A/N: So as you've probably noticed, I'm known for throwing a lot of curveballs, twists or "buses" as some people like to call them, in my stories. In my opinion, I'm not doing my best as an author if I can't keep you on your toes or even throw in a few shocks every once in a while. Now to the point of this information. In this chapter, there will be A LOT of shocks coming your way. Not one, not two but three or four big huge twists that'll make you hate me or love me. But on the plus side: it will be a lot longer to accommodate all these surprises. Well, that's it from me. Here's the chapter. Leave some words (PLEASE. I am in desperate need of feedback- even if it's just a sentence- because I don't know if I should continue with this story or not.) Enjoy :-)
Part 37 ½ years later…
Nathan woke up and smiled as he saw his fiancée was still asleep. He ran a hand down the soft skin of her arm and slowly slid out of bed, got dressed and headed into the kitchen to start cooking breakfast. Taylor and he would be married in just three weeks.
They had been dating on and off for more than seven years now. Taylor had been dead set against marrying him. She said she didn't believe in the sacrament of marriage, that she'd seen too many marriages torn apart and she did not want to start resenting being with Nathan. Nathan had respected her wishes even though he believed in marriage despite the fact that his first one had failed miserably. He winced when he thought of his first wife.
He had loved her immensely and he would always be thankful for the time that they had shared. She had taught him so much about love and about life including the hard lesson that sometimes love just wasn't enough. He rarely let himself think about Haley especially after she had abruptly fallen out of touch with him and even Taylor. There were moments where he'd wondered what had become of her, if she was happy, if she had fulfilled her dream of becoming a journalist, etc.
He smiled as he heard Taylor's perky voice. She was chatting on the telephone with someone. Nathan bet it was her mother, Lydia James. Ever since the engagement, Taylor and Lydia seemed closer than ever. They talked practically on a daily basis. Taylor eventually wandered into the kitchen with the phone plastered to her ear.
"How's Dad doing?" Taylor asked. A little bit of conversation. Taylor's smile widened but then it faltered. "You did?" Nathan turned around at the change in her tone just in time to see her face collapse.
"What?" he mouthed.
"How is she?" Taylor asked her voice breaking. "Of course I'll come." She snapped her flip phone shut and set it down on the table.
"Tay, what's wrong?" he asked.
"I have to go to Mississauga," Taylor replied.
"You mean Mississippi, right?" Nathan asked, smirking. Taylor could confuse names sometimes.
"No. Mississauga is in Canada," Taylor said. Nathan looked at her questioningly.
"What's in Canada, a dress?" he asked. Taylor shook her head and tears welled up in her eyes.
"Haley," she replied. Nathan felt as if time stood still at the mention of her name. They barely ever spoke of Haley especially since Haley never spoke to either of them for unknown reason.
"What the hell is Haley doing all the way up there?" Nathan asked.
"Apparently she's lived there for the past six and a half years," Taylor replied.
"Well, is she ok?" Nathan asked.
"I don't know. My mom just said that Haley needed her right now and asked if I would come," she explained. Nathan nodded and put down his spatula.
"Then, let's get packed," he said. Taylor smiled.
"That's sweet, but you don't have to come," she said.
"I want to come," he insisted. Taylor looked at him doubtfully.
"You hate travelling. Whenever you come home after a game, you're always complaining about how much of a pain it is," she said.
"That's different. When I travel, I'm stuck on a bus with twenty other guys and a screaming coach. This time, I'll be with you and I'll get to see one of my oldest friends," Nathan said.
Taylor hesitated. "Do you not want me to come?" he asked. She laughed.
"Don't be ridiculous. If you want to come, fine. Just don't feel like you have to because I'm going," she said.
Nathan shook his head. "I wouldn't mind seeing Haley again," he said, hoping his tone didn't reveal how eager he was to see what had become of her.
"I'll call the airline," she said. She hugged him tightly. "Thank you."
◊◊◊
3 days later…
Nathan got out of the door and held the door behind him open. Lydia stepped out of the car with a gracious smile on her face. He walked over to the other side, opened Taylor's door and held out a hand which she accepted as he pulled her up from her seat. He turned and finally took a second to look at Haley's new residence.
It was a house. A small, white and grey bungalow with a small garden no more than five metres wide and two metres long. It was filled with tulips, roses- both white and red- and carnations. A garden that Haley had probably planted herself. She had always loved nature and the garden and house were elegant and modest just like Haley herself.
Lydia took the lead as they walked across the road and crossed the driveway over to the steps that led up to Haley's front door. Lydia didn't even bother knocking; she grabbed a set of keys out of her purse and unlocked the door and the deadbolt. They walked in and a burst of cold air hit Nathan the minute he set both feet inside. The house was dark and seemed rather empty, or more precisely, empty.
"Haley, sweetie, are you here?" Lydia called out, her voice echoing seconds after she had closed her mouth. She frowned as she walked up the stairs and swung a right.
"She seems to know where she's going," Nathan commented as he and Taylor followed.
"Our parents are the only ones Haley's kept in touch with these past few years. I can understand why she didn't call our other brothers and sisters since they're in the army, the navy or in Africa doing relief work, referring to their two brothers, Clark and Mike and older sister, Quinn. "But I've been in Tree Hill for a few years now and she knows that. I just don't understand why she cut me off."
"It was odd," Nathan agreed.
"Haley?" Lydia called out one last time as they walked into the kitchen. She left the kitchen and ventured further down the hall. They came to the last door on the right and Lydia turned the knob softly. The door creaked open and it was freezing inside the room but there was definitely someone inside.
Taylor found the light switch and flicked it on. That's when they saw her. Haley was sitting on her bed, her arms wrapped under her knees, holding them to her body. Her head rested against them and she was sobbing convulsively. Lydia came over, put her weight on the bed and sat down beside Haley. She rested a loving arm on her youngest daughter's shoulder and nudged her a little. Haley looked up at her mother. Her lips were quivering as tears spilled out of her eyes.
"Sweetie, what is the matter?" Lydia asked. Haley choked back a sob and remained quiet for a few minutes.
"He killed him," she replied.
"What?" Lydia asked.
"Chris is dead," Haley replied. Lydia gasped. Taylor looked at her mother in confusion.
"Who's Chris?" she asked.
"Her husband," Lydia replied. Haley's face crumpled once again as grief overtook her again.
"Oh, Haley," Taylor said, climbing onto the bed and reaching out to touch her sister but Haley moved away from her. Taylor faltered but shrugged it off.
"How did it happen?" Nathan finally asked. Haley's head shot up at the new voice and her eyes widened with surprise at Nathan but the surprise disappeared rather quickly.
"After his shift ended, on his way home, he responded to a domestic disturbance. It was some husband beating the crap out of his wife. Chris tried to break it up and…" Haley started but her sentence trailed off.
Nathan looked down as he knew that the ending was obviously Chris' demise. "The wife shot him," Haley finished.
"The wife?" Lydia repeated.
"Apparently she didn't agree with the way Chris tried to resolve the situation by hurting her husband," Haley replied. Taylor's face creased with sympathy. "Selfish bitch! If it hadn't been for him, she would probably be lying in a morgue somewhere right about now."
"When's the service?" Taylor asked, not knowing what else to say. Haley looked at her sister momentarily and froze.
"Service?" Haley repeated in confusion. Nathan closed his eyes in regret as he knew that Haley hadn't considered this yet.
"Yeah. The funeral," Taylor replied. Haley's bottom lip quivered and she struggled for breath.
"Oh, God," she said and started crying again. Lydia shot Taylor an annoyed look and Taylor looked at her mother helplessly.
About thirty minutes later, Haley seemed to have calm down a little. She had stopped crying and fell silent. Then she looked around the room and her gaze fell upon Nathan and Taylor. "So what are you guys doing here?" she asked suddenly.
"I asked them to come with me," Lydia replied for them. Haley nodded. She got up and looked around the room.
"Are you going to be staying for long?" Haley asked, looking at her mother.
"For as long as you need me, honey," Lydia replied. Haley nodded and then looked at Taylor and Nathan.
"What about the two of you?" Haley asked.
"We'll be staying for the rest of the weekend," Taylor started. "If that's ok with you."
"Of course. Um, let me show you where the guest rooms are," she said, leading the way out of the room. They followed her out and she remained in the hall just outside the room.
"Well?" Taylor asked. Haley cracked a smile as she pointed to the door beside her room and across the hall.
"Take your pick. The one over there is bigger than the other one so you two will probably want that one," Haley replied.
"Thanks. Come on, Nate," Taylor said, pulling Nathan by the arm into the room.
"Thanks, Haley," Nathan called.
◊◊◊
A week later…Haley opened her front door and smiled at Nathan and Taylor. "Thanks for coming back," she said.
"We're here for you," Taylor said. Haley's husband's funeral was in about an hour. "I'll just take a quick shower."
"Quick?" Nathan asked, arching an eyebrow at her mockingly. Taylor made a face.
"Oh, shut up," she said as she grabbed a small bag and went down the hall.
"Do you want something to eat?" Haley asked, already walking towards the kitchen.
"Uh, sure," he replied, following her.
"I don't have much normal food. Neighbours have brought by deserts. The police force sent over some sandwiches," Haley said, as she opened the fridge.
"Sandwich would be fine. Thanks," he replied. Haley nodded and bent down and grabbed a tray of small sandwiches.
"Or sandwiches," she joked as she put them down on the table, revealing how tiny they actually were.
"Wow," he commented. There were like twenty or thirty of them on the tray.
"Yeah. I'm grateful that they sent this. I can't even think about cooking right now," Haley said. Nathan nodded.
"That's understandable," he said.
"So, uh, you guys are still together?" she asked.
"Yeah, we are. Um, we just got back together a few months ago, actually," he replied. He explained that they had gone through some ups and downs the past few years.
"And now you're engaged," Haley said.
"Uh…. Yeah," he said slowly.
"I saw the ring, Nathan," she said.
"Oh," he said.
"It's about time," she said. A few minutes passed and Nathan started to ask Haley how she and Chris had met.
"If you don't want to talk about it, I understand," he said.
"No, its ok," she said. "We actually met my first week after I moved. Um, I was in Quebec City and I bumped into Chris at the airport while he was waiting for his parents."
"You were in Quebec?" he asked. Haley nodded.
"He was born there. Chris is a French Canadian," she said.
"So he spoke French?" Nathan asked. Haley smiled.
"All the time," she replied, smiling. "He used to speak so fast, I could barely understand him sometimes. He introduced himself to me as Chris le Blanc and I thought he said blank."
"You took French in high school," Nathan said, signalling that she should've understood most of what he said.
"Yeah, in high school for two years. I wasn't raised in a province where the majority speaks French and I didn't go to a French school," Haley said.
"But you did marry a cop," Nathan said. Haley raised her eyebrows at him.
"What's wrong with that?" Haley asked.
"Nothing. It's just that a cop and a journalist is hardly a traditional couple," Nathan said.
"True, but neither is a basketball player and a waitress," she retorted.
"Can't argue with that," he said and they both chuckled. Then Taylor and Lydia walked into the room and Haley turned away from him.
◊◊◊
7 days later…
"Are you sure about this, Haley?" Lydia asked as they came back to the house.
"I'm sure. I can't stay here anymore. I don't want to be alone right now," Haley replied as they helped her bring her suitcases into the car.
"You can stay with me and your father as long as you want. You know that. I'm just making sure that you really want to live with us. You said you loved it here," Lydia said. Haley looked around, at her house, the street and her neighbours' houses- her whole life with Chris.
"I did," Haley said.
"But?" Lydia asked.
"It's not the same without him," Haley replied miserably.
"Then, let's get going," Lydia said. Haley and Lydia walked into the house.
A few minutes later, Nathan walked back into the house but heard Haley and Lydia's hushed voices as they were deep in discussion. He stopped at the door.
"This can't be happening to me. It's not the right time," Haley said.
"Honey, it's not. You can handle this," Lydia said.
"Handle it? I just lost my husband of five years. I can't have a baby right now," Haley said.
"You won't," Lydia said. Haley shot her mother a confused look. "It won't be born for another nine months."
Haley glared at her mother and Lydia smirked apologetically. "Well, I'm glad you can make jokes. What am I going to do?" she asked.
"You're going to be a great mother to yours and Chris' baby," Lydia said. Nathan let out a breath. He envied Chris which was absolutely absurd since the poor guy was dead.
Lydia was right; Haley would make a great mother. Nathan had known what a wonderful mom she would be since he met her. Only he had imagined Haley as the mother of his children, not Chris le Blanc's.