Tree Hill, 2003
Ethan was helping Deb with Karen's coffee when he saw his father bringing dirty dishes into the kitchen. Deb walked right in and thanked them both for their help.
"Deb, don't get me wrong. But I'm glad Karen's coming back." Keith told her.
"Me too." Ethan ended up talking a little too happily and Deb ended up smiling at him.
Deb could understand it, Karen was the only female and even maternal figure that Ethan had in his life. In fact, Deb was a little bit jealous of the relationship that Karen had built with both Ethan and Lucas. When Keith went to ask about Dan, that was Ethan's cue to leave.
[....]
Peyton had asked her sister, Brooke, and Lucas to help her change some things in her room. Emma had the feeling that Lucas and Peyton had been acting strangely ever since they had gone out to identify the body. Emma even asked if everything was okay with Peyton, and the girl just told her that she would explain soon.
Lucas left the room with Peyton's mattress, and Brooke was jumping for joy. Her relationship with Lucas seemed to be on the mend.
Brooke closed the door to Peyton's room and walked over to Emma and Peyton.
"Can I tell you two a secret?" Brooke asked.
The Sawyer sisters looked at each other, giggled, and nodded at Brooke. Peyton seemed to want to tell Brooke a secret as well but held back and let the girl tell her secret first.
"I'm falling in love with him," Brooke said.
Emma hugged Brooke.
"I thought it was obvious, B. Davis. But if you're happy, I'm happy." Emma said as she hugged Brooke.
"I know, it's crazy." Brooke said as she looked at Peyton who still hadn't said anything. "This is like, L-O-V-E crazy." Brooke continued as Peyton tried to speak but choked on what she wanted to say.
Brooke asked what song was playing.
"Tegan and Sara." Peyton replied, and Brooke asked the name of the song. "Don't confess." Peyton paused for a moment as if she'd had an epiphany. At the same time, Emma also had a moment of clarity.
Peyton was in love with Lucas.
"Oh, shit." Emma whispered, hoping neither of the other two girls had heard her.
When Lucas returned, Peyton ended up giving a few different excuses as to why they shouldn't continue cleaning her room. She said that they would do it the next night, as if she was trying to get rid of Brooke and Lucas.
As soon as Lucas and Brooke left, Emma turned to her sister.
"Peyton, are you going to tell me what's going on now or later?" Emma stared at her sister and Peyton sighed deeply. Peyton knew that she wouldn't be able to hide anything from her sister for long.
"I...." Peyton tried to speak, but it was as if she couldn't say it.
There's a list of things that Emma can't stand and won't tolerate in any way, here are some of the items: racist people, people who are prejudiced against LGBT people, lies, betrayal (be it in any form, betraying trust, or being unfaithful), disrespectful people.
The list is much longer, but Peyton remembered that he was fitting in with a few items. She was lying, she was betraying her best friend's trust, while she was staying with her best friend's boyfriend, in other words, Lucas was being unfaithful, and if Emma knew, in her view, Peyton and Lucas would be being disrespectful to Brooke.
"You're in love with Lucas." Emma said, snapping Peyton out of her thoughts. Peyton nodded and started to tear up.
"I swear I didn't want that to happen." Emma hugged her sister, wiping away the tears.
"I know, sis. Does Lucas know?" Peyton didn't want to lie to her sister.
"Yeah, I was going to tell Brooke but she's so in love with him that..." Emma interrupted her sister.
"Wait, Lucas knows, and you were going to tell Brooke?" Peyton nodded. "Peyton, does he like you too? Because if he does, he should tell her about his feelings, he's her boyfriend. Are you guys having something behind Brooke's back?" Emma asked her sister.
"No!" Peyton said.
"Okay. I'm here for you, Peyton. But don't let Lucas play with both of your feelings. Clear things up with Brooke." Emma asked, and Peyton agreed.
[....]
Emma and Peyton had gone to Karen's café, Emma saw Peyton going to talk to Haley, maybe ask for more advice. Emma saw Ethan grabbing a cup of coffee to leave and went over to the boy.
"Hey, Ethan." Emma spoke next to the boy, who was startled.
"Pompoms, watch my heart." Emma smiled at the boy who asked if they could walk together for a while, Emma nodded to Peyton signaling that she would go out with Ethan.
As they walked, Ethan told her how excited he was for Karen's return, and there was even a reason to be even more excited. Keith had told Ethan that he and Karen had kissed at the airport, before the woman boarded the plane.
"Is it silly of me to expect them to start a relationship soon?" Ethan asked.
"No, I don't think so, E. They've known each other for years, and you said that your father seems to have always been in love with Karen, maybe this is the beginning of their relationship." Emma said.
Emma thought it was the sweetest thing to see the way Ethan always talked about Karen, he treated the woman like his mother, and Karen perhaps acted like one without even realizing how important and meaningful it was to the boy.
"Pompoms, can we go for a walk tomorrow night?" Ethan asked and before Emma could answer, Ethan continued. "Even though I'd like to stay with Karen for a while after she arrives, I imagine she and my father need some privacy or time alone to talk, or who knows what they're going to do." Ethan started rambling, and Emma interrupted him even though she found the situation a bit funny and cute.
"Ethan." The boy looked at her. "Yeah." Ethan's cheeks flushed a little and he nodded.
[....]
The next night, Emma was in her room playing some guitar and humming a lyric she was working on. Emma had already gotten ready, as it wouldn't be long before Ethan showed up.
Brooke was at the girl's bedroom door.
"Hey, bestie." Brooke said smiling. "New music?" Brooke questioned.
"Perhaps." Emma placed the guitar and her notebook with song lyrics.
"Uh, and where are you going dressed like that?" Brooke asked nudging the girl.
"Am I too dressed up? I'm just going to walk with Ethan, but I..." Emma stopped talking when Brooke had a huge smile on her face, she shouted.
"You're going to kiss Ethan!"
"Brooke! I was thinking about doing this, but I don't know if -" Emma was interrupted by Peyton who had entered her room.
"Stop overthinking, Emm's. If you feel it, try it." Peyton said.
"First of all, it's obvious that Ethan has a huge crush on you, Emm's. And second, I doubt he won't enjoy kissing you." Brooke said with a smile on her face.
Emma threw a pillow at Brooke who pulled Peyton out of Emma's room. Brooke wanted to see what Peyton's room was looking like.
[....]
Ethan was in the car with Keith driving, and Lucas in the passenger seat. The three boys were going to pick up Karen at the airport.
"So, you excited to see your mom?" Keith asked Luke who nodded. "Seems like just yesterday I was kissing her goodbye at the airport." Keith told.
Ethan unbuckled his seatbelt to squeeze into the middle of the car's front seats, laughing.
"Dad, you can't just tell him you kissed his mother like that." Ethan joked with his father, earning a loud laugh from Luke.
"Ethan, sit up straight and buckle up." Keith said looking at his son.
"Keith, could you just do me a favor and keep the PDA to a minimum?" Luke asked.
Ethan tried to hold back his laughter, patted his father's arm.
"That's why as soon as we pick up Karen, I'm going for a walk." Ethan explained.
"Ethan!" Lucas and Keith scolded the boy while laughing.
"Luke, can you keep that tattoo covered for a while? Like the rest of your life and Ethan, buckle up already!" Keith had scolded Ethan again, while Lucas laughed at the boy antics, and Lucas pushed the boy away with his hand.
Keith was stopping at a red light when Ethan finally sat up straight. He had sat in the backseat of the car right behind Luke, so he could tease the boy, putting on his seat belt.
Keith went to explain to Lucas about the situation with Karen.
"I love you too, Keith. And I think we'll finally be brothers." Luke said looking at Keith and then Ethan.
"Want me to tell you I love you too, Luke?" Ethan played with his cousin, and Luke turned his head to look at the boy.
"Yeah, it would be nice to hear it." Luke told while Ethan laughed.
Suddenly, the laughter and chatter were replaced by a flash and the sensation of collision.
Ethan felt a pain take over his body, his head hurt, maybe his head had hit something, when Ethan noticed that he couldn't see anything anymore, he heard some slight noises and then nothing. Just pain and then darkness.
On the other side, Dan Scott saw the accident and ran out to help. Keith was opening the door, groaning in pain, when he heard his brother Dan shout for him and come to his support.
"I got you, come on." Dan helped Keith out of the car.
"My boys. Help the boys." Keith begged Dan.
Dan went to Lucas who was unconscious, trying hard to pull the door. Dan was going to call the ambulance, but he figured it would take a long time. Dan picked Lucas up and placed him in the backseat. Dan managed to go to Ethan, trying to wake the boy up, without being successful, and having difficulty removing the boy from the car, when he finally managed to get Ethan out of the car, he sat him down with a seat belt next to Luke. Dan put Keith in the car, in the passenger seat and rushed to the hospital, hoping that he hadn't made the boys' situation worse.
Dan had walked into the hospital, shouting that he needed a doctor with Lucas on his lap. When a doctor rushed to meet him.
"My brother and nephew are in my car outside. The boy is unconscious." Dan informed.
Keith was receiving medical help when he was told he only had a concussion and a small but deep cut that needed stitches. When the doctor asked him how much he had drunk.
Keith wasn't drunk, he would never put Ethan and Lucas' lives at risk like that.