Little Moments
Chapter 55: We Could All Use a Little Protecting
Disclaimer: Again, I don't own anything related to OTH. Bummer, I know. I'll take some creativity points though.
A/N: Alright, since I felt like the last two chapters had a big gap due to my crazy busy schedule last week I feel the need to update soon, so here you go guys. I sincerely appreciate the reviews for last chapter. I hope you guys like this one. I know a few of y'all mentioned something like this in a review, so here we go.... Enjoy!
OTHOTH
Watching Nathan give autographs had become an old habit for Haley. She was so proud of him. He'd accomplished so much in his lifetime and it amazed her that he'd been able to get through it all and still be the man he was.
Haley felt a soft cheek dig into her shoulder and smiled at her two year old daughter. She'd been holding Charlotte ever since they'd finished dinner and that was about ten minutes ago.
Haley and the kids were waiting just inside the main entrance to Blue Restaurant and Bar in downtown Charlotte as Nathan talked to a few basketball fans. The family had been on their way out of Blue when a few fans stopped to talk with Nathan. Haley wasn't going to deny his loyal followers a quick chat. She didn't mind. They'd been able to sit in the private dinning room that evening and they could spare a little time for his fans.
Nine year old Jamie was standing with his back against the wall and tugged on Haley's shirt,"Mom, when are we leaving?"
She looked down, "In just a minute."
Jamie looked up annoyed and pointed at his little sister, "Charlotte's already asleep, can't we go?
Haley had to laugh at her son, "What's the rush bud?"
Shrugging, Jamie looked at his mom, "The top ten plays come on soon and I know Dad's assist to Ray will be on there." Even if the Bobcats hadn't won their game yesterday, Nathan had a fancy assist for an alley-oop that would more than likely wind up on SportsCenter.
Pulling Jamie into her side she smiled, "They'll show it again. That show comes on all the time."
Jamie sighed heavily. His mom was right. It would be on all the highlight reels for the newt few days and if not, it would definitely be on YouTube.
The Charlotte Bobcats were in the playoffs with the Orlando Magic so all the major sports networks would be showing a lot of basketball coverage. The teams were playing the first two games in Charlotte then would be going down to Florida to continue with the first round. Game one had been yesterday and the Bobcats lost 89-98, but game two was scheduled a couple days from now and the Bobcats were ready to fight for that second round spot.
Nathan walked over to his family, "Sorry that took so long. One of those guys went to Maryland and saw me play back then, and we started talking..."
Haley shook her head, "It's fine." She didn't want him to think his celebrity status was having a negative affect on them.
Nathan saw that Charlotte was asleep in Haley's arms and smiled, "I guess we better head home, huh?" The home he was referring wasn't in Tree Hill, but the loft apartment he called home whenever he was in Charlotte.
Nodding her head, Haley agreed,"Yeah, I think so."
Jamie walked over to the door and held it open for his mom. Haley smiled at her boy and saw that Nathan made sure Jamie stayed close as they walked to the car. As soon as the family of four made it to the sidewalk, Haley saw a group of people start to head in their direction. It was dark so she couldn't see what was going on but she felt Nathan put a protective hand on her back. He reached for Jamie's hand and was waiting for it to begin.
A flash. An instance where all their vision was blurred and Nathan knew the walk to the car just got a lot longer.
"Mr. Scott! Over here." Another flash lit up the sidewalk and Nathan nodded. He'd had a pretty good relationship with the paparazzi. Over the last few years he'd always given them wave or a smile and then be on his way, but it was a different story if Haley or the kids were with him. Haley was a celebrity in her own right and when they were both together, things got doubled over with pressure. Names be called in all directions and there were always a few of those photographers who tried to say something to get a reaction of out one of them. And when that did happen, it was Nathan who would get upset.
Haley felt Charlotte squirm in her arms and used her hand to to soothe her young daughter.
"Haley! Look this way." A photographer shouted. Haley smiled but kept her head straight ahead and only wanted to get into the car. She didn't want to have to deal with the mess right now.
Nathan pressed his hand further into Haley's back when he heard on of them yell again, "Is it true you two only got married because she got pregnant in high school?"
Feeling Nathan's hand firmly on her back she looked up to him, "Don't worry about it. Just ignore them." She knew that he would get defensive if he didn't ignore it.
He wanted to walk on by, ignore the idiots. He really did. But the one thing he hated most was when reporters or paparazzi or anybody else assumed that he and Haley got married in high school because she was pregnant. Anyone who could go to Wikipedia could find out that wasn't the case. Haley found out she was pregnant with Jamie almost a year into their marriage.
Another guy with a camera clicked away, "Nathan tell us about the loss last night."
Nathan wouldn't have minded to answer the guy, but the other pap had pissed him off. Since he remained silent, the group of five or six guys took that as their cue to get a little closer and take even more pictures. Charlotte opened her small brown eyes and was met with flashes and men's voices she didn't understand or recognize.
Haley could feel Charlotte's chest start to heave and kissed her cheek, "It's okay baby, everything's okay."
The little girl was only two and the strobe light like atmosphere and constant shouting was scaring her. Even her mother's voice and kind words couldn't take away her cries.
Nathan heard Charlotte and cut his eyes at the photographers, "That's enough guys. I think you got your shot."
"Just a few more, man." Another paparazzi stated. They weren't going to go away until Nathan drove away.
Haley could see the car and hoped that the rest of the walk would be okay.
Jamie was walking in between his mom and dad, holding his father's hand, and was trying to shield his eyes with the other hand. The flashes that the cameras emitted had him seeing stars. Nathan looked down and saw Jamie covering his eyes, Charlotte was crying, and Haley looked upset too. He glanced to Haley and put Jamie's hand in hers, "Go on to the car. I'll let them get their picture and meet back up with you."
Haley didn't want him to do that. Not with his temper. There was no telling what he might do if another paparazzi made some rude comment. She started to reply but Charlotte's cries overshadowed her voice.
Nathan nodded, "Go. I'll be right behind you."
Jamie griped his mother's hand and watched his dad stay back while he and his mom walked to the car.
Nathan turned around and held out his hand, "That's enough guys. You scared my little girl so if it's me you want a picture of, go ahead, take it." The constant clicking from the camera shutters and the bright lights began to flash away. The noise and lights made Nathan feel like he was standing in the middle of a war.
The same paparazzi guy that had stirred him previously decided he still wanted to pry, "You never answered. Did you marry Haley because she got pregnant."
Nathan laughed and rolled his eyes, "No."
"What about the claims that the little girl isn't yours." The asshole was just saying things to get Nathan riled up.
Clenching his jaw Nathan took a deep breath, "Whoever started that rumor doesn't know shit." He was getting pissed.
The photog smirked at his ability to get Nathan upset, "I don't know. I hear your wife's pretty easy."
Nathan wasn't going to listen to it anymore, and he certainly wasn't going to let the guy get paid for his ability to piss him off. Nathan stepped up to the pap and grabbed his camera, "You're a dick you know that?"
The photog shrugged but reached to get his camera back.
Nathan pulled back and smirked, "I don't think so." He threw the camera against the hard concrete and shrugged, "Whoops." He turned to walk back to the car and heard even more shouting for him to turn around and the night sky was lit up with flashbulbs.
He knew that he shouldn't have done that but there were certain things that upset Nathan, and if someone ever said anything derogatory about his family he couldn't help but retaliate. It was childish and immature but that guy was an ass. His camera deserved it.
Nathan opened the car door and met Haley's worried eyes. "What did he say to make you throw the camera?"
He shrugged and started the car, "Nothing."
Haley knew their had to be more to the story, but if Nathan didn't want to talk about it she would let it go. For now at least. She looked out the window of the car as the passed the group of photographers and saw the one guy holding his crumpled camera. A smile crept across her face. She turned to Nathan and even though he looked pissed, she couldn't deny the fact that him being so protective over them was sexy as hell.
OTHOTH
Nathan had carried Charlotte to her room and Haley allowed Jamie to watch a little bit of SportsCenter before he went to bed. Haley walked into the bedroom and changed into some sleepwear and when she walked back into the living room both of her boys were diligently watching the screen.
"Dad, Dad. Here they come." Jamie pointed to the screen and saw that the top ten plays were about to start, "What number do you think you'll be?"
Shrugging, Nathan looked to Jamie, "I don't know. It may not be on there tonight."
"What? Yes it will." Jamie looked at his dad like he was crazy. "They didn't show it last night because the game ended too late. It's got to be on tonight's show."
"Maybe."
Haley walked into the kitchen and could still see that two sets of blue eyes were glued to the television screen. "Number four." Haley spoke up. "I bet it's number four."
Nathan turned around to see Haley walk over with a glass of water. He raised his brow at her statement. He didn't even know that she was in the same room.
She sat down next to Nathan and waited for the countdown to show Nathan's assist.
Jamie rolled his eyes after number five was shown. He really had no interest in the grand-slam one of the Atlanta Braves hit.
The sportscaster started to introduce the next clip, "Last night during the first playoff game between Charlotte and Orlando, there was at least one thing the Bobcats fans could cheer about. Even though they lost the game, take a look at this behind the back, through the legs, over the head..." The announcer paused to laugh at all the words he could have use to describe the assist. "...alley-oop from star point guard Nathan Scott to forward Raymond Hines."
Jamie looked at his mom with his mouth agape, "How'd you know..."
Haley smiled but pointed to the screen, "You're gonna miss it."
The little boy watched the play over and then again when they showed it in slow motion. Jamie's face was taken over by his smile. His heart was so full of pride that he was sure his dad was more like a superhero than an NBA star.
Nathan looked at Jamie with a smirk, "I guess it made the reel."
Jamie nodded, "Uh-yeah. Dad you're always on it. They need to name it after you."
Both Nathan and Haley laughed and Haley looked at their son, "Well since you got to see it. How about you..."
"I know, bed." Jamie got up off the couch, "Thanks for letting me stay up a little bit later."
Haley smiled and nodded. She watched as her nine year old walked toward his bedroom and then looked to her husband. "He's so proud of you."
Nathan smiled. He didn't really know what to say back to her but then raised his brow, "So was that just a lucky guess? Picking number four?"
Her lips curled into a smile and she bit her lip, "I may have seen the first showing at noon today?" Haley laughed and saw that Nathan was looking at her with both of his brows raised, "What? I can't help it if I see you on TV."
Smiling, Nathan leaned over and kissed her sweetly, "So are you some fan girl now?"
Haley cocked her jaw, set her glass of water down, and moved to straddle her husband, "I've always been a fan girl."
Nathan wasn't expecting Haley's forwardness but he didn't mind it at all. He rested his hands on her thighs and looked into her dark brown eyes, "I love you."
She ran her fingers through his hair and nodded, "I love you too." She kissed him and felt his hands run up her thighs and wrap around her sides. Haley moved her mouth from his lips to his jaw and Nathan took his eyes away from her to focus on the image on the screen.
"Dammit!"
Haley pulled away wondering what she'd done wrong. She felt something on Nathan start to vibrate and looked at him curiously.
He shook his head and pointed to the screen and tried to get his phone, "A hundred bucks that this is Clay calling."
Haley turned to look at the screen and grimaced. ESPN was showing a few pictures from just an hour ago. It was a different take on what she had seen from the car. Nathan was looking pissed and he seemed to be in mid throw. Underneath the picture was simple caption: Nathan Scott loses it.
Nathan reached down for his phone and Haley got off of him. He shook his head and answered, "Look, it's not as bad as you think."
Clay's voice boomed over the phone, "Nathan, what were you thinking?"
Getting up off the couch, Nathan started to defend himself, "He was saying ridiculous things. I just threw his camera."
"I know, the agency already got the bill via email tonight."
Nathan didn't understand what the big deal was, "So? We'll pay for it. That's fine. It was worth it."
Clay was shaking his head, "It's not about the camera Nate. It's your image. The Bobcats best player, most respective player, just had a hissy fit, child like tantrum and.... It wasn't a good move."
"I know that, but Clay, you didn't hear what the guy was saying."
Haley had kept relatively quiet but knew what was going on. Nathan was being called out on for his behavior. She didn't know what the pap had said and was curious. Maybe he'd say it to Clay over the phone.
Clay was really disappointed, "You're right. I didn't hear him, but it sure as hell have better been something bad for you to blow up."
"It was."
Sighing in to the phone, Clay ran his hand over his face, "Okay, so I think we can make this into a good thing. We won't only issue a statement but what if you did an interview too? That way the probable MVP will get to share his side of things and it would be great for damage control."
Nathan couldn't say no. "You've already thought about this haven't you?"
"Yeah, and I think it's in your best interest to address the public somehow. Everyone loves a good interview and they'll all side with you." Clay laughed, "I'm not talking Oprah or something, just a ten minute interview that would overshadow this. I know you didn't mean to..."
"No, I did. I absolutely meant to smash his camera."
Taking a deep breath Clay continued, "Okay, well think about it. I can call ESPN and maybe I can get Erin to interview you." Even though Clay was in a relationship, his playboy antics showed through.
Nathan had to laugh to himself when Clay mentioned Erin. Erin Andrews was a pretty sportscaster but he didn't care who interviewed him. That was only a formality. He walked over to the calendar on the fridge and spoke into the phone,"Let's just figure it out now. When were you thinking on doing it?"
Clay looked rummaged around for Nathan's date book, "How about the morning of the first game in Orlando? I'm sure someone from ESPN can fly down there and do it then." Clay was hoping Nathan would say yes. "I could ask to do it tomorrow or the next day, but Haley and the kids are with you. I know you don't want to miss out on time with them."
Nathan really appreciate the fact that Clay took Haley and kids into consideration. "Yeah, let's do it when I get to Orlando."
For the next twenty or so minutes Nathan and Clay continued to talk and when Nathan finally hit the end call button he realized that Haley had gone back to the bedroom.
He walked to the back and saw that she was already asleep. He quickly changed and slid into bed next to her. He watched her for a moment and couldn't believe what that dumb ass photographer had said about her. Haley was beautiful, she was the mother of his children, she was his wife, and he'd do anything to protect her.
Nathan leaned over to her and kissed her temple gently, "Night Haley James."
Closing his eyes, Nathan took a deep breath and nodded to himself. There wasn't anything he wouldn't do for her.
OTHOTH
Four days later in Tree Hill, Haley was putting the groceries away when Jamie came barreling into the kitchen. He wasn't wearing any shoes so he slid across the hardwood floor on his socks . Haley widened her eyes as her son slid past her. She didn't want him running into something and getting hurt.
"What's up?" Haley put the gallon of milk in the refrigerator and looked to her son.
Jamie scrunched his upper lip close to his nose, "Uh, I think Charlotte needs a new diaper."
Haley laughed, "Well I think you're old enough to handle it."
Wide eyed and shaking his head, Jamie protested, "But, but..."
As she walked past Jamie, Haley ran her hand over Jamie's hair, "I'm kidding. I'll get her." Jamie let out a huge sigh of relief. That was something he was not ready to ever do. Haley turned back to him, "But you could put away the rest of the groceries for me."
Happy to do that instead of changing his sister's stinky diaper, Jamie nodded.
Haley laughed at herself as she walked into the living room. Charlotte was siting on the floor playing with Jamie's Nintendo DS. "Oh, Charlotte, you better not play with that. Jamie would be so upset if it got broken.
"Mine."
Taking Jamie's prized possession away from Charlotte, Haley shook her head, "We need to get you changed." Haley picked Charlotte up and poked on her tummy, "You little stinker."
The young toddler started laughing and Haley laughed right along.
Once Haley got to Charlotte's room and changed her, Haley started walking toward the stairs when the phone rang. Detouring into her and Nathan's room, she set Charlotte on the bed and picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"Hey."
Haley's face lit up when she heard his voice. "Hi." She watched Charlotte crawl over the pillows and smiled, "How was the interview?"
Nathan shrugged, "Fine. Nothing fancy." He paused for a second, "They said that they were supposed to run it tonight before the game. As a pre-game thing or something."
"Really? That's fast."
Nodding, Nathan agreed, "Yeah, but I don't think it will be that hard to edit and stuff."
Haley tucked the phone between her ear and picked up their little girl, "You want to talk to Charlotte."
"Yeah." Nathan was eagerly waiting to hear from Charlotte.
Haley put the phone next to Charlotte's ear, "It's Daddy, baby. Talk to him."
"Hey Char." Nathan couldn't help but smile as he said it.
Charlotte held the phone but turned the mouth piece up toward the ceiling. Haley laughed and pushed it down so she could talk into it. "Tell him hi."
"Daddy?"
That little voice made his heart swell, "Hey Charlotte. I miss you."
Haley could tell that her daughter wasn't really in the conversation mood. Not only that, but it wasn't like her vocabulary at that point was big. "Tell Daddy good luck. He's got a game tonight."
Nathan heard Charlotte mumble 'luck' and he smiled, "Thank you."
Haley put the phone back to her ear and laughed, "We'll have to work on that."
Nathan shook his head, "Nah, it was cute."
"Do you want me to go get Jamie? He's downstairs."
As much as he wanted to talk to his son, he would keep his routine and call him after the game, "No, I'll call him later."
Haley nodded and spoke back into the phone, "Thanks for calling. We'll be cheering you on from home. I love you"
"Thank you." Nathan sighed, "I love you too Hales."
"We'll see you when you go back to Charlotte."
Nathan wished that they could be with him in Orlando, but it was hard to keep traveling with a third grader and a two year old. But without fail, he knew they'd be at the rest of his home games in Charlotte. "Alright, see you in a few days. Bye."
"Bye." She hated saying goodbye but it was something that she'd had to get used to. Haley heard a clashing of pots and pans and looked to Charlotte, "Oh man, what did your brother get into?" Haley laughed and made her way downstairs with Charlotte.
Jamie was hurrying over toward the roll of paper towels when he saw his mom come downstairs. "I didn't mean to."
Haley looked at the floor and saw that it was covered with brownie mix. "Jamie!"
"Sorry. I just thought I'd get a head start and open the mix."
Haley knew that he didn't mean to spill it everywhere but it was a huge mess. He'd been able to get the mix open and pour it in the pan, but somehow the pan ended up on the floor. "That's okay. Why don't you take Charlotte to the living room and I'll clean this stuff up."
Jamie handed his mom the paper towel he'd pulled off the roll, "Sorry."
She couldn't help but laugh at her son's attempt to clean up. Paper towels were not what she needed. Haley needed to get the vacuum or broom. As she watched Jamie go into the living room, Haley walked to the pantry to get out what she needed.
It didn't take her long and before she knew it, Haley had cleaned up the kitchen and managed to cook dinner. Jamie had apologized again, and it was sweet how bad he felt. Haley reassured him that it was fine and looked towards the television, "Why don't you turn on the TV. Dad's game will start soon."
Jamie quickly turned the television on and the Haley set up places in the living room so they could watch and eat at the same time.
Once Haley got situated, and made sure Charlotte was fine in her highchair she'd moved from the kitchen, she glanced at the TV.
"Before we begin with the rundown of tonight's game, we've got a special interview for you given by Nathan Scott, who most of you know, had an incident with a photographer almost a week ago. ESPN reporter Mark Stein sat down with Scott and got some answers about that night, along with others."
Haley saw the transition from the pre-game show to Nathan's interview and smiled. He was wearing a blue button down and she loved that color on him. His tie looked good too. She sat quietly as the interview began.
"What can you tell us about that night, Nathan? Was there anything those pictures didn't tell us?"
Nathan nodded, "Yeah. I know that I was wrong to break that photographer's camera but there are certain things that shouldn't be said, asked, or taunted with when it comes to taking a picture of someone just to get a reaction. He chose to bring up my family and I got defensive."
Mark nodded, "We've all heard the rumors about what the guy said but can you tell us what it was?"
Dreading that question because Haley didn't even know, Nathan hesitated. "Yeah." He swallowed and shrugged, "He said some off handed remarks about my wife, about my daughter. It became too much and I crossed the line. He crossed the line." Nathan glanced at Mark and saw that he was nodding so he continued, "I know I was wrong. I actually had a conversation with my son a few years ago about walking away when there is a bully around. I should have walked away, but...."
"It was your family?"
Nathan nodded, "Yeah. It seems cliche, but it's true. I would do anything, anything to make sure that they are safe, to keep them out of harms way. That photographer was provoking me and I know that my fans are disappointed, but I couldn't stop myself. I know better. I do."
"Over the last few years, you've kept yourself out of the public eye. Do you suppose your reaction could have been spurred due to the unfamiliarity of the situation?" Mark looked down at his notes then back to Nathan.
"I don't think so. I mean yes, I'm not out in bars every night and I don't have tabloids running all kinds of stories about me, but we do deal with the paparazzi on a regular basis. My wife's a singer. I play in the NBA so it's understandable to have people take our pictures. Normally I'm fine with it. It's just when certain things are said that really irritate me." Nathan felt like he was saying the same thing over and over.
"One of those long standing rumors that people bring up when it comes to Nathan and Haley James Scott would be the one that you two married because she was pregnant?"
Nathan took a deep breath. Not this guy too. "Yeah, that's the worst one. I don't know why people go on about that. Check out my website, Wikipedia page, pull up my marriage certificate...there is absolutely no way Haley and I got married because she was pregnant." Nathan paused and nodded, "We were in high school and by the end of senior year we had our son. That was a coincidence. I want people to know that I would have married her no matter the case."
Haley had been watching Nathan's every move, every word the entire time and hearing him say that had her eyes gloss over with a teary sheen. She continued to watch the interview.
Mark looked to Nathan, "So with that out of the way, and you going on the record, I think it's safe to say that's been put to rest."
"I hope so." Nathan didn't want to hear that question anymore.
"So this incident? Do you think it will affect your game?"
Nathan shook his head, "No. I've had the fortunate ability to be able to stay concentrated when it comes to basketball. I'm focused. I'm ready. I want to win."
Mark laughed, "That's good to hear. I know those Bobcat fans will be excited."
"Yeah,I hope so. I'm excited. The whole team is excited. If we win tonight, we get to go back home for the last game of the series. It would be great to be able to clutch the first round at home."
"Do you think you can attribute your success to anything? You've been through a lot. You overcame a terrible injury, worked your way up to the big time, and now you're on you're way in leading your team to a championship."
Nathan knew exactly what his answer was. He involuntarily twisted his wedding ring on his finger and nodded, "I don't have a lucky rabbit's foot or anything like that, but I've got three people who are behind me, who support me. My two kids and my wife are always there for me. They've helped me get where I am and are responsible for my success. I'm so thankful for that."
"You're a husband and father, so is it hard balancing both fronts? NBA star, and family man."
Nathan shook his head, "I think I'm one of the lucky ones. I play close enough to home that I don't have to be away from them too long. It gets hard when I'm on the road but we've learned how to get through it."
Haley listened to Nathan's last answer and couldn't help but notice that he kept using the word 'we'. He had answered some questions directly pertaining to himself with I, but he would throw in the occasional 'we' and it made Haley's heart flutter. She loved the fact that he spoke that way. He may have not even realized he was doing it, but she loved it nonetheless.
Mark Stein's voice came through the speakers as he asked his next question, "If the Bobcats make it to the finals, what would be the best outcome?"
Laughing, Nathan looked to Mark as if that was a really dumb question, "For us to win. The Bobcats have never won a championship in franchise history so it would be really great to be a part of the first one."
"Last question. What do you think you would have changed from your journey to get here?"
Nathan didn't have to think about it. People may have expected him to say that he wouldn't have gotten involved with point shaving in high school, that maybe he would have walked away that night he was thrown through the window, but that wasn't it. "To be honest, I don't think I would have changed anything. I went through some pretty rough patches but I think it helped us in the long run." He knew it did.
No matter what happened in his life Nathan had Haley to lean on, and she had him. Mark's question had been meant to be in taken from a basketball stand point but only one aspect of his life entered his mind. To the rest of the viewing audience they could assume we was actually talking about basketball, but one person in particular knew he wasn't. She was sitting with their two children, teary eyed, and so in love that she could hardly breathe. She glance at Charlotte then Jamie and under her breath mumbled, "wouldn't have changed any of it."
Nathan Scott had a tendency to say the right things, and he'd nailed it with this latest interview.
Jamie turned to his mom and saw that she looked upset, "Why are you sad Mom?"
Haley wiped her cheek and shook her head, "I'm not sad. I'm not sad at all." She looked back up to the screen and saw that Nathan was spinning that gold band on his left ring finger again. It was the little things he meant when he was talking, the small things he did like fumbling with his ring, and the sheer fact that she knew he loved her like no one else, that made her realize she was the luckiest woman in the world. Nathan Scott was a family man, and she was on the receiving end of his affection.
OTHOTH
The next morning Nathan rolled out of bed stiff and sore. He'd played his heart out last night and with his effort and the rest of the team, they'd won the game. Game four was a few days away and he wished it was in Charlotte, but that was game 5. Orlando was a great place, but having his family there would have been nice.
He walked into the bathroom and got in the shower. While the water rushed over his body he kept thinking about that interview. He hoped that it had gone well. That it would be received well. He didn't want to come off like an ass. He'd briefly talked to Haley last night and spent the majority of the phone call talking basketball with Jamie. She'd probably call later to talk to him about her reaction to the interview.
While he was in the shower, Nathan failed to realize that someone had come into his room. She'd set her bags down and crept towards the bathroom. She leaned against the wall and covered her heart with her hand. Nathan was singing in the shower. He was awful. Absolutely awful, but what made sweet was what he was singing.
"You're never gonna be anybody else. You're never gonna see until you see yourself. So come on, come on..." Nathan's very shaky, very out of tune voice boomed through the bathroom.
An idea came to Haley and she couldn't resist. She wasn't going to miss the opportunity. As she held her phone just inside the door, she tried not to laugh. He kept on singing and Haley had half a mind to join him in the shower, but she'd wait to surprise him when he came out. It was only a verse or two later that she heard the water turn off. She walked over to the chair next to the bed and sat down.
With a towel wrapped around his waist and running a smaller one through his hair, Nathan came out of the bathroom and stopped dead in his tracks, "Hales?"
"Hi."
Nathan stopped running the towel through his wet hair and rested his around his neck, "How, how long have you been here?"
She smirked, "Long enough."
He suddenly felt really embarrassed. Nathan was pretty sure that he was blushing, something Haley normally did. "When did you get here?"
"While you were in the shower." Haley got up from the chair and walked over to him. She pulled on the ends of the towel that was around his neck and kissed him, "I wanted to come see you."
Nathan grinned and nodded, "I'm glad you came."
Haley smiled, "Can I have an encore."
He winced, "You heard that?"
She put her hands on his bare chest and nodded, "Uh-huh. You know the bathroom has great acoustics." Laughing, Haley flashed him a smirk, "I think Lucas will think it's hilarious. It will go viral on YouTube."
Nathan furrowed his brow, "What? What are you..." Haley held out her phone. "You didn't?"
"Oh, yes I did."
"Hales." Nathan warned, "Please erase that. Now."
She started to laugh and shook her head, "Absolutely not."
He reached out for her phone but she flinched. Nathan laughed and shook his head, "Really. Please."
Haley saw the look of panic on his face but she thought it was adorable, "What? I bet it would be a very popular download."
Nathan cut his eyes and sneakily grabbed her phone out of her hand.
"Nathan!" Haley's mouth flew open and she tried to get it back from him. She saw that he put both hands on it and looked like he was about to break it in half. "Don't break it! I'm not the paparazzi!"
He wasn't going to, but couldn't help but tease her, "Oh, I'm gonna break it alright."
"Wait, don't."
Nathan held the phone with one hand above his head and smiled. He looked down to Haley and changed the subject, "So what brings you here anyway?"
Haley tried to jump and reach for her phone but she was far to short. Their height difference was already big, and him holding her phone over his head made it impossible. "Well I kind of fell in love with what you said in that interview and thought I'd pay you a visit, but now...."
Nathan could tell that she was getting irritated. That phone was really important. What if something happened to one of the kids? Brooke would call her on that phone. What if Peyton needed something, or Lucas, they would call her on that phone.
He smiled and looked down at her lovingly, "I was talking about us you know. How you've been there for me, how you've helped me get through it all."
Haley had given up on trying to reach for her phone, "I know."
"I love you."
"I know." The three words he'd said to her made her forget about her phone. She smiled and ran her palm over his cheek, "I love you too." She pulled him down and kissed him again, "You have no idea how much I love you."
He didn't want to argue with her, but he was pretty sure that he knew exactly how much she loved him. He loved her just the same. Nathan lowered his arm and dropped her phone on the floor. They were both too preoccupied to be worrying about a phone.
Haley felt Nathan push her shirt up and she held her arms up so he could get it off. Once they'd passed that barrier, they moved to the bed and Nathan hovered over her. "I'm a pretty bad singer, huh?"
Technically, he was. But Haley didn't care if he was off key or sounded like nails on a chalkboard, "I loved it."
"You're lying." He arched his brow and laughed.
"Nope. It was sexy listening to you sing my song." She pulled on his neck and met him with a kiss.
He smirked, "Oh really?" He moved his mouth from her lips and moved down her neck.
Haley closed her eyes and nodded, "Definitely."
Nathan smiled, "What was better? My interview or my singing."
"The interview got me here didn't it?" She playfully looked into his ocean blue eyes and smirked.
He agreed, "But, my singing got you here." He laughed and looked down at her shirtless body lying on the messy hotel bed.
"Maybe, but I think this was bound to happen."
Nathan laughed, "Getting kind of cocky, huh?"
Haley shook her head and laughed at him, "No, but I think you're talking too much."
He felt her pull on his neck and he happily succumbed to her wishes. There was nothing more he wanted than to be with Haley at that moment. She was his rock, she the reason he'd made it as far as he had, she was everything he needed. There were a few things that Nathan tried to maintain in life and one of them was to always, always protect her. As his body covered hers, and as their faces were in such close proximity, Nathan was sure that he was doing just that. He would do everything in his power to keep it like that. No one was ever going to get to his girl.
OTHOTH
A/N:* 5/8/10 UPDATE*: I won't be able to update chapter 56 until Tuesday the 11th. Sorry for the wait, but I've got finals to worry about. Once they are done I'll be good to go!
But anyways, well that one was a lot longer than the last one, so I hope I didn't bore you to death. Hopefully you guys liked it. Happy OTH Day Eve by the way. I'm hoping the new episode will have lots of Naley...and if not, I guess I'll just have to update this again soon.
*Important*: I've got another one of those survey/voting things for you all. I've gotten a few reviews and PMs asking me if I'd ever do a separate story or stories about the Jamie/Liza relationship or Charlotte/Graham relationship, and with summer on it's way and no academic priorities, I think I'm ready to take that on. So who of you would be interested to see more of those relationships and want to see an in depth look at what we miss out on in Little Moments? I could go into further detail about things that would feel out of place in this story since this is a Naley story. Show Liza and Jamie meet, Charlotte and Graham's first date...the way those relationships developed, and then continue after that. Jamie finding out he's going to be a dad, Charlotte dealing with Graham being in the Coast Guard.... If it sounds like something you might want, let me know. You can vote for either J/L, C/G, or both. If I get enough responses I'll do it. It's up to you all.
Okay, so enough with that. Thank you so much for the reviews guys. You all know how much I appreciate it. To those of you I can't respond to:
Emma: Thank you so much for the kind words. I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter. I think you had mentioned a few reviews ago that you were anxious about the season 5 chapter (if this is the same Emma that is) so I'm glad you liked the end result.
Naley (heart): I will be doing chapters surrounding the aftermath of the cornfield-crazy Nanny Carrie fiasco, and one when Haley get's the call that Nathan was in his season 5 accident. It's just a matter of when I do them. They will happen though.
Heather: The warm fuzzies! Yay! I'm didn't expect that kind of reaction, but thank you!
Hadley: I'm so glad you thought it was realistic. That was a great compliment. Since you were looking forward to this chapter, I hope you liked it.
Ann: I don't know if I do things better, but thank you so much for the review!
Diane: Even if you weren't thrilled with the scenario it means a lot that you liked it. I hope this chapter was something you liked since it might be more along the kinds of things you like better.
SJ: I plan on doing more "actual" missing moments on the show, so you can look forward to them. Thank you for the review!
Joan: I'm so happy you liked the bathroom scene. That was probably my favorite part to write.
Alexis: I think Nathan hesitating when going into his own house was a pretty significant moment to show that things were still weird between them. Very angsty. I'm glad you liked the chapter.
Becky: I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter. I had intended to show more of the month we missed but couldn't put it to words. Thanks for the review!
bethanyfan23: It means so much that you've enjoyed this story and thank you for wanting to check out my new one!
*Review Please. Don't forget to let me know if you want a spin off story (or stories) for the kids.
