Looking at the basket in front them, this person made their way to the free throw line, and positioned themselves ever so slightly behind it. The ball came just above their nose as they breathed in the musty, thick, hot summer air through their already sweaty nose. Their hands were red and moist from being beaten by the sun, but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered when they stepped out onto the court. The heat went away, all painful thoughts vanished and the one thing that was in focus was getting the orange piece of rubber into the hoop sitting 10 feet above the ground and 15 feet away from them. Taking a deep breath, the ball was released from the grasp of the sweaty hands where it once sat. As the ball went into the hoop hitting the mesh, this person now wore a smile and went to retrieve it. Dribbling it as another shot has attempted to be made and all this young one could wear was a smile because all the pain the world has thrown at them has vanished. This young one looked at the basket that stood in front of them. They smiled and looked to their left and peered into the window of their home. They smiled when they saw someone smiling back at them and looked back to the basket.
"Scott steps up to the free throw line. Ravens down by 1 and all it takes is for this shot to tie. He shoots…"
The ball was released from the young one's grasp and it hit the rim, bouncing off of it and rolling to the opposite side of the yard. The young one ran to retrieve it, only to be met with a pair of brown eyes. The one with the brown eyes held the ball in her hands. A smile spread across the small one's face as he came face-to-face with her.
"Nallie?"
She wore a smirk on her face. The ball was still in her hand. She looked down at the young one and winked.
"Hey Ry…was that your free throw?"
The little boy nodded.
"Not too bad…but keep your elbows in and it'll go in…try it."
She tossed Ryan the ball and he dribbled it to the "free throw line." She stood in her place and watched her little brother sink the ball into the basket. He whooped and grabbed the ball and ran back to his older sister. He looked up at her and smiled.
"You here to stay?"
She bent down to be at eye-level with him. She nodded and his smile grew wider. She grabbed onto his small hands and pulled him into a hug.
"I missed you buddy."
"Me too. Mama said you weren't gonna come home 'til next Thursday."
"I wanted to surprise her."
"Oh…can I go get her?"
Natalie looked at her little brother and smirked. He was an exact replica of her. They both shared the features of their father. Fortunately for Ryan, he didn't inherit the genetic disease that ran in the family. Natalie ran her eyes over his raven black hair and looked into his deep blue eyes. He wore the signature smirk inherited from his father on his face and his expression was filled with hope and excitement. Natalie nodded to allow him to go and tell his mother. She watched as Ryan ran into the house. She watched after him and then she smirked to herself.
Ryan ran as fast as his little 4-year old legs would let him. He ran through the doors and they led him straight into the kitchen. He ran towards his mother who stood over the sink washing dishes and kept an eye on dinner.
"MAMA, MAMA, MAMA!"
Haley jumped at the sound of Ryan's voice yelling for her.
"What?!"
"Nallie's home. She's outside. Come see."
Ryan grabbed Haley's hand and dragged her in the direction of the backyard. They stepped outside and Ryan stood there, holding his mother's hand. His eyes wandered to where he left his sister, but she wasn't there. Haley looked down at Ryan and then kneeled to be at eye-level with him.
"She's not here baby."
"Yes! She is! She was right there." Ryan pointed to the corner near the fence. Haley sighed in sadness. She kissed Ryan's hand that she held. She grazed her hand over his face.
"I miss her too sweetie. C'mon. Come inside. You can help me set the table…"
Ryan wasn't moving. He stared hard at the corner where he thought for sure his sister stood merely minutes before.
"C'mon Ry."
Ryan turned and followed his mother into the house.
232323
The fingers grazed the keyboard. It was choppy, but that's pretty good for someone who was learning a new tune. They read the music well enough, but couldn't get their fingers to flow graciously enough to make the sound beautiful. They let out a sigh of frustration, placing their head on the keyboard. They let out a groan, angry that they couldn't prefect it. They took a deep breath and placed their fingers over the keys and tried again. It flowed better, but they couldn't shake the feeling that someone watched them. This one turned around and a smile came to their face at the sight before them.
"Nibs!"
The little girl hopped off her chair and went to greet her older sister. She jumped into Natalie's arms and Natalie spun her. Her light brown hair flowed down her back. She wrapped her legs around Natalie's waist as Natalie carried her to her bed where she sat her down and kneeled before her.
"Well Ems…you grew since Easter. And you're piano is getting better. Has Jamie been teaching you?"
"When he can."
"Yeah…he's busy huh?"
"Yup. Why are you so far away? I miss you." Emma hugged Natalie as she crawled into her big sister's lap. Natalie smiled.
"I miss you too."
"Let's go downstairs…" Emma hopped off of the bed, but noticed that Natalie wasn't moving. "C'mon."
"Actually…I was gonna surprise mommy when daddy came home. She doesn't know that I'm here. Do you think you can keep it a secret until dinner?"
"Does Ryan know you're home?"
"Yes."
"Okay. I promise." Natalie grinned and watched Emma skipped out of the room. She smirked. How she got stuck with twin siblings she'll never know and quite frankly, she didn't want to know. She got up and left Emma's room. She walked into her own room and looked around. Not one thing changed. The walls were still the aqua green that they had been when she left and her sheets were clean and unused. She sat on her comfortable bed and then lay down. She closed her eyes for a brief moment and took deep breaths.
232323
Emma trotted down the stairs, telling herself not to let the secret slip every so often. She got to the bottom of the stairs and went to the kitchen. Ryan was placing 5 plates on the table. Much to Ryan's content, Jamie would be joining them for dinner that evening. She walked past Ryan to Haley.
"Hi mommy." Haley looked down and smiled at Emma.
"Hey baby. Finish practicing?"
"Yeah."
"Good. Why don't you go help Ryan?"
"Okay." Haley handed Emma the forks and Emma set them near the plates. As she came to her brother she leaned towards him and whispered, trying her best not to let her mother hear what she was saying. "When she's not looking, put an extra plate. Nallie's home." Ryan looked at Emma wide-eyed. Emma smiled.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. She was in my room and she hugged me."
Haley looked over at her children who were whispering about something that she knew nothing about.
"What are you two mumbling about?"
The twins shot their head in the direction of their mother. They gave Haley innocent smiles.
"Nothing really, mama. Emma was telling me that she wanted to show me the free throw that I teached her yesterday…"
"Taught sweetie."
"Sorry, taught…"
Emma nodded and pointed at her brother. "Yeah."
"Really? 'Cause I heard someone say upstairs…" Haley raised an eyebrow.
"The basketball net on the back of Ryan's door mommy. The one daddy put up last week."
"I'M HERE!"
A voice cut off the conversation and it came from the hallway. Emma and Ryan ran to get away from the conversation with their mother. Haley followed the twins and watched as they collided with Jamie.
"Hey! It's frick and frack."
"Haha Ryan. You're frack."
"Why am I frack?"
"Duh, you're younger than me. So you come second."
"Only by a minute…right mama?" Ryan turned his head and looked at Haley to confirm.
"A minute and 48 seconds." Emma stuck her tongue out playfully at Ryan. He exhaled in frustration. Jamie laughed and walked towards Haley. Haley shook her head at Ryan and Emma and laughed a little. She smiled when Jamie looked down at her. He enveloped her into a hug and she held onto him.
"Hey mom. Smells good."
"Nice to see you too."
"I'm very happy to see you."
"Where's you fiancé?"
"She has one more final to write and she'll be home from Cali along with my sister next week."
"I still can't believe you two are engaged."
"Hey, you got married at 16. I decided to wait an extra couple of years."
Haley only looked at Jamie and shook her head, smiling. Jamie, Ryan and Emma walked with Haley into the kitchen. Jamie looked at Ryan and Emma and sensed that something was up. He looked at the two of them and noticed them staring at the room above them. He noticed his mother was completely oblivious and realized whose room was above them: Natalie's.
232323
Natalie woke up from her power snooze. She was awoken by the voice of her older brother yelling that he had made his arrival. She wanted to smack him, but didn't want to blow her cover. She took a deep breath, calming herself and laid back down. She rubbed her eyes and lay still. She looked out her window and noticed the blue sky. Not a single cloud occupied it and she smiled. It was kind of like her life at this point. There was not a single rain cloud in sight. She was happy and she hoped that it would always be that way. She rolled onto her side and felt something on her thigh. She smiled and reached into her pocket. She pulled out the tiny ring that Daniel had given her. They were still together after all this time. She was so in love with him and it pained her that she'd have to be away from him for another 3 days.
Flashback
Natalie and Daniel sat in a Starbucks not too far away from their campus. Natalie was sipping on her White Chocolate Macchiato when she noticed Daniel staring at her. She slowed her sip and looked at him questioningly. He only continued to stare and he smiled. She stared back at him in confusion and in wonder.
"What?"
"I have something for you."
"Really? What's the occasion?"
"Does a boyfriend need an occasion to give his girlfriend a gift?"
"No."
"Then…"
Daniel reached into he pocket and pulled out a small box. He handed it to Natalie and she smirked. She took off the red ribbon and opened the box. In it flashed a ring. Her jaw dropped. It was simply beautiful, plain and original. It was a silver band with gorgeous designs encompassing it. She looked at Daniel who wore a smile.
"It's a promise ring. Look, I dunno where our lives will take us and I can't see anything in my future except you and I wanted to let you know that. I know it's not much, I mean there's no diamond on it or anything, it's just a band, but it's engraved…"
Natalie looked on the inside of the ring. Always, no matter what… She smiled.
"You don't have to wear it-" Natalie slipped the ring onto her finger and leaned over and kissed him.
End Flashback
She smiled and looked at the ring. She fiddled with it. She had taken it off to avoid any questions that her parents might ask her. She let out a happy sigh and put the ring back into her pocket.
232323
Nathan stepped into the household and set his keys on the table in the entranceway. He walked into the house and could hear the groans from his kids playing Rock Band in the living room. He walked into the living room with his arms crossed. Jamie sang as Emma played the guitar and Ryan played the drums. He laughed and shook his head. The song came to and end and they had received 4 stars.
"Wow, you guys did better than me."
"DADDY!" Emma ran to her father and jumped into his arms. He put her on his hip as he noticed her significant other rushing towards him. Ryan jumped into his arms and he held both of his kids in his arms.
"Hey you two. Playing with Jamie?"
"Yeah." They replied in unison. Nathan noticed Jamie who had his sleeves rolled up. He put Ryan and Emma down. Jamie and Nathan shook hands and then Nathan pulled Jamie in for a hug.
"How you doing buddy?"
"Can't complain."
"How's the fiancé?"
"She's good."
"Good. Hey I gotta ask you something."
"Shoot."
"Think you can keep these munchkins occupied while I say hi to your mother?"
"Sure thing, just don't let me see it."
Nathan patted Jamie on the neck and exited the living room. Jamie watched his father leave and then turned his attention to the twins.
"What song's next?"
HJSNS
Nathan silently walked into the kitchen and went and stood behind his wife as she cooked. Not wanting to bump into her, kept a small distance. He smirked that he had gone unnoticed for quite a while. She was chopping vegetables and he figured he'd wait until she put down the knife. She put it down and moved the vegetables near the sink. She gave her hands a quick rinse and then dried them. She turned and her face was met with Nathan's who had silenced her attempted scream with a kiss. She smiled and he wrapped his arms around her waist. She placed her hands on his face and let her mouth explore his. She broke away from him.
"Hi."
"Hello wife."
"Nice."
"What?"
"Hello wife? That's the best you can do?"
"Hey…I only got a hi."
"Yeah, but I was seductive."
Nathan looked at her defeated. She's right. She smiled and he licked his lips.
"Okay." Nathan kissed Haley again and then broke away. "Hello my naturally beautiful, kind, amazing, sexy wife," He smirked when he saw Haley blush and smile. "Better?"
"Much." She pulled him towards her and crashed her lips onto his. He lifted her up and she smiled.
232323
"KIDS! DINNER! LET'S GO!"
Natalie awoke with a jump. She heard her father's voice boom throughout the household. She smirked. Natalie moved out of her room and went to the bathroom to wash her hands and splash some cool water on her face. She popped a gum in her mouth and fixed her appearance by throwing her hair into a ponytail and letting her bangs fall to the side. She took a deep breath and descended the stairs.
HJSNS
"KIDS! DINNER! LET'S GO!" Nathan called the three who played in the living room. The three of them came rushing into the kitchen and took their seats. Emma looked at Ryan who spoke up.
"Mama, we're missing a plate."
Haley looked at the table to make sure she counted correctly.
"No, sweetie. We're not."
Emma cut in. "Yeah we are mommy."
"No. We're not."
"Yeah you are…"
Haley spun her head around and saw Natalie standing in the doorframe of the kitchen. Jamie moved out of his chair and greeted his little sister with a giant hug. She smiled as his arms flew around her body. Emma and Ryan looked at Haley, whose jaw had dropped as soon as she heard Natalie's soft voice correcting her. The twins giggled.
"Told you I saw her mama."
Haley looked at Ryan who was smirking in triumph. Haley looked at Natalie and saw that she had moved onto hugging her father. Nathan was happy that his daughter was home. He wasn't expecting her home for another 8 days and he was content that she was home earlier than expected.
"I thought you were supposed to come home next Thursday."
"Yeah…I lied so that I could see the priceless looks on your faces."
"Very funny." Natalie smiled and looked at Haley who was close to having tears in her eyes. Natalie walked over to Haley with a smile. She noticed her mother's stance. Haley was leaning, holding onto the tabletop for support so that she wouldn't faint from the shock or happiness that rolled around within her. Natalie laid a hand on Haley's shoulder and forced her mother to stand up straight. Haley took a deep breath and threw her arms around her daughter. Natalie put her arms around her mom and smiled. "Surprise."
"I'll say. When did you get in?" Haley released her grasp on Natalie.
"Around 5:00." Haley scrunched her eyebrows then looked at Ryan who wore a smug grin. Natalie looked between Haley and Ryan and shook her head while laughing softly. "Maybe you should believe the little guy when he's telling you the truth." Haley turned her attention to Natalie.
"You weren't out there when he showed me."
"True. I decided to extend the wait…" Haley raised an eyebrow at Natalie's remark. Natalie smirked and Haley shook her head.
"Let's just eat."
232323
Dinner had ended 2 hours ago. Right now, Jamie and Natalie were playing with Ryan and Emma. The giggles from the small ones echoed throughout the house. Haley and Nathan watched as Natalie tickled Emma and as Jamie and Ryan play fought. They smirked at their kids. The doorbell sounded.
"I've got it."
"Oh, no you don't."
Jamie chased Ryan, as he got free from Jamie's grasp to go answer the door. Jamie was a lot quicker with his longer legs. Jamie scooped Ryan into his arm and lay Ryan across his right hip while opening the door with his left hand. A swarm of bodies flooded into the household, each of them greeting him with a hug or a kiss except two. Brooke and Peyton pushed past Jamie and ran into the house.
"Where's my niece?" "Where's my goddaughter?"
Jamie laughed and shook his head. "Living room." Peyton and Brooke ran to the living room where they ran straight to Natalie who stood waiting for them and was completely prepared for their ambush.
"You're home!"
"Yeah, that seems to be what it is."
"Oh I missed you. So did your uncle and little Haley."
"Speaking of…where are my uncles and little cousins?"
Lucas had been leaning in the doorway with little Haley standing beside him. Lucas held one year old Sofia in his arms. He smiled as Natalie turned to look at him. She scrambled to her feet and walked over to her uncle. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and then she looked at Sofia. Sofia smiled at Natalie and began to laugh hysterically. The little girls clapped her hands together in excitement and Natalie planted a small kiss on Sofia's cheek. Natalie then shifted her gaze to the little girl who held onto her father's leg. She took a peek at Natalie and Natalie smirked.
"Hey you."
Little Haley made herself visible as she came out of hiding. The little girl that Natalie had remembered had grown about a foot. She now stood as a 7-year-old at a height of 4'5. Natalie bent down and pulled her into a hug, which she returned.
"MOMMY, MOMMY, MOMMY!"
A little boy with a fro of sandy blonde curls came running into the living room, passing Natalie and ran straight to Peyton. A man with the same coloured hair ran in after the little boy.
"Sorry Peyt. He ran."
Peyton had the little boy wrapped in her arms and sitting in her lap. She smiled at her husband.
"It's okay. Did you lock the car?"
Jake stood there thinking. "Yeah. Just before our little taz ran into the house."
Natalie still knelt before little Haley and looked at Jake who was looking around the room for something. Jake's eyes settled upon Natalie and he smiled. She stood and he walked over to her giving her a hug. The gold wedding band flashed on his left finger. It matched the one that Peyton wore. Natalie looked at the little boy who sat with Peyton and then back at Jake.
"John becoming too much for you uncle Jake?" Jake laughed and Natalie waved at Jonathan who gave her a wave back. The two year-old was identical to his mother. His looks, hair, smile everything. She smiled and looked around at what her life was. Her family had grown in the past 4 years and she was happy.
232323
May 11, 2029
Natalie sat on her bed, strumming her guitar for the first time in almost 4 months. She was a little rusty, but she could still play well. Her fingers began to get sore. I guess that's what happens when you don't play for a while. She cracked her knuckles and shook her wrists to let them loose. She began to strum the strings again and looked up and she saw her brother and father in her doorway. She stopped, blushing slightly.
"Hey."
"Why'd you stop?" Nathan and Jamie made their way to her bed and sat on either side of her. She shrugged her shoulders and put her guitar behind the three of them.
"Dad has a favour to ask us."
"Really? And what might that be daddy dearest?" Natalie looked to Nathan and he stood in front of his kids.
"Okay…"
HJSNS
The DJ played dinner music whilst everyone ate. It was Nathan and Haley's 25th anniversary. Everyone was at Tric and sitting at the tables eating. There was a dance floor with table surrounding it. The center was Nathan and Haley's table, set for the two of them. Natalie stood at the bar while Tom gave her, her sprite with lime. A pair of arms wrapped around her waist from behind and someone planted a kiss on her cheek. She smiled. She knew that kiss anywhere. She turned to come face-to-face with Daniel. He kissed her lips and could feel her tremble underneath his touch.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah…just nerves."
"Oh. Right. I forgot about, the thing…"
"Yeah. It's been a while and I just, yeah."
Daniel grabbed Natalie's hand and noticed that she wore the ring that he gave her. He smiled and led her to their table to calm her down. When they got there, the only thing that Natalie could see was the one thing that she didn't want to see.
"You know that there are kids under the age of 10 running around."
Molly looked at Natalie from kissing Jamie. She sat in his lap and Natalie raised her eyebrows. Molly blushed and uttered a sorry. Jamie looked to Natalie's finger and noticed a band. He raised his eyebrows.
"What's on your finger Nat? Is that a wedding band? Did you elope?"
"No, you idiot."
"Then what is it?"
"It's a promise ring you retard. Daniel gave it to me."
"So you two…"
"Someday…" Molly shrieked and stood quickly.
AHH! This is awesome! You two are so meant to be." Molly pulled Natalie and Daniel into a hug and they shared a laugh.
Nathan and Haley watched them from a distance. Haley smiled as she watched Jamie and Natalie laugh with their significant others. Nathan noticed Haley glancing and smiling and grabbed her hand, forcing her to look at him.
"You okay?"
"Yeah. I was just watching Natalie and Jamie." Haley nodded her head towards her kids. "You did a great job with them Nathan." Nathan scrunched his eyebrows in confusion.
"You raised them too Hales. I know you feel like you weren't there, but you were. You shouldn't regret the decisions that you make in life. We learn from our mistakes."
"I love you so much."
"I love you too." Nathan leaned forward and kissed Haley on the mouth. She cupped his face and kept it G rated. She broke away from him and turned her attention back to where Jamie and Natalie were, but they were no longer in sight. A throat was cleared and everyone turned to the direction of the stage. Lucas stood with Brooke and his kids.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I trust that you all know who I am. For those of you who have been MIA for a while, I'm Lucas Scott, Nathan's older brother. I was his best man at the second wedding. You know I remember when everyone found out that Nathan and Haley had got married. No one believed that they would make it. Funnily enough, they made it further than anyone thought and what's more? They're still like they were when they were young. Their youth still lives in them. They still want each other after all this time. They still look amazing, especially my sis in-law who's had 4 kids, I might add. My only wish is for their happiness and for their love to remain. And hopefully I'll be where they are when my time comes. Congrats you two…"
Applause was met with Lucas' final words. Brooke took the microphone as she handed Sofia to Lucas. She smiled and waited for everyone's claps to reside. When they did, she spoke.
"I dunno how I'm gonna compete with that. I'll try my best. You know, Haley while you were gone, I got to speak to Nathan a lot. I didn't know just how much you meant to him until then. The way he spoke about you was unexplainable. The look that he had on his face…only he could have looked the way he did, in love. And Nathan, whenever Haley speaks about you, this smile just appears. If she was having the worst day, all I'd have to do is say your name and she'd just change from sad to smiley. And a few days ago, I tested this theory and the same things happened. You two have something that most people take a lifetime to find and that's true love. I stand by what I said so many years ago. You two have true love and it's a love that will not alter. Here's to Nathan and Haley and hears to many more happy years to come."
As Brooke and Lucas walked off the stage with Sofia and little Haley, the curtains opened to reveal Jamie and Natalie with their respected instruments. A band stood behind them and Jamie spoke into the mic.
"Hey everyone. So, we were forced to sing to you tonight and all that we ask is that you hold your tomatoes until the end. We were only given one day's notice…well, that's a lie. It was more like 10 hours notice so we apologize in advance." Natalie shook her head and laughed. She spoke into her mic.
"Mom, dad approached Jamie and I this morning, begging for us to do this. So we ask that you and your husband of 25 years make your way to the dance floor for his surprise."
Nathan pulled Haley onto the dance floor and held her in his arms. She had her arms wrapped around his neck and looked at her kids. Jamie placed his fingers over the keyboard. He took a deep breath and began to play and sing.
You
need a friend
I'll be around
Don't let this end
Before I see
you again
What can I say to convince you
To change your
mind?
For me
Haley and Nathan continued to watch their kids as they sang their wedding song. Natalie kept her focus on strumming the correct chords and when she finally looked up, she nodded to Mouth. Her and Jamie had something planned for their parents.
I'm
going to love you more than anyone
I'm going to hold you closer
than before
And when I kiss your soul, your body'll be free
I'll
be free for you anytime
I'm going to love you more than anyone
"You happy?" Haley looked up at Nathan.
"You really have to ask?" Nathan smiled down at her and when they looked at the band on stage and noticed the screen above the band go on and a video was playing.
Look
in my eyes, what do you see?
Not just the color
Look inside of
me
Tell me all you need and I will try
I will try
Nathan, it's been said that there is one word that will free us from the weight and the pain of life. And that word is love and I believe that. That doesn't mean that it hasn't been hard or that it won't be. It just means that I found a stillness and a bravery in myself with you. You make me brave and I will love you, until the end of time. This I vow today. The video was of their wedding and the two of them stopped and watched.
I'm
going to love you more than anyone
I'm going to hold you closer
than before
And when I kiss your soul, your body'll be free
I'll
be free for you anytime
I'm going to love you more than anyone
Last year, we stood on a beach and I told you how much I loved you and how I would always protect you. On that day, nobody believed that this would work, but I don't think that anybody understood the love I had for you because if they did, they would have never doubted us. So I wanted to marry you all over again in front of most of our world because today when I look into your eyes my love for you only grows. It's even stronger now. And that love will never waiver. And this I vow to you today, and always…and forever.
Free
for you, whenever you need
We'll be free together baby
Free
together baby
A flood of pictures flashed on the screen of Nathan and Haley together. The two of them, as babies. Them at their first wedding. Them, at their second wedding. Them, with newborn Jamie. Nathan and Haley with newborn Natalie. Them with newborns Emma and Ryan. All four of them in a recent family photo. A few photos of them together. Haley sitting in Nathan's lap at a wedding. Nathan tickling Haley. A photo showed up of Nathan and Haley with Nathan's wrapped around Haley's waist. She was leaning against him and a smile was plastered on either of their faces.
I'm
going to love you more than anyone
I'm going to hold you closer
than before
And when I kiss your soul, your body'll be free
I'll
be free for you anytime
I'm going to love you more than anyone
I'm
going to love you more than anyone
The final photo that appeared was of the two of them kissing and then the screen went black. Claps and cheers filled the place. Natalie and Jamie stood and took a bow. Natalie winked at her parents and Jamie clapped and pointed to them.
HJSNS
This setting was all too familiar to these two. They arrived at their home after a long night of celebrating 25 happy years together, an accomplishment to most people. Jamie and Natalie had agreed to take care of Emma and Ryan for the night. Jamie owned an apartment not too far and it would give Nathan and Haley some much needed "quality time" together. Nathan and Haley walked up the steps of their house. Nathan was trying to find the key to the front door when he felt his wife's arms encompass his waist and pull him towards her so that she nibbled n his ear. He was trying faster to find the key. He found it and inserted it into the lock, unlocking the house and the two of them stepped, quickly into the house. Nathan took off the alarm and turned around quickly to be met with Haley's lips crashing onto his. They kicked off their shoes and ran to the stairs. Nathan grabbed Haley's waist and hoisted her up. He pushed his lips back onto hers and carried her up the steps. She giggled and he tried to keep his laughter in, but failed. He was much too happy not to smile or laugh. He tossed Haley onto their bed, kissing her. She pushed herself closer to him as his mouth continued to roam hers. He broke away for a second to remove his shirt. Haley sat up, helping his to unbutton it. Once their mission was accomplished, Haley brought his lips hungrily back to hers. Nathan rolled over onto his back as Haley placed herself on top of him.
"I love you Nathan."
"I love you too Hales. Do you know how much?"
"I can guess."
Nathan kissed her again, softly. "I love you so much."
"I love you more Nate."
"Not possible."
Nathan placed his lips on hers again. They were happy and together. All of the grief was gone and anymore that would come their way, they'd face it, together, with their beautiful family.
232323
A/N: And it's finished…okay so my new fic should be up by Saturday. I hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Thanks to ALL of you who read and reviewed. For those of you who just read, I ask you to PLEASE leave a review for this final chapter and I ask ALL of you who read from beginning to end to please let me know what you thought of the whole thing and any ideas that you'd like me to write about. Your reviews are GREATLY appreciated. A special thanks goes out to 23naley03 who helped me out A LOT throughout this whole thing. And a MASSIVE thanks goes out to those of you who read and reviewed everytime a new chapter came out; you know who you are! Songs used in this chapter: More Than Anyone – Gavin DeGraw