Okay so as promised, here if the first chapter to my new story! I have about 5 chapters of it pre-written already so as long as I get a good response it shouldn't take me long to update again. I'm absolutely in love with this story. I've written a lot of fanfiction in my day but none of it has ever made me feel like this story has. I'm super proud of it and I'm super excited with everything that I have planned. The plot is completely different than anything I had ever written before and it came to on a whim one night. I'm not going to lie, I'm actually kind of nervous y'all won't like it as much as I do. I've worked really hard on it so fingers crossed! Reviews make me happy, so make sure to leave one! Thank you in advance for all of your support and lovely reviews!

As I explained on my latest update of Sweet Mystery, I am in the middle of finals. My last final is the 15th but the I have to help set up for a Christmas party on the 16th and then the party is on the 17th. After all of that is over with I'll have a lot of down time until Christmas rolls around. I am hoping to post another chapter of Sweet Mystery with that down time! I appreciate you all being so patient with me, means everything.

So without further ado...

He shouldn't have been there. He knew better than that. He was breaking so many rules. His father would kill him if he found out, but oddly enough, he didn't couldn't find the means to care.

He had to see her.

He had to make sure she was okay.

If she knew he was there, she would have been furious, he knew that too. She would have yelled and screamed, maybe even thrown a few punches his way. She always was a feisty one, so full of fire and wit, which was one of the many things he loved about her. She would have spat so many hurtful things to him, albeit he would have deserved every single word.

But again, that didn't seem to faze him.

The music was loud, he could feel it pulsating through his entire body. A potent stench of cigarette smoke and stale beer clouded his sense of smell. There were so many people, it made him feel slightly claustrophobic, but in a twisted way he was also thankful for the crowd. The large group of people made it easier to blend in and remain hidden. His eyes continuously scanned the crowds of people, looking for some sense of familiarity.

His heart was pounding. His palms were sweaty. His stomach was in knots.

He could sense her, he just couldn't see her. Even after all these years, he was still so in-tuned with her, even when he didn't want to be. It was a blessing and it was a curse. Right now he couldn't decide if it was a more one or the other. A blessing because at least he knew she was here and so far, she was safe. A curse because he tried so hard to forget the way she made him feel and this only proved that he had miserably failed that task.

He took a swig of his beer, the cool liquid soothing his dry and scratchy throat. The bitter taste caused him to cringe. He was beginning to get nervous. Two hours and twelve minutes have passed since he had stepped into this bar and sat down in a secluded booth in the darkest corner this establishment had to offer him. The waitress who greeted him tried to coax him into sitting in a booth where the light above it wasn't broken, but he declined. A dark booth was perfect for what he was there for.

Two hours and thirteen minutes, and still no sign of her.

Panic was slowly starting to coil up inside of him. He knew she was there, he could feel it but she was nowhere to be found. Was he too late? Was his team too late? Was she in trouble? He took another sip of his beer, desperately needing something to fizzle out his nerves. He ran his fingers through his thick, raven colored hair, tugging slightly at the ends. He shouldn't have come here. This was such a stupid idea.

But then, as if his silent prayers were finally heard, her laugh vibrated loudly over the music and through his ear drums. He couldn't remember the last time he had heard her beautiful laugh, but he even after all this time, he could still recognize that sound in a heartbeat. It was like music to his ears. His whole body tensed and goosebumps quickly coated his skin. It was like every muscle and every nerve in his body was suddenly covered in a sheet of ice. He couldn't think. He couldn't breathe. The only thing he could do was frantically search for the source of that laugh.

After what seemed like his fiftieth sweep across the room, a group of people shifted and his eyes finally landed on her. His breath caught in his throat. His heart was practically beating out of his chest and he couldn't move, not that he really wanted to. His eyes remained fixated on her as he drank her in, inch by inch. Her hair was shorter than he remembered and instead of it being the honey blonde color that he remembered it being, it was a light auburn. The auburn waves cascaded down her back, reaching slightly below her shoulder blades. She was also thinner than he remembered, not that she was ever fat. She was wearing a pair of maroon colored shorts that stopped about mid-thigh. A black V-neck adorned the upper half of her body, the words Levy's Bar and Grill were etched across her back in blue, white, and green writing.

One of her hands were resting on her hip while the other was holding up a tray of empty beer bottles and dirty dishes. She was talking away with two older gentlemen who were seated at a booth right next to the bar. She was laughing and smiling, causing his stomach to clench and his grip on the bottle of beer he was drinking to tighten.

God, she was still so breathtakingly beautiful, still the most beautiful woman he had ever had the privilege of laying his eyes on.

He watched her intently as she laughed at something else one of the older men said. She seemed happy and it killed him. He should have been elated over the fact that after everything she's been through and after everything he put her through, she was happy. And part of him was happy but there was a small part of him that felt angry. Angry that she was living her life without him.

But he didn't have a right to be angry. It was his fault that she was living without him, after all.

He was a selfish bastard. That still hadn't changed.

He'd dreamt about this moment more than he liked to admit. He knew there would come a day when he would have to stop running and face her again. He hadn't figured it would be this soon, but the thought was always in the back of his mind. His reaction to seeing her again was stronger than he had imagined it would be. The heart racing, sweaty palms, knotted stomach, and loss of breath were ineludible but the urge to pull her close, to kiss her, and to hold her were unexpected.

How could it be possible to crave someone so much after you've been apart from them for so long?

He felt his phone buzzing in his pocket but he ignored it. It was probably just the office calling him, letting him know his flight information, little did they know, he had already booked his own flight and left without letting a single soul know. That was the first rule he broke. Not telling his dad or his partner that he was getting a jump start on this case was rule number two. Coming to this bar on his own accord and watching her was rule number three. There was at least five other rules that he had broken but they were lost to him. All that mattered was that she was standing in front of him and that she was okay.

The buzzing eventually stopped and he returned his focus to solely being on her. She had moved away from the men at the booth and was now standing behind the bar. A white towel was thrown over her shoulder and she looked to be in deep concentration as she cleared off her tray, carefully placing each glass and each plate in their respective spots. Once her tray was cleared, he watched as she disappeared through a door labeled "Employees Only" before returning seconds later with two full bottles of beer in her hands. She placed them down on the marble bar top before reaching into her pocket and pulling out a bottle opener. Cracking open the two beers, she scooted out from behind the bar and headed over to a table that was much close to him than the last one.

He scooted farther back into the booth, hoping and praying that, that made him even less visible, if that was at all possible. Being seen would have been the yet another rule he would have broken, not to mention his spotting would have started World War III. His phone started buzzing again but like the first call, he let it go. It wasn't until his phone started continuously buzzing did he pull it out of his pants pockets. The name "Clay" flashed across the screen and his finger hesitated over the answer button before finally clicking it. Clay was always relentless and he wouldn't stop calling until he finally answered.

Putting the phone up to his ear, he muttered out an aggravated "What do you want?"

"Where the hell are you?" Clay gritted out, the anger clear in his voice.

"Out."

"Nathan, this isn't the time to fucking play games. I know you're in Tree Hill so cut the shit and tell me where you are." Clay spat out and Nathan cringed.

Well that didn't take long for Clay to figure out that Nathan had left without him.

"Levy's." Nathan answered shortly. It was no use in trying to hide where he was- he was already caught.

"Are you out of your fucking mind?" Clay yelled causing Nathan to hold the phone farther away from his ear. "You've done some really stupid things in your life but this is by far the most stupid."

"Calm down, alright. She hasn't seen me. She doesn't know I'm here." Nathan responded.

"And she's not going to know you're there either. My flight landed about a half hour ago and I just checked in to the hotel. Meet me here in twenty minutes and I mean twenty minutes, Nathan. You need to get out of there right now."

There was a click before the line went dead. Nathan sighed and put his cell phone back in his jeans pocket. He should have been stealthier about his departure from New York to Tree Hill but he was in a hurry. Being in a hurry usually meant recklessness which was something that was highly frowned upon in his line of work. Just another broken rule Nathan could add to his collection.

Glancing around the bar, he didn't see her anymore and figured she had went in the back. Taking this as his chance to leave without being seen, he gulped down the rest of his beer and threw some money on the table. Doubling checking one last time to make sure she wasn't around, Nathan slid out of the booth and booked it out the exit closest to where he was sitting.

~x~

Haley cupped her hands underneath the faucet, letting them fill up with cold water before lifting her hands up, splashing her face. The cool water felt good against her flushed cheeks. She braced herself against the sink with both of her arms outstretched in front of her, letting the cool water run down her face for a few moments before grabbing a towel. She dried her face off before taking a few deep breaths in attempt to calm her rapid heartbeat.

Most days she loved her job but sometimes it could get to be hectic and extremely stressful, especially on Saturday nights. Levy's was already understaffed as it was and the fact that the only other bar within a twenty mile radius of there was shut down because of inspection failures wasn't helping matters. All of that business was coming to Levy's now and even though that was good for the owners, it was bad for the staff.

Once Haley felt rejuvenated enough, she pushed open the women's bathroom door and headed back out into the craziness that awaited her. Forcing a smile, she walked over to the new table that had been seated in her section while she was away. She immediately recognized the two middle aged men that occupied the table, they were two of her regulars. The younger blonde's name was Steven. He worked for a construction company located just outside of Tree Hill. He was never married and as far as Haley knew, he never wanted to get married. The dark haired guy sitting across from him was Teddy. Teddy worked for an electrical company that was merged with the same construction company Steven worked for. Teddy used to be married but was eventually divorced due to infidelity, on whose part, Haley wasn't sure.

Steven and Teddy tipped well but they made her extremely uncomfortable. They hit on her constantly regardless of how many times she politely declined their offers. There have been a couple of times where they had a little too much to drink and resorted to physical attempts, slapping her butt, grabbing her arm and pulling her into their lap…things like that. Haley could have easily reported them to her boss and have them banned from the bar, but again, they tipped well and she needed the money. It was one of the many sacrifices she's had to make over the last couple of years.

Walking over to their table, she placed a set of napkins in front of each of them before offering another forced smile. "Hey guys, how are we doing tonight?"

Teddy looked up from his phone and immediately smiled when he saw Haley. "Great now." He practically purred and Haley had to resist the urge to gag. "How are you doing darlin'?"

"I'm doing the best I can on a busy night like this. Can I get you anything to drink?" She tried to keep her time around them to a minimal amount, short, sweet and to the point, avoiding their advances as much as she could. Some nights they got the hint, other nights she wasn't so lucky.

"I'll have a Bud Light, draft, sixteen ounce." Steven answered, reaching out to grab her hand. "And a side of you, if you're offering." He ran the pad of his thumb against her knuckles and smirked deeply at her.

A chill ran down Haley's spine but her face remained calm, a small smile etched into her features. "Sorry Steven, I'm on the clock and my boss frowns about upon giving special treatment to customers."

He released her hand and shrugged. "I guess I'll just wait until you're off the clock then."

So it wasn't going to be one of those nights.

Haley giggled nervously before turning her attention back to the other man. "What about for you, Teddy?"

"I'll have the same." Teddy answered with a smile.

Haley nodded before turning on her heels and heading behind the bar to prepare their drinks. Dropping down to a crouch, she grabbed two freshly clean sixteen ounce glasses before standing back up. Sliding the glassed underneath the beer fountain, she pulled the level for Bud Light and waited until they were almost full before removing them. Hurrying back over to Teddy and Steven, she placed the glasses down before returning to the bar.

"I see you got stuck with those two slime balls again tonight." Brooke teased while filling up her own drink orders.

Haley glared at the petite brunette. "Don't I always?"

Brooke laughed, placing her now full glasses down on her tray. "They sure do love you. You could just give them a chance, you know. From what I understand, they're both fairly wealthy and there really is no harm in having a sugar daddy. They'll probably croak within a couple of years from liver disease and you'll be left with loads of money to sit on." She nudged Haley in the side playfully, wiggling her eyebrows.

Haley shuddered at that thought. "As tempting as that sounds, I think I'll pass."

Brooke turned so that she was completely facing Haley. She placed one hand on the bar top and the other on her hip. "Hales, don't you think it's time to move on?" It was like someone had flicked a switch inside of Brooke, allowing her tone to go from being lighthearted to serious within a matter of seconds.

Haley immediately tensed. She really didn't want to have this conversation with Brooke, not again and not ever again, if she were being honest. Brooke should know by now that, that conversation was uncharted territory, especially when they were both at work. "I wouldn't say getting with a 'sugar daddy' constitutes as moving on." She joked as an attempt to steer the conversation from the serious direction it was heading.

"Well, no." Brooke agreed. "But, still, I meant-"

Haley cut her off before she could finish. "I have moved on, Brooke. I moved on a long time ago."

"I would hardly call a string of one night stands and random dinners with the same person moving on." Brooke argued. She began to tap her foot against the tile, the clicking of her heel fading in with the loud music. That was a for sure sign that Brooke Davis meant business.

"Chase and I are just taking things slow, that's all." Haley counter argued, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Slow? So you would consider jumping in his bed the first night that you met as slow?" Brooke retorted, raising an eyebrow at her.

Haley let out a heavy sigh, throwing her hands up in frustration. "So our version of taking it slow is a little unconventional. Just drop it, okay? I've moved on, I promise."

Brooke removed her hand from her hip and held it up in defense. It was no use trying to get Haley to talk. That conversation was like a broken record at this point. "Fine, I'll drop it, for now. You know I'm just worried about you, right?"

Haley nodded. "I know and I love you for caring so much about me, but I promise you I'm fine. I would tell you if I wasn't."

"Somehow I find that hard to believe." Brooke muttered under her breath.

Haley rolled her eyes before turning away from Brooke. She headed back over to Steven and Teddy who were now flagging her down, ready for her to take their orders. She would deal with Brooke later.

~x~

It didn't take long for the cab to arrive at the Courtyard by Marriot Carolina Beach, the hotel that Nathan and Clay would be staying at for as long as they were needed in Tree Hill. Nathan threw the cab driver two twenties, far more than was necessary, before hopping out of the cab and jogging into the lobby of the hotel. The little old man standing behind the check in desk, whom Nathan remember to be named Charlie, sent a smile his way in which Nathan graciously returned.

Nathan quickly hopped onto the empty elevator and pressed the number ten. Leaning against the cool steel of the elevator, Nathan tried to catch his breath. Clay was pissed which meant that his father was furious, livid, absolutely outraged…most likely a combination of all those adjectives. As the floors dinged by, Nathan tried his best to mentally prepare for the screaming match that was waiting for his as soon as he walked into that hotel room.

Clay didn't know everything. Clay wouldn't understand why he came here before he was supposed to. He would just view this as a reckless endeavor that could possibly cost them their jobs or maybe even their lives. Maybe in some ways, Clay would be right.

The elevator eventually made it to the tenth floor, a louder ding vibrated off the steel walls before the doors creaked open. Nathan exited the elevator and immediately turned left. He walked down the long corridor of rooms until he reached his. Digging his key card out of his pocket, his inserted it and waited for the arrow to go from red to green before pushing the door open. As soon as he stepped foot into the room, Clay came barreling around the corner with clenched fists. His normally ocean blue eyes were dark with anger.

"Are you out of your fucking mind?" Clay yelled, repeating his same scolding from their phone conversation earlier. "Actually, I already know the answer to that. You must be out of your mind to come here without telling anyone or to come here at all, knowing that we were under strict orders to not step foot here until we were given the okay from the director."

Nathan closed the door and walked right passed Clay. He tossed his wallet and key card onto the counter before turning around to face his angry partner. "I just wanted to get a head start on this case, that's all." Nathan answered calmly.

"A head start? You wanted to get a head start? That's bullshit, Nate, and you know it. Getting a head start would have been reading over files, creating a story board with all the information that we already know, not coming all the way here and scoping things out." Clay shouted. His hands were on his hips, his fingers dipping below his belt. If he was a cartoon character, steam would surely be coming out of his ears.

"It's really not that big of a deal, Clay. I was careful." Nathan stated simply. He leaned back on the table, putting his hands behind him to hold himself up.

"Obviously not since everyone in the office knew where you were a mere three hours after you left. You could have gotten yourself killed. You could have gotten her killed! You're supposed to be keeping her safe from him, not luring him to her. Do you want another death on your hands? Is that what you want? You're sure headed in that direction." Clay knew his words were harsh but he couldn't help it. He was absolutely seething. He just couldn't wrap his head around the fact that what Nathan did was just so reckless, so unlike him.

Nathan felt the anger surge through him the second those words left Clay's mouth. He wanted to remain calm and act like everything was okay but that idea quickly flew out the window. He clenched his jaw and pushed himself off the table, stalking over to Clay until he was centimeters from his face. "Watch it, Clay." He gritted out through his clenched teeth.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I hit a nerve?" Clay smirked.

Nathan narrowed his eyes. "You really don't want to go there, trust me."

"Maybe I should go there since that's apparently where your head is." Clay taunted Nathan even farther. "Does it feel good, Nate? Defying rules? Are you on some kind of mission? Is the thrill of it all getting to you?"

"You wouldn't understand." Nathan replied simply.

Clay took a step forward, his chest practically touching Nathan's. "You're damn right I don't understand. I don't understand how you could do something so completely and utterly reckless like this. This isn't you, Nathan. You would never do something like this." He paused when he suddenly Nathan's facial expression change. The anger that was once in his eyes quickly dissipated into something else, something he couldn't quite put his finger on. Fear? Hurt? Desperation? It was a look he had never seen on Nathan before. He backed away slightly, furrowed his eyebrows, and asked in a much softer tone of voice, "what is it with you and this case?"

Nathan took an additional step away from Clay, his eyes narrow. "What do you mean?" While his voice was much calmer than it was moments before, it was still rather icy.

"Don't play dumb. Ever since this case landed on our desks, you've been white as a ghost. You've been jumpy, zoning out during meeting, not sleeping, barely eating, and now you pull some shit like this. So tell me, what about this case has you so rattled?" Clay pondered.

"Nothing." Nathan was quick to dismiss his allegations.

"Don't lie to me."

"I'm not lying."

"Nathan…"

"Just drop it, okay?

"Not until you tell me why you're acting the way that you are." Clay persisted.

"There's nothing to tell, so just drop it." Nathan found himself raising his voice again. "I did something stupid, I get that. But there's no ulterior motive behind what I did besides trying to get ahead in this case. Believe me, don't believe me, I quite frankly don't care."

Nathan swiftly turned around and began to walk away towards his designated room. He could feel the anger start to boil up inside of him again and fearing that he might say something he'd later regret, Nathan walked away. He didn't care what Clay thought. Let Clay have his own assumptions, it didn't hurt him any.

"Peyton's livid, you know." Clay shouted at Nathan's retreating form.

"She'll get over it." He responded sourly.

"So is your father."

"Like I said, they'll get over it." Nathan shouted before walking into his room, slamming the door shut behind him. Still slightly seething from his and Clay's previous conversation, he collapsed down at his desk where a bunch of files were scattered across the mahogany wood. He ran his hands over his face in frustration before scanning his eyes across the files. All of the words and pictures seemed to blur together. He had spent all of last night reading and re-reading those same damn files, just trying to grasp the concept of everything, but he came up short. How had things ended up like this? How did he end up back here to the same place he spent years running from? Nathan was sure he had taken every precaution that he could think of yet everything he did to try and prevent this seemed futile. He couldn't help but feel like a complete failure for the second time in his life. He felt so helpless and that was one emotion he didn't like to feel.

He might have failed this time, but he wasn't going to fail again, even if he died trying.

Nathan found himself reaching for an old photo, the same photo he had spent hours staring at during the previous night. The edges of the photo were withered and the left corner was completely torn off. The color in the picture was starting to slightly yellow. Pictured was a little boy, about one year old. He was sitting in the grass in a pair of jeans and a black baseball tee with the word "brave" written across the chest in red writing. A blue plastic ball was in the boy's hands.

He ran his fingers over the boy's face, tracing the contours that were visible to him. Nathan wouldn't have recognized the boy in the picture if it wasn't for his blue eyes. He could recognize those blue eyes anywhere.

They were his after all. Every time he looked in the mirror, those same blue eyes stared back at him. The only difference was that the eyes staring back at him weren't filled with life and happiness, at least not anymore.

The little boy was smiling at him, nothing but pure joy and excitement written over his face. It made Nathan sick. The longer he stared at the picture, the worse he felt, but he couldn't bring himself to look away. Goosebumps rose high on his skin, chill after chill ran down his spine. His heart was pounding wildly in his chest and he felt light headed. His eyes began to water but he wasn't sure if it was because he was crying or if it was because he was willing himself not to blink.

He was terrified. He was terrified to close his eyes, even for a millisecond. He was scared that the second he closed his eyes, the picture would just change or disappear.

After all, that picture was all he had left.