I don't even know where to start on why this chapter took so long. A crazy school year, some mental health issues, and a lot of writers block. I ended up going back and reading the entire story again to help me even remember where I was going with this and finally feel mostly back on track. Sorry this is relatively short, but it was a natural break and I didn't know if it would be another month wait if I tried to add the next part.

Thanks for those of you that are still with me. I have greatly appreciated every comment, follow, and favorite. They are probably the only reason this chapter is even being posted when I was so close to giving up.

Since the first talk with his coach Nathan stayed after practice almost every day for at least 20 minutes to talk about any new problems or feelings that had popped up. Sometimes, it wasn't even related to his situation, but just to talk about anything he needed to get off his chest. Haley missed the time with him, their schedules already making it hard to spend as much time together as they'd like, but she couldn't begrudge him the coaches company or help, especially when it seemed to be doing so much good. He wasn't nightmare free, but they were less frequent and often not as bad. Just being able to get some real uninterrupted sleep had made a huge impact on Nathan's his temperament and his game. He had also continued to spend hours every day with his brother getting to know each other better and pushing each other to improve their games.

As had become habit after practice, he stopped by his coaches office for his normal session and was surprised to find his father already there talking to Whitey. Since he knew they weren't the best of buds by any stretch of the imagination, he figured they were probably talking about him. His hands curled into fists in indignation. It figured it would be just like his father to go to the coach, going behind his back instead of talking to him man to man. He paced the small hallway for a few moments and took a deep breath. As much as it annoyed him to have people gossip about him, but he had to remember that, as his wife pointed out, he hadn't exactly been open to the overtures to having the discussion he knew was needed. While it grated on his nerves, it also showed that the man cared enough to worry about him and he knew he couldn't have it both ways. Either he wanted Dan to try and be a good dad or he didn't.

"I'll uh, talk to the other boosters about what you asked," Dan's voice was a little stilted as he noticed the younger man, "I'm sure we can come up with something." He turned and pasted a smile on his otherwise tired looking visage, forcing a lightness he clearly didn't feel into his voice, "Hey Nate, you ready for tomorrow's game?"

"I think so, as much as I can be," he responded awkwardly, not sure how to react at that moment. He looked over at his coach who was gesturing for him to continue and decided to suck it up and open up a little, "I'm doing a lot better than I was, actually getting some sleep."

Dan nodded in understanding, obviously having been told about his son's struggles, "that's good. It's hard to be anywhere close to your best when you're exhausted. I've noticed you look a lot healthier this past week."

Nathan just nodded and Dan continued, not wanting to quit so easily, "I was hoping to talk to you about some things I've discovered. " He paused and waited for a response that didn't come before continuing. " And I uh… know Lucas has said how much you've helped him, so thank you for that. I know you two didn't get along at first, so it's great to see you working together. Are you… I mean, do you need anything? "

Nathan studied his father for the first time in a while. He looked tired and a lot older than he had just months earlier, as if everything going on was taking a toll on him too. It was also obvious the man had so many things he wanted to talk about, to ask, but was trying not to overstep and upset him. It actually hurt to see the man brought so low and he sighed, knowing that Haley was right. If they were going to get any closer, he had to be the one to open up and take the next step. This was something he could do that might help lighten the load for both of them, "Let's go get some lunch and I'll catch you up."

Dan's eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas morning and Nathan knew he'd made the right decision. "I'll talk to you later Coach," he said to Whitey who was smiling at him with pride. "I think this conversation might take a while."

Break

Nathan returned home with lightness to his step he hadn't felt recently. Once he'd resolved to let down most of his walls, the conversation with his father had gone better than he'd ever expected and given him a new hope for the future. The man had some good ideas of ways to deal with his situation and had already started the work on a couple of them, even going so far as to hire a private investigator. How much they helped or not remained to be seen, but Nathan had been both surprised and incredibly grateful that he'd done so much despite the way he'd shut him out. It made him even gladder that he'd extended the olive branch and tried to improve things between them.

The biggest news had come when Dan informed him that he'd just received a call back from the security company he'd apparently hired for the apartment. When he'd first put a call in for footage from the night of the auction, it had gone suspiciously missing. The company had been searching since then for the missing video and had found it on one of their backup servers. The footage showed a male entering the apartment during the time in question. They weren't sure what the man was doing there or how he fit in, but it certainly put in question her version of them having torrid sexual escapades.

He set the flowers and bag he'd picked up on the way home on the counter, put a couple things in the freezer, and then went in the bedroom to get changed. The unexpected lunch with his father, productive as it was, meant he didn't have time to cook what he'd planned for dinner. Fortunately, Karen had sent him home with a container of the chicken paprikosh she had been making for dinner and some mac and cheese she'd brought home from the café. Nathan knew they were two of his wife's favorite dishes so he didn't have to worry about food at least. He knew she'd be tired when she got home from work and the least he could do was take care of her for the evening. With that in mind, he tidied up the kitchen and bathroom and threw a load of laundry in the washing machine. His wife had trouble leaving things undone and he didn't want her to have any excuses to avoid the relaxing night he had planned. He laughed at himself when he realized he'd just thought she was "going to relax whether she liked it or not." Now he just had to hope that Karen did her job and made sure she came straight home.

Break

"Thanks again for letting me stay here," Rachel laid her head back against the couch, her body still fatigued by the simple walk from the kitchen. "I couldn't go home and I was going to go crazy if I spent another minute with that goody goody."

"So you say," Tiffany wasn't stupid and she was clearly skeptical of the redhead's intentions, but she also trusted herself to outsmart anyone who might try to trap her. Besides, she figured it could be fun to watch the other girl try to spy on her and so far, she'd mostly just rested and tried to recover. "I thought you were coming to like her."

"She's okay in small doses, but living with her was torture," Rachel shuddered in what was at least partially real distaste. As much as she'd come to like and even care about Haley, her generosity and kindness, especially to those who didn't deserve it, was unnatural and in some ways downright creepy. She was grateful for the help she'd received and she supposed she had come to actually think of the girl as a friend, but that didn't mean she understood her in the slightest. What she knew for certain was she owed the blonde her life and was determined to pay her back in any way possible. Lying and pretending was what she knew best and it was those skills she was calling on in her current venture. Haley and Nathan deserved happiness more than most people and if it was up to her, they were going to get it. "It was killing me to watch her be bamboozled by that lying cheat she's married to. I tried to open her eyes, but she refuses to listen. He's really got her fooled."

"He's gotten pretty smooth," Tiffany agreed, a self-satisfied smile lighting her features, "He was so young and naive when I got first got hold of him, but he was always a fast learner and I molded him and trained him well. In many aspects," she winked before her scowl return. "All my work is just wasted on that twit, she doesn't even know what a favor I did her."

Rachel fought the cringe that tried to appear on her face at the other girls' comments and wondered why she'd never noticed what a narcissist the girl was. The time she'd spent with the girl made her wonder how she ever thought the girl was like her. Rachel might be always looking out for herself first, she'd learned the hard way she had to, but she never purposely set out to hurt other people. She reminded herself that she had to continue to play along if she wanted any chance of finding out anything that could help her repay her debt. "Well I should've realized he was too good to be real. Men just can't be trusted. I don't know why you even want him. Guys like that never care who they hurt as long as they get what they want."

"Unfortunately, as you know, in this world men are a necessary evil," Tiffany answered, "and if I have to deal with them, I'm going to enjoy it as much as possible."

Break

Nathan heard the door open just as he was taking the food out of the oven where it had been warming. He looked up and met his wife's surprised eyes with a big smile. "Hey Hales," he grinned.

"What are you doing here?" her head tilted to the side and her face scrunched in the adorable mask of confusion she sometimes wore. "I didn't expect you home for a couple hours yet."

"I know, I wanted to surprise you," he set the food on the counter and came around the island. "Dan didn't need me at the dealership today and I told Luke I needed to take the day off."

"But the tournament…"

"We've been working our tails off for weeks, one day won't make that much of a difference to how we play. It will make a big difference to our marriage," he helped her take her coat off and then pulled her against his chest. "Thank you for putting up with me Haley. I know things have been hard, but tonight, I'm going to show you just how much I appreciate everything you'd done for me."

"Nathan," Haley started to protest, "You don't…"

"I do," he placed his finger at her lips. "I don't always say things very well. I've never been as good at words as you or Luke," he stepped back and ran his hand through his hair, "but you are the best thing that ever happened to me. I don't trust easy and I didn't think I was missing anything in my life, but I met you and somehow you filled up holes inside me I didn't even know were there. These last few months…I wouldn't have made it through them without you."

"I think you would've," she reached out and placed her hand on his cheek, "you're stronger than you know."

He shook his head slightly and took her hand in his own, "I might have survived, but you've been the reason I'm okay, that I can still smile and haven't completely fallen apart. It's because I know that whatever happens with basketball, or Tiffany, or even my mom, I still have you. Whatever happens, I want it to always be that way. I meant it when I said forever Hales. That's what I want."

Haley leaned back against his chest as tears filled her eyes. "That's what I want too, but…"

"Nope," Nathan stopped her words with a soft kiss and his infectious grin, "Not tonight. Tonight we are going to shut out the rest of the world and just be us."

"I like that idea," she smiled up at him, taking a deep breath and pushing everything else to the side, "we can just ignore everything else."

"Tonight is ours," he kissed her again. "Nothing else matters."

Break

Lucas was glad Nathan had asked to for them to take the night off. As much as he knew their work was helping them both, he was tired and agreed that it probably be even more beneficial to have the rest before their game the next day.

The final tournament of the regular season was shaping up to be the most difficult challenge of the year. The competition was going to be fierce and the effort exhausting as they could end up playing four games in only two days. There were six teams in the sixteen team field that had already secured playoff berths for the end of the year and both Tree Hill and Redman were desperately trying to get enough wins to get another coveted spot. He knew there were many people placing bets on if either of them would get there, each of them having to win the tournament over the higher ranked teams to accomplish their goal.

While their opinions on what would happen differed, almost everyone agreed would come down to which Nathan Scott showed up. Would it be the one capable of carrying his team, the one colleges were drooling over, or would it be the one that lacked focus and struggled to lead his squad to victory? Based on the previous couple of weeks, they were leaning toward the former. The Raven's season had once again taken a turn for the better after Nathan's talk with Whitey helped him to clear his head and start to deal with what might have happened to him. However they were well aware that anything was possible when the pressure was at its peak.

Earlier in the season, Lucas would have been angry and bitter at the realization that his name was barely a footnote in these discussions, but he found that he was actually glad it meant that he wasn't the main focus of their pressure and speculation. Once they'd started working together, it had been the best season he'd ever had. His brother was a great player and unlike the experience he'd had with other good players, he was generous in his help and also his praise. He encouraged his teammates and made everyone feel important. They were winning, but they were also having more fun than he could remember having on the court since he was little.

Lucas felt guilty and embarrassed for the way they'd started the season and was glad that they'd turned things around. It also didn't hurt that he could see how much his brother and Haley loved each other and that his own relationship with his best friend had improved as well since his brother came to town. As much as he hated the changes at first, he couldn't think of a better way to spend his senior year.

Break

"Hold still. I think there is more water on the floor than in the tub," Haley laughed as she leaned back against her husband's chest.

"Well you're the one that wanted a bath instead of a shower," he chuckled, his hands tracing her forearms before lacing with her much smaller ones. "I would've been fine the other way."

"I didn't know you were going to climb in here with me," she giggled, her eyes finding the way his knees stuck up above the ledge of the tub. "I don't think it was meant to fit both of us."

Her husband shrugged against her back and pulled her even closer, "I think we fit together just fine."

Haley rolled her eyes, "you say that now, but wait until we try and get back out."

"Then we'll just stay in here," he countered playfully.

"What about when the water gets cold," she reminded him.

"We'll keep each other warm," he wiggled his eyebrows.

She turned her head back away from him as she scooted her behind against him, "I suppose if THAT'S the way you want to keep each other warm then we can…"

He groaned and before she even realized what was happening, he was on his feet and holding her in his arms. So much for trouble getting out. "Nathan!" she screeched as he headed out of the bathroom, leaving a trail of water with every step. "We're making a mess. We didn't even dry off!"

"That's okay," he gave her a look that melted right through all of her objections, "we'll be sweaty in a few minutes anyway."

Break

Nathan and Haley lay in bed, her head laid against his chest as she drew tiny circles on his skin,
"How are you feeling? You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," she lifted her face to look up at him, "but I'm always willing to listen. I worry about you. "

Nathan sighed and didn't answer for a long moment, "I thought we agreed to pretend for now."

"Don't get me wrong, tonight has been fantastic, but that just makes me want to help you even more. It's been so wonderful hearing you laugh and be happy tonight, but it just reminds me how rare that's become."

"It's just the same stuff," he brushed the hair away from her cheek. "There's still so much uncertainty. Who was the guy? Why was he there? What really happened? What's her real motivation for all this? I feel like we're in limbo. We finally have some information and all it did was give us more questions than answers."

Haley nodded her head, "I understand and I can see the way it haunts you, but for right now, I think you should just concentrate on this tournament. The other stuff can wait. Are you nervous?"

Nathan pulled her head back against his chest. "No, that I'm ready for, we are as prepared as we can possibly be. We just need to keep focused and we've got a chance."

Break

Nathan groaned as he peeked one eye open at the sound of vibrating on his nightstand. Groaning as he reached for it, he looked at the clock on the dresser to see it read 6:02 am. He sat up and looked at the screen, annoyed that his rare attempt to sleep in had been foiled, when he saw his mother's number. He couldn't imagine any good reason she would contact him this early and he physically felt his heart rate accelerate at the possible reasons for such a call. Careful to not wake his wife, he grabbed his phone and headed for the living room to answer it, his breath catching on the words, "Hello."

"Nathan," the voice on the other end was much deeper than he was expecting and his heart plummeted further, "Sorry if I woke you up, you're usually up by now."

"No, it's fine. What's wrong?" he was sure something was. Patrick rarely called him unless it was something important. "Is mom okay?"

"She's fine now, but we won't be able to come to the game this afternoon. She dropped a bottle last night when we were cleaning up and cut herself on the glass. We ended up spending half the night in the ER because the bleeding wouldn't stop and she ended up with stitches and a transfusion."

Nathan ran his hand through his hair and closed his eyes, remembering that her condition made her anemic. "I can be there in 4 hours."

"No, no," Patrick said, "it's not necessary. She's fine now, just really tired and there's nothing you can do. She's already sleeping and I'm about to head to bed myself."

"You're just heading to bed?" Nathan asked, "When did this happen?

"Around 2 this morning," he reluctantly admitted, before quickly continuing, "I would've called you right away, but she begged me not to. She was right of course; it certainly isn't something that you need to come for. If everything goes well and we get some rest, we'll be coming to the rest of the tournament and you can see for yourself."

"I could be there," Nathan felt his voice rise and had to calm himself down so he didn't wake Haley. "I should have been there. I told her I'd move back and…"

"Come on Nate, you have a life and it's in Tree Hill right now," Patrick reminded him that they'd had this discussion already. "As much as she loves having you around, you know your mother doesn't want you to ruin that on her account. I've started staying here to make sure she's not alone."

"So you're together now, for real?" Nathan felt hope rise. At least something good was happening with his mom if they were really giving a relationship a chance.

"I'm sleeping on the couch right now, but we're working on it," Patrick shook his head slightly as he answered, "but I do love her. Hopefully, we'll get here soon."

Nathan nodded in understanding, their last few months hadn't exactly been easy either. "I'm glad we have you and," he paused for a second, "I hope you two can get it worked out. I think you're good for each other."

"Thanks Nathan," Patrick was touched at the words. "I'll hopefully see you later tonight. You need to make sure you win that first game so we don't end up without a game to watch."

"We'll do our best," Nathan was resolved. "Thanks for letting me know and go get some sleep. Oh, and Pat," he waited for a moment, "I know you'd rather be in with my mom, but in the meantime, that couch is hell on the spine. Use my bed."