Check it out, I'm updating this in less than a month! I feel like I'm doing pretty good ;P

debjohns: Is anything really that simple? ;P But hey, you never know! Thank you for taking the time to read and review, I really appreciate it.

A/N: I wasn't going to update this for a few more days, but after I had to shut my phone off (stupid ex), I decided "what the hell". So here's the new chapter! Hope you enjoy it!

Chapter Thirteen

Katie's POV

The next day, James and I braved the frigid early winter weather to get to church. Since our friends would all be there, we agreed that it was best if we went. We were trying to support Logan as best we could, and we were still hoping that it wouldn't actually come to Logan crashing the wedding. As James put it, that was Plan D for Desperate.

"You know we're going to have to tell your family that we're living together," James commented as I stepped out into the living room, slipping earrings in.

"Oh, goody," I groaned. "My dad and brother are going to be so thrilled, and my grandmother is going to have a heart attack."

"You're assuming that your grandmother has a heart. Anyway," he worked on getting his collar neatly folded and straight, "it's not like you have anything to hide from them. We're not sleeping together. We're simply platonic roommates. I get bored just thinking about it." He swept his eyes over me, taking in my skirt, blouse, and boots, before letting his gaze linger on my freshly curled hair and carefully applied makeup. "Though it's not nearly as boring when you look like you do right now. You clean up nicely, Knight."

"Oh, fuck off."

He smirked. "I thought the point was to convince your family that that's the one thing that's not happening."

I rolled my eyes before crossing the room. "Your collar's still crooked." I flipped it back up against his neck, letting it rest against his jaw for a moment before carefully folding it down. I tugged his shirt straight and unbuttoned the top button. "Can't have you looking too buttoned up. People might start to wonder if I'm slipping LSD into your coffee."

He rolled his eyes back at me, but he looked pleased.

Ten minutes later we trekked down to his car and climbed in, headed to the church. As always, the church parking lot was crowded, and finding parking was a pain in the ass, but eventually James managed to steer the car into a spot between a minivan and an SUV. We clambered out and headed into church. We bumped into Preston as we made our way towards the sanctuary. This time he was with a bottle blonde with a fake tan.

Preston smirked at me. "Looks like you've finally de-thawed. I guess that assignment was a little…cold."

"Not nearly as cold as sex with you was," I shot back.

"Yeah, we're in a church," James reminded me.

"I think God will understand."

"Listen, Katie," Preston took a step towards me. "I know we've had our differences – "

I snorted. "Understatement of the millennia."

" – But if you want assignments that don't literally send you out into the freezing cold, you should be a little nicer to me."

I sputtered. "I should be nicer to you?! You're the one who cheated on me, you asshat! As far as I'm concerned, you can go fuck yourself – oh wait, you can't, because your dick is miniscule." I turned to the blonde. "I hope you like being disappointed and having a selfish partner, because that's all that Preston is."

"I'm going to have to start going to church more often," I heard Carlos say from behind me. We all turned to find him and Stephanie walking into the lobby, staring at us eagerly as if expecting us to do a couple of back flips.

I shook my head and stormed into the sanctuary, James, Carlos, and Stephanie close behind me.

"So, word on the street is that Logan's crashing Camille's wedding," Carlos said in a low voice once we had taken seats.

I raised an eyebrow, and Stephanie shrugged. "We all think Logan and Camille need to get back together. Jo and Lucy aren't super onboard with the idea, but they're willing to help."

"Well, then. That'll make our job that much easier. Oh, by the way, James and I are living together."

"You're fucking?!" Stephanie screeched. Several people, including my parents and grandmother, turned to look at us. "You and James are actually getting naked?!"

"You know, this is counterproductive. I'm pretty sure people are going to think that we're sleeping together," James commented to me.

"We're not sleeping together!" I informed Stephanie. "James and I are strictly platonic."

"Although there was that one time we kissed," James chose that moment to chime in.

"You kissed?!" Carlos hollered. "How did this not come up during Truth and Dare?!"

"You guys were asking the wrong questions," James shrugged. "You were so busy outing me that you didn't try to find out if anything had happened between us."

I rubbed my nose. "It was just a kiss."

"It was a hot one."

"We were hyped up on adrenaline after escaping from a crazy chainsaw guy."

"You bit my lip."

"You shoved your tongue down my throat."

"I'm pretty sure you were trying to get my coat off."

"Your hands were sliding down to my ass."

Stephanie turned to Carlos. "Yeah, they're totally platonic. How could we ever doubt them?"

Luckily, the service started right after, and James and I spent the next two hours pretending that the other didn't exist. This was particularly hard to do when we were squeezed into a pew right next to each other, and his arm kept brushing my arm and his knee kept touching my knee. His fingers kept drifting over my leg almost absentmindedly, and every now and then I would catch myself leaning against his shoulder, inhaling the scent of his aftershave.

I hated hormones. I hated them so fucking much.

Also: We were in a church. Shouldn't the hormones have run off to Vegas or Reno or something to leave me in peace for the two hours I was expected to behave myself?

"You're never going to believe this!" Stephanie squealed when she intercepted Camille, Logan, and Steve on their way out of the sanctuary after the service. "James and Katie made out."

"What?!" all three of them hollered, before spinning around to face us.

"It was after we escaped from the haunted forest," I said by way of explanation.

"We have haunted forests around here?" Steve asked, looking confused.

"She means the haunted forest the four of us went to right before Halloween," Camille explained to him, before placing her hands on her hips. "I can't believe you guys kept this shut! You two made out! This is a huge fucking deal!"

"Camille, dear, we're in a church," Steve reminded her.

"Do I look like I fucking care? One of my best friends made out with the guy who everyone thinks she's been sleeping with! This is so fucking big."

"We were pumped up on adrenaline," I protested, before glaring at Stephanie. "Thank you so much."

"Was it any good?" Logan asked with a small smirk, as if he knew the answer.

I felt my face heat up. "That's not the point."

"Actually, I think it is."

"We have to get going. We have brunch at my parents' place."

"That should be an interesting conversation," Camille grinned. "I can't wait to see this."

The drive to my parents' place was stiff and awkward. James and I weren't speaking to each other, and to make matters worse, he was blasting heavy metal. I glared at the radio until I couldn't take it anymore. I switched the station to a Top 40s one, and leaned back against the passenger seat with a relaxed sigh. James scowled at me, and changed the station right back to the alt rock one. Why we even had an alt rock station in northern Minnesota was beyond me, but I guess anything was possible.

I flipped the station back to the pop one. He changed the station back to the alt rock. I jabbed at the button ferociously, and the second I dropped my hand, his right index finger was punching the controls.

"Will you fucking stop?" I demanded. "I don't want to listen to heavy metal."

"And I don't want to listen to bubble gum pop shit. And this is my car!"

"I don't give a shit if this is the car you lost your virginity in! That music is giving me a fucking headache!"

"And listening to auto-tuned singers gives me a headache."

"Newsflash, James – not everything's about you."

"And newsflash, princess – not everything's about you." He hit the power button and the radio went silent, just as he pulled up in front of my parents' house. We sat there in silence, glaring at each other.

"You're such an ass," I gritted out.

"And you're a fucking brat. My car, my rules, my music choice. Got it?"

"Fine," I snapped, unbuckling my seatbelt and sliding out. "Jackass."

"Brat," he shot back as he got out as well. We looked at each other for a long moment, before breaking out into a dash up towards the door, elbowing and knocking into each other, trying to get there first. I ducked under his arm and he grabbed me around the waist. I yelped, struggling to get away from him.

"Fuck you, Diamond!" was all I could think of to scream as he threw me over his shoulder and carried me into the house like a sack of potatoes.

"Come up with a new mantra, and then we'll talk," he suggested, kicking the front door shut behind us.

My mom gaped at us as she came out of the kitchen to see what all the noise was. "James and Katie are here."

I wiggled my fingers at her. "Hi, Mommy."

"Uh…James, why don't you put Katie down so that you two can come join everyone in the dining room for brunch?"

James set me down and we stomped our way into the kitchen, taking seats between Kendall and Camille, both of whom looked like they were about to burst out laughing.

My dad cleared his throat. "So, Katie, James, what's this I hear about you two living together now? When I went on my business trip to Kauai, you two still hated each other."

Plates of food were passed around as I began to explain. "It's a platonic roommate situation, Daddy. James needed a place to stay. I needed a roommate. It just sort of worked out that way."

He sniffed. "I'm not sure I like the idea of you having a male roommate."

"I quite agree with you," my dear grandmother piped up. "It simply isn't done, it's very improper for a man and a woman to be living together before marriage."

Dad eyed her uneasily. "On second thought, maybe you two living together isn't such a bad idea."

"It's not like James and I are having sex!" I burst out.

"Though they did kiss once," Camille put in.

"Jesus Christ!" Kendall cried. "What the fuck have you two been doing?!"

"Don't take our savior's name in vain, especially on the day of the Sabbath," Grandma admonished him.

"Oh, for fuck's sake, woman," my dad growled. "This is my house, and Kendall voiced my sentiments exactly – what the fuck have those two been doing?!"

I stuffed a piece of bacon into my mouth.

"Katie and James are both legal, consenting adults," my mom spoke up. "If they're living together and sleeping in the same bed, then that's their business. None of us get a say in what they do with their bodies."

"Oh my God." I covered my face with my hands. "This is worse than I thought."

Mom reached across the table to pat my arm. "Just use protection until you two are ready to be parents."

It was, without a doubt, one of the most awkwardly embarrassing days of my life. It was almost a relief to go back to work on Monday, which was not something I thought I'd be saying any time soon, what with the whole Preston situation.

However, as I walked into the newspaper office Monday morning, sipping a cappuccino and shaking snow out of my hair, Preston approached me. "Ah, just the reporter I wanted to talk to. I have a new assignment for you."

"What is it this time?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow coolly. "Are you going to send me down to the fish market to see how they gut the fish?"

He let out a chuckle, the kind of laugh that sounded like an inward groan. "No, of course not, Katie. In fact, I'm giving you the prize story for the next week. Let's go into my office and we'll discuss it."

Half curious, half terrified, I followed him into the office and sat down at his desk opposite him. Preston folded his hands on the desk, bestowing a charming and vapid smile upon me. "You are aware, of course, that Planned Parenthood is opening a center here in Maple Leaf."

I nodded. The news had spread like wildfire. Some people were thrilled, some were livid, and some couldn't have cared less.

"I want you to create a story surrounding their opening. There are picketers outside, and picketers outside the first picketers. I want you to report the general atmosphere and feelings towards the opening, and whether the change will be a positive or a negative one."

I was practically wiggling in my seat. Finally. A story with some meatiness, some juiciness. Something I could sink my teeth into. I was already picturing the story, with my name attached to it, on the front page of the newspaper. There would be a huge, flashy picture of the newly constructed center, and slightly smaller pictures of the two groups of protesters – the ones protesting the center being opened, and the ones protesting the protesters.

"So, what do you think?" Preston looked at me. "Do you think you can handle it?"

"Mr. Gates," I said formally, "I am the woman for the job. Believe me, I can handle it."

"Excellent. I expect the story in by Friday. And if it's a big hit, there'll be a follow up one for the grand opening. That'll be all." And with that I was dismissed. But I didn't even care – I was too busy putting together a game plan and a mental list of interview questions. I couldn't. Freaking. Wait.

The first thing I did was a quick internet search on the origins of Planned Parenthood and the different reactions to the organization. After that, I looked for planned parenthood maple leaf mn, and came up with a bunch of Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter posts. Some were enthusiastic and others seemed to think that hell was about to freeze over. I bookmarked the posts and scribbled down notes, before calling the temporary phone number listed for the Maple Leaf Planned Parenthood center. Twenty minutes later I had scheduled interviews with several different Planned Parenthood staff and volunteers.

During my lunch break, I walked over to a nearby coffee shop and bought myself another cappuccino and a sandwich, and munched on my food while I walked over to where Planned Parenthood was setting up. It was a mess. In any other town, this would not be a big deal at all. Most people would just be like, "yeah, whatever". But in Maple Leaf, everyone was clamoring for an opinion on something that became the norm thirty years ago. Maybe it was because of the shooting at the Colorado Springs location, or maybe it was because of the abortions. Or it could have just possibly been easily accessible birth control. I'd seen bits and pieces of that on the different social media sites.

But the protestors didn't seem to have a clue what they were doing. Some had anti-abortion signs. Some were screaming about celibacy. Others were just pissed that we weren't getting a new diner put in. And then there were the protestors protesting the protestors. There were signs about the shooting, signs about "my body, my choice", and signs about being stuck in the mud. I snapped photos of the whole scene with my phone, before taking a video as well. Once I was satisfied, I headed back to the newspaper office to scribble out a series of interview questions.

When I got home that evening, I was in an unusually good mood. I stepped into my apartment, kicking off my snow boots and stripping off my scarf, gloves, and coat. I could smell beef stew simmering in the kitchen, and my stomach growled eagerly.

"James?"

James hurried out of the kitchen, a huge smile on his face. "I got the part!"

I blinked at him, before beaming. "In How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying? You're playing J. Pierrepont Finch?"

He nodded, and I threw myself into his arms, hugging him tightly. "Oh my gosh, congratulations! I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks, Katie." He pulled back, holding me at arm's length. "You look happy. What happened? Did you finally quit that hellhole?"

I shook my head. "Preston actually gave me an assignment worth writing about."

"Really."

"Yeah. I don't know what's going to come after this, but at least it's something."

"It is. I'm glad. But…" He cleared his throat. "You know how Deprois has a really huge art and entertainment scene?"

I nodded.

"Well, right across from the theatre is an A&E magazine office. Maybe you've heard of it. It's called Show & Tell."

I nodded again. "I read it a lot in high school and college. It's pretty famous amongst the Midwest."

"Right. Okay. So, the editor-in-chief is friends with the play's casting director, and she stopped in to say hi. We got to talking, and I told her that I have a friend who's a really talented writer, but her boss isn't using her talents at all. And she said you should apply for a job with them."

I bit my lip. "You told her about me?"

James nodded. "I mean, if things are turning around at Gates-Hills Chronicles, then don't worry about it. I just thought, you know, it'd be something you'd be interested in. I know it's not investigative reporting, but it's got to be better than writing about anti-turkey protests."

I thought about it. "You know, maybe I will apply. Preston might change his mind after this – he probably will, he's pretty flaky. And once this article runs in the paper, I'll have something solid to add to my portfolio. And it's not like this is my dream job, anyway. It was just supposed to be something to hold me over until I got a better one, and then the whole thing with Preston happened, and now…" I shrugged. "I guess I'll apply after dinner."

The next evening, Camille and her bridesmaids – Jo, Stephanie, Lucy, and me – had our last dress fitting. Camille's gown was beautiful, strapless, with the bodice covered in fake diamonds, and a full, sweeping skirt. The bridesmaid dresses weren't half bad either. They were pale lavender, a shade that worked for all four of us, even Lucy, though she'd had to dye her signature red streaks right out of her hair. The dresses were also strapless with billowing skirts.

"Everything's perfect," Jo commented with a smile once we had changed back into our street clothes.

Camille nodded, though her lower lip was trembling.

"Awww, what's wrong?" Stephanie asked, slipping an arm around her. "Aren't you happy?"

"I'm very happy." Camille let out a huge sob. "I'm deliriously happy!"

"No you're not," I said quietly. "You're not happy with your groom."

Camille shot me a withering look. "I love Steve."

"But you're in love with Logan. There's a difference between loving someone and being in love."

"Steve is perfect for me. He's the perfect man."

"But who wants perfection?" I asked, before guiltily biting my lip. Me. I wanted perfection. And I was beginning to realize that perfection wasn't real. It was a myth, something made up so you would always want more.

"Logan had his chance and he blew it. It's just pre-wedding jitters. I'll be fine after I get a good night's sleep." And in fact, it looked like she hadn't been sleeping lately. Her skin was paler than usual, and there were dark shadows under her eyes.

I gave her a quick hug. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry. You're beautiful, and you're going to be the most beautiful bride in the world."

She hugged me back. "Thank you."

By Thursday morning I had most of the article typed up. My interviews had been conducted, my outline was beautiful, and I had enough quotes to sprinkle throughout the article. I had a few changes I wanted to make, but other than that I felt like the story was solid. So I was in a good mood as I got ready for work. I shimmied into my pantyhose, zipped up my pencil skirt, buttoned up my blouse, and shoved my feet into my boots. I carefully applied my makeup, tied my hair back in a neat ponytail, and added a simple pair of earrings and a matching necklace to the whole ensemble. I strolled out to the dining area where James was already dishing us up omelets and oatmeal topped with berries. He smiled when he saw me. "You look like you slept well."

I nodded. "I just need to edit the article, and then I'm going to turn it into Preston. And yesterday he was talking about a couple of other articles he might assign me after this. Good ones."

James furrowed his brow. "I thought you were leaving after this."

"Well, I haven't put in my two weeks' notice," I admitted. "I've kind of been holding out to see what happens after this."

"Katie, you know Preston will screw you over one way or another. He always has. Remember your relationship with him? It's better to get out now while you're still going strong. You know I'm right," he added as I wordlessly sat down and began picking at my food. "You know he'll go back to giving you shitty assignments. That's just what he does."

"But maybe that's changing," I insisted. "I mean, I dated him for a reason. I'm pretty sure he used to be a decent person."

"He cheated on you the second your back was turned! I can't believe you're defending him. You literally have had nothing good to say about him for the past month and a half. The second he gives you a halfway decent assignment, you act like nothing's ever happened."

I stared up at him. "You have got to be kidding me. I'm perfectly aware of what happened, thank you very much. I was there when it happened, remember? It happened to me. But I'm not about to leave a job when I'm finally making some headway. Preston's finally realizing that I'm worth more than my relationship with him. I'm not going to just walk out."

"How can someone so smart be so stupid? You know better than this. Did you even apply for the job at Show & Tell?"

"Of course I did." I didn't mention that I'd gotten an e-mail from the editor-in-chief the night before, asking if I could call to set up an interview. I hadn't responded to her. I was waiting to see how the next few days at work went before figuring out what I wanted to do.

James rolled his eyes. "Fine. Whatever. Go to your dead end job with your jackass boss, and continue reporting on stories you hate and don't give a shit about. I hope you have a wonderful day," he added sarcastically.

"Why are you acting like this?"

"Because I want you out of there! It's not right for you! You know I'm right," he added when I opened my mouth to respond. "You've been saying you want out of there pretty much since the moment I showed up at the Gates-Hills Chronicles office. You want out of there, and I'm trying to help you get out. But the second Preston starts kissing your ass, you're running right back to him."

"Whatever. Go fuck yourself. I have to get going."

"Fine." He turned his back on me, his shoulders set and tense.

Shaking my head, I gathered my stuff and stalked out of our apartment. What was his fucking problem?

I drove to my favorite coffee shop for my usual cappuccino, before continuing onto work and making my way inside. I spotted Preston leaning against my desk, chatting with a new reporter. She was pretty and curvaceous, with long blonde hair and glossy lips.

"Oh, Katie." Preston waved me over. "You've met Whitney, right?"

I nodded. "A couple days ago."

"Good. She's going to take over the Planned Parenthood story for you."

"I – what? What do you mean, she's going to take over it? She's going to do a follow-up story?"

"No, Katie," he said in his most condescending tone. "I mean, she's going to take over this story. So I'm going to need you to give her all the research you did and what you've typed up so far."

I felt a slow numbness spreading from my fingertips into my bloodstream. James had been right. Preston was doing it. He was screwing me over.

"Why?" I managed to croak out. My throat was so dry it felt like the Sahara desert. "Why are you doing this to me?"

"Whitney's our new star reporter," Preston said, flashing a proud smile in her direction. "And I need you to cover the goings-on at the fish market."

"The story's written, Preston. It's done. You can't just take it away from me. I worked my ass off on it!"

Preston cocked his head, looking down at me pityingly. "I just don't think you have what it takes to be a hard hitting journalist. And as your boss, I can take it away from me. And frankly, I doubt you worked your ass off on it. Your work is always so subpar. If it wasn't for the fact that we used to have a relationship, I would fire you. But some part of me still cares about what happens to you, and I don't want to see you jobless and homeless. That would just be…sad. Pathetic."

I wasn't even aware of uncapping my half-drank cappuccino, but the next thing I knew I was dumping it over Preston's head. "You know what's even sadder? Your life. Your face. Your sex prowess. Your job as an editor. You fucking suck at everything! And you know what? I've had enough of your abuse and harassment. You don't deserve to have me on your team! I. FUCKING. QUIT!" And with that, I turned on my heel and stormed out of the office and into the sleet and wind. With shaking fingers I unlocked my car and slid into the driver's seat, slamming the door behind me and locking it.

And then I burst into tears.

Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter :)