November 20, 2019

"Is there a crowd there?" Harry asked over the phone once Nataley finally answered. He'd been phoning for ages, and she hadn't picked up. His stomach had churned in worry, but he assumed she was ignoring him, trying to make him pay for not wanting to expose himself and get photographed at her condo.

"Nope." Her tone was clipped, and he could hear weariness underneath it. It made his heart hurt. She was making a mountain out of a molehill, and it was going to tear her apart.

"Good. I'm glad you don't have to put up with a bunch of fans. It's been a busy day for you. Heading to bed soon?"

"Yep."

Uh oh. Clearly he was in trouble. It wasn't often that she froze him out. What had he done?

Softly so as not to anger her further, he inquired, "Love? Something wrong?"

Her sharply indrawn breath seemed to imply that perhaps he should have used his magic powers to divine whatever she might be currently thinking. Alas, he was not a mind reader so that was unlikely.

"Are you serious right now, Harry?" She huffed, and he knew he wasn't imagining the petulant anger.

Bewildered at her attitude, he tried to clarify. "I would like to know what's made you so pissed off with me. It's not like I sent that fan your address and told her to post it." Honestly, how was this his fault? His fans were not his responsibility.

"Harry, they were at my house."

He blinked. "Huh? You just told me there wasn't a bunch of fans there."

The sigh that escaped her was worrisome. Perhaps she was tired? Dealing with the police could be exhausting as he well knew. "Not a group of them. At least I don't think so. Just the one."

"Nataley," He used his most-patient tone, "just because they have your address doesn't mean they were at your house."

"They left a note." Her quiet, carefully controlled voice raised the hair on the back of his neck.

"A note?" Probably just the usual bitching and cursing.

"Yes." She read it to him, and he listened without interruption to the words meant to create fear. Fans - 1. Nataley - 0.

"Sounds like someone is overreacting," he noted, reminding himself that this is her first time in this arena, and hateful letters can be very disconcerting initially.

"Me?"

"No. That fan." Of course Nataley was also overreacting, but telling her so would blow up in his face, and he knew better than to tempt that.

"Yes." These one-word answers weren't helping the situation. Why was she being so cold and stiff? He didn't plan this.

"Did you call the police again? Could they trace it? Identify the author?" Might as well try to make her feel safer. If only she would leave and stay with him until this blew over as it always did.

Heading into the kitchen at Jeffrey's house, he grabbed a handful of veg and some hummus from the fridge. The fact that someone had been at her condo didn't mean it was the same person who had doxxed her. Could be a different person. No reason to panic even though it sounded like she already had.

"My cousin came over and called a couple of officers with whom he works. They took the note and made another report." Dipping a carrot into the pureed chickpeas, he crunched on it as he listened. "Charlie said he would ask his friends to increase patrols around the condo."

"Probably a one-off, love. This is why I told you it wasn't a good idea to go home. This will die down."

"That's it? That's your solution?"

"What do you want me to do?"

"ANYTHING! SOMETHING! EVERYTHING!" She stopped screeching at him and calmed down, for which he was quite grateful, but her next words demonstrated her lack of rationality. "How about you go on Twitter and tell them to fuck off? Or release a press statement that makes it clear they should leave me alone? Something, Harry, that makes it clear you don't condone this behavior."

He feels his head shaking before the words leave his mouth. "That would just make things worse, Nat. It really is best to let it die down. Ignore it." His experience with this has taught him to pretend the trolls don't exist.

"Like you did when you were stalked?"

"Hey! That was different! I knew who he was. The police could arrest him." It wasn't his first solution either. Perhaps he hadn't tried hard enough to ignore the guy? But he remembers the terror he felt sleeping in his bed, knowing the guy was just outside. Not something he could ignore after a while, but he certainly tried. Nataley wasn't even attempting to ignore this bogus threat.

"I see." Oops. Back to the clipped tone. Did he prefer the hysteria to the angry short responses? Neither actually, thanks. Why couldn't she see how this whole thing would just disappear if she didn't freak out?

Helpless, he tried again, "Why don't you pack some clothes and come on over? We can both stay here." Removing a glass from the cupboard, he filled it with water from the filter in the fridge.

"You mean, let this person run me out of my house? And what about Noah on Saturday? Should he also pack a bag and come to Jeffrey's? Or do you miraculously expect this problem to be solved by Saturday?"

Clearly she wasn't in a mood to be pragmatic about this. Taking a deep breath, he attempted to remain as tranquil as possible. "Nat, you're letting this get to you unnecessarily. It's just a fan who is upset that you get to kiss me. Now wouldn't you rather be here actually kissing me than sitting at home worrying about someone who won't ever get that opportunity?"

"Harry, I am letting this get to me because it's not okay. Someone threatened to kill me. Someone put my address on the fucking internet. And if it's a different person who showed up at my home, then that means I've got two people who want me dead. How is that something I should just ignore?"

"You're not ignoring it, Nataley. You called the police. That's all you can do." Returning to his room, he settled in a chair. If she wasn't going to come over, he might as well watch a movie or write some music. She would calm down in the next day or so when nothing more happened. Hopefully.

"Got it." Great. He rolled his eyes. She was angry, and he understood that. Having threats made to your life is frustrating. But she didn't need to take it out on him. He didn't deserve the blame. "I'm going to sleep now, Harry." With those words, she disconnected, leaving him staring at the mobile in his hand. As if she had a monopoly on frustration in these circumstances. Ugh.

Sipping the water, he reached for his journal, jotting down a few thoughts. The words from the note Nat had found swirled in his brain, and he considered whether any of the phrases might be worth preserving. Ultimately, he instead penned something about irritation and helplessness.

A knock on the door had him glancing up at Jeffrey. "Everything okay?" the manager asked.

"Nat's upset."

"Of course she is. Fuck. That's a lot to deal with. Is she coming over here?"

"Nope. Refuses. She's decided to be stubborn about this."

"So you're going over there?"

Harry whipped his head up to glare at his friend. "No. Of course not. Her address was posted on the internet. My fans, as well as the paps, might be waiting for me there."

"Ah. I see. So you're just going to stay here alone tonight?"

"Yep."

"And she's going to stay there alone?"

"Yep."

"Even though the whole world now knows her address?"

"Jeffrey, do not ride me on this one. I tried to convince her to leave. Like I said, she's obstinate. Not going anywhere."

"Mhm." The manager was leaning on the open door jamb, his arms crossed over his chest.

Silence fell for a time, and Harry felt confident Jeffrey had left until he heard a sneeze.

"She got another threat," Harry quietly stated.

"How? She went private and blocked all of the followers who were negative. Does she have to delete entirely?"

"They left it on the door at her condo."

The velocity at which Jeffrey sucked in air felt like a cyclone had swirled around the room. "WHAT?"

Looking up, Harry could see the clenched jaw of his best friend. They'd known each other for six years, and it was a rare occasion that had Jeffrey reacting in this way.

"She's fine. Her cousin is a police officer, and he said they would increase the patrols."

"That's it? That's your solution?" Jeffrey appeared incensed, and Harry was at a loss as to what he had done wrong. How could these people not understand that he had no input into the choices of his fans?

"Great. Not you too." Harry felt his jaw tighten in response. "What exactly do you think I can do in this instance? I can't and don't control my fans."

"I was thinking maybe you could go comfort her. Or convince her to come back here or go to the Gerbers'? Anything but sit here on your ass and complain about the things you can't change about fandom."

"Jeffrey -- I can't go over there. My fans might be there. Pictures of me at her condo would be confirmation. You know this. It would make things worse."

Shaking his head, Jeffrey pushed away from the door jamb, turning down the hall. "You're right. I'll leave you to make it worse all by yourself."

With that, his manager disappeared. Harry couldn't resist raising his middle finger at the empty door frame just as his phone rang. Finally! Nataley must have come to her senses.

"Do you want me to come get you?" He asked with barely leashed patience as he slid his finger along the screen to answer.

"That would be quite the commute," his mum's voice sounded, and he could hear the smile. It made him feel cozy to picture her face as she sat on the couch at home. The cats were probably somewhere in the vicinity, and he grinned at the picture in his head. Looking at the clock, he realized the time.

"Mum? Why are you awake so early?" Sitting up, he felt fear in the pit of his stomach. "Is everything okay? Is there something wrong? Do I need to come home?"

"That's why I'm calling you, H. Your sister texted me something about Nataley being attacked? What's going on?"

Confusion swept through him. "Attacked? Gems called? I'm lost, Mum. Nat had some issues on her Twitter yesterday, but she went private and blocked the ugliness. Typical bullshit from fans. You know how it is."

"Oh goodness. The same kind of hatred that Camille got?"

"Not...exactly."

"Harry." Anne's warning tone should have been sufficient to loosen his tongue, but he was feeling particularly alone and deserted at that point. No one seemed to be taking his side.

Biting his lip, he defiantly revealed, "Someone said mean things to her." Lowering his voice, he mumbled, "And published her address."

"Harry! Did you say they posted her home address online? What's that called? Dosing? Dobbing? Dabbing?"

"Ummmm...yeah. Doxxing."

"And?"

"And what?"

"And what else?" Anne always knew how to dig for the truth. One of her greatest strengths as well as one of the biggest challenges of having her for a mum.

"The person maybe threatened her."

"What do you mean 'maybe'? Either they did or they didn't, Harry." She sounded exasperated with him, and that just wasn't fair. It was not his fault! Why couldn't anyone see that?

"Mum..."

"Do not 'Mum' me. Tell me what happened." She took a deep breath. "I really like Nataley, Harry. She's been with you for a long time as your best friend outside of Jeffrey, and your fame has never made her treat you any differently. I had been hoping that she might be the one who finally stole your heart and became your Robin."

Startled at her reference to his stepfather, he debated a response that wouldn't upset his mum. "I'm sure it's not a big deal. The person said they were going to kill her." He rushed to fill the silence. "But we don't even know who it is. You know how brave people get when they have the cover of online anonymity, Mum."

"Shit. Is Nat alright? I can imagine how scared she is. Hell, I recall the first time my iCloud got hacked. Such an invasion of privacy. Is she already asleep? Can I talk to her?"

Shifting on the chair, he wondered how his mum would take the truth. Not well, he suspected. "Uhmmmm..."

"What does that mean, Harry Edward? Let me talk to Nataley."

"She, uh, decided to stay at her condo tonight."

"Good for her! Taking back what's been stolen is so important. So she's sleeping? I hope you're not next to her. I wouldn't want to wake her if she was finally able to sleep after that nightmare played out in reality. Is she asleep?"

"Ummm..."

"Harry?"

"I'm not with her." The words tumbled out quickly, and he cringed as they fell from his mouth.

Silence met his statement, and he wondered if they had been disconnected. Removing the phone from his ear, he watched the time tick away on the display. Nope. His mum was still there.

"Say that again, Harry. We must have a poor connection."

"She's at her condo. I'm at Jeffrey's." He waited, holding his breath, for whatever might come next.

"I see."

"She didn't want to leave," he protested.

"Mhm."

"And I can't risk running into my fans at her place."

"Ah."

He could tell that she wasn't going to be supportive on this one. Was anyone going to champion him? Come on! Everyone knew it would be so much more damaging if he were photographed at her place. Not knowing how to respond to her last comment, he kept his mouth shut.

Finally, Anne spoke up. "I think I'll give her a call now. Goodnight, Harry."

Fine. "Good day, Mum." He didn't know who disconnected first, but he hoped it was him. Pouting, he crossed his arms and sunk into the chair, insolent.

When it rang again almost immediately, he knew his mum had given in. Of course she agreed with him! "I knew you would call back."

"Call back?" Gemma asked. "I hadn't rung you yet, you wanker. Is Nataley okay?"

Fuck. Not again.

"She's fine, Gems. And no. She's not with me. Nataley chose to stay at her condo, and I'm at Jeffrey's house. Mum is calling her now, so don't even try. It's not a big deal, Gemma, and I don't understand why everyone is making such a commotion of it."

For the fourth conversation in a row, he was greeted with silence. As soon as his sister started to speak, he became aware that he shouldn't have answered her call in the first place.

"Are you fucking serious? Have you lost the plot completely, Harry? Death threats are not something you sweep under the rug. They're bloody life-and-death. I cannot believe that you're not with her now. She must be incredibly upset. You've left her to fend for herself? My dear brother, I love you, but you've gone round the bend this time. Get your arse over there and be with her!" With that, Gemma hung up, not waiting for his response.

Rising, he moved back to the kitchen --- this time to pour himself a straight tequila. This judgement he was getting from those he loved was ridiculous. They were his family first. Shouldn't they be on his team with this whole ludicrous situation?