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Recap
Amy sighed heavily as she let Michaela sink into the living-room couch. Michaela smiled to herself and rolled over in sleep.
"So, what you're trying to say is that Niall is actually evil and wants to inject Michaela with heroin?".
Newt nodded. "It sounds crazy—".
"It is crazy" Amy interrupted.
Lauren shrugged. "It's true; we heard him and some guy outside".
Amy bit her lip and shook her head in confusion.
"I knew there was something weird about that guy" Lauren said softly.
"I wonder where Niall is now..." Amy wondered aloud.
"I'm right here".
They all spun around and froze to see Niall, standing in the doorway; the brown envelope in his hand.
Lauren edged nervously towards Newt, still never taking her eyes off of the brown envelope.
"Hiya Niall" Amy plastered a false smile on her face, but underneath, they all knew it was fake.
Niall smiled back. "Why were you wondering where I might be?".
Amy pointed towards Michaela. "Well...She's passed out and—Well, we can't find Myra and Mercedes seems to have disappeared".
Niall nodded. "Of course...Well, I'll take Michaela downstairs, shall I? And If I can't find Myra...Then I'll just take her home".
"Well I..." Amy stepped in front of Michaela when Niall walked forwards.
"Amy?" Niall asked.
"I think we'll leave her here" Lauren chimed in "You go find Myra or John-Paul and bring them up here".
"Yeah" Newt nodded; him and Lauren walking over beside Amy, blocking Michaela from Niall altogether.
Niall stared for a moment and his eyes flickered with anger and he then shrugged and everything went back to normal. "Well...Okay" he turned and walked back out the door.
Amy glanced from Michaela to the door.
"Now do you believe us?" Lauren retorted.
Amy sighed.
-
Newt closed the door over and leaned against it.
"What are we gonnah do?" Amy shrieked. "We can't leave Mik here to go find her mum...".
"One of us goes" Newt announced "And the other two stay behind and keep Niall away from blondie over there".
"I'm calling Ste" Amy said, grabbing the house phone.
"Isn't he down stairs?" Lauren frowned.
Amy shook her head. "No, he never came...Who do you think is looking after Leah?". Her head turned. "Hello, Ste? Look, you need to drop Leah off at my dad's then come straight here to The Dog and come upstairs".
Newt and Lauren heard Ste mumble something back.
"I don't know" Amy replied "Just please get here, Ste...As soon as you can" she glanced nervously at Lauren and Newt.
"Yeah" Amy added "Love you too".
She disconnected and put the phone down. "Ste's on his way over" Amy said quietly. She leant her back against the wall and sighed. "Right, so...Who's going to go out?".
"I will" Lauren announced.
"No" Newt said quickly.
Lauren and Amy looked at Newt.
"I'll go" Newt replied.
Lauren shook her head. "No, he won't notice me if I go looking and besides; you've got to be the voice of reason for Amy. Barricade the door when I leave...Only open it when I come back or...Ste turns up".
She headed for the door.
"Lauren" Newt called.
Lauren turned.
Newt looked down, then glanced back up. "Be careful".
Lauren smiled tightly and headed for the door.
Amy pushed a chair up against the door when Lauren had left.
"We'll be okay..." she muttered to herself "We'll be okay...".
Newt sighed and poured himself a shot.
-
Lauren squeezed her way through the crowd and glanced around.
No John-Paul. No Myra. No Jacqui. No Carmel. No Mercedes.
Where the hell was everyone?
Her eyes floated over the pub and she spotted—
Niall.
His eyes found hers and for a second her body zigzagged with fear and she froze.
"Lauren" he said huskily.
Lauren looked up.
Niall grabbed her arm forcefully. "Let's go for a walk, shall we?".
Lauren looked up in fear and tried to break away.
Niall flashed the brown envelope.
"Move" he growled, pulling Lauren towards the stairs.
Lauren whimpered under his grip and let herself be dragged up the stairs.
-
Amy gasped as the door made a furious bang.
"It's me" Niall said through the door "Open up".
"It's jammed" Amy called back nervously, glancing at Newt.
"Go get Myra and we'll all pull the door open...together" Newt added.
"I've got Emo-Girl" Niall called back "So, let's revaluate, shall we? Open the damn door".
Newt rushed forward and pushed the door away.
Niall barged in, holding Lauren's arm tightly.
"Let her go" Newt said.
Lauren glared at Niall and he smirked.
He flung her to the floor and she landed with a thud.
Newt grabbed her up and pulled her away from Niall into the kitchen.
Amy was now backed against the couch, one hand inches away from the phone.
Niall grinned and closed the door behind him. He opened the brown envelope and pulled out a plastic box.
Amy swallowed. The plastic box contained several syringes, all dosed with heroin.
"Look" she began "We know that you're probably drunk so...If you just let us go, then we'll forget all about this, yeah?".
Niall smirked and took a step forwards. "Nah, I don't think so".
"Please don't kill us" she begged "I'm too young to die".
Niall glanced at Newt and Lauren; Newt was in front, and Lauren behind him, digging her nails into his side.
"Shall I kill them first?" Niall asked.
Tears began rolling out of Amy's eyes and she whimpered.
"Or..." Niall began.
He glanced at the still passed out Michaela.
"Shall I just kill her instead?".
Niall opened his plastic box and Amy backed away until she hit the wall.
Lauren slowly reached out and picked up a kitchen knife.
Newt glanced down at it and looked back at Lauren.
Lauren nodded slowly.
Niall walked towards Amy, holding a syringe and grinning madly.
Amy shook her head, tears still falling.
"No no no, this can't be happening..." she sobbed "Please don't—".
She was cut off by the abrupt noise of Niall falling to the floor.
She looked up in shock to see Ste, holding a golden statue but he dropped it quickly.
Behind him was Newt and Lauren, Lauren holding a kitchen knife.
Lauren looked down and dropped the knife down on the table.
"Ste" Amy sobbed, crushing him with her body.
"It's okay, babe" he whispered.
"He..." Amy began, now hyperventilating "He was...And Michaela...—The heroin...".
"Shhh" Ste soothed. "It's okay, I'm here now".
Lauren sighed and hugged Newt from behind, her arms wrapping right around him.
"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice trying to be firm but coming out broken.
He could feel Lauren nod against his shoulder.
She fingered his neck and felt him shiver. "Are you?" she asked.
Newt nodded. "Yeah".
Ste looked from Amy to Niall to the golden statue.
"You haven't killed him, have you?" Amy asked.
Ste shrugged "Well, I dunno...I just walked in and saw him with a needle and you so I grabbed the nearest thing...".
"Oh my god" Amy gasped, bending down next to Niall.
"Call an ambulance" she told them.
They hesitated.
"I mean it" she said firmly "And call the police, this jackass is going to hell when he wakes up".
Ste sighed, picked up the phone and dialled a number.
"Hello?" he replied "I need an ambulance..." pause "I've just knocked out my girlfriend's attacker".
Newt and Lauren looked at each other.
-
"Are you sure you're okay, loves?" Frankie asked.
Frankie, Jack, Newt, Lauren, Amy, Ste, Mike, Leo, and Valerie stood in a very quiet and empty pub.
"Will Michaela be okay?" Amy asked.
Mike nodded. "They've taken her home, they're all really shaken up".
"Imagine how we feel" Ste added.
"So he's not dead then?" Lauren asked quietly.
Mike sighed deeply. "No, just a minor concussion, which will be regarded as self defence" he glanced at Ste.
"I can't believe he was that twisted" Leo said, drowning a beer.
"Let's get you upstairs" Jack said to Newt. "The police will be round tomorrow, taking statements".
"Will we need to go to court?" Amy asked suddenly.
"Hopefully they'll have enough evidence to just charge" Jack added "And then...".
"You'll be called in for testimonies" Mike added.
Valerie reached out for Lauren. "C'mon, nice cup of tea and we can...".
Lauren pulled out of her grip, edging behind Newt.
"I'm not going anywhere with you" she said.
Newt looked at Jack. "Can Lauren stay the night? She'd just be on the couch—".
"I think that's up to her parents" Jack interrupted.
Lauren glanced at her dad. "Can I? I don't wanna go home tonight".
Leo hesitated, and glanced at Valerie's angry-looking face.
"No, she bloody cannot" Valerie cut in.
"Please" Lauren told her dad.
Leo sighed and shrugged. "If it's okay with Frankie and Jack".
Newt glanced at Jack and then Frankie.
Frankie sighed heavily. "Oh go on then, after the night you've all had...I'll set up the couch".
Valerie gasped. "No, she won't!" she reached out for Lauren but she stepped back.
"Leave it, Val" Leo sighed "One night won't hurt, if she doesn't want to talk to us then she won't...".
"When does she usually?" Valerie retorted "You let her wear those things and plaster herself in depression—".
"Get out" Leo cut her off.
Valerie looked taken back. "Excuse me?".
"You're causing more damage than good" Leo explained "I think you should leave".
Valerie pursed her lips and glared at Newt.
She turned on her heel and stormed off.
Leo quickly kissed Lauren on the head and headed off after Valerie.
Mike sighed. "Well...You wanna..?".
Amy looked up. "We're gonnah come get Amy and then go home".
Ste looked away to avoid Mike's glare. He wrapped an arm around Amy and they said good night and left The Dog. Mike gave a friendly nod and followed out after them.
"We'll just be in my room" Newt muttered, following Lauren upstairs.
Frankie leaned against Jack and sighed. "Some night this has turned out to be...".
Jack tried to smiled. "I suppose...".
-
Lauren tossed and turned on the couch. It was dark, she was all alone and this was near the very spot where Niall had cornered them.
She glanced over to Newt's room and bit her lip. Getting off the couch, Lauren managed to tip-toe over to Newt's door without making a sound. She reached for the handle, but hesitated.
Sighing, she opened the door to find Newt, lying down in his bed but fully awake. He glanced up at her and smiled slightly.
Lauren closed the door behind her and stood there for a second, taking in that his dark eyes were trailing up and down her body.
"I couldn't sleep" she whispered.
Newt nodded. "Me neither...But I don't think it's for the same reason".
Lauren knew what he was talking about but decided to shrug it off.
Newt simply turned on his side and peeled back his cover. Lauren eyed him for a second. Was he really doing what she thought he was..?
Lauren made her way over in a second and slid into the bed next to him. He pulled the cover back up and wrapped an arm around her waist. She felt him stroking her hand, fingering her knuckles.
"I was really scared" she whispered. Newt pushed his head into her shoulder and sighed.
"You saved me" she smiled "When I was stuck down in the pond...".
Newt reached up and stroked her cheek; she closed her eyes and took in his touch. She turned around to face him, their faces inches apart. "Were you scared?" she asked.
Newt nodded slowly and looked down. "Yeah..." he paused "What do you think will happen now?".
Lauren reached up and ran her fingers through his hair. "Why...Do I always feel stay when I'm with you..?".
Newt looked up and smiled warmly "Really?" he asked.
Lauren nodded and let her fingers slide down to his chest.
"Is it wrong?" she asked. "That...I'm in your bed and that Frankie might walk in here any moment..?".
Newt shook his head. "It's doesn't feel like it...".
Lauren nuzzled into his chest and sighed comfortably.
Newt leaned down and kissed her softly on the head.
She looked up and traced his lips with her index finger; revelling when Newt closed his eyes to take in her touch.
"Soft..." she smiled.
Newt pulled Lauren in closer and she linked her legs through his.
"Goodnight, Lauren" he whispered.
Lauren murmured something back and closed her eyes.
Maybe her nightmares could be at peace, if only for a while...