A/N: Thank you for all those who keep hanging in there with me. I really appreciate it. I still love this fic and its journey and I hope you will too. Sorry for the delay. Got a bit side tracked with Her Person and My Destiny. I hope you still like this chapter. Red and Lizzie meet again for the first time since the fight.

Chapter thirty-eight

Lizzie arrived back home after two weeks at the cabin in Burton not feeling particularly good, but not feeling as bad as when she left. Red was still on her mind and she'd given up on trying to forget him. Opening the door she immediately noticed a note fell down onto the doormat. It had probably been wedged in the door frame. It was from Red. With shaking hands she opened it and found the extra key he'd had and read his words.

Elizabeth,

There are still some of my belongings in your house. I, however, did not want to trespass. I would like to collect my belongings. When you have returned I would appreciate a message so I can come pick them up.

Raymond

His business like words shook her deeply and she sat down on one of the kitchen chairs. She just kept staring at the note. It was typically Red to distance himself. Their final meeting would be a business exchange. Tears slid down her cheeks. She'd missed him so much. Her date with Jason had been awful. Red had been constantly on her mind and she'd even felt guilty for going on a date with Jason. At the end of their evening he'd said his goodbye and said to her that he'd wished her heart hadn't belonged to another already. And with that she realised that her heart would forever belong to Raymond Reddington but she knew all too well she'd most likely lost him and it broke her heart.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of her cell phone. Looking at the display her breath caught in her throat. It was Red.

"Hello." She answered the call in a shaky voice.

"Aunt Lizzie?"

It was Abby who'd grabbed hold of Red's phone and was now calling her. "Abby?" Had something happened to Red?

"I miss you Aunt Lizzie." The little girl sniffed.

"I miss you too, sweetie." She swallowed thickly.

"Why you leave?"

"I…" She really didn't know what to say. "I was sad." Was what she chose to say.

"Uncle Ray's sad too."

Talking to Abby was breaking her heart. She wondered if Red knew his niece was calling her. He probably didn't. "I'm sorry." Was what she said but she felt like an apology was far from good enough.

"I don't want you to leave. I wanna play with Jethro."

She could hear the little girl was crying softly now which caused the tears to slide down Lizzie's cheeks too. "I promise we'll see each other again okay?"

"You promise?" The little girl's voice quivered.

"I promise. Now do you promise you'll be a good girl for your uncle Ray?"

"I will aunt Lizzie. Will you give Jethro a big hug for me?"

Lizzie smiled. "I will. I'll talk to you soon okay?

"Yeah. Bye aunt Lizzie."

"Goodbye sweetie." Lizzie ended the call and let the tears flow freely down her cheeks. Looking at her phone she knew it was best to send a message to Red as soon as possible. She didn't know how she was going to deal with him. She sent him a short text that he could come buy tonight.

The rest of the day Lizzie was restless. She was nervous for Red's visit. He'd answered he'd be by to come pick his stuff up. She hadn't collected it yet. She hoped she'd be strong enough to stand her own. She remembered the promise she'd made to him. That's why she hadn't turned to alcohol. Though she had to admit, she felt like a drink now to get the courage to talk to Red. Finally it was time and she heard a strong knock at the back door. Jethro barked loudly and was immediately at the door.

Taking a deep breath, Lizzie pushed Jethro aside and opened the door. There he was. Her heart beat wildly in her chest. She hadn't seen him for such a long time. He was wearing his glasses. She wanted to reach out and touch his face, but she couldn't. She wanted to be in his arms again. She felt the tears welling up in her eyes already but fought them hard. She saw how hard his eyes were. He seemed emotionless and she knew this was going to be difficult.

"Hello, Elizabeth." He purposely called her by her full name. It helped him distance himself from her. To finally be able to see her after two weeks shook him. He'd always prided himself of being able to keep his feelings in check, however she always seemed to ignore his boundaries. He could see these weeks had been just as hard on her as they had been on him. To him she was and would always be beautiful. Yet he saw she'd hardly slept and noticed how rumpled she looked. But he would not let himself be tempted by his need to take care of her.

"Red." Lizzie stepped aside to let him in. She couldn't help but look at him. It hit her then how much she'd missed him.

"I won't be long." He passed her and walked straight into the bedroom to grab the clothes he still had there.

She didn't quite know how to handle his business like manner. Did all this mean nothing to him? Was this easy for him? She hesitated but eventually followed him. She watched him gather his clothes before he walked into the bathroom the grab the rest of his stuff. She knew she had to say something but she didn't know what. If she stayed too silent he would walk out of her home and she knew they would never speak again.

"So this is it?" Lizzie blurted out. She stopped herself from saying anything more, but she did have his attention. She saw how his shoulders tensed before he turned around. He tilted his head and saw noticed how he was working his jaw. That meant she had his attention and he was unsure of how to proceed. But at least he wasn't going to walk out of here without a word.

TBC...