The day before the trial creeps up faster than Louis had hoped, he's been avoiding everyone and his feelings and just trying to pretend like it's not all happening. He knows he has to face Stanley tomorrow though and the boys will all be there. The trial is heavily covered by the media which means everything will be out in the open and he's not prepared.

Louis is standing in front of the mirror the next morning trying to adjust his tie, he already feels his palms sweating and his breathing get heavy. Drew walks in to Louis room.

"Here bud, let me help" Drew says smiling

He heads over towards Louis and turns him around, he begins straightening the tie and notices Louis is just not coping with this very well. He notices Louis hands are shaking.

"Listen, I want you to understand that the boys and I don't and never will think any differently of you after you tell your story. We are here to help you through this Louis. This is going to be so hard for you and we understand that. If you need to yell, scream, cry, hit something, whatever you need we will be here to help you" Drew says, Louis hasn't even cried since he's been home and the boys know it's a matter of time before he snaps.

"I don't want you to hear what happened to me" Louis confides.

"Why bud, for what reason" Drew asks.

"Because even though you say you won't look at me differently or treat me differently, I know you will. You will think I'm disgusting" Louis says looking down.

"We would never think that bud, nothing would ever make us think that. Trust us to look after you and be there. Did Harry and Charlie treat you any different?" Drew asks.

Louis shakes his head no

"Then why would we?" Drew asks

Louis shrugs.

"Come on boys we need to leave" Scott yells up the stairs interrupting their conversation.

Louis sighs.

"Everything is going to be fine bud, I promise" Drew says

He leads Louis downstairs and Louis tries to prepare himself for the shit show that's about to go down.

They meet Charlie and Harry at the court room, Louis lawyer George and the rest of the team. It's a complete blur of emotions and Louis just goes with it all, not talking just observing. He sits just behind his lawyers in the middle of Harry and Charlie. While the boys are behind them in the seats reserved for family and the public.

The media is everywhere and cameras are flashing and Louis is quiet and nervous, Harry places his hand on Louis knee in comfort.

The trial starts and when Stanley is brought in Louis nearly loses it completely. He thought he could do this but he can't. This man took his life away, took those boys lives away and he doesn't know how to feel anything other than anger. He can't look at Stanley at all and squeezes Harry's hand in comfort.

"I'm here darling. You're safe, just relax I'm here" Harry tells him and it means so much to Louis

The trial goes on for hours and Louis can feel Stanley's eyes on him the whole time, but he refuses to meet them. Harry and the boys try to comfort him but he just wants out. When the day ends he doesn't say a word to anyone. He's police escorted out of the court, through the media and this goes on for three weeks. Louis literally doesn't talk to anyone, not the boy's, not Harry and not Kimberly. He can't eat and he has horrid, vivid nightmares every single night.

Harry and Charlie take the stand and with ease give their testimonies and when its finally Louis turn, he nearly throws up. He has to do this to put Stanley away, to try to get on with his life, but the reasoning behind what Stanley did still sits heavy in Louis stomach and he hates it.

Finally after a gruelling two hours on the stand, explaining what he went through, avoiding Stanley's eye contact, avoiding The boys eye contact, he's finished and done.

As he walks back to his seat in the middle of Harry and Charlie he has to pass Stanley, who's sitting in between his two lawyers. He says something to Louis and Louis stops in his tracks and looks directly at Stanley.

"How's the knee" Stanley smirks and that is all it takes for Louis to lose it. So many emotions come over him and before he realises it, he's leaping over the desk and going for Stanley

" I hate you" Louis yells as the tears finally come to his eyes.

There is commotion and ruckus around him but all Louis can focus on his Stanley's smirking face as Louis tries to hit him.

"You ruined my life and I hate you" Louis screams

He's pulled off Stanley quickly by Harry but he's taken from Harry by another officer, he's kicking and screaming trying to get out of the hold as he's taken out the back of the courtroom where the media can't be.

"I loved you Louis" he hears Stanley yell as the doors close

He sees the boys trying to get to him, Harry especially but they aren't allowed, the judge calls for order and they need to stay where they are in the court room until the session is over, it's the law.

Meanwhile Louis is taken to the back of the station by two officers, they don't say much but they do take him to a cell and put him inside. Louis sits against the bench, curls up and lets a few tears fall. He's all alone in a tiny room once again.

Louis doesn't know how long he's been in the cell for before he's brought out of his thoughts by Harry's voice.

"Get him the fuck out of that cell" Harry says angrily

"Boss, we were told to put him there to calm him down" an officer tries to explain.

"He is a fucking victim Max, what were you all thinking" Charlie yells

A few more words are exchanged before the cell door is opening and Harry is walking in. He picks Louis up like a child protectively and leads him out of the station, out of the court house, holds him in the back of the boys car all the way home and Louis doesn't let Harry go. He completely breaks the tears don't stop. Harry undresses and redresses Louis to his pyjamas with Scott's help and hops into bed with Louis. He hold him tight while Louis cries and cries, whispers sweet nothings in his ears until he passes out.

The boys are worried but also thankful that Louis has finally, after six long months shown some kind of emotion. Kimberly says it's a good thing and hopefully the start of Louis accepting things.

Harry comes downstairs when Louis is out, they all try to relax after the day and all hang around waiting for Louis to wake and hopefully face his emotions head on.

A few hours later the boys hear footsteps heading down the stairs. They pause the movie they are watching as Louis walks into the room. Louis looks tired and completely emotionally drained, his hair is askew. He looks at the boys shyly.

No one says anything, wanting Louis to open up first, if he's ready.

"I'm sorry" Louis whispers

"Oh Lou" Edward sighs

"You don't need to be sorry, for anything" Scott says

"Are you okay?" Drew asks

Louis shrugs

"I'm.....I'm not really" Louis says quietly

"Oh kiddo, everything is going to be okay" Charlie says.

"And if it's any consolation, we were all pretty proud you got a hit in, his eye looked pretty bruised" Harry says, winking at Louis trying to relax him.

Louis smiles slightly before he musters up the courage to say what he's thinking.

"I don't want you to look at me different now that, now that you know what happened to me" Louis says upset.

"That's the last thing we are going to do Louis" Scott says

"We would never look at you differently sweetheart, we love you and we are just so glad you're safe" Drew says.

"Come here" Scott says and Louis does, he falls into Scott's arms and really lets go. The boys gather around Louis and comfort him, cuddle him and support him while he finally lets himself feel for the first time in six months.

"I hate him" Louis cries

"We know darling" Harry says as he kisses Louis on the head

"It's okay to feel Louis, it's okay to let go" Drew says gently

"It's not, I don't want to feel it, I don't want to" Louis chokes

"Why" Edward whispers as he strokes Louis hair.

"Because then it's real" Louis gasps his breathing irregular.

"Shhhh it's okay, we're here Lou, it's all going to be okay" Scott says.

"It's not okay, he was going to kill me, he killed those boys, he made me do things and I hate him. He hurt my knee on purpose and now I can't play and I hate him, I hate him and I can't" Louis cries as his tears come fast and he can't control his breathing.

"We're here sweetheart, we're always going to be here just breathe" Scott says

"You're safe now, we're here to protect you" Drew says.

"We won't let you go through this alone darling we promise" Harry says.

The boys watch on with heavy hearts as Louis cries and cries, he panics and cries. The boys just hold him close and do all they can to reassure him. They know things are going to be rough for Louis moving forward and he's going to need them to be there for him.