Sunday, September 18, 2022

"Time for bed, Little Man," Harry prompts as Noah's eyes start drooping. "You've had a full day."

Rising from the floor where he had been rubbing Chuck's tummy, Noah rubs at his eyes. "Do I have to shower?" His gaze encompasses his mama, but it's Harry who answers.

"I suppose this one time you can shower in the morning."

When Noah glances at his mama and she nods, Harry feels relief that she had backed him up even though he'd overstepped his bounds. Examining her face, he spies only love there. No animosity or reprimand for his words.

"You'll come tuck me in, Papa?"

Harry notices the faces of his friends register surprise and then, one by one, smiles. His shoulders drop as he relaxes at their response.

"Of course, N." Standing, he picks up a few empty glasses and carries them to the kitchen before following Noah into the bedroom where the boy puts on his pajamas before climbing into bed and under the top sheet and light blanket. Harry pulls the covers up to Noah's chin before pressing a kiss to his forehead. "Goodnight, Noah."

Arms escape the covers to wrap around Harry's neck and draw his head and upper body into a hug. Harry obliges, squeezing the kid with his entire heart.

"I'm so glad you're my papa," Noah whispers, and the dampness gathering in Harry's eyes overwhelms him. Blinking furiously, he kisses Noah's cheek.

"Me too."

Turning off the overhead light, Harry softly closes the bedroom door, taking two deep breaths to clear his head. Wandering back to the living room, he pauses just outside the entrance as he hears Glenne's question to Nat.

"How long are you staying at Gabe's?"

"Not much longer," Nat began, and Harry decides to enter the room and hear the rest of her sentence. "Cindy is going to start training me tomorrow, so it's probably best if we move back to the condo so I can learn what I need to know to manage at my own home."

Gesturing for Mitch to move over, Harry settles next to Nataley, quietly waiting to see what's next in this conversation. He slides his arm on the sofa behind Nat, and she easily settles into the space created by his open armpit. The unconsciousness of the move causes a smile on his face. He doesn't contradict her. If she feels ready to move home to her condo, he's ready to follow her there if she'll allow him. It occurs to him that she had said 'we' which he prays includes him and not just Noah.

"I don't really understand why you moved to Gabe's house in the first place, and I've no idea who Cindy might be," Sarah chimes in, and Harry cringes.

Nataley grimaces, "Sorry, Sarah. I wasn't transparent in the past about what happened. Jeffrey and Glenne know the story, but I didn't - don't - talk about it often. Maybe it's time to change that." She takes a deep breath, resting her hand on Harry's thigh. "Can you pour us all a glass of port? I'll serve the cake. Then I promise I'll share the story with everyone. There might even be parts that Jeffrey and Glenne don't know."

Jeffrey raises an eyebrow, and Harry nods. Yes, there are parts that were kept from his manager. Some that don't show Harry in the best light. Likely parts that even Harry never knew about.

As a group, everyone rises. Sarah heads to the bathroom, her bladder probably full, and Harry makes a mental note to pour her a cranberry and ginger ale rather than the alcoholic nightcap. Jeffrey and Mitch step into the backyard, followed by an excited Chuck who races around the perimeter of the fence, puffs of air escaping his mouth.

Glenne slices the vegan chocolate cake while Nat withdraws enough forks and plates for the group. Quickly, Harry pours out five glasses of unfiltered port, the rich aroma tickling his nose.

"Is that vegan?" Glenne wonders.

"Yep. It's unfiltered." Harry confirms. "Free of all animal products," he reads from the bottle.

"Good. Most ports aren't." He can tell she's proud that he's considered this small detail in purchasing the digestif, and that makes his pride swell. Considering his friends' diets and needs is important to him. It's his way of showing he cares about them. Acts of service.

As his mates return from outside and Sarah joins them from the bathroom, everyone carries their own plate and drink to the living room. Harry lingers behind, preparing the non-alcoholic vegan drink for his drummer, passing it to her with a piece of the cake.

"Thanks, H." Her voice is softer than usual. "I hope Nat doesn't feel obligated to share with us just because I asked."

Harry winks at her. "Nat never shares information she doesn't want to."

Releasing a long sigh, Sarah appears relieved. "I feel like it's a huge step in your relationship that we're here for a little dinner party of sorts and that she's willing to share what is clearly a painful situation with us."

"It is," Harry comments. "Keeping my fingers crossed that the fact that she's opening up is a good sign."

As they join the others, the silence feels palpable -- like someone just passed gas and no one wants to mention it. He supposes it's an accurate description of the circumstances.

"I have a stalker," Nataley announces boldly, and heads swivel to her.

"Nat!" Sarah exclaims, instantly setting her plate on the coffee table and starting to rise, probably in a desire to comfort Nataley. Mitch pats her knee, shaking his head at her, and she settles back in her spot, a concerned expression on her face. "A stalker? Oh my goodness."

"That's horrible!" Mitch adds, wrapping his arm around his wife.

She waves them off. "It's okay. Sadly, I've gotten used to her." The words feel like a knife in Harry's back. No one should have to get comfortable with having a stalker around. Then again, that's the advice he had given her originally. Stupid, stupid Harry.

"Her? You know who she is?" Sarah inquires, tilting her head, clearly interested in the topic.

"I do now. In the beginning, I had no clue, and I was terrified. Every new face and even a few familiar ones translated into a threat in my mind, and I felt paralyzed. Always on the watch. Always on high alert. Frequently in a mode of terror. I couldn't function." Harry remembers it differently. She functioned much better than she thought. Sadly. Not that he helped in any way. Fuck.

"That must be awful. I'm sorry you've had to deal with that." Mitch calmly affirms, and Harry feels like an idiot that he wasn't the one to have said those words years ago. Oh, he might have said something similar, but always in the sense of encouraging Nat to just move on which wasn't fair.

Sipping her port before placing the glass on the side table next to her, Nat sighs. "Me too. Honestly, as I've become used to her presence, I feel only weariness when she reappears. Not fear which is what she tries to incite. Closer to indifference now." This is a relief to Harry. Maybe even a bit of a surprise, but then his mind drifts back to how she'd reacted Thursday night when the woman had shown up at the studio.

"That's not fair," Nat continues, shaking her head at her own previous statement. "The way she gets to me is sadness and an adrenaline burst at the thought that she's never going to go away. Not as long as Harry is in my life."

"Can't the police help?" Glenne asks the question this time. Having been in the room with Nat just a few days ago while Nataley handled the police makes the question particularly poignant.

"Only when she's in the state and is actively threatening me." Nat states, fatigue drifting into her voice.

"She doesn't live in LA?" Mitch asks, drawing Sarah close, resting his hand protectively on her baby bump.

"Nope. Doesn't even live in California."

"Then the FBI can help!" Mitch declares with triumph, but Harry is already shaking his head.

"They have laws against cyberstalking and stalking, but they're very specific, and they don't fit this case. They're too narrow." He had promised himself that he would keep his lips zipped, but the FBI was totally useless in these circumstances.

"Actually," Nat revealed, "Arresting her isn't a good solution. She's mentally unstable, and what she really needs is intensive mental health care. But this country doesn't provide those services like they should."

"Wait," Sarah interrupts, "I need more background. Why is this person threatening you?"

"Give us the big five," Mitch proclaims.

"The 'big five'?" Harry is bewildered, tilting his head at his guitarist.

Mitch stares at him, deadpan. "Who, what, when, where, and why."

"Oh. I see." As if Harry should have known.

"And how! I want to know how." Sarah encourages.

Nataley laughs lightly, and because Harry knows she doesn't find it funny but rather anxiety-inducing, he wraps her hand in his. His thumb rubs over her flesh. "The details are boring. She's one of Harry's fans."

"No. She's not." He protests loudly. "My fans know to treat people with kindness. This woman doesn't do that at all."

"Okay, okay." Nataley patiently acquiesces, and he reminds himself to shut up and let her tell the story. After all, it's HER story. "She's someone who thinks she's in love with Harry. She's hurt that he doesn't give her any attention, so essentially all of this is attention-seeking behavior on her behalf."

"You're too kind, Nat. I would not be so understanding to someone who threatened me," Glenne interjects.

"I don't think it's kindness actually. It's humanity. This woman has been traumatized in some way by the people in her life, and she's fixated on me, blaming me for the ills of her life while alternatively begging me to put her in jail so she can't hurt anyone else. I'm actually sad for her."

"No." Jeffrey objects, "You're definitely giving her more credit than she deserves."

"I need more deets," Mitch insists, "How did she threaten you?"

"She, uh, has sent me notes saying she wants me to die. That she dreams of my blood. That she can picture me dying. That she wants my son to watch me die."

A sharply indrawn breath from Sarah pauses Nataley's narrative. Harry hadn't known about that specific threat to Noah, but he's not surprised. He wants to second the emotions from the group which are clearly to persecute the stalker. It's Nat's tale, though, and her decisions. Not his. And he has no one to blame for that but himself. When she'd asked for his help, he'd given her the wrong kind, making the situation far worse than it needed to be. Forever he would kick himself for his initial reactions.

"Oh, Nataley. That's..." Sarah's hand slips over her mouth, and her eyes tear up.

"Yes. Exactly that," Nat agrees. "There are no words or excuses for the vitriol she has thrown my way." Swallowing, she looks around at the people in the room. "I'm so grateful I have all of you to support me through it. It's going to be okay. If Harry and I are going to create a lasting future this time --" Nataley stalls, and Harry feels his heart stop, "-- then I'm going to have to figure out how to put this woman's actions to the side so that they don't tear my life apart constantly." She takes a deep breath, closing her eyes. When she opens them, there's a resolve there that he's not seen previously. "Harry has hired a bodyguard named Cindy to give me and Noah a crash course in how to take care of ourselves. She'll teach me skills in prevention and self-defense. It will provide the control that I had missed previously."

"Holy shit, Nat. That's... incredible," Glenne breathes. "I didn't know about Cindy. Sounds like that's exactly what you need."

"Yes. And since my stalker doxxed me, I've hired a company to keep my private information off the internet. I've left all social media where she had the potential to get to me or I've gone private on all of it. No more public Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Facebook, or anything else. Nothing."

Harry's gaze swivels to her. He hadn't known that part.

"It was the smartest decision I've ever made, I think," Nat continues, "I wasn't finding fulfillment online anyway, and now I have more time to spend with the people who mean the world to me." Leaning into Harry, she relaxes. "My son. My -- Harry."

"I'm...speechless," Sarah stretches for the words, "You've always impressed the hell out of me, Nat, but to know that you were living through this nightmare without the support of your friends... It breaks my heart."

"Aw, Sarah. Thank you. I have you all now, and it was my own fault for keeping it to myself in the past. Sometimes when I'm having a rough time, I withdraw. I tend to think I'm supposed to handle my shit on my own."

"Nope," Jeffrey adds, "Not anymore for sure. We've got your back, Nat. Always. You're one of us."

"Exactly," Mitch agrees.

Sarah yawns, and the group laughs. "Sorry. My hormones and this little one don't let me stay up late anymore." Relieved laughter emerges from the group, and in silence they mutually agree to call it a night. Standing, one by one they hug Nataley before carrying their dishes to the kitchen.

At the back door, Nataley and Harry walk their friends to the alley gate as Chuck runs in circles in his excitement at having company. Even though that company is even now leaving.

"Thanks for having us over," Glenne remarks as she climbs into the passenger seat.

"And sharing your story with us," Sarah chimes in from over Nat's shoulder.

"Thank you for being my friends," Nat's sincere gratitude is apparent to Harry if not to everyone else.

As the two engines crank and the cars drive away down the alley, Harry whistles for Chuck, and the three of them head back inside. In silence, they finish cleaning the kitchen. As Harry places the last plate in the dishwasher, he reaches out his hand for hers. When she accepts, he draws her to him, wrapping an arm around her waist as he begins shuffling to the beat in his head.

"We should take dance lessons together," he suggests. "Might come in useful sometime."

"Ah, but you're already a trained dancer after the Treat People With Kindness video," Nat teases.

"True, but that was practicing with Phoebe. We need to practice together."

"Hmmm...," Nat whispers, raising an eyebrow. "I was thinking of a different kind of dancing entirely."

"Oh?" Harry wonders, making eye contact.

"Yes. Bedroom dancing. Heard of it?"

"Have I heard of it? Love, I'm a pro!" With a laugh, he drags her behind him to the bedroom. Closing the door and locking it behind him, Harry twirls Nataley until her back is to the door as he leans forward and kisses her, their tongues tangling.

When he withdraws gently, he stares into her eyes once more. "Nat, I'm sorry. I was an ass in the past about your stalker. Will you forgive me?"

Her gaze softens, and she reaches up a hand to cradle his cheek. "H...I confess that I was not happy with the way you handled the situation back then. It was cold and felt heartless."

"I know." Sighing, he observes her facial features. "I was stupid. The truth is that I was so scared for you, and I didn't know how to advise you. If I had known more about the threats to Noah..."

"Hush," Nat covers his lips with her fingertips. "It's a horrible situation, and we both had to learn how to adjust. It's going to be okay now. I promise. We've got this."

He pulls her into a tight hug, burying his face in her neck as he mourns all of the time wasted.