A/N: In true Tree Hill fashion, get ready for a wild ride. We are finally getting to know more of the truth… Thank you for your reviews and for sticking with this story!

…

Chapter 25: A Tree Hill Raven always knows the truth doesn't make a noise, but it just might set you free.

Haley sits on the ground, looking up at Nathan's concerned eyes.

"Why are you drunk?"

"Your brother."

"Lucas?"

"Unless there's another Scott boy out there."

"Honestly, who knows?" Nathan states, still perched on the metal equipment box.

Haley rolls her eyes at this.

"Well, I'm a little surprised. I didn't think life-altering revelations made for a party."

"They make for pity parties," Haley states. "I'd really call it more pity party by proxy. Lucas was having the pity party, I was just his plus-one."

"Let me guess, 'my daddy's not perfect,'" Nathan states.

Haley nods. "Among other things. He just wanted answers."

"Did he get them?"

Haley shakes her head. "No. I need for you to hear everything first."

"Well, I'm all ears," Nathan reminds.

"You are all ears with your head shaved," Haley giggles.

"Really?" Nathan responds amused, the smallest of smiles peaking through his cold façade.

"That was so rude," Haley says, giggling even more.

"I have an idea," Nathan proposes. "Let's go get a coffee. Not at the dining hall, let's go into town to Karen's Café. You'll sober up and I'll –"

"Get the truth."

"The whole truth," Nathan reminds.

"Nothing but the truth," Haley sighs. "So help me god."

…

15 Years Ago

A thirteen-year-old Haley lies in a hospital bed. Her face is pale and her energy low as a mix of tubes, cords, and machines surround her small frame. Her eyes flutter open as she comes-to after yet another surgery on her heart.

Lydia James sits up, noticing her daughter's alertness.

"Haley-Bob, just rest," Lydia says soothingly. "The surgery went great. They were able to do a complete repair on your heart."

Haley turns to look at her mother, a glimmer in her eyes. "A complete repair?"

"Yes," Lydia says, her voice catching.

"No more surgeries?" Haley asks.

"No more surgeries," Lydia nods, tears falling down her cheeks. "Ever."

Haley smiles as big as she can muster, before falling back asleep.

…

Her mother's crying wakes her first, but it's her father's harsh whispers that draw her attention. Haley lies still on the hospital bed, careful not to seem awake. She concentrates, trying to pick up her parents' conversation in the doorway.

"I don't understand," Lydia says with frustration. "It's life saving surgery."

"Insurance will not cover it," Jimmy pushes back.

"But they have to," Lydia cries.

"Haley has a pre-existing condition," Jimmy reminds. "She got kicked off my plan after they placed her first shunt."

"That was years ago," Lydia realized.

"It was," Jimmy admits.

"But I take her to appointments regularly," Lydia states. "We have insurance. I give the offices our insurance!"

"You do," Jimmy agrees. "And then they call me, the policy holder, to let me know it won't be covered. Haley's not eligible for our family insurance, and she never will be in the future."

"But how… how have we afforded this?" Lydia gasps.

"We couldn't," Jimmy states, noticing Lily's widening eyes. "I know, I know. I should have told you sooner. But you worry. You'd have talked me out of it."

"Out of what, Jimmy James?"

"All the overtime I've been making with the phone company… it's not actually from the phone company," Jimmy sighs. There's a quiver in his voice. Shame.

"What do you mean it's not from the phone company? That's your employer the last twenty years."

"Can't you just trust me?" Jimmy says, avoiding his answer.

"Apparently I can't," Lydia says, an edge to her voice.

"I've been working for the phone company during the day, and a private employer at night. I drive delivery trucks."

"Delivery trucks," Lydia says, thinking it over. "Deliveries of what?"

"I don't ask," Jimmy admits.

"James," Lydia says, horrified.

"It pays well. And they've always allowed me to advance money to cover larger medical bills. But then I owe them. It's a cycle. But they've grown to trust me and, I know it's not ideal, but it's what I had to do."

"It's what you had to do…" Lydia repeats with frustration. "I can think of a million things you had to do and this isn't one of them. Some sort of drug mule."

Haley hears her father step back, a silence falling between her parents. His voice cracks when he finally responds, "Never call me that again, Lydia James. Ever."

"I can't look at you," Lydia says.

"Well if you can't look at me, look at our little girl. She's on the road to recovery for the first time in her life. We've been able to cover everything she needs up till now and we'll be able to pay for this too."

"What does that mean?" Lydia says, afraid of the answer.

"Like I said, they trust me. And I've been offered a bigger job. I need to take it."

"Jimmy, no. You're done. Whatever this is. You're done," Lydia demands.

"It's a cartel. I can never just be done," Jimmy states.

"Stop," Lydia says. "I've heard enough. Don't speak about this again to me, or mention it to the girls. You're lucky she didn't wake up."

Jimmy is defeated and ashamed, but the show must go on. "I've got to go."

"Jimmy," Lydia pleads.

"I'm doing this for our family," Jimmy states.

"Jimmy James, if you continue with this, it'll be the last thing you do for this family," Lydia warns as he exits. She covers her mouth to muffle her sobs. The reality of the situation so far from the life she'd been living up until just minutes before.

Haley remains still, squeezing her eyelids shut to stop the tears from spilling out.

…

Nathan and Haley walk along the jogging path that weaves its way into town from Tree Hill Prep's campus – a walk they could do in their sleep after years of finding any excuse to get off campus.

"The first time you kissed me, you said 'x marks the spot'."

This surprises Nathan. "I remember. You had those little neon band-aids on your forehead."

"Yeah, thanks to you," Haley says jokingly, eyeing him. He nods, remembering when she fell off the swing.

"I already had such a huge crush on you at that point," she remembers with a smile. "So naturally I was avoiding you at all costs. And as much as I tried to fade into the background or push you away…"

"That was never going to happen," Nathan reminds, matter-of-factly.

"Seems not," Haley agrees. "But I had to try."

…

15 Years Ago

Haley sits in the living room doing a breathing exercise as her sisters come tumbling through the front door, their arms full of shopping bags. She'd just been released form the hospital earlier that day.

"Hales," Quinn sing-songs. "What are you doing up so late? We thought you and mom would be exhausted."

"She was. I couldn't sleep," Haley states. "It's not comfortable."

Quinn comes over to ruffle her hair. "I'm glad your back."

"Me too," Haley smiles, before looking over at Taylor, who eyes her with contempt. "Hi, Taylor."

"Bob," Taylor returns. "You're back."

"I'll have to go back for a few check-ups as I heal, but I'm happy to be out of that hospital bed."

"What, you got sick of all the attention?"

"Taylor!" Quinn scolds, watching Haley's horror.

"I'll stay out of your way," Haley says meekly.

"Senior and Junior Prom is tomorrow. Just give us one day to make it about ourselves, though the world revolves around Princess Haley."

Taylor exits up to her bedroom, but Quinn stays, taking a seat next to her younger sister.

"We snuck out to get new shoes," Quinn whispers. "Want to see?"

Haley nods as Quinn unboxes the most dazzling pair of heels.

"They're beautiful," Haley says, in absolute awe.

"You can have them after tomorrow," Quinn says. "For when you go to prom."

"Really?"

"Really," Quinn says giving her a squeeze. "Anything for my baby sis."

"Do you think someone will actually ask me to prom?"

"Are you kidding? You're going to have some boy wrapped around your little finger."

Haley smiles, giddy.

…

"I couldn't get it out of my head," Haley recalls. "'X marks the spot' became this mantra to me. I saw x's everywhere and suddenly everything around me reminded me of you. Everything. It was like trying to use a garden hose to calm a forest fire. Try as I might, there was no stopping you and I."

"What scared you so much?" Nathan asks.

"You," Haley replies. "And me. I had a lot of ideas of who you were, and a lot of ideas about who I thought I was. Or at least, what I thought I had to do. And it's taken a long time to see all of it was wrong."

Nathan nods quietly, listening.

"Anyway, 'X marks the spot' always stuck with me because I have the smallest little incisions on my chest. X shaped. Just above my breastbone and over my heart."

"I know," Nathan says, looking Haley in the eyes. She looks away quickly, a blush creeping up her cheeks.

"It's something I tried desperately to hide, and it's like you knew everything I was holding back. Like you could see my baggage and didn't care. And I think that's what made it easier to just withhold from you. I could pretend you knew what I was thinking without me having to say a word," Haley admits.

"There's some truth to that," Nathan agrees. "I like to think I know what you're thinking. I just can't infer a part of your life I don't know anything about. I also knew your past was an area not to push."

"You're a smart cookie Nathan Scott," Haley states with a smile.

"I haven't felt that way," he admits. "In fact, I'd say I've felt like an idiot."

"You're not an idiot," Haley states firmly.

"I mean, do you know anyone else whose father paid off his wife? And didn't know for ten years? And now that he knows, he still doesn't get why?" He quips.

"The only idiot I read from that situation is me," Haley states. "Like I said, I had a lot of ideas about who you were, and who I thought I was. "

"And who were you?"

…

15 Years Ago

Haley sits at the kitchen table the morning after prom eating Cap'n Crunch and watching TV. Truth be told, she was waiting for her sisters to wake up to hear all the details. She could only imagine how embarrassing they danced and how many boys they kissed. They were so much more outgoing than she'd ever be.

She hears the back kitchen door creak open, and sees Taylor's head peak through.

"Taylor!" Haley gasps.

"Shh," Taylor pleads.

"Mom and Dad are going to kill you," Haley jokes.

"They're not going to find out," Taylor reminds. Haley rolls her eyes.

"Quinn's not up yet?"

"I didn't expect to see either of you before noon," Haley admits.

"Well, I guess I have to go wake her ass up," Taylor says mischieviously.

"Taylor!" Haley whisper-yells, trailing after her sister as they make their way to Quinn's room.

"Don't wake her up," Haley pleads. "If she looks anything like you, she needs some sleep."

"Rude," Taylor whispers. "I look like this because I didn't get any sleep. Quinn headed home around one. She's slept long enough."

And with that, Taylor shoves her way into Quinn's room to find a pristinely made bed.

"She's not here," Haley observes.

"Thanks for that, Bob," Taylor retorts. "Maybe she slept on the couch."

"Couldn't have, I was down in the living room earlier. I would have seen her."

"I put her in the cab myself, she should be here," Taylor says, attempting to keep her cool. She brushes past Haley and down the hall searching both her and Haley's rooms. No Quinn.

"Tay, are you worried?" Haley asks, fear in her voice. Taylor eyes her sister, feeling protective.

"No," Taylor says. "But let's wake up Mom."

…

The police sit in the living room taking a statement from Lydia and Jimmy James, having officially reported Quinn missing earlier that day. As Haley listens from the top of the stairs, she notices the absence of her father's side job being mentioned. Her stomach drops, her gut knowing it was in some way related.

She went up to her room overwhelmed and afraid, and opened her closet, tucking herself away. She closes her eyes and counts to ten, working on her breathing exercises to keep calm. As she got to ten, an unsuspecting shimmer caught her eye.

She leans forward to grab the pair of heals from her closet. Quinn's heels.

"She was here," Haley whispers.

...

"I was someone trying to start fresh," Haley states. "Just really desperate to be both independent and anonymous. And happy."

Nathan stops walking, grabbing Haley's hand tug her back into place beside him. He links his fingers with her, rubbing her palm with his thumb.

"You always do this when you talk about your past," Nathan says simply. "You talk in circles. Just, take a breath Hales. And tell me."

Haley looks at him, seeing the support and interest in his features. He genuinely wants to know everything. For better or worse. So, she braced for the worst.

…

15 Years Ago

Haley knocks on her parents' bedroom door, slowly opening it to find her mother wrapped in a blanket on the bed, her body curled into the fetal position. Her father sits in an armchair next to the bed, a glass of scotch in his hand.

Her mother lifts her head slightly, "Hey, Haley-Bob."

Haley comes to stand at the end of the bed. She looks between her parents, nervous.

"What is it, kiddo?" Jimmy asks.

"Why haven't you told the police about your job?"

Jimmy leans forward slightly, his eyes widening. "What does the phone company have to do with this?"

Haley looks at the ground, afraid to speak the words. "Your other job, Dad."

Lydia sits up, looking over at Jimmy. "What are you talking about, sweetie?"

"I heard you… at the hospital… I know everything," Haley admits.

Jimmy's heart breaks at the thought, he visibly gulps. "Haley, I don't know what you heard, but…"

"Stop," Haley says. "I'm not a little kid anymore, OK? Or a porcelain doll for that matter. You both act like I'm always about to break."

"You were, baby," Lydia admits. "You were always about to break."

"Well, not anymore," Haley states firmly. "And… and I think you two need to be honest with me."

Lydia looks at Jimmy, silently pleading he not do it, but instead of exhales. Haley was right.

"You're right, Haley-Bob. You deserve the truth. And the truth is that, I've made a lot of mistakes. All with good intention, but mistakes nonetheless. And when I tried to stop, when I told the cartel I was done. They didn't take it well," he admits.

"They took Quinn?" Haley asks, her voice edged with fear.

"Yes," Jimmy admits, a gasp escaping Haley's lips. "And I've finally tracked them down."

"But it's been a week. Why haven't you told the police?"

"This isn't for the police to know," Jimmy states.

"Anything that can save Quinn is for the police to know!" Haley disagrees.

"Look, you're not a little kid, but you're also not an adult. There's some things you can't understand," Jimmy says. "And the police in this situation would complicate it."

"Mom?" Haley pleads.

"He's right," Lydia agrees. "We have to let you father handle this."

"Well if you know where she is, why aren't you doing anything! Why are you here?" Haley cries.

"Come here, Bob," Jimmy says, wrapping Haley into a hug. "I'm leaving tonight. I had to discuss a few things with you mother. But I'm leaving tonight. And Quinn is coming home. I promise."

"She has to," Haley cries.

…

"Do you remember how you always wanted me to watch Breaking Bad with you?" Haley asks.

"Yes, you very adamantly refused," Nathan recalls. "But come on, Haley. No more distractions."

"Oh it's relevant," Haley states, eyeing the bench overhead, just off the path. It sat behind a shade of trees, slightly more private. "Let's sit down."

Nathan follows Haley to the bench. She sits, facing the jogging path, but Nathan sits, staring at her profile. He needed to take in every word, every emotion, and every tell Haley James was giving him.

"I don't know any other way to say this. And I've never actually said it, out loud, to anyone. So, I'm just going to say it," Haley says. "The reason I never wanted to watch Breaking Bad, is because it hit too close to home."

"What are you talking about?" Nathan questions.

"My dad got involved with a cartel when I was growing up," Haley admits. "Because I had medical issues. Significant, long term, debt-inducing medical issues and we were a single-income household and an electrician's salary can only go so far."

"OK," Nathan whispers, processing. "Wow."

…

15 Years Ago

Haley watches out her window as he father loads a bag into his utility truck and drives into the night. The hairs on the back of her neck prickle at the thought of what comes next.

She sits on her bed, attempting to calm herself, the stress not good for her recovery. But it's not working. The more she thinks about her father, and Quinn, and the situation, the more she panics. So Haley does what she needs to do – take control – and what thirteen-year-olds do best – complicate everything.

She dials the business card of the detective who interviewed her and lets him know every thing; confident she made the right choice.

…

"Not the most normal thing to bring up," Haley points out as Nathan nods in agreement. "My dad drove for them at night, no questions asked. But when my mom found out, she gave him an ultimatum. Us or the cartel."

"And he chose you," Nathan states.

"Yes," Haley confirms.

"I mean, who wouldn't choose their family," Nathan agrees.

"That's a great point," Haley states. "And one I hope you remember. Anyway, he'd been working for them for years by that point, and it did not go over well. Turns out, you can't just have a clean break with organized crime."

"What happened?" Nathan asks, concern in his voice.

"They kidnapped my sister, Quinn," Haley states, seeing the surprise in Nathan's eyes at the word 'sister'. "I have two sisters, Quinn and Taylor."

"Wow," Nathan repeats.

"I haven't seen either in 15 years," Haley says, her voice catching. "When my sister was kidnapped, my parents didn't tell the police about our family's involvement with the cartel. They were looking for a missing person in all the wrong places, and that didn't sit well with me. When I finally confronted my parents, I found out my dad had been doing his own recon and knew where she was. He was going to save her, alone."

"Shit," Nathan states. "This is –"

"Crazy, right?" Haley says. "You wouldn't believe how long it's taken me to talk about this like a normal person. I don't even think I'm doing a good job. But, at least the words are leaving my mouth."

"You're doing great," Nathan says, putting a hand on her shoulder, squeezing twice. Haley looks at him, the gesture sweet.

"I watched my dad leave that night, and I was the most scared I'd ever felt. For my sister, for my dad, for whatever came next. So I called the police, I told them everything," Haley says, a sob forming in her throat. "Some local patrol cars picked up my dad's truck on the freeway after an APB was issued and tailed him to this ranch on the Mexican border. About two hours east of where we lived near San Diego."

"That's good though, right?" Nathan asked, hope in his voice.

Haley shakes her head, the tears streaming down her cheeks. "They were beat-cops, they don't deal with actual crime. They deal with like, disgruntled neighbors and vandalism. They came in way too hot. They arrested my dad before he could even go in, then waiting for backup and went in themselves. It was absolute chaos – they basically ambushed the three guys guarding my sister, a shootout ensued…"

"Holy shit," Nathan breathes. "Did your sister…"

"Everyone survived. It was just really irresponsible of the cops considering there was a teenage girl inside the compound. They arrested the three guys, and Quinn was safe and unharmed. She was scared, and emotionally drained, but she's the most resilient person I know. She was still Quinn," Haley says, wiping the tears, a sad smile creeping onto her face.

"Haley, I don't now what to say," Nathan admits, his face pained. "I don't know what I was expecting but… not this."

Haley nods. "I know. You don't have to say anything. Just, finally telling you is a lot."

"I mean, I want to say something," Nathan says. "I just don't want to say the wrong thing."

"That's not possible," Haley says with a sniffle.

Nathan watches her as she looks down at her shoes, fidgeting with the soles. The floodgate that was Haley James had just opened up and the emotions washing over him were crazy. It was like with each breath, a new flood of emotion hit him – Shock at the situation. Awe at her strength. Relief in her safety. Frustration in her evasiveness. Grateful for her trust. Concerned for her self-soothing. A completeness from finally knowing the truth, followed by being overwhelmingly offended at how long it took, which he knew was selfish. He needed a minute to collect himself, the last thing he wanted was for Haley to fold into herself again, but he needed to straighten his own emotions out first.

Haley looks up, her eyes red-rimmed and her emotions visibly drained, to catch Nathan still staring at her.

"I guess you're probably wondering how your dad's involved," Haley states.

"That's on the list, yes," Nathan nods.

"Then I guess I should finish the story," Haley says, sitting back up. She stretches her back, as if bracing herself for a confrontation.

"Actually," Nathan says, seeing fear creep into Haley's eyes. "I'm going to run and get those coffees, OK?"

Nathan stands up and Haley's worst nightmares come crashing down on her. She knew, she knew, whenever she told someone about her past that they'd run. She didn't blame Nathan, but she was crushed. She'd thought despite everything, if there was one person that would stay, it was Nathan Scott. And here he was, leaving.

She watches as he walks away, he turns to glance back at her. "I'll be right back."

"Sure," Haley says, totally dejected.

As Nathan reaches the jogging path and starts walking out of sight, Haley calls to him.

"Nathan!" Haley calls, seeing him stop and turn. "I'm not going anywhere."

"OK," Nathan nods.

"OK," Haley replies. And then she waits, hoping for Nathan Scott's return.