FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE CH 14

A/N: hey guys! I'm back, again. Thank you all for your lovely reviews they're inspiring me so much!
This chapter is inspired by the amazing Sam Smith, since I was listening to his song "I'm Not The Only One" and the title of this story is part of the lyrics in verse 1 so it got me even more inspired to write. I also got 2 requests in my PM for this story, so this chapter will be a lot longer than my others:

One request was for Nathan and Haley to have a discussion about sex. This reader felt that they Nathan and Haley should talk about it, and try to move forward a bit in the physical and intimate side of their relationship. I tried to incorporate it but as I said above I'm not really experienced in relationships so I tried my best, and I hope that you think it's ok.

I was requested by Naley12 to add some more fluff, and maybe a make out scene…But I'm not really experienced in writing or actually experiencing any romantic stuff since I've never actually had a boyfriend…or even a date :P, most of this story is from my imagination. So I did enlist her help with writing the make out part so I hope you like it :)

Enjoy!

14. The nursery (and other surprises)

A week had passed since Haley's hospital visit. Doctor Greene had been by twice to see her, and was pleased to find that Haley had been following instructions, and that Nathan had been taking care of her and making sure she stuck to her limitations. Since her blood pressure and stress was decreasing, they suggested waiting a little longer than planned for haley to deliver. She was in the last three weeks of pregnancy which meant the baby could already be ready but the Doctor had stated that if Haley was doing ok and the baby was doing ok, then she didn't see the point in medically inducing labour. She had given Haley some medication to help with her blood pressure and she was now allowed to be on her feet for fifteen minutes a day, but still nothing too strenuous.

Nathan walked up the stairs to their house, holding a box of goodies for Haley. Their friends were all at Karen's and Nathan stopped by to pick up some food Karen had made for them, and the group had given Nathan a care package which they had made for Haley, since they knew she'd go crazy with them if they were there all the time watching her, but they knew shed go out of her mind if hse didn't have anything to do – the care package was the solution to their problems.

Nathan smiled remembering how Brooke had lectured him for fifteen minutes, instructing him to be careful and to not ruin the box that they had spent hours working on. He loved how caring their friends were, and he felt extremely lucky they would all be only an hour or two away from Nathan and Haley at Duke.

Nathan knocked gently on the door before entering, and smiled even wider at the sight.
Haley was curled up on the bed, Dead asleep, her pregnancy books, laptop and magazines scattered around her and her hands placed protectively over her unborn baby. Nathan loved how wonderful a mother Haley had already become, and the baby wasn't even born yet.

He walked into the room, placing the care package on the table next to the bed and gathered everything up and neatly placed it under the table in the shelf. He went to close her laptop and was surprised at what he found. Sex: How do I know if I'm ready?

After everything that had happened with Troy, Haley's therapist had suggested she go to group therapy discussion as well to talk to people who had been through similar situations to hers. One of the girls in their group who she had befriended, Lindsay, had started an online group therapy chat for anyone who had experienced something like both she and Haley had, and where they could ask questions about moving forward, or express their feelings in a safe environment.

Haley had written beneath the question that had been posted.

Hey guys,

I know it's been a while since I've written anything or even answered any questions you guys have posted but I've been slightly pre-occupied. See, I'm not 9 months pregnant. Yes, my unfortunate experience led to me having a child.

However, It doesn't matter that this child is a result of something so traumatic. I have the most amazing boyfriend (Yes, Nathan and I finally got together!) and he's told me time and time again that he loves this kid as if he or she were his own child. We're going to Duke together, and I feel so lucky to have him.

Which brings me back to my original questions. It's been almost a year since I was raped, and Nathan's been amazing in giving me my space and not pushing me past a make-out session. But how do I tell him I want to progress further? I don't know if sex is the next step, but I'm freaking out.

I love him, like I've never loved anyone before. And it scares me to think he might not want this, might not want to be with me that way. How do I explain this all to him?

- Haley.

Nathan wasn't sure how he felt. He didn't even know Haley was considering this. He knew he wanted to be with Haley intimately, did she really doubt his feelings for him though? He couldn't help but feel hurt by that. He knew she always doubted herself, but he thought he had made it evident he wasn't going anywhere. He needed to talk to her about this.
_

Haley woke up at around noon. She couldn't believe she had slept for so long, but she hadn't been able to sleep the night before since Nathan wasn't there. He had insisted on finishing the last bit of the nursery, and he only came to bed at four in the morning.

She smiled at the gesture. He really was the most amazing man, and she loved him so much. Haley looked around the room and noticed her things had been put back under the table, including her laptop – had Nathan seen what she had been looking at?
She was distracted from her thoughts, noticing there was a box sitting on the bed with a note on it.

Hales,

The group asked me to give you this. They made you a care package so you would have something to do while on bed rest.
When you wake up, come knock on the nursery door, I'm just cleaning up in there so you can see.

Love Nathan

Haley smiled and opened up the box.

Magazines, courtesy of Bevin and Alex. Her iPod, but with about a thousand new songs on it under a "Pregnancy Playlist" courtesy of Peyton. New Maternity Clothing from Brooke. And a very messily done collage, with a whole bunch of new books, from all the guys.

Haley's eyes glistened with unshed tears as she saw just how much her friends loved her. She sent a quick text to them all

I love the care package ALMOST as much as I love all of you. Thank you.

Haley shut her phone and moved the box aside to get out of bed, she was feeling really gross considering shed been in her pyjamas since yesterday night. She quickly brushed her hair and changed into a casual yellow dress Brooke had put in the box for her. She moved to look at herself in the mirror.

"Well baby, we officially look like a lemon meringue pie." She laughed as she placed her hands on her belly, feeling the baby kick under her palms. She walked out the door towards the door and tentatively knocked.

"Wait! Don't come in just hold on!" she heard an obviously flustered Nathan yell through the door followed by a crash and "OW!"
Haley laughed "You ok?" she asked
"yes!" he replied "Just close your eyes I'm coming out ok?"
Haley closed her eyes before replying, and heard the door opened followed by Nathan's heavy footsteps. She felt him wrap some material around over her eyes so she couldn't peek, and felt him gently push her into the room.

"Now" he started "If you don't like it, I can always change it. I kind of tried to match the photos you had looked at but I really wanted to do something else too. And Peyton helped with the wall that the crib is against, I'm not that talented" he finished with a snort.

Haley bounced up and down on the spot "Nathan I'm sure I'll love it, now hurry up and let me see!" she squealed. She had waited four months to see this room and she was beyond excited.
Nathan carefully lead Haley over to sit her down in the rocking chair before taking off the blindfold.
"So? What do you think" He asked. Haley gasped.

On the wall where the entry was, there was a changing table and a little toy box next to it, with shelves above and little teddy bear wallpaper which she had picked out was skirted along the top of all the walls. The wall where the window had the rocking chair which Haley was sitting in with an accompanied chair for someone else, with a little coffee table in between.
The wall next to that had a massive mural which Peyton had done. It was off all the group at the Rivercourt, with the words "Your family" written in cursive below, with a crib against it. The last wall had a chest of drawers and the wall had a massive cloud in the centre, and white photo frames surrounding, with various pictures of all their friends and families, and a changing table next to the chest of drawers.

But Haley's favourite thing in the room was the photo that was stuck on the crib with the words "Our first Family Picture" painted on the crib underneath it. It was a photo Brooke had taken of Nathan had Haley. Haley's arms were wrapped around Nathan's neck, and his were placed on her baby bump, and they were engaged in a light kiss.

Tears filled Haley's eyes as she looked at the powder blue walls. She looked up at Nathan's nervous gaze and smiled. "This is perfect Nathan, Thank you."
Nathan smiled and his body visibly sagged with relief "I'm glad you liked it. And Peyton said that once we figure out what the baby's name is, she'll paint it into the cloud over there" He smiled, feeling proud of his work in this room.

They sat together on the pair of rocking chairs, Nathan had made her a cup of tea and he was drinking coffee. He felt now was the best time to bring up what he saw.
"Hales look, I don't want you be upset, but when I was cleaning up everything I saw what was on your laptop." Nathan started slightly apprehensive as he waited for Haley's reaction.

"Oh. I thought you might have when I noticed you cleaned up. Are you mad?" she whispered looking down at her hands. Nathan set his coffee down and reached across the table and grasped her hands within his. "no of course not! Why would you think that?"

"I thought you might be upset that I had posted our problems online. I just-" Haley was at a loss of wrods to explain her reasoning. Nathan takes pity and jumps in "I know you feel safe asking them about these things, I don't mind. I am upset that you doubts my feelings hales. Do you not know how much I love you?" he spoke, his voice clearly conveying his pain.

"I know, but I do worry sometimes that maybe one day you'll wake up and realise playing basketball is more fun than playing house."
Nathan gasped, "Do you really think that little of me? Hales, you know me. If I didn't want this I would tell you. I've wanted to be with you since we were 13 years old. I see my future with you. You're all I've ever wanted." He spoke kissing her hands. "now, talk to me. You know you can tell me anything."

Haley took a deep breath, feeling very nervous. "I want to move forward in our relationship. We never really talked about our physical, intimate boundaries. I know I want you to be my first, but I still think that's not happening for a while, I've still got some things to sort out. But I do want to move forward, I want to be more intimate with you, but I just… I don't know where to draw the line you know?" she said, hoping she explained it to him.

:I think so" Nathan replied "How about this? Let's just try and go a bit further – physically speaking -, and as soon as either of us feels that we need to stop, we just say so. I'll ask you before I do something and you can tell me yes or no. That way we communicate with each other, and we both know what we're comfortable with. Sound good?" Nathan offered.

Haley smiled and kissed his cheek "Sounds good. I'm sorry I didn't talk to you about it sooner, I was just nervous. I know you have a sexual history and I guess that makes me a bit nervous about talking to you about this. Plus you know I'm socially awkward about this topic anyways." Haley joked, referring to when they'd all be with their friends.

Nathan laughed "Yeah I know. It's not the most comfortable conversation to have, but at the end of the day we have to be honest with each other and know what the other wants, and this is how we do that. Besides, you're the first girl I've ever been with that I want a future with. I'm not going to throw all that away just because I find it a little awkward to talk about sex." He smiled.

"Ok" Haley started "so we agree. We'll just take this as we go and if we feel like its going too far then we agree to stop there."
"Deal. Shall we seal it with a kiss?" Nathan smirked.
Haley sighed dramatically and groaned "If we must"

Haley was now curled up on the couch, watching one of the 'home videos' that Brooke had recorded over the summer which was in her care package. Haley smiled and watched as the girls tried to push the guys off the pier at Brooke's beach house.

The group were coming over tomorrow to spend the day with Haley since they couldn't go to the café like they had planned because Karen had a problem with one of the new franchise stores for Karen's Café.

Nathan walked through the door half an hour later, completely exhausted from his basketball training with Lucas. He had showered at Lucas and decided to spend some time with his brother, feeling out of touch with him lately. He entered the living room and saw Haley curled beneath a blanket on the couch. "Any room for me over there?" He asked making himself noticed.
Haley smiled "Always. When did you get back? I didn't hear you come in."
"Only a couple of seconds ago. Is this the video Brooke made?"
"Yeah it was in that package the guys sent. We got to do something for them tomorrow to say thanks." She replied as Nathan stripped down to his boxers and climbed into bed wrapping his arms around her waist. "I missed you" he whispered against her hair.

Haley smiled, leaning up and kissing Nathan, letting her tongue slip past his teeth after a few minutes as they bought fought to gain dominance in the kiss.

* "Mmm that was a nice a hello," nathan spoke softly smiling back at her when they broke away from the kiss.
Haley was a little embarrassed "I have been thinking a lot about what we discussed earlier. I would like to try and develop our relationship more," she spoke sitting up on the sofa.
"What do you mean?" Nathan asked with a confused look on his face.
"I know we have said I love you and you agreed to help me with this baby. I want us to start becoming a proper couple. I want us to kiss, make out and do stuff normal couples do, she spoke looking directly at him. We said we'd try and find our boundaries right?"

"Okay," he replied slowly leaning in to kiss her again. This time the kiss developed fast and became very passionate with a lot of tongue between them. Haley wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him closer as they kissed.

Nathan softly rub the soft skin of her stomach where her t shirt had risen up "Nathan it's okay if you wanting touch me, she spoke softly breaking away from the kiss.

" I just don't want to push you after everything you have been through," he replied looking back at her.
"Nathan I trust you and want this with you" she replied to him.
"Well that's let it upstairs then, this sofa is not comfy and you need to be resting," he spoke lifting her in his arms.
"God you're so sexy babe," she spoke as he carried her upstairs. Stopping off in the bathroom before going back to bed.

Up in the bedroom Nathan gently placed her on the bed "I'm just going to open the window a little to give you some fresh air" he spoke as he opened it.
"Thank you, now get back over her and kiss me" she commented to him.

Nathan did exactly as he was told. Kissing her straight away, this time let his hand travel up over her stomach. He realised she wasn't wearing a bra. Haley had seen the shocked expression on his face. "All of mine are underwire and I can't wear them anymore with being so big. I like the way you were touching me," she spoke reassuring him that it was okay.
"You know I really do love you Hales, and our baby," he replied leaning in to give her a sweet kiss.
"We love you too." she replied smiling at him. As she placed his hand back under her t-shirt she whispered against his ear "just touch me 'till I fall asleep, what you were doing was very relaxing,"

Nathan was only too happy to comply.

A/N: OK! That is the end of this chapter and I must say I'm pretty happy with it! It's just shy of 3000 words which is the longest chapter I've written, which goes to show how much your reviews inspired me! Thank you again to naley12 for all your help with the Naley romance that was in this episode, I put an astrict ( * ) next to the beginning of what she wrote. Read her fanfic stories if you're not already they're awesome! I'll try to update in a week at the latest.

PLEASE REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THOUGHT!