-Red-
"Harold, did you talk to that Profiler you kept telling me about the baby-sitting? I need to find a babysitter as soon as possible. I desperately need help with Beth." I asked and my friend just nodded.
"Yes, she'll come here to the interview tomorrow. I saw a picture of her and all I can say is that she's a wonderful sight, like fresh water to dry eyes." I rolled my eyes, as if I was going to be intersted in a maid that probably had the age to be my daughter.
"Thank you. I gotta go now, they need me at the hospital." Harold Cooper smirked at me.
"Okay, but let me know when it's time for me to say I told you so." I sighed and walked away. Since my wife died eight years ago at our youngest daughter's birth, I haven't be looking for anyone and I had made peace with the fact that I would end up an alone bitter old, old man.
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"Dad! I'm going to Tom's house." Jenny, my oldest daughter yelled from the door. Nowadays that girl was barely home, she spent all her time at her boyfriend's house.
"But I wanted everyone home to meet the new sitter." I tried to reason but she just laughed.
"I'm 18, I don't need a sitter . But I'm sure the girls will help you. Bye!" I only heard the front door closing. I took a deep breath and went to see Rae, my 15 year old daughter.
"Rae, come here and bring Elizabeth, the new sitter is gonna be here any minute now." At that exact moment the door bell rang. Great! I'll have to deal with the girl alone.
I opened the door and my heart skipped a beat. In front of me was a fairly tall brunette girl, she had big blue eyes, an aquiline nose and a beautiful smile, I noticed a dimple on her cheek and thought it was adorable. She was wearing a short blue skirt (too short in my opinion! Like the ones Jen wears!) and a polka dot blouse. She gave me butterflies on the stomach! WHERE THE HELL DID THAT COME FROM? She was staring at me with curious eyes.
"Admiral Reddington?" I nodded and step aside to let her in.
"Come in, Miss?"
"Scott. Elizabeth Scott." We shook hands and I guided her to the library. We both sat and I noticed she couldn't keep her wide eyes away from me.
"So, I need you to be a sitter for my eight year old girl and be at the PO in the morning, but please can you help around the house after your hours and maybe weekends??. Is that okay with you?" I asked and she nodded imediately. "Oh, and I'd like for you to live here as well, I'm still on duty and sometimes I stay late hours in the yard." She nodded again. "When can you start?"
"Well, now!" She giggled and that melt my heart but I couldn't feel that way so I supressed any feelings I was having because of her.
"Let me show you the house and introduce you to two of my girls, the older one, Jenny, spends all her time in her boyfriend's house. He's nice and all but it's too much." She nodded trying to keep a straight face but I could tell she wanted to laugh. I opened the door to Rae's room and saw both my children there. I smiled lightly. "Girls, this is our new sitter slash a bit of a keeper Miss Scott. Miss Scott this is Rae and Beth." I saw Rae rolling her eyes at me.
"Hi! It's very nice to meet you." Miss Scott said politely. Beth ran to her arms and held her tight. That girl desperately needed a mom, but I couldn't give her that.
"Hi Miss Scott!" Beth said and let go of her. Rae came close.
"Hi Miss Scott, and please call me Rae! I don't want you to be confused so just call Dad Red... " I couldn't understand why she had insisted her to call me Red...only my friends (or what little friends I have) does... But still, I left it for Ms. Scott to decide.
We talked about all the terms and she agreed to them without a problem, so I offered to help her pick her things up. She nodded and we went away.
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Half an hour later we were in front of Sam's house where Miss Scott's father lived,and where Harold lived next door. The petite girl went to pack her things and I went to the living room to talk to Harold who was there.
"So, can I tell you I told you so yet?" He was so sarcastic sometimes that I wanted to punch his face even though he was my best friend.
"The girl is al last as tall as I and half my age! You'll never say I told you so to me." He was about to answer me when Miss Scott, her stand in dad and a man came along.
"Admiral Reddington, I'm ready." I nodded and walked closer to her picking up her luggage.
"Well, let's go then." She smiled lightly and hugged her mom tight, then she kissed the man's lips and swore to come visit on her free days. I had no idea why but I felt rage burn inside, something inside me yelled "back off, mine!" I got mad at myself for having this kind of feelings.
On our way back home, inside my car, I couldn't help but ask something.
"Was that man your boyfriend, Miss Scott?" She stared at me confused with wide eyes. Realization came to her and she giggled.
"Yes, and please call me Liz." I ruffled.
"Uhm, you can call me Red. Isn't he old for you?" Oh God, look who's talking. I could be her father or maybe grandfather.
"No! He's just two years older than me, I'm 32, he's 35" Ohhh, 32...That was wonderful news for me.
"You look younger, I thought you were 28 or lower ...Have you always worked as a profiler slash sitter?" I saw her looking down. "You don't need to answer if you don't want to." She shook her head.
"It's okay. I was a Psychology major but my biological father died and I couldn't finish my studies. My dream was to be a full time FBI psychoanalyst ." I stopped the car and looked deep into her eyes.
"Don't ever refer to your dream as a broken one. It isn't. You're still so young, don't give up, okay?" She nodded and smiled at me, a warm smile one that I haven't recieved from a woman in a long time.
-Liz-
It's been a month since I met this man and I couldn't understand him at all. He was so mysterious. Kinda hot and cold. Some days he was the rudest man I've ever met and other days he was so chivarous, kind and good. The only conclusion I came from all this is that he suffers from split personality disorder. However, when he's with his children he transformed, he was a great dad to the three of them even though Rae could disagree and Jenny couldn't comprehend why he was so jealous of her boyfriend. Well, it was only natural, it's always been the four of them and now there's this young man trying to take his daughter away. And, the Admiral was a drama king. He and I had several rows about the most ridiculous things ever. Like yesterday, that was my free day, and he kept asking me why I needed to go on a date with my boyfriend. He got me so mad it was none of his business what I did to my boyfriend or not. Donald (the boyfriend!), on the other hand, told me to not fight with my boss and to relax, but he couldn't understand how much I wanted to kill and kiss that damn Admiral all at once. Yes, kiss! I think he's so sexy, it should be ilegal for a man his age look like he does. I knew he would never look at me that way, but a girl can dream right? Donald didn't need to know that.
It was early in the morning when someone knocked on my door. It was Rae.
"Lizzie, I think Beth has a fever." She said and I went straight to the girls' room. Beth was indeed feverish but it seemed to be just a cold. I gave her an aspirin and put both her and Rae to sleep. Back in my room I grabbed my phone and texted the Admiral, I had no idea if he knew how to text me back, but I didn't want to hear his voice.
Red, Beth is feverish but it doesn't look like nothing serious, I already gave her an aspirin and put her back to bed. Liz
I was almost falling asleep when my phone bipped.
I'll take the afternoon shift off today to stay with her. Thank you Lizzie, now go back to sleep!
Like I said, he was crazy.
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It was eleven in the morning when Red arrived home. Jenny and Rae were at school and I was watching TV with Beth on the TV room. Beth was sleeping with her head on my lap and I was dozing off myself resting my head in the back of the couch. I thought I was dreaming when I opened my eyes and saw him wearing black pijama pants and a white t-shirt. He was sitting on the other couch watching us. I slowly got up putting Beth's head in a pillow and went closer to him.
"I'm gonna fix us something to eat and a soup for her, okay?" He nodded and I left the room as soon as possible or I was afraid I'd jump him. I never had a thing for older guys but Red drives me insane, he's so clueless about his hotness that it made him almost sweet. Almost.
About half an hour later I heard steps approaching me. It was him.
"Lizzie, the girls' school vacation starts next week. We're going to Bora Bora for a week then we'll visit Carla's mom, the girls' grandmother, alright?" I nodded but I had no idea if I was coming along or not. He grinned at me and smirked. "Of course you're coming along! I need help with the children AND if Jenny's boyfriend is coming of course you are as well, just please don't bring your boyfriend along." Before I could think I spoke.
"Why don't you like my boyfriend? You don't even know him!" He laughed.
"Of course I know Donald...I'm not sure if it's Duck, you told me all about him." I rolled my eyes.
"It's Donald Ressler!" He sighed dramatically.
"Whatever. Now I need food." He sat on the kitchen table and smiled sarcasticaly at me. Oh how I hate this man.
-Red-
I was watching Lizzie cook and loved to see how I could affect her. I knew she couldn't be mine, it wouldn't be fair, she deserved so much better. Still I felt this utter rage for her boyfriend. I was watching her hips sway side to side and my mouth watered, it's been months since I last shagged someone, and I wouldn't mind to shag Lizzie at all. NO! I gotta stop having this kind of thoughts or I'll make a fool of myself. Just to imagine someone else touched her the way I wanted to was too awful.
We spent a quiet day taking care of Beth together, it almost made me feel married again.
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It was late at night and I couldn't sleep so I went downstairs to have a cup of tea when I heard some noise coming from Lizzie's room. I put my ear to the door, really I was being ridiculous but maybe she was having a nightmare. I heard another noise, this one seemed more like a moan. I opened her door slowly and my breath caught in my throat. Elizabeth Scott was touching herself, well, I couldn't see her because she was under the covers but it was pretty obvious what she was doing, her eyes were closed and her breathing was labored. I knew I should leave but I couldn't.
"Red! Oh Red, there." She moaned and I tripped trying to close the door but her eyes opened and our gazes met. "Oh fuck!" I closed the door and ran away. I didn't know what to think, that girl, yes she was a girl to me, was touching herself thinking of me. I arrived at my room and closed the door throwing myself in bed. Five minutes later I heard a knock on my door.
"Red?" Oh my, she came after me.
"Go away Lizzie!" I was terrified of what she had to tell me.
"Please Red, I need to talk to you. Or I'll never have the guts to do so." She pleaded and I got up, I opened the door and saw a disheveled Lizzie crying her eyes out. She walked inside my room and as soon as she raised her head to look at me I looked away. "Raymond, I'm so sorry." I felt a tingle inside me when she called me by my first name. I armed my defense system.
"It's Admiral to you." I looked at her and she nodded.
"I-I-I quit." NO! I couldn't lose her, not Lizzie, not my Lizzie.
"Shhh, it's okay. You don't need to go, I know you need this job. I shouldn't be at your room's door, what you were doing is none of my business." I tried to argue but she shook her head.
"I-I'm so a-a-ashamed. I m-mean, you're my boss a-and I have a b-b-boyfriend." My heart was breaking to hear this girl cry, I wanted to hug her but I knew I couldn't.
"Lizzie, I'm flatered that you think of me that way but you and I both know we can't right? You could be my daughter." I held her hand and she looked at me nodding. "Go to sleep and tomorrow everything will be back to normal." She pulled me to a hug and cried even more in my chest. I ran my fingers on her hair thinking how cursed I was. I haven't even got involved with this girl and I already broke her.
-Lizzie-
Next day I was mortified, it was one of the most awkward days of my life. The Admiral and I tried to ignore each other but Jenny noticed something was off.
"Lizzie, did something happen between you and dad? You are acting so weird today." I blushed deep red and she smirked. "Did you and dad hook up? Sometimes he looks at you like he wants to have his wicked way with you. Dad is in love with you, that I'm sure. He looks at you when he thinks no one's watching the same way he looked at mom." I gasped.
"What? No! We didn't hook up. And I don't think he's in love with me, we fight all the time." Jenny laughed.
"Dad's acting like a teenager, he's fighting the girl he loves so she notices and doesn't forget him. I know you have a boyfriend and all, but does dad stand a chance? He must be terrified." I looked away.
"Please Jenny, just drop it. Nothing happened."
"Okay okay!" She laughed. "I want to ask you something though." I nodded and she continued. "Tom and I are planning on doing it for the first time in Bora Bora, and we need your help." My jaw dropped, the Admiral would kill me if he figured out what she was asking me.
"How?" Jenny smirked at me.
"You gotta convince dad not to share a room with Tom. I know he's planing on putting Rae and I together in a room, you and Beth in another and himself and Tom in other. What I need is for you to convince him to change this arrangement. I need Tom alone or sharing a room with you so I can sneak in. And you sneak out, of course." My eyes got wide. How the hell was I supposed to convince The Admiral?
"Jenny, I'll try but I don't think I'll be able to manage that. Your father usually doesn't listen to me."
"Lizzie, he loves you! Use your charm and you'll be able to get anything from him. You're my best chance." I nodded even though I knew I'd have a hard time ahead of me.
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It was two days before the trip that I was able to get to the room's issue. When Red told me he would put Tom in the same room as him I tried my best to convince him that the boy would be terrified for life and that way Jenny would be upset. He agreed with me until all hell broke loose when I suggested he should be with Beth and me with Tom.
"No way Lizzie! It's not good for a girl to be alone in a man's room." He said and I rolled my eyes.
"I'm not a defenseless girl and he's your daughter's boyfriend for God's sake! What do you suggest then?" he looked deep into my eyes.
"You stay with me and Beth stay with the girls so Tom has a room for himself, is that okay?" No no no! I couldn't share a room with him, I was afraid I screw all up with him and with Donald.
"My boyfriend won't like that." He smirked.
"He doesn't need to know." My heart stopped.
to be continued.