Red, White, & Royal Pain

4.2

The flight to the motherland was one anxiety packed shitshow. And that's being generous.
The kids had never met the queen before (with good reason), and even with her gone, it was as if they were visiting a place that didn't want them. Their Great Gran's malicious tendencies towards their fathers still seemed to be up in the air in their naive minds. Arthur ended up bombing Henry with questions the entire time, while Henry himself wished he had snuck some whiskey into the jet. Not that he wasn't more than happy that his son wanted to know about his father's birth place, he just had bigger fish to fry. Much, much bigger fish. Specifically one about 5'10, dark eyes, self-righteous, obnoxious voice, and very unpleasant to encounter.
"Why don't you like Uncle Philip, Dad?"
"Because we don't always see eye to eye on some...rather important topics, love."
"Ok, but why haven't we gone to England until now?"
"It doesn't spark the most pleasant memories for you father and I."
"What type of unpleasant memories?"
    "Stressful ones, honey."
    "I get that, but why?"
    "Because it was bittersweet. It almost tore us apart, multiple times. If it had, then we wouldn't have you here with us", Henry said giving a soft but sad smile. "Please, love, try to relax. Jetlag isn't fun. Neither is an eight hour flight, but it is what it is." And with this, Alex reached over, squeezing his husband's hand. He had very briefly heard what was said, seeing as he was too invested in Ella, who was playing a pizza making game on the iPad. Through Ella's repeated chanting of "cook, cook, cook!" Alex had still detected the sorrow in his voice. Henry gave a light squeeze back, too wrapped up in his own thoughts to be completely present.
    ***
    They're on their way to Buckingham. No turning back now...unless... But no. They wouldn't chicken out of this. It was their mother/ mother-in-law for crying out loud. She deserved support. And anyways, if things started to get patchy with Philip, Bea would be there to save the day, well, because that's what Bea does. Walking side by side now up the walkway, Henry and Alex take a quick nerve racking glance towards each other, neglecting to hear the approaching pitter patter of finely polished leather dress shoes.
    "Well look who it bloody is? If it isn't my little brother, his presidential-representative- boy toy, and their younglings. Oh, what a sight for sore eyes."
    Glancing up, Henry took the deepest sigh of his lifetime. Philip.
    "Afternoon Philip. A pleasure seeing you here", Henry tried, desperately hoping to sound somewhat decent, but just coming off as bored.
    Ignoring this halfhearted greeting, Philip trudged on, "Honestly Hen, I truly was not depending on your arrival. Nothing personal of course, just that you do have a tendency of running off when faced with confrontation. I'm quite sure Alex is familiar with this tic of yours, isn't he?" Philip gave Alex a menacing wink. Alex's face reddened with anger, but he smartly remaining silent while grasping Henry's hand firmer. Testing his limits as per usual, Philip continued without even allowing time for his brother to retort.
    His eyes shifting down now to a rather frightened Ella and Arthur, he spoke "I must give credit where it is due however. Bold as ever, my dear Hen. First, you run off with the godforsaken son of the president", his voice rising now, "which put our family name and respect at jeopardy. Then, it was not only abandoning your royal duty of being a figure of propriety, but moving to a whole new country. Now now, don't get me wrong. You're upsetting moods were not missed around here, but then you have the fucking audacity to show up here after practically severing all ties to your heritage? And now you're parading around children who aren't. Even. Bloody. Yours. Pathetic" he spat.
He bent down to Ella and smiled a vicious smirk, "You hear that, love? Your dads aren't even your dads." He took a breath, his mouth left wide in a snarl, as if he were planning on doing further damage, but he never got the chance. Just as his plump lips started to curl in to lash out his next round, Henry dropped Alex and Arthur's hands, lunging at Phillip.
    A deafening smack could be heard as Henry's fist connected with Philips jutted out jaw.

Nothing like a nice cliffhanger ;) hoping to put together the next part soon enough!