Haley looked at the room surrounding her. Everything was beautiful. Everyone that she loved and cherished was present. Everything was just as she had imagined. It was perfect. She felt a large, warm hand take her much smaller one and lead her to the center of the room. She assumed her position with a soft smile.

As Haley and her partner began to rotate in circles, in time with the music, she wondered aloud "Did you always think we were going to end up here?"

Her new husband smiled easily, "From the first moment I saw you, I knew you were going to be Mrs. Nathan Scott"

"Even after all we've been through?"

"Especially after all we've been through, Hales. That's what makes me sure we can survive anything, together."

Haley sighed contentedly and snuggled into Nathan's chest. The road to their marriage hadn't been an easy one. Their beginning had been idyllic. Their first date was picturesque and things only got better from there. That is, they got better until they got much, much worse.

After Nathan and Haley had graduated from Duke, they were separated by thousands of miles. Haley got an opportunity to be a teacher at a very prestigious music school in New York. Nathan was drafted to the Los Angeles Lakers and was tapped to be one of the most prominent rookies of that season. They mutually agreed that neither could pass up the enormous opportunity each had been offered. They also agreed that while they only had been together since February, their love was something that could not be denied. Nathan and Haley agreed on being coast to coast lovers, as difficult as it might be. The beginning of their separation was riddled with phone calls, letters, texts, and Skype dates. Nathan and Haley even tried to see one another at least one weekend a month. But as time progressed, life got in the way. Calls, letters, and texts decreased. Nathan got caught up in the life of celebrity and Haley felt left behind.

"Nathan this neighborhood is really sketchy, I'm uncomfortable. Will you stay on the phone with me?" Haley rushed out as soon as she heard the other end of the phone pick up

"Hales, call a cab. I'm on my way to one of the Kardashian's houses for a barbeque. How unreal is that? Oh, I'm just pulling up, I'll call you later."

Haley started to open her mouth in protest when she heard the line go dead. This was becoming an ever increasing pattern. Haley would call Nathan to talk and he would yammer on about how he was on his way to some celebrity event or another. No how are you? No I love you. No nothing. Usually, Haley found one reason or another to brush off her feelings, but tonight Nathan had blatantly disregarded her feelings and her safety. She felt underappreciated, unwanted, and unloved. She knew the next move was hers. She could stand up for herself, or she could continue to let Nathan walk all over her.

Haley finally got to her apartment where she felt safe and decided to make her move. She took a deep breath before dialing Nathan's number for a second time that night. Haley rolled her eyes when it went straight to voicemail; it only fueled her fire.

'Nathan. I'm so damn sick of you putting your celebrity and fame before our relationship. I called you tonight because I was scared. I was walking alone in a terrible neighborhood and I was uncomfortable. You have always been there to protect me and I thought tonight would be no different. I was wrong. If you care, I'm safe in my apartment. I'm safe and I'm calling to tell you that I'm done. I love you and I want to be with you but I cannot keep living like this, Nathan. This version of you does not work for me. I'm sorry. It's over.'

Haley hung up the phone and took a deep breath. She was free. Her year long relationship was over. She didn't have to deal with Nathan's attitude or neglect anymore. Haley should have been relieved, and yet, all she felt was the ever growing hole in her heart where Nathan used to be.

…

3,000 miles away, Nathan checked his voicemail at one of many NBA parties. Her heard the pain and despair in her voice. He felt his throat tighten at her emotion. She was right. He had neglected her. He hadn't shown her that he loved her in a very, very long time. He felt like shit. He had lost her and he didn't know what to do.

…

A year later, Haley was in a place she never thought she would be. After her breakup with Nathan, she decided that she was tired of living a complacent life. She hadn't taken chances or risks with her life. Haley, along with the help of Peyton and Brooke, took the biggest risk of her life: she started a music career. The world loved her. She wrote songs of love, pain, and heartbreak. She held nothing back. She spoke scathingly in her songs of the one that broke her heart. People everywhere responded by buying her albums, tattooing her lyrics on themselves, and selling out concert halls just to see her sing.

That's where Haley stood tonight. Backstage of one her sold out tour stops. She heard the music begin and that's when her heart started to pound. She was excited, nervous, and exhilarated. She felt someone hand her a mic and Brooke slap her on the ass.

"Go get 'em Chiquita!"

Haley smiled and rushed out on stage. She sang along with the music as thousands cheered her on. This was her dream. Only, something was missing. Nathan had tried to contact her since the break up, but as soon as her music career started, he stopped. Haley guessed that he had given up after she refused to speak to him so many times. She brushed the thought of him from her mind, she didn't need him. She had 42,000 people who loved her tonight. She didn't need Nathan Scott.

…

Two hours later, Haley finally had a moment to sit down. It had been a great show, the crowd loved her, but her feet were aching. Just as she sank down into her comfy chair, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in!" Haley shouted as she slipped off her heels.

"Flowers for someone I really admire," returned the deep voice.

Haley's entire body went rigid with recognition. As he came further into the room and removed the flowers from blocking his face, Haley set eyes on Nathan Scott for the first time in a year.

"Things have changed, haven't they?" Nathan noted with a hint of sadness

"What are you doing here?" Haley asked still shocked

"I wanted to see you."

"You wanted to see me?" Haley repeated bitterly "A year goes by and now you want to see me?"

"NO!" Nathan yelled "I tried to see you for months and you shut me down at every turn. I know I screwed up Hales, but you didn't give me a chance to explain!"

"Oh you mean explain how you let fame get to your head and how you neglected our relationship and how you disregarded my safety and feelings for a party at the house of a fucking Kardashian?"

Nathan winced at her tone, "I've made a lot of mistakes."

"You don't have to tell me twice."

"Can't you see that I want to fix it?" Nathan asked "After you shut me down so many times, I thought I had no choice but to give you some space. All this time without talking to you, even if it had just been you yelling has killed me, Hales. I love you. I've loved you from the moment I saw you in the dining hall two years ago. You and I are meant for each other."

As much as she didn't want to be the pathetic girl that ran back to him after one silly apology, Haley could feel her resolve slipping. "If we were meant to be, why did everything crumble so quickly?"

"Because I'm an idiot." Nathan returned simply "but I've been making changes to fix it. If you'd let me, I'd like to tell you about them."

"It's a free country."

Nathan chuckled at her stubbornness and took a seat opposite her. "Well, for starters, I'm no longer a Laker."

Haley's eyes went wide, "Nathan that was your dream!"

"I thought it was my dream, Haley, but it's not. After I lost you, I realized what being in the NBA had made me become. I was a man that let things like fame and celebrity rule over my relationships. I had promised myself I would never become that person and when I realized that it had already happened and all that it had cost me, the NBA wasn't worth it to me. I took a job as a sports agent in New York and I really, really love it. I get the chance to find talent and counsel them on how to avoid the mistakes I made."

Haley allowed a smile to creep up on to her face at his admission, "I'm glad you found happiness, Nate."

Nathan shook his head, "I'm content with my professional life, Hales. I haven't even touched happiness, but I think I could."

Haley blushed at his pointed look. "Nathan…"

"Look, Hales," Nathan cut her off, "I'm not saying we jump right back into things. I'm saying that I love you, that you're the only one for me and, if you'd give me the chance, I'd like to spend forever proving to you that I've changed and that I'll never hurt you again."

Haley blinked her eyes rapidly to try and ward off the tears threatening to spill over, "I guess I can't stop you when you're this determined."

Nathan grinned and placed his hand over hers, it was a start.

…

"That day you came back for me, I'd never seen someone with such faith or belief. I would have never admitted it to you then, but in that moment, I knew we would find our way back. I'm so glad we're here, Nate. I can't imagine life without you."

Nathan smiled down at her, "Love doesn't come in a minute. Sometimes it doesn't come at all. I only know that when I'm in it, love isn't silly at all."

A/N: Surprised? I figured it was time to give this story an end. Honestly, this chapter is NOTHING like I had planned, but I sat down to write this and it all came pouring out. I hope you like it and enjoyed the story. This chapter's title came from an Ingrid Michaelson song of the same name. Enjoy ! xo