Rebuilding and Crumbling Chapter 12!

By: Matt91

Disclaimer: Lucas Scott, Nathan Scott, Brooke Davis, Peyton Sawyer, and Haley James don't belong to me, as do Karen Roe, Deb Scott, Dan Scott, Andy and other characters that appear on the show. Please e-mail me with any comments you may have.

Cafe

Andy and Karen are there, talking.

"So, what do you say to a weekend getaway in the country?" asks Andy.

"It's already 10:00 Saturday morning," says Karen. "What weekend?"

"Correction, it's only 10:00. If we leave within an hour or so, we'll get there around 2 or 3," says Andy.

"Well, I can leave Deb in charge of the café," says Karen, a bit reluctantly.

"So, is that a yes?" asks Andy, hopefully. He and Karen need a weekend alone!

"Yes, let's go," says Karen, smiling.

"Oh, you're the greatest!" exclaims Andy, kissing Karen.

Haley and Lucas walk in to see Karen and Andy kissing.

"Oh, sorry, should we come back later?" asks Lucas, jokingly.

Andy and Karen break this kiss.

"Cute," says Karen.

"Your mom and I are heading to the country this weekend," Andy tells Lucas.

"Oh, that's great," says Lucas, smiling.

"Yeah, the country is so beautiful," says Haley.

Karen looks at her watch.

"Ok, well, if we wanna leave within an hour, I gotta go home and pack," says Karen, as she and Andy head to the door.

"Deb should be here soon, can you guys stay here until she comes?" asks Karen. "And then tell her I left?"

"Got it," says Haley.

Andy and Karen leave.

"I'm happy for your mom," Haley tells Lucas. "She seems really happy with Andy."

"Yeah, she does," says Lucas. "She finally deserves to be happy!"

"Ok, well, this place isn't gonna have any business unless we make some coffee," says Haley, walking behind the counter and making coffee.

"Hales," calls Lucas, leaning against the counter.

"Yeah?" asks Haley, turning around when the sound that the coffee's perking is heard.

"What's going on with you and Bryce?" asks Lucas.

"Nothing," says Haley, putting an apron on and trying to avoid the subject.

"Hales, I can tell that it's not just nothing," says Lucas. "Talk to me."

"Ok," says Haley, as they both sit at the counter.

"Do you like him?" asks Lucas.

"Yes, Luke, I do, I like him a lot," says Haley. "I haven't felt this way in a long time."

"What way?" asks Lucas, confused.

"When I'm around him, I just feel so…right. My heart beats fast and I just have this overwhelming sense of happiness," says Haley, a huge smile plastered on her face. "Something I haven't felt since…"

"Nathan," finishes Lucas.

Haley nods.

"Haley, I don't wanna tell you what to do, but all I'm going to say is that Nathan doesn't like seeing you with Bryce," says Lucas.

"You mean he's jealous?" asks Haley, as a matter of fact.

"Yeah, he is. He still loves you, Hales," says Lucas.

"I love him too, but he rejected me. He pushed me away, he was cold to me, he made it crystal clear that he wanted nothing to do with me, with us," says Haley. "I'm not just going to wait around for him to have a revelation one day and realize we belong together. I'm moving on, I don't wanna hurt anymore. I just want be happy, is that too much to ask?"

"No, it's not," says Lucas. She has a completely valid point! "But, you said that you're not going to wait around for him to have a revelation and realize that you guys belong together. That means you still believe you guys belong together."

"Of course I do, I always have. But, I'm not waiting around like a loser for god knows how long for Nathan to realize that too. I'm done fawning over a man who doesn't want me, no more discussion about it," says Haley, her voice rising. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have tables to clean."

Haley gets up, grabs a rag, and goes to clean the tables.

Lucas looks at her, knowing she's hurting!

Sawyer Home

"Ok, thank you," says Peyton, as she closes the door. She is holding a package delivered to her by UPS.

She reads whom it's from and is surprised to see it's from Ellie. Yet, there's no return address.

Peyton walks into the living room and opens the box.

In it there's a letter and photos of Peyton from when she was younger.

She opens the letter.

"Dear Peyton,

I bet you never expected to hear from me again! I just wanted to write and let you know that as you were growing up, your parents didn't want you to ever meet me. I was supposed to just disappear forever. But, I couldn't do that. The pictures in this box are pictures I took of you when you were younger. I was in Tree Hill for a number of years for I wanted to know what my daughter looked like. Now, that you've made it clear you want nothing to do with me, I'd figured I'd sent you these pictures. I kept a few for myself, so I'll never forget my beautiful and headstrong daughter. I love you and I always will.

-Ellie," reads Peyton.

Peyton puts the letter in her lap and cries. She knows she made a mistake when she let Ellie go. She's determined to find a way to get in touch with Ellie, even if it means going to San Francisco!

Keith's Apartment

Keith has been enjoying his last week or so back. He's seen everyone since he's been back, but has kept his distance because he needs time to readjust to his old life.

"Where are you Jules?" asks Keith aloud.

Roe Home

Karen and Andy are preparing to leave.

"Got everything?" asks Andy.

"Yup. And I called Keith and asked him to watch over Lucas while we're gone," says Karen.

"Sounds good," says Andy, smiling. "Let's go."

They open the door and when they do, they see Jules standing there.

"Jules!" exclaims Karen, not believing her eyes.

"Hello, Karen, Andy," says Karen.

Andy and Karen stare at Jules in shock, they never expected to see her again!

Author's Note: Ok, well, here's chapter 12. I hope you enjoyed it! So, what's going to happen next? What is Jules doing back? Will she and Keith reconcile or will Keith be angry and shun her? Will things work out in school? Will Haley and Bryce get serious? Will Lucas and Brooke see that they belong together? Will Andy and Karen finally work out? Will Nathan and Haley reconcile? How will the fact that Lucas has been without his HCM medication affect him? Who set Dan up? What will he do when he discovers who set him up? Will Peyton be able to get in touch with Ellie? Answers coming soon! Stay tuned! Chapter 13, coming soon! In the meantime, please REVIEW!