Chapter 20: How It Was Meant To Be a Break.

Ally hid behind one of the palm trees on the beach, and brought her knees up to her chest. She looked around the tree to see no sign of Austin. She couldn't breathe properly. It was all too much.

"Ally!" Austin's hand clamped down on her shoulder, and she shot to her feet. She immediately hunched over, gasping for air, but she still felt like she couldn't breathe. Austin reached her, just as she collapsed onto the sand. "Ally, take some deep breaths," He ordered, and she grabbed onto his arms, trying to breathe properly.

After a few minutes, she calmed down, and could breathe properly. Her gaze fell to the sand, and she wished she could bury her head into it.

"Ally, did you think I was going to propose to you?" Ally felt her whole body stiffen at his words.

He wasn't going to propose, was he…?

She slowly moved her gaze from the sand to his eyes. She nodded her head, and he smiled, laughing. "Why are you laughing!?" She snapped, and he laughed harder. "Austin, it's not funny!"

"You really are funny," He patted her head like she was a child, and she crossed her arms over her chest. She felt mortified. "I'm looking after the ring for Dallas."

"Oh," Her voice was flat, and her eyes returned to the sand.

"Why the hell did you run away like that for?" He questioned, and she shook her head. "Ally."

"I-I thought you were going to propose to m-me…I freaked out…I don't want us to turn out like my mom and dad," She explained, and Austin placed his hand on the side of her face, then made her look at him.

"What?"

"They got married within a few weeks of meeting each other…look at how that turned out," She said, and Austin smiled again. "Stop smiling!"

"You're just too adorable," Ally went to scream at him, but he pulled her against his chest, and they both fell onto the sand. Ally grumbled into his chest, annoyed and embarrassed about the whole thing. "I can't believe you thought I was going to propose to you."

"Don't rub it in," She mumbled, and got off him, sitting up on the sand.

"Ally, you have to admit it was funny," He sat up wincing slightly, and she shook her head.

"Can we just forget about it, please," She whispered.

"Well-"

"Austin, please," She pleaded, and when he saw the sadness on his face, he nodded his head.

Ally turned away from him, and stared out at the ocean. The real reason why she wanted to forget about it was because there was that tiny voice in the back of her head that had wanted to say yes.

…

Ally sat down on the pool edge and she dipped her feet into the cold water. The hot weather was a bit overwhelming, and she knew she looked like a sweaty mess. She tied her hair up on top of her head, and fanned her face. Austin was inside seeing the island doctor to have him check his wound, after Ally had constantly nagged him to do so.

It had been two days since they arrived, and Austin had stayed true to his word, and not mentioned the whole ring situation. Ally was glad, because just thinking about it made her want to cry in embarrassment.

Maybe I overreacted, but so much has happened in the short space of two weeks, and she just wanted a rest, no drama.

"Smile!" A bright light flashed from next to her, and she squealed, falling into the pool. She resurfaced quickly, water spluttering from her mouth as she coughed. Another flash of light blinded her eyes, and she narrowed her eyes at Austin.

"Stop taking pictures!" She squeaked, and swam to the edge of the pool. Austin helped her out and she made sure to get him wet as she got out. "Why are you taking pictures?"

"We don't have any pictures of us together," He said.

"We do have pictures of us together," She reminded him, and he laughed.

"Not the ones on the news," He nudged her arm, and she wiped some of the water from her face. Austin held up the camera, and Ally smiled, resting her chin on his shoulder. He took the picture, then looked at him with a gentle smile. "See, you look beautiful in this picture."

Ally blushed, and looked away from him. She got to her feet, and sat down on one of the chairs. Austin followed her and they sat under the shade of a canopy. He waved his hand in the air, and Ally raised an eyebrow at him. Soon after a member of staff appeared with two drinks on a tray. Ally smiled at the smug look on Austin's face, and she thanked the woman who had served them the drinks. She took a sip of the cold lemonade, and sighed in delight.

"Ally," Austin's voice sounded serious, and she looked over at him.

"Yes?"

"When we get back, things are going to be different," He said, and she sat up straight in her chair.

"What do you mean?" She swallowed the lump in the back of her throat, and placed her glass down on the table.

"Earlier, Dez called me and told me Elliot made an appearance…he was looking for you."

"Okay," Ally said slowly. "So?"

"You're going to go into a safe house."

"What!" Ally shot up, and knocked her lemonade from the table. "Austin, you can't be serious."

"Well, I am," He slowly got up, and he walked off.

"We're not done talking about this!" Ally exclaimed, and she chased after him. "Austin!" She grabbed his arm just as he got to the stairs and he turned around to face her. "This trip was meant to be a break for the both of us! You can't just order me around like that!"

"Do you want to die!?" He snapped, and she stepped away from him.

"Of course I don't," She whispered.

"Then, you're going into a safe house," He growled, and she shook her head.

"No!" She squeaked, her voice shrill. "You don't get to make decisions for me!"

"Yes, I do! I'm trying to protect you!"

"I don't need you to protect me!"

"Of course you don't," He replied sarcastically. "You just love getting yourself into trouble, and having all the attention on you! You didn't go to the police and tell them about your stalker!? You could have been protected from the beginning, but you chose not to!"

Ally's gaze fell to the floor, and tears burned her eyes.

"Oh I'm sorry am I making you cry?" He taunted. "I'm trying to keep you safe and you turn on the waterworks, because you think I will change my mind!" Ally's fingers curled into fists. "Are you getting angry at me? Good! Do you want to hit me? Go on do it! C'mon, I'm waiting!"

"Leave me alone," She whispered, and she turned on her heel and walked off.

"I'm not done talking!" He yelled.

"WELL I'VE FINISHED LISTENING!" Ally stormed out of the mansion, and slammed the door behind her.

…

Ally stared at the bright moon, and she shivered in the cold night air. She was sat on the beach, listening to the sound of the waves crashing against the shore. Her eyes were shinning with tears, but they never fell. She kept replaying Austin's words in her head, and she couldn't get them to go away.

She sighed, then ran a hand through her hair. It shouldn't be like this, they shouldn't be arguing over something like this. She was human, and she had her rights. She didn't want to go into a safe house. She wanted to spend time with her mom, and she didn't want to be away from Austin.

She began to draw lines in the sand, and she glanced back up at the moon. She had been out here for hours, and it was getting cold, but she wasn't ready to go back. She didn't want to get into another argument.

She heard someone moving behind her and she turned to look at Austin. He smiled weakly at her, unsure whether to come over. She turned away from him, and he slowly walked over, and sat down next to her. She shivered, and he slipped off his jacket, and draped it over her shoulders.

"I thought this was meant to be a break," She whispered, and she continued to stare out at the ocean. "I don't want to fight with you, but I'm not going into a safe house."

"I…" He sighed, and she glanced at him. "I'm just trying to keep you safe."

"I'm safe with you," She said, and he shook his head.

"I couldn't save you from getting taken. I got shot instead," He reminded her and she grabbed his hand.

"You saved me, in more ways than you can ever begin to understand," She explained, and squeezed his hand tight. "If I get put into a safe house, then I can't see you."

"I will call you every day, and we can Skype…I just need to know that you're safe. I can't let Elliot get you. I can't let anyone hurt you, that's why I have a plan," He reached up and cupped the side of her face, making her look at him.

"W-What plan?" She asked.

"If I make everyone think that we're not together anymore, and you've moved away. Elliot will have no idea where to look for you. If the press can no longer find you, and Elliot see's I'm alone. It means you're safe, and I need you to be safe."

"Have you thought this through?" She whimpered, as her tears began to fall.

"Yes…Dez will be there looking after you. I will always contact you, every morning and night. I will try to visit you when I can, but I can't do it when there's a lot of press around, and I promise you, I'm always going to be thinking about you, and even if I don't see you everyday, it's never going to change the way I feel about you…b-because I love you."

"What?" She gasped, and her shaking hands latched onto the front of his shirt. "You l-love me."

"Of course I do. I don't get shot just for anyone," He grinned at her, as she laughed. "Please, will you just agree to it…your mom will be coming with you to."

"Promise you'll call everyday," She whispered, and he wrapped his arms around her.

"I promise."

AN: Hi! I know this ones short, but I've finally bagged myself a job, so I'm a bit tired after my first shift, but it's not going to affect my writing! I know a lot of you had a strong opinion on Ally from the last chapter, but in the next chapter, it's going to be more relaxed, and they're both going to become more open with one another, and you may begin to understand Ally a bit more.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, and I love you all! If you haven't yet, please check out my new story Love In Silence :)

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