A love to last

All that you are is all that I'll ever need."

THE RIDE home was a blur.

Once they had arrived, Freya somehow made it into the house and up to her bedroom without even realising she had moved. Her ears were ringing and coupled with Falcon's never-ending apologies, she felt like screaming. The only thing that stopped her was the shock that had frozen her system as she curled up on her bed, shutting her eyes and letting out a deep breath.

Her brain was slowly processing through what had happened and part of her wanted to start crying again but another part was more concerned about the hunched over figure at the edge of her bed.

Even though Freya was confused and scared and altogether five seconds away from having an emotional breakdown, she found herself crawling across the bed, tears stinging her eyes as she crept between Falcon's arms and curled up against his chest. Falcon didn't react, lost in his own self-damning thoughts as Freya nuzzled her way to the crook of his neck and entwined herself around him.

A moment of silence passed before Freya decided to speak.

"A-are you okay," She whispered softly.

Falcon let out a shaky laugh as he looked up at her with incredulous eyes.

"Am I okay?" He scoffed, clenching his eyes shut like he was in pain. "God knows what could have happened to you if I had left you alone in my room and you're asking me if I'm okay?" Freya pulled back slightly from Falcon's chest as a pout formed on her lips. His hands ran through his hair before clenching a handful of it as they formed fists. Freya's brow creased in concern; that looked like it hurt.

She placed her hands on top of his, trying to gently pry them away from his hair. Without warning, Falcon let go and moved her off his lap before shooting off the bed.

"God, Freya," He growled, rubbing his hands down his face as he turned away from her. His hands hooked behind his neck as he took a deep breath, turning back to face Freya. "Do you even realise what could have happened to you?" He stressed, his hands had moved to his sides, shaking as tremors swept through his body.

"You could've gotten seriously hurt, Freya," He pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes as they stung with the promise of tears. "He could have raped you. Do you not understand that?" Freya's bottom lip trembled as he raised his voice and her stomach clenched as pain washed through her chest.

"I'm so-sorry," She hiccuped, making Falcon uncover his eyes as he looked down at her tiny form in guilt.

He fell to his knees before her, letting his head fall into her lap.

"I'm the one that should be sorry, baby," He whispered, voice full of pain. "I wasn't thinking when I brought you there. You mess with my head whenever you're around and I didn't even think twice before driving you to my place."

Freya whined as the need to comfort and be comforted overwhelmed her. She slid off the side of the bed, landing in a heap on top of his lap as she nestled her way back into his arms. Falcon reacted instantly, pulling her closer by her waist until she had her legs either side of his hips as she clutched onto him tighter.

"I'm sorry," He whispered into her hair as she sniffled from the after effect of her tears. Freya didn't respond as he hugged her closer, choosing to close her eyes as they drooped from sudden exhaustion. It was still early in the morning, but Freya felt like she could sleep for years. She felt Falcon stand up with her legs still firmly wrapped around his torso, laying her down on her cold bed before trying to gently pry her hands from around his neck.

"No," She yelped, her eyes remained closed as she tried to grab onto any part of him she could. He shushed her as he held her hands to her chest with a soft grip, pressing a small kiss to her

nose.

"It's okay, baby girl," He held her arms in one hand as he used his other to stroke her cheek affectionately.

A moment of hesitation passed before Falcon spoke again.

"I'm not going anywhere," He promised.

Freya's little hands wiggled out of his hold and gripped onto his black shirt, tugging him down

to the bed with her. She couldn't bear the thought of being alone.

Falcon lowered himself next to her, his tense muscles relaxing as Freya hooked a leg over his waist, her arms tightly encasing his torso. It was clear that no matter what ideas he had had before, the petite girl in his arms wasn't allowing him to go anywhere for the time being.

It didn't matter that he was physically able to leave and deal with the drunken man he had left in his house. She had him wrapped around those tiny fingers of hers and he hated the thought of upsetting her.

"Do you promise?" Freya asked, her eyes closed as she rubbed her cheek against Falcon's chest. There had been such a long silence between them that for a moment, Falcon didn't know what she meant.

"I promise, baby," He pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead. "I'm never going anywhere." Freya let out a tired whine as she pressed herself impossibly closer to Falcon's body, his hands rubbing soothing circles along her back as she fell asleep.

It was then that the front door slammed, the sound echoing up the staircase. Freya jolted awake

in Falcon's arms, confusion contorting her features as Falcon sprang up from the bed. He wasted

no time sprinting towards the window, pushing up the glass as quietly as possible before slipping out one leg.

Little hands grabbed the material of his shirt as he began to climb out, footsteps thundering up the stairs.

"Where are you-" Falcon cut off Freya's question as the sound of his heart beat filled his ears. "I have to go, okay?" He said as gently as he could. "I don't know if I'll be back today, but I'll see you tomorrow, alright?"

The footsteps had reached the beginning of the hallway, but Freya's hands still wouldn't let go of Falcon's shirt. He grabbed them softly, giving them a reassuring squeeze before prying them from his shirt. Before another word could be uttered, Falcon had lifted himself out the window, letting him fall to the roof below.

In the same moment, the door to Freya's room swung open to reveal her father. She tried to appear as nonchalant as possible, as if the boy her father had specifically told her to stay away from hadn't just jumped out her window.

"Daddy," She squeaked, her eyes nervously glancing towards the window next to her.

Her father glanced around the room, eyes searching for someone that was no longer there. "Why is that boy's bike in my driveway?" Her father stared her down, arms crossed over his wide chest. "And why are you not at school?"

Freya's mouth opened to respond when she was interrupted by the hum of Falcon's motorcycle. She winced as her father's expression grew darker, panic bubbling in her chest as her eyes began to sting with tears.

"Freya," He growled.

"I-I felt si-sick," She blurted the first thing that came to mind. At least it wasn't a complete lie. "He dro-drove me home."

Her father's expression softened, but only slightly.

"I told you not to hang around him anymore," He scolded. "Why didn't you ask Penn to drive you?"

Freya's eyebrows furrowed as she sniffled. He was telling her off for being around one boy while encouraging her to be around another.

"Be-because he wa-wasn't around," She rubbed one of her teary eyes with the heel of her hand. It was a lie, of course. If it had been truth and they had made it to school only for her to feel sick, she would have gone home with Falcon no matter where Penn was.

She liked him better. It was as simple as that.

"I'm so-sorry," Freya hiccupped.

Her father sighed, unable to hold onto his anger towards her for long.

"It's okay, sweetheart," He walked towards her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders as she sniffled into his chest. "Just go find Penn next time, okay?"

"Why?" Freya couldn't help but ask.

Her father cradled her head in his hands, sweeping away the strands of hair that crowded her features.

"Because our families have a deal," He said, Freya's heart seizing at cryptic words. "And he's the only one I trust to take care of you when I'm not there."

Freya's sniffles had ceased as curiosity overtook her.

"Wha-what deal?" She peered up curiously at her father.

Her father's brow furrowed as he debated over what to say.

"You like Penn, right?" He asked finally.

Freya scrunched her nose in thought. Did she like him? They had been friends for years, and excluding the incident the other day, he had been a good one.

"I guess," She mumbled, wondering what her father was trying to achieve by the question. "Well, I know you're much too young to be thinking of it now, but," He paused for a moment. "We were hoping that, in the future, you two would consider helping in bringing our companies together."

Freya furrowed her eyebrows, confused as to what he meant.

"How?" She asked.

Her father looked mildly uncomfortable with the question, but he steeled himself before speaking again.

"By marriage," He smiled comfortingly at Freya but it did nothing to calm her rising nerves Marriage? With Penn?

Freya had only barely begun to know what it felt like to like a person in that way. She wasn't ready to think about marriage. And with Penn? She liked him as a friend, nothing more. Surely, if she was to think about marriage with anyone, it would be with Falcon.

But her father wanted her to be with Penn.

"It's in the company's best interest," He interrupted her train of thought. "A marriage between the two of you would grow the business exponentially. You're seventeen now, Freya; you'll be an adult in a few months. I hope you take this seriously."

Her father left without another word, leaving Freya to wonder what on earth had just happened. A distressed noise escaped her mouth as she stared at the back of her bedroom door. He expected her to get married. He expected her to be an adult. To do what was best for the family business.

But what about what was best for her? What about what she wanted?

Falcon.

She wanted - no she needed Falcon.

Anxiety bubbled up in her stomach, her throat burning as tears pricked her eyes. Another noise escaped her lips as she scrambled for the book bag Falcon had dropped on the ground next to the door.

Her phone. Where was her phone?

A light headed feeling of relief washed over her as her fingers grasped the large smart phone. The sleek pink mobile was comically huge in Freya's trembling hands, and she silently thanked god that Falcon had insisted on making sure she had his number in case of an emergency. She pressed his contact with a shaky finger, lifting the phone to her ear as she restlessly listened to it ring.

Once.

Twice.

Thrice.

Freya felt a tear of impatience escape down her cheek and she let out a broken growl as the phone rang again. Where was he?

The ringing finally came to an end as his voice flowed through the speaker.

"Freya?" He questioned, his voice making her begin to cry in relief.

"Fal-" A sob cut through her words, his voice seemed to have triggered the waterfall of tears that

now streamed down her face.

"Baby," He breathed helplessly. "Sweetheart, wha-what happened?"

She could hear the rustle of keys as he opened what sounded like a car door. He was coming. It was going to be okay.

She couldn't answer as her vision grew blurry with tears and her throat closed up as sobs threatened to escape.

"Ple-ease come," She sucked in a breath that sounded more like a choking sound than anything else.

"I'm coming, baby," He rushed out. "I'm coming. It's okay."

Freya leaned against the door, her body feeling heavy and hot as her head begun to pulse with every noise. Her tears had begun to calm, replaced with light-headedness and a fierce pain behind her eyes.

"Angel, are you still there?" Falcon's voice was muted as her head burned.

She nodded before remembering that he wasn't there.

"Yes," She whispered, her eyes squeezing shut.

"Okay, baby," His voice calmed the torrent of emotions flowing through her. "Deep breaths,

alright? I'm almost there, just hang on a little longer."

Freya whimpered as her head throbbed, exhaustion washing over her as it always did when she

cried.

It seemed like forever that Freya simply listened to the sound of Falcon's harsh breathing as he drove, but finally he spoke again.

"I'm here, baby girl," His voice was breathless as the sound of fast footsteps crackled through the speaker. "I'm coming up, okay?"

She sniffled slightly in response, not having to energy to speak. The phone beeped as he hung

up, she heard shuffling at her window a moment later, but her eyes remained closed as her head continued to throb.

"Freya," Falcon gathered her up in his arms, shifting her so she was nestled safely in his lap. "Baby, are you okay? Why were you crying?"

Freya fisted his shirt in her hands as relief flooded through her system. She sniffled a little harder

as a cry clogged up her throat.

"Shh," Falcon cooed. "It's okay. You're alright."

He held her for a long moment, letting the pain in her head calm to an uncomfortable but

bearable pulse.

"Can you tell me what happened, sweetheart?" Falcon asked softly, afraid she'd erupt into tears if

he spoke too loud.

"I don't want to marry Penn," She blubbered as she sucked in a breath through a new wave of

tears.

Falcon's pulse spluttered for a moment as he took in her words.

"Ba-Who said you had to marry him?" He asked as a pain shot through his chest. "Da-daddy," She sobbed. "He sa-said it would be goo-ood fo-for the com-company." Falcon felt rage building in his chest, tremors spreading down his arms as he clenched his fists in order to keep it contained. Her father practically arranged his own daughter's marriage and on top of that, arranged it with someone Falcon couldn't stand to even think of. The thoughts sent pictures of Freya and Penn together. Married. In love. Kids. Falcon's jaw clenched as his breathing became erratic. He wouldn't let it happen. He couldn't. He pressed Freya closer to his body, tightening his arms around her almost painfully as he pressed his face into her hair. He kept her there, as if he could stop her from being taken from him if he just held on a little tighter.

"You're mine," He gritted out.

His body was tense and shaking as Freya wound her arms around his torso, trying to calm the

fury that rolled off of him in waves. She pressed a tentative kiss to his jaw, Falcon's body stilling

at the sensation.

His heartbeat began to calm as he realised she was there. They couldn't take her. She was with

him.

His arms didn't loosen as he nestled his face into the crook of her neck. He took in a deep

breath, pressing a kiss to her neck before he spoke again in a softer voice.

"You're mine."

He knew he loved her when 'home' went from being a place to being a person."

"FREYA?" FALCON'S voice broke the comfortable silence that had fallen over the two. Somewhere between suffocating hugs and calming touches, the couple had made it to Freya's

bed where Falcon had wrapped himself protectively around the tiny girl. His heart began beating

a little faster, a nagging question lying on the edge of his tongue.

In the time it took for Freya to respond, Falcon had backed out of his decision. It was too early,

he had to remind himself. Slow and steady wins the race.

It made him agitated just thinking about it. He just wanted her to be his already.

Freya hummed in response, urging him to go on, but Falcon didn't. Her brown eyes cracked open, sleepily gazing up at his structured face.

"Wha's wrong?" She slurred as her eyes fluttered shut again. She scooted closer to Falcon, letting out a breath as she rubbed her cheek on his chest.

Falcon ran his fingers through her red hair, eliciting content hums from the girl in his arms. "Nothing, sweetheart," He whispered, pressing a kiss to her head for reassurance. Freya let out a muffled noise, somewhere between a whine of protest and a yawn. Falcon's stomach constricted with a short laugh.

"Go to sleep, baby," He said softly. "It's been a long day."

Freya didn't respond again as her breathing levelled out and little whistles began to erupt from

her half-closed lips. Falcon couldn't help but leave a feather-light kiss on the tip of her nose, grinning as she subconsciously scrunched up her face.

Soon, He promised himself. She'd be his soon.

The creaking of the bedroom door woke Falcon from his sleep, his heart beat escalating until he remembered where he was. He held Freya tighter to his chest, the noise forgotten until it sounded again, causing Falcon to shoot up in bed.

Freya made a whimper of protest, but continued sleeping as Falcon began to slip out of the bed. With on leg settled on the ground, the bedroom door pushed open fully, and Falcon cursed under his breath.

"Anders," Penn stood at the door, arms crossed over his chest. "What a surprise to see you here."

Falcon rolled his eyes at Penn's sarcastic tone, his pulse calming as realised it wasn't Freya's

father.

"What are you doing here, Harris?" Falcon asked gruffly.

A smug smile stretched across Penn's face as he took a step inside the room.

"Her father called me," He said haughtily. "Said the little princess was sick and I should come

over with some of Ma's soup."

He wiggled the container in his hand as Falcon let out an amused snort even as his blood began

to boil at the nickname.

"Well she's not," Falcon stated. "So, leave."

Penn's grin grew wider as he tsked, taking another step further into the room.

"Ah, but you see, I was actually invited to be here," He chuckled. "You? You're not welcome in

this home. All I have to do is go downstairs and alert Mr. Karol to your presence and, well, you'll be fucked."

Falcon let out a laugh, standing up from the bed as he crossed his arms over his chest, rubbing a

hand across his mouth before cupping his chin in his palm. He smiled as he tapped a finger on his mouth in thought.

"Do you actually think I'm scared of you?" He let out another breathy chuckle.

Punching the fucker and being done with it was sounding more and more appealing as time

went on.

"Ask yourself that again once you've been banned from seeing her," Penn smirked.

Falcon just grinned.

"I already have," He tilted his head to the side, studying Penn's smaller form. "So, do you

honestly that would stop me?"

"It will once he calls your little homestay family," Penn smirked as Falcon's face went blank. "Where was it you spent the last five years?"

Falcon's fists balled at his sides as he clenched his jaw, glaring daggers at Penn's smug face.

"A little place called juvie, perhaps?" Penn grinned. "All someone has to do is stage a little scene and then, off you go again, back to where you belong."

Falcon lunged at the boy, shoving him against the wall with his forearm pressed to his neck as he

held down one of Penn's hand with his other arm. A gargled laugh made its way out of Penn's mouth as he scratched at Falcon's arm. "You've got no idea what the fuck you're talking about," Falcon growled. "Doesn't matter," Penn choked with a smile. "I can still get you sent back." Falcon released him slightly only to slam him back in the wall. Penn groaned as his head collided

with the thick wood.

"Keep going," He coughed as the blood drained from his face. "You're just giving me more shit against you."

Falcon dug his forearm harder into Penn's windpipe, growling as his scratching became desperate. With one last shove, Falcon let him drop to the ground, the silence filled with the sound of Penn's laboured breathing. "You're fucking crazy," He wheezed.

Falcon shrugged carelessly, picking him up by the collar of his shirt before dragging him towards

the window.

"Have fun getting down," Falcon grunted as he pulled up the glass, preparing to throw him

outside.

"You're only going to get her hurt," Penn gritted as he struggled in his hold.

Falcon paused for a moment, his grip tightening on Penn's shirt before thrusting him half way

out of the window.

"Get the fuck out of my face before I do something I shouldn't," He growled. Once Penn was hanging from the window sill, Falcon slammed down the glass pane, closing the curtains. He didn't move from his position at the window as he tried to calm his racing heartbeat. His thoughts were in turmoil as he turned back to face Freya's bed and he stopped short at the sight before him.

Freya had woken up, god knows when, and sat with wide eyes, her bottom lip trembling. Falcon

took a shaky step forward and his heart clenched when she shuffled back in the bed.

She was

scared of him; who wouldn't be?

How

screaming

to

her father?

much had she heard? Was she going to ask why he was in juvie? Was she going to run

You're only going to get her hurt.

"Baby," Falcon held out his hands in surrendering gesture, taking another step forward as his hands began to shake.

Suddenly, Freya whined as tears began escaping down her cheeks and her arms came up in a sign for him to hold her. Falcon had barely let out a sigh of relief before his legs quickly pushed him towards her bed. He pulled her into his lap as he curled himself around her tiny body.

"I'm sorry," He whispered. "I'm sorry."

He burrowed his face into the crook of her neck, pulling her closer as he let out a shuddering

breath. Freya sniffled as she let him hold her, a few tears staining the black of his shirt.

After a few moments, Falcon spoke again.

"How much did you hear?" He asked her softly.

"He to-told you to kee-eep going," She sucked in a panicked breath as she finally wound her

arms around Falcon's waist.

Falcon let out an audible sigh of relief. He would have to tell her one day, but today was not that

day.

"I'm sorry," He mumbled again as Freya began to calm down.

"It's okay," She whispered. "I still love you."

And even though he was sure she didn't mean it in that way, Falcon's heart squeezed with

emotion as a grin appeared on his face.

you too, angel," He said, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"I love

And maybe, he did.