Chapter 1: The Promise
AN: I own nothing.
Liz felt woozy. Her head hurt and she seemed to be incapable of forming the simplest of thoughts. There was a dull ache in her arm, but she felt almost disconnected from it, as if the pain belonged to someone else. She squinted up at the florescent lights, then decided it was too much effort and closed her eyes again. The darkness was much better.
She drifted into a kind of paralyzed state, somewhere between sleep and waking, the drugs numbing her system. Sensing his entrance, she stiffened at first, but then his cool voice washed over her.
"Lizzie." It rumbled out of his chest and Liz immediately relaxed. She forced her eyes open to slits and took him in, his pale green eyes fixed on her, his brow furrowed in concern.
"Red," she mumbled sleepily, her drooping eyes struggling to stay open. The morphine was telling her to sleep, but she wanted to stay awake for him.
He smiled, a soft look taking over his expressions. He ran a hand gently through Liz's hair, taking care to avoid the knots in the mess. Liz was certain she looked like hell, but Red looked at her like she was the most precious thing in the world.
"How do you feel?" His fingers continued to run through her hair, and Liz closed her eyes to the feeling.
"Like…" Liz hesitated as her mind struggled to find the right word, "Like sleep." That was not right but she was too tired to care.
He let out a low chuckle, and Liz's eyes popped open fascinated by the sound. She pressed her hand against his chest, he watched her with an amused expression on his face.
She frowned, "Laugh again." He did and Liz could feel the vibrations run through her fingers.
"You have a nice laugh," she told him, letting her hand drop.
"What did they put you on?" he asked her, his amusement growing by the second. He had never seen Liz not fully in control of her actions, and he had to admit it was adorable.
"Oh, you know…" Her eyes wondered up his sleeveless arms, taking in the curves of his biceps. Suddenly something caught her eye. "What's that?" she exclaimed, pulling his left arm towards her.
He didn't resist, happy to see how this would play out. She traced a small, pale, faded scar running up the length of his forearm.
"A scar..." he answered, not really sure where she was going with this.
"How did you get it?" Her piercing blue eyes met his, filled with curiosity.
She continued to trace the scar gently with a finger as Red spoke. "That scar was from a while ago, I believe it was '97, no '98. I was in a business meeting in Paris with an old acquaintance who I hadn't seen in a very long time. He had been off the grid for a few years, and suddenly he asked to meet me to get some advice on reentering the criminal world."
"He was a relatively moral man for a criminal back when I knew him, so I agreed. His name was Jacob West. Poor Jacob had gone completely insane while I had been gone, developing some kind of mental disorder that triggered violence. He had just escaped from a mental institution when he called me. Of course, I did not know that so I met with the man, alone, in a private conference room."
"We talked for two minutes and then he came after me with a knife. It was a little unexpected, so he managed to cut my arm, but I disarmed him quickly. I believe he's still in that mental institution, under a little extra security after that whole incident. I send him Christmas cards each year, I haven't the slightest whether they reach him or not." Red shook his head with the ghost of a smile on his lips, trying to not be distracted by Liz's touch.
She looked up at him, her eyes even wider, "How many scars do you have?"
"Twenty-four." He answered without hesitation.
Liz stifled a yawn and tiredly said, "You'll have to tell me about all of them one day." Her eyes slid shut and her hand dropped back to her side. Her breathing steadied soon after, her face peaceful in sleep.
Red ran a hand through her hair one last time, allowing himself the joy of taking in Liz's beauty.
"I will," he promised, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. He didn't leave her bedside for the rest of the night.