Out for a walk.

You've forgotten this -

If you need me, you know how to find me.

Those were the words written by Reddington on the note Liz found the night before on the dinner table. With the note, there was the panic button device she left behind when she argued with him. Apparently he decided he should carry his own as she asked him to do. After the previous events at the small bunker, she left her room only once so she could grab something to eat, hoping she wouldn't find him, because she still wasn't prepared to face him again. She couldn't take those written words out of her mind the next day.

She got out of the bed early that morning- she could hardly sleep after the light of day filled the room. She hadn't slept much, so she decided against more tossing and turning. She could barely look outside, the fluffy white clouds too bright to make anything out clearly. The palm trees outside were shaken by the full-force wind coming from the ocean. She decided a warm shower would be her best choice to effectively wake up . She put on leggings and a long sleeve blouse after her refreshing shower. The scent of fresh coffee coming from downstairs gave her the strength she needed to leave the room. She was unsure of how she would behave if she had to face Red, but it would happen sooner or later.

"Good morning, Miss Liz," Teca said with her regular wide smile. The Brazilian woman was wearing a coat as if a snow storm was coming, even if it felt like a fresh day to Liz. The two of them talked for a while-Teca told Liz about her family and how her three boys left home many years ago, after their father died when his fishing boat lost its battle to a storm. Teca's husband loved working on the sea despite all her fears, so she made his sons promise her that they wouldn't live like that. They moved out, but she couldn't leave the place where she was born and raised, she was made for that life, as was her husband, but not their children.

She told Liz that one day Reddington showed up on her door bringing a small Yemanjá statue, a symbol of the Sea Protector, that once belonged to her husband. From that day on, he took care of her, provided her everything she would need. According to her, Raymond believed that he came around to help her, but she knew he was around when he needed to be taken care of. It struck Liz, it wasn't often that she saw Red as a fragile being that needed care, even wounded he was extremely independent.

Once again there was a generous breakfast served that Liz ate until Teca left to take care of other tasks, so she refilled her cup of coffee and went to the beach. The breeze was chilly but gentle. The damp surface of the white sand cracked as Liz stepped over it and cooled her bare feet.

She sat facing the ocean, watching the waves come and go and continued sipping the hot coffee. She restrained herself against asking Teca were Reddington was; she wanted to know but she knew the woman would tell him she'd been looking for him. Liz was too proud, and their last encounter made her feel too exposed. The location device would be enough to give her the answer she wasn't even sure she was looking for.

Liz played with the fine sand, watching the incessant wind blowing it away. She lifted her gaze to the dark ocean and to the waves coming from the horizon.

"I love the ocean," Red said,pausing for awhile. "Endless possibilities to be explored." Liz didn't hear him getting closer, but it didn't spook her. He offered her a cup as he sipped from another one.

"It frightens me a little." Her reply came so naturally it impressed her a little. "I was never scared of the water, I had a lot of great times fishing with Sam, but we invariably went fishing on a river or lake." She stopped for a moment. "I think he knew I've never felt truly comfortable by the ocean, it's... I don't know… overwhelming." She ended in a sigh and tasted what she quickly identified as hot cocoa. Listening to her talking about Sam endeared Red. Sam wasn't perfect and Liz hated knowing about his criminal activities, yet he was the best father she could have asked for. The lack of a mother figure made it even more difficult, her childhood and teen years weren't the easiest ones, but Sam truly was a loving and dedicated father. Of all the wrongs Red did to Liz along her life, that was probably his greatest success.

Red sat by her side staring the ocean, his legs were crossed at the ankle and he rested on his strong arms. He was so close Liz could feel the heat radiating from him, with the slightest movement, they would have touched. She rested her elbows on her thighs, but the nearness made her elbow gently brush his leg every time she lifted her cup. Red kept silent as Liz continued.

"I've always preferred the sand, it's moldable and predictable, I guess the ocean is beyond my comprehension. I can't mold everything, I respect that, but I can't deal with its power, so I'd rather stay away. The ocean, its movements… it's beyond control."

"It's beautiful," he completed, fascinated. It was like she was describing herself, Red thought, but he didn't know if she was aware of it. The silence then was only disturbed by the ocean serenade. As they spent more and more time together, the quiet companion became more comfortable than before. Liz felt calm and didn't mind his presence, she thought she was angry with him, but now she realised all she needed was that, having him beside her.

"Lizzie," Red called her name in a husky tone, "I'm sorry for last night. I wasn't expecting your concern and didn't know how to react," he paused. "You were right, there's no turning back on this road; things didn't go exactly as I expected but I don't regret any of it. You already know how this will work and I was the one not acting accordingly." It wasn't frequent having Red expressing his feelings without lecturing her and Liz didn't wasn't sure how to deal with that. She smiled inconspicuously and shook her head.

"You haven't said or done anything" Liz said, turning to face him, but he kept staring at the ocean, with his chin slightly raised. His silence and the small head movement could easily break her during an argument, but at that moment she could see it as a sign of his own vulnerability. It wasn't usual for her-not wanting to kill him as his mannerisms showed themselves ; in spite of that, she admired his strong jawline decorated by the stubbly skin. A few inches below was the small pointy scar she gave him the day they met, she had forgotten about the evidence of their rough start, and seeing it made her want to touch the scarred tissue. Escaping his black shirt collar was another scar, the one that contained his tracking chip, extracted on a moving ambulance. His squint drew fine lines around his eyes as the greyish sea caught his gaze.

She turned to stare at the waves soaking the sand, the breakers coming closer and closer to them: a few more minutes they would have to move in order to stay dry. Before the water reached them, Red stood up and wiped his hands on his pants to brush away the sand. He sauntered toward the water and watched his feet being covered by the chilly liquid, and then buried under the sand as the water drew back, not caring about the wet fabric of his pants. Liz continued observing his movements, his devotion to the daring fluid, as he squatted to touch the surface with his fingertips, cupping some of it and watching it drain between his fingers.

"I don't know if I've ever thanked you." " He got back up on his feet and faced her.

"Why should you?" he asked intrigued.

"For telling me the truth. For showing me the truth, at least some of it." She paused, choosing her words. "You thanked me once for being honest with you and I only truly understood the meaning of it recently. I've guided my life under certain values that apparently I've been unworthy of. You take honesty for granted, as if everybody would behave as you do and live under the values you live, only to discover it was all a ruse. "

Reddington stopped in front of her, showing a grave semblance.

"You're not, Lizzie," he said vigorously shaking his head. "you're not unworthy. You can't mold everything as if it were sand, not because you're not able, but simply because they're not moldable, you said that yourself. That's not your fault." Their eyes stayed locked. "You're worthy. And one day you'll understand why things are the way they are, then you'll see nobody will ever be as good as you are. You don't pretend Lizzie, that's why you deserve honesty in return. Red kept staring her, hoping that she could internalize that, but she avoided his looks and prepared to get up.

"Well, I guess I'm going for a walk" she collected the cup from the ground and found Red offering his hand to help her stand up. He gripped her wrist tightly and pulled her up; he could feel the rough skin of her palm and wrist against his cold hand. He couldn't help but lightly brush her scar as he slowly loosen the grip. "Would you mind carrying this inside for me?" she asked. "Maybe I'll get lucky and find a reason to never leave this place." She forced a little smile and gave him a playful look as she turned away, heading left on the beach.

"Don't go too far North." His tone was severe.

"Why?" Lizzie asked alarmed.

"A mile up from here there's a nudist beach. You may find your reason to stay." A smile continued stamped on his face as he added on a relaxed voice. "At least a wrong one."

A/N: Last night I re-watched for the first time "The Kenyon Family", then I realized why it felt so right Red seeing the ocean as "endless possbilities". It wasn't intentional, but it was pretty much the ground zero for this story, so I'm going on with it. In any case, I still don't own nothing regarding The Blacklist.

Thank you for being around.