Through the Lens

The Six

*One Year Later*

Harry's POV

I stood in the back of the room, clutching my champagne glass as I looked across the room at my sister, who was absolutely beaming. I'd never seen her so happy, so content, and it made my heart swell in my chest as I watched her laugh and throw her head back in delight. She was dancing with Niall as he spun her around, the two of them having the time of their lives as the music echoed through the large ballroom.

A smile crossed my face as I watched them, a sense of contentment falling over me as I looked around the room to see my mother laughing with Liam's Dad, Freddie and Bear bopping around on the dance floor while Cheryl and Louis held their little hands, and Liam cradling his three month old daughter, Pippa, in his arms as he came toward me.

I eagerly put my champagne down and held my arms out as he approached me, smiling down at her as he handed her over, and immediately held her up to take a good look at her.

"There she is." I beamed as she sucked on her little hand. "Uncle Harry missed you."

"You had her fifteen minutes ago." Liam laughed, rolling his eyes at me.

"I know, but I gotta soak up the cuddles while I'm here. Don't I, Pip? Yes I do." I cooed at her as she looked up at me with her big brown eyes that were just like her dads. "Besides, I'm your favorite Uncle. You've missed me, I know."

Liam just chuckled beside me as the two of us stood there, both of our attention on the baby as she looked between us and smiled. All of our families had come together to celebrate Liam and Cheryl's engagement, and I had flown home with only ten hours to spare to be a part of it. I'd managed to be home a little more often than I normally would have been while on tour, but I'd been making a conscious effort to be there for the important events in the lives of those closest to me, and Liam's engagement party was no exception.

"Figured you might want this, I know you have to take off soon." He said as he held out a bottle of water to me and I moved Pippa up onto my shoulder so I could take it.

"Thanks." I smiled as I took it from him and sighed as I realized what time it was. "Guess I should start saying my goodbyes pretty quick."

Liam nodded as we both took the time to look around the room, soaking in the faces of some of the people that were closest to us, before he threw his arm around me and pulled me into him.

"I know it's was probably a nightmare for you to fit this in, but I appreciate it." He smiled as Pippa wrapped her little hand around my finger and tried to shove it in her mouth. "It just wouldn't have felt the same without you."

"You're my brother. What's important to you is important to me." I said as I clapped him on the back. "I can't believe you're engaged, you finally did it."

"Yeah...I figured it was about time after two kids and everything else we've been through." He sighed nervously. "I can't believe how much shit has changed in the few years since we took the break. Life is crazy."

"That's for sure." I chuckled lightly.

It had been a long few years, and so much had changed in all of our lives. To think about where we were when we took the break, to how far we'd come now, almost seemed like we'd lived a whole other lifetime since. We'd all grown up, followed our own paths, but somehow we remained as close as we'd always been. The bond that we formed throughout those years was something that could never be broken, and even though we all struggled at times, there had never been a time since I was sixteen years old that they hadn't had my back.