A/N: So I just had a 9am lecture, now I'm updating for you guys since I love you so much, then I'm taking a nap…I swear since I've been at uni I've probably had more naps than I did in my childhood!

Enjoy, x

Chapter 36

Nathan POV

I sat in her bean bag chair and watched as she slept, feeling calmer just watching her safe. I took a sip of the coffee in my hands and thought about how fast the years had gone. After Haley had left it made me want to protect Ally from all the bad things in the world and make her feel loved. Along the way of doing that though I'd ignored the fact that she wasn't the five year old that needed me to protect her anymore.

I was doubtful that Alex really knew where he was going and after walking for ten minutes I was convinced he was leading me into the middle of nowhere just to piss me off, but when I saw Ally in the River Court I got the same feeling of relief I got when she was two years old and we were at the park and she crawled away. Those four minutes where I didn't know where she was invoked the same fear in me that I'd had tonight when I thought of her out there alone.

It was when we found her and she saw both me and Alex there and she went to Alex first, that how things had really changed had hit me. The fact she came and hugged me just how she used to when she was little showed me that she would always need me there, but just not in the same way as before. Strangely though, seeing her comforted and content with Alex made me ok about that because I could see that it wasn't that Ally wouldn't be protected anymore—it would just be by a different person and surprisingly I was ok with that.

What Alex had said to me in the car about forgetting the deal we had and how he wanted me to accept him and Ally dating for real seemed surreal because I never thought he'd be capable of saying anything like that but I guess it meant that I didn't know Alex like I thought I did, or maybe I did know Alex and he had just changed after Ally. Thinking back Alex hadn't been as difficult as he used to be recently and I wondered if Ally had a hand in that. At the same time Ally had gone through a lot recently and I could only support her through it to an extent. It seemed like it had been good for Ally to have Alex around too. They were good for each other.

I couldn't believe I was actually thinking having Alex around might be a positive thing but tonight had proved me wrong, or at least I was hoping my instincts were right.

Ally stirred and yawned. She noticed me in her room and smiled.

"What time is it?"

"Around nine," I told her.

She quickly sat up, looking at the time on her phone.

"Why didn't you wake me? I have school," she said.

"It's ok, don't worry about school. I don't think a day off for the both of us will be the end of the world," I told her.

"Oh," she said, "listen, Dad I'm really sorry I've been mad at you. I know you weren't intentionally trying to make things difficult for me."

"It's ok, I know things have been complicated recently and it's a lot to get through. You do have to understand though, things aren't always as black and white as you think they might be, like with Brooke and Haley."

"I know," she said frowning, "it's just hard when I see two people perfect for each other and- it's just our lives don't have to be complicated you know? I feel like sometimes we make them complicated. But I know you're just doing what's best."

"When you don't understand things or you don't like it, you have to talk to me about it. You can't keep me out of what's going on in your head and just get mad and run away. We've always been a team and that can't change."

"I know. Me, you and Brooke-we're in this together," she responded with the words that I used to say to her growing up.

"Honey, while we're on that, me and Brooke isn't going to happen and you can't hold that against me forever. I know it's what you want but it's not in the cards. She loves you so much though and nothing will change between the two of you. No matter what happens you will always have two people that will always be there for you and love you," I told her.

"Why do I feel like I'm getting the speech you get when your parents get divorced?" she asked smiling, through her tears.

"Well you know it's not that bad when your parents get divorced. You get a lot more attention from both of them," I joked, sitting next to her on the bed and putting my arm around her. She laughed. "But honey, this isn't like that because Brooke and I weren't ever together."

"That's what you think," she said. "You guys were more like a couple than Leyton."

"Who's Leyton?" I asked her confused.

"Uncle Lucas and Aunt Peyton," she said, "It's their couple name."

I rolled my eyes.

"Teenagers," I said getting up and going toward the door, "So uh….we cool?"

"We're cool," she said winking and getting back into bed and I couldn't see her doing anything useful for a while.

"There's actually something else I wanted to talk to you about," I told her, lingering in the doorway. She looked at me expectedly. "If you maybe wanted to hang out with Alex or whatever, I'd be ok with that."

Her eyes widened in realisation and a massive smile appeared on her face.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yes. But I want to be left in the loop ok? And just promise me you'll be careful," I told her.

"I love you," she said jumping onto me to give me a hug.

"I love you too Alls," I told her.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Lisa POV

You don't have feelings for Danny. You don't have feelings for Danny.

"Isn't Ellie Conrad hot?" Danny asked, pulling me out of my manta which wasn't actually proving to be very effective at all.

"Mmnnn," I dismissed, flipping the page of my textbook.

"That skirt deserves an award," he whispered so the librarian wouldn't come over again to tell us to keep the noise down.

"That skirt has also made its way around a lot of people," I said sarcastically, turning the page again even though I had no idea what subject I was doing.

"I think I'm gonna go talk to her," he said running his hands through his hair, "see if she maybe wants to go out."

I dismissed him and pulled out my pen and wrote the date on the piece of paper in front of me like I had better things to do.

"You don't care right?" he asked.

"Oh please, why would I care who you decide to contract an STD from?" I said, waving him toward her.

I heard his chair scrape back and when he left released a breath in relief.

You hated kissing him, I told myself. You do not like Danny!

As hard as I tried I could not focus on any of the books in front of me, despite forcing myself to try, not wanting to look up to see what Danny was doing.

The first kiss we'd had was too quick to feel anything, and I was so sure that was because there was nothing between us, but the second kiss more than made up for that! I think I was still seeing stars.

I tried to convince myself it was more to do with my lack of kissing experience rather than Danny himself but I couldn't help but think about that kiss again.

I heard a girly laugh, and I couldn't help but look up toward the leaflet stand where Danny and Ellie were standing. She had all her weight on one foot and had the other one bent which had the effect of her skirt riding up slightly. She was playing with a strand of her hair and rolled my eyes. I refused to believe she wasn't doing it all intentionally.

Danny said something and Ellie reached up and put her hand on his arm.

Before I knew it I was out of my chair. Despite yelling my mantra in my head, my body moved toward them at super human speed pulling her arm off him. She stumbled slightly.

"Lauren!" she complained.

"It's Lisa actually," I said even though she knew what my name was. "Get your hands off him."

"Why?" she asked, "what's it to you?"

I looked over to Danny who seemed to be enjoying this.

"Because…because.."

"Yeah Lisa, why?" he taunted.

I knew what he was trying to do and it sucked because I fully knew it but I couldn't help but do what he wanted.

It was like my body was being run by someone else as I grabbed his t-shirt harshly. Danny stumbled but caught his footing quickly by the time I kissed him hard. It was almost painful but I didn't care, he was irritating me. Since I was doing what he wanted anyway, I wasn't going to do it nicely.

"That's why!" I said, pushing him away.

"Oh," she said.

"Yeah 'oh' so you can just run along now…" I said, happy to see the smirk wiped off her face.

"I think you have this all twisted," Ellie said.

"Actually I think I've got it fine," I said. Why didn't she just get the hint and go?

"I have no idea what you're implying was going on Lisa," Danny said, his voice in a formal tone, "Ellie over here is my second cousin and we were discussing my Great Uncle Kenneth's birthday party this weekend."

In that moment I wanted to punch Danny so hard and wipe off that grin that I knew he was trying so hard to supress. He set this whole thing up! He just wanted me to admit I may have felt something for him.

"I'll see you later Dan," Ellie said, nodding to Danny and giving me a weird look.

"You are such an ass," I said walking back to our table and packing up my stuff.

"Oh come on," he laughed, "that was funny!"

"No it wasn't. It just made me look like an idiot," I said zipping up my bag and walking toward the door. Danny grabbed his stuff in his hands and came after me.

"Oh relax, El won't care," he said, "I just wanted you to admit your feelings and it worked didn't it?"

I stopped suddenly and Danny walked straight into my back.

"Any feelings I may have had Danny, I can assure you are now gone after that insensitive little number you just pulled."

He stared me down for a second, but my straight expression told him I was serious and not messing around.

"Oh come on Leese, I'm sorry," he said, walking by me as I started to go to the car park.

"I don't care," I said getting into my car.

Danny stood between the door and me so I couldn't close it.

"Move," I told him.

"No," he said, "I'm not moving. You're not mad at what I did. We screw with each other—that's what we do. You're just mad because you feel something and you don't want to deal with it."

I didn't initially reply because I knew he was right. I gripped the wheel and refused to look at him.

"Lisa?"

"What are we supposed to do then Danny? How is this going to work?" I asked sighing.

"I'm not asking you to marry me, so stop thinking so hard," he said, then added softly after crouching down, "We just do what we feel is right and we'll figure it out on the way."

"Well what feels right, right now?" I asked him frustrated that I wasn't in control of this situation for once.

"Well I want to kiss you again, this time because we want to, not because we're testing anything, or trying to prove a point," he said, "Is that ok?"

I just nodded and he leaned forward slowly.

"Wait!"

"What?" he asked.

"What about Sarah?"

"What about Sarah?" he asked, "We're just friends."

"Oh."

"So can I kiss you then?"

I nodded again, and this time he moved slowly, giving me time to back out.

We'd kissed before a few times, but in a way this was our first kiss. The other kisses had some sort of ulterior motive but this kiss had a lot more riding on it because it was real on both our parts and it would tell us if this whole ordeal was worth it.

Danny's lips touched mine and the only thought I remember was cursing the fact that Danny was right for once.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Nathan POV

"Ally is actually out right now," I said leading Haley into the kitchen.

"Oh," she said, "It's ok. I can probably tell you now though."

"Tell me what?" I asked.

"Well, I decided it was time for me to go back to New York," she said.

"Oh," I said already half expecting it. I knew she wasn't here to stay but in a weird sort of way I had gotten used to her being around. I hoped Ally would be ok about Haley going again. She'd gotten mad over finding out about the agreement she'd found about Haley staying out our lives but I think that was more over not being included in the whole process rather than wanting Haley to stay herself.

"Yeah, my flight's actually tomorrow night," she said.

"You're gonna have time to say bye to Ally though right?" I asked, making sure she wasn't planning to run.

"Of course!" she said.

"Good," I said.

"Listen, Nathan I just wanted to thank you," she said—now I was confused.

"For what?" I asked, not being able to think of anything I'd done that would benefit her.

"Well for the other night. I needed that. I think all these years a big part of me has been holding back with my life in New York because I hadn't come to terms with everything I'd left behind. Now I think I've got closure knowing my place isn't here anymore."

"Well I'm glad I could help in some way," I told her.

She gave me a soft smile and started walking toward the hallway to leave.

"Oh, um, Nathan?"

"Yeah?"

"Go get her," she said.

"huh? Go get who?"

"Brooke," she said, her eyes watering slightly. "If I can't be me, I'd want it to be her. Brooke's pretty amazing; she was my best friend for a reason. I lost her but you still have her in your life."

Even though we weren't together anymore it was still odd in a way for her of all people to be giving me her blessing to be with someone else.

"I don't think me and Brooke were meant to work out," I told her. Why did it seem like everyone around me just didn't get that?

"Are you kidding?" she said, her eyes widening, "Listen to me Nathan—the old Nathan Scott was meant to be with the old Haley James, always and forever…"

Where was she going with this?

"But the new Nathan Scott belongs with the new Brooke Davis and nothing is going to come in the way of that."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ally POV

"Hey," I said, standing up off the front steps as Alex got out his car.

"Hey. Are you ok? You weren't at school," he said, coming toward me.

"Yeah I'm fine, me and Dad just hung out all day. I feel like it's been ages since we did that," I said as he took his books out the back seat.

"That's good," he said, "Does he know you're here now? I don't feel like being hunted down tomorrow."

"He actually handed over his car keys," I told him.

"Really?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, and swinging his back pack over his shoulder.

"Strangely, yes," I told him, still surprised myself that Dad was as willing as he was to let me drive his car. "He's actually on board with us."

"Wow," Alex said pausing, like he was trying to process it.

" I think something that happened last night to change his mind. Did you say anything to him?"

"Not that I can think of," he said with a smile appearing slowly on his face, "so this is really happening?"

He gestured between the two of us, unable to wipe the smile off his face.

"Yes," I said, going closer and holding onto his upper arms, "I just want you to remember though you're the one I want. Don't push me away because of someone else again."

"I'm the one you want huh?" he said putting his hands around my waist.

"I knew that would go to your head! I'm taking it back," I said rolling my eyes.

"You can't take it back, you already said it," he said, rubbing his nose softly against mine.

"Well you suck," I told him.

"Yep, maybe I do. But I'm 'the one you want to be with' so you pretty much have to deal with it," he said leaning in.

Before his lips could reach mine though, we both jumped apart at the sound of the recycling box tipping over and its contents tumbling out.

"Dad!" Alex said in a high pitched voice to a man who had just knocked into the box.

"Hi, sorry I was just trying to leave quietly but obviously that didn't end very well," he said, clearly flustered.

"What are you doing here?" Alex asked. I could definitely see the resemblance between Alex and his father, and I definitely hadn't seen him at anything for school before. I knew he wasn't really around that often, but Alex hadn't mentioned he was back in town.

"I wanted to see if you wanted to go sailing on the boat, but it's ok, you're obviously busy," he said. "I should have called. Of course you have your own life—"

"No, that's ok, you go," I said, not wanting Alex to miss out on a bonding experience with his Dad.

"Sorry, Dad this is…" Alex started but trailed off so I thought I'd help him out.

"I'm Ally, Alex's girlfriend," I said casually, reaching forward and shaking his hand.

I couldn't help but notice Alex involuntarily grin at the 'label'. I thought it was a bit risky saying it, not knowing if that was what we really were since we hadn't really talked about it yet but he hadn't freaked out so that told me I made the right decision.

"Oh, you have a girlfriend?" Alex's Dad said surprised. "I guess I have more to catch up with than I thought."

"Well it's ok, you guys can do that now," I said, "I'll see you later."

I quickly kissed Alex on the cheek as they both protested that they didn't have to do anything together now.

"Call me later," I said going out the drive and getting into Dad's car.

I was pleased for Alex to get to spend some time with his Dad. As much as he tried to convince me he was used to it, he shouldn't have to be and it was nice he had an opportunity to have a better relationship with his Dad.

The drive back home didn't take long and I pulled into the driveway just as Rachel walked up to the house.

"Hey," I said locking the car.

"So is running away something teenagers do and I should be looking forward to with Sarah?" she asked, joining me in the driveway, "because I've heard you've done it at least twice just in the last few months."

"Yeah I know," I cringed, "In retrospect it was a stupid thing to do."

"Well duh, I thought your Dad was about to pass out from stress," she said and I instantly felt bad. "I just came to check on you guys though. What's he up to?"

"He said he just had school stuff to sort out," I said as we walked to the back door.

We could hear voices though coming from the kitchen as soon as we rounded the corner and Rachel pulled on my sleeve to stop me going in as soon as she recognised Haley's voice.

"The old Nathan Scott was meant to be with the old Haley James, always and forever. But the new Nathan Scott belongs with the new Brooke Davis and nothing is going to come in the way of that."

"Wow," I said and turned to Rachel who was biting her lip like she was thinking. Suddenly she looked like an idea hit her.

"We can't just sit by and let Nathan and Brooke miss out on their happy ending," she said.

"You don't have to convince me," I said.

"Will you help me?" she asked.

"Of course!" I said, eager to hear her plan.

Instead of explaining she pulled out her cell phone and moved away from the house so Dad couldn't hear us.

I could hear the phone ring on the other side for a while and I shifted between my feet getting impatient.

"Rach?" I heard Brooke's voice on the other side.

Suddenly Rachel started hyperventilating and I initially panicked wondering if she was ok.

"Brooke," she said in a teary voice, "it's terrible."

I could hear Brooke speaking on the other end but I couldn't make out what she was saying.

"Peyton's been in an accident," Rachel said sounding distressed, "It's not looking good. The doctors say…the doctors say…they're not sure if—"

She didn't complete her sentence and broke into sobs.

"Ok," Rachel said, "I'll see you soon. Everyone else is with the doctors so if you need anything just call me."

She hung up the phone then wiped under her eyes so her make up wouldn't run.

"That was just—wow," I said, speechless at the scene I had just witnessed.

"Thank you," she said, he voicing sounding un-traumatised again, "How do you think I always got out of gym class?"

"So what happens when she gets here and sees that you lied?"

"Um….I haven't thought that ahead yet."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A/N Ok guys, there you have it. Just to let you know there is one more chapter—which yes I have written! And that chapter does contain a certain event people have been begging me for from chapter 1!

After that I have two epilogues… or maybe I'll stick them in the same chapter. It depends how long they are.

And then the story is finished :-(

That makes me so sad ! I really wish this story was a movie because I really want to see it played out. I would love to make a fake trailer for it but I don't have the time, or the knowledge to be able to do that…! If anyone is up for it, let me know! I'll try learn at some point too!