that they weren't going to make it awkward that they met each other earlier. Brianna placed her hand in his and gave him a firm handshake.

"Nice to meet you too," Brianna said. Nathan's grandmother, May, smiled at Brianna as well.

"Well, Nathan, you're looking more and more like your old man every day. We all know where he gets his good looks, don't we? Well, come on. You sit right here next to me, hun." Royal said the last part to Brianna and pulled out the chair that was next to him.

"Thank you," Brianna said as she sat down. Nathan sat down on Brianna's other side, so she was between Nathan and his grandfather.

"Good evening, everybody. Sorry, I'm late." Whitey said as he joined the dining room. Brianna felt better seeing Whitey come in, knowing that she wasn't the only non-relative that was going to be there tonight. Nathan leaned over to his girlfriend and gently grabbed her hand.

"Glad you came?" He asked, and Brianna nodded her head.

"Yeah, I am," Brianna whispered back.

"So, how's the team doing this year, Whitey?" Royal asked. Brianna could tell if the conversation stayed on basketball for the majority of the dinner, it was going to go downhill very quickly.

"Oh, we're still undefeated, actually. Dad, are you still rooting for the Magic these days?" Dan asked.

"Please! No talk of sports until after dinner, okay?" May said to the table. Brianna thought that was the smartest idea, but she had a feeling neither Dan nor Royal was finished talking about sports.

"Good idea, mom. Sorry." Dan said.

"Well, Nathan, what are you averaging these days? You know your dad had 27 and a half per game. You beat that yet?" Royal asked as if he hadn't heard what his wife and son had just agreed to.

"Royal, we just said...-" He cut May off.

"...-I'm just asking the boy a question, May," Royal said.

"Uh, well, maybe you should ask the old man," Nathan said. He quickly threw the attention to his dad, and everyone turned to look at Dan.

"24 points a game, I think, isn't it?" Dan said.

"So, 24 a game, huh? You're gonna have to get that up if you're gonna beat the old man. Yeah, your dad's star would've risen through the roof at Carolina if it wasn't for that damn knee of his. How are your knees?" Royal asked.

"No worries," Nathan said while shaking his head.

"Oh, he's got great knees." Brianna blurted before she could stop herself. She had no idea why she said that. She chalked it up to nerves eating at her.

"Uh-huh. Of course, Danny takes after his old man. Never let adversity stop him. Too bad Keith takes after his mother's side of the family." Royal said.

"Lucky for him." May shot back.

"I'd drink to that, but I'd have to get a refill," Keith said.

"Well, I should see about the cake," May said.

"I can do that for you, Mrs. Scott," Brianna said as she stood up from the table. Then she looked at her boyfriend. "Want to help?" She asked. Nathan recognized that Brianna was giving them a short escape, and Nathan quickly nodded his head as he stood up.

"Yeah, the cake. Come on." Nathan said. The couple quickly made their way into the kitchen, and once they were out of range from the adults, Brianna let out a deep breath.

"Wow," Brianna said as she looked at Nathan, and he laughed a little.

"I warned you it was going to be intense," Nathan said, and Brianna laughed.

"Oh, insane is more like it." She said. Brianna was thinking that maybe she should've gone to Peyton's after work to help them with the car, but at the same time, she was glad she was here, so Nathan wasn't sitting through this alone.

"You know, there's a door right there. We could sneak out. Nobody would even notice." Nathan said. Brianna sighed because as nice as that sounded, it would be rude.

"Tempting offer... but uh, how often do your grandparents come to town?" Brianna asked.

"A couple of times a year; why?" He asked. Brianna didn't say anything, she just nodded her head. Nathan raised an eyebrow. "Bree, you've got that look." He said.

"What look?" Brianna asked.

"The look you get when you want to tell me something, but at the same time, you don't want to tell me," Nathan said. Brianna's eyes widened slightly. She didn't realize Nathan had become that observant of her nonverbals. She was equally impressed and flattered.

"No, I don't... and you shouldn't know that look yet," Brianna said. Nathan laughed while placing his hand on the middle of her back.

"What is it?" Nathan asked, and Brianna sighed.

"Your grandfather came by the cafe this morning. He asked for Karen. At first, I didn't know who he was; he didn't say his name or anything, but then finding out he's your grandfather, it clicked in my head." Brianna said, and Nathan's eyes widened.

"He did?" He asked, and Brianna nodded.

"Yeah, I guess they've been keeping in touch," Brianna said.

"Does Lucas know?" Nathan asked, and Brianna shook her head.

"I don't think so, and I didn't tell him. I don't think Lucas has ever met your guys' grandparents. Your grandfather asked about Lucas, and at first, again, it didn't make sense until I found out he was your grandfather, so obviously... he's Luke's as well." Brianna said, and Nathan sighed. She didn't think Nathan was upset, he just didn't know how to take the information.

"That doesn't make any sense. My grandpa acts like my dad is the second coming. Why would he visit Karen?" Nathan asked.

"Don't take this the wrong way, okay? But obviously, your grandparents have known Karen since Dan and Karen dated in high school... and maybe since Karen got pregnant first and how bad her relationship with Dan was, and Lucas technically is his first grandson, maybe he just checks in from time to time because lord knows your dad didn't." Brianna said.

"Yeah... Yeah, that's true." Nathan said as he sighed. Brianna frowned, she didn't want to upset him, but she also didn't want to keep anything from him.

"I don't want to start anything, Nathan. I'm just telling you since you somehow already broke down my look." Brianna said as she playfully glared at him. Nathan laughed as he wrapped his arms around his girlfriend and pulled her close to his side.

"You know what? My family is so screwed up; nothing new would make a difference right now. Don't worry about it." Nathan said as he leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"Ready to go back into the lion's den?"

⇎⇎⇎⇎⇎⇎

When Brianna and Nathan brought the cake out, everyone sang happy birthday to Dan; he blew out his candles, they all clapped, and May started cutting the cake to give out the pieces. "So, Nate. How's your game this year?" Royal asked his grandson.

"Here we go again," May said as she rolled her eyes.

"Just cover your ears, May. I want to know how my grandson is doing on the team." Royal said. Nathan didn't say anything, so Dan filled the silence.

"Well, I already told you, dad," Dan said.

"No, you didn't. You didn't tell me, jack. And every time I mention it, you change the damn subject. Now, will somebody around here tell me what's going on? Nathan? Whitey? Anyone?" Royal asked as he looked around the table. Underneath the table, Brianna laid her hand down on Nathan's and gently squeezed it.

"Nathan, I think you better take this one," Whitey said as he looked at him. Nathan sighed and looked at his grandfather. Brianna sat back in her seat a bit since she was seated between the two of them. Nathan squeezed her hand before he spoke.

"I quit the team, alright?" Nathan said. Royal looked in shock as if he didn't know how to process the information that Nathan just offered him.

"You quit the... what do you mean you quit the team?" Royal asked.

"He didn't quit the team, dad. He's just taking some time off." Dan said, and Brianna shook her head.

"No, don't lie to him. Nathan made the decision, and he quit the team." Brianna said. Deb nodded her head.

"As Brianna said, he's not taking a break. Please stop lying, Dan." Deb said, speaking for the first time since the dinner started. Nathan told Brianna his parents were officially separating, which would probably lead to divorce eventually.

"Were you ever going to tell me this? I mean, that's a hell of a thing to keep to yourself." Royal snapped at Nathan. Brianna didn't like that. In Nathan's defense, he just quit the team recently, and his grandparents just got to town today. Royal was acting as if Nathan quit the team years ago and never said anything.

"Yeah, you're one to talk." Nathan snapped, and Brianna's eyes widened as she looked at her boyfriend. She hoped he was not about to do what she thought he was going to do.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Royal asked.

"I know you visit Karen at the cafe, alright? What's that about?" Nathan snapped. Brianna let go of his hand as she turned to him.

"Nathan!" She hissed.

"That's none of your damn business." Royal snapped, and then he turned to Brianna. "I guess somebody's got a big mouth." He said.

"You shut up, Grandpa. Don't talk to her that way." Nathan snapped.

"Don't you talk to me that way," Royal snapped back.

"Back off, Royal. I've had enough of your crap. Nathan is not the problem." Deb said.

"Would someone please explain?" May's gentle voice broke through the chaos. Brianna noticed that Whitey and Keith have been silent this entire time.

"Dan has been riding Nathan for the past six years about that damn game." Deb snapped.

"Deb, stop," Dan warned.

"No, she shouldn't have to stop because she's right. You've been pressuring Nathan so much that he took performance-enhancing drugs just to live up to your crazy expectations. Your son could've died, and your only concern was making sure the scouts didn't find out that he took drugs." Brianna snapped. She was sick of Dan's crap.

She remembered Nathan telling her that when he woke up in the hospital, his dad was there, and his first words weren't asking if Nathan was okay or how he was feeling. He immediately began talking about the scouts and saying how they couldn't find out that he took drugs. Deb looked at Brianna and smiled, appreciating her words and appreciating that Brianna backed her up.

Royal and May looked at their son, and they were appalled. "Drugs?" Royal asked.

"Until he had to be rushed to the hospital. As Brianna said, he could have died because of this insane pressure to put a ball through a hoop. But none of that is my son's fault, Royal. It's your son's fault." Deb said. May turned to Dan, and Brianna could see the disappointment and disgust in her eyes.

"Danny. You, of all people, how dare you! You know how much you hated it when your daddy bullied you to be better." May said. Dan slightly looked down before he looked up again, and Brianna had a feeling Dan was about to be exposed as a hypocrite in a major way.

"I never bullied him," Royal said, but May ignored him and continued to speak to Dan.

"And when you wanted a way out. I gave you one. All these years, I protected you. I lied for you, and now you're doing the same thing to your son?" May asked. Brianna and Nathan exchanged a knowing look, something was about to come out.

"What lie? What are you talking about?" Royal asked as he looked between his wife and his son. Brianna felt Nathan grab her hand again.

"In college. His knee injury. It wasn't permanent. Danny quit, and I helped him." May said. Brianna looked around the table, and you could see everyone's shocked faces. Because the story Dan spun was that he had a permanent knee injury that prevented him from continuing to play in college and possibly make it to the NBA, but May had just exposed the truth. Dan could've gone back to basketball if he wanted to, but because of the insane pressure that was put on him by his father, he wanted a way out.

And he used his knee to get one.

"What do you mean he quit?" Royal asked.

"It's not like that, Dad," Dan said while shaking his head. Brianna knew May was telling the truth. Even now, as an adult, Dan is still scared of looking like a failure in front of his father. Brianna didn't like how Dan knew what it was like to be pressured to be perfect, and instead of breaking the cycle, he did the exact same thing to Nathan.

"Oh, stop it, Dan. It's time the truth came out." May said.

"Will somebody tell me what the hell is going on here?" Royal asked.

"You were on the road when Danny hurt his knee, so we lied," May said. Royal turned to Dan, and Brianna could see the disappointment in his eyes.

"You told me it was a degenerative knee condition," Royal said.

"It was, Dad... it was," Dan said.

"You looked me in the eye and told me that," Royal said. He ignored what Dan said, and Brianna didn't blame him. He had been lied to for years, but also Brianna didn't blame Dan and May for lying. If Royal treated Dan anything like the way Dan treats Nathan, she understands why he lied, but it was hard for her to feel sympathy when Dan put Nathan through the same thing while knowing what it was like.

"Don't you see, Royal? He was never going to be the star you wanted him to be. You just couldn't see that. The boy had two choices. To fail in front of you or to quit. Either way, he lost." May said. Brianna frowned because that was true. Not being perfect wouldn't have been good enough for Royal, and quitting would've been worse.

"So you just quit. Without even being man enough to own up to it." Royal said as he shook his head.

"There's more to the story, Dad," Dan said. Royal didn't want to hear it. He stood up from his seat, and Brianna could feel the anger and disappointment radiating from him. "You don't know the whole story!" Dan exclaimed.

"I've had enough," Royal said as he shook his head and walked away.

"Me too. Come on, Bree, I'll take you home." Nathan said. Brianna nodded her head as they stood up from the table. She looked at Deb and May.

"Thank you for having me."

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When Nathan got Brianna back to her house, they were standing outside on the porch and processing what had just happened at dinner. She knew Brooke wasn't home because she texted her when she and Nathan left the Scott's house, and Brooke texted back and said she was still at Peyton's.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," Nathan said, and Brianna shook her head.

"Oh, it's okay. It helped me understand you better." She said, and Nathan nodded his head.

"You know, growing up, there were just certain things that were carved into stone. And the main one was that Dan Scott would have been a pro if he didn't blow out his knee. So, all this time, he's just been feeding me this line of crap about how great he would've been and how I'll never be as good as him." Nathan said, and Brianna frowned.

"At least you know the truth, though, right? And Nathan, whether on the court or off the court... you're a better person than Dan could ever hope to be." Brianna said. Nathan smiled a little.

"Thanks, Bree... It's just... now that I know the truth, I have no idea what to do with it." He said. Brianna frowned and stepped forward to hug her boyfriend. Nathan immediately relaxed under her touch and wrapped his arms around her, and gently squeezed her.

"Goodnight," Brianna whispered when they pulled away. She leaned in and kissed his cheek.

"Goodnight, Bree." He said.

"I'm here if you need me, okay?" She said. Nathan nodded his head, and Brianna turned around to her red door and unlocked it. When she was about to step inside, Nathan called after her.

"Hey, remember how I said my family is so screwed up, nothing new would make a difference?" Nathan asked, and Brianna nodded her head.

"Yeah." She said, and Nathan smiled at her.

"I was wrong."

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The next morning, Brianna was sitting at her computer writing a paper she needed to finish for her English class. When Brooke didn't come home last night, Brianna called her to figure out what was going on and she was shocked. Wherever Peyton's dad was for his job, they got hit by a really bad hurricane, and the coast guard found a body. Peyton had to come to identify whether the body was her dad's or not. Lucas went with Peyton to identify the body, and Brooke stayed at Peyton's house just in case, by chance, Larry was to come back.

Thankfully, the body wasn't Larry's.

Brianna was relieved to know it wasn't Larry because he was like a second father to her and Brooke while they were growing up since their actual father was never around and when he was, he only paid attention to Beckham because he had only wanted a son, and he finally got his son... after he already had four daughters. Brooke stayed the night at Peyton's house so she could be there when Lucas and Peyton got back.

"Hey." Brianna heard a voice. She turned around to see Nathan standing in her doorway. At first, she was about to ask him how he got in, but then she remembered that she told him where the spare key was.

"Hey there," Brianna said.

"Grandma's making breakfast. The show starts at 9. You in?" Nathan asked, and Brianna laughed.

"As much fun as last night was, I think I'll pass on breakfast," Brianna said. Nathan laughed a little, and she smiled. "You know, I've been thinking. Now that you know the truth about your dad, you're free, right? I mean, he's been lying to you this entire time. You don't have to listen to him anymore. There's no more pressure." Brianna said.

"Yeah, I wish that were true," Nathan said as he shook his head.

"What do you mean?" Brianna asked.

"My dad walked away, and his father will never forgive him for that. I have to go back." Nathan said. Brianna frowned. Maybe because she didn't understand, but who cares what Dan thinks? It's Nathan's life, not his father's, and for his father to try and push these unrealistic expectations onto Nathan, thinking that he could get back what he chose to give up, isn't fair.

"Nathan, it's your life, not Dan's... who cares if he won't forgive you for walking away from basketball. If you don't want to play anymore, you don't have to." Brianna said.

"I have to beat him, Brianna. It's the only way I'm ever going to be free of him. And I'm not worried about his forgiveness. If I walked away, I'd never forgive myself." Nathan said, and Brianna nodded her head because she understood that.

"Hey, I'm on your side, no matter what, okay?" Brianna said. Nathan nodded his head, walked over to her, gently kissed her forehead, and then he saw what she was working on.

"I'll let you get back to your paper." He said, and she nodded.

"Call me after breakfast?" She asked, and Nathan nodded.

"You got it."

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it really was hard for me to feel sympathy for dan in this episode because I'm like... you know exactly how it feels being pressured into being perfect, and instead of breaking the cycle with nathan and just being supportive, you do the same thing to him that your dad did to you and constantly put nathan down and taunt him, saying that he'll never be as good of a player as you were. like, dan can go straight to hell.

don't forget to vote/comment. 

xoxo.