AN: Set a few weeks or so after the first chapter.

"Lizzie, I'm sorry, I can't ignore my business any longer. I was made aware yesterday that I've neglected one of my business partners. He's threatening to leave for one of my competitors," Red said as he sat on the couch with his legs crossed looking up at Liz

Liz stood in front of him with her hands on her hips and an annoyed expression on her face. She'd just received a wedding invitation from a friend who she hadn't heard from since her college days. The wedding was in two days in Maryland, and she had just spent the last ten minutes trying to convince him to come with her.

Liz sat down heavily next to him with a huff of annoyance; he noticed that she sat far enough away from him that he couldn't easily reach her. He slid his arm over the back of the couch; his fingertips could almost touch her hair, but he refrained from antagonizing her further. Red swirled the ice in his scotch glass and waited for her to say something. He'd already told her why he couldn't go, there really wasn't room for argument.

They sat in silence for another five minutes. He glanced at his watch and sighed, noting that it was almost time for him to leave. He really hated leaving while she was upset with him, but he didn't have time to make up with her, and when she got like this it usually took her a few hours to come to him so they could talk it out.

Ever since he'd almost told that he loved her at the movie, she had pulled away from him emotionally and physically. It was almost as if she was afraid to take things further between them. He knew she was trying to protect herself, but he was frustrated with her and needed a break so he could think rationally; he was slowly being driven crazy.

He pulled his arm back and set his glass on the coffee table, then stood up slowly; his knees cracking painfully. He stretched his arms over his head and yawned. It was going to be another long day; only made worse by arguing with Liz. He turned to see her watching him and tried to smile. "I have to leave now. I do hope you'll go to the wedding, I think it would do you some good to get out of the house without me."

She crossed her arms and sighed. "I guess. How long are you going to be gone this time?"

He put his hands in his pockets and stepped closer to her. "Only for a few days. I'll call you tonight and let you know for sure."

She nodded, but didn't comment further. He pulled his hands out of his pockets then leaned down and put them on the back of the couch on either side of her head. She looked up at him, but before she could open her mouth to say something, he kissed her softly, then lingered for a few more moments when she responded. She reached up and ran her fingers across his jaw, then dropped her hand when he pulled back. That had been the first time he'd kissed her since the movie. It felt like he'd just had a weight lifted off his shoulders.

He stood back up and chewed on the inside of his cheek. "I'll see you in a few days time, Lizzie."

She just nodded, then watched as he turned and walked out the door. He knew she was still upset with him, but he really did have to work. He'd been putting it off for far too long.

OOOOOO

Two days later

Liz sat and watched her friend and her new husband greet the guests at the reception. She had decided only yesterday to come, and was glad she had made that decision. She'd been driving herself crazy for weeks trying to figure out what Red had been going to tell her that night at the movies, and as a result, she had pulled away from him; too terrified at the implications. She didn't know if she was ready to hear what he had to say. That had been the first time they'd kissed; the feelings that kiss evoked from her scared her more than anything.

She knew she was falling in love with him.

He had called yesterday to let her know that he would probably be back in two or three days. The phone call had been stilted and awkward. She hated it when things were like this between them. Especially because she had such strong feelings for him, and she knew that it was her fault that things had gotten so bad.

She touched her lips briefly and smiled at the memory of when he'd kissed her, then sighed and picked up her drink, if only for something to do with her hands. Her friend suddenly sat down in the chair next to her and exclaimed loudly, "Liz! I'm so glad you came! Its been what? Like eight or nine years now?"

Liz jumped slightly, but recovered quickly and reached over to give her a hug. She'd been so lost in thought that she hadn't heard her approach. "Yeah, its been a while. I was actually pretty surprised to see the invitation, but I'm so glad you sent it," Liz said as she pulled away with a smile on her face.

Her friend, Brooke, shrugged. "I figured there was no like the time to reconnect." She paused briefly and looked around the table, only to see that she was alone. "So what have you been up to? Last I heard you were off to the FBI academy."

Liz took a bite of the cookie in front of her and nodded. "I've been with the FBI for almost six years now."

"That's so cool! Is it everything you ever thought it would be?" She looked so excited that Liz didn't have the heart to tell her that it was nothing like she had envisioned when she first entered the academy; oh and that she was in love with a wanted criminal who she had been forced to work with right out of the gate.

Instead of saying any of that, she just nodded and smiled rather unconvincingly. "Its been great. So what have you been up to, Brooke, besides getting married obviously." She forced a laugh and looked at her questioningly.

Her friend narrowed her eyebrows, then turned to look at all the empty seats at the table. "So are you married, or with anyone?"

Liz rolled her eyes internally at Brooke's intentional side-stepping of her question. "Um..I was married for a while..but it didn't work out." Brooke opened her mouth to say something, but Liz continued before she could. "It was for the best, believe me."

Brooke nodded and tried to smile. "If you say so. That's still a bummer though. So is there anyone special in your life now?"

Liz's mind immediately went to Red; but how would she even begin to explain him? "Oh, I date here and there," she answered, non-committal.

Brooke opened her mouth to ask something else, but was thankfully called over so she could have her first dance with her husband. She stood up then bent down and hugged Liz tightly. "Well I'm glad you came. We'll have to keep in contact."

Liz nodded, then watched as Brooke made her way across the large ballroom. She felt a pang of jealousy at how happy and normal Brooke's life was. Liz would never experience that, but yet, Red was worth not having a normal life.

The lights lowered and the couple danced while everyone watched. She put her elbow on the table and put her face in her hand as she watched. She had worn Red's favorite blue dress and was bummed that he wasn't going to see her in it. The first song ended, and the MC invited everyone to dance during the next song.

She watched as couples paired off, and feeling a little sorry for herself, picked her cookie up and stuffed the rest in her mouth. That's when someone chose to approach her. He barely looked like he was legal. He smiled and said, "Will you dance with me?"

Liz held up a finger and hurriedly chewed and swallowed her cookie with an apologetic look on her face. She opened her mouth to refuse, but was interrupted by a low voice. "Sorry, she's already agreed to dance with me."

The boy nodded a little fearfully and walked away as Liz tried not to choke on the remaining crumbs in her mouth. She turned to see Red standing behind her in a perfectly pressed grey three-piece suit. She blinked a few times to make sure he wasn't an illusion,, and when he didn't disappear, a slow grin spread over her face. "Red, what are you doing here?"

He held out his hand and said, "Come dance with me, sweetheart."

She took his hand and let him lead her out among the throng of dancers while trying to resist the urge to kiss him then and there.

OOOOOO

She looked beautiful. Absolutely stunning. The two days that he'd been gone had been good for him, and he'd come back with a new perspective. He was going to go for it and tell her that he loved her tonight while they danced. She needed to know how he felt so she could decide whether or not to push him away for good.

As he pulled her close, wrapping his right arm around her waist and pulling her body flush with his, he leaned in and whispered near her ear, "I wanted to surprise you."

She laughed quietly and said, "Well you did. Did you get everything taken care of?"

He nodded and hummed as she let go of his hand and wrapped her arms around his neck, scratching his scalp lightly with her fingernails. "As much as I needed."

She nodded and laid her head on his shoulder as they swayed to the music. He kissed her temple, then her jaw as he worked up the courage to say what needed to be said.

"Lizzie, will you look at me for a moment please?"

She pulled away from him and looked at him questioningly. He smiled to put her at ease, then leaned in to press his lips to hers. He continued to ghost his lips over hers as he pulled her body closer to his. "Hmm, Lizzie," he mumbled, trying to work up the courage to tell her. She moved from his lips and began to place feather light kisses along his jaw. "Sweetheart," he said as he ran his hands up her back and leaned in close to her ear, "I just needed to tell you that I love-"

"Elizabeth Milhoan! I can't believe you were holding out on me!" Red pulled away from Liz, surprised at the sudden outburst. He looked around to see a grinning bride making her way towards them. Red ran a hand over his face and sighed. Interrupted again. That had to be a damn record.

Liz smiled shyly and shrugged. "I wasn't sure how to explain him." She turned to Red and said, "This is Brooke, the bride obviously." Then she turned back to Brooke and said, "This is Raymond." They shook hands and Brooke grinned again. "She didn't say a word about you, Raymond. I can't believe it."

Red put on his most charming smile and said, "We don't really know how to define our relationship, I'm not surprised."

Brooke nodded, taken in immediately by Red's charm. "Well it's nice to meet you. Feel free to eat and drink." She turned and patted Liz on the shoulder and said quietly, "You need to tell me all about him, soon." Then walked away to find her husband before Liz could answer.

Liz turned back to Red and grimaced. "Sorry about that."

Red shrugged. "Not a big deal. I once had a bride proposition me on her wedding night. Nothing surprises me anymore."

She laughed, then suddenly turned serious. "What were you going to tell me, Red?"

He swallowed and shook his head; the moment was lost once again. "I was going to say that I love your dress. Absolutely breathtaking on you."

She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck again. "Thank you." Her smile seemed a little less bright, and Red knew that she knew he wasn't telling her the entire truth.

He nodded and swept her up in her arms to dance to the next song. He'd get his chance to tell her sometime soon. Maybe.

AN: Aw, poor Red, thwarted again. I attended my brother-in-law's wedding today, so this chapter was inspired by that. :) Thank you so much for the reviews/follows/favs for the first chapter. I love each and every review so much. Thank you for reading! I would love to hear what you think. :)