Hold On For Dear Love (Sequel to WILD)

No One's POV

Louis was the first one to move. He slowly made his way over to his younger friend who was still lying on the grass, shaking from the sobs that escaped his lips. Louis knelt next to him with teary eyes and cautiously placed a hand on Harry’s arm.

“It’s okay, Harry” He said.

“Maybe she-”

“No! It’s not okay! It will never be okay!” Harry yelled, cutting him off before breaking down again.

Louis swallowed the lump in his throat. He hated seeing his friend so...broken. He wanted to tell him that everything would be alright and that he would get through this; but kept his mouth shut, knowing that there was nothing that he could say to help his friend.

He looked back up at the others inside the house. Each one of the boys were in tears themselves, heartbroken by the sight of their friend and from the tragic loss of one of their close friends. Liam held Jenna in his arms as she sobbed into his chest, Niall doing the same for Zoe. Zayn had a cigarette held between his index and middle fingers, inhaling the smoke as tears fell from his eyes. Even the police looked sympathetic towards Harry and it made the situation even more real.

No one saw this coming. They were all too happy and giddy about the wedding that they forgot about the threats that have been made on Emily’s life. The attempts to kill her that caused other people to get hurt, and killed. Every one of them knew that they should have been more careful and paid more attention, but it was too late now.

She was gone.

~.:o:.~

The funeral was held two days later. News got out of Emily’s death and now the whole world was grieving. Fans of Emily and Harry were sending their condolences on Twitter, and even people who didn’t like them or their music couldn’t help but feel a tug at their heart.

Harry stared blankly at the marker that rested beside the one that belonged to Emily’s father. He could still hear her frightened voice call his name before the loud gunshot. His family had come to support him, but there was nothing they could do to help him. He was numb to everything. It was as if the life had been sucked out of him, leaving him as an empty shell that showed no emotion whatsoever.

Anne looked at her son with teary eyes. She saw that he was hurting. That he blamed himself for not protecting her. He wasn’t the same, nor will he ever be. He would no longer be the goofy, kind, and happy boy that she raised. All she saw was a heartbroken man who tragically lost the love of his life, his everything.

~.:o:.~

Harry’s POV

I walked into the cold empty house, pausing at the hallway to look into the kitchen. Memories of Emily and I playfully throwing food at each other and laughing while we made dinner flashed through my mind.

My gaze turned to the living room where we had snuggled up on the couch and watched movies or old Friends re-runs. Everywhere I looked there was a memory of her that made my heart break even more than it already was.

I made my way upstairs to the bathroom and splashed some cold water on my face from the sink in attempt to make them go away. I fought them back and gripped the edge of the sink until my knuckles turned white. I just wanted to forget.

I closed my eyes and took a moment to compose myself before reaching out for a towel, knocking something off the sink. I finally grabbed the towel and brought it to my face to wipe the water off before looking down to see what had fallen. It was Emily's makeup bag. The contents had scattered across the floor due to it not being closed and I let out a sigh. I knelt down to start picking them up again when I saw them. The pregnancy tests. I picked them up and my eyes widened when I saw a pink plus sign on all five of them.

The tests fell from my hands and I fell back against the wall as tears started to form in my eyes. A new wave of emotion washed over me. It explained everything. Her mood swings, the morning sickness, her increased appetite. I was so stupid not to have noticed before, and now that I did I felt even worse.

I didn’t just lose Emily.... I also lost our unborn child.

~Two Years Later~

Harry’s POV

The rain poured down upon me as I walked through the rows of gravestones of the west side London cemetery. As I made the familiar trek up to lot 354, I couldn’t help but wonder how life could be so cruel. How it could bring someone so wonderful into my life, only to take her away when I needed her most. We were just about to get married...to start a family together.
Now she’s gone...and I was left here alone to live every second of every day with her on my mind, wondering why it had to be her...the most wonderful, beautiful, caring person in the world.

I know that I have to stay strong for the boys, my family, and the fans...but sometimes I just want to be free. To be free of the spotlight, of the people trying to tell me that everything was okay, and the pain that I was living with.

I had considered suicide more times than I could count. I would sit on the couch, staring at a picture of Emily and drink my sorrows away, wondering why I even bothered trying anymore. Life was pointless without her. Why not just end it so I could be with her again? I would have the pills in my hand, ready to swallow them down, but each time something would stop me. I didn’t understand it, but I felt like Emily needed me to stay living so I did.

I just wish I could hold her in my arms. To spontaneously kiss her and tell her I love her. To make her laugh so much that every little thing I said afterwards sent her into another fit of laughter, no matter how simple it was. To wake up every morning to her beautiful face as she stared back at me.

As I stood before the black marble stone, I realized how impossible that was. Never again would I be able to do those things with her...or anyone else for that matter. I would never find another woman like her, and because of that I didn’t even bother to try. I gave her my heart long ago, and she took it with her when she left.

I replaced the dead flowers with new ones, then sat down in front of the stone like I had done many times before, not caring that I was sitting on the wet ground. I pulled my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around them.

“I knew from the start that you were going to be trouble. “ I said with a small smile. “When you walked into that club all those years ago I just knew. I had this gut feeling that the moment I sat down next to you that my life would change forever.”

“And it did. In that moment everything got thrown upside down...but after awhile I realized that my life was already messed up. That the pieces of me were all jumbled up and hidden in places that I never knew existed. Then I met you...and you found the pieces and put me back together. Only then did I realize that there was still one piece left. The biggest piece that held everything together and completed me....”

“....It was you, Emily. You were that missing piece. You kept me together when all I wanted to do was break. But now the piece is gone and I don’t know what to do anymore. I’ve tried to move on and put on a brave face for everyone, but I don’t know how much longer I can keep it up. I just miss you so damn much and it’s killing me.”

My eyes filled with tears and I felt a lump forming in my throat. I didn’t hold anything back. All of the emotions that I had bottled up since my last visit came out at once and I started to feel the slightest bit better. Even in death, Emily was still my therapy. The only thing that could relieve some of my pain and grief.

I thought back to two weeks after the funeral when the detective who had been working the case had come knocking on my door. I was confused at first, wondering what he would need to come back for until he told me that they knew who had killed her....

*Flashback*

“Mr. Styles may I come in?” The detective asked me.

“Yeah, of course” I said, stepping aside to let him through.

We walked into the living room and he sat on the couch while I sat across from him in chair. I sat back in the chair, wondering what he could possibly want.

“Mr. Styles...I have been going over the case since the fire in Los Angeles and I have come across some new evidence that has led me to discover who was behind this.” He started.

I sat up on the edge of my seat immediately.

“What was it?” I asked.

“Do you know this woman?” he asked, showing me a picture.

“Yeah, this is Emily’s mother. Did she have something to do with it?” I asked, feeling angry and shocked.

“Do you know these three people as well?” he asked, ignoring my question.

He once again showed me three pictures, all of which were of people who I recognized immediately.

They were pictures of Emily’s old manager, Ryan; along with Bella, Emily’s step sister; and Eric, her ex-boyfriend. Bella was the one who had nearly cost me my relationship with Emily, with help from Eric, both of which I despised on a nuclear level. Ryan had also kicked Emily out of the label after she lost her voice from the fire and gave her songs to Bella’s new band, which also included Eric.

“Yes. I do. What do they have to do with anything?” I asked.

“Did you know that this woman, Emily's mother, is in fact, Mrs.Starr, married Ryan Starr of Starlit Records? And that Bella Starr is his daughter, who had been institutionalized during four years of her life?”

“What? No...No, I didn’t know that. I...” I was surprised by the new information.

So Emily's mother was married to Ryan, who was also Bella’s father...But if that was the case then why would they kick her out of the label if she was family? Then again, both Bella and Emily’s mother were crazy bitches.

“So you’re saying that the four of them teamed up to try and kill Emily? Why would they do that?” I asked.

“Not the four of them. Just three. Eric Andersen was forced into helping the other three. He came to my office two days ago and confessed everything. He said that Bella and Mrs. Starr had it out for Emily ever since they found out that she was gaining more success than Bella, and in order to surpass her, they decided to just get rid of her. So, they went to Los Angeles and rigged the electric box of the venue to catch fire, burning down the building.”

“So it wasn’t an accident...”

I thought back to Emily’s nightmares. She always told me that she felt like something wasn’t right about the fire. She knew it wasn’t an accident, and she saw something that night....she just couldn’t remember what.

“No. Andersen also said that when he first found out about their plans to kill Emily he contacted her father, Jack Brighten, and has been an informant for him up until Jack's death.”

“Wait. So Jack knew about it. He knew who was behind it, yet he didn’t tell anyone. Why?”

“He didn’t have the proof he needed for it to stick in court, but now Andersen has brought forth the proof that he and Jack had uncovered. We have plenty to convict them and charge them with three counts of murder, along with many other charges. They’re being arrested as we speak”

I nodded slowly. So this was it. The real people behind it, right in front of our noses the whole time. They would finally be put away for what they did, but I didn’t feel like it was enough. If I had my way they would be put through much worse, and even that wouldn’t cover what they deserved.

“How long will it be until they go on trial?” I asked.

“I’m not sure. It could be months or even a year before they do. This is a very complex case that will take multiple days to go over, but I promise you they will be imprisoned for a very long time.”

“Thank you, for everything you’ve done” I said, reaching out to shake his hand.

“I’m just doing my job.” He replied with a smile. “I’ll be in touch and let you know when the first hearing will be”

*End Flashback*

The very public trial ended about a month ago. It took longer than expected because of some issues with their lawyers, but they ended up doing 25 years to life without parole.
The media was all over it and it had annoyed the hell out of me that they waited to bombard me with questions every time I entered or exited the building, but I managed to ignore them and carry on. The people responsible for taking everything from me finally got what they deserved and it gave me a little bit of closure, but not much.

I stayed for a while longer before finally deciding to leave. I stood up and said my goodbyes, then turned around to leave, only to be startled by Emily’s uncle. I jumped at his sudden appearance, wondering how long he had been standing there.

“Sean, you scared me” I said, holding my hand over my heart.

“Sorry. I stopped by the house, but you were gone so I figured you’d be here. I have to show you something, but you’ll have to trust me” he said.

I stared at him for a long while, wondering what he meant by that. What did he need to show me? It’s not like we have talked much since Emily’s death besides a small greeting at the funeral.

“It’s about Emily” he added when he saw the confusion in my face.

“What about Emily?” I asked, now more curious than ever.

“I can’t tell you...I have to show you, but we’ll need to go out of the country in order for me to do it”

“Go where?” I asked.

“Again, I can’t tell you. You’ll just have to trust me” he said.

It didn’t take me but a split second to decide. Whatever this thing he needed to show me was, it involved Emily and I needed to know what it was.

“Alright, let’s go”

Notes