Together (Sequel to Slipping Away)

Chapter One

It'd been a few months since the concert where Harry finally came out and confessed his love for Louis. Katie was still in a coma and the doctors weren't sure she would ever come out of it. Harry, with Terrance's permission, had adopted Adaley as his own child. Louis moved back into the apartment and things were running smoothly. Ali, Adaley's tutor, was coming over three times a week for lessons and the little girl loved them. Zayn unfortunately still hadn't returned to the band but he made sure to keep in touch with the rest of the guys. The boys finished up the rest of their tour without a problem, Adaley tagging along the entire way. Lux and Adaley ended up becoming the best of friends and were inseparable at the concerts. Wherever Adaley went, Lux was right next to her. Now that they were on their year-long break Louis and Harry felt like they could breathe. First thing they did when they ended their last concert was going to visit their families. Harry and Adaley went to visit his family for a week while Louis went to Doncaster to visit his mother, step-father, and siblings. Harry told his mother what had happened since he'd been there with Katie and Louis told his family the truth of what he did. They were disappointed but told him that he did the right thing by telling the truth.

It was the second week of their break and Harry took the day to visit Katie at the hospital. While he was there Louis decided to call up his family. He dialed the familiar number as he watched Adaley play with the easel Niall had gotten her a while back. A huge smile grew on his face as he heard his mother's voice.

"Hello?" She answered in a muffled voice and Louis chuckled and shook his head with a smile.

"Hey Mum. How is everything?" He asked and went to his and Harry's room, shutting the door. He heard shuffling on the other end before Jay responded.

"It's not too bad. The twins are driving me crazy and your sisters are being a pain but oh well. How are things for you?" She asked and Louis smiled as he glanced at the picture of himself, Harry, and Adaley.

"Things are great. Harry's visiting Katie today so Ada and I are just bumming around the house." He said with a hum and smiled slightly. "As you know Harry's birthday is coming up and Adaley shares the same birthday with him. I was thinking that if you guys were up to it we could do a big birthday bash for both of them. We could either do it there in the UK or we could do it here in LA. It's all up to you guys but I'd love for both of our families to be there along with the boys." He told the woman and on the other side of the phone she smiled.

"I think that's a great idea. Harry will love it. I can't believe that boy is turning 22. Seems like just yesterday he was that shy sixteen year old boy that was walking into my house and calling me ma'am." She said and both of them laughed as they thought back to the day Louis introduced Harry to his family. He shook the memory out of his head and looked up at the clock, making sure he had time to plan with his mother before Harry got home.

"I want this to be a surprise though. Would you call Anne and get your side of the plans worked out? When you guys tell me where you'd rather do it then I'll start setting everything up. Plus this will be the perfect time for everyone to meet Adaley." Louis said with a grin and Jay laughed softly. "I'm sure she's going to love to hang around some girls that are older than she is. Lottie is going to love her hair though. I know Lou loves playing with it when we were on tour." He said fondly and Jay shook her head with a smile.

"I'll call Anne after I get Doris and Ernest down for their nap. I'll call you tomorrow and let you know what we decide. I love you Boo" Jay said lovingly and Louis smiled warmly. He loved when his mother called him that. She was the only person besides Harry who was allowed to call him that.

"I love you too Mummy." Louis said and hung up, sliding his phone back into his pockets. He walked out to the living room and plopped down on the couch. Adaley looked over at him and grinned.

"Look what I'm making, Papa!" She said happily and he leaned forward, seeing a large group of people. He stared it for a moment before speaking.

"What is it, baby?" He asked, scratching his head in a confused manner. Adaley giggled and looked at her drawing.

"It's not done yet but it you, me, Daddy, Unca Ni, Uncle Liam, and Zaynie." She said proudly, pointing to each person. Louis spotted one more person and frowned.

"Who's that?" He asked, pointing to the woman holding Adaley's hand. The only difference between the rest of the people and this one was the woman had wings. Adaley looked at the woman for a moment before responding.

"That's my mommy. She told me during my nap that she would always be next to me. She told me that she's my guardian angel." She said and climbed up onto the couch, cuddling into Louis' side. "Papa?" she started and Louis hummed in response. "What's a guardian angel?" she asked and Louis thought for a moment.

"A guardian angel is someone who watches over you from heaven to make sure you're doing the right things and that you don't get hurt. Mine is my grandmum that died two years ago. I know she's watching over me and that she's proud of me." Louis said softly and Adaley kissed his cheek which made him smile. Soon they heard the door unlocking and they both looked up, seeing Harry walk through the door with a sad look on his face. He sat down on the chair across from Louis and Adaley and Louis gave him a worried look. Adaley got up and walked over, hugging him tightly.

"She wouldn't want you to be sad, Daddy." Adaley said softly and Harry looked at her in confusion.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked softly, gently pushing some hair behind her ear.

"Mommy. She wouldn't want us to be sad that she's gone. She'd want us to be happy that she lived." The little girl told him matter-of-factly and he looked at her in shock.

"What are you talking about, Adaley?" Louis asked from behind her and she turned around, looking Louis straight in the eyes.

"Mommy. She died today when Daddy was visiting her. That's why she told me in my dream that she's my guardian angel." Adaley said with a soft voice and Louis looked up at Harry who was frozen with shock.

"Haz? What happened today at the hospital?" Louis asked worriedly and he saw Harry's Adam's apple bob furiously.

"Katie passed away around one today and the doctors couldn't bring her back. Terrance and I were both holding her hand when she passed." Harry said softly as he looked at Adaley intently. The little girl nodded and sat on Harry's lap.

"Mommy came to me in my dream and told me that she was sorry that she couldn't fight the pain anymore and I told her it was okay. I told her I have two great daddies, four great uncles, and one perfect auntie. I told her to go up to heaven and hang out with Papa's grandma. Papa's grandma was in my dream too. She took Mommy's hand and led her to heaven. Mommy gave me a kiss goodbye and that's when I woke up." Adaley told the two men and they looked at each other in shock. She smiled as she played with Harry's cross necklace. "And Papa, your grandma said that she's proud of her little man and that she loves you." And with that Louis broke down into tears, a wave of grief hitting him like a brick wall. Harry started to cry as well and Adaley looked at both of them in sadness. Harry rubbed the tears out of his eyes and took a shaky breath, giving the girl in his lap a water smile.

"How about we get some pizza and have a family movie night?" He suggested and Adaley cheered, begging him to get her a cheese pizza.

After the movie was over and Adaley was tucked into bed, Harry climbed into his bed with Louis and looked over at the older man.

"What do you think about what Ada said earlier?" Harry asked softly as he snuggled under the blankets. Louis marked his place in the book he was reading and set it aside, pulling his glasses off and laying them on top of it. He laid down in the bed and shut off his light, letting the moon illuminate Harry's face.

"I think that means we have a very special and intuitive daughter." Louis said softly and Harry nodded slowly, leaning forward and gently pecking Louis' lips. Louis smiled and watched as Harry scooted over, laying his head on Louis' chest. Louis ran his fingers through his young lover's long hair and breathed deeply. "I love you, Haz." He whispered and felt Harry smile.

"I love you too." Harry mumbled through a yawn and Louis chuckled softly, both of them slowly drifting off to sleep in each other's arms.