"What do you think about Jeremy?"
Liz opened her eyes blearily, then rolled in his embrace and yawned into his neck. "What?" She said, her voice muffled by his shirt.
She had been asleep and having one of the best dreams she'd had in months. She wanted to be mad that he'd woken her, but she didn't want to start another argument so early in the morning; besides, the dream was already fading from her memory as she stifled another yawn into his shoulder.
She was tired.
It had been an emotional few weeks, and as much progress as they had made the day before, there were still going to be hard times ahead. Nothing was ever going to be easy when you were in love with a wanted criminal. She kept her nose in his shirt and inhaled the faint scent of cologne that still clung to him. She'd missed that smell; it comforted her, which was ironic because he caused so much angst and drama in her life.
When Red didn't repeat his question, she pulled her head off his shoulder so she could look him in the eye. He was looking at her with a glimmer of amusement in his eyes; she didn't have the energy to ask him why, so she just raised an eyebrow in question. He huffed a quiet laugh and brought his left hand over to smooth it over the top of her head. Her hair must be a tangled mess. She didn't care.
"I've been lying here for the past hour trying to think of names for the baby. Have you put any thought into it?" The expression on his face was soft and loving as he looked at her, his eyelashes glowing in the soft morning light coming through the gaps in the blinds.
She smiled lazily and laid back down on his shoulder, then trailed her hand over his abdomen. "I haven't really thought about it seriously. But I do know I want him to have your last name." The second part was said quietly; she didn't know how he would react.
He swallowed noticeably and brought his hand up to run his fingers over her forearm that was still lying on his stomach. When he didn't say anything for another few moments, her face went red. She was glad he couldn't see her as she attempted to backtrack. "Of course, if you would rather not do that, I'll just-"
"Lizzie," he paused, his voice full of emotion. "I would be honored. Truly." His voice cracked at the end as he trailed off. She smiled and closed her eyes in relief as she gave him a minute to get his emotions back under control.
She moved her hand and put it over his heart. She never wanted to move from where she was again. She loved the feeling of contentment that washed over her; she hadn't experienced that for months.
"So just so you know, I don't like Jeremy." Her face scrunched up in dislike as she nuzzled her nose into his jaw. His stubble was scratchy, but she found that she enjoyed the feeling. She'd always liked it when men went two or three days without shaving; Red was no exception, though she had rarely ever seen him like this.
He shrugged his opposite shoulder and leaned his head towards her. "Really? I've always liked that name."
She shook her head and placed a kiss on his cheek. "Sorry, but no."
"Ah well, what would you suggest?" She really hadn't thought about it, because thinking about it made things too real, and she hadn't wanted to think too closely about the baby, because he only reminded her of Red; and that had been too painful.
She rolled away and onto her back, then stretched her arms over her head and her legs and toes straight out. It felt good, until she felt the inevitable twinge of a charley horse. She quickly pulled her right leg back and groaned quietly. "Not again," she mumbled as she sat up slowly and began to massage her calf. It didn't help as the pain only intensified. She couldn't help the small whimper that escaped through her lips.
Red sat up next to her and put his hand in-between her shoulder blades. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"
She closed her eyes in pain and didn't bother to say anything as tears began to leak out of the corner of her eyes. She'd always had calf cramps, but since she'd been pregnant, they had been so much worse. Nothing she did seemed to help, and the doctor had told her that she was just going to have to endure them.
"Cramp," she said through clenched teeth as the pain finally began to dissipate. He moved forward and sat in front of her, then grabbed her calf and began to massage it. She moved to pull away, but he held on tighter and shook his head. "Just let me do this for you, Lizzie. Quit being so damn combative about everything."
She opened her mouth to protest, but his fingers instantly helped ease the pain in her calf, so she closed her mouth and laid back on her elbows so she could observe him through half-lidded eyes. He was so focused on her calf that he didn't notice. She watched as the sunlight played over the skin on his shoulders. She could just make out the smattering of freckles that ran across both shoulders. She wondered if he was self-conscious about them, or if he even cared. There were so many things she didn't know about him that she wanted to know. He was such a closed book; but she vowed to eventually get answers to many things.
The muscles in his arms and shoulders flexed and un-flexed as his hands continued to move over her calf. He was muscular, and it surprised her; she didn't know if he worked out, or he was naturally like that, but she didn't care either way. He was a good-looking man.
He glanced up to see her staring and shook his head. "What?" He said good-naturedly.
She smiled and changed the subject. "So baby names."
His switched legs and began massaging her other calf. "You didn't like my suggestions." It was a statement, not a question.
She narrowed her eyebrows and scoffed. "You gave me one name, Red. One. That doesn't mean-"
He was grinning, clearly trying to rile her up. She closed her mouth and glared at him. "I swear, if you weren't so good at giving massages I would kick your ass out the door." She laid down on the bed completely and sighed as he hit a particularly sore spot.
"Glad I'm good for something then. I need to earn my keep." He moved further up her leg and continued.
"Yes, you do," she mumbled as she tried to think of names. Nothing she thought of sounded all that good to her.
"Derrick?" She pulled a pillow under her head and tried to smooth her hair down further.
His fingers paused. "Derrick Reddington? I don't particularly like that."
She scrunched her nose. "Me neither."
Red's hands moved up to her thigh and began kneading the muscles. He had to lean closer to her, and she couldn't help but run her fingers through his chest hair. He paused for a moment, then looked at her with his head tilted to the side as he bit his lip; his expression contemplative.
She pulled her hand back and smiled sheepishly, then brought up another name to break the tension.
"Umm..Jacob?" He didn't look up as he moved up her thigh. She tried not to react as she continued to throw out names. "Riley, Jaden, Brock, Jase-"
Red cut her off with his lips on hers. She was so surprised that it took her a moment to react, but she finally did and reached her hand up behind his neck and scratched her nails over the short hairs as he moved his lips over hers. He had a hand on each of her thighs and was slowly moving them upwards as they kissed. Just as his fingertips grazed the waistband of her panties, he pulled back from her lips and kissed the side of her mouth, then her jaw as he whispered, "How about Scott?"
She brought up her other arm and pulled him closer. Since he couldn't lie on top of her, he moved to the side and let her pull him to her body. He laid his head on her breast, but didn't move to take things further as she tried to catch her breath and think over his suggestion. She felt light-headed, and oh so turned on. It had been months since she'd kissed him properly, and had forgotten how good of a kisser he was.
She wanted to do nothing more than drag his face back up to hers and kiss him senseless; or vice-versa, but names were more important at the moment.
Scott Reddington. She liked that. It was a strong name; something that their little boy was going to have to be with parents like them.
She moved her fingertips over his scalp, enjoying the feel of his short hair on the pads of her fingers. She finally caught her breath and said, "I like that name actually. A lot."
He moved his head from where it rested and looked at her with serious eyes. "That was my great-grandfather's name. He was good man; it only went downhill from there."
She swatted his shoulder lightly. "Stop it. I don't want to hear about how you don't think you're a good man. I don't believe it."
He sighed and laid his head back down, then moved his fingers lightly over her belly. The baby was still asleep, but she didn't mind the intimate way his fingers moved over her. He was practically telegraphing his thoughts. She knew he was trying to convince himself that he wasn't good enough for her, and that he didn't deserve to be happy.
She needed to distract him. "How about Scott Carter Reddington?" His fingers stopped as he thought over her suggestion.
"I like that. I think we have a winner."
"Ding, ding, ding," she said teasingly, then patted his head. "I need to pee. Get off."
He rolled off and flopped onto his side of the bed as she sat up with a moan. It was getting harder and harder to move around, and knew it was only going to get worse. She still had almost ten weeks left.
She stood up and did her business in the bathroom, then walked back in to see him changing his clothes. He was buckling his belt as she sat on the edge of the bed and watched him. "Where are you going?"
He grimaced and looked away. "I have a meeting that I'm required to attend."
She opened her mouth to protest, but he continued, "I'll only be gone for a short while, Lizzie."
"The last time you said "A short while" you were gone for weeks. How long is a short while, Red?"
He walked over to the closet where his suits hung and took out a white shirt. "I'll be back tomorrow."
She sighed heavily. "Why am I just now hearing about this?"
He slid his shirt on and began buttoning it. "I only just remembered." He glanced at his watch. "I need to be there in forty minutes." He pulled a blue tie off of his tie hanger and hung it around his collar as he moved to sit down on the chair next to the bed to put his shoes on.
She watched him finish, not really knowing what to say. Clearly nothing was going to convince him to stay. "I thought you were finished with this stuff."
He stood up and slid his black vest on. "Sweetheart, can we not do this right now? I'm going to be late."
She stood and walked over to him. "Fine." She grabbed his tie and began tying it for him. She'd done it many times for Sam and Tom. "But we're going to have that discussion when you get back."
He kept his hands to his sides as she finished the knot, then tucked it under his buttoned up vest. He didn't agree, but he didn't disagree as he cupped her face and leaned forward to kiss her softly; his lips warm and dry. He pulled back and plucked his fedora off of the dresser, then stepped back and picked his suit jacket up from the back of the chair. "I'll see you tomorrow. You have nothing to be worried about. Dembe will come over tonight and stay with you."
She nodded, but didn't say anything, because if she did it would only cause an argument. She watched as he gathered everything else he needed, then she followed him to the door. He opened it, then looked back at her. "I love you. Stay safe."
"I love you too, Red. Be careful. Don't forget that you're needed here." She was still worried about him leaving her now that she had him because he didn't feel like he deserved her or the baby.
He leaned forward and kissed her once more, then turned and walked through the door; shutting it firmly behind him.
Her shoulders sagged as she glanced around her quiet apartment. She couldn't help but worry about him, and knew it wasn't going to be a good day if all she did was sit around and worry for his safety.
Her phone pinged from the other room, indicating that she had a text message. She furrowed her eyebrows and walked slowly into the room and picked the phone up from the bedside table. She didn't know who it would be. Only a few people had her number.
She unlocked the screen, then frowned further as she saw that it was from Thomas.
Meet me for lunch where we went on our first date...in an hour?
Why would he be texting her? It had been weeks since she'd spoken to him. Did she meet him or ignore him? She was afraid that if she didn't reply, that he would come looking for her. She would rather meet him in a public place. She would be careful, and Red would never have to know. She needed to let Thomas know that she didn't want him to contact her any longer. He was sweet. He would understand. Wouldn't he?
Sure. See you there. :)
She threw her phone on the bed and moved to get ready. Maybe today wouldn't be boring after all.
AN: I know..another cliffie. It wouldn't be one of my fics without one right? ;)..lots of fluff though..so you can't complain..haha..thanks for reading, and I would love to hear what you think! Thanks sooo much for the all the reviews/follows/favs..I appreciate them more than you all know. Have a good day!