Against the Odds

When Harry’s Protection Officer stepped from Alex’s flat and she had closed and locked the door behind him, Harry was done waiting.

He was home, they were alone, and he was just absolutely done waiting.

He moved to her instantly, pulling her into his arms and hauling her tightly against him.

“Hi,” she whispered, as she wound her arms around his neck.

“Hi,” he whispered back. “Alexandra…”

“Hmmmm?” She smiled up at him, her fingers finding their home in the red mess of his hair.

He smirked. “I’m going to kiss you now.”

And then because she was just as done with waiting as he was, she pushed up on her toes and beat him to the punch, pressing her warm, soft lips against his. His arms tightened around her instantly as he felt it; the energy that they shared, had always shared, slamming back into him with force. He groaned and slanted his mouth over hers, his tongue moving out to tease her lips open and then when they did, sinking into her warm, wet, welcoming mouth. He reveled in the taste of her, the way her tongue felt along his as they tangled together.

He pulled away from her and a whimper of protest came from her, but it was short lived as he bent down and lifted her up into his arms, an arm under her knees and an arm wrapped around her back. He smiled down at her before he moved, carrying her back through her flat to her bedroom.

He carried her right over next to her bed and slowly lowered her to her feet, her body sliding down his as he did. His eyes met hers, his lips moving into a small, contented smile as he brought his hands up to the sides of her face, cupping her cheeks with his palms. His thumbs rubbed along her lips, swollen and red from his kisses before his hands slid back, his fingers moving into her hair. He loved her hair, loved the thick mass of it and how it felt in his hands and against his skin.

“I love you, Alexandra,” he murmured, leaning down to kiss her softly.

She moved her hands up his arms, to the back of his neck, holding him close to her.

“I love you too, Harry,” she whispered. Her voice was hoarse with her emotion and her need in this moment.

And then his lips moved back to hers, the hands in her hair holding her to him. He was gentle, reverent, with her; loving the sweet slide of their lips together.

She slid her hands from his neck, moving to his shirt and to the buttons lining the front. She pulled them open one by one, and once she got down to the last one she reached up and pushed it from his shoulders and down his arms, moving them from her hair, and not caring at it dropped unceremoniously to the floor. She immediately reached for his undershirt, pushing it up and smiling up at him as he raised his arms to take it all the way off.

Her hands went to his stomach, her fingers moving lightly over his taught abdomen, feeling the muscles clench under her touch. She leaned forward and placed a kiss right in the middle of his chest, sighing at his warmth and his smell.

“I can’t believe you’re here. I can see you, I can feel you, I can smell you…” Alex said huskily, trailing off as she leaned up pressed her lips to his neck and inhaled his scent. “I’ve had dreams of this moment, but they were nothing compared to this.”

He groaned. “Alex…you have no idea…”

She raised her eyes to his and watched the emotions play on his face as his hands moved to her own shirt, pulling at the hem and then all the way up, her hands leaving his torso as they rose up in the air. As soon as her shirt was off he immediately reached around her, his fingers flicking open the clasp on her bra and pulling it from her. Her nipples pebbled instantly at the release and the cool air, and he sucked in a breath at the sight of her before his pulled her back against him, needed to feel her skin against his.

Alex moaned at the contact and tilted her head up, seeking his lips again, sighing when they found hers. Her hands went to his pants, making quick work of his belt, the button, and the zipper. She pushed at them, suddenly filled with an intensity to get him naked, to see all of him. He chuckled against her mouth, and helped her, toeing off his boots before pushing his pants down and off. As it was only fair, he reached over and made quick work of hers too, loving her giggle as he struggled, having to tug three or four times, to get them off of her.

But once he had flung the offending pants across the room, he was back to business, standing back up and moving her to the bed. She sat back onto it, sliding backwards as he moved over her. Their eyes never broke contact as he covered her body with his, nudging her knees apart to settle himself in between her thighs.

He immediately captured her lips quickly before moving down to her jaw, then kissing and licking down to her neck. She gasped as he sucked lightly on the sensitive skin there, not enough to leave a mark, but enough to cause her breathing to quicken and her heart to beat faster. Then he was moving further down, his hands coming up to meet his mouth as he gently teased her breasts, pulling a nipple between his lips, worrying it gently with his teeth and tongue before moving to the other one.

She was a mess of emotions and building pleasure beneath him. She loved the attention he lavished on her, loved the way he built her up slowly just like he was doing now, until she would be at a fever pitch. The truth was that at any point during this she would have been ready for him, but she was too in love with him in this moment to do anything but let him love her slowly.

He moved his mouth down her torso, placing soft kisses on her stomach, smiling against her skin when she jerked at the sensation, moving lower and lower until his lips met the satin material of her underwear. His fingers pulled at them at her hips, sliding them off of her before moving to rest himself on his elbows between her thighs.

“Harry…” she whispered. He looked up at her and the sight made his breath catch. Her chest was heaving in anticipation and her eyes were cloudy and dark. He kept eye contact with her as he leaned forward, pressing his mouth against her.

She immediately bowed off of the bed, crying out into the room at the feel of his lips and tongue against her. He moved slowly, savoring the moment, savoring her. This was one of his most favorite places in the world and he loved that she let him do this to her, that she wasn’t shy about it, that she was never afraid to tell him how much she liked it. When she reached up and fisted her hands in his hair he almost smiled against her, but refrained, knowing she was close and not wanting to stop. And sure enough, with just a few more strokes of his tongue against her he felt the tremor begin. He looked up at her as he gave the final blow, flicking against her in just that way that he knew would end her.

And it did. She exploded against him, the past three and a half months without him…without this…slamming into her fiercely. Her thighs clenched around his head and she moaned his name over and over again into the room as she let it wash over.

Not until her fingers began to relax in her hair did Harry move away from her. He quickly pulled his boxers off, and then covered her body with his again, gathering in her arms.

“Oh my God,” she mumbled against his lips as he captured her mouth.

He laughed against her mouth. “I suppose that’s a good thing,” he whispered smugly.

Alex had a smart ass retort ready, just about to leave her lips, but in that moment Harry moved forward pressing himself into her, stretching her for him, and she lost all train of coherent thought. She was still sensitive from her first orgasm, which magnified every sensation she felt as he pressed slowly into her until her had buried himself to the hilt. She whimpered and shifted her hips, amazed that she went a day without this, let alone three and a half months.

He reached for her hands, threading his fingers through hers and pushing them up above her head and holding tight to them there. His body was pressed fully against hers, their heavy breaths moving their chests up and down together, their lips finding each other.

And then he began to move. It was slow at first, with just their breath and the sounds of their bodies moving together filling their space. But as the intensity between them picked up Harry moved faster and faster and Alex’s hips rose to meet his, her moans getting louder each time he hit home.

“You feel…so perfect…so good,” he murmured, lifting his lips from hers, his eyes meeting hers. “I missed you so much…I love you…”

She smiled softly up at him as his words tugged at her heart and her body, starting the build-up deep inside her belly again. Her eyes widened and she tightened her grip on his hands.

“Again?” Harry whispered. His eyes were dark and intense, but the corner of his lip turned up just a little bit, his cockiness meeting his desire for her.

Her legs wrapped around him, pulling him deeper, and she bit her lip as she nodded up at him. “Come with me?” she whimpered. She knew it was going to be intense; much more intense than the first one he gave her. She moaned and strained her neck to get to his mouth, wanting him completely joined with her when it came. He complied, opening his mouth over hers, and then picked up his speed a touch, just enough to give her what she needed.

For Harry, his end, his own climax, was usually brought forth by hers, by the sweet clench of her around him and the knowledge that he had given her that pleasure that she enjoyed so much. But this time, when Alex’s world exploded, Harry’s did at the exact same time. Her fingernails dug into his hands and she cried out into his mouth, tears spilling from the corners of her eyes and sliding hotly down her cheeks. He groaned, in a completely animalistic type of way, as he held himself tightly to her, pulsing over and over again into her, the release so strong, so utterly needed, that his entire world went a little hazy and he was a little surprised that his heart didn’t beat right out of his chest.

After a few minutes, once their breathing had evened out and once Harry found that he could form a coherent thought again, he lifted his weight from her and rolled to his side. He pulled a smiling and completely happy Alex up against him and then pulled the covers up around them. He looked down at her and his lips tilted slightly as he reached up and swiped the leftover tears from her cheeks.

“You missed me a lot,” Alex finally said, biting her lip and fighting not to look too pleased with herself.

He grinned. “Oh? Should I go away more often?”

“Nope. You can just stay right here, thank you very much,” she said pertly.

He lifted a brow. “Here in London? Or here in your bed?”

She laughed. “Definitely in my bed.”

“I will see what I can do to arrange that.”

She laughed and then grew serious as she took in his face, the handsome face she adored. “You’ve got a tan,” she said with a small smile. Her fingers reached up and ran along his cheek. You were wintertime pale the last time I saw you.”

“It’s the desert sun. I had to slather on sunscreen at least three times a day when I first got there.”

“I like it.”

He winked down at her. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I’ve got a question,” she said. He almost laughed at how fast she changed the subject.

“Go for it.”

“Today at the hospital when Kate said she took the decision away from you on where to go first, what had been your decision?”

With anyone else he would have assumed it was a trick question. If he said her, he was a jerk for not going to his nephew first. If he said his nephew, he was a jerk for not seeing her first. But he knew Alex, and he knew she wasn’t testing him; she just wanted to know where his head had been at.

“You know where I was going first,” he grinned.

“Nephew?”

He shook his head slowly.

“Harry! That’s your family…” she admonished softly.

Harry chuckled. “I wasn’t going to abandon them. My initial plan was to go to you and then take you with me to the hospital.”

She raised an eyebrow. “So which of them talked some sense into you?”

His body shook with his laughter. God, he loved how she knew him and how she understood automatically the problems that particular situation would have caused. “Will.”

“He reminded you that showing up in an office full of people in the middle of the day might not only lead someone to tipping off the media that you were home, but that you had also rushed to visit a certain someone? Namely me?”

“Ha! He wasn’t so eloquent about it, but yes, that was the gist of it,” he responded playfully.

Alex rolled her eyes and smirk played about her lips. “What happened to the man who sat me down at my kitchen table and warned me about his life? I seem to remember the words were, ‘You can never be too careful.’”

Harry’s eyes danced. “He fell in love and stopped giving a fuck about what everybody else thinks.”

Alex’s jaw dropped.

“You look shocked. I thought you knew that I am madly in love with you?” He teased.

“No. I knew that…I know that. It’s the not giving a fuck part,” she said with a small laugh.

He leaned down close to her, rubbing his nose along hers. “Alex, I stopped giving a fuck the moment I realized that I was done.”

Her brow wrinkled. “That sentence made zero sense.”

“I’m done. This is it. YOU are it.” He shrugged. “And all of them…” he stopped and waved a hand in the air. “They don’t matter.”

Alex just looked at him for a few long moments, her eyes searching his. He let her read him, let her take his words in.

“Oh, you’re good, Wales,” Alex finally murmured as she tilted her head, brushing his lips with hers.

“I’m telling the truth. It’s not a line, Alexandra,” he said, his eyes wide as he looked down at her.

She laughed. “I know.”

“You seem pretty calm about it,” he said, trying figure out her reaction.

“Why would I be anything but calm? I’m done too. Haven’t you figured it out yet?”

His eyes lit up. “I was hoping.”

Alex moved a hand in between them and pointed it at herself. “Done.”

She laughed as he grinned and then pumped his fist in the air in victory. Then he was leaning back into her, kissing her hard, silencing her laughter with his lips. And even though Alex would have been happy to stay there all afternoon letting that kiss lead to other things…they had things to do…people to see.

She pushed at his chest and giggled as he pouted at being pushed away.

“Sorry Wales, we can revisit this later, but we have somewhere to be,” She said with a smile.

He grinned. “Emma?”

She nodded her head. “Emma.”

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

An hour later, after a quick stop at Harry’s so that he could change clothes, they pulled up at Molly’s townhouse. Harry’s knee has been bouncing in excitement the entire ride over, and Alex adored that he was anticipating seeing her kid so much.

They walked up to the door and Alex rang the bell. Harry took her hand and gave her his biggest, giddiest smile. He really was a big kid sometimes, Alex thought to herself. But, she loved that about him, and she loved that it allowed him interact so well with Emma and to relate to her so well.

Alex turned when the door open, Molly looking at her in surprise and then her features changing over to stunned when she realized who was with Alex.

“Oh my God,” Molly breathed. She blinked a few times before a delighted smile spread across her face.

“Can my friend look around?” Harry asked, motioning to Mark who was standing behind him and Alex.

Molly nodded and ushered them inside into the foyer, which was as far as Harry could go until Mark was finished.

“Where’s Em?” Alex asked quickly, not wanting the PO to startle her, wherever she was in the house.

“Kitchen,” Molly said right before she pulled Harry into a tight hug.

Alex grinned as she rushed to go get Emma. She found her daughter sitting at the small kitchen table, playing some game on Molly’s laptop.

“Hey Em,” Alex said brightly, alerting her daughter that she was there.

“Mummy,” Emma said, looking up surprise. “You’re early!”

“Yep!” Alex said, trying but failing to keep the excited smile off of her face. “I got you a present and couldn’t wait another second to show you. Want to see?”

Emma immediately slid off of the chair, her computer game forgotten. She nodded her head enthusiastically as she ran over to Alex. “I love presents.”

“Well come on, kiddo. Let’s go have a look.” Alex held her hand out and Emma took it. Together they walked to the foyer, miraculously not crossing paths with Harry’s PO on the way.

The moment they rounded the corner into the foyer was a moment that Alex would remember vividly for the rest of her life.

The second Harry and Emma saw each other the room went silent. Whatever Harry was saying to Molly faded. Emma’s chatter halted and she just stood there, staring at Harry.

“Emma,” Harry said softly. “I came all the way back from Afghanistan just like I promised you I would. I would think that deserves a hug, don’t you?” He knelt down so he was on her level. His eyes were bright and Alex would swear anytime she told this story in later years that there were tears shining in them.

Alex expected Emma to squeal and run to him, but Emma surprised them all. Her lower lip began to tremble and then she just walked solidly to Harry and threw her arms around his neck. His arms immediately closed around her and then her little body began to shake, but they weren’t the gut wrenching sobs that had hit her when he had left. Pure relief was flowing through Emma, and being so young she dealt with the emotion the only way she knew how. She just cried it out.

With tears streaming down her face, Alex watched as Harry just held onto Emma, rubbing her back gently, letting her brain slowly realize that he was there and he was okay.

When she finally pulled back from him Harry smiled down at her as he wiped the tears from her face. And then he laughed as she started jumping up and down, the big smile that was so like her mom’s finally lighting up her face.

“You’re back!” she squealed, clapping her hands together. “You’re back! You’re back!”

Harry clapped his hands together too, echoing her delight. “I’m back! I’m back!”

Then grabbed her and picked her up into his arms, resting her on his hip. He tickled her quickly, loving her little giggle. Alex couldn’t stay away any longer and walked over to them both then, sighing as Harry immediately wrapped his free arm around her shoulders, pulling him to her side.

Molly watched the scene unfold with a small smile and full heart. She couldn’t wait to see what the future held for these three.