He was unbelievable.
Elizabeth never knew what to expect when meeting with Raymond Reddington.
"An opportunity has come our way..."
She knew there was a catch the moment she walked through the door.
Reddington had begun speaking before the bell had even stopped ringing behind her, a veritable flood of information from a man who normally acted like giving answers was akin to pulling teeth.
All without further prompting.
She looked at him with utter skepticism.
Why would he just tell them all of this?
...
And why choose to bring it up in front of his tailor?
He could have presented the lead to the FBI back at the "Post Office".
Instead, he chose to have her meet him at his "dear friend" Roderick's store, brushing off her concern as if that explained everything.
...
It was possible he needed (yet another) suit.
More likely, he enjoyed having her at his beck and call.
His people arranged a meeting, the Bureua ensured she went; wherever and whenever he summoned her.
She could not decide if her new position was that of a messenger or an errand boy; ferrying information from Reddington to the FBI and jumping at his command to chase whichever Blacklister he deigned to offer them.
It seemed a little of both.
Elizabeth would have preferred neither.
...
Yet here she was, listening to him talk about the murder of government agents and selling state secrets to the Chinese as casually as most people would chat about the weather.
Despite her skepticism, Reddington seemed to be...having fun, acting quite chatty as he casually placed a hand on her left elbow and guided her further into the store.
Elizabeth tensed at the casual contact, the fingers on her left hand curling instinctively to rub her scar as she fought her unease and valiently resisted the urge to pull away from him.
Fortunately, Reddington's hand dropped away quickly and she was left strolling slowly beside him as he continued to list the virtues of selling government secrets to the highest bidder.
...
Elizabeth was still unconvinced.
No doubt seeing her expression of mixed irritation (being forced to spend her day with him), disdain (at his morals), and skepticism (that he wasn't just jerking them around), Reddington arrived at the point of his little speech.
Wujing.
Now Elizabeth was paying attention.
...
She searched his face eagerly, finding no sign he was lying.
Though it was unsettling how keenly he was watching her right back.
...
Uh huh.
...
Better to stay skeptical.
...
Reddington offering them Wujing on a silver platter was too good to be true.
The man was a myth, impossible to prove his existence, let alone capture him.
...
When Elizabeth said as much, Reddington's flippant response caught her off guard.
She wasn't sure what to make of his selection of examples...but Elizabeth recovered quickly, her enthusiasm momentarily checked.
...
There had to be a catch.
...
Reddington continued, assuring Elizabeth that Wujing was real...and that she would have the chance to catch him.
...
He certainly had her interest, even if Reddington's insistence that she be the one involved with all of the high profile captures was a bit disjointing and-
"I've already forwarded them your cover."
Wait a minute.
Elizabeth crashed back into the moment, confused at the abrupt jump from talk of theoretically capturing Wujing to- did he say a cover?
As in undercover?
….
He was unbelievable.
Calling a meeting with her at his tailor's to share "important" information with her.
Which Elizabeth took the liberty of correcting to "with the FBI" in her head.
...
She hadn't thought he would offer anything useful, but then he presented her (them) with the name Wuijing, offering the FBI a chance to capture the mysterious spy killer...
...before casually mentioning that she would be working undercover with him.
.
Not asking.
.
Declaring.
.
Stating it as fact.
.
As if it was already decided.
.
Just slipping it into the conversation.
Going as far as having already set it all up; creating a backstory and introducing "her" to their target.
.
All before even hinting at the plan to her.
.
It. Was. Insane.
Reddington failed to understand her objections to this "plan" of his.
...
That did not surprise Elizabeth at all, Reddington had proved anything but cooperative since she had first met him a few weeks prior.
He smiled with benign condescension at her, dodging any and all of her objections with such blasé ease it left her speechless.
...
So Elizabeth was forced to rely on AD Cooper's better judgement to free her from the so-called Concierge of Crime's ridiculous scheme.
x.x.x
Elizabeth Keen was incredulous.
They were actually supporting this.
...
Elizabeth could feel Reddington gloating silently as the FBI accepted his plan hook-line-and-sinker, the tide turning against her as the only one of the group in disagreement.
...
Agent Donald Ressler's angry demands she could understand.
...
It was a gut reaction for him.
To Ressler, the chance to save a "true patriot" from almost certain death was worth risking Elizabeth's (questionably loyal) life. Even if it meant he had to trust Reddington.
...
There was no winning with him.
Ressler would blame her if she did not agree to the mission, he would blame her if anything went wrong during the mission, and he would (in all likelihood) find something to blame her for even if everything went perfectly.
Elizabeth was guilty until proven innocent in Ressler's eyes...and having Raymond Reddington butting into her work and home life certainly made it hard to look innocent.
...
But Keen had been expecting some support from AD Cooper.
...
Reddington's plan was insane.
She wasn't a field agent. She was a profiler.
...
Right now, Elizabeth Keen should have been sitting at some desk in the depths of the Bureau's basements working on a beginner case like the rookie agent she was.
...
Elizabeth Keen should certainly not have been standing there being forced by her commanding officer to agree to an undercover mission she was not equipped to handle.
...
Yes, she had worked undercover before.
But never something like this.
...
A mission meant to spy on a man renowned for his ability to sniff out and kill the spies in his midst.
A mission where she would be left relying on one of the world's most wanted criminals as a partner; with only a flimsy cover story of a career she knew nothing about.
...
Elizabeth Keen could not believe it.
...
They had other options here, besides her.
...
AD Cooper knew who she was, he knew her training, he knew he was asking far more from her than anyone should have, just by having her work alongside Raymond "Red" Reddington.
It may have been a prestigious job, but it was not an easy one.
...
It certainly was not one Elizabeth would have asked for.
...
And still, at the drop of a hat, AD Cooper asked for more.
Caving instantly to Reddington's suggestion without a fight.
He simply turned to her, overriding her protests with the silent order: do as Reddington says.
...
And some small part of her was hurt by that.
...
Elizabeth steeled over the feeling of betrayal, burying it.
Careful to keep her face blank and determined- no signs of weakness -as she adjusted to the fact that when it came down to it, her boss cared more about results than about the safety of his agents.
...
x.x.x
...
Agent Malik helped her prepare for the mission.
Meera Malik was CIA, Chief Fowler had called her in to deal specifically with cases dealing with Reddington.
Working with Reddington was the only connection between the two of them, but so far Elizabeth respected Meera.
...
She was the only one of the bunch who seemed to trust Elizabeth.
As much as a CIA agent trusted anyone.
...
Perhaps it would be better to say Agent Meera Malik did not seem to actively dislike Keen.
...
She treated Elizabeth with respect and indifference.
Elizabeth appreciated that.
The dogged suspicion from the other FBI agents was wearing on her, leaving Elizabeth feeling resentful and exhausted...only to be faced with Reddington's mind-games and unexplainable, cloying interest in her and her life.
...
It made the CIA seem downright welcoming.
x.x.x
x.x.x
Author Note:
Just a short I wrote out while working on Touch & Trust.
I realized the tones didn't quite match up between that story and this, so I separated the pieces.
(No reason for it to go to waste!)
This is staying a one-shot since I've covered the rest of the material in Touch & Trust already.
Thanks for reading!