Scandal // h.s au

twelve: "Louis!"

" I got my hand on those the other day. Our fucking chief editor is too much of a coward to do anything with them, and I couldn't just let them go to waste, so, here you are." Louis pulled his hands out, handing a sealed folder to Harry.

" What is this?" Harry spoke, his eyebrows furrowed slightly.

" These are pictures; of the vic, the suspected weapon, the murder scene, some screenshots of the cameras before and after the murder, and actually, images of Ian fighting with his wife. These pictures could end it for him, so use them wisely." Harry sighed under the weight of the responsibility laid upon his shoulders, as he weakly turned to Aimee, almost making sure that she hadn't run away yet, before looking back upon Louis, who had a highly amused smile on his face.

" Hi, there. Aimee, is it?" He waved a welcoming hand, and she hesitantly returned it, with a nod of confirmation.

" I see you still have her around, I thought she'd be gone by now."

" Can't seem to get rid of her." Harry laughed, putting Aimee's arousing concerns to rest, as she smiled weakly, watching their warm exchange.

" Do you even want to?" Harry couldn't help but turn to face her again, she had a hesitant smile on her lips, brownish green eyes staring back at him in complete innocence and purity, as she tugged a hair lock behind her ear.

" Let me get back to you on that one." He returned his eyes to Louis', who simply laughed, shaking his head knowingly.

" I heard about Owen by the way, I'm sorry, mate." The mood had suddenly shifted, the air thickened by the painful reminder. She looked down to her feet, not wanting to witness Harry's vulnerability, choosing to give him privacy, in case he needed it. A sigh went past Harry's lips, before he nodded.

" So am I. Be careful out there, yeah? Take care of yourself for once." Harry offered, with a small smile, pulling Louis into a quick embrace. Louis laughed into him, patting his back warmly.

" Always do, Styles. You too. And of Aimee as well." Louis pulled away, and it was Harry's turn to chuckle at his friend's bemused tone.

" I will." He said nevertheless, taking a weary glance upon the folder in hand, before turning towards Aimee. He signaled his head towards the car, as if asking her if she was still willing to come, and she nodded, offering a small smile, knowing that she'd go to the ends of the world with him, or for him.

He took a couple of steps towards her, and she found herself meeting him halfway, needing his assuring proximity, as he did hers. They walked silently, before Louis' laughter filled the night's air again, reminding them that they weren't alone in the world. Harry turned to wave at his friend one last time, and his friend waved back, but then a suspicious black car came from the end of the road, speeding abnormally, and leaning towards Louis' side of the road. Harry's waving hand ceased its motion, but Louis continued to wave, a genuine smile on his features, and Harry found himself wondering, if this was his goodbye.

Harry tried to yell something, to tell his friend to get down, or move away, or at least turn around, but it all moved too fast for his mind to catch up. And soon, Louis was on the ground, shooting sounds still prominent, even after the car had disappeared from Harry's line of vision. He looked around, and he too, was on the ground, his arm pulling Aimee impossibly close. She was trembling, her figure so petite, that she was almost invisible beneath him. She had her hands covering her ears, but she didn't scream, nor did she cry.

While the world continued to move impossibly fast, she was almost in slow motion. The burial of her head into his arm, the melting of her figure against his, the denied shake of her head. He didn't know how, but he seemed to have had all the time in the world to simply watch her. And he was glad, that if he was to die, she'd be the last thing this world would allow him to see.

The sound of firing shots finally subsided, and Harry realized that he wasn't dead. And the world continued to move around the two of them dismissively. He put a finger beneath her chin, forcing her eyes to lift to meet his own. They were squeezed shut at first, but they slowly began to open, holding back utter fear.

" Are you alright, Miss Montgomery? Are you hurt?"

He was calm. He needed to be, since she wasn't at all. She looked down upon her body, as if checking if everything was in place, and it was. There were no holes, no missing pieces, no blood seeping from places it wasn't supposed to. So, she lifted her eyes to hold his own.

" Are you? Did they hurt you?" The unfamiliar concern warmed his heart, as he smiled weakly.

" I'm fine." He spoke, and for the first time, in a long, long time, he believed it.

" Thank God." She breathed, allowing her head to rest against him again. He would have let himself stay there, holding her, but then he remembered something, or rather, someone. He stood to his feet, frantic eyes searching the surroundings for a returning car, but it never came.

" Louis!" He then called, running back to where his friend previously stood. He found collected droplets of blood where Louis previously was. He shifted his eyes to the corner, and there he was, leaned against the wall of the building, both arms limp beside him. Harry fell next to his bleeding friend, moving his hand over his body, attempting to detect the source of his pain.

" I think they shot me. It hurts like a bitch." Louis spoke, with a small chuckle, that quickly dissolved into a groan.

" Aimee! They shot Louis!" He screamed, looking back upon her racing figure, before he met Louis' eyes. He didn't know why he yelled for her. He didn't know why he thought he needed her. He never needed anyone before.

" Oh my God. He's bleeding, Harry, he's -"

" I know, I know! We need to get him to the hospital." Harry laid his hands beneath Louis', lifting his body to a standing position.

" The keys are in my back pocket. Take them, you have to drive." He frantically spoke, pulling Louis' barely cooperative body to the car.

" What? No, I can't drive. I can't -"

" Yes, Miss Montgomery, you can. You'll be able to because you have to." He sternly said, laying Louis in the backseat. He then looked back, and Aimee was standing in the middle of the road, eyes casted on the ground, bloody hands trembling by her side.

" Aimee?" His voice seemed to slowly return her to him, as she blankly stared at him momentarily, before nodding.

" We have to hurry." She said, walking towards him. He handed her the keys, as she got into the driver's seat, and he got into the passenger's seat, turning to face Louis.

" You alright back there, mate?"

" Oh I'm swell, perfecto." Louis gave him a thumbs up, as Harry smiled compassionately at him.

" You'll be fine, we'll get you there soon, and they'll fix you up." Aimee started the car, putting something between Harry's fingers, before driving away. He looked down upon his hands, to find one of his cigarettes.

" You lost your toothpick. You're going to need this." She blindly said, her eyes focused on the lanes that she easily yet nervously switched between. He stared at her in awe, putting the cigarette between his teeth, returning to reassuring his pained friend.

He'd save his words for when he could actually manner them and form them into a proper statement of gratitude. He had a feeling she knew though. She always seemed to.

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a/n: louis was shot you guys :(((

what did you think of that chapter? how do you think it'll go for them from there? let me know what you think please :)

ily x