All I Ever Intended.

Part Two:
'Everybody Needs Time'

'It's something I said, or someone I know.
Or you called me up, maybe I wasn't home.
Now everybody needs some time,
and everybody knows
The rest of it's fine
And everybody knows that.'

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Standing in front of the window of their small cottage, Katie pressed her nose to the glass, fogging it up with the small sigh she emitted. Smiling as a muffled snore sounded behind her, she tore her gaze away from the serene, snow-covered vegetation of the Scottish countryside, to look down at her boyfriend adoringly as he lay sprawled on his front on top of the bed.

Her smile widened as she noted that his long, toned body took up most of the double bed's space, and as she walked over and sat down next to him on the bed, she felt an overwhelming sense of affection rush through all her senses. Reaching out to touch his back, she traced the long, slightly raised scar that ran from his right shoulder-bone down to his left hip.

He stirred at her touch and rolled over to look up at her, his smile fading as he soon as he saw the tears glistening in her eyes. Sighing, he sat up and pulled her to his naked torso, shuffling his body back up the bed towards the top, where he leant against the wall and cradled her in his lap.

'I don't understand you Katie,' he said quietly as she sobbed into his chest, 'that scar is nearly two years old, I'm still alive and perfectly healthy… you just can't let things go, can you?'

Sniffling, she looked up at him wretchedly.
'Of course you don't understand… I watched you die Oliver.'

'But I didn't die Kates,' he replied earnestly, 'I didn't die!'

'I thought you had,' she cried, launching herself back at his chest, 'I thought you had – I had ten hours worth of spare time lying beside you in that manor, ten hours to contemplate the thought of living without you…'

Oliver sighed.
'I don't know how to make you happy any more Katie.'

'You do make me happy,' she sobbed, 'you do! I just wish you'd stop getting frustrated about this… it'll pass. Just not yet.'

'Katie, I know you, you won't let it go… you're too stubborn. You never let things go until you're forced to… and I don't want to have to force you.'

Gulping back the remainder of her tears, Katie wrenched herself away from him. 'What do you mean?'

'I think it would be better if we had some time away from each other – just until we can get ourselves sorted out.' He said quietly, unable to meet her gaze.

Scrambling backwards away from him so fast she fell off the bed, Katie stared up at him in horror from the floor, where she had yet to move herself out of her unorthodox position. 'You're not serious.'

'Katie, I'm always serious when it comes to what's best for you… and obviously I'm not what's best for you at the moment.'

'Are you fucking kidding me!' she screamed suddenly, losing her wits but gathering a sense of momentum and getting abruptly to her feet, 'Oliver, you're the only thing that's good for me at the moment! I have no family left, in case you've forgotten!'

Oliver winced.
'Neither have I.'

'And that's precisely why you can't break up with me!'

'Look Katie, I'm sorry… it's just for a few weeks, until you can let go of things and I can find a way to sort myself out so I can help you.'

'I don't need your help, I don't want it!'

'Then why the big fuss?'

Her jaw dropping open, Katie stared at him for what felt like an eternity, before a glare that he did not much care for stole into her eyes and she seemed to just snap back into reality. Walking away from him, she stalked into the closet and began stuffing all her clothes into a bag she'd conjured up.

'What are you doing?' Oliver asked in confusion, getting up off the bed and dragging a shirt on over his boxers, 'I'm not kicking you out – I'll move out.'

'Oh, well that's just great Wood, I'm so glad you're a gentleman.' She replied scathingly from the closet, laughing hollowly, 'No, I'm going, and I'm not coming back either.'

'Wait a minute,' he said, walking into the closet and holding up his hands in a peaceful manner, 'I didn't want this to be permanent or anything.'

'Well I just made it permanent, Wood, so move.'

Shoving past him, she pulled her old school trunk out from under their bed and threw all the clothes inside. Catching a glance at her reflection in the mirror, she noted that she had one of his old Gryffindor captain sweaters on and quickly peeled it off and threw it at him, covering her bare chest with one arm and dragging another shirt out with the other limb.

'Oh, so I'm "Wood" now am I?' he said, finally starting to get angry as the sweater hit him in the face, bathing him in the smell of apple shampoo and milk chocolate, 'Great. "Oliver honey" at night and "Wood" in the morning, eh?'

'Don't you start on that!' she screamed, dragging on a pair of jeans, 'Don't even start on that!'

'On what?' he yelled back, 'on what!? On the sex? Yeah, that's right; I'll say it even if you aren't woman enough to say it! What are you, thirteen?'

'No Wood, I'm nineteen,' she replied in a soft tone he knew immediately spelled danger, 'I'm nineteen – obviously, too young for you.'

'What!?' he yelped, 'Kates, we've been best friends since you were born! What are you saying?'

'Nothing Oliver, I'm saying nothing.'

They stood, silent; staring at each other, until Katie finally sighed, and before Oliver could do anything, she apparated, her luggage in tow.

Arriving in Alicia and George's shared apartment in London with a crash, Katie sank to the floor, hysterical, the sounds of Oliver shouting at her not to go even as the ominous crack sounded from her wand, reverberating in her head.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Two weeks after the disastrous dinner party at George and Alicia's, Katie was yet again getting dressed up for an event she didn't want to attend. The idea of the reunion was cringe-worthy enough as it is, without the added pressure of having to make sure everyone who'd been at the dinner two weeks ago thought she was alright – that she wasn't the messed up head-case she'd looked like then.

Pausing amidst pulling on a simple black evening dress, she smiled wryly as one of the poems she'd written a couple of years ago caught her eye, tucked away amongst the assortment of objects pinned to the corkboard collage on her wall. Reaching out and un-pinning it, she sat down on the bed and read it, laughing hollowly as she noted the irony of it.

-&-&-

What is it that's stopping me from living?
Is it you? Or
the thought of you? Or
maybe just the lingering taste of you?
Either way, my stomach aches and
my mind is so over-crowded its
filing away vital components necessary for
the most basic of social interaction.
A colloquialism and a cliché,
we're breaking the rules in all the same old ways.
What's worse than loving you?
I'm messed up more than you know and
in these smalls hours I'm
alone in my claustrophobic antisocial sentiments
with only you,
the thoughts of you,
and the lingering taste of you
to curb my indecent enthusiasm for being
your Number One Head-case.

-&-&-

Screwing it up and chucking it in the waste bin beside her dressing table, she continued the pulling on of her dress, and decided that all her "antisocial sentiments" were going to be discarded, much like the poem, for the evening.

'I'm going to have fun – enjoy myself thoroughly.' She said firmly to herself.

'That's the spirit, darling.' said the mirror in her en suite with a small chuckle.

Smiling, Katie finished zipping up her dress and bounced into the bathroom, hoping that if she acted excited she'd start to actually feel excited – after all, why should Wood spoil all her fun? She was going to see people she hadn't seen since Hogwarts! And who knew? Maybe some of them were even single!

Tapping her nose with her wand, she grinned as her face immediately changed from plain and not made up, to a flawless complexion, smoky eye shadow and nude gloss. She then tapped her hair, which instantly curled itself, transforming its long, lank appearance, into lightly curled, shining locks.

Nodding contentedly, she went back into the bedroom and slipped on a pair of shiny black pumps. Then, she reached into her dresser and pulled out a fine silver chain with a small "K" on it – a necklace her mother had given her for her seventeenth birthday, the month before she'd been killed.

Surprising herself by not dissolving into a blithering mess, Katie decided that a positive attitude was something she'd desperately needed – looking into the mirror; she saw some of the old, bouncy Katie back in her thinner, slightly drawn face. Yes, definitely, some of that old mischief was back…

Placing her cloak gently around her shoulders and switching her room light off, Katie exhaled carefully before apparating, the night young and before her yet.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

'So, I said to him, I said to him "if you touch my wife, I swear to you mate, you won't see properly ever again", and d'you know what he did? He reached out and slapped her arse! Didn't he Cho darling? So I turned around and I smacked him a good one and he can't see out of one eye now, I hit him so hard.'

Laughing politely along with Ginny and a mortified looking Cho Davies, who immediately began chastising her husband, Katie smiled fondly as she looked around at the crowd of old friends, all gathered inside the large house of Angelina and Fred Weasley and their brood of four rowdy children.

Excusing herself from the conversation with a sly wink at Ginny, who looked ready to gag as Cho and Roger kissed passionately, she walked over to the kitchenette where Fred and George were mixing drinks.

'What can we get you Katie-love?' Fred asked as she approached.

'What've you got for me?' she countered with a smile as the twins grinned at her.

'Ooh, you're brave,' said Hermione, who was standing beside the counter with a glass of water, 'they gave Ron a glass of something earlier and he's still sleeping it off.'

Fred and George cackled gleefully.

'He deserved it,' George said as Hermione flashed them a reproachful glare, 'he told Fred that Alfie looked like a monkey with freckles.'

'Yeah,' said Fred, 'but what we didn't tell him was that Alfie was actually wearing a mask of Ron's own stupid face.'

Katie and Hermione both laughed; the latter in a slightly guilty manner as if she expected her husband to come out at any minute, his ears glowing a dangerous red.

'Where are Alfie and all the kids anyway?' asked a voice from behind them, and Katie choked on the drink Fred had just handed her, the smooth Scottish accent all too familiar.

'Uh, they're at ours,' said George, flashing a glance at Katie, who was still coughing loudly, 'Mum and Dad are babysitting them.'

'Ah,' said Oliver with a smile, leaning past Hermione and the back of the choking woman to hand the twins a couple of bottle of vodka, 'my muggle friend from Glasgow gave me these, he said they're strong though, so go easy on it.'

'Thanks Oliver,' said Fred with a grin, reaching out to clap the older man's back in a comradely fashion.

'No problem,' said Oliver, turning to Hermione with a smile, 'Hello Hermione, how're you?'

'I'm-I'm good thanks,' said Hermione, looking slightly afraid of him as she patted Katie's back softly.

'Who's this here that's choking? I don't quite recognise you.' Oliver said, frowning, those hips and slender waist were so familiar…

Turning around, horrified at the nerve of him, Katie winced as she looked at him properly for the first time in three years.

'Katie?' he said, shell-shocked, stumbling backwards, completely unable to comprehend how different she looked.

'Am I really that changed Wood?' she said coldly, thanking Hermione for her help and strutting past him, spilling some of her drink on him as she purposefully clipped his broad shoulder.

'Katie, wait!' Oliver called after her, apologising to Hermione and the twins and hurrying after her.

'Oliver mate, great to see you!' slurred Roger as Katie rushed past him followed closely by Oliver, who ignored him completely.

'Katie!' called Alicia as her friend stalked past her, heading towards the bathroom, 'Katie, what's the m- oh, hey Oliver.'

'Hi!' Oliver called as he ran past, upsetting a few drinks on his way through.

'Oh dear.' said Alicia to Angelina, who was watching the turn of events with mild curiosity.

'They'll probably make up and go snog in the bathroom, you'll see.' She said with a shrug, tossing her braids over her shoulder.

'Five quid and you're on.' Fred wagered, sauntering over to them with drinks.

'Deal.' said Angelina, taking the drink from him and sipping it gracefully.

Meanwhile, Oliver raced down the corridor behind Katie, yelling her name out in vain. 'Katie! Katie stop!'

Screeching to a halt outside the bathroom door, Katie slunk inside and was just slamming it shut when Oliver stuck his foot in the way. Cursing when she tried to close the offending appendage in the door, Oliver placed his hands on the wood and shoved against it.

'Stop it!' she cried angrily, 'stop it, just leave me alone!'

'I just want to talk to you, that's all.' He grunted, pushing with all his might against the wooden door.

'This isn't fair!' she hissed as she pushed against his force, 'you're stronger than me!'

'What d'you expect me to do, ease up on you?' Oliver replied incredulously, taking advantage of her slight slip in concentration and ramming it, sending her flying backwards where she hit the bathroom wall, 'Oh shit! I'm sorry!'

Looking up, dazed, Katie frowned as soon as everything made sense again. Her eyes watering against the pain in her right shoulder, she got to her feet in a wobbly fashion and steadied herself with the towel rack.

'Katie, I am so sorry, I didn't mean to push that hard.' Oliver said slowly, coming towards her to make sure she was okay.

'Don't come near me!' she said loudly, stumbling backwards in her high shoes and nearly falling over again, 'don't touch me you bastard!'

Flinching at the terrified but furious tone of her voice, he took a step back and held his hands up in surrender. 'I'm sorry for- for… I'm sorry for everything Kates… if you decide you want to hear what I have to say then you know where I'll be.'

She stood still, panting heavily, trying not to cry and holding onto the towel rack for support, until he was out of sight: his footsteps echoing down the hall. Fumbling for the edge of the bathtub, she sat down tentatively, breathing in and out steadily as she tried to calm herself.

So much for not letting Wood ruin your night… she thought to herself sadly as she massaged her sore shoulder tenderly.