Levirate [Haniaal/Zarry]

Chapter 29

"Good grief Harry. I can hear you from the living room. What is wrong?!" Anne budges into the bedroom to find Harry staring daggers at Zayn. She looks towards Zayn for an indication of what might be making Harry shout but she finds him looking at Akilah who is nestled softly into Zayn.

"Zayn is trying to take my kids away from me" says Harry with a slight pout when he looks at his mom. Anne chuckles and tells him to "stop being ridiculous". "But Mom" Harry starts but Anne is quick to stop him. "Either you two discuss whatever this is as adults or I will take my grandkids downstairs. Babies can sense tension more than adults can and I am already drowning in this tension so imagine how they feel. So what will it be?"

"Fine" says Harry "we will be quiet". Zayn chuckles silently at how quick Anne is at dealing with Harry and when he turns his head towards the two he finds Harry still glaring. Hopefully he didn't see him chuckle.

"Zayn?" Zayn turns to look towards Anne when she calls him. Anne raises her eyebrows at him, hand on her waist. "We will be quiet Ms Anne" Zayn says

"Thank you" She walks out as quick as she came in and the two men look at each other, each waiting for the other to speak up first.

"What exactly is your game plan Zayn? Are you here to steal my babies from me?"

"Wow...that is a low blow even for you Harry. I have been nothing but kind and supportive towards you. Maybe you might not see it and I have excused that because I know you were mourning but even you can't be that blind. I am here to repay a debt to my brother. We did not manage to fix our relationship before he passed and as an honor to him I would like to help raise his babies. I have tried my outmost to be respectful towards you and not make you uncomfortable at all so you insinuating that I have ulterior motives is really unfair to me"

"No Zayn. What is unfair is you expecting me to make a decision that would have life long implications in 30 days. How is that fair? I am sorry if I am being rude but I don't know what is happening and I am getting really frustrated with all these things that keep popping up. What you are asking is a lot with a small space of time for thinking"

"And I am not pressuring you Harry just like I have not pressured you to be a husband to me. I am merely asking you to consider this and whether you grant it or not is totally up to you. It was never my intention to make you frustrated"

"But what if you suddenly decide you want them to yourself and file for custody?"

"You can demand a DNA test and prove that I am not the father" and he shrugs like it is the most obvious thing in life.

"Are you even ready for fatherhood? Do you understand how hard it is?

"Yes I am and I believe I have had enough practice with you and your many moods" Harry glares at him and Zayn smiles.

"So if they are being moody, what are you gonna do? Ignore them?" Harry asks

Zayn laughs and clutches his stomach. The tension slowly disappears as the conversation gets lighter

"That is just reserved for spoilt brats and I will make sure they do not become spoilt"

The two men smile and stay in silence for a while until Harry thinks of a very important question.

"And what happens when you have your own family? Do we then take a back stand? How will I be assured that my kids will not be abandoned?"

"I have a family already Harry. I am not planning to have another one"

That just shuts Harry up completely. He takes a while before he recovers and says with a stutter "Uhm...I need to think"

Zayn nods and stands slowly and deposits Akilah into the crib then quietly makes his way to the door. When he pulls it open, Anne and Gemma fall in not really expecting anyone to open and catch them eavesdropping. The two ladies blush crimson and Zayn just jumps over them in amusement without uttering a single word.

"Mother!" Harry shrieks as the two ladies stand from the floor and close his bedroom door. He gives them an earful on how ridiculous they are being and their lack of respect for privacy. Anne apologises profusely and Gemma laughs at how ridiculous they must have looked. Once the Styles are calm, Anne asks quietly "Do you know your father is not an only child?" 

"Yeah" Gemma responds "I remember seeing his sisters when I was younger. Though I might not recognise them now but I remember them a bit"

"Dad has siblings?" asks Harry "I always thought he was an only child"

"He is not. He has 2 sisters and a brother. Lucy and Sarah stay here in the UK while Paul moved to the US a while ago. After your father left us, I took you guys to his family over the Christmas season because they normally have these big family dinners. I had been there before with your dad every year so I did not really think much of it. But boy was I wrong. I don't know what your father told them but the reception we got was so cold. Everyone made me feel like I was a white elephant. They were so awkward that I did not even stay for dinner. We left shortly after lunch and I have tried calling them after that day but they did not show any interest at all in our lives. Growing up I had this dream that I would marry the man that I love and we would raise our kids in a normal family setting and be happy but when that did not happen, I hoped that at least you would all get to still see the other side of your family and know your roots and your cousins. It breaks my heart that I could not give you guys that and I have prayed that none of my grandkids experience that. 

"Mom why are you bringing this up now?" asks Harry

"Because baby, my grandkids are at the intersection that I was once at. Do not shut the Maliks out of their lives. Zayn is a good young man and I doubt that he would do anything to harm these babies. He adores them and they adore him just as much. Life is so very short to be holding grudges and holding on to what could have been. You need to accept the cards that you have been dealt and do the most with what you have. I would never tell you what to do or how to live your life but the best I can offer is what I have learned in life and hopefully you can avoid making the same mistakes that I have done".

Anne smiles and glances to both her kids, patting their knees softly in reassurance and love. She silently makes way to her grandkids and cuddles them. Gemma and Harry share a look and choose not to disturb her or take the conversation further because their father is a sore point for her and Gemma remembers how her mother cried her eyes out that Christmas when they got home. Though Gemma has never really felt the need to know her father's side of the family, she knows how much it means to her mother so she keeps her mouth shut. Harry mouthes to her "you are awfully quiet today. It is so unlike you". She shakes her head and mouthes back "sensitive topic". Harry nods and lets the conversation float in the air. Would his life have been any different if he knew his aunts? Will his babies need Maliks? What did Zayn mean when he said he has a family already? 

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A/N: This chapter just ran away from me. I am not sure what really happened but here we are