Author's Note: Hey guys! I am SO, SO sorry for taking so long to update this story! I've had major writer's block for both stories and just really haven't had time to write as often as I'd like lately because I've had to deal with a whole bunch of stuff because graduation is coming up, college stuff, work stuff and just a whole lot of crap I have to get done. I wasn't allowed on the computer this weekend but I managed to sneak into the office after my parents went to bed to type this chapter up. I know it's short, but I didn't want to keep you guys waiting after I kind of left you hanging there in the last chapter. So without further ado, here's Chapter 18! I hope you like it! As always, please read and review!
Disclaimer: I own nothing. One Tree Hill and its characters are property of the WB.
Rating: PG to PG-13
P.S. – YAY! One Tree Hill comes back on this week! I don't care if its reruns or not, I'm still excited that it's back on!
P.S. again – I will try to update The Sweetest Sin this week, depending how my schedule is and if my parents allow me. Let's hope they do!
In the Presence of an Angel
Chapter 18
The next morning, Haley was the first to wake, not oddly enough because she normally rose early, but also because of her thoughts last night. She had stayed up most of the night trying to sort out her thoughts and feelings, trying to pick down to the bone of why she suddenly thought she had feelings for Lucas. I mean, she'd kissed Luke before; even on the mouth. When they were twelve years old, they'd kissed each other so they would know how to kiss someone when they found a person they liked. She didn't know why she had said all those sexual innuendos; saying them herself had never bothered her before despite being uncomfortable with the topic of sex. Maybe Brooke was actually rubbing off on her from being around her so much, especially being cooped up in that house while Brooke was on bed rest and now even more so from being a couple. She finally came to the conclusion that she was just happy; for both her and Lucas. They both had someone very special in their lives and were hopelessly in love.
Haley smiled when she thought of her girlfriend. She wondered what Brooke was doing. Had she stayed home alone or gone to hang out with Peyton? She couldn't wait to see Brooke, to kiss her all over her face because she missed her so much, to simply hold her in her arms, thankful that Brooke was hers and only hers. She wanted, no, needed to hear Brooke's voice; that raspy sexy sound she always had when she was just waking or really tired. She knew Brooke would still be asleep and didn't want to disturb her, but that's what being crazy in love did to her.
She carefully climbed out of bed so as not to wake Lucas and grabbed her cell phone then went onto the back porch and sat on the bench there. She dialed Brooke's cell number and it rang about three times as Haley impatiently tapped her foot before her ears were filled the sweet sound of Brooke's sleepy, raspy voice. "Hello," the brunette asked groggily. "Hey Tigger," Haley said brightly with a wide smile on her face, "how are you?" "Tired and lonely," she replied with a sad tone as she yawned, "I missed you so much last night that I couldn't stay at Peyton's so I came home. I ended up sleeping with Mr. Waffles on your side of the bed because it smelled like you. Let's just say it was a long night and the bed was pretty cold without you here." "Aww, baby, I missed you too. I wish you would have called me; I would have come home too. It was hard sleeping without you in my arms or your arms around me," Haley responded in a pouting voice. "Yeah, but I didn't want to ruin your night with Lucas. You guys haven't hung out in a while," Brooke replied as she sat up in bed, "when are you coming home?" "Luke hasn't woken up yet, but I'll get him up soon and we'll have breakfast then I'll be home, okay? I can't wait to see you," Haley said with a soft smile on her face. "Mmm, same here. I can't wait to kiss you too," Brooke grinned. "Alright, I'll see you later baby. Bye Brookie," Haley replied before Brooke said goodbye too and she shut her phone.
Haley walked back into the house and into the kitchen, where she found Karen already at work on fixing breakfast. "Oh, hey Karen. I was going to make Luke and I some breakfast, but since you already started it, mind if I help?" "Sure," Karen replied as she cracked some eggs into a skillet. Twenty minutes later, Haley and Karen were just setting food down on the table when Luke appeared from the bedroom, scratching the back of his head. Haley had to laugh at the sight of him. "Been having some wet dreams, Lucas," she asked with a raised eyebrow as she glanced down at the dark stain on the front of his sweatpants. He looked down and his cheeks tinted pink, "No, it must have been from the ice. I got up and made another bag around three this morning. There could have been a hole in the bag or I didn't close it all the way since I did it all in the dark." "Sure Lucas, whatever you say. I believe you," she replied in a mocking tone. "Hey," he protested loudly as he moved towards her, fingers ready to tickle her. "Nah uh, I don't think so. You don't want a repeat of last night, do you," she waved an index finger warningly at him. "No thanks, I've had enough of that, thank you," he replied as he sat down at the table. Karen raised an eyebrow and shook her head as she glanced between her kids. She would never understand those crazy teenagers.
Two hours later, Haley raced into her own house in search of Brooke, not being able to stand a second longer of being away from her girlfriend. "Brooke," she called out excitedly as she threw open her bedroom door. Brooke whipped around and a wide, bright smile spread across her face. Haley rushed over and launched herself into Brooke's arms, curling her legs around her girlfriend's waist and kissing her passionately on the lips. "I…missed…you…so…much…" Haley murmured as she began to place small kisses all over her face. Brooke kissed her back with equal fervor as she slowly backed up to the edge of the bed and gently laid herself and Haley down, with Haley on top. "God, I missed you too…" Brooke managed to get out through her heavy breathing as Haley started in on her neck. Brooke groaned as Haley began to suck lightly at the sensitive skin near her collarbone and ran her hands up and down the sides of Brooke's body. As much as she didn't want to, Brooke needed to stop her. She knew they weren't ready. Brooke gently placed her hands on Haley's face and pulled her up to meet her lips then wrapped her arms tightly around her waist. "I love you," Brooke murmured. Haley smiled as she leaned her head down and placed another chaste kiss on her mouth, her eyes heavy with love, "I love you too." They kissed tenderly for a few more minutes before they scooted up on the bed and began to talk.
"So, how was your night with Luke? Was it fun," Brooke asked as she propped her head up with her elbow on her pillow. Haley laughed and shook her head as she remembered last night, "Yeah, you could say that." "Well, what went on? What did you guys do," Brooke pressed on. "Well let's just say that there was a lot of fooling around and by the end of the night, we were icing Lucas' manhood," Haley smirked then burst out laughing as she watched Brooke's eyes widen to the size of golf balls and her jaw drop in shock. "You-You what?" Brooke asked incredulously. "Yeah, I was kind of rough on him," Haley laughed, "poor guy." The brunette beside her was speechless for a few moments, not knowing what to say, when she suddenly grabbed Haley's arms and pinned them to the bed over her head with one hand as she straddled her waist and began to tickle her.
"Haley 'Tutor Girl' James, you tell me what happened right now!" "Or what," Haley prodded with a teasing grin on her face. "I'll-I'll…" Brooke began, but she was coming up with nothing, too preoccupied with Haley's body wriggling underneath her. She suddenly felt something graze her butt and she jolted upright onto her knees, "Holy shi t!" She looked behind her and saw Haley's foot run along Brooke's calf. She turned back to Haley and her girlfriend just smiled and responded with a giggle, "I'm very flexible." Brooke laughed, "Kinky." Haley laughed louder as her grin became wider, "Funny, Luke said the same thing last night." "Hales!" Brooke remarked loudly as she swatted Haley's shoulder. "Kidding, kidding," Haley put her hands up in surrender as her loud laughter died down to low chuckles. "Are you kidding about just that kinky comment or all of it," Brooke asked suspiciously, her eyes narrowed, but Haley knew she was just playing around. "Only part of it," Haley responded, "because Luke did say 'kinky' to me last night. But I'll tell you what really happened…" "Okay, what," Brooke inquired interestedly as she settled down beside her and crossed her legs. Haley then related to her all that had happened the night before, which was where they now still sat an hour later.
"I can't believe you did that," Brooke chuckled. "It was an accident," Haley exclaimed, "If he hadn't put me over his shoulder, I wouldn't have kicked him!" "True," Brooke reasoned then a moment later she hopped off the bed, "let's go down to the café and get something to eat. I haven't had anything to eat yet today." "Brooke! You shouldn't skip meals like that," Haley scolded her, "especially when you're still recovering!" "I'm fine Hales, I've never felt better," Brooke responded then began to whisper as she wrapped her arms around Haley's neck and placed a soft kiss on her lips, "and it's all because of you." Haley pulled back slightly and stared into Brooke's brown eyes as she stroked her hair for several moments, thanking God for bringing this beautiful woman into her life. "I don't know what I'd do without you," Haley said, tears forming in her eyes and she hugged her girlfriend tightly, her arms encircling Brooke's neck. "Die," Brooke laughed. "Probably," Haley replied as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Hey, what's with all this crying," Brooke asked concernedly, wiping a stray tear from her cheek. "Nothing; I just- I love you and I missed you so much last night… God, I'm such a cry baby," Haley gave a slight laugh. "No you're not," Brooke hugged her, "and even if you are, you're my cry baby." Haley hiccupped and sniffled then Brooke replied, "Come on, let's get you cleaned up then we'll go to the café for an early lunch, or in my case, brunch."
Haley and Brooke walked into the café half an hour later and grabbed a booth in the corner, away from most of the customers. Karen gave them a bright smile as she walked up to their table, "Hey girls, what can I get you?" "I'll just have a diet coke and a BLT since I already ate a couple hours ago," Haley responded. "Ooh, that sounds really good. I'll have the same but with some fries please," the perky brunette replied. "Okay, I'll get your orders in and they'll be out in a few minutes," the older woman smiled at them. "Thanks Karen," Haley returned the smile. "No problem kiddo," Karen said as she patted her shoulder and walked off. "You two are really close, huh," Brooke remarked a minute or two later. "Yeah, she's like my surrogate mom. She's really the only mom I've had since I was little when my parents started traveling a lot for their jobs. She's thinks of me as her daughter and I think of her as my mom; I sometimes call her Mom too," Haley replied with a soft grin on her face, looking back on the memories of when she and Karen used to bake cookies in the kitchen or take her and Luke to the playground. "Aww, that's sweet. I wish I had someone like that," Brooke cocked her head to the side. "Well, you have me," Haley gave her a small smile as she discreetly took Brooke's hand into her own between them.
"Here you two go," Karen said as she walked up to their table, plates in hand, causing Haley and Brooke to quickly pull their hands away. "Thanks," Haley replied. "This smells really great Karen," Brooke responded as she took the ketchup and began to pour some for her fries. "Thank you Brooke. You're welcome girls," Karen answered before heading to another table with the coffee pot. They ate in a companionable silence for several minutes then Haley asked, "So, what do you want to do today?" "How about we go down the rivercourt for a little while and see if everyone is there? Then we can go back to the house and watch movies or something. I promise to let you watch Bring It On Again since you didn't get to see it last night," Brooke grinned playfully. "Alright, maybe I can get in on a game or two since Luke will probably be out of commission for a couple days," Haley responded. "Okay, let's go," Brooke bounced in her seat and gestured with her hands to move out of the booth. "Let me just go pay for our food," Haley replied as she grabbed her purse and headed to the counter with Brooke following behind her. "Hey Karen, thanks for lunch. Here's money for our food," Haley said as she placed some bills and change onto the counter and pushed them forward. "Don't worry about it honey, I'll just put it on your tab," Karen answered as she pushed the money back towards Haley. "The tab you never let me pay for," Haley grinned back. "You work here, that's payment enough," Karen replied, "you heading out?" "Yeah, we're gonna go to the rivercourt to see if Luke and the others are there, maybe shoot some hoops." Karen nodded then gestured for them to follow her, "Can I talk to you girls for a minute?"
They followed her into one of the back storage rooms and when they got there, Haley asked, "What's up Karen?" The older woman crossed her arms and paced back and forth in front on them, silent for several moments. Haley's forehead wrinkled in confusion, wondering what Karen had to say to her. They had always been open with each other. Finally, Karen looked up at Haley, her face blank and devoid of any emotion, "When were you going to tell me?" "Tell you what," Haley inquired, crossing her arms concernedly. "About this," Karen waved her hand between the two girls, "you two, dating. How long has this been going on? Why didn't you tell me? I mean, I get why you wouldn't want to tell me, but you're my daughter, Hales, we talk about almost everything!" By now, Karen was breathing heavily and Haley had a scared look in her eyes, not liking how Karen was reacting to the news. "H-How did you find out," Haley asked meekly, not able to meet her eyes, staring at the ground. "I went out to get the newspaper this morning and I heard you talking on the phone," Karen replied then turned to Brooke, "could you leave us alone for a few minutes please?" Brooke nodded silently, too scared for both herself and Haley to speak.
Haley couldn't look up at Karen; see her angry, maybe even disgusted, expression at the thought of Haley being in a relationship with Brooke Davis, a girl. Tears slowly began to trickle down her cheeks as she wrapped her arms tighter around herself to keep from crumbling to the ground, her knees beginning to feel too weak to even hold her up. She was going to lose the only mother she had ever known because of this. "Haley, look at me," Karen requested in a soft, yet firm voice. She finally gathered the courage to look up and Karen's heart broke at seeing her daughter in tears. "I have just one question," Karen said as she stepped closer to Haley. "What," Haley asked shakily, drawing in a ragged breath. Karen placed her hands on the sides of Haley's arms, "Does she make you happy?" Haley drew in a deep breath, not expecting this question, but feeling nothing but utter relief. "Yes, more than I could ever imagine," Haley responded as she closed her eyes and a wide smile spread across her face, envisioning her girlfriend. "Then that's all I could ever ask for," the older woman replied as she wrapped her arms around Haley's body, "all I ever want for you is for you to be happy. That goes for Lucas as well." "Thanks Mom," Haley said in an emotional voice as she hugged her tightly in return then slowly pulled away from her, a pleading look in her eyes, "please don't tell Lucas about us. We're not ready for everyone to know yet and I-I still haven't gotten up the courage to tell him yet." Karen nodded, "I understand, but you better tell him soon. You know Lucas, if he finds out, he'll be angry that you didn't tell him." "I-I know," she answered. Karen softly stroked her hair then kissed her forehead and gave her a small smile, "You're my daughter, Haley, and nothing is going to change that. Now go be with your girlfriend." More tears began to fall as Haley hugged her around the neck once more. "Thank you," she whispered. "No problem kiddo. I just want you to be happy," Karen responded. "I am," Haley replied. "Good, now go. You have a girl waiting out there for you," Karen smiled as she patted Haley's back.
Haley walked out into the café and Brooke immediately saw the tears on Haley's cheeks, knowing that one of Haley's greatest fears had come true; that Karen, the only real mother Haley had, hadn't accepted them being together. She rushed over to her girlfriend and enveloped Haley in her arms, her hand pressing Haley's head into the crook of her neck. "I'm sorry…" Brooke said quietly as tears of her own formed and fell from her eyes. "It's okay," Haley said quietly. "No it's not Haley! You're a great girl and you're practically her daughter! She should love you for who you are, no matter who you are dating," Brooke exclaimed softly so none of the customers dining around them would hear then turned and started to walk back to the storage room where they had previously been, "I'm going to give Karen a piece of my mind!" Haley gently grabbed her arm, "No, it's okay. I mean, Karen and I are good. We talked, she's supportive, everything's good." "Then why were you crying," Brooke asked. "Happy tears, Brooke; they were happy tears," Haley responded. "Good," Brooke responded as she hugged her again, "you know I hate seeing you cry." "Well, there's going to be more of those," Haley discreetly nuzzled her neck and laughed slightly and at Brooke's confused expression, she elaborated, "three down, everybody else to go. Not everyone is going to take the news as well as Jake, Karen, and Toni did." "I know," Brooke said quietly as she stroked her hair, wondering how all their friends would react to finding out.