Harry

After desperately searching the entire building, we realise Elena didn't make it, the thought making me feel as if I'm suffocating.  I'm determined to find her and my friends, refusing to accept she's dead, I'm certain she was simply held back by something unexpected and she'll come any second now.  I'm trying to ignore the fact my father is lying dead somewhere in the building, my eyes burning from the tears I'm constantly pushing back.

"Let's go outside, I'm not giving up," I tell them firmly, my voice slightly cracking. "I need to find them." 

Zayn's teary eyes meet mine and he nods. "No man is left behind."

Tori, Niall, Zayn, and I leave the building, looking at the fire and smoke around us, dead bodies wherever you look. Since there are no walls around the base anymore, we have a view of the battle ahead of us, soldiers running all around, shooting and throwing bombs. I frown and look away, feeling helpless as I have no idea where to begin searching for her. 

"Harry!" Niall shouts and points to our right, making me turn my head, my eyes widening at the sight of Rogue soldiers walking toward us with Ace on their front. But the sight that makes my heart stop for a second or two is Elena along with Alex, Louis, Jess, and Liam making their way to us. 

I grin and don't waste any time to launch myself toward them, Zayn, Niall, and Tori following me. My smile fades when I realise Alex, Louis, and Elena are barely walking, each of them having someone for support, that only making me run faster. When I reach them, I instinctively approach Elena first, my eyes scanning her body for any injuries, seeing her hand covering her side, blood leaking through her fingers.

"Lena?" I ask, her head lifting at the sound of her name. The soldier holding her steps away when I look at him, one of my hands coming up to press against her cheek while I wind my other arm around her lower back, helping her steady herself. "Hey, look at me, you're okay."

Her hazel eyes lock with mine and I pull her to me, pressing my lips on her forehead, my heart shattering once again. "You're okay, everything will be alright." I look down at her wound, the fact she's not saying anything worrying me. 

"Your mother called," Ace tells me. "There are helicopters coming for us, I've let the soldiers know to start retreating so once the bombing stops there aren't as many victims as there would be. Oh and, some soldiers decided to use the tunnels underneath the building and found a certain rat there." He steps aside, revealing soldiers holding beaten up Isaac, wounds all over his body, making me smirk.

"So who gets to kill him?" Niall asks bluntly, a devilish smile appearing on his lips as his eyes narrow slightly, his pointer finger sliding over his neck as he focuses on Isaac.

"We all agreed we'll leave him tied here while the bombing is in progress," Ace explains.

"Aw damn," Niall says and juts out his lower lip for a moment.

"All of us have a reason to kill the bastard, I guess I can settle with that," Zayn comments angrily. His eyebrows furrow in worry when he looks at Elena in my arms. "Is- is she alright?" 

My eyes widen as I look down at her, her head now resting on my shoulder, her legs barely keeping her up. She's losing too much blood and so are Alex and Louis it appears, and we need to go as soon as possible. "Hey, I need you to look at me." I lift her chin using my palm, the other arm still holding her body. "You hear me, Tiger?"

Her eyes are hazy, making me realise she's losing consciousness. "Where the fuck are those helicopters?" I snap, looking up at the sky then back at Elena, now fully on panicking. "I love you and I'm here with you. We did it, Elena. Please don't leave me, not you too," I whisper into her ear, unable to contain my emotions as tears collect in my eyes again.

The sound of the propellers fills the air, making all of us look up, dozens of planes and helicopters flying toward us. A wave of relief floods through me, cheers surrounding me. "You see, we made it," I say with a sad smile, looking down at her.

"We made it. . ." she mumbles with her eyes barely open, making me kiss her forehead again.

"Tie him up," I order, looking at the soldiers holding Isaac.

"Congratulations," Isaac sarcastically says. He struggles as they drag him with them and harshly push him down, using handcuffs to tie his hands behind his back and ropes for his knees and ankles. He tries to get free, but he gets punched in the stomach a few times, curling himself into a ball.

Niall steps toward him and takes out his knife, crouching down and suddenly stabbing Isaac's leg, making him cry out in pain. He twists the knife harshly and he yelps once again, a satisfied grin forming on Niall's face as he looks up at us. "Just to make sure he will really die."

"You go psycho," Louis encourages him, grimacing in pain as Tori helps him steady himself, a nasty wound on his leg bleeding profusely.

"You three better not die or I swear I will be so pissed off!" Liam suddenly exclaims, looking at Alex, Louis, and Elena. "I can't handle that much emotional pain, is that clear?"

Fear and panic rush through me as Elena suddenly collapses in my arms, her arms limply hanging on her sides, head rolling back. "Elena? No no, wake up," I frantically say, trying to get her to react. "No, we- we need to go now!" I shout and place my arms beneath her back and knees, lifting her limp body up.

Once the helicopters land, all of us run toward them, the gust of wind caused by the propellers spinning hitting us. Zayn is the first one to enter in ours, extending his arms and telling me to hand Elena to him. I do as he said, climbing in after them, taking a seat. Niall and Liam are the next ones to climb up, the helicopter doors closing since there's no capacity for anyone else, but they will use the other helicopters.

"Drive to the northern hospital!" Liam shouts so the pilot can hear him and we slowly take off.

"Give her to me," I tell Zayn as I watch him hold her, pressing something over her wound.

"It's okay, I've got this," he says, keeping his eyes on her. "Niall, there should be the first aid kit around here somewhere, look for it, please."

I frown but bite my tongue from snapping at him since he knows what he's doing. I worriedly look at her, my hand grabbing her cold one, thumb brushing against the skin. Niall finds a white box with a red cross over it in the space above our heads, opening it quickly as Zayn and he get to work to stop the bleeding.

"Harry? Check it out," Liam says, nodding toward the windows.

I look through the glass, seeing planes flying above Vortex base and destroying it, enormous clouds of dust and grey smoke expanding through the air. There's a strange sense of nostalgia as I watch the scene unfold, not quite believing it's finally over. The sacrifices we've made and the losses we've endured to come this far are unbelievable and it somehow feels all of it was worth it in the end. Just like Elena said, it all depends on your motivation. She was mine. My family, my friends. . . all of them were mine.

"It's over," I say quietly, making the three of them look at me. "We have won."

I watch as smiles spread over their faces as the realisation strikes them. "We've won and we're still here, fuck yes!" Liam shouts. "Man, do you know women dig veteran stories?"

Zayn, Niall and I roll our eyes, focusing on unconscious Elena. I bring her hand to my mouth, kissing it and clasping it between mine. I cast one final glance at the scene we're leaving behind, my lips managing to pull in a small smile. The war is over.

. . . .

The wind blows, messing up my hair as my eyes inspect the landscape in front of me, my hands tightening over the metal railing. I'm standing on top of the main building in Hazard, acres of land and forest sprawling in front of me. Faded smoke is still visible from where I stand, the source being the East where nothing but dust and ruins reside on the place where Vortex base used to stand proudly. It's been hours, perhaps a day since the war has ended, I'm not sure.

The initial feeling of euphoria I had when I realised we won has passed, leaving a dull ache and sadness behind it. The number of people who died in this war over the span of a couple of decades that it lasted is too big to even pronounce, people closest to me being a part of that number. Thomas, Alice, my dad. . . it leaves me wondering was it all worth it? Destroying, deaths, hatred, was it worth it? What good do we have from all this? What good has war ever done? 

Absolutely nothing. 

It leaves nothing but lines of bodies, grieving people, nightmares and terrible memories behind it. Perhaps time needs to pass until I actually feel peace, but this feeling I have, this longing for all the people I lost, this shattering grief for the ones fighting for their lives is not what I expected. All of it is too much for me and I just let it out, alone and away from anyone to see me cry, wanting to deal with it on my own. 

I need to release some of my sadness, the pressure is too much. My knuckles turn white as my fingers grip the railing, deep breaths leaving my mouth. "God, will it ever stop? Please, what else do I have to endure? Just take this pain away, I've had enough!" I look up at the sky, feeling my tears slide down my cheeks. "It's enough, do you hear me?! Enough!"

I turn and sit down on the cold cement, knees hunched as I cover my face, just letting it all out.  As if losing so many people close to me and witnessing vile things in war no one should ever see wasn't enough, I have to wait to find out if she's going to make it, after all that pain and going through so much, I still have to suffer. Louis is going to be alright, the quick intervention saving his life.  However, Elena and Alex are both still fighting for their lives and it's impossible to say whether they'll live or not, even if they make it through their surgeries. 

It's the same thing that happened with Alice all over again and I don't know where do I find the strength to endure it. My forearms rest against the tops of my knees as I lean my forehead over them, closing my eyes, letting the minutes pass with me grieving. The light, gentle scrape of the necklace chain against the nape of my neck makes my head snap up, my eyebrows scrunching as I grasp the ring around the chain, the cool material resting on the surface of my palm. 

"It will be okay," I whisper the words Elena has said to me countless of times, taking away a bit of my worry with them each time I needed it. But now their power doesn't seem to work, they're simply not enough. Words are not what I need, she is.

"Hiii," the familiar voice says, black combat boots appearing in front of me. My eyes trail up over his body until they reach his face, a gentle smile on his lips, light brown eyes looking down into mine. "Both surgeries are over, I've just arrived from the hospital. Want to go and visit them?"

My heart leaps at his words, but I shake my head, still not ready to see Elena nor her brother lying weak with wires attached to them. "Alright," Zayn says and crouches down, sitting beside me. "Then we're both staying here."

"I know you love her," I say quietly, noticing how Zayn's body tenses with the corner of my eye. I turn my head and look at him, watching as he gulps and looks down, not trying to deny it. "It's alright. It's hard not to."

"I would never try anything," he tells me. "I really want her to live, but not because of me, but because she deserves it and you do too. I want to see both of you happy because I saw you both at your worst and I know being together is what you need."

"Yes, I need her, but I need you too. I need you with me Zayn, you're my family, my brother, and as brothers, we have to stick together, especially now."

"I promised you I'll stay with you Harry, I'm not planning on breaking that promise," he says and I can hear honesty in his voice. "I wouldn't leave because of this, I wouldn't make similar stupid mistakes I'd made in my past."

A heavy sigh pushes past my lips as I lift my arm, placing it over his shoulders. We sit in silence as the sky turns a darker shade of blue, grey rain filled clouds darkening the day. "Do you want to hear a story of a girl and her brother who broke into a heavily guarded military base? I promise it's not a boring story."

Zayn smiles, letting out a small laugh. "Can't wait to hear it."

. . . .

I inhale deeply as I make my way through a clean hallway, a couple of nurses and doctors passing by me, nodding at me with respect when they notice my uniform. When I finally reach the right room, I don't let my anxiety give me any doubts and reach for the handle, twisting it and opening the door. A typical hospital room with a set of large windows, white walls, a night stand, and a bed greets me, the smell of disinfectants hitting my nostrils.

"Oh shit, it's not what it looks like, my uh- my leg fell down and it pulled the other with it, I'm totally not trying to get up- Harry?" Elena says as she looks over her shoulder, her back facing me as she sits on the edge of her bed.

A wide smile spreads over my lips as I enter her room, making sure to close the door behind me. It takes me a few long strides to approach her, stopping directly in front of her. Her pretty eyes look up at me in slight surprise before my hands grasp her warm cheeks, my body leaning down so I can press my lips against hers. She freezes at first but then relaxes, responding to my kiss, her fingers wrapping around my wrists, lips moving against mine softly.

I pull away and lean my forehead against hers, seeing a smile forming on her lips, causing one to appear on my own. "You're not supposed to be getting out of bed on your own yet, your surgery was two days ago, Elena."

I couldn't bring myself to visit her before like I probably should have because seeing the girl who is usually so strong and fearless lie on a bed weak and wounded would make me want to rip something in half. So when I heard she finally woke up, I rushed here to see her. I should never have doubted she's not going to make it, it's Elena we're talking about. Of course she would, my strong girl.

"I feel fine. My nurse was just standing beside me while I did everything I needed alone, having help is completely unnecessary," Elena says with a shrug. "Besides, I want to see my brother."

"I understand you're stubborn and the concept of rules is not understandable to you, but you should lie down for your own good, your wound might reopen-"

"No, I already talked to my doctor, he said if I'm careful and not force myself too hard, nothing is going to happen," she explains. "Alex is just a few rooms away from me, I can walk that far."

"Alright, but I'm coming with you," I tell her and offer her my hands, aiding her in standing up.

She surprises me when her lips cover mine, leaving a chaste kiss. "I love you." Her hand comes up to cradle my cheek, a sad expression on her face. "I heard what happened to David. . . I'm so sorry, Harry."

My heart clenches painfully and I drop my gaze. "He always wanted to die in a battle as a hero if not of old age. . . anyway, I don't want to talk about it, let's see in what condition is your brother."

I kiss her forehead and walk to the corner of the room where a wheelchair is, grabbing its handles and pulling it as I step back, turning my head to look at Elena. There's a horrified expression on her face as she shakes her head.

"Harry, put that thing back-"

"I'll make it fun," I interrupt as I walk toward her, pushing it in front of me. "Sit down and trust me."

She looks like she's weighing her options before letting out a sigh, slowly lowering herself on the seat, placing her feet on the footrest. "Wow, did you- did you actually do what I said? I'm shocked, you actually- what the fuck, where did you get a knife?!" I exclaim when I see her holding a small pocket knife.

"I have my ways." She smirks and looks up at me, playing with the blade, sending me a wink.

"Niall brought you one, didn't he?" I say flatly with a blank face.

"He brought a whole collection in the morning actually, but I kept only one since the hospital has a very strict weapons policy apparently. . . but what they don't know can't hurt them, right?" She asks, actually stroking the knife as if it's a cat or something.

I laugh and I push the wheelchair out of the room, making sure the hallway is clear before leaning down, placing my lips near her ear, noticing how she shivers. "Are you ready?"

"For wha- holy shit!" She shouts as I suddenly start running, pushing her in front of me, our laughter soon echoing throughout the hallway. Horrified nurses and doctors quickly rush out of the way, some of them even throwing papers in the air as we pass by, probably looking like a blur to them.

"Harry, we've missed the room!" Elena exclaims with a wide smile, gripping onto the armrests.

"I know, but if you want me to go back-"

"Nah, let's make a few laps."

My grin gets impossibly wide, the two of us looking and acting as a pair of children rather than soldiers who won the war. I almost trip a few times as I turn around the corners, making her squeal in both fear and excitement. I'm panting once I finally stop in one of the secluded hallways, leaning my back against the wall as Elena laughs, her elbows resting on her thighs as she covers her face, long hair falling around her head like a curtain.

She suddenly looks at me and stands up with a slight struggle, walking toward me. Before I can react, her mouth covers mine in a passionate kiss, soft skin moving against mine eagerly, palms resting against the wall on either side of my head. I smile and wind my arms around her back carefully, not applying too much pressure to avoid hurting her. The kiss seems to last forever, our noses messily brushing against each other, teeth clashing as we can't help ourselves but smile.

"We made it, Harry," she says as she leans her forehead against mine, looking me in the eyes. "We really made it."

"I knew we will," I reply, a dimpled smile on my face. "I love you."

"What- oh." A nurse suddenly says as she appears behind the corner, a smirk forming on her face. "Aren't you two real adorable, sneaking around here. You know, there's a room available nearby, no one would disturb-"

"Uh that's alright, thank you," I say as Elena pulls away, quickly sitting back on the wheelchair. "We'll be on our way now." I awkwardly push the wheelchair past the nurse, watching as Elena laughs quietly, palm covering her lips, making me laugh too. This is the most carefree I've been in forever, now certain I can get used to this. To simplicity and peace, if this is what peace is like.

I smirk and crane my neck, wetting my pierced lips with my tongue. "Hold on Tiger, time for another lap."

. . . .

"Ahhh, it burns!" Alex exclaims, opening his mouth and breathing quickly, his tongue hanging out of his mouth.

"Ugh, then feed yourself!" Jess says in annoyance, placing a bowl filled with food on the nightstand, crossing her arms. "The things I do for love. . ."

"I can't, my arm hurts," Alex whines. "I have two cuts and stitches, if they get torn then the wounds will get infected and ugly and painful and I'll die-"

"Oh for God's sake Alex, I'll feed you!" Elena says as she slowly walks toward him, taking the bowl and stuffing the spoon into his mouth.

"After stealing all the food back in the womb, you should-" he starts, but gets interrupted when Elena pushes the spoon into his mouth again. "You no you wuv me!" He sputters.

"You know, I'm feeling hungry too," Louis says as he looks at Tori with a smirk, adjusting himself on his bed beside Alex's since both of them demanded to be in the same room.

Tori rolls her eyes. "Don't even think about it, those hands worked just fine earlier." She crosses her arms and gives him a knowing look.

"Wha- I don't even want to know what were you doing on that walk earlier," Alex says.

Louis' cheeks turn red and Tori just shrugs, swiping his messy hair and leaning down to kiss his forehead. He smiles at the gesture and takes her hand in his, making me smile.

"Damn, everyone getting some but us," Liam says and nudges Niall who then nudges Zayn.

Elena and I look at each other and everything around us seems to fade. Her hand comes up and grasps her ring around her neck, making my smile widen. I do the same, that being our way of showing each other how we feel without saying the actual words.

I watch the scene around me, a grin making its way to my lips. This is what I fought for, this was my motivation. Happiness and laughter in a room filled with people I care about the most in this world. A few faces are missing, but I'll make sure to never forget them. Each of them still has a piece of my heart, they always will.

Now that I look back to what I had to go through to be here today, I can't help but be proud of myself. Almost a year ago, I was unable to leave the base, haunted by my past and mistakes every single day. Not to mention the countless of times I lashed out on Elena without meaning to, hallucinations getting the best of me. But with a bit of help, I've managed to gain control of my wild side which shaped the man I am today. And to know my father was proud of the man I've become makes this even better.

This was indeed worth fighting for. There's no more killing, no more fighting, no more pain. No more war.

There's only peace.