OMG!! i'm so stupid! I posted this chapter up on 'Somewhere Out There' which is not the right place for this chapter. Thanks to my reviewer HalesnLuke4ever for making me realize my mistake. God i just confused the hell out of myself. This story is the OTH/EW crossover and not 'Somewhere Out There' sorry if i confused anyone. If no one really noticed just pretend you never read this.
Anyway one with the chapter. Thanks for the name suggestions. Still debating which to use. I was thinking of the name Harlee. What do you all think? Remember to REVIEW! five reviews until the next update!!
"So this is your place huh?" Madison said scanning the apartment.
"Yup." Nathan threw his back down by the door. He went over the refrigerator to get a water bottle, "Want a bottle?"
"Um," Madison heart jumped for a second. All she heard was bottle, as in baby bottle, "Yeah sure."
Nathan tossed a bottle to her and she caught which surprised him because she looked too much like a girlie girl. As Nathan went to sit on the couch he came across a note from Haley:
Nate,
Went out with the girls. Probably won't be home 'til late.
Don't wait up.
Haley
"Well Maddy looks like we have all night to talk so I want to hear all about your life in, Everwood?" Nathan plopped down on the couch and Madison timidly followed. Was she really ready to share what had happened that drove her to run?
"It's really nothing special. Boring and uneventful." Madison shrugged leaning her head on Nathan's shoulder.
"Nah come on." Nathan wasn't giving in. He missed his cousin a lot and just wanted to be updated on her life, "What about your band or school or love life?"
"The band's doing good. We'd been getting a bunch of paying gigs. School's another story. I had to um, quit. My love is over so there's nothing really to talk about him." Madison touched her stomach thinking about something big to talk about but how could she tell her cousin about this. She had just gotten here and didn't feel like dropping the bomb just yet.
"Why'd you quit school?" Nathan asked quizzically. Madison hadn't been one to quit at anything as a child.
"It's nothing Nate, really." Madison shrugged it off.
"Madison, I've known you most of my life and I know you wouldn't quit for nothing." Nathan positioned himself so he could see her face. Now that he was really looking at her he saw the pain that etched her face, "You're scaring me Madison."
"Where should I start?" Madison said once again battling back tears.
"How about at the beginning." Nathan said and watched as Madison grabbed a pillow and squeezed it.
"Well, there was a boy that I fell in love with." Madison went through her Ephraim story that she hadn't told to anyone. The only people who knew most of the story had lived through it. The only one who knew the whole truth was Dr. Brown.
"So you left. You let that doctor rule your life?" Nathan was enraged by the whole story.
"I needed to get away from him. Nathan he's just sixteen with so much more to live for." Madison was sick of explaining that for everyone. She didn't want to be the reason Ephraim gets stuck in a going-nowhere job. She wanted so much more for him.
"That's not good enough for you Maddy and you know it." Nathan never knew his cousin as a coward that she was being. She had always been strong and always went for what she believed in. He didn't see this sudden change coming.
"The thing is Nate, I don't know what I want anymore." Madison broke out in tears.
"Aw, Maddy I'm sorry it's just I never expected any of this from you." Nathan wrapped his arms around.
"That's right Nathan, I'm the family screw up." Madison sobbed harder.
"That's not what I meant Madison and you know it. Don't put words in my mouth." Nathan didn't want to sit there and criticize her; he just wanted to understand how she could do this to herself.
"But that's what I am Nathan; a screw up and really that's all I'll ever be." Madison's seams were ripping about and her true feelings were coming out, "And it scares me because I can't stop messing up. I'm always running."
"Well the running stops here Maddy." Nathan said stroking her hair. Never ever in his life had Madison cried. It was just unnatural for tears to fall from her eyes. She was the essence of happiness
Madison didn't know what to say. For a kid three years younger than her he sure was smarter. It was nice to be with someone who genuinely cared about her. Everyone back home would've basically shunned her because she had gotten pregnant, by Ephraim Brown no less. It was sad because everyone knew that Ephraim was hung up on Amy who was not ready to date anyone at the moment. Madison had just tangled herself into the love triangle, square or pentagon; whatever it was.
"Honey I'm home." A drunken Haley yelled as she threw open the door.
"Hales?" Nathan jumped up not expecting her, "I thought you weren't going to be home 'til late?"
"I was but then I just couldn't stay away from you." Haley said throwing her arms around his neck.
"As tempting as you are," Nathan held her tight, "I've got other things on my mind right now."
"Like what baby?" Haley kissed his cheek and worked down to his neck. Once she got down to his neck she saw Madison sitting on the couch, "Who is she?"
"This is my cousin Madison." Nathan pulled Haley off his neck and held her hand, "Madison this is Haley."
"It's nice to meet you. Nathan told me a lot about you." Madison stood up and plastered on her usually fake smile.
"Like what?" Haley smiled, he cheeks blushing at the thought that Nathan talks about her.
"Just that you're amazing and you're the one for him." Madison sauced it up a bit to score Nathan some points.
"I better be the one for him because otherwise he just married me for the sex." Haley laughed at her own joke. Madison laughed uncomfortably and Nathan blushed, "I'm going to go to bed."
"Alright, I'll just make up the couch for Madison and I'll be right in." Nathan squeezed his hands as she stumbled away, "She's going to pay in the morning."
"Just a little Advil and sleep and she'll make it." Madison smiled then frowning suddenly feeling uncomfortable. The thought of what would be happening in the next room made her sick. She really didn't want to be in the same house as her cousin and his drunk wife.
"The hangover care package." Nathan walked over to his hall closet and pulled out clean sheets, "I could make a killing selling the perfect hangover package."
"Especially to all of your under-aged friends." Madison said helping Nathan spread the sheets over the couch, "Flowers?"
"Their Haley's." Nathan said turning red again.
"Sure they are." Madison joked and collapsed on the sheeted couch. Nathan collapsed next to her both silent, "I think someone's waiting for you in bed."
"I just wanted to make sure you're okay." Nathan leaned his head on her shoulder.
"I will be, don't worry." Madison had a habit of blocking out the bad and pretending that everything was okay. It was easier than excepting the truth.
"I'm just down the hall if you need me." Nathan kissed his cousin's cheek and walked towards his bedroom.
"God he's changed." Madison said pulling the sheets tightly around her. She fell asleep with ease that night but wouldn't stay that way. Images from her past flooded her mind causing her to toss and turn. His face still haunted her dreams. She used to dream about their good times they shared but now it was the images of Amy and Ephraim together. He and Amy were soul mates and Madison didn't fit into that equation. Yet the dreams still came and didn't let up all night until finally she woke up feeling nauseated. She blindly made her way to the bathroom and threw up, not sure if it was her dreams or the baby that caused the bile outburst.
