As implied by the working title "Destinations" and the longer, "artistic" version, sometimes things need an endpoint, Mark Schwahn. Like—and I'm not speaking from personal experience—the journey to the North Pole is probably cold, bitter, damaging, unending, mind numbing, and physically painful until you actually get to the North Pole. Payoff is what motivates people. So if you read this last chapter of fluff, an epilogue of sorts, you will be paid in seeing your two (most likely) favorite characters experience all their dreams come true (No, that's not a spoiler. This fanfic has been an abuse of the term "fluff". Happily ever after was never not in the cards.). That's why we sat through years of me writing this thing, right? Do people title epilogues?

Epilogue: Golden

"Okay, so do you think I could just start telling people were engaged?"

Nathan looked up from the TV and dropped the remote from where it'd been hovering in the air as he channel surfed. An eyebrow rose at his girlfriend's chosen method of greeting and he immediately stood to help when he saw the wrapped frames she was tugging inside the door.

"We don't actually need to be. I'm just really sick of all the looks I'm getting whenever people beat the reason I go here out of me. Normally, it's a mix of 'oh you poor naïve thing' and 'how stupid are you' but the weirdest response, by far, was the person who assumed my parents were fame-whoring me out to you. Which I wouldn't put it entirely past Mom and Dad but who actually says these kinds of things out loud?"

Her ramble went in one ear and out the other as he hoisted the frames inside. He really had no clue how she managed even to lift them out of her car. "What are these?"

"Oh. Your crap. Crap to go on our walls. You know what I mean," she waved offhandedly. Rather than explain, Haley ripped the protective paper off one of the frames and gave a Ta-dah! pose. "See? Crap to go on the walls."

And by crap, she meant framed collages of his basketball photos that she and Deb had meticulously organized while he was away on a team visit. Then there were the framed jerseys of every team he'd ever played for, dating back to his days on the Junior league. It'd been a struggle for Dan to relinquish them but he would be glad to know it was worth the look on Nathan's face.

Nathan grabbed her in a tight hug, lifting her to his height. "Thanks, baby," he murmured, pressing his lips to hers.

Haley immediately reciprocated and smiled wide, "You're welcome, baby." She smacked her lips against his once more before wiggling to her feet. He watched amused as she threw her bag to the side and headed for the storage closet. "Come on, get a hammer and let's get these up. I know exactly where each one is going."

"Of course you do," he chuckled easily, "Hales, I don't think we own a hammer."

She frowned as she exited the nearly empty closet. "Right, you're kind of useless with that stuff." Her eyes rolled at his slightly offended expression but she had been understating the truth.

There was a reason she'd spent the summer arranging furniture deliveries and the like for their townhouse. Well, his technically, but he and everyone else called what was his theirs and she'd gotten used to it. After all, it was closer to the university since the neighborhoods around the campus were a little nicer and neither of them knew the first thing about living in a downtown/city environment.

"You're in a good mood. You know, for being belittled and called a famewhore and everything," he added, amused when her nose scrunched in disgust. "Anything good happen today? Other than you having a full day of classes because you're a huge nerd who chose to go to more school after finishing college." Nathan smirked at her equally insulted face before laughing.

"I've always been like this, mister. You knew exactly what you were getting into when you started dating me. It's not my fault you didn't end up with some soul-sucking supermodel or the like," she muttered, ignoring his hand and dropping onto the opposite side of the couch.

Nathan reached over and dragged her feet into his lap, letting out a deep chuckle, "Well, as long as she can su—"

"Hey!" she cut in quickly. The glare came easily even as he dissolved into laughter and couldn't finish his words.

He pulled himself together and finally maneuvered the rest of her next to him, "Don't worry, baby, nobody takes care of me like you do." Paying heed to her 'cut it out' expression, he sighed exaggeratedly, "What happened?"

Immediately, a grin lit up her face. He half-expected her to start bouncing and clapping her hands. "The library smells the same!" Haley sighed when his expression went from one of faked happiness to absolute confusion. "The same as OU's and Wake's and Tree Hill's," she explained, head falling to the back of the couch when she still got nothing from him.

"Don't they all smell the same? Like old books and dust?" Nathan questioned with a grimace.

"Okay, boy who just needs a basketball and a hoop to feel at home anywhere," Haley muttered disparagingly as something close to realization flickered across his face. "It's just something that's...comforting I guess."

"The library smelling the same makes you feel better about being away from home?" he tried unsurely, each word sounding more hesitant than the last.

Haley rolled her eyes before grabbing his chin and pushing a kiss to his lips. "No, dummy, you're my home," she sighed, smiling lightly at his smile. "It was a pleasant surprise. Considering how much time I'm going to be spending there."

"Oh right," Nathan murmured, "I never did understand your—well, and Luke's—fascination with libraries."

"Yeah, and I never understood your—well, and Luke's—fascination with basketball," Haley mocked back easily, squealing when he merely tickled her. "And you said you understood about libraries that one time."

Nathan was quick to smirk, "You mean that one time when we couldn't get more than a minute alone and then went to the library and got in a good hour of uninterrupted making out. You're wondering why I said I liked the library after that?"

"You're a little perverted today," Haley noted calmly with a small scoff.

"You and the library. You studying. It inspires some sexy thoughts," his smirk grew at the imagery even as she pinched him, rolled her eyes, and scoffed at him. "Multitasker," he accused with a laugh.

Haley pressed a quick kiss to his lips, "That's the nicest thing you've said to me in days. Anyway, you playing basketball? Better yet, you playing basketball shirtless? That's sexy times. Yet somehow me studying in a place that smells like old books and dust is sexy to you?"

He gave a shrug, "Definitely. Somehow, with you, it all fits. You found my weak spot early. I don't think I would have known if you hadn't shown me the light. All the other—" Nathan hurriedly closed his mouth and glanced around the room innocently, as if he hadn't started saying anything else.

Haley bit back the grin and pulled out the disapproving frown. He was just asking for it. "Like I need the reminder that I have all your groupies to contend with. Stupid California bleach blondes. You wouldn't think there aren't that many at Stanford but I encountered a good number who were being jealous hussies."

Ignoring the bait, Nathan shrugged and simply said, "You used to be blonde."

"Is that supposed to be a hint?" Her voice had an edge to it and his safe, peaceful expression dropped off.

"A hint that you used to be blonde? Sure. Hell, you're a natural blonde, too. I've seen the baby pictures. You've got to be the only girl I know who actually dyes her hair dark," he shut his mouth and chanced a glance at her expression.

Haley merely raised an eyebrow delicately.

Nathan sighed, pressing a kiss to her aforementioned hair. "I just mean for a girl who isn't very girly, you're really picky about your hair."

"Things you find hypocritical about your girlfriend. Nice." Haley almost chuckled out loud. His 'oh shit' expression was nothing short of hilarious and had been for this entire tangent.

"My fiancée. That is what you plan on telling people right? How's that going to work?" he questioned quickly. The earlier confidence of being able to match Haley's comebacks wore off sooner than he expected.

She opened her mouth to respond before closing it and leveling him with a look. "You almost pulled that off," Haley marveled with a chuckle. "Don't worry I know I'm being ridiculous, but it's just so much fun when you're the one sticking your foot in your mouth. By the way, the plan started and ended with the inevitable question "So why'd you choose this graduate program?" and me responding with "Oh you know Golden State Warrior Nathan Scott? Yes, the one who was traded from Oklahoma City. He's my fiancé." And some variation of "In your face! What now!""

Nathan quickly stifled a laugh, "Glad to know you're that excited about me being your fiancé."

"Of course, I plan on it being in my life's Top Ten moments," Haley retorted with a smile. "Better bring out the big guns, mister."

"I'll keep that in mind," he grinned and thought for a moment, "You realize to pull this off you're going to need a ring?"

"Oh yeah," Haley frowned before holding out her right hand, "I can use this one. And this way I won't be lying if I just say you gave me this." She glanced down fondly on the ring he'd given her while she'd been abroad.

Shaking his head, Nathan protested, "No, no way. What did I already say about that ring, Haley?"

"Oh come on. It's not like you're actually proposing with it. And I like this ring," she raised her eyebrows in defiance and waited for his response.

"Well, yeah I know you do, but people are going to think I'm cheap. That's not the ring a NBA player gets for the woman he's going to marry. Come on, Hales," he whined needlessly. Even he knew it was a weak excuse. It didn't matter how much the thing was or wasn't going to set him back as long as she loved it.

Haley managed to both sigh and laugh at him, "It's a hypothetical situation, Nathan. Besides it's not like I have anything more expensive to use. In case you haven't noticed, I don't own much jewelry and most of what I do have, you've given to me so I don't really know what you want me to do about that."

Shifting her off his lap, he pulled them to their feet. "Wait a minute, I saw something in your drawer the other day." Haley could only follow as he wandered into their bedroom, trampling over the wrapping from the frames.

"Well, whatever it was, it's probably the equivalent of costume jewelry," she pointed out, leaning against the doorway to watch him search.

Nathan struggled for a moment, his large hands scrunched in the small bedside drawer. "Here it is," he proclaimed, pulling out a box she'd never seen before and handing it to her.

Haley eyed him suspiciously as she uncrossed her arms to take it from him. His smile stretched wide when she began to ease the box open. "Will this work?" he arched an expectant eyebrow, grunting slightly when she tackled him to the ground.

"Yes!"

Her grip on the box was lost while they kissed furiously. "Hey," Nathan panted, sometime after she'd worked his shirt off. "What about the ring? Aren't you excited for it?"

"No, I'm excited about marrying you. Though I can't really believe you hid my engagement ring in my drawer," Haley replied matter-of-fact, but she stretched over to where it'd been knocked under the bed. "Since you asked..." she trailed off, slipping the ring and its sizable adornment onto her finger.

They both stared for a moment, letting the feeling that everything had changed sink in. "Top Ten?" Nathan asked with a knowing smirk.

Haley beamed back at him, thumb rubbing over the unfamiliar but welcome metal against the palm side of her finger. "Definitely. Somehow, with you, it all fits."