Disclaimer: I do not own the Blacklist, though I wish I did.

"How can you ever live with yourself?" she asked out of misbelief as she looked up at him from the wheelchair she was currently occupying.

"By saving your life," was his response, and the truth that flowed from his eyes shocked her. "I've done a lot of bad things to people that I regret, Lizzie, but that," he pointed behind her signifying the man burning in the chemical bath, "I will never regret." The scary thing to Elizabeth Keen was that she believed him.

Red gently picked her up, cradling her body bridal style against his chest. "Put me down, Reddington, I am perfectly capable of walking myself." He chuckled and sat her on her feet and waited. Sure enough as soon as she moved her first foot, she fell right into his arms.

Chuckling again he picked her back up to her previous position. "Now that we have that settled…" Sometimes she really hated his sense of humor. As soon as he had carried her out, the FBI arrived and he walked her straight to the ambulance to get her checked out. They cleared her to go home but said that someone needed to keep an eye on her just in case. "Don't worry, I will," Red answered before she could protest.

"I am going home Reddington. My home." She stated harshly as he carried her to his car.

"No, my dear, you're not. You're going to my place, end of story."

"But, Red…" the sedatives the EMT had given her had begun to work making her words slowly turn into whines.

"You're acting like a petulant child, Liz, stop it." to punctuate his sentence he slammed his door closed.

Elizabeth began to pout as she leant her head back. Red reached across her to buckle her in and she had to suppress a giggle that threatened to escape her mouth as his breath blew across her cheek. "Now go to sleep, Lizzie," he whispered whilst Dembe pulled the car away from the scene. Reddington pulled her head to lay on his shoulder, slightly reveling in the feel of her snuggling into him.

"Why are you so comfortable, Red?" she mumbled burying her face farther into his jacket and sliding her arm through his to draw closer to him. "Mmmm… this is nice."

Now he really knew it was the sedative talking and Red began to grow slightly uncomfortable. Sure, he liked her and all but he was getting too comfortable with her leaning on him like that. He got too much of a thrill from her little breaths streaming across his neck.

Finally, after a thirty minute drive, they arrived back at Reddington's hotel. "Come on darling," he whispered. "Time to get up and go inside."

"I don't think I can walk, Red."

Red looked at her with a certain softness that made Liz's heart melt. "Ok, sweetheart." Lifting her out of the car he waived Dembe off as he tried to take her from him. "I've got her. Go park the car and be on the lookout."

"Yes." The larger man walked back to the car and Red carried his girl into the hotel.

The next think Liz knew, she was being laid on the softest bed she had ever felt. "Soft," she mumbled as she rolled to her side and curled into the pillow. "Smells good… like you Red." He chuckled softly and pulled the covers up to her chin. Without thinking, he bent forward and kissed her temple, catching her release of breath as he did so. He brushed his fingers over her hair, removing it from her face as he did so. "Red?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Is this your bed?" Her eyes never once opened.

"Yes."

"Then where will you sleep?"

"Oh, I'm going to just hang out you know. I probably won't sleep, I'm okay."

"But you're tired, Red." Now she had opened one eye and it was firmly on the man in front of her.

"Well if I do go to sleep I'll sleep on the couch."

"No." both eyes were open now and as full of determination as her last statement had been. "I am not taking your bed."

"Darling, go to sleep."

"No. Not until you either take me home or get in here too because I will not take your bed after you saved my life tonight." It was then that the realization hit her full force, he had saved her life. He had saved her from a world of pain. "Oh God." Her eyes welled up with tears as she finally realized just how close to death that she had come. "You saved me." she had been so caught up in what he had done to the Stewmaker that she didn't even realize that if he hadn't have shown up in time, it would have been her. Sobs wracked her body at the thought. The one dose of whatever that horrible chemical was The Stewmaker had put in her body had hurt like hell. She couldn't imagine what the other would have felt like.

Immediately Reddington was in the bed and had her in his arms. She buried her face in his neck and pulled on the lapels of his jacket, trying intensely to pull herself closer to him. "Shhhh, Lizzie, it's okay. I'm here, you're safe. I won't let anyone hurt you, I promise. I promise you, my darling." He repeated his words over and over as he planted kisses into her hair.

When she had finally calmed down, she stayed in his arms clinging to him. She felt so unlike herself, so pathetic, but she couldn't help it, she needed to feel close to him. "Thank you," she whispered, placing a kiss to the crook of his neck.

"Anytime. Now, darling you really need to go to sleep or you will never sleep the sedatives off."

She crawled off his lap and back between his soft black silk sheets. "Red?"

"Yes my dear?" No answer. "Darling?" he placed his hand on her arm to get her attention. She quickly grabbed his hand and pulled his arm around her waist, forcing him to spoon her. She laced their fingers and settled back into his body, feeling slightly unnerved as to how comfortable being in such an intimate position with him was. As cliché as it sounded, she couldn't help but feel how perfectly their bodies fit together. This though made her mind drift to a few very inappropriate ones before she gave up the battle with sleep.

As for Reddington, he was shocked to say the least as to the turn of events in the night. He settled down to sleep, feeling very content to be sleeping with the woman he loved in his arms. Wait! Did I just say that I love her? But at that moment she sighed in her sleep pulling his arm farther around her and snuggling further back into him. Yep, I'm a goner. He kissed the back of her head and whispered a goodnight before falling asleep himself.