Chapter Fifty One

"You're the first person I brought home ever."

Haley stopped walking suddenly. Her smile faded as his words sunk in. Then another wave of nerves took over. She felt her stomach start to knot up. It was suddenly very hot and she was finding it hard to breathe. She was the first person he ever brought home?

Nathan held in his laughter when he noticed the terrified look on Haley's face.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"You just made me more nervous," Haley breathed.

"Hales," Nathan grinned. "Relax, Crazy. It's gonna be fine."

"Easy for you to say it's your family," Haley bit out. Nathan chuckled. "I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me."

"Are you worried they won't like you or something?" Nathan asked confused. Haley never acted this way ever. It was starting to freak him out. Maybe doing this today wasn't the best idea. She looked completely terrified.

Haley nodded. "A little, I guess."

"Impossible," Nathan tried to assure her.

"I'm being ridiculous," Haley realized with a nervous laugh. "Your sister loves me and I've met your dad at work. He seems to like me."

"He does."

"Okay," Haley breathed. "Let's go in before I take off running."

Haley rolled her eyes when Nathan started laughing at her again. He found this whole thing amusing and she wanted to hit him. She felt him tug her forward before he pushed the door open. She took another deep breath before following him inside. She hoped that her stomach settled down soon. She felt like she needed to throw up again.

The house was beautiful. The décor was nice, not too fancy like she thought it would be from looking at the outside of the house. It was homey. There were scattered pictures hanging up on the cream colored walls. She couldn't get a good look at them though. Nathan was pulling her forward before she could really focus on anything.

Her eyes stayed glued to the marble beneath her feet seconds later. She couldn't help but laugh.

"What's so funny?" Nathan wondered.

Haley continued to giggle. "My mom would love this place."

"Lydia would," Nathan agreed.

Haley was still laughing by the time they walked into the huge living room. Her eyes swept across the room quickly and her laughter died suddenly when she noticed a blonde lady sitting on the ground. Andy was right next to her. They were both smiling and laughing at something. Then they were kissing. They looked insanely in love.

Haley squeezed Nathan's hand. She didn't want them to interrupt their private moment.

"Nathan, you're home," Beth smiled. She then noticed Haley. "And you've brought company. This is a nice surprise."

Haley felt Nathan tense up beside her and it did nothing to calm her down. If anything she was more nervous. Was Nathan suddenly having second thoughts about her meeting his family?

"I want you guys to meet someone."

Andy stood up grinning before helping Beth up. They both took off walking before stopping a few feet in front of them. Andy and Beth were both grinning widely at the sight of them.

"Agent James," Andy beamed. "I'm so glad to see you here."

"Dad," Nathan complained with a pointed look.

"Sorry," Andy chuckled. "Haley."

"Assistant Director Hargrove," Haley smiled. She tried holding in her laughter for Nathan's sake. Just minutes before she had been nervous beyond words and now all of a sudden they had switched places. Nathan looked like a ball of nerves now. "You have a lovely home."

"Thanks and please call me Andy. This is my wife Elizabeth."

"Please just call me Beth."

Haley was going to offer her hand but before she could Beth has hugging her.

"Nice to finally meet you," Beth smiled happily as she pulled away. "We've heard so much about you."

Nathan huffed annoyed. "You guys are embarrassing."

"You'll get over it."

"We're just so happy," Beth added before clapping her hands. "You have to stay for dinner."

"Beth, I don't know if –"

"Sure," Haley smiled. "I'd love to."

"It's settled then," Andy spoke up happily.

Nathan grimaced at the sudden turn of events. He didn't know what he expected. He should have known that his family would be all over Haley once they walked through the door. He wanted alone time with her too. They had just made up. They were just supposed to come here for a meet and greet, not spend the whole damn day. He had plans for later and it required no clothing at all. They couldn't do that here.

Noah ran into the living room with a toy airplane in his hand. He was making noises with his mouth as he moved the airplane around in front of him. When he noticed Nathan his face lit up.

"Bubba, you're back!"

"Hey, shrimp," Nathan grinned bending down instantly. "Come here. I want you to meet someone special."

Haley's mind was still trying to process that Nathan had a step-mom. Sure she had seen the wedding band on Andy's finger but she hadn't really thought about it. She didn't know why. The sight of the tiny little blonde boy only confused her more. Nathan and Brooke had both told her that they didn't have any other siblings but clearly that had been a lie. She felt a little blindsided. She hadn't been expecting this.

The kid was adorable. He looked just like his mother, a head full of blonde hair and a megawatt smile across his face.

Haley could hear Nathan trying to introduce her to the little boy but all she could focus on was the little boy's face when he finally noticed her. The little boy glanced down at her hand holding Nathan's before he looked up at her again. Then he was moving closer to his mother before hiding behind her and holding her leg.

He didn't like her. Her face fell.

"Noah?"

Haley felt Nathan squeeze her hand trying to comfort her. It didn't work. Nathan stood up and pulled her in closer to him.

"Noah, what's wrong?" Beth questioned as she bent down. Noah wrapped his arms around her before placing his head on her shoulder looking away from them.

Haley watched them for a few minutes as Beth tried to see what was wrong. Beth started laughing before placing the little boy back on the ground. He took off running away from them instantly. Beth stood up still smiling.

"He doesn't like me," Haley guessed sadly.

Nathan glanced at her. "No, I'm sure –"

"Actually," Beth laughed. "I think he might have a little crush on you."

Huh?

"Little?" Andy chuckled before shaking his head. "His face looked like a tomato."

"See," Nathan grinned at her smugly. "He likes you. Kid has good taste. I've taught him well." Haley elbowed him in the side hard.

"We should go check on him. I don't think this has happened before. We'll be right back." They left the room.

"Ouch," Nathan hissed in pain. "Damn, girl. Mother f…I think you might have broken a rib. What the hell was that for?"

"A little warning would've been nice," Haley snapped angrily. "Jerk."

"You're crazy."

"Me?"

"Yeah," Nathan nodded before rubbing his side. "You…are…insane!"

"You are," Haley retorted. "You could've mentioned that you had a step-mom and a little brother, a brother who doesn't even like me. I could've brought him a toy or something if I had known. Jackass."

"He likes you."

"He couldn't even look at me," Haley objected. "He probably hates me and –"

Nathan pulled her into him before slamming their lips together. He kissed her hard. His mouth slanted over hers before slipping his tongue inside of her mouth. He felt her hands gripping his shirt tightly as she pulled him in closer. He smiled against her lips. His hands held her face as their mouths moved together. He pulled away seconds later. Haley was panting and her face was flushed.

"What the –"

"That was me shutting you up," Nathan stated smugly. She looked mad. "You didn't seem to mind."

"You can't just kiss me and expect –"

Nathan kissed her again, softly this time. He smirked when they pulled apart. "Expect what…?"

"Expect me to forget that I'm mad at you." Haley felt lightheaded from their kisses. She knew what Nathan was trying to do. "And stop cutting me off! I like to finish a freaking sentence."

"You're mean when you get your way, Haley James."

Haley glared at him before crossing her arms over her chest. Her face softened. "I'm just overwhelmed."

"I know and I'm sorry."

"You don't have to keep apologizing."

"I do," Nathan disagreed. "My family is really important to me, Haley, just like you're really important to me. I only want to protect you guys. It's why I kept them to myself and that's why I wanted to keep you all to myself."

Haley caressed his cheek. "Nice save."

"You still mad at me?"

"No." She smiled before kissing him softly. "Not at all. I'm happy."

"Good."

"Is there anyone else I should know about?"

"That's all of them. Well, except for big mouth Brooke, but you know her. Oh and there's Milo."

"Another brother?"

Nathan chuckled. "I think I hear him coming."

Sure enough Milo raced into the room seconds later. He barked twice before making it to Nathan's side before rubbing against him. Nathan placed his hand on Milo's head before shaking his head.

"You're out of luck if you came looking for a treat," Nathan stated flatly.

Milo barked in response.

"Sorry," Nathan shrugged. "Just got home, boy. Try someone else."

"Nathan." Haley glared at him before smiling at the dog.

"What?" Nathan asked innocently. "I don't have anything for him."

"Well, go get something," Haley muttered before bending down to be level with Milo.

Nathan scratched his head as he watched her. Her full attention was on Milo as she rubbed him. Nathan shook his head when he noticed Milo laid himself out so that Haley could rub him better. The freaking dog was spoiled. Nathan reluctantly walked away to get Milo a treat like he wanted.

Nathan returned to find them in the same positions.

"That feels good, huh, boy?"

"Here you lazy –"

Haley glared at him. Nathan shut his mouth before he could finish. With the way Haley was looking at him he figured it was for the best. She'd probably hit him again. He tossed the treat on the ground and moved away. Milo was on his feet and running towards it in record time.

Haley stood up and smiled. "At least he likes me."

"He likes anyone that's dumb enough to get suckered into rubbing him," Nathan pointed out.

"It's nice to see you still have your charm," Haley stated dryly.

Nathan smirked before winking at her. "I like being consistent."

"Jackass."

"Everything okay in here?" Andy questioned when he walked back into the room.

"Fine," Nathan replied instantly before wrapping his arm around Haley's waist.

Haley smiled at Andy. It looked like he had heard what they were saying. She wanted to laugh when she realized that Andy thought that they were really fighting. If he only knew how heated their arguments got sometimes. This was nothing. This was normal for them.

"Where is everyone?"

"Beth is in the kitchen making drinks," Andy answered. "Noah is actually asking for you in the backyard. Think maybe you could come out and talk to him?"

"Yeah, sure." Nathan glanced at her worriedly seconds later.

"I'll be fine," Haley smiled. "Go."

Haley watched the two of them disappear. She stood in the living room alone with her thoughts. It was unnerving. She walked in the direction that they had taken. It wasn't long before she was standing in front of a window at the back of the house. She spotted the three of them instantly.

They were all standing close and each of them held something in their hands. They were all looking up at the sky. Haley glanced up and noticed that they were all flying something. There were two medium sized airplanes and a tiny helicopter flying around above them.

Nathan's face looked peaceful like it had this morning when he had been sleeping. He seemed at ease with his father and his brother at his side. The sight warmed her heart. She liked watching them together. It was nice.

She realized that Nathan felt safe here. His guard was down. She'd never seen him so relaxed before.

It looked like the little boy…Noah…was talking about something before Nathan and Andy started laughing. Then Nathan was bending down next to his brother as he told him something. She wondered what they were talking about.

Noah started laughing. She could see his body shaking with laughter. Nathan seemed amused and happy with himself.

"Haley, are you okay?"

Haley jumped slightly at the sound of Beth's voice. Beth was looking at her with concern and Haley was taken back. Beth held a small tray of drinks in her hands. "Fine."

"You sure?"

Haley nodded before realizing what Beth was so concerned about. She hadn't even realized that she had been crying. She quickly wiped her tears away. Good going, she told herself. Way to look like a blubbering idiot to his family. This pregnancy was really starting to mess with her head. She couldn't take all the crying.

"This is just…"

"Overwhelming?" Beth guessed.

"Something like that," Haley laughed nervously as she wiped her cheeks. "I'm fine though. I've just never seen him like that before. He looks happy."

She was a freaking emotional wreck. It was ridiculous.

"He does," Beth agreed.

Haley went back to watching them. The sight was calming. It seemed to soothe some of her fears about telling Nathan she was pregnant. Maybe he would actually be happy about the news. He seemed really close to his brother. It was easy to see that Noah thought the world of Nathan. She could tell just by the way the little boy looked at Nathan.

"They've always done that."

Haley tore her eyes away from Nathan before looking at Beth.

"I guess it started when Nathan was younger. They have a whole room full of those things. They're always flying them. Noah loves it."

"That's nice."

"Yeah," Beth smiled. "Andy once told me that after…you know it all happened…that the only time he could get Nathan to do anything was when they'd fly those things. I think it helped him. For once he felt in control of something."

Haley felt her heart tighten. If they kept on talking about this then Haley knew she'd start crying again and she didn't want that. She searched her mind for a change of topic. Thinking about how much Nathan had to endure his whole life made her chest heavy.

"How long have you been married?"

"Six years we've been married," Beth smiled. "Ten years total we've been together."

"Wow."

"Yeah. Would you like to come and look at some old photo albums?"

"Sure. Um…you think Nathan wouldn't mind? He's pretty private…more like he's Fort Knox. I'm not sure he'd –"

Beth shook her head with a huge smile on her face. "It's fine. He'll deal."

It was really nice to get a glimpse into the past. The pictures let her see a side of Nathan that she had never seen before. Beth even showed her albums from when Nathan's mom was alive. The pictures only consisted of Brooke, Nathan, Andy, and Deb. They all looked so happy…normal. Nathan had been a real happy kid in those photos.

The pictures that followed, which Haley could only assume was after his mother died, Nathan's smile seemed forced. It wasn't until he was much older when he was frequent in the pictures with Brooke again. In those he seemed a little happier but not much. Brooke always had a huge smile on her face in each picture. Brooke always looked happy.

She got to see the wedding album. Beth and Andy both looked extremely happy. Brooke and Nathan had stood up with them. From the pictures it looked like only five people total had witnessed them getting married. Beth had pointed out her parents and her younger sister. Nathan looked really happy in the pictures, genuinely happy for his dad.

Haley hadn't asked but Beth explained that Nathan hadn't been that welcoming when she first started seeing Andy. In fact, Nathan had barely acknowledged her that whole first year they dated.

"He was very…crabby," Beth giggled.

That's the Nathan I know, she thought with a smile.

"But with good reason. I understood. Of course, I understood. Andy explained it all to me and he assured me that his son would come around to the idea. Brooke on the other hand was ecstatic. I think she was tired of being outnumbered with them. She was just happy to have a girl around to talk to. Things just sort of clicked."

"I think Brooke's that way with everyone," Haley grinned.

"Yeah," Beth agreed. "With Nathan though, it took time. They were already grown up and I just hadn't expected…"

"I know."

"But I couldn't help but love them," Beth smiled. "They're great kids and I just fell in love with them instantly. I knew I would the second Andy told me about them. He said they were special and he was right. They are. I'm so happy that things are finally happening for them. I mean our Brookie is getting married and Nathan…he finally brought a girl home."

They both laughed before moving on to another photo album. They were filled with pictures of after Noah was born. The kid was just adorable. She loved all the pictures, especially the ones with Noah and Nathan.

"Haley?"

Haley glanced up when she heard Brooke's loud shrieking. Brooke was looking at her confused before she beamed. Brooke looked as happy as Haley had ever seen her.

"Haley!"

"Brooke," Haley laughed.

Brooke tossed the huge binder on the table before rushing to hug Haley.

"You're here," Brooke yelled excitedly as they hugged. "In our house. I knew my idiot brother would come to his senses. I knew it. Didn't I tell you, Beth?"

"You did."

"Sure did," Brooke stated proudly. "Where is he?"

"The guys are outside," Beth answered. "I actually should start dinner." Beth left the room quickly.

"Please tell me that you're staying for dinner?"

"Yep."

"Freaking sweet. We can work on some wedding planning," Brooke decided. Brooke took a seat next to her before pulling the wedding binder close.

Haley grimaced. How did she keep getting sucked into planning weddings? She wasn't a freaking wedding planner. She wanted to spend time with Nathan…alone. It was ridiculous. He had only been away from her for a little over an hour now and she missed him like crazy. It was all she could do not to go outside and take his hand in hers.

"So what exactly happened?" Brooke wondered.

"He came over, we talked, we more than talked…"

"Overshare," Brooke frowned.

Haley giggled. "You're more than willing to overshare all the time even when I tell you to stop."

"That's different."

"Different how?"

Brooke folded her arms across her chest. "I don't know but it is."

"Whatever," Haley laughed. "We made up. You happy?"

"Extremely," Brooke beamed. "So are you two dating?"

Haley shrugged. "I guess. We didn't really talk about it."

"Well, he brought you home so…"

"Yeah. I owe you big time. Thanks, Brooke."

"What for?" Brooke was confused.

"For saying what he couldn't."

Brooke looked smug. "I'm just happy you two crazy kids talked things out. If I had to see my brother pine around like a lovesick puppy one more day I was gonna lose it."

They both started laughing before hugging again. Then Brooke was forcing the wedding planning on her once again. Haley didn't object. She couldn't. Brooke was stressing about what little time she did have to plan it. She didn't need to make things anymore difficult by refusing to help.

"Dammit."

"Lucas Roe, if you drop that box I'm going to hurt you," Brooke warned.

Lucas struggled the rest of the way into the living room with the box. He placed it down as gently as he could on the floor before falling into the chair with a huff. He looked sweaty and exhausted. He noticed Haley seconds later and he looked surprised to see her there.

"Hales," Lucas mumbled. "What are you –"

"She's dating Nathan," Brooke clapped excitedly. "Isn't that the best news ever?"

"Oh…wow. I mean, I knew you guys were…but I didn't think…this is weird."

"Lucas Eugene Roe –"

"What are you middle naming me for?"

"Eugene?" Brooke burst into a fit of giggles.

"You were never supposed to say that name again," Lucas gritted out.

Haley smiled before shrugging. "It slipped out. Plus, it wasn't like you could've kept it hidden from her. You're gonna be married soon."

"We're so not naming any of our kids Eugene." Brooke scrunched her face up. She didn't like the name at all.

"Luke, can you do me a favor?"

Lucas shrugged indifferently. He was still pissed. "Depends."

"I'd like to be the one to tell my brother about this." Haley rolled her eyes when Lucas wouldn't even look at her. "It needs to come from me. Julian and I –"

"I won't tell anyone. Not that they'd believe me anyway," Lucas added quietly.

Brooke tossed the remote at him.

"Son of a –"

"Jackass," Haley muttered. "Just keep your mouth shut."

"Okay," Lucas grimaced. "I didn't mean anything by it. I'm just saying. You guys are always going at it…wrong choice of words…I meant you guys are always biting each other's heads off. It'll be more of something they have to see to believe."

"What?"

Haley glared at Lucas in warning when she heard Nathan's voice.

"Nothing," Haley smiled up at him. "Is he okay?"

"Yeah, we just had a little misunderstanding."

Nathan sat right next to her before leaning back. His hand went to her back. She turned slightly to look at him before she kissed him. She heard Lucas mumble something before Brooke fussed him. Haley ignored the both of them as she focused on Nathan.

"Aren't you two cute?" Brooke started clapping happily again.

"Disgusting," Lucas muttered under his breath.

"What was the misunderstanding?" Haley asked softly when she pulled away from his lips.

Nathan tried to calm his breathing. He tried to remember. "Oh, he likes you. You make him nervous. He's not sure what to do. He's real broken up about it." He couldn't help but laugh at the guilt stricken look on Haley's face.

"Who Noah?" Brooke giggled uncontrollably.

"He has a crush," Nathan chuckled.

"Thank goodness," Brooke grinned. "Wow. He was sure that all girls were gross. We told him he'd feel differently."

"We did," Lucas spoke up smugly.

Nathan rolled his eyes. "Anyway, just give him a little time. He's building up the courage to talk to you."

"The kid is four," Lucas chuckled.

"Almost five." Brooke stuck her tongue out at him.

"What have you been doing in here?" Nathan asked softly as he reached for her hand. He laced their fingers together before pulling her in closer to him. They both ignored Brooke and Lucas bickering back and forth.

"Beth was letting me look at the photo albums."

Nathan kissed her hand before reaching for one of the albums. He pulled her in closer to him before he flipped the album open so they could look through it together. He could hear Brooke's continued gushing over them. He just wanted her to shut up and get lost with Lucas.

Beth had told them that dinner would be ready soon. Brooke and Lucas had left to set the table leaving the two of them alone.

Haley's fingers traced Nathan's face in the picture. It was of Nathan and Andy at some basketball game. Nathan looked like he was in his early twenties.

"Pretty sexy, huh?"

Haley laughed quietly. "You've always had that ego I'm assuming?"

"Yup. You love it though."

God help her, she did.


Dinner had gone smoothly. They all laughed and talked. She heard countless stories about Nathan that were funny. Nathan hadn't been amused but kept quiet. She held his hand in her lap the whole time. It seemed to relax him.

The conversation flowed easily between everyone. It was nice to see how they all interacted with each other. Nathan's family was just…so normal. She hadn't expected normal, but they were. They were more normal than her family that was for sure.

Andy and Beth kept grinning at her happily and it was a little intimidating. But she pushed it aside and acted as normal as possible. She knew that they were only happy that Nathan was happy. She was happy that Nathan was happy.

Brooke had tried to focus the attention on her impending wedding. Haley wasn't complaining. She hated being the center of attention. She was more than happy to talk about the wedding. But Beth and Andy always found a way to bring the conversation back to either her or Lucas. They were still getting to know him, too. Haley was just happy that all the attention wasn't on her.

Dinner had been delicious. Haley had made sure to tell Beth more than once.

After everyone had finished eating they stayed sitting at the table talking. It was nice.

Noah had eventually started to look at her at least. He'd only glance at her for a few seconds before quickly looking away. Everyone else seemed to notice too because they'd all start to laugh. Brooke even teased him about it and Noah's face had gotten so red before he denied that he looked at her. It had been cute.

It was a while later when Haley found herself leaving one of the restrooms. She was making her way down one of the many halls when Andy and Beth had found her. They had been holding hands and laughing. Then they were back to grinning at her. Haley hadn't been sure what to say. Andy had been the only one to say anything before they disappeared into his study.

"Thank you."

That's all Andy had told her. It was easy to figure out what he meant. Thank you for loving my son. She smiled. She liked Nathan's family. She liked them a lot and she was happy that they liked her. She had been ridiculous to be nervous before. Nathan's family was awesome.

Haley had barely made it back to the living room before Nathan was pulling her upstairs. She held his hand tightly as she followed him.

His room was different from the one in his old apartment. This one was white and blue. His bed was bigger. His TV was bigger. He had two game controllers on the floor in front of the TV. There was a huge Michael Jordan poster on the wall. She noticed a few pictures up and smiled. He hadn't had pictures up at his apartment. There was a picture of his family. One was of his mom. There was one with him, Lucas, and Julian. The last one she noticed was of the two of them at Julian and Peyton's wedding.

"Brooke took it," Nathan explained before shrugging. Haley couldn't take her eyes off of it. The couple in that picture looked happily in love. Had they really looked that way at the wedding?

Nathan placed his hand on her cheek before forcing her to look at him. He was grinning before he leaned in. The first kiss was gentle. Then his hands dropped to her hips before opening his mouth over hers. She moaned when his hands moved to her backside. He squeezed her backside while pushing her into him.

"I've wanted to get you alone all day."

Haley heard herself moan again when his mouth moved down to her neck. She turned her head slightly to give him better access. One of her hands gripped his back while the other moved through his hair, holding him to her. Her eyes were screwed shut as she tried to keep her breathing under control. It was hard with his mouth working her over like he was.

"I want you," Nathan murmured huskily. His hands started to roam over her body. One of his hands started to massage her breasts.

Haley whimpered before slowly opening her eyes. She took in her surroundings. "We can't…"

"We can be quiet…well I can," Nathan chuckled smugly.

Haley hit him playfully. "I am not loud."

"Right," Nathan drawled.

"I'm not!"

"Whatever you need to believe but your neighbor's know different."

Haley felt her stupid face flushing. "Shut up."

"I'm not complaining. I love it. I love that you enjoy so much. I know I'm great in bed."

Haley rolled her eyes before hitting him again. She placed her head on his shoulder when she felt her face heat up even more. She was not loud. It took a few minutes for her face to cool down. Nathan was still caressing her backside and sucking on her neck. She could feel how hard he was. It only made her want for him increase. But…

"Not here," Haley breathed. She could not have sex with all of Nathan's family in the house.

Nathan groaned in protest before reluctantly pulling away. "I knew we should've stayed in bed all day."

"You'll survive," Haley laughed. She took a seat on his bed as she watched him. Nathan didn't look too happy.

Nathan scowled. "How'd you like everyone?"

"They're so great, Nathan. Thank you for letting me meet them. Today has been amazing," Haley said sincerely. She didn't think this day would ever happen.

Nathan shrugged. "This was overdue. I'm glad you had a good time."

"I did."

"And Noah will come around," Nathan promised with a chuckle. "The boy is smitten, not that I blame him."

Haley laughed before shaking her head. "He's adorable."

"He's a great kid," Nathan grinned. "He's about to start school. He's excited about it."

"I was always excited about school."

"Yeah, they have a word for the two of you."

Haley's brows knit together. "What's that?"

"Nerd," Nathan chuckled.

"Hey."

"Just the truth, Hales."

"Can we go five minutes without you being a jackass?" Haley wondered amused.

"I don't know," Nathan shrugged. "I've never tried."

"You should start," Haley suggested teasingly.

Nathan smirked before sitting in one of his chairs. "Seems like a lot of work."

Haley laughed before looking around his room once again. She glanced at the pictures once again before stopping on the one of his family. Nathan had Noah on his shoulders in the picture. They were all in their swim suits by a pool.

Nathan noticed what she was looking at and smiled. "That was taken last year. Noah loves to swim. It's like his favorite thing to do. I swear that kid is a fish." He laughed before looking back at Haley. She looked like she was thinking hard about something.

He called her name but she didn't say anything. He couldn't help but grin as he watched her. What the hell was she day dreaming about?

"Hales?"

"You ever think about that…you know the future? Like marriage…kids…the white picket fence…" her voice trailed off when she noticed the look on his face.

It took him minutes to recover from her question. He hadn't been expecting it. They hadn't even been together for a whole twenty four hours and she was bringing this up? He pushed his panic aside. She was just asking a question, he realized. He didn't need to freak out about it. He wasn't sure how to respond. He knew he needed to be honest.

He sat up straight before looking at her again. She was looking at him intently just waiting for him to answer.

"Honestly," Nathan started hesitantly. He didn't want to be talking about this. "…not really."

"Oh."

"I've just never thought about the future, Haley. It has nothing to do with you. Please, don't take it the wrong way."

"Okay."

Nathan noticed the look on her face and he hated himself for it. "I honestly didn't even think I'd be alive this long."

"What?"

"Just the truth," Nathan shrugged. "I just always figured that I wouldn't survive this…long. I've always focused on trying to catch Dan. We still haven't caught him…I don't know if we ever will."

Haley looked defeated. Nathan felt like a complete jackass.

"I don't want to hurt you, Haley. I'm just trying to be honest."

"Yeah, I get it," Haley smiled faintly. Nathan could tell that it was forced. "It's not like I was asking for those things. It was just a question."

"Do I want those things…eventually…yeah I guess…you know sometime in the future once Dan is behind bars. I just can't think about the future until then…I won't let myself."

"Okay."

"You make me want to think about the future, though," Nathan quickly added. "You do, Hales. If I ever get those things, then you're the one I want them with."

Haley knew her eyes were brimming with tears. She couldn't help that. Nathan was in front of her a second later before holding her face in his hands. She just wanted to be somewhere else at the moment. She did not want to breakdown in front of him. She couldn't. He was only being honest.

"I've upset you." It wasn't a question. He knew he had just by the look on her face. His hands fell to his sides. He took a step back. "Fuck…I can't…"

"Nathan, its fine, I'm fine."

Nathan wasn't stupid enough to believe that. "I shouldn't have said anything. I'm sorry."

"You were just being honest. Don't apologize for that. You didn't do anything."

"I've hurt you. That wasn't the answer you were looking for. I know it. I'm such a jackass."

"Nathan, I'm fine," Haley smiled before standing up and wrapping her arms around his neck. She kissed him. It was soft.

"I'm an idiot…I love you."

Haley laughed softly. "I know."

He placed his forehead against hers before closing his eyes. "I told you I'm a mess. Don't give up on me, Hales."

She kissed him again. He kissed her back forcefully. She felt the desperation in his kisses. When they broke away minutes later they were both panting hard. Nathan searched desperately for something to say. Silence filled the air. Something was wrong. He just wasn't sure what it was. He wanted to take back the last ten minutes.

"You wanna go back downstairs?" Nathan asked nervously.

"I actually should go. I kind of had plans before…"

"Oh. Okay. Did you want me to –"

"I'll call you later," Haley muttered. She pulled his arms from around her before leaning up and kissing him again. "Walk me out. I want to tell everyone bye."

Nathan nodded numbly. "Yeah. They'll like that."

Nathan held her hand as she told everyone goodbye. Both Andy and Beth had hugged her and told her how happy they were to meet her. Brooke and Lucas had been in engrossed with wedding plans so she gave them a wave. Noah smiled at her and waved before quickly looking away. She wanted to talk to him but she didn't want to make him uncomfortable. Nathan had walked her outside to the car and kissed her. She kissed him for minutes before pulling away.

"Thanks for today. It meant a lot."

She got in the car and Nathan quickly bent down to look at her.

"You're sure you're okay?"

"Yep." Haley wasn't even sure why she felt the need to lie.


"I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Peyton rolled her eyes before pointing at Julian on the sofa. "He's making me suffer through Grease 2."

"Again?" Haley laughed.

"It's a good movie," Julian grinned. He held up the bowl of popcorn. "Join us…wait. Is everything okay? You look –"

"I actually came to talk to you about something."

Peyton had been worried from the second that she opened the door. Haley looked like she had been crying recently. Peyton hated how much Haley was going through right now. She watched her husband sit up straight before stopping the movie.

"Should I leave you two alone?" Peyton wondered.

Haley looked panicked. "Please stay."

"Dammit, Hales, what is it? I'm freaking out here. Just tell me."

"Please don't be upset…"

"Haley," Julian warned. "You're scaring me. What –"

"Nathan," Haley blurted out. "I meant…uh, what I meant was that we're together now."

Julian was on his feet and pacing the room a second later. He looked really pissed. Haley moved herself back a few feet before taking a few deep calming breaths. She knew that he'd react this way.

"Julian, calm down," Peyton ordered.

Julian ran his fingers through his hair angrily. He glared at his wife. "Calm down? I can't fucking calm down!"

Haley flinched at his harsh tone. This is exactly why she knew that she had to do this alone and she didn't tell Nathan where she was going. She knew that he'd insist on coming with her. That would've only made things worse. Julian needed time to get used to the idea of them.

"Why?" Julian growled.

"I love him and he loves me."

Julian stopped pacing before scowling. "Right. That's just perfect."

"Don't you want me to be happy?" Haley wondered.

"Of course," Julian grumbled. "This isn't about that. It's about your safety. You're not safe around him, Haley."

"Julian, please calm the hell down," Peyton tried once again. "We want Haley to be happy. Nathan makes her happy."

"Please, don't give me that bullshit. Those two can't go five fucking minutes without wanting to fucking kill each other. They're always fighting."

"Not always," Haley objected. "And you have no idea how different he is when we're alone."

"So it's okay for him to treat you like crap in public as long as he's nice in bed?"

"That was out of line," Peyton hissed angrily. "Stop being a prick. This isn't you."

Haley folded her arms across her chest. She just wanted to crawl into bed and cry herself to sleep. Tonight just wasn't her night.

"She's isn't safe with him!"

"We're gonna be together, Julian. I was just letting you know."

"Perfect."

"He makes me happy," Haley added. "I hope you can understand. I'm not trying to hurt you but…"

Julian balled up his fists. "Fine. If this is what you want I can't stop you. But I swear to God, Haley, if he hurts you in any way, I mean in any fucking little way, I'll make sure the fucking gun is loaded this time."

Haley watched Julian storm out of the room before turning to Peyton looking utterly defeated. Haley wasn't sure what to do. Peyton was hugging her tightly seconds later and Haley felt herself breakdown.

"He'll get over it," Peyton muttered. She ran her hand up and down Haley's back soothingly. "You seemed upset even before you told Julian. What happened? Did you tell him about the baby?"

Haley choked out another sob. "I was going to. I wanted to but he, uh…God, Peyton, he said that he's never thought about any of those things. He doesn't want them right now. And…"

"I know, sweetie. Calm down. You can't do this to yourself. The doctor already told you that you need to be extra careful. Think about the baby, Hales. This isn't good for you to be upset like this all the time."

"He doesn't want this, Peyton. What am I supposed to do? If I tell him then he'll leave me…he won't be happy. My first doctor's appointment is next week and the doctor said we'd be able to hear the baby's heartbeat and I just really want him there with me and I don't know how to tell him…"

"Do you want me to tell him for you?"

"No," Haley sniffled. "It needs to come from me. I'm just scared."

"I want to show you something."

Peyton pulled her into her art room. Haley glanced at all the drawings on the wall. She was always amazed by Peyton's talent. Peyton went to the closet before returning with a box. She opened the box before pulling out a tiny onesie. It was blue with my mom rocks across it.

"I bought all kinds of stuff. I couldn't help it. Look how cute," Peyton gushed as she held up a few more outfits.

Haley couldn't help but laugh. "How much stuff did you get?"

"I went a little crazy," Peyton grinned. "I'm so happy for you, Haley. I know if feels like the world is against you right now but you have me. I'm sure Nathan will be happy when you tell him. He loves you and he's gonna love this baby. It's all gonna be okay, Hales."

Haley rubbed her belly. "I don't want to lose him."


Nathan felt like the worlds biggest jackass. He just wanted to go into the nearest bar and drink himself into a stupor. He and Haley hadn't even been together for a whole day and already he had hurt her. He wasn't surprised. He tried to warn her. She hadn't listened. Maybe she finally decided that it was too much, that he wasn't worth it.

Haley deserved all those things she had asked him about earlier. She deserved the best. He just wasn't sure that he'd be able to give her those things. He hadn't meant to hurt her. He didn't want that. He never wanted that.

He felt his shoulders slump. It was late. He should just stay away and give her a little space. He could tell earlier that she wanted to be away from him. But he was too selfish. He needed to see her. He had to make sure that they were okay.

He pulled out the key that Lucas had let him borrow before making his way inside. All of the lights were off. Lucas had crashed in one of the guess bedrooms at his place. No way was their dad allowing Lucas to sleep in Brooke's room. Brooke had been angry about it but Andy hadn't given in. Haley was alone unless she went to stay with her parents. He hoped that wasn't the case. He needed to see her and he wouldn't be able to do that if she wasn't here.

Nathan made his way to her room and pushed the door open slowly. It was late and he was sure that she was sleeping. Once he was inside of her room he realized that she wasn't in her bed. He sighed. Somehow he was even more pissed off with himself.

That's when he heard her crying. He felt his heart tighten at the sound. His eyes snapped shut. She was crying because of him. He hated himself. He placed the flowers in his hand on her dresser.

He found her in the bathroom on the floor against the wall. Her knees were pulled up to her chest and she had her hands wrapped around her legs. Her face was resting on her knees and she was looking away from him. She hadn't noticed him yet.

The sight of her tore him up inside. You did this you idiot, he shouted in his head.

"Haley," Nathan whispered brokenly.

He watched her jump slightly before she glanced at him. She wiped her eyes quickly before smiling weakly at him. She looked sick. He moved himself down next to her before getting better look at her. She looked really sick.

"Are you sick?" He brushed his fingers down her face before pushing her hair behind her ears. "What's wrong?"

"A lot of things." Her eyes snapped shut. A few more tears fell.

"I'm so sorry. I –"

"I went to see Julian after I left your house. I told him about us. He wasn't happy."

Nathan hadn't been aware that she was going to tell Julian. He would've gone with her. He deserved Julian's anger, not her. He pushed his anger aside. He focused on Haley.

"Is there anything I can do?" Nathan asked desperately.

Haley placed her head on his shoulder before leaning into him. "Just hold me."

He did. He sat there holding her against him until she fell asleep not long after. Once she was out he pulled her up into his arms before bringing her to the bed. He placed her under the covers before getting in the bed with her. He placed his hands behind his head as he glanced up angrily. He knew he wouldn't be sleeping at all tonight. He was too angry with himself. It only took seconds before Haley cuddled into his side. She placed her head on his chest. Nathan wrapped his arm around her hesitantly. He just wanted her to feel better.

"I love you so much, Hales. I promise to be better."