Author's Note: catc20, of course I'm not tired of your reviews! I appreciate the interest and enthusiasm and especially you taking the time out to give feedback. Thanks and I hope you continue to enjoy!

The taxi pulled up to the address she had scribbled down onto a piece of scratch paper. She paid the driver and got out, her eyes widening as she took in the breathtaking sights of the city. It was so unlike Tree Hill where everything was simple and warm and felt like home. No, New York was so different and she always felt so small there.

She took a deep breath and approached the door. A few men were hanging around the front, cameras hung around their necks. She looked at them for a minute before making her way inside. She was headed for the elevator when a man touched her arm.

"Where you headed, ma'am?" he asked.

She cleared her throat.

"I'm here to visit a friend. She lives in this apartment."

The doorman raised an eyebrow.

"Oh really? And who might that friend be?"

"Haley. Haley James."

"Yeah right", he rolled his eyes. "Nice try. Let me guess, you're from the Post or the Times. No wait…the Enquirer, maybe? US Magazine…"

"No. No sir. I…I'm not a reporter. Haley is my friend."

"Your name?"

"Karen. Karen Rowe."

His eyes skimmed a clipboard.

"You're not on my list, Ms. Rowe. Sorry."

Karen sighed.

"Listen, sir…Alvin, is it? I know you're just doing your job and I understand that but it's really, really important that I see Haley. I just flew in from North Carolina. I'm not on your list and I don't have a hundred bucks to bribe you or anything like that but this is important. Please."

"Rules are rules. Sorry…"

"It's okay, Alvin", a small voice spoke from the back.

Haley, bundled up for the New York winter and wearing a hat and dark glasses was accompanied by a beefy security guard.

"Sorry, Ms. James. She wasn't on the list and…"

"It's fine", Haley smiled tiredly. "Karen's an old friend."

She extended her hand and the women made their way upstairs in silence. Once inside the apartment, Haley shut the door and offered Karen a seat before removing her scarf and heavy coat. Karen gasped out loud at the burgeoning belly poking out from an otherwise petite frame.

"Wow", she smiled. "How far along are you?"

"Four months", Haley answered as she sat beside her.

Silence loomed for a bit for two women who had once been so close.

"So…um how have you been?" Karen finally asked. "How's New York? How is work?"

"Good", Haley shrugged. "I'm okay. I haven't really been working these last couple of months. I wrote some songs for the new album and I've been in the studio a couple of times but not much more than that. I was actually thinking about going out when I saw you in the lobby. As you can tell, it's kind of hard for me to get in and out of the building much less walk down the street without being hassled. "

"I see. I'm sorry about that."

"It's okay. It's life, I guess, or at least mine for now. I'm dealing with it. I don't really have a choice. But I have good friends and a staff of really good people who have had my back since I moved here. And my parents call and visit when they can and I uh, I even have Taylor."

"Taylor?" Karen's eyes widened. "How is that working out?"

Haley smiled as she rolled her eyes.

"We have our moments, trust me, but it hasn't been all bad, or at least as bad as I thought it was going to be. I'm actually learning to get over the fact that she borrows my clothes without asking, borrows money that I know she'll never pay back, sleeps all day, parties all night and never picks up after herself. But on the bright side, she did get a job. She's a Coyote, mind you, please don't ask but it's a living. And she has been here to get me through some pretty dark days so I guess I can't complain too much."

"You okay?"

"I am", Haley nodded.

"I hope so. I know it was probably rude of me to just show up on your doorstep like this but I had to know. I had to see it for myself. I'm worried about you, honey."

"I know you are and I appreciate it but don't be."

"And the pregnancy? Everything is okay? No complications?"

"No. The doctors say everything is fine. I spotted the first month or two and I was sick as a dog and tired all the time but all that seems to be passing."

"Do you know the sex of the baby yet?"

Haley looked away.

"Um, no. Not yet. I haven't gotten around to all that yet."

Karen sensed her discomfort and she knew it all too well. After all, she had been there herself once.

"You know, it's okay, Haley…all these feelings you're feeling…whatever it is that you're feeling. It's normal. And it's okay to not be happy all the time or be scared."

"I'm fine…"

"I'm here for you. I know you have a lot of support right now but we can never have too many friends. I don't want to push you or make you uncomfortable but I'm here for you for whatever you need whenever you need it. I mean that."

Haley's eyes filled with tears. Of course Karen meant it. She had always been there for the younger woman as a child and a teenager. And when times were at their lowest following her leaving Nathan for the tour, Karen had always been a loving, neutral force.

"I'm scared", she almost whispered.

Karen smiled.

"Of course you are."

"This is my first baby. And this whole pregnancy thing was a total surprise and came at the worst possible time. God, I have so much going on right now."

"It's natural to feel overwhelmed, sweetie."

"I don't know, Karen. I mean, I like kids. I always have…just when they're other people's. Now I'm about to be a new mom…and I don't even know how to be a mom. My friend, Michelle, just had a baby and that was like the first time I had ever held a newborn. I didn't even know what to do."

"You'll learn."

"But what if I don't want to?"

"Is this baby what you really want, Haley?"

Haley sighed and shrugged, trying not to cry.

"I don't know, Karen. Is it wrong to choose something because it is the lesser evil? Especially when we're talking about another life. I mean, I didn't want to do the abortion thing and I don't think I can handle an adoption but at the same time, it's like I'm not ready for all this."

"It's okay", Karen put an arm around her.

"No, it's not. It's anything but okay."

"Don't beat yourself up. You have a lot on your plate right now and your hormones are going haywire. I know things are all over the place but I promise they will settle down and you'll find your groove. It'll all come together even though it might not seem that way now. I…I take it that Chris is being supportive?"

Haley nodded.

"He's great. I couldn't get through this without his friendship."

"That's good. It's good for both you and the baby and…"

"It's not his baby", Haley blurted out.

Karen was taken off guard.

"Excuse me?"

"Chris isn't the father", she continued to cry. "We're always together and the media took some pictures of us so they just assumed and printed it but it's not true, Karen."

"Oh Haley…"

"And I don't know what to do. Taylor knows the truth and of course Chris and my parents but no one else. And I don't know how to handle this. Chris is a real trooper and he's respecting my privacy and feelings and letting these gossip hounds say whatever they want. I know that's a totally unfair position to put him in but he does it as a friend and as a favor to me and I love him for it. But it's hard. All I ever wanted to do was be creative and make music, just be an artist. I thought I wanted fame but now I'm not so sure. That's the funny thing about fame…it seduces you like a drug. It gives you that feeling that everything is great and that you're fulfilled but then something like this comes along and all of a sudden your most intimate moments are like an open book to the public. I feel so exposed…so vulnerable."

"Does the father know? I mean…"

"It's Nathan", she said quietly.

"Nathan? Nathan Scott?"

Haley nodded.

"The one and only."

"Haley…oh my. Oh my God? Nathan? I…I had no idea. When…"

"Let's just say we did more than get divorced in the Dominican. It…it was stupid. We got caught up in the moment. It was really scary. We thought we were dying and…things just sort of happened."

"Haley…"

"I feel awful about it. I mean, we had just signed divorce papers and he had Megan and…it just should never have happened."

"Do you still love him?" Karen treaded carefully.

"I'll always love him", she answered truthfully. "I never stopped. I don't think I ever will."

"Goodness. This explains a lot with you coming to the wedding and all."

"That was stupid, too. I just felt like something was still there between us. I had to know if he felt the same way."

"What did he say about the baby?"

"I never had the chance to tell him."

"Oh Haley. You have to. I'm sure it must be in the back of his mind."

"I can't and I won't. I'd never lie or hide this from him. You're right. He's not stupid and I'm sure he's done the math, considering his wife is only one month ahead of me. If there was a question in Nathan's mind, he should have reached out to me by now. But he hasn't. Either he thinks it's not his or he's terribly afraid that it is. No matter what, he's staying away and I respect that choice."

"Oh sweetie. I don't know what to tell you. You know that I was in an eerily similar situation a very long time ago with Dan and Deb."

"How did you get through it?"

"It was hard, I won't lie. But I took it one day at a time and managed to hold my head high. I didn't have a lot of support. Not my family and I lost a lot of my friends at that time. But I had Keith who was a godsend. And I had myself. Even though I didn't feel like it, I was strong, much stronger than I've ever been in my life and much stronger than I thought I could be. I just held my head high and despite Dan and everything I didn't have, I concentrated on the one thing that I did…my baby. I knew from minute one, that I wanted Lucas in my life."

"But…"

"You're a wonderful person, Haley. You have the warmest spirit and most beautiful heart I've ever seen. You're going to be just fine. And you're going to make a wonderful mother."

"Then why do I feel so bad? Why do I have so many doubts? Why do I feel guilty? It's like I'm wearing the Scarlet Letter on my forehead."

"You're not guilty of anything except being human."

Karen put her arms around her and Haley melted into the embrace. It felt so good to be safe again.

"Karen?"

"Yeah, sweetie?"

"Just promise me one thing."

"Anything."

"Promise me you won't tell anyone. Not Lucas or Peyton or Deb or especially Nathan. Please…"

Karen nodded. Only she could understand where the younger girl was.

"I promise you, Haley. Your secret is safe with me."

"Thank you. I mean it. Thanks so much. Oh, I'm so glad you're here. I needed this. I needed you."

"I'm here for you, honey."

"Can you stay for a little while? A couple of days maybe?"

"Of course. Andy will understand."

"Thank you."

"Now that we've settled all this, weren't you on your way out when I showed up?"

"Yeah…about that. I thought I could but now I don't know. It's such a hassle. And I hate traveling with a body guard and…"

"Screw them. It's your life, Haley. Don't let them take everything away. Only you can free yourself."

Haley sighed.

"Will you come with me?" she asked weakly.

"Of course."

"It'll be bad. Let me warn you. If they spot me, they'll start hounding both of us with questions. They'll get right in your face with their cameras and…"

"It'll take a lot more than some idiot trying to sell a picture to scare me off", Karen smiled. "We'll be fine."

Haley hugged her again as the two women put on their coats and prepared to brave both the intrusive press and the bitterly chilled North Eastern November weather. They held hands as they took the elevator down and met up with the burly security guard who escorted them out. Just when the women could relax, like a thief in the night, the stalkerazzi began to pour out of nowhere.

"Back up, man! Back up!" the beefy guard commanded.

"We're just trying to make a living, man", a photographer shrugged as he clicked away.

"Your publicist says she doesn't comment on your personal life. Can we get a statement from you, Haley?"

"Guess what? I don't either. No comment."

"Haley! Haley James, look this way, please", another directed.

Karen protectively squeezed Haley's hand.

"Can you please not get so close to us?" Karen asked politely but firmly as they quickened the pace of their step.

"Who are you, lady?"

"No comment", Karen looked over at Haley and winked. "Looks like I'm getting the hang of this celebrity thing."

Haley returned her smile.

"Haley, we just want to know one thing. Is it true Chris Keller is your baby's father? Can we get a comment, please? The whole world wants to know…whose baby is it?"

Haley looked at Karen and took a deep breath as she felt a sudden burst of the liberating inner strength Karen had told her about.

"It's my baby", she said, simply for the record.