The Unexpected Journey-A Prince Harry Fan Fic

Chapter 176

Going back to London was Maddie's decision. As tempting as it was to stay in the relative safety of her mother's home--and as fine as Harry was with staying indefinitely--Maddie knew that this wouldn't begin to drift away from them until they went home. Until they showed their faces, until the public had their fill of them.

"You're a wise woman love," Harry shook his head at her, softened by her strength. "Wiser than you should have to be right now."

And she was right.

The public, the press, the paparazzi; everyone was waiting to see the two of them again, to catch a glimpse of the couple. It had only been two days since the photos first surfaced and, in those two days, it felt like the pictures had wallpapered the world. They were in newspapers, in magazines, on the internet. The legal team had been working over time, the engineers had been out and big moves were being made to shut it all down. But it was too late; they had been seen by nearly everyone who had the ability to see.

The damage was done and the fallout had begun.

"No," Harry shook his head at her, stern and unmoving as they planned their trip home. "No. We're not going to walk out through the fucking airport."

"Harry..."

"We're flying on a private jet Madeline!" His voice rose without effort. "We're going into the airport in Denver privately and we are leaving Heathrow privately. That's it. That's the end." Maddie's mouth opened but he rushed ahead. "And I really don't give a fuck what Thomas thinks about this."

Maddie's mouth closed, her lips pressing together as she watched him pace their room, his fingers wreaking havoc on his hair. On his third pass by her, she took a breath and took a chance. "Harry..." His eyes turned to meet hers. "They are waiting to see us."

"Maddie..."

"They are!" She cut him off, pushing away from the dresser she was leaning against. "They are looking for us. They want to see us...hiding behind sunglasses and...I don't know...embarrassed," she shook her head. "But they want to see us and the longer that we avoid them, the bigger it's going to get. Now we're going back to London and we have..." She laughed, a humorous chuckle. "We have this LIST of events coming up and nobody wants one of those to be the first time they get a shot at us..." She sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. "It would just be easier if we walked out of Heathrow."

"Easier on who?" Harry's voice had quieted, his tone softened. "On Thomas? On the press?"

"On me," she looked up to him under sad eyes, her bottom lip drawing between her teeth as she shook her head and shrugged. "I don't know Harry. It might just be easier on me...to get it over with. Maybe this feeling in my stomach will start to go away..."

And there he was, caught in this tangled web of his anger and her sadness and the right thing to do. Holding her gaze, he tossed it over in his mind, knowing that his favorite option--moving to the tropics and never coming back--wasn't really viable. "Fine..." He breathed, waving his hands up in surrender. "If you really think it'll be easier...for YOU, then I...I guess I'll do it. But only if it's about you. Not for anyone else."

And that's how the world was handed the next pictures of the Sussex family.

Maddie with sunglasses on and a diaper bag over her shoulder and Harry carrying the baby carrier with Lilli safe and shielded from the cameras, from the crowd. With Maddie's hand tucked tightly in his and their protection detail right along with them, Harry walked the short distance to the already loaded car with his head held high and his shoulders squared.

Pictures were taken.

Video was filmed.

And it felt like everyone, everywhere was calling out to them, hoping for a reaction, hoping for a "better" picture than the others.