Nathan folded his hands together uncomfortably looking to his right and to his left. On his right, Lucas was shaking his leg nervously. And on his left, Haley had her arms folded tightly against her body. The three of them were crammed on the tiny loveseat in Karen's house. Brooke was helping Karen in the kitchen, and Jamie was outside with Keith learning how to grill steaks.

"So…" Nathan started off awkwardly, trying to get a conversation started.

"I don't know what she expects from me."

Haley whipped her head towards Lucas, narrowing her eyes at him, "Excuse me?"

Lucas turned his body towards Haley, looking across Nathan.

"It's not like I cheated on you Haley, and besides, a guy can't make a mistake once in a while?"

"Once in a while? Lucas I thought I knew the kind of person you were. I thought you were the kind of person that I could trust with my best friend. I was her Maid of Honor at your wedding because I thought you were going to love her the way she deserved to be love. If you wanted out of the marriage there was definitely a better way to do it. Not cheat on her with one of her best friends and then leave her. So no Lucas, you did not cheat on me. You just lied to me and you're acting like it's not a big deal, when it is."

"A better way to do it? Like… I don't know… telling my wife I don't love her and then walking away from her because her dad threatened me?"

Nathan put his hands up in defense, "Hey! Lucas, that's not fair."

"This is exactly what I'm talking about, Lucas! Just accept the fact that you did a shitty thing to an awesome person and own up to it! Stop trying to fight with everyone because they're telling you the truth."

"Brooke is not an awesome person. She works crazy hours, barely has time for me, and I did try to get a divorce! Me and Peyton going public was not the first choice."

"But you did it, didn't you? You couldn't talked to Brooke about it? Tell her you were unhappy? That was really so hard for you, Lucas? You just slapped divorce papers in her face with no warning and expected her to sign them because you told her to."

Lucas ran a frustrated hand through his hair as he began to get flustered. Nathan stood up, pulling Haley with him and looked down at Lucas, "We're going into the kitchen with Karen and Brooke. Please just stay out here."

Lucas nodded his head while Nathan pulled a reluctant Haley into the kitchen, "Why do we have to leave? It was just getting good!"

Brooke and Karen stopped what they were doing as the pair entered the room. Nathan rolled his eyes and gave Haley a look of disbelief.

"Haley, we can't be yelling at him like that in this house."

"Why not? Apparently I can't yell at him in the food court, so where can I yell at him, Master Nathan?"

Haley put her hands on her hips as she stared up at Nathan. She was getting frustrated with the situation. She had things to say to Lucas, but no one was letting her say them. A part of her knew that the anger and the yelling were never going to fix the problem, but she also knew that Lucas needed to hear these things and to understand the seriousness of his actions.

"This is his mother's house, Haley."

"So what you're saying is if I want to yell at him, I have to invite him over to my house?"

"Haley-."

"No! He needs to hear these things! He's self-righteous and doesn't seem to grasp that he really fucked Brooke over. He's a meanie head and Brooke's my best friend. She didn't deserve that and he doesn't deserve to be happier than her right now."

Brooke grabbed Haley's arm, forcing her to look at her. She could see the fire in Haley's eyes and that made her full of happiness. Haley had been her best friend since she had stumbled onto Duke's campus so many years ago. Brooke couldn't be mad at Haley for defending her, she had slapped Nathan and pushed him against a wall when she found out about what he had done to Haley. But Haley needed to know that Brooke wasn't miserable.

"Haley, I'm okay."

"How can you say that? I know what it's like when someone leaves you and it tears you apart! I just don't…"

Nathan felt his heart break as he watched the two. He never thought of it that way. He never realized that Haley had been in Brooke's shoes. But Brooke just smiled at her best friend.

"But there's a big difference in Lucas leaving me and Nathan leaving you."

"What? Because I was pregnant? That doesn't make it different! He promised you forever, Brooke!"

"But we weren't meant-to-be, Hales. Me and Lucas were friends who took the wrong path into romance. It happens, and I'm going to be okay. But you and Nathan… well, you two are two friends who took the extremely bumpy, but extremely right path into romance. The two of you are meant to be together. I'm hurt now, but I know that I'll be okay."

Haley's eyes filled up with tears as she listened to Brooke. Brooke pulled her into a hug and rubbed her back. She smiled over at Nathan who had a goofy smile on his face as he thought about what she said. Brooke rolled her eyes and told him not to let it get to his head, and that he still had a lot of work today.

Before anyone had anything else to say, Keith and Jaime came bouncing into the kitchen. Jaime held up his fists and yelled, "We have steaks!"

The adults in the room laughed at the young boy. Brooke pulled back from Haley, giving her a squeeze before she walked over to Jaime, picking him up. Nathan pulled Haley into his side and kissed the top of her head.

Haley groaned as she tried to close her suitcase, "Nathan!"

Nathan walked back into the master bedroom and chuckled at Haley's suitcase dilemma. He pointed to the packed-full, still opened suitcase, "How does this even happen?"

Haley rolled eyes and fell backwards on the bed, "That stupid shopping trip with Brooke! Plus it was already pretty tightly packed when we came up here."

"We were only coming for four days, why did you need such a big bag?" Nathan walked closer to the bed, pushing down on the suitcase trying to get it shut.

"Nathan, I am a girl and a musician. People follow me around all the time… I have to look good all the time, trust me it's stressful."

"I'm famous… people follow me around all the time too, but brought that small duffle bag."

Haley rolled eyes and smiled, "But you're an athlete… no one cares what you wear unless you're on the red carpet. Plus my best friend is Brooke Davis… if I tried to wear sweats in public, I think she'd have a heart attack."

Nathan chuckled, "That's probably true. How have you gotten on without me all of these years?"

"It's been… pretty rough…" Haley looked at Nathan in seriousness, "I'm glad I have someone to close my suitcase. And I'm really glad I have you back in my life."

Nathan smiled over at her and held out his hand. She slipped her hand into his and he pulled her up so she was standing in front of him. Nathan wrapped his arms around Haley, placing his hands at the small of her back, "I'm sorry we were a part for so long. I love you Haley James."

"I love you too, Nathan Scott."

Before they could talk any further, they heard a loud knock at the door before a bubbly brunette's voice float through the apartment.

"Where's my favorite Scott boy?"

Jaime ran into the living room to greet his Aunt Brooke. Brooke sat her bag down next to the door and picked up Jaime in her arms. She waved hello to Nathan and Haley when they walked into the room, "Are y'all about ready to head back to New York?"

Haley groaned before looking around the apartment, "I wish we didn't have to go. I love Tree Hill. I mean I know y'all grew up here, but I just…I feel so at home here! More at home than I ever did in Honey Grove, but then again that could just be because I'm with the people that mean the most to me."

"Me Momma?"

Jaime gave Haley the signature Scott smirk and Haley rolled her eyes when Nathan started to laugh, "Yes, you Jimmy Jam."

"Hey Hales?"

"Yes, Brookie?

"Are you happy?"

Haley looked back at Brooke. The two were in the car alone while Jaime and Nathan put gas in the car and used the bathroom in the convenience store. She smiled at Brooke and nodded her head, "I'm so happy. You know, after Nathan left me I never thought I was gonna be this happy again. I mean I figured I would find someone who made me happy and most likely loved me, but I knew I would never love or be loved the way I loved Nathan and he loved me."

"I want that."

Haley turned back to Brooke and grabbed her hand, giving her a soft smile, "You will find it. You will find someone who makes your world turn."

The car door opened suddenly and Jaime jumped in the backseat with Brooke, "Momma! Daddy bought me some Doritos and a Mountain Dew!"

Jaime held up the snacks and Haley's eyebrows shot up as she looked behind him at Nathan, "Seriously?"

Nathan shrugged his shoulders, "What? It's a road trip, I thought he'd have some fun."

Haley bit her lip and shrugged her shoulders too, "I guess this one time is okay."

Nathan shut Jaime's door and started walking around to the driver's side. Before he opened the door, Brooke leaned forward and whispered in Haley's ear, "He called him Daddy."

Haley smiled at her and then gave Nathan a big grin when he slid into the driver's seat. He looked at her confused, and she just kept smiling, "I am so happy."

"I'm happy too Haley James, and I love you so much."

Brooke pushed her buggy down the aisle of the grocery store. Once she got to New York, all of the models and the famous people that surrounded her told her that famous people didn't grocery shop. Firstly, she didn't believe that could be true. And secondly, she found a lot of solace and comfort in grocery shopping. She wore jeans, a Haley Scott concert tee, sandals, and a baseball cap to disguise her appearance.

She might have disclosed to Haley that she was going to be fine, and she really did believe that. But right now she was aching. She put all of her eggs in one basket, so to speak. She really thought her and Lucas were going to have forever. They were passionate. They had so much fire between them when they were younger. Sure, the past couple of years felt different. They didn't make an effort to see each other or make time for each other. Their schedule's got so busy and so hectic, it was just easier to say… eventually. Eventually we'll go out on a date. Eventually we'll talk about kids. Eventually we'll spend time together. And then eventually we'll have sex. When Lucas plopped the divorce papers in front of her, she felt her heart stop. She didn't know how things had gotten to this point. She figured he would have said something. A part of her wanted to know how long he and Peyton had been flirting. A part of her wanted to know exactly what happened between them. All of the nitty-gritty details. How someone she trusted could betray her that way.

Brooke was so engrossed in her thoughts about Lucas she didn't notice someone pull out in front of her. The buggies collided and Brooke felt her face flame up. She didn't normally blush, but she knew that this happened because she wasn't paying attention. Brooke lifted her head and was met with a very attractive man. She apologized profusely and he just gave her an adorable crooked grin.

"Don't worry about it. I, uh, sort of did it on purpose."

Brooke scrunched her eyebrows and cocked her head to the side, "I'm sorry? What do you mean?"

He awkwardly laughed, "Well, we've past each other in a couple of aisles. The baking aisle, the bread aisle, the cereal aisle… Anyway, I've been wanting to say something to you, but you were extremely deep in thought. I didn't want to disrupt."

Brooke still didn't seem to comprehend, "I still don't understand."

He grinned at her, "I wanted to ask for your number."

Her face flared up an even darker shade of red. She hadn't even realized someone was checking her out and she didn't realize someone was hitting on her. It had been so long since someone had paid her any attention, romantically that is. She let out an uncomfortable laugh and then smiled up at him.

"I didn't… I didn't realize, I'm sorry. I'm Brooke."

She extended her hand to him and he reached over placing his hand in hers. Brooke felt her breath catch in her throat at the electricity she felt between them. She stared at their hands, still locked together, before glancing up at him and realizing he had felt it too.

"My name's Julian. Julian Baker."

She pulled her hand back and smiled at him, "Well I'm flattered, Mr. Julian Baker, but I'm just getting out of really complicated relationship… I'm just not interested."

He nodded his head, "Well I'd be lying if I said I didn't recognize you and that I knew a little about your situation, at least what's been told to the public. But I also know that I'd be kicking myself if I didn't introduce myself to you."

Brooke pursed her lips together, 'Great. Someone else trying to milk on the fame. It's going to be so difficult to date not trusting anyone' she thought to herself. Julian must have read her mind because he waved his hands dismissively.

"We run in similar circles, Brooke. I'm not stalking you, I'm not trying to gain anything from your fame. I'm just not great at introducing myself to pretty, successful women. I know you're going through a difficult time, and I just didn't want to lie to you. You would've found out eventually that I knew who you were… I'm just trying to be open."

Brooke felt her lips twitch upwards into a smile, "How do you know I would've found out?"

Julian grinned at her, reaching in his back pocket, pulling out a business card and a pen, quickly scribbling a note on the back. "Because you, Brooke Davis, are going to go out on a date with me. When you're ready, of course."

Brooke clutched the business card in her hand and smiled at the man and watched him walk away. She turned the card over, breaking out into a big grin when she read the scribbled note, "For when you're ready…"

"So should we go with Barbara, Rolling Stone, The View, or…"

"Sports Illustrated?"

Haley gave the man sitting at the island in her kitchen an incredulous look, "Be serious, Nathan."

"Why would I not be serious?"

"Sports Illustrated? They're more concerned with the number of baskets you made during your last game than our torrid past."

"Torrid? Seriously, Hales?"

Haley shrugged her shoulders as she looked down at all of the pieces of paper. They had been offered tons of interview requests and had been instructed, by both agents and managers, to choose an interview. Jimmy had cleared the air for them and given them a little time, but it wouldn't be long before someone traveled to their respective home towns and found out information.

"Daddy!"

Jaime sprung himself into his father's lap, holding a small, miniature basketball. He held it up to his dad, expectantly, "Want to come outside and play with me?"

Nathan let out a big grin. Since they had come back from Tree Hill, things had been peaceful. Nathan, Jamie, and Haley had settled into a comfortable rhythm. Nathan would go to practice in the mornings, Haley would go to the recording studio, one of them would drop Jaime off and pick him up, and then they would all return home for dinner. Nathan's last regular season game was tomorrow night and he was really excited about having everyone there. Haley, Jaime, Brooke, Quinn, Clay, the whole gang. Nathan hadn't spoken to Lucas since they got back to New York. Practice was tense, but he really didn't care. Nathan might have told Haley to back off of Lucas and tell her that it was his life, but he was mad. He was mad at Lucas. It was no secret that Nathan was… adventurous and less than faithful to his wife, but this was different. Lucas lied to him. Nathan asked him over and over again what was wrong, and Lucas ignored him. He knew him and Lucas were going to come to blows sooner or later, but he hoped it would be after tomorrow night.

Author's Note: I know I've been MIA for a long time. Just had a lot going on. I've got two chapters and an epilogue left for this story and then it's over! If you're still reading, thanks!