All For Love

He felt awful that his dear friend was going through something like this and being so far away from home without being able to do anything, but this, this could not happen again. “Si, as a friend I know the past few days have been extremely difficult for you and I cannot imagine what is going on in your head right now.” Harry and Simon started to slowly walk behind the rest of the squad, out of ear shot from Luca and Owen. “But, as a fellow pilot.” He breathed out. “You just put more lives on the line in that situation and that was completely unacceptable. Whatever is in your head cannot affect your flying again or…” The prince paused and glanced up from the ground towards his friend to see the somber expression formed on Simon’s face.

“I will have to stop flying.” Simon nodded. Understanding that he was placing Harry in a tough spot. “I put my squad’s lives on the line today, Harry. I need to get my head right.”

“Do you want to go speak to someone? Maybe a good chat will help ease the mind a bit?” Harry attempted to convince Simon who shot down the idea quicker than Harry brought it up mainly out of fear that the conversation would reach their superiors and Simon’s flying would be brought into question.

Harry’s eyes lifted hearing children laughing in the near distance. His eyes fell on Emily giggling away as she meandered through a small group of Afghan children with a football. They were all screaming and chasing after her as she fought to pick them all off of her body as they clung on tightly to her. Emily kicked the ball towards a little girl who was evidently the smallest one in the group and ran her little heart out to get the ball, but was trampled over by the bigger kids as she fell to the ground.

Emily jogged over to the girl who was now balling her eyes out sitting on the ground holding her knee tight to her chest. She knelt down and stood the little one up and brushed the sand off of her knees before consoling her. The little girl nodded and Emily smiled before giving her a big engulfing hug. Emily picked the little girl up and swung her around making her cries turn into an endless string of giggles.

“That stubbornness is going to kill you one day, Si. Or even me.” Harry walked off without another word feeling an inner rage building within. He headed towards Emily, wanting to let off a little steam and join the game with the kids. A distraction from his thoughts was exactly what he needed in that moment, and Emily was definitely a great distraction for him.

“Em!” Harry called out her name as her head turned and became distracted by the soldier running towards her flashing a beaming grin.

“Hey you.” The smile that grew on her lips was exactly what Harry longed to see after such a stressful flight. “Want to join in? I am sure they won’t care if I beat you.” She placed her hand on her hips and egged him on with a wink.

“Oh! It’s so on!” Harry took off his sweater and tossed it aside.

Emily turned around and yelled at the children in Arabic, telling them that Harry was going to play and to gang up on him. But, she decided to keep that little secret to herself as they started screaming and piling on top of him making Emily laugh hysterically while taking control of the football.

“No! You cannot speak in Arabic, that is soo not fair!” Harry protested profusely as he plucked each child off of him while Emily ran ahead.

“Afraid of a little challenge are we, Captain Wales?” Emily took off ahead kicking the ball as the prince chased after her, closing in the distance quickly.

He placed his hand on her side and tried to kick the ball from between her legs, but she angled her body into the pilot and gave him a cheeky elbow to back off. “Is that how you are going to play huh?” The close proximity towards Harry was clouding her mind, distracting her from what she was doing.

“Yes, Wales.” Emily did a move and snuck around him leaving the prince in her dust as the children around them started screaming to catch up with the blonde. She passed the ball off to the little girl that had been crying earlier and she kicked the ball into the net. She started jumping up and down with her arms in the air cheering so loud as Emily picked her up and placed her on top of her shoulders, running around to celebrate the goal.

Harry stood there with a beaming smile plastered on his lips as Emily approached with the little girl on her shoulders that was smiling from ear to ear with glee. The pilot offered the little girl a high five to which she happily gave to Harry. “Nice goal! The girl clapped her hands as she beamed proudly of her efforts. Emily placed her on the ground, but she immediately was drawn to Harry. She tapped his leg with her tiny hand and tugged on his pants to lift her up.

“You want up?” Harry held his arms out and looked up to Emily. “Does she want up?” Emily combed through her dark hair with her fingers and asked her in Arabic as she nodded and lifted her arms up in the air. “Yes, Amira wants you to pick her up.” Emily watched the interaction briefly, but a little boy kicked the ball towards her and yelled her name. She turned around and took off, leaving Harry holding in the child in his arms.

“Do you want to play still, Amira?” He asked the little girl, who probably did not understand a word he was saying, but she pointed to where the ball was and he took off running with her in his arms ensuring she was cradled against his body securely.

Emily and Harry were sitting with the small group of children down on the sandy ground as she offered some water to their tired little bodies. They were jumping around talking to Emily as she attempted to include the prince and translate what they were saying to her as he sat with Amira clinging tightly to him.

She glanced down at Amira and smiled, watching how Amira was enthralled with Harry. “Looks like you have made a new little friend, Henry.” Emily casted her blue eyes up to lock in the prince’s gaze.

“Looks like I have.” He released a deep chuckle as Emily helped the little girl take a sip of water that splashed down onto Harry’s legs.

One of the boys was a bit shy and hiding behind Emily staring at the prince. But, each time Harry looked at him, he shied away behind the blonde doctor. He whispered something in her ear and she giggled. “He wants to know how to get big and tall like you.”

“You eat your veggies.” Harry barked a laugh and tossed his head back. Emily grinned and told the boy what Harry’s answer was and he shook his head with a look of disgust that made both of them start to laugh.

The two of them sat there and enjoyed the company of the children that were a welcomed distraction for both. Emily had a tough morning at the hospital and needed an escape while hearing the little children laugh and play helped Harry de-stress and clear his mind from what happened with Simon.

Harry’s gaze was steady on Emily, watching her play with the children brought him some sort of inner comfort. Or maybe it was simply being in her presence that instantly calmed the prince. Either way, he felt that it was the right time to ask her on a date tonight.

“Em?” He coaxed her attention away from the children as her blue eyes darted towards him with an endearingly full smile.

“Yes, Henry?” Her blue eyes never wavered.

“Are you free tonight to go out with me. On a date that is?” Harry’s lips spread into a hopeful grin. “I want to spend more time with you, just the two of us.” Those mesmerizing blue eyes drew him in and got lost in their depths.

“Yes...” Her cheeks blushed faintly. “Yes, I want that too.” Emily could hardly contain the excitement that fluttered in her heart and it showed on her face as her eyes sparkled in response.

“Why don’t I wait for you outside your building around eight? The night will give us a bit more privacy.” Harry voiced his well thought out plan.

“Got it all figured out now, do you Wales?” She giggled teasingly at the prince. “I will be ready then.” Emily shifted in her spot to get up despite the protests of the children that were sitting in her lap. “I know!” She leaned in and gave them a tight hug, squishing them as they tried to escape the confines of her arms as Emily explained to them that she had to go back to work.

“I need to go back to work for a bit longer, but will see you tonight.” Emily stood to her feet and took one last look at Harry who was nodding with a smile before she walked away.

The butterflies in Emily’s stomach were flipping back and forth. She was rummaging through her closet wondering what on earth to wear on a date with a prince on a military camp in the middle of Afghanistan. How are you even supposed to go on a date when it is completely frowned upon to be involved with soldiers on the base? If they were caught… Emily shook her head and banished that thought from her mind.

Emily glanced towards her bedside table to see she only had a few minutes to pull something together. She grabbed a white sweater and pulled on a pair of her travel navy pants and quickly combed through her blonde locks trying to look somewhat presentable.

Opening the entrance door to the building, Emily quietly snuck out wanting to ensure that no one saw her leave with Harry. Their plan was to meet at the side of the building, but Emily had not realized how dark it had already became. She crept down the stairs and peaked around the corner only seeing darkness.

“Henry?” She whispered his name not entirely wanting to walk any further into a dark space alone. Hearing footsteps come forward, Harry stepped a bit into the light to show that he was indeed there with a wide brimmed smile plastered all over his face.

“Em, I’m here.” He reached out and gently grasped her hand with a beaming smile that instantly calmed Emily’s fears. Harry took a quick glance around to make sure no one was around and gave her hand a light tug, pulling her into the darkness. “Follow me.” His voice was deep and trusting.

Emily held on tight to Harry as her other hand clasped around his wrist to ensure he was not going to leave her behind amidst the dark. “Where are we going?” She whispered into the night as they snuck around the base feeling like teenagers sneaking out of their parent’s house on a weekend.

“You will see.” Harry walked hand in hand with Emily towards the helicopter hangar that he knew was unoccupied this late at night. “Watch your step here.” He carefully led her past his body around the back leading towards a little make shift tent he had quickly put together.

Emily crouched down to glance inside to see blankets, pillows, flashlights and a few of her favourite treats set out beside a box of pizza. “Did you set all this up? For our date?” Emily asked as she felt Harry crouch down beside her, his hand settling down on her lower back.  

“Yeah, I did.” He chuckled lightly and followed a crawling Emily inside, sitting down right beside her. Harry pointed and looked up to through the open space through the tarp that Harry deliberately made as Emily’s eyes followed his gaze. “It’s a bit hard trying to come up with a place for a date so I figured this would give us a little privacy and well I like looking up at the stars here.” His voice drifted off into a whisper as he gazed up at the night sky illuminated by sporadic stars bordering the moon. “It calms me for whatever reason.”

Emily was enthralled by the groups of stars shinning brightly through the little space at the top of the tent. The blonde nodded slowly with a soft smile agreeing with Harry. “It’s something about them that often does that. It makes everything seem not so far away like it feels sometimes.” Emily’s soft voice coaxed Harry’s blue eyes down to stare into hers with a lingering gaze.

“This is perfect, Henry.” Emily blinked slowly and turned her head to gaze up into those deep blue eyes. “You sure it’s ok for us to be here?” There was a hint of worry laced in her voice.

“As long as we don’t get caught.” Harry shrugged his shoulders and playfully winked at the blonde doctor teasingly. “Nah, Em it’s fine.” The pilot leaned back and grabbed the box of pizza for them to share.

“So, I wanted to buy you dinner on our first date but the options were a bit… limited.” Harry started to blush a bit, feeling a bit embarrassed that he could not take Emily on a proper date here on base. “This is what I came up with...” He opened the box to reveal her favourite ham and pineapple pizza.

“Oh my god, did you really get my ham and pineapple pizza?!” Emily’s mouth fell open in shock that Harry would do this for her. It was endearing for Emily to see all of Harry’s efforts that went into their date. It reminded Emily of how Harry and the guys planned her surprised birthday party and it was little things like that that Emily appreciated so much and showed how much he cared.

Emily grabbed a piece of her pineapple and ham pizza he had gotten for them to share and took a big bite. “Yup, this will do!” She grinned happily while chewing down the delicious pizza. “Here, have a bite and see for yourself what you have been missing your whole life.” Emily leaned forward and offered a bite of her pizza to Harry. The prince hesitated and shared an expression that he was not entirely convinced to.

“One bite and you may get to kiss me.” Emily playfully teased, but Harry’s expression changed to a serious one as he quickly took a bite off before Emily could go back on her word. Her mouth dropped in shock having realized what she had promised Harry. The glint in his eyes was proof that he did indeed plan on taking Emily up on her bargain.

She watched his priceless reaction when he realized how amazing pineapple on pizza actually was. “Wow…” He nodded and grabbed a piece of his own. “This is actually way better than I thought it would be!” Harry quickly finished the rest of his piece. “Plus, I get to kiss you…”

The way that the prince was staring at Emily in combination with his devilish grin that had formed on his lips made Emily’s heart pound into a fluttery mess in her chest. The blonde woman could not formulate a response so all she did was nod slowly while her mind went off thinking of everything that could change once they did. But, then a smile turned up the corners of her lips as a memory reminded Emily of that night that Harry walked her back to her building and kissed her forehead. “Yes, you do.” She finally was able to string a set of words together, but it was her cheerful smile that spoke louder than words to Harry that Emily wanted the same thing.

Harry and Emily had topped off the pizza that they had shared and decided to lay down in the tent beside one another. The extra blankets Harry had taken from the VHR tent were tightly bundled around their bodies as they shared the warmth it created for them against the cool afghan night. Emily’s side was pressed close against the prince being able to use his shoulder as a comfy pillow. Harry’s arm was tucked under the blonde doctor to ensure she was as close as possible to the prince so he could enjoy the feeling of someone beside him, a craving he had long forgotten to indulge in.

The pair were staring up at the stars through the hole in the tent with Emily pointing up into the night sky to show Harry a few of the constellations she could see. Her other hand was gently intertwined with Harry’s as their fingers danced, playing with one another absent mindedly while they talked. Harry was staring down at Emily being completed enthralled and under her spell as she lined out yet another constellation for him.

“And that one is Orion.” She sighed with a beaming smile. “It’s one of my favorites. Do you know the myth behind it?” Emily turned her head to see the prince staring intensely at her with those mesmerizing blue eyes that nearly made her heart stop.

“No.” He shook his head slowly, but his gaze never faltered. “Tell me.” Harry craved to hear her soft calming voice speak again.

Emily forced herself to look away, focusing back up at the stars before clearing her throat. “Well, based on Greek mythology, Orion was some sort of talented hunter and believed he could rid the Earth of all the wild animals. Gaia, who was the goddess of earth, was angered by Orion and sent a scorpion to kill Orion. Orion tired to battle the armored scorpion and realized he could not shoot his arrow through the armor so he jumped into the sea.” Emily paused for a brief moment to glance back at Harry to see him listening very close to every word she spoke.

“Go on.” Harry’s deep voice encouraged as he locked their fingers together.

“Apollo, who was the Greek god of the sun, decided to help Gaia kill Orion. Apollo pointed out Orion in the sea to his twin sister Artemis convincing her it was a villain. She shot it with her bow and arrow than swam out to see that it was her friend Orion. Artemis begged the gods to bring Orion back to life, but they refused so she put Orion’s picture in the sky so she could always see him.” The blonde doctor trailed off into a comfortable silence.

“Why is that your favorite?” An intrigued Harry craved to learn more, but he also wanted to distract his own mind that was drifting to the situation he found himself in because of Simon’s arrogance, much like Orion’s in the story. He looked past Emily and watched his fingers curl around hers, squeezing them in silence as he witnessed the hesitation flash across her face hoping that it would provide Emily with some sort of comfort.

“You remember me saying that I was in Syria before coming here?” Emily watched the prince nod in silence. “Some nights, it was all too much for me to handle having a constant feeling of hopelessness mixed with the feeling of not being able to do my job. We had to sit outside the city listening to the shells firing into the city everyday knowing that innocent people were dying until we were granted a cease fire to go in and provide aide for the limited time we were given.” Emily forced her blue eyes shut as a frown creased the soft skin of her forehead, needing a minute to get passed the memory of it all. Her eyes fluttered open along with the release of a heavy sigh.

“Most nights when I couldn’t sleep I would go for a walk and find a place to look up at the stars. I could always pick out the Orion constellation even amongst the hazy clouds left behind from the bombings. It brought me a sense of comfort seeing that every night it was still there no matter what else happened in the world. That when everything else was falling apart around me, it was still there every time I looked up.” Emily turned her head and shifted onto her side to face Harry snuggling into him tighter, silently asking to be comforted by him. She stared into those deep blues that she had now used to replace those stars she sought out every night for comfort. His blue eyes were the one constant now amongst all the chaos that had surrounded Emily since finding herself in at Camp Bastion.

“It made me think of home and how they could be staring up at the same stars making them seem closer than they were to me. So, I understand what you meant. That the stars have some sort of calming effect out here.” Harry’s arm had wrapped around her frame and settled down on her hip.

“You have that kind of effect for me too.” Harry confessed to Emily as his gaze faltered away from her eyes. He tried his best to hide from what was plaguing his mind all day long, but it was catching up with him.

Emily’s hand reached out and softly cupped his cheek while lifting his head to gain back those deep blue eyes he attempted to hide from her. “Henry, what’s wrong?” The doctor’s blue eyes were filled with concern. “What happened this morning before you came to play football with the kids?” Emily asked again. This time she knew that there had been something off with Harry this morning.

“How did you -?” His eyes narrowed, wondering how on earth Emily knew.

“I was using them as a distraction just as you were.” Emily confessed with a half crooked smile. “But, I can tell something is bothering you and it still is.” Her thumb tenderly stroked his cheek, a gesture that Harry welcomed as he leaned into her gentle touch.

Harry shifted his body onto his side to face the blonde beauty. “It’s about Simon.” Mentioning Simon’s name and the concerned expression on Emily’s face made her sit up and purse her lips together as she put the pieces together. She had seen Harry walking beside Simon coming back from a flight before he came to play with the children. Something must have happened during their flight.

“What happened?” Emily encouraged Harry to continue despite the worry growing tight in her chest. “You can trust me. I won’t say a word to anyone.” She assured Harry that what he was about to divulge would be kept in confidence.

“We got a call for troops in contact this morning.” The prince breathed out and felt Emily’s fingers starting to run through his ginger hair soothingly as she laid there next to him listening with the softest blue eyes that made him want to tell her everything. “Everything seemed routine. We ran to the apache, got it up and running in out usual time. Never once did I feel that something wasn’t quite right, but my mind keeps going through each moment wondering if I could have picked up on it sooner.” Harry shook his head in disbelief.

“Simon stopped barking orders at us and I was waiting for him to confirm what I saw and then there was just silence… right as we entered into the combat zone.” The fear circling in Harry’s eyes was so evident that it sparked a fuelled anger from within Emily at Simon. But, Emily held her tongue and did not voice her inner raging thoughts that were developing.

“It was like he blanked or wasn’t even there.” Harry’s brow furrowed as he to tried to make sense of what happened in that Apache this morning. “I felt the apache nose point down and I knew he had somehow lost control of it. So I took control of the Apache and started commanding it.” Harry gulped down the lump in his throat. “It was too late to call in another apache and I was not going to let the guys on the ground down knowing what they were fighting against.”

“You made the right call.” Emily’s voice softly broke through his thoughts.

“That’s not what bothered me, Em. I am trained to fly that beast of a helicopter.” Harry’s lips pursed into a hard straight line while his jaw clenched tightly. “We finished the call successfully and flew back to base. Simon snapped out of it half way back and started taking back full command again. But, I questioned every little thing and ran it through scenarios in my head if I would have gave that command. Never before did I feel the need to question Si on his abilities to fly or command an attack Apache until today. I have always trusted him with my life, but today he lost that trust.” Harry’s heart started to race just like it had back in that apache. So he closed his eyes and concentrated on the feeling of Emily running her fingers through his hair.

His eyes gently opened to find Emily’s holding his gaze. “The worst part Em, is that when he came back he apologized for it all, but when I asked him to go talk to someone because it could not happen again and that he put so many other lives at risk… he refused to do so. I still covered for him with command after they questioned what happened.” Harry watched Emily’s brow furrow with deep concern over what Harry just confessed to her. “And, now I am not entirely sure that was the best option.

“Henry that is not ok.” Emily’s voice was laced in profound concern for the prince. “He could have killed you or Owen or Luca…” Em shook her head back and forth. “A soldier like this is more dangerous than the dangers we face outside these walls. You trust them innately, but Henry… I know you aren’t that stupid to let this go. Right? No matter what Simon is going through it cannot affect his judgment behind the controls of a thousand tons of metal.” Emily could not hold back in giving her opinion on the matter, especially when it could put Harry’s life at risk.

“I know and I don’t know how to help him.” Harry’s face contorted at the mere thought of his options. “Either I let this continue or convince him to get help… and if I can’t convince him to then I have to report it to the commander and that could ruin his career as a pilot.” The pilot turned his head to find Emily looking down away from him with a wounded expression on her face.

“Em?” Harry speaking her name did not gain her attention. “Emily?” It was if she was trapped in her own thoughts.

“Sorry…” She shook her head, lifting her gaze to smile up at the prince. “I uh… I could talk to someone and see if they could speak with Simon off the record.” Emily kindly offered to help.

“Really? Who would that be?” The hope in the prince’s voice brought a smile to Emily’s lips. She wanted to help in anyway she could, not just for Simon’s sake, but for Harry’s as well. But, in doing so would put Emily in a tough spot.

A set of blue eyes matched Harry’s gaze. “Clarissa.”

Harry instantly sat up in a rage of anger. “No.” He shortly replied in a cold hard tone, nearly snapping at Emily making her jump a bit. “I am not letting that woman any where near Simon or even you, Em. Especially you, after the shit she pulled with you. She cannot be trusted at all.” Harry’s voice was raised while a quiet Emily sat across from him knowing this was the reaction that she would be met with. But, it was the only solution she could come up with for a quick fix. Emily’s other idea of trying to get Simon granted leave on an emergency basis was denied and they were running out of options to help their friend.

His eyes fell upon her sitting with a defeated expression etched across her face. All Emily was doing was trying to help Harry and the fact that she even brought up the idea to talk with Clarissa, a woman who treated her awfully, to help Simon said tremendous things about Emily’s character. She was willing to put aside personal feelings and her pride to help someone in need.

“I’m sorry Emily.” Harry sighed deeply. “I should not have brought this up tonight. I only wanted to hang out with you and not bring this other shit into the mix.” The prince sat across from Emily and grasped her hand that sat in her lap. She freely gave it to Harry as he tried to coax her attention towards him. “What’s on your mind?” Harry could tell she was holding something back from him.

“Harry, I already lost a friend here.” Emily’s blue eyes lifted slowly to lock in his. “I would do anything to make sure that didn’t happen again.” She parted to lips to speak, but hesitated and shook her head. “I don’t know where I would be without you quite honestly, or even your squad.”

“This place would really suck without me, wouldn’t it?” Harry winked playfully at Emily in an attempt to lighten the mood. A smile peaked through her somber expression making Harry continue his teasing with a certain objective in mind. “Come on, Em. Who would beat you at FIFA all the time? Or secretly sneak these to the hospital for you when you are on call late?” Harry grabbed a handful of Emily’s favourite candy bars he had stashed away for them to enjoy.

“Not true, I beat you that one time.” Emily was beaming from ear to ear, holding her abdomen from laughing so hard. “Give me one of those, Wales!” She reached out to grab one, but the prince held it back out of her grasp.

“Nuh uh.” Harry held up his finger and waved it back and forth with a raised eyebrow. “I get something from you first.”

Emily giggled lightly and closed in the space between them, leaving mere inches apart. Her lips stretched into a flirtatious grin. “And what is that, Captain Wales?”

“I think you already know, Doctor Clarke.” Harry’s eyebrow rose suggestively after watching Emily bite down on her delicate bottom lip.

“Tell me…” Emily angled her head and tried to coax it out of him, wanting to hear the words fall off his lips.

“I am going to kiss you, Emily.” Harry’s voice was deep and commanding. He cupped her cheek tenderly and brought her lips so close that he could feel her heavy breath float across his lips. The tip of her nose nudged up against the pilot’s as she opened her lust filled eyes to stare into the depths of his blues.

“Henry, we can’t go back from this.” The doctor’s voice was jagged as she attempted to calm her breathing down, but finding herself in this position with Harry kicked her body into over drive as every touch every sensation was magnified. The simple stroke of his thumb against her cool skin burned a fiery path along her cheek. Her heart was thumping in her chest so loudly she was sure that Harry could hear it.

“I know.” He sighed deeply. “I want you Emily.” Harry’s voice was confident and held no evidence of doubt that she was what the prince wanted. “I have since the very first day I laid eyes on you. The first time I saw those gorgeous blue eyes. Do not doubt that.”

Emily’s head swayed back and forth gently knowing she was about to give in to Harry. “It’s not because your promise?” She knew it was not the perfect time to ask this, but part of her still wondered what drove his intentions. Was it the promise he was bound to from her dying friend or was it feelings he had developed for her? A piece of her was terrified to know the truth behind them.

“That promise is what helped me get to know the real Emily; the one that I can’t deny that I have feelings for any longer.” His hand snaked around her neck and tugged it down towards him gently. “Now stop second guessing this and let me show you how I feel about you.”

The blonde softly inhaled his sweet scent, falling under Harry’s spell as she nodded her head lightly giving Harry the permission he was longing for. Her heart was beating so fast she couldn’t get a decent breath in, her head spinning into a downward spiral of desire for the prince.

She felt his breath on her cheeks from his close proximity as he waited patiently for the right moment to capture Emily’s lips. Harry watched her eyelids flutter and then close with her ready lips parted. He could not wait a moment longer as he leant forward, allowing their lips to meet for the first time.  

He kissed her softly at first, then with a swift swing of intensity that made Emily cling to him tightly, balling the material of his shirt in her hand as if he was the only solid thing in a dizzy swaying world she had found herself in.  His insistent mouth was parting her shaking lips, sending wild tremors along her nerves as if something within her sparked and evoked a fiery flame that burned through her body. Sparking sensations Emily had never known she was capable of feeling.

Harry tasted the sweet lingering taste that fell off of her lips that he was continually drawn back to, unable to get enough of her soft innocent lips that she eagerly kissed him with. He felt Emily give up control as she allowed Harry full power over her being to which he delicately took. The space around them evaporated, ceasing to exist as they explored this new world between them.

Their lips broke apart revealing a breathless Emily who was struggling to catch her breath. His lips formed a crooked smile seeing the effect that he had on Emily. Harry cupped her cheek and massaged it gently, waiting patiently for Emily to come back to stable ground. A light moan escaped her lips as the prince kissed her jawbone, innately tossing her head back gently into the prince’s cupped hand. His wet lips trailed down to her neck, feeling the thudding of her heart through her soft delicious skin.

“No…” Emily moaned out between deep breaths as her fluttering eye lids opened to look down at the Harry. She knotted her fists in his shirt and pulled Harry back up to her lips, abruptly crashing into them silently telling Harry that she needed more of him. Her fingers gripped the tufts of his ginger hair eliciting a soft low groan from his throat.

Harry’s arms circled around Emily and gathered her against his body. He gently lowered them down to the floor of the tent becoming tangled as one. Harry purposely took his lips off of Emily’s for a second to take in the view of Emily before him. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he felt his heart beat with wild abandon knowing that all he wanted in that moment was Emily and nothing was going to come between them.

Emily silently gazed up into the soldier’s eyes with fondness as they held a silent conversation. She tenderly grasped his cheek with her soft fingers and stroked it gently as the prince angled his head towards her touch. In that moment, Emily had never felt so at peace in a war torn place like this. She had never felt so calm and sure of herself that this was right between them without a doubt in her mind.

Emily gently tugged on Harry’s neck as he straddled himself between her legs. The weight of his body on top of Emily’s as the prince carefully cradled the blonde securely in his arms, was a feeling of security she had long forgotten. She felt all of him pressed up against her making her lips part to release a tiny moan that was captured by his awaiting lips.

Suddenly, Harry kissed her harder, deeper with an urgent fervor that fueled the fiery passion between them. It was not gentle like before, but a welcoming roughness that Emily surrendered to and matched Harry’s passion. His hands gripped her hair in a soft tug making their lips break apart briefly as each one fought their way back to find the others once again.

Every sensation had become heightened; like a set of colourful fireworks bursting throughout her being. She inhaled Harry’s scent, that scent that was just…him. It burned a memory into her nose along with the way his firm big hands caressed her body so delicately, but securely as it made her feel an innate sense of safety. The sounds of his low husky moans or the way that he spoke her name simply drove her body into unfounded land.

Without wasting another second, Harry’s lips were devouring Emily’s, stealing her breath away. Every other kiss that Emily had experienced before this in her life was wrong. It never felt right until this moment right here; this moment with Harry.  

Harry’s fingers were entwined with Emily’s tightly while walking the blonde back to her dorm. Her other hand gripped his forearm firmly as they wandered through the base amongst the eerily quiet night, but the prince could still see that smile that lingered on Emily’s lips throughout the rest of their night after they shared their first kiss.

It was a smile that only Harry had seen before once on her lips, a smile that was only for him.

Despite the long stressful day, Harry felt a sense of peace and calmness whenever he was with Emily. There was just something about her that Harry longed to have in his life. Whether it was her bright cheery smile or her infectious sweet laugh, it was Emily simply being Emily and that was enough for him at the end of the day.

Harry was pulled from his thoughts, feeling her hand rub up and down his arm. “You ok Henry?” Emily lifted her head to peak up at the silent prince noticing his quiet change in demeanour.

The prince nodded lightly and looked towards a dark hide out space between two buildings. He tugged on Emily’s hand as they took off in the direction away from her building.

“Henry!?” Emily quietly scolded the prince. “What are you doing?!” She was already afraid of getting caught, but now Harry was just tempting fate.

He turned and pulled her body flushed against his, gently cupping her cheek as the blonde peaked up at him barely being able to make out his features against the night sky. Without warning, he leaned in and abruptly kissed Emily with a soft urgency.

She at first fought it, knowing it was a terrible and risky idea to be kissing like this out in public with a chance that anyone could be watching or walking by to catch them in the act. But, the little voice inside of her head faded as she placed her hands against Harry’s chest and allowed the feeling of the kiss course through her body.

Their dripping lips broke apart breathlessly while the prince continued to tenderly hold her cheeks in his hand, keeping Emily exactly where he wanted her to be. “I am better now.” He smiled cheekily and earned a playful smack across the chest from Emily.

“We have to be more careful…” Emily was the voice of reason amongst them. “No one can know, Henry.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and settled her head down gently on his chest to feel the prince take in a heavy breath.

“I know, Emily.” His arms surrounded her frame to hold her body tight against him. “I’m not ready to let go of you just yet.” The pilot confessed as he closed his eyes and relished in the feeling of having Emily secured in his arms.

“If we get caught…” Emily’s voiced trailed off against the night, unable to voice the consequences that would surely arise if they did.

“We won’t.” Harry bent down and placed his lips softly against her temple, giving Emily a reassuring kiss. “Let’s not talk about this tonight. Let’s just enjoy each other.”

“Henry….” Emily lifted her head off of the prince’s chest to see his blue eyes casted down on her, halting her words.

“Let’s figure out where this is going… privately… before we worry about the rest of all of that.” What he spoke of was true. They both knew the other held feelings for them, but they had not had the chance to explore them any further than tonight. In a place like this, their priorities had to be their bound duties, not their developing feelings for one another.

It was a simple yet difficult choice they had to make.

Duty first, love second.

Until the time where it could be reversed.

“Can you start an IV and give him a liter of Normal Saline. Re-check his BP after that and if it hasn’t come up page me, please.” Emily handed off the chart to a nurse who left to gather supplies.

Harry’s lips tugged into a smile at the sight of Emily. She was dressed in her navy blue scrubs with her blonde hair pulled back into a loose ponytail. Emily walked up to the captain and released a deep sigh. It was then that Harry noticed her tired blue eyes and pale looking skin, indicating she must not have gotten a lot of sleep the night before.

“Hey…” Emily looked down to the floor and put her hands in her scrub pockets.

“Think you can take a break for something to eat?” Harry already knew the answer to his question based on how Emily was avoiding his eye contact.

“Harry…” Emily breathed out his name. “I only have a little time and I need to go see if I can switch rooms. I can’t stay there again tonight, it’s too unbearable for me.” The blonde peaked up at Harry with a guilty expression knowing that she was bailing on plans with him. “I hardly got any sleep last night.” Emily tried to further explain her reasoning.

“You do not need to explain to me.” Harry’s eyes softened their gaze seeing how stressed Emily was over the whole situation. “Why don’t I see if I can bring you back some food?”

“Really? I don’t want to keep you up…” Emily had heard that the Apaches had been out flying most of the night.

“It’s no problem at all.” Harry was happy to help her in any way.

Emily engulfed the prince into a quick embrace. “You are honestly the best person in my world right now!” She thanked him for the kind offer by squeezing him tightly.

“All it takes is food to make you happy?” Harry teased the blonde doctor as Emily reached over the counter and grabbed another chart.

“Uh… yeah!” Emily started to giggle. “I am a doctor, Harry. I scrounge for food when I get the chance to eat it!”

Hannah informed Doctor Clarke of the patient’s chart she was reviewing and Emily ordered exactly what Hannah had requested before handing the orders back to her. “I am going to step out for a few minutes. Page me if you need anything at all, alright?”

“For sure Emily. I hope you get things sorted.” Hannah offered a sincere smile.

“Thank you, Hannah!” Emily returned a smile before turning her head to peak up at Harry. “I can walk halfway to the cookhouse with you.”

“Lead the way doctor.”

“Hmmm I can see where you are coming from Doctor Clarke.” Emily’s blue eyes were pleading with the person in charge of accommodations at Camp Bastion. She had told the whole story, leaving out Harry’s details and explained how it was affecting her work life as well in hopes that they would re-assign her.

“We have had issues with Clarissa Jacobs in the past before your arrival on camp. Let me bring up what places I have available for you.” The woman searched through her computer as Emily fidgeted nervously in her chair across from her.

“Looks like I have a few spots you can choose from…” The woman smiled reassuringly. “I could give you a single dorm which would probably work best for your position here. It is however a different building, closer to the male dorms and the hospital.” The woman reviewed the spot further. “I will get maintenance to check it out this morning and you should be all cleared to move your things this afternoon, Doctor Clarke.”

“I will take it! Thank you so so much!” Emily did not need to think twice about that option. A single room all to herself, closer to the hospital and in a completely different building than Clarissa, how could she say no to that? For the first time this morning, Emily was able to sigh a breath of relief knowing that she did not have to spend another night in the same room as Clarissa.

Emily had returned to the hospital with a smile plastered all over her place. Hannah informed the doctor that Harry had brought her a plate of food and left it in the staff break room in the fridge. Checking that she had no pressing matters first, she headed to the fridge and grabbed a plate of assorted breakfast items left with a little sticky note from Harry.

Hopefully you can scrounge on this throughout the day. Should be enough to last you for your shift. Catch you later Doc. ~Harry

Emily heated up the heaping plate of food that Harry had brought her and took it outside to get a little sunshine. She sat down on a wooden make shift bench and watched the little kids that belonged to the families that were hired to work on the base, play a game of football with a deflated ball, but were none the less they were all smiles and happily giggling away.  

While halfway through her bite of sausage, a guy walked up to her carrying a load of bags looking quite lost while displaying a look of uncertainty. “Ma’am, is this the hospital here?”

Emily stood up and blocked the sun out of her eyes to get a better glimpse of whom she was talking to. Glancing down at his name, she recognized that it was the new, young, fresh faced doctor who had come to join them at Camp Bastion. “It is!” Emily swallowed her food. “You must be Dr. Fields. We have been expecting you!”

The look of relief washed over the young man’s face. “Yes, I was suppose to arrive this morning, but my plane departed late and I don’t know where I am going.”

Emily shook Dr. Fields hand and introduced herself. “I completely understand that. No worries at all, I am Dr. Emily Clarke with the UN just filling in the gaps here.” She waved him in to follow her inside. “Welcome to Camp Bastion, is this your first tour Dr. Fields?”

“You can call me Nathan or Nate.” He nervously ran his fingers through his hair. “Yes, yes it is. That easy to tell huh?”

“Yeah, we all had that excited but fearful look on our faces.” Emily laughed it off, not making a big deal of it. Meeting Dr. Fields instantly brought to mind the first day she had arrived in South Sudan.

The first day she had met Paul.

“Don’t worry, I have been there before…” Emily reassured the new doctor as he followed her inside the hospital.

Flashback to four years ago…

Emily climbed off the bus and hauled her big bag over her shoulder as she scanned the refugee camp. “You can do this.” She took in a deep breath and mustered all the courage she could find within herself.

It was her second job with Doctors Without Borders (DWB) that landed her in the refugee camp in South Sudan, a war torn province filled with people fleeing the conflict of civil war as they sat on the borders of the Uganda and Sudan. Her first stint with DWB in the Philippines was nothing relatable at all like this, she thought to herself while walking through the camp and seeing starving children with their mothers, noting that there were hardly any men in the camp older then middle teens.

After coming home from her first mission in the Philippines, Emily applied for an assignment where she could be challenged as she was always striving to better herself and her medical experience. When she saw a listing for South Sudan, she quickly applied for it the posting that had sat vacant for months. Emily accepted the job officially the next day and told her family that she would be leaving the next week to South Sudan, but the concept of their daughter embarking on a job in a war torn country did not sit well with her parents and well… a major fight ensued.

The morning before Emily left her father showed up to drive her to the airport. During the long drive there, they had a heart to heart and before she boarded that plane Emily knew she had her father’s support no matter what. He did not want to stop hugging her when they said their goodbyes, but all she could remember is seeing her father with tears in his eyes begging her to stay alert and to be safe so she could come home.

The heat of the sun sweltered through her light fabric buttoned down shirt as she searched for the man she was supposed to meet. Squinting through the suns rays, Emily found a make shift tent with the DWB logo on it. Sighing a breath of relief, she had finally made it after her long journey.

Feeling the weight of her bags lighten she glanced behind her to see a middle aged man with blonde hair and brown eyes smiling from ear to ear. “You must be the new doctor. Emily Clarke?”

“Uh yes.” Emily nodded with a smile. “Yes, I am.”

“Paul Hastings, lead doctor here at Camp MISS.” Paul shook her hand firmly and welcomed Emily officially to South Sudan. “Here let me help you with these bags!” He hoisted one over his shoulder and motioned for her to follow him.

“Thank you, Dr. Hastings.” Emily took a few quick steps to catch up to the man.

“You sure don’t pack very light. Planning on staying here a while?” Paul started to giggle while he tossed a piece of gum in his mouth and offered one to Emily to which she politely refused.

“Well, isn’t the posting for six months?” Emily questioned.

Paul stopped in his tracks and turned around to face the young blonde doctor. “It certainly is… but you would be the first one not to leave early.” Doctor Hastings looked her up and down analyzing Emily carefully. “I say one week, tops.”

Emily scoffed; it was not the first time she had been underestimated before by doctors in her field simply because of her young age. Emily looked Paul directly in the eye with determination showing proudly in her own. “I cannot wait to prove you wrong.”

“Alright, Doctor Clarke. Let’s see what you got!” Paul accepted the challenge. “Come on, let’s go… before I get too old now.”

Emily stepped forward, but stopped once her body aligned with Paul. She took her sweet time looking him up and down like he had done. “Too late, you are already old.” Emily’s sass was on clear display as she walked away without another word, leaving Paul shaking his head.

“Ya, she’s gonna be just fine here.” Paul laughed and followed Emily into the tent.

Flash forward to six months later…

“Do you remember the first day you arrived here Em?” Paul sat down in a chair and sighed a breath of relief having finished their last clinic day of their mission in South Sudan.

“Yeah, I sure did.” Emily laughed at the memory of it all. “You did not think I would even last one day.”

“Yeah…” Paul nodded his head and smiled fondly at Emily. “Look at where you are now, Doctor Clarke.”

Emily took a long look around the clinic as memories flooded her mind of the past six months here. “As sad as it has been, I think it has made me into a better doctor. You made me into a better doctor, Paul.”

Paul swiveled around in his chair and silently agreed with Emily. “Nah, poppet that was all you. You really are one of a kind, Doctor Emily Clarke.” He paused briefly and leaned in as the aura of the room turned into a serious one. “Which is why I want you to apply to the United Nations with me.”

Her ocean blue eyes widened at the thought of working for the UN. It had always been a dream of hers, but she did not even think she was anywhere near ready for that. “I – I don’t think I am ready for that Paul…” Emily admitted with a slow shake of her head.

Doctor Hastings leaned in with a grin. “You didn’t think you were ready for South Sudan and look where you are now… you are a brilliant doctor and I know for a fact that the United Nations would be lucky to have you.”

“Paul…” Emily swayed her head back and forth. “I doubt that they will even give me a second look.”

“Don’t Paul me!” He stood up in his chair with an amused expression. “Because I already recommended you for the job alongside me that I took that last week.” Paul stepped away from the conversation before Emily could get in another word.

“Paul… wait, what?” Emily stood up and ran after her mentor.

“We are going to Burma in a few months, Emily! Enjoy the time off!” Paul hollered back at her.

End Flashback

“Hannah, I am going to leave a few minutes earlier so I can pack my things up before a certain someone beats me home…” Emily leaned in and whispered careful of who was in earshot.

“You got a different place?” Hannah had figured this was the case ever since Emily had returned from this morning. Emily had confided in Hannah about what was going on with Clarissa and how awful she had become the night of her birthday.

“Yeah, a single one in building H. I am just wanting to avoid any more drama.” Emily took in a deep breath. “It’s not me.”

“Well, I am literally down the hall from you if you ever need anything.” Hannah kindly offered. The nurse was getting to know Emily better and better each day. She held the upmost respect for the doctor; she was reasonable and kind with her patients, but did not put up with any crap.

“Thank you, Hannah.” Emily’s sincere blue eyes silently thanked her. Without wasting another moment, Emily gathered her things and briskly walked out the door having noticed that Clarissa was still at work in her office.

Glancing around the small room, Emily sighed a breath of relief. She finally had her own space and it felt more like home than her other place with Clarissa ever had.

Emily reached into her bag and pulled out a framed picture that she found at the bottom of her bag. When she first had arrived on base, Emily unpacked only the necessities not wanting to see all the people she had let down on full display in her room. Especially the guilt she held within for Ella’s missed graduation she had promised to attend.

Easing herself down on the edge of the bed she held the frame gently in her hands looking down at the picture of herself in the red 1968 Mercedes Paul had spent all of his free time working on. The funny thing was… Paul knew absolutely nothing about cars.

Flashback

Emily followed a narrowing road up a curvy hill lined with over arching beautiful green trees until she came across an old rusty metal gate. Stepping out of the car she remembered the instructions that Paul had given her to his home in Berkshire when he promised to have her out to see his property as Paul described it one night in Burma. She untwined the metal chain and pushed open the gate wide enough for her car to travel through.

Feeling her tires scrape against an uneven gravel ground, Emily’s eyes became glued to the road, but when she saw the large old brick country home she could not keep her eyes off of it.  “Wow, Paul.” Emily muttered to herself.

Coming up closer to the home she saw Paul outside in his garage bending over into the hood of a car.  Honking her horn she frightened the older man seeing him jump in the air and drop a tool on the concrete floor.

Emily parked her vehicle and got out with a wide grin having recovered from her short bout of laughter knowing that Paul would have been swearing at her for scaring him. “Hey, Paul!” She slammed her car door shut.

The blonde haired man turned around, leaned up against the car and crossed his arms. “Emily Clarke. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Well, I had to come and check up on you after you apparently forgot to go to the mandatory UN six week follow up post deployment.” Emily approached further and walked into the warmth of the garage. “They called me and asked me where you were… hence why I am here.”

Paul turned his back towards Emily. “I don’t need any follow up.” He shortly replied and brushed it off like no big deal.

Emily stood there in silence and observed Paul tinkering around in the old red car. “Where did you find this old thing?” She tapped the top of the car as Paul’s head snapped up.

“Hey! Hey!” Paul narrowed his eyes at the blonde. “Be gentle with her!”

“Finally got your attention! Now, I am going to make you a deal.” Emily smirked, as Paul stood up taller. “You are going to hand me a tool and we are going to work on this car while you tell me why the hell you are risking your job over a simple follow up appointment.” Emily was not backing down from him in the least as she stood her ground.

“Emily…” Paul swayed his head back and forth.

“No! Do not Emily me!” Her voice rose with anger. “I was there too, Paul. I saw it too! But, I know there was nothing we could have done and I can smell the alcohol on your breath so you need to tell me what the hell is going on, Paul?”

A deafening silence floated between them as they stared the other down with intense gazes. Emily’s jaw stiffened with a slow shake of her head as Paul remained quiet. “Look, you can talk to me. I don’t care what you do with the UN or if you throw your career down the fucking toilet. But, this isn’t the Paul I know to not respond to my calls and reek of alcohol. I am here as a friend because I am worried about the doctor who has been my mentor for years and I can tell something changed in you that day.”

Emily let the words sink in as Paul quietly stewed in silence. Tapping his foot lightly on the concrete floor he shook his head knowing he could not let Emily down. “Fine.” He spoke through gritted teeth. “You are right. I have not been dealing with what happened well and I am sorry I have been ignoring you.”

“You aren’t the only one though Paul.” Emily sighed before sticking out her hand. “Hand me a wrench thing or whatever it is…”

Paul bent down and pulled a tool out of his tool box placing it gently in her hand. “It’s called a monkey wrench, blondie.” He started to giggle. “The name suits you.”

“Ahhh!” Emily playfully pushed Paul for his comment. “I will let that one slide today, but you call me a damn monkey any other day and there will be hell to pay!” She giggled along side her mentor. “Now what are we supposed to be doing?”

He glanced up at the blonde doctor and simply shrugged his shoulders. “How should I know?”

“What?” Emily was taken back. “Wait, you are trying to fix this car up, but you know nothing about cars?”

Paul nodded while sticking his tongue out. “Yup! Exactly, poppet.” Paul groaned as he tried turning his tool to tighten a piece. “The guy at the auction said it was a one of a kind 1968 Mercedes Benz that needed a little work…” All of a sudden a loud crack sounded while fluid started to leak everywhere.

“Uh! I don’t think that was supposed to happen?!” Emily stated the obvious. “What are we supposed to do?”

The pair stood up dumbfounded while the car continued to leak. “Ok, let’s triage this issue. Go inside and grab my kit, should have some gauze in it We can pressure wound pack it until it stops.” Paul nodded with a smile, becoming proud he found a resolution to their issue.

“Gauze?! Really?” Emily scoffed a laugh. “I think you are getting senile! Maybe you did just forget about your follow up entirely?!” She bellowed a deep laugh making Paul’s eyes glare at her tightly.

“You know what? I am going to go inside and call them to re-book just to prove you wrong, blondie.” Paul shook his finger at Emily as he stomped off inside.

“MAKE SURE YOU CALL A MECHANIC TOOK WHILE YOU ARE AT IT!” She could hear him cursing from inside at her. But, her plan had worked even though she had to drive an hour plus to find his place. Emily had been worried about Paul when he had ignored her call a week after they had returned. She continued to try to contact him with no avail. But, when the UN called her and asked if Paul had other means of contact, Emily had learned he had missed a mandatory follow up appointment for post deployment and was at risk for losing his contract with the UN if he did not show; Emily had to go to greater lengths.

Paul was after all the only one who witnessed the tragedy that Emily could confide in that day resulting in the death of a young child in the last week of their contract in Burma.  A senseless death resulting from a war where the only victims were the innocents.

End Flashback

“Why did you give me that half broken down car, Paul? And that stupid, rude goat Billy?” Emily chuckled at the memory as she placed the picture on her bedside table. Looking around the room, she smiled at the pictures that lined the walls reminding her of home back in England.

Four and a half more months were all she needed to endure as she promised herself that this time she would take a break from it all to catch up with family and friends. But, that smile stayed stagnant upon her lips knowing that while she was here, Emily would be able to get to know Harry further as she was reminded of her birthday wish last night.

Emily glanced down at her phone and decided that she would go wait for Harry outside his building to go eat dinner with him and the guys. Grabbing a jacket, she quickly put it on and made her way out of the dorm.

She was leaning up against the outside wall waiting for them to leave knowing the squad liked to get there in the first rush if possible to get the freshest food and a table. Each time the door flew open; her heart skipped a beat in hopes that Harry would be the one walking through that door. The time dragged on as Emily waited for the prince, but he did not show up.

The door flew open and Harry walked through with his head hanging low and walked right by Emily without a word displaying a distracted look on his face.

“Harry?” Emily pushed her body off of the cool metal that lined the building and waited for Harry to turn back around.

His head perked up and turned to look back at who called his name. The frown lines on his forehead smoothened over while his tightly clenched jaw relaxed into a softening expression at the sight of Emily.

“Oh, hi Em.” Harry shook his head and took a step back towards the blonde doctor with a concerned look growing on her face. “Sorry, I did not see you there. Bit distracted.” He breathed out a sigh of relief and forced a smile for her benefit.

“What’s got you so distracted, Harry?” Emily’s blue eyes lingered their gaze as they searched for the source herself.

“It’s fine, Emily.” Harry’s lips pulled into a soft smile at her concern for him. “How’s your new room?” He tried to change the subject off of him.

Her eyes narrowed at the prince and with an angled head she crossed her arms knowing what Harry was attempting to do. “Harry.” Emily shook her head at him. “Don’t play it off. What’s going on?”

Harry released an exasperated sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I can’t get anything by you, can I?” A light laugh escaped his lips followed by a heavy sigh.

He motioned with his head for Emily to follow him as they started to walk off together. “Si promised me not to tell anyone Em…” Harry pursed his lips together as his jaw clenched together. “But, I don’t know how to help him.” His head turned to lock in her blue eyes.

Emily could see the obvious concern and distress circling in his deep blue eyes that she was immediately drawn to reach out for his hand and grasp it. Harry glanced down feeling a gentle hand squeezing his own, his fingers intertwined with Emily’s accepting the touch and reciprocating the gesture for a brief second as he regretfully looked into her blue eyes and dropped her hand.

No words were required to be spoken between them as they knew they could not continue to hold hands despite the urges within them too. But, the small gesture and risk that Emily took for that moment did make Harry feel grateful for her.

“You can tell me, Harry.” Emily sweetly encouraged the pilot.

“Simon’s wife wants a divorce.” Harry spat out through angry teeth. “She sent him a letter saying he was taking his son to Birmingham where her parents are and that when he comes home, she won’t be there.” The prince was clearly angry about how it went down. “She sent her wedding ring with the letter, Em.”

Emily’s heart sank in her chest for Simon. Her hand clutched her chest knowing the pain he must have been feeling. “What? Why?” She tried to comprehend it all.

Harry shook his head. “I don’t know. He’s my bunkmate and my boss.” The prince breathed in deeply. “He cannot be distracted Emily. Distracted pilots… are dead pilots.” Harry relayed the saying that was often taught in his training classes. “He’s an absolute mess and I have no idea how to help him.” The frustration was evident in his voice.

“Hey.” Emily stopped dead in her tracks and turned to face him. “Stop thinking like that.” Her blue eyes bore into him. “You are the closest thing Simon has here. Everyone can see that. He told you because he trusts you and needs your help.” Emily breathed out, “so let’s find a way to help him…”

Harry looked down to the ground and nodded in agreement. “First, want to come get some pizza with me? I am rather starving and don’t feel like being gawked at in the cook house today.” The prince raised his head with pleading blue eyes gently staring into Emily’s.

“Only, if I can buy.” Emily watched as Harry was about to protest. “Uh uh.”

“Ok fine.” Harry followed the smiling blonde doctor towards the pizza restaurant on the opposite side of the base.

“Pineapple is not meant to be on pizza.” Harry informed the blonde doctor as she took a giant bite of her ham and pineapple pizza.

“Neither are mushrooms and your pizza is covered in them!” Emily poked fun back at the prince, enjoying the smile that graced his lips. “Now that we have debated that, what are we going to do about Simon?”

Harry finished a piece of pizza and nodded his head. “Well, you are a woman so why do you think she’s leaving him?” His tone of voice did not sit well with Emily.

“Really?” Emily slapped her piece down on her plate and sat back crossing her arms. She glanced away from Harry with an annoyed expression.

The prince released a groan seeing the expression grow. “That is not what I meant…” He coaxed her blue eyes back on his.

“Ever think that this job is not exactly the greatest for relationships?” Emily leaned in and whispered while gently tapping on the table with her fingers. The way Emily spoke made it feel that she was speaking from past experience.

“Of course it’s demanding and puts its strain on any relationship.” Harry agreed, but curiosity got the better of him. “Something makes me get the sense that you are speaking from experience?” The prince gently tip toed for an answer, but immediately saw Emily put up the walls around her, closing him off from the truth.

“Nah.” She curtly replied. “Was making a general statement is all.” Emily further added to hide the obvious truth she accidentally let slip. Right now simply was not the time to bring up her ex with Harry, but that did not stop her mind from going there.

Flashback

“If you get on that plane Emily, this is over.” Emily’s long time boyfriend and most recently, fiancé, gave her an ultimatum.

“Aaron, you can’t be serious?” Emily undid her seat belt in the passenger seat and looked to the people outside through the window managing their luggage as they entered the airport. She was to be leaving that morning on yet another United Nations mission, but this time to Syria.

Aaron, her fiancé, was all on board with it until a few weeks ago when he learned that Emily was headed right dead in the middle of the Islamic/Russian fueled Syrian civil war as the rebels along with foreign allies fought to regain control over Assad’s dictatorial regime in an attempt to end the needless deaths and provide care to the thousands of civilians caught in the cross fire. Their fight went on for days and days, until Aaron decided to leave and go MIA.

A few days before Emily left she had come home after a night out with friends to find Aaron sitting in their living room. After a long conversation, she had learned he left to a childhood friend’s house a few hours away to cool off and rethink his options. He begged Emily not to go, but still remained supportive of her decision until the morning she was to leave for Syria.

“Oh, I am dead serious, Emily Rose Clarke.” Aaron pushed down on the lock button to lock her door and keep her inside. “You get out of this vehicle and I can guarantee you, you will never see me again.” Aaron threatened the blonde doctor who was looking straight ahead out of the front windshield, breathing hard with anger in the passenger seat.

“You know this is what I want…” Emily quietly replied being tired of him always wanting her to do less of her work while he was allowed to spend late nights at his job to advance his own career, never giving Emily’s a second thought. He would often cancel a scheduled date night if it meant for him to be a part of a major surgery. Emily was stood up numerous times as he ignorance completely forgot to even inform her of the fact he was staying.

“How many more Emily?” Aaron speaking her name caused Emily to turn her attention towards him. “How many more of these are you willing to go on before something happens to you? They are getting more and more dangerous. First Burma, then the Congo and now bloody Syria? Do you not know what is going on there?” He tried to reason with her.

“That is exactly why I am going, Aaron. We have talked this dead about why I am.” Emily sighed heavily. “I have supported you, moved with you to another city away from my friends and family so you can pursue your dream of becoming a top neurosurgeon, but quite frankly I am tired of you doing everything in your power to kill my own dream!” Her voice rose with each passing word. “You cannot keep doing this to me and giving me these ultimatums each time I am to leave like I am choosing my career over you when you know that is the opposite of what I do…”

“When I got down on one knee that night in Paris, I meant what I said.” Aaron’s voice became quiet. “I meant that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you, but that meant you staying in Manchester and working at the hospital and eventually becoming my wife. But, I cannot keep watching you leave and be all by myself for months on end.” Her fiancée complained. This was all about him being alone?

“So, this is about you being lonely?” There was no doubt in her mind that Emily loved Aaron, but in the last recent weeks after the proposal there were little red flags that kept popping up everywhere. The one thing that they could never agree on was Emily’s work with the UN and all the time she spent away. Emily was at first elated at the thought of being married to Aaron, but a little voice inside of her head could not be silenced as it continued to build a little thought in her mind that Aaron was using the engagement to keep Emily’s career beneath his own.

Numerous times he commented on how successful she was for her age, but as he continued to chip away at it, he became resentful towards her for own success being the leading source for many of their fights. In an attempt to get past that issue, Emily moved with him to Manchester to support him in pursing a top leading medical fellowship under a brilliant neurosurgeon.

All the doubts she had felt over the course of their relationship were circling in her mind as she glanced down at her diamond engagement ring sitting on her finger feeling utterly stupid for even accepting such a trapping gift. Emily needed one answer from Aaron to make her decision. She had learned through rumors that their fight had caused Aaron to seek the comfort of his ‘childhood friend’ also known as his high school girlfriend, Gemma.

“Did you go see Gemma when we had our fight?” Emily’s blue eyes bore into him as she seeked the truth he attempted to conceal.

Aaron’s hesitation to Emily’s question gave her the answer she needed. “Instead of working it out with me, you went to Gemma to fuck her, didn’t you?” That was the nail to the coffin of their relationship.

“No, not at all.” He denied it with stumbling words as Emily scoffed. “How do you know about her?” Aaron questioned in return trying to put it back on Emily.

“I am not an idiot, Aaron. It’s not the only time you have gone there because you are ‘lonely’ when I am gone. Am I right?” Emily saw the betrayal circling in his brown eyes. A part of her questioned it after her return from Burma that Aaron had been seeing someone else behind her back. He never did handle Emily being away very well, but that still did not give him any reason to do what he did. Her doubts of his cheating changed within a few days of her return, but still lingered in her mind.

“Alright fine! I did go see Gemma a few times while you were in Burma and the Congo, but nothing ever happened between us!” Aaron flat out refused to commit to the truth. “I am done having you fly half way across with the UN and put your life on the line. I am worried sick about you all the time!”

“You must not have been that worried when you had your dick inside Gemma, now did you?” Emily’s blue eyes were shooting daggers as the expression of guilt formed on Aaron’s face. She had been right all this time and yet she refused to listen to that little voice inside her head. Closing her eyes in an attempt to hold back the tears she failed as they cascaded down her cheeks.

“I proposed to you because I love you Emily Clarke and I want you here with me in Manchester. Gemma is not you…” Aaron could hear the sobs coming from the blonde doctor.

“You should have thought of that before you cheated on me, before you asked me to follow you here, before you proposed to me only to keep me beneath you because the thought of me being more successful than you, kills you inside.” Her blue eyes turned to lock in Aaron’s guilty gaze. “When you got down on one knee, you were only thinking of your ego and not the fact that you were doing this for the wrong reasons.”

“I am done. I should have known you really didn’t care about me being your wife. You only cared about yourself, this whole time.” Emily tore off the ring and tossed it in his lap. “You won’t ever see me again, Aaron. This is goodbye.” She wiped away her tears off her dampened cheeks and grabbed her bags before slamming the door shut. Turning around without another glance she took off inside hearing Aaron calling after her.

Emily pulled her bags from behind, searching for Paul as he had already boarded the plane ahead of her. He stood up with a smile and waved to her, climbing out of his seat to help her with her bags.

“Hello, poppet.” Paul was grinning from ear to ear. “Let me help you with those.” He hoisted them above his head into the carry on bin and allowed Emily to take her favourite spot by the window. She loved to glance out the window and say her goodbyes to home and take in the first views of their new home for the next months.

“Thank you, Paul.” Her somber tone alerted Dr. Hastings that something was not quite right with her.

He sat down beside the blonde doctor and noticed the absent ring on her finger. His eyes peaked up to see Emily staring up at him silently as a cascade of tears she tempted to keep at bay flooded down her cheek. Paul immediately wrapped his arm around her and comforted Emily as she quietly sobbed without a spoken word between them.

“I’m sorry.” She gathered herself together and took a few deep breaths. “Aaron gave me another ultimatum.” Emily closed her eyes and rested her head back on the seat before glancing beside her to see Paul nodding. “He cheated on me numerous times with his high school girlfriend while we were in Burma and the Congo.”

“So you ended it?” Paul sincerely asked as he watched Emily nod.

“Well, I never liked the guy to begin with” Paul leaned in and smiled before muttering, “pompous arrogant ass” causing Emily to bark a laugh. “He could have at least gotten you a bigger diamond for being such a twat in my opinion!” Emily knew that Paul was trying his best to make her laugh and forget about it all, which she was grateful for.

“I know, Paul.” Emily glanced out the window as the plane took off towards their destination.

“You never know, maybe you will find the person you are meant to be with over there!” Paul squeezed her knee reassuringly and offering her some hope. “I know I found my Claire when I least expected it. It could happen to you too, you know. He’s out there somewhere, you just haven’t found him yet.”

End Flashback

Emily was staring into Harry’s sparkling eyes as a faint smile appeared on her lips remembering what Paul spoke about on the plane. The little voice inside of her head came to the forefront, he may be right in front of you.

“What?” Harry took another bite of his pizza as the prince noticed Emily’s intense stare focused on his blue eyes.

She shook her head and came out of her thoughts. “Nothing.” Emily stifled a giggle and took a sip of her drink. “I think I know how to help Simon.”

Emily kicked off the blanket and quickly changed into a pair of casual clothing as quietly as possible in order not to wake up her sleeping roommate. Grabbing a jacket on the way out, Emily inched across the room and closed the door quietly.

The cool air surrounded Emily the moment she went outside, forgetting how the temperature seemed to drop so drastically from the day’s heat. Wanting to clear her mind she felt it best to go for a walk rather than lay in her bed wide awake. Crossing her arms to keep her warm she wandered around the base aimlessly hearing Apaches and Chinooks coming and going as they were called out to aide.

“Emily?” A familiar voice called out her name in the darkness making her turn. She looked around for the source of the voice, but it was not until the figure stepped closer that Emily found herself staring at those same blue eyes she was trying to rid her mind of.

You have got to be kidding me… She thought to herself.

Harry stood there quietly staring at Emily with pleading soft blue eyes. “What are you doing out here late at night on your own?” He took a few steps closer and gauged Emily’s reaction while the protective soldier displayed concern for the doctor.

“I needed to clear my mind.” Emily’s lips spread into a warm smile. It felt good to see Harry again despite what had happened between them. She closed in the rest of the distance between them and could see his evident exhaustion plastered on his face no doubt after a long night of flying that was yet to be over.

“You look tired, Harry.” Emily quietly spoke and saw him nod a reply.

“I haven’t been sleeping well.” He confessed with his blue eyes staring into hers.

Emily’s features softened hearing his struggle as he rubbed his tired eyes and took in a deep sigh. “You should go sleep then.” She urged him too.

“No.” Harry was quick to refute. “I finally get to see you.” A light laugh escaped his lips. “Emily…” He was about to start apologizing when Emily shook her head at him with begging eyes not to start this conversation.

“Harry, don’t start.” She lowered her gaze away from the prince. “You are in the middle of your shift and now is not the right time to start talking about it.”

“Emily.” He stepped forward with intense blue eyes holding her gaze. “I need to Em… this is killing me.” Harry breathed out. “I am sorry for fucking things up.”

Her heart ached for the prince seeing that he was having trouble sleeping and their fight could have been the source of it all. Emily could not simply dismiss Harry; she could not bare to see the prince in the state he was. So she stood there and listened to him with a heart full of empathy.

“I should never have treated you the way I did.” He admitted. “I found out that my grandfather was in the hospital and I simply could not tell anyone because it is still being kept from the public and I….”

Emily sighed and pursed her lips together. “I’m very sorry Harry. I won’t say a word to anyone.” She cleared her throat. “But, that does not give you any right to make me feel so awful.”

“I know that.” Harry stepped forward. “It’s not an excuse and I… we.” He corrected himself. “Made matters worse when we did not support you in doing a difficult job in treating that man. When you walked into the cook house I should have stood up for you not only like a friend, but as a man.”

“I do not need a man defending. I am perfectly capable of doing that on my own.” Emily snapped and crossed her arms defensively. She had never asked any one to defend her, let alone Harry. That was not the issue.

“Trust me I am well aware of that.” Harry raised an eyebrow with a light laugh. “My point is you did not deserve any of the backlash you received from me, the guys, the other assholes in that cookhouse. You always have our backs here when we need it and we did not have yours when you needed it.”

Emily bit down on her bottom lip hoping to fight off the tears that were forming in her eyes as the memory of that day brought back an onslaught of emotions. “You were my friends.” She chocked out before wiping a tear away.

Without warning, Harry grabbed the Emily’s frame and enveloped her in his arms. The smell of the inside of the helicopter burnt in her nose as she buried her head into the prince’s uniform, oddly having missed that unique smell from him. At first she fought it, but the comforting security Harry gave her made her feel better and in that moment she needed some relief and to know that things would turn out ok between them.

“I felt betrayed by you.” She fought back the tears not wanting to cry as she clutched the prince’s uniform. “You really hurt me, Harry.” Emily took in a strangled breath. “And it hurts even more because I miss you all and I feel like I have no one here anymore.”

Emily’s confession made the prince tighten his grasp on her. He held her head in his hand and gently stroked Emily’s blonde hair trying to comfort her. No matter how hard it was for Harry to hear her spoken words, Emily needed to get it all out of her.

“I’m sorry about what I said to you. I was just hurt.” Emily mumbled into his chest.

“Hey, hey.” Harry broke his silence. “It’s ok Em. I understand.” His tired eyes fluttered close as he failed to fight his exhaustion.

“I want things to go back the way they were, Harry.” Emily lifted her head and saw Harry’s eyes re-open.

“Come over tomorrow night.” Harry’s looked into her blue eyes that were staring up at him. This was his chance to make things better between them. “Let us make up to you.”

“I don’t know…” Emily angled her head away from the prince as she debated. “I do have the day off.”

“Come on, it will be fun!” Harry encouraged Emily with bright blue enthusiastic eyes that were half begging her to do so.

Emily’s head swiveled to see the prince staring down at her with eyes so full of hope that she would agree. She did not want to disappoint him or take away that smile that was growing on his lips. “Ok.” Emily smiled warmly. “I will come.” Her smile mirrored the prince’s seeing it grow in reflection. “But, only if you promise to get some rest.”

“I will, do not worry.” Harry chuckled with a smirk.

“Then go!” Emily urged him to get some sleep. “Off you go Captain Wales!”

“I forgot how bossy you are!” Harry winked at the doctor before flashing a smile at her. He turned on his heel and gave Emily a little wave. “Tomorrow! Don’t forget.”

“I won’t.” Emily shook her head at the prince.

Emily decided that it was also best for her to get more sleep if able to. Along her walk back she replayed the conversation in her head with Harry, wondering if she should not have given in to him so easily. There was a side of her that cautioned Emily to be careful around the prince, but Emily did truly believe that Harry had admittedly made a mistake. It was clear in the way he genuinely apologized to her that he was in the wrong and wanted to make things right between them with the efforts he was making. But, most of all she missed hanging out with the guys, it felt like a home away from home where the stresses of the day ceased to exist all thanks to an endless supply of movies, tea and FIFA games.

The next day…

“Hey, mate.” Luca set his tray down beside the prince and the rest of his squad. “So, about Emily…” He shoved a few spoonfuls of egg into his mouth before looking up to see all of his friends waiting for him to continue.

“What about it?” Harry eyed Luca suggestively.

“A little birdie told me it’s her birthday today.” Luca watched Harry’s eyes go wide and then narrowed as he became deep in thought.

“Are you sure, Luca?” Harry leaned in and whispered. “She mentioned nothing of the sort to me last night.”

“Well, when I went to check in on Blake this morning I asked one of the nurses if Dr. Clarke was working and she said Emily switched her shifts around so she could have her birthday off today.” Luca proudly spoke as he shared the news with his squad.

“We could give her a party.” Harry’s lips turned up into a smirk.

“Yeah! Like a surprise party!” It was Simon’s turn to pipe in as he locked eyes with Harry.

“Do women even like surprises like that or is she going to hate us even more?” Owen scanned the table to gauge their reactions. “What?” He shrugged his shoulders at their shaking heads. “It is a legitimate question.”

“Most women do not like your surprises Owen.” Luca patted his friends back while sharing a laugh with his mates.

“We all game for this?” Harry’s eyes fell upon each member of his squad as they silently nodded and agreed that they would throw Emily a party.

“Yeah, but we should get a women involved in this planning so we don’t fuck it all up.” Simon was the voice of reason. “And where are we going to make a bloody cake?”

“Let me take care of the cake.” Harry insisted on it having already thought of an idea.

“I think I saw some party hats and birthday decorations at the store here. I can pitch in and get a few things.” Simon nodded happily. He felt awful in the part he played against Emily and wanted to make things right with her. Quite frankly he saw how it horribly affected Harry. There was always a part of Simon that knew there was more than just a mere friendship between Harry and Emily even if neither one would admit it yet.

Luca was deep in thought of how he could contribute to the party. “You know, I could buy some pizzas from the Pizza Hut on base. I still have some baked goods my family sent me from home, we could also use them.” Luca was happy to help celebrate Emily’s birthday and make amends with the blonde witty doctor. He had missed having her around and lightening the mood among his squad. She was a breath of fresh air and always was up for giving Luca a hug that brought him great comfort that he did not show outwardly for the men to see.

“Owen?” Simon noticed how quiet the boisterous soldier had become.

“Yeah mate?” He shook his head coming out of his deep thought. “I don’t know what to do.” Owen sighed heavily. “She’s so nice all the time to us… maybe we could get a few more blokes and her roommate or coworkers to come help us celebrate. You know… make it a real party!”

Harry nodded. “Could you do that Owen?” The prince could see Owen’s apprehension in mentioning what he really wanted to help with so he felt it best to assign him the job.

After eating his lunch the prince took his tray of dirty dishes and discarded it in the proper bin. His eyes drifted towards one of the cookhouse servers who was starting to clean up the leftovers from the meal. One night Emily had come back from the cookhouse while Harry’s squadron was working and brought back a few pies to the VHR for the guys that night. When questioned in how she managed to get them, Emily spoke of how she befriended a lady in the kitchen and lectured them to always treat the servers with respect as they often gave you the best portions of the prepared meals and even access to their secret stash of sweats.

Harry slowly walked up to the woman he had witnessed Emily speak with on numerous occasions while they were in line for their food. Always being polite and asking about her children and how here day was going. The middle-aged brunette woman looked up at the prince with questioning eyes.

“Are you still hungry soldier?” She sweetly asked Harry in a Spanish accent.

“No, no.” Harry held up his hand. “Carolina? That is your name correct?”

The woman set down her spatula and nodded with an endearing smile, thankful that someone remembered her name. “You stand in line with the sweet blonde Emily.”

Harry’s face lit up with a smile. “Yes, yes I do. She definitely is sweet and kind.” The prince stepped forward. “Which is why I need to ask a favor for Emily.”

“Anything for her.” Carolina motioned for the prince to come in behind the counter.

“It’s Emily’s birthday today.” Harry rounded the corner and came face to face with Carolina. “I want to bake a cake for her, as a surprise. Would you have the ingredients and well… the time to help me, Carolina? I don’t think Emily would appreciate a burnt cake for the birthday.” The prince started to giggle making Caroline join him.

Carolinas face lit up at the mere thought of it. “Of course I can help you.” She motioned the prince to follow her. “Follow me into the kitchen, Captain.”

Emily grabbed a sweater out of her closet for the walk back to her room later that night. She was on her way to see Harry, Simon and the rest of the guys over at their VHR tent to simply hang out.

“Where are you heading out to?” Clarissa noticed Emily putting on her shoes.

“Uh.” Emily paused for a moment and slipped her foot into one shoe and bent over to tie it up. “Hanging out with the guys, probably just going to play FIFA or something.” She laughed lightly.

“Well have fun!” Clarissa re-opened her book while staring at Emily. “Have you talked to the prince more?” Her roommate casually asked.

Nearly every conversation she had with Clarissa, Harry happened to always come up which only made Emily’s suspicions grow as to her intention. Emily stood up and peered over at Clarissa. “Why? Got a crush on him?” She teased, but wanted to see her reaction.

“Just curious.” Clarissa hummed. “You two seem close is all?” She put her book down in her lap and made direct eye contact with Emily. “That night the Apache went down, I saw you two exchange some serious looks like you were worried about Prince Harry.”

Emily could feel the budding anger grow beneath her veins. Clarissa was starting to become nosier into Emily’s business. “Can’t I be worried about a friend?” She snapped back.

Clarissa crawled to the edge of the bed. “I just don’t think he seems like a good friend after what happened a few days ago. Can’t believe you could forgive them so easy for all that. It doesn’t seem fair to you to allow them to get off so easy.”

Emily crossed her arms. “I hope that you do mean well, but I am very capable of making that judgment on my own.” She showed a fake smile before turning and grabbing the door handle. “Have a nice night!” Emily closed the door firmly and took in a deep breath.

The blonde doctor sauntered over towards the VHR tent muttering to herself about Clarissa. Taking in a deep breath she decided to bury the thought of her aggravating roommate for the night and try to enjoy herself. Walking into the flaps of the tent she could only hear an unusual silence. Shrugging her shoulder Emily figured that they must have gotten a call out.

When Emily stepped further into the tent there was a group of people that all jumped out from their hiding places wearing corny party hats screaming “Happy Birthday Emily!”

The blonde women took a step back with a hand covering her chest at the mere surprise of it all. Glancing around the room were a few of her coworkers such as Hannah and Dr. Lincoln as well as Carolina from the cookhouse and of course all the guys including Harry.

Emily finally was able to take in a breath. “You guys! You nearly frightened me to death!” She released the hand from her chest and breathed out. “You aren’t supposed to give a doctor a heart attack, you know?!”

Simon stepped forward and pulled the doctor into a warm hug. “Happy Birthday Emily!” He hoisted her up in the air as a giggle escaped her lips. Her blue eyes scanned the room searching for a certain someone. Emily’s eyes landed on Harry catching him silently staring at her while smiling with a grin as wide as hers.

“Thank you, Si.” She smiled out of the hug and started to make her way to Harry, but was greeted by everyone who spent their time giving her well wishes on her birthday.

Stepping around Luca, Emily had finally made her way towards the prince. Emily’s smile grew the moment she laid eyes on him and took a step forward. The chatter amongst the room continued, but gave Harry and Emily a chance to have a private conversation off to the side.

“Happy Birthday Emily!” His mesmerizing deep blue eyes stared into hers as a crooked grin graced his lips. Emily paused for a second, but before she knew it she was already in Harry’s arms as he wrapped them around her tightly.

Emily buried her head into his chest and closed her eyes. Their embraced lingered despite all the people that surrounded them. Harry could sense that Emily simply was not ready to leave his arms so he just held her there comfortably, relishing in the feeling it was giving him.

“I know this was all your idea.” Emily muffled into Harry’s chest before picking her head up and seeing the prince staring down at her. “Though, I do not know how you found out…”

“It was a group effort.” Harry’s eyes strayed away from the blonde sensing that someone was watching them. Searching the room he frowned when his eyes fell upon Emily’s roommate, Clarissa.

The frown that had grown on Harry’s forehead caused Emily to angle her head with concern and slowly started to rub Harry’s back. “What’s wrong?”

“Your roommate is watching us quiet closely.” He muttered and looked back down at Emily. Without another second passing, Emily quickly stepped out of the embrace and averted her gaze away casually before lifting her head to see Clarissa still staring at Harry and her.

“I don’t have a great feeling about her Harry.” Emily confessed for the first time, but seeing the immediate joy disappear on Emily’s face did not sit well with Harry.

“Hey, hey.” He reached behind him. “It’s your birthday, nothing but smiles on that face of yours.” Harry handed her a birthday hat. “This should help!”

Emily started to giggle. “I am not wearing that!” She pushed his hands away from her.

“But, you have too! You are the birthday girl!” Harry placed the hat back in her hands. Emily grabbed it and sighed before a playful smirk formed on her lips. She analyzed it further and placed it on top of Harry’s ginger hair.

“It is my birthday and I wish for you to wear it.” Emily bit down on her lower lip seeing the unenthused expression forming on Harry’s lips. Harry secured the hat on his head seeing how happy it made Emily that he was wearing it. At that moment, Harry would have done anything to keep that smile of hers on her lips.

“Hey, everyone! It’s pizza time!” Luca came in carrying a couple boxes of pizza while everyone cheered.

Emily stood back watching everyone silently for a minute. The guys had planned this surprise birthday party just for her and it really touched Emily that they would go to these lengths for her. Despite everything that had happened in the last week, Emily knew in her heart that she had to forgive them, not just because they threw her this party, but because of how much they cared about her.

The blonde turned her attention back towards a silent Harry and looked up at him until he felt Emily’s eyes on him. “Thank you for doing all of this for me.” She smiled and took a quick pause before continuing. “How did you know?”

“We have our own way of finding out about things…” Harry was trying to be coy about it all. “Come on, let’s eat!”

“Yes! I am quite hungry!” Emily followed the smell of the delicious pizza and joined everyone in the celebration of her birthday.

Emily was laughing away at Owen’s story as he had the whole group enthralled, hanging on to his every word. She was having an amazing time and felt touched that all these people were here to celebrate her birthday. Emily was reminded of the day she had first arrived at Camp Bastion, a day that she would never forget for multiple reasons. It was the day she lost her friend and mentor, Paul, but it was also the day where she met Simon, Owen, Luca and most of all Harry. They showed her kindness when her world was falling apart. Why she chose to stay here was still a mystery to her, but as each day passed it became clearer.

Simply, Emily needed them. Each and every one of them brought something different that she required to get over the loss of Paul. If she had gotten on that plane, who knows what would have happened to her; would she be still so consumed in her grief? It was a question Emily did not want to answer as for right now; Emily knew she was exactly where she needed to be.

The room came to a quiet lull as Harry walked in with a birthday cake all lit up with candles. He started to sing Happy Birthday and was quickly joined by the rest of the guests. Emily suddenly became quiet embarrassed that everyone was singing for her, but the grin on her lips was evident that she appreciated the gesture.

As the prince balanced the cake in his hands, he locked eyes with Emily who was sat beside Carolina and Simon on the couch. Her blue eyes held his gaze seeing the lit candles reflecting in them. It was as if the two of them were the only ones in that room. Emily could hear his deep voice singing, that same deep voice that caused her mind to cloud over.

He carefully set down the cake on the table in front of her as the song ended. “Happy Birthday Emily. Make a wish!”

Harry watched her blue eyes close and squint together briefly before opening them. Emily glanced around the room as her smile grew wider. Taking in a deep breath she blew out all the candles and the group erupted in cheers as she dissolved into laughter.

“Who made this?!” She inspected the cake more thoroughly noticing little touches indicating that it was homemade. First her eyes fell upon the cook sitting next to Emily.

Carolina instantly put her hands up in defense. “I only gave him the ingredients and my kitchen!”

Emily’s head snapped up towards Harry’s eyes that were softly staring down at her. Her lips parted to speak, but no words could come out. She felt extremely touched that Harry would do such a kind gesture for her. It meant more to Emily than anything that someone would take the time to make her a simple cake, but it was more than a simple cake, it was what came from his heart that Emily loved the most about it. There was no doubt in her mind anymore that she had to forgive Harry.

“Thank you so much.” Emily finally managed to get out being visibly overwhelmed by the gesture of the pilot. “Who wants cake!?” She immediately felt the need to distract everyone’s attention off of them.

Carolina had expertly cut the cake and Emily passed around a piece for everyone to enjoy. She grabbed one piece for her and another for Harry as she found him across the room. Emily approached the prince and handed him a piece of his own cake he made.

“Thank you birthday girl.” Harry took a bite hoping that it was at least edible. “Mmmm.” His blue eyes lit up. “Not so bad, at least its edible.” He smiled teasingly at Emily.

Emily took a bite and nodded in agreement. “You do make a good cake, Harry.” Her bright smile stayed on her lips while her gaze softened. “You did not have to make me a cake...”

“I did.” He breathed out. “It’s your birthday… what’s a birthday with no cake?”

Emily shook her head at the prince before glancing back over her shoulder, scanning the room to see all the people here smiling, laughing and having a good time. Turning her attention back to Harry, she held his eyes with her sincere blues orbs.

“I seriously did not expect this at all…” She sighed deeply. “You have no idea how special you and all the guys made me feel today.”

“You deserve it and more.” Harry could not look away from her mesmerizing blue eyes. “We all miss having you around here, Emily. Me, especially.” The captain confessed to Emily.

“I miss you too.” Emily coyly reached down and grasped his hand. “Do you want to go outside for a few minutes?”

Harry nodded eagerly while gripping her hand tightly. He looked around to make sure no eyes were on them as Harry led her outside. They sat down on the bench outside relishing in the fact that it was just the two of them outside alone in the quiet as sounds from inside the tent drifted out in the background.

Emily’s eyes stared down at their entwined fingers as she quietly sat next to the prince. It was moments like this that she felt connected to Harry even without a single word spoken. There was no doubt in either of their minds that there was something between them, something more than being just friends.

“What did you wish for?” Harry was the first to break the silence.

“I can’t tell you that!” Emily giggled at the prince’s question. “Or it won’t come true.” She took the last bite of her cake, savouring it.

“Is that so?” He joined in her laughter.

“Mmhhmm.” Emily nodded before resting her head on his shoulder.

“Did you get a chance to talk with your family today?” He ran his thumb over her the back of soft hand.

“Yeah… for a bit.” Emily sighed and closed her eyes. “Ella apparently sent me a gift in the mail that should arrive shortly.”

“Awe, that’s sweet of her. She seems like a nice girl.” Harry looked down to see Emily’s tired eyes blinking heavily. “Partied too hard tonight?” He teased Emily with a crooked smirk.

“No…” She giggled lightly and then released another sigh. “It’s been long, stressful work days and haven’t had the chance to really relax so this is nice.” Emily shifted closer to Harry to get more warmth as the cool night air chilled her. “I like sitting in the quiet sometimes. It relaxes me.”

“I get that. It’s hard to find quiet here.” Just as Harry spoke those words, a helicopter flew above them.

The prince remained looking at Emily while she watched as the helicopter flew above them, unaware that he was stealing a glance at her. There was an obvious connection the two of them shared. Harry found himself wanting to be around Emily as much as he could, often becoming distracted even when flying as her absence was truly felt. He knew the rules on base about having relationships and it could mean he would put his career on the line, but if he was going to be stuck on this barren land of sand and miserable heat, he needed something to look forward, something to get him through each day.

That something was Emily.

He craved to know more about her story… where she came from, how she got here and what her future looked like with the possibility with him in it. Even though he just got back in Emily’s good books, Harry did not want to wait any longer to ask her out on a date.

“Em?” Harry waited until her blue eyes fell into his gaze, holding them in place.

“Yes, Harry?” Emily angled her head at the prince waiting for him to continue.

“There has been something I have been wanting to ask you for a while now…” Harry paused for a brief moment as he glanced down at their joined hands before looking back up into the depths of her blue eyes. “Will you go out on a date with me?”

Emily inhaled a quick breath becoming a bit shocked that Harry had asked her that only because it was what she wished for, well sort of. She wished for more time with Harry somehow and now she found herself sitting outside on a bench holding his hand while he asked her out on a date, making her wish come true.

There were evident feelings that she held for the apache pilot that grew each day they got to spend with each other. Even though they had a little trouble lately in their budding relationship, it felt like that hardship also made them connect better as they understood one another. The answer did not need much thought for Emily.

“Yes!” A happy smile grew on her lips while her blue eyes sparkled. “I’d really like that.”

“Yeah?” Harry’s face lit up hearing Emily’s answer.

“Yes, of course!” Emily started to giggle at his surprised expression. “I did wish for it…” She let the prince in on her little secret.

“Really? You wished to go out on a date with me?” Harry rose his eyebrow at Emily with a smug look on his face to which she rolled her eyes at him.

“Well not exactly a date… just to spend more time with you.” Emily somehow had gotten closer to the prince as she stared up into his eyes. “I said something I deeply regret to you and I wished to have the chance to make it up to you because I do want to get to know you, Captain Wales.”

The way Emily spoke his military name caused a stir within him. Their eyes were locked together, blocking out all their surroundings being unaware that someone was now watching them.

“Well, I guess you got your birthday wish, Em.” Harry smile crookedly while still gazing into her blue eyes.

“Emily?” A woman’s voice called out her name making Emily immediately drop Harry’s hand and create more distance between them. Harry’s body stiffened having a feeling the woman had been watching them together. He had heard no one outside with them making him believe it so.

Emily inhaled a jagged breath having recognized that voice. “Clarissa.” She muttered only loud enough for the prince to hear. “Yes?” She responded in an annoyed tone.

Clarissa appeared from the shadows and walked towards Harry and Emily. “Oh! There you are! We were wondering if you had left without a word!” She sat down on the bench across from them and gave Harry a menacing look.

“No, just came out for some fresh air.” Emily was quick to respond. “I wanted to thank Harry for baking me a cake and we could hardly hear each other above the ruckus inside!” Emily turned her head towards the prince as her eyes begged with him to confirm her half made up story. “Yeah, it was so loud inside there. Guess we invited a few too many people.” Harry’s eyes narrowed at Clarissa hoping she would get the subtle hint that she really was not welcomed here.

“Oh, well it was a divine cake!” Clarissa pulled her feet up and sat back to relax indicating that she was going nowhere. “It is soo relaxing out here. I can see why you two came out here.”

Harry could feel the anger seething out of Emily, as her body remained tense while her eyes never wavered from Clarissa. Harry was a pretty good judge of character having met so many people in his lifetime. He felt that Clarissa was going to be a problem for them somehow based on how she was acting and what Emily had told him about her.

“Yeah it was.” Emily sassily replied having had enough of Clarissa. “You know Harry and I were having a private conversation before you rudely interrupted it.”

Harry had taken a sip of his drink and nearly choked on it when he heard those words leave Emily’s lips as he momentarily forgot how sassy she could sometimes be. His blue eyes grew wide as he watched Emily stare down Clarissa. Emily certainly was capable of looking after herself and was not afraid to speak her mind or stand up for herself when she felt the need for it.

“Oh, really?” Clarissa sat up straighter as her gaze wavered to lock in Harry’s eyes. “You two did seem quite comfortable with one another.” Emily’s roommate threatened her with what she witnessed.

“I am comfortable with Harry, we have become quite close friends since I have been here. We can talk about things I normally wouldn’t with other people like any good friend can.” Emily tried to lead the topic into their close friendship and away from Clarissa’s speculation that they were something more.

“I can see how you two would get along well.” Clarissa nodded her head as a fake smile was plastered all over her lips. “I wish we could talk like that too, you know?” Emily remained quiet knowing that if she replied to that comment, it would only make things worse for them.

“It’s not like I can relate to losing someone so close to me in the tragic ways that you two can bond over.” Harry caught Clarissa’s split second mischievous smirk before she expertly hid it again.

“What do you mean?” Emily’s eyes were now narrowed at Clarissa.

“Well, you know Emily.” Clarissa nodded her head. “With how Paul, your mentor and practically another father figure in your life was sooo tragically killed and well you could not save him…” She paused to practically glare into Harry’s blue eyes knowing she was about to hit a nerve. “Harry, with your mother’s death in that tunnel and all the people that left her there to die in the backseat without doing anything to help her must have been so devastating…”

Harry’s blood was boiling in a fit of rage at how Clarissa spoke of his mother’s death. He was about to stand up from his spot when Emily reached out and grabbed his forearm before he could physically attack Clarissa. “You do not get to speak of my mother like that.” Harry spat out in rage.

“Oh, Emily are you alright?” Clarissa reached across to comfort a clearly upset Emily that was on the verge of tears. Harry could hear the blonde doctor struggling to find her breath, as the look of fear was evident in her eyes.

“You need to leave right now!” Harry stood up and towered over Clarissa.

“I think I should take my friend back to her dorm. She seems upset suddenly...” Clarissa stood up and reached her hand out for Emily to grab.

“You aren’t her friend if you can say that to Emily knowing how upsetting it would be to her.” Harry was seeing red and it took all he had within him to not react to the anger that was coursing through him.

“Emily will forgive me right?” Clarissa eyes averted down to the blonde who had her head buried in her knees trying to concentrate on her breathing while attempting to not hyperventilate as Clarissa’s word had triggered an anxiety attack. “After all, she forgave you so quickly…” Clarissa spat out and looked up at the prince.

This was all about Emily having forgiven him for what had happened? And Clarissa chose to hurt Emily just to prove a point, let alone on her birthday? Harry was not having it at all anymore.

“Leave now!” His yelling caused Simon and Luca to appear from inside.

Simon saw an angry Harry yelling at Emily’s dorm mate while the doctor was sitting in the fetal position with her head buried in her knees. Getting the feeling that something was not right, he intervened when the woman still would not leave. He approached them and urged Clarissa it was best for her to leave.

“I will leave, but I do no think it is best for them to be alone together.” Clarissa glanced back over her shoulder at Harry. “Especially after the stunt you guys pulled the other day!” Clarissa was pretending to be in fear for her friend. “Who knows what you could do to Emily after practically making the whole base hate her for treating a potential killer!” Luca was now helping Simon pull the woman back inside.

“Shut up!” Emily stood up with tears flowing down her cheeks. “Are you for real right now?” Emily hastily walked towards Clarissa and confronted her with Harry right behind her. “How could you say such a thing to Harry? Are you seriously that awful of a person to hurt someone like that and to think that I would want to even see you your face after you said I could not save Paul when you know I struggle with that every damn day I am here.” Emily took in a sobbing breath and sniffled. “I am not going to waste my time with someone like that who intentionally hurts someone.”

Clarissa leaned in towards Emily. “I am only trying to do what is best for you Emily!” There was certain level of sincerity in her voice, but it did not match her actions.

“What is best for her?” Harry scoffed; he was not going to stand idly by. The prince stepped in front of Emily to defend her, but he felt a small hand grasp his forearm and give it a light tug. He glanced back to see her blue eyes still filled with tears shake her head at him while they pleaded for Harry to not make things worse.

“It’s not worth it.” She softly begged him to not intervene on her behalf. “She’s not worth your career.”

“Emily…” Clarissa spoke her name while Harry’s eyes remained locked with Emily’s as if Clarissa was trying to prove another point. The prince stepped back and put his arms up in the air giving Emily what she asked him to do.

“Clarissa just leave, now.” Emily turned on her heel and walked back towards the bench to sit down. Clarissa eventually did after Simon convinced it was better for her if she did what Emily wanted her to do.

Harry stood still watching Emily from afar not noticing that Luca was standing beside him. “What did she say to Emily… to you?” He turned his head to look into Luca’s eyes with sadness and anger mixed in.

“Pretty much that we bonded over the death of Paul and reminded Emily again… that she did not save him.” Harry spat the words out angrily seeing Luca’s own frustration evident in his formed expression.

“Emily needs to move out of there. I am sure she could stay here overnight.” Luca tried to think of a plan. “But, she could get into more trouble if she is not on call and does.”

Harry sighed deeply knowing that in the end Emily would still go back to the dorm she shared with Clarissa. He watched Emily staring off into the distance knowing she was caught up in her mind. “I know. Thanks, Luca.”

Harry sauntered over to Emily and sat down beside the blonde who did not even move or bat an eye at his presence as if he wasn’t even there. “Em?” He called her name to bring her out of her trapped mind. All she did was turn her head far enough to look at him and blinked.

“I’m tired.” She finally spoke while rubbing her eyes.

“I know, that was a lot.” Harry silently hated Clarissa for what she had done to Emily tonight. It put her in a tough place knowing that she would eventually have to go back there alone.

“I am so sorry for what she said to you…” Tears started to form again in her eyes as the sinking feeling of guilt was budding within her. She felt responsible for Clarissa’s hurtful words knowing they were used to prove a point to Emily.

“Hey, do not take the blame for her.” Harry wiped a tear that trickled down her cheek. “She said them, not you.”

“She said them to prove a point.” Emily patted her cheeks dry. “Before I came here we got into a little argument. Clarissa was angry that I was able to forgive you all so quickly.”

Harry released a sigh and leaned his head backwards to close his eyes for a minute. “This is not how I wanted today to go for you.” He spoke while looking up into the sky. No matter how hard he tried something was also put between them.

“Hey…” Emily’s hand grasped Harry’s giving it a light squeeze to bring his eyes back down to her level. “I had a great day because of you, despite what everything with Clarissa.” The smile that had faded now re-appeared as Emily was reminded of her birthday celebration and all the work people had put into it to make her feel so special. “And Simon, Luca and Owen. Everyone.”

“Besides, I cannot wait to go on a date with you.” Emily reassured the prince that she was still willing to. A light giggle escaped her lips as a wide smile grew. “I am very curious how we will do that on a base like this?!”

Harry stuck out his tongue cheekily to aid Emily’s laughter. “Well, I hadn’t thought that far ahead…”

“I am sure you can think of something.” The blonde released a heavy sigh not wanting to leave, but the thought of having an early shift in the morning made the decision for her. “I should get going…. I have an early shift.”

“You could stay here tonight…” Harry offered.

“You know I can’t when I am not on call. I could get into real shit for that.” Part of Emily desperately wished she could, but knowing what the potential consequences were made her decision easy. Besides, Clarissa would undoubtedly say something if she never returned tonight. “I have to handle this on my own.”

“Thought I would offer at least.” Harry nodded lightly. “Might see you in the cookhouse for breakfast?” He asked hopefully.

“I cannot say for sure. But, drop by the hospital and I can see if I can eat with you guys?” Emily of course wanted to take Harry up on his offer, but with not knowing what she would be needed for could prove difficult in making solid plans.

“Thank you again for tonight, Wales.” Emily leaned in and pressed her lips against his cheek tenderly. “Goodnight… and get some sleep.”

“Goodnight, Em.” Harry stood up with her and enveloped her in one last hug before watching her walk off. A part of Harry wanted to chase after Emily and make sure she would be ok. He took in a deep breath, Emily was a big girl and would be able to handle it one her own like she asked Harry to allow her to do.

Emily breathed in and unlocked her dorm door, entering in to find Clarissa still up sitting on her bed. Her initial plan was to simply ignore Clarissa and deal with getting a new arrangement in the morning, but that would not help the fact that she would still have to work with her daily. No matter how hard Emily thought of the other options on her walk back to her dorm, she knew that Clarissa could not be trusted any longer.

“Hey!” Clarissa pretended like nothing had happened between them.

“Hi…” Emily grabbed her pajamas and entered the bathroom to quickly change. When she exited, Clarissa was still watching her every move closely.

“I think someone was trying to call you earlier when I first got in.” She was trying to make small talk with Emily, but she just ignored her and nodded.

Pulling back the covers, Emily climbed into the bed and laid her head down against the soft pillow. Breathing out a deep sigh she began to inform Clarissa that she would be moving rooms as soon as possible. “So… after tonight, I think it is best that we no longer share a dorm with one another. Tomorrow I will talk to the office and see when I can move out, you can stay here since you were here first.”

“Oh, Emily come on!” Clarissa started. “It was not that big of a deal!”

Emily sat straight up and locked eyes with Clarissa. “It was to me and the fact that you insisted on hurting not only me, but others does not sit well with me. I tried to be friends and you are always in my business about every little decision I made and I am quite tired of it all.” She breathed out and laid back down. Turning her body to face the wall, Emily could no longer look at Clarissa as she was reminded of the look on Harry’s face when she spoke so awfully about his mother’s death.

“Won’t you forgive me?” Clarissa tempted again.