Disclaimer; I do not own anything


Epilogue

Haley let out a stated sigh as she walked down the long corridor holding the phone against her ear. "I told you to get the labs for his creatinine and GFR levels hours ago." She rolled her eyes as the intern in the other end started to make excuses. "Well, you know very well that I can't send this patient to a CT scan without knowing the state of his kidney function, so I suggest you drop whatever you're doing right now and get to it! I'd like to be home at a reasonable hour today." She ordered in a firm tone. "And call me the second you have the results." She added quickly before she hung up, shaking her head softly to herself.

She blew out a long breath as she slumped down in one of the chairs in the lounge, putting her feet up on the table in front of her. Today was just not her day. She had already been exhausted before she came to work due to lack of sleep, and it didn't exactly help the matter when her intern had to have everything in with a teaspoon before things got done. She simply didn't have the energy for that today and felt the irritation seep throughout her body by the thought. She let her head fall back as she closed her eyes, and tried to calm herself by taking a few deep breaths. She knew she wasn't helping herself by getting agitated, but it was difficult to control sometimes, especially on days like today when all she really wanted was to stay home snuggled up under a blanket.

These last few weeks had been stressful to say the least, both at work and at home. She hadn't been sleeping very well either due to obvious reasons, so she really looked forward to a few days off after today. She checked the time and noticed it was only a couple of more hours before she could finally head home. Unless the intern screwed up the labs once again, so she'd end up having to do it herself. But she silently prayed that he'd come through for her this time, because she couldn't afford to waste any extra time after hours. She needed to be at the daycare center today. She felt slightly guilty after she'd been taking advantage of Brooke and Lucas the last couple of days due to too many hours of working overtime this week. Of course they told her repeatedly that they didn't mind helping her out, but they were starting to express their concerns about her exhausting herself. And she understood where they were coming from. She knew she had to start slowing down a little, because her body was slowly starting to tell her that it couldn't keep up with the rate she was going at now for much longer, something she'd definitely felt throughout this last week.

She raked her hand through her now golden locks when her phone started to ring and straightened up in her seat before answering. "Okay, great. I'll let the radiologists know. Thanks, Otis." Haley sighed with relief before she quickly made the call down to the radiologists to give them the message.

Once she'd made the call she got up on her feet and walked out of the lounge to finish the last thing she knew she needed to do today before she could go home. Thankfully, this was not work related and it was something she wasn't depended on any of her interns to get done, so she knew it wouldn't take too long to get out of the way once she got there. And for the first time today, a tiny smile formed on her lips as she walked towards the elevators that was gonna take her to the fifth floor.


"Is there anything else you need me to do before I take off?" Haley heard coming from the living room. And just as she looked up from what she was doing, she saw Joan rounding the corner and entering the kitchen with a smile.

Haley returned the smile to the younger woman and shook her head softly. "No, thank you, Joan. I think I have everything under control right now. You go home and relax."

"I don't mind staying a little longer and help you out until - " Joan started but Haley cut her off.

"No, I don't want to deprive any more of your time. I feel bad enough as it is with the long hours I've had at work this week, and I can't thank you enough for all the help you've offered. Please go home now. You deserve some time away from this mad house." Haley spoke softly with a smile and walked around the kitchen counter when she heard Lydia calling out for her from the living room.

Joan let out a small laugh at that. "Well, if you're absolutely sure…?" She knew how stressed and tired Haley had been these last few weeks and knew she didn't like to ask for any more help than necessary - even though she needed it. So she felt the need to double check and make sure that Haley really was okay with her leaving for the weekend.

"I'm positive." Haley came up next to her and put her hand on her arm. "Go enjoy the weekend with your boyfriend, I'm sure he'll be pleased to have you to himself for more than a few hours of the day." She smiled at her before she suddenly turned her gaze towards the living room as Lydia once again called out for her.

"Mommy!"

"I'll be right there, sweetie." She called out before turning to face Joan again. "Go home. We'll be fine, I promise." She patted her shoulder lightly.

"Okay. Thanks, Haley. I'll see you over the weekend." Joan offered another smile before she left.

Haley then walked into the living room to find Lydia on the floor next to her brother, trying to push him away as he was grasping onto her hair.

"Ooww, it hurts!" Lydia cried again.

Haley walked over to them and squatted down to try and separate the two before it turned into an even bigger screaming match. "Here, let go of your sisters hair now." She spoke softly as she loosened his grip around her hair and lifted him up in her arms.

"Mommy, Jamie is being dumb. He ruins my braid." The three year old pouted, with thick tears forming in her eyes.

"No name-calling in this house, young lady!" She scolded her firmly before she turned into a softer tone. "You have to remember that he's not old enough yet to understand that what he does is wrong. He doesn't mean anything by it, sweetie. Just like you didn't mean anything by it when you pulled at my hair when you were his age." She smiled amusingly down at her while gently swaying her body to keep Jamie from squirming in her arms.

"No-uh, did not." Lydia shook her head in protest when her mother told her that she used to do the same thing as her brother were doing to her now.

"It's okay, because eventually you learned that you shouldn't do that, just like Jamie will learn one day that it's not okay to pull at someone's hair like that." Haley inwardly smiled when she saw her daughters puzzled look on her face as she spoke, which quickly turned into another pout when she took a hold of her messed up braid.

"It's broken, Mommy."

"Come with me into the kitchen, and I'll make you a brand new braid, okay?"

The three year old nodded feverishly and broke into a huge grin as she flew onto her feet and ran off to the kitchen.

"She really is something that sister of yours, isn't she Jamie?" Haley couldn't help but laugh as she poked his tummy and got a squeal followed by a tiny laugh in response from her son. She tickled him again and popped a kiss on his chubby cheek, as she followed her daughter into the kitchen while thinking that no other sound in the world were able to warm her heart more than the sounds of happy laughter from her children.

A little while later Haley was back at chopping vegetables, while Lydia was back playing with her toys in the living room. She'd put Jamie into his playpen in an effort to try and prevent another hair-pulling disaster before she was done making them dinner. She'd soon realized that it was harder for her to keep up with the two of them now that Jamie had started to get the hang of crawling, so he was usually quick to approach his sister whenever she was around. And like any other baby, he was very fond of pulling at loose things, meaning Lydia's hair was always a target for the curious little man.

She was so lost in her own thoughts that she failed to hear the front door open and close. It wasn't until she felt a pair of hands wrap around her from behind, making her almost jump out of her own skin, she realized that they weren't alone anymore.

"Hi, baby." His husky whisper combined with the feeling of his hands on her stomach sent tingles throughout her entire body.

She immediately let go of the knife in her hand and leaned back into his chest while covering his hands with her own. "Hi." She breathed out and closed her eyes, reveling in the feeling of being in his strong embrace again. "I've missed you." She stated while stroking her fingers over his hands and wrists.

She felt him nuzzle into her neck before leaving a kiss right under her ear. "I've missed you too." He murmured into her skin, making her shiver as his hot breath fanned out on her neck.

Haley turned around in his arms and smiled lovingly as she met his sparkling, blue eyes. "It's good to have you home again." She whispered as she leaned in and kissed him tenderly.

Nathan sighed contentedly and kissed her one more time before they pulled apart. He'd missed her like crazy and feeling her soft lips against his own now, only confirmed exactly how much pain he'd been in these last couple of weeks away from her.

Once they finally broke away from each other, Haley was the one to let out a small sigh of content.

"It's good to be home again. I've been crazy missing you and the kids." Nathan said before he lowered his gaze to her stomach where he still kept his hands. "How's this one doing?" He asked with a smile as he met Haley's gaze again.

Haley bit her lip and felt her insides flutter with excitement when her thoughts went back to earlier today. She'd been to her Ob/Gyn doctor for a routine appointment and at the same time she'd done an ultrasound, in which she'd found out their baby's sex. They had discussed it earlier, and they decided that they wanted to know the sex of the baby, like they had with the previous pregnancies. She was, of course, a little sad that Nathan couldn't come with her today, but she was happy to learn that their baby was doing well and everything seemed to develop according to the normal curve.

Haley placed her hands on top of Nathan's before she connected their gazes once again. "Well, he is doing just fine." She grinned, unable to contain the joy she felt of carrying another Scott boy into this world.

Nathan's face lit up with the biggest grin by hearing the news of his second son. "Really? I mean, are you sure?" One could never be too sure about these ultrasounds. He'd heard of several instances where people had been told that they were having a girl, then gotten the surprise of their lives in the delivery room when the doctor had handed them a boy. Of course, he didn't care what sex their baby was, as long as the baby was healthy with ten fingers and ten toes. He already loved the little one with all his heart, just as much as he loved Lydia and Jamie. He only wanted to make sure, so they could start with the preparations and finding names.

"Oh, trust me Nathan, I'm sure. I saw it with my own eyes." Haley chuckled when she thought back to that moment when she saw her baby's scrotum. There was no way to mistake that.

"That's great, baby!" He grinned and moved his hands to cup her face before he claimed her lips in a deep kiss.

It didn't take many seconds until Haley elicited a moan into his mouth and snaked her arms around his neck. She would have preferred to get even closer to him, however, their slowly, but surly growing son made sure that that wouldn't happen for at least another few months.

She soon felt her body start to buzz with an intense need of her husband, and she almost forgot about the kids in the living room until she heard a weary cry from the youngest one. She couldn't help but groan when Nathan pulled away, but it was simply because she'd been without him for more than 2 weeks now, and a woman at her age and in her condition had needs.

Nathan chuckled lightly at Haley's antics and popped a kiss at her forehead. "To be continued later tonight." His husky whisper sent another jolt of tingles up and down her spine. "I promise." He added before he walked into the living room to greet their children.

Haley watched him walk away with longing in her eyes and took a deep breath in order to calm herself down a little once he rounded the corner and disappeared from her sight. God, she couldn't wait to get her sexy husband all by herself later tonight, she thought with a smile as she continued making the dinner.


Nathan descended the stairs after successfully putting Jamie to bed. It hadn't been easy at first, but eventually he'd worn himself out and succumbed his tiny body to the exhaustion of all the crying and fell into a deep sleep.

He walked slowly into the living room to find his girls cuddled up on the couch under a blanket, the sound of Lydia's soft giggles filled the room.

He walked around and sat down next to Lydia, so she was squeezed between her parents. "What are you two up to?" He asked amusingly when Lydia almost jumped in her seat and let out another giggle.

"Daddy, Daddy, I can feel it!" She exclaimed excitedly causing Haley to chuckle.

"Feel what?" He asked her and played along, even though he understood what she was talking about.

"The baby, Daddy!" She stated like he'd asked the most ridiculous question there ever was.

"Oh, that is really cool." He chuckled and scooted closer into Lydia. "Can I feel too?" He asked her as he held out his hand.

Lydia then took a hold of his hand and placed it on Haley's belly where her own hand had been. "Okay, Daddy."

Nathan moved his gaze over to Haley and saw her smiling back at him. He returned the smile as he felt Lydia press his hand firmly onto the area where she had felt the baby kick. "Can you feel, Daddy?" She asked and looked up at him with excitement.

"I don't know, Lydia. Maybe he's getting tired?" He said after a few more seconds when he still hadn't felt anything.

"Yeah, I think he settled down now, Lydia." Haley applied as she tried another nudge on the side of her belly.

"But why?" She asked, confused as to why he would suddenly just stop.

"It's getting late, sweetheart, and I think he just wants to sleep now, just like Jamie." Haley said and stroked her hair. "It's been a long day for all of us, so I think it's time for you to change into your pajamas and find your bear upstairs." She added and immediately got a pout in response from Lydia.

"No!" She shook her head and quickly jumped out of the couch before she raced towards the hallway to her secret hiding place under the stairs.

"Oh boy, here we go." Haley laughed tiredly and leaned her head back.

"I can see that not much has changed within the last two weeks I've been away." Nathan chuckled and brushed his knuckles against her forehead. "You look tired, baby."

Haley let out a sigh and turned her head to look at him. "It's just been a long day, or two long weeks, actually." She gave him half a smile as he moved closer to her and placed his hand on her protruding belly, something he found himself doing a lot when she was pregnant.

"I'm sorry Hales. I know me being away for such long periods at a time is hard on you, having to deal with Lydia and Jamie all on your own after a day at work. Besides, you must be exhausted with the pregnancy on top of it all." He let his fingers run through her hair as he spoke softly, feeling really bad about the crazy work schedule he had at times.

"It's not that bad actually, except for the part where I miss you most of the time. But it's not like I'm alone with them all of the time. Joan has really been a God send, she's amazing with both of them, and she helps out a lot around the house. Then there's Lucas and Brooke…" She trailed off.

"I still feel really bad for leaving you alone with everything." Nathan sighed. "But I'll try to clear my schedule the best that I can, at least until the baby is born, so I'll be around more now with the exception of a few shorts trips every now and then." He added and offered her a smile when he felt her take a hold of his hand and intertwine their fingers.

"I'm just glad you're home again now." She breathed out and cupped his cheek, smiling as she inched her head closer to him.

Nathan closed his eyes for a moment and leaned into her touch, before he met her halfway and touched her lips with his own in a slow kiss.

He opened his eyes once they broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against hers, caressing her belly with his hand.

"So…" He waited to continue until she'd opened her eyes again and met his gaze. "Should I get down to business and get our first born into bed?" He smirked.

Haley chuckled lightly and couldn't help but blush slightly by the husky look he gave her, making her shiver with anticipation. "If you don't mind? And then you'll get back here for a heated make-out session before we head upstairs…" She offered him with a sexy smile just as she pulled him back down to her and kissed him one more time.

She couldn't describe in words just how wonderful it felt to be close to Nathan again. Two weeks felt like an eternity when she couldn't see him, or touch him, or kiss him. At times she felt like she was going insane, and with her pregnancy hormones adding to it, their daily phone conversations were nothing but a cruel teaser to her - even though she cherished every second of them.

"Okay…" Nathan murmured against her lips. "I'm gonna get up now before I can't…" He closed his eyes and groaned by the loss he felt once he pulled away from her lips.

Haley brushed her hand across his chest as she breathed in heavily, her eyes still closed. "Mmm, you better. It might take some time to get her into bed." She laughed softly once she noticed Nathan's weary expression. "But who knows, maybe this is our lucky day." She quickly added in a lighter tone and started to get up on her feet, pushing lightly at Nathan's chest at the same time, so that he would get going too.

He sighed once again before standing up. "Alright, I'll see you in a few. Wish me luck." He chuckled as he walked towards the hallway to find their daughter and put her to bed.


"This is nice." Haley sighed perfectly content while her body kept buzzing from the encounter they'd just had. Nathan was curled up behind her, holding her back close to his naked chest as his hand continued to stroke the side of her belly.

"Mmmh, you wore me out Haley James." Nathan murmured into her hair before leaving a soft kiss at the side of her neck, causing a soft giggle to escape her.

She turned over slightly so she was facing him and put her hand at his chest, allowing her fingers to dance over his clammy skin until she cupped his face. "Well, I guess that's what happen when my husband is too damn irresistible for his own good." She whispered huskily and brushed her thumb over his cheekbone.

Nathan smirked at her and moved his hand over the curves of her body before he tangled his fingers in her hair. "I'm sorry babe, can't deny the fact that I am too hot for you to handle." He joked, causing them both to laugh.

"Oh, so modest." Haley mocked with a smile as she moved in and kissed him slowly. "I really have missed you, Nathan." She whispered against his lips, a slight vulnerability evident in her voice. "Promise you'll never leave me." She breathed out.

Nathan then cupped her face and looked into her eyes. "Hey. Where is this coming from?" He asked slightly concerned about the change in her demeanor.

Haley closed her eyes for a second and breathed in before she opened her eyes again and met his concerned gaze. "It's nothing, I just…" She paused and let out a sigh before she continued. "It's like I got a sense of how our lives would be without you when you were away these last two weeks, and I just couldn't breathe the other day thinking about it." She confessed honestly. She knew she was being overly dramatic about this feeling, and maybe she shouldn't have told him, but she had learned over the last few years after the incident with Damian, that being completely open and honest about her feelings and concerns had made her stronger, both as an individual and as a part of her relationship with Nathan. "I know I'm just being silly, but I just can't help that once things are a little rough, it's just there…"

Nathan felt his heart ache at her words and the tone of her voice. He hated how insecure she still was sometimes, but he was happy that she had learned to express her feelings rather than keep them to herself like she'd done in the past.

He leaned down and placed a soft kiss at her forehead before pulling back to meet her gaze. "Baby…" He sighed. "I'm sorry that me being away so much makes you feel this way. But let me tell you something. There's nothing in this entire world that would ever make me leave you or never come back home. I need you to know that. You're my world Hales. You and our children is all I need in my life to make me happy." He spoke softly while stroking her cheek with his fingertips. "The thought of walking through our front door knowing that you are all here is what gets me through every single day, Hales."

Haley felt a lump form in the back of her throat. She knew he'd never leave her, but it was always nice to get the reassurance when that uneasy, nagging feeling surfaced every now and then. She needed it, and she needed him. She always did. "I love you, Nathan." Her voice came out barley over a whisper as her emotions got the best of her.

"I love you, too. So much." He replied before he leaned in and kissed her tenderly. Feeling the slight desperation and need from Haley's lips seep into his body as their lips danced against each other.

He was about to deepen the kiss when he suddenly felt faint movements against his stomach. He pulled back slightly and met Haley's smiling gaze before they both moved their eyes down to her belly.

"I guess this is your sons way of telling you that you have nothing to worry about. He loves you too, Mommy." Nathan whispered as he placed his hand above their kicking son.

Haley felt her eyes water as she watched Nathan's expression turn into complete awe when the baby kicked again. She could never grow tired of that sight. It's what got her through the good and the bad days. Knowing that the man next to her was always gonna be there for her and their children, and love them without any conditions.

"I think he missed you too." She spoke quietly and giggled softly when she felt him starting to rumble around in there. "And it seems like he doesn't plan on sleeping anytime soon either." She laughed as their little boy kept squirming around like a gymnastic.

Nathan couldn't help but laugh out of pure happiness, both by feeling his son move around inside his wife's womb and by the sound of her delicate laughter filling the otherwise quiet room. He couldn't imagine being happier than he was right now, but he had a feeling that would only change for the better, once they finally got to meet the newest addition to their family. He simply couldn't wait.

"By the way, what are your plans for next week?" He asked with a tiny glint in his eyes.

Haley met his gaze with a question in her eyes. "What do you mean? You know I work on Monday, then I finally have a good ten days off." Her hand kept stroking his arm.

"Yeah, I know. I was wondering if you've made any plans that's all…" He was still looking at her with a weird expression, and Haley couldn't figure out why he was suddenly acting so strange.

"Well, no. But that's because I wanted to talk to you about it before I made any decisions. You know what day it is next weekend. Or did you forget?" She asked and pulled back slightly. She couldn't help but feel a little hurt if he had actually forgotten about next weekend. She quickly diverted her gaze from him and pulled her lip between her teeth in an effort to hide her disappointment.

"Hey…" Nathan started and cupped her cheek. "I could never forget that day, you know that." He spoke softly and smiled at her once she met his gaze again. "The only reason I asked was because I have to go away again on Tuesday morning and-"

"What!?" The good feeling she'd had a second ago was abruptly taken away from her. She pulled back and sat up against the headboard, pulling the sheets close to her chest. "Nathan, you just got back after almost three weeks away. What could possibly be more important than being home with your family for more than a couple of days?" She was suddenly angry and hurt. Yes, she knew his job came with a certain amount of responsibility and obligations, but he also had a responsibility here in this house, and right now she didn't know how much more she could take of him being away for longer periods at a time.

"Hales…" Nathan tried to take her hand, but she pulled it away from him and folded her arms across her chest.

"Baby, please listen to me. You're jumping to conclusions right now. I promise you this is not as bad as it sounds." He kept watching her as he spoke, but she refused to look at him. "Please look at me…" He held out his hand and carefully brushed his fingers against her naked arm.

Another minute passed before she reluctantly turned her head towards him with challenging look. She needed an explanation from him if he thought that the sound of him going away again didn't sound so bad. Because to her, it was the worst thing that could happen right now.

Nathan smiled carefully at her and pried one of her hands away from her chest. He kissed the top of her knuckles before he connected their gazes again. "The reason I asked if you had made any plans for next week, was because I'm leaving again on Tuesday morning, and I'll be gone for a week -"

"How can this possibly be a good thing?!" Haley raised her voice a little as she cut him off, her mood decreasing by every second that passed.

"Will you let me finish?" Nathan chuckled lightly. He understood her outburst, and he should probably feel a little bad for doing this to her, but he couldn't help himself.

"It's not funny, Nathan! I'm pregnant. With your child. And may I add that this one was not even close to be planned seeing as not that long ago I gave birth to your first son. I need you, Nathan! I'm tired and exhausted. I cannot -"

"Haley…" Nathan was unable to contain his laughter. She was absolutely adorable once she went on one of these rants, with the cutest pout there ever was. "I was going to say, that I won't be traveling alone this time." Haley continued to glare at him, still not getting where he was going with this. "And may I add, that it's not with work this time." He smiled at her while watching her closely.

Haley knit her eyebrows together and sent him a confused look. "What do you mean?"

Nathan got up in a sitting position and scooted himself closer to Haley, twisting his body so he was facing her completely. "What I'm saying is, that I am going to whisk my wife away for the next week for a very much needed alone time. Just you and me."

He could see how her eyes changed, from angry and hurt to confused, before they were slowly starting to brim with tears as she finally got what he was saying.

"Nathan…" She whispered and closed her eyes. Her emotions were all over the place right now, and it was hard to control the tears from coming when she pretty much ran through the entire specter of emotions in just a few minutes. She couldn't believe that he would do something like this for her. She still felt like she needed to be a little mad at him for starting out the conversation like he did, but she knew she couldn't be mad at him for long periods at a time when he did something like this.

Nathan kept his eyes at her with a smile. She hadn't said anything in a while, and he wasn't sure what she was thinking at the moment with her eyes closed. "Hales, what do you say?" He asked and gently squeezed her hand.

She opened her eyes slowly and met his gaze. "You should be in trouble for pulling that kind of stunt on me." She playfully narrowed her eyes at him and smacked him lightly in the chest.

"I'm sorry." He chuckled. "I sometimes forget how quick you are to interrupt me, and I honestly thought I could finish my entire speech without you going all crazy on me." He winked and earned himself another smack in the chest.

"That was just mean." She pouted with a tiny smile hidden behind it.

"I didn't mean to upset you, and I'm sorry, again."

"You're forgiven. I think." Haley pretended to ponder and suddenly felt her heart rate pick up in speed when Nathan started to lean in. She bit down on her lip as she felt his scent invading her senses, making her mind all hazy. "So, what do you say? Wanna come with me?" He flashed her his sexy grin.

She palmed his cheeks before she closed the gap between them and connected their lips. "What do you think?" She mumbled against his lips and smiled when she felt him pull the sheets away from her body. His mean joke already forgotten by now.


"I still can't believe that we're actually here." Haley said in awe as they walked hand in hand towards the Eiffel Tower. "Thank you. Again." She added and smiled up at him.

Nathan returned her smile. "And again, you're welcome." He gently squeezed her hand. "I know you've always wanted to come here. Besides, this country holds a very important moment for me and our relationship; when we both opened up to each other and finally agreed to face everything together. So I figured this city would be the perfect place to spend our anniversary."

Haley tried not to think about the past too much because it held a lot of painful memories. Memories she wish she could forget. However, the moments of Nathan and the way he never gave up on her throughout the whole ordeal with Damian were thankfully the memories that stood out the most. She didn't know where she would be right now if it wasn't for him. He saved her from Damian and from herself. And she would be forever grateful for that.

"Thank you, Nathan. You know how much this means to me. I mean, this country, and especially Nice, will always have a special place in my heart. Together with you." She halted and tugged slightly at his hand. When he stopped and turned to face her, she raised on her tiptoes and kissed him softly before she pulled back with a smile and continued walking - her hand never leaving his.

After standing in line for a while, they finally made it to the top of the tower. They had stopped at every level and walked around to take in as much of the breathtaking view as possible. It was packed with people, and the top level was smaller than the other levels, but they had managed to find a spot somewhat free of people. They stood in front of the security fence, almost leaning into it as they gazed out over the city.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Nathan asked behind her, tightening his arms around her.

Haley couldn't help but smile by his constant consideration for her. "As long as I don't look directly down, and have you to hold onto me so the wind won't suck me through this fence, then I'll be fine." She chuckled. Haley had always been afraid of heights. But she had promised herself that she wasn't going to let that stop her from experiencing the top of the Eiffel Tower. The only time she had been struggling and had to turn herself into Nathan, was when they were in the glass elevator and she'd been looking down as they went up.

"Oh, don't worry Hales. You won't fit through those small holes with that belly." Nathan teased with a chuckle.

Haley turned her head and mocked gasped. "What are you insinuating? That I'm fat?"

"You're not fat. You're pregnant. That's two very different things. But let's not ruin our anniversary with a stupid argument, okay? You know I don't think you look fat." Nathan mentally scolded himself for making that comment, when he knew how she tended to be with those pregnancy hormones shooting around.

Haley let out a small sigh and placed her hands on top of Nathan's that were resting on her belly. "I know." She said and looked down at herself. "But I'm pretty sure I'm much bigger with this one than with the other two. I already feel like a whale." She sighed again and made a pout.

"Stop it. You were perfect with Lydia and Jamie, and you're every bit as perfect now." He assured and kissed her cheek softly. "Besides, the bigger you get, the taller our son is going to be." He quickly added in a teasing tone and earned himself a swat in his shoulder.

"Only you could make a comment like that." Haley softly shook her head with a smile. "I don't know how I've been able to put up with you. I think I might have to reconsider the vow I gave you two years ago." She teased back with a chuckle.

Nathan let out a tiny laugh and squeezed her lightly in response. "You wouldn't. Then who would make sure the wind doesn't wipe you off your feet and fly you over Paris?" He whispered in a light tone and nuzzled his lips against her cheek. "By the way, are you ready for your first surprise or gift?" He mumbled against her skin as he quickly changed the subject.

Haley turned her head to look at him as she stopped laughing. "First?" She asked as she slowly turned into a wide smile.

"Well, yeah. This is just a small thing before the actual gift later tonight." He winked and reached into his pocket.

Haley followed his movements with her eyes and got even more curious when she saw what he was holding in his hand.

Nathan smiled when he saw the look on her face. He knew he needed to explain this to her. "Come on, let's head back towards the entrance." He said and took her hand without any further explanation.

"Nathan? What is this for?" Haley asked as she followed him. When they were a few feet away from the door leading in and out of the top level, Nathan halted and faced her as he held up the tiny padlock.

"You see this?" Haley nodded, still not getting it. "Here, take a closer look at it." He said and then gave her the padlock.

Haley held it up close and noticed Nathan's handwriting on it. It said N + H. Always & Forever and today's date.

Once Haley had read the padlock and moved her gaze back at Nathan, he smiled at her. "And now we're going to lock it onto the fence right here, together with the others. That way, everyone will know that we were here on this day. And we will always be a part of the Eiffel Tower."

Haley bit her lip and felt her heart swell. She couldn't believe how sweet he was, and on top of that, how he came up with this in the first place. She would never even have thought of something like this. "This is really sweet, Nathan." She smiled and felt a single tear escape the corner of her eye as they placed the lock onto the fence together.

"Happy anniversary, Hales. I love you."

Haley quickly wiped away the tear with the back of her hand. "I love you too, Nathan." She met his gaze as she leaned in. "Happy anniversary." She whispered right before she connected their lips in a long, tender kiss.


Nathan stepped out of the shower while towel drying his torso. Once he was out of the cubicle, his eyes caught the sight of Haley in front of the sink, applying body lotion to her arms. She had stepped out of the shower a few minutes earlier so she would have enough time to get ready for their dinner that was in about an hour. She had made it clear to him that she wanted to look nice for their anniversary dinner, so he would have to keep his hands off of her until after they got back from the restaurant. She didn't have time for round two, no matter how much they both wanted to.

Nathan halted his ministrations with the towel and walked over to her until he came to stand behind her. When she moved her hands down to her belly, he grabbed the bottle of lotion from the counter top and applied some in his hands. "Here, let me." He spoke low and smiled at her when he met her gaze through the mirror.

Haley didn't even have time to respond before she felt his hands on her skin. He started in slow circles around her belly, making sure he got every little inch of it. It didn't take long before she was lost in the sensation of what he was doing to her. She closed her eyes and leaned her back into his chest. She couldn't help but let out an audible moan when he moved his hands along the curves of her body until he reached her breasts. "Nathan." She whispered and forced her eyes open, only to meet his lustful eyes as he continued to massage her sensitive breasts. And even though it had only been less than ten minutes since their last encounter, she could feel her body starting to crave him again. Especially when he was doing wonders to her breasts while she felt his hardness against her lower back.

"We don't have time…" She trailed off. Her voice was weak as her breathing started to increase with every movement Nathan was doing.

"I want you again." His husky tone made her entire body shiver and caused her to arch her back further into him. "You, Haley James Scott, are pretty hard to resist." He whispered right before his lips connected with the skin on the side of her neck.

Haley leaned her head to the side to give him better access, and moved her hand to the back of his head. Her body was on autopilot right now, and there was nothing she could do to stop this from happening.

"Make it fast." She breathed out when Nathan then trailed his hands down to her hips. Her hands then moved to the edge of the counter top to support herself, while Nathan quickly positioned himself behind her before he eased himself into her, causing both of them to cry out with pleasure.

Nathan didn't waste any time as he started to thrust himself in and out of her. Originally, he hadn't meant for this to happen again right now. He was only supposed to help her with the lotion, something he often did and actually liked doing. It was a nice, intimate moment they shared together. But there was just something about her today. Maybe it was because it was their anniversary or because they were in a foreign, romantic country, or maybe it was both. He didn't know. But then add her naked, pregnant body to it, and he was a goner. It also didn't help the fact that she was in her extreme hormonal state when, at times, she was actually more horny than he was. So it was basically nothing either of them could do, except to simply surrender and let their bodies take control.

"God, Nathan. I'm almost -" Her voice got caught in the back of her throat when he suddenly hit her deep. She gripped the edge of the counter top harder when she felt she was about to reach her peak. She then added one last voluntary clench on the next upstroke, causing Nathan to groan. His heavy breath hit the skin on the back of her shoulder, where he left small, open mouthed kisses every now and then.

"Fuck." Was the last thing she heard, before it all exploded and her body trembled with an intense pleasure. Nathan followed shortly after and stilled his movements and loosened his grip around her waist. They both stayed in that position until their heavy, ragged breaths was somewhat under control. Nathan then placed another lingering kiss at her shoulder blade before he hesitantly pulled himself out of her.

Haley was still trembling when she felt the loss of him as he pulled out of her. She then raised her gaze to the mirror and met Nathan's blue orbs. She gave him a smile before she slowly turned around to face him.

"Are you okay?" Nathan asked and cupped her cheek.

Haley palmed his hand on her cheek and nodded. "Yeah, I'm just gonna need a minute." She sighed. "And you need to stay away from me until after dinner, okay? I can't control my body right now whenever you're around me. It's frustrating." She mock pouted, causing Nathan to laugh out loud.

"I can't help it if I'm too sexy for you." He raised one of his eyebrows and winked at her.

"Oh boo. Just get out of here you, and put some God damn clothes on." She gave him a chaste kiss before she pushed lightly at his chest and motioned for him to go and get ready.


"Are you excited to see Daddy?" Haley cooed at her three month old son as he was laying on the changing table. He flailed his tiny arms around in response and gurgled happily as he now had gotten a clean diaper. "So am I." She smiled at him and picked him up in her arms. She held him to her chest as she walked out of the nursery and down the hall towards the stairs. She had barley started the descend when her phone started to ring. She hurried down and into the kitchen where her phone was. She smiled when she saw who it was and answered immediately.

"I swear to God, Hales, if the guys are not back within the hour, I'm gonna make sure Jake never gets access to this ride ever again!"

Peyton was on the other line, and she was obviously not in a good mood. "Well, hello to you too, Peyton." Haley chuckled. "Glad to hear you're still alive."

"Yeah well, I might just not be if this is going to continue for much longer now."

"I'm sure it'll be any day now. Just try not to think about it too much, even though I know it's hard. And I'm sure the guys will be home any minute according to the last text Nathan sent me." She tried to calm and comfort her best friend as much as she could. But she knew very well, that it didn't really matter what others told her when she was nine months pregnant and more than ready to get the baby out. It was only three months ago since she'd last been there herself, so she understood where Peyton was coming from.

"It was just unecessary of Jake to leave for a week now when the due date is so close." Peyton sighed in the other end. "What if he'd missed it?"

"Tell me about it. Nathan and I actually had a fight about this trip right before he left. It's hard enough with a three month old who's up every two hours, but then there's Lydia and Jamie as well. And Jamie is in that age where he needs to be watched all the time." Haley complained to her friend. "I just wish he could understand how exhausting it is to deal with three children alone for longer periods at a time. I'm tired like all the time, Peyton." She sighed.

"I know, and I'm sorry. I realize now that I have no right to complain. Not even a little bit. You know I would've been there to help you out if I could, right?"

"Yes, but don't even worry about that. I have Joan here a few hours every day, which helps a lot. All you need to think about is taking good care of yourself and my goddaughter."

"Okay, I'll try m-" Peyton stopped mid-sentence and paused for a second. "Oh, Jake is home. Is it okay if we finish this conversation tomorrow? I need to go smack my husband." Peyton joked before they agreed to talk again tomorrow and said their goodbyes.

Haley had just sat down on the couch and was preparing for another feeding round when she heard the front door open. It didn't take long before she saw her husband entering the living room with a bouquet of white lilies and a smile on his handsome face. She felt a tiny flutter in her stomach by the sight of him, like always, and smiled tiredly back at him as he sat down next to them.

"Hi." He put the flowers on the coffee table before he leaned in and pecked her lips when she turned to face him. He then looked down at his son cradled in his wife's arms as he was latched on to her nipple. It really was a beautiful sight. "How are you holding up?" He returned his gaze to Haley. He could see how tired and exhausted she was, and he felt extremely bad about being away from them for an entire week, especially when Haley had expressed to him how she felt about it right before he had to leave.

Haley placed her head on his shoulder and let out a sigh. "We're okay, I guess. We missed you." She whispered and closed her eyes when she felt Nathan place a kiss on her forehead.

"The other two asleep?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah, I managed to get them into bed while William was napping. Jamie tried his best to put up a fight though." She sighed with a tiny chuckle.

"I'm sorry I had to leave, Hales. I know how hard it is for you to be alone with all three of them."

She sat back up and looked at him with tearful eyes. "I need you for this, Nathan. I can't do this alone." The exhaustion and vulnerability in her voice cut through him.

"I know, baby. And I'm going to be home more from now on and help you out. You're not alone in this." He spoke softly as he watched Haley cover herself up once she was done breastfeeding William.

"Are you full, sweetie?" She asked him as she held him up in front of her. "Here, you go to Daddy and burp." She then added and popped a kiss on his cheek before she handed him over to Nathan.

"How's my little Jakey boy doing?" Nathan cooed to his son, who they decided to name after Jake. It hadn't been easy to find a name that fit with Jake as a middle name, but eventually they both agreed on William Jake Scott.

"I really need that to be true, Nathan. I've barley slept since he was born, and I don't know how much more I can take." She had heard this before. The promise that he would be around more and spend less time away. All it was to her was empty promises, and she wasn't sure if he would actually do something about it this time either.

Nathan patted William's back softly while he laid over his shoulder to make him burp. "I promise you, it is. Jake and I talked about it while we were away. And we decided to hire a couple of more pilots to take most of our workload, since Jake is also going to be busy soon with a newborn."

"Really? You have no idea how much I've wanted to hear this." Haley smiled and already felt a little lighter by the thought. If only he'd go through with it.

"Really, Hales. I know I've made promises before that I haven't been able to keep, but we're ready to place an ad tomorrow already, so this time it's going to happen." He reassured her and reached over to wipe away the silent tear that rolled down her cheek.

Haley pulled her lip between her teeth and closed her eyes for a second. "Thank you." She sighed in relief and smiled at him.

Nathan returned her smile and caressed her cheek. "Why don't I put this guy down for the night and you head straight to bed yourself? You need to get as much sleep as you can get. I'll be right in." He said when he saw her let out a long yawn. "Then we'll talk more about this later, okay?" He added as he got up from the couch.

"That sounds amazing actually." Haley yawned again and got up on her feet. "Don't be too long, I don't know how long I can manage to stay awake." She smiled and raised on her tiptoes to place a soft kiss on her sons head. "Sleep tight, baby. I love you so much."

She then turned to Nathan and snaked her arm around his shoulder. She kissed him deeply while her fingers raked through the hair at the back of his head. "I'm serious, don't be too long. I don't want to fall asleep yet another night without you next to me." She whispered when she pulled back.


Upstairs, Haley was curled up in bed, fighting sleep as she waited for Nathan to join her. She had used her time in the bathroom suite to make the time pass so that Nathan would be back before she fell asleep. It usually didn't take long to put William down. He was an easy little, boy, who already loved his sleep. But she figured he'd also wanted to check in on Lydia and Jamie after a week away from them before he joined her, so it would probably take a little longer than it normally did.

Nathan walked over to the bed and noticed Haley curled up close to his pillow with her eyes closed. He climbed under the sheets and leaned over to place a kiss at her temple. "Are you sleeping?" He whispered and placed his head on the pillow, facing her. He didn't want to wake her up in case she was already asleep. He continued watching her and smiled softly to himself. He was so proud of her. The way she handled things around here when he was away, with two toddlers and an infant, amazed him. She was a superwoman. But even superwomen had a limit when it came to sleep, and it looked like Haley had reached hers. He reached over and carefully tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"No…" Her low voice suddenly pulled Nathan out of his thoughts. Her eyes were still closed, but she had a weak smile that accompanied her beautiful, tired face.

Nathan brushed his knuckles over her cheek. "Just go back to sleep." He said in a soothing voice.

"No." She forced her eyes open and connected their gazes. "Not yet. I just want to lay here with you for a moment before I do." She whispered and snuggled herself closer to him so she could lay her head on his chest. She draped her arm across his chest and nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck, as Nathan's arm wrapped around her to hold her close to him.

A tiny shiver went through him as he felt her hot breath against the side of his neck. He turned his head and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "It's good to be back in our bed again." He sighed contentedly and felt Haley cross her leg over his while rubbing her foot up and down his shin.

"Mmmh…talk to me. Tell me something you haven't already told me."

Nathan let out a chuckle at the way she was trying to keep herself awake. He was pretty sure it wouldn't be too long before she was out like a light, but he didn't mind talking to her until she was. "Well, let's see…" He started, raking his mind for a topic of conversation. "Oh yeah. Mom called me earlier today and told me that they're coming to town tomorrow to stay for the weekend. They're going to stay with Lucas and Brooke, but she told me that they're coming here for dinner tomorrow evening. And I'm pretty sure that means the entire gang." Nathan chuckled. His mother had been pretty adamant on the phone about wanting to see her grandchildren, it had obviously been too long since the last time.

"Nathan…" Haley sighed. "I don't think I have enough energy to cook for an entire army right now." She tilted her head up to look at him.

"You don't have to worry about that. Mom told me she would bring everything and do the cooking. She knows that you have enough on your plate with keeping up with the kids. That's why she wanted to do this for us. For you." He smiled down at her.

Haley moved her head closer to him. "Well, in that case, a family dinner tomorrow night sounds great." She smiled back before she closed the remaining gap between them and connected their lips. She moved her lips slowly and tenderly against his for several seconds, simply soaking up the feeling of being so close to him again. That special connection they shared was something she would never grow tired of. And no matter how exhausted she was, or how mad she was at him for being away for longer periods at a time, she would always love the way she felt every single time he came back home to them. It was like she was falling in love with him all over again, and that was something she knew would remain for the rest of their lives together.


AN; I bet you're all pretty shocked that I suddenly decided to post an epilogue for this story when it's been a while since I finished it. But this was an idea that came to me right before the holidays. And I have to say, that it's a miracle that I actually managed to get it done with the limited time and energy I have for writing these days. I even realized as I was writing this last part, that it would've been enough material/ideas to extend it and make a sequel out of it. However, seeing as my life is pretty hectic nowadays, and it porbably won't slow down once I graduate, I just can't commit to another long chapter story - unfortunately. But I'm glad I got around to write this last piece for this story, and I hope you all liked it.

A huge thanks to all my faithful readers and supporters. I always appreciate your kind words!