"Digging around in the Past"

Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill

"I'm coming, hold on." I said as I walked towards the door. I wrapped the robe around me and then opened the door. "Peyton do you realize it is 6am?" I said as I held the door open for her to enter. "So I guess you haven't been out then today." She told me as she threw the paper in my face. "What is this?" I asked confused.

I couldn't figure out what she was doing here this early in the morning. She was upset or something but I couldn't tell what about. "It's today's paper, look at the cover of the sports page." She told me. I still didn't understand but I opened the paper any way and turned it to the sports page. There on the cover was a picture of Nathan and I hugging outside the restaurant from the night before. "Scott married to High School Sweet Heart Dr. Scott" was the caption that was above the picture. "Is this some kind of joke?" I asked not believing what I had just seen.

"Nope, it's the paper. Jake came across it at breakfast this morning and well I thought that I should tell you before you went to work, or worse. Clark read it." She replied.

"How...when...I don't understand this. How did they find out?" I asked. "I don't know either, and where they got that picture I don't know." She replied. "It's from last night," I explained. "Nathan and I met there for dinner last night. We talked something's out, that's it." "Well I better get going, my cab is still waiting for me, but I thought you should know." She replied before hugging me and leaving.

"Where did you go?" Clark asked me as he came into the kitchen. "Oh Peyton came early so I just decided that I was up for the day." I replied kissing him. "Smells good." He replied grabbing the paper and sitting down at the island. "Clark we need to talk." I said. I couldn't beat around the bush. It would just make it worse if I let him find out on his own.

"What about Haley?" He asked setting down the paper. "This," was all I said as I took the paper and pulled out the sports page and set it in front of him. He took it and started reading. I didn't know what he was thinking, he was a pretty hard person over all to read and I still hadn't mastered it yet.

After a couple minutes of silence he set down the paper, a smile on his face. He seemed to be laughing, but I couldn't be for sure. "What they won't do for a good story these days." He said as he took a sip of his coffee. "

"Don't worry Haley, it's not that big of a deal, really." He replied kissing me on the cheek and picking back up the rest of the paper. "Clark that's not true." I finally said. I was confused, it was not at all going the way that I had run over in my mind a hundred times. "Oh of course not baby." He replied the smile still on his face.

"No you don't understand Clark..."I said, taking a pause to gather my thoughts. "They didn't make it up." "What do you mean?" he asked me looking at me for answers. "You mean to say that this is true? That you and Nathan were married?" he asked. The smile had disappeared from his face, and anger was replacing it. "No," I replied. "That's what I thought." He replied. This was not working; I couldn't get out what I really wanted to say. Every time I opened my mouth he misunderstood what I was trying to say.

"We weren't married Clark... we are married." I looked at him for a response. Any form of a reply, but nothing. He just looked at me, and said nothing. It felt like forever just watching him watch me. I couldn't take it.

"Clark say something." I begged. I had expected him to be yelling, screaming at me for lying to him. Anything but just staring. That I couldn't take.

"When?" Was all he said. "Back in high school." I replied. "Before we started our junior year." "How, you were a minor." He asked. I could tell that he wanted answers, but I knew he wasn't going to like any that I could give him.

"He was emancipated from his parents, he didn't need permission." I replied. "What about you?" his face still had no emotion; he just started at me, his eyes searching for the truth.

"My parents signed, they were happy for me. They knew that it's what I wanted so they signed for me." I remembered the day of the game when Nathan and I had gone to my parents explaining to them what we wanted to do. They were happy for us, and signed the papers right then and there.

"But you're divorced now, right?" he asked. "No, we never got divorced. I left the night of graduation. We hadn't gotten divorced yet, heck I didn't see Nathan again until the day he hurt himself on the court."

"So you mean to tell me that all these years you have been lying to me?" he asked. He stood up and looked down at me. His face showed anger, and hurt. I felt bad for being the one that had caused it.

"I just couldn't find the time to tell you. Believe me Clark, I was going to." I replied. "Its such a hard thing to do Haley, tell your Fiancé that you are married! Better yet, how about not getting engaged when you are already married in the first place. That way you won't have to explain anything to anyone." He yelled.

"Clark, it's not like that, Nathan and I were finished years ago, I want to be with you." I replied. Tears had started to fall down my cheeks by now. I didn't want to lose him. I loved him too much. I couldn't take losing another person that meant the world to me.

"Then why are you still married." He asked. His tone was normal again. I could tell that he felt bad for yelling at me, but truly I deserved it. He was right. I had been lying to him all these years.

"We are going to get a divorce," I said in-between sobs. Clark sat down next to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. I couldn't believe he was comforting me when I had lied to him. But leave it to Clark to try and make me feel better when it was my fault. "Nathan drew up the papers weeks ago. We just haven't been able to go to court yet." I explained.

"Then where did they get the picture?" He asked. "It was from last night. Nathan and I just needed to talk. That's all. We were discussing some things. Tying some lose ends. You've got to believe me Clark." Clark looked at me and wiped the last few tears that remained on my face. "I do believe you Haley, but I just need time. That's all." He replied.

"I understand." I said. "Maybe some time apart would be good." He said. This caught me off guard; he was breaking it off with me? I couldn't believe this. "I think it would be better if you move out, for now at least." He finished. "But what about u?" I asked. "Well Haley at this moment there can't be a us, you're still married." And with that he kissed me and left that apartment.

He broke up with me, I could understand. All these years of trying to protect what we had. Had been ruined by it. I quickly stood up and walked into my room. I bent down and grabbed the two suitcases out from under the bed. They were the same two that I had used when I left Tree Hill all those years before.

This picture seemed all too familiar from last time. Except this time I wasn't choosing to leave. I had to, I didn't want to leave but I had no choice. I was losing him all over again. I quickly grabbed my clothes that were hanging in the closet and set them in the suitcase, not even bothering to take them off the hangers. I then grabbed what I had in the dresser and put them in as well. I zipped back up the suitcase and set them on the floor. I rolled them out into the hall and quickly went back into my.

I emerged dressed and ready. I opened the hall closet door and reached for the box, shutting the door and walking towards the suitcases. Then I remembered that I should leave a note, I couldn't just leave without saying goodbye.

I grabbed a piece of paper...

Clark,

I want you to know that I will always love you, even if it doesn't work out between us. I am thankful for the time we have had together. I have taken what I can think of; if you find something of mine just drop it at my office. Here is my ring, I love you always.

Love Always and Forever,

Haley

I took the ring off my finger and set it down on the paper as I grabbed my few belongings I wanted and left the apartment. I didn't really know where I was going to go, I had nowhere to live. I guess I could always crash with Luke and Brooke until I could find an apartment.

I loaded my things into my car and headed off to work. As I walked in there were reporters everywhere, all waiting for me. As soon as they spotted me they started snapping pictures and asking me questions. I didn't really hear anything they were asking me though. I felt as if I was moving in slow motion. Nothing that was happening felt like it was real.

Nathan appeared in front of me, he walked towards me and put his arm around me trying his best to stop the reporters. He walked me to my office and shut the door behind us, locking it so no one else could get in.

"Wow, I never expected that many people." I said as I just stood there looking at him. "They've been here since the paper came out at 5am," he replied a small smirk on his face. I could tell that he was trying his best with a bad situation.

"Are you ok?" he asked walking towards me. "Yes, I guess." I replied. "Does Clark know?" he asked. "Yeah, I told him when he woke up." "How did he take it?" he asked looking down at me. "He asked me to move out," I replied. Tears starting to fall down my face again as Nathan wrapped his arms around me and I buried my face into his chest. "I'm so sorry Hales." He replied as he kissed my forehead trying to comfort me.

"It's not your fault Nathan, It's mine, and only mine. I should have told him what happened years ago. I brought this on myself." I replied still crying into his chest. "Hales, you can't always blame yourself for everything, He's probably just a little shocked right now, I mean I know I would be if I was him." He reassured me.

"No Nathan, you should have seen him. He was mad at first, but then he was calm. He knew what he was doing. He just doesn't want to be with someone like me. I can't blame him, I wouldn't either." "Haley you're a great person, it's his loss. Where are you going to live?" He asked as I started to pull away. It felt weird to be in his grip, and I was worried that I might let my feelings take over. "Not sure, I have everything in my car. I was just going to ask Lucas if I could stay with them." I answered.

"You can stay with me. I have more then enough room; it gets a little lonely sometimes being there alone anyway. And besides Jessy and Cody would be enough to drive you crazy." He replied wiping the tears from my face. I couldn't help but laugh at this remark, a smile yet again returning to my face in the presence of Nathan Scott.

Please Read and Review

10 reviews again or more please! I do hope you liked this chapter. I have been waiting all along to write this chapter. It just seemed to flow from my hand to the keyboard.

Tardychick06