Author's Note: Hey guys! Long time, no see, I know. My life has been pretty screwy the last few weeks and I've had some bad things happen, not to mention writer's block for this story. In the last month, my family has had three car accidents all within the space of a week. First it was my mom and my dad in his car, then I was in an accident, then my mom got in one in the rental car we were using. My dad's car was totaled and only the front end and the grille needed fixing on my car, but thankfully we're all okay. We got a new car and we just got my car back from the shop yesterday. School has been pretty hectic too since I'm nearing graduation and we have a whole bunch of stuff to do and meetings to attend. I've just been running myself ragged these past few weeks that I haven't really been inspired to write that much. But I'm back now with a whole new chapter! So you can all be happy about that. This chapter is filled with drama, so be ready for it! I have most of the next chapter all thought out, but not written down. The hard part will be putting it into words LOL. Anyways, I hope you 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. – One Tree Hill comes back with new episodes THIS WEEK! YAY!

The Sweetest Sin

Chapter 10

A week had passed and it was now the day before prom. Haley had finally found a dress a few days earlier, but she was nervous about wearing it. She was worried that, come prom night, the dress wouldn't fit because of her growing belly; and it was because of this fear that she tried the dress on every couple days to make sure it still fit and didn't show her stomach too much. It was a v-neck halter dress with a beaded bodice that went down to her ankles. Simple, yet beautiful and elegant; just like Haley, Peyton had said. It was a soft, silky material that flowed about her, making her feel like she was walking on air. The dress was a dark teal color, almost an ocean blue-green. There weren't many shoes colored nearly the same as the dress, so Haley had opted to go for a pair of silver high heels. They weren't too high, thankfully, for she knew Luke would kill her for wearing such shoes in her delicate condition. Ever since the scare at the mall, Lucas had become increasingly more protective of her and she had allowed it for a little while, being scared herself, but now she was beginning to tire of it.

Haley sighed and smoothed her hands over the soft material; she was trying on the dress again. It still fit of course, just like it had two days ago. She carefully slipped out of the dress and, still in her bra and panties, stood in front of the mirror, gazing at herself. She ran a hand over her stomach, feeling the smooth skin, the firmness of her round belly beginning to form. Her stomach was still barely noticeable to the untrained eye, but there was a definite bump if you were looking for it. She turned to the side, staring at herself in profile, imagining what it would be like in the coming months. How big would she get? Would it hurt to have her skin stretched so much? What would it feel like when the baby kicked? Sure, she had felt Krissy kick when she was inside her mother, but that feeling had been forgotten. Besides, maybe it would be different feeling her own baby kick inside her than it did from the outside. She ran her hand over her stomach again, wondering what it would feel like.

Krissy suddenly appeared in the doorway of her room and saw Haley. Her eyes widened and her mouthed opened a little. It wasn't like Krissy had never seen her in such a state of undress; they'd taken baths together. No, it was something else. "Mommy, you're getting fat," Krissy remarked with childish innocence as she pointed to Haley's stomach, not knowing how sensitive Haley was to the subject. A few seconds earlier, Lucas had appeared behind the little girl, hearing what she had said. Tears began to form in Haley's eyes as she ran to the bed and curled up into a ball. A sad expression immediately washed across Krissy's face and she walked over to the edge of the bed. "I'm sorry Haley, I didn't mean to make you sad," the little girl whispered, clutching onto the bedspread with her small fists. Haley sucked in a breath and turned to her sister, stroking the back of her head once, "I-I know honey. Why don't you go with Luke and he'll put you down for a nap, okay?" "Can I take a nap with you," she asked, looking up at her with deep brown eyes. "Okay, hop in," Haley responded as she pulled the covers down and Krissy climbed onto the bed, snuggling next to her.

"You come take a nap too, Daddy," she said, patting the vacant spot beside her. Lucas scooted in and then settled the covers over himself and the little girl, placing his hand on her back. "I love you Hay-Hay," Krissy mumbled through a yawn, "love you Luke." The two teens voiced the same sentiments to her as she drifted off into slumber. When they were sure Krissy was fast asleep, Luke said softly, "We need to tell her soon." "I know," Haley replied, stroking Krissy's light brown locks, "but I want to wait until the baby starts kicking, that way it will be more real for her." "That won't happen for another month or so. I don't think we should wait that long. She's going to notice that you're getting bigger and she's going to start asking questions…" "Yeah, but she'll ask even more questions if we tell her before she feels the baby kick. She won't really believe that there's a baby until then. I'm just trying to avoid confusion for her," Haley reasoned. "Okay, we'll wait," he responded as he entwined his fingers with hers and laid a gentle kiss on her forehead.

It was now early evening the next day and Haley was preparing for the night ahead. She took a warm bath, pouring in some scented bubbles and some soft, relaxing music as she soaked in the water. She dried herself off then began to create large, luscious curls in her hair, pinning part of them back in a flat barrette and leaving two spiraled tendrils of her bangs hanging down to frame her face. She then slipped into her dress, a small smile on her face as she slowly twirled around in front of her full-length mirror on the door of her closet. She smiled wider as she tenderly stroked her belly up and down for a moment before letting out a light shriek and giggle. She was so happy; she was going to senior prom with her best friend, graduating high school in less than a month, and she was carrying her best friend's, her boyfriend's, baby. She was living her dream life; given, she thought she'd be married to Lucas before they had kids, but she wouldn't trade this for anything. In her eyes, she had the perfect life. She had a mother who cared about her, Karen, her sister Krissy, an amazing boyfriend, and now a baby on the way. There was nothing more that could make her happier than she was right now.

She sat down on her bed and strapped on her shoes then stood and walked around in them for a minute, making sure they weren't too loose. Although never one to wear much makeup, she decided that because this was a special occasion, she would wear some. She applied gentle tones of eye shadow and a light blush on her cheeks then finished it off with a thin layer of light pink lipstick. Just as she was fixing her hair again, she heard a knock on her bedroom door. "Come in," she said as she looked in the mirror one more time. The door opened, revealing Lucas dressed in a black suit with a dark blue dress shirt underneath. His breath caught in his throat at the sight of her. Once he was able to speak he smiled and leaned in, placing a gentle kiss on her cheek. "You look beautiful," he whispered in her ear.

"Thanks, you look good too," she smiled as she straightened his tie. "Are you almost ready," he asked as he sat down on the edge of the bed. "Yeah, just let me grab- oh great, I have to go pee again. Remind me not to drink too much liquid or I'll be spending the whole night in the bathroom; then we won't be able to dance." "We can't have that, now can we," he smiled as he wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her nose. She giggled then went to the bathroom, returning a few minutes later, "Okay, I'm ready. Let's get this show on the road!" Lucas turned from the picture he had picked up; he'd noticed it a few minutes earlier on her nightstand as he looked around her room. It was a picture of the two of them taken at the Spring Fling dance. She came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "You know, it's kind of ironic that the night that picture was taken, our baby was conceived, isn't it? I mean, our hands were on your stomach in that picture even before the baby was conceived… Maybe it was some kind of sign? I don't know. It just seems weird," Lucas explained as he stared at the picture lovingly. "Yeah, I get what you mean," she responded softly as she too gazed at the photo.

After a few minutes, Lucas set the frame back on her nightstand and turned to her, "You ready to go?" "Yep," Haley replied as she wrapped a shawl around her shoulders then went to grab her purse. "Oh wait, here," he said as he took his hand in hers then slipped on a blue rose corsage. It was light blue with a darker blue outlining the petals surrounded by baby's breath; it matched perfectly with her dress. "How did you know what color to get… You peeked, didn't you!" He laughed, "No, I asked Peyton what color your dress was and she told me," Lucas responded. "Remind me to hurt her when I see her," Haley grumbled. "I wanted to get something that matched your dress. Would you have rather had something that didn't?" "You could've gotten a white rose; white goes with everything," she pointed out. "True, but I wanted to get you a matching one," he replied then wrapped an arm around her waist, "come on, we have to get going." "Where are we going," she inquired. "That's for me to know and for you to find out," he grinned. "You're not taking me to another expensive restaurant like last time, are you?" "Now why would I do that? If you ate anything like the three Big Macs you had the other day, I'd have to file for bankruptcy," he exclaimed as he laughed, a twinkle in his eyes. Haley swatted him in the arm, "I did not eat three Big Macs! And even if I did, two of them came up and found themselves in the toilet half an hour later!" Lucas scrunched his face in disgust, "Okay, are you trying to gross me out here? I think I've lost my appetite." "At least the bill will be less without you ordering any food. You just might not have to file for bankruptcy," she smiled sweetly. "Let's go, we'll never get out of here if we keep going back and forth like this," he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and guided her downstairs to the front door.

"Don't drink the punch," Lucas warned as they made their way to the drink table, "it might be spiked like last time." "Believe me, I remember throwing it up into the toilet all too well," Haley gave a slight laugh as she grabbed a bottle of water. He grabbed one for himself and they walked back to their table where Peyton and Jake were laughing. "Hey guys," Haley greeted them as she sat down in the chair Lucas had pulled out for her. "Hey Hales," Peyton replied with a wide grin. Lucas and Jake bumped hands then sat back down beside their women. "So, where's Kris tonight," Peyton asked. "She's with my mom. Jenny," Lucas inquired. "With my parents," Jake responded.

"Your cheeks are red Haley, you're hot," Peyton said concernedly as she moved to place a hand against her forehead. "Yeah, she's smokin'," Lucas laughed as he placed a finger to her shoulder and made a sizzling sound. "I'm fine. It's just a little hot in here because there's so many people." Peyton nodded as she looked around the large banquet room the school had reserved for their prom, "Yeah, it looks like a full house tonight." Jake and Lucas moved together to the other side of the round table to discuss basketball and the two girls scooted their chairs closer to each other to talk quietly amongst themselves. "So, how have you been feeling? You're taking it easy right," Peyton questioned concernedly. Haley rolled her eyes, "When am I not resting? If Luke had his way, I'd be tied to the couch or the bed for the next four or five months until the baby is born. I'm doing pretty okay though. I still have morning sickness, but it should clear up in the next month or so. What's really starting to annoy me is the crying all the time and the having to go pee every five… damn it, I have to use the bathroom again. I'll be right back." Peyton stood, "I'll come with you."

Once the girls got back from the restroom, Haley and Lucas danced for a while, taking breaks every twenty or thirty minutes to get something to drink and make Haley rest for a little while. They were currently taking their third break from dancing and were sitting at the table, sipping their bottles of water as they watched Peyton and Jake out on the floor. "Jake and Peyton look good together," Haley mused as she saw Peyton smile at something Jake had said, "They would make a great couple; they practically are a couple anyway. They're always hanging out and Peyton is over at Jake's almost every night to watch Jenny when he works. They would be good for each other." "Yeah," Lucas replied, noticing Jake smiling too. He heard sniffling and turned to her, seeing her crying and dabbing at her eyes with a tissue, "Hales, what's wrong?" "I'm okay, really. It's just these damn hormones and it didn't help any when I just saw Peyton and Jake kiss," she responded, "I'm gonna go fix my makeup, be back in a few minutes."

When Haley walked out of the bathroom, Nathan spotted her and quickly strode over. "Haley," he said as he gently touched her arm to get her attention, the music probably too loud for her to hear him call her name. She turned around and a frightened look appeared in her eyes for a moment before a choked expression appeared on her face. "What do you want Nathan," she tried to muster all the strength she had to appear angry. She hadn't talked to him since the day they broke up; she wasn't given the chance to talk to him at the hospital because of Lucas. "I-I wanted to apologize, for what I did to you. I'm sorry I hurt you. I sort of want to explain myself. Would you mind if we danced," he asked, offering out his hand. Haley crossed her arms and glanced nervously in the direction of her table, wondering if Lucas had seen them, but they were out of eyesight. "Nathan, I-" "Please, just one dance," he asked, cocking his head to the side. "One dance, that's all you get," she replied as she took his hand and pulled him to a secluded section of the dance floor where there weren't a lot of people dancing.

Haley put a foot of space between their bodies as he took one hand and placed his other one awkwardly on the curve of her hip. She placed her other hand nervously on his shoulder, not sure where to put it. They began to move around in a slow circle to the soft song that came over the speakers. "So, you wanted to explain," Haley said a few moments later after trying hard to swallow the large lump in her throat. "Yeah. Well, you know how my parents were thinking about getting a divorce? They decided that they'd try marriage counseling and therapy first and the psychiatrist wanted to see me. I've been talking to her for a month or two now and she's helped me sort through some of my problems. She helped me sort out my feelings for my father. I needed to do some soul searching too Hales. She helped me understand myself better, who I am, why I am who I am. You see, my whole life I was controlled and abused by my father. He didn't get to fulfill his dreams so he was using me to accomplish them. He pushed me so hard, so fast… that's part of the reason why I overdosed on those drugs earlier this year; I just couldn't take it anymore. I wanted to be better than him, beat his score. I thought that maybe then he would lay off me, at least for a while, but that didn't happen…" Nathan paused to take a breath.

Haley looked over his shoulder to her table and saw that Lucas was watching them, his jaw clenched and his hand gripping the chair so tight that his hand was turning white. With one expression, Haley pleaded with him to not do anything, that everything was fine. She saw him sigh and look away for a moment before returning his gaze and slowly nodded in consent.

Nathan began to talk again, "The psychiatrist helped me realize that part the problem in why I am like this and why I act this way is because of my dad, the way he treated me growing up. She suggested that I take some anger management classes. I have been going and it's helped me… I just wanted say that I'm really sorry for hurting you all those times and for scaring you, especially the day you broke up with me. I would have never forgiven myself if I had gone through with it…" He moved closer to her and leaned his head on her shoulder and she felt his tears hot on her skin. She didn't know what to say so they just slowly continued to move to the music. She closed her eyes, wishing and imagining she were dancing with Lucas instead of Nathan.

Suddenly, Haley hiccupped and she placed a hand to her mouth. "Ooh, baby's giving me hiccups," she said, momentarily forgetting who she was with. Nathan's eyes widened and his jaw dropped open in shock, "What! Baby? Y-You're pregnant?" Haley now realized who she was with and now her eyes grew wide as well. "I-I…" she didn't know what to say. Nathan's mind reeled at this information. Ever since they had broken up, he had dreamed of when they would have sex and now he imagined Haley in a few months, beautiful and ripe with his child. His hold tightened on her arm, still shocked by the news, then looked down and rubbed his hand across her stomach. "Why didn't you tell me," he asked softly. "Please don't touch me there…" Haley whimpered as she tried to pull away from his grasp. Both Lucas and Peyton, who had been watching them intently, started to rush over at the sight of Haley trying to get away from Nathan.

"Why? I want to touch my child…" he reached to touch her stomach again, but she pulled away, although not able to go far because his hand was still on her arm. She screamed at him and thankfully the music was loud enough that most of the people, who were on the more crowded side of the dance floor, didn't hear them, "It's not your child! We never even had sex! You're delusional!" Nathan's grip tightened on her arm. "Nathan…you're hurting me…" she whimpered again. Lucas finally reached them first before Peyton, as she was in high heels. "Get your hands off her!" he yelled, and when Nathan didn't let her go, he screamed, "Haley, move out of the way!" She did as Lucas said and Lucas punched him in the gut. Nathan doubled over in pain and he let go of Haley. Lucas wrapped an arm around Haley's shoulders as he quickly guided her out of the establishment.

Peyton walked up to Nathan and punched him in the face then kicked him in the groin with her high heeled shoe, "I warned you to stay away from her." She then ran in the same direction her friends had gone, catching up with them near the truck. "Haley! Lucas! Wait!" she called out as she rushed over to them. Both turned around and she saw that Haley was crying. Peyton wrapped her in a hug and rubbed her back, "Are you alright?" Haley nodded silently in the crook of her neck. "Call me and we'll go do something tomorrow, okay," she inquired as she patted her back one last time. Haley nodded again. Peyton gave a sad smile to Lucas then departed back into the banquet room to find Jake.

Lucas helped Haley into the truck then got in on his side. He took her hand and kissed it; she started crying more than before. "He touched me Luke, he touched our baby…" she whimpered. He wrapped one arm around her body and pulled her close as his other hand pressed gently against her stomach. "Sh…baby, it's alright. You're okay, you're safe…" he whispered into her ear as he stroked her hair. She sobbed into his shoulder for several minutes until she calmed down only slightly. Lucas rubbed her back, "Why don't we go somewhere quiet, huh?" She nodded then wiped her face and blew her nose with a tissue.

He drove them to the café and led her inside, turning on one of the lights. Lucas got a coffee pot and put some water in it, placing it on the warmer so it would get hot. Once it was done he poured the steaming water into two mugs filled with chocolate powder mix. To finish it off, he added a dollop of whipped cream then handed one of the mugs to Haley. "Come on, let's go up to the roof," he placed his hand at her back and they walked up the stairs to the top of Karen's Café. He watched her concernedly as she sipped the mug of hot chocolate; it was one of her comfort foods. "Are you going to tell me what happened back there," he asked gently. "Can we please not talk about it right now," she begged him with a pleading look in her eyes. He nodded then took a long swallow from his drink, feeling the hot liquid travel down his throat.

She set her mug down on the table then walked a few feet away, near the edge of the roof and crossed her arms as she stared up at the sky. Lucas came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, placing his chin on top of her head. "It's beautiful out tonight," she said softly. He nodded and kissed her temple. A few moments later, she took his hands and entwined their fingers then placed both their hands on her stomach. "I love you," she whispered as she leaned back into his strong chest. "I love you too," Lucas responded as he kissed her cheek slowly, nuzzling her soft skin with his nose as he breathed her scent in deeply. They stayed like that for possibly another half hour before Lucas rubbed the sides of her arms, "It's getting a little chilly out and it's late. Let's get you home." She nodded and hugged him then followed him down the stairs.

Back at the prom, Nathan had gone off somewhere after Lucas and Peyton's little attack, but now returned staggering slightly. He was obviously drunk. He managed to get up onto the makeshift stage and took the microphone from its stand. When the DJ saw him up there, he slowed the music to a stop then put the spotlight on him.

Nathan cleared his throat the microphone screeched for a moment. Peyton looked up from where she had been dancing with Jake and saw him up there. A frightened look appeared in her eyes as she whispered, "Oh god no…don't do this, Nathan, please don't do this…" Then Nathan began to speak. "You all know who I am. I am Nathan Scott. You all know me, at least the part that I choose to show you. But do you really know some of the other people at this school? Take Haley James for instance. You all see her as the innocent little tutor that helps everyone out. What you don't see is that she is a slut. I dumped her and the first thing she does is run to her little Lucas, and they claim to be best friends…Have you guys seen them in the halls the last few weeks? They're all over each other! But you know what really tops it off? Tonight I just found out that my ex-girlfriend, Haley James, your innocent little tutor, is pregnant with my brother's child. There you have it folks-"

He was about to say more when Peyton roared angrily from the dance floor as she made her way up to the stage, "You ass hole! You didn't dump her; she dumped you!" She turned to the crowd, "You want to know why she dumped him? Because he abused her! And that is why I dumped him too! But you know what's worse? He hit her while she was pregnant! And then he would have raped her if I hadn't stepped in! She is not a slut either. Haley has only been with one person in her life and one only. And it's not this little shi t over here," she pointed to Nathan.

By now, Nathan was breathing heavily from the anger building inside him at what Peyton was saying. How dare she? He grabbed her arm and raised his hand to slap her. She jammed her pointy-toed high heeled shoe into his groin again. "Dammit," he screamed as he doubled over then Peyton pushed him onto the ground. "I knew those shoes were good for something more than hurting my feet," she smirked as she placed her hands on her hips then her expression changed to one of anger as she glared down at him murderously. She bent down close to his face as she grabbed his ear for emphasis, her nail digging into his cartilage, "I can do much worse than that, believe me. And if you ever go near Haley again, I swear I won't be accounted for my actions. Don't go near her, don't talk to her, don't look at her, don't even think about her. Because even in your dreams, she is better than you ever will be. Now go run away Dan, run away. Can't you see? Nobody wants you here anymore." She gestured to the crowd, who was also glaring at him, looking ready to beat him up too. Through his blurred vision from tears falling from his eyes, he saw all his friends and classmates, even people he didn't know, staring angrily at him with their arms crossed. Even Tim, his best bud since kindergarten, looked ready to pummel him. He sighed resignedly then slowly pulled himself up and staggered towards the doors, leaving the banquet room.

Everyone cheered and clapped loudly after he left. Peyton walked back down to Jake and he hugged her as she cried into his shoulder. "I-I can't believe he did that…Haley's going to be so upset when she finds out that everybody knows…" He said soothingly as he rubbed her back, "It would have come out sooner or later. Whether they said something or they waited until she started showing." They held each other for several minutes when Jake gently kissed her forehead and whispered in her ear, "I'm so proud of you…Nathan deserved to be put in his place, especially after all that he did to you and Haley…" "It's Haley that I'm more worried about, but thanks…" Peyton lifted her head and looked around, noticing that the music had resumed and couples had begun to dance again out on the floor. "Can we get out of here," she asked as she stared into his soft hazel eyes. He nodded then took her hand as they walked out of the dance to his car.

"This is becoming a habit, isn't it," Haley asked as she collapsed onto Lucas' chest, breathing heavily, referring to them having sex after dances. Lucas chuckled as he hugged her then kissed her lips. They laid there for awhile in companionable silence as their breathing returned to normal. Suddenly, Haley shivered and Lucas stroked her hair, "You should put some pajamas on. I don't want you getting sick from being too cold." She got out of bed and pulled on a pair of flannel pajama pants and a short sleeved shirt then slipped back under the covers beside him. He wrapped his arms around her and softly kissed her lips. "How are you feeling," he asked in a quiet tone, his voice becoming raspy with increasing tiredness. Haley smiled as she snuggled even closer into him, "Perfect. Happy. Nothing could make this moment any more perfect than it is right now."

"Close your eyes," he whispered. She looked up at him confusedly, "Why?" "Just close them," he replied as he placed two fingers on her eyelids then kissed her again. She finally did as told, wondering what he was going to do. Lucas turned slightly and grabbed a box from his nightstand drawer. He opened the box and took the object from it then placed the box back on the tabletop. He stared at it for a moment then enclosed his hand around it and turned back over to face Haley. "Keep them closed," he said. She nodded and he took one of her hands.

Lucas slipped something into her palm and closed her fingers over it before she could open her hand and see what it was. Haley's eyes flew open at the feel of the cold, metallic object in her hand. She looked at him with wide eyes. "What is it," she asked a little breathlessly, her heartbeat speeding up with the excitement starting to bubble within her. He smiled at her and gestured to her hand, "Open it."