Hey guys, thank you all very much for the reviews last chapter. They were great. I just wanted to briefly comment on last night's episode. I won't go too into detail just in case some of you haven't seen it yet. First of all, Brooke is one tough cookie! I was so proud of her last night. And while I'll always be a Brucas fan, I have to admit that I am totally rooting for Brooke and Julian at this point. Second, I'm so glad that Nathan is back into basketball. I loved when he talked back to that jerk on his team. He's so sexy when he's fighting back. Third, what was Millie thinking? She screwed up big time. And fourth, I pretty much already knew what was going on with Peyton. All I can say is I'm going to be very annoyed watching her and Lucas have all of the moments Naley should've had in S4. I can't see Mark not wanting to emphasize and/or drag out this storyline.
So that's the end of my little rant. This is the second to last chapter. I hope you all like it. Please read and review!
Chapter 28
Haley searched through Nathan's closet and pulled out a few more shirts. He'd left for the cemetery about an hour ago. At first she'd been downstairs watching TV, trying to pass the time. But that didn't last very long since there was nothing good on to watch. So she'd gone upstairs to his room and started to help him pack for his move back to Tree Hill. Haley had managed to get a fair amount done when she heard the sound of her cell phone ringing.
Haley reached into her pocket and pulled it out. "Hello?"
"Hey, Hales," Lucas greeted.
"Hi, Luke. What's up?"
"Nothing much. I just wanted to call and see how things are going."
"They're good. It wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. You know, coming back here," she said.
"I'm glad to hear that."
"Yeah. I guess I feel like, for the first time, I can really let go of all of this."
"Well, then it's a good thing you went. How's Nathan doing?" he inquired.
Haley folded another shirt before answering, "It's a lot harder for him, but I think he's going to be okay…eventually."
"Where is he now?"
"The cemetery."
"Wow. That sucks."
"I know. He was really nervous about going."
"I can imagine," Lucas replied. "He needed to do it, though. Dan's dead. He shouldn't have to feel like he still owes that bastard anything."
"Hopefully, he won't after this."
"And I just wanted to say that I'm really proud of you, Hales."
Haley paused in what she was doing. "Me?" she asked.
"Yeah. You've been through a lot—more than the rest of us. Most people would probably let a situation like this just run its course and control them, but you didn't," he explained. "You fought back even when we were all too skeptical to take that chance again with Nathan. You saw what the rest of us couldn't."
Haley felt her heart clench at his words. "Luke—"
"It kind of reminds me of old times. The two of you have always been able to understand each other better than anyone. It's nice to see that after all these years and everything that's happened, that's still true."
Haley waited a moment before replying. "Thank you, Lucas. That means a lot. And now that you've made me want to cry…" she joked.
Lucas laughed. "Sorry."
"It's okay. I appreciate it," Haley told him. She was truly touched by his words. "So, um, what's going on at home? Did I miss anything?"
"Well, we're almost done cleaning up the graffiti. There's just a little bit left to do," he stated. "My mom and your dad were thinking about setting the next grand re-opening for Wednesday or Thursday."
"That's great."
"You guys will be back by then, right?"
"Yes. Nathan and I aren't going to stay here much longer. In fact, I think Nathan is more eager to get out of here than I am."
Lucas chuckled. "I don't blame him there."
"I know, right?" Haley agreed. "So, uh, is that it?"
"Brooke also wanted me to tell you that she misses you."
"I've only been gone two days," she responded, laughing.
"You know how she gets."
"Is that all?"
"Oh, and there is one more thing. Burning Boat is tomorrow night," Lucas informed her.
"That's right. I forgot about that," Haley said, remembering. The Burning Boat Festival was something Tree Hill held every year. It took place at the Market Street Dock. A wooden boat was built especially for the occasion and placed in the river. Afterward, people were allowed to throw whatever they wanted to get rid of into the boat to be burned. It was more about burning your bad karma, memories, and regrets rather than just the physical objects themselves.
"Are you going to skip it this year?" he asked. "The rest of us are planning on going."
Haley thought about it for a moment. "Um, let me talk to Nathan first. See if he's ready to leave yet or not…just in case."
"Sure. Just let me know."
"I will," Haley answered when she heard the sound of a door close from downstairs. "Actually, I think he just got back. I'll call you later, Luke. Okay?"
"Sure."
"Thanks. Bye."
"Bye. Talk to you later."
Haley closed her phone before she left Nathan's room. "Hey," she greeted him once she reached the bottom of the stairs.
"Hey," he replied.
"So, how did it go?" Haley inquired, a little apprehensively.
Nathan didn't say anything at first. He just closed the distance between them and bent down to capture her lips in his. Haley moaned quietly when Nathan cradled her body against his. He continued to kiss her with a force that would've most likely knocked her off her feet had he not been holding onto her. Forgetting her question and the fact that he hadn't yet answered her, Haley surrendered herself to his ministrations. She soon found her own hands in his hair and around his neck, trying to bring him even closer. Their breathing became heavier while tongues battled and hands explored. By the time Nathan and Haley had finally pulled away, they were both gasping for air.
"Well, that was…intense," Haley commented as she wiped at her now slightly swollen lips.
Nathan chuckled. "Sorry. I couldn't resist."
"Oh, I'm not complaining," she joked. "Feel free to greet me like that any time."
Nathan smiled as he leaned in to kiss Haley once more. "Mmm…don't tempt me," he muttered against her lips.
Haley blushed as she met his smoldering gaze. "Not to ruin the mood or anything, but you didn't answer my question," she pointed out.
"It was hard," he replied with a sigh. He rubbed his thumb against her cheek before burying his hand in her hair.
"I'm hoping there is a but somewhere in there."
"But…it felt good," Nathan declared. "I've been bottling up my anger towards Dan for a long time. I know he's gone, but it felt really great just to tell him everything that had ever hurt or pissed me off to his face."
"It was long overdue."
"I know. But I guess it's better late than never, right?"
"Right," she agreed with a nod. She was silent for a moment before asking, "So, um, does that mean you've let it—him go? You know, for real this time."
"Yeah, I have. I'm done living in the past, Hales. And now that I've finally faced it all, I feel like this huge weight has been lifted off of me," he stated. Nathan couldn't remember the last time he'd felt that free since, well, ever. It was still a little odd not to be aware of that pull that had been there before. However, it was a positive change that he was more than willing to adjust to.
"I'm so proud of you," Haley proclaimed with a beaming smile. She hugged him tightly.
"Thank you," he whispered sincerely. "For everything, Hales."
"I just pushed you in the right direction. You're the one who had to actually follow through and do it, Nathan," she told him. "That's all you."
Nathan shook his head. "Don't be so modest." Haley opened her mouth to say something when he added. "I'm serious, Hales. I don't know what would've happened to me if you hadn't had so much trust and faith in me like you did. You saved my life."
Haley pressed her lips gently to his. "And you've healed mine." She then took his hand and placed it on her chest. "Do you feel that?"
Nathan held her gaze as he felt her quickened heartbeat under his hand.
"You still make my heart race."
"Hales…"
"I'm so full of pride and love and joy because of you right now. I didn't think I'd ever be able to feel like that again. So, I guess that makes us even," she whispered. "Always and forever. Remember?"
Nathan stared at her in amazement. "How did I get so lucky?"
"Well, it helps that you're hot," she joked.
He laughed before his expression turned serious, once again. "I remember," he told her while placing a kiss on the side of her neck. He then trailed back up until his lips hovered just above hers. "God, I love you."
Haley wound her arms around his neck and closed the tiny gap between them. Their mouths moved fiercely over the other's as they basked in their newfound freedom. They were so wrapped up in each other that neither heard the sound of the front door opening.
"Oh!" someone gasped.
The pair quickly sprang apart and looked towards the unexpected voice.
"Nathan," Deb said in surprise.
"Mom," he replied while nervously running a hand through his hair.
"Haley."
"Mrs. Scott," Haley said as she tried to keep the embarrassment of getting caught from seeping into her voice.
It was another moment before Deb spoke again. "I didn't know that you'd be home."
"It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment visit," Nathan stated.
Silence seemed to descend upon them after that. Nathan inwardly cringed. Well, this is awkward.
Nathan sat next to his mother on the couch in the study. Haley had gone back up to his room when Deb said that she needed to talk to him. Now it was just the two of them, nothing but more silence accompanying them.
"So, um," Nathan began, "I didn't know that you'd be home either."
"I was supposed to stay in Charlotte for a few more days, but I decided to leave a bit earlier."
"Why? Was something wrong?"
Deb shook her head. "No. There are just things here that needed to be done," she explained before adding, "And with the café finished, I figured you'd be coming home soon."
"Did Uncle Keith tell you that?"
Deb nodded.
"What else did he tell you?" Nathan asked.
"Well, just that you did a very good job this summer. He said you came a long way. Also that the café looked amazing," she replied.
"Is that it?"
"He also mentioned that you got cleared of everything by the judge," she said. "You don't know how relieved I was when I heard that. Now you can finally come home. You must be happy."
"Uh, yeah. I am," Nathan stated. "But that's really all that Uncle Keith told you?"
"Yes. Why? Is there more?" Deb inquired, confused.
Nathan looked down at his hands and inwardly cursed. He'd hoped that since his Uncle Keith was still in contact with his mom, then he would've told her the news that he wasn't coming back. Apparently, his uncle hadn't done any of that. Nathan felt his nerves kick in. He wasn't exactly sure how his mother was going to take this.
"Nathan, is something wrong?" Deb questioned, concerned. "You look a little…anxious."
He took a deep breath and locked eyes with her once more. "Mom, I have to tell you something."
"Is this about Haley?" she assumed. "Are you two back together?"
"Well—"
"Because I always liked her," Deb quickly added. "She was good for you."
"She is," Nathan agreed. "And we are back together. But there's more."
Deb frowned. "How much more?"
"I…um…I've decided that I want to stay in Tree Hill, Mom," Nathan declared.
"Ok-ay," she said, a look of uncertainty on her face.
"Permanently," he clarified.
"Oh," Deb muttered as her confusion quickly turned to astonishment. "Wow. I wasn't expecting that."
"Look, before you say anything else, I just want to say thank you."
Deb's expression looked even more surprised. "For what?" Nathan supposed she would be a little shocked at the moment. He couldn't remember the last time he'd talked to her without acting cold or sarcastic.
"For forcing me to fix the café and go back to Tree Hill. I know that I haven't acted very well in the past. In fact, I've been a complete jerk. But it was the right thing. It was what I needed."
Deb smiled. "While I'm glad to hear that, it's not entirely your fault, Nathan. I'm not exactly the best person when it comes to my motherly capabilities. I know how hard everything has been for you. And I also know that my not being there for you made you the way are—were."
Nathan glanced down at his hands again. He couldn't exactly argue with that, since it was true.
"But I want you to know that there isn't a day that I don't regret it. You'll probably think I'm a coward for saying this, but I was scared. Your father…he was a horrible man. I know that he hit you."
"Mom—" he tried to cut in.
"He hit me, too," she revealed with watery eyes. "I wish I could've saved you, but I couldn't even save myself. There's no way Dan would've let me go, so work was my only escape. You don't know how many nights I laid awake thinking about you and wondering if you were okay. It's shameful, but I was too afraid to go back and check on you.
"And when I was home, I felt so guilty and ashamed. So I ended up traveling more to escape that feeling, too, which brought on even more guilt. It was this vicious cycle," she explained while wiping away a few tears. "Anyway, I just wanted you to know that I wasn't as cold and heartless as you probably thought that I was. I know that you probably hate me, but I've always wanted the best for you, Nathan. That's why I sent you to Tree Hill this summer. It's the only place where I've ever seen you truly happy."
Nathan stared at his mother, completely stunned by what she'd just told him. He knew that his parents argued a lot, but he never knew that Dan had hit her, too. He just assumed that she knew what was going on with him and didn't care. That she was too busy with work to be bothered by his problems. This suddenly changed everything.
"I don't hate you, Mom," he told her. "I mean, I've been angry, because I just…I never really understood it. I'm glad you told me, though." He placed a comforting hand over hers.
Deb nodded as they both sat quietly, absorbing the other's words. It was a few minutes later when she spoke up, "So, will you be living with Uncle Keith?"
"Yes. Well, when I'm not in school at least."
Her eyes widened. "School?"
"Yeah. Lucas talked to Whitey. You remember Whitey, right?"
"Yes, I remember him."
"Well, he's coaching over at Gilmore College. They need a new point guard for the basketball team and offered to give me a shot."
"Nathan, that's great," Deb declared with a smile. "Are they giving you a scholarship for playing?"
"I don't know. I have to go work out the details with Whitey and the school."
"Well, regardless, whatever you need, I'll pay for it," she informed him.
"You don't have to," he protested.
"Nathan, nothing would make me happier than to see you go to school and get back into basketball. If you need help, I'm here."
"Okay. Thanks, Mom," he said after a moment. He could see how important it was to her.
"You're welcome," she replied as the phone on the desk rang. "Oh, just give me a moment."
She picked it up. "Hello…? Yes, this is her…uh huh…oh…" Nathan noticed his mom's eyes widen and dart over to him. "No, that won't be necessary…I'm sure…positive…yes, thank you."
"Who was that?" he asked.
"An employee over at the cemetery. Apparently, your father's gravestone was badly defaced."
"Oh," Nathan nervously mumbled. "Did they say anything else?"
"They aren't sure who did it, but they offered to have it replaced."
"Good," he commented casually.
"I declined. They can leave it that way," she announced. Deb then winked knowingly at him. "I always wanted to do that myself."
Nathan stared at her in shock.
Deb smiled and reclaimed her seat next to him. "So, how much longer will you be staying here?"
"People are staring."
"Who cares?"
"Are you sure you want to do this? I mean, once enough people see us together, it'll be all over town," Nathan informed her.
Haley rolled her eyes. "I could care less what any of them think."
The pair was back in Tree Hill. They'd stayed over in Oak Lake for another night per Deb's request. She'd wanted to catch up with Nathan and Haley. It actually felt kind of nice talking to his mom. Nathan could feel that something had shifted between them. They still had a lot of things to work out, but, for the first time, he was willing to at least try with her.
Except for the numerous townspeople watching them, Nathan felt at ease as he walked hand-in-hand with Haley. It was their first official outing where they appeared like a couple again. They'd arrived just fifteen minutes ago for the Burning Boat Festival. Neither had spotted any of their friends yet.
"Are you cold?" Nathan questioned. "It's a bit breezy tonight."
Haley shook her head. "No, I'm fine," she said. "You can feel it, though. Can't you?"
"Feel what?" he asked, frowning.
"The end of summer. Fall is practically around the corner."
"Technically, it doesn't end until September 22," Nathan pointed out, smirking.
"You know what I mean," she laughed while nudging him.
Nathan smiled and kissed her temple before wrapping his arm around her shoulders. A few more people started whispering. "You know, I'm really beginning to feel like I'm a fish in a bowl."
"They're just jealous," she teased. "Anyway, you think you can take it for a few more minutes. We're almost to the boat."
"It'll be hard, but I'll try," he joked as they made their way to the gigantic wooden boat.
"Did you know that this is a total rip off of an old Viking funeral?"
Nathan smirked. "No. Although, I don't know why I would even want to know that."
"It was on the History Channel."
"And why were you watching the History Channel?"
"Because blonde Viking guys are hot. Duh."
"Gee, thanks, Hales," he muttered dryly.
Haley smiled as she leaned up to kiss him. "But lucky for you, I'm more into the tall, dark, and handsome types."
"Now that's more like it," he quipped before giving her a quick peck on the lips. "So, what are you going to burn?"
Haley reached into her purse and pulled out a sterling silver locket. "This."
"That's actually kind of nice, Hales. Are you sure you want to burn that?"
"Trent gave it to me," she told him.
"On second thought, just toss it in."
"In a minute," she said, giggling, before opening it. She took out the picture of her mother that was inside and tossed the locket into the boat.
"Crap."
Haley looked over at Nathan. "What?"
"Speaking of Trent." He nodded behind her.
Haley turned around and saw Trent standing amongst the crowd about thirty feet away. His eyes were narrowed as he watched them. He must have seen her throw the locket into the boat.
"I really hate that guy," Nathan glowered.
Haley glared at Trent right back. She wasn't going to be intimidated by him. Not anymore. She then took hold of Nathan's face and directed his attention back to her. "Why don't we really give everyone something to talk about?" she suggested.
He smiled and brought her closer. "You know, you're actually really sexy when you're being devious," he joked.
"Just part of my charm," she teased as he pressed his lips to hers. Haley clung to Nathan tightly as his mouth moved perfectly in sync against hers. Her whole body tingled at the sensation, causing her to moan lowly. She could quickly feel everything around them fading away until it was just the two of them, together.
"Well, I guess you two had a lot of fun on your little getaway."
Haley and Nathan broke the kiss to see Brooke standing before them with an amused grin. The rest of their friends were behind her.
"It was okay," Nathan said offhandedly.
"Is that why the two of you are getting all freaky in public now?" Skills teased.
Haley shrugged. "There's nothing like a little PDA to announce that we're officially together."
"Thanks for telling us," Jake spoke up solemnly.
Haley and Nathan exchanged a look. They'd forgotten that Lucas, Brooke, Taylor, and Peyton were the only ones who knew the truth.
"Oh, we're sorry, guys," Haley apologized. "We forgot—"
"Save it, Haley," Junk interrupted sternly.
"There's no need to explain," Fergie added.
Mouth nodded in agreement. His face was serious for a long moment before a smile broke. "We pretty much knew all along. We were just wondering when you both were going to crack."
Nathan looked at Haley in shock as the others busted out laughing.
"That is so not funny," Haley replied. "We thought you guys were pissed."
"Please, like we didn't know what was really going on," Skills said. "We're not that clueless."
"You're Nathan and Haley. It was inevitable," Mouth declared.
"We're happy for you," Jake told them.
"As long as you take good care of my sister this time," Taylor warned Nathan. "You may be all bulging muscles, but I'm pretty sure I could take you."
"If I'm an ass again, then I give you all permission to knock some sense into me," Nathan told her.
"Sweet," Peyton commented.
"All threats aside," Lucas cut in, "we're glad you guys are here and together."
"Thanks, Luke," Nathan responded.
"So, are you guys going to burn anything?" Brooke questioned curiously.
"I threw in the locket Trent got me," Haley told her.
"He even saw her do it."
Taylor nodded in approval. "Nice."
"What about you, Nate?" Jake asked.
Haley reached into her purse and handed it to Nathan. He then unfolded the object to show them.
"Isn't that your Oak Lake jersey?" Lucas inquired.
"Yup," he confirmed. "I never truly felt like a member of that team. I was always a Raven. Hell, I was even rooting for you guys to win during that championship game senior year."
"So were we," Jake kidded, causing them all to laugh.
Haley smiled proudly as she watched Nathan turn around and throw the jersey into the boat.
"Good riddance," he mumbled.
"I guess this means that you're officially one of us again," Lucas stated.
Nathan nodded with a grin as he pulled Haley into his side. She gave him an affectionate squeeze in response.
"How does it feel?" Brooke asked.
Nathan glanced down at Haley for a moment. "Amazing."
Lucas held out his fist to him. Nathan bumped it in return. "Welcome home, Nate."
