A.N: Hello readers, two apologises to start with. 1) Sorry I never formally introduced the first chapter – it kinda slipped my mind in the rush to get it finished. But yes, this is the overdue (I know this because I've been told) sequel to Lessons in Love and I hope to deliver a story that'll keep you hooked.

Metaphorically hooked.

Not like a big, rusty, serrated hook forcibly stabbed into you or anyth-

2) Sorry this chapter took so long to finish I had exams and coursework and tons of excuses you don't need to hear or care about.

So! Enjoy the 2nd part to this 3 part intro into the sequel and as always, review me lots. For I am a whore...and need the reviews to fund my crack habit.

Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill or its characters. But I do own this bitchin' story.

Warning: References to lady lovin'.

--

Middle Wood (Part 2): Secrets & Revelations

Haley scrutinized the tiny waves lapping playfully at her feet. They washed over the sand coloured tiles, trickled in between the gaps and soaked her toes as they retreated back into the pool of liquid blue. She really wasn't in the mood for a swim but her three friends had already splashed their way into the deep end of the large, luxury swimming pool. The brunette's gaze flickered upward to take in the immense glass dome high above her head. Pockets of night sky were visible in between the curved steel frame, but the dazzling spotlights that illuminated this artificial, indoor paradise made it impossible to see any stars.

She and Brooke used to stargaze for the better half of their relationship, when the romance was ripe and the sky as clear as the water before her. It might have appeared severely lame and cliché but the stars put everything in perspective. Pinpricks of light against endless black, silently shining for billions of years...kind of made you feel small and insignificant. So pretty much how Haley felt through most of high school. All the same, it simplified life and Haley loved the feeling. Brooke on the other hand, lets just say "Ohhhhh, look at the perty shiny tings!!" came to mind. Haley's bitterness over her girlfriend's lack of depth was probably the reason they hadn't stared at the stars for three long months.

Pushing back the anger flaring up inside her for the umpteenth time, Haley closed her eyes and took a deep, soothing breath. When she opened them again she found the view of Brooke ogling a buffed up Adonis as he swam past her displeasing in the least. Her face was so hot with anger that Haley wouldn't have been surprised if jets of steam were shooting out of both her ears and lasers burned from her eyes, incinerating Brooke, buff swimmer and everything else in sight.

But unfortunately, in reality Haley was forced to take tentative steps into the welcoming waves that rippled casually past her. It was colder than she'd expected and Haley instinctively wrapped her arms around herself to keep warm. Regrettably, the cold dip wasn't enough to cool her temper as she eyed Brooke testily. The girl in question was laughing as she watched Lucas trying to climb up one of the numerous palm trees that were dotted about, apparently to add to the tropical theme.

Peyton felt fiery eyes burning into her back and stopped watching Lucas to discover Haley submerged up to her waist, unblinkingly glaring with all her might.

"Hey Hales, nice to see you join us…" Peyton's greeting trailing off as she noted her friend's stony stare, "Everything okay?"

"Mm" Haley grunted, barely listening as Brooke began goading Lucas to jump. Haley's arms tightened around her chest like a python squeezing the air from her lungs, forcing her to exhale like an angry lion. Peyton followed Haley's gaze and frowned at where it led her.

"Ah," She pointed her finger casually at the scene unfolding before her, "well that explains that…"

There was a sudden yell, then Brooke screamed as a large volume of water exploded over her, Peyton and Haley. A bashful Lucas appeared in the centre of rippling water rings.

"I fell." He mumbled. Brooke doubling over in laughter so badly that the hug she gave him sent her falling head over ass into the water.

A soaked Haley gave a slow, sideways glance to Peyton and sighed.

"I need a donut." She murmured gloomily. Her eyes lingered on the thatched hut kiosk nestled in hanging ferns at the other side of the dome. "Or a shot of Jack."

Peyton inwardly groaned at the girl's steady decline into unhappiness.

"Wait. Take Luke with you." She suggested, leaning in to add, "I'll talk to her, okay?" in a whisper of understanding. Haley managed a small smile, heartened by her friend's willingness to rescue her love life. She gave a nod and turned away to get her donut – hopefully just a donut.

"Hey Lucas," Peyton called, "go help Haley choose something from the snack bar. Me and Brooke need to have a little talk."

--X--

Haley and Lucas had retired to the smaller outdoor pool after Lucas suggested he's best friend got some fresh air to clear her head. Partly for the Brooke situation, but mostly because when the snack guy told her he was out of donuts she tried to hit him. With a chair.

"Feeling any better?" asked Lucas as he glanced nervously at his fuming friend. He was probably a foot taller than her and three times as strong, yet his voice had resembled that of a five year old girl's. Haley turned her head slightly in his direction, her eyes more focused on the dark, jagged shapes of the trees in the near distance, than on him.

"Yeah, a bit." She replied quietly, her answer barely audible over the churning of bubbles around her and Lucas. They were both lying on an outcrop of the pool that was lined with Jacuzzi-like beds and Lucas seemed particularly embarrassed with how the bubbles were making his trunks bulge ludicrously above the water's surface. A small smile graced Haley's face as her attention was drawn to him struggling to push the air out. "No one's watching Lucas." She said as her smile grew, "Besides…if anything it's an improvement." Haley stuck out her tongue and giggled cheekily as Lucas glared.

"Thanks but I'm happy with what I have as it is Haley." Lucas deadpanned.

"Yes." Haley nodded thoughtfully and looked away smirking, "…Extremely-happy-by-the-look-of-it." She rushed out before snorting with laughter and having to cover her mouth as Lucas shot a look at her. He pushed his hands down over his crutch forcing a loud ripple of bubbles to come flying out of his swimming shorts.

Haley was in stitches. Once she regained breath she managed to giggle out, "Having your hands there just makes you look like you're hiding something!"

Lucas sighed and shook his head, fighting back a smile.

"Should I just Brooke myself right here and-" Lucas stopped himself as his words registered, but not soon enough. Haley's body language flipped so fast it made Lucas flinch at his stupidity.

"Well at least the elephant in the pool has been announced, Hales. I was gonna have to ask either way so let's just get this over with. What's going on between you two?"

A long and painfully tense silence followed in which Lucas willed himself not to back down. After what felt like a year later, icy cold words were uttered through tightly drawn lips.

"Isn't it obvious?"

Lucas said nothing. He watched his friend patiently as her mind apparently chewed over the finer details it had locked away.

"She's being herself. Good old, slutastic Brooke." She sighed with what seemed like heavy indifference. Yet Lucas heard a waver in her voice.

"She's cheated on you?" Lucas pried carefully. Haley laughed humorlessly.

"Not that I know of…but what I know about Brooke lately wouldn't fill a book. She's been going out a lot without any kind of explanation. So honestly, I don't know what to think." Haley, feeling her friend's burning gaze upon her, made a point of staring at the darkening tree line before she continued.

"We barely talk anymore. Well, Brooke does. I just rarely care enough to listen. It's just babbling nonsense." She let out another dry laugh.

"But…I thought you found that endearing about Brooke. You know. The way she never shuts up. What's changed?" Lucas asked more with growing urgency.

Haley felt the concern emitting from Lucas in waves and forced herself not to turn around, afraid she'd fall apart if she had to look him in the eye and answer his question. She'd held it together this far, another few months wouldn't kill her. If we last that long, she thought despondently.

The gurgling of Jacuzzi bubbles came to a halt, leaving the two friends with nothing but the whispering wind floating through the forest and the soft hooting of a far away owl. Haley watched a herd of deer dash across the dark clearing to the other side of the forest.

"Are you sure there's nothing you're not telling me?" Lucas stated abruptly as Haley continued to avoid his gaze. She frowned into the distance then without warning, jumped violently, sending water everywhere and landing hard on her rear. Lucas, who had mimicked her actions out of shock, stared at Haley, bug-eyed.

"Hales?!"

"Please tell me you saw that." She breathed in a deadly whisper.
"Saw what?" Her friend implored incredulously, scanning his surroundings in search of any kind of clue.

"That…there was...in between the trees. I saw something watching me- There! Look!" Haley whispered furiously as she pointed to a crop of trees some thirty feet away. Lucas squinted to make out the gaps between the trees. There seemed nothing amiss until two small red orbs caught his eye. They hovered maybe six feet above the ground, weaving in and out of sight as they passed behind the trees. Occasionally they would vanish only to reappear shortly after. It dawned on Lucas that he was staring at a pair of eyes. Eyes that were staring back at him.

"It's probably just a curious fox…" Haley tried, unsuccessful at keeping the fear out of her tone.
"Foxes don't get that big."
"A big, curious fox…"

"Foxes don't have red eyes."
"A big, curious fox suffering from conjunctivitis?" Haley shrugged hopefully.
"Sure..." Lucas muttered before calling out, "Hello?"
His voice echoed ominously off into the night and a shared sinking feeling set in both their stomachs. It was like stepping on that creaky floorboard outside your parents' bedroom when you were supposed to be asleep; as soon as you did it you knew you were in trouble.

The reply Lucas got was one he wished he hadn't heard. What sounded like a cross between a screaming, bawling baby and a ferocious, animalistic howl, splintered the quiet night into pieces.

Haley and Lucas exchanged a look.

"Maybe we should go back inside." Lucas suggested as calmly as he possibly could.

Haley nervously tucked a wet strand hair behind her ear, in that classically cute way and grimaced. Lucas knew exactly what she was thinking and was quick to resolve it. "Look, you either go back and face Brooke or stay out here with the mysterious, screaming, red-eyed forest monster."

She took this into consideration and dared a guilty glance at Lucas.
"Haley!"
"Well at least the mysterious, screaming, red-eyed forest monster isn't flirting with the general male population!" She whispered back in irritation. Haley was apparently worried the said "monster" might eaves drop.

"I'm sure Peyton's in there right now digging answer after answer out of Brooke." Lucas offered soothingly, as he tried to guide Haley back inside the dome with subtle pushes.

"Right." Haley replied flatly.

Another abrupt, wailing, snarling growl reached their ears.

"Is that getting closer?"

Lucas didn't reply and went from guiding to blatant shoving.

"Come on, you know Peyton. She's got a certain finesse in situations like this."

--X--

"What the hell's wrong with you!?" Peyton snapped so suddenly and with such volume that Brooke choked on her slush puppy. The brunette composed herself, checking she hadn't swallowed her straw, and gave her friend the troubled look of perplexed terror. This was followed by a silence fuelled with fear as Brooke stared agape at the blonde.

"Um………huh?"

Peyton slapped her upside the head with the palm of her hand.

"What the fuck?!" the brunette squealed as she clutched the top of her head. "Have you gone insane?!"

"No! Have you?! Cus the way you've been acting lately it sure looks that way!"
"Sawyer…what the hell are you-"

"Flirting, Brooke. The non-stop, never-ending blatant flirting you participate in on a daily basis."

"…Yeah?"

Peyton struck her once more.
"OW! Would you quit it?!"

"It's not the innocent innuendo one-liners, it's full on "come-and-get-me" flirting and none of it's aimed at Haley! You know Haley? Brunette? Big brain? Your. Frickin'. Girlfriend!" Peyton growled, poking Brooke hard three times as drawled out the last three words.

"Oh so quick to judge Mrs 'kissed-my-boyfriend-over-a-webcam'." Brooke snapped defensively as she rubbed her arm.

Peyton's look sent a cold shiver of death down her spine.

"Okay! Okay! I take it back! Just…don't hit me again." Brooke surrendered, glancing fearfully at the hands on Peyton's hips. Her gaze then fell upon the tranquil blue waters shimmering around her chest and let out a genuinely depressed sigh. It was enough to make Peyton's fiery glare smoulder down into a soft look of concern.

"What's going on sweetie?"

The brunette's face darkened and she took a long, slow sip from her drink. Brooke sighed with irritation as if what she were about to admit bothered her immensely.

"Very little." She sullenly replied. Peyton raised an inquisitive eyebrow at her best friend and folded her arms so that they sat neatly atop the water's surface.

"Which means...little...not enough...?" Peyton wandered aloud, mentally scratching her head. She looked at Brooke imploringly for more but the brunette just took a hard sip of her drink and got a brain freeze.
"Argggh Jesus!"

As Brooke slammed the palm of her hand to her forehead and winced at the icy pain throbbing inside her skull, Peyton bit her lip and chewed over Brooke's reply. What on earth could Brooke be getting so little of that it drove her to flirting with complete strangers? Why was she so miserable beneath the perky, smiling girl that Brooke was obviously pretending to be so recently? It wasn't as if Haley had never made it clear how much she loved and cherished Brooke as her girlfriend. Peyton's eyes shot from the moody, agitated expression on her friend's face to the restless drumming of her fingers on the slush puppy. Then it dawned on her. Tentatively she asked, "Brooke...has it been a while since, you know, you and Haley..." Peyton inhaled uncomfortably, choosing her words carefully. "...have been intimate?"
"Yes." Brooke replied instantaneously, with such bite in her tone it appeared the water around her had rippled in fear.

"Well, how long exactly has it been, since the last act of, um, intimacy?" Peyton inquired hesitantly, "A week? Two?"

"Try three months."
"Three months?!" Peyton all but screamed.
"Yeah, thanks. I don't think the kids over by the jungle water-slide got that? Wanna shout any louder?"

"I'm sorry, it's just...I mean, it's you! Brooke Davis without sex is like..."
"Life without meaning?"
"Exactly! Well okay, I mean sex isn't everything but- what am I saying it's you we're talking about here." The blonde exclaimed incredulously, her hands clutching at her hair as she absorbed the insanity of the concept.

"Uh huh."

A long pause followed, filled with nothing but the drumming of Brooke's fingers on her beverage, the distant laughter of children playing and the soft bobbing of the water around them.

"Is there a reason why you haven't been inti-?"
"I don't know." Brooke snapped sharply, making it clear she wanted to know the reason more than anyone. She glared hatefully at a beach ball that floated past her.

"Three months are you positive it's been that long?" Peyton asked disbelievingly, putting a supportive hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Peyton I have a calendar on my phone and my relationship with my right hand is bordering on pornographic. Believe me! It's three months!"

Peyton's hand vacated Brooke's shoulder as if it had bitten her and a mortified look swept over her face, but she didn't have a chance to voice her horror as Haley and Lucas appeared, walking in from the outdoor pool.

"Hey guys. We miss anything?" Lucas asked in a cheeky manner.

"Aha, no. Did we?" Peyton retorted with just as much sass.

Haley and Lucas glanced sideways at each other.
"Let's just say, if you go out to the woods today you're in for a big surprise."

--X--

After the four friends had dried off and changed into casual clothing, they set off to get something to eat. Peyton hinted to Lucas that sitting in a restaurant with numerous waiters, customers and pot plants probably wouldn't be the best idea, seeing as Brooke might flirt with all three simultaneously. So they opted for pizza and took take out so they could eat it on the long walk home. Hardly a word was uttered on the journey to the villa. Although Haley and Lucas did throw furtive looks out towards the trees from time to time, as if expecting something to jump out at any second, there was still an uneasy quiet within the group. Even Peyton's brave attempt to break the silence with a chorus of "Kum-bah-ya my lord!" died quickly with bemused and awkward embarrassment.

When they finally arrived through the villa's door Lucas shot to the TV remote, pressing it urgently at the blank screen, desperate for something to cut through the tension. A music channel blared on and he physically sighed with relief. Peyton went to put what was left of the pizza on the kitchen counter and then stood awkwardly between the two edgy brunettes. Both stood with arms crossed looking moodily at the floor or wall.

"I'm going to bed." Declared Brooke at exactly the same time as Haley. They exchanged a look then both retreated sullenly into the master bedroom.

Once they were in bed and the lights were out, the couple lay rigidly side by side. Then together they faced opposite directions and showed their backs to one another. At a glance it appeared as if mortal enemies were sharing a bed, not two people supposedly in love.

"Well, night then." Brooke tried bravely.

"Yeah." Haley's reply was full of such indifference that it took all of Brooke's self control not to scream out all the frustration and neglect she felt. Instead, she closed her eyes tightly, gulped hard and let it out in one single tear that trickled slowly down her cheek in the darkness.

"So, get anything good?" Lucas questioned as Peyton joined him on the luxury settee.
"Well Brooke said they haven't done it in three months." Peyton summarised absent-mindedly, watching the bright little people dance on the television.

"You?"

"Brooke talks. Haley doesn't listen. She doesn't even seem herself and there was something she wasn't telling me." Lucas added as he lounged back into the couch. "This whole plan of yours to get away and corner them hasn't really worked has it?"

"If anything I think we've made them worse by bringing it to the surface." Peyton sighed, frowning to herself. "But hey, early days."
The pair continued to watch the TV as the heavy, black shroud of sleep fell upon them.

"Peyton?"
"Yeah?"
"You know we're sleeping in the same room?"

"Yeah..." Peyton replied guardedly.

"Well..."Lucas chewed over what he was about to say. "If you snore can I smother you with a pillow-cus-I-really-think-it's-for-the-best-AH!"

Peyton glared sulkily at the cushion that now sat where Lucas' face had been. She got up and stretched, setting off for bed as she heard Lucas sniggering from behind her. She made sure to mumbled "Jackass" loudly as she left the room and screamed when the blonde idiot ran up and tackled her onto the nearest bed.

--X--

The weekend merged into Monday and from then on the days seemed to continue this trend of blurring quickly into one another as if trying to out run an uncomfortable situation. However, no matter how fast time tried to sneak hastily past the increasingly tense and awkward moments between Haley and Brooke, it didn't prevent them from occurring with tedious frequency. In the eyes of their two friends it was putting quite a downer on the vacation. Be it pedaloes on the lake, abseiling down giant, wooden towers or a game of pool at the sports centre, nothing could rescue the pair from the deep, unforgiving grave they had dug one another into. The roles of Lucas and Peyton were fast transforming from matchmakers to undertakers. Nearing the end of their disastrous holiday and desperate to salvage something from the wreck, the two proposed a meal at the main plaza in a last ditch attempt to bridge the gap between Brooke and Haley. It sounded like the perfect intervention. At least, if they hadn't forgotten about alcohol, its potent effect on Brooke and her ownership of a fake ID.

"So tell meh Hales..."Brooke slurred with a casual wave of her hand, "when exaaaactly, did you firrst becomb suuuch ah bitch?"

Haley said nothing, intent on staring red-faced at her food and stabbing at it angrily with her fork as Brooke continued to assault her.

"I meeen...iz not like I ever cheattted! Nevah smoked...donnt do drugs...nevvahhh been too Disneyyyy Laaand!" Brooke drunkenly sang as all dignity and sense jumped out the window. "An I know for a fat," Brooke slurred smugly, prodding Haley prominently in the arm, "that I'm not bad in the bed. Hell, I'm great in the bed! Amazin'! Fuckin' cassanovvva I am!" Brooke grinned broadly, her wine glass sloshing dangerously in her hand. She then wrinkled her nose and began trying to verbally discover the female equivalent for Casanova.

Lucas leaned towards Peyton on the other side of the table and whispered, "Well this going smoothly. Never imagined this'd happen."

Peyton dismissed his sarcasm and replied slowly, "This is impossible. I'm actually at the point where I just wanna lock them in a room together and refuse to feed them till they make up."
"Cassandra...Cassanette?" Brooke wondered out loud, her finger pressed to her chin thoughtfully.

"You might wanna have Brooke's stomach pumped before you do that, Sawyer." Lucas suggested. He received an oddly curious look when Peyton heard her nickname but Lucas was too busy watching Brooke continue her suicidal serenade.

"Iz it cuz I don't hava peenus, Haleyyyyyy? Whudya lyk won? Iff I cuhd givoo ah peenus whud you beh happeh Haleyyy?!" Brooke's voice rose steadily and attracted bemused looks from the surrounding customers in the restaurant. She was stroking Haley's head in mock, drunken affection and had a rather serene look on her face. Haley had gone completely red, whether from anger or embarrassment it was indistinguishable. Peyton's mouth was agape and Lucas had begun progressively beating his head against the table. Brooke made a loud dismissive sound.

"Cudha jus gotta fake won to strap o-!"
"Know what guys? I'm not feeling so hungry!" Haley suddenly spoke up, cutting through Brooke's expletives with insincere cheerfulness. "Thanks for trying, really, it was brave. But as you can see this just isn't going to work out." Haley picked up her bag and got up to leave, attracting the attention of the half Brooke, half brewery creature.

"Aww, ya leevin' Hales? Buh we diden find ow why you sucha bitch!"
Haley smiled tightly and leaned down to Brooke's level. She responded in a way that made her intoxicated girlfriend look like a naïve child.

"Brooke, honey, I'm a bitch because I thought you'd decided to grow up a good twelve months ago, remember looooong ago when you said you loved me and wanted nothing but me in your life? Well turns out you're still the same vacant-minded, flirtatious, childish whore you've always been for the better half of high school! That's why Haley's a bitch, Brooke!"

Giving the stunned trio a final forced, yet somewhat satisfied smile, Haley turned and left the restaurant.

"Oh crap. Lucas get the cheque and do not let Brooke leave here alone." Peyton ordered as she got up and went after Haley. Lucas' head shot up from the table cloth in surprise as he blinked and looked around.

"What? Huh? Oh! Cheque please!" Lucas called, clicking his fingers in the air. Brooke mimicked his action and slurred loudly,
"And ah complanent to the manhagment, my bitch has ran away I ham moss displeesed. Whur hell did or the wine go?!"

--X--

Peyton struggled to chase after Haley through the bustling crowd of tourists and holiday makers that strolled casually around the plaza. She tugged up the hem of her black cocktail dress and gained the freedom to move a little faster. She spotted her friend heading for the exit and excused herself past several people to get to Haley. It wasn't until she passed the large revolving doors out into the cool night air that she saw Haley again, trailing slowly past the sea of bicycles parked outside the plaza.

"Haley, wait." Peyton called as a stitch began to develop in her side.

"Peyton, just don't bother okay? All I want to do is survive what's left of this 'getaway' which by the way is looking more and more like a badly planned intervention on your part."
"Intervention?! Me?! Nooooo..."

Haley raised an eyebrow and watched Peyton stare at the leaf-strewn ground.
"It was Lucas' idea!" She finally blurted, hating the way Haley had cracked her so easily. She heard her friend sigh but noticed she was smiling.

"My love life in the hands of two blind-sighted blondes. Fantastic..." Haley drawled sarcastically as she continued walking.

"Blind-sighted? What do you mean blind-sighted?" Peyton demanded anxiously as she fought to keep pace.

"Oh...nothing." Haley replied, keeping her grin as innocent as she could. Peyton wanted to press her but she was interrupted by loud, distant laughter coming from back at the Plaza entrance. The blonde turned to see Lucas helping a barely upright Brooke stumble towards them. Haley didn't even have to look; she just groaned and sped up.

Despite the protests of Lucas and Peyton on the journey back to the villa, Brooke managed to get level with Haley and pretty much picked up where she left off.

"So where yah goin' grumpy?" she asked cheekily, revelling in the way she was making Haley scowl into the distance.

"Leave me alone."
"Buh I'm soooo eager tah hear why you wone fffuck me, Haleyyy.
"I mean it, Brooke! Piss off!" Haley snapped as she reached the end of her patience.

"Iz not jus cus I flirt..." Brooke continued without even processing Haley's words, "or act lyk a child. Youuuu luv tha. You know you do ssso why've you bin so far away. Wha did I do!? I bin nuthin' but Brooketasstic."

"Do you really want to know why?" Haley had stopped and was scowling at Brooke with pure, unadulterated venom, "Do you seriously want to know why I'm so pissed at you Brooke Davis?!"
"Yes. I. do. Ha-ley-James!" Brooke mocked back, giggling at her own genius. Haley was physically shaking, her handbag was vibrating in her grip and she was breathing like an infuriated Rhinoceros that was about to charge down a foolish poacher.

"Because you're a murderer." Haley spat loudly through gritted teeth.

--X—

Brooke sobered up in the space of two seconds. The same amount of time it took for all the colour to drain from her face. Peyton and Lucas, who had been talking quietly behind them, fell into instant silence. Eyes were now burning into Brooke's back as she gulped visibly. She suddenly noticed how quiet the forest around her was; apparently the trees were watching her too. Haley's glare was unbroken and Brooke's glazed expression stared back as she began to fall in on herself. She gulped again and felt her eyes begin to water slightly.

"Guys," Brooke wavered dangerously and she stopped. She wanted to ask politely for some privacy but at that moment manners seemed irrelevant. Especially since her reaction was causing Haley to dawn on how true her statement had been and, if she wasn't careful, Brooke was about to lose the one person she needed above anything else.

"Go away for a sec, okay?" Brooke said coldly, her throat beginning to feel hard and dry. She waited for her two best friends to get some distance away, which they did wordlessly, as Brooke watched Haley uneasily, her girlfriend's glower growing under her gaze.

"Just so I'm clear," Brooke started, licking her lips and fiddling with her sleeve nervously, "You're talking about Dan, right?"

"Why? Kill anyone else lately I should know about?" Haley asked with sincere distrust. Brooke could only sigh and take the blow straight to the chest.

"W-who told you?" Brooke pressed on, not really knowing what else to ask.

"It was anonymous. I got a letter from someone with enough evidence to put you away for a very long time, Brooke. The date, the time, the circumstances. They even had photos of...of him..." Haley couldn't finish the horrible image resting in her head but the pale, sickly look on her face was enough to tell Brooke what she saw. Even in the dim illumination of the path lights at their feet, the darkness was fast becoming claustrophobic for Brooke.

"Haley...you have t-to understand this. I was a-angry...and sad and broken and you were dy-ying inf-front of me." Brooke had to stop as the memories forced tears unceremoniously down her cheeks. "I loved you- I l-love you s-so m-much." It felt so exhilarating to finally say it after three bitter and lonely months. Brooke's expression darkened and her voice was suddenly void of emotion, "I couldn't let him get away w-with what he'd done."

Haley seemed to have softened but was determined to resolve herself and folded her arms in an attempt to give herself armour against Brooke's sincere words.
"So you just killed him. In cold blood." Haley stated without asking for confirmation. Brooke simply gulped again and wiped at the tears dotted across her face in vain.

"You know at first I didn't believe it. I told myself it was insane, inconceivable even for you to have done something like this. But it kept eating at me. I tried not to but I started piecing things together. I knew you could be rash. I knew you had a temper when pushed and that you'd be thoughtless enough to go through with something without considering the consequences. You lied to me for so long." Haley said softly, but without any trace of sympathy. "But I never saw you as the jealous type. That surprised me."

Brooke, who had just been contemplating how she should end her life, was now staring at the girl opposite her as if she were bat-fuck insane. Her tears came to a complete halt as she absorbed this absurdity.

"Um, I'm sorry did you just say, jealous?"

"Yes."

"...We are talking about the same Dan here, right?"

"Yes, Brooke. Daniel Seber." Haley stated with a mix of annoyance and anxiety at Brooke's bemused response.
"Haley...who the fuck is Daniel Seber?!"
"The guy you ran off the road almost a year ago!"
Brooke's brain was either very damaged or extremely good at forgetting large chunks of her life. Either would make sense considering the vast amount of alcohol she had consumed tonight.
"So...why exactly did I kill this 'Daniel Seber'?" Brooke asked curiously as she folded her arms, eager to hear why she was apparently an amnesia-ridden psychopathic serial killer. Haley stiffened, her confidence waning but her anger still fresh as ever.
"The letter said he was a student at the school who'd been stalking me..." Haley began feeling slightly uncomfortable now that she realised she was basing her entire argument on a mysterious, unverified letter. "It said...you knew...that you'd threatened him to back off...so when your car exploded..." Haley's level of discomfort rose with each amazingly insane word that escaped her lips. "...you...guessed he'd done it to get rid of you...and you went after him to...kill him." Haley's voice trailed off and she shuffled on her feet, agitated by her own nonsensical explanation.

"That slimy son of a bitch..." Brooke growled inaudibly to herself. She let out a genuine laugh and shook her head. "Oh Hales, I thought you were the smart one?"

Haley looked offended and determined not to be left without a reason to have been so angry for so long she snapped,

"Well what Dan were you talking about then?!"

"Dan Scott," Brooke lowered her voice, glancing edgily over to where Lucas was standing, "as in the Dan Scott."
"YOU DID W-?!" Haley began to shout but Brooke's hand clamped over her mouth so quickly that the rest came out as muffled nonsense.

"Before you scream murder for the second time tonight, do you think you could hear it from the horse's mouth? Mm? Too much to ask?" Brooke asked impatiently but Haley was unable to answer with said girl's hand glued to her face.
"You can nod."
Haley hesitated and then slowly nodded.

"Right, first thing's first, "Brooke said informatively, "I had a very good reason for driving Dan Scott off a busy highway." Brooke grimaced then added, "And for watching his car explode and burn on the side of the road."
Haley's eyes bugged and wild muffling spilled from behind Brooke's hand but she continued unfazed.

"Second, I have never heard of, nor ever seen a "Daniel Seber" but I'm pretty sure he's been invented to make what I did look a whole hell of a lot worse. There was no stalker-boy that I was aware of Haley and I'm pretty sure you'd have noticed someone rummaging through your underwear drawer. Heh...apart from me." She added with that ancient Brooke smirk.
Haley rolled her eyes and signalled that she wanted to talk.
"Wait I'm not finished. And third, Dan Scott is beyond anything, the most despicable, uncaring, heartless S-O-B ever to set foot in Tree Hill. I know you're gonna say you know this, that he's still a human being and that no one deserves to die. It's just...it's not that simple." It was clear Brooke was struggling to find the words to explain the complete fiasco that had been their first week together. Haley had been so blissfully unaware of the horrors Brooke had gone through just to have her first decent relationship. After the "accident" Haley had awoken without any solid memory of the premeditated events that had taken place on that nightmare of a Wednesday. It'd been so much easier to pretend nothing happened, to brush it under the carpet and blame it all on an overheated engine.

The thought of what she was about to say was causing Brooke to practically tear her sleeve off. She sighed deeply then said,

"Dan isn't...exactly...human."

Brooke felt herself recoiling at her own statement and Haley's bewildered look was no close comfort. Without asking this time, Haley pushed Brooke's hand away and took a step back. She opened her mouth to retort something then stopped. She tried again and failed. She settled for a long, tired sigh.

"...I think...I need a walk." Haley said slowly, her eyes not sure where to look as she hugged herself.

"Sure," Brooke replied as her spirits rose, "where'd ya wanna-?"
"No. I meant alone." Haley's face seemed shaded with guilt. But without another word she turned away and walked briskly down the stone path, off into the darkness and out of sight. Brooke would have called after her if it hadn't been for the heart shaped lump stuck in her throat.

--X--

For some odd reason it had escaped Haley's rather brilliant mind that walking through an enormous, maze-like forest at night, by yourself, was absolutely terrifying.

"Where the hell am I?" She murmured for the thousandth time that hour.

It was dark, she was cold and all that Haley could think about was how stupid she felt at that moment. She had let some anonymous freak crack the foundations of her amazing relationship with Brooke. And it had been amazing, long before now, before any unnamed letter had come through her mailbox. She and Brooke and been so happy, so blissfully, stupidly happy and yet Haley had only needed a slight push into paranoia to bring the whole thing down.

Of course Brooke was going to flirt! The girl hadn't been touched in a quarter of a year! Haley was lucky she hadn't run away already. In fact, Brooke would never have toughed it out this long for any other person. Be she murderer or not, Brooke seriously loved her. And deep down...that's all that mattered.

"Why am I only realising this now?!" Haley berated herself out loud and instantly regretted it. Her voice had cut through the eerie silence of the looming, charcoal forest around her like a knife and now she was worried she'd woken something up.

Left with nothing but her echoing footsteps and the wind whistling between the trees for company, Haley gulped. She passed a sign with an owl on it. Wasn't her villa in the owl zone? Or was it a badger? She was so lost and tired she didn't have the faintest clue. Maybe if she-

Haley froze.

Something was watching her.

Something very, very real and in no way imaginary.

Haley was shaking but it wasn't from the cold. It was the memory of those big, red eyes watching her and Lucas through the trees that night in the pool. And that scream...that horrible ear piercing scream she never wanted to hear again. If she heard it right now, by herself, she'd have a full on cardiac arrest.

She willed herself to move.

To breathe.

The sound of leaves rustling on her left sent tears trickling slow, quiet paths down her frozen cheeks.

She begged for someone to walk past. A cyclist, a squirrel...anything.

Haley's head shot a last terrified glance to the trees next to her as something black and blurry on her periphery rushed towards her.

Fangs of silky, black venom and curved cruelty flashed beneath wide, shimmering eyes of crimson and flew at Haley with ungodly speed.

Her scream barely left her lips.

--X—

End of Chapter 2

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A.N: Jodi I'm expecting a very awesome review from you. It is now quarter to six in the morning. I think I shall be going to bed. The more reviews I get the more likely I'll finish the next chapter this month.

Thanks for reading and REVIEW!