ooooo Chapter 2 ooooo

A burning smell woke Reddington.

Liz hadn't slept for long and, feeling hungry, she had gone to the kitchen hoping to find some pre-cooked meals in the fridge. She couldn't imagine Reddington cooking and, as the person who had prepared the apartment seemed to know him quite well, she assumed that there would be ready-made meals provided. Instead, unfortunately, all she found was a wide assortment of fresh food; she was spoilt for choice but that was no help whatsoever as her cooking skills were, to put it mildly, really quite limited. She finally decided to attempt spaghetti in a simple home-made tomato and onion sauce.

It was shortly after starting to create her culinary masterpiece that the onions ended up as a carbonised mess in the bottom of the pan!

'Lizzie ...' said a voice behind her.

Reddington was standing in the kitchen doorway, one hand on the wall. With his half unbuttoned, rumpled shirt, he looked as disarrayed as she had ever seen him. Even down to the fact that he was standing there in his socks, his shoes having clearly been discarded at some earlier point. He was rubbing his hand over the top of his head as if he still had long hair.

Liz stood still, speechless, for some seconds before she found her voice.

'Oh, Red … I … are you feeling better?'

'Yes, I slept like a baby. I can't remember the last time that happened.'

'It didn't look like that … you were quite agitated at times. '

'I'm usually a restless sleeper and I never sleep for long. But this time ...'

Liz stayed still.

'So, ' he said, changing the subject, 'what are you preparing'

'Well … Nick's Pizza wasn't available so … I tried to improvise.'

Her embarrassed smile was like a ray of sunshine after all that had happened during the previous few days.

'I see,' he laughed. 'Don't worry, Lizzie. We're not going to starve, I love cooking.'

'Seriously?'

'Sure, do you have some doubt?'

'Sure, don't you believe me?'

'Well … no … '

'It's true that during the last two years we've rarely shared a meal together; there was that lovely experience at the restaurant in Montreal but we were rudely interrupted before we had chance to order any food ... However, I'll have you know that, when the occasion allows, Dembe has prepared some delicious dishes and I have been known to lend a hand. I'm sure I could do the whole thing myself, to be honest, but he does so love to play chef.'

'He's like a mother to you!'

'Let's say more like a brother!'

'And you often say that you don't have any friends. Dembe, Mr. Kaplan, they're always there for you.'

'I pay them for that …'

'Nobody acts like they do just to earn a salary.'

'… Right …' He suddenly seemed embarrassed. Of course they were more than simple employees. They had become his friends, his family. He had only them … and now, he also had her. 'So, what about this spaghetti?'

Someone would really have to be starving to want to eat what ended up on their dinner table. It was far too salty and had a rather fulsome burnt flavour. Sadly, it was clear that, although Reddington absolutely loved cooking, and obviously enjoyed looking the part as he flourished the pans around like a cordon bleu chef and attacked the ingredients with panache, he had a rather inflated opinion of his culinary skills. Looking at the less than appealing results of his cooking he ruefully admitted that, of the two of them, possibly Dembe was the better chef.

'Still,' he said with a wide grin, looking a bit guilty, 'we're here for some time. We'll be able to get in plenty of practice!'

Lizzie looked down at her plate. 'Till Dembe comes and rescue us ...'

'Well ... I suppose that's one way of looking at the situation,' he admitted, ruefully.

After lunch, Lizzie headed to the terrace for a nap in one of the deck chairs while Reddington busied himself cleaning up in the kitchen. When he finally went outside to join her, she was already asleep. Quietly, he took a seat a little to one side and watched her through his tinted sunglasses.

She reminded him of his family. Of his daughter, who would be almost the same age as Lizzie. He had so few memories of her, and no keepsakes because he had been forced to leave everything behind when he fled. The photos of Liz as a child that he had found in Sam's possessions had brought back regrets about all that he had missed with his own daughter. All the birthdays, all the happiness and, yes, all the sorrows, too, that he should have shared with his family.

But now, Lizzie was not a little girl anymore; she was a woman with a strong personality. She reminded him of his ex-wife who had been about the age Liz was now when he had had to abandon her.

But above all, Liz reminded him of her mother ... That was what perturbed him; that confusing mixture of feelings. He had felt them swirling inside him since they first met at the Post Office. He remembered the little girl and yet was confronted with a grown up woman. A woman who was strong and determined, volatile and unpredictable, soft and yet hard, and then soft again, possessed of a fire that burned inside; he smiled sadly, as he remembered how he had used those very words to describe her to Sam.

The more he had got to know her, the more he had found himself falling under her spell. She was what was missing in his life, she was what he had lost, she was all that he ever wanted to make his life complete; and yet ... now that he had her here by his side it was terrifying. He had dreamt about this very scenario so many times, but to have it happen in reality was ... frightening. He found himself scared to get too close to her, scared to meet her gaze, scared to touch her and see her walk away, again.

So he had to control himself, at all times. And he hadn't realised how hard it would be. To be so close to her, twenty-four hours a day. She was the reason why he was still alive; she was now the reason why he wanted to live.

When Liz woke up, Reddington was lying in the chair on the other side of the terrace reading a book.

'Shall we go for a walk?' she asked.

He was clearly pleased by the request and they began to stroll together through the grounds surrounding the house.

The area was really wild and remote. 'We can truly claim to be cut off from the real world,' Red explained. 'We don't need to contact anyone because everything has been planned for in advance. I didn't want to take any risks.'

Liz was worried. 'What are we going to do here, all alone?'

'Oh,' Red laughed, 'if you're scared about staying with me on your own, don't worry. Dembe will come and join us soon. And there's a Scrabble game and other puzzles to keep us busy …'

'That's so perfect! I also brought my knitting kit, it's gonna be a gas!'

Liz stared at Reddington, and they both burst out laughing.

It felt so good to laugh and to forget, even for a short time, all that had happened.

Red's face sobered. 'On a more serious note, we do have to work at a training programme. Much as I know I'm going to hate it, Dembe has devised some gym exercises, and, in addition, we need to spend some time studying the Alliance's strategies. We can't count on the Task Force anymore, so we have to be as prepared as we can be for what is facing us.'

'It's hard to believe that we haven't got the backing of the Task Force any longer.'

He nodded. 'I know. But, they'll have to hunt us down. We're their enemies now ... At least for the foreseeable future. Donald and Aram will probably not put their hearts and souls into things, and Samar will be okay as well. However, I'm worried about what might happen to Harold; but we'll know more about that in a few days.'

He paused. Birds were singing in the bushes close by but otherwise the place was bathed in near perfect peaceful silence.

'In the meantime, there's lots of interesting books to read and miles of pleasant walks to explore. I totally recommend the stunning view from the top of the hill over there. Do you fancy a gentle hike? It's really not as far as it looks.'

He smiled at her encouragingly and, before she had time to reply, reached for her hand to lead her in the direction of the suggested viewpoint. It was only when Lizzie looked down that he realised what he had done; dropping her hand he all but stammered an apology.

Red followed her quietly. He had just acted on instinct and with an enthusiasm brought on by the moment. He just wanted ... what did he want? He wasn't sure. Except breathing healthy lungs full of clean, fresh air and sharing a quiet moment with her; precious time, before they had to think about what was waiting for them in the real world. Before reality caught up with them. Which would, he knew, happen all too soon.

Still not fully recovered from his injury, Reddington was starting to feel tired when they reached the top. Lizzie was ahead and she froze when she reached the viewpoint. To say that they were far from civilisation was putting it mildly ... there wasn't another house for miles! She shivered; it was beautiful and yet scary at the same time.

'So,' said Reddington, catching up, out of breath, 'was it worth the hike?'

Liz didn't reply.

'What's wrong?'

'Nothing, it's … gorgeous.'

He could feel the anxiety in her voice. 'What's wrong, Lizzie?'

'Nothing it's just that … there's nothing …'

It wasn't the seemingly infinite landscape that frightened her. It was the sudden realisation that she had had to leave everything to do with her past life behind; her life was now a landscape as empty as the one she surveyed. She tried to hide her tears, but Reddington quickly understood what was happening and what she was feeling.

He suddenly regretted suggesting the walk to the summit. 'I'm sorry, Lizzie. This was not a good idea.'

'It's okay, Red, it's beautiful,' she said, sobbing quietly. But, after a pause, she added, 'I'm just not sure I'll be able to handle all of this ... this new life. I'm not sure if I'm strong enough to face the Cabal. I don't even know if I want to ...'

Their short idyllic interlude was over. She was back facing the brutal reality of her situation. Reddington would not be able to divert her from things any longer.

Gently, he took her by the shoulder, trying to offer reassurance.

But he could not lie to her; things were not going to get any easier from now on.

With sadness, mixed with a hint of bitterness and laced through with regret, he said quietly, 'Welcome to my world ...'

oooooooooo

To be continued...