Freed

Twenty-Six

A/N: Double update!!!
"Harry, I want to go out." I announce, entering his room. Harry is lying on the bed, his legs crossed. He opens his eyes and looks at me as if I'm speaking Greek.

"Right now?" Harry questions, raising his eyebrows. I nod, tilting my head towards the side.

"Let's go, please." I whine. "It's so boring being confined in here and I really don't have much knowledge about the city to go out alone."

"What about your annoying best friend?" Harry shuts his eyes, and moves on his side.

"He's asleep," I huff. "Come on, Harry. It'll be fun." Harry opens his eyes and glares at me.

"Go to sleep, Mus." He says, sitting up and pulling the blanket onto his body. "We just arrived an hour earlier. I'm tired and you must be as well. Give your body and our baby some rest." I shake my head adamantly, placing my hands on my hips.

"Fine! If you won't take me I'll go by myself." I stamp my foot, and turn around. "And if I get lost, or...murdered, then it's on you. Oh, and my ghost will come back to haunt the crap out of you."

"Wait!" Harry calls, just as I exit the room. "I'm coming," he groans. "Fuck woman, the things you can make me do." Smiling triumphantly, I march back into his room.

"Be downstairs in fifteen, I'll be waiting." Grinning, I turn around and leave.
********

"Sightseeing's done," Harry says. "Shopping, check. Candies and other goodies, check. What else is on your list, love?" Chewing on the candy floss, I adorn my best thoughtful expression.

"Um...I think we're done for the day," I say. "Yeah, let's head home." Harry releases a sigh of relief.

"Oh, thank the Lords!" He exclaims, joining his palms together. "The woman is finally pleased!" Laughing, I take another bite of the candy floss.

"Thanks for today, Harry." I say earnestly, smiling. "It was wonderful. We should do this more often." My husband's eyes widen, his head shaking vigorously.

"Definitely not, love!" He yells. "My feet are sore. My leg muscles are hurting like a bitch, and you stop way too often for food, or small goods." Harry opens the car door for me, as he hands the shopping bags to the driver. "So no, we're never doing this again."

"Oh come on, I'll pout a bit, beg for a few minutes and viola! My work's done," I say. Harry pouts, narrowing his eyes at me.

"You're a real bitch, you know?" Harry grumbles, resting his head against the window.

"I know," I murmur. Truth be told, I am quite tired. Yawning, I lean over towards Harry, and wrap my arm around his, resting my head against his shoulder.

"Sleep in my room tonight?" Harry asks, as I'm shutting my eyes.

"Mm," I mumble.
*********

"Being seven months pregnant is no piece of cake." I tell Dean, as we head down Times Square. "Although I've agreed to watch this musical with you, I doubt I'll be able to catch even one particular scene, because my bladder..." I whistle, shaking my head in disbelief. "It flows more than the Niagara Falls."

Dean lets out a laugh, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

"Look, I'm sure you'll take five bathroom breaks maximum." Dean says. "That's normal." The months have definitely flown by, but three months - including this one - are left and I'm bored.

Harry is getting busier by the day, and I'm getting lonelier. Even Dean seems to have found a guy at work, and is spending increasing amounts of time with him. The thought of being all alone causes tears to fill my tear ducts. Sniffing, I push them back. Nowadays I'm so bloody emotional, anything and everything sets me off.

"Here we are." Dean announces, as he hands the lady outside the theater our tickets. While she scans them, I scan our surroundings, my eyes landing on the two bodyguards that accompany me whenever I leave the palace. Although they don't breathe down my neck, they're not very subtle in hiding who they are.

"Let's go." Dean says, looping his arm through mine and guiding me inside. Another day when my best friend is bringing me out on a date instead of Harry.
*******

"I have to head for dinner with Jed. You'll be okay, right?" Dean asks, rubbing the palms of his hands together.

"Yeah," I say. "Bye." Waving at him, I turn around and head down the street. I'm in the mood for some book shopping, as books are the only things that can sedate the wild storm that's waging in my head. I duck into Barnes and Noble, my mood lightning immediately.

Before I know it, half an hour has passed with me browsing the new arrivals and sale stacks.

"That's a real nice book." A man comments, drawing my eyes toward him. He seems to be my age, a stack of books held between his arm and body. I smile at him, nodding towards the books held close to his body.

"Nice to meet you fellow bookworm." I say, glancing down at the basket near my feet. "Is it, though?" I look back up at him to find him furrowing his brows. "The book, I mean. The story seems...too stereotypical."

"Trust me, it isn't. There's a major plot twist," the man says. "It'll leave you shell-shocked. I'm Klaus." He places the books on top of the shelf, and stretches a hand towards me. I'm slightly taken aback by his ignorance towards my identity, but the change is pleasantly welcomed.

"Mus," I shake his hand. "Fine, I'll buy the book, but if it's bad...you're in for hell." Klaus laughs, a strand of hair falling across his forehead.

"You can have my head," he bows down teasingly. I laugh, placing the book into the basket. Bending down a fraction, I grab the handle and lift it. Klaus' eyes widen, as he hastily comes over to me and takes it from my hand.

"A lady in your condition shouldn't be doing all this heavy lifting." Klaus says, winking at me.

"No, it's alright." I argue, grabbing for the basket. However, Klaus steps back, shaking his head.

"No, it's really fine. Carrying books is a pleasure," he says, smiling. "Let me just grab a basket and we'll book surf together, if that's alright with you?" I nod.

"Of course," I reply. Seems like I just made a new friend.

A/N: Spoiler - well not really - I'd give Mus advice not to make this friendship ;)