Truth to be told I don't really like the previous chapter so I wrote the next one… Hope you'll enjoy!

Don't own anything…

10. The ugly truth

"Yes." a familiar voice spoke while he appeared from the other room. "Miss Elizabeth, I think we already know each other."

"Berlin." she whispered.

A man with one hand just stepped next to the other and studied her for a minute.

"I have to tell you, I'm a bit confused right now. I thought that you, my dear, are Mr. Reddington's daughter but now seeing you in his shirt after you kissed on the corridor…it makes me think that you're his lover. It's not that satisfying but it will be good enough."

"For what?"

"For make him suffer." Berlin hissed. "Do you remember that story about Berlin and her little girl? It was my daughter! Your government gave the mission to Reddington and the other idiot to send her back. They did it actually…I got my innocent daughter piece by piece."

Liz's eyes filled with tears. That couldn't be…Red couldn't do this to a woman…

"I'm really sorry Elizabeth…would you allow me to call you Elizabeth?" Berlin continued.

"If you kill me you'll be like Reddington. I'm sure that your daughter wouldn't want to see you like her murders."

"Don't tell me what my daughter would think about me!" he shouted. "Your boyfriend killed her with cold blood then he cut her in pieces and sent back to me!"

"He's not my boyfriend." she hissed. Liz knew, matter of time and Red would come in and told them that he didn't kill an innocent human being. She was sure that Red would save her and ended up this nightmare; until then she had to keep going on.

"You can call him anything; friend, boyfriend, lover, partner…it doesn't matter. You're his vulnerability. His kryptonite. I have to tell you I rarely meet with such strong woman like you and however I don't really want to I'll let you suffer then kill you. Because he must pay for his sin."

###

Red knew he would lose Lizzie. The question was: how? He knew he had to tell the truth to keep her alive but she would hate him more than ever; all the lies, the suspicions drove her away from him forever. But he must tell or Berlin'd kill her.

As soon as they reached the town Berlin's people tracked him down. He told Dembe to wait for Lizzie at the small airport because he wasn't sure he would be still alive and Red wasn't sure that he would want to live without her anymore.

"I'll lose her again; this time I'll lose her forever…but at least she'll live; she can start a new life, a new family…And Berlin will protect her."

The two men brought Red into the storeroom and saw Lizzie in the middle of it with her back to him restrained to a chair while two other man were talking to her. He sighed in relief when he noticed her strong and steady voice; they hadn't hurt her yet. Red smiled a little when he saw his black shirt on Lizzie.

###

Liz felt her heart pounding strong in her chest however Berlin nor László did make any sign which would prove that they'd really going to hurt her.

"How do you know that Reddington did it to your daughter?" she asked but noticed that someone entered the room.

"All of the secret reports tell that Reddington and Marcus Gibson lead the team which traced down my daughter and her lover then they killed them." he looked up and a satisfied smirk appeared on his face. "But why don't you ask him?"

Liz turned her head to take a look at him and followed Red with her eyes while they placed him in front of her and restrained him to a post. He smiled at her; that sad smile told her that she would be okay but in some way made her more nervous. Liz felt that within a minute Red told something about him or her or them which would change their relationship forever.

"Mr. Reddington. I'm so glad that I see you again." László rose up from the chair and looked at Berlin who gave him a light nod then László went to him and hit Red's jaw hard with his fist then he buried his right knee in Red's stomach which caused him a temporary hampered respiration.

Red didn't shout or cried out but Liz saw the pain in his eyes.

László held him by his throat to take a look in Red's eye.

"You got this because you fucked my wife in London!" he hissed angrily and Red provoked him with a grin.

"How is she by the way? Still got that cute tattoo on her lower back?" another hit on the face.

"Unbelievable " Liz rolled her eyes.

Suddenly László grabbed a penknife from his pocket and held against his throat.

"Stop." Berlin demanded. "I want him alive…but a little cut won't kill him" he grinned and László smashed the penknife into his right thigh.

Liz couldn't hold back; a silent tear ran down on her cheek.

"Don't feel bad about him, Elizabeth." Berlin wiped away the tear from her cheek then grabbed her jaw roughly and stepped behind her. "He will be the reason of your death." he whispered into her ear.

Red's body stiffened. The knife didn't break his artery but it hurt like hell and the way Berlin threated his Lizzie scared the hell out of him.

"Don't hurt her." his voice was lightly shaking because of the pain. Red felt how his body adjusted to the terrible aching. His blood colored the white shirt and the trousers started soaking up with it too. László had been a doctor so he could precisely hit the human body to reach the highest pain without passing out. That was the reason why he was afraid of that animal would torture Liz.

"Are you already begging me? Good" Berlin laughed coldly. He let her jaw go and László stepped next to Liz.

"You don't want to hurt her." the whole room started moving around Red.

"Why not exactly?"

Red stood silent for a moment and shouted immediately as László brought the knife against Liz's neck.

"Because she is your granddaughter, dammit!"

Everybody stared shockingly at him then Berlin started laughing hard.

"That's really a poor trying."

"That is the truth." he shut his eyes tight then looked at Lizzy with apologizing gaze. "I'm sorry." he whispered.

"That's impossible! My daughter wasn't pregnant!"

"No, it's not impossible. Me and Marcus got the mission; the government told us that they had to be murdered because they were agents from the KGB. When we found them Dimitrij was dead and Jenica begged us not to kill her. We knew something wasn't right about this case because the government demanded that we couldn't leave any proof and Jenica was only 19 years old…she couldn't be an agent. As Marcus caught her…it was love at first sight for them. I knew a criminal who made a fake identity for her and we hid her. After a year she got pregnant and they got married. They had a beautiful baby girl with piercing blue eyes" his voice was getting weaker but he looked at Liz and smiled a bit. "Four years later somebody found out what happened then…" he gulped then continued "Killed my family because they thought I was who loved Jenica. It was Christmas eve…I arrived at home and I knew….I had to tell that Marcus…as I got to their house…it was late…he…he was…blood everywhere…" he was getting unconscious but Berlin ordered László to give him something. László grimaced then gave him an injection. It helped Red breathe easier so he could continue. "Then I smelled fume and everything went so fast…I was on the upstairs, I wanted to get out of the house when I heard somebody crying silently. The voice came from the direction where I already saw the flames but I didn't care so I just ran into and…a little girl was there with her back to me holding her bunny and crying because the fire hurt her wrist. I put my jacket around her the lifted her and we ran out. I made promise in that moment; I would protect her no matter what it will cost but I couldn't lose her as I lost my family." his eyes filled with tears; the two men thought it was because of the pain but Liz knew the real reason.

"I'm sorry Lizzie…I couldn't warn your parents in time…they are dead because of me."

Lizzie had started crying when Red told them that he saved her from the fire. She was angry and happy at the same time; angry, because Red hadn't told her before and happy because he had tried to protect her mother from the government. She didn't know what to feel.

"It's a really heartwarming story." Berlin clapped slowly. "Do you have any proof?"

"Do a DNA test on Lizzie and you."

"What about your heroic great doings?" László asked.

Red gulped then spoke quietly.

"The entire story is on my back."

László released him then Red slowly unbuttoned his vest and shirt, he took them off and László turned him around.

Liz dropped her jaw; all of his back was scarred. In that moment she understood why he hadn't allowed her to take off his shirt at night.

"I ran as fast as I could and brought her to one of my most responsible friends. After I gave her to Sam I felt the terrible pain on my back…the adrenalin shock passed away…" Red finished.

"What now?" László asked Berlin.

"We'll do the test which will steal 24 hours from us but I can't risk." Berlin looked at Liz and touched her cheek. "If it's not true you'll wish you never born. Take her to the room and give her food, water and something warm."

"What about Reddington?"

"Because you helped me you get an hour with him" he lifted his index finger "but be aware; you can't kill him. After the hour you have to take him to the room too."

László smirked then one of the associate lifted Liz from the chair and started walking with her to the room while László tied Reddington again and started beating him.

"No! Don't hurt him, please!" she shouted but Reddington didn't hear a word; as the second hit reached his skull he passed out.

Okay, maybe Red was a bit OOC but I'll make the next chapter better!