There were a million and one things I wanted to say to Mark as I stared at him with my heart hammering away in what felt like its climb out of my throat but not a single one of those words would come out.

All the anger, hurt, resentment… not a thing would spill forth.

It felt like ages that I stood there, eyes glued to the man who had shattered me so completely I wasn’t sure even now that I had recovered.

It was Harry who finally spoke after the longest, tension filled silence in recorded history.

“She asked you a question.” He sneered, tugging me once more so I was slightly behind his body. His protective stance vaguely making me feel warmth through my numbing body.

“And I answered her. I’m here to see my son.” Mark replied in his holier-then-thou voice. I had become quite familiar with it the last few times I had seen him.

“Well that’s not fucking happening.” Harry chuckled darkly and shook his head. “I’m not sure how you got passed the security gates, but this conversation is over.” And with his last words the door began to close.

I was relived all of a second before Mark’s friends voice cut us off.

“That’s fine. You’ll just be hearing from our attorney.”

My eyes widened and my hand gripped Harry’s hip tightly.

Harry’s green eyes glanced over his shoulder to stare at me before slowly opening the door again to Mark and the wicked witch with the threats beside him, both sporting smug smiles.

“Wha-what did you say?” I managed to mumble out stepping around Harry despite his hum of protest in my ear.

“I said you’ll be hearing from our attorney.” She smiled a saccharin sweet smile at me which made me feel like I was going to throw up all over her designer heels.

“And who are you exactly?” I glared at her, even though I had an idea who she was.

“Oh well how very rude of me. I’m Layla, Mark’s wife.”

Beside her Mark had the decency to look down but Harry still maintained his steady glare on the pair.

“And I’m Harry, now that we’ve got the introductions out of the way, why the hell are you two at my door?”

It was very rare to see Harry react so hostile towards anyone, even when he wasn’t my biggest fan he never used the tone he was now or even glowered at me a tenth of the degree in which he was now.

It made me proud in a sick, sadistic way.

Layla turned her gaze on him eyeing him from head to toe before looking back at me.

“Who is he to you?” She said raising her nose at Harry.

“None of your damn business. Answer my question.” Harry cut in before I could say a word.

At this Mark looked up, clearly not liking Harry’s attitude when directed at his snobby wife.

“We’re here because Aria illegally took my son from the states without my consent. I have rights as his father.”

Red.

That was the color my world took on at his words.

Even Harry’s hand on the small of my back did nothing to quill the rising anger in my body.

I took his son.

He’s got to be fucking kidding me.

“What the FUCK are you even talking about? You didn’t want him. You and your family told me to get an abortion-“

Harry suddenly gripped my shoulders and pulled me into his chest cooing in my ear until my breathing which had become ragged calmed. “Calm down a bit, we should move this somewhere else. We have an audience.”

And as I glanced over my shoulder and between Mark and the wicked witch he had married I spotted our friendly neighborhood pap’s snapping away and eyeing us down.

“Let’s continue this inside.” Harry gritted out, still gripping me to his chest.

I pulled away from him not looking back at Layla and Mark but feeling Harry’s hand on my back as he lead us into the hall and away from the prying eyes outside.

Once we were safely inside I spun around, my patience wearing very thin with this now being dragged on and brought inside where there was a possibility of the children hearing.

“Where the hell did you get the idea you had the right to come here and ask to see my son?”

Mark looked a little surprised by my tone. It wasn’t something the old me would have been capable of but having a child and being on my own had certainly changed me and he was going to meet the new me full force if he thought he was going to take my son from me.

Layla, on the other hand, looked none too impressed.

“Mark has every right to see his son, which is why he is filing a custody claim for him.”

And at those words my whole world felt like it was caving in on me. All bravado and confidence I had only seconds before draining right out of me.

I felt like I was reverting to the scared me facing a family that was much too powerful and overwhelming for little pathetic me to overcome.

If Mark wanted to take me to court for Jamie he had more money and better connections then I could hope for.

I must have made some kind of noise because Harry was quick to pull me into his side and hum soothingly into my ear.

All I could think was why? And I must have said it out loud because Harry was quick to shush me gently.

When I managed to get my breathing back under control Harry turned to the couple before us, eyes blazing and angry.

“Get out of my house. You’re not seeing Jamie, you may think you have that right but until there is a court order in our hands you are not seeing him. I won’t allow it.”

I couldn’t make myself turn to watch them leave; only hearing the indignant grunt from Mark as Layla whispered about lawyers and paperwork.

All I could focus on was my son and how I could possible keep him away from them.
I heard the door open and felt Harry shift next to me.

“I’ll have my lawyer contact yours.” Harry said as a goodbye before the door closed and silence fell.

I couldn’t move my numb body. This was every fear and nightmare I had all staring me down.

I could lose my son.

“Aria?”

I snapped my watery eyes up to Harry as he smoothed my hair out of my face.

“It’s going to be ok. I will do everything I can to help you. We’re not going to lose Jamie.”

I barely managed to hold in my sob as I took in a shaky breath. “This is too much Harry.”

He just pulled me back into him and cooed into my ear.

“You’re not alone. I’ll make sure they don’t take Jaime from you. I told you, you don’t have to do this alone anymore and I meant it.” He pulled away to kiss my forehead. “Why don’t you go upstairs and hold your son. It’ll make you feel better. I have a few calls to make.”

I just nodded, numbly.

Honestly I really did just want to hold Jamie, feel him in my arms and know he was here and okay with me.

And that was exactly how Harry found me an hour later.

Curled around my sleeping baby with Darcy beside him.

Yesterday I had laid just as I currently was in awe of the little family Harry and I were forming and now it was threatened even more so than the media intrusion.

I just kept adding it up in my head, me verses Mark and Layla who I had dubbed the wicked witch, and I kept coming up short. He had the means to beat me no matter how I looked at it.

His word was worth more than mine and if his family was backing him no one would believe they had essentially run my out of the country when I had told them I was pregnant.

And the blackmail… what if they brought that into play somehow.

I just pulled Jamie closer to me and squeezed my eyes shut tightly.

I couldn’t lose my baby. I just couldn’t.

“I called our legal team. I explained a few things to them. I didn’t tell them everything just the basics.”

I nodded, not turning to look at Harry as he sat behind me rubbing my back gently as he spoke in a low voice so as not to wake the children… or maybe he was scared that if he spoke any louder I would shatter.

It was a viable possibility I would.

“They said that even if he’s not on the birth certificate, which I assumed he wasn’t, since Jamie has your last name, that Mark might get a court order for a paternity test. They also said that this would be a matter that would be dealt with in the states so they are going to get me the name of the best family court attorney there so we can fight to keep Jamie here with us.”

The use of the word us in his explanation didn’t pass my attention. It made my heart swell in such a painful way when mixed with the new fears swirling away in my head and heart.

I wanted to have complete faith in Harry, I wanted to believe that he would take care of this for me but I couldn’t. I knew who we were up against.

Harry was famous and had money but Mark was from a very prominent family, with lots of connections and friendly with more than a few major players in the US government.

No matter how we tried to add it up… we were always going to fall short.

But why…

Why did Mark want Jamie now.

Why did he want to take the one person I loved more than life, the one person I need more than my next breath.

I sensed Harry lean down until I felt his lips pressed to the side of my head. “We’ll fix this Aria. Have a little faith in me. I told you I would take care of you two. I meant it.”

As I opened my eyes I could see his large hand gently brush Jamie’s soft hair out of his little face tenderly.

I wish I had the faith in him he asked for, but right now everything seemed so hopeless.

Notes

Hiya kiddies…
So this is a slightly bleak chapter. I hope you guys liked it.
I am trying to get back into a schedule on my updates, most likely I’ll be updating around the weekends.
That’s all really, follow my story turned fan blog for updates and drool worthy pics of the boys I post on there because I don’t want to spam my personal with them. Slushibubblesfic.tumblr.com
Anyway REAVIEW PLEASE PLEASE PRETTY PLEASE!!!!
Love you kiddes
PS I am slacking on review replys but I will get to them soon. Promise.