Unity

Come on love, we're leaving.

Tahlia was sat in bed when we walked through the door, her face lit up at the sight of us before she pressed a finger to her lips and nodding her head in the direction of the sleeping figure beside her. Chris was in the chair next to her bed, still in his suit which told me he hadn't left her side since she'd been admitted. He was resting his forehead against his crossed arms on the bed, nearly touching her but not quite. Gentle snores slowly filled the room as we tried to creep inside, the sound of my crutches on the hard floor overpowering the sound of him sleeping.

He twitched in the chair, nearly falling from the edge of the bed before he sat up suddenly making all of us apart from Ronan jump. His eyes searched the room, not even registering Ronan and I. His eyes were wild until they rested onto Tahlia, he slumped back in the chair with a sigh of relief escaping his lips. She smiled at him and he lazily smiled back, rubbing his eyes before looking around the room again finally acknowledging us. In the times that I'd met Chris he'd been nothing but friendly and always greeted me enthusiastically but his face right now was the exact opposite.

His eyes had scrunched into a scowl, his top lip almost curling with anger before he shot up from his seat. "You shouldn't be here!" He nearly yelled, a furious look set upon his face. Tahlia looked surprised, her mouth hanging open as she watched her husband. He was stepping towards us, an angry finger held in the air. "It's your fault." He was pointing right at me and I sank back against the door, my crutches barely holding me up. "It's your fault she's here, Ace told me everything that you did. You're a monster Ava and I don't want you around my wife!"

"Chri-!" Tahlia tried to interrupt but he only threw an intimidating state over his shoulder, the argument dying on her lips.

"No." He turned back to face me, stepping closer as his hands shook by his side. "Look at what happens wherever you go Ava, your brother died because of what you did."

"That's enough." Ronan stood in front of me, his arms folded over his chest as he stepped closer to Chris. For a second Chris faltered, gulping loudly at the stern look on my boyfriends face but he only shook his head.

"No!" Chris shouted this time, his voice filling the room with its sudden volume. Ronan only rolled his shoulders, his hands flexing by his sides and I could already tell he was getting agitated. I on the other hand was stunned into silence, holding myself against the door and willing the floor to open up and swallow me whole because I knew he was right. It was the same thing I'd been thinking about since I found out it were the rebels who crashed Tahlias wedding. This was my fault, it was my actions that caused this and I needed to find a way to make it all stop.

"I'm sick of you all babying her because her parents died. She killed someone!" Chris roared, an angry vein sticking out of his neck as he grew more and more frustrated. "She's just as bad as the people that killed her parents and what makes it worse is that the ones that care about her are the ones suffering. My wife took a bullet yesterday! Cain is in another hospital fighting for his life after taking multiple all because she couldn't control herself!"

"I know!" Everyone turned to look at me and I was surprised by the sudden volume in my voice. I didn't know where it had come from or the frustrated tears burning the back of my eyes as I tried my best to keep them at bay. "I know Chris, I fucking know! I've spent years trying to get over what I did, I really have."

"She doesn't have to explain herself to you." Ronan snapped, interrupting my rant as he now towered over Chris. He looked up at him in shock, finally realising how close and how angry Ronan really was. "So I will, to let you understand the kind of person she really is. Ava grew up without her parents being raised by her teenage brother who was in the same club her parents died protecting. He protected her for as long as he possibly could from knowing anything about this club before the rebels started killing members old ladies, their families."

He paused, his cold eyes searching Chris face. Chris looked terrified, he was leaning away from Ronan but still stood frozen. "So like any big brother would do he took her to the club until they started making attempts on her life. They turned up at the place she worked, they chased her and Cain. Cain would've been dead if Ava hadn't of killed that rebel, they both would be. And as for her fucking brother he died because Ace led him into a warehouse blind but he died protecting him while his sister was in bed trying to get over the fact she'd been raped." Ronan was furious and his voice was slowly getting louder as his patience wore thin. "I am sick to death of you all using her brothers death to attack her, she's tried her fucking best to adapt to a world that's never gave her anything for the better of others and you all keep fucking throwing it in her face."

Chris finally took a step back, looking away from Ronan with his jaw clenched. "The next person to cause a tear to fall from my girls face or to attack her I'll make you regret ever being born." He threw a warning glare at Chris, pinning him to the spot with his eyes. "I get you nearly lost the love of your life yesterday but I won't let you upset mine. Sort it out Chris." Ronan dropped the breakfast we'd brought on our way here onto the table before looking back at me. "Come on love, we're leaving."

I didn't want to leave, I wanted to talk to Tahlia but after what Chris had said I don't think I'd be able to deal with the atmosphere. I felt like absolute shit after what he'd said and I couldn't even look at Tahlia in the eye, she tried to argue with Ronan but I could tell from the look on his face that he needed to get out of here. I wasn't sure if he would actually attack Chris but the manic look in his eye had be slipping past the door that he held open. Once we were both in the hallway I reached out to him, struggling for keep up with his frustrated pace. He turned to look at me, the fire in his eyes instantly dying down and his whole face softened.

"Thank you." I whispered, his shoulders sagged as he brought his hands up to cradle my face. He used his two thumbs to brush away the tears that had rolled free, he leaned down and tilted my head so that he could press his lips to the top of my head. He pulled away, looking down at me with nothing but pure adoration.

"You don't ever have to thank me love." He breathed quietly. "I'd cut my own heart out of it meant keeping you happy and I'll cut out anyone else's who make you unhappy."