A/N: Thank you for all the reviews, favorites and story alerts over the last two years. And thanks to my beta: Leeese.
Over the next few years, Haley continued to study about the magical world. She wanted to learn as much as she could so she could protect her daughter from evil doers, especially Nikki. Despite her powers being taken away, Nikki continued to cause trouble for everyone. She had even kidnapped baby Katrina a couple of times. She had only promised to give the baby back if she would receive her powers back. The Witches Council refused to meet her demands. That led to a rescue mission that ended with Nikki being arrested and Katrina was safely returned to her parents.
Karen then took Haley under her wing and trained her as her powers began to grow. Haley easily absorbed the knowledge of her studies. That impressed Karen and the others so much that they offered her a role to mentor young witches like Lily to help them understand about the magical world. Haley respectfully declined. As much as she wanted to help others, she wanted to take care of Katrina and their newborn son James Royal Scott. She also didn't think she was qualified enough to mentor young witches. But Nathan assured her that she was. So Haley accepted the offer and soon got three new students: Alex Dupree, Mia Catalano and Sam Walker.
Alex, Mia and Sam always loved hearing the story of Haley and the fight to be with her one true love. However, they were curious about the other couple who had fought to be together. "Whatever happened to Brooke and Lucas?" Mia asked Haley one afternoon during their study session. "Did they ever get back together?"
Before Haley could answer, Alex spoke up. "I'm surprised that Lucas was willing to forgive her after she became evil and tried to kill him," she said. "I don't care if she was a pawn or not. She still made that choice to use her powers for evil. It's just like Haley's love for Nathan. Cupid didn't shoot her with an arrow."
Mia rolled her eyes. "How can you be a witch when you don't believe in anything magical?" she asked her. "Well, some things should stay hidden. Otherwise, evil creatures will take advantage of magic and use it to their advantage. Take Skills for example. Who knows what would have happened if Nathan hadn't rescue his lamp from Ian."
Sam spoke up this time. "Ian didn't want the lamp anyway. He wanted to bite Haley so she could be his queen."
"Well, I still don't believe in Cupid," Alex replied. "If they are real, then why don't they reveal themselves to us? We're part of the magical world. So there should be no reason why they should hide from us."
"We work in secret for a reason, Alex," an unfamiliar voice said as someone popped into the room. Everyone turned to see a man standing in the room. Nobody couldn't help but notice that he was wearing red.
Alex raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You're Cupid?"
"It's Jake," Jake told her. "And I'm just one of many." Alex wasn't convinced. "I know it's not the attire you were expecting, but I could say the same thing about you."
Alex hated to admit it, but he was right. However, she still had a question for him. "So if you're a Cupid, you're making us fall in love with another person, right?" she asked. Jake nodded. "Then why is other stuff like love spells are forbidden?"
"Because those spells don't show real love," Jake replied. "The person would be more infatuated with you than anything else."
"I would listen to him if I were you," Haley advised her as she heard Jamie fussing from his playpen from across the room. She walked over to him and gently pulled him out. "After all, he is the expert."
"I may be the expert, but I don't go through the experience like you girls do," Jake pointed out. "So I'm sure Haley can tell you more about love than I can. And that goes for Brooke and Lucas too."
"Speaking of those two, whatever happened to them?" Mia asked. "Did they ever get their happily ever after?"
"According to Lucas, they are still living happily married as mortals," Haley replied. After some time, Lucas started to understand why his mother and the other members of the Witches Council had taken away Brooke's powers. He had then apologized to his family for his actions before telling them that he was staying in Tree Hill. He wanted to help raise his niece.
He also realized that he couldn't chase Brooke when she clearly didn't want to be chased. However, they had decided to remain friends and stayed in contact with each other. As the months went by, their romance had blossomed again. By the time Jamie was born, Brooke had decided to move back to the United States to be with Lucas. He then proposed to her and she accepted his proposal.
Even though Lucas and Brooke were now mortals, they were still family. They were still invited to the family gatherings. Dan and Karen invited them over for dinner often. Lucas watched his niece and nephew all of the time. However, Lucas and Brooke still didn't feel like having a big wedding. So they just had a small wedding with their closest friends and family there. Lucas chose Nathan to officiate the ceremony. Nathan happily accepted the job.
At first, it was hard for Haley and Brooke to be around each other. Both Haley and Nathan didn't even want Katie near Brooke. However, they soon realized that Brooke wasn't the enemy. So they slowly started to trust her with the baby. Brooke quickly bonded with her and made it her mission to protect the little one.
"Do you think they will ever be allowed to have their powers back?" Mia asked as she took her turn in holding Jamie. "Or they will raise their family as mortals?"
Haley sighed. "I don't know. That's entirely up to the Witches Council on how long the punishment should last for Brooke and her friends."
"But isn't your husband the head of the Witches Council?" Alex reminded her as Jake disappeared from sight. "Can't you convince him to talk to the Witches Council about it? Haven't they been punished long enough?"
Haley didn't answer as she turned her attention to a smiling Jamie. She didn't want to tell her students, but the subject had been brought up before. Even though it had been several years since the battle, Haley still wasn't sure if she would be able to trust Brooke as a witch with powers. She was still getting used to trusting her as a mortal. She also had her children to think about. So she didn't believe that Brooke or her friends should be given their powers back. She didn't think that they had learned their lessons quite yet.
Mia knew that it was best to change the subject. "What about your birth mom?" she asked Haley as she handed Jamie back to her. "Did she ever find someone else?"
Alex turned to her exasperated. "What is with you and butting into her personal life?" she asked. "It's none of our business to know what her family is up to."
"Well, love is our lesson today," Haley reminded her. "So it's perfectly okay for Mia to ask about her." Mia then waited to hear her answer. "As much as Deb wanted to, she didn't feel like she could move on without Keith."
"So did they bring him back like Charlene did with Lucas?" Sam asked her. "Or did she just decide to be happy alone and help raise her grandchildren?"
"She decided to get to know me and help raise her grandchildren," Haley replied. "She knows that Keith will be waiting for her in the afterlife. Are there any other family members you want to know about?"
"Is it true that your former genie friend fell in love with a mermaid?" Sam asked. "And that mermaid gave up her water life to be with him?"
Haley nodded her head. "Yes, she did. That's another couple who are happily married as mortals."
"So you're suggesting that we should all become mortals because it's easier to stay in love?" Alex guessed. "Because the only two perfect couples who are together in the magical world is you and Nathan and your in-laws."
Mia gave her a look. "That's not true."
"Yes, it is," Alex protested. "Every other couple I know has lost someone because of our enemies. What makes you think that we're not going to be any different when we fall in love with a warlock?"
Haley tried to calm her down. "You're right. We do seem to have the perfect relationship, but it's not true. We've had many struggles in our marriage. You girls may not know this, but we almost divorced a couple of times. I couldn't deal with Nikki causing trouble all of the time. And Nathan wouldn't do anything about it. The last straw was Nikki kidnapping Katie."
"But you got her back safely," Mia gently reminded her.
"Yes, but the point is that love is complicated. But that doesn't mean that it doesn't have its rewards. I now have two wonderful children," Haley replied as she looked down at her son. She gently kissed him on the head. "Love doesn't just involve your soul mate. It also involves your friends and family, especially your children."
"I'm not having children," Alex said. "They are too much trouble. Besides, I have a hard enough time trying to take care of myself. I can't take care of a baby."
Haley nodded understandingly. "Well, that's your choice. But I wouldn't trade my children for anything." She then turned back to Jamie as he started to fuss. "It looks like someone needs to go down for his nap."
Mia and her other students got the message: class was now over. They quietly said good-bye to her as they gathered up their stuff. They then left as Haley walked upstairs to the nursery, still holding Jamie. She tried to calm him down as she slowly went into the rocking chair. She rocked back and forth as she sung to him. The baby soon fell fast asleep. Haley then gently put him in his crib. She watched him sleep for a few more moments before she quietly slipped out of the nursery.
Later that day, Nathan arrived home with Katie. She happily greeted her mother before she was sent off to play. "How was your day?" Nathan asked her as he greeted his wife. "Jamie didn't interrupt your class too much?"
Haley shook her head. "No, he was a perfect angel. Guess what the lesson was on today?" Nathan thought for a moment before he let her answer. "It was on love."
Nathan gave her a wide smile. "That is my favorite topic," he replied as they shared a passionate kiss. "Maybe you could give me a lesson on love."
Haley smiled in return as she pulled away for a moment. "It was on the beginning of love and relationships, not the intimacy part. But I'm sure I can give you a lesson on both."
"That is what I want to hear," Nathan replied. "But I'm afraid that it will have to wait. I have some surprising news."
Haley grew a little concerned. "Is it good news or bad news?"
"Well, that depends on how you take the news," Nathan told her. Haley waited for him to continue. "Lucas came into my office today and told me that I'm going to be an uncle. Brooke's pregnant."
Haley was surprised, but happy for them. However, she could see that Nathan wanted to tell her more. She decided to encourage him to tell her. "Well, that's nice that they're going to have a baby. Katie and Jamie are going to have a little cousin to play with."
Nathan was quiet for a moment before he spoke again. "Yeah, but the problem is that they don't want to raise their baby as a mortal. They want to raise their child as a witch or warlock."
"So Lucas and Brooke want their powers back?" Haley asked. She shook her head. "Alex asked me the same thing today and I didn't want to tell her that I'm not ready for that. I don't have myself to think about. We have our children too."
Nathan tried to calm her down. "I know. And that's why Lucas wants us to raise the baby."
Haley looked at him shocked. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. "Lucas and Brooke want us to look after their child and raise our niece or nephew in the ways of witchcraft?"
Nathan nodded. "They don't want their child to be punished for something he or she had nothing to do with. And I would have to agree with them. I know we already have two children to take care of, but they are family after all. It wouldn't be right to turn them down."
Haley let out a heavy sigh. As much as she didn't want to admit it, he was right. Both Lucas and Brooke were part of their family now. "Brooke really trusts me to raise her baby?" she asked.
Nathan nodded his head. "Yeah, she knows that we will raise the baby right, just like we are doing already. You're the best good witch she knows. You're the best witch I know. And if either of us strays away to the dark side, you know how to get through to me."
Haley gave him a smile. "Yeah, I do," she replied as she wrapped her arms around him. "You know, Alex thought that we are the perfect couple in the magical world. I told her that even we had our struggles, but the fight is rewarding in the end."
Nathan nodded in agreement. They then heard a faraway cry. They knew it was from the nursery. They quietly groaned to themselves, knowing that they had to separate. Haley then heard Katie calling her name. "Why don't I check on Jamie and we'll meet downstairs?" Haley agreed before they share one last kiss. Soon, Nathan and Haley were cuddled up on the sofa, fondly watching their children playing with each other. It was a house full of love and always would be, always and forever.
