Chapter Ninety-Three: One Step Forward

The time had come.

In fact, it had come a long time ago. Haley should have confronted Nathan at his first signs of breaking away from her, as he would have done. But she hadn't. And their gap bad grown.

She'd woken up feeling alone, lonely in their vast bed without his comforting heat, his arms around her. She needed him. She needed to tell him.

In the front hall, the door slowly creaked open. She approached. In the dark, she looked no different than she had at eighteen.

"Haley?" he said in surprise.

"I missed you," she said.

"What, today?"

"They did too. Evie asked after you. She doesn't see you often enough. I don't want Nina to see you as a stranger, either," said Haley. Nathan dropped his briefcase on the floor.

"She won't," he said in surprise.

"You're damn right she won't. Cut back your hours, Nate. Come home. Come home to me," she said. His eyes softened.

"You know there's no place I'd rather be," he said.

"I don't know. I've never known. Show me, Nathan," she begged.

Nathan stared at hear, appealing for his love. Once upon a time, she'd resented his love. She'd tried to destroy it, and had nearly destroyed him in the process.

"Tomorrow night, I'll take you and Eve out, and we'll leave Nina with Ryan. The next night we'll take Nina out and leave Eve with Jake. The night after, we can go over to Lucas' for dinner," he said. She raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Thank you," she whispered. She ran up the stairs in front of him, knowing he'd follow her.

"Damnit Nathan, where the hell are you?" mumbled Haley angrily to herself as she buttoned her daughter's winter jacket and slipped a scarf around her own neck.

"Huh?" asked Eve, coming out of a daydream.

"Nothing sweetie, I'm just wondering where your father is, but I'm sure he'll be here soon," said Haley.

"Me too," she said.

"I know you do, baby," said Haley, as the front door to their home entered and Nathan walked in, brushing snow off the jacket he was wearing. He looked up at his wife in surprise when his snowsuit clad daughter threw herself into his arms.

"You guys going out?"

"We're going out. Remember?" she asked. He eyed the line of ice skates on the hall table and nodded slowly.

"Skating. Right. Let's go," he said. She noticed that he'd changed from his suit into a pair of jeans.

"Great. Sorry I was late. Want a ride?" he asked his daughter, still clinging to his chest. She giggled as he lifted her onto his shoulders.

As Nathan shot her his trademark "puppy" look, Haley softened and quickened her pace to join her husband and daughter. She'd promised Eve an evening with the both of them, and Eve was getting damn used to whatever she'd been promised.

As Nathan helped his daughter into her skates and began to lace them tightly up her ankles, Haley took a few practice glides around the rink. She was unsteady at first, but quickly regained what little talent she'd always had for it.

Nathan quickly finished with Eve's skate and helped her to her feet. While his hand tightened her scarf and put on her hat, making sure their daughter would be warm, he watched Haley glide around the ice, wishing for the briefest moment that they were together, alone.

Haley skated up to them as Eve took her first tentative steps onto the ice. She took her daughter's hand and held it tightly as the girl stumbled.

"Mommy, it's slippy," she said.

"We'll keep you safe," promised Haley, smiling over her head at Nathan.

"I know," said Eve, as if surprised that her mother felt the need to state the obvious. Haley smiled and Nathan held back a laugh.

Eve began to take cautious step like glides along the ice, supported by both her parents. She tentatively squeezed her mother's hand as she gained confidence. Haley looked down at her hand tightly clasped in her daughter's, and her husband's hand clasped in the other. In so many more ways than this, Eve was the most important link in her chain. She was what kept them together, kept their chain intact. Without her, without Nina, it would undeniably fall to pieces.

It was ironic, perhaps, that these thoughts were going through Haley's head when a gunshot sounded and a bullet imbedded itself in the ice inches ahead of where they skated.

Haley instantly lost her head and let out a high pitched scream while Nathan knocked her to the ground and looked around wildly for help, which came in the form of two nearby policemen Haley wrapped her arms around her daughter and held her close while the two men drew their guns, surrounding the small family.

"Nathan, get down!" she whispered fiercely.

Hours later, Nathan had put Eve to bed with her nightlight on, had observed Nina sleeping peacefully in her crib, and was searching for Haley. She wasn't asleep in their bedroom, like he'd expected her to be. She understandably wasn't on the small terraced balcony, she wasn't in the kitchen.

He at least discovered her spread out a sofa, her eyelids fluttering open and closed, a half empty glass of wine beside her. Nathan sighed and walked over to gently lift her into his arms.

As he carefully balanced her weight and began to take steps toward the spiraling staircase, she shifted.

"Shh. Sleep," he said.

"I'm not asleep, and I'm not drunk. I'm just tired, but I can walk," said Haley firmly. He reluctantly set her down on her feet, and sighed as she quickly proceeded up the stairs ahead of him.

Knowing that she needed her space, he stopped off to check on Eve before entering his bedroom. Only one lamp was on and it took him a moment to locate her in the dark, sitting upright at her vanity mirror, slowly brushing her long blonde hair.

"Are you okay?" he asked, leaning against the doorframe. She met eyes with him in the mirror.

"She could have died, Nate."

"She'll be fine."

"She'd better. We need her. I love her. I love both of them. People can't just ruin us like this, I won't let them," she said.

"Me too. I... I can never rest easy unless I know they're safe. They mean the world to me. All of you," he said. She smiled and brushed a tear from the corner of her eye.

"Are you going to get protection for us?" she asked.

"Yeah. Soon. But you're going to have to leave the city," he said.

"Without you?" she asked.

"Yes. I'm a danger to you. People wouldn't be aiming at you without me," he said.

"Who would aim at you at all?" she asked.

"Who knows? But it isn't the first time. You need to get out. With Nina and Eve. Tomorrow," he said firmly.

"I don't want to leave you," she whispered.

"Yeah? Well, I don't want you to die."

Nathan walked out. Haley crumpled onto the bed and sobbed, for the dangers facing them and for the love she feared to lose.