Red winced at her screeching, but didn't try to stop her as she paced in front of him, waving her hands wildly as she ranted.
"They can't seriously be expecting people to bring a child into this kind of world. Have they gone insane?! Not only is it dangerous for the child, it's dangerous for the woman too. They don't have proper medical facilities. What if something happened and the woman bled out? Or what if a baby was born three months early?"
She paused when he didn't reply and leveled a look at him. He hadn't moved an inch besides continuing to chew the inside of his cheek. She huffed in annoyance and turned to sit back down on her bed. Her anger leaving almost as soon as it had come.
Deflated, she studied her toes and mumbled, "I'm sorry, Red. I know this isn't your fault...at least not this part," she said in an even lower voice. Too quietly for him to hear.
"Well I'd say don't shoot the messenger, but I'm afraid it's too late for that." She winced as she waited for him to continue. "I'm not sure what can be done. We can leave if you think that's a better option." His voice was clipped, as if he was trying not to take his frustrations out on her as she had already done with him. Sometimes she hated being so emotional. Growing up, her mouth had gotten her in trouble more than a few times.
She sighed loudly. "Of course I don't think that's a better option. Where would we go?"
Liz glanced up in time to see him shrug one shoulder as he leaned his back against the door.
"I'm sure we could find somewhere to go. We always have."
She shook her head, twisting her hands together in thought. "Nowhere safer than here. No, I don't want to leave."
He raised an eyebrow. "That's fine Lizzie, but you're going to have to become a better actress if you want the others to think we're actually married. I'm positive they don't believe our little lie, and haven't said anything because they've had no reason to. That's going to change."
She looked back up, fear written all over her face. "Red, if they don't think we're really married, what will they do? Will they make me marry someone else and force me to breed with them?" She felt panicked at the thought. While having a child with Red didn't sound appealing, having one with a stranger was out of the question.
He straightened and approached her cautiously; like a wounded animal that keeps returning to its abusive master. It stung to see him like this. The once proud Raymond Reddington, who had insinuated himself into her life and controlled it like a chess game, now treated her like she was some kind of delicate flower. When had that change happened? When had they become so broken?
He stopped a foot or so from her; she could feel his eyes boring into the top of her head. She continued to stare at his work boots, afraid to see the look in his eyes.
Finally he spoke, his voice low and full of some emotion she couldn't decipher. "That's why you need to do what they ask without causing problems. If you do what they say, they won't question us further. I fear if you raise a fuss, they'll take you away..." It was clear he wanted to add "from me" at the end, but he trailed off instead, waiting for her to answer him.
She took a deep breath and sat up straight, but stared at Red's legs, unable to make eye contact with him. "Then I'll do what I have to do to convince them that we're married, but we'll stall as long as possible to have a...baby." She choked out "baby" as if it was a swearword. The thought of having sex with Red confused her already muddled feelings about him. She wasn't sure she even liked him, and now she was going to have to become a breeding cow and pop out little Reds. She almost wasn't able to stop the disgust from showing on her face at the thought. He was her protector, and maybe her friend, but that was it.
At least she'd thought so.
She finally looked up to see him staring out the window behind her; his face an expressionless mask. He looked as if he was debating whether or not to say what was on his mind, his jaw clenching and unclenching. Finally, he glanced at her and muttered a quiet, "Fine", then turned on his heel and left. Not quite slamming the door behind him.
She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. What the hell was that all about? Why did he care if she was angry about being forced to have his children? Already exhausted and tired of thinking, she turned to the window and swore softly when she saw the position of the sun. She was going to be late. Again. Her "manager" was going to be beside herself. Liz had already been warned twice that there would be consequences if it happened again.
She stood up and began to dress for the day in her work clothes. A faded pair of light blue jeans and a loose fitting men's t-shirt, with ratty old tennis shoes that had more holes than not. She wouldn't eat to save some time, even though she was far too skinny in the first place. What did it matter anyway?
She felt like a slave.
OOOOOO
Twelve hours later, Liz practically dragged her body through the entrance to their hut. She had indeed been punished for her tardiness, and had been given an extra two hours of hard labor shoveling out the stables. Her hands were blistered and raw, and her feet were wet and smelled like manure. She was absolutely miserable.
Red and Dembe glanced up at her entrance, the smiles fading from their faces. "There you are," Red remarked as he put his spoon down. They had started dinner without her. Lovely.
Instead of saying anything, she glared at him and toed her shoes off before stepping into the room. "You're little announcement this morning made me late for work and I got a lovely extra two hours for it. Thanks for your concern about my whereabouts," she said sarcastically, not in the mood to keep things civil.
Instead of rising to the bait, he stood up slowly and walked over to the corner where she could see a little pot steaming with something that smelt heavenly. She hadn't had a chance to eat all day.
As he began to dish her up whatever it was into a bowl, she sat down next to Dembe with a groan. Her feet were absolutely killing her. Dembe patted her knee and tried to give her a reassuring look. "He was worried for you, and only came home twenty minutes ago after he was assured you were safe." That made her feel a little better, but she still wasn't going to apologize. She was too tired for that.
Red turned and handed her the bowl and a spoon, then sat down on her other side and picked his own food back up. She didn't register what she was eating until the very last bite, and even then her stomach was still growling. "Is there any more?" She scraped her bowl as best she could, disappointed that it was already gone.
Instead of answering, Red handed her his bowl. She didn't thank him as she set hers down and resumed eating his. She didn't even bother using her own spoon. They all sat in silence as she ate, apparently she'd dampened the mood with her attitude. What a surprise.
After she scraped out Red's bowl, she piled it on top of hers and sat back against the wall with a satisfied sigh. At least she didn't feel like dying anymore.
Liz closed her eyes and addressed the room. "So what were you two smiling about when I walked in?"
She groaned as she straightened her tired, aching legs; she couldn't feel her feet any longer. She probably should be more worried about it, but at the moment, she couldn't bring herself to care. Maybe she would lose feeling in her legs and no longer have to work. It wasn't altogether an unappealing thought, as horrible as it sounded.
"Oh, Dembe here was just telling one of his infamous jokes."
A small smile flitted across her face. Dembe's jokes were actually quite funny. He reminded her of Teal'c from one of her favorite TV shows growing up, Stargate SG-1. He was serious most of the time, but when he cracked a joke, it usually made her laugh. She didn't know where she would be without Dembe. Probably dead, or close to it. Why hadn't she pretended to be married to him? It would have made things much easier to handle.
Especially now.
Liz took a deep breath and sat up again. She wished she could take a hot shower and sleep until the weekend, but unfortunately, she couldn't do either. They were only allowed to bathe twice a week, in cold water. And sleeping in, even on the weekends, was unheard of. Damn this wretched place.
She felt a hand on her back between her shoulder blades. Too small to be Dembe's. "Lizzie, are you ok?"
She glanced at him, ready to rip into him for asking such a stupid question, but when she saw the concern on his face, her shoulders sagged. "Not really. I'm in a lot of pain, but there's not much that can be done about that."
His hand still hadn't left her back. She didn't know if she wanted him to move it or not, so she didn't say anything. "What hurts the most?" He asked quietly, his face closer to hers than she realized.
"My feet," she finally admitted after a lengthy pause. "I can't feel them anymore."
His hand finally left her back as he scooted forward then patted his lap. "Lay your head here and put your feet in Dembe's lap. He gives the best foot rubs."
Her brain warred with her heart about what to do. On one hand, she really wanted that foot rub, but on the other, she didn't want to lay her head in Red's lap. It felt too personal. Too intimate.
She almost laughed at herself. She was going to have to be doing things a lot more invasive than that if they were going to be staying at the camp.
Seeing her hesitance, he lifted a cushion from the floor and put it over his thighs. Of course he'd guessed why she was hesitant, but he didn't seem hurt or upset. Thank goodness.
She laid her head on the pillow gingerly, making sure not to touch him if she could help it, then put her legs on Dembe's. Immediately, he stripped her muddy, wet socks off and tossed them in a corner with the other dirty clothes.
His quiet voice washed over her as she closed her eyes. "Try to relax," he said simply, then began to knead her left foot. She almost moaned in pleasure. Nothing had ever felt so good in her life. As Dembe worked on her feet, Red placed his calloused fingers at her temples and began to rub soothing circles there. She tensed for a second, but Dembe hit a particularly sore spot on her heel and she instantly relaxed, no longer caring that Red was touching her. Besides, her headache was dissipating with every stroke of his strong fingers, so she had no right to complain.
Too soon, Red was was shaking her awake from her peaceful slumber. When she opened her eyes groggily, she saw that the lanterns had been dimmed and Dembe was on the other side of the room, asleep. How long had she been out of it?
She sat up slowly, aided by Red carefully pushing her shoulders, and turned to look at him. He spoke before she could. "I'm sorry to wake you, but I can't feel my legs any longer and you need to sleep on a mattress or you won't be able to work tomorrow."
She tried to smile. "You didn't have to let me sleep on you."
He looked at her with unreadable eyes. "Yes, I did."
When he didn't elaborate, she sighed and stood up. Her body felt much, much better. "Well...thank you." She smiled a little and watched as he stood up.
He grabbed her elbow softly and began to lead her towards her bedroom. "What are you doing?
He snorted quietly, "I'm helping you across a dark room so you don't trip and break your leg."
She rolled her eyes but let him be chivalrous; that was the least she could do. As they tiptoed over cushions and blankets, a thought occurred to her and she stopped dead.
"Is Dembe going to have to get married?" She whispered urgently, not wanting to wake up the man who was snoring softly across the room.
Red shrugged and tugged on her elbow. "I'm not sure. There's a "meeting" tomorrow that we're all required to attend. I imagine they'll give us more details then."
She didn't mind having to go to a meeting, that meant less time working herself to death.
When they reached her door, she faced him and gave him a small smile. She hadn't smiled this often in as long as she could remember, and briefly wondered what was wrong with her.
After he released her elbow, she reached up and squeezed his bicep. "Thanks for giving me your food and somewhere to rest my head."
He nodded, but she couldn't read his face very well in the darkness. "No need to thank me, Lizzie." His voice was gentle, and she wondered what he was thinking. They hadn't fought since she'd gotten home; that had to be a record. She was confused at the feelings he was evoking in her and quickly dropped her hand from his arm.
She cleared her throat uncomfortably and turned to open the door. Before she could take two steps, he stopped her with a hand on her arm, "Lizzie, I...," he trailed off, apparently thinking twice about what he was going to say. She looked at him curiously, but he mumbled something under his breath and let go of her. "Never mind, it can wait. Sweet dreams."
She wanted to question him further, but her eyes were already drooping tiredly. He was right, they could talk later. Maybe even civilly, for once.
"Night, Red," she murmured, then walked into her room and shut the door. Her last image was of him with his hands stuffed in his pockets looking perplexed.
Something had changed, she just wasn't sure what. She quickly dressed for bed and laid down on the hard mattress, hoping that sleep would take her quickly.
She laid awake for hours.
AN: Thanks so much for the reviews from chapter 1. I really appreciate them! I know this was a lot of talking and probably boring stuff, but next chapter we'll meet other people from the community. And Red and Liz acting "married" in front of others. Thanks for reading, and I'd love to hear what you think. :)
