Hello my dear readers! I AM BACK!
And I have brought you a loooong chapter...which actually is even longer (yes I was busy;)) but I decided to be really cruel and split it;) Have to stay true to my style(Insider joke you will understand later on when you have read the whole chapter;))
So I wont bore you with a lot of talking...
Have fun and please read the comment below;)
Disclaimer: I don't own the show or the characters and don't make any money with the story. Just wanna have some fun :)
Chapter 10
Red was rubbing a soft, damp towel over Liz' bare skin on her leg. He watched the caked blood coming off slowly and he washed the cloth out, just to continue his administrations after he wringed it out. Liz leaned against the wall, sitting on a stool and trying to fight back sleep once again. Red had quickly changed her clothes into loose shorts and a green shirt. Since the clothes were his, they were hanging on her like on a child. He marveled and recoiled on the fragility the clothes brought out and fortified. The process of changing her clothes had been uncomfortable for both of them. Liz had weakly protested and blushed vigorously, but Red couldn't be swayed. He covered her as much as possible so that he wouldn't tempt himself to stare and though he hadn't seen any compromising parts, there was entirely too much skin to see for his fried brain. He was still only a man. A gentleman yes but in this word he liked to emphasize the "man" part.
Once she was clothed, he had found a towel and run it under the lukewarm water. It wouldn't be as good as a shower but he could bet on it that Lizzie would appreciate getting rid of most of the mud and blood. And he was right. Red had even heard a few purrs from her while he was running the cloth over her skin. When he was satisfied with the cleanliness of her legs, he moved to her face. It was the last part he had to cover and then they could finally sleep.
"Almost done. Only your face left, Lizzie." He informed her gently and started his soothing movements with the towel against her cheek. Liz' eyes fluttered open and she breathed a weak but heartfelt "Thank you".
Putting the towel on the sink with a smile, he partially turned away from her but left his right hand on her arm to steady her. His was still smiling when he turned back to her and brushed his thumb over her cheek.
"You look a lot better now, Lizzie. Now you only have to show me your beautiful smile and then you can go to bed and rest for as long as you want."
Hearing his gentle tone and the humor in it, she smile automatically at him.
"Beautiful." He whispered and watched her cheeks flush red again. He could get used to this.
Slowly and carefully, Red lifted her back in his arms and started his way to the bed. Not hearing Liz protest or argue, he looked surprised down into her face, and found her eyes closed and her breathing deep and calm. That was fast, he though affectionately.
Red stepped to the bed and slowly lowered the woman in his arms onto it. Brushing the dark hair out of her face and covered her with the rather heavy blanket.
"Sweet dreams." He said and bent down to kiss her forehead. Red lingered longer than necessary, breathing in Liz' now clean scent.
Finally breaking away from her, he glanced one last time at her still form and closed the door behind him. Leaning against it for a few moments, he closed his eyes and took a few cleansing breaths. When he heard someone approach him, Red straightened his back, opened his eyes and let his usual arrogant mask fall over his face.
"Mr. Reddingtion. What are your plans for your stay?" the blond, tall man with hard features asked him. His black suit was neat and his hair looked almost perfect. Red guessed him being in his thirties.
"I have never seen you before, son. What is your name? Did your mother not teach you to introduce yourself to people you do not know?"
The brief surprised look on the young man's face brought a slight satisfaction but Red still was waiting for an answer and he had to admit that the perfect suit was bothering him. Red had still his blood-covered clothes on and didn't feel himself enough to have the patience or fun in bantering around with a wannabe smug boy.
"Christopher, Mr. Reddington. And she told me not to speak to people I don't know."
Red nodded, contemplating if he should let the boy know who he really was, but decided against it. He was just too tired and he wanted to reward the boy for his witty comeback.
"Christopher." He paused, staring at Christopher and continued talking again.
"I will need a secure line and a safe laptop." They started walking, while Red listed his needs and demands.
"Please make sure there is plenty to eat and drink, once Lizzie wakes up." Red noticed Christopher looking at him oddly at the mention of Liz' name. Red stopped and stared at him with a penetrating glare, daring him to make a comment on his pet name for the wounded FBI Agent. The man looked down, seemingly embarrassed, and hurried to say something that would distract Red's attention from him.
"W…Would that be all? I'll make sure everything will be prepared within three hours."
"I want two bodyguards at her door. One inside, one outside. Bring them to me before they take their places. I want to know if they are trustworthy."
Red let his gaze wander away from Christopher and nodded sharply, in a sign of being finished.
"Just knock on my door when the bodyguards arrive."
He watched the man walk slowly away from him but called him back, when he was almost around the corner.
"Do not, under any circumstances, enter Liz's room. Not you not anyone except myself and the two bodyguards. And tell the staff I want a meeting in three hours. To set all the rules. Seems like there was a lazy hand at work around here for too long. That is going to change now."
Red reached for the doorknob of the door he stopped next to and walked into his own room. Just a door away from Lizzie. Good, he thought.
Since he already had the opportunity to wash all the blood from his skin, he only splattered some cold water on his face to refresh himself, cleaned the scratch on his head and toed off his shoes to change his bloody clothes for fresh ones. He blessed that someone who already transferred some of his clothes to this house. That reminded him to let someone check on Liz' house. She needed her clothes too. Aaah…he loved being the boss.
And finally he could let himself rest on the king sized bed. His room was a typical man's room. Wooden floor and the colors were mostly brown, gold and white. It smelled of sandalwood and the air was fresh. Most probably, they had aired it before they arrived. The window was big enough to air the whole house, Red thought smirking into himself.
Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep. A deep, dark sleep without any dreams. The next thing he noticed was a soft rapping on his door. His eyes flew open and he set bolt upright. For a moment he felt his head swim, preventing him from standing up. By the time he heard Christopher's voice calling him through the door, the feeling had vanished and he could put his shoes on without being afraid to keel over.
"Is everything ready?" he asked while opening the door. He was still blinking the rest of sleep from his eyes but his brain was ready to work again. He had never needed very much sleep. First, it was because of the guilt. The terrors he'd seen and done. The nightmares had been keeping him up and he'd been walking around like a zombie all day, but after years and years of nightmares and sleepless, lonely nights, he had gotten used to it. Now the nightmares weren't a constant companion anymore, but his body had adopted to his life style and the only few hours of sleep each night had gotten more of virtue than a curse.
"Ehm…no sir. It has been only half an hour since I left. But the Bodyguards are ready for your inspection." Christopher explained a bit confused, his brows furrowed.
Red cursed silently. He could have sworn he had been asleep for at least two hours. Nothing he could do about it now, he thought grimly and refocused on the task at hand.
"Let me see them." Before he could even move, two bulky man appeared in his door and nodded in a silent greeting. Even for Red they seemed huge. Not just in height but also in width. He couldn't determine if all the mass was actually muscle or just…well…something else. Their sullen faces made them look like the typical stereotypes of bodyguards and Red rolled his eyes at this thought.
"You two know who I am?"
A nod from both of them.
"You know who Elizabeth Keen is?"
A shake of heads told him that the news haven't traveled around the house yet.
"You two have just one job for the next few days. Protect Elizabeth Keen. Do not let her out of your sight when I am not around. You do not let anyone that does not belong to this household come near her. And those are your rules: Do NOT touch her. Do NOT talk to her…or anyone else for that matter" That wont pose any problem for them, Red told himself amusedly. "You will show her the outmost respect. You will treat her as if she was your mother. No dirty thoughts, no peeking. Did I make myself perfectly clear?"
Both man looked at each other grimly but nodded their heads in understanding. Red observed their reaction closely. Each muscle twitch was noted and categorized.
"You report only to me and if ANYTHING at all should go wrong…if she complains about anything, if something happens to her you two will not live long enough to even start to crawl your behinds away, is that understood?"
The grim expressions have vanished now and they just nodded, still not uttering any word.
"Now go do your job."
Red didn't wait for an answer. He closed the door and expected from Christopher to come get him when everything else was set up and ready for him.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Red had been standing behind the door to the dining room for a few seconds, collecting his thoughts. He had checked on Lizzie before coming here and she was still sleeping, though she seemed to have been starting to have a nightmare. Her face wasn't as relaxed as it had been a few hours ago but Red hoped that he would be finished here before she woke up.
Finally, he squared his shoulders, pushed the door open and entered the room with his head held high and spine straight as a board. His body language was screaming I am the boss and if you mess with me you are going to end up as a puddle of mess.
"Good evening ladies and gentleman." He greeted the crowd of seven people as he walked to the head of the long table. He didn't sit down. He preferred to stand while giving orders to people he didn't know yet. He locked eyes with each person in the room before starting to speak. The two women, that he guessed were the housemaids, tried to avoid eye contact and the three bodyguards kept their gaze trained on him, awaiting his orders. Christopher and another man, who was most probably the cook, were holding themselves relaxed and their faces neutral.
"For those who do not know me, my name is Raymond Reddington. I will be residing here with my…" momentarily stopping himself, he thought about his relation to Liz.
"Associate for the time being." This was the safest thing to say, he thought. What they thought of him taking care of Liz wasn't his prime concern. The official knowledge was more important than rumors-at least here.
"As you may have noticed, she has been wounded and will need our support to get better. I don't have too many rules. There are only three rules that everyone has to play by. Rule number one: Do not speak to strangers. Since I am sure your mothers and fathers have told you this multiple times," at that he with a smug smile at Christopher. "it will not be too hard for you to remember it, but this rule will apply also when we are gone again. What happens in this house stays in this house. Rule number two: If Elizabeth asks for something, she gets it. If it is a matter of money, come to me and I will make sure you will be provided with enough cash. Number three…" here he made a pause to capture all of their attention.
"You will be aware of Liz' every move. If she is seen without her bodyguards, come to me and tell me. If you see her talking to someone you don't know, tell me immediately. If you see her distressed, tell me. Keep an eye on her as if she was your sister, daughter or whoever is dearest to your heart." Red was sure he didn't need to make this a rule. Once they had the opportunity to talk to his Lizzie they would love her at once and naturedly want to take care of her . Her warm aura had the tendency to attract people. Shame only it weren't just those with good intentions.
Red looked expectantly into the round, waiting for some kind of reaction. He was sure they had questions. New staff always had questions. After a few minutes of staring at them, he finally saw one of the maids raising her hand timidly.
"Yes my dear." He said and gestured at her with a hand to speak up.
"Mr. Reddington, sir…." She swallowed and continued, now looking at him.
"my name is Lucy and I work here as a maid…obviously…ehm..Is Miss Keen in danger?"
The room was so still, that Red could hear almost every single of the at least 15 clocks on the ground floor ticking. He regarded the young woman more closely. Her blond hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail and her fair skin was smooth. She was close to Liz' age but her blue eyes didn't have the same spark as Lizzie's. Red decided to answer her anyway.
"Yes she is." He like the girl. Though timid, she had found the courage to ask her question. She would make a perfect friend for his Lizzie.
"She has some bad people following her. They want to hurt her for something she had no control over." He breathed deeply. "But we will not let it come to that, right?"
Although he was still looking at the girl, he heard a chorus of affirmative answers.
"Very good. This will be all for now. I am looking forward to a marvelous time together in this beautiful house."
The staff took this as a sign to leave and they filtered out of the room. The girl smiled shyly at Red while walking by him and looked away quickly when he smirked back.
As expected, Christopher stayed back and walked up to him when everyone else had left.
"The laptop has been brought to the conference room. There is also a secure line in the room. Feel free to use everything."
"Show me the way?" Red asked, making it sound like a demand. He just couldn't help it. This man was just not a professional. Not in the loop about the criminal hierarchy and how to behave accordingly. He would need to talk to his good friend Pierre about this employee. He would get himself and his employer in trouble one day.
When they arrived at their destination, Red started to lose his patience with Boris. He was following Red on his heels and accompanied him even to the oak desk while Red was taking his seat behind it. Red waited for a minute but when Christopher still didn't leave, he swiveled the chair around and faced him, forming a pyramid with his hands in front of his chest.
"I will be able to dial by myself. Thank you Christopher." He said calmly but with a growling undertone.
Christopher exhaled and retreated to the door, closing it softly after waking through it.
"Moron." Red quipped, irritated to no end.
Directing his chair back to the polished desk, he grabbed the lid of the laptop, opened it and logged in. He checked one of his private email accounts, already knowing what he would find. One email. Send by RJS. Reluctantly he clicked on the open sign and started reading.
Dear old friend,
Long time no see, Red. I believe I have something that belongs to you and you have something that belongs to me. I don't think that I have to explain to you how very much this something means to me. You of all people should know best, right?. But I would suggest this is a conversation for another time. For a private meeting. Let's say Sunday. A good day for a family reunion. At my cottage. 12 am. I will keep your property as clean as possible and try to prevent any damage. However, I can't promise anything.
See you soon,
Rex
P.S. Tell Elizabeth her father is looking forward to see her again.
After reading the mail once more, Red closed the laptop and shut his eyes. This situation was not at all what he imagined it would be if it ever should come to a meeting between them. Liz hasn't been a part of the meeting in his mind. A topic? Of course but she was never supposed to be anywhere near this meeting. They needed back up.
Opening his eyes, his next move was for the phone. He dialed a well known number and explained the situation to Mr. Kaplan. He would let her make plans for now and go check on Liz' house.. In two days he would call her again and hope there would be some plan that didn't resemble a suicide mission.
Slowly Red stood up, stretched slightly and looked at his wristwatch. Two hours since he had checked on Liz. Time for a visit, he smiled to himself. Slowly he slandered down the hall, back to their rooms. Passing his own, Red nodded at the bodyguard, standing outside Liz' room and opened the door quietly. Sliding into the room, he made eye contact with the second guard.
"Did something happen I should now about?" Red whispered.
"No." the man's voice was deep and raspy, almost like sandpaper on wood. It made Red cringe a bit and he gestured the guard to wait outside.
Once they were alone, Red walked to the bed and crouched down directly at Liz head. She was on her side, breathing evenly. Her eyes were moving under her lids and her hand, trapped under her chin twitched occasionally. Nightmares, Red thought bitterly. He would do anything to spare her those nightly terrors. First, the nightmares as a child and then the memories of all the murder cases at Quantico. Red's hand brushed over her hair and smiled fondly. There has been a time when he hadn't been sure if she would make it through Quantico. She was sensitive. She wasn't a hard hearted person who wasn't moved by death and crime. But to his surprise and relieve she did make it through in top of her class and he had been and still was so very proud of her. He smiled at the memory of sending her the white little teddy bear holding a heart with an embroidered "Congratulation" on it and her face when she had found it on her doorstep right after coming back from the last exam.
"What are you smiling about?"
Liz' voice was husky but a lot stronger than the last time Red had heard it.
"A fond memory of you."
A puzzled look took over her features. Her still jumbled mind couldn't remember anything he could be remembering like that. Most of the nice things she had done for him were mostly of a practical nature…at least she thought they were. She couldn't really remember anything clearly before the explosion.
"Red?"
"Yes, darling?"
"I don't really remember what happened before the explosion."
"That's normal. The concussion must have…"
"No…Red…I mean I can't remember."
Red frowned deeply. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he leaned down and grasped her face in both hands, forcing her to look into his alarmed eyes and trying to halt the rising panic.
"But you do remember me, right?"
"Yes…of course. I know how we met…but I don't remember…the agents…their names…I don't remember what you were wearing… when it happened. Red!?"
Her voice carried an urgent undertone and her eyes were filling with tears. Red just shook his head, keeping his hands firm on her soft cheeks.
"Do not panic, Lizzie. It's going to be temporary. You are having some blank spots about the details but you do remember the important things."
He watched her lower lip tremble but she managed to hold in a sob. He saw her swallow the tears and he kissed her forehead softly.
"That's it sweetheart. Everything is going to be ok. If you notice that you forgot something you just ask me and I will help you remember."
She nodded and relaxed visibly.
"How do you feel besides the little forgetfulness?"
"OK"
Red shook his head, with a disappointed huff.
"The truth." He demanded.
Liz' chest expanded with a deep breath, her eyes sliding close.
"My whole body is aching. My leg is throbbing and I have a headache."
"Nothing I didn't expect." Red smiled smugly. Liz found enough strength to roll her eyes.
Before Red could comment on it, Liz opened her mouth and said it for him.
"Do not roll your eyes, dear." Her voice had taken on a low growl, trying to imitate Red's, provoking an amused and honest laugh from the man in front of her.
"You are a delight, Lizzie. Really."
Liz smiled, but her face lost the happiness almost immediately.
"Are you alright, Red?"
Red knew where this conversation would lead to and he didn't think Liz was up to it yet. Memory problems and pain meds were surely clouding her mind. This little attempt of humor on her part a few moments ago was nothing she would have done if she were in her normal, cautious state of mind. Or would she? In the beginning of their relationship it was clear where they stood. He was the criminal and she was the good FBI agent who would take no shit from him…well…tried not to. But now the borders have moved and twisted and somehow liquefied. Even for him.
"Do not worry, sweetheart. I am perfectly alright. It's you we have to be concerned about."
He looked her over until he could see her starting to fidget with her hands.
"The doctor will be back in the morning. I expect you to rest until then, And when I say rest I do mean rest. Get a good night sleep. In the morning you will feel a lot better, I am sure."
Red moved to leave but was stopped by a soft hand on his wrist.
"You said you would tell me."
He didn't need any explanation of what she was referring to.
"When the doctor clears you in the morning. Then we will talk."
Once again, he tried to step back but again the hand on his held him back.
"You are diverting…"
Before Liz realized what was happening, Red had his face next to hers, his lips touching her ear and his cheeck pressing against hers.
"I promise." He breathed and pressed a chased kiss on a spot beneath her ear. And then he was gone.
Liz was stunned. Over the last few hours, Red had touched her more than he had done in all the time they had known each other, but she had chalked it up to her own stress, panic, fear and him trying to comfort her. But now? Yes, she wasn't on the top of her game right now but that wasn't the first time and he never had done something like that. This was bordering on smothering coddling…at least for Red standards. While she was pondering his motivations with a still hazy mind, she couldn't help but fall asleep. Drifting between darkness and red flames enveloping her.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The next morning found Red already up early and dressed in a perfect three piece suit. It gleamed silver in the sunlight. He stood by the window, absorbing the view over the garden and the fields beyond. It was calming but at the same time it made him sentimental and he couldn't effort it to wallow in this mood for too long.
Abruptly he turned around, put his watch around his wrist and left his room in a swift movement.
His first destination was the kitchen. He was positively surprised to see the cook smiling at him and gesturing to the dining room on the other side of the kitchen.
"We thought that Miss Elizabeth would like to sleep in and we prepared breakfast for you in the dining room and stored hers already in the fridge. Lucy will bring it to her when she awakens."
Red nodded, walking passed the cook and into the dining room.
The breakfast was delicious. Red was absolutely fascinated by the flavor the cook had conjured into the scrambled eggs. Lizzie would enjoy them too, he thought while savoring the seasonings.
Twenty minutes past before the door opened and a maid came to his side.
"I am sorry to bother you Mr. Reddington, but Dr. Barners just arrived and is waiting for you in the hallway."
"Thank you. I will be there shortly."
Red's tight smile and nod send the maid on her way, leaving Red to finish his breakfast without a hurry.
Five minutes later Red stepped through the door and immediately spotted Dr. Barners just a few feet away. They shook hand in greeting and smiled.
"Good morning Red. How are you and your lovely guest?"
"I am fine. Liz didn't complain about too much pain but I believe that she was downplaying those problems in light of another one she discovered. Her memory is spotted with holes like a good piece of cheese. She didn't remember the name of her partner at work."
Both man were slowly walking towards Liz' room while Red explained the situation.
"She had a severe concussion. It's not uncommon for patients to have temporal problems with their memories." Dr. Barners looked skeptically at Red, from the corner of his eye. "But you knew that already, Red. What are you really concerned about?"
Reaching Liz' room, Red stopped with a hand on the door handle and gazed into the doctors eyes.
"As a child she lived through a traumatic event and ever since she's suffering from complete memoriy loss regarding everything before this incident. I am a bit concerned this situation now could be too much for her brain. I hope this recent memory loss is really only a temporal side effect and not something…more."
"I will tell you honestly, I am no expert in this area. I can only tell you from my point of you as a general practitioner that after such a concussion it is very common and shouldn't be permanent. But I guess we will know more when time passes. Now let us visit the pretty lady of yours."
Dr. Barners kept back and watched Red first send the bodyguard out and then approach a still sleeping Liz. The golden curtains were shut and only little light was filtering through them.
"Hey Lizzie. You have a guest. Don't be rude and greet him my dear."
With a hand on Liz' arm, Red whispered into her ear and watched her eye lashes flutter and finally her eyes open.
"Red…" the evident sleep in her voice made her stop and clear her throat and Dr. Barners took the opportunity to walk to them and smile a bright smile at her.
"Good morning, luv. I see you remember this gentlemans name, so your memory loss isn't as bad as my old friend made me believe." He winked at her and Liz couldn't hold back a warm smile.
"I am sure he was just concerned. I was kind of panicked yesterday. Maybe I was overreacting…"
Red shushed her at once with a pointed stare.
"You did not overreact. You were honest."
Dr. Barners could feel the static charge rise in the room and decided to cut through it, before something…or someone exploded.
"Shall we start with the examination?"
An hour later, Liz' wounds were cleaned and her leg wrapped in bandages and her numerous bruises treated with a nasty smelling ointment, which the doctor would leave for her to use every few hours.
All in all Dr. Barners was happy with his patient's physical condition.
"Just don't forget the painkillers and the ointment. And don't try to walk for the next two days." Liz nodded, slurping happily at a lemonade Red had brought for her when he left the room to let the doctor examine the more private parts of her body. Although he had seen her in a state of undress already yesterday while changing her clothes, he didn't need to gawk at her any opportunity he got. He wasn't an adolescent boy who couldn't control himself anymore after all.
The doctor waved a friendly goodbye to her and stepped out of the room with Red.
"Keep her in bed for a while, Red. I sense her eagerness to be up and about even now with all the pain. She reminds me of someone I know." He chuckled good-naturedly. When they reached the entrance area, he turned to his friend before walking out.
"Explain to her that she will need extensive therapy for that leg. I thought she would take it better from you than my ol' little selfe." With a more serious look on his face he added: "Try to keep stress away from her. She is sensitive. That reminds me also of someone I know." A pointed look at Red, made said man's face title down in deep thought.
"I can't promise that. We are in a situation I don't have really any control over."
"You will do the right thing. I think you will be there to catch her if she should fall. In one way or another."
"Always."
After seeing the doctor out, Red returned to the kitchen and asked for Lizzie's breakfast. He smirked pleased with himself when he saw the shocked looks on the staff's faces as he insisted on serving her the food himself. But even better was Liz' reaction. Her eyes were huge and her mouth fell open in shock.
"Is this an invitation to feed you? You must know I would gladly do that. I once heard from a client that feeding a person bonds you to her or him more than intercourse does."
At this comment, her mouth clicked shut quickly as she muttered a "Thank you"
Liz ate quietly except for few delighted moans and exclaimed "delicious" and "so good".
When she had finished and Red put the plate away, they lapsed into a semi comfortable silence and he noticed a rather concentrated look on her face. She bit her lip, trying to find a way to word her question without embarrassing herself…too much.
"What is it, Lizzie?"
When he didn't get an answer, he did something he rarely did but found himself willing to do for Liz more and more often. He took a risk.
"Let's make a deal, alright? I know that you want to know what happened. I will explain everything to you. I will answer every single question you have regarding this topic. In exchange, you will tell me when you feel bad or have a problem of any kind. Regardless of time or place. I can't help you if you don't talk to me. Do we have a deal?"
He could see the wheels turning in Liz' head. The dim light in the room made it difficult to see every detail of her face but he prouded himself in knowing her good enough to interpret even the slightest movement correctly. And he knew she would agree even before she answered.
"Alright. But you start. You don't have to make it a long story. Just the most important points for now. But don't be mistaken. I will come back to it later for more details." Though her face was serious, Red heard the humor in her voice.
He stood up taking his shoes off and hopping on the bed beside her and got rid of his tie in a flash.
"Quiet comfortable you have it here, sweetheart. It was just calling to me."
"It just lacks some fluffly pillows to snuggle with." Her response made him chuckle deep in his throat, while filing the information away for later times to make a maid get Lizzie some new pillows.
"Did you sleep, Red?"
"Yes I did. Don't worry about me. You are the one who doesn't remember our dear Donald's name." although he tried to keep his tone light, his eyes were concerned when Liz met his eyes. She could only shrug her shoulders and look away.
"About the story…?"
Red cleared his throat, trying to find a way to start.
"Sweetheart, I know you wanted to know about my interest in you from the first time we met. And about your biological father. You need to understand that knowledge can be dangerous and I want to do exactly the opposite. Keep you away from it."
Liz snorted unladylike, she had the strong suspicion that her pain medications was making her a bit loose, and opened her mouth to protest, but Red was faster, grasping her hand and starting a soothing caress on her scar.
"I know I've let you into dangerous situations myself but I had control over them. I was there. I could protect you. I cannot protect you from your father if he strikes from behind." The seriousness of his words was reflected on his face. His brows were drawn, his lips pulled into a thin line and pressed together. He seemed older now.
"I wouldn't tell you any of this if I wouldn't know that you will need every bit of information when you meet him at the end of the week. I want you to know who you are standing before. What to expect. How to react. How not to react. What moves to expect."
"You will be there with me." She said with a hopeful tone and her unquestioned trust in him surprised Red slightly. He wasn't used to her trust but he would do anything to not disappoint her.
"I will." He guided her hand to his lips and kissed it. His lips lingering on her skin, while his eyes drifted shut. Red felt her eyes on him but didn't let his concentration waver.
"It was before you were born" he murmured into her skin. "That I met your father on a business trip in Japan."
Liz had wanted to hear the story for such a long time, had been almost pleading with Red to tell her and now? Now she was listening with only half a brain. The other half was in a blissful nirvana thanks to Red's lips on her hand. It tingled and her aches in her body stopped screaming and were reduced to merely whispers. She was mesmerized by the sight he was presenting. As relaxed as she had ever seen him, he had no shoes on, his tie was gone and the first two buttons of his shirt were open. Her mouth watered and she felt instantly ashamed to have those thoughts while they were in such a serious and important situation, which would probably change their relationship and life's forever.
"Are you listening, Lizzie? Maybe we should continue this when you slept a little bit more. Your eyes are starting to glaze over."
Liz startled back into reality and shook her head, regretting the action immediately when shooting pain penetrated her brain.
"Please tell me. I am sorry, I just zoned out for a moment."
I know...sooooo cruel of me:) But dont worry...I have everything further already on the paper and just waiting to be posted;)
So now that you read the first part, I would am pleasing with all of you to tell me what ya think. I am gonna be honest with you: This chapter was kinda like an overgrown garden and I had to crop and decorate it from every angle...I hope I didnt lose the overview too much...
P.S: Thanks for telling me about the formating issue! Never happened before. Now I know to check ever chapter after posting:) Thanks again!