A/N: Thank you for all the reviews. I am glad you like it. This is an angst fic but there will be happiness. Timeline wise, this takes place somewhere beginning S2, but don't pin me down on the details. This is also me dealing with Lizzie's behavior and anger towards Red. Where my question is, does Lizzie still deserve Red? In this chapter Red and Lizzie had a strained talk.

Chapter three

He walked into the cabin and made his way to the kitchen. He didn't hear any sounds from upstairs nor did he see her downstairs. He guessed she was still asleep. He was glad for that. She needed her sleep. Lately she'd looked exhausted. After preparing a cup of tea for himself he walked into the living room and sat down. Slowly he sipped the warm tea and waited for her to wake up and tell him about her decision. A decision he would accept no matter what.

After calming down and trying to accept her faith, Lizzie knew she couldn't stay on the balcony forever. She was starting to get cold. She picked up the shards of the mug she'd thrown on the floor and closed the balcony doors behind her. Quietly she made her way downstairs and went straight to the kitchen. She threw away the shards and made herself a new cup of coffee. She wandered back into the living room, lost in thought. She didn't notice Red sitting in the armchair. She walked over to the books and slid her fingers over the book spines. The entire time she was with her back towards him and he watched her in silence. Just as she was about to grab a book he decided to speak up.

"Good morning, Elizabeth." He greeted her.

She turned around and looked at him with big eyes. "Red?" She was confused. She'd been sure he'd left. "I thought you'd left."

"Really? You think so little of me that you think I would leave without a goodbye?" He ran a hand over his rough jaw. He hadn't shaved this morning. "Should I even ask the question again? I feel like I already know the answer." He stood up and grabbed his cell phone. With his back towards her he said. "I'll call Dembe and pack my bag."

Lizzie was stunned by his words and words seemed to evade her. But she knew if she let him walk away now, he would be gone for good. She couldn't let that happen even if she wasn't sure what it was that she really wanted. All she knew was that she didn't want him to leave. "Don't." She said, though not loudly, it was loud enough to stop him from walking away.

Red turned around, his cell phone still in his hand, and looked at her. He'd been wrong, she hadn't slept at all and she still looked exhausted. He saw her eyes were welling up. He swallowed thickly. "Don't what?" He asked.

"Don't go."

"Why not?" He put his phone away in his pants pocket and crossed his arms. A defensive gesture he was all too aware of. But he had to protect himself. She was his weak spot. For her he would turn the world upside down. For her he would forget himself. But he couldn't let her hurt him anymore. It was taking its toll on him.

Why? Because she was lost without him, because she needed him in her life, because she was scared. There were enough reasons, but she had troubling voicing even one. So as she searched for the right words, she took her eyes off of Red and didn't see him walk away. "Because I need you." She finally said, but when she looked up, she was all alone in the room. On the brink of panicking Lizzie quickly put her coffee mug down and made her way to the stairs. "Red." She yelled as she watched him making his way upstairs.

He stopped on the steps. He'd never been able to ignore her, even though at times it might have been the better choice. Yet again he waited for her to talk.

"Don't leave." She said looking up to him. She could see by the way he held himself how tense he was.

"Why not, Elizabeth?"

"I'm scared Red." She admitted. It seemed to be the easiest confession.

"No one will hurt you here. I will make sure of it. I don't need to be here to ensure that."

She shook her head even though he couldn't see it. "I know that."

"Then what are you scared of?" He asked and he feared the answer to his own question.

When once again she took too long to answer, Red had his answer. "I would never harm you. I had hoped you would know that by now." Clearly whatever he had thought they'd built up together had been an illusion. An illusion he had been the only one believing.

"I'm not scared of you." She quickly said. At least not in the way you think she added in her mind. "I'm scared of everything. I've been scared for a long time now. I don't know who I am anymore. Heck I don't even know where we are." She started waving her hands around. "All I know is that you are the only constant in my life and I don't know how to deal with that. But if you leave, I am nothing anymore. I won't be able to find my way back anymore. Is that what you want?"

He'd listened to her every word and had wanted to turn around and pull her into his arms. But then she'd uttered those final words. Once again seemingly trying to accuse him. Because if he left her now, he would be the one to blame for whatever happened to her then. Lizzie knew how to play his weaknesses. "No, that's not what I want." He admitted softly. "What I want is for you to be happy and clearly I am not making you happy."

She felt she wasn't getting anywhere with him and it angered her. "Look, Red, I don't know what's going to happen. I don't know how to deal with all of this. I don't know how to heal, how to find myself again. But what I do know is that I need you to stay."

"How about what I need, Elizabeth. Have you ever considered that?" For the first time he turned around. "I refrain from being your punching bag any longer. So if I stay here, you can't keep treating me the way you have. Do we agree?" Only then he would stay.

She nodded her head. "Yes." She whispered.

"I'm serious. Next time you need a punching bag, use a real one because I will hightail out of here and then I promise you will never see me again." He warned her. He made his way downstairs again and passed her on the steps. "I'll be in the shed." He said and walked away from her.

TBC...