- Harry & Monica -

Honeymoon phases start at the beginning of any relationship - and you could, really, apply it to friendship as well. But for this case, it's relationships. Everyone knows that the honeymoon doesn't last - despite Louis' belief of having it be a month long but this isn't about Louis at the moment- this is about Harry and Monica and how despite not being in a official relationship, their honeymoon phase was sure to end some time soon.

After a fourth date, one that followed a romantic dinner (the third date), full of watching films and then lazying on the couch until they had to go pick up the five and six year old from school, the two families of two found themselves at the park - one that had a pond dead center so the kids could see, play with and feed the ducks. But this was no ordinary trip to the park, no, Harry wanted to have a picnic and with this blossoming relationship and his daughter's best friend it was no question whether to invite the Highlands.

"I want a ducky," Athena pipes up after finishing her peanut butter and jelly sandwich, she wipes her mouth with a napkin before brushing off the invisible crumbs off of her hands and lap. Being the complete opposite, Jake had jelly across his cheeks and adorned crumbs all over his new pair of jeans.

Now in all honesty, it was too cold to be outside having a picnic but the two pairs didn't mind one bit because they were with each other.

Harry looks over to his daughter with raised eyebrows. "I thought you wanted a bunny."

The blonde shakes her head, having difficulty folding her arms across her chest since Harry forced her into a thick coat. "I want a ducky and Jake wants a  doggy. We have to get both."

Monica and Harry glanced over at each other with amused looks in their eyes. And Monica couldn't help but have heart heart speed up at the mention on 'we' - such a simple word that could mean so much. She knew that if things worked out for the good, 'we' would be pretty fantastic.

"I'll get you the best duck and dog ever." Harry chuckles before reaching over to take some cookies out of the bin. Just the other day he and Jake had made them, it was pretty clear that this could would want to be a baker if he didn't end up being the next Hulk. They were homemade chocolate chip (Jake's choice) and gluten free (Harry's choice). And while the two guys made cookies, Monica and Athena were drawing with crayons in the living room.

"Daddy said he has a doggy - so now I can have two doggies!" Jake announces after accepting one of the cookies Harry offered the two children. 

"Really?" Monica questions, having the news of her ex having a dog startling her. Back when her and Matt together, they had discussed the matter of getting a dog but they've never gotten around to it. Not only that but their complex only allowed small dogs and they wanted a golden retriever husky mix. She wonders if that's the dog he got.

Jake nods before accepting the piece of cookie Athena offered him; he'd already finished his own. "Daddy said he always wanted a doggy."

"So did I." And though she murmured it to herself, Harry had heard it. He wondered what Monica was thinking, because frankly with that look in her eye, he didn't know if he liked it or not. He has a feeling that that look in her eyes was not just about this dog but it's about Matt. Blinking out of his thoughts, Harry shifts closer to Monica all while pushing his jealousy aside.

As if the action Harry made took her out of her thoughts, she turned toward him and gave him a smile. That just confirmed his suspicion that she was thinking about Matt. However, that thought whisks away the moment Monica leans over and pecks him on the lips the minute the two kids get distracted by a flock of birds in the sky. She then whispers, "Does this make it our fifth date?"

The man couldn't help the blush that followed afterward.

.

For the next hour, there is eating, talking, playing, singing, relaxing, hugging and kissing. The wind had picked up quite a bit, leading to everyone wrapping their arms around themselves or someone else in order to keep warm. Jake nuzzles his head into Monica's neck, while Athena snuggles herself into Harry's trench coat.

"Alright, I think nature wants us to get out of her," Harry comments, arms tight around his little girl as he carries her. He then looks up, squinting when his hair falls into his eyes. "She must be really tired of us because it looks like it's gonna rain."

Monica laughs and shakes her head. "But then again, when is that new?"

Harry hums in agreement before they take both kids to the car, letting them sit in the heated vehicle as they go back and retrieve their picnic. When doing so, the air is filled with comfortable silence as all that was on their mind right now was getting back to the warmth the car had to offer. However, as they were about to place foot onto the car park, Harry speaks up.

"Monica," he murmurs making Monica stop her walk to turn back to him, realizing he had stopped. She raises her eyebrows, jumping up and down slightly in attempt to get warm. He shifts the picnic basked from his right hand to his left. "Um... I like you."

The brunette smiles before walking to Harry's side. She shifts the blanket to drape over her shoulder before wrapping her arms around his torso. "I like you too, Harry."

It was a random statement, really, but Harry needed some reassurance because despite having this lovely outing with each other and the kids, he kept thinking about that look in Monica's eyes when Matt was mentioned. It stupid really, how worried he is about Matt and Monica because when he'd met Matt he was nothing but sweet to him, not to mention call out Harry on his fancy. Matt basically gave him a blessing in a way. But even so, that won't stop Monica from harboring feelings for her ex. After all, they (Matt and Monica) have been spending more time together ever since the holidays.

"What's on your mind, babe?" There was that word slip again, and that reassured him. Monica's clings onto him tightly, not only to be comforting but because he was quite warm despite his shivers.

Harry attempts to wrap his arms around her too but just ends up hitting her back with the picnic basket. He murmurs and apology before sticking to letting her take control of the affection for now. The curly haired men then says, "Nothing... Just wanted to hear you say it."

"Weirdo."

Then they head towards the car, the music chosen by Athena as Jake starts a game of 'I Spy' to which Harry claims to be a master at. About five minutes from Monica's flat, it begins to rain - hard. This makes uneasy feeling settle in Harry's stomach after he pulls into the complex's car lot. And his actions of shutting his eyes tightly and white knuckles from holding onto the wheel too tight does not go unnoticed by Monica. After Jake unbuckles himself from his seat and scampers outside into the rain and into the building to greet Frank (the man at front desk), Monica quickly leans over to Harry and places a hand on his arm.

"You two can stay the night," she says softly. Though Harry had never told her, he wasn't much of a fan of driving especially in harsh weather. Even if they had some good times in the vehicle Harry would always be tense during the night, when someone cuts him off or harsh stops - it all scared him to no end. And Monica can understand that since he'd lost Katelyn from an accident. To be honest, she didn't want him to drive in such harsh conditions anyway.

Harry nods before murmuring, "Okay."

He turns off the car and exits only to be greeted by harsh pelts of water, quickly making his way to the side to get Athena out of the car. Monica watches him for a while from the passengers seat before exiting the car and making her way into the building to make sure her son wasn't causing trouble and had stayed in the lobby.

When Jake sees Harry and Athena in tow behind Monica he grins. "Are we going to have a sleepover!?"

"We sure are, bud."

.

It was eight o'clock when Monica decided it was a good time to put her little fireball to sleep. Of course, he complains about how Athena gets to stay up longer but Monica just says that she's older so she gets to stay up longer making Jake huff and pout about having a birthday in June. The minutes he hits the pillow though, he's out like a light.

"Goodnight, Jacob," she whispers before turning off the light and leaving the door slightly ajar. 

When Monica makes her way into the living room, she sees a nuzzled up Athena in Harry's arms a content smile on her face as Harry whispers her things Monica couldn't make out. She watches their interaction for a bit, a subconscious smile making an appearance on her face.

"Are you gonna sleep in bed with Moni?" Athena questions quietly, reaching over to play with her father's bracelets. A lot of them were from fans, and he didn't want to get rid of any.

Harry fiddles with the ends of her blonde hair and hums. "Daddy is going to sleep here on the sofa."

If only that was true. It was a few minutes from being ten when Athena passed out in Harry's arms while they watched a film, he got up and laid her in the bed the pulled out from underneath Jake's with the help of Monica. The minute the door was closed behind them, Monica looked up to meet Harry's eyes.

"Bed?" Harry asks quite huskily making a shiver run down Monica's spine. She knew nothing was going to happen, not only because their kids were in the next room over but also because they weren't in love. Monica has only slept with one man, someone whom she loved dearly and she wanted to wait until love has blossomed before anything did happen. But damn, did his voice sound nice.

Monica's room was neat in contrast to the rest of the flat, she had not one article of clothing on the floor and had her books on a shelf. Harry had cleaned up his room as well, after he finally found enough strength to do so - he'd taken Katelyn's picture out of the drawer and placed his two all-time favourite picture right beside his side of the bed. It was one of their wedding photos  and of the two of them with a baby Athena fresh out of the womb. The picture on Monica's beside table was of her, Jake and Jeff at what looked to be Jake's second birthday according to the cake and candle.

"I'm going to go change," Monica announces after grabbing a few articles of clothing from her drawers. Harry turns around to face her before shoving his hands in his pockets.

"You can just change here." Monica's eyebrows raise. "I mean, we just had our fifth date." That's when a thought popped into Harry's head. He dropped the act and gave her a confused look. "Earlier at the park, how did you know about it?"

She shrugs. "Louis told me."

"Since when have you been talking to Louis?" Harry's mouth bobs like fish out of water.

"Since I met him?" She shifts onto her right foot. "He asked for my number when you went to the loo saying he wanted to keep in touch with his new best friend. He texted me after our fourth date."

"Son of a b -" Harry cuts himself off automatically, he's been censoring himself ever since Athena's been old enough to comprehend words. He runs a hand through his hair before sitting on the bed. "I swear, he does this on purpose."

"Probably." And then she goes to the bathroom to change before coming out in plaid pajama bottoms and a gray t-shirt, while Harry is only adorned in his jeans giving Monica a big doe-eye look. She stares at his naked chest for a moment before looking down his legs and then back to his eyes. "No."

"But Monica! I need to breathe!"

"Then don't choose trousers that could be considered second skin," she argues before crawling onto the left side of the bed since Harry was sat on the right. He turns around to face her with a pout. "Harry, that only works with Jake. You are a grown man that - "

He gets closer to her, making her swallow dryly. She blinks before shoving his face away.

In the end, Harry wins the argument and is now cuddled under the blankets simply in his boxers a fair distance between the two parents as they talked and looked at each other. Harry's hand was rubbing up and down her arm as she touched the skin of his neck, shoulders, chest, and arms amazed by how soft he was and the ink on his skin.

"Are you excited for the tour with Liam?" Harry asks once tugging Monica closer to him, fingers tucking a strand of hair behind her ear whilst never removing his eyes from hers. Monica nods excitedly, too stunned at how beautiful Harry was to speak - that and she thinks she might have bad breath and didn't want him to go through that if she talked. His eyebrows furrow. "So what's the plan for Jake during all this?"

Monica turns and lays on her back, the only solution to talking to Harry without worrying about her breath. "He's going to come with, Liam told me all about hiring someone to be his teacher for the time being so he won't be behind when we do come back. He's really excited about it especially since Matt will be joining us from time to time."

"What?" Harry is sitting up in an instant.

A little startled, Monica turns to him with wide eyes before sitting up herself. "What?"

He can't control his jealousy this time.

"Monica, you're letting Matt back in too easily."

Her eyes narrow. "It's my decision who I let into my life."

Harry's voice raises. "Well I be damned, then let him in! But honestly, Monica, you're letting him come in as if he never left you all by yourself! As if he hadn't brushed off the fact that you were pregnant with his child! Jesus, I'm all for forgiveness but forgiveness also takes time  and all you did was greet him with open arms! If that's the case, you'll be welcoming his love with open arms and you'll fall for him and - "

"Harry, he - "

Monica is not only cut off by Harry's huff but she's also cut off by Athena's whimper as she stands in the doorway. A light sleeper she was unlike Jake who took forever to wake up. Her eyes were wide with unshed tears as her eyes met her father's - she's never heard him yell like that. Her voice breaks when she says, "Daddy?"

Simply too stunned to speak, Harry looks away ashamed as Monica gets up to comfort the girl. "Hey, sweetie. It's alright."

"Why are you and Daddy fighting?"

"Nothing, it's alright. Why don't  we get you get back into bed, yeah?" 

Athena complies after receiving a hug and though she was assured that everything was alright, the minute Monica stepped back into her room it wasn't. Harry sat there with a hard look on his face; eyes cast down, eyebrows scrunched, and flared nostrils. Just when Monica was about to end this argument, it ignites once more. "You will never be her Mother."

Monica steps back in startle. "I wasn' trying to - "

"Katelyn is her Mother. Not you."

"Har -"

"Don't." And then he gets up and enters the living room, too many memories filling his mind, too many emotions running through him and just the most nauseating feeling ever to land upon him. Every argument he's had with Katelyn had flashed past his eyes when Monica left the room, and how they'd wake up a baby Athena and Katelyn would be the one to comfort her - how he just knew that Monica would fall back in love with Matt because feelings like they had just don't disappear - how he didn't want to be the one who was hurt because he's been hurt too many times in his lifetime but even so, he was hurting bad. And the minute the rain stopped, he was leaving with no intention of coming back.

- - -

(A/N): NOT EDITED wow, like, I have no words. 

Importance of Chapter: okay, so the paragraph was meant to tell you that something was going to happen in this chapter - and I'm really glad I did so because it left you all in suspense (this isn't really all that important but I wanted to mention it). Anyways, so here we start the day off just fine with a picture perfect picnic with the Styles and Highlands but of course, I had to start the storm so then came the mention of Matt and the look Monica got when he was mentioned (or rather his dog). Next came the storm (aha, did you get the symbolism?) brewing and a conversation Harry needed for reassurance (you all saw how that went later on). But there was a problem, when questioned about what was wrong Harry didn't tell her - one very important rule in relationships is telling each other when something is bothering them. We also get to know how Harry is weary with driving, even though it hasn't seemed like it. But yay! A sleepover - I mean, it was good in the beginning. Harry let his jealousy get the best of him and told Monica that she was wrong on how she was going about Matt and so on and so forth. Then with Athena, his emotions were heightened so when he got those flashbacks of Katelyn he was a lose cannon ready to blow - which he had. Not wanting to hear what Monica had to say, he cut her off and left the room waiting for the rain to cease because despite wanting to leave he wasn't going to do so with high emotions and slick roads.

SONG OF CHAPTER:  PHOTOGRAPH - ED SHEERAN (yes, Ed Sheeran again)

Importance of Song: (this song makes my cry, okay?) anyways, this applies to the three main couples we encounter in this story. Harry and Monica, Harry and Katelyn, and Monica and Matt. Will Harry come home? Will Matt? Or will they all be looking at photographs - remembering what used to be?

p.s. the picture of Harry (not really) and Katelyn that's on his beside table (their wedding picture)

p.p.s. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY LITTLE FAKE BLONDE SNOWFLAKE NEIL! YOU'RE TWENTY-TWO YEARS OLD AND I JUST CAN'T PUT INTO WORDS HOW PROUD I AM OF YOU! IF ONLY YOU WERE LIKE EIGHTEEN OR NINETEEN BECAUSE AYE THAT'S MY AGE (wink wink). ANYWAYS, YOU'RE HALF OF NARRY AND I LOVE YOU SO I HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT DAY, BABE! x

4 CHAPTERS LEFT! 590 VOTES & 250 COMMENTS!

Question: Who do you think takes the blame for this argument? (best answer gets a dedication and a mention - to get more reads and such - for one story x)

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