She's Not Afraid

"I Don't Know If We'll Ever Be Free"

You look absolutely amazing tonight, Sofia," Sikes purred to her from across the table a week later. Sofia smiled at him, before glancing down at the menu.

"Thank you," she said, "So what's good here?"

"Oh, don't look at that," Sikes said, grabbing the menu from her, "I'll order for you."

"What?" Sofia questioned, although she knew exactly what he was doing. He was showing her who was in charge.

"You heard me," Sikes said, his voice had an edge to it, but it was still charming and silky as always.

"I can order my –" Sofia started to say, but Sikes silenced her with his hand as the waiter approached them. Sofia noticed that the waiter's eyes were on her as he greeted them.

"Take your eyes off of her," Sikes growled, "If you still want to have them by the end of the night." While the waiter looked surprised, he did certainly take his eyes off of her and kept them trained on Sikes.

"She'll have your chicken ceaser salad," Sikes said, Sofia rolled her eyes at the very thought of having to eat salad for dinner, "I'll have your steak. And we will take a bottle of your best white. Thank you."

Sofia didn't say anything but she did appear quite annoyed when Sikes looked up at her again, but her annoyance only caused him to grin.

"Problem Sofia?" he asked, batting his eyes innocently

"I just have enough macho men in my life," Sofia said, shrugging, "I don't need another one."

"I beg to differ, Sofia. Those are men who pretend to be macho. I'll show you what a real man is. If they were real men, you wouldn't even think of being here," Sikes said

"Oh no?" Sofia questioned

"No, which leads me to believe that you need a real man in your life, and I, darling, am willing to be that man," Sikes said

"Lucky me," Sofia said dryly, causing Sikes to do a double take before he grinned.

"Careful," he warned, "I don't take attitude as well as your watch dogs do. By the way, where do they think you are?"

"They think I'm visiting a friend," Sofia said, "Which, really, is the truth if you think about it..."

"Ah, so we're friends now?" Sikes asked his eyebrows raised at her, and although Sofia tried, she couldn't bite back a smile.

"You're buying me food," Sofia said, shrugging, "The least I can do is pretend that you're cool enough to be friends with me." Sikes laughed at this, and to Sofia it sounded like a genuine laugh.

It wasn't long before dinner was delivered in front of them and the dinner conversation was running smooth. That was the thing about Sikes, he was so charming, and she often forgot just who he was. As she ate her salad, she chatted to him about her holiday, the weather, the club, and of course the latest news and sports.

"So, what do you do for fun?" Sikes asked

"Fun?" Sofia questioned

"Yes, I know you know what fun is," Sikes said, chuckling lightly, "Do you have any sort of hobby or something you like to do..."

"I go to the club," Sofia said, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world

"Going to the club isn't a hobby," Sikes said, rolling his eyes at her, "What do you do when you're alone? What makes you happy?"

"Dancing," Sofia said, "I dance..."

"Ah yes, I have seen that," Sikes said, smiling as he thought back to all those times he saw Sofia move her body on the dance floor, "Anything else?"

"I like to read," Sofia said, shrugging, "And um, I don't know, box..."

"Box?" Sikes asked, as he looked at her wide-eyed, "You box? As in ... in a boxing ring?"

"You sound shocked," Sofia said, her voice annoyed

"I am," Sikes said, "But I shouldn't be... you would be one of those girls to try and take on a mans sport..."

"A mans sport?" Sofia scoffed, "I could give you a run for your money, I bet..." She watched as Sikes eyes sparked with anger, but he quickly covered them.

"I'd like to see you try," Sikes said, "Don't be silly, Sofia..."

"Name the time and place, Sikes," Sofia said, her voice hard, which caused Sikes to narrow his eyes at her, "And you'll see me do more then try."

"Ridiculous," Sikes quipped at her, before pointing to her salad, "Finish your food."



***



"They just left the restaurant," Louis said, as he sat down next to Eleanor.

"Everything going okay?" Eleanor asked him, her eyes full of concern.

"Seems to be, he seems utterly trapped under Sofia's spell," Louis said, "Doesn't seem to notice we've been trailing him. We should know exactly where he's been hiding out in just a little bit."

"Thank Sofia's alright?" Eleanor asked, as she leaned into the couch, throwing her legs over Louis'

"Yeah," Louis said, nodding, "She had her head in the game when she left, she seems ready to just get this over with..."

"Emily's asleep," Daisy announced as she entered the room, "I texted Zayn to let him know. And Danielle has also fallen asleep, since David has finally gone down."

"Excellent," Louis said, smiling at Daisy, "Things seem to be getting back to normal around here, don't they?"

"Yes," Daisy said, nodding, "And thank God. All the fighting was making me crazy..."

"I'm glad that Zayn and Emily are working it out," Eleanor said, "She's good for him."

"I agree," Daisy said, "And Harry and Sofia... I think we finally get a wedding..."

"Thank fuck for that," Louis mumbled, "And how are things with you and Danny?"

"Yeah, they're good," Daisy said, smiling, "It's just been hard, because all the girls talk about him, you know? Tell me what a player he is, and how he's not good for me..."

"Don't listen to them, Dais," Eleanor said, sitting up a bit, "I've known Danny for a long time. And yeah, he hasn't always been a great guy but .. you bring out the best in him."

"It's true," Louis said, "Plus if it makes you feel better, when all us boys went out for a pint, he didn't even glance at another girl. And all he could do was talk about you..."

"Really?" Daisy asked, her eyes lighting up.

"Really," Louis said, nodding.

"How are you, El? How's the baby?" Daisy asked, "I can't believe you don't want to know what you're having..."

"Louis likes surprises," Eleanor said, shrugging, "And I like surprising him. We'll all know in four months, anyway... but the baby is healthy. Fingers crossed."

"Niall said that you boys are going to start on the nursery in the garden house soon," Daisy said

"Yeah, " Louis said, his smile wide and bright, "I can't wait!"

"Can't wait for what?" Ella asked quietly, as she came into the room, sitting in the rocking chair.

"To start the babies nursery," Louis said, grinning at her.

"It'll be nice to have a new baby around here," Ella said, "David's getting so big... it'll be nice though, when their older, being so close in age..."

"I can't believe he's 7 months old already," Eleanor said, shaking her head, "It seems like he came home yesterday sometimes."

"And I don't think ours will be the only cousin close in age," Louis said, "It won't be long now until the rest of you are pregnant." The girls laughed at him.

"Do you want a baby, Ella?" Daisy asked, "You and Niall?"

"He does," Ella said quietly, "I think I do too, but we're just so happy now, the way things are. I don't think we're having a baby any time soon..."

"I think Zayn's going to knock up Emily," Louis said, laughing as Eleanor shoved him.

"What?" Daisy gasped, "No way. Harry and Sofia are having a baby first. They go at it all the time, they'll be lucky if they make it down the isle before a baby pops out..."

"I don't know if Sofia's ready to get pregnant yet," Eleanor said, as she placed her hand on her stomach, "It must be terrifying, the idea of getting pregnant after you've lost a child..."

"I can't imagine," Ella said, softly, "She's really strong, Sofia. She's been through so much, and she still manages to laugh and dance and keep everyone on their toes..."

"She's incredible," Daisy said, "She just carries on, doesn't she?"

"She always has," Louis said, before his phone beeped. Liam opened the text, before looking up at the women.

"They've got a location," Louis said, "Sofia's in the house."


***



As Sofia stepped through the front door of Sikes home, she tried to calm the nerves inside of her. She tried to keep a calm face, as she looked around. It was big, that was for sure. And very modern and plain. It looked exactly how she would picture a mans house to look when he lived on his own. It was very white and shiny and clean.

As Sikes took her coat, she noticed that there were men all around the house having conversations with each other, most of which she recognized from the club. Sikes didn't bother to introduce her to anyone, and he didn't introduce her to the obvious staff he kept. Sofia merely got a curt nod as Sikes handed off her coat to a woman.

"As you can see, some of the rooms are occupied," Sikes said, "The problem with living with your friends..."

"That's alright," Sofia said, as she looked around the entryway, and up the staircase, "I don't mind that we aren't alone."

"Don't worry," Sikes said, walking in front of her, Sofia following behind him, "They won't bother us. The main living room should be free and that is where we will have our dessert."

"Sounds good," Sofia said, as he lead the way down the hall past the kitchen and what she assumed to be an office, "What are we having anyway?"

"My cook makes an excellent cheese cake," Sikes said, a smile on his face, "So I had her make one of those..."

"You have a cook?" Sofia asked, her voice amused

"Well, you don't expect us fellows to know how to cook for ourselves, do you?" Sikes asked, "Besides she's very –" But Sikes stopped mid sentence, freezing as they came into the living room. Sofia followed his eyes, which were narrowed in anger as they landed on a small child sitting at the coffee table in the living room.

"Birdie!" Sikes said, his voice harsh, "What are you doing in my living room?"

"Sorry Mr. Sikes, mommy left me here..." the child said, standing up and clasping her hands together.

"She did, did she?" Sikes growled, staring at the child as though it were a bug. Sofia looked the child over, she couldn't have been more then 5, in a ratty dress, with her curly hair tangled. But she was beautiful, with the prettiest blue eyes Sofia had ever seen. She smiled gently at the child, who glanced at her.

"And where is your mother now?" Sikes hissed at the child, causing the child to shrink back in fear.

"Upstairs with Mr. Nathan," the child said, her eyes looking at the floor.

"I've told her a million times not to leave you out and about in my house," Sikes growled, "Fucking bitch..."

Sofia was surprised by how angry he sounded, she hadn't seen this side of Sikes before. And before she could say anything, like scold him for scaring the child, he was marching past her and out of the living room. Sofia didn't follow him, she just turned back to the child, who was looking up at her.

"Mummy's in trouble again," the child said, "I told her I should go to the kitchen, but she said she wouldn't take long."

"That's okay," Sofia said gently, as she approached the child, "I don't mind that you're here... Why is your mum here?"

"Getting her medicine from the needle," the child said, "So she doesn't shake and shiver anymore. She needs it a lot." Sofia heard the child, and slowly comprehended that she wasn't talking about medicine, but drugs. This child's mother was a drug addict. Sofia heard yelling and shouting from upstairs, and noticed as the child shrunk in fear.

"What's your name, love?" Sofia asked, as she looked on at her, putting her hand on the child's arm.

"Birdie," the child said, before jumping at a loud crash that came from above.

"I'm not running a bloody child care center!" Sofia heard Sikes yell, "Keep your bastard child somewhere I can't see her, you bloody whore!" She heard a woman scream out in pain.

"How old are you Birdie?" Sofia asked, trying to distract her.

"I'll be four next week," Birdie answered, holding up four fingers making Sofia smile.

"And what are you working on?" Sofia asked, looking at the papers around Birdie

"Just drawing," Birdie said, turning to grab a paper from below her. Sofia glanced down at the child's legs, and saw bruising and redness. Sofia
gasped, causing the child to turn back towards her.

"Birdie, what happened to your legs?" Sofia asked, Birdie looked down in embarrassment, "It's okay, I won't tell."

"I was supposed to get Mr. Sikes a glass of water, but I tripped and fell," Birdie said, her voice quiet, "I broke the glass..."

"This was from the fall?" Sofia questioned

"No," Birdie said, shaking her head, "Mr. Sikes punished me for breaking his glass..." Sofia opened her mouth to say something, but she was interrupted.

"Birdie!" a woman's voice called, Sofia turned around to see a young women standing there. She had blonde hair and blue eyes also, and looked totally wacked out on drugs. Sofia ignored the blood pouring out of her mouth, and the bruise that was starting to form on her eye. Birdie looked up at the woman.

"Birdie, go into the kitchen..." the woman said, "Go into the kitchen until I'm done here..."

And Sofia watched as the four-year-old child did as she was told, collecting her papers silently, and running towards the kitchen without another word to Sofia. Sofia stared at the woman who was now looking back at her.

"You must be Sike's new girl..." the woman said.

"Sofia," Sofia said, introducing herself.

"Abby," the woman said, wiping the blood from her mouth.

"You have a beautiful daughter," Sofia said quietly.

"She's alright," the woman said, "More trouble then she's worth sometimes." This caused Sofia's stomach to churn in disgust.

"She's got a lovely name," Sofia said

"Birdie," the woman said, "Birds are free. That's all I wanted for her. But, I don't know if we'll ever be free." Sofia's eyes widened at the woman's confession, but before she could offer her any words of comfort, Sikes appeared.

"Abigail," Sikes barked, "I told you to take care of the child, not to chat up my friend. Get lost before I completely lose it on you..." Sofia watched as the woman turned from him, scurrying back up the steps in fear.

Sikes then turned back to Sofia, and Sofia saw him for exactly who he was. He was a monster. He had gotten that mother hooked on drugs, and he was using her. He had beaten that child. He had beaten that woman without a second thought. His eyes were no longer warm, but cold. He was stiff, and suddenly he seemed bigger to her. Sofia stared at him, trying to find any reminiscent of the man he had been to her over the last few weeks, but that man was gone. Sikes was showing her exactly who he was, and he was waiting for her reaction.

"Where were we?" he asked casually, stepping into the room, as he gaged Sofia's reaction.

"I believe you were getting us dessert," Sofia said, just as calm, showing him that she wasn't scared. He raised his eyebrows at her, and intrigue flashed through them. Sikes lips lifted to a sick smile, and he nodded his head.

"Yes, dessert," he agreed, "And you still want to eat with me?" he asked, his eyes questioning her. She had to convince him that she was here and she was attracted to him. He had to trust that he had pulled her in, or at least that she was too scared to leave now. So, Sofia pushed down the anger and nerves and she stepped towards him.

"Why wouldn't I?" she asked, causing Sikes to smile bigger before he walked towards the kitchen, barking orders at his chef.



***



"It was horrifying," Sofia said, as she paced the kitchen, in front of the boys, "He was just a monster. He had no compassion, no empathy. He
just... he was awful..."

"Sofia, you have to calm down," Liam said, as he watched her pace.

"She's a baby, Liam!" Sofia cried, turning towards her brother, "And he just beat her... and she told me about it like she was telling me about the weather. And her mother, just ... didn't even care. All she cared about was the drugs..."

"I told you," Liam said, "That's his game. He gets people hooked and once he has them, he keeps them."

"I just wanted to strangle him," Sofia said, shaking her head, "I just wanted to give them freedom, you know?"

"And we will," Niall said, standing up and grabbing Sofia, forcing her to top pacing, "We have the power to set them free, Sofia..."

"I just can't imagine that child going into that house another night," Sofia said, "She was beautiful, Niall."

"I'm sure she was," Niall said, his voice gentle and understanding, "And if we stick to the game plan, we will be helping her out. I promise, Sofia... it'll be okay."

"I hate him," Sofa said, "And for a second there, he almost had me fooled..."

"He's a charming guy," Zayn said from his chair, "You aren't the first to be fooled by him..."

"But, do you think you have him fooled?" Louis asked

"Yes," Sofia nodded, "He invited me to come and swim in his pool in two days... I think he thinks I'm interested in him. Or, at least he thinks I'm too scared to back out now..."

"Good," Louis said, "That's good. You're doing good, Sofia. I know it's been hard."

"Has he ever gotten aggressive with you?" Liam asked, as he poured his sister a cup of tea.

"No," Sofia said, shaking her head, "I mean, he certainly made a point to show me who was boss tonight. But, he was sweet and gentle and nice with me all night..."

"I heard people at the club talking," Zayn said, "He's been talking about you. He's totally into you."

"Perfect," Liam said, smiling at his sister, but she didn't return the smile, she just stared into the cup.

"Alright, enough," Harry said, "It's been a long night for you, Sof. Let's get you to bed, yeah?"

Sofia looked up at Harry, who was pouring the rest of his tea down the drain, before taking her cup and doing the same. They bid everyone goodnight, and made their way to the side of their side of the house.

Once inside, Sofia quietly got ready for bed, as Harry watched her. He had never seen her come home from a job shaken like this before. Sure, she had been upset before, but this seemed to rock Sofia to her core. Harry could tell that she was only thinking about that little girl.

"She'll be alright," Harry said quietly, pulling Sofia into him. Sofia rested her head on his chest and sighed deeply.

"I just... I hated leaving her there," Sofia said, "I just left her there..."

"Sofia, you couldn't exactly just grab her and go," Harry said, as he led her to the bed, "She'll be out of there soon enough, believe me, you are doing right by her."

Sofia lay back on her pillow, her eyes filled with tears as she turned to face Harry.

"The idea of beating a child makes me sick," Sofia whispered, as she reached out to touch Harry's face, "I'm sorry you went through that." Harry grabbed her hand, kissing it gently, knowing that she was talking about his father.

"I survived," Harry said, "And I'll break the cycle with my kids. We can learn from our parents mistakes, you know?" Harry raised his eyebrows at her, and she knew that he was talking about her father.

"I just want Birdie to be able to be a kid," Sofia said quietly, "A kid should just be a kid..."

"You're right," Harry said, pulling Sofia into him so she was on his chest, "But you can't save everyone, Sofia..."

"I know," Sofia said quietly, mumbling into his chest.

"At least Birdie will be rid of William Sikes by next week," Harry said,
and Sofia nodded into his chest, but he knew that she was still thinking about the child.

"Get some sleep, Sofia," Harry said, "You can't help her if your sleep deprived..."