Here's the first chapter to my new ff, including UST and it will take some time until it'll be resolved but it definitely will at some point but before they have do get closer to one another and some secrets have to be revealed. (Scars etc.) I don't know yet how long it will take since I haven't exactly figured out how they will get there.

Let me know if you're interested or not.

Disclaimed: I don't own the blacklist or its characters but I treat them with respect.

His jet landed on time in Rio. He was partly worried about Lizzie's state of mind and partly thrilled to spend the next few days with her together again. He put so much effort into bringing down the Director and getting her back to him but eventually he succeeded. She wasn't exonerated but things were heading into the right direction. She looked exactly like he felt, exhausted from the recent weeks and he found himself surprised as she asked him if they could spend a few quiet days on his Catamaran. How could he deny her? He offered her to take her away before but their relationship hadn't had a solid ground back then. She didn't trust him, she didn't know him like she did now.

How far they had come.

He reached for their bags and lead her down the stairs before he put their belongings in the trunk of his car. After sliding on his sunglasses, he started the engine and gave her a sideglance. "You alright?"

"Yeah, just tired. I don't understand how you handle the different time zones."

"You'll get used to it, or it's just my persona. I think I can never fully relax."

"Because you're afraid?"

He blinked in her direction, contemplating his answer before he focused on the road ahead. "I don't know.", he pondered. "I'm having odd sleeping habits since I was a young man but I never gave it much thought to be frank."

"I can't remember when I last had a peaceful night. That was my last thought last night but I didn't come up with an answer."

"Most likely the night before I surrendered perhaps?"

A new rush of guilt filled his stomach. He blamed himself for the misery that had entered and changed her life so drastically. He maneuvered the car through the center of the city, keeping his gaze everywhere but her, because he was very much afraid of her answer.

"No. Tom and I fought that evening about the adoption agency. He was so persistent on adopting a child. I was about to start my career and he kept pushing me for months until I gave in.", she sighted. "Thinking about it now, I don't understand how I could miss that he manipulated me all the time. I'm a profiler and yet I failed to profile my fake husband."

He listened but didn't say anything. The car stopped at a red light and he turned to her, his head cocked to the side. Tom was also his fault and this man was trained in manipulation. Hell, Tom was probably better than him and he considered himself quite an expert. He wanted to comfort her, emotionally and physically, taking her small hand in his as if this would heal her somehow but the vehicles before them moved and so the opportunity for contact slipped through his fingers. "The profile you've given me was fitting. Every aspect was spot on.", he admitted in a breathy voice.

"Does that mean you still hate yourself, because you need me?"

His breath caught in his throat and he felt his insides constricting. One hand left the wheel, pointing to the harbor at the far end of the street. "We're almost there.", he tried to distract her. "I was surprised when you asked me to take you sailing but you picked a wonderful time to do so, Lizzie. This catamaran is a brand new model I just bought and haven't seen, yet. I went for a more modern interior design."

She leaned her head against the window and closed her eyes. He wished he could have told her how he felt but how was he supposed to described something he didn't understand himself.

He parked the car and smiled apologetically. This wasn't how he wanted their little vacation to start, in fact he had no interest in talking about him in general. Opening up to another person had always been an issue for him and he didn't believe he could bear the look of sympathy in her eyes if she knew who he really was.

They walked down the shore, the silence between them anything but comfortable. Every time their relationship progressed a bit, two steps back followed immediately afterwards and he was aware why it was that way. His reticence prevented them from moving on. If he wouldn't open up, neither would she.

"Does she have a name already?", she asked as they arrived at his boat, her eyes roaming over the catamaran.

"Lizzie."

Her brows rose as her eyes grew wide and he watched her body tensing. He found an off guard Lizzie to be utterly endearing. "Just kidding. Now let's go!"

He went aboard first, placing their bags safely next to him before he grasped her hand and gently helped her. Together they ascended the stairs to the deck. The space was generous and the several seating areas luxurious. His eyes fell to the spa pool that was surrounded by a lounge seat before moving to the large dining table in front of the wall to ceiling windows. Risking a side glance to Lizzie, he was relieved that she seemed to like what would be their home for some time. He moved inside first and slid out of his jacket, hanging it over an armchair before rolling up his sleeves and taking a glimpse in the fridge. He planned on cooking for her after taking his boat out on the ocean.

"Where's my bedroom? I'd like to change into some more comfortable clothes.", came her question from behind him.

"There are two master bedrooms ahead; pick one you like and I go with the other one."

He waited until she'd chosen her room until he went to his own to change into a navy Polo shirt and khaki bermudas. As he walked out of his room, he heard the shower run in hers which was next to his. He pondered if he should ask her to hurry since he wanted to dine with her before the sunset. Throwing all caution into the wind, he knocked twice, waiting for her to reply what she didn't. Opening the door just a bit he sneaked only his head inside and called out her name. He was short before leaving when, suddenly, she came out of the bathroom with only a towel around her torso that also barely covered her upper legs. She looked at him in a questioning way, her head tilted, water dripping down from her hair onto the walnut wood flooring.

What did he want to ask her again?

The sudden dryness in his throat caused him to swallow hard while he tried to arrange the chaos in his brain. He shook his head and averted his gaze just over her shoulder. Raising his brows and ignoring the thunder in his chest, he finally got the words out of his mouth. "We're gonna set sail in about 5 minutes but I see you are..." He breathed in in a quiet hiss as her towel slipped just a little, giving him a glimpse of her neckline before she caught the fabric and pulled it up again. Well, his composure around her slipped also and he cursed himself for only looking at her the way he did. "Uhm, feel free to join me when you're finished."

"Alright."

"Alright."

A wistful smile grazed her lips while he still stood in the door, his fingers tightly holding onto the knob. "Red?", she asked.

"Hmm?"

"I'd like to get dressed so if you..."

He nodded quickly. "Of course." Shutting the door behind him, he ran his palm down his face. He should have taken her to Greenland, or Iceland, a country in which she would show less skin, because as for now, he wasn't sure if he could handle himself in such a close surroundings without making a fool of himself.

Tbc...Reviews and opinions are appreciated :)