Chapter 1 Arriving Home
AN: RL has been a bear lately. I have dabbled in this story as sleep seems to elude me these days or more likely nights. This chapter is set before S2E1. Enjoy the read…
The sheet of rain continued to assail everything in its path as the bruising wind battered any item that was not properly secured. Pieces of trash and other lightweight items swirled across the city streets while traffic slowed to a crawl, congesting the roadway as Liz's car sought shelter from the storm. Liz strained to find the glowing Motel 6 beacon while the windshield wipers struggled to clear the water that was pelting the glass.
"Yes… finally! There it is." Liz stated sarcastically, "Home sweet home."
She attempted to get as close to her room as she could before parking, however the parking lot was almost full. She finally parked in an empty space farther from her room, pulled the hood of her lightweight jacket over her head, let out a deep sigh and groaned when she opened the car door. The blowing raindrops stung her face as she gingerly stepped out of her car into the rain. Her feet sank into a quickly flowing stream of water that topped her shoes and deluged her feet. A gust of wind blew the hood off of her head as she tried to run for cover. After finally reaching the covered walkway, she heard the squishing sound of her shoes mocking her every step. Her hair now lay in wet strands around her face as rivulets of water ran down her cheeks. Liz began to dig in her bag for her room key card.
"Oh, thank goodness for small favors. This maybe the only one I get today."
It had been a particularly trying day at the office and the rain had just added another layer of frustration. She was looking forward to getting inside, having a steaming cup of tea and changing into some dry clothes.
Liz looked at the plain white card with the magnetic strip now clutched in her hand. She suddenly thought, `How plain, how uncluttered yet how important. This unadorned card is the key that will protect me from the rain and bruising wind that are battering me right now. How like real life. The key to happiness is so uncluttered yet most do not recognize it when it's placed before them.'
Just as Liz prepared to slide the card into the key slot, a particularly strong clap of thunder caused her to startle and release her hold on the key as a gust of wind blew the card over the railing and into the parking lot. She turned and watched as the card floated into the closest storm drain.
"Damn you, bastard!"
Through the door, Liz heard Hudson's high pitched welcoming yaps. In a fit of anger she began to beat on the door of her latest economically priced, one room, temporary dwelling. Her fists froze in mid-flight when the door began to open. There stood Raymond Reddington holding Hudson.
"How…?"
Liz quickly became aware that she was definitely not looking her best. Her eyes dropped to her wet clothes that were clinging to her body and she could only imagine what her plastered wet hair looked like.
Red smirked. "Hello sweetheart! I thought I recognized the sweet dulcet tones of your voice! Aren't you going to welcome me home? Hudson gave me a tail wagging exuberant welcome."
"Red! You bastard! Welcome you home? You scared the daylights out of me."
Red placed Hudson on the floor. Soon the dog was enthusiastically licking Liz in the face as she bent down to greet him.
"Hello Hudson. Yes, I'm so glad to see you too. I missed you more than you missed me. Oh baby, I'm so glad to be home with you. Now let me get dry and if you mind your manners I'll get you something to eat."
Red paused to watch the spectacle. Despite being wet from head to toe Lizzie was still very beautiful yet her face was conflicted. Her smile and tone of voice reflected the love she had for Hudson while her eyes still radiated a deep sadness that had set in following her realization that her marriage to Tom was a total ruse, a bed of lies.
Red slightly cocked his head to the side and grinned, then he bantered, "I suppose it was a bit of a shock, but you seemed to be having some difficulty getting into this bare-bones place. You seem to have a knack for choosing the most charming living spaces. Don't I even get a thank you for letting you in out of the rain?"
"Buzz off Red! If you don't like the place you're most welcome to leave. No one is keeping you here."
Red turned and walked further into the dimly lit, musty smelling room. He then walked over to the coffee maker that was sitting on the counter and poured a steaming cup of hot water into a mug that contained a tea bag.
Liz watched as Red made himself at home. She noticed that he had removed and hung up his lightweight trench coat on the small clothing rack. His ever present fedora had been placed on the dresser where a newspaper was folded to the latest crossword puzzle.
"Lizzie, I brought you some Chinese takeout from the mom and pop establishment down the street."
Liz began to shake with unrestrained laughter, "Oh crap, that's what I forgot! I left the Chinese takeout that I bought in my car."
It felt good to hear Liz laugh, a sound that had rarely appeared lately.
"Well, sweetheart, it seems that great minds think alike."
Here was Red welcoming her into her own home. How typical. He had thought of meeting her needs with her favorite food and a cup of tea. Did he realize what a caretaker he really was?
Liz plopped down onto the closest chair and began to remove her wet shoes. She then reached over to adjust the thermostat on the rattling air conditioning unit. Red noticed that Liz had begun to shiver so he quickly found her robe and handed it to her. He held onto the robe longer than he should have as he gazed directly into Lizzie's sad blue eyes. When her eyes engaged his a current of understanding was exchanged between the two. Coming home to an empty room was so disheartening.
"Lizzie, you need to get into some dry clothes before you eat your dinner. I will have your cup of tea ready when you're finished."
Liz didn't object. She draped the robe over her arm as she took a dry T-shirt and a pair of shorts from the middle drawer of the dresser and went into the bathroom to take a quick warm shower.
~X~X~
Liz asked Red to stay for dinner. He refused the food, but enjoyed a warm cup of tea while she ate the food he had bought for her. Red basked in the warmth of this female. For years he had missed the company of a sincere, compassionate, intelligent woman who operated without a calculating agenda.
They discussed the business trip Red had returned from just two days ago. He had been acquiring an arsenal of weapons he deemed necessary to combat the threat posed by the man he called Berlin. He and Liz had redoubled their efforts to find Berlin yet were still encountering many roadblocks. Without Harold Cooper at the helm, the team at the Post Office seemed to be most ineffective.
Liz knew that she was still grappling with her debacle of a marriage. She just couldn't accept that she, a trained FBI profiler, had been so duped by an imposter. She couldn't believe that she had not picked up on any clues that things were amiss. She now questioned her fitness to be a profiler, her effectiveness. She knew Red and many others depended on her skill and intuitive ability to help solve the toughest of crimes.
Her confidence had been shaken. Red had been there offering support in every way he could, but ultimately Liz knew that a positive change was up to her. She had to be the one to do the work required to make the change. She had to let go. Let go of her past. Let go of Tom.
After Liz finished her dinner she couldn't stifle the yawns that kept appearing. Red quickly noticed and decided it was time for him to leave.
"Sweetheart, at the risk of boring you any further with my company this evening I will now say goodnight. Dembe is waiting and I have more plans to make."
Liz did not protest. She knew she needed the sleep. Sleep had been eluding her lately.
"Red, thank you for being so thoughtful tonight. We must do this again."
"You're very welcome, sweetheart."
The door opened and Red stepped into the night leaving a silent gaping void in his wake.
AN: All comments are welcome. They keep the midnight oil burning.