When the Clock Strikes 12:00 // L.S.

Chapter Eighteen: I Got You Babe

Louis's POV

It took me a while to process everything that happened that night.

After the cops took his lunatic of a father away, I held Harry for a long time. We just sat on the couch and I held him in my lap, twirling his curls around my finger and singing I Got You Babe by Sonny and Cher as he stared into the fire.

"Then put your little hand in mine, there ain't no hill or mountain we can't climb." I sang softly.

"No," Harry's small voice said, speaking for the first time since his Dad left.

"What don't like my singing?" I chuckle.

"N-no, I love it! I mean, you have smaller hands than me so..."

"That's not true," I say as Harry shifts slightly in my lap and puts his hand up to compare them. I place mine against his and sigh. He was right, I did have small hands.

"So I have to sing that part." Harry says and then starts in softly, "Then put your little hand in mine, there ain't no hill or mountain we can't climb."

"Babe, I got you babe," I continue keeping my hand against his, "I got you, babe."

"I love it when you say that," Harry says. "When you tell me that you got me."

"It's because I do. I will always be here for my Hazza."

"Thank you, Lou." He says snuggling deeper into my chest and borrowing his nose into my shoulder like he always does. The gesture is a small one, but I love it.

"I know it's a bit early, but I'm here if you ever want to talk about what happened tonight," I say tentatively.

"I do...want to talk about it. Just not right now." Harry says, "I just want you to hold me right now."

"I can do that." I say, still playing with his curls, "I love holding my Hazza."

It was late when Anne finally came in after talking with the officers and quietly shakes my shoulder. "Hey honey, I'm so sorry about that."

"It's alright, I'm sorry too," I say.

"I think it's best that we just get some sleep tonight and move on in the morning." She said, "But if you need to talk, I'm here. I'm quite frankly so embarrassed you had to experience that."

"No, it's fine. I'm just here to support Hazza...who looks to me like he fell asleep on me."

"I'll leave you boys to it then." She said with a sad smile, "Good night and merry Christmas eve."

I had almost forgotten it was Christmas eve, and now was definitely not the time to bring up that it was also my birthday. I hadn't told Harry when my birthday was when we met and it was fine with me to leave it that way. At least for right now.

"Hey Hazza," I whisper, coaxing him to wake up but he didn't stir. His thick eyelashes curled on his face and his lovely pink lips glowed in the firelight.

"Babe, you have to get up."

He still didn't move.

Time to try a different tactic, I thought to myself. Slowly, I bent my head down and kissed his cheek. His mouth twitched but he didn't open his eyes.

I kissed a bit closer to his mouth and I could feel his heart thumping loudly through the many blankets we were under. So he was awake. If he was going to play, so was I.

I continued to pepper his face with kisses, careful to kiss everywhere except his lips. Harry issued a small whine and I smiled.

"Stop missing." His tired little voice complained.