AN: Yes, I know, another jelly fic, how boring! But I love jelly fics, I just can't help myself. Special thanks for wonderful redisthenewblackington for beta-ing this for me. This is dedicated to tmmachado, because I miss you, dude! It's about time you move here.

Disclaimer: I don't own a thing.

Chapter 1

Liz was aware of the bounce in her step when she entered the post office. The night prior had been wonderful, relaxing. Red had taken it upon himself to cook for her, again. He loved cooking for her, show-off that he was, even more so than taking her out to one of his beloved fancy restaurants. They had been spending most of their time outside of work together now and on more than one occasion had Liz fallen asleep on his couch and had woken up to find herself tucked in neatly under a pile of blankets in his bed. She never questioned how she got there, just as she never questioned where he would sleep. They were comfortable around each other, some part of their bodies always touching, even if it was just to straighten his tie or to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. She absolutely loved the quiet evenings, preferred them over dressing up and going out, though she more than enjoyed to watch his expression when he saw her in a tight gown; when they just sat in the living room, watching a movie and she sneakily leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder so she could inhale the sweet scent of him. Lots of times she would pretend to have fallen asleep to feel him wrap his arm around her form, tugging her even closer so he could press his lips to her head.

So far they hadn't even kissed, let alone talked about whatever it was that they were doing, but she had long ago given in to the feelings inside her stomach when he walked by, when he cocked his head and gave her that adorable smirk, the way her heart skipped a beat when his voice rumbled through her body. She was a goner, she had accepted that, but secretly swooning over someone and taking the relationship to a more intimate level were two very different things. She would never man up enough to take that step. No, he would need to be the one. It was a coward's tactic; she knew that he would never cross that line with her if he wasn't a hundred percent sure that this was exactly what she wanted as well, not that she was sure he was interested in a relationship with her at all. She was nothing like the countless Madeline Pratts and Doctor Lipsticks. She wasn't overly sophisticated or looked like a model. Raymond Reddington could have anyone, so why would he even think about settling for the wallflower from Nebraska…

Shaking her head, she quickly got rid of the dark thoughts, instead continued thinking about what he had said last night.

"Lizzie, I know you're fairly enjoying my cooking –"

"Oh, do you now?" She asked with a teasing smile.

He squinted his eyes at her, all in good humor still. "We both know just how good I am at this," he told her and Liz couldn't contain an eye roll. "Anyway, I thought we could go out for dinner tomorrow night. There is that little Persian restaurant, the food is divine, to die for! I met the chef, Farrokh, on a trip through Khormoj, a city in and capital of Dashti County in the Bushehr Province, at the coast of the Persian Gulf. A business deal had gone south and Farrokh let Dembe and me hide in his home. We didn't dare to leave his house until nightfall and so we busied ourselves playing cards. Oh my goodness, that man has one hell of a poker face, you wouldn't believe it! He actually managed to rob me off 12 million Rial!" He laughed at the look on her face. "It is only about 400 US dollars, but still. Needless to say, his cooking was sublime, so I helped him open a restaurant in DC."

She would never tell him, but she loved listening to his tales. Story time, was her among her favorite times of the day. "I don't think I've ever tried Persian cuisine."

Red clutched at his chest. "Oh, Lizzie, you're going to feel like you have died and gone to heaven! You're in for a real treat, sweetheart, I promise."

"I believe you," she replied with a smile.

A warm feeling spread through her chest as she remembered the way he had smiled back at her, his eyes sparkling with joy. She actually couldn't wait to catch him alone. If he was being good, she might even tell him that she was looking forward to their dinner later. Walking into the war room, she stopped short at the sight that greeted her.

Red was perched on Agent Navabi's desk, eye-level with her chest, while he didn't even pretend he wasn't looking down her shirt. "What a real man loves is when a woman dresses revealing, yet classy. A beautifully shown off cleavage is a woman's strongest weapon. And what an exquisite weapon you have there, Agent Navabi," he said, gently touching her waist.

Liz couldn't believe her eyes. What was the man playing at? Was everything that had happened just a farce? Was he just keeping her company, because he thought she was broken? Maybe it was easier on his surveillance team, if she spent most of her time with him anyway. She was angry, furious even, and hadn't even realized how tightly she had clenched her fists together until the scar on her hand started hurting from where she had pressed her nails into the skin.

Straightening her back, she quickly made her way through the room. Thankfully most of the people working there had been too busy to even notice the little display. Without stopping once, Liz walked past Samar and Red, ignoring his greeting and slamming the door shut behind her. The blinds were already closed. Ressler was just as sick of people being able to look into their office as she was. Throwing her jacket over her chair, she sat down and flipped through one of the files on her desk.

"Good morning, Lizzie," Red greeted. Of course he hadn't bothered to knock. "I take it you haven't had your caffeine fix yet?" She did her best to ignore him, but she couldn't get her eyes to focus on the words in front of her. "I didn't know you could read upside down."

It was then that she realized the file in her hands actually was upside down. She threw it on the desk and stood, noticing from the corner of her eye that he wore a smug grin. Deciding that shouting at him here would not do her any good, Liz took her jacket and left, signaling to Ressler, who was coming down the stairs from Cooper's office, that she would be waiting at the car. Red actually had the balls to get onto the elevator with her, even though he must have felt the fury radiating off of her.

"Maybe we could catch an early lunch. Have you eaten yet? I doubt it, since it seems like you haven't even gotten a coffee. How about we ride together, wherever it is you need to get to, meet Ressler there, and the two of us get some breakfast. There is a wonderful little hole-in-the-wall place that serves wonderful Guatemalan coffee and breakfast. Remember those black beans, fried plantain slices, panqueques, tortillas and chorizo I once brought you? I picked it up there. You'll feel better once you've eaten and gotten your caffeine. You can call Donald from the car." Red seemed to never know when to shut up, and if she had been holding a pen, it would've gone straight through his neck again. He reached out then, fully intending to take a hold of her elbow, when she violently pulled away.

"Don't you dare touch me!" She hadn't meant to shout as loudly as she had and the look of pure surprise and hurt on his face almost made her feel bad. Almost. Because then she remembered just why she was this angry.

His hand was still raised in mid-air, as if he didn't dare to move. He was probably scared, but she couldn't make herself care. Without another word, she left him standing there and made her way to the car.

She didn't see him at the post office when they returned, but instead found a large cup of coffee, Guatemalan blend, and what seemed like the whole breakfast selection of the diner he had wanted to take her to that morning.

"Here. I can't handle all this so early," she said, putting the meal on his desk.

"Are you sure, Keen? It smells delicious. We could share."

She shook her head. "I'll be right back. Enjoy." Leaving the building, she grabbed herself a stale bagel and what was probably most disgusting coffee that she had ever tasted, but she didn't care. Elizabeth Keen was way too thickheaded.

LizzingtonLizzingtonLizzington

When she got home that evening she took a relaxing bath before getting ready for a night out. She wouldn't meet up with Red, no chance in hell, but she wouldn't let him ruin her Thursday night either. He wouldn't even know until later, because they had agreed on her taking her own car, even though he had complained. But it had been her plan to drink just a little too much, so that she had to crash at his place. Grabbing her keys, she took one last look in the mirror and drove to a bar.

Red was sitting at a table in the back, facing the door and looking dapper as always. He was looking forward to seeing her tonight, even though their meeting that morning had been less than ideal. He figured that wining and dining her could brighten her sour mood. Checking his watch for the umpteenth time, he could see that she was running late, but she was probably just looking for a parking spot. He had told her that riding with him would have been easier.

When she didn't arrive in the next thirty minutes he started to worry and waved over Dembe. "Give me your cell, please." He dialed quickly and held the device to his ear. It rang once, twice, three times and then went to voicemail. It did nothing to lessen his worry. "Dembe, I want to know where she is."

Liz was sitting at a small table, nursing her second Chardonnay, when her eyes roamed through the room. She felt like she was being watched and found herself confirmed when her gaze settled on the bane of her existence. She had to give it to him, he looked incredible in the simple grey suit, but she was just so mad at him. How dare he stalk her now? He gave a small nod, as if asking her to come to him or vice versa and she shook her head and looked off to the side. Red tried catching her eye again, but she did her best to ignore his presence. Did he really think all was well?"

"Miss? The mister over there asked me to give you this," the waiter said, holding up an aviation cocktail.

Liz tried her best to smile at him. "Thank you, but you can tell him to stick it." She tried looking polite as she spoke the words, but the startled look on his face made clear, that that hadn't been the case. With a nod to himself, he quickly took the drink back to his bar.

"Hello there." She looked up to see a tall, handsome man smiling at her.

"Hi."

"I'm Adam," he spoke, holding out his hand.

She gladly shook it. "Liz."

"It is wonderful to meet you, Liz. May I take a seat?"

"Sure," she replied, knowing full well that Red was watching the exchange closely. So be it. He had been a bastard before, so he better deal with this now.

Adam seemed like a nice guy, anything but boring, but she wasn't seriously interested. That was until she pretended to look at one of the paintings, only to find that Red was flirting with a busty waitress. Of course. He couldn't leave her alone and also had to ruin her evening by showing interest in everything that wasn't her.

"It's been good talking to you, Adam, but I'll have to take my leave now. Work."

"Oh, of course," he said, standing up with her and throwing a couple of bills on the table, enough to take care of her check as well. "May I walk you out?"

Knowing exactly what Red would think, she decided to go with it. "Sure. That would be nice."

The only thing she noticed on her way out was a glass hitting a table top loudly.