Sky's POV

"Police, open up!"

 A huge bang.

I awoke from my daze, blood soaked hair lazily slipping off my tear-stained cheeks. The room was a hazy mess, my eyes unable to comprehend the objects in front of me. I could hear some distant commotion behind me, a few stern voices and quickened footsteps.

What was happening?

"Get up." My captor whispered, tugging me up off the concrete floor, unlocking my chains with a hurried glance at the room's door. 

"We need to go."

I rubbed my eyes hastily, quickly re-surveying my surroundings. I was still in the 'bed' room, crusted white paint peeling beside the mould that grew next to the window frame. It was foul, as was the man who dumped me here.

"I am not going anywhere with you." I seethed, struggling against his strangling grip on my aching upper arms. "I will never go anywhere with you, unless you take me back to my moms, back to my home and leave us alone." I paused for a second.

"IN HERE!" I screamed, begging, pleading for any kind of help that I could get.

He sighed, freeing one hand from my left arm before reaching for his ripped back pocket. 

"I hoped that I wouldn't have to do this Sky. You forced me, remember that."

A glint of silver crossed my blurred vision, the blade glistening in the snap of sunlight that was snaking in from a gap in the slated roof. 

Holy shit. A blade. I was going to die.

He pushed me once more, forcing me forward as I tripped over my own feet, body blistered and bruised. I suppose that wouldn't have mattered once he was done with me. Either way, I reckon I was dead. We passed the door that I guess I entered through, the barricades twisted as the doors swung in. 

"Police!"

The voice was growing louder and louder, as were the frantic and agitated movements of the man who had almost ruined my life. Maybe he still would. We rushed in the opposite direction, towards a sage green backdoor that seemed to be an unused fire exit. He slammed his free fist onto the dusty metal bar, letting us out onto a gravel street that swam with the heat of Paris' summer weather. 

"Shit."

Tobin's POV

Sky. My baby. 

The French Police force were surrounding the two, guns raised. 

It turned out the Sergeant was right; Sky's captor had used the backdoor to try and escape the oncoming pack of police. It swung open menacingly, each swing executing an ear-piercing screech as its hinges slowly gave way to the brutality of its opening. 

"Mom..." She whispered, tears brimming as she spotted us beyond the onslaught of police. 

"Baby..." I replied, making so as to run at her, to hold her and never let go. She was a mess: US tank top torn and covered in sweat, hair matted with a sticky, dark substance that I hoped wasn't her blood, usually bright and cheery eyes ones of despair and hopelessness. She also appeared to be quickly losing consciousness, emotions being the only thing keeping her from collapsing on the spot.

"ma'am, s'il vous plaît , back away." an officer stated, firmly grasping my shoulders as I attempted to break through their circle of offence. I wanted my baby, my Sky, my daughter. I needed her, we, the team and Chris, needed her, and she quite clearly needed us too. He walked me back over to Christen, who grasped me tightly. I needed to get her back to the hotel safely, to hold her and reassure myself that she wasn't gone forever. 

Please Sky, be okay.

"Sir, I'm going to ask you once, and only once, to let that girl go." the sergeant said, his voice unwavering in broken English.

He smirked, shaking his head slightly as if to say he knew that would happen.

I guess he wasn't the type to give up easily.

He turned back towards the door, which was weirdly unblocked, shoving Sky onto the ground next to it. 

"You'll have to kill both of us first." The man snarled, his tattoos wrinkling with the grim expression that formed on his scarred face. He bent down beside her, finally putting both his hands in front of the officers, one flipping them off, one holding a short blade against my daughter's throat. Pricks of blood formed at the tip, Sky's breathing shaky and uneven as her worst fears became ones of reality.

To say that I hated him was an understatement. He pulled a silver plated knife on my daughter. That fucking bitch.

"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER!" I screamed with every ounce of my soul, struggling against the weight of Christen's body placed on mine. She pulled me closer, burying my head in the crook of her neck as she soothed me, anger dissipating slightly as I felt her raised heart rate against my chest.

"Tobin, please. Let the police do their jobs." she looked me in the eyes.

"Stay strong for her Toby. For our daughter. For Sky. Just breathe Tobs." She stated calmly, her hazel brown eyes full of fear as we watched the scene unfold. 

The man seemed to be amused at this, his smirk widening.

"Listen to your girlfriend, dyke, unless you want it too." 

That was the moment I swore he wouldn't leave the parking lot of the abandoned factory with his life, let alone my daughter's.

I nodded at the police.

"Okay officers, do your thing." The sergeant said, before turning his back and saying something French into his radio.

Sky's POV

I was so confused. There were my moms, stood behind the wall of police that surrounded us. My head was pounding, each throb a crashing thunderbolt against my aching brain. I didn't know how much longer I could do this. I could feel myself slipping, away from consciousness, perhaps away from reality. I didn't know, but I had to stay, stay alive for the hope of avenging Tyler's death.

Don't worry brother, he can't get you this time.

The officers rustled to form a sort of diamond, slowly approaching us as they made as to surround the scene. 

One, the woman at the front with the soft brown face, slightly inclined her head to the man next to her. 

The next thing I knew around ten officers burst through the doorframe behind us, grabbing the man's head as he thrust the knife closer towards my already bleeding neck. 

He looked me in the eyes one last time.

A gunshot. Silence. 

~

"Sky thank god." 

I was surrounded in a mom sandwich, both Tobin and Christen grasping me as if they would never see me again. We were sat on the step of an ambulance, having had a r*pe exam and my wounds cleaned and bandaged. My throat and head were still throbbing with pain, despite the drugs that they prescribed and loaded me on.

I was looking at my hands, nails crusted with blood and dirt. That man had raped me, he nearly killed me. A tear escaped my eye, despite the strength I had been using to prevent it. Something about tears I guess, they will always escape.

"Shh Sky, I've got you, you're safe." Christen soothed. She could always calm me down.

"Who was he Sky? Specifically, I mean." Tobin  finished, glancing towards the body lying on the ground around 10 metres away from us.

"Someone from the RDC. I think he was leading the whole operation. I think most people were just blackmailed into helping him. Except a few of his closest friends obviously."

They nodded, shifting to sit beside me.

"Who are the RDC?"

"The gang that killed my brother." I mumbled, fiddling with Ty's bracelet that Christen gave back to me when I was brought over here. It lay beside Preath's promise bracelet, glistening in the Parisian sun.

We sat like that for a while, both moms having a hand on my back. It was silence, but it felt nice to know that someone was there for me. That after all these years, somebody finally cared enough to make me part of their family. I watched as the soft evening breeze wrinkled a tissue on the ground, sending it bundling helplessly towards the road beyond the car park of this place. I suppose that was me a few months ago, helpless, collapsed in on myself, thinking that I didn't deserve anyones love. Now I had a home, a family, a purpose. My life was finally what I dreamed it to be.

Kelley's POV

The whole team were huddled in the hotel lobby, staff included. It was nearing 11pm, but we couldn't sleep. Jill had long past abandoned the hope of keeping us in our rooms, the look of worry on her face as intense as the ones on ours. We had to know that Sky was okay. Hell, if we had to forget the World Cup I wouldn't care, Sky was more important than one trophy.

At around 11:20 we got a text. The ping vibrated through the room like a pin drop, causing everyone to look up from their cups of tea and sorrowful expressions. I grabbed my phone from the rickety oak table, rapidly pulling up the team's group chat.

LFG USA 😎😎

Harry: She's safe. Coming back to the hotel now.

Me: Thank fuck, see you soon Toby. 

Baby Horse: We're all in the lobby, is she okay?

lil' sky: I'm fine guys. Please just don't ask me about it until I'm ready to tell you all. Right now I could kill some paracetamol and a nap.

Chrissy: ^^ we'll talk later guys

Other Harry: We were missing you kid 🤍

lil' sky: missed you guys too. a lot. appreciate you all staying up past Jill's anger for me 🙂

baby T: believe me she's as worried as the rest of us

lil' sky: somehow I find that hard to believe 🤣

Thank goodness. Sky was okay. And more importantly it seemed like her humour was intact. I giggled softly at the last message the came through before placing my phone back on the table. I guess we all thought the worst when Alex told us all what happened. Suddenly everyone regained their glow, the clinking of cups of tea finally overpowered by conversation and laughter. 

Tobin's POV

The taxi drive back to the hotel was bleak. I was exhausted, more emotionally than physically. We had built a family, we loved each other. "The Preath family" was our nickname from the team, and I suppose in a way I kind of liked it. It summed us up perfectly: a couple who wouldn't exactly admit our feelings to each other, alongside a kid who came into our lives at the perfect time. She saved our lives, yet nearly lost hers. It didn't make sense, I should have protected her better. I should have been more careful.

"Hey, it wasn't your fault Tobs." Chris whispered, reading my mind. 

"I just think that maybe if i'd protected her better, if i'd cared more, this could have never happened." 

"It was going to happen either way Tobin. There was no way that you could have known that that man was the person who killed Sky's brother, nor could you have known that she would go after him. Either way, she's safe. We have nothing to worry about other than building our family."

"I guess. Thanks Christen."

"For what?"

"Always knowing what what say and when to say it, always knowing what's best to do to calm me down, and always being there for me."

"Its my job Tobin. You're amazing, just remember that."

~ 

"SKY!" 

We were back at the hotel, and, true to Alex's word, the whole team and the coaching staff were gathered in the lobby awaiting our arrival. It was hectic; the team rushing towards us as soon as we stepped through the door. Chris and I stepped back a little, allowing the girls to talk to Sky for a moment by themselves. It was incredible to witness the team as a family as they fussed over their youngest member. 

After a while Jill approached us, asking about the situation. We told her about how the cops had killed the man, and apparently how their whole gang and drug business was busted as soon as they'd ID'd him. We told her how they could never get to us again. To Sky again.

After a while we all settled down my room for a movie night. Yes, it was 1am, but Jill allowed it since we still had a few days to ourselves before the next match. I was sat with Christen on one side, Sky on the other, her newly washed hair falling across her sleepy face ad she leant against my shoulder. The rest of the team were crowded on either the other bed or on the floor, all facing the projector that the staff had lent us for the night. We decided on Peter Pan per Sky's request, and settled down to watch the movie.

~

"Bye guys, sleep well." I bid Alex and Ash goodnight as they finally left around 4 in the morning. Jill decided that training would be in the afternoon the next day to give us all a chance to sleep in after today's stress. 

I turned around sleepily, hoping to just hop into bed. 

 A sheet of paper floated to the floor next to the bed as I went to clean my teeth in the small en suite near the door of my hotel room. 

"One of the girls probably dropped it" I thought to myself, sighing as I made my way over to pick it up off the floor and throw it either in the trash or keep it and give it to them at training the next day. 

It was slightly crumpled, splotches of ink dried in swirl patterns across certain sections of the paper. Tears. I turned it over to look for a name, and surely enough, their name was on the back in scribbled doctor's handwriting. 

Patient name: Miss Christen Press, Doctor name: Dr Holdsworth.

Was this what was wrong with Chris? The injury? I was interested, and I supposed that it wasn't snooping if it was on my bed in the first place.

Dear Miss Press, 

Following your check ups in Paris, France during the Fifa Women's World Cup 2019, we would like you to come in for your first round of chemotherapy on the 21st August, 9:00. If you are unable to make this appointment, please call the hospital to rearrange. 

Thank you,

Dr Holdsworth

Chemotherapy? This wasn't an injury. I wracked my brains for another solution than the one that my brain kept flicking to. It just couldn't be that. I guess it would explain the rapid bruising and cuts. Please Chris, don't have cancer.

A/N 

Heyyy. Because I've not uploaded in a while I thought id give y'all a huge 2457 word update today to celebrate being back. Hope you enjoyed!