Title: All is fair in love and war
Author: Renova26
Category: AU
Layout: Flashbacks are in italics. Sometimes I will also add thoughts in italics but you will clearly see what I mean when I do so.
Summary: Haley James is furious. She is forced to spend two weeks with her boyfriend and his friends in a vacation park. For some, a relaxing vacation in a tropical environment might seem paradise. For her, it only means hell. But what happens when she realises that everything in possible in love and war?
Haley James stood staring out of the window, without really noticing what was going on outside.
Most people believed that she had the perfect life and on a superficial level, she would say that they were right. They saw her promising career as a news reporter and her amazing boyfriend as the key to happiness and for most girls, it would have been enough.
It had been enough for her as well, until her past had finally caught up with her present. She had always known that it would happen someday but she had never expected him to show up. He had been there when she had seen no way to escape and now, he threatened all her hopes for the future. How she wished that she could turn back time…
She had grown up in a lovely environment, with parents and siblings who had loved her dearly. Although she had been the youngest, she had always shown a great responsibility and wisdom for her age, something which had surprised and amused both her parents. In high school, she had been a studious girl with a few good friends and one best friend to whom she could tell all. She had never known what she missed until she had met him.
She and Peyton were walking through the hallways of Tree Hill High. She was just telling her best friend about the awesome new record she had bought, when a boy came rushing through. In doing so, she was slammed against a locker. She quickly stood straight, showing the boy some of the feisty attitude she normally preserved for her brothers.
"Listen up, buddy. I can understand that you are in a hurry but that is no reason to run me over as if I am a freaking statue. The least you can do is saying sorry."
She finally looked up at the boy and than realised her mistake. Brian Smith was captain of the football team and not someone to whom you could speak your mind. If you did something that was not to his liking, he could easily throw you over the football field. She was therefore a little scared when she saw his angry face.
"You listen to me. I don't care about you and it is your own fault that you were in my way. If you would have stepped away instead of standing there like some frozen chicken, I would not have run into you." He yelled while accidentally giving her a push.
Just as she was about to try to defend herself, Nathan Scott came to her rescue. If she had not been surprised already, she would certainly have been when she heard him speak to Brian.
"This is not the way you treat girls, Brian. Especially not when they are as beautiful as Miss James over here. So why don't you apologize towards her? That way, I will not feel the need to make your face a little bit less attractive for the ladies."
She could hear Brian mumble an apology but she was too focussed on Nathan to notice. She had been surprised when he had come to her rescue and amazed when she heard that he knew her name. He had even called her beautiful.
That moment in the hallways of Tree Hill High had made her realise what she had missed all along. She had finally seen the truth and with the truth, love had come. She had given her heart to the boy who had been brave enough to defend her and he had kept it safe for years. Until one moment had changed it all and she had vowed to protect her heart into eternity. She had built a wall around her heart, had packed all her belongings and had left town to start over.
She had been a valedictorian at Stanford and afterwards, she had travelled west where she visited all her siblings and other relatives. A few months ago, she had finally stopped travelling and had settled down in New York. She loved the atmosphere, the attitude and the possibility of disappearing into the crowd. She had even been lucky enough to meet someone on her work, someone for whom she was slowly letting her guards down.
She had seen Lucas Scott as her own miracle. He had come into her life at a time where everything had seemed hopeless and he had been everything she had wished him to be. He was sweet, loyal, caring and straightforward; qualities which she deeply appreciated. He had never asked her about her past because he understood how much pain and hurt she still carried. They had quickly become best friends and now there was the possibility of becoming something more.
Lucas had seen that possibility as a sign to ask her to meet two of the most important members of his life: his brother and his best friend. She had accepted because she wanted to meet the people who had shaped Lucas's life and thoughts. Only this morning, she had realised whom she would really meet…
She was just finished with her article when she saw Luke enter. Although they always acted professional at work, they still agreed to ate lunch together. It had been a bonding moment for them when they both started working and it had developed into a real tradition. While they were both eating their sandwiches, she started asking questions. They would eat dinner that evening with both his brother and friend, so she was anxious to know more about them.
"What is your best friend like? How did you two meet?"
She listened how he told her all about Brooke Davis, a girl whom he seemed to have known all his life and who he clearly admired. He created a portrait of a beautiful, perky woman who seemed known for her wit, her sense of humour and her creative mind. She was clearly one of a kind, if she had to believe everything Lucas said. She was really interested to meet this girl, who seemed to play such a huge and loving role in her boyfriend's life.
"And your brother? Do you look the same? What was it like growing up together? I have six siblings so I can only imagine what it must be like to have only one brother to share everything with."
"My brother and I did not grew up together. Our father was my mother's boyfriend in high school and he got her pregnant right before their graduation. He wanted however nothing to do with both me and my mother and he left for college before I was even born. His luck however was nowhere to be found when he impregnated another girl in college, one whom he did choose to be with. By the time, he came back my mother had already moved from Tree Hill to Charlotte."
"Your brother lives in Tree Hill?"
As soon as she heard Lucas say Tree Hill, the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. In the distance, she heard him talk about how he had found his brother in the end and how no bitter feelings were shared. Her mind was spinning and she wondered how she had never seen the connection until today. NATHAN SCOTT. She heard him ramble about basketball and talent, but no words were necessary. She remembered the muscles when he made a goal, the determined look on his face and the utter satisfaction when he won. She remembered the pride she had felt, the happiness. She remembered too well.
It were these memories which controlled Haley's mind, which made her look outside the window without really noticing what was going on outside. In less than half an hour, she would be confronted with the boy who had made her life a living hell and yet, had shown her a piece of heaven as well. She wished she could say that she was unmoved but she vowed to never lie.
Ever since she had heard the news about his identity, she had been dazed. She had left her work early for a long walk through Central Park. She had soon learned that it was the only way to make her head clear, to see everything back into perspective. It had made her realize that it was time to face the music. She would see where the evening would led her and she hoped with all her heart that Nathan had some decency in him left.
Facing the music however was harder than she thought. She had spent a lot of attention to her appearance, making sure that four year of changes were highlighted in the best possible way. Her dark chocolate curls were floating on her back, the red dress showing off all the right curves in a delicate but sexy way. She wanted to let him know what he had missed out on, what he had given up on that fateful night so long ago.
As soon as Luke arrived, butterflies started to twirl around in her stomach. She was pleased to see him, yet nervous because she had no idea how the evening would go. Would Nathan betray their past or would he play along and make sure that her future was preserved? She had no time to consider an answer because the bell rang, announcing the arrival of their guests.
She saw Luke opening the door, soon followed by lots of hugs and squeals of happiness. Both Brooke and Nathan hugged Lucas and exchanged greetings. Nathan was the first one to come up and blue eyes met for the first time in four years matching brown ones. Both Brooke and Lucas were too busy talking that they did not notice Nathan leaning over to Haley and whispering:
"Long time no seen, Hales."
A/N: This first chapter proves that some changes were made regarding to the plot and the style. I hope you are all interested in this story and I promise that it will be Naley eventually. Feedback would be greatly appreciated, so review!