I made a few errors, which bothered me a bit too much so I corrected them. The new chapter will be up shortly.
Previously: Their kisses continued, picking up where they had left off just moments before. Haley was still in control and soon their underwear too had parted from their bodies. She travelled down her queen of sexiness's body and made sure to cover every inch of it. Soon their sounds were filling the room, both enjoying the liberation they felt more than they had anticipated. It wasn't long before their climax came and they were both out of breath, lying beside each other on the cold, hard floor.
"Guess we never made it to the bed after all." Haley grinned. She looked over at Brooke and saw the content look in her eyes. She couldn't help but think: could life get any better than this?
Chapter 25: Showdown
The next morning they awoke curled up in each other's arms. Last night had been a true release for the both of them and Brooke felt like she hadn't slept this good in weeks. She looked over to Haley, whose eyes were still closed, with a peaceful expression on her face. As usual, she was completely overcome with her beauty. It amazed her how she was always so thrown by the extent of her beauty, even though she saw her every day. She really felt like the luckiest person on the planet, being able to wake up next to someone so special. She was like an angel, spreading joy all around and protecting her from the cruelty in the world. She remained in bed for a few more minutes, but after glancing at the clock she realized she'd better go make breakfast for her lady love. Breakfast in bed is always a good way to start the day.
As she starts on Haley's favourite breakfast, blueberry pancakes, she suddenly hears a buzzing behind her. In their rush to get to the bedroom last night, they had thrown their purses aside beside the couch, and were thus far unaware of the possible attempt of someone trying to reach them. She walks over to where the sound is coming from and picks up her phone. It said there were 3 missed calls and 1 message. She didn't recognized the number, but it seemed like someone was really trying to reach them so she quickly pressed play to listen to the message they had left.
"Hello Miss Davis. It's Chief Schwann from the Tree Hill police department. I'm calling in regard to the investigation. One of the men has been captured and during the interrogation, some new information has come to our attention. I'd appreciate you calling me back as soon as possible so that we can arrange a meeting in which we can inform you of the new developments."
Brooke stood frozen after listening to the message. She pressed repeat to make sure she had heard it correctly. Her heart was beating like crazy and her thoughts were running wild. Who did they capture? He said they had captured one of the men, does that mean that the other one is still at large? What information could they have that was so important for them to be in on? She glances over to the pancakes and then back to the cell phone. He said to call back as soon as possible, so Brooke goes out through the back and dials the chief's number. She closes the door behind her to make sure Haley doesn't wake and tries to prepare herself for what she might hear. After two rings, a voice on the other end answers.
"Chief Schwann."
"Hi, it's Brooke Davis. You called me about some new information?" Brooke was trying to keep her voice steady and not let fear trickle through, but she was barely able to keep her voice from shaking.
"Miss Davis, I'm glad you called. I was just about to come by your house to explain the situation."
"I'm sorry I didn't call any sooner, I uhm … misplaced my phone and only saw the message now."
"That's alright, I'm sure you weren't expecting this. Would it be possible for you to come by the station?"
"Of course, but can it wait 'till noon? My girlfriend has a very big thing happening today and I'd hate to ruin it for her." She paused for a second, dreading the answer to her next question. "Is there something to be worried about?"
"I won't go into detail right now, Miss Davis, but one of the men that held you captive, Terry Thomson, was captured last week. It seems his partner was headed this way and we'd like to make sure you and your friends remain out of harm's way. We'd like you to come to the station to look over some things and to arrange the proper protection."
"I'll come by at noon, if that's okay. Have you notified Clay or Quinn yet?"
"Noon will be just fine. No one else has been notified, as you requested, but protective measures have been put in motion. There's a car tailing them as we speak, there's one placed at their house as well as yours and at the Scott's residence."
"Okay, thank you very much for calling me and for keeping things quiet for now. They've all been through so much, I'd rather not fill them in unless there's no other way to keep them safe."
"Of course Miss Davis. See you at noon."
"Bye."
Brooke puts down her phone and sits for a second. She thinks back to the conversation she had with Chief Schwann just a few days after the event.
While Haley was still in bed, Brooke had quickly and quietly left the house to pay a visit to the police station. After the horrible things they had gone through, she needed to be sure that nothing like that would happen again. She had called Chief Schwann that morning to meet with her because she wanted to ask him something. More determined than ever, she walks into the building and heads straight for chief Schwann's desk. She gently knocks and opens the door after a murmured "come in".
"Hello chief Schwann, thanks for agreeing to see me on such short notice."
"Not a problem." He answers with a soft smile. "It seemed rather important you speak with me as soon as possible. If there's anything I can help you with, never hesitate to ask. Please have a seat"
He points at the chair on the other side of the desk and Brooke slowly walks over to sit.
"First off, I wanted to say how grateful I am. I hadn't thought any of us would make it through the rest of that day. I owe you both my life and the lives of the people I hold most dear, so thank you."
"No thanks necessary Miss Davis, I was only doing my job. I'm very happy we were able to get there in time." He answers, in true cop fashion, completely humble and honourable.
"I'd also like to ask you for something. That day was truly awful, but it made me think about some of my priorities. Above all, I want my friends and family to be safe. Have you found any of the other men that were involved?"
"I'm afraid not, both John and Terry are still at large."
"Would it be possible to be updated on all things concerning the search for those men?"
"Of course, as soon as any solid leads are brought to our attention, I'll make sure to let you know. I can't go into detail, depending the on-going investigation, but I'll keep you in the know as much as possible."
"I would appreciate that very much. Now what I really came here to ask, is the following. I would like to keep Haley, Clay and Quinn out of the investigation as much as possible. Not to be keeping them in the dark, but rather to protect them from the stress and worry that will no doubt come with it. I know it might not be for a while before both of those men are behind bars, but until that day I'd like to keep them from reliving the pain as much as possible."
"I understand your concern, but I'm afraid your friends might not like not being in the know. They have the right to that information, as much as you do."
"I know that, and I'm not saying they shouldn't be at all aware of what's going on, but I would appreciate you calling me first and then deciding on whether or not they need to be informed."
Luckily chief Schwann agreed on letting her know before anyone else. There hadn't been many calls, but he had called last week saying there was a lead on one of them and they were close to apprehending him. It hasn't always been easy keeping it from Haley, but she knew it was right to do things this way. She hated lying to Haley, she'd come close to filling her in one time when she picked up the phone instead of her, but she had come up with some excuse and asked the chief to call her on her cell instead from then on. She had explained the reason behind this and filled him in on the relationship that had started between her and Haley, but being the professional that he is, this didn't faze the chief much.
Brooke went back inside the house and continued working on the pancakes. Just 20 minutes ago, she had been feeling larger than life. Now however, she was trying really hard not to let it show that she felt anything but happy. She decided to focus on cooking breakfast and making sure Haley was feeling confident and ready for the big show tonight. As she was baking the first pancake, she heard some stirring from the bedroom. She guessed Haley must have smelt the food and was now slowly waking up from what was probably a very nice dream. She turned the pancake, grabbed a plate and the serving tray. It usually took at least 8 minutes before Haley got out of bed when she woke, so she could easily finish making the rest of the pancakes. She wanted to hurry a bit though, so she made the next pancakes a bit thicker so that the dough would be gone sooner. Just as she piled up the last one, she heard Haley call out her name.
"I'm coming," She quickly calls back. "don't leave the immediate bed-area."
Haley lets out a confusing "huh" and Brooke finds her sitting up as she enters their room. The look on the singer's face was exactly what Brooke had been looking forward to and the thoughts of the phone call drifted back just a little bit.
"Oh my God, Brooke …" Haley mumbles.
"Surprise! I've had the most perfect morning," She starts, which isn't really a lie, since it was perfect before the phone call. "and I wanted to do something special for the person that made it happen."
Haley smiles her most beautiful smile and looks up lovingly at her girlfriend. Brooke moves over to the bed and reclaims the spot she had leaved not too long ago.
"You are the best girlfriend anyone could have." She tells her, before leaning in to give her a kiss on the lips. Said girlfriend happily returns the kiss, until Haley's stomach starts growling and they both realize how hungry they really are. After coming home from the shop yesterday, they hadn't gotten around to eating supper, which meant neither of them had eaten anything since they went out to dinner at noon, the previous day.
"How long have you been up?" Haley asks, while cutting the first pancake.
"Not long, maybe half an hour. I didn't want to leave our cosy bed, but I figured a day like this deserved a special breakfast."
Haley smiles and puts another bite in her mouth. Eating pancakes always made her inner child come out. It made her feel like she could do anything and no matter what was going on, she'd end up feeling really happy. Funny how food could do that to someone. Brooke had known this for many years, ever since they both had shared an apartment. And there was nothing she loved more than making Haley happy.
Brooke puts her head on Haley's shoulder and closes her eyes. The thoughts of what the rest of the day would bring were lingering in the back of her mind. She didn't want to think about those things right now. All she wanted was to spend this moment feeling happy and in love.
"Open up." Said the smaller of the two. Brooke smiles and opened her mouth. In came a large piece of pancake which she thoroughly chewed, capturing the taste perfectly until she finally swallowed.
"Mmmm. I do love my cooking."
Haley chuckled. In response Brooke opened her eyes and eyed her girlfriend questioningly.
"What?" She asked, not realizing why that was so funny.
"You might have made these pancakes, but I'm the one that taught you how to make them."
The hairdresser was very much amused by that answer.
"Well, you are tutor girl." She responds, giving said tutor girl the urge to role her eyes.
Meanwhile at Tric
Chase was busy cleaning the bar when a man walked in the building. The music was playing rather loudly so he didn't notice the stranger approaching until he gently coughed.
"Excuse me." The man says in a British accent. "Is this where the benefit's at tonight? The one where Haley James Scott will be performing?"
Chase eyed him suspiciously but without a doubt answered him. "Yes it is. The show starts at 8. You a fan?"
"Oh certainly, I'm a big fan of Mrs Scott's work."
"Actually she's no longer going by that name. It's just Haley James now."
"Really? I didn't realize. Tell me, is there any way I could maybe get a backstage pass? I'd really like to meet her?"
"Actually, the backstage area will only be for performers and their family. But she's likely to be in the crowd after she performs. Maybe you'll get to meet her then."
"That would be lovely, but I'm not sure I'll be here long enough. I'm catching a plane back to the UK later this evening, so I'll be leaving right after she comes on."
"That's too bad." Chase, being a man that always tries to find a solution, gives another suggestion. "Haley's a pretty good friend of mine though, so maybe I could make an exception. How about you meet me at the bar at 8.30 and I'll see what I can do."
"That'd be great, thanks." The man says. He shakes Chase's hand and turns around. Chase goes back to cleaning but then realizes he forgot to ask something. He turns around while saying: "What's your name by the way?" but the man was gone. He shrugged and continued working. He needed this place looking sharp.
Back at Brooke's
The girls have finished their breakfast and are now doing the dishes. The atmosphere is peaceful and quiet, both just enjoying each other's company. Suddenly a thought comes to Haley's mind and she can't help but giving it sound.
"Nathan's probably going to be there tonight. He said he'd bring Jamie by, a few minutes before I go on stage."
Conversations about 'the Ex' were never easy, but so far things between Nathan and the girls had been fine. Sure he'd rather not be filing for divorce, but at least they were still in each other's lives. They hadn't gotten around to telling Jamie the whole story though, he'd been staying with his grandma the past week and a half. Nathan and Haley thought it be best to deal with things without him around, so he wouldn't overhear any of their conversations and be confused in the process. Today he was coming home though, so the dreaded conversation wouldn't be far ahead.
"That's great, Hales. I'm sure he's missed you."
They smile at each other. Brooke can't hold her question though, they had avoided the subject long enough.
"What are we going to tell him?"
Haley doesn't respond right away. She's been wondering the same thing for a while now and still hadn't figured out the best way to break the news to her son. He was a smart kid, playing pretence was definitely out of the question. Honesty would be the best policy in this case, she thought.
"I'm not exactly sure what to tell him yet, but I think it's best to just tell him about me and Nathan at first and wait to see how he copes with that before we tell him about us."
Brooke is silent for a while, before she can formulate a response, Haley continues.
"I'll tell him I'm staying with you, it's best to lie as little as possible. But I can't tell him about us yet, you understand right?" Having Brooke's silence continue is making Haley nervous. She knew this was a difficult topic, it was for the both of them, but if they wanted a life together, they'd have to talk about the difficult things as well.
"I understand." She finally says, wishing it could be different but knowing the decision rested with Haley in the end. "You think you'll talk to him tonight?"
"Maybe. If not today, than tomorrow for sure. It's best not to put it of any longer."
Brooke felt both anxious and relieved with that promise. She was afraid of how Jamie would take the news, but at least some of the pretend would be gone and Haley could come home to her at night, without having to be sneaky about it.
"Okay, enough with the heavy." Haley says, breaking the silence that had crept over them. "I need to get ready for my show tonight. I told Lucy I'd be at the club at noon, so I'd better start gathering my things." The shorter of the two went back into the bedroom to get her bag and started collecting all her necessities. After a few minutes she walked back out and put the bag next to the couch. She then walked over to Brooke and gave her an intense and passionate kiss. Afterwards their touch turned into a hug. As they held each other close, Haley whispered in Brooke's ear, making her tremble from top to bottom: "You know how much I love you right?" In response, Brooke held her even tighter and whispered back: "About as much as I love you." They break the hug and look each other into the eye. Both are smiling now and despite the heaviness of the previous conversation, they know things will be alright, as long as they stick together.
The rock star then walks over to her bag and starts fidgeting with the zipper.
"Have you got everything?" Brooke asks, eying her girlfriend from a short distance.
"I think so," She answers. "Except for the dress." She smiles at the thought of the beautiful gift her girlfriend had given her.
"How about I drop that off later, I need to make sure there aren't any needles left in it."
"Okay." She answers, while finally being able to close the zipper. She gives Brooke one last kiss, takes a deep breath, straightens her back and starts towards the door.
"Bye honey," Brooke calls after her. "I'll make sure to drop off the dress at 5 at the latest."
Haley waves back at her girlfriend and closes the door. For a second she wonders why it would take her so long to drop off the dress, but she figures she'd have her reasons and pushes the thoughts aside.
Hi everyone, sorry for taking so long, but things have been busy lately and inspiration hasn't been by very often. I had first planned on making this chapter longer, having the benefit in it already. But since that would take me longer to update, I decided to cut the chapter in half. The next part will be along shortly though, 10 at the latest.
So what did you guys think? What do you think of Brooke having secrets from Haley, making that deal? How do you think Jamie will take the news of his parents splitting up? Why is it so important that Brooke comes by the police station?
Reviews and thoughts on what's happened and what's to come are very welcome and appreciated, as always :).
Until next time, Lucy