Haley James Scott was pissed. Actually, pissed was an understatement. She was absolutely furious - and, the longer she stared at the text message from her husband, the fury only worsened.

Hey babe, going out for drinks with the guys after work, so I won't be home 'til later. Love you!

Her fingers were torn between typing a caustic response or throwing the phone across the room in a heated moment of frustration; fortunately, the sane part of her brain won the battle, and Haley decided the best response was no response. Maybe it was slightly immature, but she was going to give Nathan the silent treatment. What good would her words be anyway? Clearly, he had been ignoring her rants for the past week, otherwise, he would have known how exhausted and overwhelmed she'd been feeling and would know to come home to help her out.

But no . . . while he was out having a grand ol' time with his buddies, Haley would have to find time to cook dinner, fold the laundry, help Jamie with his history project, listen to Lydia's endless story about her imaginary friend, and monitor Jackson who had woken up feeling feverish. And, on top of all the daily responsibilities attached to motherhood, Haley was also boggled with an insane amount of paperwork from running not one, but two businesses. Red Bedroom Records signed two new bands this week alone, and the bills for Karen's Cafe just seemed endless at this point.

As much as Haley loved her life - really, she knew just how blessed she was - it didn't help ease any of the pressures. Some days, she considered herself lucky to have gotten through the day without completely crumbling. For the most part, she and Nathan shared the balance well. They made a great team, but lately, Haley couldn't help but feel like she'd been juggling more responsibilities than ever. She was tired - everything was adding up all at once. She needed Nathan, especially tonight. She couldn't do it all alone. It was beyond frustrating - he knew how rough the week had been for her. Shouldn't Haley be the one going out for a drink? The least he could have done was invite her to come, too. They needed a date night. It had been more than a few weeks since they shared quality alone time together (other than their brief morning showers - not that she'd complain about that, though).

Haley scoffed audibly, right there in the kitchen, when she remembered how her husband had been not-so-subtly dropping hints for a fourth baby. Yeah, right. As if they could possibly handle another thing on their plate.

Needing to release some of her pent up frustrations, she aggressively punched the numbers on her phone screen. Haley needed to seriously vent.

"Hey, Haley! How's it going?"

Haley suppressed an eye-roll upon hearing her sister's chirpy and cheerful voice. She guessed Quinn wasn't pissed that Clay was going out for drinks.

"Oh, you know, I'm just about ready to kill my husband," she sarcastically drawled into the phone as she stared into the nearly empty refrigerator. Great, now she had to go food shopping, too.

"Yikes. What'd he do?"

"It's what he's not doing!" Haley exploded. "He thinks he can go out for drinks and forget the two million things we have to do at the house! I mean, does he expect me to do it all?"

"I'm sorry, Hales. Have you tried talking to him about it?"

"Yes! All week," she was well aware of how loud her voice was, but now that she was letting it all out, she could barely control it. "I am so damn tired, Quinn. This week sucked, and I guess I'm just bitter that he gets to go out and leave me with everything."

"So tell him to come home. I'm sure if you asked, he'd do it."

"I shouldn't even have to ask. He should know! I've been complaining all week and it's like he's not even listening." Haley sighed as she leaned against the countertop, pinching her nose with her free hand. The anger began to morph into exhaustion again. Tears started to prick the space behind her eyes.

"That doesn't sound like Nathan," Quinn muttered, "he's usually always ready to dote on you."

"Yeah, I know," Haley sighed, "am I asking for too much? Did I take advantage of him?"

"Absolutely not. He's your husband. This isn't the 1950's either. Responsibility should be shared equally."

"Usually it is. Just, these past few weeks have been more than usual. I don't know why Nathan is doing less."

"Well, Clay did say this month was going to be extra stressful. I think they're getting audited by the state."

"Nathan doesn't seem stressed at all," Haley grumbled. "He always comes home with that stupid smirk of his."

Quinn laughed, "Oh, Hales. Don't even pretend like you don't love that smirk."

Haley smiled spitefully. Quinn was right. No matter how annoyed she was with her husband, there was no denying how much Haley adored his smirk. It was, as Nathan liked to tease her, panty-dropping.

"Ok, fine, but I'm still pissed at him."

"I don't blame you. I'd be mad at Clay, too."

"Why aren't you? He's out, too, right?"

"Yeah, but honestly, I'm glad. I needed space from him. He's been getting on my nerves."

Haley chuckled, "why?"

"He's so overprotective! Now that I'm in the third trimester, he has me on freakin' lockdown all the time."

"Sounds like Nathan," Haley chuckled again. "He thinks we're having another one, but I'm telling you right now it's not happening. All the work will fall on me and I literally can not handle a fouth kid. I'm barely managing with three."

"You say that now," Quinn teased, "but look at mom and dad. They had seven and still somehow made it through. We all turned out fine… except for maybe Taylor."

A laugh filled the air again and any trace of anger slowly seeped from Haley's body, like a balloon releasing helium. Quinn always knew just what to say. "True, but Mom didn't have a job outside of raising us. I'm not saying it was easy, but part of my added stress is from work. It feels like I'm drowning sometimes."

"So maybe you should work less," her sister suggested. "No one said you have to do it all, Hales."

"I can't just, like, quit, Quinny."

"You don't have to, but you are the boss, right? Hire more people to help you. Make an easier schedule for yourself."

"Ugh, I know," Haley groaned, "usually it's fine. Like I said, I just need Nathan's support around the house. I could've really used it tonight."

"Do you want me to come over? I can watch the kids while you get stuff done."

Haley rubbed her neck as she stood over a pot of boiling water, "no, it's okay. Thank you, though. They'll at least distract me from planning Nathan's murder."

"I'm sorry. I'll yell at Clay. Knowing him, it was probably his idea to go out."

"Husbands suck, huh?"

"You got that right," Quinn laughed. "Seriously, call me if you need me. I'm home all night."

"Thanks, sis," Haley smiled as she stirred the pasta in the pot, "I appreciate you listening to me."

"Any time. Love you, bob."

"Love you, too. Bye."

The rest of the night passed in a hazy blur. As expected, Jamie struggled with his history project while Haley tried to entertain Lydia enough to keep her from rambling on and on about whatever her active imagination conjured for the evening. Plus, Jackson was particularly fussy about dinner, even though it was macaroni and cheese. She guessed he inherited his Daddy's sophisticated tastebuds and not hers.

It took another hour and a half to wrestle the kids into baths and bed, but even after they were all asleep, Haley couldn't sit down and drink a bottle of wine like she wanted to. Instead, she tried to simultaneously fold laundry, balance the cafe's checkbook, and wash the dishes from dinner. Her muscles were lagging, and the world seemed to move in slow motion. All she wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep for a week.

It was 9:45 when Nathan strolled through the front door wearing that effortless, care-free grin as if it were a crown - but, at that moment, Haley didn't find it sexy. Instead, it was a painful reminder of her grueling day. Her husband's easy happiness only fueled her bitter attitude towards him.

"Hey, beautiful," Nathan's voice was smooth and casual. At least he wasn't drunk, Haley silently thought.

She took one look at him and turned her back without a trace of emotion or recognition. Yup, silent treatment it was.

"Are you okay?" Nathan walked closer to where she was standing in the living room. Piles of laundry were folded along the couch and coffee table. "You never answered my text."

She stayed silent, choosing to pick up one of Jamie's t-shirts and folding it.

"Hales?" Nathan tentatively reached out to touch her arm, "you're worrying me."

"I'm ignoring you," her response was low and cold, like an icicle dangling close to the ground, ready to snap.

Nathan furrowed his brows, "why?"

Haley couldn't stop the snort from sounding between her lips, "why?" She repeated, finally looking him in the eye with burning fury, "why?! Take a wild guess, Nathan!"

"I- I dunno," he sputtered nervously. He definitely wasn't expecting to walk in on an irate Haley. His wife was scary when she was pissed - it was even worse when he wasn't expecting it.

"Take a look around, Nathan! Do you see all the shit I've had to do while you were out drinking with your work buddies?"

"Hales," he tried to ease with a calming touch to her shoulder but she recoiled quickly.

"No, don't even try to 'Hales' your way out of this one. I am so mad at you right now."

"I'm sorry!" He tried, "why didn't you call me? I would've come home sooner."

"It wasn't just tonight! It's all week. You've done nothing to help me and you know how stressed I've been!" She was a loose cannon now. Her shrill words ricocheted against the walls that Nathan nearly flinched.

"Oh, come on! You can't stand here and tell me I do nothing," Nathan argued. Now he was pissed. There was nothing he hated more than being wrongfully accused of something. "Who drives the kids to school in the morning? Who made their lunches?" He countered, folding his arms across his chest as a method of defense. If she wanted to fight, he'd fight.

"Ok, so you want to keep score?" Haley narrowed her eyes, "that's two damn things. Do you know what I did while you were out all night? Do you know how many things I had to do?"

Nathan pursed his lips. Something inside of him told him it was best to stay quiet - Haley wasn't finished.

"I had to cook dinner, do the laundry, clean the kitchen, help Jamie with homework, make something different for Jackson after he threw a fit, listen to Lydia tell the same story sixteen times, pay the bills … shall I continue?"

Nathan sighed, "I don't know what you want me to say, Haley. We're parents. I'm sorry if you don't like it."

"Jesus, Nathan, don't put words in my mouth! It has nothing to do with that. It's about sharing responsibilities. And lately, I'm having a hard time understanding how you seemed to help me more when you were in the NBA and away for half the year. Now you're home and it's like pulling teeth to get you to do anything around the house."

"What do you want me to do?" He yelled, "just say it and I'll do it! I'm not a fucking mind reader!"

"For starters, it would be nice if you come home after work instead of going out like we're twenty-one again!"

Nathan threw his head back- a sign he was trying to control his boiling anger. "You make it seem like I do that every night! Excuse me for wanting one night out with my friends. I haven't had a guys night in months."

"It could've waited. You know how stressed I've been, or have you not been hearing me all week?"

"Oh, I've heard you, Haley!"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" She put her hands on her hips and stared at him, fire burning in her eyes.

He scowled; the ice in his eyes melted her embers. "It means that you've been nagging and complaining about everything this week and I needed a break from it!"

"That's really great, Nathan. Thank you," she spat sarcastically. "Maybe I wouldn't be such a nagging bitch if you offered to help me with my stress!"

"If you need help, ask me!" He repeated loudly. At this point, it was a miracle their children hadn't woken up. It was as if they were competing in a contest to see who could be louder. "And don't make me feel bad for going out once in a blue moon when you're out to lunch with Brooke or Peyton every other damn day!"

"That's not even close to true!"

"Whatever, Haley. You see your friends a hell of a lot more than I do and I never give you crap for it. Am I not allowed to have a life just because you're stressed?"

Haley scrunched her face with rage, "I don't care if you go out with your friends, Nathan, it's the fact that you chose tonight - when I needed you here. I'm not a single parent; I shouldn't have to do everything by myself."

Nathan threw his hands up in the air, completely fed up with this conversation and how it seemed to be going in circles. "Then why the hell didn't you call me? How was I supposed to know all this?"

"You obviously don't listen. I don't even think you're listening right now! I'm telling you how stressed I am. Either you don't give a shit or you just want to do your own thing all the time, and that's just not fair to me!"

"No, Haley, what's not fair is how you're accusing me of doing nothing. I'm not some fucking dead-beat!"

"I never said you were!" Her nostrils flared but her voice cracked, indicating she was now on the verge of tears.

Nathan wanted to feel bad, but he didn't. She was the one who started it.

"Then why are you always thinking the worst of me?" His voice dropped, no longer a scream, but a cold, emotionless question. It left a chill in the air. Haley almost preferred he yell.
"I don't-" her energy was draining. Her voice was croaking. She wanted this to all be a bad dream. She and Nathan didn't fight often, but when they did, it was never pretty.

"You do," he convicted. "I get you're stressed, Haley, but you know what? I'm pretty pissed off, too. You have no right to say that I don't help you. I do what I can. And you know what? When was the last time you even thanked me for the stuff I did do? It's like… it's just never enough for you!"

"Then I guess you think the worst of me, too, huh?" Haley shook her head slowly, overcome with hurt and disappointment. She couldn't even stand to be in the same room as him any longer.

"I don't get why you're overreacting about everything. I thought you finished PMSing last week," he bit out harshly.

Haley rolled her eyes, "we've been married for fifteen years and now you pull that bullshit line on me? How mature of you."

"Whatever, I'm not gonna stand here and take this," Nathan dug his car keys from his pants and moved towards the front door.

"Right, because you can't stand my nagging," she spat sarcastically, throwing his prior words in his face. "Why don't you go back out with your buddies and drink some more? It's not like you're worried about any responsibility!"

Nathan didn't even bother looking over his shoulder as he called out, "maybe I will!" His words were then punctuated with the slamming of the front door as he stomped to his car, unaware that Haley had thrown the television remote against the wall and now sat inside fighting tears.

He, on the other hand, slammed his fist against the dashboard as he took off driving down their street.

Nathan was beyond annoyed at Haley. He couldn't believe she said he did nothing to help her. Sure, he didn't vacuum or clean the toilets as much as she did, but it's not as if he sat around on his ass while she made him dinner. They had an unspoken rule that he did all the morning chores while she got ready for work. Haley usually got home before him to pick up the kids and get them started on homework, so it was only natural that she did more in the afternoons. If he hadn't gone out, of course he would have helped cook and clean and take care of the kids. But to prevent him from going out ever? That wasn't fair either. She completely attacked him the second he walked inside - and not in the way he would've preferred as so many other times in the past. Nathan couldn't remember the last time Haley was this pissed - and now he couldn't remember the last time he was this mad at her, either.

"Fuck," he yelled. He hated fighting with her. It made him feel like complete shit, but he also knew he couldn't go home yet. He needed time to cool off and clear his head - but first, he was going to call Clay.

"Hey, man, everything ok?" Of course, his business partner picked up on the first ring.

"No," Nathan's voice was hoarse. "Haley and I just got into a huge fight. Can I come over?"

"Uh," Clay hesitated, "Logan and Quinn just fell asleep. Why don't you and I meet at the diner on 6th Street?"

"Sounds good, thanks."

Fifteen minutes later, the former NBA player and sports agent were sitting in a dimly lit diner with only two other patrons. The older waitress greeted them with a sugary smile and poured them each a cup of coffee. Clay stared patiently at Nathan, waiting for him to speak.

"I'm so pissed, man," Nathan exhaled a heavy breath. The weight of the fight rested on his shoulders like the weight of two planets. "Haley said some really hurtful shit."

"What happened?" Clay's bushy eyebrows scrunched together in the middle of his forehead.

"I came home after the bar and she just, like, completely ambushed me, saying I don't do anything around the house and how I don't seem to care or listen to anything. It's total shit!"

"I'm sorry," Clay frowned over the rim of his coffee cup, "that must've been really surprising. Haley doesn't seem like the type to explode like that."

Nathan's shoulders hunched as he sunk down on his side of the booth, "she was stressing all week and I guess I kind of didn't take it as seriously as I should have, but still, she completely overreacted. It's not as if we go out every night. I'm always home for dinner and to help the kids go to bed."

"Maybe she just had a rough day and took it out on you."

Nathan rubbed at the stubble sprouting along the edge of his jaw, "probably, but it's not fair. The way she acted, you would've thought all I do is lay in bed all day."

Clay chuckled, "women are impossible to please sometimes."

"I sorta said that and she freaked out even more," Nathan looked sheepish. He knew he wasn't an angel in this either. He said some things he more than regret. He couldn't imagine how upset Haley must still be.

"James girls, am I right?" Clay tried to ease his friend's mind and smiled when Nathan cracked a grin.

"Can't live with them but can't live without them," Nathan added.

"Exactly."

"Ugh," he groaned again as he slowly dragged his palm over his face. "I'm still so mad at her. I just can't believe she'd say that to me! She's scary when she's stressed. That's part of why I went out tonight, I wanted to avoid this."

"Just give her some more time, I'm sure she'll realize she overreacted."

"I don't know, Clay, Haley's really stubborn."

"If I were you, I'd just go home and do everything on her list so she's happy. Maybe get her a bouquet of those purple flowers that you always buy and spew some shit about 'always and forever'."

Nathan rolled his eyes, "I don't know why everyone thinks that's a joke. It's our thing."

"Look, all I'm saying is, Haley's upset and you're upset. You can stay mad forever, but that's not gonna do anything. You're 'naley'. You'll make up. You always do."

"I shouldn't be the only one to apologize, though. Haley said some really hurtful things to me, too."

"Once she calms down, I bet she'll feel sorry. She hates fighting. Remember when she and Quinn didn't speak for a week?"

Nathan nodded, "I know, it just sucks when your wife thinks the worst of you."

"I'm sure she didn't mean it. You said stuff you didn't mean, too, didn't you?"

He nodded again and grimaced when he remembered his last few words. "I said she was PMSing."

Clay's face mirrored Nathan's disgust, "you didn't."

"I did. And now I feel like a dick."

"That probably didn't help your case, dude."

"I know, but I was so mad! She was acting ridiculous and I was completely caught off-guard."

"So you both need to apologize," Clay stated. It wasn't a question, but rather a firm piece of advice.

"Pretty much. But I'm not ready, though. I need more time. I need her to realize that I'm not a dead-beat."

"She knows you're not. As you said, Haley's just stressed and taking it out on you. Maybe start to pull a little more weight if you can, otherwise, she needs to reevaluate her schedule or something."

Nathan nodded. Something definitely needed to change. Haley couldn't keep being this stressed. Of course, he'd be willing to do more, but she needed to clearly communicate it with him before things got out of hand. They were usually on par with communicating their needs, but Haley always tried to be Superwoman and forgets that even she needs a break sometimes - she can't do it all.

"Thanks, Clay. I better get home. I don't want to be even more in the dog-house than I already am."

"Good luck," Clay grinned. "Let me know how everything goes tomorrow."

Nathan nodded and pulled him in for a quick hug, "I will, thanks."

When he got home, all the lights were off. Nathan wasn't sure if that was a good or bad sign. He was half-expecting Haley to be in their kitchen cleaning all of their drawers - something she always does when she's upset about something. Or maybe she was planning his murder somewhere. Either way, he wasn't sure what he would find.

Before going into his own room, Nathan poked his head in each of his kids' rooms. He couldn't help but smile when they were all peacefully asleep. He loved them more than he ever thought was possible. The kids and Haley were his whole world - without them, he'd be nothing.

He finally reached the master bedroom and tentatively pushed open the door. Haley's back was facing him, but it looked as if she were asleep. A very small smile crept over his lips when he noticed she was wearing one of his old t-shirts. Maybe it was a good sign…

As he started to undress, he heard a very faint whimpering sound. At first, Nathan thought he was imagining it, but it soon got louder. There was no mistaking it. Haley was crying.

"Hales?" He turned back towards the bed and crept towards her. Sure enough, a stray tear was rolling down her cheek as she opened her big brown eyes. "God, I know you're upset but please don't cry," Nathanbegged softly. He hated it when she cried. It physically hurt his heart - it was even worse when the kids cried. The ache was unbearable.

"Are you mad at me?" She sniffled. Her small frame looked so tiny under the heap of blankets wrapped around her body.

"Yeah, a little," Nathan admitted.

"I'm mad at you, too."

"I know," another hint of a smile traced his lips and Haley wiped away her tears.

"I was worried you weren't going to come home."

"Hales," Nathan sighed tiredly, "you know I could never leave you." He sat at the edge of her side of the bed and gently took a hold of her hand.

She sniffled again, "fighting with you always reminds me just how much I can't and don't want to live without you. I'd be a horrible single mom."

Nathan chuckled lowly. A sliver of moonlight crept through the curtains and framed Haley's face so beautifully. Even when red, puffy eyes, she was breathtaking. "I'd be even worse as a single dad."

"You'd be fine," Haley allowed a smile to paint over her lips, "you're a wonderful father and a wonderful husband. I'm sorry if I made you feel like you weren't."

"I need to do more," Nathan agreed, "but you also need to talk to me before you get to this point. I don't want you to burn out, baby, but you gotta be direct with me. Whatever it is you need me to do, tell me, otherwise, I don't know."

Haley nodded and slowly started to sit up in bed. "You're right. I try to do it all and then get upset when I can't."

"You do so much, Hales. I appreciate it more than you'll ever know. But I'm here and you're never going to have to do it alone. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere, ok?"

She nodded as her eyes bore into his. They didn't need to say the words. They felt it. There was nothing but love between them.

"I'm sorry I don't thank you enough, either. I know you do a lot for us. I really didn't mean to imply that you don't do anything. I was just upset that you were out tonight. Next time, I'll call you."

"Why didn't you?" He asked softly. He didn't want to start another fight and knew treading lightly was the best course of action.

"I don't know. I was hoping you would have just known to come home and save the day. Sometimes I expect too much from you and that's not fair. You were right, you're not a mindreader and I shouldn't blame you for that."

Nathan nodded, "I would have come home. If I didn't, then I'd be more understanding of why you were so upset."

"I overreacted."

"Not really. You're stressed out. I'm sorry I didn't do more."

"I can't blame you. It's mostly on me. I always bite off more than I can chew. I forget how much support I have and I forget to use it."

"I'm not going to lie to you, Haley, what you said when I came home was really hurtful."

"I know," she bit her lip, "I'm sorry. I know it's not an excuse but I was just so frustrated and needed to take it out on someone. It's been a shitty week."

He cleared his throat, "I said some shitty things, too. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disrespect you."

"I'd say it's okay, but it's not," she teased, "don't say things like that again."

"I'll try not to," he smiled. "I'm sorry."

She rested her palm against his cheek, "you were just being honest. I did nag you a lot this week. And for the record, I definitely don't think the worst of you or that you're a deadbeat."

"I don't want you to ever think that. It would kill me."

"I know," she nodded, "it's not true at all. And I understand why you're upset."

Nathan never cared about what others thought of him - except when it came to Haley. He always wanted her to think the best of him because she was one of the first and few people to ever do so. Haley knew that; so it wasn't a surprise why Nathan freaked out. If she doubted him, then he'd start to doubt himself too.

"You should go out with your friends tomorrow," Nathan suggested. "It's only fair, seeing as I went out tonight."

"I'd rather spend the day with you," she grinned coyly.

"We can clean the house together."

"That sounds sexy," Haley licked her lips before laughing.

"It's a date, then."
"I really do love you, Nathan Scott."

"I love you, too, Haley James Scott."

"Can we kiss and make up now, please?"

Nathan smirked, "I thought you'd never ask."

Their lips met softly at first, then moved together to burn all the pent up tension. And it wasn't just their lips, but their bodies. They did more than simply kiss and make up.