Author's Note: Hey everyone. Wow, it's been a while, not that long, but
it's been like two weeks and that's a long time with no update so I decided
to grace you all with my presence. This is the chapter you've all been
waiting for. That's right, Brooke's big confrontation with Nathan. I'm not
really sure where or what I'm going to do with this yet, so I'll just go
with the flow and see where it takes me. Let's all just hope that it takes
me somewhere good. I'm thinking this chapter is going to be longer than
usual, but I'm not sure yet. If I think that it's taking to long, than I'll
split it into two parts and go back to the hospital for Haley and Peyton
POV then come back. I don't want to do that, but if I think it'll turn out
better that way, then that's what I'll do. Anyway, here goes nothing.
OTH
Brooke's POV
When I was little, I was never really afraid of things. You know how most kids have this one fear that haunts them all the time? Like, I remember this kid from second grade, Tommy Banks; he was absolutely terrified of the Boogie Monster. All the kids would make fun of him because he had to sleep on just a mattress on the floor because his big brother told him that the Boogie Monster lived under his bed. Peyton had that kind of thing sometimes, she was scared that her mother's ghost was going to come back and haunt her if she was a bad girl, needless to say, that never happened. Me, I never had one of those. I was always the kid that wasn't scared of anything. No matter what horror movie we watch or ghost story we told, I never, ever got scared. That's how it's been my entire life, all the kids would try their absolute hardest to scare me, but it never worked. I liked that feeling, that no matter what, I would never lose myself; I could always hold my ground because people who are scared are stupid. They let their fear take over them and they become something less than what they are. That's how I feel right now, like I'm not myself. I've never felt this way before, so helpless, so tiny. I feel like I'm about two inches tall and he's going to stomp on me. It's like what he did to Haley made him larger than life somehow. It's almost like he's no longer human, he's the monster under Tommy Banks' bed. And for the first time in my whole life, I'm terrified. I can't move and I can't breath, the only thing keeping me from fleeing is the overwhelming hatred in the pit of my stomach. It's like I always told Peyton when she was scared that her mom was going to come back and yell at her because she lied to her dad, it's time to face my fear. I just hope it doesn't get the best of me.
OTH
"I hope so," I tell her. I start to cry and she knows exactly what to do and say, nothing. She understands that nothing she says is going to make me feel any better about this, so she just holds me. We stand out there for about five minutes until Dan opens the door.
"We're all done," he informs us, letting me know that it's time to go. I slowly pull out of Peyton's arms and start to wipe away the tears. She looks me in the eyes to make sure that I'm okay. We both know that I'm not, but I'm good enough to go. She gives me a sad smile before turning to Dan.
"Did you leave her I one piece?" Peyton asks, trying to lighten the mood. I have to smile a little because just the thought of what they must have talked about is funny. Then again, Dan Scott having a civilized conversation with anyone is funny.
"That I did," he tell us. His eyes soften as he looks at me. "You ready to go?" I take a breath, trying to come up with the answer. Am I ready to go?
"As I'll ever be," I inform him. I'll never be fully ready to go see the guy that raped my best friend, but I need to do this, so I'm going to go anyway. He nods and lays a comforting hand on my back. I'm sure it's meant to be comforting, but it's really just creepy.
"I'm not going to be able to bring you back," he explains, motioning to his suit. I assume he just came from work. "I'm supposed to be having a meeting with my lawyer. I'm going to have to stick around there."
"I can call Jake and get him to pick you up," Peyton suggested. I nod, telling her that's okay. I wanted to talk to him anyway, he was really there for me last night, and he took care of everything when I couldn't get under control. I want to thank him for that.
"It's okay," I tell her, patting the cell phone I have in my pocket. "I can call him to come pick me up when I'm done." She nods and smoothers me in another hug. It doesn't help to calm my nerves, but I'm thankful that she tried. I pulled away and turn to Dan. "Let's go."
"Okay." We start to move down the hall, leaving Peyton alone outside Haley's door. I know she wants to say something, but she doesn't know what she can say. I just turn back and give her a reassuring smile, which I'm sure she can see right through and step on the elevator.
The elevator ride down is made in complete silence, which I'm very thankful for. I don't think I can say anything without my voice cracking a little. We step out of the elevator and move to the car. It's one of his less flashy ones, I guess he didn't think it was appropriate to drive a Porsche to a hospital. Just like the elevator the ride is in silence. I think it's one of the longest car rides I've ever been on, even though the police station couldn't be more than five minutes away. I'm not sure if it's because I'm uncomfortable being in such a confided space alone with Dan or if it's because I'm so nervous to see Nathan.
"We're here," he tells me. I snap out of my thoughts, realizing that I had completely zoned out for a bit. I nod my head, not trusting my voice, and get out of the car. As we walk to the entrance, I look around at all the cops and cop cars. I look over and watch as a guy is put in handcuffs and pushed inside by two cops. I'm surprised that I'm not scared to be this close to all these criminals, but I guess it's because I'm not really thinking straight. "I think it's this way."
"Okay," I finally say. He lets out a breath of relief when he hears my voice. I think he was scared that I was going crazy or something. I look up and see Jim standing against a wall, holding a cup of coffee. He spots me, says goodbye to the guy he was talking to and walks over to me.
"Hey, Brooke," he greets me, with a warm smile. He's a nice guy, I remember why I liked him better than Steve. He takes a last gulp of his coffee before throwing it into a near by garbage can. He notices Dan by my side. "Hi, I'm Steve, you are?"
"Dan Scott," he answers, doing a manly handshake with Jim. I see the surprise in Jim's eyes. I guess it is a little weird that I came with Nathan's father. I kind of just thought of it as weird because he's Dan in general.
"As in Nathan Scott's father?"
"Yes," Dan answers, ashamed. That's must be weird for him. Usually it's the other way around. Like when Nathan would introduce himself, they would always ask him if he was Dan Scott's son. How knew that Nate would be more of a jackass than Dan. "That's who we're here to see."
"That's right." Jim glances over at a room and I follow his gaze. My head become light when I spot Nathan sitting in the room, a cop standing right behind him. He looks miserable. Well, at least I can take some closure in that fact. "Your friend said that you were going to be coming by, we've had him in there for about an hour."
"So, I can, ah, go in?" I ask. I feel really silly when I finally see him. It's like I suddenly realize that even after all the crap he's pulled, he's still just Nathan, just a guy. The fear that I had earlier is now replaced with the hatred.
"Whenever you're ready," Jim answers. "I'll be going in with you, just to stand there and make sure he doesn't do anything." I nod; glad that I won't be going in there by myself. At least my good old buddy Jimmy will be there with me.
"I'm ready."
"Okay," he nods. "It's just this way." I smile at Dan, thanking him for coming with me and follow Jim as he walks over to the room Nathan is being kept in. I stop up shot when I we reach the door. Jim looks at me with a worried stare. "Are you sure you're ready?"
"Defiantly." Without waiting for him to reply, I push open the door. When the door opens, Nathan's head shoots up and he looks surprised to see me. We meet each other's gaze and keep our eyes locked. I flash back to when we did this just last night and he has the same look in his eyes. He doesn't regret any of it. I vaguely feel Jim slip into the room behind me. He motions for the other guy to leave.
"See ya, Bill," Nathan retorts as the cop walks by him. Bill just kicks his chair, causing Nathan to jerk forward, and leaves the room. Now it's just Nate and me. Well, Jim's here too, but I'm totally ignoring him. Nathan gives me that cocky smirk that I used to think was kind of hot, as I sit down in the chair across from him. "Hey, Brooke."
"Nathan."
"Gotta say, you were the last person I expected to see," he tells me. His voice is just like his eyes, theirs no regret. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear he thought the whole thing was funny. "What are you doing here?"
"Basically just came to get some closure," I answered. "Maybe some answers." I keep my voice cool, not wanting him to hear all the anger in it. I don't know why, but I feel like if he knows how angry I am, it's just going to give him some kind of pleasure from it.
"What are the questions?"
"Why you did it?" I answer quickly. This is really the only reason I came here. I had to know what made him do it. I don't expect to understand his answer; I don't really know how a psychotic's mind works.
"I should have known," Nathan comments, moving in his chair. He pulls at his arms a bit, trying to get comfortable. Good luck with those handcuffs on. he brings his hands up to rest on the table. Huh, I always thought they cuffed them behind their backs? I guess that only when they're arresting them. "You've always had a one track mind."
"That makes two of us," I reply. This is harder than I thought. I would have to say that I've never been a violent kind of person. Sure, I've slapped a couple of slut a few times, but I've never gotten in a fight. When I found out about Luke and Peyton, I'll admit, I had more than a few fantasies of slowly torturing the both of them. But they were just that, fantasies. Right now, all I want to do is jump across this table and strangle him to death.
"You could certainly say that again," Nathan shots back. If this whole situation wasn't enough to make me sick, the look of pure satisfaction on his face makes me want to vomit. I can't stand to be in this room for much longer. I just want to get my answer and leave. I don't like this feeling of rage and I want it gone as soon as possible.
"Just answer my question, Nathan." He smirks as me and leans back in his, bringing his hands to rest on the back of his head. He looks like he doesn't have a care in the world.
"And what was that again?" We both know that he remembers the question, he's not stupid. How could he be when he had Haley James as a tutor for almost a year? He's just being a jerk. After all, that's the only thing he knows how to be.
"How could you do that to Haley?" I ask again. I lean forward in my seat. "I mean seriously, Nathan, this is Haley I'm talking about. Haley has never hurt anybody in her entire life." Okay, that's probably wrong, I'm sure she's hurt at least one person, but I bet it wasn't on purpose. "She treated you like you were the second coming. You were everything to her. She loved you and trusted you. How could you do that to her."
"I'm Nathan Scott," he states. Oh, thank you. I must have forgotten you. "You've known me for what, fifteen years? You know better than anyone that I always get what I want." Oh, God. I know where this is going. And it's nowhere good. As much as I fight it, I can't hold his gaze anymore and I look down at the table. "I wanted Haley. I know I have her."
"No, you don't," I scream, losing control. It takes all of my will power to say in my seat. I can hear Jim stand up straight, getting alert encase he's needed. I bring my voice down a bit. I stare him in the eyes. "You do not have Haley. No matter what the hell you do, you do not own her. Not one signal part."
"I got her virginity," he states. A lump forms in my throat and the world starts to cave in on me. He sees the way his words are affecting me and pounces on it. He leans forward in his seat so he's closer to me. "I thought that was the most precious thing a girl could give?" His mouth forms into a sick grin that makes my stomach turn. He leans in even closer. "My buddy Bill, the guy that was in here before, he told me Haley can't have kids anymore." He sees the pain in my eyes and laughs. He pushes back and is in his seat again. "Now tell me again that I don't have her."
"Go to hell, Nathan," I whisper. I can't do it anymore; I get out of my seat and walk towards the door. Jim holds it open for me.
"Oh, come on, Brooke," Nathan calls out to me. "I thought you have some more questions." I don't turn around as I walk past Jim and fully out of the room. As soon as the door shuts I can hear banging and yelling. I assume that Jim didn't like what Nathan had to say to me.
"God," I gasp, leaning my head against the door. He was right. He took everything away from her. All the things that were the most important to her, they were all gone now. All thanks to him. I can feel the tears come to my eyes and slowly make their way down my cheeks. I don't try to wipe them away because I can't move.
"Brooke?" I hear someone call out to me. My eyes flutter up to see Dan standing in front of me, his face showing nothing but concern. He lays a hand on my shoulder. "Are you okay?" I don't know what happened; I think I finally just broke. I can't take it anymore. I collapse against him and his arms warp around me. I sob in his shoulder, no doubt ruining his suit, and cling to him like he's a lifeline. I can't see his face, but I'm positive that he's lost. "What can I do?"
"I need to see Haley." He shakes his head, but doesn't make any movement. I don't know why I ever thought this could make me feel better. I should have known that nothing good would come out of this. I didn't think it was possible to hurt this much, I feel like my heart is going to explode. I hurt all over for Haley. For everything that she's been through and for everything that she's lost.
OTH
I'm done. Finally. This chapter took me a long time to write because I didn't know what I wanted Brooke to feel or what answers I wanted her to get. I didn't want to go for the whole emotional breakdown thing; I felt that she was too numb right now to have that kind of reaction. I hope this chapter didn't disappoint anyone. Please, please, please, tell me what you thought. Thank you for reading.
OTH
Brooke's POV
When I was little, I was never really afraid of things. You know how most kids have this one fear that haunts them all the time? Like, I remember this kid from second grade, Tommy Banks; he was absolutely terrified of the Boogie Monster. All the kids would make fun of him because he had to sleep on just a mattress on the floor because his big brother told him that the Boogie Monster lived under his bed. Peyton had that kind of thing sometimes, she was scared that her mother's ghost was going to come back and haunt her if she was a bad girl, needless to say, that never happened. Me, I never had one of those. I was always the kid that wasn't scared of anything. No matter what horror movie we watch or ghost story we told, I never, ever got scared. That's how it's been my entire life, all the kids would try their absolute hardest to scare me, but it never worked. I liked that feeling, that no matter what, I would never lose myself; I could always hold my ground because people who are scared are stupid. They let their fear take over them and they become something less than what they are. That's how I feel right now, like I'm not myself. I've never felt this way before, so helpless, so tiny. I feel like I'm about two inches tall and he's going to stomp on me. It's like what he did to Haley made him larger than life somehow. It's almost like he's no longer human, he's the monster under Tommy Banks' bed. And for the first time in my whole life, I'm terrified. I can't move and I can't breath, the only thing keeping me from fleeing is the overwhelming hatred in the pit of my stomach. It's like I always told Peyton when she was scared that her mom was going to come back and yell at her because she lied to her dad, it's time to face my fear. I just hope it doesn't get the best of me.
OTH
"I hope so," I tell her. I start to cry and she knows exactly what to do and say, nothing. She understands that nothing she says is going to make me feel any better about this, so she just holds me. We stand out there for about five minutes until Dan opens the door.
"We're all done," he informs us, letting me know that it's time to go. I slowly pull out of Peyton's arms and start to wipe away the tears. She looks me in the eyes to make sure that I'm okay. We both know that I'm not, but I'm good enough to go. She gives me a sad smile before turning to Dan.
"Did you leave her I one piece?" Peyton asks, trying to lighten the mood. I have to smile a little because just the thought of what they must have talked about is funny. Then again, Dan Scott having a civilized conversation with anyone is funny.
"That I did," he tell us. His eyes soften as he looks at me. "You ready to go?" I take a breath, trying to come up with the answer. Am I ready to go?
"As I'll ever be," I inform him. I'll never be fully ready to go see the guy that raped my best friend, but I need to do this, so I'm going to go anyway. He nods and lays a comforting hand on my back. I'm sure it's meant to be comforting, but it's really just creepy.
"I'm not going to be able to bring you back," he explains, motioning to his suit. I assume he just came from work. "I'm supposed to be having a meeting with my lawyer. I'm going to have to stick around there."
"I can call Jake and get him to pick you up," Peyton suggested. I nod, telling her that's okay. I wanted to talk to him anyway, he was really there for me last night, and he took care of everything when I couldn't get under control. I want to thank him for that.
"It's okay," I tell her, patting the cell phone I have in my pocket. "I can call him to come pick me up when I'm done." She nods and smoothers me in another hug. It doesn't help to calm my nerves, but I'm thankful that she tried. I pulled away and turn to Dan. "Let's go."
"Okay." We start to move down the hall, leaving Peyton alone outside Haley's door. I know she wants to say something, but she doesn't know what she can say. I just turn back and give her a reassuring smile, which I'm sure she can see right through and step on the elevator.
The elevator ride down is made in complete silence, which I'm very thankful for. I don't think I can say anything without my voice cracking a little. We step out of the elevator and move to the car. It's one of his less flashy ones, I guess he didn't think it was appropriate to drive a Porsche to a hospital. Just like the elevator the ride is in silence. I think it's one of the longest car rides I've ever been on, even though the police station couldn't be more than five minutes away. I'm not sure if it's because I'm uncomfortable being in such a confided space alone with Dan or if it's because I'm so nervous to see Nathan.
"We're here," he tells me. I snap out of my thoughts, realizing that I had completely zoned out for a bit. I nod my head, not trusting my voice, and get out of the car. As we walk to the entrance, I look around at all the cops and cop cars. I look over and watch as a guy is put in handcuffs and pushed inside by two cops. I'm surprised that I'm not scared to be this close to all these criminals, but I guess it's because I'm not really thinking straight. "I think it's this way."
"Okay," I finally say. He lets out a breath of relief when he hears my voice. I think he was scared that I was going crazy or something. I look up and see Jim standing against a wall, holding a cup of coffee. He spots me, says goodbye to the guy he was talking to and walks over to me.
"Hey, Brooke," he greets me, with a warm smile. He's a nice guy, I remember why I liked him better than Steve. He takes a last gulp of his coffee before throwing it into a near by garbage can. He notices Dan by my side. "Hi, I'm Steve, you are?"
"Dan Scott," he answers, doing a manly handshake with Jim. I see the surprise in Jim's eyes. I guess it is a little weird that I came with Nathan's father. I kind of just thought of it as weird because he's Dan in general.
"As in Nathan Scott's father?"
"Yes," Dan answers, ashamed. That's must be weird for him. Usually it's the other way around. Like when Nathan would introduce himself, they would always ask him if he was Dan Scott's son. How knew that Nate would be more of a jackass than Dan. "That's who we're here to see."
"That's right." Jim glances over at a room and I follow his gaze. My head become light when I spot Nathan sitting in the room, a cop standing right behind him. He looks miserable. Well, at least I can take some closure in that fact. "Your friend said that you were going to be coming by, we've had him in there for about an hour."
"So, I can, ah, go in?" I ask. I feel really silly when I finally see him. It's like I suddenly realize that even after all the crap he's pulled, he's still just Nathan, just a guy. The fear that I had earlier is now replaced with the hatred.
"Whenever you're ready," Jim answers. "I'll be going in with you, just to stand there and make sure he doesn't do anything." I nod; glad that I won't be going in there by myself. At least my good old buddy Jimmy will be there with me.
"I'm ready."
"Okay," he nods. "It's just this way." I smile at Dan, thanking him for coming with me and follow Jim as he walks over to the room Nathan is being kept in. I stop up shot when I we reach the door. Jim looks at me with a worried stare. "Are you sure you're ready?"
"Defiantly." Without waiting for him to reply, I push open the door. When the door opens, Nathan's head shoots up and he looks surprised to see me. We meet each other's gaze and keep our eyes locked. I flash back to when we did this just last night and he has the same look in his eyes. He doesn't regret any of it. I vaguely feel Jim slip into the room behind me. He motions for the other guy to leave.
"See ya, Bill," Nathan retorts as the cop walks by him. Bill just kicks his chair, causing Nathan to jerk forward, and leaves the room. Now it's just Nate and me. Well, Jim's here too, but I'm totally ignoring him. Nathan gives me that cocky smirk that I used to think was kind of hot, as I sit down in the chair across from him. "Hey, Brooke."
"Nathan."
"Gotta say, you were the last person I expected to see," he tells me. His voice is just like his eyes, theirs no regret. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear he thought the whole thing was funny. "What are you doing here?"
"Basically just came to get some closure," I answered. "Maybe some answers." I keep my voice cool, not wanting him to hear all the anger in it. I don't know why, but I feel like if he knows how angry I am, it's just going to give him some kind of pleasure from it.
"What are the questions?"
"Why you did it?" I answer quickly. This is really the only reason I came here. I had to know what made him do it. I don't expect to understand his answer; I don't really know how a psychotic's mind works.
"I should have known," Nathan comments, moving in his chair. He pulls at his arms a bit, trying to get comfortable. Good luck with those handcuffs on. he brings his hands up to rest on the table. Huh, I always thought they cuffed them behind their backs? I guess that only when they're arresting them. "You've always had a one track mind."
"That makes two of us," I reply. This is harder than I thought. I would have to say that I've never been a violent kind of person. Sure, I've slapped a couple of slut a few times, but I've never gotten in a fight. When I found out about Luke and Peyton, I'll admit, I had more than a few fantasies of slowly torturing the both of them. But they were just that, fantasies. Right now, all I want to do is jump across this table and strangle him to death.
"You could certainly say that again," Nathan shots back. If this whole situation wasn't enough to make me sick, the look of pure satisfaction on his face makes me want to vomit. I can't stand to be in this room for much longer. I just want to get my answer and leave. I don't like this feeling of rage and I want it gone as soon as possible.
"Just answer my question, Nathan." He smirks as me and leans back in his, bringing his hands to rest on the back of his head. He looks like he doesn't have a care in the world.
"And what was that again?" We both know that he remembers the question, he's not stupid. How could he be when he had Haley James as a tutor for almost a year? He's just being a jerk. After all, that's the only thing he knows how to be.
"How could you do that to Haley?" I ask again. I lean forward in my seat. "I mean seriously, Nathan, this is Haley I'm talking about. Haley has never hurt anybody in her entire life." Okay, that's probably wrong, I'm sure she's hurt at least one person, but I bet it wasn't on purpose. "She treated you like you were the second coming. You were everything to her. She loved you and trusted you. How could you do that to her."
"I'm Nathan Scott," he states. Oh, thank you. I must have forgotten you. "You've known me for what, fifteen years? You know better than anyone that I always get what I want." Oh, God. I know where this is going. And it's nowhere good. As much as I fight it, I can't hold his gaze anymore and I look down at the table. "I wanted Haley. I know I have her."
"No, you don't," I scream, losing control. It takes all of my will power to say in my seat. I can hear Jim stand up straight, getting alert encase he's needed. I bring my voice down a bit. I stare him in the eyes. "You do not have Haley. No matter what the hell you do, you do not own her. Not one signal part."
"I got her virginity," he states. A lump forms in my throat and the world starts to cave in on me. He sees the way his words are affecting me and pounces on it. He leans forward in his seat so he's closer to me. "I thought that was the most precious thing a girl could give?" His mouth forms into a sick grin that makes my stomach turn. He leans in even closer. "My buddy Bill, the guy that was in here before, he told me Haley can't have kids anymore." He sees the pain in my eyes and laughs. He pushes back and is in his seat again. "Now tell me again that I don't have her."
"Go to hell, Nathan," I whisper. I can't do it anymore; I get out of my seat and walk towards the door. Jim holds it open for me.
"Oh, come on, Brooke," Nathan calls out to me. "I thought you have some more questions." I don't turn around as I walk past Jim and fully out of the room. As soon as the door shuts I can hear banging and yelling. I assume that Jim didn't like what Nathan had to say to me.
"God," I gasp, leaning my head against the door. He was right. He took everything away from her. All the things that were the most important to her, they were all gone now. All thanks to him. I can feel the tears come to my eyes and slowly make their way down my cheeks. I don't try to wipe them away because I can't move.
"Brooke?" I hear someone call out to me. My eyes flutter up to see Dan standing in front of me, his face showing nothing but concern. He lays a hand on my shoulder. "Are you okay?" I don't know what happened; I think I finally just broke. I can't take it anymore. I collapse against him and his arms warp around me. I sob in his shoulder, no doubt ruining his suit, and cling to him like he's a lifeline. I can't see his face, but I'm positive that he's lost. "What can I do?"
"I need to see Haley." He shakes his head, but doesn't make any movement. I don't know why I ever thought this could make me feel better. I should have known that nothing good would come out of this. I didn't think it was possible to hurt this much, I feel like my heart is going to explode. I hurt all over for Haley. For everything that she's been through and for everything that she's lost.
OTH
I'm done. Finally. This chapter took me a long time to write because I didn't know what I wanted Brooke to feel or what answers I wanted her to get. I didn't want to go for the whole emotional breakdown thing; I felt that she was too numb right now to have that kind of reaction. I hope this chapter didn't disappoint anyone. Please, please, please, tell me what you thought. Thank you for reading.