A/N: Thanks for the reviews and follows. I knew the little bit of fluff would make you happy. Some are still worried about Angela, but for now she won't make an appearance. However, there are some bumps in the road ahead. Lizzie is far from being okay. A step forward may mean a couple of steps back. Still I hope you will hang in there with me and hope you will enjoy it.

Chapter twenty-two

She was sitting outside on her porch enjoying the weather. It was still nice outside. She thought back about her dinner with Red and Abby. They'd barbequed and eaten outside on her porch. She hadn't eaten a lot and she knew Red had noticed. She knew he would want to talk about that. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. It seemed like the more time they spend together, the more at peace her body felt. Her mind also, but it warned her to be careful still. Part of her wanted to give in, let him in wholeheartedly, but it was hard. She still had a hard time believing that life was finally looking up for her. She felt like she better prepare for a storm to come. It was a feeling that didn't seem to leave her. She sighed. It seemed like all day every day her thoughts were all over the place.

Red quietly took the few steps to the porch, put his bag down and watched his Lizzie. She was his girl, the woman he loved and it seemed that the more time he spend with her, the stronger his feelings for her got. She'd changed clothes after he'd left. She was wearing sweatpants and a blue navy t-shirt that looked familiar. How did she get hold of one of his shirts? He'd noticed that first day he stepped into her house that she had some of his things. There was his hat on the mantel piece. Sometimes she wore his watch and she had the pen she'd stabbed him with. He'd never commented on his stuff in her house. He wondered if having these items in her house reassured her, maybe even comforted her.

"Did you enjoy our day?" He asked, making his presence known.

Lizzie opened her eyes and smiled. "I did. You?"

He nodded. "Me too. You look…relaxed." He said referring to her comfortable clothes.

"I am relaxed." She paused for a moment. "Spending a day at the beach, lying in the sun, swimming in the ocean. How can I not be relaxed?"

"Mmm.." Red hummed in agreement. He felt just as relaxed. "Is that my shirt you're wearing?"

"Yes." She looked down at the shirt and started playing with the hem.

"Where did you get it?"

"After your… funeral Dembe and I cleared out your last safe house. I…" She thought back about that day. If it hadn't been for Dembe she would have broken down completely. She'd wandered through the house at first, going from one room to another, reliving memories. Eventually she and Dembe had cleared out the house together. It took quite some time with both of them stopping every once in a while to share a memory or grief together. "Dembe told me if I wanted to keep anything, I could." She shrugged. "So I did." She shifted in her seat. "It was all I had left of you." Her voice was thick with emotion.

He pushed his own emotions away because he needed to focus on her. "I like how it looks on you."

She smiled despite the emotions the memories brought back. "I like it too." She hesitated. "In the beginning it comforted me. Still does." She admitted.

"I'm glad it does." Though he preferred to bring her comfort personally.

She finally looked at him. He made no move to go to her. If he didn't, then she should. Standing up she walked up to him on her bare feet. The height difference between them seemed more prominent now. He smiled softly, watching her approach him. When she stopped in front of him, his hands immediately found its spot on her waist. She looked at him, watched how he watched her with a tender look in his green eyes. Gently she traced his jaw with her finger, feeling the slight stubble. He let her watch him. He stayed silent, letting her touch his jaw. She seemed mesmerised and he wondered why. After a moment though he felt he needed to express his worries.

"You hardly ate anything tonight, Lizzie." Red said. "That worries me."

"You don't have to worry." She stopped tracing her jaw, crossed her arms and took a step back. The defensive gesture wasn't lost on either of them.

"But I do. I will always want to protect you and take care of you. I want to spend every day and night with you. But you know I can't just yet. I cannot break my promise to my brother. I have to make sure Angela and Abby are okay. You know that's why I can't be with you as much as I want too." He took a deep breath. Talking about his promise to his brother still hurt. "I know you didn't take care of yourself when I was gone. You were drinking, you hardly ate and were depressed. I know you're doing better now, I can see you're doing better. But you're not there yet and you know that." He looked at her and saw she was uncomfortable. "I lay awake at night worrying if you're taking care of yourself. It gives me sleepless night, because I know you're not." He saw she was about to protest. "No, Lizzie. You know I'm right. I think you're beautiful, sweetheart and I always will. But I want you to be healthy too. I need you to be healthy. Don't think I don't need you as much as you need me."

His little speech silenced her. She felt the tears in her eyes. He always had the ability to leave her speechless. She never expected that he needed her. She always thought she was alone in the depth of her feelings. Having a hard time controlling her emotions, she kept quiet and nodded to let him know she understood.

"You going to take better care of yourself?" He asked, needing to hear the words from her.

"Yes." She whispered.

"Will you look at me, please?" He needed to see her eyes to know if he was really getting through to her. When he did he saw her tears. It showed him that she was far from being back to her old self. She still had a long way to go and she needed to lean on him.

"I'm sorry." She apologized. She looked away from him, before she turned away form him. She felt ashamed.

TBC...