At the end of her first day with Bear she found herself asleep in her big bed with the dog beside her. She'd gotten him a new toy, a plush chew toy shaped like an elephant, that Bear had been reluctant to put down since they'd left the store with it; that was why it lay on the bed as well looking thoroughly chewed and slavered on. Bear snored but Harbor remained awake, lay there staring up at the ceiling. Being high on the building's fifth floor meant the orangey glow of the street lamps didn't reach her apartment but every now and again something would somehow manage to shine small arcs of light that faded just as quickly as they'd appeared. Harbor didn't speak, too lost in her thoughts and she didn't want to disturb Bear, so the prostitute just continued to lay there in silence. She'd never been religious but in that moment she prayed, prayed to anyone who'd listen. It didn't matter who they were, Odin, Zeus, God, Allah, it really didn't matter as long as they kept Harold safe.
If Harbor thought about how he'd gotten under her skin, why she cared about him so deeply, Harbor didn't have an answer. When they'd first met Harold had been little more than an oddity that had occurred behind a concierge desk that she'd tried to decipher in between clients, but he'd soon become her friend. She wanted him safe and knocking on her door asking for his and Reese's dog back.
After a while she rolled onto her side so she could throw an arm over Bear and finally let sleep take her. Harbor had no answers and her list of questions grew by the day but she supposed that would be something she'd have to accept; Harold Finch was a very private person after all.
~X~
Fortunately Root had dropped Bear off with Harbor at the beginning of her mandatory week off a month, so she had plenty of time to devote to the darling animal. She'd played with him in the Park, bought him one of those massive chew treats that Bear had seemed so grateful for and had even gone so far as to attend one of those Doga sessions basically just to see what all the fuss was about. In the end Harbor – and Bear – had decided it was an utterly stupid waste of time despite all the beneficial things people claimed it had. Bear had spent the entire thing with the dog equivalent of a 'dude, seriously?' expression on his furry face; frankly all that animal needed was a tennis ball and a few other dogs to play with every now and again.
They'd just wrapped up another massive game of fetch in the Park when Harbor heard a vaguely familiar voice calling out to her, then it clicked; Grace. Suddenly memories of leaving Harold stood on the street flooded back as well as a wave of guilt. Clearly Harold still loved Grace and probably would until the day he died, and it made her feel like some dirty little secret. Harbor slept with men – a lot of them married – all the time, why did Harold's ex-fiancée make her feel like the homewrecker?
Still, Harbor was an actress in many ways so she put on a bold smile and turned to face the elder woman like she'd not had some of the best orgasms of her life while on top of the man this woman loved.
"Hello, Grace."
The redhead seemed surprised but pleasantly so. "You remember my name, I'm honored."
Harbor shrugged. "Nah, I just have a good memory."
That and it's hard to forget the name of the woman who loves the man I've grown attached to. Attached? Is that what I'm calling it now?
A quick glance over Grace's shoulder revealed the easel set up with something half drawn adorning it. Harbor couldn't help but wonder how many times Harold had sat beside her and watched Grace draw and paint. Had Grace drawn him?
Her mind snapped back to the conversation then when the redhead spoke again, a big grin on her face as she crouched down to greet Bear who growled, and, as much as she cursed herself for it, some evil part at the back of her mind was pleased about it.
"Stil." She commanded. "Ontspan." Harbor peered down to Grace then who'd clearly been confused by the sudden change of language and odd commands. "Sorry, he's a military dog and pretty protective."
The redhead rose back to her feet, that happy smile still on her face. "No harm done. He really is beautiful. What's his name?"
"Bear." She disclosed softly as she tickled those irresistible fluffy ears of his. "I call him Teddy Bear though, he's a sweetheart really."
"Oh, most dogs are." The elder woman continued. "I've been thinking about getting one but maybe not. How long have you had him?"
The first time she and Grace had spoken Harbor had enjoyed it, she didn't have any friends really so it had been nice to speak so at ease with Grace. Then Harold had gone all … Harold-y on her and now Harbor didn't want anything to do with Grace; too awkward.
"About a week." The escort answered a few seconds later. "He's not mind, he's Hank's. I'm just looking after him while he's … out of town."
Pain sparked behind Grace's eyes at the mention of Hank and Harbor cursed herself further instead of letting that evil voice rear its ugly head again. Harbor hurt as well, she missed Harold but at least she knew he was alive. She didn't want to even imagine how much pain Grace must still carry with her. It was unfair and Harbor wanted despertly to remove herself from the situation. If she left Grace could go back to her painting and try to forget about her lost love without Harbor saying his name ever five minutes.
"Sorry," Harbor began solemnly "but I need to get going. Someone gets grumpy if he's not fed on time."
That got a small chuckle out of Grace and the elder woman let the younger leave after they'd said their goodbyes.
As Harbor made her get away she wondered what the hell was going on with her. Why did she care so bloody much about Harold Finch? Why was he under her skin? Harbor sighed as she continued through the Park.
"Teddy Bear, you know Harold better than I do, why does everything about him just make you want to stay with him when it should make you head for the hills or a police station?"
Of course the dog didn't answer, just carried on chewing the elephant toy she'd gotten for him as they returned to her apartment. Fortunately by the time she got there Harbor had managed to push most of her Harold centred thoughts away and had instead shifted to focusing on the idea of pretending she was six and binge watching Disney movies for the rest of the day; she may have had a Gothic streak a mile wide but that didn't stop her having an LED Lumière on her night stand.
The second her apartment door opened Bear charged across to her sofa which he promptly jumped up on with his toy and settled down.
Harbor rolled her eyes. "Could have at least wiped your paws, boy."
The raven-haired beauty set her stuff down and went straight to the kitchen where she filled and set Bear's bowl down only for him to come charging and nearly knock her over. Harbor couldn't help but giggle quietly to herself as she watched him hungrily munch down his food. She adored Bear, he always seemed so happy and it was infectious.
She grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and headed back into the living area. She'd just taken a swig when the door was suddenly kicked in and a dark-haired woman burst in with a gun raised and a blank expression. Harbor didn't scream, didn't run and didn't even drop the bottle. Without even thinking Harbor chucked it at the intruder who ended up momentarily stunned and it gave Harbor a second to launch forwards and punch her square in the face. Her attacker went to punch back but then Harold's voice called out.
"Enough!" He called in a voice more forceful than usual. "I told you this wasn't needed, Miss Shaw."
Both women ground to a halt as Harold entered the apartment fully and Shaw dripped with water.
"Hank, what's going on?" She questioned. So happy to see him but angry all at the same time.
"Where's the dog?!" Shaw demanded.
Harbor's brow furrowed deeply in confusion at the stranger's words but still she gestured to her left where the kitchen lay.
"He's right there."
Shaw peered past her then returned her steely eyes to Harbor so they could look her up and down. Harbor had no idea who this Shaw woman was but it was plain to see that she didn't exactly play well with others. The elder woman didn't say another work, just barged past the escort and made a b-line for Bear. Then it clicked.
"You all knew I had Bear, right?"
Hank sighed a little as he pushed his glasses back up his nose. "Unfortunately Miss Groves, you will probably know her as Root, neglected to mention where she'd dropped Bear off. It's taken me a while to track him down."
"You know you could give me your number and I'd have been able to tell you." Exasperated Harbor. "Or ask if you were coming back."
Finch paused for a moment then looking a little ashamed of himself before his mouth opened so he could apologize or say whatever he'd wanted to say, but Harbor wrapped her arms around him before he could get a single syllable out. Her grip was tight but gentle.
"I missed you." She muttered against his neck and Harold found his arms had wrapped around her slender waist without him even noticing.
Meanwhile Sameen sat on the kitchen floor with Bear as he ate, one hand in his fur the other squeezing water from her hair. When she glanced up she saw Finch wrapped around a woman more than half his age and a cold laugh escaped her.
"I guess Claypool was right, you do have 'a certain gravitational pull' with women."
Harold sideways glanced at her because he couldn't turn his neck and turning bodily would have meant moving Harbor; either way Shaw was fully aware it was an unimpressed expression.
The escort pulled back then and pressed a kiss to his thin lips. Not overly passionate but it was certainly more than chaste.
"Where have you been, Hank? Are you alright?"
"I'm afraid the recent events of my life have been rather something of a roller coaster and not what I would have wanted."
While Harold didn't appear more injured than normal Harbor could tell he'd been through the wars.
"How's Reese?" She asked more softly.
Finch sighed again, his eyes slipped shut a moment as he gathered himself. He found himself thankful that Harbor had remained so close because it meant he could still cling to her for comfort without it being obvious.
"Mister Reese has resigned."
That was all he said, that one short, straight to the point sentence and while it appeared emotionless on the surface Harbor knew he was in pain.
"I'm so sorry, Hank." Harbor lamented softly.
"No, no, it's not your fault. Mister Reese had every right to leave and I respect that."
Harbor pressed herself closer to the suit clad man, concern evident in her bold green-eyes.
"Is he not coming back for Bear?"
Finch shook his head. "It doesn't look that way."
Shaw pushed herself to her feet then once Bear had finished munching down his food and returned to his toy on the couch. The only noise for those few brief seconds was the creature's claws on the hardwood.
"How did you know which food he liked?" Sameen asked in a rather disinterested tone.
Frankly it was the sort of subject change that both Harold and Harbor needed so they went along with it, both turned to face Shaw.
"I figured Bear probably got the best food on the market so I went to the place that sold the best and Bear took me right to the brand he wanted."
Truthfully Bear had done most of the work, Harbor had just paid and put it in a bowl. She'd been a glorified butler.
"Clever." Shaw hummed.
"Yeah, he is."
That got another smirk from the damp woman.
"I like her, Finch."
"Well, I'm very grateful to have your seal of approval, Miss door kicker." Harbor deadpanned.
The two women weren't teasing happily but they certainly weren't glaring at one another either and Harold didn't know whether to be pleased or slightly concerned about that.
Sameen grinned. "Oh I really like her. You've got good taste, Finch."
Harold grew more uncomfortable by the second. First he'd had Arthur Claypool tossing out tidbits about Harold's past at MIT with Nathan and now he had Shaw seeing him interact with Harbor as well.
"I'm sorry I threw water all over you." Said Harbor regrettably.
"I'd have done the same, it was the obvious play. You've got a good right hook too, you do martial arts or something?"
Oh dear God they're becoming friends! Harold didn't quite know how to process that, and it troubled him.
"My father was a marine and he wanted a son."
Shaw snorted. "Ahh, so daddy turned his little princess into a badass, I like it."
"Okay, now we have determined that you and Harbor can be friendly I think we should be leaving, don't you, Miss Shaw?"
Neither woman argued, Shaw grabbed Bear's leash and went to clip it onto Bear before she and he dog vanished out the apartment. Sameen pulled the door shut but it didn't latch thanks to a certain someone getting all overzealous with their knocking technique.
Finch just stood there flicking his eyes between the broken door and the stunning twenty-two year old still half in his arms.
"I'll have your door replaced by the end of the day, I promise." Oh, Harbor had no doubt he'd get that done. "I'm sorry to have dragged you back into my world, Harbor. Your decision to leave should have been respected and honored as well and I-"
Harbor cut him off with a kiss. Her body pressed up against his and Harold's hands automatically found their way to her hips then down up cup and squeeze her backside. The green-eyed angel let out a hum of want.
"I thought I was doing the right thing for you, Hank." She whispered between kisses. "Of course I didn't want out. I like being with you. I worried about you. And I missed you so damn much."
Then Harbor was working his belt free and slowly forced him backwards through her bedroom door and down to sit on the bed. When she dropped to her knees Harold felt want rush through him; dark and animal-like. All he could do was watch the stunning beauty before him … then the world flooded back like an angry tsunami.
"Wait. We shouldn't, Miss Shaw will be waiting downstairs." He sounded breathless.
Harbor breathed out a laugh. "You're friend doesn't seem that dumb so she'll know exactly what's happening up here." She teased.
That was all it took to get Hank to cave. He took off his suit jacket and then went for his waistcoat but Harbor's soft hand came up to stop him.
"No. Leave the suit on, I like it."
Harbor grinned and Harold didn't object, just toed off his shoes and then pulled her up so he could push her onto the bed. He ignored the yelling from his hip as he crawled over her, it was a manageable pain as long as he countered himself by resting slightly more weight on the other leg.
She happily let him shed her of her clothing, the purple blouse was light as a feather and sort of floated down to the floor when Hank tossed it away, and those skin tight jeans practically melted away.
"Are you sure about this?" He asked.
She'd left him after their lunch and he couldn't blame her. Maybe she was happy to see him again but that didn't mean she still wanted this, wanted him.
As if to answer Harbor pushed her hips up to meet his hard length still confined in his suit pants and one of them gasped, they didn't know who and to be honest neither much cared. Harbor's hands slipped from his shoulders and found their way to his belt which she finished opening, then slipped her hand inside. There was a sharp intake of breath and then Harold started to tease her breast, his girl smiled as she stroked his length. Finch didn't think it was possible but he grew harder. As he reclaimed her mouth Harbor shimmied from her panties and gave him far better access to the wet heat of her core. She pumped him slowly as his kisses dropped down her body and eventually he pulled back, with one final kiss he shed her of her bra leaving her naked as the day she was born. Harold gazed at the stunning girl beneath him.
"Beautiful."
She knew he meant it and it made her smile. Harold pushed her thighs apart and kissed them in turn, he'd not let the ache in his neck stop him, moving ever closer to the place she wanted him more than anything to kiss. When he did she gasped and plunged her hands into his fluffy brown hair to keep him in place. His tongue lapped at her folds, he was amazed at how wet she was for him, her hands tightened a little as his tongue circled her clit.
"Hank!" She all but screamed.
He kissed that sensitive bundle of nerves over and over making her scream louder and louder for him, then Finch slipped a finger inside her. Her grip on his hair became vice like but it only spurred him on as she moaned. Another finger pressed into her heat in and he crocked them as he kissed her clit. It didn't take long for Harbor to start pushing back on his fingers, she was close and he knew that and so he slipped in a third finger. Harbor tasted divine on his tongue, like the sweetest of desserts. Oh how did her body make his sing? Maybe she should have been named harmony because somehow she resented in such a perfect way that made his body crave her.
He all but purred when she screamed out his name and wrapped her legs around his head. Harold made sure to keep the movement going throughout her orgasm until she was left panting, her dazzling green-eyes closed. God, she sounded so perfect.
Finch's fingers slipped from her core and Harbor mourned the loss as he clambered back up the large bed to kiss her plum colored lips, she could taste herself on him when his tongue plundered her mouth. The kiss broke and Finch smiled a true smile at the sight of Harbor's lips glistening with her own juices, his hard member pulsing and twitching at the way her tongue licked her bottom lip. If he got his way she would look like that all the time.
"Please, I need you, Hank." Harbor's voice was little more than a whisper but the words echoed through Finch and made him crave her all the more.
The escort's hips rose to meet his again and it was then that he realized he was still fully clothed while she lake entirely naked before him. There was such power in that, in being on top of a naked, younger woman while he remained clothed and secretive. However, when he thought about it deeper he came to ascertain that it wasn't case at all, he only had this power as long as Harbor allowed him to. Then something else struck him, she did let him have it, wanted him to have it.
"Please, Hank."
He smiled to himself. "How could I ever say no to you?"
Harbor responded by using her feet to pull him even closer, Harold just smiled. With one sharp but far from painful thrust he filled her to the hilt, he stilled for a moment letting her adjust to him.
"Move." She begged and demanded all at once. She was so beautiful and perfect.
Finch quickly obliged pulling almost all the way out only to slam back in. Harbor dragged him down for a kiss but moaned into it when his hand returned to her wet sex. It didn't take long to have his girl moaning and meeting his thrusts. A perfect rhythm; delicate but overflowing with heated passion. The raven-haired beauty's tongue made its way into Finch's mouth expertly as they became one, mapping his mouth, taking her tongue across his teeth causing his thrusts to become erratic for a second or two. Harbor was dangling on the very edge with her genius not far behind her, she wiggled her hips in just the right way, teasingly, and send him into some kind of rut, thrusting like his life depended on it. It was then that Harbor grew bold and flipped them – which was hard to do in such a way that didn't anger his neck. Harold adored the way her eyes sparkled so innocently while her smile lingered wickedly. His fingers gripped her hips leaving tiny little bruises that she actually cherished over her skin, pushing herself down onto him, impaling herself, she gasped. Harbor leant down to kiss him again, gasping at the new angle and the way her nipples grazed against his waistcoat.
The sound of her mews and wanton pants made his body purr with an animalistic pride that only Harbor – naughty, perfect Harbor – could create within him. When his eyes fluttered open he saw the way her head had fallen back and her bottom lip was between her teeth, he'd not last longer and Finch sure as hell wouldn't leave his perfect creature alone on the edge. Talented, slightly calloused fingers, found Harbor's needy core once more and he pushed them both over the edge.
Harold knew he'd always end up coming back to this girl, no matter how much he lied to himself. Even Grace hadn't had this much of an effect on him. Harbor Caldwell though? She made Harold want to lay the world at her feet and beg for just one more kiss.