Title: Young Love

Rating: G

Category: Harry verse, family, Richard/Camille, established relationship, ficlet

Summary: Part 14 of the Harry!Verse series. Alex suffers a broken heart, her first, and she's only five. Set after "How to solve our problems".

A/N: Inspired by a story from Jo Brand's autobiography Look Back in Hunger.

Richard rarely got to go pick the children up from school – Camille's hours had been reduced so she could handle the task. Sometimes, if he was lucky, he could get home before they arrived back. This was usually because Camille was hanging around the school gate, talking to the other parents (it's important to network with other parents, Richard!). On the odd occasion, she would be delayed as she had to speak to one of the teacher's about Harry (Alex hadn't been in school long enough to cause trouble), usually because he had performed yet another unauthorised scientific experiment.

Today was one of the days he beat them home – though that might have something to do with the fact he had brought paperwork back with him unwilling to stay late at the station to complete it when it would mean missing dinner with his family. He was hurriedly trying to complete some, using the coffee table as a desk (dangerous, the kids could spill something on it) when he heard the door open.

"But it has been a whole 6 weeks since we last had pancakes for dinner," Harry was saying to his Mother. The usual debate. "Could you not at least consider savoury pancakes? With butternut squash and stilton like Grandma Poole made us when we went to England?" Richard remembered those well, he'd been surprised Harry had liked stilton.

"No," Camille told him shortly.

"Why not?" He could hear them traipsing about, removing shoes and putting away bags

"Because I can't cook as well as your grandmother and as your father will tell you there is no stilton to be found on this island. Lots of smelly French cheese but nothing decent and English!"

"Come on Alex don't you want crepes?" Harry appealed to his sister to become his partner in crime.

There was no response. Richard frowned – why hadn't he heard anything from Alex yet? Normally the girl didn't shut up. He was suddenly filled with concern that his daughter may be injured or sick, so rose from the sofa to go and investigate. At that moment though his family finally entered the front room. Alex, who did look a bit pale, took one look at him before hurtling across the room, wrapping her arms around his legs and bursting into tears.

Richard gave his wife an alarmed look – she was giving her daughter a sympathetic look whilst Harry appeared unimpressed. "Alex!" He cried out. Even though she was far too big to be picked up these days he decided to risk his back and do so anyway. He wasn't able to stop himself letting out an 'omph' and ended up sitting straight back down on the sofa, Alex on his lap. Camille raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. "What's the matter?"

Alex didn't reply, she just cried harder and held on to him tightly. Richard looked to Camille for an explanation. She came over and placing a placating hand on her daughter's head explained, "Alex's petit ami is moving to Montserrat. Today was his last day at school."

Richard knew exactly who Camille was talking about. A small boy, actually an inch shorter than Alex, had followed her around fascinated from day one and after a few days she got quite fond of him as well. Camille had always called him Alex's petit ami. "Stewart's family are moving?" Mentioning the boy's name turned out not to be a good idea – Alex practically howled. Richard hushed her and continued to try to comfort. "I'm sorry darling."

Harry crossed his arms, "She's being stupid! She has only known him for two months, it isn't like they've been best friends forever like me and Timothy!"

"Harry!" Camille and Richard both said in an admonishing tone at the same time. Richard knew siblings didn't always get along, though it did sadden him when Harry and Alex were unkind to each other. "Be kind to your sister. It's horrible being broken hearted, you'll know that one day!"

Harry just gave him a disdainful look, clearly thinking he was going to be immune to such things. For a little boy who had been so sensitive, he had gained a lot of attitude recently. The way time seemed to be racing by, it wouldn't be long until he was a fully-fledged teenager and Richard could only hope this wasn't some mild preview with worse to come.

Alex said something that was entirely indecipherable, since her head was pressed into his chest. Camille, who had years of experience trying to understand drunk and/or crying women, was able to provide a translation when Richard gave her a blank look. "She said she'll never see him again."

"Oh never say never darling," Richard told her. "You might meet him again someday!"

"But he's going A MILLION MILES AWAY!" Even though it kind of pained him not to, Richard did not share the exact distance to Montserrat from Saint Marie just in case Alex got it into her head regular visits might be possible and ended up heartbroken all over again when that turned out not to be the case. He couldn't stand the idea he might actually make it worse.

"Maybe pancakes for dinner would make her feel better," Harry tried. He received such a look from Camille that he had the common sense to back out of the room declaring, "I think I'll start my maths homework!"

Camille sat on the sofa next to Richard, removing a piece of A5 paper from her bag and holding it up to him. He couldn't accept it from her, as he was too busy rubbing his daughter's back with one hand – the other was trapped between her body and his and he hadn't been able to wriggle it out yet. He kind of needed his reading glasses, but the handwriting was large and childish and he could just about read it, "Dear Alex I go away forever. I will miss you". Richard was pretty impressed considering they had only been at school a couple of months.

"Did he give her that?" He asked. Camille nodded. Richard found himself starting to feel a little emotional, it was really rather sweet. Alex seemed to have quietened down and was just staring at the paper miserably.

"And what did you give him in return?" Camille prompted her. She looked shy suddenly and turned her face away.

Richard could guess, "Oh, did you give him a nice kiss goodbye?" Alex still didn't look at him still, just nodded with her face still turned away.

"It was very cute," Camille mouthed at him. He could believe it. "Do you want cheese and potato pie for dinner?" Camille asked Alex, it was her favourite.

"I don't want any dinner," she said dramatically. Richard highly doubted that – his daughter had an appetite to match that of her much older brother.

"Oh that is a shame. Because I have some ketchup, and I might be willing to ignore the two tablespoons rule…" The two tablespoons rule was something Camille had had to introduce due to the sheer volumes of ketchup Alex liked with every part of her email. "And it's your favourite cheese as well." Alex still looked resistant. "And of course with no dinner there can't be any desert, and we have coconut ice cream…"

Alex seemed conflicted now, but eventually said, "Maybe a small bit." Richard knew then his daughter would recover.

Much later, after dinner and when the children were in bed, Richard managed to finally finish all the paperwork and join Camille, who was already in bed. He found her looking at the letter from Alexandra's 'boyfriend' fondly. "What are you planning to do with that?"

"Put it away somewhere safe," she told him. "She might want it when she is older. Perhaps on her wedding day!"

"Though romantic I think the likelihood of her growing up, meeting him again and marrying him is pretty slim," Richard pointed out.

"Hey, I didn't mean she would necessarily be marrying Stewart. We could just embarrass her with the story of her first love."

"When your mother did that to you at our wedding you were horrified!" Richard reminded her. With no father of the bride Catherine had given the speech at their wedding, and she had spent most of it recounting her despair at many of Camille's early boyfriends, as long as a few choice additions from Camille's more disastrous dates. At one point Richard had been concerned his new wife might die of embarrassment, and that he might die from all the laughing.

"Well it looks like I am going to make it a family tradition," she said lightly. "Do you think she'll be alight?"

"Oh yeah," Richard said dismissively. "A similar thing actually happened to me when I was her age and I turned out fine." He paused, wondering if Camille would question that, but she didn't comment on it.

"Oh really?" She asked instead, clearly curious about his tale.

Richard had started feeling rather nostalgic. "Oh yes, her name was Maisie, though he last name escapes me. I remember telling my Dad we were going to get married – he seemed quite impressed actually that I was the only boy in reception with a girlfriend." Camille raised an eyebrow, and Richard shrugged. "Perhaps even at that age I had shown indications I would be useless with the opposite sex, and he was pleased to be proved wrong. Not that it wasn't long until I was proving him right again."

"You aren't useless with women," Camille said. Richard knew this was not true – he had been very lucky to find Camille, a woman willing to put up with him, but whenever he told her this he got a lecture about how he shouldn't be so hard on himself.

"When her family moved to Ireland I was devastated as well," he paused. "Of course rather than a hug my Father told me to buck up, boys don't cry, and I'd never attract another girl again acting like a baby." She gave him a sympathetic look, but he hadn't been fishing for it. "Obviously I don't like to see Alex upset, but it was kind of nice to get a cuddle out of her. She just makes a face when you ask for one most of the time these days." He suddenly found himself feeling quite glum, "I thought they'd be younger for longer, does that sound stupid?"

Camille shifted over, cuddling up to him, "No, it isn't stupid. But you can always have cuddles from me on request." He pulled her closer – he knew it was true. Suddenly a massive ball of fluff jumped on the bed, pushing her face underneath one of Richard's arms and joining them. Camille giggled, "And Mrs Poofs. She'll always want cuddles too."