Over Again

**Marie's POV**

After a day, I was allowed back home with my baby. Harry had insisted that he was coming back to my flat. Naturally, he had bought the boys as well. Louis was great with James. He loved kids and babies.

All of the boys were inside, fussing over the baby. I decided to get some quiet. The flat I owned was on the top floor of a building. It was only three stories high, so it wasn't incredibly high off the ground. It had a little balcony that I could furnish with atable and a couple of chairs or a sun lounger in the summer. It had enough room on there. I walked through the door and sat on the concrete. I crossed my legs and held onto the bars that surrounded the balcony, looking out across the city of Glasgow. I breathed in the air and closed my eyes, savouring the peace. The door opened again, and when I looked up, I saw Niall leaning on the railing with a pint in his hand. He looked down and saw me, then sat cross legged next to me. I took my hands off the bars and placed them in my lap. There were a few moments silence when I decided to talk to him.

"I named him after you, you know," I said. I turned to look at him and saw the look on his face. "The baby. Niall James Horan," I pointed out, putting emphasis on the James.

"That's a nice thing of you to do," he replied, staring up at the sky to stare at the stars. I sighed. "What's wrong?"

"You hate me, don't you?" I whispered. He placed his arm around my shoulder and I nestled into his chest just like I had done before.

"I could never hate you. You're you. Everyone makes mistakes. We're only human," he soothed.

"But what I did was unforgivable," I
stated.

"I forgive you. That has to mean something... Right?"

I nodded and he gave me a little squeeze before taking another sip of his beer.

"You and Harry back together now then?" Niall asked.

"I honesty don't know what's happening."

"Well, you love him don't you?"

Tears welled in my eyes and I bit down on my lip. I began to sob into Niall's chest.

"Yeah but I shouldn't! I should love you! That should be your baby in there! I'm a whore for doing what I did. I'm a coward for running away and I'm an utter cow for still loving Harry," I wept.

"You're not a whore, you just made a mistake when you couldn't think for yourself. You're not a coward, you just didn't want to hurt yourself, Harry or me or cause any more trouble than had already been caused and you're not a cow. You're human and the heart wants what the heart wants," Niall comforted, stroking my hair. "Anyway, Harry loves you, too."

"But, Nialler , what about us and what we had?"

"Did it mean something to you?"

"Every second of it."

"Then we cherish what we had and the love we shared for the time it happened."

"Niall?"

"Yeah?"

"You'll always be the best thing that ever happened to me."

"And you, princess."

There were a few minutes silence where Niall sat with his arm around me sipping his beer. I sat curled up to him staring at the city lights. I sighed.

"Harry asked me to marry him..." I admitted.

"What are you going to say?" Niall asked. He seemed interested, but there was no jealously about it.

"I don't know. Part of me says yes but the other just says that I can't do it."

"Follow your heart, princess. No one else can decide what to do apart from you," Niall said. He gave me a squeeze and stood. "I'm going to go back in. Are you coming?"

"In a bit."

"Okay," he said, as he walked through the door and closed it behind him.

I stood up and leaned my arms against the railings. I looked down at the ground about twenty five feet below me then back up at the buildings. Was it really only this time last year that Harry and I were all loved up and living together, playing badminton on the courts in our garden? And was it really only nine months ago that I was happy and with Niall, but then made that terrible mistake? Time had gone by too fast.

And what about Harry's marriage proposal? What could I possibly say about that? If I said yes I'd be so happy.... But we hadn't seen each other in months and it had been about ten months ago that we split up. The press attention would be an uproar and the fans would go into a frenzy. I'd be known as the slut who dated Harry, dated Niall, then married Harry, as well as having Harry's baby when it was conceived when I was in a relationship with Niall! God.... My life is just too confusing.

If I said no, Harry would still want a part in James' life, and I wouldn't be within my rights to deny him of that. It's his baby, and he'll love him as much as I do. There'd be just as much hate if we announced we were together anyway.... Unless we pretended we were in a secret, long distance relationship for so many months, and the baby is his and I didn't cheat on Niall.... No, that's just absurd. There's no point in trying to cover up the mistakes I've made. I made them, it's my responsibility to face them.

The door to the balcony opened once again and Harry came and stood next to me.

"How're you doing out here?" He asked, slipping an arm around me.

"Harry, you may have been there by chance to help deliver the baby, but why did you propose to me in the hospital?" I sighed, taking my eyes away from the city and meeting Harry's eyes that were looking down at me, sparkling.

"Because I love you...and you told me yourself that you still loved me-"

"And that makes everything perfect?" I saw hurt ebb into his eyes. I sighed. "Harry, I do love you... But-"

"But what?" Harry asked.

"I'm scared," I whispered.

Harry gently spun me around and grasped my hands protectively and tightly in his own. He looked into my eyes and just made me melt and feel so secure.

"I will never hurt you ever again. We have a beautiful baby boy in there. I love him and I love you, too. I want to keep you and James well within my reach. I want to keep you safe and happy and I want to secure a future for our boy. I want to wake up with my arm around you to our little boy jumping up and down at the bottom of our bed. I want to go to sleep on Christmas Eve and be woken up the earliest I've ever been woken to the screams of 'Santa's been!'," I giggled and looked down when Harry said this. He took my cheek in his hand and got my eyes to lock with his. "I want us to be there for his first football match, cheering him on, and running up to him and picking him up when he finishes all covered in mud from head to foot. I want to be there when he loses his first tooth, starts primary and high school and all those other precious childhood memories. Most of all, I want to do them all with you. You in my arms with a smile on your face. You I want to be with until the day we die."

I smiled and imagined all of the amazing times we could have. I looked back at Harry and saw he was still staring down at me with sincere eyes.

"So now..." He dropped my hands and fumbled in his pocket. He pulled something out and knelt down on one knee and my hands jumped to my face, cradling my cheeks and covering my mouth in happy shock. Tears began to well in my eyes. "I was just wondering if you'd answer my question... Will you make the happiest man alive and become my wife?"

The tears of joy dripped down my cheeks. I nodded, too happy for words. I didn't know why I was so overwhelmed this time... I guessed it was because of all of the realisation of my love for him, and that my baby boy was metres away playing with all his uncles. I also guessed it was because I knew I could trust him and I didn't have to be scared anymore, because he was mine. He took my hand and slid the beautiful silver ring with the small diamond onto my finger and stood up. I flung my arms around his neck and he held me tightly with his giant protective hands on my back. I pulled away from hugging him and placed my lips softly on his. My one hand rested on the back of his neck and my other on his chest. He slid his one arm further around my waist to draw me closer, and his other hand held min me to his heart.

I felt the heart beats of his strong heart beneath my fingers. I smiled into the kiss and drew back, resting my head on his chest, looking back at the city of Glasgow. He wrapped his arms around me so that his right hand was on my left shoulder, and vice versa. My arms still locked around his neck.

"Everything is going to be perfect now, Marie... You watch... It'll be just perfect," Harry cooed, rubbing my shoulder with his thumb. I nestled my head further into his chest, as that's how I wanted everything to stay.

**Harry's POV**

I held her tightly, never wanting to let go. My life was finally falling into place.

"Marie?"

Marie pulled away from me and looked towards the door. Louis was standing there.

"James started crying. I think he wants his mummy."

"I'll go feed and change him," she said, walking past Louis and into the flat.

I made to follow her but Louis put his arm out and pushed me back gently before shutting the door again. I stared at him, puzzled. Louis looked me in the eye, sternly.

"Have you told her yet?" He asked expectantly.

"Told her what?"

"The Australian strip club," Louis said bluntly. My eyes widened at the memory.

"No. That was weeks ago. But now I have a beautiful baby boy and a fiancée. I'm not ruining that."

"She has a right to know. You slept with an Australian stripper that aborted your baby as soon as she found out she was pregnant," Louis fumed.

"Louis, finding out that that woman aborted a child of mine is the worst thing ever. She never confronted me about it. She just called me one day about two months later saying 'oh hi. It's that stripper you slept with a few weeks ago. Yeah, you got me pregnant but I've aborted the baby. Hope you don't mind,' and hung up on me! I shut myself in a hotel room for a week after finding that out, or don't you remember?"

"She needs to know about it!" Louis pressed.

"Lou, I was drunk. I was upset about Marie. It was four months ago and there's obviously no baby anymore because of her."

"Is there something wrong with you? Why do you never use protection when you're drunk?"

"I don't think, Louis! I can't think straight and I just get caught up in it! Everyone's the same!"

"Well I've been pretty bladdered and still remembered to put a condom on before I did anything with Eleanor," Louis crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I don't regret not using one with Marie. I have the most amazing little boy in there. He wouldn't be there if I had."

"Do you regret the stripper?"

"Of course I do. But I won't tell Marie. She's scared and worried enough. Maybe in a few years but now? No. It was my problem."

"You have no regret for James and completely ruining Niall and Marie's relationship?"

Louis had me thinking then.

"I regret hurting them in the way I did. I never, ever meant for that to happen. I don't regret my son."

I made to turn for the balcony doors when Louis spoke again.

"Marie loves that baby with all her heart but you can tell she regrets what she did," he announced. I turned slowly to look at him.

"Well yeah, it hurt her and Niall and she was confused and scared but she doesn't regret having my baby."

"Like I said... She loves him but I think there is regret there, just hiding," why was he so adamant to ruin things?

"And what makes you think that?"

"You not made the link yet?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "James Styles. Niall James Horan.... She named him that for a reason, and I think Niall's that reason."

"But she loves me..." I whispered, looking over the balcony.

"I don't doubt that she loves you. But I just think that there is guilt and regret there. Stop thinking your life is all rainbows and sunshine now Harry, because there's a lot more trouble down the road... You're just too smitten to see that."

Louis finished and walked past me and back into the flat. I stood in thought with a thousand questions running around my head. Louis had made me feel so guilty. I know that wasn't his plan, he just wanted me to be honest and come clean... But it hadn't worked out that way. I didn't want to hurt Marie any more, or cause any more problems than I already had. That stripper was being kept a secret to me. Me and Louis. No one else. That was final.

I walked into Marie's flat and found the boys sitting on the sofas watching a film. From the look of it, it had no interest for me. I turned and knocked on the bedroom door. I opened it and found Marie feeding James as she held him in her arms. She looked up while I shut the door and came to sit next to her on the bed. I placed my arm around her and rested my hand on her other shoulder that was bare from feeding James. I looked down and watched the perfect baby feed. I found Marie was watching me watch James.

"You really love him don't you?" She asked, gesturing the child in her arms.

"He is perfect. He's ours," I whispered, kissing her on the cheek.

James suddenly stopped feeding. Marie picked him up and placed him over her shoulder, supporting him with her one arm. I picked him up out of her arms to allow her to fix her top. I placed him over my shoulder and rubbed his back in small gentle circles until he gave a tiny little burp.

"You're a good dad," Marie smiled.

"You're an amazing mum," I winked back at her. She took the baby in her arms and walked over to the door.

"There's a little room next door. I turned it into a nursery for him. He'll sleep in there," she announced. She took James in and a few minutes later, appeared back in her room. She sat next to me and I pulled her into my chest, hugging her.

"You do love me, don't you?" I asked, worried after what Louis had said.

"I might not say it often enough but yes I do. I love you so much that running away when I did was just the easiest option even though I felt like I would die if I left you."

"Good. You know that even if I do the stupid things I know I have done in the past that I love you, no matter what mistakes I make, right?"

"Well I'd prefer if you didn't make those mistakes that you made a year ago, but I know. And I know I can overreact, but that's just because I love you. Feel special when I get jealous and protective, because it's when I stop caring that you have to worry," she said. I looked into her eyes and had never felt more in love with her.

I leaned down and kissed her lips. She held my cheeks in both of her hands. I cherished the moment before she stood up and grasped my hand. We walked out into the living area and sat on the floor in front of the sofa that Louis, Zayn and Liam were sitting on. She curled up to me as she watched the movie that was on the television. I payed no attention to it because I was so caught up in how Marie was finally mine again and how beautiful she was and how perfect our son was.