Kitty had brought her large flashlight up and was shining it into their faces. Liz didn't know what to say. She had no idea if Kitty had heard any of their conversation and their covers had been blown or if she was just confronting them because they weren't where they were supposed to be at this time of night. She prayed it was the latter.
Red put his arm around Liz's waist, pulled her close to his side and said, "We just needed some alone time Kitty, you can understand that can't you? I'm not accustomed to being away from Kristen for such long periods of time."
Kitty was looking at them skeptically. "Why did you come all the way out here then? It's a random place for a tryst."
Liz spoke up for the first time, putting on her most pitiful smile and said, "We wanted to find a place where we wouldn't be bothered or bother anyone else. The forest behind the administration building seemed perfect."
Kitty still looked like she wasn't believing their story. They had to be more convincing.
Liz turned her body fully towards Red and wound the arm that wasn't already holding on to him around his waist, hugging him tightly to her.
He brought his other arm up to the back of her neck and held her head to his shoulder. She went willingly and sighed into his neck.
Kitty was silent, just looking at them.
After ten seconds or so Liz pulled back and said, "You have to believe us Kitty, we just needed to see more of each other." She then leaned forward and kissed Red softly on the lips, which were soft and warm. She had found herself liking his lips entirely too much lately. She pulled back before he could deepen the kiss though and turned back to Kitty.
After another moment of silent contemplation, Kitty finally spoke. "Well I can't say I blame you for wanting some alone time, but the forest can be dangerous this time of night." She had an odd look on her face when she said that. "You only have one more night of separation and then you can be together as much as you want."
Red pulled back a little more from Liz and said, "Yes, now would be a good time to tell us the reasoning behind separating couples from each other for so long. Why for three days?"
Kitty laughed, "It's simply to test how well new members can follow rules. You guys didn't do very well." She laughed again, "I won't tell Jack though, I've taken a liking to you two and I don't want to see you get in trouble."
Liz smiled faintly, "Thanks Kitty, we really do appreciate it. We love it here a lot and don't want to be kicked out for breaking rules. We promise not to do it again."
Red still had his right hand on the small of her back and he started tapping his fingers as though he was trying to tell her something. She didn't have any idea as to what it was about though.
Kitty smiled again and said, "Speaking of Jack, Kristen, he wants to talk to you tomorrow. Jay has gone missing and he wanted to ask you if you knew anything about where he might have gone since you were one of the last people to see him." She felt Red's fingers stiffen on her back.
A pit of dread formed in her stomach. "Shit", Kitty knew something. Maybe even everything that had happened.
Liz was having a hard time coming up with something to say so she forced herself to nod and smiled faintly.
Kitty continued, either not noticing or choosing not to comment on Liz's silence, "He wants you in his office by 7 AM, so right after breakfast if possible."
She finally noticed the nervous look on Liz's face and waved one of her hands, "Oh don't be nervous Honey, he's just trying to gather all the information that he can. He also wants to get to know you since you're new here."
She glanced at Red, "He'll want to meet with you soon too Dear. He likes to get to know all of his members as much as possible." Red just nodded and didn't say anything.
Liz was still silent, more than a little terrified at what was to come, when she suddenly felt Red's hand on the bare skin of her back, and it was freezing cold.
She jumped, then turned and glared at Red, but he just smiled back and told her with his eyes to "Answer Kitty before she becomes even more suspicious dammit".
She hurriedly turned to Kitty and smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry Kitty, I'm so exhausted right now, and my brain doesn't seem to want to do much thinking. I look forward to meeting Jack, he seems like an interesting person."
"Oh you have no idea Child, he's one of the best men I've ever known." She sighed wistfully.
Liz thought that it sounded like Kitty was infatuated with Jack, and shivered internally.
They all stood there looking at other. Red's hand was still on her bare skin and he was rubbing his thumb up and down her spine. She couldn't very well turn and slug him, so she just sighed and tried to ignore the feelings that he was eliciting with his ministrations. Sometimes she hated him.
Finally Red spoke up, "Well as much as I'd love to stand here and chat for the remainder of the night, we have to get up early and it's really late. So we're going to take our leave now Kitty, if you don't mind." He smiled charmingly at Kitty.
Kitty smiled and nodded, looking at Red with appreciation in her eyes. She apparently wasn't immune to Raymond Reddington's charms either. The man just made it too easy to like him.
Red took his hand out from under her shirt, put his arm around her waist and pulled her close. They walked past Kitty and smiled goodbye, with Red shining her little flashlight on the path so they could see where to go.
Kitty stared at their retreating backs and smiled evilly, her flashlight accentuating all the angles of her face, making her look truly menacing.
They didn't say anything until they got back to the dorms because they didn't know if Kitty was following them. Hell, she probably was. There was something shady about the woman that Liz worried about.
Once they got back to the front doors of the women's dorms Liz pulled away from Red, trying to put a little distance between them. They were getting too close, and that needed to be addressed sometime soon; now wasn't the time though.
She didn't want to be completely separated from him again, but they didn't have much choice. "Red, I'm going to go to bed. Will I see you at breakfast tomorrow or are you going to go and try to contact Dem be?"
At the mention of his bodyguard/friend a pained look came over his face. She regretted bringing it up, but needed to know. "I'll see you at breakfast, then while you're meeting with Jack, I'll go and try to contact Dembe."
There was still pain in his eyes and Liz wished she knew how to take it away, but also knew that time was the only thing that would lessen the hurt.
She placed a hand on his arm and started walking past him to go inside, but Red grabbed her wrist and pulled her into a bone-crushing hug. He turned his head, with his lips on her ear and said, "I'm so glad nothing happened to you Lizzy. Your death would be something that I would never be able to get over nor forgive myself for."
It was times like these that she realized the depth of Red's feeling for her. And it scared her to death.
Not knowing what to say, she just turned her head and kissed the side of his head, right where his side-burn ended, and sighed.
He let her go after a moment and smiled softly at her. "Goodnight, Sweetheart. I'll see you in the morning. Make sure you lock your door."
She put her hand on his forearm and said, "I will, night Red."
He nodded and walked past her to make his way to the men's dorms. Liz watched him for a moment, but the hairs on the back of her neck started standing up and she suddenly felt like she was being watched herself.
Shivering, she hurried back to her room and locked the door behind her.
The man stood watching as the woman hurried back inside. He laughed at her fear, she really had no idea what was in store for her.
The next morning came entirely too soon and Liz was exhausted. She didn't feel alert enough to have a conversation with Jack, but she didn't have much choice in the matter either.
She got up and walked over to the bathroom to take a shower. The other women were just finishing up and leaving when she got out and started getting dressed.
One of the younger looking ones looked over at her and said, "So are you really married to that old guy?"
Liz smiled, amused that Red was considered "The old guy".
"Yes I am, and you could only hope to find someone like him in your lifetime", and walked out before the girl could say anything.
The girl had had a surprised expression on her face at Liz's statement and Liz laughed internally at the look.
She went back into her room and finished getting ready, dressing in tight jeans and an ice blue, form-fitting long-sleeved shirt. She put her hair back in a messy bun and started at herself in the mirror.
She needed to look put together and confident in front of Jack, and she thought she had accomplished that.
She walked into the dining hall and immediately searched for Red. She found him at the usual place and hurried over to him, trying to avoid running into people in the packed room.
Thank goodness Jordyn wasn't sitting next to Red again. She didn't have the patience to deal with her right now because she was way too nervous about her meeting with Jack.
She placed her hand on his shoulder in greeting and he looked up at her and smiled. His smile wasn't completely genuine though, as she could still see hurt and worry in his eyes.
"Hey Andrew, how are you this morning?"
He stood up, kissed her cheek and said "Very well, a little tired though." He smiled knowingly.
He waited for her to sit down before he sat back down.
Displaying manners that had been ingrained in him since childhood, because even if he was a criminal, he still knew how to treat a woman with respect.
He turned to her and said, "Aren't you going to eat?"
"I'm not hungry", She placed her right hand on her stomach. "I'm too nervous." She was feeling a little green.
He smiled faintly and took her left hand, playing with her ring. "Sweetheart, there's nothing to be nervous about, just be yourself and-"
She cut him off and said softly, so she wouldn't be overheard, "Don't, please, I don't want to be placated. I just want to get it over with..can we leave it at that?"
Letting go of her hand, he nodded and turned back to his breakfast.
Liz felt bad for snapping at him, but she knew he would get over it soon enough.
After sitting there for fifteen minutes or so she started to feel a little better. They hadn't said anything to each other, and she just watched the crowds while he stayed focused on eating his food.
Finally feeling hungry, she snatched Red's toast from his tray. He looked over at her and furrowed his eyebrows. "Hey, I was going to eat that."
She smiled, didn't say anything and just took a bite of the toast.
He shrugged, apparently not caring too much, and turned back to finish the rest of his food.
After finishing he stood up, picked up his dirty tray and walked away to put it in the wash pile at the front of the hall.
She turned around and admired him. He still hadn't received any work clothes yet, so he was dressed in black dress pants with a dark blue dress shirt and a black vest. He hadn't put on a tie, and again had his sleeves rolled up to his elbows and the top two buttons of his shirt unbuttoned with a white undershirt peeking out.
He looked entirely too good for it being seven in the morning.
He turned around after depositing his breakfast dishes, caught her staring at him and smirked. Looking pleased with himself.
She rolled her eyes and stood up herself. It was time to go meet with Jack. Her stomach rolled and she suddenly regretted eating that toast.
He walked back over to her and took her hand, then led her outside where they could talk without listening ears all around them.
"Lizzy, I just wanted to tell you how beautiful you look. That color of blue on you is simply exquisite. I told you that you're a Winter. I'm glad you took my advice."
She smiled at him and looked down, embarrassed, "Thanks, Red."
"Think nothing of it, Sweetheart." He looked at his watch. "It's five to seven, let's get you over to Jack's office so you won't be late."
She nodded and started walking towards her destination. He walked beside her slipping his rose-colored sunglasses on, but didn't take her hand, perhaps sensing that she wasn't in the mood for any physical contact. For once she was glad that he could read her so well. Most of the time it annoyed her though.
They arrived at the building that Jack's office was in and Liz turned to Red. "Are you going to go and try to contact Dembe?"
He nodded, grimacing, and she could see the extreme worry he had for the fate of his bodyguard.
She was nervous too, she didn't like seeing Red like this. The man had lost too many people in his life already, and who knew if one more loss would be the breaking point for him.
"Ok, well be careful, Red. Who knows if there's a killer still lurking in the woods."
"I'm more worried about you Liz. I know what kind of person O'Sullivan is, and I don't want you anywhere near him." The worry was back in his eyes.
"I'll be fine, don't worry. I'll just tell him a made up story about what happened with Jay, I have a good one by the way, and win him over with my charming personality." She smirked.
He just smiled faintly and shook his head in amusement.
"I've to go or I'll be late", she was pointing behind her.
He grimaced again, and leaned in to kiss her softly on the temple, and stayed there while saying, "I'll probably have to go and perform my construction duties today, so please come and find me when you're done with Jack."
She nodded, breathing him in, and it instantly comforted her. She hated that she needed him so much.
He walked away and she turned towards the building. "Here goes nothing."
She walked in and immediately found Jack's office. She took a deep breath, knocked and opened the door at the "Come in" from Jack.
He stood up and smiled at her, she couldn't believe she ever thought he was good-looking, he was creepy.
"Hello Kristen, please come in and sit down." He was still smiling, but it didn't reach his blue eyes.
She took a deep breath, put on her best fake smile and sat down.
"Here we go."
Author's Note: Thanks for reading and thanks so much for the reviews from the last chapter. Please let me know what you think about this chapter. Have a happy Sunday! :)