Author's Note: Glad everyone's enjoying the story so far. Hope this chapter will do you guys well.

Disclaimer: The chapter title is a play on Chelsea Handler's book.

Chapter Three: Are You There, Vodka? It's me, Brooke

Two hours earlier….

Nathan Scott pulled up in front of the familiar two-story James household, looking up at the window he once snuck into to spend the night with his girlfriend…ex-girlfriend. Taking a deep breath, he mustered up enough energy to exit the car and found himself right at the front door. Without a single knock or a press of the door bell, the front door opened with her standing right in front him.

She didn't look the same as he remembered her from before. This time, her hair was shorter, chin-length for that matter, and a deep chestnut color. Her small frame continued to look at him as he took in the image of whom he once loved.

"Hey, Nathan."

Nathan gulped as his mouth began to open in reply, "Hey, Haley."

"What are you doing standing there," she extended her arms out for a hug, "can't even give an old friend a hug?"

Nathan nervously chuckled but complied, wrapping his arms around her waist and then releasing her momentarily. Without a word, she stepped aside and let him enter, gesturing for him to sit in living room.

"Do you want anything to drink? Soda, juice, coffee, beer?"

He held up a hand, "It's okay, I won't stay long."

Haley grinned and nodded, placing herself next to him, causing him to shift uncomfortably. She placed a hand on his knee and his eyes watched it carefully, "So, how'd you know I was back in town?"

"Uh," Nathan averted his eyes from her hand to her face, "Lucas mentioned it the other day."

"Of course he did," Haley giggled, not the least bit surprised.

"What are you doing home, anyway? I thought you were still teaching over in New York."

"Wow," Haley gasped in surprised and smirked, "If that's your version of 'welcome home' then thanks, I think. I still teach there, but it's summer vacation, hot shot."

Nathan let out a chuckle at the obvious as Haley continued, "Plus, I wanted to spend time with my family. Haven't been able to in a really long time."

"That's why you're home?"

"Mmhmm," Haley clapped her hands once and clasped them together, "Nothing like a little family time."

Nathan nodded, "Oh."

"Why, did you think I was here for anything else?" Her smirk was almost mocking, and she tilted her head slightly to the side as Nathan turned to face her.

"It's just that," sighing in relief, "I thought you came back for--"

"You?" Haley's eyebrow arched as she finished his sentence. Looking at him, she admired his face, the way his blue eyes pierced hers and the sound of his voice soothing her eyes. Yep, this is the Nathan Scott she fell in love with--and he's only gotten better throughout the years.

The momentary silence was broken by Nathan, standing up and making his way to the front door. Haley walked behind him, holding the front door open as he stood in front of her one last time before leaving. "Nathan, would it be too much to ask if you'd like to have dinner sometime?"

Nathan contemplated the thought, but cursed himself silently for even considering. "I'm married."

Haley scoffed, "It's dinner, Nathan. It's not exactly infidelity."

"Brooke will think so."

"What's your point?"

"My point is," he let out an exacerbated sigh, "I'm not gonna lie to my wife."

"Then…tell her we're having dinner. You know, catching up and stuff." She placed a hand on her hip, as if calling him out for the challenge.

"I'm not gonna have dinner with you, Haley," he turned to walk away.

Haley called out to him, "For someone who doesn't want to lie to his wife you're doing a pretty great job at it."

Nathan stopped in his tracks, clenching a fist at her words. Not five seconds passed and the front door shut, and he was left on the James's walk path cursing himself for even seeing her. But he needed to. He needed to make sure she wasn't back in Tree Hill for anything other than visiting her family--her parents. Before pressing on the acceleration, he took one last look at the house.

The vision of a child appeared in the bedroom window that once belonged to Haley. He narrowed his eyes to focus on the face, but the child pulled the curtain back into place, concealing any further identification. Nathan could swear he saw something--someone--looking down at him with dismal eyes. But dismissed the thought when a phone call from Jake appeared on his phone.

She pulled the curtain back into place and turned around to find her mother smiling back at her, leaning against the door frame. "Was that Daddy, Mama?"

Haley admired the innocence and longing in her daughter's eyes, "Yeah, baby, that was Daddy."

"Why did he leave?"

"Because," Haley began as she walked over to the little girl, picking her up in her arms, "Daddy's gonna surprise you with lots of toys the next time he comes. I told him you love The Littlest Pet Shop so he's gonna buy lots of those just for you, okay?"

"When's he coming back?"

"I dunno yet, pumpkin," Haley kissed her daughter on the forehead, "But I know Daddy can't wait to see you."

Brooke glanced at her cell phone that was laying on the kitchen counter, checking if any calls from Nathan had arrived. Looking up at the clock above the dining table she noted that he'd been gone for several hours now and dinner was being served. She fiddled with Sophie's bib before placing it around her neck. Sitting on the dining chair opposite from her daughter, she nodded her head in agreement as Peyton vented on the other side of the line.

"I mean, I have a pretty good reason, right?"

"Hmm? Yeah, of course you do."

Peyton sighed, "You weren't even listening. What's up with you?"

Brooke held the phone firmly between her ear and shoulder as her hands mushed the potatoes in the baby's plate, "I was! I promise. I'm just trying to feed Sophie."

"Oh," Peyton's voice cheered up, "Well, in that case, I'll leave you to the mommy duties. I have to go back to my own. You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah," Brooke chuckled, unsure of what to tell Peyton about seeing Haley at the park. She wasn't even sure if she really did see Haley, but at the same time, her gut feeling was telling her otherwise. The entire conversation was initiated by Peyton anyway, to complain about the troubles some artists on her label was giving her. Brooke didn't feel it was right to turn the attention on her. She resisted telling her best friend when Nathan suddenly appeared, walking into the dining room. Whirling around in surprise, she ended the conversation with Peyton, and tried her best to have a nonchalant approach to his whereabouts.

"Sorry, I'm late."

"Hmm," she fed a spoonful to Sophie, "Is that the new trend nowadays? Handing out apologies every time you talk to your wife?"

Okay, maybe the nonchalant approach didn't work.

Nathan shrugged, "I got caught up. I was out at a bar with Jake."

"I thought you were with Lucas."

Nathan quickly replied, sure that he'd given her even more suspicion than she already has, "I was, but Jake called, so..." He trailed off as Brooke continued to stare at him, trying to read his strange behavior. Attempting to change the subject, he kissed Sophie on the head and helped himself to the dinner Brooke made.

"What'd you end up doing today?"

"I took Sophie and the dog to the park. I called you," she fed the baby another spoonful, "you never called back."

"You did? Sorry, I probably didn't hear it." He tightened his lips at the realization that he was apologizing profusely--with not much meaning behind it. Brooke didn't bother to look at him as he sat down opposite from her, eating the roast beef, potatoes, and vegetables she'd made. In her mind, and in her heart--hell, her gut--was telling her his behavior may be linked to the ghost of his past lover that suddenly reappeared. Glancing at him, she watched as he ate without saying a word, without looking at her--as if speaking would reveal all that he was hiding. But what was he hiding? Why should he be hiding anything?

Nathan could feel his wife's eyes burning into his skin as she casually stole glances, and a big weight suddenly fell on his shoulders. What the hell's the matter with him?

"I'm bringing Sophie to Peyton's tomorrow," Brooke's voice dissolved the silence, "I'm showing Rae around Clothes Over Bros." Her voice was flat, as if reading a statement from a piece of paper with no purpose. Nathan didn't say anything, and Brooke was finally fed up.

"No, honey, don't bother. I'll take Sophie tomorrow. I might even take her for a walk around the neighborhood, or maybe even go for a swim," her voice mocking him, she rolled her eyes at his lack of reaction. "Dammit, Nathan." She whispered the phrase aggressively, keeping herself calm in front of the baby.

"What do you want me to say, Brooke?"

"I want you to talk to me, Nathan. Don't just sit there and act like your behavior hasn't been odd as of late."

"I'm not--" He put his fork down, trying to keep his voice calm, "I'm just thinking about a lot of things, okay?"

"About what, Nathan? Tell me what you're thinking." Her voice was pleading and it almost broke his heart to hear the tone. He couldn't stand to just sit there and pretend like everything was okay. He knew deep inside that Haley being back home does have everything to do with him and his family. So he fought like hell with himself to not bring it up--figuring it was the only way to protect them from his mistakes.

"I'm gonna go upstairs and take a shower." Standing up, he walked out of the dining room and the sound of his footsteps disappeared upstairs. His third shower of the day--he felt like ridding himself of the dirt; the mistake that had come back to haunt him in his life. That, and to avoid looking at the sad--and periodically furious-eyes of his wife and the innocence wrapped up in Sophie's smile. As the water trickled its way down his body, he closed his eyes.

It was nearing midnight when Lucas Scott arrived at Haley's family's house. She let him inside, careful not to wake her parents and her daughter that slept soundly upstairs. Leading him to the kitchen, they sat across each other and at first made polite conversation. Not five minutes had passed when the events from earlier were disclosed from Haley's mouth.

Lucas ran a hand through his dirty-blonde hair, and narrowed his eyes to grasp what his best friend was telling him. "So, wait--he just showed up?"

"Yeah," Haley leaned back against the wooden chair in the dining room, "We talked for a little bit and I invited him to dinner."

"What?" He leaned forward slightly, "What did he say?"

"He wouldn't budge."

"You know, Hales--he loves them with all his heart. Brooke and Sophie are the most important things in his life. Even greater than basketball."

Haley glared at the sentence he spoke and her voice a little louder, "Dammit, Lucas--he's the father of my daughter! Just because he slipped doesn't give him the right to deny her."

"He doesn't even know about her--"

"But he will."

Lucas shook his head, "I thought you were gonna leave them alone. I've helped you these past few years, Hales--"

"And I appreciate that, Luke, trust me--I do. But she's been asking about when he's coming home. She saw him when he drove away and...god, I can't pretend like he doesn't exist! She needs him in her life!" She stood up in frustration and began to pace in the kitchen, Lucas eyeing her every movement. She'd crossed her arms across her chest, trying to keep herself together.

"So what happens to them? To Brooke and Sophie? That's his wife and daughter--can you imagine what you'll be putting them all through?"

"His daughter's not even old enough to grasp the idea of her dad having someone else's child--his first child for that matter. I don't give a shit what it does to Brooke. But my daughter wants her father. What will I be putting her through if I denied her the right to be with him?"

Lucas's eyes suddenly shifted from her movements back to her eyes. He raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean be with him?"

"I mean," Haley sighed and placed both hands down on the table, looking straight into his eyes, "He's gonna be in her life, Lucas. God help me, I will do whatever it takes for him to be in her life."

Brooke watched Sophie as she peacefully slept in her crib, and she could swear there was a hint of a smile on her daughter's face. She'd been sitting in the nursery since after dinner, partly wanting to avoid slapping Nathan across the face for acting the way he did. From across the hallway she could her their bedroom door creaking, indicating that it was being open. But a sudden shut of the door soon came after. Either Nathan was walking to the nursery or he simply changed his mind and went to bed.

It was obviously the latter.

She sat in the dark and clasped her hands on top of her crossed legs. She was rocking herself in the rocking chair, trying to make sense of her husband's sudden distance from her. Brooke knew it had something to do with Haley, but regardless of being Haley's past lover, the way he'd been acting was no excuse. An inch of her thoughts wandered to the impossible--is there something he's hiding from her that involved Haley? She shook the thought from her mind, afraid of what it might do to her sanity.

"Hey."

A whispered voice came from behind her and she turned to the source; Nathan had his arms crossed, leaning on the door frame. She looked back at the crib and sighed. At this point, she didn't know what to say to him.

"I'm s--"

She quickly turned her head, a look of discontent on her face and he stopped himself, knowing she didn't wanna hear it. His eyes wandered to the sleeping baby, "You coming to bed soon?"

Brooke shrugged.

Nathan sighed. He turned around and retired back to the bedroom.

Brooke held her mocha double latte (with extra foam) firmly in one hand as she used the other to point as she gave Rae the tour of C/B. Ending the tour back at the front desk, she laid a hand on the counter, "And this is where you'll oversee everything. I know it's a lot, but it's only temporary until I can find the time to sort through the applications actually take the time to read them."

Rae grinned, aware of the tiredness Brooke had written all over her face. That and the bags under her eyes, "I'll be fine. But how about you?"

Brooke took a sip of her drink.

"You look tired."

Brooke shrugged, "I have a baby. I think that's a pretty good reason, right?"

Rae noted the annoyance in her voice and changed the subject. "So I was thinking, Dean's gonna be working tonight and I'll be by myself at our place. I was wondering if you would like to come over for dinner? Just us girls? It's the least I can do for you being so hospitable to us."

Brooke furrowed her brows, "Oh, don't even worry about it. Dean's an old friend and you've become one of ours. But I'm not sure we'll be able to have dinner tonight."

"Oh," Rae fell disappointed, "That's okay, then. I understand having the baby and all--it's fine."

"Oh, no, no," Brooke shook her head, and laid her hand on Rae's arm, "It's not that, trust me. I just don't--well, Nathan and I aren't exactly on speaking terms for the moment.."

"What?" Rae's eyes widened, "What happened?"

Brooke looked into Rae's eyes, and decided right then and there to trust her. "He's just being different. I don't know. Last night, he was avoiding trying to talk to me, which isn't really like him. I wanted to actually talk to him when I got home later so I can at least make sense of how he's been acting. But I knew something was up ever since--"

The sound of the doors opening and closing turned their attention to the front. Rae instantly tuned into the role Brooke has assigned to her and she slapped a smile on her face, "Hi, welcome to Clothes Over Br--" The customer had stopped within feet of them, and her eyes were fixed on Brooke's.

"What are you doing here?" Brooke's raspy voice said quietly, as calmy as she could as her eyes looked back at her husband's ex-girlfriend.

Haley sighed, reminding herself that everything she was doing was for her daughter, and replied with a flat voice, "Nice seeing you too, Brooke."

"Oh, I don't remember stuttering," Brooke turned to Rae as if asking for assurance and then back to Haley, with a sharper tone in her voice, "I asked...what are you doing here?"

"Relax, princess, we're all adults here," Haley rolled her eyes, "I'm here to look for a dress."

Rae perked up at the chance of providing her first customer excellent service but retreated to her previous state when the look on Brooke's face showed no sign of being amused. The two women stared at each other for what seemed like forever before Brooke spoke, "Help yourself."

"Oh, trust me," Haley smirked and walked to the dress rack near the wall to her left, "I will."

Brooke glared at the other woman, Rae unsure of what was happening...but knew not to ask. At least, not right now. Haley patiently browsed through the dresses, making a face at designs that didn't suit her needs. Reaching the end of the rack, she turned to Brooke, who was still staring at her, "Hmm, don't you have anything more...revealing? Being Brooke Davis and all, I would imagine it's your forté."

Brooke wanted to throw her drink at Haley, tackle her on to the floor, and maybe throw a punch--or twelve. The tension in there was definitely thick enough to be cut by a butcher knife--or hell, a machete. Haley shook her head at Brooke's lack of reply, "God, I thought Clothes Over Bros would have better service than this."

"I think it's time I pull out my 'right to refuse service' card," Brooke put her drink down on the counter and slowly walked towards Haley, "So how about you get the hell out?"

Haley challenged her, but retorted in a soft voice, "Refuse service for what? I'm just looking for a dress."

"I suggest you leave before I slip you into something more comfortable," Brooke leaned forward slightly, "Like a fucking coma."

"Tsk, tsk," Haley shook her head and slowly walked backwards to the door, "Oh, Brooke. Your husband kisses you with that mouth? Hmm, I should talk like you more often."

Rae stepped in, "Ma'am, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave."

"Oh, please, don't try and be the sidekick," Haley rolled her eyes, "See you around, Brooke." With that, she walked out of C/B and strolled down the street. Brooke made a fist with one hand, but kept it to her side. Yep, Haley was definitely back in town for Nathan. But something tells her it had more to do than just trying to steal her husband away. Rae stood next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Should I even ask?"

Brooke didn't bother to look at her, "It's a long story."

"Well," Rae smiled, "You can tell me over dinner."

"I guess for his safety, I'll take you up on that offer."

Rae chuckled as Brooke turned back around to retrieve her drink from the counter. Her phone suddenly alerted her to a text message that came from her husband.

From: Nathan
July 22, 2008 9:30am

Hey, honey. Gonna go see my mom for a bit.
Love you.

Shaking her head, she took a drink, wishing that it was vodka instead.

The River Court hadn't changed all these years. The concrete made a sound against his shoes as he landed from his trademark jumpshot. "Lucky shot," Dean grabbed the ball and tossed it to Nathan.

"Yeah, you just can't take it that I'm whoopin' your ass."

"I hardly count leading by 10 points whoopin' my ass. I can still make a comeback." Dean sat down on the grass, taking a drink from his water bottle.

"Yeah," Nathan walked over to him, "I can see you really trying."

Jake, who was still on the concrete with his hands up, "Guys, you do remember we were playing HORSE right?"

Nathan and Dean chuckled before Nathan replied, "Nah man, that was all you."

Jake made a face as he walked over to the two men who'd made themselves comfortable on the grass. Nathan wiped off the sweat from his forehead with his arm, "Man, it's good to be with friends again. Playing pro ball throughout the year really makes you miss everyone."

"Like your wife and kid?" Jake spoke up, causing Dean and Nathan to shoot him a look, "What? Nate, the entire time you've been married to Brooke, you've never been on the River Court at this time."

Dean looked down at his watch, "Yeah, man, it's almost 10."

Nathan shrugged, not interested in discussing it any further, "Just wanted to play ball." He took a drink from his water bottle and let out a refreshing sigh.

Dean nudged him in the side, "Hey, man," he made a gesture with his finger by holding it up this lip, "you might wanna wipe the bullshit you left on your lip."

Jake laughed as Nathan pretened to make a fist and punch Dean. "No, seriously, man. Why are you out here?"

Nathan shook his head, aware the two wouldn't quit badgering him, "Just stuff. I dunno, just a lot of things going on in my head lately. So much that I can't even talk to my wife about it--maybe 'cause I don't even know what to say, where to start."

"How about, you say 'Hey, honey, we need to talk?'" Jake suggested, he gestured for the two to get up, "Come on, let's break up the girl fest."

Dean stood up and wiped any grass off his shorts, but raised his eyebrow, "Girl fest?"

"Yeah, at your place." Jake pointed out as Nathan shot him a look of confusion. "Uh, Brooke called Peyton earlier saying that Dean's girlfriend was planning on having dinner tonight. I took the kids over to my parents'. So...girl fest."

Nathan's face furrowed, "And...when were you planning on telling us this?"

"I didn't," Jake shrugged, "Thought you two already knew." In a matter of minutes, the three men headed to their cars and back to Dean's place.

The three girls had gathered in the dining room, laughing with drinks in their hands. Peyton eventually caught her breath, "I can't believe you threatened her."

Brooke had a less than amused smile on her face, but shrugged, "I know she's here for reasons that are way deeper than just wanting Nathan back."

"Whom she won't get," Rae pointed out, as she took a sip of her Grey Groose vodka, "Besides, she's just trying to get under your skin. Don't let her get to you."

"Uh, newsflash," Peyton slightly slurred as she put down her beer, "She's already letting Haley get to her. But no worries, Brooke--Nathan would never dream of going back to her."

"Yeah, if he knows what's good for him." Rae answered, causing Brooke to have a slight grin on her face. Deep down, she knew Nathan wouldn't leave--not even for a second--but having an ex-girlfriend back in town and storming into C/B made her think of all sorts of scenarios. "It's just that--I know there's so much more than Haley being back in town. It's just that feeling..."

"Woman's intuition." Peyton began.

"Oh, that's got like a 99.99 accuracy." Rae added, exchanging glances with Peyton. Brooke said a dry 'Haha' before she took another drink of her screwdriver, annoyed at their humor with her situation, but appreciated the honesty anyway.

In a few moments, Dean and his troop appeared in the dining room. "Well, well," his deep voice filled the entire room and the girls turned around, "if it isn't the Gossip Girls. Serena, Blair, Jenny." He nodded his head as he said each name to each girl. "Thanks for the invite."

"Dean," Rae stood up to greet him with a hug, "I thought you weren't gonna be home until midnight."

Dean shrugged and kissed her 'hello' as Jake made his way to the front, "Wait, what is this? Are you girls trying to plot our murder?"

Peyton rolled her eyes, "Trust me, honey. If I was gonna kill you, I wouldn't need to plan it." She and Jake exchanged mimicking expressions and ended it with a grin.

Brooke, on the other hand, took another swig of her drink, and directed her attention to Jake and Dean, "I just wanted to let you two know," she pointed at the figure who stood behind them, "there's a deaf-mute behind you." Peyton and Rae exchanged glances in horror at Brooke's statement, with Jake and Dean turning to see Nathan shaking his head at his wife.

"That's why you were at the River Court, huh?" Jake muttered to him.

Nathan sighed, "Brooke. Come on, let's go home."

Brooke downed the rest of her drink and slammed the glass on the table, without facing her husband, "I really don't wanna talk to you right now."

"You've been drinking, you need to get some rest," Nathan approached her, "Come on, let's go. We'll pick up Sophie on the way."

"Oh, wow, now you're the caring husband and father?" Brooke turned to look at him, "what happened, honey? Your balls grew back?"

"Brooke." Peyton narrowed her eyes at her best friend. Brooke glared at her in response.

Nathan tried to remain patient, aware of his wife's intoxicated state, "Come on. We'll go home, take you to bed, and we'll talk in the morning."

"Talk?" Brooke scoffed, "I didn't know you were capable of such action."

The patience didn't last long. Nathan's voice firmed, "Brooke. Don't do this right now. Let's go."

Brooke stood up, causing Nathan to step back and give her space, "You know, maybe we should do this right now. Considering this is the most you've said to me in the last couple days. So, let's talk. Right now."

The rest of the group--frozen--watched Brooke as she challenged her husband. Nathan could feel all eyes on them and he stepped forward, looking down at his wife, "Why are you acting like this, Brooke?"

"Me?" Brooke let out a frustrated chuckle, "Tell me, Nathan. Where were you today?"

"What?"

Brooke leaned in closer, her face no more than a few inches from his, "Where. were. you. today." This time, she didn't ask it as a question. She waited for a response she hoped wouldn't be what she dreaded.

Nathan firmly replied, "I went to see my mom."

In a swift move, Brooke hand came across his face, making a loud slap sound that seemed to echo in the room. Their audience jumped. "Don't lie to me, Nathan."

Nathan made a circular motion with his jaw, trying to recover from the slap, and looked back at her, "I'm not lyi--"

"Nathan, do you think I'm stupid?," Brooke began, her eyes starting to well with tears from anger, "Your mother's not even in Tree Hill. So if you miraculously flew to California to spend time with her and then come back here just in time for bed, then you better tell me right now where the hell you were tonight."

Nathan stared at his wife. He could remember the last time they were in this position--fighting and lying to each other. It was so long ago that it felt like another lifetime. But here he was again, in the exact same position--but this time it wasn't a friend pleading for honesty. It was his wife.

Brooke's voice began to soften, "Just please tell me you didn't see Haley."

Their spectators remained quiet and Peyton fought the urge to stand up and engulf Brooke in her arms for comfort. But right now, that wasn't her job. It was Nathan's. That is, as long as he was telling her the truth. But from the looks of it--it was far from the truth.

Nathan's mouth began to open, but he couldn't bear to lie to her anymore. He could tell her the truth and it would ruin his marriage--or he could lie to her and ruin his marriage. Damn.

A single tear traced down Brooke's cheek as she back away from Nathan in shock and disappointment. "I--um...I gotta pick up Sophie." She whispered loud enough for the room to hear and she made her way to the living room to pick up the purse she'd set on the couch. All eyes followed her as she picked up her things, but Peyton's remained locked with Nathan's. He was looking back at her as her face expressed much more than disappointment--it was damn close to hate.

Nathan whirled around as Brooke fiddled with her keys on the way to the front door, "Brooke, come on--don't--"

"No, Nathan!" She turned around, one hand on the door knob, "This time, it's my turn to walk away."