Five Years Later

"I'm coming." Nathan shouted from the back of his apartment. They were right on time. He smiled as he approached, as he heard the two excited voices on the other side. Without much more hesitation he opened the door, knowing to step to the side to allow his seven year old daughter and five year old son to fly in.

He looked up, "Haley!" He tried to hide his surprise. "I thought it was Jake's turn."

There was no fooling her, but she was too gracious to acknowledge that she had caught his tone, "Yeah, but I offered, he was a little preoccupied," But she didn't clarify any further before to turning to the kids, "Why don't you guys go unpack." She waited until they left before crossing her arms, and they stood there for an awkward moment putting Nathan on guard. Things between the two of them hadn't been awkward since the early days after their divorce.

"How's Mark?" Nathan asked, trying to guess the source of this tension, but was shooting in the dark with Haley's boyfriend. He had been cautious of the man at first, but had warmed up to Lucas' writer friend in the two years Haley had been seeing him.

"He's good." She confirmed that he his guess had indeed been wrong, "We're going to move into the house in Tree Hill while you have Jamie for the summer." Nathan nodded, this was nothing new.

"How's Jake…and what's his face…Colby?" Nathan nearly mumbled.

"Jake and Cody broke up a while ago…about a month."

Nathan looked around, avoiding eye contact with Haley, "He never said anything."

The sound of laughter from the kids rippled through the apartment and Haley sighed, "Okay," She slapped her hands against her lap, "I actually brought the kids because I wanted to talk to you." She paused cautiously, "We're….well, I'm worried about you, Nathan."

Nathan let out a laugh, "Haley, what is there to worry about? I've graduated college, I'm starting the NBA. I've kept my promise and I'm kids lives…" He became serious, "And I liked to think I've fixed things with you and Jake."

"You know for a while after we split up I thoughts you were acting out of guilt. You said you did want to have to choose between, but you still want Jake…"

"Haley."

"Don't Haley me. You haven't seen anyone since we divorced. You know I moved on, you can too."

"Haley." His tone deepened a little bit, casing her to throw her hands into the air.

"I'm just saying, you haven't dated, Jake hasn't been with anyone longer than a couple months. And even if I'm on the completely wrong track, you two haven't talked about it…you and me, we ended things on our own terms. Maybe not the way we wanted , but you two just ended without warning."

The kids finally ran back into the living room, and Haley was distracted long enough to say good-bye to them. On her way out the door she reminded him, "Think about it, okay?"

Nathan forced a laugh, but didn't think much of it until it was bedtime a couple days later. He loved the summer because it was the off season and he got the most time with his kids. Before Jenny and Jamie he would have surprised himself in admitting that his favorite time of the day was bedtime, reading a story, this time chosen by Jenny.

"The end." Nathan closed the book to protest by kids who were sitting on either side. "Hey, I know we haven't been able to spend a lot of time together since I moved, but we have all summer to read as many books as you guys want okay? Its time fore bed."

He tucked them both into bed and had made it an hour into late night television before he heard the door open. Jenny appeared in the living room and Nathan turned off the television. "What's the matter, princess?"

"I can't sleep."

"Come here." He patted the space next to him, and was treated to a hint of a smile for not sending her straight back to bed. "What's the matter?"

"Papa's alone." She whispered. "He and Cody broke up."

"I heard." He didn't know what to say. She had gone through a couple of Jake's other break up, and Jake always took the reigns on those questions.

"They yelled a lot."

"You were there?" He asked, a little upset that Jake had let her witness it.

"I was in my room, but they were really loud. Daddy," She paused to look up at him, "What does 'stringing me along' mean?"

Confused he answered, "It means telling someone that you need their help with something so they stay with you and you don't really need their help."

"Cody said Papa was stringing him along and that it wasn't fair to him because Papa still loves you."

"Me?" There was some sense of happiness in Nathan's head he quickly pushed aside. They had a past, he reminded himself. "What did Papa say?" He asked in spite of himself.

"He said he that it didn't matter because you didn't love him back. I don't believe that, Daddy." Jenny said defiantly. "You still love Papa right?"

"Of course I love your Papa." Nathan whispered, but fearing where this conversation might lead he changed the subject, "Why don't you try to go to bed again?"

She nodded and hopped off the couch with one final thought, "I think you need to tell Papa you still love him."

Nathan smiled at her retreating figure, but on the inside he had begun the war with himself. It had taken himself five years to get to this point, where he felt comfortable with himself again, like had forgiven himself. And him, Haley, and Jake had gone through a lot to a point where they were friends despite the situation, he didn't want to ruin that. And he didn't want anyone to think he was choosing one over the other, he didn't want one of his kids feel more important than the other.

He picked the phone up, hit the speed dial, and waited for Haley's voice to come on the line. There was barely time to say 'hello' before he started, "You're right but I can't do that to Jamie and Jenny. You saw what happen to Lucas when Dan picked me over him."

"Don't even go there, Nathan." She interrupted, "You're not your father. I'm not going to feel jaded, and neither will Jamie. Nathan you skipped a week's worth of classes when he had the flu, you spend time with him, and that is much more than Dan Scott will ever be given credit for. Nathan you don't need my permission to love Jake, okay?"

Nathan hung up and leaned his head back. He looked at the clock, and reasoned with himself. It was too late the kids where sleeping. A squeal from down the hallway discredited one of his theories so in ten minutes time he had both the kids in the back of his car in their booster seats, and was driving the familiar highway. He drove in disbelief at his own actions. What he had done with Jake was supposed to be a phase, a secret they would push to the back burner. But then Jenny had happened, and the video had came out, and now he was driving an hour to tell him the truth.

The light in the living room was still on when Nathan pulled in front of the small house. Jenny still hadn't manage to fall asleep but Jamie had to be carried as Nathan banged on the door. As the door opened the words left Nathan's mouth as he was met with Jake's disbelief.

"Nathan, what's wrong?"

"Uh-um," Nathan began to stutter, "Jenny couldn't sleep." He blurted, "Can I come in?"

Jake stepped aside to let the trio in, "So you drove down here, at night because she couldn't sleep?"

"No." Nathan tried to explain, "It's Haley fault, she…"

"Now its Haley's fault…"

"Jake, shut up," Nathan kept his voice low to prevent the five year old from waking up instead he had taken a step towards Jake, "It's taken me forever to say this, but.." Instead of stuttering over the words, he crashed his mouth in Jake's.

Epilogue--Another Five and a half years later

"I'm coming." Nathan shouts from the back of the large house he was able to purchase from his earnings, as he approaches the front door he shouts up the stairs, "Jenny, they're here. Are you ready?"

The sound of the twelve year old coming down the stairs thunders across the foyer as he opens the door. Haley stands there with a two year old awkwardly on her hip, her baby bump stick out of the winter coat she's wearing.

The ten year old Jamie crashes a hug into his father before spotting his sister and running off with her. Nathan turns back to Haley and takes the toddler off her hands, "Where's your husband?"

"Helping your brother and Peyton get unstuck, why did we pick your house to celebrate at this year?"

"Well I'm sorry we actually get winter, but if things go well we might be making our way back east by summer." He smiled letting her in on news he had just heard.

"That's exciting." Haley looked behind him, "Speaking of husbands, where's yours?"

Nathan laughed at her segue, "He's in the kitchen, we just finished making dinner. I should probably head back there before he eats everything on his own."

"Nathan Scott-Jagielski," Jake voice came from the living room entrance, "I heard that." Jake appeared, waddling in a shirt that was failing to cover his own baby bump. He greeted Haley as the others made it to the front door. Nathan let Haley and Mark's daughter run off with his niece so he could greet his brother. They stood there for at least twenty minutes catching up when both Haley and Jake requested a seat.

"Haley's having another girl right?" Mark nodded in reply to Peyton's question as they moved to the living room. "Have you found out what your having?"

Jake exchanged looks with Nathan, as they sat down next to each other, hands instantly meeting. "I think we should wait for Brooke and Mouth."

"Why are you waiting for us?" The voice appeared in the door way.

"The McFaddens." Peyton teased even if the pair were only neighbors in New York. "Making an entrance as always."

"Ha-ha. P. Scott. So why were you waiting for us?" She asked again.

Nathan squeezed Jake's hand. "We found out we're having a…"

"A boy" Jake spoke at the same time Nathan said, "A girl."

The group stared, "Twins?"

"No, no." Nathan stomped that quickly.

Lucas smirked, "You're not telling us are you?"

Jake shook his head. "We wanted to keep it a secret."

"Well we all know how well those work out for you." Brooke blurted out, and for a second there was quiet before the adults began to laugh and Haley joined the teasing, "As long as they don't involve a camera they should be good this time."


Okay, so at first this wasn't how I wanted his to turn out, but now I enjoy it. I think it's the best way to wrap this up.

Yep, its over. After thinking long and hard about it, I decided I was done with it but didn't want to leave you guys with no conclusion. So I want to thank you all for sticking by this story and pestering me til I updated. I hope you all enjoyed this final update.