Author's Note: Yay! Your reviews last chapter were amazing! Thank you so much for all your support with this story! I'm loving writing it, with all its mystery and suspense. I'm glad everyone seems to be enjoying it. But, I'm sad to say, the story is coming to an end, and only has a couple chapters left. Hopefully though, they'll be good chapters, and you'll enjoy them.
For those of you that have seen the movie, and are still confused about the ending, don't worry. I'm going to try to add some clarity that the movie did not in my ending.
Anyway, please continue with your amazing reviews. I've absolutely loved each and every single one that I've gotten. So thanks very much, and enjoy.
PS: Flashbacks are in italics.
Non-Photo Blue
Chapter Seven: So They'll Never Find You
He wasn't sure he had ever run so fast in his life.
As Nathan traveled down the long hallway, he kept glancing backwards. And every single time he did, his eyes ran straight into the security guards chasing after him. The closer they came, the faster he pushed his legs to run.
He had to get back to the future, as lame as that sounded.
He was going to be sick. How had he - what had just happened? He was now reconsidering his answer to the whole sanity question. He'd just killed a human being. It had been an accident though! He'd thought he was killing someone who had attacked him - not Whitey.
Poor Whitey. He'd promised him a future, and then he'd taken it away. In a way though, it seemed like he was almost putting him out of his misery, right? After all, Whitey would be waiting for a heart transplant for at least two years, with merely a metal object to keep his blood pumping inside him. That was no way to live.
Nathan scolded himself. It wasn't his decision whether or not it was a way to live. The poor guy had obviously enjoyed life, and at this point, he wanted to kill himself for taking it away from him.
Running towards an elevator, Nathan frantically pressed the buttons inside, looking towards the security guards yelling his name and commanding him to freeze. He looked down at his blood-stained shirt.
God, he just wanted to go back to 2006, already.
As the elevator door opened, Nathan closed his eyes, stepping out.
"Shit, I'm still here!" He bit his lip. There were two stairways leading up from where he was - the basement - and something was telling him to go up the right staircase.
Doing as his instinct told him, Nathan quickly made his way up the steps, ramming into a body almost immediately after he opened the door.
It was Brooke, a grin on her face. She took in the blood on his clothing, shaking her head. "Who'd you kill this time?"
He frowned, pushing her away. "No one. Get away from me."
This did not discourage her. Brooke took another step towards Nathan, pressing her body up against his. "Why, Nate? You 'gonna kill me too?"
"Get off of me." He shoved her roughly. He watched as she hit the wall behind her.
When she looked towards him this time, her forehead was bleeding. He eyed the tiny cut that had formed for just a moment, and she held a hand to her head, sorely.
"Freeze!"
Nathan looked towards the direction in which the voice had come from. Two cops stood, guns pointed in his direction. Brooke stifled a giggle, and he completely froze.
God. At this point, it wasn't like he had anything to lose.
Before he could fully comprehend what he was going to do, Nathan took off running once more, nearing an unfamiliar hallway. As he turned towards it, he rammed into a body once more.
This one, however, was Jake's.
Which meant only one thing.
"Whoa, there, buddy. Calm down. What are you doing?"
Nathan looked down at his chest, which had moments ago been stained with blood. He shook his head, grinning at Jake. "You don't know how happy I am to see you."
Jake made a face, and then chuckled. "Okay, man. What meds are you on, anyway?"
He suddenly stopped walking. Wait a second. Was Whitey still dead? Last time he'd traveled from the past to the future, he'd managed to change the way things had gone. Did that mean..?
Jake sighed. "So, um, I'm going to go check on another patient. Don't go crazy, okay?"
Nathan nodded. However, the second Jake was out of sight, he quickly began to sprint towards the room he and Whitey had shared.
"Please be alive, please be alive, please be alive.." He silently begged the older man. Eyes squeezed shut, he pushed the door open.
The second he saw Whitey on the bed, with Peyton beside him, Nathan grinned once more, happily observing the scene before him. However, once Whitey had seen that he'd arrived, he groaned.
"Oh, shit."
Peyton looked up from the package of crackers she was opening, acknowledging Nathan with a slight smile.
"Well, if it isn't Orson Wells, back from the future." Whitey rolled his eyes.
"The past, actually." Nathan grinned.
"Whatever, Psycho. So, Nurse Sawyer, what's for dinner tonight?"
Peyton sighed. "Soup."
"Wonderful. The runny brown shit, or the salmonella filled chicken noodle?"
She glared at him. Nathan took a couple steps towards her. "Hey, uh, I need to talk to you."
"I'm kind of busy right now, Mr. Scott."
"Ah. I see it's the runny brown shit." Whitey commented.
"Look, it's pretty important. It's about my brother." He sighed, wishing he had pockets to shove his hands into.
"I didn't know your brother." She shrugged, handing Whitey his bowl of soup. Looking utterly disgusted, he sniffed the soup, and then hesitantly licked the spoon.
"I know, but you were the only nurse that I know that was here when we were brought in. You have to know something."
"What do you want to know? I don't - I really don't know very much." Peyton met his gaze hesitantly, and he knew she was lying instantly.
"Everything. I need to know everything."
Whitey grimaced. "It's too salty.."
Peyton sighed. "Mr. Scott, you really shouldn't be in here." She gently pushed him towards the door.
"I really need to know, Peyton."
She shook her head firmly, ignoring the fact that he'd called her personally by her first name. "Now is not the time. I'm busy."
"..just like everything else here is. This stupid hospital always has to salt the shit out of everything like it needs preserving or something. Some things just-"
Peyton turned towards the older man, hands on her hips. "Mr. Durham, if the hospital's food is not up to your standards, you don't have to-"
Suddenly, Whitey's body shot up, and he began to cough violently, spitting blood from his mouth. Peyton gasped, and Nathan's eyes widened. Gashes began to form in Whitey's chest and stomach, and blood poured through the wounds.
"No," Nathan shook his head. "I'm sorry. I didn't - I didn't do it!"
Peyton ran towards Whitey, quickly attempting to apply pressure to his forming wounds. "Come here! Come help!" She yelled to Nathan.
He did as he was told, and Peyton pressed the emergency button. In seconds, at least five doctors had entered the room, pushing Nathan out of the way.
Looking at the blood on his hands, he took a few steps backwards, until he had completely run into the wall. Sinking down to the ground, Nathan began to cry, keeping his hands in front of his face.
"I did it, okay?" He yelled out to the doctors. He received no response.
"Did you not hear what I just said? I said I did it! Okay? I did it and I'm sorry!" Tears running down his face, he squeezed his eyes shut, wishing he were anywhere but there.
-
Waves crashed up onto the rocks below them. It was eerie, in a way; the whole setting. This whole place. A cliff overlooking the beach? Nathan didn't find it remotely romantic. He found it eerie. Period.
Looking towards his car, he sighed. In the passenger seat lay Lucas's body. He'd be dead soon anyway, so this was really just for the best.
Taking a deep breath, he looked off the cliff once more, before walking towards the passenger side of his car. Pulling open the door, he tugged Lucas's body from the seat, barely managing to carry his brother to the other side of the car.
He looked over his brother's face, and remorse welled up inside him. Shaking his head quickly, Nathan shifted the car into neutral, closing the door behind him as he left it.
He watched as the car rolled towards the edge of the cliff, hands shoved into his pockets.
It was right then that he saw headlights. And shit, they were coming close.
The car was a mere foot from the edge when Nathan jumped in, pulling the parking break on. Rolling his eyes, he looked to where the car - which he could now see was a red pick-up truck - had parked, probably about two hundred feet from him.
The pick-up began to sway back and forth, and he realized what was going on. Groaning, he hit the dashboard. Who knew how long it would be.
Running towards the driver's side of the car, he managed to slide Lucas over to the passenger side. Putting the car in reverse, he began to back away.
Where would they go now?
-
Nathan sighed. He really was a murderer.
Running his hands through his short hair as he walked towards his room, he could not help but feel disgusted with himself. He'd never known himself to be the person he supposedly was; a murderer, a cheater, a liar. Not to mention an asshole.
His eyes traveled around the hallway until they landed on Peyton, who was standing by one of the main desks, impatiently tapping her foot on the ground as she waited for a receptionist.
"Nurse Sawyer," He called out, walking towards her.
Peyton looked towards him uneasily. She looked tired, and the bags underneath her eyes seemed deeper and more apparent. "Hi."
"So, I'm sorry about today." He offered, looking down at the ground.
"It wasn't your fault." She shrugged. He held back a bitter laugh. If only she knew the half of it.
"I'm still sorry that it happened."
"Me too." She agreed solemnly.
Nathan bit his lip. "I'm not trying to be rude or anything, but um, we never finished our conversation."
"What conversation?"
"About my brother."
Peyton shook her head. She began to walk away. "Mr. Scott.."
Desperately, he grabbed her wrist. "Let go of me, Mr. Scott."
"I'm sorry," He held his arms up in defense. "But please. I can't remember anything of what happened, and I just - I need to know. Please, tell me about the night me and my brother came in."
Sighing, she looked down at the ground, and then up at the ceiling. "That night," She paused, "I think there were three of you. Your brother was, by far, in the worst shape."
Of course he was. And it was all Nathan's fault.
"Your brother's injuries were so bad that.." She took a breath.
"That what?" He urged.
Peyton continued. "..that almost immediately after he arrived, he was hooked up to life support in the ICU.."
"Where he died." Nathan finished.
"Yes."
"And that's all you know?"
She shrugged. "Yeah, that's it."
Nathan bit his lip. "What about Nurse Davis? Was she on call the night we were brought in?"
The name 'Nurse Davis' seemed to strike a cord inside Peyton, and she quickly bit her lip, looking away from him. "Why don't you ask her yourself?"
"Is there something you wanted to ask me, honey?"
Nathan snapped around. There she was. The girl that would ruin his life. Or, rather, the girl that had ruined his life.
"What are you doing here?" He spoke through gritted teeth.
"What? I can't visit my husband?" Brooke faked a loving smile, taking a step towards him.
"You're fucking sick."
"Oh, there's the old Nathan Scott I know and love," She lowered her voice. "So, Sweetie, are we clear on the terms of our arrangement?"
Her voice was laced with the deadliest type of venom, but Nathan was not paying attention to her voice. Instead, he was paying attention to the tiny cut that had formed on her forehead.
"You're bleeding."
She made a face, touching the wound, and then shaking her head. "I don't know how that happened."
The corners of Nathan's lips began to twitch. "I pushed you, and now you're bleeding. I killed Whitey, and he's dead."
"What are you talking about, Nathan?"
Nathan took a step towards her. "This isn't going to happen. It's over."
She laughed. "Um, are you kidding? Let's not forget the rules of our game, Nathan. I say when it's over."
He shook his head confidently. "No. We're over."
Brooke looked up at him, bright red lipstick and all, and opened her mouth to speak.
But he beat her to it.
"This isn't going to happen," Nathan told her. "I won't let it."
"What?"
"I'm gonna change it. I'm going to fix it," Nathan grinned, walking away from her. "I'm going to make sure none of this ever happens."
