Hey guys… I did not fall off the face of the earth as I am sure most of you suspect. I am so sorry for the lack of updates lately I promise the next update will come a lot quicker this time. Life has been hectic and I just hadn't had the inspiration. I just wanted to thank everyone who has stuck by this story and everyone who has reviewed faithfully to all or most of the chapters especially Sam, Amanda, l-a-c-18, othretard, lucasscottlover1, elin2002, come on sweet catastrophe, jaysheartsdesire, laura369, roryandtristanforever, luvangel448, jess4491, beachiegal, brucas03, ahmina, and everyone else that has left a review. I am so sorry if I forgot you, but I love that you are reading. Keep the reviews coming, and I promise to write faster. And lastly Amanda this chapter is for you, even though you are partially responsible for distracting me from writing..lol. This one is a good one; let me know what you think.

And now I will shut up and let you get on with the chapter.

Chapter 16- Have a Little Faith in Me

When the road gets dark
And you can no longer see
Just let my love throw a spark
And have a little faith in me

Nathan steered the car to the place that he once called home. He had no idea what he was going to say to her, what they were going to do, but Peyton had kicked his ass into gear and he knew that letting Haley go completely would probably be the biggest mistake of his life. Even bigger of a mistake then her leaving had been in the first place.

Crazy Girls played in the background, and every time that song started over, the urge to see Haley got even stronger. Part of him was mad, how could she tell the whole world how she felt about him, but not have the courage to tell him, to let him know that there was no one else.

Deep down he knew that it had never been about Chris Keller, but his ego made him believe that she left for someone else, and not simply because it was something that she needed to do. Now he knew that she had left for the music but she had still left, and he needed to be sure that wasn't going to happen again. Only then could he even begin to think about letting her back into his heart.

As he climbed the stairs to their former apartment, he couldn't help but be assaulted by all the memories that came with being in this place. This was the place where he had first discovered her tattoo, when he realized that he was in love with her. It was the place where he carried her over the threshold as his virgin-bride, and the place where they had made love for the first time. As he reached up to knock on the door, the memories continued to haunt him. The love, the fights, the make-ups, everything good and bad in their relationship had taken place within those walls. He remembered the times she would sing to him, the time they made love on the balcony, and lastly he remembered the night that she left him. That memory was freshest of all.

He also remembered the person he became after she left, and he did not want to become that person ever again. And that was the person he feared he would become if he didn't let her back into his life, at least a little bit.

He knocked on the door, and waited, waited to see exactly what would happen between them when they came face to face this time.

Haley woke up to the sound of banging on their apartment door. She figured that maybe Brooke left her keys, or that Peyton had come back over. Mumbling as she got up, clad only in a camisole and shorts, she opened the door not really looking at the person standing before her. But when she finally looked up to see which of her friends was there, she was shocked to see her husband, holding what looked to be a CD in his hands.

"Nathan, what…what are you doing here?" she stuttered, feeling slightly self-conscious under his gaze.

"Did you really mean everything you said on this CD?" He asked as he waved the cd around, oblivious to the fact that his wife had no idea what in the world he was talking about.

'Nathan, what are you talking about, what is this?" She asked grabbing the cd out of his hand, getting a bad feeling that she knew exactly what he was talking about. Question was, how did he get it, and why was he here?

Ignoring her, he just kept asking questions. "Did you really think of me everyday, was it really not over?"

"Nathan, where did you get that?" She asked again.

"Is that my song? How the hell did you get my song?" She yelled as the anger level in here voice rose. She was going to strangle Brooke and Peyton with her bear hands whenever she got the chance.

"Yes, it's your song, Haley. The one you supposedly wrote for me damn it. You can tell the whole world that you love me, but you can't tell me to my face." He yelled accusingly at her, his own temper getting the best of him. By this point they were standing mere inches apart, eyes blazing.

She didn't answer, only looked down, suddenly finding the carpet pattern highly entertaining.

"So I'm gonna ask you again. Did you mean the words of that song? Was it really written for me? Was it not over between us?" His tone was softer now, pleading with her to just tell him the truth.

"Of course it was written for you Nathan. There has never been anyone else to have my heart. And it will never be over for me Nathan. Always and forever, that's how long I'm going to love you." She screamed, still angry that he somehow got the song she had written for him. Her anger fueling her on, she continued to yell.

"And I could tell everyone else because it was easier and I was scared. Is that what you want to hear Nathan? I was terrified knowing that I had made a mistake, and it was easier to tell a thousand strangers that I loved you than it was to call you up and tell you myself. I knew that they would just listen, that they wouldn't yell at me or hate me, or think our marriage was a mistake. "I was…"

But she was cut off as his lips came crashing down onto hers. He silenced her in one instant, and she responded eagerly to his touch. Quickly, he had her pushed against the wall, their fury and passion getting the best of them, and soon their tongues were fighting for dominance. This kiss was so much different then the ones that they had shared during their relationship. Those kisses were tender and filled with love.

This kiss was rough and filled with lust, filled with want, and filled with longing. Both had forgotten how good they were together, and they kissed until finally the need for air outweighed their need for each other.

They pulled away breathlessly, looking at each other intensely, willing the other to be the first one to break the silence. Nathan's arms were still wrapped around Haley's waist; her hands were still tangled in his short hair, but neither made a move to break the contact.

Nathan sighed and decided that he would start the talking that they both so desperately needed to do.

"I never thought that our marriage was a mistake Haley. No matter how mad I was at you or how much you hurt me, I never thought that marrying you, that loving you was a mistake." Nathan said, the cocky self-assured tone of his voice gone, instead replaced by a soft whisper.

Haley turned to him, the tears in her eyes, "Nathan you have no idea how much I have wanted you to say that, how much I wanted you to tell me that you didn't hate me. I just wanted you to love me again."

He pulled her to him, realizing that he had been stupid to just shut her out. "I never stopped. But that doesn't erase the fact that you hurt me Haley."

She quickly pulled herself away from him, frustrated that they always seemed to be going in circles. "I know I hurt you Nathan, I know that, but I thought that maybe this time we were actually getting somewhere." She said as she started pacing, trying to keep the tears at bay for just a little longer.

Quickly realizing that she wasn't following with what he was trying to say, he moved to stand in front of her, and gently grabbed her hands to make her look at him. "Haley, Haley, look at me. Yes you hurt me, but not being with you, having you here and not being able to be with you is hurting me more. We can't go back to where we were. I'm not ready for that yet. But I do want us to start somewhere. I want us to start over."

She looked him in the eyes, and could see that he was being serious. He was giving her a chance to redeem herself, and she was going to do everything she could to prove to him that she was ready to be his wife again. They probably would never get back to the place that they were in before she left. They weren't the same people anymore, but they still loved each other, and maybe, just maybe this time it would be enough.

"I've never wanted anything more," Haley replied as she leaned up to kiss him once again. This time the kiss was not rough and anger-driven, this time it was a kiss of forgiveness and the mark of starting over.

"I know that we have a lot to work on, but let's just take it one day at a time ok."

Nathan smiled a genuine smile for what seemed like the first time in months. They still had lots of issues to work through, but the bitterness was gone, life was too short to waste on holding grudges, and he had missed her too much to punish her forever.

And when the tears you cry
Are all you can believe
Just give these loving arms a try
And have a little faith in me

Have a little faith in me
When your secret heart
Cannot speak so easily
Come here darlin'
From a whisper start
To have a little faith in me

Lucas was sitting on his bed reading when he heard a knock at the door. Getting up and going to open it, he was pleasantly surprised when he saw Brooke on the other side.

He had been giving a lot of thought to the situation he had put them in. He was still scared to let her back in, not only because of the pain her leaving had caused, but also because he was afraid that he wasn't good enough for her. Plus he had too much going on with his fragile heart condition. He was, however, glad to be her friend again, because not having her in his life at all was just not something he wanted to do again.

"Hey Broody," She chirped as she bounced through the door and sat in the middle of his bed.

"Brooke, what are you doing here?" He asked.

"Well I went by my apartment and I saw Nathan's car, so I decided that I would stay far, far away from there, because you never know with those two. I could walk into World War III or something even more disturbing. And Peyton is in one of her moody-broody artist phases, so….."

"So you had no other friends and decided I was your last resort," He teased.

"Hey, you are not my last resort, I wanted to spend time with you," she challenged. "And for your information I have plenty of other friends, just none I like as much as you." She flirted, and she was glad that he seemed to be flirting back a little.

"I have also decided that you have been even more broody than usual lately, and it is time that we had some fun." She smiled. She knew that this whole surgery thing was really bothering him, and the fact that Karen was treating him like he was five was not helping the situation at all.

Lucas smiled back, knowing that if anyone could take his mind off things it would be her.

"Oh and don't worry about your mom, I made sure she was going to be busy with both the cafe and Tric, before I devised this little plan."

"Okay Cheery," he said, a little surprised that his old nickname for her had slipped out, "Just keep it legal this time." He teased as the memories of her other "little plans" popped into his head.

"Yay," she squealed, excited that he had given into her without even a second thought. She was sure that she was going to have to work harder to get him to go with her. "Let's go," she said as she dragged him to her car.

She was making progress with him that was for sure. They were almost getting back to the way they were right before the summer started. She still wanted to be with him, she doubted that would ever change, but if friends was all he could give her, then she would be okay with that. She looked out the corner of her eye, and saw that he was looking at her. She turned away so he wouldn't see the blush that spread across her face. It was amazing to her that after everything they had put each other through, that one look from him could still make her feel things that she tried so hard to suppress.

She smiled as they pulled into the familiar parking lot of "The Blue Post" and both locked eyes, and for a moment were lost in the memory of their first date. Snapping back into reality, they grinned knowingly at each other as they got out the car and went inside.

"So Brooke, this was part of your little plan?" he teased. "I should have known you would take me to a bar."

"Well Broody, you need a little more fun in your life. Besides I know how much of a warden Momma Karen can be, and I decided that you needed a night off. Plus I haven't kicked a boy's ass in pool in a very long time, and you know how much I love beating boys at pool." She said as she sauntered to the bar and ordered them a round of drinks.

"Well Brooke, you certainly do think of everything," he said as he racked the pool balls and then accepted the drink she offered him.

"There is one kink in your plan though," he smiled, "We're both gonna be dead when my mother finds out," he laughed, knowing that Karen was going to kill them both when she found him gone.

"Well Broody, Let's just hope you've gotten better at sneaking in over the last two years," she grinned as the broke the balls and got a solid in the pocket.

"Solids" she exclaimed happily as she sank her first shot and watched the disappointed look cross Lucas's face.

Three rounds of pool and five drinks later, Brooke was beating Lucas badly.

"Come on Broody, if your not even going to make this a challenge, then why do you keep attempting to beat me," she smirked as he missed another easy shot. Expertly choosing her mark, she called her pocket and sunk the eight ball without a problem.

"I win, again," she teased.

"You're a shark, you know that right," He pouted as she once again kicked his ass at pool. He jokingly grab her hand, and making a grand gesture, said, "I bow down before the master."

"Shut up Broody," she said pushing him away playfully.

"Let's go dance."

Noticing his very uneager expression, she just grabbed his hand and dragged him to the dance floor.

They began to sway and dance to the upbeat tempo of the song on the radio, and were just joking around and having fun.

A little while later, the song changed and a slower, softer song filled the air. Brooke just grabbed Lucas closer and they started to sway together to the music.

Lucas looked at her, really looked at her while they were dancing. Here she was, after everything that he had out her through, after everything that had put each other through, and she was the one sticking by him the most. And she wasn't doing it just because she wanted to prove something. She was doing it because that's who she was, and that's how much she cared for her friends no matter how much they had put her through.

He wished that it wasn't so hard to trust someone, to give them his heart. He wished that he could just take the step, and take the chance, but not wasn't the right time, there was still so much going on. It was all to much to handle right now, wasn't it? In his drunken state he wasn't so sure.

"Brooke, look about what I said when we had that fight…"

"Lucas, don't worry about it, its in the past. We're friends, its cool." she said, wondering why he was bringing this up now.

They couldn't discuss this now, not in their current state, and Brooke didn't want him to say something he didn't mean, or say something he would regret when alcohol wasn't clouding his senses.

"I know, but I just wanted to…"

She looked away from him and put her finger to his mouth, urging him not to say anymore.

"Look, Lucas, let's not do this here, not now. We're having fun, we're friends, let's not open old wounds."

But that was the last thing that she really wanted to do. She really wanted to jump into his arms and let him hold her forever. But that wasn't going to happen anytime soon, and she was determined not to let them make anymore mistakes.

"But.."

"Lucas, no, I'm going to call a cab and get another drink. Neither of us can drive home like this." she said as she walked off.

She needed to get away, she couldn't look in his eyes any monger or they were going to do something that they would both regret and that neither of them were ready for. That had been what had gotten them in trouble the first time around, raging hormones and a large amount of alcohol.

She was determined not to make the same mistake twice. If she and Lucas were actually going to make it this time, there had to be no demons left lurking in the shadows, nothing could be holding their hearts back this time.

Lucas watched her go, unsure of where that conversation would have led if she hadn't had the good sense to walk away. Right now he needed her as a friend, and he was glad that she hadn't let him put their friendship in jeopardy for a drunken conversation that would have probably ended badly.

Sighing, he walked off the dance floor and went and sat back at their table to wait for her return and the cab that would bring them home.

He just hoped that when she returned, all the awkwardness he had just caused would be a thing of the past.

"Come on Broody", she said as she handed him another drink. "The cab will be here soon, so drink up."

She seemed fine, so maybe they could just let their previous conversation go.

The cab ride home was quite interesting. The pair both being more than just a little drunk, were laughing and giggling like two school girls. You couldn't even tell that there had been any tension between them earlier in the night. The cab driver stopped at Lucas's house first and pulled over, waiting for him to get out.

"Now remember Luke, sneak in quietly when you get inside," she giggled.

"If I get caught Cheery, you're going down with me." He teased back.

She pouted. "That's not fair Broody, besides your mom loves me, I can tell her this was all your master plan."

"Nice try Brooke," he joked. "But mom knows that you're the one that corrupted her sweet little angel in the first place. I was a good boy before I met you," he countered, the mood still light and joking.

Brooke was loving the playful banter between them. Anything that made him smile made her happy. "Broody, you were boring before you met me, I loosened you up and made you interesting," she challenged, playfully grabbing his face and bringing it closer to hers as he pouted at her for being boring.

"The meter's still running kids," the cabby yelled from the front seat, sounding highly unamused by the teens in the back.

Brooke just rolled her eyes at the old man, and Lucas pulled away a little from her grasp.

"Brooke seriously, thank you for tonight," he attempted to say as seriously as his drunk state would allow. "I had fun, I needed this."

"Anything for you Broody, anything for you."

"Goodnight Pretty Girl," he whispered as he leaned in to give her a friendly kiss on the cheek.

Lucas didn't know what changed between them, but all of a sudden friendly little kisses were the last thing on his mind. It was probably the alcohol that they had both consumed throughout the evening, or the fact that memories of their relationship had bombarded them all night long, but as soon as he looked into her eyes, all he could think about was kissing her.

It was hard to tell who initiated the kiss, they were both sort of drawn to this other's lips, but there they were passionately kissing in the back seat of the cab. Neither was making the attempt to break away at first and Brooke deepened the kiss, letting her tongue duel with his. They were lost in each other for a couple of minutes before Lucas's brain suddenly registered exactly what they were doing.

They couldn't be doing this, they were finally being friends again, and a drunken kiss in the back of a cab was going to mess that up big time. Plus, he still wasn't ready to let her back into his heart, and this was going to confuse that.

Brooke was just lost in the sensations that kissing Lucas was creating in her drunken state, She knew they weren't ready for this but she couldn't force herself to pull away.

The moment that the ramifications of what this kiss would do to their fragile relationship made their way through Lucas's clouded brain, he pulled away. He couldn't deal with this now, not in the state he was in.

"Brooke, I'm sorry…. I shouldn't have done that. I've gotta go."

And with that he pushed open the door to the cab and stumbled towards the house, unable to look back at the girl he left behind. The girl who was just sitting in the cab, not fully processing what had actually happened between them.

All she knew was that he had kissed her and ran away, just like she had done before so many months ago.

But this time it was Brooke Davis who was sure of her feelings for the boy inside, and it was Lucas Scott who was running scared. Afraid to just have faith that what he felt for Brooke was real.

And when your back's against the wall
Just turn around and you will see
I will catch, I will catch your fall baby
Just have a little faith in me

Have a little faith in me

The song in this chapter was 'Have a Little Faith in Me' by Mandy Moore. Hope you liked it, and like always, reviews make me happy, so let me know what you think.