Hey guys! forgive me if this chapter was cheesy...


The water was a pale pink and rose scented as it lapped at Elizabeth's skin. A plate sat next to the bathtub with crumbs scattered across the surface. She had eaten some peanut butter toast once she had arrived home…a sad lunch but food was limited in her house. Elizabeth decided to run a bath as she enjoyed her snack. She had dug out a jar of bath salt she had never used and decided now was as good a time as any to try something new. Wireless Bose speakers were sitting on top of the toilet seat, softly playing the music from one of her playlists. A song she had discovered on accident was playing, Love is a Bitch by an artist called Two Feet.

Baby hairs clung to the back of her neck and steam clouded the corners of the mirror. Lizzie thought about getting out of the tub, but then she realized there was really nothing to do. The warm water leached away all of her worry and the woman's head tipped backwards, eyes closing. A heat that wasn't caused by the water started to stir in her belly when she thought of being tangled in the sheets with Raymond. His hands were so strong as they gripped her in the right places and gentle when they caressed. Red had superb practice…she couldn't remember then last time she had enjoyed giving in to temptation that much.

It would be interesting to see how Red would handle tonight. Elizabeth Keen had seen him in galas, great champagne celebrations that were saturated in decadence and possessing a sky high budget. Yet she had also seen him gathered around a folding poker table covered in an inch of cigarette ashes and grime, chattering to Russian smugglers with the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled and stained. But how would he do at Mikey's? Surrounded by drunks that just wanted to move with the music and have a good time?

Memories of her training days were coming back to her. Everyone in her class on the rare day off would stumble out in the real world, each of them too proud to admit that they would rather just stay in and go to sleep early than go drink. Then, the next day with sore feet and headaches, they would try and plow though bookwork.

Lizzie sank into the tub so the water covered her mouth, her nose exposed and blowing air ripples across the surface of the water. Air cooled the damp skin of her kneecaps as they crested out of the water. She stayed like that until the bath started to cool and her fingers began to prune along with her toes. Elizabeth decided to climb out of the tepid bath and she wrapped a soft towel around her body before reaching her hand back down in the water to unplug the stopper. Water gurgled down the drain and she rinsed her face in the sink.

On her way to her bedroom Lizzie thought of new color combinations to paint the walls. The cool gray color seemed awfully catalogue to her, something that was far too common. Her bedroom was an uninspiring cream with white trim. Water dripped down her neck as she stood in the doorway of her bedroom. An unmade bed stood before her with mussed sheets and pillows strewn about. It was no longer being shared and Elizabeth had almost made a nest out of the linens. She huffed at the disarray and went to the walk in closet. Her clothes were on the right and on the left were….

Breath caught in her throat and she narrowed her eyes in anger. Lizzie pulled on some sweatpants and a tank top before she stomped downstairs and grabbed two black garbage bags from the pantry. Going back upstairs Elizabeth turned into a whirlwind, yanking clothes off of hangers and pulling out dresser drawers out so violently that they fell onto the floor. Elizabeth finished by hauling all of Tom's clothes out to the front curb, next to the two metal trash cans they had. She stood there for a moment, arms crossed and breath coming in triumphant puffs. Everything that Tom had kept in the closet was now gone. Elizabeth's shoulders felt ten pounds lighter as she hopped up her front steps and went back inside.


Raymond was staring at Dembe. "You really think this looks good?" He asked, his eyebrows raised.

Dembe nodded. "You'll fit in just fine. Plus the shirt is slimming."

"I'm not overweight."

Dembe answered with a shrug. Red turned and looked at himself in the mirror. His usual slacks were traded for dark jeans, the denim stiff and heavy compared to the suit pants he was used to wearing, but they weren't uncomfortable. His brown dress shoes were subtle enough to go along with the pants and he wore a navy crew neck shirt, the sleeves pushed up to his elbows. A gold watch wrapped around his left wrist. Since dusk had started to fall, Red decided to wear his glasses, the dark frames complimenting the lines of his face.

In the other room Red's phone buzzed on the coffee table.

"Are you ready to go?" Dembe asked as Red stepped past him and snatched up the phone, almost eagerly.

"Yes," Raymond answered, looking down at the device. "Am I wearing too much cologne."

"You are fine, Raymond."

The text simply read ready.

"Let's go then."

Red's fingertips tapped against his knee as he sat in the back of the town car. The hat lover had left his fedora at home and he was questioning if that had been the right choice. Dembe said he looked good…a dear friend wouldn't lie. He checked his watch. Ten minutes after 8:00 they had pulled up to Lizzie's door. Raymond saw her in the entryway, glancing once to the mirror and then looking down, he couldn't fully see what she was doing. Then the woman looked up and reached for the light switch before she headed to the door. Red climbed out and leaned against the car as Elizabeth Keen made her way outside.

His breath hitched immediately once his eyes fell on her and he had to swallow to keep from gasping. The man's eyes started at her feet and worked upwards. Black suede ankle boots with a triangular heel. Black leggings hugged each line and curve of her leg like smooth paint. Lizzie wore long, light gray t-shirt, the neck of which dipped to a tantalizingly deep V that allowed her collarbones to peek into view when she moved. To combat the chill she wore a light colored denim jacket, worn and frayed in just the right spots. Something subtly gold glinted at her throat. Her brown hair bounced in a high ponytail, baby hairs escaping and framing her face. Clutched in Lizzie's hand was a small overnight bag, which delighted Red once he saw it.

Upon seeing Red, her painted lips parted in a smile that made her teeth glint in the diming light.

"Hello, Lizzie," Red purred, the hunger in his chest deepening his voice. He wanted to suggest that they just go inside right then and there…up to a bed or braced against a wall.

"Raymond," she said, a sly little smile still on her lips as she moved her eyes up and down the man's body as he reached to open the door.

"I don't see you with glasses very often," Lizzie said once they were on the move.

Red tilted his head back and looked at her, his hooded eyes blinking.

She tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "I like them.

"You look tempting," Red drawled before he could stop himself.

Goosebumps blossomed under the sleeves of her jacket. Red watched as the muscles of Lizzie's throat moved when she swallowed. Her weight shifted in her seat. Raymond savored these micro-movements and he greedily watched her in order to avoid missing any. Natural light began to dim outside and it was harder for his eyes to catch Lizzie's actions. The thin gold chain that wrapped around her neck glowed intermittently with each passing of a streetlight.

Soon they had arrived at Mikey's Music Café. The parking lot was crowded and there were people standing out on the wood patio, drinks in their hands, chattering and laughing beside Tiki torches and hanging lights. Red self-consciously gazed through the crowd in order to gauge his outfit. He was satisfied to see that he would fit in just fine. Dembe miraculously found a place to park and everyone got out of the car. Red moved to Lizzie's side and placed a hand at her back.

"After you," he said, leaning close to hum in her ear. Heat from the man's hand found the skin of her back, even though her clothes. Lizzie straightened and walked ahead towards the door. She was actually a little bit taller than Red in heels. He didn't mind…she was beautiful.

Swing music found them when the trio stepped through the door. To the left was a stage with a trumpet player, drummer, sax, guitar and bass. The banner above them read The River Boaters, a small local band that made a decent paycheck on covers of swing, blues, and jazz songs. Red's foot was tapping as he motioned for Dembe.

"What do you want to drink?" Red had to shout in order for Dembe to hear him.

"I will have one beer, Stella, then no more."

Raymond knew that Dembe would not drink in this crowded of a place, too many variables to keep track of. The request for the Stella Artois was more of a courtesy than anything else. Liz was able to find an open spot at the bar and Red squeezed in with her. Two bartenders were busily working the bar and it took a couple minutes for one to come up to them.

"A Stella Artois, scotch on the rocks, and…" he trailed off, looking at Lizzie.

"Whiskey sour," she said, giving the bartender a smile.

"Rail?" the bartender asked, wiping her brow with the back of her hand.

"Rail is fine," Lizzie answered before Red could open his mouth. "They don't have the fancy stuff here," she teased to Raymond.

The two got their drinks and carried the beer over to Dembe, who was sitting at a high top table close to the door. Lizzie was pretty sure the cushion of his chair was held together with duct tape. Red and Lizzie stood there as well, sipping their drinks and watching the dancefloor. The crowd were older than the usual rowdy twenty-somethings that would come for the garage rock bands. A good mix of people who were actually trying to make an effort to dance. Red sipped his scotch and tried not to cringe at the quality of it and Elizabeth was happily sipping on her whiskey sour, nostalgia filling her up with each coating of alcohol across her tongue.

"This was where you used to go when you were in school, Elizabeth?" Dembe asked loudly, leaning over in his stool.

"Yeah," the woman nodded, her straw still in her mouth. "We used to come here whenever we got the chance, it was the spot to go. Ten or fifteen of us would pile into two taxi vans and cram this place."

Red pictured a younger Elizabeth, longer hair and wider eyes. He pictured her swaying on her feet with the music, a silly, drunken grin on her face. Raymond discovered that he had finished his drink much faster than he usually would have. As the alcohol seeped into his bloodstream, he noticed that his eyes would linger at the neck of Elizabeth's shirt. He watched as her lips would part and close around the straw. She would run her tongue along her bottom lip each time she took the glass away. Red glanced downwards and watched as her foot tapped along with the music.

A soft nudge at his elbow made him turn. Dembe tipped his head towards Lizzie, eyebrows raised. For the first time in his life, Red felt nervous. This wasn't what he was used to and Elizabeth looked like she belonged there. Those leggings entrapped Raymond's attention. He tore his eyes away and stepped back towards the bar, Lizzie busy watching the band.

"Whiskey neat," he ordered and the bartender nodded. She placed a small glass on the table and filled it with amber courage. Raymond shot it back smoothly, he had some practice, and felt the heat flow down his throat and swell in his belly. His eyes closed and he felt his heart slow to the solid beat he was used to. The band was changing up the music. The bones of the song was familiar, even with some personal flares added by the guitarist and trumpet player.

"Kiss of Fire," he murmured to himself. It was a slow tango of sorts, something sensual and Latin. It was destiny intervening. The shot had given Red back the suave confidence he was used to and he felt comfortable in his skin….in this bar.

The purr in her ear threatened her skin to break out in gooseflesh.

"We're going to dance," Red spoke lowly. It was amazing that she could hear him in the loud venue, yet she was able to pick up on his words like sonar. His fingers closed around hers and she knew he was in control. Lizzie may have been familiar with the bar, Lizzie may have been slightly taller with her heels…But Raymond Reddington held all the control. The notes of the song were unfamiliar to her but the swaying beat stirred an instinct within her that she didn't quite understand.

Red brought her to the dancefloor. It had opened up with the slower song, people around them taking the opportunity to sip at they're cocktails and give their feet a rest. Only couples stayed. Red's hand wrapped around her waist, fingers splayed possessively across her body. Lizzie felt pressure there, forcing her to step closer to him. The curves of her body would brush against him and her eyelids fluttered. Lizzie's arm was brought up to his shoulder and her other hand was cradled in his.

Raymond was a fantastic lead. This wasn't like the parties they had visited before…this dance wasn't polite or sophisticated. However, it was still mutual. They moved together, Lizzie stepping away from him at times just so that he would fluidly pull her back to him. Raymond spun her once during the buildup of the song and grabbed her hips with both hands from behind. She pushed against hips with her butt and felt Red's hot breath at her neck. Desire had pushed the air from his lungs as if he had been punched. His grip tightened against Elizabeth's hips. The woman spun in his grasp, reaching up and looping both arms around his neck.

A vixen smile split Elizabeth's lips and she watched as Red's eyelids droop, heavy with want. She could smell him, smell the whiskey and cologne and she could feel the animalistic heat coming from his body. The muscles in his arms were taught, keeping her close to him. Deciding to have some fun with him, Elizabeth leaned even farther forward and ground her hips against his. The way the corners of his mouth curled upwards shot a jolt of fire right to her legs, which nearly weakened. Red's head tilted to the side and his eyebrows twitched as he regarded her boldness. She caught him steal a glance to the exposed V-neck of her shirt. The woman's hands slid down the sides of his face and trailed down his chest.

Raymond leaned forward and swayed with her. "My turn," he hummed as he reached up and took a hold of her wrists. His knee thrust forward and rested between her legs and her eyelids fluttered as she felt the friction there. The woman's surprising desire thrust her hips from side to side and Raymond smiled as his head cocked to the side. A rumble resonated deep in his chest, drowning out the music in Elizabeth's ears. The heat from the woman's body on his thigh was almost enough to suck the breath from Red's lungs. He took a deep breath in through his nose, trying to cling to his composure, but was instead flooded with her perfume. It had musked with the sweat from their dance and it nearly caused his mouth to water. Red released her wrists and withdrew his leg from between Elizabeth's. His hands splayed possessively across her lower back and they swayed from side to side.

Dembe's eyebrows rose as he watched the two. He had always known Red to be quite the dancer at the parties they attended. Dembe had watched as Red swirled the numerous women in the past until they were panting and blushing, only to leave them without as much as a wink. But this…this was something different. Dembe believed that old Raymond had officially met his match with Elizabeth. Here, in this dive bar, with sub-par jazz booming through blown speakers and their feet moving on a sticky floor, Raymond was being challenged. This woman had just as much as a hold over him as he had over her, if not more.


The two had started to attract some attention from the other patrons with their nearly choreographed moves. A woman was watching them closely from the corner of the bar as she sipped her Moscow mule. Dana's lips pressed tightly together as she swallowed the tart ginger beer concoction. What were the odds? Knapp's targets were dancing together in this dive. Not just dancing…it was more than dancing. Dana's eyes darted about, scanning the faces of the other people in the bar. Her eyes fell on a man across the bar, seated at a high top table. He was black and strong looking, possibly tall but it was hard to tell with his legs tucked up underneath the tabletop. Dana could tell he was with Reddington and the woman, he was paying too close attention to them and to their surroundings.

The red-haired woman casually looked away, glanced down at her drink, sipped, and then looked around again. Practiced…inconspicuous. She weighed her options in her head. She had no idea if Tom was still alive, no idea where Knapp was or what he was doing next. Could she contact him with this information? Maybe that would put her back into his good graces….

Or…it might not. He might use her as a lead and then pick her off like he had a habit of doing.

It was hard to take another sip of her drink, it had turned sickly sweet on her.

She could join them….and then she scoffed at the idea.

Join them? Like they were some rag-tag team of superheroes on a quest? Rumor had it that Reddington was going around to the FBI with some sort of snitch list, plucking off his enemies one by one. Maybe she could assist them? No…there was no guarantee that she wasn't on that list herself. For now, she needed to blend in. Let them ignore her. She had the ability to keep an eye on them while she figured out what to do.

With a few trailing notes from the sax player, the song ended and Elizabeth and Raymond stood close, panting. Ignoring everyone around them, Raymond reached up, cradled her face in his hands, and pulled her to him. He kissed her briefly but with fervor. Joy filled him when he saw that her eyes had closed and that a sweet smile was plastered across Lizzie's face when he had pulled away.

"You were wonderful," he hummed as they made their way off the dance floor. Lizzie's cheeks were flushed when she bashfully made it back to Dembe.

"I've never danced like that before."

"No, I bet you haven't!" Dembe teased, laughing. "And I don't think Red's ever had a woman dance like that with him before, either!"

Red's head cocked to the side and his eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at his friend.

"Oh, come on Raymond," laughed Dembe as he finished off the beer he had been nursing. "You two have more chemistry than any couple I've ever met. I am just glad you two have finally figured it out."