They were back inside her cabin.

Liz had regained consciousness a few moments ago, groggily blinking through the fog and pain. And it had only taken a few moments for her to realize that she was tightly strapped to her kitchen chair, the zip-ties around her wrists and ankles digging into her skin.

"Good. You're awake."

Billy came to a stop a few feet in front of her, his arms crossed and his face thoughtful.

"Where's Mike?" she managed to croak.

"In your room. I told you I needed him alive - well, prefer it, anyway. By the looks of him now, I get the feeling I'm going to leave disappointed."

"So, why waste your time here? Why bother with all of this? You could have left after knocking me out."

He smirked. "I promised them I'd kill you. Slow."

Fear swelled within her at his words, but she made sure not to show it. "Well, then, get on with it," she said, her voice even.

"See? I knew we could get along."


She was in Alaska.

Red thanked God that he had already been up in the air, flying from British Columbia when she called. That shortened their flight considerably. However, they still hadn't landed, and with every minute - no, every second - that ticked by, he grew more and more restless.

"How long?" he asked for the umpteenth time.

"We will hit the ground in less than twenty minutes," Dembe said, perfectly patient and understanding.

Red nodded jerkily, taking another gulp of scotch.

Stay safe, Lizzie. Please, stay safe.


It hurt to breathe.

So far, Billy had broken three of Liz's ribs - one for each goon that she had... disposed of.

And now... Now he stood before her with a sizable knife in hand - one she would use to cut raw meat.

She didn't dare to so much as flinch, though.

Don't show fear.

"What?" she said, a blank yet casual lilt to her voice. "Done already?"

He smirked. "Oh, we're just getting started."


Finally, they were on the road.

They certainly could have done without the layers of snow and ice, but at least their tires had already been chained. Plus, Dembe was driving, which meant Red had no doubt they would reach their destination in as little time as possible. It also helped that Elizabeth's cabin wasn't too far away from the private air-strip they had landed on. They were now about... fifteen minutes away, more or less.

Red prayed it would be less.


The pain was blinding.

Unsurprisingly, he had stabbed her.

Once in her right thigh.

Once in her gut.

"Don't worry, I haven't hit anything vital," he said, wiping the bloody knife on her cheek. "But you will bleed out if I don't put a bullet in your brain first. Either way," he shrugged, "I'll be here when you die."

Not wanting to give him the satisfaction, it took everything in Liz to smile. Though, it turned out more like a grimace.

"So, you've got some spirit left in you," he said, grinning. "I like that. It makes me want to break you even more."

Just as he swung his arm back, fully prepared to stab her again, the front door broke down with a bang.

And Billy... Billy dropped to the ground.

Then it was a blur of noise and activity - neither of which she could make sense of.

Except one.

"Lizzie."

The one sound she would never fail to recognize.

Red.


A/N: I'm sorry for hurt Liz, but I also love hurt Liz (does that make me evil?)

FINALLY Red!

PS - Thanks for the review luce1993! Ruin is also one of my favorite episodes - hence why I'm writing this fic :)