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Title: Winter's Chill
Author: jake17
Couples: L/Z
Rating: adult
Disclosure: I own nothing
Summary: Liz is alone, until she's not
Author's note: I stopped by the UC board and my heart sank when I saw that it was down to three stories, Zan wouldn't have it, this just came to me.
Chapter one
A bitter cold wind ripped through the poorly insulated old farm house rattling window panes, slamming shutters, whipping broken tree limbs against the roof making it impossible for Liz to sleep.
Tossing and turning over her recent breakup she grew tired of staring at the ceiling listening to the powerful blizzard battering the house.
Exhausted from an on and off again struggle with insomnia since she was a kid, she slid out of bed and wrapped a flannel robe around her long johns.
Shuffling to the kitchen she reached for a bottle of brandy that was left over from the people who owned the small modest home before her.
Pouring a drink she scooted up on the counter taking a long slow sip sighing as a warm burn spread through her chest.
It was a rash, emotional, decision to leave everything she knew back in California, her job, friends, family, one that flew in the face of how she had ever behaved her entire life, but that’s what happens when you find the man you’re engaged with in bed with your best friend.
She figured it was fate when she found the little house on the hill on the internet that day, foreclosed by the bank it was dirt cheap and as far as possible from anything that would remind her of all that she had lost.
Bangor Maine couldn’t have been more opposite than her life on the west coast, and that suit her just fine, no reminders, no constant run in’s with people she knew forcing her to explain Ben's constant absence.
High school, college, they were inseparable, in fact she had been with Ben so long she no longer saw herself as an individual, just the other half of a couple that was destined to be, Ben and Liz.
It was how she was defined, part of her identity, which is why she now felt as if she had no sense of self, why she was so lost and deeply alone.
It’s also why she took the inheritance her grandmother left her and bought the little house in the woods, but distance didn’t take the pain away or fill the void left by who she thought was the love of her life.
With a good amount of money left over she decided to take it slow, get her head together before looking for a job.
Leaning her head back against the old wood cabinets her eyes drifted to the framed pictures arranged neatly on the dark paneled walls.
The Realtor didn’t give her a straight answer when she asked why the house was abandoned with everything left it its place, as if the owners just packed up their clothes and left, or maybe she did and Liz wasn’t paying attention.
Either way it didn’t matter she supposed, in fact she liked the feeling of having someone’s life surrounding her, it made her feel even further away from anything familiar but at the same time not completely alone.
Everything was old fashioned, covered in floral prints, dishes, furniture, wallpaper, it was sure not at all her taste, but it saved her from the chore of shopping for all new stuff, something she had no energy for.
Snow was falling pretty heavily now as she slid off the counter to stare out into the forest through the sliders that led out to a small porch.
It was then that she saw him appear through a haze of blinding snow, stepping out from the forest like a ghost he walked towards the door slowly with his head down as if he knew the path by heart.
Panicking Liz grabbed her cell off the kitchen table, finding it too late to lock the door she braced herself against the wall beside the doors out of view.
Hearing a click of the door release she dropped her phone stunned that he was standing before her that fast.
Looking as confused and startled as she was he backed away letting his eyes wander over her before falling to the ground shyly.
Breathing out a sigh of relief she recognized him immediately from the pictures on the walls, dressed in camo from head to toe he stood silently with a large duffel bag slung over his shoulder.
There were pictures of him ranging from all ages from a child throughout high school, but the one in his Marine dress uniform was the most memorable.
She often found herself staring at it as she passed by, he was handsome, that much was obvious, but it was his eyes that fixated her, sad, distant, as if he was as lost as she was.
Maybe it was the stark contrast to Ben that drew her in she wondered. He was the exact opposite from the laid back, blonde blue eyed surfer slash intern that she had been supporting through medical school.
He was clean cut, jet black hair shaved short, golden honey eyes that seemed to stand out even more against his clean shaven tanned square jaw and perfect skin.
Only now standing before her he appeared drastically different from those formal pictures proudly displayed for everyone to see.
His hair was grown out, not long but obviously untouched for a long time, he had a five o’clock shadow, and tattoos that peaked out from the collar of his beige and white camouflage uniform.
He looked as if he had been traveling for days, as if he was dead on his feet, and maybe a little inside.
“Excuse me Miss, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
His voice was deep, soft, halting as if it took all the energy he had just to speak.
Closing her robe tight watching as he shivered, his lips blue from the frigid temperatures outside, she dragged out the chair behind her motioning for him to sit.
Stepping back he seemed almost disoriented. “Y-You must be a friend of my sister, Jessie, forgive me I didn’t know my family had company.”
Her stomach dropped, how could he not know?
Fuck
“No actually my name is Liz, Liz Parker… you must be Alexander Evans, I recognize you from the pictures all over the house.”
“Zan.”
It was barely a whisper but she caught it just the same making a mental note.
“Zan, I don’t know how to tell you this but your family moved, I bought this house just a little over a week ago.”
Still avoiding eye contact he became instantly agitated shaking his head back and forth as a pool of melted snow gathered around his worn boots.
“I don’t understand.”
Feeling horrible for him she ignored the warning bells that were screaming in her ear ‘stranger! call the police, ask him to leave Liz, you know better than this!’
Instead she cautiously approached him, his broad shoulders were slumped over, he was frozen to the bone, clearly he had been walking a great distance.
“Here let me help you with that bag, just have a seat, you need to get warm, I promise we’ll find out what happened here. “
He seemed to recoil as she neared him letting the bag fall to the floor before she could help it off his shoulder.
Slamming with a thud they both jumped causing his eyes to finally connect with hers.
Struck almost leaving her unable to think he glared straight through her, the sparks that flew between them was unlike anything she had ever experienced.
It was explosive, an immediate, intense deeply intimate attraction, leaving them both speechless for what seemed like forever.
Swallowing hard she did her best to come to her senses, she was hurting, vulnerable, this was all it was, nothing more, she was being ridiculous, or that’s at least what she told herself.
“Listen, there must have been some kind of confusion, the house was in foreclosure. Did your family speak of money problems or the possibility of moving at all?”
Shaking his head he tore his eyes away from her nearly collapsing in the chair she had pulled out for him.
“I’ve been in Afghanistan for the past four years, we … my parents and I had a... falling out. I haven’t been home in a very long time.”
Sitting beside him she poured another glass of brandy sliding it slowly into his freezing hands before refilling her glass.
“It’s none of my business, but these walls are covered with you, it’s almost like a shrine in here. I can’t believe parents that would be cold enough to abandon their son would do that. It’s obvious that they care very much, no matter how it was left between you. Whatever you may be thinking I don’t believe they did this on purpose. I know there must be a logical explanation why you didn’t know about the move.”
Gripping the glass hard, a little too hard he raised it to his mouth downing it in one gulp before gently setting it back on the table.
She couldn’t keep from staring, wondering what he had been through, if he was suffering from some form of post traumatic stress disorder, it was like she instantly cared, it felt good to think of someone else besides her own fucked up life.
Liz also couldn’t help notice how vastly different he looked from the photo’s on the wall, she had seen stories on the news about the horrible things soldiers were forced to do, how it changed them.
He looked as if he’d been through hell itself, and now he was home only to find out he had no home and his family gone.
Lifting those haunting eyes to her once again he reached for the handle to his bag dragging it to him.
“I’m sorry to have disturbed you, I’ll be on my way now, I appreciate the drink.”
Before he could move she reached out to touch his arm. “Are you crazy, there’s a blizzard out there, it must be twenty below zero, I’m not even sure how you got here, I didn’t hear a car.”
There were dark circles under his eyes, white frost still edged along his hair, his clothes were stiff from the sleet collecting within the fabric.
“I walked from the bus, I’ll just walk back, I’ll be fine.”
The bus station was a town over, a trek straight through thick woods, there was no way she could let him go, it was obvious he wasn’t thinking clearly.
Tucking her chestnut hair behind her ears she shook her head as if the subject was closed.
“No, sorry, you’ll freeze to death out there, you’re staying here for the night. In the morning we’ll clear this all up.”
Slowly standing he reached down for his bag. “That’s very kind but I need to go.”
Lifting his bag he swung it over his shoulder, the weight of its contents was enough to bring him quickly down to his knees.
Running to him she placed herself between his broad shoulders and the door as his head hung low.
“Look at you, you're too weak to take another step. You’re staying. What I imagine is your room has been left untouched. Go upstairs, get some sleep. We’ll talk in the morning.”
His eyes slid shut as the ends of her silky hair grazed his cheek, his chest seized in response, he was barely able to breathe, he knew he should leave, he knew it should be now, right now, but she was so close, it was too late.
“Just for tonight.” he whispered unevenly as if fighting himself.
She watched as he kicked off his wet boots and neatly placed them by the door.
Turning he hesitated before heading towards his old room.
Swiftly he had her pinned against the cold glass of the sliders, it was only now that she noticed his body, that even through his uniform was a towering, solid, powerful presence.
He was all muscle, broad shoulders, lean and tall hovering over her, his breath shallow drifted along her temple as he reached around her waist grazing the curve of her hip purposely with his fingertips as he locked the door behind her.
They stood this way for several seconds, with nothing but the unforgiving cold wind howling against the house, and the soft back and forth of their breath, his steady and strong, hers broken and shaky.
Before finally backing away to make his way to his room, he rasped hoarsely by her ear, visibly moved by her beauty that he had been struggling against since the moment he laid eyes on her.
“A word of advice Liz, never let a stranger into your house.”
