A/N "If this woman was as good at discovering people's secret desires as she was supposed to be, then he knew exactly what he would find on the other side of that door. It terrified him." Lizzington one-shot. AU, based on the Djinn promo. Alice is the Djinn. Warnings: Violence and mention of rape/dub-con. Disclaimed.
10. Temptation
Red sat across from the woman known as the Djinn, smiling like a wolf as they flirted around the business at hand. He'd left Liz at the safe house that morning while he met with Leonard regarding Dembe's abduction. Time passed quickly as they set plans in motion, and he'd opted to come straight to the meeting with the Djinn. It was best that Lizzie not be here for this one in any case. The Djinn, whilst she may well be useful to them, was notoriously unpredictable, and wildly unscrupulous. She was also a shrewd business woman. His weapons had been politely confiscated at the door of her white stone mansion as he anticipated, and he had to rely on his silver tongue to strike a deal.
He studied the woman sitting across from him, her blonde hair falling about her shoulders and her dress as white as the stone and décor of the rest of the house. White and pure. He smirked inwardly at the irony as she began to speak again in her clipped British accent.
"I thought perhaps a demonstration of my skills would be in order, Mr Reddington."
He was suddenly on alert, although he schooled his features to reveal nothing but mild interest. "What did you have in mind?"
She smiled graciously and uncrossed her legs, giving him a fleeting glance of her thigh. "I discern people's deepest desires…their darkest fantasies…and I make them come true. I've been researching you, Mr Reddington. You're a complex man to understand. You insist on all the trappings of wealth and refinement… and yet you'd sacrifice it all in a heartbeat. You indulge your every desire except the one thing you really want. It's fascinating."
Red could feel his heart beat pick up, despite his best efforts. "I'm glad to have provided some entertainment for you" he said dryly.
"Perhaps I can return the favor" she responded smoothly. She rose gracefully to her feet and motioned for him to accompany her. He followed her down the white marbled corridor until they reached a door at the end and she turned to face him. "Your deepest desire, Mr Reddington." She removed an ornate key from her pocket and slid it into the lock on the door. All Red's senses were prickling now. If this woman was as good at discovering people's secret desires as she was supposed to be, then he knew exactly what he would find on the other side of that door. It terrified him. The Djinn opened the door and gestured languidly for him to enter.
Sure enough, there she was. His deepest desire. His darkest fantasy. His greatest secret, though apparently not a secret any longer. Liz lay unconscious on the bed in the middle of the room, her blond hair arranged delicately on the pillows and her hands resting at her sides. She was dressed in a cream silk teddy that, despite being a very tasteful undergarment, left little to the imagination. In his shock he found himself wondering fleetingly whether it was hers or whether, as he suspected, she had been dressed especially for him. She was laid out for him like a sick offering.
He turned back to the Djinn, barely able to conceal his anger, his voice low and hard. "It's an utterly basic premise of any fantasy of mine involving a woman that she be both conscious and willing. I'm afraid you've failed on both counts."
The Djinn smiled almost sympathetically. "You're upset. That's perfectly understandable - I often find that people are afraid to admit their true desires, even to themselves. It's my job to discern the truth of their hearts. I assure you she'll wake up soon, and I think you'll find her quite amenable" she said alarmingly casually.
Red's jaw tightened with anxiety and fury. "What did you give her? GHB? How much?" As he spoke he strode into the room and approached the bed where she lay. He grasped her face gently with his fingers and thumb, turning her head to the side. "Lizzie? Can you hear me?" She didn't respond and he delicately opened one of her eyes, to find her pupils large and dark. He stood back and ran a hand exasperatedly down his face.
The Djinn studied this behavior with gentle amusement from the doorway. "Mr Reddington, I'm a master of my art, and the way I maintain my skill is to learn...and experiment. Let's see if you can resist temptation."
Red's head snapped up, but it was too late. She'd locked the door behind her, leaving him alone in the room with Liz. He would be able to pick the lock in time, but with no gun and Liz unconscious it would do little good. He paused and looked around the room, looking for anything that could be an advantage. As he looked he realized just how much research the Djinn had done. Unlike the marbled and gilded hallways of the house, this room was homely, with well loved, heavy furniture. Chairs were upholstered with butter-soft leather, and the book shelves were laden with his favorite writers.
He noticed two glasses and a champagne bottle in an ice bucket on the dresser and went over to inspect it. He shook his head as he examined the label on the bottle. It was a 2002 Louis Roederer, very rare and something he had tried only once in Paris several years ago whilst celebrating the success of a daring art heist. He had almost been happy that night. How on earth had she known about that? He looked over at Liz asleep on the bed and had to resist the urge to open the bottle and down the whole thing. This was going to be a long afternoon.
He comforted himself with the thought that she was in no danger, not while he was with her. Looking around the room again it occurred to him that, no matter how well she understood desires and interests, the Djinn clearly had no comprehension of love. There was nothing on earth that would tempt him to hurt her. Replacing the champagne bottle in the ice bucket with a twinge of regret, he walked over to the bed and pulled the embroidered cotton bedspread up to cover Liz while she slept, before settling in a chair by the window. It wasn't long before he heard a muffled sound from the bed.
"Red?"
He looked round and saw her half-sitting up, her voice sleepy. This was the hard part; he had no idea how he was going to explain the situation to her. He tried to sound as calm and confident as he could.
"Lizzie - how are you feeling?"
She glanced around the room, confusion evident, before her eyes settled on him. "Weird. Good-weird. What's going on?"
He nodded stiffly. "I'm afraid you were drugged. There's nothing to worry about, just a small hiccup in our plans. We're going to be fine."
She pushed the cover down to get up and let out an embarrassed laugh. "Oh my god, what am I wearing?! Where are my clothes?"
He swallowed and walked to the en-suite without meeting her eye. He returned with a glass of water and handed it to her, his eyes averted. "Drink this. I have every confidence that we will be leaving this place before long. The Djinn has a certain flare for the dramatic" he said stepping away and returning to his place by the window as far away from her as possible.
Liz frowned. "This is a demonstration" she said, her words thick with sleep.
Red clenched his teeth. "Yes."
Seemingly unconcerned about her state of undress, Liz hopped off the bed and began looking round the room, stopping to inspect the bookshelves and décor. Red watched as she picked up an ornate, hardback book, running her finger thoughtfully down the spine. The silk teddy was cut high on the leg, such that when she reached for another book he saw the delicate curve of her ass where it met the tops of her legs. He turned away hastily. This wasn't a fantasy, he thought glumly. This was torture. As if sharing his space with her day and night wasn't difficult enough, here she was, practically gift-wrapped in front of him.
"Oh…"
He turned back to her. She stood facing him, her eyes wide.
"...this room - it's just like your apartment…This is your fantasy" she said slowly.
Red worked his jaw uncomfortably. Even under the influence she didn't miss a thing. It was too much to hope that she wouldn't make the connection.
"It's the Djnn's interpretation of my fantasy" he said firmly, turning back to stare out of the window. "As soon as you're feeling up to it we'll go." He sucked in a breath when he sensed her presence behind him. She put her hand gently on his arm as she stepped into his eye-line, her slender body brushing against him.
She looked up at him from under thick lashes. "Red… am I your fantasy?"
He looked stricken as he observed her, her pupils dilated and her breathing fast. "Lizzie…"
Undeterred by his warning tone, she continued, her grip on his arm tightening. "Tell me the truth Red. You told me I was your north star. The way you looked at me…I've thought a lot about that night."
So have I, he thought.
She smiled and put a hand on his vest, her fingers running over the buttons as if she was considering undressing him. He closed his eyes, lost in the thought of it, the thought of taking her in his arms and just holding her. But considering that for one second was one second too long. He brought his hands up to gently take her wrists. He couldn't allow her to do this. She'd hate him for it when she sobered up. He'd hate himself for it.
"Lizzie" he said firmly. "You've been drugged, and it's affecting your judgement. I am so sorry that I am the reason this happened to you."
"I don't understand." She frowned, and it pained him to see her look of rejection, her forehead creased.
He slipped off his jacket and draped it around her shoulders. "Put this on and I'll get you some more water."
Before he could move she strode past him, his jacket falling from her shoulders to the floor. She made a bee-line for the champagne and held up the bottle excitedly.
"I've got a better idea" she said, raising an eyebrow. "How about we crack this open and you stop being a spoilsport?"
He watched in dismay as she began to tear open the foil on the bottle. Walking to her, he gently pulled the bottle from her grip and placed it back on the table.
"Hey!"
He sighed. "Lizzie if you drink that you'll fall asleep again. I need you to focus. We have to get out of here."
She leant back against the dresser and smiled. "Do you need me to save you, Red? That's what we do, isn't it? Save each other?"
He stared at her bleakly. When he didn't respond she rolled her eyes and walked to one of the paintings, yanking it unceremoniously off the wall. Tearing at the back she removed a stiff length of picture wire and went to the door. He watched as she knelt in front of the lock and worked at it until it clicked. She turned to him with a triumphant look on her face and he couldn't help but smile back. She was magnificent.
He retrieved his jacket from the floor and handed it to her, and to his relief she accepted it this time. Reaching out, he took the picture wire from her hand and secreted it in his pocket. "Ready?" he said as neutrally as he could.
"Wait. The Djinn - please don't...don't do anything. I know this didn't work out how you'd planned, but she didn't hurt me. Let's just get out of here."
He blinked for a moment and then stepped in front of her, opening the door quietly and gesturing for her to follow. They met no one on the way, and made it to the large entrance hall without incident. Red opened the front door and ascertained that their car was still out front. He handed Liz the keys. "Go and wait in the car."
"Red-"
"Now, Lizzie" he said firmly.
She looked at him and it seemed to him like sadness and disappointment. It hurt, but it was familiar. She didn't protest further, only turned wordlessly and walked to the car, his jacket dwarfing her small frame. He stepped back into the house and entered the main sitting room, where he found the Djinn sitting on the pristine white sofa, cradling a crystal tumbler in her hand. She seemed unaffected by his entrance, and merely raised the glass to him in a toasting gesture.
"Well done, Mr Reddington. You're a gentleman. There aren't many of those left in the world. Nevertheless, I assume my demonstration has convinced you of my talents."
He approached slowly and sat down on a nearby chair, clasping his hands in front of him. He regarded the woman for a moment and then shook his head. His tone, when he spoke, was thoughtful.
"The great confederate general Robert Lee said that a true gentleman is known not by his power, or income… but by his ability to forgive. Now, the young woman you saw fit to abduct…the woman you set up to be raped… she has a very forgiving nature. But I don't. You see Alice…I'm no gentleman."
Her eyes widened in alarm as his words sunk in but he was so fast she didn't even have time to scream. There was no escaping the truth, he thought as he wrapped the picture wire round the woman's neck. Where Lizzie saw a lock pick, he saw a garrote. He was a monster, and he could never, ever deserve her. It was a terribly painful thought. He tightened his grip, relieved that the woman's useless struggles only hastened her death. After it was done, he walked to the car without looking back, pausing only to collect his hat from the table in the hall.