Thanks again for all of the amazing reviews! I have a busy weekend coming up and wanted to update before I'm swamped. I hope you enjoy this next chapter. Please read and review!

Chapter 4

"If you could be anywhere else right now, where would you be?"

Haley thought about it for a minute. "Um…I don't know."

The pair had been playing Twenty Questions. Except now it was more like Fifty Questions, since all they had was time to kill.

"Come on. There isn't any place that you would like to visit?"

"Well…I have always had this desire to visit London."

"Really?"

"Yeah," she answered with a nod.

"Why?" Nathan was curious.

"Well, for one thing I love the history of it all. I've always wanted to see Big Ben and visit the Globe Theatre. And ride on one of those red double-decker buses. Those look cool. Plus, it rains there a lot and I love the rain."

"Interesting."

Haley rolled her eyes. "It's okay if you think it's lame. I already know I'm a dork."

"No, I wasn't thinking that at all. It sounds really cool, actually."

"What about you?" she inquired.

"No. I can't." He was shaking his head. There was no way he could tell her. It was too embarrassing.

"Oh, come on. You made me answer. You have to tell me yours."

"You're going to think it's stupid."

"I will not. Unless you say something like the Playboy Mansion," she added. "In which case, I may have to hit you on behalf of women everywhere."

"You know, I never thought about the Playboy Mansion. Thanks, Haley." He wiggled his eyebrows playfully, which did earn him a light smack on the arm from Haley.

"I'm serious." She have him her no-nonsense look.

"Okay, okay," Nathan relented. He was quickly learning just how difficult it was to refuse her. "Fine. I've always really wanted to visit…" His voice trailed off, making it hard for Haley to hear what he said.

"What?"

He said it again, only fraction louder.

Still Haley couldn't make it out. "I still can't hear you. What was that?" she prodded.

Nathan rolled his eyes and huffed out a breath. "Disney World."

"What?" Haley repeated, stunned.

"You heard me. I've always wanted to visit Disney World."

"For real?"

"Yeah." Nathan watched Haley's face and saw that she was holding back a laugh. "See, I knew you would laugh."

Haley tried to keep a straight face. "I'm not laughing."

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not. I'm just…smiling."

"Whatever." Nathan folded his arms and looked away from her. "It's stupid. I know."

"Why would it be stupid? Disney is described as the happiest place on earth," she quipped. Who would ever guess that the great Nathan Scott wanted to visit the home of Mickey Mouse? That would've been Haley's last guess.

"Ha ha," he deadpanned.

"Why do you want to go there?" Haley questioned, setting her amusement aside. She was genuinely curious.

"Forget it."

"No, I want to know."

"I never got to go as a kid. It seemed like all of my friends got to go with their families. They'd come back and tell me all about it and show me pictures. Everyone always looked so happy." Nathan was staring straight ahead, lost in his own thoughts. "I've never had that."

"The family part or the happiness part?"

"Both. I tried convincing my parents to go one year. I thought maybe the place would have an affect on them. Maybe we'd be like a real, normal family. But my parents were always too busy, or my dad wanted me to focus on Junior Leagues. It never seemed like the right time."

"I'm sorry."

Nathan snapped out of his stupor and shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. "I'm over it now. I've learned to accept the fact that my family's just not wired that way."

"You could always go with your own family someday."

"I doubt it," he said, shaking his head. "I don't know if I'll ever settle down."

Their eyes met for a brief moment. Haley was the first to look away.

"You don't think about the future at all?"

"Sometimes. But mostly I just think about basketball." Nathan watched as Haley fiddled with her hands. "What about you?"

"I definitely want to get married and have kids someday."

"Would you be a stay-at-home mom, or would you want a career?"

"I'd try to balance both."

"What do you want to do?"

"I don't know. I'm a tutor, and I love teaching people. I could see myself as a high school teacher someday. Either that or…"

"Or what?" he coaxed. Nathan noticed her blush and found himself intrigued even more.

"I've never actually told anyone this." Her voice had dropped to just above a whisper.

"I can keep a secret," Nathan said softly, urging her on.

Haley shook her head and looked up at the ceiling. She couldn't believe she was actually going to tell Nathan Scott this. "I've always wanted to be a singer."

"A singer? Seriously?" He had not expected that.

"Yeah. Like go on a tour and wear really cool clothes and maybe release an album." Nathan started chuckling under his breath. "What? You think it's funny?"

"No. It all sounds cool. But are you any good?"

Haley sent him a look of mock outrage. "As a matter of fact, I am," she declared.

"Oh? Where have you performed?"

"Mostly in my bedroom—and my shower." She could feel her cheeks turning red all over again. "Okay, so I haven't actually performed anywhere. The truth is I get stage fright. But that doesn't mean I'm not good."

"Well, if you want to be discovered you're going to have to put yourself out there. You could start small. Like maybe you can sing for me sometime."

Haley scoffed in disbelief. "Oh yeah. Uh-huh. That's what I'm gonna do." Just thinking about performing for him made her head spin.

"Why not?" he challenged.

"Because…I just can't." She started at him; Nathan's smile never wavered. "You can't be serious."

"You owe me a song, Haley James. And if we make it through this, I'm definitely holding you to it."

"I hate you," she pouted.

"No, you love me," he teased. His smile disappeared, however, when he noticed Haley's mood quickly go from playful to serious. She glanced away from him and sighed. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing," she muttered.

"Haley."

"We should probably talk as little as possible. We don't want anyone hearing us and coming to investigate."

Nathan tried to get her to say something else, but Haley wasn't responding. She wouldn't so much as look in his direction. Nathan didn't know what had changed in the span of a few seconds but knew that he'd messed up somehow.

Nice going, Scott, he thought to himself. Idiot.

Haley shivered as her leg continued to throb in pain. She couldn't believe how slow time was passing. A mere fifteen minutes felt more like an hour, and still they were no closer to getting out of there.

"Are you cold?" Nathan spoke up.

Without looking at him, Haley shook her head.

"You've got goose bumps, Haley."

"I'm fine."

"I'm sorry," he said after another minute.

That caught her attention. Finally she looked at him. "What?"

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For whatever I did to piss you off before."

"You didn't piss me off," she argued, although her voice lacked conviction.

"Yeah, I did. Why else would you be ignoring me?" he pointed out.

"Maybe I just don't feel like talking. I am injured and in a lot of pain, you know. I'm sorry if it doesn't make me all that sociable."

"Is the pain getting worse?"

"I'm getting used to it," Haley mumbled as another shiver coursed through her body.

Nathan scrutinized her. "You're cold. I know you are." He shifted closer to her.

"What are you doing?" she questioned when she felt his arm slide around her shoulders. He was pulling her into his side before she knew it.

"You're probably cold from the blood loss. I'm trying to give you some warmth."

"I don't need anything from you," Haley snapped, pushing him away. She slid herself away from him and cringed in pain from moving her injured leg.

Nathan was starting to lose his patience. "What is your problem?"

"I don't have a problem. You're the one with the problem."

"Since when?"

"Since you're an ass, that's why."

"And how do you figure that?"

"Let's see: You only care about yourself and basketball, you refuse to acknowledge your brother and give him a break, and—and—" Haley struggled for the right words, she was so infuriated.

"Oh please," he scoffed, "I just saved your life."

Haley could feel her entire face turn red as the anger bubbled up inside of her. "No, you didn't."

Nathan stared at her, indignant. "Uh, yeah I did."

"I dragged myself out of that hallway."

"And you didn't get very far, did you?" he bit back. "I'm the one who carried you when you couldn't walk, secured this room, and helped stop the bleeding. I could've ignored the trail of blood in the hallway and gotten myself out. I didn't have to come looking for you, but I did. So spare me, Haley."

Haley was silent for a moment, mulling over his words. A wave of guilt suddenly hit her. He was right. Nathan didn't have to come looking for her. Most people probably would've done the opposite and just have focused on getting themselves out. The fact that he had been concerned and taken a chance in finding her spoke volumes.

"I'm sorry," she finally said. "You're right. I shouldn't have said what I did. I'm just…"

"What?" Nathan prodded.

"I just don't want you using my time capsule entry against me," her voice was so low, Nathan had to strain to hear her.

Finally he understood. "I wasn't trying to make fun of you, Haley." Nathan glanced over at her and watched Haley bite her lip, her eyes trained on the ground. He sighed. "You're right, though. I can be an ass."

She shook her head to object. "No, I was out of line."

"Not really. I said myself in the time capsule that basketball is my life. And I pretty much act like a dick to a lot of people, not just Lucas."

"Why?" Her chocolate brown eyes were teeming with curiosity.

"I don't know. It's how my father raised me, I guess."

"Do you always have to do what your father tells you?"

Nathan shifted uncomfortably. He hadn't expected their conversation to take this kind of turn. "I'll make you a deal. I'll answer your questions about my time capsule video if you'll answer mine about yours," he proposed.

Haley thought about it and as much as she wanted to deny her curiosity, she couldn't. His suggestion sounded fair. "Okay."

Now the only question was who would go first?

"My dad wasn't always bad. There have been times when he's done some good things on my behalf. But I guess as I've gotten older, those moments have been fewer and farther between."

Nathan couldn't believe that they were actually talking about Dan. He never discussed his father with anyone before. His mess of a family was always something that Nathan tried to keep to himself. He didn't want people judging him or seeing just how much it hurt when his father disapproved of him. Above anything else, Nathan Scott did not like to be vulnerable.

Haley was different, though. Nathan didn't know what it was about her, but his instincts were telling him to trust her. Even if he hadn't known of her feelings for him, there was something about Haley's face that conveyed her integrity and genuineness. She just didn't seem like the type of person who would listen to someone's deep, dark secrets and then use them later to tear the person down.

"What was your best memory of him?"

Nathan had to think about it. His few good memories were intermingled with the majority of bad ones. "Michael Jordan Basketball Camp. I was ten years old, and my dad had pulled some strings to get me in. It was the first day, and we were in this meet-and-greet line. Jordan was going to pick one of us kids to play one on one against him. I remember I was so nervous, my knees were about to buckle"—Nathan chanced a glance at Haley and noticed her smiling—"I think my dad could feel that, because he put his hand on my shoulder to steady me. And when Jordan finally came by, he just looked at him and said, 'This is my son, Nathan. He's got a great jump shot.'"

"And what happened?"

"I played one on one with the greatest player in history," he said, remembering every detail of that day as it played over in his mind. "It was one of the best days of my life."

"That sounds amazing."

"If only every day was like that."

"I always kind of thought that Dan was a bad person, but is he really that awful?" Haley asked.

"Yes. Which bad memory should I start with first?" he muttered, mostly to himself. "There was the time when I was seven and I was supposed to have my birthday party. Then Dan found out it was a game day for my Junior League team. He canceled the party so I could play. We lost the game anyway, and I never did get to celebrate my birthday.

"There was also the time my mom's grandfather died. I was five then. My whole family was at the wake, and we're kneeling in front of the casket. And I'm really scared because there is this old dead guy a few feet away from me. My mom is crying, and my dad says a couple words and then leans forward and kisses the corpse. Now I'm totally freaked out. And then he turns to me and tells me to kiss my great-grandfather."

Haley's eyes widened. "He didn't make you?"

"Yeah, he did. That's my dad. Kiss the hundred-year-old dead guy in makeup."

Haley put her hand to her mouth. "Nathan—"

"Oh, and there was the time when I was playing Little League baseball. I was pitching, and this kid Billy Lyons was up to bat. He was a great hitter. Everything he hit was a homerun. There was nobody on base, so I just walked him. Four straight pitches; nothing even close to a strike. Then my dad calls a timeout and walks to the mound.

"I'm thinking he's going to say 'smart move' or 'good thinking, son.' Something like that. Instead he grabs me by the arm and kicks me in the ass as hard as he can. He literally took my arm so I wouldn't, like, go flying; he kicked me so hard. Then he brought Stevie Piken in to pitch and sat me on the bench and never mentioned it again."

"My God, Nathan, I'm so sorry."

"The worst, though, was when I collapsed on the basketball court last year."

"I remember that," Haley muttered. Nathan had been playing great all night. Then all of sudden he stopped, like he'd lost his balance. She'd seen him sway on his feet before falling to the floor unconscious. Haley had been so worried about him. She knew it was ridiculous at the time. Nathan had no idea who she was and yet she had wanted nothing more than to run down onto the court to see if he was okay. She didn't think she'd ever been so scared in her life-at least until today. "Was that because of Dan?"

Nathan nodded. "We were going up against Cove City. My dad held the record for the most points scored in a game against them. I was going to try and beat it that night. My dad said I wouldn't be able to. He said I wasn't tough enough inside. It was so much pressure, and I knew that if I didn't beat him I'd never hear the end of it. So I decided to do something that would really put me at the top of my game."

"What did you do?"

"I took some performance enhancers—steroids. It was stupid, but I felt like it was my only way to win at the time. Anyway, I was doing well until I collapsed. I guess my body couldn't handle it and was dehydrated. The doctors told Dan about it, but he wouldn't listen. He kept insisting that I would never take drugs and managed to sway the doctors to forget about it. The next thing I know he comes over to me and whispers that if I really did take something, then I'm a disgrace to the game. That all of the points I scored didn't count. That I lost. Then he says we'll take back the training a notch or two and that was it. Hell, I don't even know if he'd mourn me if I was shot. He'd probably just be upset that his one chance to relive his basketball days and achieve his lost dream was taken away."

Haley stared at him with her mouth open in shock, unable to believe the horrible things he was telling her.

"So next time Lucas or anyone else spouts off about how awful it is that Dan abandoned him, they should realize that he was lucky. I'd rather not have a father at all than have this one." Nathan stared straight ahead, trying to get his emotions in check. He could feel the resentment he'd harbored all his life rising to the surface. Dan was a monster, but most people never saw that side of him. His father knew how to work people over. He could charm the pants off the devil himself.

Haley felt the anger radiating off of Nathan. His home life was so much worse than she'd ever thought. It broke her heart to know that he'd suffered those things as a boy. No child should have to go through that. Without thinking, she took his hand in hers.

Nathan looked down as he felt Haley's fingers intertwine with his. He was so shocked by the gesture that it took a moment for him to register the softness of her skin and the intensity of her grip.

"I'm so sorry, Nathan."

He gazed deep into her eyes. To his amazement, they were not filled with pity like he thought they would be. If anything, her eyes conveyed her genuine concern and...could it be admiration? Haley's touch seemed to calm him and his anger was quickly fading, but something hot was still burning inside of him. He didn't quite know what it was, but the longer he watched her the more intense the feeling became.

"My father has a lock box in his desk at work. It's filled with pictures of Lucas growing up."

That caught her by surprise. "How long have you known about it?" She still hadn't looked away.

"For as long as I can remember."

"Is that why you hate Lucas so much?"

"Maybe. But mostly I just envy him." The words had slipped out before he could stop them. He wasn't even sure he wanted to stop them. The truth had been a burden he'd been carrying for too long.

"You may not think so, but you're a strong person to keep going like you do. Your father may be awful, but he hasn't broken you."

"Not yet."

Haley squeezed his hand. "No, I don't think he will. And maybe you and Lucas are looking at all of this from the wrong angle. You're more alike than you both realize. If you weren't so focused on your differences, you'd see you both want the same thing."

"It's not fair," Nathan mumbled after a moment.

Haley could feel her cheeks heating up at his gaze. "What is?"

"He already has so much that I want." Nathan's hand reached up to brush a lock of hair behind her ear, causing a shiver to run up her spine at his touch. "Why does he have to have you, too?"

Haley could feel Nathan's breath on her face. When had they gotten so close? Did she really care? All she could seem to focus on was his intense blue eyes and the hand that was still cupping her cheek. All Haley would have to do is move in an inch more. Then nothing would be separating them.

Her lips burned when she noticed his eyes flicker down to them. Her eyelids grew heavy, wanting to close and just let the rest of her senses take over. Would it be everything she imagined it to be? Would Nathan be able to tell that this would be her first real kiss? Would it mean as much to him as it would to her?

Haley was so consumed by the questions in her mind that it took a minute to realize that Nathan's hand had dropped from her face. His other hand had detangled from her hold, and he was no longer sitting so close. Haley felt his loss instantly as the warmth his presence had provided faded.

She blinked a few times, trying to clear away the fog in her brain. What had just happened? Why had Nathan pulled away from her? Did she do something wrong? Why did she suddenly feel so empty?

Her eyes questioned him.

"I told you about Dan," Nathan finally spoke, his voice low. "It's your turn to talk now, Haley."

Unfortunately, she was at a loss for words.

Nathan was anything but deterred. "I need to know the truth. Tell me why you love me?"