This chapter doesn't include Harry at all, but he'll be here next chapter, so enjoy daddy Louis. ;) 

Let me know if I made any mistakes and happy reading!

~-~

"Eleanor!" Louis called, folding another pair of pants. "How warm is it in L.A. right now?"

"I'm right here, there's no need to yell." Eleanor rolled her eyes, smacking Louis lightly upside the head. "It's pretty warm, why?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

Louis turned back around, head in his son's closet. "I forgot to pack Freddie's things."

"Good lord," Eleanor sighed. "I've already packed it, you twat." She rolled her eyes again. "And yours," she added after.

"Oh thank God." Louis released a laugh of relief, running his hands through his hair. "We're supposed to leave for the flight in a few hours and I completely forgot."

"That's what you get for procrastinating, you daft-ass," she laughed. "Now come eat, Freddie's waiting on you."

"Thanks love," Louis said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and kissing her on the cheek.

"Oh, shove off," Eleanor laughed, lightly pushing him as they made their way down the corridor.

"Daddy," Freddie said from his perch upon one of the barstools. "When are we going to get on the airplane?" He gave a smile, hints of his mother's accent peeking through his words. "I want to show mummy my tooth," he said proudly, pointing at the baby canine he had just lost.

"We still have around an hour before we have to leave, bub." Louis ruffled his son's hair, the static causing it to stand up. "What've you got there?" he asked, pointing at the plate in front of them.

"Pancakes."

"Ooh, yummy. Don't mind if I do." Louis speared a piece, bringing it up to his mouth.

"Hey," Freddie giggled. "Those are mine," he said, his smaller hands wrapping around Louis's wrist, tugging it back.

"They're mine now," Louis teased before turning it around and feeding it to the boy.

"Don't go stealing his, you have your own," Eleanor scolded lightly, dishing a plate to the other side of the island.

"Alright, alright," Louis said, raising his hands in defeat. Freddie giggled, taking another bite.

Louis sat down across from him. "You sure you're alright spending your birthday with your mum?" Louis asked, raising his eyebrows and watching his son.

"Well, yeah." Freddie rolled his eyes. "I haven't seen her since summer vacation." He speared another piece of pancake.

"Holiday. Summer holiday," Louis muttered in annoyance at the lack of British terminology, stabbing a pancake and eating it. "God, Eleanor," Louis said, letting out a noise of approval, his mouth full. "I don't know how you do it."

"I don't set the stove to the highest setting and leave them sitting there." Eleanor smiled mockingly, recalling the time Louis had attempted to make them a nice Sunday breakfast.

"That was an accident, alright? The instructions didn't say to sit there and watch them until they turned brown," Louis laughed.

Eleanor scoffed. "That's just common sense, Lou."

"Whatever."

Eleanor took out her phone and opened an app. "Alright," she said, glancing up at Louis from her phone screen. "You've got your things, right?"

"Yeah."

"Freddie's?"

"Uh-uh."

"Clifford and his things are ready to go?"

"Yes."

"The tickets?"

"On my phone," Louis confirmed.

"And passports?"

"I think so, yeah."

"These are yes or no questions, Louis." Eleanor narrowed her neatly trimmed eyebrows at him.

"I'm pretty sure they're in my backpack," Louis said, solely to piss her off.

"Does that mean we can leave now?" Freddie asked, grinning. "I finished my breakfast." He held his plate up.

"We still have an hour before we have to leave," Louis repeated. "Besides, you're not even dressed." Louis laughed, eyes crinkling at the corner.

"Why can't I wear my pyjamas?" Freddie pouted. "They're nice enough for me." He crossed his arms.

Louis eyed the clothing in question. They were a t-shirt and trousers set, white and adorned with blue and green dinosaurs. He raised his eyebrows, smiling softly.

"I don't think so, bub," Louis said. Freddie frowned, pouting. "I'll tell you what, if you go get ready nice and fast, I'll help you pack your backpack, and then we'll go get some ice cream. Does that sound good?" Louis asked lovingly.

"Really?"

"Yup." Louis nodded, compelling Freddie to sprint off towards his room.

"Louis," Eleanor scolded. "He's just had breakfast."

"So?" He scoffed. "There's always time for ice cream." Louis laughed.

Eleanor let out a sigh of exasperation. "You'll spoil him!"

"He's my child, he deserves to be spoiled!" Louis teased.

Eleanor shook her head, a loving look in her eyes. "You're ridiculous."
"I know."

They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, Louis finishing the last bit of his breakfast. He got up, setting his dish in the sink, ready to wash it when Eleanor spoke again. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Do what?" Louis said, turning on the water. He watched as it flowed down in tiny rivulets, all spiraling down the drain. He had a pretty good idea of what Eleanor's next words were going to be.

Louis could feel Eleanor's stare on his back as she spoke. "This whole thing with Harry. I mean, think about it, you could end up ruining whatever it is you have with him. All for what? The mere possibility that Simon will let you come out?"

Louis turned around. "It's not a possibility, he swore on it," he said, not realising how unrealistic it sounded until the words were already out of his mouth. "Besides," he added after, turning around. "If he doesn't, I can sue, or something."

Eleanor raised her eyebrows, giving him a look of disbelief. "Really?" she asked. "You think that's going to do anything?"

Louis let out a sigh. She was right. "That's only if Harry finds out why I'm actually there." He cringed, hating how the words sounded in his mouth.

"Oh, yeah, 'cause that's even better." She rolled her eyes.

"It'll be fine El. Everything will be fine, alright?" He eyed her intently.

"Lou-"

"Daddy!" Freddie ran in with a wide smile on his face. "I'm all ready, see!" He said excitedly, gesturing proudly to his clothes.

Louis snorted, fondly shaking his head. His son's yellow shirt was inside-out, paired with green sweatpants and his favorite red sneakers. Freddie was reasonably good at getting his own clothes on for a four-year-old, Louis would give him that, but he looked like a traffic light. A very cute traffic light.

Eleanor laughed. "C'mon Freddie, love. Let's go fix your shirt," she said, gently pushing him along.

"What's wrong with my shirt?" Freddie asked, confused.

"Lou, come with us, let's pack Freddie some toys for the plane ride over." She smiled lightly, eyes kind.

They walked to Freddie's room together, his son talking excitedly about his collection of dinosaurs at his mum's house.

"-and then there's this blue one, with a spiky tail," Freddie said, looking up at his father, eyes bright. "He looks like you, daddy, did you know?"

Louis raised his eyebrows in mild interest. "No, I didn't, actually."

"Yeah." Freddie plopped down on his bed. "But there's a yellow one I have here at home, that's shiny and pretty and he loves the blue one. They're getting married!" He exclaimed happily. "Make sure to pack him, dad," he said seriously. "Their wedding is very important." He glared at his father.

"Alright," Louis laughed. "I will, promise," Louis said sweetly, holding out his pinky.

Freddie took his father's pinky, giggling softly as he let Louis kiss their intertwined fingers, their personal fashion of reassuring promises.

"Alright." Eleanor turned around from where she was standing in the closet. "How about these?" She held up a black pair of sweats and a gray t-shirt for Freddie's examination.

Freddie turned to her, humming thoughtfully. "I guess," he said hesitantly.

Eleanor smiled. "Up you get then," she said. "Is there anything else you want your dad to pack you for the ride?"

"Just my dinosaurs."

"Sounds good, bub," Louis said, opening Freddie's toy chest up, sifting through the mass of dinosaurs in search of the specific yellow one his son had mentioned. It took a few minutes of digging, but he eventually found it.

Louis grabbed Freddie's backpack from the edge of his bed and placed the dinosaur inside. "You sure he's the only one you want?" He asked his son, gesturing to the bag.

"Yup." Freddie nodded, pulling his shoes back on. "How do I look now, Dad?" he asked, adding a mock hair flip for good measure.

Louis rolled his eyes fondly. "Wonderful, love. Now, why don't you go help Aunt Eleanor put the suitcases in the car while I finish this?"

"Sure!" Freddie grinned, dragging Eleanor out of the room, as he excitedly asked her what kind of ice cream she was going to get.

Louis moved through his son's room, picking things up off the floor. It was mildly amusing to see the personality resemblance between his son and him, as his room was in the same state; although Louis's was mostly just clothes and an unmade bed, whereas his son's inhabited a lot more toy dinosaurs, dolls, and cars.

Louis looked around the room, satisfied with his work. He had moved the few stray toys each to their individual toy chest and removed the clothes from the floor. In all honesty, Eleanor was probably right. Freddie was... slightly spoiled. But he was a good kid and deserved the world.

Louis sighed, grabbing a couple of Freddie's favorite books off the shelf to read to him on the plane. He turned off the light, exited the room, and headed to the kitchen. He set the bag down on the counter, next to his son's tablet.

On a whim, he decided the responsible, adult thing to do before leaving would be to check the house one more time for lights and locks and the such, even though it was likely Eleanor had already gone through and checked multiple times.

Sure enough, everything was locked and in its place, leaving Louis with nothing left to do but load up Clifford and leave, the former who he was only bringing at Harry's request. Louis was scared for Harry's abode; he had seen what the little shit could do. Clifford was lucky Louis loved him. He had tried explaining this when he and Harry were first discussing Louis's visit, but Harry had insisted, repeatedly calling Clifford, "a darling angel," as if the dog could do no harm.

Louis stepped into the garage, Freddie's bag in hand. Eleanor was currently buckling the boy into the car, their suitcases loaded in the back, the door open, and Louis's- well, Simon's hired driver, as it had been his request, in the front seat.

Louis was... mildly uncomfortable with Simon arranging the entire affair. It was his plane that would be flying not only himself but also his best friend and his son, halfway across the world. So, as a precaution, he gave Freddie this little device, similar to a smartwatch, that allowed him to call Louis if it was ever needed. It was a pretty proud parenting moment of Louis's, in all honesty.

"You all ready for some ice cream, bub?" Louis asked, setting his son's bag down on the car's floor.

"Yup!" Freddie grinned up at him.

Louis smiled, kissing his son's temple before closing the door. "Hey, El, will you help me load Cliff and his crate in the back here?"

"The crate is already in there, and I have Cliff," she said pointedly. "I was just about to put him in."

"Oh, alright. Do you want help?"

"Nah, I've got it."

With that, Louis simply walked back to the front of the car, plopping himself down in the passenger seat. He pulled out his phone and opened his messages with Harry, realising he had a new message.

From Haz: You almost here? :)

Louis quickly typed out his response as he watched Eleanor enter the car in his peripheral vision.

To Haz: no lol. we're not even at the airport yet.

He closed his phone, glancing back at Freddie and Eleanor. "Alright, who's ready for some ice cream?" He grinned at Freddie, his eyes twinkling.

"I am! I am!" Freddie squealed happily as Clifford barked. "Can we get some for Clifford, Daddy?"

"I don't think they make ice cream for doggies, love."

"Aw, okay." Freddie turned around in his seat to look at Clifford. "Sorry, Cliffy," he said sadly, genuinely apologetic.

Louis laughed softly, turning to the driver. "Sue's Ice Cream Parlour," he said. "Then the airport, please." He gave the man next to him a timid smile.

The driver nodded solemnly, slowly backing out of the garage. Freddie's favorite ice cream shop was about forty minutes from their home; a little too long for a four-year-old. He spent almost the entire trip asking, "are we there yet?" and, "how much longer?" repeatedly until they arrived.

Freddie practically sprung out of his seat as soon as the vehicle pulled into the car park. He leaped out of the car, bouncing up and down as he pulled Louis' door open. "Daddy! Daddy! Let's go!" Freddie cried excitedly.

"Alright, bub, I'm coming." Louis smiled fondly at his son.

"Faster Daddy, Aunty Eleanor!"

"Calm down, Freddie, it's just ice cream," Eleanor chuckled, walking around the other side of the car.

Freddie raced to the front door of the building, but not before rolling his eyes at Eleanor. He held it open for the other two, bouncing excitedly as he waited.

"Well, hello there, Mr. Freddie." Jane, the owner's daughter, smiled at the boy from behind the counter.

"Hi, Jane!" Freddie returned with a wide-tooth smile. Louis walked up behind him, placing his hands on his son's shoulders.

"Mr. Tomlinson, Mrs. Calder." Jane nodded to them in greeting, giving them a small smile. "What can I do for you today?"

"Tell her what you want, bub." Louis nudged Freddie lightly, nodding to Jane.

Freddie stood up on his tiptoes, still too short to see over the glass. "I can't see, Dad," he whined, blinking up at him.

Louis hoisted Freddie up onto his hip, knowing that he'd pick the same one he always did; candy floss.

Freddie scanned the multitude of flavours, sticking his tongue out in concentration. "Can I get candy floss?" He asked, looking up at Jane.

"Use your manners, bub." Louis whispered to him.

"Please," Freddie added after, grinning.

"Sure thing," Jane said. "Anything for you two?" She asked, directing it to Louis and Eleanor.

"I'll have some pistachio, please," Eleanor requested.

"The chocolate-cherry for me." Louis smiled, turning to Eleanor. "I'll pay, you two go find a seat for us." Louis gestured to some of the red vinyl booths in the corner.

Louis swiped his card and opened his phone while he waited for the ice cream. He had received a singular message from Harry only a few moments ago.

From Haz: Ah. What're you up to then?

To Haz: getting ice cream with el and freddie before our flight

"Mr. Tomlinson?" Louis turned around to two girls standing behind him.

"Hello, loves." Louis smiled, causing the girls to blush and squirm slightly. "Can I help you?" He inquired curiously.

"Um." One of the girls stepped up, phone in hand. "Could we maybe get a picture with you?"

"Please?" the other one added, giving him a smile full of braces.

"Of course." A warm feeling flooded Louis' chest. "What're your names?"

"I'm Darcy," the first girl said. "And she's Will."

"Nice to meet you." Louis smiled kindly.

Darcy smiled as she handed Will her phone, moving to stand next to Louis. "This okay?"

"'Course." He leaned in slightly closer, looking at the camera. The phone case, he realised, while clear, had pictures of him in Harry in it from what the fans called, "the fetus days," that and their famous hug.

Darcy switched places with her friend, and then they snapped some final selfies with all three of them.

"Thank you so much," Will said happily.

"No problem." He turned to Darcy. "I like your phone case, by the way."

Darcy's jaw dropped and Louis chuckled. He turned back around, grabbing the ice cream. "Now, I best get back to those two." He gestured vaguely to where Eleanor and Freddie were sitting in their booth.

"Oh, um, alright, bye, I guess," Will laughed, pulling her friend away.

"Wilma, oh my god, did you hear that?" Darcy whispered loudly behind Louis.

Louis smiled sadly to himself, knowing they would never quite know the truth.

<>~<>~<>

"Daddy, do you have to go?" Freddie clutched Louis's shirt tightly, balling his fists in the fabric, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Aw, Freddie, love, it'll be alright," Louis said, brushing a piece of Freddie's fringe to the side. "I'll only be gone for a little while; we can video call every day if you want," Louis offered.

Freddie only sobbed, nuzzling his head into Louis' shirt. "Daddy, please don't go," he hiccuped, voice muffled by the fabric of Louis's jumper.

Louis sighed sadly. "Bub, I have to." He held his son close. "And you have to keep your aunt company, otherwise she'll get lonely. Can you do that for me?" He asked, wiping the tears from Freddie's face. He wasn't all that surprised at Freddie's behavior. It had been a long day and the young boy had hardly slept on the flight.

Freddie nodded hesitantly, sniffing.

"Yeah?" Louis asked, cupping Freddie's face.

Sniffling again, Freddie nodded. "Okay."

"Good lad." He kissed his forehead, hugging him one last time. "I love you bub, tell mummy I said hello, okay?"

"Alright, Daddy." Freddie hugged him back.

Louis stood up from where he'd been crouching. Eleanor took Freddie's hand, giving him a tight, one-armed hug, as she kissed him on the cheek. "You take care of yourself, alright?" She said sternly. "Call me if you need anything."

"You know I will." Louis hugged her tightly. "Love you, bub," He said to Freddie, watching as they walked off.

Almost as soon as they were out of sight, the Modest staff member turned to him. "Welcome to North Carolina, Mr. Tomlinson," he greeted. "Now, if you'd like to follow me, we have a car ready for you."

"Sure," Louis responded. Thankfully, while he had been saying his goodbyes, the same man had taken Clifford, presumably to the car. Louis hadn't been sure he would've been able to handle both Clifford and the rest of his baggage.

As he followed the man (he really needed to ask for his name), he slipped his hood on and pulled his snapback down, attempting to shield his face from any paparazzi. He opened Twitter as he walked, checking his recent tags. As he had expected, there was a picture of him and the two girls. They looked deliriously happy, and Louis would be lying if that didn't cause him just a little bit of joy.

"Here you are, Mr. Tomlinson." The man motioned to the car: a sleek black Range Rover.

Louis looked up from his phone. "Oh, thank you," he said, climbing in. After a moment of what Louis assumed was the other man loading the luggage, they started on their hour-long drive to Harry's house on the edge of North Carolina's many, many forests. And as it would turn out, once they were out of one of the more urban areas of the state, and into the more homely area of Asheville, it was actually quite pretty and Louis actually ended up spending most of the ride gazing out the window, consumed by his thoughts.

He pulled out his phone, quickly messaging Harry.

To Haz: just landed, on my way!

Harry responded immediately after.

From Haz: Can't wait to see you! How was your flight?

To Haz: it was ok. Freddie didn't want me to leave, he had a meltdown right before he needed to leave :(

From Haz: Aw, poor Freddie, is he alright?

To Haz: yeah, he'll be ok. i think he was just tired tbh

From Haz: Ah. Understandable.

With no apparent reason to carry on the conversation, Louis closed his phone, choosing to admire the scenery instead. The landscape was beautiful, the mountains in the distance blue and the trees that covered them slowly faded back into green, all the way down to the thick evergreens that were crowded on the edge of the road. The sunset made everything more sublime, its vibrant oranges and yellows clouded by a soft blue-y mist, it had Louis in awe.

They eventually turned off the main road and onto a dirt path that parted the sea of trees. After about five minutes of driving down the new road, they approached a gate, connected to a fence that went all the way around the property, which Louis's driver had a key card for, granting them access to a long concrete drive.

The house itself was towering, with at least three stories, maybe more if it included a basement. It had a stone and wood log exterior, and perfectly trimmed shrubs near and on the front porch. The shutters were white and emitted a faint glow against the dark of the trees surrounding the estate. There were also a wide variety of flowers too, Louis noticed as the car slowed to a stop. The garden included daisies, orange primrose, something that looked like lavender, some clusters of a flowering bush, and one of Harry's favorites, if Louis was remembering correctly, juliet roses, scattered across the expanse of the garden. Louis had no idea where in the world he had found seeds, seeing as they were extremely rare, but it was certainly beautiful.

While admiring the garden, he saw his security approach in his peripheral vision, holding his suitcase. Louis opened the door, the crisp air pleasant against his face as he received his baggage. At the edge of his vision, he saw movement in one window, a face peeking between the shutters before they snapped back in place. Louis glanced at the front door, it opening on queue. From the door emerged a tall, familiar figure clothed in a lavender jumper and white sweatpants.

Louis's stomach jolted. Harry.