Note: To say that I love the characters of Nathan and Haley Scott would be an understatement. I have never shipped or being enamored with a couple more, their love as stupid as it may seem inspires me to write. After saying all of that, I think its fair to warn you that this story won't be a happy go lucky story. There will be a lot of drama mixed in with the romance and love. I will only use the characters of Brooke, Peyton, Jake, and Lucas sparingly as I want the focus to remain mainly on Nathan and Haley.

Setting: Takes place 10 years in the future. Nathan/Haley are still married. Let's just say that after their senior year, they went off happily to college (Duke) only because for as much as I love Nathan I don't think he has the grades to make into Stanford. Haley went to school to follow her true passion, teaching and is currently a teacher at the high school. Nathan plays in the NBA for the Charlotte Bobcats and is balancing time between the job and his family who he loves deeply. Brooke is married to Lucas and Peyton to Jake. No more triangles because they bore me. Everybody got over their insecurities and all are connected. This story will occur when Haley gets some bad news and how it affects her family.

Prologue

The night had fallen but Haley was still awake. As she looked upon the darkness of her bedroom she focused on the last words the doctor had spoken to her at that appointment, a week ago today.

"Your lymph nodes feel swollen. Maybe it's nothing to worry about but I would like you to come back in tomorrow to check it out."

Haley closed her eyes as the words continuously ran through her mind. She turned over in bed to see her husband of ten years, with one arm thrown haphazardly across his eyes while the other arm constantly searched for her. She moved herself until she was lying on his chest and could feel his heart beat.

Ten Years.

She had been married to the love of her life for ten years. Ten years in which they had built a family, relationships, and security around them. Not many people outside their parents had believed that they could do it but they had and they had been successful. They had waited years to even think of children when one day she had suddenly felt nauseous and went to the doctor. Nine months and one caesarean later, she had been blessed with twins. One boy and one girl to light up both of their worlds Nathaniel and Nicole who were the center of their worlds at one year of age. That was actually what had started the whole process, she was going into the doctor for her checkup, and had thought everything was normal until she spoke the words swollen lymph nodes. The geek in her couldn't help but rush to the library and start looking up for information on the cause. The wife and mother in her resorted to fretting over what those words could mean for her family and the people that she loved.

Next Morning

"Nathan, you have to go you are going to be late."

A groan answered her directive. She stood over the bed and resisted the urge to yell at her husband as she watched him place a pillow over his head to avoid facing reality. He was going to be late if he didn't get moving.

"Now look, I don't care one way or the other if you stay home but I don't think we can pay for all this luxury on my humble teacher's salary."

That seemed to do the trick as the pillow disappeared from her husband's head and his piercing blues eyes met her with a smile.

She smiled back at him and said, "Let's go husband. You are going to be late."

Nathan sat up in bed and leaned against the headboard trying to regain his bearings. "Come here woman."

Haley looked at her husband in shock, "Did you just set the woman's movement back decades with that command? Look, I have two kids to get ready and it would really be helpful if I had a husband to go with the package."

Nathan groaned again and moved out of bed and pulled his wife into a hug and kissed her on the head. "Sorry about the sexist comment wife, sometimes I forget who I married."

Haley nodded pacified and started to turn out of the room when Nathan popped her on the butt and ran into the bathroom and locked the door behind him to avoid retaliation.

At the Kitchen Table

"Nathan, you are really like your father. What in the world is wrong with oatmeal….I used to eat oatmeal all the time on cold winter days. It will help you come on."

Haley spoke pleadingly to her son who met her with his father's infamous smirk and shake of his head "No want ommeal Mommy."

Nicole sat beside her brother in the twin booster seat that their Aunt Brooke and Uncle Lucas had brought them happily munching on her breakfast.

Nathan came running down the stairs at this moment and wrapped his arms around Haley's waist and squeezed her to him tightly.

"Hey kids, are you giving your mom a hard time?"

Dimpled grins met his question with a look of innocence. He laughed as he kissed his wife gently on the cheek.

Walking over to his son, he pulled him into a hug and said, "We are going to listen to our mother, now and forever. Eat your oatmeal son."

Haley smiled at him grateful for his help as they watched their youngest son shovel down his oatmeal.

His daughter reached for him "Papa…"

Nathan picked up his daughter and placed her in his arms as she cuddled up to him. Haley rolled her eyes and said, "You two have to be the most spoiled children ever."

Nathan nodded and said, "With good reason though because they are definitely the most cutest."

Haley started to clean up their breakfast mess while trying to gather the twins and get them ready. "Nathan, we need to be leaving for the airport soon. You can't miss your plane."

Nathan rolled his eyes as he checked his watch. She always had a habit of insisting they be on time to everything. No matter what the event. "Hales, we have 2 hours before my plane leaves. Why can't we just enjoy the time together?"

Haley smiled at Nathan; "There will be plenty of time for playing and enjoying this time with your family after you are ready for the airport… I have a compromise. You get ready for the airport, I'll get the kids ready and then we will all go to the park together before you have to leave for the airport, what do you say?"

Nathan put his daughter on the floor as she toddled over to her mother and raised her arms. He leaned over and granted his wife with a soft kiss, "I think Mrs. Scott that is the best idea I've heard since we woke up this morning."

At the Park

The park was gorgeous with the leaves rustling on the grounds and two toddlers who were the center of their parents' world rolling around in the park. Nathan had his arm loosely hanging around his wife's hips. He took this time to watch her as she kept a close eye on both of them making certain that she didn't lose them.

Nathan pulled Haley to him, "They are fine. They're young and won't be in any danger if they get a couple of scrapes and bruises."

Haley turned on him as her light brown hair whipped him in the face, "Nathan Daniel Scott, are you telling me that you want your daughter to have scrapes and bruises on her knees from rough housing with her brother."

Nathan shrugged. "It works for me. That way she won't be quite as attractive to young boys when they come her way in a couple of years."

Haley rolled her eyes at her husband and walked over to the park bench and sat down. She exhaled deeply thoughts of illness and disease running through her mind simultaneously with the idea of leaving her family.

Nathan had wondered what had been plaguing his wife's mind for the last couple of nights. He hadn't wanted to let on that he knew that she was tossing and turning at night with some thoughts plaguing her mind. She hadn't let him in and he didn't want to push. They didn't keep secrets from each other and he knew she would approach him when she considered the time correct.

Haley leaned back in her husband's arms as their children came running up to them.

"Dad, you have to play with us on the swings."

Nathan groaned at the idea of moving away from the warmth of his wife's arms but she was already pushing him away and reaching for her camera. Since the moment the twins were born, his wife had found another hobby that she fell in love with. Photography. At every moment of every day she was taking pictures of their children in different settings, environments, and with different people. She had created a website so that family and friends could always be in contact with the development of the twins. He stood up and walked over to the swings as his wife rushed up behind them, taking candid shots at every moment.

Nathan stopped playing and reached for the camera, "It's your turn Haley. Our guestbook has requested that we see more of the pictures with you in it. I'm always in the pictures with the children, where are you?"

Haley nodded and turned the camera over to her husband and ran over to the swings and took a couple of candid, family shots with the children. She checked her watch and cleared her throat,

"Nathan Scott, you were supposed to be keeping an eye on the time. We are going to be late to the airport if we don't get going."

Nathan swore under his breath as he checked his watch. He nodded and ran over to pick up the twins as Haley helped him load the children in the car so they could make it to the airport on time.

At the Airport

This was always the hardest part for him, saying goodbye to his world. His world that consisted of his wife and two children was about to be far away from him for one week. They always crowded around him and smothered him with hugs and kisses to the point that he wished he were going home with them instead of leaving them. The first time he had to go on a plane ride had been shortly after the twins' birth and he didn't know who cried harder Haley, the twins or him.

"Daddy, come back?"

Nathan bent down and picked up his son and crushed him to him. He kissed him gently on the forehead,

"Of course Daddy's coming back. It's just a short trip, I'll be back before you know it, Nathan."

Nathaniel wrapped his arms around his father's neck and squeezed him tightly. Nicole who had been resting happily in her mother's arms noticed the commotion and wanted to know the cause.

She reached for her father and Nathan was suddenly juggling both of his children in his arms as they smiled at their mother. Haley reached for her camera and took one more picture with him when Lucas came up from behind them.

"How's my favorite SIL?"

Nathan rolled his eyes, ever since Haley had started calling him BIL for brother in law, Lucas had responded in kind.

Haley punched him gently in the arm, "I'm your only SIL and don't you forget it. Come on, you know you wanted to say goodbye to your brother before his flight. I'll take the twins."

Haley started to reach for the kids when Nathan shook his head, "Leave them here for a little while. Why don't you sit down and take a rest, your looking a little pale to me."

Haley leaned over and kissed him gently on the lips, "I love you."

Nathan turned to his younger brother and said, "I'm worried about Haley. The last couple of days, she's been quiet and moody. She's not different she seems almost pensive, I've been waiting for her to let me in but she hasn't in. Keep an eye on her for me."

Lucas started to make a joke about worrying too much about Haley but he noticed the serious look in his eye and decided against it. "Of course I'll keep an eye on her and my niece and nephew. What are big brothers for?"

Nathan smiled in gratitude, "So how's Brooke? I know we haven't been by lately but with the twins..."

Lucas laughed softly, "It's been two weeks man. We know you are busy just because you guys were over once or twice a week doesn't affect us. You have kids now, I'm just shocked you waited this long to procreate man… Do you know how many times I was asked have Nathan and Haley have kids yet? They will have the cutest kids ever."

Nathan laughed as he shifted Nicole on his hip, "I need a favor man."

Lucas nodded and said, "I'm already looking out for Haley what else do you need?"

Haley leaned back in the airport terminal chair with her eyes closed. She knew that she needed to give Lucas time with his brother but she had also wanted to speak to him. The thoughts of the possible diagnosis continued to run through her head.

"What is bothering you Haley?"

Haley opens her eyes and stares at her husband who sitting next to her, and leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I'm going to miss you Nathan. I know it's only for a couple of days but I still will miss waking up every morning in your arms."

Nathan pulled her into him, "Hales, we've been separated before, of course that was before the birth of the twins, is that what has you so down?"

Haley held on to his arm inhaling her husband's scent, a scent that was all his own and shook her head. She felt the tears come to her eyes as she realized that the life that she had built with Nathan and the children was in jeopardy. She couldn't burden him with this news, not until she knew more facts.

Nathan sat quietly waiting for his wife to look him in the eye as he felt the tears drench his shirt. He gasped to himself in shock, she hadn't cried in along time. Nathan wrapped her in his arms and held on tight.

Haley pulled away from him and pulled his face to her and kissed him on the lips, "I love you Nathan. I'll count the hours until you're back home with me and your children again."

Nathan broke away from the kiss and rested their foreheads together, "Haley it's only for a week. You'll be fine, I already asked Karen to come over and help you when she can. You won't have to go through this alone."

Haley nodded and stood up wiping away furiously at the tears that had leaked from her eyelids. She wrapped her arms around his waist and held him to her.

Lucas appeared from behind them with the twins. Haley looked up and giggled at the sight they made. Lucas was holding on to both twins by the hands as they both sported ice-cream laughs. Haley shook her head and pulled away from her husband and bent down into her purse.

"This is why they invented wipes. Come on kids; let's give Daddy a group hug so we can go home."

Lucas stood back and watched his brother and SIL pull themselves into a hug with the toddlers in the group.

Nathan held on to Haley for dear life, he didn't know what was running through her head, but whatever it was, it wasn't good. She was closing herself off from him emotionally and she wouldn't let him past her armor.

Haley pulled back and grasped each of the twins' hands and said, "Come on you guys, we have to go."

Nathan picked up his carry-on from the floor and turned towards the terminal after giving his brother some last minute instructions. As he waved good-bye to his children and his wife, he had a feeling that life was never going to be the same again.

Thanks in advance, EP