23. You don't have to take care of me.
A sense of pleasant warmth brings Liz to wakefulness, her eyes fluttering open to find herself exactly where she fell asleep, curled up on her living room couch. Except one thing is different.
She's missing her pillow.
Liz takes a second to sit up, rubbing her eyes, and trying to clear her slightly blurry mind. As she moves, a thick blanket falls from her shoulder and settles on her lap.
She smiles to herself.
Liz glances around the room and notices the lamp is on its lowest setting, putting out just enough light to see by, but not enough that it blinds her sensitive eyes and makes her squint.
She shakes her head fondly.
"Good evening, sleepyhead," says a wonderfully familiar voice.
And Liz turns to see Red walking towards her across the living room, holding a mug of something that is letting off enticing curls of steam into the air above.
"Good nap?" he questions lightly, sitting down next to her and offering her the mug.
"Lovely," Liz answers, taking it and breathing the scent in deeply. "Thanks to you. And now hot chocolate?"
Red simply smiles adoringly at her and her heart warms in her chest in response.
(What would she do without him?)
"You don't have to take care of me, you know," she says, tilting her head and chastising lightly.
Red turns playfully serious in an instant, his brow furrowing and his lower lip pushing out as he nods very solemnly and pretends to consider her statement.
"That's very true, Agent Keen," he says earnestly, betraying his tone by reaching up to gently tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. "But, consider this: what if I want to?"
Liz reaches up to stroke his beloved face. "Well, then," she says quietly. "I suppose I have no say in the matter," and she smiles as Red turns his head to kiss her palm.
(She never wants to find out.)
So, since Red's shoulder is back (the one he let her use as a pillow), Liz tucks the blanket (the one he covered her up with) around him as well, with only the dim light of the lamp (the one he turned down for her) to illuminate them, as they gaze at their beautifully lit and decorated Christmas tree.
And they settle down for a long winter's nap.