Haley took a peek inside the old fashioned parlor, adorned with its beautiful, expensive antiques. Like all the other rooms inside the home, it was lavishly and classily decorated. Apparently that was the Scott way. It had been two days since she had landed in Tree Hill, North Carolina. By private jet, she, Deb and Brooke had flown into town with Lucas and Dan joining them the following day. They were there to celebrate the wedding anniversary of Lucas and Brooke. The charming Southern mansion had been turned into a love shrine, proudly showcasing what seemed like every moment of the happy couple's life together. The colors for the evening were silver and gold. Balloons in that likeness, read the event's theme, I Do…All Over Again along with personalized napkins and candles and of course a three tier white chocolate and raspberry anniversary cake. The days leading up to the party had Brooke bustling with excitement as she busily went about plans. Her right hand wingwoman, Haley had been dragged along on every shopping excursion and errand known to man, much to her dismay. She liked Brooke, of course, but she also wanted to make the most of her time in Tree Hill searching for clues on the case.

But with Dan and Royal Scott lurking around, a search was the last feasible option. Uncomfortable in their glaring and intimidating presence, she clung to Lucas, Brooke and Deb until Nathan arrived the morning of the party. His mood was pleasant and the pair had spent the day isolating themselves from everyone else. Nathan had insisted on showing her the small waterfront city's sights. They had taken a boat ride on the Cape Fear River and walked hand in hand, sharing an ice cream in picturesque downtown. They had even shot hoops on the famed River Court she had heard so much about from Lucas. It had been light hearted and fun and reminded her of why she had fallen for Nathan Scott in the first place. Then once again, reality set in and it was back to the madness.

Haley paid careful attention to her hair and make up as she elegantly dressed for the get together. When every detail was perfect and she stared at her reflection in the mirror, once again wondering for so many different reasons, who the woman staring back at her was. She didn't even hear the bedroom door open and it startled her when a pair of strong arms snaked their way around her waist.

"Nathan," she let out a little gasp. "Gosh you scared me."

"Didn't mean to," he kissed her neck. "You look great."

"Thanks. You do too but uh, I doubt Brooke will be pleased with the whole sneakers and basketball shorts thing. I hear the attire is much more formal," she joked.

"I know. I just wanted to work out and relieve some stress before I had to go through this crap."

"Oh sweetie, don't call it crap. It's a celebration of Lucas and Brooke's love."

"I get that and it's cool and I'm happy for them but I'm talking about Dad and Grandpa. They turn every event into a suck fest, trust me."

She turned to face and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"It's only a few hours and if you're on your best behavior, after this suck fest, how about we come back up here and I make it worth your while?" she seductively winked.

Nathan licked his lips.

"How about right now?" he asked in a throaty voice.

Haley could hardly resist with those lips attacking the most sensitive parts of her exposed neck and bare shoulders. What had taken nearly an hour to create, was destroyed in minutes as Nathan tore off her clothes and they were frolicking in bed. When they were finished, she showered first and he followed while she dressed again, startled a second time when her cell phone rang. Her heart skipped a beat. It was coming from the FBI phone.

"Yeah?" she answered in a quiet, nervous voice.

"James, it's Alston," her boss said. "Don't say a word. We need you to activate the secondary communication control on your earpiece, the one that allows us to communicate directly with you. This party is important tonight. I want to make sure I have full access to you at all times."

And with that, he hung up, leaving Haley feeling uneasy. For starters she knew he had just been listening to her have sex and that in itself was beyond creepy and uncomfortable. And second of all, she had no idea why he'd want direct voice communication with her during the party but whatever his reason was, it put her nerves on edge.

"Was that your phone?" a still dripping Nathan asked as he emerged from the bathroom toweling his hair.

"Huh?" Haley jumped. "Um, no. I, I didn't hear anything."

Nathan shrugged.

"Alright. I'm gonna get dressed then. You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. Why do you ask?"

"I don't know. You just seem a little jumpy, that's all."

"I'm fine."

She tried to shoot him a reassuring smile before excusing herself. By the time she arrived downstairs, the party was in full swing. All of society's elite and famous was there, the men donned in their suits and tuxes while the ladies wore silver or gold cocktail wear. Haley spotted Dan's smirk and made a hasty exit from the main area. She was on her way upstairs to find out what was keeping Nathan but couldn't help but take a look at the other empty rooms. She found herself alone in the parlor…

"What are you doing?"

Haley turned around.

"Nathan…um, hi. I was uh, actually, on my way to find you but I stopped here because I couldn't help but admire how beautiful these rooms are."

"Mom and Grandma are all into the decorating stuff. It's not really my thing."

"You ready?" she changed the subject.

"Yeah," he extended his gentleman arm. "Let's get this night over with."

Together they made their grand entrance and like moths to a flame, the guests began flocking over to Nathan. He handled it with grace, the epitome of a public figure pro. They all wanted to be next to him, they wanted a little piece of him. Keeping his composure, he smiled for and charmed the ladies, and chatted with the men about sports and politics and such. Through it all, he kept a tight grip on his girlfriend's hand as Haley stood her ground by his side. A waiter offered them glasses of white wine, which she gratefully accepted, sipping generously while clinging to Nathan. The live orchestra playing stopped and the crowd suddenly parted like the Red Sea. In sauntered the guests of honor for the evening, Brooke looking stunning in a gorgeous, form fitted, floor length strapless black gown without a hint of gold or silver. Haley had to chuckle. It was so typical of Brooke. It was her party and of course as the main attraction, she'd have to stand out. A grinning Lucas, in a simple, dark Armani suit, followed. As they made their way and greeted everyone, the party and the band restarted in full swing.

"Brother in law, Nurse Haley, looking like the strikingly dapper twosome you always are," Brooke kissed both of their cheeks.

"I thought you said all the women had to wear gold or silver," Nathan scratched his head. "You're wearing all black."

"Naturally. And it's my party, you know a girl has to make an entrance, Superstar. Isn't that right, Broody? Haley?"

"I think it's quite clever," Haley smiled. "You look great, Brooke. Both of you. Happy Anniversary."

"Thanks guys. Drink up and have a good time. It's a celebration."

"That it is," a beaming Dan joined them, practically dragging poor Deb along like a dog on a leash.

All smiles fell.

"Thanks for coming, man," Lucas shook his father's hand,

"There's no place we'd rather be, right, Deb, my angel?"

"Of course. Congratulations," she wished, surprisingly sober.

"Can I have a word with you boys?" he asked.

"Now?" Nathan grumbled.

"It will only take a minute."

"Go ahead, Broody," Brooke encouraged. "I see Estella Warner over there in the corner. I'm gonna go talk to her."

"But you hate her, Brooke," Lucas pointed out.

"Of course. And she looks like she swallowed eight people squeezed into that tacky silver frock and I look absolutely svelte and amazing. Now please excuse me, Husband, while I go rub it in her ugly little face and by the way, not a word about being nice. This is payback for her making fun of my roots at the last charity gala. Karma is a bitch."

The men shrugged as Nathan mumbled an apology to Haley before slipping off with his father and brother. Seconds later, one of the other socialites pulled Deb away, leaving Haley all by her lonesome as she took another drink of wine.

"Agent James, come in," the voice from the earpiece causing her to nearly drop the glass in her hands. "This is the perfect opportunity. According to Nathan Scott, you two are flying out tomorrow. If you can get away right now, go look around the house while no one will miss you."

Haley took a nervous breath. She was lost in a sea of people, none of whom were paying her any attention. Her eyes searched the room and Dan, Lucas and Nathan were nowhere to be found. Downing the rest of the wine, she quietly slipped out of the room. Starting with the downstairs, she moved from room to room looking for anything out of the ordinary, any clue, any document or piece of evidence relevant to her case of the Scott's wrongdoings. Everything looked so attractive and in place, Haley was extra careful not to make any item look disturbed. Trying to move quickly and undetected throughout the house, the uneventful search led her upstairs. Fearing someone would catch her at any minute, she almost felt a slight pang of guilt rifling through their personal affairs.

At last, the investigation took her to the bedroom she was to share with Nathan. For two nights she had been there alone and had taken full advantage of it, though nothing useful had turned up. Activating the voice control she whispered, "I found nothing." She took another quick glance in the mirror before turning to leave but something caught Haley's attention. The oval shaped antique mirror did not appear to be mounted to the wall, instead it looked as if it were apart of it. She touched the edge and realized the crevice between the glass and frame could be opened. She did so and peered inside. It was some sort of secret hiding place. There was a men's Rolex watch and a stack of papers for the order and receipt of custom made dog tags with Nathan's name and personal information on them. Nothing of importance until Haley caught sight of the small black velvet case tucked in the corner. She opened it and saw a ring. The small size let her know it was for a female and the shine from the cluster of diamonds from two bonded bands let her know it was an engagement and wedding set. Holding it in her hands, there was something about that ring. She closed her eyes and thought long and hard. Then it hit her like a ton of bricks.

"Holy shit…"

"James, what is it?" an anxious Alston asked. "Did you find something?"

Before she could answer, she heard the footsteps coming towards her. She slipped the ring into the bosom of her dress, replacing the empty box and closing the mirror. With nowhere else to go, she ducked into the adjoining bathroom and shut, the door quickly turning on the faucet. Her mind began to race. She knew she now had an important piece of evidence. Haley also knew what it meant. But she had to be sure. She needed to take another look at her case files. She needed to calm the fears inside of her from the knowledge of what she had possibly just discovered.

"Hales, you in there?" came the knock on the door.

Breathing heavily, Haley tried to compose herself before opening the door with shaking hands.

"Nathan, um, hi."

"You alright? I was looking for you."

"I'm okay."

"Your face is kind of red."

She forced a smile.

"I didn't eat too much earlier when we were out and the wine kind of got to me. Sorry."

Nathan smiled at her.

"It's cool. You feel like going back downstairs for a little while? We don't have to stay long. But Luke's mom, Karen, is here and he wanted to introduce you."

"Yeah. Uh, okay. That's fine. For a little while, I mean."

"Cool," he wrapped an arm around her as she stiffened.

Together they exited the room as Haley suddenly felt sick. And the sinking feeling had nothing to do with the wine she had just drunk. She could only wish it was that simple.