Fix You

CHAPTER 19: "Red Robin"

"Daddy... pssst... daddy." A little hand reached up and poked a sleeping Red. "Daddy."

"Mmm," Red pulled away from his wife and flipped onto his back. Turning to see what had the audacity to wake him up from a very real and very steamy dream, his agitation immediately quelled when he saw two blue eyes staring back at him, just barely able to peak over the edge of the bed.

"Daddy, I's scared," the little girl whispered.

"Of what, sweetpea?"

"The thunder. It loud."

"It is rather loud, isn't it?" Red asked as if seriously pondering her statement."

"Can I sleep with you and mommy pwease?" A sweet smile formed over Raymond Reddington's face as he realized, not for the first time, that he had finally met the only girl in the world who had him further wrapped around her finger than Lizzie did, their first little treasure, their 5 year old Zooey Reddington

"Of course, baby." Placing his hands under the little girl's arms he lifted her onto his and Lizzie's king sized bed, allowing her to snuggle into his side. They laid there for a long time and every time that the thunder rolled through the house he could feel his daughter tremble. "Do you want to go get some milk to try and help you sleep better?"

The little girl nodded and Red climbed out of bed, picking his five year old daughter up in his arms. Sitting her on the counter, Red pulled away to go get them a glass of milk to share. Ever like her mother, Red noticed that her eyes squinted in suspicion of him as he returned with a glass of milk in one hand and his other behind his back.

"Daddy, what do you have behind your back?"

"You see, thunder likes to come around and scare little girls out of their beds at night but he forgets one thing."

"What's that?" she asked, her eyes full of wonder as she stared at her father, her hero.

"That all daddies know how to keep their little girls from getting scared. You simply give them a cookie." He pulled out two cookies from behind his back. "You eat this cookie and you'll feel all better."

"Rewey, daddy?"

"Really." He crossed his heart and chuckled as she took the cookie from him and dipped it into the milk before taking a bite.

"Mmm. I already feel better daddy!" The little girl almost shouted.

"Shhhh, sweetpea, mommies don't understand this rule like daddies do, you don't want mommy to wake up and take it from you." The little girl's eyes grew and she covered her mouth, looking to the kitchen door to make sure that her mommy wasn't there.

When they had both finished their cookies and drank their milk, Red once again picked up his daughter and they began their trek back up the marble staircase. As the little girl realized that he was walking towards her room, she tightened her arms and legs around him. "Can I still sleep with you, daddy, pwetty pwease?"

Red sighed as if he were being asked to make some giant sacrifice, jokingly of course. "If you must."

"I must."

Once again, Red laughed at his daughter and began taking her to his and Liz's room. Crawling into bed, he felt Liz shift, but she did not wake. Red laid his daughter on his chest and wrapped his arms around her. "Goodnight daddy, I love you."

"I love you, too, sweetpea. Sweet dreams." He uttered these words, despite the fact that he could tell that she was already asleep. Reddington allowed the last words she had spoken to flow around in his mind on repeat and his heart swelled with the thought of his family safe with him.

A few more minutes later, it was then Lizzie who felt something dipping on the bed; it was their 4 year old boy Elmond ( as in Elizabeth and Raymond) who came as a "anniversary surprise" for Red, and he wouldn't have it any other way. She slowly turns to see Elmond crawling under the blankets so he was in the middle situated between his parents and her older sister, and Lizzie opens her arms for him; "mmmhmm... Bed bug"

"Mommy, I sleep with you Daddy and Zooey..." he whispered snuggling deeper "thunder loud...I scared..." Lizzie kissed his head and hugged him tight "it's okay, munchkin, Mommy is here...the thunder won't get you... Daddy will make sure it won't get you, and so will mommy..." she said ruffling his hair; "goodnight mommy, I love you..." Edmond whispered; and Lizzie smiled "I love you too munchkin, sweet dreams..." lizzie whispered despite the fact that he knows he's already asleep. She let her heart soar at the thought that her dreams had come true, finally. A man she loves, and who loves her too; and children. She was finally a mom.

Elmond snuggles into her mother and both fall back to sleep but only after Red's arm fall on the three of them; see blinked some more of the sleep away from her eyes to register the situation; now, both Zooey and Elmond were on their bed as Red cuddles them. Having their children safely in her arms makes her even happier but also being wrapped up in Red's arms made her feel even more safe knowing that her family was safe and sound.

Not an hour or so later, another roll of thunder cracked and lightning illuminated their room; and not a minute later two more set of scampering feet came crawling into their bed; "mommy mommy..." a little girl shook her arm while "daddy, daddy..." a little boy pulled at Red. Lizzie's eyes open only to see their 3 year old fraternal twins Sammy ( Samuel Raymond) and Ellie (Elizabeth Ray) sitting atop their duvet eyes wide with fear from the thunder; "we sleep with you..." Sammy said tears pooling in his big blue eyes. "we scared thunder..." came Ellie's little plead as her green eyes start to mist up; Lizzie groans and sits up in bed careful not to make too much noise so to wake up the two older ones. "Bae...wake up..." she said shaking Red who just groaned "Ray, wake up..." she shook him a little harder and raised her voice minutely. "what??" came Red's sleepy reply; "what's wrong-..." but he cut himself off seeing his children in their bed; he looked over sleepily to his wife and groaned; "we need a bigger bed..." Red whined before repositioning themselves in order for them to fit all together "this bed is King Size honey..." Liz replied shuffling the pillows for them; "then we'll get the California KING size one..." Red said with a small smile on his face.

A few minutes later, in between their parents the children slept peacefully away from the wrath of the thunder and lightning. With Zooey beside Red, and on Lizzie's side was Elmond, and in the middle of them all was the twins Sammy and Ellie.

Red looked at his family; smiling slightly as sleep overtook him; "goodnight my angels...sweet dreams" Red uttered, despite the fact that he could tell they were already asleep. Red allowed himself and these words to flow inside his mind on repeat and his heat swelled with the thrill knowing that he once again was blessed to have a family.