Chapter 4
Liz sat in Red's darkened apartment. She had been so determined to get to Red she never thought about what would happen when she actually found him. There had been so much pain in his voice when he'd called that part of her had been prepared to play nurse maid. But to her relief he looked healthy despite the evidence of torture they'd found in Garrik's warehouse. Sure he looked more tired than normal, but it had been a long and stressful month for them all. Perhaps he needed just what she'd offered: Her.
Liz bit down on her lip as the significance of her being in Dublin, promising to stay as long as Red needed her or until he felt returning to Washington was safe began to dawn on her. She'd committed her immediate future to the number four on the FBI's Most Wanted List. But in truth she'd done that months ago, ever since that helicopter swooped down in front of her bungalo. It had all been about Raymond Reddington and although her professional career had prospered, her personal life was in upheaval.
Her marriage had fallen apart in the first weeks following Red's disappearance. Despite Tom being cleared, the doubts lingered and Liz became less adept at hiding it. Then he had come up with the idea of moving to Nebraska and civil conversations ceased to exsist.
Deciding that avoiding him and their bitter encounters was the easiest thing, Liz grabbed on to Cooper's directive that they find Red at all costs. She practically lived at the Post Office. Soon they were like strangers and when he left Liz didn't say a word.
Some part of her blamed Red for planting those seeds of doubt about Tom in her heart, but Liz knew she couldn't blame him for Tom leaving; Mr. Keen had done that all on his own.
Tiredness began to set in and Liz soon felt every joint in her body as the adrenaline she'd been running on bled away. Dembe had told her Red was planning to move in the morning. Liz needed to be on top of her game, which meant she needed to sleep.
Pulling off her jacket, Liz made her way down the hall. There was only one door at the end of it standing slightly ajar. She moved forward a mix of nerveousness and dread creeping into her stomach. Stopping in the doorway, Liz drew in a deep breath. She rapt lightly on the door causing it to open a bit more.
"Red," she called blindly into the darkness. "Red?"
"Come in, Lizzie," his words came softly and not at all sleeplaced.
Pushing the door all the way open, Lizzie stepped inside Red's bedroom. He lay in the middle of the bed, his hands behind his head. A shaft of moonlight cut through the blackness helping her make out his face. "I, umm, need to..."
"You are at home where ever I am, Lizzie. The second drawer should have something for you to sleep in. I assume Dembe has your things. Where is he, by the way?"
"He went into the apartment downstairs," she replied moving over to the dresser on the far side of the room. "I just assumed it was his."
She heard Red's huff of laughter as she slid open the drawer. Crisp white undershirts meticulously folded and layered in neat rows gleamed in the dark. She picked one up. They were cool to the touch and faintly smelled of Red's cologne. More digging produced a pair of black sweats. Closing the drawer, Liz quickly slipped into the bathroom, pretending not to feel Red's steady gaze at her back.
Red lay in the dark listening to her move around his bathroom. A touch of a smile on his lips, he let himself pretend that she was his. And soon the door would open and she'd emerge; a smile on her lips and love in her eyes. He'd open his arms to her as she joined him in their bed. He breathed deep, letting the warmth of his illusions wash over him. "Lizzie."
"Yeah."
Glad for the darkness that hid his startled expression, Red looked ovet at Liz standing in the doorway. The light from the bathroom illuminated her form. His breath left him at the sight of her in his clothes, Liz's perfect curves bringing the cloth to life in a way that pushed his ruminations in a dangeous direction. Giving himself a menmental shake, Red sat up against the headboard.
"Did you find everything you needed?"
If Liz noticed his slight discomfort she didn't let on. "I did, thank you," she gave him a small smile as she headed for the door. "G'night, Red."
"You'll be terribly uncomfortable on the sofa, Lizzie."
Liz had hoped he wouldn't reissue the invitation to share his bed. She had crossed enough lines in the past 12 hours. "I don't think that's appropriate," she said to the door.
"What about this is? If you're going to be up to the task ahead you need to be well rested."
She looked at him then, her lips turned up in a disbelieving smirk. "And that'll only happen if I sleep with you? Sleep... in the bed with you," she winced as he chuckled at her badly turned phrase.
"Believe me Lizzie there is nothing more comfortable than this bed. This place was not designed for longterm dwelling. The chairs are for sitting only and I have no idea what purpose Dembe thought that sofa would serve." He slid over, turning back the covers. "Come, Lizzie, you're dead on your feet. I won't tell if you won't," he added with a lascivious grin.
Unable to stop the laughter that bubbled up, Liz resigned herself to the inevitable and climbed in next to Red.
He smiled as she settled herself on her side. When she was comfortable, Red slid down to his pillow, his eyes on hers. The quiet settled around them and Liz tried to read the sudden emotion in his gaze. The inferior glint that often accompanied his teasing had succombed to something more genuine. She watched his brow furrow in thought, his lips parting slightly as if he would speak. Suddenly Red's mouth snapped closed as he turned his back to her.
Liz smiled to herself. She was getting better at reading him, but not at understanding him. For a man who knew dozens of languages and was never at a loss for words, something as simple as 'I'm glad you're here' seemed to elude him.
"Thank you for letting me stay, Red."
She heard his deep sigh.
"Don't thank me yet," he muttered, the urge to send her away invading his mind again. "This won't be easy, Lizzie."
He couldn't see her smile.
"I wasn't expecting it to be, but we'll handle it. Together."
Red's hand reached back into the space between them finding hers in the dark, squeezing it gently.
"Sweet dreams, Lizzie."
"Good night, Red."
