Niall got up early the next morning. He hadn't set an alarm or anything, and he'd been planning to start thinking of ways to get away from Harry so he could take himself to the address Greg had left for him. But it was five o'clock in the morning and Harry wasn't going to wake up for at least an hour.
Niall got up. He went into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. For a moment, he just leaned against the door, closing his eyes as he took a deep breath. I'm really doing this, aren't I?
Niall took off all of his clothes and stepped into the shower. He had to make this a quick one. If he left it on for too long, Harry would wake up and he wouldn't be able to leave.
Niall took a shower in two minutes, just washing his hair and body quickly. He turned off the water and grabbed a towel, drying himself off quick. He didn't bother wrapping the towel around his waist as he walked back into his room. He threw the towel in a hamper and grabbed a pair of pants, trousers, and a shirt, throwing them all on without a second thought.
Niall grabbed a piece of paper and scrawled out a note to Harry, leaving his phone beside it. Last time, Louis, Liam, Harry, and Zayn tracked him down because he had his phone. He wouldn't let that happen this time. He wouldn't let them be hurt again.
"I love you." Niall whispered as tears came to his eyes. Harry looked so beautiful, laying in bed. He looked so peaceful, like he thought Niall was still in his arms. Niall pressed a kiss to Harry's temple and just stared for a moment. Beautiful, beautiful Harry. His beautiful, beautiful husband. "I love you so much."
Niall grabbed a pair of socks and left the room. He had the paper in his back pocket, the one with the address printed neatly on the bottom of it. He took a deep breath as he threw his socks and shoes on. It wasn't far, where he was going, and it was a good thing, because he wasn't planning on taking the car.
Niall left the house and walked down the street without looking back. He stuffed his hands in his front pockets and kept walking, walking, and walking until he came upon the building he'd been looking for.
It was a different building in the middle of a few abandoned-looking streets. Niall gulped and forced himself to walk up to the door. He turned the knob and the heavy door turned open. Niall pulled it open with most of his strength, cringing as it groaned.
"H-hello?" Niall stepped inside. The building was dark, even darker as the door creaked closed behind him. Niall took a deep breath. "I-I didn't bring anyone, I swear I'm alone. P-please don't- don't hurt Lux. Or Josh. I just- I'm here, okay? You have me, now. I give up!"
Niall waited, but there was only silence. His heart still raced and he still felt as if he were going to faint. His hands shook by his sides. His whole body shook after a few more moments. "Hello? I-I told you, I'm alone! I promise, I swear!"
Suddenly, there was a body behind his and a gloved hand over his mouth. An arm wrapped around his waist, pinning his arms by his sides. It reminded him a lot of the first time he was kidnapped, and Niall almost screamed. His heartbeat picked up even more and he began to cry.
"Hello, lovely." Greg's all-too-familiar rough voice growled. His chapped lips pressed a kiss to Niall's neck, and Niall began to cry even more. He heard the cry of a baby- Lux!- from somewhere upstairs. "I see you've decided to come back to me."
Niall nodded, hoping that would make Greg a bit happier. Greg smiled, and Niall could picture that smile in his mind. It was a smile he was so used to seeing- overrun with pleasure, horrid, horrid pleasure and happiness, and Niall wanted to throw up against the black glove over his mouth.
"And you want me to give the little baby back, don't you?" Greg asked. Niall nodded again, hoping he wouldn't get his jaw crushed for that answer. "Well, Niall, you've been a good boy the past few days. You didn't call the cops again, just like I told you not to, and you even sacrificed yourself for me. Do you really want me to give her back?"
Niall nodded again, closing his eyes as Greg began pressing more kisses over his freshly-washed skin. Greg chuckled, his hot breath blowing on Niall's neck. "Okay, love. I'll give her back if it makes you happy."
Greg lifted his head away from Niall's neck. He pulled his hand off of Niall's mouth. Niall didn't scream. What would be the point? There was no one around, and it wasn't like he brought Harry with him as back-up.
Greg let go of his waist, too, leaving Niall standing all alone. Niall didn't try to run, didn't try to move. If he ran away and actually managed to get away, Greg wouldn't give Lux back. He had to be a good boy.
"Good boy." Greg whispered, taking Niall's hand. Niall shivered, but he didn't pull away. He didn't let his fingers loose, either, wrapping them around Greg's hand just to keep him satisfied. Greg seemed pleased.
"If you brought any of your friends," Greg said. Niall heard the click of a gun, suddenly, and his eyes went wide, his heartbeat wild. "I will not hesitate to shoot them as soon as I see them. Is that understood, angel?"
"Y-yes, sir." Niall said. Greg let out a low chuckle, and Niall heard him rustle. The gun was in Greg's back pocket, now, and he was pulling Niall towards the stairs on the other side of the room. They went up- up three flights until they were in another room.
There they were. Josh and Lux, who was crying. Niall wanted to rush forward and hug them both, collapse into Josh's lap, but he didn't. He wanted to scream to Josh, too, tell him to run, but he didn't do that either. Greg might have shot Josh, might have hurt him. He would have hurt Niall, too, but he wouldn't have killed Niall. Niall knew that.
So Niall stayed still and silent, gulping against the lump in his throat. His eyes burned with the tears that he forced back, his throat going dry, clogged with the words he kept clamped inside his mouth.
"Well. Here he is, Josh. Can you believe he actually came?" Greg chuckled, swinging his and Niall's intertwined hands back and forth as if he were showing off. Niall wondered for a moment why Greg was talking to Josh like that.
"I can't believe it." Josh didn't sound scared. He actually sounded quite shocked. He stood up and walked to where Niall and Greg were, taking Niall's face in his hand for a moment. "I didn't think I'd see him around until I had to kidnap him."
Niall wanted to ask Josh what the fuck he meant by that, but he knew it was better if he kept his mouth shut. No speaking, just listening. If he spoke, he'd say something wrong, and that would end in Josh getting hurt and Lux not being returned to Louise. He couldn't let that happen.
"Take the baby back. Tell the others that I let you go, too, okay? Take her and don't come back for a little while. Be with the others. Don't hurt them." Greg instructed. Everything clicked all of a sudden. Josh was on Greg's side.
Harry was right all along. Josh had been working with Greg. It made so much sense- Josh hadn't been kidnapped that day, he'd run away in probable panic. Oh my god. Niall thought. Harry was right all along.
Niall's eyes stung with tears again. Josh laughed in his face and walked away, back over to Lux. He picked her up gently and wrapped her in a blanket. At least they're gentle with her, Niall thought. At least she isn't hurt.
"I'll see you later, Niall. I'll be sure to tell Harry you're not doing well." Josh winked and left the room, climbing down the stairs. Lux's tiny whimpers and cries got quieter and quieter the farther Josh went.
"He's got a devious little mind." Greg shook his head, then he chuckled. "I trained him well, you know? I trained him real well."
Greg was silent for a moment, then he looked at the blonde boy, tugging on his fingers gently. "Well, I suppose I should give you a welcome, yeah? Maybe show you around a little bit?"
Greg walked Niall around the building, showing him the bedrooms, the kitchen, the dining room, and the basement. He told Niall if he were bad or tried to escape, Niall would be chained down here. If he was good, he would be treated like any of them- maybe even a little more special. Niall didn't like the way he said the last part.
"Understood?" Greg said when the tour was over, right after he finished explaining the good boy or bad boy thing. Niall nodded, then he gulped again and said "Yes, sir."
"Good." Greg said. He tugged Niall's hand again and lead him to a certain room. Niall remembered Greg showing him this room. It was a bedroom. "I feel like I should welcome you better. Do you think I should welcome you better, love?"
"I-I-" Niall stuttered. He wondered why Greg was acting like this, why he was being so . . . 'sweet', in a sense. He wasn't throwing Niall around and beating him. He was being nice- nice if he wasn't kidnapping Niall. "If you wish, sir."
Niall guessed he was being this way because the last time he was holding Niall for ransom. Now, he was just holding Niall for himself- because he wanted to keep Niall here. He was being this way because he wanted Niall to stay, he wanted Niall to not run away. He wanted Niall.
"Good boy." Greg said for probably the eightieth time that night. He led Niall over to the bed and lay him down. Niall didn't fight. He didn't say anything. All he did was try not to cry and try to imagine anything but what was happening. He imagined Louise's face when she got Lux back, warm and unharmed. He imagined Harry staying asleep forever, never waking up to find Niall gone. He imagined his friends happy and safe. He imagined Josh no hurting them. He imagined a life without his friends, a life of misery and hurt. But he had to keep his friends safe this time. He wasn't about to let them get hurt again.