A/N: This was a ficlet I wrote on Tumblr, but it seemed the kind of thing that belonged in Mulligan. As always, I own nothing, un-beta'd, yadda yadda.
The Only Way to Be Sure
Red smelled the smoke first. He knew camping was an awful idea. He hated it. Lizzie hated it. But they needed to go completely off grid for a day or so, just to let things settle. The first day had gone relatively well. They had set up the tent without an abundance of strife. Red wisely chose to keep most of their belongings locked in the jeep they had driven into the woods, only unpacking the tent and sleeping bags.
But as he drew nearer to the campsite, the smoke was thicker, more pungent than what would be produced by a standard campfire. His heart began to pound harder in his chest as he ran through the various scenarios of what could possibly have gone wrong.
He emerged into the clearing to find the tent ablaze. He had a moment of horrific flashbacks to so many years ago and immediately, desperately, called for Lizzie.
She emerged from the other side of the jeep, wrapped in a blanket. The dim sunlight made her pale skin almost opalescent. He met her halfway and crushed her in a fierce hug, simultaneously checking her for injury and wondering why she seemed so calm.
"Lizzie, what the hell happened? Were you attacked? Who did this? Are you sure you're okay?" The questions tumbled from his lips like a staccato verse in an old jazz tune. She pulled away for a moment to adjust her blanket. She seemed…embarrassed? Red studied his Lizzie carefully.
"Yeah, about the tent and the fire…I kind of did it." Her gaze slid away from his, like a puppy who has been caught chewing shoes.
"What on earth? Why? How?" Honestly, the woman was a labyrinth sometimes.
"There was a spider."
"A spider? Burned down the tent?"
"I was changing and cleaning up and it fell from the ceiling of the tent. I may have freaked out a little."
"A little? You burned down the campsite!" He tried to keep his voice even and quiet. It was hard to do. Lizzie stared at the carnage she had wrought in the clearing but remained defiant.
"It was the only way to be sure, Red."