A/N: Thank you for the awesome reviews. And thanks to my beta: Leeese.
Chapter Nineteen
"In Tree Hill, North Carolina, the trial for guardianship of sixteen-year-old Brooke Davis will start tomorrow morning. Principal Victoria Davis has been accused of child abuse towards her daughter, who is also a student at the high school. According to sources, the accusations are coming from Ms. Haley James, a new teacher who had been a favorite among her students up until now. Principal Davis has denied the accusations, claiming that Ms. James is the one with problems."
Haley didn't want to hear anymore and turned off the television. She let out a heavy sigh. Deb had warned her that it was going to become a media circus and accusations were going to be thrown her way. She just didn't want the students to get involved. But it was inevitable. After all, this was their beloved principal versus their beloved teacher.
Both Dan and Deb weren't happy when they had discovered the argument between Haley and Victoria. However, they realized that it was time to fight back and make sure Victoria wouldn't be able to get anywhere near Brooke again. Deb enlisted the help of her brother Cooper who was going to be Haley's lawyer.
Haley didn't have time to process her thoughts as she heard knocking at the front door. She groaned as she got up from the couch. She really hoped that it wasn't Rachel, coming to complain about Jewel again. It was getting old fast. There was relief on her face when she saw that her visitor was Quinn. However, it quickly turned into concern when she saw the upset look on Quinn's face.
Haley didn't have to ask before Quinn told her the bad news. "David and I broke up," she announced.
Haley embraced her sister in a tight hug before she started asking questions. "I'm so sorry, Quinn. What happened?" she asked curiously as they walked into the kitchen. "I thought everything was fine between you two. You guys seemed so happy at Christmastime."
Quinn let out a heavy sigh as she sat down at the kitchen table. "Well, we didn't want to ruin everyone's holiday by arguing with each other. Plus Dad just had the heart attack. I didn't want add more stress to him or Mom. You know how worried she gets when one of us is having problems." There was a short pause before she spoke again. "Speaking of problems, Mom and Dad know about your problem with Victoria Davis." Haley had a feeling what she would say next, but she hoped that she was wrong. "They want you to drop the guardianship suit and move back home." Haley was about to protest when Quinn stopped her. "I'm just the messenger."
"I understand their concern, but I can't abandon Brooke in her time of need," Haley said as she started to make some tea. "Did you know that Victoria's police "friends" picked Brooke up without even giving her time to say good-bye? Then when Lucas tried to visit her, Victoria wouldn't let him because he was on my side." Quinn shook her head in disbelief. "Victoria is probably going to do whatever she can to force Brooke into testifying for her."
Quinn could see that her sister was really struggling with this. "But you have people testifying on your side, right?"
"Yes, but I don't know if a couple of my fellow coworkers and Brooke's friends are enough," Haley replied. "And Dan can't testify for either of us because he would just incriminate himself." Quinn gave her a confused look. "It's a long story. The point is that I'm at a disadvantage. And Victoria knows that."
"Well, maybe you can recruit some people that know you and know that you would never lie," Quinn suggested as Haley finished making the tea and gave her sister a cup. "I know the case is about Brooke, but you also need to think about your creditability." Haley raised her eyebrows as she heard those words. It wasn't like her sister to talk like a lawyer. "I have seen court shows. I know what they are talking about sometimes. I would be happy to be a character witness for you."
"I'll keep that in mind," Haley replied as she sipped her tea. There was silence as she debated on whether to tell her sister more bad news for her. She finally decided to tell her since she knew that she would be able to keep a secret. "If the trial isn't enough, Clay and I broke up."
Quinn made a face. "Would you hate me if I said I wasn't surprised?"
Haley shook her head. "No. I should have seen it coming. We had no chemistry. I don't know what I was thinking. I guess it was too early to get back in the dating game." Quinn was about to respond when her sister gave her a look. "Don't even think about suggesting that I should go out with Nathan."
"Why not? You guys aren't even coworkers anymore," Quinn pointed out. Haley didn't have a chance to object when her sister continued. "You helped Nathan understand Lucas better. His son is going to be named after you. You are destined to be part of their family."
Haley tried not to laugh. "I'm surprised that you are so optimistic about us when you and David just break up."
Quinn gave her a wide smile. "I've always been optimistic about you and Nathan." Haley didn't respond so she thought it was best to change the subject. "So do you mind if I stay with you and Jewel for awhile?"
"You can, but I'm not going to be here," Haley replied. "I'm going to stay at Mr. Hargrove's house for awhile." Quinn was curious to know the reason. Haley was quiet for a moment before she told her sister about the cruel treatment she had received from people since the news broke about the battle between her and Victoria.
"I can see why you are planning to stay somewhere else," Quinn commented when her sister was done telling her story. "This is probably what Mom and Dad was afraid of and that's why they want you home."
Haley didn't respond as she heard the familiar ringtone that she had set up for Nathan. She excused herself and went over to her phone. She answered it, but she didn't get a chance to talk before Nathan spoke. "Have you seen Lucas and Brooke? Are they with you or has either of them contacted you?"
"No, I haven't heard from Lucas since he came and talked to me about Brooke," Haley replied. "Why? What's going on?"
"It seems that Lucas has helped Brooke escape from her house," Nathan told her. "And now we can't find them. I checked the River Court, café, mall and the club. I don't know where else to look. I'm going to start calling their friends."
Haley could hear the concern in his voice. "You do that and I'll continue the search. Don't worry. We'll find them," she assured him before she hung up the phone. She turned to Quinn. "Any suggestions on where they could be?" she asked, ready to hear any ideas about where the runaways could be.
"It might be a crazy idea, but we might want to try Mom's and Dad's house," Quinn replied. "That's not a place where Nathan and Brooke's mom would usually look. And I'm sure Mom and Dad wouldn't let Victoria into the house very easily."
Haley wanted to avoid talking to her parents for awhile, but she now felt that she had no choice. She let out a heavy sigh before she grabbed her phone and dialed her mom's number. She waited impatiently until her mother was finally able to answer the phone. "Mom, have Lucas and Brooke stopped by your house by any chance?"
"Yes, they did," her mother replied. "We talked with them for awhile before we sent them on their way to the airport."
Haley frowned. "Airport? Why would they be going to the airport?" she asked as she heard the doorbell ring. She gestured Quinn to answer it while she dealt with her mother. She then came to a realization. "Mom, they wouldn't happen to be running away and getting married in Las Vegas, would they?"
Haley didn't hear her mother's answer. Instead, she heard her second visitor's shocked voice. "They're what?" Nathan exclaimed, hoping that he was wrong in what he just heard. Haley shushed him as she listened to what her mother had to say. She wasn't happy with her answer. Nathan waited impatiently until Haley was finally off the phone. "Please don't tell me that it's true. Lucas and Brooke really didn't run off and get married, right?"
Haley wished that she could, but she didn't want to lie to him. "According to my mom, they are planning to go to Las Vegas and get married," she told him. "And Mouth and Millie are going with them to be their witnesses."
Nathan shook his head in disbelief. "Unbelievable," he exclaimed angrily. "He told me that he wasn't ready to get married. He was planning to go to college and figure out what he wanted to do with himself before he settled down."
Haley tried to calm him down. "I'm sure he just wanted to do it to ensure Brooke would be able to stay away from her mother." Yet, there was a little bit of doubt since Lucas seemed like he was really in love with Brooke and vice versa.
Nathan was confused. "Why would they tell your parents about their plan?" he asked.
The two sisters were quiet before Haley spoke. "Do you remember my mom mentioning that my grandparents didn't want my mom to marry my dad?" she asked him. Nathan nodded, remembering that conversation. "Since my grandparents didn't want them to marry, they eloped. So that's probably why Lucas and Brooke went to talk to them. They wanted their advice, not to mention their help."
Nathan didn't want to hear anymore. "We've got to get to the airport and stop their plane. I'm not letting my brother make the biggest mistake of his life. I don't care if he is doing it for Brooke or not. He is too young to be getting married."
Haley followed him out the door and Quinn was right behind them. "Do you really think stopping the plane and bringing them back here will help? Haven't you learned anything from the last time? The more you try to push them, the more they rebel," she reminded him.
Nathan raised his eyebrows. "So you're suggesting that I just let them go to Vegas and get married?"
"Why not? They are probably going to realize their mistake and get the wedding annulled after five months," a familiar voice replied as she made her presence know. "It's that or they will end up pregnant and drop out of high school to raise the baby."
"Why don't you stay out of this?" Nathan asked her, trying to be polite. He was trying to be as civil as possible with her until the baby arrived. Otherwise, he was afraid that she might change her mind about filing for custody. "This doesn't concern you."
"Lucas is still my nephew," Rachel reminded him. Nathan rolled his eyes. "So I think I'm entitled to my opinion. I would say let the kid marry Brooke. He has to learn to stand on his own two feet."
Before Nathan could respond, they heard another familiar voice. "Ok, this little charade has gone on long enough. I demand you give me back my daughter or you will be arrested for kidnapping," Victoria warned them.
Haley wasn't fazed by her threat. "As I told Nathan, Brooke isn't here," she said.
"In fact, she and Lucas are probably hopping on a plane right now and heading to Las Vegas to get married," Rachel added.
Victoria was furious and turned to Nathan. "Why the hell are you just standing there? We should be getting to the airport before they hop on the plane. We can take my car." Nathan didn't respond as he started to believe that Haley might be right. He might be marrying Brooke to make sure that she wouldn't be able to return to her mother again. "Are you coming or not?" she asked him. Nathan looked at Haley as she gave him a pleading look. He nodded his head before he followed Victoria to the car. He just stared straight ahead as they left Haley, Quinn and Rachel behind.
