Forever and Always (A Naley fanfiction)

Chapter Seven

"It started out just like any other night" Haley whispered. She was currently sitting on Jake and Peytons' couch while they sat across from her listening intently. Emma and Jenny were playing in the other room. 

"I was just sitting in the kitchen waiting for Nathan to finish his shower. We were going to discuss baby names," She continued "He came up behind me and held a knife to my neck. He told me if I screamed or did not do exactly what he said that he would kill the baby and me and then Nathan."

"That's horrible" Peyton whispered, but Haley was not done. 

"He dragged me out of the house and tied me up. Then he threw me in the trunk of a car. We drove for a long time and then once we got to his house he locked me in his basement. I had Emma a week later, and we lived in that basement for five years. Damon made sure we had everything we needed, and he occasionally took Emma places with him. It wasn't like anyone was looking for her. Still, this isn't the life I wanted for her." 

"How'd you get away?" Jake asks. 

"Damon forgot to lock the basement door one day. He had left, and Emma noticed it while she was playing and came and told me. I knew that was going to be our only chance to get away, so I packed some clothes for us in a plastic bag and waited to hear Damon leave. Once he was gone, I took Emma in my arms and bolted out of the house. I ran down the street to a neighbours house and banged on the door until an older woman answered the door. She took us in and cleaned us up. I told her my story, and she looked up my name. That was how I found I was apparently dead. The woman tried to convince me to go to the police, but that did not even feel safe. The answer at the time was just to buy a bus ticket and get as far away from Damon as possible. That is what I did and how I ended up here."

"Why not just call Nate Haley?" Jake questioned, "He would have helped you in a heartbeat."

"It's not safe. I could lead Damon right to us. I am sure he is watching to see if I go running back to Nathan." 

"Why are you so afraid to go to the police?"Peyton asks "They could put Damon away for good." 

"If they found a body that is not mine, then who says the police are not involved in this somehow. I don't know why, but I don't trust the police with this. I feel like this goes to deeper than Damon. I could never figure out his motive for taking me." 

"You think someone hired him?" 

Haley nodded "No clue who though." 

It is quiet for a while until Peyton finally speaks. 

"Haley you need to call Nathan and at least let him know you and Emma are okay."

"I can't-"

"It's killing him, Haley! He doesn't even know what happened that night!" 

"I know he's a mess!"Haley snapped "I see it in his eyes every time I see him on T.V.! It is a daily struggle not to call him or go see him." 

Tears were falling from Haley's eyes at this point. 

"I HATE the fact that Emma hasn't gotten to have him in her life," Haley continued "None of it seems worth it if I get him hurt or killed though. I am just trying to keep him safe." 

Peyton and Jake seemed to get her reasoning for hiding somewhat. They agreed to keep her secret for the time being.

"Haley you know you are eventually going to have to come out of hiding right?" Says Peyton. 

"I know," Haley responds "I just need some time to figure things out and figure out how to get rid of Damon, and whoever else is trying to hurt me without anybody I care about getting hurt in the process." 

It is quiet for a while until Haley asks "Is he dating- Is he with anyone?"

Jake shakes his head "People have tried to get him to move on, but he refuses. He says you were the only one for him and he can't think of himself with anybody other than you." 

Haley breathed a sigh of relief. Losing him to another woman had been a constant fear while she had been kidnapped and in hiding. He technically could do whatever he wanted since she was technically dead. He had stayed faithful to her though. He hadn't forgotten about her in her absence. 

It may take some time, but Haley was going to find her way back to him. 

Nathan meanwhile sat alone sipping a beer at a hotel bar in New York. The Charlotte Bobcats had made an amazing defeat against the New York Knicks earlier that night. Nathan knew he should feel happy, but as usual, all he felt was a deep feeling of loneliness and emptiness. 

He had been there a while when he felt the seat next to him move. He didn't look at the person next to him. He really did not care to be honest. He just wanted to be left to drown his sorrows alone. 

"Drinking alone?" The voice next to him asked. 

Nathan looked to see a pretty brunette in a racy red dress sitting next to him. A feeling of dread came over him. Women were always coming up to him and trying to ask him out and hook up with him. He always turned them away. They didn't get it. Nobody got it. He had already had given his heart away, and he would never get it back. It was buried with Haley in Tree Hill. Unless she could somehow be brought back to life, he would never feel love again. 

Nathan just shrugged and tried to ignore her. Maybe she would go away. That hope was crushed when she continued talking. 

"I'm Carrie," She says. 

He glances without much interest at her "Nathan,"

"Oh, I know who you are. You did a fine job tonight."Carrie says, attempting to flirt with him. 

"Thanks,"He mumbles shortly. He really just wanted Carrie to go away. 

Time passes, and Carrie continues to talk.She talks about where she is from and why she is in the city. Nathan mostly ignores her, occasionally nodding. He was surprised she had not given up on him by now. Most other girls would have. She seemed determined to get him to have a conversation with her though. 

When Nathan realized she was not going away, he stubbornly kept up a conversation with her. To his surprise, he halfway began to like her. He found out she was a nanny from a small town in Connecticut. She had come to New York for a weekend of fun with some friends. 

After a while, Carrie suggested getting out of there and Nathan had a feeling what she was looking for and he couldn't. Talking to a nice girl at the bar was one thing, but sleeping with her was a line he could not cross. 

Nathan gently turns her down, and she looks upset. She tries to push the idea, but he doesn't budge. Haley was his wife. He would not share his body with anybody but her. That was something he would forever stand firm on. 

Carrie had finally walked away annoyed, and Nathan went back up to his room and prepared for another night sleeping alone.