Note: This is a story about what you would do, how far you would go for your loved ones. It's about risk and reward and learning to let go of the bad and embrace the good. It's about family and true love. It's an ensemble piece (insomuch as I am capable of writing), but at its heart, it is all Nathan and Haley. It is AU with the beginning of the third season, but still loosely follows several of the arcs told that season. Maybe just with a little more depth.
Personal note: I started writing this story six years ago, and probably have no business trying to come back to it after not having written on it in four years. But, here I am, working on finishing it. I've written over a thousand pages of Nathan/Haley stuff, and I'll be honest, this is my favorite. It has bothered me for years that it is unfinished, and my mission is to finish it now.
Standard note: All your usual disclaimers apply, obviously.
Delusions of Grandeur
Chapter One – Into the Lion's Den
As she marched purposefully towards the door, there were literally hundreds of thoughts racing through her head. Stopping abruptly, she indulged in the moment of panic that washed over her, knowing that while she'd end up going in there, she just needed to take her sweet time. This was not something a sane person should or would jump into, and she generally liked to think of herself as being fairly sane.
She wasn't scared, though; Haley Scott didn't get scared, per se. But she was as nervous as all get out right now, that was for sure. This was a dangerous idea, on so many levels. She was well aware that even though she's pretty sure she holds the upper hand here, that the person she was approaching had been known to have a few cards up his sleeve. Always.
Haley Scott was a planner, and accordingly, she had thought this through a million times if she'd thought it through once. She was almost positive that there was very little that could go wrong here; if something did, she'd be honestly surprised. She was covering all her bases, doing all she could to make sure that this didn't blow up in her face.
That was the last thing she needed, and that was the biggest reason that she wished she didn't have to be here. She did, though. Not for herself, specifically, but in a more global way, this was for her, too. She'd benefit from this – this sacrificing of pride, but in a more peripheral sense. And that was okay with her, perfect, in fact. She wasn't doing this because she had to, she was doing it because she wanted to, and needed to.
And that should be enough.
Somehow, that didn't really make it easier. And why would it? She was tossing herself into the frying pan here, and there were no promises that she's going to get what she wanted, what she needed out of this. And if she didn't, then she was going to end up doing something even worse, something that would really piss someone off at her. Shaking her head to rid it of all the doubts and questions and worries, she pulled the door open, stepping through it quickly before she could change her mind.
She told the woman behind the desk, who she was quite surprised to find was a more grandmotherly type than the expected young blonde with a boob job, who she was looking for and her relation to him, and then took a seat to wait. She restrained herself from tapping her feet in time with her rapidly thumping heart, and made herself sit as still as possible, just knowing that he was going to walk out here with a smirk on his big, stupid face over her coming to see him.
He didn't walk down the hall from his office to greet her; oh, no, he strutted like a stupid, too blue peacock with too sharp of a beak. She rolled her eyes, amused that he thought she was stupid enough to come here without a serious reason, or at least without leverage. Leverage. Now there's a concept he's familiar with. He'd use whatever he has in whatever form against anyone, even his own family if it suits his purposes, so why shouldn't he get a taste of his own medicine?
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" he crowed, just a little too pleased with himself. "Come to beg me to help you win back Nathan? No, you wouldn't do that. Oh, has the annulment come through? Really, Haley, you should know that I'm about the last person who'd ever be on your side for anything when it comes to my son. So unless you're here as a customer, which is fine, because I never turn away business, then you really have no reason to be here, do you?"
Standing up slowly, she made sure to maintain eye contact with him. She sort of felt like maybe she shouldn't look directly at him, like he was Medusa or something. All eye contact should be made through a mirror. She allowed herself the barest of smiles at the thought of angling mirrors around corners and chasing after Nathan, who was dressed in Hercules-esque clothes, as he tried to slay the evil Medusa.
"Well, hello, Dan," she returned, her voice an overly sweet and drippy syrup. "It's so nice to see you, too. It's too bad no one has made an attempt on your life recently – that's really the only time I run into you these days."
Smirking, he shook his head. "Yes, I'm sure that you'd think it was a shame. Now, really, I know you kids these days don't understand the concept of work, but I've got too much to do to stand out here with you doing whatever it is that we're doing."
"What we're doing? Oh, you're about to extend the invitation to me that we step into your office so that we can have a little chat," she told him, the saccharine smile still in place.
He regarded her carefully, trying to gauge what game she was trying to play. "Listen, kid, you're in the minors still. Don't think you can come to bat and hit one out of the park with me, I'm in the majors. As far as you're concerned, I am the majors. Not exactly a guy you should pissing off by coming into his place of business and bossing around."
"Oh, but Daddy Dan, there is so much that the two of us have to discuss," she stated flatly, issuing the challenge with her eyes. He raised his eyebrows at her, shaking his head as he motioned for her to walk down the hall ahead of him. "No, by all means, you lead the way."
He smirked at that, what he perceived as fear, and took off for his office, leaving her to trail behind. Once they're in there, he took a seat at his desk, waiting as she closed the door and moved to sit down.
"This is where you cut the games and tell me why you are here, right?" he snapped. Pointedly, he waved his hand around the room, calling her attention to the campaign signs spread out, ready to be placed in some poor, unassuming fool's yard.
"Gee, and here I thought you liked games," she flipped back, a little unsure of where this bravado is coming from.
"Not when they're played with my son's philandering, soon to be ex-wife, Haley. Then I really don't have much patience for them," he informed her archly, leaning back in his chair. "Now, enlighten me before I get bored and call for 'security' to call you out. In case you're wondering, 'security' would be the, uh, rough looking guys you saw in the garage when you walked in. Of course, you might like being manhandled by them. They'd probably get a real kick out of the part where they can put their hands all over you."
Rolling her eyes inwardly, she ignored the taunts. That was not why she's here, and she was not going to let him suck her into that pissing match today. "Wow, thanks for the offer, but I think I'm going to pass. But really, your generosity," she sighed with faux wistfulness, clutching her hands to her chest, "Is really overwhelming, Dan."
"Why are you here?" he asked, his tone plainly stating that he had no more interest in beating around the bush anymore. "Plead your pathetic case to Deb. Maybe she'll fall for your sob story and help you with Nathan. You're barking up the wrong tree, kiddo."
Shaking her head, she sucked in a deep breath. "I'm not here about my husband, Dan. Shocking, right?" she wondered. "No, the reason I'm here is, unfortunately, a little more serious than the state of my marriage."
He laughed at that. "I always knew you didn't care much about that. Interesting that I'm the one you've come to for that little revelation, but thanks, I needed the laugh."
At that, she was up and out of her chair so fast it fell backward, crashing to the ground. "You ass! How dare you stand there with that smug smile on your face when you're doing the despicable things that you're doing! How dare you?"
Blinking in surprise at the outburst, he leaned forward in his chair. "What the hell are you talking about?" he asked through clenched teeth.
"Lucas! My God, you think I'd come here about Nathan when you're withholding potentially life-saving medication from Lucas? I knew this was going to be ridiculous, coming here, but this is beyond anything I could've imagined."
"What do you know about that?" he asked, his face paling.
"About what? That Lucas has HCM? That he's been relegated to stealing money from his mom's café to be able to pay for his medication? That he won't even be able to do that anymore now that Karen has caught on that the money is missing?" She stopped, physically shaking in anger at Dan and fear for Lucas, as she did every time she outlined his situation now. "And you – you tried to blackmail him? For medication for a heart condition that he inherited from you?"
Dan stood up, obviously rattled by her comments, much to her satisfaction. He clasped his hands together, and the way he was moving and the expressions on his face reminded her of the family dinner she attended about a year ago. He'd looked like a caged animal then, pacing and trying to figure out how to escape, and that is exactly what he looks like now.
"You don't know anything about that," he countered quietly, glaring at her as he nervously walked up and down the length of the room.
"I know everything about it," she challenged him. "Luke told me everything. I know every despicable thing you said to him, every way you tried to blackmail him into being your new whipping boy now that Nathan wants nothing to do with you. You used him when he was at his most vulnerable, and then you abandoned him!"
"So what? Did he send you here? He can't fight his own battles anymore, is that it?"
"He doesn't know I'm here," she admitted, her arms hugging around her middle as some of the fight seeped out of her, "And you aren't going to tell him, either."
He chuckled at that. "Give me one good reason why not. And remember, I said a good reason."
"Oh, that's simple, Daddy Dan," she said, giving him a smirk that should cement her place in the Scott family – it definitely rivaled anything that any of the rest of them have ever thrown out. "You tattle on me, I'll tattle on you."
That stopped him in his tracks, and he turned to face her, trying to gauge her sincerity in that statement. "How very second grade of you, Miss James."
"You must be older than you look if you keep forgetting my last name," she said glibly. "Especially considering it is the same as yours."
"Imagine that," he muttered.
"Yeah, crazy how that works, right?" she sighed. "Look, I've seen you look at both Nathan and Luke like you care about them. Granted, those times are far and very few between and it could just be gas on your part or a trick of the light, but I've seen them. And that's why I'm here. Because I think that there is some part of you, although incredibly tiny and well hidden, that actually wants Luke to be okay."
"You shouldn't presume to know me when you clearly don't," Dan stated evenly, shaking the foundation of her mission a tiny bit. "You don't know what my relationships with either of them are like, and I don't need you to come here and give me your interpretation. Save the analysis for school, alright little girl?"
"This isn't a joke to me," she countered firmly. "This isn't something you can brush off and make it go away. You either agree to give Luke the money for his medication, and hey, maybe act like a decent man to him once in awhile, or I'll tell everyone what you've done to him."
He stared at her, shaking his head. "What difference do you think it will make?"
"What difference, are you kidding?"
"So you blackmail me into giving Lucas money, and what, I get nothing in return?" he scoffed, shaking his head. He wasn't ready to concede yet, he wasn't ready to admit that he'd help Lucas, that he wanted to help the boy and had been unable to come up with a way to do it while saving face.
Sighing, she gave him the sugary smile again. "Correct me if I'm wrong, since you have so much more experience in this area than I do, but isn't that how blackmail works? I hold something over your head, and you jump around per my whims to get it?"
He grinned, pausing in his pacing. "And you've just overplayed your hand, Miss James," he informed her, deliberate emphasis on again calling her by the wrong last name. It amused him that no matter how she tried to hide it, it bothered her. "And that may be how it works on your TV shows, but it isn't going to work like that in this scenario."
"Please," she scoffed. "You accused him of trying to murder you! You choked him, and probably wouldn't have stopped but you found out he was the one who saved you. Why is there even a question of what you'll do? You owe him, for thousands of reasons, for thousands of things. And somehow, not that I think you care, but this is something that will really go a long ways towards fixing things. And you're running for mayor. Even the idiot population of this town wouldn't elect someone who treats their sons the way you do."
"Sorry, but I'm not as foolish as you'd like to think," Dan sighed, giving her a pitying glance as he steadfastly ignored the comments on his mayoral ambitions and chances. "Obviously, there's some reason that Lucas doesn't want Karen to know. He doesn't want to worry her; that was his reason before, I'm sure it still applies now. So if he, or you, want to play, it'll be by my rules."
"If I have to," Haley said quietly. "I will tell her. I'm not going to let my best friend suffer because you're an asshole and he loves his mother too much to let her worry."
"Why don't you just give him money?" Dan sneered, "Since you seem to have all the answers and everything."
Scoffing, she looked out the window. "If I could, I would." She fell silent as she looked out over the car lot, watching the happy potential buyers mill around and the overeager salesmen chasing them down. "He won't accept money from me. Even if he would, I'm having a hard enough time getting by as it is. Life sucks, right?"
"Guess it does," he smiled, not at all commiserating. "Look, kid, your concern – for either of my sons – is not needed, nor is it welcome. If Luke is having a problem, he should come to me himself."
She laughed at that. Outright, in his face. "Not my concern? You stupid, selfish little man! Of course it's my concern. Luke is my best friend, and while watching him suffer might be something that you'd enjoy, I don't. And I won't! I don't care who I have to beg, who I have to blackmail, I'm going to make sure he gets the care and treatment that he needs!"
"Aw, so noble," he mocked, turning away from her. He could almost admire her determination, but it was really more pesky than anything else. "And what about Nathan? What does your almost ex-husband say about this?"
"As far as I know, he isn't aware of Luke's condition because Luke doesn't want him to be aware of it," she sighed.
"Keeping secrets? How very Scott of you, Haley. And here I thought you were above such things. Here's a deal for you," Dan smirked, turning back to face her. "You stay away from Nathan, and I'll get Lucas everything he needs and more. I'll even hold his hand and go to his appointments with him and make sure he gets his lollipop."
Shaking her head, she matched him smirk for smirk. "Sorry, but no deal. This isn't about Nathan, and you aren't going to make it so it is."
"That's my condition," he bit out tersely. "Take it or leave it."
Nodding and allowing a smirk of satisfaction to grace her face, she shrugged at him. "Guess I'll be leaving it then."
He watched as she walked out of his office, not looking back once. He almost called her back, willing to attempt to strike a different deal, but he didn't. How dare she think she had the right to walk into his office and make demands on how he dealt with his son? This was his family, not hers, and she didn't have the right to try and blackmail him like this.
But God, if what she said was true, the kid had resorted to stealing from his mother – that wasn't what he wanted. No one would believe him, but that wasn't what he had wanted. It wasn't what he wanted now, either. Damn it. As if things weren't complicated enough, now he was going to have to deal with this, too.
"Hey buddy," Luke greeted as she approached her locker the next day. "What's up?"
"Hey yourself," she returned with a smile, looking him over worriedly. Ever since he had told her about his illness, she had kept an extra close eye on him. Half of the reason that she let herself get talked into joining the cheer squad was so that she could keep an eye on him at practice, even though no one would ever guess that as a reason.
"Do you have to do that every time I see you?" he asked, his voice quiet as he leaned towards her. "Especially when it has been less than an hour since you last saw me?"
"Yes, I have to do that," she whispered back urgently. "I'm worried about you! You aren't seeing a doctor, so who knows if you're still on the right dosages for your meds. I can't help it; this whole thing really freaks me out. Besides, I'm the only one who knows, so it's like my responsibility or something."
"Well, stop it," he ordered her, softening it with a smile. "Come on, look at me." He spread his arms wide, twirling for inspection. "Do I look different? Do I look sick?"
Tapping her chin as if in deep thought, she grinned at him. "Well, now that you mention it, you are looking a little soft around the middle," she teased.
"Oh, hey, that was a low blow, Hales! You're killing me here!" he exclaimed, pretending to double over with hurt.
Rolling her eyes, she kicked him lightly on the butt. "Come on, I'll walk outside with you. I have to sit with the cheerleaders today – Brooke laid down the law."
"Mandated lunch training session?"
Haley shrugged, looping her arm through his. "Oh, I'm pretty sure it is because she caught me drinking regular soda last night. She kind of went all Exorcist and freaked out on me. I guess that regular soda is a very, very, very bad thing."
"Aw, no more regular soda for my Hales? Poor thing," he laughed, leaning his head on top of hers. "Hey, any news on the Nathan front?"
She grimaced at the question. "Is him still not answering my calls or returning my messages news? Because otherwise, no, none."
"He'll come around, Hales," he tried to assure her, noting the dejection she was feeling. "He will, you'll see."
"Yeah," she nodded with more pep than she felt. "Of course he will. Probably in February or May. I swear, that's when all the big stuff happens." She tried to throw a smile his way. "You're okay, right? You'd tell me if you weren't?"
Sighing, he fought the urge to tell her a little more forcefully that she didn't need to worry about him. Or even more effectively, he was tempted to call her out on her smothering him and constantly worrying about his situation as a way of getting her mind off of things with Nathan. She'd flip if he did, so he kept his mouth shut.
"If something is ever wrong, I'll tell you. Promise, Hales." He held his pinky out for her, and although she rolled her eyes, she hooked hers through it, giving it a little shake.
"You break that promise and I'll break your finger," she said as menacingly as she could. "And that, buddy, is a promise."
"Yes, ma'am," he laughed. "Hey, I'm gonna go sit with Mouth and the guys. You need a ride after practice?"
"I think Brooke will probably let me tag along with her," she smiled, "But if what you're really asking is if I'll ride home with you so that you have an excuse to come in and see Brooke, then fine, I can do that."
"You're the best, Hales," he grinned at her, winking.
"Yeah, I am," she laughed behind him as he walked away, towards the guys. She saw Nathan sitting a few tables away from where she's standing with Tim, and she considered going to say hi, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. He wanted space. She had to remind herself of these things, because letting him back away from her went against all that she was, all that she wanted.
She caught his eye, and she gave him a small wave before making her way over to the table where Brooke could be heard bossing around the rest of the cheer squad.
"About time you got here, roomie! Jeez, we can't make this announcement without you being here," Brooke griped, looking as flustered and harried as usual, but not in the normal Brooke way. There were tears in her eyes, and her face was furrowed in frustration and something else.
"I'm sorry, just had to ask Luke something," Haley said softly. "He says 'hi', by the way." A little embellishing never hurt.
Brooke nodded, looking away to glare at Peyton. "Well, anyway. The reason you all needed to be here today, instead of just wanting to hang out with your beautiful friends," she said pointedly looking at Haley, "Is that today is apparently Peyton Sawyer's last day at Tree Hill High. In Tree Hill, for that matter."
Soft exclamations of surprise filled the air around them. Haley didn't say anything, just looked between Brooke, who was clearly upset, and Peyton, who looked to be a strange mix of sad and relieved. A couple of the girls jumped forward to hug Peyton, begging her to stay even though they didn't know why she was leaving.
When they pulled back, she stood up. "Look, I'm sorry to spring this on you girls at the last minute, but leaving Tree Hill is really the best thing for me right now. I'm so sorry, you guys."
"Where are you going?" Bevin asked, looking confused more than surprised now. "I mean, this is kind of sudden, yeah?"
"Yes, it is," Brooke stepped in, and Haley could tell she was barely keeping it together, "Which is why those of you loyal enough to stick around and honoring your commitments need to step it up now and help me find a girl to fill Peyton's shoes."
"Brooke," Haley whispered, nudging her. Peyton was so not on the top of Haley's list right now, but the way her face fell made Haley feel bad, so she felt like someone had to stop Brooke from saying things she'll regret.
"No, Haley, don't stick up for her just because you left, too!" Brooke was yelling now, done with preserving Peyton's oversensitive feelings. "At least you came back, though. You won't, will you, Peyton? This is it, right?"
Peyton wanted to deny it, wanted to tell her childhood best friend that she'd be back, but she knew it was a lie. "No, I probably won't be back."
"Wow," Bevin whispered, some other girls echoing the sentiment.
The rest of the meeting was tense and uncomfortable, and finally Brooke dismissed the girls. Deciding to head straight to the tutoring center to avoid Luke – this kind of news needed to come from the owner of it – Haley was among the first to leave, hurrying away like her life depended on it. To her surprise, Peyton caught up with her, stopping her in the hall.
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell Luke or Nate," Peyton jumped right in, no hellos, no nothing. Haley rolled her eyes, but it wasn't really like she expected anything more from her once-friend.
Haley stared at her, shaking her head. "I know my place, and I'm not going to step on your toes like that. I wouldn't do that."
"Look, I know you think that I've been butting into your relationship with Nathan unfairly, but he's my friend, and I'm just trying – "
"Stop, I don't want to hear the crap about how he's your sudden friend anymore and how that gives you the right to interfere in my life and my marriage," Haley muttered tiredly. "Why are you bothering to defend yourself when one, you think you're right, and two, you're leaving?"
"I just wanted to say that I was sorry."
"Yeah, well, I'm sorry, too," Haley sighed, "But that never really seemed to matter to you, did it?"
She turned and walked into the tutoring center, not a small amount of guilt following her. She could've been nicer to Peyton, she should've taken the time to ask where she was going, could've, should've, would've, it was all too late now.
Peyton followed her, not letting this go. "Look, would it help if I said I was sorry?"
"Are you?"
"In some ways, yeah, I am. But you don't get it, do you? How much it sucks to be left, how bad that hurts. You didn't worry about what you were doing to Nathan by leaving, you just left to do your own thing."
"And I regret that!" Haley exclaimed, the sentiment clearly heartfelt. "Every damn day since." She stopped, shaking her head. "I don't really want to do this. I'm sorry, but you haven't given me much of a reason lately to want to fight for our friendship, and I've got other things to put my energy and efforts towards."
"So, I don't rank then," Peyton noted, pouting. "That's – that's just fine. Who do I rank behind? Chris Keller? Dan?"
"No, Nathan and Lucas."
Peyton nodded, knowing that Haley wasn't messing around anymore. She toughened up sometime after she got back to Tree Hill, and Peyton admitted to herself that she was more than a little impressed by that, and even proud of her.
"Ellie's taken a new job in New York. She invited me with her. It's a good opportunity, and I just couldn't pass it up. And I know that's how you felt, and I'm sorry, whether you believe it or not, for doubting you, for treating you like I have."
Haley nodded. "Good luck in New York."
"That's all you have?" Peyton scoffed. "You have nothing else to say to me?"
"What else is there? Thanks for not being a friend?" Haley sighed. "Thanks for holding my mistakes over my head, even though I never, ever did that to you. Even though I supported you when you cheated with your best friend's boyfriend, when you dabbled in drugs? Screw that, I don't owe you anything. And hey, vice versa."
Peyton stared at her, hurt and dismayed. "Did you hear me out there? I'm leaving, and I probably won't be coming back!"
"I heard you, Peyton, and I'm really sorry that I have nothing else to say about it right now. Honestly, good luck. That's the best I have for you."
Peyton shook her, sighting. "Well, I guess that's that then. Maybe I'll see you around, Haley James."
"It's Scott. And, yeah, maybe," Haley agreed, glancing up at her. "Tell Nathan and Luke soon, would you? They'd rather hear it from you than rumors going around everyone else."
With that, she turned her back on the girl she had once thought of as a friend, letting that door close.
Practice was brutal that afternoon for both the basketball team and the cheerleaders. Whitey had decided to punish his team for planning a party that he had caught wind of, and Brooke was punishing the whole world for her best friend moving away.
"My ass hurts," Bevin whispered to Haley as Brooke's attention is diverted by the potential replacements filing into the gym. "She's your roommate, do something about it!"
"Like what? Get my ass chewed singularly? No way, it's better when she's after all of us," Haley whispered back, shaking her head. "I'm not sacrificing myself for you guys yet. There's still too much Tutor Girl in me."
Bevin giggled at that, clapping her hands over her mouth when Brooke looked in their direction. "Do you think this is funny?"
Both Haley and Bevin shook their heads vigorously, glancing at each other nervously. Bevin shoved Haley towards Brooke, and after giving the other girl a dirty look, Haley walked over to Brooke. "Can I talk to you for two seconds in the hall?" she whispered.
Brooke still looked pissed, but nodded, following Haley into the hall. "What? We've got to find a new girl, Haley. Time's wasting, we're burning daylight, we don't have all day!"
"Uh, right," Haley agreed. "Look, why don't you go over to Peyton's and see her, Brooke. She's leaving, and you don't want to miss this time with her."
"Yeah, well, I really don't want to see her right now, either," she snapped back. "She's leaving! She's just taking off on a whim with a woman she hated yesterday, and she didn't even talk to me about it! What am I supposed to think?"
Haley shrugged, at a bit of a loss. She wanted to help Brooke, and a part of her wanted to help Peyton even, but she was not sure how to do it. "Maybe it isn't about thinking. Maybe it's about going over there and being her best friend one last time. You should do it, you should stay with her until she goes. Don't – don't waste the moments, you know?"
Leaning back against the wall, Brooke sighed. "You speak from experience."
"Yeah, I do. I guess it's better to delay the hurt and anger if it means one last good memory. Don't quote me on that because I don't know if I really believe it, but it sounds good."
"The girls won't care if I leave?"
"Of course not," Haley assured her, knowing it'll be quite the opposite. "We can teach the girls trying out the routines, and you can watch them tomorrow, okay?"
"Thanks," Brooke whispered, smiling faintly at her roommate. She turned and left, Haley standing in the hall watching her go.
"Don't waste the moments, huh?" Nathan's low voice sounded behind her. Whirling around, she smiled broadly at him. "Waste months going on a music tour, but don't waste the moments. Strange logic, Hales."
As intended, her smile faded, and she stared down at her clasped hands. "We all learn from our mistakes, Nathan. Even me."
Sighing, he took a step towards her. "Sorry, I didn't mean – "
"Don't be sorry. Things are what they are, right? What I made them? I'm just dealing with the fall-out of my actions."
"You're giving me a free pass to be a jerk," he noted, smiling at her. "Come on, Hales, that seems like a risky proposition."
"Maybe you won't use your pass for too much longer," she suggested softly. "That would be really nice, you know?"
"You never know," he grinned, tossing her his water bottle. "Those new girls suck, you're going to need a ton of water by the time you get through teaching them the routine. Half the guys on the team could do it better than them," he chuckled, "And that's saying something. You've seen Tim dance before."
She grinned at that. "If by dance you mean flail around like he's on fire and forgot the principle of 'stop, drop, and roll', then yeah, I've seen that."
"Well, those girls? Are worse."
"It disturbs me that you're so familiar with the routine," she half-teased, half meant in earnest. "Spend a lot of time watching the cheerleaders."
"Jealous?" he grinned, knowing that she is.
"I – no, well, maybe a little," she sighed, her cheeks flushing pink at being caught. "Well, now you know my secret. I get jealous."
Winking at her, he turned to head back into the gym when Whitey started screaming his name. When he got to the doorway, he paused, turning to look back at her. "You do realize you're one of the cheerleaders there to be watched, don't you?"
Her mouth dropped open, and luckily he left before she could get giddy and do a little dance in front of him. She's clutching the water bottle to her chest, so encouraged by that that she's actually excited to go back to the practice. And she did a little dance. Squealed and did a damn pirouette. Stranger things have happened to her, but wanting to go to practice was still pretty weird.
The rest of their practice was uneventful, even though, as Nathan said, the girls needed a lot of work. The cheerleaders finished before the basketball team, and despite several offers of rides – something that still surprised her coming from these girls – she decided to wait for Luke as planned. Part of it was that she wanted to find out how he was doing with the whole Peyton leaving thing, and part of it was that she just wanted to make sure he didn't have any physical problems.
When they're done, Nathan waved goodbye to her before exiting to the locker room with Tim. Luke came over, shaking his head at her. "I hope you weren't waiting on him," he noted.
"Nope, it's all you tonight. Hey, how are you feeling?" she asked, concerned over how pale he looked. "Luke, if you're not up for this, then – "
"Haley, stop it, I'm not quitting the team," he hissed. "You know that. Look, I'm going to grab a quick shower and change. You okay out here?"
She gave him a funny look. "What's the alternative, going in there with you? It'd be great to see Nathan in the shower, but I can leave the rest of you."
"Gross. Yeah, you're fine here," he groaned. "I'll be quick."
"You better be. I know where you hide the spare key to the truck, and I'm not afraid to use it," she teased him as he headed for the gym, throwing his middle finger up at her over his shoulder.
She turned back to her math homework, not even paying attention that someone had entered the gym until they cast a shadow over her. Glancing up, she groaned upon seeing Dan.
"Has Satan sent you for me? Gosh, if I'd known my time was up, I would've worn my fancy underwear," she mock pouted. "So, which one of your sons are you here to torment tonight?"
"I'm here to see you, actually," he countered, mildly amused by her flippant attitude toward him. At this, she sat up and closed her book, waiting for him to go on. "You're not surprised?"
"I try not to let myself be surprised by anything you do," she shrugged carelessly. "What do you want? Level threats on me about staying out of your sons' lives? That'd be so novel and neat, except not at all."
"Actually, I'm here to tell you I'll give into your blackmail, on one condition."
"Did we not already have this conversation?" she sighed. "It'll be tedious if I have to define blackmail to you again."
"Don't get smart," he growled. "Here's the deal: I'll get Lucas his medication and pay for his doctor visits; since you've already refused to stop seeing Nathan, I want something else."
She stared at him, a little nervous to find out what he wanted. "And that would be?"
"My secretary/admin assistant told me she's cutting back her hours today," he informed her, "And by all accounts, you're a responsible kid. You come to work for me, and I'll make sure that Lucas gets everything he needs for his heart."
"What?" she scoffed, laughing it off. "You want me to work for you? I'm sure this will come as a surprise, but I'm in high school all day and I have cheer practice after school. Plus, I have a job already."
"Waiting tables? Quite the career ambitions you have, Haley."
"I like my job," she sighed, "And I like the people I work with there. Besides, I'm in high school, no one expects me to work in a law firm yet."
"Even my bitch of a wife?"
Haley blinked in surprise, caught off-guard by that. She'd gathered things were again rocky with them from what she'd overheard Deb and Karen talk about, but she hadn't realized they'd be referring to each other in those terms.
"Yeah, even her." Stacking her books up, she glanced at him again. "Seriously, what is your condition?"
"That is my condition, Haley. We can work around your school and cheer practice, and I'll make it worth your while to quit the café job. Double your hourly wages," he bargained. "You'll get exactly what you wanted when you came to the dealership yesterday afternoon, and you'll get a little more on top."
"Why? Why would you want me working at your dealership?" she asked, confused and irritated that he'd managed to put her on the defensive. She was supposed to win this – this thing, not him. He was never supposed to get the upper hand.
"Agnes wants to get off earlier in the afternoons and not work weekends. She has grandkids," he said again, and she wasn't really sure she believed that. "I don't have the time to go through the hiring process right now."
"I – this is too weird," she laughed oddly, chewing on her lower lip. "That is seriously a condition you're putting on this? Me working for you?"
"Yes, it is. Think about it, I'll be paying you for a few hours of work each day so that I can buy my son drugs and take him to the doctor," Dan smirked. "Don't be stupid; don't turn this down."
She opened her mouth to reply, but they're interrupted by the sound of the door slamming. It was Luke, and he had his angry, self-righteous scowl on his face as he stormed across the gym towards them.
"Get away from her!" he yelled, charging at Dan. "What the hell do you think you're doing? You have a problem with me or Nathan, you bring it to us. You leave her out of it."
"Luke!" Haley exclaimed, trying to get between him and Dan, but she's easily sidestepped.
"I mean it, Dan, get the hell away from her, now!"
The outburst had drawn attention, and Whitey, Nathan, and the rest of the team all came running in, eager to see what was going on.
"Luke, stop!" Haley yelled again, grabbing at his arm, but he easily shrugged out of her grasp. "What are you doing, Luke?"
Nathan and Whitey ran over, too late to stop Luke from getting his hands on Dan, but quick enough to break it up before any damage was done. Haley stood there to the side, panting from the adrenaline rushing through. If she was alone, she'd sit down and have a good cry; a situation this heartbreaking – no pun intended – deserves a good cry. And heartbreaking it all was.
Whitey moved to her side, taking time to scowl fiercely at Dan. "Are you alright, darlin'? You didn't catch an errant elbow, didja?"
"I – I'm fine," she assured him, forcing another smile. It all felt so forced these days.
"She's not fine!" Luke protested. "I come in here, and he's got her cornered. Who knows what garbage he was spewing this time?"
Nathan glanced at Haley before focusing on Dan. "What are you doing here?" he asked warily. "You aren't supposed to be here."
"I just came to take care of a little business," Dan smirked, enjoying the way his words made Haley squirm. "I'll just finish it up another time."
Making a show of straightening his tie, he lavished them all with one of the fakest smiles any of them had ever seen. Haley rolled her eyes, Whitey had to tighten his grip on Luke who tried to wrench away to go after him, and Nathan just looked sad and confused.
As Whitey began to lecture Luke on appropriate behavior, Nathan moved over to Haley. "What did he say to you?"
"Nothing he hasn't said a thousand times before," she relayed. "He's nothing if not predictable, Nathan. Don't worry about me. It's all fine."
"I don't like seeing him near you," he admitted. "I don't trust him not to do something to hurt you."
"He's a jerk, but he's not violent, is he?" she asked, already knowing he wasn't. "It's fine," she brushed off dismissively.
"Okay," he nodded. "I just know how he can be, and you shouldn't have to put up with that from him, Hales."
She smiled, touched that he's showing he cares. "Thanks, Nathan. I promise, though, that I'm fine, so don't worry. I've pretty much figured out to let most things he says roll right off my back."
"That's my girl," Nathan grinned, blushing when the words hit him. She knew that was a slip, and went into territory he still wasn't ready to go back into with her, so she let it go, just giving him a brief smile.
"Well, I'd better get going. With Brooke gone tonight, maybe I can get ahead on my homework or something. It's an exciting life I lead, right?" she mocked herself, pleased to draw a laugh from him.
"I'll see you tomorrow," he smiled, "And hey, for what it's worth, sorry about him."
Feeling guilty that Nathan would blame himself for Dan showing up and talking to her, she waved it off. "Really, no biggie, I promise."
"Yeah," he nodded, still looking doubtful as he watched Dan stand there glaring at all of them. "No biggie."
Touching his arm gently, she smiled before turning away and linking arms with Luke to walk him out of the gym. Nathan watched as she went, a little jealous that it was Luke she'd left with instead of him, but he hadn't offered her a ride and he hadn't given her any reason to think he wanted her around, so he couldn't be too affronted by it.
The guys watching the dust up had already left, and Whitey sent a scathing look Dan's way, but let things go this time. Nathan waited until Whitey was completely out of the gym before turning towards his father.
"Stay away from her," he said coldly. "Leave her alone. Don't talk to her, don't look at her, don't do anything to her."
"You don't think Miss James has the mind to know what she wants? Maybe she doesn't think I'm quite as despicable as my own sons do," Dan sneered.
"She probably thinks that more than we do," Nathan countered with a cold laugh. "She had a real family growing up, with parents that actually cared about her and wanted the best for her. She knows what it's like on both sides, thanks to her exposure to you."
"Grow up, Nathan. Not everything is quite as black and white as you seem to think it should be," Dan sighed. "Things can be in between."
"Not with Haley. You stay away from her, Dad. This isn't something I'll overlook you on," Nathan stated obstinately. "Just do us both a favor and leave her alone."
Nathan turned to leave and Dan followed after him. "What if she doesn't want to leave me alone?" he smirked at the tensing of his son's shoulders. These boys were easier to get to than Deb, for crying out loud. You'd think one of his offspring would learn what a poker face was.
"She doesn't like you, why would she want anything to do with you?"
"Aw, she doesn't like me?" Dan pretended to whine, snapping his fingers in feigned disappointment. "And to think she could've been the daughter I always wanted."
"Shut up," Nathan growled. "Just stay away from her, and do me the same favor."
Dan stopped in his tracks, watching him go. There was a certain amount of dejection that came with his son's harsh words, even though he knew he went out of his way to provoke them. They…hurt, though. Knowing that Nathan would rather protect his estranged wife than even utter a greeting to him that didn't involve raised voices and demands was a bitter pill to swallow.
They were both virtually out of his reach; neither of his sons wanted anything to do with him, with good reason. He didn't know how to relate to them, to interact with them in ways that wouldn't drive them away.
But Haley did. That was why he wanted her working at the dealership, and that was why he wanted to press her into more of an alliance than what he knew she intended. He was loath to admit it, but he admired her for approaching him and demanding that he take care of Lucas. The boy had too much pride to do it himself and he had his head in the clouds about telling Karen, so he did need someone to go to bat for him. He just hadn't expected it to be the wife of his other son.
She was the link that had brought the boys together; why not use her expertise to do the same thing for himself? And like he told her, he did know that she was supposed to be smart and quick on her feet, and there are worse qualities he can think of for employees.
Give and take. That was what relationships are built on, particularly those of the business variety. So he'd enter into this business arrangement with Haley, he'd help Lucas out, and she'd help him with his boys. And if he was really lucky, Haley working for him would piss Nathan off enough that the marriage fiasco will finally be over sooner than later.
That was not too much to ask, right?
"What was Dan saying to you?" Luke asked Haley when they were finally on their way to Haley's place.
"What does Dan always say to me?" she retorted wryly. "That Nathan is too good for me, that I should give up the marriage, blah blah blah, he thinks he's so great, King of the Universe."
"Just the known universe," Luke laughed. "So, he really wasn't bugging you?"
"Not anymore than he bugs me in general," she shrugged. "Besides, Luke, I don't care what he thinks about me. That's never mattered. I'm way more worried about what he says and does to you and Nathan."
He threw a smile her way in an attempt to reassure her. "I don't know about Nathan, but I'm so over all things Dan. So he'll never be the father I've dreamt about. Who cares, right? I've got one parent so great that she makes up for him."
"Yeah, you do!" she enthused. "Hey, so how are you doing with this whole Peyton thing? I didn't get a chance to talk to you about it yet."
He shrugged, sighing. "She told me she's still in love with me," he groaned. "That is part of the reason why she's leaving. Because she's too good to hurt Brooke again like we did before."
"What?" Haley snapped sharply. "That is such bullshit. What does that even mean? That the first time, it was just an accident that she was chasing you around? Please, that girl is whacked."
"Haley!"
"What? It is! If she's 'too good' to do it, then she should just not do it. No offense, Luke, but you're not so irresistible that she'd find herself jumping you at every opportune moment."
"Hey, you don't know that!" he protested, scoffing when she laughed hysterically. "You don't. Maybe she does find me that attractive."
"Well, first of all, the mutual brooding must cancel itself out. And second, you two look like you could be brother and sister. So unless she has a 'Flowers in the Attic' fantasy, the attraction really can't be that great," Haley teased him, cracking up when he nearly ran off the road. "Oh, I'm teasing, now drive like a normal man."
"Seriously, do you think she means it?" he asked quietly, clenching the steering wheel. "Or is this something she's saying because she's leaving and she thinks that it is something I want to hear?"
"Is it?"
"I don't know," he admitted, cringing. "A part of me thinks that it is, but maybe it's just unresolved stuff from last year."
"Oh, Luke," Haley sighed, shaking her head. "What about Brooke?"
He shook his head, leaving the question hanging as he pulled into a parking space and even as they walked to the apartment in silence. "I don't know. We aren't even anything now, and I'm not sure she'll ever get to a place where she wants us to be."
"Luke, don't do this to yourself, don't mess up another chance with her."
"Are you just saying that because you're mad at Peyton right now?"
Shaking her head, she sighed at him. "Don't be pathetic, Luke. After last time, you seemed to realize that it came down to Brooke for you. Changing your mind constantly isn't endearing you to either of them."
"Getting it wrong wouldn't either," he pointed out, sighing. "You're right, though. I hadn't thought of her like that in ages, and now that she's leaving and brought it up, it got me thinking about that stuff again."
"Thanks for the ride, buddy," she smiled when they get to her door. "Want to come hang out? I doubt Brooke will be back tonight, but some people say I'm not the worst company in the world."
He shook his head in the negative. "I'm just going to go home, I think. It's been a weird and long day."
"Yeah," she nodded, understanding. "Well, okay. Pick me up for school tomorrow?"
"You bet," he grinned. "Hey, you're okay with everything, right? Nathan isn't being too big of an ass or anything?"
"He's being fine," she laughed, shoving him out the door. "I'm calling you if I need help on that AP Lit homework, by the way. That's your warning."
"Yeah, yeah, I'll see you in the morning, Hales."
"Bye dorkface!"
He rolled his eyes at her good-naturedly before jogging down the stairs and out of her sight. Pushing the door shut, she glanced briefly at the guitar propped on its stand, fighting the urge to kick it. Blaming inanimate objects for mistakes she made was probably not the most mature way she could go, but she was still pretty sure kicking it would make her feel a bit better.
When the knock sounded on her door, she rolled her eyes, sure that Luke had changed his mind and decided to stay and hangout. To say she was surprised to see Dan there when she swung the door open was an understatement.
"W – what are you doing here?" she sputtered, glaring at him.
"Don't play dumb," he sighed. "It was too long of a day at work to deal with that kind of façade. You know exactly why I'm here, and the sooner you agree, the better off not only the two of us will be, but Lucas will be. And isn't that what is important here?"
"I don't want to work for you," she said quietly, but firmly. "That's not going to serve any purpose at all."
It was obvious to her from his expression that he had something in mind that made him think it will serve his, but for the life of her, she didn't know what it is. She couldn't come up with anything plausible that would justify his demanding this of her.
"Do you want Luke to get these things that he needs? Because I'm offering that up, and all I'm asking in return is that you play secretary for a few hours a day, doubling what you're making now. I'm failing to see where this would seem like a bad thing to you," he said in an overly saccharine manner that had her staring at him shrewdly.
"You hate me," she stated flatly. "You hate me and you hate what I represent in Nathan's life. Hell, you probably hate what I represent in Luke's life, too!"
"That doesn't matter. And even if there were the nefarious reasons you're assuming there must be, it doesn't matter. I accept your terms, you accept mine. It's not that hard." He grinned widely at her, showing as many teeth, which she wanted to kick, as possible. "We'll even put 'Scott' as your last name on your name plate. Nepotism at its finest, right?"
She made a gagging noise at him, smirking when he got angry. "Sorry, but reminding me that taking a job from you would be a form of nepotism isn't exactly a ringing endorsement of this idea."
"This isn't up for negotiation. Either you take the damn job and the egregiously inflated salary I'm offering you, or you're on your own with Lucas," Dan spit out. "This is it. Final offer, you can take it or you can leave it."
Decision time. She sighed inwardly, having hoped it wouldn't come to this, to the point where she had to actually make a deal with this devil in a nice suit. He was supposed to do what was best for his son and leave things at that. This was the last thing she wanted, but to protect Luke in the way he wanted, in the way he had begged of her, she had to do this. She had to take this deal.
Groaning, she held her hand out, wincing at the triumphant grin that crossed his face. "Great, you can start on Thursday since there is a game tomorrow. I'll make sure that Agnes is there to show you the ropes."
"Great," she echoed faintly, relieved only that he headed towards the door. "And you'll take Luke to the doctor immediately?"
"Of course, as soon as I can get him to agree to it."
She nodded, afraid that was going to be easier said that done. She was pretty sure she could browbeat him into it, but it was a matter of him telling her about Dan's soon-to-be offer first. And she wasn't sure he'd volunteer that information.
"Okay," she nodded. "Well, it's be real….something. Goodbye, Daddy Dan. Don't let the door, well, you know the rest."
"See you at the game tomorrow, Miss James. And don't show up for work in jeans. This is a real place of business, not some third rate café."
She ignored that, slamming the door shut behind him once he stepped out.
"Oh, God," she whispered aloud, fear and anxiety setting in. "What the hell have I gotten myself into?"