AN: So the lilacmermaid prompt was an AU about Henry and Elizabeth becoming parents in high school. I didn't think I could make the story feasible for Elizabeth to have a baby in high school, so I'm going with close enough. I'll try to post at least every other day at least. Thank you so much to all of the people who have commented. This is the first time I've ever had so many comments on a single chapter and it's really humbling. Thanks to those who faithfully read what I put out there. I appreciate you more than you could possibly know.

Chapter 2

Elizabeth sat on her bed with her legs criss crossed in front of her, hands folded in her lap. Her head was down and she chewed her bottom lip. This pretty much summed up what she did with her free time since that day she finally found the courage to take the .

When she first returned from the trip, she was happier than she'd been in a long time. Even though it was just a one time thing and she knew that, she was so happy at feeling connected to someone. It was surreal to actually talk to someone and know that they were investing themselves just as much as she was. It wasn't even about the sex, although it was arguably the best experience she'd had in that department as well.

She was ten days late before she even realized, and thinking back, she might not have even noticed then except for the fact that her breasts hurt. She was used to some tenderness a day or two before she started her period, but even wearing her bra caused throbbing pain to pulse through her chest. When she didn't start and the pain didn't go away, she realized what the problem might be, but it was another three days before she gathered the courage to flip the calendar page back to see exactly how late she was.

Elizabeth was the master of denial. It wasn't happening. She wasn't pregnant. It had only been the one time and they used protection. And then she stopped. It wasn't just once. It was twice. Having only one condom, she assured him that it was too late in her cycle to get pregnant and he'd pulled out just to be sure. The reality came crashing down around her. What had she done?

It was another week before she was able to get off campus and actually get to a real store. Then she had to figure out how to buy a pregnancy test and use it without anyone knowing. Having little privacy usually didn't bother her. But she usually didn't have anything to hide. This was different. Slipping the box under her sweatshirt, she snuck into the bathroom at the back of the local Walgreen's. Within seconds, two pink lines were visible in the test window and she wanted nothing more than to fall apart. But, she was in a Walgreen's with a busload of kids from school waiting outside. This was not the appropriate time. She waited until she thought that everyone would have checked out and she left the bathroom.

Walking slowly up the aisle, she picked up a bottle of ibuprofen, and then stared at it, wondering if she could take it. Suddenly the entire situation was so overwhelming, Elizabeth struggled to stay upright. She knew that if she passed out, there would be questions. They might take her to the ER. Then everyone would know. She pushed forward, holding onto the bottle, picking up a couple chocolate bars at the register. She saw Mr. Jones, the principal, climb off the bus and she knew he was looking for her. She pulled the empty pregnancy test box from under her sweatshirt and slid it across the counter to the checker. The older lady gave her a look and rang it up. She was about to put the empty box into the bag when Elizabeth whispered, "Can you please throw that away?" Her eyes wildly shifted to the man entering the front doors and the checker caught on, sliding the box off onto the floor and out of sight. "Thank you," she mouthed, wondering how she could still function politely in the middle of this. Elizabeth paid and asked the cashier to throw the receipt away.

The lady handed her the bag, but didn't let go when Elizabeth reached for it. "I'll pray for you," she said. Elizabeth was certainly not the praying type, but opted not to mention this. She just nodded, and a solitary tear slid down her cheek.

"Lizzie, what are you doing?" Mr. Jones, asked, seemingly a little irritated at having to wait.

"Sorry, sir. I don't feel well. I was using the restroom," she mumbled and walked out with the head down and climbed into the front seat, hiding her face from everyone.

She spent the rest of that afternoon sitting in the middle of the her bed, weighing her options. No one at school could know or she would be expelled. Her scholarship would likely be taken away if she didn't have final semester grades. Her Great-aunt Joan was her guardian in name only. She was in a nursing home and it seemed that she could barely manage her own life, much less that of her and her younger brother, Will. She would be no help and was probably old fashioned enough that Joan would disown her for being pregnant out of wedlock. She couldn't get a decent job if she didn't graduate. At this point, she couldn't trust anyone. Then the image of Henry flashed through her mind. Henry needed to know, and she had no way to contact him.

She tried to figure out a roundabout way to ask the debate coach if he had all the schools, and when she finally did, he looked at her like she had three heads and told her no. Then the next day, out of nowhere, she remembered that she could call information and ask for an address. She had to wait three days until no one was near the phones to eavesdrop before she could call, but once she called, it was reasonably easy to get the school's address.

The next problem was what to say. If she didn't make it sound urgent enough, he may not call her back and if she told him, he may still not call her. Elizabeth's, now always nauseous stomach flipped, and she thought she might puke for the third time that day. She took a deep breath. Henry didn't seem like the kind of guy to ignore his responsibility, no matter what it was.

After several drafts of the letter, she decided short and sweet was the way to go. She penned it carefully and stuck it in the envelope. She bummed a stamp off of her roommate and placed the letter in her backpack. This wasn't a letter that could go through the school mailroom. She waited. It was a full week before she could catch a bus going into town. She had an hour and walked aimlessly downtown, keeping an eye on where her other classmates were. When she was sure that no one was around, she dropped the letter in the mailbox. Once back on the bus, she thought a weight would be lifted, and it was to a certain extent, but it was just replaced by the weight of wondering if Henry would call and what he would have to say.

That's how she found herself sitting in the middle of her bed everyday after class, mulling over her options. It became increasingly clear that there was only one option and she hadn't the faintest idea how she would get that accomplished.

Henry ran the entire way home as hard as he could. Blowing through the front door, he glanced up at the clock on the wall. He had about 30 minutes before his youngest sister got home from school, followed by the rest of his family within the hour. He sat down on the end of the couch and put the phone in his lap. For a split second he thought about how his parents would kill him for making a long distance call without asking, then he groaned when he realized that in the near future, his phone call would be the least of their issues with him.

He picked up the receiver and dialed the number. It rang three times before a sing songy voice answered. "Houghton Hall, girls dorm."

Henry had given no thought to Elizabeth being in boarding school. Obviously she wouldn't be at home. "Uh, can I talk to Elizabeth Adams please?"

"Sure. Can I tell her who's calling?" the girl asked.

He thought about that. She probably didn't want anyone to know about him, so he replied. "She'll know who it is. Thanks." Henry hoped he didn't come off as abrasive as he felt. "What the hell was going on anyway?"

He heard the phone drop on the other end and was afraid that no one would come when he heard a rustling and a soft "Hello?" on the other end.

"Elizabeth?" he asked. He heard a muffled sob on the other end of the phone, and he had trouble controlling his own emotions. "How are you?"

"I'm pregnant. That's how I am," she murmured. "This is such a mess."

"You're sure you're pregnant? I thought you said we were okay."

"I thought we were okay, especially when you pulled out. Obviously I was wrong."

"Oh God. This is bad," he said.

"I'm well aware of how horrible this is. I've had a few weeks to live it. Thanks."

Henry took several deep breaths trying to clear his mind. "I need some time to think about this. I don't know right off what we can do, but I've only know about this for less than an hour. I haven't really had time to think about it." He heard her gasp.

"We?" she asked through her tears.

"Of course, we. I am trusting that you told me because the baby is mine, right?" he said.

Elizabeth went on the defensive. "How dare you suggest," she hissed into the phone.

"Whoa. You're the one acting like you're surprised that I want to help. I assumed that it was a given that it was mine."

"Sorry," she whispered. "I'm just so on edge. I feel sick all of the time and I can't think straight. There's only one possible solution to this problem and I don't see how I can get that accomplished quickly. I am literally stuck here until I graduate in May. Wait." The other end went silent. A whole minute passed before Elizabeth spoke again. "Someone was in the room. I can't talk when people are around."

"What's the only possible solution?" Henry asked, growing uneasy.

"I have to have an abortion." Elizabeth said softly.

Henry sighed, closing his eyes. "Please, let's think about this. There has to be another way. I can't be on board with that."

"And exactly what else do you suggest? No one can know. I'll get kicked out of school. I'll lose my scholarship. I have no family that can help. No job. I can't even support myself right now, let alone someone else."

"I know. I know. What about adoption?" he suggested.

"That sounds great in theory, but do you have any idea what that would do to me? I'd always be-" and she stopped for several seconds. He could hear her breathing. Then she started back up again. "The girl who got knocked up. I want an education, to be a professional. I want to do things, be taken seriously. I just can't."

"It's the 80's. People are more open now. It wouldn't be like that," Henry argued.

"Are you kidding me? Tell me about the last girl that you knew that got pregnant out of wedlock. I bet your family wasn't inviting her over for dinner." Elizabeth's voice cracked and he knew she was crying again. The last thing he wanted to do was make her cry. He thought about the only two girls he knew that had been pregnant in high school. One was a girl in his class and she was sent away to live with an aunt. She hadn't returned. The other was a distant cousin and her family basically shunned her and she moved in with her boyfriend into a dilapidated trailer outside of Pittsburgh. He thought she was waitressing.

"Point taken," he said finally. "Just promise me that you won't do anything drastic yet." When she didn't respond, he added, "Please?"

"Okay. I really can't do anything until I graduate anyway. I can't leave without permission from my aunt and it's not like I can call her and tell her that. It would probably kill her." Elizabeth rested her head in her hand. She needed to end this call. She had no idea how draining it would be.

"Thank you. Are you able to make calls or are there rules about that?" he asked.

"I can make and receive calls before 9," she said.

"Would you be willing to call me next Monday night? I need to think about what other options there are. Maybe we can talk it out some more." Henry was so overwhelmed with the thought of telling his parents. His father may quite possibly kill him. He would be so pissed off, and it would break his mother's heart. He knew she had high hopes for him and being 18 with a baby would ruin it all.

Elizabeth's voice brought him out of his reverie. "I can do that. It will probably be after 8 though, when there isn't hardly anyone in the lounge." She paused and Henry almost thought she'd hung up when she spoke again. "I'm very pragmatic Henry. I've spent the last month running almost every scenario imaginable and there's only one way that I can have any hope for a decent future."

Henry's head dropped. "I know," he whispered. "I've got to go. Call me next Monday and we'll talk. And Elizabeth? I'm sorry."

"Thanks. I'm sorry too. I'll be in touch." Elizabeth hung up the phone and went back to her room.

She'd only been back in her room for a few minutes when there was a pounding on her door and it opened before she could respond. Her head shot up and she quickly wiped the tears from her eyes. "Will? What do you want?"

"Hi to you too!" he shot back.

"That's not what I mean. I have barely seen you in the last couple of months. No one even realizes we're siblings except when Aunt Joan sends someone to pick us up and we get in the same car."

"Well. Maybe they would if you ever left your room. Kendra says something is up with you. You're even more hermit than usual."

Elizabeth sighed. "Of course, sweet and concerned Kendra would go find Will and tell him that his sister was messed up." She'd been bugging Elizabeth for the last month Elizabeth liked her roommate well enough, but certainly not well enough to share anything beyond her impressions of the weather and the quality of lunch. "I'm fine," she finally said. "I'm trying to figure out what we're going to do this summer. What do you feel like doing?"

"Yeah, that's why I came to see you. Mark's family has that adventure camp thing in Colorado. He asked me if I wanted to go work there this summer. It would be free lodging and I get paid to take people on horseback riding trails and stuff like that." Will shifted, scuffing his toe on a worn place in the carpet. He took a deep breath. "I think it would be good for me. You know-to get out and do my own thing."

Elizabeth forced herself to swallow the lump in her throat. "You know. That sounds fun, and I know you'd enjoy it. When would you leave?"

"About that. I'd have to leave that Friday right after finals are over. The job starts Monday and Mark has to drive home."

Elizabeth unconsciously chewed her bottom lip. "So, you'd be gone-"

"For your graduation, yeah. If you want, I could try to fly out of here Sunday afternoon, but then I'd need to find a ride up to the ranch and I don't really know anyone well enough yet to ask."

"It's okay Will, I get it. That would be difficult. Tell Mark you'll go ahead and go with him, but you have to promise that you'll at least call me to give me a phone number, just so I can bug you every once in a while and make sure they haven't thrown you off a mountain." She did her best to give him a genuine smile.

"Thanks, sis," Will studied her for a moment. She was unnerved by his stare, but held it, knowing that if she broke away too soon, he'd read her and then she might have to divulge too much information. "You're sure you're fine?" he asked finally.

"Really Will. It's nothing I can't handle." Elizabeth stood and gave him a hug, which he shrugged out of. "You'll at least come say goodbye and give me your number, right?" He nodded before leaving the room and Elizabeth fell back on her bed and wept.