A/N: sorry I kept you guys waiting a little longer for this chapter! I wanted it to be worth the wait so enjoy the 5000 words! Love you all, hope you are having a safe and happy start to the new year xxx

By the time I walk down the stairs and exit the building, the moving van is nowhere to be seen. Harry's sitting in his car waiting for me, thank goodness he's not so mad as to drive off without me. I climb into the car expecting him to immediately start yelling, but he doesn't. He slips his phone into the cupholder on his side of the car and starts the engine, quickly pulling out of the parking lot. I almost would have preferred the yelling to this silence, it sits around us like a fog making me feel incredibly uncomfortable.

"Harry..." I start to say before I'm immediately cut off.

"Let's talk about this at home" he says in a deadpanned voice. Great, so now I have to sit in the car for the entire way home soaking in the awkward silence. I can almost feel him getting angrier as he drives, I know that the longer we don't talk about it the more his mind is going to race.

I'm used to the shoe being on the other foot when it comes to these kinds of situations, Harry wanting to talk it out and me just wanting to walk away from him. The last time that happened was when he failed to mention his New York lunch date with his ex girlfriend. I was semi wrong in that argument though, I made a bigger deal out of it than what was necessary. Still though, many of the blunders that have affected our relationship are to do with his job and his general way of living. This is relatively new territory for us, and yet it's also strangely familiar. I had hoped that these minor blunders would be a thing of our past now that we are in a relatively good place, obviously the universe has other plans for us.

A loud ringing noise interrupts my thought as Harry's centre console lights up on the dashboard. The phone icon blinks on with the contact Mum, thank goodness a saving grace. I hear Harry scoff beside me and I know instinctively he's going to ignore the call.

"Talk to her" I gently encourage him, daring to speak. We stop at a traffic light as his hand hovers in mid air, his eyes peering down at me with a hint of exasperation. Sighing, he hits the accept call button and turns his attention back towards the road.

"Hello mum" He says aloud once the call connects, Anne takes a moment to answer, rustling around on the other end.

"Hello my lovely boy, how are you?" She responds sweetly. Her tone instantly makes me miss her.

"Yeah I'm alright mum, how are you?" He responds politely though largely failing to hide his snarky attitude behind his question. I shouldn't call him snarky, I've made him mad and his bad attitude is my fault. I just hope he's not about to be an asshole to his mum.

"I'm good baby, just wrapping up some final Christmas presents. Now for the weekend, the lunch tomorrow is starting at one so I want you to get there at 12 at the latest so that you can help finish setting up and so you can greet people when they arrive" She says, completely side stepping his tone. As she speaks it dawns on me as to what she's talking about. The pre-Christmas family dinner that she has invited me to. Over the last few days it's evolved into a lunch with the family followed by Harry and I staying up with her for the weekend.

"Yes that's fine mum" Harry says quickly, I can tell he's only half paying attention to her.

"Now repeat it back to me so that I know you know the plan" Anne orders him, her tone still very melodious. Apparently she had the same thought that I did.

"I will be there at 12 to help set up and greet people before everyone else arrives at 1" He drones on in response.

"With Elena" She adds quickly. Harry quickly looks at me out of the corner of his eye. If he uninvites me to this event it will definitely mean that we won't be fixing this tonight, on top of the fact that it would break my heart to not be there. I've really bonded with his family these last few months, and it will kind of be my first real big Christmas dinner. On the other hand, going to this weekend trip tomorrow with this fight hanging over our heads could lead to an actual disaster.

"Yes of course" Harry replies quickly. A wave of relief washes over me.

"And a smile; whatever bad mood you're in you leave it behind and embrace the festive season and family fun" I can hear Anne's grin over the phone. She sounds like a walking Hallmark Christmas movie, I couldn't love her more.

"Yes mum, sorry, long day" Harry mumbles an apology like a sullen teenager who's been told to apologise in order to get his TV back. I would truly love to see Harry put on a Santa hat and sing along to Christmas carols or help to make mince pies. The mental image of him helping Charlie unwrap a Christmas present weaves its way into my mind and calms the storm rattling around my head.

"Good Boy, how is my lovely Elena" Anne sighs happily and changes the subject. My heart warms as she mentions me. She always makes such an effort with me, perhaps because I'm the only girl that Harry has ever bothered to introduce to them. Take that New York slut.

"She's good mum, she's looking forward to tomorrow. Been talking my ear off about it all week" Harry replies, turning his head slightly to look at me while he talks, I swear I can see the smallest hint of a smile on his face. He's right, I've been obsessing all week about what to wear, who will be there, what presents to get people. I'm maybe more nervous meeting everybody this time than I was last time. Last time was a big birthday party with a whole crowd of people; this is a more select and intentional crowd now. Everyone who is there is family, and I don't want to disappoint anyone or to be the weird annoying girlfriend that Harry brought with him. I want him to be proud of how I slot into his family, I want him to see how great it is when he makes an effort to be a part of their lives more.

"Aw well I'm so happy she's coming, tell her I can't wait to see her. I'll let you get back to you're day my darling boy. I love you, can't wait to see you tomorrow" She signs off.

"Love you too mum, see you tomorrow" Harry says goodbye in a much lighter tone than when he first answered. The call is ended and once again we are back in the uncomfortable silence. Thankfully however, we only have to sit with it for a moment or two before we pull up to the front of the hotel. John is waiting dutifully out front and springs to action as we pull up, immediately opening my door as soon as the car has stopped moving.

"Welcome Home Miss Elena" John warmly greets me as he helps me climb out of the car. I grin over at him as my feet land on the ground, I suppose I have to get used to this place being my home on top of living with Harry.

"Thank you John" I reply as Harry walks around to my side of the car where John and I stand.

"How are the movers going?" He asks John, standing a foot away from me and making no attempt to touch me. It feels so deliberate, like he's making a choice not to put his arm around me or hold my hand, it breaks my heart just a little.

"They just finished up, the boxes are in your apartment whilst all of her storage is in the locker unit downstairs. Would you like me to get someone to help unpack?" John responds, addressing Harry in such a formal manner, his hands clasped in front of him.

"No we can manage thank you John" Harry replies curtly before moving quickly into the hotel and heading for the elevators. I trail behind after giving John one last smile, at least he's started thanking John for all of his hard work.

The elevator doors are opening as I arrive at Harry's side and we step in together. Alone. More uncomfortable silence. I wish some hotel guests would join us but no such luck. Harry stares straight ahead of him, keeping his hands stuffed into his pockets in case I get any crazy ideas like holding his hand.

Mercifully, the elevator lets out a ring and Harry quickly steps out of the box, heading straight towards the kitchen. I trail behind like a lost puppy trying to find its way home. I place my hands on the back of one of the island seats as Harry opens the fridge and takes out a beer. I suppose it is nearly six o'clock now, man it's been a long day. He twists off the lid and takes a large sip before finally placing the bottle down and looking at me for the first time since the car. My heart suddenly begins to race, I have no idea what to say. Should I start talking? Or wait for him to talk? This is a nightmare, I just want it to stop.

"Harry, I'm so sorry that I didn't tell yo-" I'm cut off as the words start to tumble out of my mouth.

"What night did it happen?" He asks, his face void of any emotions. I'm not really sure how it matters but if we are talking then I'm not complaining.

"The Sunday night" I reply quickly, unsure of what his response will be.

"The night after you were out with your friends?" He asks. I nod my head, I was nursing a pathetic hangover during the day and was finally feeling like my old self when I got the call. He pauses for a moment before he takes another sip of his drink and squaring his shoulders.

"Why didn't you tell me?" His voice is firm, slow and deliberate. Whatever answer I give him it won't be good enough. I know that, I'm not stupid. I just have to be honest, not being honest is what got me into this mess.

"Because...because you were in New York, you were working you were busy. I didn't want you to be worried about me I was totally fine" I talk quickly in an attempt to quickly reassure him. I wasn't even in the building when it happened, I truly didn't feel the urgent need to tell him what happened. I knew what his reaction would be. Like my reaction when I found out about Holly, New York tramp. He scoffs back a laugh that sends a chill down my spine.

"That's a bullshit excuse and you know it" He says coldly, taking another sip of beer.

"It's the truth, that's how I felt. I didn't want you to overreact and be worried about me when literally nothing happened" I attempt to justify, but his expression doesn't soften even a little bit.

"Alright then, why didn't you tell me when I came back home?" His voice has a slight edge to it now, he knows he's right and he's exploiting it for all that he can.

"Because I didn't want you to make me move" I respond quietly, very aware that we have just finished moving out of that apartment and moving into this one. I did move in the end, but I didn't let him put me up in a fancy apartment. If we break up, I won't be stuck with an over the top apartment with enormous rent I'll just be homeless. And hey it sucked the first time around but I have a little bit of savings and a car so, good job me?

"Jesus Christ why would you want to still live there after some men showed up at your door with a fucking sledgehammer?!" He raises his voice for the first time since we got back. I struggle for an answer at first, because he's right.

"It's not about wanting to live there, it was about not getting caught up in your world. All of this money and status it is a lot for me to deal with. That tiny shitty little apartment was one of the only things keeping me from disappearing into your world. I didn't want to lose it. I can see now how dumb that is but that's how I felt at the time." I try and explain calmly, gripping onto the stool I'm standing in front of. He pushes back on his hands and stands up straighter.

"Do you still feel that way now? Why the fuck did you agree to move in with me if you felt-"

"No!" I quickly cut him off before he can say anything else, as soon as I said the words out loud I knew he would take it the wrong way.

"I want to live with you I really do. It's not about the fact that my apartment no longer felt safe but because it no longer felt like home. In the end it was a place where all my stuff was kept. I never wanted to sleep there because I knew that you weren't there with me. It wasn't home because you are my home now. And that's bizarre and terrifying but it's the truth" I ramble off quickly. Sometimes the realisation of the way I feel about him hits me in waves. There are moments when I think that it's ridiculous to care about somebody this much this quick, and there are other moments like this when it hits all at once. I know I'm supposed to be with him, with him is the one place I truly feel at home. All we have to do is get through the mess of crap that seems to follow us everywhere.

I watch as his expression softens at my words, I need him to believe that. I don't ever want him to think that I'm taking advantage of his wealth or his kindness. I watch as I see him swallow a lump in his throat, perhaps he's done being mad.

"It's my fault" He says matter of factly after a few moments of silence. At first I'm confused by what he means.

"What?"

"It's my fault that they came after you." He nods his head as he speaks. I tilt my head to the side and shake it slightly.

"Harry..." I begin an attempt to soothe him when I'm cut off once more.

"It's my fault that they showed up to your door with fucking sledgehammers. Because I drove you back in my nice cars or I sent you home with designer shopping bags. They saw you and you became a target because of me. Fuck I knew I should have fucking moved you the second I met you!" Suddenly he's back to angry, but I don't feel that it's directed at me entirely. His hands grip the counter tightly as he speaks, his voice slowly becoming louder the longer he speaks.

"Harry..." I once again make an attempt to ease his mind.

"Do you have any idea what that would have done to me? If something had happened to you?" He asks sincerely, his forehead slightly creased. It causes the breath to catch in my throat, he truly does believe this is his fault. I move slowly around the counter towards his as I speak.

"But nothing did. I'm fine look I'm right here I'm okay." I say with half a smile on my face. He turns his body towards me as I speak but he doesn't move. I place a hand tentatively on his arm and rub it over the material of his t-shirt.

"All those times that you have gone back to your apartment to get things change, something could have happened to you because I didn't know that men came to your door with fucking sledgehammers what the fuck Elena" His body stiffens as he talks, still slowly shaking his head. I can't lie and say that the same thought didn't cross my mind when I went back to collect things from my apartment. But nothing ever happened, it was an isolated incident, I'm okay.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Harry" I keep trying to comfort him. It doesn't work, he doesn't even look at me while he's talking. He just stares ahead at the wall on the other side of the room. I move my body in between the small space between him and the countertop, the smell of his cologne filling my sense. He still hasn't completely shaved his face, leaving behind a little bit of stubble. I know he thinks it makes him look scruffy and unprofessional, but I know he keeps it around because I talked about how much I liked it. I'm itching to run my fingers across it, but now is not the time for that.

"It would have destroyed me. Absolutely destroyed me." He finally looks down at me as my breath hitches in my throat. It hits me all at once, the realisation of why I really should have told him about what happened. Because he's now scared of what could have happened to me. The thought of me getting hurt would destroy him? Destroy is a strong word, and it makes me think that if something happened to him would I be destroyed too?

Yeah destroyed seems like an appropriate word.

"I'm sorry. I'm okay. I should have told you." I reach my hand up to cup his cheek, gently nudging his chin down so that I can properly see him. There's a look in his eye that makes my stomach flip. It's like I can see into his mind for a moment, and I just know deep down that he can't get the image of me getting hurt out of his head. The image of me going home to collect clothes and being attacked. The fact that he would blame himself really breaks my heart, I would never blame him if something like that happened. Bad shit happens to all kinds of people for all kinds of reasons everyday, we can try and place blame wherever we want but sometimes there's no one to be blamed. Harry lets out a sigh; I can see he's not as mad as he was a few minutes ago, but he's clinging onto his angry poker face.

"You should have told me." He repeats sternly, I nod my head and cup his cheek while brushing my thumb over his stubble.

"I should have told you. I'm so sorry." I say the words back to him, hoping that it's eased his mind a little bit. We stand in silence for a moment, staring intently at each other. I remove my hand from his cheek and place both of my hands on the counter top behind me, hoisting myself up so that I am sitting on the bench in front of him. I wrap my arms around his shoulders and slowly pull him closer, to my surprise he doesn't push back but moves slowly into the space between my legs.

"You just...you have to be more vigilant about this sort of shit Elena. When you have money, there are a lot of people knocking on your door asking for a hand out. There are also people who will just come and try to take your money from you. You have to be careful about who you trust, and when this shit happens you need to tell me so that I can keep you safe" He says with concern, resting his hands on the counter on either side of my body. His anger seems to be slowly melting away, but I know I'm still not completely forgiven yet.

I have to admit though, his warning does freak me out a little bit. Now that we're living together, I've become a big part of his world both privately and publicly. So far I haven't had anyone coming around and looking for a hand out, I just don't have that many people in my life I guess. Does this mean that people make Harry a target? Do they try and become close to him just so that they can get some money and then they take off? His reasons for doing the Angel Club in the first place now make a lot more sense. At least if they're up front that they are there for the money it makes things easier. The thought of it makes me stomach all knotty, that when Harry and I first met he thought I was just looking for a hand out. It makes my stomach hurt even more when I realise that that's exactly what I was doing. And I can excuse it all day long, tell myself that deep down I wanted to find somebody special and about how things changed almost instantly after we met. But the truth is that I was no different to any other bottom feeder that he's had to deal with since he became wealthy.

I nod my head and slide my hands slowly up the nape of his neck to play with the bottom of his curls. The only sound that fills the room is the sound of my nails lightly scratching at Harry's scalp, a feeling that I know he loves. His shoulders drop slightly and he closes his eyes for a moment, leaning into the feeling.

"You're right, I didn't even think about it that way. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you. I promise I'll be more vigilant" I promise him quietly, his eyes open to watch me as I speak. His eyes somehow looking greener than they usually do, or maybe I'm just looking deeper.

"I'll start looking into getting you some security" He says with a slight nod of his head. Security? Seriously? I'm about to protest aloud when I stop myself; we're on the road to forgiveness and moving on, I need to get on board. Even if the thought of me walking around London with a security guard seems pretentious and ridiculous.

"Okay, if that's what you think is best" I give him a gently smile as my hands lightly play with his curls. His body moves slightly closer towards me as he nods. The discussion feels like it's reached a natural stopping point, but with Harry you never know. I decide to try and lighten the mood, stretching my torso upwards and pulling his head downwards to press a soft kiss to his lips. Though he doesn't kiss me back, I continue to press little kisses across his stubble. I can feel his stress melting away as I continue to run my hands through his hair and press my lips against his skin. I pull my head back slightly and brush my nose against his.

"Stop being cute I'm still mad at you" He says gruffly, but I'm not convinced. I let out a slight giggle in response and hook one of my legs around him, pulling his body closer to me. I continue to press light kisses across his face before I trail my lips up to his ear, gently nipping at the lobe. Harry sighs gently as his hands remove themselves from the counter and are placed on my hips, softly rubbing the skin underneath my sweater with his thumb.

"You sure you're still mad at me?" I ask him quietly, tilting my head with a slight smile across my lips. He gives a slight huff before bringing up one of his hands to cup my cheek.

"Yes...not really, a little" He says unconvincingly. I pull his head down with my hand and this time he does kiss me back. Slow and gentle, my lips parting to allow him to slip in his tongue. He does, and his hand on my hip grips onto me tightly as he pulls me to the edge of the counter. I tug on his hair, urging him to move even closer until I am completely consumed by him. He lets out a slight groan as our lips part before he attaches them to my neck, kissing and biting across the skin. I moan out slightly, the feeling of his teeth against my neck making my toes curl. He finally brings his head back up and presses his forehead against mine.

"Still mad?" I tease him with a soft grin. He lets out a slight chuckle as he shakes his head.

"I guess not" Harry replies, his hand that was placed on my cheek now tucking some of my hair behind my ear. I wave of relief flows over me. I let out a gentle sigh, leaning my head into his touch.

"I haven't completely ruined moving day have I?" I ask as I brush my lips against his.

"Course not, speaking of that we should probably go and start unpacking your stuff" He replies with a soft grin. I nod my head and together we climb the stairs up towards the bedroom, our bedroom. That's going to take some getting used to.

"I'll start on this box" Harry says moving quickly over to a small box he's spotted on the other side of the room. I'm perplexed at first until he holds it up and places it on the bed, starting to open it.

"Oi you leave my underwear alone you little pervert" I laugh as I cross over to the other side of the room and nudge him out of the way. The box is already open, the contents of my underwear and several pairs of socks lay inside of it.

"Alright fine, but I am very excited to know that they're all here for me to see whenever I like" He teases, placing a hand on my bum and squeezing it before moving towards one of the bigger boxes and opening that up. I roll my eyes in response before I take the small box over to the closet. Harry has cleared out an entire side for me; a completely empty space of hangers, shoe racks and empty drawers ready for all of my stuff. I can quickly see that all of my clothes are definitely going to fit in here, and I will have a lot of room left over.

"This is way too much space" I call out to Harry as I pull open one of the drawers, neatly placing the pieces of undergarments in the drawer. Sort of like how you find them in one of the fancy department stores that I never used to go to. I know it will be messed up completely in a week but I want it to look nice the first time.

"That just means we can buy you more clothes!" Harry's voice calls back to me.

"No! I'm fine, plenty of space!" I reply quickly, not wanting another large shopping spree. I hear Harry chuckle before I finish putting the last of the clothing in the box away and walking back out into the bedroom. Harry is standing by the wall closest to the door, the box of books at his feet. The built in bookshelf that used to hold empty vases and small sculptures is now piled up with my books.

"You want to do this part? You did used to work in a bookstore after all?" Harry asks with a smirk. I nod my head quickly and take his place at the shelf, now this is a lot of empty space that I will be happy to fill.

"I do still work there you know, just twice a week" I reply, though I haven't been called into many shifts lately due to the end of term. Not many people buying textbooks a week before Christmas break.

"Still don't need a job" Harry says with a smile, moving over to one of the boxes labelled clothes, pulling it open.

"It's not about the money, it's about having a bit of independence. And it's during the day when you're working so it's not that big of a deal" I reply in a soft voice. I begin to pull the books out one by one and alphabetise them as I go. I know there are two more boxes full of them on the other side of the room so I try not to get too ahead of myself.

"Sure I get that" he says in response as he carries the heavy box into the closet. I take out the last of the books in the box before I place the empty box to the side and hunt for another.

"Would you rather I go back to the cafe?" I ask cheekily.

"NO!" Harry calls back immediately, making me giggle. Ryan hit on me once in front of him and he still hasn't let it go.

"Good to know I made the right choice" I reply with a grin. I can hear Harry placing clothes onto hangers and hanging them up. I locate one of the other boxes with books and push it over to the bookshelf to begin unpacking it.

"How are you feeling about this Christmas thing at your mum's tomorrow?" I ask him, switching the topics. He's quiet for a moment before he responds.

"Fine" I can almost hear him shrug.

"Do you think many people will be there?" I ask as the box beside me begins to empty.

"Knowing my mother and her festive spirit, probably a lot of people" He says with a monotone voice. I know if I wasn't with him he would probably try to wriggle his way out of the commitment.

"Will the lovely Emma be there?" I ask with faux amusement. Harry's family friend who was drooling all over him at his uncles birthday.

"You know her name is Emily" Harry chuckles as he brings out the empty box, leaning against the doorway. "And yes she will probably be there" He says, folding his arms over his chest with a soft smile on his lips. I continue to unpack the box.

"Great" I reply, my comment dripping in sarcasm. I hear him chuckle once more as I focus on the bookshelf in front of me. As I try and stacks the books in alphabetical order I feel Harry's hands on my waist as he stands behind me.

"No need to be jealous baby" He says close to my ear, kissing my cheek softly.

"I wonder if she will drool on you like she did at your uncles birthday. Oh Harry and I grew up together, everyone used to say we would get married heheheh" I put on a fake high voice as I recall the words she said to me at Anne's house that day. Harry laughs softly in my ear before he trails kisses up my neck towards my ear.

"And while she was downstairs being bored by my relatives, where were we?" He whispers seductively into my ear. The thought rushing to the surface makes my cheeks burn red.

"Upstairs, in your bedroom" I say quietly.

"And what were we doing?" He asks with a smirking tone. I bite my lip with a grin and shake my head.

"Having sex" I sigh and say with a wide grin. Harry smirks against my cheek and kisses it softly.

"Maybe we will have to do a bit of that this weekend" He says in a whisper, engaging my core with just his words. I would love to dissolve into him in this moment, completely give my body over to him and let him work his wonders. But there is so much to unpack and I still have to pack for this weekend.

"Oh yay I can see your little toy Rufus again" I exclaim with a gigantic grin on my face. Harry groans with a wide smile on his as he walks back over to the boxes.

"I should never have told you about that stupid fucking toy" he opens another one of the boxes and starts to empty its contents.

"I think it's sweet that you have a little teddy, maybe he can snuggle with us" I tease him. He shakes his head, but I can see the right smile he's trying to suppress. I think underneath all the hostility and boredom, he's actually excited for this weekend. I think I may be more nervous than I was the first time meeting them all. Christmas is kind of a big time for family, and I don't want to feel like I'm intruding. Plus, I've already made a good first impression so now I have to follow it through.