Author's Note: Someone e-mailed me a few months ago with a request to do an OTH fic based on the cancelled Fox drama "Reunion". I loved that show but I originally declined because I was not sure how I'd work in the One Tree Hill characters into this plot. One day the idea, just came to me and I did an outline and here we go. This story is loosely based on the premise of Reunion, as we all know, not all the episodes were aired. So I took the general basis and decided to write it my own way, OTH style. This is a dramatic mystery. We begin in the year 2016, ten years after the gang graduated high school. The next chapter will venture back into their past, the next chapter skips to the future and so forth. Obviously there is character death and that identity will remain a mystery for a while as will the killer's. So this is my newest effort and we'll see how it goes. As always, I do not own "One Tree Hill" or any of the characters. All that is legally possessed by the Tollin/Robbins Productions in association with Warner Brothers Television and of course the original mastermind, Mark Schwahn. I also do not own "Reunion" as that belongs to 20th Century Fox and Fox network television and the show's creators Jon Harmon Feldman and Sara Goodman. This story is written for entertainment purposes only with no intent to infringe so please no one sue. Hope you all enjoy…

2016

Tree Hill, North Carolina

Tree Hill, North Carolina. A lovely place to visit. An even lovelier place to call home as it was by over 200,000 citizens. It was a quiet town near the beautifully uncrowded beaches of the eastern coast set on a picturesque river front. The streets were safe and neighbors were friends.

It was a town that largely would have gone unrecognized, just another dot on the map had it not been for the fact that it had produced some famous citizens. In his own right, Dan Scott, a prominent local businessman had been a stand out college basketball player for the University of North Carolina. A knee injury had sidelined any hopes and dreams for an NBA career but the sports gods had been kinder to his sons, Lucas and Nathan. Lucas had gone on to start for the University of Miami, while Nathan had been recruited by the University of Virginia and had gone on to a promising professional career. But they weren't the only ones who had made names for themselves. Their wives, Brooke Davis and Haley James had enjoyed success respectively as the creator of a fashion line and a musician.

It was a quiet moonlit night, the blackened sky filled with stars as two young lovers walked the boardwalk hand in hand. They smiled and looked in each other's eyes, stealing kisses in the breeze.

"You are so beautiful", he moved a piece of her hair out of her face.

She looked up and grinned.

"I love you", she whispered. "I really, really love you."

He smiled as he leaned in, one arm snaking around her trim waist, the other traveling up the thin material of her shirt to her breast. He caressed it and she moaned softly, reveling in the pleasure of his kisses on her lips and neck.

"I want you", he stated.

She looked around and giggled.

"Right here? Right now?"

Her boyfriend nodded.

"Why not?"

"Because. Because we could get caught."

"That's only half the fun", he teased, playfully pushing her into the nearby table.

The table, little known to the pair on top of it making out, was famous in its own right. Almost 11 years before on a sunny morning before the halls of Tree Hill High school opened its doors, an apprehensive 16 year old girl with auburn hair had sat there staring off into the horizon. She waited anxiously for her newest tutoring pupil to arrive. He wasn't just any student, but the most popular athlete there and also the half brother and chief rival of her best friend. She had made herself more than clear. 7 a.m. at the Market Street Docks. But he was late simply because he could be. His handsome, cocky grin offered no apologies even though he came bearing gifts of coffee and Cracker Jacks. The prize at the bottom of his box was a cheaply made, multicolored plastic bracelet, one that he flirtingly placed on her tiny wrist with the words, "Don't say I never gave you anything." It was a defining moment, one that would shape their lives and their love. One that would lead to a surprise beachfront elopement mere months later.

"Baby…" she protested with a sigh as her lover's hands groped the inside of her thigh.

"You want me to stop?" he breathed huskily into her ear.

No. Hell no. Of course she didn't want him to stop. They both knew it and continued as hands roamed and clothing began to loosen.

"Babe…babe, wait. Stop", she said after a few more minutes.

"What now?" the young man groaned.

She laughed.

"I…I think I stepped in something."

Their eyes met underneath the streetlights and they both giggled. What a way to destroy the mood.

"Okay", he breathed, trying to get his hormones in check before he helped her hop over to where they could see better.

"I am afraid to look. Whatever it is, it feels really sticky."

He laughed, feeling bad for her but at the same time glad it wasn't him.

"Let me see, babe."

He gingerly lifted her smooth leg and took a look. As he got closer, he recoiled. Visibly shocked, as he pulled away stumbling backwards.

"What's wrong?" she asked with a concerned look. "Babe, what is it?"

He could barely speak.

"It…oh man, I think it's blood."

She looked down and shrieked when she saw that he was right. Her bare feet were covered in the sticky red substance that was still warm.

"Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! It is blood! It's blood! Where did it come from? How did I get this all over me?"

She was freaking out and he couldn't much blame her. He tried to help her stand when he could see the barely there trail leading a few feet away to a portion of the dock that wasn't lit.

"It's coming from over there", he pointed.

Her eyes widened.

"What do you think it is? A small animal maybe? Or what if someone stepped on a nail or a piece of glass?"

He looked at her and although trembling, both quietly locked hands and decided to investigate the source together. Slowly and carefully they walked, craning their necks to peer over for a glimpse. At first it was just blackness, then they saw an image that began to take shape.

"Holy shit!" he grabbed her hand and backed away. "Call 911 now! It's a dead body!"

The following few minutes were like a blur. It was surreal, like a dream or watching a scene in a movie. But they were awake and it was real. Police officers and Emergency Medical Service workers were on the scene in no time. The shaken young couple stood at a safe distance, praying that the paramedics could do something to save the life of the hapless person but it was to no avail and within minutes, a sheet was placed over the body and yellow police tape was used to mark off the area and label it as a crime scene. A gum chewing police man approached the only witnesses.

"You kids sure you didn't hear anything?"

They shook their head.

"No, sir. We already told you."

"And how long had you been out here?"

"Not very long, 10 or 15 minutes tops."

The officer nodded as he took down notes with a pen. A few curious onlookers had begun to gather when an unmarked law enforcement sedan pulled up. Stepping out was a tall, thin man with a neat goatee gracing his baby face. He wore a brown trench coat, homage maybe to the days of the old school detectives like Columbo and Matlock, shirt and tie as he flashed his badge while stepping under the police rope.

He had grown up in Tree Hill, all his life. A straight A student and known as an all around nice guy, the young man had had dreams of a future in politics. One young classmate had jokingly put a bird in his ear years ago that he should even become a senator. Instead, he had settled happily for law enforcement, starting off a street cop in his hometown before working his way up the ladder of success to becoming a homicide detective.

"Detective Marvin McFadden", he identified himself. "What have we got?"

The cop motioned him over.

"Apparent homicide, single gunshot wound to the chest. No eyewitnesses to the crime as of yet, just these two who discovered the body when the girl stepped in blood. Victim is over there."

"Okay. I can take it from here", the young detective nodded before redirecting his attentions back to the couple. "Good evening. My name is Detective McFadden. I understand this is a very difficult time for you but I just have a few more questions for you. Now according to the notes taken by my colleagues, you two were walking down by the docks at approximately 11 p.m."

"Yes sir."

"And you noticed the body at what time?"

They shrugged and looked each other.

"A little before 10:20, I guess", the girl answered, still upset. "I called 911 as soon as I saw it."

"Did you get a good look?"

They shook their heads.

"Too much blood. We just ran away."

"And you didn't see or hear anything out of the ordinary?"

"No."

"Did you happen to get a look at anyone walking from this direction when you first came over?"

"No."

McFadden sighed.

"Alright. Thanks guys. Thanks very much. Um, one of the officers will give you a ride to the station so you can make a formal statement and from there you're free to go. Please take my card and don't hesitate to give me a ring if you remember anything else, anything at all."

They nodded and scurried off to the waiting squad car as McFadden sighed and joined his colleagues.

"Well, well, well, if isn't Inspector Gadget himself." a fellow officer teased with a hearty laughed.

The rookie smiled, taking it all in stride. He was used to their mocking him. In fact, he had been the easy target to rag on for almost his whole life.

"How's it going fellas?"

"Maybe we should be asking you that same question. It's June already and this is Tree Hill's first homicide of the year. Hope you know what to do, Boy Wonder. I hear those investigative skills get a little rusty sitting behind a desk and pushing pencils and paper."

McFadden grinned.

"You boys stick to the coffee, donuts and speeding tickets and leave the hard stuff to me. And in the meantime, try not to botch up my crime scene, will you?"

Donning rubber gloves and keeping to the path the county medical examiner had made for law enforcement, McFadden walked over to where the victim was lying. He had always been a sensitive boy and he remembered when he first started out with the force and saw a dead body. It was a child who had been hit riding a bicycle by a drunk driver. To see death was not a natural thing and the image had haunted him for years. But eventually the nerves and the tears and apprehension had given way. It was just part of the job to adapt and become accustomed to the horrors of humanity. In his few years, he had seen it all and as more time passed, the less it began to phase him.

Kneeling down, the coroner lifted the sheet. There was blood everywhere and although the victim had been pronounced dead immediately, blood still seeped from the gaping wound to the chest brought on by a bullet. Taking quick mental notes, McFadden glanced over the body but stopped when he reached the face. His breath caught in his throat and it was hard to breathe. Officers of the law were supposed to be prepared for anything but the sight in front of him was the last thing he had expected to see.

"Everything alright, McFadden?"

"Huh?" he looked around, trying to regain composure as he cleared his throat. "Yeah. Uh, go ahead and take the crime scene photos."

He stood and backed away, walking to his car and leaning against the hood for support. The coolness of the night air kept him from fainting and he stood there for minutes alone, the loud ring of his cell phone jarring him back to the unpleasantries of reality.

"McFadden", he answered, not even checking to see who it was.

"Well, hello Detective McFadden. This is your lonely better half just wondering when her husband was coming home."

"Gigi", he said softly, to the dark haired high school sweetheart he had met and fallen for when she had volunteered to be his co announcer for Tree Hill High basketball games during their senior year.

They had been married for five glorious years.

"The baby is asleep and dinner is cold as usual. I was just wondering how long I'd have to wait up for you."

"Don't wait up, hon. I'm sorry. Looks like it's gonna be a long night."

"You sound really stressed…"

"There was a murder tonight at the Market Street Docks."

"Murder? Oh no. What happened?"

"Gunshot. I don't know all the details yet."

"Did you catch the killer?"

"Not yet."

"I'm sorry", Gigi said into the phone.

"Yeah…"

"You sure you're gonna be okay?"

He looked over at the empty black body bag that would soon contain the remains of someone he had once known very well.

"No", he sighed into the phone. "I know who it is, the victim."

"Who?"

The young detective closed his eyes.

"You'll never guess, babe…"