"Hales," Peyton cried running to give her old friend a hug when Haley entered Karen's Café. "Oh how I've missed you." She had always wanted to get out of the small town, but in the end, ended up staying there with her husband; she had always been jealous of Haley for getting to see what else was out there.

"It's good to be here," she said and even surprised herself by meaning it.

"Come on, sit, I want to hear everything you've been up to lately," Peyton said ushering her over to the counter. Haley wasn't paying much attention though, something in the corner of the café caught her eye. It had been in that spot for as long as she could remember, and she loved to practice on that piano when she was younger.

Haley had just finished up a long day of waitressing at the café. Her feet were sore, her head was pounding, and all she wanted to do was pass out in bed. Jake was just leaving after finishing his shift, so all she had to do was close up. Flipping the open sign to closed, she saw her dark haired boyfriend running up to the building.

"Hey, you're still here," he said walking in.

"I'm always here," she laughed. "Are you okay?"

"Whatever I said last time you asked me that question probably still applies," he shrugged. Things with his parents had been tough. They were constantly bickering and going through a painful divorce which Nathan suffered the consequences of.

"Well if there's anything I can do to help, let me know," she sweetly smiled at him. Truth was though, she was worried for him. She could see how tough his parents' divorce really was on him, even when he tried to act otherwise. But no one knew him better than she did, and she knew his inner workings. And what scared her most was that he would soon emotionally shut down, closing himself off from everyone, including her.

"Well I was thinking about what you said, about living in the moment. And I realized that if I'm going to live in the moment, then I just want to live in it with you," he said wrapping his arms around her. Haley had become the one constant thing in his life; nothing, not his parents' divorce or anything of that sort, could take her away from him. "So were you serious about doing something for me?"

"Well that depends, what is it," she asked curiously wondering what humiliating task her boyfriend would put her up to. Following his gaze, she saw him nodding in the direction of the piano. "Nathan, no."

"Here's your chance. Come on, you said you do anything to help me and this would really help me take my mind off things," he begged.

"Fine, but you asked for it," she said taking a seat at the piano bench and getting ready to play. She couldn't remember ever performing in front of someone that wasn't Lucas or her parents; she was nervous.

"You're right I did," he smiled with satisfaction as she began to play. The sweet sounds of Sarah McLachlan's "Elsewhere" filled the café. Watching Haley's face, so many emotions were seen flashing across her features. He was right when he said it would help him, because it did. He felt so much love and happiness in that moment that nothing else in the world mattered in that moment except for her.

"Earth to Haley," Peyton said waving her hand in front of her face. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she nodded. "It's just… weird to be back here I guess." This was where her life used to be; this place was a part of who she was.

"It's all weird," Peyton agreed. "Seriously though, how are you?" And Haley understood exactly what she meant.

"Alright," the doctor said sitting down across from her. "For someone as young as you are, your body isn't always able to handle supporting another life and—"

"Oh just say it," she snapped. Her life was just going great the last few months, she had left her husband and was now getting even more awful news.

"Okay, um, I'm sorry Haley, but you had a miscarriage."

One moment, and her reasoning for running away was gone. Haley was pregnant, which was why she decided to leave Tree Hill and Nathan. She wouldn't burden him with a child; she wouldn't keep him from living his life the way it was meant to be lived. So when the doctor told her that she was expecting, she packed her things and left for New York, never to return.

But then Haley began having days where she wasn't feeling well, and eventually passed out in a restaurant, leading her to the examination room of the hospital. And that's when the doctors discovered there was no more child. That's when Haley entered a phase of depression because not only did she lose her child, she lost the last part of Nathan she would ever have.

After that fateful day, Peyton pleaded with her to come back to Tree Hill, telling her that Nathan would still forgive her. But Haley was too emotionally distraught to go back to her old life; she had to start fresh. So she stayed in New York, finding a job at a local boutique, even designing a few things for the store every once in a while. Her life was filled with activity, but nothing could fill that void in her heart, where her husband once was.

"I'm okay," she shrugged. "It's been a rough eight years, but I'm fine now." She didn't know what else to say, the only question she really wanted to ask was about Nathan.

"Nathan's okay too," Peyton said as if reading her mind; she knew exactly what her friend wanted to ask. "I already told you everything that happened after you left, but he's getting better."

"Sometimes, I wonder why I even left," Haley said looking at the wedding ring that was still on her finger. She refused to take it off, even when she was the one who sent him the divorce papers. Just because she was setting him free didn't mean she didn't still love him. "I wonder what our little family would have been like and the 'what if' questions nearly kill me every day."

"You can't think like that Hales," she sighed rubbing her friends arm gently. "You made the choice that was best for you at the time; you had your reasons. I know how much you love him, because only someone this crazy in love would have the strength to let him go in the first place."

"Stop it Peyt, you're going to make me cry," she whimpered. "And why are we even talking about me in the first place? How are you?"

"I've been better," she admitted. "Things with Lucas are hard. I can't imagine what life is going to be like without him and it breaks my heart to see him lying in bed so helplessly, when all he ever wanted to do was play ball." Haley nodded in understanding. Basketball was a huge part of Lucas' life, but the HCM restricted him from playing. The one thing in his life that he would always be good at had been so wrongfully taken away from him.

"Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in," someone said coming up from behind them. "If it isn't our resident fugitive girl…"

"Don't start Brooke," Peyton warned.

"I'm not starting it," she replied. "Our little Haley here already did, eight years ago when she walked out on everything that important to her."

"You don't know the whole story," Haley tried to say.

"I don't need to hear it," she hissed. "You left your husband. How could you be so heartless? Nathan was devastated; I don't think he left the apartment for a month, and over what? Some pathetic girl who claimed to love him. Well, even fairytales have lies sometimes too, don't they?"

"Brooke," Peyton tried to cut in again.

"No Peyton, I'm not finished," she said sharply and walking up to Haley. "Do you want to hear it said aloud? Nathan was heartbroken. You were the most important thing in his life and you took advantage of that. But don't worry, all his friends were there to clean up the mess you made. We cared enough to take care of him," she shouted before quieting down and saying in a more vulnerable tone, "but he wasn't the only person you left. You left me too. And Luke, and Peyton, and Jake, and Jenny, and everyone else who cared about you. I thought we were friends—"

"We are," Haley argued.

"No, we're not. I may have been popular in high school, but there were only a few people that I could trust, and I considered you to be one of them. But apparently that wasn't important to you because you didn't even bother to call once in the last eight years. I would have helped you Haley, with whatever was going on. All you had to do was ask, and your friends would have been right there waiting to help."

"Brooke," she began. "I had no idea. I'm.. for whatever it's worth, I'm sorry."

"It's too late Haley," Brooke shook her head. "The damage is done and you can't fix it." The petite brunette turned on her heel and walked back out of the café.

Haley stood shocked, replaying the words over and over in her head, "the damage is done and you can't fix it." What if she threw away her one chance at happiness all those years ago?

"Haley," Peyton said carefully. "Ar—are you going to be okay?"

"I—I," she stuttered. "I have to go." And she too ran out of the café into the pouring rain.

The walk back to her home wasn't far from the café, and besides, Haley figured that no one could see her tears since it was raining. Brooke was right, she had ruined the fairytale, she destroyed the happy ending.

As she crossed the street to get to the sidewalk, there was something that stood out. Something that was witness to one of the best moments in her life. It was a simple wooden bench in the middle of the town square where love was professed one night.

The couple sat awkwardly next to each other on the bench, neither knowing what to say. The last few days had been confusing for both of them. It all started with Nathan's discovery of the 23, his basketball number, tattooed on Haley's back. Things had just been different, but neither of them could put their finger on it. That is, until now.

"Do you think that I'm a tease," Haley asked. She was so frustrated with herself for making Nathan wait. She was in love with him, so why wasn't she ready to take that next step?

"Stop it," he said. She wasn't a tease, he knew that, she knew that, he just wasn't sure why she would say something like that. He was just trying to find the right words to say.

"Well what do you think?" She had to know what was going on inside his head.

"I think that you're my girlfriend, and I like to spend time with you. Look I just don't want to push you." He didn't want to do lose her over something stupid; she meant too much to him.

"You're not," she assured him. And he wasn't. She loved being with him, loved spending every moment she could with him.

"But I am. Haley, you got a tattoo for God's sake. It just freaks me out a little bit, because obviously this whole thing with us means a lot to you. I just don't want to do anything to pressure you or drive you away, even though sometimes I can't help it. Just like I can't help that I fell in love with you. 'Cause I did. I love you, Haley. And it scares me, a little bit, but, there it is."

"Wow, there it is," Haley said with wide eyes. She had been waiting for this moment her entire life, when someone would admit to loving her. On instinct, she placed her hands on his face and leaned in to kiss him softly. Pulling away she said, "I love you too." A wide smile broke out across Nathan's face, causing her to giggle and kiss him again.

God, how she missed him. She longed for the days of high school, the days before graduation, the days before everything changed. It was times like these, Haley hated remembering the most. Approaching her house, she remembered when Nathan had been waiting for her in the rain also; seeking forgiveness just like she was now.

"See you at the game tonight," Haley said to Peyton before getting out of the car. "Thanks for the ride!" She ran up the yard towards the front door to find a lone figure sitting on the steps of the porch. "Nathan, you're soaked. What are you doing?"

"I just went for a run to clear my head, I guess this is where I ended up. Look, Haley, the picture of Peyton didn't mean anything, okay?" He had to make her believe him. Peyton was the past, an old girlfriend that he never really cared about in that way. And he had forgotten about a few pictures he had saved of her on his laptop, only to let Haley discover them first.

"It did to me. Clearly you still have feelings for her," she suggested. Haley hated this feeling of insecurity; she hated being jealous. It was girls like Peyton who made her feel this way too. The girls that just gave themselves away, the pretty girls, the popular girls, the girls she believed Nathan truly wanted.

"I saved that picture back when we were still dating. The other ones too, you can go back and look. Her web cam hasn't even been in her closet for months,"

"Why didn't you tell me that last week?"

"Because I should have deleted those images a long time ago. I just felt bad because I didn't do it. Besides, Haley, I don't want Peyton. I want you," he admitted. Peyton was so long ago, he couldn't even remember why they had been together in the first place. But Haley… Haley was his present and his future. She was it.

"Is that it?" She had to know, was this for real? Or were they only going to be a meaningless fling?

"You know, my pride says yeah, that's it. Just walk away and let Haley deal with the fact that she's clearly threatened by a sexual relationship. But my heart says, just forget about your pride you idiot, you love this girl. And even if you're going to catch pneumonia, your ass is going to stand out here in the rain till you convince her to forgive you. So come on, Hales, just meet me half way here," he pleaded. He needed her to forgive him, the last week without her had been hell and he couldn't go much longer without seeing her.

"Why should I?"

"Because I'm sorry. Because I love you. And because you're looking really hot standing out here in the rain, and I'm thinking, I have to kiss you," he smirked. Haley smiled, pushing her hair back, contemplating what he had said.

"Well, if you have to."

Haley ran into the house and back to her bedroom, tears evident on her face. So many months of blissful, happy memories, had gone by only to be ripped away by her leaving. Haley sat on her bed, knees pulled up to her chest, just sobbing. She cried for her husband, and she cried for her child that she would never get to know; she simply cried.

"Haley-bub, you're home," a smiling Lydia James entered the room, but immediately rushed to her daughter's side upon seeing her tears. She wrapped her arms around the broken girl in understanding. "Hales, it's better to have loved and lost than to not have loved at all."

"I miss him mom," she sniffled. "I really do. All this time, I've been in denial, pretending my life is fine and just going on with a normal routine, but I secretly can't stop thinking about him. Everyday for the last eight years has been a constant question about where he is and what he's doing and I just don't know what to do."

"Haley, this is what you wanted remember? You chose your path, and now you have to follow it."

A nervous Haley and Nathan walked into the James' household. This was it, the day that would decide the rest of their lives. All it took was a simple yes or no from Haley's parents to decide whether or not the couple could marry.

Standing in the doorway, Haley turned to face Nathan. "No matter what happens next, I want you to know, if my parents say yes, I will marry you," she giggled just saying it. The two briefly kissed before heading into the kitchen.

"Well, to what do we owe this surprise," Jimmy James said standing at the counter. He hardly ever saw his daughter between the hours of eight and midnight anymore.

"Well, we wanted to talk to you daddy," she said sweetly, hoping that her "Daddy's Girl" act would work at least one more time in her favor. She needed his blessing, she could never go against her father's wishes.

"Daddy? This is gonna be expensive," he joked.

"Ok, look. You guys know that I am an extremely cautious person…and I consider things from every angle and I don't just, like, jump into things," she paused trying to figure out exactly how to say what she wanted.

"Like getting to the point of this conversation," Lydia suggested. She loved her daughter, but her tendency to ramble was often.

Nathan stood up, ready to face the music. He couldn't wait much longer. "Mr. and Mrs. James um, as you know, I'm emancipated from my parents and I think you also know that I respect both of you very much—"

"I think I know where this is going and-and here's the thing Nathan; you see, if we adopt you, the making out with Haley is gonna have to stop. At least in public," Jimmy cut in laughing.

"Could you guys be serious for like one minute of my life please?" Haley considered her parents to be more immature than she was half the time, and for once, wanted them to actually listen to what she had to say.

Haley glanced at Nathan, waiting for him to say something. "I'd like to marry your daughter," he finally said, causing both Lydia and Jimmy to howl with laughter. Seeing that Nathan wasn't kidding though, they stopped.

"I didn't see that coming," Jimmy said shocked, before walking away.

Lydia was more understanding. "I will discuss this with your father," she paused, looking at Haley directly. "If this is what you want." She knew she didn't have to ask though, she had seen her daughter with Nathan; she had seen how happy they were.

Haley looked over at her future husband and had never been more sure of what she was about to say. "It is." She was confident in him, confident in herself, confident in their love.

"I bet you wanted to kill us when we asked you that day," Haley chuckled. She had never really talked about it with her parents much, and it was still kind of weird to bring it up now. What were they thinking, asking to get their marriage license along with their driver's license?

"No, we didn't," Lydia said. "We were so proud of you, we still are." She removed her arm from Haley's shoulders and stood up off the bed. "Get some rest Haley-bub. You've got a big day tomorrow." Flipping the lights off, Lydia took one last look at her daughter before leaving the room, and closing the door.

And it was just like back then, back when things made sense. A mother putting her daughter to bed, a daughter who was so in love with another man, but none the less, the same daughter she had always been. And just like always, that daughter was worried about what the next day would bring.