Before You, He Had Me

Twelve

"Pamela's sending the cops." Calum wraps his arms tightly back around Meg as he puts his phone away.

"Calum."

"Not right now, Michael. Do not let that asshole get up. The cops will be here for him in a minute." Calum barks.

"You beat the shit out of him and he is being arrested?" Luke asks.

"Not right now." Calum hisses, turning back to Meg as she seems to panic again, tightening her arms around his middle. "Shhh." He hums into her hair.

Letting her pull away slightly, he sees nothing but fear in her eyes as she looks up at his face. "You're bleeding." She comments suddenly, turning around to grab a napkin.

"I don't care if I'm bleeding." He stops her from wetting the napkin.

"Just let me clean you up a little bit." She turns, catching his eye.

"I feel like I told you that once." He almost smiles, letting her dab at his cheek softly, wincing slightly at the sting. He had in fact said those same words to her the night of the assault, when they'd got back to his house. She's had dirt and who knows what else on her face. He'd taken her to the kitchen and cleaned it off for her before letting her retreat to the guest room to sleep that night.

"Thank you." She sighs, pulling him back from the memory, both turning as the sound of sirens breaks through the night.

"Come on, they are going to want to talk to us." He wraps an arm over her shoulder and steers her towards the gate.

"The others are going to be pissed at us." She sighs.

"You know you're going to have to explain right?"

"Not yet." She rolls her lips into her mouth.

"But soon. I mean, I just beat the shit out of that asshole in the middle of our birthday party. And you ran into my arms crying. I don't know which is going to make them more freaked."

"I do. And it isn't the fight." She sighs as Calum pushed the button to open the gate.

"Megan, Calum." Pamela is waiting with a couple of officers behind her.

"Pamela, thanks for coming so quickly." Calum smiles.

"You are sure this guy is the one who assaulted you?" The larger officer, Price written on his badge, steps forward.

"He's out back. I'm sure." Meg nods.

"You look a little ruffed up son." the other officer, Ford, comments as they lead the three of them around the house.

"She panicked, and I reacted. It wasn't my proudest moment, but the asshole deserved it." Calum shrugs.

"Do either of you live at this residence?"

"I do. But my cousin and his fiancée are the ones who own it." Meg answers as they round the house.

"Since it happened on private property the owner needs to be included in discussion of what to do about the altercation."

"Can we deal with the case at hand and then talk to Mike, he doesn't know about my assault yet, and I'd rather this not be how he finds out. Especially if we need to leave to continue statements." Meg almost begs.

"Yes, it can be done separately. We need him for the altercation, not the reason for the altercation." officer Price nods sympathetically at her.

"Thank you."

"He's waking up now." Ashton still looks angry as the five of them get back to the mess created by the fight.

"That's him." Meg points at the guy sitting bruised on the ground, still looking dazed."