Hey guys, here's the next chapter! Thanks for all of your reviews for the last one I posted. I love hearing what you think about what I write! As for this chapter…It's kind of long. Like 12 pages (4,867 words) long so I'm starting to wonder if I should cut back on the length of the chapters…What do you think? I'm not sure…Also this chapter is a little bit bloody so watch out for that if you don't like blood. Um…That's all I think apart from…I posted a slight clue as to what will be happening in the next chapter at the end of this…Enjoy!

Chapter 7

The first thing Sophie was aware of when she woke up the next morning was the fact that her nose itched. A lot. Sighing irritably at the disruption she raised a hand to scratch the offending itch. She blinked her eyes open tiredly and smiled softly when she noticed that the cause of the itching was a couple of strands of blonde hair from the head which rested comfortably on her chest. Trying not to move anymore she held her breath and resisted the temptation to change position despite the pins and needles shooting through her left arm.

"I know you're awake you know" Sian murmured softly causing Sophie to start slightly in surprise.

"I thought you were asleep" Sophie said softly "How did you know I was awake?"

"Your heart rate changed" Sian whispered her fingertips ghosting a trail over the brunette's chest.

"Must be because you make my heart skip a beat" Sophie quipped with a cheesy grin.

Sian laughed and shifted up in the bed so she was level with her girlfriend "You, Sophie Webster are insane" she kissed the brunette softly "Good morning by the way"

"'Morning" Sophie whispered indulgently as she self-consciously pulled the sheet up her chest "How long have you been awake?"

Sian was silent for a minute considering the reason for Sophie's previous action before she spoke "Not too long. Twenty minutes or so" she lay her head back on the pillow next to Sophie's, a soft sigh escaping her before silence enveloped them.

"So…" Sophie whispered suddenly as she turned her head on the pillow to look at the blonde "About last night…"

Sian, too turned her head, a soft smile tugging at her lips as her nose rubbed gently against Sophie's due to their close proximity "You're not regretting it are you? I mean you seemed…"

"No!" Sophie interrupted quickly "It's just…was it okay? Was I okay?"

"Did my…reaction not tell you that?" Sian smirked quizzically. When Sophie merely stared at her she rolled her eyes "Yes you were. No…Wait you weren't okay" she paused for a moment and bit her lip thoughtfully as Sophie looked on in worry "It was…Mind-blowing" she shifted closer and kissed Sophie softly "you were mind-blowing"

"Yeah?" Sophie blushed lightly.

"It was beyond words" Sian nodded emphatically.

Sophie grinned smugly "So better than Ry…"

"Sophie!" Sian interrupted, looking mildly disgusted "Please don't mention his name when we're naked"

"Sorry" Sophie apologised.

"it's okay" Sian chuckled before gazing intently at her girlfriend for a moment "I don't know why you have such a superiority complex with him anyway. You'll always win" she smiled sweetly "And last night was beyond anything I've ever experienced. I promise"

"Good" Sophie smiled "But just so you know I can get better at…"

"Did you not hear a word of what I just said?"

"Um…Yeah but…"

"No buts" Sian shook her head firmly "I'm serious Soph. With him it was always kind of 'Wham, Bam, Thank you Ma'am'…."

"SIAN!" Sophie shrieked.

Sian couldn't help but laugh at Sophie's expression "But with you it means something. You care about me and it's not just sex with you. its way deeper than that" she grinned mischievously "And I already told you last night was mind-blowing, magical, amazingly brilliant, out of this world…"

"I get the point" Sophie smiled softly.

"But…"

"But?" Sophie frowned in concern as Sian trailed off "But what?"

"I still didn't get to return the favour" Sian pouted adorably "Which is why you still have half of your clothes on while I'm totally naked over here…"

"Yeah…" Sophie chuckled and glanced down at herself before looking back at Sian "Don't worry about it. We have plenty of time"

"I guess" Sian whispered, pout still firmly in place "I just really, really want to be with you like that. To y'know…Do for you what you did for me"

"You're adorable" Sophie leaned forward and pressed her lips to Sian's allowing them to linger for a long moment before pulling back "But we have plenty of time. There's no need to rush"

"Or you know…" Sian slid closer despite their already close proximity "We could give it a try now?"

"…Or not" Sophie giggled as Sian's hand trailed lightly along her ribs "I have things to do today"

"What things?" Sian practically whined.

"Just things" Sophie said mysteriously "In fact I'll probably be out for most of the day…"

"Why?" Sian questioned curiously "Where are you going?"

"Nowhere important" Sophie stated vaguely "But as much as I want to…" she leaned forward and kissed the other girl softly "I can't lie around in bed with you all day today"

"C'mon Soph…" Sian grinned and bit her lip "You know you want to"

"I do" Sophie nodded, her gaze focusing on Sian's lips "But I can't…And stop giving me that look!" she covered her face with her hands and Sian laughed at the statement.

"What look?"

"You know what I'm talking about ..." Sophie peaked out between her fingers "The 'I'm way too sexy to say no to and so you're going to give in to me right now' look"

"Will you stay if I keep giving you that look?" Sian asked hopefully.

"Probably" Sophie nodded as she lowered her hands "But I'm not going to let myself give in to you. I have to go out"

"But Sophie…" Sian sighed and wrapped her arm back around Sophie's waist "What am I supposed to do if you're going to be out all day?"

"I'm sorry" Sophie apologised sincerely "You know if I didn't have to do this I would stay here with you"

Sian huffed but nodded anyway "Fine"

"Now you're in a mood with me" Sophie observed sadly.

"I'm not" Sian looked up into Sophie's eyes "I just kind of thought we could stay in today" noticing Sophie's troubled expression she forced a small smile "It's okay. I'll be fine…Like you said we have plenty of time, right?"

"Right" Sophie nodded in response though she didn't look convinced.

"Honestly" Sian insisted "I'll be fine" she pressed a small kiss to Sophie's lips "I mean you'll be coming back, right?"

"Of course I will" Sophie responded instantly "Why would you even…"

Sian cut her off with a quick kiss "No reason"

"I should get up" Sophie announced "If you cook anything you'll try not to burn down the house won't you?"

"I'm not that bad" Sian commented as she watched Sophie get out of bed and grab a t-shirt from the floor "You're leaving already?"

"Not yet" Sophie answered as she pulled the shirt on and jumped back onto the bed next to Sian "But I have to shower" she leaned forward and kissed Sian softly.

"I could join you" Sian grinned seductively.

"So you can seduce me into staying?" Sophie laughed and shook her head "Nope. I'll meet you downstairs" with another quick kiss she crawled over the blonde's body and got off the bed.

Sian smiled to herself as she watched her girlfriend leave the room, a subtle swing to her hips "Tease"

The sound of Sophie's laugh sounded faintly "That's me"

~~X~~

"I already told you" Rosie stated, her arms crossed in front of her chest as she glared hard at the wall in order to avoid eye contact with the two police officer's and her parents "I don't know where they are, okay?"

"She's lying!" Kevin exclaimed angrily "Why can't you people see she's lying?"

"Mr Webster" The male police officer addressed him "There's nothing we can do if she won't tell us your daughter's whereabouts"

"Tell them Rosie!"

"I don't know where she is" Rosie repeated in a bored tone of voice "And even if I did I wouldn't tell you lot"

"See?" Kevin exploded angrily as he shot up from his seat "She knows"

"Mr Webster" The male police officer stood up "You need to calm down"

"Calm down?" Kevin echoed loudly "My daughter is out there and you want me to calm down? She could be hurt, lost…"

"Don't act like you care" Rosie finally looked up at him her gaze icy "Don't pretend to give a shit now that she's…."

"Language" Sally rebuked instinctively.

Rosie scoffed and shook her head but didn't say anything else.

"Look Rosie…" the female police officer who had previously informed them that her name was Violet spoke softly "It's vital that we find Sophie as soon as possible. Anything could have happened to her, you get that don't you?"

"I'm not stupid" Rosie snapped indignantly "Or deaf. I understand you perfectly well but I still don't know where they are and as I said even if I did I wouldn't tell you"

"Why not?" Violet asked curiously.

"Because it was them…" she glared at Sally and Kevin who looked on numbly "Who forced her out in the first place and if she comes back she'll be unhappy. I know she will"

"Mr Webster" Violet looked up at the older people in the room "What is Rosie talking about?"

"Sophie was doing something we weren't comfortable with" Sally spoke up eventually "We didn't want it happening under our roof"

"What do you mean?"

"She was…Sophie was…" Kevin stumbled over his words unable to express what he meant "She was...She…"

"She's GAY!" Rosie exclaimed loudly "It's not a bad word you know"

"You threw her out because she's gay?" Violet asked disapprovingly.

"NO!"

"They threw Sian out because she's gay!" Rosie stated without removing her hard gaze from her parent's.

"Do you really need to know this?" Sally questioned uncomfortably as she shifted in her seat.

"Yes we do" The male officer nodded.

"Who is Sian?" Violet questioned in confusion.

"Sophie's girlfriend" Rosie answered, her tone still angry "They came out to Mum and Dad about a week ago because Sian was kicked out of her own house by her Dad for being with Sophie"

"And you kicked your daughter's girlfriend out so Sophie decided the only way for them to be together was for them to run away" Violet nodded thoughtfully "I understand that"

"You're supposed to be a Cop not a therapist!" Kevin snarled angrily at the harsh looks being directed towards him "Find my daughter NOW!"

"We're doing the best we can Mr Webster" Violet spoke tightly before she stood up and nodded to the male officer "We'll be in touch when we find something out" With one last sympathetic glance towards Rosie she walked out of the room.

"That's it…" Kevin muttered as he heard the sound of the front door closing "I want to know where she is right NOW Rosie!"

"I don't KNOW!" Rosie yelled as she shot up from her seat "I don't know where she is, okay?"

"Yes you do!"

"Why can't you just leave her alone?" Rosie asked sharply "She doesn't want to be away from Sian, don't you get that?" she took a deep breath and narrowed her eyes at her parents "You forced her to choose between you two and Sian and she chose. It's as simple as that"

"Why are you defending her?" Kevin questioned harshly "She chose Sian over you too"

Rosie paused for a moment at the statement but shook her head "No she didn't. She still has me. They both still have me because I support them. I would never force Soph into the position where she had to make that choice" she walked over to the door before turning around "I support the decision they made because you didn't give them any other option but to run" she turned quickly and walked out of the room.

~~X~~

Sophie glanced quickly at her watch and cursed as she read the time was 11:07pm. She squinted into the dark and sped up, her feet pounding loudly on the path.

"Sian's going to kill me" she muttered to herself in annoyance. She briefly pondered on the fact that she still didn't have a mobile phone to contact her girlfriend before a noise ahead of her caused her to look up. She noticed a dark form rushing towards her through the dark but didn't take much notice of it. That is until it was right upon her and she found herself shoved backwards into the wall.

"Ow!" She exclaimed doubling over as pain shot through her side. She quickly attempted to scramble backwards but found a pressure against her shoulder.

"I'm not going to hurt you" the voice sounded gruffly "Just give me your money and your phone"

"I don't have any money" Sophie winced and looked around only to see the street was deserted "Or a phone!"

"Give it to me!" the figure yelled in annoyance as he pressed her even further into the wall "I'm warning you…."

"Ahh!" Sophie whimpered at the pain which shot through her shoulder and managed to pull out the only money she had "Here!"

"What the hell is this?" the figure questioned as he stared in disbelief at the £20 note she had handed him "Are you screwing with me? Give me the rest!"

"I'm 16" Sophie managed to speak despite her growing fear at the prospect of what he was going to do to her "I don't have any money"

"I don't believe you" the guy informed her before he proceeded to go through all of her pockets. When he came up with nothing he grunted in annoyance and kicked the wall "Damn it!" he grabbed Sophie's shirt and pulled her off the wall "What the hell am I supposed to do now?"

"How should I know?" Sophie glared at him defiantly even though she was shaking.

"You're useless!" the guy growled angrily and proceeded to shove her backwards hard before he turned and walked away.

Sophie cried out on pain as she collided hard with the wall before falling towards the sidewalk. Unable to react before she hit the ground she landed in an awkward position her hand trapped under her body and both her ribs and face colliding roughly with the concrete.

"Ouch!" she yelped loudly as pain came rushing at her. Feeling something streaming from her nose she lifted her un-trapped hand to it and found herself shocked at the pain that it caused as well as the warm sticky, fluid that flowed onto her hand "Damn…I hope it's not broken" she shifted onto her side and whimpered as excruciating pain shot simultaneously through her wrist, shoulder and side. She pushed herself hesitantly into a sitting position cradling her injured hand against her body.

"Sian…" Sophie muttered before forcing herself to her feet. She had to try a couple of times finding it difficult as she was unable to use either hand. When she eventually made it to her feet she groaned as pain shot through her ribs. Nevertheless she began to limp home, her thoughts focused intently on Sian.

~~X~~

10 hours 41 minutes and 26 seconds. That's how long ago Sophie had left.

Sian mulled over the time in her head as her gaze flickered frantically between the door of the dark living room and the phone in front of her, the screen illuminated to show Rosie's number on the screen.

"Come on Soph" Sian mumbled as she dropped her head into her hand, numerous scenarios explaining why Sophie hadn't returned coming to mind. She chewed nervously on her lip as tears formed for what felt like the hundredth time in the past few hours. She was in the process of thinking back to find out if Sophie had been acting out of the ordinary before she left when a thought suddenly struck her "she wouldn't tell me where she was going…" at the thought her tears began to come thicker and faster and she began to reach for the phone. Her thumb was hovering shakily over the dial button when a noise sounded from the doorway causing her to look up sharply. A key. A key was turning in the lock. The sound of the door opening and closing followed it and Sian sat up hopefully, her gaze on the ajar doorway. A moment later she watched as Sophie walked quickly down the lit hallway straight past the living room. Sian frowned in confusion as she heard the tap turn on and stood up wiping Rosie's number off the screen of her mobile and shoving the offending object back into her pocket as she did so. She followed the sound of movement into the kitchen where she found Sophie standing in front of the sink, her back turned to her.

"Where the hell have you been?" Sian questioned loudly the worry she had been experiencing for the past few hours coming out as anger "Do you have ANY idea how worried I've been Sophie?"

"Sian" Sophie spoke though her voice sounded strangely nasel-ish and she didn't turn around "The lights were off…I thought you were in bed"

"Well I'm not!" Sian snapped irritably "How the hell was I supposed to sleep when you don't bother to come home until midnight? You didn't even bother to phone me to tell me you were okay!" Sophie began to interrupt but Sian continued her worry fuelled rant "I was this close…" she held up two fingers mere millimetres apart "To calling Rosie because I was so worried about you!"

"I'm sorry" Sophie spoke, her voice again nasal-ish "I didn't realise how late it was getting"

"That's not…" Sian began to speak again before something on the tiled floor caught her attention "What is that?" she squinted at the red liquid that looked strangely like blood.

"I'm sorry" Sophie repeated "I was going to call but I don't have a phone. I'm sorry"

"What's wrong with you?" Sian tilted her head to the side, her features awash with concern "Soph? What's wrong?"

"Nothing"

"Then why won't you look at me and why the HELL do you sound like a duck with a damn cold?" Sian countered determinedly "Turn around"

"No…"

"No?" Sian echoed sceptically "Sophie either turn around right now and tell me what's wrong or I swear I'm going to…"

"Fine" Sophie sighed effectively cutting off Sian's threat "But don't panic okay? It's not as bad as it looks"

"Not as bad as it…Sophie what's going on?" Sian questioned in alarm. She paused for a minute as Sophie revolved on the spot to face her. As her girlfriend's face came into view she gasped in horror "Oh My God…Sophie, what happened?" she raced quickly over to the brunette and gently pried her bloody hand away from her nose which was still pouring with blood.

"Bad idea!" Sophie winced as the blood began to drip down her mouth towards her chin.

"Okay" Sian placed one hand under Sophie's chin and one hand on top of her head to tilt her head back "Tilt your head back…It'll slow the bleeding" she grabbed Sophie's hand to lead her towards the living room but the younger girl cried out in pain and pulled her hand to her chest "You hurt your hand too?" Sian received a nod in response and she grabbed a first aid kit and a box of tissues from one of the cupboards before returning to Sophie's side. She hesitated for a moment unsure as to where she could touch Sophie without hurting her. As if sensing her predicament Sophie held her bloody uninjured hand out. Sian took it gently and tugged her into the living room where they sat down on the couch "Okay…" Sian grabbed a handful of tissues and shifted so she was kneeling on the couch next to Sophie.

"I'm sorry you have to…" Sophie started to speak.

"Shhh!" Sian interrupted her gently "Don't worry about it" she placed her hand on top of Sophie's head and pressed the tissues under her nose in an attempt to stop the bleeding "Can you hold these here Soph?"

"Mmmh-Hmm" Sophie mumbled before she reached up and took the now bloody tissues from Sian's grip.

Sian watched as Sophie leaned her head forward to look at her "What happened?" she reached out to tenderly caress a graze on Sophie's cheek "Did someone attack you?"

"I got mugged" Sophie said her voice muffled by the tissue pressed against her nose "He pushed me a couple of times"

"But he didn't do anything else right?" Sian asked fearfully.

"No!" Sophie exclaimed instantly and shook her head from left to right "Ow" she paused as a sharp pain shot through her head "That hurts"

"Where else does it hurt?" Sian questioned, her eyes roaming over Sophie's body for any signs of blood or injury.

"My Side" Sophie answered "My wrist and my shoulder…Oh and my head"

"Right" Sian stood up gently pulling Sophie with her and pushed the brunette's jacket off her shoulders. She took Sophie's injured hand in both of her own and attempted to pull the jacket over it using minimal force.

"Ow" Sophie whimpered in pain despite the tenderness Sian was exhibiting.

"Sorry" Sian whispered as she took the tissue from Sophie's grip with one hand and helped her pull the jacket off with the other. She repeated the actions with Sophie's shirt before glancing down at her side "Sophie…" she reached out to trail her fingers across the heated skin which had already turned a shade between purple and blue "How hard did this guy push you?"

"Hard" Sophie answered simply, straining to see the bruising "Is it bad?"

"Yeah" Sian placed her hand flat on the affected area and pushed gently causing Sophie to yelp in pain "I'm sorry!"

"It's okay" Sophie muttered through gritted teeth.

Sian shifted her gaze to Sophie's shoulder and she inhaled sharply when she noticed the hand-shaped bruise there. She gently turned the brunette around and winced when she noticed her shoulder blade was badly grazed, probably from a collision with a wall.

"My wrist is throbbing" Sophie complained softly, still holding the tissue to her nose "It's really hurting"

"Okay" Sian gently set Sophie down on the couch and sat next to her, taking her injured hand. She winced slightly when she noticed for the first time exactly how bruised and swollen it was "Soph, I think we need to get you to a hospital…"

"No!" Sophie shook her head instantly "No hospitals"

"But your wrist looks broken…"

"No!" Sophie said firmly "If we go to a hospital they'll have to phone my Mum and Dad which means that we'd be separated. I won't risk it"

"Fine" Sian sighed sadly and focused on Sophie's wrist. She pressed down lightly and Sophie groaned in agony "I think this is broken. If not it's at least a really serious sprain" she bit her lip nervously and looked back up at her girlfriend "I don't know what to do Soph. I'm not a doctor"

"Just wrap it with bandages" Sophie gasped out despite the fact that her eyes were watering with the pain "Wrap it tight"

"Sophie, c'mon" Sian pleaded desperately at the sight of her girlfriend's obvious suffering "We need a professional to look at this"

"No" Sophie shook her head stubbornly "please Sian, Just do it, okay?"

Sian's gaze lingered on the younger girl for a moment before she grabbed an ace bandage out of the first aid box "Are you sure you won't reconsider…?"

"No" Sophie shook her head adamantly "I'm not going to the hospital"

Sian sighed but placed the bandage on Sophie's wrist before glancing up at her girlfriend "this is going to really, really hurt"

"I know" Sophie nodded but kept the tissue in place "I'll survive, don't worry"

Sian took a deep breath before she wrapped the bandage twice around Sophie's wrist making sure it was tight but not so tight that it cut off circulation.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow" Sophie chanted painfully, her eyes clenched shut.

"I'm sorry" Sian responded her voice cracking guiltily as she wrapped the bandage from Sophie's wrist across her hand and through the area between her thumb and first finger.

"This bloody hurts" Sophie managed to speak through the pain "OW!"

"Two more times" Sian promised softly as she quickly repeated the previous process.

"Is that it?" Sophie asked hopefully as she opened her eyes "No more?"

"No…" Sian murmured, her gaze focused intently on Sophie's wrist "I have to wrap it around your wrist three more times before I tie it off" she glanced up at Sophie "Are you sure about…"

"Do it" Sophie nodded.

Sian released an exasperated breath but proceeded to wrap and rewrap the bandage until she was left with the end.

"Wow" Sophie murmured her voice faint "You weren't kidding about the pain"

"No, I wasn't" Sian quickly tied the bandage off before she moved the sit on the couch next to Sophie "I'm sorry" She placed her hand on her girlfriend's knee and rubbed it gently "I'm sorry that I wasn't there tonight when you needed me and I'm sorry that you have to go through all of this pain just to be with…"

"Shut up" Sophie whispered as she pressed her finger to Sian's lips effectively cutting her off "I'm okay now. I promise"

"You really scared me" Sian admitted as she gently drew the brunette into her arms and pressed a soft kiss to her head "When you didn't come home tonight. I thought something had happened to you…Something did happen to you and it's all my fault because I'm the one who dragged you here in the first place…"

"Hey" Sophie whispered as tears began to spill from Sian's eyes. She lifted injured hand despite the pain and wiped the tears tenderly from her girlfriend's cheeks "Don't cry. You know I hate it when you cry"

"I'm sorry" Sian sniffled.

"Don't apologise either" Sophie smiled softly and lowered the tissues she held to her nose. She was slightly surprised to find it had stopped bleeding but ignored that fact for now "None of this is your fault…I chose to come here. I chose to be with you Sian and I'm not going to change my mind. Even if being here means I have to deal with a few bumps and bruises. I love you"

"Don't scare me like that again" Sian whispered before she leaned forward and kissed Sophie softly.

Sophie pulled back after a moment "Ew"

"Ew?" Sian questioned in shock "What's that supposed to mean?" she self-consciously breathed on her hand, checking her breath only to find it was minty fresh as usual.

"No…Not that" Sophie smiled softly through her pain "I'm covered in blood "

"I don't care" Sian murmured before she kissed Sophie again as if to prove her point, her hands threading through soft dark hair "I mean it…" she mumbled between kisses "What I said before"…"About not scaring me"…"I love you way too much to lose you"

"I know" Sophie pulled back to breathe "I won't do it again"

"You didn't tell me where you were going this morning" Sian said thoughtfully "Where have you been all day?"

Sophie blushed brightly "It's stupid…"

"What is it?" Sian questioned curiously.

"I was looking for a job" Sophie shrugged and glanced away "Temporary. For when the money runs out…Y'know"

"That's sweet" Sian smiled and kissed Sophie again "Any luck?"

"Not really" Sophie shook her head and leaned into Sian's embrace with a content sigh. She shifted slightly only for pain to shoot through her ribs and wrist simultaneously "Nothing decent anyway"

"You do know what this means, right?" Sian murmured into Sophie's hair.

"What?"

"We're cohabiting" Sian smiled softly and dropped a kiss atop the brunette's head "Like officially now though"

"Yeah?" Sophie smiled and shifted in Sian's arms despite the pain to look up at her "I guess we are" she leaned forward, wincing internally and pressed their lips together in a soft kiss which quickly grew more passionate. Sophie was just leaned forward to push Sian gently back onto the couch when a sharp pain shot through her wrist "Ow, Ow, Ow!"

"I'm sorry!" Sian gasped as she took Sophie's injured wrist in both of her hands and held it lightly "I didn't mean to…"

"My fault" Sophie smiled softly even though the pain was growing worse "I'm fine"

"Okay…" Sian nodded but didn't look convinced by Sophie's pained smile.

"I am" Sophie stood up and bit back a gasp at the pain rush of pain that hit her "Let's just go to bed and I'll be fine. After I clean myself up I mean…"

"Right" Sian whispered as she allowed Sophie to pull her out of the room "You'll be fine"

TBC

Next Chapter Preview: Sophie and Sian must face a decision as to whether they should risk Sophie's long term health in favour of being pulled apart by their families.