A/N: This is my very first Blacklist fic. I've done some for other shows but wanted to take a crack at this one. It will be Keenler. I'm going to try my best to keep on character but I'm not the best at writing Red. This is a little more Ressler centric but ties in the whole Liz/Red mystery as well. Hope you enjoy and I do accept constructive criticism. Please let me know if I should continue as I don't have a lot of extra time on my hands but I do enjoy writing and will do so in my spare time if I know I have people interested in reading. Thank you!

*I own nothing

*Takes place right after Season 2 Finale

Chapter 1 is all from Ressler's point of view while all chapters following will have multiple P.O.V.

CHAPTER 1

If he stared at the screen much longer he was sure to go cross eyed. Lead after lead. Sighting after sighting. Not one to lead him to the person he was tasked to find. So he sat. Staring at the latest report in from a small town just outside of London. He took little stock in the credibility of any of the sightings. In the first months he chased them all. Eagerly. To anyone on the outside he was the ever diligent Acting Director, out to prove he could put personal feelings aside and do his job. On the inside he was dying. He was hunting the only person he cared for. And if he caught her would he do his job and turn her in or would he follow his gut and help her?

He'd let her go. He'd continue to protect her the only way he know how despite not knowing why she did what she did. She wasn't a cold blooded killer. There was a reason. She had his back countless times and he was confident she would not turn her back on him if roles were reversed. But damned if he didn't want one lead to follow through. Four months and no Keen.

Rubbing his eyes and taking note he would once again get maybe four hours of sleep, he shut the lid to his lap top and pushed it to the side of his bed. Tomorrow was another day. Donald Ressler would plaster his A.D. face on and begin the hunt for Elizabeth Keen and Raymond Reddington.

IIIIIIII

"Good Morning Director Ressler," Aram Mojtabai greeted looking up from his computer.

"Aram, enough with the Director stuff." Ressler sighed. While he would normally love a promotion of this distinction, in the manner in which he received it…no. Cooper would be back. Once Deputy Attorney General Reven Wright's inquiry was complete and he was cleared of all wrong doing including any part in Keen's shooting of Attorney General Tom Connelly. Well, then Harold Cooper would back. "Cooper will be back," he said as he set down two coffees.

"Did you get the briefing on the London sightings?" Aram asked as he grabbed the coffee with his name on it.

Ressler just nodded as sipped his own. He knew it wasn't professional to show favoritism by only bringing Aram and Samar Novabi coffee in the mornings but he didn't care. He was only appointed A.D. because Wright knew he was a play by the rules boy scout and would bring Keen in if he found her. She wanted someone who would go by the book and do this the right way. He found her to be fair and while he wasn't trusting of anyone but Aram and Samar he felt there was no way she was part of whatever group was framing Liz.

"Thanks," Samar said as she grabbed her drink and leaned up against Aram's desk. "Talked to some contacts in Mossad. London was not them. Confirmed in Jerusalem same time."

Aram's eyes shot up from his monitor. Ressler almost dropped his coffee. There hadn't been a confirmed sighting in…well…never. And he was furious at Samar for telling him. For putting him in the position of know where Keen was of yesterday. Now he'd have to act. And if they were still there would he find her and have to decide if he'd bring her in or let her go.

"I'd like that analysis on the latest sighting and Aram, do you have all flight manifests coming and going out of London for the past few days?" Ressler nodded and walked to his office as if they were following the London lead.

They couldn't talk in the open. He needed a reason for them to be in his office. He didn't really need any flight manifests. Red would not be using any commercial flights and if he used his personal jet it would not be listed on any flight plan so it was a useless request. Follow protocol though. And sure, Samar did prepare an analysis on all sightings but it could wait. It didn't take them long to enter after Aram made sure the room was safe from any listening devices.

"Do I need someone to book me a flight?" He was seated at his desk looking at Keen's empty one.

"Would you be going as A.D. Ressler or as Don?" Samar crossed her arms then scowled when he asked what did it matter. "My contact stays off record. This goes nowhere."

He agreed.

"Red approached my contact yesterday. Same time this sighting was coming in."

"He WHAT?" Both Ressler and Aram blurted.

"Walked right up to him. Took off his hat then shook his hand." Samar shook her head. "Even had Liz with him."

Ressler's heart raced. Her contact saw Liz. Spoke to her. "How was she?"

"Tired looking but healthy. Sad. He said Red has a message for you." She pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket. "It was sent via secured server that I picked up at the Israeli Embassy. It's safe." Upon seeing his hesitancy she added, "I have my ways, Ress." She handed him the paper.

He slowly opened the paper. It was in Red's handwriting and was obviously scanned. He didn't read it out loud as he was sure Samar already had and he wanted a moment to process it. Depending what it said he would let Amar read it.

Donald, let me start by telling you if haven't been seen the City of David you really must. Lizzie and I visited yesterday and I must say…the history Donald. Being on the run has been a great cultural experience for Lizzie. She's seen so much and we've managed to evade your FBI friends. Although I must say I'm rather disappointed that you haven't personally followed every lead. Have you given up? I do you hope you have had a chat with our friend Harold. He can give you some answers for now until we can clear Lizzie's name and deal with the pesky business of her shooting Connolly. For the life of me I can't figure out why but she misses you terribly. She's like a spoiled child. Give her the world and she wants the universe. He'll be returning to the Task Force before you know it. You'll find out soon enough. Enjoy your time as Acting Director Ressler but I'm positive at this point you'd rather just be Agent Ressler. Lizzie says hello.

Ressler folded the paper and looked at Samar. Aram was looking at with a mixture of curiosity and anticipation and with a sigh he handed the paper over to him. Once he was finished with it he watched as Samar grabbed it and pulled a lighter out of her pocket and lit it a fire and set in in the empty metal trash can sitting next to Keen's desk. He knew it had to be destroyed. If he didn't report contact from Red he'd be removed from his position and there was no way he was going to report it. He nodded to his friends…and once they were gone asked himself when he decided they were his friends.

It was probably the day they picked his sorry ass off the floor of the hole in the wall bar he was at when he had too many and got him home and said not another word of his pathetic whining about his missing Keen. That was a low point. And that was when the morning coffees began. And the increasing trust. He would never trust anyone the way he trusted Liz but they were there for him when he was at a bad spot and didn't leave his side. And they wouldn't leave her side either. And at the end of the day that's what friends were about. Or so he heard.

"Don?" Samar said from the doorway.

"Yeah?" He spun around to look at her.

"Dinner tonight with us?" She was leaning on the doorframe. "You need to a night away from whatever it is you do when you go home." When he didn't immediately answer she pulled the card. The Keen Card they called it. "She'd want you to get out."

"Low," he grumbled. Ressler rubbed his neck. "Where?"

IIIIIIII

It was a few days after Red contacted him and Ressler couldn't stop thinking about the sighting in Jerusalem and Samar's contact's message. Red had found information to get Cooper back. He had wanted that since a stack of new Agent files were handed to him. He was told to pick two to replace his spot and Keen's. The higher ups weren't happy that he would do field work with Samar but perhaps if Cooper came back then they'd be ok with just the two of them as field agents.

He wasn't sure how Red did it but all charges were cleared against Cooper and his wife Charlene. His suspension was lifted. They believed he was trying to bring Keen in and not actually aiding her and in regards to Charlene leaking FBI documents, well it came out that she was under duress and was blackmailed in to it by the reporters using Coopers illness. All charges were dropped. Ressler had a feeling that a lot of this had to do with the car accident one of his supervisors died in and the heart attack another higher up had. Either way, Cooper would be back and they had be careful. He was sure they would be watched.

He had fallen asleep, somehow, but shot out of bed when he heard movement in the living room. Grabbing his off duty weapon he quietly slipped out the bed in only his boxers and a t-shirt. As he rounded the corner he felt an arm come down on his knocking the gun out of his hand. Reflexes kicked in and he threw a punch then grabbed the intruders head and kneed him in the gut. He was sure he had the upper hand when he landed a blow to the kidney until he felt something hard connect with his head.

He wasn't sure how long he was out for but when he came to Ressler's head screamed in pain. He could hear noise, the TV maybe? He fought to open his eyes and when he did he found Tom Keen lounging in his recliner, drinking his beer, watching his TV. He struggled to move only to realize he was tied to his kitchen chair.

"Son of a…," he started before Tom cut him off.

"I talk, you listen." Tom didn't move but had turned his head and gun to Ressler. "So who was coming after who?" He laughed.

"Screw you," Ressler spat.

"Oh, Liz and I already played that game before she ran." Tom smirked and got up. "What can I say? She can't get enough of me. She likes the bad boy."

Keep the anger down, Don, he told himself. He's goading you. Even if they did anything it's not your business, he tried to tell himself. But damned if it still didn't cut like a knife.

"Are you going to talk or you here to bore me to death?" He tried to act like he didn't care.

"Oh, you care." Tom cocked his head as if reading his thoughts. "Yeah you care." He shook his head and rubbed his neck. "I guess that's good. Look, I'm here to help Liz. I could have given her a new life but she refused to run with me. Instead she left with Red. The one man who had tried to…run her life." Tom paused and gave him a serious look. "Look man, I'm not stupid. Red will die to protect her. He will kill to protect. I will do the same." He got down so he was right in Ressler's face. "There are people hunting her who will kill her on sight. Some will do more than just kill on sight. So, I'm going to ask you. How far will you go to protect her?"

"Untie me," Ressler hissed.

"How far?" Tom asked evenly.

"Untie. Me."

"I asked how far?" Tom yelled.

"I would die for her ok?" He screamed back. "Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"Yes." Tom stood up and walked behind Ressler and began to untie him. "She's not the only one who was played. Who was lied to. I know things. Things you are going to want to hear. Things that are going to help you help her."

"What are you talking about?" Ressler spat.

"Let me tell you a story about a little boy name Nikolay." Tom smirked as he began a tale that Ressler wished he never heard.