Hey everyone…here is the next chapter. I'm not actually sure if I like it…I mean I like it, but I'm not sure I'm entirely happy with it. School started and it has been utterly insane, but I'm going to at least try to update twice a month. I've got a lot of homework over the weekends, so I'm going to try my best, but I can't promise anything. This isn't proofread because I just don't have the time, so please ignore the mistakes if there are any. Hope you enjoy. )

Haley felt something hard and cold bounce off of her head after it slammed right into her right eye. As the object toppled into the sand, she felt damp little pieces fly into her hair. She bit her bottom lip, and jutted it out in a pout as she sat up on her beach towel that Nathan had bought for her earlier. She glared in the direction the object had come from and saw Brooke standing over the cooler, pulling out two water bottles. Haley looked down to find another bottle lying next to her. She looked back up at Brooke, who in turn waved and smirked at her.

"Bitch," Haley muttered, before grabbing the drink and twisting the cap off.

"What did I do wrong? I was helping you. I can't have my baby's god mommy in waiting drop off of the face of my earth."

Haley looked at Brooke in utter amazement. "Uhm…what!"

"I didn't want you to get cancer and die, because you need to flip overrrrrr," Brooke whined, mad she had to explain herself.

Haley smiled at Brooke, reaching out to pat her head, "That's cute, but you didn't have to give me a concussion, did you?"

"Well…yeah. You sleep like a dead person and that H2O worked." Brooke smiled proudly at Haley.

"H2O?"

"Uh-huh."

Haley kept her gaze on Brooke's face, before laughing at her.

"Oh and YOUR world," Peyton piped up from the lounge chair she was currently sitting in.

Brooke turned and flashed a dimpled smile at the blonde, "My world indeed."

Peyton in turn scoffed and flipped her hair off her shoulder.

"And you're just lucky you're allowed in it."

Haley fell back against her towel again, laughing hysterically. Brooke tried her hardest not to break her serious face, but started to fail, miserably.

"The look on your face Pey…It's so priceless," Haley finally managed to get out.

Brooke's overconfident face caused Haley to let out another round of laughter, while Peyton smiled as well, despite being picked on.

"I've got mad skills," Brooke squealed, clapping her hands together.

"You're so fresh I'll call you Ziploc," Haley squealed back, but quickly stopped and acquired a bitter face, "I miss Skills!"

Brooke pouted, "Me too! But you know what? If Stephen's here, Skills probably is too. They're the male versions of us."

Haley's eyes lit up and looked over at Peyton, "Pey, we could see Skills. Oh my lord, I wonder if he is still with Bev."

Peyton rolled her eyes, "Large crowds bother me."

Brooke and Haley gave her glares.

"But it is Skills and Bevin, so of course I'm excited. By the way, payback's a bitch, eh?"

Brooke gave Peyton another glare and walked over to sit next to Haley.

"This is really nice," Peyton mumbled, leaning back in her chair.

"Yeah it is. I'm going to get my tan on this week."

Haley shrugged, "It's okay I guess. Could be better, could be worse. I just want to go home."

"Baley is having a lot of fun though. I mean...she needs this just as much as the rest of us. Besides, the only reason you aren't thoroughly enjoying this is because Nate and you are…MIA Naley right now."

Haley and Peyton just looked at Brooke before simultaneously asking, "MIA Naley?"

"Yep, it means missing in action Naley."

"We know what it means Brooke, but it doesn't make any sense."

"Yes it does. There is no Naley at the moment, so it's missing in action."

"It's just another stupid nickname you made up off the top of your head and honestly, I don't even care," Haley spat out.

"Whoa, retract those cruel claws Hales. I'm not the one treating you like crap here."

"Sorry."

"Mmmhmm." Brooke ran her fingers through Haley's locks, instantly calming her.

"Where is Baley anyways," Peyton asked the two girls.

"With her precious 'Daddy', because supposedly, this whole fight thing, yeah…it's all my fault. So as of now, Baley and me are not on speaking terms, but all mighty Nathan and her are bestest friends. Did I also mention she wants him to adopt her, because she is so so so mad at me?"

Brooke narrowed her eyes at Peyton, "Nice going goldilocks. Just when I had her mind off of that, you go ahead and bring it up."

Peyton's eyes widened in innocence, "I didn't know…I'm sorry."

Brooke shook her head, "No, it's not your fault. We're all just snapping at the wrong people today. I'm the one who should be sorry Peyt."

"No worries."

"Guys, can we just go back to the room? I'm really not feeling fun in the sun today."

Brooke and Peyton agreed and all three girls began to pack up their belongings. Brooke and Peyton could tell Haley was barely holding it together and started to sneak glances at her while heading back up to their hotel room.

Shrieks and playful laughter could be heard outside of the room the girls were currently living in. The door made a low beep as whoever was on the outside of it inserted the correct key. It was then swung open to reveal Baley being carried upside down by Nathan, Lucas carrying bags, and Jake carrying cases of pop.

Haley grunted and ran up to Nathan, grabbing Baley out of his arms and placing her securely on the carpeted floor. Baley fumed and Nathan rolled his eyes.

"She was fine. I'd never drop her."

"She also has a broken arm and wrist. I'm not taking any chances."

"Excuse me, I know you two love to argue, but this stuff is getting heavy, so move out of the way," Lucas yelled from behind the two glaring adults.

Nathan grabbed Haley's upper arm, pushing her closer to the wall, allowing enough room for Luke and Jake to pass through with their groceries. She immediately swatted him away and cast her gaze downwards. Nate cocked his head to the side and stared intently at his ex-girlfriend of a few hours.

To everyone's surprise, Nathan opened his arms and pulled Haley into them. She collapsed against him and breathed in his signature scent. She clutched his T-shirt with her tiny fingers.

"Get off of him," they heard a little yell come from the side of them.

Nathan lifted his face out of Haley's hair to find Baley with her hands on her hips, scowl on her face. He gently tugged Haley's face to look at her as well, but didn't pull away from the hug.

"I said, get off of him," Baley yelled again.

The whole room was deathly silent as they waited to see what would happen next.

"Baley Mallory James, what in the world has gotten into you," Nathan scolded.

"What part of get off of him don't you get Haley," she screamed, using her mother's name instead of her usual 'mommy'.

"Baley," Nathan screamed back, all the while pulling Haley closer to him.

He was met with resistance though, because Haley pulled away from the embrace and stepped back a few feet. "No, she's right. We're not together…just…I don't know…I…"

"Haley she is being ridiculous. I can hug you whenever I…I mean, whenever we want to hug. Together or not, Baley cannot stop us."

"I shouldn't be hugging you Nathan. Baley is acting out of line, but she has to be so confused."

"No, she's being a brat Haley. You, I, and everyone else in this room know that. You just can't admit it."

Haley crossed her arms, refusing to speak another word.

"This is impossible. Just forget this whole thing ever happened. I keep putting myself out there and you keep shutting me down! What else am I supposed to do Hales? Huh? What do you want me to do? You treated Alex better than this, and he raped you! For the first time in my life I felt like I had a place in this world. You made me feel loved and cared for. You made me feel like someone wanted me. I grew up my whole life without knowing that, and you helped me realize it. Now, you're throwing me away like I never meant anything to you. God Haley, I love you so much that it hurts. I get this ache in my chest and stomach every time I think about us not being together. You make me cry myself to sleep over this. I don't cry, except when it comes to you. I'm a complete mess now. I don't know what to do with myself, and you being hot and cold isn't helping me." Nathan's eyes had filled with tears while making his speech and the roles were reversed, as Haley found herself at a crossroads. She wanted to comfort him so badly, but she couldn't let her guard down anymore. She just couldn't do it. Her vision became blurred as more tears settled into their usual place in her eyes.

"See what you're doing Haley! You're making him cry. You are supposed to make it better. You always used to make it better! Now you act like Daddy does…I mean…like Alex does. Look what you're doing to Daddy! You broke him. I don't want to stay with you anymore. I'm so mad at you Momm-Haley!"

Haley and Nathan shot their eyes over to look at Baley who was throwing a full out temper tantrum. When she compared Haley to Alex, the tears that had previously been resting in her eyes made their way down her cheeks. Nathan's hand reached out for hers, but she stepped back more and turned around, grabbing her purse. With one last look at Baley, she ran out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Baley sat in the corner, kicking the floor with her flip flop covered foot. Jake and Peyton sat on the bed Baley had slept in the night before, waiting for Jake's parents to drop Jenny off at the hotel. Brooke and Lucas sat on the floor playing Uno, although Brooke's mind wasn't all there. Tears were continually running down her face, but Lucas was also continually wiping them away. They had a death grip on each other's hands. Nathan sat in the shower, clad in his swim trunks, water pouring down on him, and head in his hands. He had to admit; Haley's idea of sobbing in the shower had its many perks. He hated when people saw him cry, so sitting in a hotel shower stall, bawling his heart out was just what he needed. With all the arguing he and Haley had been doing, her depression she was slowly pulling herself into, and her sudden walk out and disappearance had him over the edge as it was. The task of punishing Baley and putting her in time out just took him over his limit. He didn't care how confused or upset Baley was, what she had said was inexcusable, and she was way out of line. He had sat her down in a chair and sternly told her not to move until he gave her permission to.

Leaning out of the shower, he grabbed a towel and dried his hands off. He reached for his watch and his eyes went wide at the time it read. It was 8:55. Haley had been gone for almost four hours. He quickly wiped his face off and jumped out of the shower. Grabbing a discarded beach towel, he took off out of the bathroom and hotel room in search of Haley.

The remaining people in the room gave each other concerned looks, but none went after Nathan in his panicked state.

While running towards the elevator images flashed through Nathan's head about what could have possibly happened to Haley. Once he got to the elevator, he pushed the down button several times in a row. Realizing now that he had grabbed Haley's beach towel, he brought it up to his face, taking in her tanning oil mixed with vanilla perfumed smell. The ding of the elevator brought him back down to earth and he ran inside, pushing the main lobby button and praying Haley was okay.

The heavy smoke and loud music made Nathan's head hurt as soon as he stepped into the small club. His tired eyes roamed the room for any site of Haley, but didn't see anyone remotely close looking to her.

Walking up to the bar, he realized he must have looked like a complete fool. He was still in his bathing suit, but now he had a dolphin and seashell towel wrapped around his neck. He rolled his eyes at the people staring at him, and motioned for the bartender to come over to him.

"Have you seen a short young woman with long blonde hair, jeans, and a dark blue tank top on?"

The girl that was bartending pondered his question for a few seconds before nodding her head. Nathan's eyes lit up.

"She came in here a while ago actually. She didn't order a drink or anything, just a diet Coke. Then some guy came over and began talking to her. She didn't seem interested, but from the looks of things, she was trying to be polite. I didn't get a good look at her when she came in, but it did look like she was exhausted. The guy helped her back into one of those back rooms with the couches and stuff. He seemed like he just wanted to help though, so no worries…husband?"

Nathan's heart began beating too fast for his liking as he heard the girl's recollection of what happened with Haley earlier. "Um…thanks. I'm just going to go get her."

The young woman looked puzzled, but quickly diminished the feelings, returning to fill up the drinks a few people had requested.

Nathan took off running towards the direction the girl had pointed to, and swung open the first curtain he saw. Luckily, he didn't find it empty. Instead, he found Haley sitting on a recliner, with a look of pure disgust on her face, and her eyes full of nerves. The guy the bartender had earlier described was straddling her and had his face very close to Haley's neck.

Nathan's eyes steamed with anger and he clenched his fists, "What the hell is with you people? Get the fuck off of her," he screamed with a very forceful voice.

Haley and the mystery guy jumped a few feet in the air at the sudden voice. Mystery guy smirked arrogantly and went back to sucking on Haley's neck. Haley scrunched up her face again and Nathan made his way over to the chair they were in. Grabbing the guy's shirt collar, he threw him off the chair and against the wall in one swift motion.

"I said, get the fuck off of her."

The guy's eyes widened and it looked like he was afraid to breathe. Nathan let him go slowly, before pointing to the exit of the room.

The guy hurried out to the main part of the club and Nathan turned to look at Haley. She gave him a helpless, defeated, terrified look and in a matter of seconds she was back in his arms.

After a few moments Nathan pulled back, brushing some tears away with the pad of his thumb. "You okay," he whispered to the broken girl on his lap.

"Yeah. He didn't…I mean, I don't think he would of actually…you know, but thank you."

Nathan nodded, "I love you, I do Hales, but this, me and you sitting here hugging, this isn't helping you get better. Tell me what I need to do to help you get through this. Just give me the word and I'll do it."

Haley squeezed her eyes tightly shut and clutched Nathan's hand, "We're going to get through this though right? You won't give up on me…you promise?"

"I promise. I'd never ever give up on you, but our problem is certainly not what you need to be concentrating on right now. I'm going to take Baley for the next few days and nights, because we all need you to recover a little before throwing more at you, alright?"

Haley shook her head yes, "Nathan…I love you too. I know I'm not acting like it, but I do, I love you so much. I'm sorry for making you feel like you didn't belong. I…I just want this all to get fixed. I'm sorry…I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I made you cry, I'm sorry I said everything I said, and I'm sorry for everything I did. But, I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you."

Nathan smiled adoringly at her, "Don't you worry your amazing head over any of that, okay? Just focus on you for once. Focus on helping yourself. I'll be here when and if you need me, but I know you can do this. Now, what do I need to do to help you get a start on it all?"

"Brooke. Just Brooke. Only Brooke. I need to spend a few days with her. That's how I got better last time. I just need her therapy."

Nathan grinned wider at Haley, "Of course. We'll go back now. I'm going to call and check in on you though okay?"

Haley let out her first real smile in a few days, "I was hoping you would say that."

Nathan brushed hair out of her eyes, placing it behind her ears, "Alright, let's go. Oh, and I'm not talking to you on the way back to the hotel. Don't even look at me. I'm still pissed off at you and we're still broken up…got it?"

Haley saluted him, "Perfect."

Nathan motioned for her to walk out of the room first, which she did. Once they were outside of the club and walking down the sidewalk, two hands shot out just a little. They met in the middle and squeezed the other hand that came into their contact.

"Nathan…"

"Yes?"

"I hate you."

"I hate you too Hales."

And with that last remark, the two made their way back to the hotel, hand in hand, happy that they had finally gotten something settled. And for the first time in a very long time, they both knew that eventually, not too soon, but eventually, everything would be okay.

Okkkk. Read and review, please and thank you. )