The Unexpected Journey-A Prince Harry Fan Fic

Chapter 179

Maddie had no idea what time it was nor how long she had been laying there, awake and staring up at the ceiling of their room at Sandringham. It was a deep dark in their room and she couldn't hear anyone moving around in the stillness of the house. All she could hear was the steady tick of a clock across the room and the soft, slow breathing of the man next to her.

It had been a little over a week since they had marched forward and put their collective foot down. The press had gone slightly amiss as debates arose all around them; public figure versus expectations of privacy, The Royal Family versus the Paparazzi, Maddie and Harry versus some sad, lonely wanker in Nebraska named Ernie.

Maddie sneered as she thought of him, a strangled sound gurgling in the back of her throat. She wasn't sure she had ever felt such blind hatred for anyone really--much less some man she didn't know. But there it was, heavy and dark and keeping her awake on a night when she should absolutely be sleeping.

The next day was a big day; they were Christening Lilli at St. Mary Magdalene's on the grounds of Sandringham. Everything was set. The Christening gown Arthur had worn was cleaned and steamed and hanging in the closet next to Maddie's ensemble and Harry's suit.

The pram was clean and waiting...somewhere. Maddie's mind halted for a moment, wondering over exactly where it was being stored. Next to the gilded carriages? In the garage? In one of the many empty rooms?

She didn't know.

Sighing, she turned on her side, choosing to look at Harry instead of the bedside table. Her knees pulled up, tucking into her stomach as her eyes ran over his sleeping self. His chest was bare, exposed, and rising and falling with the waves of his breathing. His hair was a mess, tufts sticking every which way. His arms were raised above his head, as though they had been tossed carelessly back. Maddie's smile warmed her face. She had seen Lilli sleep exactly like that on numerous occasions and she loved how much alike the two of them looked in moments like this.

'Alright Sussex,' the voice in her head took on a commanding tone. 'You have to be up early and you really shouldn't give Tara more issues to work with...' She sighed heavily. 'Go to sleep, Maddie. Go. To. Sleep.'

Sucking in her breath, she turned back onto her back, stretching out her legs, tucking the blankets up around her chest and, settling back into her pillow, she closed her eyes and she willed herself to sleep.

But nothing came. Nothing but the tick of the clock in the distance and the sound of Harry sleeping next to her. Groaning, she kicked her heel softly into the bed; frustrated with herself, with her predicament. In all her life, she had very rarely had issue falling asleep and she hated that it was coming now.

But the cognitive part of her brain understood it. Tomorrow was the first time she would be facing the public since the lawsuits had dropped. In all fairness this was the first time she would be facing the public since the pictures had ran--save only the quick walk out of the airport. Though she couldn't imagine anyone having the audacity to show up early the next morning to wait for hours along the walk they would be taking to and from the church just to protest or mock. But she was still nervous. It was still a big moment. And she still wasn't able to fall asleep.

"Fuck..." Maddie exhaled quietly, finally to the point of irritation where she was considering just getting out of bed.

And then, coming from the warm, sleeping body next to her, she heard her husband chuckle.

Her head whipped to the side, her eyes opening wide. "Harry?"

"Expecting someone else?" He snickered, turning on his side to look at her, amusement lighting up his eyes, turning up his smile.