Against the Odds

A/N: I’m sorry for the incredibly long wait! I really hope this chapter makes up for it.

Oh, and full disclosure...Harry’s speech in here is mostly his actual speech from the opening of the Mamohato Center in Lesotho. With just a few tiny changes from me :)

***************

The snap and whir of cameras began the moment that Harry, Alex, and Emma stepped from the car that morning. The small media pack that had traveled to Lesotho for the Sentebale Mamohato Center was clearly as eager to focus on them as they were ready to focus on the opening; on all of the activities and events that had been planned for the day.

An official tour of the center had been planned first for all of the guests that had been invited to celebrate the opening - which included both international and local supporters of Sentebale. The tour was to be followed up by the official opening ceremony, which Harry would be speaking at, and then the day would be closed out with dinner, live music, and dancing. It was a busy day; but one that Harry, Alex, and Emma were ready to immerse themselves in.

It wasn’t until Harry found himself wearing pink sunglasses and laughing with Seeiso as his posed for some of the kids -- and their Polaroid cameras -- in a photography workshop that he realized just how immersed he had become. Glancing around, he was surprised to see that at least half of the press pack that had been following him had disappeared -- along with his wife and daughter.

“I believe I saw them wander down towards the library,” Seeiso remarked with a laugh, catching the look on Harry’s face.

“Of course they did,” Harry chuckled. He turned to say goodbye to the kids and then turned to follow Seeiso out of the room, turning back with a laugh at the last second to remove the pink sunglasses he’d forgotten were perched on his face. With one last smile and wave at the kids he stepped out of the room and followed along the short distance to the library. And when they reached it, when they rounded the corner and he caught sight of the scene before him, his heart nearly skidded to halt in his chest.

His wife sat on the floor, her legs crossed under her and a circle of children at rapt attention seated in front of her. She held a book in one hand that she was reading from out loud; a children’s book that Harry recognized very well, one that made him smile wide. Her other arm was curled around a small boy that sat in her lap. He couldn’t be more than two or three years old and was clearly taken with Alex; his head laid comfortably on her shoulder and his body was more or less curled around the bump of her belly as he listened to her read.

“And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance, you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants. There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on. But on you will go though the weather be foul. On you will go though your enemies prowl. On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak. On and on you will hike. And I know you’ll hike far and face up to your problems whatever they are...”

Harry stood, mesmerized, as she continued to read. Her voice was in turn both soft and comforting and firm and uplifting, changing along with the lines of the poem. And he couldn’t help but notice Emma, sitting to her mother’s left, alternating between watching Alex read and following along on the words of the page with her. He knew that Oh! The Places You Will Go was one of Emma’s favorites; him and Alex had both read it to her and read it with her countless times over the years. But still, there she sat, just as enraptured with the words as every other kid in that room.

“Today is your day!” She read, her eyes bright as they flashed up briefly to smile wide and encouraging at the children sitting in front of her. “Your mountain is waiting. So...get on your way!”

The kids burst into delighted applause as she finished. Harry couldn’t help but join in, clapping along and letting out a soft whistle between his lips. She looked up at the sound, surprised to see him standing at the back of the room watching. Her cheeks flushed slightly pink as their gazes met for a moment, but then her attention was pulled back to the kids who were all busy either chatting or giggling with her and the other kids around them.

“She’s wonderful with them, yes?”

Harry turned to the voice next to him, smiling at the tall man who stood next to him; Tumisang Leduma, the Country Director for Sentebale in Lesotho.

“Which one?” Harry chuckled, nodding back at not only his wife, but at Emma, who was chatting animatedly with a girl who looked to be around her own age.

“Both, it would seem. You are a lucky man, Sir,” Tumisang replied with a wide smile.

“That I am. Incredibly lucky, Tumisang,” he said, his eyes staying focused on his wife and daughter as his smile deepened. “Now tell me, I believe I was told there were going to be around 200 kids here today for the workshops?”

“That’s right,” Tumisang replied, slipping back to seriousness. “But we hope to accommodate many more than that in the camps over time.”

“And are they all HIV positive?”

“Yes,” Tumisang nodded solemnly. “More than half of them have lost one or both parents to the disease or complications from it.”

Harry took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. It wasn’t the first time he’d heard statistics like that of course; one of the reasons for creating Sentebale was because of the high rate of HIV among these children, many of them who were born to parents who were living with or had died from the same disease. But it never failed to hit him to hear it; to look around and realize the giant burden placed upon these young, brilliant souls. And it never failed to give him a burning desire to keep up the promise he’d made to help as much as it possibly could.

“Excuse me, sir,” Tumisang was saying, drawing Harry from his thoughts to focus back on the man standing next to him. “I’m going to check on the other activities. Please let me know if you need anything.”

“Of course. Thank you, Tumisang,” Harry smiled and nodded. His eyes turned back to his wife and, seeing that the crowd of children before her had dissipated somewhat and that he wouldn’t be intruding on her moment, he began to make his way over to where she still sat on the floor with the little boy in her arms.

“Who have you got here?” He murmured as he knelt in behind Alex, looking over his shoulder and smiling down at the little boy snuggled into her.

“Oh! You know…” Alex smiled and laughed softly, her hand reaching out to pat the top of the little guy’s head gently. “He just climbed into my lap when I started reading. I’m afraid I haven’t gotten his name yet…”

“He is called Tumelo,” a small voice provided to the side of where Harry and Alex sat. They both turned to find a small, gangly little girl standing there, looking protectively at the boy in Alex’s arms.

“Tumelo,” Alex repeated, her voice soft. “And is Tumelo your...brother?”

“Yes,” the little girl nodded, still a bit shy.

“And what’s your name?” Alex prodded gently.

“Mosa,” she answered, finding her voice a little bit more each time she spoke.

“It’s very nice to meet you, Mosa. I’m Alex and this is Harry,” Alex nodded towards Harry, who offered Mosa a smile and a small wave. “And I saw you talking to Emma earlier after the story. It’s one of her favorites; did you like it?”

Mosa’s face brightened a bit more, her wide eyes almost too big for her face. “Yes. It reminds me of a story our mother and father used to tell us before…”

Alex felt her breath catch in her throat, knowing without having to be told that Mosa and Tumelo’s parents were no longer with them.

“I’ll bet they told you really great stories,” Alex said softly, tilting her head and leaning a bit closer to Mosa.

Mosa nodded, going a bit shy and her bottom lip pulling into her teeth. “Yes…”

“Mosa! Oh...sorry!” Emma’s excitement as she bounced over to the little girl she’d been talking to earlier halted as she realized she’d interrupted something that seemed serious. “I didn’t mean to interrupt, but Mosa asked me before what some of my other favorite stories were and I found some of them on the shelves and...”

“Can you help me read them?” Mosa asked, her face already completely brightening at the idea.

“Yes!” Emma nodded excitedly before turning to her parents. “Is that okay?”

“Yes, of course,” Harry replied with a smile that was full of fatherly pride. “Your mum or I will come get you when it’s time to go outside.”

“And if you’d like, Mosa,” Alex added, “I can watch Tumelo for you.” The little boy was nearly asleep in her arms; a solid, warm weight that she was honestly not ready to give up.

“He likes you,” Mosa noded with a slow smile. “He hasn’t hugged anyone but me since Mummy died.” And with that, Mosa turned to Emma and the two of them skipped away towards the stack of books that Emma had pulled from the shelves.

“Ohhhh my word,” Alex whispered, casting her eyes downward and shaking her head slightly as she swallowed at the lump in her throat.

Harry watched as Alex discreetly brushed a tear from the corner of one eye. The faint click of a camera told him that the exchange hadn’t gone unnoticed, and he secretly smiled at the thought of seeing that very picture of Alex pop up later.

“Do I need to get you a tissue, darling?” Harry asked, his voice low and sweet.

She sniffed and kissed the top of Tumelo’s head gently. “An entire box is more like it.”

**********

“It seems that Emma has made a new best friend.”

Alex smiled at Mia’s observation, shielding her eyes from the sun as she watched her daughter and Mosa kicking around a soccer ball, along with Harry and some of the other children, on the sports pitch behind the center.

“They haven’t left each other’s sides since the reading room earlier,” Alex agreed. “It’s wonderful. I’m so proud of her for just...jumping right in. Just like her father does.”

“So says the woman who spontaneously read a story to a room full of kids and then followed it up by cuddling up that adorable little boy for well over an hour,” Mia remarked.

“Ah well, you have me there,” Alex laughed lightly. She squinted as she spotted Seeiso walking towards to field with what looked like a teenage boy next to him, his face shielded from the sun and her view by a white cloth hat with a brim that went all the way around. She watched Harry spotted Seeiso and the boy and immediately turned in their direction, his happy laugh floating towards her as he jogged over to greet them.

“Oh my gosh,” Alex grinned with realization. “That must be Mutsu.”

“The little boy that Harry’s known for years?” Mia asked, watching as Harry enveloped the boy into a tight, familiar hug.

“Yes,” Alex nodded quickly. “I’m going to go say hello. Will you come let us know when the ceremony is about to start?”

“Absolutely,” Mia replied.

Alex thanked her assistant and then she was quickly making her way across the grass. She slowed her pace as she approached, her heart softening and her smile pulling wide as she watched the reunion between her husband and Mutsu. She loved moments like this; these highly personal moments that meant so much to Harry. Even if it was true that there was cameras around to capture those moments for the public consumption, it didn’t matter to him. His focus was fully on Mutsu, drinking in everything the young teen was saying.

“I always love receiving your letters,” Harry was saying to Mutsu as she stepped up to them. “It’s so great of you to write to me and...ah! There she is…” He spotted Alex and turned towards her. His arm moved out to her, his hand moving to rest on her lower back as he pulled her into the conversation. “Mutsu, I’d like you to meet my wife, Alexandra. Alex, this is my very dear friend, Mutsu Potsane.”

“This is your Princess?” Mutsu asked, his smile slightly shy but wide as he looked from Harry to Alex and then back again.

“One of them, yes,” Harry grinned. “My other one -- our daughter, Emma -- is playing football with some of the kids.” He motioned towards the football pitch, where Emma’s blonde ponytail of curls was noticeable among the darker heads around her.

“It’s so very nice to finally meet you,” Alex said, feeling completely natural as she stepped in to hug Mutsu, just as Harry had done. “I’ve heard so much about you from Harry.”

Mutsu was visibly pleased by Alex’s words, and Harry laughed lightly as he reached over to rub the top of the teen’s head affectionately and then pull him in his side for another hug.

“Thank you, Ma’am,” Mutsu said, Harry’s infectious mirth making him laugh softly himself. “I am honored.”

Alex smiled wide. “As am I, Mutsu.”

**********

The official opening ceremony, which took place under a large tent in front of the new Mamohato center, was to be opened with a speech from Harry. Though Alex knew that speeches secretly unnerved Harry a bit, and that today was no exception, she couldn’t help but look forward to it herself. She loved watching him speak -- loved watching the passion and drive he had for his cause overtake his nerves and drive his point home to those watching.

“Eleven years ago I made my first visit to Lesotho, with the help of Prince Seeiso. As we traveled the country I was amazed by its raw beauty; but I was also struck by the many children I met whose lives had been shattered by the loss of a parent and in some cases both. I couldn’t believe that so many children had been robbed of their childhoods by extreme poverty and the ravages of HIV and AIDS. Behind those smiles it was clear they desperately needed care, attention and above all, love.” Harry paused in his speech for a moment, looking up and meeting Alex’s eyes in that way she loved, making her smile brightly, unable to help herself.

“Although our situations couldn’t have been more different, I felt an overwhelming connection to many of the children I met. They were far younger than me, and of course, their situation was a great deal more challenging than my own. Nonetheless, we shared a similar feeling of loss, having a loved one, in my case a parent, snatched away so suddenly. I, like them, knew there would always be a gaping hole that could never be filled. For so many of the children in Lesotho, that situation was compounded by the harsh environment and extreme poverty they faced. At the age of just eight or nine taking on the responsibility of caring for brothers and sisters there was simply no time for being a child any more.”

Alex’s breath caught in her chest, the moment that she and Harry had with Mosa and Tumelo earlier that morning fresh on her brain and in her heart. Though it had been her first experience with that situation, Harry’s speech indicated that it certainly hadn’t been his. It made her heart want to break all over again, but she took a deep, steadying, breath, and blinked back the emotion, focusing her attention back on what her husband was saying.

“....The theory of our Mamohato camp is simple – if children have the chance to share with each other how HIV affects them and how they cope with it in a safe and accepting environment, they will lead healthier, more well-adjusted lives. Through these camps, children learn about their condition and can then share this knowledge with their peers once they return home. In addition, sessions in hygiene, nutrition and anti-retroviral therapy, as well as HIV-focused games, sports, arts, crafts and drama all help to inform while boosting self-confidence. These activities improve the physical and emotional well being of the children and young people, helping to break down stigma, increase self-esteem, self-worth, adherence to anti-retroviral therapy and ultimately, life-expectancy. By giving children the tools to cope, we are empowering the youth of Lesotho to play their part in the future of this beautiful country.”

He continued the speech, going over figures and statistics and future goals for Sentebale and the Mamohato Center. And just as he prepared to finish up, just as he got to the last paragraph of his speech, he took a deep breath and looked up, once against catching the sight of his girls on the front row. Alex had a hand over her belly as she looked back up at him and the casual, light shift of her fingers told him that she was feeling the babies move right then. And beside her, Emma was watching him with the same wide, blue eyes as her mother, totally intent on what he was saying. He couldn’t help but grin before he looked back down, forgetting for a moment where he was in his speech but then picking it up back up, finding his rhythm again.

“I would like to end by thanking His Majesty The King for gifting Sentebale the land on which the centre is built and for his and The Queen’s continued support for our work. Thanks to all our donors and supporters for sharing in this vision – your help will transform the level of support and training we can provide across the region. I would like to thank my wife, Alexandra, for choosing to support this cause with me and believing in it just as passionately as I do. Thank you for wanting to experience this land, these people, and Sentebale; and for wanting to give this experience to our children as well. And finally to our partners and team on the ground, thank you, please keep doing what you do, wherever you are, as your work really does change lives.”

**********

Alex was amazed at the transformation that had taken place on the outdoor event space behind the Mamohato center in the short time since she’d gone inside to change for the dinner that night. When she stepped back outside, clad in her maxi dress, sandals, and a soft cardigan to keep her warm against the chilly night air, it looked completely different. Round tables had been set up and covered with white linens in preparation for the dinner. Tiki torches and the built in firepit that sat in the middle of the stone paved area had been set up and lit, casting a glow on everything as the sun set behind them. And at the front of the space, audio equipment was being setup in preparation for longtime Sentebale supporter -- and Harry’s close friend -- Joss Stone to perform later.

“You look beautiful…”

Alex turned at her husband’s voice, her smile pulling wide as he stepped up to her. He’d changed as well and was now wearing a blue suit with a white button down. The top button was undone, revealing a bit of tanned chest and making Alex kind of wish she could push him back inside and rip that shirt right off.

“Well thank you,” she smiled, pushing her primal urges back for the moment. “And you...well, you know how I feel about that suit.”

“I do,” he chuckled as he stepped up to her and then bent to kiss her. “How are you holding up? It’s been a long day so far.”

“It has,” Alex sighed, though the smile remained on her lips. “I’m a bit tired, but more than that...I’m starving. I am eating for three.”

“Ha!” Harry’s shout of laughter filled the air around them and he shook his head. “Of course. Well, I do happen to know where we can snag a few hor d'oeuvres before they put them out for everyone.”

Alex grinned and took the arm he offered her. “Now you’re talking, Sussex.”

**********

“May I join you?”

Alex looked up, finding Joss Stone standing by her table with a bright smile and her eyebrows lifted in question.

“Of course, please!” She said, smiling in return and motioning to the chair that Harry had been occupying before he’d gone off to chat with a group of longtime donors. Joss grinned and slid into the chair and Alex turned towards her with a warm smile. “You were really wonderful up there earlier, Joss. I enjoyed it so much.”

“Thank you! I’m so glad you did,” Joss said, her smile widening. “And it’s really great to see you both. I don’t think I’ve seen either of you since the wedding. And that was what? Almost a year ago?”

“It’ll be a year next month,” Alex answered, blinking in slight surprise at her own words. “Wow, I don’t think I realized until just now that we’ve almost been married a year.”

Joss laughed lightly. “Went by fast, did it?”

“Incredibly fast,” Alex laughed along with her.

“He looks just as happy as the day he married you,” Joss observed, both of them looking over to where Harry stood, laughing loudly at something someone he was speaking to was saying.

“You think so?” Alex couldn’t help but grin as she turned to look back at Joss, enjoying the comfort her sweet, bubbly nature.

“Oh, absolutely. And you!” Joss exclaimed, pointing towards Alex’s stomach. “You look incredibly happy. One might say...glowing.”

“Ha! If you mean pregnancy glow,” Alex laughed and shrugged her shoulders. “I’m afraid that’s just a light sheen of sweat.”

Joss giggled and shook her head. “Absolutely not. You look radiant. Are you excited? How far along are you?”

“So excited I can barely stand it,” Alex sighed, her hands moving to rest on her belly. “We’ve got about another five months to go.”

“Oh my gosh. Can I?” She held her hands out towards Alex’s stomach, lifting her eyebrows in question.

“Oh sure!” Alex nodded quickly, reaching out to take one of Joss’s hands. “I doubt you can feel anything from the outside yet. But here…”

“Pregnant bellies are just the coolest thing,” Joss said softly as she pressed a hand over Alex’s stomach, making Alex laugh. “Is Harry just...beside himself?”

“You have absolutely no idea,” Alex sighed, her eyes hazing over slightly at just how over the moon Harry had been ever since she’d told him she was pregnant. “He loves being a father to Emma. And the fact that he’s going to be a dad again...he’s just…”

“Thrilled?”

“To put it mildly, yes,” Alex giggled.

Joss giggled along with her and then, after moving her hand from Alex’s stomach, sat back in her chair, watching as Alex’s gaze found Harry in the crowd once again. Everything about Alex softened as she watched her husband in his element; talking and working the room.

“I’m really glad you found you, Alex.”

Alex’s gaze swung back to Joss, her eyes widening with slight surprise.

“I’m sorry, I know that feels like it came out of nowhere,” Joss laughed slightly. “I just meant...well, if you couldn’t tell by my music, I’m a bit of a romantic. And watching you two together, the way you look at each other, I’m just so happy he was able to find a woman to have that with. You’ve just given him everything he’s ever wanted; everything he needed really.”

“Oh wow...Joss,” Alex fumbled for words to express exactly how much Joss’s sweet sentiments meant to her. “That’s an incredibly lovely thing to say…”

“Well,” Joss grinned and shrugged her shoulders. “It’s the truth. He was looking for something special, someone special. And he found it with you and I just wanted you to know how amazing I think that is. Thank you for giving him that.”

“Well, you know,” Alex smiled and took a deep breath, her eyes moving back to find her husband, who was walking towards them with a wide smile on his face. “I’d say you’re welcome, Joss. But the truth is...it was absolutely the easiest thing I’ve ever done.”

************

Alex was plain exhausted by the time they arrived back at their rooms. The entire ride back, she’d been fantasizing about climbing into her pajamas and then falling straight into their bed and passing out cold until they had to get up the next morning for their trip back to London.

But once they’d arrived, after they’d checked on a sleeping Emma, after she’d changed into her pajamas, she found that there was this tiny thought that kept dancing around the edge of her brain. And as she sat at the end of the bed and watched her husband at the dresser, shedding his clothes and his day, she tried to push the thought back; she tried to shake it out, telling herself that she was being ridiculous. But she’d never really held back when it came to Harry, and eventually, the words just end up spilling right out of her lips.

“Harry?”

“Yes, darling?” His voice was as tired as hers as he dropped his watch on the dresser.

“Did something ever happen between you and Joss?”

Harry spun around, surprise evident in every corner of his handsome face. “What?”

“I don’t mean since we’ve been together,” Alex clarified with a small smile. “I meant, before us. Did you two ever...hook up?”

“Alexandra, this is a completely bizarre thing to be asking me right before we go to bed.”

“I’m not trying to put you in a tight spot, I swear!” She held up her hand in front of her, punctuating her statement. “She just...when she was sitting with me at the table, she said some really lovely things to me.”

Harry lifted his brows and his lips curled up on one side. “Lovely things that made you think I’d slept with her?”

Alex rolled her eyes playfully and shook her head. “She said how she was so happy we’d found each other, how you needed someone who could give you the things you needed, who could live this life with you. And it just made me wonder…” She shrugged and her fingers fiddled a bit nervously together in front of her. “If maybe she was so grateful that you found that with me, because at some point...she couldn’t be that for you.”

“Ahhh…” Harry took a deep breath and then moved to sit on the end of the bed with his wife. “I want you to know, Alexandra, that had I ever slept with Joss, I would have told you. I would have never invited someone to our wedding that I’d had sex with and not told you about it.”

Alex smiled and let out a breath. “Smart man.”

“But…” he said slowly, turning to look at her. “That’s not to say that nothing ever happened.”

“Oh…” Alex murmured, her eyes widening slightly. “Was it physical or emotional or...both?”

“It was physical for all of about five minutes,” Harry assured her, looking slightly sheepish as he did. “No one has seen each other naked or anything like that. We just…”

“Made out?”

“This is really, really bizarre to discuss with you, I’ll have you know,” Harry groaned into a laugh, running his hands through his hair. “But yeah, pretty much. Though we both came to our senses before anything else could...um, happen.”

Alex couldn’t help but snicker softly. “I’m not going to fly into a jealous rage, Harry. I get it.”

He laughed and put his arm around her, pulling her into his side and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “I just don’t want you to think that I wished she could have been what I wanted. Or that she wished for that either. She wanted those things for me because she’s a dear friend, not because she felt bad that she wasn’t those things.”

Alex smiled softly as she settled into his chest, into his warmth. “I don’t think that. And just so you know...I like her very much, Harry. I think she’s wonderful. I’m very glad she’s been a good friend to you.”

“Did anyone ever tell you that you are an incredibly understanding person?” he asked as he pressed another kiss to her head.

“Yes,” Alex sighed, making Harry’s chest rumble with laughter under her cheek.

“Besides,” Harry continued, his voice drifting softer, deeper. “I met you really shortly after that happened with Joss. And you know what?”

“Hmmm?” Alex murmured, snuggling deeper into his chest.

“She’s one hundred percent right. You’re everything I could have ever wanted and needed and God, Alex...so much more than I could have ever dreamed of.”

“Mhmmm...right back at ya, Sussex,” Alex replied and then tried but failed to stifle a giant yawn. “Speaking of dreaming…”

Harry laughed softly and hugged her tight. “Come on, love...let’s get into bed. We’ve got a busy travel day tomorrow and you’re are sleeping for three.”

Alex happily climbed back onto the bed and slipped under the covers with Harry; curling right up into his side. And they were both asleep within moments; wrapped up in each other and the quiet African night outside of their windows.