Disclaimer: OTH and its characters do not belong to me. Neither does the song quoted in this chapter. Its '9 Crimes' by Damien Rice.

Please take the time to let me know what you think. This story will contain multiple flashbacks which will be in italics! Xx

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This Wasn't Supposed to Happen

Chapter Twelve– 9 Crimes

Haley sighed as she maneuvered Tyler from one hip to the other and hit the doorbell again.

"Lucas!" she yelled aloud, banging her fist on the door. "You in there?!"

Haley looked down to her son who was fussing in her arms. "Tyler" she spat. "Be still little man, Mummy is not in the mood today"

Tyler looked up to Haley with Nathan's eyes, fussing harder in her arms and fighting her embrace. "Tyler" she repeated, her tone still harsh and angry. "Could you refrain from being your father's son for just one second?"

"Hey!" A soothing voice interrupted the tension between Haley and her baby boy.

"Finally" Haley sighed, handing Tyler to him. "Take him"

"Hey little guy" Lucas soothed as he looked quizzically to Haley, who lifted a large suitcase from her feet and placed it inside the door.

"What the hell is going on?" Lucas questioned, Tyler beginning to cry loudly in his arms.

"Nathan and I are having some time apart" Haley answered with little emotion in her voice.

"What?" Lucas finally choked out, unable to make sense of what Haley had said.

"I said" Haley began to repeat her words as though they weren't tangled with pain, "Nathan and I are having some time apart"

Lucas stood dumbfounded by Haley' words, the two best friends staring deep into each others eyes as though the other held the answers.

"Haley" Lucas began, softly and with concern.

"Its fine" Haley shrugged. "Not an issue"

"Not an issue?" Lucas shouted. Tyler wrestled against his chest at the sound of his raised voice. "Sorry Ty" Lucas soothed as her rubbed the little boy's back. He began again, his voice softer, "Haley, what happened? What's going on?"

Haley and Lucas stood mere inches apart in the doorway of the house he shared with his mom. Stroking her hand down her son's head, Haley's diamond engagement ring sparkled in the light. A twang of pain shot through her body.

"Let's go inside" she whispered.

"Haley" Lucas' tone grew harsher again. "What's going on?"

Haley took a deep breath and turned away from her best friend, turning her ring round and round her finger, she closed her eyes tightly.

"The accident" she choked, the first sign of real emotion mounting in her voice. "The accident" she repeated, pulling the ring off her finger completely. "Wasn't an accident at all"

Leave me out with the waste
This is not what I do
It's the wrong kind of place
To be thinking of you
It's the wrong time
For somebody new
It's a small crime
And I've got no excuse

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Haley yelled as she stepped over piles of clothes and basketballs, eventually finding the apartment door and throwing it open.

"Brooke!" she exclaimed, clearly surprised. "Why didn't you just walk in? You never wait to be asked" Haley laughed as she turned and picked up one of Nathan's training jerseys before walking back into the apartment, expecting her friend to follow.

"Hey" Haley shouted, unaware her friend was still standing in the doorway. "When did Lucas and Nathan start sharing clothes?" Haley laughed. "It's creepy" Laughing again, Haley was surprised when her friend made no comment. "Brooke?" she questioned as she turned to see her still standing on the other side of the threshold. "What's going on?"

"Is Nathan here?" Brooke asked, her voice a little shaky.

"No, he and Tyler went for a walk" Haley answered, as she began to edge her way back to the door. "Brooke? What's going on? You're scaring me"

Brooke stepped from one foot to the other, before finally entering the apartment.

"I haven't known what to do" Brooke spat out quickly.

"About what?" Haley was clearly confused.

"I love you H. James Scott" Brooke began. "So here"

Haley's forehead creased with worry as she reached out to take a piece of paper Brooke held in her hands. Opening it, the blonde read its words, before folding it again.

Is that alright?
Give my gun away when it's loaded
Is that alright?
If u don't shoot it how am I supposed to hold it
Is that alright?
Give my gun away when it's loaded
Is that alright
With you?

"Where did you get this?" Haley asked, little emotion in her tone.

"At the back of the drawer beside the sink" Broke asked, slightly afraid of her friend's reaction.

"In the chocolate stash?" Haley continued.

"You know about the chocolate stash?" Brooke exclaimed

"Of course I know about the chocolate stash" Haley responded, her voice beginning to crack slightly. "I thought I knew everything"

"Brooke?" Haley questioned "Why is Nathan borrowing money? Or trying to? He plays NBA basketball. I thought we were set? We live in this apartment, its not cheap you know…Oh god… I…" Haley dropped into the couch which sat behind her. "Brooke?" she began again. "What's going on?"

Brooke shrugged her shoulders. "Sweetie, I don't know. That's why I gave you the letter. I thought you should maybe ask him"

Haley hadn't listened to Brooke's response. She rose to her feet again. "Oh my god" she exclaimed. "He's having an affair. He's got another fiancé, probably another child. And his paycheck isn't enough."

"What?" Brooke yelled. "Where the hell did that come from?"

Haley hadn't heard her. "Maybe he's sick!" Haley continued. "The medicine is so expensive he has to borrow money"

"Haley!" Brooke screamed. "Enough! I very much doubt it's either of those things. Geeze girly, you have one vivid imagination."

"Wait there" Haley spat, before Brooke had even reached the end of her sentence.

Leave me out with the waste
This is not what I do
It's the wrong kind of place
To be cheating on you
It's the wrong time
She's pulling me through
It's a small crime
And I've got no excuse

Brooke stood in Nathan and Haley's living room as instructed. Stepping from one foot to the other she tilted her head slightly as she looked at the photographs that lined the kitchen surface. Haley and Nathan on holiday, Haley and Nathan at the beach, Haley and Nathan separated only by Haley's massive baby stomach. Brooke lifted her head to look at the room as a whole. It was so… Naley. The whole room screamed both of them. There were photos everywhere, basketballs, a guitar, and baby clothes. This was their perfect world.

"Haley?" Brooke shouted after five or so minutes had passed. No response. "Haley?" she repeated, again she received no response. Walking toward the bedroom door she began to hear small crashing sounds. Pushing the door ajar, she saw Haley throwing items over the back of her head.

"Haley!" Brooke shouted. "Overreacting much? What are you doing?"

"Overreacting" Haley repeated to herself before carrying on throwing items of Nathan's out of a chest of drawers in a bid to find answers to the hundreds of questions which were now running wildly through her mind.

"Ah ha!" she yelled, as she sat on her hands and knees at the back of his wardrobe.

"What?" Brooke questioned, pretending not to be interested.

"The first couple of weeks, after Nathan got out of the hospital, I caught him with some papers, that he said were nothing. Naturally I believed him."

"And what do you think now?" Brooke asked.

"Now I don't believe him so much" Haley pulled a paper bag onto the bed, emptying its contents onto the bedspread.

Brooke took a deep breath as the two girls examined a pile of letters.

"Oh my god" Brooke whispered, as Haley bent to pick one up.

"What are these?" Haley choked, a single tear working its way down her face.

"I think…" Brooke began, her own voice unnerved and broken. "I think they're death threats."

Is that alright?
I give my gun away when it's loaded
Is that alright?
If you dont shoot it, how am I supposed to hold it
Is that alright?
I give my gun away when it's loaded
Is that alright
Is that alright with you?

Haley and Brooke sat on Haley's couch, unspeaking but grasping tightly at each others hands. The door began to move, as a key was placed in it and turned.

"Here we go" Nathan's voice echoed slowly through the room, until eventually he appeared, Tyler in his arms. "Hey Ladies" he smirked, his son mirroring the action.

"Hey" Brooke mouthed, as Haley rose to feet, taking her son form Nathan. Nathan glanced quizzically at her, before looking down to the floor, discovering her suitcase.

"What the hell is going on?" Nathan asked harshly. Haley didn't respond, only looking deeply into his eyes before picking her case from the floor and walking slowly away.

"Haley!" Nathan yelled, his face pained and confused. Turning to chase her, Brooke stepped up, placing her hand against his chest.

"Leave it" Brooke spoke sternly.

"Brooke?" Nathan questioned. "What's going on?" Brooke grew slightly quizzical over the genuine confusion the young man expressed.

"You can't guess?" she asked.

"Brooke!" Nathan shouted, begging for an answer. The brunette bent to the floor and picked up the pile of letters. Handing them to Nathan, he slowly closed his eyes.


Is that alright?
I give my gun away when it's loaded
Is that alright?
If you don't shoot it, how am I supposed to hold it
Is that alright?
If I give my gun away when it's loaded
Is that alright
Is that alright with you?

"Still confused?" Brooke spat.

"Its not what you think" Nathan whispered.

"Not what I think? I think it's pretty self explanatory." Brooke lifted a couple of the letters from Nathan's hand. "Mr Scott, give us the money you owe us. Mr Scott, we're going to kill you unless you give us the money you owe us."

Nathan closed his eyes again, wishing the nightmare away.

"The mother of your child thought it was pretty self explanatory too" Brooke spoke softly, her words stabbing Nathan in the stomach. "After everything we've all been through since the accident" Brook began "This is awful"

Nathan turned to her, about to speak.

"Save it" Brooke snapped, before turning to leave.

Nathan slammed his fist hard against the wall, swearing under his breath. Finally he spoke aloud.

"But… but…" Tears began to gather in his eyes. "But I'm not the only Mr Scott."

Is that alright?
Is that alright?
Is that alright with you?
Is that alright?
Is that alright?
Is that alright with you?

No...

Haley turned to shut Lucas' front door behind her. It had begun to rain. She watched as it fell, a single drop landing on the glass of the door in front of her.

She watched as it trickled slowly down the glass, creating its own trail.

Then suddenly, it disappeared.