AN: I know, I know, I'm a bad person for taking this long. Go ahead. Shoot me if you want.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Outskirts of Nowhere

Written by Becks Rylynn

[Chapter Three: Hope It Gives You Hell]

when you see my face
hope it gives you hell, hope it gives you hell
when you walk my way
hope it gives you hell, hope it gives you hell
-all american rejects, gives you hell

Brooke sucked in a breath and reached her arms up, putting her hair up into a loose bun. Just the one movement caused her extreme pain. She grimaced and shuffled in front of her full length mirror letting her pink fluffy bathrobe fall to the floor, revealing her bruised and battered, cut and torn skin. Again, she grimaced at the sight and turned, examining the bruises on her side. Well, great. She looked like some kind of punching bag. Gently, trying not to hurt herself; she traced her fingers over the bruises on her stomach and then leaned closer to the mirror, to look at her black eye and the cuts on her face. Yep. Punching bag. Blowing out a sigh, she closed her tired eyes, but as soon as she did; the face of her attacker floated into her mind and she could hear herself whimpering as he struck her over and over. In her mind's eye, she watched as she embedded the knife into his chest and killed him. With a sharp gasp, she opened her eyes and looked at her reflection. Utterly pathetic. She curled up her lip in disgust at the terrified look on her face and tore herself away from the mirror, tearing open her drawer and pulling out clothes until she found something that was loose enough it hopefully wouldn't agitate her bruises too much. I'm not going to cry, she told herself firmly. If she didn't cry, she would be fine. She would be just fine.

She was Brooke fucking Davis. She would be fine.

A-okay.

Really.

Something moved behind her and she let a smirk fall onto her bruised, yet beautiful face. ''I know you're there.'' She turned, not even bothering to cover up. ''Not so shy anymore, huh, Sammy?''

He shrugged, and leaned against the door, but kept his eyes firmly on her face. ''Like you said...it's nothing I haven't seen before.'' Sam looked at Brooke closely, studying his friend with mild concern. Stiff posture, blank eyes, smirk a little too forced. She was hurting more then she would admit. ''How are you?''

She shrugged and turned away from him, pulling on a pair of jeans and a loose purple top. ''Fine. I'd be better if you found out who did this.''

''I'm working on it.''

''Well, good.'' When she turned back to him, a bright smile was on her face, replacing the smirk. ''So, how long are you guys staying anyway? 'Cause you should totally meet the gang.''

''Brooke, you don't have to lie to me,'' he said softly, taking a step towards her. ''I know you're not fine.''

When his eyes locked onto hers, she tore her eyes away and crossed her arms, swallowing hard. ''I am fine, though. I'm a Davis, we get beat up all the time.''

''Your Dad was a hunter, Brooke. Your sister is a hunter. You are not. You don't get beat up all the time, stop acting like this isn't a big deal, because it is, and you know that.'' He reached out to touch her arm, but she moved away from him and pulled the curtains away, staring out the window.

Now, Sam knew Brooke, he knew her better then she probably knew herself sometimes. That wasn't something he was going to go announcing to the world, but he did. And he knew right now that she was hiding her emotions. Something Winchester's knew a lot about.

''Sam,'' Brooke trained her blank eyes on a woman walking her dog. ''You own a gun, right?'' She let the curtain fall and turned towards him, her blank eyes now filled with rage. ''I want you to teach me how to use it.''

Because she was Brooke fucking Davis and she did not like to feel weak.

Before he could say anything (he didn't really know what to say anyways) the front door crashed open and Haley's voice echoed through the house. ''Guys! We have a problem!''

Dean and Haley practically fell through the front door, slamming it behind them and throwing the locks like they expected the dead guy to jump out at them and eat their brains. Out of breath, confused and feeling a whole slew of emotions they didn't particularly care for, they both leaned against the door, catching their breaths. Eyes flickering in anger, she turned towards him and threw him a scowl. ''For the record, I blame you for this.''

''Haley, what don't you blame me for?''

''Easy. Global warming.''

''Thanks for that.''

She looked at him for moment, the look on her face telling him she was clearly trying to come up with some scathing remark before she abruptly turned away from him and tore off her jacket, throwing it onto the couch. ''Guys! We have a problem!'' Muttering curses she hardly ever said under her breath, she roughly pushed past Dean and reached into Brooke's kitchen cabinet, retrieving a bottle of vodka and taking a gulp straight from the bottle.

At the sight of her guzzling vodka like a pro, Dean smirked and sat down at the counter, raising his eyebrows. He had taught her well. ''That's kind of hot.''

She narrowed her eyes and slammed the bottle down in front of him, leaning her elbows on the counter. ''I have a gun.''

He licked his lips and leaned closer to her over the counter, moving his lips to her ear. ''So do I.'' Sure, maybe he was beyond angry at her, maybe he wished sometimes that he had never met her, maybe he regretted coming here the minute he saw her, but that didn't mean he couldn't have a little fun with her while he was here. It was in his nature.

Ignoring the shiver that ran down her spine, she snarled and clipped him on the back of the head, rolling her eyes and moving away from him. ''Pervert.''

Footsteps sounded on the stairs and Brooke and Sam appeared, both looking fidgety and kind of guilty. Brooke took one look at Haley, guzzling down vodka and put her hands over her face. ''Why do I get the feeling like you two are about to drop some big bombshell on us?''

''Demons!'' Haley threw a hand up in the air and took another swig of alcohol. ''Demons! In my town! You!'' She whirled around and shoved her finger into Dean's chest. ''This is all your fault!''

''Yeah, I think you mentioned something about that before.''

''You...You...hunter! You probably brought them right along with you!''

''Hey,'' Dean grabbed her wrist and stood, towering over her. ''You're the one that called us.''

''It was Brooke's idea! It wasn't my idea!''

''If it was Brooke's idea, why didn't you just say no?''

''Because...Because...Because she was hurt! And Brooke Davis! Have you ever tried saying no to Brooke Davis?''

''Uh...'' Brooke leaned over to Sam. ''Should we separate them?''

''I would, but...'' A Winchester smirk covered Sam's face and he folded his arms across his chest. ''They're so entertaining.''

''Who says no to Brooke Davis?''

Haley was silent for a moment, and then her eyes narrowed and she wrenched her arm free, and punched him, getting a small sense of satisfaction when he stumbled back and grabbed his nose. ''Ow! Ha-ley! I didn't mean it in a dirty way!'' Dean slid his eyes to Sam and glared at him. ''See, Sammy, this is what I get for thinking with my upstairs brain!''

When Haley reached for the bottle of vodka, Brooke quickly stepped in and snatched the bottle away from her friend. ''All right, I think that's enough of that. Haley, honey, you sit down, right here,'' she steered Haley into the living room and pushed her on the couch, ignoring the glare she got. ''And Dean, you sit...way over there.'' Brooke turned away from her friends, rolling her eyes and sat down. ''Now, what do you mean demons?''

''What do you think we mean, Brooke?'' Haley folded her arms across her chest and tapped her foot impatiently. ''I mean demons. As in, kill-everyone-for-no-reason-at-all demons.''

''Well, actually, demons usually have a reason.'' Sam piped up helpfully. The glare he got in return was enough to shut him up. ''Or….Or not.''

''What exactly happened?'' Brooke asked, rubbing her forehead. Dean and Haley had been back for, like, fifteen minutes and already she was getting a Daley induced headache.

''Your body's missing.'' Dean spoke up, leaning back in the chair and trying to stop the bleeding. Haley may have looked like a tiny little woman, but she packed a nasty punch. Literally.

Brooke wrinkled her nose and looked down at herself. ''Wha -''

''Not that body, Brookie. I mean the corpse. It's gone. The grave was a mess too. So, either someone dug up the body for some really fucked up reason, or...''

''Or he wasn't as dead as we thought.'' Haley finished, sinking into the couch and pinching the bridge of her nose. She really shouldn't have guzzled that vodka so fast. Actually, she really shouldn't have guzzled that vodka at all. Now, on top of everything else, her head was pounding. Also, the world was kind of spinning a little. Closing her eyes, she sank down into the seat and took a few deep breaths. It almost sounded like someone was knocking in her head. Hey...

Wait a minute. Her eyes snapped open just in time to see Brooke open the door and her husband step inside. ''Nathan!'' Eyes widening in panic, she leapt to her feet, sending a warning look at Dean and pulled Nathan in for a tight hug turning him around so he wouldn't see Dean and Sam. ''Hi, honey, what...what are you doing here?''

Nathan frowned. ''I...came to see if everything was okay. Uh, Brooke, what the hell happened to you? Are you okay?''

''Oh, I'm fine.'' Brooke smiled nervously. ''I fell down the stairs. Yeah, here's a little advice, don't wear four inch heels when you're dragging a laundry basket down the stairs.''

''...Okay...I won't.'' Nathan frowned, and shook his head, looking away from Brooke at his wife. ''Are you okay?''

''Fine!'' Haley plastered a bright smile on her face and wrapped her arms around his neck. ''Why do you ask?''

''Because you're acting weird.''

''Uh, well, yeah...Brooke and I had some...some vodka shots and I'm a little buzzed. Hey, what are you doing here? Don't you have practice?'' Haley looked over her shoulder anxiously and when Nathan's eyes tried to follow his gaze, she leaned in and kissed him quickly.

Behind them, Brooke rolled her eyes and sat down next to Dean, crossing her legs. She turned her gaze to him and smirked lazily, leaning closer to him. ''I know what you're thinking, Winchester.''

Sam took a breath. ''Oh boy.''

''Yeah, I'm thinking why aren't you getting me an icepack?''

''Nope, you're thinking...'' Brooke turned her gaze to Nathan and Haley. ''...That used to be me.''

Dean scowled. ''Brooke, do you ever mind your own business?''

''No. What fun would that be?''

That moment would be when Nathan finally moved past Haley and his eyes landed on the two Winchester brothers sitting there. His reaction was instant anger, hands clenching into fists at his sides as he pushed past his wife, shaking off the hand she had on his arm, ignoring her plea of, ''Nathan, please don't.''

What? Was he supposed to ignore the fact that the man who almost took Haley away from him was sitting in his friend's living room? Like hell. ''You.'' His voice was a growl, low and furious and he looked like he was ready to rip the older man's head off.

Dean couldn't really blame the kid for being angry. He did almost steal his wife away from him once upon a time. Plus, it was Haley. So, yeah, Dean could understand the desperate need to keep her, he had felt it once too. But...the way Scott was looking at him was just not welcome. With a grin, he tilted his head to the side and gave the younger man a onceover, deciding if he had to, he could take him in a fight. You know, if it ever came to that. ''Yep. Me. How you been, Nate?''

''What the hell are you two doing here?'' Nathan scowled. ''I warned you if you ever showed your sorry - ''

''Oh, calm down,'' Dean bit out, hands clenching into fists. ''Mind your blood pressure, Scott. We're just here to - ''

''Me!'' Brooke cut in, nodding. ''They're here for me.'' Hoping against hope that Nathan would believe her, she jumped to her feet and made her way over to her friend, wrapping a comforting arm around his shoulders. ''I'm really sorry, Nate,'' she murmured, softly. ''But I had to ask them to come.''

Nathan narrowed his eyes and turned towards her. ''Why?''

''They're here to help me with...'' And that was when she realized she had pretty much just talked herself into a hole. What could she say they were here for? Demon problems? That probably wouldn't go over well with Nathan, who knew nothing of the world of supernatural. ''Uh...'' Eyes widening, she turned to Sam for help, pleading with him to help her. ''They're here to help me with...''

Sam frowned; a little unnerved by the way she was looking at him. Really, what did she want him to - oh! ''Work,'' he blurted out, anxiously, sending Nathan a small smile. ''We're here to help her with her work.''

Nathan blinked and looked in between the four, who were all nodding in agreement. ''Let me get this straight,'' he started, turning to Brooke. ''You called the Winchester brothers to help you with your fashion business?''

Silence coated the living room. They probably should have thought of that. Behind her husband, Haley choked down a groan, shaking her head and bringing a hand to her forehead. Oh, man. These three were going to be the death of her. Seriously, they were really going to kill her dead. Brooke was crazy enough with Sam and Dean's help.

''Oh yeah,'' Dean laughed, reaching over to clap his brother on the shoulder. ''This one here's a real fashion expert. Tell him, Sammy.''

Sam pursed his lips and made a mental note to kill his brother later. ''Uh...'' He cleared his throat, preparing himself for hours of merciless teasing as soon as the next words came out of his mouth. Smiling widely, he looked up at Nathan and hoped he was at least a little bit convincing. ''Yeah, I love clothes. I'm like the guy version of Gianni Versace.''

''Honey,'' Brooke sighed, shaking her head. ''Gianni Versace was a guy.''

Sam snapped his fingers. ''I knew that.''

''Hey!'' Haley jumped in between Nathan and Dean before any fists of fury could go a-flying and grabbed her husband's hands, meeting his eyes. Her chocolate orbs pierced straight into his baby blues almost like she was pleading with him to believe that nothing was going on. ''So, we should go, right? I have to pick up Jamie, you have to - ''

''I don't want that guy anywhere near my son, Haley,'' Nathan warned.

On the couch, Dean snorted, opening his mouth to argue, only silencing when Haley snapped out a ''Shut up, Dean'' without even turning around. Narrowing his eyes, the eldest Winchester slumped farther into his seat and crossed his arms. It was unlike him to actually pout over a girl, but this wasn't just any girl. This was a girl who had just told him to shut up. A girl who had told him to shut up and didn't receive some sort of horrible, jackass-ey remark in response.

''Nathan,'' Haley spoke in a low voice, trying not to whirl around and snap at her so called friends because she just knew all three of them were leaning forwards hoping to catch some of the conversation. How mature, right? Honestly, all three of them were in their twenties and they were still pulling this crap. ''Listen, this doesn't mean anything, all right?''

''Haley...''

''It doesn't. You know he doesn't mean anything to me anymore.''

Brooke and Sam both turned to look at Dean but he was completely silent, his eyes practically burning a hole in Haley's back, green flashing with something other than dislike. Yeah, this could possibly get a little messy.

Turning, Haley smiled widely and pulled Brooke to the side. ''I'm sorry, Brooke,'' she shook her head, mock sympathy coating her eyes. ''Nathan has practice so I'm going to go pick up Jamie from school, okay? Feel better.'' And then her arms were around her friend and she was pulling her closer, whispering in her ear, ''Find out what you can about demons that can reanimate bodies.'' When she pulled back, her eyes flicked briefly to Dean and Sam and for a brief second, just a second, Dean and Haley's eyes met, green on brown. But as quickly as it came, the moment was gone and she was looking away, smiling at her husband. ''Okay, honey, let's go.''

For a really long time, Dean stared after them. His hands were gripping the sides of the chair so tightly his knuckles were going white, his jaw was clenched in irritation and while Brooke and Sam were both staring at him, he didn't seem to notice at all.

''Well!'' Brooke broke the silence with a clap of her hands and a big smile. ''That was...interesting.'' She tilted her head to the side and turned to stare at the door where Nathan and Haley had disappeared, a frown briefly wiping the smile off her face. Another love triangle. Super. Hey, at least she wasn't in it this time. That was a plus. Shaking it off, she turned back to the boys and put a hand on her hip. ''Looks like we have some research to do. And I know just the thing that could help us.''

Sitting against an oak tree in the schoolyard, the heavy leaves shading her from the afternoon sun, Haley bit down on her bottom lip and tried to think about anything but Nathan and Dean. It was way too complicated. It wasn't supposed to be like this. She groaned and leaned her head back against the tree. She was supposed to be the one person in Tree Hill who wasn't totally and completely fucked and dysfunctional. With a shake of her head, she scanned the schoolyard for her son and looked down at her watch. Where was he? Closing her eyes against the blaring sun, she licked her lips and saw him. Things in her life had finally calmed down. No crazy ass Nanny Carrie, no Dan and suddenly Dean Winchester walks back into her life after all these years and it's like - wow. She was currently remembering all of those things about Dean she would have liked to have forgotten.

The things he liked, the way his eyes twinkled when he smiled at her, his favourite food, his steady, gentle smile, how good he was with his hands. The way he kissed her...touched her...fucked her.

Whoa!

Down Haley.

''Mom!''

She opened her eyes just in time for a little boy to launch himself into her lap and press a sloppy kiss to her cheek. ''Mom,'' he groaned, falling off her lap, his knees digging into the dirt. ''Where were you? How come dad took me to school today? Where's the car?'' He halted in his questioning and looked down at her feet, now safely in flip flops. ''What happened to your feet?''

''Heels,'' Haley said simply, pushing herself to her feet and taking his hand. ''How was school today, baby?''

''Mom.'' Jamie rolled his eyes and tugged his hand out of hers. ''What did I say about the hand holding?''

''Right. Sorry. Sometimes I forget you're not a baby anymore.'' Seemed like just yesterday she was sitting in that hospital room with her newborn son in her arms and Nathan was out getting coffee and then suddenly there was someone else in the doorway and He's perfect, Hales and He's ours and...you know what? Let's just not. ''So,'' she smiled down at her son, taking his backpack from him and slinging it over her shoulder. ''School. Was it good?''

Jamie shrugged as they started down the sidewalk, shoving his hands into his pockets in a mirror image of his father. ''Okay. Ralph Ross made fun of Betsy Lawrence and got sent to the corner.''

''There's a kid in your class named Ralph Ross?''

''He's new. What are we going to do today? Can we go see Aunt Brooke? I haven't seen her in forever.''

''You saw her the day before yesterday.''

''Whatever. Can we? She always gives me cookies even when you say no.''

''She what?''

He paused and pressed his lips together, a small smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. ''...I don't think I was supposed to tell you that.''

''No. Probably not.'' A smile danced its way across her lips as she slung the backpack over her shoulder.

''Well, can we go see her?''

''Uh...'' Haley bit down on her lip again until she tasted blood and a small sigh escaped her lips. ''Actually, honey, Aunt Brooke isn't feeling so great today. How about we go home instead and make her some cookies?''

''Mom,'' Jamie groaned again. ''I'm eight.''

''I'll let you lick the bowl.''

''...And the spatula?''

''Sure.''

He thought about it for a moment, weighing the pros and cons. Bake cookies with his mom like a baby and risk merciless teasing from his friends or keep it a secret and lick the bowl and the spatula. Oh yeah, it was no contest. ''Mom,'' he said seriously. ''You've got yourself a deal.''

She laughed and it felt good to laugh again. Pushing all thoughts of her new problems out of her mind, Haley focused on her son and kept walking. She was so busy keeping her mind on Jamie that she didn't see the pair of eyes watching her from the bushes.

Brooke coughed as a cloud of dust erupted from an old trunk in her attic. Waving it away, she grimaced and looked down into the trunk, eyebrows shooting into her hairline. ''Huh. Found Dad's old weapons.'' Reaching into the trunk, careful not to cut herself on any of the sharp knives, she pulled out a crossbow and fingered the arrow with morbid curiosity. ''What the hell is this thing?''

Looking up from what he was doing, Sam's eyes widened when he saw the weapon in her hands and he moved fast, removing it from her hand. Brooke Davis with a crossbow. Now that was dangerous. ''Something you probably shouldn't be playing with.'' When Dean laughed behind him, he shot his brother a glare and the older man sobered and looked back down at the pile of papers in his hands.

Somewhat insulted, Brooke sniffed hotly, turning her back to Sam. ''Whatever. I know how to handle some thing you know. I own a gun.''

''Yeah, but you don't know how to use it.''

''You could help me with that,'' she mumbled under her breath. The brunette frowned and pulled out an incredibly heavy object from the trunk, absently pointing it at the brothers as she played with the buttons on the side.

In response, the Winchesters leapt away from her and the papers in Dean's hands went flying. ''Whoa!'' Dean yelped. ''Brookie, point that thing somewhere else, will you? Geez! Is that what I think it is?''

''Uh-huh.'' Sam nodded and hesitantly moved to Brooke, brushing dust off the big piece of weaponry. ''It is.''

''What?'' Brooke looked up at them innocently, shrugging. ''What is it?''

''That would be a rocket launcher.''

''What?'' The shock and fear hit her and she let go instinctively, the heavy thing falling to the ground and landing right on her foot. ''Ow! Damn it, son of a bitch, motherfucker! Broken foot, broken foot!'' Limping, she reached out to steady herself, grabbing onto Sam. ''As if I needed more injuries.''

''You know,'' Dean shook his head and frowned, staring down at a piece of paper in his hands. ''Your father was one weird dude.''

''Why? What's that? Something from his journal?''

''No, it's a credit card bill. The man spent two hundred dollars on a pair of shoes. Who does that?''

''Mostly? Girls. I know I do.'' Grabbing the paper from his hands, she scanned it quickly. ''Oh, and these weren't just any shoes, these were genuine leather Gucci loafers.''

Dean blinked. ''I have no idea what that means.''

''Why don't you ask Gianni Versace over there,'' Brooke smirked, cocking her head towards Sam.

The man in question rolled his eyes and lugged a box onto a table. ''I'm laughing on the inside.''

''Glad to hear it.'' A ray of sunlight caught on something over Dean's shoulder and Brooke's eyes lit up as she shoved the credit card bill at his chest and roughly pushed him out of the way, rushing towards the shining object. It was a tin box, probably one of the ones she inherited from her grandmother but it was what was under it that Brooke wanted. Carefully, she moved the tin and ripped a sheet away from a large brown, wooden trunk. Dust flew into the air but she paid no attention to it as she opened the heavy lid and peered inside. ''Ha!'' She grinned triumphantly. ''I found it.''

Haley glanced into her son's bedroom, smiling softly at the sight of the sleeping boy. He really was adorable. And smart and witty and...so perfect. He was the best parts of her and...

Her smile disappeared and she took one last look at Jamie before quietly shutting the door and disappearing into her bedroom. Groaning, she collapsed on the bed, hiding her face in her hands. She tried telling herself that they wouldn't be here long and no one had to know but she couldn't help but think that something was going to go wrong. Something was going to happen and all of her secrets and lies were going to come out. Taking a deep breath, she stood up and pulled her hair free of the ponytail she had put it in when Jamie decided a food fight would be more fun than baking cookies.

Behind her, someone watched her from the closet, dark eyes glinting as the predator watched her move her hands to the hem of her shirt.

Right before she could tug her shirt over her head, the sound of ringing filtered through the room and her shirt fell back down, hiding her skin from view. With a roll of her eyes, she snatched the phone off the table and clicked it on. ''Hello?''

''Bokor.''

''Dean?''

''No. Paris Hilton.''

''You're hilarious,'' she deadpanned, raking her hands through her hair. ''So...Bokor.'' She sat down on the edge of the bed, throwing one leg over the other. ''A zombie master. That's what we're dealing with?''

''Possibly.''

''Possibly? What are the other possibilities?''

''Trust me, you don't want to know. Too many to name. We're starting with the zombie theory.''

''Wait a minute.'' She held up a hand, forgetting for a minutes that he couldn't see her. ''You think there's a zombie master living in Tree Hill? Tree Hill?''

''What page are you on, darlin'? 'Cause I already got there.''

''What have I told you about the darlin' thing?''

''Sweetheart, I don't really care what you tell me. I'm going to call you what I want.''

''Aren't you charming.''

''Aren't I just? Hey, how's pretty boy? Did you make him feel better?''

''Oh, shut up.''

''With all of the things you need to make up for, I'll bet you do a lot of apologizing. Hey, do your knees ever get sore from - ''

Rage built inside of her and she leapt to her feet, heart hammering against her ribcage in frustration. ''You know, Dean, you can be a real dick when you want to be.''

''Whatever.''

''Nice comeback. Do you ever act your - ''

A movement behind her caught her eye and she looked up in time to see the reflection of someone coming at her in the mirror. Whirling around, she screamed and managed to duck just in time to miss getting gutted by a mean looking knife. The phone slipped from her grasp, clattering to the ground. She could still hear Dean's frantic shouts of her name as the intruder got closer. Instinct took over and she opened her mouth to call for Dean, but all she managed to get out was a half cry of his name before a meaty hand covered her mouth, muffling her screams as the stranger kicked the phone away. From the feel of the hand covering her mouth, Haley was sure it was a man. A man who smelled like dirt and death.

A bad feeling started in her gut and she was pretty sure she knew who she was going to see when she turned around and ripped the ski mask from his head. Eyes darkening, she jammed her elbow into his gut and when he stumbled back and dropped his hold on her, she was able to turn and pull the mask off. ''You...''

He lunged at her, tacking her to the hard ground. She yelped and tried to kick him off, but he was too strong. She clawed at him, her nails digging into his skin but he didn't even seem to notice as he effortlessly held her down and put a hand over her mouth again to stifle her screams. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw one of her high heels that she had hastily thrown on the floor before she picked Jamie up. Fingers reaching desperately, she finally managed to grab it and acted purely on instinct, plunging the heel straight into his back. He howled in pain and fell to the ground.

She finally managed to crawl away from him, gasping for air as she grabbed onto the wall and pushed herself to her feet. Before she could make a run for it, strong arms grabbed her and she found herself being dragged out onto the balcony. Fear gnawed at her insides like a poison and she felt her breath catch but he once again put his hand over her mouth and silenced her cries for help. Her eyes slid over the balcony and her heart stopped in her chest. The pool was right below the balcony.

Of course it was.

Her attacker pushed her back towards the edge, lifting her up onto the railing and she honestly didn't know what she could do to fight him. He was too strong. And then she heard the sound of the door crashing open downstairs and Dean's voice calling her name. She nearly cried with relief. The sound of Dean's voice seemed to throw the strangely silent attacker off and his grip loosened on her briefly as he whirled around, his body beginning to shake when he heard the sound of footsteps. Was he actually getting afraid?

Wind whipped her hair, blowing it away from her face and then Dean was there, bursting into her room with his gun drawn. Oh, thank god.

''Hey!''

A shot went off, loud and ear piercing and the intruder yelped in pain. Fury coated empty and blank eyes and before Dean could even take a step towards him, he had turned around and shoved Haley off the balcony.

''Haley!'' Dean's heart leapt into his throat and he couldn't breathe. He felt dizzy, sick with worry. But it was only for a moment. And then the anger took over. Eyes darkened in anger, he fired off a round of bullets straight into the man's chest and watched as the stranger barely reacted. Snarling and growling like a rabid dog, the man turned and leapt off the balcony, racing away into the bushes and disappearing into the night. Normally, Dean hated when the bad guys got away. Tonight, he could care less.

Behind him, the door opened and Sam and Brooke fell through, anxiously looking around the destroyed room. ''What happened? Where's Haley? Where's the attacker? Was it the same guy? Did you get him?'' Ignoring Brooke's string of questions, Dean pushed past her and raced down the hall, one thought in his head.

Please let her be all right.

Haley landed with a splash. The shock of the cold water took her breath away, that and the fact that she was underwater and trying not to breathe. Despite the dizziness that hit her, she fought against the water and surfaced, coughing and sputtering as she clumsily swam to the edge of the pool. Her eyes quickly darted to the balcony but she couldn't see anything through her stinging, water filled eyes. As she clawed at the edge, trying to pull herself out of the water with her weakened limbs, strong, familiar arms suddenly grabbed her and pulled her out of the pool as she coughed and shivered.

''Haley...'' She heard him murmur and she allowed her weakened body to collapse against his. He held her tighter, hand tangling in her wet hair, relief flooding through him.

''Did you get him?'' She mumbled, breathlessly.

''He got away.''

She tried to control her breathing as she pushed wet hair away from her face, moaning slightly. ''Ow,'' she whimpered, pitifully. ''I did not enjoy that.''

Dean helped her to her unsteady feet, letting her lean against him heavily. ''Are you sure you're okay?''

Instead of answering, she gasped and drew away from him, her eyes widening in terror. ''Oh, god. Jamie!'' Without a backwards glance, she pushed past him and into the house, climbing the stairs two at a time. Her clothes suddenly felt like they weighed a million pounds, her head throbbed painfully and her entire body ached but she didn't care. She raced down the hall and pushed open the door to her son's bedroom. She had no idea what she would find. Would she find her son dead? Was he kidnapped? Gone? Did he vanish? But when she entered, she didn't see anything out of the ordinary. The only thing that was remotely strange was that her son was still sleeping peacefully despite all of the noise. Haley let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and closed her eyes. ''Oh, thank god.''

''Haley?''

She turned at the sound of Brooke's voice and gave her friend a weak smile, stepping out of the room and shutting the door behind her. ''Did the boys go after it?''

''That would be a no. They're too worried about you. I think they're becoming soft in their old ages.'' The brunette smirked and draped a towel around Haley's shaking shoulders. ''Thrown off a balcony, huh?''

''Kinda.''

''Makes me feel like I got lucky.''

''Who the hell is this guy?'' Haley asked, desperation clouding her voice as she paced the room. ''And why is he so mad at me? What did I do?'' Dry and warm, but still shaking, she was well past angry and into completely pissed off territory.

''Besides bury him in a shallow grave on the outskirts of nowhere?'' Dean asked dryly, folding his arms across his chest.

''Brooke's the one that offed him,'' Haley mumbled, under her breath.

''I heard that.''

Tired and worn, wanting nothing more than to go to sleep, Haley fell onto the couch, pinching the bridge of her nose. ''My head hurts.''

''I looked through the most wanted list,'' Sam piped up from his spot next to Brooke, who currently had her arm in his and was refusing to let him go anywhere. ''But nothing came up. I ran a search through Tree Hill's police records and got less than nothing so either this guy was a first time offender or...''

''Or he had never been caught before,'' Dean finished easily. ''You girls have an idea who this Bokor bad ass could be? Any shady figures in Tree Hill?''

''You mean besides you two?'' Haley sneered.

''That's...That's funny. You're hilarious. I'm serious, Haley! This guy beat the shit out of Brooke and threw you off a balcony. A balcony, Haley!''

''I landed in the pool,'' she shrugged.

''Listen to me, you frustrating woman,'' he hissed, taking a step towards her. ''He attacked you in your own fucking house with your kid sleeping in the next fucking room. Now would be the time to get angry.''

She got angry. Standing, she closed the distance between them and slapped him. Hard. The smack echoed throughout the room and silence fell as her eyes flickered with rage. ''I know that, Dean! I know what happened, I was there remember? And I am fucking angry, okay? Like you said; he attacked me in my house with my kid sleeping in the next room. So yeah, I want him dead. Deader than he already is. You and your panic are not helping.'' Arching an eyebrow, she shot him a death glare and then had to swallow hard because the look he was giving her was dark and intense but...not exactly angry. ''There,'' she spat out. ''Did I get angry enough for you?''

The thick silence that hit and hung heavy in the air was only broken when the phone rang and shattered the quiet. Shaking her head, Haley stepped past Dean, missing the sigh that escaped his lips or the way the anger seemed to deflate from his eyes. She snatched the phone off the wall, answering it with an irritated, ''What?''

''Um...is this Haley James-Scott?''

''Yes, this is her.''

''Nathan Scott's wife?''

''Yeah.'' She sighed heavily and pushed dark, damp hair out of her eyes. God, what had he done now? ''Why? What happened? Is he okay?''

''Mrs. Scott, your husband's been in an accident...''

tomorrow you'll be thinking to yourself
yeah, where did it all go wrong?
but the list goes on and on
truth be told i miss you
-all american rejects, gives you hell

end chapter three