Two Pieces

"I'm Not Leaving You"

Liam, we don't have time for you to think about this," Niall barked, trying to talk some sense into his friend. They needed to move, now.

"Okay," Liam said, staring at Harry and taking a step back. He was trusting Harry, and Harry wanted to tell him how much it meant to him, but he couldn't right then. All he could think about was getting Sofia to safety.

Harry nodded, and then he ran. Liam had never seen Harry run so fast. Harry ran back to the car he came from,
going to the trunk and pulling a crow bar from the back.

Harry ran back to the car, ignoring the chaos around him. He heard their suggestions and their advice, but he blocked them out. All he could think about was Sofia.

"Sofia! Turn your head," Harry yelled, "Can you turn your head?"

Sofia felt like everything in her was going weak, blood was still rushing to her head, and she could barely comprehend what was going on around her. But she moved her head.

"Cover your head with your arms," Harry called out, "I'm breaking a window."

Sofia moved her arms as best she could so protect her head and face. And then she heard a crash of glass. The sound was too much, everything was too much. She was trying to stay awake, and coherent, but she was terrified and her adrenaline was in overdrive and she unbelievably dizzy. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to shut everything else out.

Harry slammed on the glass of the window, over and over until he felt it was big enough to get in and out of the window with Sofia. Glass was going everywhere, bits flying at him and piercing his skin, but he didn't even feel it. His only concern was Sofia, who was hanging there helpless. He had to get her out.

Throwing the crow bar onto the ground, he began to crawl through the window.

"Watch the car," Harry said, "You see something, yell."

"Okay," Liam agreed, taking steps back as Harry moved into the car.

Sofia felt Harry put his hand around her neck, to shift her so she wasn't hanging, he took the weight off and it did cause a head rush but anything to feel like her head was about to explode was welcome.

She turned to look at him, and she could see the fear and panic in his eyes, but she had to look for it. He looked determined and calm, like he wasn't worried at all.

"Okay," Harry said, when he saw her look at him, "You okay?"

"Yup, just hanging out," Sofia said, she was breathless.

"Not funny," Harry barked, before pulling out a pocketknife.

"I'm gonna have to let your head go, but I'll cut you out and you should feel better after you hit the roof. Just try and take deep breaths, and stay awake."

"Okay," Sofia mumbled, it was getting harder and harder to breathe or see clearly.

Harry pulled at the seat belt, and began to cut through it. He was going as fast as he could, but he didn't want to pierce her skin either.

"Fuck," he hissed as the knife hit his finger.

"You okay?" Sofia asked.

"Just concentrate on your breathing," Harry said, continuing to cut. When he got through the strap around her chest, Sofia felt her body collapse against the roof.

Harry pulled at her, so that she was as straight as he could get her. Sofia took a deep breath as she felt the impact, and no longer felt like she was hanging there. Her chest relaxed as she took in a deep breath and tried to get her vision straight.

"Better?" Harry asked.

"Yeah," Sofia said.

Harry moved so he leaning over her, her head on his knee so that he could cut the belt that was holding her waist. Sofia turned her head to try and look out the window. She could see her brother and Niall just beyond the car.

"They're too close," Sofia said, "If it blows."

"It's not gonna blow," Harry growled as he worked on the belt.

"Harry," Sofia said, "I'm stuck. My leg is stuck."

"I see that," Harry said, his voice calm, as he ripped the belt off her waist.

"Harry, if you can't –"

She touched his arms with her hand, she wanted to touch him and she needed him to hear what she was going to say.

"I can!" he barked, "Don't even say it. Shut up."

"Harry, if you have to get out, get out," Sofia said.

"Shut up, Sofia," Harry growled, "I'm not telling you again."

She gripped his arm tighter, but he continued to ignore her, concentrating on how he was going to get her out.

"HARRY! The engine is smoking!" Niall yelled, "You don't have a lot of time."

Harry didn't wait for anything, he grabbed Sofia's leg to see how it was stuck, shaking her arm of him in the process. It was jammed between the front seat, and the metal of the crashed vehicle.

"This is gonna hurt," Harry said, looking at Sofia.

"Ok," she said, as Harry grabbed her leg, and yanked. Sofia let out a scream as her leg moved against the crushed metal. It didn't come out.

"I think there's a piece in my leg," Sofia gasped out, through the pain. Harry looked at her horrified, before looking at it again.

"Go," she said, "I don't think I'm getting out."

"You're a fucking drama queen," Harry snapped, before he turned, crawling back out of the car. Sofia didn't have time to be time to be disappointed that he had left, because he was back before she could even comprehend her feelings. He had returned with the crow bar. Sofia looked at him surprised.

"You didn't think I was going to leave you, did you?" Harry said, glancing at her face.

"Kind of, a smart person would," Sofia said, gritting her teeth, as Harry used the craw bar to pull the crushed metal back.

"I'm not leaving you," Harry said through his teeth as he used all of this strength to move the metal. Sofia yelled out as she felt something pull against her lower leg.

"Harry!" Niall yelled, "Fire!"

"GO!" Sofia screamed trying to push him away, she noticed the front of the car starting to smoke more, it was starting to fill the car. That had to be where the fire was coming from. They didn't have time, it wouldn't be long before the fire got bigger and the only thing went up in an explosion.

"HARRY GO!" she screamed again.

"I'M NOT LEAVING YOU!" Harry screamed back, before moving over her again to get to her leg out.

"Scream out, cause this is gonna fucking hurt," Harry said, and then before Sofia could process what was happening, she felt pain rip through her body as Harry pulled the metal out of her.

"HARRY YOU GOTTA GET OUT NOW!" Niall screamed, as Liam ran up to the car.

Harry yanked Sofia free, as fire broke out. Harry pulled Sofia towards him, covering her mouth with his hands. He couldn't feel the heat of the fire, or anything else. He just knew she could get out of the car now, and that was all the mattered.

"Grab her arms, and pull!" Harry yelled, Sofia yelled something but they couldn't understand.

Liam grabbed his sister's arms through the window, and pulled hard, before dragging her out by her shoulders.

"Harry!" Sofia screamed, as she saw the fire get bigger. The car was going up in flames She felt her back scrape against pavement and her leg was throbbing, as Liam pulled her away from the fire and car, "HARRY!"

"BACK UP!" Niall yelled, moving his hands, "ITS GONNA BLOW!"

Sofia screamed loud, as she heard the first explosion, but her scream was interrupted when Harry threw his body over hers to protect her from the explosion. The second explosion happened as Sofia lay under him, she grabbed at his shirt, tears and sobs wracking through her.

Harry pushed himself off of her, and Sofia covered her face with her hands, sobbing hard. It was hard to comprehend what had just happened. Not only had Harry gotten her free from the car, but also he just used his body as a human shield. He had just saved her life.
She thought she was going to die, and she was alive. Because of Harry. Sofia couldn't think, she couldn't breathe, and she couldn't function. Liam tried to pull her up.

"HER LEG!" Harry yelled, and Liam noticed the blood coming from her leg.

"We gotta move her," Liam said.

Harry picked up Sofia bridal style, and moved towards the edge of the road.

"Let me look," Danielle said, running up to them, as Harry crumbled to the ground with Sofia in his arms.

Sofia could barely feel the pain, or hear anything. She looked around, seeing things through her tears.

She could see the car on fire in the background, she saw a dead body on the road, and Zayn struggling with someone near another car. She saw Eleanor trying to get Louis to sit still as she looked at his shoulder. Niall collapsed down next to her and Harry, as Liam stood over her and Harry.

"She's bleeding too much," Danielle said, pulling off her sweater and wrapping it around Sofia leg. Sofia cried out in pain as Danielle pulled the shirt tight.

"You okay?" Niall asked her, "Where's it hurt? Besides your leg?"

Sofia let out a hysterical sob, and her entire body began to shake. She let out a horrified scream.

"Sof –" Harry cried desperately, as he held her. She grabbed his shirt in her fists, and screamed into his shoulder.

"It's okay, I got you, you're okay," he soothed, as she shook and sobbed. But she continued to scream out. She couldn't stop screaming.

"What hurts, Sofia?" Niall asked again, he was looking for an injury that would cause her that much pain, but she couldn't respond.

"She's in shock," Danielle said, looking up at Liam wide eyed.

"Sofia, come on, it's okay." Harry said.
"She can't hear you, we have to get out of here," Liam said, "It's too much, this too much for her."
Sofia sobbed again, as Harry pulled her to him.

"Look at me," he said, "Look at me. Come on, it's okay. You're okay. I got you. Just... look at me. It's okay."

He grabbed her face in desperation, anything to make her stop screaming and crying. Anything to remind her that she was safe and okay. Sofia did look up at him, and her face broke his heart. He had never seen tears come down someone's face that fast.

"Niall don't!" Harry yelled.

Sofia didn't know what Niall was going to do as she stared up at Harry. He looked back down at her, fear all over his face. She didn't have to look for it this time, it was apparent. And she knew she was causing the fear. She was scaring him.

She wanted to tell him she was okay, she wanted to speak, to say thank you, to say something. But she couldn't. She couldn't do anything but scream.

The last thing she saw were Harry's eyes, wishing she could say so much. And then everything went black.



***


Sofia blinked a few times as she felt her mind wake up. She shifted and her vision became clear and she realized she was in her bedroom. Eleanor and Danielle were sitting beside her bed, looking worried.

"Hey," Danielle said, sitting up and leaning forward.

"How you feeling?" Eleanor asked.

Sofia glanced around the room confused, before looking at them both. Her mind felt groggy.

"Drugged," Sofia answered, her voice croaking.

"Niall sedated you," Danielle said nodding.

"What? Why?" Sofia asked, as Eleanor helped her with a sip of water.

"You were freaking out," Danielle said, "You wouldn't stop screaming and crying. I think it was the trauma of the accident, you just lost it."

"What?" Sofia asked.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Eleanor asked.

"The car exploding," Sofia said, swallowing hard, "How long have I been out?"

"About 11 hours..." Danielle answered quietly.

"Are you serious?" Sofia asked, "Where is everyone? Are the okay?"

"They're fine, downstairs," Danielle said, glancing at Eleanor, "Drink some more water."

Sofia took several gulps of water, before taking a deep breath.

"Who hit us?" Sofia finally asked

"The Suns," Eleanor said.

"How ... What? How did they know?" Sofia asked, sitting up a bit.

"Stay down," Danielle said, "You still have a sedative in you, and your groggy."

"How did they know?" Sofia repeated. Danielle and Eleanor looked at each other, and Sofia hated the look.

"What aren't you telling me?" Sofia asked.

"They have Perrie," Eleanor said, taking a deep breath,
"She must've given them info on where we were and how we get back home. They must have been watching the roads. They probably thought Carly would be in one of the cars."

"They have Perrie?" Sofia asked, blinking several times.

"It's all Zayn could get out of them," Eleanor said, shrugging.

"Are they still alive?" Sofia asked, "Are the boys trying to get information out of them now?"

"No," Danielle said, "Zayn shot one while we were trying to get you out of the car. And ... the other one wasn't much use to us after telling us about Perrie..."

"Zayn killed him too?" Sofia asked, sitting up.

"Harry did, actually," Eleanor said, looking at the floor.

"Okay," Sofia said, "So, what now? Are they coming up with a plan?"

Danielle and Eleanor looked at each other again, they both looked unsure.

"What's going on?" Sofia barked.

"They have a plan," Danielle said, looking at Sofia, "And you're gonna hate it."

"What is it?" Sofia asked.

"They're raiding the warehouse..." Eleanor said, taking a deep breath.

"Okay, that makes sense," Sofia said, shrugging.

"Tonight," Eleanor said, "They're leaving in a few hours."

"What?" Sofia barked, shooting up. She gasped as pain shot up her leg.

"Sofia, you have a very deep cut in your lower leg," Danielle said, "You can't get up."

"Fuck that," Sofia snapped, shifting out of her bed, "They can't raid that place tonight."

"Sofia, please, you're hurt," Eleanor said, trying to keep Sofia on the bed, "You've been through a lot today."

"I'm fine," Sofia said, standing up. She grit her teeth in pain, as she put weight on her leg.

"You are in no position to be walking around. You have drugs in your system, you haven't eaten, and your leg is seriously hurt..." Danielle argued, "Please get back into
bed."

"Danielle, I don't want to fight you," Sofia said, taking a step forward, "But I'm not getting back into bed. I'm going to talk sense into those idiots. So, you can either help me get downstairs, or you can fight me. Those are your options."

"I knew we shouldn't have told her," Eleanor said, frustrated.

Sofia didn't wait for either of them to say anything, she walked towards her door, out of it, and down the stairs.


***

"What do you think your doing?" Zayn barked, noticing Sofia coming down the stairs.

"We tried to stop her," Danielle said.

"Sofia, get back into bed," Zayn said.

"You cannot go on a raid tonight," Sofia said, ignoring him.

"You can't be walking around like this!" Zayn yelled, trying to block her on the steps, "You were in a serious accident!"

"Move Zayn!" Sofia spat out.

"You're going back upstairs," Zayn said.

"Like hell I am," Sofia hissed.

"What the hell is going on?" Liam asked, coming out of the office, "What the hell are you doing out of bed?"

"What the hell are you doing going on a raid?" Sofia snapped, shoving past Zayn, and glaring at her brother.

"They have Perrie," her brother answered.

"So? You make a fucking plan or you try and smoke them out. You don't go in on a raid!"

Louis, Niall, and Harry all came from the office as she was yelling.

"What the hell are you doing?" Harry barked, moving towards her, "You need to be in bed. NOW!"

"I need to be talking sense into you all," Sofia said, looking around at the boys.

"Sofia, we got this," Liam said.

"Liam, they are going to be expecting you. They are going to know that you're coming, they're going to prepared."

"We know," Zayn said.

"So it's not going to a raid! It's going to be a fight!" Sofia shrieked, "What the hell are you thinking?"

"Sofia –"

"You can't shoot, look at your arm," she said pointing at Louis, "And you have stitches in your head," she said pointing at Niall, "Neither of you are in condition to be in a raid."

"I'm not going," Louis said, looking unsure.

"And I'll be in a car, a get away car," Niall said

"So, that makes 2 down, 3 going in..." Sofia snapped.

"We have back up," Liam said, "But no one except Harry and Zayn are going in..."

"What are you talking about?" Sofia asked.

"It's too dangerous for Liam to go in," Harry said, "We need him to stay alive."

"Oh my God," Sofia gasped, "Wait a minute –"

"We need to show them that we aren't.."

"Wait a minute! Wait a minute!" Sofia yelled, pointing at Harry, "You know that this is dangerous! You know this is going to turn into a blood bath and you're doing it anyway!"

"Sofia, we can't wait. We can't keep playing nice!" Harry said.

"So what? You're just gonna have Jay lead a raid knowing how dangerous it is?"

The room went silent, and no one looked at her. There was something they weren't telling her. She watched as Liam quickly glanced at Harry.

"Oh my god," Sofia said, shaking her head, "No – you're not –"

"It was my idea," Harry said, "It's only fair that I lead it."

"Wait a minute! Wait! Stop!" Sofia cried out, she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"I will be going in on the first line –" Harry continued

"Wait! Stop! Stop!" Sofia cried out, throwing her hands up.

"Zayn will move in later, and get Perrie out while we take out who we can," Harry said, he was ignoring Sofia's protests and trying not to take in her heartbroken face.

"You can't do this!" Sofia cried out, "You know how dangerous something like this is! Especially if you're leading it!"

"I know," Harry said, "But it has to be done."

"No it doesn't," Sofia said, shaking her head, "We can come up with something else. You don't even know if Dante's going to be there. We can wait and plan something!"

"NO WE CAN'T!" Harry yelled, "YOU ALMOST DIED TODAY! BECAUSE THEY FUCKING HIT YOU! YOU ALMOST DIED, SOFIA! THIS CAN'T WAIT!"

"Oh my God!" Sofia gasped, "You're doing this because you're angry about the car accident! Oh my God! Do you hear yourself?! You can't do this! I won't let you!"

"I CAN DO THIS! AND YOU DON'T GET A SAY!" Harry yelled, moving towards her, "Go back to bed, and let us handle this!"

"You're okay with this?" Sofia cried out, looking at Liam.

"We have to retaliate, Sofia," Liam said, shaking his head at her.

"What the hell are you thinking?" Sofia asked, looking at Harry, she was crying again.

"I'm thinking I'm not the type of guy who stands around while you get hurt," Harry answered, "I'm doing this."

"And I'm just supposed to let you, right? That's how this goes now? You tell me to do something, and I do it. You decide to do something and it doesn't matter what I think. That's how this goes now, right?"

"Sofia – it's not like –"

"DON'T TELL ME WHAT IT'S NOT LIKE!" Sofia screamed, "You are running into a suicide mission and you expect me to be okay with it! Because you've made your decision and that's that."

"I'm going to be fine," Harry said, quietly.

"You don't know that!" Sofia scoffed, "You are such a hypocrite!"

"Excuse me?"

"You are always lecturing me about danger and how I throw myself into it, and how I'm gonna hurt and how it would kill people if something happened to me. But look at you, doing the same exact thing!"

"This is different –"

"HOW?! BECAUSE YOU SAY IT IS?!" Sofia screamed at him,
"THIS IS WRONG HARRY! YOU KNOW THAT!"

"I WONT APOLOGIZE FOR KEEPING YOU SAFE AND FIGHTING BACK WHEN THE WORLD HURTS YOU!" Harry yelled, he was in her face now.

"I DIDN'T ASK YOU TO!" Sofia yelled, "I'M BEGGING YOU NOT TO DO THIS!"

"It's already done," Harry said, "It's happening. And you're just gonna have to deal with it."

And then Harry turned from her, and walked out of the house leaving Sofia crying on the steps.

"Sofia," Danielle said, pulling at her, "Come on, you have to get back into bed. You're going to upset yourself."

"Sofia –" Liam said, stepping towards her.

"No!" Sofia spat at him, "Don't touch me! How could you agree to this? He's not going to come out of this, and you just agreed to send him in to his death..."

And then she turned and walked back up the steps, leaving everyone silent behind her.


***


Sofia refused to say goodbye to the boys as left. She ignored Danielle and Eleanor as they begged her to come downstairs. She didn't answer Liam's knocks at her door, or Zayn promising her it would okay. She ignored them all. She refused to take part in this. If they were going to go, fine. But at least they knew where she stood.
Harry didn't bother knocking, he just walked right in. He had to see her before he left. He wanted to try and make this right between the two of them. He wanted explain himself and why he was doing this. He wanted to hold her again, and promise her everything would be okay. He couldn't leave with silence between the two of them. So, he walked right in to her room, telling himself he would get her to see it his way.


Harry came into her room, but she stared out the window instead of looking at him. She couldn't look at him.

"It doesn't have to be like this," Harry said.

"Leave me alone," Sofia answered

"I don't want you to worry," Harry said softly.

"Go away," Sofia hissed, "Just leave me alone."

"Sofia I know that you're scared. You've been through a lot today. And I know the accident reminded you of your parents. I know that you think I'm doing the wrong thing –"


"You've made up your mind, you don't care what I think," Sofia said, "Just go. Do it."

"Sofia please –" Harry begged, "I don't want to leave like this..."

"Why?" Sofia asked, turning towards him.

"Because –"

"Because this could be it."

"It's not it –"

"You don't that, and you want the satisfaction of leaving on good terms," Sofia snapped, "And I'm not going to give you that. I'm not going to tell you this is okay, or we're okay. Because it's not."

"Sofia, you need to understand –"

"No, I don't," she snapped, "You can use that voice all you want. And you can try and demand that I understand. You can try and boss me around and tell me what to do and how to handle this, but I won't. You can't spank me into thinking this is okay."

"You're scared," Harry said, "And you are allowed to feel that way. You know damn well I wouldn't spank you because of your feelings. But just, don't do this. Don't shut me out and don't leave this conversation angry."

He held his arms out and stepped towards her. He wanted to hold her and to tell her it was all going to be okay.

"Don't fucking touch me," Sofia snapped at him.

"Sofia please –" Harry begged softly.

"Fuck you," Sofia hissed, turning back to the window.

"I'll see you when I get back," Harry said quietly, "This isn't going to be it for us. Not like this."

She could hear the sadness and desperation in his voice, but she didn't care. She was too angry, too scared, and too hurt. She didn't want him to go. She didn't want him to do this. She didn't want to lose him. But she sure as hell wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of telling him that.

She heard him leave her room quietly, and she threw her head into her hands and cried. She instantly regretted letting it end like that. Because if he didn't come back, that was the last conversation she had with him. But at least if that was it, she was protecting her heart.


***


Sofia came downstairs a little while longer, limping her way to the kitchen. Danielle was at the stove, while Eleanor and Louis sat at the table. Sofia didn't say anything to them as she pulled water out of the fridge.

"He's gonna be okay," Louis said to her. Sofia ignored him, pouring a glass of water for herself, before limping to the table.

"Where's Liam?" Sofia asked.

"He went to watch from a car, he wanted to be on sight, even if he wasn't going in," Louis answered.

"He's not going in because he knows how stupid this is," Sofia said, "This is too dangerous. I can't believe you agreed to let Harry do this..."

"Sofia, I know this is hard," Eleanor said, "Waiting. Believe me, I've done it for Louis a thousand times."

"I'm not waiting," Sofia scoffed.

"He's gonna be fine, Sof," Louis said.

"I'm not waiting for Harry!" Sofia insisted

" He's fast and smart," Louis continued, "And he's got a hell of a shot. I've seen him in raids before. He'll be fine."

"I don't care," Sofia snapped.

"Yes you do," Danielle said, "You care and you're worried. And that's okay."

"No, it's not okay," Sofia barked, "I'm not this girl. I don't wait around and worry during raids. I go to sleep, and wait to hear whatever news there is the next day. I don't sit around and worry."

"You do now, apparently," Louis said, looking at her with a knowing look.

"This is why it's easier not to care," Sofia said, shaking her head, "Because at least when I didn't care I didn't have this sick feeling in my stomach. At least my chest didn't feel like it was going to explode. At least I could get through the night."

"Sofia, they have Perrie," Louis said.

"That's why were doing this," Sofia argued, "We're doing this because Harry let his emotions get in the way."

"Maybe so, but..."

"I got hurt, and now he wants revenge. Because he cares too much about me. He's so determined to protect me and take care of me. And he wants justice for what happened to me. He's fighting back. And he's fighting back for all the wrong reasons."

"He's fighting for you," Eleanor said, "He's there because he's fighting for you, Sofia. He's never done that before. He's never fought for someone before. But he is, for you. That has to mean something."

"Yeah," Sofia said, "It means were too close. It means we care too much. Whatever we are or whatever we have, it's starting to get in his head. And that's dangerous. He's making dangerous decisions. He's too close, he cares too
much."

"That's not true," Louis said, shaking his head.

"He's too close," Sofia repeated, "He's too close and too involved. And I'm the angel of death. And he's going to die because of me. Because he cares too much."

"He's not gonna die!" Louis yelled, slamming his hand on the table.

"Really?" Sofia spat, "Because he climbed into an explosive car yesterday, and tonight he's diving head first into a blood bath. Because of me! His life has been in danger twice! Because of me! He's going to get himself killed, because of me..."

"It's going to be okay, Sofia!" Louis argued, "He's going to be okay! You have to believe that!"

"I can't," Sofia said, shaking her head, "There's been too much death and hurt. I can't believe that."

"Why can't you believe that?" Louis asked, "He's smart. And fast. And strong. And good at what he does. You saw how good he was in that car, he got you out."

"But what if he doesn't the next time?" Sofia asked, "Or this time?"

"He's good at his job, Sofia," Louis argued, "You have to have more faith in him."

"So was my dad," Sofia said, looking up at Louis, "He was good at his job too. I had all the faith in him. He was the smartest. And fastest. And strongest. And the best at what he does. And now he's dead."

"Harry isn't your dad, Sofia," Louis said, reaching over to touch her hand, "You're not going to lose everyone you care about. It's okay to care, Sofia. That doesn't mean you're going to lose them."

"I can't lose him," Sofia said, a sob breaking out, "It would hurt too much."

"I know," Louis said, moving so that he could hold her, "You won't."


"No, you don't understand," Sofia said, pushing Louis away, "The thought of losing Harry, hurts me. My chest hurts, my body hurts."

"It's okay to feel that way. It's okay to worry, and to care, and to be afraid to lose someone."

"Not for me," Sofia said, "If this is what it means to worry and care, I don't want it. I don't want to feel like this ever again."

"Like what? Human?" Danielle asked, sitting next to her, "Everything you are feeling is normal. Humans feel like this when they love someone."

"I don't love him!" Sofia snapped defensively.

"I meant, as a friend or family," Danielle said, but she glanced at Eleanor knowingly, "I didn't mean it like that. He's your friend, Sofia. Of course you feel like this."

"I hate this," Sofia said, shaking her head, "I wasn't meant for this. This was never supposed to be me."

"Sofia, you have been through a lot today," Eleanor said, "That accident had to remind you of your parents and they way you lost them. You're upset and you have every right to be. But you aren't thinking straight. You have been through a lot of trauma and it's causing you to be more anxious and upset then usual."

"No," Sofia said, shaking her head, "I'm just not supposed to be this girl."

"Everything is going to be okay, Sofia," Louis said, "I know things are confusing right now. I know you're dealing with a lot. But I promise you, it's all gonna work out."

"I just don't believe you," Sofia said, standing up, "I want to. I just don't."


***


When the cars pulled up later that night, Sofia was sitting in the living room with everyone else. Sofia didn't even realize she was holding her breath, until Harry walked in behind Niall and Liam and she let it out. She was so relieved to see him.

Harry was covered in dirt and blood, and he looked exhausted, but he didn't stop looking around the room until he saw her. He took a step towards her, but she took a step back shaking her head at him.

"I'm so glad you're all okay," Danielle said, "Where's Zayn?"

"He's... taking care of Perrie," Liam answered quietly,

"She needs a doctor."

"Is she going to be okay?" Louis asked

"Yeah," Liam said, "Just some cuts and bruises."

"Was Dante there?" Louis asked.

"No," Harry said, "Went into hiding. But we took out everyone in the warehouse. And there were a lot of them there, so he's gonna be pretty injured for the time being. I'm sure he'll pop again, or try and make a deal. He lost a lot of men tonight, that counts for something."

"He wasn't even there," Sofia scoffed, shaking her head.

"No, but we made a big move tonight," Harry said, "We made some serious progress with this Suns problem."

"He's right," Liam said, "We made it clear tonight that we are a force to be reckoned with. And we cut his
following by a lot. If he's smart he'll move on, we made that much clear."

"Well, great," Sofia said, "I'm glad you made your point. How many of us died?"

"Eight," Niall said, "But we got every single one of them."

"If we had made a plan, eight of our people wouldn't be dead," Sofia argued.

"Or The Suns would keep coming at us, and even more people would be dead," Harry barked, narrowing his eyes on her, "We can't just roll over. Sometimes there's no time for plans. We have to show people who runs things."

"Right, I forgot, you're the king of showing people who's boss," Sofia spat out.

"Sofia –" Liam warned

"Oh, so this isn't about the raid," Harry barked, "That's what you're pissed about. You're pissed about you and me!"

"Maybe you two shouldn't –" Niall suggested.

"There is no you and me!" Sofia barked back, ignoring whatever Niall was trying to say.

"Then why are you so pissed, Sofia?!" Harry yelled, "We did a job tonight and it went pretty well, so what's got you so angry?"

"Fuck you," Sofia spat out, turning away from him and heading towards the stairs.

"You know I already gave you a pass on the first fuck you you gave me tonight," Harry barked, moving towards her and blocking her way to the stairs, "I'm not gonna do it again. So, be careful."

"You are unbelievable," Sofia growled, shaking her head, "But at least you can still manage to boss me around!"

"I don't want to argue with you!" Harry said, "I didn't want to then, I don't want to now. I get that you are upset, but why don't you just tell me why instead of starting a fight?"

"I don't have to tell you shit," Sofia hissed, trying to push past him.

"Don't do that! Don't fucking block me out! We have come too far for you to push me away!" Harry yelled.

"No!" Sofia barked, "There is no we! There can't be!"

"What the hell are you talking about? Of course there is!" Harry growled, "Just because I did something you don't like? You can't fucking pretend that we don't exist just because you don't like what I decided!"

"There isn't a we! There can't be a we!" Sofia yelled.

"There a we, Sofia!" Harry bared, "WE care about each other. WE are friends. WE have a connection. WE have been through a lot together. WE argue. WE talk. WE are complicated. BUT THERE IS A WE!"

"Whatever WE are! It has to stop!" Sofia screamed, moving away from him, "This! You and me! Whatever it is! It has to end! It has to stop!"

"It hasn't even started yet!" Harry barked, he was getting frustrated. He hated hearing those words come from her mouth. He hated that she was pushing him away and shutting him out. He hated taking 3 steps forward and thousands of steps back.

"I'm stopping it before it starts!" Sofia yelled,
"Because I can't do this!"

"Do what?!" Harry barked

"LOSE YOU!" Sofia shrieked.

Everyone in the room froze at her words. Liam stared between the two of them, and realized everything he had been trying to piece together. Harry wasn't chasing after Sofia, and she wasn't playing him. She was just as deep as he was. She had feelings too. Liam's mouth opened in horror when he realized something he didn't ever think he'd see. Harry wasn't just another guy to Sofia, she had feelings for him. This wasn't a one-way street, like he thought it could be. Danielle squeezed his hand, and Liam noticed the hopeful twinkle in her eyes. They were both seeing the same thing, something they didn't think they'd ever see.

Niall stood there in shock, blinking as he realized the same. Harry and Sofia weren't playing around. This wasn't something fun that could lead to something more fun. There were legitimate feelings on both their ends.

Louis tried to keep the smile to himself, because while everyone else was catching on – he had been suspicious for quite awhile. Maybe everyone else was surprised, but he wasn't. He had thought for a while that this could be a possibility. Harry and Sofia were falling in love with each other. And neither of them had any clue how to go about it, or what to do. Eleanor looked at him, hoping he would say something, but Louis just shook his head. They had to figure this out themselves.

"I'm right here," Harry said, "You didn't lose me."

"Yet," Sofia said, quietly, "I didn't lose you yet."

"Sofia don't –"

"Push you away?" Sofia said, shaking her head, "I have to. This has to stop. I can't do this."

"Do what?" Harry asked.

"Feel this way," Sofia said, "It's too hard, it's too much."

"I know that it's new," Harry said, "I know that everything is so new to you, but it's okay – it's okay to feel like this. It's okay, and if it's too much we'll figure it out. You don't have to push me away so it won't be too much. You're freaking out because you're not used to this. But we can figure this out, you can figure this out."

"I did figure it out," Sofia said, "I can't do this. Whatever this is. I can't."

"Sofia –"

"It hurts too much," Sofia said, "And if it hurts this much while you're standing right in front of me, I can't even imagine how much it would hurt if you weren't."

"You're shutting down," Harry said, shaking his head, "Don't."

"I don't know any other way," Sofia said, and before he could say anything else, she turned and left him standing at the bottom of the steps feeling helpless.

"What the hell just happened?" Harry finally asked, looking up at the room.

"Exactly what I said would," Liam snapped, "She's confused. And she doesn't know how to deal. And she got hurt tonight. By you..."

"I didn't mean to –"

"I know you didn't," Liam said, "But she's confused, Harry. And this is all too much for her. Like I said it would be. So she shut down and she walked away. Like I said she would."

"Liam, this isn't his fault," Danielle said, tugging at Liam's arm.

"Just leave her alone, Harry," Liam said, shaking his head, "She's not ever going to be that girl. She never has been."

"Liam, stop," Danielle said.

"I'm protecting my sister," Liam barked.

"From what?" Harry growled, "Maybe she's never been that girl because no one fought for her to be that girl."

"So what? You're gonna fight?" Liam scoffed at him.

"Well I'm sure as hell not giving up," Harry barked, before storming past Liam and out the front door.

"That's just great," Eleanor said.

"What?" Liam barked.

"The two people falling in love and having feelings are both new to the whole thing," Louis said, "They don't know what the hell their doing..."

"So what?" Danielle asked.

"So this is gonna be messy," Eleanor said.

"You think they're falling in love?" Liam asked, blinking at them.

"You don't think they're falling in love?" Louis asked, surprised.

"I mean, I think they have feelings for each other, but I hardly think its love," Liam said.

"Oh, it's love," Danielle said.

"They just don't know it yet," Eleanor said.

"Or they both know it," Niall said.

"And it scares the hell out of them," Louis finished.

"So what the hell do we do now?" Liam asked.

"I don't think we do anything," Louis said, "I think we let them figure it out..."

"You think this is a good idea?" Liam barked, "Harry and Sofia?

"I think we haven't seen either of them be this humane in years," Louis said, "Yeah, I think it's good."

"I think I'm going to be sick," Liam said.



***


When Zayn came home later that night he found Sofia on the porch, a joint in her hand.

"How's Perrie?" she asked, as he sat beside her.

"She'll be fine," Zayn said, "Something's not right about her story..."

"What do you mean?" Sofia asked, looking at him.

"I just don't trust her," Zayn said, "Something was off."

"Off how?" Sofia asked.

"I don't know," Zayn said, sighing deeply.

"We'll figure it out," Sofia said, putting her hand on his knee.

"I heard about you and Harry," Zayn said quietly.

"Does anyone in this house keep their mouth shut?" Sofia barked.

"No," Zayn said, "But you want to tell me what's going on?"

"Nothing. Nothing's going on," Sofia said, "I made sure of that tonight."

"Sofia, you can't just turn your feelings on and off," Zayn said, shaking his head.

"Sure I can," Sofia said.

"Well you shouldn't," Zayn said, "If you have feelings for him –"

"I don't have feelings for him," Sofia said, "I thought that maybe I could but –"

"But what?" Zayn asked, "You got scared?"

"It's not like that –"

"You deserve to feel something for someone, Sofia," Zayn said, "And being attracted to someone, and liking them, it's the best feeling in the world."

"Until it's not," Sofia answered.

"How would you know?" Zayn asked, "You always stop it before it can be anything."

"What if I get hurt? Or I hurt him?" Sofia asked, "Is it worth that?"

"I don't know," Zayn shrugged, "Why don't you find out?"

"I was scared tonight. And he's just my friend. I can't imagine what it would be like if I let myself go there with him..."

"Yeah, but imagine how much it's gonna hurt if you don't let yourself go there with him?" Zayn said.

"It's complicated, I don't think it's that simple
with Harry and I," Sofia said quietly.

"So figure it out," Zayn said, "But stop giving up on people when they haven't given up on you."

Sofia looked up at Zayn and realized that he was speaking from experience. Sofia sighed deeply, before she leaned into him. She was tired, they both were. She closed her eyes as Zayn leaned down and kissed her head.

"Stay with me tonight?" Sofia asked, looking up at him.

"No," Zayn said with a smirk, shaking his head.

"What? Why?" Sofia gasped.

"Because I'm not gonna be used as a tool to push Harry further away."

"That's not –"

"Stop giving up on people when they haven't given up on you," Zayn repeated. And then he stood up and left Sofia alone with her thoughts.

What are you going to do now? She thought to herself.

It was an interesting thought, one that Harry was thinking to himself as he laid up alone in his bed.

What are you going to do now?