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The first time he thought it was merely happenstance. An accidental crossing of paths as sometimes might happen even in a city as large as DC. Even between a criminal informant and an FBI agent. A glimpse of her and nothing more. Just another runner making good use of an early spring morning.
He didn’t mention it later when he strolled into the Post Office and found her busy at her desk. Case files were stacked about as she typed furiously at her computer, muttering darkly.
“Lizzy, who are you talking to,” he asked with a faint note of amusement as he looked around the, otherwise, empty room.
“Reddington, I swear if you’re bringing me a blacklister today of all days, I’ll…”
She left whatever the repercussions of adding more work to her obviously busy caseload unsaid. Throwing caution to the winds he had approached and took the seat nearest her and listened to the sharp staccato of the keystrokes.
“You can’t hide down here forever,” she finally said, still not looking up from the screen.
“Actually I thought we’d walk up together.”
For the first time her fingers stopped their flight across the keyboard and she gave him her full attention.
“I’m afraid I have reports to complete and testimony to prepare as I’ll be in court most of tomorrow. Cooper and Ressler are waiting for you though.”
Normally he loves nothing more than to see her smile, but that it came at that moment was really too much.
“I see the thought of what awaits me gives you no end of enjoyment.”
“You don’t think it pertinent of the FBI to ascertain why one of its CI’s would be present at a bank heist?”
“Is that what I’m being called on the carpet for?” he asked with an amazing roll of his eyes. “And what makes you think I was involved?”
“According to reports, two men, one wearing a fedora, took down four armed bank robbers leaving them bound and waiting for the police before, themselves, disappearing.”
“You still haven’t explained why you would believe—“
“I had Aram hack the bank’s cameras, Red,” she retorts, giving him a pointed look. “What were you doing there? Casing the joint?”
“For your information,” but seeing her eyes narrow, he had decided that the jig was up. “I was there to scout out the safety deposit boxes.”
“Do I even want to know why?”
“Let’s just say sometimes finding your blacklisters requires a little extra effort and digging around.”
“Hmmmm I thought as much.” She studied him a moment, before continuing with a nod of her head. “I told them you’d think it rude to storm a bank and scare all the customers.”
“Why, Lizzy, that’s the nicest compliment you’ve ever—“
“Stop before I take it back.”
But there was a quiet laugh as she resumed her work. Everything about her had seemed softer somehow and he stayed just to watch her, to fix the image in his memory along with all the others.
“You’re still stalling,” she murmured after a minute or two.
“Don’t work in this dungeon too late. It’s not good for the soul.”
There was a hesitation mixed in with his sigh of resignation as he rose to leave, tempting him to bring up the park from earlier, but he left it alone. Why intrude into her private time anymore than he already does and with a squeeze of her arm, he left to face the gauntlet.
Had he only looked back, he would have seen her pause, to watch until he was out of sight, the remnant of the smile he brought to her face still lingering.
It was Dembe’s idea that led them to the park in the first place.
You need balance, Raymond.
Raymond hadn’t exactly known what that meant when his friend informed him they had a scheduled meeting by the river and to dress casual. It seemed that little stretch of water had everything one could want as he surveyed all the comings and goings the first day. From the runners to those that preferred to stroll, the cyclists and dog walkers or those simply content to find a bench and do nothing at all. He hadn’t immediately determined what Dembe had in mind until he spotted the group on a grassy embankment under a grouping of trees. Then he understood.
Perhaps the acupuncture again. It requires less…coordination.
Maybe later. For now, we will do this.
There is really no arguing with Dembe when he gets a notion into his head so off they went to try their hands at tai chi. He had only a limited knowledge of the ancient practice, the movements flowing one into another and, though he wasn’t sure about balance quite yet, he was sufficiently intrigued to continue.
It was within those first few days that he saw her jog past. Well, it was closer to a sprint and probably why she caught his attention in the first place. It unsettled him, thinking of what it could be that she was trying to outdistance, and it remained with him when he decided not to mention seeing her.
Because they weren’t likely to cross paths on a regular basis.
So there really was no reason to occasionally glance toward the river in the hope of…
Yet it happened again. And then again. Strange that it should be so with the changing of their schedules and the temperamental spring weather, but so it was. It became part of the routine of the motion, one side flowing to the other. Push. Pull. And back again. His eyes tracking the waterline as his breathing leveled out with the progression of the movements. Sometimes he would find her there among the crowd. A mystery he had no answer for, only the longing to go where he might find it.
Everything slowed as if whatever it was that followed her had finally faded in the distance. Her pace became a jog, in time with the other runners, and then slower still. He would eventually catch her walking by or stopping altogether to stand at the rail, looking toward the water.
She crossed his mind everyday. Somehow she never left it. What was it she thought about those times she’d find a place to sit and simply be? Most of all he wondered if he would ever find a way to ask her.
Had he only turned sooner than the form called for he might have seen her eyes look his way. He might have noticed her stop in the periphery to admire the group under the trees. Each breath slowing in time with his as she wondered if she had imagined it. The awareness of the other in this space they share that neither have words to acknowledge.
“What is that? Spinach and feta?”
As Lizzy slides into the booth across from him, she is already eyeing his frittata and paying no attention to the surprise her rather abrupt arrival has elicited.
“Do you mind if I just…”
And before he can say what are you doing here? she has taken a fork from the extra place setting and stolen a bite.
“What are you doing here?”
“Mmmm, that is very good. Where do you find these little places?” she asks, sitting back to admire the cozy bistro while ignoring his question.
“Dare I inquire how you tracked me down or just assume Dembe had a hand in this?”
In lieu of an answer she gives him a smile before taking another bite. He really isn’t fooling her one bit with his mock indignation. This is what they do. Catch the other off guard and there is no denying the amusement behind his eyes. A nice beginning to this surprise offensive.
She relaxes back as phase two commences. “You’re getting better all the time.”
“I’m sorry?”
“With the tai chi.”
His shock solves part of the mystery, at least. He never realized she knew he was there in the park, but then again she hadn’t really known how to convey it. In the end, she decided on this morning drop in that wouldn’t give her much time to change her mind.
“I didn’t realize you were a runner.”
So he had noticed her after all and she tucks that away with a little thrill of triumph. “Oh, I’m not really. Aram says it’s good for stress reduction.”
“Is Aram a runner?”
This causes her to stop a moment before shaking her head with a laugh. “Come to think of it, no he’s not.”
“You seem to have slowed down,” he says, peering at her over the rim of his cup as he takes a sip of coffee.
Yes, it appears he noticed quite a lot. Very interesting, indeed. “I have. You could have come over and said hello.”
“I’m afraid I intrude enough into your life, Lizzy.”
His quiet answer causes an ache deep inside that she somehow feels must match his own. One that she would very much like to alleviate for the both of them. Taking a breath and one last bite of the frittata, she watches him watching her.
“It’s not an intrusion. I’ll see you at the park.”
She is gone as quickly as she came.
It takes a few days. A case that needs solving will intervene and a trip he couldn’t put off follows, but eventually the timing works in the way it is supposed to and for once when Dembe joins the others at the tables near their spot under the trees, Raymond goes to join her on the bench she found near the river.
“Fancy meeting you here.”
It makes her smile as she accepts the offer of a bottle of water and waits for him to take a seat. “So tell me about the tai chi.”
“According to Dembe it’s about finding balance.”
“And how’s that going?”
“I’d call it a work in progress. A most intriguing one at that,” he murmurs, watching the sunlight ripple across the water. “How’s the running?”
Considering she’s been camped on this bench for a good part of the morning, which he is more than aware of, she’d say not that great and that is just fine with her.
“I think I like this much better.”
“I’ll drink to that.”
They clink bottles and sit for awhile, letting the sun track higher in the sky.
“There’s plenty of room, you know,” and when she glances over in confusion, he explains. “Under the trees.”
The surprise flickers across her face as if the notion hadn’t occurred to her. “Do you think I need balance?”
“I don’t think it really matters what I think.” Which really does make her laugh. “You know what I mean. The offer is always open.”
“I believe I might like to join you under the trees. Thank you for asking.”
“You’re welcome, Lizzy,” he returns softly, smiling at the image that evokes and suddenly decides to ask what he thought he never would. “There is one thing I’d love to know though. What do you think of when you come here to jog, but sit here looking toward the water instead?”
It takes her so long to answer he fears he must have ventured too far, that the answer will never come. But it does. Quietly, as she takes his hand before turning back toward the river.
“This is what I think of.”
Had they only looked back they would have seen Dembe on the embankment watching over them, wondering at the mysterious workings of tai chi and springtime and a view of the water.
He’s waiting on the street for her when she exits the building, already looking for him.
“Okay, how did you know?”
“I dropped by the Post Office and Aram spilled the beans.”
“I thought as much,” she concludes with a roll of her eyes.
“Do you mind?”
“No, not at all.” And somehow she doesn’t mind. Somehow she thinks it is just what she needed. “I would have told you but…”
“But?”
“I was a little nervous actually. It’s been awhile since I’ve done something like this and never for this large of a group.”
She finishes by taking a deep breath, as if this bit of honesty is difficult to admit. The invitation to act as guest lecturer for the university’s forensic psychology program came a few weeks previously and she immediately wanted to tell him, but her excitement was quickly followed by worry. She never found the right words, finally deciding she’d rather stay silent especially if it was a disaster.
But it wasn’t and her nerves soon faded as the profiler in her took over. By the time she spotted him slipping unobtrusively into the auditorium, she was quite relaxed and not the least surprised he had found her out.
“I was completely fascinated,” he returns enthusiastically, linking an arm through hers. “Especially that part about your desire to fully understand the criminal mind and the impulses that drive them.”
“Yes, I bet you were. Where are we going anyway?”
He has propelled her down the street, around the corner and is looking up the block as if searching for something.
“We are going to celebrate with a good lunch and don’t tell me you have anything waiting for you at the Post Office because I checked with Aram.”
“I’m so glad you and Aram have it all figured out.”
It causes him to stop abruptly and she turns to look at him as the pedestrians form a stream around them.
“I shouldn’t presume—”
“Come on,” she smiles, taking his arm and moving them forward again. “You only have to ask.”
There is a celebratory pretzel instead. They happened upon the cart, deciding it was just the thing to allow them more time out in the sun. Longer to ramble about as he plied her with questions about her presentation.
It is when he is walking her back toward the college that she makes the decision. Perhaps it’s easier to say it now so she can leave quickly and why are these things so difficult to start with, but if she waits for him to do it they may never get where they’re going.
“I’ve been thinking,” she begins.
“This sounds serious.”
“It is.”
They have walked half a city block in silence when his curiosity gets the better of him. “Is that it or are you going to make me guess?”
“Look, don’t make me regret this,” she mumbles which somehow makes him chuckle. “We seem to have a flair for dropping in unannounced where the other is concerned.”
“Or meeting by chance in crowded city parks.”
“Yes, that too. So I wondered if we might come to some type of pre-arrangement.”
“A pre…?”
“...arrangement. A plan made in advance whereby we would meet for…”
“Tai chi? We’ve decided on that.”
“Maybe something at night.”
She keeps looking straight ahead as she draws in a slow breath. Waiting. But he catches up rather quickly.
“Drinks, perhaps, or dinner?”
“Both of those,” she concludes in a whisper like two spies strategizing a clandestine meeting and the exchange of top secret intel. “Unless you’d rather wait until we happen to bump into one another while ordering take-out.”
He stops again, just as suddenly as before, on another crowded sidewalk that causes those behind to divert around as they face one another. Because he wants to see her when he asks the question.
“Elizabeth, would you care to have dinner with me?”
And everything seems to go a little hazy and quiet. As if they were quite alone. As if they have all the time in the world.
“I would love to have dinner with you, Raymond” she answers with a formality that seems fitting for the occasion but adds with a twinkle in her eye. “See, you only have to ask.”
His relief makes something very close to her heart make a funny little flutter, especially considering it was her idea in the first place. It is so much easier then. Not at all difficult to decide on the day and the hour. Something altogether new and tantalizing to think about as they part.
Had they only turned back….but they do at just the right time. There is her expression that he will never forget as well has the sound of his name on her lips. There is that look in his eyes before the tip of his fedora as he disappears from view and it will linger in her mind.
It is unexpected as most things are with him. A little hole in the wall place where they know him well. A corner booth even though it isn’t crowded on a Wednesday night for two people who’d rather not wait until the weekend for this first planned arrangement. And for once nothing else intrudes. Not their cases, or the stress that comes with them. Not the FBI or the criminal underworld. They stay somewhere in the middle of it all where it is only the two of them.
Neither really want the evening to end when they arrive back at the entrance to her building since there is also something quite thrilling about this anticipation that they’ve now acknowledged. They are more than aware of the spark in the air around them and so they decide to enjoy it a little and walk the neighborhood.
“This is the most normal thing we’ve ever done,” she murmurs after awhile, thinking of something as simple as a walk on a balmy evening with her hand in his.
“Is that good or—”
“It’s more than good.”
It makes him stop to look at her under the streetlight, waiting a breath for her to do the same. The sidewalks are less crowded than before and those behind seem content to flow around. It’s spring after all and more than a few smiles are directed their way which neither notice. Not with the way everything has stilled, as what pushes and pulls at them is here at just this perfect moment, rooting them to the spot.
“Lizzy, I have a question to ask.”
The throaty timbre of his voice sends the warmest charge across her body and her hand reaches up to rest a second on his cheek before moving to the back of his neck to draw him forward.
“So that’s a yes?”
“Raymond, shush.”
Which he does, most pleasantly. With a smile to match her own. With the softest touch of his lips to hers that feels so sweet after the harshness of the past. Deeper when he pulls her closer, feeling her relax into him.
When they break apart, both a little breathless, she finds she just can’t help herself. “This is something else I thought about when I was supposed to be jogging.”
“Now that certainly warrants further discussion,” he replies with a certain glint in his eye that she now recognizes.
But when he slips an arm around her waist to continue on and stop impeding the flow of traffic, she pulls back after a step or two.
“Wrong way.”
“But this is the direction we were….”
He stops arguing as that mysterious something he sometimes catches in her expression returns.
“Lead the way.”
“I intend to.”
There is the quiet rumble of his laugh that never fails to send a little thrill through her, making her slip an arm around to draw him nearer as he does the same. The answer is already there.
Had they only looked back...but there is no need as they retrace their steps to her door. Not with all the better days ahead.