Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Henry was in the back seat of the car, watching the streets of Manhattan pass by from the window as his phone buzzed in his pocket. He picked it up to glance at the screen, smiling when he saw that he had a message from Charlotte.

'What are you doing, Daddy?'

They stopped at a red light and Henry took a quick snap of the scenery outside, sending it to his youngest.

'I'm in the car, on the way to a meeting. What are you girls up to?'

His phone buzzed with a call a minute later. Henry rolled his eyes. He had bought his daughters their own phones a couple of months ago - the idea born merely out of the need for contact when they were with their mother - and the child-appropriate versions they owned only allowed for basic communication, photos and a couple of learning apps Henry had approved. Whatever few functions the phones had, though, his daughters used them liberally. 

He picked up the call, a fond smile on his face.

"Hello, darling," he greeted her.

"I'm boooored," Charlotte whined into his ear. "Vicky is practicing the piano and Mum is on the phone and told me to colour, but I already finished a whole page and I'm bored , Daddy."

"Why don't you find something else to do?" he suggested. "I know you've got enough toys at your Mum's house. Or you could do a puzzle?"

Charlotte huffed, clearly dissatisfied with his suggestions. 

"When are you coming home," she asked instead.

"Tomorrow," Henry answered. "But you're staying with your Mum till Sunday, remember?"

"But I miss you!" she whined. 

"I miss you too, love," he sighed. "But Mum wants to spend time with you, too." 

"No, she doesn't," Charlotte grumbled. "She's been on the phone for ages."

Henry didn't know what to say in reply, so he diverted: "Sunday isn't that far away. It will be over in no time. And then we can go visit Daisy in the stables." 

Charlotte clearly perked up at that. Daisy was her pony, a Christmas present from her grandmother two years ago. Charlotte doted on her.

"Can I ride out with her?" she asked excitedly. 

"Yes," Henry promised. 

Charlotte cheered but Henry was distracted when the car parked in front of the event centre he'd been invited to. 

"I have to go, honey," Henry sighed. "But I promise you, the time will fly, okay?"

"Okay," she said, though her voice held a note of sadness that tore at Henry's heart. "I love you, Daddy." 

"I love you, too, sweetheart. I'll see you on Sunday."

"See you!"

After they'd hung up, he took a moment to recalibrate - to turn out of Daddy-mode and back into Prince-Henry-mode. He got out of the car and looked at the entrance to the event centre with some apprehension. 

The invitation to this event had come as a bit of a surprise, to say the very least. Not that he wasn't invited to be the face of charity events all the time, and this one was very much down his alley; children's education had been a direction he'd become more and more active ever since he'd become a father. 

No, the shock was that the person who'd reached out to him was none other than Alex Claremont-Diaz. 

It wasn't that Alex and him were still the rivals they used to be. Their teenage (and young adult) animosity had considerably calmed down in the last couple of years. Henry thought maybe it was the fact that Henry had married. It had put a bit of a damper on the constant comparisons between them. Also, Alex was no longer the First Son, but a human rights lawyer on the rise in the political sphere. 

They hadn't seen each other as often as they used to in recent years, but when they had, it had been noticeable that things between them had calmed down considerably.

Still, for Alex to reach out and ask them to cooperate… that was new, and Henry wasn't sure what to expect. 

He caught eyes with Shaan, who nodded at him, and finally made his way into the building. 

He found Alex as soon as he stepped inside; he was dressed in a sharp suit and his curls fell into his face. He looked handsome as always. Something ached inside of him and Henry remembered the grief-stricken teenager who'd seen Alex across the room at the Rio Olympics and had been unable to deal with the feelings the sight evoked. 

The problem was, Alex had always been able to make him feel. Back when he'd been a closeted, angry teenager; later, when he'd been a depressed, equally closeted young adult; still later when he'd been stuck in a loveless marriage with a woman. And even now, as a divorced father, more than a decade after that first meeting in Rio, Alex still made him feel things.

Alex looked up then, spotting him, and he ended the conversation with the staff to approach Henry. His smile was tentative as he reached out a hand to him.

"Henry," he said. "It's been a while. Thank you so much for accepting my invitation."

"Thank you for inviting me," Henry returned. "I was pleasantly surprised."

Alex chuckled. "We've been working on similar projects for a while. I figured it was time we joined forces."

"It makes sense," Henry nodded. 

Alex gestured further into the building and Henry followed, letting Alex brief him on the schedule for the day. His focus on Alex was broken, though, when his phone buzzed repeatedly in his pocket. He took it out to glance at it, seeing that he had three messages from Charlotte and one from Victoria. 

Alex's string of words trailed off. He'd clearly caught on that Henry's attention had strayed. He quickly looked back at Alex, pocketing his phone again. 

"Sorry," he made a face. "My girls."

He didn't expect Alex's face to break into a soft smile at that. "Don't worry about it," he waved him off. "How old are they now? Seven and five?"

"Yes," Henry confirmed, surprised that Alex was so well-informed. His own grandmother had been convinced Charlotte was still three only last week. 

"Where are they today? With their mother?"

"Yes," Henry sighed. "Charlotte isn't very happy with the arrangement, though. She's a bit… needy."

"Don't be too hard on her," Alex shrugged. "I've gone through the divorce of my parents, and though I was much older than both your kids, it left scars."

Henry was surprised by Alex's confession, but he tried not to let it show. Instead, he said: "I'm probably too indulgent with her. I keep getting scolded by different members of my family, but I don't really care. I want them to have as carefree a childhood as they can, under the… circumstances." The last word encompassed everything from his divorce to the Crown, and though he didn't spell it out, he thought Alex understood, from the expression on his face. 

"You're a good father," he said, catching Henry off-guard with the statement. 

"You haven't even seen me with them," Henry reminded him with a laugh.

"I don't need to," Alex shrugged, gesturing to the phone in Henry's pocket. "They clearly adore you, and I can see how much you care. It tells me all I need to know."

Henry felt a bit choked up at Alex's words. He tried hard to be enough for his girls, but hardly anyone ever told him that he was.

When Alex started directing their conversation back to the event, it was hard to focus for a different reason. 

The event was a complete success. They far overshot their original aim and collected almost double the amount, with donations still incoming.

"We should have teamed up sooner," Alex told him as they got into a car, back to the hotel they both stayed in. 

"You're right," Henry nodded. "We should do it again."

"We should," Alex agreed. "Would you care to set up something more permanent?"

"I'd love to," Henry said honestly.

"Why don't we get together next week to talk about it?" Alex suggested. "Can you make some time?"

Henry bit his lip. "I have the girls next week," he admitted. "I can't just leave the country when I have them."

"Oh, of course," Alex nodded. He frowned, then he shrugged. "Well, it's been a while since I've been to London. How about I come to see you?"

"You would?" Henry asked. 

"Sure," Alex grinned. "I can take a few days. Plus, I can't ask these Princesses to give up their Dad for more than an afternoon. How selfish would that be?"

Henry smiled. "Thanks. Really. That means a lot."

"Don't mention it. I'll let you know when I can be there."

Henry had figured out a plan for the afternoon he'd scheduled his appointment with Alex: Bea was supposed to pick the girls up and go out riding with them. 

Only Bea was held up at her morning appointment, and now Alex was due in five minutes and Charlotte was loudly demanding hot chocolates while Victoria was dancing to Ariana Grande in the living room. 

Henry shot another text to Bea. It went unread. He bit down his curse as the doorbell rang and David started barking.

"Wait here for a moment - yes, I'll make you a hot chocolate later," Henry promised as he left the kitchen to answer the door. 

Alex was dressed more casual this time, but he still looked so put together and handsome as he smiled at Henry from his doorstep. Henry immediately felt self-conscious - he hadn't managed to change into something more decent and was therefore dressed in a comfortable sweater, joggers and socks with Santa on them. He was sure his hair was mussed and he looked a right mess.

"Hey," Henry smiled sheepishly. "I'm so sorry, but there's been a bit of a problem with my designated babysitter… My sister Bea has been delayed, so -"

Before he could finish his explanation, Victoria squeezed into the doorway next to him, looking up at Alex curiously. 

"Daddy, who's this?" she asked in a stage whisper. 

"That's Alex, darling," Henry explained. "A good friend of mine from America. Alex, meet my daughter Victoria."

"So nice to finally meet you," Alex smiled warmly at her.

"How do you do?" Victoria said politely. 

"I'm fine, thank you. How are you?" Alex said.

"Very well, thank you," she nodded. She looked back at Henry before returning her gaze to Alex. "Would you like to come in?"

Before Alex could answer, though, Charlotte squeezed through on Henry's other side. 

"Daddy!" she whined. "Where is my hot chocolate?!"

"It will be there in a moment, sweetheart," he promised. He looked at Alex with a hesitant smile. "Alex, would you care for some hot chocolate?"

To his relief, Alex beamed at him. "I'd love some," he said. 

As soon as Alex had crossed the threshold, Charlotte was on him.

"Who are you?" she asked. "I saw you on TV!"

Alex laughed as he toed off his shoes. David was curiously sniffing his socks.

"Well, I saw you on TV, too," Alex smirked. "And my name is Alex. Your Dad and I go way back."

"Was I wearing my Elsa dress when you saw me on TV?" Charlotte asked. 

"No," Alex chuckled. "But I'd love to see that dress sometime."

Charlotte was already opening her mouth, so Henry quickly intervened: "Not right now, love. We're making hot chocolate, remember?"

Her eyes lit up and she nodded eagerly, returning to his side to make sure she got enough marshmallows. 

"Do you like cinnamon and marshmallows, too, Alex?" Victoria asked Alex. She was already offering him a seat at the kitchen table - the one she usually occupied - and Henry felt fiercely proud of her. 

"What's not to like?" Alex grinned. 

"We also have biscuits!" Charlotte announced. "And Jaffa cakes, the Christmas ones!"

"What in the name of Santa's elves is a Jabba cake?" Alex asked. 

"Not a JABBA cake!" Both girls called, scandalised, and Henry snickered as he stirred the milk in the pot. "JAFFA cakes! Don't you know them?!"

"Can't say I've heard of them," Alex said.

"Well, now you have to eat them," Victoria proclaimed. "They're fantastic!"

"I'll take your word for it," Alex nodded, clearly amused. 

When Henry was joining them at the table with four cups of hot chocolate, the girls were eagerly feeding Alex Jaffa cake, and though Henry could see that the man had a lot of opinions about the British snack, he didn't let it on to the children. 

They let him abandon the cakes for the hot beverage, though, and Charlotte eagerly climbed into Henry's lap (spilling some hot chocolate over his legs because, of course), demanding a story. 

"I don't think Alex wants to hear a story," Henry tried, embarrassed. 

"But I love stories," Alex protested innocently. 

"You're going to love this, Alex," Victoria promised. "Daddy tells the best stories."

Henry knew he was out voted, so he took a large sip of his hot chocolate and reached into his imagination. 

"Alright," he nodded. "So, once upon a time, there were two little princesses…"

Once the hot chocolate had been consumed and Bea had assured him that she just needed 'a couple more minutes, I'm so sorry, Hen!' , the girls decided to kidnap Alex and show them their bedroom. 

"Look at our tent!" Charlotte called, pulling Alex into the room. 

Their 'tent' was a construction of silken linens and lights fanning out over two mattresses and a mountain of pillows and stuffed animals. It was the girls' favourite place in the whole house. They loved to just lay down there, listen to stories or music, do colouring, read and talk. Sometimes, Henry would find them asleep in there instead of their own beds, David curled up in between them.

Alex blinked as he took in the tent, a smile spreading across his face as Victoria switched on the fairy lights.

"That's so cool," Alex said, looking at Henry. "Did you do this?" he asked. 

Henry just shrugged in confirmation. Before Alex could say any more, Charlotte was already pulling him into the tent.

"Stop being so pushy!" Henry scolded as he followed after them, but Alex truly didn't seem to mind. Victoria was already offering him her pillow and they were lying down, looking up at the glittering stars hanging down from the top of the tent. 

"It's beautiful," Alex breathed. 

"Thanks," Henry smiled. 

Victoria caught his gaze and smiled as well before moving away from Alex, making enough space for Henry. 

Well, okay then.

With a racing heart, he lay down between his daughter and Alex Claremont-Diaz. From this close, he could smell Alex's cologne. It made Henry's head spin.

He startled a little when Alex's fingers brushed against his, but before they could do or say anything more, the doorbell rang.

"Aunt Bea!" Charlotte called, jumping up. "We're going to see Daisy! We're going to see Daisy!"

"Yes, you are," Henry confirmed, sitting up, his heart threatening to jump out of his chest. "Now settle down."

Bea was endlessly apologetic about her lateness, but the girls casually waved away her worries. 

"We got to hang out with Alex," Charlotte told her proudly.

"Did you now?" she asked, her eyebrows raised as her gaze landed on Alex, who was lingering in the background. He stepped forward to wave at her.

"Hello Beatrice," he said. "It's been a while."

"Indeed," she nodded. "I'd say Henry's wedding?" 

Henry tried his best not to flinch at the mention of his farce of a wedding, and the fact that Alex had been in attendance. 

"Probably," Alex agreed. 

"It's nice to see you working together," she noted. 

"Alex likes our tent," Charlotte piped up, apropos nothing.

"Does he?" Bea asked with a smile. Henry knew he'd hear about this later. 

"It's a very nice tent," Alex shrugged. "I have half a mind to ask Henry to build one for me."

Henry snorted and Bea watched them with a grin. "Well, we'll leave you to your business," she said, waving David towards her so he'd follow them outside. "I'll bring them back for dinner."

"Thanks Bea," Henry nodded. "Have fun, you two."

"Bye Daddy," they called. "Bye Alex!"

"Bye!" Alex waved, a big smile on his face. 

"Thank you," Henry sighed as he closed the door. "I'm so sorry about this, really!"

"Don't worry," Alex shook his head. "I had fun!"

"Well, I certainly couldn't imagine anyone being a bigger hit with my kids," Henry chuckled, shaking his head. 

"They are amazing, Henry," Alex said, his voice soft and sincere. It was quite disarming. "You're doing a fantastic job with them."

"Thank you," Henry breathed. "That means a lot, really."

They stared at each other for a long moment. Then Henry cleared his throat, breaking the moment. 

"Right," he said awkwardly. "Coffee? Tea? And then to work?"

"Coffee," Alex grinned. 

Henry nodded, leading the way back to the kitchen. 

They spent the next two hours in productive discussions. Working with Alex was exciting - fun, even. They didn't always agree on everything, but they would surely argue it out until they found a compromise, no bad feelings, no daggers thrown. Alex challenged Henry on an intellectual scale that Henry really appreciated. 

When they'd settled on a solid plan to move forward with their own joint charity, Henry checked the time. 

"It's almost time for the girls to return," he admitted. He hesitated, then pushed ahead: "You wouldn't like to stay for dinner, would you?"

Alex was clearly surprised by the offer but a quick smile spread over his face.

"I'd love to," he nodded. "What are you having? Do you need help?"

"Oh, I don't really cook," Henry admitted with an embarrassed laugh. "My Dad-superpowers only extend so far." 

Alex chuckled. "So you're ordering in? I didn't think restaurants delivered to Kensington Palace."

"We have a palace kitchen," Henry admitted. "They'll make something and bring it here. I just have to call in and tell them we're one more tonight."

"Now my image of royalty is back on track," Alex nodded, making Henry laugh. 

The girls were ecstatic to see Alex was still there when they returned. They roped him into a dance performance ('My Only Wish (This Year)' by Britney Spears) until dinner arrived and then Charlotte spent the whole meal interrogating him ("Do you have a brother or a sister?" "A sister." "How old is she?" "Your Aunt Bea's age." "What's her name?" "June." "Does her hair look like yours?"). When they were done eating, they chose a movie to watch (Frozen 2, because for some blasphemous reason, Alex had never watched it and the girls wouldn't have it). Then, Charlotte dressed as Elsa to finally show off her dress and performed 'Let it go'.

When Henry got them to go to sleep, at last, it was an hour past their bedtime. It was a good thing it was already the week before Christmas and the girls didn't have school in the morning. 

When Henry returned to the living room, Alex was waiting for him, looking at a photo of him and the girls sitting on the shelf.

"You didn't have to stay the whole evening," Henry started. "You could have excused yourself hours ago. I wouldn't have minded."

"I wanted to stay," Alex protested, turning around to smile at him. "I had a wonderful time."

"I'm glad to hear that," Henry smiled back. "The girls were certainly excited."

"You have a wonderful family," Alex said. "Take it from someone who's lived through a divorce, you're doing fantastic."

"Thank you so much," he breathed. "It's not always easy, but I'm trying really hard."

"I can tell," Alex nodded. "That's why I wanted to say it."

They looked at each other for a long moment. Henry's heart was racing. 

"You know," Alex said, crossing the distance between them until he was right in Henry's personal space. "When I asked you to join me in that event, I didn't expect to see this side of you."

"I didn't expect to show it to you," Henry admitted. 

"I'm glad you did," Alex said. 

Their eyes caught and then, before Henry knew what was happening, Alex's lips were on his. 

His lips were soft, almost questioning, and his fingers were tracing the back of Henry's neck, making him shiver. He couldn't not kiss back. 

This was Alex, for God's sake. He'd wanted to kiss Alex since he was a teenager. 

When Alex pulled away, his eyes were bright and intense. 

"I'm sorry," he breathed. "I know this was sudden, but - I sort of wanted to kiss you all day."

"Yeah?" Henry asked. 

"Yeah," Alex confirmed with a sheepish smile. "Nora will be so smug. She always said my aggression against you when we were younger was just me wanting to kiss your face off."

Henry laughed helplessly and Alex kissed the sound off his lips. Henry leaned into it before pulling away. His mind was spinning. 

He wanted this. So much. But his mind couldn't let go of the images of his girls' excitement around Alex.

He wasn't just Henry anymore. He was a father now. If he invited Alex into his life, he was inviting him into theirs as well. 

"I know this might ruin the mood," Henry whispered, "but I need to remind you of something."

Alex pulled back, his eyes intent.

"I'm a package deal," he stressed. "If you date me, you get my girls, too - and as much as I hate to say it, if it gets serious, you'll get the whole royal circus. I'm not asking you to make that decision now, but - if that's something you can't imagine for yourself, I don't think this is a good idea."

Alex looked at him for a long moment. 

"I just spent a whole day with you and the girls," he pointed out. "And I just feel more attracted to you, seeing you as a Dad. I always wanted kids, Henry. I don't particularly care if they are mine by blood. So yes, I can totally see this happening for us."

Henry's heart was threatening to jump out of his chest. "Yeah?" He asked. "What about the Crown?"

"Well, I wouldn't choose it," Alex shrugged. "But if you're willing to bring me into the mix, I'm willing to roll with what that means for me. I mean, eventually. I know this is still a 'what if' talk, but…"

"Yeah, but it's important to clear the fronts now," Henry nodded, smiling tightly. "And, just for the record, after my arranged marriage ended in divorce, I swore that I'd only ever form a relationship again for myself . Because I was in love. So yes, if this works out, I'll fight teeth and nails to have you in my life."

Alex smiled, wrapping his arms around Henry's shoulders. "There we go," he said. "Seems like we're both willing."

"Right," Henry nodded, his own arms finding their way around Alex's waist. "So … we're seeing where this goes?"

"Definitely," Alex grinned, leaning in to kiss Henry again, this time more deeply. 

And Henry was falling, but this time, he didn't even try to catch himself. 

Chapter Text

Alex woke up to the sound of a door opening in the house. He tensed as a pair of little feet made their way across the creaking floor of the corridor. He quickly became aware of how very naked he was, his back pressed up against the chest of an equally naked Henry. 

The door that opened next, though, wasn't theirs, and soon, he could hear the faint noise of the TV through the walls. He breathed out a sigh of relief and turned to face Henry. 

Henry was only just blinking his eyes open, his blond hair mussed and beautiful, his cheeks rosy from sleep. He smiled when he caught eyes with Alex and Alex's chest tightened in fondness. He smiled back. 

"Hey," he said. 

"Good morning," Henry yawned, stretching. "Sorry, did the girls wake you? The walls are a bit thin here."

"Don't worry about it," Alex shrugged. "I was just worried they'd come in here and find us naked in bed. I was ready to jump up and dive into the bathroom."

"They won't come in here," Henry laughed. "The TV is much more interesting than their sleeping father, believe me."

"Phew," Alex grinned. 

Henry chuckled and reached out to stroke back Alex's curls. "Last night…" he began.

"I know," Henry nodded. "We should have done that sooner."

"Agreed. If I'd known our initial animosity could be channelled into this…"

Henry laughed and kissed him softly. Alex pressed further into him, drawing the kiss out. Eventually, much to Alex's dismay, Henry drew back to catch his eyes again. 

"When are you going back to the States?"

"Tomorrow morning," Alex answered. "I planned an extra day in case we needed to reschedule or we didn't get everything done in one session."

"How very convenient," Henry smirked. "And do you have any plans now that your day has opened up?"

"Yes," Alex grinned. "I want to make breakfast for you and the girls. And then I want to kiss you some more."

"That could be arranged," Henry nodded, pulling him into another kiss. "But how do you feel about a shower first? I have this luxurious ensuite that I never got to share with anyone."

"Sounds perfect," Alex sighed, leaning in to steal another kiss from Henry's lips. He swore they were addictive. "Lead the way, Your Royal Highness."

"Fifteen Years Later, and he finally learns my title," Henry mused.

"Don't get used to it," Alex rolled his eyes. 

"I wouldn't dream of it."

Almost an hour later, they were showered, their teeth were brushed, their hair was blow-dried and Alex was clad in a warm, wide Christmas sweater and sweatpants which were so long Alex had to roll them up various times so he didn't step on them. He didn't particularly mind, though. His own clothes were at the hotel, and he was loath to go and grab them, and there was something really cozy and intimate about getting to wear Henry's. Henry seemed to agree, if the soft expression on his face was any indication. 

They stepped out of the bedroom once they were decent and went to find the girls. As Henry had predicted, their gazes were fixed on the TV. 'Tangled - The Series' was on.

"Good morning, honey buns," Henry smiled, stepping up to kiss the top of both their heads over the back of the couch. 

"Morning, Daddy," they chorused absentmindedly, not looking up from the TV.

Henry looked back at Alex to roll his eyes at him. Alex suppressed a laugh. 

"I like that show, too," Alex shrugged. "I would ignore you for Flint Ryder."

At the sound of Alex's voice, both heads finally snapped backwards, staring at him with huge eyes.

"Alex!" Charlotte called. "You're still here!"

"I am," Alex confirmed. 

"But, why?"

"Your Dad and I had - um - a sleepover," Alex shrugged. "We wanted to catch up."

Victoria looked back at Henry like she was going to call bullshit, so Alex quickly called: "How do you two feel about pancakes?"

"I love pancakes!" Charlotte called, jumping up excitedly. 

"Good," Alex smirked, reaching out his hand. "You want to help me make some?"

Charlotte was all easy enthusiasm, but Victoria was still looking at Henry, so he decided to leave her be. He was already turning to the door when Victoria asked: "Daddy, is Alex your boyfriend?"

Alex froze. Charlotte froze. He turned carefully to see Henry look back between his daughter and Alex, clearly unsure what answer to give them. 

They hadn't defined their relationship yet, but you could hardly tell a seven-year-old: "We'll see where it goes."

Alex's hand tightened around Charlotte's as he caught Henry's eyes again. Fuck it, he thought.

"Yes," he answered for Henry. "Alex is Daddy's boyfriend."

Henry sent him a small smile before turning back to Victoria. 

"I'm sorry, Vicky, I know this is sudden," he began. "But I promise -"

"Will he move in with us?" Victoria interrupted him. "We can make room for his things."

Henry's eyes widened. Alex blinked. 

"Oh, yes, Alex, please!" Charlotte called. "You can sleep in our tent!"

"That's very sweet," Alex hastened to say, "but I think it's a bit early to move in. I'm sorry."

"But you're so much more fun than Mummy's boyfriend," Charlotte pouted. "He never plays with us."

"Well, I'm sorry he doesn't," Alex frowned at her. "I'll always play with you when I'm here, I promise. But for now, how about those pancakes?"

Once again, Charlotte was easily distracted and even Victoria joined him in the kitchen, both of them eager to help him stir and add the ingredients. Henry set the table and watched them with a fond smile. Alex could feel his eyes on his skin like a caress.

When the pancakes were ready and Alex had served, they sat down with freshly brewed cups of tea (courtesy of Henry) and tugged in. The girls were over the moon. 

"This is so much better than the food from the palace kitchen!" Charlotte called. 

"Why, thank you," Alex grinned.

"Do you really need to go back to America?" Victoria said sadly. "We can always cook together! It will be fun!"

Alex smiled at her. "For now, I'm afraid I have to go," he said. "My family expects me home for Christmas. But I promise I'll be back."

She held up her pinky finger.

"Pinky swear?" She asked. 

Alex grinned and hooked his own finger through hers. "Pinky swear," he confirmed. 

He felt Henry's hand on his knee, squeezing. When they'd finished eating and the girls had gone up to their room to get dressed, Henry pulled Alex against his chest. 

"Thank you," he breathed. "For putting such an effort into bonding with them. I really appreciate it."

"It's no effort at all," Alex protested. "They're sweet kids, Henry! I enjoy their company."

His arms around Alex tightened even more. He was silent for a moment before he muttered: "My ex wife's new partner… he doesn't really try with the children. And Helena doesn't care. Every time I try to address that the kids feel neglected when they're with her she gets defensive… She sacrificed her best years for a marriage in which her husband couldn't love her, now she has to think about herself… And I get that, but she's also a mother, you know?"

"Of course she is," Alex agreed, stroking soothing circles across his back. "I promise you, I know what I'm getting into. I know I'm dating you and the kids, so to speak. I'll never be passive with them, or pull you away from them. One of the things I like most about you is how great of a father you are."

Henry pulled away enough to catch his eyes. "I don't know how I found someone like you," he breathed. "But I'm going to hold onto you."

Alex smiled. "I like the sound of that."

They spent the rest of the day watching movies and singing Disney karaoke with the girls. They ate dinner together and Alex was roped into a bedtime story and it was all so utterly domestic and perfect that Alex didn't know how to process it. 

"Thanks again," Henry said as they dropped down on the couch, really alone for the first time since they'd left the bedroom in the morning. 

"Stop thanking me," Alex rolled his eyes. "I told you, I loved every second of it."

Henry smiled, reaching out to entwine their fingers.

"The girls were onto one thing, though," Henry breathed. "I wished I didn't have to let you leave tomorrow."

Alex sighed, squeezing his hand. "I wished I didn't have to go," he admitted. "But my family would murder me. I'm not even joking. Mum still has a pull with the Secret Service."

Henry chuckled, bringing their joint hands up to kiss the back of Alex's hand.

"Promise to call?" he asked. 

"You'll get sick of me sooner than you know," Alex smirked, making Henry laugh. "Impossible," Henry vowed.

Alex arrived at his family home in Austin in the early afternoon on Christmas Eve. June and Nora had already flown in the day before. Only their Dad was missing, but Oscar Diaz wasn't expected until Christmas Day.

"You're late, dumbass," June complained in a whiny voice as she hugged him. "We had to put the tree up without you."

"Sorry," Alex shrugged. "I got held up. Only came back from an overseas trip yesterday, and had to drop into the office this morning to make sure everything hadn't burned down in my absence."

"Where were you jetting off to again?" Nora enquired. "I thought you'd tried to keep your good-will tours on a national base as of late?"

"I was in London," Alex said carefully, taking a seat in an empty armchair. His mother was was on her tablet, most likely answering emails or checking news even on Christmas Eve. Leo was pulling the nice silverware from the cupboard for dinner. Nora and June were taking a seat on the couch opposite of him, the only ones paying full attention to him. "At Kensington Palace," he added, because, in for a penny…

The effect was immediate: June froze, staring at him; Nora grinned like the cat that got the cream; their mother looked up from her tablet, alert, and Leo dropped a fork. 

"What did you do?" Ellen Claremont asked, and it had been a long time since Alex had seen his mother in President-mode.

"Nothing!" Alex called, immediately defensive. "I'm 32 years old, Mom! It's been years since I caused a scandal! Have some faith in me!"

"I know my son," she said, unimpressed. " And I know how you get around Prince Henry."

"That's not why I was there!" Alex yelled. "We're working! We're starting a charity together!"

Nora blew a raspberry. " Boooring ," she called. "I thought you'd finally given into your not-so-secret desire to let him dick you down."

Leo laughed. Ellen rubbed her temples and glowered at Nora. Alex remained uncharacteristically silent. 

"What?" Nora said. "We were all thinking it! For years, when Alex was ranting about how perfectly symmetric his face was -"

"Thanks, Nora," Ellen interrupted. "You already manifested Alex's bisexuality into existence years ago. I'd rather you didn't manifest this."

June, though, was watching him. "You're awfully quiet," she noted. 

Alex cleared his throat. "Yeah," he said, drawing the vowels out in his awkwardness. "So…"

"Oh my God," Nora gasped, "I knew it!"

"Alexander," his mother drawled in her thick Texan dialect. "Please tell me you're not sleeping with the Prince of England."

Alex remained silent. Nora threw a fist up in the air. Ellen buried her face in her hands.

"Isn't he married with kids?" Leo asked, confused. 

"Divorced," June corrected. "First royal ever to get divorced. It was a huge deal."

"Oh, right," he frowned. "I thought that was his brother. I can't tell them apart."

"Excuse me," Alex sputtered. "Henry is the one with charisma!"

"I distinctly remember you painting a different picture a couple of years ago," Nora preened.

"Shut up," Alex sighed.

"Alex," his mother sighed, putting her tablet down and leaning forward. Okay, so this was one of those conversations. "He's a royal, and a father. This is a big fucking deal."

"You think I don't know that?!" Alex snapped. "You think I'd just start something with him if I wasn't sure about it?! I'm not a child, I know the consequences of my actions, maybe better than anyone! Not only have I been in the public eye since I was a teenager, but I suffered through divorce myself! I wouldn't introduce myself into their lives, into his daughters' lives, if I thought I wasn't going to stay!"

It was a rare occurrence, seeing Ellen Claremont speechless, but for once, he'd apparently rendered her so.

June was the one who spoke up next, her voice soft as she asked: "You met his daughters?"

A smile spread over Alex's face. "Yes, and they're amazing."

She looked at him as if she was seeing him for the first time. "So you want to be part of their lives?" she continued. "You want to eventually be a step-parent, if this becomes more serious?"

Alex sighed. "I don't know how to explain it," he muttered. "Something about being with them just feels… right? Like home."

"Well, damn," June breathed. "And here I always thought I'd definitely have children before you!"

Alex laughed helplessly, because, well. Until last week, he'd have signed that prediction. 

"And you're sure this is what you want?" Ellen asked him. "Because you'll face a lot of opposition if you make it public, not only from the public but also from the Crown."

"I know," Alex nodded. "But I'm sure about Henry. I haven't been that sure about anything as of late, not even about becoming a politician."

Ellen raised an eyebrow because, well, if that didn't get his point across, nothing would. 

Before his family could ask any more questions, though, his phone started to ring. He made a face. 

"Sorry," he started to apologise as he pulled it out. "Forgot to turn it o-" he glanced at the screen. 

It was a video call from Charlotte. 

He'd exchanged numbers with the girls before he'd left, promising them they could call or write whenever they felt like it. Apparently, they'd taken him by his word.

He looked up at his family. 

"It's Henry's daughter," he explained. 

"Oh, take it, take it!" Nora hissed eagerly. June's expression, too, was soft, like she was melting a bit on the inside. He knew that feeling. 

"Okay. Sorry," he said, swiping to accept the call. Immediately, Charlotte and Victoria appeared on the screen. Victoria's blond hair was braided back elegantly and they both were wearing long-sleeved, velvety dresses.

"Alex!" Charlotte called. "Daddy gave us a Frozen doll house for Christmas!" 

"That's amazing!" Alex smiled. "Wait, why do you already have Christmas presents? I don't have mine yet!"

"We're getting ours on Christmas Eve," Victoria laughed. "Because our great-great-great-grandpa was German, or something."

"Man, I wished I had a German grandpa," he teased. "But mine was Mexican, so all I got was fireworks and a procession. No early Christmas presents."

"A what?" Charlotte asked, blinking.

"I'll tell you one day," he laughed. "So, how is Sandringham?"

"Boring," Charlotte rolled her eyes. 

"Daddy is talking to everyone else and we have to sit with the other children," Victoria complained. "But Albert is on the phone all the time, talking to his mates, Alice is playing video games and Artie is too young to really play with."

Alex hummed in sympathy. He didn't know much about Philip and Martha's children, but he had a lot of opinions on their names. Naming them Albert, Alice and Arthur was a choice .

"What are you doing?" Victoria asked. 

"I'm with my family in Texas," he said, turning the camera around so the girls could see. "That's my sister June and her girlfriend Nora -" 

"I like your hair, June!" Charlotte called. "I want curls, too."

"Why thank you," June smiled. "But I think your hair looks very pretty as it is."

Charlotte beamed. 

"And that's my Mom Ellen and her husband Leo," Alex said, moving the camera towards them. They waved. 

"Where's your Dad?" Victoria asked.

"Still in California," Alex explained, focusing the camera back on himself. "He'll come tomorrow."

"Mummy is here, too," Charlotte made a face. "But she brought that man. I don't like him."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Alex frowned. 

"It's not like she talked to us all that much," Victoria shrugged. 

Alex kept silent. The more he heard about Henry's ex-wife, the angrier he became. 

"When are you coming back?" Charlotte asked. 

"I just left yesterday, sweetheart," Alex chuckled. 

"So?" 

Alex laughed. Before he could answer, though, he could hear a familiar voice in the background. 

"What are you doing? Who are you calling?" And then, Henry's face came into view. He smiled when he saw Alex on the screen. "I told you not to bother Alex when he is with his family!" He scolded. 

"It's not a bother!" Nora called. "We're enjoying this very much!"

"My family says 'hi'," Alex rolled his eyes. 

"Alex's sister has pretty hair!" Charlotte reported. 

"Does she?" he asked, smirking a at Alex through the screen. "Well, so do you."

"If Alex can't come here, can we go to Texas?" Victoria asked. 

"No, we can't," Henry shook his head. "Your Mum and grandma and great-grandma want to see you!" 

"No, they don't," Charlotte grumbled. "Well,  maybe grandma."

"Grandma would be very sad," he agreed. "And Alex probably has stuff to do now, too."

"I do," he confirmed. "We'll have dinner soon."

"See," Henry said. "So let's say goodnight to Alex and his family. We can talk to him soon."

"Okay," the girls chorused, their tone long-suffering. "Night, Alex!"

"Night, you two!" He grinned. "Have a good Christmas!"

"You, too," Henry smiled softly. "Talk to you soon!"

"Of course," Alex promised. 

As he'd hung up, his whole family was staring at him. 

"What?" Alex asked defensively.

"I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it for myself," Ellen shook her head. 

"That was just the cutest thing I've ever seen," June breathed. "They adore you!"

"The feeling's mutual," Alex shrugged, smiling. "I have a feeling those three are long overdue for someone loving on them."

"He's going to marry him," Nora said. "Mark my words."

Alex didn't protest because, well.

He spent the rest of his Christmas holidays alternately in real-life conversations with his family and in digital conversations with Henry and his daughters. It was a strange feeling, being at home and simultaneously missing something so much. It seemed like his Dad could tell. 

Unlike the rest of his family, he'd taken the news that his son was dating the Prince of England quite calmly. He'd listened to Alex's story without interruption, wrapped an arm his shoulder and said: "Whatever makes you happy, Mijo."

After watching him in another video call with Henry and the girls later that day, he'd smiled at him and said: "He's your person."

And Alex had smiled back because, yes , that's what it felt like. 

So when Alex found himself in his own apartment once more on the eve of the 26th, he made a split-sec decision. 

He was supposed to go into work the next day, but his firm could do for a couple more days without him. He'd surely worked enough overtime this year. So he pulled up the website of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

There was one more outgoing flight tonight to London, and if he hurried, he could still catch it.

So he packed in a rush, drove to the airport in a frenzy and shot a message to his colleagues and June from the airport. Only when he was checked in and through the passport control did he try to call Henry.

He was a bit surprised when his boyfriend actually picked up. It was fucking early in England. 

"Alex," he said, his voice raspy. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"Sorry, did I wake you?" Alex asked. 

"No, I wasn't asleep," Henry sighed. "I never sleep well at Sandringham. I can't wait to leave later today."

"I'm sorry, love," Alex sighed. "But I'm actually glad you're awake because, um, I did something intuitive and I need you to tell me it wasn't a mistake."

"What did you do?" Henry checked. 

"I'm at the airport," Alex confessed. "My flight to London-Heathrow leaves in 20 minutes."

There was a beat of silence. "Are you serious?" Henry breathed. 

"Dead-serious," Alex confirmed. To proof his statement correct, an announcement over the speakers told him that boarding for his flight had just started.

"Alex, that's brilliant!" Henry gasped. "When will you be here?"

"I'll land around three o'clock your time," Alex answered, referring to his flight schedule. 

"That's perfect! We'll be home by then! We'll come pick you up!"

"Can you do that?" Alex asked, frowning.

"We'll have to stay in the car, but I'll send Shaan out to pick you up."

"Okay, sounds good."

"I can't wait to tell the girls! They'll be so excited!" Alex could hear Henry smiling through the phone, and it made him smile, too. "This is a wonderful surprise, Alex! Thank you!"

"It's as much for me as it is for you," Alex laughed. "I didn't want to spend New Year's in my horribly lonely apartment, and parties didn't seem all that appealing."

"I see," Henry said, sounding amused. 

"I'm 32, Henry! I'm getting too old for all these parties."

"Of course," he said knowingly.

Alex rolled his eyes. "I need to get on my plane. If I miss it I can't fly until tomorrow."

"Well, we can't have that. You'd better hurry."

"Right?" Alex smiled. "See you soon, baby."

"See you soon. Have a safe flight."

Due to his late booking, Alex was only able to fly economy class, and he was seated in the middle row, next to a mother with a toddler and a man who kept shifting his position every five minutes. Safe to say Alex didn't get a wink of sleep. 

He arrived in London to rainy weather and with a major headache. He barely cared, though, going through luggage retrieval in a haze and hurrying outside, scanning the crowd for Henry's equerry.

Shaan found him before Alex could, approaching him with a friendly smile. 

"Mr Claremont-Diaz," he greeted him. "Welcome back to England. I hope your flight was smooth?"

"For the most part," Alex shrugged. "The toddler next to me certainly wasn't happy with it for half the flight."

Henry sent him an expression of sympathy. "I remember the first international flight with Princess Charlotte when she was barely two," he sighed. "Not a quiet minute. Princess Victoria was much more accommodating."

Alex smiled. "That doesn't surprise me."

Shaan gestured to the exit. "If you'd please follow me, your car is waiting."

Alex nodded eagerly. The car wasn't parked far from the entrance, and Alex was pretty sure they got special permission to wait where they did. Shaan took his luggage and gestured for him to get into the back. Alex did so without further ado.

As soon as he opened the door, he had an arm full of little Princess. 

"Hello, Charlotte," he grinned, getting into the car with her arms firmly wrapped around his neck. "I missed you, too."

"Where were you?" Charlotte grumbled into his throat. "Your plane landed ages ago. The homepage said so!"

"I had to pick up my luggage," Alex laughed. "And get my passport checked."

"See, I told you," Victoria said. She smiled brightly at him. "Hi Alex!" 

"Hi sweetheart," he grinned, and then, his eyes fell on Henry. Henry's smile was soft and happy, and Alex leaned in to kiss him. 

"You look tired," Henry noted. 

"Couldn't sleep on the plane," he shrugged. "It's fine."

Henry frowned, but let it go as Charlotte asked Alex what he ate on the plane, and did he get peanuts, what did the flight attendants wear, did he sit at the window, and and and. Alex dutifully answered her questions as they made their way through London, and when they arrived at Henry's little cottage on the grounds of Kensington, the stress from the flight had started to drop off and the exhaustion had really started to settle in. 

They dropped Alex's luggage off in Henry's bedroom before Henry pulled him into a tight hug, which Alex sunk into gratefully. 

"Are you sure you don't want to take a nap?" Henry pressed. 

"I came here to be with you," Alex protested. 

"We can wait a couple more hours," Henry pointed out. "You look exhausted, love."

"I'm fine," he argued. 

Henry sighed, reluctantly pulling away. "All right," he gave in. "Why don't we snuggle up on the couch then and watch a movie?"

Alex smiled. "Sounds perfect."

They chose Moana to watch (or better, the girls did). Henry tugged Alex into his side, letting him rest his head on his chest and covering him with a fluffy blanket. Charlotte buried in behind Alex's legs, leaning against his back and effectively using him as a pillow. Victoria sat on Henry's other side, sharing the bowl of popcorn with him.

Alex made it ten minutes into the movie before he fell asleep. He suspected that had been Henry's plan all along, but he didn't mind too terribly. He felt warm and at home. 

Chapter Text

"You need to marry him, Daddy," Victoria whispered, making Henry almost choke on his popcorn. 

On the screen, Maoui was launching into a passionate rendition of 'You're Welcome'. Next to Alex, Charlotte perked up, peeking over Alex's shoulder to participate in the conversation. 

"Yes!" she hissed enthusiastically, mindful not to wake Alex, who was sleeping peacefully in Henry's arms. "Please do!"

"We've been together for a couple of days," Henry protested. "I can't marry him yet!"

"That didn't bother Prince Charming when he met Cinderella," Victoria deadpanned. "Or Arielle when she met Eric! Or -"

"What about Rapunzel pushing back her marriage with Eugene because she wasn't ready?" Henry asked, grasping on strings now. "Or Anna almost marrying Hans -"

"Alex is no Hans!" Charlotte injected, scandalised. "Louis is a Hans. Alex is a Kristoff."

Henry bit his lip because what was he supposed to say to that? Quite apart from the fact that his youngest had just compared her mother's new boyfriend to a Disney villain, which was quite alarming, both his daughters obviously thought the man in his arms was a hero and he should be legally attached to their family at the earliest convenience. Oh, to be young and unafraid. 

"Lottie is right," Victoria nodded. "You need to put a ring on it, before it's too late."

Henry stared at her. "Where did you learn such phrases?" he asked. 

"Beyoncè," she shrugged before doing some dance move that had Henry blinking.

Alex saved him by stirring in his arms. 

"Fff - fudge, did I fall asleep?"

Henry's lips twitched at the way he'd just averted the curse into something child-appropriate. He leaned in to kiss his forehead. 

"Yes, but don't worry, love. You're tired."

"But I wanted to spend time with you," he whined.

"But you are," Charlotte protested, snuggling more firmly against him. "Did you know you're the perfect pillow, Alex?"

"Am I?" He chuckled. 

"Yes. I'm going to give you an award."

Victoria caught Henry's eyes and mouthed: "Marry. Him." Henry quickly focused his eyes back on the screen and tightened his arms around Alex.

Alex was just making lunch with the girls (he'd insisted upon cooking and the girls had loved the idea) when Henry's phone rang. It was Bea. 

"H!" she greeted him cheerfully. "Are we still on for later, riding with the girls?"

Henry made a face. Truth be told, he'd forgotten all about his plans with his sister after Alex had flown in.

"We're sort of busy," Henry sighed. "Sorry, Bea. Rain check?"

"Busy?" she echoed. "What are you busy with?"

"We have, um, a visitor," Henry said carefully. 

"A visitor?" she said. 

"Yes, Beatrice. Are you going to repeat everything I say?"

"Well, sorry for my surprise, when the only people visiting you are usually me and Mum. Oh, and Pez, but I know he's in Nigeria with his family."

Henry winced. Touche.

"Who is visiting, Henry?"

Henry took a deep breath and admitted: "Alex."

"Claremont-Diaz?"

"Yes."

"The one I ran into last week? Who your daughters couldn't stop talking about?"

"Yes."

"I knew he wasn't just there for work!"

"He was!" Henry protested. "It just… became more, somewhere along the way." 

"Of course," she said, and Henry could tell she was grinning. 

"Don't," Henry warned. 

"I'm not saying anything," Bea pointed out. 

"Sure," Henry rolled his eyes. 

"Am I not allowed to be happy for you?"

Henry waited for the punchline. It didn't come. 

"I am ," she stressed. "Happy for you. Really. After that farce of a marriage, you deserve something real, and I know Alex can give you that."

"He's special," Henry admitted. "And the girls absolutely adore him."

"I can tell," she agreed. "He seems like a good fit for the three of you."

"He is," Henry confirmed. He lowered his voice, admitting: "The girls told me to marry him."

Bea laughed. He chuckled, too. 

"Well, they surely like him more than Louis," she concluded. 

"Please stop talking about Louis," Henry sighed. "I don't know what to do, Bea. They don't want to go to Helena's anymore."

"You're too lenient with her," Bea said, and he could hear her rolling her eyes. "It wasn't your fault she was so unhappy in your marriage. She knew all the facts getting into it. She was handsomely compensated. She wanted it."

"But people change, Bea," Henry reminded her.

"That's not your fault," she reminded him. "You did everything you could to make it easier on her. You even agreed to the divorce and you're paying alimony. Enough that she never needs to work a day in her life. She should be grateful. Not resent you and act up like a jilted child."

Henry stayed silent because, well. 

"Anyway," Bea grinned. "I'm glad you found someone the kids adore, and if you ever decide to make it official, you know I have your back."

"Thanks, Bea," Henry smiled. "That means a lot."

Bea ended up taking the girls one night before New Year's Eve, to give Henry some alone time with Alex. Alex had been so engaged with their little family from the moment their relationship started - which, of course, Henry loved about him, but he also wanted to make sure they had time to be one on one, to grow as a couple rather than a family. 

He took Alex to his favourite restaurant, a little Italian place he frequented with Pez whenever he was in town. The staff was discreet and he'd never been photographed there.

Alex looked great: He was wearing a well-fitted Bordeaux shirt, slightly unbuttoned around the collar, and tight black pants that hugged his butt just right. He was relaxed and nursing a glass of wine, his eyes sparkling as he held the conversation with Henry. 

Henry was so in love he didn't know what to do with himself. 

"So, these assholes wanted to deport that whole apartment block, not even caring that some of these families had been living there for ages and the kids had been born there so they'd be tearing families apart -"

Alex spoke differently when he wasn't around the children. He'd known that, really, but he hadn't seen it since they'd grown closer. He found that he was equally attracted by every version of Alex: The parental, soft side of him that swallowed down curses and cooked with his daughters as well as the fired up side who cursed bigoted politicians.

To be fair, the latter was the version he'd been secretly attracted to for the past fifteen years. 

"How did you get into law, by the way?" Henry asked eventually. "Not that fighting for social justice in front of a judge or jury doesn't fit you like a glove, but wasn't it Senate by 30? You're two years late."

Alex smiled sheepishly. "June convinced me to go to law school," he admitted. "And I eventually saw that she had a point, and people would be begging me to run for Senate once I'd made my name as a human rights lawyer."

"She has a point," Henry smiled. "Aren't they already?"

"Some," Alex admitted, looking self-satisfied. "But I'm still biding my time. You see, when I run, I'm going to win ."

Henry laughed. Alex reached out for his hand with a smile. 

"Thank you for tonight," Alex said. "I think I was so focused on bonding with your daughters that I didn't really pay as much attention to us ."

"It's overwhelming. I get it," Henry nodded. "I had time to grow into it, but you're trying to be something approaching a step-dad, from one day to the other. I appreciate it so much, but it's bound to overwhelm you."

"I adore your children," Alex stressed. "And I want to be there for them; for you , because you've been alone with this for a while and your ex doesn't seem to be a big help."

Henry smiled, squeezing his hand. "You're wonderful," he said. "Thank you so much for that. I couldn't ask for anyone more loving, more involved. Just… even traditional families need to make sure they balance out for it not to become overwhelming for either parent. Let's work together to make sure neither of us burns out, with how fast we've been moving into this?"

Alex smiled and leaned in to kiss him. "That sounds perfect," he whispered. 

They spent New Year's together with the kids - Alex cooked and they played games, entertaining the excited girls until the fireworks started. 

Henry kissed Alex as the clock struck midnight, the first time he had someone to kiss, and wished that he got to keep him. If possible, forever. 

Alex returned to Austin shortly after the New Year started, and things got more complicated from thereon. Henry had known Alex was dedicated when it came to his work, and that hadn't changed; what had changed was that he now had two things he was equally dedicated to - his work and his relationship. 

He spent his lunch breaks facetiming him and the girls so they could see his face. He called Henry again once he came from work so they'd have time to talk in private. He spent every second or third weekend jetting to London so he'd see them in person. Henry tried to come see him, too, when the girls were with their mother, but Alex worked hard throughout the week, so the weekends were usually the only possibility. 

Henry could see that the constant action took a toll on Alex's health. He looked thinner and the bags under his eyes were enormous. 

A couple of times, Henry asked him to just take a break. 

"Take a weekend for yourself," he pleaded. "Just relax. Take a breath."

"I can relax when I'm with you," he'd argued. 

And that was that, because Alex was nothing if not stubborn. 

Henry watched the situation for a while longer before he decided to take action. He packed his stuff after he'd dropped the girls off with their mother and asked Shaan to organise a plane. 

Alex had given him a key to his apartment. Henry had advised the staff to let Alex into his house whenever and he'd wanted to give him a similar access whenever he chose to visit. He made good use of it, letting himself into the empty apartment. 

Alex was still at work, quite predictably, so Henry unpacked and cleaned up, deciding to take a load off Alex's shoulders in any small way. When he was done with that, he ordered sushi for dinner. Then he waited. 

Alex, though, didn't return. 

Eventually, Henry started to worry. A call went unanswered. So went his messages.

When the clock approached eight and he still hadn't heard from Alex, he was pacing the apartment. Should he go to his workplace? It might blow their cover, but he could say Alex had forgotten an appointment for their charity. 

What if something had happened to him? What if he'd gotten into an accident on the way home?

Could he contact his family? He didn't have their numbers, but maybe, he could find them in the apartment. 

Just as he was about to go on a hunt, his phone rang. Henry's heart skipped a beat when he saw Alex's name flash on the screen. 

"Alex," Henry breathed as he took the call. "Where are you?" 

"Henry," he said, and his voice sounded off. "I'm sorry, I just saw your messages. I'm… at the hospital."

"What happened?" Henry asked, his worst fears seeming to have proven themselves correct, and it felt like a bucket of ice water over the head.

"I sort of… collapsed at work," Alex sighed. "My boss called an ambulance."

"You collapsed?!" Henry repeated. 

"Yes. But I'm okay. The doctors said it was just exhaustion and stress. I'm supposed to rest for the week."

"That doesn't sound like 'fine'!" Henry protested. "Where are you? I'm coming to you!"

"I'm already being discharged," Alex sighed. "I'm taking a taxi home. I won't be long."

"They're not keeping you overnight?"

"I told you, it's not that dramatic," Alex chuckled tiredly. "Just stay put. I'll be home in half an hour." 

"Okay," Henry gave in, reluctantly taking a seat on the couch. "But we're going to talk about this once you're rested."

"I expected nothing less," Alex replied, and Henry could hear the tired smile in his voice. "Just stay where you are. I'm so glad you're here today."

"For what it's worth, so am I," Henry sighed. 

Alex looked like hell when he finally arrived home: There were dark circles under his eyes and his usually dark skin was uncharacteristically pale. He fell into Henry's arms with a deep sigh, letting himself be enveloped in a gentle but tight embrace. 

"You scared me," Henry whispered into his hair.

"Scared myself," he breathed. "This isn't… like me. I used to study through the night and jet overseas for a state thing all the time. It never bothered me."

"You're not twenty anymore, Alex," Henry reminded him.

"I'm not fifty, either," Alex scoffed. 

"Still, as you get older, your body changes. I used to be insomniac as hell. Now, if I don't get my seven hours of sleep, my day will be hell."

Alex hummed and, if possible, sank a bit deeper into his embrace.

"Come on, let's get you into bed," Henry said softly. "We can still discuss this tomorrow."

The way Alex let himself be manhandled told Henry all about how horrible he felt. Henry guided him through his bathroom routine and into his pyjamas before, at last, he snuggled into bed with him, holding him close to his chest as he drifted off.

"I'm so glad you're here," Alex breathed, and Henry brushed a gentle kiss to his temple. 

So was he. The thought of Alex being alone like this was too much to bear.

Alex slept all through the night and the next morning. When he finally stirred sometime around lunchtime, his limbs were heavy and he could barely keep his eyes open. 

"Fuck," he groaned. "Everything hurts."

"Breakfast in bed it is, then," Henry decided, pressing a kiss to his hair. "Wait here. I'll make some tea - no coffee for you today, I want you to sleep as much as possible - and get something delivered."

"Don't leave this bed," Alex whined in a manner that would have put Charlotte to shame but Henry just chuckled indulgently and kissed his lips. 

"I'll be back before you know it," he promised. "Try to doze some more."

The good thing about huge American cities was that you were able to obtain breakfast basically all day long. A few clicks on the delivery app Henry had installed the first time he'd visited Alex here and he was good to go.

He spent the waiting time preparing tea (which he'd imported from England - Alex didn't even use to have any) and nipping off to the bathroom. When the doorbell rang, it was someone from Henry's personal security team, who'd been so nice as to receive their delivery for them. All the better. Henry opening the door to Alex's apartment in pyjamas would have been quite incriminating. 

He returned to the bedroom with their breakfast spread out on a tray. Alex had dozed off again, as instructed, but he blinked his eyes open when Henry slipped under the covers once more. 

"Thank you, babe," he smiled, stretching and propping himself up against the headboard. 

They ate in companionable silence until Alex leaned into Henry and asked: "Why are you even here? Not that I'm not super happy, but -"

"I was worried about you," Henry admitted. "You looked exhausted whenever we talked. I wanted to check on you." He bit his lip and muttered: "Seems like my instinct was dead-on."

Alex sighed, relenting the point. 

"You can't go on like this, Alex," Henry breathed. "We love having you around, but not to the detriment of your health. You need to slow down."

"Yeah, about that…" Alex muttered, his fingers closing around his tea cup. "I've been thinking."

"Okay," Henry nodded.

"I'm happiest when I'm with you and the girls," Alex admitted. "When I'm here, I'm just trying to get all my work done as quickly as possible so I can go back. And we've seen that this is not working. So maybe I should just… quit my job and move to London."

Henry stared at him. "What?" he breathed. 

"I mean, let's not kid ourselves, we both know that's where we're going to end up," Alex shrugged. "Why not make the jump now? It's inevitable anyway. And it's going to take a lot off both our shoulders. I could get an apartment there and I could practice law on a freelance base -"

"Hold on," Henry interrupted. "I've got so much to say, I don't know where to start." He met Alex's eyes. "What about your political career? You can't do that from London, Alex."

Alex sighed and shrugged. "You know, the original plan was 'Senat by Thirty'," he rolled his eyes. "And obviously, that didn't happen. So I don't know… June used to say I have a fire under my ass for no reason. Maybe I can do politics at a later stage of my life. But I can't do you and the girls later, and I want to be a part of your lives now, while I can. And I can't ask you to move to the US - for obvious, royal reasons but also because the girls have school and family in England, and I would never take that away from them. So, I don't know…"

"Alex," Henry breathed, reaching out to touch his cheek. "If you're willing to do this - if you're putting your dream on hold for us like that - I promise you, once the girls are in university, you will have my support in pursuing politics. I'll move back to the US with you and become your First Gentleman, if need be."

A smile spread over Alex's lips. "You're talking the big game now," he chuckled. "You think we'll still be together in ten or fifteen years?"

Henry smiled. "Don't you?"

Alex's only answer was to lean in for a soft kiss, so loving that it made Henry's toes curl. 

"And you're not looking for an apartment," Henry told him once he'd pulled away again. "If you move to London, you're moving in with us."

"But what about the Queen?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow. 

"She will be informed, and she'll have to accept it. Or she'll receive my abdication and maybe we'll move to Austin, after all."

"You'd abdicate?" Alex asked, eyes wide. 

"In a heartbeat," Henry nodded. "I've let her blackmail me into a loveless marriage once. I don't regret it, exactly, since I got the girls out of it, but I know what I want now, and it's you. She's not intimidating me into giving up love again. Also, I have the girls to think about. If I don't stand up for myself, what kind of legacy am I creating for them? What kind of world do they have to navigate? What if one of them falls in love with a woman?" Henry shook his head, his jaw set. "I'm going to put my foot down this time, whether she likes it or not."

"I've never been more attracted to you," Alex grinned. "If I wasn't basically dead on my feet I'd pin you to the mattress." 

Henry laughed and kissed him again. 

They spent most of the day in bed, with Alex napping intermittently and regaining his strength. At one point, the girls video called, insisting upon talking to Alex in person once Henry had admitted in a message that he wasn't feeling well. 

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Alex assured them with a chuckle, his back against Henry's chest on the couch. "I just need some rest."

"Is Daddy taking good care of you?" Victoria asked worriedly.

"When I have a cold, I can watch TV all day and Daddy makes me tea and fruit," Charlotte injected.

"Your Daddy is taking fantastic care of me," he confirmed. "I got tea, as well."

"Ask for fruit!"

"I will."

"When you come back, you can lay down in our tent," Victoria offered. "We won't disturb you."

"Thank you," Alex smiled. "That sounds perfect."

"When are you coming back?" Charlotte asked. 

Alex hesitated, looking at Henry. 

"It might be a couple of weeks," Henry admitted. "All the flights have been very stressful for Alex."

"Is he ill because of us?" Victoria asked, eyes wide.

"No," Alex said quickly. "I work too much." He glanced at Henry before looking back at the phone screen. "But I might quit my job soon. Your Daddy and I have been talking and… what do you think about me moving into your house?"

There was stunned silence on the other end of the line. Then, Charlotte started screaming and jumping. 

"Really?" Victoria asked. "You're really coming to live with us?"

"I have to talk with Grandma and Great-grandma first," Henry said. "But if they say yes…"

"What if they say no?" Victoria asked, her face falling. 

"They can't!" Charlotte called, ceasing her jumping. "I'll tell them all about how great of a cook Alex is and how he can sing all the Frozen songs! They can't say no!"

"What can go wrong, indeed?" Alex grinned. 

"If they say no, we'll work something out," Henry promised. "Maybe we'll go to Austin."

"Can I learn to ride Western if we do?" Victoria asked excitedly.

"Priorities are still in order, I see," Alex chuckled. 

"We'll talk about this if it comes to that," Henry elbowed him. "For now, please, girls, keep this to yourself until I talked to Grandma and Great-grandma. This is important, okay?"

"Ohh, I like secrets," Charlotte smiled, miming locking her mouth with a key and throwing it away. 

"We won't say a word," Victoria vowed. "But I'm sure Grandma won't say no. Grandma is nice."

"It's not Grandma I'm worried about," Henry admitted. Alex reached out to squeeze his knee. 

Henry didn't care what Queen Mary would have to say about their plans, though. He deserved this happiness. His girls deserved this happiness. And he was going to fight for it, come heaven or hell.

Chapter Text

"Henry," his mother smiled at him warmly, enveloping into a warm hug. 

Princess Catherine had come out of her grieving shell bit by bit once her grandchildren had been born, starting with Albert, Philip's oldest son, and then eventually Victoria and Alice in close succession. Nowadays she was an enthusiastic grandmother, splitting her time between charity outings at schools or children's hospitals and visiting her grandchildren. 

She had been one of Henry's strongest advocates during the divorce. He'd come out to her over the issue, confessing the real reason his marriage was at an end and why it had never had a chance to begin with, and she had fought for him like a lioness, the old spark back in her eyes.

"I wished I had known back then," she sighed. "If I'd known, I'd have never let you go through with it. But we both know that it's my fault to begin with. I won't ever let it come so far again."

Now, Henry counted upon that promise. He watched his mother as she poured him tea and looked up at him with a soft smile.

"So, what is it that you wanted to discuss, darling?" she asked. 

Henry took a deep breath. His fingers closed around the cup, the warm porcelain against his skin strangely comforting. 

"I met someone," he said, at last. 

His mother's eyebrows raised. 

"Does that mean I finally get to hear about the mysterious Alex?" she chuckled. 

Henry blinked. "How…?"

"Your daughters aren't exactly good at keeping secrets," she laughed. "'Alex sang karaoke with us! Do you know he can sing all the Frozen songs, and the Encanto songs, in Spanish?' 'Alex made us pancakes today! They were soooo good! I don't ever want breakfast from the castle kitchens again!'"

Henry groaned at the way his mother even mimicked Charlotte's voice perfectly. There was no doubt where those quotes came from. 

"Right," Henry muttered. "So the cat's out of the sack, I guess."

"Well, I'd still like to hear who exactly makes my son and granddaughters breakfast," she chuckled. "He must be quite an enchanting person. Your kids seem enthralled."

"They are," Henry smiled. "And he is."

"So, do I know him?" she asked.

"You do," Henry confirmed. "Remember Alex Claremont-Diaz?"

For the first time that day, his mother looked truly surprised. "Ellen Claremont's son?" she asked, and Henry nodded in confirmation. "Well, good heavens… didn't you use to have quite the rocky relationship?"

"That's over," Henry said quickly. "We've grown out of it."

"I daresay you have," she nodded. Then, she smiled. "Well, I'm happy for you. I think it's safe to say you're long overdue for some happiness."

"Thanks," Henry replied. He cleared his throat, building up to the next confession. "He wants to move in with us."

His mother's eyebrows shot up again. "Oh," she said. "So it's serious."

"Very," he nodded. 

"Right," she nodded, sitting up straighter now. "You want me to come with you when you talk to your grandmother?"

He smiled in relief. "Please?"

"Of course," she nodded. "You know I'll always have your back. Do you have a strategy?"

"I'm going 'all or nothing'," Henry shrugged. "I thought about it. I'm not going to let her subdue me anymore. So, either she agrees, or I leave, and I'll take the girls with me."

His mother's lips had pressed into a firm line now. "I won't let it come to that," she promised. "It's time this family supported you the way it should have all along."

When they met up with Queen Mary two days later, the old woman's face was pinched. 

"I have to admit," she said. "The last time you both asked me to have tea, you sprung Henry's divorce at me, so I am weary. What is it this time. Is Helena releasing a book about the marriage?"

Henry almost smiled. His grandmother would wish her first guess had been correct in a couple of minutes. 

"It's about Henry, Mum, not about Helena," Catherine injected. 

"Oh?" The Queen asked, taking a sip of her tea before looking at her grandson. "And what is it that you need to tell me, Henry?"

Henry fervently pushed down on the boy inside of him that had always been afraid of confrontations with his grandmother. He was older now. He could hold his own. 

"I'm in a new relationship," he said evenly.

"Well, that's splendid news," his grandmother smiled. "Who is she?"

Henry's eyes narrowed. "You know perfectly well that I'm gay, grandmother. The person I'm with is a man."

Sighing, Queen Mary put her cup down on the table. "We've been through this, Henry," she said patiently. "You can follow your inclinations in private, but the public can never know."

"Well, we are going to move in together, so it's going to come out," Henry pushed on, his anger fuelling him - an anger that was decades-old and that had been pushed down again and again, only for it to be at the brink of being released now.

"You can't do that," his grandmother frowned. "Think of the children! Why would you expose them to this?"

And that was officially too much for Henry. 

"Victoria and Charlotte have met and spent time with my partner, and they love him as much as I do," he snapped, his voice slowly rising. " I, unlike Helena , was careful to choose a partner who engages with my children and who they approve of. They've asked me to marry him. They are extremely excited about him coming to live with us, while they don't even want to go visit they're Mum anymore ever since she took up with her perfectly acceptable, heterosexual partner. So don't talk to me about being a responsible parent, because out of me and Helena, I'm being the poster-parent right now!"

His grandmother didn't say anything for a long minute. She took a sip of her tea and stared at the lumps of sugar in the table. 

Finally, she said: "I'm sorry to hear that the girls are already emotionally invested. That makes this harder, indeed. But you must realise, Henry, that the public would never accept this. I thought that was why you agreed to the marriage in the first place?"

"He agreed because you made him agree," his mother injected icily. "And believe me, if I had known what was happening, I'd have had a thing or two to say about it."

"Catherine," The Queen sighed, but her daughter didn't let her continue, already pushing on.

"And about the public," she picked up her mother's other concern, " they're not the ones who aren't going to accept him. A good portion of Britain's like him, Mum. They'll be thrilled to see themselves represented! We could have a real legacy here! You're the one who can't handle change."

"I've served this country for 57 years," the Queen stressed. "I think I know it a little better than you do."

"Maybe the people born before World War II," Catherine agreed. "But you've got some catching up to do for the newer generation. You're out of touch."

"And how so?"

"Values have changed, Mum! What might have been viewed as upholding an image of moral superiority fifty years ago is now evaluated as bigotry! So if people ever find out what you did to Henry, your approval ratings are going to plummet in a way you've never seen before."

"Are you threatening me now?" the Queen asked, her voice rising. 

"It's not a threat," Henry said tightly. "It's merely a preview of what's going to happen if you continue on this path, because if I can't be who I need to be in this family, I'll leave, and I'll take the girls with me."

His grandmother stared at him. "You wouldn't dare," she shook her head. 

"I would," he stressed. "I don't want my children to grow up in an environment that has values which I don't agree with. What if you subdue them like you did to me? I can't let that happen. And once I abdicate, people will start speculating, even if I don't give a reason. I'll be in an open relationship with my partner, so they'll know I'm gay - and they'll most probably know it's the reason I left. Is that really the image you want for the Crown?"

There was a long silence after he'd finished. His grandmother took another sip of her tea. Then, she muttered: "Who is it, then? If we're supposed to welcome this boy into our family, who is he?"

Henry braced himself for the next wave of protests. "Alex Claremont-Diaz," he said. 

Queen Mary frowned. "How do I know that name?" she asked. 

"He's Ellen Claremont's son," Catherine explained. "US president 2016 to 2024?"

"Oh, yes," she nodded, then her expression darkened. "That dark, loud one, right? Henry, you can't be serious."

Henry bristled, but his mother was quicker to respond. 

"Alex is well-respected, Mum. He's an exceptionally successful human rights lawyer who has won many important cases in the last couple of years. He's very active in many global charities. He even cooperated with Henry recently. It's how they reconnected."

"That is all wonderful, indeed," the Queen said impatiently, "but I also remember him being inappropriately political, very outspoken in a fashion that is undoubtedly down to his American heritage, and -"

"And what?" Henry said dangerously. "He's too brown?"

"Now you're putting words in my mouth," she rolled her eyes. 

"It's true, though, isn't it?" Henry accused. "If Alex were white and British, you wouldn't be quite so hard on him!"

"It's not about me, Henry, it's about what the people will think!"

"For the last time, Mum, the people will be fine," Catherine groaned. "The Claremont-Diaz kids are ridiculously popular on a global scale. There have been rumours about a Netflix series about them, for God's sake!"

Henry's lips twitched. He'd heard that rumour and hadn't stopped teasing Alex since. It was even more fun because it was partly true. Netflix was still trying desperately to push the series through. It was supposed to be a sitcom about June, Alex and Nora set throughout their time at the White House. Alex and June were furiously shutting it down every time the offers came up.

"Oh, wonderful, just what we need. For Henry's life to be even more in the media than it already is."

"Okay, I'm done discussing this," Henry snapped, having had quite enough of his grandmother's comments. "Here's how this is going to go: You have to options. Either you give us your blessings and we will go public in a way that we'll be able to control, at least to a certain extent. Or you refuse, which means I'll abdicate and pack up the girls to move in with Alex on my own terms. All hell will break lose, and you won't be able to control the narrative in the least. Choose your poison."

With that, he got to his feet and left the room, fuming. His fingers were already grabbing his phone and dialing Alex's number when he saw he had a message from Bea. 

' Mum told me what you were up to today. Cheers! Ring me when you're done, dying to know how it went!'

So he dialed his sister instead. She took the call immediately. 

"H," she said in greeting. "So, how badly did she take it?"

Henry chuckled darkly. "About as badly as expected. I got to hear everything from homophobia to racism."

"That old hag," she groaned. "If people knew what she said in private, she'd long been forced off the throne."

"I won't let her push me around this time, Bea," Henry told her. "I'll abdicate if she refuses to accept my relationship with Alex. I'm serious."

"Honestly, you should have abdicated way back, when she forced you to marry," Bea sighed. "I'm glad you're finally standing up for yourself."

He was about to return something but then he saw his mother appear at the end of the corridor. 

"I have to go," he sighed. "I'll call back later."

Henry's mother was smiling when she reached him, and her eyes danced with mirth. 

"That was quite a performance," she chuckled. "I wished I had it on tape."

"She is infuriating," Henry groaned. 

"You handled her perfectly, though," his mother praised. "She had no choice but to relent."

Henry blinked at her. "Wait, she did?"

"She did," Catherine beamed. "Tell Alex to prepare for the move. Once he's here, we have to set a schedule for the official announcement of his status as your royal suitor."

Henry's hands were shaking now. "It's really happening?" he checked. "I can be with him? Publicly?"

His mother's smile turned gentle. "Yes, darling," she confirmed. "At last."

When he finally called Alex, he caught him on his way to work. 

"What's up, babe?" he asked, and Henry could hear the traffic in the background. 

"Are you driving?" he checked. 

"No, just got out of the car. Why?"

Henry decided to go for it. "Grandma agreed. You can move in."

For a moment, there was uncharacteristical silence from Alex's side. "What?" he asked eventually. 

"You can move in," Henry smiled. 

"She just… accepted it?" 

"Well, it wasn't quite as easy, but I'd rather not revisit the infuriating talk we had earlier and just focus on the result."

"I… wow," Alex breathed, laughing. "So, I guess I'll go up and hand in my resignation, huh? God, my boss will be pissed."

Henry chuckled. "I'm sure he'll survive."

"I'm not, I'm his best man. But that's not my problem, is it?"

"Definitely," Henry nodded, adding with a smile: "The girls will be over the moon."

Alex chuckled. "I'll talk to them tomorrow, okay? Lunch break might be a bit stressful today."

"Don't worry about it," Henry smiled. "After all, you being here soon is the best present any of us can wish for."

"I can't wait," Alex said softly. "I love you."

"Love you, too," Henry grinned. "Now, go and give your boss a heart attack."

"Will do," Alex chuckled, and Henry was smiling as he hung up.

It took Alex two more months to make the move - two endless months that almost tore Henry apart by the seam, but it was all worth it when he finally arrived on a sunny Wednesday in May. The girls were still at school, though they only went kicking and screaming with the knowledge that Alex would fly in while they were in class, so Henry went to pick Alex up from the royal airstrip on his own. 

He'd paid for a private plane to deliver Alex, unwilling to let him fly commercial with all his belongings. Alex had put up a bit of a fight, but had given in eventually when Henry had brought up security concerns - after all, he'd been part of the first family long enough to understand the implications of high-profile security and why it was necessary. So he'd caved. 

And now, as he watched Alex's plane land from next to his vehicle with Shaan, he was selfishly happy he'd insisted. This was the first time he was allowed to welcome Alex openly, as his partner. He wouldn't have been allowed the same display at Heathrow. 

Alex's curls flew wild in the wind as he stepped out of the plane. He pushed them out of his face impatiently, but his lips twitched into a grin as he spotted Henry by the car.

"I could get used to this sort of greeting," he called as soon as he was close enough, and Henry laughed, pulling Alex into an eager kiss once he could reach him. 

"Welcome home," he breathed against his lips. 

" At last," Alex sighed. "It was about time." He pressed his lips against Henry's once more, lingering, before pulling away. "Okay, I know I caught one of your rare sunny days and all, but the wind is freezing so can we get into the car?"

Henry laughed and pulled him into the backseat with him. 

Alex spent the drive back to Kensington chatting with Shaan and playing with Henry's fingers in his lap, and Henry thought it was funny how quickly the sensation of rightness settled in around Alex. He didn't even need to pay much attention to Henry. Just his presence was enough. 

"You'll have tonight to get settled in," Shaan was explaining to Alex. "Tomorrow, we are announcing your relationship through official channels. Your portrait will be taken in the afternoon."

"Wasting no time, huh?" Alex raised an eyebrow. 

"The team decided that a quick, clean announcement is the way to go in this situation," Shaan agreed. "Considering the nature of your relationship and Henry's past marriage, it will be best if the Crown isn't perceived as trying to hide you away."

"As if they ever would," Alex said solemnly, making Henry grin.

"It's definitely not the strategy anymore, so there's no need to worry."

"I feel like there's always need to worry," Alex scoffed. "But I'll try to believe you, for now."

Upon their arrival at home, they spent about an hour overseeing the staff as they unloaded Alex's belongings into the house, and another two hours squeezing Alex's things between Henry and the girls'. 

As they were almost done with that, only going through the two last leftover boxes filled with books and trying to fit them into Henry's already bursting shelves, the front doors burst open and two girls in school uniform jumped Alex where he was sitting on the ground. 

"You're here, you're here!" Charlotte screamed, so high-pitched that Henry winced. 

"I am," Alex confirmed, his voice muffled, since he was currently buried.

"We can finally put down the 'Days until Alex moves here' calendar!" Victoria called out gleefully. 

"You had a countdown to my moving date?" Alex asked, resurfacing to throw an amused look at Henry. 

"We might've," Henry hedged. 

Alex threw his head back and laughed. That was the moment David decided to get in on the fun, jumping at Alex with a loud bark and effectively tumbling the three of them to the floor. Henry laughed, shaking his head as Alex tried to squirm away from David, who was now licking his face, tail waggling, while Charlotte asked loudly what Alex would cook for dinner, unperturbed. Victoria was the one who saved Alex, of course, untangling herself to pick up David, who whined before starting to lick her face, making her giggle as she scolded him half-heartedly. 

"Thanks, Vicky," Alex breathed in relief. "So, that's why you lured me here, huh, babe? To assassinate me underhandedly with your vicious dog."

Victoria laughed. Henry grinned. "You got me. It's the British plot to take back the US. Only we are ten years late."

"Well, I'm sorry I was so hard to seduce," he mocked. 

"Alex," Charlotte interrupted, eyes wide, "can we have Enchiladas tonight?" 

Everyone laughed. "Your priorities are on point, Princess," Alex grinned, kissing her forehead. "Yes, we can have Enchiladas."

Apparently pleased, Charlotte cuddled into Alex's side and picked up one of the books Alex had brought to flick through it.

The feeling of bone-deep rightness grew in Henry's chest, threatening to overwhelm him. For the first time since before his father's death, his world looked the way it was supposed to. 

He just hoped, with all his might, that he was allowed to keep this. 

The official announcement about Alex and Henry's relationship was out before they had woken up the next morning. Henry told Alex to stay off the phone, and it turned out that getting the girls fed and ready for school was enough of a distraction for Alex, at first. Once they were gone, though, he had to get more creative. He dragged Alex under the shower, dedicating himself thoroughly to the task of distracting his man for another hour. When Shaan eventually rang the doorbell to pick them up for their photo op, they were fresh, loose and hadn't touched their phones once. 

"The responses are mostly positive," Shaan told them as they got into the car. "There is huge worldwide support for you from the LGBTQ+ community. People have gathered in New York and at Trafalgar Square."

"That's good," Alex breathed, smiling at Henry. "That's promising."

"It definitely is," Shaan agreed. "Now, let's get a good portrait taken so we can show you off and keep the hype up."

"As much as I despise being part of the Crown's games, I think that might be in our best interest," Alex agreed. "As long as you don't dress me up like a boring royal. Then I'm putting my foot down. I have a reputation to uphold."

Shaan bit down on a smile. "We'll see what we can do."

Naturally, there were discussions to be had with the stylists, but eventually, Alex's thick head paved the way (not only because Henry sided with him). 

They ended up outside in the gardens, casually staged on a bank. The photo shoot seemed endless, and Henry was grateful that it was Alex at his side, who knew to break the tension periodically with a well-placed quip. Still, when they were finally released, Henry was more than just a little relieved. 

"So, where are they going to plaster my face?" Alex asked with some apprehension. "Will it be on underwear?"

"I hope not," Henry said mildly. "But I make no promises."

Alex groaned, leaning against him. "So, what happens now?" he asked. 

"Well," Henry said slowly. "You're not officially part of the family yet, so your official appearances are still kept to a minimum. You can choose how to proceed. You can pick up some work?"

"I'd like that," Alex hummed, looking up at him. "Maybe some more charity work, too."

"Sounds good," Henry smiled. "You know, Pez will be back from his month-long engagement in Nigeria next week, maybe you can get in touch with him?"

"I will," Alex nodded, taking his hand and entwining his fingers. 

A comfortable silence fell between them, before Alex whispered: "Part of me is waiting for the axe to fall from above our heads. Is that weird?"

Henry squeezed his hand and brought it up to kiss his knuckles. "I know what you mean," Henry nodded. "But I won't let that happen. I promise."

Alex smiled and leaned in to press their lips together. 

Chapter Text

"I cannot believe I had to find out about your relationship via Twitter!" Pez called across the kitchen, hands on his hips. " Twitter, Henry!"

Alex took a sip of his coffee to hide his amusement and waited for Henry's defence. It had better be good. He wondered if he could file custody for the girls if Pez strangled him. 

"I didn't want to tell you over the phone," Henry sighed. "Also, in my defence, I did say I had to introduce you to someone once you returned."

"That's what you say about a potential new investor! Not about the guy you've secretly wanted to fuck since the Rio Olympics 15 years ago!" 

"Shut your bloody mouth!" Henry hissed, turning an interesting shade of red.

"No, tell me more," Alex piped up. "Was him being a jerk to me all these years his way of flirting?" 

"We have no time to untangle all of that right now," Pez rolled his eyes. "Plus, I'm not done with you !" He pointed at Henry accusingly. "This isn't just a thing ! He's living with you! He's met your girls! You came out, for fuck's sake! It's serious! You should have told me!"

"I know, I know!" Henry groaned, running a hand over his face. "It just took on a life of its own and before I knew it, he was moving in and I still hadn't told you… It all happened so fast, Pez. I'm sorry."

"You'd better be," Pez glared. "I'm talking pints, mate. Lots of them."

"Done," Henry nodded. "Anytime, anywhere. Just say the word."

Pez grumbled something under his breath before turning to Alex. "And you," he glowered. "You're aware that you're currently living with my favourite people in the universe and I'll murder you in the most painful way imaginable if you hurt either one of them?"

"Duly noted," Alex nodded.

"Are we done with this now?" Henry asked. "Because Alex is a highly established human rights lawyer who is looking for work here in Britain and I thought you could use someone like him on your team, but if you prefer I'd look elsewhere -" 

Pez held up his hand, stopping Henry in his tracks. Alex raised his eyebrows. 

"I just lost a lawyer," he frowned, studying Alex closely. "Big international case in a month. I was going to outsource it, but if you're up for it, maybe I don't have to?"

Alex smiled and put down his cup. "I thrive on time pressure," he shrugged. "Tell me more."

"I'll make you some tea, Pez," Henry said, and Alex could hear the smile in his voice. 

"I'm still angry at you," he muttered. 

Henry just chuckled. 

One hour later, Alex both had a new job and a new friend. 

Alex was fairly busy with the case he had taken over for Pez, so he was grateful that Bea and Catherine were so hands-on with the girls whenever both he and Henry were busy with work. 

"Don't worry about it," Henry smiled. "We're all used to this. I've been doing it alone for two years, remember?"

And sometimes, that knowledge still broke Alex's brain a little bit; how had Henry maintained his royal duties while being a single parent? He hadn't even employed tutors like Catherine had done. He had gone for it on his own, only with the support of his family. 

It was admirable and made Alex love him even more. 

There were the intervals, obviously, when the girls weren't with them; when they were dropped off with their mother, though they became more and more reluctant each time it happened, and it broke Alex's heart. 

"Tell me about Henry's ex-wife," Alex asked Pez once, after the girls had been dropped off yet again the previous afternoon and Charlotte had refused to stop hugging him when saying goodbye.

"Do you really want to have this conversation, Alexander?" He raised his eyebrows.

"I think I do," Alex nodded. "Because right now, everything I know about her makes me want to tear her throat out."

"Well, I don't think anything I have to say will change your mind," Pez snorted. "She's a horrible, immature and selfish woman. She blamed Henry for ruining a marriage that was only ever meant to exist on paper when he only ever treated her with the utmost respect and now she is neglecting her own children to pursue cheap sexual pleasure. So, no, I don't have anything positive to say about her."

"That's what I thought," Alex grumbled. After a beat of silence, he added: "It's not fair to the girls. They don't want to go to her."

"I know," Pez nodded. "Henry knows. But apart from starting a war for custody, there's nothing he can do. And you know Henry."

"What do you mean?" Alex frowned. 

"Well, Henry doesn't like confrontation," Pez shrugged. "He isn't like you. I've only known you for a short while but I know you'll fight everything that moves. Henry got married to a woman instead of sticking up for his right to be openly gay." Pez shrugged. "Frankly, I was surprised he confronted his grandmother for you. It shows how much you mean to him."

"But the girls mean even more to him," Alex pointed out. "I know Henry would fight to protect them."

"Yes, I'm sure he would," Pez agreed. "I just don't think he would start a fight unless he was backed into a corner."

"Hmm," Alex hummed, his frown deep and his dislike for Henry's ex, if possible, even more firmly lodged in his chest. 

It took two more visits of the girls to their Mum for things to escalate. Alex was in the office and in the middle of a discussion with Pez when his phone rang. He glanced at it, ready to mute it, when he saw Charlotte's name. 

"Excuse me for one second," he muttered, picking up the call. "Charlotte, honey, I'm at work, are you okay?"

There was sniffling on the other end of the line, and distant shouting. He thought he could hear Victoria yell something. 

"Charlotte?" he asked again. "Are you there?"

"Alex?" she asked. Her voice was brittle and she was clearly crying. "Can you come get us?"

Alex's heart fell through the floor. 

"What happened?" he asked. Pez stepped up to him, face worried.

"Mummy is being mean," Charlotte whined. "She got angry at me for saying your name and then she said she won't let us go back if you live there. She can't do that, can she?"

"No, she can't," Alex said quickly. "Listen, I'll call your Dad, okay? We'll come over." 

"Please hurry," Charlotte whispered. 

"I will," he promised, his eyes stinging but he forced a smile into his voice. "Be strong, baby girl. We'll be there soon."

"I love you, Alex," she breathed. 

Alex gulped. It was the first time she had said that. "I love you, too," he said softly. "I'll be there soon, I promise."

He hung up and caught Pez's eyes. "Henry's ex has completely lost it now," he muttered. "She's telling the girls they can't go back home as long as I am there. I need to call Henry. We need to go there, now."

"Of course," Pez nodded, squeezing his shoulder. "Go. I can handle the rest for today."

"Thanks, Pez," Alex nodded, picking up his bag, already dialling. 

Henry didn't pick up. Alex cursed. Right. He was in a meeting. He tried Shaan next. Thankfully, he could reach him.

"Mr Claremont-Diaz," Shaan greeted him. "What can I-"

"There's a problem with the girls," Alex interrupted him. "Can you put Henry on the phone?"

Shaan hesitated. "One moment," he finally said. Only when Alex had caught an elevator did Henry finally answer. 

"Alex?" Henry asked. "What's wrong with the girls?"

"Charlotte just called, crying," Alex rushed to say. "Your ex told them they can't go back to you if I'm living there."

"She WHAT?!" he demanded, his voice rising. 

"Yeah, I know," Alex sighed. "I told Charlotte we'd go there. You have to talk to her, Henry."

"Oh, we're going there, alright," he agreed. "And we're taking them with us! I'm not leaving them with her for a moment longer if she's spiraling out of control like that."

Alex blinked, slightly taken aback but pleased nonetheless. 

"Wait in front of the office," Henry instructed. "Shaan and I will pick you up. "

"Okay," Alex nodded. "I'll call Charlotte again to calm her down while I wait."

"Sounds good. Thank you, Alex."

He dialled Charlotte's number again just as he left the building. His call was picked up after the third ring.

"Charlotte?" he said. "I just wanted to say I spoke to your Dad and -"

That's how far he came before he was interrupted, and not by Charlotte. 

"Don't call my children again," a female voice snapped before hanging up.

Alex gaped at his phone.

When Henry finally arrived, he had already worried himself into a frenzy. He told Henry about the intercepted phone call and muttered: "What if she won't let them go, Henry? What if she really insists for me to move out? What -"

"Alex, breathe," Henry said softly, his fingers finding Alex's jaw and stroking ever so softly. "In and out."

Alex did, if a little shakily.

"You're a lawyer," he reminded him. "You know she can't do that without a formal complaint. And even if she did file that, the girls wouldn't want to live with her. It would fail."

Alex nodded, the logic of Henry's words calming him a bit. 

"The fact that Charlotte called you when she felt threatened speaks volumes," Henry continued. "She didn't try to call me. I checked. Just you."

That left Alex's head spinning for a whole 'nother reason.

"Maybe because your ex kept firing against me?" Alex suggested.

"Maybe," Henry allowed. "But I also think Charlotte's become incredibly attached to you and she's afraid to lose you again. Victoria has always been more of a Daddy's girl, and I know without a doubt I'd be her first call in any situation. Charlotte calling you just says a lot about how safe she feels with you."

Alex's eyes stung at Henry's words and for a moment, he didn't know what to say. Henry pulled him against his side, kissing his temples. 

"I'm so grateful for the way you love them," he breathed. "Especially with the way their mother has failed them lately. So thank you. I'm happy she feels safe enough to reach out to you."

"She said she loved me," Alex admitted. "On the phone."

"I'm not surprised," Henry smiled. 

Alex leaned his head against Henry's shoulder. "I don't want them to suffer because of me, though."

"It's not because of you!" Henry hissed. "You've done nothing wrong! This isn't about you, not really. This is a conversation between me and my ex-wife that's long overdue."

And that's all that Henry said about the subject for the rest of the ride. 

Helena lived in a big mansion a little outside of London. He knew the kids needed more than an hour to school each day when they were here. They kept complaining to Alex about it. 

Alex felt a little sick at the thought that Henry's money had paid for this house and she still chose a location so inconvenient for the girls. But at this point, nothing about the woman surprised him anymore. 

"Come on," Henry said, nudging him to get out of the car. 

Henry asked Shaan to come with them and stepped up to the front porch with Alex, one hand on his lower back. 

"You take the girls and go back to the car," he said to Alex. "Shaan, you go in and collect their things while I talk to Helena."

"Certainly," Shaan nodded in acknowledgement.

"She won't let me take the girls," Alex muttered. 

"Let Helena be my worry," Henry rolled his eyes as he rung the doorbell. 

Staff greeted them at the door - because of course, Henry's ex-wife needed her own house staff while Henry could do without. That absolutely made sense. 

"Your Royal Highness," the man bowed. "We were not expecting you until Sunday."

"I know," Henry sighed. "Our plans have changed, Tom. Could you please call for Helena and my children?"

"Of course," he nodded. "Would you like to come in?"

"I'd rather not, thank you," Henry smiled tightly. "But Shaan will collect my daughters' belongings. If you could show him up to their rooms."

"Of course," Tom answered smoothly, though Alex could tell that he dreaded the fallout of his actions. Poor man.

Shaan followed Tom inside, leaving Henry and Alex alone, waiting in the doorway. A few moments later, they could hear rushed footsteps. 

"Daddy!"

"Alex!"

Alex knelt down to pick up a tearful Charlotte, who clung right on to his neck, sniffling into his shoulder. Victoria threw her arms around Henry's waist, molding herself against his side.

"Henry, what in God's name is going on?" an angry voice came from inside - the same one that had hung up on Alex not half an hour ago. 

Henry's ex-wife was, of course, beautiful - she had long, blond hair, thick and wavy in a way that only good salon care could achieve, and her green eyes were currently glaring daggers at the two of them. 

"And what is he doing here?" she added in a hiss. 

"Don't talk to him this way!" Victoria called, more fiercely than Alex'd ever heard her speak.

"Alex," Henry said tightly. "Take them to the car."

"No, he's not taking them anywhere!" Helena snapped. 

"Yes, he is!" Henry returned, his voice now icy. "Because we're going to have a talk and I don't want the girls around for it!"

"Come on," Alex said, holding a hand out to Victoria. "Let's wait in the car."

Victoria hesitated and only when Henry kissed her head and told her that it was okay did she let go of him to follow Alex. 

They could hear part of the argument on the way to the car; raised voices and sentence fragments like: "- all over the papers!" "-dare you!" Alex asked the driver to turn up the radio as soon as they were inside the car, drowning them out effectively. 

Charlotte clung to Alex a little tighter, refusing to look up. Victoria kept trying to glance out towards Henry. 

"It will be okay," Alex promised. "Your Dad is handling it."

"I don't want to go back," Victoria muttered. "This isn't our home, no matter how often she says it is."

Alex nodded and stroked her hair back from her face in silent comfort. 

When Henry eventually returned to the car, it was with Shaan what felt like an eternity later. His face was grim and Alex could see his whole body was tense in suppressed fury. 

"Take us home, please," he told the driver, who immediately started the engine. 

"Daddy, you should have heard the things she said about Alex!" Victoria said, pulling at his shirt. "She doesn't even know him! She -"

"I know," Henry nodded, pulling her into his side and kissing her head. "She shouldn't have said any of it. I'm sorry, darling. You don't have to go back."

"We don't?" Charlotte asked, finally resurfacing from her hold on Alex to look at Henry. 

"You don't," Henry confirmed. "You're staying with me and Alex. Don't worry about it any more."

"So Alex doesn't have to move back to America?" Charlotte asked, her voice trembling. 

"Of course I'm not moving back to America," Alex said firmly. "You're not getting rid of me that easily, Princess."

At that, she burried her face back into Alex's shoulder, sniffling some more. Alex stroked her back gently and looked over to Henry. 

His expression was shuttered and it told him that he had to wait for further answers. And that was probably for the better. Right now, the girls were the priority. 

It took the girls hours to calm down even after they'd reached home, and Henry and Alex had to lay in their tent and read with them before they could fall asleep. 

Only when they were sure they wouldn't wake again, the two of them tiptoed out of the room and shut the door behind themselves. 

They sat down on the couch in silence. It took Alex a while to find the words to speak. 

"What are you going to do?" he asked. 

"Apply for sole custody," Henry shrugged. "As long as she won't see reason, that's the only option." He sighed, running a hand over his eyes. "She has no right," he whispered. "I did everything by the book. I was good to her. I gave her children. I was a good father. I gave her a divorce. I pay for her ridiculous lifestyle, even after the divorce. But now it's my turn to be happy, and I bloody deserve it, and she's not taking it from me!" 

"Of course you deserve it," Alex whispered, putting a hand on his knee. 

"And this is not just about me!" Henry hissed. "The girls have been in a fucking limbo since the divorce and ever since you came along, they are happy! You make all of us happy! She has no right to take that from us because she feels humiliated by the press!" Henry was breathing hard, working himself into a rant. "Is she ever thinking about the girls? When I met you, I made sure that the girls loved you! She never even cared about that with her relationship! And now she wants to rob them of someone else they care about, rob them of the bit of stability they finally managed to cling onto, because she feels threatened by it? Well, fuck that! Not on my watch! She can either grow up or she loses the girls."

"Honestly, the girls belong with you," Alex murmured. "I've thought that for a while. It's where they feel at home. A custody arrangement should be made in the children's best interest. This is not in the children's best interest."

"I know," Henry sighed. "That's on me, I should have done something sooner. But I guess I felt guilty about Helena."

"From what you told me, you have nothing to feel guilty about," Alex rolled his eyes. "Like you said, if she wants a relationship with her kids, she needs to work for it. I saw my Dad only on holidays after my parents got divorced. Let her swallow some poison."

Henry nodded. He reached out and took Alex's hand. "I'm sorry about all of this," he sighed. "I know you didn't sign up for a custody battle."

"I'm a lawyer, Henry," Alex chuckled. "This is my jam. You didn't think I'd mind, did you?"

Henry chuckled and leaned into his side. Alex kissed his temple and wrapped an arm around him, just holding him. 

"It's going to be okay," he said. "You'll see."

"When you say that, I almost believe it," Henry hummed. 

Of course, as soon as Henry started the process of applying for sole custody, all hell broke loose. The media got wind of it almost immediately and had a field day with it. Much speculation was made about the reason for Henry's sudden change of heart - most of them painting Alex as the villain, especially in British publications. 

"First Son of Breaking Families Apart?"

"How Alex Poisoned Henry Against Helena - An Insider Reveals"

Alex found the bad press amusing at best, mildly annoying at worst. He wasn't much bothered. Henry, though, was furious and blamed his ex-wife for feeding the British media. 

"She's always had a bunch of journalists on speed dial," he told Alex. "I'm telling you, she's the source!"

Alex's family, too, was worried. His parents called - both to check in and give advice, because they were politicians at heart and they had tactical minds.

June's call was more frantic than tactical. 

"Are you sure you know what you got yourself into?" she checked. "The situation seems messy and you appear to be carrying the brunt of it at the moment."

"Only in the British media," he assured her. "In reality, I'm mostly just a bystander. The battle is between Henry and his ex. I'm just trying to support him and the girls."

"For a bystander you seem to get a lot of heat," June pointed out. 

"And believe me, Henry feels guilty enough about that as it is," he stressed. "But it's nothing I can't handle. The priority is to keep the girls away from all of it. " June was silent for a long moment in response to this. "What?" Alex asked defensively. 

"Nothing," June chuckled. "You've just become a real parent, you know?"

"Shut up," Alex groaned and June laughed.

Mostly, Alex spent his time off work trying to find ways to distract Henry and the girls. He cooked more. He baked. He organised Karaoke tournaments and arts and crafts projects. He went riding with the girls. Anything to keep them occupied. 

It was on one of those impromptu artistic afternoons - they'd spent the better part of their day outside in the garden, enjoying the sun and creating masterpieces with finger paint, when they received an unexpected visit. 

Alex went to answer the doorbell, splashed in paint and hands only provisionally wiped off paint, when a lady in office attire greeted him.

"Hello," he said, taken off guard. He knew she must have been approved by security  or she wouldn't be here, but he had no recollection of ever seeing her before. "Excuse me, but who are you?"

"I'm sorry to turn up uninvited, Mr Claremont-Diaz," she smiled apologetically. "My name is Elaine Watson and I'm your case worker at the Child Protection Services. I told His Highness that I would come by unannounced soon?"

"Oh," Alex blinked. "Right. I think he mentioned that. Sorry, I would shake your hand, but I'm covered in paint. Please come in." 

"Don't worry about it," she smiled. "Did I get a bad day? Are you doing renovations?"

"No," Alex laughed. "We're trying our luck with finger paint in the garden. It's a bit of a mess."

"Oh, that sounds fun!" she laughed. "May I see?"

"Of course," Alex nodded. "Please, follow me."

The girls and Henry didn't look much better than he did, of course - Charlotte's blond hair was partly pink and Henry had orange paint on his cheekbone. 

"Sweetheart," Alex caught his attention from the doorway. "This is Ms Watson from Child Protection Services."

Henry's head snapped up in a way that looked painful. "Ms Watson," he nodded. "I'm so sorry for the mess!" 

"Don't worry about it, please," she smiled. " I'm sorry I'm interrupting all the fun!"

"Daddy, who is this?" Victoria asked, sounding worried. 

"I'm Elaine," Ms Watson smiled at her kindly. "I'm here to take a look at your house, to make sure you're safe and happy. I won't be long, I promise."

"Did Mummy send you?" Victoria prodded, ever so fast to catch on. "Are you going to take us away?"

"You can't!" Charlotte called, immediately jumping up and running towards Alex. Alex knelt to pick her up, letting her twist her arms around his neck, unperturbed by the fact that she got blue colour all over him in the process. 

"I'm not taking you away, I promise," Elaine said patiently. 

"What about Alex?" Charlotte challenged, her arms tightening around Alex's neck. "Are you taking him away?"

"I'm not going anywhere, munchkin," Alex promised. "Don't you worry about that."

Charlotte, though, didn't let go of him and Victoria looked suspicious as well. Henry got to his feet. 

"Why don't you two stay with Alex while I show the nice lady the house?" He said softly. "Vicky, finish my flowers for me, will you?"

"Okay," Victoria said softly, directing her eyes back to the painting they had been working on. 

It took Alex a long time to coax Charlotte back towards the painting and even when he managed, she just sulkily added more grass to the field. 

Eventually, Alex called the thing off and directed them back into the house. Henry and Ms Watson were done with the tour and had settled in the kitchen to chat, so Alex cleaned the girls up in their bathroom, which was far enough away they wouldn't overhear anything, and then talked them into a round of audiobooks while sprawled out in their tent.

He only stole away long enough to make them some hot chocolate, feeling bad  when he had to crash the kitchen to do it, but Ms Watson seemed pleased at his appearance. 

"You're not interrupting at all," she smiled. "Actually, I'd love a minute to talk to you, too, if possible."

"I'll make the hot chocolate," Henry volunteered. "You, sit." His hand brushed Alex's shoulder as he pushed him towards the kitchen table and Alex smiled at him as he took a seat.

"Well, here I am," he said. "What would you like to know?"

"From what I saw earlier, Henry's daughters seem to be positively enamoured with you," she smiled. 

"Believe me, the feeling is mutual," he assured her.

"So you're dealing well with your role as a step dad?" she checked. "I know it must be overwhelming at times."

"I know it must sound strange, but it feels natural," he chuckled. "Sure, we have to navigate our schedules and that's not always easy, but it's become much easier since I moved here. The distance was the hard part. Now it just feels comfortable. Like we settled into a rhythm."

"I'm glad to hear that," she smiled. "Can I ask, what's your relationship with Henry's family?"

"I've met his siblings and his mother. I get along well with his sister and his mother. The relationship with his brother is a bit tense, but Henry isn't on the best terms with him, so that's not on me, exactly."

"What about the children's mother?" she checked. 

"Well," he frowned. "You of all people should know that she isn't my biggest fan."

"I want to hear your side," Ms Watson insisted. 

Alex looked over his shoulder and caught Henry's eye. He nodded in encouragement. So Alex took a deep breath and went in.

"I never spoke to her directly," he admitted. "But I've been around long enough to have a negative opinion of her through what the girls and Henry told me."

"Which is?" she checked. 

"She's selfish," Alex shrugged. "She puts her own needs before the girls'. She neglects them when they're together. She guilt-trips Henry about things that are not his fault and takes advantage of his good nature."

"That is pretty much in sync with what your partner told me," she nodded. "The children's mother, though, tells another story. She claims you poisoned her daughters and her ex-husband against her."

"I did what?!" he said flatly.

"You heard me," she nodded. 

"How would that work, exactly?" Alex countered. "The girls didn't want to visit her even before I turned up. All those problems - they've been there a long time. When I first met Henry again after all that time, the girls kept calling him. Do you really think they call their mother when they're with him?!" 

She smiled. "Very well. Thank you for that." She took a note before looking up again. "Just so you know - and this stays between us, please - I was already sure she was lying. I just needed to make sure so I could write a proper recommendation to defend you. The mother's complaint's… let's say they have been more than just a little homophobic."

"Why am I not surprised," Henry sighed. 

"I'm not going to stand in support of someone like her," she said emphatically. She held up her hand with a smile, showing off a ring with a small diamond. "Or my fiancée would have my head. She is a huge fan of yours, Mr Claremont-Diaz. She is just taking her bar exam."

"Well," Alex smirked. "Tell her I said good luck. And if she wants an internship, I think I can arrange something with the Okonjo Foundation."

"Shh, I didn't hear that," Ms Watson hissed. "Impartial here."

"I didn't say anything," Alex  said innocently and Henry chuckled in the background.

Chapter Text

"Baby?" Alex asked, studying the calendar Henry had pinned to the fridge as he chewed his lip. "The girls are on vacation from next week, right? Do they have any pressing appointments?"

"Depends upon your definition of 'pressing'," Henry frowned, looking up from his tablet. "I guess everything can be rescheduled. Why?"

"How about you?"

"I have a couple of appearances but I could still cancel. Alex, what's this about?"

Alex smirked, turning to him. "Good. Cancel everything, we're going to Texas."

"Are we now?" Henry grinned. 

"Yes," Alex nodded. "My family has been dying to meet you and the girls -"

"They already know me," Henry argued. "I danced with June at Philip's wedding."

"Don't remind me," Alex rolled his eyes. "Anyway, they know you as the Prince of England, not as my boyfriend."

"Fair enough," Henry conceded.

"I asked Dad and we can have the Lake House," Alex smiled. "Think about it, sweetheart: A week or two of just relaxing, swimming and forgetting about custody battles and royal duties."

"Sounds heavenly," Henry admitted.

"We can drive into Austin for a day or two, meet my Mum, June and Nora," he continued. "Dad would come up for a weekend." 

"We will have to find a ranch somewhere," Henry chuckled. "The girls will want to ride Western."

"Done," Alex promised. "Is that a yes then?"

"Did you really expect me to say no?" Henry smiled, reaching out to draw Alex close and press a kiss to his lips. "It's a brilliant idea. Thanks, love."

"You're welcome," Alex breathed, chasing Henry's lips with his own, unwilling to let him go. 

Honestly, if he could get this man in his arms to relax even a little bit, it would be worth it. The fact that he would get to see his family was just a bonus. 

"How warm is it in Texas?" Charlotte asked Alex, climbing into his lap once the plane was in the air. 

"Warm," Alex grinned. 

"Hot," Henry corrected. "Much hotter than we're used to. We'll have to protect our skin from the sun."

"Right," Alex chuckled, kissing Charlotte's hair. "I forgot you don't know real summer."

"You don't get to talk," Henry rolled his eyes. "You sit in a jacket freezing cold while the rest of London is out in T-shirt and shorts."

"London is fffff-freaking insane," Alex said, saving himself from cursing at the last moment. Henry grinned. "It's an ice box! That's why y'all have so unnaturally white skin and burn at the slightest exposure to sunlight!"

"Says the boy who grew up in a literal desert," Henry countered. 

"Excuse you, Austin is not a desert," Alex huffed. "We have a river and all."

"Wow, good for you."

Alex glowered at him and Henry smirked innocently. Victoria looked at Alex from Henry's other side. 

"Is it true that you have a boat, Alex?" she asked. 

"My Dad has one," he smiled. "But we can use it when we're there."

"Can we play pirates?" Charlotte piped up, gently pulling at Alex's curls.

"Of course we can," Alex grinned. "We can play whatever you want to. We have two weeks to ourselves." 

Charlotte seemed pleased with that prospect and made herself comfortable on Alex's lap before getting out her drawing utensils. 

It was a long flight from London to Austin under normal circumstances, but even longer with two children. It didn't help that they had to drive out to the Lake House after arriving. At that point, Charlotte was sleepy and cranky and Victoria was hungry and annoyed. Henry did his best to keep them calm while Alex drove them towards their destination, PPOs shadowing them in another car. 

When they finally arrived, it was late afternoon. Henry took it upon himself to put Charlotte down for a nap while Alex took Victoria grocery shopping. She visibly cheered up at the sight of all the foreign food and made Alex buy more than was entirely necessary, but Alex didn't mind. As long as she was smiling again, all was good. 

"Daddy, Daddy, do you know how huge American supermarkets are?" Victoria called as they returned, almost jumping into Henry's arms. 

"Shhh, your sister is sleeping," he admonished, but he was smiling. 

"They have these giant bags of candy," she stage-whispered. "I swear they would last us a year, even with Lotti in the house."

Henry chuckled, shaking his head. "Then I hope you didn't buy too much. We have limited luggage, you know."

"Not too much, " she hedged. "Just enough."

Henry sighed as he let her explore the bags Alex had dropped onto the kitchen table. "This trip is going to be bad for all our bodies, isn't it."

"Hey now," Alex glared. "I've lived here my entire life without being overweight. You can manage two weeks, especially with my cooking."

"If you say so," Henry chuckled. 

"Speaking of that, I thought we'd have something simple for dinner. Wraps? I brought fresh ingredients, just need to cut everything up."

"Sounds perfect," Henry said, leaning in to press a kiss to his lips. "And thank you for bringing us out here. This place is amazing, Alex."

Alex smiled, taking a look out towards the lake. It's been a while since he's been out here, but this house always managed to put him at ease. He hoped it would have the same effect on Henry and the girls. 

"This is AMAZING!" Charlotte squealed, jumping up and down as Alex steered the boat farther away from the shore. 

"If you don't hold still and let me put lotion on you, Charlotte, Alex is going to turn this boat around," Henry said sternly, a bottle of sunscreen in hand. 

"Daaad!" Charlotte whined.

"I'm serious, young Lady," Henry insisted, his eyes narrowed. "I'm not having you burn your skin because you were too lazy to wear lotion. So come over here now."

"But I wanna seeeeee!"

"Charlotte!" Victoria rolled her eyes from where she was standing with Alex, already completely rubbed down with Lotion and wearing an old NYU cap Alex had dug up. "Just do it and stop whining!"

"You have two choices," Henry said colly, "One, you do as I say, and two, we turn this boat around and you can go back inside and Alex and Victoria can go on this boat ride alone. Is that what you want?"

"No," she huffed, finally sitting down to let Henry have his way, pouting like a champion. 

Alex grinned and turned to Victoria, showing her how to steer the boat.

Eventually, they found a good spot and Charlotte was Henry-approved in the sunscreen department, so Alex anchored the boat for the moment and broke out the snacks. The girls played a Frozen card game and Alex leaned back against Henry, making the most of this precious moment together. Henry's arms went tight around Alex's waist and he buried his nose in Alex's curls. 

"How has it only been half a year since you came into my life?" Henry asked. "It feels longer."

"To be fair, I've been in your life for fifteen years, just not as actively," Alex chuckled. "But yes, I know what you mean."

Henry hummed, soft lips brushing Alex's skin, making him shiver. "I'll never let you go again," Henry vowed. 

"I'm counting on it," Alex smiled. "Plus, I think you don't have a choice. Charlotte might kill you if you broke up with me."

Henry laughed. "I think you might be right there."

Alex hummed, closing his eyes and leaning back into Henry's embrace. Henry kissed his throat again. Charlotte cried out in victory. The water moved peacefully around them.

And Alex felt at home. 

Oscar Diaz arrived at the Lake House two days later and was an instant hit with Charlotte and Victoria. Not that Alex was surprised: His Dad had always been the fun kind of parent, the one that took you on adventures or made up fun activities on the spot. Maybe a bit too fun sometimes, if his mother was concerned, but Alex still hoped that he'd gotten some of the parenting skills from him.

And indeed, Henry told him, under his breath, as his Dad was teaching the girls how to make a Tres Leche: "You're a lot like him. I never knew. I always thought you were so much like your mother - wanting to be a politician and everything… But meeting him, I can tell how much you get from him."

"They always accuse me of being too much like the other when it's convenient," Alex grinned, bumping Henry's shoulder. "But I hope maybe I'm just the right mixture."

"You're you," Henry said softly, leaning in to kiss his temple. "That's all you need to be, really."

Alex chuckled, entwining their fingers. 

"I approve of your choice of granddaughters for me," Oscar grinned at him later that night, when Henry was busy putting the girls to bed. "They are a marvel. Oh, and the son-in-law is not too bad, either."

Alex elbowed him, laughing. "Believe it or not," he said. "My choice didn't depend upon your approval."

"Mijo," he gasped, overly dramatic. "How can you say that?"

"Be glad you're having grandchildren at all," Alex scoffed. "Readily made, no stress. You're welcome."

His Dad flipped him on the forehead and laughed. Alex rubbed the spot and grinned.

They drove into Austin the next week. The rest of his family was overly excited to meet his new chosen family. 

June was over-the-moon at the sight of the girls, and Victoria took to her like a sunflower to the sun, not leaving her side for the rest of the evening, much to her pleasure (and a bit to Nora's alarm, Alex thought. She kept throwing Alex reproachful looks that he translated to: "If she wants kids now I'll fucking blame you, Alejandro." Alex had no regrets.)

Charlotte, on the other hand, split her time between everyone present, like the good entertainer she was. She clearly bloomed with all the attention on her. This girl had not inherited her father's shyness.

Alex's Mum was clearly torn between spending time with both kids and interrogating Henry, but she was nothing if not a multi-tasker. And so Charlotte ended up on her lap as she shot questions at her father. 

"So, Henry, you've been raising the girls alone since your divorce?" she asked. 

"We had shared custody," he explained. "Also, my family helped a lot."

"Aunt Bea goes riding with us every week!" Charlotte grinned. "I have a pony named Daisy! It's white and it loves carrots!"

"That's wonderful," Alex's mother smiled. "So you spend a lot of time with your Aunt?"

"And my grandma! She likes to take us out to the park to play! Or we take trips together sometimes. We often go to the Victoria and Albert Museum!"

"I see," she grinned. She turned back to Henry, her face growing more serious. "And Alex said you've filed for sole custody?"

"Mom," Alex warned. "Maybe later?"

"Daddy said we don't have to go back to Mummy," Charlotte told Alex's mother. 

"And that makes you happy?" she asked. 

"Mummy hasn't been very nice, so yes," she nodded, decisive. "Also, she wants Alex gone, and I want Alex to stay."

"I see," she smiled softly at her before changing the subject to something lighter. 

Later, Alex saw Henry talk to her in the garden, and he made sure they stayed undisturbed. When they returned, Henry kissed Alex's temple and smiled at him. 

Neither Henry nor his mother ever revealed the details of that conversation, but when they left, his mother pulled Alex into an embrace and told him that Henry was a good one. 

"Don't mess it up," she warned. 

Alex glared at her half-heartedly.

They spent the rest of their time in Texas at the Lake House, peacefully enjoying their time together. They only ventured out once, to visit a ranch for the girls to take some riding lessons. June joined them that afternoon and Victoria was so overjoyed that she talked her into riding with her. 

"I think Vicky found her favourite Claremont-Diaz," Alex snorted, watching them.

"Nah," Henry chuckled, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "No one could compete with you."

"Why did you have to move to London with them?" June whined when they got ready to leave. "It's so far away!" 

"Because they are the Royalty of that shithole," Alex grinned. "Believe me, I don't like to live in a place where it rains 150 days a year, either."

June made a face. Then, her face turned contemplative. "Is Bea still single?" she asked, making Alex bark out a laugh and hit her.

"Nora will skin you alive," he warned her.

"Yes, fine, I was joking," she grinned. "Just know that I'll be visiting all the time now that I know how adorable your step-daughter are."

"Nice to know you'll miss me," Alex deadpanned. 

She shrugged before pulling him into a bear-hug. 

"Can we come back for Christmas?" Charlotte asked as they packed their things on the last day. 

"Yes, please!" Victoria perked up.

"We are at Sandringham for Christmas," Henry reminded them. "You know that."

"Oh, right," they sighed, in unison. 

"Will Alex come, too?" Charlotte asked. 

Alex looked at Henry, unsure. 

"I'll make sure he's invited," Henry promised.

He reached out to take Alex's hand, squeezing. 

As soon as they arrived back at Kensington, reality came knocking once more. Henry's lawyer called and let him know that a court date had been set for the following week. That left Henry in a bundle of nerves, making Alex take the wheel at home so the kids wouldn't notice. 

"What if it doesn't work?" Henry asked Alex, the night before the hearing. "What if Helena gets her way, as she always does?"

"She won't," Alex assured him, wrapping his arms around Henry. "You're a great Dad. Ms Watson saw it. Everyone else knows it, too. This is only a formality, mark my words."

And indeed, when Henry came back the next afternoon, it was with a smile on his face. 

He sat down with the girls to explain the new rules to them.

"You live with us," he promised. "But your Mum can see you once a month for one weekend, without Louis. If you decide you want to spend more time with her, we can talk about that, but it's up to you."

"And Alex stays?" Charlotte checked. 

"Of course," Henry smiled, catching his eyes. "Alex is going nowhere."

After the hearing, a new calmness settled upon their house. Alex knew that it had to do with all of them feeling more secure in their future; they could relax where they had been stressed and worried before. 

The summer was coming to an end and the girls were going to go back to school next week. Alex was preparing dinner - a new curry recipe he'd taken off Instagram - and the girls were outside with Henry, doing something artsy.

Alex looked up when the door opened, smiling as Charlotte ran inside. 

"Alex, Alex!" she called. "You have to come out! Now!" 

"Okay, okay," Alex laughed, cutting the heat from the stove and following her. 

The sun was just setting, tinting the sky into a beautiful colour. Henry and Victoria stood on the veranda, waiting. 

"Here I am," he chuckled. "What is it?"

Henry and Victoria looked at each other before stepping apart. They revealed about a hundred candles on the ground, all of them shaping a heart.

Alex blinked and stared. 

"Step closer, Alex," Charlotte whispered, pushing him until he was suddenly right in front of Henry. 

His throat was very dry. 

"Alex," Henry breathed. "For a long time, I didn't think I deserved love, not really, at least. But you've shown me that not only do I deserve it, but that the people in my life are happier if I pursue it. I don't know what I've done to deserve you, but I know that, now that I have you, I'm not going to let you escape."

Henry reached into his pocket and procured a ring box. He flipped it open, revealing a simple golden band with a row of tiny white diamonds going through the middle. 

"Marry me, Alex," he breathed. 

Alex tried to breathe but found that all air had left him.

"Say yes," Charlotte stage-whispered, and it broke the tension and made him laugh helplessly. 

"Shhh," Victoria scolded her. "You're ruining the moment!"

"Alex?" Henry asked with a smile. 

Alex gestured to Charlotte. "What she said," he chuckled, biting his lip.

"Yes?"

"Of course 'Yes'!"

The girls started shouting and Henry beamed, taking out the ring and gently pushing it onto Alex's finger. Then, he pulled him into a toe-curling kiss, that was only broken when they eventually laughed into each other's because the girls had started to sing: "Daddy and Alex are going to maaaryyy, Daddy and Alex are going to maaaryyy -" on top of their lungs, spinning in circles while at it.

"They've wanted me to marry you since Christmas," Henry informed Alex, making him laugh some more. 

"Well, what can I say?" he shrugged. "I'm a catch. They just wanted you to make no mistakes."

"Indeed you are," Henry said fondly, leaning in to kiss Alex again. 

Chapter Text

A year later

Alex couldn't stop smiling. Sure, this whole royal wedding thing was over the top and ridiculous and he didn't even have it in him to care because as of two hours and about thirty-seven minutes (not that anyone was counting, certainly not Alex), he was married to Henry, and he would have endured a hundred more ridiculous royal ceremonies to make this happen. 

Henry's hand was in his, his thumb absentmindedly brushing Alex's wedding ring under the table, and Alex was so happy he was actually worried he would spontaneously combust. 

"God, you're obnoxious today," Nora sighed from next to June, watching him with raised eyebrows. "If you don't stop being so awfully chipper, I'm going to throw myself into your ten-thousand-pound wedding cake."

"It's not ten thousand pounds," Alex rolled his eyes. "I put my foot down and told them to make it reasonably priced. Though, to be fair, I'm not sure how expensive it is. Still too expensive for you to throw yourself into without making a lot of royals very angry, I'm sure."

"Sounds more like something you would do, anyway," Nora sighed. 

"True," Alex nodded, elbowing his husband (but not without feeling giddy at the thought - his husband!). "Babe, wanna throw yourself into the cake with me?"

Henry blinked. "I feel like I missed the important part of the conversation."

"There was no important part," June assured him. "It was all silly."

"Well, good to know," Henry chuckled, removing his hand from Alex's only to wrap it around his shoulder. "We will have to schedule any cake-related shenanigans for later, though. There is supposed to be another speech and then we will have our first dance."

"You don't schedule cake-related shenanigans, Henry, that's the point," Alex rolled his eyes. "And anyway, another speech?! I thought anyone and their mother already roasted us and your grandmother and Philip lulled everyone to sleep."

"I'm not sure who is left, either," Henry frowned. Then, he blinked and his face fell. "Oh God, I hope it's not Helena."

Alex snorted. "If she tries, someone might end up in the cake, after all."

Henry's ex-wife had been invited to the wedding, after much discussion within the family. It was a gesture of courtesy that Alex had half-hoped she'd turn down. Only, the girl's mother was apparently trying to make amends now that she'd effectively been cut off from regular contact with her daughters. 

She had broken up with her no-good boyfriend. She actually made an effort whenever she got to see the girls. She played nice with Henry and even with Alex. 

Alex thought it was too little too late, but he'd never been good at giving people second chances. Henry was more lenient and Charlotte seemed hopeful. Victoria was more reserved, but who could really blame her? She had lived through everything much more consciously than Charlotte, even the divorce. Alex knew from his own experience that there were some scars that never quite healed. 

Tonight, the girls were seated between their mother and grandmother. As Alex glanced over at them, Charlotte allowed her mother to adjust her hair and Victoria was looking at something with Catherine. 

Then, Catherine got to her feet and called for attention. 

"I know we have heard a lot of speeches tonight," she smiled. "But two very important people wanted to add their own congratulations to the pile, and who are we to deny them? After all, how many of us are lucky enough to celebrate our father's wedding day. So I'll give the word to my granddaughters, Their Royal Highnesses Princess Victoria and Princess Charlotte."

Alex blinked as the girls got to their feet, Victoria dutifully clinging to a couple of note cards. They looked around until they found Henry and Alex and smiled. 

"Daddy, Alex - congratulations!" They said in unison. 

"We know this is Daddy's day but in a way, it's our day, too, because Alex gets to officially join our family and that's something we have wanted for a long time."

"Actually, we told Daddy ages ago that he should marry Alex," Charlotte injected, rolling her eyes for emphasis. "But he said it was too early. Proof what adults know!"

Alex laughed, as did most of the guests, while Henry decided to hide his face in Alex's curls. 

"From the day we met Alex, we knew he was the right fit for us," Victoria continued, glancing at the cards and back at them. "Not only was he so much fun to be around -"

"He can sing every Disney song!" Charlotte injected. "Even the villains!"

"I'm talking, Lotti!" Victoria hissed.

"Sorry," Charlotte grinned sheepishly, to the great amusement of everyone in the room.

"Like I said," Victoria continued. "He's a lot of fun - and not only because of karaoke -" that got another laugh from the crowd, " but most importantly, he makes Daddy very happy. I've never seen him smile as much as when Alex is around."

Henry's hand squeezed his shoulder and Alex leaned into him.

"He makes our home feel like a home," Victoria continued, catching Alex's eyes and smiling shyly. It made Alex's throat feel tight. "So I'm glad to know he'll never leave again."

"Also, his cooking is better than the palace kitchen," Charlotte injected, like that settled everything. 

“We love both of you,” Victoria finished, apparently keen on ignoring her little sister, “and we wish you all the happiness in the little world.”

There was another round of cheers, but Alex barely heard them, for both Henry and Alex had got to their feet to meet the girls halfway for an embrace. To Alex’s surprise, Victoria was the one who caught him around the neck first. 

“Thank you,” Alex breathed around her blond mane. “That was wonderful.”

“Thank you for moving in with us, Alex,” she breathed, and Alex could hear the tears in her voice. “I love you.”

Alex couldn’t stop his own tears as he clung to Victoria. He whispered words of love and endearment at her before Charlotte jumped at both of them, making them laugh. Eventually, Catherine and Helena asked the girls to sit back with them and Alex and Henry were called to prepare for their first dance.

As they got two minutes to themselves without the whole room looking at them, Henry’s palms came up to Alex’s cheeks and he wiped away his tear tracks with such gentleness that it almost made Alex lose it again.

“Your daughters are something else,” he breathed on a choked laugh. 

“They both love you, so much,” Henry smiled. “So do I.”

“I love you, too,” Alex said, leaning in to kiss him. “God, who would have thought that moving to London would be the best decision I’d ever make?” 

Henry chuckled and pressed another kiss to his lips. “If you’d told yourself 10 years ago that you’d move to England and marry me, you’d probably have imploded.”

“Destroyed an invaluable White House object, no doubt.” Alex smiled. “Good thing I’ve grown and mellowed. Now I only throw invaluable palace objects at insufferable ex-wives or paparazzi.” 

Henry shook his head, laughing, but before he could respond, they were called for their first dance. Henry took his hand and they stepped outside, into the blinding lights of the rest of their lives.

***

Ten years later

“I’m sixteen!” Charlotte yelled, her face red. “You can’t forbid me from going on holiday with my friends! I’m almost an adult! Alex, say something!”

Before Alex could even get a word in, Henry was already speaking.

“We’re not forbidding you from going on holiday with friends, just not with these friends,” he pointed out calmly. 

“But you don’t even know them!” Charlotte called.

“Of course I do,” Henry rolled his eyes. “I’ve seen them around enough on royal birthday parties. And I don’t want you under such influences, Lotti.”

“That’s not fair!” Charlotte called. “You’re judging them because they’re royals, but we’re all royals! Who else am I supposed to hang out with? Not everyone can find a Pez at Eton or an Alex at - what do I know where!”

“Do you think I’ve only ever hung out with Pez or Alex?” Henry chuckled without humour. “I’ve been where you are, baby girl. I’ve tried to make friends with those people. I tried to be someone who I wasn’t and it ended badly. I don’t want you to make the same mistake.”

“Just listen to him, Lotti,” Victoria said tiredly from the kitchen counter. She had her laptop open in front of her and her phone in her hand, checking both in turn. Alex went to her, gently rubbing her shoulder. 

“Nothing?” he asked.

“It was supposed to come today!” she whined, looking up at him. “What if they turned me down?”

“They’d be stupid to turn you down, sugar,” Alex smiled. “Your A-Level results were spectacular. Your SAT scores were fantastic. There is nothing to be afraid of.”

“But -” Victoria cut herself off when Charlotte started shouting again, groaning again. “Lotti, I really don’t have the nerve right now! Can you please go somewhere else to fight with Daddy?”

Charlotte glared at her. “Just because you spent the past three years studying to get into NYU and missing out on all the fun -”

“Charlotte,” Alex cut in, in an undertone that made the other girl shut up immediately. “Why don’t you go up to your room and we’ll discuss your summer plans later?” he suggested.

Charlotte rolled her eyes. “Fine,” she muttered. “But I’ll get one of your Helados.”

“Deal,” Alex smiled as she stormed up to her room. 

Henry shook his head and met his eyes. “How do you do that?” he hissed. “I want your superpowers.”

“That’s what happens when you’re the cool stepdad,” Alex grinned. “They listen.”

Henry rolled his eyes and came to stand next to Alex at Victoria’s back. The poor girl had gone back to staring at the NYU homepage, refreshing it periodically. 

“She’s not stepping foot on a yacht with them,” Henry warned.

“Of course, she isn’t,” Alex said immediately. “I hate these little fuckers. I’m pretty sure this Bryan kid wants to get her laid.” 

“Oh my God,” Henry said weakly. “Please don’t.”

“He’s right,” Victoria said absentmindedly. “He's pretty obvious about it.”

“But I have an idea,” Alex said. “We can offer to pay for a trip with Amina. She’s an angel and Charlotte is still close enough to her that she might be appeased.”

“That’s not half-bad,” Henry mused. “We could send them to Llwynywermod -”

“Oh Dad!” Victoria groaned. “Really?”

“What?” he asked defensively.

“They’ve gone there a hundred times since they were kids,” Alex smiled. “If you want her to take the bait, you have to offer something more exciting.”

“Like what?” he asked. 

“I don’t know, Dad,” Victoria shrugged. “Rome, Paris - somewhere they can enjoy themselves.”

“Good God,” Henry groaned. “That sounds like a nightmare.”

“They’ll have the PPOs,” Alex reminded them. “And we could ask one of her aunts to fly out and check up on them. You know they’d do it in a heartbeat and Charlotte wouldn’t be so miffed if it’s Bea or June.”

“I like the way you think,” Henry smiled.

“I was a wild child once,” Alex shrugged. “I know how to rein her in.”

“You were a politicians’ son and valedictorian,” Victoria snorted. “You weren’t a wild child, Alex, you just wanted to have the vibes.”

“Hey,” Alex called, digging his thumbs into her shoulders until she squealed. “Don’t ruin my rep!”

Then, Victoria’s phone vibrated and she scrambled to pick it up. “Oh my God,” she breathed, dropping it to the table again to turn to the laptop. “It’s here!”

“Deep breaths, sugar,” Alex reminded her as she logged in. “It’s going to be fine.”

“Alex is right,” Henry said. “You worked so hard for this.”

Victoria was trembling as the site loaded, her hands reaching out for both Alex and Henry. Finally, her profile was shown - and of course, Victoria was accepted. 

She squealed and jumped up to pull both Henry and Alex into an embrace. “Oh my God, I’m going to New York!” she squealed. “Alex, can you please get in touch with your old law professors? I know it’s early since I’m not technically in law school yet but I want to make contacts and -”

“I’ll see what I can do, I promise,” Alex grinned. “But for now, be happy! Celebrate!”

“You’re right,” she laughed. “I need to call Daryna and tell her!”

With another squeal, she hurried out of the kitchen, leaving Henry and Alex to their own devices. They grinned at each other.

“The first kid out of the house,” Alex chuckled. “How does it feel, Daddy?” 

“Strange but good,” he laughed. “Weird how she wants to be a lawyer. Study in New York. I wonder where she gets that from.”

“Where indeed?” Alex hummed, making Henry laugh. “Honestly, I’ll never forget the look on your grandmother’s face when she told her.”

“She hates you with the passion of a thousand burning suns,” Henry agreed with mirth in his eyes. “It makes me love you all the more.”

“Her hate is my life juice,” Alex chuckled, leaning in to kiss Henry. Then, they heard footsteps. When they looked up, a miffed Charlotte stood in the doorway.

“Now that Vicky got to go all across the pond,” she hissed. “Maybe I can get my teeny tiny holiday?”

Alex smirked at Henry. “Yeah. About that. We had a thought, baby girl.”

***

Two years later

“That should be everything, right?” Alex said, dropping the last of Charlotte’s bags in her new dorm room. Charlotte hummed, looking around. 

“Looks like it,” she agreed. “Thanks for the help.”

“Of course,” Henry said. “If we can take Vicky all the way to New York, we can take you to Dublin.”

“I could have gone on my own,” she rolled her eyes, but she was smiling, so Alex knew she wasn’t really annoyed.

“None of that,” Alex said. “We need to drop off our baby girl.”

“I’m not a baby anymore!” she argued. “I’m almost as tall as you!”

That was true, much to Alex’s dismay. Victoria had stopped growing at 5 ft 6, but Charlotte had grown all the way to 5 ft 8, towering over Alex whenever she wore heels. He’d tried to ban them from the house but she’d only laughed at him. 

“You’ll always be our baby girl,” Alex argued, dropping a wet kiss on her forehead and making her squirm. “Even if you’re freakishly tall and study dung.”

“I’m studying Sustainable Energies and Green Technologies,” Charlotte glared. 

“He knows, sweetheart, he’s just teasing,” Henry chuckled, throwing an arm around her.

“Not everyone can study law in New York,” Charlotte muttered.

“Well, that would be boring, munchkin,” Alex nodded. “Some of us have to save the world for future generations while the rest of us are little bitches who fight with a wall.”

Charlotte laughed and hugged him. “I’ll miss you,” she said.

“You won’t,” Alex said. “We’ll call every day.”

“Once a month,” she argued. 

“Once a week,” Alex decided.

“Deal,” she grinned, stepping back. “See, I would have been a good lawyer! But as you said, someone needs to save the world.”

Alex laughed as she hugged her father, and when they’d finished mumbling among themselves, she stepped back and made shooing motions. “Now, off with you!” she said. “I have a life to begin.”

“Okay, okay,” Alex laughed. “We’ll find a pub and get knackered or something. Drown our woes that our youngest left us.”

“Please don’t embarrass me on my first day in the city!”

“We’ll try.”

As Alex and Henry stepped out of the dorm, flanked by the PPOs, curious eyes followed them, but they were mostly left in peace. This boded well for Charlotte’s future at this place. 

“Now, I’d like some Guinness and maybe something to eat,” Alex announced, elbowing Henry. “Because I think we deserve it. Both our girls are at university. That’s an accomplishment, isn’t it?”

“I almost lost hope when Charlotte insisted she wanted to abdicate and become an actress like her grandpa.”

“Yeah,” Alex laughed. “That was a phase, I’ll give you that. It was never boring with her.”

“Thank God she changed her mind when Mum told her that even Dad went to university for acting.”

“Thank God for Catherine,” Alex nodded. “Though I still think she’s a born actress. She has a flair for drama.” 

“That she does,” Henry nodded. 

Their driver eventually dropped them off at a well-rated pub with enough space for security and they got a table on the patio overlooking the canal. It was a sunny day for Dublin - it had rained a bit in the morning when they’d arrived, but now, it was mostly dry. Alex was still wearing a jacket because he was always the first to freeze in the family, but Henry had removed his and was enjoying the sun. 

“You know,” Henry said eventually when they’d received their drinks, “the girls are out of the house now.”

“Yes,” Alex smirked, “so I’d noticed.

“That means we’re free,” he continued, his expression serious, “and I haven’t forgotten the promise I made to you when you first moved to London.”

Alex blinked. It took a moment for him to catch on, and then his throat went dry.

Henry reached out for his hand. “You’ve been wonderful, Alex,” he breathed. “You put your ambitions on hold to be part of our family, and I love you so much for it. I don’t even have the words to express how grateful I am. But now the girls aren’t based in London anymore, and we don’t need to be, either. We can go back to the US.”

Alex looked at him. “Are you sure?” he asked. “What about your family?”

“I’ve told my mother a long time ago that we’d possibly go back once the girls are out of school,” Henry smiled. “She knows, and now that she’s Queen, there’s no one who can ruin our plans.” Henry squeezed his hand. “I know you, Alex. I see the way you still follow the American news. I hear how you rant about politics in Texas. I know you still want to go down that path, but you’re afraid to ask for it. But it’s okay, sweetheart. I’m here, and I’m going to walk down that road with you.”

“Baby,” Alex breathed, his throat tight.

“You raised my girls with me,” Henry smiled.

“And I loved doing that,” Alex injected. 

“I know,” Henry nodded. “But now it’s your turn, okay? We can go back, and I’ll be your trophy husband as you campaign.”

“But what will you do in the US?” Alex asked.

“I have shelters there,” Henry smiled, shrugging. “And I can always expand. Plus, our girl is studying in New York. It’s not like I’ll have nothing.”

“Right,” Alex nodded, smiling. “You’re really sure?”

“Totally,” Henry nodded, squeezing his hand. Alex squeezed back. 

In Henry’s pocket, his phone vibrated. He fished it out to see a video call from Victoria. 

“Perfect timing,” he chuckled. “Ready to share our plans with Vicky?” 

Alex chuckled. “Can’t wait.”