I apologize to anyone who has been waiting for an update... I was given a great opportunity at work that I needed to focus on, and then when I got the time to write, it was a bit of a struggle getting back into it! In my frustration over re-writing this chapter over and over, I managed to delete my story outline as well, so I'm a bit annoyed about that but hopefully I'll be able to keep this story on track.

For those of you wondering, this certainly isn't going to be a short fic and it's definitely going to be a slow burn. I hope you're enjoying reading this Nathan and Haley's journey. I love hearing from you and reading the reviews so if you have an account with this site, please log in and review so I can message you to say thanks! It's really helpful to get feedback, because I feel like I've been struggling getting the thoughts from my head down onto the screen and I only want to keep writing if people are enjoying the ride so far.

I also think that at this point I should apologize for any errors ... while I don't think I'm as grammatically incompetent as a reviewer pointed out, I do get very sick of my own writing and any chance of proof-reading is pretty slim! Also, I'm not American and rely on spell check and the wonderful Jill to make sure I get everything as accurate as possible. I figure that most of you are American, or are more accustomed to US spellings and British English can be a bit jarring.

ANYWAY, thanks again and I hope to keep the updates coming a little more frequently. X.

Haley's bare thigh was pressed hard against Nathan's hip, and hands slid up the silky skin to the curve of her ass, simultaneously kneading the firm flesh whilst pushing her towards him, closer, closer. She was everywhere, surrounding him with warmth and breathy moans, and his hands had never felt so small, desperate to touch every bared inch of her soft, pale skin.

He could feel the throb of her pulse in her neck, right where his lips were attached. Her heat scorched him but he couldn't pull away to save himself. Her body arched into him, her neck bared as she threw her head back. From her mouth, which was opened in indescribable ecstasy, came a low, reverberating ...

Snore...

Nathan shot up and was off the bed in one, fluid movement, as if it had stung him. Haley remained, flat on her back with her mouth open, her soft snore filling the room as the back of her tongue hit the top of her throat in her unconsciousness. Nathan's heart was pounding a rapid staccato and he desperately gulped mouthfuls of air to calm his body down.

"Fuck," he whispered to himself. It had felt so real; Haley had felt so real. He had been so tired last night that he wanted to lie down until he knew that Haley was definitely asleep and comfortable, and had clearly drifted off himself. When he could trust his body to move, he eased out of his spare bedroom - Haley's bedroom - and out into the hallway.

He was surprised to see his hands shaking, and he braced them against his knees as he continued to catch his breath. He'd been no stranger to sex dreams over the past year - nameless, faceless women with long, silky hair and firm, curvy bodies filling his subconscious as he slept. He'd gotten used to waking up, hard and aching, and occasionally even in a mess. His body had become so accustomed to frequent gratification since his early teenage years that it was simply his coping mechanism since he'd become his only sexual partner since his accident. But nothing had ever felt so real before, and he'd never dreamed about someone he actually knew.

It wasn't that Nathan didn't want to have sex with a woman, but his accident and departure from professional basketball had been the perfect chance to escape the hedonistic lifestyle he'd found himself in and focus on what he knew would be truly important to him in the long run - his agency, charity work, meaningful relationships. The only problem had been that he hadn't found anyone suitable to start a meaningful relationship with; his attempts at dating always ended after the first one, when the woman invariably found herself with a man not like the one she expected, or Nathan himself unable to put up with the awkward silences or shallow conversations. It had surprised everyone, not in the least his own mother, who had taken to texting Lucas for gossip that the magazines no longer provided. It was highly inappropriate.

At the thought of appropriateness, Nathan blanched. Haley had done nothing but give him chances and opportunities, convincing people who had long written him off to believe in him the way she seemed to. She had changed his life and all he wanted to do was to help her, in whatever feeble way, to get her past her depression. It wasn't as if he actually wanted her… was it? He shook his head to himself, partially to dismiss the thought and partially to physically shake the image of Dream Haley's naked body from his brain. No, Haley was vulnerable and depressed. She'd been broken. She was a poor victim of his underactive sex life and the ogling he'd caught himself doing over her body and allowing his subconscious to feature her in his sex dreams was the most unhelpful and inappropriate action he could think of. He felt disgusted at himself, like he was some predatory pervert whose mind preyed on the weak and vulnerable. His job was to help Haley get better. This wouldn't help.

Thank God it hadn't been a wet dream.

Having sufficiently calmed his body down, Nathan headed to his room, changing his clothes and tying up his running shoes. He had a lot of pent-up energy to burn.

By the time Nathan had gone for his run, lifted some weights and showered, he found Peyton in the kitchen, standing in front of his fridge. He'd received a text from her before he had fallen asleep the night before, asking if she and Jake could stay at his house. He suspected they had no intention of sharing the hotel suite that Brooke had booked for them, and the room his brother was meant to be staying in would remain empty, so he'd responded yes.

"Morning," he greeted her. "Good night?" He tossed Peyton a water bottle and began pulling pancake mix and milk out to prepare breakfast.

Peyton groaned. "Urgh. You'd think after over a decade of drinking with Brooke Davis, I'd learn my limits." She chugged some water, swallowed, and said, "No, it was a good night. I just feel the hangovers more these days... Things got pretty crazy after you left"

"Crazier than singing karaoke and falling off the stage?"

"Ok, yeah, you have a point ... How's Haley this morning?"

Nathan shook his head, swallowing hard. "I haven't seen her."

Since I bolted out of her room after having a sex dream about her, he thought to himself.

"You know, I think she really appreciated having you to talk to," Nathan changed the subject. "Thank you for what you said to her last night."

Peyton shrugged, nonchalantly. "I get what she's going through. She's had a lot of loss in such a short time. Sometimes it's good to feel understood, and to see someone come through something she's going through."

Nathan nodded, thoughtfully. "I think that's why I'm pretty hopeless at helping her. I can't understand what she's feeling - my parents are hardly the loving, supportive influences that I'd hate to lose."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Nate. She was telling us how she couldn't even get out of bed a month ago. You're making a difference; all she needs is someone stable in her life, to keep supporting her and helping her find herself again."

And not dream about grinding themselves all over her naked body, Nathan added, silently.

"She seems quite into her music," Peyton was saying. "I mean, I don't think drunken karaoke is quite her style, but I'd love to have her come and check out the new studio in Tree Hill sometime. And music is such a great healing mechanism."

Nathan nodded, absently. "Yeah, I didn't realize she played any instruments or anything."

"She was telling me and Brooke at the bar last night that she didn't get a chance to pursue it in college because of her ex. He sounds like a real piece of work... arrogant, self-centered, only focused on his dreams and what he wants..."

"Sounds like you and Haley don't just have music in common, but shitty taste in ex boyfriends, too."

Peyton rolled her eyes. "Don't be self-deprecating, Nate. It doesn't suit you. And stop being so hard on yourself! You're not that guy anymore, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember. It's why I can't get a date anymore," he grumbled. "The ladies only love asshole Nathan."

Peyton laughed, coming up beside him to rub his shoulder affectionately. "Don't worry, Nate. You'll find someone to have that loved up bliss with, like me and Jake. Some things are just worth waiting for."

Nathan watched another pancake as it flipped in the air, landing back into the pan in his hand with a sizzle. "I hope so, Peyton. I really do."

"You know, you're different with her."

"With who?"

"Haley ... I mean, I know you've changed a lot, Nate, but you're even more so with her. I've never seen you like this."

Nathan wasn't sure he wanted to hear more, but he couldn't help but ask, "Like what?"

Peyton shrugged. "Protective. Caring. Almost ... doting."

"Yeah... well ... Haley's been through a lot and she's helped me so much. I owe it to her to help her, too."

"Mmm-hmm..." Peyton made a non-committal humming noise and Nathan wasn't sure if she believed him. "If that's all it is."

"What else would it be?"

She shrugged again, and Nathan started to feel irritated towards her faux-nonchalance. "I don't know ... maybe that is all it is."

"It is."

"Ok."

"Ok."

"Good."

"Good."

Peyton gave him a blindingly bright smile, before asking, "Where's the maple syrup?"

Nathan shook his head. His friends were weird.

Haley's head was throbbing, but she was surprised to find that it wasn't much worse than the first night she took sleeping pills. It was the shame and humiliation which seemed to hurt more, creeping into every crevice of her body as she tried to move - although, she realized, that could just be her twisted ankle.

She couldn't believe she'd been so stupid. She hadn't even noticed the couple of drinks she'd had after the first one, and hadn't even thought about it mixing with her medications. She was just having a great time, caught up in Peyton's stories about the music industry and Brooke's questions about Lucas. It had just hit her, like a sudden, gentle tip of the scales that threw her from adorably tipsy to falling-off-the-stage-and-throwing-up drunk. The shame of being so needy and insecure wasn't something Haley was used to. She was always used to being relatively happy in her own skin.

Ain't nothing gonna break-a my stride ... except a stupid, twisted ankle, she thought angrily, mentally scowling at how her catchy 80's anthem had deceived her.

Every time she thought about moving off the bed and going downstairs, she heard laughter coming up from the kitchen. She imagined they were all talking about her, how she'd gotten so drunk, how she'd made a fool of herself. It made the voice inside of her brain laugh viciously, so she stayed where she was, avoiding everyone.

The knock on her door was soft and it made Haley realise that she hadn't heard the laughter for awhile, that the house had gone silent. She looked up to see Nathan's ocean blue eyes watching her.

"Hey, you're up."

She nodded in reply, and as he eased into the room, Haley could see that his hands were full.

"How are you feeling?"

She watched silently for a moment as Nathan sat next to her feet at the end of the bed and, with the experience of a professional athlete, began to wrap her swollen ankle in a bandage. His hand practically covered her entire foot; she felt small, but safe.

"I don't really remember much of last night," she confessed.

"Really?" Nathan arched an eyebrow. "Summer lovin'..."

"Oh, so now you can sing?" Haley accused, with a light laugh. "Oh God, Nathan ..." She buried her face in her hands. "I'm really sorry."

"For what?"

"From what I remember, I dragged you up on stage and humiliated you, I fell off the stage and humiliated you, and then I threw up and disgusted you."

"Hmm... sounds like you remember quite a bit, then."

The laughter in his voice was evident, but Haley still cringed. "And I'm fairly sure that I wasn't alone in the room last night when I took my clothes off?"

She couldn't bring herself to look at Nathan, so she missed the blushing of his cheeks. He secured the bandage and gave her foot a light pat, before propping it up on a pillow and wedging some ice that he had brought with him underneath it. "Look, Hales, you didn't humiliate me. Not at all. You don't need to apologise. I'm just glad you're ok.

Haly gave him a small smile, not for the first time marveling at how caring Nathan had become. "Peyton and Brooke are going to think I'm an idiot."

"They don't, honestly. Brooke feels awful, she had no idea you were on medications and she was just so glad you were talking to her after what happened when she turned up here. And Peyton is planning your career as a rockstar as we speak."

He gave her a genuine smile, patted her leg again and stood. "I mean it, Hales ... don't let those voices get to you. No one is laughing at you. Yeah, you made a mistake, but you had a fun night last night. Don't let anything take that away from you."

She watched him as headed towards the bedroom door, wondering if he could read her mind or just always knew what to say to her these days.

"Nathan?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

He smiled again. "You have to stop thanking me, Hales. I'm happy to help."

Haley settled back against her pillow as he left the room. She felt a wave of calm, of contentment that she hadn't felt in a long time, but was beginning to associate with Nathan. She hadn't succumbed to the negative voice, to the thick, black heaviness that had been in her constant presence for months. Maybe she would be ok. Maybe there was an end in sight to her depression. Maybe things could be good again.

At least that's what she thought until her phone rang.