The jolting of the airplane instantly awakened Haley. Her brown eyes opened slowly as she checked the time. 27 minutes. She'd only been asleep for less than a half hour and it had taken a lifetime for that to happen. God, she hated turbulence. It always made her so nervous.

"Can I get anything for you, Ms. James?" the flight attendant asked sweetly.

"No thank you", Haley managed to smile. "I'm fine."

She stretched her arms and yawned. The flight to Seattle still had a few more hours left. She had been asked to play a one night benefit concert there. She loved to perform and giving to various charities was always a priority for her. Although she wasn't looking forward to rainy weather, one night away wouldn't be so bad.

In fact, Haley needed time away. She loved New York and she loved her loft apartment. She loved her fans and the various agents, assistants and managers that had been so helpful over the years. She had a good team of people to work with and fabulous friends, most of them in the industry. Yes, it was a great life and one so vastly different than the one she had left behind.

Of all the places she had traveled throughout the world, not one was like Tree Hill, North Carolina. She could close her eyes and see the beaches and the cluster of streets filled with an assortment of shops. In her mind she saw the halls of the high school she never finished and the café that had always been her home away from home. She remembered CD shopping with Peyton and watching Lucas play ball down at the River Court. And Brooke's nicknames of Tutor Girl and eventually Tutor Wife rang loudly in her ears.

Nothing compared to the friends she once had, people that were now virtually strangers. The relationship with Brooke had dissolved as quickly as it had begun and Lucas…well the pain was still fresh. They had tried but too much had happened. As close as they had been, it was hard to believe he had "chosen" Nathan over her. Maybe he hadn't but it sure felt like everyone had taken sides. The only one who seemed neutral and who had cared enough to stay in touch was Peyton and time had even lessened their contact. Every now and then Karen would write a letter and cards always arrived promptly for Christmases and birthdays. A few times Haley had even picked up the phone to chat. It was always friendly, casual, light…and by the end of the conversation, Haley would somehow summon the courage to ask how Nathan was doing. Other than that, her ties to her hometown had long ago been severed.

Now Nathan was getting married again. Haley couldn't stop thinking about it. Of course she had always wondered the details of his love life after her. She cringed every time she imagined the hordes of women that must have been in and out of his bed. That bothered her but more than that, it was a scary feeling to even fathom that there might be someone actually special. Someone more than just a warm body to ease the lonely nights. Apparently now there was. Haley had officially been replaced. Soon there would be a new Mrs. Scott.

Sighing, Haley pulled down the case from overhead storage that contained her laptop. She logged on to the Internet and Google. Curiosity was burning inside. She wanted to know. She had to know. Taking a deep breath, she typed "Nathan Scott's marriage" in the search engine. It returned hundreds of thousands of results. Skimming through them all, finally one caught her attention.

It was a Raleigh newspaper. On the society page was a huge photograph of Nathan. Haley gasped. He was wearing blue. He always did look good in blue. It accentuated his eyes. God, was he still beautiful! He looked the same, only tanner and more mature. He wasn't alone in the picture. In his arms was a woman. She was young and pretty. Her petite figure was dressed in a khaki skirt and a baby blue shirt that blended with Nathan's ensemble. Stylishly cut blonde hair fell just below her shoulders and she had a smile that was infectious. They looked like the perfect all American couple. They looked happy.

Bobcats Point Guard to marry, the caption read. Haley soaked in every word of the official announcement.

North Carolina's 4th District Congressman Rep. Mark Powell (D) and his wife, Laurie, formally announce the engagement of their daughter, Megan Lindsay to Nathan Daniel Scott.

The marriage is scheduled to take place on Saturday, August 21st, at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. The ceremony will be held at the United Evangelical Church in Tree Hill. The Reverend Howard Peterson will officiate.

Following the ceremony, a reception will be hosted by the parents of the groom at the Tree Hill Gardens Country Club. On the preceding Friday evening, a rehearsal dinner will commence at the same location.

The bride to be is the daughter of Rep. And Mrs. Mark Powell. of Raleigh, North Carolina. She is the granddaughter of Mrs. John Powell of Greensboro, North Carolina and Mr. & Mrs. Maxwell Dillon of Durham, North Carolina. She is a graduate of Wake Christian Academy and Duke University. She is a mortgage broker at Merrill Lynch in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Scott of Tree Hill, North Carolina. He is the grandson of Mr. & Mrs. Royal Scott of Asheboro, North Carolina and Mr. & Mrs. Robert Woods of Wilmington, North Carolina. He is a graduate of Tree Hill High School and Duke University. He is a professional basketball player for the Charlotte Bobcats.

Following a honeymoon in throughout Europe, the couple will reside in Charlotte.

Following the announcement was another photograph of Nathan and Megan with her parents as well as Dan and Deb. Haley laughed out loud in disbelief. A beaming Dan had his arm around his future daughter in law.

"Wow", she said out loud. "Dan the snake likes her. Either she must be really special or really evil."

It was a lame joke attempted to ease her own thoughts but pangs of sadness mixed with jealousy could not be erased. Life had gone on for everybody. Nathan had moved on and he was happy. That's what Haley wanted for him most. She had heard more than a few horror stories over the years from Karen, Lucas and Peyton about his troubles and resulting wild behavior. There was also that underlining hint of an accusation that it was Haley's own fault for deserting him.

She wasn't completely heartless or even ignorant for that matter. She knew her leaving had hurt Nathan but it had hurt her as well. The end of her marriage was devastating. Haley had vowed to Nathan before God to be his wife until death did them part. But it was something else that had parted them. Her choice. She knew her actions had caused the eventual destruction of their union but it wasn't like she hadn't chosen Nathan. She just chose the music as well.

It hurt seeing the photo yet she couldn't peel her eyes away from it. Megan looked like a nice girl. She certainly has been blessed in the looks department but there was a friendly and soft look to her face. And she apparently came from good stock. Her father was a Democratic Congressman and she had attended a prestigious private high school then Duke. Her occupation was listed as a mortgage broker so she must not have been to shabby in intellect and ambition as well. Haley was glad. Nathan deserved someone smart, someone who wouldn't just be a trophy wife and spend her days spending all his money.

But it hurt. It hurt bad. Someone had taken Haley's place. No, her hippie father who worked for the city's electrical company wasn't a politician and Haley hadn't attended a fancy prep school and college. And Dan had never liked her and Deb had stopped liking her the minute she and Nathan said "I do". But despite all that, once she had been his wife.

She wished he hadn't annulled it. Divorce would have been better. At least divorce meant it happened. An annulment just cruelly erased the fact that something once beautiful had existed. She had signed the papers hesitantly. It was something that had to be done but something she never would have had the balls to initiate. In her mind, if there was no paperwork, then there was still a marriage. If there was still a marriage, there was still hope.

Logging off and closing the laptop, Haley sighed. Now there was no hope. It hadn't been for a while but this was the clincher. She had her life and he had his. And she would never be apart of it. Ever. Haley had remarried her career…Nathan was remarrying another woman.

"Ms. James, we will be preparing for a landing soon."

"Okay", Haley said softly.

"Ma'am, are you sure you're okay?"

Haley closed her eyes and thought of the impending busy schedule, the masses of fans, the stress and excitement of being on stage. The life she had wanted.

"Yeah", she sighed finally. "I think I'm going to be."