Sorry for the delay... again. My first year in college has been somewhat hard to deal with and really stressful and I really haven't had time to work on fanfiction. But there are some good news, I'm officially free for the Summer and I'll finish this story very soon. Now that I have time, expect weekly updates. There are about more 4/5 chapters left. Thank you for all the reviews.

"So you're really excited about the camping, huh Jamie?" Nathan asked his son as he chewed a fry in his mouth. After Brooke's surprising announcement, Nathan and Haley went to pick up Jamie from kindergarten and the three of them had then decided to go have dinner at the nearest McDonald's.

Haley wasn't a fan of fast food, never had been. She had always believed good, healthy food was a lot better than all that junk but as any kid, Jamie loved McDonald's. Haley knew he had gotten that from his father. Nathan had always been a huge fan of McDonald's, KFC, Burger King and probably every other brand who sold fast food… And once in a while, she didn't mind eating it. But just once in a while, of course. Plus, it was yet another chance for them to spend more time together as a family and she loved it. Every single moment of it. A smile crept on her lips as she realized they were going to be just fine. All of them. She had known that from the moment she had seen Nathan at her doorstep apologizing for what he had done. And she was even surer after earlier today when she finally worked up the courage to ask him to move in with her and Jamie again. Now that she thought about it, she had been so impulsive… Now her apartment, their old apartment would have absolutely no use. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized she couldn't have done anything else. Staying at Lucas's wouldn't have been an option because, at that time, she had no idea if Nathan was ever going to change. But now… Maybe she could sell the apartment again and gain some money with it. It sure came in handy with their current situation… But she knew that would be something she'd have to talk with Nathan. Her way of thinking made her smile yet again.

"I am! Will we be swimming on a lake!"

"I don't know that, buddy. It depends on where we're going and aunt Brooke still hasn't told us. But why, would you like to swim on a lake?" Nathan questioned him curious and quirking his eyebrows at Haley trying to know if it was some inside story between them or something.

"Katie Brown is always saying that swimming on a lake is better than swimming on a pool…" Jamie answered while giving a bite on his chicken McNugget.

"It depends. If it's the lake Ness, I assure you it isn't…" Nathan blurted out with a playful expression on his face making Haley laugh.

"How come?"

" The water is just really cold…" lied Nathan, not wanting to scare his son with fake stories. Haley gave him a look he knew way too well and he replied with a shy smile.

"Oh and will we be going on a treasure hunt!" Nathan and Haley laughed at Jamie's excitement. When they had told him about the camping, he had just been thrilled with the idea and now, about 2 hours later, he was still going on and on about what they would be doing on the camping.

"I don't know. But we can suggest that to Brooke!" Haley told him.

"Chester is going to love it!"

"Oh sweetie, I'm afraid Chester won't be able to go with us."

"Why not?"

"He's a little rabbit. He could run away while we're in the middle of the woods. You wouldn't like that, would you?" Just like it would happen every time Jamie pouted a little, Haley's heart broke for him. "I promise we'll bring some cool gift for him, though. Okay?" she tried to cheer him up and caressed his soft little cheek. Nathan watched the scene intently and he felt the urge to grab Haley and kiss her everywhere. Right there, right now.

She was just pure perfection and to actually see her in the role of worried and concerned mama was definitely a turn on to him. It always had been. She was one hot mama. And he was suddenly taken back to earlier when he was this close to kiss her, taste her lips again after what had felt like eternities when Brooke Freaking Davis had ruined everything. But Haley had wanted to kiss him, he knew it. He knew it by all the signs her and her body had sent him. Signs that he was now instantly able to decipher. He couldn't wait for them to get home and put Jamie to sleep so that he could talk to her and eventually kiss her. He was desperate to do it. He had wanted to kiss her for so long and now that he knew she was ready for it and wanted it to happen, he wouldn't miss a chance.

He then caught her deep brown eyes staring at him and by the look she was giving him, he realized he must have been smirking hence her looking at him like that. "Everything okay?" she asked him and he could swear he heard a teasing tone in her voice.

"I was thinking about you." He then smirked when he saw the blush appearing on her cheeks. That blush of hers killed him… What was the point in making up something? He told her the truth, he had been thinking about her and how he wanted to kiss her, badly. Haley looked down at her French fries before looking once again at him. His answer had made her heart pound in dangerous ways.


"It's such a calm night." Haley broke the silence as she reached the balcony, handing Nathan a glass of wine. It had reminded her of the last time they had been there, discussing their life and what they would do next. The sky looked just the same with the stars and the full moon lightning them up. Jamie was already asleep and Nathan had walked out to the balcony soon after.

"I know." He paused for a second to look at her. "Do you remember when we watched the meteor shower together?" Haley looked at his blue eyes and smiled at him. Did he really think she could forget such moment?

"I do. We were so young…"

"… and just married…"

"Oh stop it, we look like two grannies." They both laughed at Haley's remark and then silence took place once again. "I'll never forget that night." Nathan looked up once again and looked deeply into her eyes. God, how he wanted her right now… He smiled and laughed at her, placing his hand gently on her head and pulling her to him so that he could hug her tightly.

"I remember how I thought that night that I wouldn't need anything else as long as I had you… And I was so right." He whispered on her ear, holding her with everything he had. "You're my everything, Haley. You and Jamie." They just laid there, embraced in each other's arms, until Nathan worked up the courage to tell her how much he wanted to help their family, to try and make things better. He chuckled thinking that had been the exact same place where Haley had told him she had found a job. Due to everything that happened between them, they didn't get to spend a lot of time together and when they did, it was usually in the same places. Either on their house or this apartment, this balcony…

"What?" Haley asked unsure of his out of nowhere chuckle.

"A few days ago you told me in this same balcony you were working on Karen's Café to help us… I've been thinking about it and… I want to find something to do too. I feel like I have to, Haley. I know I can't be a basketball player anymore but I'm sure there's something I can do, right? Something simple, until we find some stability." He watched Haley smile at him and she just hugged him back. He supposed she was happy for him and agreed with his decision...

"I just want you to be okay and not to force your back."

"I'm going to be okay, I promise."

"Nathan, I'm really proud of you for deciding that but we're still good with money. We're not desperate, far from that… I don't know… I just think you should focus on getting better…"

"Haley, I feel like I can do so much more… I don't need crutches anymore and I would be doing something that wouldn't put my back at risk."

"But you don't need to do something risky to have a break down, Nathan. I think you should take it easy for now. Just rest." Although she loved him for wanting to get a job and do something, Haley wasn't completely fond of it. She just wanted him to recover and working didn't seem the best of things right now. "Have you thought of anything?"

"No. I thought we could go and look for something. Together. Only if you want to, of course. I guess I understand if you don't."

"Of course I will, that's not the problem." She smiled at him and caressed his cheek. "The problem is that I don't want you making any effort."

"But I really want to do something!" And he needed to. It was hard enough to deal with the past and what it had caused them, he felt he had to make up for it. Haley couldn't be the only livelihood of the family. "We are in this together, Haley. And there are things out there that I could perfectly do without harming my back…"

She still wasn't fully convinced. Just the idea of Nathan going to that wheelchair again made her goose bumps. But, on the other hand, it would do Nathan some good if he had a distraction and did something. Maybe it would cheer him up and boost his ego to know he could still do other things other than playing basketball…

"Fine. But can we please go and talk with Dr. Campbell first? I want to be sure of everything." Haley told him, reluctantly approving the idea. Nathan nodded and smiled at her. They would be going to Dr. Campbell when they arrived from the camping and be sure of what was safe and what wasn't.

"So listen, I wanted to tell you something…" Nathan looked up at her, wondering what she had to tell him. Judging by the way she was biting her bottom lip, he knew it was important. "We'll be living together again starting next week…"

"I know. We'd already agreed on that, remember?" They had quickly discussed the subject and ended up agreeing it was the best for them and Jamie to move in only after the camping and all the fuss about it was over.

"Yeah, but that's not it." She nervously replied. "I was thinking…" she was furiously fidgeting the wedding band on her finger which didn't go unnoticed by Nathan. "I don't feel fully prepared to lead a normal married life and uh… I think I should sleep in the guest room until we are ready for more." It was like a bucket of ice had fallen on Nathan. He thought things were going great for them. He hadn't been naïve enough to believe Haley was ready to make love to him just like that but he thought they would be sleeping in the same bed. Did this mean she still hadn't forgiven him? Didn't she want him anymore?

This had been one of Haley's biggest issues. She wanted to be near Nathan and to work on their marriage. She wanted to be able to help him whenever he needed, like any wife would do for her husband and she wanted the best for her son. And she was sure she had forgiven Nathan for everything, like he had forgiven her. They had forgiven each other but sometimes it takes more than that to get back to normal. It takes time. And they would be using that time to heal, heal each other like she'd told him. Haley loved and trusted her husband but something inside of her made her know she still wasn't ready to make love to him. Maybe she was being silly, it's not like she was a virgin or something. But everytime they made love, it was out of this world… It was a way to fully give themselves to one another and although she missed the way he held her in his arms while they cuddled, the way he touched her, the way he would whisper all those sexy words that brought her to climax, the way he would kiss and caress her entire body, she knew she wasn't ready for it yet.

"Sure. I understand." Was Nathan's only response, ignoring all those questions hanging on his mind.

"This doesn't mean that I don't love you and that I haven't forgiven you. Because I have. I just need time…" Nathan looked at her and knew she wasn't lying. She was right, actually. Maybe even he needed time… They needed time.

"Time to heal, right?" he looked at her with a soft smile on his face. She nodded before taking his hand on hers and giving it a little squish. On that moment, his hope of kissing her was gone. If she wasn't ready for sex, she probably wasn't ready for that either. But he could swear she had wanted it. He knew it. He knew her.


"Are we there yet?" Jamie's voice shrieked through the car and everyone couldn't help but chuckle at his impatience. He had been asking the same question for the last 30 minutes.

"Why don't you save my son's voice and tell us where we're actually going, Brooke?" Nathan noticed the little smile Haley gave him when he asked Brooke what was their mysterious camping park. One week had passed and things between them hadn't changed that much. They usually picked Jamie up together, shared some lunches and dinners but nothing special had happened. They were taking their time and Nathan respected that. He liked it that way, to be honest. Of course he missed her, missed them. But their journey to recovery was being really nice. It was making him realize even more how important Jamie and Haley were to him. And how much he loved them. When they were around him, his mind seemed to forget about the ploy he had fallen into. He was still thinking about it, all of it. Should he go and talk with Jet Streamer? He wanted to know everything about that night and from what Lucas and Haley had told him, that punk seemed to be able to tell everything he knew just to screw his supposed friends over.

"Relax. We're not even leaving the state." Brooke's voice interrupted his thoughts and he soon focused again on their camping trip. They'd all left Tree Hill about one and a half hours ago and Brooke never told them where they were going, not letting anyone else drive. But she didn't get to escape all of Jamie's questions which filled up almost all their conversations during the trip.

"Man, I just hope there aren't any freaky animals out there…" everyone laughed at Skills's commentary who was sitting on the front sit next to Brooke.

"You'd better watch out. I know some spooky stories about snakes going in tents and-"

"Lucas." Haley turned back and glared at her best friend who was on the van's backseat with Peyton. She knew there wouldn't be any risk at the park they were going. Brooke had guaranteed her that but she still didn't need to have Jamie scared or anything like that.

"There are snakes there, uncle Lucas? Sweet!"

"Sweet? Brooke, I think you're going to have to stop the car and let me out…"

"Relax, Skills. There are no snakes, okay? I'm sure." Nathan tried to calm Skills down who had the biggest disgusted face at the moment. Haley had told him that Brooke said the park was safe and very clean. They still had no idea where they were going but it was a start not having to worry about other issues.

"Don't worry, uncle Skills. I'll protect you!"

"That's my boy!"

"The guys are right behind us, aren't they?" Brooke asked looking at the rearview mirror where she instantly noticed the black SUV and Junk waving at her.

"Yep. Poor Mouth, I'm sure he's been listening to Junk and Fergie's unfortunate love life the entire ride."

"Don't be mean, Peyton. I'm sure they're having a lot of fun."

"Mouth sure has an amused face right now" Brooke sarcastically replied, looking once again to the rearview mirror and looking at Mouth's annoyed expression.

"So... Are we there yet?"


"Brooke, this looks awesome!" Peyton shrieked as soon as they arrived to their destiny.

"It's beautiful!" Haley was marveled with this campground. The sightings were amazing with all the green emanating from the trees. The mountains reflected on the lake's clean water, the birds tweeting... It was like all the Nature's greatness was all combined in that place.

"Welcome to Bear Den Campground! I'm Josh and I'll be your assistant during your stay with us. If you need anything, just let me know. The reception is right there, at the park's entrance. I hope you all enjoy your time in here, we'll do our best to please you." The guide quickly introduced himself and helped them take out all the bagage of the cars.

"So... Josh. I'm Brooke Davis, I was the one sending you the emails and making our map of activities. Everything's ready, right?"

"It is. In fact, I was just about to tell you to go and have a walk around the park to choose a place to fix your tents."

"But there are houses all over here." Peyton muttered.

"Yes, there are but Miss Davis chose to use the tents instead which means you are not allowed to use the houses."

"And since when do you like camping and would choose sleeping on a tent over a comfortable bed, Brooke?"

"Are you mad? I just thought it would be funnier. And we can still use the bathrooms. Now can we go and see if we find a way to fix these?" Brooke asked lifting her arm which was holding one of the tents bag.

"I agree with Brooke. I think it will be funnier if we actually have to dare ourselves and sleep on tents. I just hope it doesn't rain..." Haley muttered looking at the sky.

"Really? 'Cause I'm praying for rain..." Nathan looked at her to see if she had caught the teasing tone in his voice and what he actually meant with that. Haley quickly looked at him, a small blush starting to creep over her face and before she could say anything he grabbed one of the trent bags and started walking away, trying to reach Jamie who was already questioning Josh. Haley just smiled and tried to focus on the activities that were awaiting them, ignoring the sudden intense beat of her heart.


After their walk, where they got familiarized with the park, they all reunited in the main saloon where they would be faced with their first activity.

"One of the things our campground is famous for is the activities we create to entertain our guests. While speaking to Miss Davis -"

"Please call me Brooke."

"- Brooke, she agreed with us doing some sort of championship." Everyone looked at Brooke who just wiggled her eyebrows. "We have some activities prepared for you and for that we'll separate you into groups. In each activity there will be a winner who'll gain 3 points for each victory." Suddenly there was a buzz in the room and Brooke decided to intervene.

"I've planned things this way but if you guys don't want any competition, we can back out."

"I'm in. I miss competing." As soon as Nathan blurted that out, Haley reached for his arm and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Yeah, I think it wil be fun and make us some good." she declared to Brooke.
When everyone agreed on the competition, Josh started writing distributing each member a black box.

"Okay so inside those black boxes is a coloured scarf. There will be three groups of 3 and one group of 4 and people with the scarf of the same color will obviously be on the same team. I should remember these teams are valid for all the activities we'll do, they won't change from activity to activity... You can unwrap the boxes now and good luck!" They all started unwrapping the black paper but Nathan pretended to be having trouble with it. He wanted to see which color was Haley's scarf. He was praying that they would have the same color, he just had to take whatever opportunity he had to be near her. He wanted them to be a team again and this could really help them get back on track, work together again, despite of how different these games were from being on a marriage. But it could still help.
Yellow. That's the color she had gotten. He quickly tore his paper apart and... Green. Damn it! He should know he wouldn't be that lucky... That's when he felt a hand on his shoulder before Lucas turned both their backs to the group. Without saying a word, Lucas took the green scarf out of Nathan's hand and replaced it with his yellow one. Before Nathan knew it, they were facing Josh and the group again and after sending Lucas a thank you look, he proudly raised his yellow scarf. He quickly glanced at Haley and smirked leaving her without reaction. That had been happening quite frequently lately.

"So Brooke, Mouth and Fergie are part of the Team Orange. Lucas, Jamie, Junk and Skills are the Team Green and Haley, Nathan and I are the Team Yellow. We're so going to beat up your asses." Peyton muttered to the other teams.


"You know, if all the activities are like this, I'm sure we're going to win. We have the best cook ever." Nathan whispered on Haley's ear as he walked behind her to grab the flour. Haley closed her eyes slightly and tried to control the shiver that passed through her body, trying to distract herself with cheese she was grating.

"Thanks. You're not so bad yourself." she replied with a small smirk of her own while Peyton watched them in the distance. She was trying to leave the two alone as much as possible to see if something happened. "What are you doing with that?" Haley asked as she saw Nathan with a bunch of grapes. "Oh no... No grapes!"

"Haley, we all know it's delicious."

"Nathan, pizza and grapes do NOT mix!"

"You put grapes in your pizza?" Peyton asked almost spitting a piece of pepperoni she had put in her mouth.

"Yes, he does. And it's awful. We're not going to put grapes in the pizza, Nathan."

"Why not?" he asked her teasingly, approaching her so that he could trap her between his body and the balcony.

"Because it's not good."

"Well, I say it's great."

"But you have a doubtful taste..." she replied getting along in his little game.

"Oh really?" He was becoming more and more closer to her face.

"Yes." Her eyes were twinkling with amusement when Josh came in and Nathan took a step back, still with a smile on his face.

"Sorry to interrupt your baking but just to let you know, you have 20 more minutes to finish that treat of a pizza."

"Hey Josh!" Peyton called him just before he left again and pushed him out of the kitchen. Nathan and Haley obviously needed some time alone and something told Peyton they wouldn't mind to put the ingredients on the pizza for her. "So I have some questions to ask you... I'll be right back, you guys." and they both left.

"You were never a fan of my grape pizza, were you?" Nathan chuckled while grabbing the rolling pin to spread the mass.

"No. You know perfectly well how I feel about that particular fruit on the pizza, thank you." Haley said laughing. Still today she was unable to understand Nathan's undying love for grape pizza. It was just... not good. "Can you pass me the tomato sauce, please?"

"Sure. Although I was thinking in replacing the sauce with grape juice, what do you say?"

"Haha." she swatted him on the shoulder. "We'd win for sure!"

"We would have the surprise effect with us."

"That's for sure." Haley grabbed the spoon and started spreading the tomato sauce on the pizza.
Nathan looked at her and let out a small laugh, looking at her with a playful smile. Haley raised her head so she could look at him. "What?"

"You have a little bit of tomato sauce in here", he let his index finger rest on her chin, feeling the electricity. "Can I?"

Haley looked at him and after a while she found the strenght to answer him.
"Sure."

Without thinking twice, Nathan grabbed her face in his hands and placed his lips on her chin. Haley closed her eyes at the feeling. She wasn't expecting that. She thought he was going to wipe it off with his hands and not with his mouth, but she wasn't complaining. Not at all. It felt so good. She felt his tongue softly licking her skin and her body trembled, the shivers going up and down her spine and she had to make an effort not to moan. She missed those kisses of his. She missed everything about him. When he drew back, she instantly felt the lost of his touch and slowly opened her eyes. His blue orbs were dark and held concern at the same time.

"Sorry. I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry, Haley."

"It's okay". More than okay. "It's okay". She placed her hand on his cheek to reassure him. They were husband and wife and still had a lot to deal with but they were already past that awkwardness. She had been thinking a lot about that these last few weeks and the more she thought about it, the more she was convinced she was ready to take the next step. In this case, she was ready to become more intimate with Nathan again. Sex was still on another level but a few kisses here or there would be nice. Amazing, actually. She missed being kissed by those lips of his.

"Really?" Nathan put his hands over hers, making sure she was okay with what had just happened. He did that in the heat of the moment. He wanted to kiss her so badly that he had just gone for it without even thinking.

"Yeah" she said, grabbing one of his hands and placing a kiss on it.

"So how is that pizza going?" Peyton stomped into the kitchen. "Oh. Sorry." Nathan and Haley drew back from each other and continued their tasks.

"We just need to put the ingredients and then put it in the oven."


"This pizza is great, Haley! I've never eaten grape pizza but it's pretty good." Nathan was pissed off. All dinner this Josh dude had practically been drooling over Haley and wouldn't stop complimenting her. Who did this guy think he was? He clenched his fists while he tried to enjoy the pizza but he couldn't. He was sure the vein in his forehead would pop out any moment.

"Thanks. Actually, Nathan was the one adding the grapes. I'm not really a fan." Take that.

"But you helped him therefore I'm sure you gave it a special touch." Nathan glared at him. Was he flirting with her? He did know she was married, right? And that her husband was just sit next to her, right?
Haley didn't know how to react. What Josh had definitely not been innocent taking in the way he had said so and smirked afterwards. What was she supposed to say?

"No, I think that was all Nathan." she rested her hands over Nathan's and she felt how tense he was. "Right, honey?" Innocent or not, she needed Josh to know she was married and was not available or interested. Nathan quickly felt all his anger go as soon as he heard Haley call him honey. He looked at her completely delighted.

"Yeah, I told you grape pizza was good." and he leaned forward and placed a kiss on her cheek. He wanted to show Josh she was his but he also wanted to do it. He always wanted to kiss Haley, anytime, anywhere.
If the dumbass continued with his little games on her, he'd have to act. For now, he was just going to wait and see.

AN: Okay, here it is. As I said before, the next chapter will be up in a week. Reviews are a lot appreciated. Thank you all :)