He's a Keeper
By: LADY ARRE
A/N this one's been floating round and round my head for weeks, I'm dedicating it to xx.just. because she was talking to me while I was writing. And to giddyupgal, just cuz she's wonderful and I love her. Check out their stories if you love Oliver/Katie fics.
Okay so it wasn't the smartest idea; inviting Oliver. But as much as I hate to say it I was getting a little desperate. I had to be at my mothers place for the family dinner and if I had dared show up at her annual family dinner without a date… well there wouldn't have been enough left of me for even my mother to recognize me.
My mothers Irish, and lives up to it. She looks at every thing in life sideways, and since my brother Thomas was married two years ago her most dire goal in life is to get me married off and married well. Well for her means rich, handsome, mysterious but still a family guy, taller that me, and funny. She looks at this as if it weren't impossible which my brother finds absolutely hilarious. Because admittedly, I'm not that pretty and since I stopped playing quidditch I'm not that thin anymore either. Not that I'm fat either but you know.
But I digress. It was Christmas Eve and my mother had sent me the demands that I turn up. I had already had my tantrum because this year I was so lose to getting out of going. Then I had immediately written to my only single male friend, Oliver wood, begging him to for old time's sake turn up and pretend to be head over heels in love with me. But Oliver never was a good actor and I was pacing my bedroom floor panicking that my old high school quidditch captain and I could pull it off. I was dressed, in a long mint green gown with bell sleeves, (something else that Thomas couldn't stop laughing about when he found out what they were called because I absolutely LOVE them) and a darker green cloak. I fiddled with my silver drop earrings and stared out the window trying to hurry Oliver's reply up. I wasn't even sure that he owned a tuxedo for that matter. I had specifically asked him to dress up.
There was no sign of an owl outside and I was beginning to worry, I hadn't spoken to Oliver since June the fourth. Our birthday. It was quite odd actually that Thomas, Oliver and I all shared the same birthday. And there were exactly three years between Thomas and Oliver and exactly three between Oliver and me. My brother used to joke around when we were kids that it was fate and that me and Oliver would end up married. I knew that I always blushed when he said this because all through high school I had a very big crush on our sexy Scottish quidditch captain. My friend Angelina and Alicia never gave me a break about it either.
But that's all in the past now. Oliver was 27 now, and was openly referred to as quidditch's hottest. I saw him possibly twice a year. And chances were that he was engaged by now anyway. I looked up at the clock. I had two minutes before I absolutely had to be a mum's. Oliver wasn't coming.
I blinked back tears and turned out the lights in my apartment. he was probably too busy with his fan-girls anyway. I was hurt; Oliver had been my hero first. I was just about to step outside the door ready to apparate to my mothers alone, when I was grabbed from behind and strong calloused hand planted themselves over my eyes. I shrieked, as any normal person would London's only about as safe as downtown New York these days.
"Guess who?" came the rough Scottish brogue of Oliver wood. He span me around and bear-hugged me.
"Merlin I've missed you Kates, its been too long" Oliver said and let me go. "Sorry I think I just crumpled your dress"
Thank Merlin and all his wonderful magic. Oliver was here and Oliver was wearing a tux.
And he had a massive bunch of flowers in his hand…
"The dress is fine" I said a little embarrassed because there were still tears in my eyes. Oliver grinned at me and wiped them away. "You didn't think that I was going to desert you did you Kates?"
"No"
Oliver raised his eyebrow at me.
"Maybe a little"
The great Orkneyan brute tutted at me. "I was only late because I had to get you these"
And then he handed over the flowers.
It then occurred to me that it was Christmas eve, that Christmas eve ALWAYS fell in December, that I live in London and in London December is ALWAYS in winter. And everyone knows that flowers don't grow in winter. Oliver put them on the bench.
"Its actually quite warm in New Zealand this time of the year." He said, still grinning at me.
"You went to NEW ZEALAND to get me FLOWERS!" I shout at him.
"Pretty well"
"Why?"
"Because if I'm gonna fake it to your mother I have to get in the mood of things or I'll get my ears ironed off"
I couldn't argue with that
"so fairy maiden? You ready to leave and fool your folks"
I nodded dumbly and we apparated out.
My mother was already ranting by the time we arrived.
"Does she not respect me Gregory? I ask her simply to come, to bring a date and to be on time? Is that so hard? Its not as if she has to deal with traffic or anything like a muggle. Oh dear? What if she brought a muggle as a date? A muggle! Oh Gregory, a muggle for my baby? He must have tricked her. Tricked her! My baby would never marry a muggle!"
My father was trying desperately not to laugh and to restrain my psychotic mother at the same time. I took a deep breath of air and wandered in the room Oliver holding my hand.
Dad looked up at me and Oliver and sighed. He'd have had no chance at all had I brought a muggle. I kissed my mother on the cheek and made to introduce her to Oliver, despite the fact she already knew him, for goodness sake he had almost grown up in our house after Thomas became quidditch captain the year Oliver joined the team.
Mum sighed and embraced Oliver wood as if he'd saved her life.
"Oliver! Thank goodness you came. I couldn't have beared to se my baby Katie with a muggle, all her magical talent would go to waste. Oh my goodness, does this mean you're engaged? Oh my goodness Gregory! Elinor! My babies getting married!"
My aunt Elinor had just walked in as my mother was ranting; she practically jumped on Oliver and I.
"You're engaged! Wonderful it's been seven years since you finished high school you could have had six children since then Katie six, and all this time you've been living alone! My goodness girl this is good news!"
You know what I said earlier about my future husband having a good sense of humour? Well as you can see they'd need one, just to be introduced to my family.
"Engaged!" that was my cousin Briony,
"Uh" was all I managed to say before my mother wrapped and arm round me and began again.
"Yes she is! Finally! To young Oliver wood. Isn't it wonderful? My baby all grown up and engaged! I'm so proud; just think she's finally getting married."
I wondered why Oliver didn't correct her; there was no way in the world he'd want to marry into this family
"MUM!" I raised my voice to get her attention. "I'm not getting married"
"oh." It was the quietest moment we'd had so far. But it was not to last. My mother soon began again.
"And why not, you're 24 for merlins sake, 24, and you Oliver! I would have thought better of you, not marrying her! I bet your sleeping with the poor girl though! My word lad make an honest woman of her, she could find out she's pregnant tomorrow then what would you do? Probably run off and leave the poor girl to raise the child by herself, my baby a single mother! My word I won't allow it! You get out side right now the both of you and don't come back in till you're engaged!"
I was more than ready to die, even Oliver wood that had spent majority of his summers here since his second year of Hogwarts couldn't be subjected to this and come out sane. However Oliver merely laughed.
"Marie, Marie calm down, I wouldn't leave Katie to raise a child on her own, even if it wasn't mine"
Dad clapped him on the back "good man, I believe the dinner is ready, Shall we eat?"
Dad made every effort to sit us away from mum, which I am more than grateful for. We were sat down at the opposite end of the table from my mother and waited for the hostess to begin eating.
Oliver moved his head close to mine and whispered, "And to think what she would have put you through if I hadn't come to your rescue dear damsel in distress"
"I shudder at the thought" I whispered back with a smile almost as big as Oliver's.
"I hate lying to your dad Kates"
"Chivalrous to the end eh wood?"
"Yeah I guess"
"Thankyou though, it means a lot to me"
"I didn't just come to help you out Kates, I was on my way over to visit you anyway"
"You were?"
"The letter got me outside your door"
"Why were you late then?" I asked, my head didn't know what to make of Oliver's story yet.
"I punked out I ran off to the park and went for a run to clear my head until I had guts enough to do it"
"Do what?"
"The thing I've been putting off for years because I was scared"
"Not you? Not my dear Oliver the lionhearted"
"This lion-hearts very scared when it comes to his queen lioness"
"O-Oliver?" I stuttered
"Mm?'
"Are you talking about me?"
Oliver kissed me on the lips, "mm-hm"
"Oh Oliver"
"So will we continue lying to your mother or make it official that I'm head over heels in love with you?"
What could I say to that? I don't actually remember now. But I explained it all to my dad later that night, and he laughed for all he was worth. Thomas laughed, his wife laughed, the Weasley twins laughed, Alicia and Angelina laughed. Even my nephew Kyle laughed, though he was only two so I don't think he understood.
My sister-in-law Lissa spoke to me later that night when Thomas and Oliver were off talking quidditch.
"Keep a tight hold on him Katie, he's a keeper"
And no; the irony was not lost on me.
A/N what did you think? Like it? I'll probably come back later and rewrite it because I'm not that happy with it. Anyway. Tell me what you think.
Disclaimer: as I've said before, I don't own anything…
