Author's Note: SURPRISE! New chapter! Shocked? I know, I was too. I got this chapter finished early so I decided to post it. The inspiration and ideas for this story are really flowing right now so I'm really happy about that. I'm sorry to those of you who read my other story, ITPOAA, I still have a MAJOR writer's block. I know some of the things I want to happen in the chapter, but I don't know how I want to put it down into words. Anybody ever have that happen? Sucks, don't it? Anyways, this chapter has both fluff and drama, so I hope you all like it! 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. – Is anybody else having MAJOR One Tree Hill withdrawal like I am? Screw The Starlet, put OTH back on! I'm hoping to FINALLY get Season 1 on DVD this week so I'm happy about that so I can watch some episodes while I'm on spring break if dad doesn't hog the DVD player.
The Sweetest Sin
Chapter 9
It had been two weeks since they had been together and they were closer than ever. Karen had allowed Lucas to stay with Haley so he could keep an eye on her at home and help out with Krissy so Haley wouldn't become overwhelmed or stressed with everything going on. She was a busy girl, after all. Haley would go through a full day of school, possibly an hour or two of tutoring, then would put in a few hours at the café, where Karen kept a watchful eye on her and made her sit down every once in a while so she wouldn't overwork herself. Haley was patient; however, with all the walking on eggshells Lucas and Karen were doing around her, she was becoming frustrated, and her hormones didn't help any. As the days went by, Haley became increasingly more emotional and sensitive about anything and everything. Just the other night, Haley had burst into tears at a commercial of a mother washing her baby in a bathtub with that Johnson's baby shampoo. Lucas had come from the kitchen where he was making dinner, alarmed, to see what was wrong. He was finally able to calm her down and they ate dinner, put Krissy to bed, then went to bed themselves.
It was now Saturday afternoon and Lucas walked into the house after playing a little two-on-two with Skills, Junk, and Fergie down at the rivercourt. He heard a sound coming from the bedroom and raced to it concernedly, swinging the door open. He found Haley lying face down on the bed, her head buried into a pillow, as she sobbed loudly, the pillow failing to muffle her cries. Lucas gently sat down on the bed beside her and stroked her hair. "Honey, what's wrong," he asked softly. She turned on her back, her face red and puffy, tears streaming down her cheeks. He became even more worried, "Hales, please tell me?" She sucked in a deep breath to steady her voice, but it did not help; it still wavered when she spoke. "My-my pants don't fit…" Haley burst into a fit of tears again as she covered her face with her hands. It was then Lucas noticed that her jeans were unbuttoned and the zipper was only halfway up because of the growing roundness from their baby. "Aww, honey, that's great," Lucas exclaimed with a wide open smile. Haley stopped crying and glared at him murderously. "How is that great," she asked him angrily.
He kissed the back of her hand then tenderly kissed her belly, gently rubbing it a few times in a circle. Tears of happiness were now shining from his eyes as he answered softly, "It means that our baby is growing and getting bigger, which means that soon our son or daughter will be here." He hugged her to him, rubbing her back to comfort her. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him tightly against her, her hands against his shoulder blades. "I love you," she whispered as a few more tears fell and she buried her face in his strong chest, inhaling his scent. "I love you so much Hales," he responded quietly as he kissed the top of her head. They stayed in each other's embrace for several long minutes until Lucas said in a raspy, seductive voice that Haley so loved, "You know, you look very sexy right now…" She pulled back and looked at him skeptically, glancing down at her rumpled shirt and toying with her messy hair. "I don't think so," she mumbled as she looked down at her hands, tears once again forming in her brown eyes. He took her face in his hands and kissed the tip of her nose, smiling softly at her, "You're beautiful and sexy and don't believe for one minute, one second, that you aren't. You don't know how many times just in these past two weeks that I've had to take a cold shower or almost had to tie myself down to keep my hands off you every minute I'm with you." "Really," she asked meekly, "you don't think I'm fat?"
"Oh, honey, no…Why would I? That's our baby in there," he replied quietly as he pointed to her stomach. She covered her face with her hands again, sniffling through her tears, "I-I just- sometimes I feel like you don't want me anymore…because I'm fat…and then I'll get even more fat…" Lucas wrapped his arms around her and lightly kissed her neck, "It's because I want you too much…" She stared at him confusedly again and he elaborated, "I love you Hales, so much. You said you wanted to take this slow and that's what I'm doing. Plus, I'm afraid that I might hurt you or the baby. I don't want to lose control and push into you too hard or lay on top of you because I will be laying on your stomach and I don't want to crush the baby… I-I just don't want hurt either of you." "I thought we threw the idea of going slow out the day we got together," she asked with a small smile. "Yeah, but I still want to take this slow. I don't-" "You don't want to hurt me or the baby, I know," Haley finished for him. She looked into his blue eyes and saw that he really was scared about this. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, stroking the back of his head. They just sat there for a long time, Haley giving him silent reassurance as he nuzzled her with his nose in the crook of her neck, taking in her perfume, finding comfort in Haley's familiar smell.
She said several minutes later as she pulled away from him, "It's okay. Remember, I told you the doctor said it was alright to have sex up until the last month." "I know, but I still think we should wait; at least for a little while," he responded then added, "Just remember that I love you, no matter what. I don't care how big you get or if your feet swell up like balloons or if you chew me out every day until the baby is born. I'll still love you. You're my Hales and there is no one else I would rather have by my side for the rest of my life." She sniffled as she gently pushed him in the chest, "You jerk. You better not be proposing. You're not even down on one knee." He saw the small smile on her face so he knew that she wasn't mad at him. "I'm not proposing unless you want me to. Otherwise, you'll just have to wait until the timing is perfect," he responded with a smile of his own. "I want to wait until the time is right too," she replied as she leaned into his chest again.
They lay down for a while, their arms wrapped around each other as they softly kissed, alternating with light roaming of their tongues every few minutes. He ran his fingers through her long auburn tresses and she dragged her fingernails lightly along his back, causing him to moan. He felt himself begin to swell at her gentle touch and reluctantly he pulled himself away, "Hales, stop…" He really didn't want to tell her to stop, but he was still scared. Haley and the baby meant everything to him and he didn't want to jeopardize that just because he couldn't control himself one night. She slipped her small hands under his shirt and began to draw small circles on his chest, the puppy dog pout she knew he could never resist on her face, "Please Luke?" He sighed in defeat, "Alright, but tell me if anything hurts, okay?" She nodded, desire burning in her chocolate brown eyes, "I will." He slowly pulled off her shirt then began a trail of kisses from her mouth to her neck, in the valley between her breasts, her stomach, then he lightly pressed his lips in the space between her navel and the waistband of her panties. She giggled at this then pulled him back up to her own lips. "That tickles," she responded after they parted. He smiled and rubbed the one-day-old scrub on his face, "Guess I shouldn't shave so often then." Soon the rest of their clothes were shed and they began to move in a slow rhythm with Haley on top as they rocked back and forth…
Later in the day, Lucas walked up to Haley, who was sitting on the couch reading a magazine, and sat down beside her. She had changed into a pair of Luke's sweatpants, which were a little big, but that was a good thing; at least they fit around her stomach, Haley had mused after putting them on. He patted her thigh to get her attention, "I think I have a solution to your little clothing problem." "What, me wearing your sweatpants for the next five or six months? Because I hate to tell you Luke, but even those will get too small." "No, I think you should give Peyton a call and you two can go shopping for some clothes. You don't need maternity clothes yet, but you'll need them soon. Why don't you get a couple outfits that have some stretch pants or elastic in them? That way they'll accommodate you as our baby gets bigger," he replied as he placed his hand on the small round bump of her belly, careful not to mention anything about her stomach getting bigger because he knew she would get all emotional again, then added, "plus, you still need to get a prom dress. It's only a week away, you know."
Ever since Peyton had found out about the baby, the two girls had become even closer than before. They were often joined at the hip at school if Haley wasn't with Luke and they hung out sometimes after school when Haley wasn't working or she got tired of sitting around the house, orders from Luke of course. However, Luke had also given his little lecture on making sure Haley rested to Peyton many times before whenever they went to go do something, even just hanging out around the house. Needless to say, Haley was getting frustrated.
Haley sighed and pushed some hair behind her ear, "Okay, I'll call her, but you better not give Peyton another talk about making me rest. Shopping won't be any fun if I have to sit down every twenty damn minutes." He hugged her, "Okay, I promise. Just- if you feel sick, or dizzy, or faint, I want you to come home alright?" She nodded in his embrace, "I promise." Once they pulled away, he patted her back, "You go call Peyton. I think I'll head down to the café and give my mom a hand. She's probably got her hands full running back and forth checking on Kris while tending to the customers." Lucas went to go get changed and Haley called Peyton, who was eager for a shopping buddy to go with on her search for the perfect prom dress.
Just as Lucas was about to leave, the doorbell rang and Haley went to answer it. "Hey Peyton, thanks for coming with me. Luke here doesn't really have all that good taste in clothes so I'm glad that we're going shopping together instead of me and him," she smiled back at him sweetly as he walked up behind her. "Hey now, if that's really true then why do you always end up wearing my clothes," he smirked as he glanced down to the sweatpants and one of his large t-shirts she was wearing. "Okay, more than I needed to hear. Haley, let's go. I don't want to stand here and listen to any more of your sex banter," Peyton cut in as she motioned for Haley to come outside. "Hold on a sec," Haley replied then turned to Lucas. She hugged him and kissed him softly on the lips, "Love you. See you later okay?" He nodded and kissed her back, "Love you too Hales." He then turned to Peyton, "You better drive carefully. And remember to take good care of my girl here; she's precious cargo." He patted Haley's stomach as he said the last line. "Don't worry, Daddy, she's in good hands," the blonde replied as she patted Haley's shoulder with the arm wrapped around her back. Lucas watched the two girls laugh at something one of them had said as they walked down the steps to Peyton's car and smiled.
"So, what exactly are you looking for? Like color, design…input opinion here," Peyton stated with a grin as she linked her arm through Haley's once they entered the mall. "Oh um, I'm not sure. I guess when I see it, I'll know," Haley replied with a shrug then said, "Peyton? Um, I just wanted to tell you that looking for a prom dress isn't the only thing I needed to go shopping for, um…" Haley's cheeks tinted pink a little bit in embarrassment and Peyton caught on after looking at her again. "Pants don't fit, huh," the blonde asked with a smirk. "Yes, and stop gloating," she mumbled in a disgruntled tone. "I wasn't, but I guess that explains why you're wearing Luke's clothes." Haley nodded as they continued to walk around. "So I guess you want to get some loose fitting pants with an elastic waistband and some bigger shirts," Peyton questioned. "Yeah, Luke said I don't need to wear maternity clothes yet but I will have to soon. So maybe I'll get a couple outfits with pants and shirts, maybe a dress or a skirt, and possibly one or two maternity outfits. I think that should do for now," Haley mused, "then we can go look at prom dresses." "Okay, let's get started," Peyton exclaimed as she jumped up and clapped her hands, "oh, this is going to be so fun!" "Maybe for you," Haley grumbled as she followed after her friend.
Once Haley had gotten all her clothes, they walked further to more stores when Peyton squealed, "Oh, let's go in here!" Peyton practically dragged her into the store, a Baby Gap. "This is so cute," the blonde cooed over a little pink dress with butterflies on it. "Yeah, it is," Haley replied as she fingered the soft material. "Luke would love this," Peyton said as she rushed over and pulled a small hooded cotton sweatshirt, similar to Krissy's except different in color and size, for newborns. Haley smiled at it as she imagined their little girl or boy wearing a hoodie just like their father. They perused the items a little longer until Haley jumped in shock, startled by Peyton's shriek a few feet away, "Haley! Come here!" She walked over to her friend and asked concernedly, "What is it Peyt?" "Oh, I am SO getting you this! Luke will absolutely love it! And don't try to talk me out of it; I'm buying it for you. Think of it as an early baby present." She was holding up a small one-piece suit with little basketballs all over it. "But what if we have a girl," Haley asked. "It's yellow, Hales. It can go for a boy or a girl. Besides, no matter what gender the baby is, it's going to have some sweet basketball skills. It's just perfect," Peyton squealed again. "Jeez Peyt, enough with the shrieking and squealing, my ears already hurt enough." "Okay, stopping now, but everything is just so cute! Aren't you excited," Peyton inquired with a wide open smile and bright eyes. "Yeah, of course I'm excited. I don't know, it all just seems so unreal right now; I'm still kind of in a daze about it. Maybe it will feel real once the baby starts kicking, I don't know," Haley replied with a sigh as she placed a hand on her stomach and rubbed in a slow circle.
"Why don't you go rest on that bench outside the store while I pay for this then we can sit and talk for a little while? Luke would kill me if he found out I didn't make you rest; you've been on your feet for almost two or three hours," Peyton said as she guided Haley to the store doors. "What Luke doesn't know, won't hurt him," Haley muttered under her breath. "What was that," Peyton asked. "It's nothing," Haley responded as she walked outside the store. A few minutes later, Peyton joined her on the bench. "So, what's going on with you? You're not acting like your usual self. Are you feeling alright?" "Yes," Haley sighed exasperatedly, "I wish everyone would stop asking me that." "Sorry. But what's up? Everything appears to be going okay with you and Luke, so what else is bothering you," the blonde questioned concernedly. "It's just that-" Haley stopped abruptly and rolled her eyes, "great, I have to pee again. I have to go like every five damn minutes. It's annoying." Peyton laughed and Haley glared at her for a moment then responded, "After I get out of there, we're going dress shopping." The look on Haley's face told Peyton that she shouldn't argue, so the blonde simply nodded.
An hour later, Peyton had already found her prom dress, but Haley had still yet to find one. She was currently in one of the dressing rooms trying one on as Peyton sat in a chair flipping through a magazine outside them. Inside the small room, Haley zipped up the dress and stared at herself in the mirror. She frowned when she noticed that her stomach was showing too much, the dress fit almost like a second skin. This was about the eleventh or twelfth dress she'd tried on and none of them fit her the way she wanted them to. She curled her arms around her back and tugged on the zipper, but it wouldn't budge. She tried a few more times, each resulting unsuccessfully. Haley began to tear up and her chin trembled as she sank down onto the bench and started to fish through her purse. She finally found what she was looking for, her cell phone, and flipped it open then pressed the speed dial number for Luke's cell.
She waited a few moments until Lucas finally answered, "Hello?" "Luke…" Haley sniffled as she began to cry harder at his voice. "Sweetie, are you alright? Is Peyton with you? Hales, tell me what's wrong," Lucas demanded concernedly in a calm tone, yet he was beginning to panic inside. "I'm fat! I can't fit into any of the dresses and the bigger ones are too big, or too poofy, or too- too everything! I don't want to go to prom anymore. I'm too fat for prom; I'm too fat for everything. And now I'm-I'm…" "You're what," he asked. "I'm stuck…" she pouted with her lower lip trembling as she covered one hand over her face in embarrassment even though no one could see her. "Stuck where," he inquired. "In a dress that I'm too fat for," she burst into tears again then said in a softer voice a minute or two later, "Luke, can you please come down here? I need you." Lucas' heart broke at her upset state, wishing he could take her in his arms and hold her, reassure her that she was the most beautiful woman in the world and that she was definitely not fat. "Honey, I would be there in a heartbeat if I could, but I can't. The dinner rush has just come in and I can't leave my mom short-handed with all these customers…" He was abruptly cut off. "Ass hole!" Haley screamed into the phone before turning it off and flipping it shut. Thankfully, the dressing rooms were fully enclosed and the walls were soundproof.
Haley took a few minutes to try and calm down then slowly opened the door a crack and called out in a choked up voice, "Peyton?" "Yeah," the blonde responded, placing the magazine back on the table next to her and standing up. "Please help me," Haley whimpered. Peyton took in Haley's pleading, broken voice and immediately became alarmed, "Haley, are you okay? Tell me what's wrong." "Don't laugh, okay," Haley whispered. Peyton shook her head, "I won't." "I'm stuck…in the dress," she mumbled, "will you help me get out of it?" "Sure," the blonde replied as she grabbed her purse and stepped inside the dressing room with Haley. "This is a tricky one," Peyton said as she fiddled with the zipper for a few moments then finally zipped part of it down to where Haley could do the rest alone, "ah, there we go." "Thanks," Haley replied quietly, "hey Peyt?" "Yeah," she inquired. "After I change, can we go sit down at the food court for a little while? I need to take a break and I want to get something to drink, maybe a bite to eat too." "Of course; I'm getting a little hungry myself. Meet you out here in five minutes? I just spotted a pair of shoes that might look good with my dress, so I'm going to take a quick look at them then we can go okay?" Haley nodded then Peyton slipped out of the dressing room. She stared at herself in the mirror and sighed as she looked at her belly slightly protruding from the dress then ran her hand around her middle and sank down onto the bench again, covering her face with her hands.
When the two girls reached the food court, Peyton asked, "What are you getting?" "Um, just some chicken strips to tide me over and some lemonade. What about you," Haley responded. "I think I'll get two double cheeseburgers, some fries, and an apple pie." Haley looked at her incredulously, "Jeez, with all that food you're ordering, one might think you're the one who's pregnant, not me. Where do you put it all? How can you eat like that and not gain a pound? And look at me, I'm-I'm…chubby…" Tears welled in Haley's eyes and began to fall down her cheeks. Lucas had warned Peyton about Haley's sensitivity to being fat and she cursed herself now for mentioning the food. She wrapped her arms around Haley's shoulders and hugged her, "Hey…Haley, you are not chubby and you're not fat." She pointed to Haley's stomach, "Those aren't extra pounds. That's your baby in there, Hales, your baby." Haley hugged her tighter, her chin on Peyton's shoulder, her eyes closed, "I know; Luke's told me that too, but I can't help it. I'm pregnant, but I feel fat and I look fat…" "You do not look fat Haley," Peyton said firmly, wondering how much more it would take her and Lucas to convince Haley to believe that she wasn't. "Let's go get our food," Haley said a few moments later as she pulled away from her friend. "No, you sit down. I'll go get it," Peyton ordered as she pointed to a chair at a nearby empty table. "Fine," Haley sighed, too tired to argue with her. All the crying was beginning to take a toll on her.
Haley and Peyton were eating five minutes later when Peyton suddenly felt a buzzing in her pocket. She pulled her cell phone out and noticed that she had four missed calls; she voiced this to Haley. "Hmm, must not have felt it vibrate," she mused as she looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Lucas calling, "It's Luke." Haley's face darkened at his name and she stayed quiet; Peyton did not notice this facial change. "Hey Luke, what's up," Peyton asked into the phone. "Uh, can I talk to Haley please? She has her phone turned off." "Sure, here she is. Haley, he wants to talk to you," Peyton replied as she handed the phone over to her. Haley put the phone to her ear. "Hales…" Lucas began but Haley cut him off. "I don't want to talk to you," she said in a cold tone then shouted into the phone before turning it off and handing it back to Peyton, "go to hell!" "What was that all about," Peyton asked confusedly. "Nothing," she grumbled as she tore off a piece from her chicken strip and stuffed it in her mouth. "Well it must be something. You two were acting all love dovey when I came to pick you up so what happened since then? I haven't seen you talk to him except for just now," the blonde asked, still confused. Haley crossed her arms over her chest and folded one leg over her other knee, moving it back and forth in irritation, "I don't want to talk about it." "Haley, what's wrong? Why are you mad at him?" "I don't want to talk about it, okay," she screamed then abruptly pushed her chair back and stood, racing for the mall doors, which were nearby.
Haley was only a few feet away when the rubber on the front of her shoe caught on the tile flooring and she began to fall forward. She let out a strangled scream in fright as she instinctively wrapped her arms around her stomach to protect her baby. Before she could hit the floor, an arm circled around her waist and pulled her back up against them. Haley saw Peyton's curly blonde locks out of the corner of her eye and she closed her eyes then rested her head back in the crook of Peyton's neck. Tears welled in her eyes as reality hit her. The realization of what could have happened hit her full force. She could have hurt her baby; she could have lost the baby, if she had fallen. Thank god Peyton was there. "I-I want to go home…" Haley sniffled as she turned and buried her head in her friend's chest, starting to sob. Peyton hugged her tight to her body, thanking god that she had gotten to Haley in time. She would have never forgiven herself if something had happened to Haley or the baby, especially over a little fight like the one they'd had at the table minutes before. She stroked Haley's hair and rubbed her back for several moments before pulling away slightly, "Let's get you home." Haley nodded, sobs still wracking her shuddering body.
In the car, Haley curled up in the seat, her knees held close to her chest and her head buried into her thighs as she rocked back and forth and cried. Peyton glanced worriedly between her and the road every few seconds. When they reached Haley's house, Haley bolted from the car, up the front steps, and into the house. Haley saw Lucas standing in the hallway a few feet from her and she raced to him, wrapping him in a tight embrace. "I'm so sorry…" she sobbed before she tore herself away from him and ran down the hall, Lucas hearing the bedroom door slam a few seconds later. Peyton walked up the steps and stood in the doorway as she watched Lucas stared confusedly at the empty path she had taken. "She had a little scare," Peyton said softly. Lucas turned around to look at her, "What?" "At the mall, I asked her what she was mad at you about and she said she didn't want to talk about it, but like the fool that I am, I had to press on. She got pissed at me and ran from the table. Her shoe stubbed on the tiling and she almost fell forward on the floor, but I caught her. I'm so sorry Luke, if I hadn't asked her…" Tears welled in her own eyes and she swiped at her cheeks. "Hey, it's okay…it isn't your fault. If anything, it's mine. All this wouldn't have happened if I hadn't gotten in a fight with her. It's not your fault, Peyton," he rubbed her shoulders to comfort and reassure her.
"I-I have to go. I need to finish a strip for THUD. I'll see you later okay? Tell Haley that I'm sorry," she said as she turned to leave but faced him again and handed him Haley's shopping bags, "oh, here, these are Haley's. We didn't find a prom dress, but we got her some clothes. Um, in that small bag, there are a few presents for the baby…Haley's already seen one of them but… I don't think she's ready to see them right now, you know, because she's so upset…Um, have Haley give me a call if she wants to go dress shopping again later this week…" He nodded with a small smile, "I will, thanks Peyton. For the gifts, and for taking her shopping." "No problem," she returned the small smile, "I'll see you guys on Monday at school." He nodded again then she left and he slowly closed the door behind her. He set down Haley's bags by the couch except for the small one and sat down on the couch, staring at the bag in his hands. Carefully he pulled out each item. First was the little basketball one-piece suit, then he pulled out a small fuzzy, stuffed basketball, and last, he pulled out a small gray cotton hooded sweatshirt for newborns that had a little basketball over the left breast and on the back it said 'Basketball Star in Training'. Lucas brought his hands to his face as he began to cry, the reality of what had almost happened now hitting him too.
He sat there for several minutes then got up and put the items back in the bag. He then slowly walked down the hallway to the bedroom and hesitated in front of the closed door, not sure if she wanted to see him yet. His concern got the best of him and he quietly opened the door, finding Haley crying on the bed, similar to the way he had found her that morning. She had her arms curled around her stomach as if she were holding her baby and intermittently rubbed her hand over the small bump. Lucas carefully climbed on the bed beside her and lay behind her. Gently he slid his arms around her body and entwined his fingers with hers on her belly and kissed her neck. "I'm sorry…" he whispered into her hair. She nodded then turned over to face him and snuggled into his chest, wrapping her arms around his torso then kissed him softly on the lips. "I'm sorry too…" she murmured as she rested her head in the crook of his neck.
