The Misfits

“So they agreed to come down here and pick us up?” Maeve asked. We were standing in the kitchen looking out the window into the small backyard where the boys were playing football. “Why would they do that?”

“They had a free day,” I shrugged. Maeve looked at me skeptically. “They’re not like you think Mae. They’re normal guys when they’re not being hounded by the media or stalked by fans.”

“I thought you didn’t like them?” Elaine asked. We turned to look back out the window again. Harry had just let Archie score a goal against him.

“I can’t hate them for being my dad’s favorites.” I sighed.

“Sure ya can.” Maeve shrugged.

“No way, just look at them,” Mackenzie said, staring dotingly out the window.

“Okay we’re being creepy now. Thal, help me with dinner?” Elaine asked.

“Dinner?” I asked with a frown. “El we have to get on the road. The boys need to get back to London tonight.”

“Miss Lucy said that she wasn’t going to be back until late and you’re mother’s working the night shift.” Replied Mackenzie. “Unless we want them to starve…”

“Alright Kenz. We’ll stay for dinner.”

“Dinner?”

We turned to see Niall and Harry enter the house, children hanging form every limb. Niall looked at us hopefully and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“How would you feel about us treating you to some dinner?” Elaine asked? “Since you drove all the way out here it’s the least we could do.”

Harry opened his mouth but Niall cut him off, “Dinner would be great! Thank you.”

“Sure you won’t kill us Thal?” Jasper asked. “It’s been a while since you’ve been in the kitchen.”

“Don’t worry Jas, you’re the only one that has to worry.” I said, leaning forward and then whispering, “I pick my poisons carefully.”

“Who want’s a tour?” Mackenzie interupted, grabbing Jasper and Niall’s hands. “Jasper. Give them a tour of the house.”

Jasper shot her a glare before picking up Layla and slinging her over his shoulder. “Come on Lay. Let’s give the lads a tour.”

I helped Elaine get dinner ready while the boys got their tour. You wouldn’t think it would take two people long to make dinner, but when cooking for fourteen it usually takes at least an hour. It was so nice to be back with the girls again, and began giving them a recap on the trip with the boys.

“What happened to your phone?” Maeve asked as we worked.

“Calhan threw it at the wall.”

“What?” They all cried out.

“Don’t worry. He missed my head, which was where he was aiming.”

“THAT LITTLE BITCH!” screamed Maeve.

“Yeah we’re over. You can actually thank Harry for that.” I laughed. Maeve frowned so I continued, “I was texting him and Cal got jealous.”

“What were you texting to make Calhan jealous?” Mackenzie asked, a smirk on her lips.

I narrowed my eyes at her, “nothing like that Kenz.”

“You said it,” she shrugged. I stared at her for a moment taking in what she had just said. Calhan had gotten made because Harry had said he loved me, but that was just all in good fun. Right? We had been texting non-stop since the night at the club and I spent a majority of my time with him for the past two weeks. Hell, he had come to visit my family. But-

“Who the hell is parked out front?” We heard a thud from the entryway before Hugh and Ralph stepped into the kitchen. Hugh, a dark-skinned, black-haired nineteen year old frowned at me before breaking into a smile. “Thal?”

“Surprise!” I yelled holding out my arms. He ran over and scooped me into a hug.
“What the hell are you doing here? I thought you were with your dad in London?”

“Nah, I couldn’t stay away.” I laughed as he set me back down. “Actually I’m here on a mission. I’m kidnapping El, Mae, and Mack.”

“What!” We turned to see the kids re-entering the kitchen followed closely by Harry and Niall.
“They’re mine!” I yelled, grabbing Maeve and pulling her into a hug. The kids let out protests and ran to free Maeve from my grasp.

“Alright! Alright!” Elaine yelled over us. “Let’s get the table set for dinner. Come on ya little rascals!”

The kids quickly got up and began running around the house in an organized chaos. You wouldn’t think that we would be able to fit fourteen people into the small dining area, but somehow we always managed.

“Come on losers. Everyone helps,” I said, ruffling Harry’s hair as I walked into the dining room. They helped me set up the extra table as the others brought in chairs, plates and silverware.

“Where’s Miss Irene and Miss Lucy at?” Millie asked, referring to my mother and Aunt as she placed napkins on top of each plate.

“They’re working tonight babe,” I said, reaching over and tickling her sides. “But we have two new guests tonight instead. How does that sound?”

“That’s all right I guess,” She giggled.

“Fabulous. Go be a darling and wash your hands?” I asked, still tickling her until she ran out of the room.

“Anything else we can do to help?” Harry asked.

“Nope. You’re the guests here.”

“Oh come on Lil’s,” Laughed Niall.

“Sit,” I said, pulling out a chair.

“I CALL SITTING NEXT TO HARRY!” Millie screamed, running back into the dining room.

“I would be honored to sit next to the princess,” Harry said, lifting her up into the air and setting her down on one of the chairs. I couldn’t help but break into a smile at his actions. His hotness was amplified x10 when he had a child in his arms. Wait, what?

“Don’t go filling her head with that,” Laughed Jasper, helping Archie and Layla into their seats. “She already knows she’s the favorite.”

“Duh, everyone knows I’m the bestest,” Millie replied with a proud little smirk. “Now where’s my food at? I’m hungry!”

“You’ll eat when everyone else does Millie, those are the rules!” Cried Archie.

“Arch sit down bud,” Hugh said from his seat in the corner. Archie immediately complied as Maeve, Mackenzie, and Elaine began bringing out the food. Every supper in this house had become a small feast and tonight it was chicken, biscuits, and veggies. My Aunt Lucy always tried to make it a special occasion knowing that this would be the best meal these kids got all day.

“Alright everyone take some veggies.”

“Jasper, pass the biscuits!”

“Layla did you get any chicken?”

“Ouch Achie!”

“Leo you have to take some carrots hun.”

“Is it always like this?” I heard Harry whisper as I passed him the Chicken.

“Oh yeah," I laughed. "Not overwhelmed yet are you?"

He broke into a smile, “No. It’s nice. Millie love, would you like me to cut your chicken?”

“Hugh, guess what!” Archie yelled, causing most of the table to go silent. “I scored a goal against Harry earlier.”

“Oh you did?” Hugh laughed, looking over at Harry with a raised eyebrow. “He must not be very good then.”

“Hey!”

Niall let out a loud laugh, “He’s not. But Archie’s pretty good. So is Tilly.”

“Tilly’s good at everything,” snorted Luca. I shot him a look and he focused his attention back on his carrots.

“Do you all play?” Niall asked?

“Hugh and Jasper are on the school team. They just won the championship. They’re like the best footballers ever.” Archie bragged. “Luca and Leo are on a team too. I’m starting next year.”

“You’ll be an all-star,” Niall winked. “You lot should come down te London sometime. I bet we could get ya into a practice.”

“Practice?”

“I have therapy sessions with Chelsea once a week, but I’m sure we could sneak ya boys in,” shrugged Niall. Hugh and Jasper stared at him, their silverware clattering against the plates. I turned to Niall with a frown. The boys would die if they got to play on a pitch like that, but I was more worried about what it would cost Niall.

“They would love that.” Maeve laughed.

“You could all come down.” Harry shrugged.

“Harry,” I hissed. But he just gave me a smirk before saying, “We’d have plenty of room. We could show you around London, make a day of it.”

“Oh yes!”

“Can we please!”

“Thalia please?”

“It would be so much fun!”

“It’s up to Aunt Lucy.” I said, shooting Harry another glare for getting their hopes up. Their shoulders dropped.

“There’s no way she’s gonna let that happen,” Leo sighed.

“No way I’m going to let what happen?” We all turned to see my Aunt Lucy standing in the doorway. She looked at us all suspiciously before her eyes fell on me and then Niall and Harry.

“Can we go visit Harry in London?” Layla asked, her hands held up in prayer. “Please, please, pleeeease?”

“Harry?”

“Aunt Lucy this is Harry Styles and Niall Horan they’re…”

“We’re friends of her dad,” Harry finished for me. A silence fell across the table as the kids looked at the boys in a new light. Only the older ones had known I was going to live with my dad. Fathers were often a touchy subject in this house so I hadn’t brought it up. Everyone of them had come from broken homes where adults were not to be trusted.

“Paul?” Aunt Lucy asked.

“They drove me down here to pick up El, Mae, and Kenz,” I added. Aunt Lucy had always hated my father because of his relationship with my mother, and I wasn’t sure if that would taint her image of the boys.

“They’re trying to kidnap them!” Archie yelled, standing in his chair.

“In that case they’re welcome anytime,” Aunt Lucy smiled.

“Hey!”

“Help yourselves to as much as you can eat boys," she said.

“Do not offer them that,” I laughed. Harry and Niall shot me playful glares as Aunt Lucy pulled up a chair and we continued with our meal. The boys remained relatively silent throughout the remainder of dinner as I questioned my siblings about what they had been up to for the past two weeks.

“Alright who’s on dish duty?” Aunt Lucy asked when we had finished. Archie let out a scream and tried to hide under the table. Tilly, Leo, and Luca quickly started piling on the plates, while Hugh and Jasper took the leftovers into the kitchen. We all migrated into the kitchen where Aunt Lucy could over see the cleanup. She turned to the Niall and Harry who stood against the wall. “So you know Thalia’s father? Are you his…”

I jumped in quickly, knowing where this was going. “He’s the head of their security team. He actually works for them.”

“Oh! Security?”

“Miss Lucy they’re in One Direction,” Millie said, latching back onto Harry. He immediately picked her up and it warmed my heart how fast they had fallen in love with my siblings. Millie played with Harry’s sleeve while saying, “They’re like…like the most famoust ever.”

“Should I be worried about sending four of my girls off to London with the most famous band ever?” Aunt Lucy mused.

“Don’t worry Aunt Lucy,” I said, pulling Niall’s hat down over his eyes. “We can take them.”
Millie and a few of the others giggled at my actions.

“Yeah using your ninja skills!” Archie yelled, he made a move to hit Maeve but she moved to block him and they quickly engaged in a silent battle.

“We should probably get going,” I said looking down at my phone. Niall frowned and opened his mouth to comment on it but was cut off by Layla.

“Do you really have to leave?”

“Aw are you going to miss us?” Mackenzie asked, wrapping her in a bear hug.

“No,” Snorted Archie. “We never got to play another game with Harry and Niall!”

“We’ll play next time.” Niall said, crouching down so he was at the same height before ruffling his hair.

“You’re welcome to stay the night boys.” Aunt Lucy said with a smile.

“Miss Lu, if anymore people stayed in this house it would explode.” Laughed Maeve.

“Thank you so much for the offer, but we should probably get going,” Harry said. Every single child in the room put on a pouting face and began to protest.

“Alright that’s enough, come and say your goodbye!” Aunt Lucy laughed before turning to the Harry and Niall. “Boys, don’t be strangers now. You’re welcome anytime.”

Notes