AN: Oh my goodness this has been a chore. I'm having such a hard time writing lately, you wouldn't believe it. After getting my butt kicked by tmmachado, I finally finished this. Thank you for beta-ing this as quickly as you did, redisthenewblackington, I appreciate the help. Thank you for all the wonderful reviews I've been getting, they make me giggle like a little girl!

Disclaimer: nothing has changed.

I never felt this way before
I've seen so many islands
I never felt this way before
In this song here I describe him

The chariots rise
Up high in the sky
What a fool am I
To fall so in love
What a wonderful dream
It seems to be
'Cause I love him

"Chariots Rise" - Lizzie West

Enough To Keep You

Chp. 5

The girls had had a wonderful time, especially since Liz had so much to tell them. She had just been kissed by the cutest guy ever, after all. They had stayed awake all night long and chatted and laughed and ate pizza and chocolate. On Sunday Liz and Red talked on the phone for hours. His voice made her shiver and goosebumps spread all over her skin, especially when he dropped it a notch. She was pretty sure that he was actually aware of the effect he had on her.

When Sam got home that evening, he noticed his little girl was practically bouncing through the house, a huge smile adorning her pretty face. He didn't know what had happened, but it must have been something good. As long as she was happy, so was he.

It had been two weeks since her birthday and Liz and her friends found themselves in the class room again, ready to leave for lunch. In only a matter of minutes the much hated Math class would be over. She looked at her watch for what seemed like the hundredth time already, time just didn't pass fast enough.

"Am I boring you, Miss Scott?" Her teacher called her out, obviously having noticed her lack of attention to his class.

'Actually, yes' was on her lips, but before she could form a reply, the bell rang and the other students packed their things together and Liz hurried to leave as well.

"Miss Scott!"

'Shit…' She turned and walked back to her teacher. "Yes, Mr. Miller?"

He gave her a stern look. "You better not be daydreaming next time."

"I won't, Sir," she answered and he dismissed her with a nod.

"Miller being a dick again?" Amy asked when Liz joined her.

She groaned. "You know it. Can his class be any worse?"

The two made their way outside and sat at a table with their friends. It was a sunny day, but still a little chilly, so Liz pulled her jacket tightly around her body.

"Liz, that necklace is super cute!" Kelly exclaimed. Liz looked up in surprise, her fingers instantly going to the gift Red had gotten her. "Where did you get it?"

"It was a birthday present," she answered with a dreamy smile.

"From her boooyfriend," Amy drew out.

"I sure hope you're talking about me."

All heads shot towards where the voice had come from. "We're always talking about you, hotshot," Amy said with a wink.

Red chuckled and then bent down. "Hello, sweetheart," he said and leaned in to softly kiss Liz, his warm palm resting against her cheek.

"Awwww." The remaining girls cooed at them.

When they broke apart, Red extended his hand towards her and pulled her to her feet.

"Are you gonna make a habit of stealing my bestie?" Amy asked.

"I will get her back to you in a minute," he smiled and pulled Liz with him.

They walked the short distance towards one of the buildings and rounded the corner for some privacy. As soon as they were out of sight, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her again, this time with passion. She wound her arms around his neck and threaded her fingers through his hair. He smelled so wonderful. Warm and fresh, but with a hint of leather. He pressed his mouth hard against hers before pulling back, resting his forehead against her.

"I missed you," he spoke softly, his arms closing around her waist to pull her even closer.

"I missed you, too," she said, truly meaning it, even though they had just seen each other the day before. She put her head on his shoulder and sighed.

"That school dance is next week. And I wanted to ask my girlfriend to be my date. Any thoughts?" Liz felt him smile against her head.

"You already asked me," she answered.

"Mhm... but I didn't ask you as my girlfriend," Red argued. "So would it be okay if I canceled our date and take my girlfriend instead?"

Liz laughed and pulled away from him to look into his smiling face. "You're so silly!"

He let his left index finger trail over her cheek. "You're incredibly beautiful when you smile." She leaned up to kiss him softly. "I've been thinking sweetheart."

"I hope you didn't overexert yourself," Liz smirked.

"Cheeky," he said, gently pinching her side. "So, I'd very much like to meet your dad."

"No, you don't," she answered quickly and Red had to smile.

"But I do," he replied.

Liz groaned and put her head back on his shoulder. "Believe me when I tell you he's not the easiest person to be around."

"You can't hide me forever, Lizzie."

"I'm not," she protested, tightening her arms around his waist. "But I know my dad. It won't be pretty."

He pressed his lips into her hair. "It'll be fine, you'll see."

THEBLACKLISTTHEBLACKLISTTHEBLACKLIST

"And you're going to the same school?" Sam asked, sitting on the couch opposite his daughter and her new boyfriend.

"We do, Sir. That is why I'd like to ask your permission to take Lizzie as my date for the upcoming school dance."

Sam nodded. "And how old are you, Raymond?"

Red opened his mouth to answer, but Liz beat him to it. "He's seventeen, dad." The young man tensed slightly, but didn't react otherwise.

"Well, you two have fun then," he said.

"Ray, you wanted to help me with Math," Lizzie said, standing up and Red followed suit.

"Keep your hands to yourself, young man," Sam told him.

"I will sit on them, Sir," Red replied and followed his girlfriend upstairs.

Once they closed the door, the blonde turned towards Liz. "What the hell, Lizzie? Why did you lie to him?"

She leaned against her desk and crossed her arms over her chest. "I told you he would freak out. He can't know you're eighteen!" She whispered fiercely.

He shook his head. "You can't lie to your dad about this. He's gonna find out and it will be even worse."

"You don't understand! He's overprotective! I won't be allowed to see you anymore," she tried to argue.

"Lizzie, I will not lie about this. We come clean right now or we don't do this at all," Ray told her. The girl gasped and tears welled up in her eyes, spilling over and instantly running down her cheeks. "No, no, no." He walked up to her and cupped her face in his hands. "That's not what I meant. Just... just let me make this right." He kissed her softly. "I want to be with you. But I want this to be honest from the beginning. No lies."

She sniffed and wiped some of the salty wetness from her eyes. "He's gonna say no."

"You let me worry about this. We're going to be okay. I promise." He cocked his head to the side and mustered her. "No more tears, sweetheart," Red said gently and leaned in to kiss her again. "I'll be right back."

The young man walked back downstairs and looked for the father of his girlfriend, finding him in the kitchen. "Mr. Milhoan?"

"Yes?"

"I'm afraid there was some sort of misunderstanding," Red started. "I'm eighteen, not seventeen. I just wanted to come clear on this."

Sam regarded him intently. "I admire your honesty, son, but I can't let you date my fifteen year old daughter."

He licked his lips. "I know that you think that I'm just like the other guys out there, but I'm not."

He leaned back against the kitchen counter, his ankles crossing over each other. "Isn't that what all of them say?"

"I'm sure that can be said about most of them, but it is not true in my case."

The older man sighed. "Son, there are plenty of fish in the sea."

"But Lizzie is my sea," Red told him firmly. "Your daughter means a lot to me. And I know you're only trying to protect her and I'm glad that she has a father like you, but give me a chance. Give me the chance to show you that I am not like them." Sam looked at him a while longer, but the younger man didn't fluster easily as it seemed. "Give me the chance to show you that I can make her happy, that I won't hurt her. I don't need to take her out on dates. We can sit in your living room, for all I care. I just want to be with her."

The older man considered the boy's words, taking everything he said into account, before opening his mouth to answer.

THEBLACKLISTTHEBLACKLISTTHEBLACKLIST

Liz turned around when she heard her door open and sighed in relief when she saw her boyfriend walking in. Damn him for not showing her immediately how the conversation had went.

"So?" She asked anxiously.

"Well... we'll be dating in your living room from now on, but we will still be able to see each other." Even before he had finished the sentence, he had his arms full of the beautiful brunette. He chuckled and hugged her closer, dropping a kiss to her head.

"Wait, what do you mean 'dating in my living room'?" Liz pulled back to look at him.

"Well... at least I can still be with you. Where is not important," he told her softly.

She groaned, but then tightened her arms around his back. "I'm just glad I still have you," she said, kissing his neck.

"You will always have me, sweetheart."

Both were oblivious to the girl's father watching them with a fond smile, thinking to himself that he might have made the right decision after all.

AN: So I hope this wasn't that disappointing. I gave it my best shot and I hope you enjoyed reading. Also, I'd like to ask you a question: how would you feel about one or two M rated chapters. I realize that this might be something you don't want, that's why I'm asking. It wouldn't be as detailed as M rated chaps sometimes are. I think it'd be safe to say that it would just scratch the surface. Let me know what you think. It'll be hightly appreciated. Thank you!