Before it's too late -Elizabeth-

[Mackenzie Stone]

Mackenzie was curled up by the fire like he did most nights when he wasn't with his girlfriend or Phoenix. Which was very often now since Phoenix had taken up most of his time before and now he was occupied with his new girl toy. Mack couldn't blame him. He couldn't remember when phoenix had had a girlfriend before. It was a nice change, actually.

So he curled up with a Muggle book his sister had just sent him, exclaiming that it was a brilliant book and he needed to read it. Of course, his sister took precedent over anything he had to be doing, so he started reading it instantly. Falling in love with the words that were written on the page like he did with so many other books before. He didn't think the title of the book sounded good at first, but he trusted her option and dove into Catcher in the Rye while sitting by the fire in his common room.

[Elizabeth Beauchamp]

The Ravenclaw common room was actually quite empty. There was only Elizabeth and Mackenzie sitting by the fire. However, Elizabeth did not notice what was going on; she was too involved in her reading to notice her surroundings. Well, scratch that. She was involved in her reading, but she was also caught up in her own thoughts. This day had always been a hard day for Elizabeth. Nine years ago to the day was the worst day in her life. That was the day that she lost two of her sisters because a drunk asshole made the stupid decision to drive. On the anniversary of their deaths, Elizabeth would always find herself wondering what would have happened if Lydia and Catherine were still alive. Would they be close to Elizabeth, like she is with Jane and Mary? Or, would they not want to hang out with their nerdy sister?

Elizabeth tried to focus back on Outlander and the drama between Jamie and Claire, but it was no use. The floodgates for all of her melancholy thoughts opened, and there was no way to stop them. To Elizabeth's horror, she found herself silently crying while Mack, someone she didn't know very well, sat ten feet away from her.

[Mackenzie Stone]

After finishing a chapter of the book he was reading, Mack decided to look around. He hadn't noticed before that there was like no one in the common room. Other than himself and a girl named Elizabeth in his own year that he didn't really talk to much, but knew of.

When he looked over at her, he noticed she was crying. Literally crying. Was that... normal? Should Mack say something to her? Should he go see if she needed help? What if she was in pain? Mack was kind of... shocked. It wasn't every day you saw people crying in the common room. That was for sure.

Deciding that it wasn't good to just leave her there crying, he went over to her and gave her a wondering, yet sympathetic, look. "A-are you okay?" He asked kind of lamely. He knew it was kind of pathetic... but he didn't know what else to say, honestly.

[Elizabeth Beauchamp]

Elizabeth really hoped that Mack wouldn't notice her crying and she could sneak quietly away to find solace in her dorm. She normally stayed in her room all day when it was the anniversary, but she thought that this year she could change that. However, the fates seemed to hate her. Through her tears, she saw Mack look up from his book. Since when did he read? She started to freak out when he approached her. Oh, Merlin. He asked, "A-are you okay?" Elizabeth just kind of stared at him for a second. She couldn't really believe that he was talking to her. Mack Stone, Ravenclaw Qudditch captain, was actually talking to her. Nerdy, brooding Elizabeth.

After her momentary confusion passed, she looked straight into his eyes. Oh, Merlin. Those blue, blue eyes. The feeling that came over her while looking into his eyes was very strange. She felt like she was home, but she couldn't help what came over her next: laughter. It seemed weird, even to her, that she started laughing. But, it was like all of the emotions that she was going through kind of combined, and they spilled out in the form of laughter. And, she couldn't stop. So, she decided to try and talk through her laughter. "Okay? I am so far from okay that it is not even funny."

[Mackenzie Stone]

Mack was watching her patiently after he had asked her if she was alright. It wasn't until she started to burst out into laughter that he realized she was clearly no where close to being alright. Was this girl insane? Mack should have just ran the other way instead of trying to help her. It looked like she was beyond help, but Mack couldn't just walk away. It wasn't in him to do that.

"It's okay..." He mumbled as he sat down next to her on the couch. He brought his hand up to her shoulder and rubbed it gently. He didn't care about the fact he had never talked to her before in his life. She was clearly upset about something, so he wanted to make her feel better. That wasn't so horrible, was it? Surely she wouldn't freak out about it. "If you need to talk, I'm here. I know we don't know each other, but I won't bite or anything." He laughed dryly, trying to make a joke because he wanted her to smile.

[Elizabeth Beauchamp]

Elizabeth chuckled a little bit at the thought that Mack would bite. Not that I wouldn't mind him biting me. She slowly calmed down from the hysterical laughter. The soothing motion of Mack's hand on her shoulder really helped. Even though she really doesn't know him, she feels comfortable around him. He is the only person in the school that she feels remotely comfortable around. It is kind of hard for her to trust people because of this irrational fear that people will leave her if she gets close to them. Of course, this stems from the car accident.

"I don't really talk to people much. So, this is a little weird for me. But, I really need to talk to somebody," Elizabeth lets out in one breath. She never told anybody about her feelings after the accident. If she didn't talk about it, the accident didn't really happen, right? She blocked it out, and she actually didn't talk at all for almost four months. Even though she is close with her other two sisters and her father, she didn't want to turn to them for help. She felt that she was strong enough to bear it on her own. However, bearing for nine years took a toll on her, and she is obviously at her breaking point.

She took a deep breath and started to tell Mack her tale, "I'm not okay because of something that happened nine years ago. I had four sisters, and one day my father decided to take us for a camping trip up in the Scottish Highlands. We all just needed a break from my mother. So, we all packed in our van; Jane was in the front with my father, me and Mary were in the middle, and Lydia and Catherine in the back." Tears started to stream down her face, but she continued on as if they weren't there. "We were all having a good time. The radio was on, and we were all singing along and just being goofballs. My dad passed by a side street, and our car suddenly was rolling over. I got so dizzy; I had no idea what was happening. The car slowly stopped, and I looked back to make sure that my younger sisters were okay. B-but they weren't. There was blood, so much blood. My family of seven on that day went down to five. Just like that. How can that happen? In the blink of an eye, people can die. What the fuck is that? Why would someone think it is a good idea to drink and drive? Why? I lost two sisters that day, and the stupid fuck in the other car came out without a scratch. I just don't understand." She tearfully looks up into Mack's eyes, and she found solace in them.

"The accident happened nine years ago, today. That is why I am not okay."

[Mackenzie Stone]

Mack listened to what Elizabeth was saying with full attention. He wanted to make sure she knew he was paying attention to her instead of just listening and not really listening. If that made sense. When he heard her story. What had happened... he almost felt like crying himself. He didn't have a big family like she did, even with the two deaths in her family, but that didn't mean he didn't understand how horrible it would be.

Mack took the hand that had been on his shoulder close to him and moved it to wrap around her shoulders, pulling her towards him. "I'm so sorry, Elizabeth. I-I can't imagine what it would be like to lose a family member. I know I wouldn't be able to handle it if my sister died." It was the truth. Mackenzie's sister was the most important person in his life. He would do anything for her, quite literally. She was his world in so many ways.

Mackenzie understood why she was crying now. The anniversary of something that tragic wasn't something he was expecting to have her say when he told her he was there to talk. He didn't mind of course. He meant it when he said he would be there for her. Mackenzie was a sucker for a hurt girl. He never liked leaving one crying. He hated being mean to them. He was a textbook definition of a gentleman.

[Elizabeth Beauchamp]

Elizabeth felt a whole lot better after telling Mack her story. She never tells people about her feelings because she thinks that she is strong enough. But, this showed her that it is okay to lean on people sometimes. It doesn't mean that she is any less strong. Elizabeth relaxed into Mack's embrace. This was actually the best that she felt in a long time. Slowly, her sobs turned into tears, and her tears to sniffles.

She looked up at Mack and said, "Thanks for that. I really needed it, so thanks. I probably freaked you out with my rapid mood swings, so sorry about that. But, enough of me being a downer. I want to know more about the famous Mack Stone. I want to know about your hopes, dreams, and fears. But, first question, boxers or briefs?" Elizabeth looks at him with red eyes, but she was finally smiling.

[Mackenzie Stone]

Mackenzie smiled when Elizabeth relaxed into his embrace. It was kind of adorable, actually. His smile stayed on his face when he realized that her sobs were starting to slowly fade. It really did seem like just her talking about what happened helped. Mack could understand that. He wouldn't be able to hold something that big inside him without wanting to talk about it to Phoenix or something.

"Anytime." Mack told her, smiling down to the girl resting in his arms. Alexandria far from his mind. When she started telling him that she wanted to know more about the famous Mack Stone, he laughed. Literally laughed. Sure, he was the captain of the Quidditch team, that didn't mean he was famous. Did it... Fuck, what if people talked about him all the time. He didn't think he would like that very much, no matter how cocky he tended to act.

He would have paled if he didn't hear her comment about boxers or briefs. Did she really just ask that? He looked down into her blue eyes that were tinted red because of all the crying. She had a smile on her face that Mackenzie could help but give back to her. "Boxers, definitely." Mack laughed. "And go ahead, I'll answer anything you want to know. Seeing as you just told me something personal." He really would, he didn't mind talking about himself.

[Elizabeth Beauchamp]

Even though she felt herself blush when Mack told her that he wore boxers, Elizabeth tried to play it off. "Hmm, you do look like you would be a boxers guy." Oh, yes he does. Merlin, Quidditch must do wonders for that body. I bet he looks even better without those boxers on. She shook her head a little to get rid of her dirty thoughts. He has a girlfriend. Stop it. Anyway, a Quidditch star would never want boring old you. Just like your mother always tells you. You will end up an old virgin with ten cats.

"Well, how about we go back and forth. I probably left about a cup of tears and snot on your shoulder, so we should learn more about each other. We are past that point," Elizabeth giggles. "Ummm, I think that I am going to start of easy. What is your favorite childhood memory?"

[Mackenzie Stone]

Mackenzie noticed her blush on her cheeks, but decided maybe it wouldn't be the best to ask her why she was blushing. One thing he had learned throughout the years was that most of the time girls didn't like it when they were called out on their blushes because it was always something they were thinking. Mackenzie didn't want her to feel uncomfortable.

"I don't mind." Mackenzie told her when she mentioned snot and tears. He had a sister. He was used to it. "Favorite childhood memory..." Mackenzie said before looking upward, deep in thought. "Well. It's not exactly a good childhood memory, but it's my favorite. My parents had fought one night, and I couldn't find my sister. After I looked for a while, I found her crying. She was really young then. She's 7 years younger than I am. I think it was when I was 12, so she was five." Mack thought it would be better if he explained a bit.

"She was crying in a closet. I knew it was because of the fight, so I went in the closet with her and shut the door. She sat in my arms all night, crying for most of it. We fell asleep in there together. Talking all night. It made me and my sister closer. That's why it's my favorite memory." He smiled at her again. He loved his sister, he really did. They wouldn't have gotten close if it wasn't for that night.

Mack's smile changed into a smirk, "So you asked me, I get to ask you. Panties, or thongs?" He winked at her. He didn't think he would ever ask anyone else that question, honestly. He didn't even know why he asked Elizabeth. It had just kind of came out, but he didn't regret it.

[Elizabeth Beauchamp]

Elizabeth was glad that Mack didn't care about the snot or tears. Most guys that she knew would be horrified if a girl was to start crying in front of them.

Mack was right; his childhood memory wasn't really good. But, she respects him all that much more for it. And, Elizabeth can relate to him. Her mother was just horrible to her when she was little because she wasn't as kind as Jane, or she wasn't as pretty as Jane. At six years old, that really hurt. Jane was the person that would come and make her feel better. Then her mother did the same thing to Mary that she did to Elizabeth, so Elizabeth was the person that would make Mary feel better. It is because of their bitchy mother that the three girls are so close to each other, even though they are spread across Britain.

The heat rushed to her face again when he asked, "Panties or thongs?" However, she didn't want him to know that he got to her. So, she just smirked right back at him and asked, "Why don't you just use your imagination. You're a smart boy. It shouldn't be too hard." Elizabeth gave a little chuckle.

"What is your favorite class?"

[Mackenzie Stone]

Mackenzie loved the blush that was in her cheeks. It looked adorable on her, actually, but his mind wouldn't let him think that. He still hadn't thought of Dria once, and his unconscious mind was trying to make up for that fact by trying not to flirt with this girl, yet was failing.

"Awh! But I answered your questions!" Mack fake whined toward her, sticking out his bottom lip like a small child not getting his way. Of course, he hadn't really expected her to answer something that personal. It was different with a guy. Most guys wore boxers. At least... all of the guys in his dorm did. He thought at least. He was positive Phoenix did.

"Potions, hands down. I love the chemistry of it all. I had always looked forward to that class in Primary school. So it just kind of continued to be my favorite class here. Even though it's technically not chemistry." It was kind of lame logic, but it was Mack's logic.

Mack had to think about his next question. He wanted to ask a good one. "Play any sports? Muggle or Quidditch? Since Quidditch is like the only wizard sport." Mack smiled, he loved sports. Muggle and Quidditch. He loved being active period. During summer he would always play in pick up games with his old friends and go for runs and things like that to stay in shape.

[Elizabeth Beauchamp]

He is so cute when he whines. Well, he is cute all of the time.

Elizabeth understood why Mack loved Potions. It is kind of the connective class between the Muggle and Magical world, besides Muggle Studies, which is so stupid. Elizabeth, too, really liked science when she was in primary school, but it changed when she got to Hogwarts. She loved the Muggle world, she really did, but she felt more at home with the Magical world. It was like she really belonged somewhere. When she heard about Runes, she was really fascinated by the concept. She wondered how one symbol could have so much power. That is why she loves Runes.

"Let's see...I love to be active. While in school, I ran track and played football. But, I love any sport. For fun, I play rugby, softball, volleyball, court and beach, basketball, and lacrosse. I even learned how to play American football. Just so you know, it is so much fun. But, I don't play Quidditch. I don't really have time for it, and my father allowed me to go here only if I made top grades, so I really couldn't put focus on it if I did play." She loved her father, she really did. But, sometimes, she wished that he wasn't so hard on her. She always does her best, but he doesn't see that. He only sees what she can do better.

"What is one thing that you really hate?"

[Mackenzie Stone]

Mack stared at her in awe. Literally. She played all those sports? Mack hadn't met a girl yet that played more than one. The occasional girl had played two, but it was rare in the wizarding world. It was clear that she was a muggleborn now. Mack obviously didn't mind, he was too. "Where have you been all my life..." Mack asked her with a chuckle. "You'll have to show me some of your skills sometime. For all of those. Maybe sometime during our summer break we can get together at a beach and play some volleyball." He said, smiling at her still.

"I'll take you out to play Quidditch sometime too. You can tag along at a practice or something. Or just us two if you want. I don't mind either way." He loved anything that was Quidditch. Fell in love with the sport his first year here. It was amazing to play.

"I hate liars." He told her without thinking. "I hate when people try to lie to make themselves look better, or just lie for the fun of it. I think everybody deserves the truth." He told her, his face turning a bit serious. He couldn't stand anyone that lied.

"Favorite muggle book?"