I do not own One Tree Hill.
I sort of reference one of James' Instagram posts in this because I thought it was funny.
Chapter 25
It had been a week, and Brandon was still at their house. It was driving both Nathan and Haley crazy. There would be points in the middle of the night where he would text Haley to come downstairs, and then cry on her shoulder and tell her all about Marisa. She didn't really mind doing it at first, but now it was driving her and Nathan insane. "Hey Hales?" Nathan asked her while they were getting ready in the morning after dropping the kids off at school, "Yeah?" Haley asked from where she was putting on her make up, glancing at him. "I keep having this nightmare that your brother came to our house in the middle of the night a week ago, and he still hasn't gone home. And sometimes, he makes you come downstairs and cry with him in the middle of the night. Oh, and that we haven't had sex in a week. But that can't be true?" He asked her, smirking slightly. "Nathan..." Haley chuckled, shaking her head. "Oh, and our anniversary is let me think... Tomorrow? And he better go stay with Quinn and Clay. Because the kids are going to Brooke's." He said, pulling his shirt over his head. Haley sighed softly, "He's going through a hard time right now, Nathan." She reminded him. Nathan nodded his head, "I know, baby. I know. But tomorrow is our anniversary." He pouted, leaning against the counter. "Or maybe he should watch the kids and we can go out of town." He suggested, shrugging. "No, I'll talk to Quinn and Clay. And I'll talk to him." She said softly. "Good." Nathan said, moving behind her and wrapping his arms around her, resting his chin on her head. "Fifteen years of waking up to this beautiful face every day. No better feeling in the world." He whispered, smiling at her. Haley smiled slightly, "I can't believe it, really." She said quietly. "I still don't know how I got someone as amazing as you. You're way out of my league." Nathan chuckled, kissing her head. She laughed quietly, shaking her head. "Stop it. You're handsome. And I am really loving the facial hair. It makes you look ruggedly sexy." Haley smiled, leaning back against him. "We could always go to my office, you know." He pointed out. She laughed quietly, turning to look at him. "Yeah, yeah. You wish." She laughed, smiling at him. "Why don't we go to lunch today?" Nathan suggested, looking down at her. "We can invite your brother, and maybe knock some sense into him." He shrugged. "So you're asking me and my brother on a date?" She teased him, rubbing his shoulder softly. "Yeah, I guess I am." Nathan shrugged, kissing her forehead. "Okay. But we have to go to the Cafe because Brooke and I are trying out this new thing where we just trust our employees, rather than staying there the whole time. We'll see how it goes. I just want to check in. I know we eat there all the time, but Brandon hasn't been there since we opened it. And it's been open for awhile." Haley hummed, smiling at him. Nathan nodded his head, kissing her softly. "Alright, I like the food so it's okay." He hummed, resting his hands on her sides, pulling her closer to him. Haley looked up at him, "You can't look at me like that right now, Nathan." She said softly. Nathan shook his head, "I don't know what you mean." He chuckled. She shook her head, laughing quietly. "Whatever, Nathan. You know what I'm talking about." She kissed him quickly. "I'm going to head downstairs. You better hurry before I kick your brother out." He teased, winking at her and walking out.
Haley walked downstairs a few minutes later, glancing at the time. She found Nathan and Brandon in the kitchen sitting next to each other silently, each of them eating cereal. After a moment of silence, Brandon looked up. "Okay, okay. I have a question. I've always wondered this, but now I just have to ask." He said, looking over at Haley. Haley raised her eyebrow, nodding. "Um, alright. Ask away." She said. Brandon looked over at Nathan, chuckling quietly. "Does Nathan shave his chest, or is it really like that?" He asked. Haley looked over at Nathan, before glancing back at Brandon. "That's an odd question. What made you think of that?" She asked, laughing quietly. "I don't know. I've been swimming with you guys before, and I did nearly walk in on you two last week." He shrugged. "That's such a weird question..." Haley trailed off, looking over at Nathan. "Well?" Brandon asked. "He doesn't shave his chest." She laughed. Nathan sighed softly, "I really don't like that you guys are having this conversation with me in the room." He grumbled. "Really? Andrew thought he shaved it, or that you made him." Brandon chuckled. "Nope." Haley shrugged, smiling at Nathan. "I like it." She added. "Gross." Brandon said, shaking his head. She laughed quietly, nodding at Nathan. "Okay, I'm done. I'm going to head over to Clay's." Nathan grumbled, walking over and kissing Haley's forehead. "I'll see you two at lunch." He said, nodding at Brandon. Haley nodded, "Noon. Why don't you invite Quinn and Clay too?" She suggested. Nathan nodded his head, "Alright, I will. See you guys." He said, walking out. "So, now you can tell me the truth. Does he shave it?" Brandon asked. Haley laughed, rolling her eyes. "No, Brandon." She said. "Oh come on, Haley. It's not like you're around him all the time. He probably does it in the shower." He shrugged. Haley raised one eyebrow, "He doesn't do it in the shower, Brandon. Trust me." She chuckled, looking at him. "Haley. Don't." He grumbled. "You set yourself up for that one, buddy." She shrugged, laughing. Brandon shook his head, "You're the worst." He grumbled, sighing.
Haley walked into the cafe with Brandon at about noon, seeing Nathan sitting with Quinn, Clay, and someone she was totally and completely unhappy to see; Elizabeth. "Who's that?" Brandon asked softly. "Nathan's whore." She grumbled, walking over to the table. "Oh, look! It's Haley." Quinn said, nodding in her direction. Nathan stood up, "Hey baby." He said quickly, walking over to Haley. Haley pulled his face down to hers, kissing him quickly. Nathan kissed her back for a second, before pulling away. "Hey honey." She smiled up at him. He nodded at Brandon, "Hey man." He said softly. Brandon nodded at him, raising his eyebrows and glancing in Elizabeth's direction. "This is my assistant, Elizabeth. Elizabeth, this is Haley's brother, Brandon." Nathan said, shrugging. "Hello." Elizabeth smiled, standing up. "Look, I better go. The food is great here, Haley. I'll see you soon, Nathan." She said, walking out, only pausing for a moment to rest her hand on Nathan's bicep. After she was gone, Nathan let out a deep breath, pulling out Haley's chair for her. He sat down next to her, Brandon sitting down across from Haley. Brandon was staring daggers into Nathan, a small scowl on his face. "So, that was totally uncomfortable and not fun at all." Clay said, laughing quietly. "Nathan, why did you talk to her?" Quinn asked. "She came up and said hello to me. I didn't expect her to sit down." He grumbled, looking over at Haley. "It's fine, Nathan." She said softly, letting out a small sigh. "You know, that's really funny, Nathan. That your assistant is beautiful, and she touches your arm, and sits with you at lunch." Brandon spoke up, clearing his throat. Nathan looked over at Brandon, sighing softly. "Anyways." Clay cleared his throat. "What are you guys doing tomorrow?" He asked, glancing over at them. "Nothing really. Probably just going to catch up on all the sleep we've been missing out on since Jamie was born." Nathan chuckled, smiling at Haley. "Wait, what's tomorrow?" Brandon asked, looking around the table. Haley let out a small sigh, "It's our anniversary." She informed him. "Oh shit." He said, looking at them. "I was planning on telling you today... Marisa is coming up with the kids. They're on a plane right now." He rubbed the back of his neck. "You'll just have to find somewhere else to stay tomorrow night then." Nathan said, frowning. "Nathan." Haley said, squeezing his hand. "No, Hales. That's not fair." He protested, frowning. Quinn cleared her throat, glancing at the waitress. "Hey Haley!" The waitress smiled at her, waving. "Hey. How're things going today?" Haley asked, smiling. "They're going fairly well. A lot better than yesterday. What can I get for you?" The girl asked, looking around the table. Everyone ordered their food quickly, before Nathan spoke up again. "Haley." He said softly, looking at her. "Nathan, it's alright." She whispered. "No, it's not." He whispered in return, scowling slightly. "Hey. It's going to be fine. We'll work it out, okay?" She replied, glancing around the table. Nathan let out a deep sigh, pushing his fingers through his hair. "Haley, it's fine, really. We can stay somewhere else." Brandon said. "We'll figure something else out, Brandon. It's not a big deal." Haley smiled at him. "You could stay at our place. It will be cramped, but you could." Clay suggested. Quinn looked at him, "Clay, we don't have the room for everyone." She said, shrugging. "It's really alright, guys. Nathan and I can figure something else out." Haley said, looking at Nathan. Nathan shook his head, looking down at his water, swirling it around with the straw. "I'm so sorry, I totally spaced it." Brandon said softly, sighing. "No, Brandon. You've had a lot on your mind. It's alright, really. I'm looking forward to seeing Marisa and the kids again." She said, smiling at her brother. Brandon sighed softly, nodding his head. "They should be here by the time your kids get out of school." He said, smiling slightly. "We'll try to stay out of your hair, really. I'm sorry guys." He apologized again. Haley shook her head, "It really isn't that big of a deal, Brandon. It's good that you're spending time with your family again. That's what's most important." She said softly, glancing over at Nathan. Clay cleared his throat, "Hey, so... I think I left my phone in the car. Will you come out and get it with me, Nate?" He suggested, standing up. Nathan nodded his head, hurrying to his feet and heading outside with Clay.
Clay looked at Nathan once they were outside, sighing softly. "Sorry buddy, I tried." He said, shrugging. "Thanks Clay. This just screws up a lot of my plans." Nathan grumbled, kicking at the ground. "I know, Nate. But you can always figure something else out." Clay replied, shrugging. "It's tomorrow, Clay. And it took me weeks to come up with this idea, and it's not even that good." Nathan sighed, leaning against the car. "Just change it a little bit, man. It will be fine." Clay smiled at him. "You're stressing too much." He laughed, patting Nathan on the shoulder. "It's going to be great. I'll see if there's anything else I can do." He added, nodding inside. Nathan looked inside, his eyes meeting Haley's for a second, who smiled and waved at him. Nathan nodded at her, smiling slightly. "I think that Brandon is going to kill me if he gets me alone." He said, glancing over at Clay. "Shouldn't joke about that, Nate. Not with your family's history." Clay said, chuckling quietly. "Not funny, Clay. But he was shooting me some pretty mean glares after Elizabeth was there." Nathan said, looking at his friend. "Yeah, what do you think about her?" Clay asked him softly. "I think that my wife doesn't like her, so I shouldn't like her. I mean, I don't really mind her or even notice her flirting with me, but... Haley is more important than my assistant that I barely know." Nathan shrugged. "I know I've been denying it, but she's definitely trying to become the next Mrs. Scott." Clay said. "You think?" Nathan asked him, raising his eyebrows. Clay nodded, "Yeah, especially after today. She came and sat right next to you and even scooted her chair a little closer to you, and totally joined our conversation." He said, shrugging. "Yeah, there was a point where she was laughing and she rested her hand on my thigh and left it there for like three seconds." Nathan said, sighing. "I guess if I think about it, she is kind of obvious." He looked over at Clay. "I've got your back, always. Just remember that. Now let's go back inside." Clay said, heading inside with Nathan following behind him.
Nathan sat back down next to his wife, looking at her. "Hey Hales, have you heard from my mom lately?" He asked her quietly. Haley looked over at him, shaking her head. "I talked to her a few days ago when I asked her if she could pick up Jamie from basketball practice." She shrugged her shoulders slightly, frowning at him. "I've talked to Megan, though. William is still trying to figure out the whole situation of me screaming at Nicole." Haley said, sighing. "It's been a little over a week, it shouldn't take that long to figure out that she's a bitch and you were totally right." Nathan shrugged, before turning his attention back to the the table. Haley looked at him, resting her hand on his leg. "Are you okay, Nathan?" She whispered to him. Nathan looked at her once again, nodding his head. "I'm fine, Haley." He said, leaning over and kissing her cheek. She looked at him for a second, squeezing his leg, nodding her head. Their food was set down a few minutes later, and Brandon cleared his throat. "So, you guys... Uh... I think it would be best if Marisa and I were in two different rooms." He said softly. Haley nodded her head slowly, "Yeah, okay. Whatever you guys want." She said, smiling at him. "Do you guys know how long you'll all be staying?" She asked him. "They're just staying the weekend, and hopefully I'll be going home with them." Brandon said, nodding at her. Quinn looked over at Brandon, "Hey, I'm not trying to start a fight with Haley or anything, but if you know that getting divorced is the right thing to do, Brandon... Then do it." She said, reaching over and resting her hand on his arm. "That's the advice I can give you. I've been there. And it may sound kind of cruel, but getting divorced was one of the best decisions I've ever made. And I'm pretty sure that David agrees." She said quietly. Brandon nodded at her, "Thank you, Quinn. I'm hoping we can work through it. But thank you." He smiled. Haley stood up, walking over and standing in between her siblings, pulling them both into a hug. "Hey, I'm Team James no matter what. I love Marisa, but if it comes down to a divorce, I'm on your side, Brandon." She smiled at him. "Thanks, Hales. But I don't think this will be me against her. I think if we get divorced it will be a mutual agreement. Because if she still feels like there's something to fight for, then I'll fight for it with her. But if she feels like it's over, then I'm not going to try and change her mind." He shrugged. Haley sat back down next to Nathan, grabbing his hand, squeezing it softly. "I just wish we would of realized that we were sinking, before we actually starting drowning." Brandon said softly, letting out a small sigh. "You can still save something that's drowning, Brandon. Just remember that." Nathan spoke up, letting go of Haley's hand, wrapping his arm around her shoulders instead, pulling her into a side hug. Brandon nodded his head, "Yeah. Thanks Nate." He said softly, looking down at his food. "Something that Mom said to me when I was thinking about divorcing David was: "I don't like the idea of you getting divorced, but I hate the idea of you being unhappy." And I think she would of said that to you too, Brandon." Quinn added, smiling slightly. "And you know what, David used to be the person that could make me happier than anyone else. But people change. Their priorities change. And you know what? Now David is married and has a daughter. I have Clay, Logan, and I'm pregnant. He's happy, and I'm so incredibly happy. I'm happy for the way my life ended up, and I'm happy for him as well. So divorce may seem like this terrible, awful thing, and it is during the process. But it's like coming up for a breath of fresh air after you've been struggling. So do what you have to do to be happy, Brandon." Quinn said, nodding at him. Brandon smiled at her, "You boys got so lucky with my sisters, you know that? They're both smart as hell." He laughed, pointing at Nathan and Clay. "I think we talk about how lucky we are, and how smart they are about once a week, right Nathan?" Clay chuckled. Nathan nodded his head, looking down at Haley and smiling slightly. He kissed the side of her head, squeezing her shoulder softly. "Good. They deserve to be appreciated." Brandon said, smiling. "So, what's the story behind Taylor and Chris Keller?" He asked after a second, raising his eyebrows. "It's a long one. Let's just say... They met in Chicago and clicked." Haley laughed, shrugging. "You know, Chris can be annoying as hell, and he says some stupid ass things sometimes. But Taylor could do a lot worse than him. He's not that bad of a guy when you get past his annoying exterior." Nathan chuckled. "Oh really? I never thought I'd hear Nathan Scott talk so highly of Chris Keller." Brandon laughed, looking at Haley. "He helped save my husband's life. It's kind of weird that they're dating, but I genuinely hope that they're happy together." Haley shrugged, smiling. "So Taylor has dated David and Chris Keller. Which one of Vivian's exes is she going to go after?" He teased. "Chris is not my ex." Haley said, shaking her head. "I never dated him, ever." She looked at Nathan, kissing his cheek. "I'm just messing with you, Hales. I know he's not." Brandon chuckled, shaking his head.
The Scott family walked inside after Nathan and Haley had picked up the kids from school. "Okay, guys. So, Brandon's family is going to be here soon. Why don't you go make sure that your rooms are clean, and that you have your stuff packed to go to Brooke's." Haley said, nodding towards the stairs. Jamie nodded his head, sighing softly. "Yeah, yeah. But can I hang out with Chuck and Madison and Jordan tonight?" He asked, looking over at her. "Yeah, if you hurry and clean your room. Thank you for being so nice to Jordan, Jamie. She hasn't said anything about dinner last week, has she?" Haley asked him. Jamie shook his head, "Not really. She said that Nicole is extra mad, but that's it. She probably didn't like you calling her a bi-" "That's enough, James. Go clean." She cut him off, nodding to the stairs. Lydia ran up after Jamie, leaving Nathan and Haley alone downstairs. Haley turned to look at her husband, flattening out his shirt and resting her hands on his sides. "Nathan." She hummed. Nathan snapped out of his zoned out state, looking down at her. "Sorry, baby." He said softly. Haley squeezed his sides softly, "About tomorrow..." She began. "Oh, you mean that it's our anniversary and the goal was to kick your brother out of the house, but instead we invited more people in?" He asked her, scowling slightly. "Nathan, we can celebrate a different day, alright?" She said softly. Nathan shook his head, "No, Haley. Did you think we were really going to sleep all day?" He asked her. "No, of course not, Nathan... It's just..." She sighed, kissing his cheek. "I know, I know. He invited her over here, and she actually came. But I had plans, Haley." He grumbled. Haley took a step closer to him, closing her eyes. "Nathan, it's just not a good time to celebrate an anniversary when two people that are about to get divorced are in our home." She said softly. Nathan tugged her closer so her body came in contact with his own. "I don't care, Haley. Fifteen years isn't something to put off until a different day." He looked down at her. Haley bit her lip, gripping his shirt slightly. "Maybe just until they go home." She said softly, standing on her toes a bit, inching her face closer to his. "What if he doesn't go home with them?" Nathan whispered, leaning closer to her. "He's going to, I know it. And if he doesn't, we'll kick him out." She replied, smiling at the family feeling of Nathan's heart rate speeding up a little bit. "We aren't putting this off." He whispered back to her, before leaning down and kissing her deeply. Haley's hands moved from his sides, wrapping around his neck, pulling him closer to her. Nathan backed her up into the counter, lifting her up onto it after a second. Haley's fingers tangled in his hair on the back of his head, pulling his face closer to hers. She could feel Nathan's warm hands work their way into the bottom of her shirt, pressing against her sides. The sound of the front door opening caused her and Nathan to jump away from each other, both of them breathing heavily. Haley got off of the counter quickly, smoothing out her shirt. "That was unexpected." She said softly, glancing at him. Nathan smirked slightly, shrugging. "Usually we have a little bit more self control then that, Nathan." Haley said, smoothing out the back of his hair. "You have self control, Haley. I have none." He whispered, backing her up into the counter again. Haley looked up at him, her breath hitching in her throat. Nathan rested his hands on either side of her. "You do realize that my brother is going to come in here any second." She whispered. He leaned forward, kissing her neck softly. "Let him." He said softly. Haley closed her eyes, resting her hands on Nathan's chest, pushing him back when she heard footsteps coming into towards the kitchen. "Nathan." She said, holding him back when he tried to move to her again. "Haley, this isn't fair." He protested. Haley shook her head, "You're 31, Nathan. Control yourself." She mumbled.
Marisa and Brandon walked into the kitchen, the air immediately getting more tense. "Hey Marisa!" Haley smiled, walking over to her and hugging her. "Hey Haley. It's good to see you." Marisa said softly, waving at Nathan. Nathan nodded in her direction, leaning against the counter. "Don't mind him." She said, gesturing to Nathan. "If you find an empty room, feel free to take it. Where are your kids?" Haley asked them. "They went upstairs to find rooms already. Sorry." Brandon said. "So, uh... I'm in the first room to the left upstairs." He said, glancing over at Haley. Marisa nodded her head, letting out a small sigh. "So, since it's their anniversary tomorrow, I'm looking into a hotel instead." Brandon began, shifting uncomfortably. "It's your anniversary tomorrow?" Marisa asked, looking over at Haley. "Brandon, why didn't you tell me that? I would not of invaded their home of I knew that." She said, frowning. "No, Marisa. It's fine, really. We didn't really have much planned anyways." Haley said quickly, glancing over at Nathan. "By the look on Nathan's face, he had other ideas. Haley... I'm so sorry." Marisa frowned. "No, Marisa. It really isn't that big of a deal." Haley said, smiling at her. "We'll try to get out of your hair. I'm sorry, Nathan." Marisa looked at Brandon, shaking her head and sighing. She walked out of the kitchen and up the stairs.
"It's a little cold in here." Nathan said, raising his eyebrows. "Scott, get out of here." Brandon said, scowling at him. Nathan let out a deep breath, shaking his head and walking out of the kitchen. "He's a bit moody, I'm sorry." Haley frowned, shaking her head at Nathan. "Haley, I don't think this was a good idea." Brandon said softly, looking at his younger sister. "In fact, I think this was a bad idea. Bringing everyone here. I should of remembered it was your anniversary. You always remember mine." He said, sighing. "Brandon, it really isn't anything to worry about. Focus on you, alright? Nathan will be fine." She replied, smiling up at him. "Haley, I really didn't mean to intrude. I know I've been here for a week... But it's hard." He said quietly. Haley nodded her head, "It's alright, Brandon. Just remember that I'm always here for you... But tonight could you maybe not wake me up in the middle of the night?" She chuckled. Brandon nodded his head, hugging Haley quickly. "Yeah. Quick question... You want me to talk to your husband about the whole assistant thing?" He asked her. She smiled up at him, "Not yet. We'll see what happens though." She chuckled, shaking her head at him.
The rest of the day wasn't so bad, things with Marisa and Brandon were a little intense, but it was only an occasional comment. Most of the time they tried to avoid talking about touchy subjects. Nathan let out a deep sigh from where he was sitting on the bed, bouncing a basketball on the ground. "Nathan, if you want to do that, do it outside. Not on my nice hardwood floors." Haley said to him as she walked into the room, shaking her head. "I'm just trying to be loud so maybe everyone will want to go home." He grumbled, shaking his head and tossing the ball to her. She caught it very ungracefully, laughing quietly. "Baby, I promise that it's going to be fine." She said softly. "Haley, you keep saying that, but it's not fine with me. I did have plans for tomorrow, you know. It's not just another day." Nathan looked up at her, shaking his head. Haley smiled at him, "We just have to readjust a little bit, Nathan." She said softly. "Yeah, well we always have to readjust, and compromise, and postpone." He muttered, shaking his head. She walked over to him, setting the basketball down next to him. "Please, baby. This is hard for me too, but he's my brother and he's suffering." She said softly, resting her hands on his cheeks. "If Lucas was suffering I would tell him to kiss my ass and get the hell out. He can come back tomorrow, or the next day, or any day after that." He grumbled. "But I would tell him to come back and we can work through it. I know that you wouldn't do that anyways." She laughed, kissing his head. "We will do something eventually, Nathan. I promise. Just maybe not tomorrow." Haley said softly, resting her chin on top of his head, hugging him to her. Nathan let out a deep sigh, nodding his head. "Fine." He whispered, closing his eyes. She ran her fingers through his hair for a second, before pulling away from him. "Thank you for being such a good man, Nathan." She said softly, kissing him briefly. "I owe it all to you, Haley James." He mumbled, smiling at her. Haley shook her head, smiling at him and walking into the bathroom to get ready for bed. Nathan let out a small sigh, getting under the covers of their bed, closing his eyes and sighing softly. A few minutes later, Haley climbed into bed next to him, look at her sleeping husband. She laughed quietly, tracing her finger along his sharp jawline, leaning forward and kissing his cheek. "I love you, Nathan Scott." She whispered to him, before settling into the bed next to him and falling asleep.