Hello everyone, thank you for the lovely reviews! And I don't care if they're long or you ramble, because I still love to read them. Also, I've decided that Nanny Carrie is taking her job way too far and needs to be fired ASAP. Moving in on your employer's husband and child is totally unacceptable and unprofessional. Although, I think the last part with Nathan and her kissing on the bed was Haley's nightmare or something. Nathan's facial expressions looked really mean and indifferent, and that's not how he is with Haley. However, at least we got something besides a Peyton/Lucas preview. I really can't stomach them together. I like Lucas with Brooke the best. Hell, I'd even have him stay with Lindsay (who I think is really nice) before Peyton. No offense to the Leyton fans. That's just my own personal preference. Anyway, enjoy the chapter and please review! Thanks!


Chapter 52

Haley sat quietly at the dining room table later that evening as everyone around her chatted away happily. Her little talk with Greg several hours earlier had not gone well. He had been a little too touchy feely with her as they walked along the beach. Haley would've been lying if she didn't say that she was slightly uncomfortable. It also reinforced the fact that she couldn't chicken out about it. Haley definitely had to talk to Greg about his behavior around her. So she'd mentioned it casually. She didn't want to completely shock him or corner him with it. Unfortunately, that's exactly how Greg took it. He'd seemed really hurt and taken aback by her "accusations" as he called them. She tried to explain to him that it wasn't that she didn't care about him; because she did. They were best friends. They'd known each other ever since they were little kids. However, she just tried to bring to his attention that maybe some of his actions towards her could be a tad bit inappropriate at times.

It was then that all hell broke loose. Greg said that the real reason why she was even thinking this way was because of Nathan. He'd claimed that she'd changed. That she was giving up everything that was good in her life for a man that would only hurt her in the end. If that wasn't bad enough, Haley eventually found out from Greg that Nathan had already confronted him—and not so subtlety. At this point, Haley didn't know what to think.

"That is great," Brooke laughed at the story Anna had just told about her brother.

"I know. I told Felix that he'd get electrocuted if he forced the plug in the outlet. But he wouldn't listen," Anna explained. "His hair stood up for a week after that shock went through him." The whole table erupted with laughter. Nathan looked over at Haley and quickly felt his smile falter. She'd been really distant ever since she got back from the beach. If that wasn't suspicious enough, Greg seemed to be oddly quiet, too. Something definitely happened. Nathan just couldn't figure out what. All he knew was that if Greg hurt her, the guy would be dead by the end of the night.

"I remember that. It was pretty hilarious," Megan commented. "But that's not as funny as the time we went to the circus, and Haley completely freaked out about that clown."

"Oh my God, yeah, that was crazy," Anna laughed.

"Haley, you remember that, right?" Megan asked. "Haley? Haley?!"

"Huh?" Haley questioned as she looked up from her plate. She'd been lost in her thoughts again while playing with her mashed potatoes.

"Tutor Girl, what's the matter?" Brooke inquired concerned. "You've been oddly quiet all night."

"Um, nothing," she replied vaguely.

"She's not the only one," Anna added. "Greg, you still with us?"

"What?" he asked detached.

"Did we miss something?" Jake queried. A second later, everyone started to look curiously between the two.

"Hales," Nathan said as he put his hand on her knee.

"Actually, I'm not feeling so well," she explained. "I think I'm going to go lie down for awhile." Before anyone could even respond, she got up quickly from the table and headed upstairs. Everyone's stares were making her uncomfortable. And sitting across the table from Greg like that after their horrible fight really didn't make the situation that much better. As soon as she got to her room, she laid down on the bed and closed her eyes. It was barely a minute later before she heard the door open. She didn't even have to open her eyes to know that it was Nathan.

"Are you ok?" he asked. Nathan had no idea what was going on, but he was getting worried. Haley hadn't been herself all night.

"Just peachy," she mumbled with her eyes still closed. Nathan walked over to the bed and laid down on his side next to her.

"You wanna talk about it?" he questioned while caressing her hair soothingly.

"Not particularly," she responded. This time, she did look at him. Nathan leaned down to give her a soft kiss on the forehead.

"Maybe you should try anyway," he urged gently. Haley sighed before closing her eyes again briefly.

"Greg and I got into a fight," she said.

"About what?"

"About the way he acts around me. I brought it up casually, but he got really offended," Haley explained. "The look of hurt on his face was just…gut-wrenching. We've been friends for a really long time, and I don't think we've ever had a fight that bad."

"What did he say?" Nathan questioned while continuing to run his fingers through her hair. He was pissed with the situation, but he was keeping his cool for Haley's sake. She looked upset enough already.

"In a nut shell, he said that I've changed. That I'm sacrificing my life and happiness to do what you want, and that the only reason why I was saying that to him was because you wanted me to," Haley stated. "He also eluded to the fact that you'd most likely break my heart someday."

"What an ass," Nathan mumbled agitatedly. He was seriously resisting the urge to just go downstairs and kick the living shit out of the guy. Haley didn't need any extra bullshit and drama in her life.

"He also said that you confronted him the other day," she added. "Is that true?" Her look was probing when she asked the question.

"Yes," he admitted.

"Great," Haley sighed. She then pulled away from him and stood up. "Nathan, why would you do that? I told you before that I'd talk to him."

"Haley, I didn't do or say anything bad. He was being a punk, and I let him know that I wasn't going to stand for it."

"Nathan!" Haley admonished. "I can't believe you did that. Do you know how much worse you made the situation? Greg thinks that I've turned on him or something. And he was really upset by how rude you were to him."

"Haley, he started it," Nathan defended as he, too, stood up.

"Gee, that's real mature," she muttered while rolling her eyes.

"I didn't do anything wrong," he emphasized. "He already didn't like me, Hales. And I wasn't going to just sit there and let him talk shit about me to my face."

"Nathan, he said that he tried to be nice to you, and you blew him off."

"That's not true!" Nathan exclaimed angrily. I am going to kill that two-faced psycho. "He was the one who initiated it."

"That's not what he said," she reinforced.

"Well, that's not what happened. And since when do you take his word over mine?" At this point, Nathan was furious. Greg had twisted everything around to make him look like the bad guy.

"I'm just telling you what he said," Haley replied heatedly. She was so confused. On the one hand, she and Greg had been friends for sixteen years. He'd always been there for her and had her best interests at heart. But Nathan was her husband and the same applied to him, too, now.

"Yeah, but it sounds like you actually believe it."

"I don't know what to believe. I'm getting two different stories from two important people in my life. What am I supposed to think?!" she questioned as her voice got louder.

"Well, when you figure it out. Let me know," Nathan shouted. He was having a hard time processing all of this. How could Haley possibly take Greg's word over his? He was her husband for Pete's sake. Did she honestly think that he would lie to her about something like that?

"Nathan, what are you doing?" Haley asked as she saw him pull some things out of his suitcase and fill his duffel bag.

"I'm packing," he answered curtly.

"What? Why?"

"Because Lucas and I are going to Charlotte tomorrow for a Bobcats game with the tickets he got me for Christmas. We'll have to stay over for a night."

"So why are you packing now? We're kind of in the middle of something."

"I just want to make sure I have everything. I don't want to come in here in the morning and wake you."

"Nathan, that makes no sense. You sleep in here anyway," Haley pointed out. She didn't get where he was going with this.

"Yeah, well, not tonight I'm not," he declared.

"Excuse me?" she asked taken aback.

"I'll just stay in one of the other five guest rooms in this humongous house tonight. This way you can have some peace and quiet to sort out your 'conflicting' thoughts," he said while making air quotes.

"Damn it, Nathan, this is ridiculous," Haley yelled.

"No, it's not. What is ridiculous is how you are so blind to this whole situation. Greg has romantic feelings for you. No guy friend is that touchy feely. Lucas and Jake aren't hanging on you every second. And they sure as hell don't make up stories to tell you to have you doubt me."

"Nathan, I never said that I doubted you," Haley objected.

"You didn't have to, Haley. You may not have said it directly but you do. I can just hear it in your tone. So when you finally make up your mind, then come talk to me." He then started to make his way to the door. There was no way he could be with her tonight. Just the mere fact that she was taking Greg's side over his was enough to make him sick.

"Nathan," Haley pled as the tears sprang to her eyes. "Please, don't go." She ran in front of him and blocked the door. "You know I love you."

"I love you, too, Hales, but I can't be around you like this. The things Greg said to me were harsh and completely disrespectful. He was definitely trying to get a rise out of me. But I never said anything to you or made him out to look like the bad guy. I might not be able to stand him, but I know he's your friend and I respect that. Honestly, though, I was hoping that you'd figure out what he's doing sooner or later."

"Nathan," Haley said in a beseeching tone as a few tears ran down her cheeks. His hand reached up to brush them away. Afterward, Nathan kissed her softly on the forehead.

"I'll see you again on Wednesday," he stated before gently pushing her aside and walking out the door.


It was twelve o'clock in the morning, and Haley was still crying. This was spring break. It was supposed to be a week of relaxation and fun. Instead, it was turning out to be a complete disaster. It was only their second day at the beach house and she'd already gotten into huge fights with both her best friend and husband. In a way, though, she knew it would come eventually. Greg and Nathan just didn't get along. And Haley was stuck in the middle. She cried even harder at the empty space beside her in the bed. She could never get a good night's sleep without Nathan. Tonight was no different. It was a few minutes later when she heard her bedroom door creak open.

"Nathan?" Haley questioned sitting up.

"No, it's us," Brooke answered as she, Peyton, Anna, and Megan came into the room.

"Haley, are you ok?" Megan asked tentatively.

"No," Haley replied as her voice caught in her throat. She was too upset to even hide her distress. Everything had gotten so screwed far too quickly. Almost immediately, her four friends came to sit around her on the bed.

"Tutor Girl, what happened?" Brooke asked as she soothingly rubbed her back. Anna got up and grabbed a box of Kleenex off of the dresser nearby before handing it to Haley.

"Thanks," she replied taking it. She dabbed at her wet eyes and blew her stuffy nose. I can only imagine how attractive I look at the moment, she thought sarcastically.

"Haley," Peyton urged. "Please, tell us what's going on."

"I got into a fight with Greg and Nathan today. And they were both pretty bad," Haley said after a minute or so. Her tears were still flowing as she desperately tried to get her emotions somewhat under control. Haley then proceeded to tell her friends everything that happened.

"Tutor Girl, I'm so sorry," Brooke stated after she was finished. "We could actually all hear you and Nathan yelling. It did sound intense."

"It's my own fault," Haley mumbled. She could feel herself calming down a little bit after she got all that off of her chest. "I didn't really handle both situations the way I should have." Although Haley was confused by the circumstances, she knew deep down who she trusted in all of this.

"What would you have done differently?" Anna inquired.

"Honestly, I should've told Nathan that I do believe him. And I should've stood up for myself more with Greg. I was just…I was just really scared to call him out on anything. I don't know if I'm ready to face what's really going on," Haley explained. As much as she tried to deny it, Haley couldn't shake that uncomfortable feeling she got when Greg touched her the way he did. And she couldn't ignore the fact that his behavior did suggest that he was jealous of her and Nathan's relationship. Megan and Anna had been able to give Nathan a chance. But Greg always remained resistant to it. There were just too many signs pointing to a realization that she didn't want to accept.

"I need to ask you all a question—especially you two," Haley said motioning to Anna and Megan. "And I want an honest answer." They all nodded in response. "Do you seriously believe that Greg has feelings for me that go beyond friendship?" She needed to have some other opinions. If she was going to confront Greg about it, she had to be sure that she and Nathan weren't the only ones who noticed it.

"Yes," Megan spoke up softly. "He's our friend, but he does get too possessive over you. I think it's only increased over the years and not in a warm, brotherly way."

"I agree," Anna added. "He's always had a thing for you. I don't believe he ever fell out of love with you even after you guys broke up in high school." Haley nodded as she absorbed what they said.

"Peyton, Brooke, what do you think? You know, based on what you've seen so far?" Haley questioned.

"I think there's a real possibility," Peyton answered. "He stared at you a lot during dinner Sunday night. And I saw the way he looked at you and Nathan together. He's definitely jealous."

"I'm with, P. Sawyer," Brooke said. "He's totally giving off a vibe to you, Haley. Even Lucas and Jake could sense it. And you know how they can be."

"Ok. Thanks, guys," Haley replied. Now that her suspicions had been fully confirmed, Haley knew that she'd have to confront Greg directly. They had to talk about this and get it out in the open. Whether they would continue on with their friendship or not would have to be addressed. "I really needed that."

"So, what are you going to do?" Peyton asked after a minute of silence passed.

"I'm going to have to talk to Greg tomorrow. This can't go on any further," Haley declared. It wasn't fair to her and certainly not Nathan. She then turned to Anna and Megan. "I'm sorry you guys. I know that we've all been friends for a long time and that this is going to change things but…"

"Haley, we understand," Megan interrupted. "You've got to do what's best for you and Nathan."

"Yeah, no matter what happens, we'll always be there for you," Anna reassured her.

"Thank you so much," Haley stated as she hugged each of them. "And thanks for coming in here. It's really late, and I'm sure you're all tired."

"Well, we were all worried," Brooke told her. "Plus, we could hear you crying, so it's not like we were able to sleep anyway."

"You could hear me?" Haley asked shocked—and slightly embarrassed. They all nodded. Great. It's nice to know that the whole house heard my emotional breakdown. "Wow, I feel like an idiot."

"Don't worry about it," Peyton dismissed. "You've had a rough day, so it's understandable."

"Speaking of which, you should really get some rest," Megan advised. "You're going to need it tomorrow."

"Yeah," Haley agreed as her friends started to get up. She hugged and thanked them all one last time before they left. Afterward, she got back under the covers. But sleep wouldn't come. She really needed Nathan.


Nathan stared at the ceiling as he laid awake in bed. His stomach was in knots almost the whole night. The fight he and Haley had just kept replaying over and over in his mind. And if that wasn't bad enough, the fact that he could actually hear her crying just made him feel ten times worse. It took everything in him not to get up and go back in their room to comfort her. But he had to remain resolute in his decision. Haley had her own choices that she had to make. She needed time to figure everything out. He was pissed that she didn't take his side, but he still understood her confusion.

He'd known Brooke and Peyton for a long time. Even before he and Lucas had put their differences aside and became friends. If they didn't like Haley and thought that he was making a mistake, he'd probably be really lost in figuring out what to believe, too. But despite that, Nathan knew without a doubt that he'd pick Haley in the end. She was his wife. He loved her. It shouldn't matter what others thought. Nathan just wished that Haley would see that already. Greg was not going to back down from this. And he might have been her friend for a really long time, but he certainly wasn't acting like it now. He was putting her in an uncomfortable position. If that wasn't a prime example of selfishness, then Nathan didn't know what was.

After a little while, he was at least relieved to hear that the crying had stopped. He closed his eyes and prayed for sleep to come. Unfortunately, he wasn't that lucky. Nathan knew he had a hard time sleeping without Haley. It had been that way for awhile now. She was supposed to snuggle into him, and his arms were supposed to be wrapped securely around her. All he had to do was go a few rooms over and she'd be there. But the stubborn and angry side of him refused. So he stayed in bed alone with his eyes open. This ceiling is so fascinating, he thought dryly. A few minutes later, though, a soft noise interrupted his musings. He heard the door open slightly.

"Nathan, are you awake?" Haley whispered. He felt his throat go dry and his heart speed up at the sound of her voice.

"Yeah," he answered softly. He thought about not answering and pretending to be asleep. But that would be childish. And if she was here in his room, then she must want to talk and work things out.

"Can we please talk?" she asked. I knew it.

"Ok," he replied as he sat up. Haley got on the bed and sat down across from him. The room was a little dark, but the moonlight shining through the windows was enough for them to see each other. Haley was wearing a bathrobe with her hair in a messy bun on the top of her head. It had been pretty obvious that she'd been crying earlier. Her eyes were puffy and slightly red.

"I don't want you to leave for Charlotte with us fighting like this," Haley stated quietly while meeting his gaze.

"Neither do I," he muttered. She took a deep breath before continuing.

"I'm sorry. I do believe you, Nathan. I didn't mean to make it sound like I didn't. I was just upset, and I couldn't figure out why Greg would say something like that. Well, actually, I do know why. But it's not like I really wanted to acknowledge it. I mean, who wants to learn that their best friend has been in love with them for years and hiding it? Or that that friend would stoop so low as to sabotage another loving relationship to get what he wants?"

"Hales…" Nathan started but she kept going.

"I didn't want to see it, Nathan. Because if I'm honest with myself, I know that I'm going to lose a friendship that's been very dear to me."

"Haley…"

"But at the same time, you're my husband, and I love you. I never want to lose you, Nathan, or make you think that I'm putting you second. I'm not, and I won't. You're my best friend now. And if people can't accept it or respect it, then I don't want them in my life," she finished resolutely. Nathan nodded as he felt his heart hammer in his chest at her words. He noticed Haley biting down on her bottom lip nervously. It was then that he realized he hadn't kissed her since earlier that day. And in his book, that was far too long.

"God, I love you," he muttered before capturing her lips in a searing kiss. Haley moaned slightly at the feeling of his hot, wet mouth on hers. Her arms absentmindedly wrapped around his neck while he pulled her onto his lap.

"Thank you, Hales," Nathan said once they'd broken apart. "I never meant to put you in a position like this but…"

"I know," Haley interjected while caressing his cheek. "It's not your fault. And I don't give a damn who I'm dealing with. I'm always going to choose you in the end, Nathan. Always and forever."

"Me, too," he agreed with smile. "I'm glad that we talked. I hate it when we fight."

"I don't like these kinds of fights. But our other ones are pretty fun," she laughed softly. Nathan soon joined in. She had a point. There was nothing better than when they'd argue over something stupid or start laying into each other. The passion practically exploded between them. It was during times like that that Nathan couldn't keep his hands off of her.

"Yeah, they are," he said with a smirk before leaning in to kiss her. "You're such an instigator."

"No, I'm not," Haley objected. Her lips barely touched his before she pulled back. "You are."

"That was just mean," Nathan pouted teasingly.

"Trust me, that's not mean," Haley said with a mischievous smile. She got up out of his lap to stand on her knees in front of him. She slowly and flirtatiously undid the knot of her bathrobe before opening it up and sliding it down. Afterward, she pulled the elastic out of her hair to let her long, honey tresses fall to her shoulders. She smiled when she saw Nathan's eyes staring at her with a mixture of pure shock and unmasked desire.

"What is that?" he choked out.

"This, my dear husband, is your victory gift that you didn't get to have the other night," Haley stated. "Do you like it?" All Nathan could do was nod. That dark blue, lace Babydoll flyaway was enough to make him blow his fuse right then. A good amount of her breasts and flat stomach were exposed. And the panties were so tiny that they just barely left anything to the imagination.

"So, were you planning on seducing me if we didn't resolve the fight tonight?" he smirked.

"Pretty much," she joked smiling. She then moved so that she was back in his lap straddling him. Her hands ran up the taut muscles of his back as she started to kiss his neck. "But the real question is would it have worked?" Nathan's own hands slid up her thighs before grabbing her ass and pulling her body tighter against his.

"Oh yeah," he laughed as he started leaving fiery kisses of his own on her flesh. Haley moved her head back to give him more access. He kissed his way up before claiming her lips. It wasn't long before Haley found herself lying back on the mattress with Nathan's weight on top of her. She wrapped her legs around him to bring him closer. They both groaned when their lower bodies pressed together. Haley's breathing became ragged as Nathan kissed his way down her form.

"This is definitely the best thing you've ever worn," Nathan commented as he paid her cleavage special attention. Haley's hands wound through his hair as she arched against him.

"Actually, I did have heels to go with this ensemble," she mentioned offhandedly.

"Screw the heels," he stated before working his way back up to her mouth. "You don't need them." Haley started to laugh but then gasped as she felt one of Nathan's hands slide down her body. A moment later, he was tantalizingly stroking a certain lower part of her anatomy. Haley's grip on his shoulders tightened while kissing him more aggressively. Her body felt so hot. It was almost as if every nerve inside of her was fizzling.

"Nathan," she whimpered when he started nipping at the sensitive spots on her neck. Meanwhile, his fingers continued to rub into her center. Haley's need for him only heightened in response.

"Damn, you are so hott," Nathan mumbled. His other hand started to undo the knot in the front of her top that was holding it up. It was then quickly discarded to the floor. Haley's hand traveled down to his boxers and snapped the band to let him know she wanted them off. He took the hint a second later. He moved back on top of her afterward. The only thing remaining was her panties. Haley groaned when his fingers started to tease her all over again.

"Now who's being mean?" she questioned. Nathan smirked in response. He could tell just by her voice that she was getting really frustrated. Personally, Nathan wanted to just take her already. But the sight of Haley becoming completely undone before him really turned him on even more.

"You look a little flustered, Hales," he whispered huskily in her ear before taking her earlobe between his teeth.

"Come on, Nathan," she pled. Her eyes were shut tightly as she tried to keep her cool. But her body seemed to be acutely sensitive to his touch in that one area at the moment. "This is torture."

"Well, I'm enjoying it," he smirked while pushing on her harder. At that, Haley's eyes snapped open.

"Nathan Royal Scott, I swear, if you don't cut that out and make love to me right now, I'm never having sex with you again," she declared forcefully. A woman can only take so much! In less than a minute, Nathan quickly pulled her panties completely off before plunging inside of her. He was definitely not going to challenge that threat.

Their mouths passionately fused together as their lower bodies followed their own rhythm. Nathan reveled in the feeling of being connected to Haley. The last time they'd been together was in the library the previous week. As hot and thrilling as it had been, they didn't have much time to really soak up the feeling of being with each other. This time, Nathan was going to make up for that. He took his time hitting all the right spots with just the right amount of force. He felt a shiver run up his spine when Haley's nails dug into his back. It didn't even hurt. Knowing the affect he was having on her just made him more excited.

Haley's face was buried in Nathan's neck as she desperately tried to keep the moans of pleasure from slipping out. It was bad enough that everyone could hear her crying earlier. Her friends hearing her practically screaming Nathan's name as they made love in the middle of the night would definitely be a lot more embarrassing—at least for her. What they did in the bedroom was their business. No one else had to know how amazing their sex life was.

Nathan pulled away from her slightly so that he could take full possession of her mouth. He knew Haley was trying to be quiet. Personally, Nathan wouldn't have minded if she was shouting his name at the top of her lungs. Greg's room was right next door. If he just happened to hear all the things that Nathan was doing to her and got insanely jealous and pissed off, then that would be perfectly ok. But he quickly pushed that out of his mind. His pace had sped up as he felt his need to possess Haley more fully take hold. He could feel both her and himself getting close to falling over the edge.

Haley held onto Nathan tighter and kissed him more forcefully. With each thrust, Nathan seemed to be going deeper and deeper inside of her. She definitely felt like she was going to explode soon. Sure enough, her pleasure reached its pinnacle. Despite her best efforts to be silent, it proved impossible in that moment. Nathan's mouth may have been covering hers, but it didn't completely drown out the loud moan she made—or him groaning her name. He collapsed next to her on the bed as he tried to get his breathing under control after the high he'd just experienced. Haley's head rested on his shoulder, doing the same. After another minute, he finally pulled her into his arms and laid a gentle kiss on the crown of her head.

"I am definitely winning the championship next year, too," Nathan muttered. Haley laughed softly.

"I'm sure you will. But if for some reason you don't, I'm pretty sure there will be a consolation prize," she teased smiling. Nathan smirked before lifting her head so he could give her an affectionate kiss on the lips.

"I love you," he stated after they broke apart. "If you want me to not go to Charlotte tomorrow, I won't." This Greg situation would most likely get messy. Needless to say, Nathan didn't want to abandon Haley if she really needed him for support.

"No, you should go to the game and enjoy yourself. I'll be fine," Haley stated.

"You're sure?" he asked while running his hand through her hair.

"Yes," she reassured him. "Talking to Greg and resolving this situation is something that I have to do myself. But I love you for offering."

"I just won't be able to sleep tomorrow night without you," she added softly a minute later as she held onto him tighter.

"I know the feeling."