(Liam)

My heart broke two days ago.

Cheryl.
She told me everything.

Without thinking, I tossed the ring next to her, where she sat on the bed.

Desperate to busy my mind with anything other than her, I buried myself with work, but this morning, I decided to call Niall.

He was about to pick Gwen up from a friend's house and take her to the university orientation.
I said I'd go with him.

On the way there, he told me Gwen was with Theo a couple of nights ago.
I looked at him in shock.

"Have you called Cullen?"
"Hm-mm", he said, shaking his head.
"What? Niall, he's going to kill you if he finds out that you knew and didn't tell him, Mate"

We pulled up to an enormous beach house that I didn't recognize. Niall got out of the car and headed to the front door with Gwen's bag and that juice she likes, but I stayed put with my thoughts.

Gwen was probably thinking that no one would find out about her seeing Theo.
Niall was the only one who knew about it.

I lowered my head, thinking about the position that Niall was in right now.

A few minutes later, Niall and Gwen came walking toward the car.
When Gwen saw me and my grave expression, her face changed from carefree to anxious.
She knew Niall told me.

Once she climbed into the backseat of the Ferrari, I got back in and the three of us sat for a second. From the passenger seat, I turned my head to the left.
"We made a deal", I said, seemingly to Gwen, but Niall knew I was talking to him, too.

We rode in silence until we got to the Rosewater campus.

"If Cullen finds out, what's the point of me even going to this orientation then?", Gwen said, sardonically.

"When did Theo come back?", I asked, still in shock that she was with him. Niall jerked slightly in his seat at the sound of Theo's name.

"To hell with this. I'm not leaving", she said, barely audible, then spoke up.
"Let me out, Liam. Please".

I sighed and let her out.
As she walked away, I got back in the car and looked at Niall. His eyes stayed fixed on the dashboard.
He didn't have to say anything for me to know what he was thinking.

When he finally spoke, his tone was low.
"I know we made a deal, Liam"

We both thought back to that night that we "made a deal".
It was the night that we all saw Gwen's bruises. The night Niall was arrested for assaulting Theo.

We left the jail and came back to Niall's house.
Niall and I took Cullen into a room, alone, and with as little detail as possible, told him everything.
Gwen meeting Theo.
Niall finding her with Theo that night.
Gwen at Theo's house the next day.

I explained Gwen's sensory disorder and was quick to tell him that I had prescribed her medication for it.

Cullen sat through it all without a word.
He looked like he was going to either explode with anger or start sobbing.

"She told me she'd never see him again, Cullen", Niall added, "I...we had no idea...then Louis found the note in Dani's purse tonight....about the...bruises..."

Cullen closed his eyes and rubbed them hard with one hand.
"So....", he started, but trailed off, taking in a deep breath.

He stood up and walked away from us, as if trying to get away from everything he just heard. He then turned to face us, crossed his arms and looked down at the floor.

"....so, my sister, for all intents and purposes, was raped....she-she has a nerve disorder...is taking medication....and...is...", he said slowly, never taking his eyes off the floor.

"She begged me not to tell", Niall stood and held up both of his hands.
"Cullen. Can you blame her?"

His breathing kept quickening and suddenly, he spun around and was out of the room in an instant. We jumped to catch up with him, but he'd already gotten to Gwen, had her by the arm and pulled her into a room, away from everyone else. Niall and I immediately went in after them.

We expected angry questions or yelling, but Cullen was calm.
Eerily calm.
He held his hand up toward Gwen, but continued to stare at the floor, as if the rage in his eyes could hurt her.

When he spoke, he held an even tone.
"You're coming with me when I leave."

Gwen started to speak, but Cullen cut her off.
"You're getting therapy. Immediately."
"I, you d-", she began, but he interrupted as he raised his other arm to point at me, "I want a list of her medications".

"Cullen! Lis-", Gwen hurried to him and grabbed his shoulder, trying to get him to look at her.

"Cullen, you have t-"
"We leave first thing tomorrow morning", he said, pulled away from her and walked toward the door.
"If I stay here a minute longer, I'll find...Theo...", he said, turned and looked Gwen in the eye, "....and finish off what's left of him."

"I...have exams...", she mumbled, shrinking a little from the intensity of his eyes.

"And you'll take them. I'll take care of it", Cullen said, walked away and grabbed the door handle.

"...and...I'm....pregnant", she whispered.

Cullen's ring made a cold scrape against the metal handle as his hand fell from it.

He slowly turned around.
Niall's face went pale.

The rest of the night was a blur of crying, screaming, begging and shouts between Cullen and Gwen.

Everyone left Niall's house except for me.
Niall and I left them alone in the room, but could hear everything they said.

Despite Gwen's protests and pleading, Cullen was unreachable for compromise.

But one thing that Gwen said made me freeze and curse myself for not thinking of it earlier.

"I LOVE him, Cullen"
"HE is a PREDATOR"
"You don't KNOW HIM"
"He beat you, that's all I NEED to know!!"
"I WANTED HIM TO! I wanted to FEEL something! But I DON'T even DO that anymore!"

I remembered the uneasy realization spread though my chest when I heard her say that.
"The medication", I whispered and looked at Niall. He followed me to the door, waiting for me to go on.

"The medication that I prescribe Gwen. The prescriptions, the topical ointment", I said, breathing fast, "Niall, it's the medication!"

I barged into the room as Cullen shouted.
"Gwen, as soon as we get to Davenridge-"

I blurted out my question before they could yell anymore.
"How long have you known you're pregnant?", I asked, making Cullen turn away from me, but he stayed quiet.

Gwen looked down and answered softly.
"Um..I took a test. A week and a half ago"

"And you stopped taking your medication?", I asked and she nodded, yes.

"Except for the cream. I need it to...so I could stop the....", she trailed off, but I understood and held up my hand.

"And since then you haven't wanted....to....", I gestured to her backside, not wanting to say anything even close to "have rough sex" in front of her brother.

Gwen's eyebrows creased in confusion, then smoothed out when she understood my question. They furrowed again, in thought, then shook her head slowly.

"It's the medication, Gwen", I said, looking from her to Cullen.
"It numbs you. You physically couldn't feel as much. And now that you're not taking it...you haven't wanted...", I said, gesturing again to her lower half, but stopped when Cullen cleared his throat.

Her eyes immediately lowered and looked to the side.
"I hadn't even thought of that", she said, to herself.

Cullen understood what we were talking about, but it changed nothing for him.
All he saw was his bruised up, pregnant little sister and that was that.

They left the next morning.

A week later, Gwen took her exams and, of course, passed with flying colors.

A short while after, one night, Gwen disappeared.

Two days later, Niall got a letter from her with no return address, no post office stamp, just his name written on the front.
She knew any email or text she sent could be traced.

She wrote that she was fine and asked him to tell Cullen and everyone else that she was okay and that she was happy.

And that she had married Theo.

Six months later, on a rainy Saturday night, she showed up at Niall's front door.

~that night~

(Liam)

As Niall poured himself a glass of Chianti, the doorbell rang.

"I guess I locked the door. That's Louis, would you let him in? I'll go make his plate", Niall said and went back into the kitchen.

I opened the door to find Gwen holding a large bag. She smiled with surprise at the sight of me, immediately dropped her bag and jumped at me, embracing me in a strong hug.

"Oh my God! Liam! I'm so happy you're here! I've missed you so much, Liam!", she said against my shoulder, "so so MUCH", she said, hugging me even tighter.

"I-I've missed you too, Gwe...what...where have you been, Gwen?!", I asked while I hugged her back, stunned.

She let go of me, took a deep breath.
"For the last month and a half, Hampor Beach....before that, East Vines", she said, appearing to be irritated at her own words.

I noticed how thin she looked. Her hair had gotten longer and she seemed...much older.

"W-Well...well, come in! Have you called Cullen?? Niall's going to flip o-"
"I don't know if this is a good idea anymore", she said, stopping me.

"What do you mean? You came here to see Niall, right?", I tilted my head, wanting to understand.

"I did. I just...seeing you right now...", she said and brushed the back of her hand under her eye.
I couldn't see it in the dimly lit foyer, but realized she was wiping away tears.

"The look on your face. When you saw me. God, I don't know if I can handle seeing Niall look at me like that. All this time. I was so busy with....", she stopped herself and shook her head a little like she was trying to shake off a thought.
"So much happened so fast after the night I left. I just....I didn't think about..."

I smiled at her as she locked her pinky fingers together and looked down at her bag.
"I'm sorry, Liam"

Before I could respond, she spoke again.
"It's over. Me. Theo.", I watched her sit down, then get a cigarette out of her bag.

"Gwen? You're smo-"
"Theo bought a house up there. In Vines. He had everything under another name so no one could find us."

As rattled as I was, watching her take deep drags off of the cigarette, I sat down next to her and listened.

"Come to find out, that wasn't the only reason", she made a short, sarcastic laugh.
"It was also so his wife couldn't find him either".

She not only looked older, she sounded older.

"Apparently, someone tipped her off that he wasn't volunteering in the third world country that he had told her he was", she said, blowing out a small stream of smoke, shaking her head.

"She hired a private investigator to find him. Four months after we moved to Vines, the PI found Theo....or whatever the hell his actual name is. His wife called him Shawn".

"Holy shit", I mumbled, taking all of this in.

A bolt of confusion struck through me.
"Wait...wait, are you...", I looked down at her flat belly and she lowered her eyes, knowing my question.

"Gwen?", Louis' voice sounded in the distance.
We heard footsteps and turned to see Louis walking up to the door.
"Gwenny!", he said louder and she stood up, laughing. He squeezed her, making her laugh more.

"Where were you?! How are you, Love?", Louis loosened his arms from around her and looked at her stomach, then back to her face with confusion.

"There's no baby", she said quietly, looking at both of us, sadly.

Oh, God.
Miscarriage?
Abortion?
There aren't many, but there are doctors who will abort a baby at any stage of pregnancy

"I'm sorry", I spoke, unable to think of anything better to say.

"Liam?"
Niall's voice came from inside.
"Louis? What're you t...."

Gwen tossed her cigarette like a kid who was about to get caught by her parent.

When Niall saw who Louis and I stood next to, he froze and his mouth slightly fell open.
I looked at Gwen who immediately teared up.

"Gwen?? GWEN!! Where have you been?!", he yelled, walking fast toward her.
"Are you okay?? Do you have ANY idea what you've put Cullen through?!!", he yelled louder, making her take a small step back, but he grabbed her hard, forcefully pulling her into a strong hug as he kept yelling.

"Jesus CHRIST, Gwen! I'd whip your ass if I wasn't so happy and RELIEVED to see you! Have you called Cullen?? Does he know you're here??"

"I came to ask you to help me with that", she said, her words muffled from Niall's crushing hug.
"It's why I came here first..."

"Louis, c'mon, we've got a bottle of Chianti", I said and nodded toward the inside of the house.

We needed to give them a moment alone. Niall's relationship with her was different than ours. He knew Gwen since she was practically a baby. He was like her second brother.

Almost an hour later, the two of them came into the dining room to join Louis and I.

Gwen's eyes were bloodshot, but Niall had his arm around her shoulder, making it clear that they had a good talk and everything was okay.

(Niall)

Gwen came to my house because she was too nervous and guilt-ridden to call Cullen.
She asked me if I'd tell him everything and I told her I would.
I called him later that night.

He caught the first flight he could get to Rosewater. At eight-thirty the next morning, I heard my front door open and slam shut.

"Where is she??", Cullen said, once he found me in the kitchen.

"She's still asleep in my room. Let her get her rest. Hey, come out back and eat. I had a breakfast station set up. The chef will make you anything you want", I said, giving him a hug hello.
"And Liam's here. C'mon", I added.

He looked toward the hallway where my bedroom was, like he had to think about it,
then nodded and followed me out back.

The three of us sat on the patio, the breeze making the awning flow softly. I was pouring another cup of coffee when Gwen appeared in the doorway.

Cullen instantly stood and ran to her. He hugged her even harder than I did last night. She hugged him back and I could see her relax a bit.
They stayed like that for a while because Cullen wouldn't loosen his grip.

"I've been more worried than I've ever been in my entire life...", Cullen whispered.

We watched him let her go and calmly begin to make a plate of the breakfast foods he knew she liked. When he was done, he set it down and signaled Gwen to come sit next to him.

Some things never change

"Niall told me you're thinking of going to RU", he said, putting his hand on the top of her head, an affectionate gesture he's done since Gwen was a little.

I could tell that he was trying to be very careful with everything he did.
I could also tell how painfully difficult it was for him to not fully derail. I knew Cullen like I knew myself. He was forcing himself to stay calm right now, more than I've ever seen him before.

"I was thinking that it'd be good for you to stay with me for a little while? But not like last time", he added quickly.
"Just to take some time off, you know? No school, no working or anything stressful...I'll take care of everythi-"

"No, Cullen, thank you, seriously, thank you, but, I...really want to get on the track I was on before...", she trailed off, not speaking the name that any of us wanted to hear.

Cullen took a short breath in and closed his eyes for a second, then spoke.
"Okay. Make a deal with me. Please."

He opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling.
"Stay with me for just a couple of weeks. Just two weeks. You relax, you eat...", he said, looking over at her thin frame, "....then come back and start the university."

Gwen sighed and shook her head a little.
"Fine. Deal"

"That's not all. When you move back here, you stay with Niall", he looked at me and I gave him a nod.

"Cullen, I practically do anyway. You know that", Gwen said and looked at me with thankful appreciation.
I gave her a smile and a quick wink that told her that, yes, I'm always here for her.

"One last thing", Cullen said.
He rubbed his temples, then focused on Gwen. The intensity of his glare took even me by surprise.

I noticed that she pressed herself further against the back of her chair when he looked at her.
Like a reflex, I positioned myself closer to her, an instinct of guarding her came over me, even toward her brother who would never harm a hair on her head.

His eyes bore into Gwen's when he spoke.
"If....he ever contacts you in ANY way, you tell me", he said, then looked over at Liam and I.

"If she ever talks to or sees him again, you tell me"

He was desperate.
I understood.
He was worried.
Scared.
I was too.

"If either happens, you come to live with me.
Permanently.", he said, but softly, this time, then Gwen spoke.

"Cullen, Niall told you what happened", she said, looking from Cullen to me.
"He's married. He's a fraud. Why would I ever want to speak to him ever again?", she said, looking at him with confusion.

Cullen didn't answer, he just looked from her to me to Liam, then back to her.

"Deal?", he asked flatly.

Gwen lowered her gaze down to her lap, looking at her pinky fingers locked together.
"Deal"

Cullen nodded to each of us, then handed Gwen a fork and knife to eat her breakfast.

She reached for them, but Cullen squinted his eyes, not letting go of the utensils when she tried taking them.

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand to his nose.
"And absolutely NO more smoking".