AN: Hello again! I know its been almost an entire year since I last wrote anything for Lizzington, but I had a wonderful reader over on AO3 request that I finish this fic. I felt guilty enough to try, I only hope it doesn't disappoint too much. I'm going to do my best to finish up a couple of other fics as well. Watch for those. ;)

Thank you for reading! Please let me know what you think. :)

Over the next few weeks, Raymond used almost every opportunity available to teach Liz how to cook when they weren't busy. He knew their manager wouldn't approve, so he would only pull her aside when Joe was out on the floor or off the clock for the night. He began with the basics and taught her how to fry an egg, cook bacon, make a pancake etc. When she mastered those, he moved on to more difficult things, like how to tell the the temperature on a steak, and how to bake the diner's famous chicken.

She was having the time of her life. Not only was she feeling more confident about herself in general, but her and Raymond were in a good place. She felt like she could tell him anything.

Well, almost anything.

She kept her real identity and past close to her heart. He was a good listener, and she was beginning to rely on him more than she should be. She just couldn't stop. She didn't want to stop.

Two months to the day that she first met him, he walked her out to her car like he usually did. When she pulled her door open and moved to sit down, he stopped her with a hand on her arm. "Jen..I.."

When he didn't say anything else, she moved closer to him and canted her head in question.

He sighed and gave her a little closed mouthed smile. "I want you to come over to my apartment so I can teach you some things that I can't at the diner, but I'm not sure if that's appropriate or not."

She didn't really know where their relationship was heading, but she didn't mind spending more time with him. She knew almost next to nothing about him. He'd chosen to remain silent during most of their conversations, only asking her about her recent past and her dreams for the future. It had bothered her, but he was so charming that she'd just ignored it. For all she knew, he was a serial killer. Although, she was pretty confident that he wasn't anything like that.

She smiled brightly and reached for his hand without thinking. "I don't see why not. We're both adults right?"

He nodded and squeezed her fingers lightly before taking a step back. "We are." He pursed his lips in thought. "May I call you?"

She laughed and slapped him lightly on the shoulder. "Exactly how old are you?"

When he shrugged his shoulders in confusion, she shook her head. "Just text me. That's much easier than calling."

"If you'd prefer, but I actually enjoy talking on the phone. It's more personal." He pulled his phone out without waiting for her response and asked for her number. After he inputted it into his phone, he opened her door wider and gestured for her to get in. "It's getting late and we both have to work tomorrow. I was thinking we should continue our lessons on Sunday, or would you rather have your only day off to yourself?"

"Sunday sounds perfect. I'm really looking forward to it." She shuffled her feet a little awkwardly for a beat before deciding that she was feeling bold. She stepped forward and hugged him tightly for a brief moment. She didn't know why she felt the urge to touch him so strongly, but she instantly felt better when his arms tightened around her in return. She pushed away from him before she could get any other ideas and slid into her car.

Raymond shut the door behind her and she rolled the window down. "Do you need a ride?"

He chuckled quietly, his voice a rumble in the quiet night. "I only have a short walk. I'll be fine. Goodnight, Jen."

She smiled. "Suit yourself. See you tomorrow."

As she drove off, she couldn't wipe the smile from her face. She was feeling something for this man that she probably shouldn't. He was much older than her, but she didn't care. He was the best thing in her life at the moment, and she didn't want that to change anytime soon.

OOOOOO

When Sunday rolled around, she was a nervous wreck. He'd texted her his address that first night, and since then, they'd been conversing on and off through text for two days. They talked about random things. He often asked her her opinion about something he'd read in the news or saw on TV. She didn't know why he even found her opinion interesting, but she loved it all the same. It made her feel important, which she hadn't felt since she'd lived at home with her dad; but then he'd passed away and she'd met "Tom" and her life had fallen apart. She was only now just beginning to feel like someone who mattered. All thanks to Raymond and his mysterious appearance in her life.

She dressed in one of her nicest outfits, which consisted of a pair of dark blue jeans and a blue silky blouse, completed with black knee-high boots that she'd found for a great deal at the Good-will. It was pretty sad that she didn't have anything nicer to dress in, but she was poor. She knew he wouldn't mind anyway, he never seemed to notice the "poor" aspect about her.

She drove to his apartment a little early, realizing that he only lived about five minutes away from her. When she knocked on his door, she shifted from foot to foot nervously, biting her lip when she heard the door unlock.

As it swung open, she was greeted with a smiling Raymond dressed a lot more casually than even she was. "Hello Jen, I'm so glad you're here." He motioned for to come in, but when she stepped over the threshold she stopped in her tracks. His apartment was absolutely spotless, and very tastefully decorated. He gently pushed her forward so he could close the door.

Before he could say anything else, she turned to him with a surprised expression on her face. "Are you secretly a woman or have one hiding in here?"

He laughed; an actual belly laugh that she'd never thought would come out of him. It made her heart race and her toes curl. The only word that came to mind when she watched him was 'adorable'. She would never say that out loud though.

When he finally stopped laughing, he slid her (well, his) coat off of her shoulders and hung it up on the rack behind him. "Whatever makes you think that?"

She shrugged and walked a little further into the room. "I've just never seen a man who was so clean and so decoratively inclined."

He moved away from her and gestured for her to follow. "It's a hobby. I find that an organized house is much more preferable to a messy one."

"Can you come live with me? Geeze." She hadn't realized what she'd said until she saw him smile again. "I..well..I mean..you.."

He stopped her with a raised hand. "No need to explain, I knew what you meant. Shall we get started?"

She swallowed, suddenly nervous, and nodded. "I guess."

He looked at her and narrowed his brows. "Whatever is the matter?"

She studied his beautifully upgraded kitchen. "I just don't want to mess up your kitchen." That wasn't really why she was nervous, but it was the first thing that came to mind. She was actually nervous because her feelings were growing for him and she didn't want his perception of her to be ruined. Cooking in the diner was one thing, but this was completely different.

He patted her shoulder and walked past her. "Don't worry about that. It'll be fine, Jen."

She cringed at the sound of her fake name and almost, almost, told him the truth. She stopped at the last second though. She still didn't know anything about him.

She took the apron he offered her and quickly slid it on and tied it at the back. "So, what are you teaching me today?"

He pulled out a Kitchen-Aid mixer and set it on the counter in front of him. "Today, we're going to do something a little different than what I've been teaching you at work. We're going to make bread."

She blinked in surprise. That was actually something that she'd always wanted to do, but never had anyone to teach her how. Liz smiled and moved closer to him. "That actually sounds perfect." It was almost like he could read her mind.

He smiled and gestured for her to move over in front of the bowl.

"Now, the first thing we're going to do is activate the yeast."

OOOOOO

Ninety minutes later found her with flour all over her hands and apron and a big pile of dough on the counter in front of her. He was teaching her how to properly knead it, but she continually found herself staring at his hands and forearms flex as he demonstrated what to do. "Jen..Jen..Jennn."

She startled and looked at him apologetically. "Sorry, I was uh, trying to remember if I turned my stove off."

His lips twitched in amusement as he looked at her. She could tell he didn't believe her, but he didn't call her out on it either. "Would you like to try?"

She nodded and put her hands on the dough, then folded it in half and tried to do it like he showed her. It wasn't as easy as it looked.

"Here, let me show you again." Instead of stepping in front of her, he stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, then placed his hands on top of hers. Her heart began beating so loudly that she was sure that he could hear it. He moved her hands the way they were supposed to, but all she could think about was the solid chest behind her and the mouth right next to her ear.

They stood that way for probably longer than necessary. Deciding to take a chance, she suddenly turned in his arms and crashed her lips over his. When he responded by moving them to the side and lifting her up on the countertop, she ran her hands over his shoulders and pulled him between her legs. He grabbed onto her upper thighs and moved his tongue into her mouth. She couldn't do anything but moan as he took over and showed her how good of a kisser he was. She never wanted it to end.

But then that damned little voice in the back of her head needled at her, made her feel guilty for not telling him the entire truth about her life. She pulled away from his mouth with a little popping noise and pushed him back a little, her breaths coming out in hard gasps. "Wait, I-"

He stepped away from her and grimaced. "I apologize, Jen. I don't know-"

She cut him off. "My name isn't Jen."

He narrowed his eyebrows and studied her with pursed lips. "I know."

"I said my name isn't really Jen. It's Eliza-..wait, what? You know? How?!"

He sighed and leaned against the counter behind him. "Do you really want to get into this right now?"

She slid off the counter angrily. "Of course I do. Did Tom put you up to this? That bastard. You son of a bi-"

Raymond held up his hands to stop her tirade. "I don't know who Tom is, Lizzie, but I did know who your father was. He was one of my best friends."

"Wait..what?!" She was dumbfounded. Rendered absolutely speechless by his pronouncement.

He folded his arms across his chest and closed his eyes momentarily. "Before your father died, he asked me to look after you. To make sure you were safe and cared for. Now, I never expected to fall in lo-" He stopped and looked away. "I never expected to like you so much, or to enjoy your company. You were just this abstract idea until I actually met you."

She took a step towards him, furious. "I can't believe you've been lying to me all this time. Using me just like my son of a bitch, ex-husband. How. Dare. You." She poked him in the chest emphasizing each word until he grabbed her finger and pulled it away from his chest.

"Remember Lizzie, you haven't exactly been truthful with me either."

She threw her hands up in exasperation. "Because I didn't know who to trust! Tom has connections, knows people. I've been running away from that life for a long time. I can't let him find me."

He let go of her finger and sighed. "You're safe, you can be sure of that."

She shook her head in disgust and turned away from him. "Is your name even Raymond?"

"It is, but most of my acquaintances call me Red. A play off of my last name, Reddington."

Liz took the apron off and walked away from him over to the door. As she unlocked it, she turned to look at him one last time. "I don't ever want to see you again."

He looked stricken, but she turned and walked out without another word. The hurt in her chest was even more painful than her discovery of Tom's betrayal. She held off the tears until she was alone in her car, then cried the entire way back to her apartment.

How was she going to pick up the pieces of her life again?

OOOOOO

Weeks passed and she neither saw Raymond nor heard from him again. She still hurt, but the pain diminished each and every day that passed by. He never again showed up for his job at the diner. Joe had asked her if she knew what happened to him, but she had just shrugged. It didn't matter anymore.

She missed Raymond, if she was honest with herself, and after thinking about what he'd told her, she understood why he'd been less than truthful with her. She'd decided that if she ever saw him again, she would forgive him. She had lied to him after all. He'd been friends with her dad, and that told her more than anything what kind of man he was.

Six weeks after that fateful day in his apartment, she slowly trudged out to her car while rubbing her lower back. It had been a hell of a shift, and it was only Tuesday. She was exhausted, both physically and mentally.

She glanced up and halted when she saw a dark figure leaning against her car. For a second she thought it was Tom coming back to finish the job, but she quickly realized that the body shape and height was all wrong. It couldn't be him.

"Hello?" She called out tentatively while reaching into her purse and pulling out her pepper spray.

The person pushed themselves away from her car and approached her with raised arms, a low, rumbling voice sounded over the distance between them, "I'm not here to harm you."

He stepped under the lone parking lot light, and she relaxed instantly. She knew he wasn't here to hurt her. "What do you want, Raymond?"

He quirked his mouth. "You."

She coughed a little, surprised. "Excuse me?"

"I want you. I miss you terribly, Lizzie."

She held back the little sob that tried to break free from her throat and covered her mouth. "I can't trust you. You were lying to me. How could I ever forgive you?"

He shrugged and took a step forward. "You can trust me. I don't have anything else to conceal from you. I was only doing what your father asked of me. I truly never meant to fall in love you with you, sweetheart."

She blinked back tears to no avail as they spilled over her cheeks. She bit back another sob as she began running towards him. She believed him.

As she threw herself into his arms, she finally let herself cry and buried her face in his neck. He rubbed his hands up and down her back and whispered comforting words in her ear as she held on for dear life.

When she finally pulled back a little, he wiped her tears away with his thumbs and kissed each cheek before kissing her lips softly.

She gave him a watery smile and kissed him back lingeringly. "I love you too, you know. I'm sorry for running away."

He shook his head and pulled her back into his arms. "No matter. Let's get out of this depressing place and find somewhere else we can talk. Can I drive you home?"

She smiled and nodded her head. She hoped he would take her home every night from now on. She hadn't expected to fall in love again. Especially not with this man. This wonderful man who had only been a friend to her when she needed one the most.

Elizabeth Milhoan found herself grateful for all the things that had lead up to this moment, because it made loving Raymond Reddington all the more sweeter in the end.

~fin