Note: Thanks for all the wonderful replies. I'm working on brushing up
the epilogue, thinking I need a to add a wedding or something.

Chapter 5

Haley entered into the café and shut the door behind her. She looked up and met Nathan's eyes that were looking over her face fearfully. "Haley, are you okay?"

Haley pushed herself away from the door and wrapped herself in her husband's embrace. She laid her head against his chest to hear his heart beating.

"Nathan, what are you doing here? I thought you had practice until late."

Nathan pulled back and kissed her softly on the lips. "I did have practice but it got cancelled. Whitey said he needed some personal time. That was definitely a first, it was weird really when I was leaving I could've sworn I heard him cry."

Haley nodded listening to his words and said, "You didn't have to come all this way and spend time with me. You know that I'm handling the café single handedly since Lucas and Karen aren't ready to face life again and I won't be able to leave until late anyway."

Nathan nodded and started to rub soothing circles on her back. Haley moaned into his chest, "Nathan, that's so not fair. You know I still have a full day and you're already making me think of bed. Listen, why don't you go over to Karen's house and keep Lucas company, I'm sure he could use a friendly face. I'm just going to handle this dinner crowd and then I'll meet you there, what do you say?"

Nathan nodded once and kissed her on the lips before exiting. She turned around to handle the dinner crowd when she noticed that Nathan had stopped in his tracks and was hesitating outside the café door.

She put her stuff down reached for her apron and then walked to the door. She walked outside and called his voice softly and put a gentle arm on his shoulder.

"Nathan, is something wrong? I noticed you kinda caught in a trance there for a moment."

Nathan shook his head, "It was just another normal day, and then our lives were forever affected. I didn't really think about getting to know Uncle Keith because, he had always been there and I thought I would always have time. When I treated him rudely before, he offered me a job without a second thought. He took me under his wing and showed me affection and it feels surreal that he's gone. I just have all this hate in my heart for Jimmy for ripping an innocent life away, if he wanted to take his own that's one thing, but why Keith? What did he do to deserve that?"

Haley felt the tears spring to her eyes at the emotion in her husband's voice. She grabbed him by the arm and took him back into the café and into the back.

She sat down with him as he started to cry in her arms softly. She felt the tears spill onto his t-shirt from her, as she realized that she had no choice but to follow this through. For the man that she loved more than her life that was now sobbing in her arms and for the brother that she had come to love as fiercely as all the ones that were related to her by blood, she had to put an end to the lies and the blood shed.

Haley leaned back and started to kiss Nathan softly on the lips, on the forehead and anywhere else that she could reach. Nathan's sobs eventually stopped and he just stayed there with his forehead resting on hers. She locked eyes with him and always the closeness that was there brought on desire and he locked eyes with her under heavy lids.

"Come here."

Haley launched herself at his chest and locked lips with her husband, forgetting the time, the place and people and indulged herself in the feeling of being in his arms. He pulled back all of a sudden breathing heavily. "Okay wife, as much as I would love to stay here in your arms, you sent me on my way to see Lucas. I'm going there now."

Haley nodded once and kissed him softly on the lips again, "Nathan, I love you. Don't ever forget that okay?"

Nathan looked at her uneasy, "Why did you say that?"

Haley smiled at his uneasiness and grabbed his face to hers again and kissed him again a bit longer this time. She grinned against his lips when she felt his arms come around her waist. She looked back at him, "Don't worry its just that with everything that's happened, each time I see you I feel the need to tell you my feelings. Love. I love you Nathan. Always and forever remember?"

Nathan squeezed her to him tightly, "Of course, how could I forget. It's who we are, always and forever remember? Well that's enough of me; I need to go see my brother. Maybe I'll take him to the Rivercourt and see if he wants to shoot hoops for awhile."

Haley nodded, "Take it easy on him. Make sure he takes his meds."

Nathan grinned at her softly, "Of course I will Mom."

After almost losing her life and Nathan's at the hands of Jimmy she had theorized that life was too short. Her first act of business had been ensuring that Lucas was back on his HCM medication and it was regulated. Lucas had been too devastated by Keith's death to be angry and was now following the instructions of the doctor.

Haley rolled her eyes at her husband and shooed him out of the café and turned back to the table of customers who were quickly becoming testy and focused on the work at hand. She had to handle a busy café before she could focus on taking down the father of the men she considered the most important in her life.

Hours Later

Bone tired and emotionally distraught correctly framed her thoughts as she leaned outside the door of Karen's house. She smiled when the door was opened by Whitey. He pulled her into a brief hug then gruffly said, "Where have you been? The boys called me from the Rivercourt every 15 minutes to see if you had made it back yet. You have the both of them tied around your finger but I'm sure you know that already."

Haley smiled at the older man who reminded her of her grandfather that she had lost at such an early age. She touched his arm briefly as she entered the house, "So tell me, nothing new here?"

Whitey shook his head, "Dan stopped by. He wanted to talk to Karen but I convinced him that she was sleeping and couldn't be disturbed. I tell you that kid has some steel ones on him, I'll say. He kills his brother and then he moves on his brother's girl and the child he put down ages ago. Anyway, he told me that you decided to work with him; he was actually gloating about that fact anyway. What are you plotting Haley?"

Haley felt the nausea rise to her stomach at the thought that she was in the lions den with her father-in-law but shrugged off her thoughts. This man was a murderer; he deserved no compassion from her. Just as he had cold-bloodedly snuffed out his brother's life she would methodically ensure that he wasn't a part of her family's life either.

Whitey reviewed her face with concern; he was worried about how she was handling this. "Whitey, I'm fine. Stop worrying about me so much. I'm just beating my father-in-law at his own game. I won't put Lucas and Nathan's lives in danger and I'll try to keep mine out of danger. On to another subject, where's Karen? Is she still sleeping?"

Whitey shook his head, "Deb just went into the room. She came by earlier but she was still sleeping. I think this is the first time that they have been together since she left town earlier. She hasn't spoken to her yet. Look, I have to get home."

Haley nodded and kissed Whitey softly on the cheek and closed the door behind her as she turned to look at Karen's house and see what she could make in there to eat.

"LEAVE!"

Haley looked up in concern. She had been piddling around the house for thirty minutes and had whipped out something for dinner and then checked in on Karen who was still sleeping with Deb watching her steadfastly. She had assured her that if Karen needed anything she would be there to help.

She started to rush into the bedroom but thought better of it when the sounds of screaming came out of the bedroom. "Karen, please listen to me…"

"This is your entire fault. If you hadn't done that he would've never leaved and I would have had more time with him… We would've been married."

"Karen, if would just listen to me…"

"What do you want me to listen to excuses? Why did you have to try to kill Dan, why?"

Haley felt the breath leave her body as the realization washed over her. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. How is it possible that the man she married had been borne from murdering, psychotic parents?

She pushed the door open to see a flushed, aggravated Karen sitting up in bed yelling obscenities at Deb.

"Listen Deb, I think its best if you go."

Karen looked at Haley in shame, "I'm sorry Haley I didn't know anyone was here. I didn't want you to find out... It's just…"

Haley nodded and placed a calming hand on her shoulder, "No apologies are needed Karen. Deb, come outside with me. Karen, I'll bring in your dinner in a minute."

"Haley, before you jump to any conclusions…."

Deb started to try to explain but was stopped by an aggravated Haley who pulled her outside. "What is it with you two? Why do you insist on being criminals above the law? You don't like Dan, divorce him, but don't try to murder him! You thought I was wrong for Nathan, how about you? At least he gets unconditional love with me; you two are the poster parents for dysfunctional, murdering parents."

Deb flinched back at the anger and recriminations in her voice and Haley stopped momentarily. "I'm sorry Deb; I'm taking out my frustrations of Dan on you. I need to understand what Dan is capable of, I need to know, I don't want him anywhere near my family if he's capable of causing them harm."

Deb looked at her in confusion, "What Dan is capable of? Didn't you hear Karen back there; I'm the one who tried to murder him. He's a pathological son of a bitch but he's not a murderer."

Haley rolled her eyes, "That's what you think. Look, we need to talk but not here. I'm taking down Dan once and for all. Yes, I know it sounds crazy but it's what I'm doing. I have to protect my family and in order to do that; I'm going to need your help."

Winding Down... One more to go and then an epilogue. EP