Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill or its characters

Thanks for the reviews! I'm so sorry for the wait! Our computer crapped out but we finally got a new one so then it was just a process of getting everything moved over to our new one. Anyway, hope ya'll enjoy the new chapter!

Chapter 11: Get Some Sleep Tonight

Haley sat at her desk in her office twirling a pen between her fingers. It wasn't often that she actually came into the office to do work, but for some reason she felt like she couldn't get anything done if she was at home. Not that she was really getting anything done now. Every so often she would stare at the screen in front of her. It had a picture of Nathan and Dan and the basic information the company had on them. The file hadn't changed since she'd opened it when she received the case.

She was supposed to be adding new information as it came to her, but she could never get herself to sit down and do it. She was like a teenager procrastinating on a long assignment. Sighing, she rubbed her hands over her face before dropping the pen in her hand to the surface of the desk. She knew that in the next few days she wasn't going to be able to get anything done.

She never could this time of year.

Christmas time was supposed to be the best time of the year and she always told people it was her favorite. But anyone who knew her, knew it was a lie. How could she love this time of year? All it did was remind her of her parent's murder.

Haley knew that Jake and Andrew would try to distract her with work or even with some great news that always seemed to happen this time of year, but nothing really helped. Once the season was past, she would work, but until then, nothing. It wasn't that she didn't try; she just couldn't get her mind to focus.

She leaned back in her chair and stared out the window behind her. Snow was falling down heavily now coating Chicago in dust. It looked beautiful, but she couldn't really take in the sight.

There was a knock on her door and she turned her attention to it as it opened. She watched Jared walk in and smile at her before walking closer to her desk. He looked just as handsome as ever dressed in a nice pair of black pants, green shirt and black tie. He pulled the chair away from her desk and took a seat.

"Hey," she said before giving him the best smile she could.

"Hi," he replied before smiling back, the same smile that she'd fallen for all those years before. "How you doing?"

Haley sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I have so much work to do, I just can't seem to focus. My minds… kind of all over the place."

Jared knew well enough about her parents' murder and how it had effected Haley. He could see it in her eyes now. It was the same way she'd looked when he'd met her and they had started their training. Part of him just wished that he could make her happy and smile, because he hated seeing her like this. Haley would always have a special place in his heart and he couldn't stand to see her hurt.

"Well maybe I can get your mind off things," he said before bringing his hand over the top of her desk to take hers. "Wanna get dinner again tonight?"

Haley stared down at their hands and she couldn't help getting the feeling that she used to get because of him. But then another face appeared in her mind. Nathan's.

She pulled her hand away from his and folded her hands in her lap. "I don't think so. I'm sorry I have plans with Jake tonight," she said, quickly lying.

Jared couldn't help the look of disappointment that came over his face, but he quickly covered it up with a smile. "That's ok," he said, "I understand. Some other time maybe?"

"Sure," Haley said with a nod of her head.

Jared nodded and stood up before walking towards the door. He grabbed the handle before turning to look back at her. "Haley," he said and she looked up at him. "I know things are hard for you this time of year. If you ever need to talk or you just need someone to just… listen, I'm here."

"Thanks," she replied before watching him walk out the door and back into the hallway. When the door shut Haley shook her head before laying her head down on the desk. She might as well have gone home, she wasn't getting a thing done here.

Haley sat on the floor in her room trying to finish wrapping all the Christmas presents laid out in front of her. Tomorrow night was Christmas Eve and most of their family would be over to celebrate the holiday. It was up to Haley to get most of the wrapping done while her parents worked on getting some of the food made for tomorrow.

Adam was at their grandparents for the night. He was too antsy for presents and they thought having him stay there for the night might help get his mind off of it.

She could hear the sounds of Christmas music floating up the stairs to her room and she smiled at the sound. She knew that her parents were most likely dancing around the kitchen, not really getting the cooking done like they were supposed to be. They would be up early the next morning doing that. She laughed at the thought; her parents were more teenagers than she was.

Once the presents were wrapped, most of them addressed to Adam, she stacked them in her hands and began to head towards the door. She descended the stairs and turned towards the tree, looking into the kitchen as she did so. She wasn't surprised to see her parents laughing and dancing around. They smiled at her before she turned to head back up the stairs choosing to let them share this private moment.

When she reached the top of the stairs she heard the doorbell ring. "Got it," her dad called from the kitchen and Haley continued on towards her room. She grabbed the handle to her bedroom and was about to walk through the door when the sound of a gunshot startled her. Soon she heard the sounds of heavy footsteps coming through the house towards the kitchen.

Haley hurried into her room and shut the light off before dropping to the ground and crawling under the bed. She could make out the sounds of a struggle from downstairs but she felt like she couldn't move. Her hand covered her mouth to keep her from screaming or making any sound. It wasn't long before another gunshot sounded. Her hand tightened over her mouth and tears streamed out of her eyes.

The sounds of the same heavy footsteps were heard again and then she heard the front door slam. She waited a few minutes before moving out from under her bed. She could feel herself breaking out in a nervous sweat. Her blood was pumping through her veins and she felt like she might throw up.

On shaky legs she began to make her way down the stairs. Sobs fell from her lips as she saw her father lying in a pool of blood in front of the door. He'd been shot in the heart. One shot and he was dead. She dropped to her knees and grabbed her father's hand. "Dad!" she yelled, even though she knew she would get no response.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw movement from over by the kitchen. She turned her head and saw her mother lying on her back, also in a pool of her own blood. The kitchen was in shambles, it was clear that her mom had put up a fight. Haley quickly got to her feet when she noticed her mother's hand still moving.

Haley raced to her and dropped to the ground next to her. It appeared that there was only one gunshot wound, like her father, but this one had just missed her heart. "Mom," Haley said between sobs.

Lydia raised a weak hand towards her daughter and Haley took it in hers, not caring about the blood that was now on her. "Mom," she said again and Lydia gave her a weak smile.

"Call Andrew," Lydia said in a broken voice. "He'll take care of you."

Haley shook her head. "No, you'll be ok! I'm gonna call the police and you're gonna be ok." More tears continued to fall from her eyes as she watched her mother shake her head.

"I love you Haley. Tell Adam… Mommy and Daddy love him."

Haley watched as her mother released her last breath before closing her eyes for the final time. Another cry fell from Haley's mouth as she grabbed her mother's body pulling her into her arms. She kept crying out for, hoping for any sign of life, but it never came.

Haley would always be able to remember those moments, as if they were happening again. She remembered grabbing the phone off the counter and calling the police. The frantic tone in her voice traveled over the line as she told them to help her. After hanging up with them she did as her mother said and called Andrew.

She was hardly coherent by the time Andrew and the police showed up. She sat on the porch in the front of the house as the snow fell around her. Andrew hurried up to her before taking his jacket off and putting it around her shoulders, not caring about the blood and the snow that would now cover it.

Jake was behind him trying to get Haley to respond to anything, but she wouldn't. Jake helped her stand before taking her to the car where he helped her into the back. Andrew talked with the police while Haley sat in the back of their car, hardly moving or speaking.

It would be like that for months. Haley hardly ate, she could barely sleep and she had weekly appointments with a therapist. Her doctors prescribed her medicines to help her overcome Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and to help her sleep at night. But still she would hardly speak to anyone. Not to Jake or even Adam.

Eventually her grandparents filed for custody of Adam and he moved into a house in the suburbs of Chicago with them. By then, Haley had been living with Jake's family for months and seeing as how Andrew was her godfather, he thought it best to legally adopt her. Her grandparents didn't put up a fight, but they were adamant about Adam staying out of the city and as far away from the company as possible.

Soon after Haley learned the truth about her parent's and their occupations, she joined the company and began her training. That's when she met Jared. Jared was amazing, everything she wanted to be when it came to being an agent. Andrew had assigned him to train her and it wasn't long before she began to grow feelings for him.

How could she not? He was handsome; he stood around six feet three inches with dark hair and green eyes that almost had a hint of gray in them. His smile always made her heart race and he could make her laugh even when she was in the worst mood. His personality was better than most, she hardly ever saw him in a bad mood and she envied that about him. He was always able to give his best, even in the worst situation.

It wasn't long before his feelings for her began to change as well. By the time Haley turned 18 and became an official agent, she and Jared had been carrying on a secret relationship for months. It was mostly stolen kisses in empty hallways and occasional dinners out on the town or nights spent at his apartment. But they had to keep it a secret. Jared knew that Andrew wouldn't be too happy with him if he knew about his relationship with Haley. Haley was like a daughter to him.

A few months before Haley turned 19 Jared had been reassigned to a branch of the company in Washington D.C. He packed up his apartment and moved within 3 days of earning the promotion. He hardly even said goodbye to her. Haley felt like he might as well have ripped out her heart and stomped on it. She clearly didn't mean as much to him as he did to her.

She felt like in the years since she'd seen him, her feelings had changed. She knew they had in fact. Her heart raced every time she saw, or even thought of Nathan. But part of her still got that feeling she used to get when she saw Jared. He had been the first guy that she'd really fallen for. But it seemed like lately, Nathan was the only guy her mind seemed to travel to.

That lead her to another dilemma. She couldn't lie to herself and say that she had no feelings for Nathan. She obviously did, she had slept with him already. Haley wasn't the type to just sleep around. She'd only ever slept with one other guy in her life and that was after realizing how much she truly cared for him.

Clearly she had fallen for Nathan. He seemed to be constantly on her mind. Since their night together at his apartment she couldn't get him out of her head. Everything with him felt so right, the way he kissed her and the way he touched her. Even the way he held her in his sleep amazed her. Their bodies were so in sync, even while they slept. She'd never felt that before, not even with Jared.

But she had to stop herself from feeling this way. She had to remind herself that Nathan's life was coming to an end, and it was because of her. If she didn't end it, she knew Andrew would find someone else who could. She needed to end things and fast before she fell for him anymore. It would already be hard enough.

Nathan stood in the middle of Karen and Keith Scott's kitchen. They lived in a large house in a suburb just minutes outside of Chicago. They had moved there from Tree Hill just a year before, after the birth of Lucas and Brooke's daughter Angie. They decided they couldn't be away from their son and granddaughter.

The move had actually allowed for Nathan to grow closer to his uncle, someone that he began to admire more and more as he got to know him. He hated his father for filling his head with lies about Keith when he was a child. He used to think of him as a drunk and a bum, but everything his father had said was just out of spite.

Nathan realized now that Dan had always hated his older brother. Keith had everything that Dan ever wanted and he knew that that jealousy would never go away. Keith had the perfect family, his own successful business and he had Karen and Lucas and now his own daughter, Lily. Dan would always envy the way the pieces fell into place for him, while things seemed to fall apart for him.

Dan Scott was wealthy, he always had been. He took over the company when Royal Scott, his father passed away just years after Nathan and Lucas had been born. It didn't take Dan long to notice that it wasn't as prosperous if it was run out of Tree Hill, North Carolina. Soon many business trips were taken, all across the country. He began to bring on new agents, one of which was his brother-in-law Cooper Lee.

When Nathan grew older Dan was away from home more and more. When Nathan went to college at Duke, Dan moved him and his wife, Deb to Chicago for good. It wasn't long before Deb got fed up with the life she had with Dan and divorced him. By then, Nathan didn't know the details of his parent's messy break up, all he knew was that she hated the person the company had turned Dan into. He never wanted to become that person.

When he had been recruited, or rather forced into the company he had made a promise that this job wasn't going to turn him into his father. So far he'd made good on keeping that promise. Keith had helped a lot in that goal.

Keith showed Nathan what it meant to be a true man. He loved and took care of his family, even Nathan. Nathan was sure that Keith loved him more than Dan ever had. Dan only saw Nathan as property, Keith saw him as a son.

"How's work going?" Keith asked as he opened the fridge and pulled out two bottles of beer. He set them down on the counter before popping the caps off them. He handed one of the icy cold bottles to Nathan before taking a swig of the beer himself.

Nathan sighed before shrugging his shoulders. "It's… I don't know. I mean my job is to kill people for a living," he said in a quieter tone, looking around to make sure Lily wasn't around to hear what he had said.

"Leave the company then," Keith said.

"I can't," Nathan replied before shaking his head. "You know Dan, he would probably kill me if I did."

Keith laughed, "you're only half joking on that."

Nathan laughed a little before taking a drink of the beer in his hand before placing the bottle on the counter. He crossed his arms over his chest. "I can't leave the company. Dan's holding too much over me, and he knows that. I can't just leave."

"What's he holding over you?"

"Well mom, for one. If I do what he says, if I stay in the company, he'll leave her alone. She's finally happy without him, she's doing her own thing and she doesn't need him to come back into her life and mess things up."

"You really think he'd do that if you left?"

"Of course he would. It's Dan."

Nathan thought back to what Cooper had said to him when he'd come to Duke. Being in the company meant protection for his family. Of course that meant that he could protect them from any enemies that he would make because of his career, but it also meant that he could protect them from his father. If he let his father control him and his life, then he might finally stay out of all their lives. If they were happy, that's all he wanted.

"You're a better man than I am," Keith said with a shake of his head. "I couldn't live having my brother as my boss… telling me what to do all the time. You're tough."

"I stay away from the office as much as possible," Nathan said, "I really don't see him too much."

"Keep it that way," Keith said with a shake of his head before looking back up at his nephew. "Oh speaking of people we don't see much of… Coop stopped by the shop the other day. I didn't know he was back in town."

"Yeah, I saw him a few days ago. He stopped by my building."

"Yeah he told me he'd seen you. He also said I should tell you the new girl you're seeing is no good… what's that about? Another one of Brooke's set ups?"

Nathan laughed and shook his head. "Not exactly. It's a long story…"

"Come on Nate, you know you can tell me anything."

Nathan sighed and ran his hand over the back of his neck. "This new case I've been assigned to… she's…" Nathan trailed off trying to think of the best way to explain this without it sounding too bad. "I may have slept with her."

Keith shook his head but couldn't stop the laugh that escaped his mouth. "You're dating your target?"

"No," Nathan replied, "I don't know. It's not that simple. She's more than just some girl, or even a case. I can't stop thinking about her."

"Look Nate," Keith started, "you know normally I'd tell you to go after her, make it work, tell her how you feel… all that sentimental crap. But I can't tell you that this time. You're right it's not simple. If you think Dan would be pissed if you tried to leave the company, imagine the hell you'd be in if he ever found out about this. You need to end this and end it soon. I'm sure this girls great… and she's probably hot, too. But you can't do this."

"I know that. I just don't know what to do. I may have gotten myself in too deep this time."

"You may have?" Keith asked, "end this Nathan. You don't have any other choice."

Nathan nodded but looked away from his uncle when he heard the front door opening. Karen walked into the house soon followed by 5 year old Lily Scott. She rounded the corner towards the kitchen and saw Nathan standing against the counter. A smile broke out on her face as soon as she saw him and she took off in a run towards her cousin.

"Nathan!" the little girl yelled excitedly.

Nathan smiled and swooped her up in his arms. "How's my best girl?" he asked with a smile on his face as he settled her in his arms.

"Good!" she replied before flashing him another toothless smile. "Daddy bought me two new Barbies last week, wanna see them?"

"You know I do," Nathan replied before placing her back on the ground. She grabbed him by the hand and began to pull him towards her play room. On the way they passed Karen as she made her way into the kitchen. "Hey Karen," Nathan said before placing a kiss on her cheek. She smiled back at him and watched him go with her daughter to look at her new Barbies.

Karen walked further into the kitchen and kissed her husband on the lips before settling into his arms. Soon they could hear Nathan and Lily's voices as they played in the play room. The sounds of Lily's laughter was now loud and constant and Karen couldn't help but smile.

"I wish Nathan would find a girl. He would be such an amazing father."

"He's still young Karen, he'll find the right girl."

Keith just hoped that Nathan would realize that that girl wasn't going to be the one from this case. Not if Nathan knew what was good for him.

Haley tossed and turned in her bed. It was impossible to find a comfortable position and she kept getting too hot in her apartment for comfort. Eventually she threw the blankets off her body and got out of bed. She turned on the light in her room and rummaged through her drawers. She pulled out a black pair of sweats and threw them on over the black boy shorts she wore. She slipped on a pair of gray boots and a sweatshirt over her pink sports bra.

She didn't bother to grab her phone before walking out into the front room. Lyla was asleep on the rug in the kitchen next to the humming dishwasher. Haley grabbed her purse off the counter and opened the door. Soon she was in the elevator and down in the lobby. She walked through the glass doors out the sidewalk.

It was cold and late and she was surprised that there were any cabs out at all right then. She waved her hand and when she finally got one to stop she told them the address and they drove off towards her destination.

After a few minutes the cab pulled up in front of the apartment complex and Haley paid the driver with the money she had in her purse. She stepped back out into the cold December air and hurried towards the door as someone walked out, grabbing the glass door before it could shut an lock. Once inside she made her way towards the elevator and pushed the up button.

In no time she was on the 12th floor and walking down the hall towards the familiar apartment. She stopped in front of the door and tried to get her thoughts together. That's when it occurred to her, she didn't know what she was doing there. What was she going to say when he asked her why she was there? She really didn't know what had possessed her to come there.

Shaking her head she brought her hand up to knock on the door. After doing so she waited for an answer. It was late, he was probably tired. Maybe he wouldn't have even heard the knock at all. She was about to turn around to head back for the elevator when the door suddenly opened and Nathan stood on the other side. He was dressed in a pair of black sweats and a gray wife beater and he looked tired and disoriented. Clearly she'd woken him up.

"Hi," she said quietly, "I'm sorry to just show up like this. I woke you-"

"It's ok," he said quickly, "come on in."

He moved out of the way and motioned for her to come inside. When she did Nathan turned on the hallway light and walked over to the couch. He watched as Haley finally made her way over to join him. When she sat down on the other end of the couch he could tell by the look on her face that there was something heavy on her mind.

"What are you doing here Haley?" he asked after a minute. "Not that I don't want to see you."

"I, uh," she started, "I don't know. I couldn't sleep and my mind was wandering and I just… somehow ended up here. I'm sorry I shouldn't have come."

She stood up suddenly and looked towards the door, but Nathan was up just as fast. He grabbed her by the arm and she jumped at the sudden contact. "I'm sorry," Nathan said, "I just… don't leave."

"I don't even know what I'm doing here. I wanted to see you I guess." She sat down on the couch again and Nathan took a seat close to her.

Nathan smirked, "I can't complain about hearing that."

Haley laughed and shook her head. "Are you always cocky or does that just happen when I'm around?"

"I'm not cocky," Nathan said with shrug, "I'm just…" he trailed off trying to think of the right words to say.

"You're what?" she prompted with a slight smile gracing her face.

"I don't know," he replied with a laugh. He looked at her face again and saw another smile gracing her lips and he couldn't help himself but to lean in and place a kiss on her lips. Soon her lips began to respond to his.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his body closer to hers. His hands traveled to her sides and he lifted her body before laying her flat on the couch. His body covered hers and he continued to place kisses on her lips. When he finally pulled away his eyes studied her face and he saw that she now looked peaceful. But she also looked exhausted.

"You look tired."

Haley's eye met his and she smiled slightly. "I am."

He leaned down and placed another kiss on her lips before standing up. He reached a hand out to her and she took it before walking with him down the hall and towards his bedroom. When they reached his room he motioned for her to get in the bed. When she did he crawled in beside her and wrapped his arms around her.

Haley felt him place a kiss on her head and before she knew it her eyes fell closed and sleep took over her. That was the first night she'd been able to fall asleep peacefully within in the last two weeks.

Please review! ps I'm so sorry it took so long to get this up! FF was being stupid soooo that's why it took forever to post. I'm really sorry! Also I suggest listening to the song Marilyn by G Eazy as it was the inspiration for this chapter