Hold On For Dear Love (Sequel to WILD)

“No, absolutely not” I told Jenna for the sixth time.

“Come on, Emily. It’s your last weekend as a non-married woman, just live a little”

“Jenna, you are not hiring strippers for my bachelorette party”

“Why not? It’ll be fun. Plus, I’m pretty sure Louis is getting some for Harry” she added.

“That’s Harry though. I’m sorry, but I’d rather not watch anyone stripping their clothes off and shoving their junk in my face”

“Except for Harry” She grinned and wiggled her eyebrows at me.

I rolled my eyes and turned back to my food. We were sitting at a restaurant talking about the wedding and she was helping me out with last minute preparations for the big day. It was now only two days until I walked down the aisle. Two days until I would finally be married to the man I loved more than anything in the world.With it being so close, I couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. My mind was racing, wondering if I got everything or if the decorations would turn out right. How the weather would be during the ceremony. I had never realized how stressful planning my own wedding could be until now and I regretted not hiring a wedding planner to help.Jenna helps a lot too, but she’s just...well, Jenna. We tend to get distracted from things when we’re together. Take our high school History project for instance, we had two weeks to get it done yet every time we tried to work on it we got distracted after twenty minutes. We barely anything got done and ended up throwing everything together last minute, but still managed to get a good grade on it, which is still a mystery to me but I’ll take it.

A few minutes later we got our food and started eating. I didn’t waste any time clearing my plate, making Jenna look at me oddly.

“What? I was hungry” I told her.

“I’ve never seen you eat so fast in my life” She said, still giving me the weird look.I shrug and the waitress comes back to ask us if we want dessert and I order a chocolate cake slice, eating that too; all before Jenna finished half of her first plate of food.

“Are you gonna eat that?” I asked, pointing to the rest of her fries.She shakes her head slowly and I take one off her plate and eat it. Her eyes suddenly widen, making it my turn to give her the weird look.

“Oh my god” she said.

“What?” I asked, confused.

“Are you...Are you pregnant?”

“No, of course not, I’m just hungry” I lied.

The moment the words left her mouth I immediately started thinking back to the last time I had my period, which was almost three months ago. I had been acting pretty moody lately and even snapped at Harry a few times. That would also explain why I had been feeling ill every morning for the past few weeks.

Holy shit...

~.:o:.~

Positive.All five tests.

I couldn’t believe it. I was actually pregnant.I stared at the tests for what seemed like hours until a knock at the door startled me.

“Emily? You alright?” Harry’s worried voice called through the door.

“I-I um yeah. I’m fine. Just touching up my makeup” I lied quickly as I scrambled to hide the tests. I shoved them into my makeup bag, which I knew he’d never look in. I put the bag back on the sink then opened the door to smile at him.

“Everything alright, love?” he asked.

“Yep. Great” I smiled and kissed his lips.

“Okay...Dinner’s ready”I nod and take his hand as we walk back downstairs to the dining room. I couldn’t help but get lost in my thoughts as we sat down and ate, wondering if I should tell him or not. I eventually decided that I would wait until I went to the doctor and knew for sure if I really was pregnant. We had been talking about having kids after getting married anyways and Harry was really excited about it, so I didn’t want to get his hopes up if I wasn’t.

“Emily....babe, snap out of it” Harry said as he waved his hand in front of my face. I blinked and looked up at him, not realizing that he had gotten out of his chair and walked over to stand beside me.

“Huh? Oh, sorry” I said quietly.

“What’s going on with you? You’ve been acting really weird lately. Are...Are you having second thoughts?” he asked cautiously.

“What? No, of course not! How could you even think that?”

“Well what else am I supposed to think?! You’re so distant lately and bitchy and-”

“Bitchy?” I cut him off, standing to my feet. “You think I’m a bitch now is that it?”

“I didn’t say that! I said you were acting like it”

“It’s the same damn thing, Harry! Maybe we should call off the wedding. We obviously have some shit to work out yet”

“Emily, don’t say that. We’re fine...Baby..” He sighed when he saw the tears in my eyes.

“Please don’t cry, love”He tried to wipe them away, but I moved away from him.

“I’m going to bed” I said before walking off to the bedroom. I laid down on the bed and started to cry. My emotions were all over the place, leaving me confused and a little scared since there was the possibility that I was carrying a little person inside of me. I had heard so many horror stories about it that the thought made me sick.

An hour passed by until I heard the door slowly open and close followed by soft footsteps.
“Emily? Are you awake?” Harry asked softly.I turned my head more towards the pillow so I could hide my face from him. I didn’t want him to see me like this because I knew he would be worried. He sighed and sat on the bed behind me.

“Emily, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean what I said. I just...I wish you would talk to me. Tell me what’s wrong so I can help you.” He said softly. “Baby, please look at me”I turned around to look at him, unable to resist the pleading tone in his voice. His face turned to worry when he saw my puffy red eyes and tear stained cheeks. His hand automatically went to my cheek, wiping away the tears gently with his thumb. Without a word he laid down next to me and pulled me into his arms, holding me tightly to him. I buried my face into his chest, immediately finding comfort in his embrace.

“I’m sorry for snapping at you...I’m just really tired today and I’m stressed from the wedding planning and everything” I said quietly.

“It’s alright. Just promise me that from now on you’ll tell me what’s wrong?” he asked.

I gave him a smile and nodded.

“I promise”

He smiled a bit then placed a lingering kiss upon my forehead. I closed my eyes and was immediately comforted by the gesture. Within moments all of my worries had faded away and I soon drifted off to sleep in his arms.

~.:o:.~

“Hurry up, Emily, or we’ll be late!” Jenna yelled up the stairs. “You’ll see him in two days!”

“Just wait a minute!” I yelled back.

We were both dressed and ready for our bachelor/bachelorette parties, but we didn’t want to leave each other yet. I laid in bed with him, my arms wrapped around his torso. His arms were locked around my waist as he continued to kiss me all over my face and neck.

“I don’t want to leave” He mumbled as he placed a soft kiss on my jaw. “I can’t be away from you for two whole days”

“I don’t like it either, but we can manage” I told him as I ran my fingers through his hair.

“You better not be flirting up with any guys tonight” he teased, smiling into my skin.

His teeth bit down gently on my soft spot, causing a soft moan to escape my lips.

“I won’t” I whispered. “As long as you don’t flirt with any girls”

“Why would I flirt with girls when I have an incredibly amazing and sexy woman waiting for me at home”

His hands slid up my dress, but I stopped them. He lifted his head and pouted down at me.

“We’ll save that for the honeymoon” I said with a smirk.I kissed him one last time then pushed him off me before quickly getting up so he couldn’t pull me back.

“I forgot to mention my woman is a bloody tease” he said as I walked out the door.

“Love you, too” I called before heading down the stairs to meet Gabby and the other girls.

“Took you long enough” She said.

“Sorry. Let’s get going shall we?”

“Hell yeah! It’s party time!” I laughed and we all got in the limo we rented that would take us to the club. I had a feeling that this was going to be one long night.

“Let’s take some shots before we get there” Sophia said as she pours the alcohol into glasses. The smell made me a bit nauseous, but I took it anyways.

“To the future Mrs. Styles” Perrie said as she held hers up.

We all held our glasses up and clinked them together before taking a drink. I poured the liquid into my mouth, but then spit it back out when the girls weren’t looking. I couldn’t drink alcohol anymore, not when I thought I was pregnant. It could hurt the baby, if there really was a baby...

Either way, I wasn’t taking any chances. I sneakily rolled down the window then dumped the alcohol out.The club was already full of people when we got there. Thankfully, Jenna took my warning and didn’t hire any male strippers to come, so it was just us girls dancing and having a good time. Throughout the night I pretended to sip on my drink when I really just kept dumping it into my glass again. Everyone was too wasted to notice so it was alright.

After a while the smell of alcohol began to make me sick and I couldn’t stand it anymore. I told the girls I was going to the bathroom and quickly made my way to the back of the club where it was located. I nearly ran into a girl that was coming out, quickly muttering an apology before rushing into a stall, making it just in time before I emptied the contents of my stomach into it.When I was finished I knew I had to get out of here. I exited the bathroom then sent the girls a quick text saying that I was going back home because I didn’t feel well. Once it was sent I started to make my way through the crowd towards the front of the building where the entrance was. As I squeezed through the people dancing I accidentally ran into one of them.

“I’m so-” I froze when I saw who it was.It was the man with the baseball cap. The one who was at the restaurant when I got that frantic phone call from Harry. The one who I saw just hours before the bomb exploded at the VMAs that killed my father.

“Emily, don’t run” He said, reaching out for me.

I did the exact opposite of what he said. I spun on my heel and bolted, frantically pushing through the sea of people as I ran for the exit. He followed quickly behind me, but it only made me run faster. Thank god I didn’t wear heels tonight.My hands finally came in contact with the door and I threw it open before starting to run down the street. I glanced back to see that he wasn’t following me anymore, but turned back only to run straight into his grip. My eyes widened and I screamed, but it was quickly muffled by his hand slapping over my mouth. A black van pulled up and he dragged me over to it, all while I was kicking and screaming into his hand. The door slid open and I immediately stopped struggling, in complete shock when I recognized the man inside.

“Sorry about this, Emily” He said before he placed a damp cloth over my mouth and nose after the ball cap man removed his hand. As I inhaled the drug my vision started to get blurry before everything went black.

~.:o:.~

Harry’s POV

“Louis! I told you no strippers!” I laughed as the two girls in front of me started to strip out of their barely there outfits.

“I didn’t get them. Nick did” he said, pointing to my grinning older friend.

I laughed again and shook my head. This was ridiculous. As pretty as these girls were, they didn’t even come close to Emily. The way her brown hair brought out the bright blue of her eyes made her even more beautiful than before. I started to think about what she was doing right now. Did she have two guys dancing for her right now? I sure hope not. The thought made me a bit jealous. I should be the only man she sees with that little clothing.
My thoughts were interrupted when Liam came rushing up to me with a panicked look on his face. That could only mean one thing...

“Harry! The girls can’t find Emily! She’s gone!” he said.

The moment the words left his mouth my heart stopped, eyes widening in panic. No. This can’t be happening. Not just a few days before our wedding.I jumped to my feet, pushing past everyone as I ran for the door. He was lying. He had to be. This was just some sick prank he and the boys put together.I finally made it to the door and pulled out my phone to dial her number, but got no answer. I called again and again, leaving frantic voicemails begging her to call me back. My heart started to beat rapidly and it felt like it was hard to breathe as the panicked feeling got worse.What if they had her? Would they just kill her right away or would they mess with her and do it slowly? Or what if they did things to her?The thought made me sick to my stomach, and the alcohol I had previously drunk didn’t help either. I was snapped out of it when I saw the girls pull up in the limo and get out, rushing over to me.

“What the hell happened?!” I asked them.

“We don’t know. She said she was going to the bathroom and when we went to check on her she wasn’t there. Then El checked her phone and saw that she texted us saying she was
going home because she didn’t feel well, but she isn’t there either” Jenna explained.

“Why weren’t you watching her! You knew that someone was after her!” I yelled.

I knew I shouldn’t have been screaming at her like that, but I couldn’t help it. I was scared...no...terrified of where Emily could be right now.

“Harry, calm down. There was nothing they could do and screaming at them won’t help you find her” Liam said as he and the boys came over to us.I took a deep breath and nodded.

“Sorry” I said to Jenna.

"It's fine. Let's just focus on finding her" She replied.

"Alright. Jenna, you and Zoe go wait at the house to see if she turns up there. Harry and I will go to the club and see if we can find anything that'll help us. The rest of you go around to her favorite spots to see if she's there." Louis instructed.

Everyone nodded then split up to search. Most of us were pretty drunk, but were starting to sober up due to the urgency of the situation. It was basically life or death for her if she really was taken by the one who has been after her. Louis and I got a cab and went to the club to see if there were any clues as to where she could be. I really hoped there would be something we can use to help us.

"Don't worry, Harry. We'll find her" Louis said, trying to reassure me.

"I hope so"

~.:o:.~

No calls.

No texts.

Nothing.

The only thing we had was a drunk guy telling us that he had seen Emily being put in a black van, but he was too wasted to get a license plate or remember the faces. We had no leads whatsoever as to where she was.It had been ten hours now since Emily went missing. Ten hours of nonstop searching with no sleep at all. I sat on my couch staring blankly at the wall while the others explained what happened to the police. My eyes were red with dark circles under them from lack of sleep. My head was pounding from the alcohol, but I could barely feel it.I was completely numb to everything. People tried to talk to me, but I wouldn't answer. I'd just look at them with my blank expression until they eventually gave up all together. I couldn't eat or do anything. I just sat there feeling helpless.

This wasn't how it was supposed to be. We were supposed to go out and have a fun time then spend today recovering before standing at the altar together to exchange our vows. To seal our love in marriage and go on living happily. Maybe even have a few children. Now it all seemed impossible, because every time our lives started to get back to normal something else would go and ruin it.My thoughts were broken when the house phone rang. I sat forwards in my seat and snatched it off the coffee table. I was about to answer it when a detective stopped me.

"Wait a second. It could be the kidnappers" He said.

"Or it could be Emily. Let me answer it!" I argued.I didn't have time for this. The possibility of her being on the other end and them making me wait was crazy. I needed to talk to her. I needed to hear her voice. Before anyone could stop me I pressed 'talk' and held it to my ear.

"Hello?" There was a long pause before that familiar voice from back at the radio station spoke.

"Hello. I bet you're wondering where your precious Emily is aren't you."

"Where is she?!" I demanded.

"She is right here in front of me. Say hello, Emily"

I heard the sound of tape being ripped off her face before she spoke.

"Harry." She whimpered, obviously crying on the other end. "I'm so sorry." I felt a wave of emotion watch over me. She was alive.

"Emily, baby. It's going to be alright, I promise. You're gonna be okay" I said, my voice cracking as I heard her crying.

"She's done talking now" The voice said.

The detective grabbed a notepad and wrote down that they were having someone trace the call and that I should keep him talking for as long as possible. I nodded and tried my best to do so.

"What do you want? Do you want money? I'll pay anything, just...just don't hurt her" I pleaded.

"I can't promise you that. You see, Emily here took everything from me so now I'm just returning the favor." I stood up and started pacing the room, getting a bit angry.

"You touch her and I swear to god I will find you and I will fucking kill you" I said through
clenched teeth.

"You shouldn't be talking like that to someone who is holding a gun to your precious fiance's head" He said in an equally angry tone.

My eyes widened and I stopped for a moment. No. Please no.

"I-I'm sorry, just don't...don't hurt her. Please. She means everything to me."

"So? She took everything from me! Now it's my turn to take it from her!" he growled.

I heard the gun click.

"NO!" I yelled.

A gunshot went off and I froze. The phone fell from my hand and landed on the floor with a loud thud, but I didn't hear it. My breath picked up and my chest tightened as I got that all too familiar feeling of grief and loss. It was getting harder and harder to breathe by the second. I stumbled through the room, pushing through the hands of my friends as they tried to calm me down and comfort me.

I threw the patio door open then stepped out onto the grass before I finally let it out.

No One's POV

Harry let out a scream that was full of pain and grief before falling to his knees. The onlookers could only watch as he wrapped his arms around himself and fell over onto the grass, heart wrenching sobs ripping through his throat.They wanted to comfort him. To tell him everything would be alright, but nothing they said would help.

This wasn't like last time.There was no one there to carry her out to safety or protect her from what happened. She didn't get out this time...or have anyone there to take the bullet for her. They could only watch as he called out the name of a girl who would no longer answer.

Notes