In the Deep

By: Nicole Lopez

An in-depth look on the innermost thoughts of some of the main "Tree Hill" characters while their summer stories are continued …

'Bye.' It was amazing how a one-syllable word could have so much meaning and weight to it, but that was exactly how it was. This word was now haunting him, reappearing in each and everyone one of his thoughts, yet always centered around Brooke. He was so close to just telling her the truth from the beginning, but was afraid too. Too afraid of how things would change what they had both worked so hard to rebuild. And now all of his secrets and failed attempts at protecting those who meant most to him were all in vain. Now he was without a brother, lover, and a best friend which—

"Hey." Peyton knocked on his side kitchen window, distracting him from the harsh reality of his life. Lucas waved back at her dropping the very box that had started all of this. "Are you going to let me in or what?" She wondered with a hint of happiness in her voice, something that Lucas hadn't heard from her in a while.

"Yeah. What's up?" He wondered, opening the front door as Peyton walked in.

"What would you do if your father tried to come back into your life?" She asked worriedly, as her earlier mood instantly disappeared.

"One, I don't think my father would ever try that again. Two, are we talking about you or me?" Lucas sat down, suddenly interested.

"Do you remember that reporter from the magazine that was supposed to interview me?" Peyton wondered as Lucas nodded, curiously. "She's my mother." Peyton responded, becoming suddenly emotional. "Last night she told me the truth and…"

"Peyton, that's great! Have you talked to her about it?" Lucas held her shaking hands in his, as she shook her head profusely.

"No, that's just it. I didn't know what to say to her. What do you say to someone who didn't want you when you were a helpless child? Someone who gave you up for adoption and didn't look back until seventeen years later?" Peyton paused. "So I shut the door on her face, but now I'm thinking that … I'm so confused right now and this is the last thing that I need to deal with, but I want some answers."

"It sounds simple to me then. Go find her." Lucas suggested as Peyton let go of his hands to wipe away her tears.

"That's just it. I wouldn't know where to start and … this is a hell of a way to start summer break, don't you think?" She forced a laugh that sounded more like she was choking than anything else.

"So I'm betting that you want me to help. You want me to find her." Lucas proclaimed as Peyton stood up.

"No. You've done enough … and I can't ask you to do that for me." She declined, thinking that maybe Brook was right about Lucas crushing on her.

"No. I've got this." Lucas promised, bringing Peyton in for a hug, that was intended to be friendly, but turned out to be awkward instead.

"Hi." Haley repeated just in case Nathan didn't hear her. He was just standing at the doorway, staring at her intensely as though he didn't know whether to slam the door on her face or kiss her.

"How did you get here?"

"A plane. I knew I needed to see you." Haley admitted, making sure to cover up the right side of her face. "Don't I get an invite in?"

"From my ex-wife?" Nathan almost shouted in disbelief.

"You wanted it was much as your father did. I just gave everyone what they wanted." Haley explained, laying her bags down beside her.

"But you never once asked me. You took off with Chris and didn't even think about how that would make me feel. Did you honestly think it would make me stop loving you?" Nathan sighed, ashamed that he had shown all of his cards so early in the game.

"Well, it's already done isn't it?" Haley replied, walking closer to him. "I came here to see you and to do something that I should have a long time ago." She held back a cry, holding onto Nathan and leaning in for a kiss instead. "Hmm." Haley muttered softly, forgetting to cover up the huge bruise that marked the right side of her face.

"Haley. What the hell—what happened to your face?"

Covering up as much as she could and as subtly as she could Haley just smiled. "There was a bar fight. Fans went crazy and I got hit on the way out. No big deal." She lied, not wanting him to know the truth.

"And what about body guards?" He questioned, allowing her to walk into the house openly.

"They're human too. They make mistakes Nathan. Besides, I'm fine." She reassured him, holding his hand for a little while before walking into the house. Somehow, Haley expected Nathan to hate her, and a part of him almost did. He wanted to scream at her and tell her to get away, but he'd spent too much time being angry and trusting the wrong people, like his father and Lucas. Right now, what he really needed was a friend.

(A/N: This is my first attempt at writing One Tree Hill fan fiction, so give me a chance here. I've missed so many episodes of both seasons that it's amazing that I know this much. Anyway, if you hadn't noticed, this happens at the end of the second season finale during summer. I don't know what pairings I'll use because they usually depend on my mood when I'm writing, but stay tuned! –NL)