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Disclaimer: Don't own The Blacklist. Don't own the song, Kiss me, Sixpence None the Richer

Oh, kiss me beneath the milky twilight
Lead me out on the moonlit floor
Lift your open hand
Strike up the band and make the fireflies dance
Silver moon's sparkling
So kiss me

He had big hands. Which was a weird thought to have right at this time, but he did. One placed on her left cheek and the other on her right, holding her face steady as his lips attacked hers gently, his tongue moving slowly with hers. There was no teasing, it wasn't heated and it wasn't desperate, it was the most careful, thoughtful kiss she had ever experienced. He seemed nervous which wasn't usually a word she'd use to describe him or his actions. He seemed almost worried she was going to disappear on him. She suddenly felt emotional, letting her kiss express everything she couldn't put into words.

He had warm hands. Previously to the kiss her cheeks were cold and tending on the pale side from the bitter wind. But his hands were radiating warmth, her cheeks colouring as soon as they made contact. She also noticed that he was completely immersed in kissing her. She could hear his steady breathing low and shallow and his eyes remained closed. She opened hers briefly, smiled into the kiss, then let them shut again.

He had such soft hands. They were strong, large and filled with experience. Those hands had done things she would despise if he was anybody else. Illegal, criminal things. But they were so warm and protective and she could hold his hand forever. She could let him touch her with those hands forever. She wrapped her own smaller hands around his wrists and only then did he pull back. His eyes opened slowly and his pupils were, dilated and his gaze unsteady. His eyelids drooped lazily and he didn't smile. Because he didn't have time.

And he didn't waste the time he did have, leaning his head back towards her and finding her lips again. His hands shifted slightly but they remained on her cheeks, his thumb brushing soft strokes on her skin. Was he being needy? She wondered. She nipped his bottom lip gently which only encouraged him more and she felt herself collapse back against the wall. If this was needy, then he could be needy any time he liked. Her hand slipped down his chest, and at the sudden movement he pulled away again.

She licked her lips and her own eyes looking just as glassy, stared up at him. His cheeks flushed and he placed a palm against the wall to brace himself. She searched his eyes, wondering if she really did have such an effect on him.

Her hand moved on his chest and her eyes followed it. "Your heart is racing."

He stared down at her and he didn't chuckle or huff like he usually did at her innocent teasing. She looked back up at him and raised a questionable eyebrow.

"I suppose that's what happens when you kiss Elizabeth Keen."

"So it's Elizabeth now?"

"Not always." He moved closer to her, his lips coming into faint contact with her ear. "Do you want to come in?"

She thought of Kaplan and Dembe sitting in his house waiting for them, or him and not her. "I should go."

He brushed his lips back along her cheekbone. "You're not going."

"I'm not going," She found herself whispering.

"I'm glad you agree."

She turned towards him and kissed him quickly on the side of the mouth. "Is it bad that Kaplan saw?"

"No." His head dropped on her shoulder and he placed a delicate kiss on the skin there. She closed her eyes at his need for closeness and contact. His arms circled her waist and she re-opened her eyes when his answer registered with her.

"No?" She tilted her head to side, trying to tuck it under his head which rested on her shoulder still. "Are you okay?"

He released her again and reluctantly lifted his head off of her shoulder. "I'm sorry," he smiled at her and reached for her hand. "You must be cold. Lets get you inside."

"No," She stopped him. "I asked if you were okay."

"Lizzie, I think it's obvious I am OK. I think it's more than obvious."

"You're acting... different.." She commented suspiciously.

"I'm acting in love," he corrected. "We haven't been close in over four months..and," His eyebrows narrowed and his lips twisted to the side, like they often did when he took his time to answer. "Did I tell you that I missed you?"

She nodded.

"I missed you, Lizzie."

"I missed you." Lizzie replied quietly, riddled with emotion again.

She did her best to stay calm when she followed Red into his house and through to the kitchen. She clasped his hand tightly, seeking support. Dembe was scooping ice cream out of a carton though and only looked up once, a slight smile playing on his lips but thankfully saying nothing. Kaplan however, first stared at Lizzie, then to Red, and then down to their joint hands. Lizzie felt like she was meeting the family. Maybe she was? They were the closest she knew of any family Red had close by him at this point in his life.

"Sugar?"

Lizzie's eyes snapped up from the interesting spot of nothing on the floor. Kaplan was staring at her with judgemental eyes and Lizzie found it hard to meet her gaze. "Uh, no. No thank you."

Red must have sensed her uneasiness because his thumb started to brush lightly over the back of her palm. "We brought back cartons of this ice cream from Italy." Red told her as he pulled her out a chair. "Dembe has gone through almost every one."

"It's good," Dembe nodded, tilting the carton towards her. "Would you like to try?"

"I'm okay. Thanks." Lizzie smiled, taking a seat in the chair and praying that Red wasn't going to excuse himself to go to the bathroom or something. Not when she had Kaplan staring at her.

The tea-cup slid towards her and Lizzie glanced up. "Thank you." She nodded to Kaplan. "...And sorry for interfering with your game before."

Kaplan's lips twitched into a small but warm smile and Lizzie almost sighed out loud in relief.

"No worries, dear. Dembe would be the only one bothered. He was winning for once."

Dembe nodded. "I had an advantage."

"You did?" Red turned to him. "And what was that?"

Dembe glanced at Lizzie then scooped more ice cream into his mouth. "You weren't focussed."

Red raised a disbelieving eyebrow then turned to Lizzie. "That's absurd. I was playing a little easier for him."

"Dembe's right." Kaplan agreed. "You weren't paying attention, you were all over the place. You filled your glass of scotch a handful of times and sat their mulling. You were like a school boy in love."

Lizzie choked on a mouthful of tea and Red quickly placed his hand on her back

"Lizzie?"

"Sorry, it's-it's hot." Lizzie nodded, a blush creeping up on her cheeks. "I'm good."

"As I was saying-" Kaplan begun again.

"We don't need to go into details," Red stopped her abruptly. "It is getting late. I'm sure Dembe wouldn't mind dropping you home?" He turned to Dembe who nodded.

"I haven't finished my tea, Raymond."

"We have these magnificent little mugs," Red stood from his seat and rounded the kitchen bench. "They're called travel mugs." He opened a few draws in search for them. "It keeps the liquid warm perfectly. Very practical for a trip."

"I prefer to drink my tea from a teacup." Kaplan replied.

Red stopped searching for the mugs and gave Kaplan a tight-lipped smile. He knew and she knew full well that she was loving this.

"Take your time." He responded and looked to Lizzie, who sat there giving him an amused but slightly confused smile. She gave him a tiny head shake. To say that it was OK. That this was OK. And he didn't need to kick them out of his house. Even if it was in the early hours of the morning.

Were they all nocturnal? Or were they here keeping him company while she wasn't?

It was four thirty in the morning when Kaplan and Dembe left. The time when Kaplan finally had enough of her somewhat, motherly teasing and Dembe was almost falling asleep in his ice cream. Lizzie lay stretched out on his sofa, the fire roasting wood beside her. The warmth from the flames reaching out and covering her like a blanket.

Red was topping up the said fire with more wood and she observed him with great interest. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and he spent a lot of time moving the wood around with the metal poker.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked when the silence stretched out to minutes.

He put up the barrier then turned to looked over his shoulder. "You, me and surprisingly, Agent Ressler."

She nodded. "I'm so sorry I told him."

"You don't need to apologise, Lizzie. It was entirely my fault."

She wondered if she should sit up so they could have a proper conversation but she was so exhausted and the heat made her sleepy, making it impossible to find the strength. "What am I going to do?"

"We don't have to decide yet."

"I don't know if I can pretend anymore."

"It's OK, sweetheart. You don't need to worry." He placed the poker in the basket and stood up. He walked over to her and reached his hand down to brush her shoulder.

"We should sleep here."

"On the sofa?" He questioned, letting her pull him down on to his knees.

"By the fire." She nodded. "It's warm."

"Bed can be just as warm."

She pouted. "It's not the same. See," she pulled him on the couch with her. "Tell me this is the same warmth."

"Hmm," he murmured, rolling towards her. "You're right." He covered her upper body with his and kissed her tenderly. She held him closer by pulling on his shirt while her knee pushed between his legs out of their old habits.

"Lizzie," He peppered light kisses along her jaw, and down the stretch of her neck. "I've missed-" She moaned when his lower half shifted on her, breaking his sentence. "You."

"You like saying that," She breathed out. Her body was reacting and responding quickly to his and she arched her hips into him. "I really love you."

He was initially planning on taking it slowly but he groaned, fully clothed as he felt trapped and heated from both the fire beside him, but mostly from her underneath him telling him she loved him. His senses started to run wild and his kisses turned desperate. "Baby.." He kissed her roughly again on the lips.

She blushed and her eyes shot open. She pushed at his chest. "What was that?"

He calmed himself but he looked surprised. "I have no idea." He replied. "Shall I not say that one again? I won't. It's a tad inelegant."

She smiled. "You can say it again."

He gave her a side nod. "I'll keep that in mind, Lizzie."

Her hand reached up to touch his face, her fingertips lightly tracing under his eyes. "You're tired."

"Sleep is the absolute last thing on my mind."

Suddenly, her face took a turn and her eyes widened. She looked concerned and the thought of a fire in the house crossed his mind. He did put the barrier up didn't he?

"You got shot." She leaned up and he lent back with her. "Oh my god. Red, you got shot."

He sighed as her hands hovered over his shirt, afraid she was going to hurt him.

"That is the second to last thing on my mind, Lizzie. Would you like to know what the first thing on my mind is?"

She smiled weakly, her eyes continuing to scan his body. "No."

"You are."

"That's very sweet, Red, but-" She couldn't wait any longer. Her hand reached out to his chest, feeling it lightly to see where the bandaging was. "You need to rest."

He smiled. "Lizzie, please don't force me to sleep. We have far more important matters to attend to."

Her hands worked on his buttons, ignoring his comment. She pulled his shirt over his shoulders carefully, only to find his white undershirt. She rolled her eyes at him jokingly then grabbed the hem of it and lifted it over his head. Her eyes stopped on his left shoulder.

"That's a lot of bandage."

"They like to make it look worse than it is."

Lizzie swallowed. "How bad was it?"

"It wasn't bad." He responded. "I just became a little careless and allowed it to get infected."

Lizzie traced her fingers around the edge of the bandage. "I'm sorry."

"You don't need me to tell you, Lizzie."

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you."

"You were. You called me."

She gave him a look of regret. "I should have visited."

"Lizzie, you called me. I didn't call you in ten weeks. I think you're being a little hard on yourself."

Phone calls were over rated, she mused to herself. The large grandfather clock made a loud 'ding' as it struck five o'clock. His gaze was steady and full of want but she could still see his exhaustion.

"I have to be up in three hours and you need to sleep."

He came closer to her and she allowed her fingers to play with the hairs on his chest.

"You really should sleep, Red."

"I'm going to be selfish here, Lizzie." He replied, closing the gap between them. "But I can't sleep just yet."

His lips pressed to hers and she melted into his gentle touch. Her hand ran down his back then back up and down again and she gave in.

She woke to his soft whispers, telling her it was eight in the morning and if she wanted to make it to work on time she should get up now. She kept her eyes closed in protest. She was snuggled between the back of the couch and his body and a lovely feeling blanket was covering them. She didn't know where it came from, but she suspected he must have retrieved it once she drifted off mere hours ago.

"Don't make me go," she mumbled against his chest. "I don't want to go back."

"It's not school," he chuckled.

"It's worse."

He rested his tired head on his hand. "Is this how you really feel Lizzie? Do you not like work?"

"I'd like it if things were different."

He gave her a smile when she finally opened her eyes. "We'll discuss our options tonight."

She begrudgingly sat up on the couch, a chill running over her bare shoulders. "We have options?"

"We always have options." His hand placed on her lower back and rubbed it gently to warm her. "Oh and thank you for last night, Lizzie, or perhaps it was early this morning."

She turned to him and smiled. "Yeah, I really had to force myself."

He rested back on the couch, chuckling and watching her hop up from the couch and try to drag the blanket with her. He held it tightly. "Not this time, Lizzie."

"But it's cold," she wrapped her arms around her breast.

"The shower temperature is fantastic." He told her. "I suggest you take a long one and warm up."

He recognised the distinct twinkle in her eyes as she fell back down under the covers with him.

"I have an idea."

"Do I want to hear this idea? And does it involve sleeping? Because if it does, I agree."

She rested her chin on his chest. "Come shower with me."

"Ohh...Lizzie..."

She nodded her head, her chin rocking on his chest. "It will be very enjoyable. I promise."

"What happened to me needing rest?"

She nodded and sat up, patting him lightly on the cheek. "You should rest. Good point."

"But on the other hand," Red weighed up his options, "I've always been very diligent of saving water."

"Yes, yes you have."

They soon made their way into the bathroom and Red opened up the cabinet. "Will it ruin the mood if I ask for your help to cover my bandages?"

Lizzie shook her head, "No. It will just take up more time. But did I tell you my car was failing to start the other day?"

He smiled. "Very rebellious Lizzie."