It's the end of Avery's first month at Safe Haven. Everything is going well. Whilst Avery has started speaking to T.K.,Carlos and the guys from the 126, she still refuses to speak to, or to see, Megan.

Jason is walking with Avery down the corridor towards the music therapy room when they see Dr Braun walking towards them. By her side is Harry Styles. Avery freezes.

'Ave, it's okay.' Jason assures her. 'You're safe.'

'I-,' she shakes her head, eyes filling with tears, 'I can't.' She rushes into the closet room to her, the music therapy room and shuts the door. Dr Bruan and Harry reach Jason.

'She freaked.' Jason tells them. 'I don't know if this is going to work,' he shakes his head.

'We have to give it a shot.' Dr Braun says. 'One of the ways that people overcome trauma as big as Avery's, is attempting to face it.'

'She couldn't even stand the sight of him,' Jason argues, 'sorry.' He winces, looking at Harry.

'It's okay.' Harry replies. 'I know what you meant.' They hear the noise of a piano playing coming from the room and faint singing. They listen for a few moments as Avery plays, and sings, Forever and Always by Taylor Swift. 'She's talented.' Harry nods appreciatively.

'We used to play together all the time.' Jason states. 'Then she moved here to Austin, I was still in L.A. so we couldn't do that anymore. Then when I did move, I think she'd already lost the motivation to play until my girlfriend, and her friend, went back to rehab.' He carries on. 'It's always baffled me how she's able to just sit down at a piano and just play a song. Even if she's just heard it once. When she does play, she gets lost in the music, and it calms her, so if you do want to speak to her, now's your chance really.'

'Do you mind?' Harry asks the doctor.

'Go ahead.' Dr Braun nods. 'I'll have to be in the room though, obviously.' She opens the door and the three of them walk in just as Avery is finishing the song. She closes the lid on the piano and takes a deep breath.

'You're quite talented.' Harry states, making Avery jump and turn around. 'Sorry, I didn't mean to make you jump.'

'It's okay.' Avery says quietly, barely loud enough for them to hear.

'Do you mind if I sit with you?' He asks and Avery nods. He walks over and sits on the bench beside her. 'You're really good.'

'It's just something I've picked up.' Avery shrugs. 'I'm sorry for running off when I saw you. I'm just- when I saw you I was right back in that arena, getting shot, being in and out of consciousness. My friend who helped me, not realising she'd been shot too. Then the recovery, it came down on me like a shit ton of bricks.'

'You don't need to apologise.' Harry shakes his head. 'It was traumatic. There's no timeline on overcoming trauma.'

'Yeah, don't I know it.' Avery chuckles softly. 'I take it you're here because Dr Braun thought it'd help me overcome what happened?'

'Yeah.' Harry nods. 'You know, the day after the shooting, I visited everyone who was in hospital because of it.'

'You did?' Avery raises an eyebrow. She turns to Jason. 'He did?'

'Yeah.' Jason confirms. 'The psychiatrist at the hospital recommended we don't tell you in case it spiked your blood pressure.'

'Why would it spike my blood pressure?'

'Because you're you and he's Harry freaking Styles and need I remind you you've laid on the floor belting out his songs?' Jason grins, smugly. Avery responds with her middle finger before turning back to Harry.

'Ignore him.' She tells him jokingly. 'So you visited everyone?' Harry is silent for a beat. 'How many? I never looked at the stats or anything like that.'

'Are you sure you want to know?' Dr Braun speaks up.

'Yeah.' Avery swallows and nods, not taking her eyes off of Harry.

'It could have been a lot worse.' He starts. '60 dead. 10 critical, including you and your friend, and 150 with minor injuries involved in getting out.'

'So, only 70 people were actually shot?' Avery asks.

'Yes.' Harry nods.

'That's - wow.' Avery sighs. 'How are you handling it? Or how did you handle it? I mean, it would have been traumatic for you as well?'

'It was.' He confirms. 'No artist goes on stage and expects something like that to happen. Something that could have easily been prevented if security had done their job properly.' He tells her. 'I've stayed in contact with some people who were injured. I get updates on their progress. I've had updates on your progress,' he stops, 'which now saying it out loud makes me sound creepy.'

'Well,' Avery laughs, 'it's only creepy if you had someone stalk me. If the updates were coming from my dad, brother or the big goofball behind us-'

'Hey!' Jason exclaims in mock offence.

'-then it's not creepy.' Avery continues, ignoring him. 'It's you caring about your fans.' She laughs and shakes her head. 'Geez,'

'Everything okay?' Dr Braun asks. Avery turns to face the doctor.

'Yeah.' Avery nods. 'Thank you for this.' She stands up. 'I'm feeling a little overwhelmed so I'm just gonna go to the sensory room and chill for a bit.'

'Sounds good.' Dr Braun nods.

'Thank you.' Avery smiles slightly at Harry and he nods. 'Can we- can we hug?'

'Of course.' Harry nods, standing up and they both hug. 'Take care of yourself.' They part and Avery walks out of the room.

'I'll just head home then.' Jason shouts after her, raising an arm. He drops it and turns to Dr Braun as Harry rejoins them. 'That was progress, right?' He asks eagerly. 'I mean, outside of her sessions with you and the other sessions she's had, that's the longest she's held a conversation here about that day.'

'It was.' Dr Braun nods, smiling. 'Mr Styles, I don't know what voodoo black magic shit you did there, but it worked.'

'I'm glad.' Harry nods. 'Thank you for letting me come.'

'No problem.' Dr Braun smiles. 'I'll walk you both out.'

Twenty minutes later, Dr Braun is walking into the sensory room. She sees Avery lounging in a chair that is surrounded by light strips, fiddling with the strips. Since Avery was cleared to access the room after a risk assessment, it has become her favourite spot to decompress.

'Avery.' The doctor gets the young girl's attention. Avery looks up and Dr Braun walks closer to her. 'You made some real progress today.'

'Then why does it feel like I want to scream and punch something?' Avery asks. Dr Braun finds a chair, pulls it over and sits on it.

'You got answers to a question you've had for months.' Dr Braun tells her. 'You mentioned in your sessions that you were never ready to know the number of casualties and fatalities.'

'Because I nearly became one of those fatalities.' Avery adds quietly.

'That man, that shooter, he took a lot from people. He took a lot from you. He took away your ability to walk without aid for a while. He took away your ability to be able to listen to one of your favourite artists without crying. He took away your mental health recovery. And in a roundabout way, he took away your friendship with Megan.' Dr Braun tells her. 'It's okay to feel like screaming and punching people.'

'I don't know if she's ever going to forgive me.' Avery shakes her head, trying not to cry. 'I wouldn't forgive myself. She's one of the best things to happen to me in a long time and I blew it because-' She starts biting on her nail.

'Because what?'

'I thought that I was invincible. That day at the concert, the weeks after, it screwed up my head. I should have died. I should have just been left there to die but I didn't; because she helped me. She was so selfless that her first thought was to try and save me. Not to make sure that she wasn't hurt herself. I thought that if I could survive that, I could survive without my meds. That I didn't need them anymore. So, I stopped taking them shortly after we got back to Austin. Then one thing happened after another, I fucked off to Chicago because I'd never been there before. Thought I could process everything better where no-one knew me. Then that night at the motel happened. I was found. Here we are.' She finishes almost out of breath.

'Avery, why are you refusing to see Megan?' Dr Braun asks curiously.

'The last time I saw her, I told her "at least I'm not a drug addicted teen who my brother felt sorry for and felt the need to take in". Then I ran off to a city that scared me. That I didn't know. Then I got raped.' Avery responds.

'You're scared it's going to happen again?' Dr Braun figures.

'So scared.' Avery nods, tears now filling her eyes.

'You have made a lot of progress in such a short time. You're committed to getting better. You've made some friends and dare I say, met a future girlfriend?' The doctor wiggles her eyebrows.

'Not you too.' Avery laughs, shaking her head. 'Lilly and Emma have been on my case about that for weeks.'

'It's pretty obvious.' Dr Braun chuckles. 'I'm really proud of how far you've come. We've got a bit more work to do, but you're getting there.'

'Is my dad still coming tomorrow?'

'He is.' Dr Braun nods. '1pm.' She stands up. 'I'll leave you alone now.' They both said their goodbyes and the doctor walks out.

.

The next day, Avery is sitting with Charlotte talking about a book they'd read together, Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong, when Emma approached them with Owen.

'Avery.' Emma interrupts. The two girls look at her. 'Your dad is here.' Emma walks off leaving Owen with the two girls.

'I guess that's my que to leave.' Charlotte sighs, standing up. 'Good to see you again, Papa Strand.' She smiles at Owen.

'You too, Charlotte.' Owen laughs and shakes his head as Charlotte walks away. He sits down next to Avery. 'She's really enjoying calling me that, isn't she?'

'Yep.' Avery chuckles. 'The dare was to only call you it once but she's just run away with it now.' A couple weeks ago, Avery had dared Charlotte to call Owen "Papa Strand" to see how he'd react.

'Dr Braun told me about yesterday.' Owen tells his daughter. 'I'm proud of you.'

'Of one tiny breakthrough?' Avery scoffs, raising an eyebrow.

'Yes.' Owen nods seriously. 'It may seem tiny right now, but in the long run, it's something to be proud of.'

'I guess.' Avery shrugs.

'So, have you spoken to anyone else here, or still Charlotte?'

'I talk to other people.' Avery folds her arms. 'Just not as often as I do with Charlotte. We get along. We both love reading and music.'

'You're both gay.' Owen adds.

'Dad!' Avery scolds.

'What?' Owen laughs. 'It's true.' He continues. 'Do you like her?'

'I- I do.' Avery nods. 'I really like her.' She blushes and stares at Charlotte who is curled up in an armchair in the corner, reading.

~~~~~~~~~

Soooo, Avery is slowly getting there. Do we think Avery and Charlotte are going to become a thing??

Let me know what you think!!

Much love