A/N: That episode nearly killed me — I thought episode 13 was the tear-jerker, but boy, was I wrong! If anything happens to Henry… Gahh! So I've retreated into my happy college bubble; part 2 of Will's visit to follow. Enjoy, and as always, thank you so much for your continued feedback and support — it means so much!


They entered Henry's apartment building a short walk later, and headed up to his studio. Henry took Will and Elizabeth's coats, and motioned for them to sit down while he grabbed everyone something to drink. Settled down on the sofa, Elizabeth was looking at Will, who'd taken a seat on the armchair next to it. She tried to read her brother, and figure out how he really felt about Henry, knowing he'd been sceptical about her boyfriends in the past. As hard as she tried, she just couldn't make sense of his body language, and he smiled at her, a knowing look in his eyes.

Henry appeared with drinks just then, and found a seat on the sofa next to Elizabeth, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "So, Will, do you have any plans for the rest of the time you're here?" he asked.

"Well, I'm gonna be in lectures for most of the day, and the med school wants me to meet with some of the students for dinners and 'social events,'" he responded, clearly not looking forward to his schedule for the next few days. Henry empathized, the college had sent him to a similar lecture series the previous semester, albeit about theology but tedious nonetheless.

"I seriously hope your lectures aren't as bad as when they sent me to Notre Dame in November. Father O'Brian speaking on 'Biblical Criticism and the Decline of America's Biblical Civilization' was probably the single most boring thing I've ever listened to. The guy was a. ancient, and b. mumbled so badly that you could hardly hear a word he was saying — not that it'd have been interesting anyway."

"And here I thought biblical lectures were your lifeblood and fed your endlessly quoting soul?" Elizabeth quipped.

"Oh, good one!" Will remarked, laughing.

Henry shot his girlfriend a look. "You did not just go there!" He tried to keep a straight face, and stay mad, but she was looking at him all innocent and doe-eyed and he gave in to the joke. "Or should I tell Will about that one time in the coffee shop where you asked me…"

"Don't you dare, Henry McCord, or I swear…"

"What did she ask you, Henry?" Will asked, his interest piqued.

"Just how the NHL players in places like California were able to…" Elizabeth covered Henry's mouth with her hand to stop him from continuing the story, but to no avail. "… practice, because it never got cold enough for ice down there," Henry choked out between laughs. Elizabeth turned bright red at this, but soon joined in the laughter with him and Will, and the three continued the evening in good company, talking until someone realized they all had classes the next morning. After saying their goodbyes, Will and Elizabeth made their way back to their respective dorms, leaving Henry in his apartment.

On their way across the grounds, Will turned to his sister. "Listen, Lizzie, I know I'm not one for romance, and all that, but Henry's a keeper. I'm happy you found each other. Just make sure he knows you're one too." He placed an arm on her shoulder, and Elizabeth smiled up at him, sighing.

"Mom and dad would be proud, Will, that was very adult of you. Thank you." He kissed the top of her head, and they walked on in silence, the sound of crickets filling the air on the starry spring night.

Will and Elizabeth saw each other a few more times that week, when Will finally had some free time in his schedule. Henry joined them again on Saturday night for dinner, and afterward they accompanied Will to the cab that would take him to the airport.

"Bye Lizzie, I'll see you soon," Will said, pulling Elizabeth in for a hug.

"Bye Will, have a good flight."

Will shook hands with Henry, and stepped inside the cab. Elizabeth and Henry watched it drive down the street, waving, before the car turned a corner and vanished out of their sight. Elizabeth sighed and Henry wrapped his arm around her shoulder as they walked back toward the grounds and Henry's apartment.

When Henry unlocked the door and stepped inside, Elizabeth was quick to follow. She immediately wrapped her arms around him and crashed her lips to his. Henry was too stunned to react at first, but quickly caught his bearings, encircling her hips with his arms and pulling her close. Breathless, the both came up for air, and Henry couldn't help but ask "What was that all about, babe?"

"Well, I couldn't have conceivably done that with my brother around, and I missed kissing you this week." Henry's response was almost immediate, and he kissed her fiercely. They stumbled toward his bedroom, clumsily shedding clothes along the way, until they met on the bed and their bodies joined once again. Henry was always surprised at how new and exciting sex with Elizabeth felt, no matter how many times they were together. She was adventurous and playful, and made her wants known, which only served to turn him on more.

After, they laid in a tangle of sheets, sated and spent. Elizabeth's head was resting on Henry's chest, and they were comfortable in the silence, until she broke it and spoke.

"I'm glad you and Will got along — he's not usually this friendly to guys I go out with."

"Maybe that's proof of just how much of a catch I am," Henry joked.

"Idiot."

"But an idiot that was smart enough to ask you out, babe. I love you."

"I love you too."

"No, seriously, I really like your brother too. You're lucky to have each other, believe me."

"I know." She smiled, before unwrapping herself from Henry's embrace, eliciting a look of confusion from her boyfriend. She pulled on a pair of Henry's pyjama pants and his ROTC sweatshirt — the ones he always leant her when she stayed over. "Do you have any ice cream?"

Henry laughed at her steadfast predictability — in the months he had known Elizabeth Adams, she'd continually surprised him with her appetite and love of ice cream and popcorn, at all hours of the day. "Of course. Go ahead, I'm right behind you." He pulled on his own sweats and t-shirt now, and followed her into the kitchen, where she'd taken a seat at the table with a container of ice cream and two spoons. Henry sat down next to her, as she took a bite of ice cream, sighing as she swallowed a spoonful of chocolate.

"That's good."

He kissed her then, and tasted the chocolate on her lips. "Hmm, it really is."

"That's good too."

He chuckled, and they continued to eat their ice cream, their feet occasionally brushing against each other. The lamp hanging above Henry's table illuminated the room, casting a soft shadow on Elizabeth's delicate features. The dim light made her golden locks glow. Henry was staring at her, mesmerized by her beauty, when she noticed and poked his side.

"Earth to Henry!" When she ripped him out of his thoughts, he looked at her, perplexed, and she laughed, dipping her finger into the half-melted ice cream. She reached over, and smeared some on his nose, giggling. "You've got something, right there," she choked out, pointing to Henry.

"Elizabeth Adams, you are trouble," he responded, with a gleam in his eyes, and retaliated with ice cream to her nose, which he promptly kissed off. "You do too." He started tickling her then, and she wriggled out of his grip, taking cover behind the dividing wall that separated his kitchen from the living room. He got up and followed, and soon it was an all-out tickle war, leaving them collapsed on the couch, heaving with laughter.

"Crap, the ice cream!" she remembered, and scampered over to the kitchen to put it back in the freezer before it melted completely. On her way back she noticed the calendar that hung on Henry's wall — a gift from his eight year old cousin (he'd told her at the very beginning when she'd noticed and asked). It was only then though, that she saw the sloppily painted balloons and present on the square for that day. It dawned on her quickly — it was Henry's birthday today, and he'd never said anything. Or he had, she thought, and she'd forgotten — which would be infinitely worse. She mentally went through the past three months she'd spent with Henry, and came to the conclusion that he'd really never told her, though she had no idea why.

She headed back to the sofa, determined to get to the bottom of this. Standing squarely in front of him, she made Henry look up with confusion. "Henry Patrick McCord, how come you've neglected to let your girlfriend know it's your birthday? It's your birthday, for crying out loud!"

Crap, he thought to himself. If he was honest, he'd always hated the attention that came with birthdays, especially in a big household where everyone lived close by. When he'd been younger, his mother had thrown him the typical parties — pirates, superheroes, etc. but he'd never felt comfortable with all eyes on him. As he'd gotten older, he'd had smaller celebrations every year, usually just dinner with his family. Now that he was in college, though, he'd stopped celebrating all together.

"I don't like to make a big deal out of it," he deflected. "It's honestly not that important…"

"But you're important to me, Henry," Elizabeth countered. "So I'm gonna wish you a 'Happy birthday.'" She leant down to kiss him, and he happily obliged, pulling her closer so she was sitting half on his lap and half on the sofa. "Happy birthday," she repeated between kisses, nuzzling their noses together.

"Mmm, thank you."

"And I won't make a big deal out of it, if you don't want me to. But know that I know, and I care, and I love you."

"I like you okay too," he joked, kissing her cheek, and she feigned indignation.

"You know, I had a plan to celebrate over there," she looked over to the bedroom, a coy expression on her face "but since you clearly don't…" She didn't get to the end of her sentence, when he picked up her slight frame and carried her to the bedroom, grinning. She squealed, and he laughed.

"Babe, you're perfect, and I love you."

They were curled up in Henry's tangled sheets for the second time that night, and he wrapped his arms around Elizabeth, pulling her close. "That was amazing, thank you. And thank you for wishing me a happy birthday."

"Birthdays are special, Henry, no matter how small your celebration is. And that's okay. I think the most important thing is to know someone else knows you're there, and special, and loved."

He kissed her again, and as she was falling asleep, whispered "You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams."

"That was Dr. Seuss," she mumbled back, a smile on her face, as her eyes closed and she drifted off into sleep.


A/N: Side note: Tim and his cryptic tweets, gahh! Why?! Though I'm 98% sure he'll stick around and secretly knows we're all freaking out right now. :)