Author's Note: Hey guys! Here's a new chapter! It's better than the last one and a little bit longer. I might have another chapter up for you guys tomorrow, but I'm not sure. I've been pretty tired lately and might want to sleep in but it'll be just my luck if I wake up early because my internal clock is set to like only let me have 5 or 6 hours of sleep a night. Anyways, I hope you 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 16 – Two Peas In A Pod: The Pink Bunny and The Carrot

A few weeks had passed and Haley was still sick, although the bug had finally decided to take a brief vacation and let her feel somewhat normal for a few days. It was two days before Halloween and the four of them were at a costume store, searching for, well, costumes of course. They had been so busy with school and Haley not feeling well that they'd procrastinated until last minute. Needless to say, there wasn't much to choose from.

"Mommy, I want this one," Katie said as she held up a white angel costume with butterfly wings, a halo, and gold ribbon around the waist, tied in a bow in the back under the wings. The wings also had gold trimming as well as the hems of the dress. "It's beautiful, kiddo. Here, let me see," Haley gestured for Katie to hand it to her. She looked at the tag and noticed it was just the right size, "Perfect, it'll fit you." "Mommy, Daddy, you guys have to get a costume too," Derek said a few minutes later as Lucas helped him try to find one he liked. Haley and Lucas both looked at each other. "D, I don't think we're gonna do that this year…" Haley trailed off as she stared at her son, who started giving her his puppy dog pout, so much like his father's. It was enough being sick and having to go out in the cold weather and possibly get even more sick, but to have to embarrass herself in a pink bunny suit? Not doing much at making her feel better. It hadn't really bothered her in New York because most of the apartments in her building had housed tenants in their later years, who often thought it was endearing that she dressed up just for her kids. But this was Tree Hill. "Please Mommy? You did it last year and the year before that. You can even wear that pink bunny costume you wear every year. Come on Mommy, please," Derek begged with a hopeful look in his eyes. "Alright…" Haley responded with a sigh. She gave Lucas a look that said he would be doing this no matter if he wanted to or not. "It could be fun," Lucas replied with a shrug. He knew it would be fun; seeing Haley in a pink bunny costume and going trick-or-treating with his kids for the first time would be amazing.

"Oh! Daddy, you can be a carrot to go with Mommy because bunnies eat carrots. But Mommy, don't eat Daddy. We want to keep him," Katie said as she ran over to her father and hugged his legs, "I love you Daddy." Hearing that still brought tears to his eyes. He picked her up and held her close to his chest, kissing her auburn locks of hair, "I love you too Katie." "Daddy, I want a hug too," Derek said as he rushed over and reached his arms up to him. He crouched down and picked his son up too. Both the kids laid their heads on their father's shoulder. Haley smiled through her own tears. It was a picture perfect moment. Too bad they didn't have a camera with them.

"Daddy, I know what I want to be for Halloween now," Derek said excitedly a few minutes later. "What," Lucas inquired interestedly. "You," his son replied. "Me," he asked. "Yeah. I want to be a basketball player and wear a jersey outfit just like you," Derek explained. Lucas smiled, "I think we can do that."

Halloween finally came and the couple walked along the streets of Tree Hill, the kids running ahead to the next house. Just like Katie and Derek had wanted, Haley dressed up in her pink bunny suit and Lucas wore the carrot costume. Katie was dressed up in her angel costume adorned with gold glitter in her hair and some spread scarcely on her face and arms. To fulfill Derek's costume, Lucas had gone to the local sports store and gotten a Lakers jersey with Scott and his number 3 on it in his son's size as well as a pair of shorts and a small basketball. Derek was bouncing this down the sidewalk now.

"Come on Mommy, Daddy. You're walking too slow," Katie said impatiently as she waited at the end of the driveway at the next house. With Derek holding his basketball and Katie her Angel Wand, as she liked to call it, Haley and Lucas had been the designated holders of their candy bags, as long as they didn't eat any. "We're coming," Lucas called out. The older woman who answered the door smiled at the four of us and commented on our costumes as she put candy into the bags. They visited houses for the next hour and half, until the kids started getting tired from all the walking, as was Haley in her current sick state. They'd occasionally pick them up and carry them but they too often wanted to run to the next house, expending their energy a little faster.

Their last stop was made to Karen's house. As they walked up the sidewalk to the door, Lucas rubbed her shoulder, "How are you feeling? You're not too cold?" "A little, but I'm hot too. I wonder how it's possible you can be both hot and cold at the same time," she replied, "I just wish this sickness would go away. I want go back to feeling normal again." She laid her head on his shoulder but her big bunny ears hit him in the face. "Sorry," she responded as she wrapped an arm around his waist. "That's alright. I just want you to get better. I hate seeing you so sick like this," he replied as he kissed her cheek tenderly. "I know," she answered as she snuggled into him. "Hales, you've been sick for almost a month now and it hasn't gone away. You should go to the doctor," he suggested. "Lucas, it's just the flu. There's really not much I can do about it besides take some over-the-counter medicine." He knew she hated doctors and tried to avoid one as much as possible when it came to herself. "It's gotten worse Hales. You're coughing all the time, throwing up your food, you've had fevers…you need some antibiotics. Over-the-counter stuff won't do it for you. I'm just worried about you Hales," Lucas gazed at her with concern in his eyes as he rubbed her lower back. "I know. I'll call the doctor and schedule an appointment tomorrow," she replied. "Thank you," he responded as he lightly squeezed her around the waist and kissed her forehead.

The walked up the steps to the door of Karen's house where the kids were waiting and they rung the doorbell. It was a few minutes before she answered the door. When she saw Haley in her pink bunny suit and Lucas in the carrot costume, her eyes widened as a hand flew to her mouth, "Oh my…"