AN: Again, thank you so much for all your support. It really means a lot that you guys like this little fic. Special thanks goes to tmmachado, who keeps brainstorming with me. Voodoo, girl, I'm telling ya! This is getting scary! Special thanks goes also to wonderful redisthenewblackington for being a supporting beta and even an even better friend. Thank you both for sticking to me when I'm about to break down crying ;)
Disclaimer: I own nothing... nothing but my feels... and my cat. Ultrony, here's to you!
You are so beautiful
To me
You are so beautiful
To me
Can't you see
You're everything I hoped for
You're everything I need
You are so beautiful
To me
"You Are So Beautiful" by Joe Cocker
Enough To Keep You
Chp. 7
"Ray, come in," Sam said with a smile, clapping the younger man on the shoulder.
"Hello, Sam."
He looked his daughter's boyfriend up and down, taking in the tux he was wearing, his hair neatly combed instead of slightly tousled. "You look good, son." He nodded appreciatively, as his hands went to the younger man's bowtie, straightening it slightly. Red smiled at him. He was more than happy that the two of them got along that well. "That dress you gave to her is beautiful, she loves it. When she showed it to me she was grinning from ear to ear."
"I'm glad she likes it and I'm sure she'll look stunning. Have you seen her yet?"
Sam shook his head and watched as the normally confident young man shuffled his feet in a nervous manner, brushing invisible lint from his sleeve. When they heard the door upstairs open and the faint clicking of heals on the wooden panels both men straightened and their eyes flew towards the stairs.
A moment later they watched Liz carefully making her way down the steps, one hand holding onto the railing, while the other held her dress up. The dress was fastened with one silky strap over her right shoulder and ran diagonally down to the left side, so her neck and upper chest area was partially exposed while it still looked classy. It was neither too tight nor too loose as it ran down her body and a red bow was tied around her waist to manage just that look. The dress itself ended shortly above her knees, showing off her beautifully shaped calves. Her hair was in a loose updo with a side part. She had apparently curled her hair and with every step she took, they bounced up and down, barely brushing against her exposed shoulder. The red heels she was wearing worked perfectly with the rest of her look.
Ray couldn't tear his eyes away. She was flawless, so very beautiful and she was all his. His heart was almost jumping out of his chest and he couldn't hear anything over the loud rush of his blood. Not wanting to seem like anything but a gentleman, he willed his legs to move, so he could offer his hand to help her down the last step. He almost forgot how to breathe when she finally stood in front of him.
"I don't know what to say," he whispered barely audible. His throat felt parched and he could barely swallow against the sudden dryness. "Lizzie…" He sighed, looking at her as if she had hung the moon. "There are not enough words to describe just how gorgeous you are."
She blushed at his words and a shy smile came to her lips. "You look very handsome yourself," she told him, putting her palm on his chest and he gave her a soft kiss on the cheek.
"My god, butterball..." The young couple turned to look at the girl's father. "You are so beautiful." The man walked up to them and gently cupped her cheeks, pulling her close to press a kiss against her temple. "You're so beautiful." Red watched the man pull back, noticing that Sam was a little teary eyed that moment and couldn't stop the smile that came to his face. "Let me get the camera."
"Daddy -" Liz tried to stop her father, but he had already made his way to his study. She turned to her boyfriend, who was still intently watching her. "What?"
"You really have no idea just how stunning you look, do you?" He asked, giving her a kiss close to the lips. "I will have to fend off boys with a stick."
She chuckled and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself closer to him. "Just keep me close all night long," she whispered into his ear.
"That won't be a problem at all, sweetheart."
"Stay just like that," Sam said when he came back into the hallway. He made the couple pose this way and that way, snapping dozens of pictures until Liz finally got it through to him that they were going to be late.
"I'll see you later, Daddy," she kissed his cheek and hurried towards the front door.
"Enjoy yourself, butterball. Ray," he addressed the younger man. "Bring her back before midnight."
"I will, Sam," Red promised. "Don't worry, I'll make sure she's safe."
He offered her his elbow as they walked towards his car. "As soon as we're out of your dad's sight, I really need to kiss you," he whispered, pulling the car door open.
Liz smiled at him, also more than ready to feel his soft lips against hers. She got in and he carefully closed the door again, before rounding the vehicle. With a last wave at her dad, they took off. Not even one minute on the road, Red pulled over. Before she had even fully realized that they had stopped he had already cupped her face in his hands, pulling her in for a kiss that made her toes curl. He hummed against her mouth, seemingly delighted and Liz couldn't help but smile against him. When he pulled back his eyelids were on half mast.
"You're so beautiful," he barely breathed out.
She wiped some lipstick off the corner of his mouth. "And you really wear the hell outta a tux, Mr. Reddington."
He raised a brow at her. "Well, thank you. I was trying to impress my lady. Do you think I succeeded?"
"Oh, yes, you did."
Red pecked her one more time before he pulled back onto the road, one of his hands holding onto hers.
When they got to the school, several people were already there. They didn't have to search for their friends though, since Amy was waving her arms excitedly. Red put the vehicle into park and excited the car. Before he could round the car to help his girlfriend out, Amy had already ripped the door open. He glared at the young woman, who shrugged her shoulders in return.
"Ray! Live a little," she joked. "You can't always play prince charming."
"I'm not playing anyone," he protested.
"Alright, enough, guys." Liz gave her boyfriend a quick kiss, before pulling her friend into a hug.
"And here I was going to compliment on your dress, Amy," Red said with a wink.
She stuck out her tongue at him. "You can do that later, but damn, Liz! Look at you! You look hot! Is that the dress Ray got ya?"
Liz nodded and leaned against her date. He wrapped his arm around her waist and dropped a kiss onto her head. "She looks stunning."
"One of these days you'll need to lend me your man. I need him as a confidence boost."
Liz put her hand protectively on Red's chest. "Keep your hands to yourself, he's mine." It made his heart swell with pride to hear her say that and he couldn't stop the smile that came to his face.
"Oh please stop with the cuteness, it makes me wanna puke. Come on already!" Amy said, grabbing her best friend's hand pulling the couple with her.
They had a good time at the ball and Liz finally got around to introducing her boyfriend to the rest of her friends. His unrelenting charm had quickly made him popular among them.
"Sweetheart, I'm going to get something to drink, do you need anything?" He asked.
"I'm fine, thanks." She smiled. He nodded and gave her a quick kiss, before walking off.
All girls in the group watched him leave. "He's amazing, Liz," Rebecca said.
"He's got a really nice ass," Kelly joined in and the girls laughed, before quickly agreeing.
Talking and laughing with her friends had led to Liz losing track of time. She had barely noticed just how quickly it had gone by, but she was sure that her boyfriend had been gone for too long. She was looking around the room, trying to spot her room, but quickly realized that it was nearly impossible to find him among all those people. Her eyes fell on her best friend instead, who was currently dancing with some guy Liz didn't recognize. He was probably a senior as well, Amy was always looking for seniors.
"That one looks yummy." She heard Chrystal say from behind and another friend of hers gladly agreed. "Oh, I'm so gonna get laid tonight." Liz watched as the redhead walked up to a group of boys, flirting with them in a manner that just didn't seem right.
It was kind of unreal. Watching her friends and how they were practically throwing themselves at the male; it didn't sit right with Liz. She wasn't sure if she was being a prude or if she really was the only normal female around this place. She almost jumped out of her skin, when she felt a pair or arms circle her waist from behind, shortly after she felt warm lips at her neck and Red's scent enveloped her gently.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I found some of my friends and got a little carried away."
"It's okay."
His nose nuzzled her ear, before his mouth joined in the exploration. Though she loved having his full attention, she couldn't stop herself from tensing slightly. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah."
He turned her around and looked her in the eyes. "You know that you're a terrible liar, don't you?" Red asked with a small grin. She leaned in and covered his lips with hers for a moment, feeling the need to connect with him. When the pulled apart, he gave her another look.
Bringing her hand up, she gently wiped her thumb over his mouth. "You have lipstick all over you."
He pursed his lips against her finger in a small kiss. "As long as it is yours, I'm okay with that," he answered. "Lizzie..."
"Can we dance?" She asked suddenly.
"Of course, sweetheart." He pulled her onto the dance floor just as a slow tune came on. Smiling brightly at her, Red wrapped his arms around her and gently swayed them to the music. "Are you really okay?" He spoke right into her ear and Liz felt her hair stand to attention.
"Yes." She buried her fingers in the hair at the back of his head, eliciting something that sounded like a purr.
"You would tell me if you weren't, right?"
She placed a soft kiss against his neck. "I'm fine, Ray."
"Do you want to go home?" He asked and Liz shook her head. "But you want to leave."
"Yes."
He pulled back and looked at her with a fond expression. "I know just the place. Come on."
They had been driving for fifteen minutes when Liz felt anxious again. Did he expect her to have sex with him now? Just like all the other guys would, judging by what she had witnessed at the ball. They drove out to a secluded spot and she could feel her heart almost jumping out of her chest. How was this supposed to happen? She wasn't ready. She wasn't like the other girls. She couldn't help but shiver.
Red shrugged out of his jacket and gently put it around her shoulders. "Are you cold, sweetheart?" She shook her head without looking at him. "I wanted to show you something."
Oh god, that was how it would happen. She didn't know what to do. Should she tell him? Should she go with it? Should she just run and hide forever?
"Lizzie?"
"Yes?" She asked quietly.
"Up there." Her eyes snapped to him and she could see how his arm was raised, his finger pointing towards the sky.
Her eyes followed his outstretched hand and then her breath was stolen from her. "Wow..." She breathed out. She had never seen that many stars in the sky. It was unbelievable, she couldn't tear her eyes away. "It's beautiful."
"I think this is the best spot to watch the stars. Since it is rather away from the city, there are no lights interfering. My dad and I used to just sit here all the time. He would point out the Ursa Major and the Ursa Minor... and I wouldn't know just what the hell he was talking about." Red laughed.
Liz felt as if there was more to the story. "You never talk about your parents," she said softly.
"No, I don't," he agreed and shot her a quick smile. "My father died a couple of years ago."
Her heart hurt for him. "I'm sorry, Ray." She put her hand to his arm, squeezing softly and watching as his Adam's apple bobbed when he swallowed thickly.
"He was in the Navy. A proud soldier, fighting for his country." He sniffed and looked off to the side. Liz slid over the bench seat and leaned into his side to offer some support. He tired smiling at her, but it ended up being a grimace. "He gave me this." Red pulled a pocket watch from the inside of his jacket. It was golden and looked like it had been around for some time already. He held it out for her to take and Liz carefully took it from his hand.
Turning it around, she intently inspected the item, tracing the pattern on the backside with her index finger. He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her deeper into his side, both to keep her warm and to find the strength to keep talking. Liz carefully opened the locket, revealing a picture of a young boy and his father, both smiling brightly into the camera.
"Is that you?" He looked adorable with his hair wild and some of his teeth missing.
"Yeah..." He answered. "We were on the way to my grandparents' place in Vermont. Dad and I would have managed to make the trip easily, but Mom always needed so many stops."
"Your mom?"
"She's alive and well. She'll love you, I'm sure of it." He smiled. "Mom hates the Mustang. She kept complaining how unfit this car was for family trips."
"So this is..."
"My dad's car, yes. He loved that car."
They fell into comfortable silence after that and Liz pushed her face into his neck. "Thank you for sharing this with me." She felt him nod before his lips touched her hair gently.
"I had a wonderful time tonight, Lizzie. Thank you for being my date."
"Thank you for taking me," she replied, kissing his chin. He smiled brightly at her, even though his eyes were slightly glazed over with tears.
THEBLACKLISTTHEBLACKLISTTHEBLACKLIST
Not even twenty minutes later, they were pulling up in front of her house and this time Red was allowed to open the door for her and walk her up to hers. He followed inside and both were a little startled to meet Sam in the hall.
"You're back early," he commented and everyone's eyes flew to the clock on the wall. It was only 11 pm.
"You said to bring her back on time," the younger man smiled.
"I like this boy!" Sam said with a laugh, clapping Red on the shoulder. "I will take my leave now. Goodnight, Ray and thank you for taking good care of my girl."
"Always," Red replied.
"Goodnight, butterball." He kissed her forehead gently.
"G'night, Daddy." They both watched the older man vanish up the stairs. As soon as they heard the faint clicking of a door closing, Liz pulled her boyfriend close by the lapels of his jack, taking his lips in a long kiss.
When they pulled apart, Red licked his lips, not even trying to stop the grin that came to his face. "I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Definitely." She grinned back, her hands running up his chest so she could link her fingers behind his head. "Call me when you get home?"
"Of course, sweetheart," he agreed. He gave her another loving kiss, before he reluctantly pulled away. "I'll talk to you in a bit." He winked at her and then left.
Liz released a shuddering breath as her back hit the closed door. Her heart was banging furiously inside her. This boy was driving her mad, and she had a feeling he was well aware of that.
