Note: So this is the last chapter and then I'll come back and post an epilogue so people
can read the fallout etc. Let me know what you think!

Also, I will be away from the computer until the beginning of May, I'm having surgery so
I'm hoping these updates will tide you over until my return! Thanks EP

Chapter 6

Hours Later

Hours Later

Nathan looked up as Haley stumbled into the apartment, "Where did you and my mom go off to? When we got back from the court, Karen said that you two had disappeared. Lucas and Karen told me to say thank you for the dinner. Brooke, told me to tell you that Tutor Wife makes the best meals whatever that means."

Haley smiled slightly and dropped her bags by the front door and she plopped on the couch next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm so tired Nathan."

Nathan nodded and pulled her into his arms, "Maybe we should've waited a little longer to go back to school. You're doing this all on your own, and you're being emotional support for me, Lucas and Karen. When do you have time for you?"

Haley shook her head, "This is my family. You are the only people in this world that I have time for. Besides, it's not all on me, Brooke helps out at the café when she's not with Lucas or Karen. Peyton helps out on crutches when she can. It's just something I have to do. That's enough about me, how about you? Did you make a lot of touchdowns in your game with Lucas?"

Nathan barked out a laugh and said, "Haley we don't need to go through all of this again do we? You know what the word free-throw means right?"

Haley nodded against his chest, "I just wanted to hear your heartbeat as you spoke, and I know what basketball is all about. I still remember our tutoring session from two years ago, you know."

Nathan closed his eyes as he laid his head on top of hers, "God, has it really been two years?"

Haley nodded "Two years. Nathan, do you regret moving back in here with me? Or marrying me? Am I what you want?"

Nathan flinched back in shock and pulled Haley onto his lap, "Where is this coming from? Of course, I don't regret marrying you. I don't regret marrying you because you are it for me, always and forever. Where is this coming from?"

Haley met his eyes and saw the love and devotion there and all the talk with Deb of conspiracies and paying people to get her out of Nathan's life fell away. She placed her head on his forehead as she felt the tears falling down her cheeks, "I love you so much Nathan, and sometimes it scares me. I don't know how to feel because I've never been so completely invested in a person, as I am you. I fought for you as I haven't even fought for myself and I know in my heart its been worth it, I just need to hear that you feel the same about me."

Nathan brushed his lips against hers, "How could you even doubt that?"

Haley nodded against his forehead as his simple touch reassured her in a way nothing else could. "Nathan, make love to me."

Mid Morning

Haley looked at her husband sleeping and knew she could wait no longer. Lives hung in the balance and if Deb's words were any indications Dan was a ticking time bomb that was about to explode and she had to find the timer before his explosion took out her family.

She brushed a gentle kiss against his head and then walked out of the bedroom and closed the door softly behind her. Sitting on the couch she started to tap her foot as she dialed the number on her cell phone.

"Mouth?"

"Haley? Listen, I know I said that I would help you take down Dan and I will but its 3:00 in the morning and I'm…."

"Listen Mouth, the timetable has been moved up. I have to take action now. I just spoke with Deb last night and some of the things she told me…."

"Haley…Today? All we have is that tape and you said that we were going to watch Dan…. make sure he…"

Haley cut off Mouth to speak her next words, "Listen I don't have that kind of time. Dan is crazy and he's liable to go off and this time we may not be able to survive his thoughts. I want my family safe and Jimmy's name cleared. His mother told me she has nothing to live for, I'm going to give her something, the assurance that her son isn't a murderer, are you going to help me or not?"

Mouth sighed heavily in her ear as she spoke, "What do you need me to do?"

At the Rivercourt Hours Later

Haley walked up behind Lucas and jumped on his back. He screamed and turned around with a fist.

"Haley, you almost got decked!"

Haley giggled, "Look Lucas, with the medication you're on now you're running kinda slow I'm thinking?"

Lucas narrowed his eyes at her, "Funny. What's up, why are you out here so early? What's going on?"

Haley shrugged her shoulders, "Nathan is at the apartment sleeping, and I wanted to talk to you about something. Something I should've told you as soon as I suspected it but I didn't want to come to you without more information. Anyway, I need your help."

Lucas looked at her, "Is this what Nathan was worried about? He told me you've been acting weird lately and he was worried."

Haley nodded, "We talked, we loved but you don't want to know about that?"

Lucas shook his head, "I don't want to know about that at all. Forget about it…since you are my best friend and my sister I will help you with whatever you need."

Haley nodded, "Good, I need you to call the cops if I don't meet you at the Rivercourt in an hour."

She nodded and started to walk off as Lucas came from behind her and said, "You don't think you owe me a little more explanation than this…. Nathan will never forgive me if I just show up someplace with the cops in an hour. What's going on?"

Haley turned around and looked at Lucas. Sometimes when she looked at her extended family she would swear that she could see the aging in all of their eyes. Lucas looked like he had lost weight and his eyes lacked a shine that she missed from before.

"I just want to let you know that Keith and your trust in Jimmy was never misplaced. It had never been misplaced; even after everything he didn't kill your father Lucas. Because that's what Keith is to you right? Your dad?"

Lucas nodded as he felt the tears come to his eyes, "Hales… Keith is gone and Jimmy…"

Haley put a finger over his lips, "Jimmy didn't murder your father Lucas. Hold on to that… Hold on to the love and trust you put in the both of them. For your sake it's what I'm asking. Meet me at Dan's office in an hour."

Lucas shook his head as a sickening feeling went through him, "Haley, tell me…."

Haley shook her head and walked away.

Present

Outside with Nathan/Lucas/Karen/Whitey/Mouth

"Why the hell didn't you tell me so I could stop her? You know this is crazy, she's in there by herself with a murderer who obviously has no remorse..."

Mouth flinched back at the anger he heard in Nathan's voice but was powerless to respond to his accusations as every word being flung at him was completely true. He should've told someone but the look in Haley's eyes pleaded for silence. They pleaded for an ally and he been powerless to refuse her.

"Look, you guys I would love to give you some story about why I didn't tell anyone but I don't think any of the excuses would suffice at this moment, I'm sorry but she swore me to secrecy."

Karen shook her head as the last couple of weeks came rushing back into her mind, going off on Lucas after the funeral. I was actually starting to get closer to Dan as they united supposedly in their grief of the one who had been so integral to both of their lives. "I just feel sick when I think of him at the funeral….He was able to stand on the front row and grieve with the people who loved him most…Haley stood in the second row! She was family for god's sakes and we put her in the second row to make room for Dan the one who took Keith from us in the first place, and she's still here protecting us and loving us…"

Whitey pulled the sobbing Karen in his arms and turned to both of the boys, "Keith was an extraordinary man and not to just you Lucas or you Nathan but to everyone's lives he touched. When Haley came into my office after finding out that Dan had murdered Keith she told me how Keith had helped you when you guys were first married and how she never got the chance to thank him for everything he did…She was so grateful for the love she received from this family…."

Lucas flinched visibly, "What do you mean was? I will storm this damn building before I allow anything to happen to Haley. She's my sister, she's my best friend and she's in there protecting all of us because that's how much we mean to her, I will never take that for granted."

Nathan swore, "You mean like how I took her for granted when she came back? I wasted so much time being a jerk to her, I put on all this armor around my heart that she had helped me once break down and that's all she received from me…even after I knew, I knew that she wasn't the only one to blame for all of our problems. She was still there, telling me she wasn't going anywhere. That we were always and forever and that she loved me…"

Whitey cleared his throat gruffly and said, "Why are we all under the assumption that she's dead? Dan may be crazy and one messed up SOB but he's not suicidal. He knows that you boys will kill him if he harms one hair on her pretty head…Now one thing your father was always famous for was creating smoke….Just because you heard a shot doesn't mean it was aimed at Haley, that's why the SWAT team is pulling back. Now we have to wait and hear what the cops say."

Lucas put his arm around his crying brother as they both held each other in a waiting pattern to see what their father would do to the woman that they both loved in different ways.

Present

Haley met Dan's eyes with a question and he shook his head. "Why? I guess that's my only question left to ask. Why?"

Haley stood up, "Because I'm a Scott, Dan. But you know what's funny? I'm a Scott that is determined that the mistakes of the past aren't repeated. I'm here to ensure that you don't destroy the two talented men downstairs who happen to be my family because of your ambition, disease. Are you ready?"

Dan shook his head, "I'll never be ready to give up on what's mine. You helped take it away and now I'm just supposed to accept it?"

Haley shrugged her shoulders, "Accept it or kill me." Those last words were spoken with her insides quivering and her bladder close to spilling over. She hoped that Dan couldn't tell blood pressure from afar because otherwise she was screwed.

Dan stood up, "Come on, let's go."

Haley walked up to him, "Why did you kill your brother? No lies, no justifications, no half words or truths. Why did you kill your brother? The son of your parents, and the man that has always looked out for you why?"

Dan grabbed her to him, using her body as a shield as they started the walk outside, "One word Haley. One Word, Jealousy."

Haley closed her eyes as disgust rolled through her stomach. The light of day was piercing her eyes as she looked upon the face of her family that was filled with concern.

Nathan and Lucas were both sporting red-rimmed eyes and faces that were wet with tears. She smiled to them softly as the gun was jabbed into her ribs. She bit back a scream to not cause alarm to Nathan or Lucas. Mouth, Karen, Deb and Whitey had joined the circus that was now prevalent outside the mayor's office and all eyes were locked on the fear in her face and the insanity that now marked Dan's.

Karen looked at Dan with disgust in her eyes, "Dan, why don't you just give up! We know everything now."

Nathan looked at his father, "Let her go or so help me…."

Dan waved the gun around, "Look Nathan, I hate to break it to you but you aren't in the position to make any demands on me. This is between your wife and I; she took it upon herself to rid the world of big, bad old Dan. Look, I don't have time for any of your hypocrisy right now. The only person you are worried about is Haley; the only person you've ever been worried about is Haley. I'm not going to hurt your precious Haley; I know what she means to you all."

Dan shoved Haley out of his arms and she stumbled onto the lawn. Nathan made a grab for her but Dan swung his pistol towards Nathan. Haley felt the scream rise in her throat as he pulled back the trigger; she ran in front of Nathan and pushed him out of the way bracing herself for the impact.

It never came.

Two shots were fired, however.

Two shots which was one bullet more than the shot that had taken Keith's life.

Haley opened her eyes slowly to feel herself surrounded by her family as hugs, kisses, reproaches; screams were issued at her for taking it upon herself to take down Dan. She reveled in the feeling of being in the midst of her family as she smiled. She pulled back as she realized that Dan was no longer the center of attention.

She pulled away from her family and walked over to Dan who was lying on the ground with his eyes closed. She bent down over him even as Nathan and the SWAT team was pulling her back. His eyes were closed, seeing no more.

Nathan looked upon the man that had caused his family and Haley so much pain and felt nothing but rage and pity. His eyes opened slowly and Nathan jumped back and pulled Haley with him but Dan's eyes locked on hers.

Haley met his eyes refusing to be further intimidated by this man and as she looked into his eyes, she saw determination. Haley shook her head and as she looked she spoke quietly, "Dan the fight is over. You've lost, let go."

Dan's eyes appeared to pierce into hers and he closed his eyes as death and maybe a greater power claimed him.

Dead Dan works better for me than Jailbird Dan because then I would have to write his reactions to his
family etc... Maybe I'll do an alternate ending.