Through The Dark COMPLETED

Chapter 39

The next week was Christmas.

Harry spent the holiday at home with his family. He had to work through a lot in his mind. His anger towards the situation, and towards Julie bothered him. He needed to figure out why. And who better to speak with than his mum about the whole situation? He still hadn't decided if he was going to go back to America for the New Year's trip him and Niall had planned for the girls. He still hadn't decided what he was going to do about their relationship. Right before he would have to leave he sat down with his mum.

Mum," He sighed. "I just don't know what to do."

"I can't tell you what to do, my love." Anne said taking his hand. "It's something you have to figure out for yourself. Love is always complex. Even when it's not complicated by a past like Julie's. You knew at the beginning it wasn't going to be easy. You knew then, she was always tempted to run."

"I did. And I understood it. At first. But we got closer. I thought she trusted me. She started sharing more and more with me. She said she felt safe with me. Then she just left. With no warning, no explanation." He said rubbing his thumb over his mum's hand.

"That's not true, Harry. She left you a note. She explained. She just didn't give you all the details. She didn't have to do that. Maybe it doesn't seem enough for you, but what I would like you to do, is think about why you're really angry. Are you angry because she left and got help? Or are you angry because you were scared and worried about her? Her safety, and where she was? I completely understand how you feel. I completely get your concern, your anger. What you have to decide is if that's more important than what she did, what she accomplished while she was away. I'm not saying there is a right or wrong answer. Only what you feel in your heart." His mum said softly.

He nodded through Anne's words. He still didn't have all the answers that he needed. But he knew what to do.

Niall spent the holidays at home with his family as well. He missed Amanda terribly. He hated having to spend their first Christmas as a couple, apart. He was looking forward to New Year's Eve. He was glad he at least got that with her. He wasn't sure what was going on with JJ and Harry; he wasn't sure if it would just be him and Amanda going now instead of the four of them. Part of him was sad about that. He and Amanda discussed having JJ come anyway. He wanted to see her. He wanted to make sure she was okay, also. He talked to Amanda every day, and he knew what Amanda told him. But he wanted to see for himself. Amanda and Harry were angry, but he wasn't so much. He didn't like finding out in a letter she'd left after the fact, and not knowing where she was at the time, but he was proud of her. He was proud of her strength by going and getting help for herself. He knew she had it in her. He had always believed she was a lot stronger than she gave herself credit for. She just proved it to him again. First, by saving her life the day Johnny left her on the floor, then by picking up and moving across country by herself, and now by taking on the monumental task of getting over her past and believing in herself first in order to have a future. Niall had to find out if Harry was going with him. He had to call him.

Amanda and Julie were scheduled to work so that they could have New Year's Eve off. Before all the drama, they were supposed to meet Niall and Harry at Lake Tahoe for a ski weekend over New Years. Things, however, were a bit different now. Amanda did work, but Julie had appointments with doctors and therapists. The girls had quite a few conversations over that week about the details of Julie's clinic stay. Amanda could tell it helped her, but she could also tell it was going to be a work in progress. The thing she noticed the most was that when Julie got overwhelmed, instead of just closing up and running away, she admitted it and asked for some time to gather herself and clear her mind. She could still sense the fear, but Julie seemed to be able to deal with it a little easier. She had a lot to learn on how to help her through those moments. She learned some more about her past and some about how she was before Johnny. Those were the moments she wanted to know more about. She wanted to get to the point where she knew what JJ's hopes and dreams were, before she was turned upside down with her situation. Amanda was set to leave right after her shift ended in the morning. Before she left for her shift, she leaned over the couch and looked at JJ.