Firstly, I own nothing to do with the Blacklist. I am just a huge fan.
Thank you so much, hope you enjoy this chappy! Finally, Liz and Red meet in Red's human form lol.
Chapter 3
With what was fast becoming a habit for Liz and also something that brightened up her start to the day, she got changed into her workout gear, tying up her running shoes before jogging out the door. She had an excuse to look forward to running now, and that excuse was to get the chance to see Raymond.
She jogged briskly to the park, focusing on breathing in-and-out slowly through both her nose and mouth. Once she ran in through the opening, she stopped, glancing around, sweat rolling from the side of her face.
"Oh, damn," she muttered under her breath in disappointment. Unfortunately, this morning she couldn't see the dog anywhere.
"You look as though someone has just killed your dog," a man's voice suddenly came from behind her. Liz startled, clutching a hand over her chest as she glanced over towards where the voice had come from.
She hadn't realized a man was sitting on the bench. Frankly, she had been too preoccupied with searching for Raymond, the Siberian Husky and her new furry friend. The man was about middle-aged, in his late forties or early fifties, she estimated. He was wearing a grey vest, button-up shirt and trousers with a black fedora, his eyes hidden behind a pair of amber-colored aviators.
He was holding the day's addition of the newspaper in his hands, but he was paying more attention to Liz than what was on the news headline in front of him.
"Excuse me?" she muttered in confusion.
"Your face," the man explained while beginning to fold up the newspaper neatly. "You look as though someone has just killed your dog?"
She let out a gush of air through her mouth. "Yeah, well. It's funny you should say that." She laughed at the irony of his words. "I've actually made a canine friend here recently. Unfortunately it doesn't seem as though he's made it out here this morning." She looked around the park again, scanning through the trees. She thought that perhaps he was resting beneath a tree in the shade, yet he wasn't. Her heart sank further. "Damn. What a shame."
When she glanced sideways at the man again, she noticed he was still watching her, his head tilted slightly to the side. He seemed almost amused- his lips were curled into a small smile- and it made her feel uneasy, particularly with the way he was so avidly staring at her. Why on earth was he staring? It made her feel so terribly awkward.
"Aren't you hot in what you're wearing?" she asked, the only thing she could think of to say to slice through the awkwardness she felt. "It's meant to be pretty warm today?"
He glanced down at the clothes he was wearing himself while chewing the inside of his cheek, it seemed. When he returned his gaze to her, he shrugged. "Oh, believe me. It is far hotter with fur."
She wasn't sure whether it was meant to be a joke on his part or not, but she forced a small smile on her lips anyway.
"Okay. Fair enough then." She grew aware of herself then, realizing she was stoking the scar on her wrist repetitively with her fingers; Something she knew she did whenever she was uncomfortable or nervous. Considering that this stranger was making her feel incredibly uneasy, she figured it was no surprise. Desperate to leave, she figured out a way to say goodbye nicely. "Anyway, it was... nice meeting you. I better go."
She was just about to return to her running, when suddenly his voice held her back.
"Freesia," he said loudly as if suddenly remembering something, stunning her. "I knew it was something to that effect."
She inched closer towards where he was sitting slightly, "I beg your pardon?"
"Forgive me, it's just that you... you smell so nice. I gather a hint of freesia with rose and jasmine."
Liz's heart seemed to stop for a single second in her chest as she arched her eyebrows at him. How disturbing. She remembered the fragrance on the back of the antiperspirant deodorant she had put on every morning before running. It was exactly as he had described it; Freesia, with notes of rose and jasmine. But how could he have possibly known that? She sniffed around herself discreetly, but she couldn't smell anything. So how could he have known that?
"How on earth did you possibly-"
"- I have been told many times over the years that I have an exceptional sense of smell," he explained, lifting his chin in a haughty and proud manner. He added under his breath, mainly talking to himself, "I think the same also can be said for hearing."
"Um. Okay?" The man was a little too eccentric for her tastes. It was starting to freak her out. "Like a dog," she added apprehensively before she could stop herself.
"Oh, yes." His voice went deeper, gruffer. "Exactly like a dog." She waited in a tense silence for him to smile at her or to, at the very least, laugh to show he was joking. Neither came. He simply remained silent as he lifted an arm to rest it up on the back of the bench, staring at her, his head tilted.
She decided the man was the most unnerving person Liz had ever met. And intense, with the certain way he seemed to stare.
"Okay, well," she began apprehensively, toeing the grass with the tips of her runners, "Like I said, I'm off now. It was... great to meet you."
"What's your name?" he asked with interest.
"Elizabeth." She wasn't even so sure she wanted him to know her name. "My name is Elizabeth."
He nodded once, pursing his lips. "Lizzie."
"Excuse me?" She laughed nervously. "No, my name isn't Lizzie. It... it's just Elizabeth."
"Well, I prefer Lizzie. I'll call you Lizzie."
"What's your name then?" she prompted impatiently when he didn't give her his in return.
"Ray-" He began, but she noticed he quickly stopped himself, pressing his lips together with a tight-lipped smile at her. He swallowed loudly, before he said in a low, throaty rumble, "Red. You can call me Red."
"Okay, then. I'll be leaving now Red."
She gave him one last look before she turned, working herself into a light jog again. She shook her head in bewilderment, still stuck on the man and their bizarre conversations.
"Jesus," she huffed under her breath. "What a strange guy."
Liz thought she now understood what people meant when they said they preferred an animal's company over humans.
Something caught her eye to the side of her and when she threw a glance down at the pavement, she saw that Raymond was suddenly by her side, loping at a matching pace near her. She had assumed his owner Dembe hadn't let him out today, but apparently she was wrong.
He had actually arrived and she did get her chance to see him this morning.
She stopped running, cooing excitedly when Raymond suddenly padded closer, his tail wagging frenziedly.
"Hey there, Raymond. I didn't think you were gonna be here today?" She held her arm out to him, and he started licking her palm, his tongue tickling her. "I've got to make a start on running back home. I have important things to do today."
His ears twitched as he made a whining noise.
"Oh, I know, adorable boy," she whispered, running her fingers through his luxurious coat. "I wish I didn't have to go either, but I just do."
When she moved back and started walking, she was disheartened when Raymond wouldn't seem to let her leave. He started tagging closely beside her, panting as he looked up at her with his bright, almond-shaped eyes, his head tilted.
She began to feel increasingly nervous when they reached the back entrance of the park. Even as they stopped by the busy road to cross it, Raymond was still following her, like he mistakenly thought she was carrying food in her hand and he was waiting for her to feed it to him. What if he got lost all because he kept following her? What if, worst case scenario, he ran out onto the road and got hit?
"No, Raymond," she said, making her voice stern and sharp. She turned, pointing towards the park. "You can't follow me home. Go back into the park and wait for your daddy Dembe." He didn't listen. He simply stared up at her, his tail moving leisurely. "Go! It's too dangerous if you are out here by the road!"
She huffed in annoyance when the dog ignored her, following her as she ran across the street once it was safe. She tried a few more attempts at intimidating the dog and putting on a fierce and authoritative voice, yet she had no success. Raymond was keen on stubbornly following her home.
By the time she had reached the front steps to her apartment, he was still stuck at her side.
"Go home, Raymond!" Liz tried again, pointing in the direction they had came. "I'm sorry, but you can't come inside! Go!"
The front door opened as Tom came out to see what was happening, still dressed in his boxers and old ratty T-shirt. He blinked heavy, having obviously only just woken. "Hey, babe. What's going on?"
"He won't go home, Tom," she explained, glancing down at Raymond in frustration. He was just standing there, watching her. "He followed me all the way from the park to the house. Maybe he wants some water?"
"So this is the dog you were talking about, huh?" Tom asked, stepping slowly down the steps, eyeing the Siberian Husky with curiosity. "This is Raymond?
Liz noticed, maybe even before Tom did, the disturbing shift in Raymond's temperament. A low rumble left him from where he stood beside her that sounded very much like a dangerous threat, making the patches of white and grey fur on his back bristle up. Liz recognized a dog on the verge of attacking when she saw one.
Fear grasping hold of her, she held her arm out, stopping Tom from reaching the bottom step. "Tom, move back," she warned in a low voice, keeping her eyes on nothing else but Raymond. "Don't step any closer to him."
"Gee, he isn't at all how you described he was," Tom said carelessly. "I thought you said he was a nice dog? Doesn't look so nice now, does he?"
Raymond obviously didn't like Tom very much, which was odd. His aggressive behavior confused her; Their dog Hudson certainly didn't react to Tom in this way.
In all the mornings she had come across him in the park, he had seemed docile and friendly to her.
Now however, with the terrible snarling noises he was making as he bared his teeth to Tom, curling his upper lip and showing his sharp incisors and canines, she realized just how threatening and dangerous this dog could potentially be. Spittle flew out as his rumbling growl grew even more intense.
His luminous greyish-green eyes were wide and hostile.
"Tom," Liz warned again, pushing him back with her arm.
The tension and danger in the air seemed to settle once Tom managed to retreat back inside, shutting the door gently. Just like that, Raymond changed; his hostile stance at once disappearing, his friendliness returning now that it was just her and him.
He let her know he meant her no harm or potential threat when he pushed his nose into her hand, licking her fingers, yet she couldn't forget how terrifying he had looked moments ago, as though he were a second away from lunging at Tom and fatally ripping his throat off.
Once she had managed to coax Raymond to leave her side and return to the park, she went inside, finding Tom standing by the door. He looked every bit as shaken as she felt.
"You okay, babe?" she asked with concern, her voice tremulous. She reached up, rubbing her hand along his arm, noticing he was trembling slightly. "God, I... I don't know what happened? Usually, in all the three times I've seen him at the park, he's been docile and well-behaved. I had no idea he would act like that."
"I think he was staking a claim, Liz. He sees you as his human." She gave him a look, unsure of whether he was joking around with her or not.
"What? Staking a claim? Don't be ridiculous, Tom."
"Possessive," Tom went on with a nervous laugh. "I think someone's grown to be a little possessive of you."
How was this one? Creepy and strange first meeting with human Red? Silly? I'm going to mix up the events of what happened with the fire too, and how Liz got her scar, which I hope you won't mind. Just for creative purposes and fitting it more so to the universe of shifters :-) I would love to know what you think. Thank you so much!