"Uhm Marley? Brody?"

I jumped awake when I heard someone speak my name and saw Jake looming over me. When I jolted up pain rushed through my muscles. Then I realised that I had fell asleep on the couch last night.....on top of Brody. I realised we were in a very awkward position as I was in between in his legs and he had his arms around me. To Jake this could have looked bad. I didn't plan for this to happen though,  we just fell asleep. There was no denying I always slept better when I was with him.

"Brody." I pushed Brody off me and he woke up then came to the same realisation as me.

"This isn't what it looks like man." Brody told Jake. "We were just watching the lion king and we fell asleep."

"Mmhmm." He sounded sarcastically. "If you two are done with whatever you were doing then you should go get ready. We're leaving for the chapel in half an hour."

"Ok." I nodded then jumped up and ran out of the room awkwardly trying to avoid any more tension.

I bolted upstairs and into my room where I jumped into the shower and quickly did my hair. Then I threw on a plaid skirt, a cream jumper, black tights, brown ankle boots and after curling my hair I added a cream beanie. I finished getting ready just in time and I joined Jake and Brody downstairs. Brody was also ready and it looked like I was interrupting on a conversation they were having.

"Everything Ok?" I asked curiously.

"Yep. Let's go." Jake smiled then walked towards the door.

But everything didn't look okay with Brody. Brody and I followed Jake anyway, outside into the cold winter air. The Chapel wasn't far so the three of us just walked it.

"I'm actually looking forward to this today." Jake told me.

"Good. I used to do this all the time with my dad, I mean Max." I remembered.

"Marls you can still call him dad around us. He was your dad." Jake told me and I nodded.

When we arrived at the chapel we noticed we were the last ones there, everyone was there before us even Lucy. There was also a good few other people who joined the project.

"Thank you all for coming today" Father Peterson spoke. "We are very grateful for all your help. So the way this will work is you will partner up and get a few packages each to deliver. Don't be afraid of these people,  they are just like us, just less fortunate. Now everyone on the buses."

We all followed the fathers instructions and got in the buses. I sat beside Brody.

"You're being my partner." I demanded and he laughed.

"Do I get a say?" He asked.

"No." I laughed. "So this morning?"

"Let's not talk about this right now Marls." Brody looked away and I thought I had done something wrong until I saw him looking at Jake and Jake was staring at us.

I nodded and stayed quiet the rest of the journey. We didn't have far to travel and when we got off we all took our packages we were going to give out then we split up. Once Brody and I were far enough away and on our own I immediately tried to get him to talk.

"What's wrong?  Why were you being weird around Jake?" I asked him.

"Look I know all you want is to be friends and that last night and this morning was just harmless but Jake doesn't know that. He thinks we've been really close lately so he decided to have the protective big brother talk with me."

"Tell me everything." I sighed.

******Brody's flashback******

"What the hell was that earlier?" Jake attacked me when I re-entered the Callaghan house now cleaned and dressed.

"What was what?" I asked confused.

"That shit you were pulling with Marley!" He answered my question  and I understood he was pissed.

Last night felt good as she fell asleep in my arms. I didn't have it in me to tell her to move. It was just like old times. I missed her being so close to me. Obviously Jake wasn't happy about it though.

"Why are you so angry?" I asked him.

"Brody we're friends, best friends, but Marley-Rose is like my sister. You hurt her once before. I won't let you hurt her again." Jake stood up to me.

"Jake I've changed." I reminded him.

"Have you? Last year Marley didn't know you but I did. I remember every girl you used, slept with and hurt, every fight you were in, every bad thing you did." Jake reminded me.

I didn't know where this was coming from. Jake and I were best friends, we always have been and he knows I wouldn't hurt Marley.

"She changed me." I told Jake.

"Have you really changed Brody? Marley has been through too much and I won't let you destroy everything she's rebuilding." Jake told me seriously. "She may act strong but I know my cousin, she's vulnerable, she likes to know she has someone so she won't be alone. Don't lead her on if you're not serious. I want Marley-Rose to stay with us for good again so please just don't do anything to mess that up."

******************

"He really said that?" I asked Brody shocked and stunned in the worst ways.

There was nothing wrong with Jake being protective, I like that he is but he took things too far. Brody hurt me once and I know he regrets it. I've hurt him too. He's a good person and doesn't deserve Jake down his throat.

"Marley there's a lot of people close to you that would kill me if I hurt you." Brody made a laugh about it. "Even my best friends."

"Brody they're just worried about me." I sighed.  "They think if you set me off, hurt me then I'll hurt myself."

I knew the group still saw me as fragile and I don't blame them, understanding self harm is hard but through the last seven weeks I spent my time trying to be happy with myself and it was working. I will never fully love myself and there will be things that set me off but I'm not glass, I won't break when something bad happens anymore.

"You won't though, right?" Brody asked me for verification and I nodded. "Good."

"It's not like we're dating again though." I put the point forward.

"Maybe we are getting a little too close Marls." Brody sighed.

"Brody you're one of my closest friends, I'm not losing you again." I refused.

"Come here." He smiled then pulled me into him and hugged me tightly.

"I needed that." I smiled when he let go of me.

"Marley have you thought anymore about how long you're going to stay here."Brody asked me.

I was trying to avoid that question. I was already pushing it by staying until Christmas but now that I've found out about Angelo and Sebastian I don't think I can leave and I don't really want to leave Brody.  On the other hand there's Tyler and Robbie and school. I just wasn't sure.

"I really don't know. I've done what I came here to do, everyone is getting along again and Sam loves me again. I should be ready to leave but I don't want to." I admitted.

"Then don't Marley-Rose. I know when you came back I told that you should have left but now we've spent so much time together, I want you to stay. I know it's selfish of me but I don't want you to leave again." Brody admitted.

I knew he wanted me to stay. I wanted to aswell but could I take the risk of losing everything again? Of losing Tyler?

"I'll talk to Tyler if he comes for Christmas. I doubt he will though." I sighed.

"He'll come." Brody said sounding sure.

Then we spotted a shelter where three homeless people were trying to find heat and a place to sleep. This broke my heart and I wanted to do everything I could to help. Brody and I walked over to them and they all gave us there attention.

"It will get better." I smiled handing them the packages.

"You don't know that." A woman cried.

"Everyone has to have hope." I smiled at her.

"I lost mine when they took my children away from me." The woman continued to cry.

"I know it's hard but you're children will always love you.  Recently I just found out about my biological father and I want to give him a chance. Trust me, everything will get better." I smiled at her.

"Sweet sweet girl." She smiled back. "Thank you."

I smiled at her before standing up properly again and brody and I continued.

"Did that not feel good?" I asked him as we walked away.

"Yeah, it felt really good." Brody nodded.

Brody and I continued walking down a random street then we saw another homeless man. Brody reached down to him and gave him one of the packages but he looked over to me then pulled my bag. Brody quickly pulled me back away from the man. The homeless man wasn't a threat though as he fell to the ground again and hid away in the corner with what we gave him.

Unfortunately everything in my bag was now sprawled along the sidewalk. So Brody and I both bent down to pick my things up. I scrambled to pick up everything I could but noticed Brody had stopped. I looked over to him and he was now standing up holding bottle of my pills in his hands. I knew immediately he would think the worst so I gathered all my things then stood up with him.

"Are you sick?" He asked all confused.

"Every day of my life."I tried to joke but Brody didn't budge. "I'm fine Brody."

"Why do you take them?" He asked me.

"Because they get me through the day." I sighed.

"Marley do you have a problem?" He asked me.

"I have it under control." I snapped them back from him.

"Marley-Rose what are they?" Brody are shed me seriously.

"Anti depressants, vitamins, energy pills, trust me Brody, they're safe." I told him.

"Can you go without them?" Brody asked me.

"Probably but I don't want to try. I've been taking these every single day since...The kidnapping, they help, a lot." I told him. "They're prescription."

"Ok then." He forced a smile.

That was the truth. The doctors tried me on this variety and it helped in every way.

"You never spoke to anyone about it, the kidnapping." Brody observed as we continued walking.

That was the truth and something I was trying to avoid. I didn't even like thinking about it. I told absolutely nobody how my three weeks with the psycho Mason was. I didn't even tell Danny because I had to move. It was something I just wanted to lock away and never think about.

"I don't want to." I brushed him off.

"You know you can tell me anything Marley." Brody sighed.

"Brody I don't want to talk about it because I don't want to remember it!" I sighed. "You have no idea what he did to me and I've tried so hard to forget so just drop it, please Brody."

"Ok since you won't tell me what happened you during those three weeks, I'll tell you what happened all of us. Ever single night we were out looking for you. I lasted two full days in school out of fifteen. The group broke apart and found their own ways of dealing with it. We all cried. We thought you were dead. I wanted to die Marley-Rose." Brody enlightened me on something I never knew.

"You did the wrong thing you know, letting me go." I expressed my feelings.

"No I didn't." Brody sighed putting his head down.

This made need question Brody's feelings towards me and and whether he still liked me or not. When he let me go, it broke me into a million pieces and I felt worthless but it didn't seem to annoy Brody.

"Did you ever care?" I asked Brody now upset with him.

"I never stopped caring." Brody told me.

"Then why did you give up on me!" I exclaimed stopping to talk to him seriously.

"It was what was best for you Marls. You were safe away from me and happy and you could have stayed that way only you came back." Brody sighed.

"Did you think I liked being away from my family, the people I loved and the person I loved the most?" I asked talking about him.

"Everywhere you go Marley people fall in love with you." Brody sighed.

"No. No one ever loved me like you did Brody and I never loved anyone else like I loved you." I looked him in the eyes.

"I'm sorry Marley." Brody apologised then grabbed my hand and pulled me into another hug. "Just stay with me now."

I didn't say anything back but thought about it deeply. I wanted to stay with Brody so much. I even just wanted to stay in a hug with him like this forever.

"One thing I definitely missed was your hugs." I laughed pushing Brody away from me.

"Well now you can have as many as you want!" Brody exclaimed and lifted me up from behind squeezing me tightly.