Chapter Thirteen

Nathan and Haley were making out at the docks. Things were getting heated when she pulled away.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea."

Nathan looked at her, a little annoyed. "What? Making out? No that was definitely a good idea." He leans in again but she pulls back.

"Not this, Luke and Peyton. What if they're screaming at each other right now. They'll hate us."

"They won't hate us and it was a good idea, a great idea and it will work but let's not think about them right now. It feels like it's been ages since we've been alone together." He kisses her again, this time she wraps her arms around his neck and pulls him closer.

"There they are!" They jump apart and see Lucas and Peyton walking up to them.

"See Peyton, I told you they'd be here. So you two, what do you have to say for yourselves."

"Umm..." Haley stuttered. "We saw that you guys wanted each other and figured it was about time someone did something about it. Neither of you was going to."

"So you set us up."

"Yeah." Nathan admitted and glanced at Lucas and Peyton's joined hands. "And from the looks of things it worked. You should be thanking us."

"I don't think so."

"Come on Luke." Haley pleaded. "We just wanted you guys to be happy. Please don't be mad."

"I'm not mad Hales. I just don't think you have any business messing with my love life. Nathan sure doesn't." He shot a nasty look at his little brother, all evidence of their early truce absent from his face.

"Well that's funny isn't it since you seem to think you have business messing with mine." She ignored Luke's surprised look and continued. "Don't give me that look. I've lost track of the number of times you've warned me off Nathan or asked questions about us that had nothing to do with you so if you stay out of my love life, I'll stay out of yours."

"Hales, I didn't mean it like that." Lucas put a hand on her shoulder but she shrugged it off.

"Yeah well I did mean it. I am so sick of you thinking you know what's best for me when you don't. It's my life and I'm going to live it. If you don't like it, your welcome to get out of it."

She took off running. Nathan turned to Lucas and said. "Nice one. And I'm a jerk." Then he took off after Haley.

"Hales! Hales! Wait up!" He caught up to her and spun her around to face him. She collapsed against his chest and started crying. "Hey, hey it's okay. It's okay." He soothed, stroking her hair. After a few minutes she pulled away. "So what was that all about?" He asked gently.

She shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I've had a lot of stuff building up. I know you've been making an effort to get along with Luke. I can see that but I get the feeling that the effort isn't as genuine on his part. Sometimes it seems like he's trying but then he'll say something or do something or just look at you a certain way and I'm sure that all he'll ever see when he looks at you is Dan."

"I don't blame him. He has no reason to believe I'm anything other than a younger version of my father. I've done enough to prove that haven't I? Don't be mad at him on my account."

"I'm not mad on your account, at least not only on your account. Lucas has to learn to accept that he is not the only person in my life and he has to trust me to make my own decisions. One of those decisions was you and if he can't accept that, he can't accept me."

"You don't really mean what you said back there about him getting out of your life did you?"

She remained silent.

"Did you?"

"Yes I meant it. I'm so sick and tired of his constantly changing attitude towards you. If he doesn't like that I'm with you, that this baby his yours, he can leave us alone."

She started sobbing and he pulled her to him. "Come on, I'll take you home."

"No. My brother and his wife are visiting with their kids, the place is a circus. Can I go home with you?"

"My mom's home."

"So? Come on Nathan, it's not like she doesn't know we've slept together. The proof his pretty obvious." She pointed to her stomach.

"Yeah. Okay come one."

He took her hand and they walked back towards his car. On the ride home he saw that while she was trying to hide it, she was really upset. It was also clear that she didn't want to talk about Lucas, at least not yet.

"Go on upstairs to my room. I'm going to go talk to my mom."

"Okay."

He kissed her cheek. "I'll be right up."

"Mom?" He knocked on the door to his Deb's study.

"Yeah Sweetie?"

"Haley's over."

"Nathan, I know the situation with you and Haley is a little different but..."

"She had a rough night. She and Lucas had a big fight. She doesn't want to be surrounded by her family right now. Mom, I'm not asking you to let her move in here but she needs me tonight." He looked at her with the same eyes he used to use when he was a little boy. She was just as helpless now as she had been then.

"All right but tell Haley she has to call her parents and let them know she won't be coming home."

"Okay. Thanks Mom."

When he got to his room, Haley was on his bed, hugging her knees to her chest. He thought she looked beautiful with her hair falling over her eyes and wished he could do something to erase the sadness from her face

"My mom says it's okay but she wants you to call your parents first."

"I don't want to talk to my parents right now. They'll assume I'm staying at here."

"That won't bother them?"

"Probably but they've pretty much accepted that you are a reality in my life. That's more than I can say for some people." Her voice got sad. "You sure you don't want to talk about tonight?"

"Yeah I'm sure. I just want to fall asleep in your arms and pretend for just one night that everything's okay. Please."

"Sure." He took off his shoes and jacket then tossed her a tshirt. Here, sleep in that. It'll be more comfortable than those jeans."

"Thanks." She got changed, a little surprised that she didn't feel awkward undressing in front of Nathan. She loved how comfortable they were with each other now.

He put on a pair of boxers and a t shirt then got into bed beside her. He put his arms around her then covered them both with a blanket. Within minutes, she was fast asleep.

Nathan, on the other hand, wasn't tired. He watched Haley as she slept, hypnotized by the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. He rubbed circles over her stomach with his hand. It was still hard to believe sometimes that there was a baby inside of her, a baby they had created. He could spend all night watching her sleep.

The events of that evening kept repeating in his mind. Had she really told Lucas to get out of her life/ He thought he'd be happy about that, after all, he'd never liked the close friendship between the two of them but he wasn't. He knew Haley was hurting over the fractured friendship and he had to try and help.

He got out of bed and dialed his half brother's number. Lucas' groggy voice answered on the third ring. "Hello?"

"Lucas? It's me Nathan?"

"Nathan? What the heck are you doing calling me at four in the morning?"

"I need to talk to you."

"So, talk."

"No, not over the phone. Meet me at the docks in half an hour."

"What? Are you crazy?''

"No. Just be there." Without waiting for any further objection, he hung up.