Season Three Revised

By: TracyCook

Disclaimer: I own nothing. These character belong to the creator of One Tree Hill.

Couple: Haley/Brooke

Rating: M

Authors Note: this is a rewrite of the third season, basically told as Brooke and Haley really have liked each other, I will elaborate when I rewrite the first and second season how they started to form crushes on each other, and when I get to the fifth and sixth and seventh season, how they are after they are together. I took my own liberties to change around certain scenes and add them where I see fit!

Episode 1

Reunited

Returning to Tree Hill was a terrifying reality for Haley; she did not know how Nathan or her friends would react to her being gone so long on tour. When she called them, most of them made her feel selfish for pursuing her dreams and deep down she knew that she had been selfish. Not for seeking a career in music, but for how she had gone about doing so, and the reasons that she had done so.

She figured that they all hated her. If they did, she wouldn't blame them. Haley had been a coward, choosing to run away from her problems and figure it out alone, instead of confiding in the ones she loved.

So now, standing outside of Nathan's house, she could feel her vulnerability rising. She stared intensely at the door as she awaited his answer.

When he opened the door the only word that she could muster was a softly spoken, "Hi."

Nathan's blue eyes hardened and he clenched his jaw as he stared down at the woman who had abandoned him to run away with another man. She had been the last person he expected to see when he opened the door.

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

His words came out so demanding and harsh that it shocked Haley, but she still managed to find her voice. "I want to come home Nathan." She whispered out, unable to look up into his judgmental eyes. She felt naked under them.

This was all that she managed to say before Deb ran out of the house and rushed them all down the driveway, telling Haley to come with them. Letting out a sigh the singer followed them. Haley was relieved that she could at least attempt to make that first step toward fixing her marriage.

O

Three Months Later

Nathan had not been as forgiving as Haley had hoped that he would be, and now she found herself in a predicament. She had absolutely no place to live. She had not visited any of her friends since she returned, aside from Nathan and his mother, and so she did not bother asking them for help.

Honestly, Haley was terrified to ask anyone for help after what she did. She hadn't just abandoned Nathan, she had abandoned everyone. She had left without even talking to her best friend, and she did not expect them to forgive her for that. Even if they did, she would not forgive herself. She hated herself.

In turn, she found herself returning to the safest place that she knew. The place that Nathan and her had called home prior to her departure, their apartment.

With suitcase and guitar in hand she walked into the memory-laced living room of the apartment. Large brown eyes immediately landing on the wall where her wedding mural had hung. Instead, the walls were covered in pink paint and there was a painting of a clown hanging up.

'Disgusting, I hate the color pink…' She thought to herself, before letting out a loud sigh as she realized that had been his point. He had done it with the intention to hurt her, for her to hate it.

Her chest tightened painfully as tears threatened to fill her eyes at the sight.

Brooke made her way into the apartment, hand clenching the strap of her purse as she stared at the back of the shorter woman who was standing in the center of the room. She wore a confused expression. 'Is that…Haley? What is Haley doing here?' Brooke had not expected to see the "rock star" back in tree hill, let alone standing in the apartment that she had just rented out from Nathan.

It took a moment for the cheerleader to soak in the newfound information; she hadn't even known that Haley had returned to Tree Hill.

Walking up behind her, she looked over the shorter woman's shoulder at the wall in front of them, it really was a mess. Her hazel eyes squinted and she found herself glaring at the sight, the entire situation annoyed her. Haley leaving town without telling anyone, not that she expected to have been told, they weren't exactly friends, but still. That mixed with the way that Nathan had acted really just upset her.

Sensing Brooke's presence, Haley turned around, eyes widening due to the shock she felt seeing the brunette standing behind her. Those beautiful hazel eyes, that soft dark brown hair, and her perfect porcelain skin, all reminded her of the reason that she had been scared and ran away. Which brought both feelings of happiness as well as unease.

"Pretty angry huh?" Brooke asked her voice deep and raspy as always. Something about that voice caused Haley's body to react strangely. She loved her voice.

Haley was not sure how to respond to the words. She could tell that Brooke was angry with her for how she had treated Nathan and it only served to make her more upset with herself. It was like having your mistake thrown back in your face, even if you deserve it, it still hurts.

"Yeah." She agreed, turning her attention back to the wall and nodding. "You'd think after three months this would have gone away."

Brooke shook her head and sarcastically responded, never taking her eyes off of the wall. "I don't think that's ever going away."

The diva's sarcastic tone of voice really irritated Haley. She knew that the other woman had made plenty of mistakes and she did not understand why she was being so hard on her, nor did she understand what she was doing in this apartment. Closing her eyes, she calmed her nerves before responding. Thinking to herself, 'This is all your fault Brooke, if it weren't for you I would have never left.'

Turning around, she looked at Brooke as she spoke. "You can probably tell Nathan is not here, he moved out before he left for camp."

Brooke's face contorted in confusion as she crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow at the tutor. She was well-aware that Nathan had moved out. This was after all her apartment now. Haley tried to hide it, but the sight of a confused Brooke Davis was far too adorable, she had to smile slightly.

"Yeah, I know." She said in a matter of fact tone of voice, before pausing to look Haley over, hazel eyes lingering on her body for a moment too long. 'She really has grown into a beautiful woman…' "I'd say welcome back, but I don't suppose you're staying."

The venom in Brooke's voice hurt her so much more than it probably should, and when she saw her roll her eyes, it nearly killed her. It also made her curious. Had Brooke missed her while she was on tour, and that was why she was angry? Or, was it simply because she had hurt Nathan and abandoned her marriage? 'It has to be the second one… right?'

"No, I am." Haley stated with a firm nod of her head. She refused to ever go anywhere again; the guilt was a far too heavy weight to carry.

Brooke tried to hide the giddiness that she felt, hearing those words. That was all that she needed to hear. She still was not ready to forgive the singer for everything that she did, but she felt relieved knowing that she would not be leaving again. "Oh." Was all that she could say.

After a moment she shook the confusing thoughts from her mind, and refocused on the situation. "Well, you might be staying, but you aren't staying here. I just rented this place." Hazel eyes met brown. "For me."

Still angry at Haley, Brooke hastily made her way through the hallway of the apartment, leaving the other woman standing there alone watching after her with a pained expression. Letting out a sigh, Haley dropped her shoulders in disappointment.

O

Brooke had spent the last few hours talking excitedly with Peyton about how they could redecorate the apartment, in order to turn it into the perfect party house, of course. Brooke Davis couldn't have it any other way. Though, she would never admit it to anyone, a large portion of her excitement was a façade, a mask that she wore in order to protect her feelings, in order to protect her true self. That portion being her obsession with men and sex.

The only man that she had ever dated that actually meant anything to her was Lucas, and even those feelings, were nothing in comparison with the feelings that she had for his best friend.

Which led to the real reason for her excitement. The real thing that had her smiling so wide that her dimples were evident and her eyes sparkled, was Haley, and the thought of her actually moving in with her. She had not asked her yet, but she was almost positive that she literally could not say no. She needed a place to stay.

Brooke had never dreamt in a million years that this would happen. In fact, after Haley got married to Nathan, she had pretty much given up on dreaming all together.

Mid-conversation, Brooke glared over at the "wall of hatred" that Nathan had made. "First thing that we need to do is cover up Nathan's hideous pain stain."

"I dunno." Peyton started, looking at the wall. "I say ya leave it."

The brunette quickly became angry, defending Haley. "We can't leave it. Haley's going to be here now." Her voice softened as she finished the statement, extending a finger to point at the wall. "She can't be looking at that."

In an uncaring way, Peyton shrugged her shoulders. "Why not? It's her fault it's there."

Cocking her head to the side, Brooke stared into her best friend's green eyes, trying her hardest to sympathize with her. Although, she had a feeling that this hatred had nothing to do with Haley, Peyton had been abandoned so many times in life so the thought of it was difficult for her. "You and Haley fighting?" She asked with a smirk.

The blonde let out a sigh and looked away from her friend. "That depends on which Haley we are talkin' about." With a slight pause she looked down at her hands. "Haley Scott, the nice girl who played Tric? Or, Haley James, the not so much for wife who left town and never called? Because her I have a problem with."

Brooke understood why Peyton was angry. Despite it not showing very often, she was close to Nathan and he meant a lot to her. Not to mention what Haley did really served to hurt all of them in small ways. But, she could also understand the singer's point of view.

"Do you ever think maybe it just got to be too much for her?"

Peyton didn't respond to the question so Brooke added, "Like, leaving the whole Chris thing out of it. Maybe she just got scared of needing somebody too much." She suggested, glancing down and shrugging her shoulders. Brooke knew what that felt like.

"Needing them so much she just abandoned them?" Peyton spat back at her best friend.

Sighing, the brunette threw up her hands in agitation. She was so frustrated with the way that her best friend was acting. Mostly because she herself had thought about doing the same thing that Haley had done. When she realized that she had feelings, not for Lucas, but for his best friend, she had been terrified and she almost ran away. Leaving behind everyone that she loved and moving to L.A. If Haley hadn't packed up and left, she would have.

At that point in time, Brooke was unsure if she could handle being just friends with the other woman, not even friends really, with the girl that she had such strong feelings for. The girl who had a husband and was unattainable. Just having feelings for a girl was shocking enough.

"Okay, you can hate me for saying this, but maybe your problem isn't so much with Haley, as it is with Ellie your returning birth mother."

In an almost cold-hearted way Peyton responded. "No. Brooke, the problem is with anybody who just vanishes and then waltzes back in, and expects to be instantly forgiven." Then she paused before sarcastically adding, "Your problem is, you aren't gonna have anyone to help you paint this place if you keep telling me what my problem is."

O

Haley stared down at the countertop as she once again washed it, lost in her thoughts. She had so much that she needed to do. Luckily, Karen had given her a job at the café again, which would aid in buying a new apartment. Even if she probably would get fired for rewashing the same countertop for the last hour as she went over every regret and choice again and again in her mind.

'Why couldn't he just be enough for me? Why did I have to be so selfish? So scared? Why did I have to run away? I should have been stronger than that, for him, for everyone.' These thoughts had been racing through her mind all morning and they were starting to drive her insane.

The worst part was, she already had all of the answers.

She knew why Nathan was not enough for her; she knew why she had run away. Because, it was easier to blame leaving him on a tour than to admit that she had feelings for that damn perky cheerleading 'kind of' friend of hers. It was easier to drown her feelings in the music and hide behind her dreams than admit that dimpled smile made her weak at the knees.

That was why she had done it, it was easier.

Haley couldn't even comprehend when the feelings had formed; perhaps they had always been there? She didn't know. But when she started to realize how strong they actually were that was when she ran away. While away though, she had realized that the only way to make everyone happy would be by being with Nathan.

After all, Brooke loved Lucas and Nathan loved her, and everyone was happy when they were together. Along with this, Haley loved Nathan and she knew that if she couldn't be with the cheerleader than the only other person she could possibly be with would be him. So after many nights of deliberation and conversation with herself, her decision was to come back and settle.

Even that wasn't going as planned though.

Haley glanced over to the door as she heard the bell above it jingle; spotting someone that she had not expected to see at the café. Brooke Davis.

The beautiful brunette walked into the café with such confidence. She was wearing a black tank top that managed to cling to her body in all the right ways. Haley attempted to force her blush away as her brown eyes wandered the expanse of the other woman's body, noticing each and every dip and curve and all the little details. Forcing her eyes away she coughed to clear her mind.

Brooke took a seat across from Haley and smiled gently. "How much for a broken heart with a side of regret?"

Haley feigned contemplation as she set the cloth down on the countertop and placed her hands on the counter, blushing as her fingers lightly brushed against Brooke's. It was crazy how the simple contact between the two of them could elicit a shiver from the singer and cause her body to warm up. 'Control yourself Haley.'

Regaining her composure she finally responded. "Uhm, more than you want to know."

The shiver did not go unnoticed by Brooke though, and neither did the second as she purposely teased Haley's fingertips with her own. The contact was something new to her, a new sensation that she really enjoyed.

Having yet to tell Haley that she wanted to invite her to live with her, Brooke was nervous to see her reaction. She knew that the tutor had little to no choice in the matter because she was that desperate, but she was still scared to be rejected. 'What if she doesn't like me enough as a friend to move in with me? She kinda hates me… I mean, not anymore, but she did…' Haley had never really liked her.

She looked inside of herself and found the confidence, the confidence that made her Brooke Davis, and she flashed Haley one of her stunning smiles. "Mmm… So, when you're done here, bring your stuff to the apartment."

Haley couldn't help but feel her heart leap at these words as she glanced down at those perfect lips, before looking back up into hazel eyes. 'I swear, she could get anything she wanted with that smirk… I mean anything she wanted…' Biting down on her bottom lip she tried to push the inappropriate thoughts from her mind as she reminded herself, 'She doesn't want you that way…'

"Why?"

She couldn't control her thoughts as she wondered why Brooke would want her to come by the apartment. There was the chance that it could be a trap, or perhaps a proposition, but just maybe she wanted her to move in with her, to share a room with her. 'A very small, intimate room that is…'

Brooke shrugged her shoulders. "Because, you're moving in with me." There was a part of the brunette that figured, if she did not ask Haley, but told her instead it would be easier. That was what she did in many situations. At a party she would walk up to a guy and tell him to dance with her, it usually worked.

Haley's heart started to race quickly in her chest, pounding in her ears, as her imagination started getting the best of her. Fantasies that she had been having for years passed through her mind and she blushed brightly, trying to tame them and remind herself that they would always be just friends. That Brooke was only doing this because she felt sorry for her, not because she wanted her romantically.

In a shocked and slightly sarcastic tone of voice, the tutor wondered. "Why would you do that?"

Haley hoped that she did not sound too angry, that she did not cause Brooke to doubt the idea, she just wasn't sure that she understood what was happening. How could they share an apartment after all of these years of pining after her?

After leaving her husband because she desired the woman sitting in front of her, the woman who always wanted Lucas, her best friend, now after she returned to settle with Nathan who no longer wanted her she would be moving in with Brooke?

It was surreal to say the least.

Brooke tried to rationalize why she would help Haley out, not wanting the other woman to start thinking too deeply into things. In a very Brooke-like manner, she shrugged her shoulders blurting out, "Because, you need a place to live, and I need rent money to pay for my new back to school wardrobe."

At that comment Haley's happy, loved expression changed into one of mischief. She squinted her deep brown eyes and looked to the side. 'I wonder if that is the only reason…'

"So." The diva continued, not giving Haley a chance to respond. "The way I see it, you move in, I look hot, you don't get crabs at a shelter, works for me." Brooke finished her nervous rambling.

Haley smiled as she watched Brooke ramble on and on, finding the sight to be absolutely adorable. She was fairly certain that she could sit and watch the other woman ramble all day long. Though, as the rambling ended, she found it difficult to tell if Brooke was being serious. Her words had only made her want to laugh.

Brooke didn't hang around to wait for Haley's answer, mostly out of fear that she would be rejected by the woman that she had feelings for. Standing to her feet she smiled and turned on her heels strutting out of the café.

Haley stared after her, lips parted, and eyes filled with confusion.

'What the heck just happened?'

O

Haley made her way back into the apartment that she had shared with Nathan, her eyes landing on the wall that her husband had destroyed. It had not been painted over. This automatically set the blonde singer on edge, as she slowly started to fear that the idea of this being a trap was more and more plausible. Worry was written across her face as she began inching back toward the door.

Suddenly, Brooke appeared in the hallway and Haley stopped backing away, smiling a bit and giving a small awkward wave to the serious looking woman. She never saw Brooke Davis look so serious and it was terrifying.

"Okay, here's the deal. I got room for you, but not a lot of pity. You did what you did and it's done." With that she shrugged her shoulders. "Take it or leave it."

Haley let out a sigh of relief as she heard those words. Honestly, she didn't need or want anyone's pity. She was well aware that she had been selfish in her actions, even more selfish than most of them assumed. Still, it was a mistake and that was in the past now.

With her first genuine smile in a long time, Haley looked into Brooke's hazel eyes and nodded her head. "I'll take it."

The cheerleader nodded in return and a smile spread across her face, she too was relieved. She hid it well though. "Alright, come on in roommate."

Haley proceeded to follow Brooke into the apartment, and although she was still slightly apprehensive about the living situation, thinking about getting closer to the brunette that she had always wanted and admired, was enough of a reason for her to grow excited.

She would be living with Brooke Davis.

o

Notes from the Author: Yes, I know that we are off to a very slow start, I will tell you right now the first few episodes will be pretty slow, this one being the slowest of them all. In the next episodes I may switch up parts with Nathan and Haley or Brooke and Lucas and put them in for the others boyfriend, just to add some interest, though they will still be after their boys. The plan is that they slowly but surely end up together… kinda my thing!

Tell me if you like it, if you don't I don't care I'm still going to add more!