They didn't speak.

Not during the walk to the subway, during the ride on the train, or as they walked back to Haley's apartment. It wasn't until they began walking up the stairs that Haley finally spoke up, "I live with Caitlin and well, I'm not sure if she's going to be very comfortable with this but if she says anything, don't mind her, okay?"

Nathan looked at her curiously, his mind trying to decipher the possibility of a hidden meaning... did she know? Caitlin had said she wouldn't tell and if she had told Haley, she probably wouldn't have come running to his aide but then again, it was Haley. She probably would've come running to help him even if he did 10 times worse what he had done to her.

That worried him. She was almost like Brooke in this aspect, no matter what, she was always there. And, on some level, that was a good thing but it was also bad in that he seemed to like to take advantage of that. He couldn't help himself. It was just a mechanism inside of him.

Nodding, he walked up the stairs and watched as Haley opened the door, her hands shaking visibly. He looked at her and felt a slight pang in his heart as she could barely even put the key through the lock. "Let me," he whispered before he put his hand over hers.

She drew her hand back quickly, surprised at the contact before she shakily handed him the keys, then proceeded to back herself into the wall behind her. He touched her. And, it scared her.

A simple touch on the hand and she had jumped back. It wasn't as if this was the first time they had touched in the past few days, only a half hour before did she hold his cheek in her hands so why was that touch any different?

Because he initiated it.

Haley took a deep breath before she followed Nathan inside, trying her best to sooth her senses. She could get through this. She had to.

"Hey, oh, I was so worr-" Caitlin's voice died in her throat as she came out of the living room and into the hallway. She crossed her arms defensively before she looked over Nathan's shoulder at Haley, asking, "Why is he here?"

"He had no where else to go," Haley said softly before she kicked off her shoes, walking into the living room.

Caitlin turned around and looked at Haley expectantly, "Yeah, so?"

"I invited him to stay with us."

Caitlin scoffed before she turned around at Nathan, sending him a sharp glare, "And, he just so readily accepted?"

Nathan looked at her uncomfortably, knowing she had every bit of right to speak to him in that fashion but the instinctive male part of him wanted to lash out. He surpressed it though, not only for his sake but for Haley's as well.

"Caitlin, please," Haley said tiredly, not even bothering to question Caitlin's sudden extreme dislike for him. "Let's just go to sleep."

"Whatever," she muttered before she sighed and walked into her bedroom, grabbing a pillow and some blankets out of her closet. She walked into the living room, eyeing Haley worriedly before she looked straight at Nathan, her tone flat, "Pillow, blanket, couch. Knock yourself out." She leaned in and kissed Haley on the forehead, "Night, babe."

"Night," Haley said as she held a hand to her head, finally looking up at Nathan when Caitlin closed her door. She sighed, "She's usually nicer."

"Right," Nathan replied before he sat down on the couch next to Haley, "Maybe, I should leave."

"Don't," Haley said with a small smile, "She'll deal. Besides, she's in bed already." She looked at him with tired eyes, "So, you're going to sleep in your suit?"

"No other choice, is there?" Nathan asked simply.

Haley nodded quickly before she stood up, "I think I may have something."

"Uhh, Haley, I doubt I'll fit in anything you have," Nathan called out to her as she walked into her room.

Moments later, she returned, a shirt and a pair of sweatpants in her hands. The size of them were larger then something she could ever wear and as soon as Nathan laid his eyes on them, he knew what they were.

Confusion tinted his pretty blue eyes as the words slipped from his lips, "How did you-"

Before he could ask what she knew he was going to ask, Haley sighed and interrupted him, "I'm a pack rat. I kinda keep everything."

"But, this is from," he took the clothes out of her hands, still staring at her in shock, "High school, six years ago." A small reminiscing smile appeared on his face as he shook the clothes out, "The beach," he whispered as a familiar quote ran across his mind. "There is a luxury in self- reproach. When we blame ourselves we feel that no one else had a right to blame us."

Haley looked at him surprised as she finished the quote, "It is the confession, not the priest, that gives us absolution." She smiled, "You still remember."

He shrugged, "The way you taught it, it's kind of hard not to remember it. Clear blue skies, gorgeous view of the water and all you wanted to do was study for English."

"I wanted to make sure you understood it," Haley said, laughing, "I was your tutor after all."

He looked at her with wanting eyes and smiled at her, "Yeah, you were."

They stood there, staring at each other, both caught up in the memories of the past before Haley cleared her throat and looked down, "So, umm, I'll let you get changed and yeah-"

"Haley, wait," Nathan stared at her intensely and found himself reaching out for her, both emotionally and physically.

Haley looked away sadly and tried her best to smile bravely, "Let's not start this again, okay, Nathan? We're both tired and we should just.. sleep now," she said with fake confidence, "The clothes are clean so don't worry about that. My room is the one on the left, knock if you need anything. Good night."

Nathan watched as she walked away, surpressing the feelings of deja vu.

She was always the one that walked away.

--

The rays of sunshine streamed through the blinds and crept up Nathan's back and onto his face. He swatted at the light for a few seconds before groaning, cursing morning for arriving so quickly. Opening his eyes, he turned his body around so that the sun no longer shined in his eyes. But, he couldn't fall asleep again. Once he was awake, he was awake, it was as simple as that. Sighing in frustration, Nathan sat up on the couch and leaned against the cushions, his eyes travelling around the living room.

No one else was awake yet and the apartment was strangely silent with the exception of the street noise from the city below. Should he get up and wake Haley? Probably, since he was hungry and prodding around her kitchen was just rude.

He looked at the table sadly, remembering a time when she wouldn't have minded that at all. Things were different now, she made that perfectly clear before and it was obvious that she wanted them different. Besides, it was better that way.

The past should stay in the past. The present as it is. The two should not collide, it was the way Haley wanted it. But, it wasn't the way he wanted it.

He couldn't fix that though. Right now, he didn't know left from right and the last thing he needed was to screw up whatever was left in he and Haley's relationship. Getting up off the couch, he opened a closed door into what he assumed was the bathroom.

He was wrong.

"What the hell?" Caitlin demanded as she grabbed a shirt, quickly covering up her exposed chest, "You don't know how to knock?"

"Sorry," he apologized quickly as he shut the door, "I thought it was the bathroom."

"Second door on the right," he heard her mutter as he walked away from her door and into the bathroom.

Nathan splashed some water on himself, cursing his luck and karma. It made sense though, he deserved to rot in hell for all the things he had done so a little bad luck shouldn't have been surprising but still, a part of him hated that the one person who had any serious connection to Haley hated him.

It was his fault though.

But, he wasn't thinking straight when he did that, he was just... confused and lost. That was no excuse, he knew but it was the truth. After brushing his teeth with the toothbrush Haley left out for him, he washed his face again before opening the door and walking into the hallway, bumping right into Caitlin.

She sighed before rolling her eyes, "Seems like it's my lucky day."

"I'm sorry," he said apologetically, following her into the kitchen. Sitting on the stool, he watched as she purposefully ignored him, making her way around the kitchen, looking as if she were busy doing something though it was obvious it was all for show. She didn't know what she was doing.

"Will you stop that?"

"Stop what?"

"Staring at me," she said aggravated, "It's annoying and creepy."

"I'm not."

She looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "Yeah, okay. Look, is there something you need or are you just going to sit there, mentally critiquing my cooking skills?"

"You look like you need some help."

"Gee, thanks for noticing."

"It's people like you who give sarcasm a bad name," Nathan said as he got off the stool and grabbed the carton of eggs from her hands, "Let me."

"My knight in shining armor," Caitlin said in a falsetto as she sat on the stool. There was a few moments of silence before she said, "I didn't tell her."

"Thank you," Nathan said quietly as he made eggs.

"But, I will, if you try anything."

He looked at her surprised, his eyes questioning.

"You know as well as I do that you don't deserve her. She's at a new job and she's got enough stress. She doesn't need to deal with your issues too. I get that you've got that whole past love vibe going for you but you hurt her before and I know you're going to hurt her again."

Nathan stared at the wall beyond Caitlin with hard eyes, knowing the truth in her words. He deserved this because everything that she had said was true, except he never expected to hear them from her mouth. All the harsh facts about his relationship with Haley was revealed in a few sentences. He knew this already, it was just, nobody ever had the nerve to tell him. And, it killed a part of him inside.

Steeling himself, his voice turned cold, "I don't need you threatening me with empty words."

"They're not empty buddy," she threw back, "And, they're not threats. They're promises. Haley is my best friend and I love her, I will not let her get hurt by you again."

"You don't know me," he said angrily.

"Hell, I don't want to know you."

He raised an eyebrow and smirked, "What if she doesn't want you to protect her from me?"

"She doesn't want you," Caitlin spat, knowing she was going too far in her words. She shouldn't have gotten this involved but she refused to let this jerk stomp all over her best friend like he had for the past few days.

"I think that's her decision, not yours," Nathan said with a cocky grin before his eyes lightened, and his expression turned innocent, "Haley."

Caitlin turned around quickly, afraid that Haley had heard more then she should've.

Haley simply smiled obliviously as she sat on a stool next to Caitlin, "Oooh, this smells delish."

"Your favorite," Nathan said smoothly as he threw a smirk at Caitlin.

The brunette fumed inwardly before she faked another smile, saying in a sickenly sweet voice, "Yeah, Nathan's just the best."

Haley raised an eyebrow at the two's behavior before chalking it up to morning grumpiness. She sighed as she grabbed some orange juice from the fridge, pouring herself a glass. Taking a big gulp, she tried her best to ignore the obvious tension and staring war between the two others in the room.

They were keeping something from her.

--

She couldn't take it any longer. He was making her sick.

Caitlin slid off her stool and flashed a quick smile at Haley, "I need to go out."

"Out where?" Haley asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Work," Caitlin said as she walked into her bedroom, saying the first thing that came to mind.

"It's Saturday," Haley protested, following her into her bedroom

"Yeah, well, Mr. Flinn's an ass," she threw on an outfit and Haley watched her carefully as she put on her makeup.

"Okay, now that Nathan can't hear us, you wanna tell me the real reason why you're so eager to avoid him?" Haley asked, crossing her arms.

"I don't like him," Caitlin said simply before she smacked her lips together, evening out the application of lip stick, "And, I'm fine with letting him stay here but that doesn't mean I have to like it or be here when he is."

"Caitlin, don't do this," Haley said with a heavy sigh, sending her a look of regret. "I know it was wrong of me to just throw this on you but he had nowhere else to go."

Caitlin scoffed before shaking her head, "Nowhere else to go? We're in New York, for god's sakes, Haley. Open your eyes, he's loaded, he could get a hotel room if he really wanted to. And, doesn't he have an uncle who owns about 3 apartments, just uptown?"

Haley looked down at her feet, biting her lip, knowing that Caitlin was telling the truth. "You should've seen him, Caitlin, he was so lost and broken. I couldn't leave him alone."

"It's been 6 years, Haley. Things have changed," Caitlin said honestly, "You can't help him anymore. He is who he is."

"You don't know that," Haley argued, "Yes, I know he can be a jerk but that's just on the surface. He's a good guy."

Caitlin scoffed, "You know, what? This is pointless. You're one of the most stubborn people I've ever met. You think you can help him without falling for him again, go right ahead." She began to walk out of her room when Haley stopped her.

"Don't leave like this," she protested, "I know you're frustrated but-"

"I'm not just frustrated, Haley," Caitlin said, looking at her with serious eyes, "I'm worried about you. In all the time that I've known you, you were Miss Independent, never sparing a look at guys and then, he shows up and suddenly, you do a complete 180. What am I supposed to think? Please, tell me," she demanded.

Haley remained quiet, letting Caitlin's words sink in.

"I know I have no right over what you do and I probably shouldn't even be saying this to you but I don't want to see you hurt. I remember when you used to cry at night, thinking I didn't hear you and that killed a part of me because there was nothing I could do to stop it. Now," Caitlin looked away sadly, "I don't think there's anything I could do either but I'm still trying."

"Caitlin, I'm-" Haley paused, not knowing how to continue. "I won't get hurt."

Caitlin shook her head and looked at her seriously, "Yes, you will." Turning around, she walked out of her room, leaving Haley inside to think over their conversation. Grabbing her keys off the table, Caitlin walked out the door, never even noticing Nathan's presence.

It was a few minutes later before Haley finally came out of Caitlin's bedroom, a bit shell shocked from the conversation that they had just had. Caitlin had always been reserved, objective, and she always kept her opinions that she knew would influence Haley to herself. She was the type of person that was supportive but not overly so and that's what Haley loved about her. Today was the only day Haley had ever saw her slip like that, and it was then that Haley knew that Caitlin was serious about all of this. She really was worried. Worried to the point where she was losing a bit of her self restraint, something Haley thought was iron clad.

Caitlin's words shot through her body sharply and Haley felt a stabbing pain in her heart, the confusion settling over her heavily. She wanted to help Nathan, she really did. After seeing him like that last night, she couldn't just walk away even though she should've. Caitlin was right, by helping Nathan, she would have to open a part of herself that she hadn't dared touch for over 6 years and in the process of this, she was making herself vulnerable.

Who was to say that Nathan wouldn't take advantage of that? She knew that if he had to, he would still lash out, it was a defense mechanism of his. He didn't like to be thought of as weak and so Haley had to be extra careful when stepping around him.

She was the one who was picking up the pieces. It wasn't her responsibility. She understood why Caitlin was so bewildered by her actions. After all, 6 years of not talking to each other and then bam, after 2 days, she was running back to Nathan, willing to help him with whatever he needed.

That just didn't seem right. She knew how it was like, always being there for someone you barely even knew. Hell, she'd been through the exact same situation in high school when she first met Nathan. She had been his tutor as well as someone to just listen, in her own words, she was 'whatever he needed'. And, now, it was exactly the same.

Except, she was older. And, she already knew how this whole thing was going to turn out. In the place of Lucas, was Caitlin, the best friend who was there to warn her of all the risks. And, again, she wouldn't listen because she was Haley James. She had a mind of her own and she made her own choices.

And, also, because it was Nathan. Because he still held a special place in her heart. This was going to be a repeat of what happened in high school, Haley could feel it in the pit of her stomach. If she wanted to run, now was the time to do it.

But, she didn't. She walked up to Nathan, giving him a weak smile before sitting on the stool next to him.

Some things never changed.