hilaryhilary Well I'm glad you enjoyed it. Now unfortunately as much as I would love to I can't tell you off for trying to tell me what to do with my story as I am a bit prone to doing that to you when I review your story. But anyway as far as the story line you predicted well I guess you'll just have to wait and see.

cherrymfzb Ok well apparently I still managed to surprise some people. I had a feeling you would enjoy that flashback scene and I guess I was right. Glad to see you didn't completely give up on me and this story when I took so long to update. I'll look forward to your email.

famousindafuture So the flashback has proved to be popular. Glad that you enjoyed it too. I was also happy to hear that I managed to surprise people with the ending of the chapter. Only one person actually picked it.

pinkpony Yes you did know it. How I have no idea but I think I might have to look around the house for bugs? Anyway Congrats once again on being the only one to guess where I was going with that chapter and thanx for the extremely complimentary review. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter.

kaeli Hey glad you enjoyed the chapter and you will honestly never know how sorry I am for not being able to update again before that. Unfortunately I'm not sure I'm going to be able to fulfil your request anytime in the near future but keep reading. It is after all a Naley story so I can only keep them apart for so long.

Jenna Yep I'm definitely smiling again after that review. Thanx for all the compliments and even more importantly thanx for being so patient with me when I was unable to update and continuing to stick with the story after such a long hiatus.

RoseRows Well I guess it's better to discover it now than never. I'm glad you're enjoying it so much and I can promise you that there is plenty more to come with it and with any luck my updates will be back to being every couple of days again now that I have internet access pretty much sorted again. I will explain a bit more as the story goes on but if you have specific questions feel free to email me and I'll do my best to answer them. Thanx so much for your review and I hope you continue to enjoy the story as it unfolds.

Nathan4Haley Hey Nat's well there's probably not much more that I can say to you that we haven't covered in emails but anyway I still want to say a public thank you for your review and I'm so glad that you are still enjoying this story. You have been one of my most regular reviewers and it means a lot that I can count on you to review almost every chapter and give an honest opinion or at least I hope they're honest. Looking forward to hearing what you think of this one too.

unfolddream I feel so bad about how long it took me to post the lastchapter but finally it's up and I have yet another one up today so I guess things are back on track. Things have been so crazy lately but I think they are finally sorted so I should be updating a lot more regularly from now on. Glad you enjoyed the Naley banter in that scene. I was hoping to give you guys something to enjoy once more before we start having to deal with the angst that is to come. Hopefully you will continue to enjoy it when things are not quite so happy for them.

Kennedy Yes that was Haley's brother whose name is Cameron. Hope you enjoyed it.

Britt Well I guess thats one thing you can always count on from me that you should expect the unexpected. I don't shy away from putting in the big twists. Hope you enjoy what's still to come.

HipHopper92 Glad you liked it. I thought the flashback was necessary to give you all a bit more of Happy Naley before I start pulling out the angsty stuff.

nathenlover Glad you enjoyed it. But I am making no promises as to your requests. Unfortunately the story is all planned out so while you should feel free to make suggestions. It's good to know what you'd like to see happening in the story but whether or not you will actually see any of them appear in the story remains to be seen. Hope you enjoy what I've done anyway. BTW did you get my email?

A.N You guys have no idea how worried I was when I posted the last chapter as to whether or not you would still be interested in the story. I know in comparison to some authors my hiatus was nothing extraordinary but it seemed like forever to me. Anyway just want to say a big thankyou to you all for sticking with it and with any luck I should be able to update fairly regularly again. Hope you enjoy the latest chapter. One last note the hugest thankyou to all of you for getting me to the 300 review mark. That absolutely made my day. So thankyou again. Esp you Hilary.

Chapter Twenty-seven

"Take your hands off me now," she screamed at him. When his grip remained she reacted instinctively and delivered a stinging slap to his cheek. He immediately released her bringing a hand to his face as he regarded her with disbelief.

"I guess I deserved that." he said quietly "but if you'll just let me explain."

"You deserve so much more than that" she told him harshly her raised voice a complete contrast to his softly spoken plea. "I don't know what you possibly think you can say to me right now because there is no way in hell that you can find a way to justify what I just saw."

Cameron exited the bedroom once again fully clothed "Haley bub if you can just listen…"

She cut him off immediately "Listen," she shrieked her voice now conveying a touch of hysteria. "It's all I can do to be in the same room as you two right now and you actually expect me to listen to you making up some flimsy excuse for what I just saw. Or are you going to try and tell me that it wasn't what I thought it was."

"No Haley I wouldn't do that to you." Josh hastily reassured her.

Her voice betrayed more than a hint of sarcasm as she responded "well thank God for that at least you credit me with some small amount of intelligence although quite why I don't know. You managed to fool me pretty well didn't you Josh? Telling me you love me and want to marry me. What a joke."

"Haley please," Josh pleaded with her "you don't understand I do love you and I do want to marry you." A harsh guttural sound burst forth from Haley's lips and it took the two men a moment to realise that it was a laugh. "Don't you dare" she said all the fight draining from her body "don't you dare say that to me. You're just like he is you tell me you love me but its all just some ploy to get whatever the hell it is you want. At least though he didn't try to make me believe in something that was never there because no matter what else has happened I do know that at some time he did love me." Her voice cracked with emotion and Josh tried to pull her into a hug but she wouldn't allow it.

"Just tell me why Josh, why did you insist on telling me that you loved me and wanted to marry me? Why did you want me to go back to Tree Hill and resolve my past? Why?"

"Haley please just stop for a moment and let me speak, once I've said what it is that I need to say then you can make your decision from there. All I'm asking is that you hear me out."

She stared at him for a moment wordlessly, knowing that there was nothing he could possibly say to her that could make a difference at this stage, before nodding her head mutely. Seeing her signal to continue he inhaled deeply and grasped her hands in his.

"I didn't lie to you Haley when I said I wanted to marry you," seeing that she was about to interrupt he continued quickly. "Please Haley just let me say my piece without interruptions."

As she once again subsided into silence he sent a look over her shoulder in Cameron's direction silently beseeching him to leave the room and give them some privacy. Cameron shrugged slightly before acquiescing to his request.

"I can only imagine how this must have looked to you," Josh told her "but the truth of the matter is I do love you and I truly want to make you my wife but there are some things that you don't know about me."

"No kidding," she muttered. Raising her voice slightly she looked him square in the eye and spoke again. "Josh you're gay why on earth would you say that you love me and that you want to marry me?"

"I'm actually bisexual and I truly believe that you and I could make a wonderful life together."

"That's ridiculous," she told him "I'm not about to live my life with a man who would rather be in bed with my brother."

"Haley I never intended for that to happen, you have to believe me, Cameron turned up here tonight to visit you and well one thing led to another."

"Oh well why didn't you say so," she continued sarcastically "in that case sure lets just go ahead and get married."

"Haley I didn't mean it like that."

"No Josh the scary thing is that I think that's exactly what you meant. You honestly think that I should just forgive and forget and start planning my wedding to you simply because you didn't mean to sleep with my brother."

Despite her tirade and belief in what she had said she still found it difficult to comprehend as Josh actually seemed to nod in agreement with her words.

"Are you completely insane?" she asked him her voice once again rising to a shriek. Wrenching her hands out of his grasp she shakily turned back to the kitchen table where she had left her purse. "I'm leaving now and I have to say I really hope I never see you again. Have a nice life Josh." Seeing her brother enter the room once again she looked him square in the eye "don't ever bother trying to call me. I never want to hear from you again. I'll leave it to you to explain to Mom and Dad why you won't be at Thanksgiving this year."

She walked out of the house she had lived in sharing a life with Josh for more than a year and didn't bother to look back. Driving away from the house she was amazed at the way she felt. If someone had told her six months ago that this would happen and she would leave the house with nothing more than a profound sense of relief she would have laughed in their face and yet here she was.

That didn't mean that she didn't hold any ill feelings towards Josh for what he had done but her overwhelming emotion was similar to that which someone might experience having just broken free from a life sentence in prison at least this was how she imagined they must feel.

This was her opportunity to start afresh. Nathan had made it more than clear that he never wanted to see her again and Josh was no longer a part of her future. It was time she stopped living her life like a ping pong ball simply bouncing from one situation to another with no control over where she was going. She was sick of her whole life being based on what other people wanted her to do and making decisions in reaction to other peoples actions. It was time for her to take control and start living her life the way she wanted. Coming to a T intersection she looked left then right before flicking her indicator to show she was turning right and headed to where she hoped she would be able to build a new life for herself. A life that did not include Nathan, Josh or Tim.

She drove for several hours but was eventually forced to stop, her lack of sleep and her emotional exhaustion making it impossible to continue. Seeing a motel by the side of the road she pulled into the lot and went inside to make arrangements for a room for what was left of the night. The room was basic consisting of nothing more than a bed and a chair with a tiny adjoining bathroom but she was so tired right now that she didn't care.

Pushing the door closed she hoisted her suitcase onto the bed and pulled out her pajamas before replacing them once more. It was so hot and stuffy in the room and she doubted that the ancient air conditioning unit would work. Pulling out the camisole and French knickers she had worn sleeping with Nathan she ignored the pain in her chest she felt as the memories clawed their way to the surface. With a sigh she forced them back down and let herself into the tiny bathroom. She showered quickly and dressed before falling into bed. Almost immediately she fell into a deep sleep only to be roused ten minutes later by the sound of her cell phone. Picking it up she looked at the caller id and had to fight her anxiety as she saw the Tree Hill area code. Picking it up she placed the phone to her ear hitting the button to answer it as she did.

"Nathan? Nathan is that you?" she asked tentatively. Her voice caught on the last word. There was a pause at the other end of the line and Haley felt her hopes rise. If he's calling her that must mean something good. Maybe now that he had had a chance to cool off he was ready to forgive her. She held her breath in anticipation, she had always been able to read Nathan so well, she would know with the first word he spoke if he had indeed forgiven her.

"Sorry Tutor Girl, it's just me Brooke. I just wanted to check and see if you're ok? What happened? Lucas spoke to Nathan and he told us that you had gone back to Chicago. Why would you do that? Are you in Chicago now? Please Haley just tell me what's going on."

The tears that Haley had been trying so hard to contain began to flow freely down her face and she had to choke back a sob.

"Haley," Brooke's voice gentled. "Haley what happened?"

"It's over Brooke, any chance Nathan and I had for a future together is completely gone and it's all my fault."

Words failed her at this point and instead she simply cried. Through her tears she managed to choke out a few more words.

"What the hell was I thinking Brooke telling him everything that happened all those years ago? It was never going to help matters in fact all it has done is destroy him the same way it destroyed me."

"Tutor Girl are you going to be ok? You're scaring me. Where are you I'll come and get you and bring you back home?"

Taking a deep breath she fought to bring her emotions under control and made a conscious effort to rid her voice of its quaver.

"Brooke I'll be fine. At this stage I don't know how but somehow I will be ok. I've made a lot of mistakes in the last few months. Hell," she said laughing harshly "I've made a lot of mistakes period. Now I just need to move on and start over."

"Haley please just tell me where you are and I'll come get you right now."

"No Brooke its time for a new start and I can't have that back in Tree Hill. I'll let you know where I end up when I'm settled. Look Brooke I have to go but can I ask you to do me one favour? Keep an eye on Nathan for me."

"Of course Tutor Girl but just remember I'm here if you need to talk. Please call me if you need anything at all. I'll give you a call in a couple of days and check up on you."

"Thanks Brooke I really appreciate it."

After saying their goodbyes both women hung up their phones each staring off into space as they contemplated the words they had exchanged. Lucas came up behind Brooke wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Was that Haley?"

"Yeah Broody it was. Nathan was right she's left Tree Hill."

"Is she ok? Where did she go?"

"I don't know Broody I really don't know."

Sighing she leaned back into her husbands arms her thoughts a confusing muddle. It was as if she had been confronted with a gigantic jig saw puzzle and each time she thought the pieces were beginning to fit together she would find herself without a vital piece. She still didn't know what had happened to make Haley leave all those years ago but she was fairly certain that whatever had happened was in some way responsible for the fact that Haley was once again gone from Tree Hill and if there was one thing guaranteed to drive Brooke crazy it was the feeling that something was going on that she didn't know about. Pulling out of his arms she whirled around to face him her frustration becoming evident. Seeing the look in her eyes Lucas backed away from her slightly.

"This is ridiculous Broody, if they want to have their secrets that's understandable but when two people that we love are hurting like this then we have to do something. We need to get to the bottom of whatever it is that's going on between the two of them. This has gone on far too long."

As she spoke she advanced towards him and Lucas reached out to grip her shoulders. She shook his hands off and continued her pacing.

"Brooke don't you think maybe we should let them deal with this themselves? They're both adults, maybe we shouldn't interfere."

Her chin jutted out defiantly at his words. Brooke was not a person who found it easy to simply sit back and allow things to just happen of their own accord.

"That's bullshit Lucas if they were adults capable of resolving their own issues then they would both be here talking to each other and resolving things, instead Haley's run away again and who knows where Nathan is. No," she said determinedly "its time for us to get involved. You deal with that idiot brother of yours and I'm going to get Haley back here."

"Honey you really shouldn't be stressing yourself out like this it can't be good for the baby."

"What's not good for junior here is having his soon to be godparents not even able to be in the same town together."

"About that Brooke maybe we should reconsider…"

Brooke cut him off with a death glare before he could finish his thought.

"Oh no don't you even think about saying what I think you're going to say. Those two are going to be godparents if they like it or not and they are going to get along."

Lucas held up his hands in front of himself in a defensive gesture.

"Ok, ok it was just a suggestion."

Brooke sighed and walked to him placing her arms loosely around his waist and tucking her head in under his chin.

"I'm sorry Broody; it just kills me to see two people so obviously meant for each other unable to get their shit together. I mean if the two of them can't make it work what hope is there for the rest of us."

Lucas' arms tightened slightly around his wife reveling in the feel of her small baby bump pressing against him.

"Brooke you know that nothing could ever come between us don't you. You know that no matter what you and I are going to be together forever. We're going to raise our kids and grow old and watch our grandchildren grow up. I love you Brooke and nothing is ever going to change that."

Brooke smiled a little through her tears and allowed Lucas hand to tilt her face up towards him.

"I love you too Broody."

Pulling away she walked towards the bedroom and at the last moment turned back to look over her shoulder at him.

"But you are going to go and see Nathan tomorrow and find out what the hell is going on with them."

Lucas smiled slightly and shook his head this was one of the reasons he loved Brooke so much when she set her mind to something there was nothing that could get in her way and pity the poor person who tried.

Back at the motel Haley's sleeping form twisted and turned in her bed.

"Nathan," she whimpered "Oh Nathan I'm so sorry."

Spoilers:- What is going on with Nathan? Lucas tries to intervene. Deb is in for a shock.