Collide, Ignite

"I had no idea you were dancin' again," Niall said when Reilly and Maisie finally made their way over to him after their dance class ended. It was the last one they would be doing together, as Maisie was leaving the very next day. And since Niall had requested to see Maisie again before she left, Reilly had texted Niall the night before and asked if he would like to meet up with them in the morning. She didn't give him any details, other than where to go and a window of time in which to be there.

Reilly nodded, swallowing the gulp of water she had taken as they were approaching. "Yeah. Three times a week since Maisie has been here," she said. "It was all her idea, actually."

Niall looked over at Maisie and then leaned down to swoop her up. Her arms immediately encircled his neck and he rose to his full height. "Is that so?" he asked, and the little girl nodded. "You're gettin' your big sister to do the things she loves again. That's wonderful," he said.

Maisie beamed at him. "She's real good, huh?" she said to Niall.

"She is," he agreed. "You're quite good as well, Little One," he told her.

If it was possible, Maisie's eyes shined even brighter at him. "She showed me some pictures from when she used to dance and she said it was fun and so I wanted to try it too and I knew she would want to. My daddy and mommy don't let me do stuff like that at home. They say there isn't any time for it. Oh! And have you seen how pretty Reilly's mommy is?" she rambled.

Niall grinned at her. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I have seen photos of Reilly and her mother when she was younger. Her mother was quite beautiful, you're right. Don't you think she looks a bit like her?" he asked, and Maisie nodded quickly. Niall glanced over at Reilly and saw her cheeks tinting, her eyes slightly misty with a mixture of sorrow and joy. He winked at her and the blush only deepened, which made his mouth stretch into a grin. "Do you lovely ladies have any plans for the day?" he asked, turning his attention back to Maisie. She only shrugged at him. "Can I treat the two of you to some breakfast?"

"Yes! Breakfast!" the little girl exclaimed excitedly. Niall let out a laugh that came from way down in his stomach, the kind of laugh Reilly had not heard from him in several years. "Reilly can we go get breakfast? Please, please, please. I'm so hungry," she begged.

A smile broke across Reilly's face. Even if Maisie hadn't been begging, she would have said yes. "Sure, Little One," she said. "Should we go home and change first? And then we can all three go together in one car?" she suggested.

"Sounds like a plan," Niall agreed.

And so the three of them headed out of dance studio. Niall got Maisie strapped into her car seat and then shut the door. Reilly was still standing outside of the car watching Niall closely. He raised his eyebrows at her as if to ask a question. She smiled and shook her head. "You don't have to do all this, you know?" she told him.

A laugh escaped him. "You always say that. Every time I offer to do something for you or the little one. I know I don't have to. I want to, though, alright?" he asked and Reilly nodded. "See ya back at your place in a few," he said and she nodded again, watching as he walked to his car.

She slid into the driver's seat and started the car. Maisie was unusually quiet for the entire drive, but Reilly just chalked it up to the little girl being tired, though she should have known better. She was quiet as Reilly unbuckled her from her car seat, and she was quiet as they walked to the house. She was still quiet when Niall pulled into the driveway and followed them through the front door. It wasn't until the girls were upstairs in Maisie's room picking out something for her to wear that she finally stopped being quiet.

"Do you tell Niall you love him?" she asked.

The question caught Reilly completely by surprise. "I... I don't... no..." she stammered, trying to figure out how to answer the question. The simple response would be no, because those were not words she said to Naill. But nothing regarding her feelings and Niall was ever simple. "I don't think that's really appropriate," she said after taking a deep breath.

"What's appropriate mean?" Maisie inquired.

"It means okay in a certain situation," Reilly answered.

Maisie screwed up her face, trying to process the information she was getting from her sister. "So it's not okay for you to say you love Niall?" she asked and Reilly shook her head. "But how come? You can say you love Uncle Liam and Uncle Harry and Uncle Zayn and Uncle Louis. And you can say you love Owen." Reilly felt a pang in her stomach at the mention of Owen but she did her best to ignore it and let the little girl go on. "So how come you can't say you love Niall?" she questioned.

The older girl let out a sigh and put the shirt in her hands over Maisie's head. "Because, Little One, there's different kinds of love and different ways to love people," she answered, trying to be as vague as possible, but all that did was raise more questions.

"So some kinds of love aren't okay?" Maisie asked.

Reilly shook her head quickly. "No, Baby. All kinds of love are okay. You can love whoever you want, and so can I." She sighed. "I don't really know how to explain this to you right now," she conceded.

"Can I ask Niall? Could he explain it to me better?" she pressed.

Reilly gave Maisie a pair of pants to put on. "I don't know. I would rather you didn't. But if it's that important to you, you can ask and see what he says," she said with a shrug. Once Maisie had her pants on, Reilly handed over a pair of socks and her shoes. "Go ask Niall to help you with these, okay?" she said. Maisie nodded and ran out of the room and toward the stairs as Reilly headed across the hall to her room.

Maisie didn't bring it up again for the rest of the morning. But after they were finished with breakfast, she did manage to convince Reilly and Niall that the three of them should go ice skating. In reality, it wasn't that hard. One cute look and Niall was putty in her hands. And once Niall was ready to agree, it was that much harder for Reilly to be the bad guy and say no. But with it being Maisie's last full day in London, she wasn't inclined to say no about much anyway.

After spending the rest of the morning ice skating, the trio met up with Zachary for lunch. It was obvious that Maisie was getting tired but when they finished eating, she talked everyone into going to the aquarium. They spent hours wandering through the different exhibits and taking a behind the scenes tour that Niall had insisted on.

When they finished at the aquarium, Maisie was clearly exhausted but continued to ask for more things to do. They dropped Zachary off at Harry's at his request, and then found themselves wandering the aisles of the supermarket. They filled the cart with food and then loaded it into the back of Reilly's car. Niall swiped the keys from her and slid into the driver's seat. She tried to object but she wasn't in much of a state of mind to argue and instead got her sister into the car seat and then settled herself into the passenger seat.

He had only been driving for a little while when Reilly figured out that they weren't returning to her house. Instead they ended up at Niall's, and though the question of why was running through Reilly's brain, she couldn't bring herself to voice it. She and Maisie helped him get the groceries from the trunk and carried them inside and into the kitchen. He quickly shooed them out with the suggestion they go relax and watch the TV.

Neither girl argued, though it was in the very nature of both of them to want to help. The long day out and about, immensely enjoyable as it was, had left Reilly very tired. She probably should have insisted Niall take the girls home instead of bringing them to his house, but she hadn't been able to. She told herself that it was because of Maisie. That the little girl wouldn't be there much longer and she didn't want to take that time away from either her or Niall. But somewhere deep down she had to know that she wanted to spend that time with Niall. She had always liked the way being around him felt and it wasn't much longer that she would have Maisie as an excuse.

The girls settled onto the deep sofa. Maisie curled up against Reilly while they flipped through the channels, before finally settling on one of Maisie's favorite shows. They had only been watching for a few minutes when the little girl shifted and snuggled closer against her sister.

"I wish I could always live with you," she said, balling Reilly's shirt inside her little fists. "I wish I didn't have to go back to Mommy and Daddy tomorrow."

Reilly's eyebrows pulled together as she lowered her gaze to her younger sister. Her head was tilted downward so she wasn't even watching the TV, but rather staring into Reilly's lap. "Why don't you want to go home, Little One?" she asked. "Don't you miss Mommy and Daddy?"

Maisie shook her head. "I told you they don't love me," she said simply.

"Baby, I'm sure that's not true," she said. But just as when she'd said it before, she wasn't sure she completely believed it. It was entirely possible that Maisie's parents, Reilly's father and stepmother found her to be a burden. But what was she supposed to do?

"I heard them talk about it. Daddy said I look too much like you. And Mommy said so too," she said. Reilly drew in a slow breath, but she didn't know what to say. As much as she loved Maisie and wanted nothing more than to protect her from all the horrible things about her father, she couldn't just keep her. There was no simple fix to this. "And don't call that home. Home is when I'm with you," the little girl went on.

Reilly's heart shattered into a million pieces. She pulled her sister onto her lap and hugged her tightly, holding her as close to her chest as possible. She kissed the top of Maisie's head. Words eluded her. She wanted to tell her how much she loved her, and how much she wished she could keep her with her always, but nothing seemed quite right, and saying that she wanted to wouldn't change the fact that she wasn't legally able to.

They sat together quietly for a long time before Maisie slid off Reilly's lap and snuggled into her side again. Not long after that, Niall emerged from the kitchen with two plates that he set on the coffee table in front of the girls. Maisie's eyes lit up and she jumped off the couch and sunk down to her knees so she was level with the food. Niall left and returned again with a plate for himself and three bottles of water. He sat on the couch, leaving a good amount of space between himself and Reilly and let his eyes flick to the TV.

"Oh, no, let's find somethin' else to watch. Maybe there's a movie we can all agree on," he said, reaching for the remote. "Oh, look at this," he said, browsing through the guide on the TV. "The Sword in the Stone. That's a classic right there," he said, flipping the channel to movie. "You're goin' to love this one if you haven't seen it yet, Little One," he assured her when she turned around to look at him. She grinned and turned back to her food.

After a moment Niall got up again, leaving his plate on the coffee table next to Maisie, and left the room. He returned a few minutes later with a small chair. "Here Darlin', try this. 'S better than sittin' on your knees." Again, Maisie grinned widely at him and sat on the chair. "Good?" he asked and she nodded enthusiastically. "Good," he agreed and sat back down.

When she finished eating, Maisie climbed back up onto the couch and settled between Reilly and Niall. Her eyelids were heavy and she leaned against Niall. She was asleep before long, her breathing deep and slow. They both looked down at her, tiny smiles pulling the corners of their mouths upward.

"This is how I think it would be," Niall said, breaking the silence between them. The TV was still on but neither was paying attention to the movie on it. Reilly raised an eyebrow curiously at him. "When you asked the other night if I ever wondered what it could've been like," he explained. "This is it. Me. You. A kid who adores both of us."

"You really think we would have made it?" she asked. "If we got married when you asked me five years ago?"

He shrugged. "Think I would have done everything I could to make it work. Said I was serious that night, and I meant it. I would've married you right then and there, and I would've taken care of you just like I promised, or tried best I could anyway. Don't know if we would've made it and I understand why you said no. Was a pretty reckless idea, right?" he said and she nodded. "I would have tried, though."

"I had to say no," she told him.

"I know," he replied.

"We were just kids," she said.

He nodded. "I know."

She could feel her eyes filling with tears and she didn't even know why. "I had to say no," she repeated.

"I know," he said again.

Reilly did everything she could to hold back the tears because she knew how much Niall hated when she cried, but one slipped out anyway. She quickly wiped it away and tried to force a smile at him but probably failed miserably. "I don't know what else to say," she said quietly.

Niall only shrugged. "Don't have to say anything, Darlin', if ya don't want," he told her and she nodded. "We can just sit here and keep watchin' movies until you have to go."

And that was exactly what they did. The silence fell between them and Reilly turned her attention back to the TV. Maisie was fast asleep and once the movie was over, Niall carefully scooped her up and carried her to one of the bedrooms so she could sleep more comfortably. It was then that Reilly probably should have protested and taken Maisie home but the thought of her house was a lonely one for a reason she couldn't understand.

Instead she kept quiet when Niall returned and put on another movie. She pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, resting her chin on her knees. Niall sat at the opposite end of the sofa, slouched into the corner between the arm of the sofa and the back. His legs stretched straight out and he propped his feet up on the coffee table.

In a matter of seconds everything in Reilly's life had changed. The future that had felt so certain was now not, and it had been a full forty eight hours since she and Owen had ended things and still she had not breathed a word of it to anyone. She still wore the ring he'd given her. She still hadn't allowed herself to feel anything about it.

And in less than twenty four hours things would be changing again. Maisie would be getting on a plane with Zachary and the two would be heading back to Boston, back to a life she had chosen to leave behind. The thought made her stomach ache and a wave of sadness wash over her. She never wanted Maisie to leave, but something was leaving her feeling particularly uneasy this time.

It was about halfway through the movie when Reilly realized she hadn't been paying it a bit of attention. She could feel Niall's eyes on her but she couldn't bring herself to meet his gaze. Instead she shut her eyes and let the tears rush to hit the back of her closed lids.

"She wants to stay," she spoke softly. They came out muttered and unsteady.

"Pardon?" Niall inquired.

Reilly drew in a deep breath and tried to steady the shakiness she felt. "Maisie," she said. "She doesn't want to leave tomorrow," she repeated.

"Course she doesn't. She loves you and loves bein' here with you. Any idiot could see that," he replied. But Reilly quickly shook her head, opening her eyes but still didn't look at him.

"No, Niall, that's not it" she said, her eyes fixed on the floor in front of her. "She told me that her parents don't love her, and I did what I was supposed to and I told her that couldn't be true, but if I'm honest, I'm inclined to believe her. Not because I hate my father with ever fiber of my being, but because I know how difficult it is for him to love anyone, let alone a child he never wanted in the first place."

She hugged her knees tighter, attempting to curl up in the tiniest ball possible, to escape from the all the injustices of the world. The distance between her and Niall was great, despite being only a mere couple feet. Even if it were his body was clinging to instead of her own legs, there would still be millions of miles between them. She felt beyond comfort.

"What're you goin' to do then?" he asked.

Reilly could only shrug. "What can I do?" she replied. "Maisie isn't mine. I can't just keep her here, even if there's no doubt in my mind that she would be so much better off." She shrugged again, feeling more helpless than ever. "I'm going to send her home with Zachary tomorrow. That's all I can do."

Niall sighed. His arms were itching to reach for her, to wrap around her and hold her tightly. He wanted nothing more than to stroke the back of her head and assure her that everything would be alright, that Maisie would be alright. But that was a line he knew he couldn't cross for her sake. He had let her have the space to figure things out on her own.

"Wish I could say something to make you feel better," he breathed out. The corner of her lips barely quirked upward, but she remained silent.

She was quiet throughout the rest of the movie and for the entirety of the next one he put on. Not because she was paying attention to it but rather because she was doing her best to avoid thinking about how her entire life felt like it was crumbling down around her. She felt weak. She had failed Owen and now she failing Maisie. She had failed Niall for the millionth time. She was exhausted. Too exhausted to try to stop the silent tears that were slipping from her eyes and soaking the knees of her pants.

The next thing she knew, she was waking up to the smell of food cooking. She opened her eyes the slightest bit and waited for the room around her to come into focus. She was still in Niall's living room, still on his comfortable couch, and she was laying beneath a heavy blanket with a pillow underneath her head. She didn't remember falling asleep.

There was a giggle from another room followed a gentle shushing sound. And then she heard an Irish accent telling the giggle not to wake her sister. Reilly slowly sat up, her heavy heart lifting some at sounds and smells coming from the kitchen. She was happy and sad at the same time, and she didn't quite know how that was possible.

She walked quietly from the living room to the kitchen and stood silently in the doorway, observing Niall and Maisie for several moments. The little girl was sitting on the counter and Niall was at the stove. There was a bowl next to Maisie that she had stuck her finger in. When he came close enough, she reached out to smear the batter on his face but he was quicker than she was, carefully catching her finger in his mouth. She giggled and pulled her hand away quickly. Niall leaned in to kiss the little girl's cheek, and when he stepped back was when he saw Reilly.

"Sorry, we didn't mean to wake ya," he said as he returned to the stove and flipped a pancake.

Reilly could feel the smile that had dragged across her face. She could feel it throughout her entire body. "You didn't," she assured him. "You two look like you make quite the team," she observed.

Maisie grinned from ear to ear. "We're makin' special pancakes for you!" she said excitedly.

"For me?" Reilly replied, her eyebrows raising high as she pointed at herself. She moved further into the kitchen, toward the little girl, who was nodding at her. "Why for me?" she asked.

"Because we both love you lots," she said, reaching out for her big sister as she got closer. Reilly grabbed Maisie underneath her arms and lifted her from the counter. "And we want you to be happy and a special breakfast makes everyone happy," she finished.

The sentiment was so sweet that Reilly almost started crying all over again. "I love you lots, too, Little One," she said, hugging her sister tightly. She moved to the table and sat down, keeping the small child close. "I love you so much. So, so much."

Neither sister let go until Niall brought them a stack of pancakes, and it was then that Reilly saw what made them so special. "You made them with chocolate chips and blueberries, in the shape of a heart? Just for me?" she asked. A smile stretched across her face as she looked back and forth between Niall and the little girl on her lap.

Maisie nodded emphatically. "Uh huh, and we have your favorite blueberry syrup and we have chocolate syrup and Niall said we can mix them together and it'll be really, really good," she said.

"We just wanted to make you smile," Niall added and Maisie quickly agreed.

"Well," Reilly began, her lips pulled into a smile that made her eyes shine bright. "Mission accomplished." Niall returned to the stove and then joined the girls a few minutes later with his own stack of pancakes.

One minute they were chatting casually over breakfast and the next they were outside of Reilly's house, getting out of her car. And the next Reilly and Maisie and Zachary were at the airport, getting out of Louis' car. The morning had flown by, and it was hard for Reilly to believe that soon she would be saying goodbye to her little sister. Every step filled her with dread. Not knowing what she was sending the little girl back to was making her feel sick to her stomach.

She fell in step next to Zachary, letting Louis and Maisie walk ahead of them, and let out a heavy sigh. He looked over at her and waited patiently for her to say what was on her mind. They were nearly at the entrance to the airport when she drew in a long breath.

"I need you to spend more time with Maisie," she said quietly.

Zachary nodded. "Okay," he said.

"I don't know what's going on in that house but I do know that she really doesn't want to go back there," she said and Zachary raised his eyebrows. She shrugged. "She said they don't love her, Zachary. I don't know what to do with that. I wish I could just keep her here, you know?" He nodded again, but he kept his expression unreadable. "I can't, though. So I'm just asking if you would please make sure she knows that someone there does love her, okay?"

His arm wrapped around Reilly's shoulders and he pulled her to his side. "Of course. But are you sure she's not just saying that because she likes being here with you?" he asked.

Reilly shook her head. "Children aren't going to say their parents don't love them unless they heard it somewhere. Please trust me on this," she said.

"Okay. I'll keep a closer eye on her. Have her over at my place more often," he assured her.

Reilly wrapped her arm around her stepbrother's waist and gave him a little squeeze. "Thank you. I really appreciate this. I'm sure Maisie will too," she said. "And I'm sorry I didn't spend more time with you while you were here. It was a crazy week, but next time I promise we will hang out more."

He chuckled, his body gently shaking, vibrating through her arm. "Don't worry about it. I had an idea of what this trip would be like. I'm just glad I got to see you graduate. I'm really proud of you, Reilly, and I mean for more than just graduating. I hope you know that," he told her.

"Thanks," she said, letting go of him as they approached the counter so he and Maisie could get checked in. She fell back next to Louis, and his arm slid around her where Zachary's had just been.

"Alright, Love?" he asked her and she nodded. "Really?" he pressed. "You seem a bit off."

Reilly shrugged. "I just hate this part," she whispered to him. He pulled her in to his chest and kissed her forehead. "I really, really hate this part," she mumbled into his shirt.

"I know. So do I," he told her.

After their bags were checked, the four went and found a place to sit down. They hadn't been there very long when Reilly felt the butterflies in her stomach take flight. She looked around, knowing he had to be close, but it took a minute for him to enter her line of vision. Somehow she wasn't totally surprised that he had come.

Maisie's face lit up when she saw him. "Niall!" she squealed, jumping down from her seat and running toward him. He grabbed her as soon as she was within reach, hoisting her up and settling her against his chest. When they got back to where Reilly, Louis, and Zachary were sitting, he took the seat next to Reilly. "Almost forgot I had a little something for ya, Miss Maisie," he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small, white square box. He lifted the lid and held it out to Maisie.

She reached into it and picked up the silver chain, lifting it out of the box until she could see the charm dangling from it. It was a heart being held by two hands with a crown on top of it. "Pretty!" she exclaimed.

Niall laughed. "Let me tell you about this, Little One," he began. "This is a very special gift with a very special meanin'," he told her. She looked at him intently, her interest piqued. "Each of the things on this charm mean something. These hands," he pointed the hands holding the heart, "mean friendship. The heart," he slid his finger to middle of the charm, "means love. And the crown," he tapped the top of the charm, "means loyalty."

"What's loyalty?" she asked.

"Means I'm always on your side, no matter what," he told her. "The whole thing all together means you're special and important to me, Little One. And I'm giving this to you so you don't forget it, okay?" he asked. She nodded, grinning as she wrapped her arms around him in a hug. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head.

When she finally let go of Niall, she twisted around to show Reilly. "Look! Can you put this on me?" she asked. Reilly took the necklace from her and released the clasp. She draped it across the little girls chest and secured the clasp once again.

"What do you tell Niall?" Reilly said.

"Thank you!" Maisie exclaimed.

And then, all too soon, their flight was being announced. Though Maisie had been there for almost an entire month, suddenly it felt like they'd barely had a day together. Reilly's heart was aching more than it had been before as she pulled the little girl from Niall's lap and wrapped her arms around her.

"I don't want to go," Maisie said as a waterfall of tears cascaded down her little face.

"I know, Baby. I wish you didn't have to," Reilly told her. She could feel her shirt getting wet from the tears the little girl was crying. "I love you so much. We'll talk every day from now on. I promise. I won't be too busy and forget, okay?" she said.

Maisie nodded but still didn't give any indication that she was going to let go. "I just want to stay here with you," she cried.

Reilly sighed heavily, feeling her own tears creep slowly down her face. "I know, Baby," she said again. "I know." She held the little girl for a long time, both of them crying more than they ever had when saying goodbye. "It's going to be okay," Reilly whispered, though she didn't know if she really believed that.

She knew what it was like to live in that house. She knew how sad and lonely it was to be surrounded by people who don't care. And she hated that she was potentially sending her little sister back to that. But she didn't have a choice. She had to trust that Zachary would keep his word and be there for Maisie. And she had to trust herself to keep her promise to make time daily for her little sister.

Moments later she felt Maisie being pulled from her. Maisie started crying harder. Louis brought her to his chest and hugged her, whispering in her ear as he twisted his upper body back and forth so her dangling legs swung through the air. It took a minute to calm her down, but finally the tears stopped. Louis lifted her chin and kissed the tip of her nose, giving her a big smile afterward. Maisie grabbed his face with both her small hands and planted a kiss his nose. Satisfied with their goodbye, he passed her over to Niall.

Niall immediately wrapped his arms around her. "You're a very brave girl, Maisie. Brave just like your big sister. And I'm proud that you let me be your best friend these past weeks," he said quietly into her ear. She looked up at him, her eyes bloodshot and an even brighter blue than usual from crying. "We're going to speak soon, I promise you. I'm still your best friend even when we're far away." Maisie nodded and hugged Niall again before twisting around and reaching for her sister again.

"I love you," the little girl said as Reilly took her into her arms once more.

"Love you more," Reilly said, hugging her sister as if her life depended on it.

"Love you most," Maisie replied.

Though they had said the same words a hundred times over, Reilly had to squeeze her eyes shut to keep from crying this time. She let Zachary take Maisie from her, giving the little girl one last kiss on the cheek, and then hugged Zachary, making him promise, once again, to take care of their sister. Louis slid his arm around Reilly as the three of them watched the other two get smaller and smaller as they walked toward the line to board their plane.

The drive back to Reilly's house was quiet. Louis offered to stay with her for awhile, but she turned him down. He offered to bring her back to his and Cara's house, but she refused that too. He asked several times while they sat in his car outside her house if she was okay. She said yes each time, even though okay was far from what she felt. Finally she thanked him for driving them, and bid him a good evening, and got out of the car.

Her house was silent and empty and felt lonely the moment the door shut. She headed upstairs to change, having every intention of cleaning her kitchen and possibly the rest of the house. But when she reached the end of the hallway, Maisie's bedroom door was open. Her toys were put away and her bed was made and everything was as it had been before she'd arrived and it hurt Reilly's heart. She blinked back the tears and pulled the door shut, and then turned and went into her room, hoping to find even the slightest bit of solace inside of it.

But the second she was through the door her eyes landed things that belonged to Owen. Things she hadn't been able to bring herself to put into a box yet. He didn't have a lot of things in her house, but there was enough to remind her that she failed. That no matter how hard she tried to convince him that she wanted to make it work with him, he couldn't or wouldn't believe her. Nothing she'd done was enough. And that thought running through her mind on loop was exactly where she lost it.

Her already aching heart shattered and she crumbled to the floor, tears pouring down her face. She wasn't enough. She had never been enough. And she would never be enough. For anyone. She curled into a ball and held her knees tightly against her chest, making no attempt to stop herself from falling apart. After all she'd done to keep it together, her outside was finally showing what her inside felt like.

She cried until she couldn't cry anymore. And then she sat up slowly. She was dizzy from forgetting to breathe and she sucked in some air. Her hands were shaky as she pushed herself up from the floor, standing carefully on her wobbly legs, and stripping out of her clothes. She changed into a pair of pajama pants and an oversized tshirt and grabbed her phone, dialing a number she knew by heart.

She sucked in some more air as the line rang. Finally there was an answer. "Can you come home?" Reilly asked, her voice surprisingly steady considering how shaky the rest of her was. "Can we have a girls night tonight? Just the two of us?" she all but pleaded.

"Yeah, sure, Rei. Is everything okay?" Lexie inquired.

Reilly drew in another breath, hoping her voice would remain steady. She didn't want to concern Lexie. "Yeah, it's fine. I'm fine. It's just really quiet here without Maisie," she said.

"Alright, yeah, I'll be there soon," Lexie assured her.

There was a hint of worry in her tone that only further upset Reilly. But she did what she could to keep her cool. "Okay, great. I'll order a pizza. It should be here around the same time you are," she said. The girls said their goodbyes and ended the call.

Lexie beat the pizza to the house by a lot, coming through the front door less than fifteen minutes after they hung up with each other. If she'd been at Harry's, she had probably broken a few laws to make it back to their house in that amount of time. She practically slammed the door on her way in and Reilly quickly wiped away the few stray tears that had started again. It didn't matter though, because she looked every bit the mess she felt.

"Rei?" Lexie asked cautiously, stepping into the room and taking in the sight of her crumpled friend. Reilly looked up at her and squeezed her eyes shut for a moment and then opened them again, wiping at her damp cheeks. "What happened?" she asked. "Is this because Maisie..." she trailed off and Reilly shook her head.

"I failed," she said softly.

Lexie's eyebrows pulled together. "What do you mean you failed?" she asked.

"I failed," she repeated and sucked in a deep breath. "I failed. Owen and I are over because I failed."

Lexie sat next to Reilly so she was facing her, taking her friends hands into her own. "Reilly, slow down. What do you mean you and Owen are over?"

"I mean we're not getting married. We aren't together anymore," she said as fresh tears rushed to her eyes and slid down her cheeks. "He didn't want to fight for me. I mean I failed, just like I always do."

Tears formed in Lexie's eyes and she tugged gently on her friend's hands, pulling her in for a hug. She held onto Reilly tightly for a moment and then gently stroked her head. She had seen Reilly this way too many times, and each time it hurt a little more. "You didn't fail, Rei," she said softly. "I promise you, you did not fail," she repeated as she continued to gently rub her friend's head.

Reilly began to shake as all her insides started to hurt all over again. "He wouldn't fight for me," she said. The tears fell harder and faster and she put her hands on the arm Lexie had around her, holding on like she was her lifeline. Her breathing became erratic as her mind raced with all the things she could have done differently. "He wouldn't fight for me," she said again. "Why wouldn't he fight for me?"