AN: I decided to not do as many POV things cause it just takes too long, but I'll still do some. But instead, I'll have the date, that way u can see where we are in the summer for this fic. Thank you so much for all the reviews, they were amazing and I really appreciate your feedback! Thanks to: beachiegal, jeytonlover, jeyton4ever, hybridworlf10.

OK, here we go! Enjoy!


CHAPTER 2: Taking the Next Step

June, Part 1

Peyton was not just going to sit at home all summer and wait for something good to happen to her. She knew that that wasn't realistic. If there was anything she learned lately, it was that you had to fight for the things you most wanted. And she was ready to fight. She was ready and willing to do anything she could, which probably wasn't much, to help Jake in his case against Nikki.

She talked to Jake's lawyers and they all agreed that the best thing to do was put out a warrant for Nikki's arrest. She hadn't contacted anyone, hadn't even told her own lawyers that she was going to leave with Jenny. Since they were in the middle of the case, it was illegal for her to just get up and leave, just like Jake had the year before, and that left him in prison for it.

Peyton next went to go to the police station to see just how they were going to do this. How they were planning of finding Nikki and getting Jenny back from her.

"Ms. Sawyer, we have over a hundred departments across the country all looking for Nikki. We'll find her in no time." A police man had told her. He was very sympathetic towards the case. He must have children, Peyton thought.

"Thank you, Sir. Thank you so much." Peyton said, meaning it with all her heart.

Now she was at home, sketching in front of her computer. Her web-cam was still covered, incase the mystery person was looking at her again. Oh, and speak of the devil... an IM box appeared on her screen.

WATCHMEWATCHYOU: You can't hide forever, you know.
PEYTON: OK, who the hell is this?
WATCHMEWATCHYOU: Your worst nightmare.

Peyton didn't know what to answer to this. This sort of talk did seem pretty childish and dumb to her, but at the same time it scared the hell out of her. Why wouldn't this person just say who he/she was?

WATCHMEWATCHYOU: Hello? Are you there? I'm waiting...
PEYTON: What do you want?
WATCHMEWATCHYOU: I'm just going to give you some advice. I suggest you take it. Leave it alone.
PEYTON: What is that supposed to mean?
WATCHMEWATCHYOU: figure it out.
WATCHMEWATCHYOU HAS SIGNED OFF.
PEYTON HAS SIGNED OFF.

Peyton stared at her computer screen for a second, as if something was just going to pop up on it or something, but nothing happened.

Nathan continued the bus ride thinking only of Haley. He wondered if she would really be there when he got back from High-Flyers. If she had really bought their old apartment. If he would just come home in August and find her sleeping in their bed, eating in their kitchen. Just like old times... but he didn't know if things could ever go back to the way things were. But he could tell, and was happy that, Haley was trying. She really wanted to get their marriage back together, and Nathan knew that if he didn't try either, it couldn't work.

So, when they got off the bus and had about an hour to settle in the dorms, he took the time to call Haley.

"Hi, you've reached Haley James Scott. Leave a message." beep. Damn, he was hoping she would pick up. It would have been easier, just to start with a little small talk, then easing into the subject they both needed to talk about. But what was he supposed to say in a message? And now he had spent the first fifteen seconds of it in complete silence.

"Hello? Hello? Nathan?" Haley had picked up. She had just gotten home with a bag full of groceries, unable to pick up her cell. But now, being inside and having set down her bags, she picked up after seeing the caller ID.

"Haley, hi." Nathan said, a little uncomfortable. OK, so maybe it wasn't going to be so easy.

"Hi," Haley said. There was a little silence. "I'm glad you called." Haley added.

"Yeah... Yeah, me too." Was all Nathan could say.

"How was the bus ride?" Haley asked. And Nathan didn't know what it was, maybe the fact that he was always comfortable when talking to Haley, or maybe it was her soothing voice, but something made him just relax and want to talk to Haley for hours just to make him feel home.

"Long. I actually thought about you, I mean- us, the whole time. Haley, when you came yesterday, I was surprised and didn't really know what to say or think. But after having spent five solid hours thinking about it, I think it cleared things up for me." He said.

"Oh," Haley said, not wanting to expect anything good, in fear of being greatly disappointed. But she couldn't help it, the way that Nathan had just said those last few things made it seem like there was still hope.

"We get free weekends here, so I'm going to come back this weekend. I realize that I was never happier in my life than when we were happily married, and since you're going to try hard to get that together, than I will too." Nathan said, saying the words Haley never thought she'd hear, but was so happy to hear.

"Nathan, thank you so much. It will work, I won't let anything happen to break us up again, I promise." Haley said, excited that she would get to see him soon.

"OK, Haley. But just remember, it's not going to be easy. There's a lot of mending we need to do to our relationship, and it's going to take a lot more than just one weekend." Nathan said.

"Yes, I know." Haley said. "Whatever it takes, I'll do it." She knew that she sounded pathetic and desperate, but that was the least she could do after the way she treated him, she thought. She was just happy that they were moving forward.

Dan lay unconscious in the hospital room. The only visitor he had had was Lucas. Lucas found this a bit odd. Sure, Dan was no great person, but he figured that Deb would show up. He knew that she knew about it. Apparently, Dan had been trapped in his office, encircled by flames. But the person who had lit the place on fire, had a last minute change of heart, and rescued Dan just in time from the fire, and brought him to the hospital, but leaving soon after.

Lucas wondered why Dan didn't just run from the flames in the first place. The doctors seemed to say that there was a much more serious condition with him than just having been in a fire. Maybe it was the heart defect, Lucas had suggested. But they said that no, there was some kind of unwanted substance that was running through his veins that shouldn't be there.

Had someone poisoned him? Had he tried to kill himself? Lucas asked himself a million questions like these. And it was so weird that Lucas was sitting there staring at his almost life-less father, and he actually didn't want him to die. He sure wanted him to pay for all the harm he had done to everyone that he loved, and he needed to learn his lesson, but by dying, he's just escaping it all. He's just getting a way out. And it wasn't fair, Lucas thought.

When Lucas got back to an empty home, he had found that he was very bored. He had tried calling Haley but her line was busy and he had wanted to e-mail Brooke. He decided to try that, but he thought that he would end up getting carried away and write some epic e-mail about how much he loved her. Which would feel great to write, to actually get it out, but he knew that he couldn't. Professing your love in an e-mail? It doesn't exactly scream: Romance!

But he tried his best at writing a casual, friendly e-mail.

Dear Brooke,
How was the flight? And how about sunny California? I hope that you're enjoying yourself there, and perhaps working of how to convince your parents to let you come back after the summer is over...? I don't know how I would survive senior year without you. I really hate how we said good-bye the day you left, and I hope that we're still cool. But you should know that, I meant what I said. And I will still mean it when you come back. Just know that.
Yours,
Lucas.

Lucas moved the mouse over to the 'SEND' button, then away from it. Should he send it? Should he not send it? He didn't want it to sound fake. Did it sound fake? He didn't want to scare her off with his feelings either though.

He moved the mouse over to the 'Save for later' button and clicked it. There, so now he had the time to thing about it, and once he made a decision he could just go online and send it or delete it. Good, he thought.

AN: OK, that wasn't that great, but don't worry the next one will be better. I already have ideas for it, so don't worry! Please review and tell me what you think. Thank you so much!