I know I know I'm a bad person I forgot to update yesterday. But I totally blame my friend I was Skyping with her all day and we live on different sides of the planet. I went to do it last night but as you can see this is a long chapter, 7 word pages or 4000+ words so going through and checking the time line took me longer than I thought it would, and I was having someone continuity issues as I like to call them OTH issues (lol) anyway I hope you like it.

Chapter 16

Karen Scott had been one of the lucky ones when it came to seeing what the storm -that had battered the coastal town of Tree Hill for the last seventy two hours- had done to her cafe. Apart from a couple of broken windows and some water all over the floor, the Cafe had come through relativity unscathed, she had just gotten the power back on and was now waiting for a new shipment of her perishable foods. She could have closed like so many around her, till she had gotten said shipment, but someone needed to feed those out working on cleaning up the town, she didn't have much in the way of decent meals but snacks and coffee, that she could do.

It was going to be one of those extremely quiet days, one that didn't happen for her all that often, so when the bell over the door clanged, Karen looked up startled. Standing in front of here was a woman she didn't know; this woman also didn't look like she had been out helping anyone; she was too clean for that, so who was she?

"Can I help you?" Karen asked coming around the counter and folding her arms something she did out of habit now. She didn't trust new people, something she had in years past said was Haley's fault, but now that she knew the truth she could thank Dan, for her lack of trust when it came to anyone she didn't know.

"I know where your son Nathan is," said the woman not much older than Karen, she knew it wasn't the way most people would have started a conversation, however she knew this wasn't going to be just any conversation. She hadn't been in contact with Nathan and Haley recently having been working up in Vancouver for the past year. But she thought she knew them well enough to know that, they wouldn't have come back here. Not unless Dan had died, and none of them, not even the residents of Tree Hill were that lucky.

"What do you mean, you know where Nathan is?" Karen asked, she knew where her son was, he was with Clay, they were working out the terms of Nathan joining Fortitude Clay's sports management agency.

"Nathan and Haley live in Savannah with their adorably cute son James, although he goes by Jamie. I know this isn't what you want to hear but-

"Aunt ERIN!" Erin turned around to see Jamie walk in with whom she guessed was Haley's mother but the bigger question was what was Jamie doing in Tree Hill? Shaking off the thought for a minute she caught Jamie as he jumped into her arms for a hug.

"Wow bub you go heavy and tall, how old are you now? Ten?" she asked Jamie laughed and shook his head. He loved seeing Erin she was the first person he could remember well the first aunt anyway even if she wasn't really his aunt.

"I'm five, what are you doing here? Does Mama know you're here? You know she's still kinda mad about that photo frame" he said matter of factly. Erin laughed and shook her head, no Haley nor Nathan knew she was here; it had been a spur of the moment decision as she was moving from Stanford to work at NYU, and instead of flying cross country she had decided to drive. Mostly to see the town the young couple could not stop talking about when they attended Stanford.

"Nope, I thought I would surprise you all, did you like it?" she asked Jamie nodded and gave her another hug before looking over at his grandmothers who were looking at him rather shocked.

"Would you like to introduce your friend Jamie?" Karen asked knowing better then to try and take her grandson off someone she didn't know but he very clearly did.

"This is my aunt Erin she worked at the school mama and daddy went to in California. We used to have a lot of sleepovers," he said before turning to look at Erin.

"Aunt Quinn says that she's gonna beat your best sleep over title, but I don't know about that" he said Erin laughed as much as she loved holding that title, but she wouldn't mind losing it to his aunt. She was after all the person who was meant to hold that title after all.

Nathan had finished his meeting with Clay they had a few, issues to work out, contract things from the last company Nathan had worked for but nothing that would stop him moving over to fortitude completely. He was now headed to his mother's Cafe he was meant to be there by now, to meet Lydia who had been looking after Jamie for the day, Jamie's class was on an excursion, but Jamie had missed out as it was limited in numbers. Being there were only a couple of other kids who had missed out, the school had given them the day off. Nathan would have taken Jamie with him, but when Lydia offered to look after him for the day, Jamie had jumped at the chance before his father could say anything.

Coming up to the Cafe Nathan look through the window, expecting to see his son with his two doting grandmothers; he never expected to see Erin Cunningham standing dead center of the otherwise empty cafe. Nathan knew the look on his mother's, all too well. She was very weary of this woman standing in front of both her and Lydia. Walking up to the door it was then that he saw Jamie and his mother's scowl and Lydia's concerned face made sense; opening the door he walked inside.

"Erin, what are you doing here? I thought you were still in Vancouver, well that what Tyler said when I spoke to him two weeks ago." Nathan asked walking over and giving her a hug Erin smirked, same old Nathan. She looked down at Jamie and could see that the little boy resembled his father more now than when she had last seen him.

"I got back about a month ago, and I swear as much as I love Tyler, that boy is just so damn unreliable when it comes to passing on messages I swear one of these days I'm going to stop trying; and don't give me that look Nathan Scott you, have been known to forget a message or two in your day. As I was saying after I got back, I was offered a job at NYU and though well hey; it's closer to my two favourite five year olds than I have been for the last year so I thought I would take it. I also decided to drive cross country just so I could see this town and this café you and Haley talked so much about I wanted to see it for myself. Also to tell you mother where you were and why you were there; but you clearly beat me to that, again, why would Tyler tell me that? Now if Megan had been home I'm sure she would have told me this, because Meg is a lovely girl who remembers everything. But alas she was away on assignment, leaving that forgetful husband of hers to look after Susie Q. When I didn't see the Scott family in Savannah I thought Dan had done his thing again, and I also wanted to kick his ass if he had." Nathan laughed next time he talked to Tyler he'd pass on the message and knowing his friend the way he did. Tyler would try and blame it on something else before laughing and admitting he had forgotten again.

"We've been here about five weeks, but –

"Uh yes the infamous, Nathan and Haley could talk to anyone about basketball or music for hours on end, but get them talking about their past and why they made the decisions they did and it's like getting blood out of a stone." Said Erin, Nathan chuckled and nodded.

"Yeah something like that. Actually it was Haley who said something first, she took a job here when we had decided without a doubt that we were going to come back here. She works at the middle school; one of our old teachers is her boss. Then she found out my sister Lilly was in her English class, after that it was just a matter of getting up the courage to come here. She will kill you by the way, not telling us you were coming." Erin laughed yes she knew Haley James Scott pretty well and the young woman was bound to get up her even just a little bit for not informing them of her impending trip.
Although she knew that they were back home now she still thought of them as her own kids, she had watched then grow so much over their time at Stanford. She had also watch Jamie grow up. She still couldn't believe how big he had gotten.

Haley James Scott laughed at her sister in law as they walked down the block from where she had parked the car. Lilly was wildly explaining something that had happened in one of her other classes and Haley was having trouble believing that the teacher who taught that class would let that happen. But apparently it had, and so here they were no longer teacher and student, but sisters laughing and talking about the events that had happened to them throughout the day. So busy were they that neither of them had really been paying any attention to what was going on around them. Haley opened the door of the café for Lilly who walked through; the eleven year old had turned around to keep eye contact with her older sister and as a result she ran into her brother.

"Babe didn't anyone ever tell you not to block the door way?" Haley asked not seeing Erin who was being blocked by Nathan. When he moved however she squealed, startling both her mother and mother in law.

"Erin! What are you doing here, how was Vancouver? When did you get here? Why didn't you at least email me and tell me, I would have told you we were here," Haley asked giving the woman a tight hug and showing their mothers just how much this woman meant to all three of them. Karen looked over at Lydia who shrugged. Both women were not sure how much they liked the fact that their children and grandchild treated this woman like family, this woman who knew more about what Nathan and Haley had been up to in the past seven years.

"Tyler, mainly if that helps you at all. The rest I will explain later, for now I want to see if I can get this right. You girlie have told me so much about, the people here, that I want to see if I'm right" She said moving with Nathan, Haley and Jamie to a table and sitting down she pulled Jamie onto her lap, the five year old was all too pleased to stay there even with his cool aunt Lilly in the café.

"Ok those two must be your mothers, Karen and Lydia, I knew the moment I saw your mother Haley, I could really see a lot of you in her. That right there has to be Lilly, am I correct?" Erin asked the more she spoke and the more Karen watched her the less she liked this woman. It was like she had taken their place, Jamie wasn't instantly running away with Lilly, Haley didn't wrap her arms around Nathan knowing that, now was about the only time they would get to themselves, while they talked to their mothers about different things that were happening in their small town. It was like they were back in their own little world and the rest of them were on limited day passes.

"I'm sorry but I'm going to have to ask you all to leave, we're closing early, I very much doubt if I will get any more customers today, after the storm and all" said Karen Nathan and Haley looked at her strangely wondering what had gotten into her it wasn't like her to close early. She hadn't when Nathan had come in with a split lip when they were 9, and she didn't close last week when Dan had come in looking for trouble causing a fight outside the cafe and had Jamie running off to Brooke's store. Nathan could only think of one reason why she would do this, and that was jealousy. His mother was jealous of Erin someone who, under different circumstance Karen would have gotten along very well with.

"Nathan could you please take your sister home, your father should be there soon" Nathan knew his theory was correct when she punctuated the words sister and father. Getting up he walked over to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Are you really closing early or are you threatened by the fact that Erin knows more about the past seven years, and what Haley and I went through during those years then you do?" he asked Karen looked away from her son she should have known that Nathan would have seen right through what she was trying to do.

"Karen, I know what it's like to have children and not see them. My own daughter is just younger then Haley and Nathan. I haven't seen or spoken to her in ten years, and unlike your children who had no choice in the matter my daughter does. She chooses not to, because I left her father when he cheated on me. I took the blame because Gabby loves her dad more than anything in the world she idolizes him. So I took all the hate and blame so her image of her father wouldn't be ruined. I helped Haley and Nathan because I heard about them when they first got accepted to Stanford. It took a while for either of them to open up to me, when they did all they spoke about; when it wasn't Jamie was this town and the people they left behind. I felt I knew all of you so well and I have never met any of you before, these two love this town, and all of you in ways I don't even know how to begin to describe. Their love for each other, Jamie and all of you is endless. I do apologize if it seems I have stepped on your toes." Said Erin sliding Jamie off her lap she got up, and grabbed a card out of her bag.

"I'm staying here if you want to see me" she said handing Haley the card she kissed Jamie on the top of his head before walking out. Haley looked over at her mother who shrugged as much as she agreed with what Karen was thinking she knew that after all Dan had done to her daughter for Haley to open up to someone the way she had done with Erin meant that both she and Nathan trusted her implicitly and as much as it hurt to know that. She knew her daughter, and knew that no one would ever take her place in Haley's heart and to be honest, she was glad that Haley and Nathan had someone to turn; a parental figure that helped them out when their parents couldn't, in some strange way it comforted her to know that this woman had taken this young family under her wing and helped them become the people standing before her today.

Haley looked over at Jamie who she knew wouldn't quite understand what was going on Erin had always been there for them even after they left Stanford, Jamie loved her to bits, just as much as he loved anyone of his aunt and uncles here. She knew the look on his face and what was about to come, she could have stopped him but she didn't it was something she thought her mother in law should hear if only to show her that what she had done was childish.

"I HATE YOU! AUNT ERIN DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO YOU! SHE WAS THERE FOR MAMA WHEN YOU AND GRANDMA COULDN'T BE!" he yelled before running out after Erin. Getting up Haley looked over at her husband and knew that, even though things had been going smoothly with their move back to Tree Hill, they knew something like this was bound to happen. Mixing their friends who were thought of, as family from the last seven years with the family and friends they had here was always going to be a little hard on everyone especially on Jamie.
Karen watched as Jamie ran out and Haley went after him, she had never expected those words to come out of her cute little grandson; they were so spiteful and full of hurt, if there was one thing she never thought she would see; it was her grandson acting like she had when she first saw Nathan and Haley, in this very cafe two weeks ago.

Erin was almost to her car when she heard Jamie behind her turning around she saw him running toward her tears rolling down his cheeks, bending down she caught him as he raced into her open arms. She then noticed Haley coming out after him.

"Jam box, I love you bub you know that but-

"I hate her, she – she hurt you- I hate her" he said trying to wipe the tears that were rolling down his cheeks away. Wrapping him up in a hug Erin picked him up and placed him on the hood of her car.

"You listen to me James Lucas Scott if I ever hear you say you hate your grandmother again, I will wash your mouth out with soap...again. Do you hear me? She is your grandma and she only just got your mummy and daddy back, and she is only just getting to know her dashingly handsome grandson. If you were my grandson I'd be jealous too. But that is still no reason for you to be angry at her ok. Also I know for a fact your mother tells you all the time not to hate people it's not very nice and hating family is really bad. Now I want to see that little gentleman I know you can be by marching back in there and telling your Grandma how sorry you are for saying that." When Jamie shook his head and folded his arms she gave him a stern look.

"No, she's mean. She told you to leave and I only got you back now." He said looking up at her with tears in his eyes. Erin sighed and wiped away a tear that rolled down his cheek as Haley came over to them.

"Jamie, I know this is confusing for you bub, and Daddy and I have tried our best to make it as easy as possible for you, but that was a very hurtful thing to say to Grandma Karen. Now I want you to go and say sorry to her. Tell her that you didn't mean it, that you were just angry at her for saying those things." Jamie shook his head and looked down at his knee's poking an invisible spot over and over again.

"I did mean it, she's mean. I hate her"

Lydia James looked out the window watching her daughter, and friend talk to Jamie; who to be honest didn't look like he was interested in what they had to say. It hurt a little to see her daughter so close with someone else, but Lydia also knew Haley; she knew her daughter loved her and that for someone with a heart as big has Haley's there was more than enough to go round.

"I remember when Hales and Brooke used to stand like that arms around each other. It drove me nuts because it was normally when they were ganging up on me. Don't think for a second she ever replaced you in her heart, I don't have to tell you how big it is. What you should know though is that Jamie's is just as big, however that son of mine is just like his parents, he's is very protective of his family and to him, Erin is family and for many years the only family he knew in person. Besides, that comment wasn't aimed at you." He said when Lydia looked up at him and chuckled she nodded with what he was saying then tilted her head back towards his own mother, the two of them walked over Lydia knowing that it would take more than a few words to get Karen to see that this friend wasn't there to take them away.

"Erin used to baby sit for us when Haley and I both had classes, she did it for nothing we tried to pay her but she didn't want anything she would always tell us to put it towards, rent or food or spoiling Jamie when we could. Mum Erin means the world to Haley, Jamie and I because without her both of us attending Stanford, with a full course load by ourselves with an infant would have been impossible.
Everything Dan put us through Erin was there to help pick up the pieces. She would take Jamie for the night so that Haley and I could study for finals or over breaks some nights so Haley and I could actually act our age and go out and have a good time without having to worry about him. She's been everything to us and even more when Dan tried to get Jamie taken away. She took on the role that should have been you, Lydia and Dad but she flat out refused to let Jamie call her grandma. It was always Aunt Erin. She has known this whole time that one day you would be back in our lives and that, one day we wouldn't need her as much anymore and she still did everything she could for us." He said however his mother said nothing.

Nathan pinched the top of his nose he knew that his mother had said what she did because she felt threatened and he was sure that it also had to do with her depression, but there wasn't a way for him to explain that to a five year old. For the first just on five years of his life the only family Jamie knew, in person happened to be his mother, father, Aunt Megan, Uncle Tyler and Aunt Erin. Nathan looked up as Haley walked back in and over to him wrapping an arm around him just like she had with Erin.

"Jamie's going to hang out with Erin for a while back home. Cool off a bit probably show her his room and how his cool Aunt Quinn lives next door, and probably talk her ear off about how much he loves his aunt Lilly" She said winking at Lilly who smiled.

"He may have gotten my height but he definitely has the Scott stubbornness" she said Nathan smiled and kissed the top of her head. He knew Erin pretty well; this was the woman who could talk Jamie Scott and Susie Rolling into or out of anything and everything.

"I just- she knows so much about you, stuff that only a mother should know" said Karen

"Yeah I know. But Karen that doesn't mean we love you any less. Erin is a godsend really she is, but she knows that if we could go back and change what happened and have you, or Keith or mum hell even dad there with us helping us we'd do it in a heartbeat. She's been entirely selfless knowing that we have parents of our own and that as much as we look to her as family she will never be. It was Erin who talked us into coming back. Well more threatened us. The last time we saw her, she told me if you both don't get your buts into gear and tell that family of yours what really happened I will. I'll also have a lovely chat with Dan seeing as last time we met it wasn't so pleasant. We've known Erin long enough to take her threats seriously. She only does it out of love she knew how much we loved and missed you and she wanted to see Dan pay. He's as big a pain in her ass as he is in all of ours" said Haley. She looked up at Nathan who knew his mother would have to spend some time thinking over what they had said. For now they were going to enjoy the time they had alone together. Jamie would come around eventually as much as they wished this to be the last bump in the road, they knew they were only dreaming, with Dan Scott around there was sure to be more drama.