Sorry this chapter has taken so long

Chapter 6

"Alex, how was it? Did you have a good time?" Liz asked curiously, sitting up in her bed and switching the light on as Alex entered the room. She didn't like Mark but she couldn't help feeling a little of her friend's excitement rubbing off on her.
"Fine," Alex said simply, letting out a yawn. She dumped her bag on the floor.
"Just fine?" Liz wondered, lifting her eyebrows. Maybe Alex had already realised that going back to Mark was only going to lead to heartache. He simply wasn't trustworthy.
"It was just a date," Alex replied with a shrug. She wasn't sure what Liz expected her to say. She'd enjoyed herself but it wasn't the same as the excitement and the butterflies she'd felt when they'd first started going out.
"Where did you go?" Liz enquired, trying to show some enthusiasm for her friend's romance. They were getting on well at the moment and she wanted to keep things as normal as possible between them and what could be more normal than asking your roommate how her date had gone? Alex laughed.
"Are you always this nosey?"
"I'm a reporter," Liz joked, trying to sound light-hearted. "Now answer the question."
"Ok, we went to El Capitano."
"Can Mark still afford that sort of cash?" Liz wondered surprised. It had been the amount of money that the basketball players had been throwing around that had first made her suspicious about how above board it all was. Now that they weren't getting those handouts surely Mark must be a little short of cash? Alex gave her a glare, not wanting to drag up the whole sports' scandal again.
"Who cares? The point is I got to go there!" Alex argued disinterestedly. "You sound more like Jess every day," Liz told her, shaking her head in disbelief. Enid had always hated Jessica and she couldn't believe that she'd turned out to be so much like her. "I've told you before not to say that, you'll scare me," Alex reminded her pointedly. She knew she'd changed but she definitely didn't want to have turned in Jessica. "And don't worry, Mark got his thanks for it, believe me." Liz sat there blank for a second then a shocked look formed on her face as Alex's words registered.
"You didn't!" She muttered with a sigh. She couldn't believe her friend would be that stupid.
"Of course I didn't! I just wanted to see your face," Alex burst out between giggles. Liz rolled her eyes, not sure she appreciated being made fun of like that. She'd had no intention of jumping straight back into bed with Mark.
"Ha ha very funny. I'm glad you didn't though, I don't want anyone taking any risks. One baby around here is going to be enough to cope with." Liz let out another sigh, especially when it was Jessica's baby. Alex picked up her wash bag and headed towards the door.
"I'm going to go to the bathroom," Alex informed her casually. "Night, Liz."
"Night, Alex," she replied, flicking off the light and turning back over in her bed.

"Todd," Liz whispered between kisses as she and Todd fell back on the bed. He moved his mouth to her neck and she ran her hands through his hair. His kisses then trailed down to the skin above her blouse and he reached up to unbutton it before lifting her up slightly so he could pull it off her arms. Their kisses grew more eager as his hands ran over her bare skin. Her skin felt like it was on fire under his touch. He hands casually reached around to unhook her bra, caught up in the passion of the moment. Alarm bells starting ringing in her head and she pushed him away, sitting back up. She stared at him silently, she didn't know what to say to him. She hated to think she kept leading him on but she felt under so much pressure. He looked back at her for a second, silent as well.
"Look Liz," he began awkwardly, finally breaking into the silence. "I'm sorry if you think I'm pressuring you but-." "I know you're not," she interrupted, not wanting him to think she'd pushed him away because she was angry. "I'm sorry-." "You don't need to say your sorry," Todd started to protest, his turn to interrupt. He understood that this was a big issue for his girlfriend. "Yes, I do," Liz argued back, her words rushed. "It's just that I don't want to end up like Jess." At least that sounded believable. Todd studied her face. He didn't believe that was the whole story but he accepted her answer.
"It's doesn't have to end up like that," he tried to reassure her. "Not if we're careful. Not everybody gets pregnant." "Jess said she was careful," Liz pointed out, not feeling very reassured. She wanted to make him happy and she wasn't even sure what it was holding her back. She knew he was being understanding but her nerves didn't seem within her own control. She didn't know whether she was trying to force herself to do something she wasn't ready for or whether it had blown up into such a big issue for her that she was being irrational about it. "Jessica being careful?" Todd queried, raising his eyebrows in disbelief. He wanted to lighten the mood between them. "Jessica's never been careful about anything in her life." Normally Liz would have defended her sister out loud while secretly agreeing with him, this time however she did actually believe Jessica. She would risk a lot of things but not using protection and ending up pregnant wouldn't have been one of them. "But we can never be sure, can we?" Liz mumbled, ignoring his comment about her twin. Maybe that really was the problem. She liked to plan ahead and know exactly what she was doing but with this it was new and she didn't have a clue what to expect. Todd was silent for a moment.
"Liz, when are you going to be ready?" He queried bluntly, wondering what exactly was putting this distance between them so they couldn't go to the next level. "You know, it's always going to be a risk. I mean even if we got married, what if we didn't want kids straight away? We'd still be taking a risk then," he tried to explain, not sure if he was making that much sense. Now she sat there stunned into silence. He had a point.
"I can't help being scared." She wanted to explain her own feelings to him. He cupped her face in his hands, hoping to reassure her.
"I just want to show you how much I love you. I don't want to rush you," he whispered honestly.
"But-," she started to argue. Her head agreed with him but it was hard to get her emotions up to speed.
"We'd have to deal with the consequences when they came," he told her, sensing what she was going to say and being straightforward about it. She stared back at him, still unsure of what to say. "What are you thinking?" He wondered. Hoping he hadn't sounded like a complete jerk. "I'm thinking I'm ready," she admitted, her voice shaky. Half of her certain and the other half was still terrified. He pulled her close. "Not tonight," she told him firmly, pulling away from him. Todd opened his mouth to tell her that he hadn't meant it like that but she'd silenced him with a look. Maybe Alex was right about not thinking about it too much.
"When?" He asked her nervously, he couldn't help feeling excited at the prospect.
"Tomorrow," she offered again, trying to sound more certain than she felt. "Tomorrow," she said out loud again, still trying to reassure herself.

The next morning Liz ran down the stairway of the psychology department, knocking a person coming up the stairs towards her in her rush to get to her class. What had happened between her and Todd had been playing on her mind and unusually for her she was actually running late.
"Hey watch where you're going," a voice snapped angrily. Liz looked around to acknowledge the person and apologise.
"Peter," she sighed. This was one person that she'd hoped she would never see again. He still seemed too stupid to have been working with William White, running the secret society.
"You really ought to be more careful," he whispered, leaning close to her, trying to look menacing. Liz looked down anxiously. She couldn't deny he'd succeeded slightly.
"Peter, don't you have somewhere more interesting to be?" A voice Liz instantly recognised interrupted them. She turned back around and saw Tom. She let out another sigh as a wave of relief washed over her.
"I'm just going. Maybe you can fight your own battles next time," Peter whispered again, taking a last look at Liz before skulking off.
"Are you okay?" Tom asked quietly.
"I'm fine," Liz forced herself to say, even though she didn't really feel fine.
"You look shaken up. Come on, let's go to the coffee house." Liz hesitated but she figured one missed class wouldn't hurt. Just this once. They started to walk along. "Liz don't worry about it. Peter's a moron but he's not going to hurt you," Tom said with confidence. "I know that. I mean, I know I should know that. He's all mouth and wouldn't have the guts to do anything, but -," she started to reply, looking away as she felt embarrassed.
"You're right. He won't do anything," Tom tried to reassure her again.
"I just wish I'd never started this whole thing," she admitted honestly. It seemed to have caused her so much trouble, not least of all William White trying to kill her.
"What? You wish the secret society was still around?" Tom asked surprised shocked. He didn't want to think he'd dragged Liz into something she didn't really want to be in.
"No! I just feel like I've turned so many people life's upside down," Liz explained carefully, still feeling shaken up. "Including my own."
"But think about Nina and Bryan. After all they went through they at least deserved justice and that's what we did by catching William," Tom argued. "I know," Liz agreed, not sounding entirely convinced. She knew she'd done the right thing but she wasn't completely sure she hadn't opened a can of worms that she couldn't control. "We did the right thing," he comforted her. "The society was pure evil. It's right that we exposed that. You can't let them stop you doing the right thing. You can't spend your life running scared of living. What would be the point? You'd never achieve anything, you'd never-," Tom continued, sounding like he was trying to convince her as much as himself. There had never been anyone more scared of living and admitting his feelings than himself. She lost track of his words as she started to focus on what he had just said. The analogy was so true of her own life that it hit a bit too close to home. She realised he was right and her twin was wrong. She didn't want to be scared of living, she wanted to live life to it's fullest. Todd was the right man and it was the right time. A small smile rose on her lips, surprised at the sudden feeling of clarity.
"Tom, I'm really sorry," she began, interrupting him mid-sentence. "But I really have to go." She didn't give him a chance to respond as she hurried out of the coffee house. She picked
her mobile out of her bag and selected her sister's number. "Jess, I need you to do me a favour," she said breathlessly when her sister answered. She put down the phone after she'd finally rebutted Jessica's ten thousand arguments and when she saw his familiar face.
"Todd," she called as he emerged from his class. She still felt her heart skip a beat just from looking at him.
"Hey Liz," he responded casually, looking slightly nervous about what Liz had come to say.
"I need the keys to your dorm," she told him, with a mischievous smile, trying to act mysterious. He stared back at her, wondering what she was up to. "Why? What are you planning?" he asked confused.
"Just wait and see," she reassured him. "Come on Liz. What is going on?" He felt bad about what had happened between them the night before. He didn't want her to think he wouldn't wait for her, because he would. He'd just wanted to know where he stood and it had come out completely the wrong way. Besides he wanted it to be the perfect moment they'd both dreamed about since they'd started dating. He would hate it to go completely wrong because she wasn't ready. "Aren't I allowed to plan a surprise?" Liz demanded with a sigh. When other people were spontaneous it was considered romantic but when she was everyone acted as if it was completely shocking. "Liz, I just meant-," Todd tried to explain. "I just don't want you to be mad with me." "Why would I be mad?" Liz asked, surprised by his worry. She'd thought they'd left everything on pretty good terms last night. Maybe it had been more strained than she'd realised. "I don't know," Todd admitted. "I thought that maybe I acted too pushy, I didn't-." Liz started to giggle. He raised his eyebrows at her reaction. "And here I was thinking that you were upset with me." "Of course not," he interjected. This had to be one of the most confusing conversations he'd ever had. "Just don't come back to your dorm until eight," she insisted, deciding they were only going around in circles. She looked him up and down, wrinkling her face disapprovingly. "On second thoughts maybe you should go back there now and pick up a suit or something."
"What? A suit?" Now that made it official. It was definitely the most confusing conversation every had by two human beings
"Don't forget the roses," she yelled as she ran off.

"I can't believe you're doing this," Jessica complained loudly as she breezed through the door of Todd's dorm, not waiting for an invitation. Her hands were full of bags containing takeaway.
"Don't lecture," Liz mumbled, rolling her eyes and sounding remarkably like her sister as she closed the door behind her.
"I'm serious. I don't think you're ready," Jessica warned, trying to sound as confident and self assured as her sister did when she argued her point. Of course the confident and self assured part wasn't that difficult but she really wasn't used to being the moral sister. "How do you know whether I'm ready or not? Jess don't-," Liz began to argue back. She hated when their roles were switched like this. It just upset the balance.
"Ok, ok I'm not going to fight with you. TOAD isn't worth it," Jessica conceded defeated, not very graciously. She knew that even though Liz hated to admit it, she could be just as stubborn as she was and that nothing would change her mind when it was truly made up. Liz didn't rise to the bait and decided to change the topic of conversation. She had more important things to do than pick fights with her twin.
"How do I look?" she asked, giving a little mock twirl. Nothing distracted Jessica better than fashion. "Fine, I guess. A little too conservative for my taste, if you want the truth," Jessica said with disapproval, looking Liz up and down expertly. "Jessica!" Liz exclaimed in annoyance. Why couldn't she praise her? Just this once? She needed all the encouragement she could get, not Jessica putting her down to make herself feel better. "You look nice," Jessica finally admitted, sensing her twin wasn't happy with her. "This is all wrong though," she told her, glancing around the room.
"What do you mean?" Liz demanded, wondering what exactly her sister was getting at. It was sure to be an insult.
"Well it's suppose to be the man that gets everything ready, isn't it?" Jessica questioned in a teasing voice. Finally deciding to lighten the mood between them. She wasn't her sister's keeper after all and she couldn't bear to have anymore of her family mad with her.
"Well, I'm against sexism and besides I bet Mike didn't go to all this trouble for you," Liz teased back. She wanted them to go back to being the sisters they'd been before they came to college. The ones that had laughed and chatted so easily.
"He did actually," Jessica informed her smugly. She couldn't help but feel happy that he'd gone to so much trouble for her and wasn't going to miss the opportunity to gloat.
"Only because he wanted to get you into bed." Jessica bit back her annoyance. She knew there was an element of truth in that but she didn't appreciate her twin wreaking her memory of that night. Besides she was still certain that Mike had been developing feelings for her by then and had wanted to make their first night together special.
"Well he didn't exactly have to try hard, did he?" Jessica joked back, keeping her tone light-hearted. He probably could have made her a sandwich and she'd still have sleep with him that night, she'd been that besotted with him by that point. Liz's own face suddenly became serious.
"It will be all right, won't it?" Liz asked her twin quietly, feeling her own nerves rising in her stomach. Jessica held her tongue to stop herself repeating that she thought Liz needed more time.
"If it's the right man and the right time then it'll be wonderful," Jessica assured her. She smiled an impish smile. "And if it isn't, well then I'll beat up Todd for you." Liz looked at across at the alarm clock.
"You'd better go. I've still got a few things to get ready and he'll be here soon," Liz explained. She wanted time to calm her nerves which her sister wasn't exactly helping her do.
"Do the right thing, Liz." Jessica cast a worried glance as she walked out the door. A few minutes later there was a knock at the door. "Just a minute," Liz called, her voice a little louder than she'd intended. She run a brush quickly through her hair which unusually she was wearing down. Perhaps dressing like Jessica would give her a bit more of Jessica's impulsiveness. She walked over to the door and took a deep breath before opening it. It was now or never. "You don't have to knock on your own door," Liz assured him, feeling some of her anxiousness build up again as she saw him.
"You look wonderful," Todd cried, his eyes wide as he looked her up and down before handing her a bouquet of roses. She laughed. She couldn't believe he'd actually listened to her about that. She'd only been teasing him, though she was glad he was trying to make it special for her.
"I wasn't serious about the roses you know," she told him truthfully, giggling as she ushered him to the room, partly out of nerves and partly out of happiness. He looked around the room which was lit by candles and which was completely spotless for a change.
"You've really transformed this place. How did you have time?" He asked her, clearly shocked.
"I work quickly and besides the food's take away," she admitted with a knowing smile as she put the roses in a jug. He laughed, Liz had always been resourceful. He pulled her into his arms affectionately.
"You didn't have to go to all this trouble," Todd told her, sounding slightly uncertain about the whole thing. He'd wanted to make all this special and memorable for her and now it seemed like she was the only one who'd gone to any effort.
"I wanted to do it," Liz assured him, her voice a whisper. Despite her twin's mocking she really didn't think it mattered. All the mattered that it was special for them and she was sure now that it would be. "Liz, I'm sorry if I pressured you yesterday. You don't have-," He began bluntly, still feeling uneasy about how quickly all this had come about. She silenced him with a kiss, stepping towards him. "No, I made this decision on my own," she protested. That was the truth as well. She wasn't doing this because she knew it would make him happy but because she loved him and it would make both of them happy. "I don't want you to regret this," he argued back hesitantly. Now they were actually at this moment he felt a huge amount of pressure on him. He didn't want her to be disappointed. She ran her hands down his chest and took his hand before leading him over to the bed. "I wouldn't be doing this if I thought I was going to regret it," she told him firmly. She was far too stubborn to let herself be pushed into something she didn't want.
"What about the food?" He questioned. He was completely thrown by her certainty.
"Forget the food. It's not important," she murmured as their lips met and they collapsed back on the bed together.

The next morning Liz slowly opened her eyes and smiled as they fell on Todd sleeping quietly next to her. She snuggled up against him. It almost felt like a relief to think that she'd finally taken the big step of moving their relationship forward. It had become so much of an issue for her, and for them, that she couldn't believe it had been brushed aside so easily. No one could change what had happened now. Her virginity was gone and she didn't regret it at all. Jessica had been right about all that mattered being them loving and trusting each other. It had felt so right and natural between them in the end. She laughed to herself as she remembered Jessica's threat to beat up Todd if it wasn't. She looked back over at him. He looked so fast asleep that she couldn't imagine he was going to be waking up for a while. She closed her eyes and tried to go to sleep as well but the light was shining in brightly through the curtains and she climbed out of the bed. She ruffled through the bag of stuff she'd brought with her, trying not to disturb him.
"What time is it?" A groggy voice questioned. Liz looked over at Todd who was sat up in bed, his head in his hands, and then glanced at the alarm clock.
"About eight," she told him, keeping her own voice quiet. She still felt slightly groggy herself. He groaned, clearly disappointed.
"I'd better get up. I've got a class in forty five minutes," he admitted with a sigh. "But you're welcome to stay here. My place is yours." He wanted her to feel at home in his dorm, even if his dorm was an ugly dump now that he'd moved out of the athletics dorm.
"It's all right," Liz answered truthfully. She was grateful he was being thoughtful but she wouldn't really want to stay here by herself anyway. "I've got a class shortly as well and I need to go back to my dorm first. So, where is the bathroom?" She suddenly felt a little awkward about going to the bathroom. Everyone was going to know she wasn't living here and be wondering why she actually was here.
"I'll come with you. I need to get ready as well," Todd offered, picking up on her awkwardness. Liz nodded. "You see this is what I was looking forward to," he commented lightly, putting his arm around her as they walked along the corridor. He really did want to share everything with Liz. She pulled a disbelieving face.
"Oh if that's the case then we'll just skip the rest of it and I'll just show up in the morning to brush my teeth with you," she teased him, wrapping both her arms around his waist.

"Liz, where on earth have you been?" Alex demanded as Liz breezed into the room. She didn't want to sound like Liz's mother but she had been genuinely worried. It wasn't like Liz to spend the whole night out.
"Doesn't this sound familiar? However usually it's the other way around," Liz commented with a smirk. She liked the thought that her friend was shocked by her actions.
"You're in an awfully good mood," Alex observed curiously. Liz had always been a morning person but this was freaky.
"Aren't I allowed to be happy?" Liz wondered dreamily, falling back on her bed and sighing. It was one of the first times since she'd left Sweet Valley High that she was genuinely completely happy.
"So, where have you been?" Alex asked again. Liz looked around the room, not answering the question straight away. When they'd first got to college it had made her feel like she was being childish by not wanting to rush into sleeping with someone. It had made her think that once she had gone through with it she would want everyone to know, just to prove how grown up she was or something, but now it had actually happened she didn't feel any need to tell anybody. There was a special bond between her and Todd which couldn't be broken and no one else needed to know about it.
"No where." Liz tried to ignore the question, keeping her voice casual "So what did you do last night?" Alex eyed her suspiciously. She knew when Liz wasn't telling her something and she had a feeling she knew what it was. Liz was pretty transparent but she wasn't going to make a big deal about it.
"I went out with Mark and unlike you I came back at a decent hour. Anyway, I'd better go. I'm supposed to be having breakfast with him." As Alex went to leave, Jessica came through the door. They gave each other short looks. They'd never been friends especially after Jessica had revealed Alex's past drug habit to the whole of Sweet Valley High.
"So, did you go through with it? What was it like?" Jessica asked in a rush, her tone excited. Jessica hadn't exactly wanted to dish the dirt about her own sex life, it had never really been as open as that in the Wakefield house but she was desperate for all the gossip from her sister. It seemed like so long ago since she'd been through those new and exciting stages of a relationship that she almost wanted to live the excitement through her twin. Of course it had only really been a few months but in Jessica's world that was a long time.
"Yes and fine," Liz responded simply, shrugging her shoulders. Jessica raised her eyebrows and looked at her surprised.
"Just fine?" "Why? Should it be better than fine?" Liz teased. She couldn't believe what a big deal it had all seemed. It had seemed so natural in the end. Jessica rolled her eyes. She didn't appreciate her sister mocking her.
"I can't believe my big sister is all grown up," Jessica commented. In some ways she'd liked the fact that she'd had an experience her sister had never had.
"I can't believe my little sister is married and pregnant," Liz responded bluntly, suddenly becoming serious. She couldn't help wondering how Jessica really was handling all this. Jessica sighed out loud.
"Don't remind me," she muttered. She just wanted to forget about her responsibilities for one morning.
"So who have you got a got a problem with now? The husband or the baby?" Liz enquired intuitively. She could see that her twin wanted to talk to her about something but she wasn't going to say it until she was given the green light. That way she could pretend Liz had dragged it out of her when it wasn't what Liz wanted to hear. "The husband. I called his mom yesterday," Jessica explained.
"What's wrong with that?" Liz wondered, slightly confused. She'd never heard anything about Mike's mother before.
"Mike and I had a fight about it a few days ago. He didn't want me to talk to her. He got really upset with me and I promised that I wouldn't."
"Then why did you do it?" Liz questioned, not being able to hide a little bit of annoyance at her twin. Why did she have to create these situations? It was always left to her to help Jessica out of them. She really didn't want to spend the rest of her life doing it.
"I just needed to know," Jessica defended herself, surprised by her sister's disapproval. "I convinced myself there was some dark secret. I couldn't leave it like it was."
"Was there?" Liz asked curiously, her reporter's brain taking over. She wanted to know the facts.
"Sort of. Well not really," Jessica admitted slowly. "She didn't really say much. I think she was a little shocked that I'd called. But apparently she lost a baby when Mike was about eleven. It was stillborn and after that her and Mike's dad's marriage fell apart pretty quickly. They'd never been a picture perfect family and she'd never been much of a mother but it just got worse, that's what she said anyway. Then when I told her about me being pregnant and us being married she started going on about coming for a visit. I tried to put her off but I don't think it worked, she sounded pretty determined. Why did she have to do this now? She hasn't spoken to Mike for years. What am I going to do, Liz?" Jessica asked desperately. She couldn't risk her husband finding out she'd gone behind his back.
"I'm sure you'll think of something," Elizabeth reassured her, sensing she needed comfort rather than a lecture at that moment.
"I just wish I knew what," Jessica stated anxiously.

Alex stifled a groan and tried to hold her tongue but failed.
"Mark will you get that look off your face, please?" Alex demanded, finally letting out her groan. They were sat in the coffee house scuffing food.
"Sorry," Mark replied, giving her a sheepish grin before grabbing a few fries.
"I keep telling you that Liz is doing her best with the story," Alex repeated, giving him a pointed look. Mark looked doubtful. He still blamed Liz for the whole scandal coming out. She knew that deep down he knew he only had himself to blame but he was still in that angry denial stage she'd been in at first.
"Well it seems to be taking a long time," Mark moaned truthfully. He was shocked that Alex had forgiven Elizabeth so easily.
"That's just because she doesn't have Tom Watts working with her anymore. She wants to get it right or it won't work," Alex tried to explain. She could see that Liz was finding doing her first story by herself daunting. Mark sighed, knowing she was right.
"I'm sorry. It's just making me anxious," he admitted quietly. It seemed like this was the only hope for his future.
"Well you have nothing to be anxious about. You just took what was offered to you, that's all." She tried to sound reassuring but she knew even Liz didn't rate the chances of this story having much impact. Not with the university so determined to protect itself.
"I know but that was my choice. I was happy to have all that stuff," Mark told her guiltily, finally admitting some of his blame.
"So you were a little naive. Most people would have accepted what was offered."
"Alex I'm not quite sure how to tell you this-," Mark began nervously, after hesitating a second. A lump of nervousness formed in Alex's throat and she gulped hard. This definitely sounded like bad news. "I got a call this morning," he continued awkwardly. "It was from the guy at the Lakers who I tried out for. He wants me to comeback and try out again. He said he thought I had potential." Alex was astounded. She'd thought the Lakers had turned out to be a complete dead end. Liz had been right all along, he was just going to let her down again. Mark looked down uncomfortably. He'd been dreading this conversation. "I have to go," he explained honestly. "Basketball is all I ever wanted to do with my life." He looked into her eyes, wanting to be as truthful with her as he could. "But I want you to come with me." Now Alex truly was shocked. She'd thought he was running away from her again.
"Really?" She questioned, disbelieving. Mark nodded. He had genuinely missed her while he'd been away and knew he'd made a mistake. Now it was Alex's turn to sigh. It would be impossible.
"I can't," she said with sadness. "My life is here, not in LA. I want to stay in college." Mark looked disappointed but gave her an understanding smile. That was the response he'd been expecting anyway.
"Well it's unlikely I'm going to be leaving," he assured her. "And you could still come and visit me." She smiled back at him, relieved they'd come to some sort of agreement. She was surprised that she didn't feel as disappointed as she'd expected to. "In the meantime I'll work on getting that story moving along," she told him. She realised that would be the only way to make it possible for him to stay.

Later that day Alex knocked nervously at the WSVU office door. There was only one person in there, a man she recognised as Tom Watts. He gave her a pleasant smile as he opened the door.
"How can I help you?" He asked, clearly confused by her presence. He didn't recognise her as one of the people who worked at the station.
"Umm I'm Alex Rollins-," she started nervously. She'd hated him with such a passion when he'd done the story that it was hard to believe she was stood there having a conversation with him. His face changed as he recognised her name
"Hey if you've come to -," he interrupted, stepping back slightly. Liz had told him about how Alex blamed them for ruining her life.
"I haven't come to start a scene," she assured him, interrupting him this time. His face relaxed and he pushed the door open further.
"Let's start this again. How can I help you?" "Well Liz has agreed to do a story about how the university is trying to scapegoat the players," Alex explained him, hoping that he'd already heard about it. He nodded though he was still clearly confused about why she was there.
"Yes I know that," he replied a curious tone in his voice. He couldn't see what this had to do with him. Him and Liz had stopped working together a long time ago.
"It just seems to be taking a really long time," Alex explained quickly, starting to regret coming here. He obviously wasn't interested in helping her. "And I wondered if you might work with her on it," she finished lamely. Tom looked away, clearly debating the question within himself.
"I don't know. I'm trying to be her friend but I'm not sure I can work with her that closely again," Tom admitted guardedly. Now Liz was aware of his feelings for her, he didn't believe they could just return to normal.
"You really care about her, don't you?" Alex asked slightly surprised. The impression Liz had given her was that it wasn't anything more than a little crush.
"I guess so," Tom replied, giving her a guarded smile, surprising himself at how quickly he was opening up to her. He had a nice smile and Alex could see why Liz had been so attracted to him. He was definitely better looking close up.
"I'll tell you what." Tom's voice interrupted her thoughts. "I'll talk to Liz and see what she thinks. Maybe she can give me part of the story to work on by myself or something. At the very least I might be able to speed her up." He gave her a genuine and totally relaxed smile.
"Thanks," Alex replied, giving him one of her own brightest smiles.

"Todd, stop it!" Liz giggled, pushing him away. She tried to return to the work that she had across her desk in the library. He leaned over her shoulder and tried to give her a kiss. "How am I suppose to pass my exam with you distracting me?" She asked jokingly, too happy to get mad with him, even though she really did need to work.
"Me distracting you?" Todd queried, laughing as well in a disbelieving manner. "If anyone's doing the distracting around here, it's you."
"How did you figure that out? I'm just reading a book," she replied truthfully, giving him an innocent grin. She was glad that he still found her so attractive. "You're always distracting to me," he told her, continuing his trail of kisses.
"Shh," the librarian interrupted, giving them a stern look, clearly not impressed by their behaviour. They looked at each other and both tried not to giggle. Right at that moment Liz's mobile beeped. The librarian gave her another glare. She blushed and discretely opened up the text message. She couldn't believe she hadn't turned it off. "It's from Tom," she said out loud in a surprised tone. She wasn't really addressing the comment to Todd.
"What's Watts doing texting you?" He demanded grabbing the phone off her. He'd thought he'd given up chasing after Liz.
"Hey give that back!" Liz cried, annoyed that he'd invade her privacy. The librarian walked up behind them again.
"If you're not here to do work, could you two please leave?" She threatened in a hard voice. Liz felt her face burning and quickly collected up her stuff.
"That was really embarrassing," she told Todd in an irritated tone as they left the library.
"I'm sorry. I just don't see what Watts needs to text you for," Todd admitted jealously. He couldn't believe the persistence of the guy. Sure Liz had been slightly interested in him when they were apart but now they were back together.
"He's still my boss at the station," Liz reminded him. She couldn't see what Todd was feeling so jealous about. She got her mobile out and finally got to read the text. "See he just wants to talk to me about a story," she said waving it in front of Todd's face.
"I'm sorry," Todd said, embarrassed. He felt even more stupid now. "But you know he still likes you." He wanted Liz to make it clear to Tom that there wasn't any future for them.
"Well that's his problem, not mine, or yours." Liz left Todd and headed to the WSVU office. "Tom," Liz called, walking in cautiously.
"Hey Liz," he replied casually. Now that he was face to face with her he wasn't sure he could handle this. He didn't want to work with her again.
"So, what did you want to see me about?" Liz asked nervously, sensing his reaction wasn't entirely positive.
"Alex Rollins came to see me earlier," Tom began to explain. He didn't want her thinking she he was doing this just so he could spend time with her.
"Alex?" Liz interrupted with shock. As far as she'd been aware Alex hated Tom. "What did Alex want to see you for?" Tom sighed and sat on the edge of his desk. He didn't think Liz was going to like this but he might as well just get it over with.
"She's worried about the story that you said you'd do for her," Tom told her bluntly. He was half tempted to cover his face with his hands to protect himself from her reaction. Liz was independent and stubborn and wouldn't like someone else muscling in on the story even a former work partner. "Why is she worried about that? I promised I'd do it and I'm working on it," Liz wondered confused. Surely Alex knew she wouldn't let her down.
"But it's been quite a while since the story on the athletics scandal. If you don't get it out soon it won't have any effect and the university will get away with it," Tom reminded her, not quite being able to resist returning to his role as her boss.
"Well, it's not like I don't care," Liz defended herself. "I want Todd back on the team as much as Alex wants Mark to be back on it." Tom's face tightened slightly at the mention of Todd's name. "Besides," Liz continued, deciding to ignore his reaction. "If Alex was that worried she could have spoken to me. She is my roommate after all." Why had she gone and dragged Tom into this? He was the last person Liz wanted to be involved with. There were too many raw emotions.
"I don't think she wanted to worry you. You have been kind of busy lately. You never come here anymore," Tom finished sadly. He couldn't deny how much he'd missed Elizabeth, not just because he was in love with her but as a friend. He didn't have anyone to bounce ideas off.
"Well I thought you didn't want me around that much anymore. Besides I've got my own problems at the moment. I'm stuck right in the middle of Jess and my parents and-." She didn't really know why she was divulging this much information.
"I know. I'm not saying it's your fault," Tom placated her, he only wanted to do the right thing. He was as involved in this scandal as she was. "Look is there anything I can do to help you with the story?" Liz looked thoughtful. She did need someone to take some of the load.
"Well, you could interview some of the jocks. Most of them wouldn't comment before. I guess they didn't want to get into trouble and thought they were better off keeping their mouths shut," she explained. "Maybe now they'll think they have nothing to lose. Anyone close to them as well. People who might be able to back up their stories."
"You mean people like Alex?" He asked, looking slightly distracted. He couldn't get his brief conversation with Alex out of his head.
"Yes, I guess so," Liz said in a confused tone, slightly surprised he'd mentioned her name first. They'd had nothing to do with each other.
"Do you want me to draw up a list of jocks then?" She nodded.
"I'm still busy working on getting the Dean to give me an interview. So far he just keeps issuing the same statement about university sanctions and regulations. The more time I have to put pressure on him the better."

Billie opened the door to her and Steven's apartment and got shock at the familiar face standing there.
"Chas, I'm really sorry but I've got to go, I'm in a rush," Billie stammered uncomfortably. She was already starting to walk out of the door, closing it behind her. She'd do anything to avoid having this conversation. He blocked the door with his arm when she turned back around to try and leave.
"You can't avoid me for ever," he told her sternly.
"I'm not avoiding you," she lied hastily. In truth she was avoiding him. She wasn't sure she could trust herself around him. "We just have nothing to talk about."
"I thought we had a lot to talk about," he continued in the same tone. It was time for them to face up to their feelings
"Not anymore," she replied, trying to convince herself the most. "I'm happy with Steven."
"If that was true then you wouldn't have slept with me," he said in a harsh tone.
"That was a mistake, I was upset. It meant nothing." Billie copied his voice, trying to sound as firm as possible so he'd believe her.
"I don't believe you."
"Well you should because it's the truth." She couldn't bring herself to look into his eyes. This was one of the hardest things she'd ever had to do. She'd betrayed everyone including herself. She'd thought she had principles but apparently not.
"I -," he started to argue. He wanted them to become a couple, he didn't want her to turn him away. She forced her way past him, determined to finish it once and for all.
"Just leave me alone," she shouted, running down the corridor so that she wouldn't have to look at him.
"I'll tell Steven," he threatened, yelling back down the corridor after her.
"You wouldn't." She turned around again, shocked by his threat. She'd never expected this from him.
"Why not? I'd be doing you a favour. You can't stay with him."
"You're wrong and you wouldn't dare," she muttered angrily, sounding certain as she started walking down the corridor again. But secretly she wasn't certain at all. She had no idea what she'd got herself into.