"Hey Daddy!" A pretty little 4 year yelled to her father as he walked into the kitchen.
"Hey princess," Lucas replied back to his daughter with a smile.
"Will you take me to the park please!" the little girl begged.
"I'm not really up to that right now, Katie" Lucas answered sadly. He knew what today was. It was yet another start to another year without Hales. She had been his best friend and for the longest time, it had been just Haley and Lucas against the world. That's why her kidnapping was so hard on him. He missed her every day, no one could every replace Hales, she was his 'Buddy'.
"But Daddyyyyyyyy!" Katie pleaded.
"Look, maybe later, alright sweetie. I'm going to go get dressed…."
"To go take me to the park?" she interrupted her father.
"No," he laughed as he started to walk into another room. "I gotta go do some things maybe later though," He said just as his wife walked into the room. "Morning Brooke" He gave her a quick kiss and disappeared into their bedroom to go get changed. Brooke and Lucas had been happily married for almost 5 years now.
"Mommy! Why won't daddy take me to the park?" Katie asked. "He usually does!"
"Well today's kind of an anniversary to a sad day," Brooke tried to explain to her daughter.
"Really? What happened?" the little girl asked curiously.
"Well you know Uncle Nathan right? Well, sweetie, 5 years ago today, his wife, Haley who would have been your aunt, was taken from their apartment by a bad person. At the time she was pregnant with a little girl, who would have been your cousin. They were going to name her Ally." Brooke said sadly.
"Awww that's sad! Why are there bad people in the world like that mommy?"
"I don't know, baby" Brooke said as she hugged her daughter.
"How old is Ally?" the little girl questioned
"She would be almost 5," Brooke answered.
"Will I ever get to meet Ally?" the child asked. She was full of questions.
"O sweetie, I wish I knew." She answered sadly as her eyes started to tear a little bit.
"Awww well I'm sure I will. They will come home. I just know it. Well I'm going to go play with my dolls." Katie said as she walked to her bedroom.
Brooke missed Haley so much. They had begun to be pretty good friends over the years; ever since they were roommates for a brief time. Haley was so different than all her other friends, she missed her originality. Brooke had even been the last one to actually talk to Haley before her abduction. She still remembered their last conversation…..
"Hey! It's my favorite tutorgirl turned tutorwife, ex roomie, soon to be mom!" Brooke exclaimed as she walked into Nathan and Haley's apartment not even bothering to knock.
"Hey soon-to-be Mrs. Scott!" Haley replied back laughing at Brooke's comment. "O and you do know we have a doorbell right?"
"Yeah, but why do I need to know that? Anyways I know! I'm so excited for my wedding! Two months from right now I'll be Mrs. Lucas Scott." She said smilingly. "And when I get married to Lucas, will that mean that you and me will somehow be related."
"Hmmm well you'll be my husband's brother's wife. Sooo kind of," Haley said with a laugh.
"Well, that would make you my soon-to-be husband's brother's daughter," Brooke said to Haley's stomache. "How is lil Brookie doing anways?"
"Brooke, I'm sorry but I told you, we're naming her Ally."
"But……"
"Sorry, but Nathan and I already decided that we aren't going to name her Brooke," Haley stated to Brooke.
"Fine… But ewww there is no way I'm going to allow her to wear any of these clothes!" Brooke exclaimed when saw the clothes in the baby catalogue that was on the table. "O my god, it looks like I need to go shopping to find some decent clothes."
Haley just laughed. She knew not to take anything Brooke said too seriously. "I'm sure Ally will be alright. But back to the wedding, how are your plans coming along?"
"Perfect!" She squealed in delight. "It's going to be so romantic! We're going to go all out! It's going to be a huge wedding, not that small weddings aren't great and all. I mean I'm sure your wedding on the beach with a two people audience was great and all."
"Brooke, I adored my wedding!"
"Mhmmm well I'm also not planning on having all the drama you and Nate had."
"All newlyweds have their troubles," Haley said in defense.
"Yeah not the same ones you and Nathan had. God, can you say DRAMA."
"Well everything worked out, didn't it?"
Brooke laughed, "Yeah, and Luke and I definitely won't have the problems you and Nathan ha, I mean I sing like a dying horse."
" That's true, I've heard you sing before," Haley responded with a laugh.
"O come on at least I'm better than William Hung!"
"Hmmm I'm not too sure about that."
"Shut up!" Brooke laughed.
"Ohhh," Haley said as she felt her stomache.
"O my god! Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. The baby's just kicking," She said with a smile. Haley couldn't wait to finally have her baby and be a mother.
"Wow! O my gosh, that's so amazing," Brooke replied. "What's it like? Being pregnant I mean? Does the morning sickness suck? Does it hurt?"
"It's an amazing thing, Brooke, it really is. It's so exciting to know that you're going to responsible for this tiny little person. But I mean, yeah, morning sickness definitely does suck," Haley stated. "Why you so interested all of a sudden?" She looked at Brooke's facial expression and she could totally tell what was going on. "O my god! Brooke. Are you pregnant?"
"Uhhhhh. Yes! O my God I haven't told anyone yet. But I can't wait. I mean at first I was kind of scared but now I'm so excited"
"Why haven't you told Lucas? Were you planning on the baby?" Haley questioned her friend.
"I don't know. I'm kind of waiting for the perfect moment ya know? No, we weren't planning on it."
"Wow, are you ready for this? Being a parent is a huge responsibility."
"Well yeah, I know that. But I mean, you and Nathan are having a baby.
"It's not like we were planning on it, that was definitely a huge shocker. But I'm sure you will make a great Mom, and I'm sure Lucas will make a great dad. I'll give ya some pointers what to do when you're pregnant. And I'm sure Nathan will tell Lucas all about the lovely mood swings and random cravings in the middle of the night."
"Thanks Hales!" She said hugging her. "This is so exciting! Our kids can like grow up together! Ohh omg excuse me, I have to throw up," she said as she ran to the apartment's bathroom.
Haley smiled. She knew about that morning sickness, o so well. She grabbed a towel and went into the bathroom and gave it to Brooke to help clean off her face.
Brooke walked out of the bathroom a couple minutes later. "Ok yeah the throwing up part definately sucks. Well I need to go home and wash my hair."
"Alright," Haley laughed. "I'll call ya later to see how your doing.
"Bye Hales!"
Brooke cherished that last conversation. God why couldn't everything just turned out as they had planned? " Hey Luke," she said to her husband as he joined her in the kitchen. "How you holding up?"
"I'm alright. Just really missing Haley."
"Yeah," she replied sadly, "Do you know how Nathan is doing?"
"No, but he's probably not too good. I'm going to go call him and ask him if he wants to come over for dinner. Is that ok with you?"
"Yeah, he shouldn't have to be alone tonight," Brooke replied softly. "I'm going to go check on Katie."
"Alright, tell her I love her," Lucas said as he gave his wife a kiss.
"Will do," Brooke responded as she disappeared into her daughter's bedroom.
Lucas got the phone out and dialed his brother's number.
Nathan was making a bowl of cereal; his usual breakfast for the past 5 years. Haley used to make delicious breakfasts every morning, even when she had been in her later months of her pregnancy she was still trying to provide the bests meals for her husband. God, why did everything have to remind him of her? "Diiiiing" Nathan's phone rang. "Yeah?"
"Hey Nate, I just wanted to see how you were."
"Hey, yeah I'm fine. Same as always I guess."
"Yeah, I know, it's always so hard this time of year."
"It's always hard," Nathan responded looking sadly at a photograph of Haley smiling from ear to ear when she was around 5 months pregnant. It was taken when they had gone vacationing at Myrtle Beach. She insisted that she looked fat and ugly in her sundress, but he convincingly told her how beautiful she looked and he meant it with all of his heart. God what he would do to be able to see that smiling face again.
"Yeah," Lucas replied back. It was hard for him to know what to say to Nathan. The only one who could ever get through his huge wall he put up was the one that had been taken so long ago. "Hey, look, do you want to come over for dinner? Brooke is going to cook a nice dinner for me and Katie."
"Ummm thanks but I'm thinking I'll just hang around the apartment tonight," Nathan said as he declined his brother's offer. It was nothing personal. Nathan got along fine with Brooke and Lucas loved his niece, Katie. She reminded him so much of how he pictured Ally. God, why couldn't Nathan been as happy as Lucas. Lucas had a wife and daughter just like Nathan was supposed to have. Besides he definitely wasn't in a very festive mood, and he had Brooke's cooking before…he still had heartburn from it.
"You sure?"
"Yeah and I think my manager wants to have a meeting with me," Nathan stated. Nathan had played for the Charlotte Bobcats for almost 4 years now. He loved playing pro, it was a distraction that he needed. Basketball also paid well, Nathan was financially set for a long time. He could be living in a huge mansion now if he wanted. However, he is still living in his two bedroom apartment that Haley and Nathan had bought when they found out Haley was pregnant. He wanted to make sure that Haley would know where to find him. He even left the light on for her each night, just in case.
"Alright man, look if you change your mind we'll still be here."
"Thanks man," Nathan said as he heard the doorbell ring. "Look I gotta go, some ones at the door." He said as he hung up the phone. Nathan went to the door and opened it. There stood a cocky as ever looking Dan Scott. "Hey dad," he said with zero excitement.
"Aren't you going to invite your father in?"
"Dad, can't you call before you come?"
"That's no way to speak to your father," Dan said as he let himself in the apartment. "You know Nate, you really should move out of this dingy old apartment."
"I don't want to and I think I've told you that about a million times now," Nathan said obviously annoyed. What are you doing here anyways?"
"Well actually, one of my colleagues has this daughter.."
"Go ahead, date her, I really don't give a damn about your love life. At least mom divorced you and is actually happy for once in her life with Craig."
"Ouch, son that hurt, and she isn't for me, you idiot. She's for you. Her name is Melanie. She is very smart and…"
"Dad! What the hell! How could you even mention that?" Nathan's blood boiled with anger. "There is no way in hell.."
It was now Dan's turn to interrupt Nathan. "What you honestly think that Haley is still alive?
"There's always a chance and I just cannot you even came to my apartment to ask me that!"
"If you honestly believe that she's still alive, then you're even dumber that I thought. You need to quit being so damn naïve, Nathan! You are wasting your life away over some girl!"
"Haley was not just some girl! She was my wife, dad, my WIFE, and she was pregnant with our baby! You know your grandchild! Not that you gave a damn anyways," he said in anger, pure rage.
"Dammit Nathan, move one!"
"Get the hell out of my apartment!" Nathan exclaimed! "Don't come back, either, you are not welcome."
"Fine," Dan said as he opened the door and handed him a piece of paper. "Heres her number, just in case you're finally able to face the facts and move on." Dan then left his apartment.
Nathan was full of anger. He tore up the piece of paper and threw it away. He would never move on from Haley. Never. He would rather be alone than without Haley.
Dan Scott got into his car and dialed a phone number.
"Hello," A voice from the other end said.
"Yes, this is Dan Scott. Look I need a favor from you."
"Yeah what is it?"
"I need you to call Nathan and tell him you found Haley's body and the baby's body. Tell him they washed up on shore. Alright? That girl has always been trouble and I think it's time that he finally moves on."
"I will. For the right price."
"Money is no object, Detective. My son needs to forget about this girl and move on to a girl who actually deserves him. I have his best interests at heart." Dan stated.
"I'm sure you do, Mr. Scott…"
"So tell me how is my granddaughter and that girl anyways?"
"They are just fine sir, we are doing our best to make them happy. They are still in that small town in Maine."
"Good to hear, and people think I'm the bad guy, I had them be kidnapped for Nathan's best interests. I even gave that dammed Haley and little Ally a great home up in Maine."
"Yes, well just make sure you keep the paychecks coming along so that I'll hold my part of the deal up."
"O don't worry, I will. Call Nathan tomorrow with the news. OK?"
"Ok I will."
"Bye," Dan said as he closed his cell phone with a grin in his face.