It was Lucas and Lindsay's bachelor and bachelorette party. They made a joining one so Claudia and Nathan could finally talk again, it had been a week since they last spoke. Nathan missed his wife so much. It was killing him. Claudia hated how her children were suffering from this. Jamie was upset all the time and Grace wasn't speaking to anyone. 

"So, look, Nate, um, about this party... I gotta tell you, I feel bad... Claudia's inside." Nathan confessed and Nathan nodded his head.

"I figured." Nathan replied and Lucas raised a brow at him.

"You did?" Lucas asked confused.

"Yeah. You always meddle, Luke. It's what you do. You're just lucky I miss my wife." Nathan explained as they walked to the front door. They reached it and Nathan looked at it. He was nervous about seeing his wife. "You believe this? Ringing the bell at my own house." Nathan sighed and little did he know that Claudia heard the whole thing from the other side. She opened up the door before he could ring the doorbell. 

"Shouldn't have kissed the nanny then." Claudia stated sternly and Nathan felt so awkward. "Hello." She over smiled sarcastically. 

"Hey." Nathan awkwardly, Claudia kind of liked seeing him squirm, made her feel better. Childish, right?

___

(Outfit and Hair)

"Claudia.. I'm sorry, all right?" Nathan called and Claudia turned around to face him. Nathan couldn't believe how beautiful his wife looked. "This was not my idea. Um, I can go if you want me to." Nathan said awkwardly, however, he didn't want to go. He wanted to speak to his wife, he wanted to at least look at his wife. 

"No stay. This is for Lucas and Lindsay. The kids miss you a lot. We need to talk anyway." Claudia explained smiling weakly as Skills and the boys walked in with the Scott Twins. They had ballon hats and everything. Jamie and Grace grinned at their dad.

"Daddy!" Grace exclaimed as she and her brother ran to their dad. 

"There they are!" Nathan shouted as he hugged his children who were wearing ballon hats and holding cotton candy. Claudia smiled as she watched them.

"Can you, me, Gracie and mommy all play rock band?" Jamie asked excitably. 

"Yeah, sure, we can." Nathan smiled 

"I would play but I would school you all. So it's better if I don't play." Claudia grinned at her children before she tickled James tummy. "We'll talk later. You should play with them. They miss you." Claudia said to Nathan before she walked away. 

"Was that cotton candy?" Nathan asked as bent down so he was eye level with his children. Grace nodded her head before she ate a bit. "Nice." Nathan smirked, before he watched Claudia. He missed her so so much.

___

Claudia and Nathan were in the kitchen together, Lucas made sure that he checked the room for knifes incase Claudia got angry- obviously it was a joke. Claudia did not find it amusing.

"You, uh, got a little something." Nathan laughed as he tried to wipe the chocolate off of the side of Claudia's face. Claudia took a step back. 

"Oh. oh, I got it." Claudia muttered as she wiped it off herself. 

"Sorry... Just, uh, thought you were actually happy to see me." Nathan admitted awkwardly and Claudia placed her food beside her on the counter. 

"I am happy to see you, of course I am. "What do you want me to do? Kiss you? Tell you how much I love you?" Claudia asked frantically and Nathan stayed quiet. "Nathan surely me speaking to you tell you I am happy to see you. It has been a while." Claudia smiled a little. She loved him with every bone in her body. 

"Mommy! daddy! Let's play rock band." Jamie exclaimed as he ran over to his family, Grace was sitting speaking to Haley and looking at Lydia, Haley's child.

"Not right now, sweetie." Claudia smiled down at Jamie before she looked at Nathan. "I am happy to see you. It's just tonight's about Lucas and Lindsey and not us and..." Claudia explained as Jamie pulled on her dress. "Yes, Jamie. what?" Claudia asked fed up. Nathan could see that she was stressed out and tired.

"I want to play rock band." Jamie demanded and Claudia sighed a little. 

"Well, go play, then, sweetie. Go on." Claudia smiled a little before she walked off. She hated being the bad guy, it made her feel terrible. She just wasn't in the mood for acting like one big happy family. She would have been lying to herself. 

"I meant all of us." Jamie sighed upset and Nathan rested a hand on Jamie's shoulder.

"I know. Maybe later, okay?" Nathan smiled before he walked away in the opposite direction. Jamie was so upset and sad.

___

"Hey. Look, I hope you don't feel too slighted by the setup." Lucas said as he walked over to his best friend who was sitting alone at the kitchen counter. 

"To be honest, I kind of expected it from you guys... "you" being, uh... you and Lindsey. Your hearts were in the right place, though. You picked the right person to spend the rest of your life with, Luke." Claudia explained, she was upset with Nathan and I was acting all depressed around Lucas.

"So did you." Lucas stated as he pointed his head in Nathan's direction. Claudia turned around to face Nathan. She walked up to Nathan.

"Hey." She smiled as she stood their awkwardly. "You know a picture lasts longer." Claudia joked and Nathan laughed a little.

"How do you joke at a time like this?" Nathan asked and Claudia just shrugged. 

"It makes me less angry I guess." Claudia said and Nathan looked at her upset.

"Look, I just wanted to say I'm sorry." Nathan admitted and Claudia didn't know what to do.

"Aren't you tired of that?" Claudia asked seriously. "You shouldn't have to apologize for who you are, not anymore. I've been thinking a lot this week. And I knew who you were when I married you, and what I've realized is that it's really not fair." Claudia explained as she ran her fingers through her hair nervously.

"What are you saying?" Nathan asked, he wasn't following along.

"I'm saying that it was wrong of me... to try and change you. I'm the one who's sorry. I shouldn't have tried to change you or us. And now... now... I'm done trying." Claudia confessed before she walked away, leaving her husband alone. 

___

Everyone was still in Claudia and Nathan's house. Claudia was sitting at the piano, Jamie and Grace were sitting on top of it. Claudia was going to play a song for Lucas and LIndsay.

"Hello." Claudia smiled as everyone stood around the piano and around the room. Nathan was standing next to Lucas so he was really close to Claudia. "I would like to congratulate Lucas and Lindsay. What they are about to do is amazing." Claudia smiled at them. "So this a song I wrote years ago, I hope you like it." Claudia grinned before she lifted up the piano lid.

https://youtu.be/lrXL6-Vutl4

Once she had finished everyone clapped and congratulated Lucas and Lindsay. Nathan walked over to his children and his wife. 

"Momma was great, wasn't she?" Nathan asked leaning on the piano. Grace nodded her head.

"She was amazing." Grace exclaimed and Claudia smiled gratefully.

"Thank you, the both of you." Claudia smiled at them before she stood up and walked towards Lucas and Lindsay.

"I kinda thought that I'd be better off by myself. I've never been so wrong before. You made it impossible for me to ever love somebody else." Lucas recited Claudia's lyric with his eyebrow raised. Claudia looked down at the ground nervously.

"Sis, if you want him back then get him." Jack added and Claudia just groaned.

"Of course I want him back, I love him. But he kissed another girl and watched her swim naked." Claudia explained and Haley looked at Nathan who was staring straight at his wife.

"He wants you though. He needs you." Haley stated before he and Jack walked away. Claudia turned around to see Nathan playing with their kids. Claudia didn't want a divorce, she over reacted a little. But she had to stand her ground, she couldn't just let him back in. She was stubborn like that. 

___

Nathan was sitting on Jamie's bed, he had his arm round both Grace and Jamie as he read them a story. Claudia was standing at the doorway listening in. 

"Are you gonna be here in the morning, daddy?" Grace asked glumly and Claudia felt so bad for her children. 

"I'm afraid not." Nathan answered sad. 

"Why? Mommy won't let you stay?" Jamie asked in a baby voice, he missed his dad.

"No, it's not mommy. Your mom is the best mom in the world, okay?" Nathan asked and Claudia smiled a little. " Don't ever forget that" Nathan added and his children nodded their heads. "It's just... daddy's on a time-out right now." Nathan sighed getting upset. He wanted to back so badly.

"Are you ever coming home, daddy?" Grace asked and Claudia stood still, her breath hitched. 

"I hope so." Nathan sighed and Claudia felt so bad. She wanted Nathan back but she just couldn't because of what he did with Carrie. She knew that she did cheat on Nathan with Chris but she was a teenager and they were just married. Nathan is know a grown up with a family.

"I hope so, too." Jamie added in a sweet angelic voice. 

"So do I." Grace said sweetly and Claudia felt another pang in her chest. She stood at the door as Nathan said goodnight to his children. He walked out of the door to see Claudia standing there.

"Hey." She smiled awkwardly as she looked down at her bare feet. She was feeling really awkward.

"Hi." Nathan replied as he slipped his hands in his pocket.

"I just want to say thank you for telling Grace and Jamie those things about me." Claudia said gratefully. "Lately, I have felt like such a bad mum and Jamie hates me right now." Claudia added and Nathan walked towards her.

"Claudia, you are the best mum ever. They just don't understand what is going on." Nathan replied sympathetically and a tear cascaded down her face. "Claudie don't cry." Nathan whispered before he hugged his wife. Claudia didn't know what to do, she just hugged onto him. She needed to feel safe and warm and if Nathan gave that to her, then she would just have to suck it up and deal with it. Nathan felt happy at this moment in time, that he could hold his wife.

"I should go." Claudia muttered awkwardly as she broke out of the hug, she walked down the stairs and left Nathan in the hallway alone.

___

Claudia was lying in her bed, she had just finished reading Lucas' novel. Lucas asked her to read it, so he could edit it. She was his first editor after all. After she read the amazing book she realised that Lucas loved Peyton. She knew that he couldn't marry Lindsay. She leaned over and picked up the phone. She dialled his number and looked at it for a moment. She called him and put it up to her ear.

"Hey." Lucas smiled from his room. He was away but Lindsay was asleep in his arms.

"Hi. I need to talk to you." Claudia sighed, she was getting really nervous.

"Sure. Is everything okay?" Lucas asked and Claudia looked down at the book before she spoke the truth.

"No. You can't marry Lindsey." Claudia stated bluntly. 

+++

Sorry this chapter is short, I wrote like half of it and it all got deleted. I am furious ahaha. So I am sorry it is short but I hope I got everything in that you guys wanted. Love you all Xx

- Mrs N O'Brien