Enchanted

For a moment all they could all do was stare at each other, cautious and hopeful as the screeching suddenly began traveling in one direction, before it fell silent entirely.

It felt too soon to feel relief though and none of them were feeling particularly daring enough to move through that door just yet and into the open, still listening hard for any sign of movement in the next room or outside of the house.

Maddy looked around, swallowing her lingering fears, and felt her stomach roll.

Each of them had suffered injuries during the foray, everything from small cuts and scrapes to deep lacerations, their clothes smattered with fresh wounds and drying blood. She was beginning to feel like she had an aversion to blood, with the way that she suddenly felt light heading.

Forcing herself to calm down, and hopefully not pass out, Maddy released her hold on her sister reluctantly, giving a small smile at the wide eyed looked she received for it from the little girl, and moved directly to the closet.

Maddy did not have to search long for what she was looking for, knowing it was in the small pack she usually wore around her waist when they had to leave for school, and once she found that she immediately turned to her brother and Skye with a determined look, the first aid kit in hand.

"Sit down," she urged, and they both seemed to want to protest but she was really no in the mood right now because if she didn't do something she was sure she was going to be sick.

Josh finally sunk down onto one of the beds, and then Skye sat beside him a second later.

Maddy knelt down in front of her brother after assessing him, knowing that he had the worst injuries out of all of them right now. He had deep cuts across the tops of his fingers and small portions of skin missing all up his forearm and even higher still on his neck. He hissed almost angrily as she began cleaning the wounds, and she smiled apologetically.

Once she was done, she then added ointment to help keep his wounds from getting infected and to speed up the healing process substantially, and finished with small bandages before she moved onto Skye. The other girl was worse for the wear though she was generally alright. She had a scratch on her cheek, and all along her shoulders, though they were mostly superficial and not quite as deep.

Maddy applied the same treatment for hers and then moved on to Zoe, who thankfully, remained unhurt save for just a small bruise on her knee from when she had thrown herself to the floor when the pterosaurs had first managed to enter the house. She kissed it first, and then applied a topical bruise salve on it to reduce the pain, but other than that there was nothing she could do.

Leaving her younger sister to be tucked into the covers of a bed to rest by Josh and Skye, Maddy was not surprised to find herself shaking with nerves as she turned her attention to the unconscious soldier lying on the floor of her bedroom. She grabbed the pillow off her own bed and knelt beside him quickly, lifting his head and gently lowering it back down onto the soft cushion.

Perhaps the blood was getting to her, her eyes blurring slightly as she cleaned it off of his forehead gently, wincing as she saw the area. It was red and swollen already, the cut a long smooth line that deeply penetrated his skin where the metal impacted the most, thinner identical lines equally spaced beside it.

Maddy took her time, because this was a head injury and those could be a bit trickier than just any scratch or cut. He remained unmoving the entire time. She was hoping that he had been spared a concussion, though considering he had taken two hits to the head in the span of five seconds, first with the grate and the second when he had fallen to the hardwood floor, it seemed unlikely.

As Maddy was just smoothing a bandage over the wound, she felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked up to see her brother staring down at her worriedly.

"Your turn," he said, taking the kit from her while he helped her stand. He guided her to the bed, and Maddy could only watch as he took one of the disinfectant wipes from the sealed packet. He gingerly took her arm, and she noticed that she had a few cuts too.

Thankfully this time they did seem superficial, and another trip to the hospital did not seem eminent.

Josh was done with her treatment a few minutes later, and wrapped an arm around her while he sat down on the bed beside her. A moment later he gave the door a thoughtful look, and she knew exactly what he was thinking because she had noticed it too.

Silence had been ongoing for several minutes. All was still throughout the house.

Josh took the discarded weapon in hand as he stood, holding the gun cautiously as he moved to the doors to investigate the house. To ensure that they really were alone, and it was over now. He glanced back at them, and then slowly slid the bedroom door open, peering just outside the room.

Maddy anxiously chewed on her nails as she watched him venture further out, closing the door behind him with a reassuring smile. She stood herself and began pacing, silently praying that her mother had succeeded in finding a way to drive them off. She listened hard, waiting for him to return, sharing worried looks with Skye as they waited.

"… So," Skye said, sounding breathless and apprehensive, her eyes remaining glued to the door even in her attempt to distract them both. "… Reynolds, eh? You have good taste in men. Although seriously, when you mentioned a crush, I thought you meant one of the boys who came back with you on the pilgrimage."

Maddy shook her head. "Nope," she disputed, crossing her arms. "It was Mark."

"You are just full of surprises, you know that?" Skye asked, finally turning to her with a confused frown that Maddy couldn't place. "Don't get me wrong, because he seems to like you and all, but I was really surprised to see that it was Reynolds."

"… Why?"

Skye shrugged slightly. "He… just never seemed interested in anyone. He always keeps to himself, the only person I have ever seen him willingly talk to outside of work is Lieutenant Washington, and he always declines advances made by anyone, with that heartbreaking smile of his. My friend Tasha came home scowling for hours because of he was the first guy to ever refuse her,"

Maddy smiled to herself at the news, unable to contain it.

"Just how did you get him to respond?" the other girl asked.

"It was him," Maddy admitted, and that seemed to shock the other girl more. "He was the one who escorted us to our house, and then the next day he was so nice. He spoke with Zoe, and even though I rambled on forever, he came back later to make sure we were okay while you and Josh and your friends were all outside… he stayed with us. And then we just kept finding each other… or he found me,"

Skye smiled slowly, looking over in the corner to where the man in question was resting. "So are you two dating, or…?"

"No," Maddy sighed. "Just friends. I… I don't really know how he feels. He's never said anything."

"So? You are a strong, confident girl, remember?" Skye grinned at her confusion. "Who said you have to wait for him? Boys can be shy too, if you recall. Maybe it's time you upped your game, and made a move yourself… nothing ventured, nothing gained,"

Maddy had never even considered it. She knew that it was unfair to ask for the boy to make all the decisions about where they stood but she honestly had no real idea how she would even broach the idea, let alone execute it. It did sound better than waiting though.

"I'm happy for you Maddy." Skye said, though looked toward the door, her smile fading. She lowered her eyes. "… Josh is still in love with the girl he left behind… isn't he?"

Maddy bit her lip, wishing she could offer her something other than sad eyes. "He really likes you, Skye," she told her, knowing her brother well enough to know that much. He really was transparent though. "He does…"

"… I asked him about her yesterday. He said she was like me."

Before Maddy could say anything in response, to answer the unspoken question in those words, Josh himself looked inside. "They're all just… gone," he said in bewilderment.

Skye was quick to her feet, a wide smile on her face that looked a bit too forced to Maddy. Her heart went out to the girl, because she could not even imagine what that must have felt like, and she gave her a solemn look as they both shuffled closer to the door.

Maddy peered through the threshold, and abruptly grimaced as she took in the sight. She was not looking forward to cleaning the mess those creatures had created within their home. She watched as both Skye and Josh moved toward the front door, the former probably to go to her own home, and Josh to walk her out of theirs.

Hanging back, Maddy checked on Zoe, who was fast asleep from all the excitement, finally sleeping in her own bed for the first time. She smiled, tucking the covers around her more, and then moved to take up residence beside Mark on the floor, her legs outstretched as she leaned her back against the wall.

Maddy studied his lax face with a grudging smile, despite the fact that he had yet to wake, because he looked so much younger than usual when he was asleep. It made his features soften to the point of boyishness and she thought he looked rather cute that way.

For a while she merely just listened to the steady, even breaths, wondering just how badly she had worried him the previous day. She had been panicked earlier when he had a cut, granted a rather bad one, but she could not imagine what he must have gone through while she had been in the hospital, even if he didn't feel for her what she did for him.

Anguish was not something she liked seeing in his eyes.

Maddy sighed and gently combed her fingers through his short hair, studying his features calmly. "You are so confusing," she said gently. "I wish I knew what you thought… then maybe it would make me less scared to tell you how I feel…"

Minutes passed before Josh eventually returned his face pensive as he fiddled with the platinum pick around his neck. He sat down on Maddy's vacant bed and stared at the wall for a moment, and she knew he was probably conflicted by his warring feelings for Skye and Kara. She wished she knew how to help him, but as with Skye, she could think of nothing to say to make him feel better.

"Get some rest," she suggested a few minutes later, because honestly he looked exhausted, both emotionally and physically, and she could not blame him for it. He looked at her, and then suddenly frowned when he realized where she was. She rolled her eyes. "He's unconscious Josh."

Josh grinned sheepishly, shaking his head. "You need rest more than I do… how are you feeling?"

"… Painkillers wore off," she admitted with a wince, the hand that was not being tickled by soft strands of dark hair rising to feel around her tender neck, and just behind her arm. "At least nothing reopened with all that moving around."

Josh stared at her with wide eyes. "That was a possibility?"

Maddy smiled at him reassuringly. "I feel okay. Tired, sore and a bit nauseas but otherwise fine," She shrugged. "And I was apparently asleep for sixteen hours, so I doubt my mind will let me rest for a while yet. Take my bed, and get some sleep,"

Josh rubbed a hand down his face, glancing behind him at the welcoming bed. He turned around with a mock frown on his face. "But he has my pillow," he whined, waiting until she laughed softly at him before he finally just fell backwards onto the bed. "Are you sure you wouldn't rather be on here?"

"Goodnight Josh," she sang in reply, smiling and laughing at him.

Big brothers are so annoying, Maddy thought affectionately.

Night moved on peacefully for the first time in days. There was no sudden squawk outside the window, nothing save of a gentle creaking of the walls when the wind rushed by the house, just the peaceful sounds of nature to soothe what was left of her frazzled nerves.

Maddy sat there for hours just listening. She was at peace because they had all managed to come out alive in all of this. She worried for her parents though she knew they could take care of themselves. They were probably the ones who drove the creatures away in fact. She was calm with that knowledge.

By the time Maddy herself was finally beginning to feel exhaustion creep up on her slowly, she could sense the movement beneath her hand. She stilled the moment it registered, quickly looking down as the man began to shift, soft groans escaping his mouth as he at last began to stir.

Maddy watched him carefully, waiting for him to open his eyes. His eyelashes fluttered against his cheeks for a moment, as if he was still caught between sleep and awareness, and finally they pried open slowly, unfocused and confused. He peered up at her silently and she smiled down at him.

"Good morning, Mister Reynolds," Maddy said softly. She did not want to speak too loudly or too quickly after he had just woken up. She moved her hand through his head once more, before allowing it to slide down to rest upon his cheek, the small uprising of hair tickling her palm. "You gave me quite the scare, you know," she scolded.

For a long, quiet moment all he did was stare at her, his mind obviously not really aware just yet, his eyes just silently studying her features. She saw the moment he began to remember, his entire body stiffening and she swiftly pushed down on his chest as he moved to rise instinctively.

"Not yet," she said firmly, holding him in place, though she knew he could easily rise if he really wanted to, trusting her that he should not move just yet. He would most likely only make matters worse for himself if he tried to move too quickly.

"What—"

"It's over," Maddy said calmingly, smiling at the urgency in his tone. He frowned at her, lifting his head enough that he could look around the room, take in his surrounded. The open door made him tense for a moment before he must have realized what she was saying. She ran her fingers through his hair again, this time hoping to unwind him. "They all just flew away a few hours ago,"

"The door," he said, once again trying to rise, and this time managing to sit up at least. She wrapped her somewhat healed arm around his chest, and he froze, knowing that fact. If he tried to pull away forcefully he could hurt her. She knew it was a dirty trick, to use his concern for her wellbeing against him, but right now she was more concerned for his. "They could come back, we should…"

"Shh," Maddy soothed, and she held him close until she felt the tension begin to dissipate from his shoulders. It was by no means gone, even as he finally leaned back against her, though she knew he was slowly calming. She rested her head against his smiling as his hair tickled her cheek, and rubbed her hand down his shoulder. "See. Everything is okay."

Mark exhaled a slow, heavy breath at her words. "Was everyone okay?"

"A few scrapes and bruises," she answered easily. "Nothing serious though. Honestly you probably got the worst of it with that knock to your head… how are you feeling?"

"Confused," he admitted, his hand rising to touch the gauze she had taped to his forehead. "Was it bad?"

"You scared me," Maddy confessed, and he laughed as if she had once again misinterpreted his words somehow. She smiled though, knowing he had been asking about the actual attack and not what had happened to him. "We were fine. Had a few mishaps in the confusion, and Zoe got left in the other room for a few minutes, but we were able to get her in here before anything happened to her."

Mark tilted his head in curiosity, and she smiled to herself at his unspoken questions and simply began to elaborate. She began explaining from the point where he had been knocked out all the way through to him waking up, speaking slowly and taking her time because she knew he would eventually have to leave.

"I'm sorry that you were worried," he told her when she was done, his hand clasped around hers and resting on his chest.

Maddy smiled at him, even though he couldn't see it. "You are not forgiven just yet," she said wryly, echoing his own words back to him.

It was worth it when he laughed, amused with her response.

"Why don't we just call it even?" Mark suggested softly.

"Clean slate?" she mused. "I could live with that."

Mark turned his head, looking at her over his shoulder. He was smiling. "I should probably get home," he said quietly. "See the damage,"

Maddy wished he could stay, though from the light beginning to illuminate her room she figured it was already close to dawn. She could not keep him with her forever no matter how much she wished to.

Even after he said it though, he remained where he was, leaning back against her and simply holding her hand. "Your parents should be home soon," he told her a while later, finally releasing her hand as he stood slowly, rubbing at the back of his head. "You should get some sleep,"

"I will," she promised, accepting his hand when he offered it to her. "I'll see you out first," Mark smiled and she walked with him through the house, pausing only to wait for him to gather his things. "This is going to be a nightmare to clean up," she sighed, walking him to the door. "Think our insurance covers unknown subspecies of pterosaurs?"

Mark smiled at her attempt at humor, turning to her with laughter in his eyes. "Doubt it. Mine will probably just as bad… I only hope they stayed away from my guitar,"

Maddy tilted her head curiously. "Guitar?" she questioned.

Mark flushed slightly, pressing his lips together as if he had not meant to reveal that bit of information, though had been unable to help himself. "Yeah," he said after a moment. "I fancy myself a musician when I'm not playing soldier," He grimaced, touching his forehead briefly. "or getting myself knocked out by prehistoric birds,"

"A musician?" she smiled to herself, trying to imagine him in place of her brother when he pretended he was a rock star.

"… I bought some books and taught myself how to read music, and to eventually play the guitar," he told her quietly. "I have composed a few songs before. Sometimes with lyrics, mainly without though. I know it isn't a very useful skill, though it is still something I've always liked to do…"

Maddy narrowed her eyes at him, suddenly recalling a similar argument they'd had in the past. "It isn't useless," she denied, crossing her arms. "If you insist on saying that my drawings are beautiful, then I am going to have to insist that your music is too."

"You've never even heard me play," Mark said, his voice full of amusement. He lifted his eyebrows. "I might be really, really bad at it…"

"You're not," she said, absolutely confident about that for some reason. Maybe it was just the way he suggested he would be bad at it but she knew he would be amazing. "I would like to hear you play… I mean, only if you want to of course. If you'd rather not, I will completely understand because—"

"I would love to play for you, Miss Shannon," he told her softly.

Maddy blushed slightly, looking away to hide it. "If Josh knew that you played," she mused. "I think he would like you more,"

Mark raised an eyebrow. "I doubt it. He looks like he wants to gouge my eyes out most of the time."

Maddy bit her lip, trying not to giggle, because of course he had noticed. "Josh is just being a brat right now. He keeps saying that it is his right and responsibility to hate all boys who come within twenty feet of me," She probably would never have mentioned it any other time, though right now she was finally feeling just how tired she was, and the words escaped too easily. "He even glares at Ethan every time he sees him,"

"… Ethan?"

Maddy sensed something off about his tone, a slight hesitation with a hint of a frown, though she was not sure what to make of it. "I met him the other day. He was nice, and I managed to have a conversation with him that did not end with me babbling. His little sister, Natalie, is adorable. She and Zoe are friends."

"He was… the one at the playground? After the first attack?"

"That was him," she nodded.

"Oh…"

Maddy frowned. "What's wrong?"

Mark shook his head, his eyes dark even as he smiled at her. "Have you made many friends yet? I would like you to be able to have some more people to talk to, other than just me… you will probably get tired of me at this rate."

"Never," she promised him, a bit shocked at even the suggestion that she could ever tire of him. "I like talking to you the best. Ethan was interesting enough though. He had some thoughts about the extinction of dinosaurs and human civilizations that made me go home and research a bunch of theories. But you… you are my best friend, you know,"

A slow smile spread across his face at her confession, and Mark bent down and kissed her forehead gently before he moved to open the door. "You want to know a secret?" he asked, leaning close to whisper into her ear just before he departed. "You're mine too,"

Maddy simply watched him go with the silliest grin on her face. He always had that effect on her. She closed the door and moved to return to her room. She was so caught up in her elated emotions that she did not notice the misplaced table until she was already stumbling over it, a soft yelp escaping her as she tumbled to the ground.

It had not really hurt, mainly just startling her, and she knew she was fine, staring up at the ceiling with a belated reaction. She laughed slightly, only to grin with embarrassment when her siblings came running from the bedroom with concerned faces, probably expecting to find her being mauled by something.

Josh sighed, lifting an eyebrow as he stood beside her. "Were you attempting to do the happy dance again?" he asked in amusement, offering her his hand.

Maddy pursed her lips. "Maybe," she admitted.

"Boy wonder left?" he asked hopefully.

Maddy rolled her eyes, though smiled all the same. "You just missed him," she said, choking back laughter as he began to do a happy dance of his own, though not for the same reason. She shook her head, saying with grudging fondness, "You are so weird,"

Zoe yawned, blinking up at them. "When will mommy and daddy come home?"

Josh frowned, looking at a clock. "Probably soon," he guessed.

"Can we wait for them?" she asked hopefully.

Somehow they had found themselves waiting in the living room, sprawled out on the couches as they waited for their parents to return, hopefully safe and sound. Zoe had crawled into her arms, practically curling Maddy around her as they dozed on the larger sofa while Josh had been on his stomach on the other and by the time their parents actually arrived they had all been fast asleep.

Most of the day passed in a quick blur after everyone caught up on some much needed, much appreciated, rest they had begun the process of cleaning the house. Josh and her father were tasked with removed the larger pieces of debris, clearing the broken furniture pieces from the floors, while Maddy, Zoe and their mother tried to sort through the smaller items.

Some things in the wreckage could be fixed, with perhaps a soldering iron or some glue, though most of it would have just been a waste of time to even attempt salvaging.

Hours after they had begun they just stared at the cleared destruction, lamenting the fact that all of the hard work they had poured into their new home had been thwarted by a bunch of leather winged birds, though the alternative, all of them dying, made it the lesser of two evils.

Maddy would take having to replace windows and vents and plants over losing the people she cared about any day. There really was no contest there. It would take a few days before they could afford to replace any of it, though from what she had heard, the commander would be compensating everyone for the housing repairs.

At least they had not had many personal items to begin with, unlike the hundreds of others who too lived on the colony. According to her father, there had been no casualties during the assault, and only a few people had been seriously hurt, though they were recovering swiftly.

Skye had returned at some point after lunchtime to finish helping, and she was just as lively as ever, teasing Josh as she gave him something, mentioning a bet they'd had. Her presence had Maddy contemplating and thoughtful for hours, unable to really concentrate on much else save for the advice she had been imparted earlier that morning.

… Advice about taking the initiative.

Maddy had always been one to take the initiative in almost every other situation and Skye was right that if she never at least tried to approach him, then nothing may ever come of her affections except for a lot of time gone by.

Which is how Maddy found herself walking through the streets of the colony, giving each home a considering look as she passed it by, wondering which one might belong to a soldier named Mark Reynolds. He knew where she lived. He visited her almost every day. It just wasn't fair that she lacked the same knowledge about him.

Maddy was not sure what she was planning to say. She barely even knew what to think at the moment, her mind a confused minefield of new territories to explore. She just knew that she had to try, and that even if he rejected her, at least she would know how he felt.

So Maddy looked at the houses, studying the exteriors as if the color scheme or the plants out front might somehow reveal to her which house concealed him. She could always just run into him even if she never found his house, because they had a tendency to find each other no matter what.

Maddy was beginning to feel a bit ridiculous after twenty minutes of searching, just wondering aimlessly throughout the colony, when she heard someone speak.

"Hello Madelyn,'

The sudden interruption had startled her more than she would ever care to admit, and not just because she only knew of one person here besides her parents who would ever call her that. She turned to face him, holding her hand over her heart in fight, and trying to keep a smile on her face.

Michael was sitting on the porch of what she assumed was his own home. He was not even looking at her when she turned, instead his attention on a small piece of wood he was currently whittling away at with a sharpened silver pocket knife.

"Hello Michael," she returned politely, unsure what to say after that.

"Are you feeling better today?"

Maddy twisted her fingers together nervously. "Much, thank you. How are you?"

Michael finally looked up from his task, his eyes frowning as he studied her. "Could be worse, I suppose," he said quietly. "You do realize that you are going the wrong way…?"

"… Excuse me?" she frowned, biting her lip when he closed the knife with a sure flick of his wrist and placing it in his pocket, standing and walking toward her.

Michael raised his eyebrow at her. "You are looking for my brother's house, right?"

Brother. Michael was his brother. Maddy had thought so though it was still strange to think this man was related to Mark in any way despite their physical similarities. She met his eyes unsurely as he stopped in front of her, nodding her head in response to his question.

Maddy was confused when he suddenly stepped around her, and began moving down the street.

"Are you coming?" he asked, pausing when she made no move to follow.

Oh…

Maddy kept some distance between them as they moved, and she once again found herself studying him out of the corner of her eye, this time wondering why he would even offer to show her to where his brother lived. She felt so out of place beside him.

"What are you making?" she asked curiously, hoping to fill the void to soothe her nerves. He glanced at her, holding out the object for her to see. She blinked at the carving, astonished to find herself looking at a small figuring of a bear. It was unfinished and there were not as many details as there were suggested shapes for the mind to interpret but…

It was… quite good, she had to admit. He had obviously put a lot of time into it.

"It's beautiful," she said honestly.

Michael frowned at the statue. "It isn't finished yet."

"Are you making it for someone?"

"… No."

"Are you going to sell it?"

"… No."

Maddy ran out of questions quickly when he was around. He had the opposite effect his brother had, because when she was around Mark she felt the need to talk about absolutely everything, his smile infectious and the way he listened heartening.

Michael seemed to syphon every ounce of gumption she had with one word.

It was unnerving.

"W-what are you going to do with it?"

Michael shrugged. "Probably use it for firewood,"

Maddy faltered momentarily, looking at him with an incredulous expression. "Why would you even make it then?" Why would anyone even spend time working on something like that if they were just going to destroy it once it was done? She didn't understand.

"… I was bored." he said.

Michael came to an abrupt halt about two minutes later. He turned to look at her, studying her through the eyes he shared with Mark, and she shifted silently under his scrutiny. His lips twitched slightly, one eyebrow lifting in amusement, and she saw his hands move slowly.

For a moment she held her breath, unsure what he intended to do, her heart racing with a sort of fearful anticipation even though he had been so kind yesterday. Her fears were unfounded as he merely placed his hands on her shoulders very lightly and began to turn her around, the about face revealing a very plain house right in front of her.

Guilt immediately surged through her for automatically thinking the worst. "Is this…?" she looked over her shoulder at him, and his hands fell without her even having to ask.

"Marcus should be inside," he nodded, meeting her eyes, and she thought he looked kind of… sad. He began walking away before she could even really contemplate what it might have meant. "Have a nice day Madelyn,"

"Michael," she called out, smiling when he turned. "Thank you, for showing me."

Surprise flashed across his face for a moment, and he inclined his head before he began walking away again, not once looking back. Maddy stared after him. She was almost desperate to find out more about their situation, because despite being brothers, only one of them had even said as much.

Maddy sighed and shook herself, turning back to look at the house. She slowly climbed the steps and approached the door. Now that she was actually here she felt entirely different than when she had decided to come looking for him, doubts flashing through her mind as she played out different scenarios of how this conversation might go.

Not feeling confident at all, Maddy reached out and knocked softly.

Anticipation settled in her stomach as she waited. She heard movement a moment later, and the door slowly swung open to reveal a very tired looking Mark, wearing sweatpants and a white shirt, the bandage on his forehead still in place. He froze the moment he saw her, and several emotions surged through his eyes as he stared, mouth falling open slightly.

"Maddy…" Mark breathed out, shock apparent in his voice. "What are you doing here?"

Maddy found his reaction amusing, considering she practically said the same thing every few days when he simply showed up. "I… I just," she bit her lip, smiling nervously. "You… I haven't seen you since this morning, and it was dawn then, so I just wanted to come and check to see if you were okay…"

Mark smiled slowly. "Yeah, everything is fine. I've just been trying to clean up the mess those things made of my living room,"

"Do you… need any help?" she asked, thinking of how Skye had so easily maneuvered her way inside to do the same thing, all the while flirting with her brother.

Maddy was surprised to see alarm on his face at her suggestion, however, and he bit his lip in hesitation.

"I… don't think that is a very good idea Maddy," he said haltingly.

Hurt surged through her chest at his words. She lowered her eyes, and felt the air rush out of her lungs, though she forced a smile on her face and nodded quickly, words escaping her as even hastier, "Okay. I better get going anyway. I only came to check on you anyway. I… I'll see you around."

Before Maddy could even begin to turn his hand was around her wrist, keeping her immobile. She swallowed, frowning down at his hand, the tense muscles in his forearm contrasting with his gentle hold on her. She could break away if she wanted to.

"Maddy," he said quietly.

"What?" she asked calmly, though she felt anything but calm.

For the first time since ever meeting him, she wanted to get away.

"Look at me," he said, and she hesitated. "Please, Maddy,"

Okay.

Okay.

Maddy could do that. Everything was fine. She could do that. She already promised herself that she would never pry into his business, especially when she was clearly unwanted. She should have known that he would not want her here. He wanted to keep her separate. She could accept it.

That didn't make it hurt any less.

Maddy exhaled slowly, and lifted her head, her eyes meeting his as she smiled pleasantly at him. She waited for him to say something, only to falter slightly when pain became the prominent emotion over his features, and he began shaking his head urgently.

"Don't smile at me like that," he pleaded. "Not like that. Not at me."

Maddy frowned in confusion, allowing her false smile to fade away. "Mark…"

"You cannot come into my house Maddy," he said, and she tried to look away again but he caught her face, carefully cradling it between his palms. He stared at her, swallowing thickly as he spoke. "You… I can barely…"

Maddy felt as if she were missing something crucial.

Mark sighed heavily, shuffling forward and resting his forehead against her own, his arms moving to coil around her tightly. "If you come inside my home… I'm going to ruin everything."

"I… I don't understand,"

"I know," he sighed, pulling away with reluctance. He smiled weakly at her, hesitation and fear warring in his eyes before he finally steeled his resolve. "I made myself a promise Maddy. That… that I would do this right, because you deserve it that way and…"

"… Deserve what?" she asked, an unknown thrill filling her as she listened.

Mark swallowed. "I…" he faltered, his skin reddening. "To be courted."