Disclaimer: Red and Liz are going to have a BLAST in this chapter. Both will sing the praises of LSD because they're having fun with it! With that said, please note that while I do condone the occasional use of LSD by sane and informed adults, I'm absolutely NOT advocating its use. This is just a silly work of fanfic. It's meant to be humorous. Furthermore, I'm also not claiming to be an authority on the actual experience of tripping on acid, so if you read this and find yourself thinking, "This girl is an idiot. Acid is NOT like this," then feel free to tell me, if you must, but like I said, I'm not claiming to be an authority on the subject. If you want to learn about acid, check out Erowid. If you want to read some funny Lizzington nonsense, you're in the right place! (:

Chapter Four

"Turn on" meant go within to activate your neural and genetic equipment. Become sensitive to the many and various levels of consciousness and the specific triggers that engage them. Drugs were one way to accomplish this end.

-Timothy Leary

One hour later, Red and Liz were sitting cross-legged in the grass, facing each other. Both were still coming up, and wouldn't peak for a few more hours.

"Lizzie, do you want to know my favorite thing about tripping?" Red asked, but didn't wait for an answer. "Everyone puts far too much emphasis on the visual hallucinations. Don't get me wrong, because I like them too. For example, right now, your hair is paisley, and it's unbelievably beautiful, but-"

"PAISLEY! What? Since when?" Liz interjected.

"Since forever, I think. I don't know, but I just noticed it. What I like best is how acid energizes my brain. That's my favorite part. Seeing things differently is fun, but thinking about them differently is just incredible. It's a wonder that nothing else can do this to you. I don't know how anyone can live an entire lifetime without experiencing this at least once."

"Red, I'm so happy that this is happening right now. We're really doing this. You know, I wouldn't dream of doing it with anyone else."

His eyebrows waggled and, along with his eyes, slowly converged at the center of his face. Liz giggled at suddenly-cyclops Red, and he asked, "Are we still talking about acid?"

It took Liz a moment to understand what he meant. "God, Red, does your mind EVER leave the gutter?"

His grin spread beyond the rest of his face and he replied, "Not if I can help it!"

The tension in her jaw had not subsided, but it wasn't bothering her anymore. Her smile may very well have become permanently affixed.

"Try not to let your eyes focus on any one thing, Lizzie. Just relax and unfocus. Let your eyes see everything at once. Are you doing it?"

"Uh huh. Yes, I think so."

"What do you see, Lizzie? How does the world around you look now?"

"Patterns. Patterns everywhere!"

"YES! That's it. You're doing it perfectly."

"Red, look! I'm not thinking like a cop! Aren't you proud of me? NOTHING IS LINEAR!"

Red shook his head and chuckled. "Always, Sweetheart, but I'm not tripping hard enough to SEE you think."

Liz leaned forward and pressed one finger to his lips. "Shhh! Don't ruin this by being an asshole." She was still grinning and giggling.

Red winked and his tongue snaked out to lick her finger.

"HEY!" She yelped, pulling her hand back.

That's when it occurred to Red that as Lizzie's trip guide, it was his duty to ensure that she was cared for physically as well as psychologically. He abruptly stood and reached for her hands to help her up. Without even asking why, she readily gave them to him. "I'm thirsty. How about you? This wouldn't be a good time for us to be dehydrated."

Liz nodded but didn't say anything. She appeared to be in deep thought, so he waited, very interested to hear what she would say next. They stood only inches apart, and Liz was even still holding onto his hands.

Red couldn't help feeling hopeful. Maybe she wanted to kiss him. He definitely wanted to kiss her. Lizzie filled a space in his chest that had been dark and empty for twenty years. He may enjoy toying with her occasionally, but he loved her. Has loved her. Loves her.

And here she stood, still holding his hands, and Red could no longer wait. Emboldened by both the LSD and lust, he roughly pulled her forward and his mouth lunged for hers. There could be no mistaking his motives this time. Vishal was long gone. This kiss belonged only to them. Lizzie took what he offered and gave back to him in kind, dropping his hands and reaching around to grab him, fiercly seeking purchase of every part of him that she could reach.

Desiring the highest sensory experience possible, Lizzie decided to open her eyes. She wanted to see him as well as she could feel, hear, and taste him. How long was this kiss? Neither could have said. Even time itself was no longer a linear progression.

"We need snowcones," Liz blurted out after their mouths parted.

"Is that a word salad? Did I miss something?" Red asked, more than a little curious.

"I'm thirsty for a snowcone." The words felt bizarre on her tongue. Is that something you can thrist for?

"Oh. Alright then. Let's see if we can find a snowcone stand."

"I saw someone eating one earlier. I'd like to explore the area anyway. We haven't even seen every stage yet!"

"Let's get some water to hold us over until we find the snowcone fairy."

"Was THAT a word salad?"

"Oh! No. I was just trying to be cute. Is it working?"

Liz reached over and took Red's sunglasses from his face and put them on herself, smiling widely.

Red smirked, "Who's trying to be cute now?"

"I think we're both pretty cute."

"Yes. The cutest."

"Can we take a picture, Red? I want to see what I look like."

"You look beautiful."

Liz wasn't listening. She was staring intently at her smartphone and swiping her fingers across the screen.

She sighed. "Nevermind. All the icons are trailing around and I can't figure it out."

"Then take my word for it. You look beautiful, Lizzie, like a goddess. But even if you could figure out your phone's camera, the photo wouldn't look like you. Not really, at least. It would look like Jackson Pollack, Pablo Picasso, and Georgia O'Keefe collaborated on your portrait. Now, don't get me wrong. It would STILL be beautiful, but not what you expect."

She huffed and tossed her phone back into her purse.

As they strolled through the crowd, both Red and Liz paused to point out everything that caught their interests. This resulted in taking a tremendous amount of time just to get to the opposite side of the festival. That didn't matter. Neither noticed, anyway.

Several people stopped to befriend them on the way as well. Lizzie found that hilarious. Everyone was always attracted to Red, no matter where they went. On more than one occasion, Liz had marveled at this observation. She always thought his suits were mostly to blame. Red's wardrobe was worthy of awe, but it wasn't so much the clothes themselves as it was how well they fit, and how sexy he looked wearing them. It was almost criminal. He probably wouldn't even be on the FBI's Most Wanted list without Zegna or Bespoke.

Today, however, he looked like a totally different man, and not because of the acid. His outfit made him blend in seamlessly with everyone else. He wore khaki shorts, an old Bob Dylan concert t-shirt, and Birkenstock sandals. Lizzie never thought she'd see Red's toes. The very idea was laughable.

The only other explanation was that he's simply magnetic, in a very literal sense. Maybe his blood was magnetized by a tremendously high iron count, causing a physical pull that subconsciously attracted everyone to him.

No. That didn't even make sense, did it? No.

They forgot about the water, but one of their new friends pointed them toward the snowcone stand. The selection of flavors blew Red's mind. The amount of time that it took him to choose a flavor would have been embarrassing if they weren't tripping. Liz based her choice soley on color, because she wanted her snowcone to match her headband.

Snowcones in hand, they returned to the sea of concert-goers again.

"Red, do you mind if we find a nice, quiet place to sit?" Liz wasn't at all tired. She just wanted to be able to talk to Red. The sounds of the crowd and the music were converging into an unpleasant and distracting roar.

It was also preferable to be handsy in private, but she kept that thought to herself.

Red leaned in and with a very throaty whisper, spoke into her ear, "Oh Lizzie, I thought you'd never ask..." He took a huge bite of his snowcone and moaned. "This! Oh my god. This was the best idea ever. Lizzie, guess what flavor I got." He took another bite and kissed her with an open mouth, letting her taste it from his tongue.

Liz canted her head, trying but failing to be coy, and replied, "I don't know, Red.." She burst into laughter. "You'll have to let me try it again!"

He was all too happy to oblige.

"It tastes.. it tastes like every flavor, ever, and... YOU."

"Hmmm... perhaps I'm what tastes like every flavor ever?" His eyebrows arched. "Which one is your favorite?"

"I'll need to isolate the variables!" Liz stepped behind him and grabbed his shirt collar, yanking it down a bit, so she could taste the newly-exposed skin, free of snowcone flavoring. "Let me try right here... FOR SCIENCE!" Red gasped when her teeth gently scraped against the nape of his neck. "Mmm... you taste like the ocean. Did you know that? So familiar.. and satisfying, somehow, except now I'm even more thirsty than I was before. I think I like Red flavor the best."

"I'm flattered, but you haven't even tried the best part of me, Lizzie."

Red had an idea. "Do you know what else I SO LOVE about tripping? I love the feeling of grandiosity. Every idea is just the best idea ever. I've had about a dozen epiphanies already. I think you'll like the one I just had."

Liz whined a little. "Are you talking about deep-throating again? We haven't even found a place TO BE yet."

"Yes!" Red exclaimed. "Exactly! I think we're intersubjecting or whatever you called it!"

"Huh?"

Red crouched down beside her. "Here, climb up on my shoulders."

"Huh?"

"Climb up on my shoulders!"

"Is this.. some kind of sexual thing?" Clearly, she was confused. Intersubjectivity, her ass.

"What? No! But it's good to know you're thinking creatively. Perhaps later? Anyway, I was going to suggest that you find a place for us to go. You'll have a better view from my shoulders. Although, if you sat on them facing in the OTHER direction, then I believe that I would have the better view. Ah! Another epiphany. You know, I've always suspected that you long to splash around in the gutter with me, Lizzie. Maybe roll around a bit. Do some somersaults..."

Liz had been lightly threading her fingers through Red's hair since the moment he crouched down beside her, and it felt HEAVENLY. Even HE had no earthly idea what he was babbling about anymore.

"Your KNEE, Red! You can't support my weight."

"I beg your pardon?"

Liz huffed. "Don't think I haven't noticed your gait. It's uneven. Your knee."

"Ouch. You've been witholding observations?"

"Allllll the time."

"It might not work as well as it used to, but it seldom causes me pain. CLIMB ON." Red knew she would give in.

"Oh, screw it." Liz carefully perched herself on his shoulders, and Red brought his hands up to her thighs to steady her as he rose up to his feet.

"RED! Wow! This is awesome. I'm never ever ever getting off!"

"Oh... You'll get off, all right, and more than once. Don't worry." She was just making it too easy for him to go there. He had to!

She ignored his comment but secretly delighted in it. "There's a hill, Red." She pointed. "I think we'll be able to hear the music from stage three, but we'll be pretty far from the crowd noise. What do you think?"

"I think it sounds perfect. Let's go." Red began walking in the direction that Liz had pointed.

"RED! STOP! I WANT TO WALK!" She enjoyed the view, but somehow, Red seemed too far away, from her position on his shoulders. She also didn't quite believe him about his knee not causing pain.

Truthfully, Red liked having her on his shoulders. He especially liked the firm grip that he still had on her thighs, but he knew that Lizzie would screech until he let her down, so he slowly crouched low enough for her to safely hop off.

Liz turned to face him and exclaimed brightly, "That was fun!" Her cheeks were just a bit flushed. Red instantly found himself wishing he could memorize that look on her face. She was sunshine and rainbows and absolute perfection.

The moment was interrupted by a shrill, ringing sound. Both were briefly bewildered. "Oh! My phone is ringing!" Lizzie yelped. She stuck her hand into her purse, fervently digging around for the offensive object. "Ah ha! Victory!" She brought the screen up to her face, fighting to focus on the caller ID.

"Shit! Red! IT'S COOPER!"