Harry

"THAL-“

"Wait." Liam grabbed my arm, forcing me to a halt. "Did you hear that?”

We stood there waiting in the silence for what seemed like years, though it was barely a minute.

"Thalia?" I called once more, my voice cracking. Liam's hand dig painfully into my arm as we waited in anticipation, scanning the surround landscape.

Then I heard it. A faint cry over to the left. Liam and I sprung into action, carefully jumping over logs and dodging rocks as we made our way towards what sounded like a dying animal.

“THALIA!”

“Where are you?” I cried, scanning the area with the light from my phone. We were near the cliffs edge now.

“Down here!”

Liam and I exchanged a quick glance before looking down at the path. The stone had given out and from the direction of the slide seemed to head right over the edge of the cliff. I stepped around the crater carefully, taking hold of a tree branch and peeking over the side.

About a meter down, gripping tightly to a ledge, lay Thalia. Her hair was matted and her clothes were torn. I froze when I saw her foot. It was soaked in blood and it looked like she had tied part of her T-shirt around her ankle. When she saw us she burst into tears.

"H-har-ry!”

"Hold on Thal, I'm coming!" I called down.

"Harry we can't get down there," Liam said, his voice lowered so Thalia wouldn't hear. "There's no way two people can fit on that ledge.”

"We're not just going to leave her there," I hissed.

"Don't be stupid," Liam shot back. He then got down and laid on the rough gravel, his arms and head dangling over the edge of the cliff. "We'll pull her up.”

Right. I mentally thanked God that Liam, who somehow always managed to keep cool under pressure, was here with me on this rescue mission. If it weren't for him I'd have jumped, most likely missed the landing, and would probably be fix feet under the water by now.

I quickly dropped down onto my stomach and threw out my hand to Thalia, ignoring the sharp rock cutting painfully into my chest. "Come on babe, you're alright just grab our hands.”

"You got it Thalia," Liam coaxed, both his arms outstretched as he gestured towards our bodies.

Thalia stretched out a shaking hand, her fingertips barely brushing mine before she let out a cry of pain. A few rocks shifted beneath her and fell down towards the dark depths of the ocean.

"I can't!" She cried, her eyes locking with mine.

"Yes you can love," I said firmly. Thalia was breathing heavily, her chest rising and falling with the effort. She had to have been exhausted after holding onto the cliffside for dear life for nearly twelve hours and I didn't blame her one bit for not being able to put in that last effort. I cleared my throat and added desperately, "Don't you dare give up on me Thalia Kalfis.”

She reached up once more, wincing as she propped herself up with her other hand. I leaned further over until-

"Gotcha!”

I leaned further over the cliffs edge in order to meet her outstretched hand. With a grunt I was able to lock wrists with her before slowly pulling her upwards. The action was harder than it looked, seeing as I was lifting Thalia's dead weight while lying on my stomach. However, after lifting her a few inches higher Liam was able to take hold of her wrist.

"We've got you Thalia," Liam grunted as I managed to hook my arm under armpit and hoist her up further. Liam rolled over on his side in effort to use his body weight to pull her the rest of the way up.

A moment later we all lay face up on the cliffs edge, panting as though we had just run a marathon. I rolled over and propped myself up on my elbow to get better look at Thalia. Dirt, shapes, and forming bruises littered her body. The constant wind had left her hair ratted and while dehydration was the cause for her chapped lips. Tears slipped slowly from her eyes as her body shook violently. But she was alive. Thalia was alive.

"I don't think it's healthy," I whispered between heavy breaths, "for someone to have so many near death experiences.”

Thalia let out a noise somewhere between a laugh and a sob as I added, "you should really get that checked out.”

She covered her face with her hands as tears of joy and relief broke free. I leant over and pushed the hair out of her face.

"You alright Tootles?”

"I'm f-fine just g-get me out of he-here.”

"She's freezing," Liam muttered, glancing at me nervously.

He and I quickly shrugged off our coats and wrapped them around Thalia's shaking shoulders. We wrapped them so tight she began to moan in protest, but we needed to trap what little remaining body heat she had left.

"We have to get her back now Harry," Liam added as we bundled her up like over protective parents sending their first child out for a snow day. "We can't let her fall asleep. She could have hypothermia.”

I nodded, hearing his words without really registering their meaning. Thalia was shaking more violently now and her lips had turned a pale-blue. I immediately bent down and scooped her up as gently as I could on seeing she was in no fit state to walk.

"Don't let her fall asleep mate," Liam reminded me as we began retracing our steps, going as fast as my shaking legs would allow.

"Thalia. C'mon babe you have to stay awake," I whispered.

"I'm t-tired," she breathed. Her teeth chattered together loudly and I instinctively pulled her closer to my body.

"I know babe," I said, my voice cracking once more. We had now reached the clearing and it was at least another quarter of an hour to the villa. "I know you're tired but you have to stay awake. Okay?”

"Ok-kay." But her eye lids began to drop nonetheless. She was practically dying in my arms and there was nothing I could do. Was this how she felt when she had pulled me out of that flipped car?

Thalia had never told me the full story but over time I had gathered what happened. It had been a head on collision and our car had flipped. I was knocked unconscious and Thalia had stayed in the burning car to make sure I got out first. She still had the scars on her hand from crawling across the broken glass of the windshield to prove it.

But this was nothing like that. Thalia had put my life above her own to save me from a situation I had put us in. I was the one who constantly placed her in these situations, all I seemed to be doing now was attempting to fix the messes I had already made.

"Thalia. Let me see those beautiful eyes babe," I said. Liam was walking in front of us, guiding me with the light of his phone as we made our way back.

"You n-never l-let m-me sl-eep," she mumbled, a faint smile spreading across her blue lips.
"Never," I smiled.

I was trying so hard to be brave for her. But the thing was, Thalia had always been the brave one. When the boys and I were going through a crisis she would laugh and talk ha through it. When Mackenzie's brother went missing she had been the voice of sanity in everyone else's chaos. Hold on. That was it! Her sisters…

"You better be awake when we get back. Tilly was planning on giving you you a good holler at. She's been worried sick," I said. Thalia's eyes snapped open.

"Till?”

"She was hysterical when we left," I replied. I felt Thalia's light grip on me tighten. It may be wrong to get her worked up, but if she won't stay awake for me maybe she'll stay awake for them.

"She wanted to come with and help," I continued. We were getting close now and I could see the lights of the house through the trees.

“My mom?”

"She took the kids back home. And she made me promise to get you back safe or she'd skin me alive.”

"My family needs stop threatening.”

I broke into a smile before finally letting out a loud laugh. She was referring to the time her father, Paul, had threatened to cut my balls off if I touched her. Or maybe she was referencing when Hugh and Jasper sat me down and attempted to play the overly protective brother card. Though Marve had attempted that too now that I think about it…

I looked back down to see Thalia's eyes fluttering closed once more. In my panic I gave her a gentle shake, jarring her awake again. "Hey! What did I just say?”

"Be fine. They love you," she muttered her sentences growing more incoherent by the minute.

“I know,” I replied smugly, bringing a small smile to her lips. “But I’d still rather bring you back alive…just in case.”

Thalia had stopped shivering which, thanks to my mothers annual winter warnings, I knew meant that her core temperature was getting dangerously low. And, as she started to slip in and out of consciousness, her speech began to slur.

"TOMMO!" Cried Liam, causing me to flinch as he yelled through the thick trees where another small beam of light was visible. Liam took off at a run as the path widened. "WE'VE GOT HER!”

"Eyes open Thalia," I reminded her as we ran up the steps. Louis and Niall met us halfway, draping a blanket across her now limp body.

"Ni go get Tilly!" I cried the second we stepped through the doors. Niall took off running as Marco came running over.

"She needs a doctor," Liam said in answer to everyone's unspoken question. "She's nearly frozen.”

I pulled Thalia closer to my body protectively before Marco quickly ushered us upstairs into a large elegant room. He began making a fire while I set her down gently on the four poster bed, the rest of the house running in to help.

"Tilly." Thalia has spoken so quietly I had almost missed it.

"She's coming Tootles, I promise. But only if you keep your eyes open." I said.

“Wet clothes off,” Señora Conti said, her accent brisk and demanding. Together Señora Conti, Marco and I began taking off Thalia's damp clothes. They must have gotten wet from the ocean spray which would explain how Thalia had grown so cold so quickly.

“Till,” Thalia moaned again, her voice hoarse.

“Niall’s getting her babe just hold on,” Liam said, as he appeared with a pile of blankets the housekeeper had handed him.

I managed to peel off her torn shirt and shorts fairly easily. I was just about to reach for her sports bra when I was stopped by Marco.

Right. He was the boyfriend now. Even though he deserved to be thrown off the cliff after what he's put Thalia through. As Marco continued undressing Thalia I busied myself with pulling out my phone and calling Thalia’s mother. The phone went strait to voicemail, meaning they had already boarded and were now in the air, so I left a message explaining the situation. They would be furious to learn that we had found her and not told them. I also planned on using my promise to keep her family informed as an excuse to stay close to her. I couldn't leave her side, not when I just got her back.

"I told you not go over there mi amore," Marco whispered, as gently pulled a hat over Thalia's head. Color was slowly returning to her features, allowing me to relax slightly though her eyes remained closed.

I looked away as Marco lay a kiss on her forehead, and another on her cheeks. I hated how much he touched her. I was honestly surprised Thalia's independent character could stand it. I turned to Liam instead, fully aware we were intruding on the couple. But I wasn't going anywhere until I knew that Thalia was okay.

“Signora Conti went to call a doctor,” Liam spoke, providing me with a distraction. “Did you call the girls?”

“I called her mom.”

“We should text the girls too, although Niall’s probably done it already now that I think about it.”

I nodded. Ever since Niall began dating Mackenzie, he’s considered Thalia as good as family. During our break up he was on her side as much as mine, and after he was one of the only ones who stayed in contact with her. Suddenly the door burst open and a small blonde twelve year old ran in, distracting me from my thoughts.

"Thalia!" Cried Tilly, jumping on the bed.

"Careful Tilly," Marco scolded.

"Is she okay?" Cried Tilly, completely disregarding the Italian.

"Till." Thalia have her a weak smile, her eyes heavy as she looked up at her younger sister. "I'm okay.”

I watched them with a smile on my face. It never ceased to amaze me how easily she puts aside her feelings for the sake of her siblings. Thalia had been an inch from death and yet it is her who was reassuring us.

"Tills why don't you climb under the covers with Thalia and warm her up?" I suggested.

Tilly wasted no time in scampering under the covers, much to the annoyance of Marco. We had wrapped Thalia up in so many blankets she looked more like a giant burrito than a human at the moment. Due to the excessive wrapping Tilly was only able to lay under the top most blanket, though she snuggled up to Thalia comfortingly nonetheless.

"You can even spoon feed the soup you made her too," Louis said walking slowly into the room carrying a steaming bowl.

"Not hungry," Thalia whispered before resting her chin on Tilly's head.

"But it's made of love..." Tilly said slowly, widening big pleading eyes. Thalia broke into another small smile despite herself.

"Well now you have to," teased Marco.

Thalia began to shake her head but Tilly added, "we worked so hard...Louis had to tackle Niall to the ground to keep it safe!”

“Oi!” Niall cried out in protest before shooting Tilly a playful wink.

"I even got a scrape..." Louis added, putting his best puppy eyes.

"Thalia...how can you be so heartless?" I asked. She stared at us in her sleepy state, seeming to debate weather to punch us or laugh at us. Finally the smile won over and she rolled her eyes at our silliness.

After forcing her to finish the soup we convinced her to let Signora Conti look at her foot. The doctor wasn’t going to be in until the morning and Señora Conti insisted on at least cleaning up the wound before hand. That had been the worse part.

When she had fallen, Thalia received a decent sized gash just above her ankle. Thankfully, Signora Conti had dealt with many similar injuries from when Marco was young and knew just how to patch it up.

It was easy to see Thalia was growing annoyed by our constant conversation and prodding, but it was the only way to keep her awake while her temperature returned to normal. Most of this anger was directly aimed at me as I was the one constantly waking her. Although it might have also been because it was my fault she was even in this situation to begin with.

“Are you going to be able to walk?” Tilly asked Thalia, her voice full of concern. She had taken on the task of aiding me in keeping Thalia awake.

“It not as bad as it than it looks," Thalia mumbled in response, her eyes closed.

"Is that supposed to make us feel better?" I asked, cracking a smile. "Because it looks awful.”

She pursed her lips, "your feet aren't much prettier Harold.”

The room broke into chuckles as everyone laughed at Thalia’s dig.

"At least they don't smell as bad,” I countered.

Thalia tried, and I mean really tried, not to to smile. But just as Marco was about to yell at me Thalia broke into a laugh.

"I h-hate you," she said through her weak laughter.

"I know.”

“Well at at least we know things are back to normal then,” Louis cut in.

He, Liam, and Niall had made themselves comfortable on the floor next to the bed. Much to Marco’s annoyance, no one had wanted to leave Thalia after her near death experience. Signora Conti had finished with Thalia’s foot and now came over to take her temperature again.

“Yeah,” scoffed Liam. “As normal as normal can be with those two.”

“Hey!” I cried out in protest.

“Shh,” Thalia mumbled, a small frown appearing on her face. She was attempting to fall asleep once more.

Marco rubbed her hair gently before saying, “Stay awake mi amore.”

I wanted to tell him off for continually calling her that stupid pet name and for not realizing that the worst possible thing to do when attempting to keep Thalia awake was to give her a head scratch. Head scratches were her weakness.

“What will we do if Thalia can’t walk?” I asked voicing Tilly’s earlier question of how Thalia would get around.

Tilly broke into a smile. “Maybe you’ll have to carry her.”

“You’re turning out to be quite the princess aren’t you?” I smirked, poking Thalia’s side lightly when she didn’t respond.

"Harry Styles touch me one more time I'm going to hit you," Thalia finally snapped, the threat made hilarious by her semi conscious state of mind.

"I'm sorry," I replied, hoping she was aware that my words carried much more meaning. There was a pregnant pause, in which the only sound in the room was made by the crackling fire.

“I know,” she whispered.

Signora Conti gave us a small nod indicating that Thalia’s temperature had rose to a safe number and, after nearly twenty hours, she could finally sleep. Marco then pulled the comforter up closer to Thalia's chin, allowing her to snuggle further into the sheets.

"I forgive you Haz," she managed before her eyes fluttered closed and gentle snore could be heard emanating from her body.

I stared down at Thalia in shock, her words momentarily paralyzing me. She had forgiven me. She had forgiven me for poking her? For nearly causing her death today? For being a self-centered prick while we dated? There was so much I seemed to need to apologize for and I suddenly felt very overwhelmed.

“Better get to bed yeah?” Liam placed a hand on my shoulder causing me to jump. “Let her get her rest.”

“Of course,” I nodded dumbly. Liam started steering me towards the door and, as the realization that I was being forced to leave Thalia’s side set in, I turned to Marco desperately. “You’ll wake us up though if something happens though?”

“Of course,” Marco replied, his voice curt. He began tucking in Tilly, who had fallen asleep next to Thalia and would be impossible to move now. “Harry?”

“Yeah?” I asked, immediately stopping in my tracks.

“Have you heard from Nicola?” He asked.

I gulped. I had’t even thought about Nicola since we left Rome. “Uh, no. No I haven’t.”

“She’ll want to know. Nicola cares for her,” said Marco. I repressed a scoff at he gross exaggeration of their friendship. “When you talk to her next, tell her to come home.”

“Will do.” After a curt nod towards Marco and one last longing look towards Thalia, I followed Liam out of the room. Marco knew something was up between Thalia and I, or at least that I still retained feelings for Thalia. Why else would he choose this moment to bring up his sister?

“There he is,” smirked Louis when I finally made it into the hallway. “Superman himself! There’s no way she won’t love you now.”

I rolled my eyes at him as we headed down the hallway. “She shouldn’t love me. She should hate me for putting her in that situation to begin with.”

“How do ya figure that?” Niall asked with a frown.

“We had met in the garden this morning. I told her everything…about Marco cheating, how I was an idiot when we broke up, and how I still loved her,” I said with a sigh, the exhaustion of the day finally catching up with me. “She was running away from me when she fell.”

“That is not your fault Harry!” Cried Louis. Liam quickly shushed him before looking around to make sure no one had heard his outcry. “You know, you can’t give yourself credit for all her near death experiences. Some of those she achieves on her own.”

“Not helping Lou.”

“She don’t blame ya an’ ya shouldn’t blame yerself neither,” Niall said firmly and I was relieved to see he wasn't blaming me in this. “She forgave ya Harry.”

“What are you going to tell Nicola?” Liam asked.

I let out a heavy sigh. “I dunno. I’m not going to think about it tonight though. I’ll figure it out tomorrow.”

“Well let us know if we’ve been kicked out of the villa,” Louis chuckled. “Can’t see her taking to kindly to you professing your love to the ex who’s dating her brother. Talk about awkward.”

But I wasn’t listening. My mind was still replaying Thalia’s words as if I was burning them into the back of my brain. Because even though Thalia and I still had a long way to go…she had forgiven me. And that was all that mattered.

Notes

Found a way to trick the system and do my formatting again. Woo!

Okay, now the the important stuff. Harry found Thalia! And she's alive! What do you think will happen now that Thalia knows the truth of how Harry feels about her? How will Nicola act?

Let me know your thoughts! It was so awesome to read all your comments after the last chapter. Keep it up!!