A/N: Thank you for the awesome reviews! And yes, there is a secret about Haley. I'd like to thank my awesome beta: Leeese for helping me out.

Disclaimer: Only own the plot

Chapter Five

The Witch Is Back

Haley tried to be patient as she waited for Nathan to come back in. After awhile, she grew tired and decided to go and find him. She walked out of the library and headed into the hall. She was surprised to see that the house was just as big as Brooke's mansion was.

She wandered through the halls and ended up at the grand staircase. She went down the stairs and as she reached the last few steps, she heard voices. She followed the voices around the corner and saw Lily leaning against a closed door. "Lily, what are you doing?" Haley asked her and Lily jumped at the sound of Haley's voice.

Lily then shushed her as she put her ear to the door again. "I'm trying to listen to the meeting," she whispered.

"What meeting?" Haley asked confused.

"Mom called an emergency meeting of the family to talk about that evil Brooke," Lily told her. "But I'm not sure what they're on about since I'm never allowed in there when they have their meetings."

Just then, the door opened and Nathan started to come out of the room when he saw Haley and Lily. He gave a stern look to his sister. "How many times has Mom told you not to eavesdrop on our meetings?" he asked her as he folded his arms and raised his eyebrows.

"I wouldn't have to eavesdrop if I was allowed to come to the meetings," Lily replied as she rolled his eyes at him.

Nathan was about to reply until he suddenly stared off into space and he got a concerned look on his face. "Shit, we got company," he muttered to himself. Haley didn't even have to ask who he was talking about. She knew Brooke had arrived and she felt a sinking feeling in her stomach.

Karen then came out of the room with the same concerned look on her face. "Let me handle this," she told her son firmly. Apparently, she had had the same feeling that Nathan had. Nathan and Haley followed Karen through the hall and to the front door.

Karen walked out onto the front porch. Haley and Nathan were right behind her. However, all three stayed on the porch while Brooke, Peyton and Julian climbed out of Peyton's comet. They then walked up to the front lawn and stopped there. They knew that they couldn't enter the house.

"Why am I not surprised that the whole Scott family moved back to Tree Hill?" Brooke said as she glared at Karen and Nathan.

"Well, you know us. We never travel alone," Nathan snapped as he glared at her.

"Easy, Nathan. I just came to take Haley home," Brooke said as she turned to look at Haley. "After all, it's pretty late. In fact, it's almost midnight. And you know what that means, don't you Haley?"

Haley rolled her eyes and sighed as she replied. "Yes, I do."

"Then you should get your stuff and say good night to the Scotts because it's time to go," Brooke told her in a firm tone.

"She's not going anywhere with you," Nathan exclaimed angrily as he frowned at her.

"Nathan," Karen said as she gave him a warning look.

"I'll be right there," Haley said. She had a feeling that it was best not to argue with her. She didn't want to cause a magical battle between the two groups.

She ignored the angry look that Nathan was giving her as she went past him and walked back inside. Karen and Nathan were right behind her. "Mom, you aren't really going to let Haley go back with that bitch, are you?" Nathan exclaimed in disbelief.

"Nathan, we have no choice," Karen told him gently.

"I'll be ok," Haley assured Nathan as she grabbed her coat from the coat rack. She put it on as he looked at her concerned. "The worst thing she will do is punish me. And I can take her punishments."

"Are you sure?" Nathan asked her worried. He really didn't want her to go back with Brooke.

Haley nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure. After all, I've been dealing with her for three years. I think I can handle her another day."

"I wish we could do something," Nathan said in a frustrated tone.

Haley smiled gratefully. "Me too. But you can't, at least not this time," she replied before she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm not going to give up, no matter what," Nathan promised her as he looked her directly in the eye.

"I know you won't. And I don't expect you to," Haley replied softly before she went out of the front door. She really wished that she didn't have to leave the Scotts, but she knew that it was the right thing to do. She didn't want to see anybody get hurt, even if they did already know each other. She then realized that she had never asked Nathan or Karen about how they knew Brooke.

Karen and Nathan silently followed her outside and stood on the front porch once again. Haley walked down the front steps and over to Brooke, Peyton and Julian. Julian and Peyton led her to the car as Brooke spoke to Karen and Nathan. "Thank you for your cooperation." There was a short pause as she waited for them to be alone. Once the car disappeared, she continued. "And if you or the rest of your family ever comes near Haley again, I won't even hesitate to kill you," she warned them in a low voice.

"Why not just kill Haley? Surely, there must be a reason why you're keeping her alive," Nathan asked her with venom in his voice.

"That's none of your business. And you'd better keep out of it unless you want to end up like your brother," Brooke warned him in the same tone.

Nathan glared at her. Her last comment made him angrier. "Lucas was just trying to help you," he exclaimed as he went towards her. His mother held him back. "But it looks like he couldn't help a lost cause."

Brooke glared back at him. "Stay away from Haley or else," she warned him one final time before she snapped her fingers and disappeared from sight.

Nathan groaned in frustration as he and Karen went back inside. "I can't believe that that witch had the nerve to mention Lucas."

"I know. But you can't let her get to you," Karen told him gently. "And I think its best that you stay away from Haley for a little while." Nathan was about to protest when she continued. "I know you want to protect her from Brooke. I do too. And I have an idea on how to do that."

Nathan didn't let her go on. "Then why did you mention it earlier?" he exclaimed in a hurt tone.

"Because Brooke would have known right away if we had done a spell on Haley," Karen replied. "So that's why I'm asking you to wait for a little bit for things to die down. In the meantime, I need you to find something small so Brooke won't realize that we have interfered with her magic."

Nathan nodded as he understood that his mother was right. "I'll see what I can find."

A week later, Haley was attending to her daily chores when she realized that it was time to get the mail. She got up from the floor where she had been scrubbing the front hallway for the last half-hour and headed out the front door. She was glad that she was going to get a break, even if it was a short one.

She got the mail and was leafing through it when she saw that she had gotten a letter. There was no return address, but she immediately knew who it was from. She put the rest of the mail on the kitchen table and hurried upstairs to read the letter.

Just as she was getting to her room, she jumped as she heard Nikki's voice. She turned to look at Nikki, who had been changed back to her wicked self. "What's your hurry?" she asked her suspiciously.

Haley had completely forgotten that Nikki was hanging around the house while Brooke and Peyton were working on their magical studies in the attic, where they usually did their work. "There's no hurry. I'm just going to my room," Haley replied as she got ready to grab the door handle. She still couldn't believe that Brooke and Peyton turned her back into a human. But she had a feeling that it wouldn't last since Nikki always seemed to be getting into trouble and pissing Peyton and Brooke off.

"Then what's in your hand?" Nikki asked her, noticing the envelope right away.

Haley quickly hid the letter behind her back. "That's none of your business," she replied. Before Nikki could say anything, Haley quickly went into her bedroom and locked the door. She then sat on her bed and eagerly opened the envelope. She then read the short note. It was from Nathan. He wanted her to meet him at the dock early the next morning at seven o'clock.

She bit her lip as she tried to think of a way to get out of the house that early in the morning. Brooke was usually asleep at that time since she was always up all night with practicing her spells and curses. She hoped that if she managed to sneak out that Brooke or one of the others wouldn't catch her.

Haley hadn't been surprised when Brooke made her drink the truth potion the minute that she had arrived home. She hated drinking it, but she had no choice. She never did when it came to Brooke. After that night, she had been locked in her bedroom unless she was at Tric under strict supervision.

That day was the first day that Haley wasn't locked in her bedroom. However, she wasn't allowed off the property. Otherwise, she would be severely punished. She hated it and felt like a little kid who was grounded.

She hoped that this note meant that Nathan and Karen had found a way to get her away from Brooke. She would do anything to be free from her. She started to come up with a plan to get out of the house without Brooke noticing that she was gone. She was willing to do anything possible to meet Nathan, no matter what the punishment was.