2004 ― Tree Hill, North Carolina

Brianna sighed when she woke up alone that morning. Nathan never came home after their fight at the beach house, and he didn't return her call after she left the voicemail. When she woke up, she decided to call Lucas, maybe he knew where his brother was, or maybe Nathan went over to Lucas' house since they were close now.

"Brianna!" Lucas exclaimed when he answered the phone.

"Hey! I'm sorry to bother you so early, um... Nathan and I had a fight last night, and he didn't come home and I...-" Lucas cut her off.

"...-I talked to him," He said. Brianna let out a sigh of relief. Even if she doesn't know exactly where Nathan is, she knows that he's safe because she trusts Lucas, and if Lucas talked to him and something was wrong, or an emergency, she knew Lucas would tell her. "He's okay," He said.

"Do you know where he is?" Brianna asked.

"No," Lucas said. Brianna couldn't tell if he was lying or not, but he was. Nathan was at his house, but he didn't want Brianna to know where he was. He wasn't ready to talk to her yet.

"Okay, well... the next time you talk to him, can you ask him to come home please?" Brianna asked.

"Okay, I will," Lucas said as he laughed. Brianna wasn't sure why he was laughing. "Alright, well, look, don't worry about it, okay, Bree? I'm sure he's fine, alright?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah, okay. Bye," Brianna said as she hung up. She groaned as she laid back against the bed. It felt empty without Nathan lying next to her. She sighed, turned on her side and closed her eyes.

Tutor Girl was skipping school today.

meanwhile

When Lucas Scott hung up the phone, he looked down on the ground where an air mattress and sheets and blankets were set up, because his brother Nathan crashed at his house last night. Nathan sat up and gave Lucas a nod.

"Thanks for covering for me." He said.

"You're welcome... but it sucked," Lucas said, picking up his book bag. "It sucked lying to Brianna." He said, and Nathan yawned as he ran his fingers back through his hair.

"You just did."

Lucas sighed and walked over to his bed and sat down while looking at his brother who was on the round. "Why don't you go home? Work it out. It didn't sound like Brianna was going to school anyway." Lucas said, and Nathan rubbed his eyes.

"Yeah, why would they have the Formal on a Sunday?" Nathan asked.

"I don't know... maybe to keep students from partying... getting wasted... arguing with their wives," Lucas said, and Nathan rolled his eyes at the last one.

"Yeah, well it didn't work... how'd it go with Anna, anyway?" Nathan asked.

"Well, let's just say we didn't exactly end the night together," Lucas said, and Nathan raised a curious eyebrow, wondering who his older brother had ended the night with.

"Who'd you end up with?" Nathan asked, and Lucas opened his mouth to give a reply, but one never came because there was a knock on his door, both boys looked up to see Brooke Davis walk in the door. Nathan put the pieces together and he laughed to himself.

"Only in Tree Hill."

Brooke walked inside the room to see her brother-in-law on the ground half naked, since he had no shirt on and Lucas sitting on his bed and she raised an eyebrow. "Ew, you two do realize you're related right?" Brooke asked, and Nathan laughed.

"Hi, Brooke," Nathan said.

"Double ew if my sister is here," Brooke said, and both boys laughed.

"She's not," Lucas said, still laughing to himself and he smiled at Brooke. "What's up?"

"Um... my car is now out of commission, thanks to my jealous, spiteful stain of a neighbor... and I was sort of thinking that... you might want to walk to school together?" Brooke asked with a slight shrug and then she looked at Nathan. "Unless you're waiting for your 'boy toy' here."

Nathan chuckled while waving his hand, gesturing for them to leave. "Go ahead. I'll catch up with you guys later." He said, and Lucas nodded his head, standing up from his bed.

"Alright. Go home, Nate... work it out."

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When Brianna heard the front door open later that day, she walked out of the bedroom and saw Nathan coming inside. He still had on the same clothes from last night and she let out a breath of relief. She had been scared and worried since he didn't come home and even though Lucas had said he was fine, you never know for sure.

"Hi," Brianna said. Nathan looked up and she frowned. "I'm sorry, I was... I was wrong last night and... I found your letter from High Flyers, and Nathan, I want you to go. You should go," Brianna said.

"It's not about the camp, Brianna. It's about trust," Nathan said. Brianna sighed as they looked at each other. "After this play is over, I want you to stop working with Ethan," Nathan said.

"Nathan, I'm not going to turn down potential roles I want in our school's plays just because Ethan might get the opposite leading role," Brianna said.

"I don't trust him, Brianna, not around you. I'm sure there are other places you can do plays outside of school," Nathan said and Brianna shook her head.

"I won't, Nathan," Brianna said firmly. Nathan didn't speak, but Brianna could see that he wasn't happy with her answer. Instead of responding, he turned around and left the apartment again. Brianna sighed as she went back to the bedroom.

She didn't understand what the problem was.

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When Brianna knew that school was over, she went to Lucas' house. She found out that he had lied to her earlier and Nathan had been with him, but Lucas was covering for him. She does understand covering for your sibling, she's done it for Brooke and Beckham multiple times, but neither of them were married at the time she covered for them.

"Can I give you a piece of advice?" Brianna asked when she walked into Lucas' room. Lucas looked up and was surprised to see his friend, but he smiled.

"Nice to see you too, Bree," He said.

"The next time you want to lie to me about something, make sure your mom is in on it. She told me Nathan slept here last night," Brianna snapped. Lucas sat up from his bed and held his hands up in surrender.

"Brianna, Nathan just needed some time. If you were here, I would've done the exact same thing," Lucas said. Brianna opened her mouth to respond, but she never got a chance to.

"Lucas Eugene Scott!" Karen yelled. Brianna and Lucas' eyes widened. She did not sound happy. And she didn't hear Karen use Lucas' middle name often, so she knew it had to be something big. "Why would you lie to me!?" Karen snapped when she walked into the room.

"Yeah... get in line," Brianna muttered under her breath so Karen didn't hear. She didn't want any of her wrath.

"Mom, what are you talking about?" Lucas asked.

"Dan's heart condition... is it genetic?" Karen asked. Brianna immediately looked at Lucas. If he said yes, not only does that mean he could possibly have it, but it's possible Nathan could as well. Brianna didn't want anything to happen to either of them.

"Yes," Lucas said.

"Why didn't you tell me!?" Karen exclaimed. Brianna's eyes widened. She didn't want to lose Nathan or Lucas. She felt close to panicking. "What kind of doctor doesn't call me!?" Karen asked.

"Mom, I told him you were in Florence," Lucas said.

"Why!? When there's a fifty percent chance you have a genetic heart defect!" Karen yelled. Brianna's eyes widened again as she turned to Lucas.

"Nathan...-" Lucas cut her off and shook her head.

"...-No, he's fine. He doesn't have it, he took the test," Lucas said. Brianna let out a breath of relief that Nathan was okay. But if the defect is 50/50 and Nathan doesn't have it... Does that mean Lucas does? Now she was worried again.

"But you didn't?" Karen asked as she looked at him.

"Who told you?" Lucas asked. Karen shook her head, Brianna could see how angry she was getting with each response Lucas gave.

"You're taking that test," Karen said.

"No, I'm not," Lucas said.

"Are you out of your mind?! How can you be so reckless and cavalier about a potentially fatal condition!?" Karen was fully yelling, so Brianna took that as her cue to leave. She headed toward the door.

"I'm gonna go home," Brianna said. She waved and gave Lucas a 'good luck' smile before disappearing through the door.

She needed to see Nathan.

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Brianna was sitting on the kitchen counter waiting for Nathan to come home. She noticed the purple bracelet Nathan gave her during their first tutoring session sitting on the counter. She smiled as she grabbed it and slid it back onto her wrist, she could still hear Nathan in her head.

"Don't say I never gave you anything."

Brianna looked up when she heard the door open. Nathan walked inside and after he closed the door, Brianna hopped off the counter and walked over to her husband. She immediately wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his chest. Nathan was slightly confused, but he hugged her back.

"What's going on with you?" He asked.

"I heard about your heart test," Brianna said as she lifted her head and looked at him. Nathan looked down at her and shook his head.

"I'm fine," He said.

"Are you sure?" She asked. He nodded and she let out a breath of relief. "I won't take roles opposite of Ethan anymore, I don't want it to come between us. I just... I don't want anything to come between us," Brianna said as she squeezed him again. She felt Nathan squeeze her back and kiss the top of her head.

She didn't want to lose Nathan to anything.

⇎⇎⇎⇎⇎⇎

Brianna was sitting at the apartment by herself, she was debating whether or not to call Ethan to meet so she could discuss with him what she talked about with Nathan. She understood Nathan believed Ethan might be into her, but even if he was, that didn't matter to Brianna, she loved Nathan and she could still act cordial and 'professional' with Ethan while doing school plays. But she understood that as a woman, she thought differently than men did.

There was a knock on the front door and when Brianna opened it, Peyton was on the other side, which reminded Brianna that she hadn't spoken to Peyton, Haley, or her sister all day and she felt bad about it. But she also didn't go to school, she couldn't bring herself to.

"Hey," Peyton said when Brianna stepped aside and let her in. She shut the door behind Peyton and the two friends went to the couch.

"Hey, I was going to call you. I know I skipped today and everything. I haven't spoken to Brooke or Haley either," Brianna said as she shook her head. Peyton frowned.

"Um... I'm sorry to just drop by," Peyton said. Brianna noticed Peyton's eyes were watering, so she knew something was wrong. "I just need somebody to talk to," She said.

"Of course, Peyton. What's going on?" Brianna asked.

"I just need you, Brianna... and Brooke. I just... there's so much stuff piling up and I don't think I can handle it anymore," Peyton said. Brianna frowned as she grabbed Peyton's hands.

"Okay, what's going on? Talk to me," Brianna said.

"Just everything! You know... Like Karen is really counting on me at the club and I don't even have a band. You know, and I'm suspended, so that's going to look great on my transcripts... and I miss Jake and Jenny... and my Mom," Peyton said and Brianna frowned more.

"What happened? Why did you get suspended?" Brianna asked.

"Somebody spray painted 'dyke' on my locker, and I know I'm not a lesbian, but what about the person who is and they're scared to come out? Who's going to protect them? So, I took one of my blank white T-shirts and painted 'dyke' on it. Principal Turner made me take it off, and when I stood in the hallway in just my bra, I turned and walked away from him and he told me to enjoy my suspension," Peyton said and Brianna frowned.

"P. Sawyer, that's awful. I'm so sorry," Brianna said.

"I know I should be stronger than this, you know? I should and I don't wanna be that person that... that needs help, but I... I feel all alone," Peyton said. Brianna frowned more as she wrapped her arms around her best friend.

"You're not alone! You have me no matter what," Brianna said. "Oh, you fake blonde, you know I love you," Brianna teased. Peyton laughed as she squeezed her friend back.

"Thanks, Bree," Peyton whispered.

"I am always here for you. So is Brooke, and so is Haley. The four of us are going to be friends for life. I'm sure of it," Brianna said. Peyton softly smiled as she looked up at Brianna.

"I really hope that's true."

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Ethan asked Brianna if they could talk, she said yes and asked him to meet her at the River Court. She knew neither of the brothers would be down here tonight, and it would give her and Ethan a chance to talk. "Hey," Brianna said when he approached her at the picnic table.

"Hey, Bree," Ethan said. He noticed the look on Brianna's face and he could tell, and he frowned. He had good news to tell her, but he had a feeling that she had bad news to tell him. "Is everything okay?" He asked.

"Well... I know you asked to talk, but is it okay if I go first?" Brianna asked. Ethan nodded.

"Yeah, what's up?" He asked.

"So, listen... You know how much I've loved rehearsing this play with you... but after this one, we probably shouldn't star opposite each other anymore," Brianna said. Ethan couldn't help it, he laughed a little.

"So he got to you? Nathan?" Ethan asked. The correct answer was yes. Brianna didn't think it was a big deal, because plays aren't real, they're just acting, but she wasn't going to tell Ethan that.

"No, no... it'll probably just be for the best," Brianna said and Ethan nodded.

"Okay... before you say that's your final decision... can I tell you what I asked you here to talk about?" He asked and Brianna nodded.

"Yeah, sure," She said.

"So, Griffin sent our dress rehearsal to some of the Broadway Agents. He sent them our scene of when Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are talking about killing King Duncan so Macbeth can be King... he said one of the agents reached back out and said they want us to come audition for Beauty and the Beast on Broadway," Ethan said. Brianna's eyes widened and her mouth went wide.

"Just from a dress rehearsal?" She asked and Ethan nodded.

"We work well together, Bree. If they want us to audition based on one scene from a dress rehearsal, imagine what we could do on Broadway as Beauty and the Beast," Ethan said. Brianna could imagine it. She's wanted to do Beauty and the Beast on Broadway for as long as she could remember.

"Yeah, but what about Macbeth? We haven't even done the play yet!" Brianna said.

"That's why we have understudies. Look, Beauty and the Beast is gonna run on Broadway throughout the Spring and Summer, it's a now-or-never opportunity. I'm leaving for New York in the morning," Ethan said and Brianna's eyes widened.

"Oh," Brianna said.

"Yeah... so, if you don't think we should work together anymore and you're not going to come too... I guess this is goodbye?" Ethan asked. Brianna frowned. She wanted to go, but she gave her word to Nathan, she also said vows to Nathan.

"Yeah, I guess so," Brianna said. Ethan opened his arms for a hug, and Brianna smiled before giving him one. She hoped he was able to get the role, she would be so happy for him, even if she wasn't going to be there too. When they pulled away, Brianna stood up from the picnic table and Ethan did as well. She was about to walk away when he gently grabbed her arm.

"Bree, wait, come here," Ethan said. He turned her back around to face him and gently kissed her. Brianna's eyes widened when she realized what Ethan was doing. She took a step back and gently pushed him away.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"Brianna," Ethan said in a softer tone.

"That's what this was all about? You just wanted to hit on me?" Brianna asked as she scoffed and shook her head. "I defended you, but Nathan was right," She said.

"Brianna, it's okay," Ethan said and she shook her head.

"No, no it's not okay. I can't... I can't believe you just did that," Brianna said.

"Brianna, come to New York with me, I have an extra plane ticket. Audition for Beauty and the Beast. You were literally telling me how it's one of your dreams, and now it's here," Ethan said.

"What!? In case you missed something, I'm married," Brianna snapped.

"So, you made a mistake. Are you really going to let that keep you from chasing after your dream? Your words were it's your dream to play Belle on Broadway," Ethan said and Brianna frowned. She knows that it's her dream, and her dream is staring her right in the face, but marrying Nathan is not a mistake, and she will never regret it.

"I did not make a mistake. Don't ever say that," Brianna snapped.

"Brianna, you owe it to your talent. You owe it to yourself. Your dream is a plane ride away. I know you want this, Bree. You told me yourself," Ethan said. Brianna hated that he wasn't wrong. She did want this. If she was able to put, 'played Belle in Broadway's Beauty and the Beast' on her Juilliard application, she would be a shoo-in for sure. But she couldn't do this to Nathan, not without talking to him.

"No... You're wrong, I don't. I don't want it. I don't want any of it. Not like this," Brianna said as she shook her head and started to walk away, but Ethan called out after her.

"It was always there between us, Brianna. Whether you want to admit it or not."

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Later that night, Brianna Davis-Scott found herself at the airport. She went through all the TSA checks and checked the board of flights for the one going to New York. When she found the correct gate, she saw Ethan. When he saw her, his eyes widened and he smiled. Brianna didn't give him back the ticket he gave her at the River Court, that's how she was able to get through TSA.

"I knew you'd come," Ethan said with a smile.

"I was on my way home to Nathan and I just... I ended up here," Brianna said.

"Number 42 now boarding for New York City; gate 5," The intercom rang out. Ethan looked at the gate before he turned to Brianna.

"You ready?"

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will she stay or will she go?

don't forget to vote/comment. 

xoxo.