Hey all, I'd just like to thank all you guys for giving such great reviews and feedback, you guys make a writer's job so much easier :) It's my first time writing a fic related to OTH (and I just had to write about the JLs, will try a Naley one soon), and wasn't sure what response I'd be getting, so it was awesome.. Hope you guys like this one!

Pt. 2 – And Sometimes They Stay

All time seemed to have stopped. He mentally kicked himself, but nothing came out from his mouth. His tongue was stuck to the roof of this mouth, and he hated that she could still do this to him. After she had left, like that. He had waited long enough for this moment, perhaps to the point where it had been long enough that he had left it behind him. But as he looked back down at her, into those deep eyes that had allowed him in every single time, he knew forever wouldn't be quite long enough.

He studied her closely, watching as she flinched imperceptibly under his intense gaze. She looked a little older, a little more tired. But everything else was as he had remembered it. Those eyes, the fullness of her lips, the bridge of her nose. He could almost feel the softness of her cheeks under his palm.

She fidgeted a little. "James," she repeated herself. "So, how've you been?"

"Good," he lied.

She smiled, her expression still unsure. "That's great. I'm happy for you."

He shrugged. "Yeah?" he asked coldly. Just one word, but it was edged with animosity.

"Yeah," she answered him softly. "James, of course. I… I really want you to be happy."

He swallowed hard. "Could have fooled me."

She turned around, watching him walk away and stood there for awhile, looking at his retreating back. Her stomach twisted as his words got to her. He still managed to take her breath away, every single time. She felt so small next to him, so helpless. She had come back, hoping that he would understand, but he hadn't, and she couldn't blame him for that. She had left, not him. But she was ready to make things up to him. The time she had spent away had changed her, she understood things now. Now, all she had to do, was to make him understand as well.

"Hey there, stranger. I lost my phone number. Can I have yours instead?"

The sound of the deep voice finally jolted her out of her turbulent thoughts and back to reality. Joie smiled at the familiar voice from behind her and turned around. "Paul!" she exclaimed, hugging him.

Paul laughed and hugged her back, lifting her off the ground. "Back to join us now, rock star?"

She mock-glared at him. "Recycling pick up lines now, are we?" she shot back at him, grinning.

"That hurt, darlin'. My old heart can't take it anymore," he pressed a hand to his heart, feigning pain.

"A low blow for another low blow," she retorted. "You doing okay?"

"Yeah, pretty much. Six seasons. Surreal, isn't it? Betcha wish you'd never left us," he grinned.

She smiled back up at him, and her tone changed. "Yeah, actually I wish I never did. Things would be different now."

'You'll be all right," he replied, slowly but surely. "Come on now."

Joie let herself be led away by Paul to where Hilarie and Bryan where standing. Bryan saw the both of them coming and exchanged glances with the older man. "I'm going to go get us more drinks. Welcome back, Joie," he said, giving her a quick peck on the cheek. "We've all missed you," he said in that slow drawl of his, smiling at her.

Hilarie watched as the two men walked away. "You'd think for two actors, they would be a little more subtle than that," she joked dryly.

"They were always a little slower than the rest of us."

Hilarie cracked up. "I've missed you, girl."

"Me too," Joie said sincerely, drawing her into a hug. "So, things look good for you. Are you

finally cracking under Bryan's charm?"

Hilarie paused dramatically, pursing her lips together. "Peyton Sawyer doesn't crack and neither do I."

Joie laughed at the reference. "What's been going on in the world of Tree Hill?"

"The usual. Dan's still an ass."

"Some things just don't change, do they, Hil?"

"Some people don't either," Hilarie said, while shaking her head. "I know you haven't."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

Hilarie shrugged. "Something tells me that it's not my vote that you need."

"Something also tells me that I'll have to campaign like crazy to get that vote I need," Joie said as she gazed at James from across the room.

"Look," she said softly as her expression softened. "I know. Déjà vu and all that. I'm not going to go Peyton-Crazy-Bitch on you like how she did when Haley came back. But you have to understand, it's not going to be easy. I'm not talking about me, but I'm talking about James. You can't leave and walk back in here as you wish. He's been hurting this year, Joie."

She looked at him again, as he walked out of the room, probably to get a fresh breath of air. She knew she'd hurt him. Badly. There was just no two ways about it. She realized that she hadn't seen him smile since she'd entered the room. His face was etched with discontent, a lack of passion. He had always been the strong, silent type, but there had been no mistaking the passion she had always saw in his eyes.

Hilarie continued. "You confuse him. Because you're unlike any other girl he's ever wanted." she said simply. "And he didn't know what he wanted until you left."

She swallowed hard. "I didn't either, Hil, I really didn't." She could her throat getting tight and tears welling up in her eyes. I will not cry, she told herself.

"Well, do you now?"

She bit down on her lower lip. "I'm going to go talk to James." She gave Hilarie another quick hug before she left. "Thank you," she said simply, and she knew it was enough because it was Hilarie. Hilarie just understood her. Always.

Bryan made his way back to Hilarie, and handed her a glass. "Do you think they'll be able to work it out?"

She just simply smiled. "I know Joie. And I know James. She's back to stay, I'm sure of it."

He knew she was there before she even said a word. He didn't know how he did, but he just did. "Beautiful night," he said, his back still to her.

She stopped short in her tracks. "Yeah, it is." She walked around him to face him, lifting her chin up as she did so, as though drawing confidence from it. "James, I'm sorry."

"Don't do this if you don't mean it," he said, his eyes looking at anywhere but back at her. "You always were the best actress among us."

Hurt flashed through her bones as quickly as he had said it. "I deserved that," she said softly to herself, partly to him as well.

He finally forced himself to look back down at her. He had lost count of the number of times he had lost himself in those eyes, those eyes which were now in pain. She looked so vulnerable, so lost, so hurt. There were so many words he had planned to say when he saw her again, so many things he had wanted to tell her. Over and over again, he had rehearsed the cold speech to himself but while he was doing it, he knew deep down inside, he would never say it to her face. He had done it only in an attempt to get himself to forget her. But it didn't work. Nothing did. And now, even when his heart was hurting, he couldn't inflict the same hurt on her. "No, no you don't. I'm sorry." He shook his head. "I just don't want to let you get to me. Not when you're going to leave."

She clasped her hands together nervously, not knowing what to do with them. She wanted more than anything to throw herself into his arms, and touch his face with her hands, but she knew that wouldn't change anything.

"I'm here to stay, James. I'm not going anywhere. Not anymore."