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


Chapter Twenty One

Haley had quite a few visitors including Deb, who had apologized for stressing her out about Victoria and Brooke. But it was unnecessary. It was her fault that she had gotten this way and it was only her who could make sure that she wouldn't do it again. Her parents decided to help her out by suggesting that there would be no cell phones or laptops during the trip. It would be hard since that would mean she wouldn't be able to know what was going on back in Tree Hill. But her parents believed that it was necessary for her recovery.

A few weeks later, Haley returned from her trip. She hated to admit it, but the trip was exactly what she needed to get away from all the drama that had been happening over the last few months. It was nice to hang out with Quinn and Taylor, who had joined them after she found out about their plans. It seemed so long since they had done anything together like that. But now Haley was ready to get back home and find out what she missed during her two week vacation.

As Haley pulled her suitcase into the foyer, she turned to see Lucas, Brooke and the rest of her students in the living room. There was immediate confusion. "Hey, what are you all doing here?" she asked them as she looked at the time. "Shouldn't you be in school right now?"

"We will as soon as Mrs. Davis gives you your job back," Lucas replied. Haley then understood that this was a protest. "It's not fair that she fired you just because you told her the truth. You deserve to have your job back and we are going to help you get it."

Haley gave him a grateful smile. "Lucas, it's really sweet that all of you want to support me like this. But you guys can't just skip school and show up at my house. You should get back to school before anybody finds out what you've done."

"So you're allowed to stand up for what is right and we can't?" Lucas asked. "My parents taught me to stand up for what I believe is right and this isn't right for Mrs. Davis to do this to you. And this isn't the only thing we have done to help you. We also have a petition going around asking for you to be reinstated."

"Besides, your teaching style is a whole lot better than Mrs. Davis's style," Lindsey added. Even though she hated Lucas and Brooke, they were right about Ms. James. She was better than Mrs. Davis. And she wanted her back. "We're practically failing right now because she grades way too tough."

"You made our classes fun," Mouth told her.

"And she criticizes the way you taught your classes every chance she gets," Millie added. "And if we defend you, we get detention."

Brooke then spoke up. "I think the point we're all trying to make is that it's not the same without you being our teacher."

Haley didn't know what to say. "Brooke, I would love to come back to teach. And you're right. You should stand up for what you believe in. I admire you guys for that, but it's not going to be that easy for me to get my job back."

"Because of me?" Brooke asked.

Haley gave her a comforting smile. "No, it's not because of you." She was about to explain when her cell-phone rang. She didn't even look at who it was before answering it, knowing that it was either Nathan or Peyton or even Victoria. "Hello?"

"My students wouldn't happen to be over at your house, would they?" Victoria asked. Haley didn't have a chance to answer. "Well, tell them that they will all be severely punished if they don't get back to school right now. And why don't you stop by my office? We need to talk."

Haley then heard the click and she hung up the phone. Her former students looked at her curiously. "Ok, pack up your stuff because we're all going back to the school." There were protests, but she immediately stopped them. "I don't want to hear it. Now let's go before Mrs. Davis decides to suspend you all."

There were grumbles, but everyone obeyed her orders. They said good-bye to her as they walked past her. Lucas and Brooke were the last ones to leave. "So how was your trip?" Lucas asked Haley.

Haley gave him a smile. "I'll tell you all about it during your next visit over here. And you can tell me all about married life. You guys are still married, right?"

Lucas nodded as he wrapped his arms around Brooke. "Surprisingly, Nathan and Mrs. Davis are okay with it. Of course, Nathan and I had a long talk about everything shortly after you were hospitalized. We're really sorry about that by the way. Anyway, we had a talk. He doesn't approve of this marriage, but he knows that he has to let me make my own mistakes."

"Don't worry about it. What about Mrs. Davis?" Haley asked curiously.

"My mom was furious and threatened to draw up an annulment, but she never followed up on it," Brooke replied. "I think she is up to something. She normally doesn't give up that easily."

Haley knew that was true. But she didn't want to discuss it any longer. "I think you guys have stalled long enough. Get in the car. I'm driving you guys back to school." She wasn't looking forward to the conversation, but she was also curious to know what Victoria wanted.

Soon, Haley was sitting in Victoria's office. Victoria gave her a smile as she sat down at her desk. Haley could tell that she was putting on an act, but she still allowed her to speak. "I must apologize for the short notice. As I understand it, you just got back from your trip today. But it seems that most of your students and fellow colleagues believe that I have punished you unfairly. After a lot of thought, I have decided to offer you your job back."

Haley was quiet for a few moments. "Thank you for the offer, Victoria, but I'm going to have to turn it down. I don't want to work for someone like you," she admitted.

Victoria gave her a warning look. "What do you mean by that?" she demanded.

Haley scoffed at her. It wasn't a surprise that Victoria was still trying to act so innocent. "You know exactly what I mean," she exclaimed as she got up from her seat. "Everyone thinks that you're a hero, but you're really just a coward. You are a poor excuse as a role model to these kids. If you really cared about your students and perhaps your daughter, you would get some help and allow me to take Brooke in and give her the love and guidance that she has been wanting for years." Victoria wanted to protest, but Haley was faster. "Deny it all you want, but we both know the truth. As much I would love to come back and teach again, I'm not going to do it as long as you're principal of this school."

"I'm sorry you feel that way, but I'm not going anywhere," Victoria replied. "And if you don't remember, my daughter got married. So she is out of my hair." Haley raised her eyebrows in surprise. Brooke was right. Victoria did seem too calm about it. "I wish you luck in your job hunt. I'm sure there are schools that are just dying to have a teacher like you in Wilmington or Charlotte."

Haley just glared at her as she left the office. It wasn't a surprise when she found Lucas, Brooke, Mouth and Millie waiting for her outside. They started bombarding her with questions and Haley nearly had to yell for the questions to stop. "Mrs. Davis wanted to ask me about whether I would be interested in getting my job back, but I turned her down." More questions started to follow, but Haley didn't let them interrupt. "I'm sorry, but I think it's time for me to move on."

A familiar voice then spoke up. "Alright, that's enough of bothering Ms. James. Get back to class before I put you guys in detention," Victoria ordered. The students knew she was serious and quickly said good-bye to Haley before scattering. Haley couldn't help but notice the upset looks on their faces as they left.

A few hours later, Haley was waking up from her nap when she heard the doorbell ring. It wasn't a surprise since she had turned her phone off once she had gotten home. She had wanted some peace and quiet instead of her friends checking up on her. Haley went to the door and found Nathan standing on the front porch.

"Can I come in?" he asked. Haley nodded and he stepped into the foyer. "I just heard that you have turned down the job offer. Does this mean that you're giving up? Because that's not you. You fight until you win."

Haley smiled at the sweet compliment. Yet, she was confused. "Wait a minute, I thought you were on Victoria's side."

Nathan let out a heavy sigh. "The truth is that I don't know which side to be on. Victoria is my boss, not to mention my friend."

"And what am I then?" Haley asked curiously.

Nathan didn't answer at first, debating on whether to finally admit his feelings towards her. He decided to take a chance and tell her. "I thought we were friends, but my heart is telling me a different story. I've been trying to hide it since I knew you weren't ready for dating another guy so soon after Julian. And I was getting over Rachel and her betrayal. But I don't care anymore. I don't care if we're coworkers or not. I'm falling in love with you." Nathan waited for a reaction from Haley and became worried when he didn't get a response. "Hales, are you okay?"

Haley nodded as she turned to him. "Nathan, I have tried to deny it because I didn't think I was ready to move on after Julian." There was a short pause before she spoke again. She gave him a wide smile as she admitted her true feelings about him. "But the truth is that I think I'm falling in love with you too."

"Really?" Nathan asked her. Haley nodded. He then leaned in for a kiss and she didn't push him away. Instead, she followed his lead and closed her eyes as their lips touched. The kiss started to get deeper as Haley wrapped her arms around Nathan's shoulders. As they continued to make out, they really got into it.

They barely made it to her bedroom before they started removing their clothes. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Nathan asked her as he pulled off his shirt and threw it on the floor. "I know I need this. I haven't had sex in months, but I don't want to pressure you into doing this if you don't want to."

Haley just gave him a smile. "Just shut up and kiss me," she told him. Nathan returned the smile as he gave her another passionate kiss. They then continued to take off their clothes before they got on the bed and started making love.

Once they were done, they cuddled up together under the covers. However, Haley didn't stay there for long. Instead, she covered herself with a blanket as she gathered the clothes that were all over the floor. Nathan let out a happy sigh. "God, that was fun."

"You need to leave," Haley told him. Nathan frowned. "This was a mistake. We never should have done this."

Nathan was more confused than ever. "What are you talking about?" he asked. "I thought you wanted to do this."

"I did until I realized that you have a family to think about. We wouldn't be setting a good example to your son if we got together like this. Besides, I'm already the talk of the town. I don't want to cause anymore drama between you, Rachel and Charlene."

Nathan gave her a look. "You didn't cause drama between me and Rachel. That was already happening before you showed up. And I don't care what she or her mom thinks about our relationship. It's my life now and I will date whoever I want. And I want you." Nathan gave her a comforting smile as he gave her one last kiss before they prepared themselves for what they had planned to do for the rest of the day: just enjoying each other's company while they would talk about Haley's trip, the news of the town and where they would go on their first official date.