Chapter 8.

Katie woke up on Christmas day alone in bed. When she sat up she could see Marcus out in the living room talking to someone in the fireplace. She yawned and curled herself back up into the blankets, she was not ready to move.

"Katie?" Marcus called.

"Hmm?"

"Come out here?"

"Fine." Katie muttered as she got up, pulled one of Marcus's jumpers on and walked into the living room to find Mr. and Mrs. Wood standing just by the fire.

"Katie." Mr. Wood looked down at the girl with a worried face. "Are you alright?"

Katie smiled and ran up hugging them both, she never mentioned it, but she really missed them.

"I promise I am fine." She told them for the third time.

"Oliver is really worried about you."

"I know." She looked down at her feet.

"We don't approve of this engagement." Mrs. Wood snapped.

"It shocked me, but Marcus here has been amazing to me." She looked up to see him looking out the window, to hide his nerves. "He sleeps on the couch, and let me have his bed."

"So he told us." Mr. Wood looked up at Marcus. "But Katie don't you want to come home and stay with us?"

"Yes, and no." She answered honestly. "I am not going to leave Marcus alone here, in fact I like living with him. I do miss you both so much, you're my parents."

"Oh Katie." Mrs. Wood held back her tears. "You've been threw so much, and now your living with him." She looked up to Marcus with a bit of a nervous look.

"He has a name. Marcus Flint." She nearly snapped. "And he has been here for me in a way I really needed. Now can't we all just have a good Christmas morning meal. Marcus and I have plans to meet up with his teammates later tonight, and I really want to have a meal with you both."

"Of course Kates." Mr. Wood smiled. "You grew up to fast."

"It happens." She shrugged, she was only 17 and felt much older.

"Well come on dear lets make these men something to eat." Mrs. Wood took her hand and walked into the kitchen. "This is a nice flat."

"It is." Katie smiled and looked over to Marcus.

They actually had a lovely meal, the four of them. Katie promised to write, and to visit them at least for one day during the rest of the holiday.

"Thank you Marcus." Mrs. Wood muttered as she and Mr. Wood left.

Once they were gone Katie looked over to where Marcus had taken too looking out the window. She sighed and walked over to him wrapping her arms around his waist. She leaned against him until he took her hands and undid them and walked away from her.

He had gone into the bedroom and was about to shut the door.

"Marcus." She nearly sprinted to catch the door before it shut.

He didn't say anything, he didn't even look at her. He turned around and walked to his dresser picking out a change of clothes. He looked hurt. She watched him as he started to make the bed and move a few random things around.

Katie sighed and walked over to him again, as he turned to put something away she squeezed in front of him. "Stop." She yelled.

He looked down at her a bit in shock, and started to move around her.

"Damn it Marcus." She yelled. "Just stop for a second and look at me. What the bloody hell is your problem? I choose you. If you didn't notice I could have easily gone anywhere else, even now I could have gone back to the Woods place. Damn it Marcus I want to be here, with you. Don't you get it?" She paused looking away. "I think I'm falling in love with you." She whispered so quietly he didn't hear anything but "think, falling, love, and you."

He looked down at her, shocked, scared, and an emotion he didn't understand hit his heart. She still hadn't looked up at him. "Katie." He whispered unsure of what to do.

"It's ok Marcus." She muttered turning from him, she walked out of the bedroom and into his study, she never really spent time in this room, but she didn't want to be in the living room. She went and sat at his desk and looked out the window. She knew he was not ready for love, he wanted her yes, but love. His heart just wasn't ready for it.

As she sat there she started to beat herself up for not understanding, and believe he could really be falling for her. She nearly felt like crying, but knew she couldn't, she was not going to show how weak she actually felt.

Marcus had stayed in the bedroom shocked. Sure he had strong feelings for her, and he loved just being around her, she was an amazing person. Yet love seemed to be a bit too much, and she clearly knew it. He let out a rather large sigh and walked to the study, he could see her looking out the window with a hurt expression on her face. He wanted to kick himself for hurting her. He looked at the banjo clock on the wall, it was 1 o'clock, Katie still had not noticed him watching her.

When Katie spun the chair around her eyes locked with his, in almost a second. It was not something that she was expecting, but it was intense.

"Katie." He started but couldn't find the words.

"I know." She muttered and spun around again. Katie was hurt, she couldn't take looking him in the eyes with her heart breaking all over again. She knew she had places to go, but this was her home right now, and she was not going to run away just because Marcus and her got into a spat.

"No. You don't." He said walking into the room, he spun the chair back around so she was facing him. He bent down and picked her up, sitting back down, with her on his lap, he spun the chair so they were looking outside. "I'm sorry."

"What was that?" She asked lightly.

"Damn it." He snarled in her ear. "I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?"

"Yes." He nearly yelled, but took a deep breathe to calm his temper. "I'm sorry. I didn't like having to hear about Wood, and then all those times they though for sure that you were his, and you agreeing. I couldn't take it. I wanted you to think those things about me. See me with you in 20 years, not just the next two weeks Katie." He was talking so fast, and such a low growl that Katie nearly did not understand what he was saying.

It was her turn to be shocked. She hadn't expected that from him, she didn't know what to expect but it sure as hell wasn't that. He was looking like he was expecting to have his heart broken in a mere moment. "Marcus, I wouldn't have come here if I was looking to having you around merely for a holiday."

"Oh." He nodded looking off into the living room.

Katie turned her head so she was looking him in the eyes, she took his face in her hands before kissing him swiftly. She had planned on only a fast kiss, but it had deepened, and she loved it, she loved kissing him, being around him, yet part of her felt like her heart was going to be broken by him.

"See?" She said as they parted. He laughed and nodded hugging her close to him.

"We have to get ready." He muttered after 45 minutes of sitting together letting the silence speak for them.

"Yea, yea." She muttered slowly sitting up. She looked down at him with a bit of a smirk.

"What?"

"Nothing." She smiled jumping off his lap and dashing into the bedroom.

"Bloody women." He snapped as he followed her.