On the Run

In the back of his mind, Louis knew he should be facing forward. He should’ve kept his eyes focused on the judge, or the bailiff, or anyone in between, but he couldn’t.

His eyes refused to move away from the crowd. The moment they met Caroline’s he couldn’t take them away, and he wanted to keep them there for the duration of the sentencing. He didn’t know how long it would be before he got to see those beautiful eyes again. They were soft and kind, and they gave him hope, even though the courtroom was no place for it.

The way she looked at him was indescribable, because it was a combination of far too many things. She loved him – he knew that – and her eyes told him over and over. She was disappointed and he could tell it from the way that she bit her lip. Most of all, he knew that she was scared, far more scared than he would ever be.

Her eyes said it, practically shouted it. She was terrified of what would become of him and of them. He’d seen that look in her only a few times before, the most recent being the worst and the one that changed it all.

Her eyes were focused on him, practically pleading with him not to go. He wanted to stay with her forever. He wanted to lay back down and hold her like he had all night, but he couldn’t.

He had other places he had to be.

“What is it, Louis?” Caroline said, her eyes begging him to tell her the answer. “What is it about this job that’s so different?”

His breath caught in his throat. From the very first moment he’d kissed Caroline, he had made a vow to himself that he would never get her caught up in his life. Telling her all of his worries would only make her worry too. What she didn’t know couldn’t hurt her, and he was determined to never hurt Caroline.

Up until that moment, he’d done a far better job protecting Caroline than he ever had Rory. He’d wanted to keep her from his life too, but she was his sister, so it proved to be a much more difficult task.

While he was able to tell Caroline the bare minimum – that he’d been recruited to join The Viche after his father died – he couldn’t keep Rory from knowing all the grisly details. She’d seen him with blood on his hands and bullets in chest. She’d seen it so many times she had become numb to it.

He never wanted that to happen to Caroline. He never wanted her to see him hurt so many times that it no longer fazed her. He didn’t want her to have to pull so many bullets from his body that she kept a first aid kit by her bedside. He didn’t want her to know exactly where he went at night and why he came home so early in the morning. He wanted to protect Caroline the way he wasn’t able to protect Rory.

The only thing he'd been able to do for Rory was keep everyone away from her. He’d made sure of that with his countless threats and harsh words. He’d made sure no one would touch his baby sister and that no one could ever hurt, but he hadn’t been able to keep her from the pain he’d caused himself.

The way Caroline looked at him at that moment made him wonder how long he’d be able to keep it up. He wondered how long he'd be able to do for her what he couldn't do for Rory. He wondered how long he could keep her hidden from his world.

“Car,” he said, turning back to her as he slipped on his jeans. “There are just some things that you can’t know. Trust me, babe. It’s better if you don’t.”

From her place on the bed, she let out a deep sigh, defeat leaving her body with every breath. The worst parts of him wanted to tell her just so he could get it off his chest, but the part of him that wanted to keep her safe was even stronger.

Taking slow, short steps, he made his way over to the bed. It sank in as he sat with his legs hung over. His hand moved to Caroline’s, gripping it as tightly as he could. He leaned slowly forward until his forehead connected with hers. His eyes locked with hers and he stayed that way for as long as he could. He wanted to be next to her until the very last minute, until the very last second before their lives changed forever.

“If I’m not back by tonight, by 10PM, there’s a suitcase underneath the sofa. There’s some money inside. It’s not a lot, but it’s enough. If I’m not back by nightfall, I want you and Rory to head over to Salt Lake City. Get the nicest room in the nicest hotel you can find and stay there until I tell you otherwise.”

That was when he saw that look. That broken look that said all the terrified words that would never leave her lips. It was then that he knew he hadn’t done half as good a job at keeping her safe as he had hoped.

His attention was brought back to the room by the sound of the judge hitting the gavel against his wooden podium. He didn’t want to, but Louis knew he would have to pull his eyes away from Caroline’s so he could meet his fate. They moved past her, landing momentarily on his sister, who was sitting directly next to her. The dark haired girl held tightly onto his girlfriend’s hand. Rory was always there for Caroline when he wasn’t able to be. She’d have to be because now, thanks to him, they would only have each other.

From atop his podium, the judge began speaking. “Due to the gruesome nature of these crimes, and each party’s separate but equal interest in them, I have no choice but to give the maximum penalties. In the case of Niall Horan against the city of Las Vegas, I sentence you to 40 years in maximum security prison without the possibility of parole. For the cases of Harry Styles and Liam Payne against the city of Las Vegas, I sentence the both of you to 60 years in maximum security prison without the possibility of parole. In the cases of Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson against the city of Las Vegas, I sentence the both of you to life in prison without the possibility of parole.”

The moment the judge spoke those words and finalized it with the smashing of his gavel against wood, an audible cry came out from the crowd. Turning fully around, Louis was met with the sight of Caroline’s face pressed against Rory’s shoulder. His sister was running her hands through Caroline’s hair in a feeble attempt to comfort her. A flood of tears fell down Rory’s face, but no sobs escaped her lips.

Louis knew with more certainty than he’d known anything before that in those few moments, with those many, many mistakes he had made, that he’d not only ruined his life, but also the lives of the two people he loved the most.

There would be no one to protect Rory from the people who would come looking for him. There would be no one to hold Caroline when she couldn’t sleep because she was worrying about him. There would be no one to take his place, no one to defend them, no one to help them, and no one to tell them that everything would be okay, because it wasn’t going to be anymore.