Charlotte, NC

"I'm sorry Dan, I couldn't do it," Chris said, sitting across from Dan Scott in his office, "Look, I thought I could, but they're good people. And despite the fact that Jamie has my DNA, Nathan is his dad. I couldn't break up that family, no matter how much you wanted me to."

"We had a deal," Dan growled, looking at the cocky musician in front of him.

"And I don't want any part of it," Chris replied, tossing a wad of money across the desk, "There's your money, all of it."

"Get out Keller, before I do something I may or may not regret," Dan glared, "You're of no use to me anymore."

Chris got up, but as he got to the door, he turned around, "You know, Dan, I saw firsthand how much Jamie loves Nathan, how great of a father he is to him. But I honestly have no idea where he learned it from. If you want to know why you don't have a relationship with your son, you should take a hard look in the mirror."

It had been a little over a month since Chris had left Tree Hill, and since the revelation about the case against Dan. Per Deb's request, no one had mentioned the attack or Dan.

Haley was thankful that Nathan's busy schedule kept him from confronting Dan himself. She knew that Dan attacking Deb had really hurt Nathan, almost pushing him to his breaking point. She could see how hard it was for him to sit back and do nothing, when his most natural response was to protect the people that he loved, to fight for them.

Haley sat at the counter at the café, looking out at everyone who was sitting, talking and laughing. The café was hosting Thanksgiving dinner for the Scott families and all their friends. It had become a tradition, one that Deb and Nathan would be a part of for the first time.

She was soon joined by Lucas, "Hey Hales. Great turn out, huh?"

"Seems like we gain a few more every year," Haley smiled, seeing Nathan holding Liam, as Deb fawned over him as well.

"It's been a crazy year," Lucas sighed, "But we made it. Together."

Haley sighed as well, leaning against Lucas' side, "Remember the time we shared the wishbone, when we were kids?"

Lucas smiled, "Yeah, you bugged my mom all day about saving the wishbone for us. And then I ended up getting the bigger half."

"But you let me make the wish," Haley continued, "You know, that day, I wished that we would always find the good in our lives. I'm pretty sure that can come true whenever we want it to. So, I'm gonna make today about the good, because there's so much of it. We just have to see it."

Lucas pulled her in for a hug, "And that is why you are my best friend."

"Woah, don't you have your own wife?" Nathan laughed as he walked over, leaving the baby with Deb, "I think everyone's ready to eat."

"Alright, alright, settle down everyone," Haley laughed, as she stood at the head of all of the tables that had been pushed together so everyone could fit, Nathan next to her.

"Now, as per tradition, before we eat, we go around the room and say what we're thankful for," Haley explained, "I'll start….um, I'm really grateful to be surrounded by such amazing friends and family, and I'm really glad that we gained a few new family members this year."

Nathan wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close, "I'm grateful for new beginnings and second chances," he said, as he smiled at Haley, and then his mom.

Everyone continued to say what they were thankful for, and then it was Jamie's turn.

"So, I'm thankful that I got a dad and a grandma this year," Jamie smiled, "Oh, and a new baby cousin too!"

Everyone smiled, as the turn came next to a noticeably pregnant Peyton, "I have so much to be thankful for this year. I'm thankful for my amazing fiancé, for putting up with my crazy pregnant self. And for all of you, for being there for us, all three of us. But I think I'm most grateful that I can get out of the house and eat all of this amazing food that Karen and Haley made, because this baby is hungry!"

This made everyone laugh, as Nathan and Haley took their seats at the table, and Keith and Lucas began to carve the turkeys.

"It was a good day," Haley smiled, as she draped her arm across Nathan's bare chest. The two lay in bed after Thanksgiving dinner, exhausted from the day's events.

"Best Thanksgiving ever," Nathan replied, placing a kiss to her temple.

Haley sighed, snuggling closer to him, "Six months ago, when you came back to Tree Hill, did you ever think that you'd be married with a five year old by Thanksgiving?"

Nathan laughed, "Of course I did."

"Whatever," Haley rolled her eyes, "I couldn't stand you, and you were a jackass who thought he could do no wrong."

"For me, it was love at first sight," Nathan continued, "I mean, how could it not be? Remember that leather mini skirt you were wearing the first time we met, at the café?"

Later…December 23rd

Now, Christmas Day was fast approaching.

Haley, Jamie, and Deb sat in Time Warner Cable Arena, watching Nathan and the Bobcats play the Bulls, their last game before their 2 day Christmas break. Though Haley had originally been a bit upset at the lack of time off Nathan would have, she'd known what she was getting into. It was just hard for her not to have him around during the holidays. She and Jamie had their traditions, and they'd been excited to share them with Nathan this year.

Unfortunately, games, practices, and special appearances had interfered with a lot of planned trips home. The month of December had Nathan home in Tree Hill a total of four days out of the past 23, enough time to pick out a Christmas tree, decorate it, and make Christmas cookies, Haley and Jamie's favorite things to do during the holidays.

As halftime of the game arrived, the Bobcats were up by ten.

"So, how are your first BWC holidays?" Mel asked, as the three women sat with Jamie, watching a dance group perform.

Haley sighed, "I should've known…should've expected that he be gone this much. But it's still hard. The holidays for me have always been about family, and not having him around…it's worse on Jamie though. Not having a father for so long, and then when he does get one, he's not there all the time."

Mel nodded, "I know what you're going through Haley. Nino and I may not have any children but him being gone is hard on me. It always has been. We've been in the NBA for five years. I remember that first Christmas. He had to leave right after we opened presents that morning. I was upset and lonely, but after a while, you come to appreciate the time you do have together and make the most of it."

"Thanks Mel," Haley smiled, "I really can't thank you enough for being such a great friend and support. I don't know how I would've dealt with all of this BWC stuff without you."

"Mama, can I get some popcorn?" Jamie asked, tugging on the sleeve of Haley's sweater, "Please, please?"

Haley looked at her young son, "I don't know sweetie. You've already eaten dinner and the line is probably going to be really long. You don't want to miss the start of the second half, do you?"

Jamie quizzically looked up, stroking his chin with his thumb and index finger. It was a new thing that he'd started to do, and Haley couldn't help but smile.

"I'll take him Haley," Deb popped in, grabbing her purse, "Besides, it's a grandma's job to spoil her grandson, isn't it Jamie?"

Jamie nodded, eyes wide as he turned to look at his mother.

"Alright, go ahead," Haley relented, laughing, "But no candy, okay?"

As Mel and Haley watched Jamie and Deb walk down the stairs to the snack bar, Haley heard Mel sigh.

"You are really lucky, you know?" she said, "Jamie is…he's adorable and he's so smart."

"Yeah, he's definitely a handful," Haley laughed, "But I couldn't imagine my life without him."

"I always wanted a houseful of kids," Mel replied, "I have five brothers and sisters, so I'm used to a house full of noise, you know?"

"Yeah, I have 6 older siblings," Haley said, "I know the feeling."

"Nino and I got married when we were 18…high school sweethearts," Mel began, "We weren't trying to get pregnant right away, but we weren't preventing it either. And now, we've been trying for nine years."

"Mel, I'm sorry," Haley said sincerely, "I didn't know."

"No, it's not like it's public knowledge or anything," Mel continued, "We've seen dozens of doctors, but they all say that nothing is wrong, that it will happen when it happens. But we've just been waiting for such a long time…I'm afraid it's not going to happen for us."

At this point, both women now had tears in their eyes, as Haley took Mel's hand, "Everything is going to work out, Mel. I know it."

"Mama!" Jamie exclaimed, as he ran up the stairs, barreling towards her.

Haley and Mel quickly wiped the tears from their eyes as the smiling boy approached them.

"You made it just in time Jimmy Jam," Haley stated, pointing towards the court, where the teams had come out and started warming up, "They're just about to start."

"Daddy's doing good, isn't he Mama?" Jamie smiled, climbing up onto the seat next to her.

Haley looked out onto the court, as her husband shot a 3-pointer, and made it. His eyes caught hers, which made them both smile.

"There he is!" Jamie exclaimed, running across the court.

Nathan smiled, in his shirt and slacks, his tie hastily thrown around his shoulders, catching Jamie in a hug, picking him up.

"Great game sweetie," Deb smiled, as her and Haley caught up to them.

"Thanks mom," Nathan replied, "What do you think bud? How'd I do?"

"Well, you had a turnover in the first quarter, and you looked kinda tired at the end," Jamie said, "But other than that, I counted 20 points, 8 assists, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal."

"Wow," Nathan laughed, "You better thank your mom for making you so smart."

"Nathan!" Nino yelled, as he stood across the court, holding Mel's hand, "Interview time, let's go, bro!"

Nathan sighed, putting Jamie down before hugging Haley, "Just this last press conference, and then I'm all yours for two whole days, I promise."

Haley gave him a quick kiss, "I'll take whatever I can get."

The next night, Haley, Nathan, and Jamie were just finishing up dinner, when Nathan made a suggestion, "We should go driving and look at the Christmas lights. You guys haven't done that yet, have you?"

"No, we haven't had the time," Haley replied, "What do you say Jimmy Jam?"

"I'll go get my coat!" Jamie exclaimed, jumping up from the table.

"Ah, aren't you forgetting something?" Haley raised her eyebrow at the young boy.

Jamie took a few step backwards, grabbing his plate and taking it to the sink where Haley was waiting, before running to his room.

"You've got him trained pretty well," Nathan laughed, standing behind Haley, his arms wrapped around her, trailing a few kisses down her neck.

Haley turned to look at him, "Don't think that this gets you out of doing the dishes. You're home, it's your turn."

Nathan groaned, "Ugh, so close."

Twenty minutes later, the family was in the car, driving through the neighborhood looking at all of the houses decorated with Christmas lights and decorations.

"Woah, look at that one!" Jamie exclaimed, pressing his nose against the glass of the car window. He'd said that phrase at almost all the houses they'd passed.

Soon, though, Nathan had pulled over, in front of a large house that was dark, the only house for miles it seemed that wasn't decorated for Christmas.

"Why are we stopping?" Haley asked, looking at Nathan, an inquisitive look in her eyes.

"What do you think of this one?" Nathan retorted, ignoring her question. When Haley didn't answer, he unbuckled his seat belt, "Come on, I'm serious."

Haley and Jamie were both confused, but followed suit, getting out of the car, staring at the large, dark house in front of them.

"This one's lame," Jamie complained, "The Grinch must live here or something. There's not any lights or decorations or anything."

"Yeah, maybe you're right Jame," Nathan replied, "But I think it'll look good next year. But we're going to need a lot of lights if we're going to do it up right."

"Why would we decorate this house?" Jamie questioned, "We don't even live here."

Realization then began to creep into Haley's mind, as she turned, "Nathan, what are you talking about?"

"I mean, we won't want the neighbors to think we're the Grinch family, will we Hales?" Nathan smiled, pulling a set of keys out of his pocket, "Merry Christmas."

Haley was blown away. She had definitely not been expecting this, "You bought a house?"

"Hales, the bungalow was great for you and Jamie," Nathan stated, "But with the three of us, you've got to admit, we could use more space. Plus, this will be a good start for us. New beginnings, remember?"

Tears welled in Haley's eyes as she looked at this amazing man in front of her. Only months ago, she'd thrown him out of the café. Never could she have imagined the 180 degree change he would make. She couldn't believe how caring and thoughtful he really was, underneath his macho confident bravado exterior.

"Thank you," she managed to stammer, a few tears beginning to fall as she leaned into his embrace.

Jamie furrowed his brow, "Hey, aren't you forgetting something?"

Haley laughed, wiping away the tears as Nathan picked up Jamie, and the three shared a group hug.

"And you know what the best part is Jamie?" Nathan smiled, looking at his son.

"What?" Jamie asked excitedly.

"The backyard has a pool and a basketball court," he replied, "You wanna check it out?"

"Nathan, this house is huge," Haley walked around, her mouth wide open in shock, before she turned to face him, her eyes narrowed, "How did you do all of this without me knowing?"

"I might've had some helpful scouts who toured the houses for me and sent me pictures," Nathan shrugged.

"I'm going to kill Lucas and Brooke," Haley shook her head.

"Do you like it?" Nathan questioned, "I know this is something we should have decided on together, but I wanted to surprise you."

Haley laced their fingers together, "This is the perfect Christmas and the perfect house. I couldn't ask for anything better."

The two watched as Jamie ran upstairs, "I'm picking my room!"

"Seriously though Nathan, what are we going to do?" Haley asked, "There's so many rooms!"

"You forgot how much fun we're gonna have filling them up with kids," Nathan smiled mischievously, "Or at least practicing."

"Really?" Haley raised her eyebrows, "All these rooms?"

"All of them," Nathan nodded, "It's a big house."

"I think Jamie had a good Christmas," Haley smiled, as she sat in the living room Christmas morning, a sea of ripped wrapping paper surrounding her.

Jamie was currently playing NBA Live with Deb, who was clueless as to how to play the video game, but had agreed at Jamie's insistence.

"Wait, which team am I again?" Deb questioned, as she stared at the controller in her hands, and then at the screen.

"Gramma Deb, you're the Bulls," Jamie sighed, "The red jerseys. I'm the Bobcats, the best team in the whole world."

"You know how hard it's going to be to rip him away from the TV and that game now?" Haley questioned, looking at Nathan, who was all too enthralled with the game, "Nathan?"

"What Hales?" Nathan questioned, immediately realizing he hadn't heard a word she'd said as he pointed to the screen, "Sorry, I just made a three."

"Nathan, sweetheart, can you take over for me?" Deb pleaded, holding out the controller, "I surrender."

Nathan laughed as he sat next to Jamie on the couch, "Really Mom? It's 85-3 and it's the second quarter."

"The only reason she made a three was because she was pushing all the buttons when Dwayne Wade had the ball, Daddy," Jamie interjected.

"I'm going to start on breakfast," Haley smiled, "Think you're up to helping me Deb?"

"Now there's something I can handle," Deb accepted, following Haley into the kitchen.

"I haven't made homemade cinnamon rolls since Nathan was little," Deb sighed, as the two women rolled out the dough on the counter.

"We had them every Christmas morning when I was growing up," Haley explained, "My mom and my sisters and I would make them while my dad and my brothers cleaned up all the wrapping paper mess."

"I always thought I would have a lot of children," Deb said, "My brother Cooper, Nathan's uncle, was born when I was 12. I practically raised him myself. But…I guess things don't always turn out the way you think they will."

Deb noticed Haley yawning as she spread the cinnamon on the dough.

"I know Jamie woke us up pretty early, Haley, but did you sleep alright?" Deb questioned, "It seems like every time I look at you, you're yawning."

"Yeah, I slept fine," Haley replied, yawning again, "I've just been really tired lately. A lot going on, you know? With the café, and Red Bedroom, and now with having to pack everything up and move. It's a lot to take on."

"Well, at least you don't have to do it alone," Deb smiled, as the two women finished slicing up the cinnamon rolls and got them in the oven.

Deb began to walk back to the living room, Haley behind her, when Haley suddenly felt dizzy, and grabbed onto the counter to steady herself.

"Are you okay Haley?" Deb asked, turning to see her daughter-in-law leaning on the counter.

"Yeah," Haley assured her, standing straight and loosening her grip on the counter, "I just don't know if I want to see what the score is now."

"I'm still winning Mama!" Jamie exclaimed, as Haley smiled, taking a seat next to Nathan on the couch.

Deb, although concerned, shook her head, sitting down with her family to enjoy the rest of Christmas Day.

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter!

Please review or PM me and let me know what YOU would like to see happen in this story! I love ideas and suggestions!