Disclaimer: Definitely not mine.
Chapter 11:
When Navabi dialed the mysterious number, a man answered.
"Are you Elizabeth Keen?" he asks. Navabi promptly passd the phone to her partner.
"Hello?" Lizzie asked tentatively.
"Ms. Keen, I'm Rosto Delleci. I would love to meet you." the man provided. The man had a gruff, unamused voice. The kind a call-center worker would have. But the surprising thing was that the man had not a trace of any European accent. The name suggested an Italian descent, yet he sounded quite American.
"Mr Delleci, I'm afraid I don't know who you are. Would you mind telling me who you are?"
"I'm sorry, my dearest, but that a conversation for when we meet. All you need to know for the moment that I am an associate of your father. You must contact him, he'll be able to shed some light on the matter, yes? But I would like to meet at the Plaza. So today, evening, 8 pm, come alone. Most importantly, call your father" And with that the line went dead. Lizzie stared at the phone. With a giant sigh she dials her father's number.
"Hello, Dembe? Can I talk to him?"
"Hello Lizzie" came Reddington's tired voice.
"Are you okay? You sound exhausted?"
"Is this why you called? I must inform you I have a lot of things t-"
"I called to talk about Rosto Delleci"
"Ah" and then there is silence for a while.
"Reddington?"
"You should meet him. He has some information for you. Just take Ressler with you and ask him to maintain a good amount of distance. Delleci is not going to hurt you, he just wants to talk"
"Who is he?"
After a moment Reddington says "He's the Weeping Child"
As Lizzie enters the restaurant she is to meet Child at, she notices how the place is very dimly lit. Chandeliers hang from the ceiling providing warm, golden light. The people occupying the tables are very well dressed. Men are donned in sharp suits and shiny shoes while women are draped silks and velvet and Lizzie feels under dressed in her slacks and shirt. The place is bustling with activity and people are conversing softly. Lizzie walks to the bar and waits for Mr Delleci.
"Well you've grown up to be very beautiful Elizabeth" Lizzie turned around to face the voice. Immediately she hits a wall of chest. The voice belongs to a very, very tall man. His eyes are drooping and it looks like hes been crying.
"Are you alright Mr Delleci?" Lizzie asks, concern lacing her voice. He may be a stranger but she wouldn't want anyone to cry.
"Is it because I look like I've been crying? Elizabeth, Red must've told you my nickname. There is a reason I got it" he says as he places himself on a bar stool next to Lizzie.
Now the name Weeping Child seems to make sense to her. "Oh" she says.
"You have no reason to be so tense around me Elizabeth. I have known since you were a little girl, before you went to Sam. And please call me Rosto."
Lizzie flinches every time he uses her name as she isn't accustomed to it. Only when matters are bad does anyone use her full name. "Then I must urge you to call me Liz, Rosto" she offers politely. For some reason her conscious asks her to be careful with this man. He feels familiar and dangerous.
"Of course Liz. Do you know why I called you here?"
"Not really. All I know is you hired a Dr James to get the Fulcrum for me so I'm supposing you work for the Cabal and are after the Fulcrum"
"How much do you know about your mother, Masha?" Lizzie gulps. This man knows her birth name and he chooses to address his mother. Not a lot of people do that. "I'll assume that the silence means you know very little. Are you curious? Have you wondered why she died? Who she was? What did she exactly do as a Russian spy? I'm sure its crossed your mind"
"It does once in a while" she admits quietly. Lizzie had wanted this information all her life and this man was willing to share it all and she wasn't prepared. It was like coming first in a race but not wanting to. How peculiar.
"What do you want to know? I am willing to share all that I know"
"I'm sure it has a price" And the Delleci laughs, a loud and booming laugh.
"I see you've understood how the world works. Excellent Liz, excellent. You're right. It does have a price and a very sadistic one, I must admit but don't worry. The transaction has already happened between your father and I"
"He has a name. Its Reddington. Stop referring to him as my father. That is not his only identity!" Lizzie says through gritted teeth. This man is trying to prove a point to her, he is trying to make her vulnerable and he is faring well. She is uncomfortable. He knows too much, all of her past lies in front of him. He can do whatever he wishes to do with it and she has absolutely no control. Delleci just smiles.
"Raymond and I used to be good friends at one point of time. But business is business Liz and I choose that over him. Now enough chit chat. You came for information and I came to provide it. Lets start on a fun note. First thing you should know, Raymond killed your mother"
"How long have you known?"
"Does it matter? She will know too now and you will have to deal with consequences. You will be the villain and I, the hero for leading her to the truth. So really Reddington, who cares?"
Reddington was fuming. Across him sat Tom. Redington put two and two together only to realise that Tom had set the entire thing he had learnt Reddington And the Child used to be friends and he knows all about the family Reddington once had. So Tom puts on a show, pretends to save Lizzie from Dr James and leads Reddington to the Child, just to have all secrets exposed. Nothing will be the same.