I don't own anything related to One Tree Hill, but I do own my idea. Note: This story is very far-fetched, and only for those who believe in true love and the impossible happening. Please R&R, no flames if you may.
The day was long and dreary. Everything was going wrong. Haley needed him right now; she needed him like she hadn't ever needed him before. "Nathan..." she whispered slowly, her voice breaking. She glanced down at her ring finger. It was still there. She'd never taken her ring off after all these years. It was pretty stupid, considering that he was dead and there wasn't much else to do with it. This was the only time she'd ever even considered selling it, and only because she didn't have enough money left to feed Dillon... Nathan had told her to take care of him before he died.
"Of course I'll take good care of him," she'd reasoned. "He's my son too, you know," she'd said. "You are his mother, and you can give him the kind of love and security and so much more that only a mother can give. You can't give him a father's love, or help him learn the lessons only your dad can help you learn though," he'd said quietly. "Lucas and I talked about it once I found out about the cancer, and he agreed that if I couldn't make it through that he would come around regularly to talk to the little guy, play with him, and teach him how to play basketball... all of the things I would've done with him." "Nathan, please don't do this," Haley had said in a small voice. "It's not over yet. They could find a match." "Nobody's going to be a match for me, Haley. I'm sorry I have to go. I told you once that I would always protect you. I want you to know that I will protect you, and if there is a Heaven, I'll watch over you every single day after I get there." Those were the last words her husband of three years had ever spoken to her.
Lucas did come around regularly, and he was a lot like a dad to Dillon. Luke didn't know, though. She always put on the best face when he came: shopping on the days he visited so the cupboards would be full, cleaning the house up even more than usual, and making sure both she and her son were in their best clothes. Haley hadn't had new clothes in over five years. That was okay, though; she hadn't grown or shrunk any. She still couldn't believe that the insurance hadn't covered all the expenses like they said they would. They'd left her with a pile of debt that kept her up more than one night a week. Haley Scott refused to go on welfare. It would be the final indignity, and she believed that somehow she would be failing Nathan if she did.
Haley walked slowly into the jewelry shop. The ring on her finger seemed to weigh her whole body down. Walking up to the counter with purposeful strides, she swallowed the last of her emotions and said steadily, "I'd like to sell my wedding ring." The old man at the counter appraised the ring without even asking her to take it off. "It's very valuable, young lady. I wouldn't be surprised if something like this fetched in at least ten thousand dollars." "That's impossible," Haley choked. Nathan and she had bought it from a second-hand jewelry shop. They knew the guy at the front had no idea what he was doing, but still... "This is very valuable. It actually has the mark of a famous jeweler from Vienna, Austria. It looks as if the ring is antique, almost; possibly from the mid eighteenth century, I presume." The brunette, still only in her twenties, clutched the ring to her chest, not sure what to do. "If I do sell it to you... I'm still undecided understand, but if I do... will you make sure it goes to someone special? Not just anybody. I'd really like a young couple to buy it, if they have the money. Just pick two people who are really in love though, okay? I mean, people must say that to you all the time, but I'm only really selling it because ever since my husband died..." Haley's face crumpled in it seemed, wondering why she had to bare her soul to a complete stranger now and make such a scene. "You can't be more than twenty-six," the old man said sympathetically. "I turn twenty-five this weekend." "That's an awful way to spend your birthday. Now look, I don't usually do this, but I'll tell you what: we usually only add fifty to one hundred dollars to our bracelets and rings, but I would be willing to add five hundred to one of our rings which two or three buyers want. That way, I could give you a little something extra." The kindness of someone so old who looked like a definite shoe-in in the shrewd category touched Haley. "Thank you," she whispered, placing the ring on the counter. That was it.
$10,450.00 was the total amount of money Haley got for the ring. It was exactly what she needed. Dillon was five now, and starting kindergarten. She needed to have some money set aside for school supplies and school clothes for him, and she was so glad she wouldn't have to buy him clothes from the thrift stores for awhile. This would be able to pay off the last of Nathan's medical bills, and to start a trust fund for Dillon's college tuition. The two of them could make the first down payment on and move into that house only three or four houses away from Karen's house. Thank goodness Haley hadn't ever actually gotten credit cards; that would have made most of this money evaporate. She needed to get back now, though. Dillon was staying with Karen at the café, and she didn't want to be a burden. It really was too bad that the money she earned at the café wasn't enough to keep them going. Everyone thought it was, though. Haley James didn't want anyone thinking that she and Dillon couldn't make it on their own.
Karen smiled at her as she walked through the door. "Haley, how did it go? Did you get a chance to see that new art exhibit you wanted to?" For a minute, her mind went blank and she panicked. Making up complex lies to keep her cover was part of who she'd become sadly, and sometimes she got caught up in them and fumbled through, not quite remembering which outrageous falsehood she'd come up with now. Then it came back to her. "Yeah, I did. It was really great. It really reminded me of Peyton's art in some ways. How is she, by the way?" That was the real secret to her success: always shift the attention. Talking about how cute Dillon was or how proud Nathan would've been of him, or how much she missed Peyton and Brooke, or how glad she was that Karen and Lucas were always there for her made things shift off of her, and her problems. "Well, I was talking to her on the phone a couple of hours before I left for work, and she's in Europe right now. She's painting a couple landscapes, because that instructor of hers who gave her the recommendation said she needed to improve in that area, even though she isn't planning to do anything relative to that in her line of work." "Wow, she must be really excited," Haley said. She was genuinely happy for Peyton. Her life had been so bumpy and turbulent, and getting into that art school for college was the best thing that could've happened to her, even if it did mean she had to put her relationship with Lucas on hold. "Brooke's with her, you know. Here's a surprise: Brooke got married to Jake. They flitted off to Las Vegas only bringing Peyton and Jenny with them before the four of them left for Italy." "Good for them," Haley said, laughing at her friend's impetuousness. Haley wouldn't ever have the courage to do that. "Here's something that I promised Luke I wouldn't tell you until he got here too, but I'll go ahead and say it: Peyton wants you and Dillon to come join them."
Everything around Haley stopped. She couldn't go to Italy! She was practically destitute, and that wasn't even considering Dillon. "Karen, that's nice of her, but..." "Now before you say no, you should know a few things. It's a job for you that Peyton has her eye on. There's an opening in one of their schools for a music and voice instructor. You took a correspondence for college and finished it up a little before Nathan died, didn't you?" Haley just nodded her head. "You also majored in education and minored in music if I'm correct. The job isn't actually in Italy; that's just where they train the new teachers. The job is in New York. You'd be right near Peyton and Brooke, and every other weekend you and Dillon could commute back to Tree Hill if you had the time and money. The job is yours if you want it; Brooke's cousin is the owner of the school." "I need some time to think about this," Haley said. Lucas stepped out from behind a pile of boxes in the back room at that moment. "Don't think about it. We got you and Dillon both passports, and the school paid for your plane tickets. You're booked on the flight that leaves at nine o'clock tonight. No stopovers or anything complicated, you just fly straight there. They'll be waiting for you guys at the airport." "Lucas Scott, why is it that you do this mean, impetuous things instead of letting me decide for myself?" she asked, somewhat irritated. "Because you're the closest thing I have to a sister and Dillon's my nephew and because I love you Hales," he said. She smiled and said, "Well, I guess that we'll have to be doing some shopping." "You don't have to hide anymore, Haley. I found out today when I swung by your apartment. The bills were out, and the fridge was empty. Don't you think we noticed that you're not wearing your wedding ring for the first time in years?" Karen asked. Tears began to form in her eyes. "I'm sorry for not telling you guys," she whispered. "It's fine. We should've picked up on it long ago. We'll always be here for you and I'm always willing to help you guys out. Now it's time for you two to make a fresh start," Karen said as she patted Haley's back.
Haley yawned and stretched. Dillon had conked out awhile ago, but she couldn't seem to fall asleep. Something was strangely familiar about the guy sitting beside her... he looked exactly like Nathan. Of course she'd figured that out at once, but it was more than that. He seemed to act like Nathan, just little things he did, and talk like him too. "Haley, you can't go crazy. This is your chance! You can become a music teacher, something you've always wanted to do, but could never seem to find a place that needed one. You can pay off all your debt with the money from the ring and start from scratch with the money from your job. They're paying considerably more than I thought they would. $70,000 a year for a teacher is almost unheard of, especially an inexperienced one like me. Just relax and stay cool," she told herself. After she sipped on some coke that the flight attendant had brought her, she fell into a deep, dreamless slumber, only to be awakened when the flight attendant announced they were landing and in time to get Dillon ready.
Nathan Scott couldn't believe his eyes. It was Haley James and his son, Dillon. It all came rushing back to him now, and made him feel guilty. He couldn't believe it; it'd been so long. No one had ever known or even suspected anything. A transplant had come in at the last possible minute, and they'd taken Nathan in to receive it after telling Haley it was too late. When he'd woken up, Deb had come by, telling him that Haley wanted nothing to do with him. She'd asked for a divorce, and they'd even been able to sign the papers without him, his mom had said. He rebuilt his life, became a lawyer, and tried to forget about his son and the love of his life. Here they were, though. What business could Haley have in Italy? It didn't matter though; it was best to just avoid her. It was too long apart, and even though there wasn't any chance of the cancer returning since his bone marrow transplant, she still wouldn't love him. He could never figure out why she'd wanted the divorce. Now was his only chance, but something held him back. "It's better this way. Now she can't get inside your head and hurt you again. As for Dillon, the courts would side with her anyway..." At least he had the satisfaction of knowing that they looked happy and well-cared for. Nothing else mattered at this point.
I know you probably think I'm crazy, and if this is really bad that's okay, but it just came from that place of zany ideas that I get, and I wanted to try it and see what happens. This is dedicated to TardyChick06, because she is one of my two faithful reviewers for my Leyton fick, and this is my first Naley fick, or attempt at least. OnTheOutsideLookingIn