Howdy Howdy my precious readers. How have you been this past week? Good I hope, a couple of things, the teacher mentioned in this chapter, if you are new or have just forgotten; was a teacher of mine, yes that is how his last name is spelt and I choose to use him as he past away suddenly after Easter last year. The next chapter might not be up on time next week, I want to tweak it a little bit. Anyways lets get this chapter off with a bang. it's a long one :) as usual thank you to all who review, you make my day

Chapter 22

Karen Scott looked up as the door to her cafe opened harshly, she gasped and for the second time in the last two months she dropped the coffee pot she was holding; only this time she was worried for what she saw. Haley with three butterfly stiches across the side of her head stopping just before her eyebrow; her daughter in law did not look too impressed by them either.

"Haley?"

"I'm fine, really, the lovely student who did this however let's just say her parents are being asked to remove her from Tree Hill Middle School. Lilly will be happy and finally my sixth grade English class will stop getting interrupted." said Haley sitting down at the counter on the same stool her younger sister in law had been sitting at a couple of hours earlier. She knew as much as she said she was fine she was still a little shaken from the whole experience.

"What happened?" Karen asked sitting beside her Haley rested her head on Karen shoulder for a minute wondering just where she should start.

"Where do I begin, I guess it starts with Andree Michels eighth grade science class. His class has this rule that if you don't complete your assignments in time you have to do them in detention. Which is fair; enough time is given to complete it. Well his class had this group assessment and unfortunately Duncan Donnelly happened to be grouped with some of the worst kids in the world. They purposely didn't do their parts as to get Duncan in detention. We all knew this, even Andree but he couldn't make an expectation or the next time someone else would cry foul. I'm sure Lilly has filled you in on the sixth grade drama so I'll just skip to two hours ago. I set Kellie and Fay in separate corners so that they would actually get their work done being individual assignments. I had a couple of seventh graders who were there because they had been late to class they both knew that and they accepted it. They sat at the front of the room and pulled their- I think it was math homework out and worked on it. The eighth grade group were trouble from the start they refused to work. They refused to keep their voices down, and at one point were sitting there purposely disrupting the others. Well all but Duncan who just sat there reading." said Haley looking up and smiling as Mel placed a cup of tea in front of her, taking a sip Karen could see the tension starting to leave her daughter in laws shoulders. She hated seeing her like this, but on some level that Karen wasn't even going to try to understand, she was glad that she could be here for her, that Haley had come here first. Sure they had started out a little rocky and that was thanks in no small part to Karen herself, but now, now it was like it used to be. Like it always should have been.

"This" Haley said pointing to her head as she put the mug down, also bringing Karen back from her thoughts.

"Was me stepping in front of Duncan and the seventh graders. I had asked Duncan to sit with them when they having some trouble with the work they were doing. His class mates and step sister started teasing him calling him a teacher's pet. Although it's Kellie that this is from she picked up the book we were reading in class and threw it at them. I stepped in front of the flying book... I know I know but I would rather have this then have a student hit in the back of the head." said Haley knowing what her mother in law would say. Karen sighed and pulled Haley into a hug she kissed the top of her head before Haley sat up.

"I'll take Jamie for the night you go home and rest. I swear apart from Lilly kids are monsters today. You, Nathan and Lucas would never have even dared to do that" said Karen, it was true none of them, not even Brooke would have dared to do the things that, those kids today had done, and well Brooke was pretty much a handful at that age. Haley was one of the few people back then that could actually get through that stubborn exterior that Brooke put up. It was Haley however that knew it was only a front, something Brooke did so that the rest of the world wouldn't know just how lonely she was at home with her nonexistent parents.

"Jamie, Quinny and mum are in Charlotte and they decided to stay the night at Taylor's. God help Tay if he comes home and has picked up any of her bad language. I think I'll just go home and spend some time with Nathan. Candle light dinner wine and maybe read some while snuggled up in his arms sounds good to me." said Haley Karen nodded caressed her daughter in law's cheek for a second before Haley picked up her bag and headed for the door.

"Haley, honey do you really want to cook?" Karen asked Haley turned around.

"Nathan has been dying to do his Mac and cheese for ages, and I love Mac and cheese" Karen laughed and nodded before watching her walk out the door.

"Haley's been on detention duty so don't expect her to be her happy bubbly self." said Nathan as he stood at the stove, he finally got the chance to make his Mac and cheese, Haley loved it more than Jamie so even if they had unexpected visitors it would be a weight off her shoulders. Megan nodded as she set the table; Susie was watching TV while Tyler was uncorking a bottle of red.

"I gotta say this Nate, you look so much more relaxed now then you did in Savannah" he said finally getting the cork out. Nathan nodded and smiled he even felt more relaxed which was rather odd seeing as they now lived in the same town as Dan but thinking about that hurt his head too much, also it seemed as though there were people other than the Scott and James families that wanted to make it clear to Daniel Scott to leave his nephews' family alone. He was still in hospital, no longer in ICU, but he was still making nurses of Tree Hill hospital want to kill him.

"Having our parents around helps, I know on some days especially one coming up that it's hard for Hales not having her dad around, but her mum and sister do the best they can and my parents have always treated her like a fourth child so we help her through; and Jamie is loving all the extra attention. I swear I don't think we've actually had him home for a full week since everyone found out. Which is- what- we've been here almost two months so almost a month and a bit." he said laughing at the realization that, his parents, friends and in laws always took the chance to take Jamie out for the day, or have him stay over for the night. It should have given him and Haley a lot of alone time, something they hadn't really had a lot of since Jamie was born, but it didn't there was always something going on.

"Oh babe you're a mind reader really you are there are no words to tell you how much I love you! Jamie is spending the night in Charlotte with mum Quinny and Tay and I swear if Tay fills his head with crap I'm gonna get a gun and go up there and shoot her. Uh I just need a night with my sexy husband" said Haley Megan looked up at Nathan and laughed as Tyler stood against the wall waiting for her. As she walked past him he grabbed her around the waist.

"Hey sexy legs" he said spinning her around a couple of times.

"Arch shi... Ok who the hell? Tyler Rolling you are so dead!" said Haley noticing Megan smirking and Susie peaking over the back of the lounge when Tyler put her down Haley turned around and hit him.

"You are dead to me, I will get you back for that." she said when she turned around it was them that Nathan noticed the cut on her head.

"Hales what-

"The Fault In Our Stars hard cover; not a book I recommend getting hit with kinda hurts." said Haley, Nathan frowned and walked over to her taking her hand and walking them away from their friends. When in the formal living room Nathan wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Ok now tell me the truth," he said Haley ran her hands up and down his arms before kissing him softly.

"That is the truth, Kellie Lincoln threw it at two seventh grade student's today in detention and I stepped in front of it coping it here. Dan had nothing to do with this trust me. This is from a group of kids who think that seeing I am related to a student at the school and not a parent to that student I will go easy on all of them. They also think I will let them get away with more seeing as I am one of the younger teachers and a lot of the older teachers were my teachers. Why didn't you tell me Meg and Ty were here I would have told Quinny no when she called and asked if they could stay in Charlotte for the night. Jamie won't be home till morning and as much as I love our friends I was wanting a nice unexpected night at home with my sexy husband who when you think about it I have not had a single night alone with since before we moved." Nathan sighed knowing she was right, this would have been the first night where Jamie was out of the house and neither Haley nor he would have been dragged away by one of their friends to do something or to see something that they had otherwise missed in their time away from the town they had always called home.

"I can ask them to leave but I have just cooked dinner for everyone, and Susie has been dying to see you and Jamie" it was then Haley knew that the night she wanted, one alone with her husband would just have to wait.

"No they can stay you'll just have to wait till next month to get me all to yourself for the night, I know you Nathan Scott you've something up your sleeve." she said leaning up and kissing him slightly before heading back towards the kitchen.

"And you Haley James won't be finding out what exactly I have planed till that night, and you looked a little tense babe" he said, catching up to her and pinching her butt.

Haley walked out into the kitchen and poked her tongue at Tyler before walking over to Susie.

"So miss Q did you miss me?" she asked grabbing the five year old and crashing down onto the sofa.

"Yep, and Jamie and Uncle Nathan but mostly you and Jamie" she giggled as Nathan scoffed and muttered something none of them heard.

"Well sweets Jimmy Jam is with his aunts and grandma tonight so you'll have to see him tomorrow, but you have a whole night of Uncle Nathan and I, and after dinner I might take you to Karen's how much sugar have you had today?" Haley asked Susie bit her lip but with her mum, dad and uncle here she couldn't lie and anyway Aunt Haley could always tell when she was lying.

"A chocolate from Uncle Nathan and a chocolate milk shake for lunch," Haley looked over at Megan who nodded well there went that idea oh well there was always tomorrow and Jamie would be annoyed if they went without him.

"Looks like you're going to have to wait miss Q tomorrow with Jamie. Ok let's get ready for dinner it looks like Uncle Nathan is ready".

Later that night after Susie had been put to bed and Nathan had cracked open another bottle of wine both couples sat in the formal living room. Megan and Tyler were curled up on one sofa with Nathan sitting in Haley's comfy reading chair with Haley sitting on his lap. Her head rested on his shoulder as he played with her hair.

"So what's it like being back in Tree Hill?" Megan asked she smiled as Nathan kissed Haley's forehead she loved seeing them like this, most people who knew them. Well the four of them always commented that she and Tyler were the more loving couple that Nathan and Haley never showed much affection towards each other, which wasn't true in the slightest. When people actually got to know them they found out that it was the other way round. Nathan and Haley were actually a lot more lovey dovey then Megan and Tyler.

"Good, well we have to put up with my uncle more, but we have our families here as well so it makes it easier, Tree Hill was always home it just, well it was safer for everyone that we were away for a while. But now, well it's good and Jamie loves it. He's making friends at school and settling in; we had a run in with mum when Erin came to town she left a few days ago. Mum was well-

"A little territorial, she had just gotten us back and had actually learnt the truth, and Erin came into the cafe looking for her, she wanted to tell Karen where we were, we found her there and Karen went all-

"Get out these are my kids not yours?" Megan asked when Haley nodded she looked at her friend suspiciously how did they know that?

"Tyler's mum did the same thing when she stopped in on us for a few days. Susie was so excited to see her and kept asking her to take her to school instead of Sharon" said Megan even though Erin had played a huge role in Nathan and Haley's lives she still played a part in Megan and Tyler's especially at the time of going to San Francisco state. Both their parents weren't happy that they had decided to keep Susie; they said school was going to be hard enough but to have a child with medical issues and a preemie was stupid. But they had defied them and done it anyway. They even too this day still didn't talk to Megan's parents.

"I would love to stay up and talk some more but I am wiped and my head's starting to hurt, the aspirin I took when John came in is starting to wear off how long are you here for?" Haley asked getting up.

"A few days," Haley nodded before kissing Nathan on the head and heading upstairs. It wasn't long after her that Nathan, Megan and Tyler headed to bed as well. Haley had the day off tomorrow, even though she had argued it, but it was policy and she wasn't going to lose her job over an argument. Jamie was going to have a field day. His favorite aunt and uncle were in town and he got spend the day with them and his parents.

Megan walked into the kitchen the next morning expecting to be the first person up, it was still early after all, just after six when she had noticed the time upstairs. As her brain started to clear from the haze of sleep, she was rather surprised to see that Haley was already up and puttering around her kitchen. That was one thing Megan had not expected; she smiled it was nice to see her friend so relaxed. Haley had always had this tense look on her face even at this time of the morning, she would walk around checking locks and making sure everything was safe a million times before Nathan or Jamie got up.
But now Megan watched as her friend walked over to the coffee pot and flicked the switch while humming a tune to herself, occasionally stopping to write something down on a note pad near her. The back door blind was open although the door was still closed but not locked.

"If you're going to stare at me all morning might as well make yourself useful" Megan jumped startled that her friend had caught her.

"Dan is in hospital and seeing he was hit by a car, he won't be coming over anytime soon, my sister quite often uses the back door as she lives next door with her boyfriend, that and my best friend Brooke and my sister in law Peyton will be here within the next half an hour because Karen would have told them all about this and well Brookie and PS Scott are extremely protective of their friends and family. But on the bright side you always wanted to meet the Brookie monster" Megan rolled her eyes and walked over to a bar stool.

"You are crazy, I wouldn't be up this hour if I had just been hit in the-

"HALEY BOB JAMES SCOTT WHY IS IT THAT I HAVE TO HEAR FROM PEYTON WHO HEARD IT FROM LUKE WHO WAS TOLD BY YOUR MOTHER IN LAW THAT YOU WERE ATTACKED AT SCHOOL YESTERDAY! WHAT IS IT WITH YOU AND TREE HILL SCHOOLS HUH WHAT WOULD I TELL MY GORGOUS GODSON HUH?" Brooke screamed walking through the back door with an amused Peyton behind her; Peyton had clearly not been able to finish what she had been saying because Brooke had gone off on a tangent and demanded that they come right here. Haley looked at her friend and laughed.

"Brookie monster it was a book to the head, nothing life threatening and if you had let Peyt finish I'm sure she would have told you that. Also do I have to go all mum on you and say inside voice please, you're just lucky Jamie isn't here; he's with mum and Quinny at Tay's in Charlotte. This by the way before you go all stranger danger on me is Megs a friend of ours from Savannah. She, her husband and their daughter drove up for a few days. And if you woke Ty up you deal with him cos I'ma not dealing with Mr. grouch feast" said Haley pointing the pen in her hand at Brooke, Peyton greeted Megan before sitting down the four woman looked up as Susie and Nathan came thundering down the stairs.

"Who woke papa bear?" Nathan asked hoisting the five year old up onto the bench. When Haley Peyton and Megan pointed to Brooke, Nathan shook his head and sighed.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you about inside voice's B Davis really? What must your neighbours. Think about- Nathan looked over at Haley who clapped her hand over his mouth.

"Little ears, mama bear right there" she said pointing to Megan.

"You get what I mean"

"I know- details later" said Brooke smirking at Haley as Nathan coughed and walked away Peyton laughed and shook her head.

"Hales we were gonna take you out to this new coffee house that opened just before you decided to grace us with your presents. You can come as well if you like cos I so want to know what my sister in law was like in college being the goody two shoes she was at school here." Megan looked over at Haley who rolled her eyes she then walked over and wrapped an arm around Megan before dragging her upstairs. Haley knew her friends too well it wasn't so much that they came to ask if they wanted to come it was they were going.

"Sorry Brookie and Peyt sometimes have the subtlety of elephants we'll have one coffee and then leave I would say just forget it but well Brooke Penelope Davis does not take no for an answer ever." said Haley ducking into her room. Megan laughed as she walked down the hall to the guest room. She found her husband sitting there looking beady eyed and not at all happy that he was woken up at 7 am.

"Who was-

"Haley's friend Brooke we did tell her about you." said Megan grabbing a pair of jeans and a long sleeve shirt.

"Brooke? As in Haley's best friend Brooke the one she wouldn't shut up about after you chucked a hissy fit about not being J mans godmother?" Tyler asked smirking Megan stopped for a minute. Why hadn't she picked that up?

"You haven't had your morning coffee yet," he said knowing his wife way to well. Megan pulled in her shirt and flicked out her hair.

"Well that will change soon, now you're awake get up head down. Nathan and Susie are down there. Jamie will be back sometime today and one of Haley's friends is her sister in law so I'm gonna take a stab and say that Lucas will be free why don't you get Nate to call him over when Jamie gets back" Megan kissed the top of his head then headed out.

"Love you babe" she called over her shoulder ad she grabbed her bag. She walked out to find Haley pulling her hair back into a tiny pony tail.

"Come on, these two won't wait forever and I'm sure Ty reminded you who Brooke is." said Haley looping her arm through Megan's arm.

"Am I that predictable?" she asked Haley just laughed as they headed downstairs for the two women who were waiting for them.

Brooke sat down at the table she had long ago, ok so maybe it wasn't that long ago; claimed as her own, Peyton had gone up to the counter with Haley leaving Megan with Brooke, which both Haley and Peyton weren't entirely sure was a good idea for different reasons. Haley knew that now Megan knew that this was, none other than the Brooke Davis, the person, Haley had talked about none stop for the first couple months of Susie and Jamie's lives that her friend was going to ask a multitude of questions. Peyton on the other hand was worried Brooke was going to ask all the questions that she wanted to hear the answers to so, every couple of seconds one of them would look over their shoulder to see what the other two were doing.

"I think Haley's a little nervous about leaving us here together" said Megan as she caught her friend checking over her shoulder for the third time. Brooke laughed she was about to say the same thing about Peyton when her cell phone rang looking down at the ID she rolled her eyes and got up.

"I'll be back in a minute" she said walking off, Megan shrugged and pulled out her own phone to find a text message waiting for her. It was from Tyler. The video attached made her smile, Jamie had arrived home and as soon as he had seen Susie tackled her. She was chuckling at the two of them when Haley and Peyton sat down.

"What's so funny and where'd Brooke go?" Haley asked handing over Megan's cup of tea.

"Oh Brooke got a phone call and this is from Tyler, video of Jamie." said Megan handing her phone over Peyton leant over and watched the video with Haley both laughing as Jamie tackled Susie into the sofa.

"So Jamie Scott has a girlfriend" Peyton asked. "Well who knew that he'd start younger than his dad" Haley and Megan laughed.

"Jamie and Susie are exactly like Lucas and I both of them, also Susie thinks all boys but Jamie have Cooties, and I think there's a girl here that Jamie likes, I think, Lilly would know ask her." said Haley watching as Brooke came back over muttering under her breath. All Peyton and Haley had to do was look at her they didn't even have to ask who that was.

"What did Bitchtoria do now?" Haley asked

"Arch, she turned up this morning at the store and Millie said that I wouldn't be in till this afternoon. So, she then walked around the store telling Millie what to change. She hasn't been in my life since I was 12. She didn't help me with this store actually she tried to stop it. Now she's walking around like she owns the place and when Millie got the police to escort her out she calls me and tells me to fire her. She said that I don't have a head for business and that she should take over. I asked her how she plans to run without and she said she'd keep me on as the face of the company until it went international. Argh!" Brooke sat down with a thud and sighed Haley saw the smirk on Megan's face and chuckled. Both Peyton and Brooke looked at both of them.

"What?" Brooke asked.

"Megs here also happens to be very well versed in business law." said Haley taking a sip of her coffee.

"I majored in photo journalism but I minored in law the only way my parents would pay for college, it's actually come in quite handy, if your mum wants to take over. To legally do it, she would have to be a share holder. Someone with money invested in the company, is she?" this time it was Peyton who smirked.

"No, Peyton, Lucas and the James family are all the share hol-

"Wait my family? Since when, I've been back two months now why haven't I heard about this?" Haley asked looking between her two friends. Brooke smiled yes Haley James Scott might have been the one with most of the surprises but Tree Hill still had a few of their own.

"Your mum did it. She said that if you were here you would have been first on board. As we didn't know where you were everything was set up in a trust. Quinn is the trustee. But we can easily change it to you later. So you're saying unless she has shares she can't take over?" Brooke asked.

"Pretty much her name has to be on some form of the paper work from when you started for her to do anything that would be considered legal." said Megan.

"Well considering Lydia and I signed that loan with you I'd say kick Bitchtoria to the curb. You made it yourself Brooke, is all you everything from the business side to the fashion, even naming your kids line Baley was all done by you, your mum just wants in now that all the hard work is done and people are now coming to you" said Peyton, Brooke nodded she also noticed that Haley hadn't picked up on the nickname her dad used to call them when they were kids and attached at the hip. She looked over at her friend and noticed that Haley was still processing the fact that she was a share holder.

"Hales you ok over there?" she asked Haley looked up and nodded.

"Sorry away with the fairies, and don't think I didn't hear the Baley comment. I did and I have something to show you later that I'm sure Nathan has forgotten about." Brooke nodded and smiled as they moved on from talking about her work.

They sat there for two hours talking and laughing sharing stories, from what Haley was like when she went to school here, to what Megan knew about what she was like during college. By the time Peyton realized if she didn't leave soon she would be late for the recording artist that was using Red Bedroom that afternoon.

"Hales you'll have to come down one day and have a look I swear girlie I will get you recording again." she said getting up Haley laughed and nodded. As Peyton left Haley got a text message from Nathan saying that he and Tyler were taking Susie and Jamie out for lunch so take their time getting back.

"Well Megs you and I are free for the afternoon the guys have the kids and Nathan said to take our time. Brookie let's check out this store I apparently have claim in" nodding Brooke led them out of the coffee shop. She couldn't wait to tell her mother to bug off, and having Haley there with her would make it all the more better. Brooke didn't know what it was, but there was something cathartic about walking back to her store to kick her mother out with Haley by her side. Victoria Davis had never approved of her daughters friends, especially Haley and Peyton, and when Haley and Nathan had left Victoria had been over the moon, to have one less person in her daughter's life who had according to Victoria was someone less worthy of her daughter's time and talent. It was Victoria who wanted to take the credit for, Brooke starting B. Davis; but as was normally the case, when Brooke had first wanted to start her own clothing company, Victoria had been one of the people who had tried to talk her out of it.

"This is going to be interesting; Hales just letting you know Bitchtoria was over the moon when you left. Sooooo-

"Be ready for the, what the hell are you doing here comments. How are they different to when we were kids exactly, your mother hasn't scared me in years, and after all the crap with Dan, Victoria Davis is the least of my worries. But Megs just giving you a heads up she gives Mrs. Oakley a run for a her money" Megan laughed and nodded as they came up to the front of the store. There stood Victoria Davis waiting for her daughter. She went to say something when she noticed Haley was standing beside Brooke, Victoria rolled her eyes.

"I thought you left"

"I did, you know I unlike you, have always cared about your daughter. Nathan and I left to protect Brooke, Peyton and Lilly from the mad man who is my husband's uncle. You're Welcome" Brooke chuckled and shook her head before walking to the door.

"Oh and Mother dear, to take over my company, you have to have shares in B. Davis and you don't have any shares, or your name on any of the paper work that I had to sign when I started. The loan I got was co-signed by Peyton and Karen. Not you, nice try now as I hold the right to refuse service to anyone, please leave. I know Millie kicked you out, so please leave before I call the police again and tell them that you will not leave." Holding the door open, for Haley and Megan Brooke gave her mother one last look before walking inside.

Victoria Davis just stared at her daughter, wondering how that had happened. Brooke had never had a head for business, she couldn't have known that. She was sure that when she came here, Brooke would have caved and given the business over to her, and Victoria's first move would have been to close down the Tree Hill store and move to New York, her second would have been to get rid of that ridicules assistant her daughter had hired. But her daughter had surprised her, by knowing things Victoria was sure she didn't know. Looking into the store she watched her daughter and the three woman who her stand in the middle of the store talking. When her daughter noticed her Brooke shooed her off once again. Rolling her eyes Victoria sighed if that was how Brooke wanted to play it. Well that is how they would play it.