I'VE BEEN SAVING YOUR PLACE ,, OLIVATIE BABIEZ

[CATE MOSCOVITZ]

katie loaded the small things into her enchanted rucksack. a framed wedding portrait. loose change. her mother's jewels and her father's watch. she stood, frozen with grief and disbelief, in the center of her late parents' living room, the bag leaning against the couch. her arms were crossed awkwardly over her chest as katie allowed numbness to take her. her parents were dead - murdered for sport by passing death eaters. tears slid down her cheeks over and over again, dripping off her chin and hitting the carpet. katie liked to pretend to the general public that she wasn't capable of forming tears. but no one was here to share this with her and what did it matter if she cried like an infant in the absence of her family? she felt cold, bitter and hateful. a popping sound beyond the front door caused her to straighten up. immediately her hands were on her cheeks, wiping away the tears and checking to make sure that her nose wasn't running. it was him. she knew it. when the front door was gently opened, katie shut her eyes, her back to him. oliver wood was here to save the day.

[KALEIGH]

oliver paced around the front hallway of his flat, running his hands through his hair. when had the world turned to this? when had the killing of innocent people become a sport? he was sick to his stomach thinking about it, sick of what was happening. most of all, he felt sick that katie had lost both of her parents and he wasn't there to make her okay. he hadn't seen her in months, the both of them deciding that they were better off going their separate ways. of course, neither had really felt like that; it was just easier to say that than to figure out distance and complications and the future. to realize that neither of them had opened themselves up to each other completely. he'd missed her everyday since, even if she had spent all of her time before trying to piss him off. without katie in his life, oliver was one step backward. and now he wanted so badly to be there for her, but what would she say if she turned up at her doorstep? what would she do? would she brush him off and tell him to leave? or would she let him hold her like he wanted to, let her guard down for half a second long enough to let him in. but he couldn't leave her alone, now that she didn't have anyone. he would be her family, whether she liked it or not. he shook his head out of frustration, turning quickly on the spot and apparating to the bell's front door. he turned the knob lightly, treading in quietly towards the sitting room. there she was, her back to him, and all at once memories and feelings rushed back. he walked over until he was standing in front of her, and wordlessly wrapped her up in his arms, not caring what she thought about him being there.

[CATE MOSCOVITZ]

he circled until he was before her, tall and glorious, his dedication unquestionable. why did they ever break up? how could she have stood it this long, being without his embrace? but katie was stiff in his arms for a few moments, relishing the precious seconds before she would succumb utterly to her grief and let him make it better. she was strong but this was too much. after letting him hold her, katie wrapped her arms around him tightly, her head buried in his chest. a strange kind of sob left her throat and katie tried to pass it off as a cough. "i'm not crying." she reminded him firmly, holding him tighter, breathing in his goodness and love.

[KALEIGH]

oliver couldn't help but grimace when a sob worked itself out of katie, muffled by his shoulder. katie was the strongest person he knew, the only person who he knew could withstand anything and everything. seeing her beaten and broken strangled his heart, made him wrap his arms around her even tighter. he felt helpless, he felt like he couldn't make things better at all. he buried his face in the top of her head, breathing her in. her scent, the way her arms felt around him brought back a pang of loss and longing that made him ache. he needed her. and he knew she needed him even if she would never admit it. i'm not crying," she said, again muffled. "i know," he murmurmed, even though both of them knew exactly what was happening. he pulled away slightly, holding both sides of her face in his hands, and stared fiercely into her puffy eyes. "i'm never leaving you. i'll always be here, and i love you. you know that?"

[CATE MOSCOVITZ]

his large hands took hold of her pinkened, tear stained cheeks. katie's chest rose and fell with dry sobs, her eyes trained on his exquisite dark ones. "i'm never leaving you. i'll always be here, and i love you. you know that?" her lip trembled. "you love me," katie repeated as though to herself, her voice barely above a whisper and impaired by her constricted throat. even to this day, after every moment they'd shared, katie had to convince herself that his love for her was real. one day she'd realize that she'd merely day dreamed their romance, but today he loved her and it felt real and that was good enough for her. "damn it, i love you." katie admitted this with a little whimper, her arms tightening around him as she pressed her face into the base of his neck. he smelled just as she remembered, a scent katie could pick out of millions and know it belonged to him. "oh, you smell good," she murmured, exhaustion creeping into her words. "take me home, would you?"