About six months later.

It was almost ten p.m. when Don heard a soft knocking at the front door. He put the magazine aside he had been reading and went into the hall, guessing it was a neighbor coming by looking for a lost cat or in need of some bread.

When he answered the door he stared in disbelief at the person in front of him. "Liz!"

She squirmed with embarrassment, smiling shyly. "I know, I shouldn't have turned up like this, but," she broke off and paused, before she blurted out, "I'm sorry about taking the money!"

"What money?" He asked in the same tone Red used to make him forget about it six months earlier.

"The money we," again, Liz broke off when she realized that he obviously hadn't told anyone about it. She had guessed it when no one ever tried to arrest her. She had been careful, of course, had used all her knowledge to avoid getting caught, but there was never any sign that Don had filed charges against her. Maybe he didn't because he really liked her, maybe he didn't because he didn't want to interfere with the mission. She had heard that Vincent had been found guilty in the meantime, and some politicians and other high ranking people had resigned from their posts. She assumed that the mission was over now.

"So, you are back," Don stated, not sure what to make of the situation. There was the sudden urge to take her in his arms, and an inner voice warning him to be careful. "How did you find out where I live?"

"I followed you the other day." Liz smiled before she got serious again. "I missed you," she confessed and blushed. She had enjoyed her trip, had seen a lot, had had some fun, but something hadn't been right. It hadn't been guilt because of taking the money-although she felt guilty-it had been the feeling of having left something important behind. When she had left she had the firm resolution to sleep with any nice guy she met. In the end she hadn't even flirted with anyone.

"I have lived as if I felt obligated to celibacy because I couldn't get you out of my head. Finally, I couldn't stand it anymore." She blushed even more. "If you don't want me, I'll have to live with it," she added, "but I would have never forgiven myself if I hadn't tried, no matter what the consequences might be."

Don suppressed a smile when he looked in her sparkling blue eyes, at her slightly opened lips and her reddened cheeks. His look went down to her knee-length coat; it was open and under it she was wearing a black dress with leather boots up to the knees. Everything about her seemed to shout, Please, take me back!

He hadn't expected her to come back, and had tried to forget her, live without her, but he couldn't. He was longing for her in his dreams, thinking about her in all kinds of situations, often thought of how nice it would have been if she had been with him to do this or to see that.

His body didn't care about his careful, distrustful heart. It wanted her. Now. Here.

"I missed you too," he admitted and pulled her into his arms. His lips found hers, soft and warm, his hands found their way under her coat, caressing her body.

Liz sighed in relief and pleasure, nestling into him closely. He might have lied to her, but she couldn't help but feel completely safe and secure, and she knew there wasn't anyone else in the world who could make her feel that way.

She squeaked in surprise when he picked her up, closed the front door with his foot, and carried her upstairs. She put her arms around his neck, leaned her head against his, and closed her eyes, feeling like coming home.

She opened her eyes when he put her on his bed and opened the zippers of her boots. She put the little bag she was carrying somewhere on the floor and took off the coat while she looked around. He hadn't turned on the light, but the moonlight was pouring in through the window. It wasn't a special room, just a normal bedroom of a single man-a cupboard, some shelves, a queen-size bed.

"Am I still your only one?" She asked.

"Well, you left me," he teased her, "and it has been six months. Of course, I had about a hundred women in the meantime." He had managed to take her boots off and sat down on the edge of the bed, holding her legs across his lap. "Yes, you are still the only one," he said, now serious.

"During our affair it was just an affair." Liz put her hands on his that lay on her thighs. "When I started thinking about making more of it, this guy, Tom, turned up and it got complicated. When I left and travelled to all the places I ever wanted to see I realized that I had been living in a cocoon for years. As if I had been living in my own universe in which there wasn't room for anyone else. Travelling destroyed this cocoon," she went on thoughtfully. "First, I felt free, but then I started longing for you, each day it got worse. I felt lost and lonely without you. I wanted to sleep with you, or just lay in your arms, kiss you, simply be with you, share all the things I saw and experienced with you. I really felt sick in the end, and nothing could make me happy. Isn't that absolutely crazy and stupid?"

"I guess being in love makes you crazy and stupid," Don deadpanned. At the same time his heart beat faster, and he felt an overwhelming feeling of tenderness. She loves me. This thought made him feel warm inside. And she came back, although she had to fear I would arrest her because of stealing the money.

This confession had cost Liz a considerable amount of effort. She swallowed hard. "Do you like me a little bit at least?"

"Let me see... I had no interest in any other women, I was sad when you left and felt dead-guilty, I couldn't sleep nor eat properly, I couldn't stop thinking about you, you were naughty and made me lie to my superiors. No, I don't think I like you that much." Don shook his head, pretending to be serious.

She giggled, feeling relieved. "You could give me a spanking for being naughty," she suggested and gave him an enticing glance.

He laughed. "You would just enjoy it."

"Then kiss me."

"That's no punishment." Don released her legs and got up to get undressed.

Liz took off her dress while watching him, his shimmering white skin, his toned body, and every move of his muscles. He's so beautiful, she adored him. "I'm not sure if I deserve a punishment. I guess we are even." That he was Reddington's son was still a problem for her, but she had decided to ignore it. It's not like they'll meet every day or even live together. And if he can ignore all the things Red has done, he can surely ignore what I've done.

Instead of continuing the hardly begun prelude, Don immediately lay down between her thighs. Liz opened them willingly; she had missed him so much that she didn't need any stimulation.

He hardly moved, simply enjoyed being connected with her. Instead, he kissed her tenderly and caressed her gently, trying to show her with every kiss and every touch what he felt for her.

He had never loved her like that before, and Liz felt like walking on air while she dedicated herself to him and caressed him in the same way. It seemed to take hours to reach the peak, but they both didn't care. It wasn't important tonight.

When Liz woke up sunlight was pouring in through the window. She was still cuddled up in Don's arms, and she had never felt better and happier in her life. For a moment she just lay there, enjoyed his warmth and the feeling of being with him, watching him in his sleep.

Finally, she decided to surprise him with breakfast in bed. Carefully, she freed herself from him and got up. She put on her dress and left the room silently, sneaking barefoot through the corridor and downstairs.

In the doorway of the kitchen she stopped in disbelief, staring at the man who was sitting at the table, drinking coffee and reading a newspaper.

"What the hell are you doing here?!"

Red looked up and put the newspaper down. "I live here," he replied with an amused smile, "it's my house." Thank God, she came back! He thought, feeling relieved.

"You live here," she repeated and couldn't believe it. Her own thoughts came back to her mind, It's not like they'll meet every day or even live together.

Now he folded the newspaper and put it aside, using this chance to finally tell her the truth. "Lizzie, the one thing we couldn't tell you-and many other people, not just you-under any circumstances is the fact that Raymond Reddington doesn't exist. Not before a jury found Vincent guilty and we were able to bust his group. Reddington was created years ago," he went on, "a legend, a mighty criminal who is pulling the strings of all kinds of crimes, with connections to all kinds of people, a phantom that can't be caught because he's too clever and too powerful. It wasn't to fool you," he stressed, "we needed someone of the same caliber as Vincent. Someone he would take seriously enough to make a mistake. He wouldn't care about the FBI, but he would care about a devious bad guy who obviously had contacts to intelligence services and the FBI as well-and had an interest in the woman he was looking for."

It made sense to her, although she still didn't like that she had been part of this game without knowing its rules. "So, who are you really?"

"Admiral Alan Roebuck. I'm an Intelligence Officer with the ONI. My nickname since I was a little boy has been Red, though. That's why we came up with that name."

"And you are Don's father." Liz sat down on a chair opposite him, feeling overwhelmed by the new information. Again, she felt guilty because of the money. She knew Red had seen it, and when he wasn't even a criminal...

"Nice to meet you, daughter-in-law to-be," he smiled and put forth his hand. "I hope you'll stay a while."

Obviously, Red had decided to ignore what she had done. She took his hand and shook it with a laugh. "Nice to meet you, Admiral."

"We were unsure about Donald being part of this operation," Red went on, "not because he wasn't a good agent, but because he's my child. We feared for a moment like the one Tom-or whatever his name is-provoked when we met at the tank. I wouldn't hesitate to protect him, and everyone would wonder why a super-criminal would protect an FBI agent or is even related to him. On the other hand, the group of people knowing the truth about Raymond Reddington was supposed to be as small as possible. That's why Donald became part of the team. When Tom told you Donald was my son," he gave a small, scornful laugh when he remembered how shocked he had been at that moment, "I thought he would also know who I really am. Later, it turned out that they got hold of the DNA somehow and matched it. So, they luckily only knew that we are related."

He really would have given his life for Don, it definitely wasn't a show. Liz glanced around in the cozy kitchen. "So, this is the house where you raised him?"

"Yes." Red nodded and smiled happily. "We also have other apartments for several missions, but when it is possible we come back here and spend some time together."

"What about his mom?" She asked carefully.

"It's good you came back," he said instead of a direct answer. "I guess you two share the fear of being left. Your father left you in front of a hospital to save you from Vincent, Donald's mom left him at my door to save him from her violent boyfriend. She never came back. I'm his only family."

The one he couldn't tell me about, Liz added in her thoughts. Now she fully understood why Don had felt obligated to lie to her at this point. "Must have been difficult when you suddenly had to take care of your son. How old was he?"

"Six and a half," Red replied. "Yes, it was difficult, especially because he didn't know me and I hadn't known up to that point that I had a child at all. But looking back I would say it was the best day of my life."

He really looks satisfied and happy, she thought, a proud, loving father. He was a completely different man now, here in his kitchen, wearing a simple pullover and a pair of old, comfortable looking trousers. And woolen socks with a hole, she noticed. She suppressed a laugh.

"Why didn't you adopt him, so he would bear your name?" Liz asked after a moment of silence.

"I did, but for the mission it was better to change a few details in his background, pretending he never left his mother and his alleged father. It would have been too obvious if he was the son of an admiral. By the way, Vincent did what I never did-undertook a paternity test."

"You were never sure about it?" She wondered.

"Back then it wasn't common and not possible," Red explained, "and I was almost sure that it was true. Vincent just proved that my instinct wasn't wrong."

"And if he wasn't your flesh and blood?"

Red shrugged. "Donald was such a cute kid, I didn't care much about that question." He got up and gestured for her to follow him to the living room and pointed at a framed picture on one of the shelves. "One of the first times I made him smile," he said proudly. "It was hard work, believe me. He was an awfully serious child, traumatized, scared, and extremely careful."

"He was really cute." Liz felt warm inside while she was looking at the picture. Softly she caressed the frame. "He still has the same smile-when he's able to leave the serious agent aside," she added.

"Not much has changed ever since," Red remarked. "By the way, Donald takes his coffee with milk, no sugar," he advised her, "and you should take some of that jam." He lead her back to the kitchen and pointed at a shelf. "He thinks it has too many calories, but he loves it. Our neighbor makes it, and it's delicious."

She stared at him in confusion. "What?"

He grinned. "I'm guessing you came downstairs to make breakfast."

"Oh, yes."

Red laughed, took a tray from one of the shelves, and showed her where to find dishes and food.

When she finally went upstairs, carrying the tray, she had to admit to herself that she might not like Red the criminal, but she liked the admiral.

Carefully she opened the door of Don's bedroom, slipped inside and sat down on the edge of the bed, putting the tray next to her and looked at the man she had spent the night with, the man she had come back for. Yes, I do love him, she thought and smiled in delight, feeling warm inside. I should consider staying a while. She leaned forward to kiss him...

Again, many thanks to my beta reader, padria95! :)

Thanks to everyone who wrote a review. :) I hope you enjoyed the story.

I'm thinking of writing a sequel and already have a story in mind. Is there anything you would like to see revealed (possible missing parts of this story)? What would you like going to happen?