This is AU in that I am not following the cases of the Blacklist, just the characters. This story takes place sometime after Anslo Garrick.
Raymond 'Red' Reddington sat on a park bench looking on as world walked passed. It was obvious to anyone who cared to notice him, that this was a man deep in thought. Troubling thoughts, if the intensity in his eyes was anything to go by. No one really noticed, everyone went about their own day, their own problems, and their own lives. The only one who cared, the only one who knew, was also the one who had brought the worry to his man.
Dembe stood a few feet away from his boss. A magazine open in front of him, but he was not reading it. He wasn't even pretending to read it. Instead he scanned to crowed, loyally always looking to protect his friend. If you watched closely, however, you would see that every few minutes his eyes would return to the man sitting on the bench. It was the only indication that he was worried.
It had been three hours. For three hours Reddington had been sitting on that bench, and he had barely moved a muscle in all that time. Three hours since Dembe had received the phone call.
Three hours ago, Reddington had been finishing up a transaction with one of his assets. The job had gone well, everyone had made a little money, life was good. They had been walking through the park, enjoying the late summer air, when Dembe's phone had rung. After a short conversation, Dembe turned to his boss, and the air changed when Red saw his facial expression.
"What's happened?" Reddington had been prepared for almost anything: an asset had been killed, a deal had fallen through, the FBI was in trouble and needed his help again.
He was not prepared for this.
"Sir. That was Aspen. She never made it to Saint Kitts. She's disappeared."
The reaction was instant. His face had lost all emotions, and his body had gone deadly still. After a minute he had made his way over to a bench, removed his hat, and placed it on the bench before sitting down himself.
Three hours later, the hat still sat beside him; discouraging anyone from joining him.
"Ok." He finally spoke. He stood to approach his body guard. "Get Aspen back on the phone. I want all the details. Everything she knows about what happened. Then get our guy in Aviation Security… what was his name again. The little man with the bad toupee… Talan Harris… I am going to want to talk to him as well."
They started to walk, when Reddington stopped.
"And set up a meeting with Agent Keen for tonight. I have the strangest feeling we are going to need the FBI on this."