hey guys, i know i've been absolutely horrible to you guys. but i'm in a reall writing mood so i'm going to write some new chapters along with starting two new story ideas. and i'm posting a one shot i wrote ages ago, so you can check that out on my page. :) so yeah, this is pretty long. :)

right so, the song to listen to at the end of this chpter is.

we belong together - gavin degraw. :)

listening to these songs make me write better, so hopefully when you listen you get more of a feel for the stuff. :)


19. We Belong Together

Haley slowly made her way around the breakfast buffet, looking at everything, but wanting nothing. She knew she had to eat, she just didn't want to.

Sitting down at a table by herself, she started to wonder what she could do with her life now. Now that Nathan was gone. They finally had closure, but Haley still couldn't get him out of her mind. Why did he have this effect on her? It wasn't right.

She used to love the feeling of being in love. Now it was just getting annoying.

Haley nibbled on the stale toast she had picked up, and for a moment she wished she had stayed. She didn't understand why she couldn't believe Nathan. It was almost as if she hadn't wanted to believe him. Her mind was spinning in circles and she knew how stupid she was being. She didn't understand herself anymore.

What a waste.

Scanning her eyes around the large breakfast area, Haley scoffed with jealousy at the happy families and couples. She had to choose such a family friendly hotel didn't she? She didn't expect it to be nice. The hotel was old and run down. But here the families were, sitting, laughing, taunting her, breaking her.

Her head snapped up as a too-familiar smell flooded into her nose as someone walked past her table. The tears started to sting in her eyes. Nathan.

She turned round in her chair to try and find the culprit that was brandishing Nathan's smell. She spotted a tall dark haired man at the buffet table. He had his back to her, and looked an awful lot like Nathan.

Dammit. Now Haley had herself her very own Nathan character in L.A. Well, he might be good to replace Nathan when Haley needed to get over him.

What was she talking about? This guy was probably going to turn round and look nothing like Nathan. Just because he had the same cologne and the same hair colour did not mean he was immediately identical to Nathan.

She sighed slamming her head onto the table, then looked back up at the suspect Nathan look-a-like. She heaved another sigh. She wished she had left Nathan on better terms. She hated running, but she was so used to it.

Haley grabbed her plate and stood up, ready to go back to her room for a nap. The man turned round after collecting his food.

Haley's plate slipped from her hand as brown eyes met green across the room.


5 minutes earlier.

Nathan slipped into the breakfast room and squeezed through the tables to reach the buffet. He had to travel the most awkward way, and managed to seriously upset a granny and a young family. Tears stung at his eyes as he felt a sweet scent fill his nostrils. Haley's smell. He hated girls who had that perfume. He had actually made Rachel wear it once to see if it would help. It didn't.

Nathan kicked himself. He shouldn't be thinking about Rachel, he should be thinking about Haley. He moved quickly past the table and started picking at various foods, letting their smell mask the Haley smell that hurt him inside.

Nathan couldn't shake the feeling that someone was constantly watching him. However much he tried to ignore it, he couldn't. He felt like the eyes were boring into his back.

Nathan's curiously took the best of him and he turned round quickly. A smashing of a plate snapped his attention across the room as he met a pair of brown eyes.

A feeling of fear suddenly overcame Nathan. He watched the eyes across the room, they were startled and scared. Nathan searched them and knew that she was going to run. There were tables separating them and the whole big city outside the building. They could easily lose each other.

He had two options. He could approach the quivering figure, or leave her alone.

Nathan made up his mind. He swiftly turned and walked away, out of the breakfast room from the back entrance. He didn't want to make Haley run. He knew, and she did too, that they always did this. They would always give each other space. Hopefully Haley would remember this and come to him when she was ready.


The smashing of the plate stunned Haley. Their eyes locked for what seemed like hours, but before she knew it someone had pressed the fast forward button and Nathan was gone. Just like that.

A feeling of disappointment sparked in the back of Haley's mind. Why would Nathan come all this way, just to walk away?

Then it hit her; it was like they always did. He was giving her space. She knew what he expected. She knew she would have to go and see him.

She quickly walked through after him, trying to work out what to say to him. She would need to go back to her room first before she found him.

An old man stopped her on her way out.

'A tall dark haired boy told me that he was in room 23, when you were ready.'

Haley thanked the man and continued up to her room. 23. Haley scoffed. 'Figures.' She muttered to herself, fingering the inked numbers on her back. The room was right next to hers. 'Bloody karma.'


Nathan paced around the room, a plan suddenly forming in his mind. He knew it was awfully risky, but hopefully it would work. Hopefully was the key word in this situation. But if he knew Haley like he thought he did, and she truly loved him, it would work. He just needed the confidence to do it.


Haley stood outside room 23 and took a deep breath. She raised her hand to knock the door, but pulled it back again. She walked away from the door, but a few steps later she paused, and turned around to walk back towards the door. Once se reached it, she raised her hand to knock.

Haley sighed and pulled her hand away, pacing outside the door.

The door suddenly flew open and Haley gasped as Nathan appeared. He held a small bucket and looked as shocked as she did.

'Emm, I'm just getting some ice. Go on in.' He mumbled, walking down the corridor.

Haley watched him walk away, knocking her hands together silently, before walking into the room quickly.

She sat down on the hard bed and looked around. Nathan's room was similar to hers; of course it was, it was right next-door.

Her eyes fell to the single picture of her and Nathan on the bedside cabinet. Just a random photo taken on some bus to an away game. It was cute, and Haley felt herself smiling slightly.

'Easy days huh?' Nathan broke her thoughts and she snapped round. Haley jumped off the bed.

'Sorry.' She muttered.

'It's ok.' He replied shortly.

The pair stood in silence, both staring at their feet and wondering what to say.

Nathan had to get a grip. If his plan was to work then he had to get over his nerves and go for it.

'Why did you come?' Haley's voice broke in, ruining Nathan's chance.

'For you. To try and make you believe me.' Nathan said softly, looking up to watch Haley study her shoes.

Haley looked up and met Nathan's eyes. 'I think I do believe you Nathan…' She sighed. 'It just… you and Rachel… it made sense as well. Of course you were going to move on in two years.'

'I didn't move on Haley. I swear. Rachel meant nothing to me.' He said seriously, his expression unchanging.

'So that made you keep calling her?' Haley snapped back Nathan flinched and Haley instantly felt bad.

'I was trying to make the pain go away Haley!' Nathan replied.

'Well you should have lived with it like I did! I didn't touch another man Nathan! I couldn't bring myself to do it. With Lucas, and you, I was so hurt and confused. For some reason I expected you to do the same!'

'Haley I was always drunk! I was never thinking straight because then I would have had to face the fact that I had lost you again!'

'What do you mean again?' Haley lowered her voice.

'You know I've always loved you Hales. When you were with Lucas, I lost you. I lost you when he proposed. I should have done things differently, I know that, and if I could change things I would. I made mistakes and now I have to live with them, every day Haley. I think you know how hard that is.'

Haley stayed silent as she breathed in and out deeply. Nathan walked forward and hugged her tightly.

'I love you, Haley.' Nathan whispered as Haley pulled away.

'I love you too, I do. I just feel… I feel like… we rushed things… I rushed things, a little bit. I just wasn't ready for all of this. With… Lucas… you… Rachel…coming home. It seems like it's all happening at once. And it's really hard.'

Nathan shook his head sadly as Haley took a deep breath.

'I don't know, if I could be, who you need me to be-'

'What I want you to be is my girlfriend, my love, my best friend. Is that too much to ask?'

'Nathan don't. I can't-'

Nathan cut her off by plunging his lips onto hers. Haley was taken aback at first, and tried to fight it. But Nathan was too strong and she missed him, and she needed him. For a moment she was complete again, and all her worries went away. But then sense knocked her in the head and Nathan's arms grabbed her waist and she pushed back from him.

Nathan looked shocked and hurt. 'Hales…'

Haley lifted her hands up. 'No Nathan, please.' She turned and ran out of the room.

Nathan sighed and shook his head. So much for his plan.


Haley sprawled across her bed, replaying the last few day's events in her head. She was sure there were cameras following her everywhere. A normal life should not be like this.

Why couldn't everything be simple? But it had been. As soon as Nathan's lips touched hers Haley was gone. Her problems, stresses, worries, all gone with a single connection of their skin.

Nathan was her life. Nathan was the oxygen that she breathed and the energy that she had. Without him, she was useless. Nathan completed her, everything she wanted came into perspective when Nathan was near. A look from him could make or break her. Just like that. This was the sort of feeling people talked about in movies. Haley had always found them too overrated and exaggerated, but now she knew the truth.

Nathan was her always, and her forever; she needed him to keep going. She couldn't lose him again. And it took her two trips to L.A and numerous fights and tears to realise it.

She jumped off the bed, smiling. She walked to Nathan's room and knocked on the door.

Nothing.

Haley knocked again. 'Nathan?' She whispered against the wood.

Nothing.

Haley gently opened the door, expecting to find a sleeping Nathan. Instead she found an empty room. No suitcase, no picture, no Nathan.

He had left.

Haley walked forward and picked up a small envelope that sat on the pillow of the bed. She flipped it over.

'Don't say I never gave you anything…'

We belong together,

Like the open seas and shores.

Wedded by the planet force,

We've all been spoken for.

Haley's breath caught in her throat as she slipped the smooth pink plastic over her wrist.

'Holy shit.' She mumbled.

12 Years Ago

'I swear to god Natey you eat too much of those.' The small blonde pointed to the box of cracker jacks that Nathan was nibbling.

'You've only known me a month. How do you know I eat too much?' Nathan argued.

'You eat them all the time!' Haley stated smugly as she and Nathan took a seat at the docks.

'I want a cheat sheet.' Nathan stuck out his tongue at Haley, who giggled.

'I love you Natey.'

'Ugh, I guess I love you too. But don't tell Jimmy cause he'll laugh at me.'

'I promise I won't.' Haley smiled.

Nathan opened the small wrapper that held his prize. A bracelet fell out. It was pink and plastic, with multicoloured charms on it. Haley stared at it with wide eyes.

'Here.' Nathan grabbed the bracelet and slipped it around Haley's wrist. The bracelet was too big, but she would grow into it.

'This is for you, as long as you wear this, we will always be friends, and I will always love you.' Nathan grinned sheepishly as Haley blushed.

'Don't say I never gave you anything.' He pointed at her.

--

2 Years Ago

'Nathan for fuck suck how many times do you have to miss practice?' Brooke stormed into her house.

Nathan was sitting on her couch, staring at something in his hands.

'Seriously Nathan it's been three months, you have to come back to school. The ravens need you. And I don't understand why you have to stay at my house all the time. I know your parents are arguing with you just now but seriously, get a grip and go home.'

Nathan still did not respond, he just stared in his hands.

'What are you doing?' Brooke stopped rambling and looked at the non-moving Nathan.

'I found this today.' Nathan murmured, holding up a plastic charm bracelet.

'And?' Brooke asked impatiently, tapping her foot.

'I found it in Haley's room here. She left it.'

'Nathan, it's a plastic bracelet, I'm sure it's not worth millions.' Brooke sighed, wondering why Nathan was so worked up.

'I gave her it when we were eight.' He replied. 'I was our symbol of our love for each other. She doesn't love me anymore.' He choked.

'Yes she does Nathan. Maybe she just forgot it.'

'No, it was deliberately left. She never took it off. Not once, not even when she was with Lucas, because she still loved me, even as a friend. But it meant a lot to us. But now she's taken it off.'

'Nathan, I don't think sitting around is going to help it. Why did you stop looking for her?' Brooke sighed.

'Where was I supposed to go, huh?' Nathan turned around on the couch to face Brooke. 'Tell me that. I looked almost everywhere Brooke. Her grans, her aunts, her uncles, her cousins, all her relatives. I searched down all her siblings and she wasn't there. I went to Stanford, Duke, Yale, all the universities we had talked about going to, just to see if she had applied. I went to Chicago and New York, Florida and Disney, because she wanted to do that. I called up every hotel I could think of Brooke. I spent two fucking months searching everywhere for her, and she is gone.'

'Well, you obviously didn't look hard enough.' Brooke stated simply.

'You don't get it.' Nathan sighed, turning back around.

'I don't get it?' Brooke gasped. 'Nathan, she was one of my best friends, Peyton too. And you think I don't get it? Everyone wants her found as much as you do, but people move on Nathan, and you have to do that.'

'I don't want to move on Brooke. I can't do it.' Nathan stood up and heading for the door.

'You can't do it?' Brooke said slowly, making Nathan stop. 'Or you won't?'

Nathan shook his head and continued walking, the bracelet still in his hand. She had given up on him, everyone had.

--

Haley stared at the bracelet, mixed feelings flooding through her every moving part. What was this doing here? Had Nathan seriously kept it all these years?

The hammer may strike, be dead on the ground.

A nail to my hand, a cross on his crown.

We're done if, who we're undone,

Finished if who we are incomplete.

Then it hit her. She left it to tell him she gave up. And now he had left it…

No. No, this couldn't be happening, she couldn't lose Nathan. Haley started to panic. She sank to the floor, bracelet in hand.

Then everything snapped into perspective.

What was she doing? Nathan had always fought for her, she hardly ever fought for him, and that wasn't fair. Nathan might have given up, but Haley certainly hadn't. Nathan was hers, and only hers. She would fight Rachel till the death. She just had to get Nathan.

As one we are everything,

We are everything we need.

Haley slipped the bracelet onto her wrist as she walked out of Tree Hill Airport. Another pointless trip to L.A, but now he was home for good. It was game on Rachel.

She smiled to herself as the taxi drove her to Nathan's. Well, she had a few stops on the way.

We belong together,

Like the open seas and shores,

Wedded by the planet force,

We've all been spoken for

Nathan sat on a chair his head in his hands. He had left. Left Haley to her own accord. He could only hope that she came home.

He quickly wiped away his tears and threw his head back into his hands, waiting.

What good is a life, with no one to share?

The light of the moon, the honour of a swear.

We can try to live the way in which you speak,

Haley knocked on the door impatiently. She knocked and knocked until the door finally swung open.

'Finally.' She sighed, walking in quickly.

'Emm… come in?' The person said sarcastically.

'I'm not here to play around.' Haley snapped, turning to face the girl.

'Nope, that's Nathan's job.' She sniggered.

'Listen up sweetie pie; Nathan doesn't love you, so get over yourself. Why would he love you? He loves me, and I love him back. Therefore, we should be together. Your just some stupid notch in his bedpost that he could care less about!' Haley shouted.

'Is this making you feel better?' Rachel said sarcastically, walking past Haley, further into the house.

Haley grabbed her arm and spun her round.

'Now you listen here you stupid anorexic bitch. You're so stick-like I could easily crush you, but that would be a waste of energy huh? So here, honey, hear me out. You will stay the hell away from Nathan, my friends, and me. You got that? Cause if you don't, and I see your bony ass drifting anywhere near us, I will personally send you flying to Tim Buk Tu, first class from my foot.'

'You don't scare me.' Rachel said warily.

'Yeah, I do. You know it, I know it, and everyone will know it if you come near me. Nathan is mine, so back the hell off.' Haley turned and walked out of the apartment, slamming the door behind her.

Taste the milk of your mother earth's love,

Spread the word of consciences you see,

We are everything we need

Nathan sighed as he locked the door. Haley wasn't coming back. If she didn't come back straight away, she wasn't coming. Maybe that was a good thing, he always caused problems with them.

Haley never fought for him. He was always the one doing the fighting. Maybe that was because she didn't want to fight for him.

He was right, and now Nathan was done. He couldn't waste time over Haley any longer.

Nathan Scott was going to get over Haley James. For good.

We belong together,

Like the open seas and shores,

Wedded by the planet force,

We've all been spoken for

Haley took a deep breath and knocked hard on the door. It was 3am, but surely she could wake him up.

Fight for him, fight for him, fight for him.

Nathan opened the door, rubbing his eyes. Haley took her chance and leapt up to him, crashing their lips together.

All this indecision,

All this independent strength,

Still, we've got our hearts on save,

We've got our hearts on safe.

Nathan knew those lips as soon as they touch his, and he backed into the apartment with his arms around her.

Realising what he was getting himself into, Nathan pulled away.

'Hi.' Haley whispered, looking up at Nathan.

'No Haley, not now, not after everything.' He trailed off, walking to his room.

He leaned up against the wall. Getting over Haley James was going to be harder than he thought.

Half an hour later and the bedroom door opened.

'Nathan, I don't have a bed.' Haley's voice echoed through the room.

Someday when you're lonely,

Sometime after all this bliss,

Somewhere lost in emptiness,

Nathan cursed himself for throwing it out a few days back. He pulled aside the sheets and felt Haley climb in. His heart rate sped up and he felt the heat coming off her body.

I hope you find this gift...

I hope you find this gift...

Yip, getting over Haley James was going to be one hard task.

I hope you find this gift.