Author's Note: Hey guys! I'm back with another chapter! This has the 'BIG MOMENT'! I hope it's all you imagined it would be. I've already started on the next chapter so I might update later tonight after I get home from work. Anyways, I hope you guys like it! As always, please read and review!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. One Tree Hill and its characters are property of the WB.

Rating: K+ to T

Finding Our Way Back

Chapter 12 – Magazine Articles and Revelations

It had been a month since Lucas had bonded with the kids and now they were all closer than ever. They were always hanging out after school or in the evenings if Lucas had practice with the team. They'd watch movies at Haley's apartment or go up to the roof of the café to play miniature golf. They had even taught Katie and Derek to play a little, only they used plastic putters. They were like a family, and Haley loved every minute of it. She loved being with Lucas and loved to watch him interact with her kids. 'Our kids,' she'd correct herself with a smile.

Haley knew she needed to tell him about Katie and Derek, about them being his kids, but she still wasn't ready yet. She wasn't ready to ruin all that she had built up with Lucas again.

It wasn't until ten o'clock on a Saturday morning that Haley finally woke up, an unusually late time for her. She was usually up by seven and the kids up by eight. Karen had noticed that Haley had looked tiredly lately and had taken the kids for the night so she could get some rest, which Haley was entirely grateful for. She yawned and stretched as she rose from the bed and headed to the bathroom to brush her teeth and her hair. She pulled it back into a loose bun and threw on a pair of dark blue track pants as well as a baby blue tank top. She didn't really feel like getting dressed today. She just wanted to lie in bed all day and sleep; and think about Lucas. Maybe she was coming down with a bug. It was nearing winter and soon the flu season would be in full swing. She pulled on a pair of tennis shoes and a light sweater then grabbed her purse and keys, heading out the door to the café so she could pick up her kids.

Haley sleepily slid onto a stool, resting her chin in her hand, closing her eyes. "Gee, it looks like you got a real good night's sleep last night," Karen said sarcastically when she saw Haley. "Mmm," Haley grunted in response with her eyes still closed. "How about some coffee to perk you up," she questioned. "Yeah, the usual," Haley mumbled.

"Mommy!" Katie and Derek shouted in unison when they saw her, appearing from the back. Karen had an empty storage room in the back and she'd converted it into a small bedroom/playroom for when the kids needed to take a nap or could play with their toys in there while she tended to the customers. "Hey guys," Haley replied sleepily as she leaned over and hugged them both. "Mommy, you look really tired," Derek stated. "Yeah, Mommy doesn't feel too well. Why don't you guys go play and I'll call you when it's time to go, okay?" They nodded and hugged her again before retreating back to their room.

"Here you go," Karen replied as she handed her the cup of coffee. "Thanks," Haley replied as she took a sip. She took a few more before she started to feel sick. She quickly rushed to the bathroom and threw up in the toilet. After a few minutes, she finally rose from the floor and cleaned herself up before returning to her seat. The coffee cup was gone. Karen walked over and placed her hand over Haley's, looking at her concernedly. "Haley, are you pregnant again," she asked. Haley quickly looked up at her, wide-eyed, "What? No! Lucas and I- We haven't- We aren't- We're just friends, that's all." "When are you going to tell him, Haley? He deserves to know," Karen said. Haley sighed, "I know. It's just that everything is going so great right now. I don't want to ruin it and lose what we have by telling him." "You need to tell him, Haley. He's going to find out eventually. Better sooner than later, right?" "I guess," Haley responded nervously.

"Do you want anything to eat," Karen inquired. "I don't know. I've hardly been able to keep anything down. Maybe some dry toast and scrambled eggs?" "Sure honey," Karen replied as she patted her arm. While Haley waited for her food, she thumbed through a few outdated magazines, but nothing interesting really caught her eye, or anything she didn't know about. She then spotted an issue of People Magazine under the counter when she went to pour herself a glass of water. Karen walked out with her food just as she picked it up. "Hey Karen? Is this the new issue? Can I borrow it while I eat? I haven't read up on all the celebrity gossip in a while." "Yeah, it's the new one. I haven't had the time to read it yet. Let me know if you read anything juicy," Karen smiled as she set Haley's plate on the counter at her spot.

She had just began eating some toast when Lucas plopped down beside her, "Hey Hales. You look tired." "Statement of the day," she remarked with a roll of her eyes, not looking up from the magazine. It was then she realized she was reading the back cover. She must be really out of it. She took a bite of her toast as she flipped the magazine over. She nearly choked on that toast when she saw the headline. It read: Haley James – Secret Mom?

Lucas patted her back as she coughed, gasping for breath. "You okay there, Hales," he asked concernedly. Haley drew in a deep ragged breath, "I-I'm fine." She kept repeating over and over in her mind, 'No, I'm not okay. I'm not okay.' She quickly folded the cover over to face the back so Lucas wouldn't see. Then she saw a picture. It was of herself and the kids, walking along Main Street in Tree Hill, no doubt headed to Karen's Café; then the page number, page 12. Anything above Page 20 in People Magazine was considered highly important. Shakily, Haley turned to Page 12. Her jaw dropped open when she saw the tag line and the picture. The picture was of Lucas with Derek on his shoulders and Haley holding Katie as they walked together, side by side. The tag line read: Haley James and Lucas Scott – A Secret Family?

"What are you reading," Lucas asked as he looked over her shoulder. Haley didn't shut the magazine fast enough and he gaped at the article as he snatched it away from her, "What the hell?" Haley grabbed it back from him and began reading the article.

Former rising star actress, Haley James, who left the entertainment industry six months ago, was spotted in Tree Hill, North Carolina with star basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers, Lucas Scott, who left the Lakers just two months ago after the season was over. The couple was accompanied by two young children, twins, in fact. Now who is the father, you ask? That's what we'd like to know. Is Lucas Scott the father of Haley James' children? If not, then who is? We would also like to know what is going on between these two and what the status of their relationship is. Are they married? Engaged? Pregnant? So many questions!

The article continued on, but Haley stopped reading, a disgusted expression on her face and panic settling inside her, spreading through her whole body. "Wow…" Lucas stated in shock after he finished reading the article. "Yeah," Haley replied, still dazed. "You should call your publicist and get this straightened out," he responded, "You need to tell them that Nathan is the father. You need to-" Haley cut him off, shouting, "No, I will not tell them!" "Hales, you've gotta clear this up or they'll keep hounding you until they get what they came for and that is the truth. Believe me, I've had enough experience with it." "I have too, Luke! But I'm not going to name Nathan as their father. He doesn't deserve to be their father," she yelled. 'Because he isn't,' she thought. "Hales, if you'll just listen-" "No Lucas! I'm not telling them Nathan is their father!" Haley pushed herself from the stool, racing to the back and picking up her kids, storming out of the café angrily, leaving Lucas sitting there, shocked by her outburst and wondering why she wouldn't tell the media that Nathan was Katie and Derek's father.

Karen, who heard the conversation, came over to him and gently placed her hand on his. She knew Haley would probably kill her for this, but it was finally time he knew. "They're your kids, Luke," she said softly. Lucas' head shot up, eyes wide, responding in a breathless whisper, "What?" "Katie and Derek are your children," she replied in the same voice. Lucas acquired an angry expression on his face as he jerked his hand away from hers and stood from the stool, "You knew about this? You knew they were mine and didn't tell me?" "Lucas, I- Haley made me promise not to tell-" Lucas cut her off, shouting, "How could you keep this from me?" He glared at her, his nostrils flaring and lips pinched tightly together in anger, then pointed a finger at her as if to say more, but he turned and raced out of the café.

He knocked on her door urgently for several minutes until Haley slowly opened the door and he saw that she'd been crying. "T-They're-They're mine," he asked shakily. Haley's jaw dropped open. Once she got over the shock of him knowing, her face became angry and she spoke to him in a short, clipped tone as she pointed behind her to the little boy playing in the living room, "Take a look at Derek, Lucas, a good look, and tell me he isn't your son! How could you not see it? I mean, are you that blind? He looks just like you when we were kids!" "How could you keep this from me? Something this big? How could you keep them from me? They're my kids! God Hales, you've had five years to tell me and never once did you call and tell me!" "What about me Lucas? When you moved to Charleston you never called me or wrote or emailed me…You-you just discarded me like a piece of trash! How do you think I felt?" "Why are you acting this way? I'm the victim here," Lucas yelled, throwing his arms out in frustration. "What about me, Lucas? I'm a victim too. You left me," Haley began to sob as she pounded on his chest, "You left me! You left me all alone to raise two kids by myself! How could you leave me, Lucas? I needed you! I loved you!"

Lucas wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight, "Haley, I didn't know. You never told me. If I had known… I would have rushed back here the minute you told me." "I'm sorry," she cried, "I didn't want to ruin your dreams… I knew you wanted to go to college and play in the NBA. I just couldn't do that to you…" He stroked the back of her head softly, "Shh, it's alright, I'm here now. That's all that matters…"

They stayed like that with Lucas' arms wrapped around her for several minutes until Lucas remembered something Haley had said during her tirade and he pulled away slightly, staring into her watery brown eyes. "Haley, you said you loved me…Did you mean as more than friends," he asked, his heart moving into his throat. Haley gave him a murderous glare as she pulled out of his embrace. "Of course I do! That night…" she looked up at him with tears in her eyes, "I gave you my whole heart a long time ago, Lucas, and that night I gave you the rest of me." "Haley, I-I don't know what to say…I thought that night…I thought that you thought you made a mistake and you said goodbye in that note…I thought it would be best if I left and didn't call you for awhile and then I just didn't…I didn't know you felt that way about me. God Hales, I'm sounding like an idiot here. I'm not making any sense…That night was the best night of my life. I'd loved you for so long but I never did anything because I didn't think you felt the same way about me and now… God, I still love you Hales, so much and now I love you even more…You're still the same caring, beautiful person I fell in love with all those years ago and now you're the mother of my children…"

He leaned in hungrily to capture her lips but she put her hands to his chest and pushed him slightly, "No." "Why," he asked concernedly, "you still love me, don't you?" "Yes, I still love you, but I want to take things slow. We have a lot of things to talk about and I haven't even told the kids yet…" Lucas' eyes widened in shock, "You mean you haven't told them? They don't even know who I am?" Haley shook her head as she stared down at her hands, beginning to cry again, "I'm sorry…" He grabbed her hand and started pulling her towards the living room where the kids were, stating firmly, "We're going to tell them. Right now. I want them to know who I am."

Derek was sitting on the floor playing a video game on the television and Katie was coloring at the coffee table. Lucas and Haley sat on the couch and she tried hard to find the right words to tell them. Her hands were shaking almost uncontrollably and she swiped at the tears falling down her cheeks. Derek, always in tune with her emotions, paused his game and turned to her, "Mommy, what's wrong?" Haley gestured them over to her, "D, come here. Katie, you too. I have to tell you guys something very important." "What is it Mommy," Katie asked. "Well, um, I'm not really sure how to say this, but, um, Lucas is…well, he's your father…" Derek looked up at her, no form of expression or emotion on his face and Haley wondered what he was thinking. "I know," the little boy replied with nonchalance then turned to Lucas, "Can I call you Daddy now?" Tears came to Lucas' eyes as he nodded slowly, a smile spreading across his lips. "D, how do you know? I never told you who your father was until now," Haley asked confusedly. "He looks like me and he has my name, Mommy. And you have pictures of him all over the place. And once, Grandma Karen showed me a picture book with you and him together and she said that you two loved each other very much and she said you were best friends when you were younger." "And I know he's my daddy because I was born the same day Derek was," Katie piped in.

Haley sat back on the couch, shocked and stunned at the events that had just unfolded. "Mommy, can I go back and play my game now," Derek asked. "Yeah, can I go color," Katie inquired. She nodded silently, still too dazed to respond. Lucas sat there, stunned as well, tears flowing down his cheeks.