I had only seen Niall truly upset once, and that was when his grandpa died. So it was a complete shock to me when my parents told me one drizzly October morning that Niall had run away.

"What the fuck?!" I shouted.

"Language," my father reminded me and I glared at him.

"You're telling me my boyfriend is missing and you're worried about my language?" I gaped. "That's hardly the biggest problem right now." My dad seemed to agree with my reasoning although I knew I shouldn't have spoken to him like that. I would apologize later. "What happened? I don't...I don't even understand." I was on the verge of tears, wondering why he would do such a thing and if he was upset about something, why wouldn't he come and talk to me? I had always been there for him.

We always talked to each other.

Always!

"Niall's parents are splitting up," Mom said gently.

"Wha...?" My mouth just fell open, not even able to complete that simple word. The Horans were like family; this was almost as bad as my own parents getting divorced.

"I don't know exactly what happened," she continued. "Maura came to talk to me this morning and she was looking for him. They told him last night and I guess he left. She felt for certain he would be here. Are you sure he's not?"

Like I wouldn't know if my own boyfriend was in my apartment.

"No, I haven't seen him since before Cross Country practice yesterday. He stopped in after school to hang out for a bit. I swear that's the last time I saw him."

"Do you have any idea where he might have gone?" My dad asked.

That question hit me with new terror. I had no idea where he would have gone if he didn't come here. "I don't know," I said, now choking on my tears. I hated crying but this was a good reason to cry. Poor Niall, he must have felt awful and I needed to be there for him, wherever there was. "I don't know," I repeated, but I was going to find him!

I threw on some clothes and jumped into my car, yelling after me, "I'll let you know as soon as I find him!" Niall's mum was on the front porch with my parents by that time, looking more distraught than I'd ever seen her.

I drove all over town, looking in every possible place I could think of. I stopped at Tony's house and he hadn't seen Niall all week. My next stop was Spencer's house; he was Niall's best friend and I thought I'd walk in and Niall would be there, pile driving some breakfast or asleep on his couch. When I told Spencer what happened, his face made my heart sink. I knew he hadn't seen Niall either.

"I don't know what to do," I told Spencer. "Everyone is so worried."

"If I know Niall, he just went out for a drive," Spencer reasoned. "He does that when he wants to clear his head, doesn't he?"

That was true but I knew that wasn't the case. "His car is still in his driveway."

Spencer looked even more concerned when I told him that. "Okay," he said. "I'll get my coat and take my car to go out and look for him, too. Let's keep in touch, all right?" I nodded in relief.

Before I left Spencer's driveway, I got a text from my mom. Maura and I are going to go out and look for Niall. Let us know if you find anything. Dad is trying to find Bobby.

Great, now Mr. Horan was missing, too. Maybe they were together....But it didn't seem likely. Niall and his dad weren't super close, and I'm sure one of them would have told Maura if they were going out for some father-son time.

I sent a text back to my mom telling her I'd already checked with Tony and Spencer and that Spencer was joining the search.

I drove off, passing every single store and restaurant in town, driving slowly to peer in through the front windows like a peeping Tom. Then I turned up the hill towards Mammoth Cave. I parked before I got to the entrance and made my way to the cave where Niall and I had tried to spend the night but got scared away by the coyotes. No sign of him. I went into the park itself and told my boss I was going to search the caves for Niall. He asked me to be careful not to interrupt the tours; I nodded but I rolled my eyes behind his back. We were talking about a missing person here, not a stupid tourist attraction.

I scoured every last inch of every cave, even the ones I knew Niall wouldn't venture into because they were too cramped, but I had to check just to be sure. I got into my car several hours later and found just a few texts from people asking if I'd found him yet.

I had run out of ideas. I decided to head back to my house but when I parked, I decided on a whim to go to the treehouse in the back yard. I solemnly made my way up the steps, not wanting to be confronted by the worried faces I was sure to find in my house. When I opened the door, however, I was ecstatic to find Niall curled up on a sleeping bag.

"Niall!" I shouted and fell to my knees next to him. He rolled onto his back and opened his eyes to look at me. I think it took him a few moments to remember where he was. "What's wrong with you?" I cried. "Everyone is worried sick."

He sat up, saying, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for ya to worry. I just needed some time to think."

I sent a quick text to both sets of parents, telling them he was safe and sound and that we'd come home in a while. I didn't mention we were just outside because I didn't know how long Niall would need before going in.

I sat against the wall of the treehouse and motioned for him. "Come here," I said softly and he nestled himself between my legs, lying down and resting his head on my chest. "What happened?" I finally asked.

He shook his head, holding his breath and willing himself not to let the tears fall. But when I urged him further, he hugged me tightly and let go. His body began to shake with sobs and I felt truly terrified for a few moments. I'd never seen him fall apart like this. I pet his hair and rubbed his back while he cried.

Finally I said, "I know your folks are getting a divorce."

"Yeah," he sighed in a sorrowful tone.

"What happened?" I asked.

He drew his long sleeve across his eyes, wiping away the wetness. "My dad...he has another son."

I felt sick; this was like a nightmare. I knew and loved the Horans like they were my own parents. This couldn't be happening. I was completely speechless, so I sat and waited for Niall to continue.

"He's older than me," he said, sniffling. "You met him when we were in Ireland. His name is Greg."

I remembered Greg. He came to hang out once in a while and I was never sure if he was family or just a family friend, but now it made more sense. "Did your mom know?" I asked.

"No," he shook his head. "That's the thing - she just found out somehow and she told my dad to get out."

"Oh crap, Niall, I'm so sorry," I said, pulling him closer against my chest. "That sucks. So does that mean your dad cheated on your mom? Or was he married before and never told her?"

"He cheated," Niall whispered and broke down again. "They were married and it was a long time before I was born. I guess they had kind of a rocky start. I never would have guessed in a million years."

"I know, it's shocking, really."

"I have a brother, Meg. How did I grow up not knowing I had a brother? And now he's getting married and...." his voice trailed off. I didn't rush him, but he eventually finished, "and my parents are separating."

"Are they doing a trial separation first? Or just filing for divorce?"

"Separating, I think. But Meg, everything I knew to be true in my life is different."

"I know, Niall, I know," I whispered, still caressing his back while his arms tightened around my waist. We sat like that for a long time, and I fielded several texts from our parents and friends, telling them I would bring him home when he was ready and assuring them that he was safe and doing all right.

"I know it's not the same," I finally said. "But I'm here Niall and I'm never changing."

He looked up at me with a grateful smile, through bloodshot eyes. "I know y'are, Meg. And I love ya for it." His face still looked so sorrowful, it made my eyes well up again. "I'm not ready to go back yet," he whispered.

"It's all right. They know you're safe. That's all that matters," I assured him.

He got onto his knees, boosting himself up enough to kiss me. What I expected to be a comforting kiss became a heated kiss with Niall aggressively removing my clothes. It was chilly in the treehouse, but we soon snuggled under the sleeping bags and before we connected, Niall asked, "No one knows we're out here, right?"

"Right."

Niall made love to me urgently, obsessively. Like I was the cure for all his his pain. I knew I couldn't take it away for good, but I was happy to be there for him to forget for just a while.

* * * * *

Dun-dun-dun!

Shocked anyone?