Strawberries and Cigarettes ~ {h.s au}

chapter forty five

"I'll build you a shelf to put your cards on, yeah?" He whispered against her lips, causing her to smile widely as she pulled back to look at him.

"Really," she asked, the smile widening on her face when he nodded.

He chuckled at her reaction, kissing her lips once more before looking back at the cards. The two went back to aimlessly placing the small amount of items around her room. Taping posters and photographs onto the walls, nothing compared to the amount she once had, but enough to bring a smile to her face.

The two had been lost in their own world until they were snapped back into reality when a voice called from the doorway, "Robin said that you could paint it any colour you would like."

She turned her head around quickly at the words, her eyes meeting the woman she hadn't seen in years as she smiled. "Thank you," she said quietly, running her fingers through her hair as Anne nodded her head.

She looked back to Harry, Marley's gaze following his mother's as Anne asked, "Harry, is it okay if I talk to Marley for a moment?"

Harry's eyes held confusion as he turned to look at Marley, who simply nodded her head as he looked back at his mother. He walked over towards the door without saying another word, Marley not missing the way the two smiled slightly at one another as he passed.

She also didn't miss the way Anne's eyes lit up when Harry returned the smile she had sent him, or the way that very one lingered on her face even after he had been gone from their eyesight. Anne turned to look back at Marley, the smile on her face replaced with one of pity as she made her way over to her.

"May I?" She asked, gesturing down to the bed that had just been made.

Marley simply nodded, sitting down onto it as she waited for the woman. The two stayed silent for a moment, neither of them knowing what to say before Anne's voice filled the room. Her voice was soft, Marley almost missing it completely as she whispered.

"Thank you."

Her head snapped quickly at Anne, genuine confusion running through her body as she stared at her for a moment before asking, "For what?"

There was another silence that lingered between the two, her heart feeling like it was about to beat out of her chest. Anne sighed ever so slightly, turning her body so it was now facing the girl's as she spoke.

"I don't know how much Harry has told you," she said slowly, another sigh escaping her lips before continuing. "But his life... it was tough."

"It wasn't just his life," Marley spoke quietly, shaking her head as Anne closed her eyes. "I couldn't even imagine how hard it must have been for you, how terrifying it was every single day."

"They were good kids, he and Gemma both," Anne said with a sigh, her fingers running through her own hair as Marley watched her intently. "And I was so scared that I was never going to get my baby back, that he was gone for good. All because of me."

"No," she said quickly, a small amount of aggression in her voice as she shook her head, placing her hand on top of the woman's beside her. "You can't do that to yourself, you were just as much a victim as they were. And from what Harry has told me, you did everything you could to protect them. You held them close when they were scared and promised them that you would always be there... that you will always be here. And you did. You are. You're still here. Even after everything that has happened, you still fight like hell for them, Anne. You should not only be proud of them, but yourself."

It took her a moment to know what was happening before she was overwhelmed with a head of brunette hair flooding her vision. She felt arms wrapped around her body before the scent of vanilla with a hint of coffee took over her completely. She was still for a second, her body becoming stiff before she wrapped her arms around the woman before her. It clicked when her hands touched her back that she was crying, the slight shaking of her shoulders gave it away as Marley held her tight.