The Shield (Prince Harry fanfic #2)

Chapter Twenty-Six

The kiss lasted a good long while before breathing was necessary, and Harry decided more of that would come later. However, for now, he wanted to show Lucy around, so that she might get used to the idea of being here. Everything seemed so unnatural to her, his world and this apartment within Kensington Palace. He let her get used to her surroundings, which meant a tour of the apartment. There were pictures hung on the walls, monarchs and such, and Lucy stopped at each of them, taking in the beauty.

Harry's hands hung on her shoulders. "I thought you were more a reading type of person."

"I am. I prefer the mind over the soul." Her hands touched his. "But I can realize beauty."

His eyes looked at the picture. "Yes, it is pretty." Harry spun her around so that they might face each other. "But you're beautiful."

Lucy laughed. "I'm sure your grandmother would love to hear that." The painting they had just been looking at was of the Queen, Harry's grandmother.

"It's weird to call your grandmother beautiful, though."

She nodded in agreement.

Harry was able to kiss her again before taking her into the next room to show her more pretty pictures. His cold hand enclosed hers, and they went to every picture. Lucy was able to keep her mouth closed most of the time, but sometimes one picture, she would just stare with wide eyes and mouth agape. There was pure happiness in her eyes. Harry could only watch her then, with deep happiness of his own.

After the tour, Harry led Lucy to the kitchen, where he immediately looked into the refrigerator. A chef wasn't on duty tonight and this gave him the chance to show Lucy his skills with cooking, and it was enough to make food. Lucy couldn't have done any better. She didn't have the patience for it.

"So," Harry began, chewing his food still, and Lucy looked up to him, "how has work been?" He referred to her new job as a refugee coordinator, as she taught English and helped immigrants assimilate into society.

Lucy nodded and swallowed her food. "Good, good. I love doing it, helping people and... you can really see the happiness in their eyes, you know?"

Harry nodded, thinking about how it was in Africa when the students would learn. Their eyes would light up. There would be this excitement, a pure light in a hurricane, which you didn't see anywhere else. Students here didn't have that light. It was the ability to give the gift of knowledge. Lucy's gift was freedom.

She didn't allow anyone into the country but whoever was already there, since it was a charity. This gave her time to teach and help people get situated.

"They know how fortunate they are," Lucy said. "They can come here, and they don't have to worry about their lives. They have this hope. And they have made it this far, so they believe everything will be okay, even with problems around Europe and such."

Some people didn't welcome the refugees, and then went out of their way to hate the refugees. There were burning at mosques, and hostiles where refugees resided. Refugees were abused by governments and by its people, where hateful things were written and said, terrible things were done. For the people who did this, Harry thought they were idiots, asking where the compassion was in the world.

"Have there been any problems at the charity?"

"No." Lucy shook her head. "I hope everyone here knows better."

"Me too," Harry agreed, and then he chewed more on his food. "The monarchy is looking for more charities with the refugees, to support I mean. Is yours good?"

"It's good and it'll do the job," she said, "but it's small and doesn't a lot of recognition. Most people ignore it and don't want to be apart of it. That's probably why they hired me so easily, because no one else wanted it."

Harry smirked. "Perhaps it was your people skills?"

"I passed high school but have never had a day of college. I don't think so." She smiled at him, happy that he tried to think positively. "English has been going well; we get so many people with different speaking levels that sometimes it's difficult to understand. They're willing to learn."

Brightness lasted into Lucy's eyes, and it made him happy to watch. There was this simplicity Lucy held when she spoke about helping others. She loved to help others, a genuine wanting to make a difference in the world. It wasn't forced like others had, through greed and power. Lucy was also relaxed right now, sitting across a dinner table from Harry, where she wasn't concerned about someone taking her picture. Even if her picture was posted everywhere tomorrow, she wasn't concerned about it now.

"I don't have any dessert," Harry admitted. "I'm sure there's ice cream somewhere."

"It's fine, really."

His eyes sparkled as he watched her. Perhaps the camera scare had been for the best, as long as he got to spend time with Lucy. He missed this. He missed her. His life wasn't as difficult when he was with the other girls, when they waited on Harry left and right, and they were at the same events and the same groups. Lucy was outside, and it enjoyed it.

Standing up suddenly, Lucy couldn't get a word out before Harry knelt before her, pressing his lips to hers. There was a needing in him, to be closer to Lucy then he had ever been. He tried and Lucy tried a while ago, in Africa, but then there was so much to speak. He wished to speak to Lucy, but he wished to have her closer. He wanted skin on skin with her, more than any woman ever before. If Lucy told him no or asked him to stop, he would. She didn't ask such a thing, and she kissed back, hesitant at first.

Back then wasn't the right time. Perhaps now wasn't the right time either. Perhaps they wouldn't even make it that far. Both of them held on. He stood up and she followed, lips never leaving each other. They were careful, walking down the hallway before Harry grabbed her hand and led her to his bedroom. His door shut behind them, where their lips met again. 

In the darkness of the room, it was only them. They breathed.