Okay, loving the reviews. Now this chapter is a bit long, sorry, but, um, I couldn't decide where to hack it in half, so I left it as one. It sort of goes into Haley's past of where she's been for the past five years.

Leaving Town

Twenty Questions

"Well…" Haley said, taking a deep breath, as she took the picture from Brooke, "We met in Starbucks, suprisingly enough. That was almost four years ago. I knew him two years before we weregot married. He was so funny, and yet serious. Though, we didn't really meet, we more of ran into each other, literally. We spent the day together.We exchanged numbers, and he called mebefore I arrived home to talk about anotherdate. Well, after wedated fora year, he proposed. Things got a bit hectic with planning the wedding when my brother handed over custody of Meredith to me, but he accepted her, andwe resumed wedding planning once she was settled. She was a newborn,three weeks old.My brothersaid he had to make something of himself if he was going to be good enough to be her daddy. The wedding kept getting pushed back, things kept coming up, but he was so easy going, and wasreally okay with I needed to be with my mom when she needed surgery or I needed to see Taylor because shecalledand said it was an emergency. We finally set a date,for a year ago. And, nothing happened, we made it to the church on time.We were supposed to ride off into the sunset on his motorcycle, well he decided he wanted to show me some tricks first, he was an amazing stunt man on a motorcycle, and loved that thing like it was his own child. I wasn't on it with him, it was two dangerous. So, he gets on it, in front of the church, in front of everyone, still in his tux and everything. He looked so stunning in black, I wished he wore it more often. It really complimented his dark hair. I told him that, he said white was better, but wore black that day for me. So, he got on his motorcycle, a Harley Davidson, not that I knew anything about motorcycles, he just told me that, and he revs it up, as loud as he could make it go, shaking furiously under him, he had just cleaned it, so it was really shiny, and the black of his suit, matched the black of the motorcycle, making them one, and started off, a few simple tricks, a jump or two, circling around, nothing really fancy, when he came back around, he reached the intersection, but didn't turn around, he was going to do a wheelie through the intersection. The light was red, he didn't realize it, and went speeding through, getting sideswiped by a big truck, with everyone watching, family, friends, watching him get run over by a truck. Everyone was whipping out cell phones to call an ambulance, but it was obvious it was too late. We didn't even have twenty-four hours together. I was a wife and a widow in the same day. One year ago tomorrow. And, as much as I'd love to spend the day with him, I'm sure he's understand where I'm coming from, being here, with my friends, well if you still are my friends, who are alive, instead of a vegetable in the ground. Ross valued life, so he'd want me to be here, rather than at his grave, or the intersection, with people who are alive." Haley looked at Brooke and Peyton's faces, Brooke was practically bawling like a little baby, and her story even touched Peyton, who usually didn't give a damn about anyone else loosing someone close. She didn't bother to look over at Nathan, who probably could care less, considering who was telling the story. She looked back to Brooke.

"So, why did you only write me a letter saying you were leaving?"

"I didn't."

"You did too write me a letter, everyone read it."

"No, I mean, I didn't write just you a letter."

"Well, who else did you write to?"

"Nathan, I put it on top, in that box of stuff that was his, that I gave back the night I left, surely he didn't miss it, it was right outside his door, he's have to trip over it to get inside unless he saw it and moved it."

"I remember that box, it was a jumbled mess, and I remember when I was packing for him, so we could all go to THCC together, it was in that box, it was a beat up box with his name on it, I asked him what to do with the letter, he said put it in the box with the rest of my mail, after that, I don't know what happened to it."

"So, Nathan, not what are you going to do, she so totally said goodbye, you just flat out ignored it. Gosh, that would so suck, Why did you leave?" Brooke asked, going back to Haley.

"We didn't work out, I couldn't be around here anymore, just picked up and left."

"Okay… how long are you staying?"

"Coach's funeral probably, then going back."

"Back where?"

"Can't tell you, Brooke."

"Darn, thought it would work," Brooke said, and Haley's cell started ringing.

Haley took it off her hip and looked at it, then opened it, "Hello… speaking…" Haley got up, "Hold On" Haley said into the phone, "Hey Brooke, could you hold Meredith, I need to take this."

"Yea, sure," Brooke took the sleeping girl. Haley walked into the back, talking on her phone.

Jake stood up, "Um, I'm going to call my mom, make sure it's okay for me and Jenny to stay there," Jake said, taking out his cell.

"You can stay with me, its really late, you don't want to wake your mom up. Both of you can stay with me, then you can see your mom tomorrow morning, or," she looked at her watch, "Later today."

"Okay, thanks Peyt."

Luke walked back in and sat down next to Brooke, and looked at her, "And what did you do to get to hold Meredith?"

"Haley's phone was ringing, and I was talking to her, so she gave her to me."

"So, what did you get out of her?"

"She was married, but he died on their wedding day, I don't know where she was, and she did tell Nathan goodbye."

"Good job, now, I think that's enough for one day, let her talk, you're not going to get it out of her."

"Okay, look at her though, isn't Meredith adorable?"

"Yeah, she is."

"Lucas! Have some more enthusiasm, jeez," Brooke said, but then Haley walked back out, holding her closed phone at her chest, walked behind the counter and poured herself a cup of coffee, put the lid on it, and drank it, black, trying to collect her thoughts on the past phone call.

Haley had her back turned towards them so they couldn't see her face, that she'd been and still is a little, crying, she silently sipped her coffee, "Hey, I think I'm gonna go," she said, trying to hide her emotion. She walked over to the booth that she had put her stuff in and picked up her stuff, took Meredith from Brooke, "Night everyone, I guess I'll see you later, eleven right?" she was hurrying to get out the door.

Brooke shot Nathan a death glare, and he brushed it off, "Haley, it's dark out, you should let someone walk you to your hotel room, wouldn't want anything to happen to you," Brooke said, staring at Nathan.

"Brooke, thanks for the offer, but I'll be fine, it is Tree Hill after all," Haley said and walked out the door. Not to long after, Nathan was running to catch up with her. She stopped and looked at him.

"Brooke made me," he confessed, "Said she was worried about you, and Lucas had just gotten back."

"It's cool, but you don't have to, really, I know my way around Tree Hill, and it is Tree Hill, not like I'm going to get mugged or anything, seriously."

"Hales," he looked at her, that face looked so hurt, obviously that hit a sore spot.

"No one's called me that in years."

"Oh, sorry."

"No, it's not you."

"That phone call, Haley, who called you, and in the middle of the night?"

"My boyfriend," now it was Nathan's turn to look hurt, "He's in Europe right now, a photographer, he's done amazing work," her voice had a slight quiver in it, like he was hard to talk about.

"Hales, what did he say?"

"He met a model and he said we're just not going to work, he's not coming back, and I'm not willing to go there, and he's more interested in this model, so he said it'd be best to end it. Just last month, he was with me, then he got an opportunity to go to a photography school in Europe, we talked about it, argued some, then decided it would be best for him, and he left. Now he loves it there, he's been calling me for weeks how beautiful it is, and now it took him, that lifestyle," she was on the verge of tears.

"Hales, he's not worth it, he's an ass for not seeing how beautiful you are."

"No, he knew it, it was his pictures that he took of me that got him accepted to the stupid school," she opened her wallet and showed Nathan a picture of her that he took, she looked great, the lighting was right, the pose she was in made her look great, it was awesome his skills as a photographer, "He took pictures of Meredith, too, for fun, that day was so much fun, she was giggling about the feather boas and the puffy skirts, and her smile was contagious. Matt and I just watched her play, taking natural pictures, they were beautiful."

"His name was Matt?"

"Yeah, Matt Threthon. He was so sweet. I just can't believe how jerky photography school in Europe made him," she took a drink of her coffee.

"Black coffee?"

"Yeah, it's actually good, give you lots of energy, besides, not like I'll be able to drink any of it later."

"Why?"

"24-hours before my performance, only hot tea with honey and lemon, soothes the vocal cords."

"You really buy into that bullshit?"

"Yeah, it helps, and tea's good for you, anyways, I need to get going, I like to get up early to go for a run in the mornings, clear my head, stay in shape, a natural feel good pick-me-up."

He looked at her, like really looked at her for the first time that night, and saw her, very slim, still short, she looked fragile, like she was dropped so many times, and once more just might break her, and there was hurt in her once soft brown eyes, and her smile wasn't there. She just really wasn't the old Haley, "How about I join you tomorrow morning? A nice run on the beach, the salty air, the sand, the cool breeze from the ocean?"

"Sure, come get me at five."

"Five!"

"Too early?"

"Just a little, how about six… thirty," he added, looking at his watch.

"Fine, six-thirty, good-night," she said, and walked up the steps into her hotel room.