Chapter 18-Somewhere Over the Rainbow

A/N:Sorry for the mix up, I have added a few details that i overlooked, thanks to Sunny_C and naley95 for pointing it out!

A/N: Are your eyes deceiving you or have I actually just updated The First Cut Is The Deepest??!!Well finally, my muse has decided to whisper in my ear and the story can progress!. 2008 was an incredibly tough year for me, and thank-you to everyone who has stuck by this story, it means the world to me! Happy New Year and I hope 2009 treats all my readers well!Now on with the chapter!

Haley always thought you could get all of life's answers from a lyric of a , today there was no line to describe how she felt waking up in a bed that was not her James was never the girl who would fall into a stranger's , Haley knew exactly whose bed she was in.

Panic set in as she scanned her current attire, or lack there of. She looked carefully to see if Nathan had stirred. He snored slightly before turning breathed a sigh of relief. She needed a few moments to collect her thoughts. Haley twirled her hair up and down, as the thoughts filtered through her mind. What does this mean?Are we back together now or was this just a meaningless one night stand?Haley didn't want to find out. She climbed carefully out of the bed, reached for the crutches Nathan had placed there the night before, threw on her clothes and walked towards the bedroom door. Haley turned around briefly to glance at Nathan's sleeping form. What have we done? she thought as she hobbled out the door, and the house.

Nathan was slumped down in the lounge his hands, was the note that Haley had left that morning. In the background, he could hear Lily singing along to the TV.

Brooke bounced in, her hair in a bun and shadows underneath her much as she loved being a mother, the endless nights of sleep deprivation took a lot out of her.

"How are you, Nate?" Brooke asked as she sank into the couch.

Nathan merely shook his head, and took another sip of his beer.

"Is there any reason you are drinking at 2pm in the afternoon?" She inquired. Again Nathan grunted. Geez, it's like talking to a brick wall Brooke thought as she continued to sit next to her brother in law.But something is clearly wrong with him...Brooke noticed a piece of white paper in Nathan's hand.

"Whatcha got there?" Brooke asked

He simply gives her the note and Brooke carefully unfolded it.Brooke recognised the cursive girly print.

Nathan,

I am so sorry, it's too much

Please forgive me.

Always and forever.

Haley xoxo

"What happened Nate?" Brooke asked gently

"We had...sex. And obviously it meant nothing to her, because when I woke up she was gone" He stated bitterly.

"You're wrong" Brooke whispered

"What?" Nathan exclaimed angrily

"About you meaning nothing to her. You were wrong." Brooke replied, ignoring the tone in Nathan's voice. She recognised the tone in his knew as much as he seemed angry, it was a different emotion entirely. He was hurt. Plain and simple. And there was only one person who could remedy that, and it definitely wasn't her.

"I don't think so, Brooke. She wouldn't have left otherwise."

"That's where you are wrong, dear brother in law. Haley cares too much"

"How do you figure?" he pouted

"Because of this" Brooke said as she moved toward the DVD cabinet and placed the disc into the machine.

Haley's face suddenly appeared on the screen, although her hair was cut into a bob and died a dark mahogany colour.

"What is this?" Nathan asked

"This is Haley's first show at Madison Square Garden. But you know that already don't you?" Brooke said knowingly,smirking slightly.

"So?"

"Listen to what she says Nathan." Brooke said, before falling silent and turned to watch the video.

Haley's fingers danced across the piano keys as she sang into the microphone.

I set out on a narrow way many years ago

Hoping I would find true love along the broken road

But I got lost a time or two

Wiped my brow and kept pushing through

I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you

A single tear slipped down her cheek as she continued to sing. Haley's voice wobbled slightly as she transitioned into the next verse.

Every long lost dream led me to where you are

Others who broke my heart they were like Northern stars

Pointing me on my way into your loving arms

A close up from the television camera showed that Haley was clarly crying, tears now flowing steadily down her cheeks, her mascara running like a river down her porcelain face.

This much I know is true

That God blessed the broken road

That led me straight to you

I think about the years I spent just passing through
I'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to you…

The breathe hitched at the back of Haley's throat,her eyes frozen in fear.

Haley whispered "I'm sorry" into the microphone before running off stage.

"Don't you think there was a reason she couldn't finish the song, Nathan?" Brooke stated quietly

"But she said, 'this is for a special someone out there'.It wasn't about me.I wasn't there. I was with Peyton" He said absently.

"Nathan, just because you can't be with your soul mate, doesn't make you love them any less"

"But Brooke, all this time I thought she was talking about some boyfriend!" Nathan exclaimed as he began to pace the living room.

"Here's a little show biz secret, Nate. Her management wanted the tabloids to think that she was sleeping with those guys. She wasn't actually sleeping with them, you idiot." Brooke explained

"So...." He said, raising his eyebrows expectantly.

"I'm not the one to answer all these questions Nate. You have to ask her yourself. Be like the lion, Nate!"Brooke said, grinning goofily.

"What?" Nathan said, clearly confused

"The movie,Nathan." Brooke replied as she gestured towards the looked at the screen momentarily."The lion, Nate, you are just like the lion" Brooke said, patting him reassuringly on the shoulder before walking out of the room.

"What??"He said quietly, before turning towards the television.

"My goodness, what a fuss you're making! Well naturally, when you go around picking on things weaker than you are. Why, you're nothing but a great big coward!" Dorothy exclaimed

"You're right, I am a coward! I haven't any courage at all. I even scare myself." Cowardly Lion cried "Look at the circles under my eyes. I haven't slept in weeks."

"Why don't you try counting sheep?" the Tinman suggested

"That doesn't do any good. I'm afraid of them." Cowardly Lion sobbed loudly

"Ah, that's too bad." Scarecrow replied

"I still don't get it" he said to no-one in particular.

Lily turned from the television and simply said "The lion needed courage, Uncle Nate" before turning her attention back to the movie.

"Did you really mean what you said that night?"

Haley looked surprised at the sound of the new body swivelled around from the pier to face her ex husband.

"What night?" she asked

"When you played at Madison Square Garden."

He didn't have to elaborate further.

"I meant every word" she said, closing her eyes as she said it

"Are we going to talk about last night?" he asked softly

"Do we need to?" she said

"We should"

"I really don't know what we should do" Haley said as turned towards the ocean again.

Nathan joined her on the picnic table, it was the place that had started it all.

Haley already has her books out and is studying when Nathan walks up.
"Breakfast of champions. Want some?" Nathan asks as he approaches.
"You're late." Haley replies sternly, looking up from her textbook.
Nathan only sighs in reply.
Nathan takes off his backpack, sits down and opens up a cracker jack box, taking out a small package.
"Ugh, please let this be a cheat sheet." He mutters to himself.
Nathan takes a tacky bracelet out of the package, and smirks slightly.
"It's for you." he said, offering it to her.
"Stop it." she states, in much the same stern tone as before.
"Come on." he said, grinning.
Haley sighed in reply and held out her wrist.
Nathan puts the bracelet on her.
"Don't say I never gave you anything." he responded.

"Come on, I want to show you something" Nathan held out his hand and Haley gladly took it.

Nathan walked slowly down a familiar road. He had thoughtfully bought the wheelchair, and he was silently pushing her as they reached their became more anxious with every step they took.

"Nathan, what are we doing here?"

"I wanted to show you something" He said as they stopped in front of the apartment complex.

"I don't understand" she said as he transferred her onto the steps and sat down beside her.

Nathan reached for the flower bed beside him and pulled. He handed Haley the flower.

"I planted a whole bed of these after we had that fight at the formal in junior year. They flowered the day after you left."Nathan said, laughing bitterly.

"I know, I saw them" Haley admitted, as a single tear cascaded down her cheek.

"When?"

"I came back. After that show in New York. I wanted to come back to you. To us." She replied sadly

The rain was pouring down in Tree Hill as Haley made her way in her rental car to the apartment. She had called Lucas, who had assured her that Nathan was at home, but to be prepared. Be prepared? Haley thought. What could that possibly mean? She jiggled nervously in her seat as she inched closer to her knew it was probably career suicide leaving the tour like this, but that night, when thousands of people where screaming her name, and she was finally her cementing her place in the music industry, Haley only wanted one person there. It's funny how moments creep up on you like that. Haley glanced briefly at the ring on her finger. Screw what everyone else wanted. She wasn't going to do this wanted Nathan to be there with her every step of the way.

Haley pulled into the driveway, and made her way to the apartment door. Haley observed how so much had changed in the months she was gone. In the front of the house, a vibrant purple patch of flowers laid. In that moment in time, Haley thought it was some sort of peace offering. Something to say that everything between them was going to be ok. In the corner of her eye, Haley could see Nathan's figure from the gap in the curtains and decided it was best to sneak a peek to prepare herself for how Nathan was going to , nothing could have truly prepared her to see the sight before her. As the rain poured down and drenched her from head to toe, Haley could see as Peyton, her supposed friend, the one she thought could understand why she left in the first place, as she laid on top of her it was obviously not the rough housing sort of play two friends might do. As Nathan kissed Peyton on the lips, Haley turned away.

She was not going to subject herself to more hurt than she was already feeling. Haley let out a loud sob as she ran down the stairs, vowing never to set foot in this place again.

Nathan withdrew his hand from hers. He looked crestfallen and stared at the pavement intently.

"Nathan?" Haley asked, noticing her ex-husband's change in demeanour.

"You need to know something, Haley"

How evil am I? Sorry to leave it on a cliffhanger, I will promise to UD in the next couple of days (I pinky swear) Please review, and thank-you to everyone that has stayed with the story, you are all awesome!Lydia