The knock resonated the empty room, muffled slightly by the books that were crammed along the shelves and stacked next to the couches. Raymond Reddington raised his eyebrows as he finished his sip of scotch and ran the tip of his tongue over his bottom lip before he set the glass on the worn mahogany table and stood, brushing off the legs of his trousers. The light was low from the dimming sunlight that shown through the musty windows and one or two desk lamps that were spread apart along the large apartment.

Red hid his surprise well when he saw Elizabeth Keen standing in his doorway, her arms crossed and eyes trained to the floor. Dembe had stepped a little farther down the hall, giving the two some privacy as he still kept watch.

"Hello, Lizzie."

His voice made her look up and she blinked. Red could see the puffiness of her eyes, the afterthought of tears.

Lizzie bit her lip, her eyebrows tilted upwards in uncertainty. Red noticed how blue they looked…Easy to lose yourself in…he mused, one corner of his mouth barely twitching with the thought. As if sensing Red's observations, Lizzie blinked and pushed back her emotion before finally murmuring, "You were right."

Red's eyebrows lifted and he put one hand on his hip, leaning against the door.

"About Tom," Elizabeth said, shaking her head and Red noticed how dark her hair looked in the dim light of the hall. "You were right…he…well, he's gone."

Reddington blinked, pursing his lips before standing aside, "Come in."

Lizzie's eyes flickered back down to the ground as she stepped past him, making a beeline to the sofa and sinking down into the soft cushions. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees and running a hand through her dark hair, her eyes staring forward, unseeing.

Red closed the door and turned to her, watching from across the space. For the first time, she looked small to him. His eyebrows furrowed and the concern made him gently bite the inside of his cheek. Her jaw, which was once strong as she concentrated on her goal, as she chased what she wanted, was now slack with exhaustion. Dark bags cradled her eyes greedily, the makeup smudged and smeared. The sharp blue of her eyes had dulled and glazed in the dim lighting of the apartment.

"What happened?" Red finally asked, settling onto the couch away from her, giving Lizzie plenty of space.

Elizabeth Keen brought a hand to her face and hid behind it, fingers splayed across her forehead.

"You…Tom…he," the words didn't want to leave her. They were stuck in her throat and Lizzie clenched her jaw in frustration. She was starting to wonder why she had come here…she was actually going to go to Ressler's, but without realizing what was happening, she made her way here, knocked on Red's door. Why?

Because he knew, Elizabeth told herself, because Reddington knew.

"I saw a picture…the trash in the locker, it had a toy I'd given him yesterday morning to bring to his class. That's when I realized. Today, Tom had somehow found out that I knew something wasn't right. He must've gotten into my computer, or saw the pictures, or something. I don't know how." Her bitterness budded in small tears that made her eyes shine behind the cover of her hands.

" He was waiting for me when I got home. I tried to play it off… play the fool, but he could see right through me. Tom could always see right through me…."

Red could see the way Lizzie's shoulders shook and could hear the desperation on her breath. He knew this would've come, that Elizabeth would've found out, yet he was still not ready for it. In reality, the mere fact that she had come to his doorstep surprised him. He had thought that surely he was not on her good side ever since he had insisted that Tom was a danger.

Elizabeth's hand flickered away from her face and Reddington could see the faint darkness of a bruise start to bloom across the side of her cheek. He couldn't help but cock his head and narrow his eyes as he studied it, his anger filling the silence between them.

His eyes felt like hot pokers on Elizabeth's skin.

"Could I get a drink?" she asked quietly, still not meeting his eyes.

"Of course."

Red stood and moved towards the liquor cabinet and took out a bottle of scotch. For a moment, he had considered uncorking some of the wine he had in the wine racks, but decided Elizabeth deserved something a little bit stronger. Pouring it in a tumbler and moving back to the couch, he handed it to her.

Lizzie looked up at him and met his eyes finally, taking the glass away from his hand. He could feel her fingertips press against his and he dared giving her a small, sympathetic smile. The blue eyes skittered away from his own and she took a drink, swallowing back the strength of the alcohol and feeling the edge wear off of her nerves.

"How badly did he hurt you?" Reddington asked, his voice a low, smoky murmur as he motioned to the side of Elizabeth's face, his mouth pressed into a tight line and his eyes darkening.

"That's it, he came after me when my back was turned, I didn't even know he was there," Lizzie said, waving her hand dismissively and sipping her drink. "I'm fine, I swear."

"Don't lie to me, Lizzie," Red warned, grabbing his own glass and refilling it.

"Excuse me?" Elizabeth responded, looking at his back, the way the satin of his dress vest looked glossy in the low light.

"I said don't lie to me," he repeated over the soft sound of scotch pouring.

"I'm not lying."

"Yes you are," Red retorted, settling back down on the couch and looking over at Lizzie, his chin raised slightly as he regarded her. "If you try to tell me your 'fine', you must think me a fool, Lizzie."

Keen sipped away her annoyance when he said her name. Red always did it so lowly, so effortlessly, like it was his only purpose in life, to say her name, to draw it out and taste it on his tongue.

She itched the scar on her hand.

"Alright. I'm not fine," she admitted, her pride crumbling away. "What would you expect? First my father dies…then Tom."

"I never expect anything from you," Red hummed, blinking.

Elizabeth looked at him, her fingers pressed against the cool glass of her tumbler. His voice echoed in her head. Be careful of you husband, Lizzie…. "How did you know about Tom?" She couldn't help the thin little cracks that traced her voice.

Red's eyes didn't blink as they trailed over her, looking at the shine left on her cheeks from the frustration of her tears. His thumb twitched as he thought about wiping them away, but he knew far better than to do so. The truth stung him behind his stoical face, made Red press his jaw tighter as he looked again at the bruise that dappled Elizabeth's high cheekbone.

"Lizzie, I promised not to lie to you…and I never will, but-"

He was brutally interrupted by her distrustful scoff. "Of course there's a 'but' in there," she spat, swirling her glass and swallowing the rest of her liquor in one swallow. "Why do I even ask? Why should I even expect to get the whole truth from you?" Lizzie got up and moved to the bottle of scotch, helping herself to another glass. She sipped from her tumbler with her back to Red, one arm wrapped around herself, shoulders slightly hunched.

"I feel like this is a game to you, Reddington. Like I'm just some pawn."

Lizzie's voice was so quiet and small, Red almost missed her words. Even though they were mere whispers, they clawed at his heart with a ferocity he feared. She had been angry with him before, called him a monster to his face, gazed up at him with disgust and shock in her eyes…but those did not compare to the sting he now felt from Lizzie's hurt.

Red tried to blink back the fear he felt, the fear of Lizzie pulling away from him.

"This is not a game," he said, his calm voice providing a steady visage to take cover, "and I will never use you. But I need you to trust me when I say that your answers need time."

Lizzie inhaled, shutting her eyes against the sound of his voice and trying to remember what her life was like, normal and happy before this criminal crashed into her life. The smell of the books found her, the dry scent of aged paper and dust. She heard her breathing and the steady slowing of her heartbeat.

"Where are you staying tonight?" Red quietly asked, sipping the rest of his drink and setting the empty tumbler on the coffee table. He leaned back on the worn leather sofa, his arms spread along the back and his legs crossed. His tone was light, hiding the real concern he felt looking at her.

"I don't know," she said, waving her hand, "The house is a mess, we really trashed it…stuff's broken everywhere…the dog got out, I have no idea where he is now."

The silence lulled between them and Reddington turned looked at the dusty windows, one eyebrow raised as he pressed his lips together, still tasting the scotch on his tongue. "You could stay here, you know."

"What?"

Red continued to look out the window, raising both eyebrows then as he spoke. "This apartment has three bedrooms, there's more than enough space for you here. I assure you, this place is safe. Dembe's outside, nothing can hurt you here."

Agent Keen's mouth hung slightly open, the shock of Red's suggestion momentarily stunning her. Stay here? With Raymond Reddington?

"Good lord, Lizzie, it's not like I'm asking you to share a bed with me," Reddington finally scoffed, standing and shaking his head, his hands on his hips and a smile playing with his mouth. He always seemed to be able to read her mind. "I'm just offering a perfectly good place to sleep, for tonight."

And a place where I can make sure you're safe…Red thought to himself. The idea of Tom running around unwatched unnerved him, set his teeth on edge.

"I have work in the morning," Lizzie said, glancing away at him, sputtering excuses.

"There's an alarm clock in one of the guest rooms."

She was quiet, crossing her arms before she looked back at the man in front of her, the criminal mastermind that was offering to be a host for the night.

"Lizzie…its two o'clock in the morning…you need sleep."

The low hum of his voice made her eyelids involuntarily droop with exhaustion. The day started to weigh against her, Tom's betrayal feeling like cinderblocks stacked against her spine. The apartment was large enough and she trusted Red enough to know that he would keep his distance. However, Lizzie still wasn't quite comfortable with the whole situation. However, did she have a choice? Where was she going to go?

Rolling her eyes and trying to fight back a yawn, Lizzie finally said, "Fine. But just for tonight."

"Of course.