The funeral was planned quickly and mostly by Harry. He'd always been the one to plan their events and Niall was in no condition. Liam knew Harry was strong but he never really knew how strong until they asked him to pick out the urn for his dead partner and best friend. He pointed to a slender, silver option in the catalog without a word and walked out, but Liam could see the glimmer of a tear on his cheek as he left.

They held it at the lighthouse. Louis adored the view and Harry knew the other slave would be happy there for eternity. They cleared out the lobby to shove in chairs and a giant picture of Louis. Afterwards, Louis would be poured off the cliff overlooking the waters below. It was a proper goodbye that Louis would be proud of.

On the day, Harry was generous with his time, shaking hands with people from Louis's past and from their small town, clients and friends that Louis had won over in his short time with them there. Some of them, Harry knew, some he didn't. Most of them, he could see why Louis included them in his life. They were people that Harry could get behind. Some, he thought, would even make good friends.

Niall showed up drunk. Harry wasn't surprised. Actually, Harry selfishly hoped that if he died like Louis had, Niall would be a wreck, too. The only problem was that if Niall kept roaming around shoving people and tugging at Harry's belt in a salacious manner, no one would be thinking about Louis. And Louis deserved all the attention.

When Zayn walked in with Liam on his heels, both of them visibly carrying the weight of what they'd been through on their shoulders, Niall snarled and Harry knew he needed to intercede before someone else got hurt. He grabbed Niall by the wrist and stepped in front of him, blocking his view of the other pair. "Come with me," he urged.

Niall ignored him, trying to push past his slave. "They shouldn't be here," he seethed, then shouted across the room, "You shouldn't be here!"

Harry tugged Niall back into him and forced the blond to look up at him. "Not here. Don't ruin this moment for Louis," Harry warned gravely. "Let's step out for a breath."

Niall sniffled, tears collecting in his eyes as he nodded. Harry rewarded him with a soft kiss to his temple and pulled Niall into the furthest room from the crowd of people. Only after they closed the door did Harry realize they were in Zayn's office. He cringed at the choice but Niall was stumbling around, mumbling sorrowful words, so Harry figured he wouldn't even notice.

"I need you to hold it together. This day is about Louis, not you and not them," Harry declared when Niall refused to turn and look at him. "Niall, are you listening?"

He wasn't, Harry could tell. The blond's attention was caught by the array of degrees and awards on the wall behind Zayn's desk. Niall just stood there, looking up at them with clenched fists. Harry didn't know how to fix this. He didn't know what to do. "Ni, honey," Harry tried, voice soft and calm. "I need- What are you doing?"

Niall had finally turned around but now he was rummaging through Zayn's desk, completely ignoring Harry when he was vulnerable and asking for help. "I'm looking for Zayn's lighter."

Harry raised a brow. "You don't smoke."

Niall's lips tipped up in a dangerous smirk. "No but those awards will." It took a moment for Harry to comprehend what he was saying, but when he did, he lurched across the room to stop him. Niall was haphazardly opening every drawer in the sturdy wooden desk and just as Harry reached out to stop him, Niall paused.

"What?" Harry asked. Niall's smile grew wide as he held up a phone, screen black and case scuffed. Harry's brow furrowed. "Whose is that?"

Niall shrugged. "I don't know. Why does Zayn have a secret phone? What is he hiding?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "You sound crazy. Put it back." Harry reached out to take it but Niall snatched his hand away. Harry huffed. "Seriously, Niall. Can we not today?"

Niall turned his back to Harry to try and keep him from reaching the device while Harry grasped at the air around him. "No, today is the best day for this. I'm so tired of Zayn being the fucking golden boy. Not today!"

Harry wrapped an arm around Niall's waist, pulling him in close to his chest and reaching for the phone Niall held out in front of him. "Niall, please."

"No!" Niall ripped out of grip and turned on Harry. "Sit down," he ordered, voice deep and commanding. Harry felt his entire being fold and without choosing to, he sat down on the carpet in front of his Master. "Stay there and be quiet a minute."

Harry's face scrunched up, trying not to let Niall see him cry. The blond never used his power over Harry that way. It hurt in his bones to obey but he couldn't bring himself to get up. Niall held down the power button, bringing the device to life. Harry itched to take it from him but his hands stayed dutifully on his knees.

"That fucker has always been a liar, I just always dealt with it because he was talented and he never lied to me." Niall's eyes were wide and dark, filled with danger and hate. "Now, I see him for what he is. A heartless, selfish prick. I can't believe I trusted him."

Niall was swiping at the screen, a delirious grin across his face. Then he stopped, the smile dropping as quick as it came. Harry wanted to ask but all he could do was whine in the back of his throat. Niall's knees gave out and he fell to the carpet in front of Harry. "This is Marcus's phone."

The shock broke Harry out of his submissive headspace and he gasped, "What? How?"

Niall was still swiping, pressing and opening things, but slower now. Harry leaned in to look at the screen upside down. Niall was flicking through texts, moving too fast for Harry to take it in. Then he moved to photos and his finger stopped and hovered over a blurry video icon. It took a moment to understand what it was but when he scooted over and twisted around to look at it right side up, he realized what it was.

It was Louis and Liam. Liam was...fuck, he was tied down to the bed. Harry had seen the faint marks on his wrist but he didn't know...He was mostly naked and crying and trying to breath but it was shaky. Louis was on his knees, hovering too close to Liam for Harry's liking.

"For Zayn, Li, please. I'm trying to get you home to him." Harry saw Liam's tiny nod and heard Louis's relieved sigh. He cringed when Louis's hand snuck under Liam's underwear. "Think about him. Imagine it's his hand holding you."

"Jesus," Harry breathed. Niall gripped the phone tighter but said nothing. Louis was stroking Liam under the fabric. It was a terrible combination of familiar and wrong.

Louis leaned in close to Liam and Niall held the phone up closer when Louis whispered, "...Liam. How does Zayn touch you?" Harry fell backward, punched in the gut by Louis's words and even more by the desperate tone of them.

"I can't..." Harry admitted and shook his head.

"Then don't," Niall told him, "but shut up."

Harry's face wrinkled up in offense. "Fuck you," he spat, voice weaker than he wanted. He backed up against the wall, folding his knees up to his chest and resting his forehead on his knees. Niall kept watching but Harry could barely listen. He only caught bits and pieces of the video.

"If you can't even get one useless slave off, then what good are you to me?" Marcus's voice taunted.

"I can, sir. I will."

"Slide his pants down. I want to see my prize get hard." Harry covered his head with his arms, blocking out the light.

"I'm going to make you feel so good, Li." Then Liam sighed.

"It seems to me like you lost your touch, Lou baby." Harry wanted to punch Marcus for calling him that. He wasn't sure what happened but then Louis was frantically assuring, "No, just hold on. I can make him come. I swear."

"If you can't make the toy come, then I shoot you for wasting my time. Deal?" Harry's head shot up. Then, unbelievably, Louis answered, "Thank you."

Harry stared at the phone, even though he could just barely see the screen now. He listened with bated breath as Louis let Liam fuck his throat, listened as Liam moaned and cried, and listened as Louis hummed his encouragement. Harry couldn't believe this was actually happening, had actually happened. They were so close. They were going to make it.

"Time's up."

"No," Harry weeped but Louis didn't stop. To Harry's astonishment, he kept going, went deeper, sucked harder. "Oh, God, Lou," he murmured sadly. When Liam came, it wasn't satisfying to anyone. Niall's hand started shaking, making the already unsteady picture of Louis's reddened lips more blurry.

Moments ago Harry couldn't bear to watch, but when the screen went black, obviously shoved somewhere, he cursed not being able to see Louis's face anymore. The sound was muffled so Niall quickly turned the volume up.

"I know you tried, both of you. So, I've decided to leave the choice up to you."

The heavy thunk of metal hitting wood sounded, then Marcus declared, "Only one of you gets to leave here, go back to your sniveling Masters and tell them what you've done. You decide who gets to go home."

Harry covered his mouth and a tortured sob at hearing that. Niall dropped the phone to the ground and flinched back like he'd been burned.

"I won't," Liam said.

"You have to," Louis countered, like it was already decided. Louis was telling Liam to kill him. He was talking like coming home wasn't ever in the cards for him.

Was it?

"Oh, one more thing." Both Niall and Harry stopped breathing. "You have one minute to decide or I kill you both instead."

They argued. Liam begged for this to stop while Louis antagonized him. Louis demanded to be shot. Marcus wouldn't stop counting. Louis wouldn't stop telling Liam to shoot him. The video didn't stop. It wouldn't stop.

"I'm sorry."

"One." The gunshot made both of them jump out of their skin. Harry choked on an inhale and Niall screamed. The video was still rolling but Harry couldn't hear anything past the blood rushing in his ears. He was crying but couldn't feel it.

The door to the office swung open, banging against the wall and making Harry jump. "What happened?"

That was Liam.

Liam.

Liam shot Louis.

"You motherfucker," Niall seethed and he slowly stood, looking more feral than human.

"What..." Liam's eyes fell to the floor where Marcus's phone was laying. "Oh, fuck. Niall, I- I didn't..."

"What's wrong, Li?" Zayn asked as he came up behind his slave, filling the rest of the doorway. "Niall? Are you okay?" He looked to where Harry was curled into a ball. "Harry, God. What's wrong?"

"They saw it," Liam whispered.

"Saw wh-" Zayn was cut off when Niall yelled, "You think your life is so much more important than Lou's? Fuck you!"

Niall stepped toward Liam and Zayn instinctively shot an arm out in front of him. "Woah, mate. I know you're grieving but-"

"Zayn, they saw it," Liam tried again.

Zayn looked over to him. "Saw what?"

"Liam shooting the love of my life!" Niall screeched and slammed a fist down on the desk, making the office supplies on its surface shake.

Zayn finally caught sight of the phone and cursed under his breath. "Niall," he warned. "Calm down."

The blond flushed with anger. "Don't you fucking dare. It should've been him!" Niall argued and pointed a damning finger at Liam before turning to the slave and adding, "I wish it were you. You deserve to die." Niall frantically looked around before snatching up the letter opener.

It all happened so fast.

Niall lunged at Liam. Zayn pushed Liam back. Liam stumbled, back hitting the doorframe. Niall swung his arm. Zayn leaned into the attack. Liam grabbed Zayn as he fell back into him. Harry shot up and grabbed Niall's wrist before he could swing again but it was too late.

***

I'm just gonna post the last few chapters at one time and let y'all enjoy. Xoxo