It had been a hot, humid and muggy day with the sun's relentless rays bearing down across the picturesque Massachusetts coast. There had been no sign of rain in the forecast but as the afternoon turned into evening, the swollen clouds turned dark and gave way, releasing floods of rain. The Scott mansion, located on Cape Cod, had been quiet. Deb Scott was in California, completing work on one of her various charities. Dan Scott was leaving Atlanta with plans for a pit stop to Tree Hill doing "business", the only excuse he ever used when he returned to North Carolina. Peyton's presence had been scarce around the house ever since her respective conversations with Nathan and Haley. Lucas was on a writing assignment in Toronto and Brooke had joined him, leaving only two other occupants all alone in the big old beach house.

After yet another grueling practice, Nathan had decided to further torture his already sore body with an eight mile long run on the beach. Dressed in black workout pants, sneakers, and an old red tee shirt he had cut the sleeves out of, he had started out on the journey to clear his mind when the skies were still friendly. Running had always been a major pressure releaser. Nathan was a born athlete, his toned body built for the rigors of sports. He could run fast for hours, controlling his breathing, not even caring how much his calves ached.

And that was how he had spent the remaining part of his day. He had a lot on his mind. It gave him a headache to try to process everything that had been happening to him lately. He had been a real jerk, he knew that, but what else was new? He needed to make some changes in his life and not just because of what had happened with Haley. Nathan Scott was no angel. He had done things, been involved in things in the past that he was not proud of. He knew he needed to be a different person, a better man and finally something or someone had lit the fire underneath him he needed.

He jogged back to the house, his feet picking up the pace despite the damp sand. The light drizzle turned to heavy drops that fell onto his body, soaking his clothing and hair. By the time he reached the private entrance to his home, he was drenched to the bone and he shivered involuntarily when he entered his living room that was chilled by the central A/C unit. Standing alone, he heard noise coming from the south end of the house. He realized he wasn't by himself but of course he wouldn't be. And of course she would be there, as long as he hadn't run her off. But apparently she was still there, just walking distance away. Everything he had been thinking, everything he had been practicing, everything he had been wanting to say to her was on the tip of his tongue and the timing was more than perfect. They were alone, away from all the prying eyes and ears. Any embarrassment, any reluctance he knew would disappear the moment he stared into those chocolate brown eyes. But still it was a matter of getting to her and that first step seemed to be the hardest.

Not far away, Haley closed her eyes as she let the steaming hot shower water pour over her face. She loved hot showers. No matter what was going on in life or with her schedule, that always seemed to be the one place that offered solace and a hint of relaxation. She'd had a lot on her mind and she had been privately wrestling with those thoughts. Insecurities plagued her as she second guessed everything from Nathan to her whole position with the FBI. Immediately following her conversations with Brooke and Peyton, her worried superiors had been in contact with her. But their concern had little to do with Haley as a person and she knew that. All they cared about, all they were supposed to care about, was their case. She had assured them she was okay, that Nathan's rudeness had initially thrown her for a loop but indeed she was still acting. She was still involved in pursing the case. She would stay on as Haley Webb, RN but in private, Haley James was still a wreck.

She climbed out of the shower and turned off the water. Haley quickly toweled off, using a separate towel to blot the long hair she intended to let air dry. Walking back out to her bedroom she sighed. She was still miserable, still antsy, still confused with no one to talk to. And the house was quiet, almost too quiet although under other circumstances the unusual occurrence would have been welcomed. Maybe she should go out, get away for a while. She had no idea where to go but any scenery other than the four walls of her room seemed more than appealing. Looking for a pair of underwear to put on, she jumped when she heard two distinctive noises simultaneously. One was a loud clap of thunder announcing the sudden presence of a far off storm. The other was her phone.

"Yeah," she answered.

It was Agent Alston.

"James, what's your 20?" he asked, referring to her current location. "You've been unavailable for electronic tracking for over an hour now."

Haley sighed. Was there ever a break? Was there ever a moment of peace?

"I'm in the house, sir, my bedroom. Sorry, I, um, I took a shower. I guess I got a little too comfortable. I was just about to get dressed though."

"Everything okay? Secure?"

She looked around.

"Yeah."

"Scott is in town. The house is empty. It's perfect timing for…"

"I know. Uh, about that, he isn't here now but um, I, I'm sure he will be back soon. I guess I'll see him then."

"You guess?" he questioned.

"I mean, I will."

Alston breathed an uneasy breath directly into the phone.

"Everything alright, Agent James?"

"Yes. It's fine. I told you."

"I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about you. Things certainly don't sound okay. You sound distracted."

"I'm fine, I assure you."

"Good because I need to know where your head is. That's important. But I also need to know where your heart is too. I need both focused on your work in my investigation. If there is anything else going on and I do mean anything, then I need to know about it. I know we've been over this before but if this is getting too personal, if you feel an emotional attachment to any of the Scott's, then you're a liability."

"I understand that but it isn't like that. I'm just tired that's all. I told you I'm in this for the long haul. I'm capable. I can handle it."

"Good. That's what we like to hear. Now onto business. I…"

He was interrupted by loud knocking on the other side of the door. Haley gasped.

"Who…who is it?" her voice quivered, already knowing full well who it was.

On the other side, a reluctant Nathan tried to form his words as to not sound like a blubbering idiot.

"Hales, are you in there?" he winced as soon as he asked the question. Of course she was in there, he had just heard her. "It's me. It's Nathan. I, I kind of need to talk to you."

"Is that him?" an excited Alston asked, listening in to the conversation.

"Yes…"

"Cool," Nathan answered, inviting himself in.

"Wait!" Haley screamed, with nothing in reach to shield the view of her naked body.

"Oh shit," Nathan stopped in his tracks, backing up and covering his eyes. "I, I'm sorry. I thought you wanted me to come in. I mean, you said yes and everything so…"

"I, I was talking to my…my mother, yeah, that's it. My mother. She's on the phone. Um, can you give me a minute, Nathan?"

"Yeah," he had already closed the door and was standing on the other side.

"Go for it, James," Alston encouraged. "This is a prime opportunity."

"Sure thing, Mom," Haley played it off, knowing Nathan was probably listening.

"And whatever you do, make sure you wire up."

Haley's eyes glanced at the door. She could hear Nathan pacing on the other side. Putting on the full wire tap took a lot of time, time she wasn't sure she had.

"I will do my best," she answered.

"Your best isn't good enough. Get the tap on now. We need every word of this conversation," her boss said before hanging up.

She reached for the assemble, cursing when she discovered some of her skin was still wet from her shower.

"Haley, this is important. Look, I know you're pissed off at me but I need to see you."

There was no time. Haley's heart raced as she made the split decision to place the set securely under the mattress. She pulled on a pink terrycloth robe and tried to catch her breath as she walked to the door. For the first time, she was about to have a private conversation with Nathan Scott. It would be the first time ever they had not been recorded.

"Hey," she nervously opened the door. "Um, come in."

"Thanks."

"Nathan, you're soaked."

"Yeah, I kind of got caught out in all that rain."

"Here," she handed him a stack of fresh towels.

He walked slowly in, towards the large bed.

"You mind?" he asked before he sat.

"It's fine," she said, deciding to remain standing.

Nathan put the towels down before sitting, using the others to quickly wipe off. He placed his hands beside himself against the soft comforter and jumped when he found a pair of panties interlocked in his fingers.

"Sorry," his face turned beet red.

An equally embarrassed Haley grabbed them from him, tossing them in a corner.

"I guess I should have put them on," she tried to joke.

Her underwear wasn't the only thing missing. She felt strangely naked and vulnerable without the secret electronic equipment on her person.

"So," Nathan looked around. "How you been?"

Haley shrugged.

"Okay, I guess. Getting ready to go back on the road in a few days."

"Yeah, um, me too. It's a tough schedule coming up, a lot of good teams."

"Yeah."

"Yeah."

Awkward, tense silence.

"Look, Nathan…" Haley began when she could no longer take it.

Nathan exhaled. His moment of truth had arrived.

"I didn't come in here to talk about our schedules. I guess I came in here to talk about us."

"What us?" she let slip before she thought of herself.

"About the other night…"

"You know, a part of me wants to look right at you and tell you it's not a big deal. I want to say that we, I, made a stupid mistake. I work for you, you're my boss. Let's just forget about it and move on, you know, pretend it never happened."

His sock clad foot kicked at the plush carpet.

"I don't know if we can."

She felt a rise of emotion building inside her.

"I don't know if we can either. What you did…"

"What I did sucked. It was wrong."

Haley looked away.

"I was so mad at you," she whispered.

"You have every right to be."

"Just answer me one question."

"What?"

Her eyes met his.

"Why?"

"Hales…"

"I mean it. Seriously. I want to know why. I think you owe me an explanation. I think I deserve an answer."

"Yeah, you're right. You do."

"I've been trying to figure it out. I mean, did you just change your mind? Because that seems like the easiest, nicest explanation. I hate to think you did it on purpose because if you did, then that's just mean. It's wrong. If I was the butt of some cruel joke or you were ashamed of me because I'm not good enough…"

"Don't say things like that."

"Nathan!"

"I don't know why I did it. Okay? Yeah, that sucks and it may seem like a huge cop out or whatever. I'm a dumb ass. Is that good enough?"

"Yeah, you are a dumb ass and in this case, no, it is not good enough. You've got to come better than that, Nathan."

He shook his head.

"That's one of the things I like about you. You call me on my BS in a minute, Haley. You don't let me get away with anything. I, I don't get that a lot. It's what made you special."

She laughed sarcastically out loud.

"I'm special? Yeah right. How can you even say that with a straight face? You know, if the whole basketball thing doesn't work out, you should really consider acting."

"I'm not acting. I'm being serious. I'm trying to be as real with you as I've ever been with anyone. I like you, okay? I like you a lot. That day at the beach when we first kissed and I told you I wanted to go on a date with you…well, I meant that."

Haley closed her eyes.

"That was a great day, Nathan. Everything you said, everything that happened was so perfect. It felt so real."

"It was real. It is real."

"Then why'd you have to go and ruin it?"

He bit his lip. It was a question he really had no answer for.

"I did it to protect you."

"I don't believe you."

"I've never had a normal life, Hales. I've always been in the spotlight, my family has always been rich, my dad has always been famous. Sometimes it's like living in a fish bowl. Everybody knows you or at least they think they do. Everybody feels like they have a right to a piece of you. I should be able to go on a date with a girl I like and have it be normal and nice, without a half dozen paparazzi trying to snap our pictures. Look, I know that's anything but normal. I guess it must be pretty weird for you. You're not used to that."

"No, I'm not but I'm a big girl, Nathan."

He shook his head.

"They don't give up. They're like vultures. These people go to the ends of the earth for a story. When they don't get one, sometimes they make it up. They don't care who's innocent or who might get hurt. If there is a way to get to me, dig dirt on me, they'll find it. And if they have to use someone else to get to me, if they have to use you, then they will. It's not fair."

"Nathan…"

"I just wanted to do something nice for you. Dating somebody like me has a lot of perks sometimes. If you can enjoy that, it's cool. But it has a lot of downsides too. Stupid photographers hounding you and harassing you is one of them. I should have expected something like that would happen but I just got so caught up in hanging out with you and having a good time that I let my guard down. I was crazy enough to think that just one time, I could have that one thing."

Haley nervously played with her hands.

"So…so it wasn't that you were ashamed of me?"

"No. No, why would I be ashamed of you? Why do you keep saying that?"

Her heart skipped several beats.

"It's happened before but, um…that, that's not important, I guess."

"Hales…"

"Did you go?"

"Go where?"

"That place you were talking about," she rolled her eyes. "Tabu."

He took a deep breath. He couldn't lie to her.

"Yeah. Yeah, I went."

A disgusted Haley began to walk away from him.

"See? Just when I give you the benefit of the doubt, just when I think maybe I could learn to trust you…"

"I didn't go in."

"What?"

"You heard me. I didn't go in."

"Why not?"

He shrugged.

"It gets kind of old after a while…the girls, the parties. I've been there and done that a couple of times. It's not what I want anymore. I mean, what was the point of going in? I would have had a much better time being with you."

Haley felt her heart melting. He was saying all the right things and those eyes! God, those blue eyes!

"Are you sure that's the only reason you did what you did? Because I'm gonna need complete honesty from you from now on. I mean it, Nathan. If we're gonna do this, and I'm not saying we are but if, if, you know, if we, if I decided to give you another shot, then you have to play it straight with me. No more lies, no more games."

"A part of me did it for myself," he blurted out, playing the whole honesty thing to a hilt and going out on a limb.

"What do you mean?"

"I didn't lie to you. I do have feelings for you but it's weird for me. It, it's kind of scary, Haley. I've been through a lot. Some of the stuff I can't talk about it now. I don't know, maybe one day we can but not now. Anyway, because of that, it's been hard putting myself out there like that. So maybe for one second I was being selfish. Maybe I was trying to convince myself of reasons why you and I shouldn't be together."

"And now?" she gulped.

"And now I know how dumb that was. I do like you, I do want you. When I saw the way you looked at me right before you got in that cab…it just tore me up inside. I thought about you the whole way over to Tabu and when we finally got there and I was just sitting in the parking lot, you were all I could think about. That's when I knew. Something about you just tells me that I can trust you."

"Nathan…"

He stood and slowly walked over to her, reaching for her hand and gently caressing it in his.

"I hurt you a lot. I know that and I'm sorry. I promise it will never happen again. I probably don't deserve another chance but I'm gonna ask for one anyway so will you? I don't know, can you just forgive me this one time and let's try to put all that crap behind us?"

Her whole body trembled as finally her eyes met his.

"Don't ever do that again," she warned in a shaky voice.

Nathan replied with a kiss that Haley felt from the top of her head to the tips of her bare toes. Thunder rattled the house as the rain continued to pour outside. The storm was the perfect accentuation for yet another perfect moment. Haley had lost the battle. Professionalism had gone out the door a long time ago, whether she could admit it or not. In his arms, she was herself, the real Haley James. The words, the kisses, the feelings were real. It was a fine line, a dangerous one at that and she knew she was playing with fire. But Agent James was prepared to do so without getting burned. She was going to have to pull off the stunt of a lifetime…make an arrest on the Scott case, save her FBI career, exonerate Nathan's name, fall in love with him and hope he felt the same about her, despite the fact she had been hired to mastermind his downfall.