Brooke and Peyton were walking towards school. They were speaking about how Claudia left to go on tour.

"Okay, I still can not believe Claudia left Nathan for Chris." Brooke said and Peyton shook her head.

"She didn't, OK? She left for herself. The tour is an amazing opportunity." Peyton explained but Brooke was unconvinced.

"Yeah, to screw up her marriage." Brooke muttered.

"OK, just because she is married does not mean she has to give up her dreams. OK? She's really, really talented." Peyton justified.

"I know she is and that's great but you don't think Chris has anything to do with this?" Brooke asked.

"No, I don't. She is not into him. She told me." Peyton answered with certainty.

"OK, let's think about what Nathan was when Claudia met him;" Brooke began to say before she ticked every single one off with her fingers, "good looking, rude, sexy, arrogant and talented." Brooke listed.

"OK, right, like Chris." Peyton agreed.

"Yeah, and then Claudia changed Nathan, for the better, but I'm thinking maybe she misses that challenge." Brooke argued.

"You really think she changed Nathan?" Peyton asked as they continued to walk.

"Yeah!" Brooke exclaimed obviously. "I mean, before Claudia, Nathan was, like, the 'bad-boy of Tree Hill'... and now he's just... 'Pod Nathan'." Brooke frowned and Peyton began to look at it all differently.

___

Nathan was sat on the couch, playing on his playstation. He hadn't shaved, the place was a mess and it looked like he hadn't changed his clothes in ages. He is barely moving. Nathan's hair is also lying flat which is new to him. The doorbell rang and Nathan looked at it, maybe he hoped it was Claudia. He stopped the game and answered the door. It was Lucas, leaning on the doorframe.

"Dude,... you look like ass." Lucas said giving him a one-over.

"You should smell me." Nathan joked laughing a little. 

"Um... you know, I haven't seen you around school lately." Lucas replied and Nathan looked down.  "You mind if I come in?" Lucas asked.

"Actually, Um... now's not really a-a good... good time." Nathan stuttered as he looked up at Lucas with a frown. Lucas nodded his head as he looked around the messy apartment. 

"You know, man, I... I'm really missing Claudia. She aint even bothered to call me." Lucas tried to say but Nathan glared at him. "It must be harder for you." Lucas then said. 

"Yeah, it's twelve weeks. I'll be fine. We'll, uh... we'll work it out when she gets back." Nathan stuttered, truth be told, he didn't know if Claudia wanted to come back. Lucas nodded his head.

"I'm just concerned, man." Lucas said seriously.

"Yeah, well don't be." Nathan replied before he angrily shut the door in Lucas's face. Lucas stared at the door before he walled away. 

___

"OK, so we're gonna pick up where we left off, discussing the process of mitosis." The teacher said to the front of the class. Nathan- who still looked at mess- stood at the doorway. He walked over to his chair. "Well, Mr Scott, long time no see." The teacher said and Nathan looked at her smirking before he sat down on his seat. 

"It's about time you pulled yourself together." Lucas said to Nathan quietly as the teacher spoke over them.

"Whatever. I'm only here coz my Playstation broke." Nathan replied as he rummaged through his bag. He pulled out a can of malt liquor and placed it on the table. He popped the can open. 

"Hey, man, are you nuts?!" Lucas exclaimed as he grabbed his brother's shirt. People turn around at the noise of the hissing can.

Lucas watched Nathan taking a swig of his drink, before he looked up at the teacher uneasily. The teacher stopped what she was saying and walked up to Nathan, arms crossed.

"OK, please tell me you are not drinking beer in my class!" She shouted as Nathan looked down into his bag. 

"Technically, it's malt liquor." Nathan replied carefree.

"Nathan!" The teacher shouted.

"It's OK." Nathan replied as she smiled up at her, another can in his hand. "I bought enough to share." He smiled as he set the can down on the guy's chair beside him. The teacher stomped forward to grab the cans. Lucas covered his eyes.

"Come with me please!" She shouted as she took the cans from him. Nathan laughed as he picked up his bag.

"That's a nice skirt Miss. Ham. You know, I bet if more teachers dressed like sluts, attendance in this place would skyrocket." Nathan joked and it did not go down well.

"Funny. Principle Turner's gonna love that one." She replied back sarcastically, Nathan just shrugged. He walked out of the classroom with the teacher behind him. Lucas watched them miserably. 

___

"Claudia, sweetie are you okay?" Josie asked as she walked into Claudia's dressing room. She could hear her cry. Claudia was sitting on the floor playing with her wedding ring with pictures of her and Nathan surrounding her.

"Mum, I miss Nathan." She cried and Josie crouched down and hugged her daughter. "But it is over between us. I don't know what to do." Claudia cried harder as she held up a photo of Nathan and her on their wedding day.

"Do you want to go home?" Josie asked seriously, Claudia wanted to but she knew she couldn't. Something was keeping on the tour.

"Mum. I can't. This is my dream," Claudia said seriously looking at her mum but then she saw a picture that Peyton took of them hugging on the couch, "but I miss him." Claudia cried getting all nostalgic.

"Well do what you do best?" Josie encouraged and Claudia looked up at her confused. "Write a song." She replied and Claudia smiled a little.

"Thank you mum." She smiled before she turned away from her mum.

"I almost forgot hair and makeup want to give you a makeover." Josie smiled and Claudia snapped her head around confused.

"Makeover?" She asked and Josie nodded her head.

"Trust me. They won't be mean." Josie teased before she left the dressing room. Claudia fell back and looked at a picture they took at the river court after Claudia's first ever performance. She was with all her friends, friends she miss so much. They were the friends she grew up with and she felt guilty not saying goodbye.

___

"Okay, so you want to pierce my nose, dye my hair darker and change my wardrobe." Claudia asked touching her blonde hair as she looked into the mirror. She was worried as to how it would look. 

"Precisely." One of the makeup artists smiled as she set everything up. "You ready?" She asked and Claudia nodded her head.

"New life, new me." She muttered to herself as the makeup artist came to her face awfully close with the piercer. Claudia closed her eyes and waited ages for it to be over.

"Ta Da!" The makeup artist said as she finally finished, Claudia opened up her hair in shock.

"Oh my." She giggled as she looked at herself with all angles. Josie walked in and looked at her daughter smiling.

(Claudia after makeover)

"Mum what do you think?" Claudia asked smiling and her mother walked up and looked at her nose ring.

"Is that my daughter or a model?" Josie asked and she looked at the nose ring.

"Ha. I am ready for my close up." Claudia joked as she stood up.

"Okay time to go get you on stage." Josie replied and Claudia nodded her head. She stood up and walked out of the dressing room.

"Claudia?" Chris asked from behind her, Claudia turned around smiling.

"Chris, hey." Claudia smiled sorting out her top that should a little more cleavage then Claudia would of liked.

"You've changed." Chris muttered in awe as he looked Claudia up and down.

"Yeah. Good luck out there." Claudia smiled as she walked up the steps.

"You too." Chris replied, his ego charms had gone. Claudia walked up onto the stage, waving at the audience.

"Hey everyone, I am Claudia." She shouted as she held the microphone up to her mouth. The crowd cheered. "I am new to this tour. How is everyone doing tonight?" She asked smiling and the crowd roared louder. "Okay great! Let's go." She said looking at the band as she nodded her head. The music started to play. "Always and Forever." Claudia muttered to herself before she began to sing a song that she wrote about her leaving Nathan. She loved every minute that she song.

https://youtu.be/rnnzl5THCRc

___

"Look who it is; the Scott family." Nathan said in a snarky tone as he looked at his mom, dad and Lucas. 

"Sorry, I thought my son lived here. Kinda looks like you," Dan said before he entered, "only less pathetic." Dan said and Nathan scoffed.

"We heard about Claudia, honey. What happened?" Deb asked trying to act like his mother as she walked in. Nathan turned around with a frown.

"Like you care!" Nathan snapped back and Lucas closed the door. 

"We do care, Nathan... all of us." Deb replied and Nathan shook his head,,

"Right, mom, and you just showered Claudia with hugs, didn't you?" Nathan asked angrily and Deb looked away, truth was that Deb and Dan hated Claudia. "Well I hate to disappoint you guys but she'll be back in a few weeks." Nathan continued.

"How can you live like this, Nathan? This place is a pigsty! Eh, you're skipping school, you're drinking in class."  Deb replied in a motherly tone.

"It's not worth it, son. Pissing your life away over some girl." Dan said trying to act like a dad, however, he was failing per usual.

"Some girl?" Nathan asked offended as he walked to his father "She's my wife, dad!" Nathan shouted in his face.

"Really? Well someone may wanna tell her that." Dan replied smirking, Nathan punched him hard in the face. Dan crouched over in pain, Deb was crying with distress and Lucas moved forward to stop him. 

"Hey, come on!" Lucas shouted separating the father and son. Dan touched his mouth, he was equal with interest and bemusement. He stood up straight and nodded.

"Nice punch, son. It's good to see there's still a man in there somewhere." Dan teased and Nathan sighed before he left his own apartment. Lucas was caught in the middle, not knowing what to do. He looked at Dan in exasperation. 

___

"Hey." Lucas said as he opened the front door, Nathan stood there.

"I just had to see it for myself." Nathan stated cryptically.

"See what?" Lucas asked confused.

"This, you, here." Nathan stated slowly.

"Look, Nathan, it's complicated." Lucas tried to explain.

"You're a fraud, Lucas. There's nothing complicated about that." Nathan spat back and Lucas nodded his head.

"Look, why don't you just come inside, man?" Lucas said sweetly.

"Oh, so now you're going to invite me into my own house?" Nathan snapped. 

"It's not like that." Lucas argued trying to calm Nathan down.

"No, it is like that, Lucas. It's exactly like that!" Nathan exclaimed. "You realise I wouldn't be in this situation if it wasn't for you?" Nathan continued and Lucas looked at him sympathetically. "If you would have stayed in your place at the Rivercourt, I would have never met Claudia." Nathan spat angrily, Lucas knew he did not mean it. "You ruined my life, man." Nathan shouted.

"Nathan!" Lucas called, but it was no use. 

"You better watch your back." Nathan said as he got in his car and drove away. Deb came out of the house. 

"What did he want?" Deb asked concerned. Lucas watched the road for a while before turning around to Deb.

"Claudia." He replied before he walked into the house.

___

Claudia walked off of the stage after finishing her set, she picked up her phone and called Lucas.

"Hey! What, you don't call for... three days and then when you do it's at one in the morning?" Lucas said as he answered the phone, Claudia chuckled as she walked around people backstage 

"Oh, Luke, I'm sorry. I just finished my set. It's-it's crazy here, there's so much to tell you!" Claudia exclaimed excitably.

" Yeah, wanna start with why you left without saying goodbye?" Lucas asked and Claudia's face fell. 

"Ah, yeah, I fell awful about that! Um... everything just happened so fast." Claudia explained and then she took a deep breath. "How's Nathan?" She asked sadly. 

"He misses his wife!" Lucas exclaimed and Claudia closed her eyes to stop the tears from cascading down her face. 

"Lucas, don't do this." She stated sternly. 

"Do what?! He needs you." Lucas shouted back.

"He said that we were done. The guy who supposedly loved me said we were done. I had to choose between him and the tour, I have been supportive with his basketball he should of done the same with me. Not saying that I am ungrateful for everything he sacrificed for me. I just wanted him to be more supportive-" Claudia rambled on as she closed her dressing room door. She walked over to a old photo of her, Lucas and Haley all sitting on the river court.

"He didn't want you to leave. He's-" Lucas cut in before he took a deep breath. "He's so in love with you, Claudia. You gotta come back." Lucas said and a guy knocked on Claudia's dressing room door and walked in. 

"Claudia, Michelle wants to see you in her dressing room." The guy said and Claudia turned to face him.

"Okay." She said to the guy and he walked out. "I'll call you later, OK?" Claudia said before she took a deep breath. "Tell him, I love him too, so much.  Please." Claudia smiled and Lucas didn't say anything, Claudia ended the phone call. She ran her fingers through her hair stressfully. "Always and Forever." She muttered before she walked out of the dressing room.