AN: Eventually there will be a lilacmermaid prompt in here, but it took a few chapters to get to it. I hope you enjoy this latest multi-chapter.

The first time she saw him was over Labor Day weekend. There were several students hanging around the Union. She assumed most of them lived far away. Classes had only started a couple weeks ago. Some people couldn't afford to make a trip home so soon. She figured most of them had homes to go to. Surely no one was in the same boat she was.

She didn't see him for a while, not until that four day long weekend in October. Fall break, they called it. There were definitely fewer people around this time. She guessed that people had made friends by now and felt comfortable visiting someone's home if they couldn't make it back to their own. He was still there. She saw him sitting in the corner of the cafe in the Student Union sipping coffee and reading The Cider House Rules. He was handsome, slouched down in his chair, his legs stretched out, his feet propped on the chair on the opposite side of the table.

The Wednesday before Thanksgiving, the entire University emptied. After her class, she walked to the market several blocks away and picked up the essentials-cereal and milk, granola bars, peanut butter, bread, a package of Oreos and a couple chocolate bars. Depositing her groceries in her room, she decided to make a quick run to the library and get a few books. She could pass many hours with her nose in a book. It would help the long weekend go by faster. After choosing, she made her way to the check out desk with her pile of books and there he was.

He caught movement in his peripheral vision and turned. He smiled. He was very handsome. "Not going home for Thanksgiving?" he asked.

She ignored the sharp pain of loss that radiated through her chest and replied, "I am home," and she smiled.

He looked surprised. "Me too," he said. He finished checking his books out and waited for her. "My name's Henry McCord. Would you mind if we walked back to campus together?"

She nodded, "I wouldn't mind at all, I'm Elizabeth Adams." They fell into step with each other and didn't speak for a full block. Finally, Elizabeth mustered her courage. "Are you a senior?"

"First year grad student." She was going to ask the follow up question, but he beat her to it. "Religious studies. You?"

"Freshman. Math major."

"I find it interesting that you can't find anywhere to go for holidays," he said, surveying her.

"Who says I can't? Maybe I'm just not interested in going anywhere."

He nodded, "My apologies." She dropped her head and watched her feet plod one in front of the the other. In a weird way, she found that to be symbolic. She physically could push her body forward, but her heart, now that stubborn thing stayed far behind, years behind.

"What about you? You look like the kind of guy that could find an invitation if he wanted one."

"I used to, but at some point, I got tired of trying to fit into someone else's family. Maybe I'll make my own one day." He stopped in front of an apartment building at the edge of campus. "You live in the dorms, right?" He didn't wait for an answer, but continued on. "You haven't had to do it yet, but staying in the dorms for several days when you are completely alone sucks, so if you get bored, feel free to drop by. If nothing else, I have a stove and I am cooking lunch tomorrow. It will beat the cereal and chips you have in your room. Apartment 212." He trotted up the walk, but turned around at the door, and smiled. "It was nice to meet you Elizabeth."

Elizabeth didn't even get a chance to respond. She stood rooted to the sidewalk for a full minute before continuing her path back to her own room. She dismissed Henry's words. She had been doing the alone thing for a number of years. She'd be fine. When she got back to her room, she ate a bowl of cereal and curled up in her bed and read until she fell asleep.

Elizabeth woke early Thursday morning, much earlier than she would've liked. The dorm, which always held some sort of annoying background noise, was eerily quiet. She swore she could hear her heartbeat. She went down to the bathroom thinking about how nice it would be not to have to wait to take a shower. What she hadn't counted on was the 30 minute wait for the water to warm to a level that was somewhat tolerable.

After a lukewarm shower and a granola bar, Elizabeth crawled into bed and read for a while. She felt like it should be close to lunch, so she pulled out the cereal and looked at the clock. 9:18. "What?" she said, and the sound and volume of her own voice caught her off guard. She removed the towel from her head, fixed her hair and got dressed. Time 9:36. She straightened her room and made her bed. Time 9:48. Elizabeth groaned. "Could time move slower?" she asked aloud. Finally, she sorted her laundry and took a load down to the first floor and started it. She hung out in the dorm lounge reading until the load was done and then she moved it to the dryer. She finished the book and went to check on the clothes-still damp. Time 10:42. This was painful. Meandering around the lounge, Elizabeth straightened the furniture and looked out into the empty parking lot until her clothes were finally dry. She folded them, carried them upstairs and put them away. Time 11:14.

"Okay, this is for shit," she muttered, sliding her coat on, she left her room. Elizabeth made it halfway down the hall before she realized that she didn't want to show up somewhere empty handed, so she went back and fetched the unopened package of Oreos to take with her.

Time 11:30. She stood outside Apartment 212 and knocked. Chewing her bottom lip, she almost left, wondering briefly if Henry's invitation yesterday was some sort of cruel joke to see if she would show up looking all lonely and needy. The door opened and Henry couldn't hide his surprise. "Elizabeth! I didn't think I'd see you." She shuffled back.

"I shouldn't have bothered you. I'm sorry." She turned to go.

Henry reached out and touched her arm. "I didn't mean that I didn't want to see you. Honestly, I kind of guessed that you'd be stubborn enough to suffer through just to prove you could. Really, I'm happy to have some company. Come in."

"I am stubborn, but I've already cleaned my room, finished my laundry and read one of my books, and it's not even noon yet." She looked up at him. "You aren't some sort of serial killer are you?"

"Yes, I am, but it's cool. I take off all holidays. You're totally safe until tomorrow," Henry flashed her a bright smile and Elizabeth laughed.

"Ha, ha. Very funny," she smirked. She handed him the Oreos and shrugged off her coat, which he took and hung on a hook near the door. "I thought I'd bring something. By the way, it smells incredible. What are you making?"

"Roasted chicken and vegetables, and salad. Ice cream, and Oreos," he said, holding up the package, "For dessert."

Elizabeth's mouth watered from the aroma alone. "And you are sure you don't mind me crashing your meal?"

"Not at all. Sharing actually keeps me from eating leftovers all weekend." He gestured toward the couch. "Have a seat. Can I get you something to drink? We have about thirty minutes before the chicken is done."

"I'm fine. Thanks." She sat and he joined her. "So, what does a person do with a master's in religious studies? Some sort of ministry or something?"

"Well, what some people do and what I plan to do are vastly different. I'm at UVA on an ROTC scholarship. I'll be going into the Marines when I graduate. After that, I think I'd like to teach, maybe do some writing. We'll see, but so far, I have the next 8 or so years planned for me."

She was intrigued and they talked at length about his decision to go into the military and how he viewed it and the morality of military intervention. Henry was impressed by the depth of her questions and her general interest in the subject. He asked about her choice of major and they talked about her acclimation to UVA, her professors and classes.

Lunch was eaten, dishes were washed and put away and they were back on the couch, with not one awkward silence. She spied the Scrabble game stored on the shelf under the TV and asked if they could play. By the end of the second game, Henry had come to the conclusion that Elizabeth was one of the the most intelligent people he'd ever met.

They were chatting over the game, when he asked the question. "So, how come you stay here instead of going home?" He knew immediately that he had crossed a line. The look that covered her face was nothing short of devastation, and Henry backpedaled quickly, trying to take the focus off of Elizabeth.

"For me, my father and I just didn't see eye to eye. He wanted me to follow in his footsteps and he's a good man, but I don't want to have his life and it offended him. He couldn't get past it. My mom would never go against my father, so when I left, that was pretty much it. I was on my own."

"So you just left? When was the last time you saw them?" Elizabeth was stunned.

"When I left home before my freshman year, so a little over five years I guess."

"Five years is a long time for either of you to be pissed about going to college instead of following your dad into his line of work." The look she gave him was almost pleading, and it unnerved him. "I bet if you called they would be happy to hear from you "

"Why should I be the one that makes the first move? He was the one who was being unreasonable and my mom fell in line, supporting him like she always has. They can come to me." Henry towed his ideological line. She wasn't the only one who could be stubborn.

"And if they never do?" she asked. "Are you just going to to write your entire family off forever? You don't really want to do that."

"I don't care." Henry said with finality.

Suddenly, Elizabeth couldn't breathe. "I think I need to go," she said as she stood. She rushed to grab her coat. "Thank you for lunch. It was nice." Her words trailed off her as she scurried out the door and disappeared. He heard the outside door fall shut.

Henry was surprised by the sudden turn of events. He reached for his own coat and followed Elizabeth. With it being dark, he'd planned on walking her home anyway. He chased after her.

Elizabeth walked quickly in the direction of her dorm. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she thought about how her world had been upended and how she would give anything for the opportunity to have her family back and Henry was throwing his away over a silly argument and his own stupid pride.

"Hey! Elizabeth wait!" He called out, but she didn't stop. He caught up to her after the second block. "Wait. What happened? Why did you leave?" He stepped in front of her, stopping her progress. He was shocked to see that she was crying. "Why are you so upset?"

"You are a fool Henry McCord, and I'm just not sure I can be around someone who places so little value of their family."

"Oh really?" Henry went on the defensive. "That's rich coming from someone who isn't with her family either."

"My situation is not of my own choosing and if I could change it, I would. Now if you'll excuse me," she pushed past him.

Henry followed her and stopped her at the door to the dorm. "Why can't you change it?" he asked.

"Because I can't bring people back from the dead. Goodbye Henry!" Elizabeth stepped inside and let the door fall shut.

The oxygen was sucked from his lungs and he stood motionless. Dead? "Damnit," he muttered. He had screwed this situation up royally. He stood in the same spot for quite some time, mulling over the situation. Finally, he turned and walked slowly home wondering if it was possible to mend the bridge he'd just obliterated.