Against the Odds

A/N: Another chapter so soon! It’s a bit of a long one with lots going on. I hope you enjoy!

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

“Is this really how we’re going to do this, Alex? You’re really going to let me leave while you’re still not speaking to me?”

“I’m speaking to you,” she said, though her voice was flat and she kept her back to him. Her eyes were focused out of the window in front of her, on the grey skies filled with clouds that threatened rain at any moment.

“Well, the last two days haven’t been much better than complete bloody silence and you know it,” Harry snapped. He moved quickly around the kitchen island and in next to her. “Alexandra...please don’t do this.”

“Don’t do what, Harry? Don’t be mad at you about wanting to leave again today for another two weeks after what happened in Rio?” She finally turned her eyes up to his; they were dark and filled with hurt and upset and every bit of the stubborn nature she possessed. “Too late, Sussex. I am mad and it’s not going sigh and give in and tell you everything is okay.”

“I don’t want to leave you. You know that.”

“Yes, you’ve explained that several times.”

“Damn it, Alex!” He sighed and ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “I don’t know what else to do!”

“Well, neither do I,” she said, shrugging her shoulders.

“God, I hate this so much,” he shook his head and took a deep breath.

“I do too,” she whispered. A tiny bit of emotion had creeped into her voice as she spoke the words and he caught it. Grabbing onto it, he took another step towards her, one hand sliding along her shoulder as he leaned in closer.

“Please darling, can’t you just...let it go for the moment? We can fight about it when I get back but…”

“But right now you want me to smile and pretend that I’m not beyond angry and sad with you.”

Harry sighed, his eyes closing for a long moment. His hand remained at her shoulder, his thumb softly sweeping over the skin just above the collar of her blouse. When he opened his eyes back to her they were sad and soft and resigned. He wasn’t going to fight with her about it; not right then. And she wasn’t going to accept that from him. He was left with only one option, which was absolutely not wanted he had wanted this moment to be.

He took a deep breath and then leaned in, pressing his lips to her forehead and wrapping his arms around her. “I love you so much, Alex. But I can’t give in to you here. You know that I can’t.”

Alex’s swallowed back the threat of tears and leaned into him for a long moment, taking as much of him as she could without breaking. And then she pulled back, her eyes once again avoiding his. “Make sure to tell Emma goodbye before you go.”

Harry sighed, his heart breaking a little bit as he let go of her. “I wouldn’t dream of leaving here without doing so. Take care of her and those babies while I’m gone.”

Alex’s hands automatically went to her stomach, to the babies inside of her that they still wouldn’t meet for another eight weeks at most. “They’re safe with me.”

“I know, love.” He leaned in and pressed another kiss to her forehead and then stepped away, though his eyes remained on her, wishing more than anything that she’d just give in, kiss him goodbye, and wish him good luck on the feat he was about to undertake. But he knew it wasn’t going to happen and nothing he could say or do would make it so.

“I love you, Alex.”

She was unable to help the way her eyes turned towards his, meeting his gaze as he backed away from her. And just as he made his way to the doorway, the words fell out of her lips in a low, hoarse whisper, unable to let him leave without at least letting him hear the words that she would always mean with all of her heart, no matter how mad she was at him.

“I love you too, Harry.”

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

THE WALK OF BRITAIN - DAY FOUR

“Look at how they take the piss out of him,” Charlotte snickered as she clicked through the pictures that had been taken that day. The press had been allowed to tag along for this specific day of the Walk of Britain and the videos, pictures, and articles were beginning to stream in. They offered not only a glimpse into Harry’s drive and determination to jump right into the down and dirty with the rest of the soldiers taking part, but also into the way he interacted with them. It was obvious that he wanted to feel like just one of the guys and that his teammates viewed him as such. He was Captain Wales out there, not Prince Harry, the fifth in line to the British throne.

“He’s always loved the soldier’s life,” Alex murmured, glancing over the pictures with Charlotte and trying not let herself melt at the sight of him laughing and joking as he walked along with the others on the trek. “He’s said before that it’s his favorite version of himself.”

Charlotte snorted. “Yes, I know. I remember thinking how ridiculous he sounded waxing philosophical. The truth is that we all know that as soon as you and Emma walked into the picture, Harry’s favorite version of himself was the one that somehow managed to get you to take him on. Now come on, Alex...I know you’re mad at him but just look at him. You can’t tell me that you’re not even a little proud of what he’s doing here.”

Alex’s eyes stayed steady on the screen, focused on a picture of Harry bending down to greet a little girl who’d come out to meet the soldiers on the walk as they passed through her town. Her shoulders relaxed a little bit as her mind wandered for a moment, all the possible things that Harry could be saying to the adorable little girl rushing through her mind. But before she could let herself soften too much, that innate stubbornness flared up and she sat up straighter, her chin jutting out in defiance as she turned her gaze back to Charlotte and shrugged her shoulders.

Charlotte snorted with laughter and rolled her eyes as she turned back to the computer on the counter in front of her. “Fine. Keep being bull headed about it. But you and I both know that it’s something to be proud of.”

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

THE WALK OF BRITAIN - DAY SEVEN

He had seen the spot the day before. It was just back up the path a few hundred yards from where they’d stopped to make camp that night. From the moment they’d walked past it, he’d been determined to go back, to see it in the early dawn light. He just had a feeling that the view it offered was something he’d want to see, something he’d want to commit to memory.

He woke early, while it was still dark outside, and had dressed quietly. He slid out of his tent quickly and, armed with a flashlight and a thermos of crude coffee, made his way back up the trail. It only took a few minutes to find the spot and a few minutes more to get himself situated on the dark, damp earth. He sighed as he opened up his thermos and took a few sips of the bitter drink.

His mind moved back over the last week, over the events of the Walk so far. It was hard work for sure; though he’d never been one to back down from that. He could deal with aching muscles and fatigue and blisters on his feet. Especially when he was in the company that he’d been keeping for the past seven days. The soldiers were brave and hilarious and most of all, they treated him like he were just one of their mates. He loved the normality of it; it was something he didn’t feel much in his life. Even when he was with his family, there was always the knowledge that there was no other family quite like his in the world, that no other family could identify with even some of the more mundane things that went on behind closed doors.

There had only been a couple of places he could find that sense of normality. One was when he was being a soldier, the other had arrived in his life the day he’d met his wife.

He’d thought a lot about her during the past week, about the way they’d left things. He knew he’d done the right thing. But that certainty didn’t stop him from wishing that he could have worked harder to make her understand or could have somehow found a way to make things right before he’d left.

A rustling noise from behind him startled him and he jumped slightly before turning the flashlight in the direction the noise had come from.

“Oh shit, sorry man,” Stewart Hill, one of his teammates, said as the flashlight fell upon him. He squinted against the light and lifted the items he carried in his hands in explanation. Harry knew that Stewart was an avid painter and found the benefits of it incredibly therapeutic. “I wanted to come get this spot on canvas before we left. Or at least try to. I didn’t think anyone else would be here.”

“No no, it’s fine,” Harry chuckled and shook his head. “I didn’t think anyone would be up here either. I’ll let you be though…”

“Nah, it’s fine,” Stewart shrugged, moving forward and setting down his small bag of supplies. “I don’t mind the company. As long as you share that coffee you’ve got there.”

Harry laughed and handed the thermos over. Stewart took a drink, grimace, and then took another one, making Harry laugh once more.

“That’s Army coffee alright,” Stewart joked. He handed the thermos back and then reached into his bag, pulling out a small canvas and a brush. The dark of night had given way just a bit, providing just enough light for Harry to see what his teammate was doing.

“Have you painted other spots while we’ve been out here?”

“I’ve sketched a few things,” Stewart shrugged. “I saw this place yesterday though and thought it looked interesting so I decided to pull out the paints for a few minutes.”

“Did you paint before you got injured?” Harry asked.

“No, I started a couple of years ago,” Stewart answered. “The type of brain injury I have makes it hard for me to turn my thoughts into something productive and I deal with a lot of fatigue. Painting never exhausts me though. I can channel my thoughts without feeling like I want to take a nap every couple of hours.”

“That’s amazing, man,” Harry said, a bit of awe evident in his voice.

“You know, I heard somewhere that you used to paint in your school days,” Stewart said with a grin, though his eyes never left the scene before him, the mist covered, green, rolling hills of the English countryside.

“More like advanced finger painting,” Harry replied with a laugh. “But yeah...I used to try my hand at it a bit. My father paints quite a bit. I always admired his talent.”

“Want to have a go?” Stewart offered, nodding toward a second small canvas in his bad.

Though Harry initially opened his mouth to decline, something about the idea grabbed ahold of him, made him want to try it out. He could sit there in the quiet and get lost in his own thoughts, or he could channel his thoughts into something productive. Even if he was fairly certain it would end up looking like something his three year old nephew had painted.

“You know…” he said, leaning over to reach for the extra canvas Stewart offered him. “I think I will.”

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

THE WALK OF BRITAIN - DAY FOURTEEN

Harry would be lying if he said he wasn’t tired as they finally stepped foot on The Mall and began the last half mile of their journey. He was exhausted, down to the core of his bones. But with each step they took closer to the end of the Walk of Britain it seemed to fade a little bit; the fact that he was tired and sore and ready to fall face first into whatever soft surface presented itself first was pushed further and further to the back of his mind.

Instead he was filled with pride, mostly for the soldiers that were with him, that had overcome so much more than he ever could have to participate and successfully finish The Walk. He was buoyed by their excitement, by the way the chatter and laughter among the group of them rose as the familiar gates of Buckhouse grew closer and closer to them. Fueled by the sight of the small group of people standing in the courtyard of the palace, the pace among the group picked up, their steps growing faster, their smiles growing wider as they began to recognize the voices shouting words of encouragement to them.

“Hey Wales, look.” A smack at his shoulder accompanied the words from Stewart, making Harry chuckle before turned his gaze to follow the direction his fellow soldier was pointing. His breath sucked in and his heart jumped in his chest and even though he’d known there was no way she wouldn’t be there, it still hit him hard all the same that she was.

And she was smiling; he could see that clearly as they moved closer. She had that big, bright smile on her face, the one he’d wanted so badly to see the day he’d left two weeks before. The exact same smile that graced Emma’s face as she stood next to Alex in the crowd of family members waiting for the members of The Walk. They were happy and waving and nearly bouncing on their feet as they waited for him and it took everything Harry had not to break into a run towards them. But he stayed on pace with the rest of the team members, maintaining the stride they’d all come to find together as they trekked those last few yards down The Mall.

But when they stepped through the gates, when the cheers from those waiting -- and from the public watching along the few barricades that had been erected -- went up around them, not a single member of the Walking With the Wounded team, including Harry, could resist rushing to the celebratory arms of their waiting supporters.

“Dad!” Emma was the first one to reach him, able to move much faster than her very pregnant mother. She threw herself into Harry’s arms and he laughed as he picked her up into a tight hug. “You made it! Congratulations!”

“We did! And thank you, my darling girl,” he grinned, squeezing her closer for a moment before he set her back on her feet. His gaze met Alex’s and then he lifted his eyebrows, his eyes wide and slightly unsure. But she never paused on her way to him, her smile never faltered, and before he could even take a full breath, she was in his arms. His own smile lit up as she wrapped her arms around his neck, tipped up on her toes, and pressed her lips right to his.

“I am so proud of you,” she said as she pulled back, her hands moving to the sides of his newly bearded face. “So damn proud.”

“Alex…” he grinned down at her, wanting nothing more in that moment to take her into his arms. He wanted to hold her close and put his hands on the belly that had grown larger still since he’d been gone. And damn, he wanted to kiss her absolutely fucking senseless.

“I am. And you should know that. Now, come on, Captain Wales,” she said, patting his face lightly and winking up at him. “Introduce me to your daughter to your teammates.”

He nodded and then stood taller, his shoulders squaring with the pride he felt in that moment. “I would absolutely love to.”

***********

“Does it itch?”

“Itch?” Harry’s eyes flashed confusion as he climbed on their bed, his gaze focused solely on his wife, propped up against the headboard by pillows and looking incredibly beautiful.

“Your beard,” she giggled. Her fingers reached out to scratch lightly over the ginger scruff and he chuckled.

“Nah,” he shook his head and reached for her hand, bringing her fingers to her lips and pressing a kiss to the tips of them. “The first couple of days it did...but not anymore.”

“I like it,” she said, her smile widening at him as he moved even closer to her. “I know I’ve said this to you like, a bazillion times since this afternoon...but...I missed you, Harry.”

“You have no idea,” Harry shook his head as he rose up on his knees and then bent over her, his lips finding hers in a soft, long, slow kiss that warmed her entire body. “How much I missed you…and Emma...and the boys.”

“Well, I’m not hundred percent sure, but I’d like to think the boys missed you too,” Alex smiled against his lips, her eyes growing soft as he pulled back to look at her and then shifted his gaze down to her swollen belly.

“When I saw you today…” His voice dropped as his hands moved to push the cotton t-shirt up over her belly. “I couldn’t believe you were there.”

“Come on...I wouldn’t have missed it,” Alex murmured as he pulled back a bit, his eyes warm and soft as they met hers.

“I wasn’t sure…”

“I was wrong, Harry,” she said, her voice firm and her gaze direct. “We both know it. And once I realized just how much of a jerk I’d been. I wasn’t going to miss the chance to show you how proud I really am of the fact that you did go out there.”

“Thank you…” Harry whispered, his gaze filled with emotion as it held hers. He smiled down at her, briefly thinking of all the different things he could say, all of the ways this conversation could go. In the end, he decided that maybe there wasn’t a need to hash the entire thing out over again. He was home, they were together, and his wife was incredibly happy to have him home. Maybe that was all he needed.

Well...maybe not all he needed.

“You know…” He grinned as he scooted lower and pressed a kiss on her distended belly. “I had a hard time keeping my hands off of you this afternoon. I couldn’t believe how much...how much you had…”

“Gotten bigger,” Alex laughed and shook her head. “You can say it, Harry. I promise I won’t smack you. You couldn’t believe how much bigger my belly had gotten in two weeks.”

He grinned and shrugged. “I really couldn’t. It took everything I had not to just...put my hands all over you right there at the finish line at Buckingham Palace.”

His hands moved to her stomach then and she couldn’t help but sigh as his fingers spread out over her skin. “Well, you know you can put your hands all over me right here in Kensington Palace.”

“Oh love, I intend to do just that…” he said huskily, his fingers moving out of the way as he bent to press another kiss to her belly. “I intend on touching every single inch of you and…” He pressed another kiss right under her belly button and her breath caught “...reacquainting myself with your body and...whoa!” He laughed as he felt a firm kick under one of his hands.

Alex giggled. “Maybe they did miss you after all.”

“Maybe,” Harry grinned. “Which one was that?”

Alex moved her hands to where Harry’s was and smiled softly. “That’s Charlie right there,” she said, moving Harry’s hand a bit so it was positioned more fully over where Charlie had been when she’d been to her latest appointment just a couple of days before. “And Spencer is…” She slid Harry’s other hand to the other side of her her belly. “Right there.”

“That’s so amazing,” he breathed, shaking his head slowly as he smiled. “That they can tell us which one’s which in there.”

“Maybe they just make it up each time and they don’t really know which one’s which.”

Harry’s brows furrowed together. “Nooooo...you think?”

“No,” Alex snorted, making Harry laugh and roll his eyes. “Of course they know.”

“Mummy makes terrible jokes,” he said, addressing her round stomach.

Alex grinned. “You love my jokes. And you love me.”

“I do,” Harry nodded. His eyes held hers as he leaned forward and kissed her belly again. “I love you so much I can barely stand it.”

Alex reached for him, her hand smoothing along his jaw, loving the new texture of his beard. “I’m sure you can’t...being that it’s been over three weeks since you’ve loved me.”

Harry’s smirked. “You want me to love you now?”

Alex returned his smirk. “I’m surprised I even have to ask.”

“Brat,” he murmured,” he chuckled and shook his head, his lips brushing back and forth over her stomach, raising goosebumps over her skin. His lips began to travel higher, moving up over the swell of her belly.

He rose up on his knees above her and his hands pushed at her t-shirt. He moved it up over her breasts and then gently pulled it over her head, completely and utterly enamored as he watched her long blond hair fall back down in a cloud around her naked shoulders.

“God,” he breathed, his eyes growing dark. “You’re beautiful.”

"Harry..."

"You are," he continued. "You take my breath away...you always have, Alex."

Her lips parted to respond to his words, but she was silenced by his mouth as it covered hers,’ warm and wet and delicious as he pulled her tongue to dance with his.

His hands moved to her jaw and slid back into her hair as he tilted her head back so he could kiss her deeper. She moaned into his mouth and her hands moved to him, running up his arms to his shoulders, pulling him down closer to her. When she felt the soft cotton of his t-shirt brush her stomach she immediately reached for the hem and pulled at it, wanting it off of him right that moment; wanting his naked skin against hers.

His lips pulled from hers only so he could pull the t-shirt over his head and toss it to the side and then he was back to her. She reached for him, trying to pull his lips back to hers, but he smiled softly and shook his head and instead, dipped his lips down into the curve of her neck.

*M*

"Ohhh..." She sighed into a moan and her head tipped back at the familiar sensation of his lips combined with the new sensation of his beard rough against her sensitive skin. And as his lips traveled further down, she let out a soft moan at the thought of what his beard would feel like against other sensitive areas of her body.

“God, you smell amazing,” Harry groaned as he nuzzled into her neck, bringing a gasp as he beard rubbed against her sensitive nerve endings. “And you taste…” his tongue swiped out and traced down her collarbone and she gasped, her hands reaching out and wrapping around his arms to keep herself steady, “...so good, baby.”

“You’re going to drive me crazy, Harry…”

He chuckled softly and then shifted lower. “I meant what I said, Alexandra,” he murmured, his mouth traveling lower and lower. “I’m going to reacquaint myself with every single inch of you.”

“Oh God…” she groaned, arching her chest out against his mouth.

He adjusted again, sitting up slightly so he could touch her. Her breasts had gotten bigger too, and the firm, heavy weight of them as he cupped them in his hands made his cock grow even harder in his boxers. He tentatively stroked his thumbs over her nipples in case they were too sensitive, but she responded with a low, throaty sound, encouraging him forward.

“You’re so sexy, Alex…” he breathed as he lowered his mouth once again and captured a nipple between his lips. She arched and cried out and he groaned around her, loving when she was vocal with him. His lips worked over her breasts, pulling her nipples into hard little points with his lips and tongue until she was worked into a near frenzy. And then he was moving lower again, kissing over her stomach, grinning as he felt one of the boys move as he pressed his lips to her over and over again.

“Can I take these off?” he whispered as he reached the band of her cotton panties.

“I’m going to rip them off myself if you don’t,” she called down to him, lifting an eyebrow as if she were daring him to try and tease her further and see what happened. Harry laughed and then pulled the panties from her, sliding them slowly down her legs and then tossing them to the floor.

“Jesus,” he groaned, taking in her naked body for the first time in what seemed like forever. Her belly was swollen with his children, her lips swollen from his kisses, and her center swollen with desire.

“Come here, love,” he said softly as he moved to stand from the bed and helped her move to the edge. He placed several pillows behind her back, propping her up in a slightly seated position. And then, he stepped between her spread legs and his fingers slid in against her as he leaned in to kiss her mouth. “Alex?”

“Hmmmm?” Her hands clutched as his shoulders and her hips turned against his searching fingers.

“Can I kiss you here?” His thumb circled around her swollen nub and she moaned out into the room before nodding her head slowly.

“Yes,” she finally said, the word no more than a soft breath as it left her lips.

He grinned and then, after pressing one more warm, full kiss to her mouth, he knelt down on the floor between her legs. He wrapped his hands around her thighs, holding her legs close to him, and then, with a smile full of lust and anticipation, he leaned in.

“Fuck…” Alex moaned as his tongue tipped out against her wet, swollen center. She could feel him stroking her slowly and easily from the top of her sex to the bottom, swirling his tongue around her clit before sliding down to gently thrust his tongue into her. “Jesus, Harry...your mouth…”

He chuckled and pulled her legs tighter to him as he pulled that swollen nub of nerves between his lips. He shook his head back and forth slowly and Alex’s hips jerked and her fingers dug into the sheets under her as she felt his beard rub back and forth against the tender skin of her inner thighs. As ridiculous as it was, the coarse hair against her sensitive skin made her want to come apart nearly as much as his mouth working over her sex did.

And suddenly it was too much and not enough at the same time. She was ready to fall apart already, she could feel the sweet tension building inside of her. But she didn’t want to come apart like this, not when she couldn’t watch his face as he brought her to that amazing finish.

“Harry…” she called down to him in a hoarse voice. Her fingers moved to slide into that red hair of his and she tugged, wanting to pull him up to her. “Please, Harry…it’s been too long and I’m pregnant and have these crazy hormones and if you don’t take me, Sussex...I’m going to just…”

He groaned and moved from his knees, pushing his boxers from his hips and then dropping kisses on her belly, her nipples, and finally her lips, taking her mouth in a deep, tongue twisting kiss. He meant her to taste herself on him, to convey how good she tasted to him and she understood, finding it incredibly erotic and making her even more desperate for him.

“Please Harry…” she begged, not caring one little bit if she sounded desperate. She was; incredibly desperate to have him inside of her.

“Shhh baby...I’ve got you,” he murmured, pulling his lips from hers and finding her hot, needy gazy with his. “How do you want to…”

“Like this,” she rushed out, too worked up to even consider adjusting again. “I want you like this.”

He immediately stepped closer, clearly just as ready as she was. He pulled her arms up around his shoulders and then his hands moved to her hips as he tilted her slightly back so she leaned against the pillows behind her but was supported by him. And then, his eyes found hers and he pressed the tip of himself against her folds.

“Yes,” Alex sighed, her head tipping back as she felt him push the tip of himself inside of her easily. “More. All of it. Please.”

“Jesus Christ, Alex,” he groaned, her words threatening to take him down already. He loved when she was bossy and demanding in bed and because he could never really deny her anything she wanted from his body anyway, he did exactly as she asked and pressed forward as far as he could into her wet, tight heat.

“Oh God…” she moaned. Her head tilted forward and a smug smile pulled at her lips and she took a deep, steadying breath. “You have no idea how much I missed this, Harry.”

“I think I do,” he replied, leaning in to kiss her full, pink lips. “You feel so good…” He broke off with a soft laugh and shook his head. “Too good.”

Alex’s smile grew smug as she caught his struggle; wanting to move forward but needing to slow it down at the same time. She tightened her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. His stomach brushed her swollen belly, he groaned, and she swear she felt him pulse inside of her.

“Harry...I need you to move, baby…” she murmured, her eyes dark and determined as she rocked her hips slightly.

“Alex…” he whispered, his lips smiling as he shook his head slowly. “You’re going to make me lose it.” He watched at her eyes sparked and he nearly regretted his words, instantly recognizing that she took them as a challenge.

“Maybe I want you to lose it,” she murmured. Her hips continued to rock slightly and the way she felt around his throbbing cock sent determination pumping through his veins.

“Maybe…” His hands slid from her hips down to her thighs, wrapping around them and pulling her legs wider, giving him more room. “But maybe…” He pulled back, sliding almost all the way from her before pressing back in, watching as her lips parted and her breath sucked in. “Maybe I want you to lose it first.”

“Fuck…” Her fingers dug into his shoulders as he continued his movements; that slow, torturous pull back and then that hot, sweet, stiff press back in.

“Yes,” Harry nodded, not even bothering to hide the smug, pleased look on his face at her reaction to him. “Do you have any idea how beautiful you look right now? Flushed pink and wanting me and carrying my children.”

“Harry…” She whimpered and her hips shifted, searching for the end; wanting it more than anything.

“Look at me,” he murmured, leaning in and nudging her nose with his. Her eyes slid open to his, dark and heavy and a smile pulled at at the corners of her lips. “Tell me…”

“More,” she breathed, her nails digging into the skin of his shoulders as he pressed in hard and deep again. “I want more…”

“Fuck, I love it when you’re greedy,” Harry grinned. His grip on her thighs tightened and he tilted her back just a little bit further - but it was enough for him to press deeper inside of her.

“Oh GOD!” she cried out into the room. Her eyes fluttered closed as she absorbed the new, tingling feeling that shot through her as he found and hit that place inside of her that made her crazy with need. She gasped and her eyes flew open again to find his. “Harry!”

“What baby?” He pressed in again and again, never letting up the delicious, amazing rhythm. “Alex...love…”

“I’m going to come…” she rushed out and then sucked in a deep breath, her eyes widening and her legs tensing under his hands. “Please don’t stop, Harry...please...make me come for you…”

“Jesus…” he groaned, nearly losing himself with her words. But he gritted his teeth and pressed on...in and out, in and out...his muscles tense with the strain of holding back. “Come on, Alex…” He leaned in, pressing his forehead to hers. “It’s been too long, baby. I need you to come for me...I need to feel it...I need…”

“Don’t stop...don’t stop…” Alex cut him off, panting the words. Her fingers dug into his shoulders, her back arched, and then, with a throaty cry her eyes snapped shut and she went, her body clenching fiercely around his.

A deep, wild sort of groan tore from Harry’s lips. He dropped his head into the curve of her neck, and the hot, tight pulses of her sex around him pulled his own orgasm from his body. He moaned her name as he released himself into her; it was long and mind-numbing and so incredibly needed that he felt powerful and weak and dizzy all at the same time.

*EM*

“Fuck…” he breathed as it finally faded out, grinning into her neck at the giggle that fell from her lips.

“I’ll say,” Alex replied, her fingers sliding through the damp hair at the nape of his neck.

“I didn’t think I was going to make it there at the end.” He took a deep breath and then pulled back to look at her. “God, you turn me on, Alexandra.”

She smiled proudly, unable to help the way those words made her feel. “Even with my giant belly?”

He snorted and then shifted, pulling out of her with a groan. “You know that I love your belly. And damn, I really love you.”

She grinned as he helped her shift back to lay on the bed and pulled the covers up around her. “Damn, I really love you too Harry.”

***********

FOUR WEEKS LATER

“I think I’ve taken over your entire t-shirt collection,” Alex called out to her husband as she pulled on one of his big, soft shirts. “Nothing else fits me right now.” She was standing in front of her sink in their big bathroom, preparing for bed; not that the two babies moving around actively inside of her were going to allow her to get much rest at all.

“You can take over whatever you like, my love,” Harry called back over the sound of the water hitting the tiles. “You’re carrying two children, both of which happen to be mine.”

She could practically hear the smug, cocky smile appear on his face and she shook her head and chuckled softly as she pulled her hair back in a ponytail so that she could wash her face. “I really should being taking advantage of that more, you know,” she teased as she wet her face and began to scrub the day from it. “I think I could be getting away with quite a lot.”

The shower turned off and she could hear his soft, deep laughter as his towel disappeared over the top of the glass door. She smiled as she finished washing her face and was patting her skin dry with a soft towel when Harry opened the glass door and stepped from the shower, his towel wrapped firmly around his waist. She watched him in the mirror, and even though she was almost nine months pregnant with two babies and she was tired and uncomfortable, she still couldn’t help the way she looked at her husband, the way her eyes fell over his broad shoulders and well defined chest.

He caught her gaze in the mirror and immediately moved up behind her, holding her eyes in the mirror as his arms moved around her, his hands coming to rest on her distended belly. “Hi…” he grinned as he dropped a kiss to the top of her head.

“Hi…” Alex sighed as she leaned back into him, gratefully letting him take some of her weight.

“You doing okay, baby?” His voice was soft and caring as he spread his fingers out over her stomach. He grinned and his eyes danced when one of the boys kicked at his hand.

“Ugh…” she groaned. She was close to thirty six weeks; three weeks past the date her doctors had told her was the goal. She had carried them longer than expected, but her doctors had agreed that it was just about time and she was scheduled for a c-section in a few days. She couldn’t wait. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so uncomfortable in my entire life.”

“Anything I can do?”

“No,” she said with a soft shake of her head as she looked at him in the mirror. “It’s just because I’m so huge. Just a few more days though...”

Harry rubbed soft circles on her belly and dropped a kiss to her shoulder. “You’re not huge. You’re pregnant and the way you look is…” His eyes caressed her in that way he had, that way that made her melt, even as pregnant as she was. “You’re so beautiful.”

She snorted. “I’m not. I’m huge and swollen and…”

“Alexandra,” he said firmly, bringing her eyes sliding to his. “You are and have always been the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. If you think your belly or your swollen feet change that…” he shook his head, his lips tugging up at the sides. “You are so incredibly wrong.”

Her eyes softened as she held his gaze, steady and honest. “I love you, Harry,” she finally whispered. She let her eyes slide closed and she tilted her head back to lean on his shoulder, sighing into him.

“I love you too,” he whispered back as he watched her in the mirror. He moved his hands slowly over her belly and he could almost feel the boys quiet down inside of her. He knew she felt it too and he watched as she relaxed gratefully at the momentary quietness in her body.

And then, just as he was opening his mouth to offer a foot rub before she tried to rest as much as she could for the night, they both felt something wet splash against their feet.

Alex’s eyes snapped open and immediately flew downward, a gasp leaving her lips. She saw the wetness on the floor, soaking into the rug beneath her feet, the wetness that had come from her, and blinked once before her eyes swung up to Harry.

He was stock still, his eyes wide, his hands frozen on her stomach. “Alex…”

“Harry…” she breathed right before a wide smile broke across her face.

He gulped, trying to find the words, blinking several times. “Was that…”

“My water just broke.”

Harry’s heart slammed into his chest. “You’re sure?”

Alex smirked, looking down and to the side again at the wet rug beneath their feet, still rooted to the spot. “Yeah, I’m sure.” Her eyes lifted back to his and suddenly the emotion of the moment hit her like a ton of bricks. Her eyes welled up with tears and her hands moved up over his on her stomach, her fingers intertwining with his. “Henry…it’s time to have some babies.”