Harry woke up with Elena tucked into his front while she peacefully slept in his arms. He pressed his lips to her bare shoulder, smiling when she stirred just slightly but didn't wake up. They had a full day of activity to get through today. Their first appointment with Elena's OB which would include an ultrasound was later that afternoon. Harry had a meeting with Jeff to discuss promotion for his new movie and Elena's first day on set for her own movie was to start at two. But Harry had his own plans for that morning. And nothing was gonna get in his way.
Elena was expecting him to slide his hand down her leg or spread his palm over her tummy, so when she felt his warmth leave her she quickly rolled over. Harry was just coming back from whatever he was doing when they ran into each other.
He quickly smiled,
"Hey, Pretty Girl. Good morning."
Elena pulled her eyebrows together. She was naked under the sheets. Harry usually took full advantage of that. She lifted her head to try to look over his body,
"What are you doing?"
Harry cleared his throat before he hid shifted onto his knees and hid something behind his back. Elena sat up, clutching the sheet to her bare chest as her eyes widened,
"Harry, you're scaring me."
Harry laughed as he reached forward to cup her face in his hands,
"Don't be scared." He kissed her, "It's alright, I promise."
Elena swallowed after he pulled away, though her eyes were still huge. Her eyes darted up and down his body looking for any shred of a clue as to what he might be planning.
He took her hand in his,
"You love me right?"
Elena shot him a look. Now she was really alarmed,
"Harry-"
"Please," He said as he lifted her hand to his mouth and pressed a kiss to her knuckles, "Please just go with this."
Elena nodded,
"More than anything."
He seemed to settle into a contentment then. Like he'd gotten the answer he was looking for though she couldn't imagine any other answer he might've been expecting.
He smiled,
"And I love you...so...so much." Harry must have rehearsed this in his head a million times last night while Elena slept. The perfect words, the perfect moment, the perfect setup...but when he'd woken up this morning with her asleep in his arms he realized none of that mattered. It would all be perfect regardless because this was Elena. And everything with her was always amazing.
Harry looked down at her ringless finger,
"Hm...you're missing something."
Elena stopped as she looked down at her fingers too,
"What?"
Harry frowned causing Elena to frown,
"What? What am I missing?" She prodded.
Harry produced a box from behind his back. Little and covered in red velvet it was abundantly clear what was in it.
Elena's entire body froze as her eyes locked onto it. She watched intently as Harry flipped it open, revealing a huge square cut diamond ring.
Harry waited for her to react. When it was clear she was completely dumbfounded he continued,
"You are everything I ever wanted wrapped up in the most beautiful package I have ever seen. And I want you to marry me, Len." Her eyes moved from the ring up to his eyes but the rest of her body didn't move. He squeezed her hand, "I want us to be together forever." He was a little shocked when tears stung the back of his eyes, "I just wanna want you for the rest of my life." He squeezed her hand again, "Marry me, Pretty Girl."
Elena's eyes darted back and forth from the ring to his eyes. She nodded despite being unable to get her mouth to work. Her nods got more and more vigorous until she was finally able to give her answer,
"Yes!" She shouted as she pushed herself onto her knees and threw her arms around his neck.
Harry pulled away to press his mouth to hers, reaching up to dry her happy tears with his thumbs.
Her whole body was shaking.
Harry pushed the ring onto her finger,
"I love you."
Elena stared down at the ring. She'd never given much thought to marriage, but she couldn't deny her first instinct had been to immediately say yes when Harry asked. Marrying him was a no brainer.
Harry kissed the side of her head as he, too, watched the ring sparkle on her finger,
"Right where it belongs."
--------------------
Elena and Harry spent the morning wrapped in each other, shifting into the shower where Elena kept her eyes on the ring more than anything else. Harry set to sliding the soap over her back as he smiled,
"Is it weird to be jealous of a ring?" He contemplated out loud.
Elena blinked back the tears that had been threatening to come out as she stared down at the glittery piece of jewelry now on her most important finger,
"It's so pretty." She whispered.
Harry kissed her bare shoulder,
"Second prettiest thing in this shower."
Elena cuddled into him when she felt his arms wind around her waist and his palms spread out on her tummy,
"I didn't know it was possible to be this happy."
"Me either." He said into her ear, his voice low, "But you have that effect on me."
Elena turned her head so her eyes met his. She rested her hand against his cheek,
"No one will ever make me feel the way you do." She said with such conviction it took Harry's breath away.
His only response was to capture her mouth with his for a long kiss.
When he finally pulled away, he met her gaze for a beat before lifting his lips to her forehead,
"We should probably get out of here. Start telling the importants all about this little development."
Elena nodded,
"The importants..."
Her eyes met his again,
"Gemma first." They said together.
Elena was just about to sit down to relax when she heard Harry's front door slam. The next thing she heard was Harry yell "JESUS CHRIST!" from the kitchen and then Gemma sing her way into the house.
Elena giggled to herself. She couldn't wait to become a part of this crazy ass family.
Gemma sailed into the room, dropped her bag on the floor, peeled her jacket off to let it drop onto her bag and then plopped on the couch next to Elena,
"Hello, Love." She greeted.
Elena smiled,
"Hi Gem."
"Christ Gemma, you shake the whole house when you slam that door." Harry swore as he emerged from the hallway pulling his t-shirt down. He gestured to her pile of belongings on the floor, "Think you could try not to destroy my house while you're here?"
Gemma made kissy faces at him,
"So tense this morning, Baby Brother."
Harry shot her a look as he sat down on Elena's other side,
"I'm gonna change the locks."
Gemma dramatically flipped her hair off her shoulders and then focused on Elena,
"Well, you wanted me over here. Here I am. You're not having twins are you? Because-" Gemma stopped abruptly. The sun coming in from the windows bounced right off Elena's ring and into Gemma's eyes.
"OHMYGOD!" She screamed as she grabbed Elena's hand, "OHMYGOD!" She repeated.
Harry's eyes widened as he lifted his finger into his ear,
"And I'm deaf."
Elena swatted at his thigh,
"Don't be mean."
Gemma threw her arms around Elena's neck,
"I can't - I don't - Oh my God..."
Harry sighed,
"Well we got the 'oh my god's out of the way."
Gemma pulled back before throwing her arms around Harry's neck,
"Thank you. You're gonna make her my sister and I swear to God I've never wanted anything more in my life."
Harry finally smiled,
"I'm glad you see it that way."
Gemma pulled away abruptly and took Elena's hand again,
"Cushion cut, platinum setting..." She eyed her brother, "At least seven karats...beautiful clarity." She lifted her hand to slap him a high five, "No help from a female? I'm impressed, Bro."
Harry rolled his eyes,
"I do have some taste ya know?"
Gemma wiggled her fingers with excitement,
"We need to start planning."
Elena giggled,
"Can I just enjoy being engaged for a minute?"
Gemma nodded,
"Sure. But then we need to start planning."
Harry took a breath,
"Keep it quiet, Gem." He warned, "We just announced the baby, we wanna keep this between us for now."
"You're gonna tell mum though right?"
Harry nodded,
"Yes. But for now it's just you."
Elena heard her phone ring just then,
"Speaking of mums...I bet that's mine." She popped a kiss to Harry's mouth as she stood up, "I'll be right back."
Once she was gone, Gemma followed Harry into the kitchen. She watched while her brother started making them some tea. She leaned against the counter and folded her arms over her chest,
"Bout time you asked her."
Harry focused on unwrapping the tea bags,
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"How long have you been sitting on that ring?"
Harry conveniently kept his eyes diverted as he turned to the stove,
"Not long."
"Liar." Gemma challenged.
Harry's face was a mess of a cheshire cat grin when he turned back around,
"I dunno what you mean."
Gemma lifted her finger to point at him,
"Ah! See? Don't even try it. I know you too well."
Harry leaned against the counter across from her in the identical way Gemma had. He shrugged,
"Alright. I bought the ring in New York."
"Marrying her is gonna be the smartest thing you've ever done."
"Don't I know it." Harry answered without hesitation.
"Why did you decide on now?"
Harry thought for a moment before he shrugged his shoulders,
"Something was always getting in the way. Her career. My career. I moved back here. She stayed in LA for a bit. There just always seemed to be something more important for us to focus on. But with the baby coming and both of us taking time off...time seemed right. We can do this pregnancy for the next seven months and then get married and then..."
"Live happily ever after?" Gemma asked.
Harry scoffed,
"Yeah, because that's reality."
"I think it might be for you two. It's disgustingly cute and gross...and-" Gemma stopped, "No one deserves it more than you do."
Harry's eyes focused on hers. He and Gemma had a cantankerous relationship where they constantly bantered back and forth but no one came close to his sister when it came to love and support,
"Yeah?"
Gemma nodded,
"The day I met her I knew this was coming. I knew she was what we'd all been waiting for you to find."
Harry scratched his cheek lightly,
"She makes me happy, Gem. Even when we're arguing or irritated with each other I want to be with her. I've never experienced that before."
Gemma laughed,
"Like I said, it's gross." She rounded the kitchen island to give her brother a tight hug, "And I'm so happy you're happy."
--------------------
Elena felt much different in this doctor's office then she had in Dr. Reader's office, that's for sure. Dr. Maria Daniels was a delightful woman, probably a decade or so older than Harry and Elena. She was a red head with slate grey eyes that put Elena at ease the moment she walked into the room. And her smile reminded Elena of her own mother's.
Dr. Daniels had left she and Harry alone for a moment while she handled a phone call.
Harry nervously walked around the room, studying each picture on the wall as if he was going to be tested on it later. Elena reached over to take his hand, causing him to jump slightly. He stood next to her,
"Sorry...just a little nervous."
Elena smiled,
"I'm nervous too. But we're just getting established here. I don't think we have anything to worry about."
Harry threaded his fingers through hers,
"I dunno if I really understood the gravity of this situation until we walked into this room." He puffed out a nervous breath, "I mean...you're having a baby."
Elena giggled,
"We're having a baby."
Harry nodded,
"Sorry, was that insensitive? I just-"
Elena pulled him towards her, lifting her other hand to his cheek,
"Hey, it's alright."
Harry let out a nervous sigh as his eyes met hers,
"I'm alright." He said as he sighed again, "I just needed to freak out for a minute. But I'm alright now."
Elena lifted his hand to her mouth for a quick kiss just as Dr. Daniels came back into the room. She shook her head,
"Sorry about that." She clapped her hands together, "Are we ready for the ultrasound?"
Harry answered before Elena could,
"Yes."
Dr. Daniels smiled up at him,
"I like excited fathers." She looked down at Elena, "The gel is going to be cold. But give it a second and you'll hear a heartbeat and then I swear you won't even feel it."
Harry swallowed. Elena's hand was squeezing his hard. It was comforting to feel her trepidation knowing his own heart was about to explode out of his chest. He'd never felt more terrified or excited in his life. He was about to hear his baby's heartbeat.
The only thing Harry could feel was the tapping of keys. He felt like he was about to faint. Just as he was about to lift his hand to wipe the sweat off of his forehead he heard the very distinct sound of a rhythmic, strong, thumping heartbeat.
Dr. Daniels smiled,
"There it is..."
Harry stared at the screen, watching as the outline and slight facial features appeared on the screen. His baby. The life he and Elena had created. It was the most life altering thing he had ever seen or felt.
"Oh my God..." He heard Elena breath.
Harry tried to form words but his mouth was numb. All he could do was blink at the screen while visions of his future flashed through his brain.
Elena lifted her hand to her mouth. She was vaguely aware of Harry's hand in hers while the screen entranced her. She felt like she was going to explode into happy tears. The most intense feeling of protection washed over her. Elena looked down at her stomach, she had never felt like she would die for another human being until now.
Dr. Daniels looked between their speechless faces, her grin growing even wider,
"You're both going to be amazing parents."
--------------------
Harry caught Elena as they walked out into the parking lot after their appointment with Dr. Daniels had ended. She squealed as he pulled her back into his arms and laid a hungry kiss on her mouth.
Harry could hear her softly giggling as he pulled away. He lifted his hand to push some hair behind her ear,
"You are the most amazing person I've ever known. I love you so much."
Elena smiled up at him,
"I think you might be giving me a too much credit. You did have something to do with it."
Harry shook his head,
"I'm giving you the exact right amount of credit."
Elena leaned forward, pressing her mouth to his. When she pulled away again he groaned,
"Ugh...you could just skip the first day you know?"
Elena laughed softly as she shook her head,
"I would love nothing more than to spend the day tangled with you...but unfortunately I signed a contract."
Harry shrugged,
"I could pay to get you out of it."
Elena kissed him again as she backed away towards her car,
"Waste of money."
Harry shook his head,
"Money well spent."
Elena pressed her fingers to her mouth and lifted them towards him,
"I'll see you at six. I love you."
Harry pounded his fist against his heart,
"Love you too."
Harry turned to his car, shaking his head while he toyed with his keys. This had turned out to be one helluva day.
--------------------
Jeff knew the moment he saw Harry that something was different. He'd been around for just about every big thing that had happened in Harry's life but he'd never seen a smile like this. There was definitely something different on it.
He closed the door to his office once Harry was inside, watching as his friend sat down on the leather couch and pulled an ankle up onto his opposite knee. Harry's arms spread out along the back of the couch,
"How goes it, Jefe?" He said, using Jeff's nickname.
Jeff pulled his eyebrows together as he sat down in his huge office chair,
"Pretty good. Looks like you've had a good day."
"Great." Harry corrected, "I've had a great day."
Jeff laughed softly,
"Gonna tell me what happened or do I have to guess?"
"All in good time, my friend." Harry sat forward, "But this meeting had a point didn't it?"
Jeff nodded,
"Yeah." He cleared his throat as he reached out to take the papers sitting on his desk in front of him, "They want two weeks of you for this one. Week in LA, week in London and there is probably a premiere in Paris and Tokyo so keep your datebook open."
Harry nodded,
"Alright."
Jeff looked up at his friend, waiting for some type of argument or protest. When he got nothing he went back to his paper,
"There's a Twitter takeover with your co-star and some Instagram thing that hasn't been fully fleshed out yet so I haven't said yes until they give us more details."
"Sounds great."
Jeff looked up at Harry,
"And after shooting there is some voice over work you'll have to do. So don't get too comfortable."
"Sounds good."
Jeff threw the papers on his desk,
"Alright, what gives? Because a week ago I would've told you this and we'd have sat in here for 45 minutes arguing about it."
Harry laughed out loud. He couldn't deny that Jeff was correct. Harry loved his work, but once he was done anything that took him away from Elena was like pulling teeth.
Harry took a deep breath,
"Ya caught me on a good day, Brother."
--------------------
Harry made it back home after a quick stop at the market so he could pick up dinner. He wanted tonight to be special for Elena. After everything she'd done for him that day, making her a fabulous dinner and following it up with a massage was the least he could do.
He'd ignored the incessant buzzing of his phone in his pocket after leaving Jeff's office. The last thing he wanted was for someone to ruin this euphoric feeling he had going on. But the buzzing had only gotten worse with each passing hour.
Clearly something had happened. Probably one of the other boys making a comment about One Direction reuniting in the near future. Once he'd established his relationship with Elena was strong, secure and not going anywhere the only thing that stirred up drama in the fandom now was when One Direction was mentioned.
He finished putting the groceries away, set up the bedroom with candles and some soft music, changed into sweats and grabbed his phone.
A few text messages from Jeff about his upcoming shooting schedule and a magazine interview. Gemma sending pictures of a puppy she wanted to rescue. A text from his mother asking him to call her when he got a chance and then text messages from a lot of numbers he didn't recognize (which meant he'd need to change his number again soon), all asking if he'd been on Twitter lately.
Harry hadn't been on Twitter in months. It annoyed him to see the constant speculation about his life and irritated him when people would denigrate his relationship with Elena so he relegated himself to only getting on to promote something or send a quick birthday tweet.
Harry was about to open the app when Niall's face appeared on his screen for a phone call. Harry tapped the answer button,
"Hello Niall."
"Hey." Harry's smile slowly faded when he heard the sound of Niall's voice. He heard Niall close a door and then silence for a few moments, "Ya been on Twitter today?"
Harry rolled his eyes,
"Why is everyone asking me that?"
Niall cleared his throat,
"There are some pictures...bein' sent 'round."
Harry sighed as he pulled his shirt over his head,
"Niall, you know as well as I do that pictures are always being sent around."
Niall nodded,
"Well...yeah...but these are..." Niall let his sentence trail off.
"Niall?" Harry prodded, "What's the problem?"
Niall cleared his throat again,
"You and Elena...you didn't...end her pregnancy did ya?"
Harry pulled his eyebrows together in confusion, his gait slowing down as he made his way to the kitchen,
"Niall...that is insane. We just announced her pregnancy."
"Yeah," Niall stumbled, "But there are pictures o'her..." He started, "Goin' into and comin' out of..."
Harry raised his eyebrows as he waited for Niall to continue,
"What, Niall? Coming out of what?"
It took Niall a moment to answer. But Harry would never forget the words he said or the voice he said them in,
"An abortion clinic."