Elizabeth folded her arms around herself and face-planted into her pillow. The pains in her lower abdomen were crampy, searing and throbbing. A soreness deep within her that nothing on the surface of her skin could soothe, even her lavender heat pad. To add to her misery, her head hurt, her eyes felt sore and she wished to whoever the fuck was listening that her body temperature would just make its fucking mind up about whether or not she was hot or cold. One minute she was freezing, the next she could feel her forehead burning with perspiration. She rolled over one way, then the other, desperate to find a position that could make her even a little more comfortable. She settled for lying on her side, facing the wall, her knees drawn up to her chest and her comforter tucked under her chin, hoping that she could at least fall back to sleep and feel a little better.

Becky had already left for classes this morning and had asked if she was sick, and in a way, she was. She was sick thanks to her own bodies' karmic physiology. Everyone say a huge thank you to her additional X chromosome. Ladies and gentleman: the lunar life cycle of the uterine lining. She hated periods. They could go and fuck themselves. And hers were simply vicious the day they arrived. She was sore, she was bloated and her whole body just felt heavy. And nothing she had tried made it better, even chocolate. And that usually made everything feel better. She knew she just had to get through this day and with any luck the rest of the week would ease up a little for her. She wondered if this month was worse than usual because of the previous week with heading back to the farm and if the emotional stress had taken its toll.

The worst thing about it aside from the fact that she felt like she was dying a protracted death where her uterus was being pulled through her body and out of her nostrils was that she was really missing Henry. Really missing him. She should have known her period would hit today when two nights ago she hadn't been able to keep her hands away from touching herself in the shower. Thoughts of Henry touching her, Henry kissing her, Henry pushing inside of her were overtaking her mind, overwhelming her. She couldn't stand it any longer, she couldn't wait to see him again and she was getting so hot and bothered just thinking about it. As she looked down at her breasts, watching the rivulets of warm water trickle down the valley between them, she imagined his fingers tracing the path of the droplets, her nipples immediately hardening to firm buds. She'd braced one hand on the cold tiles of the shower as the other pressed firmly and rhythmically over her clit, until she pushed herself over the edge into a hard climax.

Both her and Henry had been so busy since Richmond they'd barely had time to see each other. She'd stayed on for a few days, missing a few lectures that she was confident she'd be able to catch up with, and he'd returned to classes and some extra ROTC fitness thrown in. They'd spoken on the phone, but she was finding herself missing him, his physical presence and the comfort of his touches. She simply liked being around him and couldn't seem to spend enough time with him. Maybe it was the relative newness of their relationship and maybe this would fizzle out. She knew people had their honeymoon periods, but somehow Elizabeth didn't see that happening with Henry. She felt like she could never be bored with him in any way. She couldn't get enough of him.

It had taken a lot for her to admit to him what had happened to her parents, and even more for her to open herself to the idea of him visiting where she had grown up. Introducing him to the horses showed him a glimpse of her childhood and what was important to her. And though she didn't doubt that Will would like him, it said a lot about Henry as a person that Will was able to trust him enough to let him in to his life too. After all, it hadn't just been her childhood that had been brutally ripped away from her, but his too. Will was a perceptive person and had a unique ability to read a social situation. He seemed to be know whether or not he could trust a person pretty much instantly just by studying their eyes, their smile, their mannerisms and their actions around others. She knew Will thought that Henry was genuine, he had no reason to think otherwise. Henry's eyes were clear, his intentions honourable and he had a calm persona that made Elizabeth instantly relax. Will had seen that and had commented on it to her, saying that she seemed like a lighter version of herself in the past few weeks. She'd been worried about them having their meal together, but was far more worried but the idea of it than by actually having Henry around. His hand on her arm steadied her, anchored her to the present and Will had told her she seemed genuinely happy, and she knew it was Henry allowing her to feel that way.

Her heart surged inside her chest as she thought about it and she remembered it had been nearly a week since she'd last seen him. Yet it felt like so much longer and her hormones were making everything a million times worse. She sucked in a harsh breath as she felt a tear roll down her cheek, her abdomen throbbing and her heart aching. She really was missing him, she just wished she felt well enough to get up, walk to the phone and call him. She cuddled a pillow close to her and wiped her tears over the soft cotton. God, she was a mess, physically and emotionally. Was all this over a boy she hadn't seen for a week who she was missing? Deep down she knew it was something more than that. Something far more meaningful and the thought of what she was feeling for him scared her as well as excited her.

A soft knock at the door and the sound of her name being called startled her from her thoughts. If she wasn't in such a state she'd have sworn she heard Henry's voice on the other side of the door. She paused, listening hard and pushed herself up with her hands, forcing herself to sit up.

'Elizabeth?'

She sat up straight in her bed and swung her legs over to the floor, standing and hunching over as she struggled towards the door. She didn't care how bad she felt, Henry had come to see her and somehow that was all that mattered.

Henry took in the sight of Elizabeth in front of him as the door finally opened, her hair matted to one side of her head, her cheeks flushed but the rest of her skin pale. Her arms were wrapped around her middle, her comfortable clothes were on and her bedcovers messy and ruffled in the background.

'Baby are you ok?'

She smiled at him and her eyes twinkled as she closed the door behind him and edged her way to the bed to sit down. He was looking at her with concern but she noticed he also couldn't help the smile that crossed his face either. He looked like he was about to go and work out, his running vest showing off his toned biceps and his shorts showing off his tanned, muscular legs. She couldn't help but let her eyes rake over his body, loving the way he was so damn handsome but strong, physically fit and he clearly liked to take care of himself.

'I'm just not feeling so good.'

Henry took in the scene around him, the heat pad on her bedside cabinet, the Tylenol, a glass of water and a half-eaten bar of chocolate in its wrapper. He'd seen similar scenarios at home with his sisters, and decided not to press her on the issue. It didn't take Magnum PI to work out what was going on here. It was clear she was feeling terrible if she hadn't made it to class, and he wanted desperately to stay with her and hold her so she could sleep and feel better once her pain meds kicked in.

'I ran into Becky on my way over here and she told me. I'm sorry you're feeling so rotten baby.'

It hadn't escaped her notice that he'd made his term of endearment for her even sweeter, and she just wanted to lie in bed with him and curl up next to him like a cat next to a fire place. She held her hand out towards him and he laced their fingers together, bringing her hand to his lips to brush a kiss across her knuckles. She wriggled herself into bed and he lay down next to her, running his fingers through her hair and rubbing his hands over her back.

'It's so good to see you. I've missed you.'

'I've missed you too.'

He was beaming at her, his face breaking out a huge smile as he brushed his lips across hers. She snaked her hands under his arms and stroked her fingers through his hair, mirroring his gesture and tugging at the soft hair at the nape of his neck. Their lips pushed and pulled at each other, their kisses hungry as their tongues explored each others' mouths. There was a heat and a hunger there and she clung to him, her leg slipping between his and locking his pelvis against hers.

She gasped as she felt the hardness of his erection through his thin shorts and he immediately apologised, trying to pull back from her but stopped by her tight embrace.

'It's fine Henry. I'm fine. You didn't hurt me.'

'I know. I just wish…' his eyes cast downwards. 'Of all the moments to pick, I was trying to comfort you not jump you.'

She smiled as she placed a chaste kiss over his lips and brushed her fingers over his jawline.

'I think as my boyfriend, you're entitled to do both. But maybe you're right, maybe not at the same time.'

He dropped his forehead onto her shoulder and shifted so he was underneath her, pulling her on top of him and holding her tightly. His fingers ran up and down her spine and he placed soft kisses at the base of her neck. She could feel his stiffness against her abdomen and felt a pull of desire for him and a wetness between her thighs. She moved her hand between their chests and Henry could tell she was on her way to taking this further, when he placed his hand on top of hers to stop her.

'Babe.'

'What is it?'

Her eyes met with his, worried about what she'd see in his expression but all she could see reflecting back at her was tenderness and an underlying dark desire. His fingers played with hers, his touch reassuring her.

'There is nothing more I'd rather let you do than…' he faltered for words. 'Take care of my current predicament.' She giggled at him. 'But I have to go to sprints drills at the track. Trust me when I say I'm sorry. I really am.'

She reached forward to kiss him, her tongue lazily tangling with his and her touch letting him know that she understood. He pulled away and glanced at her alarm clock, rolling his eyes as he realised he was about to be late if he didn't move now. He'd have to run at a good pace to make it to training, but his diversion had been completely worth it.

He carefully rolled her onto her side and dropped a kiss to her forehead, his fingers caressing her cheek.

'I'll come by later if that's ok? I won't stay long if you're not feeling great.'

Her face lit up as she gathered her comforter and blankets around her, trying to hold in the smell of Henry and gain comfort from his presence.

'I'd really like that.'

His eyes met hers as he stood looking down at her lying in bed. She had such a beautiful warmth about her and she looked so pretty even when she was sick that it made his heart ache. He didn't want to stop looking at her and he didn't really want to leave, but he had to. Lateness at ROTC training simply was not a thing, if anything you were early to start on the dot of the hour. He bent to kiss her cheek quickly before walking backwards towards the door, only breaking eye contact with her at the last second.

'Bye Elizabeth. Get some rest.'

Her eyes were already closed and she was succumbing to slumber as Henry gently closed her bedroom door, the blankets and pillows muffling the sound of her voice as she murmured her love for him.

Henry had never worked harder on his sprint drills, so much so the coach had asked what had gotten into him that day. He said he'd had an extra shot of espresso in his coffee, but he knew the real reason for him working that much harder was so he could get this training done and get back to Elizabeth. He had a small window of time when he could get showered, get to the store and pick some things up to Elizabeth, visit her and then make it for his late afternoon history seminar. Sometimes nothing was more motivating than a busy schedule, but really in this case it was being with Elizabeth, even if it was just for an hour or so, that was driving him.

Elizabeth had managed to sleep and even felt well enough to do a little reading, even if she hadn't moved from the confines of her bed. It had started to drizzle outside and she hoped Henry had finished his ROTC training, though the thought of him coming to visit her with a warm glow of having just exercised in his cheeks, a little sweaty and still in those shorts and that vest made her throw back the covers and feel all hot and bothered. She wondered if he'd be able to stay a little longer this afternoon, Becky had a full day of lectures and a study group today and it would be a shame not to take advantage of the privacy that offered.

She heard a soft knock at the door and immediately perked up, placing her book cover up on her night stand to mark her place and going to open the door. She'd managed to have a bath which had helped with her pain, brushed her hair, cleaned her teeth and even put a bra on but was pretty much still dressed in loungewear. She figured Henry wouldn't mind and she'd frankly been surprised she'd made that much progress. She knew really that the thought of seeing Henry had done wonders for her mood and maybe even helped how she was feeling too.

'Hey babe, you're looking a little brighter,' he said as he planted a firm kiss to her cheek and walked into her room, placing a grocery bag on her desk.

'Hey you,' she walked over to him, her hands rubbing down his arms as she laid her head on his chest and he wrapped his arms around her. He dropped a kiss on top of her head.

'Ooh what's in the bag, you didn't bring me a gift, did you?'

She was half joking as she momentarily left his embrace to have a peek inside the bag. He suddenly looked a little embarrassed, running a hand through his hair and looking away from her. His voice was a little quieter too.

'I just thought you might need a few things so I went to the store on my way here…'

Elizabeth rummaged through the bag, bringing out each item laying them on her bed.

'Oh my God.'

'I'm sorry, I…'

Henry shifted his gaze awkwardly from foot to foot as she looked at everything spread in front of her. A variety box of tampons, more Tylenol, nurofen, advil, chocolate and a rental copy of Dirty Dancing littered across her blankets.

'I thought it might help a little with… How you were feeling,' he stuttered.

He looked up to find her sat on the bed smiling with tears pooling in her eyes. For a second he was worried he'd done something wrong as she swiped at her face with her sleeve. He'd even included an old ROTC training sweater of his which she pulled out and held against herself, letting out a little giggle as she saw how big it would be on her.

'The sweater's probably a little too big…'

'I love you.'

She hadn't even spoken the words, she'd just let out a heavy breath as she said them, but still he stopped dead in his sentence and looked at her. There were tears in her eyes that she was trying to wipe away, making the depths of blue glisten brightly as she bit her lip nervously and waited for him to respond. He knew then that she meant it and realised that maybe she'd been feeling the way he had, but he'd just been too scared to say anything.

He sighed, exhaling a huge breath of relief as he placed his hand on his heart and stepped forward so he stood between her legs at the edge of her bed.

'God, Elizabeth I love you too. I've been fighting with myself every day not to just blurt it out. I was worried it was too soon.'

It's not. Not to me. Come here.'

He kneeled at the side of her bed and opened his arms to her as she moved towards him and clung to him, their hands rubbing soothing circles over each others' backs. He was nuzzling her head with his nose and placing gentle kisses in her hair.

'I realised on the drive back from Richmond and it hit me how much I want to be with you.'

'I've been feeling the same this week. I've just missed you so much. I knew it wasn't just hormones.'

He laughed at that and cleared his shopping off the bed so he could lie down next to her, and pulled her near to him as they lay facing each other, side by side. They shared her pillow, his hand carefully positioned over her hip as his lips reached out to claim hers. He was kissing her tenderly, sweetly, and as well as he could with an enormous grin plastered across his face. She could hardly talk as she was sure she looked exactly the same as him, their kisses broken by little nuzzles of their noses and their cheeks resting against one another. Her hand was on his chest, stroking over where she knew his heart to be.

'Henry, can you…'

He somehow knew what she was asking without her having to ask the question and he took off his t-shirt so she could rest her hand against his chest, her fingertips running over the heat of his bare skin. She revelled in being able to touch him, to feel him there with her and just to spend time holding him. He kissed her then, his lips still touching hers as he talked to her.

'I want to know everything about you.'

'That might take a long time.'

'I don't know about you, but I kind of left forever free for you to pencil yourself into.'

'Cheesy McCord. But very sweet. And if that's the case, let me borrow your diary.'

She kissed her way down his neck to lay her head on his chest, wrapping her arms tightly around him as they snuggled down together.

'Stay, before you have to go to your seminar?'

'Nowhere else I'd rather be.'