I know I'm late for the party, but I wish you a Happy New Year! :)

Sorry for the delay, but I've been busy during the holidays.

I hope you like that one.


"No.", Red said, while he changed into one of his suits.

Mr. Kaplan gave him the necessary information about the whereabouts of Marcus Havering, so he had decided to leave immediately.

"I'm a trained agent," she tried to defend herself on the other side of the door, her head repeatedly knocking against it.

"And a possible victim. You stay here with Ezra. He is actually quite nice. Get acquainted with him. Make yourself at home."

Red found that recurring banging to be slightly annoying, so he went to open the door, and let her in. His tie hung loosely around his neck, and his shirt wasn't tucked into his pants yet, as Liz poked her head into his bedroom.

"I have better things in mind than..." she stopped for a brief moment to watch him closely before she finished in a softer tone, "making friends."

He looked over his shoulder as he buckled his belt and was highly amused, when her eyes abruptly focused on a different point in the room. With straightened neck and pursed lips, he began to tie his tie, "What would that be?"

"You!" She responded and regretted her statement immediately. She felt a flush creep up on her cheek, when Red smiled smugly through the mirror. Her brain tried to form a logical explanation but every time he put on this self-satisfied smirk, she went literally numb, unable to do anything. Even talking.

"If my person is all you have in mind, I consider myself flattered, but I think you wanted to say more. So please elaborate, Lizzy!"

She groaned out in frustration, "You'd rather go alone to meet a mysterious and dangerous man than take someone with you, who can help." She raised her hand when she saw that he wanted to say something, "You do that constantly, I know. But we'd be in trouble, if you get hurt, or worse."

They stared at each other for a few seconds until Red turned around to pack his bag. He breathed out deeply, while he neatly folded his shirts.

"I only want to talk to him. No guns and violence whatsoever." he responded.

Lizzy finally decided to enter his bedroom, in her opinion the most private and intimate room to a person and moreover she didn't want to have this debate with only her head in the room. It seems that Red didn't mind either. She kicked the door shut with her foot and leaned against it, her arms folded and a thin smile appeared on her face, "Interesting. If your meeting isn't dangerous at all, then why do I have to stay here? We both know that I'm not a distraction to you. I rather think you don't want me to see this man, because I might know him."

She could see, from where she was standing, that he tensed when she had finished her earlier statement.

He had a tight grip on his dress shirt and wasn't moving an inch. The wheels in his head ran wildly. He clenched his jaw and pondered on how she would react, if he told her that Marcus Havering is the new identity of her former husband Thomas Vincent Keen.

For the first time, he considered lying a possibility. She would surely hate him, no matter what he would do. On the other hand, she betrayed him as well and he gladly forgave her instantly.

The best solution would be to distract her. Lying once only leads into more lies, until you start to believe in your own deceit. He shook his head and put his shirt in his bag, before he turned around, startled for a short moment, to find her standing in front of him.

"You should have left it at 'You'. Why do I never get compliments from you, even though I give them to you as often as I can? It's very unfair. Don't you think my ego deserves to be massaged every now and then?" he said smugly, stressing the words 'massaged' and 'ego' while his eyes were intensely focused on her.

Liz expected that he would answer her by asking another question. She didn't know whether to laugh, or slap him for his presumption. She was used to his remarks and gazes, but innuendo was new on the list, and that only confirmed her assumption that she had been right about his contact.

She knows him.

She mirrored his gaze while her hands straightened his slightly crooked tie and leaned closer into his personal space, "Don't worry, your ego is big enough." she whispered in his ear and patted his chest playfully.

He had rather expected she would roll her eyes, or laugh, even saying 'Absolutely not', but she never ceased to amaze him. His eyes shined full of delight and a throaty chuckle escaped from his lips.

"That wasn't meant as a compliment." she said smirking.

Red answered in feigned offense, "Well, do you want to stay and continue trampling on my already shattered heart, or can I go on and pack my underwear in my bag?"

He didn't often show any kind of emotion but Lizzy caught a glimpse of sadness in his eyes. She didn't know, whether it was because he had taken her comment seriously, or because of this whole messed up situation. Probably because of both. Her fingers fumbled with his already perfect tie, her eyes focused on his tie. He had chosen a blue one, a color that made him look even more striking, if that was even possible.

Only when she felt Red's gaze on her, she stopped her movements and let her hands slowly slip down the entire length of his silk tie, before she finally let go and stepped away from him, "Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude."

Red watched fascinated how her hands worked on his tie, whereby her fingertips slightly grazed his torso, causing him to shiver lightly. He turned on his heels and drew a long breath. Something was different with Lizzy, since they returned from Nebraska but he couldn't tell what it was.

It wasn't only sympathy. He had always known that she cared more about him, than she would admit to herself but this was a whole new level of concern. Her gazes and the urge to be close to him were new to him.

"Raymond." Dembe interrupted his thought from elaborating, as his friend stepped into the room.

He turned around and gave him a puzzled look, waiting for him to continue.

"We have to go to the Post Office. There has been a development."

"I'll be there, shortly."

With that, Dembe disappeared as quickly as he came and Lizzy let out a groan in frustration, causing Red to stop in his tracks, "Is something wrong?"

"Can I, at least, come with you to the Post Office?"

"Of course! I don't want to shut you out completely." he said teasingly. God, how much he enjoyed teasing her.

"How generous!" she responded sarcastically, "I'll be waiting in the car."

With a raised eyebrow, he watched her walking out before he released a breath and finished packing quickly.


Their ride to the Blacksite was rather awkward. Neither of them dared to talk. Red watched the buildings of the city center as Dembe maneuvered the car through the dense traffic.

He didn't consider himself a fan of modern architecture. Throughout the years, he had the privilege to visit all of the continents, almost every country on the planet, and a various number of cities. Florence was among his favorites, as well as Venice, Copenhagen, Zurich and Munich.

His thoughts drifted to the time he climbed the Mount Kilimanjaro, when he was in his mid thirties. The view was astonishing and he wondered, if he would ever get the chance to see it again. Not only because of his damaged knee. He walked a dangerous path for years and was well aware of that fact. Death knocked on his door every now and then, so to speak, and he always survived. On the other hand, this time he wasn't so sure about that. He would sacrifice himself in a blink of an eye for the women he loved.

Loved

Yes, he loved them both, although his feelings had changed for this one particular woman. When did that happen? The answer was simple. Anslo Garrick. He killed Luli, threatened to kill Dembe, but when Anslo's associates brought in Lizzy, it felt as if someone squashed his heart.

It might sound like a cliché and overly cheesy, but killing her, simultaneously meant killing him. Their whole partnership was supposed to be a means to an end. If only he was a robot. A machine without feelings, nor a heart. Too bad that wasn't the case, because he had to live with the knowledge that she wasn't allowed to be his and that hurt.

Eventually Dembe parked the car in the garage. It was probably for the best not to fantasize about things that won't happen anyway. He followed Lizzy into the War Room where Aram was linking wires. He looked up briefly and smiled reassuringly at Lizzy, until he recognized Red close behind her and his smile faded and he dedicated his attention back to his task.

"Hey Agent Keen. Um, Mr. Reddington." he greeted them.

'Come on Aram. Pull yourself together!'

"What's going on?" Liz asked.

"Mail for Reddington." Ressler said as he walked down the stairs from Cooper's Office, "It came in two hours ago. We opened it, if you don't mind.", he added deprecatingly.

Red clenched his jaw and ripped the item out of his hand. His patience with him was wearing thin after their last encounter two days ago, and he knew that if Ressler says one more wrong word, he

would lose his tempter. He took out a mobile phone and blinked at Aram.

"They're using prepaid phones?", he asked.

He started his computer and nodded, "I think so."

"Which means you can't retrace the call.", Lizzy added sighing.

His eyes switched from Lizzy to Red, "Well, not quite. I wrote a computer program in high school..."

Red tipped his fingertips impatiently against his thigh, "I'm sure this is a lovely story, but would you please answer with a yes, or no?"

Aram winced quietly, "Yes, but I need a satellite connection to find out the exact location.

"For how long do I have to keep them talking?" Red asked, while he laid his black fedora next to the keyboard.

"If the program works, it should be done within 3-5 minutes." he said and linked the mobile with his computer and waited until the devices were connected. He gave Red a nod to call the only number in the call history.

Red flipped open the phone and took the seat next to Aram. He could feel that all eyes were focused on him and he wished for a little more privacy.

"Raymond Reddington. I am really glad you called."

The wheels in his head began to turn wildly as he heard the voice of his oppenent.

'Male. No familiar voice. Speaks with an accent. Probably German' he thought.

"Where is she?" he asked, his voice deadly low.

"With me and my associates. You have a beautiful daughter, Mr. Reddington.", the man chuckled,"I heard you take care of Agent Keen. I guess that means you won't give her to us then?

Red tilted his head and starred at his fedora.

"No, but I offer you a deal. I get you the thing you want, and you let her go."

The stranger huffed a laugh in amusement. His voice was penetrating, sometimes throaty, but not all the time. Red assumed that he must be around 60 years old.

"You're not in charge. We don't do any more deals with you. You betrayed us and it's time for you to suffer." he exclaimed, "Give us Elizabeth Keen! She will lead us to her father, so we can bring him to jail. Then... We. Will. Kill. Her!" he added, pausing between every word of the last sentence.

Those last words hit him directly into his heart. It was even worse than the Anslo disaster. The nerve under his eye twitched at the thought of Lizzie's lifeless body.

'He's obviously a psychopath.'

"I'll give you both." He glanced over to Aram questioningly, "All I need is time." Red said, still looking to him.

Aram got the hint and raised his thumb, meaning that he had traced the caller's location.

"If you don't stand by the agreement, your daughter will die. We're giving you a choice. Show a little gratitude!"

"I want proof that she's okay."

"Not today. Maybe the day after tomorrow, if you behave!"

With that statement, he hung up, leaving Red in the dark about the current condition of his daughter. Lizzy watched how his face went paler during the recent minutes. She had never seen him wrecked before but for the first time Raymond Reddington seemed clueless.

"They are somewhere in the Thuringian Forest, Germany." Aram told them.

"Could you make out the coordinates?" Liz asked, while she walked towards them both.

"No, but I know that there's a bunker within this area." he said and pointed to the map on the screen, "it was a secret munitions bunker during the Second World War. The perfect hideout, if you ask me."

Red and Liz stared at him confused. How did he know this? Without him, they would apparently all have been dead already, and now it seemed he saved them again.

"I read a lot of history books." He shrugged as he recognized their perplexed looks.

"It's a shame that you're working for the government, Aram. I would pay you double."

He patted his shoulder in thanks, which made Aram smile tremulously. Red picked up his fedora and turned to Lizzy, "Ezra will be here soon to pick you up. Until then, tell Cooper that I'll be back tomorrow. He should set a meeting with Agent Navabi and Aram."

"I guess you have a plan?"

"I do." He answered and placed his hat back onto his head, straightening it with a tip on the brim.

"I will see you tomorrow, Lizzy."

She looked over to Aram, who disconnected the cables and followed Red heading for the elevator.

"Red. Wait!"

"Yes?"

She bit down on her lip and suddenly felt terribly embarrassed for running after him, "I just... I mean..." she stuttered and breathed in deeply, gathering her courage while looking him straight in the eyes, "Please take care!"

The fixed expression on his face swiftly changed as he saw her haunted look. His mouth parted slightly, because he didn't know how to respond. The feeling that someone, especially she, told him to take care, overwhelmed him with a warmth he had not felt in years. He wrapped his arms around her and dropped a short kiss onto her hair.

"Everything will be fine. We will be fine." He whispered, his hands moving comfortingly over her back, and somehow she believed what he said. His soothing voice always had a calming effect on her, let alone his whole appearance. She let out a shuddering breath, closed her eyes and grabbed a fistful of his jacket as his arms flowed around her. Her small form fit perfectly into his, like a key that only fits into the front door of your house. The world around them slowly faded away and the noises around them disappeared, as their bodies melded into each other. All her fears and worries left her figure as Red tightened his grip. Even though there were standing in a relatively dark corner of the room, their embrace was suspiciously observed by Ressler and Samar.

"I knew they were in cahoots." Ressler mumbled with one hand at his hip at the top of the stairs.

"They aren't."

"Yeah, and what is that over there?"

"Affection you smartass!" Samar answered with annoyance in her voice.

Red pulled eventually away, neither aware of the fact that her partners had witnessed the recent scene but to be honest, they wouldn't care about it either. He kissed her forehead one more time and stepped into the elevator, smiling lightly, "I'll let you know, if I get a lead."

Or in other words 'I'll let you know I'm fine, when I'm done', but he assumed that she got his hint, and when her face brightened, he knew she did.


[9 hours later in Chicago]

Red and Dembe were standing at the corner, watching their target talking to a man in a small alley. It was already 9 p.m and therefore dark. Both men wore black hoodies and hid behind a bar.

Dembe was standing behind his employer and friend, and let his eyes roam around the street. The area could be described as filthy. Prostitutes and junkies ruled the area and Red would have rather spent the evening with Lizzy at his safehouse. He didn't like the image of her being alone in his house. Well, she wasn't alone but apparently Ezra wasn't the company she wanted.

She wanted to be with him. The corners of his lips turned upwards at the thought of that.

He looked over his shoulder at Dembe and pointed at the garbage bins, before he slowly walked towards them to hear better what Tom was talking about. He removed the safety of his gun and leaned his back against the cold metal, turning his head only slightly to make out the features of the other man, but he couldn't see anything due to the dark.

A rustling appeared from behind, causing him to turn around completely, only to find Dembe lying unconsciously on the ground. Kneeling at his side he checked for his pulse, which was fortunately steady. He let out a breath in relief and looked for further injuries. There was no blood on his friend, only a small injection site. Whoever did this, must have given him a sedative.

There was no way that Red could do the interrogation without Dembe, so he had to leave this place as soon as possible. Again, he checked his surroundings and found Tom to be standing merely 3 feet away from him.

"Tom, I'm not here to..." Red started, but his words were cut off by Tom's left arm around his throat. Still kneeling with his gun lying beside Dembe, Red wanted to shoot, but Tom's reaction was faster as the sole of his shoe booted his hand hard. Red groaned out in pain, trying desperately to escape from his grip. Breathing became harder by the time, and he was almost sure that he wouldn't come out of this alive this time. He brought his left hand up to encircle Tom's wrist, which was more difficult than he thought it would be.

"I should have killed you when I had the chance at the hospital." Tom panted and watched Red's pale face with a thin smile.

Tom's grip tightened and Red's only weapon right now were his teeth. He shifted a little to the left and bit down on Tom's upper arm as hard as he could, making him scream out loud. His hold on him loosened, causing Red to cough before he took a few shuddering breaths, until his lung was finally filled with enough oxygen.

"I need to know where..." he tried again to get his attention, but he was already lying on his back, and felt how he was kicked into his stomach over and over again. Red rolled onto his side and laid his arms protectively around his belly. He knew he would pass out and hoped it would happen soon. His last thoughts were of his daughter and Lizzy. He had failed. Failed to save Jennifer and Lizzy. He failed to tell Lizzy how he felt. How ridiculous it was. If he would get out of this alive, it will be the first thing he would do.

"Sorry Ray, but he told me to let you suffer!" Tom whispered and stabbed him with a knife into his shoulder. Red only whimpered and heard a familiar voice screaming from afar.

Lizzy?

Lizzy!

He opened his eyes and there she was, her gun pointed at Tom.

She can't do that.

"Lizzy, don't!" he groaned between gritted teeth.

She pulled the trigger without blinking, hitting Tom right into the head. His body hit the ground with a dull 'thud'. Red glanced into his emotionless eyes one more time before his eyes fell shut and he finally passed out.