Heaven is a Place on Earth with You

"So, aren't your parents worried about you?" Aubrey ran her hands through the tiny grains of sand, letting the ocean's melody calm her pounding heart. She knew he would ask about what had happened at some point but she still didn't want to address it.

Shrugging, Audrey looked up at him, smiling as the sun reflected off the water. Austin sat there, looking flawless with his sunglasses, gray tanktop, and black skinny jeans. April was still pretty cold, even in California, so the attire was appropriate. Down the beach a little ways was a young couple, holding hands and splashing each other with the water, laughing and flirting as they did. On the other side was a family, all the toddler-aged children having a ton of fun with each other. It was a serene moment. His words, though, abruptly ended that peace and calmness inside her. "I'm sure they don't even know I'm gone yet. I was supposed to spend the night at my friends house and, knowing them, they probably assumed I was hooking up with someone and didn't want to blow my cover."

His eyebrows raised, in shock, at her words. Was she implying that she slept around or that her friends wanted her to? Knowing how the girl acted, it was most-likely the latter. Taking out his cell, he offered it to her. "Why don't you call your friends or family or something and at least let them know you are okay?" Aubrey hesitated for a moment before taking the phone, standing up slowly, wincing as her head started pounding like a hammer, her ribs aching in protest. After she got over the initial dizziness, she headed down the beach, feeling Austin's gaze on her as she dialed her sister's number.

"Where the hell have you been?" Ellie growled, her voice a mixture of anger and worry. Her sister was the type to freak out if you were ten minutes late or if your pants had wrinkles in them, so her reaction was to be expected. "El, I'm fine. I met up with some friends last night and decided to spend the night at their house." Audrey hated lying to her sister, but it killed her even more to know that she would have to lie to Austin.

"Get your ass back here right now. I was about to call the cops. Mom and dad don't know this, and if you don't want to get killed or grounded, you better get back soon," she threatened menacingly before hanging up the phone. "Love you too sis," the girl muttered cynically before heading back to where Austin was sitting. The time she had had with him was absolutely amazing but this was only a temporary bliss.

Aubrey wrapped her arms across her chest, sighing as Austin frowned, seeing her expression. "I have to go home. My sister has been worried." His heart sank slightly at the words. There was something about her that captivated him, and he didn't want to lose her just yet, but he didn't have a choice. He had one absolutely perfect day with her, and it was probably the only one he would ever get. "At least let me drop you off and make sure you're okay."

As much as she wanted to disagree, she gave in. He didn't seem like the type to give up so easily and she was took exhausted and in too much pain to fight anymore. Dread filled her body as she let him take her hand, leading her to the street so they could catch a cab as the other guys had taken the bus to go to some club or tourist spot of some sort. Austin and Aubrey hadn't really paid enough attention to know which it was. They climbed in, Aubrey giving instructions to get to her house before sitting back, avoiding his eyes as she bit her lip nervously, feeling sick to her stomach. She couldn't go back there, couldn't go back to that hell hole. The girl didn't have a choice though. She never had one.

They pulled up in front of the picture-perfect house, the white picket fence framing the small garden that Aubrey's mother had planted, leading up to the stone walkways and welcome mats. The sky-blue house was trimmed in white trimming, flowers hanging from the porch ceiling. As they reached the door, Aubrey took a deep breath, bracing herself for what was to come.

Opening the door, she stepped in, the wind knocked out of her as her older, nineteen year old sister pulled her in, gasping at her appearance, not noticing the tattooed boy behind her. "What the hell happened to you? Are you okay? Do I need to call the cops?" The red head rambled on, already grabbing a phone before Aubrey took it. "I'm fine Ellie. I got in a fight with some girl who was being a bitch. It's not a big deal."

It was at this moment that Ellie looked past her seventeen year old sister to find her gaze locked on the man behind her. "Oh, um, this is Austin Carlile. He found me. He's the lead singer for Of Mice & Men." Ellie raised her eyebrows, finding distaste in all the ink stained in his skin. "Thanks for taking care of her but I've got it from here so you can go," Ellie replied coldly, turning her attention from him to the hurting girl in front of her.

"We should probably get dad to look at you. You should have been taken to the hospital last night." Even though Ellie wasn't talking directly to Austin, he knew it was directed at him. She had a point but it still pissed him off. He smiled softly as he met Audrey's gaze. "I better go but thank you for letting me help."

Audrey moved out of her sister's arm reach and embraced the boy lightly, feeling her breathing quicken as she felt him lean down to wrap his arms around her, holding the girl softly to his chest. River never wanted it to end but knew it had to at some point. "What do we have here?"

River immediately moved back from Austin, biting her lip as she looked down, hearing her brother walk down the stairs to the entryway. "Someone was busy." Austin tensed up, seeing the blonde run his hands through his spiked hair before moving over to his sister. Seeing Audrey so tense and scared killed him. He just wanted to bash the kids brains in.

"Dylan, this is Austin. He, uh, he-" The boy rolled his eyes at her. "Spit it out." Audrey's throat closed slightly. "He found me after I got in a fight and helped me." Dylan shrugged, looking unimpressed. "I've got to meet up with the guys." He pushed past her, ignoring her flinch as he left the door. Gripping his hands with his hair for a moment, Austin worked on calming down, his body shaking in anger as he thought about what an asshole Dylan was to Audrey.

Turning his attention to the girl when he got his anger in control, he sighed. "Are you going to be okay here?" She nodded once, avoiding his gaze. "I'm going to go clean up but thank you again Austin." He smiled softly, kissing her forehead before leaving the house, trying to hum some of the band's songs in his head so he wouldn't be tempted to go after the douchebag that hurt River.