AN: Thank you guys for the wonderful reviews. I really love reading what you guys think. Like I said in the beginning, this is a Haley and Nathan story so it'll be a big part of the story. But Haley's friendships with everyone else will be a big part of the story as well. You'll get a little more of the past from this chapter and I think you'll all understand what happened. Like I said before, it really wasn't something huge but it was enough to make Haley run away from Tree Hill. I hope you like this chapter!

Quote of the Day:

Edward: Bella. Would you please stop trying to take your clothes off?

Chapter Two –Coming Back Is Never Easy

Her childhood home had been just as she remembered it. Since they had gotten home yesterday, Taylor had managed to already bring someone home last night. In fact, it was Taylor that had dragged her to Tric last night. She had found out a few years ago that Karen had opened the place after she had left. She had also known that Peyton managed the place and it was one of the reason's she let Taylor drag her there last night. That was a huge mistake.

She walked around the living room looking at all of the pictures her mother had up. Most of them were just of the kids growing up. A few were of the grandchildren and a few were of her parents when they were younger. It had been so long since she had stepped a foot in this house that she loved so much. She only wished her parents were here to help her through this.

It was so like her parents to buy an RV and hit the road. That was three years ago and they loved it. They claimed that all their offspring had grown up and it was time to do something that they wanted for a change. She did laugh when they told her that. As much as she wanted to be angry with them she couldn't. She was the one that left them all alone and went to live with Quinn. It was nice to know that the house was still there when they needed a place to stay. It was comforting to be in the house now. She had missed it.

It had been hard when they arrived yesterday. Really hard. She had held her tears in as they walked around downstairs and Taylor commented on and pointed out all of the old furniture. Taylor hated just about everything in the house. Once she made it to her room and noticed that everything was just as she left it, she lost it. She had cried for over an hour just walking around looking at all of her stuff that she left behind. The pictures were the worse. Everything was right where she left it and it was hard after all of these years to see it all again.

Taylor had made her go to Tric right after her break down.

She didn't know what she expected when she got there. Tric was a nice enough place but it was nothing like the clubs in New York or Los Angeles. But for Tree Hill she had to admit that it was kind of perfect. She had been surprised to run into Brooke Davis and who she assumed was Brooke's boyfriend. She didn't know. They both had been wearing rings. She hadn't really got to talk to Brooke that much with him showing up. If she had known…lets just say that she would have stayed away from Tric. She had made a mental note to not go there again at all costs. If she wasn't careful he would suck her back in. She couldn't have that.

It was while she was in the kitchen that Taylor walked in with a huge smile on her face. Haley rolled her eyes as she continued to make a list of all the things that she needed at the grocery store. The place was empty.

"Well, last night was fun," Taylor beamed.

She couldn't help but glower at her sister. "Yeah, I heard. Or did you forget that your room is right down the hall from mine?"

"Sorry," Taylor giggled. "I thought you were sleeping. My bad, Hay."

"If Mom and Dad knew what you were doing in their house –"

"They would laugh," Taylor pointed out. "This isn't the first time I've had company over. They know what's up. Well, at least Mom does. Besides, J.B. lives with two other guys. Here was just the better choice. I told you that I would be here for you but I've got to have my fun." She had her hands on her hips and a bright smile on her face. It had been one of Taylor's conditions. She wanted to be here for Haley but she also needed 'Taylor Time' as she put it. Haley still thought the same thing when Taylor mentioned it, whatever!

"You've made that quite clear last night," Haley muttered as she went over the list in her hands again. She needed to make sure that she was getting enough stuff.

"Jealous?"

"Yeah, I'm jealous of you," Haley retorted. "It's always been my dream to hook up with a random stranger and have sex all night long. Did I mention that he was a stranger? Seriously, Tay, at least wait until maybe the second date. You should be required to wear a shirt that says Easy!" Normally, this would sound mean to someone else but not her sister. Taylor didn't take anything seriously.

"Harsh," Taylor giggled. "But really be quiet, he's still asleep." She pointed up and Haley frowned before nodding.

"Sorry," Haley mumbled. She continued walking around the kitchen writing things down. If she left Taylor in charge with buying the food they would be eating take out every night of the week. She glanced up and noticed Taylor fixing herself a cup of coffee. She then glanced at Haley for a few seconds before finally talking.

"So?"

"What?"

"You left last night without telling me. I thought maybe you hooked up yourself."

"Really?" Haley asked in disbelief.

"No," Taylor grinned. "I figured you got bored and took off early. Was I right?"

She shrugged. "Yeah, sort of."

"What happened?" Taylor asked carefully as she placed her coffee cup down on the counter. She walked around the kitchen until she was standing a few feet away from Haley. "Did you see someone?"

She nodded. "Brooke…and N…Nathan." It was still a struggle to say his name. All it did was bring unwanted pain back. She didn't want to feel it. She cringed at the look Taylor gave her. Telling Taylor had been a mistake. The girl always took everything the wrong way.

"Together?" Taylor shouted.

Haley pointed up and Taylor quickly placed a hand over her mouth before shaking her head. Haley held in her laughter as Taylor waited a few seconds before looking back at her.

"No –maybe, I don't know," Haley answered. "They were there together but with this other guy. I thought –he seemed like he was with Brooke. I don't really know and I don't really care." She glanced away so that Taylor couldn't see her face.

"Did you talk to her?"

"Uh-huh," Haley nodded. "Just for a few seconds. I asked about Peyton but she said that she wasn't there. Then Nathan walked up and I kind of just left."

"Did you talk to him?" Taylor added eagerly.

She quickly turned around from Taylor's intense gaze. "No, not really."

"Perfect," Taylor smiled. "Not only did he see how unbelievably amazing you look now but you walked away. Did he drool? Please, tell me that he drooled? Was he speechless? Haley, tell me. I've waited years for that idiot to realize the biggest mistake of his life." She seemed like she was high as she smiled eagerly.

"You don't even know him," Haley muttered.

Taylor laughed. "I know how much he hurt you, I know what an idiot he is for letting you go, and I know that if he seen you then he knows it too. God, him seeing you looking as sexy as you are now must be killing him! This is like the ultimate revenge! I couldn't have planned it better. That's what he gets for letting you go, Haley-bop! I'm hungry for some pie!" Taylor often called pie the best revenge food in the world. It was actually pretty funny.

"He didn't let me go," Haley replied hesitantly. "I was never his."

"Whatever," Taylor continued. "I hope he hates himself right about now. In fact, I'm going to give Quinn a call. She's going to love this. If you're going get food, make sure to get beer. Thanks, Haley-bop." She reached for the phone and her coffee cup before making her way out of the kitchen.

Once she was gone, Haley got a hold of herself. She hated when Taylor talked like she knew exactly what happened. She didn't know anything. Well, she didn't know everything. At least, she hadn't told anyone what happened between her and Nathan...but Taylor. Leaving was hard enough. She didn't need to talk about it. Before she could lose herself in her thoughts she reached for the grocery list and took off out of the house.

~***~

She was on her way home when the car started running crazy. It started getting harder to shift and before she knew it, smoke was coming from under the hood. She quickly pulled over and got out of the car cursing. She glanced down the long road both ways and saw no one coming. If she hadn't taken the long way home she would be there by now but of course she hadn't. She pulled out her cell phone and asked for a towing service.

It was an hour later when the tow truck pulled up. She waited as he backed up until he was right in front of her car. When he got out, Haley felt a smile forming on her face.

"Well, look who it is."

"Keith," Haley smiled genuinely. He was wiping his hands as he made it in front of her and a second later he was holding out his arms and she was walking into his embrace. She had missed Keith Scott a lot. He had been like a second father to her growing up. He was always over at Lucas's and he was always playing with them. They had done so much fun things together and it was really nice seeing him again. She had missed him more than she realized. They hugged for minutes before she pulled away.

"How have you been?"

"Good," Haley answered with a smile. "You?"

"Pretty damn good myself," Keith nodded. "I'm sure you heard that Karen and I finally got together." He held up his hand showing her his wedding ring with a huge smile on his face.

"Yeah," Haley nodded. "I, uh, I heard. Congrats. I always knew that you two belonged together. Luke and I –we uh…" at the mention of Lucas she felt her heart pound, "…we always pretended that you guys were married when we were younger. It was pretty funny actually." She glanced down embarrassed.

"I'll bet," Keith smiled. "Wow, look at you."

She blushed and quickly looked down again. "I guess I look different."

"I barely recognized you," Keith chuckled. "You're certainly all grown up, Little Miss Haley James. We've certainly missed you around here. We thought you left for good." His eyes studied her and she found herself looking away. Keith knew her too well.

"I did," Haley replied. "I mean, I am. I'm not staying for long. I just have something that I need to do here."

"Well, a lot of people will be upset to hear that," Keith smiled softly.

She glanced away, blushing again. "I don't know about that."

"I do," Keith added. "You made a pretty big return last night. Everyone knows your home by now. In fact, when Bruce told me the name of the young lady with the broken down car I just had to come see for myself. And here you are." His arm motioned towards her for dramatic effect and she smiled softly.

"It's not really a big deal," Haley shrugged.

"Maybe not to you but…you know what. Let me keep my mouth shut for once," Keith smiled. He took a few steps towards the car and lifted the hood. It stopped smoking a while ago and she waited as he took a look around. "What happened?"

"I guess it overheated," Haley answered glancing over at him. She didn't know a thing about cars. In fact, she didn't even own one. This was something that would never interest her.

"How long have you had it?"

"Oh, it's not mine," Haley muttered looking at the beat up car. "It's for my sister. She's had it for a few years, I guess. I actually don't own a car. I live in New York so…" her words trailed off. It was just mostly walking or a cab ride in the Big Apple.

"I see," Keith nodded.

"Do you know what's wrong with it?"

"Looks like the belt and I don't know, maybe the transmission," Keith observed.

"Can you fix it? Taylor was hoping to head home at the end of the week, I don't want her to have to stay longer than she wants to." She shut her mouth as he stuck his head back under the hood once again. It was minutes later when he closed the hood and wiped his hands with the red rag in his hands. "What's the verdict?"

"I can do it on one condition," Keith held up one finger and smiled.

"What?" Haley asked hesitantly.

"Dinner with my family," Keith replied.

"Keith," Haley shook her head.

"Just say yes and the car is as good as fixed," Keith pressed. "He misses you, Haley. They all do. Don't you think that's at least worth one dinner? It's been a really long time. You're not kids anymore. Don't you think it's time to get over whatever's kept you away all these years?"

What choice did she have? Keith was the only mechanic in town. If she didn't agree to this then they would have to get someone from the town over.

"You're right," Haley eventually nodded. "But just one dinner. That's it."

He held up his hands. "Deal."

"And a ride home," Haley added as she pointed to the car.

"Of course," Keith smiled.

As he went to get the car hooked up, she popped the trunk and gathered the bags in her hands. She made a few trips and once she was done she sat in the front seat waiting for him to finish. While sitting there she thought of what she was going to tell Taylor. She was going to be pissed.

The car ride to her house was silent and Keith only asked if she was still living in her old house. Once they arrived to her house, he parked up front. She instantly went to pull out her check book.

"How much do I –"

"Don't be serious," Keith smiled. "You're family. It's on me. Plus, don't forget that you promised dinner." His grin only seemed to widen with each word.

"Ok," Haley nodded.

"Do you need any help?" Keith asked pointing to the bags at her feet.

Before she could say yes, J.B. was walking out of the front of the house. He made it to the tow truck and Haley shyly opened the door and let him get most of the bags. Without a word he was gone. She glanced up at Keith and noticed his disapproving face. J.B. wasn't bad looking but the guy was covered head to toe in tattoos. He just wasn't her type of guy.

"No," Haley instantly shook her head as if reading his mind. "Like, not in a million years." She blushed while shaking her head repeatedly.

He laughed. "Let me guess, Hurricane Taylor?"

"Of course," Haley nodded. "Thanks again, Keith. I, uh, I feel like I should pay you. Please, let me. It's not a big deal. I want to pay you." She held out the check book but he pushed it away.

"You're money is no good here," Keith replied.

She hesitantly looked at him. "Keith about dinner…"

"I'll pick you up at six," Keith cut her off.

She blinked in shock. "T –tonight?"

"Yep," Keith nodded. "It'll be fun. I'll see you later."

It was minutes later when she gathered the bags and took off walking towards her house. He drove away and once she made it inside she still couldn't gather her thoughts. Once she heard Taylor yelling they quickly snapped back into place. Her insides cringed at the horrified sound of her sister's voice.

"What the hell happened to my car?!"

~***~

She got dressed as slowly as she could. What did Keith mean when he said his family? That question didn't leave her mind the whole time she was getting ready. Was it just going to be Keith and Karen or was it everybody else, too? She prayed that it was just Keith and Karen. She had begged Taylor to come with her but that fell through when J.B. mentioned a huge party down on the beach. They had left earlier. Traitor!

Once again she was left all alone. The fear of seeing everyone again was kicking into overdrive. Her heart was pounding hard in her chest and her head wouldn't stop spinning. She didn't know why? It's not like she didn't know these people. She knew them. She knew them really well. She had considered them all family at one point. But that was so long ago, she reminded herself. Now, she didn't know who they were. She barely knew who she was. How was she supposed to know people she hadn't seen in over nine years?

She found herself taking long deep breaths as the time approached for Keith to pick her up. Her nerves were always getting the best of her and she hated it. She was fine for so many things but with the talk of Tree Hill and her past then that was it. They got her every time. It's why she never allowed herself to think about this place or the people. It's why she kept all of it hidden deep inside of her. The pain of remembering and the memories of it were too much sometimes. In fact, even now it hurt to think about it.

Living here and being "Tutor girl" had defined her for so long. When she left she didn't know how to be anything else. She didn't know how to be someone else. But with time that got easy. She had left for the simple reason she wanted to be someone else –anyone else. The Haley James that lived here was no more. She hated being that girl that no one knew, the girl that Nathan had been embarrassed to be seen with, and she hated that the person that knew her better than anyone didn't trust her enough with the truth. She was tired of being that Haley James. No one cared about that girl. She was never like loveable Brooke Davis or perfect Peyton Sawyer. She was just Haley. Plain and simple Haley. She didn't want to be that girl anymore.

At college she had been fun. Parties, games, and school spirit, she had done all of it. In fact, Bonnie had been the shy one. Bonnie had wanted to stay home and study all of the time. Not Haley. No. She had made Bonnie have fun. They had done things that Haley never dreamed of. From going up to guys and asking them out, to staying up all hours of the night drinking, and also skipping class. She had done it all. Of course, she let none of this effect her grades. She might have been the new fun Haley James but failing anything just wasn't in the cards for her. She had still been "Tutor girl" at heart in a way.

As she glanced on her bed at the different clothes she picked out, she realized that none of them would do. Going back into her closet, she quickly took out a few more dresses. She tried each of them on and took the time looking at each of them carefully. Being roommates with Bonnie had been great. Bonnie was a fashion freak despite her shyness. She had taught her all about what and what not to wear. She had never really been the one to think about things like this but living with Bonnie had changed that. Now, she couldn't get out of the house without a double take in the mirror. It's not that she cared what other people thought –she didn't care about that –it only mattered what she thought.

She found herself with two different dresses in her hand. One was white with blue designs on it and the other was yellow. In the end she picked the yellow one. Once she decided to wear her hair up, she pinned it up in a messy bun before placing on a white headband. She put on a little makeup and once she was done she waited in her room.

She sat nervously on her bed.

The thought of tonight had her stomach doing unnecessary flip flops.

Her hands were shaking.

It wasn't long before she heard the door bell ring. Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest at the sound of it and she quickly stood up and grabbed her purse. The walk downstairs felt like the longest walk in her life. Thankfully she had the car ride to their house to think before she saw anyone else. Keith was good. Keith was safe. She couldn't handle anyone else. As she made it to the door, she took a deep breath before opening it slowly.

Her whole body froze when she saw Lucas Scott standing there –her Lucas –the boy that she had loved with all of her heart since she was eight years old. It was a love that was completely innocent and platonic.

Fragments of images flooded her mind of their past. He had been the one person that she knew better than anyone or at least she thought she did. Up until then she had a pretty good idea of the person he was. That all changed in one moment. Now, she didn't know the man standing before her and it was easy to hold herself back from wanting to jump into his arms. She had craved the comfort of those arms but he didn't need to know that. That'd be her little secret. She hoped her face didn't say otherwise.

She felt almost shy standing in front of him and she quickly glanced down before looking back up again. He shoved his hands in his pockets and she took the time to take in the sight of him. This Lucas looked so much different from the seventeen year old version she remembered. His head was shaved, he had a beard, and he looked older. He seemed taller, more built, and yet he still looked the same –his eyes, his smile.

It felt like forever that they stood there in silence. It was one of the things that she used to love about their friendship –they could sit there for hours without a word and it was comfortable –this was not. She didn't like it. Although, this man looked like her former bestfriend, he was not. This was someone that she didn't know. Still, he was looking at her like he was seeing a ghost. It was uncomfortable.

"Hi, Luke," Haley smiled softly. "Uh, how long has it been?" Stupid question. You know!

"Heh…nine years…I hope you don't mind. When Keith told me that you agreed to have dinner with us, I was really happy, Haley. I've missed you." He removed on hand out of his pocket before bringing it up and running it over his shaved head. It looked like he wanted to take a step closer but he was holding himself back, she could tell.

She glanced down. "I thought Keith was coming to pick me up." With each second it felt like her heart was ready to jump out of her chest.

"Sorry about that," Lucas mumbled shyly. "I kind of…I told him…I wanted to see you first. I came last night actually but uh…"

"You did?" Haley asked in disbelief.

He nodded. "Of course. Haley, when Brooke told me that she seen you…I came here as fast as I could. I made it all the way up to your door and before I could knock, I don't know I just kind of froze. I know you didn't want to see me and so I left. I just didn't want to overwhelm you, but when Keith told me about tonight, you have to know, I…"

She closed her eyes for a brief second.

He glanced away shaking his head before looking at her. "You just left."

She nodded. Yeah, she had just left.

"You didn't even say goodbye," Lucas added. "I just came over one day and you were gone. The worse part is that you told them not to tell me where you went. Why? Didn't our friendship mean anything to you?" He didn't seem angry, just hurt. It was making it harder not to care. His eyes held nothing but saddness and it was making it harder for her to breathe.

"Of course it did," Haley whispered closing her eyes. Didn't he know that? If their friendship hadn't meant so much then none of this would have happened. She wished she didn't care. Not now and not then. But she did.

"You just left," Lucas repeated.

"I know, ok," Haley whispered before looking up. She wasn't going to cry. She wasn't going to cry. Not in front of him. She held her tears in. This Lucas –her Lucas –they were both the same and she had missed him. She had missed him so much. She craved those arms around her more than ever. Looking up she knew he wasn't going to let this one go.

"Why did you leave? We have one fight and I know that I was a jackass. And when you came over that night I was just in a really bad mood. But I didn't mean what I said, ok. I was just angry with the whole situation. I didn't want to hurt Brooke but I was in love with Peyton and I couldn't control it. And I know you saw us –"

"Lucas," Haley cut him off. "I don't want to talk about it!" It came out meaner than she intended it to but it looked like he got the point.

"Why did you leave?"

Or not.

"Because he broke my heart," Haley answered dryly. "Is that what you wanted to hear? That you were right about him? Do you want to know how much he hurt me? Both of you? Do you want to know that it hurt so much that I couldn't stand it? Being here, knowing that I was nothing, that I –"

"What are you talking about?" Lucas asked carefully.

"I don't want to talk about it," Haley answered calmly before looking away.

"Hales –"

"Lucas, I said no. Ok. I didn't come back here for that and if you keep on talking about it then I'm going back inside," Haley stated while looking up at him. He held up his hands and nodded his head.

"Fine," Lucas muttered. She watched as he fought with himself. She could see in his eyes how much he wanted to talk about it. It's all he wanted. Answers. It was written all over his face. She watched as his resolve slipped away. She had no doubt in her mind that he believed that she would turn and leave him standing here. "You ready to go?"

She nodded before closing the door. He started walking down the walkway and she followed a few feet behind. It was few seconds later when they reached the sidewalk. She glanced around and didn't see his car. He noticed her looking and he shrugged.

"I sort of walked here," Lucas said looking down at her. "I figured we could catch up on the way to my Moms. But since you don't want to talk we can just walk. Whatever you want?"

They started walking in silence. The tension was thick and it was making her uncomfortable. It had never been this way with Lucas before but now somehow it was. She kept her eyes straight ahead but every few seconds she could feel his eyes on her. She held her hands nervously together. She didn't know why he was looking at her so much.

"You look beautiful, Hales," Lucas commented.

She closed her eyes momentarily at the mention of her old nickname. He had said it before earlier but it was easy to ignore while he was being angry with her for leaving. Now, it was hard. The sincerity in his voice made it harder for her to ignore. He had been the one to first call her that.

"Thank you," Haley responded while looking up at him with a soft smile.

"Did you get the letters that I sent?" Lucas asked while she was looking at him.

She glanced away. "Yes."

"I didn't know which of your sisters that you moved in with, I knew it wouldn't have been with Mark or Brad, so I sent the same letter to Quinn and Vivian's."

"Luke –"

"If you read it then you know how sorry I am," Lucas pointed out.

She sighed. "I didn't read them."

"Why?" Lucas questioned hurt.

"Because," Haley shrugged. "I knew that it would have just made me want to come home and I didn't want that. Not then –not now. I didn't want to be here anymore, Lucas. And I knew that if I read what you had to say then I would have come back and nothing would have changed. I'd still be the same girl I was back then and I didn't like her."

"There's nothing wrong with you," Lucas declared.

"Not anymore," Haley stated matter-of-factly. "I'm more guarded now. Before I would just let anyone in and I would always try to see the good in everyone when now I know that it's not always the case. Some people just aren't good. I learned how to protect me, Luke."

"You're compassionate, there's nothing wrong with that," Lucas stated. By the look on his face she could tell that he was getting angrier by the second. His whole body was tense.

"I was stupid," Haley corrected.

He shook his head. "You see the good in people because that's who you are. That's the person you are and you can't convince me for one second that you've changed. I know you better than you know yourself. No amount of time apart will change that."

The determination in his voice was unsettling. He seemed so sure of everything. He always had. It was one of the things that she used to admire about him. Lucas always knew who he was. Now he was just pissing her off. He didn't know her!

"I'm not that girl anymore," Haley protested.

"I'll believe it when I see it," Lucas muttered.

She rolled her eyes. "You don't know me."

"Sure I don't," Lucas retorted.

She glowered. "You don't," she insisted.

"Ok," Lucas chuckled. "Look at us already back to normal."

"No we're not," Haley gritted out. "We're fighting. This is not normal and you don't know me. Not anymore." Her hands were balled up in fists now. She didn't know why, but anger filled her whole being.

"Whatever you say," Lucas chuckled. "But you say fighting, I say disagreement."

"Can we just not talk?"

He laughed for a few more minutes before being quiet. She walked faster in frustration. Lucas didn't know her and it pissed her off that he assumed he still did. She was a few steps in front of him and if it would have been up to her she would have turned and ran home. But she had promised Keith dinner and she couldn't back out on her promise.

Somewhere along the way Lucas had made it in front of her. It was only then that she slowed down. She let him walk ahead and she stayed back to clear her head.

Once she saw the house, she noticed Lucas already making it up the steps. She took her time walking towards the porch. A flood of memories of her and Luke playing in this very yard came rushing to her and she quickly pushed them out. Once she made it on the porch she noticed Lucas talking to someone.

Her heart started hammering in her chest.

"I'm sure you remember my brother," Lucas stated while pointing to Nathan beside him.

It felt like someone had hit her. She almost took a step back from the two of them. Almost. She had known that they were brothers now. Her mother had told her that a long time ago. It's not like she expected them to still hate each others guts. But to see them standing here together –like brothers –it was enough to send her mind in a million different directions all at once. She could remember a time when they couldn't even be in the same room as each other. Now, here they were standing side-by-side. Against her.

A sharp pain in her chest took over and it made her angry. Why was she letting them have this effect on her? She was pissed. The anger fueled her and her eyes sought out his.

"Looks like your plan backfired," Haley seethed.

Nathan went to open his mouth but nothing came out. He closed it before looking down away from her eyes.

"Hales –" Lucas started.

"Don't," Haley muttered closing her eyes. "Don't call me that. My name is Haley."

"Ok, Haley," Lucas corrected. "Can we please just –"

"No," Haley shook her head. "I don't want to get into this with either of you. I didn't come back here for that. I'm only here because Keith asked me to. So please just leave me alone. I don't want to talk to either of you." With that she turned away from them abruptly and went inside without even knocking. This night just got way more complicated! With each step she took she didn't know why her stupid heart wouldn't stop pounding. For the first time, in a long time, it felt whole again. Somehow that didn't stop the pain.