AN: So, somehow this has happened. Once again I've thought up an alternate ending for one of the epis. It's turning into a running joke really and there are actually more fics lying around on my USB device, but I think this one is going to be multi chap and slow burn Lizzington, so I decided this should be posted first! Special thanks to redisthenewblackington for being super awesome once more! You rock, girl!

Disclaimer: I own my feels! And my cat, though I think Ultrony and I are not on the same page here

Chapter 1

"ATF's been over the grounds. They searched the buried containers. If you're wondering about what you stored there, it's long gone."

"What's this?" She asked, picking up a plastic card.

"A key. I bought you an apartment at The Audrey. Top floor. Splendid view of the Potomac."

"Why?"

"It's time to leave the motel behind."

"I'm happy where I am, thank you."

"You've been many things lately, Lizzie, but happy is not one of them. That motor lodge you call home crushes the spirit, smothers the soul," he told her seriously.

"And you think a view is gonna change that?"

"I once stayed in a villa at Bali with a view of the Indian Ocean. Every morning, all I saw before me was possibility... that and a gorgeous housekeeper named Putu."

The man was infuriating and once again Liz found herself wanting to hit him or stick another pen in his carotid. "Thanks but no thanks... I wish you'd stop."

"Stop what?"

"Trying. Stop hoping things are gonna get better between us. You and me, it's just business. That's all it's ever gonna be."

LizzgingtonLizzingtonLizzington

So this was offically her place now. Red hadn't lied when he had told her about the beautiful view. Overlooking the Potomac had a calming effect on her otherwise wired nerves. She had caved, even though she had wanted to stay strong this time… there was something about him and she just couldn't ignore how her heart clenched when she saw this irritating man hurting, hurting because of her. She still couldn't fathom just why that seemed to be the case.

She hadn't seen him since she'd left him sitting alone in her office. Once again, she had thrown hurtful things at him, telling him that they were strictly business and would never be anything else. She hated being such a bitch towards him, but she was too stubborn to do anything about it. It was a vicious cycle. On his way out, he had left the information for the apartment on her desk, hoping that maybe, maybe she would reconsider and at least take a look around the place. He had been right, she had reconsidered. She collected her belongings and drove straight to the address.

And here she was, in her new apartment, leaning against the window front and staring out into the darkness. Red had even taken the time to find her furniture, furniture she would have chosen for herself if she could've afforded it. He had taken her style into consideration while buying the high-end decor. She was tired and her new bed looked more appealing than the countless boxes she had already collected from storage. She was still reluctant to unpack her personal items. It was all so overwhelming, and she felt as if she just wasn't ready.

With a sigh, she pulled her sweater more tightly around her and walked over to the bed. She crawled between the sheets, noticing how he had chosen blankets instead of a comforter. He'd tried talking her into getting blankets for months, but she had always ignored him, and now she wanted to kiss him. Not kiss him kiss him, but… just… this was hard. She didn't want to think about the feelings she might or might not have, and Ressler bringing the topic up did not help at all.

She tossed from left to right, trying to find the most comfortable position, but somehow she wasn't even tired anymore. She was exhausted alright, but something kept her from relaxing enough to actually fall asleep. It was just too damn quiet. Back at the motel, she could at least hear her neighbors, but now all she could hear was her heart beating against her sternum. It was somewhat unnerving.

With a groan she flopped onto her back again. This was what she had been afraid of. The loneliness inside her was already tearing her apart. How things had changed… Without really understanding what she was doing or why, Liz grabbed her cell from the nightstand and quickly pressed speed dial seven. Even though she hadn't had Chinese take out in a while, it was still her number six. He picked up on the second ring.

"Agent Keen, what can I help you with?"

She hated it when he called her that, she knew he knew she hated it. "Red," she started, but didn't continue.

"Yes?" There was moment of silence. "Agent Keen?"

"Red…" she said again. How stupid she felt for even dialing. She should just hang up already.

"Lizzie? Are you alright?" She could hear the concern in his voice. However bad their situation was, he would always be worried about her. Upon realizing that for herself, she acknowledged just how badly she had treated him, all for no apparent reason. He was the only link to her past and she did believe that he was the only one that could actually keep her safe. "Lizzie?"

"Uhm… God, I shouldn't have called," she said, more to herself than to him.

"What's wrong? Are you alright?"

She shook her head, embarrassment coloring her cheeks. "I'm fine. I'm sorry for bothering you. I'll see you on Monday… or something."

"Lizzie," he called out before she could hang up. "Talk to me." She stayed quiet, but he could hear her breathing. "Did something happen?"

She shuffled around and ended up sitting against the headboard. "The apartment. It's beautiful."

Red sighed in relief, now that he knew she was safe, he could relax somewhat. "You're at the apartment?" She made a noise of agreement. "Is everything to your liking?"

"It's perfect," she replied immediately. "Red, you really shouldn't have."

"I wanted to, and I want you to have a home again," he said softly. "Do you need help moving? I can call some people –"

"I've already gotten most of my boxes from storage."

"You should have called sooner, Lizzie. You don't have to do this alone."

She couldn't help but smile at his words. "I don't have much left anyway. It's fine." They fell into silence once more.

"Something is wrong," he said.

"Mh? What should be wrong?"

He made a displeased noise at the back of his throat. "You're stalling, Lizzie."

"I'm fine, don't worry."

"Believe it or not, I always worry about you," Red told her softly and she felt her insides twist at the admission. "Tell me."

"I can't sleep," she blurted out and then slapped her forehead at her own stupidity. "Forget I said anything. I'm just tired and –"

"Lizzie?" He interrupted her rant.

"Yes?"

"I'll be right there," Red told her

LizzingtonLizzingtonLizzington

There was a knock on her door about fifteen minutes later. Fifteen minutes she had spent pacing around her new place, fifteen minutes of fiddling her fingers, fifteen minutes of beating herself up over her over-emotional state of mind. She hurried towards the entrance and looked through the peephole before opening the door, revealing her favorite criminal all dressed up, as usual, with a bottle of wine in one hand and a pot with a violet orchid in the other. Of course she was absolutely underdressed in her yoga pants and loose sweater.

"I come bearing gifts," he said with a smile, reciting something he had said months ago.

She stepped aside to let him in, closing the door behind him. "And here I thought you would let yourself in."

"I don't have a key."

"You don't?" She asked, surprised.

"I didn't want to overstep my boundaries."

She walked up to him then. "Let me take your coat."

Red turned to her and handed her the bottle and the orchid instead. "Take this. I got the rest."

"It's beautiful. Thank you, Red."

He hung his coat on the rack next to the door, putting his hat on top of it. "You're quite welcome, Lizzie. Let's open that bottle, shall we? I seem to recall buying a bottle opener."

Red found the tool easily and then proceeded to uncork the wine, after shooing her out of the kitchen and into the living room. He found her sitting on the edge of her new couch, her eyes moving around the wide space. He sat down next to her, careful to put enough space between them. He really didn't want to anger her again. She gave him a smile as she accepted the glass, before looking away again. They spent a couple of minutes in silence, both contentedly sipping their wine.

Leaning back against the couch, Red turned his body to face her. "I'm glad you reconsidered," he told her softly.

"Me, too. But you really shouldn't have, Red."

"I told you, I wanted to." She shook her head at that. "Does it make you uncomfortable?"

"Yes."

Red put his glass on the small table in front of him and then leaned back into the cushion, draping one arm over the back of the couch. "It really shouldn't make you uncomfortable, Lizzie."

"It's too much."

He smiled at her. "It's not like I can't easily afford it."

"Still… I'm paying you back."

"No," he told her immediately.

"Red –"

"No, Lizzie. I'm not taking money from you." She sighed, dropping her head on the back of the couch, her hair landing on his outstretched hand. He had to refrain from playing with the silky strands. "Now, why can't you sleep? You do look tired."

"I am. It's… just very quiet."

"And the silence feels like the quiet before the storm," he said. "You're on alert." She turned her head to look at him, unaware that her hair tickled his skin. "You've had a tough year, I know. But believe me when I tell you that you're safe here. Security is one of the reasons I've chosen this place."

"I don't feel very safe lately," Liz said tiredly.

He winced at her words. "I'm sorry, sweetheart."

"I don't even remember the last time I really slept," she said, smiling humorlessly.

Red leaned closer and dared tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Why don't you go to bed and I'll stick around for awhile?" He asked, and then added, "I've always wanted to do some snooping around your things." She huffed a laugh at that. He stood up and held out his hand for her. "Come on, I'll tuck you in," he said with a grin.

His heart jumped when he felt her hand slip into his. He had missed her touch and this was already more than he could have hoped for. Together they walked to her bedroom and Red led her to the bed, switching on a lamp, before pulling back the blankets so she could get settled between the sheets.

It came to her then that he really was tucking her in. "I'd have never thought I'd prefer blankets over a comforter." He smiled gently, as he pulled the warm material over her body, making sure she was fully covered.

He stroked over her hair once. "Sleep, Lizzie. And try not to think too hard about me going through your belongings." He winked. "Goodnight, sweetheart," he said, turning to exit the room.

"Red?" She called out, stopping him before he could leave. He looked at her and Liz found it even harder to speak up now. She must be crazy for asking this at all. "Would you stay with me? Just for a while?" Red stared on, unsure of what to say exactly. "You don't have to," she hurried on. "Uh… I'm sorry, I'm more tired than I thought, I guess."

He took a calming breath and stepped towards her again. "Are you sure, Lizzie?"

She moved the hand that had covered her face and looked up at him and Liz realized that they were both at a vulnerable point right then. "It would make me feel a lot safer," she admitted softly.

Red nodded and shrugged off his jacket, and for a moment, she thought he would undress completely. What worried her more was that she wouldn't even mind. "I'll take off my vest and tie, if that's alright with you," he said, as if he had sensed her slight hesitation.

"Of course."

Giving her a smile, he made quick work of said items and carefully placed them on a nearby chair, before kicking off his shoes. He rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt and gingerly sat on the edge of the mattress. For a moment he contemplated sitting against the headrest, but then he decided against it, opting for lying down completely. "I must say, this mattress is very comfortable."

"Red?"

"Mhm?"

"Lying on top of the blankets is kinda making them too tight…"

"Oh… uh…" He shuffled around for a moment.

"Red," she said again. "Just get under them. You're movements are making me seasick."

He stopped immediately then. Sometimes she was just too much. Then he lifted his hips and pulled the blankets out from under him, before pulling them over his waist. He was already too warm. Was he getting nervous?

He felt the mattress dip slightly as she moved closer. He could feel the warmth radiating from her body. "Is this okay?" She asked gently.

Red would take everything he could get, so it was more than okay. "Come here," he said, stretching his arm over her head. She looked at him for a moment and he feared that she would reject his offer, but then she moved even closer and laid her head on his chest, her arm over his waist. Both sighed contently and Red closed his left arm around her back, holding her to him.

"Red?"

"Yes, Lizzie?"

"Thank you."

He smiled and then reached over to switch off the lamp on the nightstand, before placing a soft kiss on the top of her head. "Goodnight, sweetheart."