A/N: Another one shot idea I had that just had to be written down.
As in all my stories there is NO Tom. He's just a pile of dog mess that has no place my world!
And as always all research and mistakes are mine and mine alone.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Wish I did but I don't.
Lizzie sat in the back of the ambulance still in a state of shock. The events that happened just an hour ago replayed through her mind. She pulled Hudson closer to her body and buried her face into his fur.
12 hours before. Thursday. 8:35AM. The Post Office:
Lizzie sat behind her desk in the office she shared with her friend and partner Donald Ressler, eating her second old-fashioned glazed doughnut she bought when she went on her Starbucks coffee run that morning before work. So good, Lizzie thought to herself as she took another bite.
She had the office to herself since Ressler had to be in court that morning to testify in a trial of a case he took part in right before she joined the team.
Surprisingly, it had been a really quiet week. She hadn't heard from Red since the Friday before. He had called to tell her he had to fly to Belize to "take care of a nasty piece of business" and to "be safe". Since Director Cooper only liked to use Lizzie in cases that deals with Red, she was basically on "stand by" till Red returned. She had caught up on all her paperwork and reports for all previous cases she had been a part of, helped Meera do some research on a case she was working on and even had the time to go a few sparring rounds on the mat with Ressler. The past week she had also been able to leave work on time and get a few things done around her house. She was getting antsy though. What was taking Red so long? He's never gone more than two or three days. Not that she was worried about him.
Just as she pushed that train of thought out of her head, the unmistakable groan of the service elevator echoed throughout the floor. Lizzie looked up and out her office window to see who it was just as the doors lifted and Red stepped out, Dembe at his side.
Think of the devil and the devil will show, Lizzie thought as she locked eyes with Raymond Reddington, The FBI's Fourth Most Wanted Man.
Red gave her a small smile as he continued walking towards her office. Lizzie pushed back from her desk and rose from her chair before heading out the door to meet him half way.
"So you just come and go as you please now?" Lizzie said to him with a smile grin.
"I always come and go everywhere as I please, Lizzie. You should know that by now." Red replied with a smile as he took off his navy blue fedora hat. "I brought you back a little gift."
In the more recent months, every time Red left town he always came back with Lizzie a souvenir. A vintage silk scarf from Dubai, an abstract mutli-colored drawing of the four seasons from Vancouver, a paper weight with an 18th century pastel drawing of Marie Antoinette on it from Paris, a beautiful red beaded bracelet from St. Tropez but mostly he would bring her local food dishes, usually desserts. His trip before last he brought her back a custard like chocolate panna cotta from Johannesburg that was just to die for.
"This is a Belizean fruit cake. They make it with preserved fruits and soak it in Caribbean rum." Red said as he took the plain white pastry box from Dembe and handing it to Lizzie.
"Wow it looks amazing." Lizzie said opening the box lid and having a peek inside. She looked back up at Red and smiled. "Thank you."
Red smiled and nodded his head.
"Would you like to come in and sit down?" Lizzie asked as she gestured to her office.
It was then that Red frowned slightly.
"Actually I was hoping to have a word with Cooper. We have a situation."
"So let me get this straight." Ressler said. "Someone has discovered you now are working with us but you have no idea who it is, where they are or what they plan on doing with this information. Is that what you're telling me?"
"Very good Donald. You just repeated everything Harold just said." Red said sarcastically.
Red, Lizzie, Meera, Cooper and now that he has returned from court, Ressler sat around the large rectangular table in the conference room at the post office. Dembe stood as quiet as always in the corner by Red.
"Who it is, well I have that narrowed down to 3 people. Where they are? I have the general locations of two of them and the third will take some time but that too will be easy enough to come by. Now what they plan on doing with this information is a whole other question." Red said looking as relaxed as he always.
"Who are the three?" Meera asked.
"Samuel Dalton. A mercenary who once worked with Anslo Garrick. Deshi Sun. A very powerful high up the ranks member of a well known terrorist group in China. Lewis Bancroft. A private contractor if you will. Pay him enough money he will do anything you need him to do." Red said.
"If you had to guess which one who do you think it is?" Lizzie asked.
Red was silently for a brief moment before saying, "Lewis Bancroft."
"Why?" Lizzie asked.
"Because while Samuel worked with Garrick for a number of years he's still a mercenary. They don't really have any allegiance to one another. And as far as Deshi Sun goes, while he may not like me very much, he still knows I have connections and can get any job done." Red replied.
"Why would this Bancroft have it in for you?" Ressler asked looking at him at the end of the table.
"About a year ago, a deal I had hired him for went south. He was out his $10 million payment and he blames me even though I had nothing to do with it." Red said.
"Blame the middle man type of situation." Ressler replied.
"Exactly." Red said.
"So do you know where this guy is?" Lizzie asked.
"And what do you think he plans on doing with this information?" Cooper asked.
"Sell it to the highest bidder?" Ressler said.
"Normally yes. But I don't think so." Red said. "While he has made a decent name for himself he's still very much unknown. Hasn't done anything to really get his name in the paper so to speak. I think if he was wanting to sell just to make money he would have done so already. He would get a pretty big chunk of change for this kind of information."
"So what do you think he's planning on doing?" Cooper asked looking at him.
"Try and take me out himself." Red said with a nod. "If he was the man who killed Raymond Reddington for deflecting to the FBI, he would be wildly popular in the criminal world. A hero if you like."
"Makes sense." Ressler nodding his head.
"Everything I say makes sense Donald." Red said with a grin.
"So what do we do now?" Lizzie asked.
"Well if he's right and Lewis is wanting to take him out himself then he can't very well be running around in the streets. We have an asset to protect." Ressler said.
"I have absolutely no intention of going into the hiding if that's what you are suggesting Agent Ressler." Red said firmly.
"Someone wants to kill you. You have to." Lizzie says looking at him.
"Someone always wants to kill me Lizzie. That's why I have Dembe." Red said looking at her with a smile. "No I will continue on with my business as usual while you all look for Bancroft. If he knows I'm working with the FBI then that means he's been following me and if he has been following me then he knows I've been staying in and around the D.C area. So I would say this is where he is at. Somewhere in this city. It's your job to find him.
Thursday. 7:00PM. Washington D.C.
Lizzie parked her car directly behind the black four door Mercedes that was parked in front of a small bar on NW 14th Street. Den Of Thieves the sign on the building said. Lizzie's eyebrow raised at the name of the restaurant. She turned off her car, unbuckled her seatbelt, and opened her door getting out of the car. She walked towards the bar's entrance. Stepping inside she looked around. Surprisingly, they had a large crowd. It didn't look that busy from the outside. The main focus of the décor was blood red walls with various drawings and pictures. Along one side of the bar was a massive black bar with a line of red chairs. The rest of the area was filled with black tables and booths, all also with red chairs. She heard music playing over the speakers. A cross between jazz and reggae. As she was looking around she spotted Dembe sitting at the very end of the bar. He nodded his head to her. She started walking towards him and when she reached his side she saw he was eating chicken wings in a red plastic basket and drinking some type of red colored cocktail.
"Hey. Where is he?" Lizzie asked.
"Over there." Dembe said pointing his finger to the far back of the bar. She looked and almost didn't see him. He was sitting at a 2 person table in the very back corner near the kitchen. It was so dark that had Dembe not pointed him out, Lizzie would have missed him. The only light was coming from a very small table lamp.
She left the bar and walked to Red's table. She couldn't help but notice how out of place he look wearing his perfectly tailored three piece suit.
"Not a place I would guess you would frequent Red." Lizzie said taking off her jacket and hanging it on the chair back before taking her seat. "Name is a bit on the nose too don't you think?"
Red laugh as he watched her sit down. In front of him was also two red plastic basket that had hot dogs and homemade chips in them and two glasses.
"You're right, it's not really my kind of place but Dembe loves their Korean fried chicken wings. Again not really my thing. I took the liberty of ordering you what I get. A hot dog topped with Asian slaw and spicy mayo." Red said taking a sip of his drink.
"And the drinks?" Lizzie asked.
"Ah, well this is what they call a Honor Among Thieves. It's whiskey, lemon, honey, angostura bitters and ginger ale. Not bad really." Red says.
Lizzie took a sip of her drink and had to agree. Not bad.
"So tell me, what have you found out about Lewis Bancroft since I left you this morning." Red asked picking up his hot dog.
"Well he's certainly not trying to hide himself. Aram was able to find security footage of him leaving out of Miami International Airport last night and arriving at Reagan National Airport around 5AM this morning. No luggage just a backpack with him. From the footage the only thing in it was a black hoodie, a couple changes of clothes, cell phone charger and a Stephan King novel. Nothing that would flag security or seem out of place. He arrived and left both airports in a taxi. Meera did some checking with the taxi companies. In Miami the taxi picked him up at a downtown burger joint and here in D.C. the taxi dropped him off at a Best Western about five miles or so from the Blacksite. Meera called the motel and they said no one was checked in under that name so Aram checked the motel security footage and when he got out of the taxi he never went inside. Waited till the taxi pulled away and then he started walking on foot. Aram checked all other motel, hotel and ATM security footage from the area and lost him after a couple of miles. It seemed like he knew where any cameras were and knew where to go to lose them." Lizzie said.
"I'm sure he does. Lewis isn't a stupid man and he has made some friends over the years. He's probably called in a few favors here and there." Red said picking up a chip.
"No idea where he's at now. We're at a dead end. We've put an APB out on him and his picture and description has been sent to all news and radio station but so far nothing." Lizzie said.
"He will make a move soon. Don't worry about it." Red said calmly taking a sip of his drink.
"Don't worry about it! Red you have a hit man in town who's intent is to kill you. How can you be so calm?" Lizzie exclaimed.
"Someone is always trying to kill me Lizzie. After 20 years, you get use to it." Red said with a shrug and a grin. "Now eat your dinner. It's getting cold."
Lizzie couldn't help but stared at him. She had been a nervous wreck all day. Terrified that every time the phones rang it was going to be about Red. She's seen first hand that Red can take care of himself. He wouldn't still be alive if he couldn't. She knows from his background that Dembe is a lethal fighting machine who too can take care of himself and has been helping protect Red for many years. If you look at all the facts on paper she knows it's really Lewis not Red that should be worried. In her head she knows this. However, she doesn't think she should eat her hot dog. She's pretty sure it wouldn't stay down anyways.
"Where are you heading to now?" Lizzie asked as they sat in the backseat of Red's car. Dembe standing outside the back passenger door blocking Red's view.
"Dembe and I have a couple more stops to make before we call it night. I too have a few friends on the look out for Lewis and I need to check in on them." Red said looking at her.
"You don't think we're going to find him before he finds you?" Lizzie asks.
"We as in the FBI?" Red asks.
Lizzie nods her head watching him.
"Lizzie, I believe in you. You are a very intelligent woman who has tremendous instincts and survival skills. I would not hesitate in putting my life in your hands." Red said firmly, eyes never leaving hers. "That being said, you work for the FBI. You follow the rules of the FBI. The FBI has trained you to think like they do. And knowing the FBI as I do, I thought it was best to do some searching of my own."
Lizzie looked at him for a moment before nodding. She knew she should feel insulted. By looking down on the FBI, he was looking down on her. However, she couldn't help but think maybe he was right. She does follow the rules of the FBI and as she has seen in the past, sometimes those rules needed to be broken to get things done.
"Go home Lizzie. Try to get some rest. I'll meet you at the post office in the morning." Red said softly.
Lizzie nodded before opening the back door and getting out.
She rounded the back of the car heading to her own. Dembe nodded to her as he got into the driver's seat. They were pulling out as she started her car.
While it wasn't a long drive home, it felt like it to Lizzie. She was tired, physically, mentally and emotionally. She always was able to handle and stay focus on any case she's ever had. Always calm, the voice of reason. Never once did any case stress her out. Why was this one she thought to herself. Because you've never had a case where someone personally close to you was the target, the voice in her head said. WHOH! Where did that come from? When did she start caring about Raymond Reddington? Lizzie shook her head to clear that current train of thought. That's not it she thought. She does not care about Red. Ok sure she's gotten use to seeing him and his calls didn't fill her with dread as they once did but as Ressler said, Red was an asset that had to be protected. That's why she's worried about him.
God I need a new job Lizzie thought as she pulled in front of her house. Something simple, safe. Something where she wouldn't get shot at on a daily basis.
Lizzie got out and locked her car. She stopped for a moment to look at her surrounds but after seeing no one and nothing out of place, she made her way to her front door. After unlocking her door, she bent over to pick up her mail that was scattered on the entry floor before walking in completely, shutting her front door and locking it.
"Hudson?" Lizzie called out, looking through her mail. "Mama's home."
Lizzie frowned as she didn't hear the running of the dog on the hardwood floors. She shrugged off her coat, hung it on the hall tree and started walking into the living room. The sound of Hudson as he started to bark filled the living room. As she approached the kitchen, she saw that Hudson was outside and his doggy door that was attached to the backdoor was blocked off by a piece of white wood.
Just as she started to reach behind her for the gun in the waistband of her pants, two hands holding a rope wrapped around her throat. Lizzie gasped as the rope tightened around her neck and her hands immediately went to the rope trying to loosen it.
"You know as long as I've known Red, he's always involved himself with women his own age." A voice whispered in her left ear. "He's started going through his mid-life crises a little late."
Lewis Bancroft. That name and Hudson's frantic barking was the only thing that was registering in Lizzie's head.
"When I found out that the great and powerful Raymond Reddington was voluntarily working with the FBI, I just couldn't believe it! Why? What in the world would possess him to jump ship? And then as I started watching him I found out what it was." Lewis said as he fought against Lizzie's constant struggle. "You. You are the reason he turned himself in. He's helping you catch criminals like me to get close to you. He cares about you. Which is very sweet but also very stupid. Anybody who has it in for Red could use you to get to him. And that's exactly what I'm going to do."
Lizzie struggled to get out of Lewis' hold but he was strong and with the rope around her neck it was getting harder and harder to breath. She could feel herself getting dizzy. Oh my God Lizzie thought to herself. She could make out Hudson still barking and banging his head against the doggy door, desperately trying to get in.
Lizzie saw how close she was to the kitchen table and chairs. She wrapped her hands around Lewis' that were at her throat and used him to lean her weight on before she bend her leg as far back as she could and kicked the chair sending it flying against the door. She closed her eyes as black spots started clouding her vision and nausea was beginning to take over. She could hear the sound of glass cracking and forced her eyes to open back up. Just then she saw Hudson run a few feet back in the yard and then take off heading right for door, running faster then she's even seen her normally lazy dog run. Lizzie eyes started drooping again and the sound of Hudson breaking through the glass door and his killing growl were the only thing she could hear. All of a sudden Lewis' hands and the rope were gone from her neck. She fell to the kitchen floor gasping for breath as the sound of Lewis' screams and Hudson's snarling echoed throughout the room.
As she laid on the floor fighting to get air back in her lungs, somewhere behind her she could hear the sound of something banging on the front door and wood splitting apart. Lizzie could make out loud boot covered footsteps running against the wood floors and gun shots. The footsteps were getting louder as it got closer to her.
"Ms. Keen! Ms. Keen are you alright! Damn it Tony I thought you said you had this place surrounded! How did the son of bitch get in here!" A voice above her screamed out right before she felt one hand touch her back and another on her arm, turning her over onto her back. Lizzie slowly blinked her eyes open. Above her she saw an older man with long gray hair that looked to be tied back in a pony tail and a gray goatee looking at her with worry on his face. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Hudson slowly walk his way to her. He had blood all over his face, coating his fur. He dropped down next to her, whimpering into her neck and making small licks to her cheek.
"I'm fine. Just a little dizzy and nauseated." Lizzie replied softly, trying to blink some of the black spots away.
"Ms. Keen I'm terribly sorry we didn't get here faster. We didn't know you were in danger till we heard the glass breaking.' The gray haired man said to her as he checked her pulse.
"It's ok. By the way, who are you?" Lizzie asked, very confused.
"An old friend of Mr. Reddington's." The man said with a small smile.
"Right." Lizzie said before she moved slightly trying to get up. She was instantly hit with a new wave of dizziness and an even more severe attack of nausea.
"Ms. Keen I think you should stay laying down. The ambulance is on it's way and will be here in a moment." The man said forcing her to lay back down.
"That's good because I think I'm going to pass out." Lizzie said softly before she succumbed to the darkness.
"Lizzie? Lizzie I need you to wake up." said a voice in her ear. Red. She would know his voice anywhere. She tried to open her eyes, she really did but they just wouldn't open. She moved her fingers that were being held in another hand.
"Lizzie you're in the back of an ambulance. In front of your house. You're wearing an oxygen mask because you were very low on oxygen. That's why you passed out. You have some pretty severe bruising on your neck and the medic thinks your vocal cords are also bruised. We won't know for sure till you go to the hospital and get checked out." Red says softly in her ear.
Lizzie tries to swallow a few times but it hurts. She thinks the medic might be right.
"Lizzie. I have to go have a word with Ressler. I won't be more than a few feet from you and I'll be right back. Dembe is standing at the foot of the ambulance as well." Red says. She feels him let go of her fingers and the light movement of him leaving the ambulance. She spends the next couple of minutes trying to move her neck and open her eyes. Her neck hurts worse then her throat.
After a few failed times, she was finally able to slowly blink her eyes open. Her vision is mostly clear as she stared up into the ambulance. She slowly moved her head back and forth but was obstructed by the oxygen mask wrapped around her head. She reached up and took the mask off. Slowly she was able to sit up on the gurney and she raised her head. She locked eyes with Dembe who gave her a nod. She looked out passed him and saw nothing but a sea of lights against the darkness of night. Cop cars, fire trucks, a second ambulance, Red's Mercedes and a large handful of black SUV's.
She could see Red standing in front of her house speaking with Ressler and four other gentlemen. The only one of them that she recognized was the gray haired man from the kitchen. As she watched Red, she heard the sound of Hudson's whimpering. She looked in the direction of the sound and saw Hudson on a stretcher wearing a big white cone around his neck, looking at her.
"Oh my God Hudson!" Lizzie said trying to move the blankets off of her.
"Agent Keen you need to stop moving." The paramedic said, who was standing behind her filling out paper work.
"I'll get you Hudson, Ms. Keen." Dembe said to her before walking in the direction of her dog.
Lizzie watched as Dembe went over to the stretcher and spoke to the man standing there. The man was dressed in black dress slacks and a baby blue button up dress shirt so she knew he wasn't a paramedic. After a few moments the man nodded and Dembe picked Hudson up in his arms and began heading back to her.
Dembe climbed into the ambulance and placed Hudson in her lap. Lizzie immediately wrapped her arms around the dog. She saw that several patches of Hudson's fur had been shaved and he had long rows of stitches all over head, ears and down the front and back of his neck.
"Oh my God! Hudson. Are you ok?" Lizzie said softly as she looking at him.
"He'll be just fine." Red said walking back up into the ambulance and taking a seat on the bench next to her.
"It looks a lot worse then what it is. He had to have all the glass picked out of his skin and get stitched up. That's why some of his fur is shaved and the stitches are why he has to wear that cone. So when they start to itch he doesn't try to scratch them. The man you saw him with was a friend of mine whom is a vet. I called him after I got here and saw how bad your dog looked." Red said looking at her.
Lizzie broke eye contact with Red to bury her face in Hudson's side. He whimpered and turned to lick the side of her face. Lizzie giggled as she move her face away.
"My friend said that Hudson will have to wear that for maybe two or three weeks. They call it the cone of shame but there is no shame in why he has to wear that. He saved your life Lizzie." Red said.
"I know." Lizzie said softly as she scratched on Hudson's side.
"I'm sorry my guys didn't get to you in time, Lizzie." Red said with a frown.
"It's ok. By the way, where is Lewis?" Lizzie asked looking up at him.
"On his way to the city morgue. Not sure if it was Hudson who killed him when he lunged for his throat or if it was the bullet from my guys' gun. Either way, he's dead." Red said.
"Did you know he would come after me?" Lizzie asked.
"The thought did crossed my mind but I didn't know for sure."
"You could have told me I was being watched." Lizzie frowning.
"I did. You knew you were being watched. I told you that day at the church. You said you thought you were being followed and I said you were by my people." Red said looking at her.
"That was weeks ago! I didn't know that was still going on." Lizzie exclaimed. "From now on tell me when you are having me followed. Or still having me followed."
"How about from now on you just assume I'm having you followed and when you're not I will tell you?" Red says with a grin.
Lizzie sighed and rolled her eyes. A thought just crossed her mind.
"Will they do anything to Hudson? I mean he did attack and possibly kill someone." Lizzie asked worriedly.
"No. I'll make sure nothing happens to Hudson. He protected his owner from an attack in your house. No one will do anything to him Lizzie. I promise." Red said firmly looking at her.
Lizzie nodded her head. Hudson was sound asleep in her lap, snoring softly.
"You won't be able to get in your house for awhile yet Keen. It is a crime scene and there is massive damaged to the house itself. For example, you have no front or back door." Ressler said walking up to the ambulance. She noticed Meera next to him.
"Don't worry Liz. I'll go in and pack you a bag." Meera said.
"Thank you." Lizzie said. Meera nodded her head.
"Agent Keen we really do need to get you to the hospital. You need to be fully checked out by a doctor." The paramedic said behind her.
Lizzie nodded.
"I still need to get your full account of everything that happened Keen but we can talk in the morning." Ressler said.
"Thanks." Lizzie said.
Ressler gave her a nod before him and Meera walked away heading back to the house.
"I doubt they will keep you overnight Lizzie. Just a quick check up is all you need I think. You will of course be staying with me while you're home is being repaired." Red said very matter of factly. "Dembe and I will follow you to the hospital. Hudson can stay in the car with him while we are inside getting you checked out."
Lizzie nodded her agreement. She knew there was absolutely no point in arguing with Red. Plus she didn't feel like it either. Lizzie began to shake Hudson awake so Dembe could take him to the car. She said his name a couple of times before he opened his eyes and looked at her.
"Hudson Mama has to go to the hospital for a check up but she'll be back. You're going to stay with Red and Dembe." Lizzie said to Hudson.
"Do you really think he knows what you're saying." Red asks with a grin.
"Yes I do. He's a very smart dog." Lizzie said firmly. "Please don't forget his stuff from the house. His bed and blanket are upstairs in my room, his toys are in the basket next to the couch, can food and snacks are in the pantry and his water and food bowls are next to the refrigerator."
Red smiled at Lizzie as she named off everything Hudson would need before nodding his head. Dembe handed Red a dark blue leash which he in turn handed to Lizzie. Lizzie put the leash on him, gave him one more hug and kiss on the nose before letting Dembe walk him to the car. The paramedic helped Lizzie lay back down the stretcher and put the oxygen mask back over her face.
"We'll be right behind you." Red whispered. Lizzie nodded and watched Red get out of the ambulance. Within minutes the doors were closed, the sirens blasted and off they went.
After Lizzie left, Red walked back over to Dembe and Hudson who were standing by the car. He took off his hat, got down on one knee and looked eye to eye with Hudson.
"I don't know if you can understand me or not but you're a good dog Hudson. A very good dog."
Hudson gave him a woof in return.
The End!
A/N: Well that ended up WAY longer then I had planned! I guess this could have been broken up into 2 parts but oh well. I do hope you enjoyed it :)
A gold star for anyone who figured out how Lewis got into Lizzie's house LOL