Author's Note: To bbbloom...loved your review! Thanks for taking the time out to write that. Hope you continue to enjoy the story and I look forward to your thoughts!

Haley frantically dialed the numbers over and over again, skipping the convenience of the redial button. Each time the call would take her straight to voicemail, only increasing her growing frustration and fury.

"Dammitt!" she finally muttered, her shrill tone causing Lillian to stir and cry.

Rubbing the baby's back from the pallet on the floor, the child quickly settled again only for another interruption, this time in the form of a knock on the door, to rouse her once more. It was a sheepish looking Lucas and Brooke.

"Come in, guys", Haley sighed.

"You look thrilled to see us", he quipped.

"No, it's not that. I have just been on the phone arguing with my stupid publicist for like the last hour."

"Oh?" Brooke questioned a little too sweetly, innocently and overall fake. "Whatever about?"

Haley rolled her eyes.

"Like you don't know."

"Then I take it congratulations are in order", Brooke said, handing her a medium sized box.

"What's this?" Haley quizzed trying to balance a baby and a box.

"A wedding gift", Brooke shrugged.

Haley frowned as she handed little Lillian over to Lucas and rummaged through the box.

"Brooke, this is the toaster I let you guys borrow last month."

Brooke shrugged.

"Well, excuse me. Maybe if you gave a little notice before your impromptu nuptials, one would have time to buy you a more appropriate present."

Haley groaned.

"Not you two. Please don't tell me you fell for that crap."

"You never know", Brooke commented. "You sure managed to shock the hell out of us the last time…"

"Babe", Lucas pinched her.

"Ouch."

"I did not marry Chris Keller. I promise you. I have been here in my apartment with my daughter the last 48 hours."

"So who did he marry or did they get the wrong Chris?" Lucas asked.

"Who the heck knows? I have been trying to reach his cell but it's turned off. And every tabloid in the country is begging my publicist for a statement. I don't know what's going on. It's probably just a case of mistaken identity."

They shrugged and played with the baby as news of the "wedding" continued to make waves on the television screen. Haley barely heard the soft knock on the front door. She scrambled to get it, baby in her arms. Nathan was on the other side. His expression was solemn, hands shoved in his pockets.

"Hey", he muttered.

"Hey", she said softly.

"Look, I didn't mean to interrupt but I was hoping to take Lillian for a couple of hours."

The child was already at stage where she recognized her parents. Just the sight of her dad made her giddy.

"Um, okay, sure…come in. I just need to make a bottle for her and…"

"I don't think that's a good idea. Besides, I have bottles for her downstairs."

"Okay…is everything alright?"

"I'm fine."

"Then why don't you come in and sit with us?"

Things had been tense to say the least ever since the Wrightsville Beach incident. Haley was trying to make it as less awkward as possible. Regardless she didn't want anything to affect the developing bond between her ex husband and their daughter.

"I don't think it's appropriate", he stated.

Haley laughed out loud. It was just amusing to hear Nathan Scott use the word "appropriate".

"Nathan…"

"Wouldn't want your husband to get upset."

She rolled her eyes.

"You, too? Get in here", she pulled his arm. "You know me better than that. Somebody seriously has their facts screwed up. I am not married to Chris Keller."

He breathed a huge sigh of relief, almost afraid that someone had heard it. He wanted to smile too but given everything that had recently happened, that little showing of emotion would have been inappropriate. Brooke gave Nathan a knowing smile as he held Lillian and joined the others in the living room.

"Why won't the press just leave us alone?" Lucas wondered out loud. "This is dumb. They'll do anything for a story, create anything to sell a damned magazine. I bet Chris isn't even married. I bet some poor average Joe schmuck with the same name eloped to Vegas with his girl and someone jumped the gun."

"Or they could have just made it up completely", Brooke suggested. "These people have no morals. I wouldn't put anything past them."

Nathan was quiet as he held the baby.

"It'll never end, I guess", Haley sighed sadly.

Nathan caught her gaze. She was right about that. It would never end. That was the worst part about that. That was what fueled his anger and frustration. That's what caused desperation. He had snapped. In one brief moment he had lost control. It wasn't just about his privacy, it was about protecting Haley and Lillian as well. A rash action had come from a good place. Why couldn't she just see that?

Haley's cell phone rang and she picked it up to check the Caller ID again.

"It's my agent", she huffed. "Just great. I don't feel like doing this. I mean, what am I supposed to say?"

"Did you try Chris again?" Brooke asked.

Haley sighed as she punched in the seven digits.

"Hey, you've reached Chris, the original Hell in Keller. I can't come to the phone but if you leave me a message, I'll get back to you if you're one of the lucky ones."

Haley rolled her eyes.

"Chris, it's me…again. Where are you? Look, I don't know what's going on but these rumors about us are getting out of control. If you're living under a rock or haven't checked the last 30 or so messages I left you, then it's me, Haley James telling you that the whole world thinks we eloped. We didn't…I know I didn't. If you could, call me back. I'm freaking out here."

She hung up.

"You know, this could all be a joke", Lucas mentioned.

"Ha ha, real funny", Haley mumbled.

"Broody's probably right. Chris is a prankster, huh? I bet any minute Ashton Kutcher is gonna bust through that door."

Haley shot Brooke a skeptical look. The brunette ignored her as she pulled out her compact and began applying a touch up coat of mascara and lipstick.

"Babe, what are you doing?" Lucas asked.

"What? I want to look good for the camera."

Haley rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"There will be no cameras and no Ashton Kutchers coming through my door, believe me. This has to be one huge misunderstanding. Chris would never play a joke on me like this. He's not that kind of guy."

"Oh yeah", Nathan rolled his eyes. "He's a real prince."

"Nathan!" Haley gave him a death glare.

The back door opened and Taylor emerged, yawning as she shuffled her way to the fridge for a snack.

"God, what's with all the commotion? You guys could wake the dead. I was trying to sleep, you know."

"Tay, it's four in the afternoon", Haley reminded her.

Taylor shrugged as she rummaged though a bag of sour cream and onion potato chips.

"Sorry, I'm exhausted. We can't all be high energy rock stars, basketball players and…oh what is it that you do again, Brookie?"

Brooke rolled her eyes.

"It's Brooke. And when I'm not presiding over my own successful interior designing business, I am sticking my pedicured Steve Madden clad feet up the asses of freeloading, rude, underdressed, tacky bitchy older sisters."

Brooke gave her a fake smile that Taylor returned.

"You two stop it, please", Haley begged. "I am in the midst of a crisis here."

"What happened this time, little sis?"

"Apparently someone by the name of Chris Keller and Haley James went and eloped and everyone thinks its me."

"Was it?"

"Tay!"

"Sorry! Geez, don't bite my head off. I was just asking. You never know these days."

"It wasn't me, thank you very much. I don't even know if it was Chris. I can't get in touch with him."

"He's probably passed out. Hey, this whole marriage thingamajig…did it happen in Vegas?"

"Yeah."

Taylor scratched her head.

"It didn't so happen to take place at the Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel, did it?"

"I think it did", Haley answered. "How did you know?"

Brooke frowned.

"How tacky. Who the hell gets married there anyway? You, your significant other, a couple of witnesses, and a Elvis impostor wearing blue suede shoes. Isn't that cute?"

Taylor laughed out loud as she helped herself to a Coke.

"Damn. I guess it isn't true", she commented to the three and a half astonished onlookers. "What happens in Vegas doesn't stay in Vegas."

"Tay…"

"Say, former brother in law, do you have the name of that annulment person?"

"Taylor!" Haley felt her heart pounding. "Oh my God! Did you…did you and Chris…"

"Did Chris and me what?"

"Get married, you dodo bird?"

Taylor shrugged.

"We did go to Vegas. It was some show he wanted to see. And we did party. Let's see, we did drink too much. For future reference guys, cranberry and vodka, plus beer couple with shots of Southern Comfort and lime juice just don't mix."

"Taylor Michelle James!"

"Apparently it's Taylor Michelle James Keller. I was so fucked up, I thought it was a dream but I guess not. I guess I married Chris Keller."