Title: Who You Were

Author: sera_rocks / Sera

Rating: M

Summary: After his father's death, James Lucas Scott is forced to go back to Tree Hill and the house he abandoned years ago to search for the will. What he finds goes beyond mere bequeathed possessions as he uncovers the secret past of the father he never knew, and the unforgettable love of two people who were destined to be together.

A/N: Hi everyone. Thank you for all your lovely reviews last chapter. They were awesome. Again, much thanks to Lillie for looking over this and enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 7:

When James stepped out into the night, he looked up at the sky and for a moment, stood at the middle of the pathway that lead to the gate and let the rain fall. He had always liked rain. Most people ran away from it the moment it started to fall. Most people desperately tried to find shelter when it rained. James never did. He remembered being a child and playing outside when it would suddenly rain and all the kids around him would run home and he did not, until his mom came for him anyway.

And she wouldn't even get mad or annoyed. She would kneel next to him, not bothering if her skirt would get all muddy because of the puddles, and whisper, "Jamie, it's time to come home."

"I don't want to," he would whisper back.

"I know you don't. Rain is a wonderful thing."

"Why do I have to go home then?"

She would pretend to consider her answer and then say, "I guess we could play around for awhile." She would then smile as she stands up. Her eyes are suddenly lit with mischief but at the same time, kind of lonely, too – as if fond memories were playing back in her head and she missed them. Unafraid, she would stomp on a nearby puddle, instantly making large stains on James' clothes and giggling at his expression. They played that game outside for hours, or at least until the rain would stop.

For some reason, his mother loved the rain as much as he did, probably more. She always seemed much happier when it rained, which was a quite stark contrast to the gloom and dullness rain always brought along. There were times, when they had already gone inside and got cleaned up, that his mother would sit by the window and stare outside, a rather content smile on her face.

James used to watch her for some time as she did this, and he often wondered if there was a movie playing in her head, just for her eyes to see. She looked different during those times, a smile constantly etched on her face and that actually reached her eyes so they sparkled happily, and she seemed to be in such a good mood, so one day, he decided to ask her why she seemed to love the rain so much.

Haley smiled gently at him as she pulled him into a hug. "The rain is very special for me and your father."

"He doesn't seem to like it very much … not like you do." James pointed out.

Haley heaved a rather big sigh and she suddenly looked just like she did in the rain – very much lonely. "I wish you would get to see how much he does, even just once."

James never did and even until now, he still often thought about it. His father hardly showed any care for anything aside from basketball and the car business. It was still hard to believe that his father had some well beyond decent relationship with his Uncle Lucas, and he actually loved his mother.

With one final look at the house that towered behind him, he dug into his pockets for his car keys and got inside. He sat in the driver's seat, still staring at the house. A part of him wondered what else could be left in the chest in the attic, as if whatever that was left in there would give him any answers. The reason in him kept saying that it was no use – that whatever memorabilia left up there was only going to give him more questions.

James knew he could not stay away from that attic even if he tried. He knew he would have to come back some time later this week to look for that will and he would not be able to stop himself from going upstairs and looking through that chest. And even if he was able to resist, he would always have those questions nagging him, always hovering, taunting him.

He gripped the steering wheel tightly. He was going to have to go to someone else for answers.

When James walked inside the house, he was expecting his wife to be seated on the couch facing the front door, anxiously waiting for his arrival but he was surprised to find the living room empty. In fact, the entire first floor was empty and dark, except for the hallway light that was switched open.

James shut the door behind him and as soon he locked it, he heard footsteps coming towards him and a voice asked, "How was it?"

He spun around and practically heaved a sigh of relief when she saw the calm look on his wife's face. He smiled at her as he pulled her into a tight hug, breathing in her intoxicating scent. Ever since he and Beth got married, James promised himself he wouldn't make the same mistakes his father made. He made sure that he always showed his wife how much he loved her and that he was always there for his children. He wasn't going to make history repeat itself.

He held her at arms' length, taking in her beautiful features. "It was … much more difficult than I imagined."

"I expected that. You're home earlier than I thought you would be," she admitted, softly running her fingers over the side of his face. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

"No. I found some answers, though."

"And?"

"At this point, I have more answers than questions," he gave another exhausted sigh as he settled himself on the couch. He immediately put an arm around her shoulders as she snuggled up to him. They sat there in silence for a few minutes until James suddenly said, "I don't think I could stop myself from wanting to know more."

"So you're going back tomorrow?" Beth asked him.

"Probably," he paused, his fingers interlacing with hers. His gaze fell on the framed photograph of his mother sitting on top of the nearby table. "There's something I have to do first."

Noumea, New Caledonia, 1942

"I would never leave this place if I were given a choice," whispered Haley. They were lying on top of the sand, staring at the millions of stars that twinkled down at them. Neither of them had any idea how long they had been in that beach since Nathan "stole" her from everyone, but they had no intention of finding out. As far as they were concerned, tonight was just an exceptionally long night and as long as they were together, it wasn't going to end.

They had talked all night as if their topics were about as many as the stars in the sky. There was never a moment of silence between them and there were no barriers, no reservations, and no initial shyness. It was as if they had known each other their whole lives that there was no fear of being judged. And somehow, it was really that way. They were getting to know each other tonight and as Haley talked on and on about herself, Nathan found himself wanting to know more and more.

He was captivated. She was unlike any other girl he had ever met. Not only was she incredibly beautiful in her own right, but she was actually normal. She had flaws and she wasn't afraid to talk about them. She couldn't play any sport even if she tried. She once slipped in her aunt's wedding when she was five while walking down the aisle and ended up crying right then and there. She found it difficult to say no to anyone. Growing up, she hated her older sister Taylor because she felt insecure about how unbelievably gorgeous Taylor was as opposed to her. Nathan had seen Taylor around in school and actually scoffed the moment Haley told him. Taylor was nothing compared to Haley. And she rambled. She talked on and on about things as if every single topic was connected to each other and even if there were times Nathan didn't entirely understand what she was talking about, he loved it. She often felt embarrassed when she realized that she was rambling but Nathan was always quick to assure her he didn't mind.

Nathan turned his head towards her, unsure of what to say. He sure as hell didn't want her to leave but at the same time, she couldn't stay in a country where war was bound to happen any time soon. So all he could respond was, "Why?"

"When I was a little girl, I used to imagine getting married by the beach. When my parents took us to all sorts of beaches, I was so excited. It was like looking for the perfect wedding location and none of the beaches they took us to fit the bill of what I wanted. In the end, I always thought that the beach back in Tree Hill was perfect," her eyes misted a bit at that point and she continued, "Then I came here and I realized how perfect this place would be, too," Haley sat up and looked around, sighing. "Just look at this beach and all those wild purple flowers everywhere … it's like home."

Nathan found himself picturing her wedding day by the beach in Tree Hill with him standing by her side … he mentally slapped himself. What the hell was he thinking? He returned his gaze to her. "You wouldn't want to get married here – not with this war. Maybe get married here before the war broke out but even if it does end, wouldn't this place just remind of you the terrible things that happened here?"

Haley nodded. "I suppose … but not everything that happened here is terrible. I got to see you again."

Nathan felt his heart soar and he returned her smile, hoping that she'd see how happy he was that he saw her again. "You never told me what happened to you after that graduation party."

She looked a bit saddened as she lightly ran her fingers through her hair to remove the sand that clung to it. "We moved," she answered simply. "It was getting harder and harder living in Tree Hill. My dad found a job in California like everyone else. We were supposed to move a little earlier in the year, but he found a job in Tree Hill. It didn't last long, though. He lost it a few weeks before graduation. He didn't tell us until after my graduation. He wanted me to finish school." As she spoke, her voice became softer and softer but there was no hiding the pain and longing in her voice. She gripped her knees tightly against her chest as she stared into the distance.

"Your father sounds amazing. My dad was anything but a dad." Nathan didn't mean to sound so bitter but he did the moment he spoke. He wanted to console her somehow but the anger he felt for his father suddenly rose up within him. He never spoke about Dan with anyone and now that he started to, he couldn't stop himself from feeling angry.

Nathan was surprised at how apologetic she suddenly looked. "I'm sorry."

Her words were so simple and yet, her gaze was so arresting, so unwaveringly kind and sincerely sorry for him that he wanted to pull her into his arms and just hold her for the rest of the night. He gave her a hesitant smile which she thankfully returned and abruptly changed the topic. "So how did you suddenly become this famous singer? I thought I would have heard about you in college."

Haley laughed. "It was very sudden, to be quite honest. It's not like I woke up one day and said, 'I want to be a singer' then went to recording companies and handed out demos. I always knew I had some sort of musical inclination and that was it. My brother Matt was the one who sent the demos to a few companies. He wasn't even really serious about it and the next thing I knew, I was being swept away in limousines and recording songs," she gazed at him with an odd look on her face. "Wait, so you really went to college?"

"Gee, thanks for the faith in me, Haley." Nathan said in mock indignation.

She giggled while playfully swatting his shoulder. "You know what I mean. Where did you go?"

"I went to Duke," he replied rather proudly. He loved how her eyes suddenly lit up, glad that she remembered him once mentioning that it had always been his dream to go to college there and play basketball. "I got accepted and had a basketball scholarship. I majored in business just so my dad would shut up about someone taking over the car dealership since Lucas wanted to write."

Her eyes softened at the mention of Nathan taking up business so Lucas would be able to write. "That is amazing, Nathan. I'm so proud that you got that far."

Nathan had heard people say that they were proud of him – of course his dad wasn't one of them – but they were nothing compared to how he felt when Haley said it. "I didn't get into the NBA immediately, though. As soon as I graduated, I had a lot of offers from different teams but my dad wanted me to work in the car dealership. Being the idiot that I was, I worked there for a pretty long time but I was so sick and tired of doing something my dad wanted me to do instead of doing what I wanted. I didn't work hard to get into Duke and graduate for nothing. So one day, I told my dad that I was done with the business and left. I only just started trying out for teams when I got the letter that I was being recruited by the army. I don't know if I was even accepted. Maybe dad burned the letters as soon as they arrived, I don't know."

Haley reached out and took his hand, instantly enveloping it in its comforting warmth. "Nate …"

He shook his head, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "It's alright. At least I have something to look forward to when this war ends. I could get another shot at basketball. And … at least once of us had a dream come true," He didn't sound resentful at all. He was actually sincerely happy for her. "For some famous singer, you still haven't given me anything to brag about to the other guys."

"Well, what do you want?"

Nathan thought about it for a moment and then reached into his pocket to bring out a small black notebook and a pen. "How about an autograph?"

Haley burst out laughing. "I thought you were going to ask for a kiss or something."

"Well, now that you mention it …" he teased, his eyebrows raised mischievously. He laughed loudly when she blushed and gave him a little shove. "I'm kidding. An autograph is fine."

Still blushing a bit, she reached out and grabbed the notebook and pen from him. With a flourish, she signed her name in one of the pages. "Why do you keep a notebook with you, anyway?"

Nathan shrugged. "Lucas gave the notebook to me as a birthday gift. I thought it was pretty stupid back then, but it reminds me of him so I keep it with me."

Before Haley could say anything, there was the sound of rustling leaves behind them and from the bushes emerged Jake, who looked so exhausted, relieved and annoyed at the same time that it was almost comical. "So this is where you both have been all night?"

"What's going on?" Nathan asked.

"The general is looking for you, Miss James. You've been gone a pretty long time, and people were starting to wonder. I tried coming up with every excuse I could possibly think of so people wouldn't ask too much questions but it wasn't enough." Jake said politely.

Haley exchanged glances with Nathan and quickly stood up, brushing sand off her dress. She haphazardly ran her fingers through her hair, hoping it will somehow tame it and walked towards Jake. "Thank you," she told him, smiling gratefully.

Before she could reach Jake, she stopped walking and bent down to pick up a single purple flower. After a few seconds with her back turned to Nathan, she turned around and then returned the notebook to him. "To remember tonight."

With his brows furrowed, Nathan opened the notebook to the page where Haley signed her name. She had tucked the flower inside. He watched her walk away a few seconds and quickly ran after her. He tugged her arm and asked, "When can I see you again?"

Haley looked up at him with her beautiful brown eyes and smiled. "Anytime you want."

Tree Hill, present time

James' car parked at the driveway of the beach house. He hadn't been here in years and the feeling was almost the same as how he felt when he had first driven up in the other house. After a few minutes of mental preparation, he forced himself to step out of the car. As James walked towards the house, his gaze often wandered to the beach as he remembered playing here as a child and then eventually growing up and having beach parties here with his friends. This was also the house his father often went to every time he was in town but wasn't home. Apparently, it was a pretty special place to him.

If before, James would have detested being there, he didn't anymore. Not that much, anyway. Somehow, his initial disdain for anything that concerned his father somehow wavered. He had no definite reason as to why he felt that way, but he supposed it was from getting to know his father's past a bit more. And today, he was sure he was going to get more answers.

James stood at the front door and with a deep breath, knocked. He waited for a few seconds and knocked again. He was starting to wonder if anyone was home. He was sure there was someone – the bedroom light was on.

Just as he was about to turn and leave, he heard the door unlock and a voice ask, "Jamie?"

James felt his heart soar, his knees buckle. The words came easily, effortlessly and they came with a feeling that was sorely missed. "Mom!"