veracity • lashton

twelve.

[Flashback]

"How is that even possible?" Calum asked, intensively looking at the paper in between his hands.

"I am just as shocked as you, alright? But look..." Sierra answered, pointing at the DNA results. "It's a match. He is my brother."

He took a deep breath, giving the file back to her before laying his back on the doorframe. "So, now what? Are you going to tell him-"

"Are you crazy? Of course not!" She cut him off. "Not now, at least. I just want to make sure he is one hundred percent healthy before overwhelming him with this."

"I guess it makes sense but, he is my best friend. I can't keep this from him-"

"You are going to have to. This is between me and him." She sighed. "I will go visit him soon so I can get rid of any bad blood between us, and then I can think about what to do next."

He nodded, giving her an up and down look. "And what about you? Are you okay?"

"I..." She paused, tears building up in her eyes. "I don't know. I just can't believe he is alive. I thought I lost him forever. All this time, I blamed myself, I- I thought I killed them all."

He pressed his lips together, staring at her sorrowfully. "Oh my God." He rushed towards Sierra, giving her a hug. "I'm sorry, this must have been awful for you... it was a car crash, not your fault at all."

"But it is, though... I was being a little brat and kept crying in the back seat. My mom was screaming at me to stop and my dad turned around just for one second, and..."

"You were only four, it's okay..." She rested her head on his shoulder, crying uncontrollably while he played with her hair. "Now you know the truth, it is not too late for you and Ashton to be a family."

"What if he doesn't forgive me for killing our-"

"You didn't kill your parents." He cut her off, grabbing both of her shoulders tightly to pull her away from him. "It was an accident, and the other driver was drunk. None of it was your fault, alright?"

They looked into each other's eyes for a moment, before she sniffled and wagged her head.

"Good." He smiled a little. "Plus, your mother is alive."

"Wha-"

"But she is not a good person, Sierra." He interrupted her right away. "She is in jail, and she is staying there."

She frowned. "So, um- Ash-Ashton was all alone?"

"He was never alone, I was there and I always will be." He reassured her. "Just like I will be here for you whenever you need me. Okay?"

A small beam formed her lips, which he immediately returned. He opened his arms wide, welcoming her into yet another hug.

He kissed her forehead when she pressed the right side of her face against her torso.

"Thank you." She whispered.

"No need." He answered before taking a step back. "Let's go get some coffee." He suggested, giving her his hand.

She smiled. "Yes, I would love to." Their fingers intertwined as they marched together to the cafeteria of the hospital.

[End Of Flashback]

-Ashton-

"After that, Cal kept his promise..." Sierra carried on to explain. "It was really tough for awhile, I was having nightmares almost every night and I had no one else to call..." She looked at Michael. "Hence the late night calls, texts and sneaking out. I was having uncontrollable panic and anxiety attacks. I am so sorry, I guess I was being selfish and did not think about how this could affect your relationship..."