Jenny stirred and turned in her sleep but she did not wake up. Jake smiled, watching the constant and peaceful rise and fall of her chest. Checking his watch, he realized just how late it was.

"Maybe we should take off…" he suggested.

"Let her sleep", Nathan said. "Who knows what's going on? You may as well wait here for the girls to call or come back."

Jake nodded.

"Thanks, man. I just wish I knew what was happening."

"Just waiting around sucks", Nathan agreed.

"You know, when Peyton took this job, I actually encouraged her. I was really excited for her. I thought it would be a good way to use her time and share her talent and I knew she would make a difference in those kids' life but…I don't know. Damn, I don't mean to sound selfish or anything because I am proud of her, but I just…"

"Had no idea it would take up so much of her life? That she could be on call 24/7?"

"Well…yeah. I guess I sound like a real prick, huh?"

Nathan shook his head.

"Not at all. I know how you feel. I've been there."

"Haley?"

"Yep. It was kind of the same thing, I guess. I mean, I felt bad about leaving all the time. I love my job. I love playing ball. And if I didn't miss Hales so much, being on the road wouldn't be so bad. Sure, she has Brooke and they are good friends but face it…my wife and my brother's wife are like night and freaking day. And I love Brooke to death but there is only so much of her you can take in minimal prescribed doses. So I wanted Haley to find something to make her happy and occupy her time. And she did. She loves teaching and she's great at it. She loves her students and they love her. But that's the thing, man. This is where we do become the selfish pricks. We wanted our wives to have something to do while we're away making the big bucks and having fun. But when we come home, we wanted them to be able to drop everything and concentrate on us. It doesn't work that way."

Nathan made a lot of sense although Jake had never quite thought of it that way.

"I guess you're right, dude."

"You know I am. Sometimes, especially when we only get the short breaks, I just really want my wife all to myself. And it gets annoying and frustrating when I have to share her. But Haley…Hales is amazing, you know that. Not only is she a great teacher but she set up this after school tutoring program for all subjects by herself. When the school board couldn't fund supplies, she had the team donate. And just like with me, she's always there to talk or say a kind word or give you that incredible smile that just lets you know everything is going to be okay. I'm so proud to be married to her because of the person she is. Loyal, helpful, considerate…reliable. And that's when I realize it's okay. It's enough of her to go around. I don't know how she does it but she can be there for her students and still make time to be the most kick ass wife on the planet. That says something about her…and Peyton, too. She loves what she does but she loves you and Jenny more. Just give her a little time to figure out how to spread herself around so she can do both."

Jake sighed as he leaned back in the comfortable chair.

"They are pretty awesome…all of them, Pey, Brooke and Haley, I mean."

"Yeah. Me, you and Luke definitely lucked out."

"It's been rocky lately. I'm gone all the time and Peyton has been left to deal with Jenny on her own. I know it was rough. A part of us was naïve enough to think that we'd be getting our sweet little baby back. That wasn't the case. I mean, Jen is still our baby and we still love her but it's been hard. She's her own person and she was raised by Nikki all those years and things are just all around different. But through it all, Pey has been strong. Even when it's not easy, she's always there for both of us. Always has been, even in high school. Back then she could have been partying and living it up and now she could be this world famous, super rich, traveling the world artist but instead she's here putting up with my ass and trying to raise a kid who doesn't want to be raised. I guess that says a lot about her. Maybe I've taken stuff for granted."

"You miss North Carolina?" Nathan asked.

Jake shrugged.

"Sometimes. The good stuff, at least. What about you?"

Nathan smiled.

"It's a nice place to visit but…"

"You don't want to live there", Jake finished.

"Yeah."

"I don't blame you. You were too big for NC. It was like Nathan Scott has been destined to be this huge star all of his life. It was inevitable, man and everyone knows you and Haley belong together. But me? I was content in Tree Hill. I love to ball but I never had the skills you and Lucas had. I was never going to go pro and I was fine with that. I liked being the normal guy in the small town. If I'd had Jenny everything would have been perfect. But Peyton is like you. She's destined for more even if she doesn't realize it. Tree Hill was too small for her."

"I know you guys were pretty bummed when she lost the baby. Hales and I were sorry to hear about that."

"It sucked", he said truthfully. "I mean, the pregnancy itself was so unexpected. We didn't even know how to feel at first. Then you get used to the idea and it kind of grows on you and you start getting excited and all of a sudden, it's just over. But what was worse was seeing Peyton in so much pain and having to go through that operation."

"Can you guys still have kids?"

"I don't know. It's touch and go. The odds aren't in our favor. The infection did a lot of damage to her reproductive system. It isn't 100 percent impossible but if we decide to try again, it definitely won't be easy."

Nathan sighed sympathetically.

"I guess that was tough to hear for both of you, Pey especially."

"It was. Hell, it is. She was sick for a long time and depressed too. We were growing further and further apart. And even though Jenny wasn't there, we missed her and we thought about her every single day. It just came to a head."

"Yeah. When Haley heard Peyton had gotten tangled back up with that Rick guy, we felt like we had to do something."

Jake angrily shook his head.

"I could have killed that punk. I wanted to. Thank God she agreed to out patient rehab and we went to therapy for a while. It helped. But I guess you heard about her mother."

"That's crazy. I never knew Anna wasn't her real mom. I remember going to the funeral. Now all these years later to find out that her mother is alive."

"Peyton can't deal with it. It's too painful. All she ever knew was Anna and that's who she loved and that's who she grieves for. Then Ellie comes back and turns the apple cart upside down. Then all this topped with the fact that Larry never told her the truth. Peyton, by her own admission, has always had issues with loss and trust and abandonment. This just really pushed her over the edge. It makes her hard but at the same time vulnerable. That's why she relates to those kids and that's why she hangs in there when it comes to Jenny."

"You think it will get better? Like you guys could be a family again like you used to be."

Jake shrugged.

"I don't know, Nate. I mean, I hope so. And it has gotten better. We're not out of the woods yet but Jenny has gotten better. She's opening up to me. I just wish she would with Peyton. But that'll take time. It's pretty obvious Nikki spent a lot of the bitter years filling her head with lies and shit. That must have been a lot to take in for a little kid."

"Jenny's a good kid, man. She's got a mouth on her but she's a good kid. She can't help where she came from. None of us can. And you can't change the past…only the future. You guys are gonna be okay as a family. I just know it. And when the off season comes and you're home everyday, it'll be much better, trust me."

"I hope", Jake sighed as he looked over at the girl asleep on the couch. "She got so big, man. They grow up fast. She's so tall and pretty. I look at her sometimes and can't believe she's all mine."

"How's her jump shot?" Nathan teased.

Jake grinned.

"Almost as good as yours", he joked right back. "Seriously, man, the kid is a natural athlete and I swear I'm not just saying it because she's my daughter. But she's really good. And she can draw, too. She doesn't like for us to see her stuff but she has some real talent. And I even caught her playing my guitar."

"Yeah, I remember when she was a little baby. You'd lug her to practice sometimes and Whitey would chew your ass but he always let her stay. She was so tiny then. Now she's almost all grown up. She's almost a teenager. Dude, you are the father of a teenager."

"Hey", Jake corrected. "Pre teen. But so what? I still look youthful and handsome myself so it's okay. In a few years it'll do wonders for my ego when her friends come over and think I'm the hot older brother."

Nathan rubbed the stubble growing on his chin.

"Yeah. Having the 15 year olds still go crazy for you is pretty cool. It's one less reminder that we're almost 30."

"Hey! Speak for yourself, dude. I'm gonna be 27 forever."

"Now you sound like Brooke", Nathan quipped as he tossed a throw pillow at his friend.

Jake's cell phone rang.

"It's Peyton", he took a deep breath before answering. "What's up, babe? Where are you? Everything okay?"

The line was silent for a while before an obvious shaken Peyton could speak. Her voice quivered and he knew there had been tears.

"Jake", she sighed, taking Haley's hand for support. "We need to talk."