2004 ― Tree Hill, North Carolina

If someone had told Brianna Davis-Scott that by her junior year, she would be married, especially to Nathan Scott, she would've laughed in their face and called them crazy. Now as she woke up, the morning after she did marry the boy of her dreams, everything seemed so surreal. She could feel Nathan next to her. She was lying close enough to him to feel his body heat radiating from himself to her. Her eyes slowly opened and Nathan was already looking at her.

"Hey, you," His voice was soft and raspy. Brianna loved the sound of his voice in the morning once he's just woken up.

"Hi," Brianna said as she groaned and hid her face behind the pillow. Even though they are now married, seeing Nathan still sent butterflies through her stomach and she still got embarrassed, not by him, but because of her own self-consciousness. "I dreamt we actually got married yesterday," She said.

"That's weird because... I had the same dream," Nathan said. Brianna smiled as she shook her head.

"No," She said as she put the pillow down. Nathan had a smile on his face.

"Mhmm," He said as he rolled on top of his wife and brought their lips together. Every time Nathan kissed her, it gave her the same feelings as the first time he kissed her. The butterflies felt like bombs, her stomach felt like it was doing backflips and she could feel her heart beating faster. "Oh, that's right, we actually did get married," He said once they pulled away. He grabbed Brianna's hand and interlocked their fingers. Both of their rings slightly glimmering in the soft glow of the morning sun.

"We did get married," Brianna said as she bit down on her lip.

"It's pretty wild, huh?" He asked.

"Yeah... how do you feel?" Brianna asked.

"I was just watching you sleep, thinking; let's always be like this," He said. Brianna couldn't help but smile. Only Lucas knew that they were married. She knew her siblings, Brooke and Beckham were going to kill her for different reasons. Beckham would kill her and Nathan for getting married in the first place. Brooke would kill them for not inviting her. Before Brianna could respond to her husband, his phone started ringing. "And then I turn my cellphone back on," He groaned.

Brianna pouted as she lay on top of his chest and looked at him. "No, no, no," She said. Nathan checked the Caller ID and sighed.

"It's my Mom... she's been calling like crazy," Nathan said.

"Do you think she found out about us?" Brianna asked and Nathan shook his head.

"No. She probably just wants her car back," Nathan said and Brianna nodded.

"Oh, well, in that case," Brianna trailed as she took Nathan's phone from him. "Don't worry about it," She said. Nathan laughed as he shook his head.

"Gimme that," He said as he grabbed his phone back and Brianna laughed. Nathan played the voicemail his Mom left for him, and Brianna's fingers were lightly stroking his bare chest as he did. She was thinking about the words he just said and she agreed.

Every day should be like this.

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"Bad news?" Brianna asked Nathan when he walked back inside of their room. He had a troubled look on his face so Brianna knew the phone call wasn't a good one.

"My Dad's in the hospital. He had a heart attack," Nathan said. Brianna's eyes widened. Those were words she never thought she would hear in her life. She knew people had heart attacks all the time, but for some reason, she never thought Dan Scott would be one of them.

"Oh my gosh... is he going to be okay?" Brianna asked.

"I...-I don't know. My mom just left it on my voicemail," Nathan said.

"I'm so sorry, Nate," Brianna said. Nathan nodded as he walked to the closet and started to take some clothes out.

"I have to go see him," He said. Brianna nodded as she got out of bed and walked over to her husband.

"I'll go with you. Um... maybe we shouldn't tell them about us yet... I just mean that maybe we should wait until your Dad recovers," Brianna said. Nathan looked at his wife and shrugged.

"They're going to find out eventually, Brianna," He said. Brianna knew he was right, but she was sure if they told Dan Scott they got married, he'd have another heart attack.

"I know, it's just... I saw your dad before the game and he wasn't very happy about us dating... I can only imagine what he's going to say now," Brianna said.

"It's not about him. We're married now, Brianna. I'm never going to hide that," Nathan said. Brianna smiled at his words and nodded. Nathan always knew the right things to say to comfort her, but she was still worried. She knew his parents wouldn't be happy about them being married.

She didn't know if anyone would.

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"Bree, have you seen my grey T-shirt?" Nathan asked from the bathroom. Brianna walked over to the dresser because she was sure she knew the shirt he was talking about. When she found it, she smiled. It was the shirt he wore last night. When she picked it up, she held it close to her as the memories of last night came flooding back.

last night

"I want to do something, okay?" Brianna said as she looked at her boyfriend who was sitting on his bed. The pair had just gotten back to the apartment and out of the rain. Brianna took off her wet shirt and she just had her bra on underneath.

"Bree," Nathan said. His voice was soft. The two had just made up from their argument about internet porn, Brianna wanting to wait to have sex, and Nathan not wanting to pressure her. Brianna shook her head as she approached her boyfriend.

"No, it's okay," She said in an equally soft tone. Brianna sat on his lap and brought their lips together. Nathan gently moved his lips with hers as he laid back on the bed, pulling Brianna with him. When they broke their kiss, Brianna was resting her forearms on his chest and their lips were still close together.

"I could love you forever," Nathan whispered to her. Brianna's face started to flush as she smiled.

"So could I," She whispered back. She put a bit more space between their faces so she could fully look at nathan. She never knew that it felt this good to be this in love, and she knew this was a feeling she wanted for the rest of her life.

And she wanted it with Nathan.

"You're my family now, Brianna. The truest thing I have. I never want to lose you," He said. Brianna laid her hand down on his cheek and gently used her thumb to stroke over his skin.

"You won't," Brianna whispered back. Nathan had a new look in his eyes. A look that said he wanted to tell Brianna something, but he wasn't sure how to phrase it. Brianna noticed the look in his eyes and she gently kissed his nose. "What's up?" She asked.

"Marry me," Nathan said. Two words that he meant with all of his heart. As he looked at Brianna, he knew he was looking at his entire future, and there was nobody else in the world for him. She was it, and he knew it.

"Stop it," Brianna said while shaking her head. She thought he was joking. Nathan could tell that's what she was thinking and he laughed while shaking his head. Nathan ran his fingers back through Brianna's tousled, damp hair, and kept the smile on his face.

"What? Would you?" He asked. Brianna shook her head and fully sat up, but she was still resting on Nathan, but straddling him. Nathan also sat up so that Brianna would be seated in his lap. She stared at him for a while, trying to see if she saw even a hint of a joke in his eyes or his expression, but she couldn't find it. Nathan was serious. He wanted to marry her.

"Oh... you're embarrassing me," Brianna said as she buried her head in his shoulder, by the nape of his neck. Nathan chuckled as he kissed the side of her head. She was thinking about life married to Nathan. She knew she did want to marry him, but she thought that would happen after high school, not during.

Brianna Nicole Davis-Scott had a nice ring to it though.

"Why not?" Nathan asked.

"Becuase we're in high school," Brianna said.

"So what?" Nathan said as he shrugged. Brianna had sat up and was resting her hands on his shoulders. She sighed and moved her hands to the back of his neck so she could play with his hair, which always brought her comfort.

"Is this about sex? Because I want to wait?" Brianna asked. Nathan immediately shook his head.

"No, I can see you caving on that one already," He said. Brianna rolled her eyes, but she was still laughing and smiling.

"Well, maybe so. Nathan, couples don't get married in high school It's just... it's not normal," Brianna said. Nathan couldn't be swayed.

"So? I'm not normal. What I'm feeling is definitely not normal and to be honest with you, Bree. I don't ever want to be normal. Not with you. I'm serious," Nathan said. Brianna knew he was serious. She could see it in his face and hear it in his voice.

That was the scary part.

"I know you are," Brianna said.

"Okay, so I'll say it again. I could love you forever," Nathan whispered as he gently kissed her shoulder.

"Nathan, so could I, but...-" Nathan cut her off as he gently cupped her face.

"...-So why can't forever start today?"

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present

Nathan and Brianna Scott stood outside of Dan Scott's hospital room. They hadn't gone inside yet, and Brianna watched her husband. It seemed like he wanted to go inside, but at the same time, he also wanted to turn around and go back to their apartment.

"Listen, Bree... if you want, I can do this alone. You don't have to come in," Nathan said. Brianna shook her head and took Nathan's hand into her own and gently squeezed.

"It's okay, Nate. I want to," She said. Nathan nodded and squeezed her hand back.

"Good. I was hoping you would say that," He said.

"Always and forever, remember?" Brianna said. Nathan nodded and the couple made their way inside the room. Dan wasn't awake. He was lying in bed, hooked up to monitors, and his eyes were closed. Brianna looked at her husband, who had a blank expression on his face as he looked at his father.

"Can I help you?" The nurse asked when she noticed the couple.

"I'm his son," Nathan said without taking his eyes off of his dad. "Is he going to die?" He asked. Brianna frowned at the question. Even though she wasn't a fan of Dan Scott and he is a horrible person, Nathan didn't deserve for him to die because she knows that Nathan already has complicated feelings about his Dad, which would only be further complicated if Dan were to die.

"You should talk to your Mom. I think she's in the chapel," The nurse said. Nathan nodded, Brianna thanked the nurse, and the couple headed down to the chapel.

Brianna immediately saw Deb's blonde hair and when they walked to the front of the chapel, Deb was sitting on the front pew, hunched over with her head down. Brianna frowned. Nathan told her that his parents were getting divorced, but now that Dan has had a heart attack, Brianna didn't know if that would slow the process down or speed it up.

"Mom," Nathan said quietly, but since they were the only three in the chapel, Deb heard him. She immediately stood up and walked to both of them before hugging her son.

"Nathan," She said.

"What happened?" Nathan asked.

"Um... I found him in the beach house on the floor. I called 911, they said I might have called too late," Deb said as she shook her head. Brianna felt bad as she saw the tears in Deb's eyes. Even though they were about to get divorced, it was obvious to Brianna that Deb still cared.

"Mom, it's not your fault," Nathan said.

"Remember when you were little and you had to have your tonsils out? I came to this chapel that night and sobbed because I had the worst feeling that something was going to go wrong and I was going to lose you," Deb said.

"You didn't lose me, Mom," Nathan said.

"Yeah, we're here for you, Mrs. Scott. Whatever you need," Brianna said as she laid her hand down on Deb's shoulder. Deb laid her hand down on top of Brianna's and she smiled.

"Thank you, Brianna. I guess I'm not ready to let go," She said. Then Deb felt something under her hand. Something on Brianna's hand. When she looked down, Brianna realized her mistake. She put her left hand on Deb's shoulder. Her hand with her wedding band. After Deb looked at Brianna's hand, Brianna removed it from her shoulder and Deb grabbed Nathan's hand to see he was also wearing a wedding band. Deb looked between the two of them, and Brianna took a deep breath as she took a few steps back to stand by Nathan's side.

"We were uh... going to tell you today," Nathan said.

"Tell me what?" Deb asked.

"I love your son very much, Mrs. Scott," Brianna said. Deb completely ignored her and kept her eyes on her son, and him only.

"Tell me what, Nathan?" She repeated.

"We got married," Nathan said. Deb started laughing, which hurt Brianna a little bit. She didn't expect Deb to be completely on board, she wasn't delusional, but she didn't expect Deb to laugh in their faces either.

"I must be losing my mind," Deb said.

"Listen, Mom. We'll talk about it later when Dad is well," Nathan said.

"When Dad is well? Your father is unconscious, Nathan. Plus, he may or may not be my husband at this point, who the hell knows, and now you're telling me that you got married? This has got to be a joke," Deb said as she shook her head.

"It's not a joke, Mom," Nathan said.

"Mrs. Scott, we thought a lot about this...-" Deb cut her off.

"...-Shut up, Brianna," She snapped venomously before turning to her son. "You did this to your father. You're the reason he's here," She said. Brianna raised an eyebrow because that didn't make sense. Dan didn't know anything about their wedding, so how could it be Nathan's fault?

"Mrs. Scott, I...-" Deb cut her off again.

"...-I said shut up, Brianna! Shut your selfish little mouth," Deb snapped again. This time Brianna was ready to snap back because Deb wasn't letting them explain, and she was not going to stand there and be disrespected.

"Mom!" Nathan snapped at her.

"You walked away from him," Deb said and then she pointed at Brianna. "And you helped him do it. You're both to blame," Deb said.

"And what about you? The woman who was about to divorce him? Where's your share of the blame?" Brianna snapped back. Deb looked at them, but she didn't say anything. She didn't have a rebuttal for what Brianna said. So she left the chapel. When she was gone, Brianna turned to Nathan and frowned. "Don't listen to her, Nathan. This isn't your fault," She said.

Nathan nodded as he wrapped his arms around his wife, pulled her close into his embrace, and kissed the top of her head. "It's not your fault either, Bree."

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Brianna went to the river court when she saw Beckham wasn't home, she figured he'd be there. She knew Brooke was spending the day with Peyton, and she wanted to give them that time to repair their friendship after what happened. He was at the river court with Haley, which made Brianna grateful, she was killing two birds with one stone, and hoping that Haley could keep Beckham calm when she dropped the news.

"Hey, Beck... can I uh... can I talk to you?" Brianna asked. Beckham raised an eyebrow as he looked at his sister.

"You're using the tone of voice you always used when you did something you knew you would get in trouble for, and you didn't know if you wanted to admit it or not," He said. Brianna shook her head and Beckham set the basketball down.

"Are you okay, Bree?" Haley asked. Brianna sat with her hands in her lap. She was scared. She was not scared of her brother, but she wasn't sure how he would react. She knows he's overprotective and he was very cautious and upset when he found out Brianna was dating Nathan because he knew a very different Nathan. And now when he's finally coming around to the idea of them dating, she was about to spring on him that they're married.

"Yeah, you're kind of scaring me. Are you in some kind of trouble?" Beckham asked.

"Um... Nathan and I got married last night," Brianna said. The words came out fast because she was nervous. Haley's eyes widened and she let out a breath. Brianna looked at Beckham and his face was blank, and she wasn't sure if that was good or not.

"Married... like husband and wife, marriage certificate, legally binding married?" Beckham asked. Brianna nodded as she laid her left hand down on the picnic table where they were sitting so Beckham could see. Beckham gently lifted his sister's hand to his face, his eyes not leaving the gold band around her ring finger.

"Beck," Brianna said after she felt it had been silent for too long.

"You married him?" Beckham asked.

"Yeah... it was kind of last minute and it happened so fast, and I thought about it a lot before I said yes. I know he's not your favorite person, but I don't want you to be mad at me," Brianna said. Beckham exhaled a deep breath while closing his eyes.

"Stop, Bree... just... you're 17 years old. What were you thinking?" He asked. He didn't sound mad, or judgmental, he was genuinely asking what was she thinking.

"I know that I love him and that there's nobody else out there for me, and I don't want there to be," Brianna said as she shook her head.

"You're 17," Beckham repeated.

"So are you," Brianna snapped back.

"And am I married!?" Beckham snapped back. Brianna rolled her eyes and they set into a glare on her brother.

"Beckham, it's already done, so you're just going to have to live with it," Brianna said.

"You could always get an annulment," Beckham said.

"Beck," Haley said in a soft tone.

"Or you could be supportive," Brianna said.

"You got married... at 17 years old. Nathan is emancipated, but you're not. Does that mean you got Mom and Dad's permission?" Beckham asked. Brianna frowned.

"I got Stephanie and Daniel's permission," Brianna said. She knew her parents wouldn't support the idea, she didn't even think they would care. They're never around, so why would they care what any of their children do? "I made the choice, and I really want you to be okay with this. You're my brother and I love you," Brianna said.

Beckham looked over his sister for a long moment. It was like ⅔ of the triplets were trying to read each other with their eyes, but Brianna couldn't tell what he was thinking. She knew he wasn't happy, that part was obvious, but she didn't want Beckham to be mad at her either. She hated it when any of her siblings were mad at her.

"Are you happy, Bree?" Beckham asked. She quickly nodded.

"Happier than I could've ever imagined," Brianna said. Beckham slowly nodded his head and she watched as Haley rubbed his arm to keep him calm. His body language was tense throughout the conversation, but at Haley's touch, he started to relax.

"Congratulations," Beckham said. Brianna smiled as she leaned over and kissed his cheek, and then she reached out for his hand, which he took.

"And I promise, I'm not pregnant," Brianna said. Beckham exhaled a longer breath of relief.

"Oh, thank god. I was scared to ask," He said. Brianna laughed while shaking her head.

"I'm happy for you, Bree," Haley said and Brianna smiled.

"Thanks, Hales... and thank you, Beck. Love you," Brianna said as she squeezed his hand and then let go so she could stand up from the table.

"Love you more."

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Brianna went by the cafe and was surprised to see it was flipped to the closed sign, but the door was still unlocked. Karen looked up when the bell dinged, indicating that someone had come inside. At first, she was hoping it was Lucas, but then she saw it was Brianna. The brunette didn't take it personally that Karen looked slightly disappointed, she knew that Karen might've been expecting it to be Lucas, and she didn't blame her for that. Brianna missed her best friend a lot too.

"Closed during the day?" Brianna asked as she stayed by the door. She wasn't sure if she should approach. She was sure that Karen had heard from Deb by now that she and Nathan were married, and she didn't know how Karen would take it, but Karen's opinion was important to her. Since her own mother was barely in her life, Karen was like her surrogate mother.

"Oh, I guess my heart just wasn't in it today," Karen said and Brianna nodded. "Come on in, Mrs. Scott," She said. Brianna sheepishly smiled as she approached. Karen held her arms out and Brianna was more than happy to hug her. She was glad Karen didn't turn her away. Deb's words cut deep, even though she knew it wasn't hers or Nathan's fault for Dan's heart attack.

"I'm sorry. I wish you could've been there, but it was so sudden," Brianna said.

"Yeah," Karen said.

"Is Deb here? I figured you must have spoken with her," Brianna said as she cautiously looked around the cafe.

"She had to go back to the hospital," Karen said.

"She was really upset," Brianna said.

"Dan's not doing so well," Karen responded and Brianna nodded.

"I know... but I meant with me. She said that it was mine and Nathan's fault that Dan had a heart attack and was in the hospital," Brianna said. Karen frowned as she shook her head.

"No, no... it wasn't your fault. She was wrong about that, but can you blame her for being upset?" Karen asked.

"A little... I mean, I would understand if it were Dan, but Deb has always been supportive of my relationship with Nathan... I guess it just caught me off guard," Brianna said.

"Yeah, when you were dating. How would you feel if your 17-year-old came to you and told you they were married?" Karen asked. Brianna frowned. She hadn't been thinking about it from Deb's perspective.

"Is that how you feel?" Brianna asked.

"Brianna, it doesn't matter how I feel," Karen said as she shook her head.

"It matters to me," Brianna responded. Karen sighed as she wrapped her arm around Brianna and held her close.

"Brianna, I know that you and Nathan are in love, and you know that I was also in love in high school, but sometimes love fades... and I just hope with all of my heart that it doesn't fade for the two of you."

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When Nathan Scott got home later that evening, he found his wife Brianna sitting down by their shelves in the living room as she was reorganizing their CDs. She didn't know why, but she stopped by the house to pack up more of her things, which turned into a long conversation with Brooke. She was upset she wasn't invited, and Brianna hated that she hurt her sister. Brooke asked if she was pregnant, Brianna told her she wasn't, but she could tell Brooke didn't believe her. But now Brianna was thinking about everything, and she wasn't sure if she could do this. As Beckham told her, she's 17 years old. She's a junior in high school. She wasn't sure what made her think she was cut out to be married.

"Brianna, what's wrong?" Nathan asked. When Brianna turned around and Nathan saw that her eyes were rimmed red, her wedding ring was no longer on her finger, but on the kitchen counter, his heart immediately broke. He thought all of this was because of how his mother treated her earlier and that made him mad.

"Um... I was alphabetizing our CDs and um... we don't have any doubles, not one," Brianna said as she started to cry again.

"So what?" Nathan asked.

"So... Natalie Merchant after NOZ, and Wilco before Wu-Tang Clan?" Brianna asked.

"So you listen to crummy music. I can live with that," Nathan said as he shrugged. Brianna shook her head as more tears started falling. She wiped her eyes before looking at Nathan again.

"We made a mistake, Nathan," She said.

"Brianna...-" She cut him off.

"...-No, I'm... I'm not ready for this. I... I just really want to go home to my room," Brianna said as she started throwing all of her CDs inside of the box they came in. "You know, I'm not a wife. I'm not even a senior!" She exclaimed. Nathan could tell she was panicking. He put his things down and immediately got on the ground in front of his wife. He gently cupped her face and wiped her tears with his thumb, which only made her cry more.

"Bree. Brianna, listen to me. This was not a mistake," Nathan said.

"How can you be sure? Because there is nobody that thinks this thing can work." Brianna said as she sniffled. Nathan gently kissed her forehead before releasing her face. He stood up and walked over to the kitchen counter, grabbed Brianna's ring, and then joined her on the floor once more. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to his chest.

"I do. I promise you, Brianna. I will always be there for you. I will always protect you, okay?" He said. Brianna nodded her head while Nathan wiped her tears. "I will always protect you, always," Nathan repeated before kissing the top of her head.

"And forever," Brianna whispered back as she laid her head on his shoulder. Nathan nodded, kissed the top of her head again, and then grabbed her hand into his. He held Brianna's hand in front of his face before sliding her ring back onto her finger. He gently kissed her knuckles and her palm before placing her hand back where it was.

"Forever."

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in the next chapter, you get to meet stephanie and daniel, yay!

don't forget to vote/comment. 

xoxo.