A/N: I ordered pizza for dinner last night and then this happened...un-beta'd and disclaimed.
A Very Good Reason
"Pizza-making is a lost art, Lizzie"
"Red, we aren't making pizza. Because one, we have no ingredients here and two, just no. I am tired and all I want is for someone to bring me food I don't have to work for."
Red's lips pursed as he perused the selections over her shoulder. Their safe house this time was a single-story ranch style home in a "planned community" in Kissimmee, Florida. Lizzie thought the town was rather nice, once you got past the theme park miasma. Red looked as though he had been dropped from the moon, in his three-piece suit, while everyone else was dressed in the tropical style he had told her was called "Resort Casual". Lizzie knew almost nothing about it and cared even less, once they were settled in suburbia, she begged Red to order a pizza.
Ever since they had returned from overseas, she'd been craving pizza. Not "artisan pizza" or the "real" pizza they had tried in Naples, Italy; just greasy, awful American pizza, delivered by a surly teenager preferably. Lizzie booted up her computer and found a local chain with an online order form. Now she and Red were discussing toppings and crust. She had always known him to be choosy about food, but this was getting ridiculous.
"Red, it's not rocket science, just choose something. They have specialty pizza, or you can build your own. Look, you see?" Lizzie scrolled through the screen, topping her pizza with olives and mushrooms and bacon. Reddington however, was studying the list of options as though it were a legal contract. She could feel her stomach complaining about its empty state. She couldn't remember the last thing she ate; just that it had been some ungodly hour of the morning.
Finally, he selected green peppers and Italian sausage and frowned at Lizzie's muttered, "Finally." She finished the order and submitted it.
"Now we wait."
She was on the second chapter of her book when she noticed him glancing at his watch. Once, and then again only five minutes later. She continued to read but kept her eye on the White Rabbit in the armchair. After the third time, she put her book on her lap.
"Red, why do you keep checking the time? Are you late for something?"
"Of course not, but I am hungry. How long is this pizza going to take?"
"Probably another thirty minutes. We just ordered a few minutes ago."
She tried to go back to her book, but kept getting distracted by Red's muttered comments about why it took so long to get pizza that was practically pre-assembled and you'd think they'd make up for the lack of flavor with a little speed. She tried to conceal her laughter behind her book but to no avail. He rolled his eyes at her half-smothered mirth. Finally, the doorbell rang and Lizzie was off the couch like a shot, with Red close behind her, his pistol tucked in his waistband. Better safe than sorry was their motto.
The delivery guy was older than she expected, and quite attractive in a college undergrad way. He took his time opening the thermal tote, making small talk and smiling at her. Red was still concealed behind the partially open door and Lizzie could see him getting exasperated with the guy's flirtatious conversation.
"So, are you uh, dining alone tonight? Because I get off work in an hour-" His sentence was cut short as Reddington flung open the door with a muttered oath about idiot teenagers.
"No..." he paused to read the name tag, "Chad, she is not dining alone. Now if you could just be on your way, we'd like to enjoy our meal in peace!"
Chad backed up two full steps, hands raised in apology.
"I'm sorry, sir. I didn't mean to suggest…"
"Suggest, no. You meant to say it plain. Now, get out." Lizzie saw Red's hand move towards the gun holstered at his side and immediately began to wedge her body between Red and the door, pushing it shut with her hips as she juggled the pizza boxes.
"Here, take these, they're hot." She shoved the boxes into his arms so she could lock and bolt the door. Following him into the kitchen, she retrieved two bottles of beer from the refrigerator. Popping one open, she took a long sip, watching Red hunt for plates in the cabinets.
"So what on earth was that? Did you almost shoot a college kid for flirting with me, Red? Because that's not the way to blend in here."
He put two pieces of pizza on each of the plates and carried them to the table, with napkins.
"Of course not, Lizzie. I would never shoot someone for flirting with you."
Her arched eyebrows conveyed her disbelief eloquently.
"He had the pizza. And he didn't seem to be in any rush to hand it over."
"Ah, so you were going to shoot him for food." Lizzie rolled her eyes and sat next to him with her own plate of pizza. Red had already devoured one slice and was halfway through the second.
"Well, Lizzie, I was hungry."