Status: On-going

Start of a Lifetime

Chapter Fourteen

“If you say so Love,” Harry answered, continuing to look at the road, not really convinced that she was , but let it go for now.

The closer he got to Althorp, the more nervous he became. In the 22 years, his mother was gone, he had never taken any girl to ‘meet’ her. 

it just didn’t feel right to take them to her. but Liv, however, it did feel right. 
Passing through the small village of Winton. Liv turned her head towards him.
”Harry, Where are we going? You’ve been driving for close to 2 hours.” she pointed out as she looked around the village with a watchful eye.

“Love, don’t worry. We’re almost there,” he assured her as he placed his leg on her thigh. 
he wanted it to be a surprise, where they were heading. they drove for another 15 minutes and the arrived at the gates and a walled off property. 

“Love. If you’re taking me to meet your gran, I swear to god, I’ll castrate you,” she said in a serious tone as she turned to him. he swallowed when looked at her and saw she wasn’t kidding. 
“We’re not meeting my gran. Not yet at least.” he pointed out trying to assure her as the gates opened and they drove through the gates. 

Parking in front of a mansion Liv looked over at Harry with a questioning look. ‘where the hell did he bring her now?’ she asked herself as she looked over the property again. 
“Come on Love,” Harry said, taking her hand and kissing the back of it, he nodded for them to get out. 

Liv looked around the property again and the realisation of where she was sunk in. she had been here twice as a tour guide and recognised the mansion first. 
but first and foremost it was where his mum was buried, where she’d grown up. 
“Harry.” she breathed, looking back at harry and shaking her head softly, not believing where she was.  

“Come, on love. I want you to meet my mum.” He told her, kissing the inside of her palm again. he turned to the door and opened it. he got out of the and helped George out as well. 
Liv needed a bit more time to get out, she wasn’t really sure how this should be going. 
What was she supposed to do, it’s not like there was a handbook on how to do this. This was his mum whom he still loved a lot. 

Kate had told her only yesterday that he never talked about her with other girlfriends. yet here she was about to ‘meet’ her. 

introducing her to his mother the only way he still could. she was way out of her depth here, she didn’t know how to handle this. 

when she finally got out of the car, she saw Kate looking at her with a worried look. then Liv saw her mouth: 'everything will be fine’.  

she nodded her head at the other women and composed herself. If Harry could deal with her breakdown last night. she could deal with this. she needed to for Harry. she wanted to for Harry. 
George reached out to me from Harry’s arms as she approached them, pecking Harry’s lips. she took George from him and kissed his head.

“Hey, uncle Charles,” William  announced as Liv stood towards him with her back. 
she turned around and Harry’s hand found it’s placed at the small of her back. she watched as Kate and Will greeted him from a small distance. Kate greeting him with a kiss on the cheek and Will giving him a handshake. 

As he walked up to them she wanted to take a step back and as if he was reading her mind. Harry pushed his hand a little bit more on her small back. 

his other hand reached out to shake his uncle’s hand. “Uncle.” he greeted with a nod of his hand. 
Charles greeted him with a pat on the back, before crouching down a bit to greet George. 
“Uncle, I want you to meet my girlfriend: Olivia Stevens.” Harry motioned over to Liv standing by his side. 

“It’s nice to meet you,” Liv said, holding out her hand for him to shake. she wasn’t sure if she should bow or not. 
he was an Earl, but not really royalty or was it? 

before her mind could run through other possibilities on all of it, he interrupted her. :“It’s nice to meet you as well, Olivia.” he leant in and kissed her cheek as well. 

“Please call me, Liv. Sir,” she told him, waving her hand to the side of her. 
“If you call me Charles or uncle, like the rest of this bunch does.” he chuckled, motioning with his hand to Will, Kate and Harry.  

following him inside, Liv was once again struck by their wealth and lifestyle. 
this would never be something she got used to, this form of lifestyle. 
she noticed and noted that apparently, all Royal residences had to have the standard checkered tiles in their entrance hall.

looking up she saw the big entrance hall with high ceilings, paintings of horses adorning the wall.
Looking back at Harry she saw him give her a small smile. she only realised now what that small smile meant. he would always give her that smile when he introduced her to his members of his family. 

as if he was apologising and asking her to not judge them for the wealth they had. or don’t get any assumptions by what she saw. 

He knew she was a bit shocked by the wealth of these people. she had never known wealth until she came to Britain. And even now, she didn’t really realise what she had.

Okay, she had a pretty luxurious apartment but didn’t spend much time in it. she wasn’t much there. 
she slowly became aware the people around her were talking and a new face had joined them.
“Olivia, Let me introduce you to my wife: Karen.” Charles motioned over to the women standing next to him. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Karen,” Liv said, taking a step towards her and shaking her hand. but it was more like she was obligated to do so, rather than wanted to. 

Liv couldn’t help but feel judged and feel like she was being looked down at. and Liv instantly knew they wouldn’t get along, not at all. 

she was one of those aristocratic bitches Liv had talked about with Kate yesterday. and she was doing what Liv had worried about. 

Looking at Kate she could see she was thinking about their conversation and she shrugged her shoulders. 

I look at Kate thinking about that conversation and she shrugged her shoulders at me. 
“Kate, Why don’t you give Liv your Wellies?” Will suggested  as he looked at Kate.
she walked up to Liv and took her by the arm, before literally pulling her away. 

“I’ll meet you in a second love,” Harry yelled after her, his voice bouncing off the marble hallway.  
“Don’t worry. Karen doesn’t like me much either.“ Kate told her as she linked their arms.  

"She thinks we don’t have any right dating Harry and Will,” Kate told Liv beside her. she didn’t like her much either and she had seen how cold she’d been towards Liv. 

“She once said to me that commoners shouldn’t interact with blue-blood. That I had no business in this world of theirs.” Kate told her, that had been quite the conversation. she had been left alone with the women and she had immediately told Kate what she thought of her. 

from then on she tried to stay with Will whenever she was around.  Liv looked over at Kate with a raised eyebrow that said:how the hell did you know what I was thinking?' 

“Liv, I haven’t really known you very long, but I do know that you read people as easily as a book.” she chuckled as she nudged her with the arm she had linked with Liv’s.  

“And I know what you were thinking. Don’t worry, I’m on your side.” She added assuring her that they were on the same page, on a lot of things apparently. 

“Kate?” she asked, turning to the older women beside her. she had done this. had been through this if someone knew what to do it was her. 

“How am I supposed to do this? I don’t really know what to do here? I don’t want to be…” she said unsure of how to express herself and unsure of how to handle the situation.  
 
“ You remember what we talked about yesterday,” Kate asked, stopping their stroll so she could look back at Liv.  

“Yea,” Liv answered with an uneasy tone in her voice. 

“I felt the same way as you are probably feeling right now. But knowing what we talked about yesterday, and knowing what you said.” She paused, handing me the wellies.
“I know this is a bit awkward, but I know you’ll do great.” she said, taking my upper arm and giving it a small squeeze. 

“But Kate, I know this is awkward, but I don’t want it to be that way. I don’t want to give Harry the feeling I feel awkward about this, Out of respect for his mother and for him.” Liv rambled nervously as she looked at the wellies in her hands. 

they looked towards the door when they heard footsteps approaching. "Look, just be yourself. I know you’ll do great for that same reason.” She quickly finished, just in time; cause Harry came in that moment. 

nodding his head at Kate, she left the room as Liv sat down to pull on her wellies. Harry came to stand before her.

his eyes staring down at her as she bent down to pull them on as he sat down next to her. his own boots in his hands as he started to change his shoes. 

when she finished pulling them on she leant back against the wall and tilted her head to the side. looking at Harry as she watched him pull on his boots. 

when his head turned towards her, she was nearly knocked off the bench. the look in his eyes overwhelming, filled with tears. 

they weren’t rolling down his cheeks, but they were filled with tears and she knew that this was incredibly tough on him. 

standing up she looked down at him and took his hands in hers. she crouched down and caressed his cheek with her hand as he leant into her touch. 

leaning closer she pecked his lips with the softest of care and love. trying to reassure him that it was okay for him to show her this. 

she realised that this was her time to be his rock. much like he had been to her last night. she understood that in more ways than one, they were each other’s rock. 

both of them having experienced emotional turmoil. And they were each other’s rock for everything.  
“Are you ready Love?” he asked her and she heard the vulnerable tone in his voice. Much like the look in his eyes. 

taking his hand back in her, she squeezed it, letting him lead. this wasn’t about her or anything else. this was all about Harry trying to introduce her to his mother in the best way he could. 
and the heaviness of the moment didn’t go unnoticed by her, neither did the meaning of the moment. she realised that this meant a hell of a lot to him. 

walking outside they followed a path through the trees as they walked towards his mother. 
they didn’t speak on their way over there. he just held her hand in his and held onto it a bit more than usual. 

Looking in front of them she could see a lake through the trees, she’d been there on tour once or twice. never had she visited the memorial for Diana though. 

it’s not that she didn’t want to, but to Liv; she saw it as a place for family and relatives. it was meant for them to go and visit the person that meant something to them. much like other families visited their families graves.  

when they reached the oval shaped lake within the middle an island with trees. to her right there was a small building with columns. 

“That building is where the people can honour my mother.“ he explained, nodding his head to the building I had been looking at.

"We can take this little rowing boat to the island. There’s the actual place my mother is buried.” He explained a tremble in his voice. 

he walked them to where the boat lay and helped her inside of it. when she settled down on the seat, he started rowing them to the small island. 

when she looked at him she noticed a bouquet of white roses laying beside him. 
“They were her favourite.” He announced, staring out ahead somewhere behind me. nodding her head she stayed silent. 

he helped her out of the boat when they reached their destination and the moment they set foot on the island. the skies broke open and the rain fell from the sky. 

'it seemed fitting for the moment.’ liv thought as she accepted Harry’s hand and followed behind him. Until they came to a white marble monument. 

he put the bouquet of white roses at the base of the monument as she crouched down. 
he leant forward and his fingers ran over the cold stone as if he was caressing it. letting him take the lead, she just waited for him to give her a signal. 

she just watched as he bowed his head, before looking back up at the monument. 
and he spoke with such a broken and vulnerable tone she felt like crying :"Hey mum.”
“I brought you roses, I know how much you like them. I want you to meet my girlfriend mum.” he continued, running his fingers over the monument again. 

she knew she had to be his rock at this moment, but she couldn’t help but feel emotional as well. 
when he turned around and locked eyes with hers, she saw the grief and sorrow. his tear-filled eyes reflecting what his voice had been doing. 

she swallowed the lump in her throat, swallowing again, wanting to be there for him. wanting to be strong for him as she took a step closer to him and crouched down next to him.  
she didn’t really know what to do in that moment. What was she supposed to do in that moment? Was she supposed to talk to her like she was here or was she supposed to be quiet?

looking over at Harry she saw him looking back at her. it like he was looking into her soul.
turning back to her monument he whispered: "Mum, this is my girlfriend Olivia. She was the expedition guide to Greenland. You remember the expedition I told you about. You will be happy to know that she watched over me and took care of me in Greenland. She didn’t let me get away with anything.” he told her and finished with a sad chuckle. 

she moved her gaze from Harry to the white stone and finally at the roses at the base of her stone. 
and she decided what to do. “Hello, Diana. I’m Liv, Harry’s girlfriend. I’m not really sure on how to do this but. I know you would be very proud of Harry and what he has done in Greenland and with his life. I would have loved to have met you. “ she said, reaching out to touch the stone as well as she felt Harry’s eyes watching her. 

turning back to him, their eyes locked, reaching out her hand to rub the side of his cheek. leaning into her hands another tear slipped out of his eye. "ooh, love.” Liv muttered, leaning up to peck his lips. 

his tears slipping between our cheeks, breaking apart. She continued to rub her thumb back and forth on his cheek. wiping away his tears. 

“Harry, you know she would be proud of you right. At what you have done, at what you have accomplished, but most of all she would be proud of you as a son.” Liv told him in a hushed whisper as their head rested together. 

she didn’t really know what the right thing to say is. hell, what was a person supposed to do in these situations? There wasn’t a manual on how to help someone in this situation. 
But Harry just shut his eyes and squeezed them tightly. 

he began shaking under her touch before a sob broke out of his body. she pulled him into her body and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, trying to console him. Whispering sweet things in his ear, hoping it would help. 

but there was nothing she could say that would bring her back or would take away the hurt and pain. what should she say.’ that everything would be okay?.  No, no matter what, everything wouldn’t be all right. cause at this moment she sat with Harry wrapped in her arms sobbing at his mother’s grave. 

So, no nothing would be all right. No matter how long time passed, the wounds will never fully heal. The only thing she could do was try to be there for him, console him. 

after a little while, he managed to compose himself and he took Liv’s face in his hands and claimed her lips passionately. conveying the gratitude he felt for her. the love he felt for the women sitting in front of him with her knees in the mud. 

the pouring rain falling down around them. As he started sharing stories and secrets he cherished. the stories very few people knew. 

Liv didn’t know how long they had been sitting there, but as they left the small memorial island. they walked back into the house and realised they had been gone for nearly three hours. 
both of them drenched from the downpour. 

Harry led them back to the drawing room where the others sat, as William and Kate got up. saying they would go and visit her grave now. 

“Liv, Will you watch Charlotte for us? George wants to come with us, but I don’t want to take Charlotte outside in this weather.” Kate asked Liv as the two women passed each other and the importance of this moment was felt and known by both of them now.  
“Of course, I will don’t worry,” Liv assured her with a squeeze in her arm as Kate followed behind Will. 

They left and Charlotte settled herself on Harry’s lap. Looking over at Harry, Liv realised he wasn’t really there with her. as he stared out in front of him, rocking Charlotte softly in his arms. 
letting him be to gather his thoughts she sipped her warm tea, feeling herself warm up again as she kept an eye on Harry from the corner of her eye.  

Charles and his wife had left the room already when the two of them came inside. and were nowhere in sight, that was fine for Liv, though. 

after a little while, The Cambridge’s came back drenched to the bone as well as we took another cup of tea.  

they finished their cup of tea and decided it was time for them to go home. When they got back to the cars, George was repeating the same sentence as when they had left Highgrove. 
Liv wasn’t too sure about it, though. Harry would drop her off at the apartment. where she now knew photographers were already waiting. 

So Liv promised him that she would go and see him sometimes that week and he reluctantly agreed to ride with Kate and Will. 

the two of them wished me good luck for the madhouse that was awaiting me back in London. 
“I’ll drive Love,” Liv told Harry, pulling the keys from her purse. kissing the Cambridge’s goodbye and a promise to have lunch with Kate later that week. All of them got in their cars and drove down the driveway of Althrop.  Unbeknownst to all of them that shots had been taken of them visiting the grave. 

Liv followed Kate’s car into London, breaking away when they were nearing her apartment.
 The atmosphere in the car had been quite solemn, Harry wasn’t really talking and Liv understood his need for quietness. 

“Harry, do you think I should drive into the garage so they won’t see us?” I asked. 
She saw as his demeanour change before her. he’d been quiet ever since they had left Althrop, but as Liv mentioned the paps. she saw him grow angry before her eyes. 

“Love.” she said with a soft and calming tone, hoping to calm him down a little bit.  
Liv knew that Harry was the one more open towards the paps of the two brothers. William had always tried to hide and protect his family from it. But she wasn’t sure if that would be the case any longer. 

“Do whatever you’re comfortable with Love.” He replied, taking her hand in his, but it was the edgy tone in his voice that made Liv a bit scared. 

“Love you do know that they won’t hurt me right.  I won’t let them.” Liv told him, taking her eyes off the road for a split second. Trying to assure him that they wouldn’t break me. 

“I know Love, I won’t let them either, nor will I let them take you away from me neither.” He promised and the tone in his voice spoke more words than he had spoken. and she knew for sure that the days were Harry was open to paps were over. He would protect her from them no matter what. 

As she drove onto my street she could see them standing in the distance. Jens had said there was a dozen camped out. but the closer she  came the more people she saw there were at least 2 dozens of paps outside of Liv’s apartment building. 

“Those assholes,” Harry swore next to her. “Love, Promise me that if they bother you, you’ll let me know immediately. I’ll protect you from them,”  he asked, his eyes turning to me. 
Looking at him and she nodded. “Promise me.” He asked, with a tilt of his head.  
“I promise.” she nodded her head 

The camera’s started flashing the moment they saw the car and saw the couple seated inside. Liv could barely see anything with the flashes. she drove onto the lot and stopped in front of the entrance door. 

“Come on Love, Let’s do this,” Liv assured Harry with a pat on his leg, before getting out of the car and walking over to the trunk. Harry took liv’s luggage outside of the trunk and walked with her into the lobby, his hand at the small of her back. 

“As much as I would love to stay Love, you know I can’t.” He said, taking her head in his hands. “Won't’ you at least come up with me?” she asked, nudging his nose, not caring that the doorman was seeing their small display. 

“I would love to, but we both know that I wouldn’t leave then.” He said and Liv knew he was right.  He leant down and kissed her several times before a final passionate time. 

“Tomorrow.” He whispered against her lips. “Tomorrow,” Liv whispered back. 
He pecked her one more time before leaving her side. Looking until she saw the 2 Range Rovers drive away.

and only then did she gave the doorman a small smile before she got into the elevator.
♠ ♠ ♠
Liv's outfit: https://phff-start-of-a-lifetime.tumblr.com/post/160953973232/via-harry-taking-liv-to-his-mothers-grave