What If//h.s

Little Brother

"Are you still with me Winston?" I asked as I buckled myself up in the passenger side seat of Harry's car.

"Yes. I'm scared Emma." He whispered into the phone.

"Don't be. I'm right here. You'll be fine." I paused. "Are mommy and daddy still fighting?"

"Yes. They're in their room now."

"Is your nanny, Annie still there."

"No. She went home to her own kids." I cursed under my breath as we pulled out of the college parking lot and took off down the road.

"Okay, that's fine. We'll be there soon okay?"

"Who's coming with you?" Winston asked, worriedly.

"Harry, remember him?" I asked glancing over at him as he pressed down on the gas to go through a yellow light. "He dropped off the toys with me."

"Yes, I remember him. I like him." I smiled softly. But upon hearing another crash in his side of the phone panic slowly set in. "Please hurry." Winston said and I could tell he was trying to be brave and not cry but he jsut have been so scared. I remember how scared I used to be when my parents fought.. Well, more like when my dad yelled at my mom.

"We're close." My dads new house was actually the halfway point between my house and my college. It would take at the most, thirty minutes but with no traffic and hardly a single car on the road, we could get there in fifteen. Especially with the way Harry was driving.

"Is he okay?" Harry asked.

"Yes he's right here." I put Winston on speaker just as he asked for Harry.

"Is Harry taking you to me?"

"I'm right here little man. Don't worry, we're coming."

----

Five minutes later we're barreling through the gated community and pulling into my dad's driveway. I jump out of the car before Harry can even kill the engine. "Winston, I'm here can you come outside?"

"I heard you pull up. I'm coming down." He says excitedly. Theres some shuffling noises on his end of the phone and then the sound of his footsteps. He pauses. I can distinctly make out the sound of my dad yelling at Cecilia. I think she's crying. My breathing hitches. "Mommy's crying." Winston whispers.

"It's okay Winston buddy, just come outside. It'll be fine. He takes off again. This time it sounds like he's running. Harry comes to stand next to me as the front door to the house is thrown open. Light streams out and a small figure runs toward me. I hang up the phone and stoop down low, holding out my arms for him. Winston jumps into my arms and wraps himself around me. He's crying now. "Oh no Winston it's fine." I say, stroking his back and looking towards Harry. He stares back at me grimly and puts a hand on the small of my back.

"I think he set some sort of alarm running out." Harry says softly. I arch my eyebrows at him confused until I hear it, a small consistent beeping noise emanating from the house.

"Oh sh-"

"Winston!" A women's voice calls out. The alarm turns off. Winston turns in my arms as Cecilia and my dad rush out of the open doorway. "Emma?" She calls out, confused. I hold Winston closer to me and step back a little. Harry is angled in front of me protectively. "What are you doing here?"

"Winston called me. I told him to if he was ever scared or if..." I stop and look over at my dad. He's standing about five feet back from Cecilia. "Dad ever hurt him or you." Nobody said anything. Cecilia held her arms out for Winston but I didn't let him go.