Disclaimer: I do not own OTH or any of it characters places or such. I am simply borrowing them
AN/ Here is the next update! Thank you for all of your reviews! I make me want to update sooner!
As always suggestions are welcome!Nathan leaned into Haley's hug, comforted by the embrace. He had heard her. He knew she was going to take care of him. He continued to sob and Haley continued to hold him. When he felt that he couldn't cry anymore, he looked up at his friends in front of him still sitting there. He watched as tears rolled down their faces. He was not the only finally grieving for his wife and son. They were also. Bevin and Michael had been their friend and nephew too. After so many years, everyone was finally letting it out. Nathan started to turn his body and Haley released her hug.
"Thank you, Hales" Nathan said quietly looking into Haley's hazel eyes
"I am going to get you through this, Nathan" Haley replied, "We both have to keep our promises to Bevin"
Nathan hugged Haley not quite know what that meant, but he would find out.
"Look at that sunset" Mouth said breaking the silenceThe group all turned to look as the sun made its descent in the sky.
"It is the ending of the day and an ending to a chapter" Brooke said looking back at the headstones
"Gone, but not forgotten" Lucas added as he placed his arm around Brooke. Brooke leaned into his shoulder as she turned back towards the falling sun.
"Tomorrow begins a new day," Jake said
The sun finally disappeared and the group was left in the dark. Nathan was the first one to move. He stood and walked a few steps so that he was in front of Michael's headstone.
"It is okay now, little man. You can finally rest in peace." Nathan kissed his right hand and then placed it on the headstone. Then he walked over to Bevin.
"Rest in peace, Bev. I finally know that I can keep my promise." Nathan again kissed his hand and placed it on the headstone. He then walked over to where Haley was still sitting and extended his hand.
Haley took his offered hand and stood. She walked towards Bevin letting Nathan's hand go.
"I had forgotten that promise that I made to you all those years ago and I am sorry, but I am not going to let you down. I will keep my promise. I miss you. Rest in peace" She bent down and ran her fingers along the name, then stood. She walked over to where Nathan was standing behind their friends and hugged him.
Their friends each took a turn at the headstones before joining Nathan and Haley until Lucas was the only one still sitting. He stood from his spot and walked towards Michael first.
"You take care of your mom, buddy. I know that Grandma Deb and Granddaddy are going to be looking after both of you also." Lucas walked towards Bevin
"Bevin, my friend, confident and crazy sister-in-law." Lucas laughed, "I will see you some day soon. Rest in peace" Lucas turned and walked towards the rest of his friends.
The group of nine best friends took one last moment of silence before slowly walking out of the cemetery. They would be back to visit, but they had all said their final good-byes that day.
They returned back to the Sawyer's and found their worried parents all sitting in the living room. When the front door opened, Karen was the first out of her seat. She spotted her two sons and ran to hug them.
"Nathan, Lucas" Karen said as she hugged each of them tears welling up in her eyes.
"Hey mom" Lucas said
"Don't worry, mom. It is all going to be okay now," Nathan said as he hugged his mom again.
"Are you sure?" Karen said pulling back from the hug to look at her youngest son
"Yea, I am sure. I can finally move on now and Bevin and Michael can finally rest in peace"
"I am so glad you are okay"
"Thank Mom. Where is Meredith?"
"At the kitchen table. She has been there most of the day drawing pictures for her brothers." Karen replied
Nathan and Lucas both started walking towards the kitchen leaving the rest behind. They entered the kitchen to find their little sister hard at work on a picture of two horses. She looked up and saw them as her smile reached her eyes. "Nate! Luke!"
"Hey Shrimp" Lucas said picking his sister up, "Did you miss us?"
"Yea a whole lot"
"We were only gone for a day," Nathan said looking at his sister
"It felt like a lot longer than that"
"Well, we are home now and we will be home the rest of the week. We may even have some visitors come and see us." Lucas said
"Really? Who?"
"Our sister, Sam and our brother, Chris" Nathan said
"Are they my brother and sister too?" Meredith asked
"If you want them to be, I think they can be" Nathan replied.
"Are they little?"
"No, they are about our age." Lucas said
"I wish they were little, but that is okay. That means I will have three big brothers and one big sister, right?"
"Right" Nathan said
"Mommy, guess what?" Meredith asked Karen as she entered the room
"What?"
"I have three big brothers and one big sister" Meredith replied
Karen looked confused, but after thinking about why her sons had left early that morning. She realized what Meredith was talking about.
"Wow. Did you show Lucas and Nathan the pictures that you did for them?"
"Not yet. I am going to wait until morning. I am tired"
"That makes two of us, Munchkin" Nathan said as he took his sister from his brother's arms, "Are you ready for bed?" Everyone would be staying with the Sawyer's for one more night before returning to his or her own home
"Yea, Can Theresa stay with me again tonight?"
"Let's go ask her," Nathan said as he walked out of the room with his sister in his arms
"He looks better than I thought he was going to," Karen said
"He wasn't doing so good on the way home, but we stopped at the cemetery and said our final good-byes. I think he is really going to be able to move on now"
"You really think so? Do you think he will ever love again?"
"I don't know about the rest of you, but I am starved" Haley said as she walked into the kitchen.
Lucas looked at his mom as he replied, "I know he will"
The rest of the group followed Haley into the kitchen with exception of Nathan, Theresa and Meredith as the women began putting together a make shift dinner.
Thirty minutes later dinner was prepared and on the table. The older group of adults went to the living room to watch a movie as the younger adults all sat around the dining room table. Theresa had been able to sneak downstairs after Meredith had fallen asleep to spend time with her friends.
"Luke are you really considering giving up basketball to stay here?" Peyton asked
"I was, but I think Jake and Skills can handle anything that mom needs. Plus, I can't let Nathan have all the fun"
"It is always fun to watch your face fall when I score that winning basket" Nathan replied with a smile on his face.
The group laughed at Nathan's comment as Mouth said, "Well, I am glad that you are staying in the NBA. I know I look forward to the games that you guys play together"
"Me too. That is why I pay for them," Haley added
"You know, Hales. One of these days, you need to come to a live game," Nathan said looking at Haley, who was sitting next to him.
"I might just do that" Haley replied blushing.
"I miss these times" Theresa said looking around at her friends, "Times when we are all together and everything seems right with the world"
"You know, I don't think that we have all been together like this in five years" Jake said
"That is way too long" Brooke added, "I say we make a pact"
"Here we go again with Brooke and her pacts" Skills said rolling his eyes jokingly
"Skills, if you had asked Theresa to marry you a couple of years ago, then we would have all been together sooner" Brooke said smiling towards Skills
"How did I know she was going to say that" Skills said
"Because she is Brooke besides it is the truth" Peyton said
"What about you and Jake, huh Peyt?"
"We are getting married" Peyton replied
"But what if Jake had asked you sooner" Skills said
"Skills" Brooke said laughing, "We all know that when you are ready that you will ask Theresa to marry you. I was only joking. But I still think we should make a pact to at least meet once a year here in Tree Hill. No matter what is going on or how busy our lives are, we take a week and we spend it here with each other, our family"
"Sounds like a plan to me" Lucas said
"I am in" Nathan said
"Me too" Haley added
"I live here so it works for me" Skills said
"I will be here," Mouth said
"Peyt? Jake? Theresa?" Brooke asked looking at her three friends who had not replied
"We will be here," Jake said answering for him and Peyton
"You know I will be here," Theresa finally said
"Great, then it is a pact" Brooke said
"She gets so excited over the littlest things" Mouth said
"It is the little things that make it all worthwhile" Lucas replied
The group finished their dinner and then joined the older adults in the living room. When the movie was finished, everyone decided it was time to head to bed. It had been a long day.
Brooke and Lucas entered the room that they had shared for the last couple of nights. Brooke changed her clothes and then pulled back the comforter and sheet.
"I was looking forward to having this big bed all to myself tonight," Brooke said as she got in the bed and under the covers.
"Well, I could go sleep on the couch" Lucas replied waiting for her reply
"I am just joking. Get over here" Brooke said as Lucas laid down on the bed on top of the covers.
"You know I can share this blanket. It is probably going to get cold out there with no covers"
"Are you sure?" Lucas asked.
"Lucas, get your butt under these covers" Brooke said
Once both were settled, Lucas turned to face Brooke, "That was a really good idea tonight"
"Thank you."
"Your welcome. Good night Brooke"
"Good night Broody" Brooke said. Lucas smiled as Brooke used the nickname she had given him when they had been dating in high school. Maybe there was hope for them yet.
In the next room, Haley and Nathan had already said their good nights. Haley was laying on her side with her back towards Nathan, her eyes closed. While, Nathan was laying on his back looking at the ceiling. Neither was asleep
"Haley?" Nathan asked softly
"Hmm?"
"Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure"
"What did you mean when you said that we both have our promises to keep?" As Nathan asked the question that had been on his mind all night, Haley's eyes flew open.
Haley took a deep breath as she moved to be on her back and turned her head towards Nathan as he turned his towards her, "I promised Bevin that if something happened to her that I would take care of you and help you love again"
Nathan sighed, "That is what I was thinking it was. Bevin was always thinking ahead."
"Yea, not sure why she chose me to give this duty too" Haley said really knowing the reason
"Because she knew that you loved me and…" Nathan took a deep breath, "and she knew that I loved you too. She knew that I had always loved you"
"What are you talking about Nate?"
Nathan looked back at the ceiling before he spoke, "I lied to you, Haley. I lied to you that day at the docks when you told me that you loved me"
"You lied?"
"Yea" Nathan said looking back into Haley's eyes, "I have always loved you. I just never knew how to tell you and then when you came out and told me that day at the dock that you loved me, I just couldn't tell you. I don't know why, I just couldn't"
Haley couldn't speak. All this that time, she had thought Nathan could never love her like she loved him only to find out that he did. Nathan did love her. He had always loved her.
AN/ Please review!