Notes - Thank you all for your lovely reviews and for embracing the new version of this story. I was so gutted when I lost all the chapters, but I'm really enjoying re-writing this. Let me know what you think xxx

Elizabeth walked down the hallways of UVA with a renewed vigour. For the first time in four years, she could see a light at the end of the tunnel. Having been stuck in such a dark place for so long, shunning all attempts by anyone to help her out of it — She finally had someone willing to persevere — That someone being Henry McCord. He didn't care about her past or how broken she was — He just wanted to be there for her in whatever way he could, and that in itself was reason enough to meet him halfway.

It wasn't that she particularly relished the quagmire of grief she had been plunged into when Ethan died, it was just safe and familiar. She didn't have to push herself to move on without him because the longer she languished in that pain, the more freedom she had to lock herself away from the world.

Starting a new career had coerced her back into the land of the living, which had been extremely sobering. Going from a life of near solitude to one which demanded her to be present and connected with her students and colleagues alike, all while trying to refocus her skills as an analyst into those required to teach.

Quitting had seemed like the only plausible option when faced with her own feelings of inadequacy. And of course, her desire for Henry, which had started to present itself rather forcefully, was a huge factor in her dilemma. And then he showed up at her house with groceries, an unwavering determination to help her and that adorable grin of his and everything turned on its axis.

Elizabeth had made a valiant attempt to shield herself from his advances, but in the end, it was futile. Henry had taken the time to listen to her and really hear what she had to say. He didn't want her to hide the parts of herself that were messy and made no sense. He didn't ask her to sugarcoat her grief or downplay the trauma she had been through. All Henry asked for was her honesty and trust, a request she found so easy to comply with.

Henry had been firmly on her mind for the whole weekend. Being with him on Saturday had been exhilarating and they'd spent most of Sunday talking on the phone. Baby steps were being taken to build something that could possibly have real potential and it both thrilled and terrified her in equal measure.

Elizabeth's footsteps slowed a little as she approached the door to Henry's lecture room. She wanted to pop her head in just to see him, however brief it may be. But her self doubt reared its ugly head and she continued walking.

"Professor Adams — It's good to see you back!"

Elizabeth caught her bottom lip between her teeth and cast her eyes skyward, a wry smile creeping into her face at the sound of Henry's voice.

After taking a breath and releasing her lip from its toothy confines, she turned to face him "Thank you Dr McCord! It's good to be back."

Henry's smile matched hers as he lowered his voice "How are you?"

"I'm good!" She could feel her cheeks getting warm, much to her annoyance. "And you?"

"I'm much better now. I have a class but can we catch up later?"

"Sure! I have to go and see what carnage awaits me in my office anyway! If you don't hear from me — Send help."

Henry chuckled and pushed open his door "I'll always be around to help! Until later Miss Adams."

When the door clicked shut behind him, Elizabeth took a second to lean back against the wall and steady herself. The attraction between them had been clear from day one, however much she had tried to squash it. But now they had actually spent time together and let that attraction take hold — All bets were off.

Elizabeth had no time to ease herself back into work gently, literally having to hit the ground running as she flitted between lectures, a faculty meeting and her office. The sheer volume of marking piled up on her desk was enough to make her review her decision to quit, but she expected nothing less after being absent for over a week.

Being somewhat overwhelmed was actually a good thing. Not having time to really think kept Elizabeth focussed and driven rather than allowing herself to be dragged down by the constant swell of grief. She was beginning to emerge from the darkness into the sunshine one tiny little piece at a time and it felt good.

It wasn't until her stomach growled loudly that Elizabeth realised she hadn't eaten a thing all day. It hadn't been a conscious choice, time had just flown by in the blink of an eye and feeding herself hadn't even entered her mind.

Throwing her glasses onto her desk, Elizabeth glanced up at the clock — 2.26pm — and an idea began to formulate. If she timed it just right, she could swing by the food hall and grab some coffee and cake for Henry. She already knew when he was teaching and when he'd be in his office — Her analytical skills were still extremely useful.

It was a small gesture - But it was her way of letting Henry know that she was invested. Her way of showing him that she was ready and willing to try. It was a big step for her to take, however minimal it may seem to others. She was taking that first foray into an unknown future and she wanted to do that with Henry.

Both hands filled with coffee cups and chocolate cake — Elizabeth kicked the door gently with her foot. She couldn't keep her childlike grin under control at the thought of seeing Henry, however hard she tried. He was stirring up feelings within her she never thought would be present again. All hopes of a life filled with love and passion seemingly died with Ethan - And yet, those same feelings were now so present and powerful!

Henry pulled the door open and she breezed in without a second thought.

"I brought coffee, chocolate cake and myself." She set them down on his desk and smiled up at him "I thought you could take a break with me."

Henry seemed more confused than happy with her gesture. "Elizabeth - Hi! That's incredibly sweet of you but I'm just on my way out. I have a meeting to get to and I'm already running late."

Elizabeth tilted her head and leaned back against his desk. She hadn't flirted with anyone for the longest time but was pretty confident she still had it "I'm sure they won't miss you just this once Henry! It's good to play hooky once in a while - I won't tell if you don't."

Henry leaned in as if he were going to kiss her and then reached around her to grab a folder off the desk "I can't - I have to go and meet up with Ellie Cartwright to go over some lecture plans she needs help with. I promised her weeks ago and if I don't show up she'll be pissed at me for months. Rain check?"

Elizabeth suddenly felt awkward and idiotic "Oh - Sure! Whatever." She reached for the door handle, dragging it open with more force than intended "Have a good meeting."

"Hey - Don't you want your coffee and cake —?" Henry called after her but Elizabeth was already halfway down the corridor before he could get his words out.

By the time she got to the safety of her office, the tears were already stinging at Elizabeth's eyes. How could she have been so stupid? Putting herself back out there only to feel humiliated. This is why she was perfectly happy living life alone - No more crushing disappointment.

And the stupid tears weren't welcome either! She was a god damn CIA operative for Christ sake, not some inexperienced sap with a schoolgirl crush! If there was one thing Elizabeth was abundantly aware of, it was her need to get a grip of herself and her life before she lost sight of who she was entirely.

With no further lectures, Elizabeth was more than ready to go home. The more distance she could put between herself and Henry the better, the humiliation more than enough for one day.

As she dragged open her office door, she almost crashed straight into Blake.

"Blake! I'm so sorry - I didn't see you there. What can I do for you?"

"Welcome back! I was worried you had already quit!"

"There's always time."

"Are you serious?"

"I don't know — Did you need me for something Blake?" Elizabeth's demeanour was one of annoyance.

Blake shifted uneasily "I'm sorry if I've disturbed you. I can come back at a more opportune time."

"No Blake, it's fine! I'm sorry - Just one of those days. Please take a seat. How can I help?"

They both relaxed back in their respective chairs, Elizabeth looking at Blake expectantly.

"I wanted to apologise for missing our meeting. My mom had a fall and my dad doesn't cope all that well on his own so I went back home for a few days."

"No apologies needed Blake. Is your mom on the mend?"

"Oh yes! She's back to expecting too much of me and moaning when I fall short." The way he rolled his eyes made Elizabeth chuckle.

"I'm sure she has the best of intentions. My parents were always on my back about one thing or another. I'd give anything to have that back."

"Have they eased off now that you're the one teaching?"

"Oh - That's a whole other story. How are things with you now? The last time we spoke you were feeling completely overwhelmed — I managed to speak to a few other lecturers and you have quite a few options available to you." Elizabeth stood up and rummaged around on her desk "I have all the information here somewhere — Give me a second." She pulled out a folder from under a stack of books "Ahhh there we go." She handed it to Blake and sat back down. "Have a read through that and we can work out what will suit you best. There are some really good courses which could be of interest — And I'm always here to help in whatever way I can."

Blake placed the folder in his bag and then looked at Elizabeth with an almost pleading expression "Please don't quit! I was ready to give up and move back home, but you took the time to listen to my concerns and help me find a solution. This university needs you — And selfishly, so do I."

Elizabeth smiled "You don't need me Blake! Everything you require to succeed is already inside of you. I'm merely helping you to set it all in motion."

"You're wrong! You care, which is a rare commodity. I have so much going on inside my head and I don't know how to work through it all. You're the only person I feel comfortable talking to and I know I'm not alone. You are extremely well liked, Professor Adams."

Elizabeth had to swallow thickly to dislodge the lump forming in her throat. "That's very lovely of you to say Blake. I haven't made any concrete decisions yet and I promise to give it some careful consideration." She leaned forward slightly in her chair "Is there anything else you want to talk about? I have time if you need to offload."

Blake opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Elizabeth sighed and pushed herself up "I'm sorry - Give me one sec Blake."

She opened the door to be greeted with a smiling Henry "I'm returning this cake to its rightful owner — I have fresh coffee and of course my delightful self. Can I come in?"

Elizabeth didn't move from the door "I'm busy Dr McCord."

"Too busy to take a break with me? I'm so sorry I had to rush off earlier — I flew through the meeting so I could come and see you."

Elizabeth could feel the heat rising up her neck "I'm with a student right now." She said it through almost gritted teeth "Maybe we can discuss this later."

"Oh! Henry's smile faded as he mouthed "Sorry."

Blake couldn't help but smirk, pressing his lips together in a vain attempt to stifle it. He grabbed his bag and headed for the door — Both Elizabeth and Henry looking at him with a certain amount of trepidation "I really have to go! I have this whole acapella rehearsal. It's not as dull as it seems — Ok, it probably is as dull as it seems, and now I'm rambling! I'll just —." He gently manoeuvred himself past Elizabeth and smiled at Henry with a nod "Dr McCord."

Henry nodded back "Good to see you Blake."

Elizabeth turned her back on Henry who had now closed the door behind them and placed the cake and coffee on the desk.

"You certainly pick your moments." Elizabeth still had her back to him, unable to fight the embarrassment of their earlier exchange. "Don't let me keep you."

"Elizabeth —." Henry touched her shoulder and she stopped rummaging through her bag immediately "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"You and I both know that isn't true. You're annoyed at me."

Elizabeth turned to look at Henry "If you must know - I'm embarrassed! Happy now?" She slumped back against her desk and crossed her arms in front of her body, a protective stance that had become second nature.

"No, I'm not happy because you're upset with me. Why are you embarrassed?"

"It might not seem like a big deal to you, but it took a lot for me to come to your office and brazenly flirt with you. I'm so far out of my comfort zone here and you aren't even remotely interested. I've made a complete fool of myself." She cast her eyes to the floor, unable to look at Henry. "And now I'm guessing everyone on campus will know."

Henry shook his head "Nobody knows a thing — Well, I'm pretty sure Blake may have an inkling, but other than him, it's just you and me." Henry moved closer and put a hand either side of her on the desk "And I can assure you, I am very interested. I just had a stupid meeting that I managed to shoot through in order to come and see you."

Elizabeth looked up "You dismissed me without a second thought."

"The only thoughts going through my head were rather impure ones, Elizabeth!" He moved his lips closer to her ear. "That's what your flirting does to me."

Elizabeth could feel her heart start racing and the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end "I'm sorry! Jumping to conclusions is a weakness of mine."

Henry's hands covered hers "Is that so? I only have one real weakness to speak of."

"And what's that?"

Henry smiled, "That would be you."

They both stared at each other, the tension in the room almost tangible until Elizabeth cleared her throat and pushed Henry backwards.

"Ohhhkay — I think we should maybe drink our coffee and make a definitive plan for Friday night?" She pushed her chair as far back as it would go before it hit the end of the desk and sat down, crossing her legs in an attempt to dampen down the arousal that was flooding her body.

Henry picked up his coffee cup and smiled as his hand rested on the door handle "Just be ready for 7pm — Leave the rest to me! Oh, and Elizabeth —."

"Uh-huh?"

"You smell incredible."

As the door closed behind him, Elizabeth let out a shaky breath! Yep — All bets were most definitely off.