AN: I'm glad you all liked it and I'm delighted that you did as well, Thia! I hope the next chapter will be just as good. Once again redisthenewblacklington was my savior! Also I don't know the Icelandic language, google was my friend here, and I've never been to Iceland, though now I really, really want to! Thanks for the feedback and enjoy!

Disclaimer: Nothing has changed.

Chapter 2

Reykjavik

"Red! It's so beautiful!" Lizzie exclaimed, standing at the top of the jet's stairs.

The man chuckled at her antics and looked up at her. "Well, come on down, so we can take a stroll through the city." The grin he received in return gave him butterflies in his stomach. That woman… He watched as she made her way down and held out his hand when she had reached the last step. Liz gladly took it in hers and let him help her down.

First Red wanted to show her the harbor. Since the sun was shining brightly, it wasn't as cold as Liz would've thought and so she had agreed to his suggestion, without commenting on the fact that he still held her hand. Her eyes were glued to the houses and sights they were passing and Red had no problem imagining a younger version of her, with her palms against the car window, excitedly pointing out everything she saw.

Once they got to the harbor, he led her towards a jetty so they could look out on the water. "Are you warm enough?" He asked, gently touching her elbow.

"Yes. I can't believe I've never considered going to Iceland."

"I'm sure there are lots of places you haven't considered yet." They stood together in silence, watching the fisher boats sway up and down with the waves. "I have a little boat myself. I've always loved taking her out to the sea."

"You do?" She hadn't know that. "You'll have to take me one day. Where is it?"

"A little off to the left."

"Wait." Liz turned and looked at him. "It's here? In Iceland?" He nodded, curiosity showing in his eyes, when he saw the excited look on her face. "Then let's go!"

"What, now? Don't you think it's a little too cold for that?"

"Oh come on! Don't be a spoilsport." Her grin was infectious, and without another word, Red linked his arm through hers and pulled her along.

"Didn't you say 'little'?" She asked once they came to a stop in front of a sailboat.

Red laughed. "Did you think it would be a rowboat? I have one of those, but I prefer them in warmer countries. Come on, let me help you on. Dembe." The dark and tall man climbed onto the boat and held the little ramp steady, while Red helped her onto the boat. While Dembe maneuvered them out of the harbor and into open waters, the concierge of crime showed Liz around under deck.

The wooden panels gave the small space a warm feeling and Liz couldn't help but imagine Red sitting in one of the big armchairs with a glass of scotch in his hands and a cigar between his lips. His soft lips… she knew that those beautifully shaped lips felt so very wonderful against her skin, and she wondered what he would taste like.

"Lizzie?" She shot around at hearing her name, mentally chiding herself for getting lost in those thoughts once again.

"Yes?"

He smiled gently at her. "I sometimes lose myself on here as well," he said. "Would you like to go back out again? If it's not too foggy, the view is pretty." She nodded and then followed his lead.

He hadn't been kidding. The view really was beautiful, and off in the distance she could make out the city's skyline with its colorful rooftops. Movement to the right caught her eye and Liz's mouth dropped open. "Oh my god…" She practically ran over to the ship's bow. "Red!"

Startled at her outburst, the man quickly followed her. "Are you alright? Lizzie?" He put his hand to the small of her back.

"Look!"

His eyes followed the length of her outstretched arm until he saw what she meant. "Well, would you look at that."

"It's a whale!" Just when she had spoken those words, the mammal's head lifted and it sprayed a fountain of water from its blowhole making Liz's mouth drop open.

He had seen whales, pretty close-up too, so Red chose to instead watch Lizzie's expression. He could tell exactly the moment when the monstrous animal dove back into the water, its fluke raising high in the air, and his favorite FBI agent's eyes grew even bigger. She was beautiful, with her cheeks slightly red from the cold and her blue orbs glistening with unshed tears. She must be heavily moved by what she had seen and the purity of her heart just made his heart flutter. He let his hand slip over her back and around her waist, so he could pull her into his side.

"I've never seen anything more beautiful," she whispered.

"Me neither," he answered, his eyes solely locked on the woman in his arms.

After their boat trip, the three of them made their way through the city when Liz spotted an ice skating ring. Since she had her arm linked through Red's once more, she just pulled him along, already excited again.

"We have to do this!"

"Lizzie, please." He did not want to go ice skating, he really didn't.

"Come on, Red, live a little."

His mind went back to days long in the past, when he still had his family with him. He remembered going ice skating with his wife and daughter, all three of them bundled up in thick winter coats and scarves. His little girl had been seven back then and had taken an instant liking to the sport. She had been somewhat wobbly at first, her little legs threatening to buckle beneath her.

Husband and wife were skating next to each other, holding hands while Raymond held his daughter's hand in the other one. Both parents were smiling brightly at their little one that was gradually gaining confidence on her skates.

"Daddy, can we spin?"

"Of course, honey." He let go off his wife's hand and took both of his girl's little hands in his. Skating backwards, he had always been good at ice skating, he started off slowly spinning them around. Jennifer giggled in delight, her grin missing a tooth here and there.

Suddenly they heard a yelp and then a thud and father and daughter turned to see that the child's mother had apparently fallen and landed on her behind. Raymond and Jennifer started laughing at the picture, the latter holding her tummy because she was laughing so hard.

"Ow…" Carla grunted, still lying flat on her back, and father and daughter laughed even harder.

After having caught his breath, Raymond skated over to his wife, his legs on either side of her waist so he could bend over her. "Are you alright, love?" He asked, laughter still in his voice.

"My butt…" She complained.

He held out his hands and slowly helped her up, holding her close while she tried to regain her footing. Closing his arms around her waist, Raymond hugged her to his chest and took her lips in a soft kiss. "Are you okay?" He asked, this time a little more serious.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She smiled at her husband and kissed him back.

They heard another thud and turned to find their daughter now flat on her back. "Should I be flattered that you ladies keep dropping at my feet?"

"Daddy!" Jennifer complained, stretching her little arms towards her father.

"Coming right over, princess." With a last kiss to his wife's lips, he went to help up his daughter.

"Red? Red, are you there?"

He was pulled from his thoughts, when Liz touched his coat-covered chest. "Mhm? Yes." She smiled at him, oblivious to his flashback. "Why don't you go ahead and I'll be right over here."

"Come on, Red. Don't make me beg. I will do it!" She said and his mind went straight to the gutter, imagining her begging for something entirely else. "It'll be fun. I'll make sure you won't fall."

Somehow he couldn't bring himself to tell her no and by now she knew him well enough to know when he caved. Even before he had answered, she was already pulling him along again. Well, he had promised to show her a good time.

They rented their ice skates, while Dembe stubbornly insisted on not setting foot on ice, gladly reminding them that he was African and not supposed to be used to this sort of thing.

Red went onto the ice first, and though it had been some time, he quickly got used to the slippery feeling. Liz, on the other hand, was a totally different case. The second she went on she rotated her arms in the air, trying not to fall over. The noise that escaped her was probably not human, as one of her legs left the ice and she fell forward. Thankfully Red was right there to catch her with one arm around her waist and the other grabbing one of her flailing arms.

"And you wanted to keep me from falling?" He laughed, waiting until she steadied on her feet, before pulling back slightly. "I must tell you, Lizzie, I'm not feeling very safe right now."

"Oh, shut up," she huffed, not letting go of his coat just yet.

After a couple of moments, she pulled herself together and carefully pushed away from him.

"Do you need me to hold your hand?" He joked, and she swatted at him, but didn't say anything.

They skated in circles for a while, with Red taking pity on her and holding onto her elbow so she wouldn't stumble and fall again. He was quite comfortable and loved getting to touch her freely without the fear of her rejection. It was weird really, for such an arrogant son of a bitch he sometimes was, there was no greater fear than his Lizzie rebuffing him.

"You know, you don't have to hold me upright. I'm sure you'd like to go fast for a change."

Damn his mind for going straight to the gutter again. "I'm fine."

"It's alright, Red. It's not like I'll fall over the second you leave," she said.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that." He grinned.

Liz rolled her eyes at him. "Just go. I'll be fine."

He let go of her then and started skating around her, bragging about his skills and showing off his fancy footwork. Skating a fast lap, he came up behind her and softly blew on her ear, before skating off again.

Startled at what he did, Liz lost her footing and started stumbling. She thought about how much the ice would hurt if she fell. Before said fall, Liz felt strong arms holding her upright and she came face to face with a young blond man with stunning blue eyes.

"Halló," he said in a cute accent. "Ertu í lagi?"

Liz looked at him as if he'd grown two heads. "Uhm..."

"Komdu sæl. Ég heiti Erik. Hvað heitirðu?" He asked, still holding her to him.

She shook her head, a little confused. "I'm sorry. I don't speak your language."

"Oh, you're American!" He suddenly said, a grin spreading over his face.

"Yes." Liz laughed. "I am. Thanks for catching me right there."

Red watched the exchange from the other side of the ice skating ring, something like anger bubbling up inside him. He refused to acknowledge that he was jealous, but seriously, how could she just fall into another man's arms?

He saw the blond adonis show off his perfectly shaped white teeth as he shamelessly flirted with his Lizzie, touching her arm in a way that made Red want to punch something… or someone. He skated back to the side and put his dress shoes back on, having lost any interest in ice skating.

About ten long minutes later, Liz wobbly made her way to Red's side. "Should I be taking my leave?" he asked.

She looked genuinely confused. "What?"

"Are you finished?"

"I… uhm yes."

"Good." He said. "Dembe and I will be waiting at the café over there." With that, he left her standing at the ice skating ring.

Red sat at one of the tables, a menu in his hands, but with no actual interest in what was served, and instead with the server herself. As he was not fluent in Icelandic, he was happy to hear that her English was just fine.

He let his eyes roam appreciatively over her curves, openly looking at her busty chest while laughing at something she said. He didn't even notice Liz walking into the café or how a hurt look passed her face, before making her way to his table and sitting down.

"Oh, you're finished already," he said, his tone cold and detached. "This beautiful woman here is Edith." The waitress blushed and playfully swatted at his chest and Red didn't pass on the opportunity to touch her waist.

"I will get you a second menu," she said.

He squeezed her blouse covered flesh. "She's a true sweetheart, isn't she?" Edith laughed and walked away.

"I'm going back to the hotel," Liz said, standing up again.

"What, are you tired already?" He asked smugly. He wasn't prepared for the pain in Lizzie's eyes, as he turned to look at her, and the way his heart clenched in his chest.

"I don't know why you brought me here at all," the FBI agent said, her voice quiet. "If you want to have fun with some woman, you didn't need me to come along. There was no need to play me."

Red closed his eyes, refusing to watch her walk away from him. He had screwed up again. Why did he always seem to hurt her? He released a deep breath and leaned back into his chair. When he re-opened his eyes, he looked over at Dembe and nodded for the man to make sure Lizzie would be alright.

"Oh, are you eating alone then?" Edith inquired, when she came back to his table.

He plastered a false smile on his face. "Something has come up. I'm afraid I'll have to leave."

"That's too bad," she said, looking a little sad. "Here, why don't I give you my number. I get off at eight." She scribbled her phone number on a piece of paper and handed it to him with a charming smile. "I would love to get together."

He tried smiling back at her and took the offered piece of paper. "Thank you, Edith. I will take my leave now. Goodbye."

"Bye bye, Raymond," Edith said, returning the menus.

She watched as the man made his way out of the café and her eyes couldn't help but take in his wonderfully-shaped butt. Making her way back to his table to prepare it for the next guest, she noticed that he had left her number on it. She couldn't help but wonder if the younger brunette had anything to do with that.