Author's Note: Set during season one after Lucas' accident when Haley finds out Nathan went after her to piss her best friend off. This is a deleted scene for Episode 114 "I Shall Believe," in which Nathan approaches Haley in the café before he goes to tell her that Lucas has awoken from the coma. Also extends the scene in which Peyton goes to visit Nathan at his house. Rewritten of course.
This was inspired by 911's "No Angel, No Sin" challenge. Unfortunately, I found out about the challenge too late to enter it but came up with this idea later on.
No Angel, No Sin
Nathan watched Haley as she came up to his table at the café where she worked. He didn't usually come to Karen's but since she wasn't talking to him or taking his calls, he figured being a customer was the one way she couldn't avoid him.
He was wrong.
Her normally warm hazel eyes flashed with anger when she glanced up from her notepad after asking what he wanted to eat. "What are you doing here?" she snapped.
Nathan looked around at the other people eating pointedly and then returned his gaze back to hers. "Ordering food."
"Go eat somewhere else," she suggested, raising her hand and pointing to the door.
He shook his head stubbornly in refusal. "We need to talk," he said.
Haley scoffed at him. "There's nothing to talk about."
"Come on," he pleaded.
She looked at him for a minute and just when he thought he had put a chink in her armour, she glanced at something behind him and when she turned her attention back to him, her expression had hardened.
"You need to leave me alone," she said and then walked away.
Nathan let out a sigh of defeat and shook his head in frustration. What was it going to take to get her to trust him again? Things had been going so well between them, then he had made a harmless crack about Lucas being a jackass and revealed the real reason he had went after her, and now they were no longer together.
He glanced behind him to see what she had been so focused on before her demeanour had changed so suddenly and rolled his eyes when he noticed Peyton Sawyer chatting with Karen Roe a few feet away from the entrance of the café.
Of course it was about Lucas. He should have known.
"What can I get you?" He looked up three minutes later to see an older woman in her late thirties looking at him expectantly.
"I'm not hungry anymore," he said sadly.
The woman looked disappointed. "Are you sick?" she asked.
"No," he replied and got up, throwing a $5 bill on the table as he walked away without a word.
"You didn't even order anything!" The waitress called after him.
"It's for hogging the table," he hollered back on his way out the door.
Haley stood behind the counter and watched Nathan walk out of the café, ignoring the customer that was literally spelling out his order to her for a third time.
Peyton Sawyer approached her ex-boyfriend Nathan Scott's house warily after taking Haley home from her almost-visit with Lucas at the hospital.
Nathan was dressed in shorts and a muscle shirt and was shooting free throw after free throw. Sometimes he got the ball through the hoop but most of the time he missed which was unusual for him.
"Nathan," she announced her presence.
Startled, he dropped the ball and turned around to see who had the nerve to approach him while he was practicing. "Peyton, what are you doing here?"
"I just got back from driving Haley home," she replied.
Worry crossed his features as he led her over to a nearby bench. "From where?" he asked.
"The hospital," she replied.
He nodded. "So she saw Lucas?"
"No, she chickened out once she saw him in the hospital room," Peyton said.
"How is he?" Nathan asked.
Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You care?"
He rolled his eyes. "We're not friends but that doesn't mean I want him to die, Peyton," Nathan replied.
Peyton smiled at him in understanding. "Not much better. He's still in a coma."
"That sucks," he said bluntly.
"Yeah, it does," she agreed.
"Why didn't you go back to the hospital?" Nathan asked.
"I can't be there right now," she said.
"Why?" he asked.
"Well, I don't really like hospitals after what happened with my mom and with Brooke there, it'd be really awkward," Peyton started to say but at his confused look when she mentioned things being awkward because of Brooke, she just shook her head.
"It's kind of complicated," she said.
He shrugged. "Why are you here?"
"Well, I came to talk to you about Haley," Peyton replied.
"What?" he asked.
"Well, she and Luke got in a fight before the accident, and she's feeling really guilty about it," Peyton explained.
"Yeah, I know," he said.
"So why aren't you there for her right now?" she asked.
"She doesn't want me around," he said.
Peyton looked at him curiously. "What happened?"
"I accidentally told her that I went after her to piss Lucas off," he said.
Her eyes went huge as she shook her head incredulously at him. "Why?" she asked.
"It slipped out," he explained.
"No, why did you go after her just to piss him off?" she asked.
"I figured the best way to get back at him was to get with Haley," Nathan said.
"I knew you were playing her," she said as she thought back to when they were still dating and he had started getting Haley's help with school.
He glared at her. "That's why I went after her but our relationship hasn't been about that in a long time."
She held up her hands in mock surrender. "I know that, and I hope you realize that she is the best thing that happened to you."
"I do know that," Nathan said.
"Then don't blow it. Go talk to her," Peyton said.
"I tried. She won't listen to me," he whined.
"Make her listen," Peyton snapped.
"How?" he asked.
Peyton shrugged. "I don't know. Help her out with Lucas," she said.
"I'm not visiting Lucas," Nathan said dismissively.
"Swallow your pride for once, Nathan," Peyton said, whacking him on the shoulder hard. "Help Haley out."
Then she was gone.
Nathan sat there and contemplated Peyton's suggestion.
Visiting Lucas might not be what he wanted to do but knowing he was all right would bring Haley peace of mind. And that was what made him decide to get changed and head to the hospital to see his half brother.
He knew he was no angel, but he also knew that falling in love with Haley was no sin.