A/N: For this story, I have exciting things planned so reviews would be fantastic to give me a little bit more motivation. Enjoy.

Waiting Room

"You haven't told him?"

Of course that wasn't the first thing he thought of. The first thing that went through his mind was that it wasn't his. They had planned it and dreamt about it and now it was coming true…for Lucas. It wasn't fair, and he wasn't even sure how to react to it so he latched on to the one thing that didn't play with his emotions.

"I was supposed to tell him on our anniversary but you came back and your dad died and I dunno, it just never seemed like the right time." Haley sputtered over her answer.

"It takes less than two seconds to tell your husband that you're pregnant. You couldn't find that much time?" Nathan bit out. Of course he was hurt and true to his fashion he had to be pissed in order to cover it up. "You need to tell him. It's not my responsibility."

"I, " she struggled for words, the hurt evident in her voice cracking. "I know."

"And you tell me of all people before you tell him. That's great Haley."

"Hey, you need to calm down. Just because you're hurting right now doesn't give you the right to lash back at me alright? We need to stop hurting one another. You left Nathan, you walked away."

"I know that Haley." Nathan sighed but she continued to rant.

"How many times do we have to go over this? You left and I moved on. You completely dissolved our whole marriage. Now, all I'm asking you to do is be there for me and my child. Be Lucas's brother and be this child's uncle, and be my best friend again."

"I can't do that." He stressed running his fingers through his hair.

"Why the hell not?" she asked, her tiny hands perched on her small hips.

Only she could put the fear of God in him.

"I can't just be this child's, " he started and stepped closer to her placing his hands on her belly, slightly catching her off guard. "I can't just be Lucas's brother when he has you for his wife and I can't just be your friend when I want you as my wife and this child? I can't just be its uncle when I want to be it's dad."

"I understood when you left Nathan." She sniffled. "I got that, but I won't understand you leaving again."

"Does anyone else know?" he asked, choosing to avoid her pleading.

"Your dad knew." She replied giving him a small smile. "He was really happy about it."

"Thank you. I mean, thanks for taking care of him. He really loved you and I know it meant a lot to him. It means a lot to me too."

"Well with my parents being gone 99 percent of the time, he was pretty much the only dad I had." She paused, enjoying their easy conversation at the moment but needing an answer from him at the same time. "Are you going to go? Seriously?"

He closed his eyes and threw his head back contemplating his options; wondering if he was strong enough to stick around. Everyone had a breaking point he realized, and just as he had years before, he felt the sudden urge to bolt just when things were getting heated. He knew he wasn't like Lucas; watching and waiting and pining of his brother's wife.

But he had to stay this time.

"I'm not going to leave you again." He promised.

"Thank you." She whispered throwing her tiny body into his arms. It was at that very moment she knew she had to tell him the awful truth about what happened after he left.

Just not right yet.

"You probably need to go see how Lucas is doing." Nathan said, being the first to break their connection.

"Right. Lucas." Was it wrong she almost forgot about him?

"If this is going to work Hales, we gotta throw up some emotional walls so we don't end up hurting him."

"What do you mean?"

"With the risk of sounding like a prick, it's pretty obvious that we're still in love with one another. I mean I know you love Lucas your own way and it's really awkward now because he's my brother but we can't hurt him any more than what we've done."

"I don't understand. How did you hurt him?" she asked, her brows furrowing in confusion.

"I left you Haley." He answered sadly. "I mean I know it hurt everyone when I left but it was different with Lucas. We were both in love with you and I got you. I married you. And then I abandoned you. I hurt him by hurting you."

"I never realized."

"Honestly, I didn't either. I don't know how to fix it either. I'm staying for you, and even though Lucas wants me here I know he doesn't trust me."

"I'm not going to leave him." She admitted quietly, breaking both their hearts.

So he stayed. And he would wait.

Lucas sat, tapping his fingers slightly on the marble countertop Haley had picked out, waiting for her to get home. Was it foolish to think that she would be at home waiting for him with some hot chocolate and a ready ear? Apparently so, and his drunken state was quickly sobered up at the empty house he came home to.

He chuckled bitterly at himself at just how foolish he was. He knew his brother would return at some point, and asking him to be okay with Lucas loving Haley was a lot to ask. But marrying her was something he knew Nathan would never forgive him for.

He wondered if Nathan was actually going to leave or if he would stick around Tree Hill. Did she ask him to stay? Probably, he quickly decided. And even though Nathan was his twin, his other half, he pondered whether or not he wanted him Nathan to stay. He had missed his brother and the lack of communication between them over the years but somehow he knew that their bond was broken the day he said 'I do' to Haley.

His Haley.

It was such a ridiculous thing to fight over a girl. But it was much more than that. She was the girl. The one they had dreamed about and stumbled over and cared for. Above all though, he knew that he wanted her happy. He just wasn't sure if her happiness relied on him or his brother.

He looked up from his untouched and cold coffee at the sound of the front door slamming. He almost prayed it wasn't her, not quite ready to deal with her yet. In the state he was in, he felt that he would say something hurtful, make her cry, and even though it was a messed up situation, he didn't want to make matters worse.

Clearly, God wasn't listening to Lucas Scott this day.

"I'm glad you're finally home." He said as she entered the kitchen, placing her purse on the counter. "How's Nathan?"

He didn't say it with hate or malice or even a bit of sarcasm. He knew how much grief he was going through at the moment and he had seen his father everyday since the cancer took him over. He couldn't imagine what Nathan was going though. Still, the question caught her off guard and she wasn't sure how to respond.

"I don't think it's sunk in yet." She answered, taking a seat beside him at the counter. "He feels guilty though."

"Well he kinda has a reason, doesn't he?"

This time she took notice of his sarcasm and shook her head slightly. She realized that maybe she had been mistaken about asking Nathan to stay for her own selfish reasons and unfair in considering her husbands. This was going to take a toll on everyone involved, and after seven years of trying to get closure, it was all unraveling in just a few short days.

"And he's living with it Luke. But I have a feeling that we don't need to be talking about him." She paused waiting for him to respond and when he continued to stare into his coffee cup, she continued. "What about us?"

"What about us?"

"You haven't talked to me in days." She murmured, sorely missing her best friend.

"I don't know what to say to you Hales. It would be easier to lie to you and tell you that I'm okay and that this entire situation, as screwy as it may be, will turn out good for everyone involved."

"How do you know it won't?"

"Because Haley." Lucas fumed, slamming his fist down on the counter and getting up. It startled her and she sucked in her breathe as she watched him start pacing in front of the counter. "Do you not understand how him coming back is tearing us apart? How it's tearing me apart?" he asked pointing at the center of his chest.

"God damn it Lucas!" she shot right back. "How the hell do you think I feel? You of all people know how much I lost when he chose to walk away from me all those years ago. But you don't see me leaving now do you? Because no matter what, I can't risk losing you. You're my whole world Lucas. I can't imagine my life without you."

"Funny. I remember you saying those exact same words to Nathan and it seems to me that you did just fine. I didn't figure you one to recycle lines."

She slapped him. He cupped his cheek and stepped away as she slowly dropped her hand. Never in their entire relationship had they fought except maybe over what movie to watch or which restaurant they should eat at. She felt guilty in an instant and moved to touch his face in comfort but he swiftly dodged her, moving away further.

"Lucas I'm so sorry…"

"I never figured you as a slapper either. That deserved a punch in the face really."

"I'm not strong enough." She whispered, sitting down placing her face in her hands; the tears threatening to spill once more.

"To throw a punch? I beg to differ. You've clocked me a few times."

"No, no." she mumbled, looking up to meet him in the eye. "I'm a mess right now and I can't pick up any of the pieces. God, I'm like Humpty Dumpy." She laughed through the tears.

"I picked up the pieces before didn't I?" Lucas asked, taking the seat next to her once more and bringing his hand up to wipe the tears from her eyes. "Hey buddy…"

She couldn't take it any longer as she leaned into his arms as the sobs racked her body. He held her, remember back to the times when he had held her before, consoling her and caring for her. This time could be no different. If he loved her, it was unconditional.

And Lucas loved her.

She debated whether or not to tell him about the baby. Procrastination was not something Haley liked to do, or did rarely if ever. But with things on shaky ground, she didn't want the news to go unappreciated. She wanted it to be a happy event and right now she just wasn't sure if it would go that way.

So she waited.