Two months later…

"It's a lovely place. It's a shame you didn't want an actual house, but this is nice too," my mother said as she walked through my newly purchased condo.

Reddington's attempt to buy me a house had made me realize just how much I wanted out of my apartment building. I had started to look around and found a condo in my price range that was closer to the Burg and to my office downtown. The building was nice, but nothing extravagant. My condo had two bedrooms, a bathroom and kitchen that didn't come from the 1970s, and lots of closet space. It had an open floor plan, which made it feel bigger than it was, and I had a nice view of Broad Street, rather than the parking lot.

"I'm excited to move in," I told my mother as we stepped out of the bathroom. "It even has a gym downstairs. Not that I'll use it, but that's something."

I had just closed on the place earlier that day and had brought my parents over to look at it. Being a homeowner meant I could paint and do all the things I couldn't do in my apartment. Part of me wanted to paint every wall just because I could. My father grunted his approval and we all walked back downstairs to the parking lot. I said goodbye to my parents and made my way to Home Depot. I still had an entire month before I had to be out of my apartment, so I was going to take my time getting the new place ready, especially since I still had to work a full-time job while I did it.

I used almost every waking moment of the next four weeks getting my new home ready. The living room had been the biggest project. I had done an accent wall with a white wallpaper that had overlapping silver hexagons and painted the rest of the room a bluish gray. It went well with the dark cabinets and stainless-steel finishings in the kitchen. The bathroom had similar coloring as the kitchen, so I'd gone with a light gray in there and had purchased some bright accent pieces to go on the walls and coordinate with the shower curtain. My bedroom, which had a connecting door to the bathroom through my walk-in closet, had been done in an off-white with a hazy purple accent wall behind the bed. The other bedroom was going to be left white because I didn't have any idea what I was going to do with the room and didn't have it in me to paint one more room.

My parents, Connie, and Lula helped me move my stuff in on the last day of June. Lula, in typical fashion, hadn't worn anything remotely appropriate for moving furniture and had her boob hanging out of her dress most of the time. I took everyone to dinner as a thank you for the help and came back to the condo afterwards to collapse on my bed. My father and I had put it together, but I still hadn't put sheets on it. I fell asleep and didn't wake up again until almost midnight, when I decided I should get up and make my house somewhat functional until the unpacking process was complete.

I poured myself a glass of wine as I put away food and dishes into my kitchen cabinets and thought about Reddington as I worked. I hadn't seen or heard from him since I'd turned down his offer to buy the house. He had given me his number, but I hadn't called it. Was he going to be out of my life if I never called him? Or would he randomly show up like he had back in April? A firework being shot off somewhere nearby scared the hell out of me and I jumped. It was almost the fourth of July, which meant I'd been hearing fireworks go off for a month and would hear them for about two more weeks before the novelty wore off. I thought about Reddington again, who seemed like the kind of guy who would enjoy fireworks. I drained my wine glass and poured myself another. Why was I thinking about him? What was the appeal?

My last encounter with Reddington had left me so flustered that I'd gone to Ranger's apartment three days later to just have sex. It has been intense, needy sex, and I'd stayed until midnight even though I had to be to work early the next day. Ranger had asked what was going on, but I'd just said I was extra horny, thanked him for his work, and left. I had repeated the action a few more times outside of our usual dinner and sex. Ranger had jokingly asked if Bella Morelli had put the Vordo on me again. I said she must have because I couldn't tell him the truth. He would have had a stroke had I told him the truth.

It was almost one in the morning when I finished unloading my kitchen supplies and had finished my third glass of wine. I picked up my phone and scrolled through my contacts to the one labeled RR. I pressed it and waited while it connected. It rang three times before Reddington's voice came through the phone.

"Stephanie. What a lovely surprise," he said. I couldn't tell if he had been asleep. Knowing him he was in Australia where it was an almost dinner time.

"How are you?" I asked I leaned against the counter and felt my body react to the sound of his voice.

"I'm well. I've been in Bueno Aires dealing with a particularly difficult situation between two waring families. I've been serving as mediator, and I believe we've reached a conclusion that satisfies everyone."

"You really are the Concierge of Crime."

Reddington laughed. "I must live up to the name. How are you?"

"I'm great. I bought a condo, actually. I just got moved in today."

"That's wonderful. Tell me about it."

I spent the next few minutes describing the building and my place, how I chose it, and the story of Lula helping me move in. Reddington roared with laughter as I described Lula's attempt to move my furniture in four-inch heels and a dress that kept riding up over her ass and the constant boob exposure.

"Lula sounds like a gem," he said. "I appreciate larger than life people."

We talked for a few more minutes about my job at Crimson before he told me that he had to go, as his plane was about to take off.

"Feel free to come check out my new place if you're in Trenton," I told him.

"Careful. I might actually take you up on that offer," he replied.

I hung up and immediately wondered what the hell I'd just done. I looked over at my half-empty bottle of wine and blamed it for the stupid choice. I turned off the lights in the kitchen and headed to bed before I thought too much about inviting Reddington to visit me.

Work was slow the next week due to the holiday, so I was able to get the rest of the apartment unpacked and put away. Ranger had invited me to dinner the night after the fourth and I was glad to take him up on it.

"How's the new place?" Ranger asked as we ate our lemon chicken and roasted potatoes.

"Good. I'm really liking it. No criminals have showed up," I replied. Which was true because Reddington hadn't visited yet.

I asked him about Rangeman and life and received the bare minimum of answers. I'd known Ranger for eight years and still felt like I hardly knew anything about him on a personal level. I knew the basics about his family but had only met a couple of them in passing one time when Ranger and I had been in Newark looking for one of my skips. He didn't talk much about his work unless it interrupted our time together. We didn't talk about much of anything now that I was no longer working in bond enforcement. I would rattle on about something while we ate, Ranger would give one- or two-word responses, then we would clean up and head to his bedroom for sex. The sex was always good, but the process was feeling a bit stale. Was it no longer exciting because I didn't have to contend with the guilt of my relationship with Morelli? Had Reddington replaced Ranger as that dangerous, exciting element in my life?

I tried to put my thoughts away as Ranger peeled me out of my clothes and climbed on top of me. I tried to focus on the sensations and the moment but kept going back to thoughts of Reddington and why I had called him. My distraction must have been obvious because Ranger climbed off me after a few minutes, neither of us having been satisfied.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing," I replied. "Why did you stop?"

"Because I don't like having sex with you when you don't even seem like you're in the room," Ranger replied.

I sighed and sat up on the edge of the bed. Clearly nothing was happening tonight. I reached for my underwear, but Ranger grabbed one arm and gently turned me to face him.

"What's going on?" he asked again. "You've been different for a while now and I can't figure out why."

I felt my stomach do a flip. "What do you mean?"

"You went through a phase where you were coming over at least once a week and acted like an animal. The last couple of times you've come over you seem bored. Tonight you've acted like you're just waiting to get it over with."

"I have a lot on my mind," I told him. "I was thinking earlier about how we've known each other so long and I feel like I don't know much about you. You know everything about me, but when I ask questions, you don't answer them or blow me off. Being here with you used to feel exciting, but lately I feel like we're going through the motions."

"I'm boring you?"

I shrugged. "I don't know exactly what it is. Maybe I just need to take some time away and figure it out."

Ranger's usual emotionless face betrayed something in his eyes.

"Are you seeing someone?"

"No," I said, but I knew my tone gave away more than I'd intended. "I'm not dating anybody, but I have been thinking about someone else a lot. I don't think it'll go anywhere, but I can't stop thinking about him."

I saw a twitch at the corner of Ranger's mouth. I wasn't sure if it was surprise that I had been thinking of another man or if it was some other emotion he didn't want to show.

"Who is he?"

I pulled on my underwear and reached for my bra. "I don't want to talk about him. And don't try to find out who he is either. Just respect my privacy and space. Can you do that?"

Ranger held up his hands. "Okay."

I finished getting dressed while Ranger watched me. I felt bad about the situation, but maybe a fragment of truth was better than trying to pretend.

"I'll see you around," I said. "Thanks for everything you've done for me. Really."

"This feels like a break-up," Ranger said, climbing out of bed as I headed towards the door.

"It isn't. We'd have to be in a relationship to break up," I reminded him. "It's just some space for the moment."

I waved goodbye and left Ranger standing naked in his bedroom.

Two weeks passed by without word from Ranger or Reddington. My social life, which wasn't very active to begin with, had come to screeching halt. I talked to Lula and Connie sometimes, but Lula was busy doing my old job and Connie was taking care of her elderly mother. I visited my parents and Grandma Mazur sometimes, but they often gave me a headache. I'd rather eat dirt than spend too much time at Valerie's house. I loved my nieces, but they were wild.

Out of desperation for something to do, I started going down to the gym to workout. I started out on the treadmill and then moved to the bike. I could watch Netflix on my phone, so that was what kept me going when I didn't want to do it. I was finishing up my sixth workout in the new routine I'd developed when I realized someone was watching me through the glass walls of the gym. I looked up and saw Reddington standing in the hall. He wasn't dressed in his usual three-piece suit, but in black pants, a dark green polo shirt, a blue jacket, and a was wearing a black baseball cap in lieu of his fedora. I gave him a small wave and turned off the treadmill and Netflix.

"I didn't realize you were a gym rat," Reddington said, giving me a kiss on the check when I met him.

"I'm not. But I've been bored so I figured it was something I should do," I replied as we headed towards the elevator.

Reddington followed me into my apartment and gave it a once-over. "This is lovely, Stephanie. It suits you."

I hung my keys up on the hook by the door. "Thanks. I'm really happy here. On nice days I even walk to work."

Reddington took off his hat and laid it on a table next to the couch. He walked through the rest of the apartment while I got myself some water and chugged it, not wanting him to know how much the new workouts were kicking my ass.

"I enjoy that color in your bedroom," he said. "And these finishings in the kitchen are lovely."

"Thanks, but the kitchen was already like this when I bought it. Would you like something to drink?"

Reddington waved off a drink and took a seat on the couch. "I was thinking of cooking dinner for you, if you haven't already eaten."

I shook my head. "No, I haven't. But I have to warn you that if you want something, you'll probably need to buy it. I'm not much of a cook."

Reddington laughed. "That isn't a problem. I already know that I plan to make and saw there's a market down the road. I'll be able to get everything I need there. Have you ever been to Gene and Georgetti's in Chicago?"

I shook my head. I really needed to travel more.

"They have a signature dish called Chicken a la Joe. It's wonderful. I like to serve it with rice and a nice white wine. Interested?"

I nodded enthusiastically. "It sounds great."

"Perfect," Reddington said, standing up and replacing his hat. "I'll just run to the market to get what we need and be back soon."

I left the door unlocked while I went to take a shower. I had no idea what Reddington's intentions were for the evening after dinner, but took the precautions of showering, shaving, and getting out nice matching underwear and bra just in case I got naked. I pulled on a pair of black shorts and a gray V-neck t-shirt and was just spraying on some body spray when I heard Reddington come in with the groceries. I went to help him with the bags and he locked the door behind him. He put his hat on a hook next to my keys and kicked his shoes off by the door. He took his jacket off and laid it over the back of the couch. A gun rested in a holster at the small of his back.

"I just love little neighborhood markets. Those are missing more these days. I'll go to a Walmart if necessary, but I prefer a low-ceilinged market where the owners know everyone's name."

I had a hard time imagining Raymond Reddington in a Walmart, but stranger things had happened. I unloaded the bags and found garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, some chicken breasts and thighs, bell peppers, a jar of pepperoncini, rice, a can of chicken broth, olive oil, and some lemons. There were two bottles of white wine in a carrying case and a decadent chocolate cake in the second bag.

"That cake looks amazing," I said. "I didn't know they sold these at the market."

"The owner said it's something new they are trying. They are doing a partnership with a local bakery to see if it helps with business," Reddington told me as he preheated my oven.

"I'll definitely need my new workout routine after hearing that," I said. "I'm going to be buying a cake every week."

Reddington laughed and started pulling out utensils and dishes. He found a cutting board that I had used one time in the years I had owned it and began cutting up the chicken into small pieces.

"Is there anything I can do?" I asked, but Reddington just shook his head.

"Open a bottle of wine and pour us each a glass. Then you can sit here and tell me about more about your friend Lula."

I poured us each a glass of wine and sat down on one of the barstools at my counter to talk to Reddington about Lula. I told him how we met when I first got into bond enforcement and some of the different experiences we had together. I tried to sandwich the traumatic stuff in between the funny stories, like when Lula and I found an alligator guarding a drug dealers house. Reddington nearly cut his finger off chopping peppers when he started laughing.

"An actual alligator?" he said, wiping tears from his eyes with a kitchen towel.

"Yep. His name was Mr. Jingles," I said, which caused Reddington to throw his head back and laughed even harder.

"You are making this up," he said. "This is too ridiculous to be true."

"Hand to God, it's the truth," I said. "I have witnesses to verify it."

Reddington continued to chuckle to himself while he seasoned the chicken, put into a pan, and placed it into the hot oven. He set the timer to fifteen minutes and turned to wash his hands at the sink.

"I thought I had some interesting stories, but it sounds like you might have me beat. At least in the alligator department," he said. He placed all the chopped peppers in a bowl along with some of the pepperoncinis and poured in some of the juice from jar before added seasonings into it. "Any other interesting stories from your bounty hunter days?"

"I have enough stories from that job to last a lifetime."

I regaled him with the time that Connie, Lula, and I had abducted a gang member and planned to torture him for information, but all we managed was to stick a needle between his toes before I lost my lunch and Lula passed out. Reddington had to wipe away tears as he laughed.

"I outsource my torture to an expert," he commented, and I wasn't sure if he was serious. "He's a genius with pain. If you ever find yourself in that situation again just call me. I'll send Teddy your way."

"You have a torture guy on speed dial?"

"Well, yes. Torture takes time, and to be honest I don't especially like watching people suffer unless they've really aggrieved me," Reddington said as casually as if he were discussing the type of tires he liked on his car.

I must have looked horrified because he reached over to place a reassuring hand on my leg. "Relax, I only torture people who are incredibly evil and only when time is of the essence."

I wasn't sure how I felt about that, but I took a sip of wine and nodded. I asked Reddington to tell me interesting stories about his life. He stopped to add the pepper mixture to the chicken before starting to tell me a story about a time when he had worked as a bounty hunter himself because he had been looking for a particular person. He got the rice started on the stove, cooking it in a mixture of water and the canned chicken stock. He talked about chasing a guy down hiding in the ceiling of his girlfriend's house. The man was a carnival worker named Smokey and was one of the best logistical people in the world, as he used to pack up circuses and move them around. Reddington had used him to help build back his business after some major blows.

"Does he still work for you?" I asked.

"No. We had a falling out," Reddington said. "He betrayed me."

He didn't elaborate, but I was guessing that by falling out Reddington meant that Smokey had fallen out of a twelfth-floor window. But I didn't need to know the details.

The dinner was amazing, and I made a note to myself that it had been simple enough that I could make it sometime and have my parents over to my place for a change. I helped him clean up and we loaded the dishwasher. We went over to my couch and continued talking about various interesting experiences we'd both had in our lives. It was fascinating to sit with someone who could talk as much, if not more, than me, and enjoyed the little details. He would praise me for moves I made, offered advice if I ever found myself in a similar situation, and paid attention to me as if I was the most important thing in the world. Even Morelli, who was more talkative than Ranger, never talked to me this much. And he never would have listened as well either. He eventually would have suggested we turn on the television or would have had his hand up my shirt just to shut me up.

"You have led an incredibly interesting life, Stephanie," Reddington said as he drained his third glass of wine. "I'm always excited to meet people who take chances and hope for the best."

"I certainly did with you," I admitted. "I was terrified after I took the pendant and thought about asking you to exchange it for a job. Especially after reading up on you."

"Everything you read online isn't even ten percent of the story," Reddington said. He tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. "They make me sound like a villain in the news, and maybe I am in some circumstances. But I also want to help make the world better. I won't tolerate anyone harming children or innocent people. I have a moral code that most may not find especially moral, but it's mine."

Reddington had scooted closer to me as he had talked, and we were now very close. Reddington took my head in his hands and kissed me. It was gentle and tender at first, but the suppressed feelings I'd been fighting since meeting him came rushing to the surface. I pulled him closer and deepened the kiss. Before long we were pulling away breathless. Reddington didn't say a word but took my hand and guided me into my bedroom.

It was almost dark outside, and the last remaining light had given us just enough to work with. We fell into my bed and he worked his way down my naked body, leaving a trail of fire where he touched. I went to touch him and guide him into me, but he took hold of my hand and silenced any questions with a kiss. Eventually I felt him reach down and do something before ending up inside me. Sex with Reddington reminded me of sex with Ranger. It was thoughtful and intimate, like he wanted to remember every second. When we finished, I was laying in the fog of orgasm as he rolled off next to me. I wasn't sure if I'd noticed him finishing but glanced over to see him doing something under the covers.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"My body has been through hell over the last three decades," he said, his hand reappearing a second later. "I can't get a natural erection. I have a pump inside of me that I manually inflated and deflate. I don't like to miss out on the carnal pleasures in life, so I do whatever I can to enjoy them."

"Why don't you take Viagra?"

"It doesn't work on me," Reddington said, leaning over to kiss me again. I took it as a sign that he wanted me to stop asking about his penis, so I did. It wasn't any of my business.

"I'm dying for some of that cake," Reddington said once we broke apart. We redressed and went back out to the kitchen where he cut slices for us. It was rich and delicious and rivaled the orgasm I'd experienced in my bedroom.

"I hope I don't offend you," I began, remembering that he could likely kill me in twelve different ways without blinking an eye. "But I was surprised by your stamina in bed. I wasn't sure what to expect from a man your age."

Reddington chuckled and swallowed a bite of cake before answering. "You aren't the only one. I've never been with anyone this much younger than me and wasn't sure what to expect either. I think your enthusiasm helped me out."

Pleased with myself, I ate the rest of my cake in silence. I wanted to enjoy the post-sex feeling and the chocolate cake for as long as possible. I didn't want to start overthinking my choices.

"That was the best chocolate cake I've ever had," I told Reddington once we had both finished our slices. "Thank you for—well, all of this. It was a wonderful evening."

He kissed me and picked up my plate to take to the dishwasher. "This has been one of the loveliest evenings I've had in a long time, Stephanie. It isn't often I get to relax and just enjoy myself."

"Is that why you're in those clothes and not a suit?" I asked. Reddington looked down at himself, as if he'd forgotten what he was wearing.

"Some of it, yes. I tend to dress more discreetly when I go out without Dembe. I'm armed, as you saw, but still it's better to not be noticed at all."

I doubted Reddington had any difficulty blending in around Trenton. He looked like half the men over fifty in the Burg. He could probably say his name was Bruno and that he owned a construction company, and no one would bat an eye. The only people who might be suspicious of him would be anyone familiar with the wanted poster of him and even that was a stretch. The wanted poster showed him with longer hair and a beard. I'd only even seen him with his hair buzzed short and clean shaven. The only person Reddington and I had in common was Ranger. And I was going to try very hard to never have them run into each other. Especially anywhere near me.

"I hate to leave, but I'm supposed to be catching a plane to Berlin tonight," Reddington said as he gathered his jacket and hat. "You wouldn't want to go to Berlin, would you?"

"I have to work tomorrow," I reminded him.

"I can get you off," he suggested, the double entendre not lost on me. "I know the owner."

I smiled and kissed him lightly on the lips. "Rain check."

I saw him to the door and locked up behind him. I was in way over my head. Getting a job from Reddington had been one thing. Getting an orgasm was on a whole different level.

A/N: If you watch the Blacklist and are familiar with various theories of Reddington's identity, you are probably aware of the Redarina theory, which was highly hinted at during the season 8 finale. That's what I'm operating off of in this story. If you don't like it, that's fine. It won't be a huge part of the story, but it also won't be ignored.