Author's Note: I am in a hurry so I can't personally thank all of you right now but you have no idea how much I want to! You guys rock! I mean that! I am so floored right now! I can't respond to every comment but I read them all. So I say, you're awesome, keep them coming, keep reading and some of you need to get out of my head, lol! But I love you guys! More detailed author notes tomorrow, I promise with some individual shout outs.

Secondly, if you're reading this chapter now and you have the OTH soundtrack, put on the song "Sidewalks" while you're reading. Just a suggestion, lol. It's like strawberries bringing out the flavor of champagne!

Finally, this is for...uh ,mature readers only! Be grown or be gone, kiddies!

Love, Mal

"You okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine", he said, avoiding eye contact.

"It's just that gash behind your ear. It looks pretty bad, Nathan."

"It'll be okay."

"I don't know. It just looks bad. Let me see it."

"Haley, I'm fine", he said, trying to move away before she touched him.

Her hands trembled as she made contact with his skin. She carefully examined the wound.

"I think it might get infected."

"Well, hold on Haley let me get my Doogie Howser medical bag and patch it right up", he half joked.

She smiled a little bit to let him know she wasn't offended.

"We should make a bandage for it."

"Out of what?" he asked as they looked around.

There was nothing so Haley looked down at her already tattered dress. She ripped a piece of the bottom and folded it, placing it over his injury.

"What?" she asked as he eyed her.

"Nothing. I'm just impressed. Let me guess, Girl Scouts, right?"

"I don't mean to brag but did you know I earned the Girl Scout Gold Award. That is the highest achievement that can be earned in Girl Scouting, requiring at least 50 hours of service to complete, mind you."

Nathan chuckled in spite of himself.

"No, I wasn't aware of that but congratulations. Ripping up your expensive dress was very…Scout like of you. Thanks."

"You're very welcome and if we ever get out of here, promise not to tell Brooke. This dress is Prada. I think she'd have a fit."

"Your secret is safe."

They smiled and enjoyed a moment.

"You know what this reminds me of? Remember that time the check bounced for the electric bill? The lights were only shut off for like a day and a half but it was pure torture."

"Yeah", he laughed. "I was so pissed. But you made it fun or at least you tried to. It was totally gay but we pretended like we lived in old times like Little House on the Prairie."

"It wasn't gay. You had fun."

"I wouldn't go that far…"

"It wasn't so bad."

"We survived."

"Barely. Remember you were bumbling around in the dark and you stubbed your toe on the shelf and knocked a piece of the Wedding Wall loose."

His smile faded as he did remember.

"Yeah", he answered in a monotone voice.

"Whatever happened to that thing anyway?"

Nathan's body stiffened. He remembered exactly what happened.

"It got destroyed."

"Destroyed?"

"Yeah", he shrugged. "Freak accident. The night you left and ran off with Chris, I kind of picked up the precious little keyboard I spent two weeks worth of pay on as a present for you and threw it into the wall. It sort of shattered and I took what was left and uh…accidentally put it in a bonfire at Wrightsville Beach."

She tried to ignore the hurt building. Stranded and exhausted, for a few hours they had been able to co exist as normal people. But one question, one stray comment set him off. Sometimes for her, remembering wasn't so bad. For Nathan, there was nothing worse.

"Stupid question but did you really hate me that much?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah", he said without missing a beat. "I was pretty pissed off. So much so that I painted the walls of the apartment bright pink."

"Why?"

"Because I know you hate it. Oh and then I put up a huge picture of this freaky looking clown to creep you out when you got back but uh…we both know that never happened. You never came back."

His voice was laced with venom.

"Nathan, I couldn't. I wanted to but…"

"You don't have to explain", he said coolly. "It's over with now."

"Maybe I do owe you that much…an explanation. I never gave you one. I didn't come back because I couldn't. I knew I hurt you and I knew you hated me. You didn't understand how I felt, why I did what I did."

"Why you fucked Chris, you mean?"

Haley rolled her eyes as her blood pressure mounted.

"I never had sex with Chris Keller! Damn, do I have to hire a blimp to fly around the country stating that?"

"You expect me to believe you never slept with him?"

"Yes!"

"Bullshit!"

"No, it's not. It's the truth, Nathan. Nothing ever happened. Nothing."

"You could have fooled me with all those love letters he wrote to you."

"They meant nothing to me."

"Is that why you kissed him?"

Haley sighed loudly with exasperation.

"I was wrong, okay? Damn! That's where I screwed up, Nathan. I can admit that. But it was a mistake. It was overwhelming. I was a 16 year old wife and that was weird and stressful enough but then I had the chance to sing and get out of Tree Hill. I know it doesn't change things or make you hurt less but I was young and dumb and confused."

"You can't hurt me anymore, Haley. Those days are over. We're even now."

"Is that what this is about? You know, I made my mistakes but when it came to supporting your dreams, I was always there. High Fliers was an amazing opportunity and I encourage you and…"

"I gave that up for you!"

"But you didn't have to. I never asked you to do that."

"You didn't have to, Haley! It was a choice! My choice! Working on our marriage was more important than some stupid camp!"

"It was important to me, too", she whispered.

"Yeah? You had a hell of a way of showing it."

"I had to go, Nathan! I had to see what was out there for me! I didn't want it to be the end for us! I loved you! I wanted you and the music!"

"Then how come you never asked me to tour with you?"

"Because", she stammered. "It was too complicated. I was just a guest there myself. We had no money and I was ahead in my classes. It wouldn't have been right to pull you out of school."

"What the hell are you, my mother? Save it, Haley! You did exactly what you wanted to do! Having your husband on that cramped little bus would have been a major headache when you were trying to get it on with your little boyfriend."

"God, leave him out of this, please!"

"Why?" Nathan laughed. "You feeling guilty?"

"For the kisses, yes. I was wrong. They were wrong. But I didn't have feelings for him. He wanted me but I couldn't control that. For me, it was all about the music. Everybody wants an apology or an explanation and I'm fucking tired of it, Nathan! Why couldn't I have that one thing? Huh? Why do I have to apologize for what I want? Why couldn't I do one damn thing for myself without having everyone freak out? My whole life, I was practical and reliable and responsible. I did everything expected of me…"

"Until you married me."

"Yes! That was the first out of character thing I did for me. And the freaking world didn't end! No, it kept right on spinning. So I took a chance on the other thing that made me happy. And that worked out, too! All you had to do was trust me, Nathan!"

"Trust you? Are you on crack? I tried that. I watched you do your little interview and you humiliated me on national TV. You let him get away with saying you two were together."

"I couldn't stop him. They cut the shot before I had a chance to. It was just marketing and publicity. And believe me, when it was over, I let him have it."

"I bet you did."

"Not that! I slapped his face, Nathan!"

"Whatever."

"Whatever? That's your answer for everything. Fine! You want to play it this way? I'm tired of this shit. Tired of arguing and begging you and trying to play nice by your rules. It's over now! Spilled milk, water under the bridge. Either we make it out of here and we both go on with our lives and you marry your trophy fiancée or we both die! Either way, I'm done talking about it!"

"Typical Haley", he smirked. "You're the victim, I'm the bad guy. Story's getting kind of old, Hales."

"Screw you! All I ever did was love you! I loved you and I believed in you! I did everything for you!"

"No, you did everything for yourself."

"Bullshit!" she screamed.

"You want to call bullshit?" he stood up. "You know what I went through with my parents. Haley, I had no one. No one but you. You knew how hard it was for me to love and trust. But I loved and trusted you anyway. Shame on me, huh?"

"You didn't lose me because of Chris. You lost me because of you. Because you couldn't handle my success. Because you're Dan Scott's son. Because if Nathan is not in control and things aren't perfect, you freak out! I loved you!"

"No, you didn't!"

"Yes, I did!"

"You didn't love me!"

"Yes, I did! I loved you so much! I never stopped! I love you now!"

Nathan became enraged. He charged at her slamming her tiny body into the wall as his angry fists pounded against it on either side of her.

"Don't fucking say that to me, Haley! Don't lie to me! You're just like my selfish fucking whore of a mother! She abandoned me for a guy and so did you! At least she can admit it! But don't say you love me! You have no right! Don't bullshit me, you stupid bitch! Don't you ever bullshit me! We're over!"

Haley whimpered and cowered at his sudden outburst. He looked in her eyes and saw the genuine fear. Catching his breath, he backed away trying to regain some sense of control. She just stared at him.

"It's not over", she said. "It wasn't over then and it's not over now!"

She stood on her tip toes and pressed her lips into his. He resisted for a while, stunned but in seconds he was giving in to angry, suppressed pleasure. He slammed his lips into hers, expecting the timid kisses of his shy and demure Tutor Wife. But she had disappeared long ago. In her place was a woman with wants, desires and needs. And Haley wanted him! She desired her husband! Ms. James needed one last night!

They kissed so roughly, neither flinched when their already bruised bodies crashed into the wall. She matched every movement of his tongue with her own and she moaned when he lifted her off the ground. Instinctively her legs wrapped around his waist. His hands made their way down her neck to her breasts, which were barely contained by the already torn flimsy material. He looked in her eye, contemplating his next move but she made it for him. She pushed the fabric to the side, exposing the twin beauties he had found such pleasure in years before. His teeth bit at her nipples, an entire mouth lavishing affection on each supple mound, causing her to cry out. She adored both the flicking and licking motions that teased her into passionate oblivion.

A trail of wetness appeared between her hot, aching thighs as she felt his hardened arousal against her leg. She ripped at his shirt and though the nipple ring was long gone, she gave his sensitive buds the attention she knew would drive him wild. Nathan moaned in spite of himself, his hands reaching around to grasp her firm and perfect butt. He could feel the heat literally pouring out of her body and the very feel and smell of her was enough to drive him insane.

Never breaking the kiss, he ripped the panties off of her and jammed two fingers inside her. He loved the flood of sweet honey he felt as he massaged her sensitive folds and finally her love button. Haley yelped out loud, loving the pleasure and intensity of each moment. Her hands feverishly worked to get him out of his pants. Feeling the warm, hard member was like a tease, only making her work that much harder to get to the prize. Nathan resisted.

"Nathan", she panted his name.

He grabbed her neck and pushed her head back, turned on beyond all belief as the wild curls from her hair cascaded all over the place.

"What do you want?" he grunted.

"You", she whimpered.

"Say it! Tell me! Tell me how much you want it!"

She looked into his icy blue eyes.

"Now! Now, Nathan! I want, I need you to fuck me!"

He needed no further invitations. His pants and boxers fell to his ankles as he pushed his tool deep inside her. Hard and quick and they both gasped. Years before they had made sweet tender love in bed. Those days were gone. He loved fucking her against the wall. Haley cried out, wrapping around him tighter. Her muscled clinched and she enveloped his lower portion with her feminine moisture. He moaned. It felt better than he remembered. He had waited for that moment, thought about it for years and no fantasy compared the real deal. He continued to kiss her roughly all over and pound into her. They were miles away from civilization with a slim chance of being found. Why not spend the last days arguing and having mind blowing sex? She had no protests. Haley just wanted more. More and more. She only wanted him.