I'm back. I know – so soon, right? Haha! I've had some free time so you guys get to benefit from that with me. :)

As always, thank you so much for the story/author alerts I have received and continue to receive for this story. And a big thanks to NaleyFan, charmedrocks33, DarkandLovely-2, rocklesson86, Ariel, Love NH, courtneylovejason, Haleyjanescott, sandlizt2, Charlotte, woz1971, NsHjs23, leyton4everrr, GottaluvNaley, 12naley23, 2naley, GRemy, RoseWoodsPrettiestLiar, NALEYAAF23 (chapters 47-49), SPNALEY, Naleylover87, Shelley123, Teegan, JamesLover23, amkjo001, saderia, and the guests for your amazing reviews. You guys rock – it's as simple as that.

AN: Again, this chapter has a lot of dialogue. There also isn't a break in between anything so I hope it doesn't come out all jumbled together; I hope it flows together well enough and is easy to read. And there's a Brucas "section" in this chapter, but it's all Naley related. I have mixed feelings about this chapter honestly; there are some parts I really liked and others...eh. I hope you enjoy everything, though.

Please forgive any spelling/grammar mistakes.

Disclaimer: I own nothing affiliated with One Tree Hill.

Nathan stared at his family, his face paling as he mentally chastised himself. He forgot they were coming to town for his first playoff game; he even sent them the game tickets as well as the plane tickets. With Haley's sudden appearance, this little fact completely slipped his mind. This was definitely not a good time, especially with his wife just feet away. As they all shouted out greetings, Nathan forced a tight smile on his face.

"Hey, guys."

"Why do you have that stupid look on your face?" His observant brother asked with a chuckle. "Did you forget we were coming?"

Nathan mentally answered yes before shaking his head. "Of course not. I just didn't realize it was that time already."

"Clearly." Lucas commented, smirking as he took in his brother's appearance.

"Come on in." Nathan invited, stepping out of the doorway. He waited as Lucas stepped into the apartment, and then he smiled at Brooke who was smiling widely at him. She stood on her tip-toes and pushed her body into his, wrapping her arms around his neck while embracing him in a warm hug. "How's my little nephew doing?"

Brooke's smile widened greatly as she backed out of their embrace. "Kicking up a storm." She answered, placing her right hand on her slightly swollen stomach. "He's excited to watch his Uncle Nathan kick some ass tonight."

He laughed, shaking his head as he continued to greet the rest of his family. His mother was the last one to enter and didn't waste a second as she hugged him tightly.

"Hey, sweetie." Karen greeted, kissing her son on the cheek before stepping further into the apartment. "Is everything okay? You seem...I don't know, kind of tense?" She questioned, practically feeling that emotion oozing from his body.

"I'm fine." He lied.

Nathan was farthest from the realm of fine as anyone could get. There was too much going on at the moment, and he had no idea how anything was going to turn out. For all he knew, his family could send Haley running for the hills again. Glancing down at his mom, he offered her a small smile which she seemed to accept as she simply said "okay" and walked away. Closing his eyes and sighing heavily, Nathan closed the door and followed the rest of them into the living room.

"Can I get you guys anything to drink?" He offered, discreetly glancing at the stairway while beverage choices were called out. Just as he turned to head into the kitchen, Lucas stood and offered to help. "No, man. I'm sure you're tired from the flight. I can manage just fine."

"Don't worry about it." Lucas dismissed with a wave of his hand. "I'm perfectly rested."

Nathan sent his brother a tight smile, all while trying to fight the urge to push Lucas back down onto the couch. Glancing one more time at the staircase, he then led his brother out of the room and into the kitchen. They pretty much worked in a comfortable silence as they gathered together all the different drinks before returning to the living room, dispersing the beverages. Lucas reclaimed his seat on the couch next to his wife as Nathan stood near the television, rubbing his hands together before crossing his arms over his chest as he resumed with staring at the staircase.

"You planning on standing there all day?" Brooke asked, chuckling as she sipped some water.

"Yeah. Take a load off." Lucas said as he and Brooke shifted to make some room on the couch. "You should rest a little before your big game."

"Oh, I'm..." Nathan paused, mid-sentence when he heard feet shuffling down the stares. Everyone obviously heard as well as their eyes all shifted in that direction. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, mentally preparing for whatever was about to happen.

"Haley?" Lucas was the first one to speak, his tone full of surprise and confusion.

Haley stopped just as she stepped off that last step. She stared dumbfounded at everyone sitting in the living room; there sat seven people she hasn't seen or really spoken to for the past two years. Raking her eyes all over them, she saw their faces were swimming in confusion and shock as they all stared at her. Her eyes shifted to Nathan. He had an apologetic look on his face; clearly he wasn't exactly expecting this or forgot about it all together. Haley wasn't sure she could handle this right now.

Just minutes ago, Haley thought she was reaching her breaking point. That was why she ran out of the room, hiding herself away in that guest bedroom upstairs. She shouldn't have run away like that, but she needed some air. She needed some space from Nathan. There was still so much for them to talk about and figure out so it wasn't as if she was going to run away like the last time...she just needed a moment to herself, to collect herself and think.

Haley shocked even herself when she pulled out those divorce papers. She had filed for them very soon after Taylor's last visit, but she wasn't sure what she actually wanted to do. Filing them was only a...precaution of sorts. They were just hanging out in her purse with no real purpose; most of the time, she forgot they were even in there. Haley didn't know what she wanted – even now. Her emotions were running rampant a few minutes ago and pulling out the papers, that was just a reaction – a stupid and impulsive reaction. But did Haley actually want to get a divorce? That thought was too painful for her to think about.

When she came to New York, she didn't exactly know what she was going to do. She didn't come here with the intention of actually giving Nathan the divorce papers nor did she come here with the intention of making things right between them. After going to the cemetary and visiting their daughter, the rush of emotions she felt was what led her to getting on that plane with Manhattan being her end destination. She didn't plan on staying here for two nights. She didn't plan on spending the day sightseeing with her husband. She didn't plan on accepting his request that she come to his game. She certainly didn't plan on making love to him. And she didn't plan on pulling out those divorce papers.

Something snapped, though, in her when Nathan told her about his date. She believed him when he said it wasn't his idea and that nothing happened with the girl, whoever the hell she was. He had no reason to lie to her. Besides, if Nathan was ready and willing to move on, he would have and he wouldn't have tried to hide it. But still...hearing from his own lips that he went out with another woman was a hard thing to grasp. She tried to not let it affect her, trying to keep a straight face and show little emotion when he told her. But the truth is, it did affect her – greatly.

Haley thought she had reached her breaking point then but now, with the whole Scott clan here, maybe this was going to be her real breaking point.

Lucas stood up and advanced a couple of cautious feet closer to her. "Haley, what are you doing here?"

"I, umm...I just..."

"Haley!"

Haley let out an inaudible sigh of relief at the interruption, not ready to answer that question. Lily came into view, rushing towards her with a boisterous smile. The five-year-old has grown up so much in the past two years, still looking as adorable as ever with her wavy, light brown hair that was now longer and her bright blue eyes. She smiled, bending to pick the little girl up and hugging her tightly yet gently against her chest. Haley could feel the tears that were threatening to fall and snapped her eyes shut, desperately trying to keep them from squeezing out.

"Where have you been?" Lily asked innocently. "I've missed you."

"I know." Haley replied vaguely, not knowing anything else to say.

Nathan smiled as he watched the two of them. He saw Haley closing her eyes, and he knew seeing Lily as well as the rest of his family was getting to her. Maybe their arrival wouldn't be such a bad thing. After all, his family is her family as well – and that was determined long before they got married and made it official. Feeling someone's eyes on him, Nathan glanced over and found that sister-in-law of his looking at him. He knew she was still adjusting to the surprise of Haley being here, but he could also see the small, smirk-like grin she was trying to hide as she stared at him. Nathan tried to ignore her as he turned his focus back to his wife and his sister.

Why, of all people to catch him and Haley sneaking around, did it have to be meddling, over-step her boundaries Brooke Davis?

Karen was quick to jump up from her seat, happy tears springing in her eyes at seeing the girl who was so much like a daughter to her. "Haley!" She exclaimed as she embraced the petite brunette. "It's so good to see you!"

"It's good to see you, too." Haley replied, smiling and closing her eyes again.

A dozen of emotions hit Haley as the woman who was practically her second mom, and technically her mother-in-law, hugged her tightly. Karen has been there for her for so many years – always there to lend an ear or dual out advice or step into a parental role when she needed it the most. Haley chose to push that away for the past two years, and with Karen's arms now wrapped warmly around her, she was realizing just how much it really hurt to be away from her, from everyone.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" Karen asked as they backed out of their embrace.

Haley smiled at the motherly concern. She nodded slowly, although she had no idea how to answer that question. What does okay really mean?

"That's good." Karen said, the relief evident in her tone. "Now that that's settled..."

The next thing Haley felt was a small slap against her shoulder. "Ow!"

"That's for never returning any of my phone calls and for never coming home to Tree Hill." Karen chastised gently before slapping the girl on the shoulder again. "And that's for making me worried sick over you!"

"I'm sorry." Haley apologized quietly, averting her gaze.

Karen shook her head disapprovingly at the girl before pulling her into another tight hug, sighing. "It's okay, sweetie. I'm just glad you're okay and you're here now. That's all that matters."

When the older woman finally let Haley go, everyone else jumped up from their seats to greet and hug the petite brunette.

Everyone except Lucas that is, who stood straight with his hands on his hips as he continued to stare at his best friend. Haley was here. His best friend was here. The girl who was more like a sister to him growing up was here. After two years and one angry phone call, Haley James was standing before him. Lucas didn't know how he felt about this. On one hand, he was thrilled and relieved at seeing her again. He's been worried about her for the longest time, and he's missed her a great deal. But on the other hand, he was angry. He was so incredibly angry with her – for a lot of reasons, including running away and never telling him where she was going and for never contacting him. Lucas wanted to be like everyone else and go running up to Haley, embracing her in a tight hug and display his happiness outright...but he couldn't.

"You never answered my question." He bit out, interrupting the warm hugs and the happy greetings. "What are you doing here?"

The smile faded from Haley's face as she locked eyes with her best friend.

Nathan saw the panic wash over his wife's face. "She wanted to see New York, Luke." He jumped in, trying to save Haley as he walked over to his brother. "I told her to come by anytime, and I'd show her around the city. She had some time off, and I told her about the game...here she is."

Lucas looked back and forth between his brother and his best friend. He watched as Nathan cast a quick, side glance at Haley; he raised an eyebrow. Lucas didn't know if he believed that answer or not. Why would Haley come here? He knew Nathan and Haley were close...but still, why would she come here? Coming to see New York – Lucas could kind of understand that. But why didn't his brother tell him he had talked to her? Nathan knew how worried he has been about Haley – even if it was just a day ago or even a minute ago that the two may have talked, Nathan still should have told him.

"But that doesn't..." Lucas began, looking imploringly at his brother, "...why didn't you tell me you talked to her?"

"Well, I..."

A loud, rapid knocking sounded at the door.

Now, who the hell is that? Nathan thought in annoyance even though he was more than grateful for the slight reprieve of having to answer his brother's accusatory question. Before he could move even a step, though, the door swung open.

Clay burst through the door, rushing into the apartment. "Why haven't you been answering your phone?" He questioned his agent, skipping any formal pleasantries.

"Clay, I'm a little busy right now." Nathan said, gesturing to his living room full of people.

"Yeah, well, this is important." Clay pushed, ignoring everyone as he grabbed the remote control and flicked on the television. "You need to see this."

Nathan rolled his eyes, sighing as he looked at the screen. His agent turned the channel to one of those entertainment, gossiping type of shows – the ones he purposely tried to avoid because he had no interest in what those people had to say. Most of the stories on those shows...while are often true, the facts have been exaggerated in a way to provide more drama. Nathan had no time to waste on that type of stuff.

The NBA's most drool worthy bachelor may not be such a bachelor after all.

"Clay, what is this?" Nathan asked, glancing sharply at Clay as a picture of him in his basketball uniform appeared on the screen as he stood on the court in Madison Square Garden with his hands on his hips and a wide smile on his face.

"This is the reason why you should answer your damn phone when your agent calls you!" The blonde quipped.

Nathan Scott, the Knicks shooting guard, who has thought to have been single since his arrival into the NBA scene is now said to be married. Yes – married! Bad and disappointing news to all you women who thought you might have your chance with the young, good-looking, rich and famous athlete. A source close to the basketball player came forward with this latest piece of shocking information two nights ago. Since then, we have tried to get a statement from Clay Evans, Nathan's agent, but he hasn't confirmed nor denied the allegation regarding his client.

More pictures appeared on the screen – the pictures consisted of the married couple during their sightseeing the previous day. There were a few different ones, including one of the two of them holding hands as they were walking. One picture was then blown up, highlighting Haley's left hand where there was a circle surrounding the diamond wedding band on her ring finger.

We did a little bit of research which proved to be rather interesting. Haley James, possibly Scott, is the name of the young woman in these photos as well as Nathan's alleged wife. Haley is also from Tree Hill, North Carolina, and graduated with our favorite NBA newcomer. Haley even attended Duke University which most of you know is where a certain young basketball player spent his college days as well.

Another picture appeared on the screen. It was a photo of Nathan and Haley standing side-by-side with their arms wrapped around one another as Millie, Mouth, Tony, Skills, and Bevin stood with them; they were all smiling boisterously for the camera. The players were decked out in their Duke basketball uniforms, Bevin was in her Duke cheerleading uniform, and Haley and Mouth were simply dressed in clothes that displayed their support of the team and the University. Nathan remembered that specific day during their senior year of college. That was the game that Duke had won, earning their place in the final four of the NCAA Tournament. To any outsider, nobody would have suspected anything between him and Haley or that Haley was actually pregnant at the time; the picture was innocent enough. But now, with this news report...well, now people could generate their own opinions and theories about the two of them.

Those are the only details we have on this still developing story at the moment. We will be sure to keep you updated with whatever additional information we may obtain regarding these allegations.

As the program moved onto another story, Nathan instinctively glanced at his wife who looked nothing short of panicked right now. Tears were evident in her eyes as she continued to stare at the television screen. She looked as if she may throw up at any given moment. Seeing her reaction, he felt his anger intensifying as his concern over her immediately became his sole focus. Nathan wanted nothing more than to protect his wife – from everything and everybody.

"Who the hell is this 'source', Clay?" He asked, staring at his agent who merely shrugged. "The only people who know about us are you, Tony, and Millie. They sure as hell didn't say anything!"

"Are you insinuating that I did?" Clay questioned, his tone rising slightly as he felt more than insulted at the insinuation.

"No." Nathan was quick to decline, sighing heavily as he ran his hands over his face. "I know you wouldn't say anything. I just...who would have? Who could have possibly said anything?"

"I don't know." Clay said and then a thought popped into his mind. "Unless someone heard us the other night. There were a lot of people at that party, Nate. Any one of them could have heard us talking in the kitchen."

"But who? I mean, I trust all those people; they wouldn't have been invited into my house if I didn't." Nathan stated.

After a couple of seconds, the two guys looked at one another and simultaneously said, "Carrie."

"That definitely makes sense." Clay continued. "She came into the kitchen right after we had talked about it. Not to mention, she's totally into you. The girl is freaking crazy, and I caught some serious stalker vibes from her. You probably crushed her heart when she heard everything. And then when you went off on her – man, add insult to injury." He said, chuckling lowly.

"God, I hate that girl!" Nathan grumbled, shaking his head.

"Look, Nathan...the press is only talking about the marriage. I don't think Carrie said anything about the baby."

"Baby?" Karen spoke up. "Is all that...is this...true?"

Nathan suddenly remembered all the other people who were in the room, too. Inhaling a deep breath, he turned and saw that both his parents and Lucas were now standing, looking at him with wide, questioning eyes. He glanced back at Haley who was still too busy staring at the television screen to be privy to what was going on in the "real world". Knowing he couldn't hide from this anymore, he nodded slowly. The next thing Nathan knew, a hard blow hit the left side of his face and he was down on the carpet.

"Lucas!"

He heard both Karen and Brooke exclaim.

"Damn it!" He groaned, closing his eyes as pain rippled through his face.

Haley snapped out of her daze and rushed over to her husband, helping him up. Full of concern, she asked him if he was okay. When he nodded, she turned around to find Lucas standing right in front of her; she was the only barrier between the two Scott brothers. She flinched at the hostile look on her best friend's face; Haley wasn't sure if she has ever seen Lucas so angry in all the years they have been friends. When he stepped a foot forward, she placed the palms of her hands on his chest to keep him from moving any further.

"You're married? And you had a...baby?" Lucas questioned slowly, glaring down at his best friend as he waited to hear it from her as well.

"Yes." She confirmed, trying to control the shakiness of her voice.

Everything happened so fast after that.

Lucas advanced forward roughly, causing Haley to stumble back, as he took another swing; his fist just barely hit Nathan's jaw. The younger brother didn't hold back this time; he allowed his older brother to get in one decent punch – Lucas deserved that, but nothing more. Haley lost her footing and the only reason why she didn't plummet to the floor was because she was sandwiched between the two Scott boys. Hollers from the rest of the family were heard in the background but were ignored. Keith made a move to jump in but Clay, having been closer, got to them first. He pushed on Lucas's chest, forcing the other blonde to take a step back. After securing her balance, Haley was quick to turn around, placing her hands on her husband's chest as she pushed him back. Glancing down, Nathan saw the pleading look on his wife's face and hesitantly took a step back himself.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Nathan?" Lucas snarled. "God, were you so hard up that you had to go after her?"

"Lucas, stop!" Haley exclaimed.

"No, he took advantage of you, and you're so naïve that you let him!" He retorted.

A loud, echoing slap sounded in the apartment. A couple of small gasps of breath were heard from Karen, Brooke, and Deb.

Haley ignored the stinging sensation she felt on her hand as she glared at her best friend and warned lowly, "Back off, Lucas."

"Hales, what the hell?" He questioned incredulously, gently rubbing his cheek where she had slapped him. "I was just defending you!"

"I don't need defending all the time, especially right now!"

"You're my best friend...God, you're practically my sister. I..."

"Well, technically, she is your sister-in-law." Brooke stated with a quiet chuckle; her husband glared at her. "Sorry. Carry on." She chirped, running her two fingers along her lips and then "threw away the key".

Rolling his eyes, Lucas turned his attention back to the petite brunette standing in front of him. "I'm just trying to understand."

"No, that's not what you're doing!" Haley argued hotly. "You're jumping to conclusions and throwing out accusations!"

"I want answers!"

"Punching Nathan isn't going to get you any answers! Screaming at him isn't gonna help either!"

"He deserves it!" Lucas countered. "Is he the reason you ran away? He probably cheated on you, right? That's right up his alley."

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about!" Nathan declared, heatedly.

"That's enough!" Keith's voice boomed, effectively shutting everyone up as tension-filled silence fell over the room.

Karen crouched down to be eye level with her daughter, smiling softly and comfortingly. "Sweetie, why don't you take the dolls you brought with you upstairs and go play for a bit. Okay?"

The youngest Scott boy cursed under his breath, remembering his little sister was in the room. "Hey, Lily." Nathan began, forcing a smile on his face. "Duke's upstairs in the bedroom. I'm sure he'd love to see you."

Lily immediately beamed at the mention of Duke and ran off without a second thought, her little feet skipping excitedly up the stairs.

"Nathan." Clay whispered loudly. Once he had his client's attention, he waved his hand in a quick motion as he walked towards the door, away from everyone else. "I'm gonna go. You guys clearly need to...sort this out."

"That's for damn sure." Nathan replied with a sigh.

"Look, I'm sorry about everything. I didn't mean to spill the beans." Clay apologized.

Nathan shook his head. "It's okay. None of this is your fault; you didn't know they were even here. Besides, you were just doing your job. And I'm sorry for not picking up. I've been...busy, to say the least. I know it put you in a really difficult position with the press and everything, and I'm sorry for that." He said, being the one to apologize this time.

"It was nothing I couldn't handle."

"Thanks."

The two guys shared a look of understanding with one another.

"Well, I'm gonna go." Clay said and then clipped his friend gently on the shoulder. "Call me later. We need to go over things before the game tonight. You know the press is gonna..."

"Yeah, I know." Nathan interrupted, shaking his head as he felt a headache forming. "Don't worry – I'll call."

"Okay." Clay nodded slowly, feeling like he should be doing something more for his client. But really – there wasn't much to be done until he could make an official statement to the press, and that can't happen until things get sorted out here. "I'll see you later. Put some ice on that eye." He ordered as he walked out of the apartment.

Nathan stared at the now closed door for a moment before turning around. He saw that Keith had managed to calm Lucas down, at least enough to get the guy sitting back down on the couch next between their mother and Brooke. Stepping further back into the living room, Nathan found his place near Haley as the two stood side-by-side, facing everyone else. The whole family was staring at them, waiting as patiently as they could for answers.

"Look, I know this is surprising, and I'm sure you all feel really blind-sided. I'm sorry, okay. I'm really sorry that you guys are finding out right now, like this. And..." Nathan began but cut himself off when he saw his mother hold up her left hand to stop him.

"Just explain everything to us." Karen demanded softly.

"Haley and I...four years ago, we started..."

"Screwing each other." Lucas muttered crudely and then immediately felt his wife's elbow nudge his side.

"Yes." Nathan answered tersely. "But it wasn't..."

"How about you skip ahead to the part about the marriage and the baby?" Karen interrupted, desperate to know those details first.

"Haley go...we got pregnant our senior year at Duke. We decided to keep it, and obviously, we got married." He explained rather vaguely and then sent his brother a pointed glare as he added, "It was a mutual decision. I have never taken advantage of anyone, especially Haley."

Dan chuckled lowly, capturing everyone's attention.

"What's so funny?" Nathan questioned with a sigh of exasperation as he glanced over at his dad. He mentally prepared himself for whatever classic Dan Scott comment that was about to come pouring out of the man's mouth.

"It's nothing really." Dan said, shaking his head. "It's just...after all my years of warning...you still managed to knock someone up."

Nathan was surprised – his dad's tone wasn't one of anger or sarcasm; it was more of amusement. He stared dumbfounded at Dan who plopped down on the love seat, shifting into a laid-back position with a broad grin on his face as he casually sipped his scotch on the rocks. Aside from Lucas, Nathan thought Dan would be the one with some kind of opinion on this whole situation. His dad always had something to say – mostly negative. And it really wasn't like Dan to be so "humble" when he can prove himself right; the guy took great pleasure in pointing instances like that out in a grand way.

"What happened to the baby?" Karen asked softly, a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Nathan wrapped his arm around Haley's shoulders, squeezing gently. "We lost it." He answered and saw the pain stretch across his mom's face as she closed her eyes for a brief second and shook her head lightly. He felt Haley's body tense slightly underneath his hold on her. Glancing down at her, he watched as she wrapped her arms around herself; she looked so small and fragile. Tears were filling her eyes, but Nathan could tell she was desperately trying to keep them from actually falling. "It was a girl. Emma...Emma Grace Scott."

"Excuse me." Haley whispered as she walked away from everyone and headed towards the stairs.

"We'll be back. Just...make yourselves...comfortable." Nathan told his family, sighing quietly, and then followed his wife's footsteps.

The Scott family silently watched the couple ascend the stairs until they were no longer in sight. After a few seconds, they heard and saw both Lily and Duke walking down the stairs. A door from the second floor shut, echoing lightly throughout the apartment. As Lily sat in the corner with the dog, tension filled the air surrounding them. Nobody knew what to say...or at least had no idea how to handle this very shocking news.

Scoffing loudly, Lucas jumped up from his seat and stalked off towards the kitchen.

Brooke shared a quick look with Karen before following after her husband. Sitting on one of the stools, she watched silently as Lucas pulled a beer from the refrigerator and then popped the cap off. He finished off the liquid inside in a one long gulp, sighing loudly before tossing the bottle inside the trash. Brooke flinched slightly at the sound of the glass shattering.

"You feel better?" She questioned in a deadpanned tone. He sent her a bemused look. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Talk about what?" He questioned rhetorically, laughing bitterly. "Talk about my best friend showing up after years of silence? Talk about my brother going behind my back and lying about how he's been talking to her? Or we can talk about the fact that those said two people are apparently married? Which of those do you want to talk about?"

Brooke simply raised an eyebrow at him.

"I can't believe this! It's absurd – Nathan and Haley are married. This is just some sick joke, right?" He asked but didn't bother to let her respond as he continued. "I just...it's so hard to imagine, and I'm...shocked. Aren't you?"

Brooke said nothing as she took a sip of her water.

"You knew." He deduced, accusingly.

"What?" She squeaked out nervously. "No, I didn't."

Lucas narrowed his eyes, not convinced by her response. "You're lying. You did know about them."

Squirming under her husband's glare, Brooke sighed loudly. "Fine, I did kno..."

"Damn it, Brooke!" He exclaimed.

"Oh, calm down." She chastised, rolling her eyes as she rubbed her pregnant belly in a soothing motion.

"Calm down?" He bit out incredulously. "You expect me to simply 'calm down' after finding out that my wife has been lying to me for years."

"Technically, I didn't lie."

"What the hell do you call it then?"

"It wasn't my place to tell anyone anything, Broody." Brooke explained. "Besides, I only knew they were dating or...whatever. I had no idea they were actually married. If I had known, I would have..."

"You would have told me?" Lucas quipped.

"No, I wouldn't have told you. I already said it wasn't my place." She answered, trying to keep her own frustration in check. "But I would have tried to convince them to tell everyone else."

He exhaled a deep breath. "How long have you known?"

"I saw them kissing." She began, rolling her eyes when her husband visibly blanched at that. "It was Lily's birthday party the summer we got married."

"Three years! You've known about them for three years!" He exploded.

"Seriously, Luke. You need to calm down." Brooke warned, glaring at him.

Lucas inhaled and exhaled a few deep breaths as he opened the refrigerator again, reaching in to grab a bottle of water this time. He twisted off the cap and took a swig before walking back over to the island. He pulled out a chair and plopped down on it, shifting his body so he was facing his wife. Lucas watched as she hopped out of her chair and searched the drawers for a small ziplock bag, and then she filled the clear plastic with ice before sauntering back over to where they were sitting.

"Here." She said, placing the cold ice over the red swelling of his right hand. "This will help."

"Thanks." He replied quietly.

The young, married couple sat in a comfortable silence as she tended to his injured hand.

"They love each other." Brooke said softly after a couple of passing minutes.

"Please!" Lucas scoffed, snatching his hand away. "Love? You're kidding, right." He laughed sarcastically. "He knocked her up, Brooke. That's the only reason why they entered into this...sham of a marriage. It was just a way to save face – probably Nathan's idea. I'm sure he didn't want to ruin his precious reputation, especially so close to the NBA. Not to mention, having a pregnant...whatever...on the side probably wouldn't have gotten him very much action. He has to get it somewhere, right? And Haley...come on. The smart, good girl gets herself pregnant – yeah, that looks real good. She probably didn't hesitate in marrying him."

Brooke narrowed her eyes at her husband. "You do realize this is your brother and your best friend that you're speaking so highly about, right?"

"Yeah, I know exactly who I'm talking about, Brooke."

"And that's exactly your problem."

"Oh, and what's that?" He challenged.

"The way you perceive people, especially those two." She said, the exasperation clear in her tone. "To you...Nathan is still that womanizing, partying, basketball obsessed, little brother of yours. And Haley...well, you still see her as your innocent, quirky best friend. They aren't those people, though, Lucas. Yeah, sometimes they are, but they've both grown up. And for those of us who haven't known them as long as you have or aren't as close to them as you are, we're able to see what's really there."

Lucas said nothing so Brooke continued.

"This thing with Nathan and Haley...Luke, it started long before the baby. Have you ever thought about what those tattoos of theirs really stand for?" She questioned and saw the confused look on his face. "HJ...Haley James. 23...Nathan's jersey number. They got those tattoos back in high school. You were away at college, and those two...something changed between them."

"So...you're saying...what are you saying?"

"Look, I don't know the specifics of their relationship. I tried to get it out of that brother of yours, but he was a closed book. Stubborn jackass." She mumbled in a low, hushed tone. "Anyway...I don't know when things first happened between them, but it has been more than just friendship for a long time now. I didn't really see it until that day at your house, but since then...it makes sense. Haven't you ever just...watched or listened to them and...know there was something going on?"

"No, I haven't." He replied.

She let out a small laugh. "You're just too blind to see it then, but you can't fake those feelings."

"What feelings?" Lucas asked.

"Love, Lucas." Brooke answered simply. "They love each other."

There you go. Please let me know what you guys think – there is definitely more to come.

NaleyFan: I do plan on writing more stories after this one is complete. I've actually been thinking of ideas and writing things down when they come to mind. Since my real life keeps me busy, I want to have a great deal of the story complete before I post so I don't have such long periods of time in between each update. I don't know how soon after this story is done I'll be posting, but I'm hoping it isn't too long. :)

Random: My husband took Jude to his grandparent's in Madison, Wisconsin, for the week, and I have had the past three days off so I've had some relaxing time to myself. Sometimes I miss the quiet of an empty house. Haha! I don't know if any of you have been watching Chicago PD (a new show on NBC) but I've had the episodes recorded and was finally able to sit down and watch them all. I absolutely love it! For those of you who don't know...Sophia Bush (Brooke Davis) is part of the cast, and her character (Erin Lindsey) is probably my favorite on the show. Sophia plays her so well, and it's drama so she's definitely nailing her scenes. It's so refreshing to see her in something different from One Tree Hill.

Anyway, I hope to have another update for you guys soon. Have a wonderful weekend!