A/N: I'm sick and tired of repeating myself…read the disclaimer on the first chapter

A/N: Sorry for the long delay…I got an idea and then I couldn't think of anything else…just to let you know this story will be jumping back and forth from the past to the present…Anything in italicis is a flashback and anything not in italics is the present

A/N: I love reviews…heck I love reviews more than I love George Stults (well ok that's a lie right there)

She woke up almost an hour later with Kevin still driving back to Buffalo. She sat up and smiled at him.

"So your finally up?" he teased her, reaching out to stroke her hair but stopped mid-air when she flinched and quickly scooted over as close as she could get to the passenger side door.

"Luce?" he questioned looking extremely confused.

"I'm sorry" she quietly sobbed looking out the window.

"No…I'm the one who should be sorry…not you"

"Are we almost there yet?"

Kevin looked at the clock and then back at his speedometer before he spoke "Almost another half hour Luce and then you'll be safe"

"Good" she sighed leaning into the seat.

"Luce…can I ask you a question before we get to Buffalo?"

"Sure"

"Where did you meet this guy?"

She sighed heavily before she spoke "Are you sure you want to know?" she asked him watching the cars whiz pass her.

"I want to know everything" he replied calmly as he could.

She stared out at the open road a head of them trying to get her thoughts together…she didn't want to remember her past life but for Kevin she would….even though it was only a year later everything that happened seemed like yesterday to her…


"Jeremy I'm sorry…I can't marry you or your family" she spoke into the payphone.

"What do you mean you can't marry me and my family?" he wanted to know.

"I can't handle your family always calling me preacher girl or Mother Theresa…I have a name Jeremy and if they are not going to use it and your not going to stick up for me I don't want to be in that type of marriage.

"Luce—"he stared to say before she interrupted him again.

"I'm sorry…I thought I loved you but I was wrong…there's nothing left anymore Jeremy…please don't make it bigger than it has to be…I'll mail back the ring so you can pawn it to get some money…I'm sorry" she told him again hanging up the phone with tears streaming down her face.

She walked out of the student union at Cobell and started to walk across campus to her dorm room…all she wanted right now was her mom and the closet thing she could get was logging onto her computer and checking her e-mail.

"Excuse me" a polite male voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Oh…I'm sorry was I in your way?"

"Yeah…just a little bit…are you ok?" he asked touching her arm lightly.

"I'm okay" she replied taking a deep breath of air.

"You don't look well…why don't I buy you a cup of coffee in the student union and we can talk?" he suggested, grinning at her while holding the doors open that she had just gone through for her.

She cocked her head to the side and studied the stranger for a minute…he was tall, olive colored skin that was still tan from the summer and he had a killer smile that showed off his pure white teeth.

Sighing, she nodded her head and followed him into the student lounge and sat at the nearest table that wasn't occupied by students and waited for him to return.

Five minutes later he came up to where she was sitting and handed her a cup of hot chocolate and he sat down next to her and flashed another killer smile her way that her heart practically melted into her chest.

"By the way…the name's Tom…Tom Donovan" he told her extending his hand out to shake hers.

"Lucy…Lucy Camden" she told him shaking his hand and then letting go feeling a little embarrassed.

"How much do I owe you for the hot chocolate?" she asked reaching for her purse

"Nothing…it was my treat"

"No, really how much was the hot chocolate?" she repeated

Laughing Tom just shook his head before he spoke "Lucy…I said it was my treat…but you can do me a favor though…" he told her giving her another big smile that showed off his teeth.

As soon as he smiled at her Lucy felt her heart start to race….it was something that she hadn't felt in a long time…well since she was dating Jeremy she hadn't felt it.

She flashed Tom one of her famous smiles before she started to speak "What kind of a favor?"

She saw his cheeks get a little red and delicately placed her hand on his arm…hoping that it would signal that there was nothing to be embarrassed about.

"Well…there is this foreign film festival that plays every Friday night down at the Cobell Hall and a few of my friends are going…with their dates…and I always feel like the third wheel…so I was wondering if you wouldn't mind going as just a friend with me?" he asked her moving her hand from his arm to his hand.

Lucy blushed just a little bit and bit her lip…he was so dang cute…yet something about him made her want to say yes right away…

"I don't know…"she started to say hesitating to tell him why she didn't want to go.

"You wouldn't be going as my date if that's what you are thinking" he replied quickly giving Lucy another smile.

Her heart melted again at his smile…and before she knew it the words came right out of her mouth "Sure...I'll come what time do you want to meet?"

"How about if I pick you up at around 6:30? That way I can take you out to dinner as a "friend" and then we could go from there?" he suggested taking her empty hot chocolate cup from her and putting it in his empty cup.

Lucy sat back in the chair and thought for a moment…she wasn't going back to Glenoak until the end of the semester and she really didn't have a lot of friends because her time was consumed of Jeremy and their wedding…so maybe hanging out with a bunch of new people would be just what she needed.

"Sure…that'll work…do you want me to meet you at the restaurant?"

"No, I'll pick you up because I asked you to come with me…there's no reason why we both should have to take our cars" Tom replied standing up from the table

"Ok…here" Lucy said scribbling her dorm room address on the paper napkin before standing up from the table as well.

"What's this?" Tom asked looking at the napkin.

"You do want to pick me up right?" Lucy teased him giving him a sly grin.

"Yeah…" he replied

"Well you are going to need to know where I live…so I just gave you my address with my phone number to call me in case something comes up"

Tom shook his head and started to laugh and a few moments later Lucy joined in with him.

She watched him walk away, slipping the napkin in his pocket before heading towards the same door where they had run into each other…

She shook her head and thought to herself "If only Mary could see me now" and headed back towards her dorm room…suddenly she felt like calling her sister to see if she was doing anything on Thursday…she needed a new outfit before her "date" on Friday.


"Luce?" Kevin's voice came thru her thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"We're here" was all he had to say before she jumped out of the car and started to run towards the two story brick townhouse.

Through her tears she could see Mary jump off the porch and run towards her, with her arms open wide. They met in the middle of the driveway hugging the other so strongly…it was like their first time meeting one another.

With Mary holding tight onto her little sisters waist, she guided her up the stairs and into the house whispering softly to her "It's all right Luce…your safe…he'll never find you or hurt you again"