An Attempt to Repair the Damage

THREE DAYS LATER

Haley walked into her house and then into Brooke's room. She was getting her things together. "Oh, Haley, thank God. I need your help," she said. Haley walked over to her.

"With?" she asked.

"I need you to go tell the driver that I'll be a few more minutes. He's been honking like crazy for the past five minutes," Brooke said.

"Oh, I know. I actually came in here to pass along a message from him: Hurry up!" Haley said, laughing.

"Well, I want to make sure that I don't forget anything," Brooke said.

"All you have to bring is your makeup, jewellery and you. Everything else is already there," Haley pointed out. Brooke turned around and glared at her.

"I wouldn't expect you to understand. You didn't have a big church wedding like I am, so you don't know how frustrating it is," Brooke said. Haley scrunched up her face and glared at her.

"I was being smart. I didn't want to have to deal with all of the things that could go wrong with a church wedding," Haley said. Brooke looked at her in concern.

"Like what?" she asked. Her eyes were wide with fear. Haley cracked a smile. Now, Brooke's face was scrunched up in anger. "That's not funny!" she exclaimed. Haley started laughing.

"You didn't see your face," Haley pointed out. Brooke rolled her eyes.

"So how is Mission: Save Nathan going?" Brooke asked. Haley frowned. Brooke looked at her in disbelief. "Have you even talked to him since that night at PS?" Brooke asked. Haley smirked to herself and then nodded. "How'd it go?" Brooke asked.

Haley laughed a little, as she said, "Not well."

(FLASHBACK)

Haley walked up to Nathan's apartment door. It was in the same complex as their old one and she was really surprised when her mother had told her the first part of the address. She knocked twice and then paused and knocked again. The door opened and Nathan looked at her in shock. "What are you doing here?" he asked. Haley put on a face as if she couldn't believe that he was being so mean, but then it softened.

"Um, I wanted to talk to you," she replied. His face showed a bit of hurt but then it hardened.

"About what?" Nathan asked. Haley looked at him. They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul so she hoped that her eyes were bearing her soul right then. They seemed to be because Nathan's face changed distinctly as he moved to let her in. She walked in and looked around.

"Your place is nice," she said. He nodded appreciatively.

"It's probably smaller than the one you have. I can't afford a penthouse," he said. Haley smirked. He looked at her in confusion.

"You think I live in a penthouse apartment?" she asked.

"Isn't that what singers prefer?" he asked.

"Not me," she said.

"Why not?" he asked.

"Well, there are a couple of reasons actually. One: That is way too much space for just me. Two: I prefer the ground floor, which is what my apartment is on. And three: If there is ever a fire, I prefer to be able to just climb out a window, not go down like thirty floors' worth of fire escapes," she joked. He laughed. "Knowing me I'd probably get caught on one of the stairs somehow or even fall off one of the sides," she remarked. He nodded and laughed again. "It's good to hear you laugh again," she said.

"Well, if anything, you could definitely always make me laugh with your klutz stories," he said. There was an edge in his tone that made Haley frown.

"Nathan, I…" she started.

"Haley, just forget it. It's not worth dredging up the past. You're going to be gone in a few days, aren't you?" he asked. Haley nodded matter of fact-like. "Well, then what's the point in bringing up a sore subject especially if you're not sticking around?" he asked.

"Because I want to make sure you're ok," she said.

"Oh, so now you care if I'm ok? Seven years after you nearly ruined me? Perfect timing, Haley," Nathan said, walking towards the kitchen. Haley followed him. She was never one to back down from an argument and she certainly wasn't going to start now.

"You put on a tough act, but like always, I can see right through it," she said, leaning against the side of the doorway to the kitchen.

"I am perfectly fine, Haley," he said. Haley looked at him doubtfully. "And even if I wasn't, you don't need to help me," he said. Haley started to speak, but Nathan held up his hand. "I am not your charity case, ok? I was hurt when you left, yes; I'm not going to deny that. But it's been seven years, Haley. I've gotten over it and I thought you didn't even regret what you did," he said.

"You misunderstood me," she said simply. He looked at her in confusion. "Yes. I wanted to go on tour and I loved every minute of it. Every second. I don't regret doing that," she said. He sighed and shook his head in anger.

"Then, what the hell are you doing here, Haley?" he asked. She looked at him in confusion. She was completely speechless. He nodded. "Leave," he said harshly. Haley nodded and left.

(END OF FLASHBACK)

They were at the church now and Brooke was dressed in her wedding gown. Brooke looked at her in disbelief. "Haley, you know why you were there," she said.

"No, Brooke, I don't. I don't regret going on tour. It's what I wanted and I would've same decision if I could go back and do it again," she replied.

"Did you want to lose Nathan?" Brooke asked.

"No, I didn't. I never wanted to hurt him," she replied. Brooke smiled and shook her head.

"That's not what I asked. I asked if you wanted to lose him," Brooke replied.

"I don't understand," she said.

"When you went on tour and you knew that according to Nathan if you made that choice, things were over between the two of you. Did you think that he was serious?" Brooke asked.

"I don't know, Brooke," she said.

"Yes, you do, Haley. He obviously wasn't serious because he drove a thousand miles to go and see you in Atlanta," Brooke replied.

"Ok, fine. I guess I didn't think he was serious," Haley replied.

"Did you ever want to lose him back then? Did you think you two would get your marriage annulled?" Brooke asked. Haley shook her head.

"No. I thought that once the tour ended, I would go back home and see Nathan. I knew that things weren't going to magically fall into place, but I thought that we would ultimately be able to work things out," Haley said.

"So when you went on tour, you didn't really make the decision to leave him, did you? It was just about wanting to pursue music," Brooke said. Haley nodded. She left Brooke to sit down on her brother's side of the church. She saw Nathan over on Brooke's side. He wouldn't meet her gaze. She turned to the aisle as music began to play. She saw Peyton and Bevin walking down the aisle in bridesmaid's dresses. Then the Wedding March began to play and Haley stood up with everyone else. A few seconds later, Brooke was sauntering down the aisle, with a veil pulled over her head. All you could see was a mass of brown hair at the back. There was so much fabric you couldn't make her face out. Craig quickly took her hand and helped her walk beside him. Then, they turned and faced each other. He pulled the veil back and there were tears streaming down her face. He looked at her in concern. She smiled through her tears.

The priest stepped forward and said, "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the union of Craig James and Brooke Davis," he announced. "Join me in hearing their vows that they have prepared for one another," he finished. Craig took out his sheet of paper and then shoved it back into his pocket.

"I don't need a piece of paper to tell you how I feel about you, Brooke. From the first day I saw you when I accidentally crashed into you that day on the street, I have been completely mesmerized. Of course, you weren't exactly civilized when I apologized. I think you called me a creep who was so stupid that I couldn't even see when someone was walking right in front of me. Right then and there, I knew you were someone special. I didn't think I'd ever find someone that I love as much as I love you and now that I have, I'm not going to let you go," he said. Brooke was already crying. She held up her hand.

"I just need a minute," she choked out. A few minutes passed and she was still not able to speak. "Damn it! I'm such a sucker for weddings!" she exclaimed in annoyance. Everyone laughed. "Ok, I'm fine now. Uh, Craig, when I first met you, I didn't really think much of you and what I did think of you wasn't very good. I thought you were arrogant, annoying and like you said, stupid. But an old friend of mine who's in this room today taught me a long time ago that you need to look past all of their defences in order to see a person for who they really are," Brooke started. Haley smiled as Brooke looked at her. "And it was hard to do at first, but as soon as I did it, I really got to know the real you and I was completely hooked. I couldn't get enough of you and how sweet you really are. And you looked past the superficial side of me, so it looks like your little sister taught us both a lesson on seeing people. And if it weren't for her, I don't think we'd be here right now. I love you," she said. Haley started crying as she suddenly realized how much she missed all of her friends and family. She couldn't deny it anymore: she didn't belong in Olympia anymore and she didn't want to stay there. She belonged in Tree Hill.

Nathan looked over at Haley for a minute. She was smiling at Brooke and Craig. It was one of her rare genuine smiles that still made him weak when he saw them. As Craig and Brooke kissed and turned around, Nathan felt himself remembering his own wedding and how happy he had been then. He shut it out from his mind. This was a happy day for Brooke and he needed to stay in good spirits. The wedding quickly ended and he drove over to PS where they were having the reception. Surprisingly, Haley was already there and she was setting up the sound system with Mouth. He walked over to the stage and looked up at her. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Brooke and Craig asked me to sing a few songs for them," she replied flatly. Her tone was empty. It was as if the conversation was meaningless.

"Oh," he said, walking away.

"Nathan, wait," she called to him. He turned around and looked at her. "We need to talk," she replied. She hopped off the stage and pulled him by the arm and led him back stage to where her guitar was laid out and there were a bunch of sheets of music in a pile on a table. "I don't regret going on tour," she reminded him.

"I heard you," he said.

"But there has never been a second where I haven't regretted walking away from you," she said. He looked at her in shock. "When you gave me that ultimatum, instead of asking you to come with me, I got angry and fought back for all of the wrong reasons. I know that it's kind of pointless for me to say all of this now, but I just don't want you to go on thinking that I didn't love you and that I'm not sorry that I hurt you because I am. I never wanted to lose you," she said.

"You can't just say that, Haley," he said.

"Well, tough. It's not easy for me to say this, Nathan, and for a long time, I didn't even admit it to myself. But I have now and I'm willing to accept the way things have happened. Now, its time for you to admit something to yourself," she said. He looked at her in confusion. Haley shook her head. "You're not happy, Nathan. And my guess is you haven't been happy in a long time," she said.

"How could you know that?" he asked.

"Because I haven't been happy in a long time, either," she admitted. He looked at her. "Yes, I convinced myself that I was fine and attempted to move on," she said. He looked at her. "I had a boyfriend for a while in college, but it didn't last and I'm not exactly sure why I thought that it would. I guess I hoped that it would because I didn't want to face the facts: I missed you," she said. He shook his head. "It doesn't matter if you don't feel same way or not. I just wanted you to know that. And I also wanted to tell you," she started.

"What?" he asked.

"That I'm flying back to Olympia tomorrow," she replied. He scoffed.

"That's just typical," he said. She looked at him.

"You make this big confession and then you just run off," he said. She shook her head.

"No. I'm going there to pack my things and then I'm moving back to Tree Hill," she said.

"When did you decide all of this?" he asked.

"During the wedding," she said.

"I don't know what you want me to say, Haley, or what you're expecting, but if you think that I've been dying to hear you say that, you're wrong," he said. Haley laughed.

"I don't expect anything from you, Nathan. I only want you to admit that you're not happy," she said.

"And you think that I'll be happy if we get back together?" he asked.

"I wouldn't presume to know what makes you happy anymore. I just know that you're not. And once you admit that to yourself, maybe you can make some choices and you'll finally be able to be happy. Those choices don't have to include me," she said, turning around and getting back to the sound system.

AN HOUR LATER

Craig and Brooke were in front of the stage and Haley was sitting in front of the piano. Peyton was on stage and smiling. "Ok everyone, I want to clear a space for the first dance of the bride and groom to a song that will be sung by the groom's little sister and PS' newest staff member, Haley James," Peyton announced. Everyone cheered. Haley began to play the piano.

(Spoken)

I bet that you never imagined

That one day, you'd look around

And I just wouldn't be there

So I hear you're leaving (oh)

Please, don't go

I wanna make it right

Cause tomorrow is just not promised

You never know what tomorrow holds

(Sung)

You'll just never know

Don't put it off til tomorrow

Today

Make it last

For always

My pride, my destiny

I'll find a piece of mind when you're next to me

You change my darkest hour with the gleam from your eye

Simply smiling over at me makes my life complete

So what's the use in fussing, fighting when

If you ever leave me, I would be so weak

Oh, baby, please understand

When I go to sleep at night

I wanna know that everything is alright

You never know

You just never know

Don't put it off til tomorrow

Today

Make it last forever

Forever and always

You just never know

Don't put it off til tomorrow

Today

Make it last forever

And ever

Forever

Forever and always

And I make it so that every time you're around me

You're re-creating sweet, brand-new memories

Can't let these silly changes aggravate the love in me

Just for a moment you can concentrate on me

Through slow dances in parking lots and

Hugs and kisses and the rest of that

Oh, baby, you can't let the sun go down before you let me know

You're in love with me

Cause you never… know

You just never know

Don't put it off til tomorrow

Today

Make it last forever

Forever and always

You just never know

Don't put it off til tomorrow

Today

Make it last forever

And ever

Forever

Forever and always

Can't imagine one day without you

Nothing else really matters to me

I'm going to keep loving you every minute

You just never know

Don't put it off til tomorrow

Today

Make it last forever

Forever and always

You just never know

Don't put it off til tomorrow

Today

Make it last forever

And ever

Forever

Forever and always

She paused and quickly started playing the next song and everyone else joined on the dance floor.

So many nights

I felt your beating heart

As we were deep in the dark

I'd watch you sleeping tight

Protect you from the light

As if you were a child

Then put a kiss on your lips

Don't you go breaking my heart

Stay for a while

I'll make it all right

Cause if you go breaking my heart

Then I won't survive

So stay for tonight

Oh

This can't be right

Cause each and every time

I look deep in your eyes

I see the shining stars

Beautiful work of art

Still we just slip apart

Let's talk it through

You and I

Here tonight

Don't you go breaking my heart

Stay for a while

I'll make it all right

Cause if you go breaking my heart

Then I won't survive

So stay for tonight

Is there something that I should have done?
Tell me, where did I go wrong?

Is there something that I could have said to make you stay around my way?

Oh, yeah (rising pitch

Don't you go breaking my heart

Stay for a while

I'll make it all right

Cause if you go breaking my heart

Then I won't survive

So stay for tonight

Don't you go breaking my heart

Stay for a while

I'll make it all right

Cause if you go breaking my heart

Then I won't survive

So stay for tonight

Oh

Don't you go breaking my heart

Stay for a while

I'll make it all right

Oh

Cause if you go breaking my heart

Then I won't survive

So stay for tonight

I won't survive

So stay for tonight

Don't you go breaking my heart

Stay for a while

I'll make it all right

Cause if you go breaking my heart

Then I won't survive

So stay for tonight