AN: This chapter reveals the reasons that Brooke and Haley were absence in each others' last four years. Enjoy.

The car ride was accompanied again with silence. Neither girl knew what to say. And yes, they were still girls; they had their childhoods taken too soon that they were not prepared for the consequences of their future lives. Brooke slowly pulled into the Scott's driveway; she wasn't ready for the next step. She wasn't ready for walking back into that house and seeing him. Which him? In actuality both of them. Nathan had stolen her friend's beating, abundant heart. And Lucas. Well he was Lucas Scott, and anytime she was ever in a room with him, her own heart stopped just a little. There was something about him that always pulled her in, and most of the time she never wanted to let go. She could count on one hand the times she didn't break away though, knowing that she simply couldn't hold on to Lucas' dependency. The times where she never wanted to though, she had lost count.

Brooke turned off the engine, and she was expecting Haley to jump out and break down the door to Hell to see Nathan. But just as she didn't move when awaiting holding Jamie, she remained seated. Brooke had to put Haley's comments aside for now, and pretend they never existed. It was better anyways, and she broke the silence. "What's going on in that pretty mind of yours, Tutor Girl?" It was a nickname from high school, oh the idyllic times. Wait, high school was filled with heartbreak, death, and expulsion. Perfect events for a prime time television show, too overwhelming for real life. Regardless, high school brought Haley to Brooke, and those unforgettable moments were worth living through for that fact alone.

The nickname caught her off guard, "Tutor Girl?"

"Don't you remember?"

"How could I ever forget, Brooke? There was a while there that I thought you didn't know my real name."

"I always knew of Haley James, she was best friends with the mysterious Lucas Scott. There was so much wonderment in that relationship."

"I should probably relieve Lucas of his duties," she said with the sound of Lucas' name, yet she didn't move to follow her own words.

"It has only been an hour, Hales. It is just one small glimpse into your last four months."

"No one else should have to deal with my responsibility."

"So your tactics of babysitting Nathan is your responsibility. He is not a child. He should be responsible for his own actions. You were not the one pushing him through the glass at the bar. It was some asshole. If anyone should be watching Nathan steadily it should be him."

"Brooke you weren't here," Haley's breaking point was again met. "You weren't here when I got the call. Or when Nathan found out his prognosis. You weren't here when he came home. You might not think that it is my responsibility to watch over him, but you weren't here, you don't know."

It silenced Brooke, briefly. She pushed deep to overcome those words. Everything that Haley spoke was the truth. How could she possibly come in here and tell Haley what to do with her ailing husband. She was absent for over four years, and she had the audacity to think she knew anything? "I wish I was." Brooke wished she could have been with Haley when she got the phone call from Lucas so she could hold her. She wished she could be at Nathan's bedside with Haley as the prognosis of temporary paralysis was given. She wished she could have been there for Jamie, for Haley, and she wished she could have been there for Nathan. The person that she had seen was not Nathan Scott. Maybe it was the old former, the Nathan Scott that resided in Tree Hill before Haley James changed his life. But the man on the couch surrounded with beer bottles – that was not Nathan Scott. Maybe if she had been there he would still be. She didn't actually believe she had the astounding power to have altered the Scotts' past, but she had the guilt that she could have.

"You never came home, Brooke. We waited for you; we waited for almost five years."

"You never called. I thought you had moved on with your happy, fairy book ending story. I thought if you never called then I was not needed in your journey."

"You have always been part of the journey, Brooke. I would not be at this point if it wasn't for you. You set up our first date. Who knows where we would be if you didn't make me cry at Nathan's party. It was the first time that I saw your heart, and I have been in love with it ever since."

"Why didn't you call me then?"

"Why didn't you?"

"I didn't want to disturb your life. You were off following your dreams, and you were so successful. You had a loving family. I mean every girl wants to have a wonderful husband and a baby, and you had that since high school. You didn't need anything else. I didn't want to intrude."

"I can't understand why you would think that you were unneeded? You weren't an accessory that you retire. And as far as I am concerned, you were part of this family. You were always welcome. And you still are."

Brooke still couldn't get over the fact that Haley never called. If Brooke had meant so much to her then why hadn't she picked up the phone in the last years to tell her she was missed. Brooke sure as hell missed Haley, but she had her reasons not to call. What was Haley's, "Then why didn't you call?" it was in pure desperation and emotion that Brooke questioned once more. It pained her, and she wanted to know the reason that Haley could tell her now how important she was, but never put those words into action. Brooke needed to hear those words, it would have given her the strength she needed. Instead she weakened and Victoria took advantage. And though Brooke wouldn't admit it, Haley was right. The old Brooke, she was gone.

Haley paused. She had wanted to call so many times, but she was afraid as well. Brooke had a multi-million dollar company, where was Haley's place in it all? Brooke didn't need her; she could have bought the world with her success. Haley was just a friend from high school; there was no place for her in Brooke's high class lifestyle. But she broke past all those thoughts, and one day, one day she did make the call, "I did."

"What? No, you never did. If you would have called me, I would have been back in Tree Hill on the next plane. You never called. Don't you think I would have remembered if you did, but not once did I get your call," she couldn't believe the words in which Haley was telling her.

"I called Brooke," she looked into Brooke's eyes so she could see the truth.

"Did I not pick up? Did you leave a message? Are you even sure it was number?"

"I know it was your number, Brooke. I called it. It took me a lot of built up courage, but I dialed those familiar numbers."

"Why did you need courage to call me? We were friends, it would have been ordinary."

"You are anything but ordinary, Brooke Davis. You are the owner of a multi-million dollar company. I was afraid that I had been replaced."

"So that is the reason you didn't call? You thought that I would have abandoned you once I had gained some success. What kind of friend did you think I was?"

"You didn't call either, Brooke," letting her know it was a two-sided struggle, "And you told me you were afraid to interrupt my life. You were never a disturbance; you were part of the embodiment of it all. And I did call. Why would I be lying about this?"

"Because I never got a call."

"Brooke, I have to tell you something."

"Please do, I mean the truth would be nice right now," she was evidently enthralled.

"I called you 6 months after you left for New York. I had heard in the news that your company was blossoming, and that you had achieved your ultimate goal. I was so proud of you. I knew from our dress making apartment days that one day you would have your own company, and it would hold a world of success for you. I wanted to congratulate you on something I always believed in. It had been six months, but I wanted to let you know that I could never forget about you," Haley looked over at Brooke who was taking in each word. "You didn't pick up," Brooke gave her a look as it was a palpable comment. "It rang so many times that I didn't think you would. I was thinking of the words in which I was going to leave. But someone answered after the last ring. It was a lady named Victoria."

Haley noticed Brooke's face drop in fear accompanied with pain, she slowly asked, "What did she say to you? Is she the reason you haven't called. Please tell me this is not happening." Brooke had enough hatred for Victoria before Haley revealed the truth, but she was sure she could find enough room for more. And it was strong possibility.

"She answered the phone, and she knew it was me because of your caller ID. She made some nasty comment about my choice of being a young mother and wife; I have since put it out of my head. But it hurt, Brooke, the words she chose to say. I remember getting off the phone and crumbling to the ground. Nathan found me and I couldn't even tell him what was wrong. That lady knew how to cut through my heart," Brooke silently acknowledged that she knew it too well. So many nights Brooke spent alone in her apartment in tears from Victoria's heart-cutting words.

"I am sorry for her words, Haley. I wish I had known."

"Your words now or then cannot repair the hole that Victoria put in me."

"What else did she say?"

"Are you sure you want to know, Brooke?"

"I need to know. I need to know what words that were used to keep us separated for so long. It must have been world splitting words, it had to. It broke everything we ever had. Please, I need to know."

"I shouldn't have listened to a stranger. I don't know why I believed her. I'm sorry that I believed her, Brooke," Haley's eyes told Brooke everything that she needed to know, but she wanted to hear the whole story.

"What did Victoria say, Haley?" she was becoming impatient. She had to know what Victoria said. Brooke wanted to know what kind of trickery Victoria had used on Haley. She had fallen for those words too many times. Victoria was to blame for the disappearance of the former Brooke Davis. And it was becoming evident that she was also to blame for the disappearance of Haley and Brooke's strong friendship.

She decided she just had to say it. The words had been with her for four years. When Brooke showed up at her doorstep, Haley was beyond surprised. It was her understanding that Brooke would be forever absent in her life. Well that is what Victoria had told her. Haley looked Brooke over once more; she knew there was something she was hiding. Ever since Victoria had been thrown into the equation, Brooke had tensed up. She was timid, and if Haley had never seen Brooke's strength before, she would have thought Brooke as weak. The readiness in Brooke's eyes reminded her that she had to start. "I should have hung up after she spoke to me. I hadn't called to talk to her, I wanted you. All I wanted was you. But her words were so strong and powerful, I had no control as I held on. I asked to speak with you. And here is where I bought into her lies," another pause to recall the vivid words Victoria had spoken to her. "Brooke, she told me you had died," again she looked at Brooke. But she didn't speak, she was shocked speechless. "I didn't believe her, but my heart was sinking with that thought. She admitted she had lied. So I again asked to speak to you. When she said no, I had had enough. My emotions were off the wall, I couldn't control them. I told her I was going to hang up and to tell you I had called. I was too afraid to call back; I never wanted to talk to this Victoria again. But she stopped me again. 'Ms. James' – she had to say it – she began. 'I wouldn't recommend you calling back. Brooke told me that if you were ever to call that I should make sure that young mother wouldn't be part of her life. It is not good for her image, and her company is the most important thing in her life. She doesn't need little high school friend screw-ups. I am sorry, but you are no longer wanted or welcome in Ms. Davis' life. And if you try and call back, I am sure you can speak to Brooke herself. But then again, I don't know how I would feel with someone telling me I was an unneeded distraction to my million dollar success. It would break my heart for you to have to hear that. So I would hang up the phone, Ms. James, tend to your children, and move on with your life. You are no longer a part of Brooke's.' I couldn't say anything after that. She stopped speaking. I dropped the phone and I crumbled to the ground."

Brooke couldn't believe that Victoria would go to the lengths of eliminating her friends from her life. If her intentions were to make sure Brooke was completely alone, and she had succeeded. She must have been damn believable if Haley had saw Victoria's words as the truth, Haley was the most intelligence person she knew, and she had been beguiled. And well Victoria was a bitch. Her emotions were confused; she was no longer upset, she was mad. No she was livid. She had all her own reasons for despising Victoria, but taking Haley away trumped all the rest. "That's my mother for you," she said it as the statement was nothing. She saw the open jaw on Haley's face, "Oh, you didn't know. My mother is a bitch, and her goal in life is to take everything away that makes me happy. Every single remote thing."

"What else, Brooke?" she was hoping that in her anger, Brooke would reveal her pain. Haley had missed four years, and it seemed like in those four years, Brooke needed her more than ever.

She looked at Haley, shaking her head, "Everything," and for now, that was enough. But it was more than Brooke ever wanted to admit. There was no stepping back from this though; her truth was slowly creeping out. And sure enough it would all be out in the open before the week's end. Brooke just wasn't aware of it yet.

"I'm sorry, Brooke. I shouldn't have believed her. I don't know why. You were one of my best friends, I was wrong to ever think you wanted me out of your life."

"I should be the one apologizing for believing that you didn't call. I was so hurt by your apparent lack of wanting a reunion, and I kept that anger with me for so long. I should have known that pain submittal was not in your character."

"Well I guess we both got our apologizes out there. Those four years are gone though, and unfortunately we cannot get them back. No matter how hard we long for them. We just have to start anew, and give this friendship thing another try. And we just got to trust that each other is here for the long haul, and nothing, or no one is going to separate us this time."

"I sure hope so. I missed you, Haley."

"I have to admit that everyday for about six months after I had spoken with Victoria, err, your mother, every time the phone rang, I thought it was you. But after awhile, I bought into her lie, and I gave up hope in you ever being on the other end of the line."

"Funny thing, for a while there, I thought you were on the other end of the line as well. Victoria finally got me to believe that you didn't care enough to call. And I have some how come to believe everything that has come out of her mouth."

"So she is to blame?"

"For what? Everything?"

"The pain in your eyes."

"I'm just tired. And if you see pain then it is because I have returned home to my friends in a state of melancholy."

"It was there before you knew anything about my life. When you entered my house, I saw it already. It was evident."

What was she supposed to say to this? She was running out of excuses, and she was so good at covering up. It was apparent that even with an absence in the friendship, Haley still knew how Brooke's heart breaks. Or it was just left present on her sleeve. Brooke knew that Haley wanted a response; she was looking at her in urgency for an answer. "I'm really fine," another lie came out of her mouth as easily as the truth.

"Well if this is fine, then I would hate to see you sad, it would be devastating."

Brooke looked away. Haley wasn't going to buy into her lies. This has never happened before. There has been no one in her last four years that has ever not bought into her lies. The words slipped out so easily that everyone believed it as truth. Why would Brooke Davis ever lie about her life? The people that surrounded Brooke in New York simply wanted to appease her. That was not Haley's intention.

"Brooke, I don't know what happened after you left Tree Hill, other than you had an amenity of success. That is all I know. But I don't know what has happened to the girl before multi-millions. I wonder about that girl."

"Is it that obvious?"

"Not to a typical bystander, no, it is not that flagrant. But those people, they don't know you. The Brooke that sits beside me has success any girl would dream of, but the money could never cover up the sorrow that success has brought you."

"I would give it all up."

"What is holding you back?"

"It's not that easy, Haley. It is all I know, it is all I have," she was caught in her own palpable moment. This is exactly how Haley was feeling. It was much harder than Brooke even thought was possible for Haley to stop helping Nathan. He was all she had, and he was all she ever knew. She wouldn't know where to go from leaving him, how could she possibly move on without him? She shakes her head after her own statement, "I am sorry, Haley. I have no right to expect you to change your life because I see it as potentially dangerous in the long run. Like I said, it is all you know. And Nathan and Jamie are all you have. I should not try and take them away from you."

"Brooke, as hard as it is to walk away, you are right. This path, it is dangerous. I am losing touch with life, with people I care about, and I am losing touch with my course of living. Yes, it might be all I know. Nonetheless, like you said, I am going to have to dig even deeper, and I am going to try and break through this bleakness in my life. I know you have even more strength to do the same."

"I don't know."

"I miss your confidence."

"A lot of things are gone."

"Brooke if you are willing to help me through this morose point in my life, I will put everything into helping you find your own happiness."

"I'm always willing Haley."

"Are you willing though to try and salvage your former life?"

"I will get back to you on that one."

"Well, I am not giving up."

"Well, then there is one of us," she was sure she said it under her breath, but by the look on Haley's face, she knew it was said a little too loud.

Haley didn't know what to say anymore. Her friend was hurting and there was nothing she could say that could make it better. She was going to hold to her word, and when Brooke left Tree Hill she would have a smile on her face…the first real one in a while.

Brooke knew that Haley was trying to come up with something profound to say, but she was having difficulty. So she decided to do what she does best – put the spotlight on someone else's problems. "How do you think Nathan did with Lucas today?"

Haley wasn't ignorant enough to believe that Brooke was fine; she saw what Brooke's intention was. She was trying to take the attention away from her. It was something new for Haley to see Brooke avert attention away from her. In high school Brooke used all of her power to make sure she was the center of attention, but now she was shying away. Haley's new goal was to get to the center of Brooke's change in attitude; this version of Brooke had baggage that was pulling her down. For now she was going to play along with Brooke's game. It would not be a game that Haley could easily quit. She was going to win in the long run by saving Brooke from the person Victoria had changed her into it. "Well, there are two options. He was extremely pissed off, or he fell asleep."

"Maybe we should go see."

"Let's go," as the two got out of the car they soon realized how much had changed since they left earlier. More truths were revealed, and they were uneasy now. How was either supposed to help the other if they no longer felt comfortable being in each others' presence? Each step would bring another answer.

AN: So there you go, it was damn Victoria. Coming up next is some pure drama, what has come of everyone since the girls left the house?