Haley gripped the microphone before her, the melody of her latest single flooding the small stereo space. The raw acoustic and the gentle piano symphony seemed to possess Haley's body and she let the words flow out of her mouth harmonically. After weeks of procrastination, Haley had finally made her way back into the studio … to record her own stuff. She had given her employees the day off and had decided to try and see what she could muster up on her own; she worked better that way. And, Haley's actions seemed to be paying off.

She was now six hours older and two songs closer to her finished comeback album.

Haley's latest song was unlike any other she had written; her songs usually revolved around being in love and falling out of it, overcoming obstacles or stumbling over them. However, this time, Haley had sought out inspiration in one of the most surprising places …

Julian.

She had only met the stranger that one time but his mysteriousness and his friendly manner was enough to intrigue Haley. Julian gave of this troubled yet heroic vibe that had allowed Haley to just write and write and write … Her newest song was about needing a hero and becoming it yourself. Haley had written about being on the outside looking in, she had written about experiencing difficulties and pushing them aside to become a better you. It was a song about empowerment and struggle and willpower and as of now, it was Haley's favourite of the album.

With a finishing note that reflected her vocal range, Haley threw her lengthy locks backwards as if she were actually on stage, giving her non-existent audience a silent bow of thanks. It was such a rush … performing but, Haley missed this … enjoying music for what it was – raw, pure emotion. She was in love with this feeling … this ability to let loose and be who she wanted to be within enclosed walls. There was nobody judging her or nobody to please. It was just Haley and her music. Alone. But, Haley recognised the time and she knew it was way past Jamie's bedtime so, with one last glance at the quaint recording studio, Haley made her way to Skills' apartment.

Skills was always the first person Haley called when Jamie needed to be taken care of. As selfish as it sounded, Haley couldn't bear to let anybody – other than her friends – get close to Jamie because she was scared she would hear those dreaded words again. "I wish Nanny Carrie was my mom." It had killed Haley's insides when her own son had expressed his hatred towards her and despite how strong she seemed, Haley knew she wouldn't be able to handle such a thing again. It helped knowing Skills was always happy to be of service.

"Momma, hey," As Haley walked through the door, she found Mouth and Jamie sitting side by side at the breakfast island. Both boys simultaneously sipped at their chocolate milk, their sips even lasting the same length of time. Haley laughed as their heads bobbed down to their cartons and their shoulders straightened as they gulped.

"Hey, sweetie," Haley kissed Jamie's head and hugged Mouth quickly. "You ready to head home?" This time, Jamie broke his and Mouth's symmetrical sipping routine by drinking his last final mouthfuls in one go. The straw slurped at the bottom of the empty carton and Jamie clumsily wiped at his lips with the back of his sleeve before jumping off his stool. Haley thanked Mouth and Skills for looking after Jamie before taking him home.

"Did you get your music done today?" Jamie asked once he was finished rambling about yet another boring day at school! Haley shook her head; Jamie obviously hadn't inherited her love and interest for school.

"I did," Haley jumped out of the car to let Jamie out. She carefully undid his special car seat before letting him hurtle out of the car and towards the front door. Haley noticed how jittery he was and she silently cursed at Mouth for giving him chocolate milk before bedtime; it would take him hours to fall asleep now. "And, you'll get to hear all about it tomorrow … Right now, I want you upstairs in your pyjamas, brushing your teeth." Haley hit Jamie's backside playfully before sending him on his way up the stairs. Jamie's little feet skid against the wooden floorboards and she watched as he raced down the corridor with lightning speed; he was definitely Nathan Scott's son.

"Haley?" A voice called and Haley jumped in retaliation, her keys dropping from her hands in fright. "You scared me, where have you been?" Haley saw him standing in the doorway, her heart racing erratically within her chest. His raven black hair was damp, as if he had just had a shower, and the strikingly dark colour juxtaposed the sea blue in his eyes, accentuating them even more. A pair of pyjama bottoms sat low upon his hips and a white camisole covered his chest. The white material stretched over his protruding muscles, giving Haley an insight of the beautiful body underneath.

"Nathan?" Haley whispered as if to make sure he was actually there. After not communicating for about a week, Haley wasn't aware of Nathan's schedule therefore making it impossible for her anticipate when he was going to be home next. "Nathan!" His presence was so alluring to her and Haley couldn't resist the run-up she did before letting herself pounce into his arms, her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms around his neck. Nathan's musky, all most sweaty natural scent enveloped Haley's senses and she buried her face into his neck; her nose pressing against his pulse point. The two stood, wrapped in one another for what felt like a well-deserved eternity.

"Hales, it's late … is everything okay? I got so worried," Nathan's hands rested against Haley's upper thighs, holding her right up to him. Neither of them wanted to let go so, Nathan carried his wife to the kitchen, resting her upon the counter top, his arms still tight around her petite frame. Haley adjusted her backside against the hard marble, her thighs subconsciously squeezing Nathan's waist tighter. "When you and Jamie weren't here … I … I-"

"Yeah, I was in the studio and lost track of time, that's all." Haley glanced at the clock and realised just how late it was. She had left the studio at half nine but getting to Skills' and back had taken just under an hour. "I didn't realise it hadn't gotten so late."

"God, you could have at least picked up your phone … I've been losing my mind here." Nathan finally took Haley's mouth captive. It came as a surprise to Haley and she flinched backwards before letting Nathan take her into a world of simplistic bliss. His chapped lips enveloped hers and she sighed at the addictive feeling. She had missed this, missed him. Haley let herself grow limp against Nathan, their tongues tangling in a gentle yet tantalising dance. It was exhilarating to know that, even after all of these years, Haley still felt butterflies swarm in her stomach whenever Nathan kissed her. He made her feel like a teenager again.

As the kiss progressed into something slightly more heated, Haley could find herself running out of breathe. A sort of compression feeling began to build impatiently upon her chest and she pushed Nathan away to rest her forehead against his; inhaling deeply. The two gasped for air, their chests heaving up and down as oxygen filled them. "Just call next time; I want to know you're okay."

"I was at the studio working, Nate, and Jamie was with Skills." Haley suddenly pulled away from Nathan.

"I know that but, I was worried … I just wanted to know where you were and-"

"You're worrying now?" Haley scoffed.

"I'm your husband, of course I worry-"

"Nathan, you leave Jamie and me here alone for the majority of the year, we can't call you every time we walk out the door." Haley wasn't sure where this angry, mean streak was coming from but … it was most definitely present. The more cynical side to Haley was bewildered that Nathan would even question her whereabouts when he hadn't even bothered to call her for the past seven days. Haley felt the silent yet overbearing presence of a double standard and she didn't like it in the slightest. "You don't call, don't write, don't say goodbye. Do you have any idea what that's like?"

"Of course I do, baby," Nathan knew he was giving Haley the shorter end of the stick but, this was everything he had hoped for. All Nathan wanted to do was play basketball and be able to provide for his family; he was doing that. Dante's existence had been enough to shake Nathan into becoming the man he knew he needed to become. Seeing Haley thrown across the pavement was an image that was permanently imprinted in Nathan's brain and he didn't want to see that again, ever. Nathan didn't want to have to borrow money of some sleazy gambler in order to feed his family … it was what made the NBA even more appealing. Nathan was rich and playing the game he loved. "It kills me not to be around you and Jamie."

"Really?" Haley jumped off the counter and stormed towards a drawer. She aggressively yanked it open and emptied the contents on top of the table, the items flying in all different directions. Nathan's eyebrows frowned together as he watched Haley move about frantically. "This is enough evidence to suggest otherwise." Using her index finger, Haley ushered towards the front page of a magazine cover. She had secretly spent the past week collecting every magazine or every newspaper that had NBA's newest bachelor, Nathan Scott on the cover. The gossip magazine she was currently holding was one that described Nathan's run in with some model at Clay's condo. It also happened to be the night of Jamie's basketball game.

"You know none of this is true," Nathan grabbed the cover from Haley's grip, tearing it instantly. He began scooping up everything on the counter in his arms, throwing them back into the drawer so he wouldn't have to face the absurd stories that were circulating. "It's all publicity … my PR is just trying to create speculation within the media, that's it. None of it means anything."

"It may mean nothing to you or to them but," Haley snatched a magazine back. The scene could all most pass as comical to some; Nathan and Haley looked like children arguing over the newest toy in the box. "Can you try and rationally explain this to a six year old?" Haley couldn't bring herself to look at this particular cover, she had spent hours staring at it earlier and it seemed to torture her soul every time she looked at it. "Do you know how confused Jamie is when he sees all this stuff? His friends are constantly talking about it at school and … he has no idea what to say because he doesn't understand! He doesn't understand where you are or why you're not here or why we are no longer Scott's-"

"You'll always be Scott's-"

"But we're not though, Nathan. I am Haley James again and Jamie's just James Lucas," Nathan felt like he had been sucker punched, hearing Haley and Jamie's full name was enough to make Nathan revaluate whether his dream was worth it. Through thick and thin Haley had refused to drop the Scott from her name … it was hard to hear that she had had to because of Nathan's all-American dream.

"I'm sorry … so sorry." Nathan pleaded, unsure of what to do in such a situation. Nathan was stuck in this crazy whirlwind with no sense of direction; on one side was his career and on the other was his family. He was conflicted and he hated that all of this was taking such a large toll on the people that he loved the most.

"You shouldn't be apologising to me, Nathan," Haley just shook her head dismissively, the inner strength within her urging her not to cry. "You should be apologising to Jamie. Did you know he won his first basketball game the other night?" Nathan's face lit up with a smile that could outshine any fireworks display. "Oh right, you wouldn't know because you weren't there … you promised you'd be there and, you weren't. All he wanted to do was make his dad proud and you couldn't even spare an hour to be there for him." Just as soon as Nathan's smile appeared, it disappeared.

"Momma!" The sound of Jamie's tiny feet slapping against hardwood echoed throughout the thick silence evident between Nathan and Haley. Haley turned her whole body away from Nathan's to glance at the doorway which was now accommodating to Jamie's small yet growing frame. He was – as instructed – in his pyjamas. It had only been a week but Nathan noticed how much Jamie had grown. He was now at that awkward age of growth and Nathan was missing it all.

"Hey, buddy," Nathan let his eyes linger upon Haley before settling upon his son. "I missed you," Unlike Haley, Jamie hadn't given Nathan a run-up hug, in fact, Jamie stood with his feet glued to the floor; his eyes also. "Want me to tuck you in?"

"No," Jamie shook his head, his lengthy blonde hair swaying with him. "I want mom to do it." His baby blue eyes were glazed over as if Nathan was invisible and Nathan felt his heart start to crack – slowly but surely.

Nathan always tucked Jamie in …

"Time changes things," Haley whispered as she walked Nathan, her voice sending cold chills through his spine. "It changes people."