Freedom 3
As soon as Nora and June were free from their daily briefing with Zahra, both went in search of Alex. June had found his disappearance odd, but Nora had supplied a seventy-two percent chance statistic that he had been caught up on studying and missed the briefing. June didn't like those odds from Nora's mouth and Nora tagged along to prove she was right. Especially when Zahra had evaded and sidestepped questions about Alex, only stating that he was not required to attend this briefing. Which was strange, even if Alex wasn't required in the meeting, he was so swept up in the politics and his mother's campaign that he usually wove his way into any meeting he could. For June however, it made Alex not being there, a major red flag. However, Nora had told June that he was probably stuck down a rabbit hole, studying something for law school, not to worry so much. But June's anxiety over her brother was high, and so Nora had dutifully followed her girlfriend back into the Residence and up to the East Bedroom, in search of Alex. The door was closed, as it usually was when he was deep in study mode.
June let her and Nora into Alex's room, after repeatedly knocking and no answer. June and Nora both noted that it was organised and clean. His book satchel, laptop and cell missing. Looking around and seeing nothing out of place, they mutually decided that Alex must be off somewhere studying, most likely at the library on campus at Georgetown.
Depositing themselves on the bed, in June's room across the hall, Nora remembered she had to phone Pez back. Receiving no answer from Pez, she tossed her phone beside June's, she leaned back on the bed and curled herself into June's warm body, distracting June from her worry about Alex. Even with Nora's best intentions of keeping her mind distracted from Alex's mysterious behaviour, June couldn't help that gnawing feeling inside her. She could feel it in her gut. Something was definitely wrong.
The next twenty-four hours were spent in a deep slumber. The two men had promptly dropped their bags, shared a sweet kiss, closed the drapes and shutters and climbed into bed for a rest. They had not meant to sleep twenty-four hours away, only intending to have a quick nap, but their mutual exhaustion had set in, and their bodies had demanded rest. Waking in one another's arms, Alex stretched, and Henry yawned, as they both glanced over at the clock and saw that it was just after 9am, the following day. Sharing a silly, goofy grin, Henry leaned over and kissed Alex's lips good morning. Much like he did the first morning they had spent together in Paris. Alex smiled into the kiss and allowed Henry to take the lead. Henry's growling stomach led to laughter erupting from Alex's mouth. "Come on, baby," Alex said, his voice full of mirth. "Let's get some food into you."
The house was modest, not big by their previous standards of the Palaces and the White House. But bigger than Alex's family home in Austin that he shared with his mom and Leo, bigger than his father's home in California and bigger again, than Oscar's lake house in Texas. The house consisted of a raw basement, made of mud and clay, with wooden boards covering the dirt floor and a small wine collection against the far wall. The main floor of the house was an open kitchen, living, and dining area, with an alfresco dining area that ventured out into the rear yard. The outdoor dining area was cobbled in stone. As well as a guest half bath and a relaxing lounge room. The top-of-the-line TV, with a vast collection of DVDs, alongside the modern decor stood out against the more traditional elements of the home.
The second level consisted of three bedrooms on the west side of the house and one large master suite on the east side of the house, spanning the length of a hallway between them. The master suite was long and narrow. It housed a modest king-size bed against the north wall, two nightstands, a small seating area, and a telescope by the balcony doors at the far end of the room. Behind the north wall was a large walk-in closet, which led to a king-sized ensuite bathroom, complete with a separate shower, large, deep claw foot tub, and dual vanity basins.
Opening the fridge, Alex set himself the task to find something quick, nutritious and delicious to eat, while Henry set up to brew his beloved Earl Grey tea and Alex's coffee. Thankfully, the kitchen housed a modern and expensive, fully automatic coffee machine that made Henry incapable of stuffing up his beloved boyfriend's cup of liquid life. Alex quickly got down to the task of cooking them both some breakfast. Something heavy enough to fill the hunger in their stomachs, but light enough to allow them to still have room for lunch and dinner. Settling down to eat eggs and toast, both men felt swept up in both their isolation and the intimacy of their morning.
After their meal and subsequent cleanup, Henry and Alex changed into some sweatpants. Alex prepared and packed some sandwiches and fresh apples to take with them for a picnic lunch, along with two water bottles in a backpack for lunch. Henry snagged the burner cell Shaan had provided them, and they decided to explore the island. Adding the phone to the backpack Alex had packed, the duo set out to begin exploring.
It was small island, more like an islet, rather than an island. It was approximately two miles (just over three kilometers) wide and four miles (just over six kilometers) deep. There were only two other buildings on the island. A small church, no bigger than a gazebo and another small home on the far side of the island. The smaller home was a one-bedroom cabin studio style home with a separate bathroom. Obviously designed to be for a caretaker or a member of the household staff. On their way back to the house, this time straight up the middle of the island, they stumbled onto a small spring and treacle of water. Daringly, Alex tasted the water with his hands, smugly declaring that it was fresh and tasted pure. Henry wondered if it wasn't some kind of natural spring water, given the size and location of the island. That some of these ancient islands probably had their own natural springs.
Playing explorer with Alex had been fun and exciting. Alex thoroughly enjoying the isolation, which had surprised Henry. Alex was such and extrovert, whist Henry too, was enjoying the solitude. An introvert at heart. But it was still early days for Alex and Henry feared he might struggle with the separation from the other people in his life.
The white sandy beach on the west side of the house was perfect for swimming in the ocean. Though both men pondered their fears out loud, wondering if there were any sharks lurking. The kind that lived in the ocean, not the reporter kind, Alex had specified before Henry had hastily agreed with him.
Back at the house after their exploration, Alex and Henry turned on the television, only to discover that they were under a full media blackout. There was no station reception at all; not even public TV or any cable channels were connected. Laughing at the irony of the two of them having been in the headlines all too often, in recent times and now not even being able to see a headline, Henry deadpanned to Alex a quip about the overstocked DVD cabinet. Finding every Star Wars movie ever made, Alex declared that they should begin making their way through the collection, marathon-style. Reminding Henry that if they were back home, they would have barely had the time to exchange a kiss, let alone watch a movie in their respective busy schedules.
Eagerly in agreement with his love, Henry lowered the electrical shutters, before going in search of some snacks. While Alex set up the first movie, ready to play, happily enjoying the peaceful quietness of their new locale.
Pez had managed to calm Bea down and lull her into a restful slumber for the evening, before informing the footman who saw him to his car, that she was not to be disturbed, as she had a headache and was finally resting. As soon as he was free from the palace grounds, he tried the cell phones belonging to both of his American goddesses, neither one of them picking up. Mentally calculating the time difference between London and Washington DC, he theorized with himself that his lovely ladies were most likely eating dinner. He would try again in an hour. Pez sighed. Shifting the gears in his car, he gunned his car in a new direction, towards the shelter that Henry had been helping him with the day before the emails had been leaked and Henry's life had begun to crumble.
Punching in the alarm code furiously with jabs, he made a beeline towards the office he had temporarily allocated to Henry during the production phase of their plan. There, Percy rummaged through all of the drawers and papers, desperately searching for a clue as to where his friend might be. After not finding anything, and growing increasingly frustrated with his lack of success, Percy made an executive decision. If he and Beatrice did not hear from the American contingent of the Super Six soon, he would fly the two of them to Washington D.C., and they would bang on the White House door until someone produced some answers or, even better, Henry himself.
Slamming the door in frustration over his failed results, Pez huffed as he re-armed the security of his shelter and headed towards his car.
As soon as Shaan had dropped his sister and the van off at her house, Shaan let out a sigh that he hadn't realized he was holding. He could see the demolition of the guest house they'd used to transform the boys' physical appearances had begun. Scooping David and his belongings from the van and loading them into his little car, he hugged his sister goodbye, as she reminded him to say hello to his fiancée Zahra for her.
Arriving at Heathrow and parking his car in the long-term parking lot, he retrieved David and collected his bags. Heading toward the shuttle stop, he patiently waited for the bus to take him to the international terminal. Checking in was easy; he had all of David's necessary paperwork, as well as his own travel documents ready, and it was a smooth process as he checked his luggage in and handed David over to the staff's care, ready for their transatlantic flight to DC.
Finding himself truly alone for the first time since an hour before the leak, when his journalist, and close friend, Seb had given him precisely a two-minute head start, Shaan wandered down the hallways of the terminal in search of a bar. He placed his order at the bar, ordering a fine Four Roses Bourbon, on the rocks. Once he had ordered his drink, he took a seat in a small booth, in the far corner of the bar. Nursing the crystal tumbler, he sat idle and watched the world pass him by.
A small, brief grin reminded him that it had actually been Mr. Claremont-Diaz who had first introduced him to Four Roses bourbon, back when he had made up part of Henry's security team for his trip to the lake house in Texas, with Alex. Shaan recalled that he usually wouldn't accompany Prince Henry on trips away from Kensington Palace, unless it was a very tightly controlled schedule and strictly on palace business. Something about that trip had him curious about the relationship the boys had shared, so he had invited himself along out of necessity. He remembered that the prince had been rather insistent that Shaan not accompany him. Laughing at the time, he had gently informed his young charge that he needn't worry. He had prior knowledge to the kind of relationship that they and Mr. Claremont-Diaz were conducting behind closed doors and that he had his support. Shaan had been careful not to mention the Queen, his brother or anyone else who might discourage Henry from developing a long-term commitment with anyone, since his father's passing.
Hearing the first boarding call for his flight, Shaan finished the remainder of his drink, before picking up his carry-on luggage and heading out of the bar to his gate. The sooner he made it to the United States, and into Zahra's arms, the better he felt.
Alex and Henry had lightly dozed off, barely an hour into the movie and both had been surprised to wake at the end of the first film. Henry reached for the remote and switched off the tv, leaving the room in darkness. Alex reached over for the small lamp on the table beside the sofa and switched it on, bathing them both in a soft golden light. Alex looking over at the time, leaned back in the sofa, allowing himself to fully relax into it.
"Penny for your thoughts, darling?" Henry asked, watching Alex seemingly relax on the sofa.
"Thinking that I could stay here, forever." Alex murmured. His eyes were still closed, blissed out on the peaceful feeling inside his body, before the slight anxiety and panic settled into his brain. "I mean it. Even though I'd miss my family. I'd miss June, Nora. Hell, I'd even miss David, Bea and Pez, too. As long as you were with me, I could happily stay here with you, forever."
"Honestly, Darling," Henry said, "you're the most extroverted person I know; I expected you to be struggling by now. You and your family are so close, it's ok to miss them." He admitted to his boyfriend. He had been fearing that Alex might struggle with this, but Alex seemed to be taking it all in his stride, which surprised Henry. He had expected some pushback. Alex was always so vibrant and so full of life. He had never known how to sit still and just exist, like Henry did. It was part of what had attracted him to her, all those years ago.
"Well, don't get your hopes up just yet." Alex joked, as he pulled Henry up by his hands to move the conversation into the kitchen. His stomach had been growling in hunger pains for some time since they had woken up. He stopped them for a moment, turning serious. "It's still early days yet. You might get sick of me. I honestly did not expect to be able to relax. I think I have slept more in the last four days than I have slept in the last four weeks."
"That's not a good thing, Darling." Henry whispered, keeping the conversation serious, but not too deep.
"Says the world class insomniac." Alex deadpanned, recalling the words that Henry had used to him during their first telephone call on the night of the great turkey calamity. "Seriously at some point soon, you might get sick of me or find me to be too much to handle. And you're right, I might miss my family. But being here with you, more than makes up for it."
"You Menace." Henry teased, swatting him, as he took Alex into the kitchen by the hand and encouraged him into the business side of the room. Until now, he never realised how much he enjoyed perching himself up on a tall barstool, and watched on, in a marvel fascination, as Alex worked his way around the kitchen. "For the record, I will never get sick of you. I love you too much for that."
"Aww, Baby, I love you too." Alex coos, pulling Henry close to him and in for a kiss. A kiss that he intends to be chaste and sweet, before Henry licked into his mouth and the two of them get swept up into one another.
Bea awakened the next morning and immediately reached for her phone. She found a quick message from Pez, telling her to clear her to plan to clear her schedule if they have no answers by 6pm tonight. The message that quickly followed, within the same minute was also from Pez and it was reassuring her that he hadn't given up, that he was still looking into the where Henry was and why he left without any word. Sighing into her room and mostly to herself, she mentally braced herself to face the day and just hoped she didn't run into James on her business throughout the Palace, that morning.
Of course, no such luck can be said when there was an urgent banging on the door not even two minutes later. It was Miranda, her own equerry. "Your Royal Highness." Miranda's businesslike voice came through the door. Her voice had a perturbed and tense underlying tone this morning. One Bea wished she could blissfully ignore. "I am sorry to wake you, but I thought I should tell you that His Royal Highness Prince Philip, is on his way to see you, alongside his equerry Mr. Martin Edwards and Mr. James Winters, whom is filling in for Mr. Shaan Srivastava, this week."
She took one more deep, calming breath and calmed her nerves through a deep breathing technique she had learnt in rehab, Bea cautiously opened the door to her equerry. "Do you know why they have called on me, so unexpectedly?" She asked, her gut churning in the knowledge that she was almost positive that their visit had to do with Henry's disappearance or another one of Philip's random drug searches. Possibly both.
"I am sorry, Mr. Edwards did not share the particulars with me." Miranda's tone is remorseful. She lowers her voice slightly, leaning towards her charge. "And I did enquire, multiple times."
Miranda had been her equerry since she returned from rehab. Miranda had been selected by their Gran and although she was strict when it came to protocol and procedures, she allowed Beatrice almost a free rein over her schedule, within reason. Unfortunately for her, in allowing Beatrice that small control, it had somehow irked Philip and his equerry to no end. From time to time, she had arrived at work to find both men in her office and rummaging through her office, as if they owned the place. "I am sure you did your best, Miranda." Bea smiled at her in a reassuring way. She meant what she said too. Philip had been out of control since she returned from rehab, thinking he was the king. Bea and Henry had often joked that their mother better not find herself alone at the top of a staircase with Philip around, only deep-down Bea feared it was not an actual joke. Henry tried his best to rein the eldest sibling in, but Philip knew how to destroy Henry with his words and cruelly took pleasure in doing so, time and time again. After all, Philip blamed Henry for Bea's drug addiction, more than he blamed their father for dying. In Philip's eyes, Henry and Bea lived together, so she was his responsibility. Despite the fact that she was at Oxford, and he was finishing his A-Grade levels, at the time.
When Miranda had taken her leave, Bea hurriedly dressed and readied herself for the day. Once she felt she was ready, she quickly threw together a bag, just in case Pez made good on his threat to whisk her away to the US, in search of Henry.
Philip arrived in a flurry of noise and activity, berating her the second he had burst into the room, unannounced. His mouth was moving so fast, Bea could barely follow his lecture. Mid-rant, he turned to his equerry, Martin and James, his friend who was filling in for Shaan and ordered them to search both Henry and Bea's room. More than anything, she is grateful that this morning when she dressed, she had the foresight to put Henry's note on her body. She had feared that Philip's impending visit would be another one of his random drug searches, despite the fact she has been sober and out of rehab for four years already.
"Pip, slow down." She instructed her brother harshly. "Now what is it that you think Henry and I have done, this time?" She asked, truly confused at what her idiotic older brother had been ranting about this whole time.
"Like you don't already know, Beatrice." He snapped, furiously at her. Philip had no doubt that she knew because the two of them were always thick as thieves. Philip often spoke down to her, and it had happened so often that she let it roll off her back. Like water off a duck's back. "Honestly, did all that cocaine kill every last one of your brain cells? Henry was supposed to break things off with that American dalliance of his, and immediately report back to Gran that it was done. He was supposed to report back, so he could take out Lady Agatha's daughter. He was not ordered to break it off, then embarrass the family by appearing disheveled in public! Honestly, I am ashamed of him. You should be, too."
"What are you talking about?" Bea fumed. Surely Henry would have told her what had transpired between him, their brother and grandmother. "It is awfully high-handed of you to assume that Henry would break anything off with Alex. He loves Alex. The whole world has read their emails. Everyone would know that date would be a sham set up by the palace. What are the two of you thinking?!"
"It's just a mad infatuation. He will get over it." Philip huffed. "As soon as he meets the woman that Gran and I have chosen for him, he will forget all about that American."
"Listen to yourself!" Bea exploded in anger. The only time she truly lost her temper with her oldest brother was in protection of Henry. Philip used to be open minded, before their grandmother had gotten her claws into him. Now he was as close minded, bigoted, elitest and racist as she was. "Henry is gay, Pip! Why would he want a woman?!"
"It is all rather irrelevant now." Phillip sighed in anger, taking a seat across from Bea, rather unceremoniously, before he smugly looked up to Bea. "The Daily Mail papped that American with two women. Seems that Gran was right about him all along, we intervened just in time. Although Henry was photographed yesterday at the Children's Hospital looking truly ghastly. Surely by now, Henry would know that his role in this family is to conceal the real him as much as possible, marry a nice noble woman and produce an heir and a spare. Honestly Beatrice, Henry has shamed us all in his appearance yesterday. He needs to grow up. I know you like to mollycoddle him, but you cannot mollycoddle him forever. He needs to grow a pair and become a real man, marry a woman and start perpetuating the family bloodlines."
The room went silent. Bea didn't have the energy to deal with her brother. It was now silent, and tense. Bea pulled up the photos of Henry from the hospital yesterday on her phone while Philip furiously typed into his own. She had to admit that no matter what Pip did say, Hen did truly look ghastly. There were bags under his eyes, like he hadn't slept. There were worry lines and stress lines on his face that she knew had never been there before. Reading the headline, they had come up with was worrisome for her.
IS IT OVER? PRINCE HENRY'S HEARTBREAK
PLUS, ALEX'S MYSTERY BRUNETTES
Bea smothered her laugh successfully at the next image of Alex walking on the White House grounds with one of his arms around Nora, his sister's girlfriend and the other one around June, his sister, as they both hugged him and held him close. The image showed Nora and June holding a near broken Alex. She knew enough about their dynamics to know that if June and Nora were both holding him together, he must be very upset. Usually it was Alex, who tormented them with hugs. However, she knew that the Daily Mail would twist anything, to make it fit their narrative. She had to admit that, as she studied the photos, that Alex looked awful too and her heart broke for both of them. Unfortunately, despite her encouragement, she knew that it would end with her grandmother's interference.
"Did you think for a minute, that perhaps, Henry looks that way, because he is indeed heartbroken? That did what was expected of him and he followed Gran's order." Bea surmised vocally, feeling hurt that Henry had not told her of their grandmother's order. Orders which she had no doubt that Philip helped her concoct. Surely, Henry had a good reason to tell her. Or rather not to, now that she was the only one who knew he was missing in their family and he had left her a short, yet vague note. "You have a bad habit of expecting the worst of Henry and I, time and time again." She snapped at him, harshly. "It is getting quite tiresome."
"Yes, well it saves time." Philip huffed, jumping to his feet when his equerry arrived back from his extensive search of Bea's room. "Without me, you both would be utterly lost. You both owe me, everything. Time and time again, I have to save you both from screwing up your own lives. How either of you grew to your age without serious consequence, is beyond me."
Bea went to argue with him again, but was cut off by Martin, Philip's equerry reappearing in their sitting room. "Everything is as it should be, Sir. There were no substances of any kind were found in Her Royal Highness' boudiour. I took the sniffer dogs with me, as you requested, Sir. She does have a bag packed, but there was nothing of consequence in the bag, either."
"Where are you running off to Beatrice?!" Philip demanded of her, closing the distance between them. There was red hot anger in his eyes, as he forcibly grabbed at Bea's arm and squeezing it in anger toward her. "Tell me where you are going, immediately!"
"I have an engagement in Wales tomorrow." Bea hissed, breaking her arm free of Philip harshly. "Ask Miranda. It is for a commencement address at an all-girls school." When all of the eyes in the room landed on Miranda, she simply nodded at them and confirmed the Princess' story, and Philip moved away from his sister. His anger still simmering. He had been sure that Beatrice was hiding something.
At the return of James, Philip demanded James update him on Henry. "There was nothing of consequence in Henry's room either." Bea shudders at the casual tone of James' words. James has always been unprofessional when has had the chance to fill in for Shaan. "Nothing missing, either. He is not hiding any contraband for her."
"Well, where is our stupid gay faggot of a brother, then?!" Philip demanded of her. Bea managed to restrain her wince at the angry, aggressive slur he'd used against Henry. It's not like Philip didn't know anyone that was gay. He had two friends that were openly gay and there was that one friend from Oxford who had expressed a keen sexual interest in Henry. An interest that Bea worried was unhealthy. Henry had returned the man's affections, blindly, only to be sexually assaulted by them both on separate occasions. Philip was fine with his friends being gay, just not his younger brother.
"If he was not in his room, he is probably out walking David somewhere." Bea hoped her flippant tone was convincing enough for Philip.
Frustrated at his lack of success, Philip stormed out of the room followed by his equerry and James. "Let me get you some ice for your forearm, Your Highness." Miranda offered. Sadly, it wasn't the first time that Bea or Henry had needed ice after one of Philip's rampaging visits. "Wouldn't want your forearm to bruise."