Haley James was a runner. Everyone in Tree Hill knew that. Ever since she was little people in the small town were certain of only a few things when it came to Haley.
She was a trouble maker
From the time she was little to her teenage years she was always the one to cause a disturbance in the town.
She was a charmer
Mostly with the boys, she could flash her dimpled smile and get anything she wanted
& then there was the fact that she's a runner
She could never be happy settled down in one place. Mothers had always warned their sons she was a heart breaker and would only cause them trouble. Of course that didn't stop them for falling for the energetic brunette.
Haley was the illegitimate daughter of the towns mayor Dan Scott. He had an affair with a waitress from Mystic Falls and when she had died of cancer when Haley was six he was appointed custody by the courts. Dan was married to his high school sweetheart Karen Roe and had two twin sons, Nathan and Lucas Scott.
The boys were stars amongst the town people for bringing the high school basketball team the Ravens to state two years in a row. Everyone loved them, except Haley. Haley and her half brothers had never got along, constantly at each others throats.
The boys had a wide range of friends while Haley only truely trusted two people. Peyton Sawyer & Caroline Forbs.
Peyton had been Nathans girlfriend, which made her and Haley start off horribly. Then Nathan cheated on Peyton with Peytons best friend Brooke Davis. She had been so betrayed her hatred toward Nathan was as strong as Haleys, so the brunette took the blonde girl in and ever since they'd been like sisters.
Haley didn't really like getting close to people but the curly blonde had a soft spot reserved in her heart. Only one other blonde had ever been able to do that.
"So what brings you to town" the bartender flirted with the brunette sitting at his counter
"Just visiting an old friend" she shrugged
"Well if your friend is running late I get off at nine -" He was cut off by the brunettes hand rising to signal him to stop talking
"Look if your seriously about to ask me out I suggest you fuck off, i'm not somebody you want to mess with so just crawl back to the other side of the bar" She growled knocking back the shot in front of her.
The bartender grumbled something about "frigid bitch" under his breathe and walked away to serve another customer
"Well aren't you just the little charmer" A deep voice said sitting down beside her
"Aren't you just the nosey little eavsdroper"
He chuckled holding out his hand "Damon Salvatore"
She looked over at him, she had to admit the boy was quite the looker, she shook his hand "Haley"
He smirked "What no last name"
"Nopee" She said popping the p
Damon liked her she was different then anyone around Mystic Falls.
"So what brings you to town" he asked
She raised an eyebrow "How did you know i'm new"
He pulled in closer to her "Because I deffinitly would have noticed you"
He was taken back when instead of blushing like most women she gave a humorless laugh "That's where your time runs out my friend, i'm not a fan of the cheesy overused pick up lines"
"I apologize" he told her flashing his best smile "Let me try this again, in all respect what brings you to Mystic Falls"
Haley looked around the bar "Meeting an old friend"
"What's her name maybe I know her"
Before Haley could answer Damon heard a squel that he knew all to well god damn it he thought not now caroline
But he was surprised when the blonde didn't fling herself on him but on top of the dark haired stranger he had been chatting with
"Hey Care" Haley said foundly, Damon noticed instantly how her tone changed to more friendly, and her face softened at the arrival of what he found to be the most annoying girl around.
"I'm so glad to see you Hales, it's been so long i've missed you" Caroline rambled on
"I know i've missed you to Care, i've been meaning to come sooner but you know me always scattered around" Haley joked
Caroline laughed hugging the brunette once more, it was once she pulled away that she noticed Damon
"Oh" she said scrunching up her face "Hi Damon"
"Good evening Caroline" He winked at her "I was just introducing myself to your friend here"
"That's... nice" Caroline said before turning back to Haley "How long are you staying"
"Only a few days, Nathan and Lucas want me home to visit Dan in the hospital" she rolled her eyes
Caroline looked sympathetic "Well your welcome to stay at my place for as long as you want"
Haley smiled "Actually i've got a hotel room booked, I know how much your mom dislikes me"
"She doesn't dislike you, she just thinks your a trouble maker"
"That's because I am" Haley winked at Caroline before downing another shot "Well i've got to get going, i'll see you tomorrow Care, nice meeting you Salvatore"
and with that the brunette was gone, Damon looked at her retreating form and was interupted his thoughts with Carolines voice
"Back off Damon"
The next time Damon Salvatore met Haley James was once again at the mystic grill and bar only this time the girl was so drunk she could barely stand
Damon slid into the booth across from her. He hadn't been able to get her off his mind since that first night, so he had come to a conclusion, he was going to have a little fun and then drain every ounce of her blood. It seemed like tonight was the perfect oppurtunity.
"So what's a pretty girl like you doing all alone, not hanging with Caroline I see" He said looking for the blonde that could possibly ruin his plans
"Nope, she's with Matt, he seems like a nice boy a nice nice boy, but he's not for Care not at all" She rambled on
Damon laughed "Who is right for Caroline then"
Haley looked up and pointed across the room "See that guy there, Tyler"
Damon nodded, he knew all to well of Tyler Lockwood, he was spoiled and rich and very full of himself, some people said him and Damon were alot alike
"Tyler looks at Caroline the way I want a boy to look at her, Matt looks at Caroline like he takes her for granted, like he doesn't have to have some epic love for her because she'll always just be there, but Tyler looks at her as if the moon shines out of her ass, like Carolines the best thing to ever happen to his world, so yeah Matts a nice boy but nice doesn't cut it when it comes to Care, I want the best for her" Haley said, and Damon was a little shocked at how profound the drunk girl seemed to be
"You seem to care alot about Caroline" Damon said, and while he was just trying to get on her goodside a part of him had wondered since the day they met about the relationship between the two
"Care has always been there when nobody else wanted to, and when everyone gave up on me she didn't, she's like my sister, I don't give two shits or do anything for anybody except Caroline always Caroline" She mumbled softly
"So have you met anyone else besides Tyler and Matt" Damon questioned
"I met your brother Stefan" She grinned deviously "He's the perfect little goody two shoes isn't he, and that girlfriend of his Elena their both so self ritious, always thinking of others, it kind of makes me sick"
Damon grinned "I agree completely, saint Stefan is all about the greater good, self sacrifice and all that"
"Well I better get going" She said abruptly standing up swaying a little, Damon catching onto her arm and steadying her "Thanks"
Damon raised his eyebrow suggestivly "How about I walk you to your hotel"
Haley laughed at his boldness "Sure"
The two left the grill and headed towards the hotel.
When they reached the building Haley looked back at Damon "Well this is my stop" she started to walk away when Damon grabbed her arm and pulled her in towards him kissing her harshly
When he pulled away he saw a smirk planted on her face "I knew you couldn't resist me Salvatore, but unfortunitly for you i'm not that type of girl"
Haley pulled out of his grasp and walked towards the hotel doors and before dissapearing inside she said "I'm a runner Damon, going to have to do better then that to catch me"
Damon stood there dazed as she dissapeared into the building, she intrigued him like no other girl, even more so then Katherine and Elena. Something about her truely did make him want to catch her and never let go.
After that night Haley and Damon began spending more time together, they quickly became friends, she liked his self confident abbrasiveness and he liked the way she didn't let anyone fuck with her. He had long given up the idea to kill her, he figured he could just drain someone else, besides he liked her company.
Haley had extendid her visit to Mystic Falls, he wasn't aware of the reason why just that according to her "Home isn't very appealing these days, not that it ever really was"
Everyone was surprised by the friendship between Damon and Haley. Soon after Caroline realised the two had been spending so much time together she had confronted Damon
"What's going on between you two Damon" she had asked him when he had shown up at school to talk to Stefan
"Nothing were friends Caroline" He said cockily
Caroline rolled her eyes "Whatever Damon, just don't hurt her, she's fragile so don't break her"
Damon wasn't sure if she had caught on to his vampire atrributes or if this had more to do with Haley then him but either way he had promised Caroline he wouldn't hurt Haley.
What surprised him the most is that he meant it, somewhere in the past few weeks Haley's presence had grown on him and oddly enough he realised he would miss her if she was gone.
Even tho their flirty banter was a usual occurance between the two it wasn't until a month after their friendship began that they slept together.
Haley had been reading the scarlett letter on Damons bed, her heard lying on his chest as he read his own book. This had become a routine.
"Don't you just love how even back then sex was such an obscure thing" Haley questioned to him
Damon looked down at her "Sex is sex, people should not make such a big deal over something that is in our nature and defines our existence"
Haley sat up lodging her book down "For some people sex complicates things, causes more trouble then it's worth"
Damon scoffed "The trouble it causes doesn't seem more then it's worth to me"
She laughed "That's because your Damon Salvatore man whore extrodinaire"
Damon quickly began tickling her sides, he loved to see her squirm, pretty soon he noticed how close they were "Wouldn't you just love to see how much trouble sex with me causes James"
"You just say that because your so overly attracted to me Salvatore"
next thing they knew clothes were being shed and they crossed the uncharted territory of their friendship.
The next morning when Damon woke up he noticed he was alone. He looked at the clock and noticed it was ten o'clock. Getting out of bed he threw on a pair of pants and headed downstaires.
He heard noises coming from the kitchen and assumed Stefan or Elena were cooking breakfast.
He smirked when he entered the kitchen and saw Haley in only Underwear and his shirt dancing around and making pancakes
"I was afraid you had left me" he said, causing her to jump a little, she turned around smiling
"I would have except breakfast stopped serving in my hotel an hour ago and I really wanted pancakes" she put the last few on a plate and sat down to begin eatting
Damon noticed she had set out a plate for him as well and sat down to join her
"So this doesn't change anything you realize that right, i'm Damon Salvatore I don't do relationships or that crap i've been there done that" He told her simply
He expected the usual response of a slap or crying like when he told other girls this speech but he should have realised from the start Haley James was different, especially when she started laughing
"Oh come on Damon this is me were talking about, you know me, and you know relationships are far from my thing, even tho it's wierd to say you've kind of become my best friend and were good like that just friends" She smiled
Damon found himself smiling back "Good, but I still think we should keep sleeping together"
He chuckled when a pancake was flung at his face
Stefan didn't know how to act around his brother anymore. The Damon he knew seemed to be replaced. He was no longer as sullen and withdrawn, he seemed happier even.
"Carolines having a party at the grill tonight, are you going" Stefan questioned his brother as he leaned in the doorway of his room
Damon looked up from his book "Yeah Haley's dragging me alone"
Stefan entered the room and sat in the chair across from the bed "What's going on between you two"
Damon shrugged "Nothing, were friends"
"Damon if you plan on hurting her-" Stefan was quickly cut off when Damon grabbed his throat and pushed him against the wall
"Don't you dare imply I would ever lay a hand on her, I know your saint Stefan looking out for everyones well being but your still my brother and I don't know how you could accuse me of planning on doing anything to harm Haley" he growled
Stefan was stunned by Damons response. Whatever was going on between Damon and Haley seemed to be for the greater good.
Damon knew he had to tell Haley he was a vampire, he couldn't lie to her forever, he just hadn't wanted her to figure out the way she did.
He hadn't killed anybody in weeks to the surprise of Stefan and Elena, he had even taken to drinking mostly animal blood.
Then one night after an argument with Haley he had been so angry that he'd lost control, he attacked some girl in the back alley of the grill, and since luck didn't seem to be on Damon Salvatores side Haley had walked out to find him and saw everything.
Quickly he'd thrown the girl aside and chased after her.
She had screamed and fought against him, but he held a tight grip on her arm throwing her over his shoulder and bringing her back to his house.
"I don't know what kind of sick game your playing her Salvatore but if you don't fucking let me go" She said angrily as he entered the house and thrown her on to the couch
"Haley just listen" he said
She satred at him in a way he'd never seen before, her eyes were so cold "What are you"
He sighed "I'm a vampire"
She laughed humoresly "Yeah right"
But when she looked into his eyes, she knew he was telling the truth "But how"
"Stefan and I were turned centurys ago by a vampire named Katherine, we had both loved her and she betrayed us"
"This is fucked up beyond words Damon" She told him
He noticed she seemed calmer now "I know it is"
"Whatever Salvatore your just lucky i'm awesome, and even tho your a vampire I still suggest you not fuck with me"
Damon looked up surprised and saw her smiling at him, that same Haley smile. He didn't think he'd ever been so relieved in his life as he did at that moment.
They both despised relationships. Who wanted to be chained to one person forever. But somewhere along the line that's what they became.
Haley moved out of the hotel per Damons orders. He didn't see no point since she was always at his house anyway and most of her stuff was there so why not move the rest in as well.
They had sex and they showed PDA when out with friends.
They had an agreement where he didn't fuck around with nobody else and neither did she.
Before they knew it they were a couple.
Everyone was surprised Damon could be so sweet. Caroline had thanked him for being so kind to Haley.
What surprised Haley herself was how she seemed to feel safe and at home with Damon, she could see this being her life and enjoying it.
So she ran.
That Haley James is a runner, she'll break your heart
Mothers had always said it, boys had never listened. Haley thinks in all fairness she probley should have warned Damon of this a little more when they started this whole thing with them.
Realising she could actually be happy with Damon made her feel suffocated like she couldn't breathe, like the slightest movement she made might crumble her world, she felt like she was living in a glass house.
She hadn't even taken the time to pack her things, she hadn't even left a note. Just grabbed a few things and took off while he was off doing something with Stefan.
She returned back to Tree Hill, back to her asshole brothers, her manipulative spawn of a father and her bitch of a step mom. This life wasn't even close to perfect, this life was a cardboard house and this life is what she was used to so she could deal with it.
Peyton had questioned her on what had happened in the few months she'd been away, she didn't give any details to the blonde just mentioned hanging with Caroline and meeting her friends.
She wanted to keep Damon special and untainted.
She ignored all phone calls from Caroline, Stefan and Damon.
Everything went back to normal as much as they possibly could. But she couldn't help but noticed how much she missed Damon, her heart ached more and more each day. The tinyest of things reminded her of Damona and the glass house they had built together.
One day she realised what she had to do
Damon was once again sulking. Ever since Haley had left without so much as a note a month ago he hadn't been himself, he hadn't even been the himself had was before her. All he ever did was sit around the house being heart broken and angry.
Elena and Stefan tried to help him but he just ignored them.
As he put down his book and decided to go upstairs he heard a knock on the door
"Go away Elena" he said opening the door, but was shocked that it wasn't the same brunette on the other side
"Since i'm not Elena do I still have to go away" She joked lightly
"What do you want James" Damon asked and even tho his tone was harsh he moved to let her inside
"I'm so sorry I left Damon, I just I got scared but i'm back now, I came back for you" She pleaded
"That's great Haley it is, but how do I know you won't just run away again when things are good, how do I know tomorrow, or next week or months down the road I wont wake up to find you gone" He yelled
She winced "I can't make any promises, i'm not that kind of girl but I came back Damon, remember the second time we met and I told you i'm a runner and you'd have to do better then that to catch me, well you did you caught me and I tried to run but I didn't make it far before I realised I didn't want to run anymore, your it for me Damon, this-" she gestured around the house "-this is it for me, this life with you is all I want" Tears began streaming down her face
Damon put his hand on her face wiping away the tears "Shh it's okay" he hugged her
"Does this mean i'm forgiven" She asked hopefully
"Yeah" he told her smiling softly "told you sex with me causes trouble"
He smirked and laughed when she hit him.
Haley James has always been a runner, until she met the one boy who could catch her.