Author's Note: My chapters seem to be getting shorter?

Sorry this update didn't come sooner. I have been writing finals and things have been busy, but now I'm off of school so... yay!

First, I'd really love to thank ReeseHolden and BrilliantDance for your reviews. Those really made my day. Second, I'd also love to thank the people who have been subscribing/favouring. It really means a lot and gives me a reason to stay motivated. Please keep the reveiws coming!

So far the story has been pretty fluffy and I hope you're all down for that, which, seeing as this is like, the fourth chapter, that probably would mean that you would be! I'm thinking that it's really not going to last though, so I hope you're down for that too. Anyways, enjoy!

- 4 -

"Peyton, I'm finally here! The traffic was crazy because of the construction going on around town and so I'm sorry I took so long, but-" Haley had just hurriedly walked into the studio to find a little girl sitting in her producer's chair. She also was actually late because her bath took a little longer than she expected, although, the traffic had slowed her down a lot. "Oh, hi." She smiled at the girl, but was completely unaware of whom she was and Peyton, Mia or Chris were not around to tell her.

"Hi! What's your name?" said the red haired and pretty girl who looked around the age of four.

"I'm Haley, and what's your name?"

Before the little girl had time to answer, Chris walked in and saw the two females conversing. He interrupted, "Ohh Haley, wonderful to see you finally could make it! This is my niece, Leila. She came along with me today." Chris said, rather gentleman-like.

"Oh! You have a niece? Well, aren't you just precious!" Haley said, turning her attention to Leila and not noticing Chris' peculiar behavior. The little girl just smiled brightly at the attention she was getting.

"Peyton insisted on getting something called a falafel and some Cracker Jacks, so Mia offered to drive her to get them. It's just me and Leila around here right now." Chris informed and then looked at Leila. "We're working on a song! Isn't that right, Leila?" Chris said, rather excitedly.

"Keller is Stellar!" exclaimed the girl, reciting the lyrics.

"Tonight he's Leila's storyteller!" Chris said, enjoying the song that was mostly about him, created also mostly by him.

Haley looked between the two. "Great," she thought. "He's probably gotten her mimicking him to be the next Chris Keller."

"… That's… 'stellar', you guys. Chris, any idea when they'll be back?" asked Haley.

"Well, they just left a few minutes ago, so I'm guessing in at least a half hour. What do Haley and Leila want to do with Chris Keller until then?"

"I want beef jerky!" Said Leila.

"Beef Jerky!?" Chris questioned, both at the randomness and because he found eating meat to be sickening. "Pooh Bear, we don't have beef jerky."

Haley then said, "Actually, I know Peyton's got some in her office. I could bring some if-"

"That would be great, Haley! Leila, thank this wonderful woman!" Said Chris.

The little girl then gave Haley a loose, but friendly hug. "Thanks, Lady."

"Mhmm… I'll be back in a few, you guys…" Haley said and then quickly left through the studio doors to get to Peyton's office. There was definitely something different with the Chris Keller she had just seen. She figured it was something about that little girl that made him act so polite and kind. She saw their relationship as one similar to Nathan and Jamie's.

When she returned with the not-so-hard-to-find beef jerky in her hand, this time Haley found Chris to be sitting in her producer's chair, facing another direction, while Leila sat in another corner on the floor examining the basketball Haley had planned to give to Nathan, but thought that she had lost.

"'And after all of these years, you still make me feel brave.'" Chris turned around in the chair to face Haley while he was holding the pink, heart-shaped card recently unattached to the basketball in his hand. He smirked and then continued reading the card. "'And so, when I found this old ball in Lucas' office, I knew you should have it as another way to remember all those years ago. Happy Annivers-'"

"Chris!" Said Haley, angry and embarrassed while quickly snatching the card from him and putting it in her jean pocket. "That is private! You'd think after all these years, you'd have grown some respect!" He was clearly back to being the Chris Keller she remembered now that Leila was distracted.

"Oh, sorry. Chris Keller just appreciates some good words, especially your good words, Haley James." He said, not really sorry. "… but, if it was so private, then why was it stuck to the side of this table?"

"The card was stuck to that basketball she's playing with… did you take it off? And where did you find that basketball?" asked Haley, confused as to how they were able to find the card and basketball, but she wasn't.

"Well, I found the card on the side of this table… like I said. The basketball? I'd ask your son about that. He seemed to enjoy playing with it when I last saw him in here."

"What? Oh, well…" Haley said as she walked over to Leila to give her the beef jerky in the package. Leila set it down as soon as she got it when Haley walked back to Chris. She was no longer interested in eating it.

"So, you and Nathan are really still together, huh?" Said Chris, smiling, but not making eye contact. "I think that's great, Haley. Really. How long-"

"Yeah, we are. We recently celebrated our seventh anniversary." Haley said, also smiling. "What about you? Don't you have someone?"

"Oh, you know… Chris Keller's always got loads of hot chicks around. They multiply, too." Chris said, now no longer looking away and his smile turned into a smirk.

"Oh… yea, I'll bet, Chris. How is your life now anyways?"

"It's great. Really, Chris Keller's all over. He's internationally known, you know, and he just recently finished a song with Bono… Hey! You should come to this charity thing I'm holding tomorrow! You and Nathan. My mom is going to be there and you know she'd love to see you again… and-"

"Oh, well… uh, sure. Nathan's home for the weekend." Said Haley, a little reluctantly because of their history, but giving in at the word "charity", even if she thought it would possibly have something to do with Chris' own benefit.

"Great! It's at 7:00 PM and you need to dress up. So, don't have Nathan show up in sweats." Said Chris, cheerily. "… Oh hey, do you think you could help me get Brooke to be my date? I keep seeing her on the cover of B. Davis Magazine and, damn, she is looking fine these days."

Haley thought she might gag. "Was Chris really still stupid enough to think he'd have a chance with Brooke?" she thought. She knew Brooke way too well and knew she would not be up for it, especially considering the whole Brooke-Julian recent situation. "You know, I think Brooke has the flu right now. She's been home for a few days, according to Peyton." Haley lied.

"Oh, okay. I guess I'll need to find someone else, then." Said Chris, disappointed. "… Well then, uh, you wanna hear something I've been working on?" He asked as he got up and grabbed his guitar.

"Sure, that'd be great." She agreed as Leila got up from her corner and quickly came over to watch Chris.

He started playing a few bars of his song on the guitar until the door opened to the studio.

"Oh, good. You're working on the song." Said Peyton who first saw Chris and then looked at Haley. "Haley! You're a little late..." She then looked at them both, remembering the way Haley reacted to his return the day before. "…So, uh, how are things going with the song?" She asked and then squatted down next to Leila to adjust her shirt.

"Oh, really well, you know. Where's Mia?" Asked Chris.

"She and Br-" Peyton started.

"Brookie!" Said Chris, who got up from his chair, put the guitar in the stand, and ignored Peyton's answer. "Long time no see!" He spread his arms out, expecting a hug.

"Ugh… fortunately." Said Brooke who then placed a bag of groceries on the floor to quickly dodge Chris' hug attempt and then waved a happy hello to Leila. "P. Sawyer, listen, I'm going to head out… you guys take care." Brooke looked around and noticed Haley. "Oh, Haley, hey! I thought you'd be staying in tonight since Na-"

"And Haley thought you'd be staying in tonight." Said Chris.

"What?" Asked Brooke, confused and looking at Haley.

"Oh, um, you know what? Well…" Haley tried.

"No worries, Haley. Chris Keller knows that not even lies could keep Brooke Davis away from the Keller. You knew you had to come see the me, didn't you?" Said Chris to Brooke with a smirk.

Brooke rolled her eyes. "I was trying to avoid it, actually… and who's this little one?" said Brooke, now looking down at the little girl in the room and quickly changing the subject.

"I'm Leila Taylor Keller!" said the girl.

"Taylor!" Haley thought, now distracted from the conversation around her by her thoughts. "I should call my sister."

Brooke smiled at the girl. "Well, aren't you just the cutest little thing! Anyways, like I said, I should go. I told Sam I'd be home before 9:00 and she seems to think that when I don't do exactly what I say, she doesn't have to either." She looked at the clock in the room and read 8:53. "See you guys!" She said and hurriedly started walking out of the door.

"Wait, Brooke!" Chris yelled.

Brooke turned around, a little annoyed that she had to deal with him. She just looked at his face expectantly as he walked closer to her.

"How would you like to join Chris Keller at this charity thing I'm holding tomorrow? You can be the Keller's date yourself!" He asked.

"Uh, you know what? I'm feeling a little… flu-ish. Bye!" She said, and quickly walked away following the route through Tric to get back outside to the parking lot.

"But-" She was gone. He turned around to see Haley resting her head on Peyton's shoulder, both watching him and laughing.

"'Now I know why they call it true love…'" Said Peyton in a mock tone, while still laughing.

Haley, however, quickly stopped laughing and she pulled her head off of Peyton's shoulder to glare at her. She said, "Oh my god! I can't believe you're still bringing it up that I said that! Come on, that was years ago!"

Peyton just laughed harder while Chris watched them suspiciously.

"I'm sorry, I just thought it was appropriate." Peyton said while soon wincing from the punch Haley gave her on her bicep. "Hey! No need to punch a pregnant woman…"

"What?" Asked Chris, narrowing his eyes in confusion and a little annoyed that they had just witnessed his attempt to get Brooke to be his date.

"Oh, this lame thing Haley-" Peyton started.

"Haley what?" Asked Mia, who had finally walked in the door with more groceries and who was oblivious to everything that was going on.

"Haley nothing." Said Haley.

"…okay." Said Mia. "Well, did I miss anything? I saw Brooke on the way in and she looked a little annoyed..."

"Can we just get to work, please?" asked Chris who then went into the recording booth with his guitar. Leila followed him in and soon after sat on the piano bench to press random keys.

"I think that's a good idea." Said Haley, truthfully for many reasons.

***

"Haley!" Said Nathan, who had just turned around after closing their refrigerator door to get some juice.

"I know, I know. I don't know what I was thinking." She replied.

"How could you think this would be a good idea? I don't even have a suit ready for that soon."

"I can easily get Lucas to give you one. Nathan, I said we'd go."

"I'm not going." He looked at his wife who gave him a pleading look. "Haley! I'm not going. We're not going."

"What is the big deal, Nathan? The last time I saw you with Chris you were fine around him."

"That was different."

"How?"

"He was in no way a threat to us then."

"And what is different this time?"

"This time there's Jamie."

Haley sighed. He was so protective over them. She continued trying to convince him to come. "Nathan, he is in no way a threat. I mean, come on… he's Chris Keller! You know he's done us some good in our lives, too."

"I know."

"He may not be the same person anymore, either. You know, you've had some changes since senior year, too."

"Okay, Haley," He smiled because his wife was always trying to see the better sides of people. He loved that about her. "I guess we can go and I'll try to put up with him, but we're sitting as far away from him as possible."

"Good." Haley said, also hoping that his wishes would be the case. She gave Nathan a quick kiss before going upstairs to tuck Jamie in to bed for the second time; the first time already done by his father.