AN: Update 2/2

Chapter 20

Romance ain't dead, baby

Peyton took a deep breath as she paced outside her father's office. She was dressed up in her ball gown and her hair had been hastily put up into a loose chignon.

She couldn't believe she was actually doing this. She had to know that her father would never listen to her, but it was while she had been putting a hairpin into her curly blonde hair when she truly thought about doing this, and once she got an idea into her head she couldn't let it go.

"Mr. Sawyer will… sorry Peyton," Jane – Larry's secretary said, grimacing with awkwardness. "It's just a habit. Your dad's free."

Peyton gave Jane a reassuring smile and an eye roll – who else had to book an appointment to see there own father. He had almost said no, he was so mad at her, but Peyton wouldn't be deterred and had yelled down the phone at him until he gave in and said he would be available at 7 O'clock, only half an hour before the ball.

Smoothing down her pale silver dress, Peyton took another deep breath and made her way over to her father's office door. It swung open silently and she stepped inside, flinching at the soft click the door made as it shut behind her.

"Peyton," Larry greeted calmly. Peyton looked at him with her best angry expression and stormed over to the desk.

"Why can't you leave me to live my own life?" she said, jumping straight into the deep end. Her body was arranged into a battle position, with her hands on her hips and her shoulders bent forwards.

"Is this about Jack?" Larry asked, his tone still calm and his face expressionless.

"JAKE! His name his Jake," Peyton yelled, unable to match her father's unaffected demeanour. "And I love him."

"No you don't," Larry said, leaning back on his chair and surveying his daughter with cold eyes. "And you're going to marry Nathan."

Peyton let out a scream of frustration and came very close to stamping her foot. Luckily her ball dress reached the floor, so even if she had done such a thing, Larry probably wouldn't have been able to see it.

"Peyton, stop acting like a child!" Larry said, his voice finally showing some emotion. Peyton grasped on that and told herself that although Larry seemed like a monster, he was actually only human. And he was her dad.

"I'll stop acting like a child when you stop treating me like one! Jeez dad! I'm 25-years-old. I am old enough to make my own decisions. Oh, and FYI, you may have told me what to do all my life, but don't you dare tell me how I feel about someone, because whether you like it or not, I do love Jake."

"Really?"

"Yes! And Nathan loves someone too. She's called Haley and she's amazing. Whatever business transaction you and Dan were hoping to acquire by using your children as pawns is going to have to stop right now."

"Are you telling me what to do?"

Peyton bit her lip as she looked down at her father, sat back on his chair like he was discussing business with an employee. Maybe that's all I am to him, she thought. An employee.

"Because last time I checked, I was the father and you were the daughter."

Peyton's shoulders slumped. "You're right. You are the father. Maybe you should start acting like it."

xxx

"HALEY!" Brooke yelled, fixing a gold and ruby earring into her ear while simultaneously applying red gloss. "Hurry! The guys are going to be here in ten minutes and you haven't even got your dress on."

Haley looked up at Brooke from deep in her thoughts. God, she was getting worse. Every time there was silence her mind immediately wandered to angst. She felt like a damn teenager! She really needed to get a grip and focus on making tonight a good night. After all, Nathan was announcing their engagement to everyone. Including Dan.

"Sorry," she said, shaking her head to clear the fug and looking into Brooke's dressing table mirror. Her hair was loose and styled in the way of an old 40's movie star, with waves framing her face and a diamond barrette clipping it out of her eyes. Her make up was an equal mixture of sultry and angelic, with smoky kohl and shimmery grey framing her dark brown eyes, and soft, almost nude gold on her lips.

The two girls were getting ready at Brooke and Lucas's apartment, while the men had got ready at Nathan's and were picking them up in a limousine any minute now.

"Hey, are you nervous?" Brooke asked, stepping away from the bathroom mirror and making her way across the bedroom to sit beside Haley. She stroked her hair and gave a sympathetic smile. "Big night, huh?"

Haley smiled into the mirror and nodded. "I'm fine."

"Okay, but if you need to talk, I'm here, okay?"

Haley nodded once more and stood up, making her way to the bed were her dress lay in all its stunning glory. "This is amazing, Brooke," Haley said honestly.

Brooke gave a modest shrug and picked a piece of fluff off her own dress – red, as predicted.

"Here, can you help me into it," Haley asked, feeling surprisingly un-self conscious dressed in her underwear. Brooke was just one of those people where it didn't matter, because you knew that she had probably done so much worse.

"Of course," Brooke said with a grin. "But if I break my nail on the zip, you're in trouble."

xxx

"Nervous?" Lucas asked, looking down at his little brother and noting the anxious expression on his face.

Nathan's head shot up and he shook it out of reflex. A beat passed and he gave a little chuckle. "Of course I am. I'm going head to head with Dad tonight."

Lucas nodded and leaned back into the plush leather of the limousine. "But you're making the right decision, right?"

Nathan looked at him sharply. "Of course I am. I love Haley…"

"Yeah man, I know. It's clear from the way you look at each other, but…"

"But what?" Nathan asked, his voice changing from friendly to on edge. "What are you trying to say to me Luke?"

"Calm down," Lucas said. "I'm not trying to say anything. I was just trying to make sure that you're ready to get married. I mean, Brooke and I had a bet on about when you would settle down, and neither of us have won."

"You had a bet?" Nathan asked, smiling.

"Yeah," Luke laughed. "I had twenty dollars on you being fifty and Brooke had twenty on it being never. Technically, I should have won because I was closer, but Brooke claimed that I had to at least be somewhere in the region of close."

"Well, you were only twenty-five years out," Nathan shrugged, laughing again. "But I am ready," he went on, his tone shifting to serious. "I love her so much Luke. I can't imagine my life without her, and what's more, I don't want to. I feel like I've found my soul mate, you know? That's the way you feel about Brooke, right?"

Lucas nodded. "Yeah, it is."

The limousine slowed to a stop and Lucas leaned across the seat to take a look out of the window. They were outside his apartment block.

"Shall we?"

"Yeah."

xxx

"They're here! They're heeeeeeeeeeeeere!" Brooke yelled, running back into the bathroom to finish off her make up, framing her eyes with gold. Her high black heels clipped against the tiled floor as she hopped up and down, obviously under the mistaken impression that doing so would make her ready quicker.

"Calm down," Haley laughed, surveying herself in the mirror for what felt like the billionth time. She usually wasn't one to be vain, but she had to admit that she looked hot. "I'll get us all a drink of champagne while we wait."

She made her way into the living room and checked that the bottle of champagne was still on the coffee table where she had left it surrounded by four champagne flutes. There was another knock on the door and Haley smoothed down her dress as she went to answer it. This is where it all began.

xxx

"Twenty dollars Brooke isn't ready," Nathan said with a grin. Lucas shook his head.

"I don't enter into sure-lose bets," he said dryly, knocking on the door again. "But I bet you Haley isn't ready either."

"Twenty dollars?" Nathan said. Luke looked down at his hand before reaching down and shaking it.

At that moment the door flew open to reveal Haley – ready, but more importantly, stunning.

"Wow," Luke whistled. "You look great Haley. And I just lost twenty dollars."

Nathan couldn't find the words as he stared at her with his mouth open. Her make-up was soft and sensual, highlighting her amazing eyes and soft lips. Her hair was amazing, looking so glossy and pretty that Nathan wanted to reach out and stroke it, and the dress… God, that dress was incredible. It was a full skirt of gold silk, with a halter neck top and a sweet-heart neckline. The dress pulled in at the waist, accentuating Haley's incredible figure.

"Nathan?" Haley whispered, biting her lip and waiting for his approval. Nathan didn't say anything – he couldn't – but instead he pulled her to him and covered her lips with his, passionate and frenzied.

"Ugh," Lucas muttered, pushing passed the two of them and making his way into his apartment, going straight for the champagne.

"Wow," Haley whispered when Nathan pulled away. Her lips felt raw and empty without him. "Brooke's going to go mad. You kissed my lipstick off." It wasn't exactly romantic, but Haley's thoughts were all over the place and it was the only thing she could think of.

Nathan laughed and leaned down to rest his forehead against hers. "You look incredible Hales," He whispered.

"You look pretty hot yourself," she said, stroking the lapel of his tuxedo.

"I have something for you," Nathan said, leaning back and reaching into the inside pocket of his jacket.

"A present?"

"Kind of. It's a long time coming, but it had to be perfect… because you're perfect."

Haley could feel herself blush. "Nathan…" she stopped when she saw what Nathan had pulled out and put her hand over her mouth, gasping.

Nathan had pulled out a small velvet box with Cartier written across the top in silver lettering.

"Haley," Nathan started, opening the box to reveal a platinum engagement band with a solitaire cut diamond in the centre. "I know this has been a whirlwind romance, and I know that a lot of people are going to think we're rushing into this… but I don't care. As long as you're beside me, I feel like I can take on the world and win… so I know that I've asked this already, but I'm going to ask again, because the first time was far from ideal, and you deserve the best. So, Haley James… will you marry me?"

"Nathan!" Haley gasped again, throwing her arms around him as he lifted her up off her feet and swung her round. "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

There was a smattering of applause and the two broke apart, looking around in confusion. The two other doors on the floor were open – one revealing an old married couple and the other revealing a young family of five – and they had watched the whole thing. Nathan and Haley laughed, before Nathan picked her up in his arms and kissed her, eliciting a delighted squeal from Haley.

"Oh damn you Nathan Scott," Brooke said from her place just inside the door. "Now I have to go and reapply my eye-make up.

Lucas rolled his eyes in a 'women' gesture and took a big gulp of champagne. "Congratulations… again."

xxx

After finishing a glass of champagne each – or two in Lucas's case – the group of friends went back down to the limousine where the driver had been waiting patiently.

"Good evening," he greeted, holding the door open as the girls slid in first.

Everyone shouted a greeting back, feeling merry from the effects of the champagne and the atmosphere.

"Let me see it again," Brooke said, grabbing Haley's hand and holding it up to the light. "Ooh! Look at the way it sparkles!"

Haley laughed and pulled her hand back, cradling it. She didn't realise that it was possible to feel this happy. At the back of her mind, she knew it was all a sham, but for tonight – or for this moment at least – it all felt so real that she almost believed it.

The sound of a champagne bottle popping caused the girls to squeal as champagne went everywhere.

"Watch the dresses!" Brooke screamed, glaring at Lucas who had been the one to open the bottle.

"Sorry," Lucas shrugged, pouring the champagne into the flutes provided by the limousine. Everyone grabbed one.

"Here's to Nathan and Haley," Brooke toasted.

"Cheers!" everyone said and took a sip.

"And here's to Brooke and Lucas," Haley added.

"Cheers!"

"Here's to the Annual Scott Corp. Ball," Nathan offered.

"Cheers!"

"And here's to being young, happy and healthy," Lucas finished.

"Cheers!"

"And here's to toasts!" Haley said, raising the glass and giggling.

"Cheers." The cheers were getting more strained now.

"And here's to stopping now!"

"CHEERS!"

Haley laughed and took a big gulp of champagne, loving the way it fizzed at the back of her throat. She threw Nathan a big grin and tried to ignore the tiny niggling at the back of her mind that had occurred ever since Nathan proposed. She suspected it to be guilt over the whole con thing, but as she took another sip of champagne, it became glaring and obvious.

She dropped the nearly empty glass onto the floor.

"Hales, are you okay?" Nathan asked, concern evident on his voice. Haley looked at him like a startled gazelle and nodded numbly. Nathan didn't look convinced, but Lucas soon grabbed his attention making a joke that Haley didn't even hear. She also didn't notice when Brooke refilled her glass and made a comment about Haley being a lightweight.

All she heard was the last part of Nathan's engagement to her, roaring in her ears.

"…So, Haley James… will you marry me?"

He had called her Haley James.