Title: Massage

Author: thousand_miles

Rating: K

Disclaimer: This is all for fun. I don't own any of this.

Summary: Lizzie's at home, sick. Red goes and visit her. (Lizzington)

Spoilers: None, I think.

A/N: This is just an idea that came to mind. It's nothing serious. It's me having fun with this ship.

Massage

"Where is Agent Keen?" Raymond Reddington, the Concierge of Crime, asked as he stood in the FBI agents office with only Agent Ressler sitting at his desk.

"She called in sick." Ressler answered.

"What's wrong with her?" Red asked. For many he may have sounded indifferent, but when it came to Elizabeth Keen, he was never indifferent.

"I don't know. Something with her back."

"Well then, I have no business to attend to here." Red turned around and left with Dembe following him in silence.

A good half an hour later Red arrived at Lizzie's apartment. Lizzie didn't know he had a key to her apartment and until now he had never used it before. He had the key for emergencies and although this might not be a real emergency, he did think it was justified to use the key.

"Lizzie?" He called out as he walked into her apartment. Walking further into her apartment Red placed the bag on the kitchen counter. He finally saw Lizzie when he made his way into the living room. There she was lying on the couch watching TV.

"Lizzie." He once again said.

"Red?" Surprised by Red's sudden appearance Lizzie immediately sat up, a movement she immediately regretted. "Aaaggrrr…" She groaned in pain and quickly lay down again.

"What are you doing here?"

Red crouched down next to the couch to look in Lizzie's eyes. "You called in sick. I was concerned."

Lizzie shifted carefully on her back. "Oow." Was all she managed to say.

"What's wrong with your back?" From the moment she'd suddenly tried to sit up straight and failed he knew something was wrong with her back.

"I don't know. Maybe a wrong move or maybe I slept in an awkward position. I woke up in the middle of the night with pain and hardly slept since them."

"Come on, let me see what I can do for you." Standing back up again, Red looked down at Lizzie and couldn't help but smile. Not that he enjoyed seeing her in pain, but as she lay there on her back, her hair tousled and her arm flung behind her head and the other over her side, she looked endearing.

"What exactly are you going to do?" She was suspicious. Red had the tendency to assume he could do everything, but she seriously doubted that.

"Let me see if I can help you." He said again. Seeing the doubt in her eyes he once again smiled. "Trust me." He spoke softly. He knew she had a hard time refusing him whenever he spoke softly or lowered his voice. Seeing her nod slightly he crouched down and carefully helped her sit up. "Where's your bedroom?" He practically whispered in her ear.

Lizzie shivered, a reaction she couldn't stop if she wanted too. They'd never been this close before. She could practically feel his body heat. "What do you want to do in my bedroom?"

"Oow, Lizzie. That is a loaded question." He leaned back on laughed a bit at Lizzie's flushed cheeks. "I just want to look at your back and this couch doesn't provide us with much room."

"Okay." Lizzie let Red help her up, but pushed his arms away as he wanted the help her walk to the bedroom.

Lizzie's stubbornness didn't surprise him and he let her walk to her bedroom alone. However he stayed close behind so he could catch her if she fell. It was something he always did. If Lizzie was going to fall no matter where or how, he would always do everything within his powers to catch her.

As they walked towards her bedroom something dawned on Lizzie. "Wait a minute. How did you get into my apartment?"

"I let myself in." Red answered, evasive as usual.

"I figured, but I want to know how. Did you pick the lock?"

"Not exactly."

"Red." Lizzie just said his name knowing it was more than enough for him to know she wanted an answer.

"I used my key."

"What?" She stopped walking immediately. "How did you get a key? Why do you even have a key?"

"In case of emergencies I can get in." Spotting her bedroom, Red passed her and continued on to the bedroom.

"How many times have you used that key?" Lizzie glared at his back.

"Have there ever been any emergencies?"

"No, but neither was today and yet you used it."

Standing in her bedroom, Red took a moment to look around. "You know, Lizzie. I've always know that one day you would lead me into your bedroom." He said smugly.

Shuffling passed him, Lizzie carefully sat down on her bed. "I did not lead you into my bedroom. You did."

"Potato, potatoe." Red sat down next to hear, leaned in and whispered. "And you very willingly followed me, sweetheart." He teased. "How about you lay down on your stomach and then I'll check your back."

With some difficulty Lizzie lay down. To give Red a chance to check her back she had to roll up her shirt but she should have thought of that earlier. Seeing Lizzie struggle with her shirt, Red pushed her hands away and took over, rolling up her shirt and exposing her back to him. With his finger he traced an imaginary path on her back. He felt her shiver and noticed the goose bumps as she reacted to his touch. For a moment he was lost in thought. Here he was, in Lizzie's bedroom, touching her exposed back, but this didn't come close to the way he'd imagined this moment. He took a deep breath. He yearned to tell Lizzie how he felt. But he had to thread carefully because Lizzie tended to flee whenever she felt things got too close. Lately he'd been giving her subtle hints, holding her eyes a bit longer than normal, touching her a bit more, but either his hints were too subtle or Lizzie was not interested.

"Red?" He'd been too quiet and wasn't really checking her back. Not that she minded his soft touch, but lying here like this she felt too exposed, too vulnerable and when it came to Red, she wasn't ready to be that vulnerable yet. Even now, after working together for a while, she still wasn't entirely sure where she stood with him. Especially lately. She wasn't sure what was going on, but Red was different and she didn't know how to react to that. And well, there was also the fact that her feelings for him were changing and she also didn't know what to do with that. For now she tried to ignore them, hoping they would go away. Though in the back of her mind she knew they wouldn't because they were too strong already.

"Sorry, Lizzie." Red apologized for getting lost in thoughts. "I think with some muscle relaxants and some ointment for your back you'll be fine again." Rummaging through bag he'd brought with him, he found the ointment. "This will be a bit cold." He warned her before he started to rub the salve on her back.

Red's hands were working magic on her back. His soft but strong movements and the warmth of the ointment that was spreading through her felt wonderful. She couldn't resist the soft moans even if she tried. For the first time since this morning her muscles weren't tense and tight. "God, Red." She groaned when he hit a particularly sore spot.

Red swallowed thickly as he heard the sounds coming from Lizzie. Those sounds matched those he often heard in his dreams. He focused hard on the task at hand to avoid his mind drifting, but it was difficult. The urge to cover her body with his and cover her back with kisses. He wanted to turn her around on her back and kiss her deeply. He quickly finished his massage and left her alone for a moment to wash his hands and calm down. When he returned a few minutes later he called out her name but didn't get a reaction. Closing the distance between them he saw she was sleeping. He smiled softly. She needed to sleep. Carefully he sat down on the edge of the bed at her hip. Gently he ran his hand over her hair and noticed how she leaned a bit into his hand.

He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. Lizzie stirred and mumbled his name. "Sleep, Lizzie, I'm here." He whispered and she immediately stilled again.