Chapter 11

Summary: A weekend away.

Note: Thanks guys for all the reviews, please keep them up.

--

Nathan waited patiently in his living room waiting for Haley to come home. He hoped she wasn't as wasted as the last time. He held the pill bottles in his hand, squeezing it so tightly that he was crushing it. "What was she doing to herself?" He thought and suddenly waves of guilt came washing over him. This was his fault, he drove her over the edge, it was because of him she wanted to die in the school, because of him she might just finish what Jimmy Edwards started. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a car pull up.

He peered through the blinds of the window, not wanting to seem like a worried parent waiting for their child to come home, although he was very concerned. Now, he got very worried, it wasn't a taxi nor did the car belong to any of his friends. He looked through the window and saw Haley in the front with another guy. His heart was racing and his whole body became heated. He saw Haley lean over and give the guy a kiss before she stepped out of the car.

It took all of his composure not to run out there and beat the crap out of that other guy. Haley started walking up the driveway and Nathan sat back down on the couch and turned the tv back on. She arrived inside a moment a later.

"Nathan!" She called out. "Oh there you are." She said as she went inside the living room.

"Hey." He muttered. She noticed the sour expression he had on his face.

"Look, I can walk straight this time." She tried to sound upbeat. "I told you not to worry."

Truth was, he was more than worried, he was petrified. He had to keep his emotions in check or risk driving her away by saying something stupid. "Yeah.." He laughed hesitantly. "Do you want something to eat?"

"No, thanks I think I'm just going to get ready for bed… nite." She said as she made her way up to Nathan's room.

A short time later, Nathan went upstairs and the door to his room was ajar. He saw Haley there, wrapping her hair in a bun in her pj's.

Knock Knock

"Hey." He said from the doorway. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Yes, I'm fine.. I didn't have too much to drink this time… is everything okay, you look really out of it?"

"I got some news about my mom." He lied.

"Oh, how is she?"

"Not so good." He shook his head. "Anyways, I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm more than okay.."

"I could tell.. maybe it was because of that kiss you gave that guy." He said coldly and left. He went to the guest room, slamming the door shut.

Haley's eyes widened and she started to feel bad. He wasn't supposed to see that. She swallowed some of her pills but it didn't help. She lay in bed, completely restless.

--

The next day,

"What do you want?" Nathan said in a livid tone as Rachel was sitting on the hood of his car. Today was not a good day at all. During the morning, he and Haley barely spoke two words to each other and avoided each other all day at school.

"Thinking about another lady's night out with my wife?"

"Not a night Nathan, but a weekend."

"Rachel, I don't have time for your crap."

"Believe me, you want to listen to what I have to say." She said slipping off his hood.

--

Haley was also having a bad day. She avoided her friends but couldn't keep them off her tail for long.

"Tutorgirl!" Brooke said joining her friend in the quad, with Peyton with her.

"What happened to you last night?" Brooke asked. "Please don't tell me you took off with Damien."

"I did."

"Haley! You were supposed to keep Damien occupied while I talked to Chase… taking off with him was not part of the plan." Peyton added.

Haley really couldn't deal with this now.

"Look, I might be married to Nathan but it's over between us." Before her friends could object, she added. "And for the record.. we talked a little bit and then he took me home… I gave him a peck on the cheek good night and that's it."

"That was it?" Brooke asked.

"Yes.. so we can drop it.. it's bad enough Nathan saw that."

"He what?" Peyton asked.

"He saw me and I think he thinks that I was making out with him.. I don't know.. he's pretty upset about it .. and of course in true Nathan Scott fashion, he's freezing me out.. but whatever.. I don't owe him anything."

Peyton and Brooke looked at each other concerned.

"Besides, we went out for you Peyton, so how did things go with Chase?" Haley tried to change the topics and Brooke and Peyton realized to just let this one go.

"It was okay, he said he'd call, I mean he's cute and nice.. we'll see."

"Gee, don't sound too excited." Brooke said sarcastically and the three of them laughed.

"But I got good news, we already talked about this earlier but Haley, what do you say about going away this weekend?"

"I think a night out is good enough.. I don't know about the whole weekend."

"Well, it won't just be us.. Rachel has a cabin in the mountains and she invited all of us including the guys to go." Brooke said.

"I don't know."

"Come on, it'll be fun.. Luke, Skills, Bevin, Mouth are also going.. it'll be good to just get away." Peyton said.

"And Nathan?"

"Yeah, him too." Brooke added.

"I don't know you guys."

"Don't worry about Nathan, we're all going to be there anyways… sooo?" Brooke gave Haley those puppy dog eyes.

"Yeah sure, since everyone is going."

--

Nathan loaded his things in his car. Haley came out of the door and Nathan immediately went over and took her bags from him.

"Nathan, I can carry my own things."

"I don't want anything to happen to that shoulder of yours." He gave her a stern look before grabbing it and putting them in the trunk. The weekend was here and the two of them were barely talking to each other. Nathan's emotions were all over the place. He felt guilty for pushing Haley away and now with the pills and now this new guy, he wasn't sure what to do or say, afraid of making the wrong move again.

Haley seemed equally as conflicted. Things were over between the two of them, she made that perfectly clear, so why did she feel guilty about hanging out with Damien. Things with Nathan were finally going smoothly, until this. She sighed in frustration, hopefully this weekend will turn out good.

Rachel's Yukon pulled up behind Nathan's car and Rachel rolled down her window.

"You guys ready to go?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah." Nathan said as he closed his trunk.

Haley walked up to Rachel's car and Brooke rolled down the window. She said hi to everyone and asked. "You guys look cramp, there's plenty of space in Nathan's car."

"We're good here." Brooke said quickly as she rolled the window back up.

"Come on Hales!" Nathan yelled.

"Great." She thought, "4 hours in the car with Nathan." She got in the car and they drove in silence for about half an hour. Haley started thinking about that night with Damien.

--

"So I had fun." Damien said as he drove.

"Yeah, this was a good night.. you're not a bad dancer either." She smiled and he smiled back.

"Nathan's never one to dance." She added and as soon as she said that she regretted it. She didn't mean to bring him up.

"So that's his name."

"Huh?"

"It's okay. I pretty much figured it out when your friend Brooke kept giving me the look of death and how you always checked your watch or phone."

"It was that obvious?"

"Yeah.. but its okay, don't worry about it… and I assume he plays basketball.. I mean I never met a girl who asked me more about Duke basketball."

She laughed hesitantly. "Sorry."

"No don't be. I had a good time, but Nathan, he wants to play for Duke?"

"Umm you can say that."

"Just don't tell me he goes to UNC."

"Actually, he's not in college, but he's going to go."

"Umm.. how old are you?" Damien asked, something about the tone of her voice didn't seem right.

"18..God I feel so awful.. look we're all seniors in high school.. Rachel just knows how to get us into places."

"Haha.. well as long as you aren't like 16.. I mean I just turned 21 so it's not a big deal.. don't worry about it, besides Chase just turned 20, he's been using his brother's id."

Haley sighed in relief that he was cool about the whole thing. "Wow, this is your house?" Damien asked as he stopped.

"Yes and no .. technically it's mine or at least half of it is."

"Huh?"

"It's my mother in-law?"

"In-law?"

"Nathan's not my boyfriend.. he's my husband… at least until the divorce goes through."

"What?!"

"It's a long and complicated story.. I don't want to bore you."

"I don't think it'll be boring, but it's cool if you don't want to talk about it…you guys in Tree Hill certainly grow up fast."

"You have no idea." She said. "Look, thanks for the ride.. I hope I didn't lead you on."

"Don't sweat it .. I knew you were with someone .. I just didn't know you were married… but even if that doesn't work out, I'm pretty sure I won't hear from you, will I?"

Haley shook her head. "Sorry." She said as she leaned up and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Thanks for the ride."

--

Haley couldn't take the silence anymore.

"Just so you know, nothing happened."

"What're you talking about?" Nathan asked taking his attention off the road.

"With Damien."

"Oh." Nathan replied, the bastard finally has a name he thought.

"Peyton met this guy so I was there to distract the friend and we talked and danced…"

"You gave him a LAP DANCE !!!"

"I said DANCE.. geez Nathan, I asked him to take me home, I gave him a peck on the cheek good night, that was it, I swear."

After a moment, Nathan calmed himself down. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I see how upset and jealous you are."

"I'm not." He tried to sound nonchalant.

Nathan had one hand on the wheel and the other was resting on the arm of his chair. She put her hand over his free one. "Right?" She responded.

"Well, at least not anymore." He said as he took her hand and kissed it. They looked at each other and smiled, their hands still connected. They fell into a comfortable silence and Haley eventually drifted off to sleep.

She woke up a short time later at a gas stop. Nathan was outside filling the tank.

"Hey, sleepy head." Nathan said as he opened the driver door when he saw Haley waking up.

"Hey." Haley said looking around, "Where's Rachel's car?"

"A couple of miles behind us, Bevin kept drinking too much water." He chuckled and she chuckled back.

"They have a deli here, you want anything."

"Do they have soup?"

"Chicken noodle?" Nathan asked and Haley nodded.

"With extra noodlee." They both said at the same time. They both smiled and Nathan went inside to get food.

Pretty soon they were back on the road. Haley just finished her soup and she took out her phone.

"Peyton, where are you guys?"

"Bevin decides to drink a gallon of water before leaving and then Brooke and Rachel got caught up in the magazine section.. girls I tell you."

Haley started laughing and so did Nathan as he overheard what Peyton said.

"So I guess you and Nathan haven't killed each other?"

"We're still both alive."

"That's good.. but yeah we're still on the road.. we'll catch up to you guys later, drive safe, it looks like rain clouds ahead."

"Yeah, you too bye."

Pretty soon they arrived at the cabin and Haley got out of the car. It was getting dark and the clouds were already thickening. Nathan went to the back and popped the trunk open.

"They key should be under the mat." Nathan said as he started to take their stuff out.

"I don't mean to sound ungrateful or anything but coming from Rachel, I thought the cabin would be bigger." Haley said as she went up the stairs.

Nathan followed behind her in silence. Sure enough the key was under the mat and Haley opened the door to find a nice and cozy cabin, a small nice and cozy cabin. She went in and looked around, there was a kitchen, a deck, living room with a fireplace, a dining room, a bathroom and only one bed room. She got out of the bedroom and glared at Nathan who just put the bags down.

"Care to explain to me how nine people can share a one bedroom cabin?" Haley asked annoyed, suddenly feeling like she's been set up.

A clasp of thunder suddenly came from outside. Now it was Nathan's turn to bite his lower lip.

--

"Thinking about another lady's night out with my wife." Nathan asked Rachel.

"Not a night Nathan, but a weekend."

"Rachel, I don't have time for your crap."

"Believe me, you want to listen to what I have to say." She said slipping off his hood, she then proceeded to tell him everything that she told Brooke at the bar, about Haley and the pills.

"I know." He said softly.

"You do? Maybe Brooke was right about you?"

"What does that mean?"

"That you aren't completely oblivious .. anyways.. that brings is to this weekend."

"What about this weekend?"

"Clearly, something needs to be done about your wife and since you are the husband, we're giving you first dibs."

"First dibs?"

"To get control of her.. if that doesn't work Brooke wants to send Lucas, her and Peyton after her… you of all people should know what addiction does to a person.. you need to reach out to her first Nathan."

"Funny, I wasn't expecting you to help with all this.. you were never too fond of Haley."

"Don't you know? I'm just full of surprises." She said seductively.

Nathan shook his head, even while trying to help his wife, she was still hitting on him. "So, what does this weekend have to do with anything?" He asked and she smiled back as she started to tell him the plan.

--

"Care to explain to me how nine people can share a one bedroom cabin?" Haley asked annoyed, suddenly feeling like she's been set up.

A clasp of thunder suddenly came from outside. Now it was Nathan's turn to bite his lower lip. "Umm.. by having two cabins."

Haley took a deep breath, trying to suppress her anger. "And where is this other cabin?" She tried to say as calmly as possible.

"About 5 miles away." He muttered. Another clasp of thunder rolled by and the lights suddenly turned off as it started to pour outside. "This is definitely a bad sign." Nathan thought to himself.

To Be Continued . . .

Note: Thank you for all the reviews, I pretty much have all of next chapter done, so please review and I might post it by tomorrow.