AN: A little sketch of that last Naley scene in 5x13. What I think is going through their minds. I thought it was high time I did a Naley piece, considering it's probably the ship I've been shipping the longest. Which is weird, because it's never been my favorite show or anything. Still. Love them. Everything is so out of wack in that show when they're apart.

Disclaimer: If I had a say in this show, one of two things would have happened. Either Lucas and Peyton would've gotten together right after Jake left so that I never fell in love with Brucas in the first place, or once Brucas had gotten together, they would've never broken up. Because I like Leyton … but I love Brucas.

She sat at the piano. He lay on the coach with his basketball. And they were them again.

Her fingers breathed over the keys, gasped at the cool touch of painted wood, the familiar smoothness of them. It was ridiculous to say, but she had actually missed the piano. She missed her guitar. She hadn't just cut herself off from playing sets at TRIC or tours and demos. She cut herself off from music. She hated that she'd done that.

It's October again

Leaves are coming down

"One more year's come and gone, and nothing's changed at all," she murmured, pressing the chords down lightly.

She looked over at Nathan as if for approval. He flipped a basketball off the pads of his fingertips, then smiled at her as he caught it. She felt so stupid for doing that. Blushing, she turned back to the keyboard.

"Wasn't I supposed to be someone who can face the things that I've been running from."

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Flip. Catch. Flip. Catch. Flip. Catch.

The leather. The shape. The comfortable grooves of the lines on the ball. This was basketball. This was right.

Flip. Catch. Flip. Catch. Flip. Catch.

Crowds cheering. The blood-rushing sound of basketball going through the basket and barely grazing the net. Sneakers screeching like cars on the wood.

He had given up. Haley never had. She moved on, dream to dream, hope to hope. He had gotten stuck. Just like Dan. He couldn't ever go to that place again. He could go back to basketball, sure, but he had to remember something. He had to remember that his dream was his family now. Basketball would always have to come second.

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Hands spanning the keys. Lips parted slightly, waiting. But nothing was coming.

She thought for a moment that it might be because Chris wasn't there. He was an ass, but he pushed her to write the truth. She couldn't deny he knew music.

Maybe she still had his number. Maybe she should call him.

Maybe she should think of something else.

She had written dozens of songs before she ever met Chris Keller. She wrote a lot of them after she started tutoring Nathan. Maybe it had been too long. Or maybe it had to do with new love. The last song she had recorded they'd only been together for a year, and they'd been apart for a huge chunk of it. Or maybe people with children shouldn't write songs.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

He remembered the first game that Haley had cheered at. He would've never admitted it at the time, but all through that crappy game and their first big loss and his fight with Luke, there was a little something inside him that was just … happy. Stupid, right? Seventeen year old basketball star, married and whipped.



But it didn't matter with her. It was like, after all this time, she still had no idea of the effect she had on him. He was crazy about Haley James Scott. He had been since he first met her and nothing had changed. Six years later, and nothing had changed. God, he loved his girl.

He was going to do it. Fractured spine, out of practice, out of shape – what the hell? He had come back before. He'd do it again. He was Nathan Scott.

And if he didn't, he still had Haley. He still had Jamie. He was never going to forget that again.

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

Nathan. It was all about Nathan.

For the first time in weeks, she felt content. Warm. She loved the feeling of sitting on this piano bench with his sweatshirt on, being separate and together at the same time. The sweatshirt smelled like his soap. And he wasn't wearing a shirt. She knew she had been married so long that it should barely even register to her, but she couldn't help it. And the truth was, she had spent so much timing worrying about Jamie, about her job, even worrying about Nathan, that she hadn't had time to appreciate how truly in love she was with this man.

It was perfect. Rediscovering music and Nathan. For the first time in a long time, she was excited about something. She couldn't wait to make something great. She couldn't wait to be …

Haley again.

This time, when she started playing, her fingers dipping through the keys rapidly, it was the best sound Nathan had heard in years. She began improvising a few lyrics.

I've grown accustomed to first impressions

And finding out I was right all along

But you were always so sure

Of where I belonged

Honey, if I hesitate

I promise it's not because of you anymore

I'm just trying to pick a place

Where I stand on my own two feet …

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Nathan spun the basketball in the air, catching it so lightly it barely made a sound to mar Haley's song. Looking at her, he couldn't help it. She was singing again, wearing his old grey sweats, and looking hot as hell. It was perfect.

Separate but together. They could do this

AN: I hope you don't judge me too harshly. I finished this at three o' clock in the morning. I also hope you like the lyrics. They were also made up at three o'clock in the morning. Love? Hate? Review!