Chapter Ten

A/N This chapter jumps ahead in time. I hadn't meant for this chapter to be so long. Hope you like it.

Haley's first trimester passed without much incident. Nathan and Lucas had continued to mend fences, first for Haley's sake, then for their own. Somewhere between sarcastic remarks they realized they could be good for each other. Nathan had rejoined the team as promised and he and his older brother had lead the team to a state championship and the first undefeated season in Ravens history. Nathan was almost disappointed that he couldn't rub that in his dad's face. Dan was living on the other side of town but since he was persona non gratis, he steered clear of Nathan, Lucas and their moms. It was June and the school year was starting wind down. Everyone was looking forward to a few months of vacation.

"Ugh!" Haley growled, looking at her profile in the mirror. She was now four months along starting to show more and more. "I'm fat."

"You are not." Peyton said, coming into the washroom.

"Oh yeah? Then how come I couldn't button my jeans this morning? I had to borrow an old pair of my mom's."

"Because you're having a baby. This is supposed to happen. What are you doing after school?"

"Meeting Nathan for a tutoring session."

Peyton smirked. "So is that what you kids are calling it these days."

Haley smacked Peyton in the arm. "Shut up, we do study. Why did you ask?"

"After tutoring why don't you and I go shopping for soem maternity clothes; we'll find you some really cool stuff."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it'll be fun."

"Yeah, sure okay."

***

Nathan and Haley are at the docks, studying the big history final

"Okay Nathan, what were Woodrow Wilson's 14 points?"

"Open covenants of peace, absolute freedom of navigation upon the seas, outside territorial waters, the removal, so far as possible, of all economic barriers..."

Haley couldn't hide her surprise. "What? Am I wrong?"

"No, you're exactly right. It's just, well, your math and English grades have gone way up, even your science grades have shown great improvement but history has remained a struggle for you, until now."

"I guess I just finally figured out what you meant."

"What I meant?"

"About history and how if we don't learn it we're doomed to repeat it. I'm living that right now."

"What do you mean?"

"Everywhere I turn, I see people who expect history to repeat itself. They don't say it anymore but I know they're thinking it. They all think I'm going to do what my father did, leave you and the baby like he left Karen and Lucas. Even you think it sometimes."

"That's not true Nathan."

"Yes it is. I'm not upset. I don't blame you. It's not like I haven't let you down before, broken promises to you before. Why should you believe me now?"

"Nate I--"

"No." He silenced her by pressing a finger to her lips. "Let me finish. At first, it frustrated me that I could see the doubt in your eyes sometimes, like whether you knew it or not you were wondering when I was going to bail. Then I got to thinking about the history thing and the more I thought about it, the more I saw how it applies to me. The way I see it, this, you, me, the baby was meant to happen. All my life people have been telling me how much I'm like my father. Sometimes it's meant as a compliment like when they compare our basketball skills but often it's not a compliment at all like when people compare how I treated Lucas with how he did. It's totally founded but it hurts just the same. Right now, people expect me to follow in his footsteps once again. This is my chance to prove them wrong, prove that history won't repeat itself with me because I have learned from my father's mistakes. Mostly, I want to prove it to myself, I want to know once and for all that I am someone other than Dan Scott's son, that I can rise above him.

Haley just stared at him, at a loss for words. She knew better than most that there was more to Nathan than basketball and drunken parties but she had to admit he was right, a part of her did expect him to leave. She hadn't expected him to call her on it.

"Nathan, I don't know what to say."

"Just say that you believe me. I don't care what anyone else thinks, just you."

"I believe you and I think that covers everything for today. You'll ace that history test."

"Keep your fingers crossed. You busy tonight? I thought we could catch a movie or something."

"Actually I have plans. Peyton and I are going shopping."

"Oh, okay."

"Don't look so dejected Nathan. If I remember correctly, you never used to have trouble getting through a Friday night without me."

"That's before I knew what I was missing."

"You'll find a way to get by."

"I guess I'll live."

"Can you give me a ride to Peyton's? I told her I'd meet her there."

"Yeah sure."

***

Peyton's

"You ready to go?" Peyton asked, coming down the stairs.

"Yeah. Let's get this over with."

"Haley, you're not getting a root canal, it's just shopping. You might enjoy it."

"Uh huh." Haley didn't sound convinced.

***

At the Nearest Mall

"What about this?" Peyton held up a sun dress that was cut low in the neck. "Isn't that a little revealing?"

"Not at all. Just because you're pregnant doesn't mean you have to cover up every square inch of skin. Come on, at least try it on."

"All right all right," Haley relented and stepped into the dressing room.

When she stepped out again Peyton grinned. "That's perfect. Nathan will go crazy."

"You sure it isn't a little too...sexy?"

"Absolutely not. Haley, nothing against your past fashion choices but maybe it's time you had a change of pace. You can't pull off the virginal innocence thing any more anyway so you might as well enjoy it."

"You really think Nathan will like it?"

"Are you kidding? He'll go nuts."

"Yeah right."

"Oh come on Haley, Nathan worships you. The guys gets puppy dog eyes every time he looks at you. It's pathetic really. I wish a guy would look at me like that."

Haley saw an opportunity and went for it. "A guy does look at you like that. Lucas remember? He's still crazy about you. You have to see that."

Peyton just sighed.

"So tell me again why the two of you aren't together?"

"It's complicated."

"Is it? Let me see, he likes you, you like him. Nope, seems simple to me."

"You know it's not that easy. He was with Brooke."

"So? Nathan was with you. Lucas has a past, big deal, so do you."

"But my past isn't with his former best friend."

"No, it's with his current little brother. Look Peyton, if you still want Lucas then please for the sake of my sanity go after him He's not going to wait forever. You learned that once the hard way. Do you want to learn it again?"

"No but--"

"No buts. Just give it a chance. You might be surprised."

"Or I might get hurt."

"If there's one thing I've learned this past year it's that sometimes it's worth the risk." She paused.

"What?"

"I just never figured I, Haley James, would be giving you, Peyton Sawyer, love advice."

"Been a weird year huh? So, you buying the dress or not?"

"Yeah. Just let me change back into my own clothes."

When she returned, Peyton was browsing through more racks of clothes. "You know, some of this stuff is pretty cute. It's almost be worth getting pregnant to get to wear it."

"Says someone who's never had morning sickness."

***

Nathan stood up from his desk again and walked around the room, bored and restless. In the past he'd have called Tim or one of the other guys from the team but things had never really been the same since they'd all found out about Haley's pregnancy. He jsut didn't fit in with that crowd any more and truth be told, he didn't want to.

On a whim, he picked up the phone and called Lucas' house.

"Hello?" Came Karen's voice on the other end.

"Hello Karen, is Lucas in?"

"Um yeah, he's in his room. I'll go get him."

A few minutes later, Lucas picked up the phone. "Hello."

"Lucas, it's Nathan."

Lucas was more than a little surprised. The two were closer now than before but hadn't reached the point where they were calling each other out of the blue. "What is it Nathan? Is soemthing wrong with Haley?"

"No, she's shopping with Peyton. That's why I'm calling actually. I'm bored to tears and I thought maybe you'd like to do something."

"Me? What about Tim and the other guys?"

"Come on man, you know I hardly talk to them outside of practice these days. They're all about cruising for girls and flirting. That's really not my scene any more."

"It better not be. What did you have in mind."

"I thought we'd get a pizza then go from there."

"Sure, sounds good."

"Great. I'll swing by and pick you up. See you in a few."

***

"So Haley and Peyton are shopping huh?"

"Yeah, not sure what I think about that."

"What do you mean?"

"Well Peyton's not exactly my biggest fan, rightfully so."

"You think she'll make Haley hate you?"

"It crossed my mind."

"Nathan, I couldn't make Haley hate you, believe me I tried, and I'm her best friend. For some reason that I still don't understand, she thinks you pass for a human being."

"Gee thanks. So, what about you and Peyton."

"There is no me and Peyton and I don't think there's going to be."

"I thought she just needed time to get past the whole you and Brooke thing."

"There was no me and Brooke, it was a week, one lousy week and how long am I supposed to wait for Peyton to decide she wants to be with me?"

"Do you want her man?"

"More than anything." "Then stop waiting. Go after her."

"And if she turns me down...again."

"Then at least you tried. If Haley could get past all the crap I've pulled, Peyton should be able to get past your little fling with Brooke."

"I'm not so sure."

"Seriously Lucas, what have you got to lose."