A/N: I'm glad you all are still enjoying the fic. Here's the next chapter. I think you'll like it, its the perfect blend between romance and mystery

Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill or any of it's characters, though I certainly wish I could make Nathan Scott mine and mine only.

The ride to the apartment was peaceful. From time to time, I glanced at Nathan, hoping to find some clues but his face was always unreadable. Eyes glazed over, lips in a lop- sided smile, he seemed to be off in another world. The silence, it wasn't awkward, I'd even go so far as to say it was comforting. There were so many questions I wanted to ask, some about the case, some not but I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

When I pulled up in the parking lot beside the Lincoln apartments, Nathan looked at me and gave a reassuring smile.

People would call me nuts for breaking into a criminal investigation and that too in the middle of the night with none other than the prime suspect but to me it didn't matter. I never was one to go by conventional methods and I wasn't about to start now.

The clock in the lobby said it was around 12:38, just about the time when the party had ended. The man in the reception area didn't seem to recognise either of us.

We waited until the receptionist had turned his attention back to the small television sitting on top of his desk.

"Come on", I whispered, taking his hand in my own and guiding him to the private elevators.

Sliding the card into the gold plated slot, I waited for the machine to give us entry to the elevators. It occurred to me that the elevator couldn't be the only way to access the top floor, if not for safety, for the law at least. A place like this would be shut down if it didn't.

At the sound of the elevator's ping, we stepped into the enclosed box. 28th floor was a long way to go.

I glanced toward Nathan to find him once again lost in his thoughts.

"What are you thinking?" I asked, breaking the silence.

"Hunh? Oh nothing. I was just thinking about Dan. It's the first time I've been here since …"

We'd spent so much time arguing about the past and the case that we never really talked about the thing that mattered most – the death of his father. Of course, why would he talk to me about it? I was just his lawyer and someone who'd abandoned him years ago, why would he tell me anything?"

"If it's too hard for you, we can go back", I offered.

6 … 7 … 8

Washington D.C is a beautiful city. Looking through the window, it was breathtaking. Tiny cars moving back and forth, city lights twinkling under the midnight sky. Into the distance you could make out the thick columns of the White House.

"Some day I'm going to be president", I'd declared to my father once upon a time.

"You can be anything you want sweetie. The world is yours to take. Promise me one thing, you'll never lose hope. No matter what life throws your way, you'll never get discouraged. Take it as a challenge, it can never break you. if anything it'll make you stronger"

"Haley … Haley, you there?" asked Nathan with curiosity.

When he looked at me, as corny as it sounds, it felt like he could glimpse into my soul.

"What? Oh sorry"

"No problem" he replied slightly amused.

After all the drama that happened in our life, I'd grown to recollect the bad things rather than the good. Long before the tour and all that came with it, there was time when Nathan and I were friends. We were completely head over heels in love. No one understood us; they said that we were too different. But that didn't bother us, we knew that what we had was special, and no one, not Dan, not the people in town, no one could take that away from us.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure", he said looking intently at my tiny frame. It was a cold night, and in spite of the heating, it was still a little chilly. I could feel the heat radiating off him. It would be so easy to step into his arms and just lose myself in his embrace. But alas I couldn't. That special place in his heart belonged to another now.

"Why did you come here?"

He darted his eyes back and forth, avoiding my eyes. Clearly, this was something he'd rather not discuss.

"Because I didn't want you to come here alone", he finally replied.

"I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself. Besides, if you'd given me the chance, I could have asked someone else to come with me."

"Maybe I just wanted to spend sometime with you", he said as he stepped out of the elevator, disappearing into the darkness.

"What did he mean by that?" I thought to myself.

It was so like him to say something like that and then just leave. As much as I would like to sit around and analyse that situation, I had more important things to do. Something had caught my attention. I'd been so busy thinking about the past that I'd hadn't noticed the tiny fleck of light being reflected from the elevator wall. On the left corner, just beside the floor numbers, disguised as a screw of some sort, there was a tiny lens. The police wouldn't have seen it, you'd have to know where to look to recognise it but there was no doubt in my mind that whatever happened that night must have been recorded on tape.

After Dan's first heart attack, when Keith had taken over, that's when Lucas found it. The tiny lens disguised as a keyhole in Dan's prized race car painting. He'd hoped to finally bring down the great Dan Scott but his plan backfired, all because of that damn piece of equipment.

Stepping out to make sure Nathan wasn't nearby, I took out a mini screwdriver (don't even ask as to why I'd have this in my purse), I hoisted myself up on the gold plated railing and steadied myself on the thing that lit up the floor numbers.

I wanted to find out where the wires from the camera converged. And to my luck, the damn wires had been burned, probably a result of the fire.

"Haley, where are you?" I heard Nathan ask.

I didn't respond. I strongly believed that Nathan hadn't killed Dan but I had a feeling he was still somehow connected to the whole incident. Bringing him here was a mistake. But it was too late to go back now.

I stepped down from the railing and walked into what was once Dan's entrance area. The smell of ashes and burnt flesh filled the space. I wanted to look for the tapes but at the moment, I was more worried about Nathan. Cursing myself for having brought him here in the first place, I thought I saw a shadow appear and disappear in a split second. There had been a court order preventing the reconstruction of this part of the building so from the likes of it, the apartment was exactly as it should have been from the day of the fire.

"Haley where are you?" I heard him ask once more. Clearly he had no idea of how to act when snooping around in the middle of the night.

Leaving my task at hand, I walked in the direction of Nathan's voice. I found him looking out the window of what once was Dan's living room.

"Nathan pipe down already. What is it?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to know where you were. This place gives me the creeps. Did you find what you were looking for?" he asked shifting from one foot to another.

This sudden burst of protectiveness, I didn't know what to think of it. On one hand, I was happy that his anger toward me had somewhat lessened but on the other, it was kind of unnerving. I liked my independence and didn't appreciate people meddling at my time of work.

"If you're so freaked, why don't you go back and sit in the car?" I said, rather impatiently. Was I being too harsh? Ever since the day I found out about his engagement, I've been sort of snappy. I had no right to treat him the way I was, he didn't deserve this.

Letting out a sigh I continued: "I'm sorry. I'm not used to having people around when I'm at work. I'm almost done. Why don't you got sit in the lobby? I'll be down in a few minutes".

Shoving his hands in his pockets, he glanced back at the window then replied with a faint smile: "That's okay. You take your time. I'll be here".

In the time that I'd spent with him over the last few weeks, preparing for his case, I'd begun to see a different side of him. If this had happened back in junior year, Nathan would have been pissed off and left me to fend for myself. Instead, today he controlled his anger and did the right thing by staying here in spite of his unwillingness to be here. More than anything what I'd gathered from our exchanges was that Nathan had become a matured man. I had a lot of respect for him and though our reunion of sorts had occurred in the worst possible situation, I was glad that it happened. Having Nathan in my life, though not in the way I would ideally want it to be, it seemed to fill that hole in my life. Him just being there, that was enough to make me feel complete.

I'd poured over the blue prints of the apartment so many times that in spite of my having been here for the very first time, I had the place memorised. Walking through the corridor, I tried to picture how it would have looked like prior to the fire. Tall ceilings, rich burgundy coloured walls, gold mouldings and exquisite artwork all around. That's how I imagined it based on the images I'd seen in various magazines. To put it in one word, what I saw in this moment was black. From the floor to the ceiling, the walls, the furniture, everything had had the color stripped right out of them. The stench of burned plastic and wood filled the air. It was making me light headed, I had the strong urged to puke my guts out but where would I do so? There was no sink, no toilet, no garbage bin, everything was gone forever.

Coming out of my reverie, I found myself standing in Dan's study, the place hardest hit by the fire, the place where my ex-father-in-law was poisoned and left to perish. It was kind of ironic if you thought about it. How many times had I or some else who knew him wished that he would just burn in hell? I for one had done this countless times.

The police had searched every inch of this place, but hadn't come any closer to figuring out this mystery. Every shred of evidence, apart from the wine bottle had been wiped out by the fire. No blood, no DNA evidence, nothing.

Everything in this world happens for a reason. Who was this person who so badly wanted him dead and what did he/she gain from this whole ordeal? Could it be revenge from one of the many he'd screwed over? Or was this a property issue? The political angle didn't fit, the public loved him, he knew just the way to convince people what he wanted was also what's best for society. The manipulative bastard could get away with anything. Oh crud, its wrong to speak ill of the dead isn't it? Oh well it's too late now.

For the second time this night, I thought I felt a presence.

"Who's there?" I asked, trying my best to keep the fear out of my voice all the while swinging my flashlight here and there.

Nothing.

Maybe it was just my mind playing tricks on me. "Come on Haley, you've faced the biggest of criminals in your lifetime, you're not going to be afraid of a petty burglar are you?" I asked myself.

I spun around swiftly only to find myself come face to face with bookshelf filled with ashes, bits and pieces of paper, and dozens and dozens of books. Steinbeck, Conrad, Hemingway, Tolstoy, you name it, it was there. It was too bad that they'd all been destroyed so badly that no one would ever be able to read them. It really was a shame, Lucas would have loved it.

Finally gathering enough courage, I stepped into the area outlined by the yellow tape, the place where Dan's body had been found. There was this wooden desk, it sat there, alone and disfigured. If objects could talk, this piece would have asked me why? Why did I deserve this fate? Like everything else recently, for this too I had no answer. The glass that once rested on top of the wood had lost its shape, and fused itself with the wooden surface. The desk lay on a slant, contents threatening to spill out. Through an enormous hole, on the left corner you could see a glimpse of the moon. Looking closer, I realised it was a mirror, cracked and covered in ash, only the visible portion spared from the dust. For some reason this intrigued me.

Blindly shoving my hand through the hole, I found myself in contact with something cool to my fingers. Pulling it out, I realised it was a key.

"A key to what?" I wondered.

Securing it in my pant pocket, I began to pull at the drawer, hoping to find more clues. But alas, the lock had fused itself with the metallic structure attached to the side of the drawer.

That's when Nathan came in to the room. From the expression on his face, he looked absolutely disgusted. He'd had enough of this place and I didn't blame him. This was the first time I'd come to this apartment and I was more than ready to get out of here. And to Nathan, this place actually meant something; imagine the thoughts that must be running through his head right about now?

"Ready to leave?" he asked practically begging me to say yes.

"Come on", I replied. I'd gotten about as much information as I could get for this night at least.

We were almost out of the room when I had this urge to turn back and look at the room, one last time. It was as if it was calling me, begging me to put together the pieces. It felt like without doing so, somehow my life would be incomplete. Such strong feelings, such strong emotions, it was beginning to scare me a bit.

Resting his arm on my shoulder, Nathan pulled me out of my gaze and guided me towards the elevator. I looked at him to find him smiling, as if a wave of relief had just washed over him.

I expected him to remove his arm from my shoulder once we entered the elevator but he did no such thing. It was as if he was in his own world, I doubt he even knew I was there. The comforting silence that had existed between us just moments ago was broken by the shrill ring of Nathan's cell phone.

By the time he was done, we'd reached the lobby and our little moment, if you can call it that was gone forever.

"Sebastian, my driver is out in the entrance. Do you want me to walk you back to your car?" he asked out of politeness I suppose.

I know I wasn't supposed to be hurt by this. After all, we were practically strangers now. If it weren't for the case, our paths would never have crossed and this entire evening would never have taken place. So why was I feeling like this? What is the meaning of this disappointment? I hated Nathan didn't I? So why was I unwilling to let this evening end?

"No, that's not necessary. I'll … I'll call you", I finally replied not knowing what else to say.

Taking that as a sign that he was now free to go, he gave a brief nod and went on his way, once again extracting his phone from his right pocket.

The receptionist looked at me questioningly but I paid no attention. I just walked back to my car, drove home, and snuggled under my down comforter, washing away my worries. I didn't need Nathan; he was just another client requiring my services, nothing more.

***

I could feel the heat radiating off of him. There was a sense of desperation in the air. We held on to each other like there was no tomorrow, we couldn't keep our hands off each other. As he proceeded to devour me in ways that most women could only dream of, I found myself drifting into another world. One minute we were in the car, the next we were floating midair. It didn't make any sense and yet it felt more real that anything I'd ever felt before.

"Oh god Haley, I've missed you so much" he whispered in between kisses. As I ran my hands through his soft brown hair, it occurred to me how beautiful he was. Men aren't supposed to be called beautiful; macho, manly, strong are what they'd prefer but I'd beg to differ.

"I've missed you too" I breathed out, pulling him in for a long and sensuous kiss.

Finally breaking the kiss, desperate for air, I ran my fingers over his face. Piercing blue eyes, sharp features, flawless skin, Nathan was what one would call strikingly handsome. It was no wonder that he was the heartthrob of millions.

"Haley … Haley" someone called from a distance.

I was too lost in the moment to pay any attention. Pulling him closer, I let my body melt into his, revelling in his scent. His lips were so soft, so inviting, I couldn't possibly get away from him, even if I wanted to.

"Haley … Haley" someone yelled, the sound getting louder by the minute.

Then all of a sudden a loud beeping sound filled the air.

I watched in horror as Nathan proceeded to fade into thin air and a bright white light emerged in his place.

Lifting one arm from under the blanket, I whacked the dark object that had become my current source of distress. It was only when I heard the thud of plastic coming into contact with wood that I opened my eyes and thus became fully aware of the situation around me.

Forcing myself to sit upright, I looked down to find my new alarm clock now shattered to pieces.

"Damn, that's the third one this month", I thought to myself.

"Haley James get your sorry ass up and open this door right this instant", yelled Brooke entirely frustrated and on the verge of breaking down my front door.

Picking up my robe from the floor just beside the pile of clothes that had accumulated over the last few days, I began to move closer to the living room.

7:00 signalled the clock sitting on my kitchen counter space, just beside the pile of dishes from yesterday morning's breakfast.

"When did I become such as slob?" I wondered.

When I unlocked the door, Brooke breezed past me practically knocking me over. "Finally she opens the door, tutor girl what took you so long?" she asked crossing her arms, trying to look angrier than she really was. Trust me, I've put her through much worse situations.

"Brooke its 7 AM on a Saturday morning. Why are you here?" I asked very much irritated.

"Wait who the hell turned on my alarm?" I continued cutting her off, realization finally setting in.

"That would be me" she replied with a mischievous grin.

I was so appalled at the situation that I didn't even bother to express my displeasure with words; I simply let out a groan.

"Oh come on Haley don't be such a spoilt sport. You've been so busy with work that we haven't had one on one girl time in like forever. I thought we could go window shopping for my wedding gown."

"Brooke, Lucas hasn't even asked you to get married. What's the rush?" I asked in the midst of pouring myself some milk and cereal. I hadn't eaten any real food since yesterday's lunch, needless to say, I was starving.

There was a knock on the door. Brooke got to it before I did.

"Hey, how are you?" she asked.

"Brooke who is it?" I yelled, not really paying attention. Food was of utmost concern for me at the moment.

"It's me" replied Nathan stepping into the kitchen looking ravishing as usual.

Why was this happening to me? Is it me or did he look even more stunning than usual? Wearing a pair of jeans and a baby blue polo shirt, Nathan just took my breath away. Life is so cruel sometimes. You learn to move on but then one day, something happens and you're back to square one. All that effort I'd put into forgetting about Nathan and everything associated with him, all of that had gone to waste. I was back to the pining stage. What was it about Nathan that kept me on edge all the time? One minute I could be on cloud nine, feeling like the happiest person on the planet and in the next I could be absolutely miserable, hoping that the ground would swallow me alive.

The sound of shattering glass brought me out of my reverie.

"Here let me help you with that", he said, coming closer.

That was when I noticed the mess I'd made. Shards of broken glass now floated in the small puddle of milk that now covered my otherwise spotless marble flooring.

"Thanks", I replied tearing out a piece of paper towel.

As we began picking up the pieces of glass, for a split second our hands touched. It felt like a jolt of electricity just shot down my spine.

He looked up and our eyes locked for a second. I could feel the world spinning. Why was I feeling like this? Any hopes I ever had of reconciliation had been shattered the day I saw that ring on Peyton's finger. Still, why did my heart flutter every time I saw him?

Oh my god did he just move closer? Is he going to kiss me? Am I reading too much into this?

The sound of Brooke clearing her throat brought us out of our daze. At that, Nathan shot up and quickly walked back to the living room, equally bewildered by the brief "moment" that had taken place just now.

"Umm… Luke told me you guys were going shopping. Since Peyton doesn't really know anyone here, I was hoping you guys could help her buy the things she needs for the wedding" said Nathan, nervously running his hands through his hair.

The wedding, that's why he was here, it all made sense now. How stupid was I to think that anything could ever happen between us again.

I looked to Brooke trying to make sure she was okay with this. Once upon a time, Brooke and Peyton had been best friends. They were practically glued at the hips some would say. It all changed senior year when Peyton confessed that she still had feelings for Lucas. Ten years of friendship went down the drain, all because of a boy. Lucas had tried for reconciliation but his efforts were futile. Brooke moved to New York to become a fashion designer and Peyton to California to do god knows what. Right now for Nathan's sake, they were trying their best to get along but you could tell that neither of them cared much to mend their ties.

"Sure, we'd love to help" said Brooke, fiddling with her shirt strings.

"Thanks Brooke" replied Nathan, the sarcasm in Brooke's voice having gone unnoticed.

"No problem" returned Brooke, plastering a fake smile.

And then the dreaded awkwardness returned …

It's sad when the person who once meant the world to you becomes a complete stranger, so much so that you forget how to act normally around them even though it's supposed to be the easiest thing in the world.

"I'll show you to the door", I finally let out, thereby putting us both out of our misery.

When Nathan was finally gone, I walked back into the apartment and holed myself up into the confines of my bedroom.

Was I hurt that Nathan had been insensitive enough to ask me to help shop for Peyton's wedding accessories?

Absolutely.

Was I going to wallow in self pity?

Certainly not.

No, I wasn't that girl anymore. For years on end, I'd cried and cried over this and now I was done crying. Instead, I was going to put my fury to good use. I was determined to make a major breakthrough on the case today itself.

If only Brooke would leave …

Just as I was about to sit down with a pen and paper, I heard Brooke knocking on the door. She was the best friend a girl could ask for but no matter how much she tried, she could never truly understand what I was going through.

"What is it Brooke?" I asked rather impatiently, just itching to get back to work.

Taking me by surprise, she pulled me into a tight hug, a little too tight if you ask me.

"Brooke, get off I can't breathe", I complained, having reached my limit for tolerance.

I didn't mean to be a bitch but seeing Nathan first thing in the morning had put me in a rather foul mood.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Nathan is such a dickhead" she said with a smile.

And just like that, the anger was gone.

"Thanks for saying that Brooke but you don't mean it. Give me five minutes and then we'll get going"

"Yippee!" exclaimed Brooke jumping up and down like a six year old.

So much for work, I guess it'll have to wait.

We picked up Peyton from her hotel room and were on our way to the mall when a song came on the radio and I couldn't help but laugh. This was our song, the three musketeers as Lucas used to call us.

And so we talked all night about the rest of our lives
Where we're gonna be when we turn 25
I keep thinking times will never change
Keep on thinking things will always be the same

I glanced at the rear view mirror to find Peyton with the same look on her face.

I didn't know much of love
But it came too soon
And there was me and you
And then we got real blue
Stay at home talking on the telephone
We would get so excited and we'd get so scared
Laughing at ourselves thinking life's not fair

Life isn't fair alright. If it were, our friendship wouldn't have fallen apart as easily as it did.

Will we think about tomorrow like we think about now?
Can we survive it out there?
Can we make it somehow?
I guess I thought that this would never end
And suddenly it's like we're women and men
Will the past be a shadow that will follow us 'round?
Will these memories fade when I leave this town?

Peyton or no Peyton, Brooke was never one to be this quiet: "So Peyton, how long are you staying here?"

"You should ask your friend" replied Peyton with a smile, ever the cynic.

Brooke looked at me puzzled awaiting my response.

"She's likely to be called as witness in Nathan's case. So she's required by law to stick around until the DA's office says so"

"So how long will that be? A week? A month? 'Cause you know, I do have better things to do than sit around waiting all day long."

"Oh come on. Think of it as a vacation, you get to spend time with Nathan; the prosecution gets to build its case. Pretty much a win-win situation no?"

Sensing the tension, Brooke tried to interfere but Peyton cut her off:" Hales, you're not jealous are you?"

That bitch! She was going to pay for this.

"That's Haley to you. And besides, what have I got to be jealous about?"

"Oh I don't know, the fact I'm the one marrying Nathan and not you. The realisation of what a big mistake when you made when let him go, it's finally setting in isn't it?"

"Okay that's enough Peyton. Can't we behave civilly for a single afternoon? For Nathan's sake at least?" begged Brooke.

"Fine" replied Peyton grudgingly.

Brooke then looked at me with her no nonsense face: "Fine", I replied, not having much of a choice.

***

"So where should we start?" I asked wanting for this trip to end as quickly as possible.

Shopping has never been my thing. Unlike Peyton and Brooke, I didn't come from a rich family. My dad worked at the local power plant and my mom stayed home to take care of us. Whatever money we had, it went into buying food and paying the bills. Needless to say, after years of saving every penny, mostly to pay for college, spending large amounts of cash was something I tended to avoid.

"I'd like to look for some jewellery", offered Peyton.

"Yeah that sounds fun. Maybe I'll finally be able to find my dream engagement ring", sighed Brooke.

I hadn't the heart to tell her, but Lucas had yet to propose. That's not to say that he isn't going to because he is. He just doesn't want to rush things. As for the ring itself, it's already been bought and is now waiting to be engraved by the skilled hands of the wonderful craftsmen over in Amsterdam.

"So how do you like this one?" pointed Peyton to insanely large piece of blue rock attached to metal that you call a ring.

"Wonderful" I replied disinterested. People were dying of starvation and this woman was buying a $5000 dollar ring.

I followed Brooke and Peyton through a dozen other stores, trying on dresses, lingerie and what not. I was beginning to understand just why men had such a strong dislike toward the idea of shopping.

In the midst of fiddling with the games on my blackberry, I heard the sound of Peyton's laughter. I'd never heard Peyton laugh out loud like this. Given her history with her parents, boyfriends and what not, she'd always been moody and angst-ridden. What had caused this change in personality? Was Nathan behind this source of happiness? Peyton, dislike her as I might, made Nathan happy and vice versa, I just had to accept it.

"Haley, we're going to go look at some makeup. You coming?" asked Brooke expectantly. God she was amazing. She despised Peyton more than anyone and yet here she was, acting as the middle-woman trying to make things run smoothly for the both of us.

"Sure you guys go ahead; I'll be right with you".

Peyton left, wordlessly giving me the impression that it didn't matter to her if we were with her or not. If I hadn't known better, I'd almost think that Nathan had forced her to come with us as some ploy to mend the friendship that we'd ended long ago.

Moving on, something was bothering me. The key that I'd found, for the life of me I couldn't figure out what it was for. Silver in colour, with sharp triangular edges in the bottom, it was highly unconventional in design. It didn't look to be a house key, nor one for cars. It was puzzling at best.

As I walked past a mob of teenagers awaiting the release of the latest playstation console or whatever the latest hype was about, I couldn't help but envy them. So carefree, so hopeful, if only we could all be that way. I wouldn't go so far as to say that I was jaded or a cynic of sorts but the fact is, I went through a lot of hardship in my formative years and as a result I'd been forced grow up much faster than everyone else.

All of a sudden, I felt someone tap my shoulders, startling me so much so that I ended up dropping my purse along with my key.

"Brooke, what the hell?"

"Wow easy there tiger. What's wrong with you? You've been on edge since morning".

She bent down and began picking up the things before I could react.

For the umpteenth time this morning, I found myself apologizing to Brooke. It was like I was there but I had no control over what I was doing or saying. Suddenly all the things that meant the world to me didn't seem to be as important. It felt like my life was like a soap opera where I was the viewer looking in but having no control over what was happening.

"Haley is this mine?" asked Brooke, scrutinizing the mysterious key.

"Umm … no. I found it. Wait a minute … do you know what it's for?"

"Yes of course. This is a key to the locker boxes at the Bank of America. I have one just like it, Lucas gave it to me. In fact, everyone in the Scott family has just one like it. Where did you find this?"

"Bank of America, are you sure?"

"Yeah. See the diamond shape on top? That's their logo."

"Bank account, now why didn't I think of that?" I chastised myself.

"Does this have something to do with Nathan's case?" questioned Brooke nervously.

"You know I can't tell you right?" I replied, reluctantly. I didn't like keeping things from Brooke but I had to. One wrong move and everything could go down the drain.

"Right, I know. I'm sorry."

Linking her arms with mine, Brooke continued: "Let's see what that witch is up to, shall we?"

After spending about five to ten minutes searching for Peyton, we found her at this little boutique trying on dresses.

The one she had on when we found her was absolutely stunning. Strapless and off white in colour, Peyton was beautiful; there was no doubt about it. I'd always felt inadequate for Nathan, he was too good looking, seeing Peyton in this attire made me even more aware of it. Peyton was the kind of girl he was meant to marry; I was just a mistake, one that everyone constantly reminded me of.

"How do I look?" questioned Peyton in the midst of fiddling with her veil. Before I got a chance to answer, I got the call that would give me the break I desperately needed in this case.

"Ms. James, I've located the Senator's bank account"

"Thanks Jenny"

As I proceeded to jot down the details of Dan's account and the mysterious locker, I felt Peyton's presence behind me. Who did she think she was prying into my personal business?

"What do you want", I blurted out, failing to hold back my annoyance.

"I … I'm sorry. Is this a bad time?" questioned Jenny nervously. Making me even more irritated than I already was.

"No, Jenny I wasn't talking to you. Just hold on for a sec would you?"

I spun around swiftly looking Peyton straight in the face "Is there something I can do for you?" putting on a sugary smile hoping she would just go away.

"Uhh … I just wanted to let you know that Brooke and I were going down to the shoe store next door".

I looked past Peyton to Brooke giving me her puppy dog eyes, begging me to let go of my phone and come along with her.

"Fine, go ahead I'll be right with you", I replied in haste practically shooing her off.

"Now Jenny …"

***

"Hi, I'm Haley James. I called you a few minutes ago about Senator Scott's account"

"Yes, yes of course", said the pleasant looking lady as she ushered me into a room behind the reception desk.

Just like everything else of Dan's this too was an elaborate affair. I walked into this room, with tall ceilings, and exquisite paintings all around. It was almost like a museum to be honest. So quiet, so serene, the only sound I could hear was sound of my heels making contact with the marble floor click clack click clack. After walking through the narrow halls for like a mile, the woman stopped in front of this large golden door, just like in the movies. She punched in some random keys and the door began to slide open.

"I'll be right here Miss. Just give me a holler if you need anything"

I gave a brief nod and stepped into the room, anxious to see what truths I'd find. Unlike the rest of the building that seemed so warm and inviting, the locker room was cold and deceiving. Every great person in this city and most likely this country had a box in here. Going around the circular room searching for locker 133, I looked to my hands to see them shaking. Was it me or was this room awfully chilly? Finding the mystery box, I pushed the key into the hold, steadying one hand with the other. Upon insertion of the key, the sound of machines coming into motion filled the air. Slowly, the box began sliding out, giving a glimpse of its contents.

There were three things in the container: a file, an envelope, and an expired check to some Matthew Trenton. Trenton … Trenton … why did that name seem so familiar to me? Was he someone from the past that I ceased to remember?

I ran my fingers around the edge of the envelope feeling its rough texture prickle my skin. I looked to the aged envelope, afraid to look inside. I brought the envelope close to my nose and I instantly recognised the scent.

It smelled like him.

A mix of aftershave and cigars, it was an unmistakable odour, one I'd come to despise over the years. The scent belonged to Dan Scott through and through. Finally gathering enough courage, I opened the envelope afraid of what its contents would reveal.

It was a photograph.

Just as I was about to pull out the picture, I heard footsteps. As if by instinct, I grabbed the locker's contents and stashed them into my purse.

"Nathan what are you doing here?"

As seemed to be habit of his, shoving his hands into his pocket, he came forward averting his eyes: "Brooke told me you'd be here"

It was as if he didn't want me to get to the truth. Every time I came close to it, Nathan would show up out of nowhere acting as a distraction and leaving me more puzzled than I'd been before.

I turned back to close the box and guided him towards the exit.

"How did the shopping trip go" he asked, as we went down the stairs.

"It was fine. Peyton couldn't decide on the dress though"

"Yeah, I know she can be picky sometimes"

There was that look again. Face blank, eyes glazed, I hate to say it but Nathan was becoming more and more like Dan as the days went by.

I stopped abruptly, forcing Nathan to turn back and look at me for the first time.

"What do you want from me Nathan?" I asked earnestly.

The brief "moment" that we'd had this morning. It couldn't be entirely one sided now could it?

He stepped closer, laying his hand on my right cheek. It was a chilly day. The harsh winter had made my skin numb. Nathan's touch seemed to bring them to life again. I wanted to resist. I so badly did but it was too hard. One look at his crystal blue eyes and I could feel my knees turn to jelly. Try as I might, I was still as much in love with Nathan as the day I'd gotten married to him. One case of misjudgement had pretty much ruined my life. All the fame and the money in the world couldn't make up for the emptiness that I felt without Nathan's presence in my life.

When he leaned in, his minty fresh breath filling up my senses, I couldn't bring myself to get away from him.

"I want you", he whispered, capturing my lips with his, sending me into waves of ecstasy. Laying his hands behind my back, he pulled me closer, resting his hands on my hips. God! I missed this! His touch, his scent, everything about him was just so incredibly irresistible.

After enjoying a few moments of sheer bliss, I came to my senses. I realised that what I was doing was wrong. I didn't want to end up being the other woman. I didn't like Peyton, but that didn't give me the right to do this to her. My heart, the irrational part of me was saying that he was mine first, but the rational part, my mind told me it was wrong. I couldn't do this. Not like this.

Tasting his lips one last time, I broke the kiss. He looked at me questioningly, desperate for an answer but I couldn't give him one.

"I'm sorry"

Touching my lips and feeling its warmth, I did the one thing I was good at.

I ran away.

Song Credit: "Graduation" by Vitamin C