For the most part, Haley loved her job. She loved her students, and she loved teaching. Today, however, was not one of those days.

Matthew Williams was currently having a meltdown - for what reason? She did not know. He was in the back of the classroom, screaming his head off, while Julie Edmondson bent over her desk and threw up.

Today was a long day and it wasn't even lunch time yet.

To top it all off, Madeline Scott had not smiled in two days. Haley knew better than to play favorites, but right now, all she wanted to do was wrap her arms around Maddie and tell her everything was going to be okay.

Before she could do that, she first needed to get Julie to the nurse, and calm down Matthew.

She heard Elizabeth complaining about something, but that was the least of Haley's worries right now.

"Jana, sweetheart, can you please bring Julie to the nurses office? And on your way back, can you get a custodian?"

Jana nodded and helped her friend up from the puke-ridden seat. Haley tried not to gag at the sight.

She then managed to wrangle the rest of the class, quietly out into the hallway while the custodians cleaned the classroom. Haley was in the process of calming down Matthew, when in the corner of her eye, she noticed Maddie sitting against the wall with her knees pressed to her chest. A small tear escaping from the blue pool of her left eye.

"Matthew, do you want to go see the counselor? Would that make you feel better?"

Finally, the brown haired boy stopped screaming, and nodded softly. Haley smiled gently and wrote him a hall pass for the counselors office, making a mental reminder to check in with them later in order to see what was going on with Matthew.

It was then that the custodians finished disinfecting the classroom and the rest of the class shuffled back inside - all but Maddie, that was.

Haley frowned slightly, then bent down so she was eye level with the six-year-old.

"What's wrong Maddie bear?" She thought the nick name would cheer her up but it only earned a sniffle.

Maddie looked at Haley with tear filled eyed, "I miss Daddy."

Haley sighed. She should have known that's what it was. For the past five days, Nathan had been in New York for an important business trip and Maddie was staying with her grandma.

"I miss him, too." Haley spoke softly. It was true. She missed seeing his blue eyes every morning before dropping Maddie off. She missed his secret kisses at the end of the day. He'd been so busy he barely was able to talk on the phone. "But guess what? He'll be home tomorrow and I know he's going to be so excited to see you, Mads! He's going to want to see you smile, not cry." She tried to be enthusiastic, cheering Maddie up. Nathan was worried Maddie would be upset. Six days was a long time to be away - the most he had ever spent away from her. Haley felt selfish for complaining to Brooke last night how she missed him. It was probably a hundred times worse for Madeline.

Maddie nodded, the edges of her lips curving gently at the corners. She wrapped her tiny arms around Haley's shoulders.

"I love you, Ms. James."
Haley felt her heart jump through the ribs in her chest. She felt like floating. Maddie loved her. Haley blinked rapidly, trying to keep her tears at bay. The two were cuddled in a tight embrace.

"I love you, too Maddie." She choked, hugging the girl closer. She knew they shared a special bond, but if Haley was being honest, she loved Maddie as if she were her own. The thought scared her, but at the same time, she'd never been happier. "Do you want me to call your Daddy during lunch? You can talk to him if you'd like."

Maddie nodded, her tears suddenly dissipating as if they had never formed. A full blown smile shone through her lips. "I'd like that very much."

"Okay," Haley grinned, discreetly wiping her own tears away, "We can call him soon. First, we have to go back to class and do some math."

"Okay!" Maddie beamed before racing back into the classroom while Haley took a moment to compose herself. A calmness washed over her bones, like gentle waves lapping the shore.

This horrible day just got a lot better.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Lunch time finally arrived. When the rest of the students in her class ran to the cafeteria, Maddie stayed back so Haley could call Nathan — assuming he'd be free to talk and not in an important meeting.

Dialing the now familiar number, Haley pressed 'speaker' and put the phone on her desk so she and Maddie could talk to Nathan.

It rang twice, before they both heard his husky voice speak. For Maddie, she was grinning exuberantly, and Haley's pulse danced with an erratic tempo.

"Hey babe," Nathan answered, a smirk growing when he saw her name flash on his phone screen.

Haley's own smile widened. She loved when he called her 'babe.' It was becoming a common term from his lips.

"Hi," she greeted, then gently nudged Maddie.

"Hi Daddy!"

"Maddie? What's up little bear?" He was clearly surprised by the sound of her raspy voice, but it made the smirk on his lips a little longer.

"Nuthin'. I was crying because I missed you so Ms. James said I could call you."

"You were crying?" His heart broke at the thought. He never wanted to be the reason either Maddie or Haley were crying.

"Just a little. Ms. James made me feel better again. I love her."

Nathan was quiet for a moment. Had he heard Maddie correctly? She said she loved Haley. Nathan wanted to say he did too, but he knew it wouldn't be appropriate to say for the first time over the phone.

"Ms. James, makes everything better huh?"

Haley smiled to herself.

"Uh-huh. She's the best!"

"I know. Give her a big hug for me, okay, Maddie?" He commanded softly. "No more crying. I love you and I'll see you very soon."

"I love you too, Daddy. I can't wait to see you."

"Me too," he said, "Have a good day! Can you give the phone back to Ms. James now?"

"I'm here, Nathan." Haley made her voice known, but grabbed her phone to shut the speaker off.

"I'm gonna go eat lunch now," Maddie whispered.

"Okay. See you in a little bit, sweetie." They shared a soft wave, and Haley cradled her cellphone between her ear and shoulder.

"Is she okay?" Nathan asked, concern lacing his tone.

"Yea, I think she just wanted to hear your voice. She really misses you. So do I."

"I miss you too, Haley James. More than you know."

Haley pouted, "How's everything going?"

"Not too bad. We signed a few contracts and endorsement deals, but I'm ready to come back home. How's your day been so far?"

She tried to suppress a groan, "Terrible. A student threw up and another one was having a panic attack."

"I'm sorry, Hales."

"It's okay. I'll feel better tomorrow when I'm in your arms," she revealed shyly.

"That sounds good," he chuckled lowly and Haley heard a low chatter in the background. "Ugh, Hales, I'm sorry. I've gotta go. Can I call you later?"

"Yeah, no problem."

"Thanks for calling, babe. I'm glad you were there with Maddie."

"Of course. Anytime."

"Okay. Bye, Haley."

"Bye, Nathan."

They hung up, and Haley's smile stayed present on her lips for the remainder of the day.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Bye Thomas. See you tomorrow, buddy!" Haley watched her last student leave for the day and she couldn't help but sink lower in her chair. All she wanted to do was go home, take a hot bath, and guzzle a bottle of Sangria. Sure, Maddie told her she loved her, and Nathan would be coming home tomorrow, but today was rough. After lunch, another student got sick. It was that time of the year and she just hoped she wouldn't get what everyone else seemed to have.

Unfortunately, she couldn't even go straight home yet. She needed to stay in and finish inputting grades in the computer. God only knows how tedious of a task that was.

She sighed. It was going to be a long night.

No less than thirty minutes later, Haley was so focused on the computer screen in front of her, that she was unaware of the surprise visitor standing in her door.

"You look beautiful."

She heard his voice and jumped slightly. Without thinking, she stood from her chair and ran into Nathan's wide open arms.

"Oh my God! What are you doing here?" She asked, melting into his embrace.

Nathan smirked, dropping a soft kiss on her forehead. "I missed you and Maddie."

"What about work?"

Nathan shrugged and held out the bouquet of purple flowers had , "I was able to convince Clay to let me go early. I tried to get here in time to pick Maddie up, but the flight took off later than expected."

Haley shook her head. She was speechless. This man was willing to leave a business trip early just so he could see her and Maddie. Like a wrecking ball through a brick wall, her heart nearly leapt through her chest just so it could be closer to Nathan.

She knew she was falling hard for him, fast, but this was it. She loved him. Haley James was in love with Nathan Scott.

"Kiss me," she commanded breathlessly.

Nathan didn't need to be told twice. Instantly, his hands found her hips and guided her gently so the backs of her knees hit the edge of her desk.

Her arms tangled around his neck, pulling him closer to her lips. Their tongues dueled in a fiery limbo, teeth crashing, and hands wandering over skin.

"Mhmm, Nathan." Haley whispered hotly, followed by a long, breathy moan.

Nathan's fingers found the skin between the hem of her shirt and pencil skirt, and rubbed small circles there.

Meanwhile, Haley fisted handfuls of his dark hair between her fingers, unconsciously wrapping her legs around his waist.

Nathan's lips attached to the spot between her jaw and lower ear, and started sucking lightly.

Haley's stomach flipped with a hot fire burning her entire body. Nathan's feather light kisses and sucking lips were driving her crazy.

Their flames were about to burst into a raging wildfire, but became doused with a cold, clearing throat.

"Ms. James. My office. Now."