See Me, Feel Me
Rewrite of 'The Trick is to Keep Breathing'
Disclaimer: I don't own OTH or anything related to it. The song lyrics in this story are 'Lie in the Sound' by Trespassers William (but they are not used in the correct order, I switched them around a bit so they would fit with the story better). The title of the story, 'See Me, Feel Me', is the name of a song by The Who.
A/N: When I saw S2's 'The Trick is to Keep Breathing' and got to the part where he had got a carriage for her my heart practically broke! I thought it was such a sad episode, not just for Naley, but for practically all the couples. And it was their formal, okay, why couldn't it be happy for someone at least! Before I go on a rant about this episode, let me get back to the fic. Basically, it is what I think should have happened, but it is Naley centric, so you don't see much of the other characters. Also, Chris didn't ask Haley to sing with him in Truth, Bitter Truth, so Nathan never copied the song off her laptop the morning of the formal, but other than that everything that happened in the episode occurred up to when Haley went to sing with Chris at the studio.
Nathan threw the basketball in the air, and caught it as it fell back down again. He had been lying on the couch for some time hoping that it would be a distraction. While he never missed a catch, it couldn't stop his mind from wondering. Reluctantly, he glanced over to the clock hanging on the wall in the living room. If that was what you could call it, since there was nothing to divide the kitchen from the living room in his apartment. Their apartment. His and his wife's, although she wasn't there right now since she was spending her time before their junior formal at a recording studio with a guy whose hair defied the law of gravity. Nathan sighed and threw the ball into the air again. This was exactly what he was trying not to think about.
Grabbing the leather ball into his hands, Nathan rolled over and off the couch to stand up. He placed it next to the television and slowly trudged towards the refrigerator, pulling out a cold drink. It was time for him to get ready but Nathan didn't want to. He knew it sounded selfish but when Haley came to meet him all dressed up he wanted to be just sitting there watching TV in his shorts so she'd make a fuss over him and force him to change into his tux. At least it would show that she cared. He wanted to do that, but he couldn't bring himself to. They would get late and Haley was so excited about the formal that she would be disappointed. Nathan hated seeing Haley disappointed, but most of all when she was disappointed with him.
As he finished off his drink Nathan recalled what Lucas had said when he'd voiced his suspicion that Chris was interested in Haley for more than just music. His brother had said that even if Nathan didn't trust Chris, he should trust Haley. And he did. Yet, here he was, planning on acting like a stubborn child when his wife got home.
He would get dressed so that when Haley arrived they could leave and have a nice evening at the formal. Or, at least, as nice a time they could have with his parent's being chaperones. Such were Nathan's thought's as he put the now half-empty bottle back into the fridge and closed the door. Until he heard the sound of the front door opening and turned around to behold his wife. "Haley?"
"Nathan? I thought you'd be getting ready for formal."
"I was just about to take a shower," he said as he moved towards her.
"Oh, okay." Even though she was speaking to him, she wasn't looking at him.
"Is everything okay?" he asked. Nathan brushed her hair out of her face and cupped her cheeks in his hands, forcing her to meet his eyes. She gave him a half-smile, but Nathan could see the dried tears on her face. "Haley, what's wrong?"
"Nothing-"
"Was it Chris?" Haley didn't reply, but the look on her face told him the answer was yes. "Did he hurt you?"
"No, no, he didn't, it's just…" Haley let out an exasperated sigh and flung herself at Nathan's chest, wrapping her arms tightly around him his back. He put his arms around her, leaving one to rest on her shoulders, the other around her waist.
They remained like that for a few minutes in silence. Nathan knew that Haley would only talk about something when she wanted to, and he couldn't force her, but it was slowly eating at him and he had to know. He brought the arm that was at her waist to her knees and then, bending down slightly, lifted her up. Haley kept her face buried in Nathan's neck as he carried her to the couch, placing her on his lap as he sat down. He stroked her hair gently, but couldn't help saying, "Baby, please tell me what's wrong."
She sighed again and took her hands down from around his neck and placed them in her lap, playing with them as she fidgeted. "You were right about Chris," she admitted finally.
Nathan's eyes shot up at this. "He hit on you."
"Yeah. So I got the hell out of there. I'm sorry," she added.
Nathan, who had just been thinking of the most painful ways to kill Chris, immediately softened. "You don't have to apologize, Haley."
"I should have listened to you; you said that you thought he maybe liked me and I brushed it off because I thought you were just jealous. I'm so stupid."
/Oh my sheet is so thin /
"Hey, you're not stupid," Nathan told her. She smiled sadly at him and rested her head against his shoulder, taking one of his hands in hers and intertwining their fingers, but Nathan knew that wasn't the end of the story. "Hales…"
"Do you like my music, Nathan?"
/So I say I can't sleep because/
"What? You know I like your music, Haley –"
/It's so very cold/
"No, you've told me that you like it, but that doesn't mean that you do." Haley looked at him seriously; Nathan just brushed a few strands of hair out of her face and waited for her to continue. "Chris doesn't like my music."
This confused Nathan. "Do you want him to…"
"He said that he did like my music and he wanted to work with me because I was really good, but tonight…Tonight he told me that he didn't really think that I was good; he just told me that because…you know. He said my music sucked."
Nathan felt his jaw tighten. If he hadn't been planning on killing Chris earlier, he definitely was now. "Chris is an asshole, don't listen to him Haley. You were there that day at TRIC everyone loved you; all those people in the audience weren't lying when they said they liked your music –"
"I know that. But were you?"
/Oh but I know what I need/
"What?"
"Nathan, the type of music you listen to isn't exactly similar to mine –"
"That doesn't mean that I can't like you music –"
/And if you were just near to me/
"It doesn't mean you wouldn't just tell me you liked it either."
"And why would I do that?" Nathan asked, struggling to remain calm.
/Would you go.../
"Because you love me. Because you're my husband, so you're supposed to support me in this kind of stuff. Even if you don't really like it. Like you did by letting me go work with Chris tonight," she finished, her voice having gotten softer with every word she spoke, so much so that Nathan barely heard her last sentence.
"Haley, you have an amazing voice, you are incredibly talented, and I do like your music; I'm not lying when I say that. If I really didn't like it I would tell you, but I would still support you. I wouldn't lie to you, Hales. And don't ever think that I don't like your music."
A tear fell down her face, and Nathan brushed it away with his thumb. "Sorry," she whispered.
"Stop apologizing, okay?"
She nodded. "I love you."
/I am falling, say my name/
Smiling, Nathan leaned forward and kissed her gently, just to comfort her, but Haley quickly linked her arms about his neck and responded passionately. She pushed herself against him, seeming to need to be closer and Nathan let her. Finally, she pulled her lips away from his, but kept her face near, so her forehead was resting on her cheek. Haley seemed comfortable with the silence, but there was something else Nathan just had to ask. "Haley?"
/And I'll lie in the sound/
"Yeah?" she looked up at him, her large brown eyes meeting his blue ones.
"Did Chris…did he try to…"
"No," said Haley, immediately grasping his meaning. "He told me how he felt and then I left. He didn't touch me."
"I'm still going to kill him –"
"Nathan…"
"Hales, the guy is an asshole. I can't blame a guy for thinking my wife is hot (Haley blushed), but he tricked you by telling you he'd help you work on your music -"
"I know, Nathan, but it doesn't matter-"
"Of course, it matters."
Haley took a deep breath before continuing. "Nathan, I just want to be able to put this thing with Chris behind us. He might have come between us, and I don't want that to happen; I don't want anyone to come between us."
"Neither do I."
"Then just leave it."
Nathan looked Haley in the eye and knew she was serious about this. "He didn't hurt you?"
"No."
Nathan sighed. "Okay, then, I'll leave him alone. But if he ever tries to come after you–"
"Okay." Haley settled back into his embrace and they just rested there for awhile.
/What is love, but whatever/
"You're gonna do great with your music, Hales."
/My heart needs around/
Haley burrowed her head into his neck and smiled. "As long as I have you, I know I am."
"So…are you sure you wanna go for the formal, 'cause we could-"
"Oh my God, the formal!" Haley sprung out of Nathan's lap and stood up. "We have to get ready; thank goodness you remembered, Nathan." She ran to the bedroom, and when her husband didn't follow she called out to him.
Nathan lifted his head out of his palms and made his way down the small corridor of his apartment. Damn him for opening his big mouth.
"Haley?"
"I'm almost ready, honey, just give me a minute."
Nathan adjusted the jacket of his tux and leaned against the front door of the apartment. Haley had ushered him out of the bedroom, much to his dismay, long ago and made him change in the bathroom since she claimed Nathan couldn't see her as she was changing into her dress. Nathan had thought this applied only to weddings, but he hadn't complained. The formal had given Haley something to be occupied with, and she hadn't mentioned Chris once; Nathan hoped it stayed that way.
Nathan's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. He looked up and saw Haley gently closing their bedroom door behind her. She was wearing a short dark blue dress that clung to her petite frame. The thick straps on her shoulders led down to the wide neck, which had caused both Brooke and Haley to protest when Peyton had found it; Brooke because she thought it didn't show enough cleavage, and Haley because she thought it showed too much.
Haley had been a little nervous about the dress for this very reason, but the look on her husband's face showed he definitely approved. "So…you like?" Nathan grinned. Haley slowly turned so that Nathan could appreciate the full view of the dress. She smirked when she heard him groan at the sight of the back of the dress, or rather its lack of one; the material dipped low, showing off her slender back the her tattoo. Haley was about to finish her turn when she felt a pair of arms come up from behind her and wrap themselves around her waist.
Nathan leaned down to whisper in her ear. "You look really good."
"Mmm…you look pretty good yourself." In actual fact, Haley thought Nathan look more than 'pretty good'; he looked downright hot wearing his tux…although she knew he looked hot not wearing a tux too. Haley giggled at the thoughts that began to flood her brain.
Nathan heard her laugh and smiled. "So, do you think that we could stay in?"
"No." Haley broke away from him and moved to get her purse. When she turned to look at him again the pout on his face weakened her resolve, but she forced herself not to give in. "Nathan, we have to go."
He knew that she wouldn't agree anyway so he didn't push it. Going back over to the front door, Nathan picked up Haley's corsage from where he had left it on the side table. It was a hand corsage and the flower was blue; it matched perfectly with Haley's dress. "Here. Do you like it?"
"It's lovely. And it goes with my dress. Really well, actually. Did you sneak a look at my dress?"
"No." When Haley raised her eyebrows at him, he added, "Baby, if I had I would have asked you to model it for me a long time ago." Haley giggled again, so Nathan waited for her attention before explaining, "Brooke told me I had to get you a blue corsage. She was very afraid that I would get you a corsage that wouldn't match and you'd turn up looking uncoordinated."
"Uncoordinated?"
"Her words, not mine."
"Well, let's hope she approves of your choice," Haley joked.
"Yeah." Chuckling, Nathan held the door open for Haley, as well as his arm. "Well, Mrs. Scott, are you ready to go to the formal?"
She linked her arm through his and smiled up at him. "Most certainly, Mr. Scott."
They made their way down the steps from their apartment in a peaceful silence, until Haley suddenly, when they had almost reached the ground, stopped walking and turned to Nathan. "What is it, Haley?"
"I just wanted to say thank you."
"For getting you a matching corsage?" Nathan asked confused.
"No," Haley smiled. "Well, that too, but just for tonight."
"But, it hasn't even started yet."
"True. What I mean is, I know that you really didn't want to come to formal, and it means a lot that you're doing this for me."
"I'd do anything for you."
Nathan said it simply, but Haley knew he meant every word. Feeling overwhelmed by the sentiment of what he had just told her, Haley had no way to respond other than to fling her arms around his neck and kiss him passionately, much like she had not very long ago.
The couple finally reached the ground, but Nathan stopped her when Haley began to turn to the right. "Hales, where are you going?"
"To the car park. How else are we going to get the formal?"
"Like this."
Haley followed the direction Nathan's hand was gesturing to and gasped. Parked on the side of the road was a beautiful carriage, complete with a conductor and horses. "Nathan…is this for us?"
"It's for you."
Haley felt herself actually rendered speechless. When she regained her voice she breathed, "Nathan, we can't afford this!"
"Hey, don't think about that stuff tonight. I've got it covered."
Haley looked between her husband and the carriage. She had no idea where he had got the money for this – they certainly didn't have room for it in their budget – but she really wanted to ride in the carriage.
"So, are you coming?" Nathan held his hand out to her.
She nodded and took it, and Nathan led her to the roadside. He then helped her get into the carriage and followed her in.
After Nathan sat down, Haley leaned into his side, and snuggled up next to him as he draped his left arm over her shoulder. "Have I told you that you are the best husband ever?"
Nathan grinned. "Not today."
"Well, you are. And I really have to make this up to you."
"Oh, I can think of plenty of ways you can do that. But they all require us to turn this carriage around and head back straight to the apartment."
"Nathan!" Haley had grown used to Nathan's flirtatious remarks, but she felt a little embarrassed as their driver was a slightly older gentleman. He, however, continued driving and pretended that he couldn't hear them.
"Well?"
"Later," she whispered, holding his hand and titling her head to take in all the scenery.
"I'm definitely holding you to that."
Inside the Tree Hill gym the DJ announced that he was taking a break and as the music stopped all the couples on the dance floor began to disperse, including Nathan and Haley.
"So what do you wanna do now?"
"Could we get something to drink? I'm a little thirsty."
"Sure. I think the drinks are this way." Nathan put his arm around Haley's waist and led her to the drinks table.
"Is it safe to drink this?" Haley asked eying the punch bowl suspiciously.
"Safe?"
"I was just wondering whether the punch is spiked."
"Oh. If Tim's here, then yes." Haley and Nathan both laughed. "I haven't seen him yet, but it probably better not to risk it."
"Okay. I'll just have some of this." As Haley reached over to get her chosen drink, she provided Nathan with a glimpse of her tattoo. Nathan found himself oddly glad that her tattoo was on show tonight. Most guys at school stayed away from Haley even before she and Nathan were married because they knew better than to mess with Nathan Scott's girl. However, sometimes they needed a little reminder, and the small '23' on the curve of her lower back would serve that purpose. Apart from being one hell of a turn-on for Nathan. "What are you smiling about?" Haley asked, as she turned back to look at her husband.
"Oh, I was just thinking of all the ways you're going to make tonight up to me," Nathan said nonchalantly. He smirked when Haley flushed, and the wide neck of her dress showed that the blush spread further than just her face. "So, are you having fun yet?"
Haley was about to answer, but she was interrupted by a deep male voice, coming from the other side of the table. "Funny, I was just about to ask you the same question. Well, kids?"
Nathan looked into the face of the man that spoke and glared. If Haley had been about to answer him in the affirmative she certainly wasn't now. "What are you doing here?"
"Your mother and I are chaperones. Didn't you know?"
Nathan remembered that he did know, but after Haley's incident with Chris at the recording studio he had been so focused on making this a great night for her that it had completely slipped his mind. He noticed Deb Scott peeking over the side of Dan's shoulder and sending a hopeful smile at Nathan. Haley tried to smile at her, but she just ignored her. Nathan fumed. Taking a step towards Haley, he put his arm around her and gave his father a wry smile. "It must have slipped my mind."
Without so much as another look at either of his parents, Nathan walked away from the table, taking Haley with him. "Nathan!" she protested, but kept her voice low, so no one else could hear.
"What?"
"Don't you think you should have been a little less rude, at least for Deb?"
"You mean, the same woman who ignored you, the only one of us who was trying to be nice to her in the first place?"
Haley had no reply to this, and was saved from needing one by the arrival of Tim. "Hey, Nate, what's up, my brother?"
"Tim, do I have to keep reminding you that you're white?"
"Hi Tim."
"He-ey. Whoa, Haley, you look –"
Nathan cleared his throat and narrowed his eyes in response to the way his friend was currently looking at his wife. Leering was more like it, in Nathan's opinion.
"Nice, you look nice," Tim finished. Deciding to change the subject, "So, how we gonna get the key?"
"What key?" Haley asked.
"After the formal, we have an after-party at my parent's beach house," Nathan explained.
"But, as you no longer live with them, you don't have the key," Haley finished.
"Exactly."
"I was thinking we could create a diversion…"
Haley tuned the boys out as Tim related numerous plans to Nathan, and he refused them each in turn. She surveyed the crowd, looking for her friends. She saw Brooke and Mouth dancing, but aside from that didn't recognize anyone she counted as a friend (therefore Felix didn't count). However, she did see a girl who, although Haley didn't know her, seemed to be staring straight at them. Haley looked at the three of them, and then at the girl again. She wasn't staring at all of them…she was staring at Nathan!
Nathan was still involved in his conversation with Tim and hadn't noticed the girl. Haley wrapped her arm tighter around Nathan and joined in the conversation. "Have you decided anything yet?"
"Nate, keeps saying all my plans are shit."
"That's 'cause they are, Tim."
Tim huffed and looked at the floor.
"So, where is the key?" Haley asked.
"In my mum's purse."
"So then all you need to do is get Deb away from her handbag for a few minutes."
"I got it!" Tim exclaimed. "When she puts her handbag down somewhere, Nate can talk to her and lead her away from there and then I'll grab the key."
"What?"
"That actually sounds like a good plan."
"Thank you, Haley."
"But, why do I have to do it," Nathan whined.
"You think she's gonna talk to me?" Tim asked. "And your Dad's around so I'd like to avoid your mum."
Nathan and Haley both looked at Tim curiously, but he offered no explanation.
"Even if I do talk to her – and that's if," Nathan added, seeing the hopeful look in Tim's eyes, "there's no guarantee that I take her far enough away from her bag, or distract her for long enough."
As the music started to play again, an idea popped into Haley's head. "But there is if you dance with her."
"What?" Nathan repeated.
"Haley's right - if you dance with her, I'll get the key for sure!"
"But –"
"Please, Nate?" Tim looked at him with puppy-dog eyes.
Nathan shrugged in reply, but made a mistake by looking at Haley who was also giving him a puppy-dog face. He could easily ignore Tim's face, but there was no way he would be able to ignore Haley's.
"Fine," he conceded.
"Yes!" Tim threw his hands in the air and with a big smile on his face moved closer to Nathan.
"Ew, Tim, get back man."
"Sorry."
"Don't worry, Tim, I'll take care of it for you." Haley craned her neck upwards and kissed Nathan on the cheek.
"That's all I get? I'm making a very big sacrifice for you."
"For me? I thought it was for the party," Haley said.
Nathan pouted, causing Haley to giggle. He leaned down and kissed her deeply.
"You guys, can't you do that after, I don't wanna watch."
Laughing, they pulled away. Haley saw that the girl was still looking at them and, despite having seen the kiss, appeared unfazed.
"So where will you be while I attempt 'Mission Impossible 3'?"
"I'll go talk to Peyton," Haley said, having just seen her enter the hall.
"Ok, I'll come get you." They went in their opposite directions, and as she approached Peyton, Haley didn't fail to notice that the girl's gaze was still following Nathan as he moved towards Deb.
"Something wrong?" Peyton asked.
"I think there's this girl over there staring at Nathan."
"I wouldn't worry about it; Nathan only has eyes for you." Haley smiled. "And who can blame him, with you in that dress."
Haley giggled. "Well, you were the one who picked it out."
"I know, I should have kept it for me."
Haley fought back the urge to say 'for myself' and instead told her honestly, "You look amazing Peyton; where's your dress from?"
"It was my mum's."
"Oh." Haley never knew what to say when the subject of Peyton's mum came up. It seemed that most times it was better not to say anything, and Haley thought Peyton would prefer the latter. "It's gorgeous."
"Thanks," Peyton replied, glad that Haley had avoided the subject.
"Hi!" Brooke called coming from the other side of them.
"Brooke, I didn't expect you back so soon," Peyton said.
"Well, I couldn't leave my date now, could I? And tutor-wife, look at you."
"Hey, Brooke."
"Well, turn around for me."
"What?"
"Turn around; I want to see the dress." Haley reluctantly obliged as Peyton laughed at the display. When Haley had finished turning Brooke said, "Well, I still think it should be lower at the front, but the back seems to make up for it. I'm sure Nathan liked it."
"He definitely didn't have any objections."
All three girls giggled, but Haley found her night was once again interrupted by her father-in-law. "Good evening, ladies."
Peyton was the only one who attempted niceties, mumbling, "Mr. Scott."
"It seems a strange coincidence that I should find you all here together; my daughter-in-law, and my potential future daughter-in-laws."
This statement clearly made Brooke and Peyton even more uncomfortable, so Haley began, "Mr. Scott –"
"Please, Haley," he interrupted, "I know your parents aren't here so feel free to call me Dad. What would you say to the next dance? Nathan and Deb are already on the floor, we should join them."
The first thought that entered her mind was, 'I'd rather die', but she kept her mouth clammed shut instead. She didn't want to say something she'd regret, but Dan Scott could bring out the worst in people and Haley, Brooke and Peyton were in danger of just that.
"So…are you enjoying the formal, Nathan?"
"It's okay."
"And…how's your life? - at home?"
"It's good, really good," Nathan said immediately without thinking. He then noticed that this statement seemed to hurt Deb slightly, but it was true so he wasn't going to cover it up by saying something else. His marriage wasn't meant to kick his parents further out of his life, but to bring Haley more into his life, and he never regretted it.
A movement by one of the tables caught Nathan's eye and brought him out of his thoughts. He looked up and saw Tim waving his hands wildly at him. At first Nathan was confused, but then realized that they was they were turning, would soon put Deb opposite Tim and able to see him digging into her purse. Nathan hastily turned them the other way.
"Nathan?" Deb questioned.
He was about to stutter 'nothing', when he saw something else. Dan appeared to be talking to Brooke, Peyton and Haley, and they all looked highly uncomfortable. What troubled Nathan even more was Dan's proximity to Haley. "What the hell is he doing?"
"Who?" Deb turned around and followed Nathan's gaze.
Dropping his mother's hand, Nathan strode towards Haley and the others. "What's going on?" Nathan demanded.
Dan leisurely turned around and feigned surprised at seeing Nathan. With an exaggerated pleasant tone in his voice, Dan spoke. "Nate, I was just having a chat with the girls here. Your wife really does have a very classy tattoo."
Nathan did his best to control his temper. "I think you should –"
"Leave? You're forgetting that I'm a chaperone here, so I have the ability to kick people out."
"Fine, then –"
"No, Nathan, it's okay," Deb cut in. "Dan will you stop it," she said in a hushed tone wary of the looks being thrown their way.
Dan walked closer to Nathan, speaking more to him than his wife. "Stop what? I'm just talking to my son."
"Don't call me that." Nathan glared at him, and, refusing to be intimidated by Dan, moved forward.
Dan was about to speak, but Lucas showed up and stepped in between the two men. "Not here," he whispered. It was a pleading to Nathan, but a warning to Dan. Dan simply smirked, but Nathan knew his brother was right. He couldn't do this; not here, not now, and especially not to Haley. At that moment he wanted nothing more than to wipe the smirk of Dan's face, but Nathan only took Haley's hand and led her away from the group and the staring eyes.
Lucas looked distastefully at Dan, as he ushered Peyton and Brooke away, but not more so than Deb, who seemed downright disgusted. "You're just pushing him away, Dan."
He only shrugged and walked away, leaving Deb to wonder at the decisions she had made in her life, with Dan, and with Nathan, and where the hell was her purse.
Nathan watched Haley from afar as she took a sip of her drink. Soon after the encounter with Dan, Tim had come running up to Nathan brandishing the key to the beach house which he had taken while everyone had been distracted by them, and then pulled Nathan away to talk to the team. He had told Nathan it would only be a few minutes, but the guys kept staring on new topics, all of them basketball related and, apparently, all of them Nathan just had to hear. Once Narrayan finished speaking and Nathan decided he had enough. These guys were his friends and normally he loved talking about basketball, but he really just wanted to get back to his wife.
"That's great; I've really got to be –"
"But, Nate-" Tim began.
"I'll see you guys at practice," Nathan said before anyone could cut in and walked over to where Haley was standing at the refreshment table. "Hey."
"Hi," she turned around, "you guys discussing basketball?"
"Yeah, I'm really sorry, they wouldn't let me leave."
She smiled. "It's okay. I was with Peyton, and then Lucas for a bit. Besides, you're here now."
"That I am." Nathan wrapped his arms around her waist, and held her tightly to him. "You okay? We didn't really get a chance to talk about Dan."
"I'm fine. Really," Haley added, when Nathan looked disbelievingly at her. "Tonight has had certain moments which I would have rather avoided, but, it hasn't been all bad."
"No, it hasn't," Nathan agreed, and demonstrated his point by kissing her.
Haley smiled against his lips and put the plastic cup in her hand down on the table so she could lift her arms, and put her hands in his hair. Before they could reach their destination, however, the sound of someone speaking through the microphone caused Nathan and Haley to end the kiss.
"Hello, everyone," Karen said when she was sure she had gained the crowd's attention. "I'm here to announce the King and Queen of Tree Hill High's Junior Formal." Lots of cheering followed as a girl came over and handed Karen the envelope. She opened it and smiled when she saw the two names written there. "Nathan and Haley Scott!"
Haley gasped, but no one except Nathan heard her due to the loud applause. She looked up at her husband, who kissed her again, but this time they kept it short and sweet as Haley was a little embarrassed to kiss him when everyone was watching, before they made their way up to the stage. The crowd parted down the centre to make room for them, which reminded Haley of how people always did that for actually royal couples, and she blushed. She knew Nathan would be King, but Haley had expected Brooke to win. She hadn't even come to her last formal, and this year people had voted her Queen! Haley looked over at Nathan, who had not let go of her hand, despite the fact that they were now on stage and being crowned. He always made her feel like a Queen, she thought to herself, or, at least, like a Princess.
The applause died down when Karen announced that the King and Queen would now take the first dance and soft music began to play as Nathan led Haley back down the steps.
/I love you more than I should
So much more than is good for me /
"You look cute in that tiara," Nathan told her. "It suits you."
"Thanks," Haley grinned. "I like your crown," she giggled when he frowned.
/More than is good /
"Hey…" Haley began. "This song…It's what we were listening to…"
/Oh the timing is cruel /
"The night after we got married," Nathan finished for her.
/Oh I need and don't want to need /
Haley was about to say that it was a nice coincidence, when she caught something in Nathan's expression. "Nathan?"
/More than I should /
"I kind of told the DJ to play it if you won."
/I am falling/
"You did?"
/Say my name/
"Well, I kind of got a tip-off about you being crowned Queen."
"You knew?" Haley exclaimed. "You never said anything! You kept acting like you didn't even wanna come!"
/And I'll lie in the sound/
"I wanted to surprise you."
"So that's what the carriage was for."
"I wanted tonight to be perfect for you. I love you, Haley."
/What is love, but whatever
My heart needs around/
And in that moment, Haley forgot all about the people watching them and leaned up and kissed her husband.
"I think the party is a success. Everyone seems to be having a good time."
"Then, what do you say we go on upstairs and have our own good time, Mrs. Scott?" Nathan murmured against her neck.
Haley giggled. "Down boy."
"Ha-ley," he stressed the syllables of her name like a child.
"We can later."
"But, it is later baby," he gave her his puppy dog eyes, which she was even worse at resisting than he was hers, and started to kiss her, starting at her jaw and working his way up along the side of her face.
Haley was finding herself very nearly persuaded, until she saw Peyton sitting alone in one corner of the beach house's living room.
It didn't take Nathan long to realize that Haley had stopped responding to his kisses (after all, that hardly ever happened) so he broke away and asked, "What's wrong?"
Haley gestured in the direction of where Peyton was sitting, and even he couldn't mistake the sad look on the blonde's face. Nathan knew Haley would never be in the mood unless she made sure Peyton was okay. "I think some of the guys from the team are out on the deck getting wasted."
"But, if you get wasted then we can't have sex," Haley mocked Nathan's pout from earlier.
"Oh, you don't have to worry about that, baby; I'm always ready."
"I'm sure you are," Haley teased.
Nathan smirked and kissed her forehead before heading outside.
Haley sent a small wave to Peyton so she noticed her before Haley sat down. "Hey."
"Hey."
"Where's Brooke?" Haley asked.
"When I ran into Mouth he said she was with Felix, but I think I saw her run out of here after that."
"Do you think she's okay?"
"She didn't really seem in the mood for company, so I thought I'd give her a little time alone. If you ask me, Mouth didn't look too happy when I saw him either. But, at least someone's having fun," Peyton smiled at Haley, referring to the way she'd seen Haley and Nathan cuddling a few minutes ago.
"I wouldn't speak so soon if I were you."
"What do you mean?" Peyton asked curiously.
Haley nodded her head in the direction of someone opposite them. "It's that girl who was staring at Nathan."
Peyton looked in that direction and saw two girls talking. "Which one; the girl in the blue or the yellow?"
"The blue," Haley said.
Peyton looked again, but this time the girl was looking at them too. She moved away from where she was standing. "Haley?" Peyton whispered urgently.
"What?"
"I think she's coming towards us." Haley sneaked a look and saw the girl in the blue dress standing right in front of her.
"Hi." She smiled at Haley in a friendly way and seemed surprisingly nervous. "I'm Lena."
"I'm Haley."
"I know. And I know you don't know me, but, I was wondering, if it's not too weird, if you could maybe help me out with your friend."
Was this girl asking her to set her up with Nathan? Haley looked at Peyton who seemed to be thinking the same thing. "Well, Lena," Haley did her best to keep her voice in check, "Nathan is my husband so –"
"Oh, God, no, I didn't mean Nathan. I know he's you husband, and I think it's so romantic how you guys got married and everything, but I was talking about Tim."
"Tim! You want me to set you up with Tim?"
"Well, not exactly set me up with him - I don't know if he'd be into that – I just wanted to know what kind of things he likes, aside from basketball, and whether he has a girlfriend, stuff like that." When Haley didn't say anything, Lena went on, "I know it may seem a little weird me asking, but I couldn't ask a guy and I don't really know any girls who're friends with him and since you're married to Nathan I thought you'd know him and -"
It was then that Haley grasped that her silence was making Lena think she wasn't going to help her, so before she could babble any further, Haley said, "Lena, sit down," and she moved so Lena could sit in between her and Peyton. "We will tell you everything we know about Tim."
"Except his surname," Peyton added. "Because we don't know that."
"Oh my God, you're right!" Haley realized. And all three girls burst out laughing.
"Watch this!" someone shouted and Nathan cringed as he watched another of his teammates try to finish off a whole bottle of drink in just a minute.
Mike was at the keg refilling drinks, and handed a plastic cup to Nathan. As he wasn't drinking tonight Nathan gave the drink to Brandon who was standing next to him, but he refused it. "No thanks, Nate. I'm driving tonight."
Nathan turned around to give it back to Mike but in the process his view changed from the inside of the house where Haley and Peyton were talking animatedly with some girl, to the beach. The beach seemed mostly deserted except for a few couples enjoying a moonlit stroll and one solitary figure. He was far away from the deck, nearly at the tide, and he had his back to Nathan but there was no mistaking that hair.
Nathan's grip on the plastic cup immediately tightened, spilling some of its contents. He took a long sip to calm himself down and placed it on the wooden floor before making his way to the beach.
When he got to the beach, however, Nathan found that the man was not there anymore. Nathan looked around him and saw Brooke and Lucas sitting on the beach. He started walking towards them, but then noticed they seemed to be having a private moment so he turned back in the direction he had come from. And that was when they saw each other.
"Nathan."
"Chris."
"How was the formal?" Chris asked in an exaggeratedly happy voice.
"It was good. But the before-formal, not so much."
"Really?"
Nathan decided to hell with the pleasantries, and said, "What makes you think you can get away with playing around with my wife?"
"See, now, I'm gonna have to stop you right there, Nate. Why is it that you call her your wife?"
What was this guy's problem? "Because we're married."
"Yeah – and I'm gonna get onto that later – but she has a name, you know. Haley. Calling her your wife, it's like you're referring to her as your possession. That's not very nice, Nate. I don't think Haley would like that."
"Okay, firstly, I don't own Haley. And secondly, you don't know Haley so don't talk about her like you do."
"Fine. But, I do know that she's never going to get anywhere by staying married to you. You're just holding her back. I mean, I'm not exactly a fan of Haley's music – it's a little on the soppy side, if you ask me – but the girl can sing. What kind of career has she got ahead of her if she stays married to you?"
Nathan was desperately trying to keep his promise to Haley so he folded his arms to prevent a fist from flying out and landing at Chris' jaw. "You should leave."
Chris laughed and moved, or actually it was more like he fell, forward, showing Nathan for the first time that he was a little drunk. "Face it, buddy. One day she'll have to choose between you and the rest of her life and what do you think it's gonna be? If you let her go now then you won't have to suffer the pain of it all later. Leading a life of music, Haley and I will be much happier than you two will ever –"
This time Nathan couldn't stop himself from punching Chris in the face. He swore as he fell to the ground, clutching his now bleeding nose. "Listen, buddy," Nathan spat, "Haley is not interested in you. Was that slow enough to get through your head or do I have to repeat it?" However, Nathan was not given the chance to as Chris lunged at him, pulling Nathan down too.
They proceeded to fight, every now and then one getting the better of the other, but Nathan soon discovered that, for a drunken musician, Chris Keller was not a bad fighter. Yet, Nathan was more practiced than his opponent and soon found more help, in the form of Lucas, Tim and Brandon, who pulled Chris off of him easily.
Nathan got to his feet and saw a few more of his teammates were standing around them, and Brooke. Lucas and Tim were trying to get Chris out of there, but he kept shoving them away. "This isn't over, Nathan." The effect of the threat seemed somewhat ruined by the fact that Chris was bleeding and slightly limping, while Nathan was standing up fine without any help and only had a few bruises.
"Don't worry," Nathan told him. "I can beat you when you're sober too."
Throwing a final glare Nathan's way, Chris stumbled across the sand and left.
The others began to disperse and soon, it was only Nathan and Lucas, with Brooke standing a little apart from them.
"So. That was a nice way to end the formal," Lucas half-joked.
"Yeah. Lots of fun."
The brothers laughed light-heartedly, before Lucas became serious again. "Do those hurt?" he asked, referring to Nathan's bruises.
"Nah."
"Well, then, what happened to 'thou shall not lay a hand on Chris Keller unless justified'?"
"What if it was justified?"
"Huh?"
Nathan sighed. "You know how Haley was supposed to be at the studio with him tonight? Well, she went, but he hit on her."
"You should have told me that earlier. I would have helped you beat his ass."
"Thanks," Nathan smiled, "but I kind of promised Haley I'd just leave him alone. But, when I saw him here, the things he was saying about her and us…"
"Yeah, I get it." After a brief moment, Lucas asked, "So are you guys okay?"
Suddenly a voice was heard calling, "Nathan!"
/I am falling, say my name /
Nathan turned his head to his right and saw Haley running across the beach towards him. "Haley?"
/And I'll lie in the sound/
"Nathan!" she exclaimed. As soon as she reached them, she launched herself into Nathan's arms and held him tightly. "Are you okay? One of the guys came back to the house and said you were fighting! Are you alright? Did Chris do something? Oh my God, look at you face," she said noticing his bruises, and she touched his cheeks.
What is love
Nathan smiled over at Lucas and mouthed, 'We're fine.'
/but whatever
My heart needs around/
Lucas nodded and, after giving Haley a small hug, left with Brooke.
"Do they hurt?" she asked, concerned.
He shook his head. "I'm fine, Hales."
/I am falling, say my name
And I'll lie in the sound/
She sighed and hugged him again. "I was so worried."
"I'm sorry, Haley. I know I promised you I wouldn't fight with Chris – and I wasn't going to – but then he just –"
"Oh, no, Nathan, it doesn't matter." When Nathan raised his eyebrows questioningly, she added, "I mean, it does matter, but we can talk about that later; as long as you're okay then everything's fine."
/What is love, but whatever/
Nathan held her closer and buried his head in her hair. "I didn't mean to ruin your night."
/My heart needs around/
Haley looked into his eyes and smiled softly at him. She ran her hand through his hair, and then let it rest on his cheek as she whispered, "You didn't."
"Let's go home?"
/And it needs you too much now/
Haley nodded, and they kept their arms around each other as they walked back to the beach house to get their things.
"Baby, what are you doing?"
"I'm trying to find something to clean your bruises with. Ah, here it is," Haley said triumphantly as she took the cotton wool out of a box and put it back into a cupboard. "Now sit down," Haley gestured to the stool in front of her.
Nathan took off his jacket and did as he was told. "You're so sexy when you boss me around," he smirked.
Haley blushed furiously as she applied the disinfectant to the cotton. "Stop that and come here," she ordered, trying to put the cotton on his face, but he wouldn't let her.
"No, you come here." Nathan captured her lips in a searing kiss, which caused her to nearly drop the disinfectant bottle still in her hands.
Haley struggled to regain control of her senses (which was no easy task considering his tongue was in her mouth and his hands were dangerously low on her back). "Nathan, that won't heal your wounds."
"Baby, you heal all my wounds." Haley giggled and Nathan was about to use the opportunity to kiss her again, when the doorbell rang. Grumbling, Nathan went and opened the door. "Tim?"
"Nate dog, how's it hanging?"
Nathan was further surprised to see that Tim was not alone; he was flanked by two more of their teammates, Brandon and Mike.
"What are you guys doing here?"
"We thought you might be interested in a little late-night NBA Live showdown."
"What?"
"That's my man," and with that Tim and the others walked past him and set themselves down in front of the TV.
Nathan closed the door and looked apologetically at Haley, who seemed somewhat amused. "It's only because he doesn't have a girlfriend," Nathan explained quietly, referring to Tim.
"Then we're in luck because I have a feeling that that might change soon," she whispered. Nathan became confused, but Haley offered no further explanation, only kissing his cheek. "I'll see you later."
Nathan then joined the boys in front of the television, kicking Tim onto the floor to make space for him on the couch. For the next twenty minutes Nathan enjoyed himself playing the video game with his friends, but as he was still in his tux, he felt warm and a little uncomfortable. He went to the bathroom, intending to change into a t-shirt and sweats and return to the game, but was taken aback when he found it already occupied by Haley who was standing over the laundry basket wearing only a tiny strappy top and her underwear. His temperature went through the roof.
"Oh, hi, Nathan," Haley said when she saw him. "Do you know where my pajama bottoms are? I can't seem to find them."
Nathan wasted no time by replying to her question. He closed the distance between them in two strides and locked his arms around her. Soon he had her pinned against the wall.
"Nathan…Mmm…No, Nathan…We can't," she protested between kisses.
Nathan moved back to see her face, but not far enough so that she could escape from him. "What's wrong now?"
Haley gestured in the direction of the living room. Her point was accentuated by the whoop of delight from Tim as his team scored a basket.
"Oh. Give me one minute; don't go anywhere." Nathan broke away from her and headed out of the bathroom, before coming back in to add, "And don't put any more clothes on."
Exactly one minute later Tim, Brandon and Mike were standing outside the door to the apartment, having been pushed out by Nathan after he suddenly came back to the television, switched it off, and told them they all had to leave.
"What the hell was that about?" questioned a confused Tim as they started to walk away. The other two boys shrugged, all of them oblivious to the excited squeals and cries of "Don't tickle me!" that were now coming from the bathroom.
The end
A/N 2: Thanks to you, dear reader, for reading the story (it was long, I know, but you made it!) and to babygirlgilena for letting me use Lena.