I woke up early the next morning. I laid in bed for a while, still in disbelief over the previous day's events. I was held at gunpoint, and Niall was shot. I was so thankful that he was going to be okay, since it was my fault. I was also thankful that Cortin, aka Victoria, would be securely behind bars after she got out of the hospital. I would still have to discuss the specific charges with the police, but since Victoria had a concealed weapon and she shot a police officer, she would undoubtedly go to prison for a substantial amount of time.

I sat up to get out of bed, but I was met with a sudden wave of nausea. Great, I thought. I didn't need to get sick again; I'd already had plenty to deal with over the past few months. I stood up carefully and made my way to the bathroom. After using the toilet, I went to see if my mom and the kids were up yet. I only made it as far as the kitchen before having to run back to my bathroom where I just barely made it to the toilet in time to vomit.

Once again, I shakily made my way out to the kitchen. My mom was there now, putting on a pot of coffee.

"Good morning, Mom," I mumbled.

"Good morning, Sweetheart," she said, coming over to hug me.

But I held out my hand. "Don't get too close, Mom. I think I'm sick again. I just threw up. Do you think you can get the kids to school. And maybe hang out with Danny for the day?" I pleaded.

"Of course I can stay, Lise. You know, you may not have a virus; your body could just be reacting to yesterday's events. Stress can make you sick, and yesterday was probably the most stressful thing you've ever been through."

"That's for sure," I said, sighing. "I'm so glad it's over."

"How's Niall?" She asked.

"He's going to be fine. Hope is with him now and, oh shoot! I told her I'd call to see if she needed anything."

"I can call her," my mom offered. "And I can drop something off to her at the hospital later, if she needs anything."

"Thanks, Mom," I smiled weakly, and then I went back to bed.

I wasn't sure how long I slept, but I was certainly surprised when I was awakened by my husband.

"Hey, there, love," Harry said, crawling on the bed next to me.

"Harry! What are you doing home?"

"Well, my wife could have gotten killed yesterday, so I thought I'd better come home and check on her," he said, leaning in to kiss me.

"You shouldn't kiss me, babe. You can't afford to get sick again."

"Nonsense," he insisted, kissing me anyway. "I'll be fine. Now come here." He gently pulled me toward him so that he could wrap his arms around me.

We laid there quietly for a long time. Finally he said, "I'm so glad you're okay."

"I know, babe. I'm sorry I went without Niall. And I feel like it's all my fault that he got shot."

"Shhh. You don't know what Victoria would have done if Niall had come with you. I'm just glad we're safe now."

"Babe?"

"Yeah, love."

"Can we please never, ever, ever let anything come between us again?"

"I think that's a wonderful idea," he said, kissing me again.

"As stressful as the past several months have been, the worst parts were when we were fighting. I just don't feel complete without you. Even when you're away in LA or on tour, I feel okay if we're okay. But if we're fighting, you could be in the next room and I still feel like we're separated by an ocean. You're the other half of me."

"I couldn't have said it better," he grinned and then kissed me again.

Harry went to visit Niall in the hospital later in the day, and then he went to pick up the kids from school. I hoped they wouldn't scream too loud when they saw that he was there. I decided not to go to the hospital because, although I was feeling better in the afternoon, I didn't want to risk Niall's health by visiting him if I did have some virus.

Harry and the girls came in chattering after school, and the girls were still squealing with the excitement of Harry showing up unexpectedly.

"Mommy! Daddy's here!" Rachael yelled.

"I know, lovey. He came home first before coming to get you from school," I said, picking her up and kissing her on the cheek. "But you know Daddy can't stay long, right? He has to get back to work."

Rachael looked at me curiously and asked, "What kind of job does Daddy do?"

"He's a singer, lovey. You know that. He sings the songs we hear on the radio."

"That's a job?" She asked.

Harry laughed. "It sure is, Rachael. It's a job that I love very much, but it's hard work. And do you know what the hardest part is?"

"What?"

"Being away from you and Mommy."

Rachael grinned and reached for Harry, who gladly took her out of my arms and hugged her tight.

"But for tonight, we're all together. So let's have some fun, okay?"

Since I had been feeling sick in the morning, we decided to order in for dinner, and then we spent the evening playing board games and wii games. My mom had left right after Harry came home with the kids. So we had the evening all to ourselves, and I can't remember when I've had so much fun with just Harry and the kids.

Sadly, Harry did have to leave the following afternoon to make it to the next concert. I was rather annoyed when I woke up the next morning and felt nauseated again. Harry offered to get the girls to school, and I went back to bed since Danny was still sleeping.

However, it wasn't long after I heard the front door slam, signifying their departure, that I rushed to the bathroom again, just in time to throw up.

I sat on the cool bathroom floor for a bit afterward, wondering why on earth I was still feeling this way, and then suddenly I knew.

School wasn't far from the house, so when Harry returned and didn't find me in bed, he called for me. He was a little surprised to find me on the floor next to the toilet. "Lise! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm all right, but I need you to run to the drug store before you get ready to leave."

He stood there and looked at me blankly. I gave him all the pieces of the puzzle: "It's been about a month since our anniversary overnight. I've been feeling nauseated for the past few mornings, but yesterday was the first time I threw up. And I just realized...my period is late."

As the realization dawned on him, he sat down on the edge of the tub. "Wow."

"Is that a good wow?" I asked.

"Well, we've just been through an awful lot, and I won't be here to help out like I was with Danny. But yes, that's a good wow. How could another baby ever be a bad thing?" He slipped off the edge of the tub and knelt beside me, pulling me close to him. Then he whispered. "Especially when it's a baby that you and I made together."

I hugged him tight. Harry knew how to make any moment perfect.

He went quickly to buy a pregnancy test, and as soon as I took it, my suspicions were confirmed: Harry and I were going to have another baby.

We sat and laughed and smiled for a long time. Probably most people would think that having another baby would seem like another stressor after all the other challenges that Harry and I had been through in such a short period of time. But clearly, Harry and I didn't feel the same way. Mothering was instinctive to me, and Harry loved our children dearly.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay? I have to leave in a little while."

"Harry," I reasoned with him, "in the past six months, I've been stalked, threatened, held at gunpoint, witnessed two people get shot, had pictures of my husband kissing another woman paraded around the internet, and renovated a house. Pregnancy will be a piece of cake. I know how to do this."

Harry laughed and then hugged me tightly. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

Harry took a cab to the airport instead of having me drive him there. He wanted me to get as much rest as possible. We decided that we would wait until the kids and I flew to LA at the end of February before we told them about the new baby. I just hoped that Aurora wouldn't catch on with me feeling a little more tired and nauseated.

Niall was discharged from the hospital after two days. Hope was able to stay on for another week to help him with his recovery. Victoria was incarcerated after she was well enough to leave the hospital. She had been shot in her left lower abdomen, but the bullet hadn't hit any vital organs, luckily. She was arrested on several counts of stalking, extortion, shooting a police officer, and attempted murder. Her trial wouldn't happen until later in the year, but we knew that she would likely be in prison for several years. Once she was released, we already knew that we would be filing a restraining order against her.

The rest of February passed quite peacefully since I was no longer wondering about someone lurking in every dark corner, waiting to terrorize my family and myself. I was able to watch a few of Harry's concerts on YouTube, which made me all the more excited to be able to attend a concert in LA.

The morning sickness was quite mild, so I succeeded in hiding it from the kids. Now, we were en route to the airport to see our new apartment in LA. Harry had insisted I refer to it as such, so it wouldn't seem like he had his own place, apart from the family. The kids were thrilled to see the new place, but they were even more thrilled when Harry told them that there was a clubhouse with a pool.

Harry insisted on having us fly First Class, so the kids were tickled pink with their gigantic seats and TV screens. We had all flown to England about a year and a half earlier, so certainly Danny wouldn't remember anything, and Rachael might only have vague memories. Luckily, this flight would be much shorter than the flight to England.

We de-boarded in LA, the kids buzzing with excitement to see Daddy and our new place. Harry was waiting just outside the security checkpoint with open arms.

As soon as the kids saw him, they screeched, "Daddy!" and ran to him, almost bowling him over.

"Ha ha, hi!" Harry laughed, hugging them each tightly and then turning to me and kissing me deeply, regardless of the fact that we were in the middle of a crowded airport.

"Let the tabloids post that one!" I laughed.

When we got to the apartment, the kids were so excited to see their new rooms. Harry showed the girls their room first. He had ended up getting a bunk bed with a trundle, so all three girls could sleep in there. He had bought each of them a souvenir LA t-shirt and a few stuffed animals, and he had laid them across their beds. Danny's room was painted in blues and greens, and Harry had a small desk in the corner. Danny had a little souvenir t-shirt as well, and a giant stuffed Winnie the Pooh. Danny threw himself on the bed in glee.

"You're something else, Styles," I said, kissing my amazing husband.

"I want my family to feel at home," he said. "Speaking of which, I can't wait to tell the kids. Can we tell them right now?!" He was like a kid sometimes, the way he got excited about things like this. But I had to admit I was excited, too.

We called all the kids into the small living room and Harry told them, "Mommy and I have one more surprise for you."

They all looked with wide eyes and then I spilled it. "We're going to have another baby!"

The kids jumped around and screamed, Danny included, even though he had no idea what was going on.

I was thankful the morning sickness had subsided, but I was exhausted, so as the children enjoyed their new home away from home and seeing Daddy again, I went to take a nap.

Harry came in a bit later and crawled in bed next to me. I reveled in the feel of his arms around me, the feel of his breath on my neck as he curled his body around mine.

"Where are the kids?" I whispered.

"Watching a movie. Danny fell asleep, so I put him in his bed, and the girls are in the living room. I give them half and hour before they fall asleep, too."

"You're a good daddy," I told him.

"Thanks, love," he said. "And you're a hot mama."

I threw my head back and laughed, knocking him in the mouth.

"Ow!"

I turned over and cooed, "Oh, you poor baby. Let me kiss it and make it better." Then I kissed him deeply, making him hum with satisfaction.

"Speaking of babies, how's our little munchkin?" He asked, rubbing my belly.

"Growing strong, as far as I can tell. I can't fit into any of my jeans anymore."

"You're still beautiful."

"I don't know about that," I said. "Pregnancy makes everything swell, and you've seen me barfing over the toilet. You witnessed the wonder of labor and childbirth with Danny. You've definitely seen me at my worst. Sometimes I wonder how long it will be until you fall for a young and pretty girl who comes to one of your concerts."

"Elisebeth Margaret Styles! Bite your tongue!" I laughed at Harry saying my full name like I was a little girl. "I love you. I will always love you. Even if you gain 300 lbs. And your face is covered in warts, I will still love you." I cringed at his description.

"I'm serious," he insisted. "You're the love of my life, Lise. There will never be anyone else. The fact that you're still smokin' hot is just a bonus, but I love you for you, not for your body or your looks."

I kept giggling, but then I said, "I love you, too, Harry. And I'll never doubt your love for me."

Then he started singing:

My love must be a kind of blind love

I can't see anyone but you

Are the stars out tonight?

I don't know if it's cloudy or bright

I only have eyes for you, dear

The moon may be high

But I can't see a thing in the sky

I only have eyes for you

I don't know if we're in a garden

Or on a crowded avenue

You are here and so am I

Maybe millions of people go by

But they all disappear from view

And I only have eyes for you

I laid there giggling, hearing my young husband crooning a song that was much older than either of us.

Soon the girls came in, quietly asking, "Why is Daddy singing?"

Harry and I just laughed and told them to go back to watching their movie.

We spent a wonderful week with Harry, doing the tourist thing in LA, getting to know some of the people he worked with at Urbane, and just hanging out as a family.

The night before we had to fly back to Minnesota, Harry resumed his tour with a concert in LA, which we were happy to attend. I bought some ear muffs for Danny because I assumed the music would be too loud for him, but he actually didn't mind the noise. Of course, we had front row seats, and the girls were more than a little bit googly-eyed to see Harry in action on stage.

He put on a fantastic show. Near the end of the concert, he invited all of us up on stage, much to the delight of all the kids. I was a bit more shy about facing a crowded arena, but if I kept my gaze on Harry, I was okay. He introduced all of us to his fans, which they loved.

Then he sang the song he had sung to the girls so long ago when we were snowed in together during the blizzard.

You're insecure, don't know what for

You're turning heads when you walk through the door

Don't need makeup to cover up

Being the way that you are is enough

He came over to Aurora and pulled her away from us a little and started dancing with her while she giggled furiously and her face turned beet red.

Everyone else in the room can see it,

Everyone else but you

Baby you light up my world like nobody else

The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed

But when you smile at the ground, it ain't hard to tell

You don't know, oh oh

You don't know you're beautiful

Then he came over and grabbed Grace and Rachael one with each hand and danced with them while still singing:

If only you saw what I can see

You'd understand why I love you so desperately*

Right now I'm looking at you and I can't believe

You don't know, oh oh, you don't know you're beautiful

Finally he came and got Danny who clapped and stomped all over the stage with Harry, much to the delight of all his fans.

After that song was finished, Harry addressed the audience once again, saying, "I love my job!" After all the screams died down, he continued. "But it has already proven hazardous to my family. My wife and I have had more fights since I signed a recording contract than we ever did before. We were almost torn apart by silly tabloid articles and an obsessed fan. I just want you all to know that, as much as I love and appreciate all of you, and as much as I love making music, my family will always come first. I wrote this song when Lise and I were going through the rough patches, hoping I would never have to sing any of the words for real."

So your friend's been telling me

You've been sleeping with my sweater

And that you can't stop missing me

Bet my friend's been telling you

I'm not doing much better

'Cause I'm missing half of me

And being here without you is like I'm waking up to

Only half a blue sky

Kinda there but not quite

I'm walking around with just one shoe

I'm half a heart without you

I'm half a man at best,

With half an arrow in my chest

I miss everything we do,

I'm half a heart without you

Forget all we said that night

No, it doesn't even matter

'Cause we both got split in two

If you could spare an hour or so,

We'll go for lunch down by the river

We can really talk it through

And being here without you is like I'm waking up to

Only half a blue sky

Kinda there but not quite

I'm walking around with just one shoe

I'm half a heart without you

I'm half a man at best,

With half an arrow in my chest

'Cause I miss everything we do,

I'm half a heart without you

Half a heart without you,

I'm half a heart without you

Though I try to get you out of my head

The truth is I got lost without you

And since then I've been waking up to

Only half a blue sky

Kinda there but not quite

I'm walking around with just one shoe

I'm half a heart without you

I'm half a man at best,

With half an arrow in my chest

I miss everything we do,

I'm half a heart without you

Without you, without you, half a heart without you

Without you, without you, I'm half a heart without you

Harry sang to me during the song, but he didn't make me dance because he probably knew that I would kill him. But after the concert, I told him, "I will love you forever, just like I promised on our wedding day. Because I'm only half a heart without you."

~~~~~~

*yes, I changed the word want to love in WMYB because he was singing to his daughters! :D