Author's Note/Disclaimer: Here's another one-part story by yours truly. Here's what Mark and the gang at the WB aren't going to show us! This is simply how I think Haley should/would react to Brooke/Lucas love-back together thing. You guys all know that I don't own any of this, otherwise I wouldn't have given you that lovey dovey BL ending.

Just Another Lie

Haley James-Scott returned home late the next morning, utterly glowing from what had just happened between her and Nathan. The grin on her face wouldn't go away, and that was because they were getting closer and closer to being back to how they used to be. To building up trust in their relationship again, and for the first time in a while she knew with certainty that her marriage was going to work out.

Entering the apartment she shared with Brooke, the apartment that had so many memories of Nathan, she stopped when she noticed her roommate and best friend sitting on the couch eating breakfast together, cuddling and looking all cutesy. Immediately, Haley was tempted to duck out of the apartment, but it was too late because Brooke had seen her.

"Tutor girl!" she bellowed, having dropped the wife since Haley and Nathan's problems had started, "You didn't come home last night!"

"Well, by the looks of things in here, would I really have wanted to come home?" Haley put in, forcing herself to smile.

"Funny Hales," Lucas shook his head, "I just got here. Where were you anyway?"

"I was talking with Nathan," she told them, and that was all she planned on telling them. Luckily, they didn't press further, what she assumed was now the couple both just gave her knowing looks. Haley on the other hand didn't understand how it had come to be that Lucas had forgiven Brooke and was standing sitting here being all cute and happy with Brooke.

"Well, you two be good," the other girl warned them as she kissed Lucas and hopped up, "I'm going to take a shower and be right back!"

With Brooke out of the room, Haley took a seat next to her best friend and sat down next to him. They didn't say anything for a long while, but Haley had so many things that she did want to say to him. A part of her was holding herself back though, because of what had happened the last time they had gotten into a fight that was Brooke-related, when she had caught him cheating on Brooke with Peyton. Then there was the fact that they were finally reunited after the past months of her touring and him being upset at what she'd done to Nathan.

"Okay Hales, what is it?" Lucas sighed, "I know that look."

"You forgave Brooke?" she put in, "I didn't think you would. Not from the way you were acting."

"She made a mistake," he just shrugged, "I love her Hales."

"You're lying to yourself again Lucas," before she could stop herself, the words were out of her mouth, "I mean…nevermind. I shouldn't have said anything."

"What are you talking about?" from the look on his face, Haley knew that he wasn't about to let this go.

Taking a deep breath, she bit her lip and then started, "You've been doing this since last year Lucas, using Brooke's feelings for you to hide from getting hurt again because you don't think that your heart can take it anymore."

"I love her Haley," he insisted.

"No, you don't," she shook her head, "You love who you get to be with her. You love that you know she loves you no matter what crazy things she throws at you. Sure, you were upset about the non-exclusive thing and the Chris thing, but it gave you a chance to try and prove to yourself that you love her."

"I do."

"You don't, you still have to convince yourself Lucas," Haley sighed, "You know who you're really in love with, but you're just afraid that she doesn't feel the same way anymore."

With that, she gave her best friend a little shrug and stood up, walking into the bedroom she and Brooke shared, closing the door behind her to leave Lucas thinking about things. More than anything, she was worried about Lucas. About his heart condition and about how much he was aching inside not being able to be with the girl he really loved.

After all, Haley knew all too well what that was like. She'd spent months on tour trying to convince herself that leaving Tree Hill and Nathan behind had been the right thing to do, had been worth it. For a while, she thought that her love for music would be enough, but it wasn't. All she was doing was trying to give Lucas a chance to go after what he really wanted before it was too late.

Peyton Sawyer wasn't going to be here waiting around for Lucas forever. In fact, Haley wasn't even sure if Peyton was still waiting for Lucas or if it was Jake that she loved now. All she knew was that for as long she knew him, Lucas Scott had pined for Peyton. Throughout that first basketball season, it had been her who had motivated him, who had caught his eye. His head and heart had always been with her.

She loved Brooke. After all, she was her roommate, her best friend, but if she stayed in this relationship with Lucas, she would end up being hurt even more than if they were to end things now. She just hoped Lucas realized the truth before Brooke's own fragile heart could be even more broken than it had been the first time around. After all, things couldn't have changed that much over the course of a year, not when it hadn't for so many years before.