A/N: Sorry for the very long delay. Thanks for the reviews and my beta: Leeese.

Disclaimer: Don't own OTH

Chapter Twenty Two

Bite Me

Lucas just shook his head in amazement as Nathan finished telling the story. "Wow, I can't believe that I have missed so much. Or that Haley and Brooke have to battle to the death."

Haley gave him an unimpressed look. "I know that you don't want to kill her, but I don't know if I can help you to convince her to become good again."

"Why not?" Nathan exclaimed. "You are her one true love. If anyone can do it, you can."

Lucas gave his brother a look and asked, "Have you ever heard of a witch switching from good to evil to good again?"

"No, but that doesn't mean that Brooke can't be the first," Nathan pointed out.

Lucas raised his eyebrows in surprise. "When did you become such an optimist?"

Nathan just gave his brother a smile. "It was when I heard the story about Haley's birth parents. If her mother could turn good because of love, then there is no reason why Brooke can't do the same."

Lily frowned. "I thought becoming good or evil was a choice. How can Haley and Lucas convince Brooke to become good again? Especially since she has been evil for so long? Can true love really work?"

"There's only one way to find out," Karen replied before she turned to her eldest son. "Lucas, you are going to go through intense studying and training over the next days. You have a lot of catching up to do."

Lucas nodded understandingly. "I'm ready."

"Good. Then let's get started," Dan replied. "We have no time to lose." He and Lucas then quickly said good-bye before they disappeared from sight. Karen and Lily were right behind them.

Nathan then noticed that Skills was missing. He frowned, wondering where he had gone. He started to grow concerned when he heard strange noises coming from the lamp. Smoke started to come out of it before Skills appeared with a suitcase. He gave them a wide smile as he said, "Ok, I'm ready for that last wish."

"Are you sure you want to be free?" Nathan asked him. Skills nodded. However, before Nathan could make his wish, they saw Nikki snatch the lamp from the table. She examined it closely as the three glared at her. "Don't even think about taking that," he warned her.

Nikki gave him a look. "I'm not stupid, Nathan. I know you would catch me in a second," she said as she put the lamp down back on the table. "Unlike your wife, I have no powers."

"So why are you here?" Haley asked her suspiciously. She knew that she wouldn't come there without a reason. "Actually, I don't care anymore. This is my house now and I want you out of this cabin," she demanded.

Nikki raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Really? How are you going to do that? Are you going to use your powers on me?"

Haley glared at her. "I will if I have to," she replied. "Now get out." Nikki didn't protest as she headed towards the front door. Haley followed her just to make sure that she left. Nathan and Skills were right behind her. Haley then turned back to Nathan. "Make that wish before anything else happens. Then we're going on a rescue mission."

"Who are we rescuing?" Nathan asked her. She didn't answer him. He then looked at his wife hard before figuring out the answer. "You're talking about your birth mother, aren't you?" Haley again didn't answer as she went into the kitchen, but he could tell that he was right. "Haley, are you crazy? That place will be crawling with guards. We would be caught instantly."

"Do you have any other ideas?" Haley exclaimed. Nathan was about to protest when she continued. "She has been locked up as a prisoner for that coven for years, just like I was. She has probably been suffering the same punishments I have had to, only hers could be worse. It wasn't right for Brooke to lock me up. And it isn't right for them to lock her up."

Nathan stopped her right there. "You're right. She doesn't deserve to be a prisoner too. But don't you think that it would be better to wait until after you've had the final battle with Brooke?"

"No, I don't," Haley replied. "By the way, what is the difference between Brooke killing a person and me killing Brooke? If I kill her, wouldn't that mean that I would turn evil? Because she did."

Nathan shook his head. "No, you won't. Because Brooke was doing black magic before she started her killing spree." Haley was still confused. "The magic world isn't all black and white. It's very complicated."

"Speaking of magic, someone needs to make a little wish," Skills gently reminded him.

Nathan laughed. "Alright, I'll do it." He cleared his throat before speaking again. "Skills, I wish you free."

Skills smiled a mile wide and waited anxiously for the magic to start happening. However, nothing happened. Skills was disappointed. "Nathan, did you say it right?" Haley asked Nathan. He nodded. They then jumped as they heard a noise coming from the foyer. They rushed into the room.

Nathan then held Haley back as they saw an unusually large bat, the lamp hanging from its feet. He glared at the creature as it hissed at them. It then flew out the window before they could do anything. Nathan hurried to the window and watched as it flew out into the woods. He groaned frustrated. "Damn it."

"That wasn't a bat, was it?" Haley asked him.

Nathan shook his head. "No, it was a vampire."

Haley frowned. "I thought vampires had to be invited in," she said confused before she realized how he got in. "I should have known that Nikki was up to no good."

Nathan hurried to the hallway closet and pulled out a couple of flashlights. "You stay here. Skills and I will deal with it."

Haley immediately protested. "No way. I'm going with you," she said. "I don't care if it was Ian or not. He is not going to give that lamp to Charlene and the coven."

Nathan gave her a confused look. "You know Ian?" he asked her surprised as he gathered up his vampire protection gear.

"I know of him. Peyton talked about him all the time like he's her boyfriend or something," Haley replied. "I can't really imagine a witch and a vampire together. Then again, I couldn't imagine Buffy and Angel together either."

Skills frowned in confusion. "Who?"

Nathan decided that now was not the time to explain who they were to Skills. "Never mind. We should get going. Ian might be back at his home by now." He turned to his wife. "I know that you want to help, but it's safer for you here." He then gave her a quick kiss. "We'll be back as soon as we can."

"Shouldn't she have some protection too?" Skills asked him.

Nathan snapped his fingers and a couple of stakes appeared on the coffee table in the foyer. "Be careful out there. I heard that he is dangerous," she warned him. "And I have a feeling that he won't be nice to a Scott."

Nathan nodded. "If he returns, don't fall under his spell. Otherwise, he will put you in a trance and probably take you back to the coven." He had a feeling that he would never get her back if that happened.

Haley gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. The only person I will ever fall for is you," she replied before they shared another kiss. They then exchanged good-byes before Nathan and Skills popped out.

As the minutes ticked by, Haley started to get anxious. She did everything she could to keep herself preoccupied, but her mind kept going to Nathan and his search for the lamp. She finally decided to help Nathan and Skills search. She grabbed the two stakes, garlic and something silver to protect her.

She decided to try the club first. She had heard Peyton talk about meeting Ian all the time there. She snapped her fingers and disappeared from the cabin. She reappeared inside the club and was relieved to see that nobody was in there. She had a feeling that the club hadn't been opened since the coven had left town.

She hopped up on stage and looked around at the empty room. She hated to admit it, but she missed singing in front of people. She hoped that she would be able to sing again once this whole battle against the coven was over.

She was about to sing when she heard a voice. She looked around the room again, but she didn't see anybody. "Well, it looks like Peyton was right." Haley started to get nervous as a tall blonde man came out of the shadows of backstage. "You couldn't resist the temptation of leaving the cabin the minute your precious husband left."

"You're Ian, aren't you?" Haley asked him as he continued to come towards her. She tried to move, but she was too scared to. "Stay away from me," she warned him as he backed her into a corner.

"Don't worry. I have no intentions of turning you," Ian replied. "I would love to, but Peyton has requested me to keep you here while the coven deals with the Scott family." Ian then smirked at her as Haley's eyes became wide. "Yeah, this was just a trap so that the coven could capture Nathan and take him back to the Scott mansion. That way, they could all be together when the coven kills them."

Haley couldn't believe what she was hearing. "No!" she exclaimed angrily. She squinted her eyes and used her telekinetic powers to push him away from her, just enough for her to get away. She was about to jump off the stage when Ian roughly grabbed her arm and pulled her close to him. She struggled to get away from him, but he held her tight. "Let me go," she exclaimed angrily.

Ian was thoughtful for a moment. "You know, I might turn you after all. I always wanted a wife to help me raise a new generation of vampires." Haley was about to use her powers when she suddenly stopped herself. Ian just smirked at her as he said, "You are in my power now." Haley knew that she was in trouble. Yet, she couldn't do anything about it. Ian chuckled as he started to realize that she was in his trance.

He led her over to the center of the stage. He was about to start feeding on her when he heard a familiar voice. "I would advise against that, Ian," Charlene warned him. "Peyton told you to keep an eye on her, not feed on her."

Ian gave her an annoyed look. "I know, but I'm hungry. And I have always wanted to feed on a witch."

"How can you be hungry when you were just fed before you were sent on the errand?" Charlene pointed out. Ian didn't answer, knowing that she was right. "Don't worry. Once the new Witches Council is set up, then you will get to feed on all the humans you want. But for now, you must stick to the rules. Now free her from the trance and get to the Scott mansion. Peyton has the perfect Scott member for you to play with."

Ian smiled happily as he snapped his fingers. Haley blinked a few times as she tried to remember where she was. As her memory started to come back, Ian jumped off the stage and walked towards the exit. Haley then remembered what had happened. "Where's Nathan?" she demanded as she jumped off the stage.

"Don't worry. He's perfectly safe for now," Charlene said. "I'm sorry. Ian loves to scare his victims before biting them."

"Why have you kept Lucas hidden from the Scott family all these years?" Haley demanded.

"That is none of your business," Charlene replied. "So I suggest you stay out of it."

"They're my family now," Haley reminded her. "So it is my business. And if you want to kill the Scott family, you're going to have to kill me too. What the hell is Brooke waiting for?"

"Because your real family keeps hoping that you will join them without being forced," Charlene replied. "But I finally realized that it won't happen. So I'm afraid that it's time to take drastic measures with you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Haley asked her.

"You'll find out soon enough," Charlene replied.