Alright, so I got kinda annoyed with the huge blob at the beginning so I've taken it off. If for some reason you want it back let me know.

You know what I want for Christmas? Reviews :) Anyway, Merry Christmas Eve! I hope everyone gets what they wish for! For those that celebrated Chanukah or celebrate something else, I hope you got/get what you want(ed) too!
This chapter is especially long, I hope you guys like it

This chapter is a bit of a turning point and I really want to know what you guys think of it, so please Read and Review! (Thanks to those that have, you guys make my day.)

Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or any of the characters and such, if I did the scene in episode 410 where Keith tells Lucas if he hadn't gone to New York to see Haley then she and Nathan wouldn't get back together, would not exist.
Oh! and the song lyrics Haley comes up with are not written by me, they belong to Bethany Joy Lenz/Galeotti.

Bold face is reality with Haley in a coma, Normal is the dream world, and Italics are the thoughts

Much longer than usual, the next installment of the story shall now begin, once again in a high school hallway after class….

Passionate Anger

"Hey Brooke!" Nathan called up the hallway between classes when he finally saw her alone.

She paused, surprised Nathan was coming to talk to her, "Hey Nate…" she said uneasily.

"Can we go into here to talk real quick?" He asked, just as uneasy as Brooke, gesturing into an empty classroom.

"Depends. What are you planning on doing to me?"

"I just want to talk, where people can't see us," he explained.

"People as in Haley?" Nathan nodded and Brooke walked into the classroom, he closed the door as soon as they were both in. "What's wrong Nate?"

"I just want to say thanks…for treating Haley nice, no questions asked." He added at Brooke's confused expression, staring at the opposite wall.

Brooke blinked a couple of time, letting his words sink in, "Let me get this straight, you're thanking me for treating her well?"

"Yeah…she…she's going through a lot right now; with the tour sending her back and the town giving her hell. She doesn't have many friends right now and she could really use the ones she has left."

"Don't forget yourself in there Nathan."

"I know, I've been a dick to her lately. I just…I can't trust her, not yet. If she puts up with all my shit and still sticks around, maybe I could give her another chance…"

"If you keep bitching her out you might lose her forever."

"It beats being nice only to have her leave again after graduation," Nathan's guard was up now.

"You never know Nathan, you might just be able to convince her to stay."

"So I can have her resent me for taking her away from her dreams? I'll pass. Brooke, if she really wants to come back, she'll make that decision alone."

"But if you're a jerk to her she won't have any reason to come back, she'll be convinced that you hate her."

Nathan sighed, "Maybe that's for the best. She'll be a big star one day if she stays out on tour, but if she stays with me she'll miss her chance. She'll never get her dream."

"Unless you're her dream."

"I think I've proven to be her worst nightmare."

"Then prove you are her dream. She came back Nate, now can't you put your guard down like you used to around her?"

"I don't think I can Brooke. She was the only one I would put my guard down for and she's the one to hurt me the most."

"Just try Nate….just try…." The bell rang causing Brooke and Nathan to realize they were now officially late to their last class of the day. They both hurriedly left the still empty classroom.

Haley easily recognized the blond curls entering the library she was in, I have to do this. I promised myself I wouldn't let people bring me down again, the gloves are on.. She took a deep breath and walked over to the shelf where she had seen the blond curls go to.

"Peyton.." Haley said breathlessly, the blond girl's only reply was the straightening of her shoulders at the sound of Haley's voice. This only caused Haley to get even more nervous, which caused her to start rambling, "Hey it's been awhile. Well of course it's been a while, I mean I've been AWOL for about a year, but you know, how it chasing those dreams. You just get so caught up and are a complete jerk and never call anyone back,"

"Gah Haley do you have a point?" Peyton said coldly.

"I just wanted to see how you've been." Haley said quietly to the girl who had once been the only one nice to her besides Nathan.

"Your concern is touching, really, after such a long silence-"

Haley was tired of people ragging on her and she interrupted, "So is yours. I mean you haven't called me in what….oh yeah since before I left and still lived in Tree Hill."

Peyton turned her head to look at the glaring face of Haley, "The claws are out I see. I guess you still have that feisty spark and aren't the spineless joke I've been hearing about, Nathan always did like that about you."

"You still send those confusing signals, Jake always liked that about you."

Against her will, Peyton smiled a little. Maybe Haley really isn't so bad. "How long are you staying Haley?"

"It depends on how long it takes this town to run me out, especially the students here."

"Yeah…I'm sorry about that…Or well, I'm a little sorry about that."

"Wait, you really are the one responsible for everyone hating me so much?"

"No. You are." Peyton shook her head and walked out of the library, I guess she is bad, not willing to take responsibility. She had cheer practice to get to.

"Haley…." Nathan had finally made it up the hallway and to his wife's room. He saw her beautiful body just lying there and wanted to break down again. All he wanted was her to say his name, to move, to show some sign of life, "Hales." He walked up to her unmoving form and gently grabbed her hand, "Haley. Please don't go away, I love you! Come back and stay Haley…" Nathan's voice cracked, "Please don't walk away…" He lovingly made small circles with his thumb on her motionless hand. He was comforted slightly by the fact that her tiny hand was at least warm and not frozen cold.
Haley sat there in her and Brooke's empty apartment, paper and pencil in her hands. Words were floating through her mind, she felt the need to write them down, after all she was here to help come up with new songs for when she returned to touring. She didn't know where the words were coming from, but they were there.

Don't walk away. Don't walk awaaaay.
Don't lie, tell me that you're gonna stay, please don't walk away.
If I made a promise, I would stay by your side. It's only the beginning. I love you, so don't walk away.

It was just a few lines, but in those lines she had admitted more about her feelings to herself than she had allowed the whole time she had been in Tree Hill.

Haley crumpled up the paper and threw it in the trash bin. "They're just lyrics, they don't mean anything." She mumbled to herself as she walked out the door and off to work at Karen's café.

"I'm trying Lucas…I'm trying so hard to be strong, to not let this really sink in….But it's getting harder and I really need you Broody," Brooke began to choke up, "I need you to remind me that everything is going to be alright in the end. So please Luke wake up, give me the strength to stay strong…" Somehow, she slowly regained her composure, "if not for me, for Nathan and for your best friend. Please Lucas, wake up."

Brooke shyly grabbed his hand and rubbed it soothingly. Lucas Scott slowly opened his eyes.

"Am I dead?" He croaked, his voice dry from not being used. I have to be dead. I mean sure my throat is killing me and I'm in a hospital, which can't be heaven, but Brooke Davis is holding my hand. There's no way I can't not be in heaven and have her holding my hand, begging me to wake up.

"Broody!" Brooke hugged Lucas with all her might, tears spilling from her eyes. She happily kissed his cheek several times.

Yep, definitely dead Lucas thought to himself as he pat Brooke softly on her back, trying to get her to calm down, at least a little.

"You hear what happened to Haley earlier?" Nathan asked Lucas as they suited up for basketball practice that afternoon.

Lucas was a little shocked that Nathan was bringing up Haley, but he went along with it, "No, what?"

"This kid went up to her and asked her for sex. He said since she's done so many guys it shouldn't be a big deal, that he might even pay her."

Lucas' blood began to boil, that's crossing a line, "What happened to Haley?"

"She almost broke down in front of everybody. When I walked up she fell onto the ground, whispering about how she didn't want to see my face as I hurt her."

Lucas slammed his basketball locker shut and turned to face Nathan. Accusation in his tone he asked, "What did you do?"

"I picked her up and moved her away from the crowd."

Lucas softened up a bit, "You know the kid's name?"

"No, but I can point him out if we see him."

"Let's go." Lucas said running out of the locker room in his practice uniform.

"I was hoping you would say that," Nathan said with a sly smile, "Scott family treatment?"

"You got it."

With that the two half-brothers went in search of the kid that had humiliated Haley.

"What if Haley doesn't make it Jake?"

"She will Peyton, she will," Jake murmured into the blond curls of Peyton Sawyer's hair. They had made it back to Jake's apartment in Savannah and were now standing, holding each other, in the middle of his bedroom.

Peyton pulled back a little and looked up into Jake's kind brown eyes, "Thanks Jake."

"For what?" He was truly confused as to what Peyton was thanking him for right now.

"For not yelling at me, for coming to get me at the airport even though I hurt you, for trying to comfort me even though I don't deserve it."

"Peyton…" Jake said quietly, "You do deserve it. You do deserve happiness."

"Then why don't lasting good things ever happen to me?" Peyton asked, tears beginning to fall from her eyes.

"How do you know they aren't lasting Peyton?"

"Think about it Jake. Lucas and I the first time lasted for what? A whole two weeks? My birth mom comes to town and I bond with her for a couple of weeks, but then she goes and dies. You and I, once we officially got together, didn't even last one whole day before the cops came."

"Peyton….your happy ending might not have happened yet, but it will one day and you'll be glad it happened then."

Peyton stood on her tiptoes and kissed Jake very softly.

"Peyton…."Jake said as he broke the kiss.

"What?"

"What does Lucas think of all this?"

"……….." Peyton suddenly found interest in her feet.

"Peyton??"

Peyton took a deep breath, I have to tell him sometime, "When Lucas saw Haley he went into cardiac arrest, he's in a coma right now too."

Brooke realized halfway to cheer practice that she had forgotten piece of paper with the newest routine she had created. She raced back to her apartment, on her way to the room she noticed a pad of paper and a pencil sitting next to Haley's guitar on the couch. Is Haley writing songs again? Does this mean she's going to leave sooner? Brooke walked to the trashcan and noticed a single crumpled sheet of paper, curiosity got the better of her and picked up the sheet and uncrumpled it, grateful they hadn't thrown anything gross away recently. Brooke read the few lines that Haley had written and smiled hugely. Still carrying the paper, she rushed over to Lucas' house, completely forgetting cheer practice.

"So you're here because Lucas is in a coma. You're in my arms because the other's can't move!" Jake said angrily, breaking away from Peyton. It was rare that Jake ever yelled, but he was close now, "So I'm the second choice Peyton, is that it?!"

"No Jake! No, that's not it!" Peyton said, walking towards Jake, tears already falling from her eyes.

"Then why did you come here Peyton?"

"You're the only person I know that understands me, that understands why I can't go in there."

"What is your relationship with Lucas?"

Peyton froze, she remembered the last time she had seen him, where his lips had been on hers, "I'm not exactly sure…"

"Damn it Peyton!" Jake was shouting now, he had always hated shouting, but Peyton was just using him and it was driving him mad. He took several steps backwards, "So as soon as he gets better you're going to go back to him, act like this never happened?"

"No Jake! I can't, I did that last time. I pretended I never saw you again, and I can't do that ever again. You mean too much to me Jake."

"But not as much as Lucas."

"No…I understand that now…I love you Jake."

"Shit!" Haley exclaimed on her break at Karen's café.

"What's up Hales?" Lucas asked, carefully hiding his bloody knuckles.

"I completely forgot my bag at school."

"Oh dang it, I saw it in the gym before practice, but I….got distracted, sorry."

"Do you think your mom would mind if I cut out so I could get it before they lock the school up?"

Lucas gestured to the practically empty café, "I'm pretty sure she'd be okay with it."

"Thanks Luke!" Haley called as she ran out of the café, just as Brooke walked in the door.

"Hey Broody, look what I found in the trash at my apartment." She said quietly to Lucas once the door had completely shut.

"What?" Lucas asked, leaning in a little as Brooke unfolded a piece of paper. He read the lines carefully, soaking up their meaning.

"Do you know what this means?" Brooke asked excitedly.

"Haley still loves Nathan and she might not leave at the beginning of the summer?" He asked, actually excited.

"As long as we can convince Nathan to give it another shot!"

"What are we waiting for Pretty Girl? Let's go!" Lucas turned and yelled into the back room, "Hey Mom I'm going out for a bit, I'll be back soon!" He and Brooke made their way to her car and to the school, Brooke smiling the whole time.

That was the first time Lucas had called her Pretty Girl since their break-up.

"Karen…" Brooke said quietly to woman who was asleep in the waiting room, being held like a child by Deb.

Deb glanced at Brooke before gently nudging Karen, "Karen wake up, Brooke has some news for you."

Karen slowly returned to consciousness, the hospital room slowly came into focus. She saw Brooke standing over her, a hopeful look on her face, "What? Is Lucas alright? What about Haley?"

"I honestly still haven't seen Haley, but Nathan is still with her."

"Lucas?"

"He's awake," Brooke said with a small smile.

Karen sighed, "Thank you," she said quietly to no one in particular. She carefully stood up and rapidly walked to Lucas' room.

Haley went into the seemingly empty gym to grab her bag, she noticed it on the bleachers. As she walked towards them she heard a ball begin bouncing on the other side of the dark gym. She became a little frightened.

"Who's there?" She asked, "I'm very talented at fighting and if you come near me I'll hurt you!!!"

"More lies Haley?" A familiar deep voice yelled to her.

"What's that supposed to mean, Nathan?" Haley asked, obviously a little angry.

"You've always lied to me." Nathan was sore from practice. Whitey had made Lucas and him do extra suicides because they were late after beating up the punk who had insulted Haley. This had put him in a bad mood and made him a little angrier at Haley than usual when he saw her. He was blaming her, even though he knew he shouldn't, "I mean I was supposed to be the bad guy and you were supposed to be the goody-too-shoes, the angel in our relationship, the one who did nothing wrong! Well look at how that turned out!"

"Nathan, why are you being so mean?" Hurt was evident in her tone.

"Why not? Haley, marrying you was a horrible decision, I regret it everyday!" Fury was coursing through Nathan's veins, he wanted to hurt Haley, but he knew he would regret that one day, so he spun on his heel and began to walk out of the otherwise empty gym.

"So much for always and forever, huh?" Haley asked angrily, but she had her arms crossed over her chest, a sign that she was barely holding it together.

This caused Nathan to stop in his tracks, he wanted it to be clear that he was a promise keeper, he was the actually honest one in their relationship. His desire to be the good one in their marriage overcame his desire to hurt Haley and tell her he didn't ever loved her, he only married her for the sex. He turned back towards her. "I kept all my promises Haley. I do still love you, deep down…. it's tearing me apart from the inside!" Nathan didn't realize his voice was getting louder and that he was walking towards her, "I have this desire to yell at you, to hurt you like you've hurt me! But there's this other desire. This INSANE one, to kiss you, to ignore all the shit between us and just go back. It drives me MAD!You're the one that didn't keep always and forever Haley, don't EVER forget that!"

Haley felt the need to defend her own honor, "What makes you so sure I broke it Nathan?! Who's to say I didn't haven't­-kept loving you?"

"So you left me for Keller, but you still LOVE me?" Neither really realized what they were really saying. They just kept arguing, trying to bring the other down, trying to take out some of their anger at each other. They were finally being truly honest with each other, getting their real feelings out in the open.

"Yes, Nathan I do! I STILL LOVE YOU! Why is that such a bad thing?!?"

"Because I still love YOU! We should've learned by now that our love only brings misery!"

"So what you're trying to say is that I love you and you love me, but this love is bad? It will only bring destruction?"

"You caught on!"

And with that Nathan Scott and Haley James closed the now microscopic space between them with an angry, yet passionate and wild, kiss.