A/N: Poll is still open if readers want to vote for the next Naley story after this story is complete. Thank you all for the awesome reviews. And thanks to my beta: Leeese.

Chapter Twenty Six

Give Me a Sign

Haley was cooking over the stove when she saw that her husband had entered the room. They share a loving kiss as Nathan wrapped his arms around her waist. "Why don't you let me handle that?" he offered. Haley let him take over as she headed to the refrigerator. "So what are your plans today?"

"Karen has asked me to stop the Witches Council office this morning," Haley replied. "Is this a good thing or bad thing?" she asked.

Nathan gave her a comforting smile. "You're not in trouble. My mom and the other members probably want your help in finding Nikki. After all, you know her better than the rest of us. And we don't want another repeat of what we went through with Brooke."

Haley nodded understandingly. "I know, but I don't know her that well. We didn't exactly get along when we were prisoners. But I guess I could try the local bars around here. That's where she was found when she ran into Peyton and Brooke the first time."

Nathan frowned. "What were Brooke and Peyton doing in a bar? That's not where they usually hung out at when they wanted to play tricks on mortals."

Haley gave him a confused look. "How do you know what they did in their spare time?"

Nathan gave her a look. "They were evil witches. They couldn't have been just standing around their cauldrons and casting spells and curses on you."

Haley groaned. "Don't remind me. I'm just glad that Brooke can't haunt me in my nightmares anymore."

Nathan nodded in agreement. He then gave her a comforting smile. "Even if she does, I'll protect you."

Haley smiled in return. "I was hoping you would," she replied as they shared another kiss. They started to make out when they heard a pop. They pulled away as they saw Lindsey standing there.

Lindsey couldn't help smiling as she spoke. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything. I just came by to see if you wanted to do some training before our meeting, but it looks like you're busy. I can come back later."

"When you do, please show up on the front porch instead of popping in," Nathan requested. "Just because I lifted the protection spells against family and friends don't mean that you guys can pop in anytime you want. We need our privacy."

Lindsey rolled her eyes. "I know. I've already got the lecture from your parents. Don't worry. I promise that I will only pop in if it's an emergency. I'll leave you two alone then." She quickly said good-bye before she popped out.

Nathan then turned back to Haley and gave her a kiss before he went back to making breakfast. After breakfast, Haley took a quick shower before she changed into her outfit for the day. She and Nathan then had a make out session before Haley knew that she had to get going. Yet, she didn't want to leave Nathan.

"Why don't you come with me?" Haley asked him. "That way, I don't face the council alone."

"You won't be alone. You will be with Lindsey," Nathan replied. "And I wish I could go with you, but I have to go and check on Lucas."

Haley frowned. "I thought your parents told you to leave him alone."

Nathan sighed. "I know, but I can't help being the protective brother this time. After all, he has been frozen for years. He has missed a lot and I don't want to see him get hurt."

Haley gave him a comforting smile. "He'll be fine. After all, he's a Scott." Nathan knew that she had a point. She gave him another kiss. "I'll see you later." She then got off the bed and snapped her fingers. She was surprised when she reappeared in another corner of the bedroom. Haley frowned. "What happened?" she asked.

Nathan frowned. "I don't know. Why don't you try again?" he suggested.

Haley tried again and she reappeared in the bedroom again in a different spot. "What the hell is wrong with my powers?" she asked Nathan worriedly.

Nathan shrugged. "I'm not sure," he replied as he climbed off the bed and went over to Haley. "I don't see this happen very often." He could see that Haley was still worried. He tried to calm her down. "Maybe your powers just need to rest. You've been really working hard at those training sessions with Lindsey. I'll do it for you." They then shared a kiss good-bye before Nathan snapped his fingers and Haley disappeared from his sight.

Haley reappeared in the Witches Council meeting room, where the others were already there. Victoria spoke up first. "Haley, there you are. Good. We can get started then. We've called you girls here today to ask you both if you would like a position on the Witches Council."

Haley was flabbergasted. She would have never expected Karen and the others to ask her to become a member of the council. "Thank you for the offer, but I don't think I'm qualified to be on the council. After all, I'm new around here."

"You may be new to the magical world, but you certainly proved your worth," Karen told her. "You both have."

"Are you sure you're not just letting her join because she is your daughter-in-law?" a familiar voice hissed. Everyone turned to see Nikki. "Because that really wouldn't be fair to the others who deserve a position on the council."

"Thank you for your input, Nikki," Victoria replied. "But this doesn't concern you. So I suggest you stay quiet. However, I do suggest you stick around. We need to talk to you next."

"I'll be right outside," Nikki replied as she headed towards the door. "Where else would I go?"

Haley waited until she was gone before speaking again. "I appreciate the opportunity, but I'm going to have to think about it."

The members didn't protest. They knew that it was a big decision. They then turned to Lindsey to see what her answer would be. "I'm afraid that I will have to agree with Haley. I'm going to have to think about it too."

"Take all the time you need, girls," Karen told them. "Now would you please send in Nikki?"

Haley nodded before she left the room. Lindsey was right behind her. She waited until they sent Nikki in the room before she spoke. "I'm not surprised that they asked you to become a member," she told her as they walked down the hall. "You really know how to stand up for yourself."

"I only started doing that because Nathan encouraged me to," Haley replied. "Besides, why does standing up for myself have anything to do with becoming a member of the Witches Council?"

"It shows that you're not willing to back down to do what's right," Lindsey told her. "That's one of the qualities that the Witches Council looks for when they look for new members."

Haley didn't have a chance to answer when they saw Nathan running up to them. "So what did they say?" he asked her anxiously. He wanted to check on his brother, but he knew that Haley needed him.

Haley raised her eyebrows. "I thought you weren't worried about the meeting."

"I wasn't until I saw that your powers weren't working properly. So I started to think that my mom and the others were planning to take away your powers."

Haley frowned. "Why would they take away my powers?" she asked him. "I never used my powers for evil. And they can't punish me for associating with an evil witch. It wasn't my fault."

Nathan was about to respond when Lindsey spoke up first. "Your powers aren't working properly?" she asked Haley. Her friend nodded. "You really should tell Karen about it. She is the expert on things like this. She can tell you what's wrong with your powers."

"She's fine," Nathan quickly replied. "Now what did my mom and the others want?"

"They asked me if I would like to become a member of the council," Haley replied. Nathan waited for an answer. "I told them that I would have to think about it."

Nathan gave her a wide smile. "Haley, this is a great opportunity for you. Do you realize what an honor it is to be chosen?"

Haley sighed. "Can we talk more about this when we get home?" she asked. She really wanted to talk to him privately. Lindsey got the hint and snapped her fingers. She disappeared before Nathan took Haley's hand and did the same.

"Ok, what do you want to talk about?" Nathan asked his wife. "Why do you not want to do this?"

"I'm flattered that your mother chose me, but I don't think I'm the right witch for the job," Haley replied. "The Witches Council has power over the entire magical world, right?" she asked him. Nathan nodded, wondering where she was going with this. "I don't want someone's fate to end up in my hands." Nathan nodded understandingly. "Besides, Charlene tried to take advantage of her position. And I'm afraid that the evil creatures I know would do the same thing to me."

Nathan frowned. "I didn't think anybody but Ian would bow down to your former boss." Haley gave him a look. Nathan then knew she wasn't joking around. "I understand your point. And I know my mom and the others will understand if you decide not to join."

"I don't see why they didn't ask you to be one," Haley told her husband. "You've been around the magic stuff longer than I have. And you like to fight for what's right as much as I do, maybe even more."

Nathan smiled at the compliment. "Unfortunately, they have a crazy rule where there are no warlocks allowed."

Haley smiled in return. "Maybe it's time to change that," she suggested. "After all, you care for keeping order in the magical world too, right?"

Nathan knew that she had a point. "I guess there is no harm in asking them about it."

Days passed quickly. Haley didn't tell Nathan, but her powers were still not working correctly. She tried avoiding the problem, but she finally realized that she had to get some advice. She knew exactly who to talk to at a time like this.

Haley hurried up onto the front porch and frantically knocked on the front door. She waited impatiently until someone answered. Finally, the door was pulled open. She didn't even let Karen greet her as she rushed into the front hall. "Haley, what is it? What's wrong?" Karen asked concerned. She had never seen her so upset before.

"I think Brooke or Nikki put a curse on me or something," Haley replied worriedly. "My powers have been out of whack for the last few weeks. I didn't want to say anything to Nathan because I thought that the problem would go away. But I think it has gotten worse."

Karen tried to calm her down. "I'm sure nobody did anything to you. Sometimes, your magic goes crazy on you. It's nothing to worry about. You probably just need a day of resting your powers."

"Yeah, but does it usually last this long?" Haley asked. "It's been going on since Halloween. And that was almost a month ago."

Karen then realized the reason why Haley's powers were acting up. "Well, there is only one possible reason why your magic has been off for that long." Haley waited anxiously for the answer. Karen tried not to smile at her daughter-in-law as she told her the answer. "It usually means that a witch is pregnant."

Haley looked at her shocked. "I'm pregnant? Are you sure?"

Karen laughed. "Well, I'm no doctor. But in our world, a witch who has trouble with her magic that seems everlasting is usually pregnant." Haley couldn't believe her ears. "The good part is that our pregnancies are completely different than what a mortal goes through. Instead of it being our hormones that are off, it's our powers."

"Is there a way to find out its official?" Haley asked. "Or do I have to do it the mortal way and get a pregnancy test?"

"Of course there is. I would just have to call our doctor," Karen replied. She quickly left the front hall and went into the living room. Haley was right behind her. She stared off into space as Karen spoke with the receptionist. A few minutes later, Karen got off the phone. "You're lucky. Dr. Hargrove had a cancellation so you are going there this afternoon."

"I would appreciate it if you don't tell Nathan about my appointment until we know for sure," Haley replied. "He has been really busy lately." After careful consideration, the council members decided to allow Nathan become a member of the Witches Council. "I'm actually glad that I didn't become a member of the council. I didn't realize how much work you guys do."

Karen gave her a look. "Did you really believe that it's easy? The hardest part for Nathan will be trying to balance work and spending time with his family." She then gave her a comforting smile as she quickly added, "Don't worry. I know spending time with you will be Nathan's number one priority."

Haley then looked down at her belly before she turned back to Karen. "If I do end up pregnant, will I still have to go through nine months of pregnancy?" she asked. "I really don't want to wait that long."

Karen laughed. "Well, I don't blame you. And there are a couple of ways to get through the pregnancy. You can do it the fast way or the slow way. The slow way is going through pregnancy the mortal way."

"And what's the fast version?" Haley asked hesitantly. "It's not like where the baby grows at a rapid rate over just a few days, right?"

"Well, you go through the three trimesters in three months," Karen replied. "And then you go through labor."

"Why don't you just use magic and take the baby out that way?" Haley asked.

Karen stopped her right there. "Haley, I really think you should be asking the doctor these questions. After all, he's the expert. Besides, it's been a century since I gave birth to a child. But I can tell you that you will have to drink a potion if you want the pregnancy to happen the fast way."

Haley nodded understandingly. There was a short pause before she spoke again. "What if I'm not pregnant? What if it's something worse?"

Karen gave her a comforting smile. "Why don't we just wait and see what the doctor says?"