"Nathan, are we there yet?" Haley asked, trying to pry her blindfold off. She wished her husband would tell them where they were going. But he knew how much she loved surprises so he wanted to keep this a surprise as well.

"Not yet, Hales" Nathan said, grinning as he stared at his wife. She looked so beautiful just like she always did. He took his hand off the steering wheel and clasped hers in his. She squeezed his hand and his heart swelled with love for her.

They had been married a year now. People always said that the first year of marriage was the hardest. But for Nathan and Haley, their year of marriage had been a breeze, filled with love for each other. They had known each other all their lives as their parents had been best friends and next door neighbors. Haley had practically been glued to Nathan's hip ever since she was born and getting married to each other was always in their plans ever since they were kids.

Nathan stopped the car and ran towards the other side of the car. He opened the door and Haley waved her arms around, feeling for him. He gently helped her out and she clutched to him, scared that she was going to fall. She slid slightly as she placed her booted feet onto the snowy ground below. He caught her and wrapped his arms around her before turning her around so she was facing the car instead of the 'surprise'.

He leaned his head so he could whisper in her ear.

"Do you remember when we were kids, you always used to say that you wanted to live in a house just like that dollhouse you had?" Nathan murmured into her ear as he held her tightly.

Haley nodded, confused. She could have added two and two together but her husband's warm arms around her seemed to render her incapable of any other thought.

"Well, surprise" he said, as he turned her around so that she was facing the other side. He gently uncovered her blindfold slowly.

Haley gasped. She was standing in front of a beautiful house, her dream house actually. The house was big with a huge backyard and front lawn. The color of the house was the same shade as her old dollhouse, dark orange below and a lighter orange for the above part of the house. Brow shutters covered the big windows and big oak trees were planted all over the lawn, creating a beautiful tropical effect which was a sharp contrast against the white snow that filled the streets and rooftops of the house.

"Naty" she started slowly as she walked toward the house still in awe of the incredible likeness of the house to her old dollhouse. She stopped in the driveway, staring up at the beautiful house.

He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Do you like it?" he asked, squeezing her tightly.

"I love it" she said, breathlessly. She turned around to face him, smiling lovingly at him. "But I still love you more" she teased as she threw her arms around him.

He laughed. "You better". He leaned down to kiss her then he pulled back and said seriously "I love you, Hales". He cupped her chin in his hand. "Always and forever".

They both turned around to face the house and he murmured in her ear "don't say I never gave you anything".

Years later

"Mummy! Mummy, wake up" little Amy shouted as she ran into the room as fast as her little fat legs could. She leaped up onto the bed and wrapped her arms around her mother's neck.

"Good morning, baby" Haley smiled as she sat up straight. She yawned and hugged her little four year old daughter. Then she got off the bed just as her seven year old daughter walked in the room.

"Morning, Mummy" Brooke smiled as she hugged her. "When's Dad coming home?" she asked, as she followed her mother into the bathroom. Amy started jumping on the bed vigorously screaming in joy.

"Today, honey" Haley said, reaching for her toothbrush. "It's only an overnight trip" she said, smiling.

"Why weren't we allowed to go?" Amy asked, breathlessly as she continued to jump on the bed.

"It's a business trip, Amy" Brooke said, rolling her eyes at her little sister.

"That's right, Brooke. Now, go get dressed or you'll be late for school. And Amy, get off the bed" Haley said as she rinsed her mouth with water.

Brooke grabbed her sister's hand and dragged her out of the room. Haley smiled at them before getting into the shower. The feel of the hot water on her skin was refreshing and the knots in her shoulders immediately began to relax. Taking care of two kids when their father was busy working proved to be harder than she thought it would. She always thought of her kids as a blessing from God but some days all she wanted to do was to lie back in a warm tub and read a book. The last time she had done that was years ago.

Reminding herself that she had to send the girls to school, she quickly shut the shower off and reached for her bathrobe. She made her way to her bedroom. She smiled as she looked around the room. She had decorated it herself and it was her pride. It was wallpapered green and yellow stripes from the bottom until the middle and above that it was painted yellow. White wicker chairs were placed near the window and huge windows let the sun stream through. The floorboards were wooden as were the lamps around the room.

Haley threw her closet open and grabbed the first pants and T-shirt she could get her hands on. She wore them quickly and picked up her scrunchie, tying her hair up. She barely glanced in the mirror but she noticed her make up case sitting on her dressing table, a layer of dust settled on it. She picked it up tenderly. Her heart sank when she realized how long it had been since she had dressed up to go somewhere.

Nathan never took her out for company dinners anymore. He always told her that only the 'guys' were going and although she was slightly disappointed, she accepted it. Nathan also barely took her out for dinner or a party; and she was used to not waiting up for him. Every other weekend, he stumbled into bed, drunk and all she did was keep her mouth shut because she loved him.

Her eye caught a picture of the two of them on their wedding day. They were both staring into each other's eyes lovingly and they looked like nothing on Earth could tear them apart. But sadly, Haley thought, the only thing that did succeed in tearing them apart was time. God, how she loved him but sometimes she wondered if her still did.

"Mum!" Brooke shouted from downstairs. Haley quickly snapped out of her reverie and rushed downstairs, her thoughts quickly forgotten yet her heart still broken.

"Girls, you forgot your lunch" Haley called after her children. They didn't hear her as they walked to the school's front doors, talking and laughing with their friends. Haley grabbed the lunch boxes and leaped out of the car, walking quickly after them.

"Brooke!" Haley yelled. Brooke whirled around and stared in surprise at her mother. She grinned as she noticed the two lunch boxes in her mother's hands.

"Sorry, Mom" Brooke said, sheepishly. It was a pretty daily occurrence for her to forget her lunch. She grabbed it from her mother and gave her a quick hug before chasing after her friends. Amy lingered a bit longer with her mother.

"What's wrong, honey?" Haley asked, kneeling down in front of her daughter, as she handed Amy her lunch box.

Amy shook her head and wrapped her little arms around her mother's neck. "I love you, Mummy". Then she too ran after her friends, squealing and laughing like the little girl she was.

Haley stood up slowly, touched slightly by her daughter's affection. She smiled at her kids, her heart tightening as she watched them in all their sweetness and vulnerability. Even her husband was lost to her, she was sure she would never lose her precious kids. She loved them nearly as much as she loved him.

"Oh, I nearly forgot to tell you" Peyton said, excited.

Haley cradled the phone and washed her hands in the sink. She grabbed some carrots from the vegetable compartment in her fridge and began peeling them.

"Yeah?" Haley asked through the mouth piece of the receiver.

"This guy at work asked me out last night" Peyton burst out. "He's a bit high class so I was thinking of wearing my red dress, what do you think?"

Haley pictured her best friend's red dress in her mind and contemplated her friend in it. "Nah, I think you should wear your green one".

"You sure?" Peyton said, sounding slightly putdown.

"Definitely" Haley said, confidently.

"Ok" Peyton said, cheerfully. "By the way, how are things with you and Nathan?"

"Same old, same old" Haley sighed as she envied Peyton's single life for a moment. No kids, no husband, no worries.

"That good?" Peyton teased.

Haley laughed weakly. "Actually, we're in a rut. But it doesn't matter. I got to go. Have fun tonight".

"Okay" Peyton hesitated. "I'm sorry about you and Nathan".

"It's okay" Haley lied and she said goodbye and hung up. Wiping away lost tears, she walked away from the phone. She had a good life; she had kids, money and friends. There were too many people in the world suffering from worse things; she didn't need to dwell in self-pity.

She walked to the laundry room, and grabbed the basket of dirty clothes on her way. She stuffed the clothes inside the washing machine and shut the door. As she placed the basket on the floor, she realized that there was an item of clothing still left in the basket. She picked it up and was immediately, her resolution to not feel sorry for herself disappeared.

It was a nightgown. A beautiful expensive silk nightgown from this store from the town she and Nathan had grown up in. She remembered the day he had bought it for her like it was yesterday. It was on their first date.

"Socks? You got me socks?" Nathan said, with a raised eyebrow.

"I was playing it safe" Haley defended, color rising to her cheeks. "What'd you get me?" she asked, excited.

Nathan grinned at her enthusiasm. He handed her the bag and she quickly pulled out the garment of clothing.

Her mouth fell open slightly as she ran a hand over the silk gown. She slowly raised her head to meet Nathan's eye, like she couldn't believe he bought it for her.

"Wow, Nathan" she said, shaking her head. "This is really beautiful".

Nathan held out his hand. "Not as beautiful as you" he replied, waggling his eyebrows to make her laugh. Haley laughed and reached out to hold on to his hand, promising herself that she would never let go.

Haley held the nightgown to her chest tenderly. Then she threw it into the washing machine, walked away and never looked back.

Haley threw open the oven door. She breathed in the smell of warm apple pie. Grabbing an oven mitt, she quickly pulled the pan out of the oven and placed it on the table. As she waited for the pie, her eye caught the blinking light on the answering machine that indicated that she had a massage. She walked towards the counter where the machine was placed and pressed Play.

"Hey honey" Nathan's voice filled the room. He sounded distracted and the sound of blaring horns in the background could be heard. His voice was earnest though, like he needed to verify something. "I-I meant what I said the other night in front of the girls. And I just wanted you to know that" he cursed in the phone. "I...I got to go, Hales. There's a call waiting on my phone" and with that, he clicked off.

Haley stared at the phone for a moment, confusion crossing her features. He meant what he said the other night? Haley frowned as she tried to recall. She shook her head as if telling herself that she couldn't remember at all. She hesitated before taking the phone and dialing Nathan's hand phone number. She walked out onto the veranda and waited impatiently for him to pick up.

The call went to his voicemail. Without hesitating she said into the phone. "Hey. Just got your message. I-I...uh" she chewed her lip nervously. She ran her hand through her long blond hair. "Call me back when you get this. Bye". No 'I love you', no 'take care'. Just 'bye'.

As Haley walked into the house again, she spotted a flock of ravens flying over her house. A wry smile graced her lips. How she longed to be a bird. To just raise your wings and fly away, get lost in the sky and try and reach the heavens. To be free and alive, with no ties to the land beneath you. Haley breathed in the sweet smell of autumn coming in to a close. She wrapped her arms around herself to keep her warm and turned her face to the sky, her eyes closed.

"Always and forever" she murmured softly, to herself. She half expected the heavens to open up and cry on her. She wished it would; she loved the rain. It was her and Nathan's special thing they shared. It had been raining when she fist realized that she was in love with Nathan. It had been raining when Nathan proposed to her. It had been raining when she said 'yes'. It seems like every special recorded moment in their lives, the heavens had rained down on their love. Like testing it to see how long it'd hold, how long true love would last and she never thought that fire they shared would go out. It seemed like the rain managed to wipe out the only thing that mattered.

The sound of the doorbell ringing brought her out off her reverie. She opened her eyes and blinked, then sped inside the house. "Coming!" she yelled, as she ran towards the front door. Nathan she thought. It's Nathan. She couldn't wait to tell him that she would do whatever it took to be those two love-struck teenagers again, the ones who stood in the rain and confessed their love to each other.

The smile that graced her lips disappeared when she swung the door open.

"Oh. Hi, officer" she said, unable to contain her surprise.

The officer gave her a blank look as he put out his hand. He was a solemn looking man, with a bald spot on the top of his head, and white hair growing at the sides. He had a kind look in his eyes but it had a twinge of sadness.

"Hi, are you Mrs. Scott?" he asked, looking down at the notepad he carried in his hand. Haley nodded mutely, wondering what this was about. "I'm Sheriff Reily" he took a deep breathe. "I'm really sorry to inform you, ma'am but.." he paused, for a moment.

Even without having him complete the sentence, she knew. She shook her head, desperately, as if by denying it, it wouldn't come true. "No" she muttered softly, her voice breaking. Oh God, no. Please no she prayed hopelessly.

The officer looked at her sadly then said those words that tore her apart. "Your husband was in a car accident yesterday. I'm sorry ma'am but he didn't survive".