Hello all! I know! It's been forever since I've posted anything new BUT I have been writing and have a few things all ready to be posted!
How great was the post-Super Bowl episode!? Definitely one of my favorites!
Please know that this is un-BETAed but I did do my best at cleaning it up. I am looking for a BETA if anyone is interested? I don't pay very much (nothing) but I am great fun to talk to :)
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
A brand new shiny black Mercedes moved quickly along the back roads of upstate New York with the steady rain gently surrounding it.
The man in the back seat took a deep breath and smiled. Fresh rain, the rich earthy smell of nature and Her. Two smells he enjoyed and one he adored.
Raymond Reddington turned his head to look at the sleeping woman in the seat next to him. The full moon shining brightly in the night sky highlighted her beautiful face through the car window. His Lizzie.
Red and Lizzie had to make the long drive that afternoon to speak with an old acquaintance of Red's. Red was convinced he would be able to give them some information about Alistair Cunningham, the Blacklister they were hunting, and to Lizzie's surprise the friend came through. With any luck and of course Aram's brilliance on the computer, Alistair would be in FBI custody tomorrow afternoon.
Red wasn't at all shocked that Lizzie would fall asleep on the way back. While the whole mess with Berlin, and of course Tom, was now over, it had only been a couple of weeks. Red knew how hard it was to get back into a sleeping pattern after going so long without it. Red was hoping now that everything was slowly getting back to normal for her, Lizzie would begin to look for a new place to call home instead of a motel.
While that sort of life may work for him, Red knew it was hard for her. Lizzie needed a schedule, a routine. She needed her own home filled with her own things and sleep in her own bed at night. If she didn't start doing it herself soon, Red knew he would be forced to take matters into his own hands and do it for her.
Lizzie's movement brought Red out of his thoughts and he once again turned his focus to her.
If Red was being honest, he loved it when the occasion called for Lizzie to ride with him. It was rare but that's what made it all the more special he thought. Each and every time she rode in his car, a story or reason why came with it.
Thinking back to the very first time they rode together always made Red smile. In the backseat of that taxi in Montreal as they made their way to the restaurant to meet with the Freelancer. Lizzie had been more uptight that night then he had ever seen anybody be. Annoyance, distrust and impatience poured off her in droves. Red would always remember that short ride as the first time he got to spend one on one time with her without the eyes and ears of the FBI listening in.
The second time she rode in back seat with him had been the first time in his car. That rainy dreary morning outside his hotel when she wanted to make a deal with him in exchange for her help with Wujing. He would remember that time as the beginning of Lizzie's personal and professional growth. Slowly learning that in life sometimes you needed to will and deal. If they wanted something, always get something in return. When they wanted you to scratch their back, have them scratch yours.
Even the bad rides were good in Red's mind. The worst ride they had took so far had been in the back of that ambulance with Anslo Garrick in the front seat. Red wouldn't remember it as the ride to the torture warehouse but as the ride Lizzie had first looked at him differently. He remembered looking up at her and seeing her face, pale from stress and with a few bloody marks but still beautiful, and her big brown eyes wide with fear, worry and slight confusion about what was happening around her. She hadn't been on the force long enough for her mind to automatically push those feelings away and get the job done.
Dembe slowing down for a red light brought Red out of his reminiscing. He once again smiled as he studied the still sleeping woman next to him with her head braced against the seat belt.
Red couldn't pinpoint one single reason why he loved to ride in a car with her. It was a variety of things.
It gave him a chance to share her space even if just for a short while. It gave him time to speak with her in person instead of on the phone. He liked watching her face when they spoke. Her facial expressions gave away more than her words ever did. One of his very favorite reasons were what she left when she got out of the car.
Her scent.
The scent of her and her perfume, Mademoiselle by Chanel, would stay in the car for several minutes after she stepped out. Red knew that as long as he lived, wherever he was, he would always turn around to look for her if he ever caught a whiff of that perfume.
As Dembe pulled into the parking lot of Lizzie's current motel, Red couldn't help but think of that little shop in Nice that sold every kind of women's perfume you could think of, from the common and mass produced to the unknown and ultra rare.
Jar Bolt, The Lightning Perfume. Designed to smell just like the air that circulates after lightning strikes. That's what she needed to wear! That would smell heavenly on Lizzie. A quick thought of Lizzie leaving that smell behind her wherever she went pleased Red as he reached over to touch her leg, shaking her awake.
Lizzie's eyes opened quickly and she took in her surroundings before turning to the man next to her. She gave him a small smile as she ran her fingers through her hair.
Maybe it was time to take a quick trip to Nice Red thought as he returned her smile.
The End!
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