New update for you :) I know you all want Lucas and Haley to break up so that Naley can get together, but it's gonna be a little while before they officially get together. A few more obstacles are in store for them. I mean, isn't Naley angst some of the best stuff in their love story? But don't worry, they will get together! I promise!

Enjoy this chapter!

Haley walked into the office. "What's going on?" she asked calmly. Lucas dropped his hands and turned around. "Don't everybody talk at once."

Peyton looked at Lucas. "Choose."

"We're just talking about me cutting back hours at Tric. That's all." Lucas said.

"Yea. He's made his decision. And it's about time."

"Ok? And that's all that' going on?" Haley asked.

"Yep. That's definitely all that's going on." Peyton said angrily.

"Is there a problem? You guys seemed to be getting along fine before."

"No. Everything is fine, right?" Lucas said.

"No. Everything is not fine. Are you kidding me, Haley? You are not bothered that Lucas and I have been working together and spending all this time together late at night?"

"Well it is his job. I know you close Tric late." Haley responded.

"Get off it, Haley. You know how I feel about him. You know I love him. And yet here we are, spending all this time late at night alone."

"Look, I know how Lucas feels about me."

"Oh yea, you do. You never had to worry about anything, huh. And you never will."

"Peyton, come on. I didn't mean it like that."

"Yes you did, Haley. He's a one-woman man. He is completely devoted to you. Besides, you two have this whole Romeo and Juliet thing going on, right? Let's not forget this is gonna be a happy ending."

"Will you just take it easy?" Lucas said.

"No! Get real! Why don't you just prove your undying love for Haley and just move in together? You can live at the Haley's house, you can have your sweet life-"

"I'm not moving into Haley's house. That's not what I want."

"I don't really care what you want anymore!" Peyton shook her head and walked to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

Haley flinched when she heard the door slam. "Is that true?"

"What?"

"You said that you don't wanna live with me."

"Look, she was just trying to get a rise out of me. You know how she gets."

"Yea, I know how she gets. But you just said that you don't wanna live with me."

"I mean, I don't wanna move into your family's house. For starters, Jake wouldn't want me there."

"Actually, he's fine with it."

"You already asked him if I could move in?"

"Yea. He said he wouldn't interfere."

"That doesn't sound like much of an invitation, Haley."

"Lucas, my brother wants whatever is gonna make me happy. And that's why I came here because I want us back where we were."

"That's what I've always wanted."

"That's what I thought, but I'm not sure now." she said, playing with ring on her pinky.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Look, I feel like I walked in on something. Is there anything going on between you and Peyton?"

"No. Peyton was getting all worked up about me cutting back hours."

"I thought you wanted to have more time off?"

"I do. We were just talking about me leaving."

"The fighting I heard when I walked in sounded like two people who are a lot more than friends."

"Come on. That's ridiculous. Where would you get that idea? You're wrong."

"Am I? Come on. If you have feelings for Peyton, please tell me."

"Haley, I don't wanna talk about Peyton right now." Lucas said.

"We have to talk about Peyton, Lucas. After everything that's happened, it would only be natural for you to have developed feelings for her."

"You wanna talk about feelings, Haley? How about when we're together and you tell me that you love me and then two days later I find out you're married to Nathan Scott. How about you letting me walk in on you two in bed at the cottage. The cottage, Haley. Do you know what that did to me?"

"Yes. But you also know why I had to do that. You know why I had to marry him and pretend like it was real."

"But you don't know because you weren't there. But when I came home, Peyton was here. I felt like if my heart would have stopped beating I wouldn't have given a damn. She made me realize that I could go on, that it wasn't that big of a deal, I could get over losing you."

"I'm sorry, Lucas."

"I know you're sorry. And I know that it wasn't easy for you either. But there's more than that."

"Ok, what?"

"The way you were looking at Nathan at your wedding."

"You were there?!"

"Yea I was there. I had to go see it with my own eyes. And guess what? It looked pretty real to me."

"Well it had to look real, Lucas. There were all those people at the wedding."

"Yea. But that moment is stuck with me, Haley. You told me why you did it. You told me it was all an act and I believed you. And then I see you looking at Nathan when he's with that other girl and you did it again. I don't know what to think anymore."

"Can I tell you what I know? Can I tell you that I want us to get back to the way we were? Do you?"

"It's not gonna be that easy. I mean, we're not the same people anymore."

"I know we can't pick up where we left off."

"We don't know where things changed. You've been with Nathan this whole time…"

"And you've been with Peyton."

"Maybe you need some time."

"Maybe you're right." Her eyes began tearing up. "Maybe we both need time."

Lucas simply nodded. Haley closed her eyes and wiped the few tears that had fallen. She walked toward the front door and Lucas followed her. "You know this isn't like goodbye goodbye, right?"

"I know. We're just taking some time."

"That's a good thing, right?"

"Yea."

"I'm sorry." Lucas said.

"For what?"

"I just didn't want any of this to happen."

"Lucas, you couldn't have know that I was gonna come over here and ask you to move in with me."

"You know how I feel about you, right?"

Haley nodded, trying to stop herself from crying. "I'm gonna go." Haley turned to open the door, but she stopped and hugged Lucas. They hugged each other like she had never experienced before…like they would never see each other again.

"Can you take that some place else?" Peyton said, annoyed.

The two pulled apart and Lucas wiped the tear that had fallen off her cheek. "I was just leaving." Haley said, before walking out the door.

"What are you waiting for, Lucas? Go on. Go after her."

"I'm not going anywhere, Peyton." He said, closing the door.

Nathan followed his mother as she walked to a secluded part of Tric. "You did this. You brought her home."

"No, no, no. I told her she could only stay for a week."

"Are you deliberately trying to destroy this family?"

"Excuse me?"

"It's bad enough what you would do to us over that James girl. But I never thought you would sacrifice your sister. Nathan, what is happening to you?"

"I would not do anything to hurt my sister. How could you even think that?"

"You are keeping me from protecting my daughter."

"Yea, from us. You can't keep her locked up in a tower like Rapunzel for the rest of her life."

"Well what would you prefer? That we tell her about the family business? What it is we have had to do to survive?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know much these days. Ever since you've been involved with Haley."

"Well I'm not involved with her anymore so you can leave her out of it."

"How can I when she's the reason for every stupid mistake you've been making lately?"

"That is enough." Nathan said forcefully.

"No. It's not nearly enough. You are wasting your heart on a worthless girl who doesn't even love you. And your sister may pay for it. You created this situation. Fix it." Deb walked away and left Tric.

Brooke walked over and put her head on Nathan's shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"What?"

"I screwed up."

"Believe me, I can handle Mommy Dearest."

Brooke chuckled and lifted her head. "Yea. You always could. You're the only one that was ever able to stand up to her."

"Well, you did a damn good job just now yourself."

"I was shaking." Brooke walked over and sat down at a table and Nathan followed.

"Brooke, she loves you."

"Then why doesn't she want me here? She always wants you right by her side. Me, she always sends across the country."

"I know it may not feel like it, but she really thinks she has your best interest at heart. It has nothing to do with not wanting you here. Believe me, the grass is not always greener on the other side."

"I don't care if the grass is purple. I need to be near my family. And it's not funny, Nathan."

"I'm not laughing."

"I mean, you didn't even invite me to your own wedding. Why doesn't anyone understand how that makes me feel?"

"Look, I told you it was not a big deal. It's over so just forget about that. It was a mess."

"You never did tell me what happened."

"There's nothing to tell. It didn't work out. That's it."

"And that's ok with you?"

"Yes that's ok with me. I told you, I'm through with Haley."

"You can pull that tough guy act with other people, Nathan, but not with me. I know you still care about her."

"I care about what happens to her."

"No. You care about her. You still love her, don't you?"

"Look, that doesn't matter. It's over."

"What about forgiveness, Nathan? I know that doesn't come very easy to you, but if you love someone-"

"Brooke, too much happened between us. It can't be undone. It can't be fixed."

"Why? I still don't understand."

"There's nothing to understand. We were very different and I was an idiot to think that we could overcome our differences."

"Yea, you are an idiot if you let your pride stop you. If you love Haley, tell her. Don't let her go."

"Brooke, no. My marriage is over. I don't wanna hear anymore about it. Do you understand?"

"I know you think of me as just your little sister, but I still understand these things."

"I know. You've always been a hopeless romantic. But sometimes life doesn't have happy endings. Look, I wanna get back to the house. I need to talk to mom. Let's go."

"I'm gonna go check myself in the bathroom."

Nathan chuckled, knowing it was such a Brooke thing to do. "Ok. I'll wait for you here."

Brooke got up and walked toward the bathroom. She noticed Haley was on the phone, sitting at a table. "I miss you too. Listen, dad, I wanna ask you a question. Do you think it would be ok if I came and visited you for a while?...no everything's fine. I just miss you a lot…I'm not sure how long…I don't know…" Haley turned and saw Brooke standing there. "Hey, dad, I have to call you back….I love you too. Bye."

"Hi. Nathan didn't properly introduce us before. I mean about who I really am."

"That's alright. It's pretty obvious."

"Really?"

"You're an old girlfriend. Or I guess current would be the correct term."

Brooke chuckled. "I can understand why you thought that. I'm Brooke Scott, Nathan's sister. It's nice to meet you."

Haley couldn't contain the smile that formed on her face as the two shook hands.

Nathan walked over and saw the two talking. "Brooke?"

"Yea?"

"I'll meet you at the car."

"Ok. It was nice to meet you, Haley." Brooke said walking away.

"You too."

"Hey." Nathan said.

"Hi."

"Look, Father Thomas wants to see us both. He wants to talk to us about-"

"I'm not gonna be around."

"Why not?"

"I'm going to go visit my dad in Europe…today."

"For how long?"

"I'm not sure."

"Ok. Are you planning on coming back?"

"I don't know that either." Haley said honestly. "I don't know anything anymore, Nathan."

Haley walked away. She couldn't be around him anymore. If she was, she was afraid she would change her mind.

Nathan walked over to his mom, who was sitting at a table at Tric. It had been a week since Haley went to visit her father. Needless to say, he wasn't doing to well with her absence from his life. He couldn't believe she left Tree Hill. She was supposed to always be around. This was her home. He needed to be able to see her everyday. That's all he got now.

"Hey, mom." He said, sitting down next to her. "What was so important that you couldn't tell me over the phone?"

"You certainly took your time getting here."

"Hey. I left after you called me."

"I don't have much time. I'm on my way to a business dinner." Deb said.

"Really? Well, whoever he is, I hope he enjoys your dress." Nathan said, eyeing his mother's outfit. This was not something he was used to seeing her in. Most of the time she wore suits. But right now, she was wearing a rather revealing dress.

"Business dinner, Nathan."

"Uh-huh."

"I'm meeting Daunte Fox. He might be the new head of our legal team."

"Daunte Fox? Like I said, I hope he enjoys your dress."

"You're being ridiculous."

"No not all. I think he's great. I think it's high time you got a life. I'm serious, mom. You've been going solo for a long time."

"Yea, I appreciate your concern, but I have a very full life. I have my business, I have my children, I'm fine."

"Your children are grown and your son is taking on more and more of the business every day. You're gonna have a lot of free time now. You should enjoy it."

"I'm looking for an attorney, Nathan. Not a boyfriend."

"Right. Who needs a boyfriend when you have Bear to escort you to events?"

"Alright. That's enough. My interest in Daunte Fox is strictly professional. He's a brilliant man, he's savvy, and with no conscience what so ever."

"Sounds like he'll fit right in. Nice credentials." Nathan said sarcastically.

"For my purposes, yes. Now the subject is closed. I wanna talk to you about your sister. I have assigned Bear to guard her."

"Why? From what?"

"From finding out anything. I'm not gonna have your sister finding out about this business. You hear me?"

"I thought we discussed this already. I said I will take care of it."

"We have to protect her from things that might hurt her. At least until I can get her back to school in California. And I'm worried about you too, Nathan."

"Me? I'm fine."

"No. You've not been yourself lately. It's not good for you and it's not good for the business."

"Yea." Nathan shook his head. "I'll be back."

"Ok."

Nathan walked outside Tric and made a phone call. "Hey, it's Nathan. Listen, I wanna take out another shipment…don't argue with me. You know where to meet me…ok…call me when you get there."

Nathan walked back in Tric and noticed that Daunte had shown up. He was sitting at the table with his mother so he decided to sit at the bar. He ordered a drink and waited for the phone call.

After about a half hour, and three drinks later, Deb walked over and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Nathan, I wanna talk to you."

"What's the matter, mom? Did you business meeting fall through or something?" Nathan asked, slightly drunk.

"I know what you're doing. You're headed for trouble. Ever since Haley left Tree Hill, you've been running crazy with reckless behavior."

"Well, news flash. I don't even think about Haley anymore. So why don't you get off my back."

"Nathan, you and Brooke are all that I have left. If something should happen to you-"

"I gotta go." Nathan said, checking his phone.

"Nathan."

"What?"

"Please, be cautious. They're watching us thanks to Haley."

"No. Thanks to you. You're the one who called the FBI on us in order to pin it on Haley, remember?"

"I just want this war between us to end. Nathan, I love you. You're my son."

"The annulment papers are gonna be ready any day now. Let's call it an early mother's day gift because that's the only thing that you're ever gonna get from me."

Nathan stood up and headed toward the door. "Nathan, where are you going?"

"Don't wait up." Nathan shouted before walking out of the door.

Nathan carried two boxes in his hands. He had met Kevin, an associate of the business, at the local docks to do another shipment. "Come on!" He said.

"I don't like this, Nathan."

"Stop complaining, ok."

"Deb said to lay low for a while."

"This isn't Deb's deal. It's mine!" Nathan said angrily.

"This night stuff is not a good idea."

"Suddenly you've got ideas? Huh?"

Suddenly sirens came out of nowhere. Kevin dropped his boxes and took off. "Damn it!" Nathan yelled.

"Police! Put your hands up!" they yelled.

Nathan dropped the boxes and held his hands up. "Is there a problem, officers?"

Two police officers walked over and shown their flashlights in his eyes. "What are you doing out here?" one officer asked.

"I'm just unloading my van." Nathan said.

"You got any idea what time it is?"

"Yea, I know what time it is."

"What's in the boxes?"

"Just chips, sodas, vending machine stuff."

"You hungry?" the police officer asked.

"No. I'm a supplier."

"Yea, yea. We know you're a supplier alright."

"Excuse me?"

"I just didn't know the Scott family was so stupid."

"Scott?" the other officer asked.

"Yea. As in low life, dirt bag, scum." The first officer answered.

Nathan dropped his hands and swung at the officer and hit him. The other officer quickly shoved him into the fence. "You don't know my family, man. Don't even pretend to!" Nathan yelled. "I am just doing my job and you guys come over and harass me."

"You've got a lot of guts." The officer said, cuffing his hands behind his back.

"Yea, well he disrespected my family."

"You hit an officer. You're under arrest. Let's go." The officer pulled Nathan off of the fence and toward their squad car. "You have the right to remain silent. That means shut up. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."

Michael Dupre led Nathan through the police station to the chair by his desk. "This is a mistake. There is no Scott crime business. It's all a creation of the media."

"Creation of the media? You can do a whole hell of a lot better than that, Scott." Detective Dupre said, sitting Nathan down in the chair.

"You don't like the truth, detective?"

"No, actually I love the truth. Would you like me to get a tape recorder?"

"Without my lawyer present? I don't think so."

"A lawyer? Now why would you need a lawyer if you're innocent?"

"Nice try." Nathan smirked.

"No, really. I'm really curious about how it all went down. How you got busted with your buddy there lifting about $200,000 worth of electronics off the back of a truck and then what did you do? You assaulted a police officer. Looks like you bought yourself a whole lot of trouble, Scott. And right now, I'd be thinking about how to save my own hide because there is absolutely no way that Deb Scott is gonna get you out of this."