Thank you all for your continued reading and responses to this story. The fact that you guys actually take your own time to read it and let me know what you think about it really makes me want to get the updates out to you faster. Now, that really doesn't happen, but it does make me want to. lol. All I ask in this story is be patient. Nathan and Haley will find the people they used to be again, and they realize what they truly want in life. Thanks again!

-Lindsay

Nathan gave his brother a slight smile. Hell, it wasn't even a smile, but it was all he could muster after last night's events. Haley had cried when Lucas punched Jared, but she explained it wasn't because he was hurt, but because he had hurt her friends with his drunkenness. Jake dragged him to his room at the Covington, asking the concierge if he would try to keep him away from Haley. The man had agreed, but he didn't need to worry about it, seeing as how Haley had stayed the night with Lucas and Brooke.

She had told them that she didn't want to be alone after everything, and they couldn't blame her. She was kissed by her former husband, then dumped by her fiancé, and then he had showed up drunk to a friendly dinner. Plus, she didn't want Jared showing up at her door for another confrontation. She wouldn't have been able to handle it.

Nathan had done a lot of thinking after he got back to his hotel room. At first, all he could think was how he wanted to go punch Jared like Lucas had. After all, he made Haley cry, and it pissed him off. But then he realized that would be pretty wrong. It looked like the guy had a broken nose anyway.

After he had calmed down, his mind wandered to Haley. He wanted her back. Oh, God, how he wanted her back. But he wasn't going to push her. She had just been through hell, and he didn't want to add to that and pressure her. If she didn't want him back, fine. He wasn't going to keep trying. He didn't want to confuse her after everything that had gone down in one day.

He kept seeing how distraught she looked at dinner in his mind. All he had wanted to do was hold her, and whisper in her ear that everything was going to work out. She would end up with a good person in the end, even if it wasn't him. But he couldn't, and he suspected she didn't really want him to.

"How was your night?" Lucas asked as Nathan got in his car.

"Long," he answered, yawning. "I just kept thinking about everything."

"Me too," his brother answered, easing the car onto the road. "Brooke and Haley were up all night talking, and it just kept me awake thinking about Hales."

"She's okay, right?" he asked, slightly alarmed. He didn't want anything else to happen to Haley. She had already been through so much in her short time on Earth, and he had a lot to do with that.

"She's fine," he replied. "She's really upset, but she told us this morning at breakfast that she's not going to dwell on it. She said that she did what she did, and it's done. She doesn't want us to pity her or anything. She just wants to forget it, and focus on getting Jake and Peyton married."

"That's pretty big of her," Nathan observed, waving when he saw Tim Smith, an old friend from high school outside by Karen's Café. "I couldn't handle it all like she is, Luke. I'd snap."

"She was pretty close, I'm sure," he said. "But Haley's a strong girl. She's been through so much, and I think talking it out with Brooke really helped. I don't really understand a lot of what she's going through, because it's girl stuff, you know? So I'm glad that Brooke was around for her."

"Yeah," he agreed. "She's a great girl, Luke. You lucked out."

"I know. That's why you and I are going to look at engagement rings right now."

"What?" Nathan's face broke out into a huge smile. "Are you kidding me?"

"Nope," he denied, shaking his head. "I've done a lot of thinking about this, and I've talked to Hales…I'm ready to do this. I want her to be my wife, and I'm done debating it. I'm doing it, Nate."

Nathan clapped his brother on the back. "Good for you, Lucas. One of us needs to find some longtime happiness, you know?"

His brother nodded and looked over at him. "Have you talked to Alyssa today?"

"No," he replied, rubbing his tired eyes. "But once I get home, I have to end it, Lucas. It's not fair for me to be with her when I feel the way I do about Haley."

"Good for you," Lucas said, parking the car across the street from a jewelry store. "I think you've known for a while that she wasn't the girl for you, and seeing Hales really confirmed that."

"Maybe," he allowed, opening his door.

The two brothers headed across the street to the store. The bell on the door chimed as they entered, and Nathan was pleasantly surprised to see his mother talking with one of the saleswomen. "Mom," he said, and she turned around, a big smile on her face.

"Nathan!" she squealed, giving him a hug. "I knew you were home, but I didn't want to call because I knew you were doing wedding things with Jake! How are you, honey?"

"I'm - "

"Oh my God!" she interrupted, seeing the bruise on his jaw. "Nathan, what happened to you?!" She touched it gingerly and he winced. It was pretty tender, as much as he hated to admit that.

"Run in with Haley's fiancé," Lucas explained, giving Deb a quick hug.

"Really?" Deb's eyebrows rose and she looked between the two boys for confirmation. When they didn't say anything and their faces remained serious, she knew Lucas was telling the truth. Huh. So her little boy finally realized that he belonged with Haley James. "Are you and Haley close these days, Nathan?" she inquired.

She didn't talk to Nathan much anymore because he was so busy with his own life. He was constantly doing something for basketball or going to some celebrity event. But she knew how her son felt about Haley. She'd always known, even when he didn't.

"We, uh, we worked a lot out," he answered her, shrugging. "But he punched me because he found out we were married once. She'd never told him that."

"Oh." Deb frowned. "Well, it's a shame that you got hit for something Haley did, but…don't let that stop you from going after what you want." She winked at him.

"What?" he asked, confused. He looked at Lucas, and Lucas just smirked at him.

"Honey, I know you think I don't know what goes on in that head of yours, but I know how you feel about Haley…how you've always felt about Haley. Don't let her get away from you again, whether she's engaged or not."

She kissed her son's cheek and skipped out the door but not before yelling at him to come by before he left town, and to call his mother more. Nathan turned to his brother, completely baffled. His mother had just gotten more…unique as the years went on.

"What the hell was that?" he asked, laughing a little bit. She was like a tornado. In and out in the blink of an eye.

"She knows how you feel about Haley, I guess." Lucas shrugged. "She thinks you need to go after her before it's too late."

"How do you get that?" he asked, his jaw hanging open a little.

"I live in Tree Hill, Nate," Lucas reminded him. "I see her a lot."

"True." He nodded. "So, big brother, what are you thinking about for a ring?"

"I would love to get her a huge ring, you know?" Nathan nodded. "But I am living on a teacher's salary, Nathan. She's definitely not going to get the big ring she deserves."

"I could help you out, Luke," he offered. "I mean, if you know what ring you want to get her, you could pay me in installments or something. She deserves to have the best."

Lucas thought it over. His brother was definitely right. His girl deserved the best. She had put up with a lot from him over the years, and the fact that she still wanted to be with him said a lot about her character.

He was slightly ashamed that he didn't make that much money as a teacher, but he loved what he did, so it didn't really matter. And he and Brooke were always taken care of, and that was what mattered. He wanted to give Brooke a big ring, and so he decided to take his brother up on his offer.

While Lucas shopped for the perfect ring, Nathan stepped outside and sat on a bench. He just wanted to think for a little bit, and he couldn't with Lucas tapping his shoulder every thirty seconds asking what he thought of a certain ring. When Nathan had proposed to Haley, he didn't have that problem. He had about a hundred dollars in his bank account at the time, so she never got an engagement ring. He regretted that now…Haley had deserved one.

"Hey."

The soft voice had him turning towards it, and he smiled when he saw Haley. Her eyes were slightly puffy and her long blonde hair was swept up into a haphazard ponytail, but she still looked beautiful.

"Haley, hi." He scooted over on the bench to make room for her. "How are you?" he inquired once she was sitting down.

"I'm…hanging in there," she answered, chuckling to herself. Studying his face, she gasped a little. "Nathan, I didn't notice how horrible that bruise was!" she exclaimed. "I'm so sorry that happened!"

"It's done and over with," he said. He wanted to just reach over and wrap his arm around her and tell her that it was all okay. But he knew he couldn't. He knew that he couldn't do that, and that she wouldn't want him to.

"But in the pictures from the wedding, you'll have a huge bruise!" she objected, shaking her head. "Hey, I could put some makeup on it for you."

He laughed. "Thanks, but I'll pass."

"You sure?" She nudged him with her elbow. "I'm sure it'd look pretty good. We could put some blush on you after we cover that up."

"Um, Haley?" He shook his head playfully. "No."

She smiled at him and the two of them sat in silence for a moment, just enjoying each others' company. She squinted when she saw a familiar person behind him, and he turned to see who it was. Groaning, he got up to face Jared.

"Dude, stay the hell away from her, alright?" he warned him, his arm going out to block Haley from him. She smiled up gratefully at him. She didn't want to deal with Jared. Not ever again.

"I just want to apologize," he said, trying to get around Nathan.

"She doesn't want it," Nathan argued. "She's done with you, and you need to accept that. You opened her eyes to the person you really are, and she wants no part of you."

"Oh, but she wants a part of you?" he scoffed. "Right. Pretty soon, she'll realize that she doesn't want you either."

"We're not even together, man," Nathan defended.

Haley stood up behind him. "I told you that this has nothing to do with Nathan, Jared, and everything to do with me. My life is a lie in California, and I'm not happy there anymore."

"But you just happened to realize that when you shacked up in a hotel room with your old husband?" He shook his head. "You are unbelievable, Haley. Really."

"Me?" she scoffed. "Jared, you got drunk because you couldn't handle the truth! You punched Nathan when he did absolutely nothing to you! You came up and ruined a dinner with my friends, and that was really insulting and embarrassing, by the way!" She could feel her voice rising. "My friends were nothing but kind to you when I introduced you to them! They liked you, and even Nathan was nice to you! And you threw it back in everyone's faces! Why you're still here, I'll never know."

Jared nodded, realizing it was time to leave. He had tried to make Haley see he was still in love with her, and he had tried to hurt her when he learned she didn't want to return to her home. When he realized how much he had hurt her, he wanted to apologize, and that was honestly why he was there now. But if she didn't want to listen, he wasn't going to try it.

"Fine," he conceded, taking a step back. "But I am sorry for everything…even though none of this is my fault." He gave her one last look before turning around and walking out of her life for what she could only hope was forever.

There had been a time when she loved Jared, and she knew that. But after everything that had happened, she saw who he really was, and she understood that she shouldn't have agreed to marry him. She wasn't ready. Her heart wasn't ready because it was still with Nathan. That wasn't fair to Jared, but it wasn't fair of him to pressure her to plan their wedding when he knew she wasn't ready for it.

She was done with Jared, and she was going to move on with her life. He had hurt her, and that was that. She wasn't going to dwell on it anymore. She would return to California and return whatever belonged to him, including the ring he had given her, and then with any luck, her record label would let her return to Tree Hill.

That was what she wanted, after all.

She wanted a real home again. A home where she didn't have to lie and pretend to be someone she wasn't. She wanted to start over with the people who loved her.

"You okay?" Nathan questioned after they had both dropped back down on the bench.

She nodded, watching Jared's retreating figure. "I was wrong about him, Nathan. Obviously he can't handle what happened between us, and I can't be with him when I know how he gets…the jealousy, the drinking…the violence."

"You know, it's not all your fault, Hales," he said, contradicting everything Jared had just said. "Yeah, you lied, but he could have handled all of it so much better."

She turned to him. "Thank you for being so understanding about all this. You don't have to be, especially when he hit you and insulted you."

"Well, things got really out of hand." He shrugged his shoulders. "But that's not your fault. He has a temper, and he screwed things up for himself."

"I know," she agreed. "You know, you have a temper too," she reminded him, a light smile on her face.

"But I never hit anyone for being married to you once," he pointed out, smiling back at her. "Then again, we got married when we were juniors, so I certainly hope you weren't married before me!"

She laughed at him, just comfortable being near him like friends. Of course, the whole friend thing wore thin with them pretty quickly, but maybe for now, she could handle that. She couldn't handle another relationship, that was for sure. She'd messed up the last one horribly. "Can't say that I was," she replied, looking across the street. "So, uh, what are you doing out here?"

"Don't tell Brooke, but…Luke's finally ready to take the plunge," he divulged to her. "He's picking out her ring right now."

"No shit?" She grinned widely at him, clapping her hands in delight.

"No shit," he repeated, a little surprised. Haley was never a big curser. "I came out here because I wanted to think, and I couldn't do that with your best friend asking me about every ring he saw."

She laughed. "I knew he was going to propose, but I didn't realize he was going to pick out the ring already! Oh my gosh!" She jumped up excitedly. "I am going to go in there and see if I can help him. You know, I'm probably better at picking out a woman's ring than a man is!" She gave him one last smile. "See you later!"

"Later," he mumbled to her backside as he turned around to watch her scurry inside the store. She was completely excited. He loved when she got excited like that. She was so perky and bubbly, and it had always made him smile.

She swung open the door to the jewelry store, smiling when she saw Lucas bent over the counter. Sauntering over to him, she waited until he saw her. Once he did, she opened her mouth. "So, you're really going to do this, huh?"

"I really am," he replied. He pulled her in for a tight hug. He was so glad his best friend was going to be around to celebrate his engagement with him. Or at least help get him ready for it. He could really use her help.

She nodded, glancing around at all the rings. She figured being in there would make her think of Jared, and how they had been engaged, but it didn't. All she could think of was Nathan, and how the two of them never even had an engagement. It was a quick wedding. She'd never gotten to wear an engagement ring that Nathan gave her, and that kind of stung a little bit.

"Good." She leaned over to where he was looking. "Oh, Lucas, these are so beautiful."

He watched as his friend marveled at the rings in the store. A part of him wondered if she would ever find happiness again; if she would ever get engaged again. And that part of him also wondered if his younger brother would be the one to give her that happiness. She deserved it, and so did he. The two of them belonged together…if they would clean up their acts.

"Hales, should we talk about Nathan? I mean, do we need to?"

She turned to look at him, shrugging her shoulders. "Honestly, I have no idea," she responded. Her eyes were full of confusion, and it made Lucas's heart ache a little for her. "I know how he feels about me, and I know that I have feelings for him too…but things just ended with Jared. I came back here, and everything changed. Everything I thought I knew is different now, and I can't deal with Nathan wanting me back right now."

"You don't have to get back with him if you don't want," he said gently. "I think you need to do what you want to do, but he's in love with you, Haley."

She smiled sadly. "And a part of me is in love with him. I won't lie about that. And besides, you know me. You know how I feel about him. You always have…even when I haven't. I think I've been waiting for those words for a long time, and when I actually heard them, I realized that."

"So what are you going to do about it?" he questioned, leaning back against the glass counter. "Peyton and Jake are getting married tomorrow. And after that, you and Nathan are going your separate ways. And if you don't want to, then you need to tell him. Before it's too late."

"Lucas, I can't handle all this change right now!" she blew out, exasperated. "So much has happened these past few days, and I can't deal with it all. I need to just take time out when I get back to California and figure things out. Then I'll come back here. I'm ready to move back."

"You're being a chicken shit," Lucas accused her, crossing his arms. "You're afraid of loving Nathan and taking another chance on him because of what happened the last time."

"You're damn right I'm afraid!" she nearly yelled at him. "He broke my heart, Luke, and I'm sorry but I'm not going through that again! Now I know that he loves me, and I love him too, but I need time to myself, alright? Maybe one day I won't be so chicken but for now…for now, I just need to be on my own. I need to learn to be okay on my own."

"And just forget about Nathan?"

"I will never forget about Nathan," she assured him. "But I can't get back with him right now, okay?"

"Fine." He held up his hands in surrender. He wasn't going to push her for something she wasn't ready for. But the thing was, he knew she wanted it. Whether she was ready for it or not. If she wanted to hide out though, and run from love, who was he to stop her?

Haley walked away from him, needing to be alone. She knew that she loved Nathan. She really did. She had never been able to turn that off, even when she thought she had. Seeing Nathan made her realize just how deeply she still loved him, but for the time being, she was going to be by herself. She wasn't ready for another relationship, even if it wasn't with someone who was probably, most likely her soul mate.

She couldn't put her heart on the line again. Not for Nathan, and not for anyone. She had been burned too many times now, and she wasn't willing to go through that again.