A/N: Thanks to everyone who's read, voted, commented and sent me little messages...I really, really do appreciate it! x

Harry's POV

As I walk down the stairs and reach the bottom, I do indeed hear a conversation regarding ice cream for dinner.

Nice try kids, but not tonight.

"Look, if we at least have some fruit, it'll balance the ice cream out, that's what mum always tells us," Nick says, trying to convince the others.

"Won't mum get angry with us?" Chloe asks him.

"If we clean up afterwards and do the dishes, she'll never know," Nick reasons.

"But I'll know," I say as I walk into the lounge area to find them still in their pyjamas huddling under their doonas.

"Harry!" Jamie and Chloe say with great excitement.

'Hey Harry," Nick's greeting is a little cooler, and to probably be expected since I'm sure he knows that I've just foiled his plan for an ice cream dinner.

"Have you been looking after my mum?" Jamie asks.

"Yeah, she's been sleeping on and off but she's asleep again," I reply, "I thought I'd get you guys some dinner though."

"We have it under control," Nick says.

I remind myself that I need to tread lightly here.  I'm not their dad, hell, I'm not even related to them in any way at all.  They don't have to actually listen or do anything I say.  But I want them to know I'm here to help them while their mum isn't well.

"I'm sure you do, but I was actually thinking of getting you something that isn't here," I say to Nick, "that is, if it's alright with you?"

"What is it?" Jamie's eyes light up.

"Pizza?" I reply.

"Yes!" they chorus.

Pizza it is then.

I ring up and place an order for three pizzas to be delivered, any leftovers can be eaten tomorrow.  I decide to try and make conversation, okay some may say pry, with them, garner some information.

"So how are you guys finding it here so far?" I ask casually, as I sit down on the couch next to Jamie.

"It's okay," Chloe says, "though we haven't really seen much yet."

"Mum says we have to work around here and help out," Nick says unenthusiastically, "I didn't come here to work, and it's a freaking holiday!"

"But mum wanted to come here so we kind of have to do what she says," Jamie says.

"No she didn't!" Chloe defends Beth, "she said we should have a white Christmas and we should pick somewhere to go!  Get your facts right Jamie!" she narrows her eyes at her brother.

I can see that Chloe would defend Beth right to the end.  Not that the boys probably wouldn't, but I don't think Beth could do any wrong in her eyes.  She loves her mum a hell of a lot and heaven help anyone who would harm her.

"So why did your mum decide on a white Christmas?" I ask, curiosity gets the better of me and with Beth's children speaking so freely about why they're here, they might give me some answers.

There's dead silence.

The children all look at each other and I can see the silent conversation that takes place between them.

Maybe I won't get the answers I'm looking for.

"Well after last Christmas..." Chloe finally breaks the silence.

"Chloe!" Nick yells at her.

"Hey mate, its okay, don't yell at her," I interrupt him as I can see his expression is one of anger but his tone is protective.

Protective of Beth.

Definitely won't get the answers tonight.

"I didn't mean to upset anyone," I say to them all. 

Chloe looks like she's going to burst into tears, Nick is taking deep breaths to calm himself and Jamie is...still watching Harry Potter.

Priorities.

There is a knock at the door and we all jump at the sudden noise.  It causes us to laugh at each other and I feel the tension suddenly ease.  I get up off the couch and walk over to the door and open it.  I take the pizzas from the young delivery bloke and, ignoring the second and third glances, tip him before thanking him and shutting the door.

"Shall we get some plates and drinks guys?" I ask and before I've even finished my sentence, the kids are moving with lightning speed to set the table.  The boys are sitting down, opening the boxes to find the pizza of their choice when I feel a set of arms wrap around my waist.  I look down to find Chloe hugging me, her head buried into my side.

"Thank you Harry," she says as she looks up at me.  The way she says it however alludes to more than just the pizza she's thanking me for.  I place my arm around her shoulders and gently hug her back.  She lets go and I watch her walk over to the table and sit down, gesturing to the empty space next to her for me to sit down.

I can't help but smile at her and walk over and sit down next to her.

The mood is lighter than what it was earlier as the kids talk to me about their school, their friends, the sports they play, where they live, simple everyday stuff.  The one thing that I notice that doesn't come up in the conversation is their dad, and I don't want to push it.  I also start to think that this is something that needs to come from Beth and not from the kids.

The conversation then turns to the topic of the moment. 

Christmas.

Though they are all in agreeance of how this Christmas is different, and that they understand why and say they're okay with it, I can't help but notice the tinge of sadness that surrounds them as they talk about it.  This only serves to reinforce my idea I've got planned for them is the right thing to do.

We're soon finished dinner and the kids all look decidedly happy with their full bellies.

"I'm going to go up and check on your mum okay?" I tell them.

"We'll clean up," Jamie says and the other two nod their heads in agreement.

"Okay, I'll leave it in your capable hands for a bit," I say as I head upstairs.

I open the door quietly and see that Beth is still asleep, her steady breathing is all I can hear.  I gently sit on the bed next to her and take a moment to study her.  She looks pain free, her expression quite serene as she lays on her back. 

My phone suddenly rings and I'm quick to stop the ringing as I answer it.  It's mum.

The phone ringing must have disturbed Beth as she rolls onto her side to face me and her arm swings over the tops of my thighs and her face buries itself into the side of my thigh.

"Uh mum, can I call you back?" I say in a low voice, "yeah I'm fine, just not in the best place to have a chat right now."

I end the call and put my phone on silent before I put it back into my pocket.  I look down at Beth and her arm that's currently hugging me.  That's when I notice the tattoo on her wrist.  I gently turn her arm so I can see it properly.

It's an infinity symbol.

As I look at it more closely I notice there are letters within it.  Two in each loop.

'H N J C'

They make no sense.  Even when I try to say them together there's no secret word.

I study it again.

Then I see it.

'Jamie, Chloe.'

'Nick, Jamie, Chloe.'

But what does the 'H' stand for?

I think for a moment before I come to a conclusion.

It's either another child or her husband or the father of her children.

I gently run my thumb over the tattoo as I think about the meaning behind it.  Beth clearly loves them enough to have their initials tattooed onto her skin, just as I have with my family and to add the infinity symbol around them is beautiful notion.

I don't get to think anything more about it as Beth stirs again and she hugs me tighter to her, her nose nuzzling the side of my thigh.

I realise she's going to be terribly embarrassed if she wakes up and finds herself in this position.  She's absolutely adorable when she's flustered and embarrassed. 

So I do the gentlemanly thing and leave her exactly as she is.

I smile and look down at her as she awakens and I see her eyes widen as she looks back up at me.

"Comfy?" I ask her.

Beth buries her face into the pillow and groans in embarrassment.  The way she sounds goes straight through me.

"Stop it!" her muffled voice snaps at me as I try not to laugh at her.

I try to divert her embarrassment by offering her something to eat, since it's been awhile since she's eaten.

She turns her head but doesn't focus on me, instead choosing to look at something in the distance.

"Sometimes I can't keep anything down, even when I feel hungry at this stage," she says.

"Well, I did order pizza for the kids," I say, "and I may or may not have received kisses from Chloe for it."

"Traitor!' Beth says with pretend shock, "have you replaced Niall as her favourite?"

"I don't mind playing second favourite to Niall," I say.

'Actually I think Louis is her second favourite," Beth replies, "and I have no idea where she stands on Liam so you could very well be fourth."

I am deeply shocked and troubled by this.  I can handle second, but to be third, possibly fourth?  And I'm assuming we're not counting Zayn in this.  I remind myself I need to speak to Chloe about this.  I'm willing to forgive and move on if she is willing to move me up the ladder.

"She clearly used me for my pizza," I say in disbelief.

Beth laughs at this and soon we're both giggling until I notice her holding her stomach, pain etched on her face.

"Are you able to take something now for the pain? " I ask her.

She nods and I decide she really should have some sugar in her system, rather than just water.  Without waiting for her consent, I quickly pop back downstairs to pour her a glass.  I also place a slice of the pizza onto a plate for Beth in case she does feel like eating.  I notice the kids have cleaned up and now sit in front of the television as they watch the end of the movie.

"I can't wait to go to high school next year," I hear Jamie say, "I so want to do science!"

I suppose Harry Potter does deal with science.

"I wonder if I can take potions?" he muses out loud.

It's all I can do not to laugh out loud, he's an awesome kid that one.

"Can I make a suggestion guys?" I ask. 

They all turn their attention to me.

"Perhaps when the movie finishes you should all hop into bed?" I say.

"What about mum?" Jamie asks.

"I can make sure your mum is okay before I leave, if that's okay with you?" I offer.

Jamie looks at Nick and I watch as Nick nods his head, giving permission.

"Okay, sure Harry," he says, "we'll go to bed when this finishes."

"Okay then," I reply smiling as I head up the stairs and back to Beth.

When I return to the bedroom, I find her sitting up in bed, waiting to take the tablets.  She's eyeing me up and down and my ego inflates slightly under her gaze. 

Then it settles on the pizza. 

And my ego goes back down.

I walk over to her and hand her the juice and the pizza.  Beth swallows the tablets before she sets the glass down.  She takes a bite of the pizza and I swear to god the moan that comes out of her mouth shoots straight down to my dick.

Don't get a hard on.

Don't get a hard on.

I sit down on the bed next to her and I know I quickly have to talk about something that will make my dick stop hardening before it does any damage.

"So," I say, "I did some reading on what you have and it sounds just horrific.  I had no idea it even existed."

Oh you fucking dickhead Harold.

"Why would you?" she says, looking at me like I've grown another head, or she somehow knows I've got a semi-boner.

"It must be really painful," I bumble on.

And the Oscar goes to Harry Styles for best supporting idiot.

Beth proceeds to give me a rather colourful description of what women go through with their periods and as my boner starts to deflate, I am thanking god like there is no tomorrow that I was born a male.

I take my hat off to all women who have to endure that.

Hell, I'd take everything off.

Beth continues to nibble at the pizza and I take the opportunity to study her.  She looks like she has something weighing on her mind and I really want to ask her, but sometimes she reminds me of a deer caught in the headlights and I worry that I could really spook her to be honest.

And I don't want to make her run.

Before I can figure out how to get her to open up to me, she breaks the silence herself.

"Why are you here?" she whispers.

Has she forgotten why I had decided to stop by?

"Remember I said I had this idea," I remind her.

"No," she interrupts, "how did you come to be in my life?  How did you end up here?" she explains.

I reach for her hand to try and reassure her and hope to god she doesn't pull away from me.

And she doesn't.

How do I begin to explain that from the moment she answered the door and I laid eyes on her that there was just something about her that hit me like a ton of bricks?  I can't even put it into words, but I know that she is meant to be in my life for a reason, and I think that maybe I'm meant to be in hers. 

And I try to tell her so.

"It's like you just came out from nowhere and suddenly you're everywhere," she says, "and you're so wonderful and sweet and caring and you have such a lovely soul and...now I'm rambling..."

And she has no idea how beautiful and endearing she looks right now and how she makes my heart skip a beat.

"And?" I gently ask her, wanting her to say she needs me.

I want her to need me here as much as I want to be here.

"And I could get used to having you around but you're only temporary, and at the moment, I don't know if that's a good idea," she says.

Well fuck.

She wants me here, even though she's scared, she's trying.

I need to answer this carefully, I need to answer her honestly.

"I don't even know what this is," she continues, as she gestures back and forth between the two of us.

She is absolutely right, I don't know either, but it's something, and I tell her so.

"But it's something isn't it?" I say, "tell me that it's not just me and that there is something here."

She hesitates before finally whispering how scared she is of being left alone.

I can't fathom who would leave this precious thing alone.  Who would want to hurt her willingly?

"I would never hurt you intentionally Beth, you have to know that," I say, "but there's a connection here Beth and I know that's like some sort of sappy shit from a romance book," and she smiles at me, "but you know I'm right."

I reach up and gently touch her face.

"Let me in Beth, please," I know I sound almost desperate as I look into those beautiful deep blue eyes of hers.

She nods her head slowly and I can see how fragile she looks, how tired she is all of a sudden.

She's not only had an exhausting day, but she's bared her soul to me and it's all I can do stop myself from gathering her up in my arms and protecting her from the world.

"I think you should get some more rest," I say, "we can talk more tomorrow, or the day after that."

"I really should go and check on the kids though," she replies.

"I'll take care of them," I say, "they're already fed, I'll make sure they go to bed, I promise."

"But you shouldn't have to..." she begins.

"I know, but I want to," I say as I place a hand on her arm, patting the pillow for her to lay back down.

"Okay," she gives me a small smile.

I gently stand up and go around to the side that Beth is on.  I pull the covers up to tuck her in and I can see her breathing is already settling into a steady rhythm.  I bend down and place a light kiss to her temple, my nose nuzzles her skin as I reluctantly leave her side.

I quietly walk out the bedroom door and close it behind me as I leave.

I walk down to the other end of the house and check in on the kids.  As promised, they're all tucked in and asleep, until I see Nick move his head and look at me.

"How's mum?" he asks.

"She's asleep," I reply.

"Thanks for looking after her," he says, "it's nice."

Half of me screams to walk away, but the other half thinks I should take advantage of this spontaneous conversation Nick is having with me.

"Why is it nice?" I ask, "is there no one to look after your mum when this happens?  Or whenever she needs it?"

I hold my breath waiting for his answer.

"Not anymore," he says quietly.

I don't think I should push him even though it's killing me not to.

"I'm glad I could help her out mate," I say, "help all of you out."

"I'm gonna go to sleep," Nick says, "mum will still be really tired tomorrow and I'll need to help her."

Still?

Then I have another genius idea.

"Would you prefer me to stay the night?" I suggest, "I can sleep on the couch...in case she needs anything?"

I can see him thinking it over in his head.

Say yes.

Say yes.

"Okay," he agrees, "there's blankets and stuff in the cupboard in the hall."

I mentally high five him in my head.

"Thanks mate, I'll see you in the morning," I say as I shut the door.

"Night Harry," he mumbles.

I find the hall cupboard and take out a couple of blankets and pillows before I head downstairs and make a bed up on the couch.  I plan to be up before Beth is so I don't see any issue with me staying the night without her knowledge.  I feel better within myself knowing I'm here for her and the kids if they should need anything.

I'm satisfied with my makeshift bed and I undress myself, leaving only my boxers on.  There's no way I can sleep in a pair of skinny jeans. 

I'm sure it wouldn't be good for the old block and tackle.

I slide in under the blankets and move the pillows around to make myself comfortable. 

Soon enough, I find myself falling asleep with images of Beth on my mind.