Officer Michaels and Officer Landers brought us to the hotel room my parents had booked. They left their business cards with us and told us to call them if we needed anything. Heavens, I hoped we wouldn't need any more police-related help. Another officer had brought our bags down from the house so we had some clothes and personal things. As soon as we said good-bye to the policemen, I locked the door and pulled the deadbolt across.

Then I turned around and melted into Harry's arms yet again. "I can't believe we did it," I whispered. "We're free." He murmured something into my hair in agreement. It was close to lunch time, just twelve hours after we lit the blaze that summoned our rescuers. "I'm starving," I said, pulling away just slightly from Harry's comforting grasp. "Let's call for room service."

"We don't have any money," he said.

"The room is on my parents' credit card and they said we should do whatever we need to do until they arrive."

My parents had been understandably shaken by Officer Michaels' call and by the events that had transpired, but when it came down to planning a flight and a place for Harry and me to stay, they were on top of it in no time. My dad had gotten online and booked a suite for us as I spoke to my mom and they said they'd be in contact about flight arrangements. I was sure they had to be scared out of their wits but I was beyond grateful that they acted so fast to help us.

They had booked a two-bedroom suite so they could stay with us when they arrived. I doubted they had guessed the nature of our relationship but maybe they just assumed Harry would want to be close to me.

Brunch arrived and we gorged ourselves on pancakes, sausage, fruit, orange juice and coffee. Harry was finishing his second cup of coffee - he had really developed a taste for it since that day he tried it in the restaurant - when the phone rang. It was a loud, obnoxious ringer but I answered happily knowing it was my parents.

"Hello, Sweetie," My mom said and I could tell she was still feeling very emotional, trying hard to keep her voice from quivering. I'm sure her mind was still wrapping itself around everything I'd been through, trying to convey how much she missed me and that everything would be all right.

"Hi, Mom," I replied, feeling a slight temptation to cry, but I succeeded in keeping the tears at bay for the moment. "So did you get a flight?"

"Yes, we'll depart from Cleveland tomorrow morning at around 11:00. We should arrive in Vancouver around 3 in the afternoon, so we should be able to get to the hotel before dinner time."

"Okay," I sniffled. And now I was crying again. I decided it might be best to just let the tears come as they needed to. I just didn't want to worry my parents any more than they already were.

"Are you safe, honey?" Mom asked. "You're in the hotel, right?"

"Yeah, Mom, we're safe. Theodore is still in the hospital. I just...a lot has happened."

"Of course, honey," she said and dad got on the phone, too. As always. "Hey kiddo, just sit tight til we get there, okay?" He said.

"Yeah, we will," I said. "And I...um...I need to tell you something." I don't know why, but in spite of every other crazy thing that had happened, I felt the need to reveal the details of my relationship with Harry.

"What is it, sweetie?" Mom asked.

"Well, you both know that I suspected that Harry wasn't intellectually disabled, right?"

"Yes?"

"But I never got a chance to tell you that he's actually older than 17; he's 20 and he'll be turning 21 in February."

"That's great," Dad said. "We look forward to meeting him."

"Well, I need to tell you more...."

"Go on."

"Theodore is Harry's adopted brother; there's no blood relation between them. And Theodore just made up Harry's disability so that he couldn't take over the family company when he turned 21."

"Well, I'm glad he's behind bars then," Dad said. "Well, I assume he will be after he's released from the hospital."

"So I still haven't gotten to what I need to tell you..."

"Honey, we know you're tired and we need to pack so you can tell us all about it when we get there, okay?" Dad suggested.

Instead of beating around the bush any more, I blurted out, "I'm in love with Harry."

After a few moments of stunned silence, my parents, in unison, said, "Ohhh."

"I just wanted you to know before you got here," I said softly. "He's very special to me and I just...he doesn't have a family, so-"

"Oh, Jules, of course we'll love him like family," Mom said. "Sounds like he's had a rough life."

"He has," I agreed.

"So we'll just get a cab to the hotel when we arrive. Just...don't go out or do anything until we get there, okay?" Dad said.

"Don't worry about us, Dad, but yeah, we're not going anywhere," I told him. "And don't forget you have to take a ferry across from Vancouver to Victoria."

"We know, kiddo. We'll see you tomorrow."

I hung up and warmth spread through my chest as Harry looked at me fondly. "I'm special?" He smiled.

"Of course you are," I said, walking over to sit next to him on the couch. "You're very special to me."

"Do you think your parents will like me?" He asked shyly.

"We've been over this," I giggled. "They will love you!"

I kissed him and yawned. "Turns out setting fires and escaping a madman is tough work. I'm beat."

He laughed, holding me against him as he kissed me again. "I'm pretty tired, too."

I got up and held my hand out to him, leading him to one of the bedrooms. I closed the door and drew the room-darkening curtains, and then we cuddled under the blankets and slept for hours.

The only thing that roused us from sleep was our stomachs rumbling again. I stretched out against Harry's long body and then grabbed him in a hug, causing a happy noise to leave his throat. "What do you want for dinner?" I asked.

"Mmmmm," he stretched, too. "I want hamburgers and french fries," he said and yawned. "And a milkshake."

"You got it, honey." He smiled. I hadn't called him that in a long time. "Whatever you want, I'm gonna get it for you."

He started laughing and tugged me closer, nibbling my ear. "After we eat dinner, I know what I want. And it's not hamburgers."

"Harry!" I cracked up laughing. "Are you going to be horny all the time now?"

He laughed loudly, too, that abrupt yet endearing cackle that sometimes shot out of his mouth like firecrackers. "I can't help it if sex is awesome!"

"Come on," I giggled, shoving him away from me and getting out of bed. "I'll order room service and then I'm going to take a shower."

"I'll come with you," he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

"No, you have to wait for the food," I said, sticking my tongue out and escaping his grasp as I ran out to the living area of the suite. When I placed the order, however, they told me that the wait was over an hour.

I walked towards the bathroom, stripping my clothes off and saying, "You're in luck. The food is going to take longer than expected."

"All right," he cheered like a little kid.

Instead getting carried away in the shower, we mainly took care of each other, washing and caressing, taking care of each other's wounded parts. There was something so uniting, so healing about skin to skin contact that we savored only that, letting our bodies touch and holding each other in our warmth and what little strength we still had.

We finally let go of each other, dried off and got dressed. My clean clothes still smelled like Harry's apartment, I realized with a twinge of nostalgia. I went to him and stroked his hair, pushing the curly locks from his face. "How are you doing? With all this?" I motioned to his suitcase.

"It's strange to think the only home I ever knew is burned," he said. "But I...I guess I'm okay," he said. "I'll be okay."

"Good," I said, smooching his pretty mouth.

When the food arrived, I figured it was time to broach another subject with Harry. "Before Theodore brought you back to the suite, he came and talked to me."

"What did he say?" Harry asked, his mouth happily stuffed with a bite of cheeseburger.

"He told me why he had done everything he had," I said, nibbling at the fries. "And I thought for sure he was going to kill both of us, otherwise he never would have made a confession like that."

"What did he tell you?" Harry insisted, having swallowed his food.

"Well you know your father adopted him and his brother when he married their mother, Julia. Do you remember when we read those papers?" He nodded. "Your father had told Theodore that he would inherit his company, Blake Enterprises. But when you were born, your father was so thrilled to have his own biological son, so he changed the will. At the age of 21, you're supposed to get everything, the company, the house, the money."

Harry's response was far from what I expected. "It wasn't fair for my father to do that."

Once again, Harry's intuition amazed me. He didn't really care about the money or the company because those things meant nothing to him, but he could still see the situation objectively and recognize that there was an injustice in the situation. He was simply a remarkable human being.

"I suppose it wasn't," I answered him, "but it doesn't excuse what Theodore did to you," I told him. "He admitted to drugging you and playing you off as having special needs so that you would never be capable of inheriting and running the company."

"But I can see how it would have made him mad," Harry said. Extraordinary.

"I know, but do you understand that it doesn't excuse anything Theodore did to you?" I asked. "Please tell me you know that."

He nodded solemnly. "I know. I do know that."

"Do you know what any of this means?" I continued.

"Not really," he said, shaking his head.

"Harry, the company, the house. It's all going to be yours when you turn 21. You should be able to live there if you want to. And you will have money. I know that you probably don't care about money right now, but that will be a big help while you figure out what to do with your life."

He looked at me with deep heartache written across his face. "Why are you talking about this? It sounds like you're not going to be with me."

"What?" I shook my head and realized that it did sound like that. "No, Honey, that's not what I meant at all. I'm going to be with you every step of the way, no matter what you decide to do, okay?" I said, gripping his face in my hands. "I promise you. I just wanted you to know what is supposed to happen when you turn 21."

"Okay," he nodded. "Okay."

When we finished eating and returned to bed, I undressed quietly, completely, and slipped under the covers. When I pressed myself close to Harry, he sighed deeply. "Remember I told you that I never wanted to be with anyone else?"

"Mmhm," he murmured into my hair.

"That hasn't changed in the past few days or hours. I'm with you no matter what, okay?" I whispered. "Let me show you again how I only want you. This time, we don't have to fear for our lives or worry about getting away. We can just be together."

His face transformed, the anxiety from earlier completely vanished and replaced by love and want and promise. He kissed me eagerly, sliding his hands up and down my body. I slipped his clothing off, just as eager to be joined with him once again, knowing that even though we weren't married, he was the one I'd share this with for the rest of my life.

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