Peyton and Haley stood there with their mouths open.

"Ok you guys can get your jaws off the floor now," Lucas broke the silence. "I haven't even told you who it is yet!"

"Well?" Peyton and Haley both screamed.

"You are not going to believe this…" Lucas began.

-Flashback-

"Hello?"

"Hey Lucas, it's me.'

"Hey mom! What's going on?"

"Well, I have some news. And I'm not really sure what to think of it yet myself."

"What's the news?"

"They've caught the person who attempted to murder Dan. It was Jules."

"Jules? As in Keith's Jules? As in the woman who stood him up at the altar?"

"Yes, that Jules. Apparently, they found her cell phone on the floor of the burned dealership. They called her in, and she openly admitted it saying how it was time for someone to bring Dan down or something like that."

"Wow…" Lucas was speechless for a moment. "How's Keith doing with this?"

"I honestly don't know. He said he was going to go see her but I haven't talked to him since."

"Only in Tree Hill," was all Lucas had left to say. "Thanks for calling mom. Is Dan still in a coma?"

"Yes, and he is expected to wake up any day now, so we'll see. How are things with my almost daughter and her husband?" Karen had always considered Haley to be her daughter. The two had always been close.

"I think everything is going to be okay," he paused. "For now." He let out a sigh.

"That's all we can hope for I guess. I should probably let you go, see you when you get home, love you."

"Love you too, mom. Bye."

-End of Flashback-

So maybe Lucas didn't share that last part of the conversation with Haley and Peyton, but it didn't matter. He was still waiting for their response to Jules being the murderer.

"Oh my God," Peyton finally said. "I guess she had reason to though." They all laughed at this.

"I can't believe it," Haley said when her phone started ringing. "Be right back guys." She walked over to a secluded area of the store. "Hello?"

"What are you wearing?"

"No way Nathan, I'm in a public place."

"Fine," he pouted. "So what public place are you at exactly?"

"The Strip, doing a little shopping. What's going on?"

"Just got out of practice, wanted to see if you all wanted to meet for dinner. I called Jake and he's going to meet us there."

"Oh my God, that's great! Ok we'll meet you there in say 20 minutes?"

"Sure, love you."

"Love you too." How good does it feel to say that, she thought after she hung up the phone. How perfect everything was right now. Getting along with her husband, vacationing in Florida, shopping with her best friend, life was great. "Ok you guys, let's go! We're meeting Nathan in 20 minutes and Peyton, do we have a surprise for you," Haley said when she walked back over to where Lucas and Peyton were standing. They purchased their items and headed down to the restaurant. They were directed to the table that Nathan and Jake were sitting at. Jake had his back to them, and they couldn't tell who it was just yet.

"Haley, who is that guy with Nathan," Peyton asked.

"Why don't you ask him yourself," Haley smirked and tapped Jake on the back.

"JAKE!" Peyton screamed and burst into tears, holding onto him like there was no tomorrow.

"It's okay Peyt, I'm here now." He stroked her hair, then turned to their 3 friends. "We're just going to go outside." They all simply nodded and sat down.

"So," Lucas began. "How's camp going Nathan?"

"It's good. Definitely learning new things, but it's a lot of work, and not really how I planned to spend my summer, you know?"

"Yeah, but it's a great opportunity, you couldn't pass it up."

"He did once," Haley cut in. Neither Nathan nor Lucas knew what to say. "Oh come on you guys, it's not like some hidden secret. We all knew that."

"Yeah I guess," Nathan agreed. "And as great as Florida is, I kind of miss being in Tree Hill. Everyone's there. And I'm stuck here."

"We miss you too man," Lucas said with a sigh. "It hasn't been the same since you left."

"Yes, definitely lonely," Haley agreed and looked up at Nathan with sad eyes. How she missed his intense blue eyes. Nathan leaned down and kissed her. Lucas was happy for them, but he could only take so much.

"Ok guys," he said and Nathan and Haley broke apart. "Oh Nate, did you talk to your mom yet?"

"She left a message saying to call her and that it was important, but I didn't yet. Why?"

"They caught Dan's murderer."

"No way, who?"

"Jules." Nathan gasped.

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah, she admitted it and everything, said Dan had it coming."

"Well, we both said that too," Nathan chuckled. Jake and Peyton finally reappeared.

"Hey, you're back," Haley said brightly. They smiled and joined in the conversation. 'This is the way this summer was supposed to be,' Haley thought to herself as the 5 friends enjoyed each other's company. 'Only one person is missing…'

Later that night, Nathan and Haley went down to one of the hot tubs to relax and talk. "Why did you send me annulment papers," Haley blurted out. "Were you going to give up that easily?"

"Annulment papers? I never sent you any. Dan tried to get me to sign some, but I refused."

"But Dan came to one of my shows and handed me the papers with your signature!"

"Bastard! I knew he was up to no good. I wish he would stop trying to control my life. Why did you come back then? If you thought I was trying to get our marriage annulled, why bother coming back?"

"Because our marriage is worth fighting for. And if I lost you, I don't know what I'd do," she started to get teary-eyed.

"Yeah, same for me too. That's why it killed me when you left without even a goodbye, or a note, or an 'I love you.' You left nothing."

"It's not like you gave me a fair choice Nathan. You asked me to choose between the 2 things I love most in this world, you and music. It just wasn't fair."

"Haley, I was so scared I would lose you. I didn't know what else to do. All I could think about was you kissing Chris."

"It was a mistake. He kissed me and I pulled away. He tried it again one night before a concert and I kneed him in the balls."

"Way to go Hales! He got what he deserved."

"Speaking of deserving things, how do you really feel about Dan?"

"I cannot stand him. He kept me and Lucas apart all these years, tried to break you and me up, went to the point of illegally signing my name on annulment papers, but yet he's still my father, you know? As much I want him to die, I don't want him to."

"I understand. That's how I am with Taylor. We don't always see eye to eye, but I love her just because she's my sister."

"Yeah, that 'family bond.' It'll always be there. And how great were things with Jake and Peyton tonight?"

"I know, I'm so happy for them. I can't wait to find out what happened when they went outside."

"Aren't you a nosy one!"

"Yes, but I'm your nosy one," Haley grinned as she kissed him.

"That you are," he agreed as they cuddled under the starlit sky.

The next day, while once again Nathan had practice, Haley and Peyton were shopping.

"So Peyton, what happened with you and Jake last night when you left the restaurant when we first got there?"

"Wow Hales, I was in serious shock. I can't believe he's really here. He pretty much just held me and told me how everything would be okay. He told me about Jenny and how well things were going and that he'll be back in Tree Hill soon. And he asked me to stay with him down here until this thing with Nikki was over."

Haley dropped the shirt she was holding. "Oh my god, what did you say," she squealed as she bent down to pick the shirt up.

"Yes of course, but is that okay? Do you mind?"

"Of course I don't mind! Aw, I'm so happy for you Peyton. Things are starting to look up."

"Yeah, it's great. Oh wow, I'm definitely getting this skirt," Peyton headed back towards the dressing room.

After shopping, Haley went up to Nathan's room to wait until Nathan got back. She fell asleep watching TV. Just minutes later, Nathan walked in and saw her laying there. 'She's beautiful,' he thought. 'But then again, she always is. What did I do to deserve her? She could do so much better than me.' He pulled the covers down while trying not to disturb her and crawled in. "I never doubted that you would come back. Words can't describe how much I love you," he said to her before falling into a deep sleep. What he didn't know was that she was really awake and listening. "I love you too Nathan," she whispered and fell back asleep, the two of them just holding onto each other, never wanting to let go.

"I can't believe we're leaving today," Hales cried as she hugged Peyton at the airport.

"I'll be back in Tree Hill soon, call me everyday," the blonde said back.

"Of course, would you expect any less," the girls laughed.

Lucas and Nathan hugged. "Don't go all superstar on us before you come home," Lucas joked.

"I won't man, don't worry. Just watch after Hales for me, I worry about her."

"Always do. Good luck." Then it was time for Nathan and Haley's goodbye. Haley was already in tears.

"I'll miss you Nate," she said hysterically as she cried on his shirt.

"I'll miss you too, but I'll be back before you know it!"

"I know, but it won't come soon enough. I love you," she said then kissed him passionately.

"I love you too. Call me when you get home."

"Alright, bye Nathan," she tearfully waved goodbye as she walked away.

"Are you going to be okay Hales," Lucas hugged her as they were walking towards the boarding gate.

"No," she cried and all Lucas could do was comfort her. 'Only 2 more months to go,' he thought.

Hours later, when they finally got home, Haley went straight to the apartment. Sleep sounded so good right now. When she opened the door however, she realized she wouldn't get to sleep anytime soon.

"Surprise," the brunette yelled as she jumped off the couch.

"Tigger!" The girls hugged. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm back for a few days to visit my best friends ever! You're here, but where is goldilocks?"

"Oh," Haley wasn't sure how to say this. "Actually, you know how you told me to go down to Florida? Well, I did and I took Peyton and Lucas with me."

"And how did things go with loverboy?"

"Good, things are definitely better. I already miss him."

"So what does this have to do with where Peyton is?"

"Well when Nathan first got down to Florida, he ran into Jake who was working as a waiter at this restaurant. We got the two together and he asked Peyton to stay with him until he could come back to Tree Hill. It shouldn't be long before they come back though since Nikki lied in her testimony, Jake should get Jenny soon."

"Finally, the bitch we call Nikki loses! It kind of sucks that I won't get to see Peyton though," Brooke pouted. "But at least she's with Jake, even though I'm sure she missed me more than him!"

"I'm sure Brooke," Haley laughed. "So how long are you here for? What do you want to do?"

"I'm here for like 2 days. And what do I want to do? I think you know me well enough that you shouldn't have to ask."

"Hmm…" Haley pretended to think for a minute, then grabbed her keys. "Ok, let's go!" The girls headed to the mall.

After yet another afternoon of shopping for Haley, they headed back to the apartment with DVD's and ice cream in hand.

"So Tutorgirl, which one are we watching first?"

"10 Things I Hate About You, now pass me the butter pecan!" The girls watched movies all night and talked the usual girl talk. Haley never realized how much she missed Brooke and couldn't even begin to imagine what Peyton went through. She also realized Lucas didn't know Brooke was back and figured it was a touchy subject, so she didn't bring it up. That didn't stop her from starting to form a plan to get them to speak to each other though. 'What an influence Brooke is,' she said to herself when she realized how scheming she was being.

Early the next morning, the girls were interrupted by someone knocking at the door. Haley got up to get it.

"Hey Hales," Lucas said as he walked in. "Have any plans for today? Thought maybe we could do something?" Haley was about to respond when Brooke walked in the room.

"Who is it Haley," she asked as she rubbed her eyes.

"Brooke," Lucas gasped.

"Lucas." Neither were sure what to do next.

"I'm going to leave you two alone," Haley quickly retreated to her bedroom to call Nathan. She got his voicemail though.

"Hey Nathan, it's me, just thinking of you. You'll never believe this but Brooke's here for a couple of days! And then Lucas came over this morning so now I'm hiding in the bedroom trying to avoid what could possibly turn into World War 3. Call and save me! Love you!" She sighed as she hung up the phone. She missed him already, how was she going to go 2 more months without him?

Back out in the living room, things were still silent. "What are you doing here," Lucas finally asked.

"Haley called me about Peyton. She was worried about her and thought I could help. So I come down here for a couple of days and she's frolicking in Florida with Jake. I just miss her so much," Brooke began to cry.

"Aw Brooke, it's okay," Lucas gave her a hug. "I'll always be here if you need me."

"About that, why did you kiss me before I left?"

"I told you why, I've always loved you."

"But what about Peyton?"

"Peyton was an illusion. Something that I thought I wanted when I was scared to go after what I really wanted, which was you."

"But why save those pictures? Shouldn't the fact of knowing what you did be enough to remind you?"

"I guess, but the pictures made it more real. It's like I had the proof in my hands."

"I don't know what else to say," Brooke sighed.

"Just say you'll be with me, give us another chance."

"I don't know if I can Luke."

"Just try," he leaned in to kiss her. She was reluctant at first but eventually gave in and kissed him back. Then suddenly, she broke away. "I can't."

"Why not?"

"I'm only here for a couple of days Lucas! Then it's back to California for the summer, possibly the rest of my life! You don't want a long distance relationship."

"Brooke, I don't care what it takes, but I need to be with you."

"I want to be with you too," she whispered, giving Lucas hope. "But it's too complicated right now."

Lucas didn't know what else to do. "Fine, call me when things aren't complicated. Unless you forgot, we're in Tree Hill, everything is always complicated." With that he stormed out of the apartment, leaving Brooke to cry on the floor. Haley came running out when she heard the door slam. "Aww Tigger, come here," Haley hugged the girl. "Everything will work out, he loves you." Brooke nodded but it didn't make her stop crying. The girls held onto each other like they were the only people left.