The sun peered through Katie's long white drapes and smacked her in the face, screaming at her to wake up. Katie grunted and rolled over, throwing a pillow over her face to shield herself from the daylight.

"Well someone's grumpy this morning."

Katie's eyes shot open at the sound of Dana's voice beside her. Seeing Dana lying beside her, Katie's eyes widened and she slowly rose to sit up in her bed. She looked around the room not recognizing much of what she saw.

"Babe, are you okay?" Dana sat up and gently placed one hand on the small of Katie's back, and the other on Katie's leg. Katie looked at Dana and smiled, nodding. Dana sent Katie her signature half smile giving Katie those familiar killer bees in return. "Come on," Dana suggested, "the kids are probably anxiously waiting to open their presents."

"Presents?" Katie cocked her head in confusion.

"Yes?" Dana sent an equally confused expression towards Katie. "It is Christmas, last time I checked."

"Wait...Kids?" Katie's eyes widened.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten about your own children."

"My what?" Katie's voice cracked. Before she could say another word, her alarm sounded and Katie was awoken from her dream. Katie shot out of bed, practically slamming the alarm clock on the floor. Katie's mother heard the noise and knocked on Katie's door checking to make sure everything was alright. "Everything's fine, mom." Katie reassured her.

"Well make sure you're getting ready for school. It's your last week before winter break." Katie heard her mom's footsteps leaving.

Katie sighed and glanced out of her window. She sighed once again remembering that Dana didn't belong waking up beside her. She belonged across the street, in another bed, in another room, and in another house. Just as Katie was making her way towards the bathroom her phone buzzed.

Katie glanced at the message: Good morning, gorgeous. Congratulations, you've officially put up with dating me for one month. How lucky are you?

Katie smiled and walked towards her window. Across the street she could see Dana was standing in front of her own window. Dana waved and Katie smiled, and then replied to Dana's message. Dana pulled her phone out of her back pocket and smiled at the message, but when she looked up, Katie was already gone.

Dana looked down reading the message over again before smiling and continuing her daily morning routine.

"Very."

Dana, Eddie, and Katie all exited Dana's car groaning at the thought of school. Eddie groaned twice over, remembering it was only Monday. The three made their ways inside the building. Katie split from the two others swiftly and silently, and Dana followed Eddie to his locker.

"I don't get it." Eddie shook his head. "It's been a month – officially – unofficially, it's been a long time coming. So why are you two still hiding?"

Dana shrugged, leaning against the cold metal of the lockers, "She's not comfortable yet, Ed. And I'm okay with that. I'm happy, she's happy. It's all good." Dana smiled at her cousin. "So what if I can't brag about dating the most beautiful girl in the school? She's all mine and that's all I could ask for." Dana smiled to herself.

Eddie's locker slamming snapped Dana out of her daydreams and yanked her back to reality. "Well, D," Eddie and Dana began making their ways to their classes, "I'm happy you're happy. Even if I don't understand the whole hiding and pretending you're just friends thing."

"Thank you, Ed." Dana smiled.

Eddie and Dana rounded the corner and ran into Ashley and Katie. The four sent awkward smiles between each other. Ashley quickly retreated to Eddie's side saying, "Eddie is going my way. I'm just going to walk with him. See you later, Katie." Ashley linked her arm with Eddie's and before he could object, she had whisked him away.

Katie attempted to hide her small smile, and Dana bit her lip in an attempt to convince the student body that she and Katie were anything but involved. They walked on other sides of the hallway, each catching small glimpses at the other.

Finally, Katie rolled her eyes and yelled across the hallway, "Excuse me, could you possibly stop staring at me like a creep from the other side of the hall?" Katie mocked Dana. Dana smirked and motioned her head towards a hallway that the two had become familiar with over the last month. Katie crossed the hallway and after rounding a corner, pushed Dana into the single stall bathroom located behind her. She checked the stall in order to make sure no one else was with them and proceeded to lock the door. Katie whipped around and grabbed Dana's face, kissing her without warning. Dana gave into the kiss, placing her hands around Katie's waist. She pushed Katie away from her breaking the kiss. Dana pulled Katie back towards her and kissed her again, moving her hand to Katie's cheek. Both girls pulled away smiling.

Katie bit her lip, smirking and both girls laughed slightly. Dana pulled Katie in for a hug and kissed her head. They didn't have to speak to know what the other wanted to say. They felt a pull towards one another that neither one of them could quite explain.

Katie wanted so badly to tell the world about her and Dana, but something always stopped her. That something was mainly her mom. It didn't help that her mom noticed Katie's change in demeanor all of the sudden. Pam wasn't accustomed to Katie lying to her, so she wasn't happen when she suddenly felt like Katie was keeping something a secret. It soon became a hot topic of discussion, and Pam was convinced that it if Katie wasn't going to willingly tell Pam what was going on then Pam was going to find out on her own.

Pam had messaged Katie and told her that she was going to be picking her up from practice that day. Katie didn't see anything wrong with her mother picking her up so she happily agreed. On their way home, however, Katie and Pam's arguing was loud enough Katie could swear the entire town was able to eavesdrop. Dana and Eddie hung their heads and began to dry off Dana's car as Katie and Pam exited Pam's car. They had spent the afternoon detailing Dana's car since it was the first warm day they had had in awhile. They suddenly wished they had chosen to stay inside. Pam was scolding Katie, and Katie was shrinking with every word that escaped her mother's mouth. Eddie and Dana grew visibly uncomfortable as the confrontation progressed.

Pam stood in front of Katie, scolding her for lying and hiding things from her, and demanding that Katie reveal who she's been talking to behind her mother's back. Eddie and Dana exchanged looks, and Dana hung her head, focusing back onto her car. As Katie's voice started to break with her pleas, Eddie swallowed and took a bold step forward, announcing with a beaming voice, "It's me."

Pam and Katie stopped arguing and both shot glances towards Eddie. Dana grabbed Eddie's arm, whispering to him, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Eddie looked back to his cousin and whispered, "Let me do this. Please," he begged her. Dana released him and Eddie straightened up once again, looking back to Pam across the street. "I'm in love with your daughter." The pause that followed Eddie's statement was so heavy he could feel the weight of the world start to drop onto his shoulders.

"Excuse me?" Pam took a commanding step forward, and Eddie followed, hesitantly making his way across the street so he wouldn't have to yell to reply.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you," he apologized as he began to make his way closer to them. "My name is Eddie Matthews, and Katie has been lying to you because I asked her to. Indirectly, of course. I would never ask her to lie to you specifically." Eddie clarified, "I just asked her to keep us and our feelings a secret from everyone."

Pamela cocked an eyebrow at Eddie, eyeing up the young man. "And why would you make such a ridiculous request?"

Eddie didn't falter. He kept eye contact with Pam and never backed down, despite her intimidating demeanor. "Because of Jesse." Eddie didn't hesitate to answer. "He and Katie just broke up not too long ago considering how long their relationship was, and he knows how much I care about her. He's known since day one, and he doesn't like me very much because of it. I'm already ostracized at school with all of Katie and Jesse's friends because of how I feel about her. I didn't want them to ostracize her too. So when she told me how she felt, I asked that we keep it a secret because I don't want to be the reason she loses everyone else she cares about."

Pam took a moment to process Eddie's words. "If you would like to be a part of my daughter's life," Pam's words became calmer, but remained as stern, "then I would appreciate if I were made aware of it. I try to make it a point to know who my daughter is fraternizing with."

"I apologize. None of this is Katie's fault. She was just respecting my wishes."

"And why is it that you believe you're in love with my daughter, Mr. Matthews?" Pam's tone cut straight through the boy standing in front of her, but he refused to waver.

"I know I'm in love with her because it physically pains me to have to stay away from her. It feels like a knife entering my chest every time I'm forced to walk down the school hallway and pretend like we are nothing more than just acquaintances." Eddie's voice filled with confidence as he continued to speak. "I know I'm in love with her because every single time I look at her, I don't just see who she is now - I see the future that I want with her. Every time I hear her name, it takes every ounce of strength I have to not instantly light up because I never know who might be around at that moment. If I didn't care about your daughter the way that I do, I wouldn't bother hiding anything." Pam and Eddie stared one another down for another moment, before Eddie excused himself. "I apologize again for asking Katie to lie to you. I never meant to hurt either one of you. Now if you'd excuse me, I should be getting back home now."

Eddie returned to the other side of the street, picking up the car washing supplies along the way. Pam called after him, "You shouldn't be worried about being ostracized for how you feel, Mr. Matthews." Eddie paused, listening to Pam's words. "Those who care that much to go out of their way to harm you for how you feel are not worth your time." Eddie turned to face Pam as she continued. "I expect to see you around Katie more now that there are to be no secrets kept from me." He nodded, and Pam turned to enter her house. "Oh and," she paused again, "if you ever hurt my daughter, you will regret it."

"Believe me, you have nothing to worry about." Eddie responded. Pam entered her home, with Katie following quickly behind.

As Eddie brought the supplies into the garage, Dana stood in her place stunned. "Why would do that? Eddie now she'll be hounding you constantly. If she ever sees you with anyone else she'll-"

"I know."

"You know you don't have to be Superman. You don't have to try to save everyone."

"Oh that's rich coming from you."

"Excuse me?" Dana questioned with disbelief.

Eddie sighed and faced Dana. "All you ever do is try to rescue people. Even when you don't know how to save yourself. I'm not trying to be a hero, Dana. I'm trying to be a good guy. Did you even see the look on Katie's face as her mom talked down to her? She looked so vulnerable and weak. She doesn't deserve to be spoken to like that. No one does." Dana didn't respond. "Besides," Eddie added, "I thought maybe standing up to Pam might make you realize that at the rate you two are going, there is no way you and Katie get a happy ending. I mean did you just choose to ignore everything that happened last time you had to keep a relationship a secret? You're being torn apart from the inside out and you don't even realize it." Eddie left Dana standing still as a statue.

After the sun had set and everyone had cooled off, there was a knock on the Thomas's front door. Eddie made his way to the front door sluggishly. As he swung the door open, he was greeted by Katie standing on the front porch. "Dana's not here," he began to close the door, but Katie held it open.

"I know. I came to talk to you." Katie's eyes made her look like a lost puppy to Eddie. He couldn't say no to her if he tried. "Do you mind sitting on the porch with me?"

Eddie exited the house and sat beside Katie on the porch swing. Both of them began to sway the seat gently back and forth. Eddie waited for Katie to begin speaking. "Thank you," she started. "For what you did today. You didn't have to throw yourself under the bus – or I guess I should say into the train wreck that is my life." Eddie assured her not to worry about it, and that he just wanted to help her. Katie glanced at Eddie with her saddened eyes, and asked, "I don't mean to prod, but when you were telling my mother about how you knew you were in love with me, I couldn't help but wonder... I mean it seemed so real and it came so easily, and I'm sorry if this is too much, but I'm just curious – is that how you feel about Grace?"

Eddie chuckled slightly, shaking his head. "No," he answered. He looked at her sincerely, the small smile disappearing from his face. "It came so easily because minus the part about admitting being in love with you, that's all Dana can talk about whenever you're not around."

☼ ☼ ☼

The sun was setting as Katie curled up to Dana on the hood of Dana's car the next day. Katie was wearing one of Dana's oversized hoodies, Dana was wearing one of her goofy knit caps, and the two were curled up underneath the biggest blanket Dana could find at her house.

There was a silence between them, but it wasn't an uncomfortable one. It was their silence. It was the silence that had become familiar to them and their relationship; a blissful silence that seemed to appear whenever the two escaped to their spot on the side of the mountain.

Katie smiled to herself. She had never been this happy before. She had never felt as safe as she did lying in Dana's arms. Katie had never known what it was like to really fall for someone until now. It had only officially been one month since Katie and Dana became girlfriends, but Katie was praying for many more months to come.

The only problem Dana and Katie had faced was Katie's fear – which they had never fought about. Dana had been a hundred percent understanding when it came to Katie's wishes of keeping their relationship a secret. Katie, however, still knew Dana and knew that it was killing her to hide. Katie didn't quite understand why, but there was a different kind of pain in Dana's eyes whenever Katie pulled away from Dana's hand or took an extra step to separate them from each other in the hallway. This pain was one Katie couldn't explain. She knew whatever it was wasn't her fault, but she wasn't doing anything to help the situation either.

Katie woke up every morning and went to sleep every night for the last month telling herself the same thing over and over again. I need to tell my mom. She would think. She needs to know. Dana makes me happy. More happy than I've ever been. I don't care if she doesn't approve. Yet every day went by the same for Katie – still hiding from the world.

Katie was afraid. She was afraid of her mom, and she was afraid of Dana, but most of all, Katie Torres was afraid of herself.

Katie pushed herself into Dana again. She wanted to feel safe in that moment.

And with Dana, she did.