It was another night and another hotel. They were now about five hundred miles away from Dan's house, from what Nathan could see from the dashboard.

This hotel was even more run-down than the last one, and Deb had gone out. Nathan was hurt. He had hoped that when Deb regained custody of him, things would be different, and that she would stop taking off to so many bars.

Yeah, right. Who was he kidding?

He rolled over, covered himself with the blanket and tried to go to sleep. He knew they would reach his grandparent's house soon, and he was terrified of going there. A drunk Royal was even worse than a drunk Keith.

"Mom?" he asked quietly as he heard her slip in the room.

"Nathan," she replied softly, a small smile tracing her lips. "I didn't want to wake you."

"I never fell asleep," Nathan reassured her with a sigh. "Mom, can we please not go to Grandpa's? I can't go back there, Mom. We just got out of Keith. You remember what happens when—"

"Nathan, I'm really not in the mood," Deb snapped angrily, and Nathan could see that she was clearly wasted. He wondered if she would be able to drive the next morning. "Look, Nathan... I know you and Royal had some disagreements," she said, "but he's nothing like Keith. And why aren't you calling him 'dad'? Keith would flip."

"You know Keith isn't my dad," Nathan spat angrily, suddenly furious at his mother. He tried to swallow it, knowing anger would get him nowhere, especially when Deb was drunk.

"Did Dan tell you that lie? Nathan, that's exactly why we're not going back there. He's a liar, Nathan. A liar. I can't stand the thought of you going back there," Deb replied with a sigh. "Just—just shut up and go back to sleep, Nathan," she said. "Look, tomorrow we're going to stay at one more hotel, then we're going to go to your grandparent's and I'll find some stable employment. I already enrolled you in school."

"I thought you said I was home schooled," Nathan responded quietly. He never trusted what Deb was saying when she was drunk.

"Shut up, Nathan! I am your mother. I can decide to change my mind. Royal enrolled you. He thinks it will be best for us all. Go to bed, Nathan, and wake me up in the morning."

---

Late that night

"Mom?" Lucas asked as he came downstairs. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied tiredly. "Just paying bills. The FBI should be here soon."

"At the cafe?"

"Guess they want breakfast," she replied jokingly. She exhaled slowly. "Lucas, do you have any idea where they might go?"

"I hate to sound sassy, but Mom, we hardly talked. Although there was that one time—"

Flashback

"So, since you hate Tree Hill so badly, where would you go if you could get away?" Lucas questioned, leaning back against the house.

"Definitely not my grandparent's," he replied with a tense smile. "It just wouldn't work out. I can't go anywhere. I'm trapped under you guys. Why do you even want to take me in, anyway?"

Lucas paused, knowing he had to consider what he was going to say carefully. "We care about you, Nathan," he replied, wondering what else he was supposed to say. His parents were supposed to be the ones reassuring the teenager, not him. "Plus, since Dan's your f—"

"Hey," Brooke called out, saving Lucas from answering. "You didn't come to my house last night," she pouted.

"Brooke..."

"That reminds me," Lucas said, practically bolting out of his seat. "Mom, he mentioned his grandparent's. He said, 'definitely not his grandparents'. Maybe he wouldn't go there, but his mom might!"

"Good thought," Karen replied, grabbing the phonebook. "I hope she doesn't go there, though. Royal is a pain in the ass."

"Mom!"

"Well, he is. Remember the time I had to rescue you when he tried to drown you?"

---

The next morning...

"You didn't wake me up!" Deb accused as she glanced at the clock and saw that it was nearly 10:00. "Nathan, you didn't wake me up!"

"Mom, you were wasted last night," Nathan protested angrily, looking half-heartedly at the calendar. It was his fifteenth birthday. Some birthday. He was stranded in the middle of nowhere, with his mother wasted, or having a hangover. Nathan half-hoped she was wasted. Hangovers were always hell.

"Yeah, but I sleep 'em off a lot quicker than Keith," Deb retorted. "Listen to me, Nathan. You may think this is a vacation but I don't give a damn. You're sassing me!" She smiled happily. "Oh, and we don't have to go to your grandparents," she added.

"Really? Where are we going?" Nathan's smile grew even wider.

"That's a stupid question, stupid," she responded with a smile, opening the door. "Keith got a job. He's moving back in."

"What? Mom, he burned my arm!"

"And you got it fixed, didn't you? Shut up and be polite," she said with a smile. "Keiiiiith," she said with a happy grin. Then she frowned. "And who is that kid?"

"Lucas," Keith replied, coming into the room and loosening his tie. He shoved Lucas into the bedroom. "I had to pull some stunts. God, Deb, why didn't you tell me you already had gotten Nathan's custody back? Then we wouldn't have had to feed him." He turned and grabbed Lucas' arm forcefully. "Sit down!"

"What were you thinking?" Deb demanded angrily. "Kidnapping Lucas? Don't you know that Dan will be after us now?"

"Well, I wouldn't have taken him if I had known you already had Nathan. I only grabbed Lucas with hope that Dan would tell us where Nathan was. But it's okay." Keith exhaled slowly. "Are you wasted, Deb?"

Nathan stole a quick sneak-peak at his half-brother, if that was indeed who it was. He looked exhausted. Keith had clearly pulled him out of bed. "Kei—Dad," he replied, "I think we should—"

"Shut up, Nathan," Keith ordered, and Nathan grew silent. "Deb, what name did you check in under?"

"Tessa Marshall," she replied with a smile. "I'm so glad you're back, Keith."

"Me too," Keith said with a smile. "Come on, Lucas, Nathan—" he froze. "We'll have to change your name," he said to Lucas. "It's Tyler," he said. "Let's go," he added.