Saturday dawned bright and sunny. Liz woke before her alarm and reached over to turn it off. She laid in bed for a few minutes thinking about the day ahead with butterflies in her stomach. She was excited for the game, but still nervous about spending the whole day with Red. She wanted to have a good time, but hoped her nerves didn't get the best of her; it was hard to even be near him without her knees turning to jelly, and she hoped it didn't show.

"I guess it's now or never," she said to herself. She got out of bed and plugged her ipod into the docking station so she could listen to some music while getting ready. She went into the bathroom and brushed her teeth, then splashed some cold water on her face. Walking back into the bedroom, she headed towards the closet thinking about what she wanted to wear.

She stood and stared into her closet for a good five minutes. She wanted to dress comfortably because they were going to outside, but she also wanted to look good for Red. It frustrated her that she cared so much about what he thought. She finally decided on a pair of jean capris and a form fitting red shirt that went well with her skin tone; she hoped Red would appreciate it.

After changing into her clothes, she walked back into the bathroom to do her makeup. She put on just enough to enhance her features, then started to brush her hair. She was thinking about wearing a hat, so she pulled it up in a loose ponytail for now. She grabbed a small pair of hoop earrings and then stepped back to admire her effort. Satisfied, she walked out into the hall and over to the spare room.

She still had some odds and ends in boxes in the closet and was pretty sure there was a ball cap in one. She grabbed the first box and started to search. In it was high school memorabilia; yearbooks, pep rally souvenirs and graduation announcements. She chuckled at a picture of her with her friends at the prom.

She grabbed the second box and saw the cap as she opened it. As she pulled it out, something square fluttered to the floor. She bent down to pick it up and saw the words, "Lizzie, age 7." She turned it over and saw that it was a photograph of her and her father.

Her dad was standing behind her with his hands on her shoulders. She had on a ball cap, a baseball mitt and was sporting a smile with her two front teeth missing. Liz started to smile but then felt the prick of tears behind her eyes. She remembered the day this picture was taken; her dad had taken her to the park and they had played catch for hours. Just the memory of that special day brought actual tears to her eyes, and she felt a few run down her cheeks. At that moment, Red stepped into the bedroom with a concerned look on his face.

"Lizzie? Sweetheart, what's wrong?" He said as he walked over to her. She looked up at him as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry, Red. I didn't hear you knock."

"Actually I just used my key," he said as he held a hand out to help her up.

They stood up and she held the picture up for him to see. "I found this and the memory hit me pretty hard."

He looked at it with a fond smile. "You know, I think this is the picture he used to carry in his wallet. He was so proud of you." He looked at Liz and saw more tears slip out. "Are you ok?"

She looked at him and whispered, "I miss him so much."

"Come here," he said as he held his arm out. She stepped into his embrace and let herself be held. He wrapped his arms around her and rubbed his hand slowly up and down her back as she cried softly. After a few moments she was able to compose herself and pulled back. Red reached up and wiped the remaining wetness from her cheeks. "You know I'm always here for you. No matter what." It was more of a statement than a question, and she looked at him with a small smile as he asked, "Feel better?"

She nodded slightly, "Thanks Red."

He looked at her for a few seconds more and was apparently satisfied with what he saw, so he nodded and stepped back. She started to move away when he said, "Can I see that picture again?" She handed it to him and he smiled as he looked at it. "You really were a cute kid," he cocked his head, "but you must have been really small because that mitt looks bigger than your head."

She playfully slugged him in the arm and yanked the picture out of his fingers. He feigned hurt as he put a hand on his arm where she hit him. "Elizabeth, we really need to work on the violence," he said with fake concern.

As she walked over to the put the picture back in the box, she smiled smugly and said, "Oh, I can give you violence." She looked back at him and saw him rub the scar on his neck where she had stabbed him in the neck all those months ago.

"Don't I know it," he said with a smile that made her blush.

She decided against the hat, and they walked to the door. "Are you ready to go?" He asked as they made their way out of the room and down the hall to the living room.

"Yep, just need to grab the tickets from the kitchen," she said, and grabbed her sneakers and started to put them on.

"I can get them," Red said turning towards the kitchen. Liz watched him walk away and only now saw what he was wearing. He had on a black short sleeved shirt and a pair of nice fitting darker blue/gray jeans with black sneakers. It wasn't anything fancy but wow he looked good, especially from behind.

Her very next thought was that she needed to stop staring before he turned around - "Lizzie?" Crap. Red was looking at her with a knowing smile. She blushed and looked down, trying to busy herself with tying her shoes, finding it a task with shaking fingers. She finally finished and stood up as he walked over and stopped in front of her.

He looked her over and said in a low, mesmerizing voice, "You look radiant, Lizzie. That color does wonders for your skin." Her breath caught in her throat. He gave her a small smile and took another step towards her. Breathing was now near impossible for her, as he reached up and gently pushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear. His touch gave her nerves an electric jolt and she closed her eyes, slightly leaning into his hand, savoring the moment.

She opened her eyes as he gave her a lingering kiss on the forehead then pulled back to look at her. "Are you ready?"

"Ready," she said. He reached over and grabbed a baseball cap off of the couch and put it on as they made their way to the front door. She was surprised for moment. "What, no fedora?" she asked as she studied him. "I didn't think that would look quite right at a baseball game" he replied as he adjusted the cap. He reached over and opened then door then looked back at her with a look of uncertainty. "It looks odd, doesn't it?" he asked as he waited for her to pass.

"No" she said as she started towards the door. As she started to pass him, she suddenly turned and popped up on her tiptoes so they were face to face, noses almost touching as she whispered with a seductive smile, "I think you look sexy." Then she turned and sailed out the door without waiting for him to respond.

Red smiled as he walked out, shutting the door behind him making sure it was locked. Liz was already halfway down the hall so he took a few long strides to catch up to her. Leaning in close as they were still walking, he whispered, "Two can play that game, Lizzie, you just wait and see" then walked quickly on ahead of her.

Liz tried and failed to bite back a giggle that echoed down the hall. "This" she thought to herself as she hurried to catch up to him, "is going to be one interesting afternoon."