Author's Note: Thanks for all the love and the reviews and just for not getting bored with this story. I have been reading all your feedback and I love it and sincerely look forward to seeing each one. Even if you are a multiple reviewer and you feel you're repeating yourself, I enjoy it just the same because your thoughts mean a lot to me and your enthusiasm keeps me motivated.

Jess...I am totally scoffing right now! I hate when you actually have to do work or "mommy" stuff and I get zero attention from you. (Dramatic Sigh) I guess I'll be okay. First Socks loses last night and now you. Gee, my life is going down the crapper faster than Meg's. Oh well. You can make it up to me later by singing me your original remix of J. Lo's "Get Right" and Annie's "Tomorrow", lol...

Kumary, I tried to give Haley a call last night like you said to tell her about Nathan but sorry, she's just not answering her phone, lol...Thanks for the support, Mami! You rock!

Frisky-Feline, congratulations! You have just been hired as my new agent! Lol! Dude, thanks for the compliments. You're too kind. I appreciate it. I would love to write for the WB (or anybody) so if anyone out there knows Mark Schwahn...

Megan tapped her foot impatiently as she waited in the shortest line of the grocery store, which may have been the longest as far as she was concerned, as she had been standing for over ten minutes. What didn't people get about the express lane? 12 items or less it plainly stated but that was not stopping the grandmother in front of her who was taking her sweet time unloading her full cart, item by item. Meg stared at her cottage cheese, pineapple slices and mineral water for a moment before deciding that they were actually worth the wait. They were but something else had managed to capture her attention. She found herself salivating at the idea of the jumbo Butterfinger. One wouldn't hurt. Hell, two wouldn't hurt, she thought as she grabbed them. In her haste, her elbow accidentally rocked the magazine stand to her rear left, sending a few papers scattering about on the floor by the man behind her.

"I'm so sorry", she apologized sweetly as she bent down to pick them up.

"I'll get them, ma'am", she offered.

"Thank you", she said as they retrieved the last of them and placed them back in their rightful spots.

It was only when she saw a picture of a seemingly drunken Nathan on the cover did she realize that he was in fact the gossip fodder for the week. Indeed it was the juicy kind of stuff people loved to see. A plastered celebrity leaving a seedy strip club of all places.

"You okay, Miss?" the friendly man in line asked after seeing the pregnant woman's face turn a pale and ghostly white.

Megan opened her mouth but couldn't speak. Instead she grabbed every rag that had Nathan's picture on it.

"Next", the clerk instructed.

Megan began clumsily throwing her things onto the register, which she had to grab for support.

"How are you today?"

"Fine", she managed to squeak out.

The lady began ringing up her things, smirking as she scanned the magazines.

"Gotta love these things, don't you?" she grinned as she popped her gum. "I read them during my lunch break. It's nice to hear about the woes of the better half. I swear, rich people are always doing something stupid. Look at this Nathan Scott guy with some trashy dancer all over him. It's a damn shame. He's married, isn't he?"

Megan nodded as her sweaty palms delivered the cash to pay for her goods. She grabbed the bags and fled the store, not even bothering to wait for her change. She hopped in her car and drove straight home, parking directly in front of the door. Her hands shook violently as she tried to open the door. Once she was in, she ran to the downstairs bathroom and sank to the floor as she began flipping through the pages.

Apparently while she had been resting in a Philadelphia hotel after the game, her husband, father in law and two friends had ventured out for a little late night partying.

Meg didn't make a sound as she tried to make her eyes focus on and comprehend the words. She didn't hear the front door open up and she didn't hear her husband calling out for her. Nathan called her name several times as he noticed her car was in the driveway. Finally he saw the light on in the bathroom.

"Meg, you in there?" he knocked.

No answer. Nathan sighed. Things had been tense to say the least, ever since Philadelphia. Hungover, exhausted and in major pain, the last thing Nathan wanted, needed or expected was for his furious wife to come stomping in their hotel room screaming a host of obscenities. It had taken him forever to calm her down and after the anger came the tears. She had been so upset she could barely speak but Nathan was able to make out that there had been an argument between her and Brooke where hurtful words had been exchanged and a humiliated and offended Megan had dumped juice all over Brooke and her expensive outfit. In his heart of hearts, Nathan knew he hadn't always treated his wife the best but he hated seeing her so upset. He also wasn't in the best frame of mind to deal with it and it pissed him off as he had seen Brooke Davis in action before and he could only imagine what had taken place. He called his brother and an angry, awkward conversation had ensued. It was all a mess and things hadn't been the same sense.

"Megan! You okay?"

Nathan opened the door and her movements toward him were so quick, he didn't have time to react. All he saw was a flash of blonde hair and then he felt the stinging sensation on his lip. It took a second or two to register that she had just hit him.

"What the…"

"What is this, Nathan?" she screamed, throwing a magazine at him.

He picked it up and saw his picture on it. The headline read: The NBA Star and His Ladies. He was piss drunk and some girl had her arm draped over him. Dan was walking ahead, hands shoved in his pockets and it looked like Jake and Lucas were trying to drag him away.

"Look, it's no big deal."

"Shut up!" she spat, punching him hard in the chest.

"Ow! Damn, Megan! What's your fucking problem? Stop hitting me!"

"What the hell is going on, you son of a bitch?"

"What is your deal? So what? I went to the strip club with my brother and my dad and my friend."

"Yeah while your pregnant wife was waiting on your sorry ass in a hotel room. And why is this common tramp all over you?"

"We were leaving, I was drunk, she wanted an autograph, and the other guys were ready to leave."

"Nathan…"

"Megan, come on. You know how those people are. They take pictures and turn molehills into mountains. That stupid picture and the sleazy headline is probably putting someone's kid through college right about now. You know how much a photographer can make selling one photo to those rags?"

"So I'm supposed to believe this is innocent?"

"It is", he mumbled.

"Damn you!" Megan smacked him upside the head with a paper. "I don't get you, Nathan. I'm your wife! I love you and you're supposed to love me. I am carrying your child. I take care of you, I do everything for you…yet you insist on constantly humiliating me!"

"Meg…"

"I sat back and took it in front of our friends and families but now you want to pull this shit in front of the whole world? What the hell do you think I am? I'm not your goddamned door mat, Nathan!"

"I don't think that", he sighed. "Look, babe, just calm down."

"Don't touch me! Don't call me babe and don't tell me to calm down! How dare you!"

"Megan…"

"Fuck you!"

He ran his fingers through his dark hair.

"Look, I'm sorry, alright? But nothing happened. You have to believe me."

"Why should I?" she folded her arms.

"Because. Damn, Meg. Look, I hate this shit, too. Okay? You think I like being on the front page of a newspaper like this? Think I'm not embarrassed? This crap sucks but I deal with it because it's part of the job. The worse part but along with the commercials and games and million dollar paydays, comes dealing with the ignorant ass paparazzi. I don't like it but I get through it. I know you hate it and I'm sorry it hurts you but you knew what you were getting into when you married me."

Megan laughed sarcastically.

"Did I? Was Haley James part of the deal?"

Nathan's eyes narrowed.

"What?"

"You heard me. And yes, I said her name. Why not? Why not put everything on the table, Nathan? May as well, hell, there are three of us in this marriage anyway."

"Now you're freaking out for no reason. She has nothing to do with this."

"Oh she has everything to do with it."

"Megan, what is your obsession with her?"

"I think you should be asking yourself that question. I'm not the one obsessed, Nate."

Nathan shook his head.

"You're being crazy and I'm walking away. We'll talk later when you're not acting like a spazz case."

Nathan turned his back to walk away upstairs. Megan felt something snap inside of her. It was her husband, the father of her child, the man she loved more than anyone. Couldn't he see she was hurting? Didn't he see he was the one causing all her pain? Why? Why did he do those things? Why couldn't their marriage just be normal?

Megan was losing it and she knew it. Her heart was breaking. She couldn't breathe. She loved him so much despite what he had done. None of it mattered. She couldn't lose him. She was a woman on the edge as sheer desperation took over.

"Nathan! Don't walk away!"

"Megan, stop."

She began to wail as he rebuffed her.

"You don't give a damn about me! All you care about is this baby! I'm nothing to you! You never even gave this relationship an honest try! All you do is yell at me and get drunk and think about your precious Haley! Why don't you go be with her?"

"Megan…"

"What? Am I standing in your way? Am I holding you back? Let me make it easier for you, Nathan!"

She grabbed a knife and held the tip to her wrist.

"Megan! What the hell are you doing? Put that away!"

"Why?"

"I'm not fucking kidding around! Put the knife down!"

The blade penetrated her delicate flesh just enough to make a superficial scratch that barely bled. Nathan lunged for it, grabbing the weapon from her hand and tossing it across the room.

"Nathan!" she sobbed.

Tears began to fill his own blue eyes.

"Just stop. Meg, just stop! What are you doing?" he whispered.

"Nathan, I…"

"You could have really hurt yourself. And the baby?"

"I wasn't going to do anything", she mouthed through tears.

He backed away slowly. His thoughts raced back to a time years before after a particularly heated argument between his parents. He had seen Deb pop prescription pills before but it was a factor that was ignored and never discussed in the Scott household. Then one day, after getting into it with Dan, out of desperation, she had swallowed a huge handful of them. But it had been one too many and the stunt to get her husband and son's attention had landed her a nice three day stint in the hospital including a 24 hour visit to the mental ward for observation. The whole situation was bad enough but what was worse, it was a teenage Nathan who had discovered his mother's near lifeless body. It was he who had called 911 in a panic. And now it was happening all over again.

"You're fucking crazy", he whispered as he wiped the single tear that fell from his eyes. "Just like my mother."