Wow! I just want to thank everyone who reviewed the first chapter, feedback was phenomenal. In case this is the first story of mine you're reading, I'll just say that I usually post updates on my profile to let you guys know how writing the next chapter is coming along. Feel free to check that out! I have a tenative plan to update this story every Friday, but who really knows how long that will last. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!


Chapter 1

July 14, 2012

The sound of clashing and banging filled her ear drums and the groggy woman groaned in protest. In her sleepy state, she had no clue what was happening, but whatever it was needed to stop right now. The obnoxious bouncing on her bed clued her in to what was going on and Haley flipped herself over and opened her eyes wide. She felt before she saw a small body move onto her stomach and immediately wrapped her arms around it as tight as possible.

The young boy's giggle was music to her ears. It was hands down the best sound she had or will ever hear. Looking to either side of her, Haley noticed that her two best friends were perched on her bed on their hands and knees. They had amused smiles on their faces and pots and pans in their hands, equipped with wooden spoons as well. She really wasn't surprised to see her friends this way, sometimes they were more childish than the actual child they lived with. No doubt the two of them were the masterminds behind the plan to wake her up. Her little boy would never think to do such a thing to her on his own.

"So to what do I owe this lovely awakening?" she kinked her brow and looked individually at each of the three people around her.

Brooke shrugged innocently and flashed a perky smile. "We were hungry."

"Yeah, Mama! We're hungry!"

"You are?" she gasped dramatically. "Why couldn't Aunt Brooke or Uncle Julian make something to eat?" she asked, looking at them with amusement. She knew why her two friends didn't bother cooking, she just liked to hear them admit it from time to time.

"Come on, Hales, we all know you're the best cook out of the three of us. Brooke can barely make toast without messing it up and I'm not much better," Julian said and Haley batted her eye lashes, basking in the compliment of her cooking ability.

"Well since I kind of love you guys, I guess I could make you breakfast," she conceded and laughed when Jamie made a show of pumping his fist in the air, something she was sure Julian had recently taught him.

Haley set Jamie on the ground and climbed out of bed. He ran quickly through the fairly large house as the three adults followed slowly. They, plus Jamie considered themselves to be the four musketeers. When Brooke and Haley moved to California to attend Stanford, they met fellow freshman Julian Baker at their orientation day. The three had immediately clicked with each other and had been inseparable since that day. After living on campus for freshman year, it was a no brainer for the friends to get a house together for the remaining three years.

After they graduated from Stanford last year, they decided to continue on with their living situation and move into a larger house now that they weren't paying for school. Haley didn't know what she would have done without her two best friends during the last five years. They had been with her through everything, and had been beyond amazing with Jamie.

Haley found out she was pregnant about a month after moving to California. She had been throwing up frequently and noticed a few changes with her body. Brooke suggested she take a pregnancy test just to rule it out, unaware that her best friend had slept with Nathan their last night in Tree Hill. When the results came back positive, Haley had spent two days crying and trying to figure out what she was going to do. It was during that time that she also had to explain to Brooke and Julian about her one night stand with Nathan. Abortion had never even crossed her mind, but Haley had no idea how to tell her family and friends back home, and most importantly, Nathan. Despite being drunk when they slept together, Haley still remembered virtually everything about that night. She especially remembered Nathan's final words to her and those were the reason she decided it would be better for everyone involved if she didn't contact Nathan about her pregnancy.

He obviously regretted having sex with her and he was in no way prepared to have a child. Of course, neither was Haley and she was going to have to make many sacrifices in the years to come, but she didn't want to be the reason Nathan's life got turned upside down. Haley knew it was wrong of her to keep a secret this big from Nathan, but she thought it would be for the best. Nathan was going to Duke on a full athletic scholarship. No doubt he would be drafted into the NBA and become a star. Fame and an illegitimate child was not something you should ever mix. Putting Nathan aside, Haley also knew she didn't want to subject her child to the separated parents deal, jumping from house to house every other weekend. It wasn't fair.

Brooke and Julian were opposed to Haley's decision at first, but after hearing her reasoning a few times they realized their friend didn't get a full academic scholarship to Stanford for no reason. She was right and they would back her every step of the way. Along with her decision to keep Nathan in the dark, Haley was forced to alienate everyone back in Tree Hill. She didn't want to chance any of them finding out about her pregnancy and then word getting back to Nathan. It was a difficult time for Haley, but she made it out in one piece and soon found that her son was the best thing that ever happened to her.

James Julian Scott was born June 8th 2008, only a week after Haley finished her freshman year finals. Choosing her son's last name had been an issue that plagued Haley's mind the entire nine months. She went back and forth between what she wanted. Finally, Haley opted to give her son the last name Scott when she thought about him growing up. She wanted him to have some sort of a connection to his father, even if Nathan wasn't actually present. Jamie's first name was a tribute to her own father and the rest of her family back in Tree Hill, friends included. They weren't all James' but in her mind they were all as good as family by blood and she named her son after them as a reminder that they would always be with her and her little boy no matter what. The middle name had been the easiest thing for Haley to pick out. As soon as she found out she was having a boy, Haley knew she was going to put Julian's name in there somehow. Julian had quickly become her best friend in California, next to Brooke of course. The man had stood by her every step of the way through her pregnancy and did everything he could to help her. It was a no brainer to name her son after him and also name him godfather, she wouldn't dream of having anyone else. Naturally, Brooke was Jamie's godmother. The woman had been her best friend since they were little girls, before she even got pregnant she knew that Brooke would be the godmother of her first born child and she would be known as Aunt Brooke.

"Hello, earth to Hales?" Brooke spoke, waving her hand in front of Haley's face to garner a response. She had been telling her two friends a story as they walked to the kitchen and Haley gave no indication that she was even listening when Brooke asked her a question.

Haley shook her head in attempt to get out of her wandering mind. "What?"

"I was telling you how much of a moron Teresa was at work the other day and asked if you agreed," Brooke rolled her eyes. It was so like Haley to just space out in the middle of a conversation. It was the price she had to pay being best friends with a day dreamer. Brooke secretly liked it about Haley though, it was why she had dreams and goals and she could appreciate that in anyone.

"Oh, right. Well, are you really surprised? After a year of working at the boutique I would think you've gotten used to how dense she always is."

"I can't believe it!" Julian gasped. "Is Haley James actually talking badly about someone?"

"You know it's true, you loser!" she laughed and punched Julian in the arm lightly. She didn't know why she held back when she hit him though, the guy was 6 feet tall and virtually all muscle. She would never be able to hurt him if she hit him using all her strength. "Besides, it's not like I'm a saint. Even I have moments where I'm not the nicest person."

"You're always nice, Mama," Jamie commented from his seat at the kitchen table, catching the tail end of the adult's conversation as they entered the room.

They all laughed softly at the little boy's innocence. He had clearly not seen Haley James get defensive over the people she cared about. "That's because you're my baby boy and I love you!" she said animatedly and kissed the top of his head as she walked by.

He wrapped his tiny arms around her neck for a moment, pulling her close to him. "I love you, too, Mommy."

"Hey! What about us?" Brooke broke in, gesturing between her and Julian.

Jamie giggled; he loved when all three of them gave him attention. "I love you guys, too," he smiled wide and beckoned them over with his hands. When Brooke and Julian walked over to them he gave them each a tight hug.

"What, no kiss?" Brooke teased. In his four years of life, Jamie had never kissed her. The only person he would ever kiss was Haley. She always bugged him about it and tried to get one out of him, but found no avail.

"No! I only kiss Mama!"

"That's good. Let's keep it that way for a long time. Okay, buddy?" Haley commented from the stove. She loved watching her little boy grow up, but sometimes she felt like it was happening way too fast. She just wanted him to slow down a little bit.

Jamie didn't respond as he seemed to become preoccupied with some cool napkin trick Julian was teaching him. She was so thankful for Julian's presence in Jamie's life. He needed a male influence to look up to because sometimes there were things she just couldn't do as a mother. Julian was the best thing she could ever ask for as a role model for her son.

When Haley finished cooking breakfast, she fixed a plate for Jamie and called Brooke and Julian to make their own. Meals together were something their little family did every day. Breakfast when their schedules aligned and dinner for sure. It was their time to spend with each other and just enjoy the company. They really did consider themselves a family, too. Although unconventional, they were with each other through thick and thin, and that's what family is, isn't it?

"So, I've been thinking," Brooke spoke up as she pushed the remainder of her omelette around her plate. Haley's motherly instinct kicked in and she fought the urge to reprimand her best friend for playing with her food.

"About what?"

Brooke bit her lip. She knew that chances were what she was about to say would not bode well with Haley, but she had to get it out before it just exploded out of her. "I want to move back to Tree Hill."

Haley dropped her fork and nearly began choking on her food. She forcefully swallowed and looked in shock at the brunette. "What?"

Julian sensed a possible fight coming on between the two women and decided it was probably a good idea to get Jamie out of there before it began. It was rare for Haley and Brooke to fight, but when it did happen it seriously upset the little boy. "Hey JJ, what do you say to going upstairs and playing action figures? I bet I can finally get Spiderman to beat Batman!"

Jamie scoffed at the man and looked in disbelief at him. "Spiderman will never beat Batman, Julian."

"Well, why don't we go and see?"

"Okay!" Jamie agreed quickly and hopped out of his seat. "Bye, Mama," he said and stood as tall as he could to kiss Haley's cheek lightly. She smiled back at him and offered the same to Julian, shooting him a thankful look as well. He was always looking out for Jamie like this.

As soon as the boys left the room, Haley turned her attention back to Brooke. "I thought we agreed five years ago that we were never going back there."

"Hales, I agreed to that because you're my best friend and that's what you needed at the time. It's been five years though, don't you think it's about time to go back home? Things are different now and I miss everyone. We haven't seen or spoke to anyone in Tree Hill since coming out here; well, excluding your parents I guess. It's been a year since we graduated and I'm not going anywhere here. I want to go back to Tree Hill and open my own store, start my own clothing line there. The only way I'm going to do that is with my best friends and god son at my side."

Haley shook her head back and forth. She picked up her and Jamie's plates and walked them over to the sink to begin washing them. "I can't Brooke. I won't go back there. California is where my life is now. End of discussion."

"No, Haley, it's not the end of the discussion! Why are you so adamant about not going home?" Brooke began to get angry with her friend. She was so stubborn sometimes that Brooke just wanted to shake her.

"It's not my home anymore, Brooke! When I left Tree Hill five years ago and found out I was pregnant, I had no intentions of ever going back and nothing has changed that. There's nothing there for me anymore, so why would I ever go back?"

"For Nathan," Brooke stated easily.

"I don't know what's going through your mind, but Nathan is the main reason why I won't go back there, Brooke."

"Oh please Haley," Brooke scoffed. "You can be so stubborn sometimes it drives me crazy! It's so obvious that you're in love with him, so why can't you just admit it, suck up your pride and go home and tell him!"

"Aunt Brooke, why are you yelling at my mommy?" a small voice interrupted the two women.

Both of them turned and looked at Jamie in surprise. Haley sighed and walked across the room towards him, picking him up with ease. "It's okay, Jimmy Jam. Aunt Brooke and I were just talking. She didn't mean to yell at mommy."

"What were you talking about?"

"Just grown up stuff, bud. Why don't you go upstairs and play with Uncle J again, huh?" she asked and set him back down. He nodded enthusiastically and took off up the stairs without another word.

Haley ran her hand down her face tiredly and faced Brooke again. "First of all, I'm not in love with Nathan. Second, this has nothing to do with pride. I'm trying to protect my son from all the turmoil that will no doubt occur if I go home."

"You think I don't know about the pictures of you and Nathan that you keep in the bottom drawer of your nightstand? I've seen them before, Hales. Why else would you keep pictures like that if you weren't in love him? You have been since junior year. I'm your best friend, I know these things."

Haley ignored the fact that Brooke had obviously been snooping through her drawers to know about the pictures she kept. That fight was for another day. "Would you just drop it, Brooke? Nathan Scott and I existed for one night. He said it was a mistake and nothing else will ever happen between us, okay?"

"Fine!" Brooke threw her hands up in defence. "Doesn't even a small part of you want to go home? It's where we grew up, Hales. It's where the rest of our family is. I love our little family here, but don't you want to see everyone else? Peyton, Luke, your parents, my parents, Quinn, the brother in law you've never met, Karen, and Dan? I miss them and I know you do too."

"It's not that simple, Brooke," Haley argued dejectedly. "Just because I miss people doesn't mean I can pack my entire life up and move across the country."

"Why? You've done it before," Brooke reasoned. She understood where Haley was coming from, but she also truly believed that moving back to Tree Hill would be best for all of them.

"That was for college! I have a child to think about now."

"You know as well as I do that Jamie would love to move to Tree Hill. He's always looking at our photo albums and trying to learn every single thing about everyone from our past. Don't you realize how thrilled he would be finally meet all of them?"

"I know that, but it would also cause all sorts of problems. No one knows that he even exists. What am I supposed to tell them?" Haley asked desperately and the question indicated to Brooke that Haley was beginning to cave to the idea.

"What else are you going to do, Haley? Never see your family again? Let's be honest, at some point you're going to have to face everyone in Tree Hill again, whether you like it or not. Why not do it now, while Jamie is still young and isn't as aware of everything that is happening."

Haley ran an overwhelmed hand through her wavy brunette locks. She was confused and torn and scared. She knew deep down that everything Brooke was saying was right. It was time for her to go back to Tree Hill. She needed to face her past head on and accept the consequences her actions were going to bring. She missed her family so much sometimes it physically pained her. Her parents, her sister, Peyton, and Lucas. She missed Nathan on a whole other level and it petrified her. How was he going to react to the news that he had a son? How would everything react for that matter? It was going to be messy. As she swallowed thickly and nodded, signalling to Brooke that she was agreeing to the move, she could only pray that Jamie didn't get hurt caught in the crossfire.

Brooke hugged her best friend tightly. "You're going to be just fine, Hales. I'll be right there with you, ready to fight whoever I need to."

Julian walked into the kitchen with the excuse of grabbing a water of bottle, actually trying to make sure his friends hadn't killed each other yet. When he saw them embracing he paused. "Whoa, didn't think this is what I'd see," he commented.

The girls pulled away and Brooke smiled happily at Julian. She had already discussed her desire to move home with him and he agreed. He also said he would move with them if Haley chose to move. "Pack your bags, J, we're moving to Tree Hill!"

He smiled and rejoined them in a hug. He kissed Haley's head comfortingly, knowing she was scared to death. So it looked like their little family was headed to Tree Hill, North Carolina. The small town on the Cape Fear River better prepare itself. Its citizens were in for some colossal drama when Haley James and Brooke Davis stormed back into town bringing two new men along with them.