AN: See previous disclaimer...the usual.
Sorry about the lack of activity with posting a new chapter. I rewrote quite a bit of this chapter several times and still am not sure if I've got it right. I'd like some review action please my fellow readers... It really does help get me jazzed about writing because I actually know people are out there reading and liking what I create. Those are helpful to read when I need a little boost. Please leave me a review about what you think. My life has gotten very busy the last 3 months resulting in trouble finding time to write. If I know there are readers out there liking, waiting for another chapter leaving me reviews, that may help keep me going when I feel stuck. :) Thank you in advance. * This chapter isn't as long as I normally like but it seemed to be where it naturally ended.
~~~ "I'm Never Alone, I'm Alone All the Time" ~~~
* Chapter Twenty-Nine*
"I just can't believe that asshole was in your house Haley! Where does that "B" list actor get off trying to mess with you again!" Peyton exclaimed as she looked at Haley from across her desk.
"Maybe I should have called the police instead of…." Haley replied now second guessing her initial reaction.
"NO!" Peyton said quickly as she stacked the photographs into a pile once more. "The last thing I need is the press getting a hold of anything having to do with you and Damien right now. I worked too hard for everything to come out now. I think it will be better once you're back on tour and out of L.A. for a while. It will be good for you to focus on your work and what really matters in your life." Peyton added.
Haley cringed silently know what Peyton actually meant but refused to take her bait. She was going to make every attempt humanly possible to take the high road against THE Peyton Sawyer. For now at least.
"How many weeks do you think the tour will be?" Haley asked trying to stay focused on "work".
Peyton looked over the calendar spread open on her desk before answering, "At least 14 weeks to at least make an impact. I'd like you guys to stay out longer to really push this album along but I have a feeling Quinn won't be up it by that stage of her pregnancy. I still haven't quite figured out what I'm going to do at that point yet. She certainly didn't think this through did she?"
"Peyton, please try not to ruin this for her. Obviously this wasn't exactly how she wanted it to happen but she's making the best of the timing. I want to keep Quinn as stress free as possible now and while we're out on the road again. I'll pick up her slack or do more work whatever it takes. Women in our family tend to have complications with stress and high blood pressure while pregnant." Haley warned her directly.
Peyton nodded in agreement knowing better than to mess with Quinn's health. Peyton learned quickly after she met The Fire Pistols just how close the band was but also how protective Haley was of her sister. Peyton would never admit it but she was always jealous of how close Haley was to her band mates. She thought back to when she had a close circle of friends she could truly count on and confide in. Unfortunately as she moved up the music business success ladder she in turn ended up alienating herself from her friends and her family. Long hours in the recording studio, time away on a tour bus and one public event after another proved to be next to impossible for Peyton to carry on any type of normal relationship with her friends, boyfriend or even her family. It was the price she had to pay to really make it in the music industry so she thought.
She was able to call home every once in a while and always managed to send Christmas gifts to her family but that was about it. She couldn't remember the last time she spent a Thanksgiving meal surrounded by her family. She kept telling herself it was worth it to get to the point in her career where she would be able to call the shots and be the "boss". Unfortunately, by the time Peyton reached that point the damage had been done. The saying "it's lonely at the top" couldn't be more true for Peyton Sawyer.
"I contacted a security company Nathan recommended and they promised to be out to my house tomorrow to assess the grounds and generate a proposal for me. However, the more I think about it, it might be a good time to just sell the house and find one in a more secure area." Haley commented.
Peyton nodded along as Haley spoke and said, "You know I actually think that's probably the best idea for your privacy and safety. Would you like the number of my realtor?"
"Sure that'd be great so once I get back from the tour I can focus on that. For the time being I'm going to stay with Nathan I think." Haley said.
"You're not too distracting for him during the season? You wouldn't want to be single handedly responsible for throwing off the game of the Clippers best point guard would you?" Peyton joked with a small smile.
Haley couldn't believe her eyes and ears. Was that honest emotion behind Peyton's voice? The puzzled look on Haley's face must have spoken volumes to Peyton.
"What?" Peyton asked.
"It's just…I didn't think basketball interested you at all. I'm surprised you know what position Nathan plays." Haley answered.
Peyton looked back at her best client and felt her heart soften a bit. She'd be an idiot to ignore the positive change in Haley's song writing since their relationship began. The last few songs Haley had written had been brilliant. Most songwriters did their best work when blissfully in love or after they've had their heart ripped out.
"I may be known as a heartless bitch to most people but believe it or not I do still have a soul." Peyton bluntly added to Haley's surprise.
"Thank you." Haley replied not really know what else to say. That simple comment about Nathan felt like approval or acceptance of their relationship from Peyton. Something she'd been waiting for desperately to hear.
The two women sat in silence a few more moments before jumping back into discussing a few more details about the tour venues, set lists, radio appearances, and possible awards show performance coming up. Haley decided not take any more chances once she left Peyton's office and put the photographs into a safety deposit box. She'd contemplated actually destroying them but something told her the battle with Damien wouldn't be over any time soon and she might need them in the future. For what she wasn't quite sure of yet.
After stopping at the grocery store for a few items, Haley was finally on her way back to Nathan's house. She'd been trying her hardest to shake the irritated feeling she had after her run in with a pushy group of paparazzi at the grocery store. They used their regular tactics to try and gain her attention as she walked in and out of the store. She was pretty immune to hearing her name being called by fans and paparazzi as she performed every day mundane tasks. However, that day's outing proved to be more challenging to ignore.
For some reason, she found herself clenching her teeth as she waited at a red light. Her mind began to replay moments earlier as she was carrying her grocery bags to her car.
"Haley! Haley! Give us a few good shots today of you out and about in LA."
"Where's your boyfriend today huh? Look over here."
"What do you think of how Nathan's been playing lately?"
"Think the Clippers are going to win tonight Haley?"
Haley kept her sunglasses on and her head focused on the ground as she opened her car door placing her grocery bags in the backseat. She'd perfected keeping a straight stern face knowing it was best to not give any shutter bugs any type of facial reaction to the rants they shouted.
"On to another boyfriend yet again Haley James? How long will this one last?"
She shut her car door forcefully as she made her way around to the driver's side.
"How's the great Nathan Scott compare to Damien West in the sack?"
"He must be better if she hasn't kicked him to the curb yet?"
"No you've got it wrong! Damien was the one to cut her loose after she cheated on him."
Haley ripped her door open and looked back at the paparazzi once more before closing the door.
"Seriously get a real fucking job." She exclaimed in anger and then slammed her door shut.
Normally she'd always kept her cool but she would be the first to admit she was on edge. Damien West had definitely succeeded in getting underneath her skin and messing with her head. She found herself debating whether or not to attend Nathan's last home game for a while. He'd be leaving for a 4 game stretch of away games and then after that she'd be off on tour again. She wanted to be there for Nathan but not cause a distraction from his focus. She glanced in her rear view mirror and saw a black sedan and a camera lens in the passenger window.
"God, just leave me alone!" She muttered to herself as she sped off once the light turned green again towards Nathan's house.
Nathan was stretched out on the couch when Haley arrived home again. He glanced over and saw her arms full of grocery bags trying to set all of them on the counter in one full swoop.
"Want some help?" He called to her from his relaxed position.
"No I'm good. I just stopped for a few things on my way from seeing Peyton." She answered back.
He heard her open and close several cupboard doors and the refrigerator a couple times before finding her way into the living room. She sat on the arm of the sofa Nathan was stretched out on.
"How was your workout this morning?" Haley asked as she looked his body up and down to see if he looked tired.
"Not bad. Feeling good about the game tonight." He answered.
She nodded in response and let her eyes fall upon the television screen he'd been watching. She bit at her lower lip signaling to Nathan something was on her mind. He debated whether or not to say anything to her for a few seconds before he finally spoke.
"What's going on in that beautiful head of yours? You look like you're miles away."
"Kinda feels like I am." She confessed not taking her eyes off the screen.
She felt Nathan's foot move startling her out of her gaze and she looked back at his concerned eyes.
"I yelled at a pap this afternoon at the grocery store. I know I should've just kept my mouth shut and I tried, really I did but finally I just lost it. " She stated sounding rather defeated.
Nathan sat up on his elbows as he asked, "What'd you say?"
"I told him to get a fucking job!"
He chuckled out loud and replied, "That's my girl! I don't see anything wrong with that. What did he say to you in the first place?"
Haley let out a long sigh before answering, "He was saying shit about you and me trying to bait me. Then said something about what you're like in bed compared to Damien."
"What the hell! Something needs to be done about them because it's really getting out of control." Nathan interjected in annoyance. He'd dealt with his share of harassment from paparazzi before but someone talking about their intimate relationship was off limits. He'd dealt with credits trash talking his game his entire professional career.
"Oh it gets better…then they accused me of cheating on Damien and that's why he broke up with me. Guess I'm a slut?"
Nathan reached his arms out and pulled Haley's body off the arm of the couch and slid her onto his lap.
"You, Haley James, are not a slut. Don't you ever say that again you hear me? Five minutes….Hales, that's all I'd need with that tool Damien West to give him what he's got coming to him and then some."
She reached out and touched his face tenderly, clearly touched by his desire to protect her honor.
"I love you Nathan Scott."
"I love you too Hales."
Haley woke early the next morning when Nathan placed a kiss on her lips startling her awake.
"Mmmm what time is it?" Haley asked with a gruff voice still have asleep.
"4:45." Nathan replied in a quiet voice.
Haley's eyes shot wide open and she moved the covers trying to get body free.
"Oh no! I meant to get up earlier to spend time with you before you had to leave. Why did you let me sleep?" Haley asked in a panic.
Nathan brushed the stray hairs out of Haley's eyes before he leaned forward again and placed a kiss on her forehead this time.
"It's too early for you to be up anyway. You need to sleep since you've got that club appearance late tonight." He reminded her with a smile. Nathan grabbed the edge of the blanket and pulled it back over Haley's torso up to her chin. She finally surrendered and let her head fall back onto the pillow.
"I really wish I could cancel it and come with you instead."
"So do I but I'll be home before you know it. Plus while I'm away, it gives you a chance to rifle through all my drawers and snoop around. Isn't that what chicks do?" Nathan joked.
Haley raised her eyebrows as if she was contemplating performing the action he suggested.
"Seriously though, make yourself at home while I'm away ok? Just don't redecorate with ruffles, lace or pink all over."
Haley smiled with her sleepy eyes and said, "No worries here…I hate pink. But thanks again for letting me stay here again while you're gone. I really appreciate it."
"I'm kinda looking forward to having someone to come home to." He confessed quietly. Haley sat up in bed, wrapped her arms around Nathan's neck and kissed his cheek.
"My car is waiting, I've gotta go Hales. I love you."
"Love you too baby! Play well!"
Dan Scott sat in a coffee shop working on his iPad for the past hour or so. He decided to show up early to get a little work done before Damien arrived. Dan had received a preview of a photograph snapped of Haley James the day before by one of his paparazzi contacts accompanied with her "outburst". He smiled as he looked at the photograph once more and noticed the strained look on her face. It was clear Haley was starting to crack at the edges and it would only be a matter of time before she really began to fall apart. Her eyes looked tired and her body frame looked weak.
"Sorry I'm late." Damien said as he sat down across the table from Dan.
Dan looked up from his iPad and replied, "You're fine, I had some work to do beforehand."
Damien nodded as he took a small sip from his coffee being cautious not to burn his mouth.
"One of my sources took this yesterday afternoon and got quite the reaction out of her." Dan said as he slid the iPad over to Damien who picked it up to look at the screen. He looked down at the photograph and immediately noticed her lips pressed together tightly and the frown across her otherwise creaseless forehead. Her shoulders were hunched over and her t-shirt hung loosely on her tiny body.
"Supposedly they finally got a reaction out of her once they starting throwing around accusations about you and her in bed. It seems all it took was a little visit from you to get to Haley to crack." Dan stated in a low steady tone as Damien looked at the picture closely.
Damien slightly smiled after receiving affirmation from Dan about what he'd done. Dan hadn't asked him to go into her house, he took a gamble and it paid off. He certainly had held up his end of their initial agreement.
"This definitely doesn't look like the perfect cover girl does it?"
Dan smirked as he replied, "Next I need you to push Haley to her limit and get her to break completely. Then Nathan will finally see she is only a liability to his career and then he'll discard her like last yesterday's trash."
He looked from the photograph back to Dan feeling somewhat conflicted.
"I don't know man, I just got off the phone with my manager instructing me to lay low until my next movie contract is fully negotiated and signed. I won't risk losing this role. The movie is going to be a blockbuster and I'm going to get a paycheck to match it." Damien stated.
"Damien, I only need you to do a little something more that's all. Hell, she's already shacking up at Nathan's house because of what you left at her house. You've got Haley James running scared! Nathan is traveling this week for several games and will be completely out of the picture."
"I'm not going to Nathan Scott's house if that's what you're asking me to do. I'm not a criminal Dan!" Damien replied his tone of voice raising as he continued to talk.
Dan immediately looked around at the other customers in hopes no one had heard Damien's outburst.
"Relax West and lower your voice Christ sake! I've got a proposal that would benefit you actually…."
Damien raised one eyebrow as he listened to the rest of Dan's business proposition closely.
"I'm gonna need to think about this a little bit. I'll call you in an hour with my answer." Damien finally answered.
Dan nodded his head in agreement secretly knowing he'd hooked Damien when he revealed the amount he was willing to pay to have this last task carried out. Damien left the coffee shop first and headed directly to his car. He decided to head home instead of meeting up with some friends for brunch. His mind was racing from his meeting with Dan and he needed to think his decision through. Damien let himself in his front door and headed straight to his office. He couldn't think of doing anything else until he found what he was looking for.
He opened the closet door and started to dig around on the shelves above his head. After moving aside various bags and boxes he finally found the shoe box he'd been looking for. He grabbed the box and found his way back to his desk chair and set it down. He let his fingertips tap the top of the box a bit as he debated whether or not to open it up.
After nearly a minute Damien sighed, "Oh what the hell!"
He lifted the shoe box lid and peered inside now was some hesitation. Damien was suddenly taken back to a time when he was a different person inside and out. Sure he didn't have the polished "L.A." look about him when he started out in the business. It had developed with time as he gained exposure and as his bank account started to grow. He pulled a few loose papers out, setting them aside as he dug deeper in the box. He paused as he looked at a few photographs of him with his parents before he'd left home to become an actor. The face staring back at him was that of Henry Damien Westberg. His parents didn't quite understand or support him when he'd made the decision to change his name under instruction of his agent. As he adapted to his new "stage" name, he worked at developing a new persona to match.
He set aside the family photographs and pulled out new stack of miscellaneous photographs. The first photograph was taken right after he let his normally buzzed hair grow out into the shaggy style he was now known for. He looked semi comfortable standing next to his new friends dressed to impress in a dress shirt and black pants. A far off look from the carpenter jeans and flannel shirt look he sported when he arrived in California. It wasn't long after that he met Haley James through a mutual friend at a party. Damien struggled as their relationship blossomed into more than friends. He found when it was just the two of them he would allow himself to slip back into the carefree naïve country boy he tried so desperately to leave behind. Sure he put up a fuss when Haley suggested they go to a rodeo for kicks when he joined her on tour in Texas for fun. However, the moment the first bull rider came barreling out of the gate on top of the wild bull he let his guard down completely. It was in that moment when Haley started falling hard for him and vice versa.
A smile crept on his lips as he looked at the picture of Haley dressed in a cowboy hat, tight dark jeans and cowboy boots. She'd insisted on "dressing" the part and was beyond excited to buy a real cowboy hat from Texas.
Flashback…..
She laced her fingers between his as they made their way through the gate officially entering the rodeo area. He glanced around at the fellow rodeo goers to see if she'd been spotted but it was as if no one had noticed her. Haley was the most famous person he'd ever dated and it had taken some getting used to. He still couldn't quite figure out how she'd even given him the time of day in the first place but she had. From the beginning, she boldly remarked about a kindness she saw behind his eyes when they were out on their first date. He wasn't used to women being so open and honest but found it refreshing.
"What do you say we grab some brisket and a beer before we find a seat? I am starving!" He suggested after he caught a whiff of the barbeque. Haley followed one step behind him as he led her through the crowd towards the food stand. She let out a loud groan once she saw the length of the line standing between her and the barbeque.
"Is this seriously the line for the brisket? It's barely moving!" She declared sounding slightly annoyed.
"I know it's long but I promise it will be worth the wait judging from the way it smells. Trust me baby, it'll be delicious. " He replied and then leaded in and placed a kiss on top of her head. She wrapped her arm around his waist as she leaned against him. They waited in silence as he gently rubbed his hand up and down her arm.
"Damien, I still need to find my cowboy hat!" Haley said out of the blue after looking at her watch noting how much time until the rodeo started again.
He looked up at the line and tried to estimate how much longer until they received their food.
"We probably have 10 minutes max before we get our food, it should go by fast. What if you went to find a hat while I wait for the food? Then we could meet back right saving time and still not miss any of the rodeo." He offered trying to kill two birds with one stone.
Haley shifted her weight and looked back at him with pouty lips.
"But I want you to help me pick out my hat." Haley whined.
One look at her luscious lips and she knew she had him wrapped around her finger.
"Alright, let's go find your hat." He replied with a smile.
"Are you sure? I know you haven't eaten since breakfast and that was like 10 hours ago." She stated.
Damien nodded, gave her a quick peck on the lips and confirmed, "Whatever my girl wants she gets."
They were truly happy then. Damien nearly chuckled out loud as he flipped through more photographs from when he joined The Fire Pistols on tour for a few days, backstage fun, late nights on the tour bus, and afternoon trips the two of them had managed to take together while she was on tour. They looked like a happy couple in each photograph. He dug around the box and found the VIP Backstage tour pass he'd worn on the last tour with Haley. Most men weren't overly sentimental but he'd stashed the wacky post cards she'd sent him from the road all of which were from his friend "Bob" James to ensure their privacy. In the bottom of the box, he found a cd jewel case and a white cd inside. Scribbled across the top of the disc was a heart and he could still read, "Songs about 'HDW'."
He wasn't sure how exactly how it happened, but the next thing he knew he put the cd into his computer and her voice filled the room. He listened to the words she'd wrote just for him and noted her voice had only gotten better since then. He couldn't remember how long it had been since he last played the cd of songs she recorded just for him when they were dating. He felt captivated by her song as he looked through the photographs again. Snap shots of his life before he started to put fame and money above anything else. Before he pulled the thread that started the unraveling their relationship entirely. Had he really lost sight of what was important?
He was shook from his thoughts as he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Damien pulled it out and opened up the text message.
'Well West, how about double or nothing? Are you in?'
Damien stared at the message and found himself completely conflicted as her voice poured into his ears. It seemed as though he was at a crossroads and was being pushed to the brink. He finally brought himself together and composed a reply message and quickly hit send before he changed his mind.
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