"You know Claude with everything you've been through lately I'm sure principal turner would understand If you needed a little more time off." Nathan said as him and Claudia walked into work together. Claudia has not been in school since the whole Nanny Carrie psycho horror movie situation. Claudia was getting sick sitting in the house and doing nothing. 

"I needed out of that house and I can't still have that day replaying in my head." Claudia replied. "You are a nice distraction but I need a bigger one." Claudia smirked flirting over at Nathan. He laughed a little. "Plus I have missed my normal life." Claudia added honestly. 

"If you need me you know I'm here." Nathan replied sweetly and Claudia gave him a girlish grin. 

"I feel like we are still juniors, you are giving me the girlish grin." Claudia laughed and Nathan joined in. 

"You know what? Let's cut through shop." Nathan replied before he walked off. Claudia gaped at him before she ran to catch up with him. 

"You can cut through shop?" She asked mind blown as Nathan opened the door for her. 

"You were such a nerd in high school." He joked as Claudia walked through the door.  

"I was an honor student!" Claudia exclaimed, "surprisingly." She muttered, I mean come on Claudia may have got the grades but she wasn't the best role model. She did the things with Haley, that was Haley's thing. But then Claudia started to fall in love with tutoring, that was how Nathan and Claudia got together. 

"Exactly. Nerd." Nathan stated jokingly and Claudia looked at him in shock. 

"You don't know what you'd do without me." Claudia smirked until she saw Sam lying in the backseat of a car, it looked like she was living there. "Nathan!" Claudia called worried as she saw the fifteen year old sleeping. "Sam, no." Claudia whispered to herself concerned. 

___

"So you want to tell me why you were sleeping in the backseat of a car at school?" Claudia asked as she stood in front of Sam in the classroom. She needed to know how to help Sam. 

"Well it was either there or that smelly couch in the teacher's lounge. I can't believe you sit on that thing." Sam explained like it was nothing. 

"For the record I don't go near that thing." Claudia laughed as she crossed her arms over. "That has been around since the school opened like sixty years ago, I reckon." Claudia joked, then she realised she was off topic. "So tell me where you live? Because I'm pretty sure it's not in shop class." Claudia asked pointedly. 

"I live in a foster home." Sam answered and Claudia was happy she was being easy co-operating. 

"Okay. Well give me your number. I'm gonna need to speak with your foster parents." Claudia explained and Sam's face turned defensive. I mean more defensive then usual. 

"Hell no. Please. That'll just make it worse. This is none of your business okay?" Sam stated sternly and Claudia hated to meddle but she didn't know what was going on with Sam. Claudia could only think of the worse. 

"Sam if there's a problem at home tell me. I can get you some help." Claudia said comfortingly, Claudia would do everything in her power to help someone. 

"There's not a problem. This is one of the better foster homes I've been in. The others were ... Not so good. So it's just a little crowded. It's okay." Sam explained like it was nothing. That was the moment when Claudia knew that Sam was once abused. She felt so sorry for her- that explains a lot. 

"It's not okay Sam. Is there anybody that was worried That you didn't come home last night?" Claudia asked worried. 

"You don't get it. Nobody cares. It's kind of like being invisible. Cash their cheques I don't get slapped around. That's the deal. And it's a pretty good deal. So don't screw this up for me." Sam warned and Claudia shook her head. 

"Sam I can't just pretend like this didn't happen. You're 15 years old. There has to be something better for you." Claudia replied. Claudia could not believe that this was a 'living situation' for Sam. 

"You seem nice but I'm not your girl. I'm not anybody's girl. It happens." Sam stated sternly before she left the classroom. 

"Sam!" Claudia called after her but it was no use. None at all. 

___

"When did Brooke Davis become all work and no play?" Claudia smirked pointedly as she walked into Clothes Over Bros. Brooke was on the computer, her shop was empty. Victoria took everything away from her. 

"I am actually playing right now. I'm gonna take skydiving lessons. You want to come with me?" Brooke asked excitably and Claudia laughed.

"Ah thanks but no. No thank you." Claudia replied smirking. 

"Come on. I'm looking up the safest places to go." Brooke pushed, but there was no way in hell Claudia was going to jump out of a plane. 

"Okay well I'm pretty sure they're all equally unsafe. Listen. Would you be interested in fostering a child?" Claudia asked smiling sweetly, she now had Brooke's full attention. 

"Well I guess it would depend on the situation." Brooke shrugged and Claudia didn't know how  she was going to take this. 

"Do you remember Sam? She's um... She's the one that stole from your store." Claudia asked weary. 

"It figures she'd get pregnant. She's so young!" Brooke exclaimed in shock and Claudia shook her head. 

"No she's not pregnant. It's her. She's the one that needs fostering." Claudia explained. 

"But she's so old." Brooke stated.  

"Well she's 15. Look I found her sleeping in the backseat of a car in shop class and her current foster parents didn't even know that she was gone. It's just so heartbreaking. They didn't even care she was gone." Claudia explained concerned.

"Well maybe they can foster her in jail 'cause it's where she's headed." Brooke replied, she was annoyed that Sam stole from her. 

"I think she's just acting out for attention. It kind of reminds me of somebody else I used to know in high school." Claudia smirked pointedly at Brooke. 

"Claudia I'm sorry but ... I can't take in a teenager right now. Find me a cute little baby in shop class we can talk about it." Brooke replied and Claudia nodded her head.

"That's okay. I ... I totally understand. It's just ... I think of  my kids and how I would do anything to protect them. And then I look at Sam and I wonder ... who's protecting her." Claudia explained sad and Brooke just sighed. She knew the right thing to do would be to take in Sam but she just couldn't trust anyone in her house after the accident. 

___

"So how'd it go with Brooke?" Nathan asked as he walked into the kitchen, Claudia was sitting a the counter. Claudia sighed as she looking up at Nathan. 

"She's just not ready to take in a rebellious teenager right now." Claudia answered, she couldn't accept the fact that Sam was just going to sleep in the back of her car. 

"Well ... she could stay with us." Nathan offered and Claudia thought about it, they had the extra room but she didn't want anyone to move in and disrupt Jamie and Gracie's life right now. 

"No. I thought about that but Jamie and Gracie's been through so much. It's just not a good time for them." Claudia explained. 

"Yeah. So have you." Nathan replied as his mobile rang. Claudia was just saved by the bell. 

"You better get that." Claudia smiled before she kissed Nathan on the cheek and left the kitchen. Nathan picked up the phone call. It was the call- it was an opportunity from him to play ball again.

___

"Did you make the team?" Claudia asked nervously and excitably as she ran out onto the Rivercourt where Nathan was playing. He turned around to face Claudia. 

"Well that all depends on what my wife thinks. This league is different." Nathan explained and Claudia's grin fell. 

"Different how?" She asked confused. She really wanted Nathan to be back on the court doing what he loves. 

"Well. It's called slamball." Nathan admitted and Claudia flashed him a concerned look. 

"It's called slamball?" Claudia asked worried, slamball doesn't sound like the gentlest of sports and considering Nathan's spine is working on a 'miracle' it was dangerous. 

"Yeah." Nathan sighed and Claudia didn't want to tell him to stop but she was worried. 

"That sounds physical." Claudia replied. 

"It's not... really. It's a lot of dunking and it's kind of..." Nathan began to say but then he stopped. "It's called slamball." Nathan sighed and Claudia wasn't looking at him encouragingly to say the least. "Uh... Look here's the thing. I'm not ready to give it up yet But no team is gonna give me a tryout Unless I prove that I'm healthy. So I thought this would ... I don't know." Nathan tried to explain, Claudia could tell he needed this.  

"You really think you can still play?" Claudia asked bluntly. 

"I know I can." Nathan answered sternly, Claudia knew from that moment that slamball was what had to be done. The passion in his voice was at the same level of passion that Claudia has for music. 

"And no one else will give you a tryout?" Claudia asked and Nathan's face said it all. She took the ball from him. "Make that shot." She asked as she walked to the hoop before she threw the ball at Nathan.

"Okay." Nathan replied before he made the shot. Claudia grabbed the ball as it fell from the hoop. 

"Back up now and try it again." Claudia stated and Nathan did what he was told as Claudia threw the ball at him. He made the shot perfectly. "One more time." Claudia finished and Nathan made the shot amazingly. "Those idiots are so stupid for not giving you a chance." Claudia groaned as she walked up to Nathan. "Go play slamball." She smirked and Nathan looked at her in disbelief. 

"Yeah?" Nathan asked excitably and Claudia nodded her head. 

"And this is officially a comeback Nathan Scott." Claudia exclaimed as Nathan dropped the ball and hugged Claudia. Claudia knew that this was what he needed and she was going to make sure that nothing bad happened to him. He was going to play in the NBA. 

___

"Hey little buddies. You've been through a lot lately. How you doing?" Claudia asked as she sat on the bed next to her children, they were both lying in Jamie's bed. Some nights, Grace was too scared to sleep alone. 

"I have nightmares sometimes. I get scared." Grace admitted as she showed her parents her baby blue eyes, just like her moms. 

"You do? You want to know a secret?" Claudia asked. 

"Sure." Jamie smiled, he too did have nightmares. 

"So do I." Claudia replied as she pointed to herself. Nathan was behind them watching the whole thing. "Hey I have an idea. How about I sleep in here tonight Just in case I get scared?" Claudia asked her children. 

"Okay. I'll protect you." Jamie grinned and Claudia nodded her head.

"Oh! Okay." Claudia smiled as she got into the bed beside her children. Nathan watched them confused. 

"What if I get scared?" Nathan asked and Claudia smiled up at him.

"I'll protect you too." Jamie answered as he ushered Nathan towards them. 

"My hero." Nathan smirked as he jumped into bed beside them. Claudia couldn't stop laughing. Nathan wrapped his arm around all of them. 

"Oh geez. I didn't know it was gonna get that crowded!" Grace exclaimed and everyone laughed. Like the big happy family they were.