Never Let Me Go

by Two Bodies One Soul

UPDATE TO Kat0507 AND mAu0103's STORY. Naley continuation of season 9. Series of rotating one shots, inspired by Diamond Gothic. See AN inside for better description.

Disclaimer: Characters, minor plot points, and dialogue belong to CW/WB, Mark Schwahn, and One Tree Hill writers.

AN: This is a rotating feature by Kat0507 and mAu0103 (inspired by Diamond Gothic) - with occasional guest authors (me). They will let you know of any other guest authors or updates to the story in the future.

If you haven't already, make sure you set-up story alerts on each of their accounts for updates. Here is what they have so far:

"Everything"—posted by Kat0507 This one shot deals with the Scott family readjusting to life after Nathan's kidnapping and Dan's death. It also helps explains Nathan/Jamie's absence in 9x12.

Chapter 1—posted by mAu0103 This one shot takes place in between 9x12 and 9x13. Nathan and Haley have some alone time and reconnect as a couple.

Chapter 2- posted by Kat0507. This chapter picks up after the Tric anniversary celebration in 9x13, but before the time jump at the end of the series finale. The Scotts host a family/friend cookout and admits the happy chaos, Lydia gets hurt.

Chapter 3- posted by mAu0103. This chapter is a continuation of Chapter 2. The Scotts spend some time at the hospital and return home with a healthy, but injured Lydia.

Chapter 4—posted by Kat0507. This chapter is a continuation of Chapter 3. The Scott family make the best of a rainy day and Lucas surprises the family with a visit.

Chapter 5—posted by mAu0103. This chapter is a continuation of Chapter 4. Nathan and Haley reflect on what happened after their adventure in the rain and Haley bonds with Lucas.

Chapter 6-posted by Two Bodies One Soul - This chapter.

Next chapter will be posted by Kat0507.

This is my first foray into the world of fan fiction. I'm not a writer so I always just happily floated along the imaginations of others. This chapter is based on an idea that I mentioned to Kat quite a few months back. I had no intentions of ever writing it myself and actually hoped that she might decide to use it herself. For some crazy reason, she believed I might be able to write something decent and pitched the idea back to me, asking if I wanted to give it a shot. The premise is a day for Nathan and Haley to be alone so they can reconnect and have some fun with no distractions. So, without further ado ...

---

Haley was still asleep as Nathan quietly entered their bedroom. He was actually surprised that she had slept as late as she had given that she was a habitual early riser, traits that were part Haley and part due to their two children. Setting the tray he was carrying aside, he sat down on the edge of the bed. He took a moment to revel at her in peaceful slumber, chuckling at her awkward position. Even while sleeping his girl was gorgeous and he could never get over how much he enjoyed watching her, regardless of what she might be doing. Slowly he leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her cheek.

"Good morning, baby."

"Hey," Haley said as she slowly opened her eyes.

Nathan smiled as she crinkled her nose and rolled over onto her back. He took the opportunity to place a proper "good morning" kiss upon her lips.

Haley sighed happily. "You're awake early. What's going on?" she asked, unable to hide her suspicion.

"Well, big things, big important things," Nathan said, thoughtfully. "But first, I made you breakfast."

"You did?" Haley moved herself into a sitting position as Nathan carefully placed the tray over her lap. "Cereal? You … made me cereal?" She was a little disappointed until she remembered that her husband was far from a natural cook. Heaven forbid he tried something more difficult! He'd set the smoke alarm off more times then she could count during previous attempts. Yup, cereal would work just fine. And the fact that he had remembered one of her childhood favorites, Cap'n Crunch, a rare indulgence, meant he'd actually planned ahead. He could be awfully clever sometimes.

"I even put milk on it," Nathan stated proudly wearing a smirk reminiscent of a five-year old Jamie. As much as her son was a mini-version of her husband, it confounded her how the opposite was also true and Nathan, in moments of childlike wonder, could remind her of Jamie. Her boys, she thought warmly.

"Just the way I like it." Haley returned his gaze and grinned as that trademark smirk continued to plaster his face. God, that smirk always did her in. She was defenseless against it. It was as if that smirk was tethered to her heart.

"I know what my girl likes." Nathan smiled as he rubbed his hand along her leg.

"So, where are our children?" Haley looked at the clock. "I can't believe I slept this late."

"Gone. I sold them."

Knowing he was obviously kidding but not sure where Nathan was going with this Haley decided to play along. "Nice. I hope you got a good deal. The boy is pretty good at household chores."

"He is when he's not avoiding them," Nathan agreed with a slight hint of irritation. "Actually he's spending the day with Luke."

Surprised, Haley wondered if this was an impromptu decision or if her husband and best friend had secretly conspired. "Oh, okay. What do they have planned?"

"I don't know." Nathan shrugged. "Maybe read a book … or something equally as nerdy."

"Hey, your wife loves books too," Haley stated as she ate her cereal.

"My wife is also a bit of a nerd," Nathan teased.

"You don't know what you'd do without me," Haley said pointedly as she lightly shoved him in the back.

"That is true. All these years and I'm still crazy about you." Nathan's eyes fixed on Haley's as they shared a loving glance. He grabbed her hand and placed a kiss on the back before resting it against his cheek.

Haley ran the backs of her fingers along Nathan's cheek and then rested her hand on his leg. "Really though, what's Luke got planned for our son?" she asked curious.

"They're gonna meet up with Skills at the Rivercourt and then I think Luke's gonna take him to the beach. Get in some bonding time. He wanted to talk to him about Dan."

"I think that's a good idea. Jamie really needs that." Haley knew Jamie was struggling, unsure of what he was supposed to feel about Dan.

"Yeah, he does," Nathan sighed.

Both Nathan and Haley thought it was important for Lucas to talk to Jamie about Dan. To let him know that it was okay to grieve and miss him. This was especially important given Lucas's difficult past with Dan.

"So, what'd you do with my baby?" Haley said referring to Lydia.

"Your baby? Last I checked she was half mine," Nathan replied, staking his claim on their youngest.

Haley smiled. "Well, she does get quite a kick out of cartoons like you so I guess you're right."

"Some of them are educational and I like to watch her laugh." It had become a tradition for Nathan and Lydia to watch their special shows together in the morning as they each drank their milk. Nathan loved hearing her giggle and clap along to whatever they might be watching. He was certain she was going to have some of Haley's musical prowess.

"I think it's sweet. You're an incredible parent," Haley praised.

"I love my kids," Nathan stated, the extent of his love for them incomprehensible. "And they're part you so that makes it easy."

"They're lucky … we're lucky to have you," Haley said, rubbing his leg.

Nathan smiled. "Lydia is hanging out with Jude and Davis today. Brooke and Julian are gonna take them to the zoo. Luke is gonna pick her up tonight and they're gonna stay at Karen's house. He wanted to spend some time with them before Peyton and Sawyer get here." Truth be told, Nathan had been more than willing to take Luke up on his offer so that he and Haley could have some time together. "So that means we get the house to ourselves … just you and I."

"You and me," Haley corrected.

"Nerd!" Nathan said shaking his head.

Haley playfully gripped his leg, easing up as she suddenly remembered something. "Oh! Did you take Ellie? You know Lydia can't sleep without her."

"Don't worry. Ellie was along for the ride. Lydia wouldn't let her go." Lydia had formed quite an attachment to the purple stuffed elephant Nathan had brought home for her from one of his earlier business trips.

Haley laughed, relieved. "It reminds her of her daddy." She smiled thinking of how much Lydia adored Nathan, her eyes lighting up every time she saw him.

Unprepared for her children's absence and thinking of arrangements that had already been made, Haley started to panic as Nathan's alternative plans had thrown a wrench in her meticulously organized schedule. "Jamie has plans tomorrow with Chuck. Maybe I should call Luke to make sure he knows …."

Nathan smiled at Haley's uneasiness as in this case he knew it was because she was nervous, never having spent much time away from their children. He always marveled at what a caring and attentive mother she was.

"Haley, relax. Luke is gonna bring them home around noon tomorrow so that leaves plenty of time. And besides, it's just Chuck." Nathan rolled his eyes at the mention of Jamie's obnoxious friend.

"True," Haley laughed. "They're both gonna have so much fun. They'll never want to come home!"

"You're probably right!" Nathan agreed. "Lydia sure seems to adore those Baker boys. Not sure how I feel about that," he pouted, visibly upset that his little girl might have a preference for any other male outside of her father.

"Oh honey, don't worry. You're still her #1 guy," Haley said rubbing his arm.

"It better stay that way. She's daddy's girl," Nathan stated, firmly.

It was moments like this that Haley found her husband downright irresistible. His little fits of jealousy were so cute.

"She definitely is!" Haley ran her finger tips up Nathan's arm. "So, a day alone sounds nice. You planned all of this behind my back. You're sneaky, you know that?"

"I prefer clever and irresistible," Nathan said, feigning arrogance with a cocky grin and a tug of his shirt collar.

Haley laughed at his choice of words. What were the odds? She figured it was just one of those rare things that happened when you'd been together as long as they had. "I'll give you both. Dare I ask what's on the agenda?"

"We can do anything we want, Hales. But we're doing it all here, in our home. This is a Nathan/Haley day. No kids, no phones, no work, no distractions. It's just you and me."

Nathan leaned in for a kiss, lingering for a moment as they both weighed taking it further. Deciding that it could wait until later, he drew back. "Now, chop, chop, baby. There's fun to be had."

Haley shook her head as Nathan headed into their bathroom. She smiled as she continued eating her breakfast, the "Nathan Special". Even though it was just cereal, she appreciated the gesture. The sweet things her husband did frequently and unexpectedly never ceased to amaze her. She was a lucky girl.

---

Nathan stood in the driveway making shot after shot into the basketball hoop. Yup, he still had it. Despite the fact that he had officially retired from basketball his skills were still intact. Every time he picked up a ball he remembered just how much he missed the game. The thrill of the sport itself, running up and down the court, that feeling after nailing a shot, the team camaraderie, the challenge of defeating a rival. Not to mention the excitement of game nights and the enthusiasm of the crowds. There was nothing like it. He missed it all. Admittedly he loved working with Clay helping to build what would hopefully become a very successful business. He enjoyed working with up and coming athletes, discovering and fostering young talent. Best of all though was the opportunity to spend more time with his family. Haley, Jamie and Lydia were his world. He would trade a professional basketball career for them any day. Ultimately, the decision to retire, while not a desirable one, was an easy choice. With no certainty about the state of his prior back injury and the constant risk of re-injury, health was always a concern. And with a family to consider, it was a risk he could no longer take. There was another bright spot as well. To say that Nathan was excited about Jamie's growing interest in basketball was an understatement. He was ecstatic. The fact that his son might love the game as much as he did filled him with pride. Of course, he was always conscious to make sure he didn't pressure Jamie or place unfair expectations upon him like his father had. Nathan knew that Dan just wanted the best for him but he refused to be an overbearing father. Jamie's happiness was more important.

He was broken of his reverie as he caught sight of Haley out of the corner of his eye. There she was, decked out in her high school cheerleader uniform looking cute, sexy, gorgeous … and every other adjective his mind could conjure. His mouth went dry and he gulped. Man, his girl had a way of taking him completely off guard. Her way of always surprising him was one of the reasons why he loved her and why their relationship was so exciting.

Earlier they had discussed options of what to do with their day and had agreed on a series of friendly competitions, taking into consideration their respective talents, with the winner getting to choose punishment for the other. First, they had decided to take advantage of the unseasonably warm weather with a little outdoor challenge.

Nathan knew this was going to be an interesting day as Haley's current choice of attire showed that she was clearly in it to win.

Haley trotted over to Nathan and swiftly grabbed the ball from his hands.

"Pick your jaw up off the ground, Scott. This cheerleader isn't here to play nice."

Haley started dribbling the ball as Nathan stood frozen in place. After regaining his senses he moved towards her, placing himself between her and the basket.

"You're evil." Nathan was very well aware of her motives and he was determined to resist.

"What? I thought you liked me in this uniform," Haley teased.

"Oh, I love you in that uniform but if this is a ploy to distract me, it's not gonna work. I was a professional basketball player, Haley. I have intense focus."

"Oh, really." Haley stared intently at Nathan, transfixing him, as she proceeded to throw the ball over his head before he could even think to react. Nathan watched dumbfounded as the ball sailed through the hoop.

"You might wanna focus on the ball then, Hot Shot," Haley said as she went to retrieve the ball.

Nathan was incredulous as he placed his hands on his hips. His competitive instincts taking control he moved towards Haley as she dribbled around the driveway. When Haley saw him coming she moved in the opposite direction knowing that while Nathan was obviously the far superior basketball player that she had the advantage. After a few minutes, Nathan caught up with her and moved behind her as she clumsily dribbled the ball. As he reached around attempting to steal the ball, Haley made a slight move of her hips that angled her top up enough to reveal the "23" tattoo on her lower back. As Nathan caught sight of this, he inadvertently stumbled and Haley quickly made a move towards the basket, tossing the ball up and through the hoop.

"Where's your game, Scott? It would appear you've lost the ability to score." Haley trailed her fingers across Nathan's chest as she handed him the ball, thinking it was only fair to give him a chance.

Nathan was again rendered speechless but willingly accepted the ball. Harboring a strong impulse to redeem himself, he feverishly started rounding the driveway dribbling the ball with skilled fashion, in between his legs, behind his back. Haley made attempts to steal the ball but Nathan held it high above her head, his height a clear advantage. At one point, as he went to move around her, his elbow accidentally came down hard on the top of her head. Haley immediately winced and grabbed her head at the site of impact.

Feeling terrible, Nathan moved towards her and placed his hand over hers on top of her head. "I'm sorry, baby, are you okay?"

Without skipping a beat, Haley grabbed the ball that Nathan had placed under his arm and made her way to the basket, nailing the shot.

"You don't play fair. I thought I hurt you," Nathan stated dejectedly.

"You did but it wasn't enough to distract me. I have intense focus," Haley said with a wink.

"Very funny," Nathan scowled.

Knowing her husband as well as she did Haley knew their little game, while it was all in fun, had wounded his ego a bit. She walked over to him, placing her hands on his sides.

"Listen. If it helps, I learned all of my skills from you. You were my basketball tutor, remember?" Haley attempted to lighten the mood. "And besides, I know you let me win because you love me."

"Well, I did kind of go easy on you," Nathan softened.

Haley went to grab the ball and walked back towards Nathan. "Tell you what. You make that shot and you can do whatever you want to me," she said, sliding her tongue across her lips.

Nathan gladly took the ball and headed towards the basket. "I like this game." Planting his feet, he dribbled the ball a couple of times, as he looked from the basket to the ball, visually lining up the shot. Regaining his focus also meant the return of that trademark Scott confidence and just before he released the ball his head turned to the side to look directly at Haley, standing on the sidelines. Their eyes remained locked as the ball sailed through the air and straight into the hoop, hitting nothing but net. Nathan didn't need to look forward to know his aim had been on target. Haley's eyes told him everything. On impulse his arm raised and he shook his fist in typical Nathan Scott fashion, taking pride in his little feat.

Haley enjoyed seeing her husband in his element, playing the game that he loved and was so obviously meant to play. She had always been impressed with his skills and dedication. His determination being just one of the many things she loved about him. His athletic body wasn't so bad either. She would never complain about being married to a basketball player. Even though his professional career had ended, she would always consider him that – a basketball player - as she knew it would always be a part of him. When you had a gift for the game like Nathan did, it was never something that just went away. With just a few minutes of watching him play, she could tell he still missed it and her heart clenched. While it was true that part of her was relieved that she no longer had to worry about him getting hurt, she hated that he had to sacrifice something so vital. The transition had been hard for him and he was still finding his way, his family by his side. There was no doubt basketball would always be present in their lives. She cherished all of the memories and was grateful for everything that it had given him and by extension, her.

Haley strutted playfully towards Nathan, making good use of the uniform that adorned her body. "Nice free shot."

Nathan smiled at the inside joke. It was a mistaken term Haley had used for "free throw" long before she understood the ins and outs of the sport. "You like that?"

"I do." Haley came closer and placed her hand under his shirt where she lightly ran her index finger along the top of his shorts. "Actually I'm a pretty big fan. You think I could get an autograph?"

Enthralled, Nathan placed his hands on her hips. "You know I kind of have a thing for cheerleaders."

Haley contemplated his thought momentarily. "Hmmm, cheerleaders? Or this cheerleader?"

"You already know the answer to that." Nathan leaned in for a kiss. As he moved his hands around her waist, he lightly grazed his thumb over the tattoo that had been his downfall. As much as he hated losing, losing to this woman would never be a bad thing. She would always be his downfall, his weakness … and not in a bad way. It just meant that she held something no one else did, a power hard to describe but that he never wanted her to lose.

Eager to prove that he was perfectly capable of "scoring" both on and off the court, Nathan swept Haley off her feet as he headed for the front door.

---

Haley sang softly to herself as she busily prepared food in the kitchen. Her earlier win in the all too entertaining basketball competition meant that she got to choose their next activity or more aptly titled, "Nathan's Punishment". She had the perfect idea and knew that while her husband would balk at the idea that a win was a win and he would just have to live with the consequences. Besides, his punishment was far from severe. If anything, it was just a way for Haley to rope him into doing something he would normally consider a "chick thing".

As Nathan descended the stairs, he heard Haley singing and smiled to himself. Listening to her ethereal voice always gave him chills. Currently, it just added to his blissful state after their recent tryst in the shower. He was pretty sure he was gonna be sore tomorrow but it was well worth it.

Nathan walked up behind Haley and wrapped his arms around her waist. He sighed contentedly and leaned into her ear. "What's that you're singing?"

Haley shrugged and leaned into his embrace. "Nothing really. I was just playing around with some melodies."

"I like it. I like it when you sing," Nathan stated, tightening his hold on her and placing his chin on her shoulder. "So what's all this for?"

"Just some snacks," Haley said offhandedly as she continued to stir the ingredients she had assembled.

"Looks great. Can I have a taste?"

Haley swiped her finger in the bowl and raised it to Nathan's mouth. As prompted, he opened his mouth and consumed the treat offered.

"How is it?" Haley asked anxiously.

"I'll show you." Nathan swiftly turned Haley to face him and placed his mouth on hers in a kiss that while not quite naughty was certainly far from innocent. He made sure she got a thorough taste of her culinary work.

"I'd say I'm a pretty good cook," Haley said a bit lightheaded.

"I would have to agree. Although, I might be a bit biased. I have a little crush on the chef," Nathan replied.

"Well, come by anytime. But, just so you know, I don't cook for free." Haley tapped his chest.

"Oh, I'm always willing to pay the price." Nathan smirked and leaned in for another kiss. As he pulled back, he looked around the kitchen and over to the den, leery of what Haley might have planned. "So what's next? Am I gonna have to endure some kind of "chick thing"?"

"Um, well, maybe but you'll get to spend time with me." Haley smiled brightly while bouncing on the tips of her toes, hoping her enthusiasm was infectious or at least endearing enough to elicit a positive response.

Nathan shook his head. He could see right through her but she was too adorable to resist.
"The things I do for you."

Haley pointed her finger at him playfully. "Hey mister, don't forget. You owe me this. I won fair and square."

Nathan recoiled. "Hah! Fair! You played me."

"You complaining?" Haley said, a raised eyebrow making a clear reference to their prior amorous encounter.

"Nope. Your powers of seduction are much better than your basketball skills though, babe." Nathan lightly smacked her butt as he walked out of the kitchen and took a seat on the couch.

Soon after Haley joined Nathan on the couch with the food she had prepared. As she turned the TV on, Nathan inwardly cringed as he heard the theme song for "Sex and the City". He decided against voicing his displeasure as he knew Haley was a fan of the show. If it made her happy, the least he could do was watch with her. Placing his arm around her shoulders, he pulled her into his side and kissed her forehead.

"I don't understand her fascination with this guy. She clearly deserves better. He treats her like crap," Nathan said with his eyes trained on the TV.

Bewildered, Haley raised her head and stared up at him.

"What?" Nathan asked as he looked down at her, confused.

"Nothing," Haley said and placed her head back on his chest, smiling to herself.

"I think it would be a lot of fun to live in New York and get to hang out all of the time with your girlfriends, wear fancy clothes …" Realizing Haley was again staring at him, Nathan clarified. "If you were a girl, I mean."

Haley chuckled and shook her head.

After watching a couple of episodes, Haley decided Nathan had endured enough and turned off the TV. As to his level of suffering, she was pretty sure it was minimal if non-existent as his comments seemed to suggest he was fairly engrossed. She shifted her position so she was sitting cross-legged, facing him, as he faced forward with his feet on the cocktail table. She placed her hand under her chin and her elbow on her knee as she looked at him inquisitively.

"Did you enjoy that?" Haley asked, curious.

Nathan shrugged, feigning disinterest. "It wasn't bad. You know, for a chick show."

"Yeah. Sure." Haley rolled her eyes. "I seem to remember you mentioning something about Carrie's outfit at one point."

"Not every girl can pull off ruffles, Haley. It's a fact," Nathan responded.

Haley let out a burst of laughter. "And where did you learn that?"

Nathan searched for an answer he knew was impossible to find. "Okay, fine. Do I need to hand over my "man card"?" He conceded.

Haley swiped her hand through the air. "Nah, but this does put me two ahead of you in our little competition." She reached over and lightly rubbed Nathan's shoulder. "And I hate to break it to you, babe, but you surrendered your "man card" years ago when you willingly watched and actually enjoyed "The Notebook"."

Her words stinging a bit, Nathan looked at her. "That was different," he stated quietly.

Haley was surprised and confused by his reaction. "Really? How?" she inquired.

Nathan moved so that he was facing Haley, placing a leg on either side of her. Haley uncrossed her legs and Nathan pulled her closer to him so that she was straddling his waist as they sat sideways on the couch. He placed his hands on the outside of her upper thighs and rubbed slowly. Haley reciprocated by placing her hands on either side of his torso and running them up and down. He held her gaze as he explained.

"Because Allie and Noah … Nathan and Haley. We have a love like that. Granted we didn't waste time like they did and I hope we have a better ending but what you and I have is a once in a lifetime love. We're gonna grow old together, Hales."

The weight of his words struck Haley to the core as she thought of all they'd been through and how just a short while ago their future had been in jeopardy. She cupped his cheek and gave him a sweet kiss that made it clear that she understood and felt the same way. His heart was always open and available to her and she loved him all the more for it. He was a reserved man by nature but when it came to her he had no boundaries. She knew this was a reflection of not only how much he loved her but that he knew how much she loved him as well, as he would never let down his guard for someone he knew might take advantage of it. Even after all of their years together, he still invoked feelings in her that were reminiscent of when they first fell in love. No doubt this man had her heart … hook, line and sinker.

Moving closer, Haley placed her arms around Nathan's neck and rested her elbows on his shoulders as his hands shifted to her lower back, their faces inches apart.

"You are quite charming, you know that?" Haley observed.

"Just one of my talents," Nathan smirked.

"And you have many." Haley grabbed his shirt and pulled him down with her, hoping they could work off some of the calories they'd just consumed.

---

"Hell no!" Nathan exclaimed as he stared at the piano. "No way. This isn't fair, Hales. I don't know anything about the piano!"

"Oh, come on, Nathan. It's not like you're gonna be graded." Haley knew Nathan was going to be less than thrilled with her decision to use the piano as part of her challenge for him. She figured it was only fair though since she knew very little about the art of basketball. Plus, she thought it would be cute to see him try his hand at something so clearly out of his realm.

"Well, if that were the case I would definitely fail." Nathan placed his hands on his hips.

Haley ran her hand down his arm reassuringly. "You underestimate yourself."

Nathan looked at her, unconvinced. "That sounds like something a tutor would say."

Haley smiled as she attempted to coax Nathan into accepting her challenge. "And remember how good I was at that?" She walked towards the piano bench and took a seat.

"This is so not the same thing. There are all kinds of symbols and stuff." Nathan gestured towards the piano, knowing nothing of what he was talking about.

Haley chuckled. "You mean notes?"

"Whatever. I'm gonna suck at this," Nathan said still refusing to yield. In his mind, this wasn't an even competition. Shooting a ball through a hoop was much simpler than playing the piano, a skill that took years to master.

"Well, that's fine. If you don't wanna do this, we could always try singing." Haley stood up and started to scoot out from behind the piano.

Nathan quickly assessed his options and realized while he had no idea how to play the piano his ability to sing was far worse. He'd gladly embarrass himself (and had on many occasions) in front of his wife if it would make her laugh but he was also a true competitor and, therefore, had to choose a battle he had a remote possibility of winning.

"This'll work," Nathan relented and took a seat on the piano bench. He cracked his knuckles as his confidence quickly returned. "I mean I am good with my hands," he said flashing a knowing glance in Haley's direction.

"Yeah, calm down, Liberace." Haley rolled her eyes as she sat back down on the bench.

Haley proceeded to give Nathan a basic lesson in the art of piano playing, explaining chords, scales and the difference between flat and sharp notes. She didn't go too far into detail as this was just for fun and she knew that Nathan was content to let her be the sole aficionado in their relationship.

"I'll play a few notes and then you repeat what I play," Haley said as she slowly played a couple of notes, making sure to give Nathan ample time to contemplate her moves. Even though this was a competition and this battle in particular was hers to lose, given it was her forte, she couldn't simply turn off her love of teaching and sabotage her husband's efforts to win. No matter how much time had passed she would always be his "tutor girl" and she would always encourage his attempts to learn something new. After she was done playing, she turned to Nathan. "Okay, your turn."

Instead of using one hand, Nathan placed both of his hands above the keys and used his index fingers to successfully repeat the notes Haley had just played.

"See! I knew you could do it!" Haley smiled brightly and leaned her shoulder into his.

"I didn't really do much, Hales. A monkey could do that." Nathan shrugged, downplaying her praise.

"Oh and a few minutes ago you said there was no way." Haley chided him.

"I'm a quick learner." Nathan leaned towards her. "And my tutor's kinda cute." He may have had an ulterior motive for his compliment but it certainly wasn't a lie.

"Don't even try it," Haley admonished, leaning forcefully into his shoulder pushing him back towards his side of the bench.

"You worried I might distract you?" Nathan teased.

"No." Haley pointed her finger at him to get his attention. "Youmight want to take this seriously unless you want to lose." She then pointed the same finger at herself. "I'm the one with the piano skills, remember?"

"Let's not forget how you turned the tables on me out on the basketball court this morning." Nathan fired back.

"Oh, yeah, that was pretty genius of me." Haley smiled as she thought about how easily Nathan had fallen into her little trap. "But that's not gonna happen here. We're in my world now. I'm in control."

"You keep thinking that, baby. My bet you'll be blushing before all of this is over," Nathan said, hoping to rattle her a bit.

Momentarily speechless, Haley quickly regained her footing. "Keep dreaming, Scott."

As their lesson continued Nathan was making steady progress and they had decided to try a simple, somewhat modified version of "Chopsticks". As they played, Nathan couldn't help but think how cool it would be to play on one of those big keyboards like Tom Hanks in "Big". He could be such a big kid sometimes.

Nathan had to admit he was actually enjoying himself. Who knew playing the piano could actually be fun? Of course, he was pretty certain Haley had something to do with that. He watched her in awe, displaying her natural talent, as he admired how effortlessly she played. Her grace and focus always impressed him. Each minute that passed just made being this close to her without being able to touch her increasingly more difficult.

Haley noticed Nathan watching her and she immediately looked in his direction. She grabbed his chin between her thumb and index finger and pointed it forward. "Eyes on the keys, Nathan."

"What? Maybe you're my muse and I need to be looking at you to play," Nathan said, believing some of this was true. No doubt she was always a source of inspiration for him.

"I doubt that. You can hardly play with your eyes actually on the keys!" Haley stated, unimpressed with his attempts to distract her.

"Well, that's not very encouraging coming from my tutor," Nathan said as he hung his head.

Haley looked at Nathan as he continued to avoid her gaze. "Your tutor thinks you're up to no good."

Nathan leaned towards her and ran the tip of his nose along her neck under her ear. "Maybe I am. Does she disapprove?"

Haley bit her lip, attempting to resist. "No, but it could cost you a win and you've already lost twice today so …." She trailed off, knowing that comment would strike a nerve as Nathan hated to lose.

Crap, Nathan thought to himself. Straightening up, he placed his hands over the keys. "What was that scale again?"

They both returned their focus to the task at hand and played for a little while longer. As Nathan's skills continued to improve, Haley thought they might be able to try something a little more difficult and she decided to get one of her songbooks from upstairs. Thumbing through the book, she headed back downstairs and walked towards the living room.

"Okay, I think we should …" Haley halted as she heard some familiar words "this here's a jam for all the fellas". Looking up she saw her husband, a grown man, standing in the middle of the room with his shirt off and the words "Boy Toy" written across his chest.

"What do you think, Hales? Wanna "bust a move"?" Nathan said as he started to dance and sing along with the lyrics.

Haley couldn't help but laugh hysterically at his amusing display. He could be quite a goof when he wanted to be, a trait he often kept reserved just for her or their children. She had to admit her husband wasn't the best formal dancer but his freestyle/hip-hop moves were fairly impressive. In fact, it was actually kind of hot. The one thing about him was he could always make her laugh. Even when they were in arguments, one look could send her over the edge. Moments like these reminded her of just how much she loved this man.

As she recovered from her fit of laughter, Haley walked over to Nathan and crossed her arms over her chest. "Where in the world did you find blue paint?"

Nathan held his hands out in confusion. "Really? We have two kids if you've forgotten."

"Ahhh, and your first thought was to paint your chest?"

"I did it once before," Nathan said referring to his high school days.

"That was for an auction for a good cause," Haley pointed out.

"And this isn't a good cause? Cause I'm pretty sure you're enjoying the show." Nathan moved towards Haley, allowing her to get a closer look.

Haley smiled and shook her head. "You can be so cheesy sometimes."

"We're a cheesy couple, right?" Nathan continued his show as he danced around her.

"That's true but one of us has grown up a little." Haley stood in place less out of defiance and more because she was actually enjoying her role as a spectator.

"Well then, it's a good thing I'm here to entertain you." Moving in front of her, Nathan grabbed her hand and spun her around.

Haley returned so that she was face to face with him. "Which you do quite often." She placed her hand around his waist. "You're lucky I like guys who are …"

"Clever and irresistible with good looks and loads of charm?" Nathan said, finishing her thought.

"Don't forget cocky," Haley said as she wrangled free from his arms.

Nathan grabbed her waist and pulled her back, enjoying this little verbal dalliance. "I thought my ego was one of the things you loved about me."

"I love a lot of things about you. Your ego included." Haley ran her fingers down Nathan's arm that encircled her waist.

Nathan placed his other arm around her waist and looked down at her. "So you didn't just marry me for my wit and charm?"

Reaching up Haley placed her arms around his neck. "No, I married you because you're hot."

Nathan pulled back. "Haley James, how dare you objectify me."

Matching his posture Haley learned back as she eyed him derisively. "Says the man with his shirt off and "Boy Toy" written on his chest."

"Good point," Nathan admitted. "I totally mean the "boy toy" part though. You can take advantage of me if you want." He raised both eyebrows suggestively.

"You're no "boy toy", baby. Trust me. You're all man." Haley released her hands from around his neck and ran her nails down his chest.

Nathan twitched as Haley's touch sent chills throughout his body. He leaned his head down close to hers. "Flattery will get you everywhere, Miss James."

"You promise?" Haley placed a hand on each of Nathan's butt cheeks and playfully but forcefully pushed his body against hers.

Nathan jerked slightly as the sudden movement had forced a certain part of his anatomy to get a bit excited. "Any time, any place. In fact, why not right here?" Nathan lifted her up and set her down on the piano as he moved in between her legs, pulling her towards the edge, tight against his body.

"Are you sure? This surface is really hard. This might be rough," Haley said, oblivious to her series of double entendres.

"So am I." Nathan took Haley's hand and placed it against the bulge in his pants. "And I like it rough."

Haley removed her hand and swatted his shoulder. "Nathan, you're embarrassing me."

Nathan couldn't help but smile as he noticed her cheeks had turned a very curious shade of crimson. "Is that a blush? I think it is."

Her head lowered, Haley peered up at Nathan. "No, it's just hot in here."

"Oh, well we can solve that." Nathan used one of his hands to slowly begin lifting Haley's shirt while the other traced circles along her back. "I'm pretty sure that was a blush though. You're so stubborn." He whispered into her ear before running his tongue along the outside and then nibbling her earlobe.

Haley was quickly losing her resolve as Nathan's mouth came into contact with her skin. Unable to resist any longer, she pushed back on his chest. "Fine … but the score is 2-1 which means I'm still in the lead. And you know how I like to be in control." She hesitated briefly before skillfully removing her shirt and using both hands to bring Nathan's mouth to hers as they locked lips in a fiery kiss, her legs encircling his waist.

If Nathan's mouth hadn't been seized by Haley's so quickly, his jaw would surely have dropped. This woman, this moment … everything about it was intoxicating. Damn, his girl was a badass.

---

Hearing the doorbell, Nathan headed towards the door. Given the days events, they'd decided on ordering pizza for dinner as neither had any interest (or in Nathan's case, the ability) in cooking. As Haley walked past the door headed to the couch, the pizza guy stepped to the side, glancing past Nathan, to catch a glimpse of her. While Haley was oblivious to this little incident, Nathan certainly wasn't and promptly closed the door in the guy's face after handing him the money.

"Punk!" Nathan exclaimed as he headed towards the couch.

"What?" Haley asked, not hearing what he said.

"The pizza guy was totally checking you out," Nathan stated, perturbed.

"Oh, come on. I highly doubt that," Haley said brushing off what she assumed was a ridiculous assertion.

"Haley, he couldn't have been more obvious. He was practically drooling." Nathan knew this was a slight exaggeration but he hated people staring at his wife. Not that he blamed them. He didn't consider Haley his property nor was he distrustful of her. It was more that he got annoyed by the blatant disregard for his role as her husband. Glancing at her and admiring her beauty was one thing, gawking as if she were a piece of meat was quite another. And this guy's actions definitely leaned towards the latter. Disrespect his wife and you'd have to deal with him. The kid was lucky he didn't punch him.

Haley shook her head in disbelief. Her husband had a tendency to overreact at times, especially where other men were concerned. "Nathan, he was like 17 years old. And I'm standing here in my pajama pants. That's hardly something to drool over."

"Hales, you have no idea the way guys look at you. You never have." Sure, Nathan was biased but he also knew that even if he wasn't married to her that he would still find her attractive. There was no way to deny beautiful.

Disregarding his last statement as just a form of flattery, Haley walked over to Nathan. "Maybe that's because I only care about the way one guy looks at me." She ran her thumb over his cheek and kissed him gently, hoping to both calm and distract him. "Now, I'm hungry. Let's eat." She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the couch.

Nathan's victory in the last competition gave him the opportunity to pick the next of the day's plans. Wanting to even the score after their earlier foray into "chick territory", he decided on something that would provide a little testosterone and level the playing field. Along the same lines as Haley's choice, he had picked a movie they could watch while eating dinner.

"Alright, you ready for this?" Nathan asked with a goofy grin.

"As ready as can be. Just tell me it's not "The Terminator" or "Anchorman"," Haley said, hoping she was right.

Nathan grabbed the BluRay disk from the cushion beside him and placed it in Haley's lap.

Haley glanced down at the title. "Top Gun"? Really, Nathan?"

"That's right. Load it up, baby. I feel the need for speed."

Haley shook her head, and he thought she was a dork. As she walked to the player and loaded the disk, she thought about how this wasn't a bad choice. She could easily handle "Top Gun". If Nathan thought he was getting her back for the so-called torture he survived earlier, he was way off base as she actually liked the movie. No need to tell him that though.

After they finished eating they relaxed on the couch, tangled up in each other. Nathan was lying on his side, back against the couch, head propped on his right elbow. Haley was lying in front of him, leaning against him so that she was at a slight angle. Their legs were intertwined and Nathan had his arm draped across her stomach. As they watched, Haley casually ran her hand over Nathan's, taking particular interest in his wedding ring as she twirled it around his finger. Noticing this, Nathan very sweetly brought her hand to his lips and placed a kiss on her wedding band, saying so much without words. He then linked their hands and placed them back around Haley's waist. This little gesture relaxed Haley even further as she scooted back closer to him and let his presence and warmth seep throughout her body.

Engrossed in the movie, there were specific parts that were certainly grabbing Haley's attention. "Pilots are hot. I love a man in uniform."

"Oh, you do, do you? Does that mean you want me to go put on my basketball uniform?" Nathan offered.

"No need. You look good in anything … or nothing." Haley glanced back at him.

"You think I'm sexy," Nathan said, cocking his jaw.

Haley rolled her eyes, turning her head back towards the TV. "Oh jeez, I take it back. Your ego is enough for the both of us."

"Don't lie, Haley. Admit it." Nathan pulled her back as he hovered over her and started to tickle her.

"Nathan! No! No!" Haley recoiled in a fit of laughter. She thrashed as she attempted to escape but his grasp held her firmly under his control.

"Say it, Hales. My husband is sexy." Nathan continued tickling her relentlessly.

"I give up! I give up!" Haley exclaimed breathlessly. "My husband is sooooo sexy," she reluctantly admitted, exaggerating each syllable. "Are you happy now?"

"Very. Now we're even, 2-2." Nathan kissed her nose and helped her into a sitting position.

"Uhhh, how was that fair? I couldn't breathe!" Haley protested.

"Gee, I seem to remember someone using some unfair tactics on me this morning. Hmmm … now who was that?" Nathan mocked.

"Whatever. You haven't won yet, Scott." Haley gave him a wicked side glance.

"Not yet. But I will," Nathan stated with confidence.

Haley playfully punched his shoulder as he laughed.

"So what about me?" Haley placed her head on his shoulder.

"Oh you're sexy as hell. Even in pajama pants." How she could think the pizza guy wouldn't find her attractive was beyond him. Haley always looked hot.

Haley giggled and snuggled into his chest. While they enjoyed the remainder of the movie, Nathan periodically ran his fingers through her hair, a habit formed years before. He softly ran his hand over the top of her head, still worried about the injury she had sustained during their basketball game. "How's your head, baby? Does it hurt?"

"A little but it's better now. You make everything better." The fact that he remembered and thought to ask warmed her heart. He was always thinking about her.

Nathan kissed the top of her head and pulled her tighter into his side as they watched the rest of the movie. As much as he loved their children, he was thankful to have this time with Haley. There was no one who made him feel the way she did and he knew they needed alone time on occasion to reconnect, reflect and relax. Whenever possible, he was determined to give her his undivided attention and to spoil her. After all, as much as she did for him and their family she deserved it.

---

Haley quietly walked up behind Nathan as he stood silently looking at one of the many pictures of their wedding. They'd had two weddings and there were photos from each scattered in various places throughout their house. "That was a good day," she said as she snaked her arms around his waist and leaned her head against his back.

Nathan smiled and ran his hand along her arm. "Best day of my life. That was the day we started our life together … you and me."

He loosened Haley's arms from around his waist and led her towards the other side of the den. "Come here."

Haley stood in the middle of the room as Nathan walked over to dim the lights. As he headed towards the stereo, she smiled to herself and wondered what her clever husband had up his sleeve. "What are you up to, Nathan Scott?"

"What makes you think I'm up to something?" Nathan shrugged nonchalantly as he walked towards her. "Maybe I just wanna dance with my girl."

As the familiar chords of "You and Me" by Lifehouse started to fill the room, he placed his arms around her waist as she moved hers to his back and laid her head against his chest.

"I love this song," Haley said as she held Nathan tightly.

"I know. That's why I picked it."

Haley laughed lightly. "Guess you think you know me, huh?"

"I know you better than anyone." Nathan replied with profound certainty.

Haley sighed knowing that was true, just as she knew him better than anyone. It was amazing how that worked and she wondered had they never met if they would be the people they were today. She knew without a doubt the answer was no. If they'd lived separate lives she knew they probably would have found some form of happiness, but they would have searched their entire lives for that missing piece, the piece that would make them whole. She was thankful that she had found the soul that had matched hers perfectly as she was certain there was only one that existed. The thing about soul mates is they often come together when they aren't even looking. Haley knew this was definitely the case with her and Nathan. She had no idea how they had found each other at such a young age but she was and would always be eternally grateful.

Swaying gently, they danced in silence, both reveling in the comfort and feel of each other. Nathan arched back slightly, forcing Haley to remove her head from his chest. As she did this, he moved his hand slowly up the side of her body stopping at her cheek and placed a soft, slow, lingering kiss on her lips. It wasn't a kiss full of lust or heat but one of reverence. It held the weight of their emotions. After pulling away, Nathan rested his forehead against hers as he moved his hand back to her waist. He kept his eyes closed as he took in the moment. He'd never felt more at peace. Listening to the words of the song a particular lyric caught his attention - "Everything she does is beautiful. Everything she does is right." – it seemed to encapsulate Haley so perfectly. Everything about this woman captivated him, ignited his soul. He couldn't imagine his life without her. "I am so in love with you," Nathan whispered, tightening his hold around her waist.

Haley felt chills rage throughout her body, not only at his words but at the conviction in his voice. True to the lyrics, "you got my head spinning" seemed like an accurate depiction of how she was feeling. The way he made her feel was indescribable. She honestly didn't know how her heart didn't burst out of her chest. It didn't seem possible to be this in love. This was just another in a series of surreal moments in their relationship that felt like a fairytale. How was it possible that this was her life? It was everything she could have possibly imagined.

Overwhelmed with emotion and the intensity of the moment, Haley's thoughts started to veer in another direction as she remembered just how close she had come to losing Nathan. As these thoughts continued to run through her mind, a single tear ran down her cheek. Instinctively, Nathan felt the shift in Haley's disposition and without thinking understood the reason behind it. He reached his thumb up and wiped away the tear. "Don't. I'm right here, baby," he said soothingly and placed a kiss where the tear had fallen. Moving his hand to the back of her neck, he pulled her head to his chest and rested his head on top of hers. As he closed his eyes he wrapped his other arm around her shoulders to pull her in as close as possible.

There wasn't a day that went by that Nathan didn't think about the kidnapping, at least briefly. It was true that he'd had more success at putting it behind him and moving forward, not wanting to waste time on such horrible memories. Haley, on the other hand, had struggled. She had doted on him at first, worrying about his scars, both physical and emotional. She'd also had a hard time letting him out of her sight for long periods of time. Nathan knew it was because they were so inexplicably tied to each other, that it was impossible to tell where one ended and the other began. No they weren't joined at the hip and they had their own lives to some degree but after so many years together there was a fundamental link that connected them together. One that if broken would make it impossible for the other to function wholly. It would be like trying to breathe with only a small supply of oxygen. It was no wonder she'd had such a hard time recovering. He vowed to do everything in his power to provide the comfort and reassurance she needed to move past that ordeal.

When the song ended, Haley took Nathan's hand and led him towards the alcove to the left of the front door. Their romantic dance had reminded her of something else they had done together that had been equally as special.

"Do you remember this?" Haley said nodding her head towards the wall.

Without any further clues, Nathan knew exactly what Haley was referring to. "Of course I do. We did that when we bought this house."

Shortly after purchasing their new home, they had made an indelible etching in one of the stones that lined the wall of the alcove. It was strategically placed so that only they knew it was there, a little secret they shared. Etched in small print was a heart with the words Nathan & Haley, Always & Forever. The words that they'd uttered so many times written in stone, never to be erased.

"Do you remember when we were trying to think of somewhere to put this and you wanted to put it in the driveway?" Haley said as she chuckled.

"Hey, I don't have any problems professing my love for you anywhere. Even in the rain … especially in the rain," Nathan grinned.

Haley flushed as Nathan's eyes boor into hers, recalling some very fond, very wet memories. Recovering from her momentary distraction she turned towards the wall and ran her fingers over the carving. "I wanted something just for us."

"You wanted it somewhere only we knew and where we would think about it every time we" Haley looked over at Nathan and repeated the last part in unison "walked into our home."

"I remember all of that, Hales." Nathan moved behind Haley and circled his arms around her neck, resting on her shoulders. "Jamie was so excited about this house."

"He was. He finally got out of that "little boy's" room." Haley's thoughts turned wistful. "He's growing up so fast."

"I know. I can't believe he's almost 10!" Nathan couldn't believe how quickly the years had flown. It seemed just yesterday he was soothing his son with the wonders of old school hip-hop.

"He's such a smart, sweet boy," Haley stated with pride as she ran her hand along Nathan's arm.

Nathan tightened his hold on her as he spoke directly into her ear. "He gets that from his mom."

"He gets his charm from you." Haley returned the compliment knowing their son was a fairly good mixture of both of them.

"And his athleticism," Nathan pointed out, Jamie's basketball skills providing clear evidence.

"Yeah, he definitely didn't get that from me." They both laughed knowing Haley had a tendency to be quite clumsy at times.

"I also remember the day we brought our daughter home." Smiling, Nathan thought about how happy he'd been when they found out they were having a girl, a "mini-Haley" he was sure.

Haley's heart swelled at his words. "She was so tiny … and now she's talking up a storm!"

"She reminds me so much of you. We're gonna have our hands full," Nathan teased.

Smacking Nathan's arm, Haley turned her head to the side and glared at him. "And what does that mean?"

"That means guys are gonna be crazy about her." Nathan kissed her forehead.

"Well, it's a good thing she's got a daddy who will keep the boys in line." Haley reached her hand back and lovingly rubbed the back of Nathan's neck.

"Yes, she does. No one's ever gonna hurt her." Nathan was nothing if not overprotective of his daughter. She was and always would be daddy's little girl. He leaned down and rested the side of his head against Haley's. "I'll always take care of my girls."

Haley smiled as she listened. His love and devotion to their family only made her love for him that much stronger.

Noticing something was missing, Nathan hesitated. "You know we still need to add Lydia's name."

Located next to the heart that contained their names was a separate small heart with the word Jamie written inside.

"We do. Can't leave our baby girl off," Haley said feeling guilty that they'd neglected to remember something so meaningful.

"And there's still plenty of room in case we have more kids," Nathan said unexpectedly.

Surprised, Haley turned to face him. "Do you want more kids?"

Nathan shrugged, uncertain. "Do you?"

"I haven't really thought about it with everything that's happened," Haley stated honestly.

Nathan took both of her hands in his. "I don't know, Hales. We make pretty good babies."

Haley smiled. "Yeah." She couldn't lie about that nor did she feel the need to be humble. They'd definitely gotten lucky with Jamie and Lydia.

"I'm happy with the two we have right now but I just don't think we should take it off the table." Nathan lightly swung their conjoined hands from side to side.

"Okay. We'll see what happens," Haley said, knowing she'd be happy with whatever life had in store for them. "I love you, Nathan Scott."

"I love you. Always …"

"… and forever." Haley arched up on her tiptoes and planted a kiss on Nathan's lips, their hands still joined.

It was sentiment that would stand the test of time. A love that at its core was so pure and so deep that it would not waver. The love they had for their children was vast but the love they had for each other was incomparable. Not in that it was any less, just that it was different. Their love brought together two souls in need of the other, not only for want of happiness but to feel complete. One without the other didn't make sense. It was a bond etched in stone, one that had always existed and would forever endure.

---

Nathan grabbed a bottle of wine and two wine glasses as he headed outside to join Haley by the pool. Before opening the patio door, he patted the pocket of his pants, making sure he had his wallet, as he grabbed the black box he'd retrieved from its secret hiding place. He placed the box in his other pocket and retreated outside.

Haley smiled as Nathan approached and handed her a wine glass as he sat down next to her in the oversized deck chair. The chair was really meant for one but it fit them both just fine as they cuddled close together, their feet propped up as Nathan filled their glasses. Chuckling to herself, she thought about how humorous it was that they were sitting outside in clothes they would normally wear to bed drinking wine. Not exactly a sophisticated combination but their relationship brought to mind many contradictions: good girl/bad boy, nerd/athlete, cautious/impulsive … heck, even short/tall. They had made it work though and over the years the lines that signified their differences had seemed to fade. Their opposing natures had always been complementary but they had developed a grace in dealing with each other, a feat that could only be achieved by a connection like theirs.

Haley hadn't realized how deep in thought she was until she heard Nathan's voice. "Huh?" she said, lifting her head from his shoulder.

"What's on your mind?" Nathan said, sliding a piece of hair from her forehead.

"I was just thinking about us and how much I love you." Haley concentrated on the glass in her hand, still partially lost in thought.

"I love you too, baby."

"Did you ever think our life would be like this? That we would have all of this?"

"Honestly, before you I never thought much about my future. I just knew I loved basketball. Then I met you and I found something I loved more."

Haley ran her thumb along his cheek before leaning to the side so she could get a better view of him. "I love you for saying that but I'm not sure I can say the same. Chocolate has always been my first love," she teased.

"Is that so? Well, I'm pretty sure chocolate can't do this." Nathan kissed behind her ear. "And this." Slowly he worked his way down her neck.

Haley took a minute to enjoy Nathan's lips on her skin before giving in. "You're right. Chocolate doesn't compare."

"Well, I'm glad to hear you would choose me over candy." Nathan mumbled against her neck.

"I would choose you over anything," Haley stated assuredly as they shared a kiss and she returned her head to his chest.

Haley played with the material of Nathan's shirt as her mind again reverted back to their earlier days. "You know you're a far cry from the jerk I met in high school." Her intent was more reflective than disparaging.

Nathan sighed. "I know. I had such a chip on my shoulder. Thought I had something to prove."

"You were under a lot of pressure," Haley said, defending his behavior.

Nathan shook his head in disagreement. "That's no excuse though."

Haley raised her head and stated with vehemence. "Nathan, you had an overbearing father, a train wreck of a mother. Not to mention the basketball team. It's a wonder you didn't crack under the pressure."

"I guess." Nathan shrugged half-heartedly as he took a sip of wine. He still wasn't proud of the mistakes he'd made when he was younger.

"I am glad you changed though. Became the man that I love."

"That's all you, Haley. You changed me. You changed my entire world."

Haley shook her head in denial. "I don't deserve that credit, Nathan. You did that on your own. You've always been a good person. You just needed to see it and believe it."

"You gave me a reason to though. You actually cared about me and how I felt, if I was happy. No one ever did that for me." Nathan remembered how alone he'd always felt growing up, his parents preoccupied with their own selfish interests.

Whenever Nathan talked about his childhood, Haley's heart always broke thinking of how hard it must have been for him. "That's because I saw past all of the bluster and B.S. I saw you, Nathan." She lightly pointed her finger into his chest as she said "you".

"You were the first person." Nathan rubbed his hand along her shoulder.

"And I'd better be the last person too." Haley moved and held up her glass indicating she needed a refill.

Nathan reached down and retrieved the wine bottle from the ground beside the chair as he refilled both of their glasses. "No worries there. You're gonna be the one wheeling me around when I'm 80."

Haley sighed as she relaxed back into Nathan's side. "I have to say I never pictured myself married to the high school jock."

"Yeah, I never thought I'd marry a dork but we all make sacrifices." Nathan chuckled as he took another sip of wine.

Haley smacked his chest as she looked up at him. "Hey, I was not a dork!"

Nathan couldn't help but laugh. He loved teasing Haley with this little moniker. "You kinda were but you were a beautiful dork, still are." He leaned down and rubbed his nose against hers.

"You know it's amazing how you can insult me and charm me at the same time." Haley looked at him skeptically as she took a drink.

"Yeah, the same way you can call me a jock and I don't take offense." Nathan scoffed.

Haley recanted. "Oh, I'm sorry, Nathan. I didn't mean that …"

"Haley, it's okay. That's who I was back then. I did a lot of changing for the better," Nathan stated earnestly. "You didn't need to change. You've always been perfect."

Haley rolled her eyes as she placed her empty wine glass on the ground. "You're crazy. I was far from perfect. Yeah, I had good grades and I was responsible but I wasn't anything special. Part of me always felt invisible, like I didn't belong."

Nathan used his thumb and index finger to tilt Haley's chin up so he could look directly into her eyes. "I would've seen you, Hales. I know we met because of Lucas but I would have noticed you eventually. Those beautiful eyes would have caught my attention at some point."

Feeling things only Nathan was capable of evoking, Haley laid her head against his chest and hugged him tightly. She was consumed with emotion as her thoughts frantically came rushing out. "I missed you so much while you were gone. I kept thinking about what you said when Quinn and Clay were in the hospital. About not wanting to lose what we have … the rest of our lives together. It tore me apart to think that we might not get our someday. I can't live without you, Nathan, I just can't." Choking up, she turned her face into his chest and hugged him even harder, digging her fingers into his side as if her vise grip could somehow protect him from the evils of the world.

Nathan didn't flinch at the physical pain of Haley's firm grip as it couldn't compare to the emotional pain he felt at what she had been through. The guilt was enough to consume him if he let it but he knew in this moment he needed to provide her with the comfort she so desperately needed. He needed to reassure her that they would always have their "someday".

Nathan loosened Haley's arm from around his side and placed his wine glass on the ground. He shifted so that she raised her head from his chest as he took her face in his hands and looked her directly in the eyes. He needed her to feel and comprehend his words. "Haley, listen to me. That wasn't even a possibility. The one thing I can promise you is that no matter what happens I will always find my way back to you." He hesitated as he continued staring into her eyes, making sure his words were getting through. "Okay?"

Haley nodded slowly as she let Nathan's words calm her. "Okay." She sank back into his chest and sighed, allowing her body to relax.

Nathan rubbed her back while his other hand ran slowly over the side of her face that wasn't buried in his chest. "I need you to talk to me about this stuff, baby. I know how hard this has been for you. It's okay to talk to me." Nathan knew Haley was holding a lot in for his benefit and as much as he loved her for it he was starting to realize that it might be better for both of them if they didn't keep everything bottled up.

Haley knew this was true and that she needed to open up more but she didn't want to burden him with her worries more than she already had. What she had been through was unimaginable but his ordeal was equally as horrific, if not worse. "I know. I don't want to make you relive that though and I'm just trying to forget and move on but …" Haley's voice trailed off as she was unsure of what to say next.

"And we're both doing that, Hales. We will get past this but we can't run from it either." Nathan was determined to not let her feel this pain alone. They needed to get through this together, just as they always had. He knew this would be difficult in some ways though as Haley, true to her nature, would always sacrifice herself to help him. When necessary he was going to need to encourage her to talk about her feelings so that they could move forward and heal as one.

Haley knew they would recover but she wanted to make sure everything they had been through wouldn't change who they were, wouldn't make them live in fear. She was actually hoping it might be positive in some ways. "I know it's gonna take time. I want us to make a promise though."

"Okay, what?" Nathan was certainly willing to do whatever it was that Haley suggested if it would make her feel better.

Haley turned her head and looked up at him. "Let's never be too scared to live our lives … to the fullest. If this has taught me anything, it's that we need to take some chances every now and then, have fun. I don't want to have any regrets, especially not with you."

Nathan was always amazed by his wife's resilience and perspective. Despite all the curve balls that had been thrown their way, her strength always triumphed. He smiled as he placed his hand on the back of her neck and rubbed lightly. "I can do that."

"Me too." Haley rose up and pecked Nathan's lips. "In fact, ummm …" She started to stand up, having an idea of what they could do for a little fun.

Nathan grabbed her hand, forcing her to sit back down. "Hold on. I wanna do something first." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the black box.

Haley was confused as she looked at the box. "Nathan, what are you …"

Nathan chuckled at her expression. "Calm down, this isn't another proposal. I've done that twice." He showed her the black box and then placed it aside as he reached into his other pocket. "I have something for you but first I need to show you something else."

Nathan removed his wallet from his pocket, opened it and retrieved the small item from inside one of the slats. He then handed it to Haley.

Haley took the item and studied it carefully, confused as to its meaning. "This is a guitar pick. Is this one of mine?"

Nathan nodded proudly. "It is."

"Why do you have it in your wallet?" Haley asked, perplexed.

"Well, you're always here," Nathan said as he placed his hand over his heart. "But I carry this with me so I have a little piece of you too. I've been away from home so much over the years with basketball and this new business and I needed something that would remind me of you so I never felt like you were far away." He ran his hand along Haley's as she held up the pick. "And this is also a part of something that makes you happy. As much as I love to hear you sing and watch you play what I love the most is that it makes you happy."

Haley's eyes closed as she processed the enormity of this sentiment. She felt the emotions start to swirl as she struggled to find words sufficient enough explain what she was feeling. "I can't believe you …"

"Here's the other part." Nathan picked up the black box and held it towards her.

Haley's eyes lit up as she held her hand out. "Can I open it?" she asked, anxiously.

Nathan halted as he teased her. "You are so impatient. Do you know what trouble I had to go to hide this so my wife didn't go snooping?"

"Can I help it if I like it when my husband spoils me?" Haley tapped his chest lightly as she grinned.

Nathan laughed. "Well prepare to be spoiled, Haley James." He placed the box in her hand and nodded. "Go ahead."

Smiling giddily, Haley opened the box to see two matching guitar picks laying side by side on velvet cushioning.

Nathan watched Haley's reaction and smiled. "I had them custom made. They're more durable then regular guitar picks. And they're a little bigger because they're engraved."

There was a story behind his gift. While his trip to Europe had set into motion a series of events that had been traumatic for both him and his family, there was something that had happened during that trip that he remembered fondly. He had the idea to have the guitar picks made before the kidnapping but after everything that had happened, it just made the significance that much more. He was hoping this might in some way cast a positive light on something that had been so negative.

As Nathan explained, Haley listened enraptured. "When I was in Europe, there was this concrete wall not far from my hotel that was covered in graffiti. I couldn't really read any of it but I'm sure most of it wasn't pleasant. Right in the middle though there was this beautiful outline with some words written inside and even though I didn't know what they meant I was drawn to it for some reason. It just seemed different then everything else on that wall, like it was someone taking a stand against all of the negativity, saying something meaningful. Anyway, I kept staring at it every time I walked past and finally one day I asked someone to translate. Once I understood the words it made sense why I couldn't let it go."

Nathan motioned for Haley to turn over one of the guitar picks and read the engraving.

Haley read the words aloud: With all my heart and all my soul, you are my love, you make me whole.

In awe, Haley's empty hand fell to her chest. She understood the gravity of the words but also the symbolism of the wall as it related to their relationship. As a couple they'd encountered so many outside factors that had threatened their relationship but they had survived. Their love was the beauty amongst chaos.

Nathan continued to explain. "I guess it's an old saying or a love letter or something. I know it's kind of corny but I thought it says everything and I'm not very good with words …"

Immediately Haley reached up and grabbed Nathan's shirt, bringing his mouth to hers as she kissed him, hard and slow. She kept his shirt tight in her fist as their mouths separated, their faces only inches part, eyes locked. "No, Nathan, I love it. It's beautiful. These are beautiful. I'm beyond … I just … you …"

"Wow, and I thought I wasn't good with words." Nathan smiled sweetly as he leaned back. He picked up the other guitar pick from the box and held it up. "This one's for me to keep so I'm always reminded of you." He pointed to the one in Haley's hand. "That one is for you so you always remember how much I love you."

Positioning herself so that she was face to face with Nathan, Haley ran her thumb along his cheek. "You are the sweetest man. You always make me feel so special and loved."

The corner of Nathan's mouth turned up as he took her hand from his cheek and placed a kiss on her palm. "I always want you to feel that, Hales."

Haley placed her hand on his neck. "Do you know how much you mean to me?"

Nathan ran his fingers along Haley's arm that encircled his neck as he pondered her question. "Well, I know I mean more than chocolate."

Haley's head fell back as she laughed. "You do but chocolate is pretty damn good."

Nathan smirked as he leaned closer to her. "Guess that means I have some competition then."

Haley pulled his head towards hers and ran her fingers down his neck. "Never. You are the one that I want."

They shared a few more kisses as they continued to cuddle, chat and enjoy some more wine, letting the flawlessness of the moment envelope them. The black box had been set aside but Haley snuck a few glances here and there as she was still in awe of her husband's thoughtfulness and creativity. There was no doubt she was spoiled.

---

As Haley walked towards the pool, Nathan remained seated. He was reflecting on the day and how everything – even down to the weather – had been perfect. He watched Haley traipse along the edge of the pool, mesmerized by her gracefulness and radiance. Each time she broke into a little skip, he was reminded of just how cute she could be. When she turned to look at him and smiled, he couldn't help but return her smile as his heart rate increased. Not only did he love her, he adored her.

Haley basked in the night's glow as she wondered aimlessly around the pool. Her heart was so full from everything that had happened throughout the day and especially the last couple of hours that she was feeling a bit restless. It was a lot to process and there were moments when she felt the need to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. As she felt Nathan's gaze, she turned towards him and a smile instantly spread across her face when their eyes locked. That was her husband, her man.

"So I was thinking we should take a dip," Haley stated, dragging her toes through the water.

"You wanna go swimming?" Nathan asked.

"I was thinking more like skinny dipping," Haley said as she bit the corner of her lip.

"Seriously?" Nathan was a bit stunned and had to make sure he'd heard her right.

"Why not?" Haley shrugged.

"I don't know, Hales." Nathan was hesitant knowing this kind of behavior was far outside of Haley's comfort range.

"Suit yourself but I'm going in with or without you." Haley started to lift her tank top.

"Haley, are you sure? This isn't like you." Nathan was still skeptical and didn't want to encourage something she might end up feeling remorse for later.

Haley halted her movements and looked at Nathan. "That's the point. No regrets, Nathan. I just want to have a little fun tonight."

"Okay, I could go for that." Nathan stood up and walked towards Haley removing his shirt along the way.

"I figured you wouldn't mind." Haley pressed her body against his.

"You know me so well." Nathan pulled back and proceeded to lift Haley's tank top over her head, exposing the bra she wore underneath.

Haley tapped her fingers on his bare chest. "You're an easy read, Scott. I'm sure the only words that came to mind were "naked" and "pool"."

Nathan abruptly pulled her towards him, her body slamming against his. "You forgot one …you."

They each proceeded to remove their pants, figuring it best to remove the last articles of clothing once they were safely in the pool and more out of view. As Haley headed towards the stairway that led into the pool, Nathan wasn't far behind, the number 23 guiding his way.

Nathan's audacity being quite a bit stronger than Haley's, he was quick to remove his boxers, leaving him completely naked. While that was Haley's goal as well, she was a bit more modest and would need a few minutes to prepare. As Nathan swam around the pool, she stayed close to the edge and admired his physique. There was no way to deny that her husband was hot. Everything about him … his height, his body, his raven dark hair, his smirk, his eyes. God, those eyes. She was certain she could look into those eyes for the rest of her life without it being long enough.

Finally getting bored with just watching, Haley needed to feel his skin next to hers. "Why don't you come over here, Maverick? You can show me your Top Gun?"

Nathan swam towards her and hovered in front of her as he offered his own proposition. "You sure you wanna enter the danger zone?"

"Mmm hmm," Haley mumbled as Nathan started working his way down her neck. Initially caught up in the sensations, Haley was enjoying herself when a moment of clarity hit and she realized the ridiculousness of what they'd just said to each other. She pulled back and looked at Nathan somewhat hazily. "I think we might be a little drunk."

Nathan was far from drunk but had to admit he was a little buzzed. His wife on the other hand was a lightweight by all accounts and was probably beyond a little tipsy. Not wanting to leave her stranded alone, he played along. "I think you're right."

They both stared at each other for another minute and then burst into laughter. Nathan nuzzled her neck as they both enjoyed the moment of giddiness. Soon after, the mood again shifted and Nathan repeated his previous course, trailing kisses down her neck. Haley pushed him back, another realization striking her. "Nathan, what if the neighbors see us?" While she knew skinny dipping was risqué, she hadn't originally given any thought to having sex in the pool.

Nathan looked around and contemplated their precarious circumstances. Haley's earlier words echoing in his mind, he returned to look at her. "No regrets, right?"

Haley nodded, allowing Nathan's courage to seep into her.

"Fuck it. Let them watch," Nathan said as he unclasped Haley's bra and then proceeded to help her remove her panties. He was careful to make sure her body was shielded from view. Even though skinny dipping had been her idea and she had agreed to take things further, he knew all of this was out of character for her and some of it had to do with her inebriated state. He would never blatantly take advantage of that and would do everything he could to lessen the potential of her feeling any embarrassment later. His actions were a little selfish as well as he in no way wanted anyone getting a naked view of his wife. All that being said though, seeing Haley spontaneous and carefree was not only comforting but it was also alluring. She'd definitely surprised him several times that day with her enticing ways.

The combination of alcohol, the fact that her children were gone, her desire to live in the moment and her husband's bravado were all making Haley's inhibitions disappear rather rapidly, at least for the night. Normally she wouldn't dare cross certain lines but right now she didn't care. They were young, they were in love and, truth be told, it was their pool. Her fears further evaporated as Nathan bit down on her neck, the thrill of this little escapade increasing by the minute. Moaning loudly, she wrapped her legs around his waist and gave in to her desires. Hell, if the neighbors were gonna watch why not give them a show?

---

As Haley was in the bathroom prepping for bed, Nathan positioned himself directly outside the door and waited silently. As she opened the door, he sprang towards her. "Boo!"

Haley stumbled backwards into the door frame, clutching at her chest. "You scared me!"

"Ohhhh, spooky!" Nathan said eerily, a harmful attempt to toy with the fact that his wife was easily startled.

Haley knew Nathan was just playing around but figured she might as well get some revenge. As he approached her, she swung the back of her arm and hit him square in the gut, taking him off guard.

"Umppff," Nathan exclaimed as he took the hit. The gut check surprised him more then it hurt, as Haley intended. He took this as a clear sign though that he needed to back off. " I didn't mean to scare you." He walked towards her. "I just missed you."

Haley knew her husband well enough to see through his charming ways. "Yeah right, you wanted to see me jump."

"Okay, maybe a little," Nathan admitted with a grin.

"You are mean, Nathan Scott, mean!" Haley placed her hand on Nathan's chest and pushed him away as she wasn't quite ready to forgive him for his little prank.

Even though he knew Haley wasn't really upset, Nathan still felt bad. The look on her face after he'd surprised her showed that she'd been truly frightened. "I'm sorry, babe." Nathan wrapped his arms around her. "You still love me?"

Haley acquiesced and returned his embrace, placing her chin on his chest as she looked up at him. "Against my better judgment, yes."

"Good. Cause I love you too." Nathan leaned his head down and gave her a small kiss.

"You'd better." Haley tapped his side as she started to walk towards her side of the bed while Nathan did the same.

"Besides you've got nothing to worry about. If someone breaks in they'll get to me first and you can run, right? Isn't that what you said?" Nathan pulled down the covers and got into bed.

"That's right. Although that won't give me much of a head start considering how useless you are when you first wake up. They'd be able to take you easily," Haley replied.

Slightly offended, Nathan turned to face Haley, propping himself up on his left elbow. "Are you questioning my skills?"

"No, you're just a little groggy when you wake up, baby. Takes you a while to focus." Haley teased as she removed her hair from the band holding it in place.

Nathan sat up, shifting to his knees as he made his way over to Haley, still standing by the edge of the bed. "Oh, don't you worry. When it comes to protecting you, my instincts would kick in. I would never let anything happen to you." He placed his arms around her waist and pulled her tight against his chest.

"I know. I always feel safe with you." Haley ran her fingers along the back of Nathan's neck.

Nathan pulled back and placed his hands on Haley's hips, noticing her attire. "So, uhh, what's with all of these clothes? We've been naked in just about every room of our house today including the pool and now you decide to cover up?"

Haley looked down at her robe and shrugged. "I don't know. Something different I guess. Thought you might be getting bored."

"Have we met? I could never get enough of you naked. Actually I can never get enough of you period so if you wanna leave the robe on that's fine," Nathan said honestly

"Make you a deal. I'll take this off if you help me," Haley said biting her lip.

"Deal." He slowly untied Haley's robe and moved his hands up to gently push it down over her shoulders. He watched as it dropped to the floor. His assumption was that she'd be naked underneath but this … this … was better. His eyes darkened as he slowly scanned her body starting from the bottom. "Damn Hales, you are so sexy." As much as he enjoyed seeing his wife naked, nothing beat seeing her in one of his button down dress shirts. The girl was quite the seductress.

"I take it you approve?" Haley inquired with a sultry glance. She placed her arms on his shoulders entwining her hands behind his neck and leaned her face towards his.

"God yes," Nathan growled as Haley's lips found his. He slowly ran his hands up the back of her legs hoping he wouldn't encounter any fabric that might impede his progress. To his satisfaction, he was right and he moaned as his hands traveled further up her body.

Haley was enjoying herself immensely as Nathan continued running his hands up and down her backside. She loved the sounds he made and the things she was capable of doing to him. Despite her enjoyment though, she was unable to shake another overwhelming desire. Halting the kiss, she pulled back. "Actually …."

Nathan was left dumbstruck as Haley slipped out of his arms and headed towards the bedroom door. "Hey, where are you going?"

Haley stopped and looked back over her shoulder. "Wait here," she said as she scampered out the door.

Nathan fell back on the bed and attempted to calm himself. He had no idea what could be so important that his wife would actually walk away from an escalating make-out session.

A few minutes later Haley walked back into the bedroom holding a bowl. She skipped over to the opposite side of the bed, pulled back the covers and climbed in next to Nathan.

"What do you have there?" Nathan asked, having a pretty good idea of what the bowl might contain.

"Just some ice cream." Haley shrugged innocently.

"Oh, so you'd rather eat ice cream then make out with your husband?"

"I had a craving." Dunking the spoon in the bowl, Haley took a big bite.

"Well, I had a craving too but you didn't seem to care about that," Nathan said, making reference to his "craving" for things of an adult nature.

"Don't worry. This craving is quick to satisfy. The other one is gonna take some time," Haley replied with a wink.

"Good answer." Nathan smiled, satisfied with that response. "So, are you gonna share?"

"Yup, there's enough for two." Haley dipped the spoon in the bowl and brought it to Nathan's mouth to give him a taste.

"This is rocky road." Nathan was somewhat surprised. He'd just assumed since it was her craving that she would have gone with her favorite flavor.

"Yup."

"But you love mint chocolate chip." This was just one of a number of his wife's favorite things that he made a point to remember.

"I do but you love rocky road." Wanting to be truly in synch with her husband and make a small gesture after all he'd done for her today, Haley had decided to forego her usual favorite flavor and instead eat Nathan's favorite along with him. She knew she could have gotten mint chocolate chip and he would have eaten it with no complaints simply to make her happy. This time though she figured she could make the sacrifice as he had done so many times for her.

Nathan appreciated Haley's gesture and knew that while it was small it held a lot of significance. "Thanks, baby. That was sweet." He also had a bit of an addiction to rocky road though and couldn't help teasing her. "I think I should probably finish the rest though." He promptly grabbed the bowl from Haley's hands.

Haley looked at him in shock. "This is grounds for divorce, Nathan. You don't steal a woman's ice cream."

"Hmm, I think I just did," Nathan said with a mischievous grin.

"So you're willing to sacrifice it all for ice cream?"

"For mint chocolate chip, no. Rocky road, ummm, maybe…" Nathan pretended to be giving this some serious thought.

"Okay, fine, but if you don't share you're not gonna get lucky tonight." Haley was hoping this little threat would provoke a specific reaction.

Unfazed, Nathan kept his eyes on the bowl cradled in his hand. "That's okay. I've gotten lucky several times today. I'm good. This ice cream will do the trick."

Haley was getting frustrated at her unsuccessful attempts to lure her husband from his current focus. There was no doubt in her mind that he was just playing with her and would eventually give in, provided she fed him the appropriate bait. "Oh, so you don't mind then if I go to sleep?"

"Nope. I'll be going to sleep soon anyway as soon as I finish … mmmm, so good," Nathan said, savoring another bite. There was nothing he loved more then riling up his wife. Not only did it made him laugh but it was also an immeasurable turn on.

Seeing her efforts weren't paying off, Haley realized she needed to resort to something drastic. "Hope that ice cream curbed your craving then and you don't mind if I take this shirt off." She gave him a naughty glance as she slowly started to unbutton her dress shirt.

"Go ahead. I'm just gonna take mine off too." Nathan got up from the bed and started to take off his shirt.

"Whatever. I don't care." Haley shrugged unconvincingly as she continued working on her shirt. She had most of the buttons undone and the shirt semi-open when she caught a glimpse of Nathan and unable to tear her eyes away, very obviously gawked. Damn him!

As Nathan removed his shirt, he made a point to do it slowly, carefully pulling it up from the bottom, showing off his well defined abs. After pulling it over his head and throwing it on the floor, he then stretched and flexed, purposely displaying the toned muscles in his arms and shoulders. "I should probably take these off too," he said, making reference to his pants and boxers. "Don't want you to be the only one naked." He was enjoying this little game immensely.

In the process of removing his boxers and pants, Nathan looked up to see Haley holding the bowl of ice cream with the spoon in her mouth.

"Mmmm, so good," Haley said, mocking his earlier comment. "You want some?" she offered, satisfied that she had outwitted her husband.

Nathan pouted, clearly upset that his little strip tease had backfired. "Is this a peace offering or a pity share?"

"If you remember correctly, I was willing to share the entire time." Haley willingly gave him a bite to prove her point. "You were the one that got greedy. Here's a tip, hot stuff, don't get so blinded by your sexy self that you forget your wife's clever and cunning ways."

"You are very sly, Haley James." Nathan grabbed Haley's legs and placed them over his lap as he pointed a finger towards the bowl and then his mouth indicating he was due another bite. "Just so you know though, baby, I left the bowl there are on purpose," he said with a wink. His wife wasn't the only sly one.

"Oh really and what did that get you?" Haley asked, confused.

Nathan leaned in closely and looked into her eyes. "It got you naked … or more naked." He traced his finger along the opening of the shirt, lightly grazing her skin.

"Like that wasn't going to happen anyway?" Haley knew going to sleep fully clothed would never have been an option.

"Oh it was gonna happen. I would have made sure of that." Nathan moved the shirt collar aside as he trailed kisses along her collarbone.

Haley pushed him back. "So you're saying you let me win?"

"No, I let you think you won but actually I outsmarted you which means I won. That's 3-2 for the day. Looks like Nathan Scott is back on top," Nathan stated, proud of his victory.

"Seriously? You beat me in an "ice cream battle"?" Haley was slightly annoyed but more upset that her husband had outwitted her.

"Stats are stats, Hales," Nathan said undaunted.

"You suck, you know that?" Haley knew she'd been defeated.

"All's fair in love and war, babe." Nathan took a hold of the spoon and took another bite.

Haley wasn't quite ready to give up yet. "How do you know I didn't set you up? I mean I'm holding the ice cream and you're completely naked so …."

Nathan was prepared for Haley's stubbornness and quickly replied. "Because despite your teasing I know you know I'm not stupid enough to just leave a bowl of ice cream within your reach and the fact that you couldn't keep your eyes off of me while I undressed shows you clearly weren't expecting that."

No way to deny his assertions, Haley knew she still had something she could use to goad him. "Okay, so you might be right but let's not forget I beat you at your own game, Michael Jordan."

"You used your wicked ways to beat me." Nathan was unwilling to admit he'd been fairly defeated.

"My wicked ways, huh?" Haley challenged with a grin.

"Yes. You think I see my sexy girl come walking out in a cheerleader uniform and I'm gonna be able to focus on the game?" Nathan slid his hand along the outside of her thigh, working his way towards the bottom of her shirt.

"What happened to your "intense focus"?" Haley's teasing was simply to continue the witty banter and not to insult her husband's skills. The fact that they knew how to challenge each other was one of her favorite things about their relationship.

"Focusing wasn't the problem, trust me." Nathan began placing a series of light kisses behind Haley's ear as he worked his way down her neck. He slipped his hand inside her open shirt and trailed his finger along the curve of her breast.

Haley shivered at Nathan's touch as she placed her hand behind his neck, encouraging him to continue. "Nathan, you've seen me in that cheerleader uniform a thousand times."

"Yeah but that's when we were in high schoo …" Nathan moved his head so that he could look at her and called her bluff. "Don't even, Hales. You knew exactly what you were doing. Don't act all innocent. I know you better than that. There's a vixen in there."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Haley played coy as she sheepishly avoided his gaze, placing the bowl on the table behind their bed.

"Sure you don't. You know I see right through you and your mind games." Nathan pointed his finger at Haley accusingly.

"Mind games? Maybe I'm just playing hard to get." Haley pushed Nathan's finger down as she moved closer to him and placed her arms around his neck.

Nathan leaned into her embrace. "Well in that case, how do I get you?"

"You're in luck, Nathan Scott, cause you already have me." Haley finally surrendered as she tightened her hold on his neck bringing his body closer to hers. "Just so you know I almost gave in when you took off your shirt. You are so sexy, baby."

Just as their lips were about to meet Nathan pulled back slightly, wanting to claim another small victory as his wife had actually admitted he was sexy without provocation. "I knew it!"

Haley used her hands to force his attention back to her. "Nathan! Focus!"

"Man, I love it when you're feisty." Nathan moved his hands towards the buttons on her shirt. "Let me help you with this."

Haley took hold of Nathan's wrists and placed them above his head as she forced him onto his back and hovered over him, her hands holding his in place. "Uh uh, you can look but you can't touch. Don't make me get those handcuffs." Straddling his waist, she released his hands and placed hers on his shoulders as she leaned down to kiss him fiercely.

Interrupting the kiss, Nathan sat up, placing his hand against Haley's back as he held her in place against his body. He looked deep into her eyes. As much as he got a thrill out of his wife's frisky antics and was very tempted to take her up her offer to use the handcuffs they'd teased each other about so many times, he decided that would have to wait as he was in the mood for something a little more sentimental to cap off their day. "No more games, Hales. Let's do this together. You and me." He then shifted them so that he was on top as they lay on the opposite end of the bed, their heads where their feet had been minutes ago.

And with that, Haley knew what he meant. While the day's wild antics had been fun, this time it was going to be slow and meaningful, more about their love and connection.

Haley's shirt was quickly discarded as they resumed their embrace. Nathan ran his fingers delicately along Haley's side, starting mid-thigh moving his way up to her collarbone and neck as he placed tender kisses along her jaw line, working his way towards her lips. Haley's eyes closed as she allowed Nathan's tantalizing touch to consume her senses. Every part of her body instantly felt tingly and warm. When his lips met hers, her mouth parted as their kisses turned from sweet to sensual. Nathan groaned as Haley's nails lightly ran across his scalp and down his neck, thankful his hair was still short giving her easier access. Their lips parted briefly as Nathan entered her slowly, wanting to prolong the sensation for as long as possible. They both gasped slightly the deeper he moved inside of her as their senses went into overdrive. As they continued to move together, they shared brief glances, sweet touches and soft sounds. Their connection on all levels was undeniable and while the passion was evident, it was the love that was palpable.

Their emotions and sensations heightened, they shared a passionate kiss, a conveyance of a love so deep that it could only be expressed in a moment of intense physical contact. Lingering momentarily after pulling apart, they attempted to slow the rapid beating of their hearts. Nathan leaned up, resting on his forearms and looked down at Haley. His eyes darted slightly until she opened hers and immediately his eyes focused as if drawn to some magnetic force.

Haley could feel Nathan's penetrating gaze and she instinctively ran her fingers gently along his upper back. She knew this look well and that it meant he was deep in thought. Her tender movements were her way of providing the calm and focus he needed to say what was on his mind.

At the feel of Haley's touch, Nathan was able to formulate the words best able to express his thoughts. He spoke softly and clearly as he traced small circles with his thumb along the side of her face. "Thank you for loving me, Haley. Thank you for everything you are and everything you've given me."

Haley had to search for the breath she hadn't even realized she was holding as his words repeated in her head. She was thankful she was lying down as she was fairly certain her knees would have buckled had she been standing. How this man could touch something so deep inside of her was something she would never understand. All she knew is they had a love rarely found, a love that wasn't normal. It couldn't be defined or described or labeled, it just was. She looked deep into Nathan's eyes and searched for that place she knew only she was capable of finding as she ran her thumb softly along his cheek. "You don't need to thank me, Nathan. I love you. I wouldn't be me without you." She grazed her thumb lightly over his bottom lip as she drew up the corner of her own lip displaying an innocent smirk much like the one her husband was famous for.

Nathan's heart soared as he listened to Haley. Her unconditional love always astounded him. Even though a part of him would always believe that he didn't deserve her, hell if he was ever gonna let her go.

Haley continued talking as Nathan's words had triggered so many thoughts, so many things she could thank him for. "I feel your love every day ... when you look at me, when you smile, when I see our children. I have everything I've ever dreamed of and that's because of you. You make me so happy …" Haley was silenced as Nathan's lips crashed upon hers.

As they pulled apart, Nathan leaned his forehead against hers and chuckled lightly. "You were rambling." There were a lot of things about his wife that he couldn't resist but there were a few things that stole his heart. Her rambling was one of them.

"Sorry," Haley apologized, slightly abashed.

Nathan very sweetly ran the backs of his fingers along her cheek. "No … I love it. It's all you." He placed a light kiss on her lips.

Haley ran her hand over the side of Nathan's head near his ear as she stared up at him. "You still make my heart race."

Nathan flashed his trademark smirk as his eyes lit up. "Mine too."

With their hearts a flutter, they shared a series of impassioned kisses. As they continued their lovemaking, Nathan took one of Haley's hands and laced their fingers as he placed them near the edge of the bed. Their united hands a symbol of not only their devotion to each other but to them as a couple.

---

"Thank you for today, Nathan. It was perfect," Haley said as she cuddled into Nathan's side, his arm around her shoulder.

Nathan smiled and placed a kiss on her forehead as he laid his head against hers, closing his eyes. "We're perfect."

His last words were short but heartfelt and he was thankful he was able to say them while lying in their bed holding his wife. "Sweet dreams, angel."

Haley sighed and placed her hand on Nathan's chest directly over his heart as he placed his hand on top of hers. It was an unconscious act on both of their parts that held so much meaning – affection, comfort, trust, contentment, intimacy but most of all … love.

---

AN: I have to give a HUGE shout out to Kat. She has been my cheerleader throughout this process (and on many other occasions). She provided endless encouragement and graciously obliged all of my requests to read and provide feedback on each section as it was written. Her stories have been a huge inspiration and this chapter would not exist had she not asked. She's a great writer and a great person.

I have to thank Marit as well for her support. She was another of the first writers that I read when I started reading Naley fan fiction. I was instantly hooked and can't wait to see what she comes up with next!

I am honored to have been asked to post along with two writers that I respect and admire. Thank you to both of you!

As cheesy as it sounds, this story was a labor of love for me. I was surprised how easily things flowed once I started writing because, like I said, I am not a writer. The more I wrote though, the more ideas kept coming. I know some of my ideas were pretty out of the box but I hope they worked. There are also a lot of references to the show as there was so much good material to pull from. I'm fairly meticulous and have a perfectionist streak so I spent a lot of time editing, changing, etc. That said, I'm sure there are still mistakes here and there. Please forgive those.

Anyway, I would love to hear any thoughts, comments, questions. Feel free to PM me or find me on Twitter (txsgrl79).

Thank you for reading! And remember to pay attention to Kat0507's account for the next update!

-D-