DREAMS

AN: this will be a multi fic and will span a lot of timeframes. There will be some pretty big time jumps from chapter to chapter. If you can not understand some of them please DM me for details. If you figure it out, don't give it away for the others.

I do not own any of the characters in this fic.

Taken from a song that gave me the idea for this story, I will reveal more as it goes on.

Chapter 1

Henry McCord, a first year grad student in Theology/Ethics was making his way across the UVA campus to the library to do some research on a paper due in Professor Maxwell's class in a few weeks. Henry liked to always be ahead on his papers so he was not trying to write them at the last minute. He made his way to the archives and settled at a table once he had gotten all the books he thought he would need. He had four hours until the library closed so he could make some really good headway on the paper.

Elizabeth Adams, a sophomore Math/Political Science major, was sitting on a bench outside the library enjoying the last of the day's sunshine before she needed to go into the library and start working on a paper for her Political theory class. Once the chill was in the air, she walked into the library. She was going to the archives section to pull an old text out that her professor had alluded to in his office hours with her earlier in the day.

Descending the stairs to the lower level, she stopped short when she noticed the handsome guy studying at the only table in the area. She spent a few more minutes looking at him, then shook her head and told herself she didn't have time for dating or guys right now.

Henry heard a noise to his right and looked up just a flash of blond hair disappeared around the corner of a book shelf. He dismissed it and went back to researching his paper. He realized that he had not retrieved a book he would need and rose to go and get it. He turned the corner and sitting on the floor leaning against the book self was the blond haired girl he caught a glimpse of earlier.

Henry cleared his throat to alert her to his presence so as to not startle her. She looked up at him with the most radiant smile and Henry felt his stomach drop and his heart rate go up. He stepped forward and extended his hand, "Hi, I am Henry McCord." Elizabeth rose to her feet and took his hand, "Hi back, Elizabeth Adams." "Nice to meet you Henry," as she continued to hold his hand. Henry looked down at their clasped hands and blushed due to the sparks that he was feeling coming from her hand wrapped in his.

"It is rare I see anyone down here except the stray library staff, what brings you to my second home" Henry asked Elizabeth?

"My political theory professor mentioned some information in a book I could find in the archives so here I am", she blushed realizing she was still holding his hand.

Henry reluctantly released her hand and smiled at her. Elizabeth wiped her very sweaty palm due to her heart rate increasing with Henry's closeness to her. He smiled and told her that she was more than welcome to join him at the table he was currently occupying to do her research. She gathered her messenger bag and her other items and followed him to the table.

Henry cleared some space for her and told her he would be right back; he needed to retrieve a book from the area they just left. Elizabeth willed her heart to quit racing due to the very handsome Henry and tried to pull herself together while he went to get the book he needed.

Henry returned and asked her "What is your major?" Elizabeth said "it is kinda boring Math and a double major in Political Science." Henry laughed and said "those are not boring to most compared to Theology and Ethics which are mine." She smiled at him and he thought he would do anything to get her to smile at him like that all the days of his life.

Henry sat down across from her and opened his book to start working on his paper again. He was not getting very far due to sneaking peeks at the beautiful blond that was starting to take up way too much space in his thoughts. Elizabeth was not having much luck keeping from being distracted by Henry's handsome face and chiseled good looks either.

After an hour of both of them pretending to study, Henry closed his book and asked her "you want to take a break and get a coffee?" She quickly closed her book and gave him a breathy "Yes." They left their books and walked to the coffee shop across from the library.

Henry asked her what she wanted and ordered them both a regular coffee and muffins. Elizabeth got them a table to sit at. There were very few customers due to the time of the day. Henry placed the items on the table and sat down next to her instead of across. This action made Elizabeth drop her head and smile. Henry caught the smile and smiled back at her.

They both started talking at the same time "what brought you to UVA?" Both laughed and Henry told her to go first. "My parents both went to school here and actually met here." "They always told me what a wonderful environment it was to learn and had such fond memories, it was just a natural selection for me." "What about you?" she asked. He told her that he knew from an early age he wanted to go to college, but due to his parents not being able to afford it he would have to get scholarships to go. He went on to tell her about joining the ROTC to help with what his scholarships didn't pay for. He planned on becoming a Marine Corp pilot.

They continued to tell each other things about their lives. Henry tells her about his family and her about the death of her parents and her brother Will. "Elizabeth, I am sorry I brought that up, it must be painful for you" he told her with a pained look on his face. She reached over and took his hand in hers and told him that it was okay, "it gets easier to talk about as time passes." He looked down at their hands together and intertwined their fingers. Both enjoyed the feel of their hands together.

Henry glanced down at his watch and realized they had been sitting there for two hours and asked her if she was ready to go back to the library. She shook her head and walked out with him.

Henry did not let her hand go the entire walk to the library. They arrived back at their table and due to the lateness decided to call it a night and head home. Henry insisted on walking her to her dorm.

Once at her dorm, she turned to him "I had a wonderful time with you, thank you so much." He looked at her and said "Can I take you on a real date?" A smile immediately spread across her face and she shook her head yes. Henry said, "What about tomorrow night?" "That is perfect,'' she said, '' pick me up at 5:30." She got a pen from her bag and used it to write her phone number on his palm. He took her hand and brought it to his lips and whispered to her, "Until tomorrow."

Elizabeth turned and went through the door of her dorm. Once inside her room, she raised the hand he had kissed to her heart trying to calm her heart beat. She wondered did I just meet the most perfect man?

Henry was walking to his apartment with a wide smile on his face thinking back on his time with her and asked himself, did I just meet the most perfect woman?

Henry picked her up right on time the next night and they made their way to an Italian restaurant he had wanted to try but didn't have an excuse to until now. They ordered their meals and were sipping on their wine when he turned to her and said "You look so beautiful tonight." He took her hand in his as she blushed and said, "you are quite handsome yourself."

They talked throughout the meal, both learning so much more about the other. They discovered that they could talk about anything and both were quite knowledgeable on a variety of different subjects.

They decided on a walk after dinner and chose a path around the downtown area. Henry pulled her in closer to him and she smiled and looked up at him making his heart skip a beat.

He drove them back to her dorm, neither of them wanting the night to end. "I had a wonderful time tonight" she told him as she circled his waist with her arms. He said "So did I and when can we do it again?" She laughed and told him whenever he wanted to. They both needed to study the next day so made plans to meet at the library after class. Henry was struggling whether to kiss her good night, when she stepped into him and joined their lips. He pulled her in closer and deepened the kiss. They pulled back both smiling and Elizabeth turned and went through the door of her dorm giving him a wave good night.

Later that night in bed, Henry was dreaming of the wonderful night he had with Elizabeth when his dream changed. Suddenly his dream changed to sitting on a bench and a gentleman sat down beside him. Henry did not know the man and glanced at him. The gentleman turned to him and said, "I loved her first, I held her first and a place in my heart will always be hers." Then he was gone. This startled Henry awake, shaking his head trying to understand the dream. He thought the man looked familiar, but could not place him. He shook it off and drifted back to sleep.

Days turned into weeks and weeks into months for Henry and Elizabeth. They were almost inseparable. They spent as much time together as possible. They would occasionally go out with their small circle of friends for social occasions.

They had both been thinking about taking their relationship to the next step. Elizabeth decided to broach the subject with him one night as they laid cuddled up on his couch. "Henry we have been dating almost six months, do you think we are ready for the next step?" Henry turned her head toward him and captured her lips with his. He pulled back from her and told her "when you are ready, I don't want to push you into something you are not ready for."

She untangled herself from him and rose from the couch. She reached down and grabbed his hand pulling him to his feet. They slowly walked towards his bedroom not taking their eyes from each other. "Make love to me Henry," she told him as she started removing her clothes.

They were laying in bed in a tangle of limbs and sheets both trying to catch their breaths. She was laying across his chest with her head on his shoulder and him running his hand up and down her spine. She raised up and looked at him, "Henry, I love you." He looked down at her and tears started forming in his eyes, "Elizabeth, I love you too. I love everything about you and I can not see my life without you in it," he said, pulling her tighter to her body. Sleep soon overtook them both and they were snuggled down into each other.

Henry was once again dreaming about Elizabeth, when his dream switched again on him. He was sitting on the bench again, when the same gentleman sat down beside him. He once again turned to Henry and said, "I loved her first, I held her first and a place in my heart will always be hers." The man then disappeared in his dream, leaving him sitting on the bench alone. Henry woke up and shook his head once again trying to make sense of the dream since he had now had it twice. He laid awake a while trying to figure it out and he could not. He decided he would not mention it to Elizabeth for now.