It's been forever since I updated or even wrote for this universe. But a friendly reminder came to my inbox and voila. I do realize there is some serious fixing to be done in the earlier chapters... so thank you for hanging in until now.
Welcome to what is lightly dubbed Season 2
House of fire, yeah
Let's build a house of fire, baby
Not one of wood or stone
Walk through my door of desire, baby
Come on in and make it your home
Don't need a window to watch you, baby
House of Fire – Alice Cooper
Lily and Sophia are still stuck inside, but they already hear the sirens coming closer. "I really hope this time they come here!" Sophia pleads and pulls on her friends' hand. They have been searching feverishly for a way out for what felt like hours, but it was only a couple of minutes. Lily had one final idea: "Maybe we can get one of the windows in the studio to open far enough for us to squeeze out."
On their way to the studio, they had to pass through smoky parts of the club again, and they were both coughing badly and could barely breathe, but, in the end, they manage to climb out a storeroom window. Sophia pulls Lily away from the burning building and points to the fire trucks pulling into the parking lot. "Finally, we are getting some help!" but her friend is not moving on her own. Lily slumps against Sophia's body and then collapses to the ground.
~*NYC*~
Jamie enjoys his first day in New York and walks around the neighborhood. Lucas and Peyton had told him about a little coffee shop around the corner, and he decided to check it out.
His aunt and uncle were right. The outside reminded him a lot of Karen's Café. He took in the outside and then rather absentmindedly grabbed the door handle and pulled it open, but before he could enter, he felt hot liquid hitting his chest. "Crap, I am so sorry!" a voice told him. "No, I am sorry. I should've looked where I am going." He replies and takes in the appearance of the girl in front of him. She seems to be his age, and he makes a split-second decision: "Can I buy you a replacement for the coffee decorating my shirt?" "You may, but only if you tell me your name!" she grins and continues, "My momma told me not to accept drinks from strangers!"
"James, but everyone calls me Jamie." "I am Kat, well Kathrine, but everybody just calls me Kat, so you should too." The young Scott holds open the door for his new friend and motions her in. "After you!"
~*THH*~
In Tree Hill, the news of the fire at Trick had flown through the town in mere seconds, and Karen also was on the way out the door as soon as she heard and couldn't get a hold of Lily to boot. She is in her car when her phone starts ringing with an unknown number.
"Hello?" she answers with a shaky voice.
"Are you Karen Hargrove? And your daughter is Lily Scott?" a male voice asks without any explanation.
"Yes," Karen even nods, clutching her phone to her ear, "is she okay?"
"Can you please come to the emergency room immediately? Your daughter has been brought here by the fire department," the man on the phone continues.
"How is she?" Karen asks while starting the engine.
"The doctor will talk to you when you're here. Come to the nurses' station, and we'll show you the way." He adds almost sternly before hanging up.
Karen's head is swirling, and as luck in Tree Hill will have it on her way to the hospital, she drives past what looks like the clean up of a horrific car accident, and the sky is tinted orange where in the direction of Tric. She swallows deeply to keep her focus on the road and arrives at the hospital safely.
As she hurries to the front desk, she recognizes the Weatherly's there, too, and her heart sinks.
"Hi, my name is Karen Hargrove; I am looking for my daughter Lily. Lily Scott." She addresses one of the workers behind the desk and just faintly hears the murmuring next to her about Michael being in surgery after a car accident.
"Yes, Mrs. Hargrove, Dr. Miller is going to come meet you in a few moments. Just take a seat over there," she is being instructed, and at that moment, Michael's mother looks up to her. "Was Lily with Michael?"
"I don't think so. She was at Tric as far as I know," Karen's stomach constricts painfully. She can't lose her daughter. Her connection to Keith, her only family left in Tree Hill.
After a short while, a few police officers show up to talk to Michael's parents. They ask a flurry of questions about why Michael was using the car and if they knew anything about his state of mind at the time. They tell them that he was alone in the car. And to her own horror, Karen feels a little bit lighter at hearing that, even if she still had no news about Lily at the time.
Soon Dr. Miller shows up to talk to Karen and explains to her that Lily collapsed, likely due to smoke inhalation, but that the exam showed a slight heart murmur.
"You can go up in about 10 minutes when she is situated in her room," he ends with a smile before shaking Karen's hand and leaving again.
When her focus returns to the area around her, she can see Michael's parents have just finished talking to another doctor and are now joined by a man she'd noticed come in with the police.
"Is everything okay with Lily?" Mrs. Weatherly asks suddenly.
"Yes, she was at Tric and collapsed due to smoke inhalation. How is Michael?" she swallows, seeing the other woman's face contort in pain.
"He's in ICU and fighting for his life. But we would've lost him without this brave man here. You won't believe his last name, actually," a pained smile plays on her lips, and Karen can only look on in shock as the man in question turns around.
"Andy," she gasps as her ex-husband's shocked expression meets hers.
