A/N: Hey guys! I'm on break now so I managed to get back into the groove of writing! :) Hope you like this one. As usual, reviews are highly appreciated! Enjoy! :)

VIRGINIA, FALL 2014

"McCord!"

It was a regular Wednesday afternoon in the archives and Henry had his head buried in a book, immersed in studying the likes of Aquinas and his counterparts. His eyes travelled across the pages quickly, letting the words color his mind.

"Hey, McCord!" Professor Kenton called again. The assistant archivist looked up from her desk and hissed at him. He shot her an apologetic look before he made a beeline for Henry.

"McCord," he whispered harshly.

Henry sensed someone beside him and jumped when he saw his colleague's face barely 4 inches away from his. Readjusting his glasses, he greeted him, "Oh, hey Kenton!"

"I've been calling you."

"You have?"

"Yeah, easily half a dozen times."

"Oh, sorry bout that." He located his phone in his backpack, confirming what Kenton said. "What's up? Is it something urgent?"

"Yeah, sort of. Got a last minute notice, we have a new staff member coming in tomorrow. Since you've been here for ten something years now, you're in charge of giving her an orientation. Alright with you?"

"Yeah, sure. What time and where?"

"Alderman Library, 8 am."

"Got it."

Elizabeth smoothened the tiny creases in her blouse as she waited outside the library. She was a couple of minutes early, wanting to make a good impression on the first day of her new job as a political science professor.

With a son to care for, she had to decline her appointment as Station Chief of Baghdad and consequently, she resigned from her position as an analyst in the CIA. She continued offering consulting services to the intelligence community for awhile, reluctant to completely leave the job she loved before landing a job in UVA. Switching to a job in academia was not a particularly difficult decision afterwards. She had greatly enjoyed her time at UVA studying political science as a student, so she returned to her alma mater, this time as an educator.

At 8 am sharp, Henry spotted Elizabeth by the entrance of the library and made his way over.

His heart skipped a beat when he walked out of the glaring sun and into the shade. She was beautiful, to say the least, the most striking feature being her eyes. They were a striking Mediterranean blue, steely yet warm. He recollected his thoughts.

"Dr Adams?"

"That's me," she smiled, "And you are?"

"Henry McCord, I teach Theology here. Nice to meet you." He held a hand out, which she shook, noting the absence of cold metal against his skin - she wasn't married. He felt a tiny leap of joy in his chest.

"Nice to meet you too, Dr McCord. So where are we headed to first?"

"Office. We need to get your staff pass. It's nearby."

After visiting the main office, they went on a quick tour of the campus. Much has changed since her time as a student, but the main buildings were still intact and she recognized some of them as he guided her around.

"I used to study here. Political science, obviously," she chuckled. "I still remember my classes in that building," she said, pointing to a glass-paneled building nearby, "It definitely did not look like that back then."

He found her laughter endearing, her raspy voice charming to the ears. He was falling for her, fast, and he barely even knew her.

"I was a student here too," he grinned, glad that they had something in common.

"Seriously? How did I not know you back then!"

"Yeah! I was in ROTC, class of '87."

"Ah, I graduated in 1990. Missed you by a bit."

"I was a TA for a while before I got my PhD though, taught a couple of classes to political science students."

"Dang, I've never gotten your classes before. We could have known each other!" she grinned.

Their shared experience at UVA paved the way for easy conversation throughout the morning aside from the procedures and regulations she had to be briefed on, concluding the trip around campus with lunch.

"The food here's much better than it was 15 years ago," she noted, chewing her food appreciatively.

"That, I have to agree," he laughed.

Her office was the last stop. It was a cozy room with a large window directly opposite the door and the wooden furniture added warmth to the place. There were shelves on both sides of the room and her desk was furnished with a computer and her very own nameplate.

"Wow," she breathed. She reached out and brushed her fingers along her name engraved on the metal.

"Yeah, this is your office. You'll be spending a lot of time in here," he chuckled, thinking about all the times he graded papers.

"I bet."

"Well, this is where I leave you for today."

"Oh, it was nice getting to know this place again. Thanks," she smiled, sending his mind into a bit of a scramble.

"I, uh, my office is down the hall, at the very end. If you need any help, feel free to drop by anytime."

"Will do."

"See you tomorrow?"

"See you tomorrow."

Elizabeth dropped off her scarf and handbag by the entrance. "I'm home!"

No answer.

She sighed. By the sound of it, her son was playing his video games again. What was it? Call of Dudes? Call of Duty? Sounds about right.

She located him on the couch in the living room, his eyes glued to the screen. She never understood why he liked such violent games. Leaning over, she pecked him on his head. "Earth to Jace."

"Hey, mom. How was your first day at work?"

"It was alright. A lot of stuff was still the same as they were back then."

"Cool." His focus shifted back to the game, his fingers furiously attacking the buttons on the controller.

She sighed again; it was hard to elicit a reply from him whenever he was concentrating on a game.

"You seem busy, so I'll start preparing dinner…" her voice trailed off.

The noises coming from the TV suddenly stopped. "I'll do it!" Jason immediately paused his game and ran off to the kitchen. His mom was an experimental cook and by no means a good one. He wasn't going to let her touch the stove.

"Thanks, honey," she chuckled, "I'm going to take a shower, let me know when you're done."

"Okay, Mom."

As she closed the door to her room, she felt a smile forming on her lips.

Her day wasn't just 'alright', she met Henry McCord, and the attraction she felt towards him was undeniable. She was glad, and intrigued, when she noticed his bare ring finger - it was odd that a guy like him wasn't married.

Her new job was off to a great start after all.