Alright, yall can kill me now. How long has it been? Nevermind, don't remind me. I've gotten really bad writers block and couldn't figure out what I want to do with this story...Anyways, if you hate it, I don't blame you... I had to write something to help Haley and Nathan' character, so the drama is in the later chapters, I promise. And this is just the beginning for Nathan and Haley's relationship..and it's going to include Brooke in there somewhere later on..So if you got any questions...you know what to do...

TWO WEEKS LATER…

"Hey! Change it back!" she screamed.

"No," he replied simply and plopped down on the sofa across from her. He clasped the remote control tight against his palm and smiled mischievously.

"I mean it, change it back! I was in the middle of Luke and Laura's famous wedding. You better change it back," Haley threatened. It was just getting to the good part too. She sat up and glared at Nathan's figure laying on the sofa with one hand behind his head. He didn't even look at her. He was too busy watching ESPN.

"Nathan!" she shrieked getting more annoyed by the second.

"What?" Nathan sat up as though something startled him. "What's wrong?"

"Cute, now please change the channel," Haley said nodding towards the plasma TV.

"James, I'm in the middle of a game here," he said.

"Nathan, I know you're doing this to bug me." She crossed her arms against her shoulders waiting for him to deny it.

"What?" He scoffed. "Like I don't have anything better to do."

"Nathan!" Haley stood up and plunged forward to tackle him. She's had enough. Luke and Laura's wedding simply cannot wait one more second. She tried to aim for the remote that he held high above his head, but missed as he moved and she lost balance. With a loud THUD, they fell to the floor with Haley on top of Nathan. Haley breathed in a heavy sighed and stared down at him.

It was amazing how at ease they felt with each other. Within a week, they were already sharing a bathroom, eating breakfast together and of course fighting over the TV. There was that one time in the beginning when Nathan was crossed with Haley for letting his cook, Debra go. She had explained that she didn't want to be a freeloader so she'll be doing the housework and the cooking instead. Nathan was angry at first, but he got past it.

Although he hated that most of the food she prepared were more fit for vegetarians, (it was either that or macaroni and cheese, and he was already sick of macaroni and cheese when he was protesting Haley's method of cooking) he got used to it and instead always look forward to the time to complain or insult Haley's cooking, which she got used to also. So it became this love-hate relationship and sometimes in between.

Haley became accustomed to Nathan's momentary mood swings whenever Chris is around, and Nathan got used to Haley's annoying but cute ramblings whenever she was nervous. The apartment became "Theirs" and there was absolutely no privacy. Having only one bathroom became a nuisance in the morning. Haley learned to keep the doors locked and Nathan learned the importance of shower curtains. There were a couple of embarrassing encounters, but they each got a laugh out of it, or so they tried to anyway.

Living together, they found was nice and fun. They have a blast together and although they don't talk about Peyton or Natalie, they still comforted and leaned on each other at the end of a tough day. Something neither of them didn't believe in until now.

Haley stared down at him unable to look away. Nathan's smile disappeared and instead his lips were lined tightly against each other. He gulped. He could smell her. It was deliciously alluring. And her eyes were so inviting. He wanted to grab her and just….

KNOCK.KNOCK.

They both lifted their heads immediately in the direction of the door. Another knock. Haley chuckled to herself and lifted herself off of Nathan. Nathan let out a sigh of relief and pulled himself up. Haley walked over to the door and opened it.

"Finally, Nate-" Lucas stopped himself when he realized it wasn't Nathan. He let his mouth drop and stared.

"Um…hi," Haley said unsure.

"Hi," he replied wrinkling his eyebrows. He laughed nervously. "I think I got the wrong apartment." He turned to glance at the number on the door. 238, yep it was the right one. He was becoming confused.

"Luke!" he heard Nathan's voice from behind Haley. He shifted to the side to find Nathan walking towards them. Haley smiled politely and stepped to the side so Lucas could get in.

"Nathan, man, I didn't…If it's a bad time…I could…you know…" Lucas was at a lost for words. He glanced back at Haley, who was uncomfortable as well with his visit.

"No, uh… it's no problem. Haley, this is Lucas, my friend. Luke, Haley. She's my roommate." He grinned innocently at Lucas. Lucas's eyes widened at his last statement. He recovered quickly and turned to Haley to greet her.

"Nice to meet you," he said and smiled. She smiled back and accepted his head. She furrowed her brows, still holding onto his hand.

"I'm sorry, but do I know you from somewhere?" she asked taking a closer look at him. He opened his mouth but then gasped.

"Peyton!" they both exclaimed.

"I knew you looked familiar," Haley said and laughed. "Nice to meet you too. I didn't know you know Nathan."

"We grew up together," Lucas said and pointed between them.

"Ouch. I feel sorry for you," Haley replied.

"I know. I get that a lot," he said and laughed along with Haley. Nathan grunted in annoyance and punched Lucas lightly in the back causing Lucas to jerk forward.

"Who's Peyton?" Nathan asked changing to subject.

"She's my new girlfriend-"

"She was my best friend-"

Lucas and Haley stared at each other.

"Well, it's sort of a long story," Haley finished. "How is she?" The trio moved their conversation to the living room and sat down.

"She's okay. She doesn't talk about you," he admitted.

Haley felt a pang in her chest. But she deserved it.

"She's quit her job. She got hired at this art gallery," he continued.

Haley lifted her head at this. Happiness suddenly overcame her and she felt tears stinging in her eyes. Peyton's finally doing something she loves.

"That's good. She's been complaining about working for that catering company. Hopefully, she'll like working there," Haley said and smiled.

Lucas nodded sympathetically. "I..uh..I didn't know you know Nathan. I didn't know you were living here after…" Haley nodded her head quickly.

"Yea, I work for him." She turned to Nathan and smiled. "He was kind enough to let me stay here until I'm ready to find a place of my own."

"Dinner was great, Haley," Lucas complimented. Haley blushed and smiled in return. Lucas turned towards Nathan. "I need to talk to you before I go." He said good bye to Haley and along with Nathan stepped outside the apartment.

"Does your family know about this?" Lucas asked once Nathan closed the door behind them. Nathan shook his head.

"It's really none of their business," Nathan added.

"Haley seems like a nice person. I would hate to see her life ruined by that messed up family of yours," Lucas said. Nathan sighed. He knew what Lucas meant. His family would be greatly disappointed in Nathan and make it their goal to drive Haley away as nastily as they could.
"Just, be careful. By the looks of it, you've fallen, and hard," Lucas added with a surprised tone. He was not used to seeing his friend like this. The only time he was like this was with Natalie.

"Look, we're just roommates--"

"and co-workers. Er, I mean, you're her boss, for god's sake! You're too tied up together. I'm surprised Brooke hasn't found out."

"She knows Haley works for me," Nathan said.

"I bet you she wasn't happy."

Nathan shook his head in response.

"I would hate to be there when she finds out," Lucas added, terrified.

"Don't worry, I got it all under control," Nathan assured.

"I hope you do," Lucas said and patted Nathan's shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow at the office." Lucas grinned solemnly and left.

Nathan walked back inside to find Haley settled on the sofa. She was aiming the remote at the TV while pressing the buttons and eventually dropped her arm when she got the show she wanted. Nathan sat across from her. It was quiet at first. He didn't know what to say or do. It was never like this. He was always comfortable, not awkward and nervous. But being with Haley made him like this. He watched her slyly, whenever she turned her head, he'd quickly turn his head towards the TV, acting as though he was interested in the program.

"I think Lucas's a nice person," Haley said at one point. Nathan turned towards her.

"He is. He's our family lawyer and he's a great guy, knows what he's doing and what he wants," Nathan explained.

Haley nodded in silence. Nathan could still feel the awkwardness. He cleared his throat.

"So, what's become of you and Peyton?" Nathan asked, unsure if that was a safe topic.

Haley became quiet staring at her hands in front of her. She didn't know what to say of their relationship. She hasn't spoken to Peyton since the incident. She wasn't sure how to approach her either. She knew how Peyton can keep a grudge and how she does what she says. They've been together a long time for her to know Peyton like the back of her hand

"I really don't know. I haven't seen her….I.." what more can she say? She really didn't know.

"How did you two end up together?"

"We worked together. Then she wanted to move to the big city so I came with her. She's been my guardian angel since," Haley said and grinned sadly.

"Your parents?"

Haley shrugged.

She really didn't know much about her parents except that they died in a car accident. She was much too young to remember. The only thing she knew about them was their names: Lydia and Jimmy James. She has no recollection of them whatsoever. She can't even remember their faces. She vaguely remember crying when the police came to take her away. A lady, probably her babysitter was crying hysterically and hugging her before they took her away. From then on, she was placed in foster care. All her family's belongings when to the government since there was no relatives to claim them. Everything, was gone in an instant, and all she got out of it was a necklace that she still kept til today. It was too small to be worn now, she kept it safe inside her purse, always with her.

"They didn't care," she replied. "We weren't that close."

Nathan narrowed his eyes. He wasn't one for being judgmental since his own family had their own set of problems but to hear that her parents didn't care about her seemed almost unbelievable.

Haley yawned and stretched her arms.

"I'm tired. Guess I'll go to sleep." She was hoping Nathan would be her act and drop the subject. She hated talking about her family or her past. Nathan nodded. "Good night."

"Night." She stood up and walked into her bedroom. Nathan was still worked up to go to bed. Something didn't seem right. Haley was hiding something. But what? Was she a runaway? No, or else she wouldn't tell him that. Or was she lying? Ugh, he was getting a headache. He sighed as he gave up. Nothing could possibly help him figure it out. He turned off the TV and stood up to go to bed as well. He reached over the end table to turn off the light and stopped as he spotted Haley's purse. She never left it out like this. He grabbed it and walked toward Haley's room but stopped as he felt the bag tip over.

"Shit," he muttered as her things slipped out. He bent over to pick them up carefully. Mirror, makeup, pens, notepad, he began picking them up and placing them nicely inside her purse. He picked up her checkbook and peeked inside. He wasn't the kind to be nosy but he was curious. Checks, written to cell phone companies previously, gas bill, rent, and there was one he didn't know what it was for. It was written to a Rosie Warren. 500 dollars that she paid to her. That was a lot for Haley and he knew it. He heard a thump and quickly placed everything in the bag, placing it back on the end table. He head off to bed and began thinking what Haley could be paying her for.

"Come in," Nathan said busying himself in the documents before him. He heard the door creak and he lifted his head to find a blonde standing in the doorway, nervous and uncertain. She looked familiar. Nathan stood up from his desk.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"Yea, um…" She looked around her nervously. "I came here to talk to you."

Nathan pointed to the chairs before her. She nodded and sat down, followed by Nathan.

"What can I do for you?" he asked searching her for clues on whether he met her before or not.

"I'm here about Haley," she said. "I'm Peyton. Peyton Sawyer."

Suddenly, it all became clear. Nathan knew not much about her. Only that she and Haley were once best friends until she kicked Haley out. For reasons, he did not know. Haley doesn't like to talk about it. But he also remembered meeting her when he took Haley home the first time they met. He nodded for her to go on.

"I heard she's living with you?" she asked.

He nodded. "She had no where else to go."

Peyton sighed sadly. "I know. I know that."

"Then why-"
"Because I was mad. It was a momentary thing. I totally lost it and before I knew it, I had said those words and left," she explained feeling the weight of the guilt.

"What can I do for you?" Nathan asked, confused about the point of the meeting.

"I actually came here to look for her, but I heard she's off today."

Nathan nodded. "She'll be here tomorrow."

Peyton shook her head. "It's okay. I'll catch her some other time. I just…wanted to thank you for looking after her. She has no one else. I'm very disgusted at myself for doing this to her. I say I love her and yet, I go and do this," she said softly.

"Everyone makes mistakes," Nathan consoled.

"I know. But I've always been there for her. I was her rock, you know. I knew what kind of life she's had and I've tried to make it better, but then this happened." She sighed in frustration. Nathan's eyebrows raised.

"What do you mean what kind of life she's had? I know she wasn't the richest kid on the block, but there's something more?" he asked curious.

Peyton nodded slowly. "Something like that. She's an orphan. She was adopted and the family that took her in didn't…they didn't get along. It wasn't that Haley was a bad kid, it had more to do with her step father. She won't talk about it. So I assume they neglected her, probably even abused her verbally. She was so happy when I took her with me to this city. It was the first smile I've seen on her face." Peyton remembered that day vividly. Haley was both teary eyed and laughing. Peyton could never figure it out with her, but she was glad to have Haley at her side and to have her smiling.

"Her foster parents…the Warrens?" Nathan asked remembering the envelope from this morning. Peyton nodded.

"Rosie and Frank Warren. I always thought they were nice people. I never knew they were like that. You think you know someone and bam, they go and do the opposite of what you were thinking," Peyton said speaking more on a personal level.

Nathan nodded. All this information was overwhelming. He had no idea Haley had this kind of history. She never talked about it. And for some reason, he felt compelled to learn more. He wanted to know everything about her.

"Haley's a strong person though. She can take on anything. I bet you've already learned that, huh?"

Nathan chuckled and nodded.

"Just keep an eye on her, okay? She doesn't admit it sometimes, but she needs help too." Peyton stood up. "I'm going to be out of town for a couple of weeks, that's why I came here. I wanted to tell her about my portrait of her. It won first prize through this contest that Lucas signed me up for. But I'll have to tell her when I come back. Until then, try to keep her out of trouble please. I know how she's like. She's like a walking disaster." Nathan laughed and agreed. Their several encounters could be considered a disaster.

"I promise," he said still laughing.

Nathan sat in his office going over the facts. So Haley was adopted by this 'Rosie and Frank Warrens' because her parents died. But she left because they treated her wrongly. Then why was she sending them money? If she wanted to get away from them, why would she still keep in contact? What was Haley doing? All this is getting him a headache once more. He arched his head back and closed his eyes. Another knock at the door.

"Come in," he said exhausted. A man smiled as he entered and handed a bulk of mail to Nathan.
"Thanks," he replied and took the mail. He began to separate them until something caught his eyes. He pulled out an envelope that was addressed to him, handwritten. Handwriting that he noticed. Natalie's. He tore it open to find the most depressing thing.

We cordially invite you to celebrate with us the engagement of Natalie Walker and George Thompson on September 5th at….

The rest was a blur. He felt his face getting hot and his hands shaking. September 5th was this weekend.