A/N: Thanks everyone for your feedback - so thankful for those still reading and for the new readers that have stumbled upon this story! It can be hard to write when I have a lot more going on, but this story means so much to me, I will be seeing it through. Thank you for your patience, I know this was a longer break between chapters. Hope you enjoy and we are finally getting towards the boiling point!
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Chapter 35: A Tree Hill Raven always knows to take the moment and let it run, that is, until you can't anymore.
"Shit," Lucas grumbles, listening to the last of his voicemails. He's pacing Whitey's office, where he dashed for privacy as soon as he saw his phone.
"Think you can steal my office, son?" Whitey says gruffly, moving past Lucas to sit at his desk.
"Sorry Coach, having a bit of an emergency," Lucas says, unsettled.
"Take a seat," Whitey says, opening his top drawer.
"Coach, I really –" Lucas starts.
"Take a seat," Whitey repeats, grabbing two tumblers and a bottle of whiskey out of his desk. Lucas takes a seat as Whitey pours.
Whitey slides one of the glasses to Lucas, tipping his own in cheers before they each take a sip.
"Now, what's the problem," Whitey asks.
"I can't really get into it. You wouldn't have the patience for it anyway," Lucas says.
"Try me" Whitey pushes.
"There's a media story about Nathan that's really not looking good," Lucas warns.
"Did anybody get killed?" Whitey asks.
"God, no!" Lucas brushes off.
"Then tell me," Whitey confirms.
Lucas hesitates for a moment, but if there's one person in the world he can trust, it's Whitey. With a sigh, he begins, "Someone's leaked Nathan's annulment papers to the press. They were sealed because he was underage at the time, this shouldn't even be possible."
"Lucas that's certainly an invasion of privacy, but it's not like Nathan actually did anything consequential," Whitey reminds.
"Whitey you don't understand. It was bad enough watching my brother sign away his marriage because my dad told the court he didn't have parental consent. Nathan was nearly catatonic that summer, barely speaking. It was one of the worst things I've seen in my life," Lucas recalls.
"I know son," Whitey says supportively.
"But that's not what this paperwork says," Lucas sighs. "These copies, they cite fraud. They say Haley entered the marriage for financial gain and did not disclose the familial bankruptcy or legal issues of her guardians, of which she was still a dependent. That's not the grounds for annulment either of them agreed to."
"What are you saying?" Whitey asks.
"That either this is really good Photoshop or someone altered the paperwork after they signed," Lucas states. "All you'd have to do is swap out the first page."
"Do you know someone who would do that?" Whitey insinuates.
"I'd like to think not, but we both know I do," Lucas sighs. "Shit."
"Why leak it to the press?" Whitey asks.
"That I don't know. I honestly can't imagine my dad doing that, but so few people knew this marriage even existed. God, this will be a mess," Lucas groans, leaning back in his chair. "The messages I'm getting are already painting Haley as a gold digger. And the media already preys on anything related to Nathan's love life. Half the time they claim he's dating Brooke because she's one of the only women he's seen with."
"I sure hope not," Whitey jokes.
Lucas rolls his eyes. "This is spreading like wildfire. We've got inquiries from TMZ, New York Times, LA Times, Good Morning America, ESPN, Sportscenter, People and a million others. Our publicist has about 12 hours to respond before this goes live tomorrow morning. To be honest, I don't even trust that timeline since TMZ is such a wildcard, it could happen sooner."
"But it hasn't gone public yet?"
"No," Lucas sighs. He grabs his tumbler off the desk, downing the rest of his whiskey. "I've got to go talk to Nathan."
"He's been through worse," Whitey tries to encourage.
"But he shouldn't have had to go through any of this at all," Lucas says, getting up. "See you tonight, old man?"
"With my dancing shoes on," Whitey laughs.
"I'll believe it when I see it," Lucas says with a wink, before walking back out to the hall. He wipes his palms on his shirt, clammy in anticipation of what comes next.
…
A mostly naked Nathan lays flat on Haley's bed as she straddles him, still clad in her cheerleading uniform. She kisses him wildly, not breaking for air. Her skirt bunches up as he runs his hands from the back of her knee to the curve of her bum, his thumb skimming the outline of her panties.
Haley pulls just far enough away to speak, breathless. "Careful now."
"I'm done being careful," Nathan admits, leaning his head up to meet her lips again. He slides his hands further under the fabric, squeezing her buttcheek. Haley yelps, giggling against Nathan's lips.
"Nathan…" Haley says, a smile on her face, her cheeks flushed. "I don't think you understand how close I am to having sex with you right now."
"I wish I could say the same but you're sitting on my lap," Nathan jokes.
"Nathan, oh my god!" Haley says, sliding off him in a fit of giggles.
"Hey, where'd you go?" Nathan whines.
"I'm not trying to be a tease," Haley says, catching her breath.
"I know that," Nathan says.
Haley lays on her side, studying him. "I just don't want to rush into how good all this feels, when I know there's still some serious conversations we need to have."
"Whatever they are, we'll get through them," Nathan assures.
"How do you know?" Haley questions.
"Because I know what it feels like when we don't," Nathan responds, his eyes a pool of sincerity. "And I don't want that ever again."
Haley leans in, kissing him softly. "You're making it very hard to keep my resolve."
"Well believe it or not, I respect that you want to wait," Nathan says, his sincere eyes now dancing with mischief. "However, I would be remiss to not pay proper respect to this cheerleading uniform."
"Remiss, huh?" Haley says, her eyes twinkling.
"Remiss," Nathan says with a nod.
"Well I'd hate for you to be negligent," Haley smiles.
"I thought so. You're very astute, Haley James," Nathan says, moving his body above hers, holding himself up by his forearms. He studies her, his eyes moving from her face, to his collarbone, to her chest.
"Do you want to know my favorite thing about this uniform?" Nathan says, bringing a hand to play with one of the straps of her top. Haley's breath hitches, her chest rising and falling dramatically beneath Nathan.
"Tell me," Haley whispers.
"Besides making your boobs look absolutely incredible, it showed me everything. If you were nervous, your chest stood still. If you were excited, it moved up and down with every shaky breath. And if you saw me?" Nathan smiles.
"And if I saw you what?" Haley says, totally hypnotized.
"You'd get red, right above your cleavage," Nathan said, moving his hand from her strap to her skin, running his fingers along the very spot he was speaking of.
"It drove me crazy then," Nathan continues, leaning down to kiss where her cleavage overflows above the fabric. "And is driving me crazy now."
"Nate take it off," Haley gasps.
He shakes his head 'no' against her, continuing to kiss down her body.
"Patience baby," Nathan mumbles, kissing her stomach until he reaches her bellybutton. He looks up, finding a face full of arousal. "I always loved the cut of this thing. Just enough skin to tease."
"I always felt like it was showing off my love handles," Haley whispers.
"It was showing off your curves," Nathan says, leaning to kiss one hip, then the other. "Which are beyond sexy."
He bites her second hip, as Haley cries out.
"Shhh," Nathan laughs against her hip.
"Sorry," Haley groans.
"Don't be sorry Hales. But these walls are paper-thin," Nathan says, rubbing her hip before continuing to kiss along the waistband of her skirt.
"I'm – I'm really not usually this reactive," Haley sighs, slightly embarrassed.
"Must be my lucky day then," Nathan says, shifting down the bed.
"Um, no," Haley breathes, "It's definitely mine."
Nathan laughs at this as he lays between Haley's legs, hooking each of her knees over his shoulders. He cups the side of her thighs, running his hands up to bunch her skirt around her waist, displaying her lace panties
"Can you guess why I loved your skirt?" Nathan asks.
"My ass?" Haley says immediately, laughing.
"Your ass," Nathan agrees, giving her a squeeze.
"And, your thighs," he continues, kissing the inside of both. "So strong. Probably because you have to walk twice as much as everyone else."
"You're not telling a short joke right now," Haley rasps, the sound thin through the cloudy bliss building in her throat.
"I am," Nathan laughs, kissing a little further up her thighs.
Haley clamps her thighs down on either side of his head, trapping him.
"Say you're sorry," she demands.
He shakes his head 'no'.
"Say you're sorry," she demands again. Nathan breaks free, looking up at her.
"Why would I ever apologize for an excuse to be trapped between your legs?" He smiles.
Haley looks at him, totally endeared. She smiles brightly, her eyes wild. "Just get to the good stuff already."
"If this hasn't been good so far, I'm losing my touch," Nathan chides, focusing back to her thighs, pushing them slightly out.
Haley yelps at the action, her most private self on full display, and watches as Nathan reaches forward, touching her through her panties.
"Nathan…" Haley groans.
He smiles at this, amused, before pulling her panties to one side. He lightly touches around the most sensitive of areas, never directly. Haley squirms beneath his fingertips.
"Nathan, I'm close," Haley lusts. "Like, painfully close."
"I can see," Nathan says, mesmerized by her movements at every touch. "Someone likes foreplay, I'll remember that."
"With you," Haley amends.
Nathan smirks at this, leaning forward for a taste. Haley cries out, a slow shake spreading across her body as he explores her hungry folds with his tongue.
"Nate… Nate…" Haley starts, unable to form words. "Nate, I'm –"
Before she can finish, Nathan reaches the bundle of nerves, now throbbing beneath his tongue. Haley's body goes rigid at the touch, as if in shock, before moving erratically, grabbing for the bed with her hands, digging her heals into the sheet, as if trying to stop from floating away.
Nathan stops, watching with adoration as Haley gives in to the red-hot attraction between them.
As the moment passes, Haley catches her breath, speaking finally.
"Nathan?" Haley asks.
"Yes?" Nathan asks, crawling up the bed to big-spoon her.
"Did I just die?" She asks, totally satiated.
He cackles, leaning his head into her shoulder blades. "No, but that was heaven."
Haley smiles, wrapping her arms around his and cuddling them to her chest. "I love how you make me feel."
"I love how much you trust me," Nathan says, kissing her back before resting his face in her hair.
…
6 Years Ago
Nathan sits in the second row at Madison Square Garden flanked on either side by his brother and parents. He watches the podium as the 5th Draft Pick –Damien West – is congratulated by the Los Angeles Clippers.
"You'll be soon, I know it," Dan whispers. "Stats are saying you're in the first ten picks."
Nathan doesn't respond, but instead closes his eyes, steadying his breath. His nerves were shot. He was sitting at the NBA draft, his dreams about to come true, and yet he had a pit at the bottom of his stomach.
He watches as the Clippers entourage leaves the stage, replaced by the Charlotte Bobcats who fan out behind the podium.
The announcer begins, "It is with great excitement that we welcome the 6th draft pick to the stage. Following a state championship in high school, this player's college career included two NCAA championship wins at Duke University, and the prestigious John R. Wooden award for exceptional skill in the league…"
As the announcer speaks, Nathan's ears ring, the throb of his pulse clouding his senses. He grabs at his tie, untightening it slightly, trying desperately to keep the claustrophobic feeling at bay.
"Please welcome to the stage, the 6th draft pick going to the Charlotte Bobcats, Nathan Scott! I can only imagine how proud Senator Dan Scott is right now!"
Nathan stays in his seat, completely still.
"Son, get up," Dan says under his breath. Nathan doesn't move. "Nathan, go."
Nathan turns to his father, his panic visible. "I don't know if I want this."
"You've always wanted this. Now's not the time to be ungrateful. Get up there or I'll walk you up there myself," Dan growls.
Nathan turns to Lucas, who's waiting with sympathy. "This is a good thing brother. I promise."
Lucas claps a hand on Nathan's back, giving him the encouragement he needs to stand up and make his way up to the stage. He joins the Bobcat head coach and announcer at the podium. They look at him, nodding towards the microphone.
Nathan stands, taking a breath before speaking, "Sorry about that, I was in shock. I still am to be honest…"
The crowd loves it, mistaking his shock for excitement, missing the mental gymnastics he was doing to counteract the instant regret flooding his emotions. He pushes through, continuing, "You know, nothing prepares you for this moment, when the dream you've chased your whole life comes true. I'm incredibly honored to be going to my home team, the Charlotte Bobcats. I respect their leadership, I am in awe of their players, and I look forward to the partnerships we build moving forward. Thank you for taking a chance on me."
He turns, shaking the hands of the entourage around him. He could feel the daggers coming from his father's glare, a missed opportunity to thank and promote him, but the reality was, this moment was Nathan's –he threw himself into basketball; he kept his discipline; he did the work. And regardless of his feelings in this very moment, he did know this achievement was all his own and for the first time, he was willing to protect that.
He grabs the jersey being handed to him, swinging it high above his head. The crowd cheers. Nathan finally glances at his family – Deb sits overwhelmed with pride, tears streaming down her face; Lucas is standing, clapping vigorously; and Dan now stands to join Lucas, giving Nathan a small nod before turning to the crowd behind him. He puts on a show of excitement, a-thousand-times-over from any encouragement he's ever actually shown his sons.
This was the show Nathan had been starring in his whole life, smiling for the cameras no matter what. It scared him that it may never stop.
So, he decides, today will be the last day he fakes niceties.
And with that, Nathan Scott never faked an emotion for the public ever again.
…
Lucas sits at the desk in his room waiting for Nathan to get back. The clock ticks closer and closer to the gala at seven, until finally, around six-thirty, Nathan strolls in.
"Hey Luke," he says, completely at ease as he heads for the closet to grab his suit. There's a renewed confidence to his step Lucas hadn't even noticed was missing.
Which makes this next part so unbearably hard.
"Nathan we need to talk," Lucas says.
"Can it wait? I'm running late for tonight," Nathan says with a smile, thinking back to the last few hours. "Looks like you are too. Where's your suit?"
"My suit's the last of my worries," Lucas points out. "Can you just pay attention please? We. Need. To. Talk."
This breaks the love-spell surrounding Nathan, a seriousness crossing his face immediately.
"What's up?" Nathan asks, cautious, as he crosses his arms against his chest. He makes no move to walk across the room to Lucas.
"I've been getting a lot of inquiries this afternoon about a story the press is planning to run in the morning," Lucas begins.
"OK…" Nathan listens.
"It's – the timing of this is horrible. And let me preface this by saying, I'm not trying to ruin whatever is happening with you right now. But I also don't want to hide anything from you, OK? I want to give you the honesty you deserved ten years ago."
"Lucas, what does that even mean?" Nathan says, his jaw tense.
"Someone leaked your sealed annulment papers," Lucas begins. He can feel the air draining from the room as Nathan tries to stay calm. "And the papers are different than I remembered. Than what you agreed to."
"It got annulled because I was underage. Dad argued I didn't have parental consent and the state agreed," Nathan says matter-of-factly.
"I know man, but these papers say otherwise. They cite fraud," Lucas continues.
"Then it must be fake," Nathan responds defensively.
"They cite fraud based on Haley not disclosing her parent's financial and legal issues and essentially insinuates she was marrying you for your money," Lucas sighs.
"That's not what happened!" Nathan says, enraged.
"I know that Nathan. Believe me, I do," Lucas says. "But I think someone altered the documents after you signed and before they were submitted to the state."
"I signed with our lawyer present," Nathan counters.
"Yeah, our lawyer. Dad's lawyer," Lucas points out. "All he'd have to do is swap out the first page which doesn't even have a signature."
"What's even the point? An annulment is an annulment," Nathan argues.
"Honestly? Coverage for Dad," Lucas points out.
"He hated Haley," Nathan says, his voice waffling between rage and anguish. "Never even gave her a chance. If he changed the documents on us, it would have been to keep her away."
"Exactly, you said he helped her parents as long as Haley kept her distance, right?" Lucas asks.
"A bit more extreme than keeping her distance – she left me and became a ghost," Nathan recalls, the slightest ounce of panic creeping into his voice.
"And now she's not," Lucas says, watching as the clarity crosses his brother's face.
"You think he knows?" Nathan states. "How?"
"I don't know, but it's the only thing that makes sense," Lucas admits.
"How sad is that?" Nathan agrees.
Lucas shakes his head. He still hasn't had a chance to reconcile the fact their father would do this to Nathan the first time, let alone a second time.
"What can we do to stop it?" Nathan asks.
"We're trying but…" Lucas thinks of the best way to phrase it.
"They're salivating over my love life?" Nathan questions.
"Salivating isn't even a strong enough word," Lucas says with a wince. "I'm sorry man."
Nathan takes this in, finally coming to sit on the edge of the nearest bed. He puts his head in his hands, thinking.
"Nate," Lucas says.
"Hm," Nathan grumbles between his hands.
"Tell me what you're thinking," Lucas pries.
Nathan takes a deep breath, he speaks through his fingers, needing the comfort of his fingers cradling his face.
"This doesn't scare me," Nathan admits. "I'm not embarrassed of my marriage or what people will think."
"Good," Lucas agrees.
"But I'm worried about Haley and the damage this can do to her life. To her family. She's been through enough," Nathan sighs. Finally he raises his face out of his hands, looking to Lucas. "What are we going to do?"
"If we can't kill the story there's only one other thing I can think of," Lucas says with a pause. "You're not going to like it…"
"What?" Nathan asks.
"Give them a better story."
…
Haley walks into the Alumnae Gala on cloud nine, her stiletto-clad feet gliding across the hardwood as the hem of her gown sways around them. She looks as good as she feels, her golden dress shimmering in the light, a cut perfectly tailored for her with its plunging neckline and open back, hugging her hips and thighs before fanning out at the knees.
She'd originally been drawn to the dress for the color, a more elevated version of her old homecoming cocktail dress. It felt perfect for the occasion, but then she tried it on and it felt like a love-letter to her self. There was a point in time she'd never show her breastbone, self-conscious of her scar, or had the confidence to display her curves, so out of sync with her own sexuality, so averse to attention. And yet, she stood in the dressing room feeling gorgeous. She knew this dress would turn heads, and she deserved for them to, especially one head in particular…
"Ms. James," Haley hears, the cadence sending a chill down her spine.
For the first time in ten years, Haley stands face-to-face with the man that blew up her life. Emotion swells in her chest, a fight of fear and fury and sorrow.
"Stay away from me," Haley says, shrugging him off, unwilling to give Dan Scott the time of day.
"Funny, was going to say that about my son," Dan chides. This stops Haley in her tracks, her fury winning out, before she turns to him with the courage she wished she had a decade ago.
"You're delusional Mr. Scott if you think you give a damn about Nathan," Haley says, her voice escalating in volume. "You have this perverse need for control and I was too young and afraid of the consequences ten years ago to do anything but comply. But I'm not eighteen anymore and I'm done."
"And what do you suppose you're done with," Dan says, keeping his voice low, looking around as the first few party-goers trickle in, paying no mind to them.
"You," Haley replies. "You can't intimidate me. Not anymore."
"You sure about that?" Dan replies. "How's Jimmy doing? Enjoying the fresh New Hampshire air? Would be a shame if he couldn't."
Haley recoils, her face flooding red with rage. She takes a step forward about to reply when –
"Dan?" Brooke asks, surprised to see him. "I didn't know you were coming."
"I have an endowment at the school, why wouldn't I come to a fundraiser?" Dan says, dismissing her shock.
"Because you weren't invited," Brooke returns.
"It's funny you think that matters," Dan smirks. "Now go find my son, make sure he's in a good mood to see daddy."
"Dan you need to leave. I'm telling you if Lucas or Nathan see you, it's not going to be good," Brooke urges, ignoring his comment.
"I see," Dan replies, taking in her veiled threat. "And why is that?"
Haley and Brooke glance at each other, not acknowledging Dan. He appraises them, realization hitting.
"They know about our arrangement," Dan speaks, displeased. "That's a big mistake Ms. James."
"Haley didn't tell them," Brooke defends. "I did."
This surprises Dan.
"You need to go," Brooke says more firmly.
Dan purses his lips, noticing the event filling up, his presence becoming less discrete. He turns to Haley, "We're not done with this conversation. You're in breach of contract."
"Breach of contract?" Lucas says, appearing behind his father.
"Son, nothing for you to worry about. You look good," Dan downplays.
"What contract? The one where you do some weird reverse-extortion and give Haley's parents an offer they can't refuse?" Lucas says, watching as the vein in his father's throat flickers, his temper flaring.
"Lucas, it's not your business," Dan warns.
"Actually it is. I'm Nathan's manager, and someone's leaked private information to the press," Lucas says, watching as acknowledgement flickers in Dan's eyes.
"What?" Haley gasps, turning to Dan. "What've you done?"
"Nothing," Dan says. "I'm going to go talk to the dean."
Dan moves between Lucas and the women, nudging his son slightly, giving him the quickest of glances in warning.
"Hey Dad," Lucas stops him, putting a hand on Dan's shoulder so he could whisper what comes next. "I've protected you. I've convinced Nathan of second-chances more times than I can count. I can't this time. I won't."
At this, Dan pulls away from Lucas on a mission across the room.
Lucas turns to Haley, her shock evident as Brooke holds her up by either shoulder.
"I'm sorry," Lucas sighs. "You don't deserve any of this."
Haley takes a deep breath before speaking, her voice shaky. "Your dad has been this lurking evil in the back of my mind every day for ten years. I wasn't ready to confront that."
"You stood up for yourself Hales," Brooke points out. "That's the first step with him."
Lucas looks at his wife, sympathy in his eyes. She looks beautiful in her red satin dress but all humor was lost in her features. It'd never really occurred to him what it was like for Brooke to deal with Dan. They'd always been cordial, but distant.
"What were you saying about the press?" Haley asks.
Lucas looks at Haley, uneasy. "There's been a development. My brother wants to tell you himself. He was right behind me, just wanted to swing by your room first in case he could catch you before."
"Can you at least tell me how bad?" Haley pushes.
"Not great, but also, nothing we can't handle," Lucas assures.
"You know, this weekend has allowed me to stop holding my breath. I'm feeling an ease I haven't felt in years. But that's never going to last, is it? Your dad would never just let me off easy," Haley sighs.
"Don't get ahead of yourself Hales," Brooke encourages.
"Wait for Nathan," Lucas pleads. "Please."
Haley nods, her mind obviously elsewhere. Brooke looks to Lucas in worry, finding his own concern staring back at her. In this moment, she saw how quickly the past could repeat itself, how quickly their group could implode, and she couldn't do that again.
"Let's go get some air," Brooke says, guiding Haley back towards the entrance. Haley says nothing, but follows.
As they walk along the French windows of the hall, they spy Nathan on a mission as he jumps up the front steps two by two, his eyes softening at the sight of Haley.
"Hales," Nathan says, breathless.
Haley nods, her stomach in knots. "Your father's here."
"What?" Nathan says, his head snapping around in shock until he spots him. He turns from Haley, bee-lining for Dan.
Brooke and Haley hold their breath, bracing for impact.
"What the hell is this?"