15 years old

"Hey Dad!"

Lizzie had the phone nuzzled between her cheek and shoulder as she rooted around the freezer for that pint of Ben & Jerry's Chubby Hubby she'd been working on. With a smile, she grasped her prize and walked over to the silverware drawer and shut it with her hip once she'd gotten her spoon.

"Hey Sweetheart. How are you today? How's school?

"School's good. What's new with you?"

"Oh you know, same ol' same ol'."

Lizzie couldn't help but snort as she sat down, her back to the arm of the couch as she drew her knees to her chest and tucked into her ice cream. Yes. She could only imagine a boring day in the life of a career criminal. Red must have read the disbelief in her laughter and quickly changed the subject.

"Any exciting plans for the weekend?"

"Oh, you know. Going out with my…friend."

There was a heavy pause on the other end of the phone.

"A friend?"

"Yea. You know, going to the movies or something." Lizzie scratched her spoon along the rim of her ice cream container and bit her lip.

"Lizzie, I've never lied to you. I expect the same courtesy."

Lizzie snorted in derision at this. "Oh yea, Mr. Traveling Salesman?"

There was silence on the line for a moment and she could imagine him tilting his head and grinding his teeth and that way he does when he's frustrated.

"Well, I do sell my services to…clients. And I travel constantly."

"Mmm whatever you say, Dad." She murmured around a mouthful of ice cream.

"Don't try to distract me, Lizzie. What's his name?"

She sighed, admitting defeat. "Robby. But Dad, don't worry about it, okay? Pop met him. He likes him. In fact, I'm surprised he didn't tell you."

"I see," came the quiet reply. She could feel the tension radiating from her father though they were separated by hundreds – probably thousands of miles.

"Dad, what's wrong? You've gone quiet."

She heard him sigh and a slight rustling noise as if he was standing up and beginning to pace.

"Oh Lizzie, it's nothing, Sweetheart."

"Liar."

Another sigh.

"You realize you're the only person who can call me out on a lie right?"

Lizzie giggled around her ice cream. In a twisted sort of way, it was a rather high praise. Her dad was a criminal, he lied and cheated everyday. Yet she was the only person who could catch him out at it.

"Don't deflect, Dad. What's up?"

He seemed to pause and she imagined him taking a moment to gather his thoughts before taking a breath and beginning to speak.

"Sometimes I wish I could be there with you through all this stuff – meeting your first serious boyfriend, seeing you off for your first dance. I've missed so many milestones already. I've tried to be there. But I'm still missing so much."

"Dad, it's okay. I understand." Lizzie set her ice cream down on the coffee table, no longer in the mood for it.

"I know you do, Lizzie. And that's part of what makes you so remarkable. But sometimes I don't understand it myself."

Lizzie didn't know what to say to that. Her Dad sounded so upset and she hated that she couldn't just give him a hug to make it better.

"Well, I turn 16 in a couple weeks."

"I am well aware, yes. I've got it marked in my calendar – 'The day the sun first shined.'"

Lizzie giggled, shaking her head at her Dad's corny yet sweet antics.

"Anyway, I have an appointment scheduled at the DMV for a couple days after. I know you never miss my birthday but, well I'm worried about my parallel parking – it's stupid. I live in The-Middle-of-Nowhere-Nebraska. Why do I need to learn to parallel park anyway?" She checked herself, realizing she was babbling. "But yea, if you can stick around for a few days, I'd love it if you could help me practice and uh…could you take me to the DMV, maybe, the day of my test?"

It was so quiet, she almost thought the call had dropped until she heard a throat clearing.

"I would love nothing more in this world, Lizzie."

/\/\/\/\/\/\

It was Christmas and the neighbor's pond had frozen over.

"C'mon Dad! Please! It'll be so much fun!"

"No, don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Your Pop and I will sit here and gossip about all your little boyfriends. It'll be a gas!"

Lizzie rolled her eyes, smacking him playfully on the arm.

"Not funny Dad." Lizzie looked over to Sam pleadingly. "Pop! Convince him to go!"

"Yea Ray, why don't you go ice skating with Lizzie?"

Ray glared at Sam across the kitchen table.

"Why don't you go with her, Samuel?" He growled back.

"Because I got a bum knee and Lizzie gave up asking me years ago." Sam smile shone with mirth at his friend's expense.

"Dad! Seriously, this is the first time you've been here for Christmas and the pond's been perfect for skating! Please!" Lizzie gave her best puppy dog eyes. Ray tried not to look at her, avoiding the eyes he knew she was giving him and that he never could resist. A small glance to see if she'd stopped was all it took. She hadn't stopped.

"Ah hell. Sam, do you have skates I can borrow?"

Sam laughed uproariously at his friend's predicament.

"No, but I imagine Dembe does. You can ask him if he has an old pair you can use."

/\/\/\/\/\

Lizzie, Red, and Dembe sat on the little bench beside the pond, lacing up their skates. She was the first to finish and carefully stepped across the snow before gliding effortlessly onto the ice.

"Hurry up, guys!" She yelled, doing a twirl.

Red looked glumly at the pond and Dembe chuckled beside him.

"She's going to realize you can't skate sooner rather than later, Raymond. You may as well get it over with."

"Oh shut up, traitor."

Dembe laughed and stood up, making his way onto the ice and skating circles around Lizzie, making her laugh and chase after him.

Red sighed, a grin on his face at the sight of his Lizzie so happy. Most days he didn't feel like he deserved her, let alone deserved to see her smile. It was a gift and he never took them for granted. These visits with her meant more to him than anything in this world.

"Dad! Hurry up!"

Red groaned as he was broken out of his reverie. Well, might as well bite the bullet.

Standing up, he carefully waded through the snow until he was at the edge of the pond. Taking a fortifying breath, Red set a skate on the ice and — plonk!

Before he could even get the second skate onto the ice, his feet came out from underneath him.

Moaning in pain, he turned onto his back and stared up at the sky, clutching his injured elbow. That was going to bruise.

"Dad! Dad, are you alright?" He could hear Lizzie's panicked yelling over the distinctive sssk sssk of their skates as they glided near.

"I'm fine." He grumbled. "My pride however, is a bit bruised. And probably my elbow."

Lizzie went into a controlled fall and kneeled behind him. Staring at him, and assessing him for any injuries as best she could through his heavy winter layers, Lizzie finally decided that he would, in fact, be okay and began to giggle. The giggle soon turned to a chortle, then finally into a full blown belly laugh. At some point, Dembe had skated up behind her and began laughing as well, though he tried to hide it behind his gloved hand.

"Oh yes, everyone laugh at the wounded old man! Isn't it just grand!" Red huffed.

"I'm sorry, Dad! It's just…" Lizzie broke off as another round of giggles hit her. "Why didn't you tell me you couldn't skate?"

"I didn't think it'd be difficult, frankly." Red mumbled, his cheeks rosy and certainly not from the cold.

"The great Raymond Reddington, defeated by a pond." Dembe announced with mock grandeur.

"Shut up, Dembe."


Fluffy McFlufferton from Flufftown Flufftonia.