TPASD 31
No one else was awake when he slipped back into the house. The door had been left unlocked. Most likely by Leo, who knew that Alex had left the house. His parents would have had no qualms about locking him out of the house. He knew their rules, and Oscar nor Ellen, weren't likely to concede on them, now they were adults.
The open door, and the two dry towels and robe made Alex certain that it was Leo, and not his mother or father.
Leo was the one that always made sure that Alex could get back in the house after he would storm off to regulate his feelings. Leo would always be the one who would make sure either there was a key left out, or the door was unlocked. A couple of times he had even waited up for Alex to return, just to check in and make sure he was ok. One time, when Alex was seventeen and had stormed out after an argument, he had missed his curfew and Leo had been the parent that was worried the most. he had driven around the neighborhood looking for Alex. He finally found Alex at the playground by their home. Alex was asleep on the merry go round and the tear tracks had been evident on Alex's face. His eyes puffy. But he and Leo never discussed it. Leo just gently woke him and got him into the car and back inside their home.
Leo was always there for him, like that. Tonight was clearly no exception.
After sopping up the excess water off his body and stripping off, he hung his boxer shorts over the line to dry. Making sure to take an extra moment to peg them on the line. Usually he just left them, but with the wind picking up, he didn't feel like chasing his lost boxer shorts. Wrapping his now naked body in the terry towelling robe, he headed straight to the bathroom and into a warm shower.
Living in the cooler climate of London had taught Alex that when he got a good drenching of cold rain, that a warm shower could ease the chill and help him feel tired enough to sleep.
Climbing into bed beside Henry and curling up next to his English prince, Alex let out a soft sigh.
Henry turned in his arms and started nuzzling Alex's neck in his sleepy state. "You're freezing, love." Henry hummed, before pulling Alex closer to him, in order to both be near him and share his body heat with his beautiful, loudmouthed Texan boyfriend.
Henry was awake now. He rolled over and faced Alex. Seeing Alex's dark curls were wet, Henry reached out and gently eased a rogue curl off Alex's face. "Sorry, I woke you, Hen." Alex whispered into the darkness.
"Alex?" Henry asked, seeing the outline of Alex beside him tense up, as he apologised to Henry. "What is it, love?"
"Mom and Dad had an argument tonight. About me. About what happened, you know, back then." Alex admitted in a small voice. "They were blaming each other, Hen. I … I blew up at them … told them it was my fault."
Alex felt a tear form in the corner of his eye. Dammit! He had thought he would finally been able to control when he cries about this, now that he'd told his family the truth.
"Love, it's not your fault." Henry gently admonished him. "Do you remember what I told you? He is a predator; you were still a child. Not your fault. That hasn't changed."
Henry gripped Alex tighter in his arms, letting Alex let his tears fall. He didn't mention the tears this time. He didn't want Alex feeling ashamed of his tears, or feeling emasculated because he was crying. Henry knew he had shed his own tears over his own sexual encounter with an older man, and knew the strong emotions it could invoke in someone. Henry had been of legal age, Alex had not.
"Feels like it." Alex sobbed, trying to move closer to Henry for more comfort. Henry felt like Alex was trying to climb inside his skin. "Dad … it felt like he was slut-shaming me. Mom, while defending me, still wasn't getting it all. Her anger was solely focused on dad. I snapped at them both and stormed out."
"Where?" Henry asked him softly, concerned Alex had left the safety of the Lake House in such an emotional state.
"I stormed out onto the pier and screamed." Alex confessed in a whisper.
Henry frowned; Alex had confessed like what he did was somehow taboo. Even though, so far, Henry thought his family were really wonderful and supportive. Albeit loose cannons in their own rights, in terms of dysfunction. However, they had nothing on Henry's own family. So, he wasn't in a position to judge them too harshly
"I didn't think, I just dove right into the cold water and swam." Henry frowned again at Alex's words. "Relax, Hen. I've been swimming in this lake since I was ten. There's nothing in there that can hurt me. It's not a tidal lake and I know where all the debris is. It's the wrong time of year for an algae bloom. I know it like the back of my hand. Swam out to the sandbar."
"Alex, that's a fair distance." Henry chastised lightly, remembering spying the sandbar in the distance when they had arrived. Henry was worried about Alex. Worried Alex was punishing himself as a way to taper his emotions down and make them fit inside him, rather than let him work through them in a healthy way.
"Lucky for you, I used to be a champion swimmer." Alex quipped, giving Henry his best shit-eating grin.
Leaning up, Alex kissed Henry softly. Henry was happy to reciprocate, but not letting Alex take things further.
Henry knew personally the toll was, of using sex as a coping mechanism. That was the equivalent of his slutty Oxford era. Although Pez remembers that time fondly, and Henry had fun. Once Henry had unpacked it with his therapist, it had resulted in almost a complete mental breakdown.
He didn't want Alex to have to go through that pain too.
Sitting around the breakfast table, the tension was so thick you could carve it up with a carving knife and serve it as a side dish to the Huevos a la Mexicana Oscar had prepared, the bacon that Ellen had grilled and the pancakes and fruit that Leo had prepared.
No one was prepared to break the tense silence. Out of the parents that was. Nora and June had been nudging one another, clearly both wanting to say something and opting for the other one to bring it up. Alex just sat in silence, and kept a hand on Henry's thigh, drawing mental strength from him.
Gabriella was the only one filling the silence with her baby babbles, as she happily sat on Leo's knee. She was playing with her eggs more than eating them, but Alex was taking that as a win. She was trying the texture and she didn't hate it. That was a win for both of them. Seeing Henry catch Alex's eye and his wide smile, Alex amended his initial thought. It was a win for all three of them.
"If no one is going to say anything, I am going to start." Shaan announced, breaking the tension filled silence. "I have been in discussions with my wife Zahra, along with Catherine and a close colleague of Zahra's here in the States. It is our understanding, from what we have learnt that if we intend to pursue any kind of action against Mr Ramos, we need to be in the state where the assault occurred. I am sorry, Alex. I know California is probably the last place you need to be right now, on a mental level. However, from a legal standpoint …"
"I know, thank you Shaan." Alex sighed, but he was genuine and he meant what he said. Shaan had become a confidant somewhere along the way. Another blessing that Henry had brought into his life. "I appreciate it."
"Alex, I do not know if you are aware, but my wife is an ex-pat like you." Shaan smiled warmly at the prince's boyfriend. "She hails from Euless, in Dallas. A Texan like you. She went to school at the Southern Methodist University and completed her law degree at UT Austin."
"I knew she was American." Alex murmured, smiling that a fellow Texan believed him and wanted to help fight for him. "But I didn't realise …"
"Zahra is currently on a flight out of London, Alex." Shaan smiled at Alex, seeing that Alex was taking some comfort in the knowledge that someone outside their circle believed him.
"Is … she ok to travel?" Henry interjected worrying for his equerry's wife, knowing Zahra was almost six months pregnant. "I don't want her to endanger your child."
Shaan smiled at Henry's concern and care, far beyond what one would expect when his employer was the Crown. Looking over at Alex, the same concern was etched on his face, and it made Shaan feel like they legitimately cared.
"I agree with Henry." Alex said, vehemently. "I really appreciate Zahra, and everything she has already done for me. But we don't want her or your unborn baby in any more danger."
"Thank you both for your kind concern, but I assure you a doctor has cleared them both to travel." Shaan gave them a reassuring smile, before adding. "Besides, I guess travelling to the States this close to the third trimester means that Zahra will get her wish. Our child will be born in the States."
"No!" Alex exclaimed, and Shaan and Henry both shot him a look. "The cost, Shaan! It's fucking expensive to have a baby here. Not like it is in the UK with the NHS."
Alex had read and heard the horror stories of people who literally went bankrupt from the medical bills. Especially if something unexpectedly went wrong. Like if the birthing person needed to have a C-section, or if the baby needed to stay in the NICU.
"Thank you for your concern, but it's something we've planned for, Alex." Shaan reassured him. Shaan remembered that Gabriella had been born prematurely and needed intense medical intervention. Knowing Alex the way he did, after all this time, Shaan determined that Alex had once gone down a research spiral and had discovered the cost. "Zahra is bar certified in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. Her company has offices in each of those states and be rest assured, her insurance has excellent coverage. We will be ok."
"Ok." Alex conceded. He would let it go. Didn't mean he had to like it.
Looking around at his family, it was his dad that was the first to voice the collective thought of the rest of the room. "So, we go to California." Oscar announced. Just like that. "Now, I only have a one bedroom in San Diego, so we're going to need to sort out some living arrangements."
"I have an office building in the city." Leo added, looking at Ellen. "My company has an apartment there. I'll call and see if it's available. It should be though, I'm the only one who uses it."
"My grandparents on my Mom's side live in Corondo, near the naval base. I am sure that my Grandma would love to put June and I up for however long we need to." Nora declared, just like that. As if it was done deal.
"I guess that just leaves us." Henry murmured, looking over at Shaan.
"For security purposes, the PPOs will need their own place, preferably nearby." Shaan threw in, and Alex let out a sigh. He was afraid of this. Afraid that they would separate Alex and Henry because of security concerns.
"What if …" Henry stopped and looked at Shaan carefully. "What if you and Zahra stayed with Alex, Gabriella and I? Then the PPOs wouldn't need to hover so much. We would need a building with a security desk and strict protocols."
"Preferably, somewhere close to everyone else." Alex muttered.
"What about my building, Mijos?" Oscar asked. "I can call the front desk and see what apartments are vacant. It's high security and no one gets in without authorisation. They're super strict. Clarke runs the security. He is former secret service and he is a high level Navy vet. I think he was a General."
"See what's available please, Senator Diaz." Shaan requested. "If you could be so kind as to get me the specs, of whatever is available, I can have the Crown expedite the final approval and run the necessary checks on their security team."
Oscar nodded, and immediately went to work and made some calls. By the time he had returned, his PA had managed to secure not one, but six apartments at the end of the corridor on Oscar's level, which was the top floor. One for Shaan and his wife. One for Alex, Henry and Gabriella. One for June and Nora. One for the PPO's from England, and one for the security agents that Oscar, Ellen and Leo had privately hired. And they leased the last one so that there was no excuse for the company to lease out the last apartment. Meaning that no one besides them could be on the top floor.
Leo grinned widely, because his company's apartment was available and it was only two floors below Oscar's place. Leo hung up his own cell and grinned. "I have managed to secure the multipurpose meeting room on the top level as well for secure briefings." He smirked and winked at Oscar. "It's amazing how accommodating one can be when you mention Claremont and Diaz in the same sentence."
Henry offered Leo and Ellen the last apartment, but they politely declined.
June coughed to cover her relief at the physical distance between their parents. Looking over at Alex, he too looked relieved for the physical distance between them.
Shaan, on behalf of the Crown, Oscar, Leo and Ellen made an executive decision, in conjunction with Henry's PPOs and the private security, that they should make the move to California, sooner rather than later. The sooner they can get into the state and get settled, the sooner they can get down to work.
With the royal jet having flown back to the UK two days ago, Leo pulled some strings and manages to get them his company's private jet and his company's pilot. Both the private security and Henry's PPOs determine that a private jet is less of a safety threat than the domestic flight on Southwest Airways flight SWX328, nonstop to San Diego.
It also allows Henry and Alex in particular to take the things that they brought with them from London for Gabriella, like her pack and play, as well as her carseat, her sit n spin, as well as everything they need for her to be continuing her therapies.
It doesn't take them long to get everything together and get on the road. Much in the same configuration that Henry and Alex, and the girls arrived. Leo and Ellen meet them at the airport, with a small detour to their home to pick up some additional clothing. Oscar just collects all of the dirty laundry sitting waiting to be washed and throws it into an additional suitcase, so he can deal with it (and return to its respective owner) in San Diego.
Alex sat on the sofa with Gabriella, doing his daughter's therapies, while Henry and the girls helped Oscar prepare the lake house for non-use. Outdoor patio furniture gets moved inside. Hammock gets packed up. Boat gets dry-docked onto it's trailer and stored in the old barn, now storage shed in case of an end of season storm coming through unexpectedly. The temporary clothes line gets packed away. Slip covers go on the furniture and the cotton covers go over the made beds. Shutters get closed and gas mains get turned off. Refrigerator and freezer is emptied of all food, and what can be stored in the barn's deep freeze goes out there. What can't, gets boxed up and dropped off at the homeless shelter on their way out of town. Power mains to the house is the last thing to be switched off. Then the small back up power is switched on to the external barn, the guest cottage turned security hub and the house alarm gets armed. A final walk through of the property is conducted and mentally checked off Oscar's list, before they head off.
Oscar took his own vehicle to the homeless shelter, to drop the food off, before heading over to Leo and Ellen's house, to hitch a ride with them to the airport.
By the time the three parents arrived, the plane was loaded and Shaan, and his wife, Zahra, who had just landed in Austin, the girls, Gabriella, Alex and Henry had already boarded. The ground staff loaded the last of the bags on and they boarded one by one. Quick introductions to Zahra was made and in a strange twist of events; Ellen and Zahra had worked together many years ago in the same firm. Back when Zahra was an intern, in her third year of law school. Ellen had been one of the managing partners and preparing to make her jump into politics.
The take-off was smooth and swift, and the flight was peaceful. Gabriella napped for the most part, before waking and Ellen took her for some granddaughter bonding time. Henry and Alex snuggled in together, taking advantage of their kid free moment. Still keeping it chaste, and definitely kid friendly because they were seated opposite Oscar and Leo who were talking in low voices.
The almost three-hour flight was over before they realised it, and Leo had organised for a minibus to take them to the apartments. Oscar offered to drive, but Shaan reminded him that it is the duty of one of the PPOs to drive.
Up on the fifteenth floor, building security, alongside the PPOs and Cash and Amy swept the entire floor for any threats, completed their threat analysis and assessment, and swept for any bugs such as listening devices, signal jammers or RDIF cloners.
Finding nothing, Oscar delegated apartments, putting Alex and Henry across the hall from him, Shaan and Zahra to the left of the boys and Gabriella, the English PPOs to the right. Cash and Amy were opposite Shaan and Zahra, with June and Nora opposite the English PPOs. The meeting room and empty apartment were at the dead end of the hallway. However, with no stairwell at that end of the corridor, and PPOs at either end of the corridor, they were considered secure too.
Not that there was a physical threat as such, but it was only a matter of time until the media worked out where Henry was hiding.
By unspoken agreement, it was decided that they would have a working dinner of pizza and start to brainstorm and strategize a plan, now they were all safely back in San Diego.
The apartment the boys were in, was almost a cookie cutter apartment, the same layout as Oscar's and the PPO's. Whilst Shaan and Zahra and June and Nora had only one-bedroom apartments, the rest of the apartments on the floor were two bedrooms. Henry and Alex opted not to set Gabriella up in the spare room, just for that first night. Given it was the second strange environment in three days for her.
Instead, Alex set her up, just in front of the giant walk in robe in one corner of the room. The rooms were extra-large, and it was clear that when Oscar had organised it, he had kept in mind that they were two fully grown men and had made sure they had a Californian King size bed, so their feet didn't hang off the edge.
While Alex got Gabriella's bedding set up, Henry laid on the bed with her, playing with her. All Alex could hear was her little cute baby babble, a sound he was ever so grateful to hear. They had warned him, back in the hospital when she was born that she might never babble, due to her severe prematurity.
But to Alex, her little cute baby babble was the sweetest sound he had ever heard. It made his heart burst with pride, hearing her having fun with Henry.
With the camp highchair that Alex had snagged and packed from the lake house tucked under one arm, Alex and Henry had made their way down the hallway to the meeting room, hand in hand, with Gabriella on Henry's hip. The pizzas were hot, having just arrived and Shaan and Cash had gone down to greet the delivery man. No one was allowed up on the fifteenth floor without a swipe card for the elevator and the stairwell was locked from the 14th floor. Every single adult had a swipe card, as well as a physical key, in case of an emergency for the stairwell. But for the safety and privacy of them all, this was the best solution they had.
After dinner, Shaan's cell phone rang, and he stepped out to answer it. Arriving back only minutes later, with Philip of all people in tow. "Hello all," He greeted them, making his way straight to Henry and Gabriella. Dropping his voice, he asked immediately, if the three of them were ok. Care and concern etched on Philip's face as clear as a sunshining day.
Henry was stunned to see Philip in person, standing in front of him. Last time Philip and Henry had been in the same room, was five nights ago. The night of that fateful dinner, where Henry had left instead of following through on his base instinct and punching his brother in the mouth.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Henry asked, although it came out more like a demand. Subconsciously, it just may have been one.
"I thought you might be happy to see me." Philip replied gently. Looking around the room and feeling he was in a fishbowl. Not wanting to be a spectacle or a sideshow attraction when he apologised further and more in depth, he gave them a small princely smile. "Perhaps we could discuss this further in private, later on. For now, I am here to help. Put me to work."
"Well, welcome." Oscar grinned. "Your Royal Highness, I have just the job for you."
Oscar suspected by some of the palpable tension between Alex and Philip, and Philip and Henry that there was tension there. Figuring it was very much like a 'he and Ellen when they were first divorced' scenario, it would be wise to keep them apart.
"Perfect." Philip beamed clapping his hands together, enthusiastic to get started. He was eager to help. "Lead the way, Senator and please, call me Philip."
"Oscar." Oscar stuck out his hand to offer the heir to the throne his hand.
Oscar took him over to the desk, where Leo was sitting; trusting Leo to take the rogue prince under his wing and show him how to check his donor financial records for any trace of any cash from Miguel Ramos or Balik Mashir, the man who claimed to be Miguel's uncle. The one who had supposedly been such a major donor to his campaign that Oscar had subconsciously turned a blind eye to his son.
Philip had looked up twice to say sorry and he'd caught Henry and Alex not looking, well not just looking at him. They were definitely looking at each other. Alex and Henry were having a hushed conversation in the corner. They weren't even saying anything verbally to one another; just looking and it took Philip's brain a minute or two to catch on that they were having a silent conversation. Most likely about him. About his presence here. His motives.
That was ok too. If he was Henry, he wouldn't trust him either. He hadn't yet proved his worth.
Approaching his brother, with questioning eyes and a firm tight-lipped look on his face, Philip flinched slightly. He wasn't sure his presence was welcomed just yet by either man. Henry seemed to be angry, and surprisingly, Alex seemed to be the voice of reason. He had seen Henry angry before, he had seen Henry upset before. But this version of Henry, he had never seen before, and it slightly terrified him.
"I think we best talk now." Henry huffed, and Alex nudged him to continue. "Frankly, I don't trust your presence here, or your motives. But it's Alex, who wants me to give you the benefit of the doubt. So, I am going to. However, if you screw me or Alex over, I will kill you."
"Hen-" Alex warned. Alex wanted Henry to give his brother a chance. He could see that this was not the same Philip from the other night. This one genuinely seemed to care.
"No, that's fair Alex." Philip conceded, hurt and accepting. Philip felt like Henry was justified, so he tempered down his instinct to argue. "Look, I know I have been a right arsehole to you Hen. To both of you, actually. For that, I cannot begin to apologise enough. I am in therapy, and it's a process. But I've been talking to Mum, and to Bea, and to Martha. And even to your surprise, I have been talking with your friend Percy. He introduced me to someone from the shelter. I listened to them, Hen. I listened to their story, and it broke me. He was tortured and held in his home against his will by his mother, for simply being gay. He didn't stand a chance. He only escaped because some Muppet on the floor above fell asleep with a cigarette on the sofa and it caught alight."
As Philip continued to tell Henry and Alex the story about the person he met at the shelter. Alex and Henry shared a look, they both recognised the story as belonging to sixteen-year-old Simon. He had been at the shelter for two years now, he was fourteen back then. That had been the first case Alex had tried for them. He championed for Simon's emancipation.
He had been adopted shortly after the emancipation trial. The judge had decided against the emancipation on psychological grounds but had gotten both parents to sign away their parental rights to him. He was officially made a ward of the state of New York. Henry and Pez's shelter had been working with his adoptive family to ensure a cohesive transition for him. Henry and Alex had ensured he had all of the resources he needed in case things got messy again. But so far, it was working well. Simon was blossoming with his new family and had returned to the centre repeatedly, in order to give back. Now he runs their three-on-three basketball comps on the weekends.
"I promise you, both of you, I have changed. I am changing. Just let me help." Philip pleaded, desperately. "Do you know why it took so long for Mum and Bea to issue their statements after you made yours, Henry? They were caught off guard. I read your statement and some of the press surrounding it. I went on social media and read the people's commentary. Most was pleasant, but the blind hatred and bigotry that some people had for you, for both of you. People who didn't even know you.
It astounded me. I felt anger, mostly. Angry at people for daring to judge you both, without knowing the facts. Angry at how you shouldn't have had to defend yourselves against the media, just for falling in love. That a straight person would never be forced to make a statement defending their sexuality. Then I felt angry at myself. I was part of it. My anger was just like theirs. You both deserve none of it.
Just as I was coming to terms with everything that was happening, realising I had failed to notify Mum and Bea of what I had done in a fit of anger, this clown comes out with this garbage. Please, I know I haven't given you any reason to trust me, but please, I am begging you. Let me help."
Henry checked in with Alex with a simple look. Alex looked at Henry, he was going to follow his lead here. Henry gave him a small shrug.
"What's the worst that could happen?" Henry asked.