A/N: Thank you for the awesome reviews. And thanks to my beta: Leeese.


Chapter Fourteen

A few days later, Nathan, Haley and Lucas headed to Wilmington. Dan was going to meet up with them later. Haley was relieved that he wasn't planning to bring Victoria and Brooke along. She had a feeling that Victoria would ruin her Christmas. She wasn't surprised when she heard that Rachel and her mother weren't coming along either. She had heard from Nathan that they had decided that it was best to spend the holidays separately.

"Are you sure you don't want to sit in the front with Nathan?" Haley asked Lucas as they prepared themselves to get into the car. "You would probably be more comfortable up here." She knew she was the guest, but she didn't want to force Lucas to sit in the back if he didn't have to.

Lucas shook his head. "No, I don't mind if I sit with Jewel. You two have fun up there. I'll just put on my headphones and listen to my music."

"You don't want to hear Christmas songs?" Nathan teased him as he pulled the car away from the curb. "But they are the best part of the road trip. And your teacher has a terrific singing voice." Haley turned red as Lucas became interested in hearing more. Nathan turned to Haley. "Are we going to get a chance to hear you sing a solo during the next few days?"

"We'll have to see," Haley replied. "I think I might break tradition and not sing the solo this year."

"Don't do that just because you're afraid of singing in front of your guests," Nathan teased her.

Lucas couldn't help but notice how well his brother and his teacher were getting along. Of course, they had always gotten along. He hoped that they would take a chance and start dating. He would love it now, but he knew Nathan wasn't ready to start dating right after he and Rachel separated. It was too soon for him.

Haley then turned to Lucas. "Nathan tells me that you are thinking about going to Duke. I suppose you are planning to get a basketball scholarship, right?"

Lucas nodded. "Yeah, but I also might start out at a community college first. I want to be nearby so I can help out with my niece or nephew. Duke can wait two years. So can the N.B.A."

Nathan gave him a grateful smile. "That's nice of you, but I want you to have your dreams too," he replied. "Whatever you choose to do, I'll support you."

Lucas wasn't sure if he believed that. "Even if I don't go to college and marry Lindsey?" he asked him.

Nathan was quiet for a moment. Lucas waited anxiously for his answer. Nathan let out a heavy sigh. "If you believe that you will be happy by not going to college right away and marrying Lindsey, then I won't stop you."

Lucas was surprised by his answer. However, he was glad to know that Nathan was going to let him make his own decisions about where he wanted to go to college. He could see that he was really trying to be the supportive brother rather than the guardian all of the time.

When they finally arrived at the house, Lydia came out to greet them. She hugged her daughter first before Nathan introduced Lucas. There were more introductions as Quinn and David came out to help them unpack the trunk.

Haley, Nathan and Lucas were planning to stay at the house for the Christmas holidays while Dan was just staying for a few hours. Haley believed that it was because of her. However, both Nathan and Lucas assured her that it wasn't. He just had other plans to visit his friends for the holidays. Haley hoped that one of them wasn't her boss.

As they walked into the house, they were greeted by the dogs. More introductions were made as Mr. James came into the room. To Haley's relief, he was looking better than when she saw him in the hospital. He embraced his daughter in a tight hug as Lucas started playing with Simba. He then followed his brother, Haley and her mother up to the guest bedrooms. Haley was going to sleep in her old bedroom while Lucas and Nathan were going to share her brothers' old bedroom.

"If you two don't want to share a room, one of you could always sleep in the pull-out couch in the den," Lydia told them. "Or we can find some other sleeping arrangement. We might have to since Taylor is coming."

"Taylor is coming?" Haley asked, trying not to sound too disappointed. She loved her sister, but Taylor drove her crazy.

"We might as well put her in her old room," Quinn replied. Taylor's old room was really Vivian's old room. However, Taylor moved in there when Vivian moved out. "I'll sleep with Haley in our old bedroom. Then David can sleep on the couch." She turned to her boyfriend. "You don't mind, do you?"

"Why don't we both sleep on the couch?" David asked her.

"Because I want to spend some time with my baby sister," Quinn replied as she wrapped her arm around Haley's shoulder. "And there are no boys allowed." She then followed her sister into their old bedroom. She then closed the door so they could have more privacy. "Lucas seems nice. I hope Nathan's dad is as nice as the Scott brothers are," she said as Haley started unpacking her suitcase.

"He is, but I'm sure that won't last for long," Haley replied. Quinn gave her a confused look. Haley then realized that she was about to tell her too much. However, she knew that she could trust her with this secret. Haley let out a heavy sigh before she spoke again. "Do you remember when I told you that I had a feeling that something wasn't quite right with Brooke Davis?" she asked. Quinn nodded, remembering that conversation. "Well, I was right. She is being abused by her mom."

Quinn instantly became concerned. "Hales, are you sure?" she asked. Haley nodded. "Did you call social services?"

Haley nodded. "Yeah, I did after I got arrested for assault and kidnapping." Quinn was about to ask when Haley explained the whole story. Quinn remained quiet and listened to her without any interruptions. She shook her head in disbelief as Haley ended the story. "I'm not surprised that Victoria is still the principal. She probably had her friends help cover her arrest up. I'm sure she is planning to talk to me once we come back from winter break about whether or not I still have my job. And I'm ready to fight for it. She has no right to fire me as much as she has no right to hit her daughter." She then let out a heavy sigh. "I just wish I had a little bit more support. I told Nathan and he doesn't believe me."

"Well, I don't blame him," Quinn replied. "I wouldn't want to believe that my boss is a cruel bitch either."

"I really don't want to talk about it anymore," Haley told her. "I would appreciate it if you didn't tell Mom and Dad about this. I don't want Dad to have another heart attack. And I don't want them to worry about me."

Quinn gave her a comforting smile. "You know I can keep a secret. Now why don't we go downstairs and talk with our guests?" she suggested. Haley instantly agreed and followed her sister out the door.

A few hours later, Dan arrived at the house. After introductions, he sat down with Haley's parents and they started talking about certain topics. Haley could tell that her parents liked him just as much as they liked Nathan and Lucas. He and Jimmy were soon chatting like they were old friends. Therefore, Dan stayed longer than he anticipated. Jimmy was disappointed when he had to leave. However, Dan promised that they would keep in touch.

By the time Haley went to get ready for bed, Taylor still hadn't arrived. She knew that she should enjoy the silence while she could. It wouldn't last once Taylor came home. She always had to cause drama. Haley didn't want to have any part of it this year. She was going to make sure that nothing was going to ruin her Christmas holiday.

The next morning, Haley climbed out of bed and quietly slipped out of the room. She didn't want to wake Quinn, who was still sleeping. They had stayed up all night talking about their fond memories of playing and growing up together in that bedroom. Haley hated to admit it, but she knew that the adventures wouldn't have been as fun if Taylor hadn't joined them. Even though three was usually a crowd, it worked in the girls' favor.

She went down the stairs and into the kitchen. She was surprised to see that Lucas was standing by the stove. They exchanged greetings as she went over to the coffee maker. Lucas explained his presence. "I thought it would be nice if I made breakfast for everybody."

"Don't let me stop you," Haley replied as she poured some coffee in a mug. "I didn't get a chance to say this before, but you are just as good as your brother when it comes to cooking."

Lucas nodded proudly as she took a sip of her mug. "My mom taught me." There was a short pause before he spoke again. "She loved this time of year because all of the fun treats she could bake. I used to love her gingerbread cookies. They were so delicious." He then became quiet.

Haley knew that he was still thinking of his parents. "Well, you'll have someone to share those recipes with soon."

Lucas gave her a smile. "Yeah, I'm going to teach my niece or nephew everything I know. Hopefully, he or she will love basketball as much as Nathan and I do. Don't get me wrong. I like to play other sports. It's just that I love basketball."

Haley nodded understandingly. "If you ever need any advice on taking care of kids, don't hesitate to call or knock on my door. I'll be happy to help."

Lucas laughed. He then grew serious. "What if I need advice on something other than baby-sitting? Can I still come to you then?"

Haley gave him a comforting smile. "Of course you can."

Lucas was about to ask her about Brooke when Lydia came into the room. She gave him a wide smile as she saw the food over the stove. "Well, this is thoughtful of you, Lucas. This looks delicious. If you weren't my guest, I would be suspicious and wonder if you wanted something."

"Luckily, I'm not then," Lucas replied as he made her plate for her. "Your breakfast is ready, Mrs. James."

"Lucas, you are such a gentleman," Lydia told him. "But please call me 'Lydia'. You know how adults don't like to feel old."

Just then, David entered the room. As more people started to come into the kitchen, it soon got too crowded for Haley. She moved into the living room, where she could have a little space. Nathan was right behind her. "How was your sleepover with Quinn?" he asked her as they sat down on the couch and started eating their breakfasts.

Haley gave him a wide smile. "It was just like old times except Taylor wasn't there," she replied. She let out a happy sigh as memories came flowing back. "We used to spend hours staying up late and watching movies. Or sharing secrets about our love lives or drama with our friends. Or we had pillow fights. It was so much fun that I miss it sometimes." Nathan knew how she felt. "So how was your sleepover with Lucas?" she asked hesitantly.

Nathan laughed. "Well, it wasn't as good as yours. But we got along fine. I think the hard part was sharing the bathroom. I can't believe that you and your siblings shared one bathroom. That must have been a nightmare."

Haley groaned. "Don't even get me started. I was so glad when Vivian and my brothers left. That gave me more space to breathe. Now you can see why I want just two kids. That is plenty for me."

Nathan had to agree with her. "Yeah, I don't think I can handle more than two either. But I respect parents like yours who are able to raise that many kids. I'm sure it wasn't easy."

"It certainly wasn't," Lydia replied as she came into the room. "But Vivian and the boys helped us when they got older. I couldn't keep up with Taylor or Quinn and their troubles. They were just too rebellious."

"I think Taylor was more rebellious than me," Quinn corrected her as she joined them. "Speaking of Taylor, have you heard from her lately? Do you know when she is coming?" she asked her.

"You know your sister. She never shows up on time," Lydia gently reminded her before she returned to the kitchen.

"I should get in the shower before anyone else does," Haley said as she got up and put her plate down on the couch. "Could you clean up my plate for me?" she asked. Nathan nodded. She smiled gratefully at him before she hurried up the stairs.

"You're welcome," Nathan called.

Once she was done, she went back downstairs and was surprised to only see Nathan sitting in the den. She noticed that it was a little too quiet in the house. "Where is everybody?" she asked him.

"Your parents went out to do some last minute Christmas shopping," Nathan replied. "And everyone else is outside playing with the dogs."

Haley was surprised that he wasn't out there with them. She could tell that he was frustrated about something. She just didn't know why. She didn't want to bother him, but she was curious. "What's wrong?"

Nathan was quiet for a moment before answering. "Rachel just called me and is now demanding custody of the baby," he told her. "But I know it was her mother's idea. She is probably afraid that she won't get to see her grandchild if I get full custody. And that is ridiculous. I would never stop my child from visiting her or his grandmother." He shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe this."

Haley stopped him right there. "Do you know what you need? You need to forget Rachel and the drama for awhile. After all, this is the Christmas holidays. You shouldn't be stressing out about your problems. You should be having fun."

Nathan knew she had a point. "So what do you do for fun around here?" he asked her curiously.

Haley just gave him a smile. "Come with me and I'll show you."