A/N: Thank you for the reviews and follows. Thank you for hanging in there with this fi. Here's the next chapter. Lizzie takes care of Red and Red is just his sweet self with her. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter twenty-three

He wasn't about to let her walk away. He grabbed her arm and stopped her. "Why are you walking away?"

She struggled a bit before stopping. She sniffed. She didn't want to cry in front of him anymore. She'd cried too much already.

"Why do you keep walking away from me, Lizzie?" He asked again. He saw her shrug. He let go of her and stepped up to her. Quickly he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against his chest. He kissed her cheek. "It's time to stop walking away." He nuzzled her neck. "I won't let you go, you should know that by now."

"I don't know how to do this, Red."

"Do what?"

She tried to free herself from his arms even if it felt so nice. She felt his arms tighten around her. He wasn't going to let her go. In defeat she let het weight rest against him entirely. "I'm tired." She said, ignoring his question.

He knew what she was doing, but he would let her. It was still early, but she needed her sleep. "How about you get ready for bed and I'll take Jethro for a short walk before closing up. Okay?"

"Yeah." She felt him letting her go. She didn't turn around to look at him. She simply walked inside, leaving him behind.

Lizzie was in her bedroom, sitting on the edge of the bed, waiting for Red to return. She was unsure of what was appropriate for her to wear to bed. Eventually she'd decided to wear her regular outfit, one of his shirts and her panties. She wanted to share her bed with him, wanted to sleep in his arms, but was anxious about it. She wondered if he had a side of the bed he wanted to sleep on or maybe it didn't matter to him. When she heard him enter her house she quickly slid into her bed. She pulled the sheet up to her chin and stayed quiet, listening to his movements around her house. She heard him whisper to Jethro before he locked the door. She heard his footsteps getting closer and within a few seconds he was in her bedroom. She was on her side with her back towards him and stayed like that. She felt nervous and excited. She was glad to finally have him with her, but now that the moment was there she felt unsure. She listened to his every move. When he was in her bathroom she let herself relax for a moment. A little while later he was back in her bedroom again. When he moved to the bed she held her breath as she waited for him to get in. She felt the bed dip under his weight and felt him lay down.

"Don't forget to breath, Lizzie." Red whispered in her ear making her shiver.

That's when she turned around and cuddled close to Red, pushing him onto his back. She wrapped her arm around his waist and laid her head on his chest. She let out a content sigh. Red smiled even though she couldn't see it. He kissed her head and caressed her shirt clad back.

It was only then that she noticed that Red wasn't wearing a shirt. She blushed and was happy he couldn't see her. She left her hand wander over his chest, something she hadn't been able to do at the beach. Her fingers ran through his soft chest hair. She kept her touch feather light, her fingers moving from the middle of his chest to his stomach and up again. She couldn't resist placing a kiss on his shoulder. She let out a content sigh.

He wanted to see her, needing to look in her eyes to know she was really okay. He'd felt how tense she was at first. He was glad she relaxed almost immediately. If she hadn't, he would have left her alone and slept on the couch. He turned on his side to face her. That's when her hands drifted around his waist to his back. He tensed. Though she'd touched his scars already, seen them also, it still wasn't easy for him to share that part of him with her. He was embarrassed about them, his Lizzie deserved a whole man, not a man who was covered in scars. Scars that showed a weakness of a time when she wasn't in his life.

She felt him tense. Clearly his scars were a sensitive subject. She looked at him and saw the insecurity in his eyes. It surprised her. She'd never expected him to be insecure about anything, let alone his body. He seemed so confident in everything he did and most of all very confident in who he was. In some way it reassured her. He had his weaknesses too. She felt him retreat, but she didn't let him. She kept her arms around him, kept caressing his back. "It's okay." She whispered.

He closed his eyes, not wanting her to see what her words and her touch did to him. He shook his head, not quite believing her words. Her caress soothed him, it settled his nerves.

"Can you turn around for me?" She asked him.

He was hesitant, but looking into her eyes, he saw that he needed to do this for her, even if it felt uncomfortable. After a day in the sun his skin itched and he knew he needed lotion. He didn't have any with him nor did he want to ask Lizzie for any. Carefully he turned on his other side, his back now to her. He felt her small hands on his back, her fingers tracing his scars. They itched and even though he tried to ignore that he couldn't so he tried to move away.

"I'm sorry." Lizzie apologized when she saw him move slightly away from her.

"No." Red softly said needing her to know that his reaction wasn't because her touch was unwelcome. "It itches. It's because of the sun. The skin is still sensitive."

"Let me put some lotion on it." Lizzie was already moving off her bed to go to her bathroom. When she stepped back into her room she paused as she saw how Red was now lying on his stomach, the sheet up to his lower back, giving her a good view of his broad shoulders and back. His arms were up, his hands pillowing his head. He was already waiting for her to rub the lotion on his back.

She quickly joined him on her bed. Making it easier on herself she straddled his lower back. If he was surprised by her move, he didn't show it. She carefully put the cold lotion on his back and started rubbing it into his skin. She started on his shoulders before making her way down his back. She heard his soft moan of appreciation and smiled. Some of the scars were rough and others were softer. Not for the first time since she saw them she wondered what happened and thought about the pain he must have gone through. That thought stuck in her head. The pain must have been unbearable. What had made him go through that pain? Had there been someone to take care of him? Did he go through the pain alone? She took a deep breath trying to keep the emotions her thoughts caused at bay. Rubbing the last of the lotion on his back, she moved from his lower back and quickly turned away from him. She sniffed softly hoping he wouldn't hear it, but as soon as she felt his hand on her shoulder, she knew he had. She hung her head.

He moved till he sat down next to her on the edge of the bed. He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her against him. He didn't say a word. He simply gave her time to get her emotions under control knowing all too well she didn't want to give into them. The fact that his pain caused her this much distress did something to him too. It warmed his heart that she cared so much for his wellbeing. "Thank you." He whispered into her hair before kissing her temple. "Let's get some sleep." He moved back into the bed, giving her room to join him, holding the sheets up for her.

Lizzie put the lotion on the nightstand and quickly joined him. Seeing him move back she slid in. Red's arms immediately wrapped around her, his legs entangled with her and his body spooned hers, enveloping in his warms. She let out a content sigh. This felt so right. "Sweet dreams, sweetheart." He whispered into her ear before he placed a soft kiss in her neck.

TBC..