AN: Thank you for sticking to his. I'm really glad you like it so far. I realize this is not really what jackandsamforever asked for, but uh... Can't do it without the fluff. So because I'm not good with angst this one is kind of on the cute side... WRITE ALL THE FLUFF! *throws around little paper hearts* Huge thank you goes to criminalkeen for being an amazing beta

Disclaimer: Oh how I wish they were mine...

Chp. 8

They would be together for 5 years this week. She hadn't even been that long with her lying, cheating husband. Liz loved Red, loved him deeply and she was excited that even though the circumstances weren't the best, they still made one hell of a team and it did help some, that Dembe mostly chose to side with her. She had learned to love the man; he was a truly amazing and loyal friend. They had been staying in Guangzhou, China for a couple of months and she was glad to be far more west now. She didn't know how many ducks her stomach could handle. They were just... hanging around at those crowded markets and things smelled funny as well. Red had tried to get her to eat some grilled grasshoppers but she had just flipped him the bird.

He had popped one into his mouth and told her she didn't need to be afraid. She hadn't let him kiss her for almost a week. He had never told her that he was waiting for her to fall asleep, so he could seek out her lips. And she had never told him that she knew.

She was sitting at the stern of the yacht they had been on for a couple of days now, letting her feet touch the water beneath. She was wearing a red bikini, Red's choice of course, and her skin had turned golden from the sun at the Côte d'Azur. She felt his presence before she could feel his hands on her shoulders.

He stood closely, his legs pressing against her back as his hands stroked over her collarbone. Liz sighed and leaned back against him, feeling him press a kiss to her head. "What are you thinking about, love?"

A smile came to her lips. She loved this nickname and since he used to call her sweetheart most of the time, she cherished those rare moments.

"You," she answered.

"Me?"

"Mhm..." She caught his hands before they could sneak inside her bikini top. Dembe was somewhere around here and she so didn't want anyone to see them doing the horizontal tango. "And China."

His chuckle turned into a laugh and she knew he had figured out what she was talking about. "Grasshoppers. Are you still thinking about them?"

"Eww... stop! I might reconsider kissing you."

He crouched down and opened his legs to put them on either side of her body, before pulling her flush against him. "Can't have that," he said, before peppering her neck with kisses. She leaned her head to the left to grant him better access.

"Mhm... I love you."

Red hummed, sending vibrations against her neck. "I will never tire of hearing those words." He kissed her cheek softly. "When I say I love you, I don't say it out of habit. I say it to remind you, that you are the best thing that ever happened to me." His voice was low and the deep rumble made her shiver.

"Oh, Ray..." He seemed to know just how much those honest words meant to her. Liz turned her head and searched for his lips.

"I love you, Lizzie," he whispered against her mouth.

They continued kissing slowly and languidly for a while and by now they had opted for Liz lying down on Red's broad chest. He liked it better that way anyway. He could let his hands roam freely over her body, while she was pressed up against him from head to toe. It couldn't get better than this. They pulled apart at the need for oxygen and Liz's head immediately found its place tucked under his chin.

"Where are we going next?" She rarely ever asked that question anymore.

He knew exactly where they were headed, but he wanted it to be a surprise. "We'll see where the waves carry us to."

The Blacklist The Blacklist The Blacklist

"You are a romantic in disguise!" Liz said as she turned to him with one of the biggest smiles he'd ever seen.

"Well, this is where you first seduced me," he answered with a smug look.

She raised a brow. "I seduced you? You were the one coming onto me all those months."

He stepped closer to her and leaned in, enjoying how her eyelids fluttered closed as his warm breath caressed her face. "Then this was where you finally caved in to my intellectual brightness, my unrelenting charm and my... insurmountable countenance -"

"Don't forget your massive ego," Liz cut him off. He sure loved to hear himself talk; she knew it.

Red leaned even closer, so that their lips were almost touching. "You found my... massive ego in the villa later that night," he whispered seductively.

"Ray!" She exclaimed, hitting his arm.

"What?!" He asked innocently.

"You're unbelievable!" Though she tried, and tried hard, she couldn't stop the grin from coming to her lips.

He wound his arm around her waist. "Five years, Lizzie."

She turned her head and kissed the small scar, where she had stabbed him all those years ago. "And in the six years of knowing you, I've only tried to kill you once."

"Why, I think we did come close to a second time," Red said as he pulled back to smile fondly at her.

"Somehow you manage to piss me off more than anyone I've ever known," she said, before pecking his lips.

As they walked the few steps to their table, Liz noticed that it was the one they had sat at the first time. After eating the delicious food, Red again opted for sitting next to her, much like he had done five years ago. Liz didn't hesitate dropping her head to his shoulder, one of her hands slipping through his vest to just rest there.

She felt his lips in her hair and closed her eyes. He smelled so good. She was sure it must be illegal to smell that good.

"I love you, Lizzie," he spoke softly and she only snuggled deeper into his side. "Sweetheart..." He broke off, but her current position, tucked under his chin, didn't give her a chance to see his facial expression. "I know that this isn't the life you've dreamed of." He could feel her body stiffen and knew she wanted to protest, but he kept on talking. "This is by far not what you deserve. Even though I know that, I can't let you go, won't let you go. I refuse to let you go." He usually wasn't one for silly clichés. "I know that this can probably never be official, but it won't make the meaning less true." As he spoke, he pulled out a small box from his pocket and held it out for her to see.

Liz was sure her heart had stopped beating altogether. Maybe she had died already. Was she still breathing?

"Be mine?" He asked as he opened the lid and produced the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. The platinum band was delicate; he knew her well. Embedded in the middle was one single red stone, a ruby, that glistened in the fine light of the candles and matched the one on her necklace. She could feel his racing heart from under her hand and thought that she even saw his hand shaking ever so slightly. This was very much a proposal, even though they might not be able to make it legal.

He was offering himself to her.