Author's Notes:

I own nothing besides the storyline.

I truly apologize for the length between posts. The creative flow comes and goes along with real life getting in the way.

The first part of this chapter may seem out of place, but it will provide some insight and indication of where the story is headed. I apologize for any mistakes, but I really wanted to get this out and posted.

Content for this chapter is mature.

Enjoy!

Chapter 9:

Flashback

"Great run-through girls! Hit the showers, you've got the rest of the afternoon free until tonight's game!" The whistle blew signaling the end of practice, and the girls began to gather their things and head towards the locker room.

"Do you want us to wait for you?" a petite blonde asked the tall brunette who was still in the shower. That day's practice had been particularly brutal and the hot shower felt extraordinarily good.

"Nah, you guys go ahead. I'll just meet you in the cafeteria when I'm done. Besides, I think the guys are still scrimmaging, and I want to get a look before tonight's game," she replied from behind the curtain.

"Haha, you don't want to get a look at the guys, you want to get a look at one guy. Leave the poor guy alone. He's married, you definitely don't want that on your karma," she advised with a chuckle.

"I can't help it if he made a mistake. But who better than me to help him realize the error of his ways?"

"Just be careful. You don't want to get kicked out of the camp just because you're lusting after some hot shot player. It would ruin your career if you got kicked out."

"Please, what career? There's nowhere to go after this camp for us. But the boys, now they're going somewhere. And I'm going to make sure that Nathan Scott is going to take me along for the ride. Literally and figuratively."

"Well just be careful, and don't say we didn't warn you."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be just dandy when I'm the wife of an NBA superstar."

Once the rest of the squad had finally left, the dark brunette finished her shower and headed out to the boys' arena to catch the last few minutes of practice. When she entered the gym, her eyes immediately began to seek out the object of her desire. She made sure to stay in the shadows of the bleachers to avoid being caught again. She was already on thin ice after having been caught once before watching the boys play, specifically Nathan, and she wasn't going to chance losing her opportunity to get close to him before camp ended.

She stood there and watched, completed transfixed by his movements. The combination of athletic grace, arrogance, and pure talent made him the player that he was. He was by far one of the most gifted players there and everyone knew it. Nathan Scott had been on fire at that camp and everyone wanted to get a piece of him, especially the dark haired girl watching him.

Her fascination with the handsome player began the first day of camp at orientation, one of the few times that both groups had been put together. The beginning of the orientation included an introduction of all the players and cheerleaders to congratulate everyone for being accepted into such an esteemed program with each person being introduced individually to the collective audience. The introductions had been designed so that when someone was introduced, they would walk up to the podium area and would be handed all their practice and game uniforms. The girls had been concentrating on listening for her name that she didn't notice the person coming in late and slipping into the empty seat next to her. Finally, when she heard her name called, and not realizing that a pair of long legs were blocking her, proceeded to trip over them. She was well on her way to falling flat on her face when she felt a strong arm catch her about the waist. When she regained her footing and looked up, she was met with the bluest pair of eyes she had ever seen.

"Oh my god. I am so sorry. These seats and long legs don't seem conducive to letting people through easily. Are you okay?" he asked, his voice laced with concern.

She could only nod her head in response as her eyes continued to sweep over him. Not only did he have the prettiest eyes, the rest of him wasn't so bad either! And if she hadn't been so enraptured in staring at his muscular chest through his snug t-shirt, she missed the gleam of gold that adorned his left finger

Nathan flashed his trademark smirk as though it was only natural that she would be not only rendered speechless in his presence, but also blatantly checking him out. Most girls wouldn't have hesitated to fall for his charm at that point, and the cheerleader was no different.

"Are you sure you're okay…," he trailed off embarrassed at not having remembered her name since it had just been announced.

"Carrie. My name is Carrie."

The buzzer sounding brought Carrie out of her reverie and she waited patiently for the rest of the team to file into the locker room before she made her presence known. Weeks of observation had shown her that Nathan would always lag behind to get those extra few minutes of practice in. She had never approached him before, just watched him, but today was going to be different. She had to talk to him if she was going to have a fighting chance with him before camp was over. When the gum had become silent again except for the thumping sounds of one lone ball, she stepped out from the shadows.

"Hey," she called out just as he started to release the ball, startling him enough that he sent the ball flying over the goal.

"Shit!" he cursed turning towards her with a frown.

"Sorry, didn't mean to break your concentration," she apologized sheepishly.

His face remained passive as he went to retrieve the ball from the stands. She wasn't sure if he had heard her and was about to say something else when he finally spoke.

"It's okay. I was just about done here anyway."

He started to walk towards the locker room.

"Wait!" she yelped. He turned with a bewildered expression on his face.

"I just wanted to let you know that I think you're an amazing player, Nathan," she said.

"Thanks…" his face obvious that he was searching his brain, trying to come up with a name.

"Carrie. My name is Carrie, " she supplied quickly; although a little disappointed that he hadn't remembered her name.

"Well, thanks again. I'll see ya around." He turned to walk away, and she reached out and put her hand on his arm to stop him. He immediately recoiled from her touch, and his face darkened with anger.

"I really don't want to be an asshole here, but you're kind of forcing my hand. I am happily married and nobody, especially you, is going to make me change my mind. Now please, just leave me the hell alone!" he bit out.

Carrie inwardly winced at the "especially you" part of his tirade, but recovered quickly. She was not so easily deterred. All he needed was a little convincing that being married really wasn't for him. Seriously, who gets married at 17 and stays married?

"C'mon, be serious Nathan. How happy could you possibly be? It's okay to admit that you're not happy. I understand that some slut lied about being on birth control probably trapped you, and you want to do the right by staying true, but you don't have to. Not everyone that has a kid has to get married…" he didn't give her a chance to continue.

"Who the fuck do you think you are? How dare you make assumptions, not only about me, but my wife as well? You know nothing about me and that's they way it's going to stay," he snarled at her and stalked off not giving her a chance to reply.

As she watched him storm away, her eyes narrowed in determination. She knew guys like him never really changed their ways. All she had to do was try a little harder and he would be hers.

End Flashback

The sound of crying brought the young mother out of her thoughts. Tiredly, she mad her way over to the rickety crib and picked up the fussy child. Rocking back and forth in an effort to calm the child, she wondered how much longer it would be until she finally had what was rightfully hers. If she had her way, she would head right for him and show him that this baby was a result of their love and that they belonged together.

"Don't worry, baby. Daddy will be with us very soon," she cooed soothingly to the child, mesmerized by the intense blue color, a shade of blue that could have only been an inherited gift from his father.

Tree Hill

"So, buddy, what do you feel like doing?" Nathan asked Jamie once they had gotten settled. The car ride had been quiet with the occasional comment or question from Jamie. Lucas, in an effort to maintain the peace had mostly kept the conversation between Nathan and Jamie, only answering to the boy's questions that were specifically directed at him.

"I dunno, daddy. What are we supposed to do at a boys' night?" he asked shrugging his shoulders.

Nathan chuckled, "It means we can do whatever we want. We can be as messy as we want, eat whatever we want, and play whatever we want."

Jamie's eyes widened. "You mean no vegetables? Momma says I always have to eat my vegetables.' He eyed his father suspiciously, as if the thought of not having to eat vegetables was just a fantasy.

"Not tonight, if you don't want to," Nathan confirmed.

"Whoa..well, what do you want to do Uncle Lucas?"

"Whatever you want, Jame," Lucas replied.

"Can we play with daddy's hoop on the driveway?"

"Sure thing buddy. I'll just go get my ball," Nathan said as he left the room.

As Nathan started back into the kitchen, he stopped short when he heard Jamie ask Lucas a question that broke his heart.

"Uncle Lucas?" Jamie started hesitantly.

"Yeah, bud?" Lucas replied with his head stuck in the refrigerator looking for water for the three of them.

"How come Daddy didn't want me?"

Lucas's head shot up with a thud. He had definitely not been expecting a question like that.

"What makes you that your dad doesn't want you?" he asked, rubbing the sore spot on his head.

"Because he doesn't live with Momma and me. Chuck at school says if a daddy doesn't live with you, then that means that the daddy doesn't want you," the little boy explained, the sadness in his eyes apparent.

"Well, this Chuck is an idiot. Jamie, your daddy loves you very much. You know your mom told you your dad was working, that's why he couldn't live with you," Lucas explained, hoping that it made more sense to his young nephew than it seemed to sound in his own ears.

"But everyone else's daddies work and they still get to live at home," Jamie pointed out.

"Well, little man, your daddy has a very special kind of job. You know that. But don't you ever think that your daddy never wanted you. He loves you very much. Understand?"

"Yes, Uncle Lucas," Jamie said, but the still troubled look in his eyes told Lucas that he wasn't entirely convinced of his father's affections. The only person that could ease Jamie's insecurity was standing in the doorway. Lucas looked up and caught Nathan's eyes and all Nathan could do was nod in understanding.

For the rest of the night, Nathan seemed to have put aside his anger towards Lucas and concentrated on giving Jamie a fun night to remember. They shot around until they could no longer see the basket, allowing Jamie to lead the flow of conversation. They reminisced as Jamie asked several questions about their history as brothers and their history with Haley. It had been a good night, and Nathan, for the briefest of moments, allowed himself to feel all the happiness that he would be feeling as if this was an everyday occurrence, playing ball with his brother and his son.

Once Jamie was finally in bed, the two brothers sat down with a couple of beers and a game of NBA Live.

"Thanks for what you said to Jamie earlier. Haley made it seem like Jamie understood when she explained my absence to him," Nathan said, his eyes never leaving the television screen.

"I don't think she knows that he is feeling this way. He's already so protective of her, and he's also very perceptive for his age, hell even for our age, so he's learned that talking about you makes her sad, and he doesn't want to be the cause of that. And kids that age, they say stupid things to each other," Lucas replied, his eyes also never leaving the game. If having the game as buffer allowed Nathan to open up and talk to him without throwing punches, then they were going to play all night even if it killed them.

"Why'd you do it, Luke? Why did you help her keep him away? Why did you help her away? You're supposed to be my brother!" He couldn't seem to stop the slew of questions that left his mouth. They had been plaguing his mind ever since he found about Haley and Jamie and Luke's involvement. He'd never had a chance to ask them since every time he saw Lucas, all he wanted to do was throw a right hook his way. But tonight, he had finally reached a level of calmness that allowed him to finally discuss everything.

"Nate, you have to understand one thing: Haley has been in my life for forever. She's been my family ever since we were little, even before I knew you existed. When she told me what happened when she went to surprise you at High Flyers, all I could think about was protecting her and making the hurt she was feeling go away. At the time, I really believed that you had really hurt her, so I was going to do everything in my power to make it easier for her," he paused to take a breath and to gauge Nathan's reactions. When it seemed like fists were going to stay where they were, he continued.

"Then when I found out about Jamie, I really tried to get her to look past her anger and tell you, but you know how stubborn she can be."

"Then why didn't you tell me?"

"One, it wasn't my place. It was something you needed to hear from her. Two, I did threaten her once with telling you, and she threatened me right back saying that she would disappear again. I had no choice, she was calling all the shots, as usual."

"I'm really trying to understand your point of view, Lucas, I really am, but I still don't get how you could go all these years and act as if nothing was wrong."

"Believe me, there were times when I really wanted to beat your ass, but Haley made me promise not to. She said it was more important for us to be brothers."

Nathan turned his attention back to the game. He was definitely on emotional overload and needed some time to process Lucas's words. Was it really that easy to bump fists and pretend that everything was okay? He wanted nothing more than just to pour his guts out to his brother; his fears about being a good father to Jamie, his heartache at having missed so much already and not knowing his own little boy, how he wanted nothing more than to really be a family with Haley and Jamie. But he just couldn't trust that if Lucas was able to hide something this big from him, then what else was he hiding, and even worse, would he do it again if Haley tried to run again.

"Are we cool?" Lucas asked hesitantly, not quite sure what to make of Nathan's silence. He hated how disconnected he felt from his brother and hating it even more because it was all because of him. The only other time he could remember them being this at odds was when they didn't even consider themselves brothers.

"Luke, you're my brother, and that's never going to change, but for right now, we are not cool. I am so thankful that you were able to be there for both Haley and Jamie, but the truth is, it shouldn't have been you, it should have been me. It should have been me that kissed her when she found out she was pregnant. It should have been me that helped her through her morning sickness, gone with her to all the doctors' appointments. It should have been me that went with her to whatever those breathing classes are called. I should have been able to watch my son grow in her stomach and argue over whether or not we were going to find out if it was a boy or girl and then argue some more over names. I should have been there by her side when he was born and been the first to hold him. I missed everything, Luke. Everything, and I can't ever get that back. And now, there is a little boy upstairs that thinks that I didn't want him. How am I supposed to fix that? Would you be cool if you were in my shoes?" he took a breath and continued before Lucas could respond.

"It should have been me, Luke. You and Haley took that away from me and away from Jamie. You're my family, and I love you, but I just can't trust you. I can't trust that the next time Haley freaks out that you're going to have both of our backs."

Nathan had to fight to keep the tears from falling down his face as he finished his emotional outburst. Everything had been bubbling inside him and it had all come spilling out at once because he hadn't been able to express himself before. The people that he would have usually confided in were the same people that had caused this whole mess in the first place.

Lucas was speechless. He knew Nathan had been struggling with everything, who wouldn't, but he did not expect everything to come pouring out all at once.

"I'm so sorry, Nate. I know it sounds flippant and underwhelming since I'm the one that has the words for everything, but there aren't any words right now except for I'm sorry. Haley and I made a terrible mistake and we both know it. I just hope that one day we can look past it all and forgive each other," Lucas said quietly.

"No, man. I shouldn't have laid all that on you like that. I know you thought you were doing what was best for Haley in the beginning, but you should have found some way to do what was best for me too. It's going to take some time, but I know we're all going to be okay," Nathan offered a small smile and held out his fist. It was a small gesture but it meant everything to Luke, who immediately bumped his back.

"Besides, everything will be much better once Hales and Jamie move in, and I can convince them to stay for good," he said, his mood brightening at the prospect of Haley and Jamie under his roof. It didn't take long for his trademark smirk to reappear on his face.

"When you convince them to do what?" Lucas nearly choked on his words. He knew Nathan had always had a habit of getting ahead of himself, but this was a little ridiculous. Had he forgotten the strength of Haley's stubbornness?

"Luke, I've lived six years without them. I can't stand that they're only a few minutes away as it is. I won't survive if they leave again, even knowing where they are. No. I won't live like that. We are meant to be together as a family. And we will be," he declared with great determination.

"Do you really think you'll be able to convince Haley to turn their lives upside down and move back to Tree Hill?"

"It won't be easy," Nathan admitted, "but she won't be able to resist the Scott charm for very long. Besides, I know for a fact that she still loves me."

"And how do you know this?" Lucas knew this was true, but he was curious as to how Nathan had come to the same conclusion.

"Jamie told me," he replied simply. Lucas nearly bit his tongue off trying to contain his laughter. His brother, Mr. Ladies Man, was taking relationship advice from a five year old.

"So, you're using your own kid to spy on Haley?"

"Hey, he offered the information," Nathan stated in his defense.

"Yeah, I'll bet," Lucas replied with a chuckle.

"Who's Owen?" Nathan suddenly blurted out. Ever since Jamie had mentioned him at the rivercourt, Nathan had been dying to learn more about him. Lucas eyed him suspiciously, trying to figure out if he was trying to trap him.

"What do you know about Owen?" he asked in return.

"Jamie mentioned him when we were out the other day, mentioned that he played slam-ball and was always trying to kiss Haley," the last part coming out as a sneer. Just the thought disgusted him.

"Easy there, Rocky. Owen's a good guy. He works at the bar that Haley sings at; helps her out watching Jamie and such," Lucas said, purposefully not acknowledging the kissing reference, hoping that Nathan would let it go. Of course not.

"And the kissing?" he pressed.

Lucas sighed, "Okay, yeah, he's totally into her."

Lucas debated with himself whether or not he wanted to elaborate further and was about to just let it sit, but Nathan's intense glare encouraged him to continue.

"From what Lindsey's told me, Haley's in denial about his feelings towards him. She doesn't want to hurt him, so she just ignores it when he gets too affectionate-"

"What?" Nathan exploded.

"Calm down! I'm just telling you what I know and what YOU asked."

"So, they're not dating?"

"No."

Although Nathan's mind was somewhat at ease knowing that so far Haley had rejected this Owen loser, the little voice in the back of his head couldn't help but wonder if it was only a matter of time before she realized that Owen would make a better father for Jamie and a better husband for her. Hell, he was already more of a father to Jamie than he was. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He had a long battle ahead of him, and he didn't need his own insecurities getting in the way

"Have you forgiven her?" Lucas's voice was quiet as he broke Nathan out of his thoughts.

"What?"

"You heard me. Before you go pouring on the Nathan Scott charm on her, you'd better be sure that you're really and truly past everything. You can't keep pulling this hot and cold act you seem to have going on with her. Telling her you love her one second and then yelling at her the next. You can't have it both ways, Nate. I just don't want you to rush into anything and then everyone ends up even further apart than before," Lucas explained gently, not wanting to come across as unsupportive.

"I won't lie. Some of the things that comes out of that girl's mouth, just make me want to shake the daylights out of her. And yeah, parts of me are still mad as hell because all this happened because of a stupid misunderstanding. But then, I see Jamie, and I see her holding Jamie, and I want to be the one that's holding them. That's where I belong, Luke. All this extra shit doesn't matter as long as we work through it together. My life doesn't work without them. I don't work without them.

Lucas was dumbfounded. He had never seen his brother express such raw emotion before and for the second time that night, he was unsure of how to respond. But he was now convinced that Nathan was determined to have the life he had always dreamed of, and that was a life with Haley and Jamie.

"I'm really glad to hear you say that, little brother. You both deserve to be happy..together," he said with a smile.

Nathan was about to respond, but the soft pitter-patter of little feet interrupted him.

"Daddy?" came Jamie's small sleep laden voice with a slight tremble. He was not used to being away from his mother in a strange house, and even though his father and uncle were nearby, he needed his mother's comfort to assure him.

"What's the matter, buddy? Did you have a bad dream?" Nathan asked as he opened his arms and pulled the little boy into his lap.

"I miss Momma, when is she going to be here?" Jamie asked with a slight whine, burying his face into Nathan's neck.

"Momma's having a girls' night with Aunt Brooke, Aunt Peyton, Aunt Taylor, and Aunt Lindsey. You'll get to see her in the morning," Nathan explained.

"Is girls' night like boys' night?" the little boy asked, ever curious.

"Yup, but instead of doing fun boy stuff, they do yucky girl stuff," he said making an exaggerated face of disgust causing Jamie to giggle, music to Nathan's ears.

"Like what?" Jamie continued to question.

Nathan thought for a moment and came to the conclusion that he had no earthly idea as to what exactly girls did at their slumber parties. He looked to Lucas for help, who in turn shrugged his shoulders, he was just as clueless. How could he not know what went on at these parties? He and the team had busted in on enough of the cheerleaders' parties during high school, but of course, he had been more concerned with the girls rather than what they were doing. Then, a thought occurred to him that would satisfy their curiosity and Jamie's need to see his mother.

"How would you like to see your Momma AND find out what they do at girls' night?" A mischievous glint coming into his eyes. Lucas also grinned at his brother's implications. He himself had been privy to crashing a party or two in his time, and this one would probably go down as one of the all time greatest crashes.

Jamie's eyes lit up like Christmas morning. He could tell just by the looks on the two elder Scotts' faces, whatever they had planned was going to be a lot of fun.

"Okay, fellas. Here's the plan…"

"What are you guys doing here?" Taylor exclaimed from her perch on the couch as the women poured into her house.

"Impromptu girls' night thanks to Haley's scheming," Brooke sing-songed as she plopped down into a chair.

"Hey! I was NOT scheming!" Haley retorted.

There was a simultaneous eye roll between the group that had been at the café.

"Oh puh-lease! There was major scheming going on. If it wasn't a scheme to get out of talking to Nathan about moving in with him, then it was a scheme to get Nathan and Lucas together to get over their shit," Brooke scoffed.

Haley opened her mouth to deny it all, but couldn't. Her friends knew her too well.

"Wait, what? You're moving in with Nathan? When the hell did this happen? You weren't gone that long!" Taylor exclaimed in confusion, hating that she missed all the drama.

Haley sighed as she sat down next to her sister.

"Apparently, while I was spaced out in the car, Jamie asked if we could stay with Nathan, and without knowing what he was saying, I just said okay. And, of course, Nathan just lets it happen."

"Well, duh, little sister! Superstar's got it bad for you. You've been gone for years without a trace. You really think he's going to let you out of his sight?" Taylor said with a roll of her eyes now at her sister's denial.

"That's it!" Haley exclaimed, startling everyone.

"What's it?" Peyton asked confused.

"I can't go live Nathan! I'm supposed to be taking care of Taylor. I'm so stupid! I don't know why I didn't think of it before!" Haley breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Hales, why are you fighting this so hard? He loves you, you love him-"Lindsey started.

"I don't-"

"You love him, Jamie loves him, and now you know that he didn't cheat on you," Lindsey started again, but was interrupted once more by both Brooke and Peyton.

"What?"

"We are so totally lost over here. I told you we should have come sooner," Brooke said pushing an elbow into Peyton's ribs.

"Well long story short, if that's even possible, apparently Nathan wasn't kissing that nasty skank. She ambushed him in the shower, and if I had stuck around, I would have heard him yell at her and throw her out," Haley shrugged sheepishly.

"And you believed that? That's awful convenient timing," Peyton remarked with disbelief.

"No, he was telling the truth. I can tell when he's lying. He starts tugging on his ring," Haley said matter of factly.

"Okay, well whatever, what does that mean now? Are you going to get back together? Are you coming back to Tree Hill?" Brooke fired at her friend.

"No, Brooke, we are not back together…" she didn't have a chance to finish.

"Why not?" This time it was Lindsey breaking in, attempting to finish her earlier thoughts.

"Because too much time has passed. Because I kept his son a secret from him," Haley excused weakly.

"That's bullshit and you know it," Taylor chimed in.

"Okay, enough! We are done talking about Nathan. Brooke, you wanted a girls' night, so we are going to have one and that means no more talk about boys.

"As I tried to say earlier, you still love each other, there's no reason for all of you to get over the past and move forward as a family," Lindsey pressed on ignoring her.

"Yeah, Tutor-girl, what's holding you back?" Brooked asked, eyeing Haley shrewdly. Along with her eye for fashion, Brooke had a seemingly sixth sense for reading people and it only increased with her friends and family.

"Nothing," she lied, biting her lip.

"Liar, spill," the brunette demanded.

"Okay, fine. FINE! I love him! I love him so much that it kills me not to be with him. I love him so much that it did nearly kill me when I thought he had betrayed me. I love him so much that I nearly lost Jamie before he was even born 'cause I couldn't pull myself together. I can't, no, I won't ever lose myself like that ever again. Not even for Nathan," she burst out.

"But, he didn't-"

"Exactly."

"Huh?"

"Don't you see? It's not a matter of whether he did or didn't. Just the reaction I had at the mere possibility was-"

"Normal! Normal for anyone in love!"

"Unhealthy. No one should ever be that lost in someone else. And I'm not going to be. Ever again," Haley stated resolutely.

Everyone just stared in stunned silence. If anyone was a champion for true love, it was Haley. To see her and Nathan together would melt even the iciest of hearts. To hear her so cynical and so shut off from her emotions was very unsettling. They didn't know how to respond. It was like they were in an alternate universe.

"Now, if it's okay with everyone, I'd like to drop the subject of Nathan Scott for at least one night," Haley said with a raised eyebrow, daring anyone to defy her.

"Great, now that that's settled, we can get this party started," she continued when everyone remained in a silent agreement. "Well, Brooke Davis, this was your idea, did you have anything else planned besides bugging me about Nathan?" she directed at her friend, eyebrow raised once again.

"Of course I did!" Brooke replied indignantly. Truthfully, she hadn't but she wasn't about to let Haley know that.

"Well, what's this grand plan?" Haley asked.

"All in good time, Tutor-Mom, all in good time," she said mysteriously as an idea popped into her head.

"OKAY! I NEVER…did it on the football field with the sprinklers on," Peyton said drunkenly, giving Haley a devilish grin, who in turn rolled her eyes and took a drink from her cup.

Apparently, Brooke's idea of a good time was to revert back to high school with a rousing game of I Never. And it seemed that this particular edition had evolved into "let's only use things Haley did with Nathan. Even Lindsey had been able to contribute with what she remembered from Haley had mentioned to her. This had been going on for nearly an hour, and Haley, never being one to hold her alcohol, was already swaying while she was sitting down.

"Okay, guys, that's enough! Either start sharing the wealth or I'm out," she slurred. Taylor had long gone to bed claiming that if she couldn't partake, then she wasn't going to subject herself to other people's drunken antics.

"Alright, alright, sorry sorry! She's right, we need to take it easy," Lindsey said to both Brooke and Peyton.

Brooke rolled her eyes, "Fine. Okay, I never-"

"Ugh, I don't feel so good, you guys, I think I'm gonna-" Haley bolted out of the room covering her mouth, barely making it to the bathroom before she emptied her stomach into the toilet.

"Geez, Haley. You don't look so good," Peyton remarked when she reappeared a few moments later.

"Whose fault is that? I'll be okay, just give me a few minutes, "she said laying face down on the couch.

"Suck it up Tutor-girl! Okay! New game! Truth or dare. Lindsey, you first," Brooke bossed. She was like the damn energizer bunny.

"Um, dare?" she said nervously. She didn't notice Peyton shaking her head no until it was too late.

"I dare you to streak down the street!" Brooke cackled at her perceived ingenuity.

"Shit, Brooke, I didn't know we were back in high school!" Peyton griped.

"Oh, fine. Spoilsport. Lindsey, truth or dare."

"Truth, definitely truth," she wasn't about to make the same mistake twice.

"On a scale of one to ten, how good is Broody in bed? And you have to be honest, cause I'll know if you're lying, having been there, done that and all, ya know."

"Brooke!" Haley and Peyton screeched out at the same time.

"No! It's legitimate!"

"I'll answer. Definitely a ten! He does this thing with his-"

"His tongue? Yeah, that was always a crowd pleaser. Does he still use his finger to-"

"EWW! I don't need to get sick again!" Haley whined.

"Okay, I think we're done with the games for now. Brooke, don't you have samples form your new cosmetics line with you?" Peyton asked trying to divert the brunette's attention.

"Ooh, yes! Be right back." She skipped off in search of her bags to retrieve said cosmetics. Haley shot Peyton a grateful look.

Thirty minutes later, with green avocado masks covering their faces, the girls were dancing wildly around and singly loudly along to the Spice Girls' Wannabe. When the song ended, they each collapsed to the floor giggling uncontrollably.

"Now, THIS, is a girls' night!" Haley said breathlessly.

"Amen!" Lindsey agreed, raising her cup into the air.

"You know what would make it better?" Brooke asked.

"No, what?" Peyton asked, already dreading what was about to come out of her friend's mouth.

"Nathan-" WHAP! A large pillow to the face, courtesy of one Haley James, stopped her.

"What! Was that for?" Brooke demanded.

"Trying to bring you know-" It was now Haley's turn to be whapped in the face, this time courtesy of Lindsey.

Before she could even ask, Lindsey said, "That's for being in denial." Suddenly, a pillow came flying into the back of Lindsey's head, catching her off guard and sending her face first on the couch. The two remaining upright turned to stare at the curly blonde holding the offending object.

"I didn't want to be left out," she said shrugging sheepishly. Brooke looked to Haley with a raised eyebrow. Haley then looked to Lindsey, sending the same message silently. Lindsey nodded and stood up and armed herself. Peyton stood nervously as the three women, pillows in hand, started to move towards her.

"Look, Lindsey. I'm sorry. I really am. I didn't mean to-" she didn't have the chance to finish her speech as the pillows began their assault, feathers beginning to fly everywhere, sounds of laughter filling the room. All the while, unbeknownst to them, three pairs of identical blue eyes watched them through a side window, completely fascinated by the scene before them.

"Daddy, what are they doing and what is that green stuff on their faces?" Jamie whispered.

"Looks like they're having a pillow fight, and I have no clue what's on their faces," Nathan whispered back, completely aware that right now the girls, especially his girl, were playing out every male's preconceived ideas about slumber parties and pillow fights. The only difference being that they weren't in their underwear.

"Okay, Jame, you remember the plan?" Nathan asked barely able to tear his eyes away from the scene to look at his son.

"Yup!" he nodded enthusiastically.

"Okay! Let's do this!"

They started to move into their positions, when a blood curdling scream stopped them in their tracks.

"Brooke! What the hell?" Haley bit out, her ears ringing.

"There's someone at the window!" she yelped out.

"Brooke, this is Tree Hill. There is no one-AHHHHHH! There is someone at the window!" Haley screamed as she turned towards the window and found three faces staring in.

"LUCAS EUGENE SCOTT!" GET YOUR BONY ASS IN HERE RIGHT NOW!" Haley roared when she had gotten her bearings and recognized the squinty eyes of her best friend.

Lucas winced at the use of his middle name. He looked helplessly at Nathan and Jamie. Nathan, a panic stricken look on his face, was ready to make a run for it, but a giggling Jamie had wiggled out of his father's grasp and was already making his way towards the front door. Lucas shrugged his shoulders and started to follow his nephew. They had already been caught, might as well face the firing squad now.

When the two grown men reached the door, they were met with four angry green gaced women, each with their arms crossed over their chests and raised eyebrows, just daring them to attempt an explanation.

Lucas and Nathan were both looking down at their shoes, neither one wanting to incur the girls' wraths first.

"Hi Momma!" Jamie said giggling as he bounced up the porch steps.

Haley kneeled down and scooped him up into her arms. "Hey, baby! What are you doing out this late?" she asked sweetly, her eyes still trained on the two brothers.

Jamie nuzzled into her neck and whispered, "I really missed you, Momma. Daddy said you were having a girls' night, and I didn't know what that was. So he and Uncle Lucas said we would come over and-"

"Visit! We told him we could visit," Lucas interjected quickly. As grateful as he was to Jamie for diffusing Haley, he couldn't very well let the boy tell them everything that they had been planning, or there would definitely be more hell to pay.

"Well, geez, Lucas, why couldn't you guys have just come to the front door instead of being all pervy and peeping through the window?" Lindsey demanded.

"What's pervy, Momma?" Jamie asked confused.

"Nothing you need to worry about, baby," Haley said, shooting Lindsey a dirty look.

"We're waiting! What were you doing spyin on us through the window?" Brooked commanded impatiently.

"Uh, Jamie saw you guys through the window and we stopped for a look," Nathan mumbled.

"Oh, he finally speaks! And really, Nathan, hiding behind your son?" Brooke scoffed.

"Momma, what's that green stuff on your faces?" Jamie asked innocently, once again saving the elder Scotts' behinds unknowingly.

Haley froze when she heard Jamie's question. They all froze, completely aware now that they had forgotten the green masks in all the craziness.

"Oh."

"My."

"God."

"SHIT!"

And just as quickly as they had come out the door, the group of women, and Haley holding Jamie bolted inside. Lucas and Nathan, barely able to hold their snickering in, started to follow them, but were met with a door slamming right in their faces.

"Don't even think about it! The only Scott boy allowed in this house is already in here, and that's Jamie. So, buh-bye!" came Brooke's voice through the door as Lucas had his hand on the door handle.

"Well, what do we do now?" Lucas asked, turning to his brother, who was grinning like the cat who just swallowed a canary.

"This is Taylor's house."

"Yes. I know this."

Taylor, as in Taylor James."

"Yeah, so what's your point?"

"All the James' keep a spare key. And if I'm not mistaken, that heavy looking plant, really isn't a plant. I'm willing to bet my career that there will be a key underneath it," he said smugly.

Lucas walked over to the pot skeptically, but was surprised to find that Nathan was right. It was indeed a fake plant that was used to hide a spare key.

"Well, big brother, what are you waiting for? Time to crash the party," Nathan said with a smirk as head started for the front door.

They entered the house to find everyone back in the living room furiously wiping their faces clean with towels.

"I can't believe we just went out there with all the junk covered all over our faces!" Peyton exclaimed.

"Well, it's not like we had a lot of warning. Tweedle dumb and tweedle dumber took us by surprise," Brooke snotted.

"Which, we are totally getting them back for this. I wonder how much they saw," Lindsey asked aloud.

"Enough to see if you wanna be my lover…," Nathan chimed in, mimicking their dancing and singing in high pitched tone.

Their heads whipped around to face them.

"How in the hell did you get in here? And what is it with you Scott men and spying?"

Lucas held up the key.

"Stupid Taylor. The one time she actually has to follow what her family does," Brooke grumbled.

"Where's Haley and Jamie?" Nathan asked noticing their absence.

"It's way past Jamie's bedtime. She's putting him to sleep," Lindsey said with a pointed look.

Without a second glance, Nathan bolted for the stairs and followed the sound of soft singing to Jamie's room.

Nathan sood in the doorway and watched Haley sing their son to sleep. He couldn't help the smile that crossed his lips. There was just something so natural, so right with the scene of perfection before him. He always knew that Haley would be a great mother, but she was beyond any expectation he could have ever imagined. He started to dream of the life that would have been theirs. Would they have had more children by now? Would there be a little girl for him to spoil as he would her mother? He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't hear her finish the song and move towards the door.

"Nathan! You scared me!"

"Sorry, I came looking for you when you weren't downstairs," he explained easily.

"Yeah, it was way past his bedtime. Tsk, tsk," she teased gently.

"It was all his idea," he said with a smirk.

"Yeah, I'll bet," she said rolling her eyes.

An awkward silence fell upon as neither one knew exactly what to say.

"Nathan, about earlier, I'm sorry if it seemed like I was trying to avoid you. I just wanted Jamie to have a fun night with his dad and uncle," she started to explain.

Nathan looked at her face and started to chuckle.

"You're laughing at me when I'm trying to be serious?" she asked incredulously.

"I'm sorry, Hales, it's just…"

"Just what,"she said her eyes narrowing.

"You still have some green stuff…"

"Oh my god. Where is it?" she demanded, swiping furiously at her face, getting everywhere but where the leftover masks bits were.

"Hang on, just let me…" he murmured and moved closer to her. He reached out to grip her face. Using one hand to hold her head in place, he used his thumb to wipe the spot on her jaw. Haley's eyes closed at the feel of his hands on her skin. And even though, he had long removed the spots, his hands still remained on her.

"Haley," he whispered, inching his face closer to hers. Before she had a chance to gather her wits about herself and stop him, his mouth was on hers. And whether she liked it or not, her body was already responding to his kiss. What she had been denying herself for so long, she could no longer as she felt the warmth spread throughout her body. He felt her arms twist around his neck and he was relieved that she didn't pull away, instead pulling him closer. And like their previous kiss, what had started out sweet and slow quickly turned into hot and frantic. He felt her tongue swipe at his bottom lip and he immediately granted her access and almost died when he felt her soft sweet tongue connect with his.

When he felt like all the air had left his body, he reluctantly removed his mouth from hers and began a slow descent that started at her jawline and moved down to where he knew the weak spot on her neck was. He felt the gasp leave her body when he reached that point and focused all his attention on that one spot, licking and gently biting on it, driving her wild as he knew it would. The sensation of her fingers winding through his hair as she held his head in that exact spot was driving him just as crazy as he responded by increasing the intensity of his ministrations on her neck.

Just as his hands were starting their own journey from her waist up towards her chest, the sound of laughter floated up from the downstairs, a harsh reminder that they were not alone. They jumped apart, their chests heaving. Nathan could see the hesitation starting to creep back into Haley's eyes; he had to act fast. He roughly pulled her in for another kiss while at the same time walking them backwards across the hall and into the nearest room, which was, luckily, the room that Haley was staying in, and kicked the door closed, his lips never once leaving her body.

Haley had half a mind to scold Nathan for thinking that he could get away with his caveman antics, but the other half, the half that was currently reeling from having him so close to her, found it incredibly sexy and only served to fuel her desire. His hands once again began to move from her and upwards to her chest, as if they had never been interrupted. This time he also grabbed the hem of her shirt and swiftly removed the offending fabric. He was thoroughly surprised that she wore no bra and growled in appreciation as he couldn't help but to immediately take one soft peak into his mouth and the other into his hand. Any doubts in her mind were gone as she felt his mouth and hands on her naked chest, and she, herself, quickly went to work on shedding Nathan of his own shirt. Her lips moved to his sculpted chest as soon as the shirt was gone. She created her own trail of kisses from his chest to his neck and began to suck hungrily on the spot right below his ear that she knew would be his undoing. As her mouth moved in one direction, her hands sought out their own desire the other way moving down the front of his shorts and kneading his already rock hard member as best she could through the fabric.

He hissed the instant he felt her hand on him and tried to pull away. Any more of that and the night would have been over before it begun. She looked at him in confusion, taking his sudden movement away as a sign that he wanted to stop.

"Bed. We need the bed," he panted out in an attempt to gain back some control over his body. She nodded and moved to lie on the bed, her hair fanning out around her. He couldn't help but stare at how beautiful she was.

"Are you coming or not?" she purred. Shocked at her boldness with the double entendre, he needed no more invitation as he quickly moved to lay next to her on the bed, his hands immediately reaching for the waistband of her pajama pants while his mouth attached itself to the nearest bit of flesh he could find. Haley's own hands went back to Nathan's pants, frantically trying to get the button and zipper undone.

"God, Nathan," Haley moaned as his fingers entangled themselves in her soft velvety folds. Her hips instantly arched upwards as he slid a finger inside of her and began an erotic motion rhythm that had her writhing in complete ecstasy.

Haley felt like she was about to spontaneously combust with desire. Nathan definitely had talented hands, but that's not what she wanted.

"Tell me what you want, baby," he whispered throatily into her ear as if reading her mind, as he continued to move his finger in and out of her. He would love nothing more than to replace it with a more…substantial body part, but he needed to hear her say it. He almost gave in when he felt her hand grab hold of his length and began to mimic his movements with her own.

"Tell me!" he demanded.

"I…want…you," she replied almost desperately. Why in the world was he teasing her at a time like this?

"God, Hales. I want you so bad. I've wanted this for so long, and now we can have it. Now we can have everything. " He reached up for her hand and brought it to rest on his chest where is heart was.

She felt as if a bucket of cold water had been splashed onto her, bringing her senses back to her. She pushed Nathan off of her and headed for the door leaving a bewildered Nathan on the bed.

What in the hell just happened?

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