A/N: Look at me posting in time. What would you like to see in this story?

Eccedentesiast: (n.) someone who hides pain behind a smile.

"Will?" She answered the phone as soon as she reached the kitchen.

"Lizzy?" His voice and the use of her nickname caused her to break down in tears. Not having yet reached the chair, she lowered herself to the floor as silent sobs wrecked her body. "Is it really you?"

"Yeah." She pushed her back against one of the kitchen cabinets.

"You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice again." His tone indicated his emotions had gotten the best of him as well.

"You too."

Henry walked in and found his wife on the floor. He rushed by her side, but when he didn't find her hurt, he simply sat next to her. She grabbed his hand for support and he gave it a gentle squeeze.

"I flew to D.C. as soon as I heard. I'm on my way to you right now. That's why I called."

"You're coming here?" Part of her was in disbelieve. She had thought about her brother many times after her return, but she never knew what she should say to him. They had been through to much together. Losing their parents and now he had believed for an entire year that he had lost his sister as well. She was the only family he had left.

"I have to return tomorrow night but I couldn't not come." She nodded, not realizing he wouldn't be able to see her. The tears had stopped and she dried her face. Knowing they would start spilling as soon as she saw her brother, she didn't bother trying to hide the fact that she had been crying.

"Where are you now?"

"A few minutes out." A silence fell and she listened to his even breathing through the phone. There was something calming about it after all these months. She had a rocky relationship with her brother, and it usually consisted of them fighting, but she had a feeling things were about to change. The past year had been an important event in both their lives.

"I'll see you then." She hung up because she knew she had to get up. There was no chance she would allow her brother to see her like this. Like a broken mess on the floor.

"Can you help me up?" Henry nodded silently at the request and helped her to her feet. The fact that she asked had surprised him but he didn't comment on it.

She just stood next to him, her arms lightly draped around his form. What was she supposed to say to her brother? Would he forgive her? Would he be mad and start an argument? She wondered how long it would take him to get to their house because her thoughts were starting to drive her mad. As if on queue, the doorbell rang and she knew it was Will.

"Are you ready?" He grabbed her hand and together they walked to the door. As soon as they opened it, Elizabeth felt her brother's arms around her and he had a tightening grip on her sweater.

For a moment, the sudden action scared her but as soon as she realized it was Will, she put her arms around him.

Henry closed the door and watched the two siblings hold on to each other for dear life. Both had lost their parents and they were the only ones they had left. He knew Will had gone through a dark period after Elizabeth's death but he came out of it stronger. He managed to get through it.

"I missed you." Will choked out and Elizabeth let out a sob.

"I missed you, too."

They spent a while talking until Elizabeth sent her brother upstairs for a nap. He had traveled all this way, and with the timezones, she guessed he was tired. After promising her brother she was alright, he hesitantly left to go upstairs.

"Henry?"

"Hmm?" Henry looked up from his paperwork. He had left the two alone and went to the office to get some work done.

"You mentioned earlier that you kept my stuff." Elizabeth started and she lingered in the doorway. Henry got up and stood in front of her, waiting for her to continue. "Can we maybe unpack some of it?"

"Damn, no more closet all to myself." Henry joked and he was happy to see a smile forming on his wife's face. "Of course we can. Let me bring some boxes up and we will get right to it."

Henry left to go get some boxes from the basement while Elizabeth made her way up the stairs.

Once they finish unpacking part of her stuff, they went downstairs. By this time, Will had woken up and was sitting downstairs at the breakfast table. She sat down next to him and Henry put his hand on her shoulder. For a moment she flinched away but then relaxed.

"I will leave you two be for a moment." He spoke and headed into the ktichen.

"What is it?" Elizabeth asked as soon as Henry left. She could sense there was something on Will's mind, she just knew him all too well.

"Lizzy, I can see you're hurting whenever he comes near you. Why are you forcing yourself into this?" Will eyed the kitchen to see if Henry was still there.

"Because he's my husband." She argued, not in the mood for her brother to analyze her.

"So? It's clearly causing you pain."

"Stop it." She raised her voice more than she meant to and Henry emerged from the kitchen.

"What's going on?" A thick layer of worry in his tone caused Elizabeth to smile. He was always protective of her, even towards her own brother.

"Nothing." She promised him but Will took his chance.

"How can you be around her when you can see how much it hurts her."

"Will-" Elizabeth tried to calm him down, but Henry spoke over her.

"You don't think I know that? But I need her. Maybe even more than she needs me." His words triggered Will even more and their conversation quickly turned into an argument.

"So you think you're helping her by being selfish? You should be supporting her, not leaning on her!" His face was red and Elizabeth could see her brother was enraged.

"Okay, stop." She pleaded. She was too tired for this and the shouting was triggering her anxiety. All the times he had yelled at her.

"I'm trying! There isn't really a guide on how to do this." Henry shot back. He was trying his best and doing everything he could to make the transition for his wife the easiest.

Henry and Will were so focused on each other that they didn't even notice that Elizabeth's breathing had become more rapid. Her eyes were glazed over and she held a tight grip on the side of the table to keep her steady and upright.

"You're not the victim here!" Will argued and the words echoed through her head.

She was pulled in by a memory that filled her mind and it caused her to miss part of the argument.

"You are not the victim here." Andrada spoke as one of his men pushed her in the ring. His hands were taped and he seemed ready for the fight.

A fight she wasn't at all prepared for. She had no idea how long she had been here, but she figured it had been weeks. She had barely slept or eaten and now he expected her to fight him?

"You kidnapped me

"None of this would have happened it you had not resisted me, dear Elizabeth." He circled her like a prey and she was ready to put up a fight. She had a feeling this wouldn't be the last time he challenged her for a match. "So really, I am the victim here."

His words caused her blood to boil and when he attacked her, she fought him best she could.

However, after weeks of sleepless nights and being deprived of most food, she was weak and had barely any energy to stand up straight. Within a few minutes, he had her pinned to the ground with a bleeding nose.

"Only fair after you caused my nose to bleed." He grinned. "Just be glad I did not break it."

Being pulled from her memory by the dizziness, she touched Henry's arm and it caused him to finally look at her. She was aware of her trouble breathing and the fact that she was about to pass out.

"Babe?" He searched for eye contact, but Will pushed him aside before he could get any.

"Let me." He growled and he stepped in front of his sister. However, she didn't want him and in turn pushed him aside.

Channeling the last resort of energy she had left in her body, she walked over to Henry and collapsed in his arms. She allowed for him to pick her up and carried her upstairs to lay her down on their bed.

With Henry close, her anxiety subsided and her breathing pattern returned to normal. Will had gone after the pair to make sure she was alright and now stood in the doorway.

After a moment of calming herself down, with Henry sitting next to her and holding her hand, she sat up to face her brother.

"I know you're trying to help but stop it." She sighed and he now stepped closer. "I can't stand to be around anyone, but Henry is patient and gentle and careful."

"I don't want to see you hurt."

"I'm home." She sighed and he sat down on the bed. "I'm right where I want to be with the people I want to be with."

"I can't bare to lose you again." Will admitted and Elizabeth put her arms around him.

"Mom? Dad?" They heard Stevie's voice from downstairs and she released her brother from her grip.

"Go greet your niece. We'll be right down." Elizabeth nudged him off the bed and watched as he left the room.

"Why me?" Henry asked and she sighed. Did he really have to ask why she had wanted him to comfort her instead of her brother.

"Because you're the one I'm spending my life with. You're the one I will always need, Henry."

"May I?" His words caused her heart to flutter and she nodded. His hand found the back of her head as he had remembered and she pressed her lips against his.

"We should probably go downstairs." Henry sighed and she nodded. "You can lay down for a minute if you want?"

"No, I want to see my daughter." She smiled and together they made their way down. She hugged Stevie as soon as her eldest daughter came in reach.

"Hey mom."

"How was work?"

"Slow day." Stevie replied, leaving out the part where Russell had sent her home for the day to be with her mother. She had mixed feelings about the guy. He was stubborn, cold and sometimes straight up rude, but in moments like this he showed he truly cared. That he was capable of human emotion.

"Do you want take-out?" Henry asked his daughter and she nodded. He got the phone to call, leaving the three in the kitchen.

"So when did you get here?" She asked her uncle, glancing over at her mother who was lowering herself into a chair.

"This morning. I will be staying until tomorrow afternoon."

By the time Jason had come home from school, take-out had arrived as well and the five of them ate together. Elizabeth was aware her brother kept eying her plate and she sighed. Not in the mood to fight, she ignored his judgmental stares and ate as much as she could.

She could feel her stomach starting to protest and not wanting to throw up again, she pushed her plate out of the way.

"I promised Ali we would call her at 8." Henry told her, breaking the uncomfortable silence in the room.

"Since it's past midnight in London right now, I'm off to bed unless I can do something for you?" Since he was only staying for one night, he wanted to keep his usual rhythm best he could.

"No, thanks Will." Elizabeth watched as he resided upstairs. Henry started clearing the table with Stevie and she turned to Jason.

"So how was school?"

"It's school, it was okay." Jason shrugged his shoulders and sure began to wonder how involved the press was. She hadn't watched TV yet besides movies.

"I have to call your sister in about an hour but do you want to watch a movie with me before? You can pick." His face lit up and she slowly came to realize since she had been back she hasn't spent as much time with him as she had been with the girls.

"Yes. They came out with the movie 'night school'. It's supposed to be really funny." He started setting it up and she collapsed on the couch in the mean time. Jason handed her a blanket and he sat down next to her.

Stevie and Henry soon joined and about half way into the movie, they paused it because Alison called.

"Hey noodle." She held Henry's phone in her hands as her youngest daughter appeared on the screen.

"Hi mom. I miss you."

"I miss you too, but I'll see you this weekend."

"That's still four days away." She could see her youngest daughter sighing and she wished she could just wrap her in a hug.

"That's why I'm calling, baby. Just know that you going on with your life and going to college makes me really happy."

She talked to her daughter about her first day back at school. Alison managed to talk to her for a whole hour until she noticed her mom grew tired.

"You should head to bed. I'll call you tomorrow, same time."

"Okay. Love you."

"I love you too mom." Alison blew a kiss towards the screen and she hung up.

"We'll finish the movie tomorrow." Jason's arms wrapped around her tightly and she closed her eyes. How she had missed simply being able to pull her kids in for a hug.

"Good night, slugger."

She walked over to her eldest and said good night before Henry took her upstairs. Henry picked out something for her to wear to bed, while she walked into the bathroom to brush her teeth.

She caught herself in the mirror and stopped. Since her return, she hadn't really looked at herself closely. Her eyes looked dark, her skin was pale, and she now saw what Henry was worried about, she was very thin.

She felt anything but attractive and wished Henry hadn't seen her injuries as well. How could he still be looking at her with so much love in his eyes.

"You're beautiful." Henry told her as he stood in the doorway. He took two steps and stood behind her. His hands lingered above her shoulders for a moment but when she nodded at him through the mirror he set them down.

"I love your beautiful face, with kissable lips." He started, and she smiled. "I love your beautiful body. I love your beautiful mind, your beautiful strength, your courage. I love everything about you and nothing will ever change that."

She turned around and draped her arms around his neck lightly. Leaning forward, she kissed him and soon after she deepened that kiss. However, the emotions were too overwhelming, and she had to step away.

"Sorry."

"Don't be."

She pushed her feelings down as far as she could and leaned in to try again. This time, Henry was the one who stepped back.

"No." He whispered, and she looked confused.

"What?"

"Will was right. You're pushing yourself way too hard."

"Fine." She shrugged her shoulders. "Whatever."

He sighed as he watched her get into bed. Not even bothering to change. He did his night routine and slipped in next to her in bed. She had gotten in on her own side for the first time since her return.

"I love you." He sighed when he didn't get a reply.

He knew Elizabeth was pretending to be asleep and suffering. He just wished they didn't have to go to sleep angry. With this tension between them.

They had never gone to bed angry before. The had fought before going to bed and continued in the morning. However, they always kissed each other tonight and put their fight on hold.

He didn't blame her, though. She had been through hell and needed time to get her life back in order.

"I love you, too." He heard her whisper. Her back was still facing him, but he smiled at the words. Closing his eyes, he now allowed himself to rest.

TBC