The sky had long since turned black. It was one of those nights, the nights where the wind moved effortlessly through the streets and the moon hung high in the sky, blessing the evening with rich moonlight. A night that gave peace as a reward for the hectic rush of the day. A night that seemed to coat everything in innocence and tranquillity... seemed to at least. The darkness wasn't when evil came out to play, evil never slept, daylight had fooled people into believing it was safe, that it posed no threat. Of course, that wasn't true. None of that was important now though.

They'd be moving out at first light, continuing on with their nomadic lifestyle, Donny was sure he'd have seen every hotel view that DC had to offer by the time he turned fifteen; which wasn't that far away now. Donald's history book rested in his lap as he read about the invasion of the Ruhr in nineteen-twenty-three, why that was crucial information for him to know Donny wasn't certain but he definitely enjoyed learning about it. Dembe had brought him a glass of water about an hour previous and said that Raymond and Luli had gone out to deal with something and by now Donny knew that was code for killing people; it didn't phase him any longer. That had been an hour ago though and from the movement he could hear outside his room Donny knew Red had returned.

Eventually the man in question knocked on his bedroom door and stepped inside before the blonde could utter a single word. Red looked drained, as though he'd not slept in days but neither man mentioned it. Reddington took a seat beside Donny on his bed made up with lapis colored silk sheets and all was silent for a moment or two, then Raymond was speaking.

"I'm sorry for earlier with Nolan." He told his boy. "I realise that I basically forced you into killing him. Forced your hand." As if to prove it Red took one of Donny's porcelain skinned hands into his own. "I'm sorry for what happened with your father as well. I should have thought more about how murder would affect you. I apologise profusely to you, my boy."

This was new, strange even, Red never called him my boy and what was more strange was the fact that Ressler actually liked it. It wasn't lad like his father had said, this was entirely unique to Raymond 'Red' Reddington and Donald liked it. The young blonde set the book aside neatly and then slipped his arms around Red in a hug so as Raymond's back was to his chest.

"What's this for?" The older man asked though it was obvious he enjoyed the hug.

"For caring."

No one had ever cared about him like Red did, maybe Iwan had come close but that was it, sometimes Donald wondered if Raymond felt as lonely as he did. The blonde didn't dwell too much on it and ceased his thoughts all together when he heard Red smile and his arms come up to hold the ones Ressler had around him. The moment was peaceful and pleasing for both men, after a short time Red spoke.

"How about I send Dembe for pizza? I know a little place that makes the best pizza pie in all of DC."

"Of course you do."

Donny smiled into the older man's neck, breathing in his rich cologne, for a man in his forties he was in very good shape. Red disentangled himself from the beautiful young blonde and turned to face him once he'd stood.

"Right, pizza it is. I get Dembe on it." With that he pressed a kiss to Ressler's forehead. "I'll give you a pop quiz on the Ruhr once we're done eating. We can watch that cop show you love so much. would you like that, My boy?"

"Yes."

Red grinned and just left the room, off to send Dembe on a dinner run. Donald sat there for a long time wondering whether or not this nickname meant something.

XXXX

Years passed by and Donald Ressler soon found himself at the age of seventeen, he could shoot, fight, knew almost everything about wine thanks to Red and even had a basic knowledge of tracking which he'd learnt from Luli. He'd grown into the perfect bodyguard and earned the respect of not only Raymond but Dembe and Luli as well. Donny had gotten tall too, not six-foot but still tall, he'd never forget the day when Red had realised he had to look up to speak to Ressler. The memory still made him smile. His hair had grown a little longer too but it was still the same shade of strawberry blonde that he got from his mother, it was neater than it had been at the age of fourteen as well. Ressler took great pride in his appearance now, especially since he was the full time body guard of number ten on the FBI's most wanted list. His jaw was strong and his skin still pale despite the amount of time he'd spent in Haiti lately, there was a little dimple in his chin as well that somehow worked to make him look younger when he smiled.

At some point he'd grown to favour suits just like Red did though he couldn't cope with the waistcoats and flat out refused to ever ware a fedora; no matter how many times Red said this one would look wonderful with your complexion. Donald had turned into a fighter who played by the rules, the only problem for those he fought were that they were his rules, and if he set his mind to something it got done; especially if there was a mystery to it. His body had grown muscular and strong but those dazzling blue eyes of his would never change, from birth to old age that would remain the same and that was why they were Raymond's favourite part of his boy.

Three years and so much had changed yet at the same time nothing had; Donny wasn't certain how that worked. Nightmares of his father had stopped when he turned sixteen, every now and again one would break through the net but they were few and far between, he still clambered into bed with Red some nights though. Why? Because Ressler just likedto be near the older man, to be held in his arms and know he was cared for. The term My boy had become a common one that no one in their little group so much as batted an eye to, the blonde actually took comfort from it. Years ago Donald Ressler had woken in the middle of the night to the realisation that he wanted to be with Red, not just as bodyguard but in every sense of the word, he loved the older man. Maybe he shouldn't but Donny didn't care, that was just how his heart felt. And so he'd carry on crawling into bed with Raymond claiming a nightmare until the day he could no longer get away with it.

Morning light had only lit the sky for a few hours but Donny was already awake along withDembe, Luli worked for Red on and off and was currently in the middle of one of those off times. That day Red had a meeting with Diego Cullen and later on in the afternoon one with Amyas Goodwin. Donald rather liked Amyas, he was the same height as Donny, had short black hair that grayed at the temples but was perfectly combed and stormy grey-green eyes. Amyas wasn't an overly muscular man but he was lean and knew how to ware a suit, fuck! I just have a thing for older guys in suits don't I? Donald questioned himself. In truth Amyas wasn't too old, early thirties, but he had that presence that Red had, it was what drew Donald in. Cullen was to bring Red a new shipment of weapons for his men while the meeting with Amyas was on an entirely different topic; art. There was a certain Monet that Raymond wanted to give as a gift to an old friend but said painting was in the Louvre and so the best art thief there was had been called.

Dembe was always up early, it was just a habit, but Ressler always had to force himself. He really wasn't a morning person but he had a fitness routine he tried to keep too an so at six he was out of bed and off for a run with nothing more than a morning Dembe thrown over his shoulder. He'd always been surprised to see just how many people were out and about at six in the morning, most were out for the same reason as him but others were off to work. On occasion Donald wondered what it would be like to have a normal job but usually dismissed it quickly, he had Red and that was all he needed; that and a normal job would be boring.

When he re-enter the hotel penthouse he was coated in a thick sheen of sweat, Dembe was sat at the breakfast bar eating a bowl of cereal and reading a book while Red relaxed on the large L shaped white couch reading his paper.

"Hello My boy." He greeted folding the paper down so he could see Donny, the blonde had no idea about the thoughts that surged through Red's mind involving his tongue and Donny's toned shirtless, sweat dripping body. "How was your run?"

"Good. I'm going to shower and then get your dry cleaning." Blue eyes told the older man. "There was an accident last night under the bridge, cops and road crew are still cleaning it up so I think we should get a new car for your meetings with Cullen and Amyas."

"That's My boy, always thinking ahead." Red praised. "Go take your shower, oh and there's no need for you to get my dry cleaning, Dembe can do it. Can you Dembe?"

"Of course, Raymond." The man from Sierra Leone responded smoothly.

Nodding Donald went off for his shower leaving Reddington and Dembe alone. Silence hung for a brief time until the elder man folded his newspaper and set it aside.

"Did you look at how she'd doing?" He asked.

"Elizabeth is fine. She's taking her profiler exams in a few weeks, from what I gather she'll do well. She seems happy Raymond, maybe you should just leave her be."

"You know I can't do that, Dembe. I have to keep her safe, it's all I can do for her now."

XXXX

Agent Harold Cooper sat in his latest meeting on Raymond Reddington, he'd gotten even more prolific in the last few years and the FBI wanted him in custody. Cooper just wanted to go back to bed, he was starting to wonder if Reddington was some sort of supernatural entity that could just magically evanesce at will, they always seemed so close and yet so far.

"He's getting too bold and I don't like it." Diane Fowler all but growled.

If he was being a hundred percent honest with himself, Cooper had to admit he hated that woman.

"I know, but we have no new leads. The man is a ghost, the name Concierge of Crime didn't come from nowhere. We have no idea how deep his network really goes and as far as we know the three people who spend the majority of their time acting as his security detail." Harold pushed pictures towards Diane as he said their names. "Dembe Zuma. LuliZeng and a man whose name we still don't know, are entirely loyal to him."

"This man. This boy" She said pointing to the picture of Donald. It was taken at a distance as he opened a car door for Reddington to get it. "What is he sixteen? Seventeen? You've had pictures of this one for a while now. How can you not know who this teenager is? And what's more why is he with Reddington?"

"Our best men have gone through everything, he's never been arrested, his fingerprints aren't on file. He's invisible." Said Harold.

"Then your best men are morons, he had to have come from somewhere. Blue eyes here didn't just pop into being. Have you searched the missing children's database?"

"Yes. If he ran away or was kidnapped then the parents never reported it."

As much as Fowler wanted to think bringing Reddington in was as easy as asking this boy to turn on his boss, Harold knew the truth, the only reason Raymond let Dembe, Luli and the mystery boy get so close was because he knew they'd rather die than turn on him.

"Do you think he could be Reddington's son? Almost twenty years of having a criminal empire doesn't mean he didn't have another child." It was a fair question.

"Possible but I doubt it."

"So this whole meeting is entirely pointless. That's what you're telling me, Agent Cooper." She all but sneered. "You'd better pray that in the next one you have something of value to show me. Get out."

Having been released from the bitch Harold left with a sigh, why was she suddenly so obsessed with Raymond 'Red' Reddington?