38 hours ago 8 am Wednesday morning

Seated at the bottom step of the stairs before the hotel doors, Nathan buried his head in his knees. He crossed arms around his legs to keep warm. He didn't like snow. The freezing cold chaos had never been friendly to him. He remembered breaking his arm in the sixth grade when he had slipped off his skateboard in the frozen mess. He remembered days where he couldn't practice basketball outside. He remembered the lack of sunlight and the storms raging while he was stuck indoors. Now rain, rain was different. Rain always had an unexplainable way of cheering him up. You might wonder, why would he stay outside in the snow if he hated it so? Well first of all, he saw no reason to go back in the hotel. Haley was gone again. And second, his dream for rain instead of snow was like the small hope he had carried to New York. If it could just rain… He thought. …if I could just have some kind of sign, some reason to go on, something to help me keep hope... Nathan had never seen himself as a dreamer, hoping for rain in a blizzard. He got up and decided it was finally time to go back inside. I'll get some hot chocolate and then I'll feel better… He thought when something made him a pause. One clear drop flashed past him to the ground. He turned around and looked out at the city before him. It was pouring rain.

Haley and Chris

When they had gotten a few blocks away, it began to rain. Haley turned her face so that Chris won't notice her tears. She stared out the window: This wasn't everything she wanted. This wasn't about her dream. She had been telling herself that since she left but it was just a distraction. She didn't want to face the real reason she was running…

The tires made noises as they splashed through the puddles forming on the ground. Haley looked down at the ring on her finger. She had forgotten she was wearing it until this moment. She thought about taking it off. No, then I'll lose it. She observed it for a while: its simplicity. The gold band around her finger symbolized so much. The diamond was small and humble but it shined like nothing Haley had ever seen. She remembered all the good times: their first kiss, their wedding, their first night together, just about every time she was with him. She also remembered the harder times, the struggles but even those times she knew they would make it through. This time she wasn't so sure.

She had had a dream the night before she left: She was sitting in the living room of a huge house. There were awards and trophies all over the room. Nathan's and his friends' eyes were all glued to the television: The 2012 superbowl. As she watched all of them cheer and celebrate for whatever team won, she felt far away. They were just an image. She felt like something was missing. She was afraid she'd never figure out what it was. All of a sudden she got the urge to get out, as fast as possible. She rose from her seat and went out the door. Then she ran down the sidewalk. She was out of shape and soon panting but that didn't matter. Nathan called to her from the house but she wouldn't look back. She ran and ran and ran to some far stretching horizon she could never reach. When Haley awoke that night, she thought the dream over. She was happy with Nathan now, but would they be happy together for the rest of their lives?

That was the real reason she had left. Though she had come up with a thousand other excuses to get on the train with Chris, without that one reason, this morning she would've happily awoken with Nathan at her side.

The temporary rain turned into snow again. The roads ahead were icy and slippery. Haley knew her decision would be hard but long term it was for the best. There were many things she had to do before she went home. She had to fill the space of that empty feeling she had in the dream. But first, she had to figure out where it came from. Chris soon realized the street before him was blocked with snow. He parked the car and they began to walk the rest of the way to the studio. "It isn't far." He told Haley as they struggled through the cold weather.

Lucas, Peyton and Brooke

Peyton's eyebrows were curled in shock. Her mouth was slightly open. Her eyes stared at the space between herself and Lucas. That expression had been frozen on her face for the last half an hour. Brooke kept shaking her head, looking from Peyton and then to Lucas, back and forth in apprehension as if she just couldn't understand. Lucas waited patiently. He wasn't leaving without an answer.

What goes through your head at times like these, possibly life-changing moments where you put your true self out there? What are you supposed to think about when you are in the space between all you want and failing all your hopes? You spend all your time preparing for a moment like this, but what do you do when you finally get there? How should you feel when all you can do is wait? When you tell someone you love them, you give them the power to pull you together or to rip you apart. Some spend their whole lives hidden behind their secrets, wondering about what could've been. "Is it better to wait and wonder or try and fail?" Well at least if you try, you can say you gave it our best, right? But it's so hard to fight off fears of rejection. What are you supposed to do if the one person you thought could make you happy doesn't want you back? That was what ran through Lucas' head as he waited for Peyton to make or break him. Unfortunately, she did neither. He thought the waiting was finally over. It never really is…

"Lucas, I don't know what to say." Peyton finally awoke out of her daze.

"Say you love me too." Lucas said, all his hope lying on those words.

"I don't know. I thought we were over…remember the mess we made last time?" She said looking over at Brooke.

"I remember. It doesn't matter. I can't help how I feel."

"It does too matter. You're gonna have to keep it in your pants this time!" Brooke interrupted AGAIN and started pushing Lucas out of the room.

"Brooke, stop!"

"No loverboy, you're not doing this again." Brooke spat out. Lucas was surprised to find how strong she was. He landed on the hospital hallway wall and the door slammed shut behind him.

"Can you believe that? Just when we're all on friendly terms again, he gets horny."

"I don't think that's what he meant Brooke."

"Horny/in love…whatever, same thing."

Peyton looked up at her friend. Underneath all the anger, Brooke seemed truly upset. Peyton wasn't going to hurt her again. Whatever she felt for Lucas had to be let go. This was the conclusion she came to and she didn't think about it twice. That was what she had to do rather she liked it or not. Logic over the heart: that's what we always try to choose. Somehow though it never really works out that way.

Haley and Chris

"How much further is it?" Haley said as she fought her way on through the snow, shivering as she walked.

"We're almost there." Chris replied, not paying much attention to what he was saying.

"You said that five blocks ago."

"We're getting closer." Haley shook her head at his answer. They finally reached the studio building a mile and a half later. Chris had "stretched" the truth about the distance…Could he be lying about other things? Haley thought but when she stepped inside, she forgot all about it. There it was! So much possibility lied right in front of her. Maybe this is my dream after all. Haley thought as she examined the brand new studio. She smiled for the first time since she left Tree Hill. If only Nathan could be here… She thought as Chris showed her around the place.

Nathan

When the rain stopped after a few minutes, Nathan decided he should re-examine the hotel, as if he had missed some kind of clue the first time. After interrogating a nearly frightened donut stand clerk, Nathan gave up on the lobby and headed to his room. He laid down on the bed and immediately fell asleep. After all, he was exhausted. He had barely slept at all the night before. While he slept, he dreamed of Haley and him together again. He dreamed of holding her in his arms and never letting her go.