Author's Note: Hey guys! I know you guys probably all want to kill me for not updating The Sweetest Sin in like two weeks and even more for not updating ITPOAA. I've kind of had a major writer's block for both stories and I've been so busy and tired, but I'm slowly working through it. Luckily, next week is my spring break but I still have to work so I will have a little bit more time to write but I will also be busy as well. Next Friday I will be going up to Flagstaff ( Arizona) to see the snow with my dad and possibly one of my friends. I've never seen snow, well slushy snow, but anyways that is gonna be fun! We'll have snowball fights and make angels in the snow! Anyways, I hope you all like this chapter! As always, please read and review!

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

Rating: PG to PG-13

P.S- I went to the One Tree Hill concert last Saturday, March 12th and it was FREAKIN' AWESOME! I wished Joie would have sung more songs than just the duet with Tyler Hilton of 'When the Stars Go Blue' but I'm EXTREMELY happy all the same. I bought Joie's and Tyler's cd's and her voice is AMAZING! The most, BEST part of my night was when I got to MEET Bethany Joy Lenz and Tyler Hilton and I got their autographs! That was the best night of my life! Okay, done screaming out loud now from excitement.

The Sweetest Sin

Chapter 8

The next morning Haley woke up to Lucas drawing small circles on her bare stomach with an index finger. "Good morning," he said softly, smiling as he stared into her eyes. Haley put one hand behind his head and pulled him down to kiss her. "Morning," she replied with a grin. She wrapped her arms around his waist and snuggled closer to him, laying her head against his chest. "Where's Kris," she asked a few moments later after noticing that the little girl wasn't in bed with them. "She's watching cartoons in the living room like every kid does on a Sunday morning," he replied with a low chuckle. Haley sighed contentedly as she breathed in his musky scent, "I wish we could stay like this all day." "Sounds like a plan," he smirked with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "No, not that. I mean just lay here all day with your arms around me. It feels nice," Haley responded as she stroked his cheek then pulled his face down to meet her lips. "Mmm, it does," Lucas replied as he pulled away.

"I'm hungry," Haley stated suddenly. "Well then get dressed. We'll all go get some breakfast down at the café," he said as he sat up. A sad frown formed on her face as she crossed her arms, "I don't want to go there." "Why," he asked concernedly, rubbing the side of her arm. "Because-because your mom will be there and she-she probably hates me…" Haley began to cry, covering her face with her hands. "Oh no sweetie, she doesn't hate you. If anything, she should be mad at me for getting you pregnant, but she's not. She understands because she had me when she was young. Plus, we've done this before, with Krissy. She's okay with it, Hales, and she doesn't hate you. She told me that she wants to see you," he stroked her cheek with the back of his hand, "please sweetie?" After a few minutes, she nodded slowly. He pulled her hands away from her face and kissed her palms then her lips. "You go get dressed and I'll get Krissy ready." She stood from the bed, the nervous look still in her eyes as she bit her bottom lip. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it in reassurance, "It'll be okay Hales, I promise." She nodded silently then gave him a small smile before walking into the bathroom.

The two teens walked into the café with Lucas holding Krissy in one arm and his other arm wrapped around Haley's shoulder to help give her the courage to face his mother. Karen immediately spotted them and walked over, rubbing her hands on her thighs; she was nervous as well. She saw Lucas kiss Haley's temple and whisper in her ear, making her smile slightly. She knew that this, Haley and Lucas together as more than friends, had been a long time coming. Both parties walked towards each other slowly and Haley started to bite her bottom lip again as she stared down at the floor. Karen opened her arms wide with a small smile on her face and tears in her eyes as she wrapped them around her. Haley was stiff for a moment before she melted into Karen's arms, beginning to cry. "I'm so sorry…" she managed to choke out. "Sh, it's alright. I love you Haley. You're my daughter and nothing's going to change that. Everything is going to be okay…" Karen stroked her hair and rubbed her back then kissed her forehead, "Thank you." Haley sniffled as she pulled back, a confused expression on her face, "For what?" Karen gave her a soft smile then rubbed her hand on Haley's stomach, "For giving me another grandchild." Haley smiled but still had a confused look. "Another," Haley asked then turned to Lucas, "Luke, you don't have another kid that I don't know about, do you?" "No," he replied. Karen took Krissy from his arms, "I mean this little one."

"Grandma!" Krissy exclaimed as she wrapped her small arms around Karen's neck, "I'm hungry! Can I have some French toast sticks? And some eggs and milk? Please?" "Sure sweetie," Karen replied then asked Lucas and Haley, "What do you two want?" "I'll have a bacon, egg, and cheese burrito with a side of hash browns," Lucas replied. "Pancakes sound really good right now. I'll have an order of those and a large glass of orange juice," Haley responded after some thought. "Would that be a double stack or a triple stack," Lucas grinned widely at her. Haley hit him in the chest then glared at him. "What? You're eating for two now, you know," he replied. She placed her hands on her hips, a slightly mad expression on her face, "First you call me fat last night, now you want me to eat four to six pancakes?" Karen looked at her son with a shocked expression, "You called her fat? Boy, I hope you got in trouble for that one." "No, I said that she was showing a little and she thought I was calling her fat; she put words into my mouth."

"You're already showing," Karen asked, surprised, "then you've got to be, what, three or four months? Wait… it was the night of the Spring Fling dance wasn't it? Because Lucas, when he came home…" "When he came home what," Haley asked, glancing up at Lucas concernedly. "He was all moody and broody and I could tell that he'd been crying," Karen replied. "Mom," he groaned in embarrassment, "that's all in the past. And if you must know, yes, it did happen the night of the dance." "So you're probably about three months then," Karen deduced with some thought. Haley nodded and was about to say something when Krissy tugged on Karen's shirt, "Grandma, I'm hungry." "Alright sweetie, you go with Mommy and Daddy and I'll go fix your breakfast," Karen responded as she handed the little girl over to her son, "you guys go sit and I will be back out with your food in about ten minutes." "Okay, thanks Mom," he replied then led Haley over to a booth.

After they had eaten, Haley let out a moan of satisfaction as she leaned back, closing her eyes as she rubbed her stomach, "Mmm, that was soooo good. I missed your mom's cooking so much." Lucas chuckled as he smiled at her, "It must have been good if you ate like eight pancakes." Haley's eyes shot open in shock and shook her head indignantly, "I did not eat eight pancakes! I had five!" "Sure, you keep telling yourself that Hales," he winked at her with a smirk on his face. She crossed her arms and stuck out her bottom lip in a pout as she turned away from him. Lucas' face fell and he touched her shoulder tentatively, "Hey, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." "You didn't," she replied then turned back to him with a smile on her face. "You little tease, you did that just to make me feel bad, didn't you?" "Maybe," she replied. "Well then maybe I'll have to do a little punishing for that," he responded with a playful smirk.

"Lucas, please, my ears! I don't want to lose my breakfast," Karen replied as she walked up to them with Krissy in her arms. "I second that," Haley grinned. "Luke, I wanna go play basketball," the little girl exclaimed, "I haven't played in a very long, long time." "Okay Squirt, let's go," he responded as he took her from his mother, "we'll see you later Mom." She hugged her son then Haley, "I would love it if you would come back to the café. We need you and you're irreplaceable. Plus, I miss you because we haven't talked or seen each other in a while and I will be able to keep an eye on you. You take it easy okay? Don't stress or strain yourself. Remember, you've got another one to worry about." She smiled as she placed her hand on Haley's stomach. "I will," Haley smiled as she hugged her again and kissed her cheek, "bye Mom." "Bye sweetie," Karen replied.

When they arrived at the basketball court, Lucas grabbed the ball from the back and got Krissy out of her car seat. As they walked onto the court, he said to Haley as he pointed to the picnic table, "You go sit and watch. I don't want you getting hurt." "You mean I don't get to play basketball," her eyes widened in surprise then she smiled and laughed, "I guess I should get pregnant more often then, or at least gotten pregnant sooner." He gave her a dry, yet stern look. "Just joking," she replied. He smiled then gave her a light kiss on the lips. He walked over to where Krissy was trying to bounce the ball then hoisted her onto his shoulders and they began to play.

Krissy and Lucas played basketball for about two hours until he noticed that Haley was getting a little tired and bored. He told Krissy that they were going to head home and to get the ball then called out to Haley as he walked over to her, "Let's go, we're going home." Haley stood then immediately put one hand to her forehead and her other on the picnic table as she leaned against it. Lucas became scared and ran over, "Hales, are you alright? Here, sit down." He helped her down onto the bench again and sat beside her. "I'm fine, I just got a little dizzy. Must have stood up too fast." Krissy saw her sister hunched forward with her hand on her forehead and raced over, "Haley, what's wrong?" "I'm okay sweetie, I felt a little dizzy, that's all." "Let's get you home," he replied as he slowly helped her stand then wrapped his arms around her shoulders and guided her to the car.

As soon as they arrived back at Haley's house, she raced to the bathroom, muttering, "I'm gonna be sick…" After getting Krissy settled in her room for her mid-morning nap, Lucas followed her into the bathroom. She was still throwing up into the toilet and his heart broke at seeing her like this. He began to rub her back as he held her hair for her, "I hate that you have to go through this..." Haley looked up at him wide-eyed in a momentary reprieve from her retching, "What?" Did he regret getting her pregnant and didn't want the baby anymore? Haley shook her head to rid her mind of that thought; Lucas wouldn't think that. "I hate seeing you so sick. And I'm the one that caused it," he replied softly. Haley gave him a small smile, "But it will all be worth it in the end though." "Yeah," he hugged her. After ten more minutes without incident, Lucas helped her up off the bathroom floor and escorted her to the bedroom. "Why don't you get some sleep? You both need it," he said into her ear as he kissed her cheek. She nodded and changed into some more comfortable clothes then crawled into bed. "Lay down with me," she requested as she patted the spot behind her. He shed his jeans and slipped under the sheets beside her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she snuggled back into his chest. Lucas kissed her on the neck as he moved some of the hair away from her face and she closed her eyes in contentment, finally drifting off to sleep.

Several hours later, Haley woke to the sun setting in her window and saw that it was about 4:30 in the afternoon. When Lucas, who had been sitting in a chair for a while, noticed her movement he stood and sat beside her on the bed. "Hey, how are you feeling? Any better," he asked softly as he gently brushed his hand over her stomach. "Yeah, it was probably the morning sickness kicking in," she replied as she stretched. "I was beginning to get worried about you. You slept for a long time," he responded with concern written in his eyes. "Throwing up all your food will do that to you," she chuckled lightly then added with a grin, "plus, I sleep better when your arms are around me. I've got three months of sleep to make up for." He laughed then responded, "So what do you want to do tonight?" "Let's just stay in and watch movies or something. I think I've had enough excitement for today."

He rubbed the side of one shoulder as he kissed her forehead, "Okay, what do you want for dinner? Do you think you can eat anything?" "How about some Chinese food? I've been craving some of Rice Garden's Sesame chicken and chow mien," Haley replied, "oh, and get Kris some of the sweet and sour chicken, but don't give her the sauce; it'll make her bounce off the walls, give her ketchup with it instead." "Alright, anything else you want," he inquired. "Some egg rolls, they are so good. I could live off them if I had to." "Okay, I'll go put in the order. Why don't you grab a blanket and get comfy on the couch? Do you need help getting up? Are you still dizzy," he asked concernedly. "I'm fine," she patted his leg as she stood from the bed, "what's Kris up to?" "Oh, she's watching Blue's Clues or Dora the Explorer or some kid show in the den," he replied. "Alright, you go order that food; I'm hungry. I haven't eaten anything all day since I threw up breakfast." "Nice Hales, just when we're about to eat you go and mention that," he responded sarcastically. "Great, more food for me then," she smiled back at him. He laughed and kissed her cheek then went into the kitchen to grab the phone.

"So what movie is it going to be tonight, Hales," Lucas asked as he sorted through the movie rack. "How about My Little Pony," she grinned, her eyes twinkling with mirth. "Hell no. Didn't you watch that when you were like five years old?" "It's a good movie," Haley protested. "We're still not watching it," Lucas replied sternly. "Okay, how about Lion King 2 then," she suggested. "What's with all the kids movies, Hales?" "You better get used to it buster," she poked him in the chest with her finger, "I can't watch any scary horror movies or movies with lots of blood and gore. It's not good for the baby if I get scared and I don't want to be throwing up all throughout the movie from all the blood." "Fine, Lion King 2 it is," he responded as he put the movie into the DVD player.

After the second movie was over, Lucas looked down and saw that Haley was fast asleep against him. Her head lay on his chest with her right hand over his heart and her other arm wrapped around his back. He kissed the top of her head then smoothed her hair, lightly rubbing her back. A few minutes passed as he laid back on the couch with his eyes closed, relishing at having Haley beside him. He then carefully picked her up in his arms and carried her to the bedroom and gently laid her down before he climbed in beside her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and breathed in her scent, finally falling asleep himself.

The next morning before school started, Haley and Lucas walked into the daycare center with Krissy in his arms. One of the ladies, Michelle, noticed them and smiled as she came over to them. "Good morning Haley, Lucas," she said then tickled the little girl's tummy, "and good morning to you, Krissy." She giggled and replied, "Morning Ms. M." Many of the young kids Michelle watched over could not pronounce her name correctly yet so she told them to call her Ms. M. She turned back to the teens, "Glad to see you two back together again. Krissy here has been sad ever since you two broke up." "Thanks," Lucas replied. Haley stroked Krissy's hair and kissed her cheek, "Bye Kris, you have fun okay?" She nodded, "I will." "See you later baby. We'll come pick you up after school," he kissed her forehead then set her down on the ground. "Bye Luke, bye Haley," Krissy said then ran to go play with some of the other kids that were already there.

Once they had gotten their books from their lockers, they walked down the hall towards Haley's first class. "Can I carry your books, Miss James," he asked with a smile. "I can carry them on my own thank you very much," she answered back sarcastically. "Remember what the Child Development teacher said, no heavy lifting," he chided her. "She meant like fifty pound boxes, Lucas, not a five pound text book and a one pound binder," Haley responded as she rolled her eyes. "Still, you're my girlfriend and I would like to carry your books for you. Is that too much to ask?" "Fine," she sighed as she handed him her books, "if it'll make you feel better and more manly, then be my guest." "Hey, I'm manly," he protested. "Yeah, right, like the time I walked into your house to find you singing and dancing in your smiley face boxer shorts to Aretha Franklin's 'Respect'," she asked with raised eyebrows and a smirk on her face. "You said you would never talk about that again," he replied in a low tone. "You told me never to talk about it again. I don't always do what you say," she grinned. "Oh really," he asked, also raising an eyebrow, "what other things have you done that I've told you not to do?" "Oh I don't know, lots of things," she responded with a smile. "Like what?" "Like this," she pinched his butt and he jumped a little. "Ouch," he replied, "you pinched hard. Besides, I told you not to do that when we weren't dating. You can do that all you want now."

He grinned at her and she slapped him lightly in the chest with the back of her hand, "Aww, poor baby. Want me to kiss it and make it better?" "Now Hales, that would hardly be appropriate behavior at school, but you could always save that for later," he smirked then winked at her. "Or I could do something a little more subtle, like I don't know…" she smiled as she slipped her hand into the right back pocket of his jeans and began to rub a small circle before squeezing the skin a little. He jolted in reflex and then he hissed in her ear. "Hales, stop. You-You're, you know," he glanced down and she did too, noticing the slight bulge in the front of his pants. It was her turn to smirk, "Oh, I'm getting you all hot and bothered? Well, I guess you better take a cold shower before class starts. There's enough time for you to take a quick one in the locker room." He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close, "Or I could take you into the janitor's closet and have my way with you right now with hundreds of students and teachers just outside the door." "Nah uh, no way. I draw the line at that. That's never gonna happen," she responded adamantly. "Never say never, Hales," he smiled. "How about, you wish," she responded.

The bell rang and both sighed, hating that they had to part ways to go to their separate classes. "I'll miss you," she said softly, a hint of tears shining in her eyes. "Me too," he replied, stroking her cheek with his thumb. They hugged each other then kissed tenderly for a few moments before they pulled away. "Alright, I have to go. My class is down at the other end of the building. Meet you by your locker after third hour so we can pick up Kris and go home," Lucas asked. "Yeah," she replied quietly. He pulled her close to him again so no one else would see then rubbed his hand on her stomach. "Bye Mama," he kissed her forehead then gave her shoulder a light squeeze as he left. "Bye," she said softly as she watched his retreating figure walk away from her. She turned to face the opposite way and wiped her wet cheeks as she muttered, "Damn hormones."

Later that day in her second hour English class, Haley was sitting there intently listening to the teacher's lecture while she took notes when the familiar feeling of nausea rose in her throat. She rose her hand and shook it every which way, desperately trying to get the teacher's attention, whose back was turned, for she did not trust herself to open her mouth to speak. She finally gave up and raced out of the classroom, making a mad dash for the bathrooms, which were thankfully just down the hall.

Peyton, who was in the same English class, followed after her concernedly, knowing what she'd find. This, Haley rushing to the bathroom, had been a common occurrence in the last few weeks and these past two or three times, she had gone after her to make sure she was okay. And every time she found the same thing. Her prediction was confirmed when she opened the bathroom door and heard retching from one of the stalls. The other times Haley would tell her she was fine and tell her that she wasn't feeling well or that she'd probably poured some sour milk in her cereal that morning. But Peyton wasn't going to take her excuses any more. She knew something was wrong and had a pretty good feeling for what it was.

Peyton lightly knocked on the stall door that Haley was behind and asked worriedly, "Haley, are you alright?" "Yeah, I'm fine Peyton, just not feeling too well today. You go on and head back to class. I'll be okay," Haley replied in a weak, muffled voice. "No, you're not okay," she stated loudly, "now you let me in or I swear I will find a way in there!" There was a little paper rustling for a moment then the lock clicked and the door slowly inched open. Peyton pushed it open the rest of the way and found Haley hunched over the toilet. Peyton gently grabbed Haley's hair and held it for her as she rubbed her back while Haley emptied the contents of her stomach. When Haley had stopped for a few minutes, Peyton asked softly, "You're pregnant, aren't you?" Haley looked at her with wide, shocked eyes for a moment then slowly nodded. "Does he know," Peyton inquired. She nodded again. "What are you going to do," the blonde asked. "We're keeping the baby," Haley replied quietly, involuntarily wrapping her arms around her stomach.

Now Peyton's eyes were wide, "So you're going to be with him? Haley, he hurt you! He could hurt your baby!" Haley was confused for a moment, "Wait, who are you talking about?" "Nathan, of course! Who else could I be talking about," she shouted. "Peyton, Nathan's not the father," Haley replied. "Then who…" she asked confusedly then it dawned on her, "Lucas?" "Yeah," the brunette responded quietly. "Wow, when did that happen?" Haley responded uncomfortably, "Um, the night of the Spring Fling dance." Peyton laughed, "I always thought that name was a little corny but now it just sounds so right." "It wasn't a fling. Well, it was at the time, but it became so much more for us." Peyton smiled as she glanced down at Haley's stomach, "I can see that." "Well yeah, that's a big part of it, but it brought Luke and I together. Maybe we wouldn't be together if it hadn't been for that night and this baby. He's so great Peyton, about everything. He makes me feel…" Haley stopped abruptly as she turned and retched into the toilet. "That's not a very nice way of putting it," Peyton smirked then rose and got some wet paper towels. She sat beside Haley again and when she raised her head, Peyton dabbed her warm forehead and cheeks with them. "Thanks," Haley replied. "No problem," the blonde replied, "are you feeling any better?" "Yeah, just give me a couple more minutes to make sure I'm not going to throw up anymore," Haley responded. "Okay," Peyton answered and five minutes later, she helped Haley up off the floor and guided her back to class.

Haley was waiting by her locker when Lucas walked up to her and hugged her around the waist then kissed her on the lips. "Hey Hales," he greeted her then rubbed her stomach between them and whispered in her ear so none of the passersby would hear, "hi baby." She smiled at him and kissed his cheek, "Hey." He looked at her concernedly, "Are you feeling alright? You look a little pale." "I'm okay, I just threw up earlier during second hour." "Are you sure? You're not feeling dizzy or faint or anything," he asked worriedly as he rubbed her shoulder. "I'm fine," she stated firmly, becoming a little irritated. "I just worry about you, okay? I don't want anything to happen to you or the baby," he whispered in her ear. "I know," she sighed, "it's just the mood swings and hormones making me crazy." "Nah, you were crazy even before you got pregnant," he smirked. She hit him lightly in the chest, "Lucas!" "Come on, let's go pick up Kris," he replied.

Later that afternoon, the three of them were at the park next to the rivercourt, enjoying the sunny and warm afternoon. While Krissy played with other kids on the jungle gym and the slides, Lucas and Haley were cuddled up on a blanket under a tall oak tree near the river front. Lucas sat behind her, leaning against the tree, and Haley was snuggled back into his strong chest. Her head rested in the crook of his neck and their hands were entwined together on her thighs. A light breeze drifted through the air and Haley closed her eyes, taking in all the different smells of the flowers in bloom, Lucas' musky scent, and her own perfume all mingling together. She sighed in contentment then leaned her head up and lightly pressed her mouth to the side of his jaw. "I love you," she said in a soft voice and a small smile on her face. He raised one of their linked hands and kissed the back of her hand then her right temple, "Love you too Hales."

Haley's gaze searched the playground for Krissy and then she spotted a parent pushing their child on the swings and her smile broadened. She motioned to Luke to look at what she saw then she said quietly, "That's going to be us again soon." She looked up at him and he smiled then tenderly kissed her lips. "Yeah," he replied as he too stared at the parents with their children then he took his hands from Haley's and slowly rubbed her stomach. She smiled even wider at this action and she placed her hands on top of his. "I wish we could stay like this forever," she murmured as she closed her eyes. "Me too," he nuzzled her hair then kissed her cheek and rested his chin on top of her head, closing his eyes as well.

They stayed like that for a little while until Krissy called out from the playground, "Mommy! Come push me on the swings!" Haley started to get up but Lucas wouldn't let her go. "No, you stay here and rest. I'll go push her," he said as he got up. "I'm not going to sit around on my ass and rest the whole remainder of my pregnancy while you do everything, Luke. I'm not going to be treated like an invalid. I won't stand for it." He stroked her hair then rubbed her back, "I know sweetie, but you need all the rest you can get and I don't want you to strain yourself. It could hurt the baby. I just don't want anything to happen to either of you, okay?" She nodded silently, a few tears falling down her cheeks as she responded, "I just- I don't want you to treat me like a porcelain doll that you put up on a shelf and only bring it down to play once in awhile. You get what I mean? I'm not fragile; I can still do things. I don't want to be made to sit on the couch and rest until after the baby is born. I want to live my life normally, I need to live my life normally." He stroked her cheek with his thumb and wiped away her tears, "I know." He took her hand and kissed the back of it, "Come on." He helped her up off the blanket and he entwined his fingers with hers as they walked onto the playground to push Krissy on the swings.

Later that night, with Krissy already put to bed, Haley and Lucas lay nestled together on the couch. Lucas was on his back and Haley laid half on top of him and half by his side, her head resting over his heart. They relished in the peaceful quietness of the house, times like these few because of their little girl sleeping in her room down the hall. Lucas stroked her arm slowly, dragging his fingers up and down her soft skin. "Prom is coming up, you know," he murmured softly. "Three weeks," she mumbled, her eyelids fighting to stay open but losing the battle fast. "You need to get a dress," he said in the same tone. "Who said I was even going? Especially with you," Haley chuckled sleepily. "Well, you kinda sorta have to go with me because, well, you know, you're my girlfriend and you're carrying my child. So you're kinda sorta stuck with me," he grinned. "I guess, if I must," she replied as she yawned. "You must," he replied with a smile then gently picked her up, "come on, let's get you to bed."