A/N: Here's another chapter. A bit more angst and yet a bit of sweetness. I just love caring Red. Thank you for the reviews, thank you for hanging in there with me. I hope you keep hanging there.
Chapter twenty-five
Thirty minutes later and Red was still alone in her bed. He sighed. He got up to look for her. Finding her was easy. He stepped into her living room and found her sleeping on the couch. Jethro was lying on the floor in front of the couch. He smiled at that. The Great Dane would always protect and comfort his boss. Red crouched down next to the dog, tilted his head and looked at his Lizzie. The dried tears were still noticeable on her cheeks. Gently he lifted her into his arms and carried her back to the bedroom. Jethro followed him quickly. Once again in the bedroom he carefully lay her down on her bed. He pulled the sheets back over her making sure she was tucked in. He let himself run his hand over her hair before leaving her alone in her bedroom. It didn't feel right to share her bed with her anymore. It was for the best that he slept on her couch in the living room.
The following morning Lizzie woke up quite early. Stretching and yawning she expected her hand bump into him. When it didn't she turned on her side and touched his side again. It was cold. She quickly sat up and that's when she remembered her nightmare. Had he left her? She felt her heart constricting and her breathing quickened. She knew she was about to have a panic attack and knew she had to calm down. That was easier said than done though. She bolted from the bed and ran out of her bedroom on her bare feet. In her living room she immediately spotted him on her couch. The mere sight of him was enough to calm her and she felt the panic attack slowly go away. She grabbed Jethro by his collar just as he was about to go to Red. She didn't want the dog to wake him. She made her way to her kitchen to make herself a cup of tea. With her cup of tea in her hand she padded back into her living room and sat down in one of her chairs with her legs under her. In silence she contemplated the man she cared so deeply for. She knew she'd had a nightmare but she never remembered much about them the following morning. Had her nightmare chased him away from her? Did he not want to sleep next to her because of it? She finally had him with her for an entire day and night and she managed to screw it up. She remembered being wrapped in his arms, surrounded by his warmth. She'd honestly thought he would keep the nightmares at bay. It was foolish to think so. She had the urge to lay down against him on the couch, curling her body against his.
Standing up she put her tea cup down and carefully stepped to the couch. He was on his side, his back against the back of the couch, facing her. She carefully sat down at his hip. When he didn't wake up she gave into her urge. She slowly lay down against him, sliding her body against his. She put her head against his chest and slung her arm over his waist. She let out a content sigh. When she felt him move, she stayed still, wondering what he was going to do. She heard him hum and then felt his arm move across her waist, pulling her closer against him. She expected him to say something, but he didn't. They stayed like that for a while until Red started to move again. He rolled onto his back, bringing her with him. He was going to give himself this, let himself hold her close. When he heard her content sigh he kissed her forehead, his lips lingering against her skin. Her hair felt soft against his chest and her face cool. The urge to kiss her was immense, but he couldn't. Not when in the back of his mind he was still angry at himself. He'd already made the mistake once to kiss her angrily, he wasn't going to do so again. He caressed her back and shoulders and simply held her close to him, feeling her body move as he breathed in and out. Both knew this moment couldn't last. The question was who was going to broach the subject.
Lizzie was glad she'd given into her urge. She couldn't stop caressing his chest, her fingers gently running through his soft chest hair. She snuggled her head some more against his chest. This was her new favourite position for sure. Smiling she gave into another urge. She put her lips on his chest and gently kissed him, just above his heart. She was delighted by the shiver running through him. Feeling daring she pushed herself up a bit and slid upwards until she could look him in the eyes. Not wanting to risk that her courage would leave her, she lowered her lips to his, brushing them lightly. When he didn't immediately react her lips brushed his with a bit more force, trying to coax a reaction from him. She failed though. His body tensed, his hands grabbed her by the shoulders, slightly pushing her away from him. Feeling ashamed and hurt she pushed herself upright and slid off his body.
"I'm a fool." She whispered. She quickly stood up, wanting to get away from him as soon as possible. She couldn't handle his rejection.
He was so surprised by her kiss that he reacted too late to her exit. He quickly jumped up from the couch and followed her. He'd failed her yet again. "Lizzie." He called her name. He followed her to the bedroom, but she closed the door in front of him.
"Go away, Red!" Lizzie almost yelled.
"No." He walked into her room, closed the door behind him, this time not wanting Jethro there with them. He saw Lizzie standing at the window, her body shaking lightly. She was trying to stay strong but he knew his lack of response felt like a rejection to her. He had to prevent this from escalating. With a few paces he was next to her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his body. She immediately started struggling against his hold, but he was stronger. He cradled her face in his hands making her look at him. "I'm not rejecting you, sweetheart." His voice, though soft, was determined. Seeing the tears roll downs her cheeks, he quickly wiped them away with his thumb. "I would never reject you." He said again. "You surprised me. I wasn't expecting this, especially after last night." He whispered. Seeing understanding in her eyes he smiled at her. "Come here." He said before wrapping his arms around her shoulders and pulling her close again. He softly caressed her shoulders and back, placing soft kisses on her hair until he felt her calming down. "I'll always want you, Lizzie."
TBC...