Katie's POV

"Are you ready my little princess?" Louis sung happily as he walked over to where I was sitting on the couch in the lounge.

I grumbled a quiet no under my breath as I concentrated hard on trying to tie my snow boots but kept failing.

Louis let out a short laugh before kneeling on the floor in front of me and swatting my hand out of the way so he could tie it for me.

"How is it you're about to turn seventeen in three days and yet you don't know how to tie your laces?"

I couldn't help but blush at his words but quickly pulled myself together before jerking my foot just the slightest so that my laces fell out of his hand and he looked up at me annoyed.

I let out a small giggle before finally answering his question.

"These are snow boots, which I've never needed because I've never been in the snow, heck I haven't even been out of this house before."

He looked up at me again with his eyebrows scrunched together in a sad way.

"I'm sorry Katie but it took time for everyone around here to trust you."

"I know." I sighed and looked down.

It really upset me that everyone in the house was so nice to me these days but were still too scared to take me outside unless Liam said it was okay, which he never did until today since it was for Louis' birthday.

"But at least I get to be the first one to show you the outside world." He whispered as he sneakily placed a kiss on my forehead before standing to his full and intimidating height.

I smiled shyly as he held his hand out for me which I slowly placed mine in and he pulled me off the couch and in the direction of the front door.

I had never even seen the front door up close, I had walked past it a few times but never been near it because I wasn't allowed.

As we approached the door, I saw Liam and the new maid, Eleanor, arguing about something but they quickly stopped their conversation as we neared them.

Eleanor just glared at me and didn't move so I decided to grab my big pink coat that Louis had brought me but before I could Liam spat Eleanor's name at her angrily and she ripped the coat off it's hook.

She held it open for me and I shakily placed my arms in before she harshly wrapped it around my front, I let out a small gasp and Liam narrowed his eyes at her.

"We'll be going now." Louis spoke once his coat was on and I was silently thankful for the way he ignored Eleanor's wondering hands while she smoothed out the front of his coat.

"I have a feeling Eleanor doesn't like me." I whispered to Louis as we walked out the front door and he laughed while wrapping his hand around mine again.

"That's just because you're so adorable."

I laughed and quietly thanked him but stopped in my tracks as we neared the edge of the front porch.

All the air out here was started to make me dizzy, I was so use to the smell of cigarettes and coffee that floated around the large house that I nearly forgot what fresh air smelt like.

Clean and crisp.

"Are you okay?" Louis asked worryingly as he tried to tug me further out the front lawn but I wasn't ready to move yet.

"Just give me a minute." I stated boldly as I tugged him to my side and lifted my nose higher in the air to take a deep and long breath.

Louis sighed and wrapped his arms around my waist to pull me closer.

"You know, one of the many things I like about you is that you never take anything for granted, even fresh air."

Finally I allowed Louis to led me further down the steps and instantly shivered as I touched snow for the first time.

I could hear the small crunches of the snow under my feet as we walked which made me giggle.

"Snow is beautiful." I stated as I watched my feet disappear into the snow with every step.

"Not as beautiful as you." Louis whispered right next to my ear and I let out a slight whimper at his bold comment.

After a while of walking we stopped at possibly the largest tree I have ever seen, I strained my neck to look up and saw also the largest tree house ever as well. We weren't even off the property but yet I felt so free.

"C'mon princess, up we go." Louis spoke making me jump as I refocussed.

He let me climb up first and not so sneakily pinched my butt on the way up.

When we got inside I was genuinely surprised, it was beautiful.

There was a very, very large bed with pink duvets and a pink couch. Everything was different shades of pink which made the black of the television stand out as it was the only other colour in the room.

"Whose place is this?" I gasped as I let my fingers run over the super soft blanket folded on the couch.

"Yours actually." He whispered under his breath like he didn't want me to hear but I did.

I whipped around fast and stared at him wide eyed.

No one had ever told me about this place and I'd never noticed it for myself.

Louis sighed and grabbed my hand to led me over to the couch, he placed me carefully on his lap once he was sitting down.

"Your brother found out about you around four years ago, you would have been twelve so he thought if he spoiled you when you got here it would makes things easier for you and you wouldn't notice how horrible the people around you were."

He paused to placed a few strands of my hair behind my left ear and I smiled sadly at him just now realizing that my life was bound to turn out this way, one way or another.

"It took him a little longer to find you then he thought and when he realized you didn't want to come willingly then he told us that you weren't allowed the tree house or anything from us until he said otherwise."

It went quiet after that as I took in the new information.

Eventually I had to cuddle further into Louis' chest in order to keep warm and he hummed with what sounded like happiness.

"Katie?" Louis whispered and broke the thick silence that surrounded us.

"Yes?"

"Just making sure you're still awake." He seemed nervous as he talked about I didn't bother looking up at him as I just nodded at his words.

"Hey Katie?"

"Yes Louis?" I sighed feeling like we were about to repeat what just happened but he surprised me with a different sentence.

"I'm sorry... for everything."

Notes

Sorry for taking ages! xx

It's Christmas eve for me right now so I probably want get any other stories updated for a few days...

But merry Christmas girls!