Adam stood before Lindsay, pain, anger and betrayal written across his face. Pulling his hand out from behind his back Adam pulled out a gun. He slowly raised it, aiming it at Lindsay. He felt a pang in his heart as he saw her staring at him in horror; Adam swallowed hard as he stared back at her blankly. Adam felt all the anger building up inside of him once more, he shook his head as he looked down to the ground. Looking back up, he glared at Lindsay as he watched the tears stream down her face. "If I can't have you, no one can!!" Adam screamed at her angrily. Lindsay shook her head as her eyes widened in fear, "Adam don't!" she screamed before the sound of gun shots rang out.

Are you not the slightest bit confused?
Just the truth.
The speed at which we move blends so well
It's too soon.

Lindsay stood there in shock as Adam fell to his knees, before he fell to the floor before her. She covered her mouth as a choked sob escaped her lips as she looked down in horror at Adam's lifeless body. Lindsay felt her breath get caught in her throat as she looked up to see James still aiming the gun at the spot where Adam had stood only seconds ago.

Separate yourself from what compels you to relinquish us.
Push your way on to me, entirely.
Stay away from me, stay away from me now.
Less you gonna see, less you gonna see me out.

James stood in the foyer still aiming the gun at where Adam was standing before. He stood there in shock, barely believing that he had just done that; until a wave of satisfaction washed over him. James watched as Lindsay fell to her knees, tears still streaming down her face. He quickly dropped the gun to the floor before he walked over to where she was. "Lindsay-"

No, I can't dance less it's slow or sad
To a song that's far less obvious.
You using me, do it slowly
Make it last until I have to go.

"No don't. Just..stay away from me." Lindsay said as held her head in her hands.

Trust me when I say just a few more weeks.
Don't move.
Resist temptation
Or do you see fit, just choose.

"Lindsay, I-" James began to say before Lindsay shook her head. "How could you James? How could you do that to him?!"

"It was the only thing I could do. It's the only way for us to get away from him, you don't have to worry about him hurting you anymore Lindsay. That's what you wanted and I-"

Separate yourself from what compels you to relinquish us.
Push your way on to me, entirely.
Stay away from me, stay away from me now.
Less you gonna see, less you gonna see me out.

"Yes I wanted to get away from him, to not be scared of him anymore. But I didn't want him to die because of that!" She said with a hint of anger in her voice.

"That's all there was to do Lindsay. Would you rather it be you on that floor right now?!"

No, I can't dance less it's slow or sad.
To a song that's far less obvious.
You using me, do it slowly
Make it last until I have to go.

A sob escaped her lips as he raised his voice at her. She looked away from him as she shook her head.

"Lindsay, the only thing that I was thinking of at that moment, was protecting you. I didn't expect to use the gun, okay? But after I saw him aiming that gun at you, I knew I had to. I didn't want to lose you Lindsay." He said, a hint of sadness apparent in his voice. Lindsay continued to stare down at the floor as tears continued to fall. "I was only trying to keep my promise Lindsay. I told you I wouldn't let him hurt you, and that's what I did. I stopped him from hurting you ever again, don't you get it Lindsay? You're free of him now. You don't have to be scared anymore."

No, I can't dance less it's slow or sad.
To a song that's far less obvious.
You using me, do it slowly
Make it last until I have to go.

"Don't you think I know that?" she said as she looked back up at him. "Part of me is glad that I'm finally free of him, it's like a weight is lifted off my shoulders. But I didn't want him to die James. I know he was awful to me, but I still didn't want him to die.."

Stay away from, stay away from, stay away from me.

James stepped closer to her, but was stopped once she moved away from him once more. "Just don't." she said with a shake of her head.

"Lindsay-" James began to say.

Stay away from, stay away from, stay away from me.

"Just go, James." Lindsay said as she looked away from him.

James started to say something before he was cut off. "Lindsay, I-" Lindsay looked up at him, a glint of anger in her eye. "I said, go."

Stay away from, stay away from, stay away from me.

James looked at her with sadness in his eyes, he couldn't stand to see her cry but if she didn't want him to be there, then he'd leave. He turned to leave and walked out the door.

Lindsay let out a sob as she heard the sound of the door slamming shut. Her vision blurred as her eyes filled with even more tears.


James shut the door behind him, as he walked out a cool breeze swept over him. He sighed as he looked back at the house behind him. Seeing Lindsay upset broke his heart, he couldn't stand to watch her cry, but she didn't want him near her. He sat down in the car and felt a wave of anger and sadness sweep over him, James slammed his fist onto the steering wheel as the anger built up inside of him. He looked up at the house once more before he drove off.
Lindsay sat on the couch as the police came to the house. She began wringing her hands as they continued asking her questions. As they questioned her, she was practically miles away since all she could think about was what had happened with James. In her heart she knew he was right, but she just couldn't help but feel guilty for what happened. Like she had told him, she had wanted to be free from him, but not at the cost of him losing his life because of her. After the police finished questioning her they left, leaving her alone in the house. Lindsay made her way upstairs where she changed out of her dress and into something more comfortable. When she came downstairs she found Amber standing in the foyer staring at the spot where Adam's lifeless form lay covered with a blanket. She looked to be in some kind of trance as she gazed upon the figure, a look of sorrow written across her face. Amber then turned her attention to Lindsay as she descended the stairs. A look of rage then crossed her face as she glared up at Lindsay.

"You, you did this!" she spat out as she pointed her finger at Lindsay.

Lindsay stood there speechless as Amber continued her accusations.

Amber scoffed as she glared at Lindsay, "You're unbelievable, you know that? You had Adam, but that just wasn't enough for you. So you just have to go take James from me instead. I don't even know what he sees in you, how does he know you won't go do the same thing to him?!" Amber spat out.

Lindsay could feel all the anger building up inside of her as Amber continued with her accusations. She balled her hands up into fists as she tried to stay calm, Amber's words running through her mind over and over again. Before she knew it tears began to fall down her cheeks as she stood her ground.

Amber smirked as she saw the tears streaming down Lindsay's face, feeling a wave of satisfaction wash over her at the sight of Lindsay in tears. Before she knew it, Lindsay's hand swung at her as Lindsay slapped her across the face.

Lindsay couldn't help but hate Amber as she looked over at her in amusement as the tears ran down her face. Without even thinking, Lindsay swung her arm at Amber, her hand slapping Amber across the face. She took a step back, taking a deep breath. Lindsay looked over at Amber in shock, barely believing that she had just done that. Looking down upon her hand, Lindsay clenched her jaw before she looked back up, glaring at Amber. "I love James more than you ever did Amber. And unlike you, I wouldn't do anything to hurt him." Lindsay spat out before she made her way out the door, slamming it shut as she walked out.

Amber stood there in shock; she flinched as the door slammed shut. She brought her hand to her mouth as a sob escaped her lips. Amber felt her legs give way, she quickly grabbed hold of the chair beside her as she collapsed into it. Tears began to stream down her face as she sat alone in the now empty house.


Lindsay made her way down the dark street, she hugged herself as a cold gust of wind swept over her. As she continued to walk down the quiet street, thoughts of all the events that had happened came rushing back to her. Tears began to fall down her cheeks as thoughts of James filled her mind. She looked up as she finally came to the place she was looking for. Lindsay slowly made her way up to the door, her hand quivering as she reached out to knock on the door.

Mandy smoothed out her skirt as she made her way to the door. She opened the door, a smile upon her face, it soon faltered as she looked out onto the porch. Standing before her was a very distraught Lindsay, Mandy frowned at Lindsay's tear stained face. Mandy wrapped an arm around Lindsay as she led her inside, shutting the door behind them. "Lindsay is everything alright?"

Lindsay shook her head as she looked away from Mandy, tears springing to her eyes once more.

After getting no response, Mandy led Lindsay into the living room where the two of them sat on the couch. "Lindsay what happened?"

Lindsay let out a choked sob before she looked up at Mandy. "A-Adam's.." Lindsay felt her eyes fill with tears once more, "Adam's dead." She said, her lips trembling.

Mandy looked at Lindsay in shock, gaping as she took in what Lindsay said. "What? How did this happen?" she finally said.

Lindsay sniffled as she tried to calm herself down. She took a deep breath before she opened her mouth to speak. "James, he…" Lindsay bit her lip, trying to keep from crying once more.

Mandy tried to calm Lindsay down as she waited for her to continue.

Lindsay began to wring her hands once more as she tried to find the right words to say. "J-James..h-he-" Lindsay paused as she took a deep breath, "he killed him." she said, stuttering as the words escaped her lips.

Lindsay looked over at Mandy who was staring at her with a blank look on her face. "Wh-what?" Mandy stuttered as she took in the words. Mandy looked over at Lindsay expectantly, but Lindsay only held her head in her hands as she began to sob again. Mandy swallowed hard and took in a deep breath before she spoke again. "What happened?"

Lindsay placed her hands in her lap as she looked back up at Mandy. She swallowed hard, "A-Adam threatened to kill James and me, then later tonight-" Lindsay took a deep breath. "-He tried killing me. The next thing I knew, Adam was on the floor in front of me and.." A sob escaped her lips as the image of James holding the gun ran through her mind. "James was the one who pulled the trigger." she said through sobs, her body shaking as she went on.

Mandy pulled Lindsay into a hug as tears began to fall down Lindsay's face once more. Mandy stroked Lindsay's hair as she tried to calm her down. Every so often saying, "It'll be okay," in barely a whisper.

Lindsay sniffled before she took in a deep breath once more, trying to calm herself down. "I just don't know what to do anymore." Lindsay said in barely a whisper.

"I wish I could make things better for you Linds. It shouldn't be this hard." She squeezed Lindsay's hand as she leaned back. "How's James doing?"

Lindsay sighed as she shook her head. "I don't know. I have no idea where he is, or how he's dealing with all this."

Mandy arched an eyebrow at Lindsay in question. "Didn't you two talk about it, I mean I'm sure he's going through a lot too."

Tears began to build up in her eyes again, Lindsay shut her eyes, trying not to cry. "No." She let out an exasperated sigh, "I asked him to leave."

"Oh." Mandy said simply as she looked down at the ground. "Listen, I know you probably don't want to go back there, so..do you want to stay here for the night? At least until things calm down a bit?"

"Are you sure? I don't want to bother you and Jacob."

Mandy placed her hand on Lindsay's shoulder and squeezed it a bit, "I'll sleep better knowing my best friend is safe."

Lindsay gave Mandy an apologetic smile and hugged her best friend tightly before letting go.

"Thank you Mandy." Lindsay said, still sniffling.

"Anytime." Mandy said with a smile. "I'll go and make something to eat while you make you're self at home, okay?"

Mandy got up and left the room leaving Lindsay alone. Lindsay sighed before she got up and went upstairs to the guest room. She walked in and shut the door behind her before she made her way over to the bed and lay down. A pained expression crossed her face as she shut her eyes, trying to keep the tears from falling again.


Mandy sighed deeply before she reached for the door handle and walked out. She found Jacob sitting on the steps out on the porch. Sighing softly she walked over and sat down beside him. Jacob looked over at her with concern as he saw the state she was in. "Is everything okay?" he asked softly.

Swallowing hard, Mandy felt her breath get caught in her throat before she spoke. She turned to Jacob, "Something's happened." Mandy said quietly.

"What do you mean?" he asked worriedly.

Mandy looked down at the ground as she tried to find an easy way to tell Jacob the news. She found that there wasn't much she could do but tell him plainly what happened. Sighing she looked back up at him, "Adam's dead, Jacob."

A look of grief crossed his face as he tried to process what she said, "What?"

"I'm so sorry." Mandy said sympathetically as she placed a hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

"How did this happen?" Jacob asked, still unable to believe it.

"Jacob, I know I told you earlier that nothing was going on between James and Lindsay, but-" Mandy paused as she breathed in deeply, "I lied." A sob escaped her lips as she looked away from him, tears forming in her eyes.

Jacob wrapped an arm around her as he held her close, "I understand, but how long has it been going on?"

"A month or so, Adam just found out tonight. He was really angry with her and-" she paused as she pursed her lips and looked down at the ground. "He threatened to kill Lindsay for what she did and, well James wouldn't let anything happen to her so he shot Adam before he could do the same to Lindsay." Mandy said as she sniffled.

Jacob stroked Mandy's arm as he tried to process everything she was saying. He sighed before he opened his mouth to say something. "I still can't believe it, I never thought he'd do anything like that, even after what Lindsay did."

"I'm sorry Jacob, I know you were friends with both of them." Mandy said as she looked up at him through tear filled eyes.

"I can see where James was coming from though." He said as he kissed her on the forehead. "How's Lindsay handling all of it?"

"She's doing better, a little overwhelmed but much better than before. I hope you don't mind, but I told her that she could stay with us for a few days."

"That's fine, she could probably use her friend right now."

Mandy gave him a small smile as she laid her head on his shoulder and the two of them sat there upon the porch.


James drove on through the quiet town unsure of where he was going. He'd been driving ever since he had left Lindsay back at her house. Lindsay. Just the thought of her hurt at that moment. The only thing he could think of were the last words she had said to him"I said go." Those words continued to ring in his ears and the image of her breaking before him kept running through his mind. The thought of how angry she had been when she'd told him to leave hurt him. He'd try to think of something else but some how he'd just go right back to thinking of her. All he wanted was to end her misery and hope that they could be together afterwards, but now it seemed as if he'd ruined everything. He had only made Lindsay angry with him and from the looks of it she didn't want anything to do with him either. James gripped the wheel tighter now as he continued to think of Lindsay. Everything had happened the exact opposite of what he had expected, he wanted to keep his promise for Lindsay but not at the cost of losing her. He knew if he hadn't shot Adam than he would've lost Lindsay, but now he could see that he was practically in a lose – lose situation.
Lindsay sat before the windowsill staring out into the night as the rain pelted down on her window. It reminded her of the night James had come over and they confessed their feelings for one another. She remembered how scared she had been that night since she was afraid of what Adam would do if he'd found out. That night she had lay in her bed staring up at the ceiling, listening to the rain outside. She started to regret what she said to James now, if she hadn't told him then they wouldn't be in this mess. Yet if she hadn't told James she would've broken his heart since he had gathered up the courage that night to tell her finally. Lindsay was pulled out of her thoughts at the sound of someone opening the door. She looked over to see Mandy shutting the door behind her. Mandy gave her a comforting smile as she walked over and sat down beside Lindsay. "How are you holding up?" Mandy asked.

"Just thinking about James," Lindsay said with a sigh as she played with the hem of her skirt with her fingers. "I don't know what I'm going to do Mandy." she said as she looked up at her with saddened eyes.

Mandy placed a comforting hand on Lindsay's shoulder. "It'll be over soon, everything will be alright."

"I know, I just- I shouldn't have asked him to leave. I'm afraid to even think of what he's thinking right now." Lindsay said placing her hand on her forehead as she pursed her lips.

Mandy looked down at her lap as she withdrew her hand from Lindsay's shoulder. It hurt her that Lindsay was so upset and there wasn't much she could do. She could only hope that she could cheer her friend up at that moment. Mandy smiled a bit as she opened her mouth to say something. "Remember the night I left James in your house and you got out of the shower to find him standing in the doorway of your bedroom?" Mandy said trying to hide the laughter that was trying to escape her lips.

Lindsay shook her head as she looked down at her lap, "Yes, how could I forget? That was probably the most embarrassing moment of my life," she said with a smile as her cheeks turned red. A laugh escaped her lips at the thought of that night, "Can't forget the fact that he fell down the stairs and I had only a towel on the whole time!" Lindsay gushed.

They looked at each other and burst out laughing, Mandy smiled with satisfaction and relief. It was nice to see her friend laugh again; she hadn't showed the least bit of happiness ever since the party.


James drove on heedlessly as the rain poured down harder. He could barely see out the windshield but he didn't know what else to do but to drive. No idea where to, or why he continued to but all he thought of doing was driving off, away from Tree Hill. Getting away seemed like the only option for him, if he had lost Lindsay, there wasn't much left for him if he had. He was too afraid to find out at the moment. Just the thought of her telling him they couldn't be together now, and meaning it, hurt.

James thought back to when Lindsay and he were younger, when they had had nothing to worry about, and they hadn't expected they'd end up the way they had now. He hadn't told her then about his feelings and maybe they were better off. They were happy then, although before he told her they were both unhappy, regretting the decisions they'd chosen relationship wise. But even then they weren't in the state they were in now, when he might have lost her. James began to wonder if maybe it would have been better if he hadn't told her.

A small smile appeared on his lips as he remembered the night when he had known that he loved her, that his feelings were real. He remembered how happy the two of them had been back then, when they were just friends.


James stared back at Lindsay, barely even registering what she was talking about. He had tried to ignore the feelings he'd been having lately, but even as he looked at her he knew he wouldn't be able to. Those feelings were there now, and probably wouldn't ever go away despite his best efforts to try and push them away. He was soon brought out of his trance-like state when he heard her calling his name.

"James? James?! Hello, earth to James!" Lindsay called out as she tried to get his attention.

"Huh? What?" he said as he shook his head.

"Are you even listening to what I'm saying?" Lindsay asked as she arched her eyebrow in question.

"No, sorry." He mumbled quietly.

"What is with you tonight? You're acting really weird." Lindsay said with laughter in her voice. "It's really odd but kind of amusing."

"Amusing how?" he asked with worry.

"Cause you keep giving me these ridiculous looks while I'm talking." She said with a smile as she went to take a sip from her cup.

"I am?" he asked raising his eyebrows, trying to hide the fact that he was embarrassed.

"Yes." Lindsay said with a laugh.

James cleared his throat as he looked away. "So, what were you saying again?" he asked, hoping she'd forget about everything.

Lindsay shook her head, "Never mind, it wasn't important. It was stupid anyways."

"Linds, come on, I don't think anything you say is stupid. Come on, what was it?" James said, pleading with her.

"I-I was just saying how I've been thinking about, you know, what I expect I'll end up doing in the future. How I want to settle down right away with someone, the right guy this time." A small laugh escaped her lips as she spoke, "I know Dean and I weren't together for that long, but I'd hate to be in a relationship like that again. I just hope I'll find the right guy, soon."

James swallowed hard before he nodded, "I hope so too." He said quietly.

"What is it?" Lindsay asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know, you're just acting different tonight. Is there something that's bothering you?" Lindsay asked, hopeful.

"No," James said as she shook his head. "I've just been thinking about the same thing."

Lindsay grinned as she tried not to laugh, "How you want to find the right guy?" she said as she tried to stifle a laugh.

James shook his head as a smile appeared on his lips, "No, you know what I mean."

Lindsay just nodded as she sighed.

"What?" James asked her as he looked back over at her.

A smile crossed her lips as she looked over at him, "I just missed night like this. The two of us," she said. "It makes me glad I broke up with Dean."

James smiled back at her, "Yeah. I missed you too."

Lindsay took a sip of her tea as she looked out over to the street as it began to rain.

A smile appeared on James's face as he looked back at her, "You know I'm getting kind of bored just sitting here."

"Oh?" Lindsay asked as she arched her eyebrow. "I'm sorry James, am I boring you?" She asked jokingly.

James looked away as if he was pondering his reply.

Lindsay looked over at him in shock, she leaned over and slapped his arm playfully.

James stared down at the spot where she'd hit him, he looked back up at her as if he was astounded that she had just hit him. Lindsay quickly stuck her tongue out at him teasingly. James smirked as he laughed. "You're going to pay for that." He said.

Lindsay looked back at him in confusion. Before she knew it he was lifting her up over his shoulder. James ran down the steps from the porch and out into the rain. A scream escaped Lindsay's lips, "James!!" she screamed.

James laughed as he ran over to the lawn and started to spin the two of them around in the rain. Lindsay continued to scream as he spun her around. When he stopped he set her down before him, he burst out laughing as she stumbled while she tried to get her bearings.

Lindsay glared at him as she stepped forward and shoved him, almost knocking him over. "I can't believe you did that!" James just continued to laugh as the rain poured down on them. Lindsay slapped him in the arm again, "Stop! It isn't funny." Lindsay looked up at him, pouting.

"Aw come on Lindsay.." he said as he put his hand on her arm. Lindsay moved away as she crossed her arms. "Okay I'm sorry Lindsay," he said. "I didn't know that Dean had taken all the fun out of you." Lindsay stuck her tongue out at him again. "Come on don't be like that." James said as he stepped closer to her and wrapped his arms around her.

Lindsay laughed as he held her tight, "It's okay." She said as she leaned her head on his chest. She never realized how much she really had missed him before.

James pulled away a bit as he looked down at her, she looked back up at him. The two of them just stood there staring back at one another, before they both looked away awkwardly as Lindsay's mother called for them. "We should probably go." Lindsay said as she stepped back and turned around. A smile spread across her lips as she walked over to the porch.


James slowly made his way over to the couch as he held Lindsay in his arms. He looked out the window as it began to rain outside. Carefully, he lay her down upon the couch, trying not to wake her.

The two of them had been out late that night and she'd fallen asleep on the way home. It was practically his fault that they'd been gone so long, he would feel bad if he had to wake her. Besides, she had drank a little too much that night at the party they were at and he figured she wouldn't wake up anyways.

James stood up as he finally lay her down. He smiled a bit as he watched her lay there sleeping, soundly. Without even thinking he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek, Lindsay stirred a bit. He quickly stood up and turned to leave. "James?" Lindsay called out sleepily.

Crap. he thought. He turned around and looked over at her. She lay there staring up at him, half asleep. "Hey." he said quietly.

"Hi," she said with a smile. "What happened?"

James shook his head as he sat down beside her. "Let's just say you went a little too crazy with drinks tonight."

Lindsay groaned, "No wonder I have a headache."

James laughed, "I should go. I'll see you tomorrow." he said.

"Wait," Lindsay called out.

"What is it?" James asked.

Lindsay leaned up a bit as she pulled him closer to her. She placed a hand behind his head as she brought her lips to his. She kissed him gently as she held him close. "Thanks." she said in almost a whisper.

A small smile appeared on James' lips as he hovered over her. "No problem." he said before he got up and walked out the door.

Lindsay lay there with a smile on her lips before she felt sleep overcome her and fell fast asleep once more.

James made his way to his car, trying not to get too wet. As he sat down he sat there for a moment thinking back to what had happened inside. He smiled as he thought back to the kiss before he drove off.


James stared off, lost in thought, barely even watching where he was going. He never realized how long it had been there between them, how stupid he had been to be afraid of telling her. The only reason he hadn't was because he was afraid she didn't feel the same way and that he didn't want it to ruin the relationship they already had. He sighed as all the thoughts of that night rushed back to him. James looked back out to the road, a look of panic crossed his face as he came upon something in the road. He slammed on the brakes, trying to avoid it, but only caused his car to swerve over to the side of the road. The sound of his tires screeching was the last thing he heard before his car slammed into a tree. He looked up, his eyes heavy, an image of Lindsay flashed before him until everything went black.


Mandy and Lindsay continued to joke around, laughing at whatever the other said. They had been talking about all the crazy things the two of them had done when they were younger. Mandy knew that the only thing she could do right now was try to take Lindsay's mind off of everything. Lindsay hadn't thought of anything that had happened after Mandy had steered their conversation to something else. The two of them sat there laughing, before they heard the sound of rushed footsteps down the hall. They both looked up to see Jacob running into the room, panting as he finally stopped. Quickly, they stopped as Jacob looked over at them with a panicked expression on his face.

"Jacob, what's wrong?" Mandy asked concerned as she stood up and walked over towards him, placing a hand on his arm firmly.

"I have some bad news." Jacob said staring over at Lindsay.

"What happened?" Lindsay asked worriedly as she stood up as well.

"I just got off the phone with the hospital." Jacob swallowed hard as he paused once he looked over at Lindsay's worried face. "It's James, he was in an accident. The rain—"

Lindsay stared back at Jacob in shock, her mouth gaping as she stood there speechless. Tears springing to her eyes as she processed what Jacob had just told her.