Pippa was staring at the taxi, formulating what she was going to say without being too suspicious, " Err, what are we going to do about mother's day? I mean, technically you've got two mothers now, but you know, only one's alive," Kate bit her lip the same way she did when she was trying to decide what bouquet she'd take down the aisle. " Uh, I'm not sure," she said pushing her sunglasses up on her eyes as they pushing their way through the paparazzi.
" Pippa! I'm Elizabeth from Gossip Tea Bags, what's happening between you and Prince Harry?" Pippa's head snapped up and she burst out laughing.
" Me and Harry?" The woman nodded, and Pippa's laugh suddenly became forced.
" Ha! I wish, good looking boy he is, nice stoma-.." realizing what she had just said, she smiled awkwardly and turned away. Kate raised an eyebrow at her and Pippa just looked away. INside Harrod's they kept a low profile until they got to the cupcake counter.
" A nice STOMACH? What the HELL?" Kate whispered angrily at he doe-eyed sister, " Have you even seen his stomach, and if so, what that has to do with anything confuses me to no end," she glared at Pippa before smiling at the server across the counter and ordered two chocolate Bailey's cupcakes. She paid and handed one to Pippa, barely giving her enough time to unwrap her cupcake before she said, " Well, I'm waiting…" as they walked. Pippa opened and closed her mouth about 5 times, beginning to look like a goldfish.
" Uh, well, oh crap," she ducked behind a clothes rack and Kate followed suit. A group of men dressed in black carrying shiny silver cameras hobbled by. Once they were out of sight, the two girls dashed outside and jumped into the taxi, laughing and trying to buckle up.
Nearly four hours later, Pippa was in her tiny smart car on the way home to her flat, when her shiny new iPhone started ringing. She accepted the call just as she drove by a police car, and, thanking her car's in-car-phone system said, " Hulloo?"
" Hey," the voice replied, " this is Mr. Nice-Stomach, for Pippa," Blood rushed to her cheeks and she felt hot all over.
" Hi Harry, what's up?"
She turned and her car rolled down the hill to her apartment building's garage, which was a rare luxury in London.
" Where are you tonight?" He asked as she searched for a parking space.
" You know Harry, I'm not really into the creepy stalker vibe, but I know teenage girls that are, however, you should probably try them,"
He chuckled, " No honestly, what are you up to tonight?"
" At home, in my PJ's watching old horror movies and eating the remainder of the food here," as she pulled into a sport and turned off the car, she disconnected her phone and put it to her ear.
" Cool, I'm coming over now,"
" Ah, that's the Harry I like better, but are you sure, it won't be a terribly sexy sight," The sight, however, that met her at the top of the hill was not something she expected or wanted. There were hoards of paparazzi outside her apartment building, tsill holding the phone to her face, she muttered a few swears into the phone and Harry asked why. She held the phone out in front of her so he could hear the reporters screaming questions.
" Why me? I'm not all that interesting, should they be mobbing Kate?" She asked.
" They are, and I've heard nothing but Will bitch about it all day," he sighed, " but anyways, just stay calm, don't answer any questions and go straight inside, stay, calm, promise me?" Even though he couldn't see her,she still nodded and walked to the door, keeping her head up and listening to him talking randomly on the other side of the phone, when she decided to ask, " Since when do you google yourself?"
" What? I don't?" he replied calmly.
" Then how'd you know what I'd said about you?" He started laughing and then answered, " Kate tells Will things you know. And since I've been making fun of his bald spot since the beginning of time, he jumped at the idea of getting me back, and et voila!"
" Oooh nice touch with the french there, although slightly pretentious," she fumbled with her keys to open the building and as soon as she was in, she slumped against the door, the reporters still knocking on the door.
" Okay, I'm in," she said wiping hair away from her face.
" Then I'll be over in 20," Harry said and hung up. Used to these abrupt endings to phone calls, she walked up to her flat, opened the door and threw herself onto the couch and flipped on the T.V. She closed her eyes and let the sound and light engulf her.
It had only seemed like a few seconds when she felt a buzzing in her pocket. She groaned, rolled ver, looked at the caller ID and rolled onto the floor.
" Hi Harry," she said sleepily, as she landed on her back.
" Is there a backdoor to your building? Alex is a bit on edge about all the paparazzi outside," Alex was Harry's bodyguard, and had been since 2004.
" Err, no, I'm sorry." she paused for a second, " want me to come get you?" Instantly he said no and said he'd just duck through the paparazzi. Sure enough, in roughly five minutes, there was a knock on the door. She crawled to the door and used the handle to pull herself up.
" Hello again," she said letting him step inside. She shook Alex's hand and offered for him to com inside but he said he'd rather stay in the hall to be on guard. Pippa nodded and closed the door awkwardly, not sure what to do in those sorts of situations. She grabbed Harry's hand and led him to the couch.
" So what have you been up to for the past few hours?" He asked her as she got two beers out of the kitchen.
" Are you kidding me?" she asked tossing him one, "basically nothing, which is why I hate Sundays, nothing to do," They both cracked open the cans and Harry asked," when are you at work tomorrow?"
" 8 to 4, but I'm on lunch from 12 to 1,".
" Want to grab lunch then?" Pippa raised an eyebrow.
" Oh? Where then, Paris? Rome? Las Vegas? "
Laughing Harry said, " Nah, I was thinking more along the lines of a pub near my place," Pippa sighed dramatically. " Ah well, another day," and winked. Harry leaned in and put his forehead to hers. " Are you okay with this?"
" What do you mean?" She asked, her voice now a whisper.
" This," he moved his hands in the small space between them, " and them, and Kate, not knowing," silence fell between them and Pippa thought deeply.
It seemed wrong to be dating her brother-in-law, however, stranger things had been done in the British royal family and, they had gotten together the night before Will and Kate's wedding, so technically they weren't brother and sister-in-laws then.
" Yes," she said finally, her eyes still locked into his.
" Yes what? Yes means a lot of things here," he said putting his hand in her hair.
" Yes, as in yes, let's tell them, yes,"
He grinned and leaned in, kissing the top of her head. Pippa grabbed his hand and pulled him towards her bedroom.
She rolled over and wrapped her arm around his shoulders.
" Morning," he whispered into her hair, she smiled against his warm left shoulder and then groaned, " Today's Monday isn't it?"
"Yeah, it is," he said staring at the ceiling.
" Why is it that the bed always feels a billion times better on weekdays then on weekends?" She groaned and rolled over, just as she did so there was a loud beeping noise, and this time it was Harry's turn to groan.
" Dammit they want me at the base today," he said, before sighing loudly once more and rolling out of bed.
" Oh? What for?"
" Just some admin work," he replied walking.
" How interesting," Pippa replied sarcastically, slipping out of bed.
" Yeah, pretty much, " Pippa walked slowly to the door and yawned yet again.
" Do you wanna shower here or back at yours?" She asked, trying to plan out how quickly she could get changed without looking like a skank.
" I'll shower at the base I think," Pippa scrunched up her face and ran her hand through her hair, " Yeah alright," she said, and started moving towards the bathroom.
" Well, I'm going to take a shower then, so I'll call you when I get out of work today, and we can go talk to Kate," she paused for a second, " I'd bring a bullet proof vest home with you,"
He laughed and she walked into the bathroom, leaving him to get dressed and grab his stuff.
When he finally made it downstairs, he was surprised by something he'd had his whole life to get accustomed to.
"Morning Mel," Pippa said cheerily as she walked into her office.
" Hi, bitch," Mel said angrily.
" Whoa, what's up?" Pippa replied, on the defense. Mel threw a stack of papers at her. She picked up the top one and read it:
'PRINCE HARRY LEAVES PIPPA MIDDLETON'S FLAT.
Prince Harry, younger brother of the recently married Prince William, was seen this morning leaving his brother's sister-in-law's apartment this morning with the day after look while he made the walk of shame. We contacted the Palace, but no comment was made, and Harry's personal assistant refused to comment.'
" You are sleeping with him!" Melanie spit out angrily.
" Yeah, I am!" She said defensively, " So?"
" So? I'm your best friend, you ought to have told me something?"
" I- he- we weren't ready! For god's sake Kate just got married, I wasn't going to go and steal her thunder!"
" But you should have told me!"
"Let's not do this here," Pippa whispered angrily at Mel.
" Do what now?" Pippa's mum, and boss, Carole said airily walking into Pippa's office.
" Nothing, mum," Pippa said quickly grabbing the tabloids up. She pulled them behind her back, and then turned to face her mother.
" So I take it you've not seen the tabs have you then, Mrs. Middleton?" Melanie said spitefully.
" No, should I have?"
" Well it seems Pippa's found herself yet another high profile boyfriend, now I'll let you two talk that out," she turned and left Pippa's office. Pippa groaned and leaned back on her desk, straightening out her black pencil dress.
" Who is it then?" Her mother asked expectantly. Pippa reached behind her and threw the tab at her mom who caught it and scanned the page.
" Oh."
" Yes." Pippa replied quietly looking out her window.
" And are you..?" Her voice trailed off and she too looked out the window.
" MUM!"
" Just a question!" She said still keeping her eyes fixed on the window.
" One that I'm not answering," Pippa said impatiently.
" Well as long as he treats you okay, then I'm okay with it," she said, moving her gaze to Pippa's eyes, lingering on them before she turned away, and left the office. Left in silence Pippa walked to her desk, sat down and put her head in her hands and groaned.
When the day seemed it could get no worse, after having spent the whole day replying to emails from people who she hadn't talked to since Primary school, Pippa looked at the clock, saw it was 5:30 and relaxed in her chair.
The clacking of her Christian Laboutin heels on the pavement came as a welcomed retreat from the Hell of that day's activities. The Laboutin shoes, were not of course, bought by Pippa herself, rather, they were a gift from an ex-boyfriend Alex Loudon. As she sat in her smart car, she heaved a massive breath and the remainder of the day's stresses were forgotten, especially as she checked her texts and saw nothing from anyone, anyone at all.
She was nearly home when her phone buzzed twice and she saw the words;
" Out of work, will pick you up in 20, Kate and Will leave for Anglessey tomorrow." She slammed her car into a parking spot and let her her head fall onto her steering wheel.
It took her a great deal of effort to get herself upstairs and into her flat, and a great deal more to clean herself up.
When her doorbell rang, she didn't get up off the couch she merely took her shoe off and threw it at the door, where it hooked over the handle.
" It's open," she yelled lazily, " Oh and grab my shoe. It's on the handle,"
Harry entered, still wearing his RAF uniform. He closed the door and grabbed the shoe.
" Rough day?" he asked seeing her hunched over with her forehead on her knees and her arms fallen on the floor.
" Like no other," she mumbled, pulling herself up. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into a hug, she was wobbling precariously in his arms, having only one four-inch heel on, and one off.
The car ride to Buckingham Palace was uneventful, and silent as they both thought about how to put this lightly. They stole glances at each other, smiling slightly as Pippa bit around all of her nails.
As they pulled through the gates Harry shifted in his seat, as camera lenses flashed through the blacked out windows.
Harry popped open the door and let Pippa get out, she stepped out, trying to ignore the paparazzi behind the gates, and Harry followed suit. With Harry's bodyguard Alex a step ahead of them, they entered the palace.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"You? And.. And... And you?" Kate's face was plastered into a state of shock and Will was turned around, concealing his laughter.
" But... Absolutely not," Kate was still stuttering, " THAT'S MY BABY SISTER," Her face twisted into a face that looked very much like her mother's, and she turned to Will.
" That's your younger brother too you know, screwing my sister!" Kate said angrily at Will's lack of reaction.
" Why are you laughing?" she asked spitefully. And Will pulled himself together.
" Uh, Kate, screwing sounds a little harsh now," Harry said from the corner, and Kate turned on him, murder in her eyes.
" You." Pippa coughed and Kate looked at her, " What did mum say?"
" She was fine with it; not happy, but fine," Pippa said quietly.
" Damn. I s'pose I can't use her as a defense now, but that's still my baby sister, Harry. You better be damn careful, and don't you dare let me catch you do anything! "
" Whoa, excuse me!" Pippa interjected loudly, " What about last year in Mauritius, that wasn't exactly the Last Supper now was it?" Will's face flushed redder than it'd been in years and Kate's eyes narrowed.
" What happened in Mauritius?" Harry asked eagerly, and his brother buried his head in his hands and groaned.
" Well, I was coming back from the pool, and apparently these two had beaten me back, by, say, 10 minutes," Pippa began, and now Kate began turned red.
" And I came into MY room, and they, they were, ugh," Pippa said quickly before bursting into a fit of giggles.
" Shut up, Pippa, shut up, shut up now!" Kate said her cheeks pink.
" Well you do realize I don't actually need your blessing here, I'm only doing it because he wanted to!" Pippa lied, knowing how to win her sister over. She looked over at Harry quickly and winked at him.
" You wanted my- my blessing?" Kate asked, the pink leaving her face.
" Er, yeah," Harry said awkwardly.
" Oh." Kate said quietly looking over at Will, whose face was still buried in his hands, " Oh,"