She's Not Afraid

"You're Not Afraid"

"Did you just find her like this?" Sofia cried, as she climbed into the car next to Zayn. Sofia looked down at her best friend, but could barely see her. Emily's face was bloodied and swollen, her eyes shut. Her mouth bleeding. And that wasn't the only thing that was bleeding. Sofia ripped off her shirt, putting to Emily's head to stop some of the blood that was coming out. There were scratches and bruises all over her arms and legs.

"Jesus fucking Christ," Liam hissed, climbing into the front seat, "How's she doing?"

"She's breathing..." Sofia gasped, "But whoever did this beat her into unconsciousness, we need to get her to a hospital."

"Emily, come on, wake up, baby," Zayn was mumbling into her ear, as Sofia tried to lift her shirt.

"What are you doing?" Zayn snapped at her, as Sofia glared up at him.

"I'm checking for internal bleeding, Zayn!" Sofia said, "LIAM GO FASTER! WE NEED TO GET HER TO A HOSPITAL NOW!"

"I don't know any of the cops or the doctors around her, Sofia," Liam growled, as he stepped on the gas, "I don't know if I can bring her to the hospital."

"Liam, we don't know how much damage has been done..." Sofia said.

"She's not waking up!" Zayn cried, as he tried to shake Emily a little.

"Don't do that!" Harry yelled, "It could cause more damage!"

"WHY WON'T SHE WAKE UP?!" Zayn yelled, his face contorted in pain.

"Liam, I will take care of the doctors and the cops," Sofia yelled, "Just get her to a hospital now!"

It wasn't long before they were puling up to the Emergency room, and Sofia was screaming for a doctor.

"What happened?" one of them asked

"We don't know, we found her like this," Sofia said, as she watched them put Emily on a stretcher, Zayn not leaving her side.

"Mam? Mam?" a doctor asked Emily, whose head had rolled to the side.

"Mam? Can you hear me?" he asked again, Sofia watched as Zayn gripped her head, and one of Emily's eyes opened. And then she started screaming. She didn't know
where Emily got the energy from, but she was screaming
and pushing the doctors off of her.

"GET A TRAQULIZER!" A doctor screamed, "Mam we need you to calm down! You're seriously injured! You're doing more damage! MAM!"

But Emily wasn't listening, she was screaming and crying and pushing the doctors off of her, and soon one of the nurses was rushing forward with a needle, but before she could inject her, Zayn grabbed her.

"What is that?" he growled, "What are you doing to her?"

"Please sir, we need to sedate her!" The doctor cried, shoving Zayn away.

"No! Don't!" Emily screamed, and Zayn tried to move towards her, but the doctor was too quick, injecting her. Emily visibly relaxed immediately, and her body slumped. She pathetically reached out for Zayn.

"Don't leave... don't leave me—" she mumbled, but she was already out, and they were rushing her away.

Sofia grabbed Zayn, and pulled him back so that he wouldn't follow behind her. Zayn tried to push her off of him, but she was stubborn.

"Zayn, they need to help her, you can't go.." she whispered, and looked to Harry and Liam to help, who gently helped push Zayn down in a chair. A doctor was walking towards them.

"The police will be here soon," the doctor said.
"Why?" Harry asked, his voice defensive. The doctor glanced down at Zayn who had blood all over him.

"We just want a statement," the doctor said, but Sofia could see it in his eyes, he thought they were responsible.

"We found her like that," Liam tried to explain, but the doctor held up his hands.

"Tell that to the police," he said, before walking away.

"What the fuck do we do now?" Liam hissed, "They could launch a full investigation."

"They won't," Sofia said, as she glanced at the police car pulling up, "Here's the deal. The three of you are going to do your best clueless parent and overprotective thing you have going on. No matter what comes out of my mouth, you are clueless and you had no idea, are we clear?"

"Sofia what are you –" Harry started to ask

"No time," Sofia said, as the police approached, "Show time."

The police approached them. He shook all of their hands, and began to question the boys. Sofia stood there were her head down and her eyes crossed, trying to look nervous. As the police officer began to talk to the boys, he told them that it looked fishy, them coming in with a girl who had been beaten up. He asked them what had happened, and didn't seem to believe them that they
didn't know anything.

"The doctor said you were carrying her," he glanced at Zayn.

"Yes sir," Zayn said, through gritted teeth.

"What happened to your face, Mr. Malik?" the police officer asked, glancing at the bruises, "Do you have a history of violent behavior?"

"I would never do that to her," Zayn said.

"Do you know her well?" the police officer asked

"She's my ex girlfriend," Zayn said

"Ex? Is there a reason for that?" the officer asked, "Look, I'm going to need you to come with me." And that's when Sofia hit.

"It wasn't his fault!" she screeched, as she looked up the officer nervously.

"Do you know something, miss?" the police officer asked

"Kind of..." Sofia said, softly

"I'm going to need you to tell me," the officer said, and Sofia looked at all the boys nervously, biting her lip.

"I can't, they'll be so mad at me..." Sofia said

"How old are you?" he asked

"19"

"And you live with them?" he asked

"They're my guardians," Sofia said, "Until I'm 21."

"I'm still going to need you to tell me..." the officer said

"I –" Sofia started, but Liam had caught on.

"Sofia, tell the officer what he needs to know before I loose my patience," Liam said, his voice stern.

"We met some boys on the slopes yesterday," Sofia said, "They told us they were going to that club in
town.."

"X22?" the police officer asked, playing into her

"Yeah," Sofia said, "So Emily and I... we snuck out last night..."

"You what?!" Harry growled

"What were you thinking?" Zayn hissed

"We just wanted to have some fun," Sofia said, "But when we got there, they weren't there."

"So what happened?" the police officer asked

"I don't know, we got really drunk..." Sofia said, "I mean, really drunk. And on our way out, we ran into some guys. They kinda freaked Emily out, but they seemed fine to me..."

"And?" the officer asked

"They told us to meet them for breakfast, at the
bakery..." Sofia said, "Emily didn't want to go. But I dared her. She snuck out this morning leaving a note.."

"You dared your friend to go meet boys that were trying to pick you up last night?" the officer asked, his voice hard and stern, "Do you know how dangerous that is?"

"I'm sorry," Sofia said, glancing up at Liam, Zayn, and Harry who were all glaring at her.

"You're friend is seriously hurt right now," the officer said, "But, that does add up with some of the jumping's we've had around here... these group of young high school guys. I'll get my guys on it."

"Thank you officer," Liam said, shaking his hands

"I'll let you know what I find," the officer said, "In the mean time, I hope you take care of her. Kids these days, they don't think..."

"Don't you worry, officer," Harry said, grabbing Sofia by the arm, as Sofia looked down upset, "The only thing she'll be seeing for the next few weeks are the bars on her windows."

That seemed enough to convince the police officer, and soon he was walking away talking into his radio.

"That was brilliant," Liam said, before turning to Harry, "Get Louis on the phone, tell him and Niall to collect Danny and go looking for these scumbags. Danny knows what they look like."

"Alright," Harry said

"Harry, tell them I I want them beaten within an inch of their life," Liam growled, "But not to kill them, just to show them what happens when you mess with the real deal."

"You got it," Harry said, picking up his phone, as Sofia went to sit by Zayn.


***


"That's them," Danny hissed to Niall and Louis who were walking down the steet. The two of them glanced at two boys, who were leaning against the wall of the alley, looking very smug and smoking cigarettes. They seemed to be laughing about something.

"How do you know?" Niall asked

"I recognize the beanie," Danny said, leading the way.

"Remember, no one touch anyone, until we know," Louis said, approaching the boys.

The two looked up, still looking way too cocky for Louis' liking, and he resisted punching the smiles right off their faces.

"Got a smoke I can get?" Niall asked casually, the boys nodded, but both their eyes were on Danny, recognizing him from the incident with Daisy yesterday.

"You remember me?" Danny asked

"Yeah, bro..." one of the boys replied, rolling his eyes, "We don't want no trouble."

"Nah, me neither, man," Danny said, "I just
didn't want you messing with my girl. I don't care what you do, as long as it isn't one of my girls, you know?"

"Yeah, man," the boy nodded, "We were just messing around, it was no big deal..."

"No, of course not," Louis said, as he watched both boys visibly relax.

"So, just messing around huh?" Niall asked, as he inhaled the smoke, "Seems kind of extreme, don't it?"

"Not really, bro..." the 2nd boy said, "Some of these bitches around here, they're rich and stuck up. They're vacationing... I don't know, man. They just need to loosen up... you know what I mean? They aren't better then us, you know?"

"Right, right," Danny said, although he was glaring at the two of them.

"I mean, I'm sure your girl isn't like that. She just seemed like the type, seemed like she thought she was better then us..." the first boy said, looking at Danny, gaging his reaction. Danny had to bite his tongue because he just wanted to scream how much better Daisy was then these two assholes.

"Ah, shit," Louis said, "My lighter isn't working, do you mind?" he asked, leaning in to the boys. He noticed a gold ring on a chain around the neck. He immediately recognized it as the pinky ring that Emily wore. He glanced over at Niall and Danny, as if to tell them that this was it.

"Nice ring," Louis said, pointing at it, "Where did you get it?" Both boys laughed, making Louis clench his fists.

"Funny story, bro.." the first boy said, as he exchanged a look with the 2nd, as though exchanging an inside joke.

"Some pretty blonde gave it to him this morning," the 2nd said, his smile wide and his eyes cocky.

"Yeah, she seemed more the willing to give it up to me," the first said.

"She was a little stubborn about other stuff," the 2nd said, "If you know what I mean..."

"No, I'm not sure I do," Niall growled, "What'd you do?"

"Ah, we just taught the little bitch her place," the 2nd said, smiling at Niall, waiting for Niall to return the smile. But he never did.

"Remember what I said earlier?" Danny asked, "About my girl? And how I don't really care what you do as long as you're not messing with my girls?"

"Yeah, bro..." the 2nd said, "Don't worry, you just point out your girls, and we promise – hands off."

"Too late for that," Danny hissed, "Because you already touched one of my girls."

"One of our girls, really," Louis hissed, as he approached both boys, Niall and Danny right behind him.

"I never did understand boys who felt the need to beat up on someone smaller and weaker then them," Niall said, his eyes dark. By then, both boys realized that they were in trouble, and they were looking for a way around it, but they were surrounded.

"Fuck this," said the 1st boy, running in the opposite direction, but Niall was too fast for him, stepping in front of him.

"Where ya going, bro?" Niall said, but before the boy could open his mouth to reply, Niall hit him square in the face, knocking him into the brick building behind him, "We were just getting started."

All it took was the first punch, and suddenly all 5 boys were fighting. But, the 2 boys were no match for Danny, Louis, and Niall who were all stronger and faster, and not to mention much more angry. Soon both boys were on the ground, bloody and broken, and the 3 older boys were towering above them looking just as dark as they had when they approached him.

Once on the ground, the beating didn't stop. The boys continued to kick them, enjoying every time they groaned or moaned or yelled below them. Finally, just like they had planned, the 2 thugs were begging for their life.

"Please," one croaked, "Please stop."

"Let me ask you something," Louis said, crouching down to his level, "How many times did my friend ask you to stop?"

"I'm sorry," the second boy croaked.

"Did you see her?" Niall said, "Did you look at her after you beat her and took everything on her? Did you take a good look at her boys?"

"No – no –" the 1st boy said, trying to get up. But Danny put a stop to that, sending his foot flying right into the boys face. It was no match for the boy, and it sent him back on the ground, worse then before, and unconscious.

"Listen to me," Louis hissed, grabbing the 2nd boy by the throat and squeezing, the boy tried to grab at his hands, but Louis was too strong, "You and your pal here are very lucky we are letting you live. Do you understand? No. No, don't try and talk. Just nod if you can..." the boy nodded.

"Good boy," Louis whispered to him, squeezing tighter, "So count your blessings tonight. And pray to God that we never see you again. And pray to God that you never meet her ex boyfriend, because he won't be as merciful with you. And if I ever find out that you have laid a hand on another women, I will personally come back here and kill you. Got it?" The boy nodded again, but weakly because Louis still had a tight grip on his neck. Louis released the boy, shoving him hard into the ground.

Niall grabbed the necklace that belonged to Emily, and checked pockets for anything else that they might have grabbed. He found her wallet too.

"Let's go," Danny said, leaving the two bleeding boys in the alleyway.

"Aren't you going to help us? Please? We can't move..." Louis heard the boy hiss.

"You left Emily to bleed to death," Niall spat, "That was her name, by the way. It was Emily. As far as I'm concerned, you'll get help when someone finds you. Or you can get up and walk there yourselves."

"Good luck, boys," Danny growled, before following Niall and Louis out of the alleyway.


***

"That was Liam," Louis said, as he came into the living room, which held everyone except for Zayn, Danielle, and Liam, "They just took Emily in for surgery on her knee. She should be fine, but there's some head trauma, slight bleeding on the brain. They'll keep her for a few days. She'll be on crutches when she gets home, but it looks like she'll be alright."

"Oh thank God," Daisy said, with Eleanor lying on her lap.

"Liam wants to know everyone here is holding up, it's been a long few days..." Louis said, sitting down in a single chair. Danny was sitting on the floor in front of Daisy. Niall on the love seat, with Ella lying on top of him. Sofia was rocking David in the rocking chair, and Harry was lying on the couch.

"He shouldn't be worrying about us," Harry said, "Did he say when him and Dani would be home?"

"Not until tomorrow, Emily's surgery should take a few hours, and they want to stay with Zayn..." Louis said.

Suddenly a phone went off, and everyone looked around, before realizing it was Sofia's. Sofia grabbed it quickly, hoping it didn't wake David.

"I'll take him," Eleanor said, sitting up, and grabbing David as Sofia looked at her phone.

"It's Sikes," Sofia said, making the living room stop. Sofia pushed talk, and took a deep breath.

"Hello?" she said, her voice calm and cheery – not tired and defeated like she was feeling.

"Hello love," she heard Sikes say on the other line, "I just wanted to know how your holidays went. This isn't a bad time is it? Your watch dogs aren't around..."

"Do you think I would have picked up if they were?" Sofia said, an edge to her voice, as she looked around at the living room full of people.

"No, I suppose not," Sikes said, "How were your holidays?"

"Exhausting," Sofia said.

"Whys that?" Sikes asked, but Sofia knew that she couldn't give him the truth, so she continued to lie.

"You know, the boys just need to be entertained 24/7," Sofia said, her voice lazy, as though she were catching up with an old friend instead of someone who had the power to kill them all.

"And when will you be home?" Sikes asked

"What's today? The 27th?" Sofia asked, though she knew exactly what day it was, "I'll be home on the 2nd, so that's 5 days from now. Why?"

"Our dinner of course," Sikes said, "I want to take you out somewhere. You can come up with a clever little lie for the hound dogs cant you?"

"Of course I can," Sofia snapped, as she listened to Sikes chuckle on the other line.

"I missed that," Sikes said, "No one else keeps me on my toes the way you do." His voice sounded just as silky and charming as she remembered.

"Well, someone has to..." Sofia said, easily keeping up with him, "So dinner, yes?"

"Yes, dinner out and then perhaps desert back at my pace?" Sikes said, his voice hopeful.

"I can't stay over," Sofia said, fear running through her veins as she realized she'd be going into the lions den, but you would never hear it in her voice, "I have to be home just in case of the boys comes looking..."

"Of course," Sikes said, his voice light and airy, "We would hate for Harry to get upset again. By the way, how did that go?"

"Fine," Sofia said, "Harry doesn't scare me." She glanced at Harry, before looking at the other boys, "None of them do..."

"You should be careful Sofia, not being afraid could get you hurt..." Sikes said, it sounded like he was trying to teach her something, but she knew it was some sort of warning.

"I have to go," Sofia said, choosing to ignore his words.

"I will see you in a few days," Sikes said, "Goodnight. Sweet dreams." And with that, he hung up before Sofia could respond, leaving her breathless and fearful on the other line.

"Well?" Niall asked

"Dinner at a restaurant – dessert at his place," Sofia said, "We should be able to nail him once you follow us that night."

"Excellent," Louis said, "Nice work, Sofia."

"You have been phenomenal today," Niall said, shaking his head, "I forgot how good of a liar you are – it feels like it's been forever since you lied to us."

"Yes, well," Sofia said, "On that note, I'm going to bed." Sofia stood, wishing everyone a goodnight and climbed the stairs to her room. She wasn't in there long, just throwing off her shirt when Harry came in.

"You mind?" she asked him, holding up one of his t-shirts, wanting to wear it to bed. Harry shook his head quietly at her. Sofia through the shirt over her head, and turned to the bed.

"You want to watch a movie?" Harry asked, as he took off his pants. Sofia was staring him as he climbed on to the bed, sitting on her knees.

"I want you to tell me what's going on with you," Sofia said.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, although he avoided looking her so Sofia knew that he knew exactly what she was talking about.

"Don't do that, just tell me what's going on," Sofia said, "Is this about Zayn? Because if it is –"

"It's not about Zayn," Harry said, as he sat on the bed, his back to her, "I thought it was but it wasn't."

"What is it about then?" Sofia asked

"You," Harry said quietly. Sofia didn't say anything, just stared at his back, unaware of what to say.

"You're not afraid of anything," Harry said, breaking the silence, "It was the first thing that drove me crazy about you – and that I fell in love with. You're the definition of fearless. You lied to the cops today, and talked on the phone with a crazy person without batting an eye..."

"What?" Sofia asked, confused

"You just, have no fear... you'll walk into any situation – and you won't think twice. You just aren't afraid...." Then he turned to her, and Sofia could see the hurt in his eyes.

"But when it comes to falling in love, and giving yourself 100% to me, I think you're afraid..." Harry said

"That's not –"

"It is true," Harry said, "The one thing that is safest in your life, and your scared of it. It's like you always have to remind me that you can leave at any second. That's why you flirt, and why you left, and why you kissed Zayn..."

"He kissed me –" Sofia protested

"You think I don't know that you kissed him back?" Harry asked, not angry, just as though it was a fact, "I know you did. Even if it was for a second..."

"Haz –"

"It's like you're always trying to get me to throw my hands up and walk away. You always give me excuses to leave you. And I never have. I've never wanted to. It's always been you, and it will always be you... but... I don't know if I can keep this up..."

"What are you saying?" Sofia asked, her voice cracking.

"I'm saying, that if you being afraid, and you keep running away from me... I don't know if I can do it anymore. I'm sure about this, Sofia. I always have been. But, I don't know if you have. I don't know if you're sure about this like I am, and I think you let fear stand in your way..."

"Harry, I love you," Sofia said, her voice quiet

"Yeah, but I know if that's enough anymore. Not if you keep trying to sabotage us..."

He was right, Sofia thought. Harry had never run away from them. He was always in it 100%, no matter what she did. He never left her; he never gave up on them. But, she was always running away. She had never given up on them, but she had never given herself to the relationship like she had.

"I just need some sort of reassurance that I'm fighting for this for a reason," Harry said, "Because lately, I feel like you could bail at any minute. And maybe I should let you, maybe that's what you need..."

Sofia looked at him, and she saw it. He wasn't giving up on her, but he was hurt and he was lost when it came to her. She might have finally pushed him so far away that he wasn't coming back, and that killed her. Looking into his green eyes, she had never seen Harry so hurt. It wasn't that she kissed Zayn; it was that she kissed anyone. He didn't think she loved him like he loved her, and as she sat there silently looking at him; she couldn't come up with anything to say. Not because she didn't want to say anything, but because she didn't know where to start. So, she said nothing. And finally, Harry sighed.

"Let's get some sleep, yeah?" Harry said, lying down, "It's been a long day." He laid down, and followed him. She waited for him to reach out to her, but he never did. Instead he rolled on his side, his back to her, and he fell asleep.