Niall was almost done with hanging pictures when he heard footsteps walk into the room behind him. Randy had just paid the last of the workers. It was two in the afternoon, though to Niall it felt like it was eight in the evening. He and Randy had been at it for the last seven hours with this nursery.
Randy glanced around, surveying her work with a critical eye as she did so. Niall turned to look at her as he grabbed another nail,
"Don't even tell me anythin' is crooked...cuz it ain't."
Randy shook her head,
"I'm just wondering if this is what she'll like."
"Whatcha mean?" Niall asked as he banged the hammer on a nail into the wall.
"I mean..." Randy shrugged, "Women usually have really specific ideas about how they want the nursery done. Colors, furniture placement...I don't know."
Niall finished hanging the last picture. He stepped away to make sure it was straight before turning to Randy,
"You saw the same thing I did when she told us she didn't have anythin' done. I don't think she thought about it."
"Even so." Randy replied.
Niall set the hammer down,
"Well, we did our best. If she's upset...we can change it."
Randy stared at the wall over Joey's crib. She suddenly shook her head,
"She won't be upset." The way she said it was with such confidence, Niall turned to look at her.
"A minute ago ya were worried. What made ya change your mind?"
Randy contemplated telling him about her sixth sense. Randy had always been able to tell there was danger coming. It had kept her and her family and friends from disaster more than once. But Niall was a new friend and they hadn't exactly gotten off on the right foot.
She turned around to look at her notes sitting on Joey's chest of drawers,
"Just a feeling."
Niall eyed her suspiciously. It was quite different to get a feeling and to do a complete 180 degree turn. He leaned against the chest of drawers trying to catch Randy's eye,
"C'mon..." When Randy looked up he continued, "Tell me."
Randy let out a deep sigh as she folded her arms over her chest,
"I can sense danger."
Niall blinked,
"Eh?"
Randy instantly looked away and shook her head,
"Nothing, nevermind."
Niall shook his head,
"No no no no...what does that mean?"
Randy chewed on her lip as she tried to get a read on his reaction. She took a breath,
"Ever since I was little, I can feel it coming. My brother and I were skiing when we were young...I didn't want to get on the chair lift because I had a..."
"Feelin'?" Niall finished.
Randy nodded,
"Yeah. So we didn't...and the lift broke...people were stranded on it for hours."
Niall raised his eyebrow,
"So that means ya know when danger is comin'?"
Randy rolled her eyes,
"I mean...there have been other times." Now that she felt like she was being doubted she felt like she needed to defend herself, "That thing with Harry and the paparazzi. I felt them. I knew they were there."
Niall stared at her for a moment. He wasn't sure if she was full of crap but she certainly seemed to believe it. He nodded,
"Alright then." He said as he turned to finish putting away the tools he'd been using.
Randy studied him closely,
"Alright then? That's it?"
Niall picked up the tool box,
"Yeah. Somethin' else ya need?"
"You're not gonna tell me I'm crazy?" Randy asked.
Niall shook his head,
"No. I don't think ya are. If ya ever get a feelin' about me though..." Niall gestured down to the toolbox, "Gonna go put this back in the garage. Then sit my ass on the couch and order some Uber Eats...you gonna join?"
Randy stared at him, dumbfounded, for a moment. He had been the only person ever to not laugh in her face when she told them about her sixth sense. She nodded,
"Sure."
Niall walked out,
"Am I gonna make it to the garage ok?" He yelled out on his way down the hallway.
-----------------------
Harry finished packing up Joey's things in one of the baby bags Elena had gotten at her shower while Elena got dressed in the bathroom. Taz was tending to Joey in his crib. Harry turned to look at her,
"I think we have everything."
Taz nodded,
"I was watching while you packed. You do."
Harry lifted his hands to his hips. He took a deep breath and then exhaled sharply,
"Is there a failure rate here?"
Taz raised her eyebrows, a slow smile creeping over her features,
"A failure rate?"
Harry nodded,
"Where parents fail terribly in the first few days of bringing a newborn home. You all bring us back...train us some more...and then we try again?"
Taz laughed,
"50/50."
"Really?" Harry asked, he hadn't really been expecting an answer.
Taz reached out to slap at his shoulder,
"Harry...no." She assured him, "You and Elena will have each other. And you'll be fine. You have something a lot of other parents didn't have."
"What's that?" Harry asked.
"Google."
Harry shot her a look as she dissolved into giggles. Elena emerged from the bathroom. Taz excused herself, leaving them alone together.
Harry cleared his throat,
"I'm gonna take these out to the car...I'll come back when I'm done. I'll move the car to the front too."
Elena nodded,
"Alright." Her eyes followed him as he walked out, "Harry?" She asked before he left. When Harry turned back to her, she suddenly felt nervous for what she was about to say. She looked down at her fingers, "When we...I mean...we have a lot..." She let her hands drop to her sides in defeat as she finally looked back up at him, "I don't want us to...fight...anymore."
Harry nodded,
"Me either." He gave her a reassuring smile, "We have Joey now. And I think for now, we can focus on being the best we can for him."
Elena felt her shoulders relax with relief,
"Me too."
Harry was gone moments later. Elena turned to look at Joey. She slowly lifted him into her arm,
"We're taking you home today, Love. Give us a minute?" She asked, "We have a lot to learn."
-----------------------
Elena sat in the backseat with Joey while Harry drove home. They kept the conversation light, mostly discussing the weather and other drivers whom Harry was sure were going to put his son's life in danger with the way they were driving. Elena was just focused on her son the entire way. She could swore she saw at least ten different facial expressions on the way home.
Harry couldn't deny he was nervous about the nursery. The last time he'd spoken to Niall and Randy was at seven that morning. Did they get it done? Harry sure hoped so.
His hopes were dashed when they drove up to his completely void of any activity and quiet house. Harry frowned,
"We're here." He said softly, hoping Elena hadn't heard him.
"We're home, Baby Boy..." He heard from the backseat, again, killing his hopes.
Elena slid out of the backseat after Harry parked and killed the engine. She unlatched Joey from his car seat and pulled him into the safety of her arms.
Harry squinted, trying to hear anything that resembled things being hammered together. But there was nothing. He gestured into the house,
"Ok, let's get inside."
Elena nodded,
"We can figure out the nursery...just need a crib and all that."
Harry tried not to burst,
"Ok."
Elena stopped abruptly once inside the door. Harry looked over at her,
"What?" He asked, his view blocked from behind her.
Elena turned to look at him with a wide smile on her face,
"I think we interrupted something."
Harry raised his eyebrows. If Niall was having sex in his house he would kill him. Harry stepped out from behind Elena to see Randy sleeping on Niall on Harry's couch while an old episode of 90210 played on the TV.
He frowned. If Niall didn't finish the nursery because he'd been sleeping all day, he'd kill him. Harry shook his head,
"Stay here." He commanded as he turned to walk down the hallway towards what better be a brand new nursery.
Elena kept her eyes on Niall and Randy for a few moments until she felt Joey stir. She looked down at him,
"Tired, Angel? Give us a second to get situated and we'll get you a nap ok?"
Harry shuffled up behind her, his mood had significantly changed. He reached forward, putting his hands on Elena's shoulders from behind,
"Come here."
Elena studied him suspiciously,
"What?"
Harry shook his head,
"It's a surprise. Just come with me."
Elena might have been reluctant to follow him, but his face was full of excitement. His eyes were sparkling. She hadn't seen him like that in so long it made her curious.
Harry stepped forward,
"Close your eyes."
Elena's smile disappeared,
"Harry...I have Joey."
Harry nodded,
"Two steps. I'm right here. I won't let anything happen."
Elena reluctantly snapped her eyes shut, allowing Harry to lead her into a room. She could hear him snap on a light,
"Ok." She heard his voice, "Open."
Elena's eyes opened slowly. She immediately gasped. The most beautiful nursery she'd ever seen surrounded her. Elena didn't know where to look first. The entire room looked so cozy and welcoming. Every inch of it was exactly what she would have chosen down to the knick knacks and pictures on the wall. Her mouth fell open in shock,
"How?" Was all she could manage to get out.
Harry smiled as he walked around to take a closer look at things,
"The sleeping twins outside. I asked them to get it done. Good to know they can follow directions."
Elena continued to stare as she shook her head,
"Harry...I can't even-" She let her sentence end abruptly, "It's so beautiful."
Harry turned to her, his smile growing as he saw her face,
"Yeah? I wasn't sure what we'd come home to." He walked towards Elena, "But I wanted to make sure you felt comfortable about being here."
Elena looked up at him, her eyes filling with tears. She sniffed,
"Thank you so much. I love it."
"Awwww, we missed the surprise." Elena heard behind her.
She turned around to see Niall and Randy behind her. Niall leaned forward to kiss her cheek. He looked down at Joey,
"How ya like the new digs, Kid?"
Randy kissed Elena's cheek,
"Are you ok with the color? I wasn't sure about it...thought it might be too dar-"
"Randy," Elena interrupted, "I love it. It's beautiful. Thank you so much."
Randy instantly shutup. She pasted a proud smile on her face,
"Yeah?" She smiled wider when Niall draped his arm over her shoulders, "You're welcome."
Niall turned suddenly,
"Oh, ya can't miss the best thing." He walked towards a cabinet, "Looks like it holds clothes or blankets yeah?"
Elena and Harry both nodded. Niall shook his head,
"Oh no no." He opened it to reveal a small refrigerator and a microwave, "For bottles. Store them in here. Warm them up. Then ya don't hafta traipse back and forth through the house when he wakes up."
Elena laughed,
"It's great Niall. I love it."
Niall's face registered pure pride. He nodded as he put his arm around Elena's shoulders,
"Mission accomplished."
-----------------------
Niall and Randy were silent on the drive back to her place. Niall didn't want to admit it, but he didn't want to take her home. He'd quite liked sleeping with her on the couch and he wasn't ready to let that go just yet. But Randy had to work in the morning and after their day, she definitely needed her sleep.
Niall looked over at her as he slowed to a stop light,
"Think they'll be alright?"
Randy nodded,
"Sure they will."
Niall shook his head,
"I'm askin'...yer sixth sense thingy."
Randy turned her head to look at him,
"What?"
"What's your feelin' say?"
Randy stared back at him. She was shocked, to say the least. Not only did he not make fun of her, but now he was asking her. She shrugged,
"It's not something I can use..." She explained, "But I think they'll be alright." She smiled, "For the next hour anyway."
"They just...been through a lot." Niall explained, "It would be nice if they had some happiness now that Joey's here."
"I know." Randy agreed, "They don't need anymore stress."
Niall pulled into Randy's complex. He quickly found a parking spot,
"So," He said as he turned to her, "You free after work tomorrow?"
Randy felt her whole body shake. She hoped he didn't see it though. She nodded,
"Yeah."
Niall cleared his throat,
"Wanna go out? I know we were supposed to go on a date...but it didn't really work out that way."
Randy smiled as she remembered the beer and darts outing they'd had a few nights ago. It wasn't really a date, but it was fun.
"Niall Horan are you asking me on a date?"
Niall nodded,
"Yeah. I'll come pick ya up. We'll have dinner."
Randy narrowed her eyes at him,
"Dinner? That's it?"
Niall laughed,
"You're not gonna make this easy are ya?" Randy shook her head, "Alright." Niall responded, "I'll figure somethin' out that's not boring."
"Alright then." Randy answered. She offered him her hand, "A date it is."
Niall looked down at her hand, he contemplated shaking it for a moment and then he shook his head,
"Rather..." He started, a nervous clear of his throat before he continued, "Kiss ya..."
Randy tried not to show how terrified she was. Kissing Niall had been all she'd thought about all day. She gave a slight nod of her head, signaling to Niall that it was alright.
He couldn't hide his smile as he leaned towards her. Randy's eyes fell shut just moments before Niall's lips captured hers.
He tasted like the peppermint he'd eaten before they'd left, the slight chill sending shivers down her spine, though his mouth was warm and inviting. He lifted his hand to slide under hear ear as he took her mouth once again.
Randy was happy Niall lifted his lips to her forehead after he pulled away so she could take a moment to collect herself. When her eyes finally met his, he was smiling. He kissed her softly once more,
"I'll text ya tomorrow."
Randy nodded. Should she have said something? Probably, but she was floating and unable to put together any sentences. She got out of the car slowly, trying desperately not to trip on her way into her apartment because she knew he was watching.
-----------------------
Elena felt odd being in the bedroom without Harry, but he hadn't changed anything since she left. That fact was oddly comforting. He had spent the afternoon moving his things into the other room and bathroom while Joey slept and Elena got settled. Though Harry refused to allow Elena to unpack her own things. As far as he was concerned, Elena was still recovering.
So Elena took the opportunity to take a shower. She felt so grubby despite the fact that she'd taken showers in the hospital. She just wanted to wash her hair, get into some comfortable pajamas and snuggle into her bed.
She padded past Joey's room, stopping when she saw Harry standing in the room with Joey held in his arms. He cooed into his son's forehead while he slowly paced back and forth. Elena couldn't hear what he was saying, but she didn't need to. It brought tears to her eyes to witness the love that already existed between them.
She was about to walk away to let Harry have his moment when he turned to see her. He smiled,
"Mommy's here." He said to Joey.
Elena smiled as she walked forward to see Joey in Harry's arms,
"Hi, Sweetness."
Harry went to hand Joey to her, but she quickly shook her head and stepped away,
"Go ahead...you can keep him."
Harry took Joey back into his chest. The awkwardness was thick in the room. Things should've been different.
Harry blinked as he studied Elena closely while she went back to staring at the room again,
"Can you believe this room?" She lifted her hand to touch some of the pictures, "I can't believe they even did this. Where did they get half of these?"
"Your boxes in the basement." Harry answered. When Elena spun around, her mouth open in shock as she looked at him, he quickly continued, "When you moved here...you told me they were down there." He finished softly.
Elena was still in shock. The fact that Harry remembered that conversation at all was surprising. She smiled,
"Oh...well I suppose I should've recognized them then."
Harry looked back down at Joey,
"You've had an overwhelming couple of days." He said as he set Joey back into his crib.
Elena stood next to Harry while they looked down at their son. She reached down so Joey could grab onto her forefinger,
"Thank you, Harry."
Harry looked up at her, surprise etched in his wide eyes,
"Why are you thanking me?"
Elena's eyes met his,
"For today." She said softly.
Harry held her gaze,
"You're welcome."