A/N: Thank you for the awesome reviews! And thanks to my awesome beta: Leeese!

Disclaimer: Don't own OTH

Chapter Ten

Nathan jogged down the street, lost in thought. The phone call with his dad had gone well, too well. His father had been disappointed, but he didn't pressure him about staying. Instead, he had encouraged Nathan to take a break and have a think about it for a few days before turning in his resignation. It was almost like he had been warned by Cooper. Nathan figured that he probably had been. He knew his father and that wasn't how Dan usually acted.

It made him extremely worried and anxious. He feared that Cooper had also told Dan about his strange behavior. That was the last thing he wanted. It was hard enough trying to avoid Brooke or Beth all the time. Then he had Haley on his back. She knew that something was bothering him and it killed him not to tell her. But he knew that it was the only way to protect both her and Brooke.

Of course, the best way to protect both Haley and Brooke was to get them out of Tree Hill. However, he didn't want to do it until he was positive that Cooper knew that Brooke was Beth. He knew that it was crazy to wait instead of just making them leave, but he didn't want to risk it.

He reached his house and followed the sidewalk up to the front porch. He then took a few deep breaths before he headed into the house. He walked through the rooms until he reached the kitchen, where Haley was busy working away at the table. "What are you working on?" Nathan asked her curiously as he opened the fridge and grabbed a water bottle.

"I'm working on the invitations for Brooke's surprise party," Haley replied as Nathan opened the bottle and started drinking the water.

Nathan frowned at what he heard. "I thought Brooke's parents said that the party isn't a good idea?"

Haley nodded. "Yeah, but by the time that they told Lucas that, most of the party plans had already been set. So we are going to go ahead with the party anyway." There was a short pause. "It was funny because Mr. Davis thought that Lucas was going to ask his permission to marry Brooke. Of course, I don't blame him. I don't think they are anywhere near ready for that next step. They haven't even been dating a month."

"Lucas hasn't been talking about marrying her yet, has he?" Nathan asked her as he frowned once again.

"Well, I'm sure that he wants to do it somewhere down the road. He and Brooke are perfect for each other," Haley replied as she smiled.

Nathan sighed. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I'm not sure perfect is the word I would pick for them."

Haley turned to him confused. "What are you talking about?" she asked as she got a puzzled look on her face.

"It's nothing," Nathan quickly replied. He knew that if he went on any longer, he would spill the beans.

Haley pushed her chair out, stood up and went over to him. "You know what I think we need? I think we need some alone time together. How about I make us a romantic candlelight dinner tonight?" she asked him as she wrapped her arms around him.

Nathan gave her a smile in response. "Do you mind having it at the restaurant? I promised Mom I would help her out tonight." He then thought for a moment. "Why don't you have the surprise party there instead of Tric? Tric is so popular. It doesn't seem right for us to hog it, even if it is for one night."

Haley knew he had a point. "True, but Tric is so much closer and easier for us to get to." There was a short pause. "But I would love to join you at the restaurant tonight. I'm sure that we'll have fun." Just then, the kitchen phone rang and Haley moved away from him and walked over to answer it. She pulled it off the receiver and put it to her ear. "Hello?" she asked. She waited for a reply, but there was silence. She groaned frustrated before putting the phone back on its receiver. "Ok, this is really getting annoying. That's the third time that someone called this week and nobody's there."

Nathan frowned as he grew anxious once more. "Really? How come you never told me about this before?"

"Because I didn't want you to get worked up about it. I thought it was just a kid playing a crank call," Haley replied.

Nathan gave her an annoyed look. "You should have told me that the first time it happened," he exclaimed in a frustrated tone. This made him even more worried than before.

Haley didn't know what to say. "I'm sorry."

Nathan knew that he had to calm down. He took a deep breath as he said, "No, I'm sorry. I just want to protect you, but I can't do that if you don't tell me stuff like this." Haley nodded understandingly. "Look, I've got to go to the store and get some stuff for my mom for tonight. Want to join me?"

"Actually, I'm in charge of getting Brooke to the party. So I have to head over to the clothing store and see if I can convince her to come to Tric on Thursday night. We would do it on Friday, her actual birthday. But Lucas has some of his own surprises planned for her that night," Haley told him with a smile.

"How are you going to convince Brooke to come to Tric without Lucas?" Nathan asked her curious."

Haley just smiled wider at him. "I have my ways," she replied before she gave him a quick kiss. She started to head out of the kitchen when she turned back to him. "I'll see you tonight. I love you."

"I love you too," Nathan replied with a fond smile before his wife disappeared. However, his thoughts soon went back to the phone call. He wondered if the phone call really was just another prank call or whether it was a warning. He hoped it was the first one, but he had a feeling that it was the second one. If it was the second one, he knew that he would have no choice but to make Brooke leave Tree Hill before it was too late.

Brooke was serving out a customer when she noticed that Haley had walked through the entrance. She finished up with the customer as Haley walked up to the counter. They exchanged smiles as Haley arrived. "Can I help you with anything?" Brooke teased her.

Haley laughed in response. "Well, you can't really help with clothes. I mean you have great taste. But that's not what I'm here for."

Brooke looked at her surprised as she asked, "You still haven't told Nathan yet, have you?"

"No, I haven't. Every time I start to, we get interrupted by something or other," Haley replied frustrated. "And he really seems distracted for some reason. But he won't tell me what's bothering him."

"And you're still hoping that I could cover for you?" Brooke asked her.

"No, I gave up on that," Haley replied. "I want to see if you were willing to take some time away from your boyfriend to have a girls' night out with me and Peyton on Thursday night. No boyfriends, fiancés or husbands allowed. So what do you say?"

Brooke gave her a smile. "I'd love to." There was a short pause. "But I'll only do it if you would join me for lunch today."

Haley nodded in agreement as she asked, "Ok, where do you want to go?"

"Well, maybe we could go to your house," Brooke suggested.

Haley immediately stopped her right there. "No, let's go to your apartment," she replied as she realized that she had left the invitations right on the kitchen table. She quickly tried to make up an excuse. "After all, I came out here to get out of the house for awhile."

"You know I can't cook," Brooke reminded her.

Haley just gave her a smile. "You will be able to after I'm done with you. Now tell Millie you're leaving and I'll meet you in the car." Brooke nodded and disappeared in the back. Haley headed back outside to her car. She waited patiently until Brooke was ready before they headed to the apartment.

"You know, it's weird that you mentioned Thursday when my birthday is Friday," Brooke told Haley as she drove the car through the streets.

Haley did her best to act innocent. "Really? What a coincidence. Do you have any plans with your parents or Lucas?"

Brooke shook her head in response. "No, but I'm sure that Lucas will have something planned for me. He always does."

Haley nodded in agreement. "Yeah, he's excellent in doing that." She then changed the subject. "So do you have a birthday list?" she asked her.

"Actually, I've been thinking about it and I've decided that I don't want anything this year," Brooke replied. Haley raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Instead, I want to make sure that all the money people would spend on gifts goes to a charity."

Haley gave her a wide smile. "That's so thoughtful of you, Brooke."

"Well, I figured it's the least I can do," Brooke replied as they arrived at her apartment. Haley parked the car and they climbed out. "The only problem is figuring out which charity the money should go to."

"Just leave that to me," Haley told her as they reached the front door.

Brooke pulled out her key from her purse and unlocked the door. They walked through the living room to the kitchen just as the phone started ringing. Brooke frowned. "I wonder who that could be. Most people know to call me on my cell-phone if they want to get a hold of me."

"It's probably one of those people who want to sell you something. Nathan and I get those all the time," Haley assured her as she rolled her eyes. She hated the telesales people. "Or probably a wrong number. You should just let the answering machine pick it up."

Brooke nodded in agreement. "Can I get you something to drink?" she asked as the phone kept on ringing. She was tempted to pick up the phone, but she knew that she shouldn't. She pulled out the water pitcher as she heard the answering machine pick up. She put the water pitcher down on the counter before pulling out two glasses. She then froze as she heard the message on the answering machine, dropping the two glasses in shock.

"Give yourself up now and nobody will get hurt."