Song: "Peace Train" by 10,000 Maniacs

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We woke up and had another leisurely breakfast on Monday. Because of the huge snowstorm over the weekend, the library would remain closed until the streets were cleared. Breakfasts were indeed becoming "our thing;" something we just enjoyed together exactly because of the lazy pace that afforded us the simple benefit of being close. Of course, this was the tail-end of Thanksgiving weekend and I'd be going back to work Monday morning, but everything was different now. So different.

We were huddled together at my little bistro table, preferring the intimacy it provided versus sitting together at the actual breakfast bar. Sipping on his third cup of coffee, Harry said, "I was thinking that maybe we could Skype with my parents later. I'd like them to meet you."

"Oh, Harry, I'd love that. I was wondering when I'd get the chance."

"Good," he said, hugging my shoulder and leaving a kiss on my messing morning hair.

"Do they know about me?" I asked.

He tilted his head, shaking it slightly in mock disbelief. "Of course they know about you. You're all I've thought about, talked about, dreamt about for the last few months.

I giggled and rolled my eyes a bit in embarrassment. "Good. I'd hate to have them look at me like Liz did when I met her at the store."

"Oh no, Regan," he chuckled, surely remembering that awkward meeting. "They're very excited about this. Of course they've cautioned me to take it slow, which we've done a marvelous job of that, haven't we?"

"Absolutely," I laughed. "Two and a half months is enough time for anyone to realize they're in love!" I gave him a cheesy smile. "I'm glad they're excited for you and they don't feel like it's too soon or something."

His head dipped low as he quietly said, "Only Cathryn's family thinks that."

I reached over hand held his hand for a moment. I couldn't imagine how confusing all of this was for him. He was trying to figure out how to live his life without his soulmate, his parents were across the ocean, and I was beginning to realize that his in-laws must have been somewhat controlling. 

"You said you've been talking about me for months. Do you talk to anyone else?" I asked carefully.

I think he knew what I was getting at, but he still asked, "Like who?"

"Do you keep in touch with your friends? You said they abandoned you. I'm sure that's not completely true. You can't just have no one."

"Yeah," he shrugged. "We still keep in touch. It was unfair for me to say they abandoned me. But after I repeatedly shut them out, I think they just gave up and don't put a lot of effort into keeping in touch." Releasing a puff of air, my shoulders sagged in disappointment for him. But then he said, "They didn't all give up. Gordon's kept in touch pretty well. He calls regularly, I just haven't seen him in a while."

"See? There you go," I smiled. "Is he one of your closer friends or...?"

He nodded emphatically. "Yeah, the best. I've known him since Wayne State. Oh my god, he's the funniest guy I've ever met. He's a rather large man, a Cherokee Indian, and-"

"Wait, what?!" I said, my jaw dropping open. "Gordon? Is there any chance his last name is Reddstone?"

His eyes widened as his head jutted forward. "You know him?!"

"Yes! His younger sister Ginger was my room-mate in college!" I cried.

Harry nodded. "I met Ginger a number of times - beautiful girl. He was thrilled to have her here while they were at uni."

"Uni?" I asked.

"Sorry, that's what we call it in England because college is more like high school here," he explained.

"Oh my gosh, I can't believe Gordon is your best friend." I stopped and thought hard about the interchanges I'd had with Gordon, trying to remember if he ever talked about Harry. I couldn't exactly remember, but what a coincidence.

"You realize this is just another confirmation that we were meant to find each other," he said casually.

My heart swelled just a little. "That's sweet, Harry. Most guys don't think of corny things like that."

"It's not corny," he said, defending himself playfully. "I think it's very much like a fact. We have these connections and I think we were destined to meet." He shrugged. "Gordon is getting married next summer, so we'll have to be in more contact in the spring. I'm his best man."

"Aww, Harry!" I gushed like a high school girl. "Is he getting married to Robin?" I asked of his Cherokee girlfriend. Ginger used to badmouth her all the time, saying they were only together because they were from the same tribe and their parents wanted it.

"No," Harry shook his head. "That was over eons ago. This is a lovely girl named Merrilla."

"Hmm, interesting name," I remarked. He pronounced it with the the accent on the first syllable, like Meredith, but just with a different ending.

Harry leaned over and kissed me, softly at first, then more boldly, dragging me from my chair to sit on his lap. I played with his hair while we kissed, scratching along his scalp and occasionally dragging my hand to his cheek. I loved kissing him; it was like we were momentarily transported into some alternate reality where only he and I existed. I had never felt closer to another human being in my life.

I finally sat back and said, "I need to take a shower before we Skype with your parents."

He laughed, pulling me close again. "They can't smell you from England."

I shoved him back and said, "Excuse me - are you saying I stink!? That's not why I need a shower, good sir. It's only to keep myself from getting smelly in any way, shape or form." I wrinkled my nose at him and ran towards the bathroom.

I heard him get up and follow me, laughing and saying, "Well then, I'd like to witness, and possibly assist, in this task!"

~~~

We decided to Skype around 3 PM, which would be around 8 PM in England. Harry had texted his parents earlier in the day, making sure the time would be all right. Using his laptop, he connected us to his quaint home across the pond, and his mother and step-father grinned happily through the screen.

"Mum," he said shyly. "This is Regan. And Regan, this is my mum and step-dad, Anne and Robin." Anne was absolutely beautiful and Robin's warm smile and round cheeks put me at ease immediately. 

"Hello," I said, smiling widely. "It's so nice to meet you both. Well, sort of meeting you."

Anne nodded. "This works. It's the 21st century, isn't it? But I'm sure we'll meet you in person soon enough." I smiled in response. "Harry's told us a lot about you, Regan. Thank you for taking care of him."

"It's my pleasure," I said. "I'm glad we met."

"Are you getting a lot of snow?" Robin asked. "Seems Harry mentioned a storm moving in."

"Yes, it's quite deep today. We were at his house on Friday, doing some cleaning, but we've stayed at my place the rest of the weekend because the snow's been too deep to go out."

"Ah, so you've been to Harry's house. There's a lot going on there, isn't there?" Anne teased.

I laughed. "That's a good way to put it." I nudged Harry's arm and he looked down shyly. "We did a pretty thorough cleaning of the house; well, the main floor at least. The we loaded up all those bags of new items and donated them to Goodwill."

Anne looked delighted. "I'm so happy to hear that's all out of the way. Now you can breathe in there."

"I know," he mumbled sheepishly. "It only took me a little over a year. Lay off," he said teasingly to his mum. It was obvious he thought the world of her.

"I know, darling. I never meant to push you. I just want to see you happy again. From the looks of it, you're getting there."

Harry put his arm around me and squeezed me close, kissing my forehead again. " I'm very happy, Mum."

I turned and looked at him instead of the computer and quietly said, "You make me happy, too."

"Glad to see you looking like yourself again, too," Anne said. "Got rid of that awful beard." She laughed and made a face at the thought of it. "Did you meet him before or after the beard came off?" She asked me.

"Before. I'm pretty sure I saw him at his worst," I said, giving Harry the side-eye. "But I could still see light in his eyes. And it helps that his eyes are beautiful, too." Harry practically blushed and his mum made a little "aww" noise. "I agree, though - shorter hair and no beard. Makes all the difference, doesn't it?"

We got to talking about Harry finding a job or going back to school. His parents were of the same mind as we were - thinking Harry should do whatever was going to make him the most happy and not add pressure on him when he was just getting back into his life.

As the discussion was winding down, however, Robin had a suggestion. "I know that law school isn't a walk in the park, Harry. But perhaps you should just finish up so all those years don't go to waste. You've got the funding and you're so close to the end. Even if you don't want to be a lawyer, a law degree looks good on any CV."

"What's a CV?" I asked, trying not to sound ignorant.

"Curriculum Vitae," Harry replied. "Basically the same thing as a resume." He turned his attention back to Robin. "That makes a lot of sense. I'll talk to Mr. Metler about it, too. I suspect he'll be disappointed to learn that I don't want a career in law."

"He can't force you into it, dear," Anne said. "If he decides not to fund the rest of law school, then your decision will be made for you. Sounds like you just have to sit down and have a conversation with him." And she added, almost like she didn't want me to hear. "And don't let him bully you."

I wondered what that was about but kept my mouth shut.

"Thanks, both of you. It's good to know you're supporting me, even from so far away," Harry told them. "Oh, you'll never guess what Regan and I discovered today." His parents shook their heads, their faces bright with anticipation. "Gordon's sister, Ginger, was Regan's room-mate in college."

"No kidding!" Anne exclaimed. "What a small world. How nice for you two to have that connection. Have you seen Gordon lately, dear?" Harry shrugged slightly and then shook his head somewhat sadly. "Call him up," she told him. "He'll be tickled to know you're dating Regan and I know he'll want to see you. You've got to stop thinking that you're an outcast."

"I know, Mum, thank you. I will. It's just hard with Colleen and Timothy." Again, his voice sounded sad. 

From there, we talked about Thanksgiving and my large family. I told them about my very uninteresting job (not that I thought it was uninteresting, but I supposed that people listening to me talk about it didn't find it all that intriguing.) We talked about plans for Christmas, which neither of us had even talked about yet. And then we said good-bye, promising to talk again soon. 

"Who are Colleen and Timothy?" I asked after we had signed off.

"Colleen was Cathryn's best friend," Harry said sadly. "She went to high school with us, too. She met Timothy at her internship, and he and I hit it off really well. They got married the summer before Cathryn and I did. He was another close friend, but they have both kept their distance, probably less out of my own fault and more because Colleen was so lost with out Cathryn."

It's crazy because when you think of someone losing a spouse, you think they grieve for that person and that person alone. But Harry had to not only bear Cathryn's loss, but the drastic change in dynamics with some of his friends, and the fact that his life's whole direction was changing because she was gone. It was something I had never considered.

"You're a hero," I whispered to him.

"Me? Why?" He said with a shy smile.

"Because your whole life completely changed in the past year and yet you persevere. You move on and you strive to make something of your life. And you've done it, in large part, alone. That's just mind-boggling to me."

"You have no idea how much strength I get from you," he said.

"I'm glad that's true, but you went through so much alone. The strength you have, in large part, is right in here," I said, pushing my hand against his chest.

"I love you so much," he said, his voice full of gratitude. He moved the laptop to the coffee table, leaned in to kiss me and I practically lunged to seal my lips over his. Again, it was just the two of us in our own little world.

When we finally pulled apart, breathless and flustered, Harry proposed something. "How about you and I throw a little holiday get-together? I'll invite some of my friends so they can meet you and you invite some of your friends. I think I only know Beth, if I'm not mistaken."

"You know what? I absolutely love that idea," I said and kissed him one more time.

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Sorry for the long wait but here is another update! *Insert applause here* lol!