"Calm Inside the Storm" is a song by Cyndi Lauper.


Just an author's note: in the prior season, Lucas did not go with Keith to Charlotte; however, Keith did, and Lucas does not know that Nathan and Haley are married, only Peyton and Brooke know that. The note to Peyton and Brooke from Lucas also did not happen, but their friendship did begin to mend some, and in place, they got a letter from Nathan and Haley, expressing their sorrows for not inviting them to their wedding ceremony. Haley writes not to tell Lucas, for she was going to tell him herself when she built up the courage. Everything else in the season one finale did happen, however.


Lucas stormed down the stairs, and in a flash, he was in the kitchen.

"LUCAS!" Karen's harsh voice stopped him in his tracks.

Luke slowly turned toward her and said, "…Yes, Mom?" with the puppy dog face he had trained himself to make when he was in deep, deep trouble.

Karen sighed with a high-pitched glint in her throat. "Lucas," she started calmly, "before you leave, we need to talk." With that, she had never looked Lucas straighter in the eye.

"I know, Mom." Lucas looked at her for an answer as a very uncomfortable moment passed.

After one last second of reasoning her inner battle, Karen decided to tell Lucas what she was racking her nerves so much to tell her son.

"Lucas, the bank called today and there's something you should know." Lucas looked in shock at his mother.

"Everything's okay, right? You just turned in a bill late, right? Nothing too serious…"

Karen looked fearfully at her worried son. "Lucas, we're losing the house. Now, I'm telling you I tried doing everything I could, but the bank says I have to file for bankruptcy."

"No!" Luke called in defense.

"Yes, and I'm afraid we'll have to be leaving Tree Hill for a while for the house to be sold. We're going to Charlotte to live with Keith until we figure this out. I'm so sorry this all happened after your father's death, Luke. I didn't mean to yell at you earlier; I just wanted to get this off my chest right away, but you left to be with Peyton and I knew that this would all come at a bad time. I'm so sorry."

Lucas looked into his mother's somber eyes as guilt plagued throughout him. He sat kindly next to his broken mother and wrapped his arms around her as she wept in his presence. Gazing out the window, he saw a misty rain beginning to shower the town with its fresh droplets of the drama taking over Tree Hill.


"Closed Until Further Notice" Peyton read off the sign on Karen's Café. "What do you think for?" she asked into the almond eyes glancing at her.

Haley just looked back at the empty shop and shook her head. "Don't know…" Her voice was barely even a whisper as she was glaring into the dark shadows behind the counter.

"Do you think someone could have broken in?" Peyton piped up next to her.

She was replied with a gasp and slap on the wrist. "Peyton! Don't scare me like that!"

The blonde seemed confused. "Haley. It's just a shadow; it's not going to hurt you." Peyton emphasized the last part with her shaking head and pointed index finger at the shadow.

The brunette laughed nonchalantly. "Right…No, just don't worry about it." She turned to look at the blonde, giving her a look that said she was serious this time. "Childhood fear."

"Oh…" Peyton slowly nodded while hiding a laugh behind her hand.

"So," Haley decided to change the subject, "did I tell you about Nathan?"

Peyton's eyes furrowed. "…What about Nathan?"

"Oh, nothing, just him reacting to his father's death. It's usual, for him to be acting this way, I mean he was like that before; it was bound he would act up sometime again, right?" Haley asked, hesitantly.

Peyton took a moment to process this. God, if Haley's being abused, I would have to tell someone; and Nathan, what is wrong with him! Doesn't he know that Haley is incredibly in love with him and trusts him more than anyone? That must be awful for her to experience that…God knows it was for me.

"Peyton? Are you going to answer me, or are you going to just space out all day?" The brunette was still in her anxious state.

"Oh Haley, I'm sorry. I was thinking about Nathan and what—"

"—Happened. Yea, I know the story of your break-up (It was all around school, you know)."

The last part made Peyton jump. Well, I guess that's what you get for being popular. "No, Hales, it wasn't our break-up I was talking about. It was…how he was when we were together."

"Oh."

"Yea. Look, you know you can tell me anything," the blonde said, looking into her almond eyes.

Haley nodded in reply.

"Then what is Nathan doing to you?" Peyton asked with a concerned face.

"Well, it all started the night we got married. Everything seemed right then, but somehow, it changed as the months went by. After Dan's funeral…all hell broke loose. Peyton, you were there; you know what Nathan did."


In a flash, Peyton saw Nathan laughing hysterically as Haley glanced over at her, unsure of what to do. They were at the funeral again and Peyton was standing up in respect.

Suddenly, a man in the shadows grabbed Nathan from behind. Peyton notice him to be Luke's Uncle Keith, but Haley didn't catch his face, being somewhat in the back of the place.


"I remember," Peyton said, opening her eyes to the auburn-haired girl in front of her. "Has he ever—" she started.

"Hurt me? No, never. Well, physically no. But when we got home from the funeral, Peyton, he started breaking things and throwing them across the room."

"Oh, my God." Peyton gasped, unable to speak at this. She was looking up, the misty rain washing away everything she ever knew about Nathan and his crowd.