Chapter Twenty-Two: There Will Be An Answer

"Is it yours?" asked Lucas, his teeth clenched. Four sets of eyes swiveled to Taylor James, who dropped her gaze and sighed almost inaudibly. Nathan glanced at Taylor.

"Yeah," he said. Lucas stared at Haley, expecting shock, horror, hurt beyond description. Either she'd already experienced her hurt, or what had happened between her and Lucas had been enough for her to finally get over her first love.

"Someone mind explaining what's going on?" asked Chris in annoyance. Nathan glared and clenched his fists, but didn't move from his spot. Taylor looked up at him, and Lucas analyzed her for a second. Was she in love with him?"

"Shut up, Chris," said Haley and Lucas. They met gazes but looked down immediately.

"Boy marries girl, boy divorces girl, boy sleeps with sister, girl sleeps with brother, sister gets pregnant, girl gets hurt again," said Taylor quietly. Haley squeezed her sister's hand.

Lucas looked away from Haley for a moment to see Nathan staring at Taylor's stomach, fascinated by it despite the horror of the situation.

"It's a girl," she said quietly. For a moment, she dared to look up at Nathan, a glimmer of hope behind her eyes. He nodded.

"She'll be perfect," he said. She looked suddenly vulnerable as he walked toward her and placed a hand on her stomach. Lucas kept his eyes on Haley. She kept her eyes on him.

Chris looked between the two couples, which weren't really couples, and suddenly he felt lonely. Haley used to be around for him to be lonely with. It didn't look as if she would be for much longer.

Haley walked over to Lucas, past Chris, and looked appealingly at him. She moved in close as he put an arm around her. They watched as Taylor and Nathan spoke in whispers for a moment.

"Do you want to get married?" asked Nathan. Obviously he felt duty bound to ask the question, but his words weren't emotionless. For a second, Taylor looked happy. It was such a ridiculously ideal solution. He'd broken her sister's heart, her sister had broken his. They were unequivocally over.

"God no," she said, laughing. Haley smiled in relief to see her big sister back to her normal self-before she realized that Taylor had turned him down and that things would only get harder.

"What?" murmured Haley in disbelief. Lucas looked down at the women in his arms, who'd spent so many years there, within his reach, willing his love. For a moment he wished Chris, Taylor and Nathan a thousand years away.

For a moment, Nathan looked coldly back at her before his gaze moved to Chris.

"Did you come back to be with her?" asked Nathan.

"Trust me, it's not your girl that I want," said Chris in amusement. Haley flashed him a grateful smile as his gaze flickered to Lucas. Ah.

Haley pulled on Lucas' hand and pulled him backward into the elevator as Nathan leaned down and kissed Taylor, her stomach between them.

"If you think really hard… this is how it all started," she said, laughing to herself. Lucas joined her, and their combined laughter filled up the elevator.

"More or less," he agreed.

"So let me get this straight. You told Nathan you slept with me but he didn't bother to return the favour and tell you that he'd impregnated Taylor?" asked Haley. Lucas nodded.

"And we thought our high school days were dramatic…" he said.

"Don't be scorning our high school days. They were pretty special," she said wistfully. She looked down, but Lucas took her chin with his pointer and middle fingers and angled it up to look into his eyes.

"Do you miss them, Haley?" he asked.

"I used to think I did. But I can't help wishing I'd done them differently," she said.

"We wouldn't have worked together back then," he said. She smiled.

"You always could read me like he never could," she said, wrapping an arm around his neck and leaning up.

Her face turned away from his as the elevator stopped abruptly as the door opened. Haley met eyes with one of the few people who truly hated her.

"Brooke," said Lucas weakly. She swiftly analyzed the situation: her one time love in the arms of the woman who'd betrayed his brother.

"I'd tell you to get a room, but at least you sprang for an elevator," she said in disgust.