A/N: Thank you for the lovely reviews and continuous support! They mean the world to me :-D And guest reviewer, there will be some angst later in the story, don't say I didn't warn you.
Disclaimer: Still not mine, can I pay you in free PR?
Special Thanks to my beta on this chapter, professor jadenanne7 welcome back girl ;-) silhouettedredoblivion hope you are feeling better sweetie.
A/N 2: Wrote this pre-2x14, so I did not know she was going to fezz up her feelings and no, still not over it - Lizzie.
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NATASHA BEDINGFIELD - Soulmate
Incompatible, it don't matter though
'cos someone's bound to hear my cry
Speak out if you do
You're not easy to find
Is it possible Mr. Loveable
Is already in my life?
Right in front of me
Or maybe you're in disguise
Here we are again, circles never end
How do I find the perfect fit
There's enough for everyone
But I'm still waiting in line
Who doesn't long for someone to hold
Who knows how to love you without being told
Somebody tell me why I'm on my own
If there's a soulmate for everyone
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Previously:
Liz lifted her cup of tea and gave him a close-mouthed, dimpled smile. Her eyes fixated on his.
"Well then, in that case. Let's toast. To moments,"
Red's face visibly relaxed and produced his sweetest smile as they clanked their cups together.
"To moments."
XOXOXO
CH 3. - Soulmates
Both took a sip and deeply exhaled simultaneously. Her expression was one of wonder and pure, unadulterated pleasure as the liquid hit her taste buds and slowly glided down her throat.
"Red, this tea is delicious. The right amount of sweet, earthy flavors and a little bit spicy. Very piquant," Liz praised and took another swig. "What is in it? Ginger?"
"You don't want me to answer that. Tantalizing, isn't it?" Red quickly responded with a tilted smile.
Liz's face turned almost comical; eyebrows perched high on her forehead, the teacup pressed against her lips, shooting him a questionable, albeit dangerous glance over the rim.
"Nothing notorious, I assure you, Lizzie. Just something to give it a little extra kick. A surprise ingredient, commonly used as a truth serum. And some medical herbs," he elaborated.
Liz apprehensively glanced at the contents of her own cup, as if the answers were somehow hidden on the bottom, before lifting her eyes again to set on her partner in crime, clearly not amused. She knew about B.B,and the blue pills. He was drinking it too, though. He wouldn't have drugged it, would he?
His ridiculous grin and crow's feet told her enough. He would.
Red lifted a hand to object to anything she was about to mutter or throw at him.
Lizzie's volatile tendencies were both arousing and erotically frightening at the same time. He did not want to get on her bad side again, and he had a scar on the right side of his neck as a daily reminder of how fortunate he was to have survived her wrath. Yet, the prospect of a repeat performance was quite titillating, and it made his pulse quicken.
He really was a vile, twisted man, a shameless, well-versed paraphilia.
"Alcohol, Lizzie, and a minimal amount at that. Making tea is a true art form and the Chinese believe that liquor amplifies the medicinal effects of many natural herbs. It's a marvelous 5000-year-old tradition to maintain a healthy life," he reassured her.
Liz peered skeptically into her cup, but drank nonetheless. It really was delectable and she couldn't even taste the alcohol.
"Don't you instantly feel better after getting intoxicated, though? Wouldn't that result in a placebo effect that has nothing to do with amplifying these so-called herbs?" she blatantly questioned.
Liz was not a firm believer in alternative medicine, nor was she opposed to the notion that it could help to some extent, but in her mind, this sounded ridiculous.
Red warmheartedly grinned and shrugged. "I guess over exuding the amounts might delude its purpose. But, for once, you might be right. That is a narrative I am not going to dispute."
"Aren't I usually?" Liz coyly shot back, sporting an ironic smirk, refilling their cups before he could extend the courtesy.
Red followed her movements with his eyes and slightly shook his head in amusement. Miss independent.
"Thank you and don't overstate your natural prowess, Lizzie. It is very unbecoming. I hate to brag, but I never tire of being right," he retorted with a certain air of bravado.
"Ah...and so the pot meets the kettle at last," Liz mockingly rebuffed.
Red let out a deep belly laugh. Those were his exact words spoken to The Cowboy. She was right, he was a hypocrite. As different he and Lizzie may have been, more often than not it felt like they were on the same wavelength. In sync.
Two peas in a pod.
His low, roaring laughter was quite contagious, and Liz couldn't resist following suit, without having the slightest clue as to why it was so funny. The sound of she and Red laughing together was the sweetest music ever heard.
"Is that why you sent Dembe over? To get me inebriated?" she asked after they had somewhat composed themselves, with the occasional chuckle still escaping their lips.
"No. I asked Dembe to pick you up because that is what a gentleman does," Red replied, his face soft and eyes promiscuous.
"You are anything but gentle..." Liz playfully remarked.
Reds eyebrows almost reached the edge of his receding hairline at the obvious innuendo, and a sly smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "If you keep saying vindictive things like that, you might find out just how ferocious I may become, Lizzie," he countered and tilted his head. "When it comes to you, I am a veracious person."
He was thoroughly enjoying the banter; it was like a well-rehearsed dance. One he would never want to see end.
Liz's face flushed at the implication, but stood her ground. Unwavering. "Are you trying to seduce me, Red?" she precariously dared, her lips parted and moist, treading the parochial line they drew, feeling more confident already. Maybe the herbs had a side effect she wasn't aware of.
What were lines in the sand good for anyway?
With a breath of air, they disappear…
Red's eyes darkened significantly at the insinuation and set firmly on hers. "Well look at you, all of a sudden prurient minded, Mrs. Robinson. I can assure you that if I did, it would be an extremely time-consuming….meticulous Milango," he drawled out, his tone smoky as his voice dropped an octave.
Liz desperately tried not to choke on her tea as her eyes bulged out of her sockets. Acute vertigo. Maybe she had overstepped the invisible line completely with both feet and jumped straight into the deep end.
The low vibrations bore through her core and made her whole body tingle as the two of them indulging in the horizontal tango flashed in front of her eyes and she averted his penetrating gaze at any cost.
Slow, very slow. Time- consuming. Vigorous. Meticulous. Lascivious and primal.
Be carful what you wish for. The devil you know may have the sweetest tongue but it's full of deceit, hidden under the brightest angel wings.
Red was very compelling, exhilarating, and sexy, and in spite of her, Liz felt drawn to him, like a magnet.
From all the callous words that tumbled out of her mouth, those were the ones she let fall. There was no such thing as merely asking a question. He always answered honestly, and she never knew how far he would go.
His unpredictability she loathed and loved.
'Anticipation, delayed gratification, and eventually…Euphoria, Elizabeth,' he would leisurely whisper in her ear as he disrobed her in many unwelcomed dreams.
Liz felt another wave of heat creeping up her neck, reddening her cheeks and ears. Her treacherous, clammy hands carelessly began to tremble, rattling her cup. She had been aware of the fact that Red was excessively experienced in that department. Something she didn't want to contemplate nor disregard.
Suddenly everything that was said in the past held a new meaning, and various thoughts began to catapult through her mind; could they? Would they? Should they? Was he merely testing the water? If her physical reaction was any indication, she wanted him, right now, and perhaps he wanted her too?
'Tread carefully, Liz, or you might drown in your own presumptions,' her inner voice warned.
She was slowly gravitating towards his warmth, breathing faster, and her heart elevated to such a rapid speed it might explode if she didn't calm down soon.
Oh god, why did she even go there anyway?
Red licked his lips with the tip of his tongue, savoring the taste of the tea, imagining if Lizzie would be sweeter, even better than Petty Officer Virginia Sherman.
He lazily leered at her stricken expression and obvious discomfort as her eyes carelessly darted around the room.
Maybe it was too much too soon.
Time to let her off the hook.
"No need to be frightened, Lizzie. I am just showing a lovely young woman a good time. Rest assured, I only have the purest intentions in mind," he added with a smile as sharp as a blade and a face as calm as a mask.
He wasn't exactly lying to her face. Red enjoyed flirting with her, and yes, even though his warped mind wanted to do the most ungodly things to her, or better yet, let her do them to him, he would never push her for anything or even touch her inappropriately. One of his overindulged fantasies included handcuffs, Vaseline and a belt.
Sam would turn in his grave or beat him to a pulp if he was still alive.
If he wouldn't burn in hell for his debauched actions, he would certainly burn for having salacious thoughts about Lizzie.
Liz was grateful for Red's judicious rescue and surprised by her own lewd behavior. Maybe it was not all as innocent as she portrayed it to be. She knew that logically, she should have been relieved. Safe. She got the confirmation that he really wasn't interested in her romantically. It was all still just a game to him. But, rather than feeling relieved, she felt embarrassed, empty, and shockingly disappointed.
She put on her bravest smile and bit her bottom lip. "By getting me drunk?" Liz asked again, eyeing him warily, still blushing from the connotations of Red's crude words.
Red raised his cup and chucked it all at once before setting it back on the table with a thud. "That's a choice I leave up to you," he offered with a faint, slow smile that clung like an edge of light to his lips as he refilled both cups.
Kimberly came back with a solemn expression on her face, trailing a bus cart full of dishes in front of her.
"Ah, just in time. I am famished," Red said, patting his belly.
Kim ogled Red, ignoring Liz completely and set one of the dishes on his plate.
"I made this especially for you, Raymond. Enjoy and let me know if you need anything else," she purred, standing too close for comfort, smiling like a Cheshire cat or a cat in heat.
"I am sure that we will. Thank you, Kimberly," Red dryly replied, clearly unaffected by her over buoyant charm.
With one last dirty look thrown over her shoulder in Liz's direction, Kim left, swaying her hips more than was natural as she strutted away.
Liz squinted her eyes at the woman and recognized the displayed emotions from a mile away. After all, she had frequently experienced them. Kim was jealous. Jealous of her and Red. Marking her territory just short of peeing on him, which Liz found peculiar, given the wedding ring on the woman's finger.
She shook her head and reluctantly decided to let it go. She refused to let that woman affect her mood in anyway, and glanced at the amount of bamboo baskets presented on the food cart next to them instead.
"I thought you had already ate?" Liz questioned. There was no way that two people could eat all this.
"I did, however my appetite is of enormous proportion and my ravenous hunger can never be stilled. I have these cravings…"
Liz zoned out, gazing at his mouth as he spoke, and eyed him apprehensively, wondering if every word that parted his lips were going to set her off. How could she not think about his enormous...
"…nourishment is of vast importance. Please do dive in. I suggest you start with this one," Red recommended, pointing to one odd looking dish presented on her plate, oblivious to her state of mind and irreversibly pulling her out of her scandalous thought process.
It appeared to be some sort of mangled croquette.
"What is it?"
"Shelled and deep fried Balut. It's a delicacy. They are not often served with tea, or in this restaurant, but I asked Ling to prepare it for you."
Liz slowly raised the Balut with her chopsticks, poising it in front of her mouth, when she saw Red tracking her movement with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Aren't you having any?" she asked, ready to take a bite, looking a little bit distrustfully at the food when his upper lip twitched.
Red shook his head in response and popped one of the other dumplings in his mouth. "I've already had more than enough to last a lifetime." he contested through a mouthful.
Liz nodded and put the whole dish in her mouth, chewing on it once, twice, before she almost choked. She started coughing and frantically searched for her napkin.
Red handed her the one from his lap and laughed so hard it would probably have hurt his face if he kept it up any longer.
At least she hoped it would.
Liz hurled and unceremoniously spit the horrendous croquette into the napkin.
"Red, that was atrocious…awful!" she bellowed, resisting the urge to hurl again and drunk a large amount of tea to wash away the horrendous taste.
Red's laughter died down to a mere chuckle and he held his hands up in surrender. "I apologize, Lizzie. I couldn't resist giving you a taste of fertilized duck eggs. It's truly a unique dining experience, don't you think?" he asked as he tilted his head, looking no guiltier than a kid caught with his hand in a cookie jar, reaching for another one.
Liz quietly fumed and crossed her arms before the urge to throw the napkin in his face would become too grand to resist.
He should have thanked his lucky stars that it was his birthday or else she would have stabbed him with his own chopstick.
"I assure you that the rest is more pleasant," he insisted and dropped another piece of food one her plate, somewhat resembling a normal dumpling.
Liz glanced at it, raised an eyebrow, and let her eyes slither back to Red, who was still smiling, making it hard for her to stay mad.
"Don't you trust me?" Red asked innocently, like a puppy waiting for his master to pet him on the back and tell him good boy for bringing the stick back.
Unfortunately, Red's stick was a boomerang that kept hitting her in the face. Liz should really learn how to duck in time.
She shook her head with a tight smile. "With my life, just not with my food. Not after that hellish experience," she sneered with a disgusted look and narrowed her eyes, pointing towards his napkin.
Red bobbed his head back and forth, contemplating his next, carefully constructed sentence and pursed his lips. "I promise you, this will be a treat for your taste buds. And before you ask what it is, I have no earthly idea. If my memory serves me correctly, you aren't overly fond of anchovies?"
Liz nodded with a small, fleeting frown, impressed that he remembered something that insignificant. "That's an understatement. I can't stand them," she grunted out.
"Good. There is none of that in any of the dishes. I made sure of that," Red notified with a satisfied grin and then, out of the blue, reached over to adjusted the chopsticks between her right fingers.
Both felt a small electric discharge as his calloused fingertips brushed over her soft digits and he stopped for a second, his gaze transfixed on Lizzie's face as she silently gasped. Heart rates rose. Stomachs clenched. Pupils dilated. Lips parted.
Neither of them dared to make a sound, blink, nor breathe as they unconsciously drifted closer, only a few inches apart.
Liz's eyes darted down to his lips before traveling up his face to the dark pools of his fire rimmed orbs when all of the sudden, Red cleared his throat and with a lightning speed settled back in his own chair.
'What the hell was that?'
For a moment there she thought that he was about to kiss her and she rapidly blinked her eyes, trying to get some moisture back, swallowing an imaginary lump.
Red clicked the tips of his chopsticks to get her attention, demonstrating how it was done, seemingly unfazed by what had occurred a few seconds ago, when she clearly felt the effect it had on both of them. So, there was a mutual attraction after all. A question plagued her mind; why did he feel the need to hide it?
"Ling would have a field day if she saw the American way of handling her precious chopsticks. When I was a boy she regularly hit me on the fingers with them until I learned the proper etiquette. She can be quite relentless when it comes to certain traditions," he explained and went back to eating his dumplings, making all kinds of satisfied noises in the back of his throat after each one.
Liz adorably smiled at his childlike exuberance and ate every one that he dropped on her plate. "Thank you for the warning," she said, momentarily imagining Red to be that smaller, blond, juvenile boy dining with her.
She bet that he was quite a handful, even back then.
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The rest of the night was spent with laughter, food, and cockamamie stories about the adventures of Raymond Reddington and his friend Dembe, even some about her and her rebellious college days. It was comfortable and honestly felt like a date to her. The best date Liz had been on so far, with the only man she would have accepted it from. The Chinese 'herbal' tea had helped her loosen up significantly, and she was becoming quite inebriated. Judging by the glazed eyes of her partner, she wasn't the only one affected by tonight's events. The atmosphere around them had changed - she could feel it when she looked at him.
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"Red, have you ever thought about sharing this moment in time with someone significant?" Liz tentatively probed. She was curious. She had not seen him with a significant other since Naomi. Not if she didn't count the numerous 'girlfriends' he had over the past two decades.
Red's forehead creased at the brazen question. "Lizzie, I am pretty sure that I am sharing it with you," he replied with a conspicuous smile.
"No. I mean...yes, but I meant with someone special…" Liz tried again when he misconstrued her question.
"Oh, I think you are very special…" Red countered the same way he did when they first met.
Liz felt ingénue in that instant, and was seriously considering smacking him upside the head for not humoring her with an honest answer.
"I mean, do you believe that you will ever find someone to share it with, on an intimate level? You know, in the future?"
Red's way of redirecting was often more fruitful. Maybe he was losing his edge with Lizzie, or maybe he wanted to. Unguarded. Honest. Mortal.
Just the two of them, face-to face.
He bit his lower lip and worked his jaw. "My incongruous way of living does not permit a committed, romantic relationship, Lizzie. I couldn't do that to my significant other while I am still a fugitive at large. I can't atone for my sins. I can't offer any stability. I wouldn't have the ability to conduct a healthy relationship."
The confusion and distaste gracing Liz's face could be read like an open book.
"But I thought Madeline was your ex?" she asked. Even though she did not adore the woman, Red seemed to have a fond reminiscent of the two faced…
Red chuckled and nodded. "In a way, I guess she was. But real love weighs much heavier on the heart. I could die at any given day, Lizzie. I wouldn't want to burden my significant other with that realization."
The assertion and uncanny comprehension of how candid that was tugged at her heart. The truth hurts sometimes. "That is equally sad as it is understandable. But, we could all die at any given moment, Red. I could be hit by a bus tomorrow for all I know," Liz countered with a sad smile, well aware of the fact that in his life, it was almost a guarantee.
Staring death in a face was a daily occurrence; she could have lost him many times over. However, if she had surmised anything about Red, it was that he was a survivor.
An adaptor.
A chameleon.
She was sure that he would grow to be a very old man, even if he wasn't.
"But, you do believe in it?"
"Believe in what, Lizzie?"
"That kind of love?" she asked.
Red considered diverting the direction in which this was going, but then again, they never had this kind of sit down before, and might never have it again.
What's the harm in getting exposed to the person who knew you best?
"You can't help who you fall for. It just happens, but that doesn't mean you have to pursue it. My past follows me. An ominous shadow that clings to the soul with no tendencies to ever leave. I have made my peace with it."
Liz swallowed a heavy lump, afraid that if she didn't, tears would fall at the desolate realization that he believed he might never be loved again, held again.
Well, she cared. A lot. If only he saw it too.
"Well, you shouldn't. I am sure that there is someone out there for you, Red. No one can guarantee a tomorrow. Your past shouldn't prevent you from having someone in your life. You have paid your dues, redeemed yourself," she foretold.
Red's could feel her eyes still on him. He could feel a current of frustration and impatience that made his skin prickle. She was precious, truly something else.
"You really believe in that don't you?" he tenderly asked, leveling with her.
Liz tilted her head, her expression softened. "In what?"
"That the one is out there...the soul mate, your better half? Did you know that Zeus split us in half so we could us to spend our lives yearning for the other half to complete us?"
Liz nodded. "I don't believe in the biblical version. But, I thought I had found that…with Tom. Now, I know that it wasn't what I wanted after all. No matter how hard I tried, I kept parts of me hidden and so did...well everything was a lie in the end. And it scares me, the prospect of trusting another person with my heart again, to impose or burden him with my life. Let alone having you as a secret I could never share. But, I also know that if I don't at some point, I will wake up one day on my death bed, realizing that I am about to die alone."
Red shook his head. "Not everything was a lie, Lizzie. I believe that he loved you in his own way. You fell in love with the man he portrayed to be, no matter what was hidden underneath. And you'll never be alone. You have me," he added with a fleeting smile.
Liz eyebrows shot up and she looked physically upset, instantly losing her appetite. "I can't believe that you are defending him. And as much as I value you, Red, as much as I hold our friendship dear, it is not the same. We are not romantically involved." 'But we could be,' she wanted to finish.
She was starting to believe in it. The possibility of being more than just friends.
Take a leap of faith, swim the deepest ocean, jump of a cliff, dare to live – what's there to lose?
"No, we are not," Red agreed with a longing gaze and solemn upturn of his lips. "I am not defending Tom, Lizzie, but I can imagine him falling for you, regardless of his direct instructions of just pretending to be in love. If you spend enough time with a wonderful person, you can't help it. Love happens in spite of you."
"So you say, yet it wasn't enough," she argued, negating the wonderful things Red was telling her.
Alcohol makes for loose tongue, not for a better understanding.
"No. Relationships need work, effort, communication, intimacy, and much more. However, in the end it is well worth it. That is, if it is with the right person," Red countered.
"Aren't you surprisingly romantic?" Liz praised with a sly grin, as if she had just figured out a part of him kept hidden from the rest of the world.
Red flashed her one similar. "I've read some novels in my day. I know what's it like to fall in love. To be in love," he expressed. And he did. He was looking love straight in the face, begging for acceptance, hoping to be seen, afraid of the possibilities of the road not taken.
Never to be taken again.
There are few that understand love and loss more than I.
"You do? When?" Liz jested lightly, afraid of what he was implying, afraid that she would crumple under the weight of his words, if they were not meant for her.
It left her feeling hollow.
Exposed.
Those who choose to be blind will never learn to see.
Red outwardly grimaced, a twitch beneath his left eye giving him away.
Liz misconstrued the situation; of course he had been before - and lost it all.
"Sorry, Red, it wasn't my…how we suddenly got to this conversation on your birthday is beyond me," she apologized.
Red's reassuring soft chuckle let her know that it was okay. No harm done.
"Drink your tea. It will help you feel better and forget all about it," he suggested, beckoning towards her cup.
"What if I don't want to forget about it? About this? It gives me a perspective of your mind, I thought didn't exist," Liz divulged. She wanted to know him. All of him.
They were such similar creatures, she and Red, both wounded by their pasts and surrounded by concrete emotional walls. Both very private people, trying to find a way in.
"You can take the girl out the FBI, but you can't take the FBI out of the girl." Red shook his head and played with the rim of the teacup, brushing the infinitive circle with the tip of his right middle finger and leaned back in his chair.
Round and Round.
In slow circles.
Just like them.
"Woman," Liz corrected with one raised eyebrow.
"Yes. A very beautiful one at that," Red stipulated as he slowly took a large sip and resisted the urge to wink.
"Red, are you flirting?" Liz questioned with a shy smile.
"Must be the tea. It loosens the tongue and weakens the mind," Red replied with a cocky grin. "Maybe we should call it a night before the truth comes out."
A faint frown appeared between her eyebrows, her mouth transforming into a blank, open expression. "What truth?" Liz asked with a lovely dusting of pink adorning her glowing cheeks.
"That you secretly find me attractive as well," Red drawled, his voice hardly above a whisper.
It made her hair stand on end and sent a shiver down her spine. "That's no secret," Liz whispered back.
Red's momentary look of surprise almost made her laugh as he peered into her soul for any indication of deceit. The deep sapphire blue of her glorious eyes gave everything away and only spoke the truth.
There were moments like this when she left him speechless.
The words she longed to say were left unspoken.
Take me home, Red, and I'll prove it to you.
Anticipation and trepidation. Two grueling emotions left in an endless inner battle. The fear was gripping. If only there was a simple out. Just pack up and leave.
Liz broke the intense gaze after the stifling silence proved to be too much to endure after merely a second or two and focused on her scar. The past followed her too. "I envy you," Liz declared.
"Why is that?" Red questioned as he drank.
"You have the ability to check out whenever you'd like. Go wherever you want, whenever you want…consequences be damned," she elaborated, not daring to glance at him yet, afraid of what she might see.
"And you can't?" Red interjected.
"No," Liz breathed out.
Red intertwined his fingers. "Lizzie, I would give anything to be able to be a free man again. Stable, normal, boring, even if for just one day," he expressed with a warm smile, finding her eyes again.
"I wouldn't object to getting out of my life for one day. Sounds good to me. But you could take your jet and leave at any given moment, without looking back. Leave it all behind. You have the luxury and the power to do so, Red. I don't…" Liz brought forth, a little bit defensive.
Red swallowed an imaginary lump in is throat, momentarily lost in thoughts. She had no idea how true those words ranged and hit home. It was exactly what he planned to do. The blacklist was coming to an end and he was no longer needed. He was well aware that immunity was long off the table and the government would never give up their manhunt, not until he was chained up and forgotten. There was no 'normal' life waiting for him on the other end. Leaving was never the issue. Leaving her was going to be the hardest thing he would ever do.
His last selfless act.
The one that counted.
The one that would hurt the most.
"…your suit collection costs more than my whole apartment. Red, are you even listening?" Liz, asked, waving a hand in front of his blank stare.
Red sighed and scratched the back of his head before his eyes bore into hers. His mask back in place. Closed. "It looks attractive from the outside, lizzie. If I could, I would trade places with you," he spoke gravely with a soft, sad, smile.
Liz was not as observant as she normally was when tipsy and missed the emotions hidden behind his words. "Oh please! You wouldn't last one day as me."
"Oh Sweetheart, I think it is the other way around. You wouldn't last a second as me," Red shot back.
Liz pursed her lips, her eyes squinting and snorted. "Life must be a constant pain when you are Raymond Reddington." she retorted, leaning back in her seat.
"Not always, but it can be," Red answered with a tilt of the head.
"Well try being a woman for one day...no worse...a female federal agent...the endless grooming, the late work hours, exercising, caring for my dog, the list is endless. I barely have time for myself."
Red shook his head in disbelief. "Make time, Lizzie. Life is too short to waste a single day. If you don't like your life, change it. Share it with someone." He hoped that one day someone would take care of her as he had. Love her as much as he did. Although that was simply Impossible.
No one could.
"If only it were so easy…I have obligations, responsibilities, you. I have no room for someone else at the moment," Liz countered and crossed her arms, looking through the blended windows at the people strolling on the curb outside.
"Neither do I," Red attested.
Liz's gaze wandered back to his green saddened eyes. "You make time for me."
Red nodded. "Yes. That I do." Always will.
She was worth every second of his time and if it were up to him, even his last moments.
"If only," Liz sadly whispered. "We really are stuck with each other. At the end of the day, we are who we are."
"Change is never easy, Lizzie. I would love nothing more than to be able to sleep without waking up in the middle of the night. To have some piece and quiet. To be regular for a moment. I chose this life...you didn't. You could walk away at any moment. I could make you disappear in 60 seconds," Red kindly offered.
"As tempting as the offer may be, I enjoy my job. Most days. Besides, would you really want to be left alone to work with Ressler? I speak only with Donald Ressler," Liz chided, mocking Red's deep tone of voice and shook her head with a cheerful smile. "No. That doesn't sound right."
Red flashed her a dimpled smirk and let out a chuckle. "You could always take a leave of absence to pursue a career of comedian," he suggested, contemplating his words as a grimace twisted his face. "On the other hand, please stay and save me from that."
Liz laughed. "No worries, Red. I will always save you from Donald."
She raised her cup. "To you, Raymond Reddington, may this year be your year."
Red's eyes twinkled and mirrored hers. "To us, Lizzie, and what the future may bring."
Both were so enthralled in their own pleasant cocoon of joy and comfort that neither one of them noticed the two women observing them, hiding in the shadows.
Intrusive, curious, and one up to no good.
XOXOXO
"Ma, I know what you're thinking, and no!" Kim hissed in her mother's ear, when she saw that mischievous look in her eye and mysterious smile. She was well aware of what happened when her mother got an idea.
Her mother held a finger to her lips and hushed her daughter.
"Dear daughter, I know over 200 words for yes and fortunately, none for no," Ling argued with a definitive tone of voice.
Kim, crossed her arms and squared her shoulders, trying to intimidate her mother.
"Mother, we are not in China…you have lived in America for over 40 years now, and I forbid you to interfere!" she exclaimed.
Ling ignored her daughter and continued to observe the lovely couple who appeared to be enthralled with one another. Laughing and drinking.
"Look at them Kim, they don't see what is right in front on them," Ling softly rebuked, almost teary eyed. She had not seen Raymond this happy in a very long time. She recognized that gleam in his eye, the same expression her late husband had on his face when he looked at her. True love. Soulmates.
Kim, was getting impatient and tried to get her mother's attention.
"Maaaa, Raymond is not in love with her. She is young enough to be his daughter," she scoffed and tapped her foot to make her point.
Ling sighed and shook her head, glancing at her daughter and back at Liz and Raymond. "Kim, I love you, but don't be such a bigot. I raised you better than that. Trust me child, I recognize love when I see it."
Ling was not born yesterday, and knew that her oldest daughter had motives of her own; even though she had been married for a long time, she had a soft spot for Raymond. The one that got away. She had tried to set them up once, but Raymond did not see Kim in that light, she was like family to him. A sister.
"Raymond has been talking about her for years. His sweet Elizabeth, and now look, she is right here! Don't you see, Kim? Fate has brought them here, and it is nice to see him smiling with a woman again since Luli, don't you agree?" she tried again. Kim should move on already. Rejection hurt, but she was happy with Peter and he was a good man too. Her daughter just did not want anyone else to be with Raymond.
Kim shook her head in defeat and shrugged her shoulders. "I still don't think this is a good idea," she tried to argue and knew that was time to give up. When her mother had made up her mind, she was relentless.
'What happens when an immovable object meets an unstoppable force? My mother,' she thought, rolling her eyes.
Ling was having none of it. "Oh, please stop being jealous and shush. Let Mama handle matters of the heart. Didn't you hear that Raymond plans to leave soon? How could he when the woman of his dreams is right here?" She pointed toward Liz. "We both know him better than that. He will never find himself worthy of love."
But he was worthy and she knew exactly what needed to happen in order to make him stay and set her plan into motion.
"Now, be a dear and clean their table, please," Ling ordered.
XOXOXO
I would love to know what you guys thought about this chapter, reviews make my day, good or Bad.
Next: Ch. 4. Happy Birthday
Preview:
"Oh, before I forget, I bought you something," Liz said, ruffling through the plastic bag on the floor and placed its contents on the center of the table.
Red glanced at the hand size, white, handled carton box and back at Lizzie, his expression unreadable. For the second time tonight, he did not know what to say. She never ceased to amaze him.
XOXOXO
QUOTES AND FUN FACTS:
B.B. [Bernard Babbitt] - In 2x03, Red slipped him some Viagra LOL "Has the little man been falling down on the job? It's a miracle drug, not so much for a glutton with a bum heart, however. But look on the bright side... you'll die with a marvelous erection."
Mrs. Robinson – from the movie The Graduate (1967)– eh basically a dude having an affair with an older woman – here it is the other way around ;-) but he said: "Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me. Aren't you?"
Petty Officer Virginia Sherman – In 2x10, Red said to Braxton: "I never thought I'd enjoy having anything in my mouth as much as Petty Officer Virginia Sherman."
The 'Herbal' tea - "Alcohol has been used medicinally in China for more than 5,000 years and its use and infusions - from snakes for virility to roses for complexion - were recorded in prescriptions 2,000 years ago in the first text of traditional Chinese medicine" Qian Hai, a professor with the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Soulmates explanation, pretty interesting - (w)(w)(w).the-soulmate-site.(c)(o)(m) (slash) soulmate-theory.(h)(t)(m)(l)
Paraphilia - (also known as sexual perversion and sexual deviation) is the experience of intense sexual arousal to atypical objects, situations, or individuals. Eh in Red's case just a case of sexual fetishism – BDSM, role-play and what now ;-)
prurient minded - lascivious thoughts.
Those who choose to be blind will never learn to see. – for the Darth Vader's lovers out there.
