A/N: I suddenly have like a million ideas for Maddy/Mark fics. I'm going to try to post them all before I go back to school. This one is short, but I like it. I hope you do too!

Disclaimer: I don't own it. Unfortunately.

Mark walked down the road, glad his shift was over. It had been a long week and, with tomorrow being his day off, he was glad to finally be getting some time to relax. Maybe he would take a nap, or go to Boylan's with the guys. He could go see what Maddy was up to. They had already planned to spend the day together tomorrow, but he would be perfectly fine spending today with her too. He would spend everyday with her if he had the choice.

As he contemplated his options, he was startled when he heard a familiar voice call out, "Hey handsome!"

Smiling, he turned in the direction he had heard Maddy's voice come from, confused when he saw no one.

"Up here," she yelled, and his eyes immediately focused on the tall tree from which her voice was coming.

Mark approached the tree slowly, eyes searching until he found Maddy perched in the branches.

"What are you doing?" he questioned, genuinely confused as to why she was in a tree.

"Climbing trees obviously," she said, as if he was an idiot. "It's a pretty amusing way to pass the time. Like seriously, have you ever tried it?"

"Yes Maddy, I have climbed trees." He looked at her accusingly. "If you don't recall, just a few months ago we spent the whole night in a tree. It wasn't exactly fun, though I do admit there were some perks."

Maddy looked sheepish for a moment before recovering and saying, "Well, that was for survival. You should climb for fun."

"No, I should not. And neither should you. It's dangerous and foolish. If you wanted to do something fun you should've come and gotten me. We could grab a rover and go OTG or something…I still need to teach you how to swim."

"You were at work," Maddy pointed out. "Also, I'm not too keen on the idea of swimming."

Mark chuckled. "I know you're not, but it is an essential skill to have."

"Yeah, whatever," Maddy shrugged. "Anywho, I needed to amuse myself and this was my best option. I don't think it's so dangerous. I've done things that are loads more dangerous than this."

"Yes," Mark agreed, "but I did not approve of any of that either. I don't want you getting hurt. I'm supposed to protect you."

"You know, your chivalry can sometimes be quite stifling," Maddy said, raising her eyebrows and frowning at him.

"Seriously, Mad," Mark bit out, stretching his arms up to reach for her. "Come down. I'll help you."

Maddy giggled and made a face at him. "What? Are you really afraid I'll fall?"

She began to bounce on the branch, laughing like a small child.

"Ooooohhh, feels flimsy," she called down to him. "Would you catch me if I fell?"

Before Mark could answer her, the branch snapped with an ominous CRACK!

Maddy let out a yelp as she suddenly found herself hurtling towards the ground. Terror gripped her as she flapped her arms uselessly. Everything that had been funny about the situation had vanished the moment the branch had given way.

Closing her eyes for the impact, Maddy gasped when she suddenly found herself cradled safely against Mark's chest, his arms tight around her.

"I told you it was dangerous," he said pointedly. "And I will always catch you."

A/N: Review it! Love it? Hate it? Got any ideas for fics you want me to write? Want to just share your obsessive thoughts? I honestly don't care, just give me feedback! Also, I want to write a kind of follow-up story when Mark teaches Maddy how to swim. Would you guys enjoy that?