Jealousy
Tom found himself in a very peculiar position. He had no idea why he agreed to work with Reddington. Well, that wasn't true. It was because of Liz and he wanted to keep breathing. Besides, he could still protect Liz.
Their relationship was still rocky but he proved to be an asset to the team. Liz remained civil and he was thankful every day when she didn't glare daggers at him. He swore if looks could kill he really would be a dead man. It didn't matter what Reddington did to him. Liz was sure to create the most damage. She had proven that during their fight.
Now, he stood in a room full of strangers. Powerful strangers with money to throw away. His job was to just observe the crowd. Boring work. He was itching to do something. He didn't know how much more he could take.
He was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard her laugh. A laugh he hadn't heard in a long time. A laugh he once could bring out of her. He scanned the crowd to see her dancing with a ruggedly handsome man. He noticed the way her hips moved to the music and he remembered many occasions dancing with her.
Tom continued to watch as the man's hands were trying to touch her elsewhere. He had the urge to go over there and punch him in the face or do something much worse. He could be discreet. No one would notice this idiot's sudden absence.
Liz's laughter grew. He wanted to know what was so funny. If he didn't know any better, it seemed as if she was actually enjoying the attention. The way she would playfully hit him in the chest signaled she was interested.
Tom heard footsteps approaching. It was Dembe. "Don't do it. She's working."
He looked at Dembe annoyed. His mind knew she was working to get information but his heart was filling with anger. He didn't want anybody touching his wife.
Tom made up in his mind he would cut in. Dembe grabbed his arm narrowing his eyes. "Leave it alone," he warned.
"What are you going to do? Have Red beat me up," he said softly.
"No. Liz can do that on her own," he countered. Tom jerked out of Dembe's grip. He glanced over at the dance floor to find Liz gone. He scanned the crowd again furiously.
"Perfect. Just perfect," he muttered. He looked toward the stairs to see the man take Liz by the hand. His mind went to the gutter and there was no way whatever Liz was planning was going to work. Not on his watch.
He let his feet move noticing this time Dembe didn't try to stop him. His progress was slowed by people getting in his way. Tom let out a low growl inwardly cursing people. He looked at the stairwell once more to see them at the top of the stairs.
He picked up the pace and stayed close behind. They stopped in front of a room. He heard the man say how beautiful Liz was and how much fun they were going to have. Tom wished he had his gun with him. He could put a stop to this madness instantly.
He saw Liz wait for the door to open and walked inside. The door lock clicked and Tom clenched his fist.
Two minutes went by and he went to the door and banged on it hard. He was greeted with an irritated expression.
"What do you want?" the man asked. "You're interrupting something."
"Sorry I must have the wrong room," he said. "My apologies."
Liz in the meantime wanted to yell at Tom for interrupting her plans. She really wasn't going to sleep with this person. The plan was to get him drunk enough and tease him. He would tell her what she needed to know. Now she needed to find out the information another way. Plus, she knew Tom wasn't going to go away easily.
"Derrick, who is it? Make them go away," Liz said.
Tom watched the smirk creep on Derrick's face. "Got to go. My lady needs me." Derrick turned around and Tom took the opportunity to put him in a chokehold. Derrick struggled a few seconds but passed out.
Satisfied with his stunt, Tom dragged him into the room. He unceremoniously dropped him on the floor.
He looked up to see Liz's unpleased stare but he ignored it. "You okay?"
"I was until you interfered. Just help me find the list. First put him on the bed," she said. He gave her a curious look. "Tom, the bed."
He did and she started to strip Derrick of his clothes. Liz took out a syringe out of her clutch purse and showed it to Tom. "You forced me to go this route. It's a tranquilizer." She put the needle in the man's neck.
Once she put the syringe back she heard Tom snort. "Red taught you a lot."
"Actually I've been doing this for a while. I used to stab Red in the neck when he wouldn't give me answers."
Tom folded his arms over his chest surprised by her admission. He knew Liz was tough but he didn't figure her to stab anybody.
A part of her was proud of the impressed look he was giving her but she was still ticked. "Start looking."
They spent five minutes rummaging through his belongings. They found the client list Liz needed.
"Great we found it. Let's go," Tom said.
"Hold on," she said. She found a pen and paper and scribbled a note. Tom walked over and noticed she wrote the name Susan.
"Susan," he said amused.
Did you honestly think I was going to use my real name?" she questioned. She put the note on the nightstand. She kissed the side of Derrick's face leaving a bright red lipstick stain.
"Now we can go," she said. Tom opened the door first making sure the hallways were clear. He motioned for Liz to follow.
"Wait five minutes. Since everybody saw you prancing around with that loser it wouldn't look right if we came down together," Tom instructed.
"I'm not an idiot," she argued. He rolled his eyes and headed down the steps.
She went down five minutes later and was met by Dembe. He held out his hand for her to take. He gave her a mischievous look. She tilted her head to the side.
"You knew he wouldn't resist following me," she accused. He said nothing. He just smiled as they walked out of the party.
Liz was in the living room running names through the computer system. All the people on the list were involved in money laundering. This scam ran deep and it was going to take another month to track every single one.
She felt his eyes on her. "Is there something you need?"
"What did you find?" Tom asked.
"Money laundering," was all she said.
"Were you really going to sleep with him for information?" he asked after a minute of silence.
"It's not like I haven't done it before," she said looking at him pointedly. "Those were different circumstances. That Derrick guy, I wouldn't even go there. He's too free with his hands."
"You sure enjoyed yourself. You laughing in his face and hanging on his every word," he said not bothering to hide his frustration.
"What are you jealous?" she asked clearly amused at his expense. "Relax, why would I want a handsome billionaire when I have you?"
It was half-joke, half-truth. She felt he still cared and tonight proved how much he couldn't stand her flirting with someone else. Mission or not, they were still married.
"I'm not jealous," he argued.
"Liar," she said.
"Liz, I don't get jealous. I'm allowed to worry," he said. She got up from the couch and got in his face.
"So it won't bother you if I do the exact same thing to someone else. I might even go that far after all. What's wrong with having a little fun?"
She could see the fire dance in his eyes. "Not funny Liz."
"I'm not joking. I was your mission and you clearly benefitted. It's time I live up to the Keen name," she said enjoying this side of Tom.
He cupped the back of her neck. "What are you trying to do to me?"
"Nothing. Just letting you in on future plans," she said so innocently only increasing his anger.
"Then I'm going to be there to interrupt those idiotic plans every chance I get. No one is getting their hands on you."
She laughed softly. "The infamous Tom Keen is jealous. It's adorable really." She removed his hands from her neck.
She walked back to the couch adding more sway to her hips. She picked up the paperwork and went back to her computer.
Tom ran his fingers through his hair. She was egging him on and hitting him with hard truths he didn't want to face. He was extremely jealous.
"You're not serious about this," Tom said.
"I am. I'm a grown woman who can make decisions. How I handle a mission is my call. I don't need your permission," she said.
He went to the couch removing the computer from her reach. He faced her with an intense glare. "You're not as cute as you think you are."
"Well Derrick seemed to think so," she refuted.
She gave him a look that said she won this entire argument. His eyes flashed with a desire she hadn't seen for a while.
Before she knew it, he was kissing her. It had so much passion in it she was beginning to feel dizzy. He pulled back trying to control his breathing.
She could have hurled a smart remark but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Her eyes fell to his lips and then back to his eyes. She kissed him again moving herself on his lap.
His hands made their way under her legs. He picked her up bridal style and carried her to the bedroom.
Tom woke up the next morning to see Liz sleeping peacefully. He rested his head on his elbow and admired her. He pushed hair out of her face to take her in fully. He missed being able to touch her and her wanting to be touched by him.
She didn't look at him as some monster. He was just her husband.
Liz started to stir and eventually opened her eyes. A lazy smile formed on her lips. "Morning," she said.
"Morning," he said bending down to kiss her. She responded in kind.
"So last night was unexpected," Liz said. She saw the smile on his face disappear.
"Do you regret it?" he asked.
She reached up to caress his face. "No," she said. "I don't regret it at all. I should make you jealous more often. It's quite fun."
He pretended to be offended. "Keep saying that and I'll make you pancakes for breakfast."
She scrunched up her nose in disgust. "You win. I won't tease you anymore."
"Let's not get hasty," he joked as he went for her neck. She let out a laugh.
Eventually they got dressed and had breakfast. They just finished doing the dishes when Red and Dembe arrived.
Reddington gave them their next orders. They were to leave the country and go to Brazil to track down another informant. Reddington left and Dembe headed out the door. He stopped and winked at Tom and Liz. He wasn't oblivious to their feelings for one another.
"It's about time," he said and closed the door behind him.