The Shield (Prince Harry fanfic #2)

Chapter Forty

When Harry awoke in the morning, Lucy was out of his arms and not in the room. Listening carefully, no sound came within his Kensington Palace apartment. Fear prickled inside of him, like Lucy had ran away during the night. He had been exhausted, but he was a light-enough sleeper. He would've noticed.

Harry pressed his feet to the ground and ran down the stairs. His eyes searched every surface and area. Panic arose in him, and he didn't fully understand why. Lucy was allowed to go and come as she pleased, but after last night, he was scared she might do something radical. There wasn't much for her to do, but he knew she was angry. Lucy had finally chosen a life mission, and what she wanted to do. This wouldn't have stopped her, he knew. However, he knew the retaliation that would come from last night's problem from the outside world.

He moved to the front room and stopped. Lucy sat there with legs curled under her body and arms trying to keep the chill away, staring out the windows. The world was gray and wet, dripping in tears that poured down from the sky. No thunderstorm had rumbled in, but it was a regular day in London. However, since the recent events, minds focused on if this was a sign.

"Page three," Lucy stated, motioning to the morning paper beside her.

Harry's eyes looked over. Last night's event hadn't received first page coverage but third page, which had to angry Lucy. He was happy to see himself not on there. Quietly, he walked over and flipped to the third page. His eyes scanned the small paragraph. "They didn't have enough time to investigate. It was put in afterward, probably last check before the printer. They'll have more on it tomorrow."

Her eyes were turned on the rain. On a day like this, she wished for sun. Back home, or at least where she called home sometimes, there was sun. Lucy loved London but couldn't she get a glimpse of sunlight ever? Her eyes came over to him, and she nodded solemnly.

"They will," he repeated.

"Harry!" a male voice called, and Harry's head jerked up from Lucy at the sound of his older brother. "Harry! Are you awake?"

"In here," the younger brother called, not wanting to leave Lucy as she sat here. He backed up a few paces so William saw him.

"Harry, did you see the newspapers?" William asked.

When this question was usually asked to Harry, it was because Harry was on the front page. Something had been said about Harry, rumors or truth, and usually a girl was involved. Whatever it was, Harry felt the anger build. This time, Harry wasn't on the front of the papers, not even close.

"Your girlfriend, where she works," William continued, "did you see? Someone burned the building down. Is she all right?" William walked straight into the room and Harry wanted him to hold his tongue. The Duke of Cambridge froze when his eyes came to Lucy, and she turned her gaze on him.

"Hello," she said, not pleasant but not rude, perhaps slightly bored or tired.

"Hello," William greeted. "Are you all right?"

"I believe so." She shrugged.

"I'm sorry about what happened at your job. It is unacceptable. Something needs to be done."

"It does."

He swallowed. "My apologies for the passing of your coworker." William then bit his tongue, not knowing if Lucy knew this or not. "I'm sorry. I should've--"

"It's okay," she said. "I know. I was there."

The Duke of Cambridge didn't open his mouth to apologize again, though technically it was the correct thing. From the things he learned about Lucy, she didn't need to hear it. She processed at her own pace.

"Wills, how did you come by about hearing this?" Harry asked. "You didn't know where Lucy worked."

William didn't wish to speak anymore of it, but he explained to his brother, "Well, as you're aware, Harry, since you're dating Lucy, we keep tabs on her." His eyes drifted over to her Lucy, who sat straight in the chair, measuring him; however, she didn't seem surprised by this fact. "This also means her job, or in her case, jobs, and the places she likes to go and things she likes to do."

"I know all of this," Harry snapped. His eyes drifted to Lucy, yet she wasn't shocked.

"Well, I got a call this morning from the Public Relations of the British Monarchy alerting me that Lucy's job last night went up in flames. I read the papers this morning too." Williams eyes came up to her. "I'm glad to see you are okay."

Lucy showed no teeth when she smiled at him. "Thank you." William was a nice gentleman but she hadn't been expecting that. The two barely knew each other.

"My sources tell me that the police are closing in on the people that did it. There are a lot of CCTV cameras and even more in that area. The police will have names by afternoon, I would say. They will go to jail, but they're cowards, I expect them to give guilt and take punishment for killing an innocent woman."

Lucy wanted to make a retort about the people who go there were innocent but William hadn't meant it in a rude way. "Your sources?" she questions.

"Though decorative, Lucy, I am the future King of England. I do still have some pull." William turned to Harry. "This will start problems."

Harry looked over to Lucy for help, and she gave it. "You have to show people that we're all the same. We're all human beings. We're equal. No race is better; no religion is better. We all come from the same place and we all end up in the same place. There is no difference between us. We're all trying to live and survive. We all want to be happy."

Her chin went high in the air before she stood along with the men. Her height was equal to Harry's and a little less than Williams, but she rivaled them both. In the room, she stood with the Prince of Wales and the future King of England, but Lucy seemed to have most of the power. She wasn't to be looked down upon, and she wasn't to be messed with. William saw what Harry saw every day: a confident and strong woman. People would love her and hate her, but she would be respected. There was passion in her eyes, like something burned deep inside of her, as if she willed herself to take down an army. The media would have field day with her, but it wouldn't hurt her. it wouldn't bother her. She had the armor on her skin and the shield of herself. Lucille Smith wasn't a person you fucked with. Lucy was a badass.

"If you're living in fear, you're not living."