Dangerous territory

A/N: Hey guys! I'm back, with another Naley story. First of all, I want to say thank you soo much for all the love and support on my other fic "If hope was real", it really means a lot. So here's a new story for you guys. Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Scars and Stories

Plot: OTH Season 3 episode 1 AU extender. Haley comes back home from the tour, hoping she can make amends with Nathan. Luck is against her as he leaves for high-flyers and she has no place to stay. Brooke has already gotten a roommate for her old apartment. Haley manages to find a battered up apartment in a rough, dangerous area of Tree Hill filled with ex-cons, junkies and drug dealers. All is running too smoothly until a run in with her neighbour who threatens to make her life hell. One unfortunate night, he does the unthinkable, changing the course of Haley's life forever…Nathan feels responsible for not being able to protect her sooner…How will this unfortunate event affect Haley's life and those around her…

"Both of you fell the same day. You don't know why one of you never woke up. And you laid your body down on the floor, you're desperate to hear her footsteps again but this house is on fire, we need to go…Oh, you don't have to go it alone, go it alone"

Wind rustled the crunching leaves that on the sidewalk lay there was a big storm coming on a windy summers day. Thunder rumbled overhead and shook me thru and thru a jagged bolt of lightning struck! Haley clambered onto suitcase using it as a shield from the treacherous downpour. She made her way towards Nathan's house, before taking a long deep breath she knocked on the door silently praying she was greeted with her lover. The sky viciously cracked in two! Rain washed down the dirty road. Haley grew anxious as the weather progressively got worse. She felt as though it was a sign from above, this awful weather meant something terrible was coming. It hissed, and pushed, and muttered. The downpour swept dead leaves away into the bubbling gutter.

Finally, a loud creek sounded as the front door opened. There he stood, Nathan Scott. His eyes filled with pain and unspoken words, his aching heart beating deep within his chest. He was stunned to see Haley standing there, looking more vulnerable and more hopeless than he had ever seen her.

"I wanna come home Nathan", she whimpered

Nathan noticed the sky was gunmetal grey with a sickly cast of green and the air felt heavy. Haley's clothes looked sticky and uncomfortable due to the unbearable humidity, she prayed for the weather to break and relieve it, to free her. Ignorance truly was bliss. Had she known what this storm would bring, she would have recanted that prayer at once. Now the first rumble of distant thunder came, she turned her head toward the sky, wanting to welcome mother nature and witness the savage beauty she'd always associated with storms…She stood there anxiously for a reply staring at her only saviour from this erroneous night.

"Come in", he caved as she felt relieved this beastly weather took her side.

"Nathan, I'm so sorry. I- ", her apology was cut short.

"Don't. Please. I don't want to do this right now. Why did you come home, Haley?"

"I want to fix this. I want to fix us. I've made a lot of mistakes Nathan", she said with a heavy heart.

"Well, if you left that tour to come home to me, you just made another one. I leave first thing tomorrow morning for high-flyers", he exclaimed.

"Oh"

"Well, good. Good, you deserve it. You deserve to have whatever you want", she said with a fake smile.

"Well, listen, there's no more apartment. Brooke's staying there now with Peyton. And… I put all your stuff in storage… so you can spend the night in the guest room if you want"

Haley nods as she feels her heart breaking into a million pieces. She struggles to leave the room. About to walk away she stops.

"Nathan, there wasn't a moment when I was away… that my heart wasn't with you in Tree Hill."

"That's great. But I'm still leaving tomorrow, and unlike you, I'm taking my heart with me." He says mournfully.

He turned back to look out of the window. Haley didn't say anything, as she quietly left the room wiping her tears as Nathan looks on.

The next day came and Haley gathered her things, ready to search for an apartment. She left the Scott house and made her way to a real estate office, desperate to find temporary accommodation. On her way to the realtor, she bumped into Lucas.

"Hey, you okay?" she asked.

"Depends, are you home for good?"

"Or for bad" she giggled as she opens her arms

Lucas hugged her tightly.

"Ah, good", he said backing out of the hug.

"So where are you going?" he questioned

"Looking for a place to stay. Going to the realtor's office to find something"

"You know, there's always a spare bedroom at my place Hales. Why go through all the trouble of finding a place of your own?"

"It's all too easy Luke. I need a place of my own. I don't feel right being all up in you and your mum's business"

"It didn't bother you before" he joked

"I'm serious. I just need my own place for a while", she said as she playfully hit him

"For a while?"

"Yeah, you know. Until me and Nathan sort things out and we move back into together."

"Oh, right of course"

"Seriously hales, there's literally a bed with your name on it round my place"

"Luke, don't. I'm leaving" she insisted as she walked off

"Oh, come on" he yelled behind her as she waved the back of her hand towards him soon becoming just a silhouette.

Haley walked into the realtor's office and had a lengthy discussion on her finding accommodation, with no luck she walked out of the office disappointed and miserable. As she walked off, she noticed a flyer reading

"Apartment for rent. Cheap rent price too! Call Gary on…"

Haley felt almost relieved as she picked up the flyer and called the number...

Summer vacation was finally over. Haley had somewhat, sort of settled into her new apartment. This wasn't exactly she was looking for, but it was exactly what she needed as a temporary home. Temporary. She kept telling herself. This apartment was located in the darkest depths of Tree Hill, known as the Red zone. Red zone was slang for dangerous territory, where all the ex-cons, murderers, junkies, drug dealers hid away. Haley minded her own business, but every day she feared for her life. Praying Nathan would come home and finally forgive her so she could get out of this hell hole.

The paint was weathered and peeling off in spots, and the slats in the shutters on the windows were mostly broken out. A slight breeze made the shutters tap against the apartment and the hinges squeaked. The apartment itself was a dark sinister colour. Grey streaks of black across the walls as mould from the damp nights had seeped in and rested on the ceilings. Flaking speckles of paint lined the floor with dust and the corpses of unfortunate creatures. The disused wooden furniture was rotting; stained. The place would feel still, heavy with expectation and foreboding waiting for one more life form to creak across the worn wooden floorboards.

Haley grabbed her books and made her way outside, ready for school she was met by an unfamiliar face.

"Oooh, looking hot sweet cheeks", said the man

Haley held tighter onto her books as she ignored his comments and hurriedly walked off.

"Where you going, beautiful. I'm right here" he yelled after her.

Haley was worried about her new neighbours, once her old neighbours; Mr and Mrs Morrison moved out after their son transferred them into an old people's home, Haley was in constant fear of what new people would live next to her. As she arrived at school, Brooke greeted her with a warm embrace.

"Hey gorgeous" she beamed

"Hey, Brooke", Haley smiled

"What's wrong?", Brooke asked as she immediately spotted something was wrong.

"Well, Nathan was supposed to come home by now. Well, take me home. I wanted the summer to sort things out between us. But, he was off at high-flyers. And then my stupid temporary apartment isn't looking so temporary anymore. I wanna leave that place so bad, I don't know if I can take it anymore. It's so old and disgusting and my neighbours are psychos" she wept as Brooke pulled her in for a tight hug.

"Agh, I'm sorry kiddo. Why did you choose to live in the Red zone? Everyone knows that's where all the physco's are bred. You can come live with me and Peyton If you want? But you'll have to sleep on the couch. And Nathan will come around, you just gotta give him some time"

"Seriously? You mean it? Thank you, Brooke, thank you" she felt relieved that she would finally be able to move out of that disgusting apartment, even if it meant sleeping on the couch. Anything was better than that.

"Yeah. I'll come by after school and help you pick up your stuff!", she smiled.

-After school at Haley's apartment—

Haley and Brooke carefully packed away all of Haley's things. Suddenly they heard a loud thudding on the wall, after choosing to ignore it for half an hour, Haley finally gave up and knocked angrily on her neighbour's door.

"Can you please keep it down! You're giving me a headache" she yelled

"Oooh, It's you. From this morning. Looking hot girl. I would totally tap that" he said as he slapped her ass

"HEY!" she yelled as she pushed him off of her

Brooke walked over and stood by Haley.

"Oh damn, today must be my lucky day. Two hot chicks to bang" he laughed

"You're disgusting. Go to hell you fucking perv" Brooke screamed

"Feisty. God, I like a feisty girl" he said as he slapped Brooke's ass

"STOP IT! What the fuck is wrong with you. Don't you have any shame?" Haley yelled as she slapped him across his face.

Behind him were his friends watching, laughter came from inside the room as they laughed at their friend being hit by a girl.

"Kurt got hit by a gu-rrlll" they mocked.

Kurt, held onto his red cheek as rage filled him.

"You're gonna pay for this", he threatened.

"Haley lets go", said Brooke as they walked off.

-At Brooke and Peyton's apartment. Haley found a place for all her stuff, as she settled down—

"So you seriously just traded in your apartment in for a couch?" joked Peyton

"Uh, yeah. This couch is seriously worth more than that whole apartment" she explained

"Why didn't you just crash with Lucas? He told me he offered you a room"

"I know, I thought my situation was temporary. That Nathan would come home, that we would work things out and that I'd be out of that hell. But it didn't happen. Temporary turned into forever" she sighed.

"Ah, well that sucks. Oh, that reminds me, can you text me that picture you took of my artwork. Brooke deleted it off of her phone. I needed to submit it for a project"

"Oh, yeah sure…let me just". She stopped as she felt around for her phone which was nowhere in sight.

"Damn it! I think I left my phone at my old apartment. I'm gonna have to go get it before they rent it out to someone else" she grunted

"You gonna go now? It's getting kinda late?"

"Yeah, tomorrow will be too late. Someone might have stolen it by then. You know. All the ex-cons and all" she sighed.

"You want me to come with you?"

"Na, it's cool. I got this P-sawyer. If I'm not back within 30 minutes, call the cops", she laughed as she walked out.

"Not funny dude" she yelled behind her.

-At Haley's old apartment—

Haley rummaged through some things desperately trying to find her phone. She couldn't have wanted to get in and out faster than right now. It was dark out, and with that earlier run-in with Kurt, she sure as hell wasn't going to wait around.

"Ugh! Where the hell is it?" she yelled in annoyance with herself

She flipped over the apartment upside down, in desperate attempts to find it. As she searched for her phone, a loud creak was heard throughout the apartment. Haley froze as her heart started to race, her palms became sweaty and her eyes widened. She gulped as she tried to convince herself it was all in her head. She continued on searching for her phone as she heard that same creek again, this time growing louder. Her breathing became heavy as she bit her lip considering to just leave her phone and make a break for it. To run for her life. Suddenly the door flung open as there stood Kurt, her obnoxious neighbour who she had a run-in with earlier.

"Looking for something?" he slyly smiled as he held up her phone.

Haley gulped as she took a step back.

"G-g-give it t-t- m-me" she whimpered hesitatingly

Kurt slammed the door behind him as he smashed her phone on the floor.

"Now no one will be able to hear you scream" he laughed

Haley let out a scream as she tried to make a break for it. Kurt was fast. He was like a lion out for his prey. He caught up to Haley as he placed his hand over her mouth. Haley squealed in desperate attempts to flee herself from this potential disaster..no use..

To be continued…

"Thousands were lost maybe more. The question remains, what is this for? Maybe it came unexpected, maybe I'm left unprotected. And that's the last place. Either we say or we show so I'm going to fight for my own. I'm holding on until the last. I'm holding on until there's nothing left. I'm holding on until the last. I'm holding on until there's nothing left"