A.N Sorry this update has been a bit slow in coming. I've been blown away by the response to this story and I appreciate each and every one of you who has taken the time to review. I hope this chapter lives up to expectations. Just want to let you all know about a fantastic story that hilaryhilary has recently started. Its a fantastic story and is titled A Life Less Ordinary take my advice and check it out and if you love it as much as I do leave her a review. Look forward to hearing everyone's thoughts on this chapter. I'll do my best to have another one up by the end of the weekend.
A Time Best Forgotten
Part One
The Realities Of The Past
Haley could hear a commotion downstairs but was reluctant to leave her room to find out what it was about. Zach was crying and she could hear raised voices and for the briefest of moments she could swear that she heard Brooke's voice but quickly told herself that that was impossible. There was no way Brooke Davis would set foot in the same house as Taylor James without damn good reason. She froze as a terrifying thought crossed her mind. No there was no way that Taylor would not do such a thing she tried to tell herself. Yes her sister was worried but to actually call Brooke and ask her to come here. Surely it was impossible.
Even as she thought this Brooke's voice carried clearly up the stairs as if to verify her most deeply held fear at that moment. "Look I didn't come here to see any of you. I'm here for Haley and that's it so why don't you just point me in her direction so I can get this over with."
Oh God she can't come up here.
"Brooke maybe you should let me go first," Lucas told her. "I can tell her that you're here and see if she wants to see you."
"Oh you have got to be kidding me," Brooke screeched rounding on Taylor "you didn't tell her that I was coming. What the hell were you thinking?"
"I just thought it would be better to wait until you got here…" Taylor trailed off as she saw the way the younger woman was glaring at her. Suddenly there was a shift in her attitude as the real Taylor James shone through. What the hell was she doing? She wasn't going to stand here and take this shit from anyone especially not little miss perfect Brooke Davis. "You know what," Taylor said planting her hands on her hips "I don't have to explain myself to you. This is my house and I'll do whatever the hell I please now if you want to go up and see Haley well you know the way. She's in her old room. Try not to trip over your ego on the way up."
"Tay," Lucas said placing a soothing hand on her shoulder "Brooke came here to help ok. She didn't have to but she did so maybe you should lay off a bit. It doesn't matter how you feel at the moment what is important is what's best for Haley and you wouldn't have called Brooke if you didn't believe she could help in some way."
Brooke turned to Lucas her eyes spitting venom as she saw the way his hand rested on Taylor's arm. "I don't need you to fight my battles for me. What do you think you are a god damn mediator? Well let me tell you one thing right now Mr Scott. I don't need your help and I sure as hell don't want it. I may be back in town for a few days but I think it would be a hell of a lot easier if we just stay out of each others way ok. Now if you'll excuse me I need to go and see Haley. God knows she probably needs me if she's been relying on the two of you for the last few days." With that said she angrily flipped her long brown hair over her shoulder and headed up the stairs towards Haley's old room.
Haley looked at the door apprehensively waiting for the knock that she knew was coming, she considered locking it but knew that there was little point as Taylor would undoubtedly just give Brooke the key. She glanced at herself in the mirror there was no time to put makeup on and try to hide the still blatantly obvious evidence of Chris' fists on her face. She moved as fast as her broken body would allow to close the blinds hoping that if nothing else she could at least make it more difficult for the other woman to get a clear look at her face. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she was sure that it was about to burst through her ribcage and shatter the already broken bones of her chest.
She could hear the click of her heels as she moved determinedly towards the door and knew that there was no escape from Brooke. If there was one thing that she knew from growing up with Miss Davis it was that there was no getting away from Brooke when she was on a rampage. She stared at the door trying to prepare herself for the moment when that knock would come but she may as well not have bothered as the door flew open and Brooke stood on the threshold peering into the dim room her hands planted firmly on her hips.
"So," she said walking into the room and coming closer to where Haley sat on her bed her hair once again hanging over her face. "You decided to come back. I have to say I was surprised when I got that call from Taylor not so much at the state she said you were in but at the fact that you finally broke away. Although I guess it wasn't really from choice now was it. So tell me Haley if those police hadn't come when they did would you be here now? Would you actually have left that bastard that you called a husband?"
Haley stared at her shocked she had always known that Brooke was not one to mince her words but she had not expected this from her. But then she didn't know what she had expected from her, she knew that Brooke was hardly likely to come in here playing the Good Samaritan and cajoling her into telling her what had happened. But she had expected there to be some sort of sympathy from the woman she had called a friend for the better part of high school.
Brooke stared at her, now that her eyes had adjusted to the dimness of the room she could clearly see the damage inflicted on her old friend. But it wasn't only the physical evidence that she could see it was the look in her eyes the lack of spirit shining out. Haley had always been someone that looking into her eyes you could read her like a book but now there was nothing, nothing but darkness pouring out from her soul. It hurt Brooke to see her like that but she couldn't help but remember the last time that she had seen her the way she had begged her to leave that monster of a man that she had married and the way Haley had turned her away refusing her help. It had been one of the most difficult things she had ever done that day walking away from that penthouse apartment in New York City but she had known that there was nothing she could do for her then. She couldn't help someone who didn't want to be helped. Haley would be beyond help until she admitted to herself that what was occurring in her everyday life was wrong and so Brooke had bided her time hoping that one day her phone would ring and it would be Haley finally admitting that she was ready for help. But that call had never come and although she knew it had been a vicious thing to say she knew that if Chris Keller was not in jail right now that Haley would still be in New York right by his side allowing the atrocities that he committed against her on a daily basis to continue.
Brooke herself could not imagine being that much under someone else's control and allowing another person to have such power over her. She was and always had been a self sufficient woman. She had made the mistake of opening up her heart when she was very young and although she had been slow in learning the lesson she had eventually learnt it the hard way. She now knew that such an action led to nothing more than hurt and betrayal and she would be damned if she would ever open herself up to the possibility of that happening to her again.
Five years ago she had been more hurt than she had ever believed possible and it had come at the hands of those who supposedly loved her. She knew that Peyton could not help the fact that she had died but in a small way Brooke could not help but feel a small sense of blame towards the other woman for leaving her the way she had. The two of them had been so unbelievably close and then just like that one day she was gone and Brooke was left in a world that no longer made sense to her. She had thought she would never feel as alone as she had the day of Peyton's death but had been unaware of the misery that still lay ahead of her. She snapped her head up wanting to block the bad memories that were crowding her mind and looked at Haley's small frame huddled into her robe and felt a searing pain shoot through her, a pain that had no roots in the physical only in the psychological.
She wished in that moment that she didn't care about the woman before her that she could just walk away and forget that they had ever been friends. View her as nothing more than yet another statistic in the growing disease of domestic abuse that swept the world. But she knew she couldn't because as much as she tried to prevent it her mind filled with other images, images of Haley when they had been at school together, images of a laughing Haley trying her best to learn a cheerleading routine that she had little talent for. It was hard to believe that that laughing girl was the same broken woman that sat before her today and she knew in that moment that this was not the same girl although physically she may share many similarities this woman was nothing but a shell of what she had once been. All of the life had been drained out of her and now there was nothing left. Brooke could feel her chest tighten as she acknowledged the truth of her thoughts and had to fight the tears welling in her eyes, such a foreign feeling after so long without them. It had been so long since she had allowed herself to cry and now looking at Haley every wall she had built up around herself began to crumble.
She couldn't allow that to happen she had to go, to get away from Haley and the emotions she was bringing out in her. She needed to return to San Diego, back to her apartment with her fish, to the job that she could lose herself in every day. She turned to leave wanting to rush out that door and never look back and at that moment Haley spoke.
"Did you get the flowers I sent?"
Brooke turned looking at her incredulously for a moment, trying to find the words to respond.
"The ones I sent to Peyton's funeral," she said by way of explanation in case Brooke had not caught her meaning.
"Ah yes I did. I mean they came. They were beautiful," she said in a tone that indicated anything but appreciation. She was shaken she had come up here for no other purpose then to see Haley and perhaps help her to deal with what had happened to her but it was as if being here with her had opened up a swirling vortex inside of her and now all the feelings that she had tried for so long to bury were fighting their way to the surface. This was not supposed to happen this wasn't what she came here for.
Haley remained sitting on the bed and Brooke walked over perching beside her. Haley looked up at her stunned for a moment and then relaxed once again. "Do you remember that time that we all had to drive back from that away game in Pickerington? You got hurt when Lucas and…." She trailed off for a moment before continuing "When Lucas got into that fight and then you me and Peyton ended up driving back together. That was the first time you and I ever really spent any time together. Of course you were spaced out on pain medication and insisted on calling me Brooke all night. I never would have guessed after that night that you and I would become friends." She stopped and Brooke looked at her surprised to see a soft smile on her face as she allowed the memories to overtake her. To be honest her memories of that night were vague due in large part to her being spaced out on pain medication as Haley had quite rightly pointed out. When she had finally started to regain her senses she had been perturbed to see Haley and Peyton so obviously enjoying each others company and in a small way she had been ever so slightly jealous. She had dismissed Haley that night not rating her as someone important enough in the high school hierarchy to concern herself with yet somehow despite a few false starts a friendship had developed.
Now here they were so many years later and she wasn't even sure what sort of a friendship if any remained between them but she knew that despite what had happened between them she could not walk away from Haley and leave her to deal with this alone. She wished more than anything that she could but she knew that it was impossible whether she liked it or not she was going to be here for the long haul.
Haley seemed to be retreating back into her shell and Brooke desperately needed to prevent that and so she said the first thing that popped into her head. "What about that Bachelorette party I threw for you after you got married? That was a great night." She said instantly regretting her words as Haley's face twisted with pain. God what had she been thinking reminding her of her first marriage like that. Sometimes she seriously doubted if her mouth was connected to her brain at all.
Haley desperately tried to push the memories down but they refused to be ignored. She could almost feel the fading sun in her face as she stood on that beach staring up at the man she loved. She could hear the celebrant's words, feel her parent's proudly watching as she recited her vows but more than anything she could feel the love emanating from the man who stood in front of her. For a brief moment she could feel the happiness that filled her whole being as she heard those words. I Nathan Daniel Scott take you Haley Lydia James to be my lawful wedded wife. So different to how she had felt standing in that registry office waiting to officially become Chris' wife, then she had only felt a strange numbness overtaking her body and looking up at him she hadn't seen love radiating from his eyes she had seen victory. He had won the first round but his battle over her would be a long running saga that would only be complete when he owned not only her body but her very soul as well, owned and destroyed everything that made Haley James the woman that she was.
In that brief instant looking into his eyes she had known that this marriage was a mistake and she had desperately wanted to tell the man performing the ceremony to stop but the words would not come. Then she had remembered everything that had led up to this day and she had clamped down on her forebodings and when the JP had asked her to repeat her vows she had done so in a quiet but firm voice. Signing that piece of paper that would legally join the two of them together she had felt like she was signing off on everything in her life that had come before now. None of it existed anymore, she was Mrs Chris Keller and her life would never be the same.
She could feel Brooke's hand on her arm trying to get her attention but she couldn't pull herself out of the memories. The way he had kissed her, his lips cold on hers, his hands digging into her back and then he had smiled at her a smile that had chilled her to the bone. "You're mine now," he had said with that same sadistic smile, the smile that would come to be so familiar to her throughout the seven years that she had spent locked into the prison that some called her marriage. But the main thing he had drilled into her head still remained. He loved her and she would always belong to him.
Looking back on it she still wasn't sure when things had started to go so wrong. No she amended to herself she knew when it had begun to go wrong it's just that she had a hard time equating the events of that day with the trauma that would follow. It had all seemed so innocent in the beginning. It was the day of the Grammy awards, Haley had laid out the dress that she intended to wear, it was her first ever nomination and she was a bundle of nerves. Chris had come into the room behind her wrapping an arm around her waist from behind and pulling her back into his body as he ran a discerning eye over her choice of dress. "I think you can do better," he said finally "Come on I'll drive you to your rehearsal otherwise you'll be late. Let's face it if it was left up to you, you would never be on time anywhere." Haley was slightly taken aback at his comment but then laughed it off telling herself that it was obviously just a poor attempt at humour. So he had dropped her at rehearsal and she had rehearsed the song over and over again determined to get it right. Before it had finished she had looked up to find him sitting a few rows back watching her critically. She had smiled and given him a little wave but he didn't return it instead nodding at her curtly to continue. By the time she had finished she was feeling good about the way it had sounded and walked off the stage smiling at him happily waiting for him to congratulate her.
"You sounded a little rough in that last verse," he said "you're going to have to do better." Her face had fallen momentarily and he had looked at her seeing the sheen of tears in her eyes.
"Hey," he said tilting her head up to look at him, "you know I only tell you this because I want to see you do your best. You know that I know what I'm talking about so don't pout just take my advice and do better."
She had bit down on the urge to tell him that if he knew so much then why hadn't he been asked to perform that night and instead wondered why she was being so petty. He was after all just trying to help her. He had done a lot for her these past few months and had got her through a time that she honestly wasn't sure she would have survived without him he didn't deserve her ingratitude. "I'm sorry you're right I'll do better tonight I promise."
"That's my girl," he said tilting her chin up and leaving a lingering kiss on her lips. "Now let's get back to the hotel I have a surprise for you."
"Really," she said her distress of a few minutes ago forgotten. "What is it?"
"Now what sort of surprise would it be if I told you?" he said with a smile guiding her out of the building a possessive arm wrapped around her waist.
As they left she could see the groups of fans already beginning to gather outside anxious to get the best possible spot beside the red carpet to catch a glimpse of their favourite music idols. Just as they were almost at their car parked discretely at the side of the building one of them spotted her and immediately started hollering excitedly in their direction.
"HALEY, oh my God it's Haley James. Look it's really her."
Haley paused ready to greet them and sign a few autographs but Chris pushed her irritably towards the car.
"Get in," he said curtly.
"Oh but Chris I just thought I'd…"
"Oh but nothing," Chris interjected "Now get in the car we need to go."
She looked at him slightly taken aback. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to react to his edict. She was still at a stage of her career where meeting fans was exciting and a novelty to her. She enjoyed talking to them and the way she saw it if they could come out here and stand in the hot sun to show their support for her and others than surely the least she could do was say hi and sign a few autographs. She looked up at Chris ready to argue but before she could she saw the look in his eyes and the words died in her throat. There was an expression there that she couldn't quite fathom but she knew almost instantly that it did not bode well for her to attempt to argue with him. Silently she acquiesced to his request and slid into the back of the car waiting for him to follow her in.
As they drove she looked over at him inwardly flinching at the set of his jaw, she didn't like seeing him in this mood so far he had shown little evidence of having a temper at least around her and she was unsure of how she should respond. Leaning over she took his hand gently in her own.
"Hey," she said quietly.
He didn't look at her and so she slid her hand up his jaw stroking it gently and turning him around to face her. Leaning in she kissed him lightly on the lips, running her tongue around the edges of his mouth silently asking for entrance. He opened his mouth bringing his hand up to cup the back of her head as he plunged his tongue into her mouth. She moaned slightly as his other hand slid up her thigh underneath her skirt caressing the warm flesh, his lips left hers kissing down her jaw until he reached her neck. He bit lightly at the throbbing pulse point in her neck and she pushed her body into his more firmly enjoying the feel of his teeth scraping against her skin. His hand was working its way closer to its goal and she was now panting excitedly. Just as his fingers scraped against the material of her panties they were jolted out of their rapture by the car pulling up in front of their hotel.
Chris pulled back from her smirking at her before grabbing her hand "come on we need to get upstairs."
She followed after him eagerly keen to continue what they had begun in the back of the limo. Stepping into the elevator he pinned her against the wall his mouth finding hers again as he kissed her passionately. Feeling the elevator come to a stop he smiled against her mouth before grabbing her hand again and leading her to the room. He opened the door and stood back allowing her to precede him into the room. She stopped short at the sight of the dress on the bed. It was not the one she had chosen earlier, she had never seen this dress before. He laughed at the expression on her face as she walked to the bed reaching out a hand to stroke the silk of the dress.
The dress was jet black and she could see just looking at it laid out on the bed that it was something that on her own she would never have considered wearing. It exposed far more skin than she was used to and she wondered briefly where her other dress had gone. Chris walked up behind her his hot breath hitting her neck.
"Do you like it?" he asked.
"Um yeah it's ah beautiful but I'm not sure that it's really me."
"What are you talking about? Of course it's you. You're going to look gorgeous in it. Every man in there is going to be lusting after you tonight but you'll be all mine."
She tried to smile but her insides were twisted into knots at the images his words conjured up in her mind. She had slowly been adjusting to life in the limelight but she was not yet at a stage where she was actively seeking attention and this dress was bound to garner her plenty of that.
"Try it on," he insisted "and I had the saleswoman find you some shoes to match. The stylist will be here at six to do your hair and makeup."
It had started so simply and although she had thought things were a little odd when it had started, she had been completely unprepared for just how bad things would get. Looking back with the benefit of hindsight it now seemed so clear where it had all been leading but Haley had been naïve she had believed that it amounted to nothing more than a desire to see her look her best. She hadn't seen it as a sign of his need to control her. She hadn't seen that it was merely a preview of what was to come and even when the doubts had begun to seep in she had determinedly pushed them aside not wanting to believe the ugly truth of what lay ahead.
Brooke's hand pulled more determinedly at her sleeve trying to bring her out of her journey into her past but Haley was lost in the memories. She looked at Brooke blankly before turning away lost in the horror that was her past.
Brooke looked at her sadly knowing that she would get nothing further from her today. She had seen something in that moment when Haley had looked into her eyes that she hoped never to see in another human being's eyes as long as she lived. She had seen pure emptiness and what was worse was in that moment Brooke wasn't sure that Haley even knew let alone cared how cut off from the world around her she now was.
Silently she walked out of the room doubting that Haley would even notice that she was gone. Walking down the stairs she felt a pain deep inside of her chest, a pain that had to be released, she rushed outside the door and stood on the step opening her mouth and releasing what could only be described as a wail of pure anguish. When she stopped she opened her eyes and saw Lucas and Taylor standing beside her looking at her curiously.
"Did she tell you anything?" Taylor asked anxiously, her eyes betraying her almost feverish wish that someone had finally broken through the wall that Haley had erected around her emotions. Brooke could tell in that moment that despite Taylor's own feelings towards her she was willing to put those aside if it meant Haley being helped.
"No," Brooke said simply before pulling her keys from her purse and walking towards her car. Lucas' hand on her arm stopped her.
"Are you ok?" he asked simply.
"No." Getting into her car she drove away, getting less than a block away before the tears came pouring down her face. Pulling over to the side of the road she laid her head against the steering wheel and sobbed. She was no longer able to pretend that anything was ok.