The house is eerily quiet. The rising morning sun casting a soft hue of light through the house. It filters in through the blinds, painting everything it touches in stripes of gold and black. It's so quiet, one can almost hear dust particles land on the furniture inside the house. The weather seems to be in an opposite mood; the faint songs of birds twittering scattered in the trees, as the first signs of springs finally come into play. It's been warming up, the sun has been shining like it's got something to smile about. Like the giant ball of flames dances happily in space, and decides that everyone below should share it's joy.

A sigh is released; sounds like the definition of pity. It makes Rae's eyes flutter back into focus from staring at the sunrise's patterns on her wooden floor. When she has enough sense of herself again, she looks up for the source of the sound. Kari is suddenly next to her, gently tugging something out of her loose grip and placing it on the night table with a soft thud.

"Does your mother know you've gone through nearly two bottles of wine?" Kari questions gently.

She moves like she's about to push strands of Rae's hair back when she pauses. Instead she directs her hand next to her right knee, picking up another bottle. Rae hears her mutter a string of curses under her breath, watching as her friend shakes her head a little. She places the empty bottle, this one much smaller and thinner, next to the wine bottle. Kari pinches the bridge of her nose for a moment, pulls something out of her purse and grabs Rae's right hand. She begins putting a glove on said hand and Rae just allows her.

"How many times did you throw up?" Her friend asks, tightening the velcro around the wrist of the glove.

Rae says nothing but holds up two fingers. Kari moves on to the next hand, starting the same process over.

"Not surprising. Whiskey and wine do not mix well and you should know that." Kari pats her hand when she's done, then finally moves Rae's hair aside. "Your phone's dead, by the way."

Rae glances down at her phone by her left knee. The screen's been black since she got off the phone with Louis seventeen hours ago. She had a serve panic attack over the phone, which took Louis nearly two hours to fully and completely calm her down. She later realised, through the mist of her frantic mind, and after she was finally able to breath properly, Louis had been crying.

She remembers how raspy and shaky his voice was when he asked her questions, when he cooed to her through the speaker. She recalls hearing soft sniffs, as if he was trying to hide the fact that he was upset. However, she could't tell if he was crying because of the news she dropped on him, or if he was just was blindly frustrated and terrified that he couldn't get to her personally. Her phone died just minutes after she hung up, never bothering to plug it in.

She nods.

"Have you eaten anything?"

Rae shakes her head no.

"Taken a shower?"

No again.

"Have you moved at all?"

"Check on mum." Rae finally mumbles, slurring a bit.

Kari sighs again. "Well, you sure did a number on your chest."

Looking down, Rae now just notices how red her chest is. She quickly looks back up, deciding not to tell her friend that she doesn't even remember doing that. It explains the gloves. When she fixes her gaze on Kari again, she's frowning. Rae doesn't want pity, despite how pitiful she may seem at the moment. She decides that maybe she shouldn't show this horribly pathetic side while she's in the presence of others, and especially not her mother.

"Has me mum eaten, d'y'know?" She asks Kari, slurring a little, who's taken to braiding Rae's hair; it's a comforting gesture.

"I don't think so. Her door was closed when I came. Jasper let me in. I'm sure he's taken good care of her."

"'M make her brekkie." Rae informs.

She goes to stand, but having her legs crisscrossed of so long, they're stiff. So when she gets her feet on the cool floor, she wobbles dangerously; she blames her numb legs...or the amount of alcohol she drank all night. Her head swims and visions sways. Definitely the alcohol.

"Shit, Rae. Don't move so fast." Kari chides, a firm grasp on both of Rae's shoulders. "Oh my god, you are so pissed. We can't let your mum see you like this."

"Sorry." Rae mutters, dropping her head. The floor is moving like waves under her feet.

"Don't be. Lets get some coffee and food in you. Sober you up a bit, yeah?"

Rae nods gratefully, then quickly stops because any more volunteered movement will end horribly.

***

Kari actually makes Rae stay on the couch after an entertaining trip down the stairs. Makes her coffee and a breakfast loaded with carbs to help soak up the alcohol. She's been running on nearly forty-eight hours of no sleep, and she finally crashes for nearly two hours on the couch.

She's startled awake by nightmares, but at least she's sober now, if a little hung over...a lot hungover. Her head throbs when she sits up, and her throat is so parched it feels like she swallowed sand. She notices two white pills next to glass of water on the coffee table. She has to remember to give Kari her favorite chocolate from the next town over in gratitude.
When she makes her way into the kitchen, glass of water in hand, Jasper is standing in front of the stove, watching the kettle heat up. Kari's sitting at the table, tapping away on her phone, but looks up when she hears Rae enter.

"Good morning, Star Shine!" Kari greets brightly. A little too loud, and a little too false. Rae sees right through her tough act; Ronan affects her too. "Bit hung over, are we?"

Rae simply flicks her off, but offers her the smallest smile as well. She goes to take a sip of water when Kari's words freeze her movement.

"Jasper says you drove to Louis' last night. Rather tipsy at the time."

She remembers that. Clearly remembers grabbing her keys and getting into her car, driving the direction of his flat. She wasn't that intoxicated, but apparently it was enough to drive halfway there, only to remember he was still in France, and drive back. She even remembers walking back in her house and getting an ear full from Jasper. It was stupid move on her part.

"Mum still hasn't gotten out of bed?" Rae inquires, ignoring Kari.

Her question makes Jasper look away from the slow boiling kettle. "No. She's sleeping right now though. Maybe after you shower you can help me coax her outside?"

Rae frowns. "Do I really look that bad?"

"Might crack some mirrors." Kari deadpans, then winks. "It'll honestly make you feel better. I promise."

***

Rae stays in the shower until the hot water turns colds. Instead of trying to get her mother out of bed, she crawls next to her, hugging her waist and tries to fall asleep once more.

***

There's been this insisting, irritating, tapping noise filling the room for the past ten minutes. It grows softer every now and then, but picks up its volumes again and again. It's a sound everyone is trying to ignore, trying to let it pass and pretend it isn't annoying the shit out of them. It only takes another two minutes for someone to finally put an end to the noise, slapping their hand right over Louis' fingers.

"Louis, please. I understand that you're anxious, but if you don't stop I will glue your fingers to the table." Liam hisses under his breath.

"That's quite rude, Liam." Louis retorts in the same manner, snatching his hand out from under Liam's. "If you don't like it, then leave the band."

Liam sighs in exasperation.

He doesn't mean to be snippy, but they've been sitting in this God awful conference room for the past hour. He shouldn't be rude to Liam; he's been helping Louis in convincing their management to let them go home two days early. Liam has put up a strong case, saying they've done all the promoting there was to do, save for the last one.

It's a radio interview that can easily be done over the phone. One of the team members of their management had the actual nerve to say their reason for going back wasn't enough. As if the tragic death of a child was something to wave off because "he's not your brother. She's not important."

Louis was livid at that, nearly jumping out of his seat with intentions of dumping the woman's hot coffee on her lap. If it wasn't for Zayn's furious "Fuck you, cunt!" he spat at her, then he would have. Zyan had gotten out of his seat so fast the chair fell over, glared menacingly at the stunned lady, then left the room. He hasn't returned.

Niall's been muttering curses under his breath, his Irish accent so thick at times that Louis can't understand him anymore. He's been alternating between biting at his nails, and jiggling his leg anxiously. Harry's been silent this whole time, occasionally letting small sniffles he can't contain out. Liam, he's been in serious business mode since they stepped into the room. It may have been that he was the first one to hear of the news, having come to fetch Louis out of the jet again. The first one to see him break down for many different reasons; the main one being that in the midst of Rae's horrifying panic attack, she let slip of how Ronan had passed.

Her sentences were choppy, discombobulated and short of breath. Her words hardly made sense to him, but eventually, Louis figured it out. Rae had held her brother in her arms as he slipped away, and if Louis can't get to her right fucking now, there will be hell to pay. He won't hesitate to bring his wrath down on the same lady who's still glaring daggers at Zayn's fallen chair. Louis clenches his hands into tight fist, repressing the urge to punch something. Just as he's considering how much damage a solid oak conference table will do to his knuckles, one of the pricks of management speaks up.

"Alright then." The man says. He's short and balding and Louis hates him. "You can go home. However, Zayn has to do the interview for the full hour on the phone. Which will be in ten minutes. After, you are free to go."

It's a lame form of punishment for Zayn, and Liam starts thanking them as soon as the man finishes speaking, but Louis is out of his chair in a flash.

***

The flight only take an hour and several minutes, and getting through the private airport was easy. Something Louis wasn't expecting, because he was a ball of anxious mess that he nearly tore up the leather of the seat. He understands a little better how Rae does it so easily. The car ride from the airport takes them longer though. There's so much traffic and at one point Louis was ready to jump out the car and just run to Rae's.

Instead, after another half hour, the car takes them straight to Louis' and Harry's flat. They all pile out, grab their bags, race up to the door. Louis buzzes around in a flurry, barely noticing anything the boys are doing, and when he's finally gotten himself remotely together, grabbing his keys, he halts at the door.

All four of them have at least something in there hand. Harry's ridiculous with his inhaler in his hand, clutched tightly in his palm, and Pepper mewling happily in his other. Niall's got a plastic bag full of what looks like junk food, and a box of Rae's favorite biscuits. She requested they get some for whenever she pops by, and Louis just bought that box before they left for France. Liam raided his and Harry's movie collection, having chosen some great classics; Grease, The Breakfast Club, The Goonies, and...Breakfast at Tiffany's. Rae had left that behind by accident the time she playfully demand they watch. Zayn is clutching a bottle of red wine and Louis knows she will fully appreciate that.

Something swells in his chest, growing bigger and bigger until it blurs his vision and comes out in the form of grateful tears. His emotions set off a bit of a chain reaction because suddenly, the other boys all have tear in their eyes as well. Louis hastily wipes them away, trying to control his emotions. They can't all just cry it out right now, can't show how red their eyes will become when they get to Rae's. Louis huffs his humorlessly laughter, then beckons them to follow him out the door.

He's not sure what to expect when they get there and the answer to that is enough to make him hesitate. His fist is raised in the air to knock, but he can't make his knuckles touch the wood. Instead, another hand bypasses his to rap on the door and when Louis looks back, Niall smiles sadly at him. Louis mentally holds his breath, but when the door opens a few moments later, it's all knocked out of him.

Rae seems to have the same thing happen to her, air leaving her lungs with a soft whoosh. It's only a split second, then she's inhaling sharply, hand flying to her chest. The jumper she's wearing stops just below her collarbones, enough for Louis to see just how red the beginning of her skin is.

She looks...well, horrible. No one expects it to be different from who she just lost, but it's still shocking to see. Her normally bright eyes are darker in shade, like the ocean just after a rough storm; dull and murky. Filled with unshed tears. There's bags under her eyes, lilac in color and standing out against her abnormally pale skin, the whites of her eyes bloodshot. Her eyelids and just under her lower lashes are smeared with left over makeup she hasn't taken off. Her lips are a little dry as if she's been pulling at them in an alternative to pressing on her chest. She actually looks a little sick, sways slightly on the spot and has to catch herself on the door frame. Louis wants to hold her and never let go.

"What...what are you doing here?" Rae asks breathlessly, eyes scanning them like she's making sure she isn't dreaming.

"You." Is Louis' brilliant response. His heart aches for her.

"You're suppose to be in France." She shakes her head in disbelief.

Niall steps up, holding up the bag in his hand. "Figured you may need some friends around. We've brought goodies."

Rae's bottom lip cracks a little when she smiles. It tells Louis that she hasn't performed that action for a while. It also tells Louis to never let Niall out of his life if he can brighten a horribly tragic situation if only for just a few moments. Coming back early was the right decision.

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Notes