A/N - Ok, so this was a discarded fic that I hated and deleted and banished lol... But after a bit of gentle persuasion from Teaismyqueen who got me to add to it as a writing exercise (My smut needs serous work) it has now taken on a new life and has evolved into a bit of a mini multichapter/AU/Origin kinda deal. I have no idea at this point how many chapters there will be or what will transpire... But it will be a fun ride! I hope you all enjoy it and as always, please let me know what you think as I love reading your thoughts xx

Elizabeth Adams was deep in thought as she shuffled along the icy path, heading towards the library. Her coat was wrapped around her tiny frame in an attempt to shield her from the cold wind and she was clutching her books close to her chest. Campus was eerily quiet as most students had already started dispersing for the Christmas holidays which made certain aspects of living in a dorm much easier. No annoying roommate to disturb her study time. No queues for the bathroom. The campus almost becoming her personal playground and creepy Alex from her abstract algebra class wouldn't be around to hit on her 20 times a day, undressing her with his eyes in a way that made her skin crawl. But it also held a lot of negative connotations too. The silence gave her memories far too much time to invade her thoughts, bringing a sadness with them. The endless days of no human interaction were almost too much to bare and she didn't relish the thought of cereal or chips for every meal.

As she put one foot in front of the other, her body feeling heavy from the overwhelming pain she carried around inside her, she was oblivious to the rather large patch of black ice directly underfoot, and as her rather tatty converse hit it, she went up in the air in a rather spectacular manor. Her books scattered across the path and time seemed to slow down. She could feel herself falling and knew the landing wouldn't be good, but she had no way of stopping herself and just tried to brace as best she could. The only thought running through her mind was at least she'd get a hot meal in the hospital. As she closed her eyes and awaited impact, she felt someone's arms around her and her head stopped mere inches from the concrete.

She looked up and was met with the kindest hazel eyes she'd ever seen. They had green and orange flecks and held a warmth that made her feel safe and excited all at once. And his arms certainly felt good wrapped around her.

"Oh my god. Are you alright? That was almost a very nasty fall." The guy was smiling down at her but he also had a genuine look of concern.

"Uh..I..I.. I think so…. You caught me?" Her head felt muddled and she couldn't quite focus.

"I did. It was lucky I was walking past. Are you sure you're ok? Does anything hurt?"

"I don't think so. Maybe you could let go of me so I could find out?" Her voice was still a little shaky but she was regaining her composure.

"Oh yeah! Sorry." He lifted her back up so she was standing but didn't move too far. "Can I buy you a coffee? I'd like to make sure you're definitely ok."

"That's not necessary. I really am fine. Thank you." She quickly set about collecting her scattered books from the path and could feel embarrassment creeping up into her now burning cheeks "I really need to go."

"Can I at least know your name? I really am worried that you may be in shock or something? Can I please just walk you back to your room?"

"Elizabeth Adams… And I'm heading to the library."

"It's nice to meet you Elizabeth, I'm Henry McCord and that's good because I'm heading there myself so we can walk together." His smile was turning her insides to putty which although rather exciting, was also terrifying in equal measure and she had no desire to entertain the girlie giddiness.

They walked to the library in silence and she was relieved when she reached her usual table over in the far corner, hoping to sit in silence and study. She wasn't expecting Henry to plonk himself down opposite her.

"What are you doing? This is my spot. I always study here and I prefer to study alone." As she arranged her books across the table, she was rather perturbed that Henry was still inhabiting the same space.

"This is actually my study space too, I'm surprised we've never bumped into each other before. I won't disturb you, we can just study in silence. Is that ok?"

Elizabeth felt butterflies invade her stomach and a slight warmth envelop her at the thought of not being alone, however short lived that would be but her response came out rather more snippy "Whatever.., Do what you like."

They both got a fair amount done, and Elizabeth was completely ensconced in her books. Henry had been intermittently watching her and was incredibly impressed with her concentration! He knew absolutely nothing about her other than her striking beauty and that she had the most incredible eyes which he just couldn't seem to avert his gaze from! She had him in a trance and he resolved to discover everything about her.

Elizabeth glanced up and caught Henry staring, quickly noticing the rapid blush spreading up his neck and into his cheeks as their eyes met.

"Are you enjoying the view Henry?" She felt that she should be rather annoyed at him for gawping but couldn't help the tiny smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"I was just making sure you weren't suffering from any adverse effects from your near death experience." Henry was still staring but his smile had Elizabeth tied in knots. "And I was wondering which lucky guy gets to be with you."

She was now the one blushing "There is no guy. I'm invisible and that's the way I like it and I think that's a bit of a stretch Henry, talk about dramatic. I'm absolutely fine but I think I might call it a day. Thanks for catching me, it was very chivalrous of you." She packed her stuff away in her bag and cosied down into her oversized puffy jacket which made her look even smaller if that were possible.

Henry followed suit and packed his own stuff away and followed her out of the library. She thought that maybe he would head in the opposite direction once they made it to the outside steps, but he carried on walking beside her, the goofy smile still present and the warmth of his eyes putting her at ease.

"What is your deal? Why are you following me? Are you hoping to get lucky or something because I can assure you you'd be sorely disappointed with me."

Henry dug his hands deep into his pockets and looked at the ground, shifting his weight subtly from one foot to the other "I think I already got very lucky when I caught you. And there's nothing about you that could ever disappoint me Elizabeth. I was just going to walk you back to your room to make sure you stay safe." As he looked up, he saw Elizabeth staring back at him with a look of confusion.

"Why do you care what happens to me? You don't even know me. Why are you wasting your time?" She was half questioning, half accusing.

"I'd like to get to know you and I certainly don't see it as being a waste of my time. Is it a bad thing to have someone looking out for you? But if you'd rather I left you alone then I understand, I'm certainly not trying to make you feel uncomfortable. "

"It's not something I'm used to. Very few people even know I exist and it's awkward when people feel obligated to speak to me. But by all means carry out your good deed and walk me back."

Henry studied her expression and couldn't quite decide whether it was one of anguish or mere acceptance but either way it saddened him. As did her words. He wanted to question why she believed nobody cared for her, but at this point he didn't want to rock the boat. He just made a mental note of it and took the books from her grasp.

"We're not in kindergarten Henry. I can carry my own books." The slight wrinkle of her nose as she glanced across at him gave her away as a tiny smile appeared.

Henry was both confused and intrigued by this insanely beautiful girl. She could be sweet yet snarky all at once and her eyes sparkled like a thousand stars yet held a sadness that always seemed present. And somehow he was already completely mesmerised by her.

When they made it to the front door of her block, she turned to bid Henry farewell but felt a little sad that it was time to say goodbye. They stood there in silence for a little while, both avoiding eye contact until Henry finally spoke.

"I guess I'll say goodbye then… Unless you'd like me to walk you all the way to your room, just to make sure you're completely safe?."

"Yes!" She answered immediately, realising it was a little quicker than she'd intended "I mean, whatever… You can if you like."

He followed her up the stairs and once they made it to her door, he handed her books back "It was a pleasure meeting you Elizabeth Adams. I really hope I'll see you again soon. I'd love to take you out sometime." He placed a soft kiss against her cheek and turned to leave. What he wasn't expecting was to feel her warm hand slip into his.

Elizabeth felt a sudden intense fear grip her. A fear of what exactly she was unsure, she just knew she didn't want him to go. She felt a draw to him that she couldn't explain and she just didn't want to let him walk away.

"Henry… Will you stay with me tonight? I don't want to be on my own." Her eyes were glassy and her confident demeanour had now been replaced with an obvious vulnerability.

"Oh… Uh… I'm not sure that's such a great idea." He was completely blindsided by her sudden request.

"Please? I'd really like you to stay." Her words were quiet and made him feel a need to protect her. And the pleading look made his heart ache for her.

"Ok. I'll stay if that's what you want. Of course I'll stay. I'll bunker down on the floor. You won't be alone."

"No…. Will you be with me… Properly? I want to be close to someone." She opened the door and pulled him inside, whispering in his ear as she pressed him against the closed door "You just got lucky Henry McCord."

TBC