One week.

Never in my life had I imagined so much could happen in one week.

Seven days.

The life I was living seemed to have crashed and burned in only seven days.

My night in the Irish countryside with Harry had been perfect, but little did we know that it would cause all hell to break loose.

Photos of us that night had been spread all over every tabloid and news sight, the rumours worse than ever.

Management had made me a twitter and I had to release a statement that said 'I am in a very happy and committed engagement with my fiancé Ashton. He is the only man I am involved with and I apologise if I gave anyone the impression that that was not the case.'

Harry's rep had to release a statement for him too that said 'Harry and Carter have a simply platonic relationship. There is nothing to say because nothing is happening between them.'

But this wasn't enough.

We were like criminals on trial.

People were burning us on social media and in the news and there was nothing we could do. We could deny and deny all we wanted but no one believed us.

Then it got better. There was a day where it was less and I was beginning to believe the words Ashton force fed me that it would "get better"...and then it happened.

The next morning, all of my personal messages between Harry, Ashton, and anyone else were front page news.

Someone had hacked into my icloud account and shared all of it.

That's when I broke down.

Never had I felt so violated and used. My privacy had been breached. And despite the fact that there was nothing incriminating in my messages because I was innocent, I still felt like I couldn't trust anyone.

I never knew people could be this cruel.

While I was trapped in my own world of self pity and misery, everyone else around me was trying to fix the damage that had been done.

Michael restored my icloud account and changed all of my passwords so this hopefully wouldn't happen again.

Luke and Becca took to twitter to bat off all of the people coming at me with brooms, pitchforks, and torches ablaze.

Calum had stepped up to handle the duties I did daily such as cook, clean, and manage the kids and dogs.

And then there was Ashton.

The days of the media raking me over the coals were tough on him too. He had to handle his part of damage control by saying the rumours were false and then work with the press team to find ways to get me back in a good light.

Those days he had just been annoyed and frustrated with everything but sweet to me, telling me it would blow over and soon people would stop.

And then my accounts had been hacked and my personal life was posted on every news source.

Then he was pissed.

He screamed on the phone to his publicity agent, yelling for them to take it all down and fix this mess.

I think this was the point where he realized there was nothing he could do.

So he let everyone else take care of the mess, and decided to take care of me: the root of the problem.

To say the least, I was a mess.

I hadn't left the bus in days.

All I did was lay in my bunk and sleep or stare at the ceiling. Ashton brought me food but I didn't feel hungry, and when I did eat I ended up throwing it all back up.

He convinced me to shower and brush my teeth, but other than that I felt like my life wasn't even my own anymore.

So I laid there, staring at the ceiling.

Ashton sat on the floor next to me, watching me with sad eyes. He tried talking to me, telling me about the kids days and that things were being taken care of.

There was apparently an investigation to find out who did it and since it was my account but they released messages between me and him and then me and Harry, all three of us would file charges against the perpetrator.

Harry had been dealing with it on his end and was apparently furious and had released a statement that said 'That was a deep violation of Ms. Chase's privacy and also mine, and action will be taken against the person responsible.'

I "mhmm" and nodded at his words but I didn't have the mental capacity to handle anymore.

And I guess he didn't either, because finally he left, sighing as he did.

I watched him leave but quickly returned my gaze to the ceiling.

This tour had been hell, and I felt like it was all because of me. I was ruining his career and Harry's career and I knew it would be best if I went home.

The next time Ashton came back I would tell him.

I heard noise coming from the front of the bus and then someone say "she doesn't need you to coddle her like a baby, she needs tough love."

Then the door was whisked open and to my surprise Ari walked in, but I didn't show surprise, my face was blank.

"Get up." She snapped.

I didn't move at this. Why was she here?

"Carter, get up out of this bed right now, I swear to god I will drag you out myself."

I knew she wasn't kidding.

"Fine. God." I breathed and slid out, my legs wobbly from not having stood up in so long.

"Shower." She pushed me towards the bathroom. I complied and let her shove me into the small space.

She practically had to undress me herself before shoving me inside the shower with the hot water.

She handed me my tooth brush and then waited inside the bathroom for me to finish.

When I got out I wrapped up in a towel and she forced me to get dressed.

I moved to get back in bed but she stopped me.

"No. Walk. Outside."

"Ari, no." I breathed.

"Walk your ass outside now or I will have Jason carry you out there. We can do this the easy way or the hard way, now what's it gonna be?"

I shot her a dirty look before forcing myself to walk.

As I left the bunk area for the first time in days, I saw Ashton with Jason and Luke on the sofa, his eyes widening when he saw me.

Ari pushed me out the door into the sunlight, my entire body cringing.

"This way." Ari led me away from the bus and to a place that looked like a park.

She pushed me down onto a bench and then stood in front of me with her arms crossed.

"You need to snap out of this." Ari quipped. "I know you are hurt and upset, but laying in bed for days on end and starving yourself isn't helping anything. If anything it's making this worse, because now they're not worried about the media they're worried about you having a god damn seizure."

"Ari, I don't need this right now." I sighed. Her yelling was unwelcome.

"Well you need something. Because Ashton's coddling isn't helping, Harry's staying back isn't helping, and you aren't helping yourself! So Ashton and Harry called me, to see if maybe I could snap you out of whatever phase you're in. In case you couldn't tell, everyone is worried sick about you! Your fiancé especially! Your kids haven't seen you in days and Ender is a freaking wreck, so is Gracie. I mean, you have to stop feeling sorry for yourself and pull yourself together!"

"You don't understand what it's like to have your private life on the front of every magazine! You don't know how much it hurts to know that someone hates you so much they want to destroy everything you have! My privacy was the only thing I had left and now it's gone!" I shouted back at her.

"No I don't know how that feels but I do know that this isn't the end of the world! You did nothing wrong and the messages show that! I know it's still so messed up and painful to be violated like that but you will survive this! You have so many people who want to help you and tell you they love you but you're acting like they don't even exist!"

"Stop screaming at me!"

"No! I've known you longer than anyone else! I know how to handle this! You feel like a part of you has died, like nothing will ever be the same! You felt like this when your parents died and when you found out about Cadwell, but you know what you did then? You kept living. This" she waved her hands," is nothing compared to that. You're better than this. You're stronger than this. And the sad thing is, you know you are."

And the sad thing was, Ari was right.

"I know." I whispered, trying to fight back the tears threatening to fall. 

"Then stop this." She said firmly.

I nodded, making Ari sigh.

"When I saw the photos I knew how bad it looked, and I was glad everyone said the rumors were false, including Harry. And then your account was hacked and I was pissed. I was so angry for you Carter. I went off on twitter and bitched at some reporter at E! News. And then Harry called asking if I had heard from you because you weren't answering any of his texts or calls and he had agreed to not see you in order for the rumors to die down. And then Ashton called panicking because you were acting like you had died inside. He said you haven't even cried over this, all you've done is just lay there...and that's when I knew I had to come down here and smack some sense into that head of yours."

I laughed. I actually laughed.

"There we go. You're you again." She smiled as I wiped them few tears that had escaped. "Now go back to that bus and cry into Ashton's arms because God knows you need to."

I nodded as I stood up and walked back to the bus with her following me. When I got inside Ashton was waiting there with Jason and Luke.

His eyes were scared when he saw me but then as I broke down into tears they lightened into concern.

"I know, I know." He cooed at me as I wrapped my arms around his neck.

He used his arms to lift my legs around his waist so he could hold me to him like a child.

"Shh. It's all okay now. You're okay." He whispered into my hair.

"I'm so sorry." I sobbed into his neck.

"I know you are, but you're not the one to blame. It feels like this is all on your shoulders, I understand, but i'm here to bear the weight with you, alright? You're not alone in this."

I nodded, still crying into his neck and feeling him hug me tightly.

"I love you." He rested his head on mine.

"I love you too."

This felt right. Being comforted by Ashton had been what I needed all along, I had just been denying it.

"See. Told you I could fix her. She just needed her best friend." Ari elbowed Jason behind me and I rolled my eyes while I tried to stop crying.

"Shut up, Ari."

Ashton laughed at this.

"Thanks for getting her back." He smiled at her before walking over to set me on the counter. "If I make you something will you eat?"

"Yeah." I sniffled as I wiped my nose with my arm.

"Okay." He smiled at me and placed both of his hands on my cheeks so he could pull me down to kiss him. "There's that kiss i've been waiting for."

I laughed at this and his smile widened.

I hated it, but Ari was right, she knew how to get me out of that phase and bring me back to myself.

For the first time in a long time I was feeling good, feeling happy.

I sat on the counter while Ashton made me some chicken and vegetables. Eating felt really good and satisfied the ache in my stomach.

Once I had eaten Ashton led me, Jason, Ari, and Luke from the bus to the backstage area.

As we approached the dressing room I could hear the laughter of my little girl.

Ashton and I stepped up to the door and I looked inside to see Calum laying on his back, Gracie up in his arms as he lifted her up and down.

Ender and Michael were playing video games on the television, and I realised as I watched my kids that I had missed a week of their life.

Calum bounced Gracie one last time before setting her down, Gracie then looking up and seeing me there.

Her eyes went wide and her little jaw dropped as she sucked in gasp.

"Mommy." She whispered to herself before shouting. "Mommy!"

I smiled as Ender looked up at me and Gracie sprinted to me as fast as she could.

I crouched down to catch her when she reached me and brought her into a strong hug.

"Hi, baby."

She smiled into my neck and then I felt Enders arms come around me as well.

"Mommy did you miss us?" Gracie asked me.

"I did. I missed you both so much."

Gracie moved back and I placed my hands on her cheeks.

"You still love us?" She looked up at me with the most heart breaking puppy dog eyes.

"Of course I love you! I'm your Mommy, and i'll always love you no matter what. I'm so sorry I was gone but i'm here and i'm not going anywhere again, okay?"

She nodded at this and smiled brightly.

I hugged Ender and kissed his cheek before kissing Gracie.

I lifted up Gracie to carry her and then held Enders hand as our group walked back to the bus.

Ashton put our sheets in the wash so we would literally have a fresh start, and while Ari and the kids were making cupcakes, I took my phone with me to the bathroom, unlocking the device that hadn't been touched in days.

I first went to my messages where Harry had taken most of the residence.

All of his messages were about how sorry he was, and that he was taking his managers advice for once and staying away until this all calmed down.

He said he almost got into a fight with a paparazzi who was saying rude things about me, and that he had to force himself to stay off social media before he did something he might regret.

But he told me that he was worried about me and that as soon as this blew over and I was ready, he would come see me.

I couldn't reply to him yet, so I just stared at the messages.

"Car?"

I jumped at the knock at the door, wiping my cheeks before setting down my phone and opening it to reveal Ashton.

"You okay?" He asked me, concern still coating his face.

"I was just seeing what I missed." I held up my phone.

"Ah." He nodded. "Well the kids are asking for you."

"Yeah, i'll be there in a minute." I said before
checking myself in the mirror. I looked awful. "I look terrible."

Ashton chuckled behind me before stepping up to me and winding his arms around my waist.

"Not terrible, just tired." He smiled at me before pressing a kiss to my shoulder.

"No I really do look terrible." I laughed.

"You can't look terrible. It's impossible." He brushed his lips across the skin of my neck.

"You're just saying that because you have to." I smiled as we made eye contact in the mirror.

"No i'm saying it because it's true." He kissed my neck. "You'll always be beautiful to me."

"Even when i'm 80 years old and have grey hair and wrinkles?"

"Especially then." He laughed. "Because i'll be 82 with grey hair and wrinkles but i'll have the hottest 80 year old wife next to me."

His words made me laugh like a child, but it felt so good.

"I've missed your smile this week."

"I've missed smiling."

He turned me around in his arms and placed his hands on my cheeks.

"When I proposed to you I promised you that I would be with you for better or worse, and that's what i'm going to do. Okay? I'm not going anywhere. You'll always have me to fall back on, and to take care of you."

"I know." I nodded. "And it may not have seemed like it this week, but i'm here for you too. I've been a really bad fiancé these past couple weeks and i'm so sorry."

"You've been under a lot of stress, and I know that sounds like an excuse but it's true. So don't worry about me, because i'm just worried about you."

I nodded.

"I love you." He stared deeply into my eyes.

"I love you too."

He brought his lips to mine in a very sweet and tender kiss, my back leaned against the sink as we really kissed for the first time in a while.

I pulled him closer to me and Ashton moved his hands from my face to my waist.

His lips were moving against mine hungrily, and I let out a soft moan at the feel.

With one hand he closed the door to the bathroom and locked the door, not taking his lips away from mine.

My hands grabbed at his shirt and he broke our kiss only to pull it over his head and then take off mine.

I leaned my head against the mirror as he moved his kisses to my chest, leaving love bites across my skin.

I brought him back to kiss me as he fumbled with the zipper of his jeans, shoving them down before pulling off my shorts.

I let out a moan as he rubbed me over my panties.

"Shh, baby we have to be quiet." He whispered as he tugged down my panties and then his boxers.

He moved in to kiss me as he opened the medicine cabinet to grab a condom from the box and then rolled it on before moving me to the edge of the sink.

"You ready?" He panted.

"Yes." I nodded, letting him know he was okay to lift me up and begin making love to me which was exactly what he did.

My head rested on his shoulder as our bodies moved together, giving me pleasure that I hadn't had in a while.

"Oh my God." I whined, feeling his warm skin against mine.

It had been too long, way too long, and I knew I wouldn't last too much longer.

The combination of Ashton's hands all over me, his hips moving with mine, and his kisses had me coming undone faster than I wanted to.

He followed after me, the two of us slouching against the mirror as we caught our breath.

"We just had sex in the bathroom with all our friends ten feet away." He started to laugh and I couldn't help but join him.

After a few more minutes of breathless kissing we re-dressed and fixed ourselves up before opening the door and finding Ari standing there with her arms crossed.

"I said check on her, not do her in the bathroom." She rolled her eyes at Ashton.

"And I don't care, because I just had sex with my hot fiancé and you can't take that away from me." He quipped back at her and I couldn't help but smile.

My fiancé and my best friend were now best friends and that made me extremely happy.

"Yeah yeah." She rolled her eyes again before looking at me. "Harry's here. Said he couldn't wait any longer to see if you were okay."

Ari began to walk away and I sighed before squeezing Ashton's hand and following her.

We walked out from the back area to find Harry waiting in the living room.

He had on basketball shorts and a tee shirt along with a beanie over his head, and rarely did I ever see him this casual besides in the mornings or when we were going to bed.

"They were back there doing it." Ari smirked as she went to sit next to Jason on the sofa.

"I didn't need to know that, Ari." Harry shot her a dirty look before looking back at me.

"Hey." He looked at me. "I've been calling you like a crazy person and i've heard nothing and I just wanted to know that you're okay."

I smiled.

"I'm okay."

He sighed.

Ashton squeezed my hand and kissed my cheek before letting me go and going to sit next to Jason.

"Come on." I nodded to Harry and had him follow me to the back room of the bus.

He closed the door and then turned to me.

"Are you really okay?" He looked me over as if to make sure I wasn't wounded.

"I'm better. It still hurts and i'm heartbroken but i'm better."

He nodded before closing the distance between us and pulling me into a tight hug.

"I've been worried sick about you." He spoke into my hair. "Every time I called you didn't answer and then Ari didn't know anything besides what Ashton had told her and then I still didn't hear anything and I just couldn't wait anymore."

"I know." I sighed. "I would've called you back but Ari just snapped me out of whatever phase I was in today and then I was with Ashton and I didn't know what to say to you."

"You could've started with you're alive and well and that you've missed me too." He pulled back so he could smirk at me.

"Oh shut up." I rolled my eyes and he let out a laugh.

"I've missed you so much." He gazed down at me with a soft smile.

"I know, I've missed you too."

He kissed my forehead before pulling me into another hug.

"Harry, i'm glad you're here, but i've spent the past week laying in bed and I need to be with my family."

"I thought I was your family too?" He frowned.

"You are, but my kids haven't seen their mom in a week and they need me. I'm not mad or upset with you at all, I just need some time to regroup and get over this."

He nodded.

"No, I get it." He sighed.

"I'll call you when i'm ready and we'll get together, I promise."

"Okay." He gave me a soft smile before placing his hands on my face and pressing his lips to my forehead and then cheek. "I'll wait for you. You know I always will."

As Harry walked away I sat down on the sofa, remembering my phone call the other week with Ashton while I had skipped town with Harry because I had been scared...Ashton had told me the same thing.

--

Just a couple more chapters till it all goes down, who's ready?!

Not me! lol

Hope you're all doing well and i'll have the next part up soon!

Much love xx-m