Hey guys! I decided to update because daddyzangel108 begged me to, so you can all thank her. lol. Oh, and by the way, daddyzangel108: Yes, Tim was part of the original gang in the prequel. Surprising that he's dating Haley now, right? I know, I'm terrible for leaving so many cliffhangers. Sue me, huh? Is that a threat?... lol. No, but really, thanks for the great reviews and for being so in love with the story. It made me feel so great. :)

So, anyway, I know I said a few people had to review, but since she begged... here you go. What you've all been waiting for...

Chapter 8 part 2:

There's something in your eyes
Makes me wanna lose myself,
Makes me wanna lose myself in your heart

She couldn't believe that after 7 long years, she was finally looking at him again. He was standing right before her. She'd dreamed of this moment for so long; the moment she could see him again. She'd always hoped for it, but known it was impossible. Now, that moment had come and she was caught completely off guard. It was just throwing everything even more off balance.

Yet still, when she looked into his eyes, there was a comforting familiarity to this, a pleasing symmetry. She still felt like she could lose herself in him, like they belonged together. She knew she shouldn't, but she couldn't stop herself from wanting him even now. It would just be so easy to tell herself they could work things out even after so much time had passed.

All this time, she'd felt so lonely, so empty without him. And now, he was here, at her doorstep. Why was he here? And then she remembered. The two guests Tim had invited. She should be angry that he hadn't told her. But she was so overwhelmed with the fact that he was here. He, the one who she'd left and never had any hope of seeing again.

There's something in your voice
That makes my heart beat fast
Hope this feeling lasts
For the rest of my life

It was then she noticed the pretty young woman standing beside him. She was beautiful and obviously with Nathan, judging by the fact that they were wrapped in each other's arms.

The smile had died from Nathan's lips the moment he saw her. She couldn't read his eyes. There was anger there and confusion. And, perhaps she was imagining it, but she could swear there was a fleeting moment where she saw pain and longing in them. But clarity quickly dawned and he asked softly, "So, your Tim's mysterious girlfriend?"

"And you're Tim's mysterious guest?" she retorted bitterly.

Two pairs of angry eyes turned to Tim who stood by, looking utterly ashamed. His eyes filled with guilt. "Um, Haley meet Nathan. Nathan meet Haley."

Nathan, Tim, and Michelle watched as Haley ran up the stairs away from them all. Seconds later, they heard a door slam shut. Tim flinched. "Uh, you must be Michelle," he extended his hand to Michelle. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," she responded politely.

Tim anxiously looked at the stairs Haley had just run up. "Um, why don't you guys make yourselves at home in the living room," he showed them where to go, "and I'll just go, uh, talk to her."

Nathan just shook his head at Tim angrily, taking Michelle's hand and leading her to the couch.

'God, this is so screwed up,' Tim thought, racing up the stairs and to his and Haley's bedroom door. He knocked on it. "Haley, sweetie, can I come in?"

He could hear her muffled sobs. "It's your room too," she responded.

He slipped quietly into the room and caught sight of Haley. She was curled up on the bed clutching a pillow and crying. He walked over to her and sat gingerly beside her. "Why'd you invite him, Tim! I mean did you not think about any of this? I'm guessing he didn't know I'd be here either. Why'd you have to bring the past up like this?"

Tim sighed. "Haley, I'm sorry. I was about to tell you when they rang the doorbell."

She cut him off. "That's not a good excuse, Tim, and you know it."

He looked down at her as she sat up next to him. "I know, I just didn't know how to tell you. I mean, I promised him he could come down for Christmas last year. That was before we met again here. I wasn't sure about dating you, but after awhile, I just didn't want to let that stop me. I love you, Haley."

The words cut at her heart. I love you. Those were the words Nathan used to say to her. "I love you too, Tim. I just wish they weren't here." She didn't really love Tim, she knew she probably never would. And she knew he knew that. But they had to go on pretending if they were to last.

Initially, when Haley and Tim had bumped into each other and figured out they had both landed a job in New York, she was reluctant to remain friends with him. She didn't want to be constantly reminded of what had happened. But as their friendship grew, Haley realized that, that could be exactly what she needed, not to be reminded of what she'd done, but to get as close as she could to what she was missing. And as Nathan's old best friend, Tim could give her that much.

It feels like home to me
It feels like home to me
It feels like I'm all the way back where I come from

She knew it was wrong, but Tim loved her just as Nathan had and he was as close as she could get. "Uh.. Tim, just give me like 10 minutes to freshen up and I'll be down. I can do this."

He grinned, giving her a small kiss, "That's my girl."

She smiled painfully and watched as he left, closing the door behind him.

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Nathan and Michelle sat on the sofa in silence for a few moments until she broke it. "So, that's her, huh?"

"Michelle, don't," Nathan warned.

She looked at him. "No really, she's beautiful just like you said. And she seems like quite a character. I see why you loved her."

He jumped up angrily. "I thought you said you understood!"

She scoffed. "How can I when you won't talk about it?"

He looked away. "I told you, I'm not ready to talk yet."

"Well, when will you be ready, Nathan?" she spit out. "Another 5 years? Or maybe 10? I'm tired of your excuses. I've waited long enough to hear the truth. And quite patiently I might add."

He looked at her with fury burning in his eyes. "Well, I thought you accepted that it hurt too badly to talk about it. And I thought you trusted that I was over her."

Tears brimmed behind her eyes. "I said I loved you and that I trusted you. I never said I believed you were over her."

"What's that supposed to mean!" he shouted.

She brought her eyes to his as a few tears trickled down. "It means I know, Nathan. I know the truth. I see it in your eyes every time you say her name, I know you still think about her. I know you still love her. I've been living with it for so long now, I've just grown accustomed to it. I wish you could love me like you love her, but you can't. And you never will. I can accept that though."

He just stared at her. What had he done? He hadn't realized how much she knew. He thought she knew he didn't love her as much as she loved him. He'd never guessed she knew he was still in love with Haley.

It feels like home to me
It feels like home to me
It feels like I'm all the way back where I belong

Suddenly Tim came bounding down the steps. "Nate, I'm guessing we need to talk, right?"

Nathan shook his thoughts off. "Yeah, man."

Tim led him away from Michelle, now silently crying, into the kitchen. "What's wrong with Michelle?" he asked, clearly concerned.

"Don't f uck with me, Tim! I want to know why she's here? Why didn't you tell me she was your girlfriend!"

"Nate, you gotta let me explain……"

"No, Tim! All those times we talked on the phone and you told me about your 'incredible new girlfriend.' I was so excited for you. And I couldn't wait to meet her. And now I find out it's Haley. What were you thinking, man!"

"Nathan, you don't understand. Me and Haley, well, we bumped into each other about a year ago in New York. We both had jobs here and everything. At first we were just friends and I kept wanting to tell you, but what was I supposed to say? I mean, we're talking about the girl who's broken your heart more than once. So, I decided I'd just wait til the time was right. Then we started dating and……. and…… I fell in love with her. That's why I would never tell you her name when you asked. I didn't want to hurt you. Then, when I figured out you were still coming down for Christmas, I thought it was finally time to tell you, but every time I tried, I just…… couldn't do it."

Nathan sat heavily on a stool at the counter. "I just wish you'd told me."

Tim looked meek. "I'm sorry, Nate."

"It's alright, man," he replied.

Hearing footsteps above them, Tim knew Haley would be coming downstairs in seconds, so he left Nathan in the kitchen, returning to the living room, where Michelle was now standing by the fireplace, looking at the pictures on the mantel. "Hey," he said softly.

She gave a sad smile. "Hey, interesting day, huh?"

He returned her smile. "Yeah, drama always did follow the Tree Hill posse." Her smile faltered. "Don't tell me Nathan hasn't told you about all of us."

She looked down. "Not really."

They both sat on the couch and Tim began. "Well, the seven of us, we were inseparable. We did everything together. Jake and Peyton were together. Brooke and Lucas were together. Nathan and Haley were together." He saw Michelle blanch at this, but he didn't know what to say, so he just kept going. "And then there was me. I was always the odd one out. But I didn't mind. I was the one who could always make them laugh. Even when things turned sour."

Michelle gave a small smile. "So, tell me more about this Haley."

Tim took a deep breath. "Well, Haley was born and raised in Tree Hill just like the rest of us. Her, Nathan, and Lucas were the best of friends. They were always really close. Then, Nathan became friends with the popular crowd, including me, Brooke, and Peyton. He was still friends with Haley and Lucas, but they weren''t as popular as him. I know that really hurt Haley, but she never really got mad at him. Least not as far as I know."

Michelle interrupted him. "What was she like?"

Tim hesitated. "Well, I know this probably isn't what you want to hear, but she was sort of perfect almost. She wasn't very popular, but she was the sweetest person. She never asked anyone for anything, but she gave so much. She loved people with all her heart and was the best friend anyone could ask for. She was witty and sarcastic and could make anyone feel better should the occasion present itself. She was always there when you needed her and she would always forgive you."

Michelle could feel the tears coming again. "That's what I was afraid of," she said softly. Looking up at him, she tried to smile. "So, Mr. Tim Smith, Nathan's best friend, tell me what you were like."

So, Tim told her all about how slow he had been, how the group teased him mercilessly, but it was all in jest. He recounted tales of his most idiotic moments and she laughed appreciatively. He was glad he could take her mind off things as they were now.

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Haley reapplied her makeup and fixed her hair. She smoothed the wrinkles out of her clothes, taking a deep breath as she looked in the mirror. She was strong. She had come this far. She could do this.

The thought of going back down those stairs and facing Nathan terrified her. But the thought of letting him slip away again so easily terrified her more. So, she prepared herself for what she knew she had to do.

She slowly made her way to the top of the stairs, thinking about Nathan's new girlfriend. She wasn't a hateful person by nature, but she already loathed her. She loathed her for taking Nathan, for making him happy. That was supposed to be her job. But, she reminded herself, he was no concern of hers anymore.

She would make nice with whoever this girl was, but she didn't have to act like they were friends. They weren't and Haley couldn't see them ever being anymore than acquaintances.

She slowly walked down the stairs and to the living room, hearing a woman's laughter coming from there. She stopped at the entrance, seeing Tim sitting with Nathan's new girl on the couch, both smiling. Plastering a polite smile on her face, she rapped lightly on the wall to alert them of her presence, then made her way over to where they sat.

Tim stood, kissing her cheek. The girl stood also. Haley extended her hand, "Hi, I'm Haley."

The other girl took it, smiling, "Michelle."

Nathan appeared in the entryway, coming from the kitchen. He saw the small group congregating in the middle of the room and saw their eyes turn to him as he walked to them, feeling uncomfortable.

Haley could feel her heart racing as each step brought him closer. "Hi," she whispered.

"Hi, Haley," he responded quietly.

Then, quite suddenly, she was in his arms. Neither was really sure how it happened or who initiated it, but both knew it felt right. They held each other tightly.

Haley was ecstatic to be in his arms again. She thought the day would never come that he held her again. She'd dreamed of it for so long. She held him tighter, wishing they could stay that way forever. She felt like she'd come to the end of a long journey and she was finally home, where she belonged.

A window breaks down on Lumbard Street
And a siren rings in the night
But I'm all right cause I have you here with me,
And I can almost see through the dark there is light

Nathan couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so happy. The woman he still loved was back in his arms. It was a perfect fit, he couldn't help but think. It felt like they'd never left each other. Her comforting touch felt so familiar.

Well if you knew how much this moment means to me
And how long I've waited for your touch
And if you knew how happy you are making me
I never thought that I'd love anyone so much

But the moment was broken as the sound of the doorbell reverberated throughout the house. Nathan and Haley quickly tore apart. Nathan coughed. Haley smiled briskly, "That must be the rest of them." She moved toward the front door, trying to forget the feel of Nathan's arms around her.

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It was 12am and everyone had gone to bed. It had been a fairly pleasant evening. Haley had caught up with the five friends she'd invited for a few days and had introduced them to Nathan and Michelle, somehow, both parties knowing they were from completely different parts of Haley's life.

These five friends aforementioned were Andrea, Rebecca, Alex, Sam, and Steve. Each had their own special place in Haley's heart, but none compared to the people she'd left behind in Tree Hill. She'd never believed it when people told her that home is where the heart is, but now she realized how true it was. Her heart would always be in Tree Hill.

She couldn't believe she would have a piece of that back, even if only for a week, as Nathan and Michelle were staying for 7 days. Even if it wasn't quite the same, it was closer than she'd ever thought she'd be again.

She wished he were staying for longer, yet at the same time, she wished he were already gone. She wanted a chance to explain everything to him, but it hurt so much to have him in such near proximity and know she still couldn't ever have him back.

Hearing Tim's even breathing, she knew he was asleep, so she quietly slipped out of bed and knotted her robe around her. She sneaked out the door, beginning to tiptoe down the hall. "Hey," she heard someone whisper.

She groaned inwardly and turned, but her heart skipped a beat as she realized it was him. He was sneaking out of his own room, or well, one of their guest rooms which he was sharing with Michelle. She stood still as he crept up to her.

They were standing so close. All she had to do was move her head a few inches forward and their lips would be touching. She wanted to kiss him so much, it ached. But she knew he would never allow it. She also knew she needed to explain why she'd left first. Even if it killed them both.

But, as though he had read her previous thoughts, he took a step closer, their bodies touching lightly. She swallowed, then whispered, "Nathan, we should talk."

It feels like home to me
It feels like home to me
It feels like I'm all the way back where I come from

In a flash, his lips were on hers and she was in his arms again. She didn't know what had compelled him to kiss her, but she had no intention of questioning it. After 7 years apart, she would do anything to be with him. Her body longed for him, for his touch. Her heart ached for his love.

He wasn't sure what had come over him. He really had just wanted to talk to her. In fact, he'd wanted to yell, to scream at her for leaving him and for breaking his heart. He wanted to ask her where she'd been, why she'd done all of it, but his desire overtook him. Even after all she'd put him through, he wanted her, needed her. He couldn't deny that he still loved her, still needed her to love him even now. So, he was glad when she returned his kiss and made no move to leave his embrace.

It feels like home to me
It feels like home to meIt feels like I'm all the way back where I belong

They moved toward the only remaining empty guest room, entering it together, Haley locking the door. They knew it was wrong, they both knew it. They both had someone new they should've been in love with. But the love they had shared, the love they still shared, was so much stronger. And they couldn't deny it anymore.

For just one night, they would find their release.

In each other.

It feels like I'm all the way back where I belong

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So, hope I didn't disappoint. I promised, right? And it will only get better. R&R people and you might get more updates today!