"A Thousand Points of Light"
Author: carmen_085
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters from James Cameron's Titanic, not any real people. I do not own Titanic or any characters from the movie. I do own all original characters.
Summary: Fifth Officer Harold Lowe and Titanic's Nurse Clara Barnett lives become intertwined on the ship's maiden voyage when a young drifter is brutally beaten.
NSFW- Explicit scene this chapter, you been warned
Chapter Eleven
When she opened her eyes the room was dark and she wondered how long she'd been asleep. Blinking a few times she also had no idea where the hell she was; clearly it was a ship as she recognized the white metal fixtures and porthole style window. Clara's first thought was that she was on the Titanic and last night had been nothing but a bad dream. It came back to her then in sharp, painful detail; the iceberg, Hockley trying to lock her below deck, Lightoller, Harry, the lifeboat….the freezing water…the dead. She gasped sharply covering her mouth and realizing for the first time that she wasn't alone.
On the floor sitting against the wall was Harry. Still wearing his work boots they were now untied with his pants wrinkled and stained from the salt and nothing more than a navy t shirt on top bearing the name of the White Star Line. His hair was mussed, his face was drawn, and his eyes were closed although it was hard for her to believe that he was actually asleep. He looked so uncomfortable and as if on cue his eyes opened and fell on her. For a moment they just stared at one another both utterly astounded that they had arrived in this moment. They'd only known each other for five days, in most other situations having these feelings would make them insane. But since the moment they met under that ring of light on the stern of the grandest ship in the world; they had been drawn to each other. Irresistible and magnetic their connection was instant and all consuming. And now, despite only having known each other for less than a week, the only thing they knew for sure was that they never wanted to be apart again.
Clara couldn't stop the tears as her eye brows knit together and she whispered, "Harry…"
The sound of her raspy voice snapped him out of the stupor he was in as he rose to his feet and crossed the room in one step, kneeling in front of the bed. His face painted with a mixture of emotions too complex to identify let alone understand.
"Clara…" his voice broke and she opened her arms with Harry instantly responding by taking her into his. Lips pressed to her ear he shook his head. "I'm so, so sorry." She squeezed him tighter letting him know there was nothing to be sorry for. Shit happened, it's just the way that it was. Nothing about last night had been within their control.
She wanted to cry, to fall apart now that she was safe and in the arms of someone she trusted. But she couldn't, the only thing she felt was pure relief that against all odds they'd arrived in this moment. There would be time afterward to try and understand how this had happened, to learn what the other had done to survive. Right now it was just them and Clara wanted nothing more than that. When she spoke her voice was raspy and strained, "Stay here…please."
The narrow twin mattress dipped beside her as he kicked off his boots. Harry knew that Clara wasn't a naive woman; she'd lived on her own for some time now and had been surviving long before last night. Still, he held back from sliding beneath the blankets, it seemed too forward for this moment. It was nothing like that right now, just two people desperately seeking the comfort of each other. Regardless they were pressed against one another, their foreheads resting just inches away she placed a hand on the back of his neck gently tangling her fingers in his hair.
And that was when everything he'd been holding together inside broke.
His entire body began to shake. "Ah…." The syllable escaped his mouth in something akin to a whimper as he tried everything he could to bring himself back under control. All his life he'd been in control- carefully so- even when he exploded with that temper of his he was always quick to reel himself back in. But the more the tried to force himself still the worse the trembling became.
Instantly Clara pushed him aside freeing the wool blankets and tucking him underneath beside her. "Are you cold ?" She felt his bare arms rubbing her own hands against the skin. He was warm, his clothes were dry; her nurse brain quickly concluding that this wasn't hypothermia. "Harry ?" He didn't respond as he grit his teeth trying to stop what was happened. For a moment Clara felt helpless her hands on either side of his chest trying to steady him if she could. Her memory kicked into overdrive; it couldn't be a seizure she'd seen that before, he wasn't cold, he….
She stopped gasping softly, a memory coming to her of a man that had survived an accident with a street car. So common in New York, she'd certainly seen many who had NOT survived as well. This man, however, had and as he lay on the gurney with them going over him he shook nearly out of control despite it being the middle of summer. She'd never seen it before and after it was all over and he'd calmed down and been stabilized she worked up the courage to ask one of the doctors what had just happened. An old Irish doctor, he shrugged and replied in his thick brogue, 'Adrenaline'. The fight or flight response that one works up in the heat of the moment washing itself out of the body sometimes violently so. Normally it happened immediately afterwards….this…this delay of an entire day, this uncontrollable undoing of one of the most controlled men she'd ever met; it was terrifying. It then dawned on her the magnitude of what he'd gone through last night and the many hours that he'd been forced to control everything he felt pushing it down until it exploded all at once.
She knew then what she had to do and without hesitation she wrapped her arms around him tucking his face into the crook of her neck as she rubbed his back soothingly. "Shhh..it's alright. It's adrenaline from last night…don't fight it, ok." He tensed even more, the realization of what was happening frightening him more than an actual medical event. "Harry it's just me."
Forcing himself to take a deep breath Harry let whatever the fuck this was just happen. In all the close calls and chaos he's faced at sea somehow this had been his undoing. Perhaps it was the magnitude of the disaster, or the sea of deceased passengers, but more than anything else he knew….it was the first time he actually had something to lose. Someone. Not since he'd crawled out of his bedroom window all those years ago and ran away to the sea had he cared about anything but himself.
Closing her eyes Clara let him take what he needed from her. Alternately his grip tightened and loosened as her fingers found their way back to the hair in the nape of his neck. Gently she stroked her fingers there massaging circles into the tight muscle. He began to calm as he took a deep breath sagging against her utterly spent by such a release of tension. "I can't imagine the things you had to see and do last night…" She trailed off, her voice now not much more than a croaking whisper. "We don't have to talk about it now….or ever…." Harry shuddered, no one in his entire life had ever given such space to just be. To exist just as he was. "I'm here…always I'm right here."
He wanted to tell her, to spill his guts right there and confess every single thing he'd felt as he watched more than a thousand people freeze to death. Still part of him was utterly ashamed of how weak he was just now. He hadn't been the only one who suffered last night and she had been through her own horror, some of which he didn't yet know. While he was in a dry boat she was in the water fighting for her life, clinging to an overturned collapsible. Harry didn't know all the details but he did know that Lightoller saved her life. After using every last ounce of strength he had left he saw each passenger off the overturned collapsible and onto the Carpathia before hoisting Clara onto the cargo net forcing her upward in front of him. Only when she was safe and in the ship's make shift infirmary did he collapse into a chair falling unconscious himself.
That was how Harry found them both, falling to his knees at the foot of Clara's bed and sobbing into the sheets. She looked so weak and frail, her temperature dangerously low what little medical staff they had tended to her. Blankets and hot water bottles, tea, and whiskey; it was all they had and Harry swore he didn't breathe until the color returned to her cheeks. Still unconscious and with nothing more to do but rest, Harry carried her from the dining room and to a private cabin in second class, many of the Carpathia's passengers having given up their own rooms for survivors . And that was where he sat and waited watching the sun pass the portal window before it finally dissolved into darkness. And in all that time only one thought entered his mind. If she didn't wake up he would kill himself. He'd would have scoffed at such a notion before but not now. After what he saw and what he did, if he lost her too there would be no reason left for him to go on.
When she finally did open her eyes he thought he was dreaming, something good couldn't possibly happen to him. Not after he'd been just as careless as the rest of them with the lives of everyone aboard. Yes he'd slowed down, yes he'd made his concern known more than once, but what did he actually do ? Nothing. And still she had come back to him; alive and still just the same as before. He should have been holding her, assuring her that he would never leave her side again, coaxing the sordid details of last night from her and soothing them away with promises he would swear to always keep. But no- his body had betrayed him breaking apart under the unbearable tension reducing him to a quivering pathetic mess.
Harry rolled onto his back readjusting himself. Snaking his arm around her shoulders he pulled her beside him as she automatically placed a hand on his chest. Reaching up he tangled his fingers in her long dark hair raking them back and forth as he sighed. Pushing away his obvious feelings of shame and inadequacy, he truly knew he was the luckiest man alive right. This woman beside him was amazing in every way accepting him just as he was and caring for him disregarding her own needs to see to his. He knew he loved her, had known it the first time he saw her, and he'd intended to tell her as much the minute he laid eyes on her again. But now that the moment was here he worried she might think they were both caught up in the enormity of the sinking and reacting on those intense emotions and not expressing what he actually felt. There could be no doubt when he said that and for that reason he elected to say something even more meaningful, given their current situation.
"Thank you"
For understanding. For being so kind. For caring. For finding him that one night almost a week ago, beginning the most dizzying intense five days of his entire life. But most of all for surviving and being just the same- fearless and unapologetically herself.
"Thank you, Harry. For finding me." He paused knowing she meant their first night and also tonight. Squeezing her tighter he sighed as they both fell asleep to steady hum of the ship.
It was barely dawn when he woke with a start, Harry blinking his eyes and then struggling to focus. Instantly he remembered where he was and what had transpired the night before. Embarrassment shot through him as he swallowed hard, would she think different of him in the light of day ? Just as quickly as that idea came to him he dismissed it. This was Clara- no one knew him or saw him the way she did.
Carefully Harry slid out from her grasp not wanting to wake her as she clearly needed the rest. He, however, needed to get some air. At some point he would need to get a new set of clothes, but for now this would have to do. Silently he tugged on his wool sweater and boots as he slipped from the cabin shutting the door behind him. The Carpathia was nothing like the Titanic, a small steamer all of her appointments were much more basic and worn. Paint was chipped in places, curtains were faded, the carpets were flattened and stained. He wasn't complaining, Harry could care less about such things, it just struck him as ironic. Once enjoying all the power and luxury man could provide, they were now reduced to this. Another reminder of what fools they were to tempt the hand of fate.
The boat deck was quiet at this hour and as Harry strolled along the rail his thoughts inevitably began to wander. He should be elated right now, the constant wailing and sobbing of those not so lucky echoing throughout the corridors. Harry leaned against the railing folding his hands he closed his eyes.
Frozen bodies, eyes open in horror, mouthes twisted in never ending agony. Screaming, crying….begging and pleading. Searching every face for hers. Knowing when he did find her it would be no one's fault but his own….
His eyes snapped open as he inhaled sharply. Had he not been so lost in thought he would have heard the click of dress shoes approaching. His heart raced as he struggled to contain the emotion that was surely on his face.
"Can't sleep ?" Lightoller's voice was rough and lacking its usual bite. In another life
Harry may have had a sarcastic comeback. He was silent as he bent down coming to his forearms dipping his face and shaking his head.
"Keeping my eyes open seems far less frightening than the alternative." Lightoller regarded him quietly before nodding. Aside from the few hours he'd fallen unconscious in the infirmary, he himself had not had any rest either. The mournful wails of all those lost ringing in his ears.
Coming to rest his own elbows against the rail he joined his junior officer in staring out at the sea. "I still can't get my head around it either…" Again Harry might have had a regrettable comeback saying something to the effect of cranking a ship at max speed through an ice field…what did you bloody expect ? But he didn't because at the end of the day not even he thought this would actually happen. No matter how illogical it was, a small part of him still believed the Titanic to be unsinkable. They all did, every single one of them them, and when they landed in New York he was sure there would be questions he couldn't answer asked by those who didn't have a fucking clue. For now that didn't matter- nothing mattered- only what was truly important. Clearing his throat Harry broke the silence saying the only thing on his mind right now.
"Thank you. For what you did. For saving her…" He trailed off, it wasn't necessary to add but he did it anyway. "If she would have been left…" he swallowed hard, emotion nearly suffocating him. "I would have…"
He would have killed himself. Lightoller didn't need him to finish, he would have felt the same way if it were Sylvia instead. Putting a hand on his arm he spared him that admission aloud and simply nodded.
"I know." Squeezing his arm he offered the only assurance he could. "We saved each other." The gray light of morning persisted as a misty drizzle began to fall. Harry had no coat and was decidedly out of uniform for a Ship's Officer but it didn't matter much at the moment. When it came to Titanic there were simply those who survived and those who had not.
Harry decided this was as good a time as any to swallow his pride and capitulate himself to his senior officer. "I'm sorry for acting like such a wanker toward you before…" Lightoller removed his hand as a a smile came to his face.
"You acting like a wanker ? Never." He laughed a bit and after a moment Harry joined him, the release of tension much needed. Falling serious Lightoller looked him in the eye. "You're a good sailor Mr. Lowe, great really. And a damn fine officer." He nodded toward the open, gray sea. "I don't know many men who would have went back…."
Harry looked at him for a moment before turning his gaze toward the polished boat deck. Shaking his head he let out a huff, "I went back for her." There it was out in the air, he was no hero, just a selfish fool in love for the very first time.
Lightoller considered it for a moment before shrugging. "Still… you went back. The boat could have gotten swamped, you yourself could have been pulled overboard. No matter why, it was still a brave thing to do." Harry was silent, his dark brown eyes trained on the horizon and no where else. "I should have listened to you." The admission tore his gaze away and back toward the man standing next to him. "We were going too fast, it was reckless and stupid." Lightoller's head dipped as he clicked his tongue to the roof of his mouth. "I was more worried about proving I should have been number one than anything else…" He fell silent, regret all over his face.
Well at least things made sense now. Could he be mad ? No. Harry himself had been trying to prove that his hard knock upbringing had been worth it. The cool mist now covered them both. Harry shrugged, what did it matter ? "You were just following orders."
What had once been awkward and tense silence between them was now companionable, bound together by unspeakable tragedy. Nearly consumed with Clara and seeing to whatever she needed for the last twenty four hours , he'd admittedly fallen out of the loop. "The others ? How are they ?"
Without further explanation Lightoller knew he meant the other officers. His lips drew into a grim line. "Well theres myself and you, Mr. Boxhall and Mr. Pittman…" Harry waited for him to say something more, however he was met with silence.
"And Jimmy ?" His heart clenched painfully in his chest already knowing the answer. Lightoller met his eyes shaking his head. Immediately Harry pushed off the railing, anger rolled down his spine white hot and all consuming. "No." His hands balled into fists. He said he was right behind him and yet the fist chance he got to leave on his own way he took it. The younger man going to the left and he to the right; their separate fates sealed in the moment or perhaps long before. Moody had been kind to him from the moment they met; an excited kid wanting to learn everything he could. In his mind he saw his easy, exuberant smile and it was enough to make him snap. Turning he punched the first thing he saw. "GOD DAMMIT !"
His senior officer made no attempt to assuage his anger assumedly having reacted just the same not long ago. Moody was an excellent young officer and it had not been lost on him that the young man and Harry had formed a bond of sorts over the course of their journey. He was just twenty-four years old, his entire life and sailing career ahead of him, he'd been left behind with all the others forever lost at sea. In serious moment he'd whispered to Harry that he didn't even want to be on the Titanic, that he'd requested leave as he'd found a girl he really thought was 'the one'. His leave denied he tried the make the best of it, this landmark crossing of the ship everyone claimed to be unsinkable.
And now this. Fucking this. Gripping the rail Harry let out a frustrated growl, it was all just such bullshit. "Will is also missing, Mr. Wilde, and the Captain." Second to Jimmy, Murdoch had been the only other officer he could stand. Lightoller sighed, "The passengers are also saying they saw an Officer shoot himself…." Harry looked at him confused. "Some are saying it was Will."
"Oh my God. " The younger man scrubbed his face with his hand. "What else is there, Christ almighty ?" Dawn had broke now although one wouldn't know it as a dim gray light persisted with both of them now covered in a cold mist not caring or even noticing.
Lightoller was silent for a moment wondering if he would regret this and then deciding he would regret it more if he didn't. "Harry…there's something else…" The younger man stilled. In all the time he'd known Lightoller he'd never called him by his first name, not once, it was always Mr. Lowe. Instantly he felt sick knowing whatever this was wouldn't be good. Choosing his words carefully Lightoller continued, "I guess Clara helped a young steerage passenger and first class woman into a boat." Harry closed his eyes immediately knowing what this was about.
"I know….the kid was her patient, Dawson or something like that."
Lightoller shook his head, "I don't know, but apparently the fiancé of the woman is named Hockley." An image of Clara's bruised face flashed in his mind and he remembered her standing at his cabin door just seconds before all hell broke loose. He'd nearly forgotten about it now, so much having happened that seemed like another life entirely.
"I know. He hit her, just before the sinking, in the infirmary he cornered her." Lightoller was quiet staring out at the water as Harry's stomach flipped. "What ?"
Sighing the senior officer turned toward him, "He tried to kill her. After the boat you were in lowered, I noticed she wasn't standing there. He all but drug her away, locked her in his cabin and left her there. Must have been hoping she went down with the…."
Harry had heard enough, pushing off the railing he stalked back toward the interior of the ship. Somewhere behind he heard Lightoller urging him to calm down and be rational. The time for that was long past, however, as he only saw was red.
Corridors blended together as his vision narrowed. The Carpathia didn't have private verandas for the toffs to take their morning tea so at this time of day unless he was sleeping it off the only place for Hockley to be was in the dining room. Bursting through the door a few people gasped as Harry's eyes blazed surveying every face. In the rear of the room bent over a new paper he saw a familiar tuft of black hair. Knocking chairs over as he went he was certain that he was making quite the scene and yet he didn't care. All the bullshit that had happened in the last twenty four hours that had been out of their control, well this….this prick thinking he could put his hands on Clara….that was something very much in his control.
Hockley was a fraction of a second too late and before he could reaction Harry had his hands on him dragging him up and out of his chair. An older woman sitting next to him yelped in surprise dumping her cup of tea and covered her mouth with her hand.
"My word !" Well she was close, because words were definitely what he was about to have with this piece of shit. The rear of the dining room opened to the promenade deck and Harry didn't stop until Hockley was through the door and against the rail, his upper body bent backwards as he teetered over the open sea.
He struggled sneering as his coiffed hair fell out of its place. When Harry's fist hit the bastards face he felt a searing pain radiate into this wrist. Undeterred he hit him again and again his teeth clenched he growled. "How dare you…How you dare you touch her !" Blood spurt from his nose, his lip spit, he howled in pain. He tried to kick Harry, to buck out his grasp but he was too fast and too scrappy honing the fight inside him over years spent on leaky boats and working docks.
"Harry ! It's enough…" Lightoller's voice was beside him although he didn't much care. This would be enough when Hockey was dead or thrown overboard. He was possessed at this point beating him near senseless as he felt someone tugging him away. "HARRY !"
He snapped out of it staring at Lightoller and deflating, the immense surge of anger leaving him exhausted. The older man met his gaze as he nodded adding quietly. "It's enough, alright." His eyes darted side to side seeing the gathering crowd he whispered to the younger man. "Get out of here, I'll take care of this." Harry paused looking back at him. Lightoller was nodded seriously, "Go. She needs you."
Taking one last look at the pitiful lump on the ground moaning and choking on his own blood Harry turned knowing that at least one thing had been righted today.
Clara slept until the middle of the afternoon, Harry not beside her when she woke. Assumedly he still had official duties and was most likely meeting with the remaining officers or seeing to the surviving passengers. Tomorrow morning she would go to the infirmary and see what help she could be now feeling fully recovered herself. Someone, most likely Harry, left her a bowl of porridge and an orange on the small desk which she now ate greedily not realizing just how hungry she was. In addition to the food, a navy dress, camisole, and underwear were neatly stacked on the chair along with a towel. All beared the Cunard Logo and she realized that a stewardess must have donated her an extra set. She was grateful as she had nothing more than a night gown on right now, the clothing she wore during the sinking hanging up in the closet to dry.
Stripped down to nothing she found an adjoining lavatory with a small shower and toilet. It was a luxury compared to the communal accommodations on the Titanic and come tomorrow morning she intended to give it back to the wonderful person who had donated it. She could sleep in the dining room with the rest of the surviving crew. Stepping into the shower the hot water felt like heaven on earth as she washed the smell of salt from her hair. Never again in her life would she take such a thing for granted.
She stayed in the shower for far too long but eventually she stepped out wrapping herself in a towel and frowning when she realized she'd left her change of clothing in the other room. Clara emerged from the bathroom just as the door to the cabin swung open and she gasped. Immediately upon seeing what he'd walking in upon, Harry's initial urge was to turn and leave. He'd intruded upon her in a clear state of undress and it was improper and rude for that matter. But then he blinked and he saw her…really saw her.
She was beautiful, far more than even he knew. He'd never seen a woman so natural before in his entire life. Her skin was lightly tan, her eyes clear and gray, her dark hair wet and hanging loosely over her shoulders and back, tiny droplets of water sliding down her smooth skin. He was a torrent of emotion right now but still, he couldn't stop the pure lust that suddenly consumed him. She bit her lower lip as he inhaled sharply.
Clara could see the absolute storm on his face, and on some level she wanted to relieve him of that. Not to say that her own needs weren't a consideration as the space between her legs began to ache. "Harry…" It was breathy and whispered and truly all the confirmation he needed.
Crossing the room he took her into his arms and kissed her hard and insistent. She immediately responded snaking her own arms around his shoulders holding him, stroking her fingers in his hair. Harry couldn't stop his body from responding and it wasn't long before she felt a growing bulge against her. Clara was no expert at sex, she'd done it a few times but it never meant as much as it did right now. Pressing into her she ground her hips back against him causing his lips to break from hers as he gasped.
"Oh….god…" He was taken aback by her forwardness, by her willingness to satisfy his needs as well as her own. She reached down pulling his sweater and then his shirt over his head as he responded by loosing his belt letting his pants fall around his ankles. A tremor shook his body as the cool air hit his skin for the first time. She rubbed her warm hands very the goosebumps that had bloomed across his skin. The way she took care of him, sometimes knowing what he needed before even he did, was a whole other thing that he quickly realized would be his undoing. The simple things she did; rubbing his neck, warming him, touching his hand, it reached so far inside him touching something so deep and intimate it made his heart ache.
They found their way back into each other's arms, their lips fusing again as she began to rub herself back and forth against the bulge in his boxers. Harry's eyes nearly rolled to the back of his head. He'd had plenty of sex in his life but it had never been like this. He was so sensitive in her arms he thought he might loose it right here before they even began and for that reason he gently pushed her back to the bed. Staring up at him her lips curved into the slightest smile as she reached for the towel unwrapping it and exposing herself to him for the first time. He stilled knowing that she was trusting him with everything right now. Her breasts were small but perfect with pink erect nipples just begging to be touched. His eyes wandering downward they settled on her mound, a thatch of dark curls glistening slick with arousal. "You're absolutely beautiful, Clara."
She blushed, now nearly trembling with desire, her center pulsed wanting him there more than anything else in the entire world. Placing her fingers on the waistband of his underwear he felt her shaking as she freed him taking him into her hand without hesitation as he groaned letting his head hang like a puppet. Stroking the soft skin she earn herself a squirt of wetness as she gathered it sliding her fingers back and forth even faster.
Harry's eyes snapped open. This was going to be over before it began if she didn't stop and pushing her hand away he pushed her back onto the bed coming to lay on top of her. "Please Harry…please…" Her voice was tiny and begging, not like anything he'd ever heard before. "I want you inside me." If he didn't want this so much he might have lost it right there cumming all over her stomach. Biting down on his lip hard he forced himself to hold back knowing she deserved the best he could give her right now. His arms shook as he held himself up, taking his hardened length and dragging it along her wet slit making her writhe with anticipation. "God…please"
He couldn't deny her even if he wanted to and as he pushed inside her they both moaned, their lips finding each other as she wiggled and adjusted to his size. Palming her breast he gently pinched the nipple forcing her to bite down hard on her lower lip as her eyebrows knit together with pleasure so intense it almost hurt. Slowly he began rocking inside her, her legs instantly coming to wrap around his back urging him deeper. He wasn't going to last long that much was certain and as his rhythm increased he was relieved to see her begin to come undone. Her eyes rolled back into her head, her hands reaching for anything to steady her he gave into his own body as he began to tremble first in his feet and then his legs as his once fluid rhythm became short and uncoordinated. When the wave of heat descended into his pelvis he knew he would be powerless to stop what came next and his voice came out high and desperate, "I'm gonna cum…"
She nodded. "Cum with me…please.." Oh God who was this woman ? Driving into her as hard as he good he felt her walls begin to flutter as her entire body quivered beneath him opening to him in ways no on ever had before. She bit the back of her hand to keep herself from screaming out as a sound embarrassingly close to a whimper fell form his lips. Letting it go he exploded deep inside her his arms giving out as he fell on top of her and she instantly brought her arms around him. Holding her and being held at the same time their bodies shook with pleasure as their hearts raced.
Clara was first to come down, turning she placed a kiss to the side of his face stroking his hair as he struggled to regain control of himself. Breathing heavy Harry was completely insentient as his softening length was still sheathed deep inside her. Neither of them made a move to pull apart both enjoying the sensation of being connected in every way possible. Outside it was beginning to get dark and without moving much Clara pulled the blankets around them. Eventually Harry slid from her but he didn't move, her arms wrapped around him she held him against her and he did the same. For now, everything that was wrong didn't matter because despite it all they were here alive and in this moment together.
TBC….
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter of Clara and Harry ! Please review