And in this chapter we will actually have some Naley interaction. Bear in mind they have a traumatised child to deal with now, who was just taken away from everything she has ever known and basically told her entire life was a lie.

Thank you to naley214, hybridwolf10, iftheyonlyknewthetruth, JeniRose, spikesilla, jenniea, NaLeYBaBiixo, and xSmile for reviewing.

Haley paced around the living room of her suite at the Plaza, her hands clasped and her attention fixed on the voice of the kindly looking middle aged man perched on the couch.

"Don't worry too much about it, Haley. There's a lot of red tape that needs to be dealt with, but that's my job, after all. And they all want to co-operate as much as possible. Obviously this is a very sensitive situation."

Haley smiled at Eli Rosenbaum, nodding. Normally her attorney would have very little to do with cases of this nature, but, being the capable and intelligent man he was, even the intricacies involved in recovering Faith from Social Services did not phase him. Faith would be home soon.

Wherever home was.

Haley did have an apartment in Los Angeles – a virtual requirement for someone in her business – but had spent very little time there. Ever since she lost Faith, Haley had avoided settling anywhere, or becoming too attached. Most of her time was spent on tour, or in the recording studio.

But now Faith was back, and Haley would need somewhere for her to be. It seems like Los Angeles was the only choice.

It was too bad that's where Nathan lived as well.

As if he had heard her thoughts, Eli moved to another topic. "Haley, you do realise what has happened with Nathan Scott, don't you?"

Haley frowned. Nathan had, oddly enough, decided to come with Lucas to see Faith, and although she had been ignoring him as much as possible, it was a difficult task. But, given that he had never either wanted or acknowledged his daughter when she was around previously, it was hard to see exactly what he thought he was doing.

"What's he done now, Eli?"

Her attorney shrugged. "Well, I assume we can deny it. Apparently he's claiming to be Faith's father and your husband. He got in some kind of altercation yesterday and blurted out some things to the paparazzi."

There was a strained silence.

"It might be a little difficult to deny that, Eli. Given that it's the truth."

Nathan was standing outside the door to Haley's suite when he heard raised voices. Pausing, his hand poised to knock, he was taken aback when the door suddenly swung open and a flushed and irate Haley, clad in a cream brocade dressing gown and fluffy slippers, burst into the hall.

Catching sight of him, she turned immediately, facing him down.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Nathan blinked. "Um. . . I think we should talk?"

Haley nodded, smiling sweetly.

"Oh, I absolutely agree, Natey. Although maybe – " her voice rose and hardened. "Maybe it would've been more appropriate to do so before splashing our personal lives in front of the entire world. What gives you the right to claim Faith? Or me, for that matter?"

Nathan knew he deserved that. Still, he wondered if she would've ever actually bothered talking to him if he hadn't precipitated the event.

"Look, Haley, I shouldn't have done that."

"No, Nathan, you really shouldn't have. You are not Faith's father, and you are definitely not my husband in any sense other than the legal."

Nathan nodded. "You are right about our marriage, I suppose. But I am Faith's father, Haley. Will you let me be her father now?"

Something flared in the depths of Haley's eyes – maybe pain, maybe joy, maybe fear. Nathan didn't know, but whatever it was, it was strong, and it clearly scared Haley.

"You never wanted to be her father before, Nathan. Why should I let you now, just because you've suddenly decided I wasn't lying?"

Nathan turned away from Haley and the accusation in her voice, passing his hand over his tired face. Turning back, he squared his shoulders and looked directly into her clear, and hostile, eyes.

"Haley, I was wrong to treat you the way I did. To treat Faith the way I did. She is my daughter. I knew that when I saw you five years ago, and I have regretted my actions for every single second of those five years. There has not been a day that I have not blamed myself for what happened to her, and to you. And I have missed you – both of you – more than you will ever know. I just hope you can both forgive me eventually."

Nathan's voice was firm, and calm.

Hayley tilted her head to the side as she studied her husband. He seemed sincere, but it didn't matter.

"You know what, Nathan? Thank you for your apology. But you're almost seven years too late."

Nathan nodded in acknowledgement of Haley's words. "Too late for us? Yeah, you're probably right about that, Haley." Haley was confused by the blankness of Nathan's expression as he said this. Surely she didn't matter to him any more, not with all the fame, and the beautiful women he was always 'dating'.

"But it's not too late for Faith. She is my daughter, Haley. Let me be her father. She'll need both of us now."

Haley shook her head, determination on her face. "She needs me, Nathan. I want you to go away. Let us be. I can't have my life ruined by you again. And I won't allow you to ruin Faith's."

Nathan turned away. "That's a pity, Haley. Because I'm not going anywhere."

Not this time.

Nathan knew what he had done was unforgivable. He had abandoned his child. He had not believed his wife, the only woman he had ever loved – and, he was pretty certain, the only woman he ever would love.

And because of that he was fully prepared to face his life without Haley. Because she would be better off with someone else. Someone who she could trust and who would trust her. Someone who wouldn't leap to ridiculous conclusions about a woman who would no more cheat or lie than she would take him back.

Even if that person was Chris Keller.

In his pocket, Nathan's cell phone began to vibrate. He pulled it out and flipped it open. "Yeah?"

"Nathan?"

"Chris."

"She's so happy, Nathan. Don't ruin it for her. You asked me to look after her. You asked me to let you know if she ever needed anything. Well, I'm telling you now. She needs Faith. And you need to let her be."

"Why – so you can take over? So you can play Daddy? I asked you to help her because she wouldn't have let me do it. Don't pretend we're friends now, Chris."

There was a silence over the phone. "Just let her be happy, Nathan. Let it go."

Nathan flipped the phone closed again, sliding it back into his pocket.

"I can't do that."

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Next chapter: Faith / Sarah, and legal manoeuvres.