The Unexpected Journey-A Prince Harry Fan Fic

Chapter 187

A/N: So this is it for Part One folks. This chapter is a bit of a stand alone, meant to round out Part One of The Unexpected Journey. It is a retelling of the beginning of this story, Chapter One, from Harry's point of view. Before he met Maddie. I would LOVE to know what you think about it. And I hope you enjoy it. See you in Part Two.

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Harry sighed into his seat next to Bishop at Leo's bar; the stress from his day showing in his mess of hair, in his rumpled suit.

"You okay?" Bishop glanced up at him, sliding a beer to his best friend.

"Mmm," Harry nodded, taking a long, slow drink from the glass. "I'm fine. Busy day, but I'm fine."

"Yeah," Bishop rolled his eyes with a laugh. "Maybe you could use a night out with Kiki's friend from work?"

"No," Harry shook his head with a groan. "You should stop trying to set me up with women. Honestly, the last one's name was Elizabeth. Do you have any idea what it's like to try to romance a woman with your grandmother's name?"

"Tricky?" Bishop grinned as he took another drink. "Tell me, did you call her Lizzie while you..."

"Stop," Harry glared at his best friend over his glass. "You know I think that I'm almost ready to just....give in."

"Give in?" Bishop's face screwed up. "What the hell do you mean, give in?"

"I'm tired, Bishop. I'm tired of chasing...nothing," he shook his head. "Don't you ever get tired of the chase? Of the meaninglessness, of the random and boring and...."

"No," Bishop seemed appalled at the suggestions. "Nononononono. No. And you should swear to me right now that if I do, you'll take me out and put me down."

"Done." Harry leaned forward and frowned down into his drink. "I do. Sometimes I do. I think that at the end of this year, if nothing's happened, I'm going to just...."

"Let your grandmother arrange a politically beneficial marriage for you?" Bishop offered with a smirk.

"That," Harry smiled. "Or....I'm going to make your mother's dreams come true and settle down with the...Duchess of Sussex?" He clapped his friend's shoulder, wagging his eyebrows suggestively.

"You know," Bishop sat up straight, running his hand down the front of his shirt. "It's not so much the title I have issue with, it's the tiara. I don't have the best head for a tiara. Do you think you could talk to Gran about that?"

"I'll see what I can do love," Harry agreed, his whole body easing out the tension. He loved having Bishop as a best friend; always ready with the joke, with the laughter.

"Listen," Bishop's laughter faded as a bit of seriousness slipped in. "Stop with the melancholy and don't give up just yet. Maybe you just need a break, need to refocus. Aren't you going to Bendal soon?"

"I am," Harry nodded, his excitement perking just a bit. "Next week in fact."

"There," Bishop clapped his hand to the bar. "Go to Bendal; do some good work. Relax and then come home, I'll take you to Vegas."

"No, no," Harry shook his head. "Last time we went to Vegas, my ass ended up all over the world."

"Fair enough," Bishop grinned at the reminder. "We'll do something else then. Tell me...what are you going to Bendal for again?"

"To open a Community Center."

"A Community Center?" Bishop's eyebrows shot up. "That's it?"

"It's important," Harry assured him, always protective of his work. "I have a good friend there who is calling in a favor."