A/N: Henry gets to ride a horse today — though we may be a bit more excited about that than he is ;) Enjoy, and as always, reviews make my day!
Elizabeth woke up to birds chirping and sunlight filtering through the alcove window, just like she remembered. When she was little, her mom would wake her up on weekends with freshly made blueberry pancakes and the promise that they'd go out riding that day, just the two of them. Or, her dad would take her and Will to the lake to show them how to fly fish, and she and her brother would continue their competition for the biggest catch of the year. She always won.
Now, she woke up to the familiar sounds in a familiar room, with one major difference — she was wrapped around a still-sleeping Henry. She couldn't help but smile at the thought of it having come full circle, that she'd brought her own city boy home to the horse farm, just like her mother had done all those years ago. And she hoped with all her heart that her mom, wherever she was, could see Henry now and would approve.
She stared at him a little longer, the smile not leaving her face, until she decided it was time they started their day. She bent upward and whispered in his ear, "Morning, sleepyhead." She felt him murmur and stir, not quite awake, so she kissed his forehead. When that had no effect, she resorted to gently shaking Henry's shoulder at which his eyes finally opened.
"Good morning, beautiful," he mumbled, and kissed her softly. They stayed in their cocoon for a few more minutes, content in their little bubble, kissing lazily. Henry was stroking Elizabeth's hair, and she pecked his nose before extricating herself from the tangle of limbs, and crawling over Henry to get out of the bunk bed. This proved to be more complicated than she expected, and resulted in her falling rather unceremoniously to the floor with a thud. "Elizabeth, are you okay?" Henry shot up and looked over to make sure she wasn't hurt, but Elizabeth was just laughing.
"I guess a single bed really isn't made for two," she giggled. Henry was still looking at her with concern, so she tried to reassure him. "I'm fine! Don't worry!" She stood up and went to open the blinds and let sunlight fill the room. "So, I was thinking we'd go out riding today," Elizabeth suggested, excited to show Henry even more of the farm.
He, however, was still apprehensive. "Babe, the last time I rode a horse was at a carnival when I was six. I have no idea what I'm doing!"
"That's fine! We'll put you on one of the older mares, and you'll get the hang of it, I'm sure." Reluctantly, Henry agreed, and the two of them set out to start the day.
…
It was around 8:00 when Elizabeth and Henry made it down to the barn, and met with Frank to get their tack and horses. Elizabeth was of course going to ride Starduster, but they still had to find a horse for Henry. They settled on an older mare named Molly, who was always popular with children and beginners that visited the farm. She was a grey dappled Quarter Horse with a sweet temper and a lot of patience, and Frank and Elizabeth decided she'd be perfect for Henry. They groomed Molly first, and Elizabeth showed Henry what brushes to use and how to put on the saddle pad, saddle and bridle. When Molly was ready to go, Elizabeth quickly groomed and saddled Starduster before she brought him to the outdoor arena. Henry was a little apprehensive when Frank gave him the reins for the first time, and helped him lead Molly outside.
Standing outside in the morning breeze, Henry was nervous. He was supposed to get on a giant animal in a matter of minutes, and his girlfriend seemed to think he wasn't going to make a total fool of himself. Somehow, he didn't quite believe her. "Okay, now lead her over to the mounting block, put the reins over her head, and swing your right leg over like this," Elizabeth instructed as she gracefully mounted Starduster. She leant down to give the horse a kiss on his neck as he walked calmly over to the opposite fence, giving Henry space. With Frank's help, he had soon hoisted himself up on Molly, and was getting used to the feeling of sitting on a horse. When she stepped forward, Henry was taken by surprise, and Elizabeth couldn't hold back a laugh when she saw his reaction. "You're doing great," she encouraged, and Henry smiled weakly. This was going to be interesting.
It turned out that Henry was a natural, and he and Molly were soon making their rounds through the sand with relative ease. Elizabeth watched them with a smile. Henry really was perfect, she thought, and admired him for getting over his initial apprehension. After a good half hour of instruction from both Frank and Elizabeth, it was decided that Henry was trail-ready. Frank opened the arena gates, and Elizabeth led Starduster out, with Henry and Molly following.
They made their way down the bridle path, walking next to one another, enjoying the warm spring morning. "It really is beautiful from up here," Henry remarked. The trees and pastures dotting the landscape were breathtakingly green, and wild flowers were growing along the sides of the path.
"It's always been my favourite place in the entire world." Elizabeth smiled at the memories that kept coming back to her as they rode along the property and was giddy at the thought of making new ones with Henry. Soon, the bridle path gave way to a green pasture, and Elizabeth led the horses over to the open space. "Care for a little competition?" she challenged, winking at Henry.
"Uhh.."
"Don't worry, just give Molly one squeeze, and she'll trot. Last one to the tree over there is a rotten egg!" Elizabeth started off toward the tree at a walk, and Henry followed. She gave Starduster a little squeeze, and he started to trot, allowing Elizabeth to post and move with the rhythm of the gait. Henry did the same with Molly, and the mare launched herself into a leisurely trot. He wasn't fully acquainted with the gait, which made for a pretty bumpy ride, but they soon arrived at the tree where Elizabeth and Starduster were waiting.
"You're getting good at this," she remarked.
"Thanks. How about we head back, and then you and Starduster can actually go for a ride, not wait for me to catch up all the time?"
"Are you sure?"
"I'll sit under a tree with a book and admire you," he flirted. "What's better than that?"
Elizabeth blushed and they turned the horses around in order to head back to the barn. Once they'd gotten to the bridle path again, Henry turned to Elizabeth. "I'm so happy you brought me out here for the weekend, truly. I love you."
"I love you too. And I'm so happy I get to share this with you." After a few minutes of comfortable silence, she spoke up again. "You know, I never actually told you how it all happened." Henry was confused, but quickly realized she was talking about how her parents died.
"Babe, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to…"
"But I want to, Henry. It was the end of February, and my parents went into DC for some reception. My dad got invited to a bunch of them, since he was a historian, but my parents rarely went. Said they were too fancy, and they'd rather spend their nights at home, with us. But this event was sponsored by the Smithsonian, and my dad was really excited to go. On the way there, the car was hit by a drunk driver. They both died at the scene."
"Baby, I'm so sorry…"
"It's mostly okay now, you know, but having someone there to listen really helps. So thank you for that." She smiled weakly, and leant over to squeeze Henry's hand. They soon arrived at the barn, and Frank was there to help Henry rub Molly down and bring her back to the pasture.
…
Elizabeth took Starduster out on the bridle path again, looking forward to cantering through the fields and feeling the wind on her face. When she was riding, she felt truly free, like nothing in the world could get at her anymore. She nudged Starduster forward, and grinned as they took off across the field. Trees and houses were passing by and blending together into a blur of greens and whites, and Elizabeth was in the middle of it all, flying across the landscape. She got to the woods fairly quickly, where there were always a few logs set up to jump over, so she steered Starduster in that direction. They cleared the logs with ease, and Elizabeth grinned at the feeling of soaring through space and time. The world was really best seen from the back of a horse, she thought, and continued on down the path.
Riding always helped Elizabeth clear her mind, and she was glad for the time alone. It let her think seriously about Henry, and life, and Will, and the farm. Had she been asked a few months ago if she ever saw herself in a serious relationship, Elizabeth would've most likely said no. She had shied from commitment ever since her parents died, and couldn't imagine opening up to anyone like she had done with Henry. She knew her apprehension stemmed from her parents' passing, but there was something else that she hadn't dealt with properly yet, someone else whom she once trusted but who'd broken her heart. No one knew about him, not even Henry, and Elizabeth wasn't sure she'd ever be ready to talk about it. She decided once she met Henry to focus on that relationship, and let the past be in the past.
Starduster and Elizabeth were making their way back to the barn after a long ride, and slowed their pace as they walked up to the property. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Henry, sitting under a tree as promised. She smiled and dismounted Starduster before leading him over to where Henry sat. "Reading anything good?" she asked when they arrived at the tree.
"Ahhh, it'll do," he replied and set the book down to get up and kiss Elizabeth's cheek. "How was riding?"
"Perfect, as always," she said, a look of contentment on her face.
They spent the rest of the day relaxing and enjoying each other's company — reading outside, taking a walk in the woods, and catching up with Frank, which always included barn chores. Henry turned out to be skilled with a pitchfork, loading the hay into the troughs for the horses to eat outside in the pastures. By the time the sun set, both Henry and Elizabeth were exhausted but happy. They looked forward to another half day spent on the farm, before returning to UVA the next afternoon.
…
As they got ready for bed that night, Henry plopped down on the bottom bunk with a groan. "I'm so sore, I don't think I'll be able to walk for days," he complained, the riding having been a new sensation for his legs, one he wasn't at all used to. "How are you not in pain?"
Elizabeth just laughed at his whining, and walked over toward the bunk beds. "You get used to it, cowboy." She climbed on top of Henry, making sure to steer clear of his aching legs, and kissed him, her tongue demanding entrance to his mouth. He happily obliged, and groaned (for an entirely different reason) when their kissing became more heated. Elizabeth pulled away when they both needed air and winked. "Or, you can always distract yourself with other activities…" she said as she bent down to capture Henry's lips again.
A/N: Elizabeth's mysterious past relationship will surface again, so look out for some upcoming drama! Also, this chapter concludes our excursion to the Adams family farm, so the next chapter should put us back at UVA.