I've got two faces, blurry's the one I'm not,

I've got two faces, blurry's the one I'm not,

I need your help to take him out.

Goner- twenty one pilots

After a few moments of sitting at the door in front of Haley's apartment, Nathan excused himself and left, leaving them both some time to be alone and completely digest the events that unfolded.

Nathan was always prone to struggling with his feelings—never really being taught that he can accept them, think about them, or least of all show them. His entire life he'd been taught to fight. Against his dad, against the opposing team, against any emotions that could leave him looking weak or vulnerable.

It was one of the biggest struggles that Nathan had been facing since Haley showed up in Tree Hill—well, since he knew Haley had arrived in Tree Hill. Nathan knew that he needed to get Haley back into his life. The second he realized who she was, he wanted to spend every second with her. He wanted to learn about what she had been up to, how she had been doing, who had she been hanging out with, had she missed him? He wanted to hold her tight and never let go; he needed to make sure that he would never have to suffer from losing her again.

But all these feelings were so far from what Nathan had experienced in the last few years. He wasn't used to feeling hope, or love, or honestly much of anything. And he had quickly developed an instinct to push anything away any of these possible emotions to ensure that he would never have to experience the pain of losing someone again. His emotions had destroyed him. It was way better off to feel nothing at all.

That had been his outlook on life since he'd been uprooted to North Carolina. Especially since Haley had been back. All he'd done was hurt her, and he never knew when she would be swooped out of his life again. Ultimately, Nathan concluded, that Haley was way better off without him.

Now, it was different. He was beginning to realize that the way he interacted with people wasn't just about him. There were other people's emotions involved too. Haley needed Nathan, even if he couldn't understand how someone could possibly need him. Pushing her away wasn't shielding her of him; it was only making her feel worse about herself. She had been through so much, and she didn't deserve that.

On his walk home, Nathan had resolved to be better. For Haley and for himself. He would face his feelings head on.

Once he got him, Nathan found Deb and Lucas still sitting together, right where he had left them. They both appeared surprised to see him, never one of them looking particularly enthusiastic, but his mom seeming a little more hopeful than his brother. He gave them a slight smile to try his best to indicate to the both of them that things weren't perfect, in fact they were far from it, but he thought they were about to get a hell of a lot better.

At this moment, Dan walked back into the room, happy to see his son back at the house.

"Everything alright with Haley?" Dan asked with the best concerned voice he could muster.

Nathan ignored his dad, knowing he wasn't genuine, and sat down next to Lucas. He didn't necessarily feel like talking about his interaction with Haley, especially in front of his father, but his mom looked at him just as expectantly.

Nathan shrugged, not wanting to let on just how their exchange went, but still smiled again, "It went well… I don't think she's leaving. At least not yet."

Nathan couldn't help his smile from widening when both his mom and brother grinned happily next to him.

"That's great news Nathan!" Deb exclaimed, getting up to come around the table to hug her son.

Lucas smiled throughout the celebration too, quickly leaning in to hug Nathan as well. He was beyond happy that Haley decided not to leave yet and that whatever just transpired between Nathan and Haley obviously went at least remotely well. However, he still didn't miss Dan's suspicious smile as the rest of his family beamed.

It was the day after Nathan and Haley's interaction, and Nathan was alone in his house, having stayed home from a family event he should have attended. He just didn't have it in him, though, to get dressed in a suit and mingle with his dad's "friends". He way preferred to play video games, eat pizza, and wallow by himself on the couch instead. Dan definitely narrowed his eyes at Nathan suspiciously as the rest of the Scott family made their way out of the door, but Deb refused to let him go when he told her he had been throwing up.

After his interaction with Haley the day before, and his following conversation with his family, Nathan had been laying low, not thinking about the events that had unfolded. Those few moments he spent with her, with both of them caught up in their emotions, and reeling from the aftermath of their sudden kiss, were all a blissful, confusing blur. Nathan left her apartment with a pounding head and a heavy heart and he hadn't given himself much time to figure out exactly what happened. It hurt his head too much to think about it, and he wasn't shy of running away from whatever was too hard from him, especially in an emotional sense.

Though Nathan didn't know exactly how he felt about their moments together in front of her apartment, he knew for a fact that it meant a total shift in their relationship. After all they had been through in the past few weeks, there was no way they would be able to stay on this path of awkward friendship. The surely ensuing change was what was so terrifying.

Sure enough, what should have been Nathan's relaxing night on the couch was interrupted by the ring of the doorbell. After a few moments of weighing his options, he decided he should probably check to see who was there; maybe Lucas had found away to escape the night of hell ahead of him as well.

However, to what should have been no surprise to Nathan, he found Rachel on the other side of the door, obviously more than happy to see Nathan being the one to respond to the bell.

"I don't have time for this right now Rachel," Nathan practically sighed, as he went to close the door.

"I just want to talk, Nathan," Rachel interjected, moving her foot in front of the door so that Nathan was unable to close it.

"Rachel, I'm in a good place right now and I don't need you here trying to ruin it for me, I'm sorry," Nathan explained, more forcefully this time, before going to close the door again.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Rachel asked, pushing the door open with all her force and walking into the house before Nathan could close it again.

Nathan rolled his eyes, but giving in and pushing the door closed behind Rachel, knowing that she wouldn't leave until she got what she wanted from him.

"Nothing," Nathan started, turning to face her with his arms crossed across his chest, "What is it that you want?"

Rachel smiled after successfully working her way into the Scott residence.

"I don't know why you have to be so hostile, Nathan. I just want to talk," Rachel explained as she moved her way further into the home.

Of course, she had been at this house many times before for multiple Scott parties over the years, so she was rather familiar with the layout. She made her way into the den area and took a seat on the couch, tapping the cushion right next to her, inviting Nathan to sit down. Instead, Nathan chose to sit down on the armchair right next to the couch, causing Rachel to frown in disapproval.

"I don't bite, Nathan… Okay, maybe I do a little," Rachel laughed.

"Rachel, could you please just tell me what you want. I have a lot to do today," Nathan lied, just wanting to get Rachel out of his house as soon as possible.

Rachel wasn't at all fazed by Nathan's apparent displeasure with her being in his house. Instead, she moved herself to the cushion she initially patted for Nathan, to bring herself closer to him.

"Why do you assume I want anything? Aren't I welcome to just stop over for a visit?" Rachel asked.

"No," Nathan quickly responded, "I don't know when I gave you the indication that we're friends, but we're not. I don't even like you, Rachel."

Rachel seemed taken aback by Nathan's sudden, heated declaration, but she recovered quickly, growing angry herself.

"Well Nathan, in case you weren't aware, sleeping with someone is a pretty good indicator of you liking them," Rachel retorted, "Though, I do get that your understanding of it may be skewed seeing as you can only seem to hurt the girl you claim to actually care so much about."

"You're wrong!" Nathan yelled, before taking a deep breath to collect himself. "You don't know anything about me and Haley, don't pretend you do."

"Ha!" Rachel sneered, "I know that she is apparently some goddess that you think you worship, but tell me, Nathan, what was it that happened the last time all three of us were together? It was me you slept with. I've never seen her happy in your presence, not once."

Nathan shook his head, seething at the girl in front of him. She was wrong, he knew she was… but was she? There was a part of Nathan that knew she was right. At least from Rachel's perspective. Haley hasn't seemed that happy with Nathan. He's had so many opportunities with her and he's managed to blow them all.

"Speechless, huh?" Rachel started, "It's because you know I'm right. You pretend to be all holier than me, Nathan, but at the end of the day, you're just as selfish, shallow, and stuck-up and everyone else in this town."

Nathan was fuming. He didn't know who Rachel thought she was that she could just come strutting into his house and hauling insults as him. But another part of his was angry because he knew that everything that she was saying was the complete truth. Moving to North Carolina had changed him, he wasn't the same person that he was when he lived in California with Haley, and he didn't know if he could ever be that person for her again. Nathan was about to retaliate when another ring at the door distracted him.

"Oh, come on," he mumbled, not knowing what pissed off person could be on the other side of the door this time.

He flung open the door, hoping to send away whoever was on the other side and desperately wishing Rachel would walk out with them. Instead, he was greeted with a familiar face he didn't particularly mind seeing.

"Haley," Nathan exhaled.

Of all the people that could have been on the other side of the door, he didn't expect to see her, and he was completely caught off guard. He was overcome with a wave of emotions he had never before experienced. When he left her apartment yesterday, they were in a weird place.

However, when Nathan saw that it was Haley on his porch, he was certain how he felt in an instant. His heart began to pound, and his palms began to sweat, completely overcome with all the loving memories he's held of her, from their childhood days together, to just the day before. In that moment, he knew wholeheartedly that he loved her with everything in him. It was a thrilling burst of passion, but it was accompanied by something much more ugly and deeply rooted. Why was she here? How was she feeling?

"Hi," Haley smiled slightly, lifting her hand up in an awkward wave.

Nathan finally realized that he had been standing still at the door, gawking for much longer than he probably should have been and went to open the door wider, before abruptly stopping.

Haley's smile quickly turned at Nathan's sudden actions.

"What's wrong?" She asked, confused.

"Uhh…" Nathan fumbled, unsure of what to do.

In his whirlwind of emotions at seeing Haley, he had forgotten one other part of his current reality; an uninvited Rachel remained right on the other side of him, presently out of Haley's line of vision. There was no way Nathan was about to open the door and let Haley in when Rachel was with him on the other side. Not after all that they have been through earlier in the day, and all the stress that being with Rachel has already placed on their relationship.

"Oh, don't worry about it Nathan, I was just leaving," Rachel interrupted, making Nathan's decision of what to do for him.

She walked into the doorframe, pulling the door all the way open, wide enough for Haley to see into.

"Haley, why don't you come on in, Nathan and I are done here. For now, at least," Rachel smirked, finishing the last part with a wink at Nathan.

Rachel walked out of the door, smiling too hard and long at Haley while she made her way down the steps and off the Scott property.

Nathan, once again, was left not knowing how to deal with the situation at hand. He knew his chances to make things right with Haley was coming to and end. There were only so many times that he could mess up with her before she finally realized that he is a hopeless cause.

"Haley, I'm sorry, nothing happened, I swear, she just barged in…" Nathan trailed off, nervously scratching the back of his neck, knowing that none of what he was saying mattered. He knew better than anyone that words were only so reliable.

He watched as Haley stood virtually still on his front porch. He waited desperately for her to make a move, needing any indication of what she was feeling.

"Haley, please," Nathan begged, "You can't…"

Haley shook her head, stopping Nathan in his tracks. Her face went from vacant to angry in a flash, causing Nathan to sigh deeply. This was it, he had finally blown it.

"I'm sorry, Haley, I tried," Nathan mumbled, trying hard to fight back tears, slowly beginning to close the door.

"No," Haley asserted, placing her hand on the door to prevent it from closing.

Her sudden proclamation clearly startled Nathan, who immediately stopped trying to close the door and looked at her, expectedly.

Haley shook her head again, "No, she doesn't get to do this again. Nathan, I don't care what you do or don't do with Rachel. It doesn't matter to me. What I care about is who you are to me. I love you, Nathan, in every possible sense of the word. I came here for you, and I am not letting her come in the way of what we have, not again. I just want us to be friends, Nathan. I'm done with all this other bullshit."

"Haley, I am so sorry. Nothing happened, I swear. She just came a few minutes ago, begging to talk to me, she literally shoved her way in. I've been trying to get her to leave ever since. I know that's no excuse, I know that I've been a fuck up my whole life, but to new extremes since I've been in Tree Hill, and especially since you've been back. I know you have no reason to forgive me, or be my friend. I am a complete asshole and I don't deserve you. I'm sorry for everything with Rachel, I'm sorry for being a complete mess at your house before, I'm sorry for kissing you. All I want is to be your friend too," Nathan declared, choking on his last words.

Both teenagers stood there for a moment, looking at each other, before Haley started laughing.

"We are a complete mess, Nathan. How many emotional breakdowns can we have in one weekend?"

Nathan smiled in return, wiping at his eyes, "I don't know. I'm just glad you're here. It really means a lot. I really do love you, Haley."

Haley was about to respond, when headlights pulled into the driveway. Nathan was confused for a moment, but once again thought that Lucas had maybe excused himself from the dreadful event.

Haley's eyes followed Nathan's confused glance to the driveway. Not knowing which Scott would exit the car, Haley prepared herself for the worst.

Half jokingly, Haley turned back to Nathan, "Which Scott should I be ready for?"

Nathan chuckled, shrugging, "None of them should be home, they all went to a Scott dinner."

Haley frowned, understanding Nathan's confused expression. The slamming of car doors was heard, followed by the disappearance of the car's headlights as it reversed from the driveway. Since it was late, it was relatively dark out and neither Nathan nor Haley could make out the faces of whoever was approaching the Scott house, but two silhouettes could clearly be made out from the house lights.

"Who is…?" Nathan trailed off, stopping when the two bodies were finally close enough to be distinguishable, "Oh shit."

Nathan quickly looked back at Haley, who was once again frozen in place, though he could see her frame shaking slightly.

"Hales…" He started, reaching out for her, before the two people finally made their way up to both of them on the porch.

Haley shook her head. "What are you doing here?" She asked quietly through gritted teeth.

Both previously composed people in front of her lost it once Haley spoke up. The woman dropped the luggage she was carrying and quickly embraced Haley tightly.

"Oh, Haley, I have missed you!" The woman sobbed.

Nathan watched the scene unfold in front of him, unsure of what to do. Haley hadn't changed her facial expression, which was still completely unreadable, and she hadn't made any effort to embrace the woman back.

"Nathan," The man started, moving over to shake Nathan's hand, "How've you been doing?"

Nathan nodded, just as shocked at what was going on before his eyes, but finally grasped the man's hand, "Mr. James."

The woman pulled away from Haley, and grabbed her by the shoulders, looking straight into her eyes.

"Haley, I know we messed up. We are so sorry. But we are here to make it right, okay? We're going to go pack up your apartment and you're going to come right back home with Mommy and Daddy. We'll be a family again, it will all be okay," Mrs. James announced, moving back to embrace Haley fully again.

Nathan watched on, desperately, as both Haley's parents stood in front of him, each moving to hold on to a piece of her. A tear silently fell from Haley's eyes before she finally reached her arms around to hug her mother. Nathan allowed the tears to flow from his eyes as well, now knowing he wouldn't be able to hold her like he wanted to again.

AN: Hi! I am glad you are here, still reading this story, after *cough* two years. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. There is more to come, I don't have my exact plans in front of me right now, but I'd say another 3 chapters or so. Please review if you can, I always look forward to hearing from you. Enjoy!

Until the next update,

Megan AKA ToBecomeAClown

***PS: As always, please excuse grammar mistakes. I do read it over once, but after that I am just too desperate to get it to you to read over again, so I hope you take it for what it is, poor grammar and all.