The Crown (Prince Harry fanfic #5)

Chapter Twenty-One

The couple knew there was going to be backlash, but neither of them cared enough. It was two weeks since Fred's birth, and Harry hadn't gone to an event yet. It was known that the dads went to the charity event first, because the moms needed to stay home and take care of the baby. Yet, there were these people called nannies, and Fred had one of those. She was always in the apartment basically, and usually it was Harry and Lucy who got up to take care of the baby, but sometimes she did it. Lucy enjoyed it more because she could pump breast milk out and the nanny was the one to feed him.

Lucy was bored out of her mind. There was nothing for her to do, and Fred slept most of the time. She read and watched television. Harry didn't like the feeling either. He didn't like to be housed up.

There had been a few times that the couple with their newborn had left Kensington Palace. They went for a walk around Kensington Gardens or Hyde Park. Paparazzi hadn't noticed until the third time, and then more security had to be brought. That didn't stop from the paparazzi. The parks had to be called quits after the paparazzi didn't give any space.

Backlash came from Fred taken out into public so early. Backlash came from the couple not retiring into private after the birth, since they remained in London. Backlash came from the name. What was with Frederick? People didn't seem to like that name. Why was Andrew before William? Both of them referred to each parents' brother, but many people felt William should have been before Andrew. Why did the baby have a last name? Why did the baby take Lucy's last name? The baby wasn't a commoner, so it was stupid for him to have a last name.

This backlash didn't even bother them.

Two weeks after Fred was born, there was an event, and Harry and Lucy weren't away from their son for even an hour. Yet, no one gave a shit about that. It was a surprise that Lucy and Harry showed up to the event, which many people were happy to see them. People at the event wanted to know where the baby was, which they didn't bring him. Most people asked about their son, and they answered that he did well. He was fine.

With the couple being gone from the apartment less then an hour, Fred hadn't even woken up. He hadn't needed his diaper changed or he didn't need to be fed. The couple returned to their apartment, yet freedom still remained outside. They wished to take their son out into the real world.

At night, the newspapers already held backlash against the royal couple for leaving Fred, as if they were bad parents.

"You can't please everyone," Harry said.

"Yes, because I love how they tell me to parent. There is nothing I love more than that." Lucy lied down next to her husband. "Wherever we go, there are paparazzi or other people telling us we're doing it wrong." She looked at Harry. "Your grandmother wasn't told like this; she was the Goddamn Queen. She didn't take your father wherever she went."

"Yes, she was the Queen. No was going to question her," Harry said, "and back in that time, no one questioned each other publicly on how another parents."

"Times have changed," she huffed.

"Do you want to go out of London? We can get away for a while," Harry offered.

"We're bored here. Imagine how bored we'd be out there, in the country, with nothing around us."

Harry nodded. "They always went after my mother for her parenting, they go after Kate."

Lucy eyes came to him. "Your mother was praised for her parenting, how lovely she was to you boys. Of course she got in trouble because she wasn't as rigid as some other family members were at the time. But she was motherly and kind, and she would stay with you guys a lot." She chewed on her bottom lip. "I'm not really like that. I have to go out and do something. I can't just stay here."

"I wouldn't expect that from you, because I wouldn't expect that from me," he admitted. "Really, you would get out before I can. Sometimes I think that would be perfect: you go and I stay." He rolled onto his back. "But I know I'd also be bored out of my mind if I was stuck inside here all day."

She laid her head to his chest. "We have to please them," Lucy sighed, "everyone. It's our jobs."

"So, we're just going to stay here, in Kensington Palace, all the time?"

"Hell no. We're going to go out and do what we need to do. That means doing our jobs, and if people aren't happy with it, fuck off to them. Our child is fine-- he'll be fine. We have our jobs to do, and that includes going to charity events. He'll come outside when he's ready, because the rest of his life will be spent in the camera light so let him be cool now."

Harry smirked. "Do you think he realizes he's special?"

"No, he's a baby."

He burst out laughing, which Lucy laughed too.

"I don't care if he thinks he's special, because he's still doing chores and he will grow up as normal as we can make it. He is our child, but he will not get special treatment."

Harry rolled his eyes. "That always works well."

"Our lives, you mean."

He continued to laugh, and then he breathed deeply. "He hasn't cried for a while."

"Yes, he's been asleep for three hours now. God knows he'll only last another ten minutes."

"Ten minutes," Harry said, "neither of us will be able to fall asleep before then."

Lucy arched an eyebrow. "I'm not having sex with you. None. At. All."

"I know," Harry said. "Doesn't mean we can't have a snogging session, like horny teenagers who don't take it all the way."

She looked at him strictly and sighed. "I thought we were penciling these things in now."

"You're free, I'm free. We have a little time now. Let's save more grownup things for later." His eyes sparkled. "What do you say?"

Her lips smashed into his. Harry laughed. This was what it was: kissing, just kissing-- only kissing. That was all it needed to be. There just needed to be some kissing. It wasn't really children-rated kissing, as much as horny teenagers kissing that it didn't go much further. Harry liked to use his tongue. Lucy liked to use her teeth. Lucy stayed on top of his while kissing, and then Fred cried.

"It's like he knows," Lucy groaned.

"We're never having sex again, are we?" Harry asked.

"No, if he keeps it up like this." Lucy left him and went into Fred's room, which Harry followed. She picked up her son, and smelt his diaper. He needed to be changed. Immediately, Lucy went to it.