Please don't hunt me down ;) This chapter is a bit repetitive as it's the same story just in all three POVs, but you'll understand. Enjoy... ;)
The day seemed to go faster than usual, and Nikki soon found herself back in bed with Harry's magnetic arms around her and their baby. They'd tried to get Lucy to settle in the cot again but she would cry until they took her out. Eventually they'd given up trying and let her sleep in the bed once more.
They slept well for a few hours before Harry's mobile started buzzing. Nikki groaned as she was roused from her sleep, and shook Harry lightly to wake him. He grabbed the phone, aimlessly reaching for it with one hand, and answered it with his eyes still shut.
Nikki could only just make out his face, but the change in his expression was obvious.
"What?" Harry asked rhetorically, deadly serious. "Ok... ok... thanks... yeah."
He hung up the phone quickly and pulled back the covers. Nikki watched with confusion.
"What is it?" She asked quietly, tone laced with worry.
"It's him." He replied as he jumped up and switched on the light. He watched her face fall and her eyes widen. "He's here. The alarm has been triggered. Leo was contacted by the police and they're all on their way but I need you to take Lucy and hide. Go towards the bathrooms, he can't have broken in down there. Go somewhere where you can lock yourself in, and make no noise. And whatever you do, do not come out until I come and get you, mo matter what. "
"What!? But Harry..."
"Just do it Niks, we may not have time."
Nikki looked up at him as she picked up their daughter and climbed out of bed. As she reached the door she looked him in the eyes and planted a single kiss of promise on his lips, squeezing his hand with her free arm as she did so. He nodded as she left the room.
Her mind was a mess, but fear led her and kept her walking. Lucy began to stir and she tried her best to keep her settled; Tom would recognise her crying and follow them. As she trawled the corridors she saw nothing but cupboards and rooms with glass walls. Curse the Lyell Centre and it's modern style. She reached the bathrooms but was reluctant to enter a cubicle, they weren't particularly sturdy. With delight she noticed the disabled toilet, a one off room with door that locks from the inside. She hid inside it and crouched against the wall, facing the door with Lucy on her lap.
Every vicious heartbeat felt like a whole lifetime. Every creak, every howl of the wind, and every tap of a branch against the small window was enough to send shivers down her spine and make her freeze with terror. Nikki held her hand over Lucy's mouth whenever she uttered any sound, but thankfully she remained mostly asleep.
It felt like she had lived her whole life in that room. She would forever remember the cream tiled walls, the grey and black specked linoleum floor, and the polystyrene tiled ceiling. She would remember every crack on the wall, and the small staining on the floor where the sanitary bin had rusted slightly onto it. Time seemed like an idealistic concept. She was half sure it had stopped.
Her fears were wild. With every inch of flesh on her body she prayed for Harry's safety, and Leo's too.
Where were the police? Why were they taking so long? Or was it a long time?
Nikki didn't know. Lucy shifted slightly, making her jump.
That's when she heard it.
Leo had been out of the door before the police had even hung up the phone. There was a reason he had been keeping shoes right in front of the door at night. He dialled Harry's number and prayed for him to pick up, cursing with every dial tone that went unanswered. As soon as the dial tone did not come, he began to speak, flustered and commanding.
"Harry, thank God." He blurted. "It's Tom, he's found you."
"What?" Harry's groggy voice replied, shocked.
"The alarm's going off, the police called me to say about it, and they're on their way too. I'm coming Harry but he's there and you're going to need to hold him off." Leo reeled off urgently.
"Ok..."
"Just hide somewhere, and keep them away from him."
"Ok..."
"Harry just go, now! Good luck."
"Thanks..."
"Be careful."
"Yeah."
He heard the phone hang up and put his foot down in the car, speeding off of his drive and travelling the familiar route far quicker than ever before. After a few moments thought he rang 999 and asked for an ambulance, faking a story. He was willing to deal with the consequences but something told him it was a good idea to be prepared. The state that Nikki's face had been in hinted that Tom was volatile, and the fact that Lucy too had been injured told him he had no boundaries.
With every part of him he prayed that he would get there in time. Tom was dangerous, and two of his closest friends and goddaughter were in there. It seemed like an eternity, and every second he hoped that Harry was strong enough to fend him off, or that they'd found a good enough hiding place to keep them safe. When finally reached the last two junctions, he cursed the red lights, looking around as he drove on anyway. The police could clear up any tickets he might get, and failing that he didn't care. There were more important things in life. As he ran another red his phone rang and he noted with relief that it was Harry. He grabbed it and answered.
"Leo it's me, I've knocked him to the ground" Harry garbled quickly. Leo breathed a sigh of relief. "He's down."
"Well done" He said, now feeling more relaxed. He jumped at the blue flashing lights in the rear view mirror. "I'm nearly there, and there's a police car behind me, just hold him there for a few seconds."
Leo sighed and a smile came to his face. He panicked again slightly when he heard a muffled sound, and realised Harry must have dropped the phone. He pulled up outside the centre, vaguely in a space next to a police car that had already arrived and ran toward the door with the phone still at his ear.
He didn't need the phone to hear the gunshot that followed.
Harry half smiled as he felt himself being lifted from sleep by gentle shakes from Nikki, but the smile turned into a grimace as he realised that his phone was vibrating. He lunged his arm out and groped around until his hand clutched the glass. He dragged it impatiently back to his ear and hit answer.
"Harry, thank God" Leo's voice rang through the speaker before he could even speak. "It's Tom, he's found you."
"What?" Harry's mind went into overdrive. He was suddenly very awake.
"The alarm's going off, the police called me to say about it, and they're on their way too. I'm coming Harry but he's there and you're going to need to hold him off."
"Ok..."
"Just hide somewhere, and keep them away from him."
"Ok..."
"Harry just go now. Good luck."
"Thanks..."
"Be careful."
"Yeah."
What the hell was happening? Harry's mind was a blur as he dropped the phone and ripped the covers off of them.
"What is it?" Nikki asked quietly. He didn't know how to answer her, but she would panic no matter what he said. He looked her in the eyes and echoed her panic in his.
"It's him" He said simply as he climbed out of bed and switched the light on. Her face dropped and she became whiter than a sheet.
"He's here. The alarm has been triggered. Leo was contacted by the police and they're all on their way but I need you to take Lucy and hide. Go towards the bathrooms, he can't have broken in down there. Go somewhere where you can lock yourself in, and make no noise. And whatever you do, do not come out until I come and get you, mo matter what. "
"What!? But Harry..."
She was trying to protest, but there was no way he was letting her anywhere near him. They could try and all hide together, but they might have a better chance if he could hold him off.
"Just do it Niks, we may not have time." He said sternly, a command more than a plea.
He felt a wave of relief as Nikki pulled herself out of bed, gently lifting Lucy in an attempt not to wake her. She met him at the door and leaned in to give him one kiss, a kiss of hope and luck. He felt her hand grip his with fear and he squeezed it back. As she left the room, he nodded at her.
Nikki went right out of the door and down the corridor towards the bathrooms. There were no external exits that way bar the windows, only a few old glass offices with sturdy locked doors. If one of them had been broken, they would have heard it. Harry went left, gingerly stepping along the corridors in hopes of catching Tom unawares, but there was no such luck.
When he'd walked a few corridors, he made out the dark figure walking toward him. Harry stopped walking and waited, half expecting Tom to break into a run. When his face became visible, Harry almost feared for himself. The snarling teeth and vicious eyes were enough to scare any man. He stayed still and met his gaze angrily.
"I'm not surprised to see you here." Tom spat.
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't." Harry retorted. "You know the police are on their way."
For a split second, he thought he saw a glimmer of panic and fear caress the devilish expression, but if it was there, Tom had wiped it in an instance.
"What does that matter?" His eyes gleamed. "I'm here to take back what's mine."
From the corner of his eyes, Harry saw his fist clench. He started to back away as it swung at him, but he was too late, and it caught the side of his head. He fell back to the floor, but scrambled back up and swung his own fist, narrowly avoiding another of Tom's that flew towards his temple. His fist made contact with Tom's face, and the force of all his problems thrust Tom to the ground.
"That was for Nikki..." He spat in disgust. He shook his fist as it throbbed, the pain reverberating through it. He almost took a step back, but thought better of it. Tom was sprawled on the floor, hands clutching his bleeding nose, legs slightly apart. Harry took his right foot and kicked it right between his legs, feeling almost pleased as a scream of pain escaped Tom's lips and ricocheted off the walls. "...And that was for my daughter."
He took his phone from his pocket and hit Leo's speed dial number, looking away for a moment from the man writhing on the floor.
"Leo it's me, I've knocked him to the ground" He said quickly, checking he was still there. "He's down."
Harry ran a hand through his hair and closed his eyes for a split second taking a deep breath. Leo was congratulating him and reassuring him that he was just outside when he looked back at Tom and dropped the phone.
The expression on Tom's face had returned to the wicked one that had terrified him so much before, and he wondered if this was what Nikki had felt like every time she had been his victim. The barrel of the gun was pointed straight at him.
He began to duck, but the bullet was already on its way.
I'm screaming out upon my face
Followed footsteps catch my pace
Broken windows fall in place
Now shattered lovers find their place