So I may have left it nearly a month again. Oops...

This chapter is just to fill a space, so it's boring and i hate it and i would say enjoy it but you won't.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Gallagher Girls series, or it's characters however I do own this pathetic excuse for a fanfiction. Everything else all belongs to Ally Carter.


Macey opened her eyes again around 5 minutes after she had closed them. Preston was sitting opposite her, and he smiled slightly as she looked up.

"You know, you're not the only one who had to put up with endless amounts of weird bodyguards and agents and stuff. I had to do the exact same thing." He spoke quietly, in order not to wake Evie.

"Yeah, I know. And i'm sorry, but I forget sometimes because you dealt with it all so much better than I did. I may have been a little over dramatic at times..."

"Oh you can say that again." he laughed a little.

"Ugh, i just don't want a little kid to have to go through what we did, in a foreign country with people who she's probably never even met."
"And having to live with the parent that does not understand you at all because the other one is dead, yeah that sucks too."

"Preston..." Macey trailed off, she never knew exactly what to say when Preston started talking about his father. Mostly because it happened so rarely.

"No it's okay. I'm just saying... I understand where you're coming from, but we've gotta do what Abby says."
"I know." She smiled, walking into the kitchen at standing by the worktop."You're okay to go now, if you want."

"I don't have to, like I said there's nothing that i'm going home to."

"So you're saying that you'd rather spend your evening here with me than sitting in the comfort of your Penthouse on Pennsylvania Avenue with Netflix and popcorn and whatever other crappy junk food you can find?"

"Have you been spying on me McHenry?"

"Nope, you're just extremely predictable." she laughed.

"Hmmm okay then, and yes, that is exactly what i'm saying" Preston smiled, stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Macey's waist. Pulling her into an unexpected hug. She buried her head into his neck.

"So am I allowed to stay?" He asked.

"You know you are." she pulled back from the hug and smiled. "I have a feeling Evie won't wake up again, it's half 6."

"Are we just leaving her on the couch?"

"I don't wanna move her, you know, in case she wakes up."

"Right, fair point."

"So, I have a question." Macey stated, sitting down at the kitchen table.

"Go on" Preston said, sitting opposite her.

"What are your plans for Christmas?"

"Netflix and popcorn" he laughed.

"Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously. My mother's with her friends, probably drinking more wine that I care to think about and I didn't realise that we'd actually be talking therefore that rules out spending time with any of the others. So I planned to sit at home watching crappy movies and eating a ton of popcorn."

"I swear, you have the mentality of a twelve year old boy. And I knew you when you were twelve."
"Well what were your plans for Christmas, Miss 'uptight and sophisticated since birth'?"

"Either spend it with my parents or with Cammie, Zach and the others."

"Netflix and popcorn sounds more fun." Preston laughed.

"When was the last time you had an actual proper christmas with an actual christmas dinner and presents and stuff?"

"Erm... 5 years ago."

"Right, it's settled. You're spending Christmas with me. Wherever i go for Christmas, you're coming with." Macey stated plainly.

"Well i severely hope you're going to be with Cammie, Zach and the others because you're parents really aren't my biggest fans."

"Good point. I'll call Cam, one minute." Macey grabbed her cell phone from her pocket and dialed Cammie's number, for the third time in two days.

"Macey McHenry, i'm starting to think that the apocalypse is looming because this is the third time you've called me in less than 48 hours."
"Yeah yeah, enjoy it while it lasts Chameleon."

"Haha, what is it this time?"

"What are your plans for Christmas?"

"Oh, I was meant to ask you the same thing. Mom and Joe called the other day, how would you feel about going back to Gallagher for Christmas? All of us."

"That'd be awesome, just one question."

"Yeah?"

"Can i bring a plus one?"

"I doubt that it'll be a problem. Are we aware of who it is?"
"Ha, you'll have to wait and see."

"Well it'll be nice to see you with someone for the first time in five years. It's good that you're moving past it all Macey."

She laughed slightly. "Thanks Cam, so i'll see you in..."

"It's five days until Christmas, Macey"

"Holy crap, okay! See you then."

"Haha, bye."

Macey set her phone down on the table and looked back up at Preston.

"So?"

"We're going to Gallagher for Christmas."

"Great, a mansion full of people who hate my guts. This is why nobody ever lets you make plans."

"Hey, come on, it'll be fine."

"See, now thanks to you. I have to actually go out and buy presents for people."

"I'm expecting a very good present you know."

"It's 5 days until Christmas."

"Well done Einstein."

"I'll take that as a challenge then."
"Hmm well I do have very high standards."
"Don't I know it" Preston laughed.

"I like this, us getting along again." Macey smiled.

"I missed you Mace, and i know that it's my fault but, still. I missed you." Preston said.

"I think we should just put it behind us now, start again. Agreed?"

"Agreed." Preston nodded.

"And we won't say anything to anyone until Christmas day, right?"

"Well Abby kind of already knows."

"Yeah but she won't say anything."

"True. Aren't you worried about them though, and what they'll say?"

"I've spent too much of my life worrying what the people around me think. It's stopped me from doing so much, but I don't care anymore. I've loved you for too long to let anyone get in the way of that. So we'll keep our chins up, hold our heads high and rise above their crap. Okay?"

"Sounds like a good plan."
"Well of course it is, I came up with it. Which is why people should let me make the plans." Macey smiled. "Are you like, hungry or anything? Because i'm really bad when it comes to having visitors."

"Macey, i'm always hungry"

"Right, yep, mentality of a twelve year old." Macey got up and started looking through the kitchen cupboards, Preston went over to the fridge.

"How much wine do you need?" Preston asked, staring at the five and a half bottles of red wine in the fridge.

"Well I was told I drink too much coffee." Macey shrugged, throwing a pack of Doritos onto the counter. She pulled a bag of popcorn and two glasses out of the cupboard. "Get one of the bottles out, please?" she asked Preston who grabbed a bottle of the obviously expensive wine and placed it on the table.

Macey got the glasses, the Doritos and the popcorn and placed it on the table. Preston just stared at her for a minute.

"What?" She asked.

"You're telling me you eat this crap for dinner all the time and you still look like a freaking supermodel?"

"Now you sound like a twelve year old girl. And I don't eat this all the time thank you very much. And it's not always popcorn."

"Well it should be because popcorn is the best thing ever."

"Twelve year old" Macey laughed to herself.

"It's kinda all you've got so.."

"Well can you blame me? I'm not used to having people stay you know. Best friends constantly travelling with work, family who basically couldn't give a crap, and then there's you. You're like, the last person i've lived with so.."
"What happened to the apartment?" Preston asked, changing the topic of conversation yet again.

"It's still where it was, I haven't been back though. I kinda got my stuff and left for Vermont"
"Everything's as it was?"

"Well, not exactly. When you left, I blamed myself. I had a bit of a breakdown and I trashed the place. It took a week for anybody to realise that I wasn't in the best of places. Liz found me, she came round to check up on me because she hadn't heard from me for a while. When she walked in, I was passed out in amongst the remains of a smashed vase and torn up photos with a bottle of tequila in my hand. She called Cammie and Bex and they tried to get me to clean up but I grabbed my stuff and left. Everything should be how I left it." Macey said, looking down.

"It wasn't your fault, you know. And i know that I made a shitty mistake and.."
"We said it's in the past, okay?"

"Yeah, but Mace?"

"Yeah?"

"I wanna see it, the apartment."

"We're not going back."

"Macey, I want to go back. I need to go back."

"But Preston..."
"You need to go back too, you just won't admit it."

Macey sighed, knowing that he was right.

"Fine, but we can't go tonight because we've got Evie and we can't go tomorrow because we're going to her weirdly isolated country and the flight is 13 hours, which means we should be there at 10pm, which means we'll have to stay the night. Then we leave at 11pm the following night, so we get back here at 1pm on the 23rd. Then we need to leave DC by 12pm on Christmas Eve so we get to Gallagher for about 4pm."

"We can always get Abby to watch Evie."

"We're not leaving Evie, even if it is with Abby, whom I am not disturbing again."

"So, we go when we get back from Grandonia."

"Two 13 hour flights in the space of two days? Two words, jet lag."

"Point taken, we'll go when we get back from Gallagher."

"Erm. No?"

"Then call Abby"

"I'm not calling Abby." She retorted in the same tone.

"Why not?"

"Because we, at the age of twenty five, are sitting in my kitchen eating Doritos and popcorn washed down with red wine."

"And? Will Abby care? No. So call her or i'll do it myself." Preston said and Macey glared at him. They sat in what can only be described as a staring contest for at least five minutes, neither of them wanting to admit defeat. And then there was a knock at the door.


I don't like the ending but i couldn't end it dramatically.

Sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes because I've proof read it 4 times but chances are there are still mistakes.

Thanks for reading :) x