Little Misunderstandings [Sequel to Little Steps]

Morning sickness had really been getting to me over the past few days. I was currently in my room sipping on a spoonful of soup. Chrissy had gladly taken to children across the street to her place to babysit them. I felt terrible, always depending on her, but she always seemed willing to do whatever she could.

I really just needed Nialls warm body holding me, instead of these cold sheets. It had only been three days since he had left, and I was already feeling too tired to continue on. However, Niall must have told the kids to behave because they seemed to be much more obedient than normal. That was one good thing.

My phone vibrated on the night table, interrupting my thoughts. I groaned to myself, reaching over for my phone. I picked it up and read the message on the screen.

New message from: Jace Walters

My heart stopped as I re read the senders name again. Why was Jace texting me? Then again, I had given him my number. I opened the message and read what he had to say.

From: Jace
Hey Aria. Haven’t seen you around Disney, haha :) Did you all leave California? I was hoping we could get together and chat some more.

I read the message in his voice, as if it were him telling me this to my face. It hurts alot to think about Jace because all he reminded me of was my dead sister. So called “dead” sister. I texted Jace back after a few seconds of thinking about what to say.

To: Jace
Sorry I didn’t tell you. We already left California, about three weeks ago. Give me a call?

From: Jace
Are you free to talk now? I’m just a bit bored, if you haven’t noticed.

To: Jace
Isn’t it like two in the morning there? Why are you up so late?

From: Jace
Went to a movie with some friends and now I just can’t sleep. Haha, so can I call you or is now not a good time?

I told Jace to call me and seconds later, my ringtone went off. I answered the call and put the phone to my ear.

“Hello?”

“Hi, is this Aria?” Jace answered. His voice was so familiar. It reminded me of the terrible childhood I had, and how he was one of the only good parts of it.

“This is she,” I laughed lightly, sinking under the covers. “How are you?”

“The usual,” Jace answered with a small sigh. “Same old work, same old restaurant, same old people.”

“Seems fun,” I joked. “Mind if I join?”

“If only,” Jace huffed. He asked me how my day went and compared to big fattass boring day. He seemed really disappointed with the place he was in now. I still didn’t understand how he could end up working as a waiter instead of being a lawyer for some celebrity. He had the brains for it, and I knew it.

“Hey, Aria?”

“Yeah?”

“Is there any chance that the blonde dude you’re married to is from the huge boyband?”

“One Direction?” I confirmed. Jace answered yes. “Yes, he is. Why do you ask?”

Jace chuckled to himself. “I don’t know. I guess I just never imagined you being married to a famous singer.”

“Trust me,” I snorted. “Neither did I.”

We continued to make conversation, just like the old days. However now i was much older and could actually understand the stuff he was saying. Jace made some really lame jokes about a llama and a cow, something about how they were related. I only laughed because it was hilarious how Jace snorted while he tried to tell me his joke.

“So, when you gonna come back around California and see me?” Jace joked, but I could tell by a tone in his voice that he was silently pleading me. It made me feel uncomfortable, and suddenly I came to my senses. I shouldn’t have gotten friendly with him so quickly. As much as I’d hate to admit it, Niall was right. Jace could have changed into an entirely different person for all I knew and he was just now pretending to be the same Jace from twelve years ago.

“Someday,” I laughed, trying to remain on a light mood.

“I’ll talk to you later, then?”

“Yeah,” I smiled, though it occurred to me that he couldn’t see my expression. “Talk later. Bye, Jace.”

“Bye, Ri.”

Jace hung up and just as I set my phone down, my ring tone went off again.

“Hello?” I answered, not bothering to look at the caller identification. The caller hung up instantly. I frowned and looked at the screen in hope of finding a name.

I did find a name on that screen.

Mom.



Chrissy’s P.O.V.

Nate giggled and handed me a crayon.

“Can you color the sun?” he asked with wide, excited eyes.

“Sure babe,” I giggled. Nicolette sat on my bed playing with my phone. For a three year old, she had pretty much mastered Temple Run, while as I hadn’t even managed to get passed the first level.

“Do you guys want something to eat?”

“Can I have chocolate?” Nicolette pleaded, looking up from my phone. I gave her a look. She knew better than to ask for chocolate. Aria had specifically told me not to give Colette chocolate if I didn’t want her jumping for couch to couch the entire day.

“How about some oranges instead?”

“Yeah!”They cheered, my signal to get up and go slice some oranges. As I made my way to the kitchen, the doorbell rang.

I groaned and reverted my feet towards the door. I assumed it was Aria, here to pick her kids up. Just when I was about to slice up oranges. What? I was lazy. I unlocked the door and opened it to find a tall person dressed in dark clothes with their face completely covered. The only thing I could see were a pair of bright blue eyes.

“Where are the kids?” the person asked in a voice I couldn’t tell was manly or feminine. There was definitely some kind of device that was warping the voice of the person.

The only thing that went through my head was to get the kids to hide. I didn’t know who this person was, or why the person wanted the kids, let alone how he or she knew Nate and Nicolette were here. Aria had given me a heads up that there were people of One Direction’s fandom that hated on the children, but this?

This was insane.

The person pulled out a gun and pointed it at me.

“Where?” the person demanded louder. His shout made me cringe. My heart began to race faster and faster as I tried to come up with a lie. I couldn’t just give up the place where the kids were. Not when it was my full responsibility to take care of them.

So what was I supposed to do?




Aria’s P.O.V.

Only seconds later, while I had a mini heart attack, I received a new message from the same person.

Mom: Looking at your stomach there will be a plus one, but soon you’ll see blood and things won’t be much fun.

I sat down on the bed when I felt my weight suddenly drop to my legs. I squeezed my eyes shut tight before opening them and reading my screen, just to see if I was crazy. I wasn’t. The haunting message was still there, still on my damn phone screen.

As I tried to catch my breath, I was caught off guard when I heard shouting coming from outside. Cautiously, I made my way to the window to see what the noise was all about. What I saw, nearly made me pass out. Across the street on Chrissy’s doorstep, there she was lying on the ground, blood gushing out of her leg.

...but soon you’ll see blood and things won’t be much fun.

There was a person dressed in what looked like black and grey, pointing a gun at her head. It looked like he was asking her something, but she was too weak to respond. As my heart threatened to jump out of my chest, I grabbed the phone and dialed the emergency. I explained the situation and after they had verified they’d be over, my fingers typed fast over the call pad the dial Niall’s number.

I prayed that he would answer. It was so early in the morning there, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t pick up.

“Hello?” his voice groggy enough, Niall answered.

“Niall,” I tried to clasp a hand over my mouth to keep from crying. Our kids could be in danger, let alone Chrissy lying in her blood on the floor.

“Hey, are you okay?” he croaked.

“No,” I yelled. “Listen, there’s some person who shot Chrissy in the leg across the street. Nate and Nicolette are in her house and I’m extremely worried that the person if searching for them. I called the police but I feel by the time they come it might be too late.”

“Fuck,” Niall cursed. I began to cry, so worried about my kids. “Theres a gun under the mattress.”

“What?” I coughed, wiping away tears. “What did you say?”

“Aria, stop questioning me.” Niall said sternly. “Theres a gun under the mattress on the side that I normally sleep on. What you’re going to have to do is shoot the person from behind. Don’t let he or she know that you’re there.”

“O-Okay,” I gulped as I raised the mattress up. I found a black, shiny gun indeed right under the area where Niall slept.

“I can't do this,” I whispered, my hands shivering. “I can’t.”

“Aria,” NIall encouraged. “Just calm down. You know how to use a gun. Don’t let your nerves take over you. Now go.”

Niall was someone who would do anything to save our children, including make me go kill someone. However, I was that kind of person to, and I would sure as hell give up my life for my children.

“Okay. I love you, Ni.”

“I love you. Be safe, Aria.”

I hung up before I could cry more. I slipped my shoes on and grabbed the gun, gripping it in my hand. When I stepped outside the house, the person in black was nowhere to be seen. I was going to pass out. What if the person had already found Nathan and Nicolette? What if-

I was interrupted by police car sirens.

The gun in my hand suddenly became slippery in my grip. I stuck it into my pants like they did in the movies and covered it with my hoodie just as officers stepped out of their cars. I watched, frozen in fear as the ran up to Chrissy who was passed out on the front doorstep of her house. Four or five officers charged into the house, guns raised.

Thank god I didn’t have to go in there myself.

I watched from my driveway as the EMS arrived and placed Chrissy on a stretcher. More and more people stepped out of the EMS and helped pick her pick. Even from my driveway, I could tell she looked extremely pale, blood pouring out from her leg. I tried to hold in my tears. My heart clenched as I thought that this could only be my fault.

I waited and waited as the ambulance drove away with Chrissy, while the other police officers went inside the house to look for the person who had shot her. AN hour later, they came out holding my children.

My children.

“Oh my god!” I gasped, running across the street. Both police officers looked at me as if I were crazy.

“And who might you be?” one officer asked, gripping Nate’s hand protectively.

“Th-those are my children.” I stuttered, trying not to start crying with relief. The officer turned to Nate and bent down to meet his eyes.

“Is this your mum?”

Nate nodded and reached out for me.

“Mum, I’m scared.”

“A big black person tried to get me.” Nicolette added, squirming in the other officer’s hands.

“He tried to get me, too.” Nate sassed back at Nicolette. Nicolette stuck her tongue at him.

“Please,” I begged, dropping to my knees when they released their grips from my children. They ran towards me and I grabbed the both of them, hugging them tightly.

“Where is the person who shot Chrissy?” I asked, once pulling out of the embrace.

“We don’t know,” the officer shrugged with a straight face. “The suspect seemed to have broken through a window, probably when he or she heard the sirens. We don’t know what he or she was after, and the lady, Chrissy is it, was too weak to tell us anything.”

“You know, a few weeks ago, someone broke into the window of my daughter’s room,” I explained. “No one actually got in, though.”

One police officer huffed, taking in the information.

“It seems like someone is targeting your children.” the other said. “Have your children got any special kind of value to others? Of course, they do have value, they are your children, but is their any reason someone else might want them?”

“I-I’m not sure,” I stammered, holding Nate’s and Nicolette’s hands tightly as they bickered about something.

“That’s quite peculiar.” a police officer huffed, rubbing his chin. “Why would they be different from other children?”

“Well, their father is Niall Horan, a band member of One Direction.” I said quietly. They looked at me as if I were some crazy fangirl.

“We’d need proof of that, miss.” an officer snorted.

“Well, I mean, he’s not in the house at the moment. He’s in America for some press
conferences and other things. I could call him though?”

“Sure,” one police officer said. The other one walked away, clearly positive that I was lying. That sort of pissed me off. A hell of a lot.

The police officer watched me take out my phone and press Niall’s contact name. He snorted, probably thinking it was fake. I pressed the call button and put the phone on speaker as the phone began to ring. I prayed that he hadn’t gone back to sleep. One ring, two rings, and then he picked up.

Thank god.

“Ari, what happened?” Niall’s voice boomed through the speaker. “Where the hell are you? Are you okay?”

“Niall, calm down,” I giggled, tearing up at the sound of his voice. “Theres a police officer here who wants to speak to you. He thinks I’m lying about you being my husband.”

“What?” Niall questioned. “‘Course I’m your husband. Are the children alright?”

I looked over at the officer whose eyes had widened. I shot him a smug grin and turned my attention back to the phone.

“Yeah, they’re fine. Can you talk to the officer for a bit?”

“Sure, of course.” Niall answered. I handed my phone to the police officer who was blushing hysterically.

The police officer asked Niall a few questions on his location, how long he had been gone, and a little information of the kids. Once the bastard of a police officer had finished interrogating Niall, he handed the phone back to me with a simple apology.

I lead the kids back to the house after getting the officer’s phone number, to call if anything else happened.

“Niall, someone is after our children.” I gulped, sitting on our bed as the kids watched television on the floor. I bit on my nails, incredibly nervous about the whole situation.

“How are you so sure of that?”

“Nate and Colette told me that the person who shot Chrissy had gone into the house and tried to get them. And you also can’t forget the window that someone broke into in Nicolette’s room.

“Shit,” Niall cursed. “Why the fuck does everything happen when I leave the motherfucking house? God damn.”

“I can’t let them leave my sight.” I whispered into the phone. “I probably won’t even be able to go to sleep tonight.”

“I wish I could be there to help you.” Niall whispered back. “God, I wish I could just leave and come back to you. You don’t know how much I’m considering it right now.”

“You have a job to finish.” I mumbled back. “Don’t worry about me. I-I’ll be okay.”

“Are you crying?” Niall questioned sincerely. “Fuck, don’t cry Ari.”

“No,” I lied, wiping away tears. “I’m not crying.”

Niall sighed. “How has the morning sickness been treating you? Still pretty bad?”

“Yeah,” I nodded, though he couldn't see me. “It’s getting worse. I throw up like two or three times a day now instead of one.”

“Have you been eating with your medicine?”

“Yes, Dr. Niall.” I laughed.

Niall chuckled from the other end. I missed hearing that laugh. God, I sounded like a lovesick puppy. He had literally only left four days ago.

“And have you been to your ultrasound for this week?”

“No,” I answered. “It’s tomorrow.”

“Man,” Niall sighed. “I wish I could be there with you.”

“So do I,” I gulped down tears, leaning back on the pillow. “You should probably get some sleep now. I’m sorry for waking you through all of this.”

“Nonsense,” Niall yawned. “Thought you’re right. I’m feeling a bit tired. I’ll call you later, okay?”

“Okay.” I sighed.

“I love you, Aria.”

“I love you more, Ni,”

He hung up just as began to cry. I ran out of the room before I could grab the kid’s attention. There were too many feelings within me at the moment. Fear, weakness, relief, anger, loneliness, but most of all, guilt.

Guilt.

I hated the feeling, because it took over you faster than you could ever imagine. IT crushed you little by little, until you could barely breath from whatever you were hiding. Guilt trapped you in a world of darkness and smashed your heart into two. It made you shiver and cry and cry until there was nothing left to cry out. No tears, no nothing. Just a dry, broken, crushed, empty, hollow body, full or regret.

Notes

Ohh, Niall why did you have to leave??????

What did you guys think of this chapter?

I expect some comments!!! :DDDD Hope it's a good chpater. I tried to make this one meaningful to the story. Do you think Chrissy will be okay? Who do you think that mysterious person was? Do you think ARia will ever tell Niall about the texts and the notes from the mysterious sender?

What abut the text from "mom" ???