A/N: Post season 2 finale, starts up where the finale left off.
The flames licked at the crisp carpet around his big body, he was slumped back in his leather chair. Comfort and style all in one chair. The window that looked in on the fiery disaster was shattered. Acts of hatred by so many enemies that Dan Scott had accumulated over the past months and years.
The leather clad hand that tipped the lighter, igniting the fire. Looked down derisively, at the bottle of celebratory liquor that had consequently sent to Dan as a means of torture.
For all you've done.
So many interpretations by so many different people. Life was full of surprises, both good and bad. Life was unpredictable, but things had a way of coming back to bite you in the ass. Death had come back to bite Dan in the ass this time, for good.
The lithe figure slipped away from the scene, entering from whence it had come. Leaving the scene as pristine and volatile as before. A man drinking alone, a fire that started, a death that would have some shaking their head, wondering why it had happened, who had done it and others wanting to have been the one to have killed Dan, to have delivered the coup de grace.
But only one person could savor the feeling of complete power that they had finally had the last laugh over the devil. His life slipped away slowly and quickly, like the sands through an hourglass.
Nathan stood on the doorstep, a moment frozen in time, staring at Haley. "What are you doing here?" disbelief crossed his face, settling in a frozen mask of indifference.
"I missed you, I had to see you to see if our marriage was really over." Reaching out to him, she touched his face, caressed his jaw.
Nathan removed her hand, "Don't touch me." Moving to close the door on her, "Nathan wait, I have nowhere to go."
"That's your problem." Shutting the door in her face, he locked it.
Deb watched the scene from the second floor window, like an evil stepmother waiting to sweep down if Cinderella didn't get out of the way.
Peyton sat on the beach, her head buried in her hands, Luke sat down next to her, "I guess it's only you and me this summer."
Wrapping her arms around him, she breathed in his fresh scent, "thank god, I'm not alone this summer."
"You're never alone, I'm always here for you." Luke said into her soft curly hair.
His mind drifted back to when he'd told Brooke he loved her.
"Brooke, I love you."
Tears formed in her eyes, the blaring of the taxi horn, startled her, jarring her from her frozen cocoon of emotion. "I have to go, I'm sorry."
Her slender figure walked to the door, fading through it, tears streaking down her porcelain face. The door slammed shut behind her, a gust of wind whirled through her hair.
Slowly, she got into the taxi, seeing Lucas's face peering through the window.
Goodbye.
Coming back to the present, he looked around at the darkening night, the sun fading into the ocean, kissing the sky with pale pinks and eerie blues.
"My mom came back tonight," Peyton whispered to him.
"What?" Lucas startled out of his reverie of Brooke.
"She pretended to be a journalist interested in my life, and then she started sending me these creepy IM's, at least I thought it was her and then she came to the front door of my house and said her name was Elizabeth and my middle name was Elizabeth and that she was my mother." Sobbing her heart out, she hung onto Lucas. "I'm all alone and I don't know what to do."
"You have me, I'm here for you," Lucas mumbled into her hair.
"Could you come stay with me tonight? Please, just as friends, I just don't want to be alone," Peyton asked him, pulling back, she looked him in the eye.
"Sure, I got nowhere else to be and I'm here for you," Luke pushed an errant curl out of her face. Putting his arm around her, he stared out at the twinkling stars as they appeared in the darkening approach of night.
Haley dragged her duffel bag up the stairs of Lucas's house, all the lights were out. Her eyes were caked with tears and her mascara had run, she could taste the streaks on her cheek when her tongue darted out to catch the falling tears. Tracing the curve of her cheekbone, she got out her compact mirror, she looked like a street rat.
She should've listened to Chris, when he said that going back would make no difference. Nathan had gotten over her and she should get over him. Their brief passion had been like a shooting star in the night, shining but brief.
Collapsing on the stairs of what had once been like her second childhood home, she sobbed her heart out and for once in her life, there was no one around to comfort her or care about what happened to her.
Joe, her and Chris's manager had told her to come back within three days if she didn't want to be replaced.
"May as well go back, no one wants me here." Lifting her duffel bag on her shoulder, she called for a taxi to take her back to the airport.
"I'm glad you told her to leave, she has no place with us, she broke your heart and it's your turn to give her a dose of her own medicine." Deb smiled, opening her arms, she hugged her son close.
"Yeah, you're right mom," Nathan smiled and inhaled her sweet domestic scent.
Scott Motors had been engulfed in flames by now and the fire department was attempting to get control of the fire. Several people stood outside the yellow police tape lines. Hours later when the fire had been put out, one body would be found inside, burned beyond recognition, dental records would have to be used to identify the victim.
The fire was the top breaking story on the 11 o'clock news, which was watched by most people in Tree Hill.
Peyton and Lucas watched from the comfort of her room. Lucas felt nothing, only a small sense of loss and sorrow that someone had suffered even if that person had deserved to die. Peyton hugged him, hoping to comfort him.
Deb and Nathan watched from the sidelines of the scene, they'd been called before it had been broadcast on the news. The police were eyeing both wife and son as possible suspects.
Karen got a call from Whitey about it, she was in New Zealand and had gone to Andy's house, but no sign of Andy anywhere.
Brooke watched from her princess blue and white bedroom. Her new house was twice as big as her old one. Her parents were once again off at some party, she was once again alone. She wished to be back in Tree Hill, so she could comfort Lucas.
Jake watched the news, sitting on a barstool in some no name bar in some hick town, hoping to hear some news of Nicki, if she'd passed through with his daughter.
Whitey opened a bottle of brandy, poured himself a cup and toasted the silent air. "Play with fire and you get burned."
And so I leave you, speculating on who it could be. If you want an update, review, if not, I'm leaving this as a one-parter. Let me know.