Collide, Ignite

Reilly woke up for the second time on Friday to the sound of her doorbell ringing. Her eyes snapped open and she looked around her living room, confused. She didn't remember laying down on the couch in the first place, and had no idea what time it was. The doorbell rang again and she quickly jumped up and went to answer it.

She was further confused for just a moment when she opened the door and saw Niall standing in front of her. She blinked quickly to make sure she wasn't imagining him, and then it hit her. "Shit," she mumbled.

"Alright Dar- uh, Reilly?" he asked.

"Shit," she said again. "We have plans. You, Maisie, and me," she recalled out loud, bringing a hand up to her head and raking her fingers through her long hair.

A look of bewilderment crossed Niall's face. "Yes," he confirmed. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

Reilly shook her head. "No. Everything's fine. I'm fine." She could feel her face getting red and she wasn't sure why. "Maisie is upstairs sleeping. We were up early this morning and I told her she had to take a nap before we all went out since she wouldn't get one later. And then, I don't know, I guess I fell asleep on the couch, which means I didn't wake Maisie up and neither of us are ready," she rambled. "Shit. I'm so sorry," she apologized and then pulled the door open all the way so he could come in.

As he walked past her without his standard greeting of a hug and kiss on the cheek, her stomach sunk. It was a stupid thing to feel even the slightest bit upset about, but they hadn't talked since she'd left the pub on Wednesday, and she wasn't totally sure where they stood. There was a chance he was only there because he didn't want to break a promise to Maisie.

"It's alright Dar-" he cleared his throat. "No problem. I can go wake up the little one while you get ready, if you want. I'll even help her get ready, if she even needs it," he said.

She let out a small sigh of relief that he wasn't mad. "Thank you. You're a godsend," she said, motioning toward the stairs.

Niall started up the stairs before her, neither saying anything as they climbed and then walked down the hallway. They parted ways at the end, him quietly pushing open the door to Maisie's room while Reilly went into her own. Her heart was pounding as she closed the door behind her, face burning from the embarrassment of falling asleep and their plans slipping her mind. It wasn't like her forget things, but her thoughts had been chaotic, to say the least, since the blowout between Niall and Owen.

She quickly changed out of the leggings and oversized tshirt she'd been wearing since they'd gotten home and into a pair of jeans and a sweater and slipped her feet into a pair of boots that were suitable for winter weather. When she pulled open her bedroom door, she could hear the fan in the bathroom running. A peek into the hallway showed the light on, and she could hear Maisie talking excitedly to Niall.

Moments later, the little girl emerged from the bathroom and spotted Reilly immediately. "Reilly, look!" she exclaimed, hands closing around the long braids hanging over her shoulders. "Niall gave me princess braids. Just like Princess Anna in Frozen!"

A smile immediately stretched across Reilly's face. "Yes, he certainly did," she said, walking toward her sister. "And he did a wonderful job. You look just like her," Reilly said, pinching the tip of Maisie's nose.

Maisie giggled and returned Reilly's smile with a wide one of her own. "He can give you princess braids, too. And then we can be the same," she said, beaming with admiration as she stared up at her older sister.

Reilly's stomach somersaulted at the suggestion. "I doubt Niall wants to braid my hair, Maisie Baby," she said, eyes flicking up to Niall, who was leaning against the door frame.

He shrugged. "Don't mind, actually," he said, scratching the back of his head almost in a nervous manner. "I mean, unless you don't want-"

"See, Reilly," Maisie interrupted, clearly growing impatient, and also not wanting to miss the opportunity to match her big sister. "He wants to. He said so." She opened her mouth to protest, but the little girl grabbed onto her hand and began to pull on it. "Come on, he said he'll do it," she said again.

Eyes still on Niall, Reilly's expression twitched slightly. He caught it and nodded, flicking the bathroom light on once again and stepping back into it. Reilly allowed her sister to pull her into the bathroom, and Niall immediately went to work on her hair. Maisie sat on the edge of the bathtub and rambled away about all her favorite things about Princess Anna.

Reilly watched Niall in the mirror. His forehead scrunched in concentration while he expertly worked her hair into a simple braid. He finished one side and moved to start on the other. His fingers brushed the base of her neck gently as he gathered her hair, sending a shiver down her spine, and leaving her skin tingling in its wake.

When he was nearly finished with the second braid, he glanced up and met her gaze in the mirror. "What?" he asked. The crinkles in his forehead smoothed as his concentration broke, but he still continued to braid her hair while keeping his eyes trained on the mirror.

"Nothing," she said. "Just," she paused. "Where did you learn to do this?" she asked.

He chuckled, the laugh coming from deep down in his stomach. "Told ya I have a niece," he said, but it was more of a question than a statement. Reilly nodded. "She insists on having her hair played with sometimes. It's just something I guess I picked up," he said, tying the hairband around the end of Reilly's hair. "There you go. All done," he said as he turned around and scooped Maisie up so she could see. He pushed Reilly's braids over her shoulders. "What d'ya think, Little One? How's she look?" he asked.

Maisie looked at her sister in the mirror for a long moment. "She's perfect!" she exclaimed finally, throwing her arms around Niall's neck happily.

"Couldn't agree with you more," he said, catching Reilly's gaze in the mirror again. He was only able to hold it for a moment before she turned and started out of the bathroom, fire blazing in her cheeks. "Guess she's ready to go," he said to Maisie, who nodded enthusiastically. "Let's go then."

When they got downstairs, Reilly was standing by the front door, coat on and purse slung over her shoulder. Niall put Maisie down and helped her into her jacket before picking her up once again. After a brief discussion of how they would be getting to wherever they were going, Reilly handed her keys over to Niall on the idea that taking her car would be easier considering Maisie's car seat.

With no help at all, Niall got Maisie securely strapped in and they were off. Maisie kept the air light, and talked animatedly the whole drive about anything that came to her mind. At times she got distracted by something outside the car and would quickly change subjects, making it slightly difficult to keep up with what she was saying, but neither of the adults seemed to mind. Niall made a point of acknowledging Maisie, while Reilly mostly just listened, observing the way the two were interacting.

Her heart swelled with joy at how happy Maisie was to be around Niall, how in such a short time she had grown so fond of him. Nothing made her happier than seeing her little sister so happy to be around a person. And truth be told, Niall seemed just as taken with the little girl as she was with him. But there was also the concern that perhaps she would get too attached to him, and the idea made Reilly's heart ache a little.

Before she knew, Niall was parking the car. "Ya hungry, Little One?" he asked, twisting in his seat to look at the little girl. She nodded fervently, and responded with an equally enthusiastic 'YEAH!', which earned a laugh from both Niall and Reilly. "Alright then, let's go get some food," he said as he unbuckled his seat belt.

Maisie refused to walk, wanting Niall to carry her instead. He happily obliged even though she was probably too old for it, and Reilly fell into step next to him. Her hands were buried in the pockets of her coat but not because she was cold. She did want to run the risk of her hand brushing against his and feeling the urge to hold his hand, just like they used to. No matter what she tried to tell herself, she couldn't deny there were times she felt twinges of the past.

Inside the restaurant, Niall let Maisie choose where they would sit. She picked a table next to the window because she liked to watch people. And even being January in London on a Friday, there were quite a few people out and about. He helped her out of her coat and hung it on the back of her chair.

"I want you to sit next to me," she said as he took off his own jacket.

He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "Wouldn't have it any other way, Little Darlin'," he said as he sat down in the chair next to her.

Reilly's heart skipped at the variation of the nickname he used. Hearing him call her little sister by that name made her insides twist. It wasn't lost on her that he' had stopped himself from calling her that twice earlier, and she'd tried not let it bother her. It was stupid but he'd called her that since day one, and it almost hurt that he was stopping himself now. No, it did hurt.

It hurt because she'd always taken comfort in it. She'd come to understand that how you call a person says something about what they mean to you. It's not just the word or the name they use, but the inflection in their tone. But with Niall, it had always been both. Since the very first time he'd said it that morning she'd been so hungover it felt like something she could crawl into and make a home out of. And what hurt even more than him stopping himself from saying it was the knowledge that she had made it this way.

She tried to quickly bury the pain, putting it off as just a fluke, emotions still running high after diffusing whatever had ignited at Liam's house the other night. It was out of line to feel that way when she had someone. A fiance. Owen.

"Why're you makin' that face?" Maisie's sweet voice broke through Reilly's thoughts.

She shook her head the slightest bit, as if it would shake the thoughts loose from her brain. "What face?" she asked.

"The one where your face goes all scrunchy like," Maisie put her tiny hands to her face and used her fingers to pull the skin on her forehead down, and her thumbs to pull her cheeks toward her nose. Her mouth pulled into a tight pout. She released it after a just a second of holding it that way. "When you're thinking too much," she said.

Niall didn't even attempt to stop the roar of laughter that came from deep inside his belly. "From the mouths of babes," he chuckled, and slapped his knee.

Reilly pulled her eyebrows together and set her mouth in a straight line to give her sister a playful glare. "I'm not making that face," she said.

"Yes, you totally were," Niall said, a grin taking over his whole face. Maisie cocked her head to the side and gave a look that told Reilly to stop kidding herself. How a four year old could pick up on some of the things Maisie did was completely beyond Reilly.

"Is it 'cause what Owen said last night?" Maisie asked. Her angelic face twisted with concern and Reilly's heart dropped straight into her stomach. She didn't know her sister had heard their conversation.

Niall looked back and forth quickly between the two girls. "What'd Owen say?" he asked, his face flickering with the same concern Maisie's was.

"Nothing," Reilly said quickly. "It's not important."

But the little girl wasn't about to let it go that easily. She turned to look at Niall. "He said that me and her shouldn't go with you today," she said.

Niall's jaw went slack. He flicked his eyes over Reilly, who gave a heavy sigh. "That true?" he asked. His fist clenched momentarily and then he relaxed his hand, an action he repeated several times, waiting for the silence to break. "Hmm?" he prompted.

"Yes," Reilly conceded. "But I took care of it." She fixed her eyes on her little sister. "You were supposed to be sleeping, Little One," she said, and the little girl just shrugged. She turned her glance to Niall. "Really. It's fine," she insisted.

By his body language he didn't seem convinced, but the look he wore on his face said they would talk about it later. Reilly silently agreed, though she would rather just drop it entirely. And she wished more than anything that Maisie hadn't said anything. At the same time, though, she couldn't blame the child for being curious about what she'd heard.

Lunch moved on, thanks to Maisie's constant chattering about anything and everything. She kept the air between Reilly and Niall from getting too thick, easily incorporating both of them into conversations with her and with each other. Miraculously, she didn't bring up Owen again, like she sensed it was a sore subject with Niall and didn't want to upset him.

When they finished eating, they walked with Maisie holding one of Reilly's hands and one of Niall's hands a few blocks until they reached a small theatre. When Niall asked for three tickets, Reilly objected, much like she had when he paid for lunch for all three of them. But he was having none of it, insisting that he was treating both girls to a day out. Maisie tugged on Reilly's hand when she continued to argue, and finally she dropped it at the little girl's insistence.

It was mostly empty inside. On a small handful of people were scattered through the theatre when they walked in. Maisie chose a row near the middle of the room, and asked if she could sit with Niall. He agreed enthusiastically before Reilly could tell her that she was too old to be sitting on his lap and needed to sit in her own seat.

As they settled into their seats with Reilly to the left of Maisie and Niall, he appeared to be relaxed. His face lit up every time Maisie twisted around to say something to him, but Reilly could feel the tension he was carrying. It was slight, but still noticeable, and it made her stomach ache, made her long for the days when they were teenagers and being around each other was easy. When their friendship didn't feel like something they had to work so hard at.

All she wanted to get back to that. For him to be that same carefree boy he was before she slowly started to ruin him. He could try to deny it all he wanted, but she knew she had. She knew the moment he asked to help carry her burden that he would never be the same. Every time she looked at him now, it was all she could see. Sure, he still gave off a buoyant impression, but the weight of the things Reilly had entrusted to him, both five years ago and a mere five, ten days ago, was heavy on his shoulders, on his heart. Maisie, though, seemed to lift some of that burden from him. And from herself.

The curtain went up to reveal the set of a puppet show and Reilly's heart swelled at how much thought Niall had obviously put into this outing. He had chosen a place for lunch that Maisie was sure to like, and then found a child-friendly way to spend the afternoon indoors, away from the biting January air. She reminded herself that he had a niece and a nephew, but that still wasn't enough to change the way she was feeling.

She tried to keep her eyes on the stage, but every so often she glanced over at Niall and Maisie out of the corner of her eye. And each time she did, she watched them for a little longer than before. He was so natural with her, the way he would lean forward and whisper something to her, or catch the end of one of her braids in his fingers. And there was no way to describe the smile on his face when Maisie would look up at him, all big eyes and tiny teeth, like he could light up the sky.

When she realized she'd been spending more time watching her companions than the show that was being put on, she turned her eyes back toward the stage and leaned back in her seat. But that was only a comfortable position for only a few minutes. Using the armrest between her and Niall, she pushed herself into a straighter position, leaving her arm on the perch. It wasn't long before Niall's arm bumped against hers, and just for a moment she thought he might leave it there. Thought his hand might cover hers, or his fingers might find their way in between her own. But he quickly allowed him arm to slip off the armrest and wrapped it around the little girl on his lap. She leaned back against him, looking up at him with her bright blue eyes that matched his almost exactly, and he leaned his head down to place a kiss where her forehead met her hairline.

They sat like that for the rest of the show. Maisie looked like she was about to fall asleep when the curtain came down at the end of the show, but the minute they were outside and walking back to the car, she was bubbling with energy again. She was jibbering nonstop to Niall about the show. Reilly walked silently behind them back to the car, reaching forward to hand her keys to Niall as they approached it. She felt like she needed to say something, but didn't know what. Even if she did have some kind of idea, it wasn't like she could get a word in edgewise.

It was probably for the best, though. Because what could she possibly say? Her mind was racing with so many thoughts that it almost felt empty. Her heart was pounding at a rate much faster than normal. Her legs felt a little like jello, barely supporting her weight, though that was likely due to the dance class she and Maisie had been at that morning and still being out of shape. Nothing was making a whole lot of sense.

Reilly leaned against the car while Niall strapped Maisie into her car seat. When he pulled his upper body from the car, she heard him say something sounded like he was telling the little girl she would have to ask Reilly about something, but it was all very muffled and vague. He looked carefully at Reilly for a long moment after he shut the door, but didn't seem to know what to say to her either. That, in and of itself, was strange. Niall had always known what to say and when to say it.

"You didn't have to do all this," she said finally. The words came out so softly she wasn't sure the wind wouldn't carry them away before they reached his ears. But that didn't seem to be the case.

"I know I didn't have to," he replied. "Wanted to, though. She's a sweet child, well-behaved. Filled with love and light. Don't think she gets to share it with people all the time."

Reilly's eyebrows pulled together as Niall put into words a vibe she'd been picking up since shortly after Maisie had arrived. "Her dad hasn't called once since she's been here. Neither has her mother. They usually call to check on her every couple of days." She could feel the tears creeping into her eyes and shrugged. "I don't know how to ask her if everything is okay. Would she even be able to answer something like that?" she asked.

Niall exhaled a long, slow sigh almost hesitantly and reached out. His hand closed gently around Reilly's arm, but instead of pulling her to him, he took a step toward her. It was the first time all day he'd intentionally touched her. Warmth slowly moved through her when his arms enveloped her. She slid her arms around his middle and pressed the side of her face to his chest. She feel his heart beating as fast as hers and found it strangely comforting that he was feeling the same way she was.

He kissed the side of her head and took a step backward. She didn't want to let him go so quickly, but still let her arms fall to her sides for a moment before crossing them over her chest. There was a hint of sadness in his eyes as they caught her gaze, and she wondered what he could see in hers. Another sigh escaped him.

"Just talk to her," he said. "She's a smart girl, just like her sister. She knows what she's feeling. And she trusts you. Clearly thinks the world of you. She'll tell you if something's not right." He didn't wait around for her to respond to his assurance as he moved past her to walk to the opposite side of the car. She nodded anyway, more to herself than anything and then pulled open the passenger side door.

The second she was in the car, Maisie bombarded her with a question. "Can we go to Niall's house?" she inquired. "He said to ask you."

Reilly stole a quick glance at Niall as he settled into the driver's seat and then twisted around to look at Maisie. "I doubt he wants us bothering him all day, Baby," she said.

"Don't really mind," he said before she could go on. Reilly closed her eyes for a long moment, long enough for Niall to sense her reluctance. "Or, if you have things to do, me and the Little One can drop you off, and I can bring her home later," he said.

She opened her eyes and looked over at him. He checked the mirrors carefully before pulling out into the street. "You don't have to do this," she said quietly, hoping it was quiet enough that Maisie wouldn't hear.

"I know. But I like the company. And besides," he said, glancing at Maisie in the rearview mirror, "I know someone wanted to have ice cream, which we haven't done yet." Maisie's face lit up and she started jabbering excitedly once again. Niall glanced over at Reilly with a grin stretched across his face. "What d'ya say?" he asked.

Reilly turned around once again to look at her sister. "You want to spend the rest of the afternoon with Niall?" she asked. The little girl nodded excitedly. Reilly lifted her shoulders and held them there for a moment before they dropped again. "Okay," she agreed, turning to face forward again. "Yeah, just drop me off at home, I guess."

"Ya sure, Darlin'?" he asked before he could catch himself. His expression dropped as soon as he realized what he'd said, causing Reilly's stomach to twist into knots once again.

She turned her head to look out the window as he drove along, not answering for quite some time. "Yeah," she said finally, her voice soft. She was speaking more to herself than to him, anyway. She didn't know if she could handle much more of the tiptoeing around each other they were doing. "I'm sure."