Freedom 6

"Percy Okonjo, as the future queen of your country, you best tell me everything you know about this, including where Henry is." Catherine ordered in her best regal voice. Catherine paced and waited, as Bea took a seat on the sofa, she had previously vacated. "I am waiting ..."

Pez exhaled a large sigh and looked towards the ceiling in a silent plea. "Well, it all started not long after Arthur passed ..."

Now ...

"So ... let me get this straight. Henry had his emails hacked and as a result, not only was he outed, his relationship with Alex Claremont-Diaz, the son of President Claremont, was brought into the spotlight for the world to see. My mother fought not to acknowledge the relationship but eventually conceded, before ordering Henry to end his relationship with his boyfriend. Of which Henry has done, and now, both my son and the son of the US President, this Alex fellow, are missing?"

"Essentially, yes." Bea Confirmed. She held out hope that her mother was not like her Gran, for both of Alex and Henry's sake. Then she remembered from when she was a small child, that her father had a friend, some rock and roll singer, who was gay. She remembered him because his friend's death, was the first time she had ever seen her father cry. She recollected she was maybe four or five, at the time. "Henry told me that the hack originated from Alex's end. Something about a reporter and a political opponent trying to destroy President Claremont's campaign. We have spoken with our counterparts in the US, they do not know where either of them is. The US contingent was not even aware that Henry had ended his relationship with Alex, until we spoke with them."

"Counterparts?" The princess smirked in amusement at Bea's words. She may have been in Botswana, grieving and letting her charity work consume her, but that didn't mean she hadn't been following her children in the media. She had seen photos of the small group of friends in the papers. She knew that they had dubbed them the super six.

"Yes. Alex's sister, June Claremont-Diaz and Alex's best friend Nora Hollern. The Vice President's granddaughter." Pez confirmed with the dreamy look on his face that he got when he thought of his goddesses June and Nora.

"What part did Pip play in this treachery toward Henry?" Catherine demanded. Her tone was cold and severe. Bea had insisted that after Pez told their mum everything, that she read their emails. All of them. Bea had wanted their mother to read about the torment that Philip had inflicted on Henry. How Henry had gone to Pip for help, after his friend had sexually assaulted him, as a teen and how Pip had called him a liar. She had wanted their mother to learn of Henry's love for Alex and Alex's love for Henry. "Don't spare me, I know he was involved. He has been under my mother's controlling thumb for far too long, even before your father ... It ends now!"

"We do not know ... officially." Bea whispered. "Henry never told me or Pez of Gran's orders. I learnt it through Philip when he forcibly came into our apartments and conducted a thorough search of both of our rooms. I told Pez when he brought me here." Bea was careful not to mention Henry's note to her. She needed to keep it up her sleeve, just in case her mother failed.

"Beatrice." Her mother's tone was softer than she had ever heard it before. "Stay here with Percy. I shall have Miranda pack you a bag and have it delivered. First, I am going to deal with your brother and your grandmother. Then I am personally going to call President Claremont. It is high time the two of us got acquainted and then, we will be travelling to the US. As soon as we arrive, I will be demanding to see my son."

"Mum, Gran will not approve the travel for us to go to the US." Bea argued with her mother. Catherine was angry and fired up. She was glad that her mother seemed to be back from her grief-stricken state, but she had been gone a long time. "Henry has had to fight numerous battles and jump through ridiculous hoops, to visit on official state business, let alone when he is needed to visit for any of his charities, or to spend time with Alex. She always demands something from him in return. A small part of his soul."

"Do not fret, my dear Beatrice." Pez grinned at the mother and child. "We will take my plane. She cannot stop either of you if you're travelling with me. Hazza and I use this loophole all the time. It is one of the reasons I purchased my own plane. I got sick of her manipulating Henry."

"Percy, we couldn't possibly." Catherine tried to argue. "Really, I am positive we will be able to use the royal jet."

"Nonsense, plus, I can get you both into the country without the media's attention to the royal jet." Pez supplied and the case felt like it was closed.

"Mum, what makes you so sure that Henry is in the US?" Bea asked. She was sure that June and Nora would not lie to her and Percy about Alex or Henry's whereabouts and they would know if the two of them were in their country. "June and Nora are our friends too, they would tell us if Henry was in the US. Even if Hen didn't want us to know he was with Alex."

Catherine smiled widely at her daughter and her son's best friend. "Shaan Srivastava may be Henry's equerry now. But he was your father's equerry before that, and he is a consummate professional. He would never have left the country if he knew Henry was missing. So, either he doesn't know Henry is missing, or he knows where he is or knows that he is safe."

"Speaking of equerries; with Shaan on holidays, and James filling in for Shaan. How is it that James is not aware that Henry is missing yet?" Bea pondered aloud and Pez grinned. "If he knew, he would have already gone to Philip to rat Henry out and Philip would be blowing up my mobile, looking for answers. Or ratting him out to Gran."

June was floored, before her anger became palpable. She could not believe the nerve of the Queen. Threatening Henry's very existence if he did not immediately end the relationship. She was not surprised that Henry had fought for Alex, to no avail. That it had taken a threat to Alex's wellbeing for Henry to concede to her wishes. All because of Alex's gender, sexual orientation and race.

Zahra and Shaan exchanged a look of sorrow with June. "You understand of course, for your own protection from the Crown, we cannot tell you exactly where either of them are. Just that they both made this decision and they both are safe." Zahra reiterated to June and Nora.

"For that reason and that reason alone, that I am not rioting right now." June seethed at Zahra. "I cannot believe that you would think that it would be better for us to believe that Alex is ok." Turning to Shaan, her glare narrowed. "Please tell me that Henry ending the relationship was a ruse because if I find out that he broke my brother's heart again ..."

"I'm afraid it was a necessary was a ruse." Shaan confirmed in a sigh. "We needed the media to see both Henry and Alex in a heartbroken state because at the end of my employment with the Crown, it will be leaked to the media that the Queen has orchestrated their break-up due to her xenophobic and homophobic ways."

"I can organize for you two to see them at the lake house, once the media hype of their break-up dies down." Zahra tried to placate the younger two.

"What happens when Pez or Bea come here looking?" Nora asked Shaan. "Bea and June are ninety-six-point two percent identical in their love and protection of their younger brothers', respectively. If June thought she could get answers about Alex, she wouldn't hesitate to storm the gates at Kensington Palace in search of Alex."

"So, it is in the genes." Shaan muttered to Zhara. At the questioning gaze of the girls, Shaan pressed on. "I believe that Henry has ended things with Alex once before, and Alex stormed the gates, demanding to speak to Henry. That is how Cash and I got to know one another fairly well. That was a long night. Both men were shouting at one another, I am surprised that the noise did not wake His and Her Royal Highnesses, Prince Philip and Martha had been staying at the palace."

"Certainly, one of Alex's more crazy hair-brained ideas. It was impulsive and reckless of Alex." Cash confirmed. "It happened right after Henry left him at the lake house."

Both girls remembered Alex's heartbreak and his refusal to talk to either of them about it. When they had returned to DC, the girls had taken a date night to the multiplex, by themselves and upon their return, Alex had already gone.

"So, what now?" June suddenly asked. "What do we do now?"

"Nothing." Zahra hissed. "Nothing. I need you and Nora to pretend that everything is the status quo. No one knows that Alex is missing, and it needs to stay that way for as long as possible. For both of their sake's. Anyone asks about Alex, he is busy studying, as usual."

The boys settled into the domestic bliss of being around one another, 24/7. It was easy going for the two of them and they were enjoying one another's company. They had spent another night getting lost in one another, before sleeping of the remnants of the lovemaking from the previous night.

True to Alex's word, he had guided Henry on how to make a simple pasta dish of blistered tomatoes, onion, chorizo, smoked pancetta, oil and porcino cheese. He had taught Henry to ensure he saved a cup of the starchy liquid to add to the sauce, as well. Despite getting flustered, he had been proud o0f his efforts under Alex's tutelage and Alex had rewarded him with a kiss, as they shared the intimate meal and bottle of wine from the cellar.

That morning, Alex had put Henry in charge of breakfast again. This time, Henry had prepared a simple breakfast of juice and toast. At one point, he had looked over his shoulder and seen that Alex was preparing a small bowl of mixed seasonal fruits, alongside their respective mugs of tea and coffee. The two lovers had spent the morning out on the alfresco patio, enjoying their breakfast and the serenity of their locale, at their own pace.

After their breakfast, they spent the morning doing the laundry. After Henry confessed that he had never done laundry before, Alex had explained the finer points of doing laundry to his boyfriend. As their clothing mixed and turned throughout the washer, Henry sat mesmerized by the sight. Something he thought he would truly never see. His and Alex's clothing and underwear doing a soapy mambo together. Intertwining themselves in a tangled heap, as the material became clean, and the water became dirty.

"It's just our laundry, Baby." Alex reminded Henry, unsure of what his fascination was with the basic household chore of laundry.

"It's our laundry, love." Henry reiterated to his boyfriend. "This is the first time that our boxers have done the liquid limbo together."

"Oh." Alex realised that his boyfriend was right. Separate residences, meeting up in secret hotels, and living on separate continents meant separate laundry. Even though both men had previously had staff service their laundry, rather than do it themselves. Albeit, before Alex had moved into the White House, both he and June were experts at doing everything around the house for themselves, including laundry. "You're right. Do we need to keep supervising them, or can we leave them alone to figure it out? My boxers are designer, so they're smart and sexy."

The fact that Henry was a prince and didn't wear designer boxers made Alex grin. It been a source of teasing between the two men since their first night together because everything else about his princely boyfriend was designer. "Yeah, what about mine?" Henry asked his boyfriend in a flirtatious tone.

"Yours ..." Alex reached up and kissed Henry's left eyelid. "Absorb all of your extra smartness and sexiness from you." Another kiss to his right eyelid "And that means after we wash them, we have to start all over again."

"Is that so?" Henry coyly asked, as he looked down into Alex's adoring eyes, before kissing his lips tenderly and wanton.

"Yeah." Alex quipped. "It's a dirty job, but somebody has to do it." The last kiss they shared in the laundry deepened and Alex turned and led Henry backwards through the house and towards the bedroom.

When Zahra arrived at her desk, the following morning, she was surprised to see that Ellen had a request for a conference call from Her Royal Highness, Princess Catherine. She quickly texted her fiancé, who replied that he had heard from a colleague and that she was on a warpath with the Royal Family. In view of her future husband's intel, Zahra scheduled the call to go ahead at 10am, leaving her office to go and brief Ellen.

"Madam President, sorry for the intrusion." Zahra apologised, before slipping into the kitchen of the Residence. Ellen had scheduled the morning off, to allow her body clock to reset itself. She had flown in from Toyko late last night on Air Force One, from a summit and had thought she would be more jetlagged than she actually was. Leo was making Ellen a cup of tea, as Ellen was reading the daily security briefing.

"It's fine Zahra." She told her Chief of Staff and best friend of almost two decades. "What is it?"

"You have a conference request and I have a feeling it is not a diplomatic meeting." She announced softly. "Her Royal Highness Princess Catherine wishes to have a conference call with you this morning, ASAP. Says it's high time the two of you met. I have scheduled her in for 10am."

"Henry's mom?" Ellen asked and Zahra nodded. "Oh, my lord, what has that little shit of mine done now?" Ellen momentarily facepalmed her head in her hand. Her son was smart, but he could be just as stupid, especially when he let his emotions get the better of him. After how Alex had behaved around Henry at the wedding and their newly acquired relationship status, it was only been a matter of time before her son had done something else to offend the Royal Family. Zahra would have voiced the very same thoughts as her friend, if it had not been for the fact that she was in on the plan to help Henry escape the palace. She had been instrumental in making sure that Alex had been able to make a clean escape from here. But her best friend and boss, did not know that. Yet. "Is Alex at school, or on an engagement? I need to speak with him before I go into this meeting?"

"Neither; I am afraid." Zahra sighed; she just hoped she had a job after all of this. She knew it was time to come clean, well, semi-clean. Ellen still couldn't know what they had done. She didn't know Alex was missing and she was sure the President would go ballistic if she knew what had transpired to get them all to this point.

"Let me tell her, Zahra." June interrupted her from the kitchen doorway, joining them. "It's better coming from me. I am her daughter."

"What's going on, darlin'?" Ellen asked her daughter. Ellen's Texan twang always sounded stronger when she was speaking to her children, as a mom and not as the President.

"Mom, Leo." June paused and looked over at Zahra one more time. "Alex is missing. He gave his security the slip four days ago. Apparently, he and Henry have split up. Pez confirmed it when I spoke to him, yesterday."

June deliberately didn't mention that it was Henry who ended things. Her mother, although idealistic, was realistic too, she would automatically put two and two together and get four. Let that be an announcement for Henry's mom to make, June was refusing to add the gasoline to that fire. Maybe, just maybe if Ellen had been a bit more of a present parent in Alex's formative years, Alex would feel like he didn't constantly come second to her career. June was actually old enough to remember a time when her mom was a just a regular mom. The same could be said for their father too, although, in June's experience, Senator Diaz was a little more available for his children than the Govenor/Speaker of the House/ President mom has ever been. Unfortunately for both Claremont-Diaz children, neither of them had come out of the divorce of their parents, mentally unscathed. But Alex had suffered the most.

"Oh," Ellen sighed sadly, her mouth forming an o, as she spoke. Zahra and June waited with bated breath to see if Ellen bought their story of Alex's disappearance. "Is that all? Honey, he is having a tantrum because his boyfriend broke up with him. You know Alex, it's just an attention-seeking tantrum. He will be back in a day or two. He is probably just blowing off some steam with some of his school buddies."

Ellen dismissed herself to go get ready for the day leaving Leo, Zahra and June in the kitchen. "It's such a shame about Alex and the Prince, seemed like they were going to make it, for a while." Leo sighed. "I hope they're both ok." He added, before leaving for his office, where he has been working on his personal pet project. A scholarship fund for disadvantaged families.

"Pro tip one, Zahra." June hissed at the Chief of Staff who looked like she was a moment away from panicking. "Mom will always think the worst of Alex and before you say anything else, let me remind you that you do it too. So does Leo and Dad. The only people who don't is me, Henry, and sometimes Nora. In this case, we can use it to our advantage, so relax. She thinks Alex is sulking or blowing of steam with his 'buddies'. Although, I am pretty sure that Nora, Bea, Pez, Henry and I are his only friends, but anyway. Pro tip number two: don't offer up any additional information and don't ask any questions you don't already know the answer to."

After some rest and a late lunch, Percy escorted Bea back to Kensington Palace and into Bea's office, at the insistence of Henry's mom. It was almost time for Catherine's call to Ellen. Catherine had left earlier in the day, claiming she needed to "Get the ball roll." Bea and Pez had privately speculated what her mother had meant by that, but she hadn't given them much to work with.

"What are you hoping to achieve by calling her?" Bea asked their mother, as her and Pez sat in Catherine's office. "Isn't this subject delicate? Shouldn't it be a face-to-face meeting?"

"Beatrice." Her mother admonished her lightly. "This is the game of diplomacy and politics. There is an unspoken set of rules that must be followed."

"Bea, it is the same in the world of business and NGOs." Percy threw in for good measure. "There is a certain set of customs or rules that must be followed. For example, when in South Korea for business, it's common for South Koreans to expect their guests to engage in noraebang, or karaoke. If you join your Korean colleagues for dinner, you might find yourself at a karaoke establishment, and you'll be expected to sing. In Brazil, you can expect a complete invasion of personal space when doing business in Brazil. While it could be considered impolite, standing extremely close and using lots of physical contact while talking in Brazil is customary. The typical reaction might be to back away, but those who do risk losing out on a potential business relationship since backing away is considered disrespectful. Knowing your cultural business etiquette is key."

"So, we are just going to be calling?" Bea enquired. "Calling up the president of the USA and discussing Henry and Alex's disappearance like you'd discuss the weather?"

"You telephone first, get that face-to-face appointment on the books. Meet face to face and make your demands." Catherine advised her daughter. She may have been absent since her husband's death, but Catherine remembered the way to get things done. It had been indoctrinated into her from the moment she could talk. "Do not worry, Darling. I can handle this. Who do you think used to negotiate your father's huge Hollywood blockbuster contracts with the production companies in the US? It is like riding a bike, you don't forget, right Percy?"

"No, my Queen." Percy smart mouthed to her, and Catherine playfully swatted at him.

"Not yet my dear Percy." She tsked him. "Not yet."