Chapter Six
The screen flashed brightly in front them, the image of their school pictures slowly coming into focus. Nathan groaned; the sight of his younger self slightly embarrassing. Haley squealed beside him as the image of her in pigtails and a plaid jumper flashed. The parade of school pictures continued, settling to their senior year pictures, each looking elegant and happy.
Pictures of the gang continued on, pictures from a variety of vacations and odd moments captured. Haley snuggled into Nathan's side, pleased to remember so many memories. One picture in particular came on screen and lingered, longer than the rest. It was from the night of the draft, Nathan and Haley standing proud, their arms wrapped around each other as Nathan stood tall in his new Phoenix Suns jersey. Haley's eyes glittered with tears, happy for the love she saw in that one picture, the love she saw everyday when she looked at Nathan. She turned her head to look at him, saw his eyes already on her, a soft smile across his lips. Leaning forward she kissed him briefly, the salt of her tears fresh on her lips. Nathan's hand moved up to dry the tears that still threatened to fall.
Brooke's voice had them breaking apart. "Happy Anniversary Nathan and Haley!" Brooke's image was on the screen, larger than life, smiling happily at them. "Luke, Peyton, Jake, and I," she looked off camera, "oh fine, and Tim, we all wanted to do something special for the two of you. You guys have been there for all of us countless times in the past and we figured it was about time we started making it up to you. So we brainstormed. I mean, really what do you get the couple that has everything? Literally. Anyone ever see Nathan's home arcade?" The crowd laughed behind them and Nathan bristled. "Point made.
"Anyway, we sat and we thought, and then we realized. The best thing we can give you is memories. So here it is, our fondest memories of our favorite couple, little known secrets about Tutor-wife, and husband, and just plain old-fashioned dirt. So sit back, relax and enjoy as we recount our favorite Scott memories."
The screen turned black and Haley sought out Brooke's presence to their side, giving her a stunning smile and mouthed, "Thank you."
Brooke smiled back and returned, "Don't thank me yet." She wiggled her eyebrows and Haley feared what would come next.
Lucas's image panned onto the screen, his face happy. "Hey guys, it's me Luke. Which you already knew." Lucas chuckled. "So I was elected to go first seeing how I'm officially your family. Yeah I know, I've been trying to get out of it too." He sent them a broad smile.
"So I was sitting around trying to think of the perfect memory I have of the two of you. Something embarrassing, something hilarious, something that will make Haley blush ridiculously. And I think I came up with it, finally.
"Now everyone knows that Nathan and Haley were married our junior year of high school, much to everyone's shock, and Tim's disappointment" Tim yelped indignantly. "Now, being that they were young, with not a lot of money, they never got a chance for a proper honeymoon until much later. Or so we all thought." Lucas gave a mischievous smirk, and Haley looked at Nathan startled. "But after I did a little digging, and found some highly disturbing photographs, I discovered our favorite couple did indeed find the time and money to have a honeymoon."
"Haley it's a tradition, we have to have a honeymoon." Nathan shouted into their bedroom, his voice carrying from the living room.
He could hear her sigh as she shuffled down the hall. "I know Nathan. And trust me, I want to go somewhere with you, but we just can't afford it right now." Haley slumped onto the couch beside him, resting her head on his shoulder.
Nathan shook his head, unwilling to accept defeat. "There's got to be somewhere we can go that won't cost too much."
"Well it would have to be free, considering we barely have enough for next month's rent." Haley looked sadly at the coffee table in front of them, her legs curled under her.
"Okay, let's think about it then. Where could we go?" Nathan sat, racking his brain for any idea.
Haley lifted her head up to look him in the eye, smiling at him so lost in thought. "Nathan, it's sweet of you to try, but really, we don't have any money, so anywhere we can afford isn't going to be very nice. I'd rather just stick around with you, in our apartment, and be happy. I love you, we don't need anywhere special if we have each other, right?"
Nathan smiled briefly, "Right." He kissed her soundly. "But we can't accept defeat. We are going to go somewhere, if it means camping in the woods with the bugs biting at us."
Haley's face lit up, "Nathan! That's perfect! We can go camping." She squealed happily, throwing herself into his arms.
"What?" Nathan struggled against a jumping Haley. "No, Hales, I was just saying, I didn't mean…" His voice trailed off as he saw her smile falter. "You're right, camping is perfect."
"Don't worry Nathan, I know you've never been, but really, it's a lot of fun. You'll love it!" Haley jumped up, running to grab their duffel bags from the hall closet. "I'll call my dad so we can get the tent from storage. I'm pretty sure they put all our camping gear in there when they were packing up the house." She skipped off down the hall, her step unmistakenly lighter.
"Crap."
"We're almost there!" Haley grinned happily from the passenger seat as Nathan drove through the thick North Carolina forest, the campsites littered around them. Nathan's hands flexed on the wheel and he willed himself to catch some of her enthusiasm. Somehow, when he had demanded they needed a proper honeymoon, the thought of sleeping on the ground while bugs whirled around had never entered his mind. But she had been so happy since she had thought of it, he hadn't had the heart to tell her it was the last thing he could possibly want to do.
"There it is Nathan, site 37." She smiled beautifully at him as he pulled their car over into the site, taking his time in parking. Throwing open her door, Haley stretched, breathing the clean air in deeply. "Nathan, isn't it beautiful here?"
Nathan smiled, unable to keep the smile off his face after seeing her glee. "Yeah it is." He circled around to the hatchback, pulling their luggage out, settling their camping stuff on the ground.
Haley skipped up to him, throwing her arms tightly around his waist. "Thank you for this Nathan. I know camping isn't really your thing, but it means a lot that you're willing to try it out for me." She kissed him deeply, running her hand down his chest.
"Hey, as long as you're here with me, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else." He kissed her back, running his tongue along hers, loving the feel of her underneath his hands, as his palms ran underneath her cotton sweatshirt.
She broke away from him, her hands resting on her hips. "Okay, we need to get our tent set up before it gets too late." She hustled over to the trunk, pulling out the remainder of their gear. "Let's go Nate; then we'll have the rest of the night to do whatever we want." She winked at him quickly, laughing as he moved faster to get their camp set up.
"See I told you it wouldn't be too hard." Haley stood beside Nathan, their now set up tent standing strong in front of them.
Nathan looked at her dubiously. "Hales, it took us an hour to get this thing up. It's like the biggest tent I've ever seen." He looked inside. "Did you invite more people and not tell me, because otherwise I think we have plenty of room for the two of us."
"No I didn't invite anyone else on our honeymoon. But you're forgetting that this is a James family tent. There were a lot of us. And this way, I'll have plenty of room to escape if you start thrashing around in your sleep again." She smiled at him.
"Oh really? I seem to remember someone else sticking against me like glue."
"I didn't hear you complaining." She moved to step inside the tent, unrolling the two sleeping bags they had combined to make a double.
"Oh I'm definitely not complaining." He moved in beside her. "In fact, I'm beginning to see the genius in my own plan. Cold night air, snuggling under the stars. I don't think I need a tutor anymore, I'm a genius."
Haley laughed, snuggling as he pulled her back against him, his hands sliding down her hips. "You know, I think the camp is set, is it time to start the honeymoon?" He whispered hotly into her ear.
"Oh I think so. Definitely." Haley turned, biting at the chords of his neck, running her hands down his back and pulling at his butt. She could feel him hard against her, his body responding to hers perfectly. His hands pulled at her sweatshirt, pulling it up and over her head. She helped, wanting to see him again, feel him against her without the bulk of the cotton.
Nathan kissed her hotly, pulling her up into him, her denim covered legs wrapping around his lean waist. He moved forward, laying them both down on the sleeping bag, wanting to feel her length beneath him. Haley's breath shuddered, her voice low and hot against his ear. "Nathan, god." She pulled at his t-shirt, pulling the cotton hastily over his head, her mouth instantly biting at the skin of his neck, before moving lower to place wet, open-mouthed kisses along his collarbone.
Their jeans were next, tearing them off in sudden haste, as Nathan's mouth moved lower and lower, circling her belly as the denim met cotton. Haley jerked against him, her body shuddering, "Please. Nathan."
Nathan felt her surrounding him; felt her very essence completely encompassing him and he lost himself in the feel of her, the smell of her; the pure intoxication of being with her and felt himself hurtle them both to oblivion.
"Yeah, I'm definitely a genius." Nathan lay contentedly beneath a sprawled out Haley, the evening dusk settling around their tent.
Haley chuckled, turning her head into his chest, her mouth biting teasingly at his chest. "I would say this was definitely one of your finer ideas."
"Just go ahead and say it. I'm the smartest person you know." Haley laughed loudly then and brought her face closer to his, kissing him wetly.
She settled in beside him, her head resting in the crook of his shoulder. "I don't know if I'd go that far, but you're definitely the smartest person I married."
"Oh look at my wife, a regular comedian. You should try out for Saturday Night Live." Nathan tickled her sides, making her squeal with delight.
Haley's laughs bubbled happily in the tent as the sun moved further behind the trees. Nathan could barely make out their car through the side of the tent. "I wish we didn't have to move, but I think we need to figure out dinner before we can't see at all." Nathan grabbed for his sweatshirt, pulling it on in one quick tug. He threw Haley hers, as well as her jeans, before standing to pull his on.
Haley sat up, looking at Nathan then, his hair in a few sharp points from their tumbles, his eyes heavy with satisfaction and laziness. He had never looked more handsome. She grinned wildly at him, pulling her own clothes on quickly. "I love you Nathan."
Nathan smiled down at her, "Well that's pretty convenient because I love you too." Reaching down a hand he pulled her up beside him, gave her one lingering kiss before pulling her out the tent door and into the crisp night air.
"So as you can see, our little Nathan and Haley had a wonderful first honeymoon with the bugs of North Carolina. Who knew our Nathan was a camper?" Lucas spoke cheekily from the video, which earned the real him a glare from Nathan. "Now remember, the next time Nathan and Haley try to tell you their honeymoon was two weeks in Tuscany after he was drafted, you'll know the truth. Oh and by the way, a little secret about the Tuscany trip." Luke leaned conspiratorially into the camera. "They barely left the hotel, but when they actually did, Haley made him go to several museums, and he enjoyed it. That's right, Nathan liked looking at art." Their family and friends were laughing behind them and Haley had a hard time keeping her laughter quiet. Nathan elbowed her playfully, his face in a petulant pout, which she kissed away.
The screen went black again and Nathan took the opportunity to threaten Lucas. "I know where you live Luke. Don't think I won't forget this." He grinned at Lucas who sat to his left.
"Trust me that was mild. Wait till the others get a chance." Lucas laughed as Jake's image now took up the screen.
Everyone turned their attention back to the video, as Jake spoke pleasantly from the screen. "Hey Haley, Nathan. Happy Anniversary! Wow, I can't believe it's been ten years. It doesn't feel like we're old enough, but then again I already have an eleven year old, so who am I kidding?
"Okay so when I first heard about this idea I had no clue what I was going to say. Now I wasn't around for a lot of the early memories, but I remember a moment from your years at Duke that I could never forget. It's a story not many people know, in fact most wouldn't find it very significant, but it's one of my favorite Nathan and Haley stories.
"So it was their first year at Duke, and basketball season was just around the corner…"
"Babe, I need to be training. That means going out for runs in the morning." Nathan sat hunched over the side of the bed, tying his running shoes tight. Haley lay behind him, a sad pout on her face.
"But does it have to be so early? You know I can't sleep when you're not in here with me." She ran a hand teasingly over his back, her fingernails scratching lightly at the nape of his neck.
Nathan turned, giving her a quick smile. "I know, but really, it's best if I just get it out of the way. I'll be back in no time, so you just relax and I'll be back in a half hour or so. I'm just doing five miles." He stood, stretching his calves, sending her a wink.
Haley wiggled against the pillows, upset she wasn't able to get him back in bed with her. She sat up quickly, the sheet falling around her, the cool morning air shooting goose bumps up and down her arms. "I know! I could go with you!" She gave him a huge smile.
Nathan's eyes widened suddenly, surprised by her outburst. "Uh, are you sure Hales? You know athletics aren't really your thing."
"Nathan Scott!" Haley stood in front of him, hands on her hips. "Are you really trying to say that I can't run? Everyone can run Nathan!"
"I know everyone can run, but I'm talking about for a long distance, not just short spurts. I just know you tend to not like sports very much Hales." He gave her an understanding look.
"So you don't want me to go?" She crossed her arms across her chest, her eyes narrow.
Nathan closed his eyes, choosing his words carefully. "Of course I want you to go. I'm just looking out for you."
"Well I'm going. So just give me a minute to change." She stalked past him, shutting the bathroom door with a loud click.
"Oh good lord." Nathan ran a hand over his face.
"Slow down Hales, it's not a race." Nathan called to her back, she had broken out into a full run from the very first step, seemingly in an attempt to prove him wrong.
"What? I thought you wanted me to keep up." She glared at him briefly.
"Yeah, keep up, not sprint off."
"Well make up your mind!" She slowed briefly, allowing his long strides to catch up. "You know I have to work twice as hard as you. Your legs are so much longer, I basically have to take two strides to every one of yours."
Nathan gave her a glare. "I can't help that I'm taller."
"I was just saying." She kept going, willing herself to keep even with him even as her body started to rebel.
She looked at his face, saw how relaxed he looked. He could keep running all day no sweat. But her, she felt like her chest was going to explode as the cold air bit in. She felt like an 80 year old asthmatic, not a young woman, and the fact that he seemed to be right about her abilities irked her to no end.
She couldn't give up. Wouldn't give up. She had to keep pushing forward no matter how much her legs felt like jell-o or her lungs wanted to quit.
Nathan felt bad. Felt bad for pushing her, all but baiting her into proving him wrong. He knew her pride well enough, knew how she would respond, and her she was, trying to keep pace with him, even though her face told him it was clearly a struggle. He slowed consciously in an attempt to ease her body even though he knew what he really needed was to push farther. He saw the relief flood her features, and the quick look she gave him showed him she understood.
He turned his face to her, the words on his lips, which were met with her own.
"I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry."
Haley looked surprised at his apology. "Why are you apologizing?"
"Because I was an ass earlier. I should have just let you come, I'm sorry I doubted your abilities."
"No, I'm the one who's sorry Nate, you're right. I should be letting you train, not here holding you back. And don't try and deny it, I know you slowed on purpose." She gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you."
Nathan slowed completely, stopping so they could face each other. "We're both sorry. That makes us even." He kissed her quickly. "Do you want to head back, I don't mind turning around and cutting this short."
Haley straightened. "No. I got myself into this, I'll keep going. I want to help you train. I'll be your coach. Just call me Whitey."
Nathan gave her a strange look. "Uh, no. But you can help me train. Maybe just jogging isn't your thing."
"Oh I think that's a given. So, how much longer?" She began to jog again, Nathan keeping up with her easily.
"About 3 miles." He glanced at her as she blanched. "Hey, how about this, you climb on my back for part of the way, and that'll give me even more endurance. We'll take breaks and you can run on your own." Nathan bent down in front of her, motioning her to get on his back.
Haley giggled. "Are you sure? I don't want to hurt you." She gripped his shoulders.
"Hales, please. You won't hurt me." She nodded, grabbing his shoulders tightly as she hopped on his back.
His legs buckled, her mouth letting out a quick scream before Nathan straightened with her on his back, laughing hysterically.
"Nathan! That wasn't funny." She hit at his shoulder.
"Sorry I just couldn't resist." He jogged again, slower this time. "Okay, so I think we should just turn around and head home, don't you?"
Haley giggled. "I thought you'd never ask." She pressed her cheek to his, turning to give him a quick kiss. "I love you Nathan."
"I love you too Hales."
"I don't know what it is about that moment but, I just have always loved the idea of them trying something together, whether it worked or not, and the constant support they have of one another. They are what we should all hope to be one day. I love you guys, your some of my best friends, and I think all of us in this room envy what you have together.
"Now, I have time for one more memory. I mean, you didn't really think all I'd talk about was the two of you jogging together, now did you? Of course not. My other favorite memory of the two of you actually involves the whole Scott-James clan, and there is no better memory than your graduation from Duke."
Haley and Nathan groaned collectively, knowing Jake could choose any number of moments from that weekend. Nathan slung his arm around Haley's shoulders, pulling her side into his, readying them both for what lay ahead.
"So, it was graduation weekend at Duke and all of us were going to see Nathan and Haley graduate. Peyton and I had just gotten back together, and all of us were excited to see our favorite couple…"
"Nathan! Everyone will be here any minute, would you get out of the bathroom?" Haley had been yelling at the closed bathroom door for what seemed like an eternity.
The door opened with a bang, Nathan resting on the door jamb. "Would you relax?" He huffed passed her and into the bedroom.
Haley straightened, her back rigid. "Relax? You want me to relax. Have you even met our family?" She stalked after him, throwing the dust rag she was holding at his back.
Nathan pulled his dress shirt on, quickly donning the buttons. "Of course I have. I just don't see why this is such a big deal. It's not like they haven't all been around each other before." He stood in front of her, his face quizzical.
She let out an exasperated sigh. "Well I'm sorry, but I happen to worry that this weekend could, and will, go absolutely wrong."
Nathan smiled at her patiently, moving to wrap his arms around her waist. "Honey, stop stressing out. Everything will be fine. And if it isn't, we'll just kick everyone out." He bent to kiss her solidly, wanting to give her reassurance.
"I know I've been crazy lately, but I just always worry about your parents and my parents, and then our friends, all interacting. I want everything to go perfectly." She snuggled into his broad chest, relaxing for the moment.
"Hey." His soft voice brought her eyes to his. "This is our weekend. We're the ones graduating. This is our big day." He kissed her again, his hands moving up and down her back, tracing lightly at the outline of her bra. His fingers moved to the clasp, fingering it through the material of her shirt, his mouth roaming over her jaw line.
"God, Nathan." Haley quivered under his hands, wanting to release her stress in a much better venue. She kissed him back hungrily, pushing him back roughly against the edge of the bed, her body pushing his down.
Nathan licked at her upper lip, his hands everywhere. "You feel so good Hales." His mouth moved to her ear, tugging at her earlobe, as the sound of their doorbell had them breaking apart, their breaths ragged.
"Damn."
"So Hales, what time do you guys have to be at the ceremony tomorrow?" Jimmy spoke up from the couch, only the parents left at their apartment.
"I think they said to show up an hour prior, so we'll get there around 10. You guys should too if you want good seats." Haley snuggled under Nathan's arm, happy to have her family around, even if that meant dealing with Dan and Deb.
Lydia stretched over, patting Nathan on the arm. "We are so proud of you two, all you've accomplished."
Dan snorted sarcastically. "Yeah they're a regular after school special."
Deb elbowed him sharply. "Dan." She smiled apologetically at Lydia. "I'm sorry for my ex-husband's lack of manners."
"Deb, don't apologize for me, Nathan and Haley know I'm just teasing them. Right?" He eyed them.
"Yeah Dan Scott's nothing if not a practical joker." Nathan quipped.
Haley grabbed Nathan's hands, flexing her fingers nervously. She opened her mouth to break the tension but her father beat her to the punch. "Well Dan, I think we're all aware how proud you are of the two of them." He sent Dan a warning glare before fixing a smile on the couple. "We'll get out of your hair, let you guys relax before the big day. We'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning." He stood, pulling Haley and then Nathan into hugs, Lydia following closely behind. He turned back to Dan and Deb, his eyes smiling at Deb. "You want a ride back to the hotel Deb?"
Deb smiled graciously, "Thank you, I'd appreciate it." She hugged Nathan tightly, whispering her apology in his ear before slinging an arm around Haley. "Just ignore him. He's an ass, but he really is proud of you two." She squeezed Haley's shoulders before following Lydia and Jimmy out the front door.
Nathan looked expectedly at Dan, awaiting his departure. Dan, for once, had the decency to look contrite. "I didn't mean that Nate. Old habits. Your mom is right, I am proud of you. Proud of how hard you've trained and played for the past four years. You're going to the NBA. You're better than I ever could be and you've proved it." Dan turned his eyes to Haley. "I've never given you the credit you've deserved Haley. You're one of the main reasons Nathan's been as successful as he is. I owe you a lot of credit."
Nathan and Haley stood facing Dan, their faces a mixture of shock and wariness. Dan chuckled. "Okay, I deserve that. But it's true, just think about it." Dan patted Nathan on the shoulder as he walked out the door, leaving Nathan and Haley to stand in the open doorway, bewildered.
Haley looked at Nathan, taking in his slight frown. "Well that was quite a graduation gift." She moved closer, wrapping her arms tightly around his hips, pulling him in close.
"Yeah. Happy Graduation to us."
"Very few people ever knew that it was that weekend that Dan and Nathan began a new phase in their relationship. Haley was bubbling about it for weeks, it was all she could talk about with Peyton and Brooke, and therefore we all heard it non-stop. It was the weekend that bonded them as father and son." Jake's smile grew across the screen. "And in turn, the Scott-James clan has never been tighter. If you look at their table, I bet the four of them are sitting together now." The other guests looked now at the table, laughing as Dan stood and gave a regal wave, Jimmy clasping his hands over his head in victory.
"Graduation weekend was a turning point in their family, and it only made Nathan and Haley stronger. So guys, happy anniversary. I'm so glad I could be here to help you celebrate." Jake signed off with a small wave, the screen fading to black.
Nathan leaned towards Haley, his words a soft whisper in her ear. "Well that wasn't too bad." Haley chuckled, kissing his cheek and wrapping her hand in his.
"Hi guys! Happy Anniversary!" Tim's larger than life presence radiated off the screen.
Haley and Nathan looked at each other, their expressions mirrored, "Tim."