A/N: I had to think long and hard if I was going to finish this fic after the last episode. It hit me hard and I was insulted too. So I decided to put My Destiny and Her Person on hold indefinitely. But this one, this one is special to me and I thought after so many chapters with readers taking the time to review and follow I couldn't leave this one be. So there for, after a long while, there is an update. I hope you will hang in there with me. In this chapter Liz and Red slowly try to find each other again.

Chapter forty-two

She woke up in the middle of the night. Her heart thudded wildly in her chest and she quickly turned on the light. Since last week her nightmares were back and they were all about Red disappearing again. She immediately grabbed her phone and dialled his number.

"Hello?" Red's voice was even lower than usual because her call had woken him up.

"Red." Lizzie didn't even try to hide the panic in her voice.

"What's wrong, Lizzie?" Sitting up in his bed he ran a hand over his face trying to wake himself up.

"You were gone. You left." She rambled. The remnants of her dream jumbling her thoughts.

Red groaned. Lizzie wasn't making any sense. He didn't understand what she was talking about. He picked up his watch from the bedside table. It was 3 A.M. Why was she calling him in the middle of the night? "What's wrong?" He asked again.

Lizzie took a deep breath. She had to calm herself down. "I had a bad dream. You disappeared again." She paused for a moment. "I panicked. I'm sorry."

There was no need for her to apologise. Part of him wished he was there with her, that he could comfort her. But he knew for this to work out he had to give her space, make her come to him. He had to stay firm in his believe. "Are you okay now?"

"Yes." She sighed.

"Try to go back to sleep. I'll see you tomorrow. I'm not going anywhere." He reassured her.

"Okay." She stayed silent.

"Goodnight, Lizzie." He said his goodbye.

"Night, Red." Hanging up the phone she felt a bit better but couldn't shake the yearning to have him with her. To rest in his strong arms that made her feel safe.

It was the beginning of the evening the next day when Red walked up to Lizzie's house again. Abby had kept asking him about Lizzie and somewhat reluctant he admitted he'd gone to see Lizzie. Abby had immediately asked him when she could see her aunt Lizzie again. He'd had to disappoint her. He didn't want Abby to see Lizzie until she was doing better and they were more secure in their relationship. He didn't want his niece to experience the disappointment of not having Lizzie in her life again. His little niece deserved nothing but happiness. He knocked on the door but just like yesterday no one opened it. This time he didn't hear Jethro either which probably meant Lizzie wasn't at home. He looked out onto the beach. She was probably taking a walk with Jethro. It was a good ten minutes later he found her lying on her back on the beach with Jethro lying next to her, his head on her stomach. He took a moment to look at her. She seemed relax which was a lot better than the state he'd found her in yesterday. He knew they had a long road ahead of them and part of him wanted to accelerate the process but knew he couldn't. That would backfire on them. But he wanted to go back to before their fight, he wanted the closeness back. He yearned to start and end his day with her. The short time they'd had together had showed him that with her he was home. He belonged to her, just as she belonged to him. Without her he was incomplete. Loving her was a blessing and a curse all at once and though it kept him up at nights, he wouldn't want it any other way.

It was Jethro who spotted him first. The dog lifted his head from his stomach immediately jumped up and ran towards him his tail wagging wildly. "Hey boy." Red greeted the dog and couldn't help but smile. Standing up he looked at Lizzie who was now sitting on the sand and was looking at him with a hesitant smile.

"Hey." She greeted him softly. She was thrilled to see him again but she felt embarrassed too. She was afraid her phone call made it too obvious how much she needed him. She wanted him to know that she could be strong without him too.

Red saw her hesitance and approached her slowly. He sat down next to her and leaned back on his hands. "Nice evening." He started casually.

"Yeah." Lizzie agreed.

Together they looked out to the water. The sounds of the waves and some distant birds the only thing they heard. Both were silent for a while. Maybe it was a good thing that they could sit in silence, Lizzie thought. To be at ease with each other in silence was a good thing, but she knew they weren't really at easy. To be more precise she wasn't at ease.

He could hear the wheels turning and he wondered how long it would take for Lizzie to talk. Unlike before he wasn't going to help her. For the time being she was going to have to take every first step. It wasn't easy for him to see her struggle, but he had to do this. For her sake and his own.

"I'm glad you're here." She ended the silence. "I missed you." It surprised her how easy it was to admit that to him.

Her words warmed his heart. Despite what he felt for her, how strong his feelings for her were, he needed confirmation from her. He needed to know she needed him as much as he needed her. He needed her to come for him. He was glad that she was taking those steps, small as they may be.

"I'm sorry about the midnight phone call. The dream was so real. When I woke up I didn't know what was real. I panicked and called you. I needed to know you were still there."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Next time I won't call. I promise. I don't want to bother you." Lizzie stood up and took a few steps towards the water. Jethro was immediately on his feet again and followed her. "I can deal with it on my own."

Red shook his head. There was no need for this. "You're not alone. I'm here. You can always call me." He watched her walk towards the water.

She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. She longed for his comforting touch, longed to be safe in his arms but he was holding himself back. She understood. She'd hurt him, but this hurt her too. He brought comfort to her soul. Her body yearned for his. It was clear that for now she had to settle for his comforting words.

TBC...