Maddie thought it was funny really, how things had changed in her life. Most people; her family, the public, noticed only the big things. They noticed the constant armed shadow she had with her wherever she went. They noticed the palace, they noticed the car and driver, they noticed the ring, they noticed the famous, royal, soon-to-be husband. What they didn't see were the little things; the minute everyday things that most people took for granted. Maddie laughed to herself as she remembered one of her first conversations with Harry—where she mocked him for coveting her anonymity.

It was the little things that made the biggest impact. It was the way the staff cleaned up after her, after them—the way it seemed to be an honor to do so. It was the way she had to go through three checkpoints to take a walk through the park. It was the way Bernard knew what she liked for breakfast, what kind of soda she liked the best. It was the way that information traveled around the staff at the other houses. It was the sheer amount of prep work that went into the simple gesture of picking up friends at the airport. Collins, Khenda, and Isaiah's arrival brought out those little things. The royal watchers who went wild with excitement at the photos of Harry carrying baby Isaiah through the airport in his newly gifted stocking cap that made him look like a dinosaur. Maddie's picture would be nowhere near; it was all Isaiah the dinosaur smiling blissfully up at his proud Uncle Harry.

Maddie laughed to herself as she remembered the giddy way Harry had prepared for their visit. The very second he had confirmation they would be coming, he had hurried about making lists—or more accurately calling out items for Bernard to order for the household; play pens, beds, toys, food, the now famous hat.

"You know, if this list gets out, people are going to think we're expecting," Maddie had giggled at him one afternoon. She hadn't quite been prepared for the way he looked at her then; that far off, blissful look in his eyes that made her chest constrict. "Easy tiger," she breathed. "We have a wedding to get through first. Remember? Duke. Duchess. Then baby." Harry had offered her a wink, a ridiculous grin, and went about his preparations.

Harry's interest in his surrogate nephew did not end with preparations. They continued straight on into the weekend.

"You know," Khenda had smirked as she sank onto the couch next to Ella, her eyes watching Harry as he carried Isaiah so casually, so instinctually, around the place with him. "Had I known that Uncle Harry would take over like this, I would have just sent Isaiah. Collins and I would have caught up on our sleep."

"There's a thought," Collins winked while Ella laughed and Maddie joined them with more wine.

"I would be happy to book you a room somewhere," Harry called to her, his eyes never leaving the baby. "I could send you off for the weekend..."

"It's appealing," Khenda winked at her husband.

"I don't think he's joking," Bishop shook his head, amused by Harry's attachment to the child, by the way he was entranced.

"He's not joking," Maddie smiled across the room at him.

"He's not." Harry confirmed, his eyes meeting Maddie's.

"You know you're going to have to share him eventually," Maddie called out, the beginnings of a playful pout on her lips.

"No way." He shook his head. "I've never had to share a thing my entire life. Except for with Will, but I don't see him around here, do you?"

"Come here little buddy," Maddie turned her focus to the more flexible of the twosome. Holding out her hands, she smiled at the bubbly bundle. "Come see Aunt Maddie. You know you wanna..." And, because he really was quite the agreeable baby, he smiled wide and held his arms up to her. She lifted him from Harry with a gleam of victory in her eyes.

"I see how it is little man," Harry joked, relinquishing his hold to her. "No hard feelings. I prefer her to me too."

"There we go..." Maddie sighed; snuggling him close. "Why don't you come tell Aunt Maddie about your day..." With only a quick glance up to Harry, she caught it; that look on his face—half adoration, half predatory—that made her cheeks blush and her skin tingle. She knew exactly what he was thinking.

"Stop it," she warned in hushed tones that spoke of a private, intimate moment.

"Make me," he countered with a cocky grin. She walked up to him then, stretching her neck so that she could kiss him.

"Duke, Duchess, then baby." Her narrowed eyes met his.

"Yeah..." He sighed. "I'm going to have to see what I can do to move up this wedding."

"I'm going to have to see what I can do to avoid vomiting all over what is most certainly a ridiculously expensive rug," Ella offered with a laugh; half annoyed, half jealous.

And so the weekend began; the three couples and the six-month-old center of attention. It was wonderful; so exactly what they all needed before heading into the holiday season. That first night was spent catching up; warm drinks, wonderful food, and stories until way past everyone's bed time. The second day, Uncle Harry and Collins took over Isaiah duties and Maddie, Ella and Khenda took the day for some much need relaxation and girl time. And on the third day, they all relaxed; comfy clothes, yummy brunch, and talk of the future—a wedding, a growing Isaiah, joint summer vacations. And when they finally said good-bye the France-bound threesome, the remaining Londoners felt refreshed and revived and ready to face the holidays.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

"All packed?" Harry's hands rested on his hips as he looked around the room at her loaded bags. It was December twenty-second. The tree was up, the halls were decked and Maddie had already decided that one of the best perks about her impending marriage and life role was that the Royal Family, the palaces, they DID the holidays right. It was absolutely beautiful and she soaked it up every chance she had. But now wasn't the time for strolling lazily through the winter wonderland around her. Now was the time for packing. She was leaving that night, taking an overnight flight to the states for what would be her last Christmas as a Forrester. Though Harry had groaned at the thought of her being so far away for so long, with his obligations to his family, he understood. Harry smiled at her, trying to avoid the sadness that came with her imminent departure; reminding himself that it was better than her staying behind alone.

"Yes." Maddie nodded; relief washing over her. It had been a long process; preparing for this trip; preparing for the holidays. She felt emotionally and physically exhausted.

"And...are you leaving me and taking everything or..." He tried for humor, seeing the tension.

"Ha. Ha." Maddie rolled her eyes. "I'm going to be stateside for two weeks. Who knows what I'll need."

"Who indeed." He watched her for a moment as she moved around their room. "Are you okay?"

"What?" She looked up in surprise. "Why?"

"You seem..." He shrugged, unable to pin point it, unable to find the word for his hunch. "I don't know. You seem a little off."

"Hmmm..." She pressed her lips together; taking a moment to think, a moment to blink away the unexpected surge of emotion she felt when he pointed it out.

"Maddie?" His forehead knotted; his hunch moved to strong suspicion. She turned her face from him then; a quick, whip of her head. "Madeline?" His voice was soft as he took a step towards her and stopped. He blinked once, twice, three times before Maddie moved again. He heard her sniff, watched her take a deep breath and then she turned to face him; eyes bright and shiny from unshed tears.

"I just..." She took a deep breath and blew it out of her mouth, looking down at her bags stacked by the door, at her piles of notebooks and folders sitting on the dresser and she wiped at her eyes.

"Baby, are you okay?"

"Yes," she cried; half weepy, half laughing. "God..." She exhaled again, trying to gain control of her emotions. She looked to him again, shaking her head. "Would you look at me? I'm a mess."

"Yeah..." His smile was small, cautious. "You want to let me in on the mess?"

"Yes," Maddie nodded; pressing her lips tight to keep from crying. She took a moment to breathe, a moment to calm, before she could speak again. "I was just packing—you know, figuring out what I would need to take home for Christmas and I realized..." Her fight to keep the tears at bay was lost as they tumbled from her eyes. "...this is my first Christmas at home without him..."

"Ah..." It came out of his mouth as though it had been forced by a blow to the gut. His heart ached in his chest. He had experienced so many Christmases without his mother but the feelings still came steaming to the surface.

"I went to Bendal right after he died. I missed the first two and then last year..." She trailed off blowing air from her mouth, waving her hands in front of her face, trying to calm down. Last year she had been there, in London. "Sorry," she laughed.

"Don't be," he shook his head. "Baby, it's okay to be sad."

"I know..." She started to cry again. "I just...it just surprised me is all."

"Yeah," he nodded; voice soft and low—comforting.

"I was looking through some of my boxes and I found this," she lifted a framed photo from the dresser and held it out to him. "This is the day I received my Doctorate." He moved closer, taking the photo from her hand.

"You look so much like him," Harry smiled. "You have the same smile."

"Yes," Maddie nodded; reaching for a tissue to wipe at her eyes. Harry watched as she sat down on the bed in front of him; closing her eyes. She sat there for a minute; breathing, taking it in before she opened her eyes and smiled up at him. "I found the photo and it reminded me that he wouldn't be there; that I would be and he wouldn't." She swallowed the lump in her throat. "I know it's silly."

"It's not silly," he was quick to interrupt.

"I wish he could have known you." God how she wished that these two men could have known each other.

"I wish that too." Maddie nodded, her emotions getting the better part of her.

"How did you do this?" She looked up at him then; face red, eyes puffy. "How did you miss your mother in front of the whole world? I can barely handle it in front of you and you had to..." She trailed off, her heart aching for the little boy she never knew; for the man in front of her.

"I..." Harry's voice cracked as his memories came flooding back. Clearing his throat, he shook his head. "I have had years of training on how to control how much of this..." He pointed to his heart. "Makes it to the surface."

"Yeah?" She wasn't sure that made it any better.

"Yeah," he nodded; moving to place the photo back on the dresser. "I cried in private; to my father, my brother. I slept in bed with my dad for weeks...and when I went out I went with the strength she walked with." He reached down to smooth her hair from her forehead, from her cheek. "I made a lot of mistakes along the way but it got easier."

"Yeah..." She nodded, her face leaning into the warmth of his hand. And just when she thought she might be able to move on from this, just when she thought she had gained control of her tears, they flooded over and her entire chest ached.

"Hey, hey..." He crouched down, moving to her level; his hands moving to hold hers.

"And now we're getting married..." She spoke as silent tears moved down her cheeks. "We're getting married and he won't be there. He was supposed to hold my hand and walk me down that ridiculously long aisle. He was supposed to keep me steady and give me away and..." She looked so young, so innocent as she looked to him; asking for an answer he had no way to give. "Who does that now? Do I walk alone? Does my mother do it? My uncle? Who...who steps into my dad's spot that day?" And because, in that moment, he couldn't speak without breaking down, he adjusted, looking down at their joined hands and taking a breath before looking back to her.

"Listen..." his voice cracked when he spoke. "You tell me what you want. If you want to walk alone or with your mother or your uncle or Bishop..." She cracked a smile and he sighed relief. "Whatever you want, you tell me. I'll take it to Gran and that will be it. I promise. I promise."

"Yeah?" She arched her eyebrows, fresh tears moving to the forefront.

"Yes." He nodded; heavy and so incredibly protective of this promise he was making. "You talk to your mother while you're there. You figure out what you want to do and we will do that—whatever that is. Okay?" His hand moved so he could stroke her cheek.

"Okay," she nodded. Taking a few deep breaths, she seemed to calm down, seemed to be letting it sit. Her eyes grew soft as she looked up at him. "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me and..." She felt slightly foolish and incredibly tired.

"Don't be sorry," he shook his head. "Don't apologize for this. Please."

"Kay," she nodded, her face turning in his hand to kiss his palm.

"Okay," he nodded, offering a smile. He moved then, rising and bending to her; kissing her forehead, her lips. He moved slightly, his forehead staying to hers, to look in her eyes. His hand rested at the base of her neck, his thumb rubbing behind her ear as he smiled down at her. It seemed as though the moment was holding onto the multitude of words that had been spoken and even more that had not. Maddie's head tipped up ever so slightly so that her lips could find his again. The kiss was soft and sweet; a kiss that was generally meant to seal things, a kiss you might leave somebody with. But when Harry moved, pulling only an inch away from her, Maddie's hands reached out and her fingers clutched to his shirt; holding him there. Her eyes lifted to his and her lip pulled into her teeth. With a gentle tug, she brought his lips back to hers. She wasn't ready to seal things. She wasn't ready to leave.

"Mmm..." She sighed into his mouth, her hands pulling him closer. There was a moment, a pause, where a wordless exchange of conversation occurred.

Her mouth opened under his, her tongue drawing him in; a silent 'Please. This. Now.'

His hands closed over hers still holding to his shirt, his eyes opening to look into hers; 'Really?'

With the tiniest of nods, Maddie tugged at his shirt, sliding it effortlessly from his body and tossing it to the floor. 'Yes. Really.'

She needed this. She needed him. Since she found that photo of her and her father, her emotions had been a wreck. Thinking of the holiday and of the wedding had drained her. She needed to be replenished. She needed something to fill that empty space that had caved in when she thought of it.

Harry could do that. Harry could kiss her and bring her back to life. Harry could pull his hands into her hair, step into her space—he could fill her lungs with the smell of him, fill her mind with thoughts of him, fill her entire being with him. He could rejuvenate all of her senses, all of her nerves and leave her in a blissful mess instead of this emotional one she had just been.

She knew Harry could do that, would do that. He would do that for her.

There were no words. There was only a heightened, heated, heavy moment where the look on Maddie's face, the sentiment of her kisses passed from sad to please, please fill me up with all of the good you have in you. She needed it. She needed him.

'Heal me. Make me whole.' She pulled him to her then, needing his body over hers, his weight pressing into her.

'Anything. Anything. Anything.' He followed where she lead; willing and ready to do whatever she asked—even if she didn't ask it outright.

He would do that for her.

The mood was serious as Harry moved over her, his body pressing her back into the pillows. He had a fleeting thought that maybe he should remind her of her flight, of the time she had left to finish packing. But the thought drifted just as quickly as it came.

Her hands were possessive as she clutched at him, needing him closer, closer. Her lungs took the air from his, her lips and tongue pulling him in, taking him over. Her legs wrapped around him instantly, her feet pressing into his back as her body arched up to meet his. Her want for him was palpable. Her need for him bordering on desperation.

His attempts at foreplay were brushed aside. She didn't need that in this moment; the touches and the soft, subtle seduction. She didn't need that. She needed him, all of him, every inch of him and she needed him right then.

Hastily, their clothing was removed, tossed to the side and without warning or preamble, he was pushing into her. He was slow and steady and as he moved into her, the tiniest of cries moved from her lips. She blinked at the tears in her eyes and wrapped herself around him, holding him there. She wasn't ready for him to move yet. She wasn't ready for the friction. She just wanted him there, right there, filling every inch of her. She needed the entire length of his body resting against hers. For just a moment.

Harry stayed steady, his body over hers as his hand moved to her face. He pushed her hair from her forehead, his lips finding hers. He kissed her again and again and again, making love to her mouth before he could make love to her body. He held her, cradled her close, waiting for her to give him direction, permission.

And when she did, when she finally released her tight hold on his shoulders and arched her hips away from his, Harry took his cue and began to move. The breathy moan that came from her was primal. The heat in the room was intense. It was so intimate, so personal—the way their eyes never lost contact; the heavy, hot kisses and the deep, slow thrusts. It made Maddie's heart soar and it made Harry struggle to maintain control.

"Please..." Maddie cried out as her head tipped back into her pillow. "Please..." She breathed as Harry's lips moved to her neck, to her chest. "Don't stop. Don't..." Her words fell off her lips as she let out a small gasp.

He could tell that she was struggling. He knew her well enough, was familiar enough with her body that he knew she was struggling—unsure if she wanted fast and hot or slow and burning. He could tell by the way her hips moved to him, by the way her fingers pressed into his back, by the way she nipped at his lips when he kissed her.

Making the decision for her, his hand wrapped around the back of her knee and pulled her leg higher, allowing him deeper access. And he stayed steady; in and out, in and out.

"Please..." She begged, wanting to run from the lump that was forming in her throat, from the burst of emotion she knew would come with following him to the place he was pushing her. He watched as her eyes rolled back, her lids fluttering closed. He watched as her cheeks flushed pink and her lips pulled into her teeth. He watched and he knew.

"Look at me," his voice was heavy, gruff, as hand moved to her neck. He wrapped his fingers around the back of her neck, tilting her back to him, back to the moment. "Open your eyes..." He was not asking. He was demanding. And, because he could make her do anything in that moment, she complied. Her eyes opened and locked with his. His thumb dipped into her mouth as he held her to him. "My God...I love you," he groaned; his free arm wrapping underneath her, pushing her to him.

She couldn't look away from him if she had wanted to. With his forehead pressed to hers, his hand moved down between them, finding home where they were joined together. With the added stroke