Everything was where it should be. Plates were stacked in the center of the table, knives and forks placed to the left of them, napkins to the right. Food was scattered along the countertop. Nothing was out of place, and as I set out the drinks, a sudden heaviness fell upon me. Mum was starting at me from the corner of her eyes as she fumbled around the kitchen, double checking everything. The air was thick between us, making it hard for me to breathe around her.

It had been a week since we told her and Niall's Dad that I was pregnant, and to say that it was little rocky would be an understatement. Mum had burst into tears the moment the words 'Lezile's pregnant,' had slipped from Niall's lips. His Father had just stared at us with wide eyes, unmoving. They gave us the speech about how irresponsible we had been, like normal parents, but then they also said that they were excited. Which emotion was more prominent than the other, I had yet to figure out, but I was fairly certain that disappointment was the winner.

We had told the boys as well, minus Harry; who were all excited, especially Louis even though he already knew. I think it was the prospect of becoming Uncles that Louis had informed them all about that had gotten them all excited. We were all holding off on telling Harry of the pregnancy. Zayn had suggested it first because, as he said, Harry's temper has gotten worse recently and he didn't want any more fighting. Even thought I had pressed further onto the subject, Niall just shook his head at Zayn, signalling not to tell me.

I still felt Mum's eyes on me as she wandered the kitchen, rearranging things and then placing them back in their original spots.

"I am sorry, you know," I mumbled, feeling knots tighten in my lower stomach.

She froze, hands on the countertop. I saw her back rise and fall slowly before she turned around to face me, "I know you are, and I'm not mad."

"You're not? But when we told yo-"

"Then I was angry. I just thought and hoped that you two would have been more careful than you were, and I was mad that you proved me wrong."

Despite the softness of her spoken words, they still stabbed at my heart.

She continued, "But you're carrying my grandchild and I'm really happy about that. It's just a lot to take in and get used to."

I nodded and let my eyes drift down to my stomach. I placed my hands gingerly over top of my skin, rubbing circles.

"You're going to be a great Mum. Of that, I'm sure."

I met her gaze and she smiled at me, the happy expression finally reaching her eyes. She stepped around the table and wrapped me in arms, a feeling of warmth and protection washing over me.

Loud banging resounded from the living room, causing Mum to shift away from me slightly as she tilted her head to see out of the kitchen. Voices that were inaudible soon burst into life as shuffling feet scurried into the house.

Mum smiled down at me, "show time."

I let out a small laugh as she ushered me into the living room. Niall's eyes met mine and he smiled, causing the others to follow his gaze until it was finally landed on me. Smiles graced all the faces around me, making me mildly uncomfortable.

"Hey Mama!"

I laughed as arms flung themselves around me, rocking me back and forth, "Hey, Liam," I greeted, my words muffled into his shoulder as he squeezed me against him.

"Share some, Liam! Mum hugs are the best!"

Liam let go as Zayn shuffled past him, wrapping his arms around my waist and giving me a gentle squeeze. He let go and gave me one of his stunning smiles before retreating back to his conversation with Niall and Liam.

Louis was standing by the door, staring at his feet as he twisted his heel against the floorboards. He seemed off; he wasn't speaking with the boys, nor was he even looking at anyone. I walked over nervously as he slowly lifted his head, eyes meeting mine. He smiled a very weak smile before gently placing the bag in his hand on the floor and taking the few last steps to meet me. I wrapped my arms around his neck as his slide all the way around me, hooking together at my back.

"What's wrong?" I whispered into his ear.

He shook his head a few times before leaving multiple light kisses to my cheek, "nothing's wrong," he whispered against my skin.

More knocks came from the door, causing me and Louis to reluctantly let go of one another. Mum rushed in from the kitchen with Dad, practically flinging the door open and off its hinges as she was smothered in hugs by many people. I knew that they were all going to be here, but I still felt all of my muscles tense in their presence.

I felt Louis' fingers slide around on my back, attempting to ease my nerves, but nothing was helping. Fingers entwined with mine as I was pulled away, Louis' touch falling away. I looked behind me to see Lou rubbing his fingers together before turning and sitting down with the boys. In the moment, I didn't want to meet all of these people, I just wanted to run over and comfort Louis. I knew something was bugging him. The usual playful gleam in his eyes was gone, replaced with a dull emotion that was easily readable on him.

Despite the internal fight I was having with myself, I let Niall drag me over to the panel of judge's that I was going to have to win over; his Family.

*Harry's POV*

The shrill ringing continued in my ear, call after call.

'Tommo here, leave a message, I'll call ya when I can!'

I groaned and hung up the once more, scrolling through my contacts. That's the fourth time I've tried Louis' cell phone today and he hasn't answered once. I texted Zayn a few times to see if he wanted to do something today but he said he was busy all day, leaving me in a suffocating cloud of boredom by myself. I phoned Liam as well, but no answer.

Anger was manifesting itself inside of me as all of my mates were ignoring me. I couldn't very well call Niall up and ask him to catch a Footy game with me, as he'd probably want to bring his girlfriend. I rubbed my fingers over my eyes, letting out a deep breath. It was sickening how she was still underneath my skin, dragging me deeper and deeper each day into a darkness that held me down. As much as I wanted to hate her, I couldn't. She still owned me.

I stared at my phone before once more picking it up and dialing the memorized number. The automated ringing played over through my ears, agitating me with each passing ring. Finally, the ringing was cut off and a voice I hadn't heard in so long came through the speakers.

"Hey."

The voice was dull and quiet. Lifeless, almost.

"Hey, man! Do you want to do something today? Zayn and Li are busy doing whatever, but if you're free then we should hang."

I realized the desperation for human connection made me sound like a whiny girl as I practically begged for someone to spend time with me. I'd been cutting myself off from everyone and now it seems that it was coming back to bite me hard as now everyone else was busy doing their own things.

"Uh, well I'm actually busy doing something right now."

There were voices in the background of his line, laughter and talking.

"Can you get out of it?" I asked quietly.

"I don't really want to, Haz."

A voice cut through the other end of the phone before it was muffled by what I'm assuming is a hand pressed against the phone, "Louis! Who are you talki-"

"No one," I heard him speak.

I felt a heavy feeling settle inside me as he replied to them. I was a no one. A no one who he didn't want that people to discover he was talking to. Was I such an embarrassment to my own best friend that he had to lie about something as small as a phone call?

I heard him sigh heavily before his voice cut through the phone once more, "Harry, I'm busy at the moment. Sorry, mate."

"Whatever," I spat harshly.

There was a few seconds of silence on the phone before a loud laugh came through his end. My eyes narrowed as I strained to hear a little better before his end cut off completely, the dial tone beeping loud into my ear.

I smirked, knowing full who it was that was laughing. I knew exactly where Louis was.

Niall's house.

*Lezile's POV*

"She's a charming girl, Niall," his aunt Chloe said, smiling at the two of us.

Niall's arm was draped across my shoulders, pulling me into him, "she is indeed."

I smiled as I looked around at everyone. Niall's Family was talking with each other, drinks and food in their hands as they laughed with one another. Liam was busy packing away all of the gifts that everyone had brought, even though I told him he didn't have to. Zayn was playing with a couple of Niall's younger cousins, chasing them around the house.

This is what was in store for me; mine and Niall's child running around the house, a big Family coming together, smiles, laughter, and a loving place to live. All the fears that had once clouded my mind seemed to disappear with the happiness that everyone had brought with them. Niall's Family; Aunts, Uncles, and Grandparents were very accepting of me, and of our unborn child.

Everything seemed perfect.

That is, until my gaze landed on a sad, stripe-clad boy sitting on the stairs by himself. I turned back to face Niall, giving him a quick kiss on the lips before saying that I'd be right back. He smiled before taking his arm from around me.

I weaved through the children playing and adults talking until I stood at the bottom of the stairs, watching as Louis stared at his fingertips. Pain struck through me as I looked at his sad state, away from everyone else, alone on the stairs. The bag he had brought in with him was next to his leg. I stepped slowly up the stairs before sitting down next to Louis, leaving no space between us.

"Hey you," I smiled, hoping to get a happy reaction out of him.

"Hi," he mumbled, his gaze not meeting mine.

"What's got you so down?"

"Nothing."

"Yeah, that's believable," I said with a smirk. His lips twitched up quickly before falling back down into a straight line.

"It's stupid," he replied, "like really embarrassing."

"I'm sure it's not that bad."

"Don't mock me," he mumbled embarrassingly.

"I won't, I promise."

Louis took a deep breath before staring down at everyone having a good time and laughing.

"I'm jealous."

I repeated his words, making sure that I had heard him correctly. When he nodded, I kept quiet so that he could continue.

"You've got someone who would literally die trying to give you the world. I don't know, I just... I want someone like that, or I want someone to be able to spoil and kiss whenever I want."

"You'll have that one day, Louis. It's not like you're going to be by yourself forever."

"What if I don't find someone? Look at me, Lezile. It's not like I could make anyone happy."

He held his head in his hands as he spoke, shaking his head. He looked lost, like a little child who needed comforting.

"Louis," I cooed, running my hands through the back of his hair, trying to calm him, "you're amazing and anyone would be lucky to have you want to be with them."

"That's just something people say to make others feel better," he said, voice muffled by his hands.

"I'm not lying," I said gently, resting my chin on his shoulder, "you're sweet and caring. How many people would offer to take over as Father for someone? No one except you and that just proves how selfless you are. I love that about you. You're also the funniest guy I know, even if you think the jokes you say are stupid," I continued as I ran my fingertips through his hair, "and you're pretty easy on the eyes. You are handsome, Lou."

I smiled as he lifted his head, a small smile playing on his lips, "you think I'm handsome?" he asked, his eyebrows wiggling suggestively.

I giggled as I turned my head to rest my cheek against his shoulder, "that's all you got out of all of that?"

"Sorry," he chuckled, taking my hand and playing with my fingers.

"I meant every word I said. I could say more, but that'd be weird," I laughed.

The other's laughter filled the room as they were unaware of the quiet huddle Louis and I were having.

"I want someone like you..."

My heart picked up a little bit at his words. His voice was quiet as he said it but I knew what I heard. I didn't lift my head up to look in his eyes; my body couldn't bring itself to move.

"No you don't."

He sighed, resting his head against mine as he gripped my hand, "I guess it's my turn to name off my favorite things about you," he spoke quietly.

I shook my head a little, "No, Lou-"

"Shhh, babe."

I stayed quiet, waiting for the inevitable words to leave his lips. I internally smiled at the thought of what Louis was going to say.

"You're down to earth, there's nothing fake about you. You accept the fact that you make mistakes like everyone else and don't try to hide them. You're really sweet to everyone, even people who've tried to hurt you..."

I had wondered if Louis was talking about Harry, because as my mind processed his words, that's who had come to mind. I knew Harry was gentle and sweet, but the boys made it seem like he had become a completely different person; a horrid one.

"You're protective of who you love. This is going to sound really ridiculous, but whenever I see you, I'm instantly happier and whenever I'm not around you, I miss you a lot. Also, you're really easy on the eyes; you're really beautiful."

My cheeks burned with each word that Louis said, the sincerity in his tone making everything that much sweeter. I felt his head shift against mine, and I lifted my head to look at him. His cheeks had turned a rosy colour as he tried to turn away from me. I gently grabbed a hold of his chin and turned him back to face me, a huge smile gracing my lips. I leaned in towards him and placed my lips against his cheek, giving him multiple, sweet pecks.

He chuckled as I leaned against him, "I really love you."

I giggled as I replied, "Yeah, I love you too."

"Oi! Quit trying to steal my girl, Tommo!"

I looked past Louis, through the wooden bars on the stairs to see Niall grinning at us as he motioned his index finger back and forth. I smiled as he walked to the bottom of the stairs before climbing up and sitting on a step below me, in between my legs. I wrapped my arm over his shoulder, dangling in front of him until his fingers entwined with mine, leaving kisses against the back of my hand. I leaned down and kissed the top of his head, muttering an 'I love you,' which he happily reciprocated.

I should have known that happy moments don't last long, because the door clicked, all of our heads snapping to the late guest. It was no one that I had been expecting, far from it.

It was Harry.

*Niall's POV*

As I held on tightly to Lezile's hand, my head shot up to see who had come in so late. I hadn't thought that we were expecting anyone else. All of our Family was here, the lads...

"Thanks for the invite, mate," Harry's deep, raspy voice said harshly.

I gulped nervously as Lezile's grip on my hand became tighter. I turned behind me to see her staring back at Harry, the nerves obviously outlining her features. I also noticed Lezile's other hand was tightly gripped in Louis'...

Harry shut the door behind him, some of my Family still watching him as he walked in. Others had drifted back into their conversations. Lezile, the lads and I definitely hadn't.

"Cozy party you're having. My invite get lost in the post?" His attitude and gaze were harsh and he stood at the end of the stairs, looking at all of us. I noticed his gaze flick to Lezile, my hand immediately tightening around her small one.

"Harry, now's not the time, it's a Family thing happening."

"Yeah? And what am I to you? Louis and everyone else is here. She's here," he spat.

"Haz, please," Louis pleaded behind me.

I let go of Lezile's hand before pushing myself up from my seat on the steps before trying to usher Harry out of the house.

"I'll talk to you later, Harry, please."

"Why was I the only one not invited, Niall? You're like a Brother to me."

"It's a uh, private thing going on. It's just not good for you to be here."

I sensed that my words hurt him, which I hadn't meant, but if he stayed here any longer then he was bound to find out about Lezile being pregnant with my child.

"It's not, eh? Too bad."

He brushed past me and into the kitchen, disappearing behind the door. I ran my hands over my face, uttering curse words to myself. Hands slipped around my waist as I felt Lezile's body press against mine.

"Is he staying?" I heard Louis ask.

I nodded as Lezile's hands ran over my skin protectively. It wasn't me that needed protecting, it was her. Harry came back from the kitchen with a drink in his hand, raising it in the air towards us as he walked past and into the living room where he began talking to a very confused Liam and Zayn.

"Maybe he won't find out," Lezile whispered. I knew she was clinging onto her last shed of hope, but I knew that he was going to find out. The gifts we'd received were packed away in the corner, but one step too close and he'd know.

"I need a bloody drink," Louis stated from behind me.

"I second that," I replied, grabbing Lezile's hands from my body and pulling her along with me and Louis into the kitchen and away from Harry.

Louis grabbed two beers from the fridge, handing me one. I smirked at Lezile as I sipped from the bottle, teasing her about the fact that she couldn't drink for the next eight months. She rolled her eyes at me before muttering 'prick,' under her breath.

We stayed in the kitchen for nearly a half an hour, Louis occasionally slipping out into the living room to make sure that Harry was behaving himself and to keep him from finding out. I hadn't put a lot of thought into how Harry would react to this and in a way that was insensitive of me, considering he had... History, with Lezile. It'd been months since they've been together, so he should be over it. Right?

"It's going to be okay."

I turned my head towards Lezile, she was staring down at her hands; they were shaking. It was unclear whether she was trying to convince me that it would all be okay, or if she was trying to make herself believe that.

"Hey," I cooed sweetly. I stepped towards her slowly, placing my hands on either side of her waist before placing her on an empty space on the countertop. She closed her eyes as she took deep breaths. It hurt me to see how much stress all of this was causing her and that I couldn't do anything to make her feel better. I whispered to her that everything would be okay, but I knew she didn't believe me. Her gut feeling about something going wrong was nagging at her, I knew it was. I just wish I was able to convince her that I wasn't going to let anything happen to her or our child.

"Niall, your Mum wants you!"

I groaned, closing my eyes. I felt Lezile's small hands push against my chest.

"Go, I'll just wait in here."

"I'll be quick, I promise," I smiled to her, receiving a small one in return.

With a quick kiss to her nervous lips, I left her in the kitchen.

*Lezile's POV*

As I sat on the counter, I rested my head in my hands, running them over my features. I was aware that Family dynamics always had their problems, but I hadn't expected to be having my own at such a young age. I also hadn't predicted that Harry would be one of those problems.

As if on cue, the Devil himself walked into the kitchen.

My body froze, my fingers gripping the countertop to keep myself from falling over the edge. His tall frame moved around the kitchen, my eyes watching his every move. His eyes never made contact with mine, and as his large hands opened a fresh bottle of beer, waves of nausea flooded over me. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as Harry took only one sip of his drink before setting the bottle against the counter, letting his hands travel to the edge of the counter, his muscles tightening as he squeezed.

The only audible sounds in the kitchen were of my racing heartbeat and Harry's single, exasperated sigh.

"When was I going to find out?"

My eyes stayed glued to the back of his neck, his tension practically radiating off of his body. My throat was dry as I attempted to speak out to him, but nothing left my lips. With one last tough grip of the counter, he pushed himself away from it, spinning to face me, his dark eyes staring into mine.

"It's just a Family thing...," the words left my mouth as a barely audible whisper, but I knew Harry heard me. His malicious laugh told me so.

"So that's why the other lads are here, right? They're Family?"

When I didn't speak any more, Harry continued, "How stupid of me to think that I was a part of that Family."

He took aggressive steps towards me, making my head spin nervously as his hardened gaze stayed with me. His mouth opened once more, and I prepared myself for screaming, but what came out was not was I was anticipating.

"You said you wanted me, that you wanted us to go further."

His voice had dropped quieter, his words hitting me harder than they would have even if he had started screaming.

"I guess the joke's on me now; now that you're pregnant with Niall's fucking kid."

A shaky breath escaped me as I nervously shook against Harry's words. Venom dripped from every sound that left his lips as his eyes showed as much hatred that his words spoke.

"It wasn't planned," I countered, leaning back against the cupboards as Harry kept closing the space between us. His thighs rested against my knees as he stopped in front of me, his eyes trying to stare into mine.

"Should have kept your legs closed," he spat.

My eyes shot up to his before I shoved my hands against his chest, pushing him away from me. He was un-phased as he quickly stepped back in front of me, even closer this time.

"You teased me the whole time we dated and the second we broke up you ran back here to fuck Niall!" His voice rose angrily but still quiet enough for only us to hear.

"I didn't run back here, and it wasn't right after we broke up. Christ Harry, I wouldn't do that to you!"

His hand rose from his side to touch my stomach, "I thought we agreed not to hurt each other," his voice became softer. His hand pushed against my stomach lightly, "this probably just killed any happiness I had left."

I closed my eyes at his words, hanging my head down in front of myself. I didn't dare to look up at his broken expression.

I felt heat against my skin as Harry's fingers grazed my neck and cheek. It was light touch, as if he being protective of himself, not of me. Just as I was about to lift my head to meet Harry's eyes, I heard him choke out 'fuck,' before the heat from my face was gone and the kitchen door was left swinging back and forth, leaving me staring at it until it finally stopped.

Hours later, after what happened with Harry, after everyone had gone home and after the boys had all crashed in the living room, Niall and I had finally gone to bed. I didn't tell him about Harry coming to speak to me, he didn't need to stress about it like I had all afternoon and night. Sleep came easily for Niall, as he happily passed out the second his head came into contact with the pillow. However for multiple hours I had tossed and turned with a hard nauseated feeling in my stomach before I finally drifted to sleep.

At 3am, I awoke to a pain in my abdomen. Something felt wrong. I glanced over to Niall who was still sound asleep, his face buried in his pillow. My hands flew to my stomach as a clenching feeling took over my whole body. As I shifted against the bed, my heart began pounding as my fingers gripped the sheet covering my body, my eyes adjusting through the dark to see.

Underneath me, blood was stained on the sheets.

Here's an update that took me like two weeks to write because I had crazy Writer's Block. Like I said before, I had messed my wrist up, which took like a month to heal. I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to update, you guys don't deserve that, if any of you are still reading this. And to the Guest that reviewed earlier, I understand that you're mad at me for taking long to update, but you getting angry at me is not helping anything, and yes I do care about this story and about updating for you guys, so do not ever ask me that again.

Review if you'd like me to continue or tell me to stop writing this story. It's whatever you guys want now because it seems like everyone is pissed. Sorry again, xx.