A/N: Thank for the awesome reviews. And thanks to my awesome beta: Leeese!
Disclaimer: Don't own OTH
Chapter Ten
Magic Wears A Mask
It wasn't long before Nathan and Haley were cuddled up together on the floor in front of the fireplace as the fire burned brightly. Neither of them could believe what had just happened between them. Haley didn't know what to make of it while Nathan was enjoying the fact that he had finally told her how he felt. He had wanted to tell her for days, but had never had the chance, thanks to Brooke. Now that it was out in the open, it made him wonder if she loved him back.
He suddenly snapped out of his daydream as he heard Haley's voice. "Nathan, do you mind if I ask you a personal question?" she asked him. She sounded almost hesitant.
"You can ask me anything," Nathan replied honestly.
Haley took a deep breath before speaking. "What was Lucas like?" she asked him. She knew that this was a tough subject for him to talk about. However, she was curious to know more about his brother. Nathan was quiet and Haley quickly apologized. "I'm sorry. That's too personal. I understand."
Nathan shook his head as he gave her a reassuring smile. "No, it's ok. I don't mind. Lucas was the best big brother anyone could have ever had. He was really protective of me and Lily. Actually, he was protective of all of our friends in the coven especially Brooke."
Haley smiled in return as she said, "No offense, but I can't really picture Brooke as a good witch."
Nathan laughed in response. "Yeah, she is a bad ass witch, isn't she?"
Haley laughed too before she got serious once again. She sat up straight and looked at him. "Nathan, earlier you said that you thought that I was a witch. Where did you get that idea from?"
"It was in a book of prophecies that my mom found," Nathan replied.
"There's only one problem, Nathan. I don't have any powers," Haley reminded him in a gentle tone.
"Maybe you do and you just don't know it yet," Nathan replied. However, Haley wasn't convinced. "Come on. With everything that you have seen in the last three years, you don't think that you could be a witch?" Haley was about to respond when he continued. "Maybe it wasn't an accident that you ran into Brooke that Halloween night. Maybe it's fate, leading you to your destiny back into the magical world."
Haley tried not to laugh at his words, as she could tell that he was being serious. "Nathan, I'm trying to get away from the magical world, not get dragged more into it."
"But that's the thing. If magic is a part of you, you can't escape it. It's what makes you who you are," Nathan replied as he gazed in her eyes. "Maybe Brooke didn't kill you for a reason and it wasn't just because you begged for your life."
Haley raised her eyebrows in response. "And what exactly does this prophecy say about me?" she asked him.
"According to the prophecy, you are the one who will defeat Brooke," Nathan replied. Haley gave him a skeptical look. Nathan somehow knew what she was thinking. "Yeah, I know it's not original. But that's what the prophecy says."
"It says me specifically?" Haley asked him. Nathan shook his head. "Then how do you know if it's me? And not somebody else?"
"Because the picture that goes along with it closely resembles you and Brooke," Nathan replied. "And when I visited your mom, she said that you are where you need to be. As for your powers, your biological parents probably took them away for safety so you could live a normal life for awhile." Haley didn't say anything as she processed his theory. He then spoke in a gentle tone as he said, "Look, I know this is a lot to take in. And I understand if you don't believe me. Hell, I wouldn't believe somebody at first if I was told I was a warlock. So why don't you go upstairs and get some rest? I'll stand guard just in case somebody manages to get through my magic."
Haley had to admit that she was tired. She nodded in agreement as she quietly said, "Good night, Nathan." She then got up from the floor and walked out of the room. As she walked up the stairs, she couldn't help wondering if she was really a witch. It was a little too hard to believe. As far as she knew, she had never shown any sign of any powers. Of course, it would make sense if her parents took her powers away so that she could have a normal life.
As she reached one of the bedrooms, she suddenly realized that she didn't want to sleep upstairs alone. She was too afraid that she would wake up and find herself back in Brooke's house. She walked back down the stairs and back into the living room. Nathan turned to her in surprise. "Do you think I could sleep downstairs with you tonight?"
Nathan gave her a warm smile in response. "Of course you can."
Haley smiled in return as she returned to her place next to him on the floor. They snuggled up close together under the blanket. "I'm almost afraid of going to sleep," Haley told Nathan as he wrapped his arms around her.
Nathan looked at her curious. "Why?"
"Because I feel like this is all a dream," Haley replied quietly. "And if it is, I don't want to wake up."
"Don't worry. You don't have to," Nathan told her with a smile. Haley smiled in return as they both drifted off to sleep.
It seemed like they had only just fallen asleep when they were woken up by a familiar but unwelcoming voice. "Well, this is a pretty sight. Too bad that's Chris Keller's girlfriend you are laying next to."
Nathan and Haley opened their eyes and gasped in horror as they saw Chris, Julian and Owen standing over them. "How the hell did you find us here?" Nathan demanded as he and Haley got up from the floor. Nathan stood protectively in front of Haley as he wondered how on earth they had gotten through all the magical protection he had put in place.
"Well, it didn't take Brooke long to figure out that you had blocked her magic. But she was willing to give Haley a chance to return by curfew. When she didn't, she decided to send us out to look for you two," Julian told them with a grin.
"Well, this is private property. So I suggest that you get out before I call the police," Nathan warned them as he glared angrily at them.
Chris, Owen and Julian just laughed. "You're joking, right?" Julian asked him through his laughter. "You do know that the police are defenseless against us? After all, they are mortals."
Haley suddenly spoke. "Apparently, you didn't get the memo yesterday. I'm not going back."
"Sorry, but you have no choice," said another voice, as the person walked into view. To Haley's surprise, it was Rachel and not Peyton. Rachel knew what she was thinking. "Peyton is helping Brooke and the others with something. So I'm the one who came to help the guys fetch you." Haley became a little nervous. She knew that it wasn't good if Brooke was with the rest of her coven or her being vague about what Brooke was up to. It usually meant that they were working on her punishment. Rachel then looked at Nathan. "So you're the other Scott brother? I've heard a lot about you."
"I'm sure you have. Now get off my property or else," Nathan warned them once again. He was more than prepared to use his powers if he had to. He wasn't going to let them take Haley again. He knew that if he did, he wouldn't see her again.
Rachel didn't say anything. Instead, she gave a nod to Owen and Chris. They snapped their fingers and disappeared. However, there was only a few seconds before they reappeared behind Haley. Neither Haley nor Nathan had time to react as they grabbed her. Chris gripped Haley's arm tightly and started to pull her away from Nathan and over to Rachel.
"Get the fuck away from her," Nathan exclaimed angrily. Before he could use his powers, Rachel used hers. She waved her hand and Nathan was thrown against the wall. Haley watched helplessly as he hit the wall and fell to the floor. He was then still.
"Can we kill him now?" Chris asked impatiently.
"I don't think so," said another voice from behind them. Everyone turned to see a woman standing there. Nobody recognized her. "I believe that this young man said to get off his property. Now I suggest you respect his wishes. Or you'll have to deal with me. And you don't want to mess with me. Trust me. I can be just as bad as my daughter when it comes to disobeying rules." Rachel just glared at her as she realized who she was. She and the guys were just about to leave when Victoria stopped her. "And I also suggest you let Haley go too."
Rachel didn't say anything for a few moments as she continued to glare at her. She then gave a nod to Chris and Owen. They were disappointed, but let go of Haley. She rushed over to Nathan and checked on him as Rachel turned to Victoria. "Don't be surprised when Brooke pops by once she hears about this."
Victoria just smirked at her as she said, "Well, tell Brooke not to expect Haley back anytime soon." Rachel just shot one last glare at her before she and the guys snapped their fingers and disappeared.
Haley was relieved as Nathan opened his eyes. He groaned as he sat up and looked at her in concern. "Are you okay?" he asked her. Haley nodded. He then noticed Victoria. "What are you doing here?" he asked her before he did introductions. "Haley, this is Victoria Davis, Brooke's mother. Victoria, Haley works for Brooke."
"Yes, I know. I heard all about you. I also heard about your little stunt with her yesterday. So I thought that I would join in with the search for you two. I was hoping to find you before my daughter and her followers did. It looks like I came just in the nick of time," Victoria told him. "By the way, the next time you pick a secret hiding place, you might want to make sure that it's more than just Brooke's magic that's blocked." Nathan nodded understandingly as he realized where he had gone wrong. "I'll work on that for you now while you rest." She then left the room, leaving the two alone.
"That was too close. Are you ok?" Haley asked him.
"Yeah, I just have a little headache. That's all. Are you sure you're ok? That bastard Chris didn't hurt you or anything?" he asked her worriedly.
"No, I'm fine. I thought they were going to feel the bracelet under my sleeve though," Haley replied.
"Well, it's lucky that Victoria was there to step in," Nathan said. "Otherwise, they might have."
"You don't need to thank me. I'm happy to help," Victoria replied as she came back into the room. "After all, you're part of the family now. We can't let anything bad happen to you."
Nathan looked at her surprised as they got up from the floor. "Are you feeling ok, Victoria? You usually are suspicious of newcomers to our group." He then turned to Haley as he added, "No offense."
"None taken," Haley replied as she smiled slightly.
Victoria knew that he had a point. "Well, this is different. After all, Haley is a prisoner of my daughter. We can't let that stay that way especially after what happened with Lucas," she told them. "Now, why don't I conjure up some delicious breakfast for you two?" she asked. She didn't even let Nathan or Haley answer. "Now don't argue with me. It's my treat." She then dashed off to the kitchen.
Nathan turned to Haley. He frowned in confusion as he said, "She's not normally like this. She's usually more business."
"Maybe she wants to get revenge on her daughter," Haley suggested as she started to head to the kitchen. Nathan then stopped her and she turned to him, wondering what he had to say.
"I need to know how you feel about me," Nathan whispered.
Haley didn't answer for a moment. "I don't know," she admitted.
Nathan gave her a hurt and confused look. "So you're telling me that kiss didn't mean anything to you? Surely you must have felt something between us. Otherwise, you wouldn't have kissed me."
Haley was about to reply when they heard a strange noise coming from the kitchen. She and Nathan hurried in there to see what had happened. They saw Victoria standing over the table that was now set with food on it. "What happened in here?" Nathan asked her with a frown.
Victoria looked at them confused. "What do you mean?"
"We heard a strange noise and thought that something happened to you," Nathan replied as they walked to the table. They immediately noticed that the table was only set for two people. "Aren't you going to eat?"
"No, I'm fine. You two sit and eat," Victoria insisted. Nathan gave her a confused look as he and Haley grabbed seats at the table. They were then quiet as they started eating.
Haley gave Victoria a smile. "This is really delicious, Victoria," she told her.
Victoria gave her a smile in return. "You're welcome, Haley." She then watched with interest as the breakfast continued to be consumed. She couldn't help but smile to herself as she saw their heads suddenly droop. It was only a few seconds later when they started to put their heads on the table. Haley extended her arm out on the table and rested her head there while Nathan went straight down on the table. Victoria moved his food out of the way for him before checking them one last time.
She then morphed back into her evil self before calling Brooke. Brooke soon appeared next to her. Rachel was right beside her. "The plan worked like a charm. They thought I was really Victoria. No questions asked," Peyton told them as she smiled happily. "Of course, Rachel did help with her acting skills."
Rachel smiled proudly. "Well, it wasn't that hard. I really do hate Victoria."
"The plan only worked if you got the information that I wanted," Brooke reminded her.
"Well, I have good news and bad news," Peyton replied. Brooke turned to her, interested to hear what she had to say. "Well, the good news is that I got the information you wanted." Brooke was thrilled. However, Peyton had more. "The bad news is that there is a possibility that Haley loves Nathan."
"Why would you think that?" Brooke asked her as she frowned.
"Because they had a kiss between them. And it sounds like it might have be a true love's kiss," Peyton told her. Brooke was furious at the possibility. "But the good news for that is Haley doesn't know if she does love him."
"Good. That works out perfectly then," Brooke said as she managed a smile. "Now what exactly is blocking my magic from working on Haley?"
"According to Haley, it's a bracelet," Peyton replied as Rachel walked over to Haley and carefully started searching for it. "That's not necessary. I put a strong sleeping potion in their food. They won't wake up until late afternoon, possibly early evening."
Rachel looked up for a second. "Ok, I know what we are going to do with her. But what are we going to do with Nathan?" she asked as she turned to him. "Clearly, he's not going to give up until Haley is away from you for good."
Brooke knew she was right. "We're not going to do anything with him. He is going to live with the pain and the guilt, knowing that he couldn't save her," she replied as she walked over and poured some memory dust on him. "Now remove the bracelet from Haley so we can get out of here. We have a lot of work to do back home." It only took a few seconds before Rachel found it and carefully pulled it off of Haley's wrist. Brooke then snapped her fingers and Haley disappeared. The three witches then snapped their fingers and disappeared from sight, leaving Nathan sleeping soundly.