Darcy pressed his hand against his chest and faked getting emotional.

"You don't need to thank me, Neala," he said and fanned his face. "You're so welcome."

I blinked my eyes in boredom.

"I'd punch you only I don 't wanna get moron on me hand."

Darcy continued to fan himself, then burst into a blubbering mess.

"Darcy, I'll bloody cut you if you don't stop!" I cut him off with a growl and put my back to him.

Darcy cut the act and laughed from behind me and patted my shoulder. "I'm finished, I swear. I'll be in the kitchen if you need me."

"I won't need you," I said to his back as he walked out of his room, snickering to himself.

I scowled at Darcy's now closed bedroom door, then looked down to his clothes and found myself smiling.

I forced the smile off my face and shook my head.

"You're pathetic," I muttered to myself.

I stripped out of my damp and cold clothes, folded them over and placed them on top of Darcy's dresser and then pulled on Darcy's boxer shorts and socks. They were both big on me, but they felt nice so I continued and put on Darcy's trousers, and t-shirt. I had to tie the trousers tight with the string so they wouldn't fall down, and I also had to roll them up a few times because they were pretty long. The t-shirt was my favourite. It was like a tent on me, but a warm, cuddly tent that smelled fucking amazing.

I deeply inhaled and groaned out loud.

Darcy. Smelled. Awesome.

I looked down at his t-shirt and when I realised how creepy I was being I put my hands on my face and groaned.

I was turning into some sort of Darcy fangirl and the worst part was... I liked it.

I possibly liked... Darcy... a tiny bit.

I think.

I had one thing to say to that tiny thought: WHAT THE FUCKING FUCK?

"I'm so screwed," I muttered to myself.

I mutely walked out of Darcy's bedroom and headed down to the kitchen.

Darcy was over at Einstein's cage finishing of eating a tin of bins. I glanced to him, but when he turned in my direction I focused on washing my hands in the sink, and not anything, or anyone, else.

"You look good in… clothes," Darcy commented as he put the now empty tin in the bin.

I raised my eyebrow and looked to him. "I was in clothes before these... they were just wet."

Darcy gave me a get-real look. "That dress and blazer didn't cover much, what you're wearing now are proper clothes."

I inwardly smiled.

"Yeah, well... whatever."

Darcy chuckled, "Is it killing you to wear clothes that belong to me?"

No, and that's why I was annoyed.

"They'll do," was all I said.

I didn't want to lie, because I hate lying so not directly answering his question was my only option.

"What time is it?" I asked.

Darcy looked to the wall behind Einstein and said, "Half eleven."

I widened my eyes. "At night?"

Darcy nodded. "It's Christmas Eve tomorrow."

I frowned. "I don't want to miss Christmas."

Darcy tilted his head as he looked at me. "We won't, our ma's will come up here and dig us out with their bare hands before they'd let us miss a Christmas."

I laughed, and shook my head.

I wouldn't put it past either of our mother's to do something so drastic.

"So…" Darcy said.

I wanted to smile because he was rocking back and fourth on his heels as he looked at me.

"So what?" I asked.

Darcy shrugged. "So... it's late. Bedtime."

He was sending me to bed.

"You're putting me to bed?" I asked, teasing.

He shrugged. "Depends. If you walk into my bedroom freely then no, but if you run from me then yes."

My stomach flipped, my heart pounded against my chest, and between my thighs pulsed. The pulse frightened me most because I never got that sensation for Darcy... until now.

"I'm, uh, good with the storage room," I said and tried to walk by him.

Darcy clicked his tongue at me and caught me around the waist with his arms when I tried to pass him by. He pulled me back to him until my back was flush against his front. I could feel the heat of his body on mine.

Christ.

Why was I reacting to him like this?

This was Darcy.

The same Darcy who drove me absolutely mad.

The same Darcy who was my enemy, and had been for twenty years.

The same Darcy who hated me as much as I hated him.

My body, and now my mind seemed to not care about any of that because I liked his closeness, and his touch.

I fucking liked Darcy holding me this close to him.

What the hell did I do now? Admit myself to an asylum?

"No more sleeping in the storage room, little woman. You're sleeping next to me in my bed tonight. You don't have to be scared, I'll even let you build a pillow fort between us so you don't have to look at me."

I giggled.

Yeah, I bloody giggled.

"Was that a giggle I heard?" Darcy playfully teased.

I tried to smother my impending laughter as I said, "No."

Darcy brought his mouth down to my ear and said, "Are you coming willing or not?"

Because I wanted to see what he would do, I said, "Not."

"I didn't want to have to do this, but you've left me no choice," Darcy said, his voice raspy.

What was he- "Omigod!" I screeched as Darcy turned me to face him then proceeded to bend and grip me behind the knees with his hands were he pulled. I flipped over Darcy's shoulder and hung there as he straightened himself up.

"Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to bed we go," Darcy sang as he marched out of the kitchen.

He turned slightly as he left the room and my head hit off the kitchen door.

"Ow!"

Darcy winced. "My bad."

I cracked up laughing as I hung over his shoulder. I smacked his arse a few times just to show some sign of protest even though I loved every second of his caveman act.

I yelped when I was suddenly flung back over Darcy shoulders, but instead of hitting a hard surface I fell into a soft mattress. I was still laughing as Darcy jumped onto the bed beside me. I rolled over and shoved him. He looked at me and chuckled. I was smiling as I found myself looking into his eyes, then to his mouth.

I caught the moment Darcy saw what I was doing and I noticed his sharp intake of breath. I nervously swallowed and cleared my throat.

"Thanks... I don't agree with your method, but I appreciate you wanting me to have somewhere comfortable to sleep," I said then turned and crawled up the bed and got under the covers, facing away from Darcy.

"No problem," Darcy said then lingered for a moment before he moved and got under the covers also.

There was silence for a moment until he said, "Goodnight, Neala Girl."

My heart thudded in my chest and my stomach burst into butterflies.

"Goodnight, Darcy."

I closed my eyes and prayed sleep would come easy. Even though my mind was screaming that something definitely changed between Darcy, and myself and I wanted to think about it. I surprisingly fell into a deep and relaxed slumber. That relaxed slumber was utterly destroyed the next morning.

I woke up before I opened my eyes.

I didn't want to open my eyes because I was warm, comfortable, and completely content with the pillow I was hugging so tightly to my body. I snuggled closer to the warm, hard pillow and started to doze off again when movement under me interrupted my snooze.