A/N: Thank you for the awesome reviews. And as always, thanks to Leeese!

Disclaimer: Don't own OTH


Chapter Five

The next afternoon, Haley drove to the hospital to see Peyton and the new baby. Peyton couldn't stop thanking her enough or that she and Jake wanted to repay her somehow. Haley told her that letting her substitute for her classes was enough. She really didn't need anything else.

As days passed, Haley began to love her job more and more. She loved helping her students learn about English literature. Lucas and his classmates started to enjoy Haley's teaching methods, not to mention Haley herself.

Soon, it was a few days before the Thanksgiving weekend. The students were getting anxious to be off for the four days. Haley couldn't imagine what it was going to be like right before Christmas break. She didn't even want to think about it.

"So what are you going to do for Thanksgiving?" Nathan asked Haley as they ate their lunch in the teacher's lounge. "Are you going to go back to Wilmington to visit your family?"

"Well, my parents have decided to visit my sister Vivian and her family down in Charleston this year. And the only sibling I'm close to, Quinn, is planning to visit her boyfriend David in New York," Haley replied.

"So you're going to spend Thanksgiving alone?" Nathan asked with a slight frown.

"Well, Jake and Peyton invited me to their house, but I don't want to impose on them since they are new parents and all," Haley replied. "It's ok. I get tired of the big family crowd anyway."

"What about if you join the Scott family for Thanksgiving dinner?" Nathan suggested. He hated the thought of spending Thanksgiving alone. Haley turned to him surprised. "We're going to have my dad and Rachel's mom over. And I know that Lucas will invite Lindsey, but you're more than welcome to come over too."

Haley bit her lip. "I would, but I don't think it's a good idea with Rachel and Jewel not getting along. And what about your dad and her mom?"

"They just need to get to know each other," Nathan said. Haley wasn't convinced. "You said so yourself. Jewel's not used to strangers." Haley knew that he had a point. "Let me talk to Rachel. I'm sure that I can convince her to calm down about Jewel. I really don't want you to spend Thanksgiving alone."

Haley let out a sigh before answering. "Alright, but don't say that I didn't warn you." Nathan just smiled at her as she left the teacher's lounge, lost in thought. Now that she had accepted the invitation, she was a little nervous about meeting Nathan's dad and Rachel's mother. Yet, she had a feeling that she had nothing to worry about with Dan. Rachel's mother was a different story though.

She was so lost in thought that she didn't watch where she was going and almost ran into the new parents and baby. "I'm so sorry. I wasn't paying attention," Haley said apologetically as Nathan came out of the teacher's lounge.

Peyton gave her a reassuring smile. "It's ok. You don't need to apologize," she told her as she gestured to her sleeping son in her arms. "I just stopped by to show everyone our new son. I would have stopped by sooner, but Ryan had to stay in the hospital for awhile since he was born early."

"He's ok now, right?" Lucas asked as he and Lindsey came over to them. They couldn't help but smile at the little baby.

Jake smiled proudly as he answered. "Yeah, he's strong just like his daddy."

"Is this the newest Jagielski?" a familiar voice asked. Everyone turned to see Victoria walking towards them. She gushed over the sight of the baby and gave a wide smile to Peyton and Jake. "You did a wonderful job. He's just perfect."

The new parents smiled at the compliment as Haley saw Brooke and her two friends Mouth and Millie from across the quad. However, she noticed that Brooke looked more annoyed than happy. She couldn't help but wonder why she was. She was about to question her when the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch.

Ryan immediately started crying and Peyton tried to shush him. She knew that it was time to go. She quickly said good-bye as she and Jake left. Nathan, Lucas and Lindsey were right behind them.

Victoria was about to follow them when Haley stopped her. "I couldn't help but notice that Brooke didn't seem happy that everyone was admiring the baby," she said.

Victoria gave her a smile. "You're going to have to excuse Brooke. She gets a case of the green-eyed monster a little too often. She doesn't understand how grateful she should be. After all, I gave her life." Haley was confused by her answer. However, she again didn't have a chance to respond when Victoria excused herself. Haley was confused for only a couple of seconds more before realizing that she had to get to class.

That evening, everyone took a break from their work and studies to attend the basketball home game. Even Haley took a break from her grading to attend the game. It was her first basketball game that she had attended since her arrival in Tree Hill and she was excited to see Lucas in action.

The bleachers were full of people. However, she managed to find a seat next to Peyton. Haley couldn't help but smile. "So I assume Jake is at home with the baby?"

Peyton nodded. "Yes, he's giving me a break since I've been with Ryan all day." She then changed the subject. "So I heard that you are thinking of joining the Scott family for Thanksgiving. How come you accepted Nathan's invitation and not ours?" she teased her.

"Nathan has to get the idea past Rachel first because she doesn't like Jewel, my dog," Haley replied. "And Jewel doesn't like her."

"You have a dog? Really? What breed is she?" Peyton asked her and Haley pulled out her phone and showed her a picture of Jewel. Peyton smiled fondly at it. "She's so cute. Jake and I are thinking about getting a family pet eventually."

"Get a cat. They are so much easier to take care of," Rachel said as she joined them. "You don't have to walk them or play with them all the time. All cats do is lay around the house and sleep."

"But they could scratch you," Haley pointed out. "And you would still have to clean out the cat litter."

Rachel just rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

Haley started to wonder how Nathan and Rachel had ended up getting married. They didn't seem like they had anything in common. She knew that she should stay out of it, but she didn't want Nathan to get hurt either.

She then watched the game and was impressed how well the Ravens played. "Wow, they are really good," she told Rachel as Lucas scored another three points. She couldn't help but notice Lucas flash a smile at his girlfriend, who was leading the cheerleading team.

"It's all thanks to my husband," Rachel replied proudly as she got Nathan's attention. They exchanged smiles before he turned his attention to the game. "He certainly knows how to figure out the perfect plays. After all, he was a Raven himself."

Haley knew that was true. She had remembered that he told her that during one of their many conversations. She watched the rest of the game and cheered with the rest of the Raven fans as they won the game.

Rachel then turned to Haley and Peyton. "Well, it looks like there will be some celebration going on at the club. Will I see you guys there?"

"No, I'm going home to my husband and baby," Peyton replied. "The game was fun, but I miss them."

"It sounds nice, but I think that I'm going to pass tonight," Haley added.

Rachel knew the reason. "You've got to go check on the dog," she said. "It's ok. I understand, but please stop by if you ever feel like having a drink or a favorite band of yours is playing."

Haley just nodded as she exchanged good-byes with them. She then headed out of the gym and towards the parking lot. She then heard footsteps and was surprised to see Nathan catching up with her. He gave her a wide smile. "So what did you think of my team?"

Haley smiled in return. "They are pretty good. Their team captain really knows how to lead them into victory."

Nathan was disappointed before he realized that she was teasing him. "Very funny," he said as he laughed slightly. He then changed the subject. "So are you coming to the club to help us celebrate? Or do you have papers to grade?"

Haley sighed. "I do have to finish grading papers, not to mention checking up on Jewel. I'm sure she's dying for a walk by now."

"I would go with you, but the team will be expecting me to be at the club," Nathan said.

Haley nodded understandingly. "It's no problem. I'm sure I can handle a walk by myself."

"Don't forget to steer clear of Whitey's house," Nathan reminded her. "And please call me if you end up in any trouble."

"I will," she promised. Nathan then walked her out to her car before heading back into the locker room.

Once he and Rachel were both ready, they headed to the club. After the victory party was over, Nathan and Rachel headed home without Lucas. He was taking Lindsey home before he would head home himself. Before Nathan could even give him the lecture, he told him that he would go straight there and straight back. Nathan was surprised, but pleased that he didn't even have to remind him.

When the two arrived home, both of them immediately went upstairs to get ready for bed. "Man, I'm exhausted," Nathan said as he took his shirt off and sat down on the bed. "I don't think I can keep my eyes open another minute."

Rachel gave him a smile. "Maybe I can convince you to stay up. I need some loving after a hard day at the club."

Nathan laughed. "I'm not sure it was hard as mine. The team was so restless at practice today. I'm surprised that they managed to concentrate on the game."

"Well, I'm glad that they did," Rachel replied as she walked into the master bathroom. "Otherwise, we would have no reason to celebrate tonight."

Nathan didn't know if it was a good time to bring up Haley joining them for Thanksgiving or not. "Rachel, do you mind if we have another person join us for Thanksgiving?" he asked her hesitantly.

"I thought Lucas was spending Thanksgiving over at Lindsey's house," Rachel replied.

Nathan frowned. "Where did you hear that?"

"Lucas was on the phone with Lindsey discussing Thanksgiving plans," Rachel told him. "I knew that he wasn't going to ask me for permission, but I thought that I would be nice and tell him that he could go."

Nathan couldn't believe his ears. "You told him that he could go without even consulting me first?"

Rachel gave him a look. "I'm sorry, but I was trying to be nice to him." She then gave him an apologetic look. "You know that we don't get along. So I thought that I could do him a favor."

Nathan sighed. "I appreciate that you are trying to be nice to him, but Thanksgiving is a time for family."

Rachel shrugged. "Well, it's not like Dan is his dad. He's your dad. And Lucas doesn't get along with my mom either. So it works out by being just the four of us."

Nathan made a face. "Actually, it's going to be five of us." Rachel was interested to hear who he had invited. "I invited Haley over for Thanksgiving dinner."

Rachel gave him a look. That was not the answer she was expecting. "Do you mean the next door neighbor with the dog? How could you invite her over? Doesn't she have her own family to be with for Thanksgiving?"

"Yes, but everyone in her family has other plans," Nathan said. Rachel scoffed at him. "Come on, Rachel. It would really mean a lot to me that you do this."

Rachel didn't say anything at first. She then spoke. "Will she be bringing the dog?"

Nathan gave her a look. "Do you have to say it that way? Jewel is such a sweet dog once you get to know her and vice versa."

"I don't want her to ruin our Thanksgiving dinner," Rachel replied. "You know how my mother is."

Nathan sighed. "I know, but I'm sure Haley will keep her in line."

Rachel sighed. "You really should have told me this before," she exclaimed angrily. "Now I'm going to have to make extra food so there is plenty for everyone."

"Well, you should have told me about Lucas's plan to go to Lindsey's house," Nathan countered. "Now we're even. And you know that you always make plenty of food. So it shouldn't be a problem for Haley to come over."

"I'm not going to Lindsey's house," a familiar voice said as he poked his head in the room. "I'm going to have Thanksgiving here with you guys."

Nathan was surprised. "What made you change your mind?" he asked him curiously.

"Well, I thought that I could suffer one family dinner with your dad and Rachel's mom," Lucas replied. "Not to mention my teacher."

Rachel nodded understandingly. "I see here. You have a crush on Ms. James." Lucas tried to protest, but she didn't let him. "That's so cute, but I don't think that Ms. James would want to date one of her students. Besides, what would Lindsey think?"

Lucas gave her an annoyed look as he replied, "I don't have a crush on Ms. James. I'm just looking out for her like Nathan asked me to."

Rachel waited until he left to close the door and turn back to her husband. "You asked him to look out for her? Why the hell would you do that?"

Nathan gave her a look. "Because Lucas's classmates can be jackasses sometimes." Rachel wasn't convinced and Nathan could tell that from her expression. "We are just friends and coworkers. That's all," he assured her. "Now will you allow her to come to our Thanksgiving dinner or not?"

Rachel sighed before she finally answered. "Tell her to keep that dog of hers under control."

Nathan gave her a wide smile. "Thanks Rachel. You're the best." He then immediately called Haley as his wife watched him with jealousy in her eyes.