Piper jolted awake, gasping for breath, and had a panicked moment where she couldn't remember where she was. She looked wildly around her, her eyes taking in the hospital bed, all the equipment around her, the rows of beds lined up across the way. She would have thought she was back in the dental surgery and all of that shit with Clive and the tracker had been a dream but a rustling down by her leg caught her attention. Harry's head was resting on the end of the bed, cradled in his arms, and he was muttering in his sleep with his brows drawn together.
It was instinctive for her to slide her fingers into the familiar curls, just for a sense of familiarity and comfort. As her fingertips massaged his scalp, Harry's eyes fluttered until they finally cracked open. He smacked his lips as he woke up properly and then his eyes drifted up to her face. He smiled when he saw she was awake.
"Hi petal," he said groggily, his voice a rough whisper. He pushed himself up on his arms, taking a deep breath that quickly transformed into a yawn, stretching his mouth open. He rubbed his eye at the same time and Piper couldn't help but smile at the image of him looking like a toddler waking from his nap.
She giggled, sliding her hand from his hair and reaching for the hand resting against the bed instead. She clutched it tightly. "Hi Harry."
The words came out all slurred and warbled because her mouth was still frozen for the most part. Harry winced sympathetically. "Try not to talk yet," he said gently as he stretched across her bed to press the red call button on the other side. "Let's just wait and see what the doctor has to say."
"Can —"
"Piper, don't."
She fixed him with a hard stare, letting him know how little she appreciated being interrupted. "Can you tell me what happened?" she asked in her slurred voice. "Last night? I can't quite remember."
Harry frowned at that, his hand drifting up to finger the bandage over her forehead. "The doctor said you might forget some things. You have a concussion, it seems." Piper sat back against her pillows with a huff, pouting, and it made a sneaky little smile slip onto Harry's face. "You'll be fine. A couple days and that big brain of yours will be back to normal, making all of us look like idiots and working on saving the world."
She tried not to react, not to give Harry the satisfaction of laughing at his dumb joke, but a stupid grin broke across her face as her cheeks flushed. One of the things she'd always loved about her relationship with Harry was that her smarts were just as attractive in his eyes as her looks, maybe even more.
"My teeth?"
"Right, the important bit," Harry corrected sheepishly. "Those are going to be fine too."
He explained what had taken place the night before which she could only vaguely remember because of the sedatives she had been given and the slight memory loss she'd been experiencing. Just to be safe, they'd opened her stitches, irrigated the surgery site once more, and then stitched her back up. The implants for her new teeth had been successfully anchored into her jaw and now she just had to let them heal before she could go through with the second stage that would give her back her molars. The doctors predicted she'd be in pain for a bit but that it should be gone by midweek.
"You stayed the whole time?"
Harry glanced up from where he'd been tracing mindless patterns on the top of her hand. He slid his hand into hers, lacing their fingers together on the bed, and the warmth in his eyes was enough to keep her settled. "'Course I did," he told her, his voice as soft as the gentle path his thumb was tracing over the back of her hand. "I promised you I would stay, so I was here, holding your hand the whole time."
She crooked her finger of her free hand, prompting him closer. Harry smirked and leaned in so that Piper could press forward and kiss him. When he pulled back, his cheeks were dimpling on either side of his toothy grin and he looked so much younger than he usually did, younger than his 29 years. Piper stroked her hand over his cheek gently, threading her fingers into his curls. "How are you doing?"
His brow scrunched up as he puzzled through her question. "You're the one in the hospital bed."
"Yeah, but you hate hospitals." His cheeks pinked ever so slightly and he dropped his eyes to the blanket bunched at her waist, his lips pressing together. He didn't like being reminded of the one fear he couldn't seem to get over. "I wouldn't have asked you to stay if I had remembered —"
"Don't be ridiculous. I would have stayed anyway." His eyes flickered up and there was conviction in them. His hand tightened around hers. "I wasn't going to leave you here alone."
"Thanks," Piper murmured.
"And anyway," Harry shrugged, trying not to look as uncomfortable as he was feeling, "it's easier when it's someone else. I could just forget where I was because I was focused on you. I had something more important to think about."
Piper didn't know what to say or how to respond without getting emotional so she just tugged on Harry's hand until he rose to his feet, clambering onto the bed beside her. By the time the doctor finally arrived, Harry was situated comfortably at Piper's side and she was nestled against him.
Piper expedited the discharge process as much as she could. She wasn't a huge fan of hospitals herself, especially not medical branch which was staffed with cold, unsympathetic doctors who, based on performance, must have barely passed medical school. She could also tell how much of a toll being here was having on Harry who wasn't his usually sharp minded self.
With a lazy brush off, she sent the doctor away and then slowly got herself ready to leave, letting Harry help her up and out of bed. She was still wearing the clothes she'd arrived in so she just took the time to splash her face and fix her hair before the two of them left medical branch behind.
"You still owe me a milkshake," Piper reminded Harry as they walked slowly through the hallways toward the lifts. Harry had his arm wrapped securely around her waist, his hand spread out over her hip to help her keep her balance. "In case you forgot."
Harry chuckled, leaning over to press a tender kiss to her temple. "I didn't forget. We'll stop on the way home."
Piper glanced up warily, chewing on her bottom lip. "Home?"
"HQ," Harry corrected when he saw the nervousness written all over her features and in the way her steps stuttered awkwardly. His hand rubbed over her hip gently, comfortingly. "I know I didn't ask but I figured after everything —"
"Yes, I'll move in with you," Piper interrupted. "If you'll have me."
"'Course I will." Harry grinned, tugging her closer when she blushed sheepishly. "Mi casa es su casa."
She rolled her eyes as Harry chuckled at his own joke, jabbing him hard in the ribcage with her elbow. "You're not funny. And it's tu casa. Considering we've been having sex for months, I think you can safely use the informal pronoun."
Harry's laugh echoed through the hallway and he was still chuckling as they rounded the corner, stepping into the hallway connected to the lifts. It was much busier around here with people arriving for their Saturday morning shifts (yes, the SIS had those; one of the reasons this job was fucking awful). They got some strange looks from passing agents but only one of the looks caught Piper's attention and she immediately froze, Harry's arm dragging away as he failed to stop with her. He turned back with a confused frown, reaching to take her hand. "You okay, petal?"
"Why if it isn't Agent Stoner. Out of the hospital already? I was just on my way to drop off some flowers."
Samson was walking toward them and he did indeed have a bouquet of flowers in his hands. Begonias. They meant beware and Piper felt a rush of fear flood through her, making her hands tremble at her sides.
Harry immediately stepped in front of her protectively, making himself as tall as possible, his arms tensing and making the muscles of his biceps stretch his shirt. He was posturing but it was working because Samson faltered a bit.
"Don't you dare speak to her." Harry's voice was low and threatening, the sort of tone that Piper wouldn't ever want to be on the receiving end of. "Turn around and walk in the other fucking direction."
"I just wanted to check in. Heard you had a bit of a mishap, Stoner." Samson's smile was cruel. Piper felt a sick feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach.
"Do you think I'm fucking joking?" Harry snapped back, the harsh tone in his voice making people stop in their tracks around them. Everyone was looking between Harry and Samson warily. "I've had about enough of you. You might think you've gotten away with what you've done but you haven't. I haven't forgotten and trust me, one day, you're going to get your comeuppance. And it's going to be brutal."
Samson didn't have a reply for that, his mouth opening and closing until he finally just shut it, glaring angrily at Harry who paid him little attention after that. Instead, Harry turned to give Piper a supportive look, nodding his head toward the lifts. She walked behind him the rest of the way until they were even with Samson and then Harry nudged her gently around him so he was pressed to her back, keeping himself between Piper and Samson the entire time. As they waited for the lift, he stayed close, his arms wrapped loosely around her waist.
"Thank you," she muttered back to him. His response was a light kiss to the crown of her head.
"Come on," Harry said gently when the lift arrived, shuffling them forward without letting her go, "let's go get that milkshake."
One of the things that she loved about Harry was his uncanny ability to make her smile even when she didn't feel like it. Another was the way his embrace felt like safety and comfort and tranquility all wrapped into one. Having both at once helped her push away every bad thing that had happened in the last 24 hours and focus on moving forward.
If she dwelled in the pain of the past, it would bury her alive.
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
Staying at HQ was quite the experience. She still felt weird saying she was living at HQ because she wasn't sure she felt at home there yet. It was taking her a while to get used to the fact that she had roommates now, not just neighbours. She still hadn't gotten used to people sneaking up on her in the kitchen in the morning while she made tea and she was annoyed that she begrudgingly had to put a bra on before going down to breakfast. She'd learned that the hard way when Louis had so graciously made a comment about it the first time.
Harry was lucky because his room upstairs was separated from the others by a large roof terrace and was only accessible by one set of stairs on the far side of the kitchen. It meant that they had a little more privacy up there than Louis and Eleanor who shared the top floor at the other end of the house with Liam.
It was sort of jarring getting used to this arrangement but the great thing about HQ was that it was large enough that Piper could find a quiet space to be on her own when she needed some distance. She was partial to the back garden when she didn't mind a little bit of a chill, or Harry's study when she really wanted to be alone, or the formal parlour that no one used where she liked to sit by the window and enjoy the sunshine.
She was curled up there with a book but she wasn't really reading it. Her mind was in too many places to focus in on one narrative so she found herself reaching the end of a page without understanding a single word that was written. She left it open in her lap though, unable to bring herself to close it up and give up on reading it completely.
It felt strange being on her own in the quiet of this still unfamiliar space. Everyone else was working right now and the only reason she wasn't with them was because Niall had forced her to stay home, getting her a week's leave from MI6 so she could cool down after everything that had happened to her as of late. She had to admit, as much as she missed the work, she was also very glad to have some time on her own to sort out her thoughts.
Clive, Samson. Samson, Clive. She kept jumping back and forth between the two, wondering what the hell she'd done in a past life to get stuck with such rotten luck. Why the fuck was she so important to either of them that they wouldn't just leave her alone? Why was Samson so aggressive toward her when she hadn't done anything to incite it? And why was Clive, and by association the Shoreditch Syndicate, interested enough in her comings and goings that they felt the need to chip her with a tracker? Was it coincidence that she'd walked into this mess, leasing the flat below Clive's? Or was this a part of some bigger plan.
So many questions, no answers. It made her so aggravated that she wanted to pull all her hair out. Instead, she kept her hands tucked under her thighs as she stared out the window at the sprawling lawns of HQ, still sort of meagre from a cold winter but starting to spring up some growth here and there. She imagined that in the summer these gardens were absolutely breathtaking.
A noise in the hall startled her and she looked up just in time to see Zayn backtracking, having caught sight of her sitting alone in the parlour. He hovered in the doorway, planting his hands on either side of the frame and leaning in without stepping through. He was smiling sweetly which helped to temper the toughness of his clothes and his new haircut which made him look like he belonged at a rumble. Something about that contrast, the Zayn she knew compared to the one he presented, always made her giggle.
"Hey," he greeted warmly, "how's it going?"
"Hmm? Oh, fine."
Zayn looked sceptical. "Right. But how's it really going?"
Piper sighed. There was no point in trying to fake an attitude with Zayn. He could read her like a book. "I don't know," she admitted with a shrug. "I'm all over the place."
Zayn pushed himself into the room and crossed over to the window seat. He climbed on and then mirrored her pose, back to the window frame, knees bent in front of him, hands in his lap. "Want to talk about it?"
"No," she said honestly. She didn't even know if she could talk about it. There was just too much going on and she didn't have to words to properly explain how she was feeling.
If there was anyone in the whole house who would understand that best, it was Zayn. He never pushed her, never tried to get her to talk about things she didn't want to talk about. Even now, they sat in comfortable silence with each other while Piper studied the bare tree branches blowing in the breeze outside. She had a feeling Zayn was studying her, reading all the things she couldn't manage to say in the silence that hovered between them, but she didn't bother confirming it.
"What are you doing here anyway?" Piper asked after a while, when Zayn had started tapping the end of her slippers with the toe of his boot, trying to get her attention.
He looked up surprised and then glanced out the window for a couple seconds. His gaze shifted down to his shoes and then back up at her. He had his lips shut tight, smiling sheepishly. "Would you be mad if I said that I came to see how you were?"
Piper pondered it for a beat. "Did Harry send you?"
"No."
"Then no." She smiled over at Zayn, reaching over to pat his knee gently. "And thanks. For caring."
"Of course I care," Zayn said in that straightforward, no nonsense way that he had. "All of us care about you, Piper. Especially Harry."
"I know," she said quietly as she wrapped her arms around her knees and hugged them to her chest.
"I promise you that I am working on finding out why all of this is happening." Zayn looked determined and frustrated all at once as he chewed on his lip, his fingers tapping a frenetic rhythm on top of his knees. "It's like wading through a haystack trying to find the proverbial fucking needle but I'm going to do it."
"Zayn," Piper muttered as she scooted forward so their shins were pressed together and she could reach far enough forward to place her hands gently on his shoulders. "Please don't get too stressed out about this. It sucks and I wish none of this was happening but that doesn't mean that this problem rests all on your shoulders. You said you care about me. Well, guess what, I care about you too. And I'm not going to let you work yourself to death trying to solve my problem."
"I just want to help," Zayn grumbled, frowning hard enough that his forehead scrunched up and his jaw tightened.
"I know, babe," Piper said with a little supportive smile as she patted his cheek gently. "And you're helping more than I can say. Don't let it drive you crazy."
"Yeah," he mumbled, still sounding unhappy.
"There's no sense in both of us thinking about it all the time. We should switch off or something. I'll worry on Tuesdays, Thursdays and alternate weekends."
She expected some sort of negative reaction from Zayn, an admonishment or a disapproving shake of the head. Instead, Zayn snorted a laugh, leaning back against the window frame so his neck was stretched out, his eyes trained above her head. "Is it time for a change of subject yet?"
This is why she loved hanging out with Zayn. "Yes, change of subject please."
He was quiet for a moment, looking at her thoughtfully with a tiny little smirk on his face. These were the times that Piper suspected he could see straight through to the things she was hiding deep within her. "How are you settling in?"
There it was, that one thing she'd been hoping he wouldn't bring up. It was Zayn's superpower, finding that thing that she was trying not to think about and flipping it back on her. "It's fine," she said to her knees, refusing to look at him. She gouged at a hole in the socks she was wearing. "It's just... um —"
"Not home."
"Stop doing that!" Piper snapped, narrowing her eyes at him.
"Doing what?" he countered, amused.
"Reading my mind. It freaks me out."
"I'm not reading your mind." Piper gave Zayn the same sceptical look he always gave her. "I can promise you that," he chuckled, shaking his head incredulously, "considering it's impossible."
"Or that's just what you want us to believe and you're really a superhero. Bitten by a radioactive spider, exposed to gamma rays — take your pick."
"You get bonus points for creativity," Zayn told her, unable to keep the grin off his face. He reached forward to poke her knee. "And even more points for your impeccable taste in comic books."
"Nah, I'm more into the movies to be honest." She grinned as she said it, knowing it would rile him up. Like she expected, his smile shifted until his lips were pursed tightly. He nudged her knee harder this time, a punishment for her teasing.
"Subject change," he declared once more, crossing his legs instead so he could lean forward. "Or should I say, back to the original subject and no distractions this time."
Piper rolled her eyes, hugging her knees tighter. She turned her gaze back outside to the clouds that were starting to come in over the city, blocking out the sun that had been shining. "It's not home yet," she told him, "but it could be. I just need time."
"Alright, I'll check back with you in two weeks and we'll see how things have come along."
She sighed. "Zayn."
"I just don't want you to feel pressured to stay here because Harry's here. If you're not comfortable, you're allowed to find a place of your own."
"I'm comfortable."
"That's what I used to say until living here drove me so crazy I nearly quit the group."
Piper's head whipped around. That was certainly a surprise. She'd never fathomed that there had ever been anything but perfect harmony between these five boys, judging by the way they acted together. "You nearly quit? Are you even allowed to do that?"
"As it turns out, no." Zayn chuckled, obviously not weighed down by the actions of the past. "Getting my own flat was what kept this group alive. Sometimes it's nice to be a part of all this and sometimes you need a chance to get away from it. I'd be the last person to blame you if you wanted your space."
He said it pointedly and Piper knew deep down that he was giving her an out, a chance to admit that this was too much too fast and she needed a champion on her side that would support her moving back out. The thing was, she didn't want to move out. She was happy here with Harry so far and she suspected that she could really grow to like this place. She just needed time.
"This is such a nice home," she told him. "It really grows on you."
Zayn's entire demeanour relaxed, his shoulders sinking a bit as his face smoothed out. He leaned comfortably back against the window frame.
"If you need a space to just escape," Zayn told her as he tapped at the window, pointing toward the trees across the yard, "there's a stream on the other side that's nice to walk by. I used to go —"
"Hello?" Harry's voice echoed through the house, interrupting Zayn before he could finish. "Petal, are you here?"
She rolled her eyes at Harry's comment, wondering where exactly he thought she'd be getting to when she was alone with no driver's licence and no sense of the layout of the neighbourhood whatsoever. Zayn snickered at her reaction.
"We're in the parlour, Harry!"
She heard his keys clacking onto the kitchen counter and then his footsteps on the wood floors of the hall. "Who exactly is we?" he asked just as he appeared in the doorway. At the sight of Zayn sitting with her at the window, Harry smiled. "Oh, hey mate. Haven't seen you in a while?"
"Just checking up on our Piper, making sure she isn't causing too much trouble."
Piper jabbed her foot out, catching Zayn in the knee. He hissed, drawing his leg back and shielding his knee protectively, narrowing his eyes at her disapprovingly. Piper just smiled sweetly, shrugging innocently before turning her attention back to her boyfriend. "Hi," she greeted.
"Hi," he said back. "Having a good time?"
"The best." Piper reached over to pat Zayn's sore knee in a show of good will and then waved Harry forward. "What's in the box?"
He'd come in with a cardboard box under his arm and it was the first thing Piper had noticed. She wondered if it was a surprise for her. After what she'd been through lately, she deserved a present.
"I stopped by your flat on the way home," he explained as he patted the box affectionately. "I grabbed a couple things I thought you'd need straightaway. We can go pack up the rest later this week."
"What books did you bring?" she asked. She was confused by the way Harry's face pulled into a confused pout.
"I brought your passport, birth certificate, those sorts of things. Wouldn't want them getting into the wrong hands."
"But you said they were things I needed straightaway. Where are the books, Harry?"
"What books?" Harry asked with a sigh.
"My books!" Piper threw her hands up in exasperation, looking incredulously between Harry who looked so utterly lost and confused it was almost adorable, and Zayn who could barely stop himself from bursting out laughing. "What in my flat could possibly be more important than my books?!"
Harry scowled at her as if she was a complete and utter moron. "I think you hit your head a little too hard, petal," he said dismissively, shaking his head in disapproval. He patted the box once more as he took a step back. "I'm going to put these in my safe, alright?"
She watched him leave with her jaw dropped, stunned that he was being so obtuse. Honestly, her passport? Her birth certificate? These things could be replaced. Her first edition of Anna Karenina was priceless!
"Sometimes I think he can read my mind," she muttered to Zayn, rolling her eyes dramatically. "Other times, I think he doesn't get me at all."
To her sheer displeasure, Zayn tossed his head back and started laughing loud enough to fill the house.
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
"What is this, the sixth box? The seventh?"
Piper, who was sitting on the floor stacking books into another box, ignored the biting tone in Harry's voice and just hummed. "Probably the seventh."
"We've only done two-thirds of the shelves," he whined. He was right, Piper realized when she looked up. Of the bookshelves that lined her living room, only two of the three had been cleared. The third was a mess, stacked double with books, and Piper could only imagine how long it would take to pack.
"Do you need a break, baby?" Piper tilted her head up toward Harry, smiling sympathetically. He looked tired, his face drawn and his cheeks flushed from exertion. He'd been lugging boxes full of books down the stairs to the Range Rover parked in the garage for the last hour or so, and moving around furniture to make it easier to coordinate for when the other boys came to help out later. He'd been working his arse off and Piper figured she owed him.
Harry smiled the way he always did when she accidentally called him baby, a tiny little smirk that dimpled his cheeks and made his eyes glint with pride. Normally she didn't call him by petnames but sometimes it slipped out. Judging by his reaction, she should use it more often.
"I really do," Harry admitted reluctantly. He always felt like he needed to go one hundred percent so it was hard for him to just take a beat and rest. It spoke to his developing openness with Piper that he fessed up to his feelings. "I just want to get some air if that's alright."
Piper smiled warmly, abandoning the copy of Little Dorrit she'd been trying to fit into the last box and pushing herself up to her feet. Harry watched as she approached until the only thing separating them was the heavy box in his hands. She leaned up on her toes so she could kiss him lightly and tenderly, smiling against his mouth when his lips stretched sideways. She made sure to smack a kiss against the dimple in his left cheek before she lowered back down onto her feet.
"How about you go and get a coffee from the Starbucks down the street?" Piper suggested. She was already over by her coat, shoving her hands through the pockets looking for the tenner she'd stuck in there the other day. "I'll take a london fog, yeah? You should get one too. You'd like it."
"If that's what you want."
She stuck the tenner into his jeans pocket before he could protest and because he was holding the box, he couldn't give it back. "It's on me. A thank you for helping me out."
Harry opened his mouth to refuse but one look from Piper, eyebrow quirked challengingly, made him stop before he could say anything. Instead, he nodded and let her have this one. "Alright, but I'm cooking dinner tonight."
Piper rolled her eyes. "Harry, you're letting me live in HQ for free. I think you can let me treat you to a latte every once in a while."
"You're living at HQ for free because I want you to be. Don't fight me on this."
She crossed her arms with a huff. "You're so stubborn sometimes," she told him with a shake of her head. "Fine, if you insist on cooking for me, who am I to stop you? We both know I'd starve without you."
"Or just live off of takeaway and vodka."
Piper swatted at Harry and he danced out of the way with a laugh, managing to keep hold of the heavy box even while he was dodging her attacks. That was the spy training peeking out inadvertently because Piper was absolutely sure that a regular human being would have dropped that box on their toes by now. Harry was certainly not a regular human being. He was something far more special.
Harry went on his way and Piper firmly shut the door behind him, locking all three locks. With him out, she wasn't taking any chances that Clive would get ideas and come pay her a visit. She hadn't been alone in the flat for more than five minutes since before her dental surgery nearly a week ago.
She kept herself busy while Harry was gone, packing up the rest of the box she'd been working on and then starting another. She was being a little less careful as she stacked away each book — each memory — that she needed to take with her.
Harry had gotten on her case about her wanting to get the books packed first, claiming that it wasn't practical. She suspected that he forgot how much these books held for her. While he understood their meaning, he had no way of knowing that these books contained little pieces of her childhood, sometimes literally as she'd often found old math tests stuck in as bookmarks. Those sorts of memory triggers were absolutely priceless to her and made the books more important than anything in the flat.
It was bittersweet looking around this flat as she prepared to leave it forever. Sure, it was sort of a shit flat being the size it was and the shape it was in but it had also been perfect for her at the time as a recent graduate starting a new job. For a long time, it had felt like home. It had been her sanctuary.
She felt like a new person, looking at her old flat with brand new eyes and a different perspective. It wasn't home anymore, that was true, but that's because home had stopped being a place for her and was instead a person. And she'd built that home in this very flat.
She could look at her bedroom and think of a hundred times Harry had spread out beside her there, holding her while she slept or listening while she talked. She couldn't look at her bed without remembering their first date, the wild passionate sex and then the tender conversation over breakfast when Harry had sworn he would always be there in the morning. Or remembering the way he had curled around her when she'd been ill, holding her close when she needed him to.
Her kitchen was filled with memories of lazy Sunday mornings when she would walk in to find Harry in front of the stove in little or no clothing. And lord knows she couldn't even step into the bathroom without feeling that familiar tug of lust low in her abdomen.
Maybe this place wasn't home anymore but she'd built the four metaphorical walls of her new home within the rooms here and she'd never forget that, even after this place was long gone. This was the flat where she'd fallen in love. There was something to be said for that.
She wouldn't miss it too much but she'd miss it a little, mostly the things before Harry had come along. The comfort of being able to look out on the busy street out her window so she didn't feel so alone. The sense of pride that she'd paid for and maintained this flat all on her own. And of course, her buddy upstairs who always knew just when to come down to keep her company. She could almost hear the familiar scratch at the door —
Nope, that was actually scratching. Piper crossed to the door, checking the camera on the wall first. Sure enough, Bertie was sitting on the other side, his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth. Piper quickly unlocked the door and opened it. She expected Bertie to come in but instead, he stayed sitting on the other side and whined. It only took a moment to realize why.
"Christ, what is that smell?" She wrinkled her nose against the smell of smoke, wondering when Clive had become a smoker. With one glance up at Clive's flat door, she realized it was a lot worse than that.
Smoke was billowing out between the space where the door was ajar and out into the hallway. The only thing that could cause a reaction like that was a proper fire.
For a moment, Piper was frozen, her head racing to put together what was happening. When she managed to calm herself down enough that she could think, her brain immediately started doing what it did best — strategizing.
She paused long enough to lean over and kiss Bertie's head, muttering a quiet, "good boy, you brilliant dog. Good boy." If dogs could smile, that's what Bertie would be doing. "Now go on, get downstairs."
She half shut the door behind her, not worrying about locks at a time like this. She searched around the living room, lifting cushions and magazines and rolls of tape until she found her mobile phone hidden among them. She dialled so quickly that she was stunned she got the number right.
"The line-up is ridiculous," Harry grumbled when he picked up, without so much as a hello. "I think the barista is new or something. Zayn could have done a better fucking job than this."
Zayn made amazing coffee, no question, but that was the last thing on her list of important things right now. "Harry, the flat is on fire."
"I'm sorry, I think I misheard you," he said slowly. "What was that?"
"Clive's flat is on fire," she explained. "Bertie came down and scratched on the door and when I opened it, the whole landing was filled with smoke. I'm not sure what happened but can you come back here please?"
"I'm already on my way. Just get out of there as soon as you can."
She took Harry's instructions to heart, taking the time to gather only the essential things she needed. It pained her to leave behind the books but they weren't worth getting hurt over. Besides, she'd packed the important ones first in case something happened. She could sacrifice a couple of books for her safety. Before she left, she plucked up the picture of her and her father that was sitting on the end table. That was something she couldn't bear parting with.
When she stepped out onto her landing, she could feel the appreciable difference in temperature, the heat of the air warming her exposed skin and making her sweat behind her hair on her neck. The door to Clive's apartment was closed now but that hardly seemed to matter because the flames must have gotten large enough to create enough heat to replace the finicky thermostat.
Piper hurried down the stairs, sighing with relief when she was out in the cool February air. A crowd had formed on the sidewalk across the way, staring up near the top of the building. She craned her head around and gasped at the sight. The windows had blown out on the top floor and flames were licking up the frames, making the brick above a sooty black. Smoke rose in thick curls into the night air.
She deposited the box of books by the door for safe keeping, hoping no one would steal it from beside a burning building, and then stomped her way into Grady's, the pub that made up the ground floor of her building.
As was expected on Friday evening, it was full to the brim with a bunch of the classic pub types, the older men crowded around the bar lamenting about this and that, the pack of uni boys making way too much noise in the corner and the group of twenty-something girls that were doing their best to ignore them. All of them looked up when Piper hooked her fingers around the fire alarm near the door and pulled it down, an obnoxious ringing filling the dingy pub.
"Hey, Piper, what're you doing?" Grady, the namesake of this hole in the wall, was at his regular post behind the bar in a classic bartender pose, his hand stuck in a glass, rubbing it dry with a dirty towel. He scowled hard at her, his usual grumpy self.
"Clive's flat's on fire," she told him with a shrug.
"Ah, fucking hell," Grady bemoaned as he slammed the glass down on the bar with a thud, throwing the towel over his shoulder. He circled around the bar and began waving his arms dramatically. "Alright, let's go. Get off your arses, the lot of you! Or I'll turn on the sprinklers!"
That got people moving and Piper had to shuffle out of the way before she was trampled by a stampede of angry bar patrons, some of them double fisting beers, sipping from each one as they descended en masse out to the street.
"Someone call 999 yet?" Grady asked as he lugged the safe from under the bar, shoving it forward with a grunt and crossing the room slowly. Piper didn't blame him for wanting to keep his important documents with her and was now glad Harry had thought to bring those to HQ first, way back on Sunday. She scurried forward to help Grady lug the safe across the pub. "Thanks love," he said once they were both outside and safely on the street. "About that call?"
"No, I don't think so. I can do it —"
"I've got it," Grady interrupted, giving her a supportive pat on the shoulder. He pointed over her shoulder and Piper turned her head. She narrowed her eyes when she saw Grady's object of attention, one Clive Cavanagh, staring up at the fire in his flat and... fuck her, he was smiling. She had no doubt in her mind that this was somehow his doing. "You going to take care of that?"
Piper wasn't surprised in the slightest by Grady's tone of voice, like he tasted something vile and had to spit it out. He hated Clive almost as much as she did.
"Let me get him. Watch my things, would you?"
Grady nodded and Piper turned on her heel, stomping across the street to where Clive was standing. He caught sight of her halfway and the smarmy grin that slipped onto his face made her sick.
"Something wrong, Piper dear?" he asked her. Piper ignored the way all the hairs stood up on the back of her neck and crossed her arms with a huff.
"What did you do?" she snapped at him.
"Well, I didn't do anything." Clive placed a hand innocently to his chest in a perfect who, me? sort of look. It made Piper want to hit him even more. "What would make you think I'd set my own flat on fire?"
"Hiding something perhaps?"
His face slipped and a little flare of panic crossed his features before he managed to fix them, licking his lip carefully. He tucked his hands into his pockets and, with that stupid amused grin, shrugged carelessly. "What do I have to hide?"
Piper's anger flared and she tried her best to keep herself from doing something impulsive and reckless. She forced herself to take a step back away from him. "I do hope you weren't trying to barbecue me in the process of covering up whatever shady thing you had hidden in your flat?"
Clive tsked, shaking his head as he pouted dramatically for effect. "No, no, you're much too important to lose so carelessly, my dear. I sent Albert out to fetch you. I knew he'd want to protect you."
"You're a piece of shit," Piper hissed at Clive who just shrugged once more. "It's no wonder Bertie likes me more when you treat him like — hang on. Clive, where's Bertie?"
Clive made a big show of looking around, scanning the streets back and forth for the dog. "You're right. He seems to have gone missing?" Piper watched in horror as Clive's eyes shifted up behind her, scanning the building until they stopped right at the top, right where his flat was being burned up as they spoke. "Where could he have gotten to?"
"You — you monster!" Piper tightened her fists to keep herself from reaching over and slapping him. She didn't have time to waste on him. Right now, there was a dog she dearly loved who was in trouble and he was worth ten times what Clive was worth to her.
She was running hard toward the door within seconds, racing right past a confused Grady who began yelling her name after her as she blew right past. Back inside the building, it was hot as hell and she was sweating by the time she'd scaled the stairs to the second floor. It became harder to breathe in the thick air but Piper ignored all that, focusing on getting to the flat.
One touch to the handle had her jumping away, a hiss slipping from between her lips. She felt like an idiot — the first thing they learned in primary school fire safety was not to touch door handles of burning rooms. Now she was going to have blistered fingers on top of everything else.
She looked around for something to open the door with but nothing sprung to mind. She wondered if it would be worth it to try kicking it down. It didn't seem like something that would work, just the sort of thing they did on tv for dramatics, but she was out of options. Grasping onto the banister for balance, Piper kicked hard at the door near the handle.
The pain that shot up her leg was agonizing and she yelped, hopping on one leg until the sharp pain in her shins went away. The door barely looked like it had sustained a dent. She needed more power, more leverage.
The wall sconce caught her eye, particularly the curved section that stuck out from the wall far enough that she'd be able to get her hand around it. She hooked her fingers through the gap and held on tight, wrapping her other hand around the banister. She used the leverage to give her momentum as she slammed her boot into the door once more. It didn't hurt as much that time and she thought she felt a wiggle. Progress.
This time, she took a couple steps back and thought out her actions properly, calculating angles and force and all the other physics equations that were second nature to her now. Taking a deep breath to prepare herself, she jumped forward, pulling up on the sconce as she pushed up on the banister so she was soaring through the air, both her feet connecting hard with the door. It slammed open and she sailed through, following the momentum until she was landing in Clive's living room on her two feet.
She was coughing immediately, the smoke overwhelming in the flat. She ducked down quickly and surveyed the damage.
"Bertie!" she yelled, her voice cracking as she sucked in smoke and began to cough. Keeping herself as low as she could, she stumbled through the living room toward the hall. The heat was unbearable and Piper could sense that it was either the bedroom or the study that was the source of the fire. Her money was on the study.
"Bertie, where are you? Where's my boy?"
The sense of relief she felt when she heard the tinkling of his collar was indescribable. He was okay. She clapped her hands, calling his name repeatedly and finally she saw his body wriggle out of the bedroom. He scurried toward her, practically crawling on the ground, and she could tell by the way he was acting that he was scared. She had the overwhelming urge to find her largest kitchen knife and gut Clive right there in the street but she had priorities. She had to get Bertie out first.
"Come on, buddy," she said in an upbeat voice to try and ease his fear. Focusing on his well-being was helping distract her from the fact that she was in a burning building, flames dancing at the edges of her vision whichever way she turned.
Bertie walked pressed to her side, the two of them as low to the ground as they could get. Piper had dropped to her knees and was shuffling along beside the big dog who was making himself as little as possible. She thanked god that the flats were at least a little similar in layout and she knew her way back to the door.
An ominous creaking echoed in her ears and she wrapped an arm around Bertie just in time to pull him back as the ceiling collapsed down, burning beams crashing into their path. He whimpered at the same time that she screamed but both of them were drowned out by a terrible groaning sound that foreshadowed more destruction.
"Fuck this," she muttered to herself as she got up from her knees, ignoring the way the smoke burned at her eyes and made fat tears run down her cheeks. She grabbed Bertie around the waist and hauled him up in her arms, thanking the heavens (and Liam's rigorous workouts) that'd she'd been increasing her bench press over the last couple of weeks. With the dog held as securely as possible, she jogged through the flat, running wide circles around the beams that had collapsed.
And then she heard him. "Piper? Piper! Where are you!"
She let out a big breath, her whole frame collapsing downward until she was forced to drop Bertie back onto his feet. The door was only across the room and the path was relatively clear. And Harry was standing somewhere on the other side of the doorway, looking for her.
"Harry, I'm in here!"
"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice muffled by the loud noise of the building burning down around them. "Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine," she shouted back as she pulled Bertie by the collar across the room. Once she got there, she realized exactly why Harry hadn't come in yet.
Leaning diagonally across the doorway was a stack of roof beams that had collapsed down. While they weren't on fire, they did block the door right up to Piper's waist, leaving only a small triangle of space in the top left corner of the doorway. Harry's concerned face stared back at her through the hole. "Well, shit," she said as she placed one hand on her hip, holding onto Bertie so he wouldn't run off. "This complicates things."
"I'll pull you through," Harry instructed, waving her forward toward the door.
Piper hefted Bertie up into her arms, much to his displeasure judging by the way he growled. "Bertie first."
"Piper, this building is falling down around us as we speak —"
"The dog goes first, Harry! So if you want me out of here any time soon, you'd better help me out."
Harry's jaw tightened and she could tell that she was going to be getting a long lecture once they got out of here but he made the wise decision to save it. Instead, he stuck his arms through the gap. Piper groaned as she lifted Bertie's body, passing him over to Harry who grabbed him under his front legs. She watched through the space as Harry dropped the dog on his feet and gave him a shove toward the stairs. "Go on, Bertie. Get out of here."
The dog, smart as he was, wasted no time in running down the stairs.
When Harry turned back toward the door, Piper had already stuck her foot between two beams as a foothold and stuck her torso through the gap. "Christ, Piper, you couldn't wait five seconds?"
She narrowed her eyes at him as she stuck her arms through the hole and pressed her palms down on either side of the hole for leverage. "Just get me the fuck out of here before I roast."
Harry didn't hesitate, reaching for her immediately. He yanked her under the armpits, forgetting to be careful in his desperation to get her out. She scraped up the delicate skin under her arm on her left side and Harry accidentally hit her boob but none of that mattered when she tumbled out of the hole, ending up half on the floor and half in Harry's arms. Arms that tightened around her immediately and yanked her onto shaky feet.
"Let's go," he shouted back at her as another loud groan filled Clive's flat. She was a half step ahead of him all the way down to her landing, nearly taking a tumble when a crash echoed from above them. Harry just managed to catch her, slamming his shoulder into her stomach as he hefted her up and tossed her across his shoulder. He took the stairs two at a time and they both stumbled out into the street just as a loud explosion from the top flat blew out the rest of the windows.
Harry dropped her down onto her feet with a thud and she was so shocked by everything that had happened that she just plopped down on the sidewalk, trying to catch her breath. Harry joined her a second later, his knees clacking harshly on the cement as he dropped down in front of her.
She tried to suck in some of the fresh air but it just irritated her already unhappy airways and made her cough violently. Harry placed a supportive hand on her shoulder until she could breathe somewhat normally. When she'd gotten herself under control, his hand under her chin dragged her head up.
He looked exceptionally furious.
"If you ever run into a burning building again, for whatever reason," he said slowly, making each word loud and clear, "I'll kill you myself. Got it, petal?"
She nodded hurriedly, reaching a hand up to wipe away the tears caused by smoke irritation. Harry helped her, using a thumb to wipe her cheek dry, and then before she knew it his lips were pressed firmly to hers and his arms slid around to hold her close. She clung to him, kissing him back with as much vigour as she could muster. There was something about nearly being cooked alive that made her want to hold onto Harry and never let him go.
"I'm sorry," she muttered into his shoulder as she grasped onto him tightly, her fingers digging into the fabric of his coat. "I know I shouldn't have but Clive locked Bertie in and I couldn't just —"
"I know," Harry said soothingly as he ran his hand gently through her hair. "I get it. He's important to you and you just saved his life. I'm not thrilled about your methods but I'm proud of you for thinking on your feet." Piper nodded and sucked in a shaky breath. Harry cupped her jaw tenderly in his hands. "Hey, listen, you're okay. Everyone is safe."
"Yeah, you're right."
Harry managed a little smile. "Come on, let's get you up. This place is about to get chaotic and I want Niall to look you over and make sure you're alright."
Piper let Harry drag her to her feet, standing idly while he brushed off her legs and her bum, her arms, over her shoulders. Soot piled up around her on the sidewalk until it looked like she was standing in a dusting of black snow. She couldn't even imagine how her face must have looked.
"The car's just down the street," Harry told her, pointing to where the Range Rover was parked half on the sidewalk in a zone it wasn't meant to be in. Harry wasn't one to waste time on parallel parking, not when she needed him. Thank god he'd had the foresight to take the car with him to Starbucks or it would have been sitting in the garage still.
"Could you — my things." She pointed to the box of books that was still sitting by the door. Grady was perched on his safe nearby, far enough from the building that he was safe but close enough that he could guard her things. He was watching Harry and Piper with wide eyes, just having seen them run out of a burning building.
Harry kissed her forehead gently and then went to retrieve her things. She waited until his back was turned before dropping her smile, her lip curling with rage as she rounded, Clive set in her sights. She stormed over with her hands fisted at her side and when she was close enough, when she saw that dumb smirk on his lips, she reeled her arm back and punched him straight in the nose.
He swore violently as he staggered back, cupping his nose which began to gush blood. He looked up just in time to jump out of the way when she swung her leg out at him. "You son of a bitch!" Piper hollered as she jabbed her arm out, just barely missing his face once more.
"Piper!" Harry's voice hollered from behind her.
"Styles, hold off your attack dog, would you?" Clive snapped as he pinched his nose.
Piper would have launched herself at him and shown him just who he was messing with but Harry hooked both arms around her waist and held her back. She swung her arms and legs wildly, attempting to get free, but Harry was much stronger and she couldn't get loose. It didn't stop her trying. "I'll kill you! I'll fucking kill you, you arrogant wanker!"
"Piper, stop," Harry said firmly. Immediately, she stopped fighting against his hold, deflating in his arms. When he was certain she was calm, he set her back on her feet and tentatively loosened his hold. "Let's just go. Forget him."
Piper shot Clive a vicious look as she stepped out of Harry's hold completely. She swallowed back all the insults on the tip of her tongue. "You watch yourself, Cavanagh."
"I'm shaking," Clive snapped back as he wiped his bloody nose on the back of his hand.
"And I'm taking the dog!" Piper insisted, spotting Bertie cowering by a lamppost behind Clive's back. The poor guy looked absolutely petrified. "You've always been a shit owner and I'm not letting you near him ever again."
"Fine, what do I care?" Clive shouted back at her. "I've always hated that fucking dog! He isn't even mine. My stupid brother stuck me with him. He reminded me of that whiny fucker every time I saw him. And you!" He sneered, pointing an accusing finger at her. "You didn't help at all, always calling him Bertie. Well, fine. He can be Bertie as much as he wants. See if I fucking care!"
His fists were clenched tightly and he was standing tall over her, his whole frame seeming about ten times larger than usual. Piper stood her ground, not letting him intimidate her. She was done being scared of him. Now she was just angry.
"You're a deplorable human being."
"It's the job, love," Clive said smugly as he threw his arms out to the sides, shrugging casually. "I'll be seeing you real soon, Piper," he told her with a wink that made her visibly shudder. "Take care of yourself."
He sauntered off like he didn't have a care in the world, his hands tucked in his pockets. It made Piper sick watching him go but she wasn't in the right state of mind to do anything about it. She was starting to shake from the adrenaline wearing off and she was having a bit of trouble breathing, a nice side effect of inhaling all that smoke.
She jumped when Harry touched her shoulder. He was standing by her side, box tucked under his arm once more, and when she looked back he nodded toward the car. She followed behind him silently, stopping halfway to the car.
"Bertie," she called back, bending as she patted her thighs. The dog perked up a bit, his head coming up. "Come on buddy. You're coming home with us."
Watching him run over to them warmed her heart a bit so when Bertie skidded into her, licking her face happily, she was laughing instead of trembling. Harry's warm hand on the small of her back focused her and she straightened, leading Bertie to Harry's Range Rover. She opened the backseat and helped Bertie in before getting into the front passenger seat.
She fumbled with the seatbelt for so long that eventually Harry reached over to click it into place for her. She smiled gratefully and took his hand in hers over the console. Harry squeezed back and then focused his attention on pulling out of his makeshift parking space. They crossed the firetrucks finally heading toward the flat as they drove away toward the Tower Bridge.
Her hands were shaking uncontrollably now and Harry must have felt the vibrations against his hand because he looked over at a red light, watching her carefully for a moment. "Don't worry, petal. You're safe now." She nodded, but it didn't stop her racing heart or the way her fingers and toes were tingling with built up energy trying to find a release. "Before you know it, we'll be home."
As she squeezed her hand around Harry's, she mentally corrected him. She wasn't going home. Sitting beside him, their hands clasped together, she was home.