A/N: Finally, it's done! Thank you guys so much for sticking with me through this (really long) journey and prodding me to finish. I hope you all enjoy it!

Five months later

The backyard was filled with people milling around, chatting and snacking on the catered hors d'oeuvres. Music flowed around from the outside speakers, and twinkle lights in the trees glowed as the light from the setting sun began to wane.

Haley stood in the kitchen, looking out at her friends and family who had come to help celebrate tonight. She knew she had a dopey smile on her face, but she couldn't help herself. Seven years. Her relationship with Nathan had survived the seven years that Dan had bet they never would.

But more importantly, they'd been married for three years. That was how she'd count their relationship from now on. No more bet hanging over their heads, no more pressure from the demon her husband called his father. Their marriage was what mattered—was all that mattered. To Haley, this party was as much about that freedom as it was about their anniversary.

She went outside to join everyone else, and met up with Peyton as she went to grab a drink. The curly-haired blonde had flown into town the day before and spent the afternoon helping Haley and Nathan set up for the party. Now she grinned and held up her glass in a little toast. "Hey, Mrs. Scott. Nice party you've got going on here."

"Thank you. I had a little help."

"Yeah, well, you deserve it." Suddenly serious, Peyton laid a hand on Haley's shoulder. "I'm glad you got past all that stuff and got here."

Touched, Haley smiled. "Thank you. We love each other. It was there all the time, it just got… buried, I guess, by everything else in our lives."

"You know, I always sort of envied the way Nathan looks at you." When Haley turned her head and raised an eyebrow, Peyton laughed and playfully bumped her shoulder against the other woman's. "No, not like that. He and I never could have been in love with each other. I just… seeing you together reminds me how crazy he is about you. He'd do anything for you, Haley, you must know that."

"I do." She hadn't, not for a while there, but now she knew. Haley's eyes followed her husband as he laughed with one of his friends from college, then moved on to say hi to his mother. He'd been all but glued to her side until a little while ago, when she'd shooed him away with an order to go mingle. A gentle smile floated to her lips. "I feel the same way about him. You know, when I'm not ready to kill him."

Peyton grinned. "Keep telling yourself that. You guys are head over heels in love."

The wistful tone of her friend's voice made Haley turn to Peyton, her eyes clouding with concern. "Is something wrong? I'm sorry, Peyton, I've been so caught up in my drama that I haven't really asked you how things are in your life lately."

"No, don't apologize. You've been working on your marriage. You needed to, and I'm glad you did," she replied, shaking her head. "Besides, I'm fine. Things are the same. But sometimes I just wish that they were… different."

"With Luke?"

"I don't know. With Luke. With me." She shrugged her slender shoulders, and immediately felt bad for heaping this all on her friend at this moment. It was supposed to be a party, Haley and Nathan's time to relax. The last thing Haley needed was to tackle someone else's problems in the middle of it. "Don't worry about it, Haley. Today's your day."

"And you're my friend. I can share my day."

"No, not today. Maybe tomorrow."

"I'll hold you to that," Haley threatened gently.

Peyton laughed as she moved away, clearly intent on not having this conversation now. "I know you will."

Watching her walk away, Haley mentally determined to have a conversation with Lucas later; he was around here somewhere, and she wanted to know where his mind was when it came to relationships. Surely if she and Nathan could get so screwed up and make it right, he and Peyton could. If they wanted to, they could.

She was still thinking about them when someone walked up to the table next to her. A little glance over and her mood dropped just a little before she remembered that this man had lost.

Dan didn't bother with pleasantries, not that she expected any. "So I guess you did it."

"I guess we did." Haley smiled as she took a sip of her drink, too content to let even Dan's presence drag her down. She was aware of Nathan watching her from a few feet away, and that was enough to give her courage. "I want to thank you, Dan, for the first and probably the last time."

"Thank me?"

"Yes. Because Nathan and I had a hard time for a while there and who knows what might have happened if we hadn't had a mutual enemy to work against." She saw his jaw tighten and shrugged. "I see you're not fond of the terminology, but it is what it is. You tried to drive us apart with that bet, but you ended up doing the exact opposite, and we're better than ever now. We won. So I'd tell you to hold up your end of the bargain and stay away from us, but it's not worth it. You're not a man of your word, and anyway, we can handle anything you throw at us. Who knows, maybe you'll even help us out." With a satisfied smile in his direction, she turned to walk away.

At a loss for anything else to say, Dan took a parting shot. "Maybe I won't need to do anything. You look like you've put on a few pounds, Haley. If you're not careful, you'll end up driving him away yourself."

She whirled on her heel to face him and grinned. "I have gained some weight recently. How nice of you to notice, Dan. I'm pregnant—Nathan and I are making the announcement at dinner. Guess you don't need to worry about our sex life after all."

Pleased with the knowledge that she'd won, she left him alone and walked right over to Nathan, who wrapped his arms around her. She was beyond worrying about Dan Scott now.