Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill. In fact, I own nothing, apart from my OTH DVD sets and a rather mangy teddy bear… who I love.

AN: Chapter Eleven. Yay! It's a long one and has quite a bit of Naley in. Enjoy.

The Con

Chapter Eleven: Locking it away

By the time Taylor got in, Haley was asleep. She sat down on the edge of her little sisters bed and stroked her head, leaning down to kiss her on the temple. "Sweet Dreams little bee," she whispered, using a nickname that she had made up when Haley was three and Taylor was five. She had found it particularly amusing because of the yellow and black jumpsuit their parents had bought them, that did in fact, make Haley look like a little bee.

Taylor got up and drifted over to the mini bar, pulling out a mini bottle of gin and a mini bottle of tonic. She mixed them together in a crystal glass and took a huge sip. All night she had been sneaking in glasses of water with her alcoholic beverages, and when they did tequila slammers she had whispered to the barman to fill her shot glass with water because 'Like, I am so wasted, and I think I'm going to like, throw up, you know?'

Her first guilt-free glass of alcohol soothed her like nothing else, and she made her way into the living room of the suite and threw herself down on the couch. The first tear fell and she hastily wiped it away.

She had never wanted this for herself or for Haley - especially Haley - but after getting into trouble at a young age, she had dragged Haley into this twisted game of marriage and seduction, and now she couldn't think of a way out. She wanted Haley to be happy, but she didn't want her to be alone. She wanted to protect her baby sister, only now she feared that she was doing the exact opposite.

The worst thing was, Taylor had got involved in drug dealing and cheating her dealers for Haley. She wanted her sister to have the best, and that meant the best education - which meant money, lots of it.

"What time is it?"

Taylor turned towards a sleepy Haley and quickly wiped away the tears before her little sisters eyes focused properly and she could make them out. She gave a weak smile and patted the couch beside her. "Come join me, little bee."

"Ugh you know I hate it when you call me that. I thought you were finally over it. Are you drunk?" Haley asked, pulling her robe tighter around herself and sitting down next to Taylor.

"No, I've just been acting like it all night. Hard to break a habit, you know?" Taylor looked down at her last sentence. That was certainly true, it was so hard to break the habit of pulling Haley into the Con. She knew she had to let go soon and she would. Right after this con.

"Why? Where have you been?" Haley asked, yawning and resting her head on Taylor's shoulder.

"Well, it's funny you should ask… I've been out with Nathan."

------

Nathan put his head in his hands the second he was in his apartment. He quickly checked the living room to make sure his dad wasn't there, and then threw himself down on the couch and put his head in his hands again.

What did I do? he wondered to himself. Despite being very, very drunk, he still had a clear picture of Haley in his head, only where she would normally be smiling and laughing, now se looked disappointed and upset.

And Nathan was disappointed and upset too, with himself. He couldn't believe what he had done with Lisa. Yes, she was a cool girl, and he wouldn't have minded a friendship with her, but a kiss? No! He didn't want that. He wanted Haley.

A surge of guilt ran through him and he wondered why Nathan Scott, womaniser and playboy, was suddenly guilty about kissing a girl when he wasn't even dating another one.

The answer was pretty simple. Nathan had never cheated on anyone in his life, apart from Peyton, and that was because they both knew their relationship was more about their parents than themselves. Once he was emotionally involved with someone, he couldn't just give any part of himself to someone else. Not even a kiss. He'd overlapped screwing around with girls before, but they knew the score and he wasn't fooling anyone. He didn't care about them in that way.

Not like he cared about Haley.

He shook his head and made his way to the bedroom. He was going to put the kiss entirely out of his mind, or put it down to a drunken kiss. Either way, it didn't affect Haley and he wouldn't let it ruin anything between them. He could rot away with guilt on the inside but he wouldn't show that to Haley. She didn't deserve it.

------

"What?" Haley asked, jumping away from Taylor and looking at her like she'd been scolded.

"I said I went out with Nathan. I mean, not just Nathan, my boss Jake was there too, and so was this guy Tim. He was so funny Hales, but not in a laughing with him way, more of a laughing at…"

"Why did you go out with Nathan?" Haley interrupted, working herself up. She had a bad feeling in the gut of her stomach.

Taylor shrugged. "I needed to introduce myself before the final part of the con. He's not going to cheat on you with some girl he just met on the street, is he?"

Haley tried desperately not to think about that part of the con. She had done a good job of it so far, not looking forward to the time when they screwed Nathan over, but just enjoying the present, and the act of making him fall in love with her.

And falling in love.

NO! I'm NOT!

Haley inwardly sighed at herself. These little internal struggles were getting very annoying. However, outwardly she shook her head. "Oh Taylor, you didn't…"

"Didn't what?" Taylor asked innocently.

"Kiss him? Oh, wait, you didn't… sleep with him, did you?" Haley whispered the last part, because saying it out loud would break her heart.

"No!" Taylor protested. "I'm not a complete slut, Haley."

Haley felt herself relax. "So… what did you do?"

"I kissed him. Well, to be honest, he kind of kissed me…"

"But… but you said you didn't!" Haley protested, feeling a stab in her heart.

"I said I didn't sleep with him Haley. God, what are you getting so worked up about? You're not falling for him, are you?"

"NO!" Haley screamed, shoving down the annoying inner her that advocated Nathan-love. "No, but you completely jeopardised the plan!" Yeah, that sounds about right. I'd be angry at that. "It's too soon, I mean, we don't even know if he likes me that much yet."

Taylor looked at her little sister in a way she didn't like. Haley looked down at her hands and just knew that Taylor could see right through her protestations.

"No, he loves you," Taylor said. "He told me."

He loves me! He LOVES me! HE loves me! He loves ME!

Haley thought she did a pretty good job of hiding her internal monologue as she shrugged and gave a nonchalant expression that couldn't quite hide the smile on her face. "Was this before or after he shoved his tongue down your throat?"

"Before," Taylor said, missing the smile on Haley's face. "When he was still partially sober."

Haley's eyes widened. He loves me.

------

Nathan was outside the back car door when Haley walked out of the hotel. Her internal argument was stronger than ever and she tried desperately to stop it. She offered a smile to Nathan as he opened the door for her, that was a little icy.

Nathan shut the door and slid in the back seat beside her.

"Uh, don't you need to drive?" Haley asked.

"What, not even a hello or anything?" Nathan asked with a smile, leaning over to kiss her. Haley turned so that he caught her cheek. He looked a little confused but said nothing.

"Haley, this is Derek," Nathan finally said, gesturing to the man who had just got into the front of Nathan's car.

"Hello, I'll be you chauffer for the evening," he greeted, nodding briefly to Haley before starting the engine. Haley found herself smiling.

"Wow, you really go all out, don't you?" she asked, looking up at Nathan and finding herself lost in his eyes again.

"Yeah, is it working?" he asked, and his voice was so hopeful that Haley grabbed his hand.

"Yeah, it is."

------

"Wow, this place is nice," Haley said in awe as she and Nathan entered 'The Ballroom Eatery'. It was a new place that Nathan had had recommended to him many times. He smiled down at Haley and grabbed her hand again as the Maitre'D led them towards their table. The restaurant was sat up as one large room with red velvet curtains and gold trim, and a huge polished dance floor where professional ballroom dancers did their thing while the guests ate. The tables were arranged around the dance floor, and in little rooms off the main room where a single table was set in each. Nathan had ordered one of these and was pleased to see that there was still a good view of the floor.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" a waiter asked, dressed in a top hat and tails.

"A bottle of champagne… you like champagne, right?" Nathan turned towards Haley.

"Love it," Haley said, even though she had only tasted it once at her Grandma's funeral and it had been vile. Then again, that had been cheap champagne, and she severely doubted cheap champagne would be served in a place like this.

The waiter scuttled off, leaving Haley and Nathan with their menus. Haley opened it and nearly gasped at the prices.

"Nathan, this place is… well, expensive," she whispered, already feeling her cheeks flame up at even mentioning it.

Nathan laughed and put his hand on top of hers. Most girls wouldn't think twice about spending Nathan Scott's money, but Haley looked positively scandalised. It made the kiss the other night that much worse. He pushed that thought aside quickly. He didn't want it to ruin tonight, and that meant locking it away and dealing with it later. Nathan was surprisingly good at that. After all, he had been locking away everything he wanted to yell at his dad and saving it for later… possibly never.

"Don't worry about it," he said. "My treat, okay?"

"I didn't mean it like that," she said. "I just meant, I can't let you spend that much! I mean, you could probably buy a small island for the price of an entrée."

"Relax, I've got it," he said. Already he was starting to wonder if bringing her here was a good idea. Haley still didn't seem to realise who he was, and flashing his cash screamed of cocky and arrogant.

Nathan knew he should have took her bowling, as was his original idea. He was going to show her where he and his brother had spent hours playing when they were younger, and then he was going to take her to a nice little diner over the road that did the best cheeseburgers in North Carolina.

However, Brooke had had different ideas. She had looked at Nathan like he was insane when he shared his plan with her and told him that girls didn't like bowling or tacky little diners, they liked to be wined and dined, with good music thrown in for good measure. "Trust me Nathan," she had said. "There's nothing skanks… sorry, I mean women, like more than being spoilt."

So, Nathan had took her advice and her recommendation, and now he was wishing he had done it his way after all.

"You know, we can go somewhere less pretentious if you want," Nathan asked, the worry evident in his eyes. Haley smiled at him and shook her head.

"Hey, if you can afford it, I'm not complaining. Besides, I think I'm dressed up all pretentious anyway. I blend in."

Nathan laughed. "You look beautiful."

And she did. Her hair was loose and wavy, framing her gorgeous face and making her brown eyes shimmer. The green strapless dress she was wearing clung to her curves perfectly and the length made her look taller than she was.

"Thank you," she smiled. "I've been waiting for that compliment since you picked me up."

Nathan laughed and leaned back in his chair, finally opening the menu. He had picked and entrée and was looking over the main-course's when he heard a familiar voice. His insides churned up and he looked up towards the entrance, which was just about visible from this booth.

"Oh! There he is! Just bring along some extra chairs and we'll dine with them."

"Oh no," Nathan said, trying and failing to hide himself.

Haley looked up at him with a confused expression. "What? Are you disappointed they don't have macaroni cheese too?" she asked with a laugh.

Nathan looked at her. "Don't panic, but my brother and his fiancée are on their way over here."

Haley's eyes narrowed. "What?"

"I didn't invite them!" Nathan protested. "See, she was the one who suggested this place, and she's really curious about you, so…"

"Nathan! fancy seeing you here," Brooke greeted. She still hadn't caught site of Haley yet but she had a look of mischief on her face that was making Nathan uneasy.

"You knew I'd be here," Nathan said through gritted teeth. He threw a glare at Lucas.

Lucas shrugged. "Sorry man, she's feeling better and dragged me out."

Brooke grinned. "Yeah, and how lovely to meet your…" she turned around so that she was facing Haley, who had been sitting like a frozen yoghurt, in that she was… well, frozen. "Haley!"

Nathan's eyes narrowed in confusion. He was pretty certain he hadn't given Haley's name. He had been trying to keep her from the crow-like clutches of Brooke for as long as possible. He was further confused when Haley spoke.

"Brooke! Oh my God, hi!" Haley said, getting up out of her chair and throwing her arms around Brooke. Brooke hugged her back and grinned at Nathan as she did so.

"You're dating Nathan?" Brooke asked when Haley had pulled away.

"I didn't realise he was your Nathan," Haley replied.

"Wait, you two know each other?" Nathan asked, feeling like he was in some kind of twilight zone.

"Uh, Haley is works in Brooke's shop," Lucas supplied as the two girls chatted amongst themselves.

"Why didn't you say you were dating Haley?" Brooke asked, looking at Nathan.

"Uh, I didn't know you knew her," Nathan answered.

Two waiters appeared carrying two new chairs that were promptly added to Nathan and Haley's table. One waiter started setting out two new places while the other one offered a menu to Brooke and Lucas. As soon as they were gone Brooke sat down beside Nathan and Lucas sat down beside Haley.

"Oh, I love her Nathan," Brooke whispered. "She's not a skank at all!"

------

"I remember when we were younger, and Nathan and Lucas were so competitive," Brooke said, starting another tale of days gone by. Nathan and Lucas groaned and Haley could only assume they knew which story she was about to start.

"We weren't that competitive," Nathan argued.

"Please!" Brooke exclaimed, laughing once she had swallowed down a prawn. "You used to rub it in Lucas' face that you could eat spaghetti quicker than him, and he used to rub it in your face that he could read faster than… well, that he could read at all actually."

Everyone except Nathan laughed.

"When was this," Haley asked, spearing a piece of chicken out of her ceaser salad. She was already starting to fill up and they were only on the starter.

"Um… last week, wasn't it?" Lucas asked, and Haley started laughing again.

"Hey, I'm not liking the way this is reflecting on me," Nathan said, but the smile that he flashed at Haley showed her that he was taking it in good humour. "Why don't you tell her the story where Lucas cried?"

Lucas' eyes widened and he shook his head at Nathan.

"What?" Brooke asked. "I've never seen Lucas cry. He always does that manly sniff and blinks a lot."

"You swore you wouldn't tell," Lucas said, mockingly glaring at his little brother. Nathan laughed and shrugged. "Well, I need something to make me feel manly again."

"When was it?" Brooke asked, her eyes shining.

"No," Lucas warned.

"At the end of Pearl Harbor," Nathan said with a smug smile on his face. Brooke and Haley started laughing together. Brooke almost spit out her prawn.

"What? Oh my God, that's why you wouldn't watch it isn't it? When it was my turn to choose and you said you were too tired. Oh my God Lucas!"

Haley watched the other members of the table with joy in her eyes. She had never felt so… comfortable. Here she was with a table of people who were, essentially, strangers, and she had never felt more like she belonged.

Lucas hung his head. "I'm going to get you man," he said to Nathan and Nathan's smile froze on his face. Haley started laughing at the amount of dirt Lucas must have had on his brother to illicit that reaction.

"That's not fair," Nathan protested. "I'm on a date!"

Brooke put her hand on Lucas' hand. "Save it for the wedding. Then there's no going back," she said, winking at Haley. "Ooh, and speaking of over the top dresses and too much champagne, you should totally come to the Scott Corp. Ball!"

Haley's smile froze when she saw Nathan's reaction. His eyes widened at Brooke as if telling her to shut up, and he cast a nervous glance at Haley to see if she had seen it. When he realised she had he looked down at his bowl of ham and vegetable soup.

Haley brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and tried to ignore Nathan's reaction. It was totally obvious to her now that he was never going to ask her, and as much as she wanted to be mad at him she couldn't. After all, the only reason she was getting to know him was because of his money.

And that made her feel about fifty times worse. Her illusion of belonging was shattered and she remembered what she was supposed to be doing here. She was supposed to be a manipulating, conniving seductress trying to trap an amazing man into marriage so she could take all of his money.

She was practically Taylor.

Brooke looked between Nathan and Haley and gasped. "Oh my God! I totally forgot you have to go with Peyton," she said, throwing an apologetic glance at Nathan.

Nathan looked annoyed but didn't say anything. There was an awkward silence around the table.

Nathan was taking a sip of soup when the whole argument with his dad a few nights - well, mornings - before came drifting into his head. He had realised then and there that he was in love with Haley, and he couldn't imagine Peyton would be too disappointed if he said he could no longer go with her. The only people who would be annoyed would be Dan and Larry. Far from dreading it, Nathan relished the thought.

He put his spoon down and looked at Haley. She had finished with her ceasar salad and had her arms crossed over her chest. Her eyes were distant and melancholy, like she was deep in some upsetting thought.

"Haley, would you like to go to the ball with me?" he asked.

Brooke and Lucas looked at him sharply, and Haley's eyes softened as she seemed to re-focus on him. "I thought you had to go with, um… Peyton?" she said.

Nathan shook his head. "I can go with whoever I want, it just means my dad will have to be disappointed. What do you say?"

"Well, if you're sure," Haley started.

"I am. I've never been so sure before in my life."

Brooke looked at Lucas with a huge grin. Nathan was finally doing something that defied his father, and she couldn't be happier that it was Haley he was doing it over.

"You know Dad will blow a gasket, right?" Lucas said, earning a slap on the hand from Brooke. "Ow! What? I'm just saying… maybe Haley should get to know Dan first. He might like her?" The last part was far too hopeful and Brooke glanced at Haley. The girl was freaking adorable, and the part of her that was all hopeless romantic said it might be a good idea.

"Maybe you should arrange a time when you can all have dinner together?" Brooke offered. "Take the edge off seeing you at the ball with someone who isn't Peyton."

"Yeah, and we'll come along, offer our moral support," Lucas offered.

Nathan looked at Haley. "What do you say?" he asked, his eyes hopeful and worried.

She smiled reassuringly at him. "If you want to take me to this ball…"

"I do," Nathan said.

"Then, I think it's the best idea."