Little Redhead

Chapter Three: Surprise Reunions

Hal watched the sun streaming in through the barely open curtain, felt a small smile on his face as he shifted the crown of his head on the crook of his arm. The others were all busy interviewing people to be stood up, trying to make things a little easier on the business as a whole. But not him. Cece had a rare day off and Hal was damned if he was going to miss that. John had, obviously, fought his corner. Even if that meant joking that the sooner someone made an honest man out of him, the better.

The memory of the jibe made Hal's smile deepen. Time and time again he'd thought about proposing. Thought about what life might be like even if he never properly admitted it to Cece. But deep down he was terrified. Terrified of what might happen to Cece if people knew more about their relationship.

His smile slipped as another thought clawed its way to the forefront of his mind, the thing that always soured his dreams on the matter: what if he became like his father?

Unable to dismiss the thought, Hal got out of bed quickly. He tried not to disturb Cece, but she was up in an instant. Eyes slightly foggy with sleep, hair rumpled, but already trying to figure out what had made him move so fast.

'Sorry,' he murmured, bending to place a quick kiss on her forehead. He stroked the back of her head gently. 'Go back to sleep, love.'

Something about his tone must have betrayed his previous misgivings. Her blue eyes cleared in an instant, a familiar steel of determination burnt brightly behind them. She was going to find out what was bothering him if he wanted to share or not.

With a deep sigh, Hal sank back onto the bed. He heard her shifting before he felt her delicate hand on his back, her thumb rubbing small circles against his shoulder blade, careful not to trace a scar that he'd rather not think about.

'What's wrong?' she asked softly, resting her chin on his other shoulder.

'Are we doomed to make the same mistakes as our parents?' he asked, seeing no point in beating around the bush. Eventually he'd admit it, unable to keep it hidden from her forever; he may as well tell her straight out.

She stiffened slightly but didn't pull away.

'You are not your father, Henry,' she said, the use of full name caused him to shrink slightly. 'You're a good man. You –'

'Am I?' he asked, grateful that she couldn't see his face. Couldn't see the anguish he was feeling.

Cecily shifted her hand on his shoulder, grip slightly firmer. She used her other hand to tilt his face towards her, moved to be in his eye line. She searched his eyes for something and he found that he couldn't look away, no matter how much he might have wanted to. Part of him wanted her to console him, to help find the right words that would soothe everything. But part of him didn't feel as though he deserved that; wanted to shrink away from even the slightest hint of it.

'Yes,' she told him firmly, her tone leaving no room for argument. 'You're violent, I'll admit to that. But I have never seen your anger turned on someone you care about.' She was quiet for a moment, her attention slipped away from him ever so slightly. 'People you love.'

Hal's heart stuttered in his chest. He reached instinctively for her hands and gave them a gentle squeeze, drawing her attention back to him.

'What would I do without you?' he murmured, leaning in to kiss her.

'I honestly have no idea,' she teased against his lips, and once again he had the overwhelming urge to do something, to actually propose to her.

He just needed a little help to make sure everything was perfect, and the time to make sure absolutely nothing could spoil it.