One Day We'll Bring Him Home

[charmed60]

Story Title: One Day We'll Bring Him Home

Type of story: One Shot

Main Characters: Rachel, Tony

BTTB rating: G

Genre: Drama, Angst

Does story include spoilers: No

Warnings: None

Summary: I entered this fic as part of the recent fanfiction contest under the summary "What if baby Harry had never been found. Would Rachel and Tony's relationship have srurvived? Even now, nearly a year later how much of their lives would be revolved around looking for him?"

However being the avid Tachel fan that I am I couldn't bear to leave it how I submitted it as part of the contest and I've therefore completed an alternative ending which I hope you'll like All comments, contructive criticism is welcome!

Tony rolled the pencil between his fingers, not really focusing on the student’s work in front of him. It was late in the day and the sun had just begun to set, leaving a dark orange glow to fill the living room. It seemed so wrong. Not even a beautiful sunset could bring him any happiness anymore. He shook his head and forced himself to concentrate, his eyes constantly checking the clock above the stove. He couldn’t be late. She got home from shopping at the same time each week without fail, although it felt like it had been longer than seven days. His heart lifted at the thought and he smiled; only one hour to go. Suddenly the door opened noisily, disrupting Tony’s peaceful space and the sight of his wife caused him to feel an angry rush of emotion pour through his chest.

“Hey” she smiled meekly, aware of the tension between them. Her eyes felt so heavy after a long day at work and she had a raging headache which wasn’t helped by the thoughts which had been consuming her all afternoon.

“Hi” he curtly answered, sliding the sheets of his student’s test paper into a pile before placing them in his work bag. He didn’t even look at her.

“I hope you haven’t been working too hard?” she cautiously asked. There was no point asking if he’d had a good day, she knew that they didn’t’ exist anymore. Not since their little boy…

“Well if you can work all day every day then why shouldn’t I?” he bit back, taking a sip from the glass of water in front of him.

Rachel winced. She tried every time not to let his words upset her but it was no use. They hurt. And he was right. She worked every shift the hospital gave her and more, it was the only way she found she could cope. Being alone in a room terrified her as it allowed the thoughts she didn’t want to hear seep into her mind and it reminded her exactly of what she’d lost. What they’d lost. She was the mother of an eleven month old baby, it shouldn’t be quiet. She didn’t understand how Tony could do it, he seemed to embrace being alone and she’d often find him sitting in the living room in the middle of the night with nothing but the sound of the birds outside echoing in the room.

“I wondered if we could talk about Saturday” she tentatively began…

“I don’t want to talk about it” Tony brushed off immediately, his eyes focused on the water rippling as he tapped the glass gently.

“But Tony it’s important, please; I just want us to do something together for him” Rachel hurriedly explained, aware that he would be cutting her off at every opportunity.

“I said, I don’t want to talk about it” he boomed back, his finger tapping faster at the glass as water splashed onto the kitchen table.

“But it’s his first birthday” she cried, tears trickling down her cheeks. It frustrated her so much that he wouldn’t talk to her about him; she needed to talk about Harry. To keep him alive.

“I know what it is” he screamed, jumping up forcefully from his chair as he flung the glass across the room. Rachel jumped as it collided with the wooden cabinet, shattering into tiny pieces which were scattered across the floor. She swallowed hard and slowly looked up at him, his face totally unrecognisable to her. He was breathing hard and his once gentle eyes had become hardened and angry.

“Harry’s not here” Tony whispered in an almost robotic voice. “And I won’t celebrate his birthday without him.” He looked up at the clock once again and Rachel didn’t miss the calm which seemed to appear on his face, the fraught wrinkles around his eyes becoming relaxed. She watched as he collected his keys from the side and headed towards the door. She knew where he was going.

“I love you” she choked after him, desperate to let him know before he left. All she got back was the sound of the front door slamming, a sound which had become familiar to her over the last ten months. But knowing what was happening didn’t make it any easier and she started to cry, her breath becoming harder to catch as the sobs consumed her whole body. Whilst she coped by immersing herself in work, he dealt with his pain by seeing other women. It would be naïve of her to not realise it. She’d known for months. Pulling herself over to the sink for some tissues she tried to remember the last time he’d told her he loved her but she honestly couldn’t recall. He never said it; he never even slept in the same bed as her anymore. It was like they were two strangers living in the same house who would pass each other for only moments at a time. It was always Tony that left first; as soon as she entered a room he would leave. At times she’d thought about leaving him but as soon as the idea had entered her head it left just as quickly. She could never do it, not just because she was still in love with him but also because he was her last link to her beautiful little boy, her perfect angel. And that was the one thing she couldn’t bear to lose; it was all that was keeping her going.

*********

He hadn’t come home until three o clock that morning. It wasn’t like she’d purposely stayed up to check on him, she never slept anymore anyway. At least he had the respect not to get into bed with her after; that was one thing she was grateful for. But it broke her heart the mess she’d made of yet another marriage and the most devastating thing was that it made her feel like she’d let Harry down. A tear trickled down her cheek painting wet paths of pain which she quickly wiped away; once she started she knew she’d never stop and she dreaded how Tony would react if he came home and found her crying again. A knock at the door startled her and she looked up to see her best friend smiling at her, a smile which turned to pity when she saw the redness around Rachel’s eyes.

“Hey sweetie” Leah greeted and threw her arms around her friend, trying desperately not to cry herself. She still couldn’t believe that they hadn’t found Harry and it broke her heart to see her best friend going through so much pain on a daily basis. The most painful thing being that there was nothing she could say, no words that could comfort her or reassure her that her little boy was safe.

“Come in” Rachel muttered, clearing her voice as it cracked. “I was just about to make tea” she commented brightly, attempting to show Leah that she was okay.

“Where’s Tony?” Leah asked, glancing around the room. Her eyes caught onto the small bear that was sitting on the bookshelf, taunting her as it always did when she

visited. It hadn’t been moved since the day Harry had gone.

“Work maybe? I dunno” Rachel shrugged gloomily, pouring the hot liquid into the cup. The temptation to ‘accidentally’ spill it over her skin powered its way through her and she took in a deep breath, desperate to get rid of it. It had been happening a lot lately. She didn’t know why. “He went out again last night” she mumbled, causing Leah to close her eyes in sympathy.

“Rach, you need to talk to him about this” Leah persuaded despite knowing it would be no use.

“It won’t change anything” Rachel declared, stirring her spoon absentmindedly in her cup. “I need him around” she continued, looking desperately into her best friends eyes. “For Harry.”

Leah nodded. She didn’t agree with it but she understood. “Talking of Harry, I got him a present” Leah smiled, hoping it would be taken with the intention she had given it with.

Tears sprung to Rachel’s eyes as she received the gift and turned it around in her hands, touched by her friends’ gesture.

“It can be waiting for him when you get him back” she smiled optimistically, squeezing Rachel’s hand as she saw the pain flicker across her eyes. “Open it.”

Rachel tore gently at the paper and couldn’t help but think about how it should be her son’s excited chubby little fingers tearing excitedly at the wrapping. Her eyes widened and a smile crept across her face as she removed the paper and placed it carefully to the side.

“I figured he’d probably follow in his Mummy’s footsteps and would want to get a head start” Leah explained of the children’s doctor’s set consisting of a plastic thermometer, bandages, toy syringes and a colourful stethoscope. “Maybe when you find him he’ll be the right age for it.”

“It’s perfect” Rachel smiled, her eyes glistening with tears. “He would have…he will, he’ll love it” she corrected, desperate to remain positive. Thoughts of Harry giggling and playing excitedly with it filled her mind; she so desperately wanted to teach him how to use the equipment and longed to see the amazement in his eyes when he heard a heartbeat through the stethoscope. The problem with these daydreams though was that his face was always blurry. He would be crawling, walking, smiling and even starting to talk. Yet she couldn’t see his face, she didn’t know what he would look like. All she had was the image of him still as a four week old baby.

“Thank you so much” Rachel cried, hugging her friend tightly; “thank you for not forgetting him.”

“That’s never going to happen” Leah promised, “do you think Tony will like it?”

The phone rung just as Rachel stumbled to reply, something she was grateful of. She didn’t have the heart to tell Leah that she would have had to hide it from her husband, for fear of him reacting the same way he did every time she so much as mentioned their son.

“Hello” she sighed tiredly, rubbing her temples in view of her impending headache. Her heart stopped in her chest. “Charlie…” her voice shook and a feeling of nausea reached her throat. “Of course” she muttered quickly before dropping the house phone and reaching for her mobile to call Tony.

“Rach what’s going on” Leah shrieked, disturbed by her friend’s sudden change in mood.

“Charlie’s called me to the station, she said she needs to talk to Tony and I” Rachel shakily muttered whilst running her hand through her hair. “It’s about Harry, I know it is” she choked, praying that after eleven months, they’d finally found her baby.

*********

“You’re doing what” Rachel gasped, her breath catching in her throat as she felt herself struggling to breathe. She knew that people sitting in the station were starting to stare but she didn’t care, she was furious. Devastated. She thought they’d found him.

“Rachel, I know this is difficult…” Charlie began sympathetically.

“You know do you?” Rachel seethed, feeling hot, angry tears burning her cheeks as they spilled from her eyes. “You know what it feels like to have a child ripped away from you with no idea where they are or if they’re okay. He could be hurt Charlie” she sobbed, choking on her words “and you’re not going to do anything to help him. He’s just a baby. You’re letting these people get away with this…”

“We have no leads” Charlie softly explained, trying to calm Rachel down. “We haven’t had any new information on him for over eight months.”

“That doesn’t mean that we won’t” Rachel almost shrieked.

“And I promise you if anything new is given to us we will reopen the investigation immediately” Charlie swore. She hated that she had to do this to Tony and Rachel; she blamed herself that they hadn’t found Harry yet. But it was the policy of the force to close any investigations once a certain time period had passed without any evidence and she’d already begged her superintendent to extend that period by an extra month in hopes that they would find him. But there were no leads, no witnesses, no DNA; nothing. She hated to admit it but the chances of them finding Harry were pretty much zero.

“So in the meantime you’re not going to do anything? You won’t question anyone else? It’s a small town; somebody has to know where he is” Rachel pleaded, desperate to cling onto hope. “Please Charlie, please don’t do this” she cried, her body shaking. Charlie opened her mouth to speak but she couldn’t find the words, she felt so utterly

helpless.

“I’m so sorry” she breathed, blinking away tears of her own. As she struggled to find the words to say she saw Tony running through the door towards them and her heart sunk. She’d already seen the grief he went through when Jack had died and whilst she felt awful for Rachel, she felt even worse for him. Nobody deserved to lose a child, let alone two.

“Tony please talk some sense into them” Rachel cried, relief flooding through her body as she saw her husband appear. Despite how much he hated her right now she knew that he wouldn’t let them get away with this. That was something they at least had in common.

“What’s going on” he asked; the fear and expectation evident in his eyes.

“I’m really sorry Tony but due to a lack of recent leads…” Charlie began, dreading his reaction.

“They’re closing the investigation” Rachel interrupted, her hands shaking as she ran them through her hair in exasperation. “They’re not looking for Harry anymore, they think there’s no point; he’s not worth wasting their money on apparently…”

“Rachel that is not why we’re closing the case” Charlie gasped, horrified that Rachel could think that of her.

“Then why are you” she screamed, rubbing her head as pressure built up and she felt her temples throbbing.

“Rachel it’s not Charlie’s fault” Tony interrupted, taking a deep breath. “Maybe they’re right” he hesitated, avoiding Rachel’s eye gaze. “Maybe it’s time that we accepted they’re not going to find Harry.”

Rachel froze. “What” she choked. “You did not just say that…” She shook her head and stared at him, completely disgusted by his total lack of support.

“It’s nearly been a year Rachel…” Tony sighed, complete confidence in his voice.

“And he is your son” she spat out, her eyes wide in horror. “How can you just give up on him like that?”

“I’m not giving up on him” Tony shouted, the veins in his neck bulging. “And don’t you dare accuse me of doing that. You have no idea. But if they haven’t already found him by now then they’ll…”

“No” Rachel shrieked, pointing her finger shakily at him. “Don’t you dare finish that sentence, don’t you dare.” She couldn’t believe what was happening, it made her feel sick. She felt something towards Tony that she’d never felt before; hate. She hated him. She hated that he wasn’t supporting her, she hated that he could give up so easily on his son. But most of all her heart broke for their little boy, what would he think if he knew his Daddy wasn’t going to look for him anymore?

“It’s the right thing to do” he whispered.

“I hate you” she spat. The words slipped out of her mouth before she could stop them. She couldn’t help it, she felt so much anger. Her shoulders rose with each breath she took as she tried to shake the rage encaged inside her. He turned his back to her. “You’re all so….heartless” Rachel sobbed, looking around the room at the officers who were denying her the right to look for her child. “And I pray to God that you never have to go through this.” She couldn’t even bear to look at Tony anymore, he wasn’t the person she fell in love with. Feeling bile rise in her throat she ran out of the station, vowing never to stop looking for Harry. “Mummy won’t let you down sweetheart” she whispered into the air, praying that he would know.

*********

Tony tapped on the steering wheel, peering out of the car window at her house, waiting for her to come home. It had gone too far now, he knew it. After his confrontation with Rachel he realised that it was time to do something; to stop this. The look in her eyes completely shattered his heart and all he could hear echoing in his head was her telling him that she hated him. It was something he never wanted to hear again. He’d tried going home to explain everything to her but when he looked in through the window blinds and saw her sobbing hysterically on the floor of their living room something inside of him snapped. Seeing her so totally consumed by grief destroyed him and he wanted nothing more than to run inside and throw his arms around her, to comfort her and promise that things would be okay. But he couldn’t. Not yet anyway.

A car pulling onto the driveway made his eyes alert as he snapped out of his daydream. He could feel his heart racing in his chest at anticipation of what he was about to do but he knew he couldn’t back out now, he’d come too far. He watched as she pulled the handbrake up and walked around to the back seats, leaving the door open as she leant across the car seat and pulled out three bags of shopping. Tony carefully and quietly stepped out of his car and placed himself out of sight behind the bonnet as he watched her dig around in her handbag for her keys before stepping into the house as she did every single week.

Seeing his chance, his body shaking with fear and adrenaline Tony ran forward towards her car and unstrapped the belt of the small child’s car seat. He hesitated as he looked at the little boy, his eyes becoming cloudy with intense emotion but he quickly brushed the tears away and focused on what he was doing. Pulling the toddler towards him and holding him close he ran towards his own car and placed him quickly but carefully in the car seat they’d bought for Harry not long before he was born. He didn’t fit perfectly but it would have to do. He stared down at the child’s perfect features, it was his son, he was sure of it. An angelic smile appeared on the little boy’s face which made Tony’s heart feel like it was going to implode with happiness.

“You know I’m your Daddy don’t you buddy” he whispered, stroking a stray piece of hair from his son’s eyes and tickling his tummy. A haunting scream suddenly pierced through the air and Tony shot his head up in the direction of the noise to find the woman chasing frantically towards his car as she noticed her baby was gone. Tony slammed the door to his car and pressed his foot hard on the accelerator as the wheels skidded and he raced down the road. His palms were sweating as he looked in his rear view mirror and saw the woman pick up her pace before falling to the floor in defeat. He desperately tried to keep his eyes on the road but he couldn’t help staring at his perfect child beside him, he had Rachel’s eyelashes. He couldn’t wait to tell her, to hand their son back to her and watch her broken smile become complete again. He knew it would be worth it, the months of arguing and distance between them both had been torture. Seeing a field in the close proximity and satisfied that the road was clear he pulled over and eagerly reached out to his son, lifting him onto his lap. Holding him again was a feeling he’d waited so long to experience and he studied his face taking in every dimple, every hair; every freckle. He couldn’t believe how much his son had changed in ten months, he was almost unrecognizable. He even had a red birthmark behind his right ear that hadn’t been there when he was a baby.

Tony’s heart sunk with an indescribable force. Harry didn’t have a birthmark. This wasn’t his son.

“What have I done” he muttered as the reality of the situation hit him. He desperately wanted to hold onto the idea that this little boy was his child, his baby son who’d been so cruelly snatched away from him. But no matter how much he tried to convince himself, he could see that he wasn’t. Harry had beautiful dark hair, this child was blonde, something Tony hadn’t even noticed originally. Harry also had a sweet dimple on his chin and a tiny endearing curl to his ear which was something that had been passed through Tony’s family. Both were missing. With a loss of hope, he placed the child back in the seat and drove him silently back to his mother’s house. He barely saw the flashing lights of the police cars as he pulled into the road and numbly handed the child back to his grief stricken mother. They placed handcuffs on his wrists and he didn’t even flinch. He realised Harry truly was gone.

*********

“Why did you do it?” Rachel whispered as she placed a comforting hand on her husband’s back. She’d received the call an hour ago to say that Tony had been arrested for kidnapping and raced up to the station, convinced there’d been a mistake. They’d led her to the questioning room; a dark space with just a table and chair situated in the middle of the room which was where she found him. He looked completely broken, his head was resting on both of his hands and his eyes were bloodshot.

“I thought it was him, I really did” Tony choked, breathing deeply as he tried desperately not to cry. “He’s really gone isn’t he” he added, his eyes closed in defeat. Rachel rested her chin on his arm and squeezed his hand tightly, there was nothing she could say. “When David at work told me that a guy down his road had come back from a meeting abroad to find that his wife had had their baby…I thought it had to be Harry. That maybe she’d never really been pregnant and…geez it sounds so crazy now but it made sense at the time. He had the same blanket and the birthdates were the same.”

“Why didn’t you tell the police” Rachel interrupted, pleased that he was finally opening up to her.

“Because ever since they let Angelo get away with my boy’s murder I don’t trust them. I thought that if I told them they’d mess it up and I didn’t want to take that risk…that’s why I was glad when Charlie said they were closing the case. You know I used to go there very week and watch that woman leave him in the car while she took the shopping in so I knew I could get him back…”

“Wait, you’ve been going there every week?” Rachel questioned, her mind whirring as it suddenly dawned on her.

“Yeah” Tony nodded, his cheeks reddening with embarrassment. “Where did you think I was going?”

“I thought that maybe…” she began, “Tony I’m so sorry, it’s just you seemed so happy when you left to go there and…”

“You thought I was cheating on you” Tony gasped, sitting upright in the chair as he looked his wife in the eyes for the first time in nearly a year.

“You never told me you loved me anymore, you used to flinch every time I touched you. I thought you hated me” Rachel cried, shame filling her body.

“I don’t hate you” Tony abruptly interrupted, placing his hand on hers. “I needed to put distance between us because I’ve lost so many people. And I was afraid of staying close to you incase I lost you to.”

“I’m so sorry” Rachel gushed, wrapping her arms around her husband as she savoured the feeling of being close to him again. She’d spent so many months worrying about something that wasn’t even true and she couldn’t help but think how differently things could have been. She hated herself for feeling so resentful towards Tony when all along he’d been trying to bring their little boy home, just in a different way to her.

“I do love you” he whispered into her neck, words that made Rachel smile through her tears. She’d waited so long to hear him say it. Yet her smile wasn’t complete and it never would be. Not without Harry.

*********

Rachel breathed in the cool fresh night air, it was so peaceful outside and yet her heart told a different story. Tony had had the charges against him dropped, when the couple heard the truth they’d realised he’d suffered enough. She looked at her watch and her heart sank. She didn’t want Harry’s birthday to end; it was the one day she was allowed to think about him without people telling her that she needed to move on or giving her strange looks because they were worried about how she was coping. Tugging the blanket which was wrapped around her legs closer to her she tried to wonder what Harry was doing now, would he even know that he was one year old today? Footsteps shuffled behind her and she turned to find Tony standing beside her, a small cupcake in his hand with a single lit candle.

“It’s for Harry” he smiled sadly, “you’re right, we should still celebrate.” Rachel could barely speak and so instead watched as he placed it on the table in front of them and then held his hand as he sat closely next to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

“I want him home” Rachel began to sob as she watched the flame flicker with the breeze. It was fragile and new, just like their son’s life. “He will come back to us one day wont he” she begged, clutching his shirt tightly in her fist.

“Yeah he will” Tony muttered, his eyes glazed with tears. “He’s somewhere out there with a family who couldn’t have children and they loved him so much when they saw him that they wanted him to be their son. So they’re looking after him for a little while and giving him the best life that they possibly can. He’s going to have a really happy childhood and when he’s older they’ll tell him about me and you and he’ll come looking for us and we’ll all be together again.”

“Do you really believe that” Rachel questioned, resting her head on his chest as she wiped away a tear.

“I have to. We both do” Tony declared, focusing on the flame of the candle. Losing Harry was something he’d never get over, he’d just have to learn to live with the pain; like he did with Jack. But the difference with Harry was that there was still hope they could bring him home again and as long as he and Rachel lived, they wouldn’t stop looking for their little peanut. One day.

*********

“Thank you so much VJ, you’re such a smart kid” Rachel smiled gratefully, glancing over the website page for Harry that he’d helped them create. It was the first thing that her and Tony had actually sat down and worked together at since Harry was taken from them.

“It’s okay, I hope you find him” he blushed. “Maybe when he’s back I could teach him football?”

At Rachel’s hesitancy, Tony glanced over at her and watched tears well in her eyes before she excused herself from the room. “Erm, yer that sounds really good mate. Thank you” he smiled before walking him outside to where Leah was waiting in the car for him. After waving goodbye he took a deep breath before walking through the hallway and knocking on his bedroom door.

“Rach” he whispered, opening the door slightly when he received no response. The room was dark but he could just about make out her figure. She was lying upright in their bed, her back turned away from him as she stared aimlessly out of the window, crumpled tear stained tissues clutched in her shaking hands. “You okay?” he muttered as he sat down by her feet and placed a hand on her leg.

“I’m sorry” she whimpered, sniffing as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks at the sound of her husband’s concerned voice. “I thought I had it under control but…just seeing his pictures again.”

“I know” he choked, squeezing his eyes as images of his little boy swam into his mind. “Come here” he whispered as he held her hand and pulled her towards him, wrapping his arms tightly around her as she moulded against his body and nestled her head underneath his chin.

“I thought this would get easier but it’s not” she sobbed, clutching his t-shirt tightly in her fingers. “I’m so sorry, you must be so sick of me crying.”

“Hey don’t be silly, it’s okay to cry” he hushed, stroking her hair out of her face. “You’re forgetting how you found me bawling over a wind chime last week” he cringed, smiling as she laughed.

“Harry loved the noise it made” she smiled fondly, “he used to kick his little legs when you ran your fingers along it.”

“Yeah he did” Tony nodded, kissing the top of her head.

“Do you think…” Rachel was cut off as the sound of the telephone interrupted her thoughts and she reached over to it, clearing her voice.

“Hello” she greeted brightly, hoping the person on the other end of the line wouldn’t be able to tell that she’d been crying. Her bright expression soon turned to confusion as she felt her heart hit her stomach and she reached out towards Tony.

“What is it, who is it” Tony rambled as he watched the colour drain quickly from his wife’s face.

“Look, if this is some kind of sick joke” Rachel spat, her voice reaching a pitch she didn’t think was possible. Her heart was pounding so hard in her chest that she could

barely hear his voice and her hands shaking so violently that the phone was almost slipping from her grip. She began nodding, her fearful eyes staring at her husband. She desperately wanted to tell him what was being said but didn’t want to miss a word that she was hearing. She could see him begging her to tell him what was going on out of the corner of her eye but instead she remained focused on the conversation, squeezing her husband’s hand. The phone call ended as she promised to meet him the next day and Rachel turned immediately towards Tony, stuttering as she tried to remain calm.

“This guy, he, oh God please, Tony he…”

“What, what is it tell me” Tony frantically pleaded, placing his hands either side of her arms.

“He said that…he thinks he knows where Harry is” Rachel choked as her whole body began shaking. “He wouldn’t tell me who he was but…he said that he, that he saw us on the News and Harry’s picture. What if he’s right Tony, we could get him back” Rachel beamed as tears of unfamiliar happiness poured down her cheek and she reached out towards her husband, holding him tighter than she ever had before.

“But what if he’s wrong” Tony whispered into her neck, his grip loose around her waist. “What if it’s not Harry.” Rachel pulled away and looked nervously at him, the fear becoming tighter in her chest.

“We’ll find out tomorrow” she muttered, biting her bottom lip. Tony simply nodded, he didn’t want to dare believe it could be their son, hope was an emotion he was too afraid to feel for fear that it would be quickly ripped away from him. They wrapped their arms around each other knowing that neither of them would be getting any sleep tonight and simply prayed, more than they ever had before that their son was finally going to come home.

*********

“Maybe he’s not coming” Tony whispered, a hint of disappointment evident in the tone of his voice. He’d spent all night thinking about it; laying on his back in bed wondering if this was really happening. Whether this little boy really was their Harry. As much as he wanted to believe it was he was too scared that they were getting their hopes up for nothing. He looked at his wife and saw the hope glistening in her eyes and her face seemed to have lost the tension that had been a huge part of her expression for the past year. But he wanted to be realistic, the chances of this being Harry were slim and he didn’t want to watch his wife going through that heartbreak all over again.

“He will” Rachel muttered, squeezing his hand as she clutched loved photographs of their little boy in her other hand. He’d requested they bring them.

“Are you Tony and Rachel” a voice boomed in front of them, causing them to jump to their feet.

“Yes we are, it’s Gregory isn’t it?” Tony replied, shaking the man’s hand. He looked kind, he had gentle eyes and a sincere smile but Tony couldn’t help recognising a familiar expression. The same one him and Rachel had been wearing.

“Thank you for meeting me, I’m sure you’ve had lots of calls from people claiming they’ve seen your son…”

“We haven’t actually” Rachel replied, her voice cracking. “We haven’t had any leads at all; we were beginning to lose hope. Have you seen him somewhere?”

“I think he’s been living with me” Gregory bluntly replied. “But I needed to make sure, that’s why I asked you to bring the photographs.”

“Wait, he’s been living with you? I don’t understand” Tony interrupted, his brain working double time as he tried to comprehend what he was being told.

“I broke up with my girlfriend about two years ago, we were having…difficulties. We were trying for a baby for years but, it never happened. I knew I was the problem; I’d had chemotherapy a few years ago and was always warned it could stop me having children. Watching the heartbreak she’d go through every month when we weren’t pregnant, I couldn’t bear to see her go through it anymore. So I broke up with her.”

“I don’t understand what this has to do with Harry” Rachel interrupted. She felt bad, his story was sad but she just desperately needed to know about her son. Whether she should stop hoping or not.

“I’m sorry” he replied, his eyes forlorn and his hands shaking, “this is just really hard for me. After I broke up with her she begged me for months to take her back but I wouldn’t. I wanted her to find somebody who could give her a family, something I couldn’t do. Then about a year later she turned up on my doorstep with a baby in her arms. Said she’d found out she was pregnant not long after she’d left but had been hesitant about telling me because she thought I didn’t love her anymore. I thought it was a miracle” he choked, “he was perfect. He is perfect. He’s got chubby little rosy cheeks, and the cutest smile. And he absolutely adores the sea, he loves kicking his feet and feeling the water splash onto his face.” Gregory’s voice tailed off as the enormity of what he was doing hit him and he had to take a deep breath to stop himself from crying.

“Why do you think he’s ours?” Rachel softly asked, feeling her own eyes well up. She couldn’t help but imagine how he’d got his love for the sea from his Daddy, it made perfect sense causing a warm glow to run through her. But she had to stop herself, knowing that there was still nothing to say it was Harry.

“Because things happened that didn’t add up. She demanded that we go away for a few weeks when she first turned up, she said so that we could get to know each other as a family but looking back, it was probably just to avoid all the news stories about…Harry.” He looked up at the couple sat opposite him for their reaction but could see

they weren’t convinced. “I asked about going abroad and wanted to get the little guy a passport but…she couldn’t provide a birth certificate. She kept dodging the question every time I asked to see it; I wanted to see that she’d put me down as his father but she just accused me of not trusting her. When we enrolled him in nursery she got all cagey and wouldn’t let me get involved with the application – I could tell she was hiding something from me and I thought that maybe she’d been seeing another man and he’d got her pregnant. I didn’t know why she’d pretended he was mine but I had to know so I got a DNA test done. It was negative.” Gregory’s voice broke as he lay his head in his hands and drummed them against his forehead. Rachel glanced tentatively at Tony, her eyes filled with confusion. She had sympathy for what the man in front of her had gone through, he clearly loved the little boy.

“Mate I’m really sorry, but still there’s nothing….” Tony insisted.

“I did a search on the internet. Put in his birthdate” Gregory interrupted, aware of the couple’s doubt. “It brought up all articles about your little boy. He looked like…exactly like…I saw that he was born at Northern Districts” he commented, watching as Rachel nodded slowly. “She worked at Northern Districts to, as a health care assistant in the maternity department.”

Rachel froze. She’d never considered that it could have been one of the staff who’d seen Harry, after realising it wasn’t Jane she assumed it must have just been a random kidnapping. “What’s her name” Rachel muttered, feeling anger rise in her chest.

“Gemma” he spat, “she has short blonde hair and a mole on her right temple. Gemma…”

“Harris?” Rachel questioned, her hands shaking. She only needed to note that look of shock on Gregory’s face to know that she was right. “Tony I trusted her” Rachel shrieked. “She used to come in and watch Harry for a few hours in the night so that I could get some sleep. She asked so many questions but I thought she was just being friendly” Rachel began to cry.

“It’s okay” Tony comforted, wrapping his arm around her. “This is great news Rach, I mean this means it’s Harry right, it has to be.”

“I wondered if you had some more pictures that I could see” Gregory asked awkwardly. He shifted in his seat and looked down at his hands which were resting in his lap.

“Yes of course” Rachel answered, quickly passing over the collection she’d been clenching tightly in her hand. She watched as Gregory’s eyes scanned over each image of her son, his eyes becoming cloudier and his lips beginning to wobble with each photograph he glanced at. Rachel wiped a tear away and looked up optimistically at her husband who squeezed her hand tightly and smiled.

“It’s him” Gregory nodded, his eyes closed in complete defeat. “The hair, the eyes, the dimple on his chin. He’s identical.”

“His ear” Tony interrupted frantically, “Harry’s got a curl on his right ear, it’s sort of like…”

“An s shape?” Gregory numbly completed, feeling his heart sink as the couple hugged each other tightly and began to cry, smiles of complete ecstasy on their faces. When he’d first had it confirmed that he wasn’t the father, he considered forgetting about it. He loved the little boy so much that he almost didn’t care that he wasn’t the biological father; all he knew was that he loved him and wanted him in his life. But when curiosity led him to discover that maybe he wasn’t Gemmas’ son either and that she’d actually taken him from his parents, he knew that he couldn’t live a lie.

“When can we see him” Rachel sobbed. She couldn’t believe that they’d found Harry, that he was alive and well and going to come home. But as much as she was overjoyed she knew she wouldn’t be able to completely relax until he was with them. She wanted to see what he was like now, whether he’d kept his ashy brown hair and whether his eyelashes were still as thick. And his smile that Gregory talked about, she was desperate to see it for herself. To see him smile at her.

“Well I think we should do a DNA test first just to be sure. It will only take a couple of weeks” he answered, wincing as Tony reacted.

“No please you can’t make us wait that long” Tony screamed, “we have been without him for over a year, praying every day would be the one when we’d get to see him

again. And now we know where he is you can’t make us wait, please, we’ll do whatever you can. If you need money…”

“I don’t want any money” Gregory insisted, “that’s not why I’m doing this. But I need to make 100% sure that he is your son. He means the world to me, I’m not going to just hand him over without proof.”

Rachel and Tony sat in silence, the rollercoaster of emotions taking effect on them.

“I understand why you’re doing this, it makes logical sense” Rachel nodded, tears rolling down her cheeks. “But you’ve also got to understand how desperate we are to see him again, to hold him. It’s been so long, we don’t even know what he looks like” she cried, wondering how she was going to be able to wait another fourteen days to see him.

“We could go privately; it should only take half the time. If I try and get an appointment today you should know this time next week. If you’re happy to pay…”

“Whatever it costs” Tony insisted, realising that there was no other way of doing this. “Whatever you need us to do we’ll do it.”

“They’ll only need blood from one of you so decide between yourselves; I’ll go and make a call” he sadly smiled, pushing his seat back as he pulled out his mobile and disappeared outside.

“This is really happening isn’t it Tony” Rachel pleaded at her husband, “he is coming home isn’t he? Greg’s not lying about this…”

“We have to be positive love” Tony smiled optimistically; “we’re getting our little boy back” he beamed, wrapping his arms around her tightly. “We’re gonna get to give him a cuddle really soon and we know he’s okay and safe and happy, that’s the most important thing right?”

“Absolutely” she smiled. “You know what he was saying about Harry liking the sea, it sounds like he’s a lot like his Daddy” she grinned, her heart lifting as she saw the joy glistening in Tony’s eye.

“Let’s hope he’s got a smile like his Mummy hey” he winked, stroking her cheek gently. They knew the next week was going to be awful and the wait would test them considerably but knowing that in seven days they were going to see their little boy again was all they needed to get them through it.

*********

Tony and Rachel sat nervously in their living room, both watching the clock in a mix of anticipation, nerves and unbelievable excitement. The DNA results had come through yesterday confirming what they’d already prayed and suspected – they’d found their little boy. Gemma had been arrested immediately and was awaiting an action from Tony and Rachel to decide whether they wanted to press charges or not. But that didn’t matter now; all that was important was seeing their baby again. Rachel breathed in deeply in an effort to control the rise of nausea she was feeling, they’d waited so long for this to happen and yet this last week had felt longer than the whole year together. She had no idea how she was going to react; she didn’t even know if Harry would like her. That was the one thing that scared her the most.

“Not long now love” Tony smiled, kissing her forehead gently before wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Do you think he’ll like Mr Bubbles?” he smiled, waving the multicoloured teddy he was clutching tightly in his hand. They’d bought it for him in a week, along with numerous other toys, clothes and a bigger cot for him. It wasn’t something they could really afford, all their money had gone on the investigation but Tony had insisted that’s what credit cards are for.

“He will like us won’t he Tony?” Rachel timidly asked whilst playing with the foot of the teddy her husband was holding.

“Of course he will, we’re his parents” Tony assured, linking his fingers with hers.

“But…we’re not. Not to him. He’s spent his whole life thinking Gemma and Greg are his Mum and Dad. I’m scared that he’ll be frightened by us and won’t want to stay here. It’s bound to be scary for him” Rachel choked, finally admitting her worst fears.

“He’s still young Rach, he might notice something’s different but before long he’ll be calling us Mumma and Dadda” he winked, nudging her in an attempt to get her to smile.

“We just can’t expect too much, take each day as it comes and just be thankful that our beautiful boy is back with us.”

“Yeah you’re right” she smiled, “I’m sorry, I’m just nervous.”

“Me to” he admitted. He glanced up at the clock again and noticed it hadn’t moved since the last time he’d looked. Breathing a sigh of impatient and frustration he considered calling Greg to make sure he hadn’t changed his mind but then the sound of a car door closing and the echoes of incoming footsteps startled him causing Rachel and Tony to jump to their feet.

They watched as Greg strolled past the window, both breathing a sigh of relief that he had turned up. He was carrying Harry tightly in his arms but they couldn’t see his face as he had his head sleepily rested on Greg’s shoulder, his arms swinging by his side.

“He’s so big” Rachel whispered in awe as Tony rushed forward and opened the door, desperate to get a glance of his boy’s face.

“I’m sorry I’m late, little one was causing a fuss. He must have been tired, he slept the whole way here” he gloomily explained. Rachel noticed he had deep dark circles and bloodshot eyes and a pang of guilt ran through her.

“You’re here now” Tony smiled, “can I?” he questioned, holding his arms out to take his son.

“Can I just say goodbye please?” Greg begged, his hand wrapped protectively around Harry’s back as she shook him gently and stroked his hair to wake him from his restful slumber.

“Sure” Tony whispered, stepping backwards as Rachel joined him at his side and held his hand. Both of them were desperate to hold him again but after everything Greg had done for them they knew they had to have the patience and respect to let him say goodbye to the boy he’d raised and known as his son.

“Wakey wakey mate” Greg whispered, his heart breaking as his breath made the tiny curls on Harry’s hair wave. As Harry lifted his head slightly and wiped his eyes with his fist, Greg crouched to the ground and sat him on his knee, slowly unzipping his coat. “You’ve got to go back to your Mummy and Daddy now. They’ve got lots of toys to play with here and a nice big garden that you can play football in when you’re bigger. I know you’re not going to understand any of this but you’re such a special boy and you’ve made my life so happy” Greg choked, his heart breaking by the innocent eyes the little boy was searching his face with. “I love you so much kiddo and I’m gonna miss you a lot but you need to know this is the right thing to do.”

“Greg you’re welcome to come and see him anytime you want” Rachel interrupted, a tear trickling slowly down her cheek as she was touched by the heartfelt speech Greg was declaring to her son. She looked up at Tony for his support.

“Absolutely, you’ve taken care of our boy for us, we can never thank you enough. Whenever you want to see him you just let us know” Tony agreed, his arms aching such as his desperation to hold his son. He still had his head turned away from them, prolonging the anticipation of seeing his face. But Tony was comforted by the fact that he’d kept his dark hair and amused by the tiny curls that had formed.

“Not at first, I don’t want him to get confused. I’ll let him settle” Greg muttered, clinging on to his last few moments. “But maybe in a few months…that would mean a lot. Thank you.” He breathed deeply, not wanting to let the little boy go. “Come on then mate, you’ve kept your Mummy and Daddy waiting long enough” he cheered bravely, unable to look in his eyes any longer. He stood him on his feet which shook unsteadily beneath him and turned him to face Rachel and Tony. “Go and say hello K…Harry” he whispered, his eyes closed in complete and utter misery.

Rachel and Tony both instinctively crouched to their knees to greet their son, taking in every feature on his face. Tears were clouding Rachel’s vision and so she wiped them away frantically, desperate to be able to see Harry clearly. He was looking up at them in curiosity, his fingernails digging into Greg’s arm as he tried to keep his balance and remain upright. He had bright brown eyes and beautiful dark eyelashes which fluttered as he blinked; sleepiness still evident in them. He was clutching a small blanket in his tiny fingers which he lifted up as he began to suck his thumb, his eyes still gazing unsurely at Rachel and Tony.

“Harry, come and give us a cuddle sweetheart” Tony begged, holding his hands out for the little boy as he to felt tears tickling his cheek, “we’ve missed you so much. Look

who we’ve got for you” he offered, holding the colourful teddy bear up for them to see. Both Tony and Rachel held their breath as Harry looked up at them still, appearing to want to stay with Greg. However he took his thumb out of his mouth and clumsily placed his hands on the floor before crawling over towards them, a move made difficult by the blanket dragging behind him which he refused to let go. As he lifted up his arms towards Rachel she broke down his tears, reached down towards him and held him tightly to her chest, something she’d only been able to imagine herself doing. She heard Tony crying beside her and so loosened her grip so that he could see their son to before moving her arm so that he could touch him.

“You are even more beautiful than I imagined” Tony breathed, “did you want Mr Bubbles?” he cooed, running his finger down his son’s soft cheek. Harry nodded gently before reaching out his chubby arm and pulling the teddy bear closely towards him, resting his head on top of him as he once again closed his eyes briefly. Neither Rachel or Tony noticed as Greg left the room sadly, unable to look back at the little boy he’d loved and lost. Instead Rachel savoured the feeling of Harry resting safely in her arms and kissed his soft hair, closing her eyes as she breathed in his scent. “I can’t believe he’s here” she cried, running her hand along his back “he’s so perfect Tony.”

“He is” Tony choked, unable to speak. He ran his finger along his little boy’s tiny fist and felt his heart lift as Harry unclasped his fingers and wrapped them around his Daddy’s.

“Want a cuddle?” Rachel grinned, feeling guilty for having kept Harry all to herself. Tony nodded enthusiastically and beamed as he lifted the little boy onto his chest and

felt him put his tiny hands either side of his face.

“I’m your Daddy Harry” Tony whispered, watching his son inquisitively search every line, every freckle on his face.

“He likes you” Rachel laughed as Harry lifted the teddy bear up to show him.

“Bubbley” Harry mumbled before clutching it tightly again and kissing it’s soft fur.

“Oh my gosh he spoke” Rachel shrieked, “he has such an adorable voice, don’t you bubba” she cooed, running her finger through his slightly damp hair. “You’re all sweaty to” she giggled.

“I think I know something else he’ll like” Tony sang as he tightened his grip on Harry and stood to his feet, placing his hand around Rachel’s. He walked slowly towards the kitchen and opened the back door into the garden. “What’s this Harry?” he questioned as he pointed to the wind chime, whose mirror edges were glistening in the sunshine. Harry stared enchantedly at the pretty object, his mouth open wide in amazement.

“What sound does it make sweetheart” Rachel asked, her heart skipping a beat as Harry turned to look at her, his eyes directly on hers. Tony lifted his hand up to the chime and ran his fingers along it, laughing as Harry immediately reacted to the noise by kicking his legs excitedly. However this time unlike before, Harry burst into a fit of giggles before reaching out his hands to touch the chime himself.

“He’s definitely our boy” Tony beamed ,kissing his son’s cheek as he smiled a toothy grin, kicking his legs and laughing each time the chimes touched each other.

“He’s so perfect, our perfect little angel” Rachel cooed as she wrapped her arm around Tony’s and tickled her son gently. They both stood in awe of their baby, at how much he’d grown, his curiosity and awe at the simplest of things. “Welcome home sweetheart” she beamed, her heart thumping in excitement at the thought of their future together with their son. They’d been through hell and at one point she didn’t think they would get through it but looking up at her husband and son she couldn’t be more proud. She had the perfect little family and would fight anyone who ever tried to take that away from her again. Their little boy was finally home.

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