m so sorry still. I feel so bad for the extremely long delay again. Life has just been hectic to put it simply and lamely. If it means anything, after a few hours of sitting in front of a computer screen, dealing with writer's block, and not doing homework, I wrote some of this chapter and most of the next one. So another update will be coming reasonably soon, I'm thinking October 21 (that's the one year date of this story, I never thought a year ago I would still be writing this).

Thank you everyone for taking the time out of your day to share your opinions. It really and truly means a lot to me. They really are always appreciated.

Oh and Analy 222, you are really good at predicting apparently :).

Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or any of the characters and such.

Bold face is reality with Haley in a coma, Normal is the dream world, and Italics are the thoughts and memories.

The next installment of the story shall now begin in an old childhood sanctuary now turned into a teenage war zone….

The Past is Lost

The figure was still on the ground at the River Court, crying, thirty minutes later. Lucas and Haley had been his best friends and now they were gone from his life forever. He had thrown away his friendship for nothing more than a few kisses. Along with those few kisses he now had a broken nose too.

Finally, he pulled out his cell phone. "Rachel," he whispered into the phone after hitting the number 3.

"Mouth?" She asked. "Why are you calling me? Remember we need to keep our distance," she said matter-of-factly.

"Lucas know. I don know how he foun out but he did and he boke my nose. Watch out. Once he tells Nate and Booke, thing going do be bad," Mouth managed to say despite his throbbing nose.

"Mouth where are you? You need to get medical attention if he really broke your nose."

"I'm at da River Court. 'Ey someone is comin. It look like…Oh Gah…It's Natan!"

Rachel stared at her cell phone as she heard nothing but Mouth's ragged breathing. "Mouth!" She exclaimed, sincere concern in her voice.

She heard the sound of the phone moving and then an oily voice spoke into it.

"Hi Rachel, my name is Dan Scott. I was wondering if you could do me a favor."

Haley sat alone by the river. She sat at the place where Nathan had given her the bracelet she now wore every day again. She watched the water splash against the dock and wondered what was in store for her and for Nathan. Haley reached down into her bag and pulled out a green hat. It was a hat she used to wear constantly but hadn't worn in a long time. She let her fingers go over the knitting and remembered how she used to feel, how she thought before the tour.

With a small smile, Haley remembered talking to Nathan out on the dock by his parents' beach house the night of the party with the team where he had actually invited Lucas. Haley remembered him revealing another side to him, a side where basketball was not the end all, just a thing to shut his dad up. She remembered the hope she felt that Lucas and Nathan would be able to put aside all their differences and finally get along.

Haley also remembered when Nathan had taken her home in Peyton's car. She remembered that he had wrecked it, but left Lucas with the blame, and Lucas had found Haley's hat when he repaired the car. She hated Lucas thinking that she had betrayed him when she was doing all she could for him by helping Nathan.

There were so many memories, good and bad, associated with the hat Haley now held in her hands. However, they were all from before the tour. Things had been so different then. Back then, Lucas and Nathan had hated each other because of Dan. All Haley had to do was be the medium and then they would get along. Now, things were so much more complicated.

Haley realized how much she missed those days and desperately wanted them back.

"What's wrong Luke?" Nathan asked as he put up a shot in the gym. He could tell from Lucas' face that something was really bothering him. "Tell me you're not all wrapped up in that article. Haley proved today she can definitely stand up for herself, we don't have to worry at all."

Lucas simply stared at his brother as he struggled with what to say to him.

"C'mon Luke, whatever it is, you can tell me," Nathan begged as he dunked the ball in the hoop.

Lucas glanced away as he considered the pros and cons of telling his brother. He finally decided it would be better to warn Nathan if what he suspected would actually happen.

"I know who called that magazine," Lucas said stiffly.

Nathan dropped the basketball. "Who?" He asked simply, his eyes already narrowed. When Lucas didn't answer, Nathan took a step closer. "Was it Peyton?"

Lucas shook his head. "It was Mouth," he said quickly, like ripping off a band-aid.

"Mouth?" Nathan started to laugh. "Why would Mouth call the papers on Haley and me? He's not jealous is he? I always thought he was into Brooke!"

Lucas didn't smile or laugh. "He's into Rachel apparently."

Nathan suddenly stopped laughing and his face went serious. "Rachel as in Red?"

Lucas nodded. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"That if she would call the magazine, she might also think to call—"

"Chris Keller."

Without another word, Nathan ran out of the gym. He didn't care how sweaty and gross he was from practice, he had to find Haley and before Keller did.

"What favor might this be?" Rachel asked with an evil smirk into the phone. She knew all about Dan Scott and his manipulative means. She had a feeling they could get along very well.

With a chuckle Dan asked, "Have you ever heard of Chris Keller?"

"The lame singer who was on tour with your daughter-in-law? What's her name again?"

"Hades, and yes that's him. I want you to call him about this little scandal you and Marvin here created. He won't listen to me after a little stunt I pulled last year."

"You underestimate me Dan Scott."

"Oh do I?" Dan replied into the phone with an evil grin.

"I called Chris Keller a couple of days ago. He returned to town this morning."

"Good Rachel. I'll be in touch," Dan said before hanging up the phone.

"Well Marvin," Dan said to Mouth who was glaring up at him hatefully from the ground. "I bet you're just itching to go tell Lucas about this little conversation aren't you? Or maybe that cheerleader you're so in love with? You want to make up for telling the reporter all about Nathan and Hades?"

"Why do you wan do 'uin you son's life so bad?" Mouth asked hatefully.

"Oh, because it's fun of course. And it's for his own good. He'll thank me when he's older. Now, why don't you join me for dinner this evening?" Dan put on a charming smile as he easily picked up Mouth over his shoulder and put a bandana in his mouth to gag him.

"The river is really beautiful in the spring isn't it?" Someone said from behind Haley.

Immediately, she felt her body go rigid. She had not been looking forward to this day. "What do you want Chris?" Haley asked, the acid in her tone obvious.

"You wanna get straight to business huh? I like that," Chris replied with a grin as he sat across from Haley, in Nathan's seat.

"And I don't like your ego."

"Hales! What happened to us? We used to be such great pals. Remember, you and I, all those long nights on tour? When it was just us in the dark bus and we would write our songs together?"

"You and me dumbass."

"Hales!" Chris repeated. "The Keller does not like this side of you!"

"Well screw the Keller."

"Please do. Nah, I'm just kiddin' Hales!" Chris looked away for a minute and then his voice took a serious tone. "Look, the record company is concerned."

"About what? That I might not return back on tour?"

"Their concerned about bad press Hales," Chris continued. "They want you to have an interview with that same reporter to clear things up."

"And do what? Talk about how much I actually love Nathan and regret leaving him?"

"No. They want you to talk about how controlling and psychotic Nathan is, that you needed to take a break from him. Then talk about how amazing the tour is."

Haley leaned across the table with a small smile and then slapped Chris hard. "I would never say that about Nathan! He is not psychotic or anything, but I think you are after suggesting that."

Chris grabbed Haley's wrists. She struggled but she couldn't get away. "Let go of me Chris!" She ordered, but he didn't.

"Haley listen to me! If you have any hope of returning to tour, you have to do this! Just talk about Nathan before you guys started dating, he was a complete jerk back then right? I remember you telling me that story, about all the things he used to do to Lucas, to Peyton, to everybody."

"But I changed him Chris. He fell in love with me and turned into a nice guy, remember that part or do you have selective memory?"

"Or do you Hales? Remember the porn, you weren't good enough for him! Remember how he freaked out about the tattoo?"

"He had reasons for those things!"

"They always have reasons Hales. Do you remember how mad he got about me in the beginning when we were just recording?"

"Obviously he had a good reason," Haley pointed out.

"Do you know that he shoved me up against a wall, one hand around my neck, and threatened my guitar hand? Do you remember he made you choose? If he couldn't have you all for himself, then you couldn't have him at all? Then when he finally acts like a man and shows up on tour, he just leaves after you tell him you weren't ready to get married at sixteen?!" Chris hated giving Haley doubts. Deep down, he was rooting for Nathan and Haley, but he didn't want Haley to sacrifice her future, her talent, just for Nathan. "Do you remember when you first came back? How mean he was to you…Hales..."

Haley simply glared at Chris. Sure, Nathan wasn't perfect, but neither was she. Everything Chris had mentioned so far honestly didn't faze Haley, she thought.

"Haley, remember when he beat me up in the gardens? The expression on his face, how many times he hit me? I still have nightmares about that day."

Finally, the seed of doubt was planted in Haley. His face that day had scared even her.

"Don't forget who his father is either Haley. The apple never falls far from the tree. Who's to say ten years from now Nathan won't be putting you through an ugly divorce like Dan is to Deb?

"The company was going to wait until the new article, when people would think of you sympathetically. That Nathan is just a bad habit you can't escape unless you're singing to people, but I think that's dangerous. Come back on tour now Haley, please."

Nathan ran to the tutor center, no Haley. He ran to Karen's Café, no Haley there either. He went to the apartment where he found Brooke on the phone.

"Why are you all hot and sweaty Nathan?" Brooke playfully asked.

Nathan's voice had no sign of humor, "Where's Haley?"

"I don't know. She hasn't been by since the end of school. What's wrong Nate?"

"It was Mouth. Mouth called the magazine, and Chris Keller probably got called too. I need to find Haley before he does," Nathan answered as he ran back out the door.

Next stop was the River Court. After that, he didn't know.

Haley stared in shock at Chris Keller, she wasn't sure if she heard him right.

"Come back on tour Hales. They don't want to wait until graduation anymore, apparently they have a really good deal. You would be doing a headlining tour with Fall Out Boy. It's an offer no one could pass up."

"Fall Out Boy and me together?"

Chris nodded.

"Why now? Can't they wait just three weeks so I can graduate?" Haley asked with a hint of desperation in her tone. She wasn't ready to decide between Nathan and the tour, not yet. She definitely didn't want to bad-mouth Nathan to any magazines either.

Chris looked in Haley's eyes and held up the magazine with a picture of Nathan and Haley kissing at the championship game. Both were brilliantly smiling against each other's lips even though only a second later Nathan passed out. "I'm worried you won't come back and they worked their asses off to line up something irresistible. This is a once in a lifetime chance Hales, don't turn it away!"

Haley looked at her feet. Her dreams of being a star were within reach but so was her dream of being back together with Nathan.

"If you love something set it free, if it's meant to be it will come back to you," Chris whispered to Haley. "If Nathan really loves you, he'll wait Hales."

Haley continued to stare her feet down. Am I really going to throw everything Nathan and I have rebuilt away so easily? But am I really going to throw this opportunity away to stay with Nathan? To just be one more person in the world?

With a sigh Chris spoke aloud one of Haley's fears, "You can be a wife of Nathan Scott, small-town basketball star, or you can be Haley James, the world-renowned rock star."

Finally, Haley met Chris' eyes. He had struck her fears. "I'll go, but I have to talk to Nathan about it this time. I can't do things like I did before."

Happiness lit up Chris' face, he was glad for Haley. "I knew you would make the right decision Hales!" He exclaimed as he pulled out his cell phone to call the record company.

As Chris walked away, Haley once again fingered her old hat that she used to love so much. So much for wanting the old days back more than anything. But I guess I never would have gotten them back anyway. We've all changed. And with that, Haley threw her hat into the River.

She said goodbye to the days where she and Nathan were relatively simple and said hello again to complication.

Author's Note: I had Mouth talking funky because Lucas broke his nose. If I made him say things he shouldn't have been able to, or I made him not be able to say things he should've been able to, I'm sorry. Also, if someone doesn't get what he's trying to say, let me know and I'll write it in parenthesis or something. Thank you all for reading, and, if it isn't too much trouble of course, please review. Thank you very much.