Chapter Two

So first of all, thank you so much for all your reviews they mean a ton to me and they have kept me going on this story I didn't know if I was going to continue...so with that said here's the next chapter...Oh, one more thing...this is going to be a long process for me, it's a very hard and emotional story, so I apologize in advance for the slow pace, but you've been warned...

"Luke?" Haley whispers into the darkness, standing at Lucas' bedroom door.

Lucas sits up quickly, after Nathan had left the house Haley had slipped into the guest bedroom not wanting to talk to anyone, that had been an hour and a half ago and for that time Lucas had been laying on his bed with the lights off. "Hales, what's up?"

Haley shivers despite her long pajama pants and oversized sweatshirt, "I...I don't want to talk...I just can't be in there by myself. I'm scared Luke, and I don't even know why, I know I'm safe here but..."

Lucas quickly moves off his bed and Haley falls into his embrace, "I know you won't let Chris near me again but all I can think about it is.." Haley stops, her tears choking out her words. "This wasn't supposed to happen. I had a great life and a perfect husband and I fucked it up."

"This isn't your fault, Hales." Lucas responds fiercely.

"Yeah, it is. I never should have gone with Chris, I knew he was into me."

"Haley none of this..."

"Lucas, I don't want to talk about it anymore. I just want to sleep forever."

"I can take the floor if you want to sleep in here?"

"I'm not afraid of you hurting me Lucas," Haley assures. "I just want you to hold me."

"Maybe I could call Nathan?" Lucas offers.

"Luke, I can't see him, stop asking."

"Haley he's not mad at you if..."

"Fine, I'll sleep in the guest room."

"Okay," Lucas surrenders. "I'll stop talking."

"You're my best friend, Luke, and I appreciate your attempt to help, but I'm not ready to see Nathan yet. Please don't force it."

Lucas sighs, "okay."

"Nathan?" Peyton's voice startles Nathan in the nighttime silence of the River Court.

Nathan glances at Peyton and Jake, "yeah, hey."

"Nathan, shouldn't you be with Haley?" Peyton asks, "she needs you right now, with her, not here getting wasted."

Nathan opens a beer can from the already half drunk case of beer, "you'd think she'd need me with her. But she doesn't want to see me."

"What?" Peyton stares.

Nathan lets out a loud burp, "she told Lucas and then Karen that she doesn't want to see me. Funny, that son of a bitch Chris rapes her and she doesn't want to see me."

"Well, you've got to stop drinking," Peyton pulls the can out of Nathan's grip, "and you're going to go home. Jake and I will drive you, and you're going to sleep this off so you're not hung over for when Haley needs you."

"What does she need me for? She has Lucas," Nathan's words are bitter.

"She may not have wanted to see you tonight," Jake states, "but eventually she will need her husband to be there for her. Right now she's probably in shock and it's hard to see you."

"What's so damned hard about seeing me? I'm her husband."

"Nathan, Haley waited until she was married to have sex with you, and Chris just ripped away the part of Haley that she only ever wanted for you." Peyton lets out a long breath, her heart breaking for her friends.

"I promised her when we got married that I'd protect her with my life. No wonder she doesn't want to see me, I should have protected her better. Kept Chris away from her."

"This isn't your fault, there's only one person to blame and that's Chris." Jake pulls Nathan to his feet as he speaks. "Peyton's right, you've got to be okay to see her tomorrow. You've got to be strong for her."

Nathan searches Peyton and Jake's faces, "what if she won't see me?"

"She will," both assure quickly.

"How do you know?"

"She loves you, it's as simple as that."

Nathan's expression crumbles at Jake's words and he buries his face in his hands, "I love her too."

"We know," Peyton states as Jake takes Nathan's elbow and helps him stand. "We know and she knows, let's just get you home."

Two days. God, had it really only been two days? Haley stares into the steamy mirror in Lucas' bathroom. Two days since Lucas had brought her back from New York. Two days in which she did no moire than alternate between sobs and silence that made Lucas uncomfortable. And two days since she'd seen her husband. Four since she'd spoken to him.

Staring at her reflection Haley shivers, she hardly recognized herself in the mirror. In the period of two, maybe three, days she had lost sight of the person she was. Or maybe it was longer than that. The month since she had gotten to know Chris, since he had tempted her with the life of a musician she wasn't even sure she'd ever wanted in the first place. Or maybe it was longer than that. When she had agreed to tutor Nathan in the first place. She'd done it to protect Lucas and if you had told her a year ago that she would become Haley James Scott in less than a year she wouldn't have believed it. Haley James didn't ever do anything irrational. But she had, and it had worked out for her and Nathan. And that was why she had thought to risk everything with Chris, thought that like the risk she took on Nathan the one on Chris would pay off as well.

Ha. Nathan loved her. Chris had used her. Nathan had wanted all of her. Chris had wanted her body. Chris had gotten in and Haley felt like everything that she had with Nathan was gone.

"You sure you want to start back at school already?" Lucas checks for what must have been the tenth time.

Haley avoids Lucas' eye contact, "I can't sit around the house anymore."

"So you're okay with seeing Nathan?" Lucas asks.

"Seeing, yes. Speak to, no."

"Haley..."

"Lucas, please just tell him I'm not ready. Please?"

Lucas nods, he's stopped pushing anything on Haley after the night in his bedroom where she had spent the night sleepless but silent. "I'll talk to him."

"Thanks Lucas." Haley takes a deep breath, "I can't thank you enough for everything..."

"Then don't."

"She's here, at school?" Nathan stares at his brother.

Lucas nods, "she said she can't sit around all day, again. But, she can't see you yet."

Nathan's face falls, "how's she doing, Luke?"

Luke shrugs, "I'm not sure. She doesn't want to talk about it. She spent most of the weekend crying, or being completely silent and not moving. It's scary shit Nathan, really. My mom says we can't force her to talk about it, or see someone to talk about it, she has to come to conclusions on her own. Pushing her is going to make it harder for her, but shit..." Lucas sighs, "I don't know what to do man. I tried suggesting she call her parents, but she doesn't want anyone to know."

Nathan's eyes lock on Haley walking next to Peyton in the hallway and when Lucas turns to see her Nathan states, "I'll go. I'll see you later. Take care of her for me, okay Luke?"

Lucas nods, "of course I will Nate. But she will come around eventually, she's just..."

"Hurt and scared, I know." Nathan responds, "so I'm going to give her space. I'll see you later." Nathan glances at Haley one last time before he turns to walk away, but not before Haley comes running toward him. Nathan catches her in a tight embrace as Haley buries her face in Nathan's chest, clinging to him tightly and sobbing.

Okay, it's not as long as the last chapter, but I gave you guys what you want so that's good right? Haley has finally let Nathan comfort her...what's next? Guess you'll have to wait to find out! Review!