Hi folks. A million apologies for the late update. I've been trying to find a bit of free time to squeeze in my updates and managed to do so today. So here's the new chapter. I hope you'll like it. Again, thank you so much for all the reviews. They were awesome. Anyway, back to this chapter. A bit of a warning, mature content ahead ;) Let me know what you guys think. Cheers!

Chapter 27

Nathan walked into Lily's room, his face a picture of pure confusion. He peered behind the door and smiled. "There you are. What are you doing in here?" he asked Haley, who was squatting with her hands in her ears.

She stood up and took a deep breath. "Why is there a clown at this party? You know I'm terrified of them, and the one out there, he's extra creepy if you ask me," she explained and tapped her foot nervously. "Don't you think Lily's too young for a clown? You're gonna scar her for life. I know I am already." Nathan laughed and gathered her in his arms.

"You're really something else, Haley James Scott. My mom thought it would be a great idea for a clown to be at the party. Don't ask me why. I can't understand that woman 99% of the time," he laughingly said. "I tell you what, I'll try to get the clown as far away from you as possible. How does that sound?"

"Ooohhh my knight in shining armour," she said coyly.

Nathan slapped her behind and said, "now get your sexy ass out there. Oh by the way, Michael and Rachel are here."

"They are?" she said excitedly. She quickly made her way to the small crowd of people gathering around Lily, her fear of clowns quickly forgotten. Although he had her back on her she quickly recognized the top of Michael's head and poked him from behind. "Michael! Oh I'm so glad you made it," she said and looked at his grinning face. He enveloped her in a bear hug.

"I'm glad I made it too. Lily's incredible Haley," he said, her face shining. Behind him, Rachel smiled.

"Hi Rachel," Haley said warmly and gave her a hug. She then turned to her sleeping baby and smiled. Suddenly she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist and her smile faded away. She leaned against Nathan and sighed. "She looks so peaceful in her sleep. I can't help but worry that she has to go through the procedure."

"What procedure?" Rachel asked.

"She's got a tiny hole in her heart," he offered and seeing the worried look on Rachel and Michael's faces, he continued, "but the doctor said that that can easily be repaired. She's already booked Lily for the procedure next month."

Rachel's hand flew to her mouth. "Oh God Haley, that's awful. I'm so sorry."

Haley smiled wryly and said, "don't be. She's a fighter, this little one." She looked at her sleeping baby and smiled. It still amazed her how Lily could sleep with all the commotion around her. She looked around and saw Dan cracking a joke as Karen laughed and Deb rolling her eyes. She saw Peyton, Jake, Brooke and Lucas huddled around the table, enjoying the party. She was glad that she decided to do this. It was exactly what she needed after the harrowing labour experience she went through.

Suddenly Rachel excused herself and made her way to where Lucas and the rest were sitting. Nathan was already trying to tell Dan to behave himself. Michael turned to Haley, glad for their privacy. He touched her elbow and took her aside.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Great actually. My body's still a bit sore but when I look at Lily, the pain was worth it." Michael grimaced at the talk of childbirth, making Haley laugh. "It wasn't that bad Michael. How about you? Are you and Rachel enjoying Chicago?" she asked. The mention of Chicago immediately filled her with guilt, thinking of her plan to get away from Nathan a few months ago.

"We are. Rachel's a great help and an even greater girlfriend. I couldn't ask for more. I guess I have you to thank, Haley James Scott." She blushed thinking that she had caused a lot of trouble instead of helping. "Anyway, we're thinking of hanging out here for a while. The Chicago office is going strong and God knows we both need a break."

"You're staying? Oh that's great Michael. I've missed you, you know," she admitted.

"Oh do you?" he asked with raised eyebrows. "Do you remember the first time we met at the airport?"

Haley covered her face with embarrassment. "Oh my God, don't remind me. I was horrible to you!"

"I thought you were kinda cute actually," he said in amusement. They continued to chat for a moment. "So Haley, about this surgery. Do you need help with anything? I mean, I can get you the best surgeon in the country. Just say the word and I'll make the phone call," Michael offered.

His kindness startled her. For a moment she was speechless. When she finally found her tongue, she said, "wow Michael, that's really nice of you but I don't think that's necessary. We've already got a good doctor, but thanks for the offer anyway." She hugged him and said, "you're too good to me."

"Anything for a friend," he said smiling. Out of the corner of his eyes, Nathan watched his wife and Michael. Although he knew that Michael was nothing more than a friend, he couldn't help but feel a tinge of jealousy. Judging by the look on Haley's face, Michael had obviously said something important to her. He made a mental note to ask her about it later.

"Stop it," he heard Peyton tell him from behind. He spun around and sure enough, there was Peyton with a knowing smile on her face.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"You're jealous," she said with a grin. "I saw the way you were looking at them. Totally jealous."

"I am not!" he said indignantly. Seeing her amused face, he said, "okay fine. Maybe a little."

"Well, don't be," she said wisely. "Don't ask me why but that girl over there," she said and pointed at Haley. "She's totally head over heels in love with you." With those words, she patted him on the shoulder and left.

"I'm totally head over heels in love with her too," he whispered to himself.

Lucas looked around for signs of Haley. He had been wanting to talk to her but she was too busy organizing and entertaining. He finally spotted her making her way to the kitchen and hurriedly ran up to her.

"Hey you," he said as he touched her arm. She looked up in surprise.

"Hey," she said smiling. "I was just gonna get some more drinks."

"Here, let me help," he offered. She looked at him gratefully. "Listen, we haven't had the chance to talk since Lily was born. How are you doing?" he asked, his face full of genuine concern for his friend. Haley may be Nathan's best friend, but she was also his. Haley kept Nathan in check while with Lucas, they spoke the same wavelength.

She sucked in her cheeks before blowing it. "It's been hectic and I'm still trying to adjust but I think I'm doing okay. Why? What's up?"

"Nothing," he said. "I'm just worried about you. I know you're worried about Lily and I know you when you're worried."

She bit her lips as she let his words sank in. He was right of course. He knew that when she worried about something, it would take a lot to get it off her mind. "I'm fine Luke," she said. Seeing that he was not totally convinced, she said it with more conviction. "Really, I'm fine. Stop worrying already. I get enough of that from Nathan already."

He held up his hands. "Okay, backing off now," he said. "But you know you can come to me for anything, right?" He felt satisfied when he saw her nod. "Anyway, Lily's an angel Hales."

She beamed with pride. "I know. She takes after her mom."

Lucas laughed. "You did good Hales. You and Nathan. Look how far you've come. Who would have thought that this day would happen? That my brother has a baby with my best friend."

She grinned with delight. She punched his arm playfully. "Speaking of babies, how awesome is it that you're gonna be a dad too? You must be on top of the world!"

He placed a hand on his chest and exhaled. "Oh Hales, it's the best feeling in the world. If you had told me earlier that it would make me feel like this, I would have jumped Brooke every second of every day."

She covered her ears and grimaced. "Do not need to hear that, you perv!" Lucas laughed, knowing that any talk of sex would make her cringe. He knew that she was by no means a prude, she was just uncomfortable with talk of sex.

"I remember how I felt when I found out I was pregnant," she said with a small smile. "Shocked...scared...mostly lonely," she confessed ruefully. He looked at her in surprise. He had no idea that she was lonely. Looking back, he realized that it came as no surprise that she was. She had to keep her pregnancy a secret and coupled with her getaway plan, he could imagine how isolated she must have felt back then.

"I'm sorry you felt that way Hales," he said sincerely. He wanted to tell her that she should have come to him but he kept his mouth shut. He didn't see the need to. She was finally happy. She was finally with Nathan.

She seemed to read his mind. "I'm happy now," she said. "The happiest I've been in fact so you can't throw away your worrying mood out the window," she said teasingly.

He grinned. "So any idea when the hospital's gonna call?"

She shrugged as she took out the bottled drinks from the fridge. "They said in a couple of weeks, so I guess we'll just have to wait." He didn't want to press her, and thus he just let the topic go. Instead they continued to talk about the one thing that could make her smile. Lily.

"Oh my God! Please knock me on the head if I ever decide to hold a party like that again," Haley groaned as she fell back on the bed and covered her face with a pillow. The last guest had left a while ago and Lily was sleeping soundly in her bassinet. "My body's aching all over," she complained. She felt the bed creak beside her and lifted the pillow. "What are you looking at?" she asked gruffly at Nathan.

"You are an amazing woman," he said tenderly and kissed her. "You're an amazing wife and you're an even more amazing mother. I mean, after the nightmare that you went through giving birth to Lily, you totally pulled the party off."

She beamed at his compliment. "I guess I am pretty amazing," she said smugly and settled back on her pillow. Her ears perked up for any sound from Lily's room, but there was none. Since becoming a mother, her sense of hearing was heightened and the slightest sound from Lily's room would have her running.

"She's so quiet," she said to Nathan. "Do you think anything's wrong?"

He snickered while stifling a yawn. "Hales, you always think that something is wrong. There's nothing wrong. Trust me. She's tired. It's been a long day for her too," he said. He then turned to her and wrapped his arm around her waist, drinking in her smell as he buried his face in her neck. He wanted her in an instant.

He was right though. She couldn't help but worry about Lily. She was no ordinary baby. A special one. And she couldn't bear to think of what she would do if anything happened to her.

"I guess. It's just that she's just unusually quiet. Maybe I should just check up on her," she said and started to get up. She felt his hand pull her down again.

"Stop it Hales. She's fine. I've missed you today," he said in an attempt to distract her. He started nuzzling her neck again. Before long, he was starting to leave a trail of kisses along her neck. She let out a sigh.

"Nathan, stop it," she said in a meek protest. He didn't stop. In fact he started kissing her eyelids tenderly before moving down to her lips. Her lips instantly parted at his touch. He started teasing her with his tongue, probing but not yet entering. He knew it drove her wild.

"Nathan," she whispered. "I'm not ready yet." He went still for a moment.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly as his fingers caressed her cheek.

"I told you, it's my body. It's not what..."

He cut her short. "Haley, stop it. I don't ever want to hear you say that you feel you're not sexy enough, you hear me? Coz as far as I'm concerned, you're hot as hell and nothing's gonna change that." He kissed her tenderly, this time probing her lips. She gave in to him instantly and granted him the entrance that he seeked. Her moans of desire turned him on in an instant. "Keep making those sounds baby," he said encouragingly.

She didn't need his encouragement. She pulled him closer and kissed him deeper, this time making him groan. He sneaked a hand underneath her blouse and started caressing her. Suddenly she felt her hand stopping him. He saw the uncertainty in her eyes and smiled before unbuttoning her blouse and pulling it apart, revealing her bra.

"You look beautiful," he whispered reassuringly. He meant every word he said. She still looked beautiful in his eyes. She felt tears prickling in her eyes. How was it that they had not found each other sooner?

He pulled off his t-shirt. She couldn't seem to tear her gaze away from his well-built body. She placed a finger on his nipple and started stroking it slowly. "Haley, you know what that does to me," he said in a low growl.

She smiled slyly. "Oh yeah, I do," she said and started to tweak his nipple. He couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed both her wrists and pinned them down over her head before claiming her mouth once again. She sensed his increased passion and met it head on, kissing him back with a fury, her tongue matching each of his thrusts with vigor. Their legs wrapped around each other in a tangled web, as if they couldn't bear to be parted. He felt her wriggle out of her clothes and he lifted his lips and started to help her. As soon as her blouse was off, he unhooked her bra in one deft movement and almost choked at the sight of her breasts.

"God you're hot," he said hoarsely. It was his turn to stroke her perked up nipples. She let out a loud gasp. Ever since she was pregnant, her nipples were sensitive and he knew it.

"Nathan," she called out his name.

"Yes baby."

"I want you," she begged.

"I know. I want you two," he whispered against her lips. He let his fingers trail to her skirt and down her legs before making his way up again to her panties. He could already feel that she was already wet. He stifled a groan as he fumbled with her skirt, pulling it down and discarding it before doing the same to her panties. As soon as she was rid of them, he traced his finger back up her legs towards her wet centre. He parted her legs apart and started stroking her wetness, making her gasp. He moved his fingers lower, loving the wetness he found there. She gasped and arched beneath him before her crying out out as her orgasm shook her to the core. Even as she was settling down from her high, she fumbled with his jeans frantically, eager for him to be inside of her. It took a mere couple of seconds to get him out of his jeans and boxers.

He placed himself at her entrance, wanting to fill her completely. Suddenly she raised her hips, burying him deep within her. She let out a loud gasp as she wrapped her legs around his waist. She felt him move within him and they moved in perfect unison. It wasn't long before she was riding on an orgasmic wave, screaming out his name. He groaned as he filled her with his seed in a final thrust.

"Oh Hales," he said, struggling to get the words out as he collapsed on top of her. She sighed contentedly and closed her arms around him, holding him tight as he relaxed against her body. Slowly he moved, taking himself out of her warm recesses and lying by her side. She snuggled up next to him, her body slick with sweat. Wrapping an arm around her, he drew her close.

"You see how sexy you are to me now?" he asked her teasingly. "I love you Hales," he said and kissed her full on the lips.

She looked up to him adoringly. "I love you back," she whispered. They laid there in silence, content to be in each other's arms. Suddenly, he felt her rise.

"What's wrong?" he asked in confusion. She got off the bed and wrapped her robe around her body.

"I'm just gonna check on Lily. I'll be back," she said before blowing him a kiss. She felt weak from their lovemaking and a smile broke out on her face as she entered Lily's room.

Nathan laid back with his arms under his head, his eyes half closed, suddenly feeling drowsy. He was starting to doze off when he heard her voice.

"Nathan!" she called out frantically. He grabbed his boxers, alarmed at the tone of her voice and ran to Lily's room.

"What's wrong?" he asked fearfully. His fear was elevated when he saw Haley's face, white with shock.

"Something's wrong with Lily. She's not breathing," she said as tears started streaming down her face. Nathan felt his worst fear came to life as he dashed to the living room and picked up the phone to call 911.

"Help me...my baby's not breathing..."

A/N: ;-)